Tag: Africa Data Centres

The ongoing service disruptions in many commercial banks can be addressed by Africa Data Centres, a network of interconnected, carrier-neutral data facilities, built to global standards and exceptional uptime of 99.99999 per cent.

Speaking on the compnay’s operations, its Regional Executive, Krish Ranganath said Africa Data Centres is well-equipped to support Nigerian banks in enhancing operational efficiency.

He said:  “Our resilient infrastructure minimises service disruptions, helping banks focus on their core business while we manage the ICT environment. Our partnerships with leading financial institutions underscore the value of a reliable colocation provider in today’s digital landscape,” he said.

According to Ranganath, the company has potential to transform Nigeria’s IT landscape, enabling businesses to optimize operations and bridge infrastructure gaps.

He said the Africa data Centres’ exceprional exceptional uptime ensures continuity across all industries, positioning it as an industry leader.

“Our experienced team operates round-the-clock to support clients, offering an infrastructure that businesses can rely on to optimise their operations. We are committed to helping Nigerian businesses overcome infrastructure challenges and drive their digital transformation,” he said.

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He said that Africa Data Centres operates as an interconnected data centre ecosystem, offering inter-data centre connectivity as an added service.

“By leveraging our partner networks, we facilitate cross-border connectivity for customers. This network expansion enables seamless data flow across African markets, creating new opportunities for Nigerian businesses to extend their reach across the continent,” he said.

On how the company will integrate its colocation with other IT and cloud services in Nigeria, he said system integrators play a crucial intermediary role, bridging the gap between data centres and end-users, be it cloud providers or enterprise clients.

He said: “Given the rapid changes in technology, these partners need data centre solutions that address their current needs while anticipating future demands. By aligning our colocation services with their portfolios, we enable integrators to deliver robust, scalable, and reliable IT solutions tailored to each client’s needs.”

Ranganath, said the company’s colocation services complement its offerings by providing the high-quality infrastructure needed to meet complex client demands.

By partnering with Africa Data Centres, clients gain a reliable, resilient platform that strengthens their confidence and enables efficient operations.

“Our partnerships with system integrators are foundational to Africa Data Centres’ strategy. We offer customisable solutions and actively support partners through joint marketing initiatives and client engagements. By integrating them into our sales channel, we ensure they have the resources and flexibility needed to grow, ultimately enabling them to address the diverse needs of their clients across sectors,” he said.

He said that shifting from traditional on-premises infrastructure to colocation data centres offers substantial cost savings.

“By transforming capital expenses into operational expenses, businesses can enjoy predictable costs and avoid high investments in infrastructure. Africa Data Centres’ colocation services reduce expenditures on power, cooling, and staffing, allowing enterprises to redirect resources toward strategic investments and furthering financial efficiency,” he said.

“Africa Data Centres acts as an extended IT partner for clients, ensuring top-tier data availability and service levels. Especially in challenging economic conditions, colocation provides an ideal solution for companies looking to minimise costs. With Africa Data Centres’ services, clients reduce operational expenditures, gaining reliable infrastructure without the financial strain of building and maintaining their own facilities,” he stated.

Africa Data Centres South Africa, a pan-African technology group, says it will in the next three years, operate in 10 markets to provide data and security services for companies, including banks and other financial institutions.

Executive, Strategy and Business Operations, Africa Data Centres South Africa, Wabo Majavu, said the core services of banks is banking, while the company’s core service is to keep security intact, and data secure.

Speaking during the Leadership Agenda Summit, held in Lagos, she said the company  has offices in South Africa, Lagos, Kenya, purchased land in Morocco, Accra, as the expansion drive continues.

She said Africa should see data as a commodity that should be localised, and used to enrich businesses on the continent.

“ADC has also addressed the challenge of how to build in developing markets across Africa by standardising a modular design, enabling quick deployment, with common components. Data centre operators need to look at new and innovative ways to address some of these issues, such as using predictive analytics (AI) to accurately forecast demand and delivery. Data is critical for African Economic Development- we cannot control what we do not measure.,” she said.

“Nigeria has the highest cost per kW in all African markets where ADC operates. To accelerate the transition to green energy we need to work in partnership to ensure favourable wheeling agreements. The energy cost per kWh in ADC’s portfolio is notably the highest within the Nigerian market, further worsened by the open market dynamics in energy trade. It is crucial to thoroughly examine the pricing structure and enhance energy accessibility,” she stated.

“ADC, driven by sustainability targets, envisions the realization of these goals through unlocking various renewable energy mechanisms. A key focus involves facilitating the wheeling of renewable energy to data centers, requiring collaborative efforts from both the state and industry stakeholders,” she said.

She said: “We build data centres, house and hold data for multinationals and local enterprises. We build, secured and reliable interconnected facilities for data”.

Majavu, who spoke alongside other panelists on the theme: “Rebuilding the Global Value Chain: Powering Sustainable Growth Through Resilient Supply Network”, disclosed the company’s operational plans.

She said: “We have a presence in Nigeria, and we are still expanding. We recently acquired land at Eko Atlantic. When it comes to data, I think the biggest call for action is everyone that is interacting in this market, formally and informally.”

Speaking further, she said that data can be monitised adding that Africa Data Centres can put the infrastructure for it to be able to take all the data from all exchange points, and house them securely for multiple use and monitisation by the local community.

 “Data is absolutely anything you can write down and record. Data is how many people attended today’s conference. After the conference, where did they go? What did they buy, what did they drive, what do they consume? If you can measure consumption of every single person, in this room for the next 30 days, that gives you data,” she explained.

 “You can mine data, and start making decisions on what to sell and who to sell to based only on movement of the 30-day period. Various data point that are of interest to us is energy. The price of energy, the movement of oil in Nigeria, and so on,”.

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Majavu said Nigeria has the highest cost per kilowatt hour, making it expensive for international companies to invest in Nigeria.

 “Banking is a very big business and uses transactional data. Banks transmit data with internet exchanges to enable them transfer money into and out of countries.  Another thing that is important when it comes to banking is security. We offer secure premises, secure data and we have ISO standards that we are able to give assurances to the financial sector”.

 “We say that if a bank put its data in our co-location services, it will be safe. Banks have on-premise and off-premise offerings. And we are starting to see more and more banks moving even their primary data site, which used to be on premise into co-location providers,” she disclosed.

 “What we do is to make sure that there is pristine, secure, and an inventory that tells us in every meet me room, where you are connected, how you are connected and that is the scale of our model. There is confidence in the financial system, when end users know that their data is safe,” she said.

 “If you look at it from the end user, who has confidence and faith in the financial sector, knowing that data is safe,” she stated.

Also speaking, CEO Sheiks And Bishops Limited, Sir Chikwe Udensi, said that security is everybody’s business. He said Nigeria loses huge funds to cybercriminals and now is the time for businesses to boost security around their operations.

He said many financial institutions are not doing what they were expected to secure their operations, and that is causing loss of funds to fraudsters.

Other speakers at the event include President, Leadership Agenda Summit 2024, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Speaker, the Gambian National Assembly, Fabakary Jatta, CEO Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Nigeria, Wole Abu, among others.