Page 12 - Issue 4 2023

INFRASTRUCTURE

for innovation projects where new With NaaS, organisations can again buy in this expertise – and rely on their channel
technology is paramount. partner to provide them with key metrics around power usage, carbon emissions and
end-of-life disposal.
Delivering data
As sustainability requirements increase, Conclusion
and with the eyes of the world watching, In recent years, sustainability has soared to the top of the business agenda for most
organisations will be challenged to deliver organisations. Channel partners have an important role to play in connecting the dots
more sustainability and environmental between sustainable vendors and customers seeking to deliver green IT.
reporting than ever before. But with A solid NaaS offering should reassure South African customers that an
networking skills a scarce resource and environmental approach to networking is being taken across the entire IT supply chain.
existing IT teams stretched to capacity The subscription-based model delivered through the Aruba channel allows customers
trying to deliver against the continued to enjoy the benefits of sustainable network practices, enables them to reduce the
demands of digital transformation, help amount of IT equipment needed and operate their existing equipment at higher levels
is desperately needed to deliver back the of utilisation, offset environmental damage through hardware reuse and technology
necessary data. refreshes, and help report back on their environmental progress.

Global Kinetic launches platform

to minimise workplace conflict and

optimise team performance

n response to a growing need for CIOs they even become issues, companies save hundreds of hours that would otherwise have
and CTOs to not only retain scarce been spent on conciliation. More importantly, maintaining harmonious working conditions
Iskills, but to create optimal working is the most effective way of nurturing high-performing teams without the disruption and
environments, software development cost of high staff turnover,” explains Martin Dippenaar, CEO of Global Kinetic.
house, Global Kinetic, has launched its
TeamFirst platform. A new way to measure and manage team performance
TeamFirst’s algorithms have been Dippenaar explains that when teams experience conflict they lose focus. Individuals find
tested and refined over six years. The it difficult to work in unharmonious environments and he says companies can spend
cloud-based solution makes use of hundreds of thousands and rands replacing team members that quit as a result of conflict.
anonymised data from the people In addition to the direct costs, the management time and focus required to deal with
and teams themselves about their interpersonal issues quickly stacks up and can have very real consequences for companies
experiences, relationships and outputs, working on tight delivery deadlines.
combined with project KPI information, While quantifying the cost of disputes is not an exact science, the UK public body that
which is then analysed by the software. helps companies with conciliation and arbitration, Acas, published a report last year in
“By making use of (terabytes) of which it estimates that workplace conflict costs UK employers £28.5bn (R618,3bn) every
data produced within an organisation, year. This amounts to an average of just over £1,000 (R21 696) for every employee, every
TeamFirst is able to isolate areas of year.
potential conflict before they escalate. The TeamFirst algorithms are able to detect points of potential conflict in real time,
The outputs of the product, while and between six weeks to two months before a human would and Dippenaar says the
certainly useful to HR departments, early intervention offered by TeamFirst slashed the software developer’s own staff
are devised specifically for team leads turnover by 50 percent in the first year.
and project managers who are involved “Most companies have implemented some type of performance metrics or
in the day-to-day team management. measurements for individuals. However, most companies do not have insight into how
After all, these are the individuals who their people work together in a team. Even the best people put together in a team will
are ultimately responsible for ensuring have conflict, and insight into team dynamics is imperative for consistent, high-quality
delivery. By pinpointing niggles before output, as well as a clear view of the current work reality.”

12 | EngineerIT Issue 4 | 2023 SUBSCRIBE FREE