Access Kenya, one of Kenya’s major ISPs recently completed a data centre upgrade that has cost them something in the regions of Kshs 30 million. The upgrade includes installation of under-floor cooling systems. AccessKenya has in the recent years expanded its product portfolio to include a wide range of IT services including data backup, disaster recovery, remote assistance and inter-branch connectivity (commonly referred to as MPLS). The company is also offering video conferencing and telepresence solutions among a growing list of other value added services. The company has also previously hinted at cloud computing as a future solution in its portfolio.
Part of the upgrade was also the installation of a more structured cabling system for better management and increased capacity. This, according to AccessKenya Systems Engineer Mr.Samson Oduor, will ensure that centre has expanded capacity in anticipation of growth on the group’s systems. Mr. Oduor noted that the project has been successfully completed without any interruptions on client services further attributing the seamless upgrade to the network’s integration capabilities.
Access Kenya also adopted a new data authentication system to protect users on its network from cyber threats which have increased rampantly. The system, which is a set of extensions to the Domain Name System (DNS), is dubbed Domain Name System Security Extension (DNSSEC) and will protect the AccessKenya DNS infrastructure against cache poisoning, spoofed updates, corrupt data and what is commonly referred to as “man-in-the-middle attack”.
DNS is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource
connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates assorted information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities. Mr. Oduor indicated that the system will improve the security of the network while at the same time protecting AccessKenya clients against forged data while accessing the internet. Access Kenya also upgraded antivirus and anti-spam systems for email spam protection.
