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E-Business

Layer3 Explains How Local Cloud Services Reduce Risk of Submarine Fiber Disruptions

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Life in today’s world is so heavily dependent on the internet, that disruptions to it may significantly affect the quality of social interaction, business, leisure, and public services available to us. Organizations are always seeking ways to improve things in this area, as it is often crucial to the success of their operations.

Layer3 Explains How Local Cloud Services Reduce Risk of Submarine Fiber Disruptions

When Undersea Cables Break

Undersea communication cables are a vital part of the modern data transmission infrastructure. Nigeria owes its ability to access and interact with the internet to them. These fiber cables are laid under seas and oceans and stretch over thousands of miles to connect to the rest of the world with the physical storage facilities that hold the internet’s data. About 99% of international communication happens via this means.

Now, imagine that one or a few of these cables get broken. The impact on business for companies hosting their data in offshore public clouds is huge.

This scenario has recently played out in Nigeria. A major data service disruption occurred in mid-January, 2020, which saw internet users experience very slow loading speeds, as well as numerous failed banking transactions.

The disruption was caused by damage to two subsea fibre cables, SAT-3 and WACS, which connect countries along the West African coast to Europe. With the faults on these two cables, the quality of data transmission for many users in several African countries (including Nigeria) fell. It was estimated that it would take a week to fix the cables.

In the meantime, banks and other businesses that host their data in offshore public clouds had their affected by this failure leading to lost business, failed transactions, dissatisfied customers and high cost from adopting emergency measures, and adjusting to the alternative channels they have procured.

Preventing Business Disruption Resulting from Damaged Undersea Cables: Local Hosting as a Solution

So, how can we prevent disruptions to businesses like the one just described?

While having multiple backbone links to the Internet via multiple submarine cables sound like the sure way to avoid such calamities, this isn’t guaranteed as played out in this case affecting 2 different cables at the same time. Imagine the shock to companies who assumed they were safe because they were connected to the 2 backbones,

A safer, and cheaper, approach will be for companies to consider hosting their data locally as they will not  have to worry about such disruptions. That’s a problem for organizations that rely on foreign cloud service providers.

In fact, hosting data locally help businesses and public sector agencies provide numerous other benefits other than mitigating risks submarine cable outages.  Companies with their data hosted locally experience unprecedented performance from fast and easy access to their data.

This is because of the low single digit latency access to their data. It also allows them to know the physical location of their data, despite being in the cloud, which in turn helps them comply with data sovereignty requirements of the country. Technical support and fault resolution is also better and quicker as they can work more closely with their cloud service provider, and determine security strategies that are tailored to suit their peculiar needs.

Reducing Risks Through a Hybrid Cloud or Multi-Cloud Strategy

Companies should get more deliberate about their cloud strategy and spread out their risk over multiple cloud platforms. In other words, they can distribute their workloads across 2 or more clouds.

In cloud computing, there are two kinds of cloud: private cloud and public cloud. A private cloud is in the control of and used by a single company for its own purposes. They own the infrastructure that supports it. Public clouds, on the other hand, are offered by third parties and are available over the internet.

Companies may also distribute workloads using multiple cloud platforms to deal with different tasks. For instance, they may back up different kinds of non-sensitive files on various public cloud applications, while hosting critical data in their private cloud. This strategy is usually referred to as a multi-cloud solution.

Companies can also do more than just have different clouds for different purposes. They could deploy both private and public clouds for the same task. An example: the data they use can be stored in the private cloud, while services from the public cloud may be used to process it. This is what we refer to as a hybrid cloud strategy.

Layer3Cloud Offering Solutions that Reduce the Risk of Service Disruptions

Layer3Cloud offers cloud services and local hosting to companies in Nigeria that want to experience the performance of an edge cloud as well as reduce the risk of disruptions to their business. With its services running out of data centers within Nigeria, clients don’t have to worry about broken undersea communication cables or other problems that cause major network failures.

Layer3Cloud also provides services that alleviate the effects of network disruptions. Her remote backup, disaster recovery-as-a-service, and multi-cloud solutions ensure sustained access to data and business continuity even when one or a few network resources fail.

By deliberately pursuing a hybrid and multi-cloud strategy, companies that may already have contracts with hyperscaler public clouds such as Microsoft Azure, AWS and the likes, can distribute their workload across local cloud providers such as Layer3Cloud which will lessen the impact of Internet service disruptions on their business.

If you would like to find out how our services can help you mitigate the risks of internet service interruptions,


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E-Business

Amazon CEO Says AI will Reduce Number of Workers Needed

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Amazon’s management on Wednesday said that it expects that artificial intelligence software will reduce the number of office workers at the world’s largest online retailer.

Amazon CEO Says AI will Reduce Number of Workers Needed

Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon

“We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs,” Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon  wrote in an email to employees.

He said it was difficult to predict how the overall workforce will evolve, but in the next few years, it is expected that AI efficiency gains will lead to a reduction in the number of office workers.

According to earlier reports, Amazon employed around 1.5 million people worldwide, with approximately 350,000 office employees in various roles.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the company does not anticipate further large-scale layoffs, as seen in 2022 and 2023, in the near future.

Instead, it expects that vacant positions will not be refilled.

However, layoffs are not ruled out, according to sources familiar with the matter.

“Amazon is focusing on so-called AI agents, software capable of independently performing tasks. These agents could, for example, summarise information from the web and data sources, write software, translate languages and automate many time-consuming tasks,” Mr Jassy explained.

“Agents will be teammates that we can call on at various stages of our work,” he added, urging employees to experiment with AI whenever possible.

The impact of AI on the job market has been a concern for many years.

Recently, Spotify, the leader in music streaming, announced that teams requesting additional staff would first need to prove that AI could not perform the tasks.

The creators of the language-learning app Duolingo plan to gradually replace external workers with AI.

 

 

 

 


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E-Business

BPP Partners NDPC to Strengthen Data Protection

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Dr Adebowale Adedokun, director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has reaffirmed the bureau’s commitment to data protection in Nigeria.

BPP Partners NDPC to Strengthen Data Protection

He disclosed this in a statement at the weekend by Zira Nagga, head of Public Relations, BPP, following a courtesy visit by a delegation from the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC).

Adedokun stressed that data protection is vital to Nigeria’s economy and development, particularly in areas such as demography, health, education, and other key sectors.

He emphasised that no country should leave its data unprotected, as it plays a crucial role in future planning and national development.

“Data governs the world. It is essential to technological progress and must be protected for a country or business to be taken seriously,” he said.

Adedokun described the visit, aimed at fostering partnership on data policy implementation and protection, as timely and aligned with national goals.

He said the BPP would collaborate closely with the NDPC to boost data development, capacity building, and enhance the procurement system.

“The BPP will support compliance as part of the ‘Nigeria First’ Policy, although it is not a core procurement eligibility requirement,” he explained.

He suggested a hybrid training model to help build strong capacity in data protection, privacy awareness, and policy understanding.

According to him, a dynamic training approach will reduce logistics costs and improve public confidence in data safety and privacy.

Dr Vincent Olatunji, CEO, and national commissioner, NDPC, praised Adedokun and the BPP for supporting data protection initiatives.

He said the partnership supports President Bola Tinubu’s vision and will strengthen data privacy across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

“The collaboration will create awareness and train BPP staff to ensure a firm grasp of data protection principles and policies,” he stated.

Olatunji said the NDPC would establish a working group to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding beneficial to both institutions.

He added that President Tinubu signed the NDPC into law on 12 June 2023 to uphold citizens’ rights and protect national and business data.

Olatunji also noted that strict legal measures were in place to enforce data protection and ensure full compliance nationwide.

Both agencies agreed to form a team to sign the MoU and focus on capacity building and data management in procurement and beyond.

 

 


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FG Mulls Fibre Optic Layout to Bridge Internet Gaps

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President Bola Tinubu said that his administration has initiated a project to install fibre optic cables across the country, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

FG Mulls Fibre Optic Layout to Bridge Internet Gaps

His plans were contained in a speech he delivered at a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of Democracy Day on Thursday, June 12.

He said the fibre optic layout is part of other projects being embarked on.

“In addition, we have embarked on an ambitious project to lay fibre optic cables across the nation, a transformative step toward bridging the digital divide and fostering greater connectivity.

“This initiative promises not only to enhance the speed and reliability of internet access but also to revolutionise how businesses operate, how students learn, and how communities stay connected,” Tinubu stated.

He maintained that by extending this critical infrastructure, his government is empowering entrepreneurs, enabling digital education, and providing the tools for our youth to compete in a globalised world.

In a most recent report on Internet connectivity, The ICIR pointed out how Nigeria has faced setbacks in its deployment of fibre optic cables and needs a transformation.

The challenges revolve around vandalism, inadequate coordination between road construction and telecom infrastructure, and varying right-of-way (RoW) charges across states.

Among industry experts, these issues impact network outages, increase repair costs, and hinder broadband expansion efforts.

It has also further threatened the digital economy, leading to slower Internet speeds, dropped calls, and unreliable connectivity among others.


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