East and West Africa are emerging as pivotal hubs in the data centre market. (Image source: Schneider Electric)

Schneider Electric, an energy equipment and solutions provider, has identified an ideal opportunity emerging from the rising demand for data centre facilities in Africa

According to the company, this demand is being driven by increasing Internet penetration and a growing digital economy, which is laying the groundwork for East and West Africa to emerge as pivotal hubs in the market. This is creating an opportunity for Schneider Electric to offer support to partners and resellers within the region through a twofold approach aimed at engaging directly with end-user data centres and driving sales opportunities through channel partners, simultaneously fostering demand.

“Schneider Electric is a channel-driven business, with about 70% of our order fulfilment done through the channel,” commented Rohan de Beer, end user sales director – Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric. “The growth in the African data centre space is therefore an opportunity for our partners to upskill themselves and strengthen their relationships with the local data centre end users. Connectivity on the content is growing massively, the economy is becoming a bit more stable overall, so this provides the environment for our resellers and distributors to further grow these data centre opportunities for themselves.”

Previously, the company has relied entirely on external channels to develop its prospects on the market, de Beer explained. However, this can result in missed opportunities and having to share the market with competitors.

“With the two-pronged approach, we can get closer to the end user for two reasons – to influence the technology and innovation at an earlier stage in the lifecycle of a project and then to also improve our share of the wallet at the customer base,” he explained. “Obviously, we would then take these opportunities and share them with our channel and fulfil them through the channel.

“So, it's a direct cut of the pie, but it’s still fulfilled through the channel. We are not going to increase our direct business, that's not the idea. The idea is to increase our share in the wallet while fulfilling orders through the channel and this approach seems to be working great.”

Power to partners

At the same time, Schneider Electric is also undertaking specific initiatives to empower its channel partners with the skills and competencies necessary for commissioning cutting-edge solutions in the data centre market.

“There are a couple of things that we are doing,” de Beer added. “Firstly, this is where our channel programme that we revised and relaunched this year plays a big role. So, partners who want to participate in this influx of business can register on the partner portal and get free access to online training from a sales perspective and the pre-sales solutions side. This includes all our technical tools, videos and training.

“Secondly, we also drive instructor-led solutions and design training sessions through the Anglophone cluster. We have so far completed East, West and South in the first half of the year. That is purely focused on technical training solutions for our channel partner and our distributors.”

He adds that the next step will be to drive focused end user and channel executive roundtables and customer events to further help the channel and end users gain the requisite skills

The 2MW-capable facility is the DRC’s first live open-access, carrier-neutral and Uptime Institute Tier-III certified data centre, with ISO27001 post live certification on track for Q3 2024. (Image source: OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa)

OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa, a joint venture between Open Access Data Centres (OADC) and TEXAD has gone online

The Tier-III certified, open-access, carrier-neutral data centre is the first of its kind in the DRC. The 2MW-capable facility is part of the venture’s efforts to establish a vibrant digital ecosystem supporting Internet exchanges, content providers, cloud operators, carriers, telcos and Internet service providers (ISPs) in offering a wide range of digital products and services to business and domestic customers.

Clients are already establishing and installing in the facility and all major fibre network providers are present to provide vibrant interconnect to tenants. The facility offers integrated core digital infrastructure solutions comprising tailored colocation services together with a wide range of reliable connectivity and peering options. Power to the data centre is fed from utility sourced from hydro generation ensuring environmentally sustainable power generation in tandem with low Power Utilisation Effectiveness (PUE). The facility underpins and is accelerating the country’s digitalisation and ICT capabilities, enabling clients to cost-effectively, flexibly and securely grow their operations within the DRC.

OADC Texaf Digital - Kinshasa, located within TEXAF’s SILIKIN VILLAGE digital hub, is operated by the WIOCC Group company OADC, Africa’s fastest-growing data centre company. Configured with 1,500 sq m of IT white space to accommodate more than 550 racks, it delivers colocation, interconnect and peering services to support the colocation needs of enterprise clients, content distribution networks, local and international cloud providers. This enables them to improve efficiency, expedite digitisation initiatives, and more effectively service business and customer needs.

“OADC Texaf Digital - Kinshasa is central to boosting many sectors of the DRC’s economy, creating rich and vibrant digital ecosystems, and providing content distribution networks and cloud content providers with access to a quality peering location in the country,” remarked Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of OADC Texaf DRC.

“We already have over 12 leading national and international carriers connected, with the banking sector being the leading adopter of OADC Texaf Digital - Kinshasa solutions. The open-access, carrier-neutral facility is set to transform the country’s digital infrastructure by creating a comprehensive, vibrant interconnection and peering ecosystem involving multiple carriers, ISPs, content providers and Internet Exchanges.”

Christophe Evers, chairman of OADC Texaf’s board of directors, added, “Establishing a strategic partnership to build a data centre in the DRC is crucial for driving digital transformation and economic growth in the region. By leveraging the joint strengths and expertise of OADC and TEXAF, we are not only enhancing digital connectivity and infrastructure but also creating opportunities for businesses to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

“This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering world-class data centre services that meet the growing demands of enterprises and support the broader objectives of economic development in the DRC. It is a cornerstone of the DRC’s National Digital Plan announced by the President of the Republic.”

Mandla Mbonambi, CEO of Africonology Solutions. (Image source: Africonology Solutions)

Mandla Mbonambi, CEO of Africonology Solutions, explores the synergy of Generative AI (GenAI) and cybersecurity

As the digital landscape evolves, the intersection of GenAI and cybersecurity emerges as a critical battleground. This dynamic convergence presents both unprecedented threats and unparalleled opportunities, positioning cybersecurity professionals at the forefront of innovation. These experts are now tasked with leveraging GenAI to fortify defences and combat emerging risks.

Focusing strongly on the integration of GenAI within cybersecurity frameworks is essential. With extensive experience in deploying AI algorithms, leading teams excel in analysing patterns across vast datasets, identifying vulnerabilities in code, and counteracting sophisticated malware threats. The developments at the nexus of GenAI and cybersecurity are nothing short of captivating. A continuous evolution of AI-driven attack vectors is being witnessed, including the use of GenAI for multilingual phishing attacks and the creation of intricate deepfakes. There is also a burgeoning trend within the cybersecurity community to harness GenAI for advanced threat detection and response capabilities.

Attracting and retaining top-tier talent in both GenAI and cybersecurity is paramount. Emphasising a dynamic work environment that encourages innovation and continuous learning is critical. Training programmes centred around cutting-edge technologies ensure that teams are equipped to adapt to the rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape.

A secure digital future

The dual nature of GenAI presents unique challenges and opportunities. On one hand, attackers wield powerful tools for deception and infiltration. On the other, cybersecurity teams can leverage GenAI for robust defence mechanisms. The challenge lies in staying ahead of adversarial tactics while exploring innovative ways to enhance security postures.

Maintaining an optimistic outlook is crucial. While acknowledging the risks associated with GenAI, there is a belief in its transformative potential for cybersecurity. Human-machine collaboration enables the harnessing of strengths from both, creating a resilient defence against evolving cyber threats. The key is responsible and ethical use, ensuring GenAI remains a tool under human supervision rather than a potential adversary.

Navigating the GenAI and cybersecurity landscape requires a strategic mindset, embracing both the opportunities and challenges ahead. As technology continues to advance, the fusion of human expertise and AI capabilities becomes the linchpin for a secure digital future.

Vertiv is a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions. (Image source: Vertiv)

Jon Abbott, sales director for strategic telecom clients in EMEA at Vertiv, has made note of the increasing challenges in meeting AI-driven demands in the telecommunications and data centre space

The sales director made the comments as he addressed Kenyan leaders in the telco, tower and colocation arena in Nairobi, acknowledging the rapidly changing technology landscape that is impacting their infrastructure and services.

According to the 2023 Digital Quality of Life Index, a study on digital wellbeing, Kenya ranks 82nd out of 121 countries in terms of AI readiness. “The challenge for Kenya is that AI adoption is already transforming the IT stack and our IT infrastructures. This means that accelerated architectures are needed to meet the requirements of AI workloads,” Abbott remarked.

He continued by pointing out that the tangible network developments required will include adjustments on the operational side that consumers do not see. This is likely to include changes in network ownership and increased costs of service largely driven by ever increasing demands for energy consumption as intelligent connectivity rises. “This will place a greater emphasis on efficiency, while more attention will also have to be paid to sustainability and emission reduction.”

A changing technology landscape

At the same time, significant technology changes are expected to progress in the near-future including a greater move to the edge of the network. According to Vertiv, this will drive tech collaboration and increased standardisation across the physical and logical infrastructure. The organisation also anticipates more open-source groups and commoditised hardware; data processing capability integrated into the network fabric; and new ecosystems with more private networks.

“Then there’s the Internet of Things (IoT), which has the potential to unlock insights and efficiencies across all sectors,” Abbott said. “The way this will evolve will be to propagate the landscape with processing capability, breaking the facility down into smaller and smaller localised facilities.”

AI and data centres

According to Abbott, the data centre as seen today will not disappear. Rather, they will continue to grow, but in parallel, more and smaller “edge” data centres will populate the landscape, each with the same fundamental physical requirements – always on, never getting too hot, which will place cooling systems under strain, and operating as efficiently and securely as possible.

“The challenges all this poses in terms of energy provision, particularly in the face of energy transition and sustainability requirements to meet the 2030 global emissions reduction goals, will be considerable,” he surmised.

Other hurdles to be overcome range from meeting the likely exponential growth in rack density and constraints on skills availability, to trade-offs between new builds and retrofits, power grid constraints, and an increasing need for short turn-around times as well as repeatable, quick-to-deploy designs.

“The bottom line is that AI will be a major challenge for network providers with data consumption and creation accelerating across all sectors, and data processing saturating the facility landscape,” Abbott concluded. “While this could be daunting for providers, having the right partner at your side – one that can assist with power and thermal management, and integrated rack solutions - every step of the way will help to smooth your deployment journey. Vertiv is well placed to be such a partner.”

Vertiv has recently formed a strategic distribution partnership with Redington to empower channel partners across Africa. Click here to learn more.