I recently had a chat with Christopher Saul, the Territory Sales Lead for East Africa at Red Hat. We discussed the impact of cloud investments in the region. Red Hat provides enterprise open source solutions that include Linux, cloud, container, and Kubernetes. It offers hardened solutions that make it easier for enterprises to work across platforms and environments, from the core datacenter to the network edge.
Saul provided perspectives on investments such as Oracle’s new public cloud region in Nairobi, are helping boost the digital economy as well as making advanced technological solutions more accessible. He mentioned the reduced entry barriers, the cost-effectiveness associated with cloud adoption and how cloud encourages innovation. Saul also talked about the integration of AI with cloud platforms, emphasizing on the importance of open-source solutions in ensuring successful implementation for businesses in East Africa.
TechArena: Can you share the significance of recent investments in cloud infrastructure in East Africa, such as Oracle’s decision to open a public cloud region in Nairobi?
Christopher Saul: It is highly significant, and it’ll be interesting to see which cloud vendor might be next. It’s evidence of the momentum that exists behind cloud computing in the region and shows how these investments are shaping the digital economy of East Africa, helping local businesses remain competitive.
TA: How do you see these investments shape the digital economy of East Africa in helping businesses remain competitive?
CS: What the public cloud offers is a very low barrier to entry, particularly for start-ups or fintech companies. If you are part of a small group of university students who want to “spin up” a great idea, the cloud is ideal as you don’t need to purchase the infrastructure for that idea. The same can be said for a lot of small- and medium-sized Kenyan businesses that need software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms or any kind of IT infrastructure. It is now much easier for them to set up and run very sophisticated solutions than it would have been 10 or 15 years ago, when only major companies like a telco or bank could adequately invest in servers, training etc.
What’s fascinating is the level of access a person now has to participate in the digital economy. Whether you need accounting software or a simple CRM system, all these are hosted in the cloud. The cloud transforms the average business’s ability to do sophisticated things.
TA: What are the main benefits that businesses in the region can expect to gain from using cloud technologies, especially in terms of scalability, and cost-effectiveness?
CS: It’s all to do with cost effectiveness. The barrier to entry for small- to medium-sized enterprises who want these complex services is much lower than it used to be. Enterprises have the opportunity to grow and consume more IT products and services without having to worry about current skills shortages in the region or worldwide. The skills shortage is a problem that needs to be addressed but, with the cloud, businesses do not need to hire a network engineer or security expert. You can do a lot more with your existing staff.
Recently, we have seen companies in East Africa roll back on their cloud commitments as they realise it’s not a complete silver bullet. You still have to remain vigilant in how you use it. For example, a company may spin up a lot of virtual machines (VMs) for one project, and then forget about them when they move on to the next project. It costs money to keep those VMs running and, eventually, that starts to impact your budget. Were it not for the cost effectiveness of the cloud, we would not be seeing the level of expansion into the public cloud that we’re seeing throughout the rest of the world.
TA: How would you convince the small businesses that are reluctant to invest in the cloud to do so? And how would you approach the cost question for those who automatically see it as too expensive and complicated?
CS: Small businesses like hairdressers, estate agencies, or building contractors may not have a use for VMs or servers to install and run their own applications, but the cloud is an optimal investment in services that let you accomplish things you weren’t previously able to do. And, even then, it’s just a digital subscription or service you would budget for like any other. And paying a small, fixed amount for an accounting package or warehouse management is a lot less expensive than building your own infrastructure to run those kinds of programs.
TA: What are some common challenges that organizations face during the cloud adoption process, and how can these be addressed?
CS: A major problem I have encountered is that organisations do not fully involve their vendors. For example, a bank that wants to move its core services into the cloud would have multiple vendors for their databases, servers, etc. Involving all of them in that process ensures those services are operational as soon as they are migrated (the bank is, after all, paying for those hosting services by the hour). Success from the word go also looks good from the outset. In other words, if the first deployment is a failure for some reason, due to a lack of communication or collaboration, it will make the next deployment much harder.
The one thing I recommend to all customers is to get all stakeholders around the table so they can talk with each other. The architecture of a customer’s system must be crystal clear before they approach a cloud vendor and start consuming that vendor’s services. Understanding the cost is also important. The customer and vendor both have a responsibility to ensure there aren’t surprises with the bill at the end of each month. We are all incentivised to have successful cloud deployments and it’s not unreasonable for enterprises to hold vendors responsible for making them successful.
TA: How does cloud adoption contribute to improved business ability to respond to market changes in East Africa’s dynamic business landscape?
CS: East Africa is home to a lot of skilled developers. In fact, when my European colleagues learn more about what is happening in the region, they are blown away by the activity we see. Cloud platforms allow developers to do amazing things, to develop new services, tools, and applications very quickly. With the cloud mindset, developers can leverage these platforms and be connected to the operations side of the organisation. Organisations don’t just want developers to create something amazing; that something has to run, be supported, and be able to scale when needed.
With platforms like OpenShift, you can create and update applications and respond to market changes very quickly. Enterprises that embrace the DevOps mentality can respond extremely quickly to trends by adding new features or to incidents that require bug fixes. These things can happen in days rather than months. Enterprises that are moving to the cloud may find there isn’t much difference from the infrastructure they had previously, unless they wield the encompassing cloud mentality.
TA: How does AI integration enhance the capabilities of cloud platforms, and what specific benefits does it offer for businesses in East Africa?
CS: It’s important to understand that AI is like any other application. It is a layer of software that offers new functionality, new features, and new capabilities to an application. The cloud enables the addition of AI-related features while keeping it easy and cost effective to scale. Organisations that are leveraging cloud platforms are already prepared to explore AI. And, in terms of the benefits for East Africa, the sky’s the limit.
TA: Can you share examples of how AI is being utilized alongside cloud technologies to drive innovation and improve operational efficiency in the region?
CS: If we look at the AI-based applications that are being developed or bought off the shelf, the majority of them are being deployed using cloud technologies. They’re being deployed as microservices, deployed on Kubernetes-based platforms such as OpenShift. At Red Hat, we’re trying to make sure these tools are open source and available to people and businesses to develop their own applications.
TA: What are some key considerations for businesses looking to integrate AI into their cloud strategies, and how can they ensure successful implementation and adoption?
CS: The top consideration is to keep things open source. Organisations need to think about where they are getting their tools and platforms from. Open source comes with the benefit of fast innovation, cost effectiveness, available skillsets, and a lack of vendor lock-in. When pursuing an AI strategy, it’s important not to be distracted by the latest shiny thing. That is how organisations get locked into solutions. With an open source approach, you can achieve the best outcomes.
