Computer Reseller News Jan 09

ns s tio na top ive mi e cut n No r th l exe ope o f ne ow an n ch are

January 2009

www.crn.co.za

Inside 

Chrinikap looks for more SA business P10>>



Grey training still an issue p32>>

Former HP head takes over the reigns p25>>

PUBLISHER’S: NOTE

As we look to the year that will be J anuary started off as its usual self with no major moves being announced and companies taking their time before announcing any of their plans for this turbulent year we are about to go through. The only major event that picked up the world’s spirits has to be the inauguration of Barak Obama as the first black president of the United States of America. A lot of people seem to be pinning a lot on hope on him thinking that he might save the world, but I guess they have already forgotten what he said when he won the democratic presidential candidacy. He stressed that the task at hand might not be completed even during his term of office. For a start to the year, its been quite depressing to say the least because the corporate world has been making nothing but negative projections and layoffs are becoming the order of the day. Its enough to have one become very paranoid. On the upside, South African President Kgalema Mothlante was quoted this month as saying South Africans have survived situations far worse than the current global economic crisis. So with this in mind, I hope that the local economy does not take too much of a pounding because no matter which sector you look at, earnings are on the way down and jobs are being threatened.

The only major event that picked up the world’s spirits has to be the inauguration of Barak Obama as the first black president of the United States of America. The current crunch has affected South Africa in several ways; most notably a drop in export demands and many an analyst will agree that although our banking system escaped turmoil internally, the global financial operating environment has made it such that it as not escapd all the effects 100%. According to recent reports, about 60% of South Africa’s exports were destined for the US, EU and Japan and the reduction in demand in those economies is going to have a direct impact on the country’s manufacturing sector in all ways. One might think that because the ICT sector depends on imports, this will not have an adverse effect, but the drop in exports also means a drop in revenues and the rest follows suit. I guess we will have to wait and see how companies perform in the first quarter of 2009 before jumping to too many conclusions.

Kaunda Chama – editor

Contents News & Analysis 4 – What’s News

5 – 2008 Outlook moments 8 – High Five 9 – Demand Generator takles a look at how On-Site trains Investec

08

12 – Peter Watt joins Itec board CRN Contacts:

16 – Vulturine Vendors circle over Nortel partners, customers

Editor:

17 – Cover story: Industry veteran Rashid Wally bids farewell to the

Kaunda Chama [email protected]

ICT industry and will be succeeded by another industry veteran Henry Ferreira, who brings many years’ experience in the PC business to

Journalists:

Lenovo. By Kaunda Chama

Portia Shaba

22 – Intel to shut five fabs, cut jobs. By Damon Poeter, ChannelWeb

[email protected]

09

Features Dominic Khuzwayo [email protected]

23 – Grey Training: Grey training is still a pervasive phenomenon in SA but based on the general poor level of

Brand executive:

service and learning experiences that individuals and

Hellen Murahwa

corporate clients have had, more and more clients are

[email protected]

Sub-editor:

realising the value of authorised training and therefore

14

moving away from the grey market. This is according to Carl

Jenny Bastomsky

Raath, technical director, Torque IT, who believes that the

[email protected]

largest driving factor is simply a lack of education. By Dudu Shaba

Designer: Spencer van Graan [email protected]

Analysis 26 – Twenty strategies to stay afloat in retail this year

17

Database and subscriptions: Daisy Mulenga [email protected]

copyright notice CRN Southern Africa is published monthly by Systems Publishers (Pty) Ltd. The copyright of all material in this publication is reserved by the proprietors, except where expressly stated. The publisher, however, will consider reasonable requests for the use of material by others on condition that the source and author of the report are clearly attributed. Due to the nature of the newspaper print process, Systems Publishers cannot be held responsible for colour variations in printed advertising. Printed by Ultra Litho. CRN Southern Africa is a licensee of CMP Media LLC.

Private Bag X12, Rivonia, 2128 Tel: (011) 234 7008 Fax: (011) 234 7025 Registered with the Audit Bureau of Circulation

2 •

Product and technology 29 – Phillips LCD monitor review 30 – Studio Plus version 11 review 31 – X-Oom Movies on iPod 2 review

Parting shots 32 – Snapshot: Richard Rayne, On-Site Training 32 – Dilbert

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

31

WHAT’S

NEWS

Novell announces GroupWise Open Beta Novell has announced the availability of the open beta of the latest version of its GroupWise solution. Available as a free download, the beta version of Novell GroupWise offers customers and partners a single integrated solution that combines traditional email and calendar functionality in a personal dashboard with team collaboration workspaces and new Web 2.0 resources, such as wikis, blogs and RSS feeds. “Designed to run on Windows, Linux, Mac, Web and mobile device platforms, GroupWise helps people to stay connected and productive while also supporting customers’ mixed platform IT choices,” says Sally Berimbau, Novell product manager at Workgroup.

COMINGS

& GOINGS

New Lenovo regional general manager Lenovo SA has appointed Henry Ferreira regional GM. He takes over from IT industry veteran Rashid Wally who, after four years as Lenovo’s Regional GM and over 30 years at IBM, will retire at the end of April 2009. Wally and Ferreira will work closely together to ensure that the four-month transition in leadership is a smooth process for staff, customers and partners. “I have no doubt Henry will keep up the positive momentum we have achieved over the past four years, continuing to grow the business as well as maintaining our longstanding customer and partner relationships,” says Wally. See page 25.

Horizon announces two new Sun server offerings The Sun division at Workgroup, Horizon, has announced the local availability of Sun’s extended family of Intel Xeon-based servers. Coming with the introduction of two new offerings designed with scalability, virtualisation and consolidation in mind. Phillip de Waal, Sun product manager at Horizon says the Sun Fire X4450 server and the Sun Blade X6450 server module, powered by Intel Xeon processor 7400 series with up to six processing cores, run a variety of operating systems, including Solaris 10 10/08 as well as Linux, Windows and VMware. “The Sun Blade X6450 server module is an ideal fit for virtualisation and server consolidation, HPC, database and enterprise applications, designed for deployment within a wide range of solutions,” he says.

Axis introduces HDTV network camera Axis Communications introduces the Axis Q1755 HDTV network camera. The Axis Q1755 connected to an HDTV monitor is set to be the perfect solution for securing areas where greater image detail is required, such as airports, passport controls and casinos. “The HDTV performance of the AXIS Q1755 with crisp and clear images at full frame rate fulfils the professional market’s demands for greater image detail and true colour representation,” says Roy Alves, country manager, Axis Communications. “Bandwidth and storage demands are considerably reduced by H.264 compression, maintaining true HDTV resolution at full-frame rate,” adds Alves.

DCC announces new retail manager Yugen Naidoo has been appointed manager of Drive Control Corporation’s (DCC) retail division. Naidoo will be responsible for managing the company’s retail business as well as developing new business and promoting the distributor’s total consumer solution offering to the local market. “Through our retail division we aim to gain some important brand equity and awareness within the South African market which will establish DCC as a premier provider of products to retailers,” comments Naidoo. “I believe we have a bright future; our retail team is strong, young, dynamic and proactive which means we keep in touch with the majority of our customer base on a daily basis, working with it to see how we can improve our service offering to the retail market,” says Naidoo.

AMD partners with XFX

Premier Manhattan distributor, Esquire Technologies has announced the local availability of a comprehensive range of USB extension cables. “USB can connect a large variety of devices to its host system,” says Mahomed Cassim, sales and marketing director, Esquire Technologies. Incorporating 15 USB connectivity enhancers, the range includes a HiSpeed USB 2.0 file transfer cable, a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Active cable, two Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Active extension cables, a USB line extender and a USB 2.0 DVI Converter.

Chip maker AMD has partnered with XFX, one of the world leaders in graphics cards, motherboards and computer accessories. XFX plans to provide new products based on the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 4000 series GPUs to consumers, beginning in early 2009, Imi Mosaheb, country general manager AMD SA says. “The decision to partner with AMD? and launch AMD? GPU-based XFX graphics cards, including the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2,” Michael Chiu, chairman and CEO, Pine Technologies Holdings, makers of XFX graphics cards says. “It wasn’t just AMD’s gaming prowess that caught our attention; the company’s technology leadership in multimedia performance, including video transcoding, HD content playback and surround-sound audio made it clear that AMD was and continues to be a great fit for users everywhere.”

DCC supplies Adaptec HBA

Galdon Data upbeat about Captaris acquisition

Drive Control Corporation (DCC) is now supplying Adaptec’s latest Series 1 Unified Serial(TM) Host Bus Adapter (HBA) family to its resellers. The family features two low-profile cards that deliver one of the industry’s most scalable data storage connectivity solution, supporting up to 128 SATA or SAS storage devices, at an entry-level price point. “The new Series 1 family brings Adaptec’s Unified Serial architecture to the HBA market and fills a significant market need for highly scalable, cost-effective and high-performance connectivity in a wide range of growing storage environments,” says Suresh Panikar, director, Worldwide Marketing, Adaptec.

Galdon Data is upbeat about the Captaris acquisition by Open Text Corporation, a global leader in enterprise content management (ECM). Galdon Data says the acquisition has brought about a plethora of new business opportunities. Captaris is a global provider of software products that automate document-centric processes. Galdon Data MD Garry Ackerman says the company will expand its offerings by creating tighter integration with Open Text’s solutions. “Captaris’ technology will strengthen Open Text’s ECM solutions. We are committed to continuing Captaris’ products, and partner and customer support,” says Ackerman.

Manhattan releases USB extension

4 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

CRN would like to thank our event sponsors (AMD, Rectron, Comztek and HP) for the 2008 Outlook Awards which were held on 03 December 2008. We would also like to once again congratulate all the category winners and overall winners. Event pictures are also available on www.crn.co.za.

HIGH FIVE: YSL GROUP SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Hot 2009 Tecs Unified Comm comms takes off. BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

I

guess it’s not too late to say happy New Year. Are we still on the same page when it comes to expecting new and exciting technologies to drive us throughout 2009? According to the Gartner Group, unified communication was listed as one of the top 10 technologies for 2009. In our first HIGH FIVE, we chat to Louis Yssel, CEO of YSL Group, providers of unified communications services for businesses and gated communities.

CRN: Why do you think unified communications is rated as one the top technologies for 2009? LY: Unified communications is what will drive efficiencies in the future. Often messages and customer information are being stored in different places and this is what causes the delay in responding to customers. Communications are now becoming completely electronic. Having access to these channels of communication (email, fax, voice, SMS and others), from one place (your traditional mailbox) will result in much faster turnaround times and efficiencies. At the same time, it saves money as all these channels of communications are delivered through a single medium (IP connection), and accessed from anywhere. The real beauty is that the actual services are better priced on a converged hosted infrastructure built on a subscription model. (pay as you grow).

CRN: Which areas do you think will most support unified communications? LY: Unified communications benefits enterprise, SMME and the SOHO markets in equal amounts, but probably in different areas of the business. Enterprise benefits from being able to service customers quicker and more efficiently because of the access to the channels of information; they’re able to get things done quicker with customers as information sent between the customer agent and the customer takes place much faster and directly. SMMEs get access to enterprise-class services allowing fewer people to deal with more tasks, as a result of access to converged communications services. The same reasoning goes for SOHO, but possibly even more so, as even fewer people are available to deal with customers. With proper converged communications (including mobility) customer issues can be dealt with from anywhere without delay.

CRN: How is the demand for unified communications in SA? LY: Personally, I think it is still not understood sufficiently by customers. Smaller business demands it to a larger extent because it primarily needs to drive down costs and improve on efficiency. True unified communications includes mobility, and that is where the demand will come from (virtual office). Larger organisations could gain significantly when their staff is able to work from anywhere (work from home some

8 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

“Unified Communications communications is what will drive efficiencies in the future.” – Louis Yssel, CEO, YSL Group.

days or mornings, instead of wasting time in traffic). So the real demand in the enterprise space will be for a true converged communications platform allowing staff to have a fully roaming office regardless of their location and time of day.

CRN: With the global financial crisis, how are unified communications and YSL Group doing? LY: Because unified communications results in reduced costs and improved efficiencies and so contributes to the well being of a company, especially in economic tough times, YSL driving converged communications as a strategy in the business environment is doing well. Similarly, with the strategy around gated communities; people need access to services from home, home offices and when working from home. We believe that we will continue to grow in the tougher economic climate as we deliver savings and improved efficiencies.

CRN: What are is YSL Group aiming to achieve this year? LY: Stability of services and new value-added services. In the business world, we’re aiming to increase understanding of the benefits of unified communications by continually delivering value through the hosted communications platform. In the residential market, to deliver more value-added services, adding to the benefits of unified communications in the home. Also very importantly, as we grow within more residential estates, to form communities that could grow and result in more and better services and prices.

DEMAND SOLUTION

GENERATOR:ON-SITE

TRAINING

PROVIDERS

On-site Training takes Investec on training Enhancing IT skills. BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

P

rivately owned training house On-Site Training recently took its experts to specialist banking group Investec. On-Site Training provides comprehensive training services covering information and communication technology (ICT) and critical business skills development. According to Richard Rayne, MD at On-Site Training, the investment in training service providers who have the resources,

business that has a vested interest in equipping staff and retaining intellectual capital without seriously impeding budget strategy and application,” he adds. On-Site Training provides end-user computer training to the general staff complement at Investec. The training house has been the sole end-user provider for the past two years. It is contracted on an annual basis and either

“Specifically, we require Microsoft Excel-related training more than any other offering. IT proficiency is paramount to the organisation.” – Richard Rayne, MD On-Site Training. experience and expertise to offer immediate value is pivotal to the strategies of competitive businesses today. On–Site Training features a rich skills pool of expert educators who address competencies and skills requirements for Microsoft Office, graphic design, CompTIA and Certified Business Professional (CBP) certification. The company is differentiated in the market through its ability and proven track record in meeting the requirements of its clients on site. This equates to automatic benefit for the client because there are no additional expenses or capital outlay to cover aspects such as travelling costs, downtime or non-productivity during training. “This is considered one of our core strengths and we have established ourselves in the market for reliability and convenience,” says Rayne. “Training is essential, and given the intense focus on the skills shortage, we offer a service that appeals to any competitive

offers standard training events at Investec’s premises to staff or customises the offering in terms of content and time to specific teams within business units. Trainers from On-Site Training work directly with the Learning and Development team at Investec. Lesley-Ann Gatter from Investec’s Learning and Development team says: “Computer skills are obviously core to the functioning of the bank and thus various training events have been organised across the institution. “Investec consolidated the approach and through various needs analyses identified the most fundamental up-skilling requirements and contracted On-Site to provide the training,” says Gatter. Gatter adds that aside from the need to develop employees, the financial services sector faces a constant and substantial shortage of skills which means that skills development will remain a key industry driver. Investec’s needs analysis regarding various ongoing upskilling requirements

Richard Rayne, On-Site Training resulted in On-Site Training being contracted to provide key computer skills training. “There is a consistent need for certain training,” adds Gatter. “Specifically, we require Microsoft Excel-related training more than any other offering. IT proficiency is paramount to the organisation.” According to Gatter, in the course of the 2007 annual review, On-Site was recognised as having a level of expertise and proven efficiency in the market, and offered value for money. These aspects, together with service delivery, speed of execution and personalised engagements, placed On-Site Training as Investec’s end-user computer training provider of choice for the 2008 calendar year. “We are very pleased to continue our partnership and service to Investec, a forward-thinking company that believes in building people and applying knowledge for the betterment of the market in general and ultimately the socio-economic climate of the country,” concludes Rayne. Do you have any demand generator stories to share with us, please e-mail Dominic at [email protected]

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

9

ANALYSIS: CHRINIKAP SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Chrinikap

wants more business

Telecoms hardware reseller hungry for local customers. BY KAUNDA CHAMA

AND

DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

F

our-year-old telecommunications hardware reseller Chrinikap says that although it has and continues to gain ground in the rest of the southern African region, it needs to get a bigger stake in the local industry. Chrinikap is a Johannesburg-based company specialising in the provision of telecommunications and other technology products. The company is black-owned and says it strives to align itself with institutions espousing the same drive and prides itself on being competitive. The company initially sold branded corporate clothing and industrial replacement parts to companies in SA and its neighbouring countries. Two years after its launch, the company decided to change its model and looked for a product range it could focus on exclusively. In 2006, the company was approached by Malaysia-based Litech. Litech is a developer and producer of telecommunications and networking hardware for both WANs and LANs. With 10 years’ experience under its belt, Litech has gained a reputation as a major manufacturer of quality telecommunication and networking solutions. Its expertise lies in the areas of manufacturing fibre, voice and structured cabling solutions, coaxial, racks and amp; cabinets, RF and amp, and wireless products. “We are glad to be dealing with a wellestablished company that has competencies in developing and producing telecommunications and networking equipment. The company employs about 500 people in Malaysia and China, and this is its first entry into Africa,” says Nimon Zulu, Chrinikap CEO. Before the Litech deal, Chrinikap ventured into business with a company that develops energy chain cable carriers, but found the business was not bringing enough returns and opted for Litech’s networking and tele-

10 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

Nimon Zulu, Chrinikap coms business because it views it as having fewer players and minimal competition. The company says it is getting some impressive business from Kenya, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Israel, but states that the response has not been as positive in the local space. Locally, Chrinikap is targeting traditional network providers like Telkom, Vodacom, Cell C, Siemens, Nokia Siemens and Neotel. “We are always looking at ways to expand our business and we are currently setting up operations in Mozambique which should be fully operational by the beginning of February,” explains Zulu. Chrinikap’s business model when operating in the different countries is to appoint local representatives in those areas because they have the advantage of knowing their respective business climates better.

“The Litech products have been selling very well in all the countries and have been giving us excellent returns. I don’t think any telecoms business can say no to these products considering their pricing and quality,” he comments. Litech products are primarily found at the last mile of the telecommunications network and are used to build or expand a network at that level. Overall, Zulu says that annually the business is worth no less that R10 million in revenues adding that most of the activity is coming from outside companies that do transactions on a weekly basis. “Going forward, we hope to increase our South African business to about 40 per cent because companies are considering product quality even before they look at price and this will work well for our product offering,” he concludes.

ANALYSIS: AVAYA SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Avaya

clarifies go-to-market strategy Channel centricity pays off. BY KAUNDA CHAMA

I

ntelligent communications multinational Avaya recently clarified its go-to-market strategy and is confident that it will soon attain the position of number one business communications solutions company globally. The company’s EMEA president, who was in SA recently, says Avaya’s channel centricity continues to benefit its distributor and reseller partners as well as pay dividends for the company. “Going forward, we plan to put a lot of focus on the service and support side of the business,” he notes. The company is confident that most of its business will come from the mid-market segments and it has moved to a businessunit strategy, namely unified communications, call centre, interactive office communications and services. Although the company’s go-to-market strategy might be perceived as a hybrid one, Bayer says that it will maintain the company’s level of channel centricity. ”We still have a high touch when it comes to business, we will come in contact with end-user customers, but will still close the deal through our channel partners,” he explains. The business intends giving its customers more value by attaching backline service and support to its products. “This will go a long way in encouraging the training and certification of our channel partners because we want them to own the service relationship with the end-user customer,” says Bayer. At the moment, Avaya’s list of tier-one partners includes the likes of Business Connexion and Dimension Data, and it plans to further grow its tier-two partner base. “We want to further penetrate the SME

space because we see it a conduit through which we can penetrate vast verticals,” he says. According to Bayer, the past 24 months have seen Avaya doing very good business in the enterprise space, especially the call centre arena and the last 12 months have also seen a lot of interest in its solutions from SME customers. “We feel the reason for this is the fact that our technology is aligned to changing market demands, an example of this is in the distributed call centre environments,” he says. Looking ahead, Bayer says the company will also place huge focus on the public sector because the next two years should see the government investing a lot of money in technology development. He adds that much business lies in the private sector; adding that there will also be demand for solutions in the disaster recovery, unified communications and call centre solutions from the public sector as well in the near future. “We believe that we are at quite an advantage over our competitors because we are a private company and that gives us a lot more flexibility to invest more in research and development (about 45 per cent of revenue is spent on research and development) and we have done so in our call centre and unified communications solutions,” explains Bayer. He is confident that the company has great potential for added business even though the world economy is in quite a tangle because, according to the company’s findings, 80 per cent of telephony solutions installed around the world are still TDM (analogue). Bayer notes that this gives Avaya a

Michael Bayer, Avaya potential market that is worth up to 10 years of business. The initial targets are developing economies like that of Africa and Russia. “Our solutions have an advantage in that they can be setup in a hybrid manner and give end-users an advantage over competitors, so they don’t have to do a complete overhaul when upgrading,” he says. Avaya also plans, over the next 24 months, to set up an indirect service offering through its channel partners – something it has not done before. This initiative is aimed at creating a broad range of service offerings that will assist its channel partners to gain additional revenues. “Our channel partners will be able to resell these services. They will also enjoy broader marketing campaigns and support,” he notes. Bayer adds that Avaya has also restructured as a way of focusing more on both its strategy and product offerings; this has been done to give it and its business partners a clearer understanding of its bouquet of solutions. Recognising credit as one of the biggest challenges it will face in the interim, Avaya intends maximising the potential of Avaya Financial Services to put additional money into the channel and increase liquidity in the space. All this is expected to start happening next month.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

11

ANALYSIS: BUSINESS CONNEXION SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Peter Watt joins Itec board

F

BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO

ormer Business Connexion (BCX) CEO Peter Watt has been appointed deputy chairman of Itec Distribution, bringing with him extensive strategic and leadership skills. Watt was deputy chairman of the Altron Group from 1993 to 1997. He then served as CEO of Dorbyl Automotive Technologies until 1999, when he was appointed CEO of Comparex Africa and a director of Comparex Holdings. He became CEO of Comparex Group, which subsequently merged with Business Connexion. “Itec is an entrepreneurial success story,” says Watt. “Having been with large public companies most of my life, I look forward to helping the management team of this growing business to achieve their objectives and roll out key projects that are designed to enhance Itec’s market position.” Watt’s primary function at Itec will be the development of business strategy, executive development and mentoring and assisting in the establishment of governance committees. He will also watch over and guide the company’s expansion into the overseas market. “I have extensive experience in making acquisitions, both here and in the UK,” says Watt. “Having been through that loop a number of times, I am able to advise and support the process.” Watt will also be available to mentor and coach the management team, as they prepare for the company’s next growth phase. Itec is one of South Africa’s foremost providers of office automation (OA), production printing, telecommunications, power and financial solutions. The company also imports and distributes industry leading and award-winning OA brands. “It’s a great advantage for us to have someone of Peter Watt’s calibre on board,” says Jacques Duyver, founder and chairman of Itec.

“Having been with large public companies most of my life, I look forward to helping the management team of this growing business to achieve their objectives and roll out key projects that are designed to enhance Itec’s market position.”

“We will be drawing on the huge amount of intellectual capital he brings as we roll out our international expansion strategy and continue to successfully increase our domestic footprint.” Watt graduated from the University of Witwatersrand in 1964, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and has completed a Master of Business Leadership degree through the University of South Africa. He is a founder member of the National Economic Forum and Business SA, as well as a former member of the Presidential National Commission for ICT.

ANALYSIS: SMC NETWORKS SA SOLUTION

SMC

PROVIDERS

networking SA signs up Channel Data

Targeting the SME segment. BY DUDU SHABA

S

MC Networks SA, local supplier of the globally established network brand, has confirmed a distribution agreement with Channel Data, a specialist distributor supplying IT infrastructure products, including networking,

security, storage and power solutions. Luff, describes the partnership allows for the assimilation and distribution of SMC Networks’ solutions into the Channel Data offering, specifically that which is targeted at

The partnership is significant and will add value to the local channel and ultimately to businesses and operators that are growing and require the necessary reliable networking support and services.” – Paul Luff, SMC Networks SA.

Mike Hamilton, Channel Data

14 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

the growing small-to-medium enterprise market. Due to the growth of the SME business focus, Mike Hamilton, MD, Channel Data, says the company needed to extend its portfolio of offerings to provide SME resellers with one point of contact for infrastructure solutions. “We approached a number of manufacturers, and took into consideration the brand positioning, supportability and price positioning to find offerings we believed would have rapid adoption in the market and meet our required growth goals,” Hamilton explains. “SMC fits in well, complementing our existing networking offerings which are predominantly aimed at larger enterprises’ requirements,” he says. Hamilton adds that SMC Networks SA and Channel Data see value in the burgeoning SME market space and it is this shared focus that has formed the basis of the agreement. “SMC Networking’s offerings, together with our existing security, power and storage offerings, enable Channel Data to offer a full infrastructure portfolio that addresses the needs of the SME sector, including switching, routing,

Paul Luff, SMC Networks SA security, wireless, VoIP, primary and backup storage, as well as full standby and emergency power requirements,” he comments. The two companies have set up a joint marketing plan that will enable the business to grow faster. “We are working closely with SMC to address our market’s needs, we are also organising good resources in order to remain as effective as possible,” he says. He explains that the two companies will also jointly invite resellers and end-users to different sessions where they will be trained in best methods of deploying their technology. In terms of distributing the products, Hamilton says the company has appointed resellers who will sell the products and will

ANALYSIS: SMC NETWORKS SA SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

also sell products directly to end-users. He adds that they will host events and briefings at their own expense to answer questions from resellers. “The current economic situation has put many resellers under pressure but our price positioning is very good and will enable our customers to go further with their budget. It is a lower-cost alternative that will enable us to continue winning business,” he remarks.

“SMC Networking’s offerings, together with our existing security, power and storage offerings, enable Channel Data to offer a full infrastructure portfolio that addresses the needs of the SME sector, including switching, routing, security, wireless, VoIP, primary and backup storage as well as full standby and emergency power requirement.” – Mike Hamilton, Channel Data

Paul Luff, country manager, SMC Networks SA, describes the partnership as significant and believes it will add value to the local channel and ultimately to businesses and operators that are growing and require the necessary reliable networking support and services. “For some time, SMC Networks has been emphasising user education and skills development with the introduction of several cost-effective and efficient initiatives. The purpose of this drive is to elevate general knowledge around the network and related infrastructure, and their role in critical business development. We believe that in Channel Data we have a credible and established partner with a proven track record in the distribution of evolving network solutions and infrastructure that will meet growing demand within key market segments,” says Luff. He adds that there was a clear synergy in addressing requirements in the mid-market segment. “We are still in the process of confirming the products that will form part of the Channel Data offering, but what I can say is that there is interest in wireless switches, security and ADSL, among other areas,” Luff concludes.

ANALYSIS: NORTEL NETWORKS SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Vulturine vendors

circle

over Nortel partners, customers BY ANDREW R HICKEY, CHANNELWEB

S

ensing a business opportunity and smelling blood in the water, several networking vendors have swooped down in an attempt to poach away Nortel Networks’ partners and customers as the company fights its way through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The potential downfall of a rival has brought several companies out of the fold, offering big-dollar buyback rebates on

and customer relationships show it ought to be.” But in an industry where one company’s downfall is another’s payday, Nortel’s competition has been quick to jump at the chance to court Nortel customers and channel partners questioning the future of their relationships with the cash-strapped telecom giant. “The timing is not a coincidence, obviously,” says Dean Darwin, vice president of North

“These actions are imperative so that Nortel can build on its core strengths and become the highly focused and financially sound leader in the communications industry that its people, technology and customer relationships show it ought to be.” Nortel equipment, trade-up programs and offering Nortel channel partners who jump ship added incentives and revenue options. The feeding frenzy comes after Nortel last week filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the result of years of dwindling sales and financial woes. Nortel’s time line from 2000 to 2009 reads more like a how-not-to manual than a how-to. The bankruptcy filing, many vendors contend, is just another nail in Nortel’s coffin as the vendor prepares for a slow demise. In November, Nortel posted $3.4 billion in losses for the third calendar quarter – its largest quarterly loss in seven years – and announced plans to slash more than 1,000 jobs, freeze salaries, halt hiring and review its real estate holdings. “Nortel must be put on a sound financial footing once and for all,” says Nortel CEO Mike Zafirovski in a statement following the Chapter 11 filing. “These actions are imperative so that Nortel can build on its core strengths and become the highly focused and financially sound leader in the communications industry that its people, technology

16 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

American channels for F5. “In these times, it’s an interesting dynamic at work. Customers are asking: ‘Do I invest in a Nortel product to replace this?’” Seattle-based F5 has unveiled an aggressive buyback program for Nortel Alteon application switches, giving customers questioning Nortel’s future an easy out. The program offers increased trade-in credits toward replacement of Alteon gear and customised consulting services to simplify the migration from Alteon systems to F5’s BIG-IP Application Delivery Controllers. According to Darwin, Alteon customers can trade in select Nortel Alteon products to purchase an F5 BIG-IP solution and get up to $9,000 in trade-in credits. For F5 partners, Darwin said, the buyback program can lead to at-bats. Solution providers can engage nervous Nortel users and offer them a market-leading product with a strong ROI story as a replacement for gear that could have a rocky future. A BIGIP solution, Darwin said, can give Nortel customers the ability to collapse several boxes

into one and use a compelling event – Nortel’s bankruptcy filing – to get a foot in the door. “Alteon boxes from a trade-in perspective are worthless,” Darwin says, adding that there is no real gray market value for them, so up to $9,000 in trade-in credits is not chump change. “It is an optimum, compelling event for partners to attack the customer with a strong ROI story,” Darwin says. “We’re trying to create an at-bat from that compelling event for channel partners.” Darwin said to take advantage of the credits, F5 partners need to register a deal and plug details into the trade-in calculator. Once the deal registration is approved, the credits are a go. And F5 isn’t the only one preying on Nortel customers’ fears. Open- source networking vendor Vyatta has vowed to help Nortel customers through the uncertainty. To entice worried Nortel customers, Vyatta has extended its “Do It For The First Time With Vyatta” promotion, which was created in late 2008 to help put Vyatta in front of new customers. The promotion gives first-time Vyatta customers a 20 percent discount on their first order. On his blog, Vyatta vice president of strategy Dave Roberts wrote that the recession and Nortel’s subsequent bankruptcy filing will change the way people view the network, opening the doors for alternative vendors, like Vyatta, that have been growing consistently.

Are partners, customers biting? “While the future is never certain, Vyatta won’t be filing Chapter 11 ourselves this week,” Roberts wrote. And in a tongue-in-cheek press release, Vyatta also claimed to be partially responsible for Nortel’s decline, calling Nortel the “first proprietary victim” of open networking. > continued on page 37

LENOVO: COVER SOLUTION

STORY

PROVIDERS

New broom at Lenovo Ferreira promises continued channel support. BY KAUNDA CHAMA

P

erhaps one of the biggest announcements in the local ICT space last year was that the local head of PC vendor Lenovo, Rashid Wally, was stepping down after holding the position of country manager for the past four years. Wally will be succeeded by Henry Ferreira, who brings many years’ experience in the PC business to Lenovo. Ferreira, a technology industry veteran, was previously with Microsoft Southern Africa. Prior to this, he held various leadership positions at multinationals such as Nokia, HP and Compaq. He worked abroad for a number of years as VP Africa for Nokia Networks, based in London. In 2006 he returned to South Africa to take up the position of VP and MD at Unisys Africa. On 1 January, Ferreira assumed the position of regional GM of Lenovo South and Central Africa and, much like his predecessor, pledges continued focus on and dedication to the channel. To smoothen the transition, Wally will only leave the company at the end of April. “Me and Henry will work closely together to

in Africa in May 2005, the South Africa business has experienced substantially higher year-on-year growth compared with the average industry standard for the same period. Prior to his leadership role at Lenovo, Wally held numerous positions at IBM, both in SA and abroad. “I have no doubt that Henry will keep up the positive momentum we have achieved over the past four years, continuing to grow the business as well as maintaining our longstanding customer and partner relationships,”, says the outgoing country GM. “I am happy to introduce him into the Lenovo family and assist him in the first four months of 2009, to ensure a smooth transition in the leadership of the organisation.” Henry Ferreira, Lenovo

“My over seas assignments from with IBM really helped a lot in helping me to understand the technology business and the whole IBM experience helped me a lot in understanding how to lead a company like Lenovo.”

ensure that the four-month transition in leadership is a smooth process for staff, customers and partners,” Wally says. After announcing the change at the top, the company commented that since its arrival

“I have to commend Rashid for the role he has played in establishing Lenovo South Africa as a leading local PC player and wish him well as he goes into retirement,” says Ferreira. “It is an exciting time for me to take

over the reins and grow the business even further.” Wally, whose surprise mid-term retirement announcement came at the end of last year, spent over 30 years at IBM, and four at Lenovo. He spent 40 per cent of his working life in regions like Europe, India and the Middle East where he says he gained the knowledge to lead a business like Lenovo successfully. “My over seas assignments with IBM really helped me to understand the technology business and the whole IBM experience helped me to understand how to lead a

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

17

LENOVO: COVER

STORY

SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

company like Lenovo,” he comments. Until last year, Wally helped one of the world’s top PC vendor’s local divisions to triple its revenue continually and says the company looks on track to do the same this year. “The advantage for our channel partners and customers is that when Lenovo bought the IBM PC business, it continued with the same spirit of innovation that IBM started with business computing and that strategy continues to pay off,” he explains. The model, according to Wally, has allowed all of Lenovo’s products to be competitively priced so as to allow distributors and resellers to still make a profit from dealing in them. “Even with the best products at hand, I would never have done so well if it was not for the help I received from the management and staff at the company. They have been very important in my stay at Lenovo,” he says. According to Wally, Lenovo has won a good number of large contracts both in the private and public sector, but equally important is the potential business that the company sees in the SME space, an area it sees as still having a lot of potential even during this period where the world economy is taking a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, its competitors, business partners and customers should brace themselves for more than just change at the top

Rashid Wally, and Henry Ferreira

“The advantage for our channel partners and customers is the fact that when Lenovo bought the IBM PC business, it continued with the same spirit of innovation that IBM started with business computing and that strategy continues to pay off.”

as the company readies itself for the release of a new products that will include a server range that the company is scheduled to announce very soon. Asked about some of the major challenges he faced at the helm of Lenovo’s local division, Wally says: “One of the biggest challenges was keeping people

18 •

motivated after the buyout took place because for most of them it came as somewhat of a shock that IBM’s PC division was bought but it had been under pressure for quite some time before the deal took place and realistically it was taking place very fast.” He adds that a big part of the challenge was helping some key people keep a

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

positive mindset through it all as it was a period of speculation and anxiety. “Another very important step was visiting our customers and channel partners to reassure them that even after the change that had taken place, it was going to be business as usual and they could rest assured that there would not be any negative changes in business practices or product quality. The initial period as a separate entity was mostly about regaining the trust of business partners and end-user customers,” explains Wally. To this effect, the company even managed to be slightly over target with its revenue in its first year as the local arm of Lenovo. “The one thing we kept in mind as a company was that key to our success was not over promising, we did not put any grand plans in place that would take up a

LENOVO: COVER SOLUTION

lot of our resources because this way we might have run the risk of forgetting our customers. Instead, we decided to align ourselves with our partners’ and customers’ business strategies. “Business for us became all about giving the customer and business partner the right service and support. The advantage we have is that we currently maintain the position as the authorised warranty service provider on the products and still have IBM as a backup as part of the initial deal,” explains Wally. After having lead a formidable run against the likes of HP and Acer in the South African market Wally says he has actually been speaking of his intended retirement for 24 months. “I felt that I have dedicated a lot of time and energy to the IT business as a whole and that the time had come for a recharge and a bit of family time,” he notes. Wally serves on a number of boards of top companies in the country and will continue to do so during his retirement. “I believe that I have been involved with successful companies because my guiding principle has been simple: honesty and integrity,” notes Wally. He comments that the global economic environment is going to continue to be challenging and the downturn seems to be poised for a delayed recovery, adding that this will create an enabling environment for many other business opportunities. “The secret is to keep focused on and committed to channel partners and end-user customers while remaining consistent. Now is the time when basic business principles will have to be taken into account for companies to stay ahead of their competition,” notes Wally. He is confident that even with the state of the economy, the market conditions provide opportunities for it to perform as well as it has been doing over the past four years, bearing in mind that there will be an inevitable slow down. When one looks at the company’s market share, it seems it has not done too badly: it has managed, over the past 48 months, to grow its notebook market share from 3 per cent to 10per cent and desktop market share from 3.5 per cent to 6 per cent. Wally believes that the company could have grown its market share even bigger had

it had a good foothold in the retail space, a place that the company seems to have left relatively untapped, possibly due to its legacy as a business PC vendor. However, the company did announce some products, locally and globally, for that space last year with the launch of its Idea range of notebooks and PCs. Lenovo stays cognisant of the fact that distributors and resellers are critical for its business going ahead. “We are also bearing in mind that resellers will change their focus as a way of surviving the turbulent times and retail as well as small customers will also increase their importance in these tough times.”

STORY

PROVIDERS

the one-to-many approach always works and reaffirms the fact that the channel provides Lenovo with tremendous scale for growth now and in the future. “There are many ways we can use the indirect model to market to enhance our business; for instance, the channel can give us the scale and efficiencies that we are not able to achieve internally,” he says. All things considered, Wally says that Lenovo is doing more business in a single quarter than it was doing in a year as the PC division of IBM. “When you look at our PC business now compared to the past, it is easy to see why this is so. In today’s business

“Even with the best products at hand, I would have never done so well if was was not for the help I received from the management and staff at the company. They have been very important in my stay at Lenovo.”

He adds that the importance of service and support should not be understated in business going forward. Ferreira, who has also been around the world in his 24-year tenure as an IT executive, most recently as head of Nokia Networks for the Europe, Middle east and Africa (EMEA) region before his short (one-year) stint at Microsoft recently as enterprise director, understands very well that IT organisations and companies in general will need to reinvent themselves to weather the economic storm that lies ahead. “My first task will be to continue building on Rashid’s success and take the Lenovo business to a new level of growth. At the same time, I can’t overlook the tougher economic times, so the company can not really afford to spend any energy on what does not bring reasonable returns,” he comments. At the same time, he says that Lenovo will avoid over-promising to its customers at all costs. “One of our main focus areas going forward will be to retain and grow our people and attract people to Lenovo as one of the best companies to work for,” says Ferreira. Commenting on the company’s channel centricity, he says that in the volume game,

environment margins are better because it is easier for companies to put together better product bundles,” he notes. Ferreira says that today the environment provides for companies to do more with less and says that this will enable Lenovo to outgrow the pace of the market and its major competitors. At the time of going to press, the server announcement had not yet been made, but Lenovo had already started shipping its high-end workstations to the South African market, which it hopes will give competitors a run for their money in the corporate space. Looking ahead, Ferreira comments that the African market provides Lenovo with great opportunities for business because of its low cost of services, adding that although the region currently enjoys high single-digit growth, the next couple of years will see a significant increase in these figures. One great performer steps out and another steps in, the market will be watching closely to see how Lenovo squares up against its major competitors like HP and Acer going forward, but if it continues with its current growth rate, there could be some real cause for concern in this space.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

19

ANALYSIS: INTEL SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

Intel

to shut five fabs, cuts jobs

Enhancing virtual environments. BY DAMON POETER, CHANNELWEB

I

ntel announced plans this month to halt operations at five of its manufacturing facilities this year in locations around the globe. The microprocessor giant, suffering significantly falling revenues and expectations of worse to come, says that the shutdowns would affect between 5,000 to 6,000 employees or about seven percent of its current workforce. “The company plans to close two existing assembly test facilities in Penang, Malaysia and one in Cavite, Philippines, and will halt production at Fab 20, an older 200mm wafer fabrication facility in Hillsboro. Additionally, wafer production operations will end at the D2 facility in Santa Clara. “The five plants will all be shut down by the end of 2009 to better align Intel with “current market conditions,” the company announced. Intel says the restructuring of its silicon fabrication arrangements would not impact the deployment of its current 45-nanometer manufacturing capacity or the transition of some assets to 32nm as planned for product release dates near the end of the year. While some 5,000 to 6,000 employees would be affected, Intel says: “some may be offered positions at other facilities.” About 1,000 workers at the Hillsboro fab could lose their jobs, according to Oregon Business News based on a report from The Oregonian. Intel, reporting fourth-quarter earnings last week, saw its fourth-quarter revenues drop 19% against the previous quarter, the first time in years that the company did worse in Q4 than in Q3. Revenues dropped year-over-year by 23% and profits fell a whopping 90% against Q4 2007, as Intel saw an “unprecedented, rapid hitting of the brakes in the fourth quarter” in terms of demand for its products from its distribution channel, branded computer makers and components makers in Taiwan and China, CEO Paul Otellini said recently. Without offering formal first-quarter guidance, Otellini indicated that revenues could

22 •

drop 28% compared to the year-ago period. Bloomberg this week cited an internal Intel memo in which Otellini reportedly told employees that the company’s prospects for

finishing the first quarter in the black was “too close to call.” A loss for the quarter would end 87 straight profitable quarters for Intel.

QLogic Formalises Channel Program For InfiniBand VARs BY JOSEPH F. KOVAR, CHANNELWEB QLogic is looking to solidify its market position in the nascent high-performance computing market with the introduction of a channel program specific to its InfiniBand product line. The new SignatureHPC program, an offshoot of its Signature channel program, is aimed at providing a formal training, recruitment, support and rewards program for solution providers looking to take advantage of a fast-growing InfiniBand market, says Frank Berry, vice president of marketing for the storage vendor. That market for InfiniBand products had been growing 40% per year until the recent economic downturn, thanks to the expansion of high-performance computing, from aerospace to research and, more recently, to industrial users, Berry says. Last year, the InfiniBand Trade Association, quoting a report from analyst firm The Taneja Group, said the market could have a cumulative annual growth rate of up to 70%, in part because other connectivity solutions such as 10-Gbit Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) could not match the bandwidth and latency characteristics of InfiniBand. The market is at a point where vendors like QLogic need a systematic program to address the needs of its users and partners, Berry says. “Otherwise, the industry works like a start-up, with a DVAR (direct VAR) model that works with any customer,” he says. “Solution providers need a trusted partner like QLogic. Other storage vendors have introduced InfiniBand products, but partners

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

need a structured program.” That’s true, says Kevin Schlabach, director of partner alliances at Appro International, solution provider that works in the HPC market with InfiniBand and 10-Gbit Ethernet products. QLogic’s program formalises a lot of what Appro has been doing with the vendor for some time, Schlabach says. “I wanna say, it’s modeled on what they have been doing with us,” he says. While Appro brings QLogic in when working certain deals with customers, it doesn’t want to drag the vendor’s people into every sales and design meeting, Schlabach says. QLogic has a good sales development team, and Appro hopes to use it more for lead generation under the new program, Schlabach says. “QLogic doesn’t sell to end users,” he says. “But it does pull partners into the deal, and does it fairly.” Schlabach says his company’s InfiniBand business increased in 2008, and has a good pipeline of business for 2009. “InfiniBand demand has been increasing, and people are getting familiar with it,” he says. “It’s mainly because processors are getting more and more dense in servers with four, eight, or 16 cores.” QLogic’s SignatureHPC program offers registration discounts, back-end rebates, nocost demo units and exclusive promotions to solution providers, Berry says. It also offers formal sales and technical certification programs, and a series of support features, including market development funds and dedicated sales and marketing support, he says.

GREY SOLUTION

TRAINING

PROVIDERS

More clients

are realising the value of authorised training

Moving away from the grey market. BY DUDU SHABA

G

rey training is still a pervasive phenomenon in SA but based on the general poor level of service and learning experiences that individuals and corporate clients have had, more and more clients are realising the value of authorised training and therefore moving away from the grey market. This is according to Carl Raath, technical director, Torque IT, who believes that the largest driving factor is simply a lack of education. “Clients often perceive training as equal regardless of the training provider that they choose and therefore opt for the cheaper option which is usually the grey option,” he says. Raath defines grey training as a form of training that is not vendor authorised. “This essentially means that the grey training provider is not required to use any specific student manuals at all. This often results in providers training from cheap outdated material that is not necessarily aligned with the authorised curriculum, the relevant certification exam or the technology that is currently available.

a live environment. The cost of such equipment often runs into millions of rands but the value that it brings to the learning experience is invaluable,” he says. In most cases, he says, grey trainers are not required to achieve minimum evaluation scores by the relevant vendors. “Student feedback is therefore not communicated to the relevant vendor which means that an unhappy student has no official recourse in the event of a poor learning experience,” he comments.

Effects Raath goes on to say that clients that attend grey training come with very little Teryl Schroenn, Accsys

“The issue of non-accreditation in the training market and the validity of certification issued by non-accredited providers or those that work off non-accredited programs remains a bone of contention in this market.” – Teryl Schroenn, CEO, Accsys.

Grey training providers use cheap uncertified instructors who are not able to impart the necessary knowledge effectively, usually due to their own lack of skill and experience. In addition to that, grey training providers offer inferior theory with little or no ability for the students to apply what they have learned in

experience compared to those who attend a similar vendor-authorised course. He states that the end result is that the individual either fails the certification exam or is unable to apply the knowledge in the workplace. “This creates frustration in the workplace as the individual that attended the training is

expected to have the knowledge and ability to apply this knowledge in the field. Both the employer and the employee naturally perceive training and certification in a negative light. This has a negative impact on the relevant vendor as there are fewer certified or competent engineers who are able to implement their solutions effectively often resulting in clients being unhappy with the vendor whose technology they have invested in,” he comments. He adds that grey training also has a negative effect on authorised training providers’ revenues and impacts their ability to invest further in new technologies and to bring authorised training to the public at a more affordable rate.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

23

GREY

TRAINING

SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

The relevance of certification Teryl Schroenn, CEO, Accsys, says that grey training or training provided by individuals or companies that are not accredited by recognised industry regulatory bodies is still prevalent in the South African market. She believes that the issue of non-accreditation in the training market and the validity of certification issued by non-accredited providers or those that work off non-accredited programs remains a bone of contention in the market. At a time when skills development, recruitment and ICT literacy are of critical importance to socio-economic development, she says that the issue of grey training continues to be a thorn in the side of those who promulgate improved standards and higher levels of professionalism in career and industry. “The state of grey training is very likely to be a lot greater than we would imagine. The problem is complex. For example, a company may train others on their products without the third party being accredited, or companies accredit their provider without that body being accredited by organisations such as the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA),” she says. According to her, management at Accsys suggests that the growth of grey training cannot be linked exclusively to those with

corrupt agendas. Schroenn states that it cannot be taken for granted that certain grey training facilities have not followed the official course in the development and administration of their programs. “The jury is still out as to whether or not companies are concerned about whether the people they employ have been trained on accredited programs. For many the rationale

“Grey training providers use cheap uncertified instructors who are not able to impart the necessary knowledge effectively, usually due to their own lack of skill and experience.” – Carl Raath, Torque IT. is that as long as the training is beneficial and adds to the skills of the workforce, the objective has essentially been achieved,” says Schroenn. “Of course there are unscrupulous operators who manipulate the system and do so to gain profit with no consideration of standards, effective training and the harm they are doing to individuals and the profession. There are also very professional companies that provide valuable training but find the process of acquiring accreditation to be cumbersome and problematic. It would be dangerous to categorise all unaccredited training institutions as one and the same,” adds Schroenn. She goes on to say that some companies, particularly those within the small-to-medium segment of the market, experience in gaining accreditation down to factors such as inefficient lines of communication, dissention or confusion among relevant parties, and lack of trained personnel for the task of managing the accreditation process. “The process of certification can be laborious and confusing. However, the endorsement of a SETA should indicate that the training provider is

Carl Raath, Torque IT

24 •

carrying out its programs according to best practices, so accreditation remains both relevant and important,” Schroenn continues. “Where does this leave the market?” she asks. Schroenn says that eLearning has been tipped as something of value to the greater training industry and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). It has its place, says Schroenn, and that place is

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

becoming more popular. “There’s no doubt that it alleviates overheads and the cost implications of learners having to travel or those that do not have the means to attend classes at a specific location. Learners are being empowered to manage their own learning and adjust schedules to suit their circumstances and lifestyles, as well as their learning styles,” Schroenn comments. Schroenn explains that other solutions that have been brought to the table from companies like Accsys, include the suggestion to make the process of applying to SETAs more user-friendly, transparent and accessible to all. “Essentially, there needs to be consistency in the accreditation of providers, the proverbial goal posts need to be set and not changed unless essential. The rules need to be simple. Stakeholders, particularly those with the authority to regulate and manage these processes, should do their utmost to agree and provide timely feedback,” she remarks. Audrey Potter, HP SA says that managers often do not care what training their employees have slept through, but they do care about real skills gained and the value that it brings to their organisation. “How the individual got the skills is less important to the manager than the fact that they do have the relevant skills for their job profile,” she remarks. Potter says that managers have increasingly turned to IT certifications to provide that

GREY SOLUTION

benchmark for their employees. “Particularly in small businesses, managers do not have the time to create their own skill benchmarks. To help grow and validate the skills of their staff, they use resources from a combination of IT vendors. In this way, certification enables the manager to confidently assess and assemble the combination of skills needed by selecting team members who hold various elements. Studies have shown that in areas where high-value skills are required, certification is deemed of significant value,” Potter comments.

Certification programmes Potter states that the HP Certified Professional Programme is a world-class certification programme recognised by many as an industry benchmark in competency and credibility. “It is the best place for HP IT professionals to start their career, whether it be in the field of sales, pre-sales, integration, hardware support or administration,” she says. According to her, employers value HP certification for the following reasons: HP Certification tells employers and customers that an individual has established expertise, is best in class, productive and reliable with enough business agility to provide the business with a competitive edge. HP Certified Professionals are equipped with the HP know-how, tools, best practices,

The more technical competency you have onboard the greater your per-employee productivity

Meeting the challenges According to Potter, the HP Certified Professional Programme provides HP partners and customers with the perfect tool

TRAINING

PROVIDERS

middleware, platform, operating system, storage, network and option components. “As the individual ascends the certification ladder, they have a means to show their employer that their skills are validated by a third party and therefore capable of undertaking more complex and challenging projects. Anyone who deploys complex

“There needs to be consistency in the accreditation of providers, the proverbial goal posts need to be set and not changed unless essential. The rules need to be simple. Stakeholders, particularly those with the authority to regulate and manage these processes, should do their utmost to agree and provide timely feedback.” – Teryl Schroenn, CEO, Accsys. for performance planning and workforce management to ensure capability in meeting the challenges of an increasingly competitive business environment. She says that the programme is often used as a structured framework for career development. “For example, a person can start as an Accredited Integration Specialist (AIS) and with more training and experience can

“To help grow and validate the skills of their staff, managers use resources from a combination of IT vendors. In this way, certification enables the manager to confidently assess and assemble the combination of skills needed by selecting team members who hold various elements.” – Audrey Potter, HP SA

solutions based on HP technologies should consider acquiring this high-level certification as it prepares IT professionals to meet today’s challenges with the business and technical skills required to plan, deploy, maintain and support mission critical IT environments and respond to rapidly changing business needs,” she says. Potter states that the HP Certified Professional Programme has more than 100 certifications to fit varying job roles and levels of skills spanning the range of HP business technologies and solutions, from the desktop to the data centre. “Many certifications allow you to build on third-party certifications from other vendors, including Microsoft, Novell and Red Hat. HP updates its certifications frequently based on the ever-changing needs of the technology market,” she adds.

The right skills at the right time methodologies and skills to make themselves and their employers successful. Certified professionals are better prepared to implement and manage increasingly complex IT environments to derive higher value from IT investment than their noncertified counterparts. Average revenue per partner increases, as you add incremental Certified Professionals to the technical space.

progress to the more valuable credential of Accredited Systems Engineer (ASE). With still more training and field experience, they can achieve the highest HP credential, the Master Accredited Systems Engineer (Master ASE or MASE),” she explains. “The MASE is HP’s flagship credential, requiring an individual to gather customer business requirements and design, integrate and support a full solution, including application,

Potter says that HP is committed to working with its partners to clearly and consistently communicate the significant value and importance of skills development. “HP’s mantra is first and foremost about the benefits that such training delivers to the individual in terms of career development but, collectively, we believe that this effort will deliver enormous benefits to the economy as a whole as we equip IT professionals to meet tomorrow’s challenges,” she concludes.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

25

ANALYSIS: 20 STRATEGIES SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

20 strategies to stay afloat in retail this year Staying above water.

T

he 98th Annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Convention & Expo had a pretty conspicuous elephant in the room, and not a single keynoter over four days at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center failed to acknowledge it and point out that rough economic waters are flooding the retail industry’s boat at every turn. There was plenty of toughness, as well as the sense that merely “staying the course” isn’t a survival strategy. But no matter what retail stripe attendees were – and consumer electronics retailers from Best Buy on down were healthily represented – all came away with a few lessons about surviving the next year and beyond. Here are 20 of them.

1.

Throw Out Your Old Definitions

“Gone are the days when retail success meant stocking the hottest item or being the only store in town,” said Tracy Mullin, the NRF’s president and CEO. “Today, retailing is much more. It’s about inspiring our customers to lead healthier lives by selling them wholesome food or fulfilling that long-held desire with something that is suddenly affordable.”

2.

Make Sure Your Customer Targets Are Dead-On

H. Lee Scott Jr., the outgoing president and CEO of Wal-Mart, cautioned retailers that they’re in the midst of a fundamental transformation in the way consumers buy. “I’m not convinced you’re going to have the same immediate desire to go back to consumption and debt,” Scott said, when asked what

26 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

would happen when the economy rebounds. “A lot of young people have learned what it’s like when you’re living on the edge and the bad times come. Their appetite is now more toward living differently. You had better understand your customer right now, and you better understand your inventory.” In a business climate like the current one, said Scott, “if you’re off target by a third of an inch, you’ve lost.”

3.

Understand Your Customers Are De-Leveraging

For much of the past quarter century, argued Carl Steidtmann, Deloitte’s chief economist for consumer business, US retail triumphed because of the confluence of a strong dollar, cheap energy, manageable trade restrictions and the availability of consumer credit. The new economic landscape has blown that out of the water. Whereas in 1968 the average debt-to-income ratio for US consumers was 55 per cent, at the end of 2008, it was 135 per cent. Most economists believe the de-leveraging process – paying down debt, writing off debt, bankruptcies, store closings, everything – has only begun. “The global consumer boom is over,” Steidtmann said. “This is a basic change.”

4.

Give Your Customers A Network Of Touch Points

Stacy Janiak, Deloitte’s vice chairman and national sector leader for

ANALYSIS: 20 STRATEGIES SOLUTION

retail, couldn’t stress enough “the importance of having in place a seamless, multichannel experience for your customers. Having a network of touch points where consumers can access your product, company, services and brand.” According to Forrester Research, by 2012 nearly 49 per cent of all retail sales will happen online or cross-channel. Janiak also said the online channel had a 1-to-3 influence factor, meaning that for every dollar of merchandise sold online, a retailer’s online channel has influenced as much as $3 in the store. “Consumers are accessing retailers across multiple channels with a level of transparency that makes that consumer smarter, less brand loyal and more aware of their options,” she said.

5.

Realise It’s Not Demographics – It’s Psychographics

Assessing the 21st century customer means examining a mix of demographics with psychographics: lifestyle choices, spending habits, sales channel preferences, attitudes and other attributes for which traditional demographics are only one set of a wide range of variables. “If you’re looking at demographics only,” said Bob Gordman, president of The Gordman Group, “you do not understand your customers.” “The mentality of ‘Any sale is a good sale’ is a formula for disaster,” Gordman explained. “Successful retail now starts with an intense knowledge of the customer you choose to serve. Most retailers use real shotgun advertising to do business. If you’re not getting the right message to the right consumer, everything else you’re doing is a waste. And that’s a lot of your budget.”

6.

Be Truly Multichannel

According to the 2008 National Shopping Behavior Study of 815 US consumers and their shopping trends, more than half of the respondents (56 per cent) indicated “No preference” or “I don’t know” when asked which sales channel they prefer for shopping. Don’t let that be discouraging, explained John Rittenhouse, chairman and founder of Cavellino Capital. “Make it work,” he said. “You have the opportunity to attract those customers.”

7.

Remember That Customer Advocacy Will Keep Them Coming Back

IBM brought to the conference a survey of 19 000 US consumers attempting to quantify just how much breeding loyalty through customer advocacy can benefit a retailer’s bottom line. IBM’s survey found that only 21 per cent of consumers surveyed are advocates for their primary retailers. “Customers who are not loyal to your brand will be loyal to price,” said Fred Balboni, global retail industry leader for IBM Global Business Services. “Customer advocacy often rewards retailers with financial benefit. Our research found advocates spend 17 per cent more with their primary retailer than customers who are antagonists. Building an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience, coupled with having the right products available, drives advocacy.” Among other retail-geared announcements, the technology giant

PROVIDERS

unveiled a new software-based architecture, the IBM Retail Integration Framework, to aid retailers in developing new customer-focused strategies. IBM also announced an agreement with Germany-based Metro Group to implement RFID technology in Metro’s Galeria Kaufhof stores.

8.

Realise Your Technology Investment Will Make Or Break You

Duncan Angove, GM of Oracle retail, advocated for more focused technology investments as a means to cut costs and stay streamlined in a down economic environment. It was a shared theme among many other keynote speakers at the conference. “The reality is that success for the retailer tomorrow is highly dependent on making the right IT investments today,” said Deloitte’s Stacy Janiak. “RFID, mobile technology, social networking – these are all areas where retailers should consider investing today.” “Retailers have historically underinvested in IT,” added Julie Arnette, VP of global retail business enablement and emerging markets at IBM. “Our conclusion, based on what we’ve heard from CEOs from different industries, is that the enterprise that will survive is the one that is disruptive by nature. You have to be able to change.”

9.

Demand Stronger Leadership From The Government

With President Barack Obama having just taken office – and another major stimulus package reportedly on the way – all eyes from the retail community will be on how effective the federal government’s attempt to jumpstart business is going to be. “You can’t restore confidence in this environment unless government acts in a concerted, comprehensive and consistent way,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist and co-founder of Moody’s Economy.com. “To date, the policy response to this crisis has not been consistent. It’s engendered greater fear and exacerbated our problem.”

10. Your Primary Goal Right Now Should Be Survival Zandi joined investment banker Peter J. Solomon (middle), founder and chairman of the Peter J. Solomon Company, and JC Penney chairman and CEO Myron “Mike” Ullman III (also chairman of the NRF) to talk economic headwinds. Above all, Zandi, Solomon and Ullman agreed, survival will be the name of the game in 2009. “The next six months are going to be very painful,” Zandi said. By 2010, he said, the environment would only be “uncomfortable”. “If you survive, you’re going to win,” Solomon said. “And in retailing, if you survive, you’re really going to win.”

11. That Survival Means Cash Flow When your cash dries up is when you start to run into the most serious problems, Solomon argued. “My advice to all retailers is every morning to open the right-hand drawer, look in and see how much cash is there,” he said. “I wouldn’t worry about anything else for the next year.”

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

27

ANALYSIS: 20 STRATEGIES SOLUTION

PROVIDERS

12. Don’t Downplay Your Ability To Reinvent Yourself “We’re in an era right now of retail Darwinism,” said Christopher Donnelly, an executive partner at Accenture. “There will be some companies that won’t survive, [though] most will. But some will take this opportunity to reinvent themselves and the retail industry.”

13. Invest In The Best IT Infrastructure You Can Afford Edwin Lange, chief customer officer and executive VP for SAP Americas, interviewed Annette Verschuren, president of The Home Depot Canada and Asia, talking about The Home Depot’s retail success stories and why SAP business software was so integral to those successes. Home Depot is one of many big-box retailers that has increased its reliance on services-oriented architecture (SOA) systems, in this case SAP’s NetWeaver middleware.

14. Be Transparent – Tell Your Employees What’s Happening In a session on dealing with crises and navigating retail businesses through restructuring periods, several executives advocated not insulting your employees’ intelligence. Communicating with them, the executives urged, keeps everyone on the same page – and confident in retail leaders’ ability to manage. “To have people holding hands and approaching the challenges of this economy together – knowing that they know everything the boardroom knows – is magical in times like this,” said Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO of The Container Store. “I think we’re fortunate to be minus the paranoia that goes with employees who feel they don’t know what’s going on.”

15. Remembering Who You Are Still Matters Economic crisis is not the time for a radical reinvention, said Burt Tansky (left), CEO of Neiman Marcus. It’s important for retail leaders to hone in on what made them successful in better times – and to realise that the wrong call for reinvention can ruin decades of work put into a brand. “These events are not a signal to change,” Tansky said. “You don’t spend that much time developing a brand and let it drop or change because of a crisis; it just can’t be. We have no intention of making any changes to our brand. There is absolutely no groundswell, no discussion, about changing who we are.” Bob Willett, CEO of Best Buy, cautioned attendees that “It can take decades to build a brand, and you can lose it overnight. Don’t compromise the quality of the relationship.”

16. Look Outside. Sparingly. New blood can be a boon to your retail organisation’s leadership. Drawing on outside experience and finding someone who can look at old problems with fresh eyes can rejuvenate your staff and refocus your business. But it’s not a sound strategy, argued Roger Farah, president, COO and director of Polo Ralph Lauren, unless that outsider is “dramatically better than what exists”. “At the end of the day, if you’re replacing inside talent with outside talent and there’s no discernible difference, you lose credibility as an organisation,” Farah said.

28 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

17. Ride The Mobile Wave “Mobility is not a new topic. But the productivity revolution that mobility represents has just begun,” said Jon Stine, a director of Internet business solutions at Cisco Systems. “This is not a tide. Tides go out. This is a wave. And retailers are standing on the beach.” Stine said that a retailer who takes full advantage of the mobility wave gains access to opportunities through which it could see increases of as much as 19 per cent net margin in three years. And yet, he said, only two per cent of retailers in the US have websites enabled specifically for mobile devices. “Amazon is not just fighting against you on a PC in the next bedroom; it is in your store, talking to your customers,” Stine said. “Mobility changes the paradigm. Whereas before we, as retailers, asked consumers to come to our brand – location, location, location – then we asked them to find our website – location, location, location via Google – now, it is possible for your brand to go with them. The brand is their shopping buddy.”

18. Link Technology To Real-World Application Vendors such as multitouch technology purveyors Vectorform lined the exhibit hall demonstrating retail concepts that combine technology with customer experience. Vectorform’s retail multitouch applications were included in a joint effort of the National Retail Federation and Hybridia Design called Sonic Bar, which included an XBox 360 station, touch kiosks, promotional scanning systems, Microsoft’s Snag It tagging system and a marketing video wall.

19. Remember anywhere your customers go is a marketing opportunity These days, everything from your customers’ cars to the SMSes on their mobile devices to the digital signage they see on their way to work is a place they can see your brand. Some vendors took the branding concept to extremes at the National Retail Federation conference, including JDA Software’s takeover of one of Javits’ main staircases. The staircase panelling was admittedly a little jarring at first, but likely no one who walked up the stairs – sort of essential, given it was the route to the exhibit hall – forgot it.

20. Guide your younger recruits through the chaotic times Deloitte’s Carl Steidtmann said that hiring freezes and job losses in the economy will make for a “missing generation” of experienced young retail managers. He suggested personnel issues are one of the hidden challenges of the current climate. While it makes sense for managers to trim staff now, the entire last decade has been a flat period for employment growth in retail that’s only getting flatter. Neiman Marcus’ Burt Tansky said right now represents a crucial learning experience for young employees experiencing their first downturn. “I’ve been telling many of our young people who have never been through this to study what’s going on today, study the kind of things that are being put in place to minimise the stress because as their careers develop, they’re going to have to face some of this again,” he said. “We’ll get through this and have a period of prosperity again, but then there will be a bubble. Now is a good time to learn from this experience.”

Review by: Dudu Shaba

Highly Recommended

Juniper Networks, we understand it can be challenging to navigate the current business landscape while continuing to add value to your customers. In today’s troubled climate, you may have concerns about your continued ability to provide high-performance networking solutions to your customers. We want to help.” Vitagliano, at the time, said Juniper was using Nortel’s struggles as an opportunity to tell new and existing partners that Juniper plans to invest across the board in the channel and that it believes partners can and will survive the economic slowdown. For partners who make the jump from Nortel to Juniper, Vitagliano said Juniper will offer training and enablement offerings, Fast Track certification programs, Webinars, demo kits and a Juniper conversion kit to get them up to speed quickly and cost-efficiently. Juniper is also offering defecting Nortel partners a set of financial incentives. “This isn’t just about targeting new partners and different partners,” Vitagliano said at the time. “It’s an overall plan to invest in programs and offerings and more resources.” Juniper said this week that there has been a lot of interest in the new program and since the December 1 letter, Juniper has welcomed 10 new partners to its arsenal.

The initiative also generated a pipeline of interested channel partners, which Juniper is now engaging. Overall, Juniper noted, that interest is building and its channel organization is now in the field talking with partners. And while the programs may be enticing to Nortel partners, not all are sold on jumping ship just yet. The president of one Pennsylvania-based solution provider who asked not to be identified, said he’d stick with Nortel, and its struggling isn’t enough for him to completely abandon the vendor. “I’m loyal to Juniper and I’m loyal to Nortel,” he said when Juniper launched its program for Nortel partners. “I’m not looking to replace Nortel unless Nortel goes away.” Other partners also vowed to stick it out with Nortel, despite its financial troubles. Stuart Chandler, CEO of Optivor Technologies, an Ellicott City, Md.-based solution provider and Nortel Elite Advantage Partner, said he expects Nortel to emerge stronger from bankruptcy, and he’s not yet re-evaluating his relationship with them. “They haven’t discontinued any products or any support,” he says. “Nothing has changed. This is a self-bailout. They’re creating a safety net for the buyers.”

Philips LCD monitor It’s bright, it’s slender, lightweight and it’s easy to install. Electronics are getting more stylish every year. The 22-inch Philips LCD monitor is designed for optimal performance, when it is powered on different resolutions, an alert is displayed on the screen. The colour is easily adjustable and unlike the old computer screen, the LCD monitor, comes with new colour technology. The big wide screen is ideal for viewing A4 pages side by side, and you can easily view large images and illegible letters. Besides that, the LCD monitor has a built built-in stereo audio, auto picture format control switching in wide and 4: 3 format which saves more time for adjustment. The LCD monitor is also easy to remove. Firmly grasp the LCD monitor with both hands and release it from the monitor base stand. So why should you miss out on the fun? The LCD Monitor monitor is available for recomended retail price of R2 593,.50. www.philips.com

>> continued from page 16

Extreme Networks also recently launched a new Nortel Trade Up program, which lets Nortel partners join Extreme’s channel program at a comparable partner level for a six-month grace period. If a higher level Nortel partner wants to jump to Extreme, that partner will be accepted into the program at the highest partner level Extreme offers – Diamond Elite. “As economic challenges are leading businesses to demand alternate choices for their networks, it’s time to be Extreme. If you qualify and join the Extreme Networks Channel Partner Program, your initial level for the first six months will be assigned at the corresponding partner status in the Nortel Networks Channel Partner Program. Making it through tough times doesn’t get easier,” Extreme wrote in materials advertising the Nortel Trade Up Program. Similar to Extreme, Juniper Networks is also wooing shaky Nortel partners. Juniper launched its Nortel partner initiative in December, before Nortel filed for bankruptcy, and it is likely to gain more traction now that Nortel’s future has been called into question. In a December 1 letter to Nortel Partners, Juniper’s senior vice president of worldwide channels, Frank Vitagliano, wrote: “At

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

29

Highly Recommended

Reviews by: Stanley Chishala

Pinnacle Studio Plus 11 enhancing your life in movies Currently, a lot of people are sitting with a lot of digital still and video content at home and the more it piles up, the more tedious it gets to handle, edit or keep. Pinnacle’s Studio Plus version 11 gives those home Steven Spielbergs a chance to make that epic home video they have always dreamed of. Step one is the installation of the software which takes no more than a few easy steps and you open the door to capturing, editing and burning your own videos on DVD even in high definition (HD). If there were any piece of domestic software that brought the experience close to the professional environment, it is this: it allows you to access your pics and videos in popular formats from consumer camcorders and digital cameras. The software accepts and natively edits HDV and AVCHD footage, and also burns HD DVD and AVCHD that are playable on the latest HD DVD and Blue-ray players. PC users will be glad to know that the software is fully Windows Vista compatible and has a very sleek look and feel. If you like taking editing to the next level like myself, Studio Plus 11 comes with Keyframe-able 2D and 3D effects and allows you to choose from hundreds of effects and transitions, and preview them in full screen immediately. This feature has an option to add even more effects. With the use of professional real-time, multi-track effects, you can also give your home or corporate videos that professional TV-style effect with ease, these include Chroma Key (Green Screen) graphics overlay as well as picture in picture (PIP). For those, that have the luxury of working on wide-screen formats, Studio plus 11 also provides for a scalable interface which lets you adjust the windows to get close to the task at hand while keeping the tools only a click away. You can also automatically generate your own soundtrack using its Scorefilter music generator to fit the length of the movie. It comes with over 40 tracks which feature greater variety, high fidelity (HiFi) and better accuracy than previous versions.

30 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009

The relatively simple Web filtering feature also allows you to share your creative products with family and friends on the Web. You can do this with the software’s ability to automatically share movies privately for an audience of your choosing or even post them publicly to share with everyone. This feature is now standard with most editing suites but is still worth mentioning because the software does allow for easy DVD burning, but which does not these days? You can also create DVDs with motion menus and custom navigation for playback on DVD players. The fully integrated CD and DVD authoring lets you preview your work in progress with full DVD controls. Ever dreamed of being the next Spielberg or Spike Lee, this seems like a great place to start or pick up from where you left off on last new year’s resolution to make a movie.

Reviews by: Stanley Chishala

Highly Recommended

X-Oom Movies on iPod 2 Simply marvellous. A couple of years ago I used the first version of this software, which is actually still on my notebook and I liked it, but when I tried this version I actually loved it. I thought to myself: “No wonder this is X-Oom’s best-selling mobile media software in Europe,” it’s simply marvellous. Like the company says, this software manages, with a few simple steps, to turn your iPod and even your iPhone into a mobile media centre. Those that have the devices know what a pain it used to be to convert DVD movies or AVIs into a format playable on the most popular multimedia devices on the market at the time. Well, the answer currently lies in the X-Oom product. You can easily convert your DVDs into iPod-or iPhone-specific format with ease and the software’s high-speed encoder supports all common video formats (DVD, SVCD, VCD,

DivX, AVI, WMV, MPEG, MP4 and FLV). The fresh addition on this new version is that you are able to transfer Web TV podcasts and clips from You Tube, Google Video, Clipfish and other providers to suit Apple devices. This product is great because not only are you able to convert and automatically store video files onto your iPod or iPhone, it also saves duplicate files (at your request) on the PC or notebook being used. So in case of accidental deleting, they can easily be transferred without having to start from scratch. After having tried a few competitor products, I am glad to report that that although this is not the only option available on the market, it gets the job done and gets it done very well. I would be hard pressed to find software that does it much better in the same amount of time. Another great feature is its audio book functionality, which allows you to transfer only the soundtrack of your movies or music videos. Although I don’t understand why someone would do that to a perfectly good movie or music video, I guess it’s a matter of each to their own. Another top feature is the software’s export mode, which also allows for video editing in a much simpler way and you can really create unique video footage even from already edited material. Essentially, this is the perfect piece of software if you have Apple iPod or iPhone products and would like to have your movies or series at your fingertips because with just a few clicks of the mouse you can start converting files from common formats to those that are playable on Apple devices. Apple users, if you have not got this one, I suggest that you put the magazine down and go out and get yourself a copy of this software because it won’t let you down. Take CRN’s word for it.

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009 •

31

PARTING: SHOTS

DILBERT

www.dilbert.com

by Scott Adams

S n a pshot

Richard Rayne

Company: On-Site Training Position: Managing director Age: 29 Best personal achivement: Founding On-Site Training Management style: Conversational, democratic, open, honest and flat structure. Most admired company: Investec Most admired executives: Adrian Gore Best IT product: Cellphone and email Most pressing local business issues: Impact of the political uncertainty on business. Key to success: Never give up! Favourite car: Porsche Turbo Your car: Audi A3 3.2 Favourite authors: Paulo Coelho Where do you live: Morningside Birthplace: Johannesburg Hobbies/sports: General exercise, outdoor activities, soccer and rugby Favourite periodicals: Financial Mail and Sunday Times Pet hates: Inconsistent and lazy people

32 •

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • JANUARY 2009