SA set to follow global cloud repatriation trends

DPA customers benefit from the best of hybrid environments. (Image: Supplied)

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Customers are increasingly realising that public cloud models, while flexible, can prove costly for long-term and mission-critical workloads if continuous cost tracking and planning is not effectively implemented.

With Citrix research finding that up to 42% of US cloud users are repatriating workloads out of public clouds and moving towards hybrid models, the industry is seeing a shift as businesses weigh the financial and operational demands of cloud computing against on-premises or hybrid options.

South Africa is following suit, according to leading South African data centre operator Digital Parks Africa (DPA).

Warren Schooling, Head of Sales at DPA, says among international organisations, common reasons for cloud repatriation projects are unplanned costs, performance issues and security concerns.

“In South Africa, organisations have similar concerns, with data and digital sovereignty an additional top priority across Africa,” Schooling says. “Organisations want to know whether their data is being stored and computed in an offshore data centre both for compliance reasons, and due to the significant transit costs of moving data across borders. There are also concerns about the impact of exchange rate fluctuations when using an international public cloud service and paying in dollars, pounds or euros.”

Schooling says organisations are seeking alternatives that provide greater control over their infrastructure without sacrificing scalability or efficiency. DPA’s colocation services create the perfect environment for your cloud, combining secure, exclusive access with the advantages of a state-of-the-art data centre infrastructure, he says.

“DPA is 100% African-owned and offers a highly competitive rand-based colocation service where organisations can control their infrastructure within purpose-built facilities that offers world-class cooling, redundancy and security,” Schooling says. “When co-locating with DPA, you’re investing in the local economy. We are cost-effective from a rate of exchange point of view, but also in terms of our service charges. DPA is flexible, agile and able to scale fast as demands change and can meet any customer’s power requirement – even that of AI computing.”

Security is a top priority for co-locating customers, and DPA has heavily invested in advanced measures to ensure maximum protection," he explains. “In a traditional data hall, anyone in the facility could potentially access hundreds of racks. DPA’s pod design mitigates this risk by limiting access to just 38 racks within a pod, in the unlikely event of unauthorised entry. In addition, each rack is secured with multiple access options, including biometric access control, keypads, cards and lock-and-key mechanisms. This ensures the highest levels of security – from access to the facility, access to the data centre level and from floor to pod, and pod to rack.

He adds that DPA’s pod system enables enhanced fire suppression management on a micro level, while its advanced hot and cold aisle containment layout also improves power utilisation efficiency. “It’s beneficial for customers because we keep isolated areas cool. This design philosophy eliminates hotspots that cause customers’ power consumption to increase incrementally,” he says.

DPA’s advanced design and multilayered approach to security and cooling gives customers the assurance that they can benefit from the best of hybrid environments, eliminating concerns about security, compliance or business continuity, Schooling says.

For more information, visit https://dpa.host or send an e-mail to sales@dpa.host.