Cloud computing provides IT with a predictable commercial model

Cloud Computing technology presents a new consumption model for ICT solutions and services wrapped in a predictable, monthly commercial model which allows clients to optimise cost as Cloud reduces the total cost of ownership of managing infrastructure and applications.
Dimension Data, a global ICT solutions and services provider which recently launched its services in Namibia is one of the companies in the forefront on the cutting edge of IT technology. Cloud services rely on a service model approach for cloud computing that provides on-demand, self-service access to servers, applications and software development platforms.
According to Rowan Kleintjie, MD of Dimension Data, Cloud Computing is a very hot topic in the market. It represents a new IT consumption option for technology and services enabling companies to capture their IT costs reliably in financial budgets. Cloud solutions allow companies greater agility by providing a flexible, service based IT architecture.
Kleintjie said, the Namibian government can take advantage of the benefits of Cloud which works best with economies of scale, allowing departments to achieve significant cost saving through shared ICT platforms.
“The adoption of cloud computing will free ICT resources to service an even larger base of requirements, address the issue of skills shortage and offer the strategic agility required to overcome challenges,” he said.
He also said Cloud Computing improves the government’s operational capability, meaning that money can be spent over a period of time on a per-use basis, rather than paying for a capability upfront. “Cloud computing leads to economies of scale where, for example, on a shared services basis, all local public sector entities can obtain and deliver the same level of service to their constituents,” he said.
“This is also applicable to smaller state-owned enterprises where, for instance, instead of each enterprise having to build its own call centre, disaster recovery centre or video conferencing facilities, cloud computing can allow them to share offerings at improved service levels to their constituents and at a lower cost to themselves,” he added.
Kleintjie said, organisations have looked to cloud computing to improve competitiveness, recognising the benefits of improved business agility, simplified businesses processes and reduced time-to- market because organisations of all sizes are facing challenges unlike any they’ve experienced before.
“Globalisation and economic pressures are changing the business landscape, increasing the pressure to expedite time-to-market with new products and services, while keeping costs down. In addition, constant technology change has resulted in ad-hoc infrastructure build-outs, creating complexity and complicating the management and support of IT infrastructure,” he said, adding that while the benefits of cloud computing are significant, so is the complexity of planning, building and managing a cloud. Enterprises and service providers have been slower to adopt cloud computing due to concerns about security, compliance, integration, performance, capital expense requirements, and deployment and operational risks and how to address them.
“What sets us apart is that Dimension Data delivers a technology-independent private cloud within weeks and takes on the risks and complexity of management with an Opex-based pricing model. At Dimension Data, the basis of Cloud Control, our cloud system management software rests in OpSource’s globally recognised technology and intellectual property, a company the Dimension Data Group acquired in June 2011,” he added.
Dimension Data was founded in South Africa in 1983 by four young South Africans who had a passion for technology and a simple vision to do great things. Today, the company deliver a full lifecycle of IT services to more than 6000 clients in over 45 countries across all industry sectors.