Alan Coward, the recently appointed MD of end-to-end solutions provider EDS Africa, is confident that the company faces a bright future following the sale of Dimension Data`s (DiData`s) 50% stake in the company back to its US parent, EDS.
DiData sold its stake back to EDS in October, in a deal valuing the company at R1 billion.
Coward says the change will have a significant and positive impact on the South African subsidiary.
By becoming a wholly-owned EDS entity, its access to the multi-national`s resources, processes and skills will improve substantially. This will accelerate the globalisation of EDS Africa, help it provide its clients with a world-class service, and add impetus to its growth.
Coward, formerly MD of Panasonic, explains that EDS Africa has a new management team and structure. This, together with changes in the structure and management of EDS at the global level, will strengthen the culture of "delivery - whatever it takes" at the South African company.
"EDS Africa has always shared the driven, committed culture of its global parent. Mixed with this has been our own, South African flavour. With the tightening of the lines of command and the shortening of the lines of communication I believe we will evolve steadily toward EDS`s international culture. This, within the context of the rapidly globalising local industry, will make it a more powerful force than ever."
Globally, EDS has been reformed across four lines of business - AT Kearney (high-value consulting), E.solutions (electronic business), Information Solutions (IT outsourcing) and Business Process Management.
Lines of access
Says e-business director Susie Thompson: "The restructuring of EDS has created direct lines of access from each of these divisions in SA to our international centres. It`s now much easier to get resources and input than before, when we were a 50% subsidiary at the far end of the Europe/Mid-East/African sector."
Coward adds: "I believe in the direction that [EDS internationally] is taking. My role is to facilitate, push and champion that approach and make sure it works here in SA.
"It`s going to be a difficult model because it requires the mindset of people to open up and accept a more international way of doing things. But once we`ve gone through that mindset change I believe our clients are going to get a magnificent benefit. And when clients get great benefit it comes through on the bottom-line."
EDS Africa still has a good relationship with DiData, and the sale back to the parent company has not decreased EDS`s business.
"DiData is a magnificent company. It is a well-respected, really good South African computer company, and working together with them is going to add a lot of benefit to EDS. And, being built on good, sound relationships and good, sound business principles, in serving its customers out there, I think it will just get better and better."
Thompson agrees: "It`s much easier to partner with them now than it was before. We no longer have two shareholders, whose priorities and business objectives were not always identical. Now that we`re independent, it`s much easier for both of us to focus on the business benefits for the client and then to structure the right solution.
"So when EDS develops an overall solution for a client, if there is a requirement in a particular area you can tap into the appropriate Dimension Data division and know they`ve got the service or the product to fit the solution.
"There`s no internal pressure from shareholding or anything else. You`re doing it purely because that`s the right partner."
Thompson says EDS is trying to differentiate itself from other e-business suppliers by not only designing and building solutions, but through implementation and actually managing the business once it is in.
"We don`t just come in and say this is what you need to do and then walk out," she adds. The company assesses the vision, sets service levels and agrees on the expected benefits. Only then is a contract drawn up that ensures EDS delivers a set of measurable business benefits.
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