By CWG Plc outlines future direction with CWG 2.0
Computer Warehouse Group (CWG PLC) has launched a Tier 3 ultra-modern data center in Lagos to consolidate on its market strength and its pan-African focus. The centre is built to provide a platform for CWG’s cloud computing business as well as offer excess capacity to enterprise, especially banks for use as a Disaster Recovery Data centre on a co-location basis. The facility would also serve to meet the need of budding online companies such as Jumia and Konga with immense technology requirements The new centre is equipped with state of the art N+1 power and environmental management infrastructure, which provides a combined generating capacity of 0.7MVA. To ensure incoming mains power is conditioned and available at all times, there are redundant and Modular 250KVA Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems. The UPS also function as bull-mark against power surges and blowout.
Chief Executive Officer of CWG Plc, Mr. Austin Okere, said the new facility unveils the future direction of the company, tagged CWG 2.0. His words: “having majorly completed the pillars for our IT as a Service (ITaaS) strategy, namely creating a platform for rapid Pan African growth and repositioning our service model to cater to the new cloud computing mind-set, we are on target to achieve our objective of being the the number 1 IT Utility enabler in Africa by launching three cloud services in Nigeria; the MTN SaaS for Microfinance banks in conjunction with MTN Nigeria, the Diamond Yello Account bringing Financial inclusion to the 55 million MTN Mobile subscribers in partnership with MTN and Diamond Bank, and the CWG SMERP (a vertically modular Enterprise Resource Planning application for Micro, Small and Medium scale enterprises (MSME), which can be used on a subscription basis by hotels, hospitals, spare-parts dealers Farmers etc.”
“We consider the refocusing of our business into a subscription based model as a dual advantage play. In addition to being a more sustaining strategy, it maximizes our social impact investing on the economy of Africa, and helps to create jobs by empowering entrepreneurs. This in essence defines the new CWG PLC, which we have christened CWG 2.0.” MSMEs are regarded as the engine of economic growth. Statistics show that there are 17m+ MSMEs in Nigeria. This compares overwhelmingly with the 260 listed companies on the stock exchange. Without accurate business records, they are unable to generate the accounting reports that banks and financial organizations can depend on to provide financing. Without credit, they are unable to grow their business aggressively. CWG SMERP can provide these organizations with a strong foundation for growth and sustainability and also provide these firms the opportunity to exploit the internet to access a bigger market. The substantial cost of utilizing ICT is a big barrier for these firms to take advantage of ICT to grow their business.”
Also at the launching, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, former executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) stated that CWG’s Ultra-modern Data Centre in Lagos is timely, and a leap frog that will aid customers, especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). “They [CWG] have demonstrated the capabilities of leadership through their various achievements in the recent times, especially with their listing on the NSE and now the commissioning of this ultra-modern Data Center facility.” Engineer Lanre Ajayi, president of Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), said that, CWG has proven its competence as an indigenous company in Nigeria, adding that it has become a pace-setter in the industry. “Due to their pragmatic efforts, CWG has motivated many other local firms. The launching of this data center is a big step in the right direction,” said Ajayi.
