INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Datacentres

Radwan Moussalli at Tata Communications dwells into the mismatch of priorities between service providers and enterprises on the African continent.

The African market is full of digital explorers. Enterprises in the continent are beginning their journey towards digital transformation and reshaping IT in a major way. These digital explorers are looking for IT to deliver enhanced value across all aspects of the business, from customer service and product development to supply chain and finance, and for service providers to propel them forward on this journey.

I have watched the African market change dramatically over more than two decades. The arrival of new undersea cable systems on the East and West coasts of the continent in the late

2000s was a step change, but nothing compared to what we are seeing today.

At our recent Partner Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, the role of service providers in enterprise digital transformation was a hotly debated topic.

African enterprises are demanding that their service providers change and evolve to support this transformation. For service providers, this means moving well beyond the role of a basic connectivity provider, and expanding their offering to include a new suite of value added services, including cloud, unified communication and collaboration and managed security solutions. This shift is a must for service providers.

Around the world, $ 1.3 trillion will have been spent on digital transformation initiatives this year, according to IDC. The research firm notes that 64 % of organisations are just beginning their journeys towards digital transformation. Nearly a third are made up of so-called digital explorers, who still have some way to go in ensuring the integration and consistency of digitally-enabled customer experiences and products. I see this as a huge opportunity for service providers in Africa. They need to rise to the www. intelligentcio. com INTELLIGENTCIO

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