Utilizing Cloud Services Masterclass

On Wednesday 31st October, 2018, Make-IT in Africa with the V8 Valley organized a Masterclass on Utilizing Cloud Services.

The Masterclass targeted Startups and businesses, with the aim of providing participants with a full understanding of the cloud, its services and best practices, describe ways in which cloud can help reduce cost, increase efficiency and help in making business decisions, help businesses understand how cloud can help reduce cost, increase efficiency and help with making the right business decisions.

The masterclass was also an opportunity to introduce the existing cloud platforms and describe the varying types that are beneficial to different kinds of businesses which in turn, will help attendees reduce operational overload.

The Masterclass started with the IBM representative Joel Uson, introducing the participants to D-NA (the IBM Digital - Nation Africa), a platform that seeks to equip Africans with digital literacy. IBM Digital-Nation Africa will enable Africans, especially entrepreneurs with the knowledge, tools and skills to innovate, design, develop and launch their own digital solutions.

The expert facilitator from Microsoft, Uche Nwaukwa, started out the masterclass on ‘Utilising Cloud Services,’ by tearing down and wadding off the complexities and fears surrounding the utilization of cloud in order to ease the tension of the participants especially those running non-Tech businesses. The idea was to help them understand that they do not have to be completely Tech savvy to use the cloud. Participants were given the opportunity to tap into the IBM D-NA platform by the IBM facilitator, while Microsoft facilitator also took care to expose participants to the functionalities of Microsoft “Azure Cloud computing and Services”, and its benefits. The detailed technical flow of the masterclass went as follows:

• Global Cloud Rhythm of Business: Cloud computing/service and its requirements were described. Including, emerging cloud applications, network pressures (increase in demand for cloud services and most used devices in accessing these services)
• Key Cloud Drivers: Discussions on reasons for cloud adoption in addition to prevalent cloud-based technologies and actual cases on cloud uses.
• Reasons for Cloud adoption: The reasons behind the move to Cloud Computing and best ways to leverage on cloud services were discussed. The facilitator also talked about Cloud misconceptions
• Cloud blueprint: here, key drivers of cloud services were examined.
• Benefits of cloud: benefit of cloud managed services were treated with more focus on the offload of operational overhead and the others including; cost and energy efficiency - availability - agility - Security and reliability.
• Considerations & Conclusion: Participants were taken though factors to consider in different cloud types.
• Questions: Participants got to ask varying questions some of which includes;
• How cloud services could help drive traffic to their platforms and how to take advantage of existing eyeballs (Bloggers)
  • Using cloud services to decipher the future of properties (Real Estate)
  • Using cloud services for navigation when lost in Lagos asides from the already existing Google Map.
  • Best certifications to go for in order to become an expert in cloud services platforms especially Azure.

The 21 participants drawn from three non-GIZ startups, and people from different companies and backgrounds had some time to network and share more ideas on the use of Cloud Services.

Photos taken by Titilayo Amakulor representative of V8