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Fungai Lupande
Mash Central Bureau
The mantra “nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” that was coined by President Mnangagwa, got a whole new meaning last week after local engineers in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, came together and delivered sound innovations and high quality projects.
TelOne engineers, Tendo Electronics and Power Engineering Company, put their expertise together in building TelOne’s Data Centre which offers safe and secure storage of local information.
The expanded data centre, to 6petabytes with a cooling system and 100 percent power supply in Mazowe, was designed by a local engineer, data centre specialist Dereck Nyakupinda, from Murehwa.
Speaking at the launch of the expanded data centre in Mazowe last week, TENDO Engineering managing director Mr Mike Kamungeremu said the new global trend was utilising local expertise in deploying data centres.
He said many people and institutions doubt local expertise, but the Mazowe expansion project was delivered at the height of Covid-19 when others could not proceed with such projects due to travel restrictions.
“We continued despite Covid-19 restrictions, thanks to our local team which is capacitated,” he said.
“The ICT industry evolved from industry 1.0 characterised by mechanised production in the 1700s. Now we are in industry 4.0 digitisation and automation or the smart manufacturing era.
“As work becomes more automated, the role of data centres becomes more critical. Hence the importance of investing in data centres particularly the modular type which serves set-up time, money and is more simplified.”
Mr Kamungeremu said data centres evolved around the 1950s from big computer rooms whereby every business had their own separate computer room.
“The key trend now is that data centres have become a specialised industry with services provided by data centre providers like TelOne,” he said.
“Technical data centre trends is the adoption of sustainability metrics for consistency and organised reporting. Previously, there was no framework for measuring sustainability and efficiency.
“It is predictable that in the future, there will be a standardised framework where you can compare data centres. More focus now is on digital design tools for faster development and increased sustainability like the digital twin software and prospects of 6G and enhanced edge sustainability.”
TelOne managing director, Dr Chipo Mtasa, said Zimbabwe has talented engineers and local suppliers must be considered in many national projects.
Dr Mtasa said they worked with Tendo Electronics and Power Engineering Company in coming up with an optimised 6petabytes data centre.
The infrastructure increases TelOne’s capacity to provide cloud-based services and a diverse portfolio of future proof services.
It also creates an opportunity to develop data centric products and services in line with Government policies.
TelOne board chairperson, Dr Douglas Zimbango, commended Tendo Electronics and all engineers who worked on the project for their high level of professionalism.
He said information technology service providers will enjoy highly customised, fully managed and secure disaster recovery hosting for carrier-grade IT resiliency.
“Through this investment, we are pleased to note that a considerable number of local and international financial sectors, governments, mobile and cloud service providers are setting up disaster recovery operations at our sites in Harare, Bulawayo and Mazowe,” he said.
“We will continue to take advantage of our strength to facilitate data centre development and support the growth of the digital economy and smart city development.”
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Monica Mavhunga, who was represented by provincial secretary Mr Timothy Maregere, said the province takes pride in housing the TelOne Earth Centre.
She said the facility is a hub of connectivity, which links Zimbabwe to the rest of the world.
“The update of this centre is an assurance that this centre will not become a white elephant,” said Minister Mavhunga.
“The Government is moving ahead with the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind through directing investment in all the 10 provinces.”
Chiefs Makope, Chiweshe and Negomo together with Mazowe West MP Cde Fortune Chasi attended the colourful launch.
Online Reporter