E-Business
Navigating the Virtual Server Vendor Selection Process
Servers are an important part of computing architecture. It’s what holds your files, applications, and websites. When a request is made over a network, it goes to the server, which accepts and responds to that request. In simple terms, servers make the networks deliver the results they exist to provide.
Traditionally, servers are “bare metal” hardware located on-premise or found in off-site data centers. But more recently, a second option—the virtual server—has become sought after and available from IT service vendors.
What Is a Virtual Server?
A virtual server is a server that’s housed on an offsite data center (away from the user business’s premise) and is split into multiple virtualized instances. Each of these multiple virtualized compartments functions just like a hardware server would.
A result of this is that hardware servers can attain full utilization—something that wasn’t often achieved for traditional servers on their own.
Why Virtual Servers Are an Attractive Option
The main difference between hardware and virtual server is that the former runs only a single operating system, while the latter (the virtual server) can run multiple operating systems. As such, virtual servers can save businesses a lot of space, and help them avoid the cost of acquiring extra physical servers.
Although the advantages of having a virtual server are clear, the quality of service around any virtualized server may differ across vendors. Businesses looking to enjoy the scalability and cost-savings of the virtualized server will do well to examine and compare providers offering this product before signing on with them.
There are a number of things that businesses can look for in a prospective virtual server provider. They are discussed below.
Uptime and Performance
The server uptime refers to the total duration for which a server is functional. Downtimes are the period in which the server is offline or not functional.
Organizations looking to sign up with a server virtualization vendor should go for one that provides the highest possible uptimes (i.e. lowest possible downtimes). This is important because it determines the performance of the applications and websites you will host on a server.
Higher uptimes will make your files, websites, and applications available more often. If the duration of your downtimes is too long, it could impact your business’s IT performance, and may ultimately affect bottom lines negatively.
The closer your uptime is to 100%, the better. Go for providers who deliver at least 99.9% uptime.
The quality of the server will also determine other performance metrics like network response speeds and load times. If it’s subpar, these things will also be affected. Ascertain that your prospective provider doesn’t have any of these issues.
Maintenance and Customer Support
With virtual servers located off-premise, you will have to depend a lot more on your vendor to help out with maintenance and support. This is crucial if you need to troubleshoot something urgently, and don’t want your server issues to negatively impact your business.
When weighing up server providers, find out how many hours they are available. Do they promise round-the-clock support? Also find out whether they can attend to you via the channels you prefer, whether it is email, live chat, or phone.
If it’s possible, also look for reviews concerning the quality of support they give. It’s one thing for service providers to promise a steady response and quite another for them to tackle your issues satisfactorily. By learning from their previous or existing clients, you can have a good feel of the sort of service you can expect from them.
Managed Versus Unmanaged Service
With your virtual server, you can either choose a managed or unmanaged service plan.
If you go for managed service, you outsource management and maintenance of your virtual server to the service provider. But if you settle for unmanaged service, you have greater control over your server. Both these options come with advantages and challenges.
Managed service ensures that experts at your vendor’s end will take care of your server issues, including maintenance and optimization.
This takes the burden of the technical details off you and allows you to focus on your core business concerns. However, you don’t have as much direct control of the servers as you would get with an unmanaged plan.
Unmanaged plans, on the other hand, let you customize your server as you wish. However, you will have to monitor, manage, and maintain it, all of which require time and, potentially, extra costs. It’s also not an advisable option for businesses that do not have the technical know-how required to take care of virtual servers.
Pricing And Budgetary Considerations
Virtual server costs vary across service providers. Organizations will want to go with a vendor that offers them the best possible product at a decent cost—where ‘decent’ is defined as fit with their budget.
Navigating this aspect of the acquisition process can be tricky, especially because it involves balancing budgetary constraints and quality. Nevertheless, the scalability that comes with virtual servers takes care of some of these concerns.
It is also worth finding out what the components of the total costs are. This may give you an insight into whether the stated prices are worth bearing.
Things like hard drive space, CPU cores, and RAM are part of the package and may cause the wide differences observed between price quotes across various providers. Knowing how these things contribute to the final price could help you choose a vendor with a decent offer.
Final Words: Go for a Vendor You Can Trust
Businesses dependent on IT need virtual servers that are efficient and effective. But they also want these servers from competent providers who offer good prices and great customer support. Without these, their operations may suffer.
Layer3Cloud takes care of these concerns with its best-in-class virtual server offerings. Our services leverage the expertise of our engineers and consultants, our deep knowledge of organizational needs, and our years of experience in the Nigerian terrain. Clients from diverse industries trust us to give them IT solutions that are tailored for them.
If you would like to learn about our virtual servers, cloud products, and other services, you can do that here.
Nigerian government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity and clean up the nation’s cyberspace.
Recognizing that cybercrime knows no borders, Nigeria also reaffirmed its commitment to fostering stronger global partnerships within the cybersecurity ecosystem.
This announcement was made during a press conference before the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Abuja from July 9th to 11th, 2025.
Sa’ad Abubakar, national cybersecurity coordinator from the Office of National Security Advisor, said fighting cybercrime must take the whole of society and the whole of the government approach.
According to him, “Apart from the deterrent approach whereby government agencies such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest individuals, take them to court and prosecute them, the youth can be nurtured into better citizens who can showcase their capacity in better ways and be useful to the country.”
Similarly, Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, NITDA, also stressed the need for collaborative efforts in fighting cybercrimes.
According to him “Then, in addition to that, we also want to build a stronger global collaboration with the global cyber security ecosystem, because when you look at cybercrime in general, it doesn’t respect the borders.
“Someone can commit a crime from Ghana using a Nigerian ID in the US. So you can look at him physically in a different jurisdiction, pretending to be in another jurisdiction, committing the crime in another jurisdiction.
“So without that kind of synergy and working together, it will be difficult to address these challenges. The third one is challenge. The third one is getting an alternative to cybercrime for our kids in Nigeria. We have this as a major challenge.”
Inuwa further highlighted the upcoming conference’s importance, noting that it would tackle key issues through workshops, discussions on emerging threats, cross-border cybersecurity collaboration strategies, and training programmes.
He also announced that the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025 would feature the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, recognising top contributions in the field.
The DG extended an invitation to global partners to collaborate with Nigeria in building a safer digital future.
The press conference was attended by notable figures, including Ahmad Sa’ad Abubakar, National Coordinator of, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC); Hanniel Jafar, Representative of the President, of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN); Ankit Shukla, Managing Director, QNA Marketing Management LLC and members of the press and other stakeholders.
XIAN Telecom has acquired an 8% stake in pan-African e-commerce company Jumia Technologies, citing the platform’s fintech and logistics strengths as key drivers of its backing.
This marks the first major telecom investment in Jumia since MTN Group’s exit in 2020.
AXIAN, a fast-growing telecom and digital services provider with operations across Africa, disclosed the purchase in a Schedule 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
While the financial terms were not disclosed, AXIAN Telecom CEO, Hassan Jaber, described the move as a strategic alignment with Jumia’s growth trajectory and digital ecosystem.
“Jumia’s achievements in digital retail and fintech, particularly through JumiaPay and its logistics network, make it a very attractive investment for us. We believe in Jumia’s potential to promote financial and economic inclusion, which aligns with our core values,” said Jaber.
Once dubbed the “Amazon of Africa,” Jumia became the first African-founded tech company to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019.
But years of underperformance, leadership changes, and competitive pressures dented investor confidence.
In October 2020, South Africa’s MTN Group offloaded its 18.9% stake for $138 million, well below the $698 million value it once held post-IPO.
Since then, Jumia has undergone a significant transformation. Under CEO Francis Dufay, appointed in 2022, the company exited low-performing markets like South Africa and Tunisia, cut costs, and doubled down on core markets – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
The firm is now focused on high-growth verticals, including everyday essentials and digital financial services.
Jumia’s regional CEO for East Africa, Vinod Goel, recently revealed plans to scale up international brand offerings and open its logistics network to third-party businesses.
Jaber underscored that AXIAN Telecom’s investment signals renewed confidence in Jumia’s long-term potential.
The telecom firm’s CEO said the company views Jumia as a key player in advancing Africa’s digital economy, aligning with AXIAN’s mission through its fintech and digital infrastructure brands such as Yas and Mixx by Yas.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general, National Identity management commission (NIMC) has said that the commission is set to register 95 percent of Nigerians into the National Identity Database before December 2025.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote,, DG, NIMC
She made this statement at a press briefing to highlight the commissions goal aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly on digital governance and inclusive development.
The mass enrollment drive will be powered by a combination of improved infrastructure, expanded registration centres, and robust public sensitization campaigns.
As of May 2025, NIMC reports over 120 million Nigerians have been enrolled, and about 100 million more would be captured by December.
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