Leading ICT services company Business Connexion has formed a partnership with US-based Mendix, a leader in the PaaS (platform as a service) market. The deal highlights the growing interest from systems integrators and solution providers in rapid software development strategies, and provides both parties with a competitive edge in winning new projects.
Founded in 2005, Mendix has built a strong brand as an innovative but proven software company dedicated to revolutionising the delivery of next-generation business applications. Mendix is venture capital backed, but has been profitable since inception, achieving annual triple-digit growth.
Vanessa Olver, Business Connexion Deputy CEO and Group Executive: Services, said: “Business Connexion remains committed to meeting our clients' rapidly-changing business requirements. Often, that demands a new approach to application design and delivery. The Mendix Agile Business Platform is key to that strategy.”
In terms of the annually renewable contract, Business Connexion will develop, maintain and support the applications as well as offer software as a service in the BCX Cloud.
Commenting on the rationale behind the decision to partner with Mendix, Olver said: “The harsh economic climate is compelling clients to review their IT investments, reduce costs and improve agility. In addition, their legacy applications are limiting their ability to respond timeously to the needs of the business.
“We believe that the use of the Mendix platform will improve the situation by offering quick turnaround on developing business applications and providing an integration layer between the various business systems.”
Gerard van den Houten, Managing Director of Mendix South Africa, said: “We see partnering with seasoned specialists as a core element of our company strategy. We strive to develop strong relationships with partners that extend our offering through industry expertise and specialised skills, helping customers to get the most out of Mendix.
“Our partnership with Business Connexion demonstrates our joint mission of giving businesses the ability to build enterprise applications that add real business value. Furthermore, Business Connexion is one of the largest outsource partners in South Africa, and we believe this company is ideally positioned to promote the Mendix platform in the region.”
Meanwhile, Business Connexion's Professional Services division was recently recognised by South Africa's leading research firm BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T) as the market leader in application development, with 20% market share. This is according to BMI-T's South African IT Services Marketing Sizing and Forecast 2010 - 2015 report, published in December 2011.
Business Connexion identified the Mendix platform as a way to help organisations solve their legacy problems caused by silo applications and old technology. The platform allows for agile, model-driven application development, which results in improved turnaround times.
According to Olver, Business Connexion's customers will benefit from having business systems which are aligned with their strategies. “They will also have the flexibility to make changes to the applications timeously while responding to changes in the business,” she pointed out.
“With the explosion of mobile computing and focus on the cloud, the Mendix business applications will also be able to capitalise on these technologies.”
Gerard agreed: “Mendix solutions have great relevance today, because they can be deployed extremely quickly and cost-effectively. Agile techniques and technologies are all about fast feedback to the business,” he said.
“With agile development, requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organising, cross-functional teams,” he noted. “This promotes adaptive planning, evolutionary development and delivery, and encourages rapid and flexible response to change. This is in heavy contrast to a highly regulated, regimented, micromanaged model of development known as 'waterfall'.”
For media queries, please contact:
Miranda Lusiba - Group Manager: Communication, Marketing & Communications at Business Connexion; Tel: 0112909112/ 0832128624; Email: Miranda.Lusiba@bcx.co.za
Kaunda Chama - Public Relations Manager @ Business Connexion; Tel: 0112909108/ 0834268035; Email: Kaunda.Chama@bcx.co.za
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Business Connexion
Business Connexion is a leading integrator of innovative business solutions based on information and communications technology (ICT). With just over 6 600 employees and a track record spanning over 30 years, Business Connexion runs mission-critical ICT systems and manages products, services and solutions for JSE listed and key public sector organisations, parastatals and medium-sized companies.
Business Connexion has a unique business model that represents the company's approach to configuring and integrating business solutions, which it develops and implements by drawing on expertise from entrenched competencies across the organisation. In order to deliver a world-class service, Business Connexion has developed strong relationships and attained top-level certification with many of the world's leading ICT suppliers. To find out how we can connect your business to a world of endless possibilities visit www.bcx.co.za.
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