Paratus Group opens new data centre in Zambia

Paratus Group, a leading African data centre services provider,  has announced the opening of a new data centre in Lusaka, Zambia. The new data centre will be added to the Paratus Group’s existing network, currently available in 28 African countries.

Paratus’ Lusaka data centre will offer colocation services including dedicated, shared, caged, and private suite options. The company will also offer on-site services, ensuring that a service team can complete necessary functions for customers that require immediate support.

The data centre is carrier neutral but can be accessed through a Paratus-operated 100G fibre network interconnect. It was originally scheduled to open in July but was delayed due to COVID infections and regional restrictions.

Marius Van Vuuren, Managing Director of paratus Zambia, said of the delayed opening, “We now have the opportunity and time to rigorously test all our systems and give customers extra assurance that we are providing them with the best hosting environment in the country.”

Paratus invested a reported $5.75 million USD in their fourth African data centre while announcing that a fifth is planned for a December 2022 opening in Namibia.

The facility has been designed to accommodate up to a 1 MW capacity with two power generators, ensuring redundant power for uninterrupted connectivity. Redundancy plans have also been made for power and cooling so that each system switches to an alternate in case of planned maintenance or unexpected incidents or disaster recovery.

“If a company loses its connectivity or power to critical equipment and systems, it can lead to an unfortunate loss of productivity and other far-reaching effects such as a loss of business,” Paratus said in a statement announcing the new data centre. This makes redundant systems of utmost importance to businesses of all sizes, particularly SMBs that do not have the resources to invest in owned infrastructure.