SAS South Africa boasts third consecutive record growth year

SAS South Africa, the local subsidiary of US-based business intelligence giant SAS Institute, has continued its impressive growth trend in 2006, boasting its third consecutive year of world-leading success and ending off the year on a record high.

The company has also been ranked by IDC as the leading business intelligence player in the South African market, with 21.5% market share.

According to managing director of SAS SA, Bill Hoggarth, this remarkable growth streak has been achieved by keeping existing customers happy, thereby ensuring continued annuity income, as well as the company's ability to close new deals in both the private and public sector.

"Our success is a direct result of a number of multimillion-dollar deals we have managed to clinch over the aforementioned three-year period. This achievement has helped the South African office to become the fastest-growing SAS subsidiary in the world, beating both established and developing regions, a fact we are immensely proud of.

"The number of R10 million-plus deals that our customers are entrusting us with, is clear proof that intelligence is no longer a departmental, IT or tactical engagement, but rather an enterprise-wide consideration of great value."

According to Hoggarth, the organisation's accomplishments are entrenched in the relationships it has with clients and the extensive partner network, and the company has thanked its new and existing customers for their faith in the SAS product, and for their ongoing support of the company.

Dan Vesset, Research Director, Business Analytics, IDC, says: "Given SAS's latest financial performance announcement, it is clear the shift toward packaged analytic applications has benefited the company faster than we expected. Over recent years, SAS has transformed itself from a company known primarily for its advanced analytics tools to a provider of a broad portfolio of packaged analytic applications, which incorporate the company's advanced analytics, query and reporting and data management expertise, as well as industry and process-specific content."

Hoggarth adds that a recent IDC report on emerging markets, where SAS clinched the top market share spot as the vendor which holds more than 21.5% of the South African BI industry, is testimony to its success in the region.

"We have a very active South African customer base, and our clients are revered by our peers internationally as being some of the most forward-thinking SAS implementations in the world. It is customers like the Old Mutual Group, Absa, Standard Bank, MTN, SITA, various central and provincial government departments, Eskom and many others, which have allowed us to fuel this perception," adds Hoggarth.

SAS Institute recently embarked on a globalisation strategy to assist it in better servicing its multinational customer base, a fact which Hoggarth says will only lend itself to further service delivery improvements.

"Looking ahead we are very excited about what 2007 and beyond holds for us in the South African region. We remain committed to the region and look forward to bolstering local operations through ongoing international investment. South Africa remains an important part of SAS Institute globally," ends Hoggarth.