Customer Case Study: CloudFlex

VMware Cloud Service Provider Delivers S3-compatible Storage and Ransomware Protection with Cloudian

CloudFlex (formerly Comercio) is a leading enterprise cloud service provider in Nigeria that delivers comprehensive IT-as-a-service solutions to both local and global businesses in the region across a wide range of industries. Services provided by CloudFlex include S3-compatible storage and backup and disaster recovery services with integrated ransomware protection.

Faced with the need to provide a more cost-efficient, S3-compatible storage solution, CloudFlex selected Cloudian’s HyperStore object storage platform, which has addressed customers’ storage requirements while delivering superior value.

As a VMware cloud service provider, CloudFlex procured Cloudian software from VMware on a consumption model basis, eliminating up-front expense and allowing the company to match costs with incoming revenue.

The Need for Localized Pricing

Over the past few years, a constant challenge for CloudFlex and its customers that want access to S3-compatible storage has been the pricing requirements set by the dominant provider in the region, Amazon AWS. Due to the AWS pricing structure, users are forced to pay in US dollars, regardless of their geographic location. For businesses based and operating in Nigeria, this is a costly expense that doesn’t provide any resulting value.

“There is demand for S3-compatible object storage in the region, but businesses are being forced to pay a higher price simply due to exchange rates,” said Remi Adejumo, Managing Director at CloudFlex. “This puts unnecessary pressure on IT budgets and can prevent organizations from fully meeting their storage needs.”

Cost-efficient Object Storage

To overcome this challenge and provide a wider portfolio of S3-compatible solutions, CloudFlex wanted an alternative to AWS. Following a comprehensive analysis of the different solutions available, the company selected Cloudian HyperStore object storage.

HyperStore immediately stood out due to its localized pricing structure. Another key reason for selecting Cloudian was its accessibility through the VMware Cloud Provider Program. As a VMware cloud verified partner, CloudFlex offers a range of services from the VMware ecosystem, and the ability to procure Cloudian through the VMware program was a key differentiator.

“The Cloudian offering was the best option as it allows for S3-compatible object storage to be billed in local currency and includes market-leading data protection, including ransomware protection,” says Adejumo. “We have a long and successful relationship with VMware, and the ability to obtain Cloudian’s solution through the VMware Cloud Provider Program was a huge benefit.”

Value for Money and Security Assured

Providing market-leading cloud solutions and managed data services has long been CloudFlex’s key differentiator in the Nigerian market. Now with Cloudian object storage, CloudFlex has further enhanced the value it delivers to its customers. The company can provide them with limitlessly scalable storage ideal for meeting modern data management and protection demands while charging in local currency—a key financial benefit to businesses across the region.

As well as localized pricing, CloudFlex is also benefiting from the industry-leading data protection capabilities of Cloudian’s HyperStore platform. HyperStore features Object Lock ransomware protection, which makes backup data immutable by incorporating WORM (Write Once, Read Many) technology. This means the data cannot be modified or deleted, making it invulnerable to hackers and enabling fast, easy recovery of a clean data copy in the event of a ransomware attack.

“Having the ability to offer an S3-compatible object storage solution in local pricing is a real advantage for CloudFlex,” says Adejumo. “We are always looking at ways to enhance our services, and by working with Cloudian we are now able to provide a unique offering in this region. We are also excited to be able to offer enhanced data protection capabilities with Object Lock. We work with a large number of highly regulated customers, so having such an advanced data protection offering within our portfolio is a real benefit.”