Africa Data Centres, a division of Cassava Technologies, has announced a strategic partnership with CSSi SA, a prominent cloud, VM provider, and distributor of data storage, servers, and data centre equipment.
The collaboration aims to deploy racks and deliver data sovereignty solutions for South African clients, featuring up to three tiers of redundancy across three distinct data centre locations.
The partnership will see these racks installed at Africa Data Centres’ facilities in Cape Town (CPT1) and Johannesburg (JHB1), connected via 100GB links to CipherVault in Midrand. This infrastructure is designed to meet the increasing demand for reliable, secure, and next-generation data storage and colocation services within the local market.
Adil El Youssefi, CEO of Africa Data Centres, emphasised the importance of this alliance in addressing the urgent need for secure, high-performance data storage amidst South Africa’s rapid digital transformation. He pointed out that as businesses accelerate their digital strategies across Africa, the demand for scalable, compliant, and resilient infrastructure has surged.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to ensuring enterprises have the reliability and security needed to manage growing data volumes while navigating complex regulatory landscapes,” El Youssefi stated.
CSSi SA’s CipherVault data centre in Midrand will connect directly to Africa Data Centres’ Johannesburg facility, enabling seamless connectivity and redundancy for clients. This integration aims to improve operational efficiency and ensure business continuity for users.
James Grcic, CEO of CSSi SA, highlighted that the partnership offers significant advantages in scalability and cost reduction. He explained that leveraging their extensive distribution network of storage solutions, SSDs, hard drives, and servers, combined with the capacity of Africa Data Centres, allows clients to benefit from economies of scale and reduced operational costs — up to 65-70% less than traditional data centre expenses. Grcic also noted that with over 15 years of experience running their own data centre, partnering with Africa Data Centres was a logical step. He added that this collaboration would enable clients, including SMBs and resellers, to migrate into world-class data centres with flexible scaling options and access to advanced AI and GPU solutions, marking a first in South Africa.
El Youssefi concluded that the partnership is particularly timely given the rising demand for new hardware technologies, data sovereignty, uptime guarantees, and low-latency connectivity. He emphasised that providing these services locally in South Africa ensures that clients benefit from top-tier infrastructure and nationwide network coverage, supporting the country’s digital growth ambitions.
