[kictanet] Open Data - Where does it sit?- its just the beginning.

[Michuki Mwangi]

On 7/13/11 12:41 PM, Walubengo J wrote:
> I agree with all ur submission - except for the political stability
> thing.  Of what use is your "commercial-building-cum-data-center" if
> some group of youth chanting "Haki-yetu" burned it down because someone
> over-counted or under-counted some votes? Methinks this is one reason
> why Kenya - despite its many undersea cables may not attract
> international data to host locally the way say Mauritius does...
> 

While your point is valid i believe the same would apply to a non-data
center building. However the construction boom seems to be ignorant of
such fears if the public media information is anything to go by.

The point here being that the data centers are being built to host local
content. To avoid the capital flight and importation of local content
for better efficiency and lower costs of access. In addition such
facilities are fundamental to tapping innovation. The International data
will come if the market is attractive enough. We just need to start
being able to host relevant local content here.


> Also, laws come in handy because the owner of the data knows that his
> information within the host country is subjected to similar standards of
> access, modification, deletion, protection - over and above the
> commercial contract. In the US there are a host of data specifc laws
> (Sarbanes Oxley - for financial data, HIPPA - for medical data, etc)
> that players in the US markets must contend with to increase assurance
> that once you surrender your data there, it has a lesser risk of compromise.
> 

Walu, unless am mistaken the mentioned laws are there to govern the
collection and use of the data. For instance, the Financial Services
Providers, Hospitals are bound to store data for set periods and how it
should be stored. The solution provider offers a solution that meets the
clients requirements. However the cloud services is not responsible if
the client decides to delete customer data - would they be held
accountable for allowing the client to delete their own data?. I highly
doubt.


> Am glad to hear KDN is building some data center and I just hope we can
> up our environment (political, legal and others) to ensure they succeed
> in having local and international customers.
> 

+1 on KDN.

Further we need other players as well (read non-carrier). This will
enhance the competition which = lower costs and better QoS.

Am more keen to see local clients taking up the space and from the
Region (banks in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi). That will
definitely make us the Hub.

The International folks will just spice up the market - but they are not
necessarily key.

The long term objective is to see our Internet usage shift from the
current over 90% international to 90% local and 10% international.

Then we shall have succeeded.

Regards,

Michuki.