The Amazon Web Services (AWS), has announced that it will launch an Amazon CloudFront Edge location in Nairobi, Kenya to drive development and enable customers enjoy a fast web that protects cyber security.
Teresa Carlson, the AWS Vice President Worldwide Public Sector, said Kenya is the latest country to be connected to AWS’s global infrastructure network of 200 Points of Presence (including 189 Edge Locations and 11 Regional Edge Caches) in 77 cities across 37 countries.
Carlson said the web is reliable, scalable and secure cloud computing environment and has a Content Delivery Network that accelerates the delivery of applications, data, and videos to users worldwide.
The AWS Vice President said the CloudFront which is expected to be operational in the country by early 2020 will see customers across all industries in Kenya benefit.
“This infrastructure will help in driving the development of even more web applications across the country, including ecommerce, education, entertainment, gaming, healthcare, media, mobile banking, and government services,” said Carlson.
In a press statement on Monday sent to newsrooms, the Vice President assured customers across the country to expect up to 50 percent reduction in latency for delivery of their content with the new Edge location.
The Vice President said, “Customers will have access and stream content to end users faster than it is the position currently.” The statement added that innovative Kenyan startups, enterprises, governmental and nonprofit customers are adopting AWS at a rapid pace.
Carlson said the investment also reflects the company’s support for Kenya’s Big Four Action Plan and the company’s continued commitment to Africa, with Kenya serving as a key hub in the East African region.
When launched, she added, it will enable startups, enterprises and government agencies to focus on building the best user experiences.
Kenya is an innovator in digital financial services in Africa, having advanced cloud infrastructure in the country.
The Safaricom’s Information Technology Director, George Njuguna, in his remarks said Safaricom PLC, has welcomed the news of the launch in Kenya, saying that the new Edge location will reduce latency and performance of the web and mobile applications, thereby creating an improved user experience for customers.
Safaricom offers mobile telephony, mobile money transfer, and e-commerce to millions of customers in Kenya.
The AWS CloudFront Edge location will allow increased speeds in serving real-time digital content to customers, such as video, music, web-native shows and notifications, as well as protect applications from cyber security attack and improve the availability of services for telecommunications providers.
By Bernadette Khaduli
