Gerhard Fourie - Afrikan Heroes

Channel has a key role in delivering cloud services, but data remains critical

December 24, 2022

By Gerhard Fourie

Cloud has undoubtedly become the delivery method of choice for businesses, particularly those in the SMME space, to access enterprise-class technology cost effectively. Without the ‘as a Service’ model, many of these solutions would simply not be affordable for smaller businesses, especially in South Africa. This does not mean, however, that the channel has become irrelevant. Rather, it highlights the role of channel partners in bringing necessary skills, consolidating offerings to deliver comprehensive solutions, and above all prioritising data management to ensure customers continue to have a seamless cloud experience.

Gerhard Fourie is Channel Lead at Commvault Afric — Gerhard Fourie, Channel Lead at Commvault Afric

A land of opportunity

While theoretically cloud and service-based models can be accessed directly, the reality is that the majority of businesses in South Africa do not have the skills, resources and subject matter experts in-house to manage this. The channel, however, does, which makes their role more important than ever. Outsourcing cloud services to a channel partner means that businesses can access enterprise-class technology as well as specialised skills and resources in a much more cost-effective way than ever before.

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The cloud does not cut out the middleman, nor does it remove the need for the channel. Rather, it opens new opportunities for channel partners to add value and deliver solutions that make a real positive impact to businesses. For businesses themselves, this allows them to access scarce IT skills and resources alongside the latest evolutions in technology, which in turn enables them to compete on a more global scale.

Solutions, not products

The role of the channel is constantly shifting, and today there is significant opportunity to bring together various Software as a Service (SaaS) with other service-based offerings and skilled resources to deliver complete managed solutions and services. The differentiator here is having the relevant skills to enable them to offer this, which is where vendor partners need to come into play.

Vendors need to work with distributors and resellers to ensure that their channel is effectively skilled to enable them to deliver value-added services and solutions. Resellers also need to ensure that they are not simply completing certifications for the purposes of a piece of paper, but to enable them to add the value their customers need. Channel partners who understand how to leverage cloud services and package them into solutions that are easy for the customer to access, use and understand, are the ones who will be successful.

Don’t forget the data

Cloud offers access to technology without the need for an infrastructure budget and there is a huge amount of choice out there. However, the data remains critical. For one thing, with load shedding, network access can be compromised which means that while the data is highly available in the cloud platform, the customer is unable to access it. In addition, while the cloud provider is responsible for ensuring that data is available, it remains the responsibility of the customer to ensure data is protected and managed.

Data management and disaster recovery are offerings that channel partners should always look to include in their basket of solutions, along with other elements like data protection and ransomware protection delivered as a service. The goal should be to deliver to customers a complete solution that integrates various technologies on the back end and offers customers a seamless front-end experience through a single pane of glass.

Tailored solutions are key

Thanks to the cloud, products have become a commodity that anyone can access. Taking the time to understand the customer, assessing the environment, and bringing the relevant solutions together to deliver a strategy to resolve business pain points is the key to competitive differentiation.

However, it is essential to remember that data is the foundation of all that is digital, and it is the most important asset a business has. Solutions should always be built around the data as this is central to a complete offering. Speed and ease of access to data is the core of any cloud-based service offering.

Gerhard Fourie is Channel Lead at Commvault Afric

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Commvault Corroborates Logicalis South Africa for Strategic Partnership

September 21, 2022

Gerhard Fourie, Channel Lead at Commvault Africa

South Africa’s subsidiary of international digital transformation solutions provider, Logicalis has strengthened its strategic partnership with Commvault by becoming a Commvault Service Advantage Programme Foundation Partner.

This extends the existing relationship as Premier Partner, improving customer service and opening up a number of synergistic opportunities for both organisations.

“Over the past 18 months, Logicalis has worked consistently to upskill their technical team and understand the nuances and deeper inner workings of Commvault. They now have 12 engineers certified on Commvault and a dedicated Service Operations Centre (SOC) to support Commvault customers. They are also our first partner to take the Metallic offering to the Microsoft marketplace, allowing more customers to easily access our Software as a Service (SaaS) offering. There is great synergy between our organisations,” says Gerhard Fourie, Channel Lead at Commvault Africa.

Logicalis specialises in modern digital services supported by a digital platform that transforms the way customers interact. Being data-savvy is key to this approach, and as an integrator of solutions that transform business through data, data management and data protection are critical components.

As a mature solution that is integrated at an API level with Microsoft and other partners, the Commvault solutions offering fits perfectly into the Logicalis managed service offerings basket.

“We are already ISO 27001 and ISO 20000 certified, ITIL-aligned, and compliant with both the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA), so our commitment to data quality, data privacy and data protection are evident. Commvault solutions empower us to build modern data management solutions to take to market as digital integrator. We can now offer customers both locally and globally an enhanced customer experience and superior service delivery,” says Morné Laubscher, CTO at Logicalis.

Becoming a Commvault service advantage programme partner showcases Logicalis’ commitment to customer service excellence, proving that they have the skills to not only design and deploy effective, holistic solutions, but manage these solutions on an ongoing basis.

As a Foundation Partner, Logicalis will continue to develop specialisations on Commvault, including the Microsoft training track that enables them to further focus on apps in Azure, as well as the SaaS space.

There are also other strategic alliances that are strengthened by the enhanced partnership with Logicalis – for example, they are a top-tier Hitachi Elite partner, which from a global standpoint is Commvault’s largest OEM ISP. Collaboration between global vendors ensures that customers can access innovative, best-of-breed solutions from top providers.

“Logicalis has an impeccable service ethos and their consultative approach to delivering complete solutions, rather than simply products, aligns with Commvault’s approach to business. This alliance is customer-centricity at its finest – our joint customers can access the best service levels from a global provider, backed by the technical skills and competence they need. I look forward to growing this partnership and delivering superior customer service now and in the future,” Fourie concludes.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Why Data is Key in the Era of 5G

January 21, 2021

By Gerhard Fourie

Convergence is nothing new, however as technology evolves this is being taken to unprecedented levels. The cloud, the endpoint, the edge and now 5G are converging and changing the way we collaborate, connect and communicate. However, for telcos and operators, adapting to a 5G world can be a challenge. Not only does it involve new infrastructure, but it also means adapting business models, embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and potentially developing entirely new revenue streams.

**Gerhard Fourie, District Channel Manager for Commvault**

At the heart of the ability to leverage 5G effectively lies data, which must be portable, protected and above all available for analysis. Data is the key to unlocking the value of 5G for operators.

The 5G opportunity

While 5G offers unprecedented connectivity speeds, it is about far more than simply enabling faster downloads. It enables new scenarios that are either difficult or impossible with current technology, combining the pieces of hyperscale cloud, rich communications and the intelligent edge with low latency, high-speed connectivity. With ubiquitous compute from the core to the edge, real-time actionable insights driven by AI and ML, and the intersection of the physical and virtual worlds, 5G is a complete game-changer.

However, this poses a challenge for operators. The current operator landscape is driven by consumer-focused business models, specifically around offering great experiences on mobile phones with access to data. However, 5G and the intersection of the Internet of Things (IoT) increases the number of endpoints and sensors on a massive scale. Services therefore also need to evolve to incorporate more Business to Business (B2B) and Machine to Machine (M2M) models.

The economics of the operator are poised to be significantly disrupted. While this is understandably challenging, it is also an opportunity to unlock new value. Low-latency and edge compute capabilities can deliver new solutions and services.

One example is rich connectivity for medical devices. This is enabled via network slicing, which allows spectrum to be allocated specifically to ensure the quality of service of such devices. In addition, infrastructure as software capabilities allow for self-optimising networks, which can dynamically allocate spectrum using AI models.

Intelligence needs data

To leverage these opportunities, operators need to be able to drive simplicity, scale and cost efficiency, along with future-proof, flexible infrastructure to enable new opportunities and business models. While the hardware and sensors are important pieces of the puzzle, the AI models are where value and competitive advantage lie. In turn, the value behind AI is driven by the data that is used to train the models.

Data lies at the very heart of the 5G opportunity, and is the main source of competitive advantage. This data is what informs the decisions made by AI algorithms, which are what will unlock new applications, from manufacturing to retail, smart cities, energy management, healthcare, transportation, telemedicine and more. It needs to be protected, but more than that it needs to be accessible. The ability to index data and identify the most appropriate data for AI capabilities is essential.

Manage your data, unlock the opportunity

Endless possibilities are available with the growth in rich, robust endpoint data, but if this data is not protected and available, it is nothing but an expensive liability. Data management, delivered as a service, helps operators to protect their data, set retention periods, and incorporate compliance solutions that include endpoint and 5G data.

Telcos and operators need data protection, recovery and archiving with enhanced application support. In addition, eDiscovery, governance and compliance are critical, including laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and local regulations such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). On top of this, analytics and content indexing are vital, as are reporting and policy management capabilities.

Finally, data management needs to support mobility, protection from ransomware and enable the smart storage and smart movement of data. What operators need is a single pane of glass solution to ensure data is protected from the core to the edge and everywhere in between.

Gerhard Fourie, District Channel Manager for Commvault

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry