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HERE are companies whose products and
services light the way and set the benchmark.
As a result, they stand out in the marketplace.
Renowned innovator, entrepreneur and Apple co-
founder, Steve Jobs summarised the situation well
when he said, “innovation distinguishes between a
leader and a follower”.
As Jobs is well aware, the case for innovation is
especially true in the fast-moving ICT industry. Busi-
nesses need to innovate to stay competitive and if
they want to lead the field they have to go one step
further. One such example is the largest privately
owned ICT company on the continent, Integr8.
“The pace of the ICT industry moves very quickly,”
says Rob Sussman, joint CEO, Integr8 Group. “We
ensure that we stay ahead of the game, and to do this
Integr8 views innovation not just as a key value, but
as a core component of our business.”
The ways in which this is demonstrated are many.
First off, the company has created an inbred culture
of entrepreneurial innovation.
“At Integr8, we believe that winning in business
NEVER
is great because when companies win, people
win. This creates new career opportunities for people
and breeds a core value of true entrepreneurial
innovation. After all, innovation draws talent and
STAND
talent draws innovation. At Integr8 we embrace
technology, carefully calculated risk-taking and we
have created a learning environment,” he says.
“Whether it’s finding a solution to meet a client’s
STILL
specific requirement, increasing efficiencies internally
or reducing costs for our customers,” says Sussman,
“there is a customer-centric, can-do mindset in our
organisation. We are relentless in looking for ways to
make it easier to do business with us.”
An emphasis on recruiting the right people is key
Words Adrian Hinchcliffe
to the success of this philosophy, explains Lance
Fanaroff, joint CEO, Integr8 Group. “In the game of
IN THE FAST-PACED WORLD OF ICT, INNOVATION IS THE business, nothing matters more in winning than
DIFFERENCE THAT SETS YOU APART FROM THE CROWD. getting the right people on the field. Over the past
10 years at Integr8, we have handpicked and placed
each and every member of our 550+ strong national
team to ensure we get the industry’s best who share
our values. By having the right people in place we
are able to look at issues from different angles, and
generate a variety of different options so we can pick
the right solution.”
Adds Sussman: “Integr8 has a deliberate strategy
to attract and hire only the smartest people in the
industry, who work harder than anyone else. We have
10 Integr8 - special focus
created a learning organisation where knowledge
is shared and retained. We expect our people to be
innovators in their own positions. To put a rough figure
on it, our management team spend 70 percent of
their time on their daily functions and the remaining
30 on innovation. The culture at Integr8 is one of
professionalism, with a young mind-set, filled with an
aura of entrepreneurial innovation and a well balanced
weighting of corporatisation – not being a corporate,
but corporatised. There is a unified drive to win.”
A MILE IN THEIR SHOES
A core aspect of Integr8’s mindset is to look at all
situations from a client’s perspective, something that
Fanaroff believes is missing in the big corporate ICT
companies, which are focussed internally or on selling
specific solutions. “Understanding what our customer’s
requirements are helps us to develop well-positioned
“Integr8 views innovation not
just as a key value, but as a core
component of our business.”
ROB SUSSMAN
solutions,” he says. “Companies want a competitive
edge. They want a customised solution that fits their
needs and either solves their problems or enhances
their business. They demand innovation.”
Dynamism is another important aspect of
Integr8’s culture. With an average age of 26 among
the hundreds of people that work at Integr8, the
company clearly has a lot of young talent to help it
continue to grow long into the future. As a 10-year-
old company, started and still owned by its founders
and active management team, there is still the
youthful, entrepreneurial way of thinking.
This enthusiastic approach to business
emanates from the top down. Combined with a
purposefully limited hierarchy, this means ideas
can flow freely across all levels of the company.
The open plan offices also help to encourage this,
as well as social interaction.
With all the shareholders still working within the
business, the ability to act on those ideas to quickly
make decisions is what enables the company to be
AUGUST 2010 11
flexible and to make innovation a daily occurrence,
not an R&D activity.
“Our flat structure and ‘in-house’ ownership means
that, as a company, we are agile and can react quickly
to adapt to trends or look at new solutions,” Fanaroff
notes. He says that timing is critical, and an essential
part of making the company’s strategy work.
“Innovation in technology is all about timing. If you
launch a solution too early it will fail, as the demand
isn’t there yet. Likewise, if you’re too late to market,
competitors will beat you to the punch,” he says. “In
this industry, you have to be quick or you’re dead.”
FORMALISING INNOVATION
Making an idea a reality certainly requires good timing,
but other factors have to be taken into account. To
make sure that no stone is left unturned, and to keep
its visionary approach central to its operations, the
company set up an innovation committee. Meeting
once every fortnight, the committee provides a
framework to keep innovation at the top of the
company’s agenda.
Having a formal committee in place means that
ideas are given due attention, with each being
researched from a technical, legal, sales and marketing
perspective. The committee also oversees the various
companies and units within Integr8, ensuring that true
synergy is gained from the expertise across the group.
“We keep our ear close to the ground to stay on
top of what’s happening in the wider industry and
determine if it would be beneficial for our clients,”
explains Fanaroff.
“We don’t just talk technology, we talk business,” he
adds. There are two elements to this, Fanaroff says. “Once
we understand the trend or client need, we research
what solutions already exist in the wider market and
whether, with our own customisation, they will meet the
requirements. If there is nothing suitable we consider
whether to develop something ourselves,” he says.
“Following our tried and tested process we
research and understand the cost, demand and
other implications,” says Fanaroff. “Before we take the
solution to clients we trial it in our own environment,
making certain that it works as it’s supposed to. We
continuously invest in infrastructure and technology
and use what we sell.”
“Our research also requires us to assess whether
something that works abroad will translate to the
local market,” Sussman says. “Would it work in the
South African market? Is there demand for it? Will the
available infrastructure support it? Can we adapt it to
meet local requirements?” he asks.
Integr8 - special focus
He adds that the group also looks at whether its
original solutions can be marketed outside South
Africa, something it does when a suitable solution
comes around.
Among a host of globally recognised innovative
solutions the company has conceptualised and
developed, is its multi-million rand, high-tech digital
central nervous system, known as the Nerve Centre®.
The Nerve Centre is the digital nucleus of Integr8’s
service offerings and hosts a hybrid of technology,
technical skills, support and customised outsource
services for its clients who are permanently connected.
Integr8’s innovative approach has received
recognition beyond its market success. From
winning the National Business awards’ ‘Innovation
through technology’ award, as well as the ICT
African Achiever award for The Most Innovative ICT
Company in Africa for the last two successive years,
and Legatum bestowing the ‘Innovation in Africa’
award. The company has also been recognised for
“In this industry, you have to be
quick or you’re dead.”
LANCE FANAROFF
its entrepreneurship, with its joint CEOs leading the
way for South Africa. Awards handed to Sussman
and Fanaroff for their pioneering spirit include the
Absa ‘Entrepreneur of the year’, Ernst & Young’s
‘Entrepreneur of the year’, and National Business
Awards’ ‘Entrepreneur of the year’.
In the world of technology, with the likes of Mark
Zuckerburg at Facebook and the Google Guys (Larry
Page and Sergey Brin), showing that innovation is key
to progress it is reassuring to see that South Africa is
also being well represented. To return to the words of
another chief innovator, Steve Jobs: “Innovation has
nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have.
It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have,
how you’re led, and how much you get it.”
It’s clear that Integr8 invests its time, money,
processes and people to make sure its solutions and
approach are pioneering, and as Jobs says, most
importantly, from the top down they do get what it
takes be innovative.
AUGUST 2010 13