The service with the silver lining | Christian Sammut

Going to cloud requires more than merely adopting the technology; rather, it requires an underlining cultural shift and that demands more than a memo saying: 'We've gone to the cloud'. In a nutshell, what is cloud computing?
"Cloud computing is a generic term that groups the provision of hosted services over the internet, but offering something more than just hosting: it is sold on demand, typically by the hour; it is elastic, meaning that a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time; and the service is fully managed by the provider, in this case BMIT. In other words, the customer needs nothing but a computer and internet access to access a cloud service."
Doesn't the name give a rather 'cloudy' impression?
"In my opinion, it does since by definition "cloudy" can mean unclear! However, the cloud, in its essence is not a totally new technology, and many of us have been using the service for years. It's how the service is delivered that is mostly innovative, especially the on-demand, on-tap, resource availability.
"The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that is often used to represent the internet in flowcharts and diagrams."
What does the service offer to customers?
"The service allows customers to choose, buy, use and pay for an ever increasing number of services without any capital expense, and on a pay-per-use basis. For example, as BMIT we are already offer on-demand and flexible cloud infrastructure services. Shortly we will also start offering storage, hosting exchange and collaboration services, all on an on-demand basis."
Has there been enough awareness on what the cloud platform is all about in Malta?
"There is never enough awareness, however a number of organisations in Malta already make use, or are actively considering, adopting cloud technologies. This facilitates our efforts when explaining our offerings.
"In general, in a market characterised by micro-SMEs, awareness needs to be taken at a different level, since most potential customers would be seeking specific solutions rather than core cloud infrastructure. We are currently working on plans as to how to take such message to this target market."
 How did BMIT develop in becoming one of Malta's largest data centre providers?
"Traditionally, the data centre business in Malta has grown primarily as a result of Malta's positioning as one of the leading online gaming jurisdictions in Europe. From the outset, BMIT was a pioneer in the provision of data centre services to the online gaming industry and has over the years continued to expand and evolve its services and expertise for other industries. As a result of this, we now offer services not just to gaming customers but also to other segments, including financial, retail and other service industries.
"Although BMIT is now totally owned by GO plc, we operate as an independent data centre provider. In fact, our customers have a choice of which telecom provider to use for the connectivity requirements. At the same time, we are now building on the strength and reach of GO in order to extend our offering and presence in the market."
You have taken investment a step further by investing in the cloud platform. What are the major challenges you are facing with this new technology dimension?
"The deployment of an industry-grade cloud platform requires substantial investment. We have embarked on such investment and over the next years intend to continue to do so.
"We are confident that this investment will reap fruit since businesses have no choice but adopt cloud technologies in some form or shape in order to minimise their operational costs and risks and also remain competitive. The challenge, moving forward, is accelerating the rate of adoption and introduce new and relevant service to the target markets."
How do you plan to be competitive in this sector?
"We are aware of the global competition in this sector, and the prices being offered. A key differential offering from other services available on the web will be the personalised attention and the 24/7 local support which our partners and customers will be receiving.  We believe that customers prefer to talk to real persons, who have expertise in the subject, rather to a call centre operator in some other part of the world.
"Another advantage is our ability to tailor, package and support solutions to specific local requirements."
What are the advantages now that the cloud platform has come to Malta?
"Cloud services have been available to Malta since they started being offered on the internet. What is different now is that BMIT has launched a Malta-based cloud platform.  This provides several technical benefits including lower latency and better connectivity. There is also the added advantage of knowing where your data is located, which in some cases is critical knowledge for the customer due to regulatory requirements."
Since BMIT's cloud service is a public one, will you providing the service to clients privately too? How many other types of deployment cloud models are being offered?
"We are offering both private and public clouds. For example currently we are working on a hybrid solution, whereby a customer requires some of his services dedicated exclusively for his use, in a private cloud environment, together with other services provisioned via the public cloud."
Will this service add to attracting foreigners setting up shop in Malta?
"The main advantage lies in the fact that foreign companies considering setting up in Malta would be able to source their technical requirements from a local provider and consequently also lower their set-up costs. Otherwise, the major attractions continue to be the fiscal incentives which are offered to investors, coupled with the near-shore and expertise available in Malta, possibly in a more cost-effective manner."
And do you think that jurisdictional laws can be problematic when it comes to foreigners setting up a business base here?
"Specifically for gaming, the jurisdiction is an advantage to operators setting up in Malta. At the same time, however, some other jurisdictions can impose conditions which can be detrimental to companies operating out of Malta.
"For other, non-gaming sectors, I don't see any major issues in this regard."
Will cloud in Malta create more jobs in this sector?
"The cloud will make businesses more efficient in their ability to access technology. It will, in my opinion, consequently enable a new breed of businesses, who can afford to start or expand their business with much lower start-up fees. Specifically for knowledge-based businesses, these can also access computing resources only when they require them - for example, during the testing of a new application - without the need to invest in hardware which would otherwise lie 'idle'."
Is BMIT competing heavily with other companies offering cloud services? How do you differ from other companies providing the service?
"Our ability to offer and support personalised, tailor-made services is key to our offering. The competition is global and we must therefore differentiate ourselves on the value-add, while keeping prices competitive."
What peace of mind are you offering businesses investing in cloud?
"Our cloud services are offered through our data centres in Malta. Through these data centres, we already offer services to a substantial number of customers, who transact hundreds of millions of euros monthly and consequently rely on our ability to successfully serve them on a 24x7 basis.
"Our data centres provide all the redundancy, power and connectivity which one expects from a leading independent data centre such as ours. Hence we are set to provide the highest level of service and support which one expects in this regard."
Concerns are being voiced about the security issues introduced through adoption of this new model. What is your opinion on this concerning matter?
"Yes, security is always a challenge in an IT environment, especially when people run their business online. There are ways and means of mitigating risks, and varied levels of security measures can be adopted, depending on the nature of the service.
"At the same time, in my opinion, there are risks for not adopting this new model and instead maintaining the status-quo particularly within an online environment, without again investing in security measures. In other words, security is a challenge irrespective of the location and technology being adopted."
What kind of application expertise and guarantees is your firm providing to customers?
"As already explained we currently provide services to hundreds of customers who transact hundreds of millions of euros through our set-up. To enable this, we have an expert team of technical specialists who are able to assist and advise customers as required.
"Additionally, we are currently engaged with a number of partners to be able to extend our application offerings further, in areas which we believe offer added value to our customers."