IT experts at a webinar series organised by Rack Centre in Nigeria emphasised the importance of cloud adoption for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in driving efficiency, agility, and innovation in their businesses
This was the position held by IT experts at the webinar series organised by Rack Centre on June 22, 2023, titled "Promoting Cloud Neutrality: Cloud adoption as a cost-effective and efficient direction for MSMEs."
During the session, senior sales manager of Rack Centre, Kelechukwu Nsofor, highlighted the relevance of cloud adoption amidst the ongoing digital transformation. Ismaila Salami, senior account cloud engineer at Oracle, emphasised the need for MSMEs to migrate their infrastructure to the cloud, considering the growing volume of data and the benefits it offers, such as flexibility and enhanced security.
Addressing concerns about vendor locking, Ismaila reassured MSMEs that cloud providers now offer the flexibility to migrate within different platforms without compromising data security, either through a multi-cloud strategy or by leveraging open standards.
The panel discussion included insights from assistant general manager Cyber Cloud, Laurel Onumonu, who stressed that not all SMEs require cloud computing services, highlighting the importance of business nature and capacity in determining the need for cloud adoption. Onumonu urged cloud service providers to take the lead in mobilising and encouraging MSMEs to embrace the cloud, while addressing challenges such as low awareness, high pricing, and limited technical expertise.
Stephen Okoye, chief technology officer at INQ Digital Nigeria, emphasised the efforts of cloud providers and connectivity players in enhancing infrastructure and access to content in Nigeria. With improved infrastructure and higher cloud penetration, Okoye believes that the efficiency of organisations will improve, benefiting regions beyond major cities.
Chuks Okpaka, Azure go-to-market lead, Africa at Microsoft, addressed security concerns, explaining that cloud service providers have implemented robust measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches, alleviating fears of multiple tenants in data collocation centers.
The Rack Centre webinar series serves as a platform for knowledge sharing among data experts, aiming to drive economic growth and development in Africa by leveraging the digital revolution.
