“Two years down the line, our IT foundation is solid. We’ve moved to the cloud, our connectivity is reliable and downtime is no longer a term in our vocabulary. With Netsurit, it’s like hakuna matata – why worry?” Armand Nell, IT Manager, Komati Group.
Background
Komati Group is a key player in South Africa’s agriculture and apparel services sector, with operations that rely heavily on seamless, time-sensitive logistics – particularly during seasonal packing peaks. In a dynamic industry shaped by tight deadlines, evolving technologies and increasing customer expectations, the group knew that it needed to evolve from a reactive service into a strategic enabler of growth.
Komati Group's goal: build an IT environment that could support its vision for scale, agility and resilience – without the burden of constant firefighting. For that, it turned to Netsurit, a long-term technology partner known for its proactive managed services and cloud-first strategies.
The challenge
Before engaging Netsurit, Komati Group faced a number of issues that made it difficult to support growth:
- Legacy infrastructure: On-premises servers were limiting scalability and prone to failure.
- Operational bottlenecks: During peak packing seasons, even minor IT issues could not afford the standard eight-hour SLA – they needed fixes within two.
- Fragmented support: The business lacked a cohesive IT service model that integrated service desk, professional services and cloud strategy.
- Uncertain roadmap: Without a clear digital roadmap, the organisation struggled to prioritise and execute on new technology initiatives.
The solution
Over a two-year period, Komati Group and Netsurit co-developed a future-ready IT platform:
- Cloud migration: The move from onsite servers to a fully cloud-based infrastructure eliminated downtime and improved scalability.
- Support ecosystem: Netsurit provided seamless access to service desk support, professional services and strategic advisory through a unified model.
- Security planning: Ongoing dialogue ensured that new security requirements were incorporated into a broader roadmap.
- Scalable infrastructure: Netsurit implemented a foundational IT architecture that Komati Group can now easily build on as the business grows and evolves.
“At the height of the season, there’s no time for delays. One WhatsApp or e-mail and Netsurit is there. No back-and-forth. No waiting. It gets done – and that gives us confidence to keep moving,” Nell said.
Results
The impact of the partnership has been profound:
- Zero downtime: System availability has improved to the point where downtime is no longer a concern.
- Greater focus: With IT taken care of, Komati Group’s internal teams can focus on innovation, operations and customer delivery.
- Future-ready architecture: The baseline infrastructure is in place to support everything from IOT integration to next-generation security protocols.
- Shared values: The relationship has evolved beyond vendor-client – it's a partnership grounded in mutual values, strategic alignment and trust.
“Technology changes fast – but with a partner like Netsurit that’s agile and forward-thinking, we’re already there. Whether it's expansion plans or advanced security, we know our IT foundation is ready to support us,” Nell added.
Looking ahead
Komati Group is preparing to open a new plant and expand its digital footprint in 2025. As part of this journey, Netsurit continues to provide hands-on support and co-develop the IT roadmap.
“What makes this partnership special is constant, active engagement. We sit down, plan together and walk the road together – safely and smartly. That’s how we build long-term resilience,” Nell concluded.
As the agricultural sector continues to embrace digital transformation, Komati Group’s story is a blueprint for what can be achieved when IT becomes an integrated, strategic part of the business – not just a support function.
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