Dimension Data set to make its mark with EMC Velocity² Signature Solutions Centre
Africa’s leading technology provider, Dimension Data, has been chosen as part of an elite group of integrators to participate in the EMC Velocity² Signature Solutions Centre Partnership Programme.
This inclusion is based on the strength of Dimension Data’s relationship with EMC and participating vendors, as well as the business integrator’s ability to adhere to the stringent set of prerequisites demanded by the selection process. Dimension Data becomes one of just three such partners in South Africa and is the only one able to offer a continental footprint.
As an EMC Signature Solutions Centre Partner, Dimension Data now boasts dedicated facilities on site at its Campus premises in Bryanston, fully provisioned with the very latest innovations from EMC and key vendor Partners such as Cisco and VMware.
Dimension Data possesses premier virtualisation capabilities, particularly in the VMware space. When partnered with the company’s forward thinking architects and account managers, the resultant Solutions Centre is a natural progression, firmly cementing the company’s position as the integrators of choice for EMC, Cisco and VMware.
“Due to the nature of our relationship with EMC, Cisco and VMware, and the fact that we are critical and strategic partners for all three, it is vital that we are able to showcase our ability to provide end-to-end solutions for these significant vendors,” explains George Sithole, Pre-Sales Manager for Dimension Data’s Data Centre Solutions.
The state of the art Solutions Centre has been set up and configured entirely by Dimension Data’s own Data Centre Solutions team and is a demonstration of the team’s exemplary technical ability.
“Besides being a compilation of the latest technologies, this Solutions Centre really is testament to our commitment to the VCE (Virtual Computing Environment) strategy, as well as our commitment to providing industry leading solutions to our customer base,” says Sithole.
The new facility supports this commitment by providing the means for Dimension Data to better understand the needs of its customers and provide tailored and customised solutions that best fit their environments, while providing them with the leading edge technologies they desire.
The Solutions Centre offers customers with the opportunity to experience the different elements that comprise the modern data centre first-hand. Customers are able to view and test different applications in either a Fiber Channel or Networked attached environment, see live demonstrations of back up technologies as well as VMware applications and enhancements they would not ordinarily be able to test in their own environments.
With the addition of the Cisco UCS (Unified Computing System) platform, customers are able to physically see and test the differences between Cisco and its competitors, while using management and integration tools in a safe, stress-free environment. “This riskless alternative to pilot testing on-premise means that customers can literally test-drive proposed solutions without having to jeopardise their own production environment,” says Sithole.
The Solutions Centre can also be used to create unique interactive sessions for customers where their questions can be addressed through hand-on, practical demonstrations of product functionality and capability.
“Dimension Data is extremely excited about attaining this highest tier of EMC’s partner programme, which is by invitation only.” says Sithole. It re-enforces our goal of becoming the market leaders in the VCE segment and further increase our reputation as one of the most advanced system integrators in the market,” affirms Sithole.
