In partnership with Encapsulated East Africa Limited and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) of Kenya, Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, launched a new data center solution that’s transforming the way motor vehicles are registered in the country. This upgrade comes as part of NTSA’s broader digital transformation strategy, aimed at making services faster and more efficient for citizens.

Formed in 2012 to manage the country’s growing number of vehicles and ensure road safety, NTSA relied on its Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS) to handle vehicle registrations, ownership transfers, and other essential services. But as demand surged, the old system failed to keep up. When the time came to revamp TIMS to better serve Kenya’s increasing population, it became clear that an overhaul of the underlying data center infrastructure was needed as well.

To meet these demands, NTSA chose Vertiv’s SmartRow™ solution after a rigorous selection process. The Vertiv SmartRow™ is a self-contained data center that simplifies IT deployments by integrating everything from power and cooling to fire suppression and backup ventilation into one streamlined system. It’s scalable, allowing for up to 10 racks of capacity, and designed to maximize speed while minimizing cost.

Since deploying the Vertiv SmartRow™, NTSA has seen a significant improvement in uptime, reduced energy consumption, and better monitoring of their data center environment. The new system is also more reliable and efficient, providing full visibility into operations, which helps the agency serve Kenya’s citizens better.

The result is faster service, fewer delays, and a system that now processes vehicle registration applications instantly, compared to the 60,000-applicant backlog it once faced.

“Modernizing our systems was crucial to meet vehicle owners’ expectations and improve service delivery to citizens,” said Nashon Kondiwa, Deputy Director of ICT and Innovation at NTSA. “Our ICT department faced continuous challenges maintaining the previous system; we had to transform the way business is done. The Vertiv solution eliminates the need to deal with multiple suppliers and integration challenges, and its compactness makes it an ideal fit in our current facility.”

One of the most significant improvements is the ability for citizens to track the status of their applications online, 24/7. This shift has also led to an eightfold increase in license renewals, with 80,000 licenses processed monthly, up from just 10,000 before the upgrade.

Rohan Patil, Vertiv’s Regional Manager for East Africa, emphasized how quickly the project came together: “We were very pleased that the initial estimated 10-month rollout timeline was reduced to just six months. Our comprehensive integrated solutions portfolio not only significantly reduces deployment time but also streamlines the installation process, playing a key role in enhancing system reliability.”