Telkom and Interbrand Sampson have worked together just short of a decade, and as part of this relationship the latest challenge was to create the Cybernest brand. The timelines were very demanding and it was only through a heavyweight, dedicated Telkom and Interbrand Sampson team that the objectives were met.
“As we strive to maintain our position as one of the leaders in SA while expanding our footprint on the African continent, we have consistently articulated that ‘defend and grow' is the essence of our refocused strategy. Providing impetus to our data centre operations via the Bellville 2 launch clearly amplifies our growth strategy,” said Reuben September, Telkom's Group CEO. He added that the convergence of Information Technology (IT) with the Company's telco capabilities was a “natural extension of Telkom's value proposition”.
“Top companies are learning that ‘reputation' and ‘brand' are key aspects that have to be managed to ensure future success. Well known investment guru Warren Buffett surprised the financial world by announcing last year that his criteria for investing was firstly the quality of the brand or brands and only secondly the strength of management and balance sheet. All companies have to stay relevant, resonate with their stakeholders, create new initiatives and keep their finger on the pulse of change. This demands continual and on going investment to ensure future viability. Telkom operates in a fast evolving business sector, and a continent full of opportunity and challenge, that offers huge rewards and is only for the brave,” so says Jeremy Sampson, Executive Chairman of Interbrand Sampson.
Cybernest will focus mostly on large corporates with explicit data storage requirements; these naturally will harness the specific data centres such as Bellville 2, and provide specific solutions focused on basic, managed and virtual hosting. The offering will also include disaster recovery, and eventual desktop management solutions.
"We call it 'maverick stability' it's the best of both worlds," says acting Cybernest Managing Director Pierre Marais "It means we enter the data centre services market as a totally new business but one with a track record - the new kid on the block who's been around the block. Without the Telkom connection, we would be an unknown quantity entering a market that's notoriously tough for newcomers to crack."
According to the Group Managing Director of Interbrand Sampson, Christopher Koller, “The coup really lay in the generation of the name, it was edgy and techy, while containing the necessary cues of security, completely fulfilling the brand essence of ‘maverick-stability'. The identity and visual language is just beautiful, it is trailblazing without the risk of utilising poor design fads and trends for appeal, we really are proud of the team's effort.”
