Vision from the Top 2013: Steve Nola, Dimension Data
Which international markets will provide the best opportunities for tech companies in the next five years and why?
Dimension Data has long had a global focus. With 15,000 employees and offices in 51 countries, we serve sixty percent of the Fortune Global 500 companies. In 2011, we acquired cloud and hosting providers OpSource (United States) and BlueFire (Australia) and later launched a suite of public and private cloud services. Our goal from the outset has been to create and offer a single, global platform for cloud services. As we move forward in 2013, there are three core regions that we expect to see the highest growth: the Americas, Australia and Asia Pacific. In September 2012, Gartner projected that North America would account for the highest percentage of growth in the cloud services market, but identified the highest regional growth rates in Asia Pacific and Latin America. In Australia alone, IDC Australia forecasted that public IT cloud services would register 24.8% growth from 2012-2016, amounting to an A$2.33 billion market in 2016. We have witnessed an uptick in demand for cloud services in these regions as well.
Around the world, companies are becoming more sophisticated about their selection of cloud services and providers. At Dimension Data, we have seen a shift from businesses pursuing separate cloud strategies in specific regions to a more global consumption model. And as businesses continue to push beyond the borders of their current infrastructure, there will be many opportunities for technology providers to provide expanded services to fill in the gaps. Software already underwent this change, and many companies recognized this shift and leapt onboard, including Salesforce.com, Taleo, Google and Microsoft, who are now offering scalable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings extending beyond country borders. The next area for expansion that Dimension Data is preparing for is the globalization of cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). Gartner recognized IaaS as the fastest-growing segment of the public cloud service market and projected it would expand by 45.4% in 2012.
Though more and more businesses each day leverage cloud computing for business critical areas, many concerns around cloud computing remain the same. The stakes are becoming higher and more global. As companies begin to migrate more of their business to the cloud, the providers that deliver the tools, technologies and services that are able to ensure the reliability and security of these global environments will have great opportunity for growth.
Since Dimension Data launched its cloud services February 2012, Dimension Data has expanded its footprint by adding six Managed Cloud Platforms (MCPs) throughout the world: Ashburn, Virginia; Santa Clara, California; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Johannesburg, South Africa; Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia. Complementing its global presence, Dimension Data announced its OneCloud Partner Program that allows services providers to resell and white label public cloud services. By linking its MCPs and forming partnerships with service providers around the world such as BSNL, Indosat, NTT Communications, and XO, Dimension Data is able to offer continuity and easy integration for organizations leveraging the cloud globally, while tailoring services for clients’ individual requirements.
For example, ClearBenefits, a provider of benefits management technology, support and integrated administration services, has engaged with Dimension Data Cloud-based Disaster Recovery to boost its SLAs and ensure its business continuity strategy meets their high standards for reliability. Aerohive Networks, a provider of Wi-Fi and routing solutions for enterprises, relies on Dimension Data for supporting the HiveManager Online, a cloud-based network management system for WLAN access points delivered as a SaaS offering to its customers around the world. One of the world’s top consulting companies moves thousands of servers in and out of production every month by utilizing Dimension Data’s elastic cloud for test and development.
The cloud market has and continues to change rapidly as businesses learn to leverage the flexibility and agility that a scalable IT infrastructure can offer. Dimension Data’s approach to harnessing this growth will focus on offering a globally-accessible and consistent cloud platform backed by the services and expertise that Dimension Data has built its reputation on. We are optimistic about the future of cloud and IT services in 2013 and look forward to exploring new partnerships and services that add value to our clients.