INTERVIEW WITH PETER FRENCH, GENERAL MANAGER, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA & SOUTH ASIA AT ACRONIS

We conducted an interview with Peter French, General Manager, MEA & South Asia at Acronis, a leading data, applications, systems and productivity solutions provider. In this interview, Peter, a certified Level 2 CrossFit coach, speaks to Acronis operations in Nigeria, cybersecurity trends, data centre and sundry issues in the industry.

How will you describe the year 2022 for Acronis?

Peter French described the year 2022 as an exceptional year of accomplishment and growth for Acronis. Globally, Acronis experienced a 53% Year on Year total cloud annual recurring revenue (ARR) and 59% YoY cloud service provider ARR. “We’ve continued pushing for innovation in our roster of cyber protection solutions, with 2022 releasing over 60 new technical advances,” he said. More locally, in Africa, Acronis has seen significant growth in 2022. In Nigeria alone, Acronis has increased its partner base 10-fold. “Our partners are the heart of our business and across the globe, we’re excited to report 3,500 new global service provider signups over the past year, he said.

With over 3.5 million protected workloads, over the past year, Acronis cyber protection solution stopped over 100 million cyberattacks. 2022 marked the most successful year in Acronis history, with a new funding round of $250 million that brought the total value of our company to $3.5 billion.

Acronis launched a data center early last year, what is the acceptance rating of the data centre?

As a result of Acronis Nigerian launch in 2022, Acronis is currently witnessing an increase in MSP participation and rapid adoption of our advanced cyber protection portfolio. Additionally, “our presence helps expand the cloud market in Nigeria” We seek out data centres of the highest quality globally to ensure our customers have the best possible experience.

There is a projection of a $6trillion loss to cybersecurity within and outside Nigeria by 2030, as a cyber-protection company, what can be done to avert this or reduce it?

At Acronis, we recognize the need to eliminate needless complexity in cyber protection, so we deliver a simplified, single-agent platform for MSPs to protect customers.

Our integrated solution not only reduces complexity but also reduces costs and risks with the ability to free up resources and time for our partners while closing potential security gaps.

Another vital facet to reduce losses posed by cybersecurity threats in today’s cyber threat landscape is proactive grassroots-level education and training.

By teaching and practising responsible cyber awareness skills, intelligent security habits can be adopted and utilized by all parties. Similar to how someone might strive to improve their health and fitness by cultivating knowledgeable habits, digital hygiene can be trained and honed.

Acronis refers to this as being “#CyberFit”. No one is exempt from this, from a child using home devices to a professional working in a complex IT environment. Our software is built, tested, distributed, licensed, and stored in Switzerland, where we’ve always employed robust security processes and protocols that protect the information for Acronis and our customers. We are continuously pushing for new innovations to keep up with the developing threat landscape. As more companies and individuals become interconnected, we will continue to innovate to keep all data, apps, and systems secure.

Acronis has been doing business in Nigeria, how much of your local capacity are you leveraging to penetrate the market?

Acronis as a Swiss company with a worldwide presence, strive to think globally and act locally. At the start of 2022, Acronis had zero local presence in Nigeria. Fast forward a few months and we now have two distributors and over 10 employees in Nigeria. “We’ve also expanded their reach to help service businesses in the African region.

Acronis look forward to further expansion into this region. In 2023 “we celebrate 20 years of continued innovation from Acronis. We’re excited to see even more opportunistic growth and expansion into Africa and invite interested service providers to reach out to learn more about our partner program.

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