The decision to host the IMRS installation in Cairo carries substantial advantages for Egypt, including the enhancement of Internet user experience and a reduced vulnerability to cyberattacks leading to potential service disruptions. With IMRS installations now present in both Egypt and Kenya, critical capacity is added to support the burgeoning internet use across the African continent. This, in turn, is anticipated to fuel economic growth and create opportunities for potential internet users in Africa. The strategic placement of two IMRS cluster locations, coupled with increased bandwidth and data processing capabilities, significantly mitigates the risk of internet downtime due to cyberattacks.
Commenting on the deal, Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer, said: “The new IMRS installation will ensure that Internet queries from Africa can be answered within the region, rather than relying on networks and servers in other parts of the world. The cluster will improve the user experience in Egypt and across the region, reducing latency and the time it takes for a website to load, especially during peak Internet usage periods. This will bring immediate benefits to Internet users not only in Egypt, but across the African continent. The new IMRS installation will also reduce the impact of a potential cyberattack on the continent or that of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) cyberattacks.