SA-based smart technology solutions provider Jasco's channel business has launched an online self-service partner portal for its geographically dispersed channel partners and end-user customers.

According to the company the portal can be used to access webinars for product training, online micro-courses, as well as the leverage the ability to design and build solutions, create quotes and download updates.

"Portal users will be able to engage with Jasco through the platform to place orders, liaise with sales teams and solutions architects, log faults and otherwise communicate, " the company stated.

Cedric Boltman, Executive: Channel, Jasco Enterprise said, "I think this is an important facility for us to support partners that are geographically dispersed all over the world as we are growing the global partner base. It allows us to really, from Africa, support global partners who don't really have the ability to walk into the front and meet on an eyeball-to-eyeball basis."

The Jasco Group has a national footprint across SA and has an office in Kenya to service the East Africa region and an office in Dubai to service the Middle East-Northern Africa (MENA) region. It also trades in many sub-Saharan African countries, with a special focus on the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Greg Nicholas, manager: Special Projects at Jasco Enterprise said not only will channel partners be able to have full insight into their performance, but this will also free up time for Jasco's channel managers "who typically need to follow up manually on sales progress, target chasing and lead generation."

Boltman added "A lot of our partners are based in the SADEC region, so we have to explain to them that we don't have a lot of automated basis to do all kinds of tasks. In that sense, we had to build the portal in a simple and localised way, as an African solution that is innovative and can also serve channel partners in the first world."

In May last year, the company introduced its carrier solutions offering into the East African market, rolling out from its office in Kenya which opened in April 2015.

In November, Jasco also announced an acquisition of a 51% share in SA-based IT services provider Reflex Solutions to enhance its offering within the blue-chip corporate market.