As organisations across the region accelerate their Digital Transformation strategies, many are exploring how best to optimise their investments in infrastructure. Dr Chris Cooper, General Manager, Data Center Group Middle East & Africa, Lenovo, tells us how customer requirements have changed in recent months, as well as how the company is supporting its customers to build a successful cloud strategy.
Can you tell us how your customer requirements in the region have changed over recent months and how you have responded?
Digital Transformations have not gone away – in fact, they have accelerated over recent months. Many of our customers have had to redefine their medium to long-
term plans as many businesses took strain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Optimal use of capital is of paramount importance and we’ve seen our customers look at how best to optimise their investments in infrastructure. Many customers are also adopting HCI strategies as traditional three-tier architecture is questioned in its traditional form. Reduction of downtime, improved efficiencies, power optimisation and reduced complexity in managing environments are the new normal and these criteria are going to be non-negotiable going forward.
Many of our customers have also been forced to redefine their IT strategy in order to be more competitive and available during this steep technology adoption process. Systems need to perform optimally, availability to users is key as customers using their platforms expect adequate service levels.
We have also seen an adoption of a hybrid cloud strategy and many customers bringing their infrastructure back on premises in order to reduce costs, manage data more efficiently and to optimise expenditure.
Our response has been that of a trusted partner to our customers – one that can be relied on. Reliability is Lenovo’s cornerstone of quality and we are leading the way in unplanned downtime by quite a significant margin.
How can customers build a successful cloud strategy?
Every organisation’s cloud journey is different – with its own balance of security, scalability and agility requirements; and in the world of private, public and hosted clouds, things move fast. What’s smart today is outdated tomorrow. That’s why we’re here, to help customers find the smarter approach.
Lenovo’s experience with cloud transformation is comprised of helping customers develop a robust cloud strategy, selecting the right technology powered by Intel, choosing vendors and assisting with the deployment of infrastructure and ongoing management of resources.
With our complete portfolio of cloud infrastructure and services, we will thoughtfully guide you to the right solution for each workload and for your business. We are also well poised to address the growing shift and importance of Edge to cloud, something many are grappling with, but we have the benefit of already delivering turnkey solutions in this space. If you are looking for guidance on how to quickly and efficiently move towards a cloud transformed future, I’d encourage you to contact us and speak with a cloud expert about how to stay on the right path on your cloud journey.
How can CIOs seamlessly adapt to a hybrid cloud environment?
There’s no magic switch that migrates your organisation and applications to the cloud. It can take some groundwork, patience and a personalised cloud strategy– one that identifies their performance needs, gaps, and compliance requirements from the start and points you to the right hardware infrastructure for now and the future.
Most importantly, a solution-agnostic cloud partner should accommodate your ecosystem, not the other way around. Again it is also important to understand the growing need for Edge to cloud too, particularly as there are vast new volumes of date that are being generated and processed at the Edge, and this is forecast to continue to grow significantly over the coming years.
Can you share any use cases or customer references of your technology across the Middle East?
There are numerous examples of our technology being used across the region. The DCG portfolio is adaptable to most environments and we have the ability to offer technology solutions across all sectors and most applications. From our best in class compute platforms, to our storage solutions that cater to most requirements and our close alliances with multiple HCI software vendors, Lenovo Data Centre Group is truly best positioned to offer our channel and customers the optimal solutions for the environment, right from the Edge, to the Cloud.
Can you tell us how you work with customers to design, implement and support solutions to meet their individual goals?
The customer’s journey deserves a thorough assessment. From simple to complex, we’ll work with them to find the right solution for their one-of-a-kind strategic and business needs. We’ll evaluate the current environment, identify fiscal or technological constraints, envision system and infrastructure improvement opportunities and test the possibilities to find the best fit for them.
How can organisations ensure their infrastructure is future-proofed for Edge and 5G technology?
Lenovo is providing an end-to-end 5G-enabled solution to bridge the gap between the immense amount of data generated at the Edge, to analyse it and transmit it to the cloud. Various industry verticals as well as governmental entities are looking for efficient and cost-effective solutions that will enable this massive data transfer. Pioneering this scene, Lenovo is supporting its customers in leveraging 5G capabilities in order to build new business models that they can take to the market to build new revenue streams.
As such, Lenovo’s ThinkSystem server offerings act as a cornerstone that will cater to all its customers’ 5G infrastructure. It is as simple as deploying a device not much bigger than a laptop that sits at the Edge and can be managed and deployed remotely to monitor and control all the activities happening on the location.
