MTN Business has taken another step in moving African enterprises closer to accessing cloud services. The company today announced it would offer Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute to its clientele.
Customers can use Azure ExpressRoute as a value added service, to enable a security-enhanced, SLA-backed network connection to Microsoft Azure. Azure ExpressRoute will also give customers connectivity access to additional services on Azure.
The service will leverage MTN’s Global MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network, which connects major cities across Africa and the rest of the world, to provide customers with a consistent experience when utilising applications that are delivered from Azure ExpressRoute.
“Through Azure ExpressRoute, our customers can experience a managed network service with the same reliability, manageability and security they would have when using a private network. Customers will benefit from better quality of service, and will be able to access services via the Cloud, as well as share data sets between the MTN Business Cloud and Azure, for a hybrid cloud experience,” says Debbie Minnaar, General Manager: Products and Services, Group Enterprise Business Unit, MTN.
Azure ExpressRoute connections do not go over the public Internet, and therefore offer greater reliability, faster speeds, lower latencies, and higher security than typical Internet connections.
Enterprises in SA, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Ghana and Cyprus will benefit from the new offering immediately, with roll out to the rest of the MTN footprint to follow in the coming months.
“Microsoft is excited to welcome MTN into its Azure ExpressRoute ecosystem. MTN has a long-term history of collaborating with Microsoft, both in hybrid cloud and productivity solutions,” said Ross Ortega, Principal Programme Manager, Azure Networking. “MTN’s capabilities to operate enterprise class networks, along with their sizeable reach and availability on the African continent and in the Middle East, will significantly help extend Azure services in those regions.”
The Azure ExpressRoute offering comes on the back of the recent launch of MTN’s pan-African cloud platform, which provides customers with hybrid cloud solution services from MTN’s data centres.
Minnaar says both of these developments are in line with MTN’s commitment to enabling the growth of enterprise customers by offering them the best in class ICT services.