Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 40 | Page 58

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Data Centres Africa DataCentres acquires world-class data centre in Johannesburg //////////////////////////// This prestigious facility will provide customers with increased capacity, connectivity, security and flexibility and builds on the company’s mission to accelerate Africa’s Digital Transformation. Africa DataCentres, the largest pan- African network of interconnected, carrier-and cloud-neutral data centres on the continent, is in the process of acquiring Standard Bank’s data centre in Samrand, north of Johannesburg. The transaction is subject to the approval of the South African Competition Authorities. Widely regarded as the most prestigious data centre in Africa with the highest specification, the data centre has been purpose-built as a Tier IV data centre to provide maximum levels of security and reliability for banking IT systems. The data centre is unique in its configuration of total redundancy of all power and cooling equipment and unparalleled physical security. Stephane Duproz, CEO of Africa DataCentres, said: “The unique combination of this outstanding facility with Africa DataCentres’ certified operational excellence makes it the ideal choice for the most demanding organisations, particularly those in the financial services sector, who demand the highest standards of security and resilience for their IT infrastructure. “We will open this hidden gem to the market, on an open-access basis, allowing any modern technology-driven organisation to benefit from this outstanding facility.” The data centre has sufficient power and vacant space for significant expansion. Like all of Africa DataCentres’ facilities, the Samrand facility will operate on a fully carrier-and cloud-neutral basis. Duproz continued: “The Samrand facility is an ideal fit with Africa DataCentres’ focus on providing world-class data centres. The availability of this incredible facility coincides with an unprecedented level of demand from national, continental and global customers who expect the highest levels of quality, security and reliability. In response to this demand, Africa DataCentres has also started work on a further 10 MW IT capacity facility at its Midrand campus.” Jörg Fischer, of Standard Bank, said: “Standard Bank is extremely pleased to have completed this historic milestone with Africa DataCentres.” Africa DataCentres’ existing and future customers will benefit from rapid access to the Samrand facility, while enjoying all the other Africa DataCentres advantages, in particular access to its pan-African network of interconnected data centres. • THE AVAILABILITY OF THIS INCREDIBLE FACILITY COINCIDES WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF DEMAND. 58 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com