JD Edwards, one of the world`s leading ERP vendors, has signed an agreement with JSE-listed CS Holdings in terms of which it becomes both a Tier 1 business partner for implementation of the OneWorld suite, and the company`s second ASP (application service provision) partner.
JD Edwards has more than 140 customers in South Africa. Despite the downturn in the ERP market, it continues to grow its customer base at a constant rate.
CS Holdings is South Africa`s leading provider of IT services, and has for some years been the most successful and complete implementer of ERP and back-office systems, among them SAP R/3, Baan, PeopleSoft, Great Plains, Kronos and AccPac.
"CS Holdings is a particularly attractive partner for us," says JD Edwards SA MD Mike Evans. "As a group it has excellent skills, and an outstanding client base, many of whom will need to upgrade in the near future and who will be candidates for JD Edwards` solutions."
JD Edwards has been successful in the midmarket, where CS Holdings will be focusing much of its attention, says CEO Annette van der Laan. "We performed an indepth review of the ERP market, and with JD Edwards operating in this market segment and having flexible and adaptable systems, we could see an easily defined value model for our clients. This agreement allows us to extend our full range of services to JD Edwards clients, and in offering these services to act a single point of contact for fulfilment."
In terms of CS Holdings` ASP appointment, the group has undertaken to sell a targeted number of JD Edwards OneWorld licences. These will be sold to ASP customers through CS Holdings` broader ASP initiative.
"ASP is a nascent market which at this stage offers unlimited potential," says Evans. "International research indicates that just 20% of ASP initiatives will last, so we have to choose partners with clout, credibility, infrastructure and the ability to stay the distance. CS Holdings scores on all counts."
CS Holdings has identified candidate ASP clients and is undergoing training to ensure it can add the required value to the JD Edwards` client base.
"JD Edwards had an ASP model before anyone really understood what an ASP really was," says Van der Laan. "With this track record we`re sure we`ll be able to set the pattern for the rest of the ASP market."
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