Global technology company IBM is investing in SA-based managed services providers as it seeks to bolster its ecosystem.
IBM recently announced an investment into its managed services community, which includes new products and marketing assistance, in a bid to bolster its partners' ability to serve clients.
Global Business Partners and Midmarket GM, Mark Hennessy, says local companies are playing a leading role in IBM's efforts to bolster its managed services partner base.
The products the company has invested in include PureSystems, which is like a cloud in the box and trims start-up and management expenses, explains Hennessy. "They can buy that cloud off the shelf."
Hennessy explains there are currently fundamental changes in the local marketplace, which are being driven by client demand. He says clients want industry-specific solutions, and are outsourcing non-core business aspects such as IT.
Geographic focus
Hennessy was in SA to bolster IBM's relationship with its local partners. IBM is currently in 20 African countries, up from the four it had a presence in four years ago, he says. "SA is a huge focus for us; we've made significant investments in Africa over the past 15-20 years."
IBM aims to increase business partnerships in each of its brands across all the geographies in which it operates, says Hennessy. He says SA has a vibrant community of partnerships, and IBM aims to aid them in developing relationships and building on the current need for on-demand cloud-based services.
He adds that the company has a global financial organisation that has a $1 billion line of credit, which is available to South African partners.
IBM has around 300 partner relationships in SA out of about 120 000 globally, half of which are based in emerging or growth markets.
An important part of the on-demand concept is facilitation, notes Hennessy. He says the cloud is maturing, and SA is gaining faster and larger capacity bandwidth, both of which are enabling provision of services to clients who want to outsource non-core aspects. "It's almost like a perfect storm."
IBM has also opened a total of 44 innovation centres in 30 countries, which act like a test bench for its partners to try out concepts and gain assistance from IBM's technical staff, says Hennessy.
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