Why South African businesses in the know choose Huawei Cloud as their trusted partner

Huawei Cloud Summit, Sandton.

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Huawei Cloud, already a top three vendor in South Africa, has set its sights on solidifying its leadership in the cloud market as a growing number of enterprises adopt AI, machine learning, big data analytics and digital innovation and turn to Huawei Cloud for support.

“Huawei Cloud aims to play a key role in enabling successful digital strategies by providing essential support and best-in-class service offerings to businesses navigating this complex transition. We want our customers and partners to thrive in a highly-competitive and fast-changing environment,” says Huawei Cloud’s South Africa Managing Director, Steven Chen.

Steven Chen, Huawei Cloud’s South Africa Managing Director. (Image: Huawei Cloud)

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According to a Gartner IAAS market report, Huawei Cloud is the third-largest provider in the country by revenue. Recording strong local growth since 2023 is an achievement the company credits to its business model which tailors services for customers — regardless of their experience with cloud technologies.

Due to increased digitisation, 5G, AI and big data, South Africa's cloud market is predicted to grow from R35 billion in 2023, to over R113 billion by 2028, as per an Africa Analysis report.

The 2024 South Africa Cloud Computing Market Growth Forecast reveals that one out of every five (20%) surveyed users are running significant workloads on the platform. The company’s commitment to enabling industry growth has been clear from the day Huawei Cloud became the first hyperscaler to open a data centre in the country in 2019. Huawei now has three local availability zones in South Africa, with a growing footprint across Africa. In the past six months alone, it has added three availability zones in Egypt and one in Nigeria.

As Huawei strengthens its position in South African industries like finance and public services, it recognises the need for localised services that meet data sovereignty requirements, while providing strong low latency services that customers expect. This strategy, Chen emphasises, underscores how Huawei Cloud has seen a growth rate of over 125% in the past 12 months.

This upward growth trend is reflected in the massive Chinese market too, where Huawei Cloud is the second-largest cloud vendor leading the state, hybrid and container software cloud markets.

Frost & Sullivan’s 2024 Emerging Asia-Pacific Big Data Market Report ranks Huawei Cloud as number one for its outstanding big data technologies and innovative approach to problem-solving for customers. In addition, Huawei Cloud is the only Asian vendor recognised in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Application Platforms.

Huawei Cloud's strategic expansion in South Africa includes bolstering local consulting and technical expert resources to assist customers with planning, system design, migration and ongoing support. With reliable infrastructure, over 100 cloud services and 1 500 employees (1 000 cloud engineers), customers benefit from stable infrastructure and hands-on business advice. This commitment to on-site support makes Huawei Cloud an ideal partner for businesses with complex digital transformation projects.

The revamped offerings are designed to support the growing demands of intelligent applications.

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Additionally, Huawei Cloud's significant growth is fuelled by its sector-specific solutions that cater to a range of industries, including finance, retail, telecoms and healthcare. William Dong, President of Marketing at Huawei Cloud headquarters, attributes this success to a deep understanding of local markets and focus on specialised industry solutions.

Customers trust its services because Huawei Cloud focuses on addressing their key concerns, like cost and security, as highlighted in recent locally-commissioned research surveys. Respondents cited concerns around understanding the full costs of moving to the cloud (51%); understanding the full costs of maintaining future operations in the cloud (47%); and security (40%) as other priorities Huawei Cloud addresses with care.

Huawei Cloud has invested heavily in machine learning tools that empower its partners and customers to take a proactive approach to cost management. These tools not only implement budgetary controls, but also offer cost anomaly detection and detailed cost analysis. Complimentary optimisation recommendations are also provided as both a platform and advisory service.

Chen emphasises that Huawei Cloud's focus on customer needs has made it one of the fastest-growing cloud providers globally and in South Africa. “Because we work with over 45 000 partners to develop innovative solutions for enterprises undergoing digital transformation, we are called on repeatedly to provide these expert services,” he concludes.