JSE-listed Ixchange has signed up another Cape Town HEAT VAR in empowerment-owned IT desktop solutions group Sourcecom. The appointment comes as part of Ixchange`s renewed channel focus in the Cape market.
Sourcecom has made its name servicing large government and parastatal companies in Cape Town and Johannesburg, including Telkom and Eskom. The group is 86% empowerment-owned, and boasts an annual turnover of R180m and 400% growth over the last financial year.
National sales manager Mark Carrick says the increasing convergence of telecommunications with IT and the role of the helpdesk has encouraged the company to focus its resources on adding value in these sectors.
"HEAT plays an important role in our company, not only as our internal helpdesk solution but as a specialised value add we can pass on to our clients," says Carrick. "As the helpdesk becomes more topical in our markets, we can begin to offer a complete, competitively priced outsourced helpdesk solution using HEAT right out the box."
Carrick adds that HEAT will be used across its specialist divisions, from tracking internal e-mail orders, as both an outsourced solution and a commodity sell-on to clients, and professional consulting services from Sourcecom`s LAN engineers.
"The value-add will especially be evident in the SME market, where high-priced, complex helpdesk solutions were previously unavailable," he says. "From a different angle, HEAT will help us consolidate our presence in the SME market on the back of Ixchange`s extensive SME experience."
Ixchange SMS account manager Duncan Wierman says Sourcecom`s dedication to building the Cape channel through its empowerment initiatives fit the profile it sought for a business partner and HEAT VAR in the market.
"We`re increasingly shifting our model from direct sales to channel sales," says Wierman. "Any successes we hope to register will depend largely on the partnerships we forge and the calibre of company we involve."
According to Wierman, Sourcecom is a leader in channel development and operates on multiple levels in the market, from government agency to SME upstart.
"Sourcecom has realised the value of outsourcing HEAT as a helpdesk option for its clients," he says. "We believe together we can offer more to each other`s clients and proactively cross-pollinate our respective markets."
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