Adeyemi Adepetun| Ngrguardiannews
The National Information Technology Development Company (NITDA has called for accelerated development of the business environment, which it described as very imperative for economic development. While calling for more development through the adoption of various technology, including cloud computing, the Director General of NITDA, Prof. Cleopas Angaye said Nigeria was yet to derive full benefits of the cloud computing services due to a number of challenges confronting the nation’s ICT industry.
He disclosed this at the weekend in Lagos at the launch of cloud services by Business Connexion Nigeria.
Speaking at the ‘Impact of True Cloud Computing Services on the Nigerian Economy’, Angaye said though the cloud concept holds the future for sustainable socio-economic development, “Nigeria, like other developing countries, is still facing challenges in full adoption of cloud computing paradigm due specifically to the inefficient infrastructure, cost of access to ICT products and services.”
Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet). The name comes from the use of a cloud-shaped symbol as an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it contains in system diagrams. Cloud computing entrusts remote services with a user’s data, software and computation.
It is the storing, processing and use of data on remotely located computers accessed over the Internet.
This means that users can command almost unlimited computing power on demand, that they do not have to make major capital investments to fulfill their needs and that they can get to their data from anywhere with an internet connection.
According to Angaye, cloud computing has become ubiquitous paradigm in recent time with the advances in ICT which has brought about unique challenges and opportunities leading to fundamental changes in the way that information is generated, shared and distributed.
He said the benefits of cloud services from technology perspective are enormous.
“Organisations, including public administrations, can use cloud services to successfully replace internally-run data centres and ICT departments.
“In addition, cloud services offer very large economies of scale meaning that go-it-alone efforts at national level are unlikely to deliver optional cost efficiencies,” he said.
Angaye, who noted that the unprecedented increase of data flow and processing of information over the Internet has a significant environmental impact through energy and water consumptions and greenhouse gas emission, said cloud computing can mitigate these problems because of efficient use of hardware as well as by building data centres to use low-energy servers and green energy.
In Nigeria, Angaye said cloud computing service can benefit private and government organisations, including public administrations to successfully replace data centres and other information.
This, he said, will reduce cost in running some of its agencies and which in turn; can help develop other aspect of the Nigeria economy.
“Since cloud computing entails a wide range of services and solutions, it is imperative to strengthen and improve provider cloud computing business solutions. There is need for strong collaborations and partnerships from other professional organisations to seamlessly implement cloud computing solutions and services in Nigeria,” he added.
