Johannesburg, 13 Dec 2007
Business Connexion (BCX) has announced the opening of an office in Durban`s highly successful small, medium and micro enterprise (SME) incubation centre for new ICT businesses - SmartXchange.
This initiative is an extension of the company`s enterprise development programme aimed at engaging SMEs in long-term, mutually beneficial relationships to deliver appropriate, cost-effective services to clients.
Bruce Krebs, who heads up Business Connexion`s office at SmartXchange, says: "Many larger ICT organisations make the mistake of entering into agreements with smaller companies purely to meet transformation targets or the requirements of large tenders. In doing so, they fail to recognise the business benefits of entering into long-term partnerships with SMEs."
Krebs argues that smaller players are able to offer diversity, agility and niche expertise, which are not always leveraged when they are engaged in opportunistic and ad-hoc relationships by larger players.
It is the recognition of these strengths, and to overcome the challenge of finding, nurturing and keeping the diverse skills required to support a vast array of solutions, that underpins Business Connexion`s decision to establish a presence at SmartXchange.
At the same time, SMEs do not always have the critical mass or reputation to be considered for large, complex deals. This is where larger players like Business Connexion are able to leverage their brands, capacity and systems to benefit SME partners.
Krebs says this approach could redefine the service and support model used by major ICT services providers. "The traditional single supplier model is being replaced by a single service aggregator approach, which harnesses the value of multiple co-ordinated relationships to deliver the full spectrum of services expected by clients."
Krebs is passionate about the development. "The SME sector represents the emerging business middle-class. In opening an office at SmartXchange, Business Connexion is making the case for incubating SMEs to unlock the diversity of skills available to the ICT industry while meeting client needs," he concludes.
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