Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 26 | Page 18

TRENDING //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// “One of the ways businesses can use the cloud more securely is through direct, dedicated interconnections between network and cloud service providers and users and data, bypassing the hacking and performance risks of the public Internet. At Equinix, we see multi-cloud convergence hitting a tipping point and the cloud is a major catalyst for changing how enterprises will do business in the emerging global digital economy.” Jeroen Schlosser, Managing Director, Equinix MENA Comparatively, in the UAE, 59% of respondents believe their organisation will move more to the cloud, a lower rate than for organisations across EMEA (71%). A total of 76% also believe that cloud service providers are an important factor when choosing a data centre in the UAE. And 26.2% of IT professionals surveyed think that cloud service providers are the business that their organisation is most likely to connect with in the future. The independent survey of 1,206 senior IT decision-makers across EMEA was commissioned by Equinix and conducted online. The survey was conducted to further explore areas highlighted in the second volume of Equinix’s annual market study, the Global Interconnection Index (GXI). It analyses traffic exchange globally, interconnection or direct and private traffic exchange between key business partners, is becoming the de facto method for companies to operate in today’s digital world. n “ WE SEE MULTI-CLOUD CONVERGENCE HITTING A TIPPING POINT AND THE CLOUD IS A MAJOR CATALYST FOR CHANGING HOW ENTERPRISES WILL DO BUSINESS IN THE EMERGING GLOBAL DIGITAL ECONOMY. The study also finds that only 17% of organisations across EMEA are currently using multi-cloud architecture. This compares to 56% who currently use private cloud and 42% who use public cloud. Organisations should be looking to multiple cloud service providers when building out their digital infrastructure strategy to remain competitive and secure. Equinix launched Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric (ECX Fabric) in 2017 to support businesses that need access to multiple CSPs. The service offers customers private connections to global cloud service providers no matter their location. Last year the company also launched the Equinix SmartKey service, a global key management and encryption Software as a Service (SaaS) offering that simplifies data protection across any cloud or destination. Jeroen Schlosser, Managing Director, Equinix MENA said: “The trend of Digital Transformation is revolutionising the MENA market, urging businesses to take innovative approaches such as cloud adoption. 18 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com