The South African information and communications technology (ICT) industry is due for an upswing on the back of positive consumer sentiment and spending, boosted by favourable interest rates.
This is the view of Graham Duxbury, CEO of specialist distributor Duxbury Networking, who says the predicted stability in the rand, little inflationary pressure and stable interest rates have paved the way for solid growth in the industry.
"Looking ahead, the prospects for the rest of the year looks good for the industry, with increased discretionary income boosting the bottom end of the industry.
"This sector should also be buoyed by the government`s electrification programme which should see more PCs being placed in schools," he notes.
"From a corporate perspective, growth is also evident. Many companies are strategically positioned to achieve organic growth - particularly those in the high interest arenas such as wireless networking, security and data storage and archiving," he says.
On the technology front, changes are also evident, according to Duxbury.
"The complexity of corporate-wide networking systems, telecommunications infrastructures, data storage repositories and security protection is greater than ever.
"In fact, the sophistication of the products on offer often exceeds the requirements of the user in the short-term and it takes considerable expertise to design and implement a solution that will optimise the customer`s financial investment."
Duxbury adds that his company has, for some years, placed emphasis on the return on investment of a correctly integrated and aligned, future-proofed solution.
"Today, the distribution channel in SA has embraced this model with many distributors and their reseller partners evolving into value-driven, solutions-selling consultants taking acceptable, sensible profit margins," he adds.
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