Interconnectivity underpins scalable multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies. However, until recently, enabling fast, reliable connections between different environments to support flexible hybrid computing has proved challenging for many organisations.

Digital Parks Africa’s (DPA’s) new Digital Parks Interconnect service (DP-IC) has been launched to help South African enterprises overcome the challenges associated with interconnectivity, to achieve streamlined hybrid environments more cost effectively. In addition to hosting an on-site exchange, DPA has become a remote data centre for third-party internet and cloud exchange points.

Jacques de Jager, chief operating officer at DPA, says the new DP-IC links multiple data centre facilities with robust, fast and low-latency connections.

“DPA offers a high-availability and capacity, low-latency protected interconnect solution that extends our data centre footprint to other data centres with flexible, futureproof connectivity,” De Jager said. “This service is essential for companies who need colocation services or have complex digital strategies, ensuring that they can access both cloud resources and on-premises infrastructure with high performance and minimal latency.

“We can connect customer infrastructure to other data centres in a matter of a few hours, giving them faster time to market, cost savings and the benefits of risk mitigation from a multi-vendor, multi-data centre operator perspective.”

De Jager says: “DPA collaborates with several other data centres, and in data centres where we don’t have a presence, we have carrier engagements and customers who can also fulfil that need. So, we can cover the whole of Africa within our ecosystem.”

Flexibility, cost and control

He explains that more businesses are adopting multi-cloud and hybrid cloud models to balance flexibility, cost and control. “For companies moving to hybrid models, balancing data control and cost is critical. DPA’s interconnect service is a strategic enabler of this trend. We offer the whole package, including uptime, physical security and connectivity,” he says.

“We are bridging the gap for organisations like financial services providers that require at least three copies of their data in separate data centres. Our interconnect allows them to fast-track this and be compliant, cost effectively. It also supports business continuity for any organisation,” he says.

Read: Digital Parks Africa breaks down barriers in data centre market

De Jager highlights DPA’s role as a transformation enabler for South African businesses: “From a digital transformation point of view, we’re making it affordable for digital innovators to bring in equipment and then make those services available to the market. We create a home for the equipment and make sure it’s always on and physically protected and, from a connectivity view, that it’s always reachable,” he said.

“As a 100% South African-owned company, our mission and vision is to support local enterprises and help grow the economy. Part of our company culture is to adapt, be agile, fail fast and move forward, so we’re constantly innovating.”

DPA’s approach to digital transformation and continually meeting market needs has seen it become a trusted partner and data centre of choice: De Jager notes that since 2017, the company boasts a 98% customer retention rate and growth of 40%/year, on average.

“We have a diverse set of customers, from a hyperscaler and local cloud providers, through to individual companies that see the cost and security benefits of moving their on-prem equipment into our data centre. It’s a game changer for them because all their worries of load shedding and maintaining their generators and UPSs is now outsourced to a co-location provider, plus we are constantly making the ecosystem more feature-rich with risk mitigation and the supporting services around their infrastructure.”

For more information about DPA’s new Digital Parks Interconnect (DP-IC) service, please visit their website or send an email to [email protected].