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THE WORLD CIO 200 AWARDS

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Learning, adjustment, survival

ARUN SHANKAR EDITOR A R U N @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M

There have been few years like 2020 in recent memory. Looking back the year opened on a positive note as does every new year and by the end of the first quarter the writing was on the wall. Some analysts hoped for a quick V-shaped recovery, others predicted a prolonged U-shaped one. Today we are a trifle wiser and feel that the recovery will be slow and prolonged and the new normal may never be the same as the old normal.

On the flip, the IT organization led by the CIO has rallied to hold business fundamentals together. In the process new areas of innovation have opened up and new demand curves for IT solutions as well. Rapid changes have also exposed flaws in the fabric of an organization’s cyber security, allowing businesses to be exploited by opportunistic hackers.

Remarks Fortinet’s Alain Penel: security and agility are the key foundations for organizations in the post pandemic phase. Organisations need to elevate agility beyond a design principle and make it a true end goal, developed and integrated into the broader security strategy.

For Avinash Gujje at Cloud Box Technologies, the pandemic has created opportunities in security services. 2020 was scheduled to be the start of its security business and Cloud Box had the right opportunity to kickstart this because of the demand from customers.

Being agile on a digital platform is now understood to be the minimum requirement for business survival.

To be effective and disruptive, work from home must morph into work from anywhere.

Says Haider Pasha at Palo Alto Networks, we should aim for a context-aware cybersecurity strategy where work from home should be morphed into work from anywhere with higher secured digital assets. And we need a more systematic way of monitoring for events and incidents. Automation must become a core principle of cybersecurity defense.

IT vendors have seen increased demand for their solutions. According to Fadi Kanafani at NetApp, the vendor has seen increased demand for VDI, hybrid cloud, and cloud consumption models. NetApp experienced a surge in demand for cloud data services, hybrid cloud model and consumption model as companies looked to lessen complexities.

Kingston Technology also witnessed increased demand for its solid-state drives and DRAM hardware. Says Antoine Harb at Kingston Technology, the biggest growth came from SSD and from HyperX gaming memory since more people were spending an increased amount of time at home with video games.

One can only hope that the positive momentum of survival carries forward into 2021.

And as the year closes, welcome to this edition of Gitex Technology Week.

Happy technology sourcing. ë

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CONTENTS DECEMBER 2020 | VOLUME 08 | ISSUE 05

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COVER STORY

2020 HIGHS AND LOWS

l Fortinet: Security and agility key foundations for post pandemic l Kaspersky: Work from home requires cyber security awareness l Kingston Technology: Solid State Drives and DRAM drive 2020 revenues l Cloud Box Technologies: Pandemic drives opportunity in security services l Trend Micro: Pandemic driving increased awareness of cyber security l NetApp: Demand for VDI, hybrid cloud, consumption models l TSME: Pandemic transformation adding pressure on vendors l Palo Alto Networks: Work from home must morph into work from anywhere l Evoteq: Are you digitally enabled or digitally native l ITCAN: Demand for E-commerce, digital marketing more than doubles l Mambu: Pandemic driving transformation of financial business l SonicWall: Everyone is remote, everyone is mobile, less secure l Epson: Sustainable printers, immersive classroom experiences l Entrust: Hardware security is part of transformation solutions l Salesforce: Cloud, data, analytics driving creation of regional jobs l VMware: Cloud ready organisations ride through pandemic l Juniper Networks: Security starts with networks inside an enterprise

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12-18 EVENTS

CIO 200

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SPECIAL REPORT KEY INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS 2020

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INDUSTRY NEWS

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GUEST COLUMN

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VIEWPOINT

REDUCING PLATFORM PARTNERS AND MAKING THEM DELIVER MORE

As a customer reducing strategic partners, you can influence them to create solutions that meet your needs, writes Manisha Arora at ServiceNow.

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cross industries, companies are consolidating technology platforms and providers to create efficiencies and cut costs like never before. As they rely more heavily on SaaS, technology decisions are becoming more strategic.

Often, they are being made at significantly higher levels of the organisation.

This trend is welcome because virtually every organisation is a software company nowadays, with nearly all underlying operations enabled by technology systems. The more processes that executives can convert into automated workflows, the greater the benefits throughout the organisation.

Getting there starts with company-wide mandates to consolidate software portfolios and standardise on a small number of strategic technology platforms. The other critical requirement is to get technology vendors to work seamlessly with one another.

I spent years in a global tech company’s IT organisation. It sometimes felt as if we spent more time building custom integrations between our systems than creating new functionalities that moved the business forward.

To support business workflows, we needed to stitch together systems and data to present an easy-to-use interface for our end users, many of whom were not technologically savvy.

There is an easier way. Imagine if your platform partners instead offered native integrations that allowed users to share data and take action from one system to another, reducing the swivel chair effect from team to team.

IT developers could focus more on capabilities that provide a competitive edge. Great platform partners do not focus on just building data pipelines and plumbing integrations. They also listen to their mutual customers and build joint solutions whose value is greater than the sum of their parts.

In the traditional IT world, upgrading software systems, even SaaS offerings, often takes weeks or months, because of the time required to update custom integration code and test each new version of the code.

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Every organisation is a software company nowadays

MANISHA ARORA,

Director Chief Innovation Office, ServiceNow.

The more processes that convert into automated workflows, greater the benefits throughout the organisation

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Platform partners can slash cycle times by testing and validating outside integrations and data pipelines before each release, so customers can focus on user testing and release management. By certifying integrations, customers reduce risk, because they know they will stand behind the work and offer support when needed.

Great platform partners can also provide a rich set of end-user and administrator training and documentation to ease the transition to new software versions. That reduces the risk of human error when setting up new applications and tools. CIOs, in turn, gain much-needed visibility into end-to-end workflows.

Companies waste a lot of money every year because their solutions do not mesh well. They also face opportunity costs in building integrations on their own. When developers spend too many cycles writing custom integrations, they cannot focus on more strategic priorities.

When platform partners maintain joint solutions, customers often see cost reductions in the total cost of ownership for both technologies. Their partners can provide joint training and support and can reduce friction in the sales cycle by working together to understand and solve customer challenges.

As a customer making increasingly larger bets on a smaller number of strategic platform partners, you have the power to influence them to create solutions that meet your needs.

In doing so, they will deliver joint solutions that accelerate innovation, reduce corporate risk and save a lot of money along the way. ĂŤ

VIEWPOINT

DATA IS EVERYWHERE, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THREAT ACTORS As remote working continues and number of workers and devices scale, sloppy data management will create challenges says Rick Vanover at Veeam.

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he pandemic has shifted the spotlight back on that pesky security issue that organisations have struggled with for years. The problem is getting worse. Studies show the number of connections spiked suddenly during the pandemic, as workers handle more mission-critical tasks from remote locations.

Workers are not only hooking up more laptops, tablets and phones to give themselves more work flexibility – they are getting sloppier about the way they manage the connections under their control. They are replacing devices more quickly than they used to, upgrading phones every year or two.

But consumers do not always wipe old phones when they give them away, sell them or trash them. Data from that confidential presentation does not go away by itself.

It is time for organisations and workers themselves to step up. They need to protect data and ensure it will be there for future use by backing it up. But it cannot stop there. Here are some strategies businesses can deploy to protect and manage the growing issues imposed by the era of ultra-connectedness.

STRENGTHEN REMOTE ACCESS This is job one for IT departments – especially with remote work promising to play a bigger role in the future. Equipping corporate networks with VPN’s for sensitive data is a good start. Just as important is the follow-through.

Sophisticated role-based management tools can enable employees to work productively while also blocking them from accessing information outside of their assigned areas or sharing strategic documents. Train employees in the do’s and do nots of accessing information remotely, and regularly review your strategy to ensure it is meeting your corporate needs.

MANAGE DEVICES CRADLE TO GRAVE Too much sensitive information is sitting on

Too much sensitive information is sitting on devices waiting to be had ing sensitive documents can protect consumers from disaster scenarios where customer data or a highly classified report inadvertently falls into the wrong hands. Passwords provide a moderate level of protection – and, if they are updated regularly and managed properly, they can do the job.

But if you are accessing important information that could compromise the company in any way, equipping all private devices with two-factor authentication is a better option.

RICK VANOVER,

Senior Director of Product Strategy, Veeam.

DOUBLING ON DILIGENCE devices waiting to be had. IT departments need to take the lead on any corporate-issued phones and laptops – equipping them with security features up front and doing thorough wipe-downs before issuing to a new user. This goes for loaner devices, as well.

Workers connecting to network information need to do their part, too. Kill old corporate emails from home devices and before selling or destroying models make sure to purge any materials.

ENCRYPTION, TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION Security breaches are all too common – and most are preventable. Basic steps like encrypt-

Phishing forays are not new, but they are still dangerous. In an era where corporate assets are increasingly at risk, and hackers are waiting for that one opening to slip through, it is important for workers to remind themselves to be more diligent than ever.

IT departments can circulate refresher notes and conduct periodic trainings reminding people to exercise basic cautions like do not enter credentials online, do not click on documents from unknown sources and when in doubt contact IT. Keep the time-tested slogan in mind: Trust but verify. You do not want to find out the hard way that a communication is not what it appears to be.ë

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VIEWPOINT

APPLICATION UPTIME IS IRRELEVANT WITHOUT PERFORMANCE Nobody cares if an application is up 99.99%, if the performance is so poor it is practically unusable, explains Charbel Khneisser at Riverbed.

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he adoption of everything-as-aservice XaaS is on an unstoppable upward trend. Both LinkedIn and Adobe have already embraced a software-as-a-service SaaS approach so they can deliver innovation faster and more cost-effectively for their customers who crave flexibility.

For the same reasons, Amazon Web Services has adopted the infrastructure-as-a-service IaaS model and Windows Azure a platform-asa-service PaaS approach. Needless to say, XaaS uptake has already been significant.

However, a crucial element has been missing from the proposition — performance-as-a-service. This will be the next frontier in XaaS and the key to the market reaching its anticipated $343 Billion valuation by 2024.

System performance, for instance the time it takes to access and download resources, directly impacts staff productivity, and consequently a companies’ ability to operate efficiently and maintain a competitive edge.

In fact, just under 50% of C-Suite executives acknowledge that slow running and outdated technology is currently impacting the growth of their business, according to Riverbed’s recent Rethink Possible report.

Just think about the broad range of businesses, across multiple sectors, that depend on computer-aided design CAD to do their work.

CAD files are notoriously large. As a consequence, they will take a long time to load if the user is on a network that is performing slowly.

This not only causes employee frustration but damages staff productivity and impedes the businesses’ overall ability to service clients efficiently. The result? Dissatisfied customers who will be primed to move to a competitor that can deliver the same services quicker and more effectively.

The links between slow-running technology, employee inefficiency and business challenges are clear. However, identifying that the technology is not performing as it should is not as simple as one might think.

Businesses need to introduce capabilities

Organisations that want to guarantee their systems are operating efficiently need end-toend visibility

CHARBEL KHNEISSER,

Regional Presales Director MENA, Riverbed.

such as performance-as-a-service, so they can achieve visibility into network and application performance, to identify where issues lie and how to resolve them for optimum performance.

Every organisation that wants to guarantee their systems are operating efficiently need end-to-end visibility. Without it, they are hamstrung in their ability to identify and resolve performance issues. With this in mind, it is concerning that a third of IT decision makers do not have full visibility into their businesses’ applications, networks and end-users, according to Riverbed’s Rethink Possible report.

These companies need to embrace performance-as-a-service, delivered in the form of application performance and optimisation platforms, to bridge the visibility gap. Adopting these tools will empower IT operations teams to visualise any challenges employees may be facing, so they can be resolved before they negatively impact staff productivity.

The visibility into network and application performance, delivered as part of the performance-as-service model, not only ensures staff productivity but offers the key to implementing meaningful service-level agreements.

At present, a common SLA is uptime, but 100% uptime is irrelevant if usability is missing. Ultimately, nobody cares if an application is up 99.99% of the time if the performance of that application is so poor it is practically unusable.

Harnessing performance-as-a-service, IT teams can lay down tangible performance quality requirements when signing new agreements with service providers. They can then track how their providers are performing against these SLAs through their enhanced visibility into network and application performance. This will ensure they are getting a strong return on their investment. ë

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VIEWPOINT

RAPID EVOLUTION AND PROGRESSION OF RANSOMWARE

The development of code and mechanism of ransomware continues to progress and now takes more to control than before, explains Raymond Pompon at F5 Labs.

I

n 2019, we talked about how to defend yourself against ransomware, but attackers have since strengthened their capabilities.

We are now seeing thousands of variants.

Finding shortcuts and removing unnecessary steps can save time when seconds count.

And it takes a lot of time to encrypt a multigigabyte file using a 4096-bit key with AES-256 encryption. One trick is to skip encrypting large files, hoping the victim does not notice.

Another is to encrypt only part of the file, which is often enough to cause an applicationhalting error when accessed.

Additional scenarios include the infection checking the physical location where it is running. If the infector sees it is not in a targeted country, it may delete itself and move on. Some ransomware variants will self-destruct if they think they are within any of the nine Russian Commonwealth of Independent States.

Ransomware can also spread from highly connected internal network nodes, such as Windows domain controllers. Since these kinds of servers interact with most internal systems, they are excellent launching points to spread infections quickly.

Furthermore, ransomware often appears to strike so quickly because it can remain dormant for quite some time, creeping around and looking for the best place to strike. Attackers use this time to corrupt backup restore points and empty recycle bins to foil recovery efforts.

Then, on a set date, the ransomware leaps into action and begins encrypting everything at once.

Staying dormant upon load is a trick to bypass antivirus filters, which expect malware to begin executing immediately. Most modern ransomware will turn off antivirus software if it can. If not, it will obfuscate or encrypt itself and only unpack into memory to evade disk scanning tools.

It is worth noting that ransomware can slow down system performance noticeably while it is encrypting, and new variants can hide this

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It takes a lot of time to encrypt a multi-gigabyte file using a 4096-bit key with AES-256 encryption

RAYMOND POMPON,

Director, F5 Labs.

Ransomware can slow down system performance while it is encrypting

by displaying fake error messages. In addition, many variants try to use the built-in Windows tools and features to do their scanning and targeting, known as living off the land. Attacks then reduce the number of detectable malware components running on the network.

Near the end of 2019, the Maze ransomware added a new feature: data leakage extortion.

Not only can this malware encrypt all your data, it can exfiltrate the confidential data to its servers This has quickly caught on with ransomware authors.

A common response to early ransomware was to perform forensics on its binary, which sometimes provided the encryption key, so you did not have to pay to unlock your data.

Sometimes it was to inform threat intelligence on ransomware and create new defenses.

Ransomware countered with selfdestructing malware. If the service running the programme stops, it crashes the machine so memory cannot be read. Ransomware will not run if it detects itself inside a virtual environment or a debugger, and the code can mislead analysis tools. Some variants will not activate without the remote attacker sending an unlock code, making it difficult for defenders to capture and analyse the programme.

Remember, no matter how sophisticated the ransomware code is, the infection still needs to get into your systems.ĂŤ

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EVENT NEWS

More than 1,200 exhibitors from over 60 countries expected at GITEX 2020 The 40th GITEX Technology Week is set to unite international technology visionaries, industry innovators and global investors as the tech world finally resumes in-person interaction at Dubai World Trade Centre from 6th to 10th December. After a year of missed business opportunities, GITEX will unite all corners of the global technology industry as the only major technology event to go live in 2020, providing the world’s only opportunity for in-person networking at a major tech event this year.

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GITEX Technology Week will showcase the diversity of the global technology industry, hosting over 1,200 exhibitors, including over 300 startups, from over 60 countries.

GITEX will host pavilions from some of the world’s most innovative technological nations, including Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, France, Israel, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as a conference lineup of over 350 in-person speakers, who are flying into Dubai from 30

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countries.

Internationally recognised technology experts will travel to Dubai to share their vision of tomorrow, including maverick hacker, inventor and entrepreneur Pablos Holman and US Secret Service and FBI hacker Bryan Seely, while GITEX’s conference agenda will be headlined by arguably the most influential comedian alive, legendary actor, writer, and comedian John Cleese.

With visitor health and safety being DWTC’s number one priority, GITEX Technology

EVENT NEWS

Week will be hosted in full compliance with Dubai Government regulations, as well as the guidelines of the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Municipality.

GITEX will serve as an umbrella for the region’s other technology shows, including GITEX Future Stars, the region’s largest tech startup event; GISEC, the region’s most renowned cybersecurity conference and exhibition; Future Blockchain Summit, a platform for the transformative technology, as well as the inaugural edition of Marketing Mania, the new platform for brand marketers.

The world’s technology giants will have a presence at GITEX, including Microsoft, Dell Technologies, du, Etisalat, Lenovo, Honeywell, IBM, Red Hat, Avaya and Huawei, revealing the most relevant and strategic technological innovations in artificial intelligence, 5G, future mobility, security and Blockchain among others.

GITEX will host over 200 of the world’s most influential technology investors, including EBAN from Belgium, MODUS Capital from USA, 500 Startups from Egypt and MENA

Tech Fund from the UK, while for the first time, Israel will bring 40 exhibiting companies across big tech, startups, cybersecurity, telecoms and mobility.

GITEX will also showcase the technological progress of a range of UAE Government entities who are leading the country’s digital economy transformation, including Smart Dubai, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the Abu Dhabi Government, Dubai Police and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. In addition, the event will feature the presence of Ajman Government, the Fujairah Government and Ministry of Interior, Saudi Arabia.

An unrivalled conference agenda will be headlined by arguably the most influential comedian alive, legendary actor, writer, and comedian John Cleese, who will discuss strategies for entrepreneurial creativity.

GITEX will play host to a selection of bold, international disruptors and innovators, including Pablos Holman, the notorious hacker, inventor, entrepreneur, and technology futurist who has worked as part of an impact effort to eradicate malaria in conjunction with

Bill Gates and helped to build spaceships with Jeff Bezos at Blue Origin; Bryan Seely, possibly the only ethical hacker to have wiretapped the Secret Service and the FBI; Dr. Seth Dobrin, Chief Data Officer, IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software, VP and Chief Data Officer, IBM Analytics, who established the acclaimed Data Science Elite team that has deployed over 130 successful AI projects worldwide; and Mansoor Hanif, Executive Director Engineering Technology and Digital, NEOM who is currently delivering the communications infrastructure of what will become the most advanced city in history.

With over 280 hours of content covering verticals such as digital marketing, smart cities and IoT, renowned entrepreneurs will share their experience with aspiring startups including Kat Borlongan, Director, La French Tech, the government-led taskforce built to bolster France’s startup sector, Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO, Coursera, the world’s foremost eLearning platform and Francis Davidson, Founder and CEO, Sonder, the internationally recognised hospitality brand.

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GCF, RNS, SailPoint host summit on the power of access management On November 23, Global CIO Forum in association with RNS Technology Services and SailPoint, successfully hosted the RNS Cyber Defence Conference – Series 3, The Power Of Identity and Access Management VirtualSummit. Identity management helps organisations not only improve their security and regulatory compliance, it also fuels employee productivity and business agility.

2020 is a year in which the world has turned upside down. Digitisation is therefore essential for many organisations. We work a lot from home, but we just want easy access to all the information and manage crucial infrastructure remotely. To ensure that only the right person has access to the right information, we need to have a solid identity and access management solution. Do you already have such a solution? And how can you improve it?

The RNS Cyber Defence Conference – Series 3 is an exclusive VirtualSummit, where you connect with various experts and professionals who ensure that your identity and access management policy is taken care of down to the last detail. The security specialists from RNS Technology Services and SailPoint are happy to brief you more on the topic. While other security tools focus solely on anti-malware, firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention software, Identity Management provides powerful security by controlling who has access to which resources.

TOPICS COVERED

l l l l l l

Grant access rights. Who/what/why should have access Achieve regulatory compliance Enable user lifecycle management Provide insight on risky users Reduce operational costs Protect privileged accounts and more

THE SPEAKERS

The keynote speakers for the the RNS Cyber Defence Conference – Series 3 VirtualSummit were Samir Chopra, Founder and CEO at RNS Technology Services; Ben Bulpett, Marketing Platform Director at SailPoint; Prashant Nair, CISO Network International; and Khaldun Al Khaldi, Banking Technology Enthusiast and Transformational Leader. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion.

Global CIO Forum, ARCON host virtual summit on Privilege Access Management On November 19, Global CIO Forum in association with ARCON, successfully hosted the Low Friction High Security VirtualSummit. As cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated and devastating, it is critical that organisations have granular level control over the privilege accounts.

Privilege Access Management is, therefore, one of the most critical factors today in building unified access controls and governance framework, thereby making it one of the topmost priorities of CISOs and CIOs today.

TOPICS COVERED l l l l l

Manage, monitor and control privileged accounts seamlessly Ensure secure access to target systems and applications Implement deepest levels of granular level control over privileged accounts Strengthen authentication mechanism with multi-factor validation and password vaulting Offer a centralised policy framework

THE SPEAKERS

The keynote speakers for the Low Friction High Security VirtualSummit were Anil Bhandari, Chief Mentor and Thought Leader at ARCON and Lalit Popli, Chief Operating Officer at ARCON. Their sessions were followed by a panel discussion.

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Anil Bhandari Chief Mentor & Thought Leader - ARCON

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EVENT NEWS

GCF, Alcatel-Lucent, SecureNet host summit on communications infrastructure

On November 25, Global CIO Forum in association with Alcatel-Lucent and SecureNet, successfully hosted the Accelerate Digital Transformation with Integrated Network & Communications Infrastructure VirtualSummit. Topics covered included digital transformation and its challenges; IoT, analytics, integration and ONE network approach and simplifying management of new digital networks. The virtual summit also discussed new era of communications and the transition of old infrastructure, as well as designing ONE network for future readiness.

THE SPEAKER

The keynote speaker for the Accelerate Digital Transformation with Integrated Network & Communications Infrastructure VirtualSummit was Ashish Saxena. Director Technical Sales and Services, MEA, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. His presentation was followed by a Q&A round.

GCF, CONTEXT host summit on the dynamics of post pandemic workplace The sixth virtual summit in the Channel Insights Series unfolded on November 23. Titled Dynamics Of Post Pandemic Workplace, What The Channel Needs To Know, the virtual summit discussed know how key vendor and channel leaderships in the region are gearing up to revisit their workplace and business for a post-pandemic world.

The virtual summit was hosted by Global CIO Forum in association with CONTEXT. Organisations across the globe are highly optimistic about the situation and are geared up for any situation, be it considering Covid-19 as the new normal and preparing for it, or planning for a post-pandemic workplace. Key surveys showed that the pandemic has presented many category-neutral challenges for organisations as well. But it has also steered a clear opportunity for organisations to rethink what type of workplace they want to return to. We are already seeing less pushback from C-level executives when it comes to implementing new initiatives so now is the best time for organisations to be looking at what long-lasting changes they want to make.

Samer Semaan Channel Manager Middle East at Pure Storage

Mario M. Veljovic General Manager | VAD Technologies

Jithin Varghese Product Manager & Senior Solution Architect VAD Technologies LLC

THE SPEAKERS

To tell participants more the post pandemic workplace, the virtual summit brought on stage Adam Simon, Global Managing Director and CFO at CONTEXT and Tim Davies, Country Manager, Middle East at CONTEXT. Joining them were Samer Semaan, Channel Manager Middle East at Pure Storage; Mario M Veljovic, General Manager at VAD Technologies; and Jithin Varghese, Product Manager and Senior Solution Architect at VAD Technologies. The virtual summit concluded with an engaging panel discussion.

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Adam Simon Global Managing Director & CFO CONTEXT

Tim Davies Country Manager, Middle East at CONTEXT

EVENT NEWS

GCF, CONTEXT host summit on the role of vendors in reviving the channel The fifth virtual summit in the Channel Insights series unfolded on November 16. Titled Role of Vendors In Reviving Channel Through Training And Incentives VirtualSummit, it focused on leading vendors and channel players in the region who have topped up their game to enhance their sales and incentive pipeline and what the other players can adopt from their success stories. The virtual summit was hosted by Global CIO Forum in association with CONTEXT. Time and again, it has been testified that the best channel partner incentives are the ones that encourage partners to be loyal and sell more products for you over a more extended period of time. This imbibes the three qualities of Reliable, Relevant and Transparent and vendors play the most crucial role in this.

The role of vendors in reviving channel through training and incentives has been pivotal over the last few months as business landscape and the supply chain gets more and more complex. An increased need has arose for motivating the channel partners to

Ali Riza Kucuk Regional Consumer Director at Intel Corporation

Adam Simon Global Managing Director & CFO CONTEXT

Tim Davies Country Manager, Middle East at CONTEXT

go for the extra mile.

To tell participants more about the role of vendors in reviving channel the virtual summit brought on stage Adam Simon, Global Managing Director and CFO at CONTEXT and Tim Davies, Country Manager, Middle East at CONTEXT. Joining them was Ali Riza Kucuk, Regional Consumer Director at Intel Corporation. The virtual summit concluded with an engaging panel discussion and a round of Q&A.

GCF, Ingram Micro, Brams, IBM host summit on modernising SAP systems

On November 11, Global CIO Forum in association with Ingram Micro, Brams and IBM, successfully hosted a virtual summit titled, Modernise your SAP systems: Find your tailored and accelerated path for your cloud journey with IBM. The new computing standard is cloud computing.

The investments made by businesses in this model are experiencing tremendous growth and the aim now is to move the benefits of the cloud to process management and day-to-day activities. During the session, highly qualified and experienced Brams, IBM and Ingram micro experts shared insights about how to cut costs and make the greatest profit out of your SAP Cloud journey.

TOPICS COVERED l l l l l l

How IBM Cloud can help you Optimize your SAP Landscape cost Improve scalability and flexibility Auto deployment of SAP Landscape Seamless and smooth transition SAP modernisation and collaboration with future possibilities

THE SPEAKERS

The keynote speakers for the Modernise your SAP systems virtual summit were Sandeep Mahindra,

Sandeep mahindra Brams SAP on the Cloud specialist

Wael Kasrawani IBM Senior Cloud Solution Architect IBM Cloud Platform

Pandian Athirajan IBM Cloud Partner Ecosystem Expert VMwar, SAP & Power Cloud

SAP on the Cloud Specialist at Brams; Pandian Athirajan, IBM Cloud Partner EcoSystem – Expert VMware, SAP and Power Cloud at IBM; and Wael Kasrawani, Senior Cloud Solution Architect, IBM Cloud Platform at IBM. Sandeep Mahindra talked about the practical aspects of migrating any on-premises instance of SAP applications to the IBM Cloud and the intermediate stages of migration and database management.

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EVENT NEWS

GCF, RNS, SailPoint host summit on the power of access management On November 11, Global CIO Forum in association with Synology and CRESCOtec, successfully hosted the Data Management in Post Pandemic Workplace VirtualSummit. Remote workforce is becoming the new normal, and it is now essential for companies to implement a remote work solution to stay productive. Meanwhile, with evidence showing an increasing growth of ransomware attacks, IT admins are facing more challenges than ever.

Synology storage solutions are designed to simplify file storage by combining the convenience and ease of use of cloud services with tight access control and data governance of on-premises solutions; while offering various backup mechanisms to keep company’s digital assets secured.

TOPIC COVERED

The Data Management in Post Pandemic Workplace VirtualSummit was specially designed to help channel partners to build value added solutions around data management in the post-pandemic workplace, using Synology’s wide range of products. The virtual summit covered: l How to build integrated infrastructure for networking, security, and file storage solutions, while minimising IT administration efforts l Ensure business continuity during difficult times. Work anywhere and everywhere with Synology Drive and Office Collaboration tools. l Business Data Protection and Data Resilience with Active Backup for Business, Hyper Backup, Snapshot Replication l Real case sharing from guest speaker at Cresco Holding

Global CIO Forum, NetApp host summit on diversity and inclusion in business

On November 10, Global CIO Forum and NetApp successfully hosted the Diversity and Inclusion in Business and Beyond VirtualSummit.

Inculcating a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is a driving factor for attracting and retaining the best talents in an organisation. Studies and experiences have also testified to the key role played by countries and its governing bodies in making this a cultural mandate in order to promote a diverse workforce.

In recognition of NetApp Global Diversity Awareness, Women In Tech EMEA hosted the virtual web summit that discussed how diversity drives innovation in increases market growth. The virtual event also explored how the GCC is promoting the concept of diverse workforce and showcased individual experiences of key leaders in the region.

THE SPEAKERS

Diversity and Inclusion in Business and Beyond VirtualSummit started with Marc Montiel, Vice President Enterprise Countries EMEA at NetApp. He talked on the topic of Leading Across Borders and Driving Culturally Diverse Teams in the Workplace. This was followed by a presentation by Mohammed Mahnashi, Information Technology Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia and the Chairman of The Board, Association for Surplus Recycling and Preserving Grace, Tadweer. He dived into the topic of GCC: A Melting Pot of Diverse Workforce.

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D E C E M B E R 2020

Jennifer Lin Synology Regional Manager

Harish Sukumaran Vijaya Managing Director of CRESCOtec

Also up for grabs were Synology’s newly launched DS220+, DS420+ solutions, along with a host of other exclusive Synology prizes.

THE SPEAKERS

The keynote speaker for the Data Management in Post Pandemic Workplace VirtualSummit was Jennifer Lin, Synology Regional Manager. She was later joined by Harish Sukumaran Vijaya, Managing Director of CRESCOtec, who presented a case study. The virtual summit concluded with a round of Q&A.

CIO 200

WORLD’s BIGGEST CIO LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS

BAHRAIN

25 NOVEMBER, 2020

INFLUENCE INTEGRATE IMPACT

THE WORLD CIO 200 ROADSHOW 2020 REACHES BAHRAIN

A

fter captivating audiences in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 reached Bahrain on November 25. This edition of the roadshow unfolded in a virtual convention and drew in audiences not only from Bahrain, but also from around the world.

The focus of the Bahrain edition was on artificial intelligence and the event opened with an inspiring talk by renowned AI expert, Dr Jassim Haji, who is also President, AI Society Bahrain. He noted how important it is for CIOs to be recognised at a time when they are under such tremendous pressure.

Events like the World CIO 200 go a long way in doing just that. Dr Haji went on to talk about how Bahrain has been at the forefront of technology uptake, and has a plethora of graduation projects for students to become part of the country’s futuristic vision. Bahrain also clocked 25 years since the Internet was established in the country and was the first to host technology exhibitions, back in the 1970s.

A little known fact is that the country was also amongst the first in the world to acquire IBM computers.

Dr Haji’s country opening keynote was

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followed by a talk by Germany-based Horst W Gonska, Manging Partner – Evidence-Based Interaction. He dived into how AI is changing lives. In healthcare, it can be used to create a global virtual hospital that is available to everyone, and one that taps into distributed expertise from all over the world. “We must take care of our health preventively. We must create digital services to support digital technologies for the benefit of individual patients,” he added. The challenge is in making available the best skills and knowledge to everyone, even those who do not have easy access. The mantra, in short, is: My medicine, always, anywhere, anytime.

The next session was by Dr Zahra Rashid Al Rawahi, Director of Innovation Capacity Building and Support, Ministry of Higher Education in Oman. She talked about how AI will play a pivotal role in the post-pandemic workplace, and how to empower organisations to build a resilient infrastructure with AI. Dr Zahra pointed out that the pandemic has become an extraordinary catalyst for change, and now the question is how fast organisations can change to better cope with the new normal.

Amongst other issues, the coronavirus crisis

D E C E M B E R 2020

has given rise to concerns about automation in labour markets, and its impact on jobs. Dr Zahra believes AI will drive the post-pandemic growth and change the nature of leadership. But perhaps the most important impact is that AI is poised to fuel growth in the post-pandemic rebound.

The next speaker was from France. Dr Emmanuel Goffi, who is the Director – Observatory of Ethics and AI. He dug into the fascinating topic of AI and ethics. The key takeway was that currently most of the ethics framework in AI is based on Western thought and philosophy.

However, that is not valid all around the world.

The culture and value system is different in different parts of the world, and AI ethics needs to recognise the fact that it is a very complex subject. And also contextual. “We do not share the same values. Ethical culture is different in India or Middle East than in Europe. The world as it is, is very diverse. We need new perspectives to influence AI,” he asserted.

CROSS-BORDER PANEL

Dr Goffi’s talk was followed by the cross-border panel. The Bahrain edition of the cross-border panel, which brings together technology decisionmakers from different countries, included:

CIO 200

PANELIST

ORGANISATION

DESIGNATION

COUNTRY

Aliasgar Bohari

Zulekha Hospitals

Director IT

UAE

Ashish Khanna

Oberoi Hotels and Resorts

Deputy Vice President – IT

India

Adam Lalani

Westminster City Council

EUC Manager

United Kingdom

Khalid Jalal

GARMCO

Senior Group ICT Manager

Bahrain

Aliasgar Bohari started off by noting that the technology has always been around, but was not fully utilised. The key challenge brought on by the pandemic was in arranging the right solution at the right time.

CIO’s role has always been challenging. But the best part is that the pandemic has made organisations realise the importance of CIOs. It has also highlighted the value of digitising processes. Ashish Khanna, who hails from one of the most disrupted industries currently, talked about how digitisation has accelerated in hospitality. CIOs have been trying to bring about change for many years, and the pandemic has helped them achieve within a few months what would have taken years to achieve. The CIO role has changed into the role of the Chief Digitisation Officer.

Up next was Adam Lalani, who joked that earlier he used to worry about tripping on the stage during a live event. Now, with virtual events, he does not have to worry about tripping from his sofa. He agreed that the changes would have happened eventually. But what we would have seen in 20 years will now take only 20 months. He also pointed out the loneliness of working remotely and how difficult that can be. You need the human element to keep people’s spirit up.

Khalid Jalal too felt that this has been a CIO-friendly virus. It has helped most organisations look into opportunities to fast track projects and to plan for business continuity. The initial preparations have helped organisations survive. Management is now more open to technological changes. “CIO has now become a very good friend of the CFO!” joked Jalal, adding that organisations have now started appointing digital transformation officers and this role will be crucial in the years ahead.

The panel discussion was followed by a talk by Ektaa Sibal, India’s No 1 Inner-Self Transformation Specialist. She dwelt on the topic of Leaders of the Future: Dealing with Uncertainties in the Present and Post Pandemic World.

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CIO 200

WORLD’s BIGGEST CIO LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS

SAUDI ARABIA 24 NOVEMBER, 2020

INFLUENCE INTEGRATE IMPACT

THE WORLD CIO 200 ROADSHOW 2020 ROLLS THROUGH SAUDI ARABIA

A

fter wowing audiences in Qatar, the World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 moved over to Saudi Arabia.

On November 24, the Saudi edition of the roadshow unfolded, virtually, in front of a packed audience made of digital leaders and enthusiasts from the region.

Organised by the Global CIO Forum, this year the roadshow will tour 26 countries and provide a platform for 100+ exhibitors and 250+ engaging sessions. More than 2500 CIOs and IT heads will be recognised.

The roadshow is being hosted in a virtual convention that includes sponsor booths, expo halls, networking lounges, hall of fame, a main auditorium for live sessions, as also fun activities such as a treasure hunt and a photo booth.

ABOUT THE SAUDI ARABIA EDITION

For the Saudi edition, the Inspire 10 on 10 session was presented by Sourav Sinha, CIO, Indigo Airlines. These sessions are a unique addition to the World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020, and feature path-breaking sector case studies. Sinha talked about how building a

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connected airline has been a core IT strategy at Indigo, and the pandemic has underlined the importance of making businesses more efficient. Especially the airlines business where the margins are already wafer-thin. The pandemic has also reduced human to human interaction and made it imperative to focus on the implementation of airport-wide biometric identification solutions. Sinha offered the example of the journey an airhostess undertakes, from home to work. Indigo has digitised the experience, right from car pickup to delivering the passenger manifest and crew details.

Everything is now available on the phone, and can be absorbed even before the staffer reaches the airport. The digitally enhanced journey continues at the airport and even on the plane where, for example, delivering meals no longer involves paperwork and has been entirely digitised.

Sinha’s handed the stage over to Abdullah Albaz, KSA Sales Manager at Pure Storage. He talked about how his organisation has been focused on flash storage and the need to get the maximum business value out of data. The

D E C E M B E R 2020

infrastructure world has changed and customers with legacy systems will face growing challenges. Pure Storage key approach to cloud is to be simple, fast, any time.

The next session was by Mohammed Tamimi – Regional Sales Director, Rubrik, who talked about how Rubrik has been built from scratch and has a completely different approach to backup. Rubrik offers converged backup appliances that includes four nodes in each. The company has also gotten rid of the pain point of having to buy licences for various activities. The four-node concept does everything required within the appliance itself.

And it can not only scale up but also scale out.

The solution is also immune to ransomware and hack attempts, has deep search capabilities and the backup can be quicky switched to live production box to avoid any downtime.

CROSS-BORDER PANEL

The Saudi edition of the Cross-border panel, which brings together technology decisionmakers from different countries, included: Saiful Bakhtiar Osman noted that the

CIO 200

PANELIST

ORGANISATION

DESIGNATION

COUNTRY

Saiful Bakhtiar Osman

Malaysian Aviation Commission

Head, ICT

Malaysia

Abdul Rahim Ahmad

SECP

CIO

Pakistan

Venkatesh Mahadevan

Dubai Investments

CIO

UAE

ICT Consultant

KSA

Mohammed Mahnashi current situation was unprecedented and the traditional way of working was no longer applicable. The process of decision-making too has changed and the board of directors are more readily available on video calls. Management is open to virtual conferences and increased participation. More pertinent, the opinions of CIOs are getting heard, while their recommendations now have more impact.

Abdul Rahim Ahmad from Pakistan pointed out that CIOs now have a seat at the table when strategic priorities of a business are finalised. He sees CIOs move from a technology leadership role to a cross-functional leadership role. Businesses can no longer survive without CIOs. CIOs are driving business continuity, and need agility to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Ahmad asserted that he sees CIOs gradually move into the COO role.

Venkatesh Mahadevan agreed that the CIO role has changed dramatically from what it was 10 months back. This reality is going to continue for a while and CIOs need to prepare organisations to ride on a technology wave.

The CIO is going to play a crucial role in an organisation for the next five years at least. In fact, Mahadevan insisted that technology is no longer going to be a support function. It is going to be at the forefront of innovation in an organisation. CIOs need to wear the hat of a strategic leader. “It is time for the CIO to become a responsible leader. It is time to step back and ask, ‘What am I going to do with the team I have?’”.

Mohammed Mahnashi agreed that CIOs need to be agile and rapidly adopt change. He noted how the pandemic has impacted everything from medicine delivery to education, which has increasingly become cloud-based and moved to distance learning. The current situation is also the right time to innovate and devise solutions that achieve in a few days

what earlier took a few months. “This is also an opportunity for CIOs to share insights with other CIOs,” added Mahnashi.

The cross-border panel was followed by a technology panel that discussed enabling business and digital transformation as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The panelists

included Rajesh Chandramohan, IT Director, Tamimi Markets; Abdelmajed Fadol, Cybersecurity GRC Manager A/CISO, Medgulf Saudi; Yousef Mohammad Mhana, Principal Systems Engineer EMEA Middle East, Pure Storage; and Abdul Rehman Tariq Butt, Regional Sales Director, MEA, Pulse Secure.

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CIO 200

WORLD’s BIGGEST CIO LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS

QATAR

23 NOVEMBER, 2020

INFLUENCE INTEGRATE IMPACT

THE WORLD CIO 200 ROADSHOW 2020 KICKS OFF WITH AN ENGAGING QATAR EDITION

T

he World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 was off to a flying start on November 23, with an enthralling session that focused on Qatar. Organised by the Global CIO Forum, this year the roadshow will tour 26 countries and provide a platform for 100+ exhibitors and 250+ engaging sessions.

More than 2500 CIOs and IT heads will be recognised.

It will unfold in a virtual convention that mimics features you would expect from a real convention centre. Participants can browse through sponsor booths, expo halls, networking lounges, hall of fame, visit the main auditorium where live sessions are hosted, or indulge in fun activities such as embarking on a treasure hunt or clicking their images at a photo booth.

ABOUT THE QATAR EDITION

A unique addition to the World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 is the Inspire 10 on 10 session, which will feature 10 path-breaking sector case studies. The Qatar edition saw Dr Erdal Ozkaya, Regional CISO, Standard Chartered

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Bank, talk about how Covid has dramatically altered the security landscape. Crowded world cup venues have given way to empty stands with cutouts of fans, handshakes have been replaced by elbow touches, while the way we shop has changed. “Unfortunately, the way we get hacked has also changed,” mused Dr Ozkaya, adding that recent studies show there are 10 billion hacked accounts out there.

Email remains the biggest entry point. The pandemic has resulted in more than three million Covid-related email threats and scams.

We have also witnessed a dramatic jump in malware attacks and ransomware. Dr Ozkaya’s simple advice: Secure as necessary, not secure as possible.

He handed the stage over to Samir Chopra, Founder and CEO, RNS Technology Services, who focused on the critical topic of zero trust strategy and how it will play a critical role in our pandemic-influenced world. The industry loves buzzwords, and in the early 90s “virus” was the buzzword. In the 2000s that gave way to “next gen” and now the current hyped up word appears to be “zero trust”. But it is also a

D E C E M B E R 2020

word with profound importance, since most modern attacks are inside out, with trusted systems bringing the attackers inside the security perimeter.

CROSS-BORDER PANEL

Another impressive addition to this year’s World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 is the Cross-border initiative, which brings together a panel of technology decision-makers from different countries. Cross-border panel for Qatar included: The panellists fielded a variety of questions.

Nikhil Nigam noted it was time for dynamic and democratic leadership that is suited for the uncertain times we live in. Nothing is currently predictable, and leadership should come with mentorship. CIOs need to step out of their comfort zones and change their approach.

Sadiq Rowther mentioned that CIOs need to think about change on a day to day basis.

In Asia, CIOs have gone through a survival mode where they were tested for how fast they could react. Leaders need the ability to lead in uncertain time, and be very agile while

CIO 200

PANELIST

ORGANISATION

DESIGNATION

COUNTRY

Nikhil Nigam

Amity Education Group

Associate Director – Technologies

India

Sadiq Rowther

LEVI STRAUSS Asia Pacific

CIO, Vice President IT

Singapore

Ujjal Kumar

Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Company (AG&P) Manila Inc

Global CIO

Philippines

accelerating digital transformation.

Ujjal Kumar described how teams sitting in different countries, with different lockdown rules, have to function cohesively. Lot of the pandemic-related terminology itself is new to CIOs and the role of the CIO has become rather peculiar. Changing decades of culture overnight is almost impossible, as organisations deal with working from home.

CIOs need to focus on data confidentiality, which has become another major challenge.

Organisations will also increasingly look at investing in the cloud.

FROM PHYSICAL TO MENTAL WELLBEING

The next session was a bit out of the box, and was conducted by Ektaa Sibal, Gifted Energy Healer. She talked about leaders of the future, and dealing with uncertainties in the present and post pandemic world. Leadership can no longer be reactive, it has to become proactive. Working from home is here to stay and leaders need a proactive approach in dealing with the challenges this shift brings. Social wellbeing is an important area of concern, as also a feeling of belongingness. Leaders need to boost resilience and adversity quotient of their employees, and embark on mindset building. “Wellness culture is not a concept.

It is something that should be imbibed by the organisation,” asserted Sibal.

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Five extraordinary days to make up for a year of missed opportunities in 5G, AI, Future Mobility, Cloud, Blockchain, Fintech and more. Plus, 280 hours of conference learning across technology mega-trends.

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CIO 200

And the winners are...

Each of the country editions of the World CIO 200 2020 Roadshow ended on a high note with the CIO 200 Country Awards.

These were given to CIOs who have been the catalyst in bringing about change in this challenging year. The winners also received blockchain certificates. They were divided into four categories.

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards.

Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span.

Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise.

Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time.

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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D E C E M B E R 2020

CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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D E C E M B E R 2020

CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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D E C E M B E R 2020

CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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D E C E M B E R 2020

CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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CIO 200

Legend CIO: Lifetime achievement awards | Master CIO: Experience of more than 15-20 years and unparalleled technological experience in a career life span | Leader CIO: Experience of 10-15 years and multiple domain expertise | Next-gen CIO: Experience of 5-10 years or less and undertaken mammoth projects in a less span of time

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D E C E M B E R 2020

Distance is NO BARRIER

Introducing D-Link Smart Wireless Solution for Point-to-Point Deployment

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TDMA+Polling Avoiding collision/ Interference between channels

DAP-F3704-I Range: Up to 5 Kms Antenna Gain: 10 dBi High-Power Wireless 5Ghz 11n Bridge

ACK Timeout adjustment Improves long distance Transmission

DAP-F3705-N Range: Up to 10 Kms Antenna Gain: 23 dBi High-Power Wireless 5Ghz 11n Bridge DAP-F3712-N Range: Up to 20 Kms Antenna Gain: 23 dBi High-Power Wireless 5Ghz 11ac Bridge

Intelligent Rate Control Improving stability of Bandwidth

Self Healing Useful in extreme noisy area

Connect to more |

INDUSTRY NEWS

Equinix, datamena offer on-demand access to multiple clouds

Equinix, in association with alliance partner and global communications hub datamena, has announced the availability of Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric, ECX Fabric. in the Dubai International Business Exchange, DX1. This launch further underpins Equinix’s data centre facility as a world-class, carrier-neutral hub for the region where carriers, content providers, cloud providers, financial service and enterprise customers can colocate critical data infrastructure.

According to IDC’s Covid-19 Market Impact Survey, nearly half of CIOs across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region plan to accelerate their existing digital experience efforts to reach new customers and meet operational agility needs.

Investment in cloud-based solutions has skyrocketed since early 2020 in response to increasing digital demands.

ECX Fabric is an advanced interconnection solution that enables seamless, on-demand and direct access to multiple clouds and networks across the globe. By bringing together cloud service providers with enterprises consuming cloud, and enabling them to establish private, high-performance connections, ECX Fabric gives enterprises direct access to the services they need to build sophisticated hybrid cloud solutions. Furthermore, customers can utilise the solution to extend their market reach and increase privacy, performance and reliability of cloud service connections.

-KAMEL AL-TAWIL, Managing Director, Middle East and North Africa, Equinix.

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Sharjah’s DeG selects Dell Technologies for transformation Department of eGovernment. DeG, the government entity supporting the digital transformation vision in the Emirate of Sharjah, has announced that it has implemented Dell Technologies’ solutions to enable data centre transformation and IT modernisation. By having a strong ICT backbone in place, DeG aims to accelerate innovation, simplify operations and deliver government services efficiently, as the Emirate advances its digital transformation agenda.

DeG has a responsibility of executing the Government of Sharjah’s digital transformation plans. The implementation of Dell Technologies’ solutions is part of DeG’s wider efforts to

enable government entities implement the latest technologies, in order to rationalise services to citizens across Sharjah in partnership with the private and public sectors and thereby enhance the effectiveness of government services and aspire citizens satisfaction on their governmental related services.

In alignment to these efforts, DeG wanted to strengthen its existing IT infrastructure to support smart decision making, strategic planning and speedy allocation of government services across all vital sectors in the Emirate. This included the need to modernise its data centre to eliminate unplanned downtime and performance issues.

CyberKnight to distribute HelpSystems data classification platforms According to Gartner, data classification and protection are placed among the top security projects through 2021, but most data classification implementations continue to be unexpectedly complex and fail to produce practical results.

Therefore, CISOs and information security leaders should simplify schemas, by leveraging tools that allow for implementation flexibility to make data classification valuable for the entire organisation.

To address regional customer challenges related to analysing, organising, and protecting structured or unstructured data, CyberKnight has extended its strategic distribution relationship with HelpSystems to bring data classification platforms to the market: Titus and Boldon James. This addition became possible through both companies’ acquisition by HelpSystems, a provider of cybersecurity and automation solutions.

The data classification technologies offered by Titus and Boldon James make sure sensitive information is classified properly and secured. They work in lockstep with HelpSystems’ Clearswift DLP, e-mail and web security solutions to protect data at every stage of its lifecycle whether it resides

D E C E M B E R 2020

-AVINASH ADVANI,

Founder and CEO at CyberKnight Technologies.

on premise or in the cloud.

“Titus and Boldon James are trusted by thousands of organisations around the world including those in financial services, manufacturing, military, and government. Adding these renowned technologies to our portfolio will help companies in the Middle East with their DLP projects since data classification is fundamental to reducing false positives and ensuring a successful deployment. We are excited to enhance our strategic relationship with HelpSystems to improve the security posture and meet the intensifying regulatory requirements of customers in the region.” commented Avinash Advani, Founder and CEO at CyberKnight.

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2020

COVER STORY

HIGHS AND LOWS

A year that disrupted every industry and almost every rule in the game, and yet the IT industry prevailed. Twenty top executives share their perspectives.

Alain Penel, Fortinet l Amir Kanaan, Kaspersky l Antoine Harb, Kingston Technology l Avinash Gujje, Cloud Box Technologies l Dr Moataz Bin Ali, Trend Micro l Emile Abou Saleh, Proofpoint l Fadi Kanafani, NetApp l Firas Saifan, TSME l Haider Pasha, Palo Alto Networks l Jihad Tayara, EVOTEQ l Mansour Althani, ITCAN l Miljan Stamenkovic, Mambu l Mohamed Abdallah, SonicWall l Neil Colquhoun, Epson l Philip Schreiber, Entrust l Thierry Nicault, Salesforce l Ahmed Auda, VMware l Yarob Sakhnini, Juniper Networks (Top to bottom, left to right) D E C E M B E R 2020

MEA

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COVER STORY

FORTINET

SECURITY AND AGILITY KEY FOUNDATIONS FOR POST PANDEMIC Organisations need to elevate agility beyond a design principle and make it a true end goal, developed and integrated into the broader security strategy.

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020 saw many rapid changes on a global and regional scale as organisations attempted to adapt to a new normal caused by the pandemic. Not only did the pandemic force organisations to transform their networks to accommodate moving their traditional workforce to work from home status, it also forced cybercriminals to adjust their tactics as well. As businesses faced an unprecedented shift in operations, CISOs across all industries realised how important it was to rethink and refine their business continuity plans.

Amid this shift, there were significant developments seen across the cyberthreat landscape. As businesses deal with a new normal, there will continue to be a rise of new intelligent edges, which is about more than just end-users and devices remotely connecting to the network.

The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and cloud migration efforts creating multiple edges that require protection.

Fortinet’s security-driven networking approach continues to protect these edges, whether they are at the branch, cloud, data center, home, network or WAN edge. The financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020 reported strong performances by our offerings.

According to Q3 2020 Financial Results, Secure SD-WAN billings more than doubled year-over-year in the quarter and represented over 10% of total billings. An SD-WAN solution provides significant advantages for remote workers, especially during times of rapid transition. It is not only an ideal solution for branch offices, but can also be deployed to support power users, such as remote IT techni-

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cal support, emergency support teams, and executives who need secure access to a wide range of network services, including corporate finance and other sensitive data.

Throughout the pandemic, cyber threat actors have not let a single opportunity slip by.

They have preyed on fear and concern around COVID-19 with phishing attacks while also capitalising on security flaws within the remote workforce. There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the attacks that have been executed, ones that will shape the direction that organisations take regarding cybersecurity for years to come.

A key learning is that the importance of due diligence cannot be overstated. While some may argue that too much caution is counterproductive, it is far less counterproductive than having your entire company grind to a halt.

Security implemented after the fact is never as fast and effective as security woven directly into the technology while still on the drawing board.

Organisations need to elevate agility beyond a design principle and make it a true end goal, developed and integrated into the broader security strategy. And because humans will still remain the weakest link in an organisations’ security chain, cybersecurity user awareness training also continues to be crucial.

Each individual should be able to understand the role they play in protecting your network – something that only comes with training. In many ways, the pandemic provides a valuable learning experience, even once businesses begin the slow process of reopening.

Fortinet has also implemented a remote worker policy according to local order

D E C E M B E R 2020

ALAIN PENEL,

Regional Vice President, Middle East, Fortinet.

Security implemented after the fact is never as fast and effective as security woven directly into technology guidelines and taken many other cautionary steps. The pandemic has also raised the need for Need for Remote Worker Security. The transition to the teleworker model opens users and companies up to a myriad of security threats including malware, all forms of phishing attacks and many more. ë

COVER STORY

KASPERSKY

WORK FROM HOME REQUIRES CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS This year proved working remotely is beneficial but still poses great risk to organizations as employees are not well versed with security awareness.

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his year has been very different from what Kaspersky is used to and it has come with a lot of learnings. Kaspersky were able to seamlessly shift to remote working and continued to deliver cybersecurity to clients remotely. Kaspersky were also able to maintain growth business and continue to protect our customers regardless of external factors.

Kaspersky were able to successfully host all of its events online. For example, the annual Security Analyst Summit went online for the first time this year. Combined with sponsorships and own events, Kaspersky have been able to successfully carry out virtual events that have reached over a thousand people in the region over the last few months.

Additionally, there were several industries that were hit hard during the pandemic - particularly the healthcare industry. To support healthcare institutions Kaspersky offered free licenses to keep them safe from cyber threats during this critical time.

This year has proved that it is quite beneficial to work remotely but since working remotely poses a bigger security risk to organizations, it is important for employees to be well versed with security awareness. Kaspersky have noticed that the need for cyber education is now more important than before especially if organizations decided to work from home more often.

Another challenge that Kaspersky have seen this year has been planning. Planning ahead proved to be a difficult task for this year because of all its uncertainty. Kaspersky did not face this issue alone, but so did clients and customers.

Kaspersky saw a spike in digital sales this

year, Kaspersky may attribute this spike to the fact that most people had to stay home and naturally had to shift all their tasks online, from shopping, to banking to streaming.

Kaspersky believe this e-commerce surge was a big motive for users to invest in cybersecurity solutions to protect themselves.

This year has proven to be exceptionally different than what Kaspersky is used to or what Kaspersky has expected, however, it came with great learnings. Kaspersky was able to grow its business and continue to protect our customers regardless of external factors. Another great learning is the crucial role of cyber awareness amongst businesses.

This year proved that while working remotely is beneficial it still poses a great risk to organizations as most employees are not well versed with security awareness. For that, Kaspersky have executed educational initiatives both globally and regionally to try and elevate the level of cyber awareness and readiness amongst employees and users. For instance, Kaspersky currently offer various free courses and certificates on how to stay safe online. ĂŤ

AMIR KANAAN,

Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Kaspersky.

Another great learning is the crucial role of cyber awareness amongst businesses

Planning ahead proved to be a difficult task for this year because of all its uncertainty

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COVER STORY

CLOUD BOX TECHNOLOGIES

PANDEMIC DRIVES OPPORTUNITY IN SECURITY SERVICES 2020 was scheduled to be the start of security business and Cloud Box had the right opportunity to kickstart this because of the demand from customers.

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loud uptake has definitely increased in 2020 as it has become the primary platform for enabling digital transformation for enterprises during the pandemic. Over the last six months, they have accelerated their cloud adoption journey and other digital transformation initiatives. Being agile on a digital platform is now understood to be the minimum requirement for business survival in the months and years ahead.

Business executives are using public cloud applications as it gives them flexibility of working anytime and anywhere, and are using private cloud for mission critical data and operations. With the large-scale increase and emphasis on digital transformation in the post-pandemic workplace, threat, risk, and vulnerability levels, have also increased across enterprises. This is also an opportunity for the security business.

The year has been one that has taught us well about so many aspects which we took for granted and also spearheaded us into dealing with unfamiliar situations. But what has also transpired is that Cloud Box were pushed into the direction where Cloud Box had to be doubly sure that Cloud Box maintained consistency in its services despite the environment. Besides, Cloud Box had to think on its feet and build its set of offerings that were the need of the hour and gave us the platform to launch its security services.

Cloud Box had anticipated a rise in artificial intelligence and machine learning where organisations are working towards their digital transformation goals. The initial part of the year was a bit slow when it came to digital transformation due to the pandemic. The

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sudden change in the need for remote working was a bit of an IT challenge initially not just for us but also for clients. Cloud Box were in a strong position to overcome this need.

Like most businesses Cloud Box also were impacted by the depleting cash reserves due to the slow-down in payment collections.

2020 was scheduled to be the start of its security business stream and Cloud Box had the right opportunity to kickstart this offering because of the high demand by our customers.

Cloud Box also saw an increase in its SAP solutions offerings.

2020 has been a year of challenges with unexpected cracks and highlighted business vulnerabilities. The biggest learning is in accepting these challenges, taking risks and more importantly on the need to be agile across the board. Business will never be the same and Cloud Box have to work towards a different future than the one Cloud Box anticipated and must therefore be focused on innovation and the ability to take risks. ĂŤ

D E C E M B E R 2020

AVINASH GUJJE,

Practice Head Infrastructure, Cloud Box Technologies.

Cloud Box had anticipated a rise in artificial intelligence and machine learning

Being agile on a digital platform is now understood to be the minimum requirement for business survival

COVER STORY

KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY

SOLID STATE DRIVES AND DRAM DRIVE 2020 REVENUES The biggest growth came from SSD and from HyperX gaming memory since more people were spending an increased amount of time at home with video games.

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orking from home was a big hurdle for all industries.

As millions of professionals adjust to the new normal of working remotely, staff and supervisors have had to learn quickly how to improve communication and collaboration in a virtual setting.

IT departments had to overhaul strategies overnight to allow working from home, followed by the education on security to ensure that data remains safe. This naturally led to an increased number of people gaining a better understanding of their own technology followed by a greater personal interest in reliability, speed and safety. Kingston is able to play a part in this by helping with that education.

A great success during this time was, and is, to maintain a high level of services and support to Kingston’s partners. Its wide product range enabled Kingston to find its strong hold in the new demand of WFH equipment including DRAM products or the increased demand for SSD. More important though is the support and education Kingston Technology offers to ensure that not only the equipment is available, but Kingston’s customers are thinking about their data security.

Kingston Technology’s goals for the rest of 2020 are to maintain the focus and to support and stay close to strategic customers.

The main challenges as a global company was to deliver the objectives and plans that were set at the beginning of the year with Kingston technology’s partners, as most industries will know many marketing activities were postponed, and travel and events were cancelled. Not having face to face meetings with partners was a further setback, as

Kingston is a company that works and thrives on relationships.

Kingston Technology had to adjust like everyone has had to. Communication is for now held mostly virtual, with video conferencing happening with the partners and employees to communicate regularly and to keep the moral up.

The growth areas came from the items that were needed for both working from home and learning from home. Solid State Drives and DRAM were important to enable a smooth and quick transition to get people working at home.

The biggest growth came from the SSD business, the second growth area was on Kingston Technology DRAM generally but also specifically from Kingston gaming memory HyperX since more people were spending an increased amount of time at home and playing video games during Lockdown.

Through all the confusion though, there are still some basic concepts that will shape the year to come. The digital transformation of our lives has been accelerated and is now more important than ever. The most important lesson that Kingston Technology takes forward from 2020 is to be adaptable, which translates to partners as an approachable and openness to new strategies throughout the business. ë

ANTOINE HARB,

Team Leader Middle East and North Africa, Kingston Technology.

Kingston Technology’s goals are to maintain focus and to support and stay close to strategic customers

Not having face to face meetings with partners was a further setback, as Kingston works and thrives on relationships D E C E M B E R 2020

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COVER STORY

TREND MICRO

PANDEMIC DRIVING INCREASED AWARENESS OF CYBER SECURITY Since the lockdown, nearly three-quarters of remote workers worldwide say they are more conscious of their organisation’s cybersecurity policies.

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hile 2020 has been a year of profound challenges for enterprises, companies are realising their digital potential. In the era of the coronavirus pandemic, digital transformation, and cloud security, 79% are the chart-topping topics that enterprises in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific want to know more about.

Trend Micro is seeing regional cybersecurity demand from industry sectors such as government and public sector, banking and finance, and energy, oil and gas, and utilities.

Trend Micro is seeing strong success on expanding and enhancing its channel partner programme in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Trend Micro has further built and enhanced its channel partner ecosystem.

The Middle East will continue to need to close the cybersecurity talent gap. Helping to nurture young talent in the UAE and the region, Trend Micro and CyberTalents have hosted the 6th annual UAE Capture the Flag CTF Competition in the UAE, and in Arab and Africa. The UAE hosted 10 teams and 24 players.

The GCC continues to be hit hard by cyberattacks. Trend Micro detected a combined 56,873,271 email, URL, malware, and banking malware attacks in the GCC during the first half of 2020, according to the Midyear Security Report.

Worldwide, Covid-19 related threats have been the single largest type of threat faced by organisations. In the first half of the year, Trend Micro blocked 8.8 million Covid-19 related threats, nearly 92% of which were spam delivered via emails. In the GCC, Trend Micro blocked 163,774 Covid-19 threats: 127,415

URL attacks, 36,312 email spam attacks, and 47 malware attacks in H1 2020.

Since the lockdown, nearly three-quarters, 72% of remote workers worldwide say they are more conscious of their organisation’s cybersecurity policies, according to Trend Micro’s recent study, Head in the Clouds.

However, many employees are still breaking the rules anyway due to limited understanding or resource constraints. Trend Micro is educating organisations about the importance of not having a one-size-fits-all cybersecurity strategy, but rather tailoring their cybersecurity strategies to the most common information security personas.

Each persona, Fearful, Conscientious, Ignorant, and Daredevil, is based on employee attitudes and behaviors on risk awareness, risk management, and risk avoidance, and personal accountability.

The UAE-based United Arab Bank replaced its legacy anti-virus software with Trend Micro solutions running on a secure digital platform for full network visibility and management for virtual patching, malware protection, user behavior, and malicious activity for 500 users running 60 systems and apps on 1,000 servers.

UAB reduced the time to manage encryption from 8 to 2 hours, detects over 80% of cyber-threats, and quickly deploys security agents.

KEY PRODUCTS IN 2020 INCLUDE:

Trend Micro Cloud One Hybrid Cloud Security, a comprehensive SaaS security solution that includes file storage security, conformity, network security, workload security, container security, and application security.

Cloud One is optimised for cloud platforms

DR MOATAZ BIN ALI,

Vice President, Middle East and North Africa, Trend Micro.

AWS, Microsoft Azure, Docker, Google Cloud, IBM, Kubernetes Cloud, and VMware.

Customers can find full security capabilities in a single smart agent; protection against vulnerabilities and for end-of-life systems; and achieve and maintain regulatory and compliance requirements.

Trend Micro XDR, the first solution in the cybersecurity industry that offers the most extensive correlated detection going beyond endpoint detection and response EDR. Trend Micro Apex One providing automated threat detection, actionable insights, and all-in-one protection.

Amid the convergence of IT and OT, TXOne Networks solutions offers cybersecurity solutions to protect industrial control systems. TXOne Networks offers both network-based and endpoint-based products to secure the OT network and mission critical devices in a real-time defense-in-depth manner.

Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector to detect targeted attacks and ransomware anywhere in the network. ë

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COVER STORY

TSME

PANDEMIC TRANSFORMATION ADDING PRESSURE ON VENDORS While digital transformations have accelerated, there has been increased pressure on vendors to fulfill customer requirements in very short timeframes.

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he IT industry was in fact one of the few sectors that has witnessed extreme positive impact this year.

Technology companies were in high demand to digitise operations across sectors and respond in real time to get businesses up to speed to meet the new norms of working, specifically remote working in addition to several other immediate requirements. This pressure has exerted immense load on technology providers and system integrators to act fast to fulfill this rapid need.

The seemingly high rate of technological adoption and growth proves that technology exhibits resilience during tough times. Organisations that have successfully responded to the crisis have deployed more advanced technologies, digital products, and tech talent to speed up innovation. This momentum will continue at least for the next five years given that globally operations are being compelled to shift to digital and virtual working models.

For many companies, Covid-19 was the trigger to jumpstart and accelerate digital transformation. While several companies already had an ongoing transformation journey even before the pandemic, many were not equipped to swim through the pandemic tide.

The pandemic forced companies to invest in a faster transformation and today in just a few months, the crisis has brought about years of change in the way companies now do business – this is already a major achievement.

Acceptability has been a major plus for us. A noticeable change in the culture has been witnessed; businesses are more adaptive and agile which was a challenge before, thus making it more crisis resilient. An overarching digital strategy became more prominent for mid

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to large organisations and far less employee pushback versus earlier.

In terms of solutions, AI has received a lot of attention in addition to digital assistants which became the only solution when face to face interactions were suspended. ADS systems peaked too, automating repetitive management problems as the world entered the pandemic.

While digital transformations have accelerated, there has been increased pressure on vendors to fulfill immediate and longerterm customer requirements in very short timeframes. Having qualified resources and managing deliveries was the main challenge that constantly arose in the rising demand.

Remote and freelance resources were an additional challenge in terms of managing deliverables. Furthermore, security and access to client sites was a major hurdle witnessed in project implementation as several companies changed working models to online in very short spans of time.

API and RPA saw a phenomenal surge in fulfilling automation and integration requirements in line with customers’ business objectives. Overall automation has taken off, but with special requirements to integrate downstream through the ESB and upstream which mandated accurate implementation of API. Machine learning and AI technologies are also seen aggressively adopted by businesses to enhance understanding on spotting new areas of process improvement.

In today’s fast paced always connected ecosystem, companies are forced to place emphasis on digital transformation. In 2019, TSME embedded a strategy for being ready to fulfill market needs by having accurate

D E C E M B E R 2020

FIRAS SAIFAN,

Executive Director, TSME.

The pandemic forced companies to invest in a faster transformation

synergies between the selected tools and implementation resources, which has proven vital for success this year.

This crisis readiness is a key takeout for all businesses this year. The capacity development has led TSME to sustain as one of the soughtafter technology partners in the market. ë

COVER STORY

NETAPP

DEMAND FOR VDI, HYBRID CLOUD, CONSUMPTION MODELS NetApp experienced a surge in demand for cloud data services, hybrid cloud model and consumption model as companies looked to lessen complexities.

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T has been the driving force for businesses across the globe in 2020 as the pandemic compelled organisations to rely heavily on IT for business continuity. Technologies like cloud, virtual desktops, security, collaboration dominated 2020, which has been a year of remarkable and unprecedented change for businesses and individuals alike. But a positive effect of Covid-19 has been a dramatic acceleration in the pace of digital transformation.

Projects that were taking years to complete are now completed in a matter of weeks, or days with organisations at different stages of the DX journey, expecting different outcomes.

Businesses that were prepared for digital transformation and dynamic markets responded to this change in pace faster than others and have gained the advantage.

While 2020 has been an unprecedented year of change and uncertainty, NetApp’s acquisitions of Talon and Spot have bolstered its strong portfolio of cloud-based and AI-driven solutions and services that will help partners drive business and enable customers in managing their data and DX strategies while ensuring business continuity for customers.

With businesses turning to the cloud to enable business continuity, NetApp has been helping organisations elevate their cloud experience be it private, hybrid or public cloud.

2020 was an unexpected setback for businesses across the globe in terms of growth, investments, partnerships, etc. The rapid transition to a remote working model meant engaging with employees and customers remotely for an extended period of time did put a strain on maintaining motivation and ensuring customer implementations were being taken care off.

With business continuity being a key, NetApp has witnessed a demand for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure as customers deployed a remote working strategy. As the pandemic put the brakes on investments, it also increased businesses’ need for enabling employees, customers and partners and ensuring business continuity.

As a result, NetApp experienced a surge in demand for cloud data services, especially the hybrid cloud model and consumption model as companies looked to lessen the complexities associated with IT infrastructure and lifecycle management.

There was also increase in the deployments of the ONTAP AI platform in healthcare institutions as researchers worked aggressively on genomics, analytics, and of course cyber security as AI workloads help identify national security threats, financial irregularities, fraud and so on. Last but not least we have seen a constant increase of flash technology replacing the traditional HDD. The pandemic has made it clear that adaptability is king, and IT is the key business enabler for creating and maintaining business value, competitive advantage, and presence.

A key takeaway from the last few months is that businesses need speed and agility to help respond in the face of an unprecedented disruption.

Data and access to this data has helped businesses maintain continuity and businesses must invest now in a cloud-based model to prepare a path for a sustainable future. Businesses must have contingencies in place; being more agile and moving faster must be measurable in terms of how the market and customers see and invest in products and services. ĂŤ

FADI KANAFANI,

Managing Director Middle East, NetApp.

As the pandemic put brakes on investments, it also increased need for enabling employees, customers and partners

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COVER STORY

EVOTEQ

ARE YOU DIGITALLY ENABLED OR DIGITALLY NATIVE Evoteq urges businesses to devise digital strategies that not only tackle effects of pandemic, but also include business plan to exit the crisis.

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ith the pandemic still raging, 2020 is the period of rapid modernisation of information technology infrastructure within regional entities striving to ensure continuity in their operations despite mobility restrictions and other challenges. The crisis has forced many businesses to undergo rapid digital transformation. In this light, one of the high points this year is that the IT industry has acted promptly to the demand for solutions ensuring business continuity.

Tools for project management, messaging and conferencing, document collaboration, remote access and time management have been swiftly deployed. The IT industry’s readiness has enabled remote working in businesses possible. Whenever businesses were not ready, the IT industry swiftly adjusted and provided the right services. This shows strength.

Evoteq urge businesses to devise digital strategies that not only tackle the effects of the pandemic, but also include a business plan to exit the crisis smoothly.

At Evoteq, we have been continuously investing in next-generation technologies and increasing our focus on innovation and digital transformation in anticipation of future modern customer needs and demands. This has made us well-positioned to help businesses thrive during the pandemic while complying with precautionary measures.

For instance, Evoteq have deployed safety inspection platforms to help clients implement contactless security and health checks at their building entrances. Evoteq have also delivered electronic bracelets for health checks of their workers, as well as supported seamless and productive remote-work arrangements.

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Educating companies about the significance of implementing a holistic and comprehensive business digital strategy is a major challenge for our team. Evoteq discovered during this pandemic that a lot of businesses that seemed digitally ready are not digitally native. They bought digital tools, but are not digitally ready.

Also, some companies had licenses for remote services but were not activated. Evoteq were able to educate them and jump in to digitally transform them. Evoteq saw the need to emphasise the significance of embracing technology, not just procuring it, as well as train them about remote systems.

Evoteq have witnessed growing demand for digital and contactless technologies, including thermal cameras and facial recognition systems, as businesses have moved to ensure safety and security. Evoteq saw a higher interest in remote-work platforms and digital tools guaranteeing access to services across every domain.

More than ever, Evoteq would like to emphasise the importance of investing in advanced digital tools to support the remote-work system, implement a cautious office comeback and adapt to the new reality.

Technologies such as cloud services, thermal cameras and facial recognition are going to be pivotal as businesses make changes in their processes to achieve rapid recovery and transformation.

Digital technologies will undoubtedly continue to be at the center of these changes.

Evoteq also need to modernise core business processes to be truly agile and improve the value proposition and experience that companies offer to their customers and employees.

Evoteq are currently working with MoHAP

D E C E M B E R 2020

JIHAD TAYARA,

CEO, Evoteq.

A lot of businesses that seem digitally ready are not digitally native on their initiative Tatmeen, a GS1-compliant solution based on EVOTEQ’s SmartTrack platform that tracks products from manufacturers to the end-users. Tatmeen is being designed to secure the healthcare supply chain.

This is just one of our initiatives. Evoteq will continue to invest in future solutions to enable our clients to adapt to the evolving technology and operating landscape. ĂŤ

COVER STORY

ITCAN

DEMAND FOR E-COMMERCE, DIGITAL MARKETING MORE THAN DOUBLES ITCAN witnessed 160% increase in demand for performance marketing services till H1 of 2020, while it recorded 180% jump in mono e-commerce brands.

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ccelerated digital transformation is one of the high points of the MENA region’s IT industry this year, driven by mobility restrictions. As more people have begun using online platforms for their needs, faster website and application enhancement and development have dominated IT-related activities and investments in 2020 to cater to new customer requirements.

Businesses have rapidly deployed modern technologies to ensure continuous operations as well as strengthen their online presence and further increase brand awareness. The rollout of AI and data analysis and analytics tools will only gain further momentum as the region moves towards a more tech-driven future.

ITCAN saw significant revenue growth arising from the increasing demand for e-commerce technology and digital marketing services. It witnessed a 160% increase in the performance marketing services demand from 2019 to H1 of 2020, while it recorded a 180% jump in mono e-commerce brands requesting performance marketing services during the same period.

It also saw a 140% growth in marketplace e-commerce over the same period. During the pandemic, its onboarding new e-commerce and brands went live to offer performancefocused digital solutions that can increase brand visibility, awareness and reputation.

For 2020, one of ITCAN’s main challenges was preparing for a work-from-home set-up.

At the start of the pandemic, it needed to make sure that its remote-work system would not disrupt the strong collaboration and bond

among its team members. In deploying the remote-work arrangement, the company had ensured that the productivity level and workflow efficiency would not be compromised.

Another challenge was the huge demand for its services this year, prompting the company to immediately hire and train new people to address the needs. During training, its newly hired employees learned about the requirements of its target market.

The year 2020 has emphasised why investing and implementing advanced tools can help companies flourish under the most difficult global market conditions. Data analytics and dashboards, for instance, enable companies to make data-driven decisions and discover new growth opportunities. Further, agile, flexible and dynamic and knowledgeable teams are empowered to capture opportunity and thrive.

As such, keeping abreast of the latest technologies and rolling out relevant modern tools in the work environment are vital. Also, companies with flexible policies and a workplace culture that encourages and embraces innovations are better positioned to overcome obstacles and quickly adapt to unforeseen changes.

ITCAN’s performance marketing service has experienced significant growth in 2020. This solution, which combines paid advertising and brand marketing, is booming and steadily becoming the norm in the e-commerce industry due to its trackability and measurability.

Brands, however, only pay after order conversions online, thereby minimising risks.

Performance marketing extends advertising reach and can help businesses in their efforts to

MANSOUR ALTHANI,

CEO and Co-Founder, ITCAN.

ITCAN saw 140% growth in marketplace e-commerce over the same period.

diversify their revenue streams.

Also, affiliate marketing and influencer marketing can add innovation and creativity to brands’ marketing plans to ensure positive results. Influencer marketing allows businesses impacted by the pandemic to still attain brand loyalty and recall. ë

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COVER STORY

PALO ALTO NETWORKS

WORK FROM HOME MUST MORPH INTO WORK FROM ANYWHERE We should aim for a context-aware cybersecurity strategy where work from home should be morphed into work from anywhere with higher secured digital assets.

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veryone is aware about the global rapid growth and advancement of technology, which has been at an unimaginable rate over the past decade. This year has had an equal contribution, if not more, for majority of the sectors in the IT field, leading towards further and greater innovation.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought different opportunities and challenges for the IT industry to advance, adapt and innovate. With a new way of living and mandatory work from home policies, IT firms had to reimagine the workplace and create new business strategies.

The IT industry in the Middle East has been successful in terms of digital transformation, advancement of technology and tools, educating people and boosting talent – addressing the changing environments and staying competitive.

In 2020, majority of the firms implemented a mandatory work from home policy and there was a sudden shift to home networks, creating higher than usual risks for breaches and threats.

For cybersecurity firms, the key objective was to support organisations with securing their workforces and protecting their information, without disrupting business operations.

Palo Alto Networks has been successful in terms of creating unique strategies targeted to different customers and end users.

The pandemic caused cyberattacks across the globe based around a single theme, and that was a big challenge. Until end of March 2020, there were over 40,000 new Covid-19 related websites classified as high risk, as per Palo Alto Networks’ Threat Intelligence Team, Unit 42.

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From targeting home routers and other IoT devices, compromising home networks to phishing links, cybercriminals always find new ways to attack. A recent attack was website mimicking domains of major brands including Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple to scam consumers.

New attacks that consumers are not aware of can be challenging, and as a rule, we always advise not to visit unknown websites and links and avoid sharing your confidential data on public platforms. Also, enterprises and business leaders, with the help of their security teams and boards, must look at new ways to secure their organisations’ digital environment.

With the high rise of digital transformation, the product Prisma Access has been extremely beneficial for our customers, in terms of transforming onto cloud and scaling your remote workforce. It offers the same security functionality as Palo Alto Networks’ next generation firewalls, but without the need to deploy new infrastructure.

So instead of multiple point products, which has been the standard approach, Prisma Access enables secure access, protects users and applications, and controls data – from anywhere. This is particularly useful for companies around the globe when it comes to working from home.

Learning from lessons based on recent events is valuable, but lessons are most impactful when we can apply them toward what is next. We should aim for a modernised, context-aware cybersecurity strategy where work from home should be morphed into work from anywhere with higher secured digital assets. We need a more systematic way of monitoring for events and incidents, along

D E C E M B E R 2020

HAIDER PASHA,

Chief Security Officer, Middle East and Africa, Palo Alto Networks.

Enterprises are now moving from a cloud-first to a cloud-only strategy

with users and all connected devices.

Enterprises are now moving from a cloudfirst to a cloud-only strategy as no organisation will have the luxury to put off a cloud-centric cybersecurity strategy. Also, automation must become a core principle of cybersecurity defense – this helps utilise the time and budget of security experts on more tedious tasks. ë

COVER STORY

SONICWALL

EVERYONE IS REMOTE, EVERYONE IS MOBILE, LESS SECURE The Boundless Cybersecurity model is designed to navigate hyper-distributed IT where everyone is remote, everyone is mobile, everyone is less secure.

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hile the Covid-19 crisis has generated a lot of challenges, it has also created opportunities particularly in the technology sector. Communities around the world have moved to remote working and home schooling, while businesses across all industries have been forced to innovate and digitally transform on an unprecedented basis to ensure continuity. SonicWall works with a vast range of organisations, including government, healthcare, retail and universities.

All are in need of radically reimagining their cybersecurity model having quickly pivoted to remote working during the crisis. SonicWall has not seen a single organisation that has not re-engineered their business and their networks. IT will continue to play a critical role in providing accessible, reliable and secure IT systems to deliver positive experiences in unfamiliar contexts.

IT departments were initially focused on making certain their dispersed workforces were connected to the tools and data needed in order to keep business operations moving forward at a time when it seemed that the world had stopped. Once accomplished, IT departments and C-suites realised that those new and countless endpoints must be protected from threat actors that had realised this new business norm could make for a much larger and less secure target.

SonicWall has been working to ensure that businesses have the answers to their security requirements that were instantly needed and can help close the business gap so resources such as time and bandwidth can be allocated elsewhere.

In April 2020, SonicWall introduced the

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new Boundless Cybersecurity model, designed to help organisations navigate a hyper-distributed IT reality where everyone is remote, everyone is mobile and everyone is less secure.

By knowing the unknown, providing realtime visibility and leveraging breakthrough economics, SonicWall enables businesses to close the cybersecurity business gap and guard against the growing ranks of opportunistic cyber attackers.

By gaining a fuller understanding about where the company finds itself in 2020, it can move as safely and resolutely as possible toward the future, whatever it has in store.

As organisations in the region are forced to review their business continuity plans as a result of the ongoing health crisis, cybercriminals are capitalising on trends that play on human behavior and response to fear. Cybercriminals do their utmost to take advantage of trying times by tricking users into opening dangerous files, through what they consider to be trusted sources.

While SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers are constantly investigating and analysing all threats, the team has flagged the top cyberattacks that leverage coronavirus and Covid-19 to take advantage of human behavior.

Today, ransomware operators have one guiding principle: The bigger the potential disruption caused by an attack, the bigger the chance of a payday. All through this year, SonicWall has been helping organisations be prepared for an influx of cyberattacks, and are giving participating partners, both regionally and globally, a competitive edge.

SonicWall Secure Mobile Access has seen success as it enables organisations to provide

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MOHAMED ABDALLAH,

Regional Director META, SonicWall.

The bigger the disruption caused by an attack, the bigger the chance of a payday

anytime, anywhere and any device access to mission-critical corporate resources. SMA’s granular access control policy engine, contextaware device authorisation, application-level VPN and advanced authentication with single sign-on empowers organisations to quickly and securely protect and enable boundless workforces operating in the new business normal. Í

COVER STORY

EPSON

SUSTAINABLE PRINTERS, IMMERSIVE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES If every laser printer in UAE, Saudi Arabia was switched to an Epson inkjet printer, there could be a saving of $3.6 million in electricity costs.

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here is no doubt that the recent months have changed the way we live and work, especially with social distancing practices. Epson has seen a strong demand for technology to help support new hybrid work and learning environments. The Middle East market is now looking for technology that helps remote workers and students stay connected, as well as being flexible, cost-effective and eco-friendly.

Epson’s heat-free business inkjet technology enables its printer range to reduce energy consumption by up 95% compared to laser printers – reducing both cost and CO2 emissions. The lack of heat also means there is no warmup time needed, ensuring fast first page-out speeds and improving productivity. Fewer consumable parts mean less user intervention and fewer used consumables to store and dispose of.

Printing at home is now more important than ever before. Epson’s EcoTank printers are cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to the traditional ink cartridge printers. EcoTank printers come with up to three years’ worth of ink in the box, which is enough to print up to 14,000 pages.

Epson solutions can enable schools and universities to deliver the best possible education for in-person, remote and hybrid learning.

Epson’s interactive display solutions for example, such as the Epson EB-1400 series, are smart solutions that can help bring a class together, even if some students are joining remotely. To help teachers engage remote students in a lesson, Epson’s visualisers allow for the live projection of 3D objects.

Supporting the Middle East’s retail and tour-

ism and hospitality sectors, Epson has recently launched new retail innovations in digital signage, mobile point of sale, and industrial label printers, which can differentiate customer experiences.

Projectors can provide more impactful signage and immersive displays and POS solutions such as the TM-m30II-S and the TM-T88VI series that offer flexible and compact designs and energy, ink, and paper-saving functions.

Moverio smart glasses which offer a unique solution for retailers that allow customers in-store to virtually try on or test out different outfits or accessories without touching them and also allows a sales assistant by wearing a Moverio smart glass to broadcast exactly what he or she sees in-store to a customer browsing online for 1:1 demo.

Green credentials are a growing priority for the region. Sustainability is a pillar of the UAE Vision 2021, as well as playing a key part of Expo 2020 Dubai. In the survey results of research conducted by B2B International across 26 markets during 2020 on behalf of Epson Europe, the Middle East leads EMEA, with 94% of respondents believing that environmental and social impact will become more important post-pandemic.

As per Epson’s recent survey, 91% of Middle East employees expect a change in the use of shared devices, including printers, as they return to the office.

If every business laser printer in the UAE and Saudi Arabia was switched to an Epson business inkjet printer, there could be a combined saving of $3.6 million in electricity costs every year, money that companies could

NEIL COLQUHOUN,

Vice President, CISMEA and Professional Displays, Epson.

Epson’s EcoTank printers are ecofriendly alternative to the traditional ink cartridge printers invest in their own additional sustainability initiatives. Savings in electricity costs every year could reach $2.1 million in the UAE and $1.5 million in Saudi Arabia.

Home cinema projectors can provide a big screen experience at home, allowing families to spend quality time with each other. An EcoTank printer can help family members work and learn remotely and photo printers and scanners allow you to preserve and share memories that can last a lifetime. ë

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COVER STORY

MAMBU

PANDEMIC DRIVING TRANSFORMATION OF FINANCIAL BUSINESS Banks are facing immediate need to upgrade technology, adapt agile ways of working, modernise legacy systems to avoid compromised business agility.

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inancial institutions have changed more in the past year than in the previous twenty years. They must be agile to survive in today’s competitive environment and fast-changing markets.

Agility is one of the most important aspects of our business. Being agile will not just save us, it will sustain us.

Investing in digitalisation and putting it at the center of the business strategy is no longer an option to have a competitive edge and longevity. To build the best experience, financial institutions need to start changing with the market, instead of hoping the market will stop changing.

The global pandemic has brought about unprecedented disruption to the region. The way we live, interact and work has changed to address the restrictions that Covid-19 has imposed. Businesses have turned to cloud to help– especially given that employees are working from home and require remote access to company assets.

The banking industry is no different. Banks are facing an immediate need to upgrade their technology, adapt agile ways of working and modernise their legacy systems to avoid excessive losses and compromised business agility.

Upon partnering with AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Deloitte Digital and Publicis Sapient, Mambu has successfully serviced clients such as Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank in Abu Dhabi, and doubled our sales in less than a year and opened a new office in the UAE. Additionally, Mambu was named in the FinTech50 Hall of Fame for Consistent Innovation. The ranking highlights innovative European companies leading the evolution of

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financial services across all verticals and at all stages.

In 2020 Mambu was the sole new entry into the prestigious institution. Mambu is also positioned as a Challenger in Gartner’s 2020 Magic Quadrant for Global Retail Core Banking and as a Digital Banking Global Challenger

by Forrester Wave.

The ability to move quickly and be agile has always been a priority for Mambu and now it has become critical throughout the industry.

We are fortunate in being able to support both our employees and customers through this period as this is innately part of how Mambu was built.

As a geographically dispersed team, lockdown measures in countries where we have employees, have not adversely impacted the business as our teams are equipped to work from home without any interruption.

As a result of the lockdown, we have created new flexibility in postponement of loan repayments for any durations that many of our customers required. We also added new options to our lending engine allowing our customers to shift payments forward or waive interest for a period or even move it to a later date.

As all customers are on a single code base, everyone around the world will receive the updates as soon as they are released. ë

MILJAN STAMENKOVIC,

General Manager, Mambu.

The global pandemic has brought about unprecedented disruption to the region

All customers are on a single code base and everyone around the world will receive updates as soon as they are released

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COVER STORY

SALESFORCE

CLOUD, DATA, ANALYTICS DRIVING CREATION OF REGIONAL JOBS IDC finds Salesforce and its partners will create $2.6 billion in new business revenues, 11,180 new jobs, and 18,700 indirect jobs in the UAE to 2024.

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orldwide, 92% of global organisations are undertaking or planning digital transformation in 2020, according to the Mulesoft 2020 Connectivity Benchmark Report. And 79% of UAE sales reps say their digital transformation has accelerated since 2019, according to the Salesforce Fourth State of Sales Report.

The UAE is leading digital business innovation, with 91% of UAE customers expecting their companies to go digital, and 67% of UAE customers estimating their interactions with businesses will take place online this year, compared to 39% in 2019, according to the Salesforce State of Connected Customer Report.

The most promising disruptive technology is artificial intelligence. Salesforce Einstein artificial intelligence platform is helping organisations to save time and boost productivity – across call centers, supply chains, boardrooms, and customer experiences.

According to the Salesforce State of Marketing Report, 76% of UAE marketers are leading CX initiatives, with 94% using artificial intelligence with the top use case resolving customer identity.

Re-skilling and up-skilling workers for new and different roles during and post-pandemic is a priority. The Trailhead free online learning platform, which aims to make learning accessible to all, is helping one in four learners to get a job. In the UAE, there are currently more than 3,500 Trailhead participants collecting 19,000 badges in FY2021.

Salesforce is seeing strong demand for Customer 360 Truth, a new set of data and

identity services that enable companies to build a single source of truth across all of their customer relationships.

Salesforce Anywhere is bringing together powerful new technologies and platform services to help organisations unlock new levels of productivity and customer success for this new normal.

Tableau puts rich customer data to work by providing analytics for everyone in your organisation, and MuleSoft provides the most widely used integration platform Mule ESB and CloudHub for connecting SaaS and enterprise applications in the cloud and on-premise.

New research from IDC finds Salesforce and its ecosystem of partners will create $2.6 billion in new business revenues, 11,180 new jobs, and 18,700 indirect jobs in the UAE to 2024. Salesforce is driving massive gains for its partner ecosystem, which will see $6.58 in gains for every $1 Salesforce makes by 2024.

Seera Group, Riyadh-based Seera Group, formerly Al Tayyar Travel Group, the leading travel group in the Middle East, is using selected Salesforce to digitally transform and enhance travel booking experiences for travelers.

Salesforce Service Cloud is streamlining all of the customers’ interactions across touchpoints and channels: phone, email, mobile, social, or in-store. Salesforce is also empowering Seera Group’s over 1,000 customer service agents to provide a consistent customer experience and personalised service. With the easy-to-use tool, agents have a unified view of every customer interaction to ensure the best customer experience every time a customer reaches out.

THIERRY NICAULT,

Regional Vice-President, Middle East and Africa, Salesforce.

Almosafer, the leading omni-channel travel brand in Saudi Arabia has successfully deployed a fully-integrated travel booking retail technology at its new interactive stores in key cities across KSA, emphasising its commitment to better serve Saudi travelers through delivering a highly personalised, tailored customer journey even before they step into the branch. Almosafer has transformed the branch experiences with Accenture, Salesforce, and Appspace.

Chalhoub Group, a leading luxury retailer has leveraged its strategic relationship with Salesforce to enhance customer e-commerce experiences in its digital transformation amid Covid-19. Chalhoub Group continued to accelerate its digital transformation by rolling-out Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud to drive e-commerce and CRM and personalise customer journeys across chat, email, social media, and WhatsApp. ë

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COVER STORY

ENTRUST

HARDWARE SECURITY IS PART OF TRANSFORMATION SOLUTIONS The company has developed new solutions and products including its recently announced Sigma DS4 printer and Cryptographic Centre of Excellence.

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he pandemic has meant that the adoption of WFH technology has been wider than expected. While some organisations have had challenges with accelerating their digital transformation, a surprising number have embraced the new normal and implemented a new digital strategy very quickly. This is especially true given the resource and skills shortages across the Gulf.

Given the challenges that 2020 has brought to us as an organisation, and to Entrust customers and partners, keeping the team together, healthy, engaged and motivated has been an amazing experience. Furthermore, the company continued to innovate and develop new solutions and products including our recently announced Sigma DS4 printer and our Cryptographic Centre of Excellence, while adapting to the new normal.

For Entrust specifically, the prior selling

When thinking about how to best push through times like this, security should be a top priority for IT teams.

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strategy was very traditional in that it involved a lot of travel and a lot of face-to-face customer and partner interaction. Managing the cultural change to selling online has been a challenge.

Fortunately, the Entrust back office team have provided a great set of tools and support to get this done.

More widely, a period of uncertainty such as this one has left many companies scrambling to make unprecedented business decisions to ensure both their customers and employees are best prepared to move forward. When thinking about how to best push through times like this, security should be a top priority for IT teams.

The accelerated adoption of hardware security modules is part of an integrated digital security strategy. Entrust Digital Protection Solutions enable the customers transformation journey that we discussed above.

Those products and solutions that help speed up the digital transformation of our customers, as well as those that support contactless payments and identification have also been of keen interest.

Everyone in the team, the partners and the customers are human beings and feel the same stresses and pressures that you do. If somebody does not react in the way you want them to, remember that they have had the same challenging year that you have and be considerate.

It is also become apparent that working remotely and flexibly is going become a fairly permanent fixture, at least to some degree. To meet these changing needs, we need to think of identity as the new perimeter and focus on being able to protect data, whether its and motion or at rest and regardless of device. ĂŤ

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PHILIP SCHREIBER,

Regional Sales Director, Entrust.

The accelerated adoption of hardware security modules is part of an integrated digital security strategy

COVER STORY

JUNIPER NETWORKS

SECURITY STARTS WITH NETWORKS INSIDE AN ENTERPRISE Reinforcing the importance of a secure and reliable connection to the network to protect the organisation’s data and digital assets from threats is key.

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ccelerated by the pandemic, we have experienced an increased interest from organisations to support them on their digital journeys. While 2020 has been a challenging year for many, others have used the opportunity to seriously re-think their digital strategy.

What has become clear is that businesses know they must rapidly innovate, take advantage of new digital tools and leverage cloud services to emerge from the crisis with momentum for the long-term transformation of their business in the altered global landscape.

Even before employees started working from home, organisations were beginning to move toward distributed networks as employees were increasingly using various end devices and connecting to a range of networks that may not be deemed safe as they progress through an average day.

With so many endpoints and networks the challenge is to keep remote users connected and productive, while ensuring business continuity and security. In addition, reinforcing the importance of a secure and reliable connection to the network to protect the organisation’s data and other valuable digital assets from potential threats is also key.

Juniper Networks offers a comprehensive range of products, solutions and services that tackle this challenge from a networking perspective. Juniper Networks Connected Security helps organisations to safeguard users, applications, and infrastructure, unifying all the network elements into a threat-aware network. It dynamically enforces security policies across every point of connection.

Undeniably, the onset of the pandemic and

subsequent lockdowns country to country was initially a surprise as it was for everyone. But we quickly pivoted to helping our customers adjust their networks in line with changing business priorities secure and reliable home working at scale, for example.

Overall, we have seen huge interest in our automation portfolio across routing, switching and security. The ability to automate routine process within the network is a very powerful tool – for example, being able to automatically push regular security updates across the infrastructure without the risk of human error.

The AI-driven enterprise is a related area that many of our customers are also seizing, bridging the gaps between the network, applications, security, devices and ultimately deliver high quality user experiences.

Network visibility is an important issue that security teams have struggled with. With each new connection, risk increases – especially when it comes to IoT devices. Not all connected devices can run secure operating systems, be patched, or run endpoint agents.

With a huge percentage of the workforce suddenly working at home and services that once ran on dedicated secure networks having to operate outdoors and in remote locations, there is much more opportunity to introduce risk. This is primarily due to increased network traffic, which attracts attackers who are ready to take advantage of the chaos.

Extending visibility and enforcement to every point of connection on the network is essential. Customers do not have to own the device or the application to secure it. Let the network do that. This is the premise of Juniper Connected Security; security starts with the network.ë

YAROB SAKHNINI,

Vice President, Emerging Market, EMEA, Juniper Networks.

The onset of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns country to country was initially a surprise as it was for everyone

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COVER STORY

VMWARE

CLOUD READY ORGANISATIONS RIDE THROUGH PANDEMIC Some organisations in the region had already embarked on their transformation journeys and the pandemic demonstrated how critical it is to transform.

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he IT industry performed a vital role in helping governments, businesses and society in general to continue functioning as normally as possible during the challenging and unexpected events of 2020, and it is a credit to the IT industry that many people believe these new working practices are here to stay. Many organisations in the region had already embarked on their digital transformation journeys and COVID19 demonstrated just how critical it is for organisations to transform.

Organisations that adopted a cloud-first approach had greater agility to respond to the sudden changes that we experienced in 2020.

They were able to scale their IT capacity up or

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down quickly and easily, and they were better positioned to provide their employees with flexible, secure, remote working opportunities.

They were also better placed to launch modern applications to engage with customers and tap new opportunities, even during the most challenging of times.

VMware experienced growth in the Middle East, Turkey and North Africa region in 2020.

One of VMware’s key successes in 2020 was to establish a new office in Cairo, which is helping to expand the company’s presence in North Africa. The facility already has about 150 staff who are helping the country drive digital transformation across a range of sectors, including government, telco, education, healthcare, and

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industry, in line with the Egyptian government’s ambitious Vision 2030 agenda.

VMware also deepened its ties with academic institutions in the region to help boost ICT skills among young people. In late 2019, VMware and Egypt’s National Telecommunication Institute signed an agreement to establish NTI as the VMware IT Academy regional lead for the Middle East and Africa. The initiative is now helping to train the next generation of ICT instructors and university students, helping organisations in Egypt digitally transform and embrace a future based on a cloud-ready infrastructure approach.

VMware also helped key sectors such as healthcare and education respond to the chal-

COVER STORY

AHMED AUDA,

Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and North Africa, VMware.

VMware helped key sectors such as healthcare and education respond to the challenges presented by Covid-19

Organisations that adopted a cloud-first approach had greater agility to respond to sudden changes experienced in 2020 lenges presented by COVID-19. For example, the American Hospital Dubai, a premier private healthcare provider in the Middle East, deployed a digital platform that enabled it to transform a hotel into an operational, 390-bed field hospital for COVID-19 patients, including secure access to the main hospital IT services.

Like every organisation, VMware and its employees had to adapt its working practices to the new normal. While we already had the technology and flexible working policies in place to make the transition, there was still a period of learning as everyone became accustomed to working away from the office.

The senior team also had to adapt quickly to working with customer through a combination of flexible and face-to-face meetings. The team learned a lot and is now well placed to move into 2021 with a distributed working model.

In the METNA region, VMware saw significant growth of solutions that enable distributed working practices. As mentioned, there was strong demand for WorkSpace One, which enables organisations to manage a distributed workforce securely and effectively.

The solution integrates access control, application management and multi-platform endpoint management into a single platform and is available as a cloud service or on-premises deployment, which has helped organisations gain the business continuity they required amid the global pandemic.

There was also strong demand for cloudready network solutions which enable organisations to seamlessly increase or reduce their network and compute capacity. This proved

invaluable in the case of healthcare providers looking to establish emergency wards to cope with potential rises in patient numbers during the pandemic.

The key lesson from 2020 was to expect the unexpected and be prepared for all eventualities. Of course, some verticals have been hit much harder than others by COVID-19, but what is common across almost all sectors is that by embracing cloud and cloud-ready solutions, organisations gain a huge amount of flexibility and efficiency.

Organisations that adopt a digital foundation with consistent infrastructure and operations across all types of cloud, whether public, private or hybrid, will be able to accelerate their pace of innovation by developing new modern apps and modernising existing apps and infrastructure to launch new services and serve customers better.

Another big lesson in 2020 relates to the workforce. One of the main impacts of the pandemic was to push millions of people to work from home. It was a steep learning curve for many organisations and individuals, with concerns around security, access to systems and data, management oversight, and productivity.

The future workforce is an area of expertise for VMware and we commissioned research on the subject to gain insights into the impact of this dramatic move towards distributed workforces globally, and the findings were fascinating. Indeed, in the UAE the research revealed a 48% increase in the proportion of employees who see remote working as a prerequisite rather than a perk.

Furthermore, 62% of UAE respondents recognise that their organisation is realising the benefits of remote work and cannot go back to the way they used to be. Despite this, there is a concern that company leadership and management are not putting in the work to adapt in offering their employees greater choice and flexibility.

For example, 43% of decision makers in UAE worry their team will not stay on task when working remotely, and almost a quarter 24% feel their boardroom culture discourages remote working. Meanwhile, 65% feel more pressure to be online outside of normal working hours.

All this tells us that company directors and management teams need to look carefully at their remote and flexible working policies to ensure their distributed workforce is happy, content and productive, and that the policies put in place work in everyone’s favour.

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Phone: +971-4-8863850 E-mail: info@asbisme.ae www.asbisme.ae

SPECIAL REPORT

REVIEW

A summary and overview of the top happenings across the regional IT industry in the last twelve months.

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JANUARY

REVIEW ETISALAT LAUNCHES UAE’S FIRST BUSINESS UNIFIED COMMUNICATION SERVICE

ERICSSON SWEDEN BRIEFS OMAN DELEGATION ON 5G BEST PRACTICES As part of the collaborations between Ericsson and the Oman Telecom Regulatory Authority, TRA, Ericsson hosted a TRA delegation at its headquarters in Sweden to highlight global best practices and outline how 5G will foster new business and market opportunities in Oman.

A key aim of the event was to share information about Swedish regulatory as well as shed light on next-generation technologies and Ericsson services. As a 5G technology provider, Ericsson has worked closely with mobile operators around the world in the development of 5G, through standardisation, trials, and prototyping.

Ericsson’s standalone 5G solutions ensure super-fast response times as well as the future-readiness of the network architecture, opening up new service-creation opportunities. The new solutions extend network capacity and coverage, enabling smooth network evolution, and facilitating new consumer and industry use cases.

Etisalat announced the launch of a first-of-a-kind cloud-based business unified communication and collaboration service for small and medium businesses and enterprise customers in the UAE. Etisalat announced the launch of a first-of-a-kind cloud-based business unified communication and collaboration service for small and medium businesses and enterprise customers in the UAE. Etisalat has partnered with Ribbon Communications to provide customers with a secure, scalable, and cloud-native business communication and collaboration solution. Etisalat’s CloudTalk offers customers an integrated communication solution for their internal and external communication and collaboration needs.

The service is delivered over a carrier-grade cloud private branch exchange, PBX, replacing the legacy setups. Transformation is rapid and performance is optimum with minimal time needed for deployment. The pay-as-yougrow model gives customers the flexibility to work in multi-channel communication environments, minimising upfront investments and focusing on productivity rather than infrastructure.

The state-of-the-art features contribute to an elevated user experience leading to better productivity

JUNIPER NETWORKS HOLDS RIYADH SUMMIT ON AUTOMATION Complexity is at the heart of the most difficult networking problems

ALHOKAIR MOVES TO AWS TO ACCELERATE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Juniper Networks successfully completed its Riyadh Summit on 25 November at the Voco Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Close to 150 IT decision makers and industry executives attended the event. The half day event focused on simplifying networking through software defined applications, automating networking and security decision making, and the integration of artificial intelligence tools.

BTC Networks, Nutanix and GEC Media Group were the event partners and the organising partners, respectively.

According to Juniper Networks’, complexity is at the heart of the most difficult networking problems. To simplify this, end customers must always start with reengineering their networks. Network is the point where technology and people meet, and where results can be amazing.

Technical presentations were made on Enterprise Multi-cloud, AI for IT, and Connected Security. These discussions were led by Haitham Saif, System Engineering Manager META, Juniper Networks; Refat Al Karmi, Consulting Engineer MIST, Juniper Networks; and Mohammed Alwaheidi, Senior System Engineer Saudi Arabia, Juniper Networks.

Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair, one of the largest franchise retailers in Saudi Arabia, MENA, Central Asia and Caucasus regions, has announced that it is moving the vast majority of its technology infrastructure to Amazon Web Services, AWS, to empower the company with the most advanced cloud technologies to serve the customers better.

This cloud transformation will observe the company moving its last on-premises data centre to the AWS Cloud by the end of this year 2019 to accelerate its overall digital transformation strategy. Alhokair is working with AWS Advanced Consulting Partner Computer World International to support the migration and continued adoption of AWS services.

Earlier this year, Alhokair, whose brand portfolio includes over 75+ brands , developed an IT infrastructure and cloud strategy, and Marwan Makarzel, CEO of the company said that this strategy is focused on helping the business adapt to the fast changing retail industry that today is omni channel and catering to a digitally connected consumer base. The company chose AWS as its preferred cloud provider because of its agility and breadth of services.

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JANUARY

REVIEW NUTANIX ATTAINS CHAMPION STATUS IN CANALYS EMEA CHANNEL LEADERSHIP MATRIX Nutanix has announced it has achieved Champion status in the 2019 Canalys EMEA Channel Leadership Matrix and is the highest-ranked hyper-converged infrastructure company in channel management throughout EMEA, according to the study.

Canalys observes that this year’s Champions span a broad spectrum of technologies, including PCs, networking, data centre infrastructure, software and security. However, they exhibit some common characteristics. They all show improvements in channel processes to drive simplicity and ease of doing business; they prioritise investments in partner profitability and business models; and demonstrate a commitment to maintaining or growing the share of revenue generated through partners.

All of the Champions generate the majority of revenue through partners, but crucially are supported by a channel-led (rather than a channel neutral) sales approach. This tends to be reflected in the importance given to channel management functions at a corporate level, and internal sales cultures that recognise the value of partners to the vendor’s success.

Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Avaya International and Dr Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology

EGYPT’S ICT MINISTER DISCUSSES DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE NATION Dr Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, this week met with Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Avaya International, with both affirming their commitment to the country’s digital transformation.

The two discussed topics ranging from a software development centre opened by Avaya, which will create an environment that supports innovation through locally sourced research and talent, to a new qualification programme for the latest smart platforms and Avaya technologies, which will be rolled out in cooperation with the National Institute for Communications Regulation and the ITTi Institute.

Dr Talaat remarked on the importance that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology places on cooperating with major international companies specialised in next-generation technology solutions. At the meeting, he said that the country’s partnership with Avaya contributes to the building a Digital Egypt, stressing that digital transformation is essential to improving the quality of government services the country’s productive capacity.

Abou-Ltaif added that he looks forward to further cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Digital transformation is essential to improving the quality of government services the country’s productive capacity

Business PC demand has led to unit growth in five of the last seven quarters - MIKAKO KITAGAWA,

Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner.

GARTNER REPORTS GROWTH FOR GLOBAL PC SHIPMENTS AFTER SEVEN YEARS OF DECLINE Worldwide PC shipments totalled 70.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2019, a 2.3% increase from the fourth quarter of 2018, according to preliminary results by Gartner. For the year, 2019 PC shipments surpassed 261 million units, showing 0.6% growth from 2018.

The PC market experienced growth for the first time since 2011, driven by vibrant business demand for Windows 10 upgrades, particularly in the US, EMEA and Japan. Gartner expects this growth to continue through this year even after Windows 7 support comes to an end this month, as many businesses in emerging regions such as China, Eurasia and the emerging Asia/ Pacific have not yet upgraded.

Contrasted against the ongoing weakness in consumer PC demand, business PC demand has led to unit growth in five of the last seven quarters.

The ongoing Intel CPU shortage, which began mid-last year, became a major issue again on PC delivery to enterprise customers by the top three vendors.

Without this shortage, shipments would have grown faster than the reported results.

Despite these chip constraints, the top three vendors increased their combined market share through 2019 to the highest level since Gartner began tracking PC data. Lenovo, HP and Dell accounted for nearly 65% of PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2019, up from just more than 61% in the fourth quarter of 2018.

HCT AND ORACLE TO TRAIN STUDENTS IN AI AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

The Higher Colleges of Technology, HCT, the UAE’s largest applied higher education institution, will partner with Oracle in a ground-breaking initiative, to educate and train students in the field of AI and emerging technologies, after a MoU was signed by the parties.

The agreement was signed by Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi, HCT President and CEO in the presence of Dr Mohammed Baka, CEO of the Centre of Applied Research and Training, CERT, Arun Khehar, Senior Vice President Business Applications, Middle East, Africa and India, and Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, Senior Vice President, Technology for Oracle in the Middle East and Africa.

Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi, HCT President and CEO, said the agreement aims to enhance cooperation with Oracle, which is at the forefront of AI and emerging technologies, and complements previous, successful MoUs between HCT/ CERT and Oracle which saw 500 Emirati students across HCT campuses trained in emerging technologies including AI, Machine Learning, Blockchain and Internet of Things. He added that Oracle will become a Technology Partner for the AI Skills Academy and impart training to government sector employees in innovation technologies, as well as facilitate boot camps for 1,000 HCT students during the term of the agreement. The digital economy is here and it is imperative to start training next gen workforce in latest cloud technologies for them to succeed in a hyper connected environment.

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FEBRUARY

REVIEW RING LAUNCHES ITS MOST AFFORDABLE SECURITY CAMERA IN THE UAE

SEAGATE’S HAMR AND MACH.2 SET TO PUSH CAPACITIES BEYOND 20TB Seagate’s MACH.2 Multi Actuator technology has enabled the company to set a new hard drive speed record, demonstrating up to 480MB/s sustained throughput, the fastest ever. Seagate recently introduced its MACH.2 Multi Actuator technology in the world’s first dual actuator hard drives, for customer testing prior to productisation.

Seagate’s advanced engineering team also announced a breakthrough in the demonstrated reliability of its HAMR, Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording, technology hard drives. Seagate revealed that its HAMR read/write heads have achieved unprecedented results in long-term reliability tests that surpass customer requirements by a factor of 20.

Philippe Vaillant, Engineering Manager for Europe, Seagate Technology, notes that the whole idea for MACH 2 is to increase the performance at the drive level. A drive can deliver roughly 200 IOPS per TB and functionally for enterprise applications there is a need to provide a minimum of 10 IOPS per TB. In order to increase the IOPS in the simplest way is to add another actuator. By doubling the number of actuators, Seagate can IOPS twofold. In short, the company designed the MACH 2 for customers who have IOPS-per-terabyte quality-of-service requirements that can no longer be met by single-actuator drives.

Seagate’s new technology has enabled the company to set a new hard drive speed record STARLINK TO DISTRIBUTE MITEL SOLUTIONS IN THE MEA REGION

StarLink, a Value-Added-Distributor, VAD, in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region has announced signing of MEA distribution partnership with Mitel, a global market leader in Cloud Communication and UC. Mitel delivers all-in-one communications, collaborations and contact centre solutions that organisations, be it small businesses or large enterprises, can either own or subscribe. With the cloud solution, Mitel has successfully helped organisations modernise their business communications, drive efficiencies, enjoy greater mobility, support a distributed workforce and access emerging technologies like AI and IoT. With more choices, cost-effective pricing and incentives, Mitel customers can migrate to the cloud at their own pace and get the right solution set that meets their unique business requirements.

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Ring has announced the company’s first-ever indoor-only security camera.

Ring Indoor Cam is Ring’s most affordable camera yet, available for just AED 249 including VAT. With its compact design, the new Ring Indoor Cam can be mounted just about anywhere in the home and features up to 1080p HD video, motion zones, night vision, two-way talk, and motion-activated recording. The device also includes privacy features that enable users to disable motion and audio recording right from the app, and an indicator light that displays whenever the camera is recording.

Ring also announced the third-generation Ring Stick Up Cam, the most versatile of the company’s cameras is now available. The new Stick Up Cam can be installed indoors or outdoors and comes in two power options: Plug-In, AED 399 including VAT, and Battery, AED 399 including VAT. Featuring up to 1080p HD video, motion detection, night vision, two-way talk, and a wide viewing angle, Stick Up Cam provides flexible home security and privacy wherever it’s needed most.

Since 2015, Huawei has received more than $1.4 billion dollars in patent license fees -DR SONG LIUPING,

Huawei’s Chief Legal Officer.

HUAWEI SUES VERIZON FOR USE OF PATENTED TECHNOLOGY Huawei has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Verizon in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. The company is seeking compensation for Verizon’s use of patented technology that is protected by 12 of Huawei’s US patents.

Verizon’s products and services have benefited from patented technology that Huawei developed over many years of research and development, claimed Dr Song Liuping, Huawei’s Chief Legal Officer.

As a communications equipment and smart device provider, Huawei re-invests 10% to 15% of its revenue in R&D each year. The company has spent more than $70 billion US dollars on R&D in the past decade, which has resulted in more than 80,000 patents worldwide, including over 10,000 patents in the United States alone. These innovations are not just the cornerstone of Huawei’s own success; they are also widely used by companies around the world, delivering value both in the United States and elsewhere.

Since 2015, Huawei has received more than $1.4 billion dollars in patent license fees. To date, it has also paid over $6 billion dollars for the legitimate use of patented technologies developed by industry peers. 80% of these license fees have gone to companies in the United States.

FEBRUARY

REVIEW CYBERKNIGHT EXPANDS TO THE MIDDLE EAST CyberKnight Technologies hosted an official reception to announce the launch of its operations in the Middle East. The event took place at the Radisson Blu Media City on the 29th of January, in the presence of the CyberKnight’s leadership team and over 40 industry stakeholders including Vendors, Channel Partners and local Media Partners. During the reception, CyberKnight’s innovative Art of Cybersecurity Distribution concept, as well as, its Zero Trust Security, ZTX, Framework were unveiled.

CyberKnight Technologies, a company founded in 2019, is a cybersecurity value-added-distributor, VAD, headquartered in Dubai, covering the Middle East with on-the-ground presence in Saudi Arabia and all key Middle East markets. The ZTX framework incorporates emerging and important cybersecurity solutions that protect the entire attack surface, by leveraging AI, to help security teams at enterprise and government customers fortify breach detection, accelerate incident response and remediation, while addressing regulatory compliance.

-ROB WALTERS,

General Manager of Storage-as-a-Service, Pure Storage.

PURE JOINS ANTHOS READY STORAGE INITIATIVE Pure Storage has joined Google Cloud’s Anthos Ready Storage Initiative, having demonstrated that its solutions for data storage and data can be confidently deployed on the Anthos platform across hybrid environments. This news expands on Pure’s partnership with Google Cloud to help customers modernise existing applications and build new ones on a simple, scalable and reliable platform. With seamless integrations between Google Cloud’s open platform and Pure’s all-flash storage, organisations can now invest confidently in custom-engineered solutions built specifically to drive multi-cloud strategy and enable a modern data experience.

Anthos is an open hybrid and multi-cloud application platform that provides consistent development and operations experience across cloud and on-premises environments. As a qualified Anthos partner, Pure’s Container Storage Interface driver-based solution will allow customers to seamlessly deliver storage as-a-service to their containerised applications on the Google Anthos on-premises platform. With Pure Service Orchestrator from Pure Storage, mutual customers can now extend the simplicity, scalability and reliability of the Google Anthos platform all the way down to the storage layer.

Anthos Ready Storage designates partner solutions qualified by Google Cloud to meet the requirements defined for applicable solution categories. The Anthos Ready Storage Initiative is reserved for companies optimised to work with Google Cloud’s Anthos by fulfilling the requirements for the applicable solution category, and are invited by Google Cloud to participate in the Anthos Ready Partner Initiative.

(left to right) Arafat Yousef of Nexans and Bahaa Salah of Ingram Micro.

IFS PARTNERS WITH OMAN ICT GROUP TO DEVELOP ICT SECTOR The Oman ICT Group is mandated to create synergies between various operating companies IFS, a global enterprise applications company, has announced the signing of a new agreement with Oman ICT Group. The partnership will help the Oman ICT Group achieve its key strategic objectives of developing the ICT sector for national advancement and includes Omanisation. It creates the path and provides a competitive IFS ERP solution into the Oman market while upskilling Omani consultants. Customers in Oman will now have a choice of an easy to deploy solution either on premise or in the Cloud and benefit from a low total cost of ownership.

The Oman ICT Group is mandated to create synergies between various operating companies, and is aligned with the National ICT Strategy to provide the necessary technology inputs whenever and wherever required.

The partnership with IFS is focused on bridging the gap between the way business is done and technology, while preparing for the changes that are taking place within the world of digital transformation. What is important is that IFS is able to provide flexible and tailor-made solutions across a wide range of sectors including, Aerospace and Defence, Energy, Utility and Resources, Engineering, Construction and Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Service industries. This covers some of the most vital sectors in Oman.

P&O MARITIME LOGISTICS USES ARUBA SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE OFFSHORE IOT P&O Maritime Logistics, formerly Topaz Energy and Marine, a provider of marine solutions with a focus on offshore energy and port services and logistics, has updated its wired and wireless infrastructure with technology from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.

In addition to campus edge switches and Aruba Central, a cloud-based management and monitoring solution, P&O Maritime Logistics has also deployed Aruba Wi-Fi access points. This network overhaul has resulted in simplified management of network policies and procedures across its offices and 110 offshore vessels. In addition to realising full project return on investment in 12 months, the project has also enabled the P&O Maritime Logistics IT team to develop mobility apps that enhance crew productivity.

Headquartered in Dubai, P&O Maritime Logistics provides a wide portfolio of services to its customers, such as offshore and port services and integrated logistics. The company operates a large fleet and has a presence on all seven continents.

The network overhaul has resulted in simplified management of network policies across 110 offshore vessels.

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REVIEW -REEM ASAAD,

Vice President, Cisco Middle East and Africa.

$8 million in cash and $210 million in product will go directly towards global Covid-19 response efforts CISCO COMMITS $225 MILLION TO GLOBAL COVID-19 RESPONSE Cisco Chairman and CEO, Chuck Robbins has announced the company’s efforts to combat the impact of Covid-19, by supporting a range of global and local initiatives.

Cisco is committing $225 million in cash, in-kind, and plannedgiving to support causes and is also rallying its 77,000-strong employee network to work alongside community partners on the frontlines during the time of need.

Of the total sum, $8 million in cash and $210 million in product is going directly towards global Covid-19 response efforts, with a focus on delivering resources to key sectors, including health, education, government response and critical technology. Part of this number will also go towards the United Nations’ Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, supporting the World Health Organisation’s focus on preventing, detecting and managing the spread of Covid-19.

Through its Country Digital Acceleration programme, partnerships with local stakeholders to fast-track national digitisation agendas, Cisco is also providing funding for heads of state, government agencies and businesses to rapidly deploy Covid-19 related technology solutions.

Cisco’s CDA programme is currently running in select countries, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where the company is working closely with the government and local institutions to transform industries, including healthcare.

HPE BRINGS HPE CONTAINER PLATFORM TO THE UAE Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HPE, has announced that the HPE Container Platform, unveiled in November 2019, is now generally available. The HPE Container Platform is the industry’s first enterprisegrade container platform designed to support both cloud-native and non-cloud-native applications using 100% open source Kubernetes running on bare-metal or virtual machines, VMs, in the data centre, on any public cloud, or at the edge. In addition, HPE is introducing new professional services to ensure faster time-to-value and several new reference configurations for data-intensive application workloads such as AI, machine learning, deep learning, data analytics, edge computing, and Internet of Things.

Many organisations started their container journey with stateless workloads that are easier to transition to a cloud-native microservices architecture. However, the majority of business applications today are monolithic, stateful, and non-cloud-native workloads that live throughout the enterprise. Organisations seek to modernise and containerise these applications without significant refactoring, while ensuring production-grade security and persistent data storage.

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MICROSOFT BOOSTS PRESENCE IN THE UAE WITH FASTTRACK FOR AZURE The move comes in less than a year after Microsoft launched two data centres in the UAE Microsoft has announced its FastTrack for Azure programme that will enable enterprises across the UAE to further accelerate their digital transformation journeys by migrating to the cloud.

FastTrack for Azure is a customer success programme that enables the rapid, effective design and deployment of cloud solutions. With tailored guidance from Microsoft’s Azure engineers, customers will now be able to migrate to the intelligent cloud with agility and ease, receiving support for Windows Server, SQL Server and SAP, as well as the modernisation of enterprise apps and the delivery of advanced data analytics. The move comes in less than a year after Microsoft launched two data centres in the UAE, one in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai, to serve the Middle East market’s increasing appetite for digital transformation.

Many UAE enterprises, across sectors, have already begun taken advantage of FastTrack for Azure. These include Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, Al Yahsat- A Mubadala company, Department of Culture and Tourism, Dubai Tourism, Dubai South among others.

-DR NOURA AL DHAHERI,

Head of Digitalisation Cluster at Abu Dhabi Ports and CEO of Maqta Gateway.

MAQTA GATEWAY LAUNCHES INDUSTRIAL ZONE SERVICES TO OPTIMISE PROCESSES Maqta Gateway, developer and operator of the first Port Community System in the UAE and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports has announced the launch of Industrial Zone Services through its pioneering Single Window platform, in partnership with ZonesCorp, the UAE’s largest operator of purpose-built Economic zones.

A development that comes in continuation of Maqta Gateway’s achievements throughout the past five years, in providing services to companies including KIZAD, Abu Dhabi Terminals, CSP Abu Dhabi Port Container Terminal, COSCO, Autoterminal Khalifa Port and SAFEEN, Abu Dhabi Marine Services, in addition to partnering with The General Administration of Customs in Abu Dhabi to provide digital customs services across sea ports.

The new partnership aims to eliminate the need for customers to visit ZonesCorp Service Centres in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to conduct processes and transactions, eliminating more than 150,000 physical trips annually.

Through the Single Window platform, customers will now be able to process multiple services and requests digitally, including: inquiries on contracts and investments, information on worker residential cities, work permits and residency services.

MARCH

REVIEW -SHEKAR AYYAR,

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Telco and Edge Cloud, VMware.

VMWARE OFFERS NEW CORE, EDGE AND RAN OFFERINGS VMware has showcased how communications service providers, CSPs, across the world, including Millicom, Singtel, Telecom Italia, Telia Company and TIM Brasil, are adopting VMware’s Telco Cloud platform to accelerate time to revenue, automate service lifecycle, and simplify operations management. The company also unveiled new capabilities across its Telco and Edge Cloud product portfolio, including innovations to its telco cloud core, edge and RAN offerings.

VMware’s Network Functions Virtualisation platform is relied upon by more than 100 operators to deliver their telecom services to 800 million subscribers globally. Today, several customers highlighted why they chose VMware’s Telco Cloud platform as the foundation for their digital transformation.

VMware Telco Cloud Automation helps CSPs accelerate time to revenue: Accelerate service time-to-revenue with a simplified, vendor-neutral and standard-compliant approach for designing and onboarding virtual network functions, cloud native network functions, or network services. Also automate operations with multi-cloud agility: Define and apply policies using a comprehensive decision engine to automate day zero through more complex day two operations.

LIMELIGHT NETWORKS BOOSTS EGRESS CAPACITY TO SUPPORT GROWTH IN ONLINE TRAFFIC Since January 2019, Limelight has increased egress capacity to over 70 terabits per second with 130 points-of-presence Limelight Networks has announced it has increased its network egress capacity by more than 70% to support the growth of online traffic and the needs of customers in the Middle East. The additional capacity has been implemented in an environmentally sensitive manner, setting a new standard for more energy efficient content delivery solutions, and is in response to the growing need from end-users in the Middle East, underpinned by exponential growth in digital services, covering media and entertainment.

Since January 2019, Limelight has increased egress capacity to over 70 terabits per second with 130 points-of-presence. Limelight’s expansion, along with the Ericsson Edge Gravity initiative, added new content delivery capabilities in service provider networks.

As part of the Middle East expansion strategy, Limelight’s strategic initiatives for 2020 include upgrading their regional infrastructure with POPs located in Bagdad, Beirut, Istanbul and Dubai and opening eight additional POPs in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah), Kuwait City, Baghdad and Beirut this year. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority,

DEWA MIGRATES ON-PREMISE SAP LANDSCAPE TO MORO The move is one of the largest of its kind globally. Nearly 250,000 man-hours were spent

DEWA, has migrated its on-premise SAP landscape to Data Hub Integrated Solutions, Moro, to realise innovation, cost efficiency, scalability, speed, and resiliency. This is one of the world’s largest migrations for SAP HEC in the utilities sector. It is also one of the largest data migrations across all industries at the EMEA level.

The project consists of two parts: the migration of on-premise landscape to SAP HEC and the managed services by Moro Hub. DEWA collaborated with Moro Hub and several international IT vendors including SAP, EY and Virtustream to complete the project. DEWA’s SAP landscape consists of 24 SAP modules including business-critical systems like Business Suite on Hana, CRM, SRM, PO, Business Intelligence, Fiori and complex integration along with external entities and third-party systems.

The move is one of the largest of its kind globally. Nearly 250,000 manhours were spent, with more than 150 specialists from DEWA, Moro Hub, EY, SAP and Virtustream working on the project. The project transferred over 100 terabytes of data from 101 systems and tested more than 28,370 business transactions. This migration aims to offer better business support to all DEWA stakeholders; as Moro Hub manages all its information technology operations, IT support, data management, monitoring operational efficiency, maintaining the highest security standards and state-of-the-art technologies in data centres as well as providing support around the clock.

SENTINELONE OFFER FREE PLATFORM ACCESS TO HELP MITIGATE COVID-19 RISKS

-TOMER WEINGARTEN, CEO and Co-founder, SentinelOne.

SentinelOne, an autonomous cybersecurity platform company, has announced that it is making SentinelOne Core available free of charge, enabling enterprises to secure remote work as the world combats COVID19. SentinelOne will be available for free beginning Monday, March 16 through Friday, May 16, 2020, protecting enterprises of all sizes with AIpowered cloud native technology that autonomously identifies and defeats cyberattacks – deployable in seconds.

SentinelOne’s cloud-based platform seamlessly scales, making it well suited to protect both businesses and employees rapidly transitioning to a work-from-home environment, whether they are using corporate or personal devices.

SentinelOne is offering businesses as many licenses as they need, without limits. This timely offering immediately puts invaluable resources at security professionals’ disposal during a period of significant disruption.

Many cybercrime groups are capitalising on COVID-19 concerns to deliver new malware payloads and test new techniques. SentinelOne’s patented ActiveEDR allows security teams to quickly understand the context and root cause behind any potential intrusion and autonomously respond, providing a critical service to cybersecurity professionals trying to navigate a difficult period full of workplace upheaval that can easily result in new vulnerabilities. With the vast majority of the workforce changing its habits, securing the world’s commerce, communications, and creativity has never been more critical.

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APRIL

REVIEW IBM ANNOUNCES SEVERAL NEW WATSON TECHNOLOGIES The new technologies represent the first commercialisation of key NLP capabilities from IBM -KEVIN SAMUELSON, CEO of Infor.

KOCH INDUSTRIES COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF INFOR Koch Industries announced that it has completed the acquisition of the remaining portion of Infor from Golden Gate Capital. Infor has been a key component of Koch’s technological transformation. Koch companies have made more than $26 billion in technology-related investments in the past six years, transforming a global portfolio of businesses spanning multiple industries. In addition to being an investor since 2017, Koch has been a key customer, implementing Infor solutions across its businesses in areas like enterprise resource planning, human resources, supply chain, asset management and finance.

The acquisition brings new key capabilities to Koch to accelerate digital transformation, while providing Infor with resources and industry knowledge to continue growing its expertise in mission critical software for industries like manufacturing, retail and distribution, among others.

Additionally, Infor’s industry-leading Healthcare Operations Platform and Interoperability Solutions extend Koch’s involvement in healthcare, where Koch companies are already engaged in connected device manufacturing, medical product purification, and hospital supplies.

IBM has announced several new IBM Watson technologies designed to help organisations begin identifying, understanding and analysing some of the most challenging aspects of the English language with greater clarity, for greater insights. The new technologies represent the first commercialisation of key Natural Language Processing capabilities to come from IBM Research’s Project Debater, the only AI system capable of debating humans on complex topics. For example, a new advanced sentiment analysis feature is defined to identify and analyse idioms and colloquialisms for the first time. Phrases, like ‘hardly helpful,’ or ‘hot under the collar,’ have been challenging for AI systems because they are difficult for algorithms to spot. With advanced sentiment analysis, businesses can begin analysing such language data with Watson APIs for a more holistic understanding of their operation.

Further, IBM is bringing technology from IBM Research for understanding business documents, such as PDF’s and contracts, to also add to their AI models.

IBM has announced that it will integrate Project Debater technologies into Watson throughout the year, with a focus on advancing clients’ ability to exploit natural language: Advanced Sentiment Analysis. IBM has enhanced sentiment analysis to be able to better identify and understand complicated word schemes like idioms and so called, sentiment shifters.

D-LINK MIDDLE EAST ADDRESSES DEMAND FOR REMOTE MANAGEMENT D-Link Middle East, the regional networking connoisseur, is catering to the market’s demand with its innovative Nuclias Connect and Nuclias Cloud Remote Network Management Solutions. The pioneering remote work solutions portfolio enables SMBs and large enterprises across retail, education and hospitality, as well as Managed Service Providers, to deploy professional-grade networks from anywhere and anytime, alleviating physical space constraints.

Digital workspaces are increasingly becoming the norm, albeit the demand is unfortunately being fuelled by a global crisis such as Covid-19. That being said, the move to digitalisation is inevitable, and this calamity has further made organisations realise the significance of digital and remote working practices.

D-Link had introduced its Nuclias Solutions portfolio earlier this year at CES 2020. The intuitive suite of solutions is designed to assist and enable remote learning and working. Never before have IT administrators set up, automated, monitored and scaled wireless networks so effortlessly. Convenience, cost-effectiveness and ease of use make the solutions ideal for onboarding, studying, troubleshooting as well as monitoring and reporting network activity quickly and easily.

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-SYED ABID ALI, Co-Founder and CCO, PhishRod.

SPECTRAMI SIGNS DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH PHISHROD Spectrami, a regional Value Added Distributor announced signing of a distribution agreement with PhishRod, a global anti phishing solution provider. The partnership would leverage on the best of breed phishing defence capabilities of PhishRod with strong technical and value-added services from Spectrami across the region.

PhishRod recently launched their Automated Phishing Defence and Orchestrated Response platform that will allow organisations to instantly analyse suspicious emails through built-in intelligence feeds, quarantine and ultimately delete them from the end user mailboxes through an orchestrated response.

The capability to thwart phishing attacks along with modules for Phishing Simulation, Security Awareness Automation and Policy Compliance is completely in-line with PhishRod vision to provide pre-emptive defence capabilities against phishing attacks by integrating people, processes and technology.

APRIL

REVIEW HUAWEI SHOWCASES LATEST DETERMINISTIC NETWORKING 5G SOLUTIONS Digital transformation requires differentiated, dedicated, and self-service networks

SIEMON LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO SOLVE DATA CENTRE CHALLENGES Operators are often under immense pressure to expand data centre capacities or rapidly deploy new facilities Siemon has announced a new WheelHouse Interactive Data Centre Guide designed to help managed service providers, MSPs, data centre owners and operators identify the right Siemon solutions for solving common data centre problems. The new interactive guide is a visually appealing, easy-to-use web-based and mobile-friendly platform that guides users through a data centre space where they can select from the key challenges facing data centre professionals today.

Users can then delve into specific Siemon solutions, such as cabling and connectivity options, cabinets and infrastructure management tools that help them meet that particular need. With the growing demand for computing power, operators are often under immense pressure to expand data centre capacities or rapidly deploy new facilities to bring services online as quickly as possible. Siemon’s V-Built pre-configured cabinets can significantly speed up the expansion process because they are pre-assembled with connectivity and components and can be deployed at a much faster rate than traditional cabinets.

Equally, mitigating risk to prevent data centre outages and subsequent losses in revenue requires protection both from internal and external threats. Siemon’s Automated Infrastructure Management solution provides real-time monitoring of all physical layer moves, adds and changes and reports any unauthorised events.

PURE STORAGE, SAP PARTNER TO ENABLE WORKLOADS ON FLASHARRAY Pure Storage has announced that it has achieved the platinum level in the SAP PartnerEdge programme and is an SAP global technology partner. Pure Storage’s FlashArray product, certified for SAP HANA, provides significant value to customers and service providers running mission critical SAP workloads.

This expansion of Pure’s partnership with SAP will help customers drive better business outcomes through joint technical support, competency centres and deeper technology integrations between the two companies in areas of intelligent enterprise, SAP S/4HANA, cloud computing, storage and virtualisation.

Huawei held a press conference online to showcase its latest products and solutions under the theme of 5G Bring New Value. At the conference, Huawei revealed its latest progress on the deterministic networking oriented 5G core network solution. Pivoting on the key concept of Cloud Native, One Core, Real-time Operation, and Edge Computing, the solution provides differentiated services and deterministic experience, ushering in a new era of 5G business. The accelerated commercial launch of 5G worldwide will unleash the potential of industry digitisation to create new opportunities for operators to grow.

Digital transformation requires differentiated, dedicated, and self-service networks, that is, deterministic network capabilities. 5G deterministic networking leverages 5G network resources to build manageable, verifiable, and deterministic virtual private mobile networks, offering customers a predictable and differentiated service experience. The core network is the key to achieving 5G deterministic networking.

Huawei’s deterministic networking oriented 5G core network solution features the next-generation hyper-converged cloud platform E9000H+TCC and supports microservice-level full convergence. Its intelligent and simplified management system combines automated workflows and AI engine to deliver multi-dimensional dynamic network slicing. It adopts key technologies such as MEC and 5G LAN to build a connectivity+computing platform and mobile private networks.

INGRAM MICRO SIGNS DEAL TO DISTRIBUTE NEXANS LAN SOLUTIONS Nexans has announced that it has signed a value-added distribution agreement with Ingram Micro for the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Yemen. With this agreement, Ingram Micro is authorised to sell and promote Nexans’ entire portfolio of LAN solutions through its wide channel network in these countries.

Nexans selected Ingram Micro, as top global distributor, because of its strong base of system integration channel partners across the region. For Nexans, the ability of a channel partner to sell solutions meeting specific networking requirements of end customers, is key. Another reason for working together with Ingram Micro was its ability to ensure sufficient level of stocks, across the regional distribution of its channel partners.

Nexans offers an extensive range of cables and cabling systems. The company has been positioned as a high-end LAN infrastructure vendor that provides complete end-to-end solutions in both, copper and fibre to major customers in the enterprise market. The advanced technology and the complete end-to-end solution offering by Nexans, both differentiates the company from many other cabling vendors that focus on commodity market.

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REVIEW NETAPP INTRODUCES STORAGE AND DATA SERVICES PLATFORM FOR KUBERNETES

NetApp has introduced Project Astra, a vision for a software-defined platform that is currently in development with the Kubernetes community. Project Astra will deliver the industry’s most robust, easy-to-consume, enterprise-class storage and data services platform for Kubernetes that enables both application and data portability for stateful applications.

Although companies everywhere are rapidly adopting Kubernetes, many organisations lack reliable data and application services, and have difficulty making application data as portable as the applications themselves are in Kubernetes. Yet to meet the standards that CIOs expect, IT teams and site reliability engineers must find a way to store, govern, protect, and replicate the data for both stateless and stateful cloud-native applications with enterprise-class cloud storage and data services.

Project Astra is being purpose-built for and in collaboration with Kubernetes developers and operations managers to help bridge the fundamental gap that exists between the popularity of containers today, the capabilities and user experience they require, and their ability to deliver true, comprehensive portability. NetApp’s vision for Project Astra is to enable companies to work seamlessly with their choice of Kubernetes distribution, on any cloud.

The new chips help employees stay connected, more productive, more secure INTEL’S NEW CHIPS FOCUS ON PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS Intel has introduced its new 10th Gen Intel Core vPro processors, built to power the next generation of business computing innovation for the increasingly remote workforce. The new mobile and desktop PC processors deliver increased productivity improvements, connectivity, security features, and remote manageability all to empower IT to deliver amazing experiences, helping employees stay connected, more productive, more secure and in the flow with minimal interruptions.

For more than a decade, the Intel vPro platform has empowered IT to help businesses, large and small, keep employees productive, help secure company assets and simplify fleet management. That dedication continues to expand through the latest Intel vPro platform, Powered by 10th Gen Intel Core vPro processors, to deliver uncompromised productivity, hardware-based security features, and a foundation for computing innovation.

Systems powered by the latest Intel vPro processors give workers the business-class performance and responsiveness they need to be productive, plus, integrated Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, which is the best Wi-Fi technology for video conferencing, more reliable performance, and manageability technologies to address new and emerging challenges for IT and users. All of this can be delivered on a range of form factors, from sleek, powerful, and modern devices based on Intel’s Project Athena innovation program to high-performing desktop designs.

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-EHAB DERBAS, VP Sales at CyberKnight.

The solution leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to detect advanced threats

CYBERKNIGHT TO DISTRIBUTE IRONNET’S COLLECTIVE DEFENCE AND NTA PRODUCTS According to Gartner, the global cost of cybercrime will increase and worldwide spending on cybersecurity is estimated to hit $133.7 billion in 2022.

The coronavirus outbreak has exacerbated the threat as organisations are faced with the challenge of keeping as many business-critical functions running as possible, while maintaining adequate security in a completely new environment. In fact, 68% of business leaders admit their cybersecurity risks are growing, which increases the need for organisations to work together to leverage joint resources and collectively defend against common threats.

To address threat detection challenges faced by enterprise and government customers in the region, CyberKnight has partnered with IronNet Cybersecurity, a provider of Collective Defence and Network Traffic Analysis, NTA. IronNet’s unique and innovative Collective Defence functionality, called IronDome, allows organisations of all sizes to share behavioural threat data anonymously, at network speed, to increase visibility of incoming cyber attacks. Combined with higher-order behavioural analytics, Collective Defence allows customers to leverage a wider pool of cybersecurity expertise and threat visibility to detect and respond to sophisticated threats.

At the heart of IronNet’s threat detection capabilities is IronDefence, IronNet’s NTA platform, which delivers largely scalable behavioural analysis and integrated packet-level cyber hunting capabilities. The solution leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to detect advanced threats often missed by existing commercial cybersecurity solutions.

GLOBAL CIO FORUM COMPLETES 45 VIRTUAL SUMMIT EVENTS IN 45 DAYS Global CIO Forum successfully completed its half day web-summit on the theme of Workforce Transformation, CIO Rethink and Reprioritise. The half day event was staged on 20 May on the GCF Unite VirtualSummit platform and saw more than 500 attendees participating including CIOs, IT decision makers, IT Managers, and business heads from multiple regions including GCC, Middle East, Africa, India, South East Asia and the US. 20 May 2020 was particularly significant for the Global CIO Forum for two reasons. For one, it marked the culmination of a rapid series of web summit events, where 45 events were completed in 45 days using the GCF Unite VirtualSummit 2020 platform. Secondly, on 20 May, Global CIO Forum and global research partner RosettaNet Singapore, kicked off their global research campaign, that is expected to culminate in the months of August and September, ahead in this year.

GCF VirtualSummit’s rapid go to market roll out has been supported by various sponsor partners including Appian, Exclusive Networks, Microsoft, Nutanix, Lenovo, Shure, Mindware, Dell Technologies, Citrix, Westcon, Automation Anywhere, Veritas, Finesse, Square One, TSME, ARCON, Juniper Networks, Datacentrix, and Share Technologies.

MAY

REVIEW -CRAIG HAYMAN, CEO, AVEVA.

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, AVEVA TARGET HYPERSCALE DATA CENTRES Operating at scale requires a different approach for mission critical facilities powering the globe’s digital infrastructure Schneider Electric and AVEVA have announced their expanded partnership to deliver innovative solutions for the data centre market.

As hyperscale providers build data centres with an expanding fleet to meet worldwide demand, the complexities to operate and maintain these facilities are creating an unprecedented set of challenges.

Operating at this scale requires a different approach for mission critical facilities powering the globe’s digital infrastructure. The combination of AVEVA Unified Operations Centre, scalable industrial software with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centres control and monitoring capabilities enables both deep and expansive visibility to day-to-day operations.

The new joint solutions provide a homogenous view of engineering, operations, and performance across a heterogenous, legacy installed base. Hyperscale data centre providers will benefit from this partnership by connecting platforms and data sets that previously existed in disparate systems. They will also be able to scale regardless of number of sites or global location. Data centre staff will be empowered to make faster, more informed decisions and optimise asset and operational efficiency throughout the data centre lifecycle. As a result, data centre providers can deliver a globally consistent experience to address the expanding digital infrastructure needs of their clients.

AMAZON WEB SERVICES LAUNCHES AWS OUTPOSTS IN THE UAE, SAUDI ARABIA AWS Outposts will benefit customers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia who have workloads that require low latency access Amazon Web Services, AWS, has announced the general availability of AWS Outposts in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. AWS Outposts delivers fully managed and configurable compute and storage racks built with AWS-designed hardware that allow customers to run compute and storage on-premises, while seamlessly connecting to AWS’s broad array of services in the cloud. AWS Outposts brings native AWS services, infrastructure, and operating models to virtually any datacentre, co-location space, or on-premises facility. With AWS Outposts, customers can use the same AWS APIs, control plane, tools, and hardware on-premises as in the AWS cloud to deliver a truly consistent hybrid experience.

Customers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia who have workloads that require low latency access to on-premises systems, local data processing, or local data storage can benefit from AWS Outposts. These include applications that may need to generate near real-time responses, need to communicate with other on-premises systems, or control on-site equipment, for example factory floor equipment, health management systems, and retail point of sale systems. Customers can also use AWS Outposts to securely store and process customer data in countries where there is no AWS Region. This is important for organisations in highly regulated industries and countries with data sovereignty requirements.

-GREG SMITH,

VP of Product Marketing, Nutanix.

AVAYA LAUNCHES SUBSCRIPTION PLAN FOR SMES

NUTANIX SIMPLIFIES AND AUTOMATES DISASTER RECOVERY

As global demand for easy-to-deploy communications solutions intensifies, Avaya has made it easier than ever for regional small and medium-sized businesses to leverage the power of agile communications with the launch of Avaya IP Office Subscription. This new offer is now available from Avaya Partners in select countries in the Middle East and Africa. Coming at a time of increased remote working, necessitating the adoption of robust communications technologies, the launch creates a new, subscription-based way of consuming the leading all-in-one communications platform for companies up to 3,000 users, and which currently serves over 26 million users worldwide.

Avaya IP Office delivers powerful communications in a simple package designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses, which account for up to 90% of registered businesses in the Middle East and Africa. A single app provides voice, video, messaging, and conferencing and keeps employees productive on any device from any location.

Avaya Call Reporting is also an option to provide simple customer interaction management.

Nutanix has announced several new capabilities in its hyperconverged infrastructure software and AHV hypervisor to protect business-critical applications and maintain continuous business operations in the face of a possible disaster. New capabilities include advanced automation for recovering applications and data, support for seamless multi-site disaster recovery, synchronous replication for workloads running on AHV, and a near zero data loss with near sync replication for recovery point objective times of approximately 20 seconds.

At a time when business continuity is more important than ever, ensuring businesses have strong recovery policies and procedures is no longer a nice to have. However, customers looking to implement strong DR plans for critical applications, such as those supporting emergency services, had little choice but to deploy complex, often disparate technologies that demand specialised, on-going administration. The new capabilities in Nutanix HCI and AHV help enable customers to confidently deliver mission-critical applications with significantly less complexity and lower management overhead.

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REVIEW DELL TECHNOLOGIES CLOUD AND GOOGLE CLOUD LAUNCH HYBRID STORAGE SOLUTION Customers now can move workloads across public and private clouds with greater flexibility and adopt a hybrid cloud approach Dell Technologies and Google Cloud have launched Dell Technologies Cloud OneFS for Google Cloud to help organisations control exponential data and application growth and ease the flow of files across their private clouds and Google Cloud. Dell also is reducing the barrier of entry and improving overall capabilities for hybrid cloud deployments with additional Dell Technologies Cloud advancements. Customers now can move workloads across public and private clouds with greater flexibility and adopt a hybrid cloud approach that best fits their needs while reducing costs. According to Forrester, customers using Dell Technologies Cloud over the course of three years could see an incremental return on investment of more than 170% and recoup their costs in fewer than six months.

OneFS for Google Cloud delivers a native cloud experience that combines the scalability and performance of scale-out networkattached storage from the industry’s number one provider of storage systems, Dell Technologies, with Google Cloud’s analytics and compute services. Now, companies can easily move and access high performance computing and demanding workloads, as large as 50 petabytes, in a single filesystem between on-premises Dell EMC Isilon filesystems and Google Cloud without having to make changes or adjustments to their applications.

-MOHAMAD ALHAKIM, Netskope’s GM for the Middle East.

NETSKOPE EXPANDS NEWEDGE NETWORK TO MEET SOARING DEMAND Netskope has announced the expansion of the Netskope NewEdge network to a new data centre in the UAE, serving customers across the Middle East.

With millions of enterprise users around the world, Netskope NewEdge is a carrier-grade private cloud network that is reserved exclusively for Netskope customers. The decades-long efforts to digitally transform enterprises have pushed the capabilities of the public internet to its maximum.

Inherently unpredictable and unsecure, the public internet is strained by users who demand great web, cloud, and private application performance and enterprises that demand more security. Compounding this challenge, legacy security tools often introduce delays to accessing these critical services. As a result, industry analysts have scrutinised the reliance on the public internet for security of these services, giving rise to new architectural frameworks like Gartner’s secure access service edge that enterprise security leaders are moving to adopt.

Netskope NewEdge is built by industry veterans representing the largest and most performant networks ever built. Like no other network, NewEdge delivers inline security services through a carrier-grade, next-generation global infrastructure based on advanced application and network optimisation technologies and processes. As a private cloud network, NewEdge optimises connectivity with its resilient global architecture, which is directly peered with major providers, mitigating the challenge of the public internet.

CAIRO AMMAN BANK BOOSTS UPLINK SPEED FROM 1G TO 40G TAIBAH UNIVERSITY DELIVERS EDUCATION TO 70K STUDENTS Taibah University, based in the Holy City of Medina has adopted a cloud-first strategy with Oracle’s Gen 2 Cloud Infrastructure to deliver secure, convenient and integrated digital learning and administrative services that can be remotely accessed by thousands of university students, faculty and staff.

The implementation has also helped Taibah University integrate and centrally manage its vast IT infrastructure, besides also enabling a crucial Single Sign On function to access the Universities’ core systems.

Furthermore, the provisioning identity for newly joined students and faculty members has been completely automated. This programme was formalised in 2019, with the implementation now complete in collaboration with P systems, an Oracle Partner.

Oracle’s Gen 2 Cloud is the only infrastructure built to run on Oracle Autonomous Database, the industry’s first and only self-driving database. With this alignment, Oracle is paving the road to becoming the world’s first complete and truly autonomous cloud.

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Cairo Amman Bank, CAB, is a public limited company located in Jordan, Palestine and Bahrain. Ever since its establishment in 1960, the Bank has been providing an inclusive range of services and successful banking solutions to fulfil the needs of its customers. CAB has deployed state-of-the-art networking technology from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.

The solutions have improved performance, reliability and security of all digital services including internet and mobile banking and have resulted in three times lower TCO than the previous network switching infrastructure.

Cairo Amman Bank seeks to invest in technological advancements and innovative solutions, which makes CAB a leader in modern technology.

CAB was the first bank in the world to introduce the Iris recognition in its ATM as a means of identification, allowing customers to access their bank accounts without the need of using cards and inserting their PINs. With two data centres, and a vast network of 91 branches and over 190 ATMs located strategically across the country, secure high-speed connectivity is key to the Bank’s operations. All digital services, whether internal or external, depend on the underlying network.

The solutions have improved performance, reliability and security of all digital services

JUNE

REVIEW

FINESSE, AUTOMATION ANYWHERE LAUNCH CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR RPA

-JYOTI LALCHANDANI,

Group Vice President and Regional Managing Director at IDC.

IDC REPORTS PUBLIC CLOUD SPENDING SAW MAJOR UPTICK AFTER COVID-19 IDC expects public cloud spendings to top $6.5 billion in 2024, representing a compound annual growth rate of 24%

Public cloud spending in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, META, will increase to $2.8 billion this year as demand increases following the spread of Covid-19. That’s according to the latest research update from International Data Corporation, IDC, which expects this figure to top $6.5 billion in 2024, representing a compound annual growth rate of 24%, up from the 22% rate that was projected prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to IDC’s Jyoti Lalchandani, Group VP and Regional MD for META, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented levels of disruption to the region, it has also shone a light on the critical role that digital transformation, DX, plays in ensuring business continuity.

DX-savvy organizations are experiencing the least disruption as they were far better prepared to face the challenges that lay in wait.

As the situation continues to evolve, more and more enterprises will look to rethink their business continuity strategies, with an eye on stabilising their critical infrastructure and improving their response to unforeseen events.

DEWA AND DELL CHIEFS DISCUSS BEST PRACTICES, FUTURISTIC DIGITAL SOLUTIONS

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, has held a video conference with Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, a global leader in telecommunications and information technology. The meeting was attended by Marwan Bin Haidar, Vice Chairman of Moro Hub, Matar Al Mehairi, Board member of Moro Hub, Mohammad Bin Sulaiman, CEO of Moro Hub, Ahmed Al Ketbi, Chief Information Security Officer of Moro Hub, Adrian McDonald, President of Dell Technologies EMEA, Fady Richmany, General Manager, Dell Technologies, and Yahya Kassab, Director of Sales at Dell Technologies.

The meeting aimed at sharing best international practices and experiences between the two organisations to adopt and offer futuristic digital solutions. Moro Hub is working with Dell Technologies to develop and deliver highly reliable enterprise cloud computing solutions, integrated infrastructure administration services and servers, secure data storage solutions, and innovative information technology applications.

Michael Dell thanked Al Tayer for the fruitful discussions. He said that Dell Technologies will work closely with Moro Hub to strengthen cooperation and partnership supporting the digital transformation plans of Dubai and the UAE, especially in key sectors such as healthcare, education, and IT security to leverage strong capabilities and ecosystem.

Finesse has announce the launch of Robotic Process Automation, RPA, Centre of Excellence, CoE, with Automation Anywhere. The Centre of Excellence will deepen the existing collaboration with Automation Anywhere and provide technical guidance, testing, development of software bots, and complimentary RPA training and support.

Organizations have been investing in driving effective Digital transformation across various operating modules. Achieving efficiency across verticals by reducing operational cost determines the success of a fully digital environment. Intelligent Automation serves as a critical technology that helps in augmenting the workforce potential by powering every interaction across the front and back-office operations.

Automation Anywhere and Finesse offers diligently orchestrated Intelligent Automation solutions to transform businesses, thus ensuring the best outcomes for clients, workforce, and the organisation. Apart from RPA solutions, Finesse digital transformation portfolio includes AI and Chatbot, Blockchain, BI and Analytics, WhatsApp for Businesses, CRM/CEM, Corporate Treasury Management, and Infra Managed Services.

UNDP, MCIT EGYPT AND AVAYA COLLABORATE ON AI-POWERED COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS BOT The chatbot utilises AI to enable sign-language based interaction, providing users intuitive access to critical Covid-19 related information As further demonstration of its commitment to deliver equality of experience for all segments of society, Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, MCIT, has joined forces with United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, Egypt and Avaya to extend the capabilities of WASEL, its dedicated contact centre service for people of determination, with the addition of automated testing for Covid-19 symptoms for the deaf and hard of hearing.

A world first, this chatbot utilises AI to enable sign-language based interaction, providing users intuitive access to critical Covid-19 related information and support. The service is conveniently available via the Tamkeen website or WASEL smartphone application. This initiative aligns with the efforts of the MCIT to support the Egyptian government’s plan to effectively mitigate Covid-19 challenges, and the State’s vision of deepening social integration by utilising smart technologies that foster inclusivity through all segments of society.

Speaking at the launch of the service, Amr Talaat, The Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt explained that this first of its kind service in the Arab World and Africa represents the Ministry’s latest effort to reach all segments of society, provide technical support to face the current crisis and keep citizens safe.

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JULY

REVIEW R&M AND ALLIANCE PARTNERS DRIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SINGLE PAIR ETHERNET FOR IIOT Ranges of up to 1000m make this technology suitable for use across applications R&M, a Swiss developer and provider of connectivity systems for highquality, high-performance network infrastructures, has co-founded a Single Pair Ethernet, SPE, Alliance together with Fluke Networks, Phoenix Contact, Weidmller, and Telegartner. The main objective of the Alliance is to drive development of SPE for Industrial Internet of Things, IIoT, and collaborate on related technological challenges. The companies aim to accelerate development of their SPE technology expertise, ensuring this can be implemented in their products faster and more reliably.

SPE, based on xBASE-T1, uses a single twisted pair for data transmission with miniaturised connectors. A key benefit is that it offers uniform manufacturer-independent connectivity instead of introducing specialised connectivity for each application. Ranges of up to 1000m and transmission speeds of up to 1 Gbps make this technology suitable for use across applications, and the flexibility to reuse and extend existing cable installations.

SPE provides consistent IP communication from sensor to cloud, revolutionising industrial data transmission. Standardised pin connector patterns form the basis for the barrier-free networking of a wide range of components and devices, providing an alternative to today’s fieldbus systems.

-ADNAN ASIF,

Chief Technology Officer at Pure Health.

PURE HEALTH SELECTS BIOS MIDDLE EAST FOR CLOUD AND MANAGED SERVICES UAE-based Pure Health, which is a laboratory network with over 117 laboratories in the UAE, has signed an agreement with BIOS Middle East, a cloud and managed service provider for Infrastructure as a Service, IaaS, which features hosting for Pure Health’s core Laboratory Information System, LIS, on CloudHPT. CloudHPT, is a fully owned and managed cloud delivered by BIOS. An intricate infrastructure of over 20 servers was delivered in under two days to Pure Health for application installation and testing. All servers, networking, storage, security and backups are fully managed by BIOS, ensuring Pure Health only focuses on the LIS application.

Pure Health hosted LIS is an automated platform that reads and collects patient’s data, resulting in minimal manual input and accelerating the screening process. Pure Health takes pride in adopting to state-of-the-art technologies in their vision of being an advanced data-driven organisation capable of meeting the increased expectations for modern pathology services. Even in its emergency response to the Covid19 situation, Pure Health IT have adopted multiple technologies to streamline operation and integrated with government entities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

HONEYWELL’S NEW COOLING TECH FOR DATA CENTRES REDUCES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

GCF HONOURS WINNERS OF GLOBAL FUTURE SECURITY LEADERS AWARDS 2020 On July 14, over 15 leading security experts took part in the Security and Risk Management VirtualSummit, hosted by Global CIO Forum, GCF. A key highlight of the Security and Risk Management VirtualSummit was the Global Future Security Leaders Awards 2020. Top CIOs from across the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Singapore and Egypt were honoured as GCF Certified Security Leader. Similarly, top vendors and channels were honoured with the Security Players Awards.

While GCF awarded CISOs who have been the sentinels of their organizations, it was also equally important to recognise the key security players in the region. GCF felicitated five leading security players who have stepped up their game and made a difference with their solution offerings along with their alliance partners.

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Honeywell has announced the launch of a breakthrough platform of liquid heat transfer agents that cool high-performance electronics more efficiently and effectively than traditional methods that use air and water. These new heat transfer agents lower operational costs for applications such as data centres that use high-performance servers.

Solstice E-Cooling, the newest addition to Honeywell’s revolutionary line of next-generation low-global-warming potential refrigerant technologies, uses a two-phase liquid cooling process to remove heat from electronic applications while reducing environmental impact.

Data centres currently use about 3% of the world’s electricity, and that number is expected to rise to 8% by 2030, according to research by Global Markets Insights. With cooling systems accounting for approximately 40% of total energy consumption, the need for intelligent and energy-efficient solutions is expected to drive data centre cooling market growth.

The two-phase Solstice E-Cooling process allows for more energyefficient and uniform cooling, better heat rejection, and reduced pumping power than single-phase liquid cooling, where fluid remains in its liquid form throughout the cooling process. Solstice E-Cooling is also a dielectric solution, serving as an electrical insulator for equipment to prevent damage from contact with fluids.

Data centres currently use about 3% of the world’s electricity, and that number is expected to rise to 8% by 2030

JULY

REVIEW EQUINIX EXTENDS CUSTOMER ACCESS TO ALIBABA CLOUD IN 17 MARKETS

-HOWARD BOVILLE,

Senior Vice President, IBM Cloud.

IBM FORMS CLOUD ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES

The Council will be focused on bringing major financial institutions together to help drive the strategic evolution of cloud IBM has announced that several global banks including BNP Paribas, one of Europe’s largest banks, will join a growing ecosystem of financial institutions and more than 30 new technology providers adopting IBM Cloud for Financial Services. This also marks a significant milestone in IBM’s collaboration with Bank of America, with the availability of the IBM Cloud Policy Framework for Financial Services.

The IBM Cloud Policy Framework for Financial Services establishes a new generation of cloud for enterprises with common operational criteria and streamlined compliance controls framework specifically for the financial services industry, allowing IBM’s growing financial services ecosystem to transact with confidence.

IBM is also announcing the formation of the Financial Services Cloud Advisory Council to support this effort and advise on the ongoing advancement of the IBM Cloud Policy Framework for Financial Services. Chief Technology Officer Tony Kerrison will represent Bank of America on the Council, which will be led by Howard Boville, SVP, IBM Cloud. The Council will be focused on bringing major financial institutions together to help drive the strategic evolution of cloud security in this highly regulated sector.

Central to the development of the IBM Cloud for Financial Services, IBM collaborated with Bank of America and Promontory, an IBM Services business unit and global leader in financial services regulatory compliance consulting.

TAWAL SIGNS DEALS TO ENHANCE ICT INFRASTRUCTURE IN SAUDI ARABIA TAWAL, an integrated ICT Infrastructure service provider in Saudi Arabia, has signed four partnership agreements with local suppliers to build new sites for telecommunication towers and develop network infrastructure sharing services with other operators at the highest international standards. These new agreements will allow TAWAL to provide its customers with a more reliable and cost-effective ICT infrastructure.

TAWAL adopts a policy in dealing with its suppliers, which is based on a combination of local and international partners to find new and innovative solutions that make its operations more effective and efficient. TAWAL has introduced recently the iSupplier system that serves suppliers and facilitates the purchasing process, where all local and international suppliers are welcomed to register through TAWAL’s official website for opportunities to partner with us in the future.

Equinix has announced it will extend access to Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, through Platform Equinix for customers from 17 metros globally, including Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, as well as US metros such as Chicago, Dallas, Denver. This expansion, along with its API integration with Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric, will help enterprises from these global markets easily and privately connect to Alibaba Cloud on Platform Equinix.

Alibaba Cloud is the third largest global provider of Infrastructure-asa-Service and the largest in Asia-Pacific, according to Gartner.⁠ With the partnership, Alibaba Cloud can also enjoy secure, direct access to a robust, interconnected ecosystem of more than 9,700 customers, including 1,800 network providers and over 2,900 cloud and IT service providers globally to enhance performance, lower latency, and increase reliability for its customers.

As a key enabler of digital transformation, cloud has been heavily adopted by multinational enterprises as they seek to modernise and mobilise their IT systems. According to Gartner, IaaS is expected to reach $62 billion in 2021 globally, and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 24% during the forecast period 2019-2024.

AVAYA SUPPORTS REMOTE LEARNING FOR STUDENTS ACROSS AFRICA As many as 250 million children across Africa are currently unable to access primary and secondary schools as a result of Covid-19-related closures. Analysts have shared concerns that this may create a lost generation of learners, causing many children to leave school prematurely. Avaya is helping to stem this loss across the continent by enabling students to stay on track with their studies using Avaya Spaces.

Avaya Spaces, the all-in-one video collaboration app for the digital workplace, changes the way works gets done. It helps bring together distributed groups of people instantly with immersive work spaces where they can message, meet, share content and manage tasks from a browser or mobile device, and provides an easy, secure and effective way to collaborate in the cloud.

Earlier this year, Avaya Spaces was offered for free to educational institutions worldwide, giving them all the meeting and team collaboration features they needed to keep students learning and curriculums on track.

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REVIEW GCG-DDS DIVERSIFIES INTO INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

The world of business is being challenged by innovation at an everincreasing pace. Digital Technologies and the escalation of enterprise digitalisation in the GCC have driven many business-solutions companies to update their skills and resources for the demands of modern commerce. Companies wishing to take advantage of the seemingly limitless improvements that digital technologies offer clients, customers, and their internal operations are demanding more from their trusted business-solutions providers.

Providers that can’t meet those demands are quickly being replaced.

Those still in the game are either diversifying operations with every available technology or focusing their approach to become the best in their field. Gulf Commercial Group, Digital Document Solutions, known as GCG-DDS, is doing both. GCG-DDS has been offering Information Technology and services to clients in various GCC industries since 1982, with its primary thrust being printing solutions from office printers, in the early days, to more robust, digital-business print and data solutions today.

By embracing the printing industry’s phenomenal digital transformation over the years, GCG-DDS has developed a natural proclivity for new technologies and gained an enviable reputation for its expertise in integrating digital enterprise solutions of all kinds into their client’s businesses

-CLAY MAGOUYRK,

Executive Vice President of Engineering, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

NISSAN GOES TO THE CLOUD FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING Oracle has announced that Nissan Motor is migrating its on-premises, high-performance computing workloads to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Nissan relies on a digital product design process to make quick and critical design decisions to improve the fuel efficiency, reliability and safety of its cars. By moving its performance and latency sensitive-engineering simulation workloads to Oracle Cloud, Nissan will be able to speed the design and testing of new cars.

Specifically, Nissan uses software-based Computational Fluid Dynamics and structural simulation techniques to design and test cars for external aerodynamics and structural failures. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s compute, networking, and storage services optimised for HPC applications will allow Nissan to benefit from the industry’s first and only bare-metal HPC solution with RDMA networking as it innovates cars. Nissan anticipates higher performance and lowers costs with the ability to easily run their engineering simulation workloads in the cloud.

Running large CFD and structural simulations requires tremendous amounts of compute power. Nissan has adopted a cloud-first strategy for its HPC platform to ensure its engineers always have the compute capacity needed to run their complex simulations. While the HPC market has been traditionally underserved by public cloud providers, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure delivers an industry-first Intel Xeon based bare-metal compute infrastructure.

SERVICENOW, UBER FOR BUSINESS PARTNER TO ENHANCE EMPLOYEE SAFETY STANDARD CHARTERED BANK PARTNERS WITH MICROSOFT TO BECOME A CLOUD-FIRST BANK Standard Chartered recognises that a cloudfirst strategy is critical to the bank’s ambition Standard Chartered Bank and Microsoft have announced a three-year strategic partnership to accelerate the bank’s digital transformation through a cloud-first strategy. This partnership marks a significant milestone for Standard Chartered in making its vision for virtual banking, next-generation payments, open banking and banking-as-a-service a reality. Leveraging Azure as a preferred cloud platform, the companies will also co-innovate in open banking and real-time payments to help the bank unlock new banking experiences for clients.

As part of its digital transformation, Standard Chartered will adopt a multicloud approach, where significant applications, including its core banking and trading systems and new digital ventures such as virtual banking and banking as-a-service, will be cloud-based by 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. The bank will also adopt a cloud-first principle for all new software developments and major enhancements.

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ServiceNow has announced a new integration with Uber for Business to help solve one of the largest problems businesses face, helping their employees feel safe when commuting to and from work, as soon as it’s safe to reopen. Using the ServiceNow Workplace Safety Management app, offered in the ServiceNow Safe Workplace suite, the Uber for Business solution provides a Book Uber feature so employees can easily coordinate their Uber ride to and from the workplace via their mobile device.

Employees can concurrently schedule arrival times, reserve workspaces and manage health screenings, all through the Now Mobile app. The new integration comes on the heels of Uber’s recent roll-out of new features and policies to help protect the health and safety of both riders and drivers.

In only two months since the initial release of the ServiceNow Safe Workplace suite, which includes apps for contact tracing, workplace safety management, employee readiness feedback and employee health screening, more than 600 organisations have downloaded the apps. These organisations include Uber, Coca Cola European Partners, State of North Carolina, BankUnited, and AmeriGas.

Employees can concurrently schedule arrival times, reserve workspaces and manage health screenings

AUGUST

REVIEW VEEAM ANNOUNCES ENHANCEMENTS TO PARTNER PROGRAMME

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC TO DEPLOY SMART ENERGY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM The expansion of Basin 2 at the port has been developed at a cost of $520 million Schneider Electric has been selected by DP World to implement an endto-end smart energy MV, LV distribution system at DP World’s Sokhna Basin 2 Terminal, situated near the southern entrance to the Suez Canal on the Red Sea. The solution will improve safety, save on electricity and maintenance costs, and reduce carbon emissions at one of Egypt’s largest ports. The EcoStruxure Power solution is Internet-Of-Things-enabled, which will allow DP World to run a variety of digital applications, analytics and other technologies across the system, to further improve operations and ensure business continuity.

The full installation will include both hardware and software to manage, monitor and optimise the power across Basin 2’s electrical distribution network. The system will give DP World Sokhna’s staff, both those on-site as well as people working remotely, full control of the power grid at Basin 2, and ensure that the electrical system is functioning up to the top recognised international standards, so operations can run smoothly. Predictive maintenance will help reduce downtime at Basin 2, ensuring greater efficiency of DP World’s assets and reduce operational costs.

INFOR LAUNCHES FULLY CONTACTLESS APPLICATIONS SUITE Infor has announced a fully contactless suite of applications for the hospitality industry, specifically designed for hotels and resorts, casinos and gaming, restaurants and food services, and event sales and table reservations. With guest and hotel staff safety in mind, Infor Hospitality Cloud Solutions are designed to address hotel operational needs for social distancing and contactless processes, including mobile check-in/ check-out, digital keys, and the ability to order room service via one’s own device.

Specifically, Infor Hospitality Management Solution, HMS, Infor HMS Online Check In, Infor HMS Online Check Out, and Infor POS Order Now have been added to the Infor Hospitality Cloud Solution Suite to deliver convenience, clarity, and care with every stay. New to the suite, web-based tools empower guests to manage their check-in and check-out experiences according to preference, often en route and on their phones, allowing minimal contact with hotel staff.

Accessible in real time, this tool helps hoteliers keep pace with the busy lives and schedules of the modern guest and helps deliver a tailored, seamless and contactless guest self-service check-in and checkout experience, delivering a welcoming experience every time.

Veeam Software has announced new enhancements to its ProPartner Programme for Value-Added Resellers, VARs, across EMEA. By driving increased engagement from active partners across the region, the new competencies will reward and better support partners in serving customers’ evolving needs, help them become specialists in their markets, and demonstrate competitive advantage. As EMEA businesses continue to move towards digital transformation, partners are broadening their portfolios and becoming strategic digital advisors to their customers. Furthermore, as businesses look to maximise Return on Investment, subscription-based IT models are overtaking CapEx technology investments and partners are adapting their business models to sell subscriptions or resell services that are powered by Cloud Service Providers.

To support its partners through this transition, Veeam has enhanced its ProPartner Programme to ensure Platinum, Gold, Silver and registered partners are all appropriately supported and rewarded, creating a truly partner-friendly programme. Through a points-based system, Veeam will reward partners for successfully progressing through the programme’s new competencies. The benefits of this programme will evolve, but initially, the current offering converts earned points to incentive rebates, a free seat at the Veeam Certified Engineering partner training course or free attendance at VeeamON 2021.

NOBU HOSPITALITY ENHANCES GUEST EXPERIENCES Aruba has announced that Nobu Hospitality, a luxury lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, is standardising on Aruba as its preferred network infrastructure vendor for three of its new hotels in Chicago, Warsaw and London Portman Square. Using the foundation of Aruba ESP, a combination of Aruba wired, wireless and security solutions, Nobu Hotels is enabling highly secure and reliable Wi-Fi, as well as a range of IoT applications, that help provide a superior experience for its guests, replete with all of the comforts and technologies they have at home.

To accomplish this, the edge, where data is generated, secured, analysed and acted upon, must serve as the foundation for leveraging actionable analytics from Nobu Hotel’s integrated network, business applications and guest preferences, to deliver new on-property guest experiences. According to Rodney Linville, Global Corporate Director of IT for Nobu Hospitality, Aruba’s open, secure and nimble cloud-native infrastructure was the ideal choice to reflect the Nobu Hotel brand.

With the help of key integration partners, Nobu is deploying a range of Aruba solutions at its various properties. Among these are Aruba edge and core switches, ClearPass Policy Manager, and Aruba location-ready APs.

Nobu Hotels is enabling highly secure and reliable Wi-Fi, as well as a range of IoT applications D E C E M B E R 2020

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REVIEW SENNHEISER FACILITATES SOCIAL DISTANCING IN MEETING ROOMS

As Middle East businesses reopen offices, Sennheiser aims to enable organisations to deliver seamless virtual collaboration experiences in a reliable, safe and hygienic manner. The company’s offering centres around its TeamConnect Ceiling 2 solution which elevates web and video collaboration, making virtual meetings more effective by ensuring optimum audio quality for remote participants.

Because of the global pandemic, hygiene continues to be top of mind.

TeamConnect Ceiling 2 enables touchless audio in meeting rooms, enabling employees to more easily maintain social distancing best practices while ensuring all participants experience clear and discernible communications. As it is ceiling mounted, the system does not require constant cleaning as table microphones would, and the fact that it reliably covers the entire room without the need for any re-adjustment allows for participants to sit at the recommended distance from each other.

TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphone is compatible with Zoom Meetings and is also certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms when deployed with Microsoft-certified DSPs. Both platforms have become market leaders in the video collaboration space and with cutting-edge features, Sennheiser’s solution greatly enhances the performance of these solutions.

-KERRY GRIMES,

Head of Partners, AVEVA.

AVEVA LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAMME FOR INDUSTRIAL CHANNEL PARTNERS The AVEVA Partner Network today boasts over 5,000 members

AVEVA has launched AVEVA Select, a new programme designed for partners to gain full access to AVEVA’s comprehensive software portfolio. The new AVEVA Select programme is designed to help customers accelerate their digital transformation agendas by leveraging the breadth of the AVEVA software portfolio across its install base. The AVEVA Partner Network today boasts over 5,000 members providing opportunities for alliances, systems integrators, distributors, solution providers and technology partners to participate in the AVEVA community.

With programmes designed to suit every product and solution specialisation and industry, AVEVA Select aligns to both market and technology trends helping companies simplify design, optimise production, reduce energy and maximise performance. Its programmes and support initiatives are designed to promote the variety and value of applications developed and delivered on the AVEVA platform worldwide.

With AVEVA Select, partners will be able access the entire AVEVA portfolio through the channel that they have known and trusted, often for as long as 30 years. The programme will expand AVEVA’s reach to a wider distribution of industries, outside its previous core customer base of mid/downstream Oil & Gas, heavy chemical, power generation and distribution, to incorporate many other sectors.

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-KRISTOF LUKOVICH,

Head of Digital, Beauty Vertical, Chalhoub Group.

CHALHOUB ENHANCES E-COMM WITH SALESFORCE CUSTOMER 360 Luxury retailer Chalhoub Group has announced a digital transformation agreement with Salesforce to enhance customer e-commerce experiences amid the Covid-19 pandemic. GCC and Egypt’s beauty and personal care e-commerce market is valued at $1 billion, according to Bain & Company.

In anticipation of its growth, and to meet customers’ shift to e-commerce amid the Covid-19 coronavirus, Chalhoub Group continued to accelerate its digital transformation to become a hybrid retailer, meet customer needs across channels and offer luxury experiences at the fingertips of consumers everywhere. Chalhoub Group has more than 700 retail stores across 9 countries.

In 2020, Chalhoub Group has already launched digital commerce experiences for 6 brands with Salesforce, including Yves Saint Lauren beauty, Make Up For Ever, Faces, Swarovski, Tory Burch, Tanagra with more launches in the pipeline. Working with the channel partners Changi Consulting and Emakina, Chalhoub Group continued its digital transformation by adopting the Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Service Cloud to drive e-commerce, and personalise customer journeys across chat, email, social media, and WhatsApp.

TECH MAHINDRA LAUNCHES CLOUD OPERATIONS PLATFORM Tech Mahindra has announced the launch of its intelligent cloud operations and subscription management platform, iCOPS, for global enterprises. The platform simplifies and streamlines cloud operations to improve efficiency by leveraging AIOps and analytics with data security and cost optimisation. iCOPS reinforces Tech Mahindra’s capabilities to deliver unified management experience across hybrid and multi-cloud operations with a focus on enhancing compliance and security for enterprises. The platform leverages AIOps, Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations, and analytics to provide insights for cloud operations including capacity utilisation and continuous cost optimisation across all cloud environments. The end-to-end platform will help enterprises get the benefits of simplified cloud operations, reduced cloud spends and comprehensive visibility across operations.

Tech Mahindra’s iCOPS platform comprises of pre-configured core and integrated software for public cloud operations as to gives a unified view across enterprise IT operations be it cloud operations, infrastructure operations or network operations. Amalgamation of iCOPS with Tech Mahindra’s infrastructure operations platform, TACTiX, hybrid and multi-Cloud management platform, mPAC 3.0 and NetOps.ai will support enterprises to build a single view across enterprise IT operations.

Tech Mahindra’s iCOPS platform gives a unified view across enterprise IT operations

SEPTEMBER

REVIEW GCF HOSTS THE REGION’S LARGEST GATHERING OF ICT DECISION MAKERS -SAFRA CATZ, CEO, Oracle.

ORACLE TO TAKE 12.5% STAKE IN TIKTOK, BECOME ITS SECURE CLOUD PROVIDER TikTok will run on the Oracle Cloud and Oracle will become a minority investor in TikTok Global Oracle has announced that it was chosen to become TikTok’s secure cloud technology provider. This technical decision by TikTok was heavily influenced by Zoom’s recent success in moving a large portion of its video conferencing capacity to the Oracle Public Cloud. Oracle Chief Technology Officer, Larry Ellison, noted that TikTok picked Oracle’s new Generation 2 Cloud infrastructure because it’s much faster, more reliable, and more secure than the first generation technology currently offered by all the other major cloud providers.

In the 2020 Industry CloudPath survey that IDC recently released where it surveyed 935 Infrastructure as a Service customers on their satisfaction with the top IaaS vendors including Oracle, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM and Google Cloud, Oracle IaaS received the highest satisfaction score.

As a part of this agreement, TikTok will run on the Oracle Cloud and Oracle will become a minority investor in TikTok Global. Based on decades of experience securing the world’s most sensitive data, the Oracle Generation 2 cloud was built from the ground up to fully isolate running applications and autonomously respond to security threats.

Oracle will combine its secure cloud technology with continuous code reviews, monitoring, and auditing to provide unprecedented assurance that US TikTok user data is private and secure.

OOREDOO, NUTANIX COLLABORATE TO OFFER VDI-AS-A-SERVICE

Ooredoo Telecom has signed a partnership with Nutanix to offer Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, VDI-as-a-Service to businesses in Kuwait.

The telecom service provider has implemented Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform combined with Citrix Virtual Desktops software in its datacentre with a view to provide a fully supported solution for desktop virtualisation to SMBs and enterprise customers. Ooredoo will offer VDI-as-a-Service on a subscription basis out of its state-of-the-art data centre facilities that offer integrated networking, security, service SLAs and a host of other solutions to business in Kuwait.

Physical desktops and laptops are becoming a poor fit for today’s dynamic, digital workplace. Intelligent digital workspaces, delivered

by VDI, enable users to access applications and information from anywhere while data remains secure, making them ideal for end-user computing needs. The advantages of VDI-as-a-Service are around flexibility, scalability, security and cost savings with the OPEX model being highly favoured by businesses looking to save on high up-front infrastructure costs.

As organisations worldwide gear up to thrive and succeed in the new normal, businesses are finding it extremely challenging yet exciting to make way for new technologies to come in and disrupt the organisation’s working culture, from bottom to top. The region’s most awaited and largest gathering of IT leaders and decision makers, The Future IT Summit 2020 returned this year, bigger, broader, and better in the form of a live virtual summit. held from September 16-17, 2020. The event was a virtual extravaganza of networking, branding, lead generation, virtual meetings, solution showcase, keynotes and much more.

Currently in its sixth year, FITS has been one of the most successful and touted events in the region by key industry players and end users alike.

The event positioned itself as a knowledge-based platform for the senior business and technology decision makers in the region to bring their best practices to the table, through various platforms.

Brought to you by Global CIO Forum, FITS was embellished with various segments such as The Catalyst Awards, Titans Badge of Honour, The Top Happy IT Companies to work for Awards, TechX Woman Panel and much more. FITS 2020 welcomed over 5000 decision makers, including but not limited to CIOs, IT managers, IT heads, VP and directors of IT, CEOs, CTOs, CDO and CHRO from Middle East, Africa, SEA, Europe and US markets.

UNIFREE, R&M PARTNER ON DIGITALLY-DRIVEN SHOPPING EXPERIENCES To deliver innovative new digitally-driven shopping experiences that enhance the convenience and safety of travellers, Unifree Duty Free, the operator of the world’s largest duty free zone, has implemented state-of-theart retail technologies at the New Istanbul Airport. These solutions, which rely on a cutting-edge network infrastructure from Swiss structured cabling specialist R&M, include three-dimensional holograms, enhanced digital signage systems, and touch-free digital shopping technologies.

Global events at the start of 2020, have resulted in a spike in digital payments with the total transaction value in the digital payments segment projected to reach $4.4. trillion this year. As retailers see a surge in digital and contact-less payments, the high-performance network from R&M will enable retailers are the Duty Free zone to offer these options in a reliable and highly secure manner. Other systems that are vital to smooth operations and traveler safety such as office workstations, Voice-over-IP telephones, and security systems are also connected to the R&M cabling network.

Located at the heart of the terminal of Istanbul Grand Airport, the Duty Free zone offers state-of-the-art shopping. The sales area run by Unifree covers 56,000 square meters. Since the airport was opened in 2018, 54 brand, concept and flagship stores have moved in.

The sales area run by Unifree covers 56,000 square meters D E C E M B E R 2020

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OCTOBER

REVIEW XEROX EMIRATES, IMMJ SYSTEMS, IDEAL MIDDLE EAST PARTNER ON DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

(left to right) Ashish Panjabi, COO at Jacky’s Business Solutions and P Viswanathan, CEO of Saasz Solutions.

JACKY’S BUSINESS SOLUTIONS APPOINTS SAASZ AS STRATEGIC RESELLER Jacky’s Business Solutions, a graphics solutions partner for HP, has appointed Saasz Solutions as a Strategic Reseller for promoting HP’s low volume and mid volume Latex printers in the countries that are covered by the partnership agreement between Jacky’s and HP. Jacky’s will support the sales channels that Saasz develops, particularly in the Print Service Provider segments.

Under the agreement, Saasz will work with PSP’s to unlock opportunities for growth in this sector, particularly during the current challenges. Where most PSP’s in the region traditionally focused on retail, MICE and vehicle graphics, Saasz will help them to explore emerging opportunities in new sectors including interior decoration and pandemic signage. Saasz will also provide consultancy support to help PSP’s in pivoting their business while monitoring their operational expenses better.

GLOBAL CIO FORUM, CONTEXT LAUNCH CHANNEL INSIGHTS SERIES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION INDUSTRY On October 12, Global CIO Forum in association with CONTEXT flagged off the Channel Insights Series, that aims to empower various segments of the supply chain and distribution industry with actionable insights and clarity on the way forward. Over 8 sessions, the series will table case studies, research notes, survey results, and analysis of how various organisations have responded to the challenges created by the pandemic.

The Channel Insights Series is a unique opportunity for the entire channel community to gather and surge ahead. It will bring together vendors, distributors, resellers, retailers and other key players. Participants include senior executives from Dell Technologies, Jacky’s Business Solutions, Mindware, Aruba, Spectrami, Mam International, and many more.

The first of the Channel Insights Series, hosted on October 12, was titled Recap 2020, Impact Of The Pandemic On The Channel WebSummit. The disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has been unprecedented, but distribution and supply chains across EMEA have done well to curb the impact that the pandemic has had on business.

Channel partners, on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis, and distributors are playing a pivotal role in this new normal.

To thrive, each subsegment of the wholesale distribution industry needs to assess the best way to measure the shift in customer behaviour, address supply chain disruptions, and plan over the short, mid and long term.

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Xerox Emirates, IMMJ Systems and Ideal Middle East have come together in a strategic partnership to create an all-in-one solution for the medical industry, MediViewer; the next generation Electronic Document Management System in the UAE. Specifically designed for patient records to deliver a paperless healthcare environment, MediViewer provides clinicians and relevant hospital staff with a powerful, intuitive and user-friendly solution to view a patient’s digitised paper and electronic records. This simple yet sophisticated platform facilitates rapid access to clinical content providing a 360 degree view of a patient’s record at the point of care.

The partnership between Xerox Emirates, IMMJ Systems and Ideal Middle East provides a strong foundation to implement MediViewer across the medical industry in the UAE. Xerox Emirates and Ideal Middle East’s experience coupled with a configurable, intuitive system serves to ease and simplify the transition from paper to digital records thereby increasing rapid user adoption and introducing all the advantages of fully digital patient records. MediViewer is built around the needs of clinicians on the front line, working as they work rather than expecting them to fit the technology consequently delivering clinical and operational benefits.

The platform facilitates rapid access to clinical content providing a 360 degree view of a patient’s record at the point of care -CHRIS ROBERTS, CEO, Eltizam.

ELTIZAM RAMPS UP AUTOMATION WITH SAP ARIBA PROCUREMENT SOLUTION Eltizam Asset Management Group has successfully rolled out the next-generation end-to-end procurement solution SAP Ariba as part of its intensified and wide-ranging automation, operational efficiency and digital transformation efforts. The deployment of the highly accessible cloud-based solution is seen to modernise and take to the next level Eltizam’s core procurement and finance processes and operations.

Eltizam’s selection of SAP Ariba was based on the platform’s reliability, industry stature and track record. The company joins an astounding network of 2.7 million companies and 1.4 million users worldwide that have been utilising and enjoying the benefits of the system to date.

By transitioning to SAP Ariba, the Group can better manage, evaluate, and approve all proposals submitted by vendors or suppliers across various locations. This leads to direct and enhanced engagement between Eltizam and its target suppliers and solution providers, as well as redefined and more streamlined communication and collaboration mechanisms. Further, the technology is equipped with advanced features designed to revolutionise and level up the performance of the organisation’s supply-chain flow and management for greater overall supplier, buyer, and user experience.

OCTOBER

REVIEW -NITIN AWASTHI,

ICT Division Head at Infocomm Group.

INFOCOMM SIGNS UP AS MANAGED SERVICE PROVIDER FOR ARUBA

Cloud managed networks allow organisations to offload the deployment, management and monitoring

Infocomm Group, a leading mobile, wireless, smart parking solutions and ICT services provider headquartered in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, has signed up to be Aruba’s Managed Service Provider, MSP, in Oman.

In addition to this, Infocomm was recognised as a Platinum Partner in the Aruba Partner Ready for Networking Programme with Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Infocomm have fulfilled Platinum level competencies and completed noteworthy projects in the country which has enabled them to reach this level. Platinum Certified Partners are recognised for having some of the industry’s best-trained network engineers and demonstrating the highest level of expertise in planning, designing, implementing, and supporting complex networking, security, and wireless solutions.

As organisations look for more efficient ways to utilise IT resources to meet growing mobile, BYOD and IoT expectations, many are opting to outsource their applications, security and networking needs.

Cloud managed networks allow organisations with limited internal IT resources or know how to offload the deployment, management and monitoring of their network to trusted partners, without having to do it themselves. This allows organisations to move from a CAPEX model to a more predictable service experience and an OPEX-based consumption model. Infocomm with its Aruba MSP status can now offer organisations various services which can move from CAPEX to OPEX based consumption models.

BESPIN GLOBAL BECOMES A GOOGLE CLOUD PLATFORM, GOOGLE WORKSPACE RESELLER Bespin Global MEA, a cloud technology company and a Google Cloud Platform Premier Partner, is now a Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace reseller in the Middle East and Africa. With this global strategic partnership, Bespin Global clients will benefit from exclusive offers from a local Google Cloud certified service delivery team. The GCP reseller status means that Bespin Global MEA can offer exclusive discounts and offers on Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace.

It also gives Bespin Global MEA the ability to provide local invoicing and billing to make payments simplified and provides cost-saving on international transfers. In addition to all, clients will also have access to local technical and consulting support from certified Google Cloud experts through Bespin Global.

Moreover, Bespin Global MEA’s clients will now have access to Bespin Global’s SaaS cloud management platform, OpsNow, for cost and resource management in multi-cloud environments, which means they’ll be able to manage all of their public clouds in one place, and it can help solve various cloud needs promptly and efficiently.

COHESITY PARTNERS WITH AWS TO DELIVER FLEXIBLE AND SCALABLE DATA MANAGEMENT Cohesity has announced that it has formed a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services, AWS, to address the growing customer need for data management that is flexible, available, scalable, and reliable. Together, both companies are bringing to market a modern Data Management as a Service, DMaaS, offering unlike any other on the market today. The DMaaS solution is designed to provide enterprise and mid-size customers with a radically simple way to back up, secure, govern, and analyse their data, all managed directly by Cohesity and hosted on AWS. As data continues to grow exponentially, many organisations are looking to manage data in ways that allow their IT teams to focus on policy versus infrastructure, provide consumption-based pricing, accelerate the move to the cloud, make it easy to derive value from data, remove data infrastructure silos, and support multiple use cases — including data backup and archiving, disaster recovery, file and object services, copy data management, and analytics.

As part of the strategic collaboration, Cohesity and the AWS Partner Network are investing in resources to design the DMaaS solution on AWS and to engage in joint go-to-market activities. Additionally, Amazon has made an equity investment in Cohesity.

-MOHAMMED HEJAZI,

Managing Director for Dimension Data Middle East.

DIMENSION DATA LAUNCHES TWO MANAGED SERVICES CENTRES Dimension Data, a global technology integrator and managed services provider, has announced the expansion of its next-generation Managed Services to help clients streamline operational efficiencies and drive business outcomes across the Middle East. As the economy rebounds from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dimension Data has expanded its Managed Services capability across Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to support businesses as they recover and reinforce their digital transformation efforts. Dimension Data’s global Managed Services platform offers data-driven insights and real-time reporting, managing over 9,000 IP networks and supporting over 13 million users across the globe. The Managed Services centres in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates complement Dimension Data’s global Managed Services platform and operate in accordance with local in-country data sovereignty laws.

Dimension Data’s goal is to allow organisations to focus on their main core business while leaving their day to day IT and Security operational tasks to the subject matter experts. Dimension Data has the expertise in understanding clients pain points, thus pushing the organisation to provide tailored solutions through the rich portfolio which includes different flavours of managed services, like 24 by 7 proactive support, reactive support, on-site interventions, managed client platforms or used Dimension Data platforms in addition to application managed services.

Dimension Data’s global Managed Services platform manages over 9,000 IP networks and supports over 13 million users D E C E M B E R 2020

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REVIEW https://globalciofor u m . c o m / c i o - 2 0 0 /

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WORLD’s BIGGEST CIO LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS

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100+ EXHIBITORS

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER, 2020 INFLUENCE INTEGRATE IMPACT

THE WORLD CIO 200 ROADSHOW 2020 IS HERE The roadshow will provide a platform for 100+ exhibitors and 250+ engaging sessions Global CIO Forum has announced the eagerly-awaited 2020 edition of The World CIO 200 Roadshow. Bigger, broader and more engaging than ever before, the event will unfold over November and December 2020. This year, the roadshow will cover 27 countries and provide a platform for 100+ exhibitors and 250+ engaging sessions. More than 3000 CIOs and IT heads will be recognised in the 2020 edition.

The World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 will also feature exclusive invitation-only country specific briefings, celebration of the contributions of local CIOs and offer post-event networking opportunities.

Moreover, participants can tap into the collective wisdom of advisory boards and subject matter experts.

The World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 will offer a choice of over 10 certification courses for IT heads to hone their skills and get certified, while earning credentials. The event will host an array of training sessions and visitors will have the option to pick and participate in the ones that are most relevant to them.

Another interesting feature is the CIO 10 in 10, where a circle of 10 CIOs will gather in virtual rooms, chairing a topic and interacting with like-minded thinkers.

MALCO TO DISTRIBUTE FARFISA INTERCOM SOLUTIONS Malco Technologies has announced that the organisation is the new distributors of Farfisa solutions, in the UAE. At Malco Technologies believes that success takes collaboration, and is optimistic that it can have a rewarding business venture together for upcoming years. As an addition to its Infrastructure segment, Farfisa is a prominent international players that has introduced intercom technology in homes worldwide.

Its industrial history is marked by a series of products that have defined the relations, forms and customs through which communication has evolved year-after-year. Flexibility of solutions designed for a wide range of applications is among the strong points of Farfisa systems, which stem from extensive international experience.

The entire cycle of production, project, and services takes place in the Farfisa factory, since 1967. The products are truly made in Italy.

One of Farfisa’ s best solution is the DUO system. The DUO system is a proprietary technology of Farfisa, which have been developing over more than 10 years.

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MINDWARE TO DISTRIBUTE HTC’S VIVE ENTERPRISE VIRTUAL REALITY SOLUTIONS Mindware has announced a distribution agreement with HTC. As per the agreement, Mindware will now offer HTC’s complete portfolio of VIVE Enterprise virtual reality, VR, solutions across the Middle East and North Africa region. HTC VIVE Enterprise solutions are built around enabling businesses of all sizes to enhance their creativity, accelerate training, strengthen collaboration, and engage their customers. They combine great hardware with versatile software and deliver an exceptional overall experience. Businesses have different requirements – some require best-in-class software and hardware, room-scale tracking, and multiple users in the same environment. Others seek convenience, portability, and a more affordable entry point to VR. HTC’s wide range of products cater to every need.

One of HTC’s innovations, namely the VIVE Focus plus, features an allin-one VR headset for enterprise designed for quality and portability. With the newly-added dual 6DoF controllers, increased comfort for extended VR sessions, and enhanced optics, VIVE Focus Plus blurs the lines between reality and virtual reality. The VIVE Pro Eye Office creates more immersive virtual simulations with precision eye tracking and is ideal for a wide range of environments and applications, such as training, design, construction, and more. Finally, the VIVE Sync is an all-in-one meeting and collaboration solution for VR, which is in beta stage but currently being used all over the world. It enables clients and co-workers to meet in a virtual setting in the blink of an eye.

-NIDAL OTHMAN, Co-founder and Managing Director, StarLink.

STARLINK TO DISTRIBUTE SAILPOINT IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

StarLink has announced a partnership with SailPoint for distribution in the Middle East and Turkey. The joint objective is to help organisations drive business efficiency with a robust Identity Management strategy. SailPoint delivers an innovative approach to securing access across enterprises with the SailPoint Predictive Identity platform, which is powered by AI and machine learning technologies. SailPoint provides enterprise identity governance solutions, tackling with ease the most complex business challenges that global organisations face today as they chart their digital transformation journey.

With SailPoint, organisations have full visibility into their entire workforce and their access to critical business assets needed to do their jobs both securely and effectively. All of this translates to business value and thus enables businesses to run seamlessly and confidently. The two companies, through this robust collaboration, will aim to empower enterprises in the region with advanced capabilities to help accelerate their business while delivering adaptive security, continuous compliance, and improved business efficiency.

With SailPoint, organisations have full visibility into their entire workforce and their access to critical business assets

NOVEMBER

REVIEW BIOS MIDDLE EAST TO OFFER VMWARE SD-WAN TO CUSTOMERS

The global market for SD-WAN is valued at $1.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $25.5 billion by 2027 BIOS Middle East, a provider of cloud and managed IT services for enterprises, announced that it is collaborating with VMware to offer VMware SD-WAN to customers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. BIOS would be the first cloud provider to launch VMware SD-WAN in these countries. VMware SD-WAN delivers high performance and reliable access from branches or work-from-anywhere locations to cloud services, private data centres and SaaS-based enterprise applications in a cost-effective manner.

It simplifies branch wide area networking by automating deployment and improving performance over private, broadband internet, and LTE links for today’s distributed enterprises. VMware SD-WAN is a foundational component of VMware Secure Access Service Edge Platform, which converges network services with best-in-class cloud security and Zero Trust network access to deliver flexibility, agility and scalability for enterprises of all sizes.

The global market for SD-WAN is valued at $1.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $25.5 billion by 2027, at a compound annual growth rate of 48% over the period 2020-2027, according to a report by Research and Markets. Demand for SD-WAN is on the rise as enterprises become more mobile and seek innovative ways to circumvent the challenges posed by rapid digital transformation and growing number of cloud-based applications.

DELL TECHNOLOGIES LAUNCHES PAYMENT SOLUTION

-MOHAMED AMIN, Senior Vice President, Middle East, Russia, Africa, Turkey, Dell Technologies.

Dell Technologies has announced the launch of Dell Financial Services in UAE and Saudi Arabia, to provide additional support to the company’s partners and customers. The availability of Dell Financial Services in these two markets will give organisations more choice and flexibility to access and leverage technology to drive business continuity and growth.

DFS offers financing for the complete range of products and solutions within the Dell Technologies portfolio including VMware, whether sold by Dell Technologies directly or resold by channel partners. The consumption models under DFS also have the most expansive channel coverage and choice of services, which are customised to the customers’ business and technology needs.

Since its launch in 1997, Dell Financial Services has been recognised globally as one of the foremost technology finance solution providers and aims to deliver value at every step of the customer experience.

The solutions support technology investment, increase operational efficiency, simplify budgeting and payments, thereby accelerating an organisation’s ability to increase return on investment and drive innovation. DFS is also committed to sustainability and will manage the end of lease process to recycle and return of all equipment in accordance with the latest compliance standards.

-RAVI GOPINATH,

Chief Cloud Officer and Chief Product Officer, AVEVA.

AVEVA EMPOWERS SHELL WITH ITS ENGINEERING DATA WAREHOUSE TECHNOLOGY AVEVA has announced that it has signed an agreement to help accelerate Shell Global Solutions International’s digital transformational strategy by deploying AVEVA’s cloud software solutions. AVEVA will provide Shell with its Engineering Data Warehouse technology, which is one of the building blocks of the digital twin. This will enable a common digital thread across engineering, operations and maintenance and the ability to securely deliver information in context from a single source to decision makers across these critical functions.

AVEVA’s Engineering Data Warehouse will enable Shell through its digital twin to drive asset reliability, enhance efficiency and reduce unplanned downtime. The solution will also support in providing actionable insights right from the site operator to the Asset Leadership Team. AVEVA’s solution supports Shell’s ambition to empower staff across Shell’s manufacturing sites and to keep frontline industrial workers safe while ensuring business continuity and operational resilience.

AVEVA’s Engineering Data Warehouse brings together engineering information across the lifecycle of the asset, supported by powerful and proven applications that enable visualisation, analysis, prediction and guidance. Its vast experience across multiple industries provides the domain content to address industry specific scenarios and use cases.

AVEVA’s Engineering Data Warehouse will enable Shell. through its digital twin. to drive asset reliability, enhance efficiency

JUNIPER NETWORKS ENABLES HIGH-SPEED RESEARCH NETWORK Juniper Networks has announced that Egyptian Universities Network, EUN, connecting public universities across Egypt, providing applications and services that researchers, students and staff need, has deployed Juniper’s core network solutions to enable advanced learning and collaboration for 27 public universities across Egypt. By providing a reliable, stable and secure WAN, EUN is able to offer first-class VoIP, internet access, email and video conferencing for students and staff, academics and researchers.

Egypt is in the midst of an education resurgence, following the government declaring 2019 as the Year of Education. Egypt’s public education system is the largest across Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East, and nearly three million students are currently enrolled in Egypt’s universities.

EUN relies on Juniper’s MX Series Universal Routing Platform for secure connectivity. Researchers, students and academics can collaborate with their peers around the world using interconnections to key international research and education networks.

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Regulatory reporting is the focus for using historians to store operational data in some industries ELLIOTT MIDDLETON,

Director of Product Management, Aveva.

OPERATIONAL DATA WILL DRIVE PRODUCTIVITY IN MANUFACTURING Automating collection and storage of operational data enables businesses to produce data they need for compliance, explains Elliott Middleton at Aveva.

I

n the time of the pandemic, manufacturing operations looking to pivot production to new items and improve productivity have become more reliant on data historians providing sensor data analytics. Traditionally, only operations teams physically present in plants had access to operational data in control systems, but with widespread remote working

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and digital transformation initiatives, offsite engineers now require access to data too.

Data historians take high-speed sensor readings and record them. Depending on the industry, readings including temperatures, pressure, flow rates and conveyor speeds are taken constantly, millisecond to millisecond, and then preserved. In recent times with the

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rise of IIoT device connectivity, collecting and processing that operational data automatically in historians is becoming more affordable and accessible.

Automating data collection key to modernising Automating the collection of operational data is especially important in the food and

GUEST COLUMN

beverage sector, where there are fast production lines and multiple products. In the past, smaller food and beverage manufacturers used a paper-based chart recorder to record sensor measurements. They might have as many as five measurements on a chart recorder. In contrast, automated data collection systems collect and store millions of measurements.

Previously, there was only so much physical space to place that chart recorder, so manufacturers had to be selective about the data recorded. Invariably, they then needed something that wasn’t on the paper.

Now, with control systems, IIoT sensors, and edge devices, it is easier to collect and record everything that might be useful, for anything from process improvement to troubleshooting.

Regulatory reporting is the focus for using historians to store operational data in some industries. Automating the collection and storage of operational data enables businesses to produce the data they need for compliance.

The next step is extracting the value from that data. If operators can find out in 30 seconds what the problem was, instead of in five minutes, then they can correct that much faster.

In consumer goods and food and beverage manufacturing, high-speed packaging lines are the norm and so is jammed packaging material. For example, if a yogurt plant that is producing 10 cartons a second is down for a minute, with 100 small faults a day, that is 600 yogurt cartons affected.

Accurate data is also key to downtime tracking, production costing and energy consumption reporting, enabling manufacturers to increase uptime and allocate energy cost to individual production units.

Very often manufacturers do not know what they do not know. Accurate data provides fresh insight. Data can drive productivity and profitability by spotting opportunities for process improvement.

Traditionally, detailed operational data was only accessible in the control room. While that simplifies some of the security challenges, it is problematic when more and more people could benefit from that data. Increasingly, sites are mirroring it to more accessible systems on the business network or online.

This hybrid approach is ideal for improved and more timely decision making by more people. Now engineers can access the data from their mobile phones and from home when they need to. That has proved invaluable

TRENDS %

71 43%

OF MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED SAID ONE OF THE KEY VALUES OF HISTORIAN DATA CAME FROM DIAGNOSTICS AND TROUBLESHOOTING.

SAID IT HELPED IDENTIFY PROCESS IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND 56% USED IT TO HELP REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION.

AUTOMATED DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS REVEALS PATTERNS AND TRENDS THAT CAN SUPPORT AND SPEED UP TROUBLESHOOTING.

in the Covid-19 era.

In less traditional manufacturing applications, the accurate data is still quite valuable, but sites lack the needed infrastructure, staff and expertise. In developed economies, health and beauty products are sold in large containers. However, in emerging economies, those are too expensive, so products are produced in smaller packaging.

To avoid high distribution costs, local shampoo plants operate from a miniature plant the size of a shipping container. Whereas in North America there might be four large plants, in an emerging economy that would be replaced by 50 shipping container-sized plants. Similarly, some water treatment plants operate in a shipping container, to clean water in remote locations, such as mining operations.

There is no room for servers or IT engineers to handle data onsite. But the information is just as valuable to small operation and using a fullymanaged cloud solution makes it cost-effective even for these small sites.

Operations leaders looking to the cloud used to consider security to be a major concern.

For some time, there was the perception that

on-premise data storage was a more secure option than allowing the data to leave the organisation. That has changed.

There is an increasing recognition of the high level of security of the cloud itself – and secure, send-only data architectures protect outbound data. Cloud data is now safely behind multilayered security that is hard to match in a small, on-premise collection of servers A highly automated process is prerequisite to collecting and getting the best from historian data, providing insight to improve diagnostic troubleshooting and identify improvement opportunities.

As more organisations gain access to sensor data, more job functions can leverage it. Many small and medium size manufacturers are still getting by with paper-based chart recorders, or perhaps with a basic data logger. Long term, though there is an inexorable trend towards automated data collection, data historians, and cloud-based solutions. Faster reporting and diagnostics will drive productivity and profitability gains that will provide an unbeatable competitive edge. ë

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Projects are the incarnation of traditional IT thinking GREGOR HOHPE,

Enterprise Strategist, Amazon Web Services.

RECIPE FOR TRANSFORMATION IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE Defining a target is easy, but knowing which string to pull first on the legacy knot is a delicate affair, writes Gregor Hohpe at Amazon Web Services.

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hink of an industry that is not affected by the digital revolution in any way. One that can keep operating as it has been without any fear of disruption or need for change. If you are part of a successful enterprise, chances are your business is being challenged, or perhaps even disrupted, by so-called digital companies. Those are the

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players who have no legacy, have nothing to lose, and release software one hundred times a day. Or so it seems, perhaps.

Fact or folklore, to remain successful your business needs to define a strategy that responds to this challenge. To do so, I recommend to first take a step back and have a close look at the definition of disruption.

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The critical point here is that we, as the ones being disrupted, are working under a set of assumptions and constraints that no longer hold true, or at least not for our competition. When things got choppy in the past, the strategy that businesses fell back on was optimization.

We reduced our cost base, looked for further

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efficiencies, and leveraged our economies of scale. Now it is a different ballgame; we cannot expect to tackle disruption with optimisation.

Instead, we must transform.

It is apparent that our business environment has dramatically changed shape, so it seems appropriate to change the shape of how we conduct business. What shape that should be, though, requires a bit more consideration.

Transforming means we have to shed old habits and question existing assumptions. It is easy to think then that we are best off starting over—after all, those digital disruptors do not have all the legacy that we lug around.

However, that would be putting the enterprise baby out with the digital bathwater.

When embarking on a transformation, you must have some idea of what you are transforming into. The natural target would be to become like those digital companies that are disrupting your business. However, this could be your first major mistake, for two reasons.

First, these companies have a different starting point than you do, so you will not be able to simply copy their operating model. Second, and more importantly, trying to emulate a digital disruptor would negate the key assets that your business possesses, such as physical points of presence or great customer service.

There are surely some ways of working that you would want to adopt from modern companies, such as experimentation, frequent releases, or agile software delivery. Alas, each of these approaches, while often simple at the surface, depends on underlying capabilities and attitudes without which the technique will not work.

Simply emulating observed behaviors

without implementing the underlying core mechanisms will not be more effective than installing a barista and colored furniture in your office.

Approaching a transformation like a traditional IT project is unlikely to succeed. It would be like taking your horseless carriage to a vet. Transformation is not a project with a defined start date, end date, and upfront business case.

In fact, projects are the incarnation of traditional IT thinking, where IT automates an existing and often well-understood business process to increase efficiency. The digital world works in exactly the opposite way: it is a journey of continuous learning and discovery, and so is your transformation journey The other items that you need to leave behind when embarking on your transformation journey are existing beliefs and assumptions that are, often unknowingly, baked into processes and mindsets. To tackle disruption, you must question existing norms and beliefs.

Your main challenge will be that those beliefs are not documented anywhere. A third popular assumption is that speed and discipline oppose each other, portraying fast-moving companies as shooting from the hip.

The last observation is that there is no recipe for transformation. It is a great idea to look at what other organisations have done, but each organisation’s journey will be different.

Defining the target picture is relatively easy, but knowing which string to pull first on the Gordian knot of legacy systems, processes, and organisational structures is an equally unique and delicate affair.

Transformations require both restlessness

Digital world works in exactly the opposite way, it is a journey of continuous learning and discovery

Transformation is not a project with a defined start date, end date, and upfront business case

and patience—another perceived contradiction. Restlessness gives you the drive to run up against existing rules and processes; starting a transformation with an eighteen-month planning and requirements gathering phase is almost guaranteed to be a failure.

At the same time, once underway, you cannot expect overnight miracles. The start-ups that reached one hundred million users with an app written by three developers are usually on their fiftieth iteration and third pivot by the time they make the news.

To measure gradual progress, make sure you have simple and visible metrics, ideally those that are not only meaningful to your own IT but also to your customers—customer centricity is where many digital disruptors started.

Customers will appreciate more frequent updates, fast response to their feedback, reliable operations, and good performance.

Achieving internal efficiencies, while desirable, is not visible to your customers and should come after your customers are delighted by your products. Else you end up optimising that which is not needed, which was famously described as the most useless endeavor by Peter Drucker.

Here is one additional advice: transformations are hard. You are not putting new wallpaper into the living room; you are taking your two-story house apart and putting it back together as a bungalow. Can it be done? Yes! Will it be easy? Heck no! ë

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Feasibility studies were quickmarched into production and projects accelerated to completion within weeks DAVID NOËL,

Regional Vice President, Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa, AppDynamics.

SUBSTANDARD DIGITAL EXPERIENCE IMPLIES SUBSTANDARD BRAND Consumers avoid brands with substandard digital experiences, since degradation in performance affects reputation, says David Noël at AppDynamics.

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ccording to projections from Visa Middle East, by 2021, worldwide ecommerce sales’ share of total revenues will have doubled, from 8.6% in 2016 to 17.5%. Visa’s whitepaper was released in June 2019 when few had ever heard

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of Covid-19. It is not unreasonable to suggest that isolated, bargain-hungry consumers propelled by economic uncertainty may prove even more enthusiastic this year.

The Middle East and North Africa region has shown the fastest growth for ecommerce

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compared with other regions around the world, with the United Arab Emirates at the hub of the action. The same Visa Middle East report cites the UAE as the most advanced eCommerce market in the MENA region and projects sales in the UAE to grow by an average of 23% annu-

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71%

of UAE technologists reported digital transformation projects were signed off in a matter of weeks

UAE is the most advanced eCommerce market in the MENA region

ally between 2018 and 2022 again, remember this was pre-pandemic.

The industry remains reliant on success of events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday bonanzas. While born in the West, both events have travelled well and found significant engagement in the Middle East. In a 2019 global survey, 45% of Saudis announced intention to participate in Black Friday that year, spending an average of $ 240. In the past, UAE-based Souq.com offered Black Friday discounts as high as 70%.

But in a fiercely competitive field, where e-shoppers can switch to a competitor with a single click, e-tail firms must ensure a digital experience that is slick, reliable, and engaging.

In the US last year, more people shopped online than in stores on Black Friday. This year, we already see an online propensity governed by outside forces. So, the pressure on ecommerce platforms is all but guaranteed.

Across the region, many were caught off guard by pandemic-related demands on their technology stacks. Feasibility studies were quick-marched into production and projects slated to run for many months were accelerated to completion within weeks or days as evidenced by the recent AppDynamics The Agents of Transformation Report.

86% of UAE technologists reported that digital transformation projects which would typically have taken more than a year to be approved, were signed off in a matter of weeks and 78% point to digital transformation projects that have been implemented within weeks rather than the months or years it would have taken before the pandemic.

Online sellers quickly learned that the deluge would not pass and that application suites needed urgent attention. As global ecommerce began to grab a greater and greater share of total retail sales, business leaders had

to face a new reality — their digital presence was now an integral part of their brand. And the applications that fed user experiences were no longer backroom tools, but vital operational components.

We can now see how an intense surge in consumer engagement can hurt your brand rather than build it, leading to an adverse effect on your bottom line. IT teams therefore need to be ready for event shoppers. If you lose a few impatient users due to high latency, social media outcries will do the rest.

You need a plan. Your IT team needs to be familiar with the baseline metrics used to measure the performance of your applications and websites. It is important to take a fresh look, as they may have changed from last year.

It is useful if you can configure your environment to auto-scale itself to cope with surges in user engagement. Also take time to account for user behaviours. For example, casual browsers have a different impact on your resources than those searching for a specific product.

Real-time analytics that tracks revenue and alerts you to inventory locked up in shopping carts can also help you keep on top of the frantic pace of the weekend. Application-performance monitoring solutions are powerful tools for keeping an eye on the vital signs of your commerce platform and informing you in real time of issues such as heavier-than-expected traffic or drops in successful transactions.

Remember that link between technology performance and your brand. Remember to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. And remember that any degradation in performance could translate to a degradation in reputation. Two thirds of consumers avoid brands known for substandard digital experiences. That means stakeholders must leave nothing to chance.

A business’ technology platform is composed of several potential bottlenecks, from the presentation layer all the way down to the physical. Due care paid to each component will ensure a smooth ride for consumers.

Once the plan is in place and the right tools are on standby, all that remains is to make sure that you can react instantaneously in real time to any issues that arise. Proper monitoring can help with this, assuming your tools allow you full, rich visibility of your environment.

While the wrong stance can be damaging to your brand, a good performance gives you the opportunity to expand your customer base and build loyalty among existing customers.

Get it right and watch the results. ë

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ANDREW BRINDED,

Vice President and Sales, Chief Operating Officer EMEA, Nutanix.

TRANSFORMATION OF END USER COMPUTING YEARS FROM NOW The future will be as dramatic as looking into the past, with streaming everywhere, instant computing, immersive pods, lists out Andrew Brinded at Nutanix.

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o understand what end-user computing may look like in ten years, first think about how you work today and consider how you worked 10, 20, 30 years ago. And if you are lucky enough to be too young, ask a colleague.

The Seventies. The knowledge worker of the 1970s had a fixed-line telephone, sheaves of paper documents, possibly a typewriter, memos for written communications, a legion of clerks, a typing pool and precious little other information infrastructure.

The Eighties. As hairstyles got shorter, the office expanded to include early personal computers. IT began to talk more to end-users and business analysts’ requests for data to be hauled off mainframes and mid-range servers became more frequent.

The Nineties. Cheaper PCs, laptops, the web, local-area networks, email, mobile phones and client server IT made this the decade where personal productivity soared.

The Noughties to now. Smartphones abounded, WiFi became ubiquitous, tablets soared, and office workers were released from the shackles of their desks to be effective from anywhere, often selecting their own devices too. Architects design spaces for workers to bump into each other, brainstorm and cocreate with far-flung colleagues and partners.

But what of the knowledge worker in 2030?

Architects design spaces for workers to bump into each other, co-create with far-flung colleagues and partners

Where will this person work from and what tools will they use to become optimally effective? It is a fair bet that this person will need to be creative because nobody wants to compete with China or Indonesia or any low-cost economy on price, so innovation will be key.

It is also likely that co-creation and cocuration will become more important, so we need tools and spaces that are fun, funky and conducive to getting creative juices flowing.

Here are some ideas of what we might see.

EVERYTHING IS VIRTUAL Desktop PCs will disappear almost entirely except for power-user workstations. Virtual desktop infrastructure will prevail because users will want to see their working environment from any device, whether that’s a laptop, tablet, phone, smart watch, smart speaker or something else.

We can expect ubiquitous compute capacity everywhere: in domestic appliances, in-car infotainment systems, perhaps baton or cylinder computers with roll up flexible screens, smartphones that can double as PCs, Star Trek-style smart microphones that we pin to clothing.

STREAMING IS EVERYWHERE Once, a lack of support for advanced graphics was the criticism of VDI but that argument is becoming obsolete. Google’s cloud-based Stadia games platform will even support 8k streaming at 150 frames per second. That could mean the computer of the future effectively returning to be a dumb terminal and with hardware costing perhaps tens of pounds rather than hundreds.

HUGE IMMERSIVE PODS With such great streaming quality, screens may be one of the hottest areas of end-user computing change. It is possible that we will go from today’s curved OLED screens to immersive pod units where we are transported into another world of crystal-clear audio and life-like visuals.

Your colleague in the US takes a virtual seat in a simulacrum of a meeting room alongside you and calls are finally perfect, thanks to faster broadband and clusters of routers.

ALEXA AND FRIENDS Voice assistants will become critical to the business user interface, meaning we can control everything from anywhere, hands-free.

Bolstered by AI, search will be simplified. Can’t

find that file? Just say: Computer find me that document I wrote about end-user computing in 2030, and there it is.

INSTANT COMPUTING Faster boot sequences helped by advanced memory will make computing faster than ever with fewer irritating wait states. Storage becomes less important if streaming dominates but NAND Flash and similar technologies will help with lightning-fast caching and buffering.

Autonomic self-correction Security and error detection will advance to the point that helpdesk calls are reduced to a minimum as AI and Machine Learning detect and anticipate signs of imminent failures or vulnerabilities and take action without user action.

LONG-LASTING POWER Advanced battery chemistries will let computers run for days on end while solar and wireless charging become ubiquitous.

FASTER INPUT Tools such as Otter provide the ability to transcribe meeting notes with high degrees of accuracy, while Zoom offers a transcription service for conferencing sessions. Expect more automation of clerical tasks such as automatically storing files in a logical place or anticipating next actions based on previous behaviour.

HOMES LIKE OFFICES, OFFICES LIKE HOMES For 20 years, designers have created office spaces that bring out the kidult in all of us.

Games rooms, comfy sofas, work-out rooms and running tracks abound, but now the tide is turning the other way as the design experts figure out how to bring work capabilities into domestic spaces. So, look out for pull-out pods and desks, beds that turn into workspaces, TVs that morph into computers screens and more.

Some of this may sound fanciful and the truth is that it is hard to predict progress with any great degree of accuracy, but think of how working life has changed over the decades and these ideas are far from absurd. In order to win the battle for talent, companies need to provide attractive working environments and great tools for the incoming generation of workers.

By tapping into the innate human capacity to innovate, companies that offer the best environments will excel and win over the best people. ë

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CAREER MOVES Equinix selects Lorraine Wilkinson as Regional VP for Sales, UK Equinix has announced the appointment of Lorraine Wilkinson as its new Regional Vice President for Sales for the United Kingdom. Wilkinson will be a key member of the UK leadership team and will be responsible for implementing and progressing Equinix’s sales strategy in the UK, developing existing customer relationships and supporting the long-term acquisition of new customers.

Vectra appoints Jerome Jullien as Vice President of International Partner Sales Vectra has announced the appointment of Jerome Jullien as Vice President of International Partner Sales to its leadership team. With more than 25 years’ experience in Enterprise Technology, including managing channels, system integrator and service provider and alliances, Jerome brings a strong track record of building successful business models for the Channel and will play a key role in managing and driving sales via the Vectra partner ecosystem.

Bonnie Smith joins Tech Data as Chief Information Officer Tech Data has announced that Bonnie Smith has joined the company as Chief Information Officer, CIO. Smith brings to Tech Data more than 30 years of experience running global shared-services operations and leading large-scale transformation initiatives.

As Tech Data’s Chief Information Officer, she will oversee all aspects of information technology deployment and lead the company’s global IT organisation through a critical chapter of strategic innovation and digital transformation. Smith succeeds John Tonnison, who announced in July his desire to retire after almost two decades with the company. He will remain at Tech Data through mid-November to assist with the transition.

Riverbed promotes Sekhar Kancherlapalli to Chief Information Officer Riverbed has announced the appointment and promotion of Sekhar Kancherlapalli to Chief Information Officer. In his new and expanded role, Kancherlapalli will oversee all IT functions and operations, and will be focused on leading and furthering Riverbed’s cloud and digital initiatives. Prior to joining Riverbed as a Chief Architect, Kancherlapalli held senior cloud and enterprise architecture roles at Oracle, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Fidelity. He will join Riverbed’s Executive Leadership Team and will report to President and CEO, Rich McBee.

Sophos appoints Kevin Isaac as Senior Vice President of Sales for EMEA Micro Focus has announced the appointment of Gonzalo Usandizaga as President of International Sales. In this role, he will lead go-to-market activity in EMEA and in Latin America, where he will concentrate on delivering positive business outcomes to customers as they run and transform to succeed in the digital economy.

Usandizaga was promoted to this position from a previous role as Vice President and General Manager for Micro Focus’ Emerging Markets Territory, a conglomerate of 70+ countries with distinct cultures and challenges. During this time, he helped build the company’s pipeline ahead of projections, drove channel success with methodical engagement and enablement, established a strong and loyal customer base and accelerated the pace of regional growth.

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