CASE STUDY
M
iX – whose South African office is
in Midrand – is a leading global
provider of fleet and mobile
asset management solutions delivered as
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Their range of
solutions and services is sold in more than
120 countries with over 750, 000 subscribers.
The company’s products and services
provide enterprise fleets, small fleets
and consumers with solutions for safety,
efficiency, compliance and security. These
solutions rely on telematics devices to collect
and transmit data to the MiX Telematics
data centres across the globe.
“The fleet manager can rely on a specialised
telematics service provider with a reliable,
secure and efficient data centre that is
accessible from anywhere through the
MiX Fleet Manager online platform,” said
Gert Pretorius, Managing Director of MiX
Telematics Africa.
“The service provider is also responsible for
updating the software. This means the fleet
operator has access to the latest software
version as soon as it becomes available without
having to update the software themselves.
“The benefits of using cloud-based fleet
management software mean the fleet
manager can rely on a service provider with
a reliable, secure and efficient data centre
that is accessible from anywhere through a
web browser.
“SaaS removes the dependency on
individuals or tools such as Excel – no point
of failure.
“The web-based browser access also means
that if personnel changes, it is quick and
easy to get a new employee onto the
system, and minimal training is necessary. Of
course, because it’s web-based, the system
is available anywhere, anytime – even if
the client’s own systems are down or its
premises are not accessible.”
A vast number of smart devices, including
in-vehicle telematics devices, connect to
the Internet via the GSM [mobile] networks
and each one requires a SIM card in order
to transmit data – creating a significant
management challenge. With several
CLARITY IS HELPING US TO DRIVE
DOWN COSTS WHILE DELIVERING A
BETTER AND MORE COST-EFFECTIVE
SERVICE TO OUR CLIENTS.
control and manage the vast number of SIM
cards in its heterogeneous environment.
“The solution was what we refer to as ‘the
power of knowing’ – essentially a way to
integrate all the data into a single software
platform where it can be analysed in
order to provide real, meaningful business
intelligence for the client,” he said.
Apex BI deployed its proprietary
telecommunications expense management
platform, Clarity, which aggregates the data
from the total universe of MiX Telematics SIM
cards – issued by a number of different mobile
network providers across the continent.
The platform helped to eliminate manual
processing of information and made the
automated analysis of this information
attainable in order to provide critical
operational and financial insights.
Clarity makes it possible to implement smart
rules – in terms of voice, data and SMS
usage – for different customers according to
their specific operational needs. In addition,
MiX Telematics has a more efficient system
to consolidate and process on-billing charges
to the client.
“It became challenging to efficiently monitor
and control the vast (and increasing)
number of SIM cards with manual
processes,” said Pretorius.
“Before adopting Clarity, it was a challenge
to efficiently monitor and control the
vast number of SIM cards with manual
processes,” said Pretorius.
“MiX reviewed various solutions available
internally and externally over a few months
before deciding on Apex BI as a supplier.
Apex BI produced a proof of concept
that highlighted multiple opportunities to
create a more efficient environment and
outlined long-term benefits for both internal
stakeholders and customers.”
Some of the benefits of the Clarity include:
hundred thousand SIM cards in use across
Africa, MiX Telematics found itself at the
sharp end of IoT long before the term was
even invented.
According to Regan Erasmus, Operations
Director, Apex BI, MiX Telematics Africa
wanted a platform to efficiently monitor,
www.intelligentcio.com
• Automated assignment of metadata to
individual SIMs to enable better, quicker
decision-making. The metadata includes
customer information and information
from our internal ERP systems. This means
that MiX can respond much more quickly
to any anomalies in cost or consumption,
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