Coker, Rack Centre Boss Seeks End to Overseas Data Hosting

Aside from driving local content in the Nigerian ICT sector; hosting data locally will help drive gross domestic product (GDP) contribution goal of the industry; and boost the foreign exchange reserve, according to Mr. Ayotunde Coker, managing director, Rack Centre.

Coker who made the remark at the First Annual Summit on Data Localisation in Nigeria 2016 organised by ONC/NITDA in Abuja recently, added that even data security is no longer valid reason to host data outside shores of Nigeria.

The Rack Centre MD said, “In Nigeria we have significant capabilities. With respect to data centres, we have three Tier III data centres in the country, which not many countries in Africa can boast of that. Despite that, we have a lot of companies that are hosting their data abroad. Of course, they pass through some hassles to do that. Do you know that Rack Centre was the Africa’s only winner in the Data Centre Dynamics for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Region for 2015 in London; the only African (company) to have done that. It shows a recognition of the quality we have been able to deliver in Nigeria.

“Secondly, this is an interesting time because of the state of the oil sector. So, it is a great growth opportunity to make sure we leverage the capacity we have: one, to satisfy local content. Thus, as we grow in the market, the pricing will improve. Three, it means that people don’t have worry about efficiency. If you data is hosted locally, there are many advantages,” he said.

According to Coker, “Few years ago when we did not have this kind of infrastructure, people had cogent reasons why they had to host data outside the shores of the country. Rack Centre has been live for the last 28months, but not even a second of downtime has been recorded. So, it is time for people to know we can provide these facilities and bring their data back to domicile in Nigeria. It is actually not efficient to host outside.

“Secondly, trust is a concern. I can assure everybody that we have attained a level of security that can boast of protection of your data. There is no danger with regards to your software security. We have a framework that helps organisations attain a level of security that cannot be offered them anywhere else. In addition, don’t you think you are more secured by your data been domicile in the country you are in rather than elsewhere that people can easily abuse it. Where we are now, those concerns are no longer valid reasons to host your data outside Nigeria. It is significantly beneficial to companies to host their data locally.

“And why would you want to build your own data center considering the significant amount of expenditure, time consuming and need high quality or specialized skill sets to run. For us, that is like bread and butter, because it is our daily routine. So, you can host with us and be rest assured to focus on your core business and save significant amount of you budget”.

On affordability, he said, to a great scale isn’t a problem, rather the society should focus on the value derivable from local data hosting.

“We are talking about IT delivering two million (2million) jobs in Nigeria, this is one of the components to grow the data and content consuming capability in the country. We create high quality employment which filters down the IT value chain creating even more employments. Data centre is the heart of a reliable IT ecosystem and value system in the country,” the Rack Centre MD added.