Following the success of IBM's multimillion-rand Integrated Delivery Centre (IDC), based in Johannesburg, plans are under way to establish a second centre in Cape Town.
The IDC provides virtual, professional IT support to more than 300 global and local organisations from Europe, the US and SA. SA is one of the six global locations where the centres are based.
Mteto Nyati, GM of IBM SA's global technology services, says the plan is still in its infancy, as the concept was only recently approved. As a starting point, the Cape Town IDC will be used to service IBM's Netherlands operations because of the Afrikaans / Dutch link, he says.
Nyathi would not disclose how much IBM will invest in the Cape Town-based centre. However, he notes IBM invested R350 million in the Johannesburg IDC since its inception 18 months ago.
The centre now employs more than 2 000 people, he says. Three hundred of these employees were unemployed graduates who received a year's training at IBM before being deployed to provide technical assistance, he says.
"Setting up an IDC in Cape Town will be very good for the Western Cape economy."
Graduate programme
Nyathi says IBM is also expanding its graduate programme to include the participation of other ICT partners.
"The important thing here is that the barrier to entry into the job market is lowered, allowing new graduates to work for IBM, its customers or other companies that use systems that use the same standards as IBM," he says.
New graduate programme partners include IBM customers, the Department of Communications, the Department of Education and academic institutions, he says.
"We also need to find out how the SETAs can help, as they are sitting on a pool of money that the ICT sector is not accessing at present."
Last month, IBM launched its R110 million Business Continuity and Resiliency Services. The centre is based in Cresta, Randburg, and provides business recovery and resiliency services for clients, says Nyathi.
IBM will also make investments to strengthen IBM SA's regional operations, he says. "IBM sees SA as a growth centre and will continue to make investments."
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