How does Continent 8 efficiently deliver operators a solid structure that is often unseen, but is the backbone of the systems offered to users?
For 25 years, Continent 8 has been developing a project that became a tradition of global service, in which the goal is to guarantee that the system that is being viewed always works well. To achieve this we have to be alert and coordinate the behind the scenes of a system, making sure that everything is connected and working perfectly. The objective is that, from a cellphone application, a PC, a laptop or in any environment through which you want to carry out some type of gaming activity, the user experience is excellent, with 100 percent availability to the highest speed. Why is that? The main issue is that if the user experience is not good, the client will change the platform or the application. So, from the provision of the service, Continent 8 assures that 100 percent maximized superior UX. Therefore, it not only supports hosting or a cloud, but also provides connectivity, because, at the end of the day, it is necessary to reach each of the end-points where the user is consuming a supported product within the Continent 8 technological infrastructure.
Considering the huge growth online gambling has experienced in 2021, how can networks security be guaranteed if we take into account the strong increase in DDoS attacks suffered by platforms in the last semester?
As a consequence of global lockdown due to the pandemic, online gambling developed as a very interesting entertainment activity for most of the people that had to stay at home. Online traffic grew, and that was a desirable situation for other people, also sitting at home connected to the Internet, but not for the interest of having fun, but for criminal reasons. Thus, there was a ‘proportional’ growth between the volume of online activity and cybercrime intentions on that activity. To respond to this critical situation, Continent 8 devised a valuable model whereby the production of the connectivity service already has the different protections integrated into the same product, either against denial of service attacks, firewalls and web firewalls, etc. This service allows a single point of contact in the event of an unwanted incident. As a result, operators won’t have to call for different providers. With Continent 8, they have comprehensive coverage for a variety of situations. In this way, the level of protection is enhanced in response times and in the application of definitive solutions.
Through a series of successful Case Study examples the company presents on its website, it is possible to know the situation and the ways in which Continent 8 has solved various problems raised by customers. How do you assess the relationship you have had with clients this year?
At first, we see everything that strengthens the relationship with our clients positively. Beyond a service agreement or a contract, Continent 8 has a professional responsibility in terms of guaranteeing availability. Clients have highly valued the level of involvement of our team. For us, it is essential that the service is available, that it works very well and that it prevents an attack from affecting the availability of the service that customers are providing to their users.
Based on the gradual progress in the use of advanced technologies in Latin America, how important is it not only to provide clients with services that work very well, but also to be educational and clear about how they work, and how they can solve possible problems that may appear?
From my experience in the region, having had the opportunity to travel throughout Latin America and personally speak with different clients and interlocutors in the industry, I noticed that the same client is usually made an integrator of isolated solutions, which takes them out of the focus of what their business really is: the online gambling operation. In this sense, an evolution towards a more integrated service is clearly needed. I believe that the technical departments of the gambling sector have an important level of knowledge, but it is more associated with what the operation of a standard infrastructure is compared to what the operation of the infrastructure for the online gaming industry should be. This is a great gap that the region has not yet been able to visualize and that requires an evolutionary process. It is essential to show that it is much more interesting to have a single point of contact that can trace all the possible failure factors than to have different interlocutors who are passing the ball, and having the internal IT area as the pivot, through the project manager, to determine where the problem really is. This evolution must be carried out in the region to the extent that online gambling demonstrates that, in order to be online, instant solutions are needed rather than quick solutions. Someone who is constantly monitoring the infrastructure that the different operators have on the diverse platforms is an added value that makes a difference. For this reason, Continent 8 has the largest platforms on the planet hosted in its infrastructure.
What did 2021 represent for the company and what are the plans for 2022?
We started 2021 with the idea that it would be a year of sowing, for then to have a next harvest season. However, we were pleasantly surprised that we were able to establish a customer base in Latin America more quickly than we had imagined. Therefore, we realized that there was a real need in the region for a superior quality service like the one we provide. Of course, we know a great deal remains to be done. From Continent 8’s perspective, all the objectives set for 2021 were achieved, and even exceeded. To the extent that the pandemic allowed, we participated in different in-person gaming events. We have been placing points of presence in new locations in LatAm and, particularly, in the United States, where we are already installed in all the states in which online gambling has been enabled. That gives us the following competitive advantage: any company that wants to start working there will already have our licensed infrastructure available to start operating. Looking ahead to this 2022, the idea is to start a second phase of organic growth in the LatAm region: adding more points of presence, expanding the commercial portfolio and continuing spreading the word about all Continent 8 services in the region. We believe that these services make a difference for what is locally consumed in Latin America, and are a guarantee of trust for operators.