LIQUID Intelligent Technologies intends to grow use of its cloud services across the country as it spearheads adoption of cloud-based data centres within enterprises for enhanced data security and flexibility in work environments.
The data centres will be backed by Azure, which is a cloud computing service operated by Microsoft, for application management and managed data centres dotted around the world.
According to Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Azure will give companies computing power over large businesses without the need to invest in a large information technology staff, servers, and hardware.
This comes amid rapid technological changes in line with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which has seen growth in the use of innovations such as artificial intelligence, internet of things and machine learning capabilities.
At the business level, Zimbabwe is one of the fast adopters of cloud services compared to a cluster of other African countries that the firm operates in including Kenya, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa to a certain extent.
Cloud is a platform that uses computing models to make resources like virtual machines (VMs), applications or storage available to users remotely, this reduces the need for organisations to invest in servers and hardware on their premises.
Addressing business players and various IT engineers at an event hosted by the firm, Liquid Intelligent Technologies executive (presales and complex solutions) Tinashe Chidyausiku said adopting cloud was effective in cutting operational costs.
He said the technology allowed companies to have reduced risk of innovation given that business will not run the risk associated with huge investments into experimental projects that might not work out.
“The most obvious benefit speaks to finances, getting infrastructure for IT has always been getting huge capital outlay, now the cloud eliminates that through the pay as you go model which operates more on an operational expenditure,” said Mr Chidyausiku.
The service allows users to share internet services while maintaining the privacy of each user’s data, at the same time minimising companies’ resources as they only pay for what they use.
Liquid Intelligent Technologies head of cloud and cyber security, Zimbabwe division, Munyaradzi Choto said the adoption of cloud greatly enhances enterprises’ transformation to be effective and competitive matching current technological standards.
He said Covid-19 had facilitated rapid adoption of cloud services, as it provided for remote working as demanded by conditions at the time.
“For organisations to remain relevant in the modern age, they need to embrace digital transformation to make them more nimble, able to react quicker to ever-evolving industry and market changes.
“There are three primary drivers for moving to the cloud, which include companies’ need for growth and transformation, workplace productivity as well as security and privacy,” said Mr Choto.
The utility of cloud has become boundless given the proliferation of service providers like Microsoft Azure, but however, there are cloud adoption challenges that many African businesses face mainly financial.
Liquid Intelligent Technologies regional chief commercial officer Hemilton Manika noted that the company had built a robust infrastructure to cater to the looming demands of cloud services going into the future.
“The company has over 100 000 kilometres of fibre optic cable and other technologies that can be used to ensure connectivity to areas that are not reached by fibre because of terrain or cost, that is where we make use of satellite connectivity (VSAT) or any other point to point solutions to facilitate necessary connectivity throughout Africa,” he said.
Although Africa’s use of available global data centre capacity has doubled in the past three years Africa currently accounts for less than one percent of total use by countries around the world.
Microsoft has set up two major data centres where it houses local servers in Johannesburg, South Africa. Four years ago, the entire continent was utilising servers in Western Europe.
