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SDT News Room - SDT appointed as IBM ISV partner

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SDT, the financial services solutions specialist in the JSE-listed SilverBridge Holdings group, has concluded an ISV (independent software vendor) partnership with IBM South Africa.

In terms of the partnership, IBM, through its Innovation Centre, will help SDT validate the scalability and performance of Exergy, SDT's insurance solution.

"With our enhanced focus on working with Tier One clients, we needed an independent and reputable partner to assist us in validating what we can do with Exergy," says Johan Oosthuysen, strategic solutions executive at SDT. "Our strategic objective required this as some of our new and prospective clients will have policy bases running into the millions, as well as have a large number of users working on the system at any given point in time. We engaged with IBM to use their technical and other resources so as to test Exergy under a variety of conditions."

The partnership has multiple purposes:

· To test and validate Exergy's scalability and architecture. "We have tested up to 5 million policies so far, and will soon be testing up to 10 million," says Oosthuysen.

· To set up an infrastructure benchmarking reference document, which existing and potential clients can use to prove what Exergy can do in terms of scalability.

· To investigate and pursue integration opportunities with IBM software applications such as WebSphere and Cognos.

· To test the potential for new-generation technologies such as virtualisation, which some customers are calling for. "We have deployed Exergy in an internal virtual environment as a proof of concept," reports Oosthuysen.

Together, SDT and IBM have configured a typical load test, which encompasses all month-end processing, some transaction processing, the capturing of new business, validation of new business, and the simulation of 1 000 concurrent users. This is tested using another third-party technology.

"Our clients want and need the assurance that our solutions will grow with their businesses, no matter how rapid or extreme their growth," adds Oosthuysen. "Our partnership with IBM gives them just that assurance."

Clayton Booysen, IBM's Africa Innovation Centre manager, says this was the first engagement at the Johannesburg centre with SDT as its new business partner.

"We see this first successful collaboration as only the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship as we introduce SDT to the many resources in the IBM global network of innovation, which is designed purely to help our partners be successful in the marketplace," says Booysen.

Contact

Rene van Zyl, SDT, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (012) 360 0100

Karen Heydenrych, Predictive Communications, (011) 452 2923 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

SDT News Room - Microsoft gives Windows 7 green light to SDT's Exergy

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SDT, the financial services software developer in the JSE-listed SilverBridge Holdings group, has announced that its flagship Exergy solution has earned "Compatible With Windows 7" status. The certification comes after close collaboration between SDT, a Microsoft Gold partner, and Microsoft South Africa.

SDT is now entitled to carry the "Compatible With Windows 7" logo on its software packaging and gives its insurance customers the assurance of 100% integration and compatibility with Microsoft's flagship operating system.
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"Exergy met Microsoft testing requirements for compatibility with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7," says Johan Oosthuysen, strategic solutions executive at SDT. "We had to pass Microsoft-designed installation, performance, reliability and security tests in a workshop we ran jointly with Microsoft.

"The chief areas on which we focused were ensuring that Exergy would make efficient utilisation of resources and memory, in line with the way that Microsoft has architected Windows 7, and the way we manage signing and versioning as users upgrade to Windows 7."

Oosthuysen says this is a first for SDT: "It is the first time we have been compatible with a new operating system on the day it was released, putting us well ahead of customer demand. This is important, as we expect significant take-up of Windows 7, which is a far better operating system than Vista, its predecessor. It provides a more stable user experience, and will ensure a longer life on PCs, which in turn will give customers enhanced return on investment.

"As they upgrade to Windows 7, our customers will now know they are making optimal use of their PCs' resources," adds Oosthuysen.

Exergy has emerged in recent years as one of the leading insurance software solutions in the country and elsewhere in Africa. It has been deployed at many of South Africa's top insurers, along with insurers in 10 other African countries.

 

SDT News Room - Gawie Erasmus appointed CEO of SDT

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Gawie Erasmus has recently been appointed CEO of SDT, the financial services software company in the JSE-listed SilverBridge Group. He takes over from Jaco Swanepoel, who will be focussing all his energies on SilverBridge.

"We have appointed Gawie as CEO to eliminate confusion between operations at group and company level, and to enhance governance," says Swanepoel. "Gawie had been operating as COO for the last two years, making his elevation to CEO a logical one.

"Secondly, it is sometimes necessary in the evolution of a company that the founders need to step down from the day-to-day management, which I am now doing after 14 years."
Erasmus, a CA by training, spent time with KPMG and former JSE-listed CS Holdings before joining SDT. In his time with the company it has grown rapidly, from 68 people in 2007 to just under 100 today, with an equally rapidly growing customer base. "I aim to continue this growth," says Erasmus, " by growing our presence in Tier One insurance customers, enhance our strong focus on Africa, and a drive into emerging markets elsewhere."

"We have laid the foundation for growth through a rigorous emphasis on governance; building a strong management team; employing only the finest people - all our customer-facing people are degreed professionals; and by empowering our clients to control the risks of application management effectively."This kind of growth will not be easy, as our success in the African market means many more competitors are moving into our space. I am however confident that we have paid our school fees in Africa, and we have much to offer the African market. This will give us an edge over Eurocentric offerings. Key in this regard will be our solution's ability to deliver insurance products through any channel customers want, whether it's via the Web or cellphone."

 

Contact

Rene van Zyl, SDT, (011) 360 0100 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Karen Heydenrych, Predictive Communications, (011) 452 2923 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
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