Adoption of cloud computing is the new growth frontier for Kenyan businesses according to Pan African telecom enabler SEACOM. SEACOM and multinational-technology provider Microsoft have partnered to explore the possibilities a corporate cloud has to offer beyond the traditional sphere of storage and towards hosted computing services.
The two see the cloud as the prime game-changer for public institutions, corporate establishments as well as small and medium range businesses. This is according to Carl Martens-the Solutions Specialist Azure at Microsoft. Martens was emphatic that new solutions spanning from containers, security, infrastructure and the Internet of Things (IoT) that enable organizations of all sizes to transform their business in today’s data-driven enterprises have reason to embrace the cloud.
“Through these latest advancements, Microsoft continues to showcase rapid innovation on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, while enabling choice for a growing list of customers of all sizes” He added while giving an example of Little – a Kenyan originated taxi-hailing service that has a regional focus.
With a growing economy, Kenya is a regional technology and financial hub and home to many international and regional businesses. The region is therefore primed to take full advantage of SEACOM’s corporate Cloud-Interconnect Services. “Companies should not strive to invest in elaborate data-centers if they have the option of investing on the cloud,” said Martens adding that enterprises need to take full advantage of scalability as well as the significantly reduce the time of costs while deploying cloud Azure.
According to SEACOM Business Sales Lead, Patrick Ndegwa, the aim of this engagement is to initiate conversations amongst experts on emerging technology trends and how these could harness the power of secure and affordable connectivity in the country.
“Cloud services have improved the way we deliver resources, support new types of users, and create new types of business strategies. Today, organizations are looking at even more ways to leverage cloud computing to help their businesses become much more agile,” Mr. Ndegwa said.
Speaking during the forum, Microsoft East Africa Azure Specialist Carl Martens emphasized the importance of corporate cloud’s catalyst for business success and its positive benefits to end-users.
“In line with our mission to enable individuals and businesses to achieve more, we are partnering with organizations and businesses within this space to enhance business and personal growth. Businesses face increasing pressure to reduce IT spending, improve security, meet new compliance standards, and arm themselves with better big-data tools. Cloud computing is helping them address all of these challenges.” stated Martens.
SEACOM reiterated that they are dedicated to creating strategic partnerships to support business growth. “We are pleased to grow our corporate cloud through global partnerships in order to deliver long-term values to customers,” Mr. Ndegwa said.
Globally, the cloud has become the catalyst for the emergence of new technology delivery models in many different industries including transport, trade, and hospitality with the development of products such as Uber, Amazon, and Airbnb.