From the Desk of the MD – December 2014

Welcome to the last Ascent newsletter of 2014. As the year draws to a close, we reflect on what has been an eventful 12 months. There is no doubt that 2014 has been an exciting year and one in which we have witnessed some interesting trends and experienced a number of milestones and memorable moments. We would like to share just a few of these with you.

Our new offices

Earlier this year we moved into new offices in the heart of the Sandton business district. Situated in the Katherine & West Building, at 114 West Street, opposite the new Gautrain station and next door to the Radisson Hotel, our new headquarters places us in the centre of Johannesburg’s commercial and business district. We believe this is a change that will benefit both our clients and ourselves; if you do find yourself in the area, why not pop in for a cup of coffee!

Much Microsoft excitement

In terms of our relationship with Microsoft, it has been a particularly interesting year, starting with the release of Microsoft SQL Server 2014, of which Ascent was a Gold Sponsor at the very successful launch held at Kyalami. Following the unveiling of SQL Server 2014, Microsoft SA hosted two Boot Camps in May, with the aim of providing insight into SQL Server 2014’s core capabilities, and once again, Ascent was a Gold Sponsor of these events.

On a similar note, since the launch of SQL Server 2014, we have been kept busy by clients eager to upgrade their systems to this latest version. In fact, the company has already completed the upgrades of a good number of clients’ production systems, with minimal downtime experienced by these organisations.

Finally, at the Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards, we concluded what proved to be a very successful 2014 by retaining the Microsoft Data Platform Partner of the Year award, receiving this award for the fourth consecutive year.

First Technology Group invests in Ascent Technology

In another milestone, Ascent announced that leading South African technology enterprise, First Technology Group, invested in the company by procuring a significant equity stake. This investment is expected to create closer ties between the two businesses and will mean that we are able to very effectively leverage off one another’s technology skills.

From an Ascent perspective, being part of a respected major IT group with national footprint means that we can compete on a larger scale than ever before. The investment by First Technology also means Ascent will be able to further improve its BBBEE rating and it opens up a host of new client opportunities for us in both the private and public sectors.

Uptake of our McAfee Database Security and Compliance offering

A key trend we have witnessed this year has been the substantial uptake of our McAfee Database Security and Compliance offering by our clients. We are of the opinion that a large percentage of this increasing uptake is being driven by the simple fact that it is now possible for Ascent to deliver proof-of-concept within one day and a fully configured offering in less than a month.

The end result of this is immediate access to and full visibility and control of your database environment.

The Last Word

As 2014 winds down, we would like to take this final opportunity to thank all of our clients, for your continued support and to wish you all a very happy and peaceful Festive Season.

Whatever you are doing during the holidays, do it safely and we trust you will return in 2015 rested, refreshed and ready for business.

By: Johan Lamberts