bits Enhanced response
Nidal Abou-Ltaif, Vice President - Emerging Markets, Avaya; Major General Rashid Al Matrooshi - Director of General Department, Dubai Civil Defense
Avaya is to implement a collaboration solution for Dubai Civil Defense (DCD)
based on its Avaya Flare Experience, a family of next-gen, real-time enterprise video communications and collaboration products and services. The company is hailing the solution as a first amongst emergency services and armed forces across the region and has customised the solution to meet DCD’s specific requirements. Due to go live by Q2, the plan is to deploy Avaya Flare desktop devices at its DCD’s HQ and its 15 centres across the Emirates. Put simply, the solution will allow voice, video and data sharing, allowing senior management to collaborate in the event of
an emergency. With access to DCD’s central database, it can also be used to communicate with 3G smartphones via a VPN, allowing real-time reporting from on-the-spot officers. According to Major General Rashid Al Matrooshi, Director of the General Department of DCD, “It will save time and costs, by allowing us to collaborate. Face-toface interaction will enhance control in crisis situations and eliminate unnecessary travel between centres for briefings and other updates. This is a strategic move for us.” DCD has been an Avaya customer for more than two years, explains Nidal Abou-Ltaif, VP - Emerging Markets, Avaya. “The true value of the Avaya Flare Experience is a breakthrough collaboration experience which will dramatically expand communications capabilities in times of crisis as well as enabling better and more cost-effective day-to-day communications.” As well as seamlessly integrating with DCD’s existing Avaya emergency response systems, the Avaya Flare Experience also integrates with social media, calendars and e-mail from a single user interface on a multi-touch device.
Cisco to set shop in SmartCity Malta Cisco will be setting up its Maltese
operation at SmartCity Malta, which is set to be the regional leader of the knowledge economy in the Mediterranean. As part of the strategic collaboration pact, SmartCity Malta has also selected Cisco’s Borderless Network Architecture. Cisco’s Borderless Network Architecture will create a robust, secure and flexible networking environment, to meet the demand of the world’s digital operations. SmartCity Malta has also implemented a comprehensive Cisco Collaboration solution, designed to provide the most advanced
8 Network World Middle East February 2011
communication experience with rich, reliable and effective voice interactions. Using Cisco’s open architectural approach, SmartCity Malta blended switching and security solutions to create a highly secure, dynamic foundation, which will serve as a basis for the current and evolving business requirements of a sustainable township that caters for a global, mobile, knowledge-based workforce. On this borderless network, SmartCity Malta has used Cisco’s Unified Communications products and services, to develop a fully-integrated, intelligent collaboration solution.
NetApp to acquire Akorri Networks
Storage company NetApp has entered into an agreement to acquire privately
held Akorri Networks, which specializes in optimising server, storage and application performance. Akorri’s products will be used to extend the functionality in NetApp’s OnCommand management software portfolio. Akorri’s BalancePoint platform allows IT administrators to troubleshoot, optimize, plan and manage service levels across both physical and virtual environments. Being able to handle both virtualised and physical systems at the same time is becoming more important for IT departments. Companies are moving more of their application to virtualized servers, but a majority will in the foreseeable future still have applications running physical servers. BalancePoint works with a plethora of OSes, storage systems and enterprise applications. The platform is also compatible with storage switches from Brocade and Cisco Systems as well as virtualization products from Microsoft and VMware. Akorri was founded in 2005 and is based in Littleton, Massachusetts. The company’s list of customers include Crocs, Time Warner Telecom and eBay, according to its website.
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