Background
Formed in 2006, Britehouse is a focused software applications company that, through investments in 3fifteen, Pebbletree, Auto-Mate and JSE-listed Paracon, provides expert development, customisation, integration, implementation and maintenance services in all major areas of the business applications space.
The company is 60%-owned by a BEE and investment company consortium comprising VenFin Limited, Convergence Partners Investments (Pty) Ltd and Safika Holdings (Pty) Ltd. The remaining 40% is held by Dimension Data plc.
The group aims to provide customers with a service that is all encompassing in terms of the business software and services landscape; and benefits from a sound and multifaceted skills base that allows customers to access a resource pool of over 2500 people.
As such, the company has significant project delivery capabilities, which allows it to today compete with some of the larger and more respected application consulting organisations in the local IT market.
The company’s plans for growth include the development of a stronger consulting arm and substantial investment in an application support employee base, which will allow it to service its customers throughout the entire business application software lifecycle.
Britehouse is working towards the goal of becoming the definitive leader in the Microsoft, SAP and application support arenas in both the public and private sectors in South Africa and the African continent.
Group Structure
3Fifteen
With a legacy that’s strongly rooted in the custom software development space, 3fifteen has successfully managed to position itself as one of the most sought after partners for South African customers seeking business solutions in the areas of collaboration, business process management, e-enablement, integration and customer relationship management.
The company’s value proposition stems amongst other things, from its ability to use off-the-shelf business solutions from market leader, Microsoft, and then customise these solutions to exacting customer requirements.
This approach has not only allowed it to offer shorter development timeframes than the industry norm, but to ensure that through strict adherence to industry standards, the solutions delivered to customers are easily integrated into existing IT environments.
3fifteen has also developed a variety of innovative customer-engagement models, which today afford it the ability to engage with customers in the flexible manner they would prefer.
3fifteen is 57% owned by Britehouse, and 43% owned by management.
Pebbletree
Pebbletree Consulting specialises in strategic SAP business consulting. Its aim is to enable and empower organizations to optimise business performance and achieving business objectives using SAP as a platform.
The company’s core competencies include an in depth understanding of the South African business environment and the complexities of the extended supply chain, as well as extracting value from customers’ transactional data, by using various business intelligence tools.
Pebbletree’s sound track record in implementing and optimising SAP solutions and complementary applications for companies in specific industry sectors strongly positions it as a SAP partner of choice in the local market.
Pebbletree is 75% owned by Britehouse and 25% owned by management.
Auto-Mate
Auto-Mate Dealer Management Systems specialises in the provision of world-class, IT services to the South African automotive industry.
The company's systems and services are expressly designed to meet the specific requirements of the automotive industry and as such, its software’s key value proposition lies in its ability to enable motor dealerships (and their users) to operate more effectively, efficiently and profitably.
Auto-Mate’s fully integrated hosted ERP application is home-grown and as such, is developed, distributed and supported by the company itself. The solution assists dealerships with the management of customer prospecting and marketing, vehicle sales, parts inventory management, vehicle service management and financial management.
Auto-Mate is 92% owned by Britehouse and 8% owned by management.
Paracon
JSE-listed Paracon’s primary objective is to consistently provide quality service in all levels of business, with its principal focus fixed on information technology.
Its strengths lie in the diversity of IT skills it brings to the group and its ability to strategically match resources with customer requirements, creating tailor-made IT solutions.
Paracon’s business is people and as such, it is committed to attracting and retaining highly motivated and dedicated professionals who share its commitment to technological innovation and service excellence.
Having access to the best resources is a vital component in the provision of services to both the local and international markets – and because the South Africa business process outsourcing market is finally beginning to show potential, Paracon firmly has its eye on developing prospects in this space.
Paracon is 31% owned by Britehouse.
Combining value
Britehouse’s true strength comes through its ability to leverage the core competencies existent in each of its group companies to deliver a broad range of services and skills capable of meeting all of its customers’ requirements from a business applications and services perspective.
This, considered against the backdrop of Dimension Data’s broader services strategy, places a veritable one-stop shop for all IT solutions and services (including infrastructure, support outsourcing and now, business software, solutions and services) at customers’ disposal.
Today, Britehouse has a broad range of skills that allows it to build the business case for solutions in the custom-development and off-the shelf implementation space, carry out implementations and manage/maintain the support for those solutions for an agreed period of time.
It does not today however, have a team of generally focused IT consulting skills, something, which it believes would strongly position it to partner at a high-level with its customers and assist C-level executives with their technology strategies.
This is a competency that the company intends to build over the coming 18 months, either organically or through acquisitions.
The same goes for building a generally focused application support competency.
Engagement models
When interfacing with customers, Britehouse uses two engagement models.
The first sees it engaging with customers at a group company level, exploiting the expertise and competency each of its group companies has in their technology focus areas of choice. This is the engagement model adopted when customers have a specific need to address in the IT environment and have a clearly defined IT strategy.
As the customers’ requirements change however and a higher-level view of their IT strategy is required, a Britehouse consultant is called on to develop a direct relationship with the customer, involving the competency existent in each of the group companies as and when required to meet a broader range of customers’ business needs.
This model is used in more mature customer engagement and in 18 months’ time when Britehouse has completed its skills and acquisition strategy, will become the chosen engagement model going forward.
Technology competencies
Through its investments in 3fifteen, Pebbletree and Paracon, Britehouse has one of the most impressive certification portfolios in the local IT market.
3fifteen holds Microsoft Gold certification in the competency areas of Data Management solutions (Business Intelligence); Business Process Automation and Integration; Information Worker solutions (collaboration, portals and enterprise content management); and Customised Application development (web applications)
3fifteen’s strong focus on Microsoft technologies in turn affords 3fifteen a great deal of loyalty and support from Microsoft as a ‘managed partner’ in all of the projects it embarks on.
Pebbletree’s relationship with SAP has seen it garner certification as a SAP Africa Service Partner and a SAP Africa SME Business Partner, providing strategic business consulting services in respect of SAP software, empowering organisations to optimise business performance using SAP as a platform.
In addition, the establishment of Britehouse leverages the trend towards closer collaboration and convergence between the two leading software vendors, as is evident by Microsoft and SAP’s joint development of Duet. This is a product, which enables seamless access to SAP business processes and data via the Microsoft desktop.
Fleshing out Britehouse’s strength in the business applications space, Paracon boasts certifications in Microsoft technologies, Oracle technologies, Sun technologies and IBM technologies.
Credentials
Apart from its strong certifications in the leading technologies on offer in the local market, Britehouse has positioned itself as a partner of choice for customers, as a result of its strong stance on corporate social investment and its extremely sound BEE credentials.
60% of the shareholding in Britehouse is held by a BEE and investment company consortium comprising VenFin Limited, Convergence Partners Investments (Pty) Ltd and Safika Holdings (Pty) Ltd. The remaining 40% is held by Dimension Data plc.
Convergence Partners, previously known as Ngcaba Holdings, is an empowerment company led by Andile Ngcaba, who has been active in the ICT industry for a number of years and was Director General of the SA Department of Communications for eight years.
Safika is a black-owned investment holding company, which focuses on making strategic investments and assisting in the management of such investments. Safika facilitates greater black shareholder participation in South Africa’s economic evolution, ensuring black economic prosperity by forming strategic alliances and acquiring significant interests in viable business ventures. Safika has investments in various sectors of the economy including, information and communications technology, human capital, natural resources and financial services. The executive chairman of Safika is Moss Ngoasheng.
Overall, Britehouse is a company with a strong customer base, sought after skills set and sound prospects for the future. With a commitment to growing its presence in the local market and bringing together the competencies within its group companies, Britehouse is committed to becoming a partner of choice for all customers seeking solutions in the business applications space.
Web address: www.britehouse.com
