The collaboration between Specialised Business Systems, SA`s largest privately owned IT Solutions company and SPSS South Africa - the local office of the veteran multinational producer of analytical software - should result in putting SPSS SA at a better position to reach a wider variety of end users for its leading range of business intelligence, data mining, market research and general analytical software tools in the South African market.
SPSS Inc., headquartered in Chicago, USA, is one of the world`s longest-standing independent software companies. Founded 31 years ago, SPSS Inc. is a leader in the large markets for analytical solutions:- business intelligence, data mining, market research, quality improvement and scientific research. SPSS products and services transform organisations by helping users leverage information to grow revenues and improve processes. More than 2 million people world wide use SPSS, the world`s best-selling software for desktop analysis, in order to create and distribute information for better decision making in a wide variety of contexts.
According to Jason Frichol, Group Marketing Manager at SBS, a range of about 50 different products is now available from SPSS South Africa to address businesses specific needs , which allows management to make better and more informed business decisions.
"While there are a number of products on the market that offer similar solutions, they are largely IT driven and require a high level of expertise to operate. SPSS products are business driven and give users not only the `what` part of the picture but largely the `why` factors which stand behind it, thus allowing users to use the full power of their data. We have invested considerable resources into the new shape of the company, and as solution providers to end users we have put into place a national support infrastructure. In this respect we will be providing not only the full range of the software products but also consulting, implementation and training thereby offering a holistic enterprise solution," says Frichol.
Tal Laor, now a partner in SPSS SA and formerly the SPSS Territory Manager for Mediterranean and Africa, says SPSS is represented in more than 100 countries and has offices in about 40 of them. "We decided to partner with SBS because it is a leading factor in IT business solutions in South Africa and has the resources at its disposal to help putting our products on so many more desktops in this region. SBS has long recognised that the need for high level data analysis and business intelligence tools has become crucial in the business world in South Africa, and that in order to be able to compete effectively, the right tools are definitely needed. This shared recognition is one of the basic building blocks of the new partnership" says Laor.
With the new setup, Yovan Dehal has been appointed Products and Services Manager. And he says SPSS South Africa`s mission is to offer an integrated family of analytical products, from multidimensional reporting, to complex, high-end modelling. "The importance of analytical software as a key piece of a successful data mining effort of any scale, or even a routine data oriented business decision making process, is in enabling people to understand their data on a multitude of levels. These solutions are now available in SA bundled with a lot of added value services around them," says Dehal.
Dehal adds that SPSS South Africa will be entering into a market specific educational programme that focuses on the range of appropriate products and the `Return on Investment` (ROI) they provide in each case. The enhanced toolset the company now has at its disposal will facilitate this procedure. "Huge sales opportunities are presenting themselves in this respect and with SPSS software as the catalyst to yield the power of companies `hidden data`, we plan to become a leading software and solution provider in this market," he says.
SBS background SBS is the largest independent Value Added Reseller in Southern Africa with a core focus on integrating the world`s most reputable brands and providing cost-effective, lean and efficient I.T. solutions which derive pure business and productivity benefit.
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