The cloud offers a new and more affordable way for businesses to get access to traditional computing resources, but the fact that most cloud data centres are overseas, like Microsoft’s Azure offering, has hampered South African cloud adoption somewhat.
Even so, South African businesses looking at the cloud haven’t been quick to adopt it, says Othelo Vieira, Microsoft CSP Manager at local cloud enabler Tarsus on Demand.
Two concerns
“They had two major concerns. The first was the compliance risk of moving data outside South Africa’s borders, especially with the introduction of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI); the other was high network latency between South Africa and Amazon, Google or Microsoft data centres situated in Europe or North America.”
When the two local Azure data centres open for business later this year, Vieira says, those two items will no longer be relevant.
Having datacentres situated in Cape Town and Johannesburg means access times will be much faster and both facilities will be fully-compliant with all South African laws that govern data.
This will open up new opportunities for local resellers to generate revenue as more and more South African businesses look to adopt cloud-based solutions.
Not just businesses
Interestingly, Vieira also notes that it’s not just local businesses who’ve been resistant to the cloud.
“[We] are seeing some resistance to moving to the cloud and Azure among South African resellers,” Vieira says. “They share some of the compliance and latency concerns of their clients, and many are unsure how the pricing and revenue model will work. But that will change rapidly once the local Azure data centres go live.”
By understanding everything the cloud has to offer, resellers can position themselves as true partners and advisors to their customers, and in so doing, create predictable revenue streams for themselves by offering their clients subscription-based cloud business solutions, Vieira adds.
Cloud enablement
Cloud-enablement partners like Tarsus on Demand can help resellers to deliver complete cloud-based business solutions to their customers and present them with a single invoice. This includes value-added services such as support, financial backing, and an automation and billing platform. “Resellers can already sell internationally hosted Azure solutions to their clients, but as the local data centres go live, the value proposition will be stronger than ever,” concludes Vieira.
If you’re a reseller who’s been putting off adding cloud services to your portfolio, the time has never been better to get involved. To do that, speak to the cloud people at Tarsus on Demand, they can help you start this new exciting part of your reseller journey.
