DMP South Africa (DMP SA), the local branch of European data management specialists Data Management Professionals (DMP), brings load shedding-proof data management solutions to the South African market with the launch of its local data centre on 31 March 2019.
Data will be stored locally, and the majority of service offerings, including Data Management as a Service (DMaaS), will be delivered utilising local skills and resources. The backing and support DMP ensures that the data centre deployment is in line with global best practises and relevant ISO standards.
“Providing data management services through an overseas data centre is challenging due to the bandwidth required as well as latency when it comes to accessing data. However, the biggest issue is the lack of a localised offering and personalised service. Data management is not ‘one size fits all’, and our new data centre will empower us to provide bespoke designs and architecture for our customers,” explains Iniel Dreyer, Managing Director of DMP SA. “We will also be able to offer a more consultative approach that will enable us to implement specific solutions including storage, archiving, backup and Disaster Recovery (DR), tailored to the needs of our South African customers. The key for us lies in building trust and enhancing relationships with our customers.”
Solutions such as DMaaS require quick access to data, as well as access to the actual infrastructure in case of a large-scale data loss event that requires significant volumes of data to be recovered. In such instances, a localised offering means that data can be physically accessed and sent via courier to customers, saving both time and bandwidth. Data sovereignty is also a key factor, and for legislated industries such as financial services this local data centre opens up the possibility to leverage DMaaS.
To ensure data is secure, all data is encrypted at rest (while it is being stored) and in transit (when it is being migrated or moved) with industry standard encryption protocols. Vulnerability testing is conducted frequently to ensure security is up to standard. Customers can choose different architectures, from multi-tenant platforms to customised dedicated platforms, ensuring flexibility and business suitability. Various options are available to develop a solution based on individual customer needs.
DMP is also ISO27001 certified and thus complies with international best practices around security and access to data and information. Since the local data centre follows the same implementation as international DMP data centres, it is also compliant with the stringent controls of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This ensures future compliance to the Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) once this comes into effect.
The DMP SA data centre utilises Teraco infrastructure as a hosting facility, ensuring that full power redundancy is in place so that there will be no issues around service availability. This is particularly relevant given South Africa’s current challenges due to unreliable electricity supply caused by load-shedding. Teraco infrastructure ensures data availability through a stable power supply environment, ensuring fast recovery in case of data corruption due to continuous electricity outages.
“One of the failings of international offerings around data management is a lack of understanding of the unique nature of the African market. As a South African organisation, we understand the culture and the economy, as well as the challenges in the market, and we can tailor our data management offerings to suit. We look forward to giving customers the benefit of a bespoke local offering backed by international support, standards and best practices,” Dreyer concludes.
Edited by Neo Sesinye
Follow Neo Sesinye on Twitter
Follow IT News Africa on Twitter
