Dimension Data received the following awards: Cisco Gold Partner of the Year, Systems Integrator of the Year, IP Communications Partner of the Year, Security Partner of the Year, as well as Cisco Product Champion of the Year.

"The past year has been a tremendously successful year with Cisco. We are continuously striving to strengthen this relationship and this year's awards bear testimony to our commitment in delivering advanced Cisco solutions to the sub-Saharan Africa market," says Allan Cawood, CEO, Dimension Data SA.

Gold Partner of the Year 2004

A Cisco Gold Partner for a decade, Dimension Data was again re-certified at this year's Partner Summit. Cisco Gold Partners are recognised and rewarded for having a team of trained individuals who are highly experienced in designing, implementing and supporting Cisco solutions.

"Dimension Data has yielded incredible results over the past year, by achieving 149% of its Cisco target, as well as growing its Cisco business by 52% year-on-year.

These figures speak for themselves and are an indication of Dimension Data's commitment to its Cisco relationship in the sub-Saharan African market," says George Atrash, channel manager for Cisco Systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

Systems Integrator of the Year 2004

The Systems Integrator of the Year award went to Dimension Data for its overall performance and achieving 52% year-on-year growth.

Dimension Data has the largest number of Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts (CCIEs) in sub-Saharan Africa, and is recognised as a leader in the adoption of Cisco Advanced Technologies. The Cisco Advanced Technology Programme is designed to introduce new technologies to market.

IP Communications Partner of the Year 2004

The Cisco IP Communications Partner of the Year award recognises Dimension Data's focused efforts in driving Cisco IP Communications within the sub-Saharan Africa market. As Cisco Systems' largest IP Telephony Partner (IPT) worldwide, Dimension Data has concluded various strategic IPT deals during 2004.

IP Communications remain a key focus area for Dimension Data, and, with continued investments in staff training, it is able to consistently demonstrate business value across customers' IP infrastructures.

Security Partner of the Year 2004

Dimension Data received the Cisco Security Partner of the Year award for closing a number of key security deals throughout the past year. Security remains a core focus area for Dimension Data, and its newly acquired status strengthens its position in assisting enterprise customers in the deployment of advanced security solutions.

Product Champion of the Year 2004

The fifth award was presented to Tony Munro, Dimension Data's Cisco alliance manager. The Cisco Product Champion of the Year award is presented to an individual in recognition of the role that he/she played in the success of the company's Cisco business.

Munro has consistently demonstrated his commitment to furthering the Dimension Data/Cisco relationship.
"The entire Dimension Data team has been instrumental in achieving these outstanding results. We look forward to the year ahead as we intend to further strengthen our longstanding relationship with Cisco, and, in so doing, consistently deliver the highest level of service and technical competence to our customers," concludes Cawood.