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    Striving for platform excellence


    ​Spending on cloud services is predicted to reach almost $ 500 billion globally in 2022, with data the unchallenged emperor of business and its most ​valuable resource, to be mined and protected at all costs. No longer does it sit in a box at our feet as it did 25 years ago at a time when data was centralised. Now it is fragmented into many places and a one-size-fits-all solution is neither possible nor practical.

    The ICT SA Market Share Overview report predicts a R60-billion market opportunity with a focus on five pillars of targeted growth areas: fixed connectivity; unified communications and collaboration (UCC); telemetry and IoT, with IoT pushing a smart and data agenda; cloud; and security. Data and artificial intelligence (AI) require a unique skill set and hence usually cannot be built via traditional adjacency services. Security usually has a presence in one form or the other in organisations and can be having the ability constructed using internal security capabilities.

    Network operators and systems integrators need to leverage core assets to provide end-to-end capabilities across multiple segments to their clients, with clear objectives when it comes to where it wants to be in the ICT arena using their network as a base.

    What we are seeing is Gartner’s 2025 predictions coming to light that cloud will make up 70% of all workloads with 30% edge, 40% public and the rest on-premise.

    One of the key themes of the MTN ambition 2025 is platforms.

    However, in the ICT arena, platforms will need to be augmented by managed and professional services partners to meet the customer and market requirements. Given some of the market dynamics – being data-led, the transition from cloud as an option to being cloud-first and now smart cloud, MPLS networks under threat from SDWAN offerings with a deep desire for verticalized solutions to remain competitive, it is a perfect storm to enter the market.

    “Platform excellence boils down to five strategic elements: architectural maturity; accelerating build programs with operating companies opted in; an effective platform deployment strategy; cost-reduction coupled with increased utilisation; and a proportional recharge model. One thing an MTN client can always depend

    on is its ability to enable and deliver economies of scale.” - Vaughn Naidoo, General Manager of MTN’s Technical Centre of Excellence

    Bouquet point security solutions

    It’s becoming increasingly recognised that service providers switch centres to cloud edge computing for enterprises while they are moving into the 5G era and beyond. Switching and switching fees are important when considering how you want to get to market. It’s no longer dictated to in terms of being at a crawl or at a run, but about how you move up the stack.

    While some enterprises have jumped into the IoT value proposition, this may have happened without a full understanding of the follow-through required.

    We know there is work to do with establishing GSM technologies for maximum value and that this requires a stable platform or alternative platform to connect things to make them smart. As we move towards 2025, MTN sees smart grid and building management, livestock- and game-tagging, freight, fleet and cargo management, manufacturing, mining, and digital smart utilities as where we can provide enormous IoT value. All services must be wrapped in security, with bouquet point solutions to assist with a client-led, zero-trust or in-depth defence strategy in place. Hackers are hungry and well-funded, so security needs to follow embedded infrastructure- based security, including firewalls, email and antivirus measures via partners with the requisite knowledge and skills. It’s a fact that security is now seen as essential and no longer a grudge play. Platform excellence boils down to five strategic elements: architectural maturity; accelerating build programmes an effective platform deployment strategy; cost-reduction coupled with increased utilisation; and a proportional charging model. Underneath everything is the constant thorn of addressing skills shortages and staying apace of how skills are developing to meet the demands of new technologies. It is vital to level the skills gap and tap into the rich base of ability that this country has. There is no need to import or look outside South Africa for talent. It is here. It just needs to be nurtured.

    The MTN advantage

    MTN’s strategy is anchored in building the largest and most valuable platform business, with a clear focus on Africa. MTN Business has partnered with leading global service providers like BT, Securicom, Cisco, Microsoft, and others to accelerate growth and provide seamless solutions for your business. MTN’s transformation journey from a core mobile service provider to a techno company is embedded in its ICT solutions – managed networks, unified communication, IoT, security, data centre and hosting, and mobile solutions, throughout the 19 markets it operates in. One thing an MTN client can always depend upon is its ability to enable and deliver economies of scale.

    By Vaughn Naidoo, General Manager of MTN’s Technical Centre of Excellence




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