Choosing where to host business software in Kenya

"Put it in the cloud" is not a decision; it is a direction. For a Kenyan business the real choice is between a local data centre, an international cloud region, and servers on the premises — and each is right for someone.

Start with the data

Some data has rules about where it lives. Financial and personal data may need to stay in-country or be handled under specific conditions. Settle this first; it removes options quickly and honestly.

Latency and connectivity

A point-of-sale system that waits on a distant server is slow at the till. Systems used at the counter benefit from local hosting or a local cache; back-office and reporting systems tolerate distance well. Consider what happens when the internet drops — an on-premise server keeps the shop trading.

Cost over three years, not month one

Cloud pricing is elastic; local servers are a capital cost plus power, cooling and someone to look after them. Compare the total for the expected life of the system, including backups, monitoring and the engineer time to keep it patched.

Skills and support

The best platform is one your team — or your engineering partner — can operate confidently at 2 a.m. Familiar tooling, good monitoring and a rehearsed restore matter more than the logo on the data centre.