National network integration and ICT infrastructure management specialist Integr8 IT has been awarded a large-scale tender to provide complete IT infrastructure services to the Pan-African Parliament. The five-year, multimillion-rand deal involves comprehensive IT infrastructure, support, implementation, design and related services and support.
Integr8 IT made headlines recently when it became a fully-fledged BEE company in terms of the most recent requirements as laid out in the latest ICT charter.
The Pan-African Parliament, as an organ of the African Union (AU), was established as a unified body with representation throughout Africa to ensure that AU programmes are successfully implemented. The organisation recently held its Third Session at its premises in Midrand, Johannesburg.
The body re-located to new headquarters and required an IT partner to facilitate the implementation of ICT infrastructure at the new site. This included hardware, software, connectivity and ongoing infrastructure support and maintenance.
"Due to the nature of the Pan-African Parliament, the infrastructure design had to cater for both the permanent Pan-African Parliament staff, as well as accommodate the increase in activity during the parliamentary sessions that takes place during the year. Due to the sensitivity and high profile of the organisation, especially during the parliamentary sessions, we had to make sure that we implemented both a high level of redundancy to prevent any un-planned down time, as well as a high level of security, both internally, and externally to protect the environment from any threats," says Jan Roux, Technical Director at Integr8 IT.
"As part of the ongoing maintenance, the Pan-African Parliament will be connected to the Integr8 IT Nerve Centre which will monitor and maintain all the critical services on a 24x7 basis. In an environment like this, it is critical to have our finger on the pulse of development. The only way to do this is to have an instant view of the complete environment at all times.
"By monitoring the complete environment from our Nerve Centre, we can respond proactively to prevent any down time, rather than trying to fix issues as and when they occur. From our Nerve Centre we also have the ability to attend to most incidents remotely. This reduces the time it takes to resolve issue remarkably. This, together with our highly skilled technical on-site support staff, guarantees a very fast and sufficient support environment that can meet the demanding needs of an organisation like the Pan-African Parliament," says Roux.
"This opportunity places us in an advantageous position in terms of our viability in competing for future contracts. It adds momentum to our services and offering drive into Africa," adds Lance Fanaroff, joint-MD of Integr8 IT.
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Integr8 IT (Pty) Ltd is a network technology services and solutions company. A recognised leader in the field of system integration, infrastructure management and support services, the company employs a wealth of highly skilled, best of breed, certified system engineers who are directly involved in high level consulting, support and integration.
The company`s core focus is on network infrastructures specialising in design, planning, deployment, management and maintenance. Offices are located in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and representation in Port Elizabeth, East London, and nationally across the southern Africa region.
Integr8 IT is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner for Enterprise Systems and Advanced Infrastructure Solutions. It has been accredited as the Mid-Market Infrastructure Integrator of the Year for the last two consecutive years. Named as one of the country`s top ICTe companies and honoured with a position among SA`s Technology Top 100 Companies, Integr8 IT has established itself as a strategic partner with several internationally-recognised technology vendors and industry leaders, including 3Com, CA, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft, MTN Network Solutions and Attix 5.
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