All five of African telecommunications company Paratus' data centres have been awarded ISO 9001 quality management, ISO 27001 information security and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) certifications.

International Standardisation Organisation, or ISO, certifications are seals of approval, which verify that a company is adhering to high international standards in its practices. This assures African and global customers that the Paratus Group offers unrivalled service levels, security, and overall DC management, the company says.

"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," it notes.

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

Further, the PCI Data Security Standard v3.2.1 certification covers all physical security aspects of the data centre. 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, the company states.

“Paratus has reached the optimum certification required for all five of our data centres. This fits well with our vision and aim of transforming Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service,” says Paratus Group CEO Schalk Erasmus.

“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.”

Paratus built and runs two data centres in Luanda, in Angola, one in Lusaka, in Zambia, and two in Namibia, with one in Windhoek and the other in Swakopmund, which has the Paratus Equiano cable landing station. Its data centres in Angola and Namibia were the first carrier-neutral, Tier-III by-design data centres in those countries, it added.

All five of the Paratus carrier-neutral data centre facilities are Tier-III by design and offer various colocation services, from half-cabinets to multi-tenant rows and private cages.