07 February 2023, Johannesburg – Redvine Networks is accelerating the roll out of advanced technologies like VMware SD-WAN architecture across Africa to enable countries to meet their data residency requirements. By the start of 2023, the fully managed secure SD-WAN and networking service provider and distributor has implemented SD-WAN gateway technology, a critical component of ensuring sensitive cloud data does not cross borders, in 16 countries in Africa and Europe.
SD-WAN integrates Edge, Gateway, and Orchestrator technologies to ensure the optimal delivery of data between organisations and their cloud service providers. Gateways are deployed at data centres to optimise traffic paths for assured performance and provide security services like firewalls.
To date, Redvine has implemented its gateways in Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa, and in the UK and Italy in Europe. The company continues to expand its technology investments to meet the demands of businesses across the continent.
“Expanding these gateways is a critical building block to provide good application performance to customers in Africa. This sees cloud traffic for sensitive customer and corporate data remain in-country as opposed to travelling to data centres in South Africa and Europe as has often been the case,” says Binesh George, founder and CEO at Redvine Networks.
Already, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in South Africa focus extensively on data compliance. The expectation is that within five years every country will have something in place to make completely sure that data residency is assured.
“We started the deployment of these powerful software-driven gateways three years ago primarily to drive application and data performance for organisations. Subsequently, more applications and services have started being hosted in the public cloud putting pressure on regulators to make sure data is kept in country. With gateway technology in place, Redvine is in a position to not only deliver public cloud services, but also help with data privacy requirements,” adds George.
The SD-WAN gateway technology enables Redvine partners to rapidly deploy and connect other sites without needing to overhaul the hardware infrastructure already in place. By delivering secure connectivity from customer premises to the gateway, Redvine makes it possible for partners to deliver the performance assurance essential on cloud applications for their customers.
“For Redvine, it is all about equipping our fast-growing partner network with modern technology and the ability to enable new services in the cloud. Effectively, they are leveraging infrastructure to deliver effectively managed cloud services to customers. We believe in bringing cutting-edge technology into Africa to empower our customers to leapfrog traditional technology lifecycles to embrace the latest ways of managing digital communications.”
George adds that while a significant amount of innovation is happening in Africa, the technology is more mature in Europe due to its adoption. However, software-based innovation as delivered through these gateways will see countries across the continent overcome infrastructure challenges. They now get the capabilities to expand feature sets using the software on top of the physical infrastructure.
“This helps us create an ecosystem that maximises opportunities for growth across Africa,” concludes George.