E-Business
CEEME & Africa External Storage Market Records 1st Decline in Six Years

Although one of the fastest developing regional markets until 2015, the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA) external storage market declined by 10% year on year in 2015.
Total shipment value dropped below $2 billion, while total market capacity grew by 27%, according to results published by International Data Corporation (IDC) in its Enterprise Storage Systems Quarterly Tracker for Q4 2015. It should be noted, however, that in local currency (euro), the market grew 7% in value over 2014.
With a year-on-year drop in market value of 18%, Russia was the main contributor to the CEMA region’s negative performance.
The rest of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) markets recorded low single-digit growth compared to the previous year.
The dynamic Middle East and Africa (MEA) market likewise failed to match previous years’ growth levels and declined 4% in value in 2015.
While the overall market performed poorly, the biggest contraction was recorded in the all-hard disk array (HDD) segment, which fell 24% in value terms.
At the same time, the market value of hybrid flash array (HFA) shipments remained almost flat, while the all-flash array (AFA) segment flourished, posting 103% growth over 2014.
AFA shipments in MEA stood out with 208% growth, as both incumbents and new players pushed their offerings and targeted different end user segments with lower prices.
By country market, growth in spending across CEE stemmed from some of the larger markets – Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania – as datacenter consolidation projects in the finance sector boosted shipments of high-end systems. Smaller countries, on the other hand, were more vulnerable to macroeconomic and political influences, which negatively affected both the number and size of deals.
In Russia, a similar situation was exacerbated by the worsening GDP indicators and currency plunge, along with the drop of crude oil prices, which led to a 33% drop in countrywide storage spending.
Out of the five largest MEA countries, Turkey was the only one to record growth, with 2015 storage spending up 11% year on year.
Accelerated government, telecom, and finance sectors investments in both high-end and midrange storage arrays, help boost the country market to the second largest in the region. Low oil prices and political turbulence in the rest of the region continued to impact business confidence, limiting government investments and placing cost optimization at the forefront of storage spending.
The top 3 storage vendors in CEMA remained unchanged between 2014 and 2015, as EMC, HPE, and IBM held combined value share of 67%, in spite of the fact that their combined market value declined year on year at a higher rate than the market average.
“As most of the factors responsible for the market’s contraction are not related to a dramatic change of storage consumption, IDC expects the CEMA storage market to rebound in the short-to-medium term as a result of rising datacenter needs,” said Marina Kostova, a senior storage solutions analyst with IDC CEMA. “However, if the recovery fails to happen within a year, new vendors and technologies such as cloud, SDS, convergence, hardware commoditization, and container-based virtualization will gain traction and substantially limit the growth potential of traditional storage solutions and incumbent vendors.”
E-Business
NDPC Commits to Balancing Data Privacy, Protection Information

Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), has expressed its commitment to balance information around data privacy and protection.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner, NDPC, stated this in Abuja, at the National Data Privacy Summit with the theme, “Privacy in the Era of Emerging Technologies,” organised by the commission.
Olatunji said the NDPC, at the moment, was looking at balancing information around data privacy and protection.
“What we are doing is just to look at how to balance information around privacy and protection, which is really important, because as we are innovating, at the same time, we have to consider issues around privacy and protection,” he stated.
He added that the commission has been very bold in taking risks that would bring about growth.
“Our starting point is growing at a very alarming rate, and we are not afraid of anything. We can take risks. And that is why a lot is happening in Nigeria, and this is the level of clarity,” he explained.
In his address, Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), stated that Internet of Things holds promise for Nigeria’s economy.
The EVC, who was represented by Abraham Oshadami, executive commissioner, Technical Services (ECTS), noted that, “in an era in which digital assets, Internet of Things, future digital computing and other transformative technologies are key, and both a cornerstone of building trust for the adoption and a prerequisite for sustainable progress.
“Emerging technologies hold immense promise for Nigeria’s grand economy, but they also introduce complex risks to personal and individual rights.
“So, balancing innovation through post-ethical safeguards and public trust is the first step to ensuring that global digital advancement benefits all Nigerians without compromising their privacy or their security,” he added.
“As we just heard from the Nigeria Police, telecom operators have a vast amount of sensitive historical information daily, including connectivity apps and collaboration on privacy, security, and number protection, both to their and their inheritors,” he said.
Dr. Bako Shurkuk, commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Plateau State, who represented Caleb Mutfwang, Governor of Plateau State, said, emerging technologies can be harnessed to attain sustainable growth.
E-Business
OADC Lagos Reinforces Commitment to Local Data Hosting and Digital Transformation @ NDPC’s National Privacy Week Summit

Open Access Data Centres (OADC) Lagos has reaffirmed its commitment to Nigeria’s data protection and digital transformation agenda through its sponsorship and active participation in the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s (NDPC) National Privacy Week Summit.

The National Privacy Week Summit, organised by the NDPC, convened policymakers, regulators, technology providers, and industry stakeholders to promote data privacy awareness, strengthen compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), and advance conversations around data security, sovereignty, and responsible data governance.
As a sponsor of the event, OADC Lagos demonstrated its continued support for the Federal Government’s drive toward local data hosting and data domiciliation, which are increasingly critical to safeguarding sensitive information, enhancing regulatory compliance, and building trust in Nigeria’s digital economy.
Through its carrier-neutral, Tier III Design certified data centre in Lekki, Lagos, OADC provides secure, resilient, and compliant infrastructure that enables government institutions and private sector organisations to host and manage data locally while meeting international best practices.
Commenting on the engagement, Adesola Adesugba, Country Marketing Manager, Open Access Data Centres Nigeria, said: “We are proud to have supported the Nigeria Data Protection Commission through the National Privacy Week Summit and to stand alongside the government in advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation objectives.
“Strengthening local data hosting and domiciliation is fundamental to national data sovereignty, improved security, and sustainable digital growth, and OADC Lagos remains committed to enabling this future.”
OADC’s participation at National Privacy Week Summit underscores its role as a trusted digital infrastructure partner to government and enterprise, supporting secure cloud connectivity, regulatory compliance, and the long-term development of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
Open Access Data Centres is part of the WIOCC Group and operates open-access, world-class data centres across Africa, serving cloud providers, network operators, enterprises, and public sector institutions.
E-Business
Kaspersky Launches OT Calculator to Align Cybersecurity Investments with Business Goals

Kaspersky’s new online tool has been specially developed for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs associated with insufficient operational technology (OT) security.

By offering detailed financial forecasts, the calculator empowers senior management to make well-informed decisions regarding security investments.
Industrial organisations increasingly depend on interconnected systems, elevating cybersecurity to a critical factor in business resilience and profitability.
According to VDC Research, over 60% of industrial companies last year reported that cybersecurity breaches had led to significant costs. Despite this, a persistent disconnect remains between security teams and executive leadership as security professionals focus on minimising risk, while executives must balance cybersecurity concerns with broader business objectives. This misalignment often results in competing priorities and underfunded security initiatives.
To bridge this gap, Kaspersky has launched the OT Cybersecurity Savings Calculator, an innovative online tool designed specifically for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs of inadequate operational technology (OT) security¹.
The primary aim of this tool is to translate cyber risks into tangible financial metrics and support strategic discussions around priorities and budget allocation. By entering details such as their sector, sub-sector, region, company size, breach history, and existing cybersecurity measures, organisations can estimate their potential cost savings and receive customised, actionable recommendations.
The calculator benchmarks performance against industry peers and highlights the company’s position within the current threat landscape.
“We believe this calculator is a powerful resource for transforming complex cyber risk data into straightforward financial insights. It enables OT leaders, security professionals, and executive teams to develop clear, data-driven business cases and recognise the value of cybersecurity investments. With actionable guidance, it promotes a comprehensive approach to resource management and strengthens overall organisational resilience,” comments Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product line at Kaspersky.
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