Cloud. Scalable
Managed cloud services for South African businesses.
One provider, every layer
Our cloud services are built to work together. Start with one building block and add the rest as you grow. One provider is accountable for design, delivery and support.
Cloud Migration & Modernization
Cloud transformation and migration services in South Africa: phased, low-risk moves from legacy infrastructure to a secure cloud, with minimal downtime.Private Cloud Hosting & Management (IaaS)
A virtual datacentre hosted in South Africa on VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V. Firewall and immutable backups come as standard.Data Protection & Ransomware Resilience
Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and endpoint backup: A separate copy of your SaaS and laptop data that you can restore. There are no backup servers for you to run.Backup & Disaster Recovery as a Service
Offsite, encrypted and immutable Veeam backups of your virtual machines and physical servers. We can also manage them for you.
Colocation Services
Space, power, cooling and connectivity for your own hardware in our Durban data centre or Teraco facilities.Microsoft Licensing (CSP)
Microsoft 365, Azure, security and Copilot on one agreement, billed in ZAR. We right-size your licences every 90 days.Disaster Recovery as a Service
Reserved recovery capacity and VM replication. Your key systems can run from a FirstNet data centre during an outage.
Why FirstNet cloud infrastructure
Built. Secured. Delivered.
Most providers sell separate services.
FirstNet engineers the whole infrastructure layer:
- Connectivity And SD-WAN
- Security Architecture
- Backup And Disaster Recovery
Customers work with one accountable partner
not multiple vendors.
The Result:
- Predictable Performance
- Unified Security And Governance
- Simplified Operations
- Scalable, Future-Ready Infrastructure
Hosted and supported in South Africa
Private Cloud workloads run in FirstNet data centres in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Colocation is available in our own Durban facility and in Teraco sites in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. This lets you keep data in South Africa and place DR in a different region.
- ISO 27001 (ISMS) and ISO 9001 (QMS) certified management systems
- ICASA-licensed for ECS and ECNS
- B-BBEE Level 1 contributor
- 24x7 Rapid Response service desk via email, phone or portal
- Private peering to AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform
The details
Why cloud is business-criticalMost businesses don’t struggle for lack of technology.
Essential cloud services for modern organisations
Most businesses don’t struggle for lack of technology. They struggle because their infrastructure is split across vendors, platforms and locations.
Cloud infrastructure should do more than host workloads. It should connect, secure and scale all of your technology.
We design and run enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure. It gives you one integrated base across:
Private And Hybrid Cloud Platforms
Business- grade connectivity and SD-WAN
Built-in security and compliance controls
Backup, disaster recovery, and resilience
We build and run our cloud environments locally, in South Africa. They use enterprise data centres and carrier-neutral connectivity, which means we are not tied to one network operator. Our security controls are certified to ISO 27001 and ISO 9001, and aligned with POPIA and global best practice.
The result is not just cloud hosting, but a resilient infrastructure layer that supports performance, security, compliance, and long-term growth.
FirstNet connects the cloud that keeps you moving
What cloud
infrastructure means for modern businesses
Simplified. Connected. Elevated
Cloud infrastructure is no longer just about moving servers into a data centre.
For modern organisations, cloud forms the operational backbone that supports:
- Core Business Systems And Applications
- Secure Access For Remote And Hybrid Teams
- Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery
- Regulatory Compliance And Data Protection
Without a well-built cloud setup, businesses face:
- Slow Performance From Old Infrastructure
- Rising Costs From Oversized Hardware
- More Security And Audit Risk
- Scattered Systems That Are Hard To Manage Or Scale
FirstNet approaches cloud as infrastructure engineering, not just extra capacity. We build performance, resilience, security and operational governance into every setup from day one.
Private, public and hybrid cloudBest for: Compliance-driven, performance-sensitive, and predictable workloads.
Private, public, and hybrid cloud solutions
Integrated. Intelligent. Infrastructure.
Private Cloud
Best for: Compliance-driven, performance-sensitive, and predictable workloads
FirstNet’s Private Cloud runs on enterprise-grade compute, storage and networking. It is hosted in Tier III+ data centres in South Africa. You get:
- Dedicated Resource Pools
- Multi-hypervisor support (VMware & Hyper-V)
- High availability, redundancy, and live migration
- Predictable performance and cost control
Public Cloud
Best for: Global scalability, development, and burst workloads
Public cloud platforms connect into FirstNet's setup over private, carrier-neutral links. This keeps latency (delay) low and access secure, without relying on the public internet.
Hybrid Cloud
The most common setup today.
Hybrid cloud lets you:
- Keep Sensitive Or Regulated Workloads Private
- Scale Into Public Cloud When You Need To
- Manage On-Prem, Private And Public Cloud From One Place
Why businesses are moving to cloud
- Scalability: Scale out or up as demand changes, with no disruptive hardware refreshes.
- Cost Efficiency: Swap capital spend for predictable operating costs, billed on what you use.
- Security & Resilience: Central security controls, encrypted data, immutable backups and tested disaster recovery.
- Performance: Enterprise compute, low-latency storage and carrier-grade connectivity give steady app performance.
Cloud architecture for South African
businesses
Private. Public. Unified.
Cloud architecture must reflect local realities.
We design our cloud with South African businesses in mind:
- Data Sovereignty In Line With POPIA And Industry Rules
- Local Data Centre Hosting For Latency-Sensitive Workloads
- Carrier-Neutral Links Across Many Fibre Providers
- Hybrid Links For Businesses That Keep Some On-Prem Systems
This gives you performance, compliance and resilience. You are not locked into one vendor or platform.
Security in the cloudSecurity holds many businesses back from the cloud.
Security in the cloud
Scalable. Secure. Simplified.
Security holds many businesses back from the cloud. It is also one of FirstNet’s greatest strengths.
Our cloud includes:
- ISO 27001 certified security controls
- ISO 9001 certified quality controls
- Role-based access control and MFA
- Encryption for data at rest and in transit (AES-256 / TLS)
- Centralised logging, monitoring, and SIEM integration
- Regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests
Security is not bolted on. It is
Built into the platform.
Cloud migration strategyCloud migration needs structure, not guesswork.
Cloud migration strategy
Adaptive. Connected. Always-On.
Cloud migration needs structure, not guesswork.
We follow a proven migration process.
Assessment
Understanding workloads, dependencies, and risk
Architecture Design
Selecting the right cloud
model
Migration
Data, systems, and
applications
Optimisation
Performance tuning and
cost control
Ongoing Management
Monitoring, security, and
scaling
Cloud services we provideWe deliver each service as part of one infrastructure plan, not as a standalone product.
Cloud services we provide
Open. Secure. Connected.
Private Cloud Infrastructure
Private Cloud InfrastructureHybrid Cloud Architecture
Hybrid Cloud ArchitectureCloud Migration Services
Cloud Migration ServicesBackup And Disaster Recovery
Backup And Disaster RecoveryCloud Security Services
We deliver each service as part of one infrastructure plan, not as a standalone product.
FirstNet shapes the cloud. Built for modern business
Industries that benefitEach sector gains better resilience, compliance and scale.
Industries that benefit
Financial Services
Healthcare
Logistics And Supply Chain
Retail And Manufacturing
Professional Services
Each sector gains better resilience, compliance and scale.
The cost of cloud infrastructure
Cloud cost depends on design choices, not just resource size.
Key cost drivers include:
- Compute And Memory Allocation
- Storage performance tiers
- Connectivity And Bandwidth
- Security And Resilience Requirements
We use clear, pay-for-what-you-use pricing, billed monthly in arrears. You can scale without penalty and always see your costs.
Is cloud infrastructure secure?
Yes. A well-designed cloud gives you better security, visibility and resilience than traditional on-prem infrastructure.
Do South African businesses need local hosting?
Often, yes. Local hosting helps with latency, compliance and data sovereignty.
What happens if connectivity goes down?
We build redundant connectivity, failover and disaster recovery into our cloud designs.
Which cloud service should we start with?
It depends on the outcome you need. Private Cloud replaces on-premises servers. BaaS gives you an offsite backup copy. DRaaS keeps systems running during an outage. Colocation hosts your own hardware. A short discovery session usually shows the right place to start.
Can we keep our data in South Africa?
Yes. Private Cloud runs in FirstNet data centres in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. All colocation sites are in South Africa too. We confirm the exact hosting and DR locations, and any residency wording, in your solution design.
Is backup the same as disaster recovery?
No. Backup recovers data after deletion, corruption or ransomware. Disaster recovery keeps reserved capacity ready. Whole systems can then run from a second site during an outage. Many businesses need both. They run on the same Veeam platform.
Cloud platform only, or Microsoft licensing too?
Both. FirstNet is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider and Solutions Partner. Microsoft 365, Azure and the security add-ons can sit on one agreement next to your FirstNet cloud services.
Is FirstNet ISO 27001 certified?
Yes. We run an ISO 27001-certified information security management system (ISMS). We also run an ISO 9001-certified quality management system (QMS). ICASA licenses us for electronic communications services and network services (ECS/ECNS). FirstNet is also a B-BBEE Level 1 contributor. ISO 27001 means our security work is formal and audited. That covers governance, risk management, change control, monitoring and incident response. Certification scope matters. Need a named certificate for a specific hosting site or service? We confirm the scope for that site before we commit to it in writing.
Where are FirstNet's data centres located?
We host Private Cloud workloads in our data centres in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. This gives you local hosting and a local base for disaster recovery. For colocation, we own and run our own data centre in Durban. We also hold space in Teraco's partner facilities in Isando (Johannesburg), Cape Town (CT1 and CT2) and Riverhorse (Durban). We confirm your hosting location in your solution design. We also confirm your disaster recovery location if you need one.
Can we combine colocation, private cloud and backup?
Yes. Colocation is often one building block in a hybrid design. You can keep your own hardware in a FirstNet colocation rack. You can run other workloads in FirstNet Private Cloud. Then protect both with Backup as a Service or Disaster Recovery as a Service. FirstNet is the single accountable provider. Colocated equipment in the Durban data centre can connect directly to FirstNet's private cloud and network. Many customers also use colocation in another city as a recovery site in a separate region.
From the Knowledge Hub
Where cloud fits
- Sovereign AI AI that stays home, in every layer.
- Voice Every call, clear.
- Security Threats, contained.
- Cloud Data, protected.
- Connectivity Always connected.
Enriched by Sovereign AI: run AI next to your data: the AI Factory sits in the same FirstNet data centre as your private cloud and colocation. Explore the AI Factory