Google has announced that its first cloud region in Africa is now open for business. The new region, located in Cape Town, South Africa, will offer customers faster and more reliable access to Google Cloud services and products.
The Cape Town cloud region is the 24th Google Cloud region globally and the first one on the African continent. It consists of three availability zones, which are geographically separate locations within the region that are designed to provide high levels of reliability and redundancy. Customers can distribute their workloads across multiple zones to protect against service disruptions.
Google Cloud provides a range of services for businesses of all sizes and industries, including infrastructure, platform, and software as a service (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS). Some of the popular Google Cloud products include Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Functions, and Cloud Run. Customers can also access advanced solutions for artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and security.
According to Google, the Cape Town cloud region will benefit customers in several ways. First, it will improve latency for end users in Africa by up to 50% compared to the nearest region in Europe. Second, it will enable customers to store their data locally and comply with data sovereignty regulations. Third, it will support Google’s commitment to environmental sustainability by using renewable energy sources.
Some of the customers that are already using the Cape Town cloud region include Absa Group, a leading African financial services group; Travelstart, Africa’s largest online travel agency; and African e-commerce platform Jumia. These customers have reported improved performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency by leveraging Google Cloud.
Google also announced that it is expanding its Google Cloud Partner Advantage program in Africa to help local partners grow their cloud businesses. The program provides partners with technical guidance, sales support, marketing resources, and training opportunities. Google said it has already onboarded more than 100 partners in Africa, including system integrators, resellers, managed service providers, and independent software vendors.
The launch of the Cape Town cloud region is part of Google’s ongoing investment in Africa’s digital transformation. In addition to providing cloud services, Google is also supporting initiatives such as Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, Google.org grants for digital skills training, and Loon’s internet balloons project. Google said it is committed to helping African businesses and communities thrive in the digital era.
Can you believe it? It’s been 30 years since Microsoft opened its first office in Africa. That’s right, 30 years of empowering Africans with technology, innovation and skills. 30 years of making a difference in education, health, agriculture and more. 30 years of being part of the continent’s amazing journey.
But we’re not here to brag. We’re here to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than with some fun facts about Microsoft in Africa? Here are some of the highlights from our three decades of presence and impact:
Did you know that Microsoft was the first global tech company to launch a datacenter region in Africa? That’s right, we beat Google and Amazon to it. And we didn’t stop there. We also launched the first cloud services from Africa, enabling businesses and organizations to access world-class technology and innovation locally.
Did you know that Microsoft has trained over 1.7 million young Africans in digital skills since 2013? That’s more than the population of Gambia. And we’re not done yet. We’re committed to reaching 4 million more by 2023, through our flagship programs like 4Afrika, YouthSpark and DigiGirlz.
Did you know that Microsoft has supported over 500 startups in Africa, helping them grow and scale their businesses? That’s more than the number of lions in Kenya. And we’re not just talking about funding. We’re talking about mentorship, technical support, access to markets and customers, and more.
Did you know that Microsoft has partnered with over 200 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Africa, helping them leverage technology for social good? That’s more than the number of countries in the world. And we’re not just talking about donations. We’re talking about co-creating solutions, sharing best practices, and empowering communities.
These are just some of the facts that make us proud of our work in Africa. But we know that we couldn’t have done it without you. You are the ones who inspire us, challenge us, and collaborate with us. You are the ones who make Africa what it is today: a vibrant, diverse, and dynamic continent.
So thank you for being part of our journey. Thank you for trusting us with your dreams and aspirations. Thank you for letting us be part of your story.
New research from Microsoft reveals that attackers are increasingly making use of operational technology to gain new entryways into company networks.
Microsoft’s latest Cyber Signals report highlights how cybercriminals are using Operational Technology (OT) as gateways into an organization’s network. This comes at a time when IoT connections in the region are growing with the GSMA predicting that 1.1 billion IoT connections are expected by 2025 in MENA. It’s this growth in OT and IoT that has given cybercriminals more opportunities to breach an organization’s network.
Microsoft’s Cyber Signals report is a regular cyberthreat intelligence brief spotlighting security trends and insights gathered from Microsoft’s 65 trillion daily security signals and 8,500 security experts. The latest edition has found that converging IT, Internet of Things (IoT) and OT systems pose a wider risk to critical infrastructure.
For CIOs in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), the impact of a possible security breach is top of mind in an increasingly complex threat environment. This can be seen in the 11.2 percent rise in cybersecurity spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for 2022.
The growing rate of digital transformation within the African region is facilitating the emergence of new attack vectors and opportunities for cybercriminals. The Kenyan government has identified cybersecurity as a key enabler for digital economy. Kenya faces increased cybersecurity challenges and risks that threaten national security and the country’s digital transformation agenda. Cybersecurity statistics indicate that the number of cyber threats detected in Kenya has significantly increased in the last three years. The Communications Authority of Kenya reported 278,030,354 threats detected in the period from July to September 2022, an increase of 99.478% from threats detected between April to June of the same year.
The increase in digital transformation across the region has enabled organizations to manage their buildings, emergency systems and access control with smart devices connected to a network. In addition, we have seen an increase in IoT devices in the workplace to better enable hybrid work such as smart conference rooms with microphones and cameras.
As the threat landscape continues to expand and become more complex, organizations need to rethink their cyber risk approach to stay one step ahead of would-be attackers. Cyber Signals found that there are currently over 1 million connected devices publicly visible on the Internet running Boa, an outdated and unsupported software still widely used in IoT devices and software development kits.
“Organizations are more connected than ever before. From the humble Wi-Fi router to the everyday office printer, IT teams need to view their IoT devices differently and secure them as they would any company laptop to prevent security breaches,” says Phyllis Migwi, Country Manager for Microsoft Kenya. “Gaining complete visibility of an organization’s OT systems and protecting its IoT solutions will go a long way in preventing cyberattacks.”
The Microsoft Africa Development Centre (ADC) and the Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Centre East Africa (YALI) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate to provide digital skills programs and solutions to young leaders in the region.
According to the MoU, the ADC will provide YALI participants with capacity-building opportunities in digital skills such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, access to its innovation hub at the Microsoft Garage and avail mentorship and training opportunities. YALI, for its part, will collaborate with Microsoft ADC to develop the digital skills programs and will avail training participants and its alumni for training and idea competitions. The YALI alumni will also seek to spread Microsoft’s digital literacy training to other youth.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Catherine Muraga, the ADC Managing Director, noted that the partnership is another step in the organisation’s mission to improve digital skilling for African youth.
“Partnerships are a vital part of our mission as Microsoft to empower everyone to do more. YALI provides essential skills to build a better future, and we are excited to contribute to improving digital skills among their participants. Preparing young leaders with the knowledge to excel within an increasingly digital-first landscape is a great way to set the continent up for success within the global economy,” said Muraga.
Housed at the Kenyatta University for the East Africa region, YALI participants will benefit from skills-building programs co-created by ADC with the intention of improving their digital capabilities as part of their training to add more excellent value to society through sustainably impacting both public and private sector.
Prof. Paul Wainaina, the Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor, said: “The engagement between the Young African Leaders Initiative and the ADC is an opportunity to grow the digital skills of our trainees while augmenting the vision and goals of both YALI and the ADC. It is also a great opportunity to engage in designing training modules for our program’s current and future participants.”
The Africa Development Centre, Microsoft’s premier engineering arm in Africa, is already implementing various projects to improve digital skills, including the recently concluded Game of Learners university coding competition and several other initiatives from the elementary school level into the workplace.
“Our digital skilling efforts align with YALI’s vision of providing access to all emerging leaders regardless of socio-economic status. We are actively investing in creating and fulfilling opportunities for all Africans in the drive towards continental digital transformation,” added Muraga.
Microsoft’s Africa Transformation Office (ATO) is announcing a two-day Xbox Game Studios Game Camp in Africa. To empower African creators to realize their potential in the gaming industry through unique learning experiences from industry leaders. The conference will run from July 15th – 16th, 2023.
The two full days events are themed “The Journey of a Game” and will offer multiple perspectives on the complex craft of game development. In addition, there will be online learning components to the camp, which will allow participants to engage with focused training modules on topics that align closely with their skills and interests, before and after the event.
While the camp is available online for all registered campers, Game Camp will also host in-person viewing events for 100 selected campers at the Microsoft campuses in Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi. These sites will offer viewing parties on-site panel sessions and opportunities to meet with Microsoft and Xbox personnel. Furthermore, teams or individuals with games to pitch are encouraged to do so.
To participate, individuals must be of legal age, reside in any country on the African continent, and be studying or working part or full-time in the field of software development, visual arts, 3D, music and audio, web design, narrative design, or professional project management. See the complete list of participation requirements at Xbox.com.
“At Xbox, we’re on a mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to the world’s 3 billion gamers and we recognize that Africa is home to the largest population of youth in the world, many who love to play. In 2019 I attended the opening of our Africa Development Centre and met with tech leaders, educators, and developers from across the region to understand their vision for the future of game creation. Through the inaugural Xbox Game Studios Camp Africa, in collaboration with Microsoft’s Africa Transformation Office, we have an opportunity to continue to deepen our relationships with talented developers in region and help African games studios realize their vision and role in the global gaming industry,” said Phil Spencer, CEO, Gaming at Microsoft.
The Xbox Game Studios Game Camp program is an initiative that unifies various Xbox initiatives under one umbrella where talent is celebrated and game developers are empowered to pursue their dreams.
“At Microsoft, we are excited to enable African game developers and creators to build faster through access to tools and resources, and to help their games be discovered by players in Africa and around the world. We want to grow strong roots in this significant market for gaming and game development. The ATO and Xbox personnel will also combine efforts to identify game studios to invest in through our Startups acceleration program and venture capital investment partners. I’m looking forward to seeing what innovative concepts this Game Camp produces,” says Wael Elkabbany, Strategic Initiatives Lead for Microsoft CEMA.
