Drive Control Corporation In South Africa Launches Cloud Portfolio Including Storage Backup and Recovery Services

Drive Control Corporation (DCC) launched a cloud portfolio to the South African and SADC channel, effectively catapulting the ICT distributor into a chapter of service delivery to its partners.

This cloud portfolio is three-pronged: Microsoft CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) services and products; SonicWall‘s security offering, Cloud App security; and the company’s Cloud Storage backup and recovery solution powered by Commvault Systems, Inc.

“While driven by three distinct components, our cloud offering ultimately extends throughout the entire lifecycle, ensuring that our partners can offer a complete solution built on infrastructure provided by leaders in their respective solution fields,” says Fred Mitchell, division head, software solutions.

Microsoft CSP
DCC’s Microsoft CSP offering is provided in partnership with Crayon Group, a Microsoft cloud platform service provider that is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices in EMEA, AsiaPac and USA.

The company will be utilising Crayon’s cloud infrastructure, providing products such as Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS), and Dynamics CRM Online.

The Microsoft (CSP) programme enables its partner to manage Microsoft cloud customers’ entire lifecycle, which includes billing and support.

“Through our partnership with Crayon we can now offer the Microsoft CSP offering, backed by its entrenched and recognised cloud infrastructure. Together with Crayon, we are expanding our business and services to the channel while also reaching a previously untapped segment of the market,” says Catherine Lebudi-Mkhondo, CSP business development manager.

Cloud-based security, backup and recovery
SonicWall and the firm’s cloud storage enable channel partners to offer cost-effective and cloud-based security and backup, with recovery services that feature sophisticated products. The company’s cloud storage service is provided from a secure and resilient data centre, based in South Africa.

SonicWall’s Cloud App security offers next-gen security for data within cloud applications such as Office 365 that includes e-mail, messaging, file sharing and file storage.

Explains Mitchell: “With SonicWall and DCC Cloud Storage our partners can offer cost-effective and easy-to-deploy cloud services, supported by an experienced team and solid platforms. Our channel partners can now protect their customers’ data where it resides while also offering advanced backup and recovery services.“

SonicWall cloud App security benefits include:

• Visibility, data security, advanced threat protection and compliance for cloud usage;

• Prevents targeted phishing, impersonation and account takeover attacks in Office 365;

• Identifies breaches and security gaps by analysing real-time and historical events; and

• Delivers the best user experience with out-of-band traffic analysis through APIs and log collection.

DCC cloud storage offers following benefits:

• Cloud-connected backup and restore with no additional hardware needed;

• Backup data is always online and accessible for restore;

• Backups and restores are managed online from any Web browser;

• Online monitoring and reporting of backup and restore operations;

• Backup data is always encrypted at source, in-transit and at rest;

• User access control and secure log-in to a Web management portal;

• Backup resides in a purpose-built secure data centre monitored 24/7/365 with biometric access control;

• Automated backups with easy self-service restore;

• Backup can be restored to the original or different device; and

• 24/7 e-mail and remote support.

About Drive Control Corporation (DCC)
It is is a South Africa’s specialist distributors of IT products. The privately-owned company was formed in 1988 as an IT commodities distribution company with its head office in Johannesburg (Gauteng) with its purpose built sales and distribution centre. The company features branches in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique, providing a reach into South Africa and South African Development Communities (SADC). DCC serves more than 3,500 registered resellers in these regions and has over 300 staff members to support clients.