Safaricom is taking a major leap forward in its technology modernization journey by deploying Red Hat OpenShift as its common cloud platform. This strategic move enables greater agility, stability, and scalability for mission-critical applications, including M-PESA, which serves 51 million customers and facilitates over $314 billion in transactions annually across Africa. By shifting to a cloud-native, containerized, and microservices-based architecture, Safaricom is reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-performance, secure, and innovative digital services.
Previously, Safaricom faced stability challenges with upstream Kubernetes, prompting the shift to Red Hat OpenShift—an enterprise-grade, carrier-grade Kubernetes-based platform that offers robust security, reliability, and production-ready capabilities. With Red Hat’s technical expertise and enterprise support, Safaricom has enhanced platform availability from 93% to 99.98%, significantly reducing downtime and improving overall customer experience.
The collaboration with Red Hat and Copy Cat Group, an experienced systems integrator, has been instrumental in ensuring a seamless transition. Joint technical workshops and developer training sessions have helped align security, application development, and platform teams with DevOps and agile methodologies. In 2024, Safaricom expanded to Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus, leveraging advanced cluster security, orchestration capabilities, and a secure private registry to further enhance its cloud operations.
The impact of this modernization is already evident. Solution deployment time has been cut in half, with some initiatives, like Hustler Fund, moving from conception to market in just one month. Cluster deployment time has reduced from two days to just two hours, thanks to increased automation. Safaricom teams now operate in a more collaborative, agile, and scalable environment, allowing them to adapt quickly to high and low traffic peaks while ensuring optimal performance for users.
Looking ahead, Safaricom is exploring the expansion of Red Hat OpenShift into its 5G core network, marking another bold step toward becoming a fully technology-driven organization. The company is currently running a proof-of-concept to evaluate the benefits before scaling the solution across its entire network infrastructure. This initiative will further solidify Safaricom’s role as a pioneer in digital transformation across Africa.
By leveraging Red Hat OpenShift, Safaricom is not just upgrading its IT infrastructure—it is creating a future-ready, innovation-driven ecosystem that empowers businesses and enhances customer experiences. This partnership highlights the power of open-source solutions in enabling financial inclusion, operational excellence, and scalable digital growth. As Safaricom continues its evolution into a techco, this transformation sets the stage for next-generation connectivity and digital services across the region.
#DigitalTransformation #CloudComputing #Kubernetes #OpenSource #FinancialInclusion #TelecomInnovation #Safaricom #RedHatOpenShift #5G #MPEngineering #TechInnovation
