Empowering African Innovation with Private Cloud: CloudVantage’s OpenMetal Journey

In the heart of Nigeria’s growing tech landscape, CloudVantage Limited is redefining cloud infrastructure for African businesses — blending global innovation with local expertise. By partnering with OpenMetal and embracing OpenStack-powered private cloud, CloudVantage has unlocked new levels of flexibility, cost-efficiency, and control, enabling it to deliver tailored cloud solutions built for the region’s unique needs. This is the story of how CloudVantage is powering Africa’s digital transformation — and why they chose OpenMetal to be the strategic partner helping them shape the future.

CloudVantage Limited

CloudVantage Limited (CloudVantage) is a dynamic and rapidly growing Nigerian technology startup, specializing in Cloud Services, Information Technology Solutions, and professional services tailored to meet the evolving needs of both public and private sector clients across Nigeria.

Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, and officially registered with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), CloudVantage has a team of highly trained and professionally certified experts, including Cloud Infrastructure Specialists, System Administrators, Software Developers, DevOps Engineers, and IT Professionals.

Since its establishment in late 2023, CloudVantage has delivered significant value to its growing customer base by providing tailored, innovative solutions that optimize infrastructure, enhance performance, and improve service delivery. By adopting best-in-class technologies and introducing new delivery models, CloudVantage is playing a vital role in redefining how cloud business is conducted — not only in Nigeria but across the broader African region.

A Clear Mission: Powering Africa’s Digital Transformation

CloudVantage’s mission is bold — to reshape the future of cloud infrastructure in Africa by combining local expertise with global innovation. Founded by visionary professionals with backgrounds spanning cloud infrastructure, software development, banking, finance, and telecommunications, the company was built to provide a fully controlled, high-performance cloud platform designed specifically for the needs of African businesses.

“Our mission is simple but powerful: Customer Satisfaction,” says Muhideen Ashiru, CEO of CloudVantage. “Every technology we adopt and every solution we create is focused on empowering businesses with world-class cloud performance, built for Africa’s future.”

Drawing from the strengths, network and experience of its team members, CloudVantage made a strategic decision to adopt OpenStack through OpenMetal, enabling:

  • Full control of its cloud architecture
  • Faster development of new features and services
  • High-performance cloud environments across all deployments
  • Localized solutions tailored to local regulations and economic realities

Product and Service Portfolio

CloudVantage delivers a comprehensive range of cloud infrastructure and software solutions, designed for reliability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. 

CloudVantage’s IaaS offerings provide flexible, on-demand infrastructure designed to grow alongside its clients’ evolving needs. The company’s infrastructure solutions include:

  • Virtual Private Servers (VPS) for customizable, reliable computing power.
  • Cloud-based Storage Solutions offering secure and scalable data storage.
  • Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) environments, enabling secure and isolated cloud deployments.
  • Scalable Infrastructure Hosting, designed for businesses that require flexible resources to match fluctuating workloads.

CloudVantage also provides specialized software solutions, including:

  • VantageCoops, a Funds Management System developed specifically for cooperatives, professional bodies, clubs, and other financial clusters that want to make additional incomes and need streamlined management of member contributions, savings, and disbursements.

CloudVantage serves a broad customer base, including:

  • Startups seeking affordable cloud infrastructure to power their innovations.
  • SMEs looking for scalable technology solutions to support growth.
  • Large enterprises requiring high-performance, secure cloud environments.
  • Developers and IT professionals in need of flexible, reliable platforms for application development, testing, and deployment.

The Challenge: Breaking Free from Traditional Cloud Limitation

Before partnering with OpenMetal, CloudVantage  explored various providers for its infrastructure needs. While most of these platforms provided established services, they also introduced a set of critical challenges:

  • Limited Control over Infrastructure: CloudVantage needed deeper visibility into the underlying infrastructure, as well as the flexibility to customize and optimize environments at a granular level — something that most providers restricted.
  • Cost Optimization and Currency Flexibility: Managing infrastructure costs became increasingly difficult, especially when trying to align pricing with local currency (Naira), while still maintaining international competitiveness. 
  • Customization for Local and International Needs: CloudVantage’s vision required infrastructure that could adapt to both local and global customer requirements, ensuring cultural relevance, regulatory compliance, and localized support where needed.
  • Ease of Use and Operational Efficiency:  Managing multiple systems across providers introduced complexity and inefficiency, making it difficult to streamline operations and deliver consistent customer experiences.
  • Security and Data Sovereignty:  With data protection and privacy being top priorities, CloudVantage needed an infrastructure provider that could offer robust security and allow for custom-built security policies that aligned with the company’s standards.

Choosing OpenMetal: A Strategic Pivot

In search of a more flexible, cost-efficient, and open-source-powered infrastructure, CloudVantage evaluated several providers. Through independent and extensive research by the CloudVantage team, OpenMetal emerged as the ideal partner due to several key factors:

Built-in OpenStack Integration

OpenStack offered the open-source flexibility CloudVantage required, allowing for complete infrastructure control and continuous customization.

Private Cloud Capabilities

OpenMetal’s private cloud solutions aligned perfectly with CloudVantage’s goals for enhanced security, resource isolation, and architecture control.

Competitive Pricing and Transparent Costing

OpenMetal’s pricing model provided predictability, enabling CloudVantage to design a dual-currency system that supports both Naira (NGN) and US Dollar (USD) pricing for its customers.

Tailored to Business Needs

OpenMetal directly supports CloudVantage’s core services — including IaaS, PaaS, scalable hosting, and SaaS solutions — enabling the company to offer customers cost-efficient, secure, and highly customizable cloud platforms.

Through its partnership with OpenMetal, CloudVantage is now positioned to deliver world-class cloud services, while maintaining flexibility, cost-efficiency, and customer focus.

“OpenMetal offered exactly what we needed — a platform that combines technical flexibility, cost transparency, and private cloud control. This wasn’t just a switch in providers — it was a strategic decision to take ownership of our future.”

Muhideen Ashiru, CEO of CloudVantage

Starting with OpenMetal: From Testing to Innovation

CloudVantage Limited became a customer of OpenMetal in May 2024. With no prior experience using OpenStack, CloudVantage’s engineering team embarked on a learning journey — one that was greatly simplified by OpenMetal’s comprehensive documentation and hands-on technical support. The onboarding process was smooth and well-structured, with OpenMetal’s technical and account management teams providing personalized guidance, from initial deployment through ongoing optimization.

The partnership has enabled CloudVantage to not only build and manage its cloud infrastructure effectively, but also to develop internal expertise in OpenStack. This foundational knowledge is now a strategic asset for the company, positioning CloudVantage to become a regional OpenStack consultant in the near future.

CloudVantage initially moved a set of internal applications from in-house servers to OpenMetal, treating it as a proof of concept. The experience was seamless, prompting CloudVantage to begin using OpenMetal as the core infrastructure platform for provisioning VPS for its clients.

To streamline this process, CloudVantage built a custom control panel leveraging OpenMetal APIs. This customer-facing portal allows clients to:

  • Provision and manage servers independently
  • Attach and manage security groups
  • Create, attach and manage storage volumes
  • Manage projects and user access
  • Make billing and payment in Naira

Below are some snapshots of the CloudVantage custom control panel.

CloudVantage Control Panel

The above image shows the Project home page where you can see the Cloud Resources and quickly create Servers and customize Security Groups among other things.

CloudVantage Control Panel

The above image shows the choices for different types of Virtual Instances offered by CloudVantage.

CloudVantage Control Panel

The above image shows choices for different flavors of OS including Ubuntu, Debian, CentOs and openSUSE.

Looking ahead, CloudVantage plans to expand its OpenMetal platform to support:

  • Snapshot Management
  • Containerization and Kubernetes Deployments
  • Advanced Volume and Project Management
  • Automated resource upscalling
  • Managed Services
  • Machine Learning
  • Artificial Intelligence

Open Stack Powered

“We knew from day one that OpenStack would be key to unlocking the flexibility and control we needed, but we also knew we had a lot to learn. The support we received from OpenMetal was exceptional — they didn’t just sell us a platform; they partnered with us to make sure we could operate it confidently and effectively.”

Muhideen Ashiru, CEO of CloudVantage

 

The Results: Immediate Value and Long-Term Strategic Benefits

Partnering with OpenMetal has delivered tangible benefits for CloudVantage, transforming its approach to cloud infrastructure while improving both cost efficiency and technical flexibility. Key benefits include:

  • Cost Savings of Over 50% compared to previous deployments, allowing CloudVantage to invest in new service offerings and improve pricing for its customers.
  • Scalability and Flexibility — OpenMetal’s private cloud solutions and OpenStack architecture allow CloudVantage to customize environments to meet both local and international customer needs.
  • Operational Efficiency — With better resource allocation, reduced downtime, and streamlined deployments, CloudVantage is able to deliver faster and more reliable services to its customers.
  • Enhanced Technical Expertise — Through its OpenMetal experience, CloudVantage has built valuable internal skills in private cloud management, helping the team gain deeper infrastructure knowledge and OpenStack proficiency.

“Cost savings alone would have been enough reason to switch, but what we gained in flexibility and technical empowerment is even more valuable,” added Muhideen Ashiru. “This partnership has given us the confidence to scale faster, customize more effectively, and ultimately, serve our customers better.”

Future Vision: Expanding the Partnership

In addition to operational and financial advantages, the partnership has laid the groundwork for strategic collaboration. CloudVantage sees OpenMetal not just as a vendor, but as a long-term partner with shared ambitions to drive cloud adoption and digital transformation across Africa. Looking ahead, CloudVantage intends to deepen its relationship with OpenMetal through:

  • Expansion of technical team capacity to support regional growth.
  • Joint development initiatives to build new OpenStack components, further customize the platform, and enhance service offerings.
  • Strategic co-marketing efforts to increase both companies’ visibility across Africa, promoting the benefits of private cloud infrastructure to a wider audience.
  • Continued knowledge development, with the goal of becoming a recognized OpenStack consultant and training provider within the region.

A Bold Vision for African Cloud, Powered by OpenMetal

CloudVantage Limited represents a new generation of African cloud innovators, driven by the belief that cloud infrastructure should be accessible, customizable, and locally relevant — without compromising on performance or global standards.

By partnering with OpenMetal, CloudVantage has not only cut infrastructure costs by more than 50%, but also gained the technical independence needed to shape its own future. With OpenStack at the core and OpenMetal’s private cloud platform as the foundation, CloudVantage has moved beyond simply consuming cloud services — the company is now building its own cloud ecosystem, tailored for the unique needs of African businesses.

This partnership is about more than infrastructure. It’s about empowerment — giving CloudVantage the tools to innovate faster, scale smarter, and build technology that speaks the language of local businesses.

With plans to expand its OpenMetal footprint, develop custom OpenStack capabilities, and even collaborate on a future data center in Nigeria, CloudVantage is not just solving its own challenges — it’s laying the groundwork for a new era of cloud leadership in Africa.

Does This Resonate With Your Business Needs?

Contact our cloud team to find out how OpenMetal can optimize your infrastructure costs and become your partner in success.

Schedule Meeting