From the Desk of the MD – September 2011

Welcome to Ascent Technology’s third newsletter for 2011. As we move towards October, things are warming up in more ways than one. It is interesting to note that with summer having finally arrived, Ascent’s people find themselves spending more time indoors than outdoors, as we work overtime to deliver to our customers’ needs.

A critical aspect of these needs is the demand for highly skilled people in the Enterprise Data Management space – many of our customers have found it difficult to obtain the relevant specialist skills they require, which is why they have turned to us. We can offer a depth and breadth of skills that encompasses many of the key areas in which customers face challenges in this space.

Database migrations

One area where there is strong demand for Ascent’s skills is in the database migration area. We have recently found that customers are eager to consolidate heterogeneous database environments into single database technology environments. They recognise the clear benefits that can be obtained by this kind of exercise.

There are a number benefits that such a migration strategy delivers, including the significant cost savings that can be realised, particularly in the reduced cost of maintaining and supporting the simplified environment going forward. At the same time, technology standardisation means that the database environment as a whole is much easier to manage.

However, the obvious advantages of migrating one’s database environment to a consolidated technology platform can sometimes be challenged by an inability to successfully achieve such a complex task. As a trusted advisor in the Enterprise Data Management space, Ascent not only understands the challenges our customers face during such a migration, but also knows how to assist in successfully overcoming these.

High availability

Another area where Ascent has found a strong demand for its specialised skills is in the area of high availability. In today’s competitive environment, customers require solutions which ensure no downtime and enable them to continuously transact.

Ascent has been able to bring its high levels of specialist skills and experience in this area to bear, meeting customer needs and adding additional value. This is due to the fact that we understand, implement and support all the different methodologies and technologies that deliver database high availability. Therefore, whether a customer requires clustering, mirroring, replication or disaster recovery, we can provide the right expertise for the job.

With the need for high availability growing all the time, the fact that we bring an in-depth understanding of a multitude of environments to the table means that we can offer real world solutions to solve our customers’ real world challenges.

Microsoft Partner of the Year awards

Recognition for the successful work we have done in the above mentioned areas of Enterprise Data Management has come in the form of yet another finalist nomination for the Microsoft Data Platform Partner of the Year Award.

This is the fourth year in succession in which Ascent Technology has been nominated as a finalist. This clearly demonstrates that, amongst a wide range of Microsoft partners, we are consistently considered to be one of the leaders in the country in this particular space.

The winner of the award is due to be announced at the Microsoft Partner Network 2011 Awards, which will be held at the Microsoft Partner Summit, taking place in Durban during October.

The last word

While Ascent has been hard at work in recent times delivering the skills and services our customers have come to expect from us, we are definitely looking forward to stepping out of the usual work zone in October. We are certainly looking forward to attending both the forthcoming Microsoft Partner Summit and Tech-Ed, and we hope to see you there.

By: Johan Lamberts