INDUSTRY WATCH
THE UNITS ARE EASY TO USE , WITH GPS LOCATION TRACKING IN REAL-TIME AND PROVIDE EXCELLENT COVERAGE , EVEN IN OUTLYING AREAS .
The South African National Blood Service ( SANBS ), a not-for-profit organisation providing an essential service within South Africa , has renewed an agreement with hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider , Datacentrix to provide a bespoke Wi-Fi solution for its mobile clinics .
The 2018 initial requirement of SANBS , which operates across South Africa with the exclusion of the Western Cape , was to provide donors visiting its mobile clinics with the same experience as those calling in at its fixed sites . And this , according to Amit Singh , Senior Manager : Service Delivery at SANBS , includes the availability of free Wi-Fi .
“ We had very specific prerequisites for these mobile Wi-Fi units , which seemed like quite a tall order ,” explained Singh . “ They needed to be rugged units that could be moved around from clinic to clinic and would not easily be damaged when in transit . We wanted them to be theft and tamper-proof , provide 10 hours of battery life and , beyond this , they also needed to be portable enough for our employees to easily carry , transport and set up the units . network communication services , adde Frederik van Staden , Senior Consultant : WAN and ISP Services at Datacentrix company , eNetworks , an ISP and network specialist . “ The units are easy to use , with GPS location tracking in real-time and provide excellent coverage , even in outlying areas . As a vendor-agnostic partner , eNetworks was able to look at where SANBS ’ mobile clinics were situated and plan for the best LTE coverage . As part of the service , SANBS has access to an online portal , which provides insights on traffic as well as how and where data is being consumed .”
“ By opting for Datacentrix ’ mobile-as-a-service option , SANBS has been provided with an innovative solution with no requirement for capital outlay , a 24- hour service level agreement ( SLA ), as well as annual refurbishment of the equipment ,” Van Staden said .
After a successful pilot phase , with positive feedback received from donors , SANBS rolled out 20 primary Wi-Fi units , followed by a further 10 devices . The
“ Datacentrix won the initial tender by meeting all of SANBS ’ requirements , with the organisation going the extra mile of building a bespoke solution to achieve this .”
The business outcome was a robust mobile Wi-Fi solution , commented Savan Marimuthu , Senior Account Manager , Datacentrix . “ The units were specially customised for SANBS , ticking all of the boxes . Built using military-grade material , they are waterproof , extremely compact , weighing in at just 4.5 kilograms and have a long-life battery .”
In addition , they come fitted with general packet radio service ( GPRS ) protocol for wireless and cellular
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