Vision 2020

TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL REDEFINE THE MIDDLE EAST

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Editorial

20/20 Vision

Technology has infiltrated every facet of our lives, and we’ve never ever been more ‘connected’. We’re now at the beginning of a new decade, and over the next 10 years we will really start to see the tangible impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as transformative technologies such as 5G, IoT and AI go from concepts to reality.

2020 will be an historic year for the United Arab Emirates, as the nation readies itself for EXPO 2020.

The event is expected to attract 25 million visitors and has been branded as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’.

The UAE leadership will be striving to ensure that EXPO 2020 solidifies the country’s status a global leader for innovation and technological progress.

Our Vision 2020 supplement examines the predictions and insights from a whole host of executives that are responsible for championing change across the Middle East. We’ve interviewed some of the region’s most prominent IT stakeholders to find out what technologies will redefine and reshape the IT ecosystem over the next 12 months.

Digital thought leaders from Anker Innovations, Equinix, Hikvision, ESET, Mindware, OMA, Raqmiyat and Western Digital outline +which tech trends they expect to see take centre stage in 2020, which technologies they plan to invest in, what role their playing in EXPO 2020 - and what impact the event will have in terms of economic prosperity for the UAE.

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Expo 2020 Anker Innovations Equinix Hikvision ESET Mindware OMA Emirates Raqmiyat Western Digital

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EXPO 2020

A look into the future 2020 WILL BE AN IMPORTANT YEAR FOR THE UAE – THE COUNTRY WILL HOST THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SYMPOSIUM WHICH WILL OPEN AN ARRAY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR IT ORGANISATIONS IN THE REGION. THIS YEAR’S VISION SUPPLEMENT TAKES A LOOK AT EXPO 2020 AND WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THIS MUCH AWAITED EVENT.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai has said that Expo 2020 will ‘astonish the world’.

Some onlookers may interpret that as overconfidence, but few would bet against Dubai’s pedigree to pull off the spectacular when Expo 2020 officially opens later this year on October 20th. Dubai’s transformation over the last 20 years has been nothing short of phenomenal. A perfect illustration of this is its dazzling skyline that is dotted with incredible architectural masterpieces, including the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which quietly keeps watch over this wonderful city.

In November 2013, the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) met in Paris and selected Dubai as the location for Expo 2020 – ever since that decision was taken the Dubai leadership has been focused on ensuring it delivers on its objectives which are to put on an Expo the likes of which the world has never seen before.

Expo 2020 is now just 8 months away, and with all attention and focus turning

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EXPO 2020 to the event, we decided to dedicate this year’s Vision supplement to explore what exactly we can expect when the world’s biggest symposium opens its doors.

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and is expected to welcome more than 200 international participants, including a record 192 countries. It will connect nations, multinational corporations, nongovernment organisations and millions of visitors from all over the world, providing an opportunity to see future innovations, marvel at unique architecture, experience diverse cultures, taste cuisines from all over the world, and enjoy live performances, art and other entertainment.

The theme of Dubai’s EXPO 2020 is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. This aims to provide a platform which infuses creativity, innovation and collaboration globally. It is based on the belief from the UAE leadership that sharing innovative ideas and building partnerships will inspire the way we shape our future.

In addition to this, EXPO 2020 will also explore the areas of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability - which make up the three key sub-themes of the symposium.

Opportunity: EXPO 2020 will work towards enabling new ‘opportunities’ for individuals and communities in an effort to help them achieve their needs and inspire them to pursue their future aspirations which is aligned closely to the global vision of the UN SDGs. Mobility: Dubai’s EXPO 2020 will also enhance its focus to providing easier access to knowledge, markets and innovation by working on solutions and technologies that

EXPO 2020 DUBAI WILL BE THE FIRST EVER HOSTED IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND SOUTH ASIA (MEASA) REGION, AND IS EXPECTED TO WELCOME MORE THAN 200 INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING A RECORD 192 COUNTRIES.”

ultimately facilitate the movement (mobility) of people, goods and ideas.

Sustainability: In terms of sustainability EXPO 2020 will strive to protect and preserve the environment for future generations, especially in light of growing concerns over climate change by sharing sustainable solutions and practices that are not only scalable but also can be adapted globally.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has stressed that 2020 will be the year of making great strides in the economic sector, in education, in infrastructure, in the health sector and in the media.

“We will convey the UAE story to the world. In 2020, we will build the future of the UAE, working as one team in the spirit of the union, in the spirit of Zayed and with a spirit that loves top positions and renaissance”.

2020 promises to be a historic year and with the 50th anniversary of the UAE being celebrated in 2021, Al Maktoum declared that 2020 will be the year in which the UAE maps out its blueprint for the next fifty years.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “In 2020, we will work together, Emiratis and residents, in all sectors. We are united and we can change the equations. We can raise expectations...

We want 2020’s atmosphere to be similar to that of in 1970 when our founding fathers and their teams were preparing to embark on a new stage and new life.”

The Ruler of Dubai added, “I was there in 1970, the year of creating the union and will also be there in 2020, overseeing the team shaping the next fifty. There will be two committees. The first one will be chaired by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed and will be tasked with mapping out the development plan of the next 50 years. The other committee will include Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed and Sheikha Mariam Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed to oversee the celebratory activities of the country’s Golden Jubilee.”

His Highness Al Maktoum also said, “Dubai has a strong track record of hosting major international events, and we want to take that to the next level for Dubai Expo 2020. Our aim is to attract 25m visitors, with 17m of those coming from overseas, making the expo a true global event, and one that will generate significant worldwide exposure for participants.”

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ANKER INNOVATIONS

Security gamechangers FARAZ MEHDI, REGIONAL SALES MANAGER AT ANKER INNOVATIONS GIVES HIS TAKE ON THE SECURITY TRENDS THAT WILL TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN 2020 AND THE COMPANY’S PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING YEARS. Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019.

One of our biggest achievements of 2019 was the launch of our outdoor camera Eufy Cam 2 – this is the first security product to be integrated with Apple HomeKit. It comes with a battery life of 365 days and it’s also weather proof, with a IP67 rating.

Which technologies do you think will take centre stage in 2020?

As we’ve seen in previous years, users are paying more and more attention to their privacy and this phenomenon won’t disappear in 2020. Eufy security products store, process, and calculate user data locally using military grade encryption and does not upload user data to the server, allowing users to control their own data.

Artificial Intelligence will continue to be a major trend in 2020 - the development of AI has provided a wider space for technology and products. It uses deep learning algorithms to identify people and faces to remove false positives, and further optimises the algorithm to identify vehicles, animals, and express delivery.

I also believe we will see an improvement in battery to empower security devices and making security products more convenient to install and use, thus expanding more scenarios.

FARAZ MEHDI, Regional Sales Manager, Anker Innovations

ANKER INNOVATIONS

The following year marks the beginning of a new decade. How should organisations transform their strategies to cope with the new technological evolution? What role can your organisation play in this evolution?

We will continue to invest in 5G, new battery technology and 4K/8K imaging technology, as well as new higher security long-distance wireless transmission capabilities and scenebased AI capabilities.

What opportunities and challenges will the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai bring to regional players?

The theme for Expo 2020 is well aligned with Anker Innovations’ business and core values as an innovative company working towards making smarter and safer societies using our smart home products. We hope to see the Expo pavilions using our security solutions to monitor audience response and stay charged throughout their expo experience.

How do you aim to support regional organisations to take advantage of the opportunities that the Expo 2020 will bring?

Citizen and visitor safety has always been a top priority for UAE and for Dubai. At Anker Innovations, we hope that having a full range of Eufy products will give both the residents and Expo 2020 visitors peace of mind. We will continue to aim to support local businesses and exhibitors in all their security needs with new innovations and the latest products.

Which technologies do you think will reshape the Middle East technology industry in the coming years?

As I have previously mentioned, AI and battery security product technology will be gamechangers in the upcoming year. Battery security product will help enhance security devices while facilitating installment. 4G will continue to be a key technology in the coming years, while 5G will completely reshape the market, improving speed and latency. In our sector, I also think 4K imaging technology will still be an active solution in the upcoming future.

What is your primary business objective for 2020?

In 2020, Anker Innovations is looking forward to launching of a new product category – battery

EUFY SECURITY PRODUCTS STORE, PROCESS, AND CALCULATE USER DATA LOCALLY USING MILITARY GRADE ENCRYPTION.” doorbells. We will also upgrade our eufyCam series, as well as providing better AI solutions to meet the requirements of our customers in their digital transformation journey.

What are the biggest cybersecurity threats IT leaders should watch out for in 2020?

I think there are three main cybersecurity threats to look out for: system security framework upgrade – this is including privacy protection and system security; the methodology behind account protection; as well as facilitating and guiding users to use the products safely.

Can you please give top three drivers for security spending in the coming year?

Smart home will be one of the main drivers of security spending – new security products and technologies are now integrated into and are a key element of smart homes; as these solutions become more and more popular, security spending will also see a rise.

Unfortunately as we’ve seen in the past years, potential social and community risks are increasing, and users are becoming more worried about their assets, thus increasing the demand for security.

New security products can provide easier-touse, high-performance, intelligent experiences, and more effectively improve the increasing security needs of users.

Which security segments should CISOs focus on in the coming year?

CISOs role will be fundamental in the coming years. Data has become one of the most important aspects of any organisation, and securing it will be a main priority for CISOs. Moreover, account security will also be of great importance. While AI opens a lot of opportunities to meet the security requirements of a company, CISOs will also have to take into account how to protect themselves against this same technology which is growing in popularity in cyberattacks. Finally, CISOs should also focus on the impact of AI, 5G and 4K on home security products.

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EQUINIX

Digital interconnections EQUINIX MENA’S MANAGING DIRECTOR JEROEN SCHLOSSER RETRACES THE COMPANY’S 2019 HIGHLIGHTS AND EXPLAINS WHAT WE CAN EXPECT IN THE NEW YEAR.

offering of private and secure connections to multi-clouds.

From Equinix perspective, at GITEX 2019 we showed how we can help companies shift to a digital-ready IT infrastructure by providing direct and secure private interconnection on our global vendorneutral platform, which was a key highlight for us.

Last year we also unveiled UAE stats from the latest Global Interconnection Index (GXI), an annual market study published by Equinix that discussed how companies are leveraging interconnection to compete in the digital economy as data explosion gets further distributed at the edge

Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019.

In 2019, the region has dramatically increased their speed and adoption of cloud technology – this has been a consequence of the countries in the region diversifying their economies with initiatives like IoT or SmartCity, often led by governments. These initiatives drive the demand for local clouds, and one of the key highlights has been unlocking the power of cloud for MENA enterprises, with our

JEROEN SCHLOSSER, Managing Director, Equinix MENA

Which technologies do you think will take centre stage in 2020?

There is a seismic shift underway across many industries as businesses are embracing edge computing and hybrid multicloud architectures. Increasingly, businesses are moving computing from centralised data centres to a distributed infrastructure and towards the edge, where data exchange and interconnection between businesses and cloud services are growing at an exponential rate.

Equinix predicts that enterprises will accelerate the adoption of AI and machine learning (ML) for a broader set of use cases, requiring increasingly complex and more real-time-sensitive processing of large data sets originating from multiple sources (sensors, IoT, wearables, etc.) We also see

By 2021 interconnection bandwidth is predicted to be

10X THE VOLUME OF INTERNET TRAFFIC

Today’s digital business leaders are leveraging interconnection to solve for the complex integration and control challenges of an increasingly distributed infrastructure.

To better understand and track how industry leaders are driving business advantage with digital-ready infrastructures, Equinix developed the Global Interconnection Index (GXI), which tracks, measures and forecasts the explosive growth in digital business.

Learn more at Equinix.ae/GXI Contact us at +971.4.4493880 or contact-uae@eu.equinix.com

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EQUINIX

5G as a multiplier supporting massive leaps in device and consumer demand that will drive us towards a hyper-interconnected world.

The rise in cybersecurity threats will require new data management capabilities and data regulation will influence enterprise IT strategies.

The following year marks the beginning of a new decade. How should organisations transform their strategies to cope with the new technological evolution? What role can your organisation play in this evolution?

As more Middle East businesses embrace multi-cloud and hybrid cloud infrastructures, greater demand for private interconnection is expected between businesses and the cloud and IT provider.

Proximity between private and public cloud environments enable organisations to lower latency and networking costs. This is where we see private interconnection coming into play with many of our customers.

Equinix will continue to demonstrate how their leading enterprise customers are successfully navigating their own digital business transformations and overcoming the barriers of increasing IT fragmentation, complexity and cost in their digital deployments. By leveraging an Interconnection Oriented Architecture™ (IOA™) strategy, a proven blueprint that helps enterprises and service providers directly and securely connect their people, locations, clouds and data, organisations can shift the fundamental IT delivery architecture from siloed and centralised to interconnected and distributed.

What opportunities and challenges will the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai bring to regional players?

As more and more businesses realise that leveraging the cloud is the most efficient way to solve emerging challenges to their critical IT infrastructure, these enterprises are also seeing it as a central element to their businesses. The key to successfully leveraging multi-cloud is robust, scalable and flexible digital architecture–one which allows direct interconnection to key partners, ensures security of critical digital

EQUINIX WILL CONTINUE TO DEMONSTRATE HOW THEIR LEADING ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS ARE SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING THEIR OWN DIGITAL BUSINESS TRANSFORMATIONS” infrastructure and streamlines the digital supply chain.

We are seeing that hyperscalers, network services providers and general ICT providers are building a hub where these datasets and applications are living and serving regional demand. The convergence of multiple clouds across the enterprise which includes data, applications and personal clouds, will fundamentally change the way people and businesses operate.

How do you aim to support regional organisations to take advantage of the opportunities that the Expo 2020 will bring?

We will continue to listen to our customers and support them in their digital transformation journey by introducing them to interconnection. It is a very exciting time for us and is the next phase of growth for Equinix in the Middle East region.

What is your primary business objective for 2020?

The trend of digital transformation is revolutionising the MENA market, urging businesses to take innovative approaches such as cloud adoption. One of the ways businesses can use the cloud more securely is through direct, dedicated interconnections between network and cloud providers and users and data, bypassing the hacking and performance risks of the public internet.

Equinix will continue to help companies shift to a digital-ready IT infrastructure by providing direct and secure, private interconnection on our global vendorneutral platform and by also highlighting Interconnection Oriented Architecture™ (IOA™) strategy.

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HIKVISION

The big picture ROBERT WANG, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, HIKVISION MENA, DISCUSSES THE FIRM’S LATEST AI-POWERED INNOVATIONS AND SHARES TRENDS THAT WILL FUEL CUSTOMER DEMANDS IN THE SURVEILLANCE SPACE THIS YEAR. Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019.

In 2019, we have launched a number of new products and solutions here in the region. Among the primary products that we have unveiled last year is the 32MP PanoVu Ultra-High Resolution Panoramic Camera. This product takes four video images that are stitched together by the camera itself, which intelligently outputs a single, seamless panoramic image.

We have also rolled out the ColorVu and AcuSense series. Hikvision’s ColorVu lenses and sensors work together to produce brighter images. The camera’s advanced lenses and high-sensitivity sensors capture details in low lighting, poor lighting, zero-light scenarios, and

AI DOES NOT ONLY BRING ENHANCED SECURITY IT ALSO DELIVERS CONVENIENCE AND EFFICIENCY TO THE ORGANISATIONS THAT ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY.”

nighttime environments. Meanwhile, the AcuSense series is designed to help retail stores monitor key locations such as the cashier area, staff-only areas, and the stock room. Retail owners and managers can view video footage on their mobile device or laptop from remote locations using Hikvision’s iVMS-4200 application.

In addition, we have launched our multi-intelligence cameras, which runs multiple algorithms simultaneously on one device. The cameras in this series run several deep-learning algorithms against a host of complex scenarios to better identify and analyse potential security risks.

Moreover, one of our biggest achievements last year was receiving certifications from Dubai Police’s Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA) for our Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras as well as our range of video management software.

Where do you see the surveillance industry heading this year?

We can expect to see increased investments in artificial intelligence technologies. In the smart surveillance segment, AI is already transforming the way organisations like Hikvision develop solutions. CCTV has long been known for its uses during and after an event.

However, with AI there is an opportunity for authorities and various organisations to get insights pre-event allowing them to predict situations and prevent security risks from escalating.

Today, there are hundreds of thousands of cameras installed across various cities across the globe. But,

HIKVISION

currently, there aren’t enough skilled people to monitor and manage the data from these cameras. This makes analysing video data and responding to potential threats a big challenge.

AI plays a key role in addressing this issue. It can help streamline surveillance monitoring as AIpowered systems can perform video analysis and provide alerts with minimal human intervention.

Deep learning is also another capability that we are strongly focusing on. We have been integrating our latest solutions with deep learning features as this provides our products with continuous self-learning capabilities. This enables our solutions to capture and analyse large amounts of high-quality data and make predictions, which makes the data valuable even before an incident.

Which security segments should CISOs focus on this year?

Security leaders in both private or public sectors should look at increasing their investments into AI-powered solutions especially for products such as surveillance cameras and video management systems. AI does not only bring enhanced security it also delivers convenience and efficiency to the organisations that are taking advantage of this technology.

Which technologies do you think will reshape the Middle East technology industry?

AI and machine learning technologies are poised to transform the overall IT landscape. Another important trend is the Internet of Things.

The interconnectivity between multiple devices will have a big impact on the industry and will push security players like us to adapt and evolve our innovations.

What can we expect from Hikvision in 2020?

We are seeing that the security needs of organisations in the region are increasing day-by-day.

ROBERT WANG Technical Director, Hikvision

To address this demand, we aim to invest more in R&D to ensure that our products and services are not only cutting-edge but are also leading in the market. We will continue to harness the power of AI and integrate its game-changing features across all our product offerings.

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ESET

Securing the journey IN 2020 SECURITY WILL BE A MUSTHAVE FOR ANY ORGANISATION HOPING TO SUCCEED IN THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY, EXPLAINS HUSNI HAMMOUD, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT ESET MIDDLE EAST.

HUSNI HAMMOUD, Managing Director, ESET Middle East

Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019.

2019 was a very successful year for us in terms of acquiring new logos and having a stronghold on our market share despite the market being extremely competitive. Apart from this, we launched our new machine-learning based detection solution and an upgrade to our encryption solution in the Middle East to cater the ever-evolving cyber threats in the region.

Which technologies do you think will take centre stage in 2020?

Securing digital transformation will be one of the key areas as momentum for digital transformation is gaining pace.

Smart Cities and IoT technologies will continue their upward trend as connected devices find more and more significant usage in “smart� buildings and cities.

With maturity of technology, the world will also see further advances in AI and ML. The following year marks the beginning of a new decade. How should organisations transform their strategies to cope with the new technological evolution? What role can your organisation play in this evolution?

Organisations have to lay down a comprehensive roadmap for cybersecurity and they need to find a balance between the implementation of new technology and cybersecurity. Another important area would be to foster greater collaboration between people and processes, so that they are aligned, decision making is based on shared data and generated from the technology that has been implemented.

ESET currently offers a free, simple, interactive

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ESET

and on-demand ESET Cyber Security Awareness Training that is available online for company employees and individuals. In addition, the company also has an informative IT security blog that is constantly updated with trending content.

Apart from this, the company also runs ESET Security Days in most of the big cities in the region. These are half day events aiming to educate SMB’s and SME’s on security subjects and right practices.

What opportunities and challenges will the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai bring to regional players?

Expo 2020 is expected to drive both the business and business sentiments to the next level. The event is expected to bring millions of new tourists that will stimulate the economy further. However, businesses need to be cautioned and be prepared for the period after the Expo is over as there can be short term wins during the Expo period and business strategy cannot alone dwell on this phase.

How do you aim to support regional organisations to take advantage of the opportunities that the Expo 2020 will bring?

We continuously invest in our resources to support our customers for changing market needs. We are totally equipped to service the demand that might arise from the event.

Which technologies do you think will reshape the Middle East technology industry in the coming years?

With more and more cities adopting smart technology, many buildings will depend on automation systems, sensors and IoT devices used in smart cities.

What is your primary business objective for 2020?

ESET is looking for a bigger market share and aims for a remarkable growth in the Middle East by maintaining its existing customer base as well as onboarding new customers.

What are the biggest cybersecurity threats IT leaders should watch out for in 2020?

Advanced machine learning based attacks will be used by cybercriminals to maximise ill-gotten gains. Privacy laws and compliance will go global and become more stringent. Everyone is on the bandwagon of digital transformation, securing

“EVERYONE IS ON THE BANDWAGON OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, SECURING THIS JOURNEY WILL BECOME IMPERATIVE” this journey will become imperative to avoid getting derailed along the way.

Can you please give top three drivers for security spending in the coming year?

We have observed significant efforts from the government, vendors and managed security providers to increase the awareness in organisations and individuals related to cybersecurity risks. We can say that large enterprises and organisations have already started adopting appropriate strategies and the trend will continue to spread across all industry verticals.

Which security segments should CISOs focus on in the coming year?

The important and biggest challenge is data; one of the most important assets of an organisation.

Black hats are targeting its confidentiality, integrity and availability and companies not only need to protect their intellectual property but also customers’ personal data to avoid compliance issues and bad press. Companies are required to identify their data flows and where their data is located, perform a risk assessment, develop policies, increase employee awareness and use different technologies to enforce them.

How can partners emerge as profitable players in the new year?

Partners need to have a “solution-selling” strategy towards customers in order to provide value and it is important for vendors to set effective partner programs, training and certifications that incentivise and enable partner employees. This will help them emerge as profitable players.

What do you believe will be the biggest challenges for partners in 2020? How can they overcome it?

The biggest challenge we foresee is that partners need to evolve with technology and invest in their resources to ensure that they can add value to their offerings and stay a viable option for customers to be their source of solutions and not just products.

For more info, Contact your Authorized Distributor Mindware, Cayan Business Centre,10th Floor, Barsha Heights, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 450 0600 | www.mindware.net Email:Sales@mindware.net

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MINDWARE

All about Cloud AS WE WELCOME THE BEGINNING OF A NEW DECADE AND AN EXCITING YEAR FOR THE UAE, PHILIPPE JARRE, CEO AT MINDWARE GIVES HIS TAKE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CLOUD FOR THE UPCOMING EXPO 2020.

PHILIPPE JARRE, CEO, Mindware

Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019.

2019 has been an extremely successful year for Mindware kicking off with the acquisition of Arrow Electronics’ enterprise computing solutions business in the Middle East. The acquisition reinforced Mindware’s strategy to support the digital transformation of the regional IT industry and the high demand for storage, cloud, and security solutions. It also strengthened the company’s position in this rapidly growing segment.

In October last year, Mindware launched a new ‘Solutions Unit’ comprising of Presales and Services teams focusing on infrastructure, security and cloud solutions.

The company also unveiled an end-toend desktop and application virtualisation infrastructure solution, that resellers can offer their customers, that is flexible, reliable, scalable and easy to deploy.

One of the highlights of 2019 was the launch of the company’s new cloud Marketplace. Offering superior transactional experience to the channel community as well as a wide variety of cloud solutions and services, the Mindware Marketplace will increase cloud adoption for partners and their customers. The new Marketplace which is hosted on Microsoft Azure, will also offer Mindware’s regional partners the ability to set up and manage their own “white labelled storefront”, thereby offering cloud solutions directly to end-customers.

Despite the general recessionary market conditions, as a result of all its ‘partner focused initiatives’ during the year, Mindware boasts financial stability and the success of the company is evidenced by the fact that it has achieved revenue growth of over 20 percent in 2019 over the previous year.

Which technologies do you think will take centre stage in 2020?

Cloud computing is definitely reaching a point of maturity and hybrid cloud is fast becoming the cloud environment of choice for a large number of enterprises. There has been an acceleration in cloud adoption in the region as a result of major cloud service providers such as Microsoft establishing physical data centres in the Middle East.

Organisations are more comfortable with consuming these services now that data sovereignty and security matters are no

MINDWARE

longer a concern. From what we see, a lot of our partners are just beginning to embark on their cloud journey. And this is the reason behind the launch of our cloud marketplace that offers a feature-rich platform to enable our partners to develop their capabilities and offerings and to take their business to the next level.

The following year marks the beginning of a new decade. How should organisations transform their strategies to cope with the new technological evolution? What role can your organisation play in this evolution?

Technology is a business enabler – nothing new, but the integration and the deployment of these technologies is getting more and more complex. The companies that thrive in future will be the ones that deploy the latest and greatest technology solutions including cloud, security, AI/ ML, IoT, big data etc. faster than their competitors. There should first be an evaluation of business needs and priorities and then an evaluation of technology solutions that will enable the business to achieve those goals. This will give them a competitive advantage within their industry or even help them become new entrants in other industries.

We see our role as the “pre-integrator” of different vendors. We do 80 percent of the job and give our partners the capabilities to complete faster the 20 percent needed to deploy the solution for their customers.

What opportunities and challenges will the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai bring to regional organisations?

The event is expected to have a great impact on Dubai and UAE’s economy. Besides job creation, the run up to the Expo has given an impetus to the construction, tourism and hospitality sectors. There will undoubtedly be an influx of foreign investment as international businesses attending the Expo experience first-hand the various opportunities that the UAE has to offer.

Clearly a lot of investments have already been made to prepare for Expo 2020, but the real challenge for such an event is the ‘volume’. The number of trade visitors that will come is huge. There will be a huge spike in retail transactions, online

THE RIGHT STRATEGY FOR THE EXPO IS THAT SOME OF THE WORKLOADS SHOULD BE MIGRATED TO CLOUD – PUBLIC, PRIVATE OR HYBRID, WITH THE RIGHT LEVEL OF SECURITY.”

payments, internet traffic, communications etc. The technologies that will support these transactions must be extremely resilient and secure. This is clearly an opportunity for tech vendors and the channel community.

How do you aim to support regional organisations to take advantage of the opportunities that the Expo 2020 will bring?

To tackle the challenge as stated above, I think the right strategy for the Expo is that some of the workloads should be migrated to Cloud – Public, Private or Hybrid, with the right level of security. This will enable a faster go-to-market for some of the new applications that must be deployed before the opening. At the same time the flexibility and scalability of the cloud model will help in terms of operational and cost efficiencies as IT consumption spikes during the Expo and then comes back to normal post Expo.

What is your primary business objective for 2020?

Mindware as a company is very optimistic about 2020. Last year we achieved revenue growth of over 20 percent and we are positive about maintaining the same growth momentum next year as well. We are evaluating new acquisitions that will further strengthen our position in the market by expanding our solution offerings and footprint. In line with our ‘partner experience first’ philosophy, we will be also be continuously introducing new initiatives that enhance our partners’ capabilities and drive business for them.

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OMA EMIRATES

Future-proof payments NIRANJ SANGAL, GROUP CEO AT OMA EMIRATES GROUP DELVES INTO HOW THE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS COMPANY IS RESHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE PAYMENT INDUSTRY.

Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019.

OMA has adhered to its vision of global expansion, and we have successfully expanded our reach and opened our offices in Tanzania, Malaysia and Pakistan. Today, we offer an array of cutting-edge products such as Digital kiosks and the newly launched OMA POS terminals, making us dominant payment service providers in the payment industry.

Additionally, with our expertise we have been providing aggregation to financial institution based on our PSP model.

Which technologies do you think will take centre stage in 2020?

In today’s era everyone talks of technology and many companies have already started benefiting from the adoption of process automation.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is one of the most advanced technologies. It is a combination of both hardware and software, networking and automation. RPA can eliminate the time consumed and manual process along with improvising accuracy. RPA is best

to automate manual activities, increase efficiency and lessen human intervention, thus avoiding mistakes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides business intelligence based on financial transactions data and geo-location offering customised campaigns per customer.

Furthermore, Retail Solutions’ neverending queues and time-consuming checkout counters are some of the greatest challenges that the retail industry faces, till date. As a leading payment solution provider, we have introduced ‘Retail Solution’, to improve the overall shopping experience for consumers.

OMA WITH AN EVOLVING PLAN FOR THE DYNAMIC PAYMENT INDUSTRY IS CREATING NEW PLATFORMS SUCH AS MOBILE PAYMENTS, DIGITAL WALLETS USING QR CODES OR NFC INSTEAD OF PLASTIC.”

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OMA EMIRATES

OMA in its strategy has decided to invest into Transaction Payment Processing (TPP) business, thus becoming a TPP service provider across the globe. This will not only help OMA to increase its regional growth but would also help in its global expansion program.

The following year marks the beginning of a new decade. How should organisations transform their strategies to cope with the new technological evolution? What role can your organisation play in this evolution?

Organisations should be investing in new technologies, as businesses seek to increase their audience, and robust payment method coverage plays the role of a catalyst. Technology must be an essential upgradation into the company’s overall system, if the company is looking at long term success. Structural changes can also occur due to strategic changes along with integration of existing solutions.

OMA with an evolving plan for the dynamic payment industry is creating new platforms such as mobile payments, digital wallets using QR codes or NFC instead of plastic. OMA is migrating the solutions on mobiles, kiosks offering various services through the use of OMA Middleware.

What opportunities and challenges will the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai bring to regional players?

Expo 2020 with its growing recognition, will not only bring in a spectacularly diverse audience but also a significant increase in the volume of transactions, for which we need to offer seamless and convenient ways of payment technologies to the acquirers. The challenge is to improve the current payment infrastructure, thus ensuring that every kind of industry has acceptance to the technology.

How do you aim to support regional organisations to take advantage of the opportunities that the Expo 2020 will bring?

OMA Emirates today have laid down all payment bricks to support the various industries to accept different ways of payments, QR code, NFC Wallet etc. via various models in terms of capex or

NIRANJ SANGAL, Group CEO, OMA Emirates Group

OPEX. We have developed solutions for different layers of organisations that plan to venture into the payment ecosystem like the aggregators, PSP’s etc. OMA will continue to offer its services to the various industries in the region.

Which technologies do you think will reshape the Middle East technology industry in the coming years?

Big data analytics and Cryptocurrency are some technologies that will reshape the Middle East industry in the coming years.

What is your primary business objective for 2020?

Our primary objective is to create a payment ecosystem infrastructure regionally thus enabling acceptance of payment across various segments and industries.

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30

RAQMIYAT

Customers first AMER KHREINO, CEO AT RAQMIYAT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPO 2020 FOR THE COUNTRY AND HOW RAQMIYAT IS PLANNING ON DRIVING FURTHER SUCCESS FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS IN THE NEW YEAR. Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019.

Raqmiyat continued to lead with diversity.

Our revenue enjoyed a YoY growth of 25 percent with more balanced business across our three business units – these cover Digital, Financial Services, IT Staffing & Managed Services. During 2019, a tremendous pressure was exerted on the business, due to major consolidation in the government and financial sectors in UAE that pushed companies to do more for less, hence needed to run a tight operating policies to protect our operating profit, without scarifying the customer experience and satisfaction. During 2019, Raqmiyat continued to be a preferred partner to many of the federal and local entities, local and international banks, as well as strategic accounts within the education, healthcare, oil & gas, utility and telecommunication sectors.

Our business retention rate was almost 100 percent with many new acquisitions, especially in the digital arena.

Which technologies do you think will take centre stage in 2020?

Many of the new disruptive technologies are being welcomed and adopted by our customers. Cloud is leading by good margin

AMER KHREINO, CEO, Raqmiyat

RAQMIYAT

as many international companies are opting to have their regional data centres in UAE and GCC, hence minimising the concerns on data protection while also assuring higher regulatory compliance. AI is being integrated to many business applications to improve visibility and predictability and enterprise mobility is transforming the workplace & business on-demand.

Moreover, IoT will also witness a big leap, as more things get smarter at work, at home and across our communities.

The following year marks the beginning of a new decade. How should organisations transform their strategies to cope with the new technological evolution? What role can your organisation play in this evolution?

The 4IR is impacting many critical aspects of our lives during this decade that need to be accommodated in our plans and strategies. Economic growth, innovation and the future of jobs are critical matters that were identified by the “Economist Corporate Network (ECN) and Cisco MEA” during a roundtable discussion in April 2019. Embracing and improving innovation through acquisition of start-ups, focusing on areas that matter to customers and building business value through the adoption of these new technologies are critical aspects in developing good business in this decade.

What opportunities and challenges will the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai bring to regional players?

In the UAE, the year 2020 has more meaning than to many across the world – it’s a long awaited year since the launch of Expo 2020 project back in 2013. The opportunities are vast, and Dubai can demonstrate its excellence built over decades in organising and managing mega events, as GITEX, Arab health, The Big 5, Gulf food and others.

Higher economic growth is anticipated, with hundreds of businesses making UAE their home with faster pace across many sectors.

Yet, geo-political challenges remain strong and may impact the sentiment to invest and flourish.

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THE SECRET TO DRIVING PROFITABLE BUSINESS REMAINS IN DEVELOPING RIGHT PLANS AND APPROACH, TIME-TO-MARKET, DIVERSITY AND BUILDING CUSTOMER VALUE.” How do you aim to support regional organisations to take advantage of the opportunities that the Expo 2020 will bring?

Raqmiyat offers its consultancy, implementation and managed services to regional organisations coming to UAE – their only mission will be on focusing on their core business, success and growth.

What is your primary business objective for 2020?

We have set three main objectives for 2020, related to our business strategy.

Our first one is to continue protecting our base with more aggressive up-selling and cross-selling. We have re-structured our GTM strategy to be more BU centric to meet this objective. Our second objective is to accelerate our adoption of the newdigital, focusing on products and services that most matter to customers, including digital banking, business automation and business excellence, amongst others. Third is to expand our Managed Services, to allow customers to focus on their core business and growth.

How can partners emerge as profitable players in the new year?

The secret to driving profitable business remains in developing right plans and approach, time-to-market, diversity and building customer value. The management is responsible to substantiate the shareholders’ value by increasing the free cash flow, to allow invest in expansion, M&A, product development, while lowering company’s debts. Striking a balance between make/ busy will continue to play a vital role in minimising fixed cost and CAPEX, hence improving return of assets and capital deployed.

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WESTERN DIGITAL

Data-enabled intelligence KHWAJA SAIFUDDIN, SENIOR SALES DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST, AT WESTERN DIGITAL DISCUSSES SOME OF THE TECH TRENDS THAT HE BELIEVES WILL TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN 2020 – AND HOW THE COMPANY AIMS TO DELIVER INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DATA TO THRIVE. Give us a brief overview of some of the highlights at your company in 2019?

The year 2019 saw digital stakeholders prioritising emerging applications and data center infrastructure. With increasing artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads as well as analytics, 2019 Western Digital product and technological announcements included significant upgrades to the Ultrastar product line with the introduction of new NVMe SSD and HDDs. We ended the year with leadership positions in capacity enterprise hard drives, 3D flash technology and branded retail products while achieving significant gains in client solid state drives. We are looking forward to the increased adoption of emerging technologies which furthers the momentum for our NVMe enterprise solid state drives. With a robust product portfolio and expanding customer engagements, we expect to continue to deliver storage innovations across the board as we move into 2020.

Which technologies do you think will take centre stage in 2020?

Digitising initiatives will continue to flourish

KHWAJA SAIFUDDIN, Senior Sales Director, Middle East, Western Digital

moving forward, with IT spending in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) set to reach $83.7 billion in 2020, according to IDC. The quest for digital transformation will also drive investments in big data and analytics, among others, which is also expected to be a key area of investment in 2020.

The future is bright for data-enabled intelligence. In 2020, we will see a growing number of organisations capitalising on smarter use of the information we create, capture and store while also making sense of the massive amounts of data generated by artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads.

How should organisations transform their strategies to cope with the new technological evolution? What role can your organisation play in this evolution?

Businesses have a winning strategy if the elements of the right infrastructure, information architecture, skills and processes, and partnerships, are put into place to ensure data availability and analysis. This, in turn, will open a world of new possibilities with data across sectors and verticals in the upcoming year.

With the increased adoption and used cases of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics, there will

Available at

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WESTERN DIGITAL continue to be strong exabyte growth in read-centric applications in the data center. This will drive the need for better performance, capacity and cost-efficiency of storage tiers.

Committed to innovation, Western Digital continues to meet the needs of a diverse customer base in the region. We deliver a full portfolio of compelling, highquality storage solutions with customerfocused innovation, high efficiency, flexibility and speed, with the aim of enabling them to maximize the value of their data. We are in a unique position that we engineer and innovate across the technology stack – from silicon, to flash drives and all the way to our systems.

What opportunities and challenges will the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai bring to regional players?

The long-term investment in Expo 2020 will result in the creation of jobs directly and indirectly as well as different sectors benefiting during different phases of the project. For instance, prior to the event, the construction sector stands to benefit with on-site and off-site contracts while visitor expenditure is expected to be the key driver of the economic contribution during the event.

According to a report by EY, Expo 2020 Dubai and its legacy are expected to contribute Dhs122.6bn of gross value added (GVA) to the UAE’s economy from 2013–2031. During this period, it is expected to contribute approximately 1.5 per cent of the UAE’s annual forecast gross domestic product (GDP).

We are confident that the influx of visitors and participants will in fact impact business growth with significant potential for technology advancements and innovation via collaborations.

How do you aim to support regional organisations to take advantage of the opportunities that the Expo 2020 will bring?

Inculcate a growth mindset with training & technical education to help organisations move from box to solution selling, in addition to engaging them with complimenting solutions to complete the offering.

And finally, crucial to WDC’s success is the strength of its various partners and

THE QUEST FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WILL ALSO DRIVE INVESTMENTS IN BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS.” WDC firmly believes in supporting them.

This was demonstrated by the fact that the company conducted a number of partner training sessions in countries across the Middle East. WDC also offers its partners the myWD™ Partner Program for MSPs, VARs, and integrators with new features such as product solution centers, industry-focused marketing assets and on-demand product training.

Which technologies do you think will reshape the Middle East technology industry in the coming years?

Industry analysts estimate there will be 29 billion connected devices by 2021, and by 2025 a person will be interacting with a connected device 4800 times a day. According to ABI Research in its Edge Analytics in IoT report only 0.0013% of generated data will be captured, and out of it only 4% will be transmitted.

As smart sensors are placed in billions of connected devices around the world, new IoT applications are generating massive streams of data that enable a world of opportunities.

Western Digital comes alongside its clients to capture, store, and analyze IoT data throughout the edge to cloud ecosystem, opening opportunities for increased insights and intelligence.

What is your primary business objective for 2020?

The storage industry is facing a wave of transformation, stemming from cloud architectures, software-defined storage, the convergence of compute, and the growing adoption of flash. As enterprises and service providers in the region evolve their infrastructures to incorporate these new technologies, there is an increasing demand for comprehensive storage solutions with higher capacity and reliability. Western Digital’s unmatched portfolio offers a range of storage solutions for everything from mobile to highly specialised performance drives. In 2020, the company will continue to deliver infrastructure and environments for data to thrive.

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