Pan African telecoms operator Gondwana International Networks (GIN), through its iWayAfrica business, has entered a partnership with managed services provider SevenC Computing to offer a range of managed ICT services for businesses.
According to Winston Smith, general manager terrestrial for GIN and iWayAfrica, the two companies have packaged a combination of software and infrastructure-as-a-service, giving customers the best of the cloud with essential managed services on the ground.
Cloud on its own cannot deliver the required IT services and solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa, says Smith, adding that it is very expensive and SMEs do not have the skills or the budget to manage this kind of technology growth on their own.
He believes that the high cost of bandwidth in many of these markets and demand for large bandwidth by a pure cloud offering is, in most cases, not a viable service for the SME. Therefore, says Smith, by partnering with SevenC, iWayAfrica will provide local clients with a much-needed combination of cloud and essential locally hosted managed services.
Also, the move will enable iWayAfrica to grow its foothold in key Africa territories and continue growing the overall brand throughout Africa, while delivering solutions that are cost effective to the growing SME market across Africa.
Smith says iWayAfrica's physical presence in nine African countries and its years of African ISP experience will help SevenC extend its reach in the continent.
In a statement, Darren Osbourn, managing director for SevenC, says companies are overpaying for IT services and generally need better control of their IT systems and associated user activities.
"The African small and medium enterprise market remains challenged by the same issues as always - limited budget, lack of in-house IT skills and resources as well as poor quality of service. With iWayAfrica, we will be providing much-needed quality of service focused on the evolution, deployment and ongoing support of managed IT services," says Osbourn.
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