Africa was already on the road to digital transformation when COVID-19 hit. Government mandated lock-downs saw many private and public organisations having to quickly transition to remote working environments to maintain a semblance of “business as usual”. The pandemic forced companies across the African continent to re-imagine the way they do business; rethink their digital transformation status; and fast-track already-laid plans.
Why transitioning to digital and embracing cloud is important for Africa right now
Digital technologies have assisted many countries in Africa to fight COVID-19 and they offer solutions as businesses and countries attempt to rebuild after the huge economic toll the pandemic has taken. On the continent, mobile money applications have reduced physical contact and thus transmission of the disease, triage tools help users to self-assess their coronavirus risk category and telework has allowed for continued business operations. Digital platforms have enabled governments to talk to people, the healthcare sector to provide better care and students to continue learning in safe online environments. Local food providers have also been able to continue to take orders online and deliver safely to people’s homes.
Increased demand for cloud services
In May, a World Bank blog revealed that countries with wider internet access and safer internet servers tend to have better infrastructure (such as energy and transport), stronger governance and human development (such as health, nutrition and social protection) to cope with pandemics. The sub-Saharan region is however often-hampered by infrastructural challenges such as less reliable internet connectivity and unstable electricity supply.
Data centres have played a critical role during the pandemic and will continue to do so going forward. Analysts estimate over 70 percent of organisations in Africa will shift to the cloud by 2025, with South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, and Nigeria leading the move to a more digitally-driven economy. The financial, manufacturing and healthcare sectors are driving the increased levels of adoption and demand.
Data centres have been in high demand. For businesses who are exploring new digital growth; implementing new ways of working; and who want to leverage the power of data and technology — transitioning to private, public, or hybrid cloud services provides a path to greater agility and productivity; a more direct relationship with their customers and a reduction in operating costs as they move from a Capex to Opex model.
Not all data centres are created equal, however, there is a need to carefully assess the available options when it comes to where they store their business-critical data. High levels of security, redundancy, reliable power, disaster recovery, operational excellence, the ability to scale up and down and the variety of managed services offered, are of particular importance to organisations transitioning to cloud.
A truly Pan-African offering
Africa Data Centres is Africa’s largest network of interconnected carrier and cloud-neutral data facilities with a combined potential of 19,000 square metres of rack space and 78 MW of power. Over 50 leading carriers are already using our facilities, which are also home to major internet exchanges, such as Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX), Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX) and Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP).
Our data centres in Midrand, Samrand, Cape Town, Kigali, Nairobi and Harare are designed, purpose-built and operated to the highest standards demanded by today’s leading cloud providers, carriers and enterprises – providing your business with peace of mind, regardless of the scale of requirement. The physical and digital security of your data and transactional computer processing remain front-of-mind from the physical layer up. Africa Data Centres are ISO 27001 certified and PCI DSS compliant.
Africa Data Centres brings global skills to local markets and are a trusted partner for rapid and secure data centre services and interconnections across the African continent. The host of local carriers and the highest number of international carriers, cloud and content providers physically connected to or located at our facilities ensures that whatever network services you require are readily available. All Africa Data Centres are interconnected to facilitate redundancy and ease concerns about disaster recovery, and we are connected to the rest of the world by the strongest local and regional carriers in Africa.
Africa Data Centres’ Tier IV facility in Samrand, Johannesburg, is the only one of its kind in Africa. With a unique configuration of total redundancy of all power and cooling equipment and unparalleled physical security and our centre in Nairobi is currently the largest outside of South Africa.
Africa Data Centres offers a range of managed hosting and colocation services to support your business-critical data, applications and back-end systems. Colocation services offer a cost-effective way for your business to host all its critical IT and communication infrastructure, reducing your CAPEX and maintenance spend considerably. Our scalable and secure services are ready to meet all your business needs in the digital future. In addition to these services, we offer Cross Connect, Business Continuity Services and Remote Hands Support to our customers and our experienced and knowledgeable support staff are on hand 24/7 to assist with any emergency, or planned maintenance that your business might require.
In 2020, Africa Data Centres joined the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Centre program, which will enable organisations across a wide range of vertical markets to adopt locally hosted NVIDIA DGX systems for AI and data analytics. This means that Africa Data Centres’ customers will benefit from lowered costs and greater control as they accelerate their digital transformation.
Continually investing in Africa’s future
We understand the challenges of operating across Africa. We are Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities, providing the foundation for your company’s digital transformation. Bringing global skills to local markets. We are your trusted partner for rapid and secure data centre services and interconnections across the African continent.
We are strategically located at major regional trade hubs, our world-class facilities provide a home for all your business-critical data and access to a centre of leading cloud providers, carriers and enterprises. Proudly African, we are dedicated to driving digital innovation for the benefit of everybody.
