By Conrad Mwanawashe
ONE of the major preoccupations of anyone who is in the technology space is around security with probably the biggest issue being data security threats.
There are quite a number of organizations that have been attacked for ransom with some of them having to pay up because their data would have been obviously compromised.
“It’s a growing problem that we are seeing. And the reason why they are doing this, especially for a market like Zimbabwe, is because in the main, we are a US-dollar economy. So if Bitcoin is asked of you and we are a dollar economy, we’ve got an ability to pay.
“This has obviously increased the traffic, internet traffic, because a lot of people post-COVID19 have actually realized that they need to transform, they need to digitalize and that obviously opens up opportunities for cyber crimes as well,” said Dandemutande CEO, Never Ncube.
Having realised the date security gaps, Dandemutande, the leading technology and telecommunications company in Zimbabwe, has entered into a strategic partnership with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), collaboration which enhances Dandemutande’s cloud services portfolio, businesses across the country and beyond and will benefit from high-performance, secure, and cost-effective solutions.
“If you don’t have security, you can’t then be able to operate well. But we have now shown that with the OCI, there’s enhanced security, there’s enhanced performance.
“The customers can actually sleep well at night fully knowing that we, Dandemutande, together with Oracle, are looking after their data and looking after it so securely.
“At Dandemutande, we view the cloud as a canvas for innovation and progress. Our partnership with Oracle reflects our dedication to driving real transformation and growth across the continent,” said Ncube.
He added that one of the reasons why organizations should move to the cloud or move to Dandemutande’s own Data Centres is the level of security that has been built into the facility in terms of the types of firewalls and the monitoring mechanisms.
“We’re running our own security operating center. And that center is not only focused on client digital assets but all of our assets are on the center. So all of our assets are being monitored by a group of qualified engineers on a 24-7 basis.
“So rest assured that once you are working with us, whether on our own premise infrastructure or a cloud, the security, like I said, we can put our hand on our heart and say, this is trusted, this is going to be reliable,” he said.
OCI offers a comprehensive suite of cloud services, including advanced AI, machine learning, and generative AI tools.
Nilesh Jankee, Oracle Principal Solutions Architect, emphasized OCI’s role in hosting innovations like ChatGPT and supporting global enterprises such as the English Premier League.
“Customers choose OCI for its unmatched performance, robust security, and AI capabilities. Our partnership with Dandemutande will ensure Zimbabwean businesses have access to these world-class technologies,” said Jankee.
The Dandemutande CEO was bullish about the new business buoyed by the number of inquiries across the different sectors of the economy with the financial services sector leading in terms of interest.
“We’re actually seeing a bigger appetite from that sector to migrate to the cloud. But I’m also seeing some of the organizations, the larger corporations, particularly those that are listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, also coming on board in terms of cloud services. We already are hosting a lot of these companies, but we are hosting them on our own local cloud,” according to Ncube.
Dandemutande has five data centers in the country and recently added 400TB Storage Area Network (SAN).
“Our SAN enhances data storage with high availability, security, and scalability, which is crucial for businesses in today’s digital environment,” Monalisa Sibanda, Dandemutande Cloud Product Manager said.
