We conducted an interview with Peter French, General Manager, MEA & South Asia at Acronis, a leading data, applications, systems and productivity solutions provider. In this interview, Peter, a certified Level 2 CrossFit coach, speaks to Acronis operations in Nigeria, cybersecurity trends, data centre and sundry issues in the industry.

How will you describe the year 2022 for Acronis?

Peter French described the year 2022 as an exceptional year of accomplishment and growth for Acronis. Globally, Acronis experienced a 53% Year on Year total cloud annual recurring revenue (ARR) and 59% YoY cloud service provider ARR. “We’ve continued pushing for innovation in our roster of cyber protection solutions, with 2022 releasing over 60 new technical advances,” he said. More locally, in Africa, Acronis has seen significant growth in 2022. In Nigeria alone, Acronis has increased its partner base 10-fold. “Our partners are the heart of our business and across the globe, we’re excited to report 3,500 new global service provider signups over the past year, he said.

With over 3.5 million protected workloads, over the past year, Acronis cyber protection solution stopped over 100 million cyberattacks. 2022 marked the most successful year in Acronis history, with a new funding round of $250 million that brought the total value of our company to $3.5 billion.

Acronis launched a data centre early last year, what is the acceptance rating of the data centre?

As a result of Acronis Nigerian launch in 2022, Acronis is currently witnessing an increase in MSP participation and rapid adoption of our advanced cyber protection portfolio. Additionally, “our presence helps expand the cloud market in Nigeria” We seek out data centres of the highest quality globally to ensure our customers have the best possible experience.

There is a projection of a $6trillion loss to cybersecurity within and outside Nigeria by 2030, as a cyber-protection company, what can be done to avert this or reduce it?

At Acronis, we recognize the need to eliminate needless complexity in cyber protection, so we deliver a simplified, single-agent platform for MSPs to protect customers.

Our integrated solution not only reduces complexity but also reduces costs and risks with the ability to free up resources and time for our partners while closing potential security gaps.

Another vital facet to reduce losses posed by cybersecurity threats in today’s cyber threat landscape is proactive grassroots-level education and training.

By teaching and practicing responsible cyber awareness skills, intelligent security habits can be adopted and utilized by all parties. Similar to how someone might strive to improve their health and fitness by cultivating knowledgeable habits, digital hygiene can be trained and honed.

Acronis refers to this as being “#CyberFit”. No one is exempt from this, from a child using home devices to a professional working in a complex IT environment. Our software is built, tested, distributed, licensed, and stored in Switzerland, where we’ve always employed robust security processes and protocols that protect the information for Acronis and our customers. We are continuously pushing for new innovations to keep up with the developing threat landscape. As more companies and individuals become interconnected, we will continue to innovate to keep all data, apps, and systems secure.

Acronis has been doing business in Nigeria, how much of your local capacity are you leveraging to penetrate the market?

Acronis as a Swiss company with a worldwide presence, strive to think globally and act locally. At the start of 2022, Acronis had zero local presence in Nigeria. Fast forward a few months and we now have two distributors and over 10 employees in Nigeria. “We’ve also expanded their reach to help service businesses in the African region.

Acronis look forward to further expansion into this region. In 2023 “we celebrate 20 years of continued innovation from Acronis. We’re excited to see even more opportunistic growth and expansion into Africa and invite interested service providers to reach out to learn more about our partner program.

To Become an Acronis Partner in Nigeria, kindly CLICK HERE

The fear of surrendering control is probably the main factor holding many IT managers back from realizing the benefits of outsourcing IT services. But if you can find an IT support service provider ready to work with you in a genuine partnership, understanding the specific needs of your business, it soon becomes clear that this fear is misplaced.

Retaining your strategic power while outsourcing the fundamental and mundane elements of your IT service and support is perfectly possible. By opening the door to outsourcing some niche services or even your entire application or database management infrastructure, you can generate a host of business benefits.

Here are some reasons IT managers need the services of an outsourced IT support system:

1. Operational Efficiency: Modern businesses depend on technology, which can have a profoundly negative effect when serious issues arise. Issues like these are unacceptable for any company, especially growing ones that rely heavily on their IT systems to keep operations running smoothly and efficiently. It becomes a hassle and time sucks if you need the help of someone outside it every time something goes wrong. These problems are a thing of the past with a proactive outsourced IT support system.

2. Time & Vendor Management: Offering to help manage an office means your time is valuable and limited. Trying to find someone to fix problems or even doing it yourself wastes hours that could be spent helping your team and clients. Reclaim your time to focus on the work that’s productive and valuable to the company.

3. Security: Imagine waking up one morning and realizing that the entire business has been compromised, and you’re stuck trying to manage your team, tasks, and clients in an emergency situation. Without sufficient security, cyberattacks can happen with a single click of the mouse.

4. Customer & Team Satisfaction: When your co-workers and clients are happy, everything seems to run smoother! You have more time to spend on constructive projects, and the company can thrive with minimal headaches. The right technology and tools are key to enabling this. Cohesive communication, productivity, documentation, and management technology will support everyone’s happiness.

Want to learn more about our IT solutions and how they can help enhance your business?

Send us a mail – at enquiries@tranter-it.com

Tel: (+234) 818 340 5221

(+234) 902 341 6588