Denis Opudo
The most recent comments from the CEO of Routed, Andrew Cruise, indicated that South African level of cloud maturity is still low. Comparing South Africa to other states, Cruise said that despite having a good market, the country needs to advance its cloud technology. Routed is a company which provides cloud infrastructure to its clients in South Africa and was established in 2016.
Moreover, Cruise noted that for the last five years South African cloud market has experienced significant growth of over 10% annually. However, Cruise said that for success in cloud technology, relevant stakeholders need to allocate sufficient funds for supporting cloud infrastructure. The fact that South African market looks promising now calls for both private sectors and government to boost its infrastructure. The good news is that South Africa is now striving to meet all the conditions required for implementation of cloud technology. Cruise also emphasized that the establishment of stronger infrastructure base within the country should also be extended beyond the borders. Through expansion, this would encourage investors to invest in other parts of the continent.
Some of the leading technology trends such as Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can also be improved through development of cloud technology. Therefore, the adoption of cloud technology in Africa would lead to digital transformation in the continent. Consequently, IT agility and mobility will improve.
According to Cruise, he also noted that Africa is in its early stages of adopting cloud technology. However, he pointed out that if good strategies are rolled out, investors will reap from the African market. He pointed out that the African market presented a great potential for digital investors.
Cruise also outlined the challenges that investors face while implementing cloud technology in Africa. The most common challenge is insufficient number of people with cloud technology skills. The project faces risks of failure due to lack of experienced people to help in rolling out this digital strategy. Therefore, some businesses such as Routed have been established to help curb such challenges. Therefore, Routed tries to provide the necessary skills to be used for filling the digital gaps in the African market. According to Cruise, the digitization of the gap will help fill the market gap hence improving cloud technology adoption in African states.
