IBM SA`s revamped channel in Africa pays off

Speaking at IBM SA`s 2003 Top Performers awards banquet held at Caesars in Kempton Park, Johannesburg on Friday, 24 January, IBM SA country general manager, Mark Harris, said that the integration of IBM`s South and Central African channels during 2002 brought IBM SA`s business partner organisation (BPO) double digit growth - in defiance of a global drop in information technology (IT) spend.

Also, participation by South and Central African business partners was the highest in the global IBM network - with IBM SA getting a higher percentage of revenue than any other region via its business partners.

IBM goes to market in Africa exclusively through business partners. Through them, it ensures that world-class skills are entrenched in the 21 African countries in which it operates and that profit made in those countries is retained there.

Harris said that pooling the skills, experience and contacts of the two African organisations had substantially enhanced the value of the services offered by the channel.

"This year, we`ll be deepening that value further by equipping our business partners to help customers become on-demand businesses."

The on-demand model, rapidly becoming the favoured way of doing business, uses pay-per-use technology to enable businesses to respond with flexibility and speed to any customer demand, market opportunity or external threat.

Called e-business on-demand (eBoD) by IBM, the model is particularly suited to African economies, where the majority of businesses are small or medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and therefore lack the financial and human resources to become appropriately technology-enabled.

"eBod gives SMBs access to technology as though it`s a utility like water, electricity or phones," Harris said. "Capitalising on the economies of scale of an eBoD host, SMBs can use and pay for only such facilities as they need. As a result, they can easily scale up or down without sacrificing precious capex and, therefore, respond very quickly to changes in the market.

"eBoD will create new markets for IBM and its channel. More importantly, though, it will empower African businesses, by making it affordable for them to work to the same technology standards as the rest of the world."

Harris also said that IBM`s acquisition last year of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting and subsequent formation of IBM Business Consulting Services (BCS) would further strengthen the IBM channel in Africa.

"BCS enables our business partners to leverage strategic customer relationships at board level rather than at chief information officer level. And it enables them not just to add value but actually put together business solutions that acknowledge information technology as the strategic investment it has become.

IBM`s vice-president, business partners, EMEA, Guiseppe Giuliani, said that achievement by the African channel of such impressive results in turbulent times positioned the organisation strongly for 2003 to be its best year so far.

"Our products and teamwork have never been stronger. Our focus on the mid-market is paying off. And our new SMB Advantage Programme will help business partners share in the tremendous opportunities inherent in eBoD."

IBM SA channel executive, Johnny Gounden, said morale and satisfaction among the South and Central African business partners were at their highest-ever level.

An independent survey had ranked IBM as the top information technology vendor in terms of business partner satisfaction, with IBM EMEA the best geography and SA the most improved region.

"That`s because we have transformed our internal processes and attitudes to the point where the ability to collaborate and team with IBM is easier and more advantageous."

He added that IBM SA will continue building local capacity through its Andisa business partner programme. The programme provides resource development, credit facilitation, marketing and executive mentoring to black empowerment IT companies.

The awards event honoured business partners and individuals in three areas:

IBM Central Africa Award 2002

* Competitive winback: West Africa - Aira Technologies

* Best Growth in West Africa - Aira Technologies

* Top xSeries Business Partner in Central Africa - Micro Age

* Best Growth in East Africa - Micro Age

* Best Growth in SADC - SBS Botswana

* Top iSeries Business Partner in Central Africa - Solucoes

* Competitive winback: SADC - SRC Angola

* Competitive winback: East Africa - Trans Business Machines

IBM Top Sales Performer Award 2002

* Top PCD Sales Performer - AST

* Top SP2 Winback Performer in SMB - Axiom

* Top SP2 Sales Growth in SMB - CDC

* Best Software Growth Sales Performer - Commerce Quest

* Top Sales Performer in xSeries - Comparex

* Top SP2 Sales Performer in xSeries in SMB - CRL

* Top PCD Distributor in Central Africa - CSP

* Top SP2 Corporate Sales Performer in SMB - CSS Distributor

* Top PCD Sales Performer - Datacentrix

* Top Sales Performer in Storage - Faritec

* Top Sales Performer in PCD for SMB - First Technologies

* Top Andisa Sales Performer in SMB - Inala technologies

* Top zSeries Sales Performer in South Africa - Lechabile

* Top PCD Sales Peformer in Central Africa - Micro Age

* Top ESS Sales Performer in Central Africa - ROE

* Top pSeries Sales Performer - ROE

* Best Software Group Coastal Business Partner - Safmarine Computer Services

* Top SP2 Strategic Solutions Sales Performer in SMB - Sazzi

* Top SW Sales Performer in Central Africa - Net Solutions

* Top Sales Performer in iSeries - TCM

* Competitive Displacement - TCM

* Best Software Distributor Sales Performer - Workgroup

IBM Top Achiever Award 2002

* Top CSI Business Partner - Comparex

* Best Software Strategic Solutions Business Partner - Consilience

* Top PCD Distributor in South Africa - First Distribution

* Top xSeries Distributor - First Distribution

* Top zSeries Business Partner in South Africa - Lechabile

* Top Services Business Partner - Masana

* Top Strategic Storage Distributor in South & Central Africa - Maxtec

* Top pSeries Business Partner in South & Central Africa - ROE Limited

* Top ISV Business Partner - SAP - Best SWG Revenue in 2002 - Siemens

* Best Cross Software Brands Business Partner - T-Systems

* Top iSeries Business Partner in South Africa - TCM

* Runner up Best SWG Revenue in 2002 - TCM

* Top ESS Distributor in South & Central Africa - Tricontinental

* Top Andisa Business Partner - Webnet

Special Award

* Best Business Partner 2002 South & Central Africa - ROE Limited