Sales remain strong in SA, largely due to a strong partner network in the country, says Gilbert Lacroix, senior VP of indirect channels at CA, speaking at CA World 2008, in Las Vegas, this week.
"There are many reasons companies decide to partner," he says. "All companies know the limits of their coverage; you need partners to help cover a wide area. How do you cover it all, how do you choose the correct partners?
"In CA`s case, it`s strongly linked to knowledge of the market. SA is a difficult and complex market, and we rely on strong partners in the region."
He says it is easier to find good partners if a company has a strong presence in the region, as CA does. "We can show local customer successes to potential partners. Going in from scratch is a whole different challenge. In addition, we can open the door of our existing customers to our partners, which makes their life a lot easier."
Lacroix says CA is constantly redefining what its best channel is. The company currently has about 45 partners in SA. "Strategy needs to evolve. In any country, we look at the situation, we look at the economy, the environment, the ecosystem, and then we analyse, and ask is that our best strategy? Perhaps we need more partners, or one very strong one."
The senior VP sees SA as a mature market. "Take banking, for example. We see far more advanced solutions in SA banks than in many countries in Europe."
He describes his function as building an indirect organisation in the EMEA region. He says CA has been in SA for a long time, and has looked at the market in SA and chosen partners who can help CA.
A matter of trust
SA is a difficult and complex market, and we rely on strong partners in the region
Gilbert Lacroix, senior VP of indirect channels at CA,
"There is a large competent existing base of partners; we`ve had to carefully select from the pool. We are not a services company; we choose our partners carefully to see who can offer service delivery, installation, architecture, training, deployment, support."
He says a company that can bring its products and partners together, is a successful one. "It`s all about trust and knowledge transfer, it`s not an easy thing to do."
Talking of the global economic crisis, Lacroix says he does not yet know how this will affect CA sales in SA. "Is it as bad in SA as it would be in, for example, US or UK? Very difficult question; we are already seeing US companies making cutbacks. We haven`t seen that as much in Europe and SA."
He says emerging markets react faster to a financial crisis, and are more sensitive in terms of time to react, as they depend on other economies. "They suffer less, as they are not developed to that level. Perhaps long-term they suffer a lot, but definitely short-term, they suffer less."
However, he sees the crisis as an opportunity for CA. "Our portfolio of products is dedicated to better managing IT, boosting performance and lowering costs. This is exactly what companies need in a time of crisis, and our products offer all these things. I don`t think we will suffer as much as many of our competitors."
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