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MTN Business goes virtual

Candice Jones
By Candice Jones, ITWeb online telecoms editor
Johannesburg, 25 Feb 2010

MTN Business will today introduce its data centre customers to virtual services. The virtualisation strategy is the first in its plans to establish an African cloud.

Senior marketing and product manager Mike Fairon says the service will allow customers to maximise their server space and resource usage in MTN's data centre. While the product seems a little slow to market, MTN says it wanted to have all its ducks in a row before offering a virtualised service.

The company's competitors have been fielding virtualisation for some time. “We have been focusing on other aspects of our solutions. In September, we released our convergence product; we have also been concentrating on building out our network into Africa. We have basically been getting the plumbing right,” adds Fairon.

The company is still a fledgling in the market; however, it inherited some skills when it took over the Verizon Business portfolio last year. The company has since been making waves in the industry and Fairon says the virtualisation strategy may be the start of the next one.

MTN Business, through its parent, will have a stake in the East African Submarine System and the West African Cable System, both of which run the extent of an African coast.

Bringing the company's network onto the undersea cables provides opportunities for businesses looking to create African offices. MTN Business says the virtualisation is in preparation for bringing cloud computing to Africa.

MTN has operations in 21 countries, and Fairon says the business will also be able to provide services where it has no direct presence.

The company hopes to implement cloud with hosted services. It already offers the software, with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint Server. “The next step is to offer storage as a service,” he adds.

Existing customers will be given the option to virtualise their servers where the need arises, and MTN will consult with those customers to see where it makes sense. The company has hired additional skilled workers to handle the virtualisation processes.

Related story:
MTN Business moves into Africa

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