Computer News Middle East August 2018

ISSUE 318 | AUGUST 2018 WWW.TAHAWULTECH.COM

THE FINTECH OPPORTUNITY DUBAI SCIENCE PARK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HOW TECHNOLOGY IS DISRUPTING GCC LOGISTICS TAHAWULTECH.COM FUTURE ENTERPRISE AWARDS

ON THE MONEY EMIRATES NBD’S NEWLY APPOINTED GROUP CDO ON BUILDING THE BANK’S DIGITAL FUTURE

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Easy money This month – hot, humid, yet nearing September, thank goodness – Glesni Holland sat down with Emirates NBD’s newly appointed chief digital officer Evans Munyuki for CNME’s cover feature, which provides a shining example of how the region’s top brands can translate back end complexity into front end simplicity for customers. Evans is particularly interested in the emergence of Fintechs, but he doesn’t believe they’re ready to threaten the dominance of banks just yet. More on page 18.

In the same vein, on page 22 we also explore how the sharp rise of Fintech in the Middle East is posing that threat CPI Media Group to the traditional financial services is set to launch industry, and how an array of slick the debut edition regional startups could upset some of of the Future the industry’s big boys.

CPI Media Group is set to launch the Enterprise debut edition of the Future Enterprise Awards on Awards on 14th October at Emirates 14th October at Towers, and the CNME editorial team Emirates Towers. has assembled a panel of tech-savvy executives to judge the contest. We spoke with Dubai Science Park’s executive director Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi and Fujitsu’s vice president for the Middle East, Farid Al-Sabbagh, to hear how they believe technology is disrupting the region, and why they can’t wait to see how the GCC’s big-hitters are transforming their businesses.

I also had the pleasure of hearing Trukkin CEO and co-founder Janardan Dalmia – a panellist at our upcoming Evolve Digital Transformation Forum – tell his story of digital disruption in GCC logistics.

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ISSUE 318 | AUGUST 2018

32

18

TRUKKIN CEO JANARDAN DALMIA

EMIRATES NBD GROUP CDO EVANS MUNYUKI

34

8

FUJITSU MIDDLE EAST VP FARID AL-SABBAGH

28 The future awaits

"The DNA of change" Dell EMC and Arrow hosted a closeddoor roundtable in collaboration with tahawultech.com, and invited a collection of the region’s top CIOs to discuss ways to modernise data centres and enhance digital transformation strategies.

22 The new dawn

The last few years have seen a sharp increase in the number of fintech startups establishing a presence in the region. How will this growth cement the Middle East’s position as a fintech hub for years to come?

26 Why you should attend the

36

DUBAI SCIENCE PARK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARWAN ABDULAZIZ JANAHI

FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015)

30 Evolve: Fast track your

business transformation The Evolve Forum will shed light on strategies that can help organisations embrace digital through the right vision and leadership.

40 Digital doctors

Power of 4 Forum

The tahawultech.com Future Enterprise Awards will celebrate institutions that are truly driving economic, social and corporate change through modernisation, digitisation and technology.

tahawultech.com will host its first edition of the Power of 4 Forum later this year, and will explore the challenges and opportunities that present themselves to Middle East organisations in the digital era.

Necip Ozyucel, Cloud & Enterprise Group Lead, Microsoft Gulf discusses the stark indicators that suggest we are not averse to letting the digital realm play a central role in the maintenance of our health.

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BlackBerry 6210

aunched in 2003, the 6210 was the tenth BlackBerry released

by Research in Motion.

Its bold, blue casing made it stand out from BlackBerry’s more standardised devices of the time.

It was also the company’s first pocket-size gadget to combine a phone with web browsing and email experience capabilities. Its predecessor, the 5810, required users to attach a headset in order to make calls, while the 6210 allowed users to check emails, make phone calls, send text messages and organise their calendars from one single device.

It was a relatively basic model by modern standards, with the absence of a touchscreen and colour display. But before it arrived, professionals were more likely to be dependent on two devices: a mobile phone and a PDA. While the 6210 wasn’t the first device that attempted to combine the capabilities, it was the first to do it successfully.

Another first that the 6210 can take credit for is debuting BlackBerry Messenger – more commonly known as BBM, which became a staple feature of the BlackBerry device we’ve come to love today.

The phone was also listed in TIME’s top 100 gadgets of all time in 2010, placing at number 62.

L

6

AUGUST 2018

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ANALYSIS

Dell EMC - Arrow Roundtable

"THE DNA OF CHANGE" Dell EMC and Arrow hosted a closed-door roundtable last month, in collaboration with tahawultech.com, inviting a collection of the region’s top CIOs and CISOs to discuss ways to modernise data centres and enhance digital transformation strategies.

8

AUGUST 2018

Mostafa Kabel, Arrow’s technical manager

R

obust IT infrastructure is the foundation of initiating digital transformation projects, a roundtable jointly hosted by tahawultech.com, Arrow and Dell EMC concluded last month. www.tahawultech.com

Samer Semaan, distribution manager, Gulf & UAE, Dell EMC

A selection of IT end users gathered at the St Regis Hotel in Dubai to discuss how businesses should look to build their technology roadmap around a quartet of aspects that are most likely to be disrupted in the coming years.

Samer Semaan, Dell EMC’s distribution manager for the Gulf region and the UAE, got the discussion underway by framing the context for what is needed to initiate technological change, and the complexity that inevitably follows.

“Five years back, vendors were only telling customers that they needed a private cloud,” he said.

“However, the reality is that today, it’s never a case of pushing a button and transforming your infrastructure www.tahawultech.com

Without software, what is a laptop?

It’s just a box.

overnight. Everything relies on the right software and hardware.

“Software is the DNA of change.

Software is not a tool for digital, but the driver of it. Without software, what is a laptop? It’s just a box.”

Semaan went on to highlight the areas of business that he believes are most ripe for disruption. “There are four types of transformation: digital, IT, workforce and security,” he said.

“Today, work is no longer a place, but an activity that can be conducted from anywhere. No one is

doing business like they were before.

Employees can work from anywhere, and businesses need to change in order to accommodate that reality.”

Mostafa Kabel, Arrow’s technical manager, followed Semaan by homing in on how hyperconverged infrastructure had the potential to solve a number of day-to-day challenges.

“HCI is the fastest way to modernise your data centre, and delivers the business agility, scalability and simplicity needed to stay competitive. It will undoubtedly be a catalyst for transformation.

“Currently 6% of organisations across the world are in the legacy phase in terms of IT infrastructure, 45% are emerging, 43% evolving, and 6% are transformed. Meanwhile 81% agree that if they do not embrace IT transformation, their business will no longer be competitive in the market.”

Arrow’s Amjad Antari rounded off the discussion by discussing the importance of effective data protection software in an era of swift technology change.

“The explosion of mobile devices, IT-as-a-Service and cloud are all increasing data volumes drastically,” he said. “Next-generation applications will transform data protection, and protection storage must be efficient, reliable, flexible and cloud-enabled. It needs to integrate easily with industry applications and deliver end-to-end data verification.”

AUGUST 2018

9

NEWS

UAE RESIDENTS CAN NOW INHERIT SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

A

land mark ruling in Germany has confirmed that social media accounts can be inherited by a person’s beneficiaries, a ruling which many jurisdictions are now likely to follow.

For Europeans in the UAE who have registered their Wills at DIFC Courts and have elected German law to govern their Will, the ruling has immediate and direct relevance.

Lawyers and lawmakers around the globe have been grappling with the legal status of online assets, not just personal data on sites such as Facebook or YouTube, but also valuable resources such as holdings in cryptocurrencies.

Sean Hird, Director of the DIFC Wills Service Centre, said, “The law

on the disposal of online assets is changing fast with the latest ruling out of Germany showing the direction that lawmakers are now taking.

“Rather than leaving a Will silent on such matters and hope the law will evolve in a way consistent with your wishes, it makes sense to leave clear instructions in your Will on who should and shouldn’t have access and ownership to your accounts when you pass away.

“In a survey we carried out last year, we asked UAE residents if they would want to protect and pass on

SAUDI ARABIA ISSUES FIRST-EVER FINTECH LICENCES IN THE KINGDOM

Saudi Arabia’s securities regulator approved its first two financial technology licenses last month, as part of a drive to develop a fintech 10

AUGUST 2018

sector in the Arab world’s biggest economy under reforms designed to reduce reliance on oil.

The Capital Market Authority approved licenses allowing Riyadhbased start-up Manafa Capital and another firm, Scopeer, to offer crowdfunding investment services on a trial basis.

Individual investors will use electronic platforms operated by the

their digital footprint and social media legacy, an overwhelming majority (89 percent) said they would want their social media accounts to be deactivated. The surest way of achieving this is through express provisions in a registered Will.”

Under the new ruling, individuals registering a will with DIFC Courts will be able to leave detailed instructions on how their accounts should be handled and by whom.

companies to fund small and mediumsized enterprises in exchange for shares in those enterprises.

The ventures could serve two aspects of Saudi Arabia’s reform program: broaden its capital markets, and create jobs by helping entrepreneurs obtain funding for new ventures. The CMA said it would receive applications for more fintech licenses later this year.

The Saudi central bank has also thrown its weight behind fintech.

In February, it signed a deal with U.S.-based Ripple to help banks in the Kingdom settle payments using blockchain software.

Gulf Capital, an Abu Dhabi-based private equity firm, said in May that it had bought a stake in Geidea, the leading provider of electronic payment solutions in Saudi Arabia, in a deal worth over 1 billion riyals ($267 million). www.tahawultech.com

PEOPLE OF DETERMINATION CAN NOW NAVIGATE DUBAI METRO STATIONS VIA THIS APP

D

ubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a demo smart technology via iPhone only, at Rashidiya Metro Station to serve the blind People of Determination using Dubai Metro services.

The technology requires a preconfiguration of the phone with the path of People of Determination at the metro station, starting from the entry of the station and including the ticket vending machine, nol card validation gates and finally the metro carriage. The step is the first of its kind in the region in assisting this category of metro riders.

“RTA has teamed up with a specialist technology company for the debut of this technology on a test run at Rashidiya Metro Station for a certain period. The technology is currently available through iPhone

devices only, as they are pre-configured to operate this technology,” said Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of RTA’s Rail Agency.

“This technology is offered along with a package of benefits to the People of Determination, such as converting written information into voice information including the schedules and directional signs for metro gates, stairs, escalators and station gates. The technology is compatible with the ground tactile marks. The app is easy to use, and in simple steps, it enables browsing all sections. The user can get the app content in a voice mode,” added Younes.

This step echoes the initiative of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council to transform Dubai into a fully friendly city for People of Determination by 2020.

FIRST-EVER “COP-LESS” POLICE STATION TO LAUNCH IN DUBAI

Dubai Silicon Oasis will soon be the home for the UAE’s firstever smart police station providing services completely free from any human intervention.

Dubai Police has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai Silicon Oasis www.tahawultech.com

Authority (DSOA), to establish a smart police station within DSO during the year.

The Dubai Police and DSOA will work hand in hand to develop aspects of the project and have it running this year, according to officials.

DSOA will identify optimal locations for the smart police station that provide easy access to residents, employees, and visitors of DSO. Meanwhile, Dubai Police will handle all logistical and development aspects of the project, and provide the necessary technology and software to operate the station.

Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri commended the partnership with DSOA in establishing the first Smart Police Station, which will provide Dubai Police services to customers without the need for human interaction. He highlighted the pledge of the Dubai Police Force to always be readily available to assist the whole community.

He added that the new station, open 24 hours, seven days a week, will offer 27 traffic- and crime-related services, as well as a further 33 community-related services.

The facility leverages smart interactive technologies to enable customers to complete their transactions without the need to visit traditional police stations, resulting in significant time savings, and enhanced convenience.

AUGUST 2018

11

NEWS

SAP-BACKED INITIATIVE TRAINS OVER 16,000 EMEA YOUTH TO CODE

S

AP’s coding initiative has reportedly trained more than 16,000 youth across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

Across coding initiatives in Egypt, France, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Sweden, and Turkey, the United Nations, global technology company SAP, the Galway Education Center, and more than 50 partners joined forces to train 16,201 youth in coding.

Aiming to diversify the technological workforce of the future, among Refugee Code Week 2017 participants, 57 percent were refugees and 50 percent were female.

“As the pace of technological change advances, Middle East countries face a short timeline to support youth in learning the coding skills needed for innovative digital careers,” said Gergi Abboud, Senior

Vice President and General Manager for Middle East South, SAP. “While youth are digital natives, their skills do not necessarily match business needs. Refugee Code Week shows how youth can be empowered and inspired to take on high-value digital careers.”

During the second edition of Refugee Code Week, participants aged 8-24 learned a variety of coding skills, including scratch coding and web programming. Top participants advanced to 17-week coding sessions

with ReBoot Kamp and the Re:coded humanitarian initiative, leading to job placement in the SAP ecosystem.

Top participants can leverage the resources of the One Million Arab Coders initiative, which aims to support 1 million Arabs in becoming professional software developers.

Participants can access career opportunities, internships, certifications and “nano-degrees”, entrepreneurship accelerators, and cash prizes through the program’s ecosystem.

UAE, CHINA TIE UP TO ACCELERATE SILK ROAD PROJECT

The UAE Government and the People’s Republic of China have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning joint cooperation on the Silk Road Initiative and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative.

The agreement, which was signed

by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, and He 12

AUGUST 2018

Lifeng, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, NDRC, during the landmark state visit of President Xi Jinping of China to the UAE, is aimed at facilitating exchange and integration of commodities, technology and capital through mutual education and cooperation.

“The MoU is a clear indicator of the strong ties between the UAE and China and underscores the commitment of leaderships in both friendly countries to further consolidate their joint action to serve mutual interests and interests of

the region and the world as well,” Dr. Al Jaber said.

It will also advance concerted development and joint progress in areas of economy, community, environment and other sectors.

“The MoU reflects the longstanding friendship between the UAE and China as well as cooperation and ambition of the governments in several fields,” added Dr. Al Jaber.

The agreement underscores the political will of the Emirati and Chinese leaderships to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative with the aim of elevating the spirt of the Silk Road for peace, openness and mutual education and cooperation in a manner that serves mutual interests. www.tahawultech.com

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DUBAI UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES FIRST BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN AI

HE Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence

T

he British University in Dubai has announced the launch of its first Bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence.

The press conference was attended

by HE Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi,

Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and HE Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, alongside Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), and representatives from the Knowledge Fund, Dubai Statistics Centre, and the University’s Council.

The programme has been developed in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and is open to both Emiratis and expatriates. Emiratis on the course will receive scholarship from the ICT fund, while expatriates can apply for scholarships to British University in Dubai.

The ICT Fund was launched by Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in 2007 to achieve rapid development within the information

and communication technology sector in UAE. The four-year degree course will be starting at the end of September, and tuition fees for a four-year-period will amount to Dhs230,000.

The UAE made headlines worldwide last year when it became the world’s first to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. This announcement came just a few days after the UAE revealed their UAE 2031 AI strategy, which aims to make the government more efficient and streamlined by relying on AI technologies.

In addition, the UAE is currently hosting an AI summer camp for students to enhance their skills and knowledge of the technology, undergoing programmes and practical and theoretical workshops in various locations across the country.

SAUDI ARABIA INTRODUCES ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY TO TREAT SPINAL INJURIES

The Medical Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL), a robot treatment device for spinal injuries, has been approved for use in Saudi Arabia.

The launch follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Abdul Latif Jameel and Japanese company CYBERDYNE, during King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s visit to Japan last year, to bring 14

AUGUST 2018

the state-of-the-art technology to Saudi Arabia.

Medical HAL is a form of robotic technology that can regenerate, improve, support and expand patients’ brain-neuro-physical functions. The device is available at Abdul Latif Jameel Hospital in Jeddah, which specialises in medical rehabilitation, with plans to roll-out the technology across the country.

Dr. Youssef Abdelrahman, Managing Director of Abdul Latif Jameel Hospital, said: “By bringing this highly advanced spinal treatment technology to Saudi Arabia, we are making sure patients who have suffered some of the most traumatic injuries will

get the best possible care available.

“The availability of HAL follows the successful completion of the test phase and means the people of Saudi Arabia now have access to this stateof-the-art technology.”

Last year Saudi Arabia and Japan agreed to boost cooperation and joint projects between the two countries, including in healthcare. Healthcare is also one of the main focus areas of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to improve the quality of care and services provided to patients.

More than 13,000 people suffered traumatic spinal injuries in Saudi Arabia in 2015, according to official Saudi government statistics. www.tahawultech.com

EXCESSIVE TECHNOLOGY USE TO BLAME FOR CHILD OBESITY IN UAE AND KSA

N

ine in ten children across UAE and KSA have access to tablets, smartphones or other handheld electronic devices with screens, a new YouGov research has revealed.

The report found that these children are spending an average of two and a half hours every day on their

devices. While watching videos on YouTube (73 percent) and playing video games (58 percent) are the most popular activities that children engage in, activity-based apps (like drawing, learning skills) are also popular with 2 in 5 children using such apps.

The right age at which children should be given access to social media has remained a topic of debate for quite some time now. According to parents, less than 1 in 3 children have a social media account, and among those who do, in close to 80 percent of the cases, the accounts can be accessed by the parents.

However, parents view obesity as the biggest health issue among

kids today with more than half of those surveyed naming it as a serious health issue, followed by anxiety/psychological issues (named by close to half of the parents).

While the majority of parents (69 percent) acknowledge the link between excessive use of technology and childhood obesity, when it comes to the health and well-being of their children, nutrition is given the bigger priority, followed by physical activity and limiting ‘screen time’.

Kerry McLaren, Head of Omnibus Research, said, “In a day and age where technology sits at the forefront of our existence it is refreshing to see that parents are still striving for a balance with their children, pushing them to also partake in daily physical activity.”

MIDDLE EAST’S NOON CASHES IN ON CHINA’S BOOMING E-COMMERCE MARKET

Mohamed Alabbar, noon founder

noon, the Middle East’s homegrown digital marketplace, has announced the launch of two entities in China.

One of the new entities is located on the mainland, and the other in Hong Kong, kick starting noon’s Asia operations.

In China, noon aims to establish a trusted network of high-quality Chinese www.tahawultech.com

brand owners with unique offerings, to bring the best range of products to customers in the Middle East.

A dedicated noon team, with support from Chinese counterparts, has been working on the ground to meet directly with local brand owners and cultivate valuable business relationships, showcasing noon’s attentive and unique approach to digital commerce. To further grow local partnerships, noon will also be soon establishing a permanent office space in China.

Mohamed Alabbar, noon founder, said, “China’s booming e-commerce market has one of the most active marketplaces in the world. noon is fully embracing the opportunity to

work closely with leading Chinese manufacturers to bring a high quality, value driven assortment to the region.

We’re also looking to partner with top brand owners and marketplace platforms to help us curate a wider and more diverse assortment of products for our customers in the Middle East.

As always, customer experience is at the core of all that we do.”

According to noon, it is also working with a leading financial services company that provides secure online money transfer and digital payment services, to guarantee efficient payment solutions to Chinese sellers and facilitate the process of doing business in the Middle Eastern market.

AUGUST 2018

15

NEWS

SAUDI ARABIA TELCO TO TRAIN CYBERSECURITY TALENTS

S

audi Arabia’s STC has launched a new programme aimed at educating and training 150 students in cybersecurity.

The initiative was announced by Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Sawaha, in the presence of Nasser Al-Nasser, STC Group CEO, and Abdul

Aziz Al-Ruwais, governor of CITC. The “Cyber Craft” programme aims to train more than 150 students in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar, in collaboration with two leading global companies in cybersecurity learning.

Under the programme the students will go through summer training for a month, and will be awarded verified

AI TO REVOLUTIONISE TREATMENT FOR DIABETIC PATIENTS IN DUBAI

The Dubai Diabetes Centre (DDC), the emirate’s only dedicated multidisciplinary diabetes centre, has completed a proof of concept project for the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect diabetic retinopathy.

The estimated number of people with diabetes in 2015 was 415 million and in 2040, it is expected to reach 16

AUGUST 2018

up to 642 million. In the UAE, it is estimated one in five people are diabetic and another one in five are pre-diabetic.

Dr M. Hamed Farooqi, Director of the Dubai Diabetes Centre, said, “The use of AI in the detection of diabetic retinopathy can revolutionise the manner in which we screen patients for retinopathy. It will be cost effective,

certificates at the end of the training.

Al-Sawaha praised the STC’s initiative of launching the “Cyber Craft” programme, which seeks to build local and professional capabilities in cybersecurity based on best practices and global standards to lead the Kingdom to the ranks of developed countries in modern technical knowledge.

“The objectives of the programme are compatible with the increasing demand for specialists in cybersecurity, especially as the services in the Kingdom witness an accelerating digital transformation in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” he added.

Al-Nasser said that the STC is keen to play a pivotal role in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 as an enabler for digital transformation in the public and private sectors.

He noted that the “STC Solutions” programme also trains Saudi talents in cybersecurity, and is witnessing a huge demand.

will provide high-quality care and will lead to better utilisation of resources.

Ophthalmologists will only need to see retinal images of patients with retinopathy that the system detects as opposed to the current system where they need to screen all patients.”

Dr Farooqi said that for a highly prevalent disease like diabetes, the benefits are simply multi-fold. “As per international diabetes standards, we need to have 14 retinal images per diabetic. The estimated number of diagnosed diabetics in the UAE exceeds 1 million. To interpret 14 million images per year, we need more than 50 eye specialists working full-time.

Deep learning system (DLS) using AI are capable of identifying diabetic retinopathy and related eye diseases using retinal images with a high degree of accuracy. Thus using AI can not only help provide retinopathy screening for a large number of diabetics but also lead to better utilisation of resources and time of ophthalmologists.” www.tahawultech.com

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www.tahawultech.com

ON THE MONEY Emirates NBD announced earlier this year that it plans to invest over $270 million in its IT transition journey over the coming four years. Heading up this transformation is the bank’s group chief digital officer, Evans Munyuki, who joined in January and now has big plans to make digital excellence pervasive across every aspect of the bank.

T

he emergence of financial technology start-ups – or fintechs – in the Middle East and Africa has created a real buzz around the need for traditional financial institutions to adopt techenabled products to improve their services and provide a seamless digital experience for customers.

According to the State of Fintech report, the region’s fintechs to date have raised a total of $100 million in funding in the past decade – and investment is expected to double by 2020.

Despite this, fintechs should not to be feared entirely by the Middle East's traditional financial institutions, says Evans Munyuki, Emirates NBD’s newly appointed Group chief digital officer. “Fintechs are unlikely to ever replace banks in the Middle East,” he claims.

Instead, he believes “tech-fins” www.tahawultech.com

– companies that are technologyfirst and technology-focused with notable scale, but have an ambition of broadening their core business into financial services, could offer serious competition to traditional

Fintechs are unlikely to ever replace banks in the Middle East.

non-digitised banking.

“Fintechs are typically laserfocused, and usually focus on fixing one problematic piece of the banking supply chain,” says Munyuki. “They typically do not have the scale and capabilities to take on the end-toend value chain of banking. On a global basis, they don’t have the regulatory infrastructure, the capital adequacy, the banking licenses, consumer trust, nor the customer base, and these are just a few of the reasons why it’s very difficult for fintechs to go it alone.”

A collaboration between a bank and a fintech company is a “much more likely, as well as a much more beneficial” proposition, adds Munyuki, as “each has what the other needs.” In fact, Munyuki now has a dedicated small team working solely on fintech collaborations within the bank, in addition to the bank gearing itself to think and work AUGUST 2018

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Emirates NBD

like a fintech through using agile ways of working within its culture.

“Tech-fins,” however, are the ones to watch out for. “I recently read an article that highlighted a study that Bain conducted recently, which analysed what could happen if Amazon decided to start offering bank accounts in the United States over the next five years. In the study, Bain surveyed nearly 135,000 consumers in 22 countries, and over 50% of the US respondents stated their willingness to buy a financial services product from a tech company.

Ironically, a large number of those that would be willing – almost threequarters of those surveyed - are millennials between the ages of 18 and 24. This is where the real learning lies for banks,” he says.

Much of this comes down to the digital relationship that such technology firms already have with customers in the new “digital

Over 50% of respondents stated their willingness to buy a financial services product from a tech company.

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world,” where there is tremendous value in human-centred design, and the leverage of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence in creating personalised customer experiences which are predominantly mobile first, and in some instances mobileonly, adds Munyuki.

“While companies like Amazon and Netflix have both continued to disrupt themselves, evolving themselves beyond their initial business models, the personalised AI-enabled ‘digital relationship’ they have with their customers, alongside their financial muscle www.tahawultech.com

and understanding of the value in data analytics and design, could pose a real threat for banks with a traditional mindset if they chose to enter financial services,” he says.

“Banks that partner with fintechs, and/or banks that become fintechs of sorts themselves through a complete digital transformation, best-position themselves to win in this era where the customer is the reason for everything we do.”

Munyuki is no stranger to the fintech scene, having recently been CDO and CIO of MyBucks, a German-listed fintech operating across 14 African and European markets. It comes as no surprise to hear that the UAE-based bank is now embracing this form of digital collaboration as it looks to enhance its technical solutions, while continuing to sharpen its cultural thinking towards that of a modern fintech organisation.

Now just over eight months into his tenure as Emirates NBD’s Group chief digital officer, Munyuki is driving this mandate in his role as head of the newly formed Digital Office – which has been tasked with accelerating the bank’s end-toend digital capabilities. Under his “DDLA” strategy, which Munyuki says equates to being “design led and data informed, with lean processes and operating as an agile workforce,” he maintains that Emirates NBD can compete with the digitally-focused work ethic demonstrated in some of the world’s most notable tech firms.

“DDLA is the mantra that I’m driving throughout our cross functional collaborative teams, which comprise of employees holding both business and IT-driven roles – to ensure that everyone working around the table is working towards the same goal,” he says. www.tahawultech.com

Banks that partner with fintechs, or banks that become fintechs themselves through a complete digital transformation will be in the best position to win.

“I’ve visited Level 39 in London, and I’ve been to the Google offices in the UK and US, and seen for myself how they work. What we’re doing here is at least on a par – if not slightly better, in my opinion, in terms of having a digitally driven workforce.”

As CDO, Munyuki believes it is his responsibility to make digital excellence “pervasive” across every aspect of the bank, rather than only having “pockets of digital appearance.” Though the role of a CDO is a relatively new title in the region, he maintains that organisations – particularly in the financial services sector - are now waking up to the importance of having an individual dedicated to converting analogue business into digital business.

“To a large degree, a lot of this is about the organisation disrupting itself, which does not come naturally in some industries unless there is an individual acting as a catalyst for change - the CDO, in this case,” he says. “This is where the role differs from that of a

CIO, who is traditionally known as the technologist and plays a critical role in enabling the organisation’s digital ambition with a focus on the underlying architecture, infrastructure and applications suites.”

CDOs, however, need to be the “best of both worlds,” and incorporate both the business mindset with expertise of the technology that enables success.

“CDOs need to take a headline view and turn it into specific outcomes,” he says.

In terms of leveraging the necessary technologies to create the business value for the bank going forward, Munyuki sees great potential in the use of voice-based user interfaces at a customer-facing level.

“The UAE’s world-renowned smartphone penetration lends itself very well to this era of digital banking. But in addition to this, I believe the advent of voice – in the form of virtual assistants, is going to be a very interesting aspect of the region’s transformation,” he says.

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The fintech opportunity

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www.tahawultech.com

THE NEW DAWN

The last few years have seen a sharp increase in the number of fintech startups establishing a presence in the region, which many put down to the benefits of its location and private investment appeal. How will this growth cement the Middle East’s position as a fintech hub for years to come?

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ike the vast majority of industries in 2018, the banking and finance sector is having to undergo a revolution of its own to stay relevant in the digital age. We’ve seen numerous examples in the last decade of how technology – or lack of, in some cases, is capable of trouncing some of the world’s most notable brands, acting as a cautionary tale for those not prepared to ride the digital wave going forward.

For traditional banks, the advent of financial technology – or fintech for short, is transforming the delivery of financial services worldwide - and banks in the Middle East are keen to stay apace with this change. According to “The Case for an Innovation Hub to Facilitate MEASA Financial Inclusion” report

by Oliver Wyman, the UAE is ideally positioned to serve as the “beating heart” of a regional innovation hub

www.tahawultech.com

in facilitating the development of digitally enabled financial solutions across the Middle East.

But it could be argued that fintech is not a new phenomenon – simply one that has gained significant traction in recent years as digital transformation becomes a priority for a number of sectors.

What are the reasons behind this?

“We’ve seen a fundamental shift in the way that businesses and their customers use technology as the basis of their interactions in recent years. Fintechs have enabled the use of technology as a commercial channel for business, while providing access to digital channels for consumers in personal finance,” says Sirish Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Telr. “Fintech’s focus, tech-centricity, and smaller size has allowed them to stay nimble and relevant. Larger, more traditional financial services institutions are unable to replicate this.”

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The fintech opportunity

However, it goes without saying that a number of banks will see areas of their business increasingly affected – be it for better or worse, by fintechs. But while a common debate asks whether fintechs will replace traditional banks in the future, Kumar disagrees.

“It’s a deeply symbiotic relationship,” he says. “Fintechs wouldn’t be able to function without partnering with banks in one form or another. Fintech partnerships will be able to provide banks with the ability to provide for their clients beyond geographical borders, while reducing the costs of servicing.

CIOs and technology leaders of forwardthinking banks in the region have clearly articulated the need for these partnerships and are already moving forward in this regard.”

While most of us may consider withdrawing money from an ATM or stepping into a local branch to carry out a banking transaction as second nature, 1.7 billion adults worldwide have no access to financial services.

For many, that means not having access to small loans or credit lines, having nowhere to securely save your money, and having no reliable method of receiving or making payments.

In the Middle East and North Africa, a staggering 86 percent of adults do

Fintechs cannot function without partnering with banks in one form or another.

Sirish Kumar, co-founder and CEO, Telr

not have a bank account, according to research by Wamda and Payfort in the State of Fintech 2017 report. This creates a huge opportunity for fintechs to create innovative financial solutions to bridge the gap between the banked and unbanked – particularly in the UAE, where the nation boasts the world’s highest smartphone penetration levels.

“UAE banks only target between 25 and 30 percent of country’s population, and while a large segment of the nation’s population is made up of low income workers, many of those who are unbanked are actually millennials and housewives

My son does not like to use any service without his smartphone.

Paolo Gagliadi, CEO, Trriple

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– for the simple reason that their fathers and/or husbands are banked and manage the family finances,” says Paolo Gagliadi, CEO, Trriple.

“As a result, we’re working hard on our roadmap to ensure that we can provide for this segment in the future with our mobile wallet solutions. It’s an interesting subsector, and one I can really observe. My son can’t conceive the thought of engaging with any service without the use of his smartphone.”

But before fintech solutions can really take a firm grasp of the financial services market in this part of the world, there is still much to be done in terms of legislation and appropriate regulations. According to the Wamda report, 85 percent of fintech entrepreneurs said they would relocate for better regulations – so when will the Middle East react?

“We have a very close relationship with the UAE’s Central Bank in Abu Dhabi, and they’re the first to admit that we need improved regulations,” says Gagliadi.

He adds that when it comes to legislating the use of mobile wallet solutions in particular, there are a number of aspects that need to change in this region. “Enabling www.tahawultech.com

consumers to withdraw money from their mobile wallet is a service that is currently unavailable in the UAE, and one that the Central Bank is working to put into place in the near future,” he says. “In addition, there needs to be an increase in the limit that can be stored on a mobile wallet and spent on a monthly basis. Regulatory authorities in the UAE also need to establish financial licences specifically for fintechs.”

However, Gagliadi is confident that we can expect these changes sooner rather than later.

“Authorities here are smart and wise, and I’m positive that this will be done within the next two years,” he says. Gagliadi also believes that it won’t just be regulations that disrupt

www.tahawultech.com

the financial services sector going forward, and pinpoints the impact of Blockchain, chatbots and artificial intelligence as playing a significant role in transforming the industry in years to come.

“Blockchain is an unstoppable wave that’s coming, and it will bring with it a number of benefits across verticals – from efficiency, speed, cost and security to the end-user,” he says. “No matter where you fit in the ecosystem – even if you’re selling apples, it will become imperative for you to be aware of and understand the Blockchain.”

This will only become more crucial as the number of fintech startups in the MENA region continues to increase. Between

2013 and 2015, the number more than doubled from 46 to 105, and the region is expected to see a total of 250 fintech startups launch by the year 2020, according to the Wamda report.

For those looking to establish themselves in the region, Craig Moore, CEO and founder of peerto-peer finance platform - Beehive, believes that a strong understanding of the local market’s regulation, legal and third-party ecosystem is “pertinent” in any nascent fintech startups’ bid to succeed.

“Build a mentor network with established, regional fintech leaders, and make sure your funding plans account for delays, seasonality and future regulatory costs,” he says.

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PREVIEW

Power of 4: Fourth Industrial Revolution Forum

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE POWER OF 4 FORUM tahawultech.com will host its first edition of the Power of 4: Fourth Industrial Revolution Forum later this year, and will explore the challenges and opportunities that present themselves to Middle East organisations in the digital era.

Go online to tahawultech.com now to register to attend the event, and join the conversation with over 300 technology experts to find out how the world is being reshaped by a new dawn of technology.

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ahawultech.com’s inaugural Power of 4 Fourth Industrial Revolution Forum is fast approaching, where a selection of the Middle East’s top technology leaders will spotlight the most pressing business issues of our time.

Set to take place on Monday 17th September 2018 at the Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa in Dubai Marina, Power of 4 will explore the challenges and opportunities that organisations will face in this new digital era of humanmachine collaboration.

The Forum will home in on the four most impactful technologies

that are destined to transform Middle East businesses in the years to come: artificial intelligence, Blockchain, virtual reality and IT automation.

An exciting line up of the region’s savviest technology end-users have already been confirmed to speak at the Forum, and will discuss the best strategies to transition into the age of smart technologies and machines.

The opening keynote will be given

by Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority chairman HE Dr Rashid Alleem, who was named Ambassador of Knowledge for the UAE in 2015

by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Ensuring www.tahawultech.com

SPEAKERS

Adam Lalani Group Head of IT Tristar

Ajay Rathi Senior Director of IT Meraas Holding

Alia Al Hammadi Director of IT, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

David Ashford Chief Information Officer The Entertainer

Faisal Ali Group CIO Gargash Group

Herbert Fuchs Chief Information Officer ASGC

Jon Richards CEO Yallacompare.com

HE Dr. Rashid Alleem Chairman, Sharjah Electricty & Water Authority and UAE Knowledge Ambassador

consistent access to electricity, water and gas supply for 1.5 million people across 2,600 square-kilometres of land is no small feat for Dr Alleem, and one that has required the Authority’s IT systems to drastically transform in order to withstand this demand.

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s director of IT Alia Al Hammadi will take to the stage next, and she will discuss the innovative ways that technology is allowing ENEC to hit its target of producing 25% of the UAE’s energy needs by 2020. ENEC is currently in the process of constructing four nuclear reactors, which it claims are the most www.tahawultech.com

“technologically advanced” of their kind in the world.

A panel examining the impact that artificial intelligence is set to have on Middle East businesses will ensue, featuring confirmed speakers Graham Hunter, vice president, Europe and Middle East, CompTIA, and Jon Richards, CEO and co-founder of UAE-based Yallacompare.com.

Blockchain and its much talked about potential in this region has created a huge buzz around the technology in the last 12 months, with the UAE pledging to conduct 50 percent of government transactions on the federal level using blockchain

technology by 2021. To shed more light on this and the impact it is having in the private sector, Adam Lalani, group head of IT at logistics firm Tristar, Ajay Rathi CIO of Meraas, and Jonny Huntington, CEO of Blockoboi, will take to the stage for the second panel of the day.

The third and fourth panel discussions will spotlight the role that virtual reality and IT automation will have on transforming businesses in the near future, with Faisal Ali, group CIO at Gargash Group, Herbert Fuchs, CIO at ASGC, Ramit Harisinghani, VP and Head of MEA, HTC Vive and David Ashford, CIO of The Entertainer sharing their firsthand experiences to conclude the day.

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PREVIEW

Future Enterprise Awards

THE FUTURE AWAITS The first edition of the tahawultech.com Future Enterprise Awards is due to take place later this year, and will celebrate institutions that are truly driving economic, social and corporate change through modernisation, digitisation and technology.

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NME and tahawultech. com will host the inaugural Future Enterprise Awards later this year, to recognise corporates and government departments across industry sectors that are truly transformative and innovating.

The Awards will be held on Sunday 14th October 2018 at Emirates Towers, Dubai – coinciding with the first day of GITEX Technology Week, which has brought together the most renowned names in technology for the past 38 years to showcase global technology and innovations, right here in Dubai.

Nominations have been created by the tahawultech.com in-house editorial team and high-quality submissions are currently being accepted from the most innovative and business-driving enterprises in the Middle East across 21 categories.

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These submissions will then be put forward to a judging panel comprising the region’s top tech figureheads.

After a rigorous and criteria-driven evaluation, the panel will decide which top 5 nominated enterprises are truly reinventing, transforming and innovating in each category. These top nominees will then be put to an online peer voting process.

The judging panel features a collection of the Middle East’s digital leaders across a range of industries – many of whom have brought transformative strategies to their respective organisations in recent years, and know firsthand what it takes to be a truly innovative business.

Online voting will open soon for you to cast your votes and determine the Middle East’s most innovative and transformative organisations.

Stay tuned! www.tahawultech.com

Meet the judges:

Alaa Elshimy Managing Director and Vice President, Huawei Enterprise Middle East

Alan Giles Managing Director, BlackBerry

Amir Kanaan Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Kaspersky Lab

Amna Sultan Al Owais CEO, DIFC Courts

Asif Javed Managing Director for Technology, Middle East and Turkey, Accenture

Farid Al-Sabbagh vice president, Fujitsu Middle East

Haider Ali Khan CEO, Bayut.com

Herbert Fuchs Chief Information Officer, ASGC

Jason Leavy Managing Director, VICE Media

Lynnette Abad Director, Research & Data, Propertyfinder

Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi Executive Director, Dubai Science Park

Moiza Saeed VP and current business head for Zomato Gold, Zomato

www.tahawultech.com

Paul Collins General Manager, Acer

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PREVIEW

Evolve Digital Transformation Forum

EVOLVE 2018: FAST-TRACK YOUR BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION The second edition of the tahawultech.com Evolve Forum will shed light on strategies needed for regional businesses to map out their transformation journey, and explore how organisations can embrace digital through the right vision and leadership.

Go to tahawultech.com to register for the Evolve Digital Transformation Forum, and join us at this exclusive industry event to learn more about the key programmes, technologies, and processes needed to achieve success in the digital economy.

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ahawultech.com is delighted to announce the first batch of confirmed speakers for the second edition of the Evolve Digital Transformation Forum.

The Forum, which promises to shed light on strategies needed for regional businesses to map out their transformation journey and how to embrace digital through the right vision and leadership, will be held on Tuesday 30th October 2018 at the Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa, Dubai Marina.

Digital transformation, as a theme, will take centre stage at the Forum, as we delve into the methodology enterprises can use to

transform and create new business models and culture through the use of emerging technologies.

Three panel discussions will home in on the steps organisations must take in order to successfully transition into the new digital era.

Session one, titled ‘Starting your business transformation journey’ will identify the business risks and opportunities organisations can expect to face in this new era, while also discovering how to transform your business to stay agile, counter costs, improve productivity, create more efficient workflows and improve ways of interacting with customers.

Confirmed speakers include: www.tahawultech.com

SPEAKERS

Arif Saiyad CEO of Callix

Nidal Taha Founder & President of Z Services

Jon Richards CEO of yallacompare

Mousa Yassin Co-Founder and CEO of GEEKS.ae

Malik Shehab Co-founder and MD of Golden Scent

Omar Chihane CEO of Sellanyhome.com

Janardan Dalmia CEO of Trukkin

Karim Khelal Cofounder & CEO of ProTenders

Alexander Rauser CEO of Prototype

Ian Ohan Founder & CEO of Freedom Pizza

www.tahawultech.com

Karim Helal, Co-Founder & CEO, ProTenders, Omar Chihane, CEO, Sellanyhome.com, Malik Shehab, co-founder and managing director, Golden Scent, and Arif Saiyad, CEO, Callix.

Session two, ‘Evolving your business in the digital era,’ will hear from industry experts who have already begun this journey and have embraced innovative technologies, enabling you to understand ways to leverage them for your business. Find out how to modernise your business and use disruptive technologies to stay relevant and resilient in capitalising on opportunities for growth. Confirmed speakers include: Jon Richards, CEO, Yallacompare. com, Janardan Dalmia, CEO, Trukkin, and Mousa Yassin, Co-Founder & CEO, GEEKS. The final session, titled ‘Managing data and security risks in your business,’ will analyse practical frameworks and tools to deal with data protection and security, and examine the best practises in protecting the future of your business. Nidal Taha, Founder/ President, Z Services, has been confirmed as a speaker in this discussion as things stand.

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INTERVIEW

Janardan Dalmia, CEO and co-founder, Trukkin

HOW TRUKKIN CEO JANARDAN DALMIA DISRUPTED GCC LOGISTICS Trukkin CEO and co-founder Janardan Dalmia explains how he carved out a digital niche in GCC logistics ahead of his participation in tahawultech.com’s Evolve Digital Transformation Forum.

“I

f I hadn’t started Trukkin, it’s inevitable that somebody else would have come up with something similar.”

Janardan Dalmia appreciates just how quickly technology is now changing the world, and just how relentlessly it is disrupting all industries. He now counts his lucky stars that he got things moving when he did.

The GCC logistics platform’s cofounder and CEO cut his teeth in the ruthless world of investment banking with Bank of America and Barclays in New York City, but has now carved out an opportunity to reinvent the way the region transports goods.

Dalmia moved to the UAE in 2009 for an initial six-month period, before deciding to settle permanently 32

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after being drawn by the country’s entrepreneurial spirit. “The UAE was becoming a very exciting place back then,” he says. “There were so many success stories of entrepreneurs whose ideas were flourishing.”

Working with Barclays until 2015, Dalmia spotted an opportunity in the GCC market that was ripe for exploitation – logistics. He saw a tired industry that was in dire need of a revamp, and in spite of his relative lack of experience and expertise in the space, he seized his chance.

“We spotted a gap in the market which needed to be rejigged,” he says. “The logistics industry was ticking along, but we wanted to make its systems more efficient through the use of technology. Business was happening in an old school,

traditional way with no innovation or transformation. It was a highly fragmented business, with no credible platform in the middle to deliver end-to-end services for shippers and transporters.”

Launching in June 2017, Trukkin has since completed over 6,000 commercial truck journeys and moved over 1 million tonnes of goods in its first year of operations.

“It’s a significant achievement, and especially for a startup that’s operating in Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” Dalmia says.

Much like the industry in which he now operates, Dalmia was forced to quickly adapt to new demands, the world of investment banking in the United States a world away from GCC logistics. “My role as a banker helped www.tahawultech.com

It’s one thing to do research and for things to look good on paper, another is making things a reality. me to see how big an opportunity can really be,” he says. “It helps you to gauge the true potential size of a market, and the opportunity for change in this region’s logistics is significant. I also believe my Indian heritage is an advantage in working with local truck drivers.”

Having been forced to quickly change his own approach to business, Dalmia is also an advocate of encouraging flexibility in the ways businesses operate. “Failing fast is just another way to say that teams need to evolve faster,” he says.

“We’ve definitely gone through that transition. It’s one thing to do research and for things to look good on paper, another is making things a reality. It’s a case of changing fast, or evolving faster, to try and understand what market the requires.

It’s impossible not to make mistakes as a startup, but the idea is to keep experimenting. Thinking outside the box requires several iterations.”

Looking ahead, Dalmia is certain that more change will come in the logistics space. “In five or 10 years’ time, technology will have evolved, and will be much more infused in the industry,” he says. “With a lot of improvisation and government efforts, systems will become more efficient.

I see us as being one of the leading logistics players competing with the biggest transporters in the region.” www.tahawultech.com

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INTERVIEW

Farid Al-Sabbagh, vice president, Fujitsu Middle East

Farid Al-Sabbagh, vice president, Fujitsu Middle East

“END-USERS, NOT VENDORS, TO SHAPE GCC’S FUTURE”

James Dartnell sat down with Fujitsu Middle East’s vice president, Farid Al-Sabbagh, ahead of his role as a judge in the upcoming tahawultech.com Future Enterprise Awards, to discuss how tech-savvy end-users will be the most influential in driving the region’s digital disruption.

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www.tahawultech.com

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ujitsu’s vice president for the Middle East region has said that technology end-users will be those who truly define the future of the region’s economy, instead of bigname vendors.

Farid Al-Sabbagh – who has been confirmed as a judge for tahawultech. com’s Future Enterprise Awards on 14thOctober at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai – said that digital transformation was easier said than done, but was being encouraged by tech-savvy regional governments and the Middle East’s ambitious CIO’s.

“You need to have a vision of where you want to be as a business, but getting there is no walk in the park,” he said.

“Any IT vendor that says they can completely transform any company into the digital age doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Ultimately, the change will be defined by end-users, and by the customer experience that they can deliver.”

Al-Sabbagh went on to highlight the industries which he believes have already experienced the greatest digital disruption. “The most interesting digital transformation success stories have been in finance and retail,” he said. “Our research shows that 30% of digital transformation projects in these industries have delivered tangible, positive results to the business.

“Fintech companies are really beginning to disrupt the world – in a lot of countries you may have had 15-20 banks who would have dominated for decades, but suddenly you there are dozens of companies that are offering similar services and are shaking up the established order. www.tahawultech.com

Any IT vendor that says they can completely transform any company into the digital age doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

Blockchain is also pushing banks to limit their number of touchpoints, by acting as a new middleman.”

Following a number of high-profile regional announcements that have set ambitious tech-based targets for the future, Al-Sabbagh was keen to stress that the UAE had already leapfrogged a number of more supposedly developed economies.

“We’re in a fantastic market,” he said. “The technologies that I was working with 10 years ago are relatively insignificant now. There aren’t as many legacy systems here as there are in Europe, and there’s going to be a huge amount of change in the next 15 years.

“The UAE is ahead of a lot of countries, and is more advanced than quite a few countries in Europe. Here, you can enter information in apps, and pay bills and fines easily, which you can’t do in a lot of European countries.

Europe has a lot of challenges with security and compliance, so they often can’t do things as easily.”

While the UAE may have already set out its stall as the Middle East’s technology hub, Al-Sabbagh also drew on positive developments in Saudi Arabia, and the progress the country has seen in the last two years.

“The Saudi market was slow in 2016,” Al-Sabbagh said. “That wasn’t because of politics affecting technology, but it was massively affected by the oil price. By the end of 2015, there was a very difficult situation there in terms of projects and public spending. It was a difficult time for a lot of companies.”

However, Al-Sabbagh is now hugely optimistic about the potential for technological change in the Kingdom.

“The two biggest benefits we’re seeing now that the oil price has recovered are projects getting back on track – which is hugely encouraging – and, more importantly for the long-term, the lessons learned from the downturn.”

Al-Sabbagh also emphasised his enthusiasm for his upcoming judging duties in tahawultech.com’s Future Enterprise Awards. “It’s an absolute pleasure to be chosen as a judge,” he said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to gaining an insight into the technologies that companies are looking to for the future. It’s great to see all companies competing around technology, and the tone set by the UAE government really helps to spur that competitive spirit.

“Being a judge for this kind of project is very exciting.”

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INTERVIEW

Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, executive director, Dubai Science Park

WHY DUBAI’S SCIENTIFIC FUTURE WILL BE SHAPED BY ICT Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, who has been confirmed as a judge for tahawultech.com’s inaugural Future Enterprise Awards, tells CNME how an undeniable link has developed between science and technology in recent years.

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he future of the Middle East’s scientific industry will be significantly affected by swift technological advancements, says Dubai Science Park’s executive director.

Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, who has been confirmed as a judge for tahawultech.com’s inaugural Future Enterprise Awards on 14th October at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai, said that IT was now not only saving lives, but also advancing the pace of scientific research.

Dubai Science Park’s work focuses around four main areas of science: human science, plant science, energy and environmental science, and Janahi believes that all are now being inextricably linked with and transformed by technology. “Across all of these areas, technology is an important component,” he says. “There is more 36

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There will be a huge disruption in the insurance industry, and managing the journey of a patient, which today is all done offline.

and more of an overlap between ICT and these sectors. The essence of managing green buildings is a building management system, which is founded on ICT. Using data to predict human conditions is another prime example of where technology is needed.”

While Janahi believes that “all” industries are being disrupted by technology, he says that the healthcare industry in particular sets to benefit citizens through its transformation.

“The changes we’re seeing in digital health are particularly impressive,” he says. “Data that sits within servers can now be mined and used for forecasting, while telemedicine allows people who don’t have easy access to medical facilities a chance to be looked after. Even regular GP checkups can be done remotely.”

He also believes healthcare transformation will have a significant knock-on effect on other verticals.

“There will be a huge disruption in the insurance industry, and managing the journey of a patient, which today is all done offline,” he says. “Wearables will be huge, while technologies for things like blood sugar monitoring that connect to smartphones will have a huge impact. The human and environmental sciences will see the biggest disruption in the scientific field.”

Janahi is a chairing member of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment Task force of the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030, which was announced in 2016. The strategy focuses on five other key areas – aerospace, maritime, aluminum and fabricated metals, food and beverages and machinery and equipment – and aims to transform Dubai from being a service-based economy, to one that creates “25%” of its GDP from industrial activity.

“The bulk of Dubai’s GDP comes from logistics, finance and tourism,” Janahi says. “Manufacturing www.tahawultech.com

Telemedicine allows people who don’t have easy access to medical facilities a chance to be looked after. currently creates around 9-10% of it, and we want to increase that number substantially. We want these kinds of enablers to make Dubai more successful, with opportunities for the short, medium and long-term.”

Janahi is keen to broaden his technological knowledge by participating as a judge in tahawultech.com’s Future Enterprise Awards. “I’m really excited to be a judge,” he says. “I’ve seen more and more technology adopted by the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, but for me it’s interesting to see how technology can be deployed, and how we can learn from other industries.”

www.tahawultech.com

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INTERVIEW

Naresh Kothari, managing director and president, Intertec Systems

THE KEY TO SUCCESS Naresh Kothari, managing director and president, Intertec Systems tells CNME why it is so vital for systems integrators in the region to adapt in the digital age, and why this has led to the firm investing in a dedicated innovation team in 2018.

C

an you please give a brief outline of Intertec’s operations?

We’re a systems integrator, traditionally, but we’ve expanded our role over the last five years. We’ve begun moving up the chain on the integration side by involving ourselves in more complex projects, while simultaneously working on establishing a managed services offering. We began our investment in managed services five years ago, when we invested 4 million dirhams in building our network operating centre (NOC). We’ve also taken a new direction in focusing on the application business, focused around automation and digital asset life cycle. Aside from this, we’ve seen a 40 percent drop in the infrastructure business, which has traditionally been one of our key pillars, as customers look to migrate to the cloud. This is an area we’re definitely seeing a lot of movement in, and we’re ensuring we build our expertise to reflect this so that we can be sure to address this market going forward.

What investments has Intertec made in the last 12 months?

We’ve made significant investment 38

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– approximately 2 million dirhams – in establishing a dedicated innovation team in 2018. This investment covers all aspects of the team, from people costs to ensuring we have the right resources, technology, and centre of excellence on board. From the UAE’s government, we’ve seen the push for innovation, and that’s where we took the clue from to

Today, being an SI is all about what innovation you are bringing to your integration services.

invest in innovation and opted to set up our team this year. Today, being an SI is all about what innovation you are bringing to your integration services. Customers want to see the next level, and they can only see this when you’re investing in your internal capabilities. Our innovation team is a prime example of this, as it is positioned to come up with a higher standard of delivery, and hence should be able to compete or collaborate with the global players.

Can you elaborate on any key customers you have in particular verticals?

Forty percent of our customers are in the government space, and another 40 percent are in the corporate space – making up our two main verticals.

We have completed complex projects in both areas because of our capabilities as an SI, but we have also managed to successfully build on our managed services offering within these two industries. Through this, our customers have seen substantial savings in their IT operational costs.

Year on year, the savings – depending on the business – can range from 2 million dirhams to as much as 7 million dirhams per year. www.tahawultech.com

What use cases can you cite that demonstrate Intertec’s role in contributing to digital transformation in these industries?

We’re working on two major use cases in these sectors, with a particular focus on utilising the Internet of Things (IoT). The first is energy consumption saving, which can be applied to customers in both the public and private sector, and can account for anything from 10 to 30 percent cost savings in operating costs. This could be applied, for example, for an organisation with multiple chillers, but no maintenance or monitoring systems in place.

Through our service, they can have greater visibility of these costs and incur significant savings. The second use case we’re working on is digital asset lifecycle management, which can deliver operating cost savings ranging between 10 and 30 percent through IoT.

on-year growth of 30 percent. We are currently evaluating what changes we need to make going into 2019 by collecting market data from our 450 active customers.

One of our major goals is to monetise the investment that we made into IoT in the coming 12 months, in addition to growing our managed services and cloud transformation projects.

How vital is it for SI’s to be service providers, rather than purely solution providers? What has been the reason for this shift?

The main reason for this change has to be sustainability. The SI business is becoming a low margin business, because everyone is now referring to themselves as an SI. Unless you can tick a lot of boxes, then you really need to downsize – because you’re not a systems integrator in today’s world. If you don’t operate as a service provider, you simply will not sustain or succeed.

Can you outline Intertec’s plans for the remainder of the year, and 2019?

We implemented a three-year plan in 2017, aiming to achieve a yearwww.tahawultech.com

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39

INSIGHT

Necip Ozyucel, Cloud & Enterprise Group Lead, Microsoft Gulf

Necip Ozyucel, Cloud & Enterprise Group Lead, Microsoft Gulf

DIGITAL DOCS: GCC HEALTHCARE’S EMBRACE OF AI PHYSICIANS Necip Ozyucel, Cloud & Enterprise Group Lead, Microsoft Gulf discusses the stark indicators that suggest we are not averse to letting the digital realm play a central role in the maintenance of our health.

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www.tahawultech.com

“T

here, there; at least you’ve got your health.”

It is the saying our elders turn to as comfort when times are bleak. Its widespread use is indicative of the value we place for healthcare in general, even as the Fourth Industrial Revolution blurs the lines between the physical and the virtual.

We may all go along with the digital tune, but we have not entirely abandoned age-old priorities. And there are stark indicators that we are not averse to letting the digital realm play a central role in the maintenance of our health, especially when it comes to robotics and artificial intelligence.

A PwC report from this year predicts a $320 billion impact on the Middle East economy from AI by 2030, with a 13.6% contribution to the UAE and a 12.4% to Saudi Arabia’s GDPs. Gulf states have risen to meet the challenges of economic development by turning to AI, with the UAE appointing His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama as the world’s first minister of state for artificial intelligence.

Digital transformation and AI are core keys that help the GCC lead the world in healthcare innovation.

Healthy glow While research conducted by IDC lists the financial sector as the biggest opportunity for AI services, it is followed closely by public services such as education and healthcare. The Gulf’s economic visions all put healthcare at the top of the agenda, as the high average net worth of citizens has seen issues such as diabetes, heart conditions and obesity become prevalent. The region now sees such high demand for healthcare policies that they have driven an average CAGR of 11% across the GCC’s total insurance industry.

flocking to analytics in greater numbers than ever before.

Digital transformation and AI are core keys that help GCC lead the world in healthcare innovation. In 2017, UAE-based doctors performed their first multi-organ cadaver transplant – a stunning leap forward for Emirati medicine – and free treatment for three types of cancer was introduced for basic-coverage patients. UAE hospitals also adopted the practice of smart medical records, revolutionising how and where patient information is collected and stored.

As a result of these developments, healthcare tourism increased 12% during the year, with 350,000 visitors recorded.

Apart from that, the UAE and wider region has also witnessed the rise of robot surgeries, smart solutions for geriatric health and 3D printing for prosthetics and orthopaedics.

While Telemedicine is also finding growing acceptance in the country and beyond, through apps such as MobileDoctors247, Sehhaty, Health at Hand, Smart Seha and HeyDoc.

Optimal operations under new paradigms Healthcare is data-generating overachiever, of sorts. But, managing all this data presents many challenges and opportunities for healthcare organisations. Fortunately, healthcare organisations now are

The Tinman and the Heart A Statista survey from early 2017 underscored these developments, showing a good rate of willingness by the GCC to allow medical robots to check heart rhythms and deliver diagnoses based on the findings. Up to one third (32% in Saudi Arabia and 31% in UAE,

www.tahawultech.com

for example) said they would be open to the idea. Just a few months later, a separate report from PwC claimed two thirds of Middle East patients would be willing to “replace human doctors with AI and robots”. Critically, this included 77% of Saudis and 63% of UAE respondents willing to use an intelligent healthcare assistant via a mobile app to seek medical care for a loved one.

Given this shift in attitudes – ostensibly driven by the GCC’s relatively young demographic – the reduced burden on facilities, equipment, doctors and nurses is axiomatic. Nonemergency care will be revolutionised, allowing hospital and clinic resources to be diverted towards more intensive care.

And AI has many more applications in the wider field of healthcare R&D – from helping cancer researchers to better target treatments, to speeding up drug development so more time can be spent on due diligence.

Building a healthier future Microsoft remains to be at the forefront in leading the way through AI-based healthcare systems. Our HIPAAcompliant Health Bot allows insurers and providers alike to build AI services for patients. Azure’s Microsoft Genomics delivers cloud-powered genomicprocessing services to researchers and clinicians. Our AI Network for Healthcare is an AI-focused cardiology network, in partnership with India’s Apollo Hospitals. And Project EmpowerMD, is a collaboration with UPMC to create a system that monitors doctors and learns from what they say and do, dramatically reducing the burden of note-taking for physicians. These are just a few of the many projects and examples that are empowering healthcare providers everyday to achieve more.

The future of health relies on the notion of AI, or the capability of intelligent systems to sense the world, comprehend, act and learn. Imagine the world of opportunities that this opens-up in terms of empowering health professionals.

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INSIGHT

Kareem Mazhar, Customer Experience Researcher, dubizzle

HOW TO BECOME A USER-DRIVEN POWERHOUSE

Kareem Mazhar, Customer Experience Researcher, dubizzle

Kareem Mazhar, Customer Experience Researcher, dubizzle explores how Middle East organisations must utilise the power of data and analytics to create a deeper understanding of customer expectations.

A

s companies grow and start attracting hundreds, thousands and even millions of users, it becomes a challenge to make sure that the products they design are what their users actually need.

Many people will respond with a quote from the famous Steve Jobs, claiming “customers don’t know what they want.”

While this sentiment can be true when it comes to innovation, it doesn’t mean that we should neglect our users and ignore data by designing products and features that they don’t need.

Every company gathers a range of customer insights and analytics, whether it is through customer service, social media platforms or Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys.

Those valuable insights reveal user perceptions of the brand and are one 42

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of the best ways to uncover areas of improvement. Customers who are vocal about their experience with your brand can help guide what kinds of changes to a product or service will enhance the user journey. Typically, product teams react the same way to customer service complaints by asking: “how many users complained about this?”

However, it is important to not put too much stock into the quantity of user complaints. According to Lee Resource International, “For every customer complaint, there are 26 other unhappy customers who have remained silent”. This insight fundamentally changed the way we look at business and customer service.

So how do you prevent a drop off in users? One way to keep your finger on the pulse of user perceptions

and preferences is to measure the Customer Effort Score (CES).

CES helps you determine the effort required by your customers to accomplish a specific task, depending on the type of interaction they just completed. The advantage of CES is that users are prompted at the ideal time in their customer journey, while they are interacting with your platform or website. This seamless experience allows users to give their feedback instantly as opposed to submitting a ticket on a contact form after the interaction on the platform has ended.

When tracking your CES score, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. First, your CES score will always drop when you make a significant change to your product or website because people tend to be resistant to change. www.tahawultech.com

Second, your CES scores will only be significant if you have high traffic on your website. You need an average of 700 responses per week to your survey for it to be reliable data and a large enough sample to gather insights from. Anything below that sample size will generate a jumpy score, reducing the value of the score but will still generate useful insights.

Once the data is collected, it is important to close the loop with your product team and begin to harness the power of that survey feedback to improve your product. Start by compiling all the data in one place, tag each comment, group them by topic and conduct a ‘root cause’ analysis to determine where the issues are in the product. Once these are identified, assign each of issues to a product manager to begin making necessary improvements.

To ensure that your product team works on the user feedback, you will

No matter how big your company is or how many years you’ve been in business, there will always be another option for your users.

need to have a system in place that rewards them for fixing customerfacing issues. You can incentivise your team by setting KPIs for the product team or by allocating points for each issue that is fixed within a set period

of time, creating a friendly internal competition to drive greater customer satisfaction.

It is important to review user feedback and monitor the status of each project in order to track the progress of the solution. Once the feature is improved or the bug is fixed, it is vital to communicate this change via email to all the users that gave feedback to let them know that they asked, and you delivered. If the user is happy, your satisfaction scores will skyrocket.

No matter how big your company is or how many years you’ve been in business, there will always be another option for your users, a new competitor, or a new way. If we don’t act quickly when our users show signs of fatigue, we will lose them.

As American engineer, W. Edwards Deming once said: “A dissatisfied customer doesn’t complain; he/she just switches”.

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OPINION

Kushal Nahata, Co-founder & CEO, FarEye

DELIVERING THE GOODS Kushal Nahata, Co-founder & CEO, FarEye on why adapting to new age digital technologies is the key in providing superior customer experience in the digital era.

Kushal Nahata, Co-founder & CEO, FarEye

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www.tahawultech.com

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oday’s customers are digitally connected, engaged and influenced.

The phenomenon of the e-commerce industry has grown beyond comprehension in terms of volume, scale, markets and countries. With shopping online and at retail stores at the same time becoming a reality, coupled with devices connecting every aspect of consumers’ lives, the shift is making way for the tidal wave of industry transition in the Middle East.

This has given a push to the e-commerce markets, setting the market size to reach $20 billion by the year 2020. To embrace the customer and provide a seamless delivery experience, on-demand, ecommerce and logistics players are ‘going mobile’ to ride high on the technology wave.

In a quest to provide superior customer experience, the companies are incurring huge operational cost.

The cost of ‘last-mile’ constitutes 28%-32% of the total logistics costs and these are usually borne by the customer when he places the order or at the time of delivery. The growing popularity of ecommerce has given rise to accommodate a new business model which is ‘tech-driven logistics.’

Logistics players today are adopting unconventional solutions, smarter analytics and advanced processes to serve the ‘digitally-empowered’ customer. With an eye on the growing base of ever- demanding customers, enterprises today are adapting to tailor -made solutions to suit their expectations.

To reduce the delivery time and in order to enhance the customer experience, enterprises must focus on adopting the right mobility solution that aids in running their field www.tahawultech.com

Logistics players today are adopting unconventional solutions, smarter analytics and advanced processes to serve the ‘digitallyempowered’ customer.

operations seamlessly. For example, last-mile deliveries in the region are time-consuming with the delivery cycle easily lasting for 6 to 7 days or more. The longer delivery window poses a challenge for the delivery personnel to carry the details of each and every parcel delivery.

With the help of a mobility solution that functions on 2G networks or even in offline mode, the delivery personnel can save the information and update his manager ‘real-time.’ Adopting a flexible and future-oriented solution helps in generating automated reports on cash reconciliation, updating the task lists and the progress of the jobs allotted after the run-sheet is generated.

While aligning with new mobility partners, logistics companies have to keep a check if the solution is able to blend the operational and customer requirements, according to the region. Customer

preferences in the Middle East region mostly revolve around a mandatory call before the courier guy reaches the customer location and informing the customer regarding the status of shipment in regular intervals. Preferably, to reduce the delivery cycles and to cut down on the operational expenses, companies have to give customers the feasibility to tag themselves. Based on the geocoordinates, the routing can be done by optimising all the nodal points where the delivery personnel should attend during the day.

Integration with multiple payment modules will give the flexibility to the customer to pay and finish the purchase. By using multiple payment options like cash-on-delivery and cardon-delivery, companies can reduce the cancellation at the time of delivery.

According to a recent report released

by PayPal, cash-on-delivery in the Middle East is around 60 percent, while card payments and online payments occupy 25% and 15% respectively.

These numbers have gone up from 15% and 5% in 2012.

Customers expect convenience and speed which entices logistics firms to venture the possibilities of the virtual world. Innovative lastleg solutions can help in improving connectivity to ensure, speedy and affordable delivery. In order to ensure customer loyalty, logistics companies must adopt track-and-trace systems, efficient last-mile delivery methods, integrated technology and smarter delivery management systems.

With e-commerce being the driver of future growth, the journey a head promises to be truly exciting for the logistics industry, as it shifts gears to take on a different mindset of riding high with mobility.

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REVIEW Bose SoundSport Free Wireless

Don’t sweat it Glesni Holland takes the Bose SoundSport Free Wireless earphones for a spin, and explores whether these two pocket-sized earbuds can withstand intense workouts while maintaining Bose’s booming sound quality.

We’ve now hit the height of summer in the UAE, and for many of us, that dreaded feeling of cabin fever has well and truly set in.

If you need a bit of motivation to get out and stay in shape during these warmer months, then Bose’s SoundSport Free wireless earphones might not be a bad place to start.

While these earphones are perhaps not the subtlest of models, and could be forgiven for looking like a pair of retro, garish earrings from a distance, their benefits to a regular gym-goer cannot be denied.

Gone are the days of your earphones falling out on the treadmill, as the silicone in-ear structures are both comfortable and efficient at remaining firmly lodged in 46

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position during a workout. There are also spare pairs of these tips in each Bose SSF unit that vary in size (from small, medium and large.)

When it comes to the main event, there is no sign of Bose’s famous sound quality being hindered by the fact there is no wire involved – and the brand’s “first truly wireless earbuds” never sounded so good.

The Bluetooth-enabled buds create surround sound that brings audio to life – whether it’s music or Netflix that you’re tuning into on the treadmill. The devices’ IPX-4 certification also claims to ensure the buds are both sweat and water resistant, which proves a fairly crucial benefit if you’re working out in these scorching temperatures.

The buds can withstand up to five hours of “powerful, clear music,” according to Bose, and come equipped with a portable charging case to provide two additional full charges. The case can provide particularly useful in protecting the earphones from day-to-day wear and tear, and if you’re the forgetful type, the earphones are also enabled with “Find my buds,” and can be located via the Bose app.

Despite experiencing some latency with left earbud, the continuity of sound remained positively crisp for the majority of use - even when not always being in particularly close range to the audio’s source. The bud’s integrated microphone also proves handy when on the go, with the sound quality remaining high during phone calls. The navigation buttons – which control call answering, volume and power - took some getting used to, but loosened up and seemed easier to press after a few wears.

If you’re looking for superb quality sound combined with the freedom to move throughout the gym without the limitations of wires, then the Bose SoundSport Free earbuds are the earphones for you. www.tahawultech.com

17th September 2018, Habtoor Grand Resort, Dubai Speakers

Adam Lalani Group Head of IT Tristar

Ajay Rathi Senior Director of IT Meraas Holding

Alia Al Hammadi Director of IT, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

David Ashford Chief Information Officer The Entertainer

Faisal Ali Senior IT Manager Deyaar

Herbert Fuchs Chief Information Officer ASGC

Jon Richards CEO Yallacompare.com

HE Dr. Rashid Alleem Chairman, Sharjah Electricty & Water Authority and UAE Knowledge Ambassador

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#Power4Tech THE POWER OF 4 FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION FORUM The Power of 4 Fourth Industrial Revolution Forum will put the spotlight on the most pressing business issues of our time.

As humans learn to work with smart machines in the digital age, Power of 4 will explore the challenges and opportunities that organisations will face in the new digital era.

Join the conversation with over 300 technology experts and find out how the world is being reshaped by a new dawn of technology.

Registration is complimentary for the C-Suite please visit www.tahawultech.com/powerof4/2018/register. Hurry seats are limited.

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PRODUCTS Launches and releases

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Brand: Huawei Product: nova 3 Brand: Pure Storage Product: FlashArray//X Pure Storage’s FlashArray//X represents a new generation of Shared Accelerated Storage solutions. A generation powered

by NVMe and NVMe-oF, it has the potential to unite SAN and DAS into a single, consolidated, shared and fundamentally more efficient data-centric architecture.

The all-NVMe FlashArray//X family features five configurations, from the NVMeready X10 for small application deployments to the all-NVMe X90, Pure’s densest, fastest FlashArray to-date.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Pure said at their Accelerate event earlier this year that even with the new NVMe drives, the new systems won’t be any more expensive that those in the //M range.

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The global smartphone giant has launched its third-generation intelligent device embodying an AI selfie experience for users.

The nova 3 and nova 3i feature a 24 MP and 2 MP dual front camera that is designed to provide an “unprecedented AI selfie experience,” with the ability to recognise more than 200 different scenarios across eight categories. Its smart photography features such as natural beauty algorithms are designed to accentuate each person’s natural beauty, and create enhanced shots that take selfies to another level.

In addition, the device features 24 MP and 16 MP rear dual cameras,

Brand: HP Product: Z Workstation The new HP Z Workstation lineup is set to enhance productivity of professional workflows and deliver cost-optimised performance with software-certified experiences, without sacrificing graphics power, expandability, seamless experience or security.

The new entry workstations, the HP entry workstations - the Z2 Mini, Z2 Small Form Factor and Z2 Tower, support built-in end-to-end HP security services, providing “powerful protection” from evolving malware threats, with selfhealing BIOS and unique HP endpoint security controls.

creating the ultimate “quadcamera powerhouse” that is said to break ground for new smartphone experiences.

The nova 3 runs on Huawei’s flagship Kirin 970 with up to 4GB RAM memory, and the newest EMUI 8.2 to offer a flagship-class experience to users.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The nova 3 is available now from UAE stores in Iris Purple, Airy Blue and Black colours, and retails at AED 1,799.

All HP Z2 Workstations, which are designed to 24/7 workstation reliability standards, can now connect with Thunderbolt for fast device connections and offer an expansive array of certifications for the most popular applications. Additionally, HP’s Manageability Kit Gen 2 easily manages multiple devices.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Z2 Mini Workstation, Z2 Small Form Factor and Z2 Tower will be made available in the UAE later this month.

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30th October 2018 Habtoor Grand Hotel & Resort Tahawul Tech Evolve Forum is your dedicated platform to engage, connect and influence over 300 business executives across industries seeking Digital Transformation Technology strategies and solutions.

Partner with Evolve 2018 and build relationships with Digital Transformation decision-makers and influence the Digital Innovators of tomorrow.

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Glesni Holland, Deputy Editor, CNME

POSTHUMOUS

T

he UAE recently announced that residents can now legally bequeath their social media accounts to loved ones in the event of their death.

This landmark ruling, which was confirmed in Germany last month and takes immediate and direct effect to the wills of Europeans registered with the DIFC Courts under German law, comes as lawyers and lawmakers across the globe continue to grapple with the legal way of distributing online assets.

Traditionally, wills are in place to ensure that a person’s accumulated wealth and assets – from bank accounts, houses and other investments – are sufficiently distributed to their loved ones after they have gone.

But we now live in a digital age, and there’s a whole new meaning to the term 'assets'. Every individual with an online presence now has numerous accounts and huge 50

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amounts of personal data to take into consideration. Our personal memoirs are now digitised; photos are in the cloud, and our favourite music is now registered to our email ID. All of this contributes to our identity in the digital age; our social media presence is – for better or worse – a virtual representation of ourselves, and therefore needs looking after in the appropriate manner.

The new ruling sparks one's interest in discovering how, if your will is not registered under German law, your digital identity would be managed after death. Facebook gives users the option to appoint a ‘legacy contact’ ahead of time, so that when the time comes, a loved one can take care of the account and manage memorial posts. LinkedIn requires a friend or family member to fill out a form to confirm a person’s passing, while both Facebook and Instagram offer users an option

to ‘memorialise’ the account of a deceased loved one, and will show the word ‘Remembering’ next to the person’s name on their profile. Twitter proves a little trickier, and requires a copy of the deceased’s ID and death certificate to deactivate an account.

Unfortunately, awareness around these settings – such as Facebook’s ‘legacy contact’ option – seems to be lacking amongst its millions of users worldwide. In the UAE alone, 99.26 percent of the country’s population are active on social media, with 7.75 million present on Facebook.

While I’m not suggesting users should be planning for the worst, a little consideration for the future never goes amiss. Ensuring your digital identity is looked after may seem more complex than bequeathing that antique table to your loved one. But with other countries likely to follow suit after the UAE’s new ruling, it may just have got a lot easier. www.tahawultech.com

ISSUE 318 | AUGUST 2018

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WHERE TECHNOLOGY MEANS BUSINESS