New Partnerships Keep Tarsus Sharp
PRODUCTION: James Davey
Keeping the world’s best digital technology flowing into Southern Africa, Tarsus Distribution has all the connections and all the skills to contribute meaningfully as the continent transforms. If you own a modern connected product or software, chances are the Tarsus Distribution business had a hand in getting it to you.
INDUSTRY FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY
//Perhaps one of the most challenging industries to operate in because of the pace of change, technology remains vital for economic development.
Globally, the markets with a strong tech industry – the ability to adopt new ideas and adapt to change –are those that break boundaries.
Digital inclusion is a tough subject. In the western world, use of smartphones, laptops, and speedy internet connectivity is almost universal in business and personal life. But, according to the World Economic Forum, 2.6 billion people still live and work without internet access.
In sub-Saharan Africa, World Bank research suggests that more than 40% of people are now digitally
connected. But challenges remain, with a number of longstanding issues still holding back development.
“Underdeveloped digital infrastructure, lack of accessible and affordable connectivity, a stubborn digital gender gap, limited skills for digitally enabled industries, and inadequate regulatory and policy environments,” are problems highlighted by the World Bank.
However, progress has been very positive in the past decade. This is largely due to the influence of business as companies look to deliver improved services to customers through the use of technology, and organisation hunt for efficiency that can only be achieved with modern infrastructure.
In South Africa, Tarsus Distribution is a leading supplier of tech
products for the business market. The company has built relationships with the world’s leading brands, and enjoys exclusivity with many as the distributor for sub-Saharan Africa.
Established in 1985, the company has grown significantly and is today a Level 1 BBBEE business. “We are a distributor that is focused on making the world’s leading IT hardware brands available to the Southern African reseller channel,” the company says. As the longest established IT distributor in Southern Africa, Tarsus helps to drive digitisation by putting world class tech in the hands of African resellers.
“The company also prides itself in the provision of technical skills to its reseller community that allows for more complex business deals
utilising cutting edge techniques and technologies to be employed as and when required by small and mid-sized end-user customers,” Tarsus adds.
The purpose of the business is simple: “Making a lasting difference in the lives of our stakeholders by realising the power of our people.” As more and more resellers look to improve their offerings to service insatiable demand for tech, Tarsus is at the cutting edge.
NEW PARTNERSHIPS
In the past 18 months, as South Africa’s digital economy alone is set to reach 20% of GDP by 2028, Tarsus has struck up new partnerships across the world of tech working with brands new and old, across multiple verticals, to bring more opportunities for resellers and end consumers.
In September 2023, Tarsus partnered with Vertiv – a worldleading provider of data centre and network infrastructure – as the distributor for Southern Africa. The pair will look to build Vertiv’s presence in the region, specifically across uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), power distribution units (PDUs) and integrated racks, but with access to the wider Vertiv product portfolio.
The Tarsus channel approach was key for Vertiv which wants to build its reputation in the regional IT industry.
“The partnership aims at assisting Vertiv in growing its footprint within the local IT channel market, with the goal of jointly becoming the vendor of choice for anything data centre-related,” said Vertiv Enterprise Sales Director for Southern Africa, George Moss.
“Our partnership with Vertiv will allow us to tap into the growing infrastructure needs of the SADC region in particular. Tarsus Distribution will educate our sales teams and channel partners to offer technology solutions in partnership with Vertiv, based on the digital training and digital partner assistance offered by the organisation. This will also include advanced services to support Vertiv solutions,
TARSUS DISTRIBUTION
including specification, configuration and installation, as well as offering Vertiv solutions via our e-Commerce partners,” said Tarsus CTO Jamie Scott.
In April 2024, two important new relationships were built as Tarus teamed with Samsung and iiDENTIFii to add further clout to its offering.
Now able to deliver some of the world’s best gaming and smart monitors, as well as a range of storage options, Tarsus is helping to drive advancement of the Southern African industry. Samsung boasts world-class display and storage solutions, and the brand is sought after the world over. The company’s Odyssey gaming monitor range is the number one gaming monitor worldwide, achieving many accolades and recommendations.
“This partnership underscores our dedication to providing cutting-edge
technology and exceptional service, empowering partners, businesses and individuals to thrive in today’s competitive landscape,” said Tarsus Product Exec, Mark Campbell.
Consumer Electronics VP at Samsung South Africa, Mike van Lier, added: “This collaboration will enable us to expand the reach of our Enterprise portfolio, delivering innovative solutions to our customers with speed and efficiency. Our partnership with Tarsus Distribution further enables us to meet the evolving demands of the modern marketplace, providing unparalleled value to our channel partners and customers alike.”
iiDENTIFii is a Cape Town-based company involved in biometric technology. Utilised across various security and accessibility applications, the company has developed intuitive
INDUSTRY FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY
identity verification solutions for the African market. Already active across the security channel, Tarsus brings a strong network to the innovation of iiDENTIFii.
“Collaborating with Tarsus Distribution opens a breadth of opportunities for us. It’s akin to plugging into an external marketing partner that will propel our solutions
in front of the right audience. Tarsus not only amplifies our market reach but also possesses an understanding of our technology, ensuring it reaches the appropriate channel partners,” said iiDENTIFii CEO Gur Geva.
The company’s offering is unique as it boasts an algorithm capability that can understand different facial features on the continent. It is groundbreaking for the local security place and overcomes a longstanding issue around identity verification bias. For Tarsus, gaining a partnership with iiDENTIFii again confirms its commitment to cutting edge technology for its resellers and channel partners.
“This partnership is set to benefit large enterprises requiring robust
TARSUS DISTRIBUTION
biometric verification by leveraging technology that’s tailored for the African demographic,” said Alan Hawkins, Tarsus GM: Enterprise Solutions.
ONGOING GROWTH
As more and more high-level growth is achieved across the digital ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa, an increasing number of businesses will flock to popular outlets to support their provision. These outlets must promote first class technology or the continent will be left behind and remain unconnected and on a slower economic development curve when compared to the rest of the world.
Tarsus Distribution brings an unrivalled product range and can
back it up with service, finance, and many other ancillary services. With e-commerce, distance learning, cloud computing, and the use of AI on the rise, businesses must make choices about their technology now to stay ahead in the future. But it’s hard –the space changes weekly as new innovations come to the market.
The SA government has stated that by 2029 it wants universal access to the internet, a digitally skilled base of human capital, widespread productive use of technology, and an environment conducive for investment into digital innovation. If this digital future manifests, distributors like Tarsus will without doubt play a role. Like all that leave a truly lasting impact,
Tarsus will do so through partnership.
“Our goal is to lead a new era of partner-centricity, utilising cuttingedge digital technologies to offer comprehensive solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients,” says Chief Digital Officer, Gary Gradwell.
As Southern Africa continues on its digitisation journey, staying apace of change is vital. Tarsus is proving it can do so. Resellers are ferocious in their appetite for new tech. Consumers want to be exposed to the world’s best. Keeping business moving is the task for all.
© Samsung
