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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