Integrated infrastructure solution for financial services firm
February 2017, Integrated Solutions, IT infrastructure

BT-SA recently completed the installation of an all-inclusive infrastructure solution for a major client’s new administration building and workshop.

Although the client in question cannot be named due to the sensitive nature of its operations, BT-SA’s managing director, Erik Jordaan, describes it as a local financial and investment services holding company which owns a number of buildings in an upscale business park in the east of Pretoria. The tenants are involved in a wide range of forensics that includes digital forensics and also prepaid electricity meter management solutions. Having completed the initial project, BT-SA has embarked on the design phase for the next three buildings in the business park.

BT-SA was involved in the project since the design and together with the architects and designers ensured all elements, products and installation conformed to the highest standards. The company was responsible for all security features including biometric access control and CCTV cameras, network cabling, electrical reticulation, fire suppression, server room design including UPSs and air-conditioning within the server rooms. The client’s requirements included compatibility, future proofing and aesthetic features.

The scope of the project comprised the supply of a high-tech, end-to-end infrastructure solution for the new administration building and a workshop for a group company specialising in prepaid electricity metering. The productivity of the new company was reliant on the completion of the project with a start to finish timeline of two months and a R6,7 million budget. According to Pieter van Wyk, BT-SA Security Project Leader who led the project from start to finish, everything went according to plan with very few hiccups.

“Deadlines, although tight, were meticulously met and as a result the client was left extremely happy with the overall project,” comments Jordaan. “As with many of our larger projects, BT-SA worked alongside a third-party shopfitting contracting company, but our approach is proactive and inclusive, and we work smart to get around potential obstacles. Across the board, BT-SA selected high-tech, state-of-the-art product brands with a national footprint, good technical support and supplier guarantee. This enables BT-SA to provide a solid workmanship and manufacturer guarantee on all installations and paves the way for ongoing maintenance.”

“The initial enquiry was based on word-of-mouth referral from another client. We worked according to strict deadlines and met with the client on a regular basis on- and off-site. All system and design integration happened in-house.”

Reflecting on the completion of the project and the lessons learned, Jordaan is confident that BT-SA met the client’s expectations with regards to design, product and installation, and offered a three-year comprehensive service level agreement (SLA). This SLA is applicable to this project as well as three existing buildings belonging to the group company.

“BT-SA sees this as a long-term relationship and we are currently in the planning stages of the next rollout. What we gained from this project was that if all parties are on the same page with regards to the vision as well as the projected outcome, you can only have success in the end. Transparency, managing expectations and a clear vision of the outcome were definitely the game changing factors in this project,” Jordaan concludes.