The Western Cape government has confirmed a new three-year enterprise information management (EIM) agreement with Datacentrix, a provider of high performing and secure ICT solutions - furthering its award-winning digitisation programme and enhancing service delivery to citizens in the province.
The agreement now spans dozens of different departments, covering over 20 000 end-users in total, and touching the lives of millions of South Africans.
Trish Dicks, Datacentrix's national strategy manager: EIM public sector Western Cape, says the timing of this agreement is significant: "Recent public addresses - by the president at the State of the Nation address, and the finance minister at the budget speech - reinforced the need for government and citizens to pull together as we face up to our economic and social challenges.
"In the Western Cape, officials have used OpenText technology, delivered by Datacentrix, to enhance citizen engagement for the past 12 years. This latest iteration of the partnership brings EIM to more users, provides access to the full suite of functionality, and serves to reduce the licence-cost per user.
From the province's Tygerberg Hospital, to the Department of Transport and Public Works, to the central finance functions, and numerous other instances, EIM has played an important role in Western Cape residents' lives.
In fact, one of the flagship departments - Transport and Public Works - has received numerous local and international awards since embracing EIM over a decade ago, including the prestigious 2015 Enterprise Champion Award from OpenText (for the most impactful OpenText roll-out of any organisation across the globe).
The EIM solution provides the province's various departments with a fully integrated document management system, delivering all of the essential capabilities for running department operations, digitising processes, and enabling new government services to citizens through digital, self-service interfaces.
"The province now has access to OpenText Content Suite, Process Suite, Contract Management and Email Management products, providing a rich view of all data flowing through the organisation," explains Dicks.
She adds that having access to the comprehensive portfolio of EIM and related services lays a strong foundation to spur innovation, operational efficiency and - in time - even integrate more advanced services like automation and artificial intelligence.
Dicks adds that Datacentrix's long-term partnership with the province has enabled the roll-out of deep change leadership programmes, which use the new technology as a catalyst for broader cultural reinvention within teams and individuals.
"Now that staff is empowered with new tools and enhanced digital processes, we spend a lot of time looking at how they can transform their own role - to become more strategic, more citizen-centric, and more aligned to their department's overarching goals," she concludes.
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