Digicel takes to the clouds
Published:Friday | May 13, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Digicel Jamaica on Wednesday launched its new cloud computing services as offsite data backup solution for companies, becoming the first local telecoms firm to seek out business in the relatively untested market segment.
CEO Mark Linehan described cloud services for his guests as a new general purpose Internet-based technology through which information is stored on servers and provided as an on-demand service to clients.
His company's service, called Digicel Cloud Backup, will be managed by the business unit.
"Cloud is suitable for all businesses, with solution for small, medium and large companies. From an economic perspective, the benefits are immeasurable," said Linehan, in a heavy sales pitch.
"Cloud platforms in general are creating a new level of infrastructure that global developers can exploit, especially SMEs. This will enable SMEs to run their business more effectively and more efficiently, as they are now able to afford products that historically only large businesses would have access to."
The company collaborated with Netxar Technologies to launch the service, but the cloud platform was created through a partnership with ASIGRA, a supplier of cloud technology.
Nextar is now a member of Digicel Group Limited, which acquired 51 per cent control of the company earlier this year.
Cloud storage, which is done on a virtual platform, eliminates the need for business operators to invest in hardware, software licences, security and related management costs, and instead is offered as free download at each company location.
Companies tend to be wary of utilising the service because of uncertainty about security, or 'data leakage' as computer literature describes it.
The Digicel Cloud Backup data will be hosted at the company's tier three data centre in St Catherine.
David Bates, head of ICT sales at Digicel, said the advent of virtualisation and the massive advances of the Internet has set the foundation for cloud computing, whose market value is projected to jump from US$41 billion to US$241 billion in 10 years.
"To me, cloud is simply hosted IT services, provided reliably securely over the Internet on a pay-as-you-go model. "Essentially, think of it as a large hotel, where every company that comes along gets its own room, its own key," he said.
"They are all availing of the underlying of the supportive structure - the power, the lights, the security, the front desk, the room service, the TV; but within that room each person can customise it to their own need."
Digicel Group already offers cloud services in Cayman Island, where the product was launched in April.