Dimension Data

D I M E N S I O N D ATA

DIMENSION DATA

Increasing

Dimensions PRODUCTION: Colin Chinery

Global systems integrator and managed services provider Dimensions Data is bringing the world’s best technology with service support to help businesses achieve greatness.

“We are wherever our clients are at every stage of their technology journey,” says Grant Bodley, CEO of Johannesburg-based Dimension Data Middle East and Africa.

//

South Africa is fast-positioning to become a globally competitive player in the digital revolution space.

Already best-placed of African countries to benefit from the potential of information and communications technology, South Africa’s ICT sector has been boosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent State of the Nation announcement of a Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Seen as a national overarching advisory mechanism on digital transformation, it will stimulate a technological revolution to improve and advance the lives of South Africa’s citizens and business.

LEAD PLAYER Among the front players in this technologic quantum leap is Johannesburg-headquartered Dimensions Data, market leader in the ITU industry, founded in 1983 and

helping organisations achieve through digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, and cyber security.

Part of the $8b turnover Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Company (NTT), one of the world’s largest telecommunications service providers, with offices in 47 countries and 28,000 employees, Dimensions Data “delivers globally and regionally wherever our clients are at every stage of their technology journey,” says Grant Bodley, CEO of Dimension Data Middle East and Africa.

www.enterprise-africa.net / 3

INDUSTRY FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY

“We are proud to be part of a global systems integrator and managed services provider that designs, manages, and optimises today’s evolving technology environments to enable its clients to leverage data in a digital age.

“We invest heavily in innovation to bring together the world’s best technologies, from consulting, technical and support services to a fully managed service, to our global client base.”

While the potential of other countries in East Africa is “exciting, they don’t have quite the same scale as Kenya,” says Bodley.

“We do business in Uganda and Djibouti and starting to look at Ethiopia. It’s quite a significant country, quite technologically advanced, and while we don’t have a presence there

right now, Ethiopia is an attractive market, one where we are doing a deeper analysis with the possibility of entering it sometime in the future.”

SOUTH AFRICA-CANADA VENTURE But the Johannesburg company’s latest expansion takes it out of Africa, and 8,300 miles north west to Toronto with the acquisition through its subsidiary Merchants, of Millennium 1 Solutions, of one of Canada’s fastest-growing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solution providers.

Millennium provides contact centre, credit card, and back office and administration services to Canadian organisations primarily in the financial services, insurance, and retail sectors.

Merchants – Johannesburg-based, with offices in Cape Town and Durban

- is one of South Africa’s leading customer management outsourcing solution providers, designing, building and operating contact centres across the globe.

With Millennium’s North American strengths, capabilities and expertise particularly in credit card and financial services - complementing Merchants’ offerings in areas and verticals such as telco, retail, airlines, and service desk, the synergies are clear, dovetailing Dimension Data’s strategic vision for the Merchants Group.

“We looked at our commercial and off-shore capability, to Canada’s proximity to the USA, and the fact that North America has the biggest BPO market.

“And with Millennium 1 we can now access the North American market

Helping make Africa resilient Africa will only achieve its economic potential if its companies can manage risk and recover from disaster effectively.

Today’s global, digital economy is 24/7 and no company will long survive a protracted period of closed doors.

Companies increasingly must demonstrate to business partners that they can mitigate risks, and recover quickly from any disaster.

“Business continuity helps companies look at their risk and recovery plans holistically, taking into account people, processes and technology,” says Michael Davies, CEO of ContinuitySA. “And as the threat landscape has become so volatile, we now have to think in terms of business resilience—the ability to respond to, and recover from, even unexpected, unplanned-for disasters.”

For these reasons, ensuring the right business continuity strategies and capabilities are in place have been made a board responsibility in governance codes worldwide, including South Africa’s King IV. “This year, we celebrate 30 years as the leading business continuity and resilience company in Africa, and we have the clients and awards to back that up. But more important still, we are really proud of the work we have done, and will continue doing, in creating awareness about business continuity across the continent,” he says. “Africa has enormous economic potential, and if African companies can demonstrate that they have credible business continuity plans and capabilities, they can take their rightful place in global supply chains. Supply chains are only as strong as their weakest link, so it’s vital to be able to demonstrate that one is resilient.”

ContinuitySA operates the continent’s biggest network of recovery centres, with more than 20000m2 of space in South Africa (Gauteng, the Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal) as well in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique and Mauritius. It is a Gold Partner of the Business Continuity Institute and a Gold Partner of Veeam.

The company was acquired by Internet Solutions, a member of the Dimension Data Group, in 2014. “Thanks to our links with Dimension Data, we can offer African clients access to an unrivalled network of data centres to provide a truly global solution.”

4 / www.enterprise-africa.net

INDUSTRY FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY

and provide it with services from South Africa,” says Bodley, Dimension Data Middle East and Africa CEO since October 2015.

FINANCIAL SERVICES ACCELERATOR “The other exciting thing is that Millennium 1 is that it is focussed primarily on financial services, with a card processing capability I would like to bring to South Africa.

“Financial services are a really significant market for us, as is retail, so we can leverage some of that IP around card processing and the like.

“It’s a whole new value proposition which we can bring to our South African customers, and with this new enabling footprint sell into the North American market. Overall it’s an exciting opportunity for us.”

Nine months after the Millennium 1 acquisition, Bodley stresses the virtues of operational continuity and staff retention.

6 / www.enterprise-africa.net

“It’s important for us not to put in wholesale changes. You must make sure you retain the staff and that the staff in turn feel they are part of an organisation with which they can identify. The last thigh you want is to have a lot of attrition and lose key people.

“So the first six months saw us bedding down the business and leaving it relatively autonomous. The next 18 months will see us bringing about synergies - and by this, I mean sharing technology platforms, transporting or leveraging IP.” The process of absorbing and developing Millennium 1’s card processing capability and potential in a South Africa – North America twoway flow, should see results within the next months.

“We are already engaging with some of the financial services here in South Africa and have appointed an individual out of the banking world to lead the Go-to market for us.

“There are some compliance issues which we need to get certified and embedded in the South African business before we can fully transact.

“But we have started engaging the market and showing the type of services we are delivering to a large part of the Canadian tier two banks and large retailers, and which we believe we can bring into the South African market.

“We hope to land this capability here within the next couple of months, and I believe a number of aspects will resonate with some of South Africa’s financial institutions.”

TOP EMPLOYER Dimension Data’s outstanding success in transforming and enhancing client performance was recognised last year with the 2018 Microsoft Modern Workplace Transformation Partner of the Year Award - with another Dimension Data division, Britehouse,

DIMENSION DATA

named South Africa Partner of the Year.

The two were among a global field of top Microsoft partners demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

“Microsoft is a really significant partner for us and highly relevant across all enterprises and public sectors,” said Bodley.

“To be recognised by an operation of Microsoft’s nature and stature as a leading player and partner, re-enforces that we are on the right track, and gives clients confidence that they are dealing with systems integration with a track record.”

The Workplace Transformation Partner of the Year Award was related specifically to its success in transforming the modern workplace, and says Bodley, “shows we have unique IP, understand that the workforce is changing, and can leverage technology to increase communication and collaboration, reduce costs and other benefits.”

// WE HAVE STARTED ENGAGING THE MARKET AND SHOWING THE TYPE OF SERVICES WE ARE DELIVERING TO A LARGE PART OF THE CANADIAN TIER TWO BANKS AND LARGE RETAILERS, AND WHICH WE BELIEVE WE CAN BRING INTO THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET //

Optimised efficiencies and workplace harmony are central to the Dimension Data philosophy, a mindset that has seen it named a Best Employer by The Top Employers Institute, the global authority on certifying excellence in employee conditions.

“We have been recognised as a Top Employer for a number of years, and this is a really critical part of our culture and how we do business.

“We are a people business in a technology industry, and as such we need to have the most skilled people in the industry working for us.

“To do this you create fertile soil to attract them, a good people and culture policy, investing in areas like training, internships and development.

“And this has come to bear, and being recognised is a great accolade, and one that helps us attract new young, bright talent.

“As long as I am around, certainly in our geography, we will never stop investing. I spend a great deal of my time making sure that I’m connecting with the 14,000 employers, communicating with them, and sharing the vision.

“It’s really rewarding when you see these young people come through and start making a real difference in the market.”

The MEA region is a notably strong and important contributor to overall global performance.

“East Africa is an exciting and significant part of our business. The first six months were slow however primarily because of the contended Kenyan election - but since then business has picked up nicely.”

POST-ELECTION PROTECTORIES Elections are currently the X for Uncertainty factor, with General elections in South Africa on May 8th to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province.

// WE ARE ALREADY ENGAGING WITH SOME OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES HERE IN SOUTH AFRICA AND HAVE APPOINTED AN INDIVIDUAL OUT OF THE BANKING WORLD TO LEAD THE MARKET FOR US // This will be the sixth election held since the end of the apartheid system in 1994 and will determine who becomes the next President of South Africa.

Could the post-election landscape emerge as one more positive for business and industry?

“I’d like to think so. At present there’s a degree of uncertainty, and the economy’s flat. As soon as we get through the elections in May I think you will start seeing a lot more investor confidence, and this will work its way through to technology.”

In the meantime, the fact that despite everything, Dimension Data has managed to continue to grow is pleasing, says Bodley. “But it’s not at the pace we would like. We want to grow faster; that’s our aim and our strategy.

“As far as South Africa is concerned, I’m still optimistic that we are an attractive country for investment once we have stabilised some of the uncertainty relating to the political landscape.”

WWW.DIMENSIONDATA.COM

www.enterprise-africa.net / 7

Published by CMB Media Group Chris Bolderstone – General Manager E. chris@cmb-media.co.uk Sackville Place, 44-48 Magdalen Street, Norwich, NR3 1JU T. +44 (0) 20 8123 7859 E. info@cmb-media.co.uk www.cmb-media.co.uk CMB Media Group does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/ or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.

Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. Š CMB Media Group Ltd 2019

AS FEAT UR ED IN

ENTERPRISE AFRICA

MAR CH 2019