Cloud Computing might take some time to roll out in Africa!!!!

Cloud Computing clustered servers

Cloud Computing might take some time to roll out in Africa!!!!

As I read today’s Monitor Newspaper, I come across this page that talks about cloud computing and how it’s the new type of technology to reach for… Well as an IT specialist with a good knowledge on the Ugandan computer technology…we still have a long way to go.

Well the fact that most corporate businesses that deal in large chunks of data still have a problem of getting that first internet for a mere VPN connection this seems to be a big dream in the world of computer technology in Uganda.

In Uganda or Africa at large the internet is still known to be a luxury to have….making it very expensive to attain and in return a good business for big ISP companies such as MTN, INTERSAT, iWay…name it, it still finds Uganda or Africa struggling to attain their utmost potential of the cloud computing.

When you talk about cloud computing you are not only talking about Facebook, Twitter or Gmail which is basically SaaS (Software as a Service)….well that can be simply accessed from an even slow internet connection. We are talking about the ability to store Giga Bytes of data onto the web within minutes thus saving time and money.

People need to consider the factors that come along with this service such as PaaS (Platform as a Service) or and IaaS (infrastructure as a Service) of which is a vital component in developing one’s cloud computing environment. For one to have this service rolled out in their corporate environments…one needs to put more resources into these services and this means more costs. You don’t just develop and infrastructure from nowhere without consulting professionals. One needs to consider the security implications that come with it as well.

Recently the Mulago hospital hosted its website on an off premise server of another company that got hacked by a Muslim group..Posting up Islamic chants on their web site. So clearly there was not much effort put into this as they rolled this out.

All in all as cloud computing gets its part of the Information Technology fame…one should also note the key factors that come with it so that they can prevent losses to their companies and organizations.