Reseller Middle East August 2015

ISSUE 224 | august 2015 www.resellerme.com

A decade of transformation Having crossed the 10-year mark, Help AG aims to hit $100 million by 2018

Download the FREE RME app and explore your favourite magazine PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

Scale smarter.

Manage easier.

Innovate faster.

New PowerEdge servers can be configured up to %99 faster and boost IOPS by up to 10x .

1

2

Whether your business relies on data to predict the future, improve outcomes or engage more customers, the next generation of PowerEdge servers with Intel ® Xeon ® processors will help boost application and workload performance — so you can scale smarter, manage easier, innovate faster.

The 1st 2.5" hot-plug SSD delivers up to

Zero-touch

10IOPSX 99 3

automation configures up to

2

faster

%

Deploy

10,000 servers

1

in an

instant

1

Learn more about our award-winning server and revolutionary in-server flash designs.

Visit Dell.com/accelerate Intel, the Intel logo, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

1 Based on Principled Technologies report ‘Simplifying systems management with Dell OpenManage on 13G Dell PowerEdge servers’, September 2014, commissioned by Dell, testing Dell’s 13th generation R730 with Enterprise-level Dell systems management. As compared to manual configuration.

2 Based on product specifications for Intel S3700 SATA SSD and Express Flash results from the Storage Networking Industry Association.

3 Based on Dell internal analysis August 2014 comparing SATA SSDs to Express Flash - PCIe-Gen3 x4 testing random reads. ©2014 Dell, Inc. Dell is a registered trademark of Dell, Inc. Pudae ratet faces rerrori beaquide ped etusae. Um lant, test fugiaes dit rem qui aribusd aepuditatur aut apit lam sandebisque ea volupienis ent, odipiendaeIhicatem rem eatur adiasim porero berum sim rem dolora es ad quam, to debitis est dolorest, omnihit la santusam re, corrovid ut aditias eseque ad

Contact your nearest office for further details: mssales@mindware.ae | UAE: +9714 4500600

CONTENTS

28

ISSUE 224 // august 2015

cover feature review

44

Synology DS 415+

47

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua

10 and counting

2015 marks Help AG’s 10th year anniversary. In an exclusive interview, the company’s MD Stephan Berner, discusses business and success strategy.

Highlights

Interview

6

News

32

Enriching partnerships

We help you catch up on all the major news and announcements in the regional channel community.

Avaya’s Tanya Lobo on new channel initiatives.

analysis 24

Gateway to gains

Learn how the retraction of Iran’s sanctions will impact the regional channel business.

Feature 34 A suit of armor

Reseller ME explores how partners can optimise prospects in security.

Recurring returns

Jyoti Lalchandani from IDC says teamwork and transparency are key for revenue lifecycle management policies.

48

Canon imagePROGRAF

53

Seagate 200GB OneDrive

38 In a flash

Opinion 26

hot products

Discover how partners can benefit from the opportunities in flash storage technology.

Partner Watch 42

Route to success

Emircom’s Mohamad Abou-Zaki discusses regional plans.

One company. One source. One focus.

With customer satisfaction and your profitability on the line, choosing a stable technology partner is a critical business decision. While other technology providers in the industry are splitting apart, Dell is committed to remaining a true source of end-to-end solutions. Certainty in an uncertain world — now that’s a choice you can make with confidence.

Sell with confidence. Sell with Dell.

To learn more, visit Dell.com/partner/yoursuccess

Š 2015 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Dell Emerging Markets (EMEA) Limited is registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 3266654. Registered address: Dell House, The Boulevard, Cain Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1LF. Company details for other Dell UK entities can be found at www.dell.co.uk

Editorial GROUP Chairman and founder

Dominic De Sousa Group CEO

Nadeem Hood

Publishing Director Rajashree Rammohan raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5685

Have we hit the bottom yet?

Editorial Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5678 Deputy Editor Janees Reghelini janees.reghelini@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5681 Contributing Editor James Dartnell Online Editor Adelle Geronimo Advertising Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1647 Sales Manager Merle Carrasco merle.carrasco@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5676

Jeevan Thankappan Group Editor

Circulation Database and Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5682

Talk to us:

Production and Design

E-mail: jeevan.thankappan@ cpimediagroup.com

Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5673

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ ResellerME

Designers Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5680 Neha Kalvani neha.kalvani@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 3751644 Digital www.resellerme.com

DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developers Jefferson de Joya Photographers Max Poriechkin Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 Published by

Registered at IMPZ

Twitter: @ResellerME

The terminal decline of PC market continues unabated with reports from both Gartner and IDC confirming a worse slump since 2013 in the second quarter of this year. Gartner reports show a 9.5 percent decline in shipments while IDC pegs it at 11.8 percent. The difference in two reports is explained by the fact that IDC doesn’t take into account the 2-in-1 market, a growing percentage of the Windows device market.

Be that as it may, this news shouldn’t come as a surprise as everyone expected a decline in shipments with the channel reducing inventory in preparation for the Windows 10 launch. Gartner analysts say the price hike of PCs in some region due to a sharp appreciation of the US dollar local currencies also adversely affected the market.

Lenovo held on to its leadership position in global PC shipments. But the company, according to Gartner, suffered a year-on-year shipment decline for the first time since the second quarter of 2013. HP, another top PC vendor, experienced a shipment decline after five consecutive quarters of growth, with the steep decline coming from EMEA, which is attributed to the currency impact. Dell also experienced a decline for the consecutive second quarter but its decline in EMEA was relatively moderate compared to Lenovo and HP. Both IDC and Gartner expect the PC market to continue its downward spiral in the second half of this year as well, but reiterate that the volume will stabilise and register steady growth in 2016. Now, all eyes are on the newly released Windows 10 and how it will impact the PC market. Not many in the industry expect the new operating system from Microsoft to shore up the sagging fortunes of the PC market in the near future simply because of the fact that it is a free upgrade to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. This represents roughly around 84 percent of Microsoft’s installed base and negates the need for a PC refresh as most users would prefer to upgrade to the new OS on their existing devices. What could really benefit the channel would be the enterprise adoption of Windows 10 but that is still some time off, though Microsoft has started shipping the business edition of the new OS. The Seattle behemoth has set a very lofty goal of 1 billion devices running Windows 10 in the next two-three years and many industry watchers hope it will also drive new form factors that will inspire both consumer and commercial buyers to loosen their purse strings and make new PC purchases. Let’s hope that pans out and offer a glimmer of hope to the channel that plays in this space.

PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 Printed by Printwell Printing Press © Copyright 2015 CPI All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

5

highlights

Windows 10 officially launches in Dubai

Samer Abu Ltaif, Microsoft Gulf

During a launch event held at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai on July 29th, Microsoft has officially unveiled its latest operating system,

Windows 10.

The event brought together UAE Windows enthusiasts, partners, customers, media professionals and Windows Insiders that were part of more than 5 million from around the world who helped Microsoft with their instrumental feedback in the development of Windows 10.

The event offered experiential demos and an opportunity to meet and interact with the Windows team.

In his welcome speech, Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf, said, “Windows 10 ushers in a new era and brings uniqueness to the world of computing. It addresses the tastes and preferences of our customers because it has been built with feedback from over 5 million fans, delivered as a service and offered as a free upgrade. This new OS delivers on our more personal computing vision, with a natural, mobile and trusted experience. Along with our partners, we are excited to deliver the best Windows ever, which will empower people and organisations around the world to do great things. We are equally pleased to celebrate this great milestone with our fans who have contributed enormously to the development of Windows 10.”

Microsoft also announced that the new OS is now available as a free upgrade or with new PCs and tablets. It includes innovations such as an Xbox app and Microsoft Edge for a familiar, yet more personal and productive experience.

6

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

Acronis, Al Hosani Computer sign partner agreement for ME Acronis has finalised a new partner agreement with Al Hosani Computer, to distribute Acronis consumer products for the Middle East & African (MEA) region.

Under the terms of the agreement, Al Hosani will republish and distribute the Acronis True Image 2015 family of products, which aims to offer easy and safe full system image backup solution, offering both on-premise and to the cloud (online) backups for personal use.

A recent survey that Acronis conducted shows that consumers today regard their personal data as

more valuable than the devices that store their data. The research points out that over 75 per cent of consumers store their data digitally and more than 50 per cent state that their personal data are more valuable than their actual devices – solidifying the notion that consumers know that they need to preserve their data.

Guurprit Ahuja, Director, Middle East & Africa, Acronis, said, “We welcome Al Hosani Computers as our new distribution partner. We look forward to growing our business here with them and ensuring that people across the region are protecting their digital information with Acronis.”

Al Falak to offer services to KSA banking and finance segment Al Falak Electronic Equipment & Supplies Company has revealed its move of offering its ICT-based services to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) banking and finance segment.

The company is expected to leverage its portfolio of services across banking institutions operating in KSA. Services to be offered include the installation of integrated projects covering audio, visual and data systems; consultancy on ICT-related issues; implementation of LAN, WAN, WLAN and Ethernet solutions; IPTV and connection services and integrated security systems to help protect the bank’s internal networks.

Al Falak along with Nihilent now offers a range of consultingled services in a cross section of industry domains including banking and financial institutions, as well as other supply chains, logistics, oil and gas, mobile computing and

www.resellerme.com

telecommunications, media and entertainment, government and state-run enterprises, technology and related services, healthcare, and small and medium enterprises.

Hasan Ba-Mehrez, GM, Software Product Division (SPD), Al Falak, said, “We have started to offer our services and solutions to banks across the KSA, a move that we have implemented in response to bank customers asking to install certain services that we offer. Al Falak has now developed a comprehensive and integrated range of services for the banking segment in mind. Rest assured that we will remain steadfast in our commitment towards improving our services by signing agreements with the leading global companies and via the adoption of best practices in order to achieve excellence, maintain customer satisfaction and attract new customers.”

GBM offers an extensive range of IT infrastructure solutions

Founded and operating in the region since 1990, Gulf Business Machines (GBM) is the number one provider of IT solutions, leveraging industry leading technologies to drive real business results for clients.

GBM brings the power of the world’s most renowned technology providers, IBM from its outset and the addition of the Cisco portfolio in 1999. GBM today holds both the Master Collaboration and the Master Security Specializations from Cisco, the only partner across Gulf to be awarded these distinctions.

GBM lives the ever-evolving culture of the local IT landscapes in which it operates, continually investing in training and development to ensure its experts can fully understand and interpret the growing needs of their clients. As a result, GBM is always well-equipped to address the everevolving, industry-specific IT demands in every market. www.gbmme.com ABU DHABI • BAHRAIN • DUBAI • KUWAIT • OMAN • PAKISTAN • QATAR

highlights

A10 Networks signs VAD agreement with Cloud Distribution

A10 Networks has signed up Cloud Distribution, a next-generation valueadded distributor (VAD) based in KSA, to distribute its solutions to the KSA, Bahrain and Egypt markets.

The agreement enables cloud distribution and its strong network of resellers and systems integrators to offer the entire range of A10 Networks solutions including Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs), DDoS mitigation solutions, IPv4 Scaling/IPv6 Transition solutions and network management products to enterprise customers

looking to accelerate, secure and optimise the performance of their data centre applications and networks. The distributor will also provide technical support and professional services to customers.

Glen Ogden, Regional Sales Director, ME, A10 Networks, said, “Cloud Distribution shares the same values as A10 Networks, which includes an excellent understanding of the market, an impressive portfolio of large enterprise customers in key verticals, a wide partner network and a highly competent technical team. We have no doubt that this relationship will greatly strengthen our reach throughout the region.”

The VAD invested early in the relationship by having multiple systems engineers, sales engineers, and a team of professional services personnel in Saudi plus system engineers in Egypt, trained and certified by A10 Networks.

Injazat partners with Kaspersky Lab Injazat Data Systems has partnered with Kaspersky Lab in the area of training on cyber-security.

The three-level security training programme, which targets employees from government entities, IT specialists, Emirati talent and Ovanes Mikhailov, Kaspersky Lab ME fresh graduates, offers an educational platform to raise awareness on topics related to cyber-security including cyber-forensics, malware analysis, and reverse engineering.

Ibrahim Mohamed Lari, CEO, Injazat, said, “Cyber-security challenges have been at an all-time high in recent months, affecting businesses and organisations globally. As such, our partnership with Kaspersky Lab will equip both students and IT professionals with the skills they need to effectively combat cyber-security threats. Through this educational programme, Injazat is actively

contributing to the efforts of the government in safeguarding the nation’s infrastructure and maintaining the UAE’s electronic security.”

Ovanes Mikhailov, MD, Kaspersky Lab ME, said, “By partnering with Injazat to develop this program, we are helping to advance the cyber security landscape in the UAE. The first level of the programme is a two-day course that introduces cybersecurity fundamentals, different types of attacks and gives a comprehensive picture of the threat landscape. The second level consists two courses, discussing malware analysis and reverse engineering. The third and final level, similarly broken down into two courses, covers advanced malware analysis and reverse engineering. Upon successful completion of the broad curriculum, certification is given to attendees.

highlights

StorIT, Unitrends sign distribution agreement StorIT has signed a distribution agreement with Unitrends.

As Unitrends’ value-added distributor, StorIT will promote and distribute its complete portfolio of end-to-end solutions in data protection, backup and disaster recovery solutions across the Middle East, North Africa and India.

Suren Vedantham, Group MD, StorIT Distribution, said, “With this partnership with Unitrends, we are now in a position to offer our customers and partners the brand’s well-proven hybrid solution from a single source for all requirements of scalable appliances, software and cloud-based solutions for backup, archiving, instant recovery and disaster recovery. By leveraging our strong channel network in the Middle East, we plan to increase Unitrends’

business and market share within the region.”

Suren Vedantham, The StorIT Distribution, distributor will undertake activities such as training, certifications, systems design and architecture, implementation services and support. The StorIT team will also work closely with Unitrends to ensure its channel network receives strong sales, marketing, and technical support to effectively sell the vendor’s integrated physical backup appliances that protect physical and virtual environments.

“The expertise of StorIT is a great asset for the development of Unitrends in the region,” said Michael Orange, Regional Manager, MEA, Unitrends.

Mindware adopts 3i Infotech’s ORION 11j

Mindware, a Dubai-based virtualisation-focused distributor, recently adopted 3i Infotech’s ORION 11j product as its ERP solutions for their cloud-based application.

Ashish Dass, President, EMEA, 3i Infotech, said, “We are delighted to join hands with Mindware, as they opt to strengthen their ERP strategy through the implementation of 3i Infotech’s Orion 11j. This engagement is exciting because this will be a cloud-based model where Mindware will make the maximum use of the cloud technology, both internally to its stakeholders and externally to its vendors and customers by deploying the Orion marketplace function on the cloud. A leading IT company such

as Mindware choosing this model of deployment, shows the region’s high acceptance and adoption rate of the trending advanced global technologies in streamlining processes and increasing productivity by using core systems on the cloud. We are pleased to meet the demand of a cloud-based ERP structure and have Mindware join the long list of our satisfied customers.”

Mario Gay, General Manager, Mindware, said, “Mindware is a strong business distribution unit based on virtualisation 3i Infotech with its unique Orion 11j ERP solutions. This is an ideal fit and a pertinent platform to upgrade the solutions to a cloud application linking our business to its resellers aptly. The partnership is an important stepping stone for our growth strategy allowing complete optimisation of business application playing a key role as a comprehensive Internet-based reseller portal.”

highlights

Xerox announces new partner programme Xerox has recently launched the Personalised Application Builder Chris Govier, Xerox and enhanced its Global Partner Programme to help their channel partners further drive revenue and strengthen their client relationships.

Chris Govier, GM, ME Operations, Xerox, said, “We’re bringing solutions and services to our channel partners with speed and efficiency so that they can capture a piece of the significant SMB document management market opportunity. Our mission is to help partners expand their profitable revenue by connecting Xerox technology and services to their unique solutions in order to help their customers simplify everyday business processes.”

The Personalised Application Builder is a set of tools, training and marketing resources that enable

partners to personalise solutions to meet customers’ unique requirements – and then stand out by branding the solution under their own name.

The company says the versatility of its programme allows partners to create personalised solutions ranging from office and MPS to production – giving them room to grow. Suitable for all IT and document management infrastructures, the Personalised Application Builder tools include Xerox App Studio, as well as Software Developer Kits for MPS, FreeFlow (workflow software) and Extensible Interface Platform. Partners can build their own or work with Xerox’s authorised developer network to create solutions on their behalf.

Personalised Application Builder programme is now available for partners in the US, Europe and across developing markets including UAE.

Cyberoam to strengthen ME presence with FDC partnership

Cyberoam and FDC International has recently expanded their distribution partnership. FDC will now be responsible for distributing Cyberoam products in UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon.

According to Cyberoam, this decision is in line with their objective of strengthening its footprint in emerging network security markets.

With the security market in the Middle East projected to be worth USD 25 billion over the next ten

years, the company believes this is the right time to entrench its presence in the region as a provider of next-generation network security products. The company believes FDC’s distribution network across the Middle East will help them satisfy the demand for enhanced network security that is picking up steam.

Rajashekhar, Business Unit Head, ProValue, MENA, FDC, said, “This association with Cyberoam has been mutually beneficial and will continue to be so. Our widespread distribution network across countries like UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and others will help Cyberoam increase its footprint in the Middle East market; the quality and successful track record of the company’s products and its reputation on the market will allow us to increase our distribution revenue. It’s a win-win situation.”

LIMITED VISIBILITY IS AS GOOD AS NO VISIBILITY If you can’t see everything that’s happening on your network, you can never be completely confident you’re not already under attack.

To truly protect your network, the ability to see into even its darkest corners is vital – Gigamon’s Unified Visibility Fabric™ delivers 100% visibility and security solutions that scale to handle any threats to your critical data, now and into the future.

Gigamon’s network security solutions put the power back in your hands.

sales.value@redingtongulf.com For more information or to place an order on Gigamon, please write to sales.value@redingtongulf.com

LOOK CLOSER. GO FURTHER.

highlights

CommScope enhances PartnerPRO Network CommScope has recently introduced a new management tool for the PartnerPRO Network.

According to the company, the new tool will increase the ease, speed and efficiency of collaborating with its partners and to deliver faster and better services to their customers.

The CommScope PartnerPRO Portal is a management software tool for partners that runs on a data management technology created to simplify the process of collaboration for customer projects, ultimately providing customers faster access to CommScope technology.

The PartnerPRO Portal aims to offer new solutions with a higher degree of integration for the worldwide PartnerPRO Network to deliver value-added services to customers more efficiently.

Jim Curran, Vice President, Enterprise Sales, MEA, CommScope, said, Jim Curran, CommScope “Our partners in the Middle East and Africa region are an essential element of our success and fundamental to our regional footprint. They understand the regional specifications and provide local insight to help simplify and accelerate network deployments.

Therefore, the new platform will help them to serve customers even better and more efficiently.”

CommScope also launched the new PartnerPRO Portal management tool to continue developing the PartnerPRO Network with improved communications of project and solution information for partners.

Yealink, DVCOM organise virtual marathon Yealink has recently launched their 5 km virtual marathon run through their master distributor in the region, DVCOM Technology.

The first ever Yealink Marathon run in the region kicked off on 30th May, 2015 and is aimed solely at the systems integrators and resellers in the region. This campaign will have the partners getting the sales of the Yealink phones to run the meters and take them to the 5 km finish line by August 24th 2015.

The IP Phones are assigned fixed meters, on sale of each device the meters are added to the partners score sheet. The three months campaign is one of the innovative training sessions designed by Yealink and DVCOM to get the partners

motivated to sell more while gaining incentives.

IP Phone models part of Yealink’s campaign include the SIP-T4 series, SIP–T2 series, RT10, W52 series among others. Partners will also enjoy promotional bundle offers at every check point along the race, based on the check point level achieved presenting them with exclusive give-aways.

Renjan George, MD, DVCOM Technology, said, “It’s important to constantly engage your partners through trainings and workshops to help them get a better understanding of the products. Yealink’s solutions have revolutionised the UC space.”

At an awards ceremony on August 25th, the finalist and winners will be awarded in categories including Yealink Marathon Winner 2015, Yealink Marathon Runner-up 2015, Yealink Marathon Biggest hop 2015 and Best Marathon Case 2015.

emt signs exclusive distribution deal with CoSoSys emt Distribution has recently signed an exclusive distribution partnership agreement with CoSoSys to Mohammad Mobasseri, distribute the emt Distribution, entire portfolio of CoSoSys Endpoint Protector Solutions in the Middle East including countries such as KSA, UAE, Oman, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain among others.

Mohammad Mobasseri, CEO, emt Distribution, said, “With the rise in awareness about data loss prevention in the region, the opportunities for new business are growing at a fast pace. We will work closely with CoSoSys to lend technical and marketing support to facilitate the growth of business for all our channel partners.

CoSoSys products provide network device control, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Windows and Mac OS X, Mobile Device Management (MDM) for iOS and Android, as well as applications for portable storage device encryption and enhancement.

“We are glad to partner with emt Distribution, one of the leaders in value distribution business in Middle East, with local reach and global experience.

We are confident that the technical expertise and the wide channel base of emt will help give us desired exposure and generate enough business opportunities for us to expand in the region,” said Roman Foeckl, CEO, CoSoSys.

Worldwide IT spending is on pace to total

$3.5 trillion

in 2015, a 5.5 per cent decline from 2014 Source: Gartner

16

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

highlights

ESET announces summer rewards programme “We now want our partners ESET has announced its to target large businesses in summer sales incentive the region and close bigger programme for channel deals. Therefore our new partners in the Middle East. incentive programme is The programme structured not only around extends over a three sales numbers but links month period beginning rewards to deal size,” he added. from the 1st of July to As with all its promotions, the 30th of September.

Pradeesh VS, ESET ME the rules and criteria for The initiative will aim ESET’s Q3 incentive programme have to reward high performing sales been clearly defined. With every personnel from the company’s deal closed, the sales person will be reseller partners and encourages awarded a predetermined number them to close larger deals for the of points per user. However, as the company’s range of next-generation size of the deal (number of product business security solutions. licenses sold) increases, more points Pradeesh VS, General Manager, per users are awarded. These points ESET Middle East, said, “When entitle the sales person to attractive we re-engineered our range of rewards which include iPods, iPads, security solutions for businesses, Apple Watches and MacBook Airs. we engaged with a number of large The aim of the programme is to global enterprises to ensure that drive sales of ESET’s new range of we had a portfolio of technologies capable of protecting even the most business security solutions, which were launched earlier this year. complex IT infrastructures.

Toshiba recognises KSA channel partners

Toshiba Gulf last month held an awards ceremony recognising its top performing channel partners in Saudi Arabia.

The company said the occasion comes as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations for its mobile computing product. Toshiba Gulf Free Zone (TGFZ) also announced a channel promotion for CYQ1-15 sales; this is in addition to its existing P4P Channel programme. Select Saudi Arabia

www.resellerme.com

dealer channel partners had an opportunity to win a Toyota Sequoia in platinum category and a Toyota Camry in gold category.

Sherif Abd Al Fatah of Al Hasoob, Riyadh took home the Toyota Sequoia and Fouad Abd Al Kader of Fan Al Turath, Riyadh won the Toyota Camry The first quarter of 2015 reflects the brand’s growth strategy, which is sustainable and meets the product standards of customers in the region and their preferred PC requirements, said the company.

With the successful incentive related activities in Saudi Arabia, Toshiba hopes to further launch many new channel programmes as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations.

FVC, Sagemcom sign VAD agreement FVC has expanded its Unified Collaboration and Convergence portfolio with a distribution K. S. Parag, FVC agreement with Sagemcom. The agreement covers XMediusFAX solution across the GCC countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and English speaking Africa.

K. S. Parag, MD, FVC, said, “We are very pleased to complement our existing UC solutions with the addition of an IP-based fax solution.

For compliance reasons, fax is still the only legal communication medium for certain key vertical sectors and Sagemcom is one of the worldwide top players in the Enterprise fax solutions space.”

FVC will leverage its existing partnerships with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Unify and Microsoft Lync, by offering XMediusFAX solutions as an add-on to Voice/UC solutions.

The company is also looking for new partners in key vertical sectors such as healthcare, government, finance, education and legal to offer XMediusFAX as a stand-alone solution. FVC has dedicated voice specialists across Upper and Lower Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Africa to provide its partners with expert consultation for the entire sales cycle.

Sagemcom develops its own T38 stack and provides multi-tenant Solutions either on server or on the cloud. As one of the global top tier player in the secure document exchange sector, the company has a comprehensive list of partnership agreements and compatibility certification with all the market leading UC vendors.

The new addition to the portfolio will be supported by FVC’s team of pre-sales and support engineers from its Unified Communications and Convergence division, in turn supported by Sagemcom’s team.

18

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

highlights

Help AG partners with Bit9 + Carbon Black Help AG has signed new Authorised Solution Partner (ASP) and Security Service Provider (SSP) partnership agreements with Bit9 + Carbon Black in the GCC. Through the agreements, Help AG will offer the Bit9 + Carbon Black Security, an integrated Endpoint Threat Prevention, Detection and Response solution to enterprises in the region. Help AG will also leverage the same solution in its 24×7 Cyber Security Operations Centre to enhance its Managed Security Services (MSS) and Incident Response (IR) services.

Stephan Berner, Managing Director, Help AG, said, “Partnering with Bit9 + Carbon Black allows us to better mitigate and remediate cyber-attacks

and breaches. We can protect customer endpoints and perform rapid large Stephan Berner, Help AG scale investigation in the event of an attack. This accelerates remediation, allowing us to get customer IT systems up and running with minimal impact on business.

“Also, because we will be using this technology ourselves, we will be capable of providing an unmatched level of expertise and support to our customer base for this solution,” he added.

While the partnership extends across the GCC, the security specialist will first focus on growing Bit9’s market-share in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Zain Iraq, Ericsson extend managed services partnership

Zain Iraq and Ericsson have announced an extension of their managed services deal, which would have ended in 2016, for three additional years to the end of 2019.

Under the agreement, which was initially forged in 2011, Ericsson is tasked with optimising and managing Zain Iraq’s IT operations and mobile network, which currently consists of more than 4,000 sites across the country.

Both companies also entered into a network transformation agreement to upgrade Zain Iraq’s network from 2G to 3G, thereby providing users with better coverage, higher connection speeds and increased voice quality.

Zain Iraq’s 3G network became operational in January.

www.resellerme.com

Dr. Haidar Radi, Chief Technology Officer and Deputy CEO, Zain Iraq, said, “Zain Iraq has long placed customer satisfaction at the core of our brand ethos. Our renewed collaboration with Ericsson will help further our mission to deliver an exceptional, hassle-free customer experience. Our network with the support of Ericsson promises to meet our customers’ hefty data requirements and maintain the highest standards of service excellence.”

Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Region Middle East and North East Africa, Ericsson, said, “This renewed collaboration is a testimony of the trust and high performance that Ericsson has delivered to Zain Iraq through the years in managed services across the North Middle East region. We are pleased to once more collaborate with Zain in the transformation of their network, which will further enhance Zain’s services capabilities, customer perception as well as realising Ericsson’s Networked Society vision in Iraq.”

Meta Byte wins MetricStream accolade

Riverbed launches new professional services portfolio Riverbed Technology has recently introduced a new portfolio of professional consulting services to help customers maximise the value of the company’s solutions for improved business performance by optimising application performance across their hybrid IT environments.

According to Riverbed, they have released three new offerings that are designed to help customers leverage the Riverbed Application Performance Platform for superior visibility, optimisation, and control within their increasingly complex IT environments.

Joel Hofman, Vice President, Professional Services, Riverbed Technology, said, “The services industry is shifting its focus from the delivery of IT outcomes to the delivery of business outcomes that

result from IT services. With services that focus on maximising the return of strategic value from investments in the Riverbed Application Performance Platform solutions, our customers can be confident that their business objectives are achieved, no matter what challenges or changes the hybrid world imposes on their business.”

In response to the challenges in the IT environment, Riverbed Professional Services has designed three new services namely the Technology Adoption Service, Optimisation Assurance Service for Riverbed SteelHead and Application Analytics and Diagnostics Service, to help customers protect, optimise, and maximise the investments they have made in Riverbed Application Performance Platform solutions.

Microsoft ends support for Windows Server 2003 Microsoft has officially ended support for its Windows Server 2003 following the announcement of its planned move across users of the 13-year-old operating system worldwide.

Customers will now have to modernise their infrastructure and applications by migrating to Windows Server 2012 R2, Microsoft Azure and Office 365. Those still running Windows Server 2003 and their customers will face significant security and compliance risks that could prove more costly than an initial migration, since they will no longer receive security patches or updates.

The move is part of Microsoft’s support lifecycle policies and it applies to all versions and SKUs of the Windows Server 2003 products, including Small Business Server and Windows Storage Server. Microsoft as well as most of its partners will continue to assist customers with their migrations from Windows Server 2003.

Cameron Collins, Product

Marketing Manager, Cloud Enterprise, Microsoft Gulf, said, “Microsoft is empowering customers to take full advantage of the speed, scale, availability, and cost savings offered by moving to modern platforms. Through our network of partners, we are helping clients to plan, prepare, test compatibility and execute an efficient migration quickly at low costs. We have provided necessary training and tools to our partners who have extensive experience creating infrastructures that seamlessly span on premises and cloud. This is aimed at simplifying the clients’ migration process to newer servers in a way that will boost their business agility, productivity and competitiveness.”

This move aims to help businesses gain efficiencies and improve innovation with the choice of deploying workloads and applications onpremises or in the cloud. It will also help boost employee productivity while reducing burden on IT.

Salil Dighe, Meta Byte Technologies,

MetricStream has named Meta Byte Technologies as the ‘Partner of the Year 2015’ at its Regional Partner Awards.

The company was honoured for establishing excellence in innovation and implementation of MetricStream solutions in the Middle East, and for their contribution in generating the highest aggregated sales for the Middle East region. The award was presented by MetricStream during an awards ceremony held in Bangalore, India.

Salil Dighe, CEO, Meta Byte Technologies, said, “Meta Byte is proud to receive the Partner of Year award, which truly reflects our commitment and team efforts. We have achieved this recognition after a year of exceptional contribution for achieving milestones in customer acquisition, and product innovation. The strategic partnership between Meta Byte and MetricStream demonstrates a continued commitment to provide outstanding value to our customers in the region.”

Shankar Bhaskaran, General Manager, International Operations, MetricStream said, “Over the past year, Meta Byte has been instrumental in driving growth for our solutions in the Middle East. It is among one of the most innovative and valuable partners in our partner ecosystem worldwide. We are excited about our partnership, and confident that we will continue to achieve more milestones in our journey together.”

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

19

Axis Certification Programme testing goes live in Middle east

Ettiene van der Watt, Axis Communication

Axis Communications has announced that the official exam for the Axis Certification Programme has gone live and is open to all security professionals who aim to validate their competence and skills in IP video surveillance.

Those who are interested in becoming an Axis Certified Professional can register online to take the exam at any local testing centre offered by Prometric, a global provider of testing and assessment services.

Once a participant passes the advanced test, they will be awarded the Axis Certified Professional designation, which validates that they are wellversed in the latest network video technologies, solutions and Axis products, as well as best-practice design and implementation techniques. Once certified, participants will also earn the Axis global stamp of endorsement that strengthens both their personal and company’s credentials.

“The prospect of having a formal certification process of this calibre lends immediate credence and benefits the video training efforts of integrators,” said Ettiene van der Watt, Manager, Axis Communications MEA Engineering and Training. “The Axis Certification Programme is a significant step forward in our commitment to ensuring that the end-user gets the most value out of their investment in security technology.”

20

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

highlights

TP-LINK Middle East to enhance growth in Egypt TP-LINK Technologies has announced plans to roll out a comprehensive programme focusing on developing its channel business in Egypt.

According to the company the strategy to develop the business in Egypt comes as TP-LINK has seen business confidence return to the IT market in that country.

Roger Gong, Country Manager, Egypt, TP-LINK ME, said the company has decided to strengthen its B2B and B2C SOHO and SMB networking business in Egypt as the country is steadily turning around from the upheaval it has experienced in the past three years.

Gong said for the first half of 2015, confidence in the distribution channel and retail segment has been well built and TP-LINK would like to up the tempo so that partners can start to benefit from the business

opportunities that are emerging in Egypt. “We Roger Gong, TP-LINK ME have been working so hard to communicate the new business and partners initiatives, and we are working closely with each channel segment to ensure that we lay a solid foundation upon which our business will develop and grow,” he said.

TP-LINK has brought in new business models and is finding mutual growth points together with all partnerships in Egypt. According to Gong, TP-LINK is building tight alliances with channel partners and developing distributors so that they can start to position their business functions as service providers for reseller partners.

He further highlighted that the aim is to raise the service that traditional reseller partners receive.

Red Hat launches new cloud and service provider programme Red Hat has announced the global launch of the Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider programme.

The company’s new Certified Cloud and Service Provider programme expands its cloud ecosystem to include and support distributors, managed service providers and other partners that are heavily involved in all aspects of hybrid cloud build-out, not just multi-tenant public clouds.

The new programme is intended to meet this need by broadening partner support and by expanding the choice of Red Hat solutions available to partners to include Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP HANA, OpenShift, Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform, JBoss Middleware and Gluster Storage.

Red Hat’s Certified Cloud and Service Provider designation is awarded to Red Hat partners

www.resellerme.com

following validation by Red Hat. Each provider must meet testing and certification requirements to demonstrate that they can deliver a safe, scalable, supported and consistent environment for enterprise cloud deployments.

Michael Ferris, Senior Director, Business Architecture, Red Hat, said, “Much like enterprise IT itself, the world of cloud computing is constantly evolving, especially with the growing promise of hybrid cloud approaches and Linux containerbased architectures. The Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider programme is designed to encompass nearly all service provider models, spanning the public cloud to onsite managed services, offering our customers a secure, stable and trusted partner ecosystem upon which to build their next-generation IT projects using Red Hat solutions.”

ALWAYS IN THE KNOW ...on the things and people that matter most to you!

HOME MONITORING SOLUTIONS D-Link’s range of mydlink Network Cameras help you to monitor what matters most, 24/7. Get free remote viewing on your smartphone, tablet or computer - so you can keep an eye on what matters most to you...

✔ Home

✔ Backyard

✔ Baby & Kids

✔ Garage

✔ Elderly

✔ Business

✔ Pets

✔ Valuables

✔ Front Door

Cloud Camera Family

DCS-2136L Wireless AC Day/Night Cloud

Camera with Colour Night Vision 1/3” Megapixel progressive CMOS sensor 802.11ac wireless connectivity HD resolution (1280 x 720) Micro SD/SDHC card slot

+971 4 880 9022 www.dlinkmea.com

info.me@dlinkmea.com facebook.com/dlinkmea.com

SENSATION

NEW PREMIUM PanzerGlass for Samsung GALAXY S6 EDGE The New PanzerGLass for Samsung GALAXY S6 EDGE is now available. Celebrated as the strongest screen protection for mobile devices, the PanzerGlass now also comes in a PREMIUM edition. This is a full frame Protection Glass specially designed to fit the S6 EDGEs curved edges.

The PanzerGlass offers great scratch resistance, superb shock absorbation and flawless Touch ‘n’ Feel.

The Protection Glass fits perfectly on the device and is due to 3M quality glue able to reattach.

We are highly saticisfied to offer the new PREMIUM PanzerGlass as the most lucrative protection solution for the Samsung GALAXY S6 EDGE.

The PREMIUM PanzerGlass for Samsung S6 Edge is available in a Gold, Clear and Blue edition.

DISTREE DIAMOND AWARD WINNER PanzerGlass was in May celebratad as the Strongest and most Innovative Screen Protection for mobile devices

Please contact for partnership

+971 5577 64 193 www.panzerglass.com

Appointments

Infoblox promotes Alexander Foroozandé Infoblox has promoted Alexander Foroozandé to the position of Regional Channel Manager, Middle East, Turkey & Africa.

In his new role, Alexander will be tasked Alexander Foroozandé, with developing and Infoblox executing a regional channel strategy focused on partner certification, premier security partner recruitment, and direct and indirect channel enablement programmes.

Alexander was previously the company’s Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East and will continue reporting to Cherif Sleiman, General Manager, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Infoblox.

Infoblox fulfils its business through a network of partners in the region and is currently looking to develop a set of focused channel partners that will make a larger contribution to its regional revenues.

Foroozandé will focus on enabling these strategic partners within the security,

cloud and infrastructure domains. He will also champion the regional launch of the company’s Channel IP Programme, which leverages incentive programmes, co-partner end-user events, and vertical focused events to drive partner engagement and opportunities.

“We are committed to the region and will continue to make significant investment in our partners,” said Foroozandé. “They can expect a streamlined and simpler process of doing business with us, clear protection guidelines, and tiered profitability mechanisms. There will be more training and enablement programmes that will ensure the development of long term business partners “As the threat landscape evolves and DNS attacks become the number one threat vector, Infoblox continues to provide solutions to help enterprises meet these challenges head on and protect them from future threats. As such the opportunities for Infoblox and its partners in the regio n are immense,” he added.

Xerox appoints new head of GDO Services Business Group Xerox has appointed Joseph Hanania as the Head of Global Document Outsourcing (GDO) Services Business Group, to further strengthen its business responsible for securing and servicing Joseph Hanania, Xerox large enterprise customers.

In his role he will be directly reporting to Mike Feldman, president, Large Enterprise Operations, Xerox.

Growth in Xerox’s GDO segment is fuelled by organisations looking to keep information – both in hard copy and digital forms – current, accessible and protected.

Hanania is responsible for expanding and evolving Xerox’s managed print services (MPS) portfolio of enterprise offerings and capabilities. He will also oversee the ongoing global strategy, deployment and direction of Xerox’s MPS business as it continues to help clients simplify how work gets done.

“Hanania is committed to growing our

market share by creating a competitive advantage through product and service innovation, customer service excellence and optimised business processes,” said Feldman. “Evolving our MPS enterprise offerings and capabilities is an integral part of our overall growth strategy and we look forward to his immediate contributions to the team and to Xerox.”

With 28 years of general management, sales, business development, marketing and operations experience, Hanania joins Xerox from Oracle where he held executive positions since 2011, most recently leading global sales development for Advanced Customer Support across all vertical industries. Hanania also held key leadership roles globally at Microsoft, and in the Middle East, Africa and emerging Asian countries at Hewlett-Packard and Compaq Computer Corporation. As CEO of Umniah Mobile Company, Hanania led the start-up mobile operator to a market leadership position over the course of five years.

www.resellerme.com

Ericsson announces new Head of Customer Unit for GCC and Pakistan

Patrik Melander, Ericsson

Ericsson announced that Patrik Melander has been appointed as Head of Customer Unit for the GCC and Pakistan (GCP).

In his new role, Melander will oversee Ericsson’s business within GCC and Pakistan geographies in addition to his current responsibilities as Head of Global Customer Unit Zain at Ericsson Rafiah Ibrahim, President, Ericsson Middle East, said, “Melander has demonstrated leadership skills and has been very successful in driving the growth and development of our Global Customer Unit Zain. I am confident that he will lead GCC and Pakistan customer units successfully, leveraging on his long-standing experience and strong commercial drive of both markets respectively.”

Melander has more than 22 years of international experience within Ericsson where he started in the research and development sector in 1993 then worked in a number of global and regional positions based in the USA, Japan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Philippines, Sweden and recently UAE.

Reseller Middle East august 2015

23

Analysis

Gateway to gains Reseller ME finds out how the retraction of Iran’s sanctions will impact the channel business in the Middle East.

Regional business players are waiting to learn the result of the muchanticipated withdrawal of Iran’s sanctions, which was formally agreed upon last month in Vienna. The severe sanctions put in place by the UN, US and European Union to ensure Iran curtails its nuclear programme, are now being lifted after two years of diplomacy talks and a clear directive for the country to comply with the strict verification and inspection process. Although the agreement is yet to be formally approved by the US and Iran governments, experts believe it will pass through without any setbacks. While it is going to be a long drawn out process before the agreement is put into action, Iran is expected to benefit from opening its economy to the global markets. But what does this mean for the regional channel business?

According to Steve Lockie, Group Managing Director, Westcon Group, it will be a while before we see any tangible impact. He said, “The sanctions are still very much in place and we have to wait and see what may be relaxed or reviewed in the coming weeks and months.”

Shailendra Rughwani,

24

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

CEO, DCG, said, “Also there needs to be a clear ruling on the country’s payment systems where banks will be allowed to use the SWIFT payment methods, which is crucial for doing business.

Apart from that we need to get confirmations from vendors to be able to sell into Iran and all of these might take few months’ time.”

Iran is an important market for companies in Dubai but business has been at a standstill due to the restrictions imposed by the sanctions.

Being one of the largest markets in the Middle East with a population of 80 million, primarily comprising of young and educated consumers, vendors will want to take advantage of this consumer base. By revoking the sanctions, it becomes much easier for global companies to do business in the country.

“Should they be relaxed of course there would be a significant boost in demand in the local market. And there is clearly a pent up demand in the Iranian IT sector and local businesses would be well positioned to support the needs of the Iranian market,” said Lockie.

Rughwani added, “Once the restrictions are lifted, we expect the market to open up

www.resellerme.com

and this will surely help the channel business in Dubai since there is a lot of focus on re-exports here.”

According to K.U Shankri, Founder and CEO, Lucky Star Computers, by repealing Iran’s sanctions, there can now be better interactions and relations with the Iranbased dealers.

“We can now deal with Iran-based companies through LCs and bank guarantee, which was not happening before. From my point of view, the business dealing will be better and safer after lifting the ban,” she said.

Dubai, as it is located closer to Iran compared to other countries in the region, will be the first point of contact for Iranbased companies who will be looking to develop their business.

“The disadvantage would be that the whole world would be looking at doing business with Iran once the sanctions are removed and this will create fierce

competition, which could result in a compromise on pricing and other issues,” added Rughwani.

The industry need to adopt a ‘wait and watch’ strategy to discover the complete impact of an agreement of this magnitude. But in the meantime, regional partners must evaluate the current situations thoroughly and identify areas of opportunities, in order to be prepared for any kind of outcome.

Rughwani further added that channel partners need to identify the strengths and begin working on services and products that will be competitive when the markets open up.

“The Iranian market operates in a very different way to the UAE or indeed other markets and by best understanding those nuances, one is better able to see the relative advantages and disadvantages to the many approaches to the opportunity that Iran may offer,” added Lockie.

“Once the restrictions are lifted, we expect the market to open up and this will surely help the channel business in Dubai.”

OPinion

IDC

Recurring returns Jyoti Lalchandani, Group Vice President and Regional Managing Director, META, IDC, says teamwork and transparency are key elements to develop sound revenue lifecycle management policies.

Since its inception in the early 1980s, the practice of revenue management has become commonplace across a whole host of verticals.

Typically defined as the ability to sell the right product to the right customer at the right time for the right price through the right channel, it has evolved into something of an art form across many consumer-facing industries, and as individuals we are

26

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

subject to its effects on an almost daily basis, often without even knowing it.

Revenue management relies on the fact that customers are willing to pay a different price for using the same resources. The concept has its roots in the aviation industry, where airlines started to become creative with their ticketing prices by forecasting demand and predicting customer buying behavior with the goal of ensuring that their planes would fly as full as

www.resellerme.com

possible, thereby maximising revenue. As a result, we now all readily accept that flight prices fluctuate depending on the date of departure, the time of the booking, and the channel through which the reservation is made. And where the aviation industry led the way, hotels, sports arenas, restaurants, and supermarkets – to name just a few – were quick to follow.

The definition outlined above works fine when considering a single transaction for a perishable

product or service, but it doesn’t really take into account the long-term relationships that exist between buyers and sellers, nor the inherent complexity of sales transactions in the business-to-business space. That isn’t to say that such revenues cannot be successfully managed, just that a more thorough and holistic approach is required. And that approach can best be summed up as enterprise revenue lifecycle management (ERLM).

ERLM is much more than just the management of revenue to fill empty seats on an airplane; it is the process of maximising and managing an organisation’s revenue throughout the entire lifecycle of its relationship with the buyer.

Implemented correctly, ERLM serves as a business function through which the enterprise establishes practices, policies, procedures, controls, and incentives to ensure that its workforce (and third parties) drives sales and revenue that both grow and remain profitable throughout the lifecycle of the customer relationship. But what are the key components of a successful ERLM strategy and what organisational mindset is required to ensure its smooth implementation?

The pressure on Middle East businesses to grow their revenues as fast as possible brings with it tremendous risk as a large, but badly structured, deal, or inappropriately recognised revenue, could bring down the entire enterprise.

While that may seem unnecessarily alarmist, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen marketing and sales departments unwittingly create conflicting promotions, rebates, and incentive programmes that have had the net effect of reducing revenue. In each case, the intentions were honourable, but the lack of

in-built collaboration and disclosure hit the bottom line hard. ERLM seeks to rectify that, presenting an opportunity for enterprises to reduce their financial risk while also delivering better deals that make sense both for them and their customers.

The first step towards facilitating effective ERLM is to ensure that the enterprise embraces a corporate culture that actively encourages teamwork and transparency. This starts with an awareness that revenue activities are happening across the entire organisation and also requires an understanding that no single department owns all the responsibility for revenue.

This responsibility is typically deposited at the feet of the sales team, but this outdated attitude has to change since virtually every employee across the enterprise now makes frequent decisions that can impact revenue.

For that reason, ERLM must have eyes across the entire organisation.

Those tasked with its implementation must comply with the latest regulatory standards on precisely when different revenue components can be recognised, ensuring revenue comes into the organisation appropriately and at the right time. They must also ensure that the right price is being offered to the buyer, that trading

The first step towards facilitating effective ERLM is to ensure that the enterprise embraces a corporate culture that actively encourages teamwork and transparency. and channel partners are properly incorporated into the process that salespeople know how to structure and configure deals correctly in the first place, and that sales, marketing, finance, inventory, pricing, and supply teams are working together and using integrated systems and processes.

To this end, an effective ERLM strategy should focus on answering a broad

www.resellerme.com

range of questions: What prices should be offered for particular products in specific geographies?

Where are discounts being offered, how much is discounted, when is it discounted, and why? What can be done to reduce the amount of discounting? Are coupons and offers really driving additional sales or are they just reducing revenue on products customers will buy anyway?

ERLM is not just about looking backwards at deal components and growing, but possibly misstated, top-line revenue; it is about examining the past and ensuring that previous mistakes are not repeated.

Ultimately, ERLM is not a negative activity. Individual sales representatives may feel that policies and structures restrict their independence and stifle their ability to be creative, but by acting on their own, they may be bringing considerable future risk to the organisation by selling very large, but very costly, deals. Helping employees understand smart and profitable revenue scenarios should be both enabling and rewarding, as it equips and emboldens front-line staff with the knowledge of precisely how their own revenue decisions impact the success of the entire organisation. That can only possibly be a positive for both the enterprise and its customers.

Reseller Middle East august 2015

27

cover story Help AG

QUICK VIEW Company: Help AG Year of establishment: 2005 Managing Director: Stephan Berner Business model: Information security services, consultancy and solutions provider No. of employees: 130 Location of support offices: UAE, Qatar, KSA 2014 revenue: $38 million Focus markets: Middle East and Africa Vendor partners: F5 Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Blue Coats, Juniper Networks, Riverbed, AccessData, Symantec, RSA

28

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

www.resellerme.com

10 and counting 2015 marks Help AG’s 10th year anniversary. In an exclusive interview, the company’s Managing Director, Stephan Berner, discusses business and success strategy.

Information security was a little known concept in the Middle East region 10 years ago. Having recognised the potential the market had to offer, Help AG established its corporate entity in the region in 2005.

“It has been a good learning curve and no looking back since then,” says Stephan Berner, Managing Director, Help AG. “The information security market was very young in the region, back then. The market is considered to be one of the wealthiest but has political instability challenges. However, both these aspects are the perfect ingredients for success for an information security specialist.”

The general mindset that existed among customers when it came to deploying solutions

to secure their data was, ‘who will compromise my infrastructure and why should we invest in IT security?’ Fortunately this has evolved considerably over the years.

“We have observed certain kinds of paradigm shifts in the last decade. On one hand, there has been the evolution of businesses.

The moment a country is open to international markets, they need to comply with certain kind of security standards.”

Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE interacts with other global markets on a regular basis, therefore it becomes very important to focus on the security aspect. Most organisations deploy security measures as an after-thought rather than from the beginning itself. And has that changed much today?

“No,” says Berner. “There is still a long way to go. Many organisations have not understood the importance of the information security aspect.

When you look at it from the investment point of view, 80 per cent goes to infrastructure and 20 per cent goes into the security space. But this is changing gradually.”

Help AG was one of the first consultancy companies to deliver security services for the Abu Dhabi government.

Standards such as GRC – Governance, Risk and

Compliance, established

by Adsic in Abu Dhabi five years ago have helped government entities to be more secure.

A similar framework in Dubai called ISR – Information Security Regulation, have helped organisations here.

“We have successfully implemented these standards on behalf of the Dubai government as well. Usually global organisations, be it financial institutions, healthcare or international airports,

“From now on, we are present, active and operating locally as a major player in the IT information security space, which we consider as a huge milestone.”

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

29

cover story HElp AG

need to comply with international standards.

We are well established in the market delivering ISO 27001 services, which is around risk assessment, risk management and risk treatment.”

The solutions provider has helped organisations to increase their security postures by looking into policies, procedures and processes along with the people aspect of running a business.

“It is also important to understand that information security should enable a business and not limit any kind of aspects,” he adds.

Most people might consider engaging the right technology right from the beginning as a milestone.

However Berner says, “We believe that to be an ongoing development within the organisation. We do have a pre-selection methodology based on technology segments, addressing certain kind of requirements within the IT security market. They are based on technical, commercial and organisational aspects. We are trying to identify the right technology for the upcoming players in the industry.”

The company boasts of technology partners such as F5 Networks, Palo Alto Networks and Blue Coat.

Having invested a lot of time, effort and money into technical certifications thanks to the portfolio of brands it caters to, Berner considers Help AG to be a true solutions partner and not simply sell the products.

30

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

Today the company is an authorised support services partner and offers level 1 and level 2 support on behalf of the principles.

“Additionally, we are also a professional services partner, which means we utilise our resources to implement vendors’ product solutions on behalf of any customers in the Gulf.”

Although the information security services and solutions provider started out with Dubai as its business hub, it was also important to establish its legal entity in Abu Dhabi.

“We did this in 2009.

And two years later, we decided to open up Doha to address the Qatari market. Also, more than a month ago, we opened up our Saudi operations.

This means, from now on we are present, active and operating locally as a major player in the IT information security space, which we consider as a huge milestone.”

A factor that distinguishes Help AG from competition was that, right from the beginning, the focus was on delivering professional services.

“Most organsiations were focusing on products but we never did so. We had many vendor partners who challenged us when they heard about our services business approach. They weren’t convinced it was a profitable business model.

And 10 years down the line, we have proven it to be successful.”

The factors to which Berner attributes the

www.resellerme.com

company’s success to are two simple concepts – quality delivery and customer excitement.

“These are part of our corporate principles.

Whenever we engage with an organisation, we have to comply with this ourselves.

Help AG is well known for technical reputation and expertise, hands-on expertise, engineering, professional services and support services. And then customers usually say we are expensive, which is positive because we offer premium services and solutions.”

Launching Managed Security Services (MSS) earlier this year is another achievement for the company.

“Last few years, we have elevated ourselves to be in a position to provide topnotch information security consultancy services and that has helped us understand customers from a strategic point of view. MSS is considered to be another big milestone for us. It is an operational service. From a business point of view, we are

providing a service on an OPEX-based model. MSS was most probably one of the more strategic interim project we started back in October 2013. We took our time to launch these services because we wanted to make sure we did things right.”

Over the next couple of months, we will see the information security services and solutions provider increase its team and expand to other geographical areas.

“If you look at our mission statement, you will see that we want to be the number one trusted partner for organisations in the information security and services field in Middle East and Africa. And that will be our focus going forward.”

Having sustained a growth rate of 70 per cent year-onyear, Help AG is primed to become a $100 million plus company by 2018.

“And this can only be accomplished by having the right people in place who contribute to the success of the organisation,” Berner adds.

“Last few years, we have elevated ourselves to be in a position to provide top-notch information security consultancy services and that has helped us understand customers from a strategic point of view.”

Interview

Avaya

Enriching partnerships Tanya Lobo, Distribution Director, Global Growth Market, Avaya, explains the company’s focus on the mid-market partner strategy and the success it has had on its new channel initiative, Blitz day.

Enterprises are not alone in their business solutions and infrastructure challenges. Mid-market customers also grapple with similar problems, albeit not on the same scale. A massive opportunity exists in the mid-market segment, which players are now tapping into.

As customers in the midmarket space are gradually embracing technological innovations to smoothen operations and enhance business efficiencies, vendors are looking to fortify their channel business.

Tanya Lobo, Distribution Director, Global Growth Market, Avaya, says, “Today the economy is fueled by the mid-market companies.

The big organisations are down-sizing and looking at ways to get their solutions more cost-effective to reduce hires. We took a step back to evaluate the situation and decided we

32

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

don’t need to treat the mid-market differently from the enterprises. Therefore, we took our enterprise solutions and gave it to the mid-market customers with an option to turn on what they want, when they want.

“Customers want to use a system which they want to grow into. They look at value for money.

We are educating the market on what they are getting from us. Avaya is not an expensive brand.

You are buying an exclusive technology for a normal rate. That’s the mid-market story we have, we are going to the market and teaching them solution selling. We genuinely believe that our partners are an extension of us.”

As part of Avaya’s comprehensive gamification strategy, iConnect is its entry-level programme, which allows partners to grow their business and acquire new skills.

www.resellerme.com

At $10,000, partners can access all the associated benefits, which also includes receiving $3000 back from the company. Along with that, they become eligible to obtain 16 certifications, a full-fledged demo-kit, training from a dedicated coach and key solutions selling skillset. They can also enroll in incentive

programmes and benefit from the related rewards.

Once the partner reaches a certain revenue threshold, they are then able to participate in the second level of the programme called ROADS – Recruit, Onboard, Authorise, Develop and Sustain.

“At this level, we take the partners to the second part of the journey and see how they can grow their revenue. The rewards in ROADs are phenomenal.

Then on reaching another required revenue point, we have a programme called ‘Grow right’, which shows the partner the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” explains Lobo.

Through this programme, partners can win back cash depending on how much they grow their Avaya business. Additionally on a quarterly basis, they are also guaranteed a marketing fund by the vendor.

“We are pushing our partners in every step of the way by ensuring they have the right resources

and matching them for their dollar invested.”

The final part of the gamification programme includes the Achievers’ club called, ‘Club 100’. Partners have to earn their merit to get invited to this club.

“It is going to be an exclusive club, where we will take the members to exotic locations and thank them for their business over three days,” says Lobo. “The message to our channel partners is, grow and share with us, complement us with your skills, investments, commitment and let’s address the market effectively.”

To reassure partners of the brand’s seriousness about its channel strategy, Avaya has launched the ‘Blitz day’ initiative. On this day, the vendor gathers together its top performing partners to recognise their efforts, to direct them towards the demand in the market and shows how customers can be approached.

“We hire a coach to train our partners further and teach them how to speak to

We are pushing our partners in every step of the way by ensuring they have the right resources and matching them for their dollar invested.” www.resellerme.com

customers. We are doing this to enhance their skill levels.

An outsourced company provides us with the database and make the calls to our customers in order to get the hot leads for us. We then take these leads and give them to the channel partner. On Blitz day, the Avaya team along with the channel partners call all these customers. It is a learning process for both parties. On that day, we also give away rewards such as iwatches and fitbits.”

Blitz day will take place in 12 of the high-demand countries. The vendor plans to carry out the initiative in two cities from each of the focus markets. Till date, the company has carried out successful Blitz day programmes in Dubai, Turkey and Johannesburg.

Lobo says, “We will do Blitz day for as long as it takes. We will lead with the two cities and then we want our distributors and channel partners to take over. We will guide and complement them. We are holding the partner’s hand and guiding him in every step of the way so that at no stage does he feel we are opportunistically addressing the market or him. There are vested interests on both sides.”

The iConnect programme also enrolls the partner into the Avaya Certified Partner programme, which is also known as Partner Connect.

Here the channel has an opportunity to become the vendor’s authorised gold, silver or platinum level partner and reap rewards.

Reseller Middle East august 2015

33

feature

Security solutions

A suit of armor

As various emerging technologies become popular in business environments, security is a prime concern for organisations. Reseller Middle East explores how partners can make the most of the opportunities present here.

34

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

www.resellerme.com

Security tops the priority list for many IT administrators and managers today, more so as increasing number of routine objects are getting connected to the Internet.

The risk that Internet of Things (IoT) poses is only one such example, considering the entire world of threats that exist in the business world now.

From cyber-attacks, DDoS attacks, risks from BYOD, information security breaches to targeted attacks and corporate espionage, it is now a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ an attack will take place.

Organisations are gradually understanding the circumstances better and attempting to secure their premises as adequately as possible. However, the evolving nature of security threats compels companies to be a step ahead of the perpetrators, and this in itself is lined with complexities. The speed with which the threats evolve are phenomenal and more often than not, organisations end up playing catch-up.

Identifying partners’ role Channel partners have an important part to play here. By being able to prepare businesses in advance against the latest threats, they could become the trusted advisor the customer is seeking.

Glen Ogden, Regional Sales Director, Middle East, A10 Networks, says, “Every day, attackers conspire to take down applications

and steal data, leaving your data centre infrastructure in the crosshairs. Storing the most valuable and most visible assets in your organisation – your web, DNS, database, and email servers – data centres have become the number one target of cyber-criminals, hacktivists and statesponsored attackers.”

Trust is an important factor when it comes to all forms of security. And when we say security, it is broad-ranged as it can include many types such as network and VPN security, cyber-security to surveillance systems.

This indicates massive opportunities for the partners.

Just the way we would only appoint a reputable locksmith to change the lock on our doors, IT security is no different, says Ogden. “Good channel partners should own customer relationships as ‘trusted advisers’. They should have a portfolio of products and services capable of mitigating customer risks. The partner should also be ahead of the game with a strong insight into market trends and associated security risks to help guide customers to balance cost of security with potential risk.”

Agreeing, Mahmoud Samy, Regional Director, High Growth Markets (Russia/CIS & Middle East), Arbor Networks adds, “Channel partners are critical in selling enterprise IT solutions. This is especially true in the cybersecurity market. The threat

Vendor support offeringS “Channel partners play a central role to our ability to better support our customer objectives and expand our reach. This is why we continue to revamp and refresh our partner programme to bring new opportunities for growth and profitability. Not only do we aim to help partners improve profitability but also implement very effective processes for renewal, margins and lead generation.

With strong channel partners everybody benefits: the vendor, the partner and the customer.”

Ovanes Mikhaylov, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab Middle East “Vendors can enable the channel better with campaigns that align well to a specific theme. For the security example, rather than have a security use case being a footnote on a long form campaign a micro-campaign of resources specific for security may serve the use case better.”

Omar Akhtar, Regional Channel Manager, Middle East and SAARC, Veeam Software “The Middle East is strategic for us and we have been heavily investing in the region. We have been focusing our efforts on both partner recruitment and enablement. We have been applying our new partner programme this year and have successfully recruited several partners across the region. Revenue from the channel has experienced double-digit growth.”

Yassine Zaied, EVP Middle-East & Emerging Markets, Nexthink “The simplest and most important thing is to have local technical representation to support the partner in enablement and the sales process.

The second is for the vendor to work with a distributor who can provide training and support across multiple

vendors.”

Paul Sherry, Regional Director, Middle East & Africa, Gigamon

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

35

feature

Security solutions

landscape is dynamic, constantly changing. As a result, vendors are constantly bringing new solutions to market. The right channel partner can be a strategic asset to a business looking at a crowded and noisy market filled with new technology.”

Also security solutions involve a number of components, and often a vendor may not be able to provide that singlehandedly. “Therefore,” says Mohammed Abukhater, Regional Sales Director (Government), FireEye. “The ideal channel partner is one who can assemble all the components and offer it as a platform to customers, thereby enabling them to attain their required level of security.”

According to Stephan Berner, Managing Director, Help AG, another area where partners’ role is crucial is in terms of support. “Especially in the security arena wherein the responsiveness to any incident is of utmost priority. Few vendors are capable of offering dedicated in-region support, which is why they turn to partners to bridge the gap.”

The surveillance market is growing at an exponential rate. Market research firm Technavio’s analysts forecast the video surveillance market in MENA to grow at a CAGR of 14.63 per cent over the period 2014-2019. Christian Assaf, Senior Sales Manager MEA, Seagate, says, “End-users can no longer rely on traditional

36

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

security surveillance systems to meet rapidly growing requirements.

They are looking to the channel to help them capture, organise, and analyse the mountains of data they are collecting.”

Overcoming challenges There is no debate about the opportunities in the security market. And as security concerns plague organisations, every vendor wants to have a piece of the pie. But this can also lead to a lot of hype and confusion.

Samy from Arbor Networks says, “Vendors are expanding existing products to take on problems they weren’t designed for. The right partner can help separate the real solutions from the re-packaged ones.

They need to stay forward looking, to understand the potential threats, and solutions that are available. Things move incredibly fast in this business, and they serve as a subject matter expert for customers.”

Channel partners need to understand that in a rapidly changing threat landscape, they need to be wary of highly-motivated, well-armed adversaries, says Anthony Perridge, Security Sales Director, Cisco. “This has created a faster, more effective and efficient criminal economy that is profiting every day from attacks on different organisations’ IT infrastructure.”

Cyber-criminals use systematic techniques,

www.resellerme.com

Ways to upskill “At Cisco we believe – Educate, Train, Enable and Evolve – are the mantras for partners to follow to upskill in the security space. We ensure that we offer them the latest security solutions such as Cisco ASA with FirePOWER and Cisco ISE. We also offer Master Security Specialisation, which gives partners a powerful competitive advantage and qualifies them as part of an exclusive group, contributing to their profitability and accelerating their business. As the next phase in our channel programme, we have begun to offer our partners new Advanced Security Architecture Specialisation, which has been created to provide partners with new skills to sell Cisco’s security products.”

Anthony Perridge, Security Sales Director, Cisco “Partners can upskill through specialisation, and this will help create differentiation in a saturated market, as they may be able to provide an end-to-end solution to their customers. Within the same specialisation, they can continue to upskill by having the right enablement scheme. They can then provide pre- and post-sales support, which can be another way to differentiate.”

Maya Zakhour, Channel Director, Middle East, Fortinet “The resources’ skillset is the most valuable asset and key differentiator between channel partners in providing a quality service to their customers. By having a focused investment plan and vendor alignment vision, the channel partners can enhance the resources’ skillset and grow their technical capabilities through intensive enablement programmes that are in line with the business requirements and the market trends.”

Avinash Advani, Vice President, Business Strategy, StarLink activating advanced malware, spam, phishing and other cyber-attacks with strategic intent and goals. And it is becoming

even more difficult to detect these attacks until it is too late.

But Perridge is positive that once channel partners

have a better grasp of the bigger picture, they can put measures in place to counter attacks. They need to have an in-depth strategy in place ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ an attack.

Before the attack, it is critical to establish control over where, when and how customers’ networks are used and what data employees and other stakeholders can access and store. “Visibility and actionable intelligence is vital for security professionals to identify the threats and risky devices, and monitor their activities on the corporate network, ‘during’ an attack,” he says.

“And when the inevitable happens and the network is compromised by a threat, partners should be able to retrospectively review how that threat entered the network; which systems it interacted with and what files and applications were run, to ensure it can be cleaned up as quickly as possible.”

Renjan George, Managing Director, DVCOM Technology, says, “As cloud technologies, processes and solutions are still developing and moving towards perfection, it is another challenge for partners.” The recent trend of migration to cloudbased infrastructures, which reduce the OPEX but increases the threats, is another factor, he adds.

Partners also face the problem of increasing competition and a saturated market.

Maya Zakhour, Channel Director, Middle East, Fortinet, says, “Within

a short period of time, partners should be able to explain the potential ROI, productivity and uptime gains of the new solutions to existing and new customers. Partners have to constantly invest in expanding their skills and staying current with their market knowledge, which means making an investment in terms of time and, sometimes, money.”

It is equally important to be well-informed about the numerous security guidelines and specifications put in place by authorities. Also, Mario M. Veljovic, Vice President Solutions MENA, Global Distribution, says, “Partners are faced with the challenge of working on a solution that fits the end user budgets. Hence partners have to be aware of the various security solutions available in the market, and they have to update themselves with the latest technologies. While there are multiple solutions available, not all security solutions manufacturer have a local presence and hence product training becomes an issue.”

Mohammad Mobasseri, CEO, emt Distribution, explains that the sales cycles are longer for enterprise security solutions as compared to several other IT products. “On the other hand customers expect high quality Service Level Agreements (SLA), which would push partners for more resources to make this happen.”

Getting specialised What can truly help

partners to be profitable in this area are specialised solutions and services.

These are some reliant factors customers consider while choosing a partner, says George from DVCOM Technology.

“Building a trustworthy relationship not only provides the right kind of solution and services but also ensures recurring business opportunities with the same set of customers.”

Mobasseri also agrees that specialised solutions and services could be the winning factor for partners.

“Fortunately some customers understand it is not only about products but also about services, therefore, professional services will give partners another option to increase their profitability.”

Sebastien Pavie, Regional Sales Director, MEA, Gemalto, adds, “Considering the widespread data breaches in the MENA region, as well as the enterprise acceptance of the need to adopt a multi-layered and more data centric approach to security, specialised partners have an important role to play in this area.

“Through specialisation, partners can develop skills sets for the security market that can help them better understand their customers’ needs. By adopting the new technologies as early as possible, they can offer better services and also have a wider choice to make the right decisions when providing these solutions.”

Partners who are looking to monetise the opportunities in the security space should have getting specialised as one of their primary goals. However specialisation may not be up to everyone’s liking as it requires dedication, constant upskilling and study of the latest market trends.

“The skills required to integrate all of the components of a security ‘fabric’ are scarce within the customer environment and so they will look to a third party to integrate and maintain the systems. The potential revenue from the initial installation plus repeat upgrades can provide a channel partner with a very solid high margin revenue stream,” adds Paul Sherry, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa, Gigamon.

Partners who are looking to monetise the opportunities in the security space should have getting specialised as one of their primary goals.

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

37

feature

Flash storage

In a flash

Flash storage is gaining popularity in the enterprise storage market, Reseller ME speaks to experts to learn how partners can benefit from this growth wave.

38

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

www.resellerme.com

Every once in a while a new disruption in the market transforms the traditional methods of business and introduces revolutionary concepts and ideas. One such technology that has piqued the interest of enterprises today is flash storage.

Organisations are increasingly turning to Big Data and cloud storage as the amount of data is escalating by the day.

This in turn is driving the adoption of flash and hybrid based storage technologies.

The merits of flash array are well-known, and ranges from better performance and large workload capabilities to more durability and cost-savings when compared to other storage systems.

Ranjith Kaippada, Product Sales Manager,

StorIT Distribution, says, “Data centre managers are looking for ways to address the energy drain represented by hard drives and therefore are examining flash storage as a way to achieve green computing or green data centre benchmarks. Flash drives provide amazing performance and only 20 percent of power compared to the SAS and NL SAS Drives.”

Channel partners have an opportunity to assist customers in the transition from conventional hard disks to flash storage.

However, they must be equipped with adequate knowledge about the technology in order to seal a customer’s business.

According to Ben Savage, Head of EMEA, Channels and Alliances, Pure Storage, regional partners are receptive to disruptive

changes. “Or should we say ‘wave of disruption’ because the transition from mechanical disk to flash in the data centre is best described as a tsunami.”

Although partners are aware of the shifting trends in the market and are scaling up their flash offering, there is still a long way to go, says Tom O’Reilly, CTO, Middle East and Africa, VCE. “Many IT organisations are still using traditional SAN infrastructure to run their primary business applications, but could realise tremendous

benefits in terms of application performance, reliability and security if a move is made to a converged infrastructure solution based on an all-flash array. It is important for partners to be able to articulate the value of flash to their customers in order to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Staying abreast with the latest in the market is one way for partners to familiarise themselves with the value of flash.

Attending vendor training programmes and conferences are equally important and they need to invest time here.

Kaippada adds that flash storage compliments the solution selling aspect for partners. “With the traditional HDDs slowly vanishing and dependency on flash increasing, partners will see more openings in green field opportunities. The all-flash array of solutions from vendors are entering the market, which in turn will help partners to leverage

The merits of flash array are well-known, and ranges from better performance and large workload capabilities to more durability and cost-savings as compared to other storage systems.

Flash storage compliments the solution selling aspect for partners. With the traditional HDD’s slowly vanishing and dependency on flash increasing, partners will see more openings in green field opportunities. The all-flash array of solutions from vendors are entering the market which in turn will help partners to leverage their profit and gain incentives from vendors.”

Ranjith Kaippada, Product Sales Manager, StorIT Distribution

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

39

feature

Flash storage

their profit and gain incentives from vendors.”

Arun Chandrasekaran, Research Vice President, Gartner, says, “Channel partners must assure delivery of storage services related to flash environments directly or with partners, or miss out on one of the biggest trends in storage services.

“Storage service product managers should evaluate their current portfolios and determine if they are aligned to take advantage of opportunities created through flash implementations.”

There are certain measures partners can undertake to ensure successful sale of flash technologies.

“Channel partners should mitigate product immaturity concerns of customers by partnering with vendors that offer guarantees and/or unconditional warranties that include availability, durability, performance

Channel partners must assure delivery of storage services related to flash environments directly or with partners, or miss out on one of the biggest trends in storage services.”

Arun Chandrasekaran, Research Vice President, Gartner

and usable capacity,” Chandrasekaran says.

“Also, help customers quantify the ROI on solid state arrays through data reduction simulation tools, power or cooling or space saving analysis and provide migration and implementation services.”

As partners are the link between vendors and customers, they should work towards establishing themselves as customers’ trusted ally. But this is easier said than done.

Kaippada explains that being up-to-date about flash storage technologies gives partners

a competitive advantage.

He says, “It becomes our responsibility to keep our channel partners conscious of skills to successfully propagate and sell these technology solutions of our vendor partners and their vision. It is important to educate and train our partners on product sales, implementation, systems integration and technical support through reseller partner on-boarding programme.

“It is also important to offer sales and technical skills certifications, go-tomarket sales activity plans, customised marketing

As flash technologies have matured and the price per GB has become competitive compared with traditional solutions, now is the time for partners to evaluate their offering and prioritise the shifting needs of customers.”

Tom O’Reilly, CTO , Middle East and Africa, VCE

40

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

www.resellerme.com

plans for individual resellers, demand generation activities and cross-selling/up-selling opportunity identification.”

As technologies enhance business applications, organisations will require higher levels of reliability and security. And this is what flash technology can achieve, says O’Reilly. “But when delivered as part of an integrated system there is even more value to the customer and its business.

As flash technologies have matured and the price per GB has become competitive compared with traditional solutions, now is the time for partners to evaluate their offering and prioritise the shifting needs of customers.”

Flash storage is a business enabler, and those partners who are quick to understand the advantages of the technology and helps customers gain by examining their individual requirements, stand to make the most wins.

Partner watch emircom

Route to success Mohamad Abou-Zaki, Chief Operating Officer, Emircom, elaborates on the company’s expansion plans within the region.

Can you give a brief overview of Emircom?

Emircom was established 31 years ago in 1984. Since its inception, the company has formed strategic partnerships with distinguished organisations operating in the Information and Communication Technology sector. The company features a solid market portfolio from cultivating a strong alliance with select notable technology providers, such as Cisco, a leading multinational IT company. Emircom was instrumental in strengthening Cisco’s position in the UAE and Saudi Arabia through its comprehensive services.

What is your business focus for 2015?

For 2015, we are directing our attention towards systems integration and providing turnkey solutions to address a wide range of our customer’s needs, especially in areas such as data centre, cloud and Internet of Things (IoT).

Who are some of your main technology vendors?

Our leading technology vendors include several eminent companies such as Cisco, EMC, VMware, Palo Alto and Schneider.

What is Emircom’s strengths and how does it differentiate in the market?

Emircom is supported by a dedicated team of

“Our focus is mainly towards cultivating UAE and Saudi markets.

We believe that future growth will be amplified by increasing our presence in both countries.”

42

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

www.resellerme.com

trained and highly skilled professionals who work tirelessly under the supervision of a strong management towards realising the company’s powerful vision. With such a strong foundation and solid internal operations, the company will continue to strengthen its position in the market and create new benchmarks for excellence.

In line with the recent milestone achievements and a number of successful infrastructure projects augmenting its rapidly expanding portfolio, Emircom is carving a distinguished reputation for itself as a leading ICT partner.

Can you elaborate on your expansion plans?

From which markets do you see the growth coming from?

We have established a strong base in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia as we have several offices across the two countries. With regards to our expansion plans, we are looking

towards opening new offices throughout the GCC in order to boost our presence in the region.

Our focus is mainly towards cultivating the UAE and Saudi markets. We believe that future growth will be amplified by increasing our presence in both countries and introducing new and pioneering technologies to ensure our competitive advantage.

As a partner in the dynamic channel space, what are some of your challenges?

Up and coming companies emerging within the industry can create a considerable challenge as these new enterprises often undercut prices.

What are some of your plans for the second half of the year?

We will be launching our Public Data Centre by the second half of the year. This centre will offer a slew of services that will address specific client needs including staging, hosting and other cloud-based services.

HOSTERS PRIVATE CLOUD PROVIDERS

CHANNEL PARTNERS

Productivity Suite -

ERP

Enterprise Mail Collaboration Instant Messenger CRM Unified Communication

Custom Apps

IaaS

- Server - Storage - Network

Back-up / DR - In public cloud - In private cloud

Professional Support | Managed support | Training | Consulting Banks | Financial Institutions | Educational Institutions | FMCG Real Estate | Healthcare | Hospitality | Manufacturing

For any queries please contact: cloud@redingtongulf.com redingtongulf.com

Brought to you by:

review Synology

RME RATING

Synology DS 415+ Synology’s DS415+ beats any existing NAS systems belonging to competition today.

Synology’s DS 415+ is designed to deliver highperformance without any hassles. The DS415+ not only archives data but also features a host of added tasks, which a small or medium business enterprise will find to their advantage.

Developed with a new quad-core 4-bay box design, the DS415+ is an ideal solution for consolidating data backup across many platforms. The device is designed with 2GB DDR3 RAM and houses four drive bays, which can be combined with external storage by using the in-built USB 3.0, 2.0 and eSata ports.

The device allows the user to protect data and simultaneously achieve high-performance with the Link Aggregation feature. By enabling this, DS 415+ delivers high reading and writing speeds.

44

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

What’s interesting about any NAS device is that once connected to the network, it works like a store house for any kind of media, from images and music to even heavy surveillance videos. SMEs can maximise all the apps of the device by using it as an email server or FTP server, for photo streaming or even as a web station.

The web-based operating system, DiskStation Manager (DSM) 5.0, enhances the device through varied applications for higher productivity and provides a new level of multimedia experience.

Targeting both SMEs and home users, the device’s most appealing function could be the Media Server app, which is responsible for sharing multimedia to phones, tablets and other consoles. It is a simple and effective app without any complications.

www.resellerme.com

Essentially, it is a cloud-enabled device and this means a whole world can now be accessed effortlessly. With the cloud-sync feature, customers are able to access files stored on the device even when on the move. The built-in cloud features enable the device to transform into a VPN server or VPN client, allowing businesses to offer differentiated services in a safe and secure manner.

The device’s user-friendly interface is another one of its plus points, as it is convenient to use and the user can get a hang of it easily enough. The device is impressive in terms of speed and specs and is worth every dollar spent.

Although it is an impressive product, it could be an excellent one if Synology had designed a system, which came with built-in hard drives and easy plug-and-play set up options. For the average IT professional, the set-up will be manageable, however when it comes to an individual user, it could be difficult as one needs to know the technical aspects of providing ports. But this is a minor point, when considered the overall performance and functionality of the device.

All in all, DS415+ is an exceptional device that can drive high-performance and achieve guaranteed results.

Creatin Opport g unities

COMPUTING

NETWORKING

www.octagoneinternational.com +971 4 2776389 | +971 4 2776380

GAMING

Brought to you by:

Sony

review

RME RATING

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua

James Dartnell takes Sony’s latest mid-range smartphone for a spin, and decides if the waterproof product sinks or swims.

In terms of size, the phone measures in at 145.5 x 72.6 x 7.3mm, and is a nice halfway house for users who are fans of 5”+ screens, and those who prefer the slightly smaller iPhone-esque shape. The resolution of 720 x 180 pixels satisfies on a simple IPS LCD panel, and its colour is boosted by Sony’s Triluminos display and Bravia tech, providing added vibrancy.

Sadly, the same can’t be said of its camera. Although theoretically a sound option with its 13MP, image quality doesn’t seem to stack up with the numbers, with sharpness not an ever-present, particularly in bad light.

One of the M4 Aqua’s biggest strengths is undoubtedly is long battery life. It seemingly never dies.

The 2400 mAh battery, supported by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa Core processor, really does go the extra mile. The device stays switched

on for days at a time, and although it may not match up with that of the Z3 Compact, it’s still a key selling point for the device. The battery saver feature – activated once the device’s power drops below 20 percent – although occasionally downright irritating, turns off Wi-Fi, GPS and auto-sync off automatically.

Coming in single and dual SIM options, the phone features a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data connections and offers LTE support, and – a neat surprise – comes with Android 5.0 out-of-thebox. In terms of storage, the 16BG – as opposed to its 8GB counterpart – is preferable for obvious reasons.

The user interface is intuitive, with apps laid out across multiple pages, on which they can be uninstalled, and more can be downloaded.

If you’re a purist for style and personalisation then this may be one to avoid. As is often the case with a

number of other Sony smartphones, the range of accessories on offer is practically non-existent. The phone also bears a strong resemblance to its cousin, the Xperia Z3.

The Xperia M4 Aqua’s name suggests promising things off land.

Granted, although the phone does pass waterproofing tests, being able to actually use it once it is wet is a real pain. The device will arbitrarily push buttons, respond to very few actions the user initiates.

Another concern, the Xperia M4 Aqua does overheat easily, even if left charging for a relatively short period of time.

That being said, as mid-range Androids go, it’s a very satisfying package with decent value for money around $330, but it’s entered into a tough market. The device has its minor frustrations but is ultimately well designed and intuitive to use.

Here’s hoping it can do itself justice.

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

47

Brought to you by:

hot products

Canon releases new line of high-volume printers Canon Middle East announces the launch of three new large format printers – the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF830, iPF840 and iPF850 – to cater to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), reprography and Computer Aided Design (CAD) environments.

According to Canon the new devices aims to deliver functionality and performance to the high-volume print market. It features an upgraded system architecture which can deliver fast and continuous printing with the ability to replace ink tanks during print jobs and deliver speeds of up to 42 seconds for A0 plain paper in economy mode.

The imagePROGRAF iPF850 also promises improved efficiency as it has a high-capacity stacker that can hold up to 100 sheets of different sized paper (up to A0). The iPF840 and iPF850 support

Fortinet launches FortiGate 400D and 900D NGFW dual roll to easily handle different types and varying widths of paper up to 44”, and enables automatic paper switching between rolls to suit print requirements.

Canon says the three printers feature low ink consumption, high capacity 700ml ink tanks and a built-in accounting function allowing accurate tracking of the cost per print.

Dell launches PowerEdge C6320

Dell has unveiled the PowerEdge C6320, the latest addition in its 13th generation Dell PowerEdge server portfolio.

The PowerEdge C6320 aims to deliver up to two times performance improvement on the HPC performance benchmark, and has the right mix of cost-efficient compute and storage in a compact, 2U chassis for HPC and hyperconverged solutions and appliances.

According to Dell it is designed to offer four independent server nodes in a 2U chassis. Compared to the previous generation, it provides up to two times the performance improvement on the LinPack spec, up to 45 percent improvement on the SPECint_rate benchmark and up to 28 percent better power efficiency on the

48

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

Spec_Power benchmark.

This aims to provide customers to optimise application performance and productivity while conserving energy use and saving traditional data centre space.

The PowerEdge C6320 features the latest generation of Intel Xeon E52600 v3 processors and provides up to 18 cores per socket (144 cores per 2U chassis), up to 512GB of DDR4 memory and up to 72TB of flexible local storage.

In addition, the PowerEdge C6320 now comes integrated with iDRAC8 with Lifecycle Controller. By leveraging iDRAC8, customers can automate many routine management tasks and reduce the time and number of steps to deploy, monitor and update their servers throughout their lifecycle.

www.resellerme.com

Fortinet has launched the FortiGate 400D and the FortiGate 900D nextgeneration firewalls (NGFWs).

According to the security solutions company the new FortiGate 400D and 900D NGFWs were engineered to deliver highperformance security and specifically tailored to meet the demands of midsized and enterprise organisations today and into the future. Leveraging Fortinet’s FortiASIC-accelerated performance, both Appliances utilise Fortinet’s proprietary Network Processor 6 (NP6), providing the FortiGate 400D with throughput performance of 16 Gbps and propelling the FortiGate 900D to speeds of 52 Gbps.

Coupled with the consolidated feature-sets of the FortiOS operating system guarantees improved Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) stream performance high-throughput, broad security, deep inspection, rich analytics, granular controls and ease-of-use. Reinforced with industry-leading threat intelligence from FortiGuard Labs, the FortiGate 400D and 900D deliver the best-inclass protection and performance required by mid-sized and enterprise organisations.

The FortiGate 900D, designed with the performance and features of an enterprise-grade NGFW, so large branches don’t have to compromise on security. It also has a 52 Gbps NGFW performance and multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+, SFP and RJ45 ports.

Put the power of one in your data center.

HP BladeSystem with HP OneView. One system and management platform. More efficient, faster, more reliable.

Why deal with multiple complex tools that hamper efficiency, visibility, and performance? Now you can have a single, tightly integrated HP BladeSystem that works with your existing environment, managed from one tool with the ease of consumer navigation. Bottom line: 23% lower TCO, up to 23% faster server deployment, and up to 3X faster problem resolution.*

The power of HP Converged Infrastructure is here.

Stay ahead of evolving demands with the HP BladeSystem c7000 Platinum enclosure and HP ProLiant BL460c Gen8 servers powered by the Intel® Xeon® processor E5-2600 v2 series.

© 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services.

Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

Intel, the Intel logo, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

For more information or to place an order on HP, please write to sales.value@redingtongulf.com

Let us show you beyond the horizon with new technologies and features that will power your business.

Join us at the 35th edition of GITEX where we are showcasing the technology of tomorrow and demonstrating the full potential of a smart, connected future, built on the power of the internet. The internet future of everything.

www.gitex.com

Brought to you by:

hot products

Samsung releases Galaxy Tab E Samsung has recently announced the launch of the Galaxy Tab E, a 9.6-inch budget tablet, which is now available in the UAE for AED 999.

According to the tech giant, the new tablet is geared toward customers seeking top-quality tablet performance and design at a competitive price, the Galaxy Tab E delivers advanced multi-tasking capability with Multi-window and a 5M AF camera, enabling the user to navigate and simultaneously access multiple files, applications, and camera without interruption.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab E comes with a 128 GB micro SD support which can be purchased separately, to accommodate a continuous flow of downloaded content. The tablet sports a camera that has a One Shot Mode and Continuous Shot features.

The Galaxy Tab E is expected to be the next companion to the smart classroom. With Kids Mode activated, young learners can navigate a fun kids-friendly graphical interface that is oriented for children’s control. Kids can use their tablets to access a variety of stimulating applications that promote creative expression through music, colours, sounds, and instructive activities. Optimised for collective in-class use, the Galaxy Tab E provides students access to educational tools and webpages while teachers have all-in-one Screen Monitoring capacities to supervise the students’ progress.

Equipped with tablet essentials for leisure, one-the-go, and classroom use at an incredibly affordable price, the Galaxy Tab E earns its status as best in performance, design, and contents.

AOC introduces new UHD and QHD monitors AOC has recently introduced two new 81.3 cm (32-inch) displays with UHD and QHD resolutions.

Both the AOC U3277PQU with its 3840 x 2160 pixel AHVA-IPS panel and the AOC Q3277PQU with its 2560 x 1440 AMVA panel combine high-resolutions and an extra-large screen size in order to provide power home users, photographers, designers and other professionals with highly-detailed images and additional desktop real estate.

With their 81.3 cm (32-inch) screen size, the AOC U3277PQU and AOC Q3277PQU are two new options for users in search of a large high-resolution display. The U3277PQU has an AHVA-IPS panel with a 4K UHD resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels,

which is four times as much as a standard Full HD panel. According to AOC, this way, photos, text, videos, games and other content appear considerably sharper and more detailed.

Users without a modern 4K compatible graphics card can still get brilliant highresolution images with the Q3277PQU and its QHD AMVA panel. Both of the new models cover 100 per cent of the sRGB colour gamut (8-bit+FRC, 1 billion colours) and come with wide viewing angles as well as high brightness levels (U3277PQU: 350 cd/m², Q3277PQU: 300 cd/m²).

Brother International (Gulf) launches Entrepreneur Pro PR1000e Brother International (Gulf) has revealed the availability of its new Entrepreneur Pro PR1000e embroidery machine unit in Qatar.

The new 10-needle home embroidery unit raises the bar in embroidery for hobbyists and crafters. According to the company, the product was released with a focus on home-based entrepreneurs as it produces professionally designed logos, monograms and more on a wide range of items. The new product is available at MRP QAR 42,999 at all Jumbo Electronics outlets in Qatar.

According to senior executives of the company, the new Entrepreneur Pro PR1000e utilises a 10-needle system that successfully results in key advantages like wider range of colours, extra-large embroidery area and a positioning sensor.

The unit was designed with a sleek compact body, which makes it fit perfectly into

small workshops and can be easily carried around for use at different events. The PR1000e is also equipped with a scanner that allows users to scan in the item on which you want to embroider, resulting in the accurate and precise positioning of the design itself. The embroidery area of the PR1000e is a large 360 x 200mm, and can embroider designs up to 360 x 360mm by using the Jumbo Frame feature. Meanwhile, the unit’s Wide Cap Frame feature can embroider 360mm x up to 60mm high on caps.

Other key features offered by the new machine include an advanced natural lighting system; flexible threading system; 28 built-in fonts; LED thread indicator; forward & reverse stitch work; table attachment and pre-set embroidery frames.

The company has also revealed that the unit comes with the PE-Design 10 Embroidery software which provides users with an advanced user interface.

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

51

Brought to you by:

hot products

Dell debuts new series of Wyse thin clients During the recently held Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Dell unveiled its latest Wyse thin clients, based on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise operating system and updates to its vWorkspace desktop virtualisation software.

According to Dell the new products announced at the event aims provide additional flexibility for organisations looking to deploy Microsoft Azure-based VDI, and provide demanding knowledge workers with powerful, secure endpoints that don’t compromise on performance or productivity.

Wyse 7490-Z90Q10 and 5490-D90Q10 thin clients will be available with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise starting July 29th. Benefits and features of the new solution include high performance, the Wyse 7490-Z90Q10 and 5490-D90Q10 has quad-core AMD G-Series processors for fast boot, smooth performance and full productivity across a broad range of use cases; protection against modern security threats including advanced malware resistance, with features such as Trusted Platform Module (TPM), BitLocker Drive Encryption, Secure Boot, and Windows Defender; it also has right-sized management for different use cases, from on-premises with “hands off” file server, Wyse Device Manager software (WDM), or Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM). Simple, scalable administration for just a few to tens of thousands of thin clients.

Wyse vWorkspace desktop virtualisation software that allows service providers to deploy and run desktop virtualisation with Microsoft technologies. vWorkspace 8.6 supports Microsoft Hyper-V and Azure platforms, as well as Windows 10-based virtual machines (VMs).

52

august 2015 Reseller Middle East

Pulse Secure unveils new line of Pulse Secure Appliances Pulse Secure recently introduced a family of Pulse Secure Appliances built to power its Next Generation Secure Access framework that helps companies blend cloud services and data centre applications.

According to the company, the new Pulse Secure Appliance series aims to provide enterprises with increased performance, control and versatility to address both the practical and strategic.

The multi-service hardware appliance supports Pulse Connect Secure (VPN) and Pulse Policy Secure (NAC), and is ideal for both larger enterprises looking to scale and smaller entities with only one box to manage. It also provides the deployment flexibility to support its advanced secure access capabilities as a virtual appliance.

The new hardware appliance comes in three scalable sizes, PSA3000, PSA5000 and PSA7000. Their scale and

versatility are designed for different operational environments. The PSA3000 is ideal for branch office applications with support for two 1G interfaces and scale up to 200 concurrent VPN sessions. The PSA5000 is targeted for medium sized enterprises that require 2500 concurrent sessions connected via two 1G interfaces.

Furthermore, Pulse Secure highlights that large enterprises with mission critical applications can rely on the PSA7000 that scales to 35,000 concurrent sessions, supports two 1G/10G copper or two 10G fibre interfaces with SSL acceleration and delivers maximum reliability with link redundancy, hot-swappable redundant hard disks (RAID 1), and hot-swappable redundant power supplies. The Pulse Secure Appliance series provides three times the performance of SA Series SSL VPN Virtual Appliances.

Xerox launches iGen 5 Xerox has launched the new iGen 5, which has a fifth color option and can boost press uptime and offer multiple speed choices.

According to the company, thousands of iGen presses are already creating billions of high-quality, high-margin sales brochures, posters, photo books and pieces of direct-mail – often personalised and always in vibrant colour. Print providers can select the iGen 5 150 Press (150 ppm), iGen 5 120 Press (120 ppm) or iGen 5 90 Press (90 ppm), and with a new scalable architecture users can uprade the speeds easily.

The optional fifth color unit increases the ability to match a larger gamut of Pantone colours or unknown spot colours

www.resellerme.com

without hindering productivity. Orange, green or blue options supplement CMYK and can accurately hit distinctive brand colors without moving short runs to offset.

A variety of colour matching, job setup and quality control automation tools ensure maximum uptime equating to more profitable pages flowing through an operation.

Xerox said the iGen 5 complements the existing offerings within the iGen family – the iGen 150 and iGen4 Diamond Edition.

The iGen 5 150 Press and EFI Print Server are available immediately worldwide. However, they are not yet available in the UAE. The iGen 5 120 Press, iGen 5 90 Press and FreeFlow Print Server will be available in September.

Brought to you by:

Seagate announces 200GB OneDrive cloud storage Seagate has announced that its Backup Plus family of external storage offerings will now include 200GB of OneDrive cloud storage for customers for a twoyear period.

The company also announced a new high capacity for its Backup Plus portable which is at 4TB. Seagate Backup Plus drives come equipped with Seagate Dashboard software and has an plug-andplay PC backup as well as the addition of mobile and social media backup.

OneDrive allows easy access to your most important files from any connected mobile device and keeps documents that are in progress up to date on each of those devices for sharing and collaborating with whomever you choose.

The Seagate Backup Plus family of external drives extends backup capabilities to include content from social networks. Backup Plus external

Synology introduces RS18016xs+ and RX1216sas

hard drives come equipped with Seagate’s Dashboard software for easy backup of your system via scheduled or instantaneous on-demand backup as well as Facebook and Flickr backup. The USB 3.0 bus-powered Seagate Backup Plus portable is available at an estimated street price of $239.99 for the 4TB capacity, which became available in July.

The svelte 12mm Seagate Backup Plus Slim, also a USB 3.0 bus-powered drive, is available at 500GB for MSRP of $79.99, 1TB for $99.99 and 2TB at $129.99. The Seagate Backup Plus Desktop drive, which includes an AC power adapter and USB 3.0, is now available in capacities ranging from 2TB for 119.99 to 8TB for $359.99.

‘Four’ releases three new smartphones Four, a UAE-based mobile phone manufacturer, has announced the launch of three new smartphones.

The mobile company said that the launch of the smartphones is in line with their brand promise of providing high quality and innovative products at affordable prices, the new product are aimed at capturing the needs of consumers in the UAE. The newly released smartphones include, the S40, which is priced at AED 169, and comes with a 3.5-inch screen, a 1.3 GHz dualcore processor and the Android 4.2 operating system. The next one is the S180, which costs AED 249. This smartphone features a larger, 4-inch screen and 3G connectivity.

The most expensive new model is the S300, which comes with a 5.5-inch screen, an 8MP rear camera, a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, and the Android 4.4 operating system; that model will retail for AED 299, Four said.

Faisal Al Bannai, Founder and CEO, Four, said, “In line with the UAE’s vision of becoming a global technology hub, Four is constantly striving to exceed industry standards with the latest in technology, at the best possible prices.

“We understand that it is important for our customers to stay connected with their social circles on-the-go, in the UAE’s fastpaced lifestyle. Our latest smartphones were carefully constructed to serve those looking for the ultimate mobile surfing experience, as well as customers looking to fulfil their basic smartphone needs.”

Four’s new smartphones are all dual-sim and come bundled with complementary covers. Customers will also enjoy a host of value-added services designed to cater to every consumer need, including a 12-month warranty.

Synology has recently announced the release of RS18016xs+ and its expansion unit RX1216sas, which is enabled with a point-in-time data backup for enterprises and a highperformance throughput.

RS18016xs+ is designed to deliver features including over 3,900 MB/s and 348,000 IOPS throughput, according to Synology.

It also has a point-in-time data recovery, bringing a snapshot technology, allowing businesses to automatically capture point-intime copies of data as frequently as every five minutes without occupying system resources. It also supports the Synology High Availability, as well as numerous redundant hardware components including redundant data paths, power supplies, system fans, and four network ports with failover support.

RS18016xs+ also natively supports 6Gb/s SAS/SATA III technologies and can be upgraded with up to 32GB ECC RAM and 10GbE capabilities to ensure maximum compatibility and return on investment. Lastly, when storage capacity on the Synology RS18016xs+ reaches its limit, Synology RX1216sas provides an immediate scale up.

RS18016xs+ and RX1216sas are backed by Synology’s fiveyear warranty and Synology Replacement Services (SRS) for select regions.

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East august 2015

53

Column

Channel surfing Reseller Middle East’s deputy editor offers her thoughts on the Middle Eastern technology channel.

Janees Reghelini, Deputy Editor, Reseller ME

Excite partners To be more effective in what we do, I believe it is worthwhile to take time out and evaluate what motivates us. While that could be monetary or non-monetary factors, the important aspect is to first identify what it is. The same holds true when it comes to partners; vendors need to first understand and identify what motivates a partner to do his best.

Before it seems like I’m going off on a philosophical tangent, what I’m getting to is about creating ‘partner excitement’.

As a customer what might entice me to buy could be the unbelievable deals or the hope of getting something free with my purchase. And while the same strategy could be applied to partners, it

54

august 2015

Reseller Middle East

is the ‘unique’ excitement opportunities that will be more likely to push partners to outperform.

So your regular ‘win-cash-back’ deals or discounted offers may not do the trick. Vendors need to think out of the box to ensure a partner is motivated and is doing his best.

The thought-process need to be on the lines of personalised rewards and higher incentives. This is not to say some vendors are not doing just that. But what is lacking today is an understanding of what truly motivates a partner. And this can only be known through conversations. Or as Tanya Lobo from Avaya mentioned, by “putting

www.resellerme.com

ourselves in partners’ shoes”. There needs to be better effort from industry players to differentiate their offerings so that partners are inspired to do more.

The Windows 10 launch last month offers partners an opportunity to guide customers to make the transition.

However, how successful the adoption of the OS is going to be is something we will have to wait and watch.

Preparations for GITEX are already underway. We are working on a bumper issue for the event, where the top industry players will be ranked as per revenue figures. That’s just one of the things you can expect from us for the big event. Stay tuned for more.

Seize or Be under Siege.

www.cyberoam.com

What’s your decision for your enterprise network?

The answer lies in choosing Network Security that’s crafted for Enterprise Networks.

Trends like de-perimeterization of networks, rising number of network users and devices, virtualization, applications explosion, and more, can turn to your advantage or threaten your business with new network risks.

Cyberoam Next-Generation Firewalls offer EAL4+ certified protection with actionable intelligence & controls and next-generation security features like Layer 8 identity-based security, App Visibility & Control, IPS, VPN, on-appliance reporting and more to strengthen enterprise defenses. Moreover, by delivering enterprise-class throughput performance, extensible security architecture and high-availability, Cyberoam enables enterprise CIOs ride this generational shift with confidence and control.

COMMON CRITERIA

CERTIFIED

EAL4+

Cyberoam Product Line : Network security appliances (Next-Generation Firewalls/UTMs)

Centralized Management (Hardware & Virtual)

Centralized Reporting

For Partnership Enquiries and Demo Requests, please contact: Ravinder Janotra (Regional Sales Manager) M: 00971 556385653 | E: ravinder.janotra@cyberoam.com © Copyright 2015 Cyberoam Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Karpagam Manickam (Sr. Executive Inside Sales) M:+971 50 9673157 | E: karpagam.manickam@cyberoam.com