[Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA] Dimension Data, everpresent in the news since their listing on the London Stock Exchange last
week, announced today that it has formed a global networking partnership with Sun Microsystems. The companies expect this
partnership to further expand their respective international e-business presence.
This partnership will see Didata combine its network offering with Sun’s platform to provide an online networking infrastructure
service which the U.S. based company will be able to offer to its existing client base.
Aside from the revenue that the companies expect to gain from this venture, Didata has another compelling reason for this alliance.
Didata, who successfully listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) last week, revealed that it is contemplating a listing on the U.S.
technology exchange Nasdaq. The company began trading on the LSE on Wednesday, with the share price gaining ground
immediately and the shares themselves being oversubscribed four times.
With Sun providing the system infrastructure for over 80 percent of Internet backbone traffic in the U.S., the partnership will provide
the networking company with a higher profile that will be advantageous as it looks to the Nasdaq. A recent International Data
Corporation (IDC) report illustrates that Sun enjoys a dominant position in the high-end Unix server market with a 32 percent market
share. The company has also been making its presence felt in both the corporate service provider market and the e-commerce
sector.
“The agreement is mutually advantageous for both our companies and for businesses as they move to the new economy,” says Didata
MD Networking Services Alan Cawood. “To be able to maintain and service infrastructure for the online world globally, as is our
strategy with global services, Dimension Data requires the strengths of the Sun offering.”
Sun Microsystems MD Stefano Mattiello believes that the two operations will complement each other well, combining the control of
the traditional data center with the accessibility and dynamism of the Internet. “The focus today is on delivering better network
services to more people at a lower cost,” he said.
The Sun platform will also find application in Didata’s interactive commerce, or i-Commerce initiative. The i-Commerce division
provides companies with e-commerce and CRM solutions, both of which require a reliable platform, such as that provided by Sun.
