AFRICLOUD, a cloud infrastructure company, has launched its Lagos cloud region, marking a significant milestone for Nigerian businesses. The region, AFRICLOUD's third after Lisbon and Johannesburg, provides a local data centre for Nigerian organisations to rent, configure, and run their infrastructure. This development is expected to have a substantial impact on various aspects of businesses, including compliance, operations, and growth. With the Lagos cloud region, Nigerian companies can now store their data locally, ensuring compliance with the country's data protection law, the NDPA.
The compliance desk is one of the primary beneficiaries of the Lagos cloud region. Nigerian businesses can now provide a clear and specific answer to investors, clients, or due-diligence forms regarding the location of their data. Hosting data in Nigeria is a crucial aspect of compliance, and AFRICLOUD's in-country infrastructure provides a straightforward starting point for this conversation. While location alone does not guarantee compliance, it offers a clear and easily explainable solution for non-technical reviewers. This development is particularly significant for Nigerian businesses that handle sensitive customer information.
The operations team also stands to benefit from the Lagos cloud region. AFRICLOUD's cloud servers offer self-service tools, including snapshots and backups, which can be managed directly from the dashboard. The backups service takes daily copies of servers and retains three restore points, all of which can be restored from the dashboard. In the event of an outage, the support desk is available 24/7 to assist customers. Additionally, AFRICLOUD's team accounts feature enforced roles, two-factor authentication, and an activity log, ensuring accountability and security.
The finance office is another area where the Lagos cloud region will have a significant impact. Nigerian businesses can now be invoiced in Naira, and cloud server plans carry no setup fee. The AFRICLOUD dashboard allows customers to top up their account wallet and settle invoices using Naira cards or bank transfers. Customers can also pay using cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and USDT. The flexible billing system enables customers to pay monthly or for longer terms of up to three years, suiting various budgetary needs.
For businesses looking to expand beyond Nigeria, the Lagos cloud region offers a seamless solution. AFRICLOUD's single account allows customers to access all three regions, including Lagos, Johannesburg, and Lisbon. This enables Nigerian companies to easily expand into new markets, including West Africa, Southern and East Africa, and Europe. The single account also offers three jurisdictions for data residency: Nigeria, South Africa, and Portugal, making it practical for businesses to store customer records in the most suitable jurisdiction.
From a technical perspective, AFRICLOUD's cloud servers run on KVM full virtualisation with mainstream Linux distributions. The platform features a public REST API, private networking, floating IPs, block storage, and a cloud firewall. Engineers can automate provisioning using scoped API keys, and bare metal servers can be built to order for workloads that require a whole machine. The network underneath is AFRICLOUD's own, registered as AS209179, and peers directly with Nigerian networks at the IXPN internet exchange in Lagos.
Nigerian businesses can test the Lagos cloud region by starting with a single cloud server, which provides an opportunity to try the application, dashboard, and API, as well as experience Naira billing. Interested organisations can compare cloud server plans, review the services offered in the Lagos region, and start an order at africloud.com/ng. With AFRICLOUD's Lagos cloud region, Nigerian businesses can now take advantage of a local and scalable infrastructure to drive growth and innovation.
Key points
- AFRICLOUD's Lagos cloud region offers enhanced compliance, operations, and growth opportunities for Nigerian businesses.
- The region provides a local home for infrastructure, enabling Nigerian companies to store data locally and ensure compliance with the NDPA.
- The Lagos cloud region is part of AFRICLOUD's expansion into Africa, offering a single account that accesses all three regions, including Lagos, Johannesburg, and Lisbon.
