Asia PR News

SINGAPORE, May 31 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

Datacraft, the region’s leading independent IT solutions and services
company, has signed an agreement to help a leading provider of microcontrollers
and analog semiconductors, Microchip Technology, keep its network for its Asian
production lines running smoothly.

The chipmaker is making use of Datacraft’s Uptime powered by Cisco Services
to support and maintain its Thai network. Originally designed for local
connectivity, the network in Thailand is now linked to its corporate network in
the US and also controls the production line in Thailand. Microchip is relying
on Datacraft to minimise the likelihood and impact of unplanned network
downtime that could halt production and have a serious impact on order
fulfilment.

Uptime powered by Cisco Services is a collaborative service offering
developed by the Datacraft-Cisco Global Services Alliance. By signing up for
Uptime powered by Cisco Services, Microchip will benefit from Cisco’s
industry-leading technology expertise and problem escalation to the Cisco
Technical Assistance Centre, as well as Datacraft’s enhanced service value
including robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and local language helpdesk
support. With the support of this service, Microchip can enjoy quality online
and on-site engineer support to minimise network downtime, thereby resulting in
business continuity.

"We have had a strong relationship with Datacraft since year 2001 and are
confident of their expertise and ability to deliver. Uptime powered by Cisco
Services allows us to increase our operating efficiency at a time when reducing
costs and refocusing on our core business is essential to succeed in a highly
competitive environment." said Mr. Kitti Thara, Principal Engineer, Microchip
Technology.

"This latest contract for the newly launched Uptime powered by Cisco
Services is particularly exciting because it follows an in-depth search and
evaluation exercise by Microchip to identify the most qualified Cisco Certified
Gold partners for the job," said Somchart Kahna, General Manager, Datacraft
Thailand. "Datacraft was an obvious choice — being the only system integrator
in Asia which has Cisco Gold Partner certification in all the 13 Asia Pacific
countries in which we operate."

"Microchip’s bottom line was to ensure that its business was able to
continue functioning, 24-hours a day even if there was a problem with network
equipment. They chose Uptime powered by Cisco Services partly because of our
existing six year track record and the compelling benefits offered by our
Global Services Alliance with Cisco," said Kanha.

"This is a significant evolution in our Global Services Alliance," said Dr.
Tatchapol Poshyanonoda, Managing Director, Cisco Thailand. "By utilizing
Uptime powered by Cisco Services, Microchip will have a collaborative
maintenance service offering where they get Cisco’s networking skills and
Datacraft’s systems integrator capabilities and in-depth customer knowledge.
Microchip will get the collective expertise of both companies, combining the
best of both worlds"

In addition to traditional break-fix support such as troubleshooting and
incident restoration within agreed upon service levels, Datacraft is providing
consultancy and full 24×7 coverage as well as critical hardware spare parts
which are pre-deployed and stored at Microchip’s warehouse ready for use. As
part of the SLA, Datacraft will respond to customer issues within 4 hours after
it is lodged, thus ensuring quicker resolution of IT infrastructure problems.

About Datacraft
Datacraft is the leading independent IT services and solutions company in
Asia Pacific. The company helps clients plan, build, support and manage their
IT infrastructures. Datacraft combines an expertise in networking, security,
Microsoft operating environments, storage and contact centre technologies, with
advanced skills in consulting, integration and managed services, to craft IT
solutions for businesses.

A member of the Dimension Data Group, Datacraft is listed on the main board
of the Singapore Exchange and is a component company of the Straits Times
Index. Headquartered in Singapore, Datacraft operates in more than 50 major
offices and has over 1,300 employees across 13 Asia Pacific markets. More
information can be found at http://www.datacraft-asia.com .

Esther Quah (Datacraft Asia)
Tel: +65-6322-6688
Email: esther.quah@datacraft-asia.com

Bee Kee Lim (Datacraft Asia)
Tel: +65-6322-6605
Email: bee-kee.lim@datacraft-asia.com

SOURCE Datacraft