April 2009

Inside



VoIP trends to watch in 2009 p14>>
Sun Shines On IBM; Dell’s Genius Bar p18>>
Cream of the crop
In this edition, CRN profiles the top 20 channel
 Security under the spotlight p20>> execs as voted by SA resellers p23>>
 EDITOR’S: NOTE

The IBM Sun dims

I
t was with much excitement that a possible IBM-Sun deal was announced to the
IT world and we as the media, especially in the channel space, watched with
great interest.
However, as reported by CRN.com at the time of going to press, it seems the Sun
won’t be shining on IBM after all.
The technology giant reportedly withdrew its bid for Sun Microsystems after Sun’s
board of directors rejected IBM’s formal offer. This announcement was also covered
in the Wall Street Journal.
One wonders for whom this is good news and for whom it is bad news as the deal
would have created a major force to be reckoned with on a global scale.
Anyway, Sun’s board reportedly believed IBM’s offer of about US $9.40 per share
was too low, according to reports.
The Journal had earlier reported that IBM and Sun had discussed lowering the offer
in exchange for sticking with the deal through expected regulatory scrutiny.
The media has been abuzz ever since the initial reports of a deal between the two
technology giants surfaced last month.
At that point, IBM had actually put an offer on the table that was significantly higher
than the price at which Sun’s shares had been trading. (On March 18, Sun’s shares
closed at $8.89, a 79 per cent increase, with about 10 times the volume typically
sold on a trading day.)
With all the talk of consolidation in the IT space, I was even of the opinion that this
was a done deal. Clearly, I was a little ahead of myself and forgot the cardinal rule
that there is no such thing as a smooth merger or acquisition nowadays.
Anyway, not long after the excitement built up, IBM decided differently.
Its move comes amid a period when Sun is reorganising its channels and not too
long after the company laid off about 1 500 people.
If the deal ever goes through it will increase IBM’s server market with
Hewlett-Packard (HP) and strengthen its software and storage portfolio.

Kaunda Chama – editor

 Contents
News & Analysis
4 – What’s News

5 – Demand Generator takes a look at Square One Solutions

signing a R5 million contract with giant food retailer, Shoprite Group.

6 – Hi Five

Comztek recently announced the appointment of new channel manager, 06

El-Marie Kruger.

CRN Contacts:
Editor: 9 – CommVault launches global partner programme.
Kaunda Chama By Dominic Khuzwayo
kaundac@systems.co.za

10 – Cisco unleashes unified computing system

Associate editor:
Michelle Sturman By CRN Staff Reporter

michelles@systems.co.za 09
14 – VOIP trends to watch in in 2009
Journalist: By CRN Staff Reporter
Dominic Khuzwayo
dominick@systems.co.za
17 – Moving to The new model. By Steven Burke

Brand executive:
18 – Sun shines on IBM; Dell’s genius bar
Hellen Murahwa
By Robert C. DeMarzo
hellenm@systems.co.za
15
Feature
Sub-editor:
20 – Security: As the global economic recession continues to
Jenny Bastomsky
jennybee@telkomsa.net.co.za empty our pockets, businesses and budget hackers,
on the other hand, are ‘cleaning’ our computers. With many
Designer: businesses tightening their budgets to stay in good shape during
Spencer van Graan the financial drought, IT security seems to remain the ‘thing’ or
spencerg@systems.co.za rather a must-have for many organisations. By Dominic Khuzwayo

Database & subscriptions: 19

Bernice Tlouoe 23 – Channel executives profiles
bernicet@systems.co.za
Product and technology
38 – Netgear ReadyNAS review
copyright notice
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Systems Publishers (Pty) Ltd. The copyright of all
material in this publication is reserved by the proprietors,
39 – BlackBerry Curve 8900 review
except where expressly stated. The publisher, however,
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by others on condition that the source and author
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Parting shots
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CRN Southern Africa is a licensee of CMP Media LLC.
40 – Snapshot: Sam Sibeko, Mthombo Managed
Private Bag X12, Rivonia, 2128
Tel: (011) 234 7008
Services.
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40 – Dilbert 39

2 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

WHAT’S NEWS
Citrix extends relationship with Microsoft
Citrix Systems has announced “Project Encore”, extending its collaboration
with Microsoft into the adjacent server virtualisation market. As part of
this strategic alliance, Citrix has announced the availability of a new
solution called Citrix Essentials for Microsoft Hyper-V. The new solution
will extend the enterprise management capabilities of Windows Server
2008 Hyper-V and System Center in the areas of storage management,
provisioning services and lab automation. To accelerate broad availability
to Microsoft Hyper-V customers, Citrix will make Essentials for Microsoft
Hyper-V available to both Citrix and Microsoft resellers worldwide and
collaborate with Microsoft on marketing and training.
New Intel Atom processor
Intel Corporation has announced four new versions of processors and
two new system controller hub additions which will be available in the
second quarter of this year. The new products for the Intel Atom processor
Z5xx series include industrial-temperature options as well as different
package-size choices better suited for in-car infotainment devices, media
phones, eco technologies and other industrial-strength applications.
“With the addition of these new products, we can bring the benefits of
Intel processors to new applications, devices and customers who
develop products used in unconstrained thermal environments with
low-power in mind,” says Doug Davis, VP, Digital Enterprise Group and
GM, Embedded and Communications Group, Intel.
AMD launches graphics processors
AMD has announced new graphics processors, the ATI Mobility Radeon
HD 4860 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830. These graphics processors
redefine mobile PC entertainment with advanced capabilities. “People
now prefer mobile PCs and innovations like this 40nm mobile GPU
COMINGS
Jooste joins Lexmark SA
Lexmark South Africa has appointed Jerome Jooste in the
key position of service delivery and supply chain manager.
The international printing and imaging company along
with its customers will gain from Jooste’s 14 years’ in-depth
service experience. Jooste’s experience ranges from
managing technical repair centre workshops and new
installation teams nationally and cross border, special projects,
and logistics and warehouse activities to ensure high-level
operational service.
NEW tech boss for Cell C
Cell C has announced the appointment of Bob Wiggins as
chief technical officer. Wiggins brings an impressive track
record built on 30 years of international experience in the
telecommunications industry to Cell C. This applied know-how
includes technology management, mobile and transmission
network planning, construction and operations. Wiggins joins
Cell C from Globe Telecoms in the Philippines and holds an
Honours Degree in Engineering from the NSW Institute of
Technology in Australia.
4 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
show AMD is uniquely positioned to make the entertainment experiences
from desktop PCs possible in a notebook,” says Imi Mosaheb, general
country manager, AMD SA. ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 graphics will
be featured in the forthcoming Asus K notebook.
Polycom tops in 2008
Polycom, suppliers of telepresence, video and voice communications
solutions, has achieved the highest reported market growth of revenue in
‘Group Videoconferencing’ in the Europe, Middle East and Africa
(EMEA) region in 2008. Ploycom scooped a staggering 32% and grew
above market average for revenue and units sold compared to 2007.
“For Polycom in EMEA 2008 was a comeback year,” says Andrew W
Davis, partner at Wainhouse Research, an independent analyst firm that
has been tracking the videoconferencing industry for over a decade.
“During this period, Polycom not only outgrew the overall market,
but also gained market share both in EMEA and worldwide for
videoconferencing endpoint revenues and units,” adds Davies.
OKI expands into sub-Saharan Africa
OKI Printing Solutions has announced its expansion into Botswana,
Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Congo, the Democratic
Republic of Congo and Mauritius. Martin Venter, Printacom business
development manager says: “The first steps for us will be to begin
engaging with partners, ensuring they have sufficient training to speak
about our solutions authoritatively, understand which solutions to
recommend in which situation and that sufficiently streamlined supply
chains exist to ensure stock is available timeously.” Venter adds that the
company will be seeking out warranty fulfillment and support partners in
each country, so that any repairs, swap-outs or similar support-related
issues can be dealt with professionally and quickly.
& GOINGS
EOH appoints Godlonton
EOH, business and technology solution provider, recently appointed
Rob Godlonton to head the company’s newly formed strategic
businesses division. Asher Bohbot CEO of EOH explains that the
formation of the division is in line with the rapid growth of the
company. “It has become necessary to adjust the structure to
ensure effective support and control in the organisation,” he says.
Lekoto jumps to Cell C
Cell C appoints Melody Lekota as chief human resource officer to
its executive team. Lekota joins Cell C from Primedia Limited
where she was appointed group human resources executive in
2003 and a board member in 2006. Lekota’s analytical yet
action-oriented approach to developing HR solutions for the business
coupled with her passion for performance excellence makes her
an invaluable team member. She holds an MBA from De Montfort
University in Leicester and is currently studying for her MA in
human resources through the same institution. In addition, Lekota
has extensive experience in all aspects of executive-level human
resources gained from a range of sectors, including financial
services, food retail and media.

SIS powers Shoprite stores
UPS keeps business rolling.
BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO
S tructured Infrastructure Solutions (SIS), a
company in the JSE-listed technology group,
Square One Solutions has recently singed a
R5 million contract with giant food retailer,
Shoprite Group.
In terms of the contract, SIS will implement
an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
solutions and also offer full service and
support.
Belinda Baggott, account manager, SIS
says that the contract was awarded on a
phase basis, the phase two of which included
a service/maintenance contract for three years.
The implementation started in June last
year and phase two started on January ‘09
with fifty stores ranging from Shoprite
Checkers to Usave Liquor Stores in South
Africa and other parts of Africa, says Baggott.
“The UPSes ensure ongoing operations of
all IT equipment in a store in the event of a
power failure, allowing continuous trade.”
Baggott adds that the UPSes supplied
have a small foot print as they hold
internal batteries.
“The locally manufactured UPS units are
designed for South African conditions and
cover a range of capacities up to 40kVA,
depending on the size and requirements of
individual stores.”
According to SIS, customers can therefore
continue their shopping and receive uninter-
rupted service from the tills. The standard
battery back-up on the units at Checkers
stores picks up the power load for 25 minutes
whenever a mains power failure occurs.
In addition this provides the stores with an
ample safety margin as standby generator
power kicks in within a minute or two. Once
utility mains power is restored the standby
generator set shuts down and the UPS
resumes feeding clean, corrected mains
power to the store systems.
SIS says that different requirements apply
for the U-Save stores where the UPS units
have extended battery pack support that will
DEMAND GENERATOR: SIS
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
keep the operations online for up to six
hours when mains power fails.
A most important function of the UPS units
is the cleaning up of power supplied from
both the mains and the standby generator,
ensuring that it is consistently surge and
sag-free to prevent damage to the store’s
IT systems.
The UPS systems are upgradeable to cater
for growth at the stores and the Shoprite
Checkers IT department has remote access
via computer network in order to monitor
aspects of the power support systems such as
UPS usage, standard of power supply and
environmental conditions, among others.
Belinda Baggott, SIS
“The locally manufactured UPS units are designed for
South African conditions and cover a range of capacities
up to 40kVA, depending upon the size and requirements
of individual stores.” – Belinda Baggott, SIS
And in terms of safety on the UPS, companies. With South Africa prone to
Baggott says all power electronic power outages, suppliers to this market can
components are enclosed within the UPS. expect a surge in volume sales, but only as
Baggott comments that there are no long as foreign investor’s perceptions of
major interruptions in electricity supply from economic growth in this area remain
Eskom as was experienced previous years positive. A perceived economic uncertainty
ago. However, no business should exist can very easily dissuade investors from
without some form on backup system. sinking funds into energy-intensive sectors.
“The UPS market offers business an And going forward this year, Baggott says
investment in keeping their trade constant,” that SIS will be offering new upgradeability,
Baggott says. user friendly front panel, as well as
According to a research by Frost & upgradeable internal components.
Sullivan, the sales of back-up power systems
are inevitably linked to fluctuations in power Do you any demand generator stories to
supply. Power crises, therefore, spell good share with us. Please e-mail Dominic
news for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) Khuzwayo at dominck@systems.co.za
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009 • 5
HIGH FIVE: COMZTEK
SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Comztek appoints
new channel manager
El-Marie on the hot seat.

BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

C omztek recently announced the appointment of a new channel

manager, El-Marie Kruger. With more than 10 years experience in the
IT industry, Kruger will lead Comztek’s Netshield channel drive and
bolster the company’s strong channel presence. She will be
responsible for the management and promotion of the Netshield
brand within Comztek. Kruger, who previously worked for Pinnacle
Micro as Canon brand manager, is expected to further grow Comztek’s
market penetration and bring added value to its existing customers.
CRN got a chance to interview El-Marie Kruger, the new channel
manager for Comztek about her role in the company.

CRN: How does it feel to lead in a male dominated industry?

EK: Having been in the IT industry for more than 10 years, I get the
same level of respect from my male colleagues as I do from my
female colleagues. The industry is seeing an increasing number of
women in leading roles, and to a large degree, this has gone a long
way in changing the perception that IT is a ‘boys-only’ zone.

CRN: Tell us about your role?

EK: As the channel manager, I oversee the management and
promotion activities around the Netshield account within Comztek. My
responsibilities include maintaining vendor and reseller relations,
inventory management and brand planning. I’m also involved in a lot
of training, either as a trainer or a trainee accumulating and imparting “I believe my knowledge of the industry
knowledge. I believe my knowledge of the industry and the contacts I
have made over the years is what puts me a cut above the rest. and the contacts I have made over the
years is what puts me a cut above the
CRN: What are you planning to achieve with the Netshield
brand? rest.” – El-Marie Kruger, Comztek
EK: To leverage the extensive Comztek network to grow the Netshield
brand in the market and put it top of mind with our customer base.
There is a concerted effort throughout Comztek to grow existing
markets and reach into new ones, and this will also be applied in
our Netshield marketing activities. CRN: What’s your view on the IT channel this year?
EK: Companies are becoming leaner and meaner, and it is becoming
CRN: What can you promise your partners? more difficult for everyone to make the same margins
EK: Our customers can expect the same dedicated service they have as they did last year. The successful companies will be those that
become accustomed to receiving from us. We are committed to offer more than just products to their customers, but also offer
delivering innovative services to meet our customers’ requirements. value-added services.

6 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

 WHAT’S NEWS
SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Citrix simplifies partner programme

Citrix Systems has introduced CSA Authorised, an important
enhancement to the Citrix Solution Advisor (CSA) programme.
The change enables Citrix Solution Advisors at any level the
opportunity to sell Citrix Delivery Center products while working
toward certification requirements. “Now, I can generate revenue
as soon as a new product is released.” says Kennith Rindt,
director of strategic alliances, for AEC Group, a Platinum Citrix
Solution Advisor. “With these programme enhancements Citrix
has once again demonstrated that it understands the challenges
partners face in managing vendor programmes and product
authorisation requirements.”

HP launches new BI services

HP has announced new business intelligence services to help
customers manage information complexity, and reduce operating
costs. HP’s new business intelligence services help companies
establish an integrated view of information across their
organisations. They also improve the quality of data and
establish governance models to manage the information as a
shared asset. The resulting improvements in decision-making,
operational efficiency and risk mitigation allow companies to
use their information to make better decisions to meet business
needs. “The services that HP has announced are targeted at
addressing key issues that enable organisations to advance their
efforts,” says Sandra Rogers, programme director, IDC.

Sun deploys computing solution

Sun Microsystems has initiated the roll-out of a computing
solution at the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC)
in Cape Town, with local partners Eclipse Networks and
Breakpoint Solutions. This follows on from the awarding of the
CHPC second-phase tender to Sun Microsystems and its partners
to provide the infrastructure for Phase II of this world-class high-
performance computing facility in SA. “The deployment of the
infrastructure for Phase II at the CHPC, forms part of fulfilling the
government’s goal of positioning SA as a beacon of research on
the continent and meeting CHPC’s mission to enable the country
to become globally competitive through the effective use of
high-end IS infrastructure,” says Stefan Jacobs, South and
Eastern Europe (SEE) systems practice solution architect for Sun.

Neotel awarded by Cisco

Neotel recently became one of the first telecommunication
providers in SA to be awarded a Cisco-Powered designated
Metro Ethernet offering. This is based on the Cisco Internet
Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture.
Neotel’s Metro Ethernet service, which was launched last year, is
used by a substantial number of enterprise customers. These
services will eventually be extended to incorporate IPTV, video
on demand, gaming, digital media, broadcast capability and
services which directly address the specialised needs of
consumers and business customers such as e-learning and
tele-health consulting. “We strongly believe that collaborating
with Neotel will help to maximise its ability to grow its business,
improve productivity, create cost savings and support a positive
return on investment,” says Steve Midgley, MD, Cisco in SA.
ANALYSIS: SOFTWORX
SOLUTION PROVIDERS

New eye for supply chain

Infor’s concept-to-customer approach.
BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

I nfor has developed a new way for companies

to view their supply chains the company calls
it the ‘concept-to-customer’ approach.
Jane Thomson, MD of Softworx, an EOH
company and distributor of Infor in sub-
Saharan Africa, says that businesses are
being impacted by a new set of factors from
the far reaches of their supply chains.
Thomson says the concept-to-customer
approach to supply chain management can
be defined as taking the broadest possible
view of the variables impacting a business.
Internal dimension includes manufacturing,
distribution, and the time and costs that go into
sourcing, producing and distributing products.
External factors, like government
regulations and environmental requirements,
drive complexity into the supply chain and
dictate where and how a product is
produced, how it is stored, which trading
partners it is shipped to and how information
about it is communicated.
The customer dimension is generally a
combination of business characteristics over
1. Dynamically adjust your network
Often, companies don’t sit down and design
networks; they inherit them as a result of
acquisitions or they evolve them over time as
they expand their operations.
2. Take a global view of demand
By taking a global view, your company can
create an environment that delivers the most
complete picture of customer demand on
your business and intelligently detects trends
and changes at the regional, product,
channel and customer levels.
3. Work the supply network
Effectively working your supply network
necessitates making a number of strategic
decisions. Today, supply chain leaders
can take advantage of optimisation
technologies to make these decisions based
on a holistic picture of demand mix and
supply capacity factors.
4. Boost asset productivity
Advanced planning solutions take
manufacturers, logistics providers and
retailers beyond the confines of traditional
Jane Thomson, MD, Softworx

“We believe companies are best served by viewing
their supply chains in terms of three dimensions:
internal, external and customer.” – Jane Thomson,
MD, Softworx
which a company has influence, but not total
control. While companies have no direct
control over the purchase of their products
they do have ways to influence purchase
decisions through leveraging product lifecycle
management processes and promotional
strategies, for example.
To foster concept-to-customer thinking,
Infor has identified eight supply chain
strategies that enable organisations
to take the actions necessary to build
anticipation and resilience into their
supply chains:
planning into fast, responsive problem-
solving engines that are cognisant of
constraints from the internal dimension.
5. Expand your visibility
Technologies such as RFID can facilitate real-
time visibility of inventory, regardless of where
it is and improve your ability to predict and
plan for product arrival.
6. Know what happens, when it happens
To minimise the effect of an external event or
maximise the opportunity of a new customer
demand, you need to know about it as early
as possible.
7. Design to deliver
Because supply chain leaders know that up
to 70 per cent of new product introductions
fail, product lifecycle management is increas-
ingly being incorporated into supply chain
thinking in two ways. What are they
8. Track performance for continuous
improvement
To sustain the concept-to-customer supply
chain approach, it is necessary to measure
and track how well your company is
addressing challenges from all three
dimensions across your business and against
your key performance indicators.
“By implementing these strategies, companies
can derive tangible business benefits from the
concept-to-customer approach.
“In addition, this type of thinking improves
visibility and your ability to anticipate
and respond to both risk and opportunity in
the management of your supply chain,”
concludes Thomson.

8 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009


CommVault launches global
partner programme
Equipping channel partners.
BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO
C ommVault Systems, an independent software
and service company focused exclusively on
data management, recently announced a
new global reseller and OEM partner
programme named CommValue.
CommValue is designed to enhance
CommVault’s Simpana software delivery
skills, fuel adoption of CommVault software
in the market and accelerate customer ROI.
The CommValue portal features a unique
methodology expressly developed for
certified CommVault partners authorised to
deploy the Simpana suite of backup, archive,
replication, resource management and
search software.
According to CommVault, with this
programme, partners can knowledgeably
engage with customers throughout the
“It is our objective is to help our partners scale their
businesses, provide them with the right tools and align
their goals with our own.” – Nick Wonfor, GM,
CommVault Systems, Africa.
deployment of Simpana software from initial
design conversations focused on identifying
which features and functionality should be
deployed to later project implementation or
support discussions.
“Channel partners continue to be an
integral part of our team and help us to
reach out to new customers around the
world. Our objective is to help our partners
to seamlessly scale their businesses in line
with our growth goals,” says Robert Brower,
VP, Services and Technical Support, CommVault.
“With the CommValue programme, we
are breaking new ground in how we
collaborate with our partners to implement,
SOLUTION
service and deliver Simpana software to
new customers.”
Brower adds that partners now have at
their disposal a complete and repeatable
programme of professional services,
education and customer-service capabilities
that are tried and tested. CommValue arms
partners with the tools to more easily extend
to customers the operational efficiency and
economic benefits of Simpana software.
Following the launch of CommVault
Simpana 8 software, the CommValue
programme was born and the subscription-
based programme was rolled out to partners
at the beginning of April 2009.
Nick Wonfor, GM of CommVault Systems,
Africa says: “With this programme, partners
can engage with customers throughout the
lifecycle of the Simpana software
deployment, from initial design conversations
focused on identifying which Simpana
software features and functionality should be
deployed, to later project implementation or
support discussions.”
Wonfor says that the goal behind the
CommValue programme is to simplify and
streamline processes, communication
channels and share information between
CommVault and its respective partners, thus
enabling its partners to more effectively
prospect, sell, deploy and support its data
management solution. He adds that this
programme will expand CommVault’s reach
ANALYSIS: COMMVAULT
PROVIDERS
Nick Wonfor, GM, CommVault Systems
in the local market. According to Wonfor,
the South African channel is still in a
growth phase and programmes like this
aid it in providing partners with the tools
to more easily extend to customers the
operational efficiency and economic benefits
of its software.
“It is our objective is to help our partners
scale their businesses, provide them with
the right tools and align their goals with
our own.”
CommValue is the latest programme
showcasing CommVault’s commitment to
continuously improving customer service and
support for both its partners and customers.
In addition, CommVault is joining a
number of vendors who are bringing out
new partner programmes and giving old
programmes a new look.
However, most solution providers now
know what they want out of partner
programmes. They want good knowledge
and quality training, especially during these
tough times not just a certificate to hang on
the wall.
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009 • 9
ANALYSIS: CISCO
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Another stride for
Cisco unleashes its first unified computing system.
BY CRN STAFF REPORTER
C isco last month unveiled an evolutionary new
data centre architecture, innovative services and
an open ecosystem of partners to help
customers develop next-generation data centres
that unleash the full power of virtualisation.
With the announcement, Cisco delivered
on its promise of virtualisation through
unified computing – an architecture that
bridges the silos in the data centre into one
unified architecture using industry-standard
technologies.
Key to Cisco’s approach is its unified
computing system which unites compute,
network, storage access and virtualisation
resources in a single, energy-efficient system
that can reduce IT infrastructure costs and
complexity, help extend capital assets and
improve business agility well into the future.
This move extends Cisco’s data centre
portfolio and is a critical step in the
company’s Data Centre 3.0 strategy.
“The Cisco unified computing system offers a clean-sheet
approach to solving data centre challenges by offering a
single holistic solution with integrated management and
the critical support necessary for scaling virtualisation,” –
Vernon Turner, senior VP, IDC
To help customers accelerate their
transition to the unified computing architecture,
Cisco is paving the way with a comprehensive
suite of new unified computing services. In
addition, the company also announced
collaborations with industry leaders on the
unified computing system and architecture.
“In SA there is growing concern around
the impact of virtualisation on the data
centre where the cost of operations relative
to power, efficiency, cooling and management
has begun overtaking the capital expenditure
required to build the data centre,” says Nic
10 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
Unified comms
Rouhotas, consulting systems engineer for
Data Centre Technologies at Cisco.
“Our evolutionary new data centre
architecture will provide customers in SA with
an energy-and cost-efficient system, while the
reduction in cabling and active components
as well as the embedded system management
will simplify the operational aspect of the
data centre. The unified computing solution
leverages Nexus technology and is designed
with unified fabric capabilities and also
supports rapid provisioning of services for
compute, storage, virtualisation and
networking. It makes the data centre more
efficient while enabling service elasticity,”
he says.
According to the vendor, apart from the
competitive pricing of the solution, further
cost reductions can be realised through
savings in power consumption, the use of
less cabling and easier management.
Based on industry standards, the system is
a new computing model that uses integrated
management and combines a “wire once”
unified fabric with an industry-standard
computing platform to optimise virtualisation,
reduce data centre overall costs and provide
dynamic resource provisioning for increased
business agility.
Cisco claims that the system reduces total
cost of ownership through up to 20 per cent
reduction in capital expenditure (capex) and
up to 30 per cent reduction in operational
expenditure (opex).
It also apparently improves IT productivity
and improves business agility through
provisioning applications in minutes instead
of days. It also increases scalability without
added complexity because it is managed as
a single system, whether it has one or 320
servers with thousands of virtual machines.
This can also lead to improvements in
energy efficiency by significantly reducing
power and cooling costs, and on top of that
providing interoperability and investment
protection through industry standards-based
infrastructure.
Innovative design
Taking a clean-slate architectural approach
to data centre infrastructure, Cisco designed
an entirely new class of computing system
which incorporates the new Cisco UCS
B-Series blades based on the future Intel
Nehalem processor families (the next-gener-
ation Intel Xeon processor). The Cisco blades
offer patented, enhanced memory technology
to support applications with large data sets
and allows significantly more virtual
machines per server.
The system also provides support for a
unified fabric over a low latency, lossless,
10 gigabit-per-second Ethernet foundation.
This network foundation consolidates what
today are three separate networks: local
area networks (LANs), storage area
networks (SANs) and high-performance
computing networks.
According to Cisco, this lowers costs by
reducing the number of network adapters,
switches, cables and decreasing power/
cooling requirements.
It also enhances the scalability,
performance and operational control of
virtual environments. Cisco security, policy
enforcement and diagnostics features are
now extended into dynamic virtualised
environments to better support changing
business and IT requirements.
Support for a unified fabric means that the

unified computing system can access storage
over Ethernet, fibre channel, fibre channel
over Ethernet or iSCSI, providing customers
with choices and investment protection. In
addition, IT staff can pre-assign storage
access policies for system connectivity to
storage resources, simplifying storage
connectivity and management, and helping
to increase IT productivity.
Management is integrated into all the
components of the system, enabling the
entire solution to be managed as a single
entity through the Cisco UCS Manager.
The Cisco UCS Manager provides an
intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), a
command line interface (CLI) and a robust
application programming interface (API) to
manage all system configuration and operations.
Its service profiles help to automate
provisioning and increase business agility.
IT managers can achieve more energy-
efficient data centres with the new Cisco
system as it uses one third of the components,
and requires less cabling and power/cooling
than legacy server installations.
The industry’s view
“The virtual machine has become the new
atomic building block of the data centre,
creating new challenges and opportunities
with the potential to transform the computing
environment and deliver significant benefits,”
says Mario Mazzola, Cisco senior VP Server
Access and Virtualisation Business Unit.
“Taking advantage of this architectural shift in
the data centre, we developed a unique new
computing model that transforms the data
SOLUTION
centre into a dynamic IT environment with the
power to increase productivity, improve
business agility and drive the benefits of
virtualisation to an entirely new level.”
“We are excited to be one of the first
service providers to test the Cisco unified
computing system and we see an opportunity
for increased value to customers directly
attributable to this new architectural model,”
says Bryan Doerr, Savvis CTO. “For us to
“In today’s economy, IT organisations are mandated to
increase productivity and cut costs while maintaining the
IT excellence that provides their companies with a
competitive edge.” – John Enck, senior VP, Gartner.
operate virtualised and cloud environments
reliably, affordably and at large scale is
paramount to being able to offer compelling
value to our customers worldwide.”
“In today’s economy, IT organisations are
mandated to increase productivity and cut
costs while maintaining the IT excellence that
provides their companies with a competitive
edge,” says John Enck, research VP,
Enterprise Network Services and Infrastructure
at Gartner. “CIOs will invest in innovative
technology if it increases productivity, protects
their existing IT investments and demonstrates
real benefits that will extend the life of the
data centre.”
“The Cisco unified computing system
offers a clean-sheet approach to solving data
centre challenges by offering a single holistic
ANALYSIS: CISCO
PROVIDERS
solution with integrated management and the
critical support necessary for scaling virtuali-
sation,” says Vernon Turner, senior VP of
Enterprise Infrastructure, Consumer and
telecom research at IDC. “By increasing the
performance and scale of virtualised
environments while at the same time improving
the ability to control and manage virtual
workloads, this solution has the potential to
deliver the full benefits of virtualisation across
the data centre to increase productivity and
agility, and reduce IT costs.”
On the solution, the vendor has partnered
with the likes of Microsoft, Novell, VMWare,
BMC Software, EMC, Dimension Data, Long
View, CSC and Accenture.
According to Cisco, distributors and
resellers will soon have the ability to get a
piece of the $100 million data centre
computing market.
Meanwhile, the company is in the process
of qualifying local partners and has identified
potential sign-ups based on their focus on
relevant areas of expertise (database,
virtualisation and storage).
In addition, Cisco says it will set up an ATP
programme for its channel partners that will
focus on its new unified computing system.
ANALYSIS: VOIP
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
The option of
It might be a long shot but it has a business case.
BY KAUNDA CHAMA
N ow that basic VoIP technology has received
mass acceptance, a natural progression
seems to be a move in the direction of high-
definition voice, but will companies accept a
technology that for most will be a nice to
have as opposed to a must-have.
CRN spoke to Chris Wortt, VoIP sales manag-
er at Polycom about the technology and how
the company hopes to see the technology’s
adoption both on a local and global scale.
According to the company, the fact that
global economic downturn is forcing
companies to curb spending yet increase
revenues to survive is resulting in a knee-jerk
response to cut technology spend down
to the ‘bare bones’ – a move which is
likely to result in higher long-term costs and
impact negatively months or even years
down the line.
Meanwhile, this is impacting resellers and
their ability to remain profitable. Polycom
believes that the alternative, selectively using
advanced technology to enhance key
processes and boost productivity, needs to be
considered and this is where resellers can
differentiate themselves when selling IP
telephony solutions.
According to Wortt, enterprise and call
centre telephony systems are a case in point.
“What companies don’t realise is that their
“HD voice has significant business benefits, especially in
companies that depend on good levels of voice quality in
their service delivery, and those that do a lot of conference
calls,” – Chris Wortt, VoIP sales manager, Polycom
existing solutions, be they analogue or Voice
over IP, are impacting customer service. In
contact centre communication, for example,
certain sounds become indistinguishable
(such as ‘th’ and ‘s’), making it difficult to
understand or grasp what the person is
saying,” he comments.
12 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
HD voice
“Another example is a conference call.
Many of us are so focused on what the
person is saying, leaning over to the
conference call device, that we do not give
the necessary attention to understanding the
issue at hand,” adds Wortt.
He comments that at the moment, people
live their lives in high definition when in
comes to television and video, but they seem
to be leaving voice out of this equation.
Wortt goes on to say that now that codecs
and end points are widely available as
communications companies push this
technology, HD voice telephony over Internet
Protocol should become part of companies’
communication strategies.
“HD voice has significant business
benefits, especially in companies that depend
on good levels of voice quality in their
service delivery, and those that do a lot of
conference calls,” he says.
He comments that often during conference
calls, participants find themselves leaning into
the end-point devices to have their voices
clearly heard, adding that HD voice solutions
eliminate this because of the quality of the
mics and speaker units.
“With HD voice, the participants can sit
back, relax and speak naturally as if the person
was in the same room as them because the
technology becomes invisible and they
concentrate on the matter at hand,” says Wortt.
He, however, admits that although HD
voice is not exactly mission critical at the
moment, it can greatly improve communications
by eliminating problems that arise with
different accents and languages.
Chris Wortt, VoIP sales manager Polycom
High-definition voice or wide-band voice
also gives corporates the advantage of
higher frequency and range capability – with
the current compression technologies
available on the market it can be done at a
64K streaming rate.
With the right components at end points
(speakers and mics), Wortt says that users
can experience greatly improved acoustics.
“On the matter of costs, we all know that
technology is continuing to get cheaper.
Even though the Polycom IP600 is still
comparatively more expensive than our
standard sound station, this situation is due
to change in the near future,” he says.
Apparently, HD voice is enjoying increased
penetration in the US, UK and Europe as
more and more companies are starting to
consider it as a tool for improved business
communications.
Locally, although not too notable, it has started
gaining a lot of ground. Wortt comments that
as the telecommunications space becomes
more deregulated, interest will increase.
Wortt admits that under the current
economic conditions, the business case for
HD voice has not become very compelling
for corporates.
The fact that it is suitable for both network
providers and companies looking to improve
their inter-branch communication will see it
gaining a lot of interest from the public and
private sectors very soon.
ANALYSIS: VOIP
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
VOIP trends to watch in 2009
Looking ahead with one of the leading distributors.
BY CRN STAFF WRITER
W hile the global recession, weak consumer
spending and the credit crisis may be at the
top of everyone’s list of concerns, Even Flow,
a specialist Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) hardware distributor, believes that
most VoIP industry players are keenly
identifying areas of opportunity and
aggressively pursuing them.
“Due to its cost-saving abilities, VoIP is
one of the hottest technologies to watch,”
says Adrian Bush, MD of Even Flow. “Large,
medium and small enterprises are all looking
for cost-cutting solutions that provide faster
return on investment (ROI) and many CEOs
are targeting voice communications as a
way of reducing costs.”
He goes on to say that the introduction of
open source VoIP solutions, the growing
diversity in offerings available through local
resellers as well as the availability of
solutions that offer true resilience/failover
are all factors that will aid adoption among
local businesses.
Trend one: Strong move towards open
source solutions. Aside from being costly,
older telephony solutions (PBX, voice, etc.)
“Due to its cost-saving abilities, VoIP is one of the hottest
technologies to watch.” – Adrian Bush, MD, Even Flow
were proprietary and closed. Each vendor
proffered its own technology and competing
systems were not compatible with one another.
This meant vendors retained complete control
and customers were totally reliant on them
for fixes, developments and improvements.
Deployment costs were high, support was
expensive and feature sets were fixed.
“Open source has gained considerable
acceptance in all markets over the past few
years and IP telephony is no exception,” says
Bush. “The appeal here is lower cost and
14 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
higher flexibility benefits from open source
platforms such as Asterisk. Businesses are
now being offered an advanced feature set
at a fraction of the price of older, more
proprietary systems. We view this market
move as a great opportunity for local
resellers of open source solutions as demand
is set to increase in the wake of global
economic concerns.”
Trend two: Improved offering from local
VoIP providers With interconnecting rates
dropping all the time, local VoIP providers
(whose numbers are also growing) are finally
able to offer a more competitive service to
the local market.
Furthermore, a recent court ruling has
empowered VAN licence holders with the
ability to self-provide, which will result in a
more competitive market and better offerings
to consumers.
Many consumers view VoIP and the
Adrian Bush, MD, Even Flow
convergence required to get it right as risky
business. This is no longer an issue, says of IP telephony solutions with support for
Bush. “With experienced, trained professionals PSTN has negated previous concerns around
available to get things rolling, to assess and resilience and failover in VoIP environments.
tweak the data network and to set them up With bandwidth issues experienced generally
equating to queries around the reliability and
quality of VoIP applications, the introduction
of products that offer the benefits of VoIP
coupled with the reliability and quality of
PSTN failover are meeting these demands.
“Larger organisations that are wary of the
costs associated with what looks like the
complete replacement of current systems can
with the right service for voice transmission, rest easy as well,” says Bush.
businesses no longer have to concern “New technology development means that
themselves with dodgy installations through businesses of all sizes can avoid the all-at-
fly-by-night providers.” once capital expenditure by transitioning an
As more businesses adopt VoIP, the existing PBX to VoIP with smart gateway
expectation for performance, response times appliances allowing businesses to use VoIP
and versatility will increase and it is the new for least-cost routing.”
blood in VoIP which is currently preparing for The way the industry’s evolving, and the
the influx. pace at which it is doing so, is proving that
Trend three: Continued popularity of it’ll soon be affordable for any business to
solutions that offer true resilience/failover venture into VoIP. In fact, Bush concludes, the
features. The development and introduction day is coming when they can’t afford not to.
CRN, in conjunction with the Institute for Partner
Education and Development is taking part in a global
study on the state of the IT markets in various countries.

Don’t miss this chance to contribute your opinion to the

research process by taking part in the study.

To be a participant in the research process, visit the CRN

website and click on the survey link and fill in the
questionnaire, making you an official contributor to the
research process.

All contributors will automatically get a copy of the final

results of the study, free of charge.

Extracts from the study’s findings will also be published in

the July edition of CRN as well as appear on the CRN
website for the whole of July.
ANALYSIS: SAP
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Local guys
First South African global-certified SAP All-in-One partners announced.
BY CRN STAFF REPORTER
S AP Africa this month announced the
qualification of the first seven South African
partners and their nine customised business
management solutions as part of its
global SAP All-in-One partner solutions
programme.
The vendor’s Business All-in-One
solutions are comprehensive and extensible
on-premise business solutions with industry
best practices built in. These solutions are
highly optimised to meet the business and IT
resource challenges of midsize companies in
their respective industries.
Essentially, this means that the partners
who have been awarded this worldwide
certification are authorised to provide their
verticalised and customised solutions to
“Certified solutions are also reviewed annually to ensure
partners are able to continue delivering the solution in
question for new customers, while adhering to the same
prescribed guidelines and processes.” – Derek
Kudsee, director SME, SAP Africa
companies throughout the world with SAP’s
full backing and support.
“This is a huge step both for SAP and its
South African partners,” explains Derek
Kudsee, director SME, SAP Africa. “It not
only speaks volumes about the great work
being done locally by our partners, but also
presents local partners with the potential for
expanding their reach into international
markets with SAP’s support.
“By selecting a certified solution from one
of these seven partners, customers gain the
assurance that their SAP All-in-One solution
has been developed and delivered by an
SAP partner who has extensive expertise in a
particular industry,” he explains.
“It also means that SAP has thoroughly
vetted the solution on offer from the partner
16 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
get global recognition
and confirmed that the correct and approved
processes and guidelines have been adhered
to at all of the steps involved in developing
and providing a complete solution to the
customer,” Kudsee adds.
“Certified solutions are also reviewed
annually to ensure partners are able to continue
delivering the solution in question for new
customers, while adhering to the same
prescribed guidelines and processes,” he says.
Kudsee says that the process of getting a
solution certified on a worldwide basis is
rigorous and thorough for good reason.
“We need to pass assurance onto our
customers that the partner in question is
capable of following the SAP guidelines for
developing a solution, able to demonstrate
the ability to implement it rapidly and
provide several reference customers from
the vertical industry in question as proof of
its expertise.
“These strict regulations help to ensure
that qualified SAP All-in-One partner
solutions are delivered by competent
partners,” he says.
The first seven partners certified as part of
the global SAP All-in-One partner solutions
programme and their solutions are:
Deloitte Consulting, for its solution aimed
at smaller mining operations
Faranani Sapremo, which has also
developed a solution aimed at the mining
industry GijimaAST, for its two local government
solutions – one aimed at local municipalities,
while the second addresses district municipalities.
Derek Kudsee, director SME, SAP Africa
SCT Services, for its solution aimed at
consumer goods and fast-moving consumer
goods companies
Swicon has developed a cross-industry
human capital management solution
T-Systems South Africa, for its turnkey
health care solution as well as a broad
spectrum baseline system;
UCS Solutions, for its retail industry solution.
“We are extremely proud of the effort,
hard work and determination these partners
have shown throughout the development of
their solutions and their qualification on the
global SAP All-in-One partner solutions
programme,” Kudsee adds.
“Over the coming year they will gain the
ability to use ‘Qualified SAP All-in-One
Partner Solution’ on all of the marketing
related to their solution, SAP’s marketing
support, listing as a provider of a qualified
SAP All-in-One Partner Solution on our
international website and sales leads from
SAP whenever an opportunity to provide a
solution in their chosen area of expertise
comes to light,” he explains.
“These partners have shown a great
deal of commitment to SAP and we will
reciprocate with our full support and backing,”
he concludes.
 INTERNATIONAL: NEWS
SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Moving to the new model

BY STEVEN BURKE

P at Walsh, the owner of Computer Station of

Orlando, is one of those solution providers
that has survived by constantly climbing the
technology ladder and moving to new
business models.
These days, Walsh is moving aggressively
into hosted or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
solutions that his company can brand itself
and sell as a monthly service.Whether you call
it hosted, SaaS or managed services, the trend
is inexorable. Solution providers moving
squarely to a recurring revenue model are
driving higher profits and sales than those stuck
in the old sell-the-next-IT-project paradigm.
Walsh recently partnered with eFolder, a
SaaS remote backup vendor based in
Atlanta, and is keen on Reflexion, a hosted
e-mail threat protection, archiving discovery
and recovery vendor. “This industry is moving
to an all-hosted solutions model,” Walsh
says. “That’s where I’m going. I don’t have
the risk. I push it out to my clients and
charge them monthly.” And Computer
Station of Orlando is the brand, and it sets
the price.
For years, we here at Everything Channel
have talked about the solution provider as
the defining brand. And no matter how often
we hammer it home, there are a lot of big
vendors that have not changed their models
or mind-sets to capitalise on the new
channel dynamics. That failure of some of
the big vendors to move quickly is allowing
vendors like eFolder and Reflexion to capture
critical solution provider share in what is one
of the hottest market segments.
Take eFolder. Jan Spring, vice president of
Sales, said at Everything Channel’s recent
XChange event that she took 18 of her
partners to dinner, up from only three a year
ago. It’s striking anecdotal data about just
Pat Walsh, owner, Computer Station
how fast the hosted recurring revenue model
is taking hold. One of the policies that
separates companies like eFolder and “I was a system integrator,” Spring says. “I
Reflexion from the pack is they do not ran my own company for 12 years. I was
publish pricing on the Internet. What’s more, part of the channel.” So what’s driving
both those vendors have a 100 per cent eFolder’s success? “We’re getting a snowball
channel model that allows solution providers effect,” Spring says. “We’re seeing increasing
to brand the services as their own. In an age adoption of managed services, increasing
when vendors insist on setting margin and awareness of SaaS and eFolder’s superior
pricing, eFolder and Reflexion are a breath technology and infrastructure.”
of fresh air. A lot of vendors have forgotten Spring said one of the ingredients that makes
one of the basic maxims of this business: eFolder successful is a corporate culture that
Where there is mystery, there is margin.They puts solution provider success at the heart of
understand solution providers need to make the company. “Our corporate motto is, ‘Your
a living. success is our success,’” she says.Ω

Everthing you need to know

• Strange Bedfellows? Dell has done what was once the
unthinkable: taken its heralded direct model to two-tier distribution
in a bid to capture solution provider share. Dell recently inked a
landmark distribution deal, paving the way for powerhouses
Ingram Micro and Tech Data to provide US VARs with
fixed-configuration Vostro desktops and notebooks within a 24 to
48-hour period.
The agreement will soon be extended to Canada and eventually to
other areas, and will include more product lines. The big question is
whether Ingram Micro and Tech Data will be able to provide pricing
below what Dell offers direct to customers. “If I end up
paying the same price or more for what I can get from Dell
direct, then providing a distribution channel isn’t going to be an
advantage for anyone,” says Tyler Dikman, CEO of CoolTronics, a
solution provider.
• Will They Or Won’t They? That’s the question that IBM and Sun
partners are asking after a report surfaced that IBM was in talks to
acquire struggling Sun for US $6.5 billion in cash. Neither company
would comment on the reports.
“It’s inevitable that someone would buy Sun. It’s indicative of IBM,
HP and Cisco fighting for the data centre,” says Michael Kirven,
President of Edge Solutions, an HP reseller.
“HP has made huge headway in servers, and IBM is losing to
them.” An IBM acquisition of Sun could ultimately work to HP’s
benefit, Kirven says, and presumably its channel partners.
Deals this size inevitably introduce a certain amount of disruption that
can send customers to safer harbors. “You don’t swallow Sun overnight
and retain people and products,” Kirven says. That would be particularly
true given the two vendors’ very different cultures that he described as
“West Coast with flip-flops and East Coast with suits and ties.”

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009 • 17

INTERNATIONAL: NEWS
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Sun shines on IBM;
Dell’s Genius Bar
BY ROBERT C. DEMARZO
D espite the hardship befallen many high-tech
companies during this recession, IBM
executives have maintained a swagger.
That’s not to say that Sam Palmisano’s
troops aren’t running scared, but their con-
sistent message is they have the cash ($12.9
billion) along with a diverse enough business
model to weather the storm and, with a little
luck, will come out of the downturn stronger.
IBM, of course, does face challenges.
Strengthening its sales into the midmarket
and focusing on sales less than $100,000
are two areas the company needs to address
quickly – mostly from a partner perspective.
I am not sure if purchasing Sun can help
IBM on those fronts, but it certainly took
advantage of the downturn to pick off a
competitor – albeit one that is a shell of its
former self. Neither IBM nor Sun are
commenting on reports the two are talking
to consolidate their Java efforts or server
platforms, but comments from Intel CEO
Paul Otellini disclosed in an SEC filing
The irony here is that just a few weeks ago headhunters
were scouring the channel looking for candidates inter-
ested in managing Sun’s worldwide partner organisation.
confirmed Sun has been seeking suitors
lately, with IBM as the lead candidate.
Face it, with a market cap of about
$6 billion compared with IBM’s $131
billion, and Sun churning out around
$13 billion in sales annually with $2.6
billion in cash, the company looks attractive.
Now the lawyers and bean counters get to
crunch the numbers.
18 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
From a channel perspective, there remain
a few loyal Sun VARs along with the dedicated
sales organizations within two distributors.
But Sun never really cracked the channel
code and remains an also-ran in the big
leagues of partner programs. If IBM does
decide to absorb Sun, its first order of
business should be to find a way to expand
the channel reach for Sun’s hardware
and software.
The irony here is that just a few weeks ago
headhunters were scouring the channel
looking for candidates interested in
managing Sun’s worldwide partner
organisation. No one was biting. Many
privately confessed they did not want the Sun
job on their resume.You can admire Scott
McNealy for many things, but, ultimately,
Sun’s downfall rests on his shoulders
because he fundamentally never understood
the power of the channel.
It is interesting that we are writing about
Sun’s last chapter while Dell is trying to
re-create itself as a channel-friendly – I won’t
say “centric” – company. Its I-cannot-believe-
this happened deals with Tech Data and
Ingram Micro are a defining moment with
broad implications for its competitors.
Worldwide channel chief Greg Davis’
progress is to be admired, yet there are still
many VARs who see direct-sales conflict.
Make no mistake – the deal is intended to
Robert C. DeMarzo
save Dell millions as it essentially outsources
channel sales and support to those distribu-
tors. There is certainly no better reason to do
it than that. But in partnering with the Big
Two, Dell effectively puts the squeeze on a
wide range of competitors that have for
many years relied heavily on distribution,
experts say. Let’s take the likes of HP and
Lenovo out of the conversation and focus
instead on Acer. Acer has gained share and
momentum the past few years by relying on
distributors to build its brand in the market,
and it has had an arm’s-length relationship
with VARs.
Without strong relationships with partners
or an intimate understanding of its sales
channel, it could be the victim of Dell’s
distribution moves. Unless, of course,
companies like Acer,Toshiba and a bevy of
peripheral companies respond with direct
channel programs. HP or Lenovo partners
say they will be hardpressed to sell a Dell
product because the goods are available
through distribution. But the same is not true
for many other brands, and that is the genius
behind the Dell move.

Printing: less is more
BY MICHELE MASTERSON
W hile many small and midsize businesses focus
on printer hardware and consumable costs,
they often have no clue as to how much they
are actually spending. Enter managed print
services. By managing all of a customer’s
fleet of printing-related devices, resellers can
give their customers a true picture of their
bottom line.
‘Invisible’ expenses, such as the efficiency of
machines and network costs, can play behind
the scenes. Providing managed print services
(MPS) is an opportunity for resellers to lift the
veil, offer suggestions and make money.
Managed print services, however, is still
considered by many in the industry as the new
kid on the block in a town where the streets
are paved with physical machines and toners.
“The imaging industry printers, MFPs,
copiers and supplies has long been
hardware-centric,” says Ed Crowley, founding
partner and CEO of research firm Photizo
Group. “Services have often been perceived
as a necessary evil... a byproduct of selling
profitable hardware and even more
profitable supplies.”
‘Invisible’ expenses, such as the efficiency of machines
and network costs, can play behind the scenes. Providing
managed print services (MPS) is an opportunity for
resellers to lift the veil, offer suggestions and make
money. – Michele Masterson
As with all reselling opportunities,
managed print services starts with an
assessment of a customer’s business, and it’s
not about convincing them to trade up from
a Honda to a Lamborghini.
“I try to show customers the benefits of
MPS and how they can do more with less,”
says Mike Mooney, founder of Encompass, a
Hewlett-Packard Co. partner. “Our goal is to
help companies leverage what they have, not
sell them more equipment.”
INTERNATIONAL: NEWS
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
For example, many organisations don’t
know that their ratio of employees to printers
is skewed.
“Often, companies don’t know how much
they’re over- or underutilising devices,”
Crowley says. “As it turns out, many times
companies have way too many devices.”
Another piece of the managed print services
equation is looking at how printing is
trafficked. By determining what kinds of
printers are in use, a reseller can suggest a
workgroup printer over individual desktops,
for quite significant savings.
Vendors such as HP, Xerox and Ricoh are
all giving resellers the tools they need for a
managed print services world.
HP has what many solution providers
consider to be robust offerings. For example,
HP’s Web Jetadmin is a Web-based
management software tool that centrally
manages print devices and is now being
upgraded.The company is in the midst of
discontinuing version 8.1 and all previous
versions of the Web Jetadmin software;
version 10.1 of the software is now available.
remain confidential. Xerox’s PagePak is an
inclusive service-and-supplies contract.
Specifically, PagePak offers a single contract
that covers pages printed, maintenance,
services and all consumables for networked
printers and multifunction systems. It also
includes a fixed-cost-per-page, black-and-
white and color, and contracts for up to five
years are tailored to customers’ usage.
“PagePak gets rid of the administration
issues and lets us focus on other things.
The margins are very attractive,” says Mark
In October 2008, Ricoh Professional Szalkiewicz, a senior account manager at
Services launched its MPS program to make San Diego-based Horizon Computers, a
it easier to outsource all or part of print Xerox partner.
management. Users only pay for actual Szalkiewicz says he likes the fact
output and work with one point of contact to that Horizon Computers is able to
streamline the process. co-brand its logo with Xerox’s PagePak.
In addition to consolidating output with In the same way that a bank issues a Visa
fewer and faster centralised print systems, credit card, for example, the institution’s
Ricoh uses software via remote monitoring name appears on the card but Visa takes
and management tools to ensure a print care of the billing and other back-office
environment runs smoothly and documents headaches, he said.
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009 • 19
SECURITY FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Safety first,
IT security in demand.
BY DOMINIC KHUWAYO
A s the global economic recession continues to
empty our pockets, businesses and budget
hackers, on the other hand, are ‘cleaning’
out our computers.
With many businesses tightening their
budgets to stay in good shape during the
financial drought, IT security seems to remain
the ‘thing’ or rather a must-have for many
organisations.
CRN.com did research in which it asked
vendors whether security is more resilient in a
down economy. Not surprising, almost all the
vendors said security issues are here to stay
no matter what.
“During economic turmoil, data remains
the most valuable asset and consequently, it
needs to be protected,” says Bogdan
Dumitru, CTO at BitDefender
“It is worth mentioning that SA ranks
among the top 30 most-infected countries
and scored a significant growth rate of 196.30
per cent between March, 08 and 15, compared
to the first week of the same month.
“In 2008 we noticed an upswing in threat activity related
to social networking sites. These threats involved phishing
for username accounts and using social context as a way
to increase the success rate of an online threat.” – Chad
Cleevely, business manager, Symantec Africa.
“We expect that consumers both business
and home to become more aware of this
necessity and therefore to better evaluate
their needs in terms of system and
information defence.”
Dumitru adds that the price element will
definitely influence users’ decisions to buy
one security suite as opposed to another.
“We expect in the months to come to see
several migrations from expensive solutions
20 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
always
towards the less costly ones that provide
similar or even supplemental quality
and features.”
Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda Security,
sub-Saharan region says IT security is
impacted by pressure to reduce costs and
company headcounts which results in
overstretch of IT admin which can lead to lapses
in the maintenance of adequate protection.
“This is dangerous because the recession
has sparked a surge in malware as more
and more people resort to illegitimate means
to make money, tapping into people’s
desperation to make money in an economic
downturn.”
According to Matthews, the cyber
threatscape is more dangerous than ever
before and IT security has never been
more important.
John Thompson, CA products manager,
Security at Workgroup says: “You’d think that
an economic recession would equate to less
spending on security. If you guessed that, in
many cases, you’d be incorrect.”
Thompson adds that as the economy
worsens, companies are noticing there are
more attacks on their systems. Some recent
trends show that as more of the world’s
economies are struggling, more people
are looking at illegal ways of making
money and for many that means hacking,
creating malware or stealing personal,
financial information.
Threats to look for
Software security firm, Kaspersky Labs
Security predicts that phishing and scams
are another type of cybercrime influenced
by the economic crisis and will continue to
gain intensity.
Firstly, the economic situation will cause
users to be more sensitive about anything
related to e-payments and online banking
systems. This does not necessarily mean they
 SECURITY FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS

will be more alert to potential scams.

Secondly, the technical sophistication
needed to develop and spread new
malicious programs will force many
cybercriminals to search for simpler and
cheaper ways of making money.
It is well known and documented that
identity theft through phishing, pharming and
hacking will be on the rise and the insider
threats will top the list of threat vectors,
says Harish Chib, VP New Business
Development, Cyberoam.
“Similarly, by way of threat types, blended
threats will continue to rise innovating on the
technology and social engineering aspect.
The threats will further proliferate as vectors
like blogs, social networking sites and IM
gain increasing popularity and interactivity of
Web 2.0 technology,” adds Chib.
Chad Cleevely, small business manager
for Africa at Symantec says: “In 2008, we
noticed an upswing in activity in threats
related to social networking sites. These
threats have involved phishing for username Jeremy Matthews, head, Panda Security
accounts and using social context as a
way to increase the success rate of an million hijacked computers that spread bots, As the economic recession starts to affect
online threat.” rootkits, Trojans and other malware. In 2009, customers’ IT budgets they will favour
Cleevely adds that spammers in select malware production will most likely hold an ‘integrated’ technologies that give them
EMEA regions have been promoting social ascending trend, exploiting the same value and unparalleled protection from a
networking sites – one instance reached Web-based capabilities as Trojans, spyware single vendor, says Cleevely.
more than two million Symantec customers. and rootkits. “Symantec’s ‘integrated’ security portfolio,
These threats will become increasingly through technologies like End Point and
important for enterprise IT organisations SECURITY TRENDS MultiTier Protection, continues to highlight
since the new entering workforce often According to Cleevely, current trends show the importance of combined security
accesses these tools using corporate heightened levels of spam as well as applications such as anti-Virus, anti-spyware,
resources.
Andrea van der Westhuizen, McAfee
”One of the major problems of much of malware being
product manager at Workgroup says that
McAfee Avert Labs had identified more silent or hidden on users’ computers is that people have
malware threat introductions in the first three
months of 2008 than in the whole of 2007,
no idea that they’re infected and therefore are unaware
and 2009 isn’t looking much healthier. of the dangers of malware.” – Jeremy Matthews,
“Malware has become a business and a
thriving one, gone are the days of virus head, Panda Security.
writing for notoriety with over 90 per cent of
today’s malware consisting of password-
stealing Trojans and downloaders – all of Web-based attacks through phishing emails antispam, personal firewall, intrusion prevention
which having one goal in mind,” says Van and social networks that continue to pose a and device control into one unified security
der Westhuizen. major security risk. product,” explains Cleevely.
A report by BitDefender at the end of “With the emergence of wireless networks Hilbert Long, channel manager at
2008 claims Internet users had to cope with and IP telephony systems, CEOs and IT Comztek says: “Mobility and portability are
approximately 2 000 new and mutated managers of SMEs are prioritising IT budgets still the strongest trends in IT and this is what
viruses per day, almost 50 000 phishing towards security policies and solutions that drives innovation in the security space.
attempts per month and more than one protect all endpoints.” “With workers becoming increasingly

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009 • 21

SECURITY FEATURE FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
mobile and using data outside the secure preferred brand would be the market leader,
company confines, the risk of security in many cases, you’d be incorrect. As
breaches is compounded. As workers resellers are looking to stay afloat or
become mobile, the solutions we see aim hopefully make money this year, they are
to ensure that mobility does not compromise looking at the challengers to the market.”
security.” According to Thompson, the market
In wireless and virtual fields, unprotected leaders have the market share and aren’t
WiFi networks can be easily hacked with willing to lose or even reduce income (especially
confidential information and passwords in an economic downturn) because they still
being stolen. have the same costs to recover.
Although relatively new, the wireless local “Challengers, on the other hand, have to
area network (WLAN) security technologies find ways of gaining market share and, in
market has been experiencing tremendous many cases, that means paying resellers
growth as wireless technology becomes more. It’s a win-win solution. Resellers prefer
more widespread. selling something other than the market
Matthews claims that the Panda WiFi leader (the expensive solution), which gives
protection solution is the answer to all these the customer a lower cost product that in
“With workers becoming increasingly mobile and using
data outside the secure company confines, the risk of
security breaches is compounded.” – Hilbert Long,
manager, Comztek.
threats. “With network mobilisation, many many cases could be superior to the market-
corporate users run the risk of having leading product.”
outdated antivirus protection.” Thompson adds: “There are no best
And looking at which brands are the most products, there are many product lines and
preferred, Thompson says: “If you think the in each of them there are several excellent
or very good vendor products. Each and
every product is designed and built by
people. People have flaws and those flaws
show up in either the design or construction
of a product.”
He says some of the leading products
have the greatest risks to exposure because
they also offer the greatest opportunity for
monetary gain. Also, what is perfect for one
company may not fulfil the requirements of
another, each company must look at its
requirements and determine which product
best fits its overall needs.
Skills Issues
Awareness is sorely lacking among IT users
generally. In the corporate sector there is the
mistaken perception that antivirus has been
commoditised, says Matthews.
“The reality is that not all antiviruses are
created equal and the difference in
performance, detection and disinfection
Kobus de Beer, Dell South Africa varies hugely from brand to brand and
22 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009
product to product. ”One of the major
problems of much of malware being silent
or hidden on users’ computers is that people
have no idea that they’re infected, and
therefore are unaware of the dangers
malware (especially variants that steal
passwords etc) pose,” he says.
”To avoid the most common attacks, each
user should work on awareness of security
matters. Basic things like checking the URL
of visited websites and scanning the
downloaded files before execution could
prevent infection and identity theft in many
cases,” explains Dumitru.
Cleevely comments: “Overall, including
‘general’ corporate security awareness is a
major requirement within enterprise
businesses today.
Companies cannot only enforce
security policies inside the IT environment
as this also needs to happen through
education and knowledge enhancement of
employees.”
Today, companies must be able to
determine the value of their information and
data. Once this is done, creating and
enforcing security policies across the various
parts of their networks becomes a ‘business’
decision rather than an IT strategy. Data
protection technologies should be equally
loaded and managed on assets such as
mobile devices, PDAs, smart-phones,
laptops, Netbooks, servers and into the data
centres, says Cleevely.
Apart from raising awareness, Chib says
that it makes good business sense for
resellers to choose and sell solutions which
integrate user education as one of the basic
parameters of security.
“Users, being the weakest link in the
security chain, cannot be ignored and any
solution in the security industry that falls
short of it will ultimately lose the race.”
According to IDC, as organisations shift to
conservative spending modes and reduce
overall IT spending, security services exhibit a
more optimistic forecast over the next four years,
given their critical impact on organisations.
And, as security vulnerabilities and threats
increase during a downturn in the economy,
and compliance regulations become more
stringent and organisations look to cut cost,
the security services market will show strong
customer demand.
 2009 Top 20
channel executives
Once again, the reseller channel has spoken and selected who it feels are the
top channel executives for this year. Although a good number of executives
received nominations from their partners we narrowed it down to 20.
In previous years, CRN singled out an individual as the top executive, but
this year we have decided to recognise all the executives that made it into
top 20 equally.
This is because all of them have been recognised for their dedication to duty
and commitment to listening to their channel partners’ needs.
Their names were gathered through responses to a call on the CRN Flash
newsletter as well as polling through www.crn.co.za.
All of the executives that made it onto this list represent some of the top
vendors and distributors in the local IT industry and have been seen as
top achievers.
The executives have, even in the prevailing economic environment, managed
to go out of their way to assist partners in closing deals, embracing new
technologies and business models, and growing their own as well as their
partners’ businesses.
The individuals who are employed in middle to senior management positions
were judged using the following criteria:
• Availability
• Proactiveness and dedication to addressing channel challenges
• Commitment to helping partners win business deals
• Influence on how partners explore new business ventures
• Relationship/team-building style
• Openness.
The editorial team checked through the votes, eliminating any nominations
that were invalid. In addition, the results were audited by an actuary.
The CRN team congratulates all the executives that made it to the list of top
20 channel executives this year.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 • 23

 Graham Duxbury
By George Maseko
Delivering quality service
G
raham Duxbury, MD of
networking specialist
distributor Duxbury Networking
attributes his nomination as one of the
top 20 channel executives to his com-
pany’s focus over the past 12 months.
“Our focus for the past year – if not beyond that – has been
on improving our internal processes with a view to streamlining
service delivery. We’ve been looking at all our departments from
‘order entry’ to ‘technical support’ to find ways in which we
can better meet our dealers’ requirements,” he says.
With resellers needing all the help they can get from
distributors in the current market conditions, Duxbury says his
company’s focus has been mainly on new products.
He comments that there has been some excellent business done
in the networking space. “We obviously try to secure a large slice
of this business for ourselves in partnership with our resellers. We
have been successful although we sometimes get it wrong. This
motivates us to try harder in the future,” says Duxbury.
He says that over the past 12 months Duxbury Networking
has emphasised its loyalty programme. “We’ve strengthened the
reach of our ‘DuxBux’ initiative into the market and added a
Mohomed Cassim
By George Maseko
The power of moving units
24 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009
2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
raft of new products which qualify for reward status.”
According to him, there has always been potential in the
networking space since the demise of the mainframe computer,
but adds that the spotlight is shifting from the corporate
environment to the home and home office. In these environments
networking is relatively new and fresh, and there are many new
product offerings available targeting this space.
He attributes his nomination to the fact that his company
tries hard to meet the needs of its resellers. “We’re small
enough to be flexible – and attentive enough to change
direction quickly, if need be.
“Personally, I have no interest in the consolidation issue –
apart from that of a mildly interested spectator. I am confident
that Duxbury Networking will continue to be successful well
into the future – enough to be a strong ‘standalone’ player in
this very competitive marketplace,” states Duxbury.
Looking ahead, he says that the company’s programme will
focus on the introduction of new products to its already
comprehensive portfolio and, more significantly, the addition of
two new technology sectors. “Unfortunately, as our plans are
crystallising as we speak, I can’t say too much now. But, as they say,
‘watch this space,” he concludes. 
2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
Doug Woolley 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Giving partners what they need

Ron Keschner 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Helping to finance

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 • 25

 Carl Kleynhans 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

“Moving forward, the reseller channel will see a concerted focus on

the efficient enterprise, both in terms of the continued education of
partners and the development of tools within this space. APC by
Schneider Electric will also launch a revamped channel program later
this year,” – Karl Kleynhans, APC

The right product at the right time

C
arl Kleynhans, regional director of APC by Schneider
Electric, is no stranger to the channel and it is no
surprise that his company’s channel partners gave him
a deserved spot on CRN’s top 20 channel executives list.
He comments: “The local region for APC by Schneider
Electric enjoyed a very good 2008, due in part to the South
African power crisis and the related unprecedented demand for
uninterruptible power supplies (UPSes). This meant that we
needed to revise our forecast and balance our stock on hand to
meet the sudden change in demand. It was also necessary to
realign resources to support channel education and ensure
second-level support as our partners received a higher than
normal volume of calls from end-users.”
He adds that APC by Schneider Electric achieved good
results in 2008 despite the negative influence of the global
economic crisis late in the year. The local focus on power issues
and enterprise efficiency had a positive impact on its business
for the full year and allowed it to enable partners to capitalise
on these opportunities.
Initiatives he was involved in over the past year include
education around data centre efficiency and introducing
partners to the broader Schneider offering, particularly in terms
of larger deals.
“With energy demand set to double by 2050 and an attempt
to reduce carbon emissions by half, we are strongly focused on
assisting businesses to do more with the available energy,”
says Kleynhans.
“The power situation last year served to highlight power
protection measures to both the channel and customers. Data
centre power consumption is also rapidly becoming a global
issue – as both an environmental concern and a business issue.
As energy costs skyrocket, IT departments are facing increased
demands to bring the escalating power and cooling expenses of
today’s high-density deployments under control.”
He adds that APC presents a compelling argument within
this market which means that its partners are very well
positioned to assist local businesses in improving electrical
efficiency to meet these requirements.
“I have been with APC for more than 10 years and have built
solid relationships with local channel partners. The company
has remained consistent in its route to market and channel
structure, and has become a trusted adviser in terms of data
centre design and implementation. I have the backing of APC’s
extensive R&D spend, supported by exciting new technologies
developed to meet customer requirements,” explains
Kleynhans.
According to him, many industries are experiencing tough
times with the current economic crisis affecting companies
across the board. Kleynhans adds that APC will support its
partners as best it can during this period, but does not want to
speculate on where consolidations will take place within the
local distribution space.
“Moving forward, the reseller channel will see a concerted
focus on the efficient enterprise, both in terms of the continued
education of partners and the development of tools within this
space. APC by Schneider Electric will also launch a revamped
channel programme later this year,” he states.
Kleynhans, who has several years’ sound business experience
in service-driven industries and formal tertiary studies in
business management under his belt, joined APC in 1998.
“As a gadget fanatic, I have always been interested in
technology and made a conscious effort to pursue an IT career
more than 10 years ago. I have always been particularly
interested in seeing how new technologies can make our lives
simpler and more efficient,” he says.
He adds that when he joined APC, the company focused
strongly on selling UPSes to protect the PC, server and small
data centre environments. Over the past decade, the company
has made big strides in enabling the channel to sell larger
solutions, to the point that its partners are now proficient in
selling at this level. They’ve also become more capable in
deploying more complex solutions in the data centre.
He considers the most pressing channel issue in SA at the
moment is survival. “There are tough days ahead of us and it is
critical to be alive tomorrow in order to keep going into the
future. Channel players must focus on becoming more
streamlined, cutting waste and creating a leaner, more adaptable
business. It is imperative that we focus on the right opportunities
and I believe there are still a number of prospects to be found
in Africa,” he concludes. 

26 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009

 Craig Brunsden 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

Power of right balance

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By Kaunda Chama

Still committed

28 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009

Anton Herbst 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 • 29

 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE

By George Maseko

30 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009

Tobie van Schalkwyk 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
By George Maseko
Helping partners to sell more
T
obie van Schalkwyk, D-Link
country manager says the past
12 months have been about
driving greater market penetration and
increased sales for the company’s
channel partners, which garnered a lot
of partner confidence in him.
“D-Link offers several programmes like Think D-Link Think
Rewards through PlusPoints, an online partner portal dubbed
D-Partner, a demonstration and evaluation programme called
Test Drive, and training workshops and road shows. All of
these tools are in place to assist our channel partners,” he says.
“Above all, I am a firm believer that one size does not fit
all. I have been working one-on-one with partners to ensure
success.”
With the global economy in the state it is in, he says D-Link
has been helping its resellers to identify and then focus on
solutions that can assist end-users to cut costs. Areas like VoIP,
smart switching and IP surveillance are all solutions that can
help to reduce costs.
“Efforts have been focused on assisting the resellers to
identify and pursue these opportunities.”
Arnold Fourie 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
By Kaunda Chama
The spoils of commitment
P
innacle Micro head Arnold Fourie
attributes his place on this year’s
top 20 channel executives list to
his company’s focus over the past
12 months on increasing its product
offering into the channel and on Tier
1 products like Lenovo, HP, Dell and IBM that enable: Pinnacle
Micro to play in the larger corporate and enterprise space.
Fourie says the company has received very positive responses
from its channel partners. “We can see that in the growth the
company has shown over the past couple of years. We invested some
of this growth in our technical department, Pinteq, to increase
the after-sales service our channel partners receive,” he says.
Pinnacle Micro with help from its vendors has a channel
partner programme that rewards channel partners with rebates
and incentives. With the help of its partner programme, it has
also been able to allocate large tenders and business to its
partners to assist them with their business growth.
On being voted one of the best, he says: “Pinnacle Micro has
a highly qualified and skilled team of employees to make sure it
Over the past 12 months he spearheaded the D-Link Test
Drive campaign. “A need existed with resellers to test and
demonstrate more complex switching solutions to their
customers. Through the Test Drive campaign, we afford our
resellers this opportunity – and rewarded them for it with
PlusPoints,” he explains.
According to him, one of the reasons he made it into the top
20 is trust from channel partners. “You must make sure to the
absolute best of your ability that you honour the direction you
have communicated, the commitments you have made in your
partner programme and that actions match your words.
He adds that D-Link has just completed a very successful
road show with partners Logitech, Proline and Symantec. By
doing it this way it got to present to other market players and
keep costs down. He believes that consolidation and closer
partnerships between vendors is very important, especially in
the current economic climate.
Looking ahead, he comments: “Our channel partners can
look forward to continuous direct contact and communication
from D-Link. We will keep them up to date on our solutions
and give them the necessary tools and skills to enable them to
better sell our solutions.” 
provides the right product at the right time hence our
motto: People, Product, Passion. Without internal support
Pinnacle Micro would not be a recognised player in the
channel market.”
He adds that Pinnacle Micro is extremely fortunate to be in a
position despite the current economic environment not to have
to retrench any of its staff. “In a global economic crunch like
the one we are experiencing there are always casualties, but all
players need to adapt to the changes and, unfortunately,
consolidation is part of that,” he explains.
Fourie states that resellers can expect exceptional products
and competitive prices with fantastic after sales and technical
experiences in the near future.
He says what fascinates him most about the IT industry is
the exceptional speed at which it changes which means Pinnacle
Micro needs to adapt to these rapid changes in order for the
company to maintain a competitive edge.
According to him, the most pressing channel business issue
in SA is the balance between multi-national products and
locally manufactured products. 
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 • 31
 Quinton Tivers 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
By Kaunda Chama

“ “No matter how big or small the potential order is, I ensure that I
have a clear understanding of my clients’ requirements, and I like
to keep my clients as informed as possible in everything I do,
– Quinton Tivers, Microsoft business development manager, “
Comztek KZN

Offering resellers the best service

uinton Tivers, Microsoft business development managing my clients’ business from top to bottom, so I make

Q manager for Comztek KZN, has made it onto the top

20 in this year’s CRN outstanding channel executives list.
Commenting on his selection, he says his focus has
always been on offering the best service he can to resellers, no
matter how big or small they are.
“No matter how big or small the potential order is, I ensure
that I have a clear understanding of my clients’ requirements,
and I like to keep my clients as informed as possible in
everything I do,” he says.
Regarding doing business in the current global economy and
its effect on global and local IT spending, he says: “I have am
trying to help my clients to be as ‘creative’ as possible with
their businesses. I also assist them to structure their orders
in the best way possible to encourage good cash flow for
both parties.”
He adds that resellers have confidence in Comztek as a
company – that it manages resources effectively, and that it is
not out to make a “quick buck” but rather looking to cement
long-term relationships and ensure that it survives as a distributor.
“Our resellers are also aware that we assist our customers to
manage their businesses in a positive manner so that they will
be here for the long run,” notes Tivers.
He comments that the main reason the channel is seeing a lot
of potential in companies such as Comztek is that although
business is tight, there is huge opportunity for resellers to
secure good business, provided they are creative, think out of
the box and maintain customer relationships.
Regarding what contributed to his receiving a nod from the
reseller channel, he says keeping one’s clients informed on
all levels of dealings – whether it is on quotes, providing
solutions, and following up on orders and queries – gives
them confidence.
“I also strive and take pride in working ethically. I hope that
my clients feel confident in dealing with me, and that I have
relationships built on good service and trust. I insist on
sure that I’m not only there when the orders come rolling in,
but also find myself helping resellers on all levels of their
company; from the person at reception, to the people in
logistics, to top management,” explains Tivers.
Commenting on the state of the market, he says in today’s
turbulent economy, business is tight, companies are holding
onto the surplus cash they have and IT is less of a priority.
“In my opinion, consolidation for distributors in terms of
their operations makes sense. It helps with cash flow. When
times are good and business is flowing, there is a need for more
resources and infrastructure; however, if the business dries up
and there is an excess of infrastructure, businesses look at
consolidation. Most of the time this unfortunately results in
job losses, but consolidation is better for the channel in the
long term,” he says.
Tivers boasts a 13-years stint in the IT space and says he
started as a sales person at Incredible Connection in 1996, and
then moved into distribution for LanDesign and joined
Comztek in 2001.
“I have always had a passion for electronics and gadgets,
which resulted in an interest in IT. After completing matric,
I enrolled at varsity to become an accountant, and two days
before I was due to start, got cold feet and changed to sales
and marketing. This led to my sales career at Incredible
Connection,” he comments.
“I love working with people and helping them to complete
solutions, make good money, and seeing their aspirations and
dreams come true. I also enjoy the dynamic nature of our
industry, it keeps me motivated, on my toes and satisfies my
thirst for information,” he says.
According to him one of the most pressing channel business
issues in SA at the moment is margins as companies are
under-cutting each other to win business.
“In my opinion, this is neither necessary nor professional,”
he concludes. 
 Jeremy Waterman
By George Maseko
Providing relevant solutions
J eremy Waterman, MD of
Softline Accpac, is one of
the top 20 channel executives
as chosen by
local resellers.
He comments that a large
contributor to his nomination was helping the company to
introduce Sage ERP X3 to its channel partners. It is an ERP
product from Sage France that Sage has identified as its tier-two
ERP product of choice for the international market.
“We have worked very hard on assisting our dealers through
our ‘strategic sales’ team run by Keith Fenner. The team works
with dealers on marketing and also assists in closing sales,”
says Waterman.
He adds that Softline Accpac works with its resellers
on an ongoing basis. “We do not deal with the IT channel
at large,” he notes. “We are not really ‘a distribution house’
in the typical sense – I guess we are more an ISV that
Hans Dummer
By George Maseko
Selling document management
F
ocus and dedication to
servicing the company’s
second-tier resellers has
once again helped Epson’s Hans
Dummer to become one of the top
channel executives for the past
12 months.
Although he recently relocated to
the company’s UK division, he comments that during the past
12 months at the local branch he managed to firmly put the
value of the second-tier reseller at the forefront of Epson’s
strategy in SA.
“Our second-tier resellers are the livelihood of Epson’s
success over the last few years,” he notes.
He adds that with all the support that Epson has enjoyed
over the past few years it is time that it gives back to its
second-tier partners and so it has been working with those that
have been Epson-loyal to strengthen partnerships in winning
some of the most important tenders and corporate deals. “Our
profile has risen in the local market space and thanks to our
34 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009
2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
operates through select business partners – as such we have
increased our strategic
sales involvement and, of course, we now offer an additional
product,” says Waterman.
He adds that in tough times the clever companies take time
to become more efficient – to save money in the short term
and to give themselves a competitive edge in the long term.
Regarding his nomination, Waterman comments: “I guess if
you hang in there long enough someone will notice – more
seriously, we have consistently performed well in a tough
competitive market.”
Regarding the consolidation in the IT industry, he comments
that the fortunate part for companies playing in the same space
as Softline Accpac is that it is not that relevant to their space.
“We have a small number of global players that are unlikely
to consolidate.”
He says that looking ahead resellers can expect continued
commitment to the channel and to its users. 
2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
retail and channel partners our consumer market share has also
grown in the past 12 months. It was my job to maintain and
grow our channel partner programme; we now have over 400
partners,” he says.
Regarding his nomination, he comments: “It has been a huge
surprise to me and a very humbling one as I was transferred by
Epson to head the Middle East and Africa. I would say that
being consistent over the past 11 years is the reason for my
nomination. I hope that my successor, Albert Fayard, will be in
the same position soon.”
On the topic of consolidation in the IT industry, particularly
given the rate at which solution providers are cutting jobs and
some even closing down, he says consolidation is welcome as
long as it brings benefits and value adds for the channel and the
end-user.
Looking ahead, he says resellers can expect increased
focus on Epson’s second-tier channel and closer corporate
relationships to further enhance its position in SA. “We
welcome any resellers that will work with us in this still
growing economy,” he concludes. 
Neil Rom 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
By George Maseko
Improving comms works
P
rintacom MD, Neil Rom, is one of
this years channel executives and
attributes his nomination by the
reseller channel to making sure that his
company improves communication
with its channel.
“Better access to our channel with the launch of the OKI
Connected Partner Network, and improving company
efficiencies to lower costs and thereby giving better value to
our channel has helped us,” he says.
His hope is to make Mybyte (his company’s sponsored
website) the online home for technology people and companies.
“On the site you can create your personal profile or corporate
group and stay in touch with others who share your interests.
You can create content, look for a job, read tech blogs, network
with colleagues and stay up to date with corporate news. This
service is free,” Rom says.
He adds that in its 12-year existence Printacom has always
conducted business in a fair and professional manner. “We have
a very clear route to market and have always supported our
channel. We don’t deviate from this policy when the going gets
tough. We have been through tough times before and have come
Sacha O’Reilly 2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
By George Maseko
Communication works
S
acha O’Reilly, channel
manager at McAfee
South Africa, has made
it onto CRN’s list of top 20
channel executives as voted
for by the channel.
She comments that this is
as a result of her commitment
to supporting her company’s
channel partners. “My focus is on open communication and
strong partnerships as well as working with the channel to
support it with initiatives, which creates a win-win scenario for
all parties,” she says.
She ads that over the past 12 months she has focused
on educating the channel on McAfee’s specific security
technologies that ensure the economic downturn does not
impact companies’ security. “Now more than ever, companies
are very serious about protecting their data and IP security,
these are the lifeblood of organisations, so my time has been
out on top. This policy has stood us in good stead. Our
resellers and channel trust us, and so do our suppliers,
something which is lacking in this industry these days,”
explains Rom.
Looking at the current economic climate, he adds that in
times of turmoil customers look for reassurance and stability,
Printacom offers this and so do the brands it distributes. “We
focus on our core business – printers.”
“In certain respects the current economic state is a good
thing, it’s almost like the bush that needs a veld fire to revitalise
it and generate new growth. Companies will go through pain,
and to survive will make changes, adapt and be stronger when
this is all over. There will be casualties but it is natural selection.
Distribution companies will definitely consolidate and
concentrate on their core business, this is a time to batten
down the hatches and weather the storm, and cut products and
services that are not profitable and deviate or distract from
their core business,” he explains.
Looking ahead, Rom says the channel can expect Printacom
to be around in the future. “We drive efficiencies and productivity
making sure that we will be around to support our customers in
the years to come,” he concludes. 
spent ensuring that partners are aware of our offerings,”
explains O’Reilly.
She adds that partners are enjoying the attention they receive
from distribution, adding that competition in the distribution
space is tough, so standards and work ethics have been heightened.
“I have been working on ensuring training and education on
the McAfee solutions is provided to the channel and customers.
Companies, now, more than ever value their data, and security
is essential to all organisations. Our channel partners have the
potential to earn fantastic revenue on our solutions,” explains
O’Reilly.
She comments that her recognition could come from the fact
that she has been with McAfee for 10 years. “I feel that I have a
deep understanding of McAfee, its distributors and partners,
and the security market in SA. And, as you can see, it pays off,”
O’Reilly notes.
Looking ahead, she states that the channel can expect
greater innovation in security solutions and higher revenues
for partners. 
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009 • 35
 Rentia Booysen
By George Maseko
Focus on growing business
R
entia Booysen, sales
executive at distribution
house Drive Control
Corporation (DCC), has been
nominated one of this year’s top
channel executives by the reseller channel
She says that as a sales executive for DCC, she has been
focused on growing the business in general as her portfolio
encompasses most of its product offerings. “My sales figures
have been growing on a month-to-month basis which is
allowing me to achieve my goal of reaching targets and
ultimately growing the business,” she says.
Regarding the current state of the economy and its effect on IT
spending locally and globally, she comments: “Times are tough;
however, we are assisting resellers to tap into their existing client
base where they enjoy established relationships and encouraging
them to cross-sell or upsell in addition to finding new business.”
However, there has been some good business done in the
distribution space recently, to which she says: “We recently
took on HP’s PSG product range and last year were awarded
distribution rights to Dell’s SMB product offering. This has
been very well received in the market and resellers are now
regarding DCC as a one-stop shop.”
Prabashni Pillay
By George Maseko
Focus on growing business
O
ne of the spots on this
year’s top 20 channel
executives went to Cisco’s
channel manager Prabashni Pillay,
who is no stranger to channel
recognition.
She says: “At Cisco, we continued
to innovate and optimise to create
new commercial market opportunities that enable our channel
partners to accelerate revenue growths.
“During this particular recessionary period the focus has
remained on investing in partners from both a resource and
skill perspective. Through our partners we have continued
supporting customers who want to transform their business by
implementing technology that integrates network resources,
services and applications while at the same time reducing
complexity, leveraging investments, decreasing cost, and
improving business agility to be more competitive.”
Pillay believes that Cisco’s partners have gained enormous
value as a result of the global Cisco vision and its execution by
the local office.
36 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • CHANNEL EXECUTIVE • APRIL 2009
2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
In her opinion, the channel is seeing a lot of potential in the
hardware distribution space because companies like DCC not
only provide product to resellers that sell onto the end-user
customer, but they also have resources that assist resellers with
pre-sales, configuration, implementation and support. This
allows resellers to offer an end-to-end service.
Looking ahead, she comments that DCC is gearing itself to
continually support resellers with pre-sales and technical
support, continuing the company’s move out of a box-drop-
ping environment into one that offers more of a consultative
approach.
Booysen joined the IT space in 2000 at Pinnacle Micro and
moved to DCC last year.
Regarding what fascinates her about the local IT industry,
particularly the channel and the space DCC plays in, she says it
is an incredibly fast paced, dynamic industry and she never
gets bored.
When she is not being an executive, Booysen says she actually
does not have a lot of spare time because she is a wife and mother.
However, every spare minute she has is spent with her family.
In her opinion, one of the most pressing channel business
issues is weathering the economic downturn and still being in
business when the economy makes an upturn. 
2009 CHANNEL EXECUTIVE
In addition, as a way of helping to address the skills gap its
partners are facing in SA, Cisco, in conjunction with the
Cisco Global Talent Acceleration Program (GTAP) and the
Cisco Networking Academy, has hosted a number of Partner
Career Days.
In addition, Cisco provides partners with access to the Cisco
Joint Marketing Fund (JMF) which is designed to provide
them with the tools and resources needed to market their
companies and the Cisco product lines they carry effectively,
get funding for pre-approved activities, such as events, training,
direct mail pieces, e-mail blasts and advertising.
On the matter of her selection she comments that it was
based on the manner in which she engages partners to create a
win-win scenario as well on the amount of assistance and
support her team renders to partners.
Looking ahead, she comments that as a networking leader,
Cisco’s goal remains to deliver innovative technology and services
combined with optimised commercial channel tools, training
and incentive programmes and promotions to accelerate partner
revenue growth through competitive differentiation, improved
productivity and the creation of new opportunities. 
 Reviews by: Stanley Chishala
Highly Recommended

Netgear ReadyNAS
Just what your home or small office needs.
Today, most people need an effective storage solution for all the I would recommend the ReadyNAS to home users with large
multimedia content they have and Netgear’s ReadyNas is the collections of digital media or SMBs requiring secure, high-speed
perfect answer to their storage needs. network storage.
With 500GB of available capacity in this unit you get the On the size side, I must admit that I found it to be quite a bit
impression that you are receiving enterprise-class storage for home bigger than some of the competitor solutions on the market. But the
and small business usage. truth be told, it’s not something you will be carrying around with
Home networks are becoming common place – I am testimony you so it will sit in some corner, but the next version has to be
to that – so having access to this enterprise-level, network attached relatively smaller. Just look at Iomega’s ix2.
storage device for home and small to medium sized business (SMB) But that aside, my increasingly large collection of photographs,
users is a great experience. videos, music and other digital data is now well taken care of in a
I have always had good experiences with Netgear products so secure environment, and available to anyone with access to my
I expected nothing less from the ReadyNas and I soon got to home network.
experience first hand that it has been designed to provide a reliable, If I had a small business I am sure that the ReadyNas would also
highly available large data storage solution. help with storage demands as well as with keeping up with legal
Thank goodness Netgear acquired Infrant Technologies because compliance and other requirements.
this has indeed helped in expanding its product portfolio with new Without a doubt, the ReadyNAS is one of the best answers to
and powerful network storage devices. growing data storage demands on the market today because of the
The ReadyNAS range of products brings technologies, such as large capacity, security and data integrity.
X-RAID, which was previously only feasible at the enterprise level, to Thanks to gigabit Ethernet technology, the ReadyNAS is also
home users and SMBs. capable of rapid data transfer speeds over its network connection.
ReadyNas offers affordable centralised storage with high reliability The product also uses RAID technology to provide full data access
and robust security. It is a single, safe and effective data storage and redundancy with built-in protection even when hard drives fail
solution packed with technology, usually reserved for enterprise-level or need to be swapped.
servers. So even if one hard drive fails, the ReadyNAS preserves data,
preventing loss. Likewise, if storage
capacity needs to be upgraded a larger
hard drive can be inserted into the
redundant array via one of the hard
drive bays seamlessly and without
threatening the data already saved on
the device.
The device works with Windows,
Mac and Linux making it a powerful
solution for any computing environment.
On capacity, the ReadyNAS is capable
of maintaining arrays of up to three
terabytes.
The device has USB ports that can
be used for printers, wireless adapters
and other devices, and ships with
powerful software for automated
data backups. ReadyNAS products
also have a built-in iTunes server so
that music stored on the device can be
streamed to computers on the network.
At the end of the day, the ReadyNAS
is a great solution for meeting the
growing challenges of data storage
being expressed by home users and
SMBs.

38 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009

 Reviews by: Kaunda Chama
BlackBerry Curve 8900
A brilliant smartphone.
I don’t think that I can use a phone that is not smart ever again and,
after having used a number of smartphones, I am glad that the new
BlackBerry Curve 8900 came my way.
I had a few problems with the previous model but just looking at
the new Curve, I could tell that I would like this handset; the
combination of silver and black in the design gives it a very
elegant look.
Granted that devices are mostly judged on their functionality
rather than on looks alone, I must stress that this was only the
first impression.
At the time of this review, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 was the
thinnest BlackBerry smartphone on the market and even appears to
be slimmer that it really is because of its elegant black finish with
chrome frame.
The handset’s design makes it feel very comfortable in one’s
hand. It is also big or small enough for anyone to use whether with
one hand or two.
Good looks and feel aside, the BlackBerry Curve 8900
smartphone comes packed with a host of impressive features
that allow users to connect easily with their office, friends
and family.
As a phone, this device is exceptional, even in the area where I
live where most phones struggle with reception, it outperforms any
competition and the clarity of the mic and speaker is outstanding, to
say the least.
Its other features are typical of a BlackBerry like e-mail,
messaging, organiser, Web browser and multimedia applications.
The new Curve 8900 also features built-in Wi-Fi, a GPS, a
next-generation processor (512Mhz) and a splendid high-resolution
screen.
I must admit that the only let down was when I found out that it
did not have 3G connectivity but I managed with EDGE.
The Curve 8900 comes with a full-QWERTY keyboard and
intuitive trackball that allows for smooth navigation.
Its 3.2 megapixel camera, which comes with auto focus, image
stabiliser, digital zoom and flash, is not too shabby either. Its
media player supports media streaming and can play a lot of the
Highly Recommended
popular video and audio
formats available on the
market today.
Although the onboard
memory is not much to write
to your friends and family
about, its microSD/SDHC
expandable memory card
slot supports up to 16GB
per card, giving you plenty
of storage that is easily
interchangeable.
Weighing in at
approximately 110 grams
and 109 x 60 x 13.5 mm,
the Curve 8900 is more than comfortable to carry around either in
your pocket or handbag. The device’s 2.4 inch HVGA+ display
(480x360 resolution) projects vivid colour making images and text
easy to view.
Did I mention that it also comes standard with today’s much-
needed killer application – navigation with nifty GPS capabilities.
This quad-band smartphone also provides global connectivity
for fast data access and Web browsing. You can get Internet
connectivity through either the BlackBerry Internet Service or
BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
For those who might not already know, BlackBerry Internet Service
is designed for small businesses and individuals. It allows you to
access POP accounts like Yahoo! Mail, Gmail and Hotmail from a
single interface on the device.
The Enterprise Server software, on the other hand, integrates with
IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise, and
uses advanced encryption and IT policy controls to enable secure,
push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data.
To say this is a great device would be an understatement because
as far as smartphones are concerned, this is up there with the best
of them. I would recommend it to anyone whether they are a corporate
or home user, especially if they always want to stay connected.
PARTING: SHOTS

DILBERT www.dilbert.com by Scott Adams

Company: Mthombo Managed Services

Position: Operations director
Age: 41
Best personal achivement: Winning customer service awards while working
for Eskom between 1990 and 2000
Management style: I easily adapt to the management style of the
organisation I am working for
Most admired company: Currently, M-IT
Most admired executives: Kiruben Pillay, CEO of arivia.kom
Best IT product: HP Tablet PC
Most pressing local business issues: The current economic
situation where clients’ businesses are closing down or
scaling down
Key to success: There is no substitute for hard work.
I also believe that when doing something “Do it right or
don’t do it at all”
Favourite car: Discovery 3
Your car: Discovery 3
Favourite authors: Ngugi wa Thiog’o
Where do you live: In the East, Germiston
Birthplace: Baragwanath Hospital (Soweto), but I grew up in
Vrede in the Free State
Hobbies/sports: Mind-challenging games and a little bit of golf
Favourite periodicals: Finweek
Pet hates: Lazy people and forwarded e-mails

40 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • APRIL 2009