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E-Business

Data Centres Connecting to IXPN will Assist to Localise Traffic – Coker

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Ayotunde Coker is the managing director of Rack Centre a Data centre operator. He spoke to Chike Onwuegbuchi on the importance of data centres interconnecting through Internet exchange point of Nigeria (IXPN),

What is the value proposition in Data Centre collocation?

Capital in millions of Dollars is needed to build a data centre, but that is not the core area of, it is better to put that resources in the front end of the business and collocate. In fact, it is difficult for those who choose to have their datacentres to have the expertise to execute. But, this is what I do every day. I wake up in the morning thinking of how best to offer services to the customers who are hosted with us. But that is not the core-competence of that company down the road that wants to build a datacentre.

They are not likely to achieve the right standard of operating it. Sometimes, it ends up as a big project that slows the system due to budget and maintenance – you have to think of 24/7 diesel availability. Some board meetings end up discussing datacentre downtime or lack of diesel; it should not be so.  Make the right selection for the company and focus on transforming the company with technology.

When you have an option to collocate and it is proven to be secured, reliable and available, then, you can sleep at night. Of course, there are other services you may need to manage such as customer relationship and so on, but you get more credit from transforming the business and the customer experience will be top notch.

On the other hand, we have 32 carriers here. If you build your datacentre you need to worry about how many carriers would want to bring their fibre to you. Now, when you do not have high quality datacentres, then, your excuse for building a data centre is cogent. But, it is capital intensive. When I was the CIO of a bank, I looked everywhere for quality data centre but could not find any in the country. Today, the sub-sector has changed. That is the value proposition of taking on colocation.

Are all Data centres in Nigeria interconnected through iXPN?

Are all data centres in Nigeria hosting on IXPN? No, but there are quite a number of them that are hosted at IXPN. We run the IXPN here and we are pleased with our relationship. iXPN is strategically located in the country to localize and optimize content/traffic as much as possible. The growth is really significant in terms of the volumes we are seeing through the IXPN.

Now, talking about interconnectivity, it is very important. Let’s look at carrier neutrality: a carrier is an operator that provides fibre connectivity, radio or satellite. They carry data from A to B. Telcos like MTN, Glo, Airtel and so on, are carriers. If you are neutral it means you are not a carrier and the carriers are comfortable connecting to you because there is no competition between you and them. They don’t feel that any of their data or information will be used against them.

Every major carrier in the country is here in Rack Centre. If you want to get to Maiduguri or anywhere in the country, you will get there.

In fact, if you want to get to anywhere in Africa or around the world, you will; somehow. The reason is simple: we have the key Tier1 customers and pan-African facilities that cross-connect. We also have the added value of high quality carrier neutral environment at scale. So, it attracts the carriers. If you want to connect to Kaduna, Damaturu or anywhere else you can pick from the whole range of carriers and we will work out how to get there. Every bank here (in Lagos) connects to their branches in those far end States.

In terms of cost, what you will find is that, with time, hubs will start to emerge in some of the geo-political zones to deliver services closer to the point of use. We are going to witness that over the next three to four years, especially where you find more economic activities. It will allow us to optimise our footprints, nationally.

How is Rack Centre penetrating the West African Market?

Right now, we have customers that are located across different countries in West Africa. There are others who see the value of partnering with us. However, with the strength of brand we have now, we see the benefit of locating elsewhere in West Africa. A francophone kind of location is a good option. May people would think, ‘Oh, Ghana should be the next place’. Well, we reach Ghana through many options here. Do you want to go by Main One, Glo, MTN; we will take you to Ghana through any of them.

The benefit of being in a francophone is due to the synergy to address the needs around the West African area. We take a step at a time. In some of those countries are our competition, but competition is healthy. We have built ourselves to the market-leading position. The main thing is that the prepositions we take to those markets are real. We are going there with credibility and track record that is known.

Microsoft unveiled datacentre services in South Africa, recently. The likes of Facebook, Google, and even Microsoft offer services in Nigeria. Do you think we are going to see enough Foreign Direct Investment in datacentres infrastructure in Nigeria?

The fact that Microsoft hasn’t announced they are opening something in Nigeria doesn’t mean they won’t be coming here. So, there will definitely be Foreign Direct Investments  to Nigeria. Our location is fantastic. The statistics shows that Facebook has over 24million daily users in Nigeria. That is the about half the population of South Africa. Let’s not worry, they will come.

Domestic investments in Data Centres, are they adequate?

The potential market is significant and we are working hard to secure the investments to meet the market demands as efficiently as possible. It is up to us to make sure we attract the right investments.  Our fundamentals indicate the fact that the demand is there. We are going to double capacity this year. After that, we are looking at even doubling that, and another location.

What is the next phase for Rack Centre?

The next thing for us is get the scale doubled. We are already a megawatts company. That is a good psychological step to scaling. We are doing very exciting thing with the infrastructure we got here. We are not standing still; we are moving up and upgrading because there are challenges and opportunities and we are continuously looking out for ways to innovate and be prepared for the new frontiers.


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E-Business

FG Mulls Fibre Optic Layout to Bridge Internet Gaps

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President Bola Tinubu said that his administration has initiated a project to install fibre optic cables across the country, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

FG Mulls Fibre Optic Layout to Bridge Internet Gaps

His plans were contained in a speech he delivered at a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of Democracy Day on Thursday, June 12.

He said the fibre optic layout is part of other projects being embarked on.

“In addition, we have embarked on an ambitious project to lay fibre optic cables across the nation, a transformative step toward bridging the digital divide and fostering greater connectivity.

“This initiative promises not only to enhance the speed and reliability of internet access but also to revolutionise how businesses operate, how students learn, and how communities stay connected,” Tinubu stated.

He maintained that by extending this critical infrastructure, his government is empowering entrepreneurs, enabling digital education, and providing the tools for our youth to compete in a globalised world.

In a most recent report on Internet connectivity, The ICIR pointed out how Nigeria has faced setbacks in its deployment of fibre optic cables and needs a transformation.

The challenges revolve around vandalism, inadequate coordination between road construction and telecom infrastructure, and varying right-of-way (RoW) charges across states.

Among industry experts, these issues impact network outages, increase repair costs, and hinder broadband expansion efforts.

It has also further threatened the digital economy, leading to slower Internet speeds, dropped calls, and unreliable connectivity among others.


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African Startups Raised $345m in Funding in May

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African startups raised more than $345 million across 65 deals in May, more than double the amount raised in the same period of last year, according to a report by Briter, a research and business intelligence firm.

The report disclosed that both the number of deals and participating companies declined, confirming a growing trend of fewer companies raising funds in larger sizes.

It said fintech attracted the highest share of funding in May, accounting for 34 percent of the total, while cleantech followed closely, driven by a debt deal from Sun King. The company raised $80 million (in local currency) to expand clean energy access in Nigeria.

“Equity remains the primary instrument in terms of total value. There’s no doubt about it; in fact, equity deals with disclosed amounts captured more than half of the total funding volume in May.

“However, debt financing is increasingly proving its weight. Although it accounted for only 8 percent of all deals, it represented 32 percent of the total funding, highlighting the typically larger size of debt transactions. With the rise of specialised vehicles targeting early-stage businesses, debt is becoming an increasingly important part of Africa’s innovation funding landscape,” it said.

Briter’s report added that grants continued to play a vital role in early-stage support, especially in the education technology (EdTech) sector. The Mastercard Foundation led the pack in grant activity, funding a new cohort of EdTech innovators in Nigeria and Kenya. Each selected startup is set to receive $100,000 in grant funding, in addition to mentorship and business development support.

Multilaterals also made a strong showing in May, it said. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a World Bank Group member, issued a $179.6 million guarantee to CleanTech firm KOKO Networks. The support will help scale its clean energy solutions across Kenya.

“This deal not only demonstrates growing international confidence in African climate ventures but also signals a promising pathway for other asset-intensive startups in clean cooking, agriculture, and renewable energy,” the report said.

From a geographic perspective, Egypt emerged as the continent’s fundraising powerhouse for the month, contributing 51 percent of all funding raised. The country recorded 12 deals across equity, debt, and bond instruments. Notably, FinTech platform MNT-Halan raised $50 million through a bond issuance, further illustrating the diversification of capital-raising mechanisms in the region.

Outside Egypt, funding was distributed across Africa’s three other key markets, which are Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya, with limited activity recorded in countries such as Ghana, Tunisia, Morocco, and Uganda, each registering between one and three deals.

In terms of exits, the African tech landscape continues to mature. Three companies—Baobab+, Qardy, and Shopa—were acquired in May, bringing the total number of exits this year to 22. This already surpasses last year’s count for the same period. Qardy was acquired by Catalyst Partners Middle East (CPME) in a disclosed deal valued at $23 million, the report added.

 


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Human Hacking: When Cyber Criminals Target You

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By Nancy Werteen

When you get anti-hacking advice, you’ve probably heard “Don’t use a simple password,” or “Don’t plug in that USB you found on the ground.”

Human Hacking: When Cyber Criminals Target You

But there’s one form of hacking that doesn’t always require a computer, and it costs businesses about 4.88 million dollars a year.

Modern hackers aren’t trying to get into your computer; they’re trying to get into you.

“They’ll try to learn about you a little bit, and they’ll try to use that information against you to try to get you to complete some action, maybe to send somebody some money,” said Kevin Moran, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Cyber Security and Privacy Cluster, University of Central Florida.

IBM calls this human hacking, because it exploits human error instead of system error.

“With people just being busy and maybe not very carefully checking some of the emails or the phone calls that they get, can be something unfortunately that people can fall victim to,” said Moran.

Also known as social engineering, this often takes the form of phishing, where the hacker tries to “fish” the information out of you by impersonating family, friends, or even your bank.

There’s also baiting, where the hacker baits you with something of value. Remember the Nigerian prince scam?

That’s a famous example of baiting. There’s also pretexting, where the hacker will claim the victim has already been hacked, and that the hacker can fix it if you just send over your passwords. So, what can you do?

“Just as a rule of thumb, instead of clicking on links and emails, just go to the website yourself. And that will prevent, a lot of these types of attacks from happening,” explained Moran.

Phishing can take many forms.

Spear phishing targets people with access to confidential information, often to get access into an entire business, and whale phishing targets CEOs or political figures.

Search engine phishing is when hackers create fake websites promising services or goods you’ll never receive.

Angler phishing is when hackers create fake social media accounts impersonating famous people or companies.

Finally, vishing and smishing is phishing done through phone calls and texts respectively.

 

 

 

 

 


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