Nebula extends cloud partnership

Nebula Logistics Africa, a prominent supply chain solutions provider, has strengthened its collaboration with Datacentrix by renewing its hybrid cloud and on-premises infrastructure agreement

This ongoing partnership aims to continually optimise Nebula’s IT systems.

Originally known as Barloworld Logistics, Nebula Logistics Africa is now a part of the Nebula Group, offering a full range of integrated supply chain services with bespoke end-to-end solutions to meet clients’ needs.

"In the past, our logistics division utilised the hyperconverged private cloud environment of our parent company. However, as we transitioned to becoming a stand-alone entity, we needed to decouple from that setup," explained Moepi Matome, CIO of Nebula Logistics Africa. "Recognising our expertise lies in logistics, not IT infrastructure, we brought in Datacentrix, a cloud and data center expert, to help. Our decade-long partnership allowed us to concentrate on what we do best."

With a cautious phased migration strategy, the transition was seamless, going largely unnoticed by employees, due to Datacentrix’s proficiency in cloud technology, networking, and application support.

"As Nebula’s needs have evolved, we’ve adapted their cloud environment to ensure agility and responsiveness," said Francois Jacobs, Business Unit Manager at Datacentrix. "Our long-term collaboration has resulted in a robust hybrid environment, supporting key workloads and backups."

After a smooth 18-month migration, Nebula extended its agreement with Datacentrix for another year. "Our aim is to strike a balance across the various businesses within the Nebula Group, and Datacentrix’s flexible hybrid environment supports our dynamic growth," Matome noted.

Datacentrix also audited Nebula's SQL environment, providing essential advice for scaling. "A key benefit has been the ‘pay as you grow’ model," added Matome. "We don’t have to pay upfront for unused capacity, and Datacentrix has even advised us when to downgrade, lowering our costs. Their commitment to optimizing our environment has truly solidified our partnership."

Matome concluded, "There’s no distinction between us and Datacentrix—they are an integral part of our IT operations."