Two technology industry leaders across Africa, IFS and iOCO, have partnered to help organisations spanning multiple key industries across the continent re-evaluate, adapt and improve their businesses to deliver the best moments of service using trusted technology solutions, scale and skills.

IFS is a global software and enterprise applications company and will combine its technology leadership position with the scale and skills of iOCO, the ICT services brand of the EOH Group. iOCO is one of the largest technology services companies on the continent, with a strong track record in service management.

“The time for this collaboration is optimal. The two companies have a common industry focus and have noted a shift in thinking and priorities stemming from numerous industry factors,” says Emma Murray, chief operating officer for the APJMEA region at IFS. “Among these is the economic impact of COVID-19, which is causing corporates to re-evaluate their digital journeys and consider market disruptors as alternatives to their current, expensive enterprise solutions in order to evolve to new business models, control costs, expand faster and serve their customers better.”

In an increasingly challenging and competitive business climate, this evolution needs to focus on the moment of service and deliver on what businesses and their customers value, namely agility, speed, ease, reliability, consistency in quality, delivery, returns and the whole service experience through every employee, every experience, every day.

Making it work together

According to Esenthren Govender, competency head of integration and mobility at iOCO, the engagement with IFS aligns with iOCO’s strategic objective of partnering with leading disruptive technologies globally in the mining, manufacturing, utilities, telecommunications and service industries. “IFS has extensive industry experience in asset-intensive organisations. IFS connects assets, people and processes into a cohesive ecosystem. Together, iOCO and IFS will assist in enabling customers to solve their business challenges,” he says. 

“The combination of the two power houses will radically change and uplift the face of service in Africa and transform how customers and businesses experience service, as more and more organisations across the continent adopt IFS as a service standard,” Murray says.

As part of this partnership, iOCO has also embarked on a journey to certify 100 professionals on the IFS solution during the course of the next two years.