National network integration specialist Integr8 IT recently installed a complete Microsoft-based network infrastructure for clothing retailer Queenspark in Botswana. The project effectively carves a path into the Africa market for the integration specialist and falls in line with its skills transfer strategy and value to international markets.
Integr8 IT network engineer and project co-ordinator Fahmi Jacobs was flown into Botswana to fulfil requirements as laid out in the project brief. The company was outsourced to design and implement a complete Microsoft design and framework. This would allow the retailer to establish connectivity from its offices in Botswana to a central co-located data centre, already set up by Integr8 IT, at Queenspark`s head office in Salt River, Cape Town.
"From our side the project entailed design, consultation and approval of the framework. Through the experience we have gained from similar implementations in the past, we were able to complete the implementation successfully and within record time. We are excited about this development because it opens the doors into the Africa region," explains Jacobs.
Integr8 IT has completed a number of successful international projects including long-haul connectivity for Energiser South Africa to Singapore as well as secure VPN access between Forest Oil South Africa and the company`s Denver-based head office in the US.
"Our strategy is not to lay claim to a specific market and aggressively seek out opportunities. Rather, we work in strict accordance with the needs and requirements of our client base. This is the key factor - we have been outsourced to clients across continents because they have expressed the need for our services and expertise in this particular arena. Integr8 IT has undertaken local, national and international projects, and having established partnerships and alliances with local market leaders, we have also successfully ventured into the Africa market," says Robert Sussman, director at Integr8 IT.
"This bodes well for ICT development within the region and we are happy to be a part of the process of establishing further connectivity across the continent. Resources, infrastructure, geographics and communication remain challenges, but we are confident that the region continues to represent a largely untapped market, especially as far as network integration is concerned," adds Sussman.
Aside from the potential business that could arise from this development, Integr8 IT also regards this as an opportunity to enhance its skills development policy. The company is proactive in its approach to the value-add clients derive from its rich skills pool, and continue to identify new ways to contribute towards the continued escalation of skills sets.
"We will continue to send our skills offshore in order to leverage off new training and certification opportunities as well as to ensure a global offering. Our goal is to ensure that we house the best-of-the-best and bring something back into the market. It helps us remain ahead of the competition and provides us with the necessary support to successfully fulfil our service level agreements, characterised by proactivity and a guaranteed turn-around time," adds Sussman.
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Integr8 IT (Pty) Ltd is a wholly owned network technology services and solutions company in southern Africa. Based in SA, the company employs a wealth of highly skilled and certified system engineers who are directly involved in high level consulting, support and integration.
With offices located in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and representation in Port Elizabeth, East London and Port Elizabeth, Integr8 IT spans nationally across Southern Africa and Africa continent. It has the people and expertise to plan, deploy, manage and maintain an information technology environment.
Whether a client seeks better control of its networked environment or is in need of practical solutions, complex or simple, Integr8 IT provides the answers with enhanced information technology services.
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