South Africa will see its digital prospects really starting to shine in 2019, says Doug Woolley, Dell EMC Southern Africa’s General Manager.

This is due to the imminent arrival of three international datacentres that are set to bring the same kind of digital capabilities that have driven the likes of big-name cloud companies overseas, Woolley says.

Local Benefits

This will, in turn, further drive the digital transformation that’s already happening in South African businesses, allowing local companies to take full advantage of cloud offerings and all of the benefits local datacentres offer. These include things like lower latencies, data sovereignty, local pricing, and more.

Woolley goes on to say that while strong digital capabilities aren’t the panacea that will solve all of the country’s troubles, they will certainly contribute to job creation and offer meaningful opportunities to implement positive change.

Continued Innovation

On the back of these positive IT developments and bolstered by government support, he says, innovative startups will continue to bring cutting-edge services to the South African business community and the public at large that will make life easier.

We’ve already made progress on several fronts with things like competitive local ride-sharing services, online services that eliminate queues, South African-specific digital entertainment options, and the arrival of new datacentres will hasten the arrival of further successes.

Some caution required

He does caution against unreserved enthusiasm for the year, however, saying that 2019 will likely still be a tough year as the country continues to feel the effects of its struggling economy, but also that “…for the enlightened and proactive there will be opportunities for change as well.”

Read the full article that explores all of this in greater detail on the official Dell EMC blog.

What sort of 2019 are you expecting? Let us know in the comments below.