MTN Business has further extended its cloud capabilities with the launch of its MTN Business Cloud Platform powered by Microsoft's Technology. The move is the latest in a series of strategic partnerships set to position MTN as an ICT partner of choice, says Itumeleng Kobedi, Product Manager Group Cloud Services at MTN.
MTN Business Cloud is a true hybrid cloud solution serviced from MTN's data centres. It is built on the MTN's Global MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network that has 23 points of presence across the globe. This will ensure incomparable client experience due to lower latency and more than the acceptable response time.
The MTN Business Cloud platform provides customers with a rich, self-service management portal that delivers a consistent look and feel of the Microsoft Azure into MTN's data centre, the company says.
"This is a big step forward for us. The new MTN Business Cloud platform, along with our recent Internet of Things platform launch, takes us closer to our goal of delivering the broad range of products and services our clients need at a strategic level. In the months to come, we will be launching additional services and solutions, both through strategic partnerships and by leveraging our existing platforms," says Kobedi.
"As part of our broad and growing range of product offerings, we can now deliver this enterprise grade solution for corporates and large multinationals, giving them all the benefits of the public and hybrid cloud without many of the challenges," he says. In partnership with Microsoft and local consultants and Microsoft certified implementation partners, MTN Business is now supporting large enterprises in their migration to a hybrid cloud model powered by both MTN Business Cloud and Microsoft Azure platforms. "We are already onboarding internal customers, and have received a positive response from corporate clients," he says.
In South Africa, pure cloud uptake has been hampered by questions around data sovereignty and control of the environment, among other factors, says Kobedi. "This has driven companies to look primarily to private cloud. However, the resources required for this are extensive. Not only do companies require their own data centres, hardware and software, they also need skills and systems management tools for 24/7 monitoring and security. The skills are not necessarily available, and resources such as database administrators can be quite costly. In our cloud environment, hosting of data is within the country's borders - addressing the data sovereignty question. In addition, resources, flexibility and scalability are key benefits; and cost savings can be realised through flexible billing models. New efficiencies and significant savings of between 30% and 50% are possible from hybrid and public cloud environments," he says.
But cost savings are not the only key cloud benefit, MTN Business notes. Faster time to market and the power to innovate are the crucial advantages cloud can deliver in a rapidly changing environment. In its mission to become a business enabler, MTN Business aims to add to its cloud portfolio and will also look to the big data space in future, to bring to market solutions that meet local needs and drive business growth, says Kobedi.
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