Cassava Technologies has strengthened Africa's cloud infrastructure after its subsidiary, Africa Data Centers (ADC) was named a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Metro Peering location in Johannesburg, making it the first such location on the continent.
This designation places Johannesburg among a select group of global technology hubs, providing advanced cloud resiliency, redundancy and secure connectivity for businesses running mission-critical workloads on Microsoft Azure.
Through its cloud and cybersecurity arm, Liquid C2, Cassava will provide Secure CloudConnect, a fully managed service that combines private cloud connectivity with integrated cybersecurity solutions. The service leverages Liquid C2's network presence at both ExpressRoute metro locations in Johannesburg to provide organizations with secure and flexible access to Microsoft Azure.
Ziad Suleiman, Senior Vice President, Cassava Technologies South Africa and Botswana, described the designation as a major milestone for both the company and Africa's digital infrastructure.
“Being named a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Metro Peering location is a defining moment for Africa data centers as well as Africa’s digital infrastructure,” said Suleiman. “This reflects growing confidence in the continent’s ability to support next-generation cloud and AI-powered services.”
He said that by combining the Africa data center infrastructure with Liquid C2's cloud and cybersecurity capabilities, the company is providing organizations with the flexible, secure and reliable digital foundation they need to accelerate innovation and growth.
The Africa Data Centre's JHB1 facility has become the second ExpressRoute metro peering location within Johannesburg, enabling Microsoft Azure customers to route the same private connection through two separate peering sites in the metro area.
The setup provides built-in redundancy designed to improve business continuity for critical applications.
The announcement comes as regulators require organizations to strengthen operational resilience, business continuity planning, cybersecurity and data protection.
Cassava's Liquid C2 Secure CloudConnect is designed to help businesses meet these regulatory expectations by reducing the risk of service disruptions, improving security, and simplifying the management of increasingly complex cloud environments through a single managed provider.
Vukani Mngxati, chief executive officer of Microsoft South Africa, said the new ExpressRoute Metro capability will provide businesses a more flexible route to the cloud as the adoption of artificial intelligence accelerates.
“South Africa is not waiting for the AI age to dawn, it is helping to shape it, and that ambition rests on digital infrastructure the country can rely on,” Mngxati said.
“With Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Metro now available in Johannesburg, organizations across South Africa gain a more flexible and secure route to the cloud for their most critical workloads.”
He said reliable digital infrastructure will enable businesses to innovate faster, compete globally and unlock broader economic opportunities.
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Cassava said the latest development represents another step in strengthening Africa's digital infrastructure by combining hyperscale data center capacity with managed cloud and cybersecurity services, helping enterprises adopt cloud and AI technologies with greater flexibility and security.
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