[kictanet] Open Data - Where does it sit?

[Eugene Lidede (Synergy)]

Running with Mich's argument on the "economics of it"...

Do we really need (or MUST we have) a DC comparable to Amazon or Rackspace
grades for hosting to be done locally - and in this specific case,
opendata.go.ke?

How does KRA manage (or is it survive)? Even with all their downtime issues,
they still run a competent DC, at least in my view, and this has brought
enormous efficiencies countrywide. Most of all, each downtime, brings a new
set of practical knowledge to the folks there on how NOT to do it. What of
Equity bank with their over 6 million clients? How do they do it?

Am informed Orange has over 2000 sites hosted on 3 servers physical servers.
Safaricom: probably more sites on less equipment.

I beg to be educated on what is a Data Center, meanwhile here are my two
cowrie shells: To host opendata.go.ke locally we require approximately 3
servers and bandwidth and some real estate for the rack (am told Kukubo has
an entire rack of sun servers sitting idle - anafanyia nini?). If KRA does
it, and Equity bank does it among a host of others, yet they are not
industry players but consumers, really for ICT board this should be a no
brainer!

To claim that we require "political stability" to host our data locally is a
comical joke. For crying out loud: there are 40 million Kenyans physically
"hosted" in Kenya day in day out, with all its potholes and blackouts, kwani
hii data iko na nini?

Really let's stop busy-bodying and making all sorts of excuses. Capacity is
not an issue. Period!


Regards


Eugene Lidede | Chief Technology Officer | Synergy Systems Limited
6th Floor, Phoenix House, Kenyatta Ave. | Cell: +254 721 289497/476367 |
Tel: +254 20 2113163
live.mystocks.co.ke | www.propertykenya.com | www.mystocks.co.ke
Outstanding Online Investment Content Provider 2009 - Computer Society of
Kenya


-----Original Message-----
From: kictanet-bounces+eugene=synergy.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+eugene=synergy.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On
Behalf Of Michuki Mwangi
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 11:34 AM
To: Eugene Lidede
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Open Data - Where does it sit?- its just the
beginning.

Walu,

On 7/13/11 8:44 AM, Walubengo J wrote:
> But on a more serious note, an  operational data center requires more
> than one agency to deliver. You need reliable power  (KP&L), you need
> reliable water supply (City Council?), you need reliable security (read
> vandalism/cable cuts), you need laws (Data-Protection Act to begin with)
> and yes -  even if you had all the above, you will still need reliable
> Political stability before anyone can trust you enough to let you host
> their data locally.
>

The concept of DC and and more specifically "Carrier Neutral" Data
Centers is soley driven by the economics of it. Therefore having Data
Centers is not subject to political stability or existence of data laws,
etc. I will elaborate.

IMHO an Carrier Neutral Data Center Owner is a Commercial building
Landlord. The owner provides a building, Power + cooling and security.
90% of all buildings in the city and its surrounding have managed to do
so successfully. .

The only difference betweeen a commercial building and a carrier neutral
DC is that instead of office partitionings and fittings they install
equipment racks and cables (overhead or under). They dont buy switches
or routers or servers. Period.

The KDNs, Jamii, AccessKenya, WOL, Safaricom, KPLC, et al, just build
their fiber to the building and terminate in a Meet-me-Room.

When a customer walks in, he chooses the floor (based on availability)
picks their preferred carrier, power grid provider (cant wait for that
day), lockable cabinet or shared, etc.

They pay for the space on the way out and pay their carrier based on the
service agreement monthly. The owner of the Datacenter has no idea what
one pays for connectivity.

For the above reasons, when a client like the GOK puts up a tender for
cloud services. Carrier X or Data Center Y dont often bid.

Bidders for such tenders are often customers of Carrier X and Data
Center Y. Thus GoK will often sign agreements with the winners of the
tender for cloud services i.e Company Z.

However, its for Company Z to maintain a relationship with Carrier X and
Data Center Y for quality of service. They will inturn (Carrier X and DC
Y) have agreements with other service providers to ensure they maintain
their SLA with Company Z. (the scenario may differ where Company Z is a
one stop shop)

Therefore the binding agreement between Client GOK and Company Z is the
deal breaker. What does Company Z offer in terms of data protection,
security, redundancy, etc. IMHO the law only offers a safeguard that
should company Z fail on their contractual agreement there is a legal
process that supports my case.

Its in the business interest for company Z that they deliver on their
obligations, failure to which amounts to business loss.

> am afraid in Kenya we do score slightly below average on all the above -
> for now even though slowly improving. And so we should not complain too
> much for having found our government data sitting somewhere in the US.
>

Under what laws are our government data sitting on at the moment?.

Regards,

Michuki.

_______________________________________________
kictanet mailing list
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet

Unsubscribe or change your options at
http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eugene%40synergy.co.ke

The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for
people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.