Sagent SA, the data warehousing specialists, have followed their opening of a Cape Town office with the announcement of a channel agreement with Intec Business Intelligence (Intec BI).
Susan Andre, Sagent MD, describes this agreement as strategically important in the implementation of Sagent's channel strategy in the Cape Province. "This alliance is important to Sagent, as Intec provides services of an exceptionally high standard as well as an outsourcing infrastructure. When Sagent developed its channel strategy, it was agreed that instead of developing large contingents of in-house skills, Sagent would develop strategic alliances with companies who have proved themselves in their chosen areas of expertise."
Kris Mortensen, MD of Intec BI, a NATH company, sees the alliance as providing additional depth to Intec BI's portfolio of solutions. "Business intelligence (BI) solutions can give a quantifiable competitive edge when the right combination of skills and software are applied. Intec BI handles the complete range of solutions from business case to deployment. The Sagent suite of software is a complete solution, with proven delivery both locally and internationally."
Mortensen sees financial services and healthcare in particular as the industries where Intec BI and Sagent have common interests. "The consolidation of information in these arenas is particularly useful for trend analysis, providing a consolidated view of an enterprise and identifying fraud."
As more IT companies develop a presence in Cape Town, Andre views the differentiator for Sagent as going beyond information delivery. "The establishment of alliances with complementary IT solutions companies who have applied a philosophy of superior client services ensures service delivery", comments Andre.
Mortensen emphasises that value-add solutions are primary, "Cost is obviously of concern, but a company that is looking at its long-term competitiveness must consider the value model. We like Sagent's vision and can align ourselves with them."