Cassava Gets Africa’s First Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Metro Designation

Cassava Technologies has been designated a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Metro peering location in Johannesburg through its business unit, Africa Data Centres.

The designation marks the first ExpressRoute Metro location in Africa, placing Johannesburg among a select group of global technology hubs offering organisations a higher level of cloud resilience and security.

Africa Data Centres’ JHB1 facility becomes the second peering location within the Johannesburg metro to offer local ExpressRoute Metro capability.

ExpressRoute Metro routes a single connection through two peering locations within the same metro, adding built-in redundancy for mission-critical workloads.

Liquid C2, Cassava’s cloud and cybersecurity business, will deliver a service called Secure CloudConnect off the back of the designation.

The company said it is the only provider with an on-net presence in both peering locations.

The fully managed service combines resilient private cloud connectivity with integrated cybersecurity, giving organisations a secure path to Microsoft Azure.

“Being designated a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Metro peering location is a defining moment for Africa Data Centres as well as for Africa’s digital infrastructure,” said Ziaad Suleman, Senior Vice President of Cassava Technologies South Africa and Botswana.

“It reflects growing confidence in the continent’s ability to support the next generation of cloud and AI-driven services while demonstrating the strength of our One Cassava model,” he said.

The development comes as regulators place greater emphasis on operational resilience, business continuity, risk management and data protection.

Liquid C2’s Secure CloudConnect is designed to help organisations reduce disruption risk, strengthen their security posture and simplify management of complex cloud environments while meeting regulatory and governance requirements.

Microsoft South Africa CEO Vukani Mngxati said the availability of ExpressRoute Metro in Johannesburg gives organisations across the country a more resilient and secure path to the cloud for critical workloads.

“South Africa isn’t waiting for the AI era, it’s helping to shape it, and that ambition rests on digital infrastructure the country can trust,” Mngxati said.

Cassava Technologies is headquartered in the UK and operates across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the United States.

Its business units include Cassava AI, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liquid C2, Africa Data Centres and Sasai Fintech, serving customers in 94 countries.

Download the free Kaspersky SMB Cybersecurity Guide here to learn how businesses can move beyond traditional antivirus and build a more resilient approach to cybersecurity.