What we learned at Andicom 2024

Many companies are moving towards a tipping point for sovereignty across their digital infrastructure.

Trade shows are traditionally about having fun—giveaways, parties, and, in our case,  Ilkari M&Ms if you answer a question about data sovereignty. That’s all fun and games, but when it comes down to it, it’s really about conversations and having the opportunity to understand what threats and challenges companies are facing when it comes to data privacy. 

For us—a company that created a data centre with the highest level of privacy and certifications in Colombia—it was a time to learn what companies are facing with their data and what they aren’t getting from legacy providers. 

One of the things that impacted me the most was everyone’s genuine interest in having a new European data centre provider in Colombia.

Sovereignty = control

Ilkari spent years creating what we felt would be the best data centre to bring to market in the future. We focused on the technical aspects of the security features, ensuring we had the first and highest level of certifications (Data Centre Operations Standard Maturity Level 3 and the TIA-942-C Rated-3) for the data centre for Colombia and partnering with companies like Huawei that would bring the most advanced and sustainable technology and reliability to the table for our new customers.

We wanted to reach customers who valued flexibility with their cloud provider, maintain control of their cloud strategy and who want to step away from the shadow of legacy providers like public cloud providers that often obfuscate the details of how data is being managed and provide the customer with very little real control. We hoped we had the right model to give them – colocation, sovereign cloud, and, where it makes sense, public cloud– the power to choose the best sustainable footprint and the most private and sovereign colocation solutions and maintain control of their cloud strategy.

And we did. One of the things that surprised me the most [Ilkari confessions] was everyone’s genuine interest in having a new European data centre provider in Colombia and having an option not to be locked into their public cloud provider. 

And from all of this, we learned that companies want sovereignty, which equals control.

Sovereignty = control is the sum of its parts. The value lies in the unique quality of each element, which, when combined, creates an offering that gives companies control. We are relentlessly driven to provide our customers with that power. Here are five things we learned from customers at Andicom, which are the parts that equal the sum for sovereignty = control.

Certification

There was massive, if not overwhelming, interest in the certification of our data centre and its meaning. Joseba Calvo from EPI, the global certification institute, was on our stand to talk about what certifications mean for reliability and service and their sovereignty agenda. 

Service

The general feeling I got is that the market is looking for greater levels of service, and Ilkari is well-positioned to offer that, along with the associated peace of mind. That’s a significant reason so many people were willing to speak to us candidly as the show. From conversations, I believe that our certification to them (more of our unique parts to create the sum of sovereignty) means our service will be better. 

Control and sovereignty

There was an overwhelming general acceptance that data has to remain in Colombia. It is easy to ask the hard questions, “Are you sure a public cloud provider can really guarantee you that your data resides in the country?’ and even if they do, “Have you understood the implications of various data sovereignty acts in the US and the impact they have on your data privacy wherever you are in the world?” And THAT is the heart of the conversation every time they talked about data remaining in Colombia. That is huge. 

Cost Control

A number of visitors to our stand at Andicom said they went to the usual public cloud providers  for their “private” cloud solution, but now their costs are spiralling. Their solution? Disengage and shift to a colocation solution that allows them to maintain control of

Every segment matters 

From global banks wanting to move to a more modern data centre with better service, IT companies looking for a data centre to enable their hybrid cloud offerings, universities looking to get away from public cloud providers due to spiralling hidden costs and lack of control, to igaming companies seeking a data centre to ensure their data sovereignty, there was not one market segment that wasn’t present at Andicom. Not one market segment—even government or large IT integrators— that wasn’t concerned about data sovereignty, control, and preparing for the future of massive data management. 

Every segment matters and sovereignty equals control. That is what we learned from Andicom, and we are grateful to everyone who came and talked to us. See you next year!