Mr Eric Nsarkoh talking the media after the Launch
Accra, April 10, GNA – MTN Ghana has introduced cloud computing services in Ghana for businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, to adopt new solutions to minimize costs and improve productivity and efficiency.
The company launched the new cloud service, a recent innovation in IT, on Wednesday to be the first out of six countries the parent company, MTN Group, had selected for the launch in Africa.
The other five countries are Cameroon, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda and South Africa. MTN Group is the first mobile network operator in Africa to launch Cloud Services Brokerage model.
Cloud Services is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network. End users access cloud-based applications through a web browser or a light-weight desktop or mobile app while the business software and user’s data are stored on servers at a remote location.
MTN Business Solutions, now a cloud provider, will manage the infrastructure and platforms that run applications for businesses and clients.
‘This is very important milestone in the life of MTN (Ghana) Business, which was launched in 2011 to provide ICT solutions to SMEs and large corporate in Ghana. MTN new vision is to lead in the delivery of bold new digital services and the launch of cloud services in Ghana today attest to our progress in realizing this vision,’ Michael Ikpoti, CEO of MTN Ghana said at the launch.
The CEO said given that ICT as an essential component of the competitive armoury for SMEs had become even more critical, MTN Ghana was ready to help businesses stay relevant and grow their businesses by importing customer experience.
Technology, he said, could do more for SMEs as a way to stimulate economic growth and propel them into a digital future. ‘This expectation is rooted in the belief that successful SMEs are core to the national agenda of most economies in Africa and Ghana,’ Mr Ikpoti said.
In terms of network capacity, he said, the company in Ghana was investing 5 million this year to expand and upgrade its services to assure customers of excellent delivery.
Mr Eric Nsarkoh, General Manager for MTN Business Solutions said, with cloud services, ‘users can gain access to their services virtually everywhere at any time.’
He said the MTN cloud service software had major benefits for customers including flexibility in scalability, fast deployment and self-service as well as access to latest technology in terms of update and security.
The MTN Cloud, Mr Nsarkoh added, offers one-stop-shop services, which allow customers to purchase to suit all their software needs from one vendor rather than separate vendors.
‘We tailor to meet your needs comprehensive variety of products to serve SMEs and medium corporations’ solutions to fit the budgets of our customers across the nation rather than standard pricing from international providers,’ he said.
‘We offer the most convenient and risk-free billing options – bill in local currency, and pay via prepaid airtime vouchers…’
Explaining why businesses need to create secured backups, he said, their businesses were growing and so was their data. He said they could not afford to lose all their data because of hard drive crashes, spilled drinks, and accidental file deletion, which could occur at any time.
‘In fact, 93% of all companies that suffer significant data loss close down within five years.
‘Digital data is rapidly growing at a rate of 80% each year and businesses like yours are responsible for maintaining 85% of the information,’ Mr Nsarkoh said.
GNA