Service delivery is what differentiates providers operating within the ICT managed services arena. Integr8, a multi-award-winning South Africa-based global managed ICT services provider, has invested in its 24/7/365 Nerve Centre, the largest and most equipped IT services centre in Africa.
The Integr8 Nerve Centre is a comprehensive technology services hub, equipped with the latest available technology, designed to be the company's centralised customer relationship and services arm.
From this hub, Integr8 offers a range of services that cover incident management, problem management, change management, resource management and service delivery management.
Incident management is done by means of logging the incidents on the call-logging system, called G8Keeper. Incidents can be logged via phone/e-mail and automated system alert notifications. Incidents are managed strictly according to timelines allocated to incidents according to service level agreements.
A dashboard system provides a panoramic, real-time view of clients and their infrastructure. This resource is used to manage all incidents proactively, in line with service level agreements.
"Problem management is used to identify the root causes of incidents so that issues are identified quickly and dealt with immediately," explains Robert Sussman, joint CEO of Integr8.
Change management is done to ensure the process of managing all changes within a given environment so as to increase service availability and IT efficiency by reducing the number of unnecessary changes and managing change-associated risks.
Resource management in the Nerve Centre is done to manage resources onsite and also to ensure service delivery takes place according to service level agreements.
Immediate value to clients
According to Sussman, the ability to 'plug' clients directly into the system, with ease, and to do so immediately, is what differentiates the Nerve Centre.
This is a benefit that many local and international clients can attest to, such as independent property services company, JHI Properties.
The company offers a spectrum of services, including property management, retail property management, project and development management, and consulting and research, as well as valuations and residential management.
Network performance and strategically aligned infrastructure is imperative to the company's overall core competency and service delivery.
To this end, Integr8's Nerve Centre has been used to roll out much-needed Internet Dedicated Service to its client.
The solution has been rolled out nationally and enables geographically dispersed sites to share vital business applications and provides access to the corporate virtual private network (VPN).
"This offering delivers connections that are permanently and exclusively available. The purpose is to ensure that every individual within an organisation is able to benefit from the highest level of Internet access. Traffic is carried over the IP backbone network of a carrier-grade telco network - one of the most rigorously engineered networks on the continent," Sussman continues.
Executive management at Integr8 have identified a number of differential qualities within the solution that will enhance online application within the workplace.
Key qualities include the fact that, should a service disruption occur at any IP gateway, the meshed network architecture will enable traffic to be instantly re-routed within the VPN environment across multiple IP routes.
The value of increased flexibility is another feature Integr8 is keen to expose its client base to.
"This technology offers a range of bandwidth options and allows the user to optimise and aggregate bandwidth to ascertain the most appropriate spend and save costs," adds Sussman. "In addition to flexibility and reliability, we have also focused on the scalability and sophisticated reporting and graphing that it offers."
This solution offers businesses the high quality of service and optimal network performance.
The outcome
Additional benefits to the solution include round-the-clock support via Integr8's technical services team, high capacity (full capacity of the access circuit), and the advantage of only paying for bandwidth and traffic required.
Heetendra Gowin, CIO of JHI Properties, says the provision of this network has made a significant difference to the company's core operations.
"This is evident in our consistently high levels of network performance and the consistency in reliability, capacity and control. Integr8 is positioned at the forefront of network infrastructure capacity enhancement and support, and this partnership continues to add measurable value to the development of our business," says Gowin.
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