Dimension Data and Cisco are excited to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their strategic business relationship. In 1991, the companies began partnering in South Africa and this has since grown to nearly 150 countries around the world. 

Long-time and new clients have stayed on the cutting edge with Dimension Data’s leadership and rapid pace of launching innovative campaigns in Security, Cloud, Collaboration, Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI™) and a burgeoning Digital Practice.

Brett Dawson, Dimension Data’s Group CEO, said, “Partnering with Cisco plays a key role in ensuring that we consistently deliver world-class solutions and services to our clients to accelerate their ambitions. Our market is changing but our partnership is more relevant than ever. Our clients need to capitalize in bold ways on the promise that digitization and big data provide. And, we’re committed to help them do it – together.”

In the past 25 years, Dimension Data has also grown and expanded its “as-a-Service” offerings on Cisco infrastructure and the companies have teamed on the Internet of Things to deliver solutions for sports and recreation, Connected Healthcare and Connected Cities. In the past two years alone, the companies have introduced groundbreaking initiatives, such as helping the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) create a sustainable workplace of the future called the Living Planet Centre in its London head office.

David Southern, Director of ICT at WWF in the United Kingdom, said, “Dimension Data and Cisco helped us create a modern, sustainable workplace for our organization using technology in a way core to our corporate philosophy. We expect that alignment, with the promise of digital technology, will open a whole new world of possibilities. Here’s to the next 25 years.”

As the Official Technology Partner of the Absa Cape Epic, Dimension Data provides all the technology and communications for the most grueling mountain bike race in the world, with 1,200 amateur and professional mountain bikers traversing roughly 800 kilometers of unspoiled Western Cape scenery over the eight-day event.

Kevin Vermaak, founder of Absa Cape Epic, said, “Our partnership with Dimension Data has been critical in achieving stellar returns on our investment in content creation. Delivering rich media content from remote, ‘untamed’ and off-the–grid regions of the Western Cape is now a hallmark of the Absa Cape Epic.”

To commemorate the 25^th anniversary, Dimension Data and Cisco are:

• Jointly funding and participating in 25 community projects – aimed at building a better future. Throughout the year, employees from both companies will complete projects to improve their local communities, such as: assembling bicycles for children affected by natural disasters and conflict; virtually connecting children in hospice care with their classmates; supporting musical education; and building and improving schools and community gardens
• Dimension Data is supporting the Cisco Takeback and Recycle Program in order to meet Dimension Data’s October 2014 goal of preventing 4,000 metric tons of e-waste from going to landfills by 2018.
• The companies are finalists in the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals’ annual Excellence Awards for a “Better Together” alliance that spotlights IT customer outcomes spanning the past 25 years.

“We’d like to thank Dimension Data and our customers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 years of partnering,” said Chuck Robbins, Cisco CEO. “The magnitude of our alliance and how we’ve been able to create new opportunities and grow together with Dimension Data is tremendous. We couldn’t be more excited to see what we will accomplish together in the next 25 years.”

Client Success:

• Everything as a Service at the Australian Hosted G20. In a world first, the Australia Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, responsible for the 2014 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane, used cloud to deliver a highly secure networking and virtual desktop to keep world leaders and media seamlessly connected, as well as ensure significant cost savings for this annual event. See video here.
• Helping the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Create a Sustainable Workspace for the Future. Our strategic planning, consulting, and collaboration skills, supported by creative thinking, helped WWF achieve its vision. See video here.
• First Bank in Australia to Fully Adopt Cloud Computing. As a digital business, ING DIRECT Australia relies on technology to provide its 1.5 million customers with a seamless banking experience. See video here.

Additional Resources:

• Follow Dimension Data on Twitter and Cisco on Twitter