Dialog Enterprise Cloud becomes VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider in South Asia
Daily FT: Dialog Enterprise, the corporate ICT solution arm of Dialog Axiata PLC, announced it has become a VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider in South Asia. The announcement was made at a recent event held at Shangri-La Colombo, which was attended by many ICT professionals from major corporations across various industries that fuel Sri Lanka’s economy.
A sovereign cloud ensures jurisdictional control, data access, integrity, security, compliance, independence, and mobility for customers. It distinguishes itself from hyper-scale cloud providers that host data outside the borders of Sri Lanka by guaranteeing that data remains subject to the laws, controls, and authority of the region where it is collected and stored.
“We are primed for delivering a national capability for the digital economy that we envision in the country. Our sovereign cloud offering helps secure data with audited security controls in compliance with data privacy laws here in Sri Lanka, thereby improving control of data by providing both data residency and data sovereignty with full jurisdictional control,” stated Dialog Axiata PLC Dialog Enterprise Group Chief Officer Navin Pieris.
“Dialog Enterprise’s attainment of VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider status brings significant benefits to Sri Lankan industries amidst the country’s dollar crisis. This achievement enables businesses to rely on a world-class cloud infrastructure certified with sovereign cloud status, ensuring data sovereignty, security, and compliance with local regulations.
“Notably, with the recent implementation of Sri Lanka’s data protection Act, Enterprises now aims to safeguard the rights of individuals and ensure consumer trust in information privacy in online transactions and information networks resulting from the growth and innovation in the digital economy. Furthermore, Dialog Enterprise empowers organizations to effectively invest their resources in meeting their cloud requirements and achieve continuous compliance faster and more efficiently,” he further added.
“With the rise of multi-cloud comes the increasing importance of sovereign cloud, especially for businesses in highly regulated industries,” said VMware Country Leader, Nascent Markets & Vietnam General Manager Venkatesh Murali. “We look forward to working closely with Dialog Enterprise to deliver critical sovereign capabilities to enable Sri Lankan enterprises to unlock the full benefits and potential of the cloud while ensuring their data is protected, compliant and resident within Sri Lanka.”
The highlight of the event was a panel discussion that emphasized the importance of sovereign cloud status for local cloud service providers like Dialog Enterprise. The panel featured industry experts, including Sri Lanka Personal Data Protection Act Drafting Committee Chairman and Digital Law Specialist Jayantha Fernando, Lanka Pay CEO Channa De Silva, Seylan Bank CIO Harsha Wanigatunga and Dialog Axiata PLC Group Legal and Regulatory General Counsel/Vice President Trinesh Fernando. They shed light on how sovereign cloud status enables better control over sensitive data and creates a conducive environment for digitization across various industries.
In addition, customers can avail themselves of the advantages offered by the sovereign cloud through their current systems integrator (SI), who possesses knowledge about the customers’ pre-existing infrastructure and application landscape. Dialog Enterprise’s introduction of the ‘Partner Program’ has facilitated close collaboration between Dialog Enterprise and local systems integrators. This collaboration leverages a substantial talent pool within the Systems Integrator community, which possesses the capability to effectively utilize Dialog platforms and Services, thereby enhancing the customer experience.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors have become a hotspot for business/investment opportunities. With Sri Lanka focused on transforming the country into an e-economy, there’s a steady growth in the business/investment opportunities in the ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors. The growth and profits recorded by local businesses already engaged in the sectors are indicative of the increasing business potential in them. The state sector is also engaged in digitizing and networking all public sector offices resulting in many business opportunities. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore explore the expanding opportunities in Sri Lanka’s ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors while also looking at forming partnerships or joint ventures with local businesses engaged in the field in order to expand operations.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20230713/Z_3 |