Alibaba Cloud technology is introduced to South Africa by IT company BCX

Telkom-owned IT services firm BCX formerly known as Business Connexion, has introduced a public cloud services within South Africa. This introduction offers an alternative to the well-established US cloud giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

BCX has partnered with Alibaba Cloud, a cloud services provider with Chinese ownership and Singapore-based operations. This alliance shows BCX's ambition to expand in the rapidly growing African cloud services market.

The newly unveiled service, named Africa Local Public (ALP) Cloud, was officially launched during an event held at BCX's headquarters in Pretoria.

BCX's approach involves leveraging its physical presence in five African countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia, in conjunction with Alibaba Cloud's extensive software catalog. Alibaba Cloud offers an impressive array of over 200 XaaS (anything-as-a-service) solutions, including some tailored to specific industry sectors.

BCX's CEO, Jonas Bogoshi stated the importance of this initiative as 75% of African organisations are projected to adopt digital transformation models based on cloud technology and operate in the cloud by 2026.

As part of their agreement, BCX becomes the exclusive provider of Alibaba Cloud solutions in regions where this Telkom subsidiary has a presence. The partnership also helps introduce Alibaba's products into the environment on timelines determined by BCX.

One feature of ALP Cloud is its strategy to protect clients from exchange rate fluctuations by billing in local currency. BCX utilises its local presence to ensure data sovereignty. Currently, ALP Cloud has been deployed in two local data centers in Gauteng.

BCX's future plans include establishing a third data centre in Cape Town and another one outside the country, serving as a disaster recovery centre in one of South Africa's neighbouring nations.

BCX's move to introduce ALP Cloud shows its commitment to maintaining a local presence. This decision ensures that when customers opt for BCX's local cloud services, they connect directly with and receive support from a South African company, showing their dedication to the local market.