The launch of two Microsoft Azure data centres in South Africa presents opportunities for women entrepreneurs, says Charlene George, managing director at Verve Digital.
Microsoft, earlier in March, opened two data centres in South Africa - in Johannesburg and Cape Town - representing millions of dollars of investment in the country.
Cloud computing, and the digital transformation that it enables, offers opportunities for entrepreneurs on a number of levels, particularly for women, who, in South Africa, have historically had less access to ICT services than their male counterparts.
Having Microsoft data centres located in South Africa offers compliance and speed benefits, as using data centres located offshore raises issues around data location and protection, and the physical distance can result in latency issues.
What this means for women entrepreneurs is that they can now affordably access the latest cloud technology, and use it both as a platform to offer services, and take advantage of cloud-based services, like Office 365, to run their businesses.
“Additionally, today’s prospective employee wants to be working with the latest technology and utilising digital tools not only to make their jobs easier, but to enhance and improve their own skill sets,” George comments.
“In a market where skills are scarce and costs are high, businesses should take advantage of whatever they can to give them the edge in attracting employees and operating more efficiently - like cloud computing,” she concludes.
