Hendrik Meyburgh is the Technical Head of Cloud at Vox. He keeps the light on for Cloud and is one of the creators of Vox Cloud, a local Cloud provider. We chatted to him about Multicloud strategies, Cloud Computing and the rise of mega Cloud companies in Africa and South Africa.

 

Cloud computing, while formerly uncommon in South Africa, is fast becoming a necessity for business. Do you believe this?

I believe a Multicloud strategy is a company necessity. Every Cloud provider has its own unique set of offerings. A Multicloud strategy allows companies to select the right infrastructure for the right reasons.

 

Because of the necessity of Multicloud, do you see the rise of many mega Cloud companies?

Definitely. Microsoft Azure is already here and AWS is on its way. I can’t say for sure if all the other mega Cloud companies will come, because there are a couple of regulations they would need to work through, but I think they will come to Africa. There’s a big market for Cloud on our continent.

 

What industry trends are these mega Cloud companies pushing?

They are pushing cost effectiveness and creating demand by show casing the tech they have available through use cases. For example, (Internet of Things) IoT and (Artificial Intelligence) AI.

 

Why would you say these companies are pushing these trends?

Quite simply, they love tech and want to capitalise on the available market.

 

What are the difficulties people are finding with Cloud Computing?

Multicloud creates so many options! It’s quite difficult and complex for companies to understand what they need when it comes to Cloud Computing. Once they understand what they need, they then need to know when to use what technology. When all their questions have been solved, they have to drill down on which Cloud provider will be able to provide all these needs.

 

We have heard about several mega Cloud companies coming and that have come to South Africa. What do you think the impact of these international companies coming into SA will be?

I think it will be a positive impact. It will give Africa and South Africa the same opportunities that historically were only available to some regions because of physical and regulatory constraints. These opportunities will empower more entrepreneurs to launch new businesses, creating more work opportunities and a positive economy.

 

Are there any threats on local Cloud companies with the arrival of these mega companies? Or is it mostly seen as a positive?

It’s definitely a positive. It creates competition, giving local companies the drive to create a wider product set. Local companies can also run additional product sets alongside these mega Cloud companies, allowing for Intercloud Connectivity.

 

How does Multicloud fit into the mix?

Different Cloud providers (local and international) have different strong suits. Multicloud allows you to choose the best Cloud providers for different use cases.

 

Why should anyone be interested in Multicloud and not rather just use one Cloud service?

Not having a Multicloud strategy is like cutting off your own hands. You’re limiting your company and taking opportunities away from yourself.

 

Migration of Multicloud sounds tedious. Is it? Or is that the perception?

It depends on the use case. If you are migrating from your own infrastructure to the Cloud or refactoring your application to be Cloud native, it could be a quick job, but on the other hand it may be extremely resource intensive. The best is to get a professional Cloud migration team to assess your IT environment and potentially do the migration on your behalf.

Visit vox.co.za to learn more about Cloud computing and Cloud migration IT advisory.