Leading hybrid ICT systems integrator and managed services provider,Datacentrix, proudly announces its achievement of the Cisco Internet of Things (IoT) Specialisation. This certification underscores Datacentrix's expertise in the deployment of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions, empowering industries – such as manufacturing, automotive, energy, oil and gas and critical infrastructure clients – to accelerate their digital transformation journeys.

According to Statistica, the African IIoT market is anticipated to maintain a robust annual growth rate of 15.33 percent between 2024 and 2029, culminating in a market value of US$8.14 billion by 2029. However, with this growth and widespread adoption of smarter technologies comes an expanding attack surface for cyberthreats.

"As the industrial sector increasingly adopts IIoT technologies, cybersecurity and seamless connectivity have become critical concerns," explains Andre Froneman, Operational Technology (OT) Solutions Specialist at Datacentrix.

In fact, Cisco’s 2024 State of Industrial Networking Reportidentifies cybersecurity as the industrial sector’s biggest reported challenge, with cybersecurity risks cited as the number one internal barrier to growth. Additionally, 89 percent of respondents indicated that cybersecurity compliance is vital for their operational networks.

Froneman adds: "Cisco's leadership was further reinforced in the Forrester Wave™: Operational Technology Security Solutions, Q2 2024 report, where it was recognised for its 'reliable and comprehensive OT security platform' and 'strong networking capabilities,' including a rugged line of hardware designed for challenging environments."

Achieving the Cisco IoT Specialisation required Datacentrix engineers to undergo rigorous training and testing on Cisco’s industrial networking and security portfolio, covering key technologies such as:

• Cisco Cyber Vision for comprehensive OT/ICS asset visibility and threat detection;
• Cisco Secure Equipment Access to enable Zero Trust Network Access for industrial environments;
• Cisco Catalyst industrial switches and routers for reliable, secure connectivity; and
• Cisco IoT solutions for PLC automation and data collection.

"Industrial organisations are eager to harness IoT data to improve efficiency and productivity, but  need to do so without compromising security or operational reliability," Froneman continues. "With our expanded Cisco IoT capabilities, which encompass best-in-class OT visibility, zero trust security, PLC automation and industrial networking solutions, Datacentrix is well positioned to help clients achieve these objectives. Cisco's industrial IoT portfolio perfectly complements our existing OT and automation expertise.

"We look forward to leveraging these new capabilities to deliver even greater value to our clients as they undertake their workspace digital transformation initiatives,” he concludes.

Datacentrix is a Cisco Tier 1 Gold Certified Partner holding additional specialisations in advanced data centre architecture, security architecture, collaboration architecture, and enterprise networks architecture. The company is also authorised to sell enterprise agreements in data centre, cloud, security and collaboration.