How do you think ICT trends like cloud technologies, amongst others, can affect small to medium sized enterprises in the Nigerian market?

According to a recent survey carried out by Forrester research in Nigeria, cloud technologies are more likely to be seen within SMEs where there has been an adoption rate of 22 percent, compared with 15 percent of larger organisations. I suppose this can be traced to the fact that SMEs are smaller and often more flexible than larger corporations and this means that they are able to react with more flexibility to changes taking place in the market place. Cloud computing is particularly interesting at this time because of the many particular benefits it offers small to medium sized businesses some of which include the very low capital expenditure to acquire IT equipment like servers, etc, the ability to scale usage in a pay-as-you-go like manner and the flexibility it offers the business. All these make this a very attractive alternative for SMEs. As a company, we believe very much in the opportunities that cloud technologies present for every forward thinking business and this is shown in our acquisition of OpSource, a California-based enterprise cloud company with extensive experience in that space. We feel that Dimension Data is particularly well qualified to offer our clients a truly end-to-end solution that covers every aspect of our clients’ ICT needs from infrastructure through to connectivity.

Looking at the market now, how do you see the Nigerian ICT market developing over the next few years?

The Nigerian ICT market has numerous opportunities for us as a company and there are many favourable factors that are enabling the economy. For example there is a shift in the Nigerian market from product to services and solutions and we are seeing the explosion of service industries like retail and banking. There is also a general shift away from capital expenditure towards operational expenditure and this means that businesses are looking for strategic partners that will work with them to grow their revenue, reduce their risk and reduce their costs. With our worldwide network, Dimension Data is truly able to couple our global experience with our local knowledge to help our clients achieve these goals. With drivers like, mobility, cloud computing, collaboration, hosting and co-location services and IT outsourcing, the industry is set for even growth. Leveraging our expertise and network, Dimension Data is ready to offer innovative solutions and services designed to offer improved customer services and give our clients competitive advantage by increasing business revenues and reducing both operational cost and risk.

Having recently taken on the top job at Dimension Data, what are your plans for the future?

To start with, it has been a thrill for me to come back here after having lived here in 2007 and 2008. It is great to be in Nigeria and particularly to be with Dimension Data. The company has been operational in the Nigerian market for over 16 years and in that time we have established ourselves as leaders within our industry. Looking back, Dimension Data has a rich history in Nigeria and the West African region. We are the number one global partner for Cisco, IBM and Microsoft. We were the first in Nigeria and Ghana to deploy IP/MPLS, build a Tier-3 data centre – the only one of its kind in Nigeria – and deploy Cisco Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology. We were also the first to successfully deploy and manage Radio Access Network Optimisation in West Africa. So when you combine our rich history in Nigeria with our global footprint and experience, you have a Dimension Data team that intends to break more records and stands ready to partner with our clients and reach for new heights.

You said that Dimension Data is positioned to be a services-led organisation, how does that translate in the market place?

At Dimension Data, we believe in the power of technology to transform an organisation, we believe that IT makes it work better and takes it to the next level, creating greater satisfaction for you and your customers. But this cannot be achieved through ad-hoc interventions, so what we provide is a lifecycle IT services approach thorough planning, seamless integration and the requisite level of support and management. Working closely with our clients, we are able to provide them with a toolset to create a stable yet agile technology estate – one that sets you up to embrace business changes confidently and securely. When you look at a space like support and managed services where we play very heavily in, and when you consider the shift towards a service economy, what we are offering our partners and clients is an opportunity to gain a competitive edge which will eventually result in greater revenue and reduced costs.

What attracted you to taking a job in Nigeria?

I enjoyed very much my earlier tenure in Nigeria. When the opportunity to join a fantastic company like Dimension Data in Nigeria came along, it was irresistible.

Is Dimension Data using Nigeria as a hub for the West Africa Region and do you think the sub-region has a market?

Nigeria is the base for the entire West African region and we do have projects across the region where we support and manage our installations. Additionally, we have an extensive support structure within the group and we are able to leverage our global network. We currently operate in 49 countries across five continents with offices in 13 countries across emerging Africa and the Middle East, I am not sure any other partner in our space can stake that claim. There’s absolutely no doubt that the sub-region has a market. Africa is not the next big thing; it is the big thing right now. Sectors like services and manufacturing are exploding with interest from African and foreign investors and a company like Dimension Data which has years of experience and knowledge of working within the African terrain are best placed to partner and collaborate with clients that are either already operating in the region or who are thinking of coming into the region.

What are the qualities or achievements that separate Dimension Data from competitors in the West African region?

At Dimension Data, we put the client at the heart of everything we do – they are the reason we come to work every day that is what spurs us to be innovative and partner with our clients to ensure they generate value, reduce cost and risk from their ICT investments. We are also the number one global partner for Cisco, IBM and Microsoft and we are the only company in the Nigerian space which is truly able to offer end-to-end ICT solutions that covers every aspect of a client’s infrastructure, from design to building to support and connectivity. We can boast of extensive experience in network integration and converged communications, data centre solutions, advanced infrastructure, Microsoft solutions and managed services, including operation and optimisation. When you look at the whole picture, I feel strongly that this is one thing that separates us from the crowd – everything we do is centred on the client – meeting their needs and helping them achieve their goals. Earlier this year we had a brand refresh that allowed us not only to refresh our corporate image and branding, but also to reposition ourselves in response to our external environment to be a more services-led organisation as well as reinstating the importance of our clients to our business.

Source:http://allafrica.com/stories/201112051477.html