Global software and solutions company DVT has announced a new systems integration partnership with data and AI specialist and pioneer of the data lakehouse paradigm, Databricks. The partnership will see DVT rapidly growing a team of certified Databricks engineers, integrators and skilled specialists to serve the demand for integrated Databricks solutions in South Africa, Africa, and further afield.

“The Databricks relationship was born of our longstanding, extensive and highly successful relationship with Microsoft, and was initiated by Databricks through DVT’s European office in Ireland,” says Damian Potter, Executive Head: Development, Data and Solutions, DVT. 

“DVT’s expansion has made us front-of-mind for many large global organisations that can see the value of our working model and level of expertise we bring to foreign markets, and understand the benefit of working with us to grow their solutions portfolio and augment their resources in South Africa and the rest of Africa,” says Potter.  

“This partnership has been embraced by the Databricks EMEA leadership, and we aim to not only build up a solid competency for Africa, but also support our Middle East expansion plans by leveraging the Databricks partnership to aid our growth in this region.”

Potter says DVT is already aggressively looking for the best possible skills to fill the positions of Databricks Practice Lead, and to build out the team with skilled individuals that already have the necessary Databricks skills, or the aptitude to quickly skill up for the role.

“As part of our focus on recruitment and staff development, we’re going to put new Databricks team members on a rapid learning path, which will not only benefit our existing clients, but also help our staff advance their careers and qualifications,” he says. 

“Working with Databricks will give us enhanced data capabilities for our service offerings through the company’s Data Lakehouse Platform, which ties in with our ongoing focus on machine learning, artificial intelligence, blockchain solutions and data science, and gives us the necessary skills, resources and support from a global leader in this technology.” 

The Databricks Lakehouse Platform presents a unified approach that eliminates data silos in data engineering, analytics, BI, data science and machine learning. It uses open source and open standards to maximise flexibility and help companies operate more efficiently and innovate faster.  

Databricks is used by more than 9,000 organisations worldwide – including Comcast, Condé Nast, and more than half of Fortune 500 companies. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe.