Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, recently brought together local data centre professionals at an event in Cape Town, with the focus on holding an informal networking occasion to promote and support the local data centre community
The event was supported by local Vertiv partners Tech Access, Diesel Electric and ISF ICT Infrastructure.
Managing director for Vertiv in Africa, Wojtek Piorko, explained, “We started our Data Centre Networking (DCN) events around four years ago in Dubai, and since then we have expanded the concept to multiple countries, including South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya.”
According to a leading African investment manager - African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), which has been operating for some 25 years - the continent is experiencing the fastest increase in internet penetration worldwide. AIIM notes that mobile data consumption across Africa is expected to increase by 40% each year until 2025, which is nearly double the global average growth rate.
Consequently, the vast amount of data produced and consumed on the continent will require significant data centre investments, with demand for data centres across Africa expected to exceed supply by 300% in the coming years, according to AIIM.
“We identified the opportunity within the small community in this growing data centre market to support an environment in which Vertiv could strengthen relationships with all key players, including customers, consultants and contractors. We wanted to play a role in assisting a business network where industry experts could meet informally to share ideas and build relationships,” added Piorko.
Piorko, who is tasked with growing a cohesive ‘Africa team’ and delivering on Vertiv's ambitions in this key and quickly developing region, notes the power of informal networking events as well as formal communication strategies.
“The key benefits for attendees includes getting to know Vertiv experts, informally discussing their challenges and growing their awareness of key market trends,” Piorko continued.
“We have launched an ‘Africa for Africa’ project that focuses strongly on meeting our local clients’ needs. This includes establishing offices closer to customers, operation of our Customer Experience Centres, and growing our African network of authorised partners and service providers. We are also currently creating a new internal structure that focuses strongly on leveraging skills and knowledge within our team," remarked Piorko.
“Africa is a quickly developing a strategically valuable region, and we are very pleased to support these popular ‘DCN’ events to bring together key stakeholders who can join forces in accelerating digital transformation,” concluded Piorko.
