Large South African corporates are rapidly adopting blade server and server virtualisation technologies, says senior IBM sales consultant, Tikiri Wanduragala.
Speaking on the sidelines of an IBM media briefing at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, US, Wanduragala said in his experience, "when it comes to large corporates, there is no lag between SA and Europe in terms of adoption".
The sectors most active in early blade server adoption, he added, are banking and financial services, insurance and telecommunications.
"However, in general, local small and medium-sized enterprises fall far behind European companies of similar sizes," he notes.
Wanduragala, who regularly visits Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to meet with customers, says telecoms infrastructure costs and skills appear to be the major inhibitors.
However, he is upbeat on the region's prospects for ICT adoption and growth: "We view SA as a regional hub for Africa, so there has been significant investment."
He says the requirements of South African large enterprises are similar to those of corporates around the world, with most looking for compatibility and interoperability, and a range of product solutions from their technology partners. South African companies, he adds, are also beginning to become more aware of energy issues, which were previously of little concern.
IBM's ability to penetrate the local market with the latest servers will largely depend on its ability to bring the right message to market: "We lose against [major global rival] Hewlett-Packard when people understand blades to equal servers.
"When people see blades as a platform for infrastructure and for virtualisation, then we win."
Share