Connect with us

E-Business

Frost & Sullivan Recognizes iSON’s Strategy of Diversification in W/African BPO Market

Published

on

ISON technology.jpg
Kindly share this post

Frost & Sullivan has recognized iSON’s strategic acquisitions, partnerships and portfolio expansion that have enabled it to outpace the competition in market.

iSON BPO, a leading Business Process Outsourcing and contact centre service provider, recognised with the  2016 West African Frost & Sullivan Award for Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership was awarded in an awards ceremony during Growth innovation and Leadership Event at The Table Bay Hotel, Capetown at the weekend.

The award is based on the recent analysis of the business process optimization (BPO) industry market by Frost & Sullivan.

The analysis revealed that iSON gave a huge boost to its market prospects by diversifying its services portfolio to cater to multiple industries.

Its operational best practices and deployment of sophisticated tools have facilitated the integration of people, process, and technology, making it the service provider of choice in the West African market.

Deepti Dhinakaran, Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, said, “iSON has started setting up operations in Tier II cities in all West African countries in which it operates as semi-urban and rural population comprises 60% to 70% of the West African population. This has allowed it to slash the cost of operations, while gaining a bigger and cheaper resource pool. The company recruits only local talent, and has a multilingual workforce that supports up to 30 languages.”

“iSON BPO’s strategies are highly customer centric, with 100% focus on customer experience management. Its multichannel customer support has enabled it to enhance service across all customer segments and lower costs,” noted Dhinakaran. “These outstanding value propositions have helped the company stand out from its competitors and position itself for greater growth.”

Receiving the Award, Mr. Ramesh Awtaney, the founder and chairman, said, “I am pleased, honored and humbled to receive the Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award by Frost and Sullivan. iSON started in 2010 and since then it has been an incredible journey of learning and leadership to grow to over 10,000 employees across 20 delivery centers. 

“It gives me immense pleasure that iSON BPO is recognized for innovation and leadership in the West African market, even as we continue to make strategic investments in chat bots, speech recognition & analytics and voice biometrics in order to offer our services to other parts of Africa and accelerating Africa’s growth through an ‘onshore’ model for offshore opportunities in Africa, for Africa by bringing IP to Work.”

iSON BPO has grown through a combination of organic and inorganic growth strategies. Its early partnership with Airtel Africa helped it gain strong foothold in the telecommunications industry, while its acquisition of Spanco Limited (SPAL), strengthened its presence in Africa and India.

It also employs Avaya’s end-to-end platforms that comprise interactive voice response (IVR), automatic call distribution, and workforce optimization for improved IVR self-service, information-on-queue status, and visibility into real-time performance.

As a result of these strategies, iSON BPO accounts for about 70% of the market share in the third-party contact centre space, with operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger.

It currently has 20 centres in 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with over 10,000 employees, while its nearest competitors have between 2,000 and 3,000 employees.

iSON BPO has invested substantially in creating world-class service delivery infrastructure, while allowing its employees to use relevant technologies that ultimately raise customer service levels. It has rolled out rigorous up-skilling initiatives to equip agents with the required skill sets to handle tasks as they move up the hierarchy.

It follows a completely process-driven methodology with global certifications such as Quality Management System (ISO (9001:2008) and Information Security Management System (ISO 27001:2013).

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has leveraged competitive intelligence to successfully execute a competitive strategy that results in stronger market share, competitive brand positioning, and customer satisfaction.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

 


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Comments

E-Business

NDPC Commits to Balancing Data Privacy, Protection Information

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), has expressed its commitment to balance information around data privacy and protection.

NDPC Commits to Balancing Data Privacy, Protection Information

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner, NDPC, stated this in Abuja, at the National Data Privacy Summit with the theme, “Privacy in the Era of Emerging Technologies,” organised by the commission.

Olatunji said the NDPC, at the moment, was looking at balancing information around data privacy and protection.

“What we are doing is just to look at how to balance information around privacy and protection, which is really important, because as we are innovating, at the same time, we have to consider issues around privacy and protection,” he stated.

He added that the commission has been very bold in taking risks that would bring about growth.

“Our starting point is growing at a very alarming rate, and we are not afraid of anything. We can take risks. And that is why a lot is happening in Nigeria, and this is the level of clarity,” he explained.

In his address, Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),  stated that Internet of Things holds promise for Nigeria’s economy.

The EVC, who was represented by Abraham Oshadami, executive commissioner, Technical Services (ECTS), noted that, “in an era in which digital assets, Internet of Things, future digital computing and other transformative technologies are key, and both a cornerstone of building trust for the adoption and a prerequisite for sustainable progress.

“Emerging technologies hold immense promise for Nigeria’s grand economy, but they also introduce complex risks to personal and individual rights.

“So, balancing innovation through post-ethical safeguards and public trust is the first step to ensuring that global digital advancement benefits all Nigerians without compromising their privacy or their security,” he added.

“As we just heard from the Nigeria Police, telecom operators have a vast amount of sensitive historical information daily, including connectivity apps and collaboration on privacy, security, and number protection, both to their and their inheritors,” he said.

Dr. Bako Shurkuk, commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Plateau State, who represented Caleb Mutfwang, Governor of Plateau State, said, emerging technologies can be harnessed to attain sustainable growth.

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

E-Business

OADC Lagos Reinforces Commitment to Local Data Hosting and Digital Transformation @ NDPC’s National Privacy Week Summit

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Open Access Data Centres (OADC) Lagos has reaffirmed its commitment to Nigeria’s data protection and digital transformation agenda through its sponsorship and active participation in the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s (NDPC) National Privacy Week Summit.

The National Privacy Week Summit, organised by the NDPC, convened policymakers, regulators, technology providers, and industry stakeholders to promote data privacy awareness, strengthen compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), and advance conversations around data security, sovereignty, and responsible data governance.

As a sponsor of the event, OADC Lagos demonstrated its continued support for the Federal Government’s drive toward local data hosting and data domiciliation, which are increasingly critical to safeguarding sensitive information, enhancing regulatory compliance, and building trust in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Through its carrier-neutral, Tier III Design certified data centre in Lekki, Lagos, OADC provides secure, resilient, and compliant infrastructure that enables government institutions and private sector organisations to host and manage data locally while meeting international best practices.

Commenting on the engagement, Adesola Adesugba, Country Marketing Manager, Open Access Data Centres Nigeria, said: “We are proud to have supported the Nigeria Data Protection Commission through the National Privacy Week Summit and to stand alongside the government in advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation objectives.

“Strengthening local data hosting and domiciliation is fundamental to national data sovereignty, improved security, and sustainable digital growth, and OADC Lagos remains committed to enabling this future.”

OADC’s participation at National Privacy Week Summit underscores its role as a trusted digital infrastructure partner to government and enterprise, supporting secure cloud connectivity, regulatory compliance, and the long-term development of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

Open Access Data Centres is part of the WIOCC Group and operates open-access, world-class data centres across Africa, serving cloud providers, network operators, enterprises, and public sector institutions.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

E-Business

Kaspersky Launches OT Calculator to Align Cybersecurity Investments with Business Goals

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Kaspersky’s new online tool has been specially developed for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs associated with insufficient operational technology (OT) security.

By offering detailed financial forecasts, the calculator empowers senior management to make well-informed decisions regarding security investments.

Industrial organisations increasingly depend on interconnected systems, elevating cybersecurity to a critical factor in business resilience and profitability.

According to VDC Research, over 60% of industrial companies last year reported that cybersecurity breaches had led to significant costs. Despite this, a persistent disconnect remains between security teams and executive leadership as security professionals focus on minimising risk, while executives must balance cybersecurity concerns with broader business objectives. This misalignment often results in competing priorities and underfunded security initiatives.

To bridge this gap, Kaspersky has launched the OT Cybersecurity Savings Calculator, an innovative online tool designed specifically for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs of inadequate operational technology (OT) security¹.

The primary aim of this tool is to translate cyber risks into tangible financial metrics and support strategic discussions around priorities and budget allocation. By entering details such as their sector, sub-sector, region, company size, breach history, and existing cybersecurity measures, organisations can estimate their potential cost savings and receive customised, actionable recommendations.

The calculator benchmarks performance against industry peers and highlights the company’s position within the current threat landscape.

“We believe this calculator is a powerful resource for transforming complex cyber risk data into straightforward financial insights. It enables OT leaders, security professionals, and executive teams to develop clear, data-driven business cases and recognise the value of cybersecurity investments. With actionable guidance, it promotes a comprehensive approach to resource management and strengthens overall organisational resilience,” comments Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product line at Kaspersky.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending