Cloud, say experts, is going ordinary too. “Cloud, just like the internet back in the day, is revolutionising the way people think about their infrastructure,” says Andrew Cruise, Managing Director of Routed, a local VMware Cloud Verified and VMware Principal Partner. “The conversation really started changing during the pandemic. Before, people had a bad understanding of cloud – they’d only ever heard of cloud hyperscalers like Google and Azure and thought it was only meant for developers. Now, businesses are starting to see and understand that there are different types of cloud, each with its own ideal use case. They’re becoming more mature in their outlook.”

Hyperscalers are suited to application redesigns, he adds, whereas local providers like Routed tend to focus on enterprises wanting to get rid of the weight of hardware around their necks. “Server rooms and data centres are a huge cost and require specialist skills to maintain – skills that are in very short supply. Cloud slashes those costs in the long term and comes with expert support. It’s also more secure than your own infrastructure and, while the cloud won’t stop ransomware, it will make data easier to recover. The right type of cloud solves those fundamental business issues.”

Lee Syse, Lead Cloud Solutions Architect for the Cloud Providers business at VMware Sub-Saharan Africa, agrees. “Cloud used to be this buzzword, and when people talked about it, they were referring to the shiny native services in which hyperscalers specialise. These native services work great for new application development but are extremely difficult to refactor applications into. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen interesting shifts. Large enterprises and telcos have started asking for cloud business solutions even if they aren’t fully moving over to the cloud yet. They want the cloud experience and the benefits in their own data centres – such as software procured on consumption models or having the complete platform delivered as a service. They’re looking to local providers and want fit-for-purpose solutions. Cloud conversations became more mature because people now better understand how it can benefit their specific business.”

In some ways, however, South Africa is still lagging behind other markets, says Cruise. “The local market is behind the curve in terms of cloud penetration, but it’s useful to distinguish between different kinds of workloads here. The market for workloads born in the cloud, such as websites and mobile applications, is growing quite well organically. But enterprise apps, such as line-of-business applications that are accessed internally, are typically still being run on-premise. One big reason for this is internet penetration. For cloud to be used to its fullest extent, you need ubiquitous fast, reliable and affordable internet – something that has been lacking in this country.”

People’s desire for cloud and the reality they’re facing are different things, adds Syse. “The shift to cloud must be well timed. Some things in data centres are simply not cloud-ready yet. Other considerations include hardware lifecycles, security processes, and the fact that some technologies are not straightforward to move. Other times it’s a lack of skill. So, until those issues are ironed out, businesses are looking for some cloud benefits to start ticking those boxes as they get their heads around a more comprehensive move.”

In some cases, businesses are also realising that some workloads will never be suited to cloud, adds Cruise. “This could include workloads that need to be kept on-premises for compliance reasons. But, importantly, the market is starting to make those distinctions and taking steps towards more hosted solutions where it makes sense.”

A fantastic sign of market maturity is that businesses are realising the importance of using local providers, says Syse. “South Africa might be behind the curve in terms of uptake, but certainly not when it comes to expertise. Businesses are starting to see this – and the fact that local knowledge is crucial when it comes to laws, compliance, and understanding of the local landscape.

“Interestingly, every time a new hyperscaler launches in the country, we see local cloud providers’ businesses growing. They welcome the international competition because it’s contributing to a more mature market,” notes Cruise.

It aims to provide curated resources for partners, managed services providers, and ISPs selling, marketing, and operating as resellers of VMware Cloud through Routed.

Routed became the first VMware Cloud Verified partner in Africa in 2019 and has gone on to become a VMware Principal Partner, too.

Andrew Cruise, managing director for Routed, explains that Routed has built a resilient and robust channel to assist its partners in delivering the best solutions that their end-customers have come to expect from VMware.

“VMware has a discerning customer base with specific requirements of their cloud technologies. Building our Partner Platform has allowed us to curate and focus our efforts on providing our partners with the right tools, material, and support for VMware Cloud presence in Africa through Routed,” says Cruise.

Sumeeth Singh, Cloud Provider Business Head at VMware South Africa, confirms: “Cloud computing solutions are driving the current wave of digital innovation. Through partners like Routed and their channel, we see the acceleration we look forward to, in an age where organisations big and small can benefit from a secure, efficient, and scalable VMware Cloud service delivery platform.”

According to Gartner, spending on the public cloud is forecast to grow over 18% in 2021, with Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) expected to gain the most. Managed Service Providers, ISPs, even ISVs and distribution partners will do well to capitalise on this as organisations’ needs evolve.

The market has already shifted from supply-driven to demand-driven, and it’s become essential for all organisations to consider how the cloud fits into their infrastructure plans.

On-premises infrastructure will always have its place in organisations, especially when more control is required, but it is asset-heavy and slow to adapt to change and growth. For the right use-cases migrating infrastructure to the cloud provides end-customers with agility and cost savings.

Routed depends on partners who can manage the implementation of its solutions, some of the most complete VMware Cloud-based infrastructure deployments available locally.

“The opportunity exists for our partners who, with the right resources, knowledge and support from Routed and VMware, can confidently engage with their end-customers to provide the world-class solutions that VMware is renowned for with the level of support and service that they come to expect,” adds Cruise.

Over the past five years, Routed has established itself as the leading provider of VMware Cloud on the continent. Its success has followed from its relentless focus on providing an integrated cloud platform that addresses enterprise cloud, recovery, and modern application development requirements, which are taken to market through trusted partners.

Cruise explains: “The Routed Partner Portal is the start of an exciting journey for cloud and specifically VMware Cloud in South Africa. End-user enterprises deserve a reliable, highly available and secure cloud infrastructure. Now the channel has the resources to grow their skills and access some of the best support materials available to develop this customer base.

With its Principal Partner status as a Cloud Provider – the highest tiered recognition within the VMware Partner Connect programme – Routed’s partners now benefit from the same level of resources and support that a Principal Partner will enjoy but facilitated by Routed.

“We are changing the cloud landscape, and this is just the start because, at Routed, we want the industry to develop because when the end-customers realise the benefits, we all win,” concludes Cruise.

New partner applications to the Routed Partner Portal will commence in 2022 by engaging with the Routed team.