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Africa’s growing influence in the global technology space is becoming harder to ignore, and one Johannesburg founded company is now stepping onto a much larger stage.
Cloud23, which began as a local startup, has grown into a 235 person enterprise software advisory firm operating across Africa and beyond. That journey has now led to a collaboration agreement with Andersen Consulting, one of the world’s largest independent technology advisory platforms with member firms across 120 countries.
The collaboration reflects a broader shift taking place across the continent. African expertise in enterprise technology, cloud systems, and artificial intelligence is increasingly being recognised on the global stage.
Andersen Consulting provides strategy, business transformation, and technology consulting services to Fortune 500 companies and global enterprises. The firm’s decision to collaborate with Cloud23 signals recognition that African enterprise technology expertise has become exportable.
Through the collaboration, Andersen gains proven execution capability in complex and high growth markets, while Cloud23 retains full independence and its BEE Level 1 status while gaining access to global client relationships.
Driving Operations and Efficiency
Cloud23 helps large organisations maximise value from enterprise technology investments across CRM, integration, cloud, and custom platforms.
The firm counts Standard Bank, Capitec Business Bank, Absa, Stanbic Bank across multiple African markets, Stanlib, and Standard Bank Mauritius among its anchor clients.
According to the KPMG 2025 Africa CEO Outlook Survey, 71 percent of African CEOs are investing in artificial intelligence and talent to drive growth and resilience. This reflects growing enterprise demand for technology solutions across the continent.
Enterprise software advisory plays an important role because the benefits of large scale technology investments can be substantial when implemented correctly. However, these projects require proven expertise to deliver the expected outcomes.
Retail chain Spar is currently recovering from a challenging SAP enterprise resource planning implementation that cost the company R1.6 billion, demonstrating why execution capability is critical for large scale digital transformation.
When implemented properly, enterprise software centralises data, automates processes, and delivers real time insights. This allows organisations to make faster decisions and operate more efficiently.
Cloud23 combines deep technical expertise with hands on implementation experience to ensure clients capture these benefits.
Industry Leadership
The company holds a record number of industry accreditations and awards, including top tier partner status with leading technology platforms.
Cloud23 services are on average 40 percent more affordable than traditional players, delivering global capability while maintaining local cost structures.
“Most global firms lead with strategy and struggle with execution here,” said Ram Ramakrishnan, Cloud23 founder and CEO.
“We built our practice the opposite way. Prove you can make the technology work in complex environments, then scale the thinking. Our job is to ensure clients get the benefits without the pitfalls.”
Cloud23 is always hiring and strongly believes in African talent. The company recruits and develops skills locally, demonstrating that world class enterprise technology capability can be built on the continent.
“We don’t import capability,” Ram said. “We build it. African talent trained on African challenges delivers solutions that work anywhere.”
While Cloud23 remains primarily an advisory and implementation partner, the company now also delivers custom enterprise software solutions and proprietary technology products such as Fallon AI to maximise client value.
The AI Opportunity
Fallon illustrates this approach.
Originally developed as an internal tool using Salesforce Agentforce, Fallon functions as an AI Chief Revenue Officer integrated across business systems.
After proving the concept internally, Cloud23 made Fallon available to clients. The platform is now deployed for select enterprises, with two clients already signed and implementations underway.
“Clients don’t just need advice on what technology to buy,” said Ram.
“They need solutions that actually work. But we never lose sight of who we are. First and foremost, we are advisors and implementation partners.”
Ahead of World Entrepreneurship Day on 16 April, Cloud23 represents a strong example of South African innovation with growing global reach.
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