SA Businesses Battling Data Abuse And Bill Shocks – Startups Collaborate To Solve
SA businesses are being dealt a double blow as employees use work devices to access data-heavy platforms, then face bill shocks on top of reduced employee productivity.
Tech startup YBuy, which is owned by JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms Group, has collaborated with Mint Solutions to combat the problem.
Says Grant Defries, CEO of YBuy, “Internet service providers are incentivised to drive up data usage and the practice of invoicing retrospectively makes it difficult to predict future data requirements. Organisations are getting massive bills at month-end or running out of data mid-month due to staff accessing unauthorised, data-heavy platforms like Netflix on work devices.”
“SA’s cost per megabyte of data is one of the highest in the world and out-of-bundle rates are exorbitant, putting companies at severe risk of data abuse. Our clients need help to reduce employee distractions and support for optimal management of their business applications.”
YBuy specialises in rental packages of mobile devices and identified the need for data and device management for businesses to drive cost-savings and optimise digital efficiencies.
They partnered with Mint Solutions which offers a mobility management solution for organisations that need to manage mobile or IoT assets, data consumption, device security and user productivity. The collaboration implements greater controls through analytical monitoring to reduce bill shock and increase uptime.
“This solution could work for any business reliant on an enterprise app to deliver its product or service – a courier company that uses an internal app for customer location routing, a security company that depends on real-time security alerts or an online retailer whose timely delivery fulfilment hinges on this kind of platform.
“If the device running that essential application is faulty or runs out of data, the app cannot function and the employee cannot do his job effectively. The downtime can result in delays in order fulfilment which can lead to loss of business,” says Danielle Afriat, director at Mint Solutions.
This partnership leverages the expertise of both brands’ parent companies, Blue Label Telecoms Group and Trackmatic, delivering a solution that optimises the mobile ecosystem of a business.
Procurement decisions
Procurement decisions, just like data management, can significantly affect the viability and profitability of businesses. “Smart procurement decisions on staff mobile devices and data packages can have drastic cost and operational implications for an organisation. Procuring business devices on a rental contract alleviates upfront operational expenses and gives you flexibility to change your package as your needs shift,” says Defries.
Rental savings
YBuy’s rental model offers a cost saving of approximately 25% of the cost of purchasing and removes the hassle of devices. This frees up significant cashflow, with YBuy’s offerings including repairs and insurance; they also offer customers surplus devices to replace faulty or lost devices.
Devices are restricted or ‘locked down’ so that users are only able to access core business applications. Unlimited data supply is offered to ensure constant connectivity, the lifeblood of businesses reliant on these platforms.
For more information: https://ybuy.co.za/integrated-mobility-solutions/
