Bytes Selects Cloud-Based Unisys ITSM Solution to Provide IT Support Services to Employees and Customers

BLUE BELL, Pa., July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that Bytes Technology Group, a subsidiary of South Africa-based Altron and the largest IT services provider on the African continent, has chosen the Edge Service Management by Unisys solution to provide timely, cost-effective IT support services across various divisions within the group and to its major customers.

Bytes chose the cloud-based Unisys Edge solution to consolidate the management of IT systems and delivery of support services for its 41 business units and a number of its existing managed-services customers across Africa. Bytes will also use Edge to provide a standardized approach to IT service management (ITSM) for new customers across the region.

Unisys will implement Edge at Bytes' secure operations center in Johannesburg so the company can deliver the new solution to its business units and customers as a private cloud service to replace a wide range of incumbent ITSM solutions. By moving to an on-demand, subscription-based ITSM solution, Bytes expects to streamline its services delivery and reduce costs associated with maintaining disparate service desks.

Rob Griggs, managing director of Bytes Systems Integration, Bytes Technology Group, said, "CIOs today must provide services that enable individual workers to do their jobs more efficiently, avoid down time and drive revenue by improving customer service. We believe that Unisys' Edge solution gives us and our customers a standards-based solution that can be implemented quickly, managed consistently and expanded easily to address those crucial business challenges."

Edge is intended to enable Bytes to modernize and standardize its services management approaches and provide new capabilities including:

• An extensive catalog of pre-built modules enabling the solution to be implemented in as little as 45 days, as opposed to the typical six-month lead time for ITSM projects;
• "Persona-based" service requests and catalog management that enable end users to view and initiate services based on their individual organizational roles;
• A discovery module to automatically map new services to business processes; and
• A comprehensive Service Asset and Configuration Management service. Edge also provides an integration engine and a library of pre-built software connectors for simplified addition of new technologies.

Experts from the Unisys ITSM Advisory Practice will implement the Edge solution for Bytes and assist in the transitioning of current and future Bytes customers. The Advisory Practice will also provide training as new capabilities are added to the Edge platform.  

Paul Gleeson, global vice president, Edge Services  and Client Experience, Unisys, said, "With its pre-built components and cloud-based access, along with Unisys' services delivery expertise, Edge enables Bytes and its customers to realize the operational and cost benefits of ITSM more quickly than they could with competing solutions. Plus, they will be able add new services quickly and easily to keep pace with continually evolving business requirements."

Built to global Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL^®) standards, Edge Service Management combines technologies from BMC Software ITSM products, including Remedy, ADDM and BPPM, with Unisys pre-built components, advanced analytics tools and proven service-delivery methodologies.

Spiro Zambelis, country manager for South Africa and Africa, BMC Software, commented, "We're very pleased to be working with Bytes to extend our global alliance with Unisys into the African region. Together we provide solutions, such as Edge, that enable our customers to derive further value from their current IT investments and better understand how personalized services delivered anywhere, any time can create competitive advantage for today's digital enterprise."

About Bytes Technology Group

Bytes Technology Group, a principal subsidiary of JSE-listed Altron, is a federation of leading IT companies. It operates predominantly in South Africa and has operations in several other African countries, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. Sustainable and constant growth organically and through strategic acquisitions has enabled the group to provide unlimited solutions to its customers and become a leader in the IT field. It has a multitude of products, technical skills and specialized services that support enterprise-wide IT infrastructure and telecommunications in a wide range of industries and markets. www.bytes.co.za

About Unisys

Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients. We specialize in helping clients secure their operations, increase the efficiency and utilization of their data centers, enhance support to their end users and constituents, and modernize their enterprise applications. To provide these services and solutions, we bring together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 23,000 employees, Unisys serves commercial organizations and government agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

Follow Unisys on Twitter.

RELEASE NO.: 0724/9268

Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

SOURCE Unisys Corporation