Data Sciences Corporation has joined the ranks of Commvault Authorised Support Program (CASP) partners, becoming only the second organisation in South Africa to attain this status.
“Our CASP partners are effectively an extension of Commvault, allowing us to provide the same level of support from local partners as our customers expect from our global teams,” says Gerhard Fourie, district channel manager at Commvault South Africa. “The program is offered on an invitation-only basis, to carefully selected partners. Partners selected to participate in the program are empowered to deliver customer support based on industry-leading standards as established by Commvault.
“Having been a Commvault partner for the past five years, Data Sciences has embraced our methodology and has invested significantly in our product and the required skills matrix, earning them this accolade.”
Localised support has numerous benefits for Commvault customers. They are able to access support in all 11 official South African languages, from a partner that is located in the same time zone and has an understanding of the nuances of the local market. This offers a far more personalised experience when dealing with the Commvault offering, and removes many of the typical communication barriers. It also allows engineers to be deployed on site at short notice, should this be required to troubleshoot a problem. Customers have peace of mind that critical issues will be resolved in short time frames.
“We always embrace opportunities to further enhance our services capabilities and ensure that our customers have the best possible service experience available,” says Isaac Makoto, business development manager at Data Sciences . “The CASP program allows us to extend our offering and better bridge the overall service requirements between our customers and Commvault support. It is a privilege to partake in CASP, and this certification will benefit both our business and our customers with a wider range of professional and support services and an enhanced value proposition.”
Fourie adds: “For Commvault, bringing another CASP partner into the fold shows our commitment toward growing our channel locally, as well as to providing the highest levels of support and service. We now have two CASP support partners and multiple certified partners in the market, expanding our technical community with skills and knowledge around our product. Commvault customers can rest assured that they are supported every step of the way, from sales through to implementation and support.”
Achieving CASP partner status requires training from certified instructors and certification via the Commvault examination board. There is also a practical component that involves handling specific scenarios and tasks, where the speed and accuracy of response is judged. Data Sciences passed all aspects on their first attempt, resulting in them being awarded Foundation level certification. This is the first of four levels, culminating in Master status. Data Sciences is already making solid progress in skilling up to achieve the second level of Core partner status.
“As a strategic Commvault partner, we function as a cohesive team with common goals and strategies, which creates the springboard for future success. Becoming a certified CASP partner is a milestone, displaying the commitment of both organisations to the partnership. Ultimately, this will see the end customer benefiting from excellent support and service and world-class technology – a win-win scenario for all stakeholders”, Makoto concludes.