Derived from the line which appears on the horizon of the earth at dawn,
our name encapsulates an ethos of foresight and optimism.
Managed IT and Cloud Service Consultancy and Microsoft Surface Authorized Reseller
Crimson Line is a top tier Managed Microsoft Partner utilizing our 21+ years of experience with products from Microsoft to give you better IT solutions than you thought possible. In 2020, Crimson Line was one of the first companies in South Africa to be recognized as a Microsoft Surface Authorized Reseller giving South African business devices that are optimally designed to get the most from Microsoft software.
Our Solutions
Proven formula to start using Microsoft Cloud
Microsoft Cloud, through Office 365 or Microsoft 365 (Modern Workplace), offers you an effortless way to:
Using our proven formula, we’ve helped many businesses transition to Microsoft Cloud. We have extensive experience with change management and the migration of companies with 5 to 1000 employees.
Make use of our free assessment to gain insight into:
We work at a pace you’re comfortable with, as we’re aware that, for some, change involving technology isn’t welcomed.
Speak to our new business development manager about your unique needs.
Overcome power cuts and buying of hardware under pressure
The implementation of Crimson Line’s Disaster Recovery
as a Service to mitigate your risk against:
Crimson Line can provide you with 24/7 available DR that you only pay for when you need it. You can switch your DR on:
Only pay for this extra set of hardware, that’s already set up to your specification, when it’s switched on.
“By using Crimson Line’s DRaaS, we’ve improved our disaster preparedness while reducing DR-related work.” Daniël de Kock, CIO, redPanda Software
Speak to one of our friendly account managers to answer our questions to allow us to customize an offer for you.
Getting more from an app you’re already using and paying for
Your company is already using Office or Microsoft 365. Included in the monthly subscription is an app called Microsoft Teams. You might even be using Teams already, but its use has been a process of organic discovery where you’ve managed to use some of the functions. Microsoft touts Teams as a productivity app. Crimson Line can help your company use it to your advantage over your competition to:
We do this by short, 30 minute training sessions via Teams. Sessions are curated by Crimson Line’s Microsoft certified instructors to suit the needs of each group.
“We thought we were heavy users of Teams, until we attended Crimson Line’s curated training sessions. It was astounding to see how many features we weren’t using and how we were using the app incorrectly.” Gareth Hawkey, CEO, redPanda Software
Speak to one of our friendly account managers to answer our questions to allow us to customize an offer for you.
Using one integrated communication tool including calling
On-prem PBX calling is tied to a desk phone with call forwarding from desk to cell phone or a new call to a cell phone incurring another cost. The rate of first-time answers to a desk phone is only good when the workforce is at their desks. But with no Microsoft Teams calling plans available in South Africa, what is your alternative?
Crimson Line, Linux PBX and MS Teams specialists, offers you a simplified communication system with unified calling, chat and meetings using Microsoft Teams. This 100% cloud-based subscription service connects office and remote employees to anyone with a phone number.
The impact of using Teams calling from Crimson Line means that:
Do you best work with simplified telephony in the cloud.
“All our communication is done through one platform. Our employees no longer give out their personal cell numbers for anyone to reach them and it negates the reconciliation of calling costs at month end completely.” Finance Manager at Law practice
Speak to one of our friendly account managers to answer our questions to allow us to customize an offer for you.
Fully managed devices, accessories, software and IT support with no CAPEX investment.
Employees rely on tech to get their jobs done and want access to the best and most efficient tools. The pressure on CAPEX spend only increases with the fast paste at which new technology becomes obsolete. But if you continue using old hardware you’ll have to agree with 63% of commercial IT managers who say that their resources are drained by device management.
Crimson Line’s Device as a Service offers you fully managed devices, accessories, software and IT support with no CAPEX investment. Get the device and software combination that’s ideal for each user to prevent over or under investment and see a reduction of 64% in unplanned device management.
For one monthly service fee Crimson Line’s DaaS will allow you to:
85% of IT decision makers have no formal process for helping identify the right device/software combination for their workforce. Crimson Line’s DaaS is the answer.
Speak to one of our friendly account managers to answer our questions to allow us to customize an offer for you.
Meetings need to be office and remote workforce friendly
The workplace is more team-based and mobile-friendly than ever. Meetings need to be office and remote workforce friendly. You don’t want to spend CAPEX on new hardware or have the in-house expertise to spec and deploy Teams Rooms’ equipment.
Crimson Line can spec and deploy tested equipment to turn any room into a Teams Room ensuring integration with existing AV equipment. Purchase hardware with Device as a Service to avoid spending any CAPEX. Work like you’re all in one place.
Ensure your company has inclusive meetings regardless of where participants are with Crimson Line’s Microsoft Teams Rooms offer that gives you:
Team Rooms categories are small, medium, and boardroom.
Consistent user experience in all your meeting rooms improves user uptake, productivity, and collaboration.
Speak to one of our friendly account managers to answer our questions to allow us to customize an offer for you.
Managed IT support where we don’t learn on the job, and if we do it’s not your problem
You could use the break-fix method at an ad hoc hourly rate for IT support but then the risk lies with you when a problem occurs. Traditional estimated hourly Service Level Agreements will give you a way to forecast your monthly IT support cost, but should your hours run out, the risk again lies with you.
Allow Crimson Line to manage all your devices at a monthly fee where it’s in both parties’ best interest to ensure your IT environment is healthy, optimized, and functional. This also allows us to be proactive in the management of your IT environment giving our Microsoft certified engineers the chance to be solution-givers rather than the traditional problem-solvers.
Crimson Line’s managed IT support:
Speak to one of our friendly account managers to answer our questions to allow us to customize an offer for you.
Having been established in 1998 we can share a multitude of solutions we’ve given clients. Here’s a short summary of what we’ve done in the last couple of years.
AZURE over AWS for South Africa’s largest fabric company
With the addition of new product lines to an already successful fabric business, Hertex outgrew its aging ERP system. Operating from multiple showrooms nationwide, logistics became a nightmare when stock levels couldn’t be monitored accurately in real-time. Azure was selected to take their new ERP system to the cloud and has resulted in significant CapEx savings. Training of end-users to drive adoption has resulted in the successful use of cloud technology.
Delivering the experience loved by all, security, and the flexibility to work from anywhere at any time on Device as a Service from Crimson Line
Microsoft 365 and the Surface device range are the perfect combinations to meet your needs. Used for work or personal the two work perfectly together creating the ideal ecosystem. And with Crimson Line’s Device as a Service offering, your business gets hardware, software, support, insurance, 3-year warranty and end-of-life asset management services are all packaged together in one monthly fee negating capital expenditure.
The Surface family delivers the perfect balance of style, performance, and battery life at an affordable price. Combine the Surface with the latest Microsoft software, you are guaranteed to have a powerful tool in your hands perfect for every professional environment.
According to Forrester’s research, Microsoft 365 and Surface devices give users up to 5 hours in weekly productivity gains with up to 9 hours saved per week for highly mobile workers. Also, the research found that 75% agreed that their employees were extremely satisfied with Microsoft 365 and Surface devices.
For smaller spaces and quick huddles, Surface Hub 2S 50” is a perfect fit with the Surface Hub 2 Camera,5 integrated far-field mics and crystal-clear speakers.
Surface Laptop Go has a gorgeous 12.4” PixelSense touchscreen display, a large precision trackpad, and a full-size keyboard with 1.3mm key travel for an accurate and comfortable typing experience. The sleek, streamlined design comes in three durable and lightweight metal finishes: Ice Blue, Sandstone, and Platinum.
Work on a bigger touchscreen display in the same compact size. The lightest Surface 2-in-1 still starts at just 0.5 Kg, but now has a bigger 10.5” display with improved 220 ppi resolution. Surface Go 2 features either Pentium processors or a newly introduced 8th Gen Intel® Core™ m3 Processor option, which is faster than previous generations.
Surface Laptop 3 is a classy and modern-looking notebook made of premium materials. Surface Laptop 3 features an all-aluminum chassis, a large 13.5-inch or 15-inch display, Intel 10th Gen or AMD Ryzen processors for extra power, and great battery life.
Performance meets versatility in our most powerful Surface laptop yet. Speed, graphics and long battery life pair with the flexibility of a robust laptop, processor-powered tablet and portable studio.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 can handle your most demanding workday with ease. The Pro 7 is a tablet PC with a 12.3″ touchscreen and has an Intel Core 5 processor. It is designed for portability and has a battery with an expected life of 10.5 hours. This tablet comes with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. It has 16GB of memory and an internal SSD with 256 GB of storage space.
Pro X is perfect for customers who need more power. It easily transforms from a thin laptop to a powerful tablet, to a portable studio. It has the fastest processor in its class – and a new Platinum finish. Microsoft will also be introducing three new colors for the Signature Keyboard: Platinum, Ice Blue, and Poppy Red, all with the same built-in storage and wireless charging for the Surface Slim Pen.
Turn any room into an inclusive collaboration space.
Give everyone a place at the table, no matter where they sit, with Microsoft Teams Rooms
Microsoft Teams Rooms are purpose-built calling and meeting room solutions that deliver a native Microsoft Teams experience with HD audio and video, on Teams-certified hardware from Microsoft and Microsoft partners (Microsoft Surface Hub, Logitech and Yealink). Teams Rooms deliver consistent, intuitive, and inclusive meeting experiences.
The Teams Rooms experience is available on select modular, integrated, or all-in-one Teams-certified devices. Modular solutions consist of a touch-panel control in the center of the room that allows you to manage the meeting without leaving your seat. These solutions can pair with certified A/V peripherals enabling customizable configurations that scale to any room size. Integrated solutions are designed for smaller spaces and bring together the speakers, microphones, camera, and computer into a single device that can be mounted on any display. Microsoft certifies hardware and peripherals from industry-leading device manufacturers for use with Microsoft Teams, to ensure reliable, high-quality audio and video experiences.
In 2017 we took the decision to focus on the Microsoft product suite as Microsoft is best suited to deploy hybrid cloud environment; while their focus on productivity allows their customers to achieve more.
Our core values will give you insight into what’s important to us and how we deliver service and solutions.
Crimson Line was founded by Louis Koen in 1998 and has branches in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
With 21 years of experience dealing with a variety of:
applications,
networks,
operating systems (including Linux); and
company sizes,
you can be sure that we’re capable to competently meet, and exceed your expectations.
We believe in continuous education.
We believe in continuous education to constantly offer our clients the best solutions available. We do this while we consider their current infrastructure as well as future needs.
Keeping abreast of Microsoft licensing.
One area of particular interest to us is ensuring we keep abreast of Microsoft licensing. This allows us to advise on the most economical purchases. Keep in mind that we’re huge Linux fans!
Crimson Line understands our role in your success.
We take our work very seriously and prefer to keep clients, than look for new ones!
Microsoft competencies
Gold Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions
Gold Cloud Productivity
Gold Cloud Platform
Gold Datacentre
Gold Data Platform
Silver Collaboration and Content
Silver Application Integration
Silver Project and Portfolio Management
Silver Windows and Devices
AEP Authorized Education Gold Partner
MCT Microsoft Certified Trainer
