Business

As recently as a decade ago, end-to- end ICT service providers, or so-called systems integrators, were booming. At Altron, one of the largest traditional system integrators in the country, revenue from its system integration (SI) and professional services unit within Altron Digital Business has been flat – at around R1.3bn – for the last three years. The SI component of this is typically around R1bn. In 2015, the then Systems Integrations Group (previously Bytes SI) reported revenue of R1.7bn, and in its heyday around two decades ago, this number was well over R2bn.

At Telkom’s BCX, application solution services revenue grew by just 2% in the last financial year. It’s tough to see exactly how well iOCO is faring in this segment, as its connected industrial ecosystems unit comprises a lot more than just systems integration. Still, it’s hard to imagine it performing any better than its peers.