TARSUS: Your Partner in Digital Transformation

In May 2019, former Tarsus Technology Group CEO, Miles Crisp, told Enterprise Africa that the group was an expert in delivering much-needed services for its diverse customer base, and was experiencing interesting growth in cloud applications. Recognised as one of southern Africa’s leading IT hardware and software distribution organisations, delivering cloud, security, professional services and related technologies, Tarsus was growing nicely.

After years with the group, Crisp retired and Anton Herbst took the reins at the Gauteng-based business, made up of Tarsus Distribution and Tarsus on Demand, in March 2021.

Between May 19 and March 21, the world had been flipped, and very few places of work remained the same. A new normal had been fashioned as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and technology – Tarsus’ focus area – as thrust into the spotlight as a solution to the worldwide work from home problem. For many distributors, orders soared as laptops, webcams, headsets, and all the related softwares were heavily purchased by businesses sending employees to work from home.

Secure storage in the cloud, the ability to connect with remote terminals safely, and the nature of constant openness of networks – alongside the requirement for sufficiently powerful and user-friendly hardware – made for an attractive market for Tarsus and its clients.

Amidst the seemingly endless uncertainty – something which Herbst thrives on – Tarsus has been successful. According to Dell Technologies, 79% of South African organisations have fast-tracked digital transformation. With these initiatives now beginning to take shape, Tarsus is constantly innovating and collaborating to ensure it stays are the forefront of digital transformation and change.

ASSISTING SMMES

In November, the company partnered with SAtion, a community involved in the upskilling and accelerating of digitisation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, to bring new skills and knowledge to the country’s SMMEs.

Initially established in June 2021, SAtion brings together different spheres of the business world, with Tarsus bringing expertise as well as potential beneficiaries.

“With digital technology reshaping the global economy, big business and industrialisation will not, on their own, be able to deliver all the jobs and growth we need to put our country on a sustainable path,” said Herbst, commenting in his position as CEO of Tarsus on Demand, and as Group CEO. “Harnessing digital technologies and SMMEs is the key to creating tomorrow’s globally competitive, inclusive and shared economy.

“This isn’t a challenge any organisation or sector can address on its own – which is why we’re pleased to join hands with SAtion and work with its partners from the public and private sectors to drive digital progress among the country’s SMMEs. This partnership connects with one of our key purposes – working with industry partners to help SMMEs scale and succeed through digital technology.”

Gary Pickford, CEO of Tarsus Distribution shared Herbst’s sentiment saying: “SMMEs today need access to digital technology if they are to be efficient and competitive in a changing world. We are excited about the opportunity to connect SMMEs with our reseller community, giving them access to partners who understand their business needs and can guide them on the long-term digital transformation journey.”

For Dimakatso Matshoga, Chief Operations Officer of the SAtion ecosystem, having Tarsus involved will undoubtedly help micro, small and medium sized enterprises looking to embrace change and adopt digital strategies.

“To thrive in the post-pandemic recovery period and beyond, SMMEs will need to optimise costs, drive innovation, strategically collaborate for success, and enhance productivity,” she says. “We are looking forward to working with Tarsus On Demand and Tarsus Distribution in helping SMMEs to harness 4IR technologies such as AI and the cloud to become more resilient, adaptable and competitive. And all this in order for these SMMEs to create further innovative enterprises and thus advance sustainable employment.”

 RETHINKING THE FUTURE

Anton Herbst is very keen to utilise the power of digital to enhance not only business success, but people in general. While there is a narrative around replacing people with technology, and using digital tools to dehumanise work, Herbst is keen to discover how the digitisation can change workplaces but not to the detriment of people.

“We have to realise that pre-Covid, we were busy with the transformation from an industrial economy to a digital economy. In the pandemic, that came up front and centre, and we experienced the digital economy because we had to,” he said in the Tarsus Engaged Series about making choices for the future. “There is always a big transition because digital transformation in a digital economy doesn’t mean that you have to build a digital business, it means you have to ensure your business gets longevity by applying digital technology to extend and scale an organisation.

“The other challenge we have is a new digital business model. It works differently, and we need to understand that people are in the middle, on a journey between the two. That creates uncertainty. On one hand, we have exponential growth and people see the valuations of digital businesses and the impact they have, and then you look at industrial businesses which are being automated. It is becoming almost a dystopian discussion, asking what more are we going to do, instead of changing the conversation to talk about how we can be humane. Digital technology gives us the ability to make the lives of people in the industrial world much better.”

Currently, Tarsus Distribution makes the world’s leading IT hardware brands available to the Southern African reseller channel. The likes of Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Kaspersky, McAfee, Lenovo, Netgear, Microsoft, Samsung, Targus and more are all moved through Tarsus Distribution. Tarsus on Demand is the cloud division of the group, focussed on bringing change and innovation to the ICT industry through provision of leading and advanced cloud solutions. Since 2016, Tarsus on Demand has been named the ‘Microsoft Indirect Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) of the Year’ on three occasions. The company works alongside Azure, Mimecast, and more to deliver world-class solutions.

For clients, this combination is vitally important as a shift in the world of work and the societies in which we currently understand continues at pace.

“If you only talk about automation, productivity and all those good things, then we are only talking about how we scale efficiency more. What we can do in industrial organisations, is look at how we bring technology to bear, and unlock the potential that is sitting in the people to ensure they are part of the transformational journey,” detailed Herbst. “This is a challenge at country level. We have a large industrial economy, and a digital economy that is nascent, and for us to be relevant on the world stage, we have to make this transformation. We know the industrial economy is going to shed jobs, and so we need to get this movement going to create new opportunities.”

Tarsus describes itself as a digital and collaborative business that delights customers. For Anton Herbst, after an unusual year for all businesses, the group is now one that can serve more than just its own customers, and its involvement with SAtion is proof that Tarsus is all about people.

“I truly believe we can make a profound difference in people’s lives with the technology that is available. But let’s not just do it for technology’s sake, let’s do it for bettering people’s lives and improving lives across the spectrum,” he said.