One is a leading integrated solutions provider, the other a leader in fault tolerance (FT) systems. One can therefore expect the new formal partnership between Comparex Africa and Stratus Technologies to provide SA`s downtime-intolerant market sectors with significantly improved returns on investment (ROI) on IT.
"Partnering with Stratus fulfils a gap in our product set where we previously could not provide FT in the market space," says Graeme Dendy, Server Product Manager for Persetel Q Vector, the Data Centre division within Comparex Africa.
"As partners, we can help our clients reduce the costs associated with unplanned downtime and ongoing support by ensuring their IT environment is up and running all the time," adds Malcolm Anderson, Channel Manager Stratus Technologies.
Both Stratus and Comparex Africa provide computer systems and services to clients in the banking (ATM/POS), enterprise telephony (call centres), manufacturing (PMC), and public safety (computer-aided dispatch such as emergency 911) industries, where continuous availability is a critical need.
Stratus achieved market domination in some of the above segments within the last 12 months, in particular ATM/POS with Mosaic Software`s Postilion application.
The two companies` greater combined value proposition goes hand in hand with a reduction in the cost of FT, promising improved ROI to existing and new clients. Says Anderson: "In the last few years the ratio of components has been inverted, from 90% proprietary to 90% industry standard components, therefore bringing the price down to approximately one-tenth of the original price for purpose-built FT."
The partnership is expected to open up new opportunities in the smaller business sectors that could benefit from prepaid type solutions with FT. Municipalities and process management companies in the mining and fuel industries will also be targeted for growth.
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FT describes a computer system or component designed so that, in the event that a component fails, a backup component or procedure can immediately take its place with no loss of service. FT can be provided with software, or embedded in hardware, or provided by some combination. Stratus represents the hardware implementation side of FT, which means that the programmer does not need to be aware of the FT capabilities of the machine, because it is achieved by duplicating each hardware component. When an anomaly occurs, the faulty component is determined and taken out of service, but the machine continues to function as usual.
Stratus Technologies
Stratus Technologies is the world`s most trusted provider of computer products, services, and technologies that guarantee continuously available processing for applications that must not fail. Its clients include 115 of the Global 500 companies in markets that demand non-stop computing such as financial services, retail, travel, public safety, healthcare, manufacturing and electronic commerce. From an end-user`s perspective, the Stratus approach to availability is automatic and transparent because every aspect of a Stratus system has been engineered from the ground up to safeguard uptime, with Stratus servers automatically providing zero failover time and critical data protection for both memory and disk.
Comparex Africa
Comparex Africa is the leading integrator of ICT-based business solutions that make its clients more successful. Based on a strong customer-centric approach, Comparex Africa delivers technology-business solutions from the full range of competencies within its group that align its clients` strategic and operational business needs. Comparex Africa`s client-centric structure stems from its Systems Integration Model, a methodology that allows for flexibility and close client relationships. Offering business solutions that address all areas of its clients business, Comparex Africa services organisations within the corporate and large enterprise, government and parastatal markets as well as within the medium enterprise sector in all vertical markets.
As an organisation with its roots firmly embedded in Africa, Comparex Africa reflects a cultural diversity, relying on the unique contribution of each of its skilled employees to succeed. Transformation is an overriding business imperative for Comparex Africa and as such it has dedicated resources from across the organisation to drive employment equity, economic empowerment and social investment programmes.
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