Paratus Data Centers: Unmatched in Africa

March 8, 2023: ParatusGroup, the African-born telco, announces that all five of the group’s Data Centers have been awarded ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 27001 (information security), and PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards) certifications, and this commitment to compliance is understood to be unmatched on the African continent.  

Paratus has built and runs two data centers in Luanda, Angola; one in Lusaka, Zambia; two in Namibia, one in Windhoek and one in Swakopmund (the Paratus Equiano Cable Landing Station). Its data centers in Angola and Namibia were the first carrier-neutral, Tier-III by design data centers in those countries. Generally, ISO certifications are seals of approval from the International Organization for Standardization. They verify that a company is adhering to extremely high international standards in all its practices. This assures African and global customers that the Paratus Group offers unrivaled service levels, security, and overall data center management.  

For Paratus, information security and quality management are of utmost importance. Acquiring the ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001, and PCI-DSS certifications serve as confirmation that the group is performing at optimum levels and meeting international management criteria.

The ISO/IEC 27001 certification is one of the most recognized and stringent information security standards. 

The PCI Data Security Standard v3.2.1 certification covers all physical security aspects of the data center. This certification also speaks to financial industries since they are all required to store, process, and transmit payments through a PCI-compliant institution. Having this certification proves that Paratus is readily available to host financial institutions. 

All five of the Paratus carrier-neutral DC facilities are Tier III by design and offer various colocation services, from half-cabinets to multi-tenant rows and private cages, as well as key features such as:

• Generators dedicated to A&B feed, for comprehensive resilience and fuel autonomy 
• Diverse Power Feed design throughout from utility to cabinet level
• Separate UPS utilities to ensure electrical autonomy 
• Dual UPS feeds per cabinet
• Cold aisle containment and inter-resilient CRAC cooling units at N+1 
• Multiple diverse carrier routes with separate Meet-Me-Rooms (A&B) as well as access to towers across diverse infrastructure from fiber to microwave
• Link direto ao novo cabo Equiano e CLS em Swakopmund – Namíbia
• Access to the Paratus backbone network connecting multinational customers to the Paratus Data Centers in Angola and Zambia.

Schalk Erasmus, CEO of Paratus Group, says: “Paratus has achieved the optimum certification required for all five of our data centers. This fits well with our vision and aim of transforming Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service. We’ve passed the international inspections, and, in turn, we will help enable our customers to implement their local and international digital business strategies. This, together with providing Africa’s quality network, means we’re helping to ‘unlimit’ the future of Africa.”