The Shelf Issue 07 by Redington

Presents

A Quarterly publication from Redington Volume Division

Issue 07 august 2015 09 HP 15 Mitashi 19 Intel 22 Lenovo 24 Microsoft

Age of advancement Redington Gulf stays ahead of the curve and maximizes opportunities in the market

Redington Volume Division is an authorized distributor for the following brands in parts of Middle East & Africa

western leaf速

速 The smartest way to link

intel inside BUSINESS ON THE GO OUTSIDE INTEL-POWERED 2 IN 1 S

Laptop productivity. Tablet mobility.

A better way to work.

2 in 1 products are off ered in multiple models. Some models may not be available in your market. Consult your manufacturer. For more information and details, visit http://www.intel.com/2in1. Š 2015 Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, and Intel Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Contents

09

From the Director’s Desk

HP

Lenovo

Learn more about HP’s latest innovation JetIntelligence, from Pawel Miszkiewicz of Hewlett-Packard.

Jeff Meredith from Lenovo explains the company’s robust tablet strategy for the region.

22

Mitashi

Microsoft

Mitashi’s Rahul Singh on the company’s regional strategy and future plans.

Having had a resounding success with Cloud Club promotion, Fadi Farhat from Microsoft Gulf, discusses partners’ feedback.

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Digitization has helped businesses reduce sourcing costs in multiple ways. We are now able to search more transparently, order collaboratively, re-use what was considered waste and share resources.

The above has been made possible through disruptive business models which have come into existence in the past few years.

An example of sharing in the consumer space would be ‘Peerby’, a service which enables consumers to borrow from their neighbors. This enables consumers to engage better with their neighbors and also leads to better utilization of resources thus contributing towards the environment. Imagine similar innovations which could help in better sourcing within the B2B space.

Global software companies have already changed business models to adapt to changing business dynamics by moving away from perpetual licensing models to ‘pay-as-you-use’ models. Within the traditional IT channel, it’s time we explore transformational business models to meet the requirements of our future customers.

I wish you success for the rest of the year.

19 www.redingtonmea.com

Intel

Emax Electronics

Firas Alfanney from Intel, elaborates on the company’s latest innovations.

Discover key regional retail trends and company plans from Neelesh Bhatnagar of Emax Electronics.

Yours Sincerely Raj Shankar Managing Director, Redington Gulf

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Redington recommends

SMARTPHONES & TABLETS

Moto E

XTOUCH P-Phone

Motorola’s latest smartphone Moto E is powered with a fast quad-core processor with 3G or 4G LTE, plus the latest version of Android OS, Lollipop. The all-day battery allows customers to go farther and longer without stopping to recharge. Designed with Corning Gorilla Glass and a water-resistant coating, users can enjoy the device without the fear of damage. The 5MP camera can be activated effortlessly with just a twist of the wrist. It also has a number of features such as Quick Capture, 4x digital zoom, Auto HDR and slow motion video mode to name a few. The back camera allows users to take goodquality selfies, which can be easily shared. Customers can view videos and other media on the 4.5-inch qHD screen, which is the sharpest in its class. The device is also equipped with 8GB of storage and an additional slot for an optional microSD card, up to 32GB.

P-Phone from XTOUCH is a 3-in-1 feature phone which combines phone, power bank and flashlight in a single device.

The multi-functional device carries the consistently useful and durable style of the brand. P-Phone could be used as a power bank with its 3500mAh capacity.

It features a high charge-discharge efficiency of 88% and IC protection technology. With physical keypad for easy dialing, two SIM cards working with brands 900/1800MHz, high voice quality, the compact P-Phone is thoughtfully designed with simple yet practical functions. The device also features a torch, its battery could last for 39 hours while using as a torch. Additionally, the device could play FM radio through its high-volume loudspeaker without the need to insert an earphone.

XTOUCH X4 XTOUCH’s X4 adopts Dragontrail glass as its super shell.

Featuring 8-time’s hardness and toughness than normal glass, Dragontrail could support 60kg weight with its 0.28mm thickness.

Both sides armed, shiny X4 could be well-protected. Designed with a 178 degrees viewing angle with in-plane switching (IPS) technology, the HD screen delivers stunning colors and effects from almost every angle. Meanwhile, the Glass-film-film (GFF) architecture and full lamination 5-point capacitive touch screen ensures great user experience.

Elaborate keys with aluminum alloy material and metalloid frame with advanced techniques, X4 is a durable smartphone as well as your handy artwork. Auto-focus rear camera of 13 Megapixel makes pictures matter to you easily by focusing on the point while blurring the background.

Front camera of 5 Megapixel helps users to enjoy selfies.

With MTK quad-core 1.3 GHz CPU for excellent performance, Mali-450 GPU for better graphic showing, 1GB RAM for quick processing and 16GB ROM for massive storage, X4 could do more from its 2300mAh battery and dual SIM cards. Two stereophony lie in the bottom part of the phone body would realize a louder expression. With this side-entry design, X4 expresses every sound clearly and promptly.

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Microsoft Surface 3 Surface 3 was built for business. It’s a thin, light tablet, but with Windows Pro and Intel processor, customers can also run the desktop software they rely on. With a built-in Kickstand, click-in keyboard, plus a full-size USB port, you have a laptop at hand when you need it.

Surface 3 comes powered with Quad Core Intel Atom x7 processor, which helps in delivering fast, responsive and quality performance. The laptop runs all the Windows desktop software such as Microsoft Office, iTunes and Photoshop Essentials. Equipped with Windows 8.1 with a free upgrade to Windows 10, users can opt to use the Surface Pen, which feels just like an actual pen, making it easy for drawing or taking notes.

Surface 3 is the most portable Surface yet—it’s just 1.4 lbs and .34-inch thin with long battery life—and offers quick convertibility to laptop when you need to get real work done. The ports allow you to connect to external monitors, printers, and additional storage.

The device is built to last, stands up to heavy use with durable casing and impact resistant optically-fused glass. www.redingtonmea.com

PRINTERS & PERIPHERALS

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553 series

Canon i-SENSYS MF212w Canon’s latest launch i-SENSYS MF212w is a fast, efficient Wi-Fi network and mobile ready mono laser 3-in-1. Users can seamlessly share print, copy and scan functions with ease on this multifunction.

Quick, easy-to-use and energy efficient, it features a tilting control panel and onetouch solution keys. Additionally, it easily prints from iOS or Android devices. Users can be productive with print and copy speeds of 23ppm mono. Stylish and well connected this high-speed, multifunctional mono laser printer provides print, copy and scan functions within a compact spacesaving device. With Wi-Fi, Ethernet and

mobile connectivity for easy sharing of functions, plus professional print quality and easy operation, it’s the perfect desktop solution for small offices.

HP Officejet Pro 8610 e-All-in-One

EPSON L1800 The L1800 allows users to print borderless, photo quality images up to A3+ in size.

It delivers superior colour reproduction for large photos, graphics and more to achieve the best impression on your audience. High-capacity integrated ink tanks and highly affordable genuine photo ink bottles at just US$10.50 each add up to greater savings. It is bundled with 6 photo ink bottles that yield up to 1,500 borderless 4R photos. It is designed to achieve fast print speeds of up to 15ppm (draft/black) and 45 sec per 4R borderless photo. The device supports printing to a wide variety of printing media from 4R photo prints all the way up to A3+ sizes, allowing users to accomplish all printing jobs, from the simplest www.redingtonmea.com

HP’s latest energy-efficient printer and Original HP Toner cartridges with JetIntelligence combine to produce vibrant and professional-quality documents.

Customers can enjoy high-speed performance and a number of features with the latest series. Employees can be equipped to fly through tasks with the adjustable 10.9 cm (4.3-inch) colour touchscreen. Customers can consistently print high-quality documents across a variety of media, including A5, with automatic media sensing. With HP Web Jetadmin, organizations can centralise control of the print environment and help build business efficiency.

Protect sensitive data with embedded or

to the most demanding. Epson’s original ink tank system is engineered for easy, mess-free refills. The special tubes in the printer are designed to ensure smooth and reliable ink flow at all times.

HP’s Officejet Pro 8610 e-All-in-One prints professional color for up to 50 percent lower cost per page than lasers with an e-all-in-one engineered for business printing. It projects a professional image with every page, and help keep business moving with easy mobile printing. It enables printing professional-quality color documents and marketing materials for less than lasers while driving productivity with easy-to-use features. Using Original HP pigment inks for vibrant, durable prints, every page looks professional. It supports fast printing speeds—up to 19 ppm blackand-white and 14.5 ppm color. HP high yield XL ink cartridges offer an additional

optional features, including HP JetAdvantage Security Solutions. Easily develop, deploy and add on HP and third-party solutions and choose the optional 1 GB memory upgrade. low cost printing option for high volume printing. Users can enable secure wireless printing from their mobile device—no router or access to local network required. Using HP ePrint, users can easily print photos, documents, and more when on the go and can share all the printer has to offer, officewide, using 10/100 Ethernet connectivity.

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Redington recommends

COMPUTING

COMPONENTS

Dell XPS 13 Dell’s latest XPS 13 sports a thin bezel freeing up the screen space. According to the company, the laptop is 23 per cent smaller than the Apple MacBook Air 13. The three-sided, virtually borderless infinity display measures a miniscule 5.2mm border and the slim bezel is less than 2 per cent of the total display. Along with an innovative design, the device is also compact at the same time, making it easy for users to carry it in a bag while on the go.

The UltraSharp QHD+resolution (3200x1800) gives users the ultimate screen performance with 5.7 million pixels (276 ppi). Customers can view content together in a group with wide viewing angle of up to 170 degrees.

Users can enjoy the speed, clarity and improved graphics with new Intel Core processors. With up to 15 hours of run time on the FHD display (and 11 hours on the QHD+), it’s leading the industry in battery life.

Paired with the Dell Power Companion, you get up to 22 hours and the freedom to power all of your bonus devices. The XPS 13 boots and resumes in seconds thanks to a standard solid state drive and Intel Rapid Start Technology.

The improved touch pad delivers the exact action the user intends, every time, so no more jumping or floating cursors. It delivers fluid panning, pinching and zooming, for an experience that’s touch screen-smooth and quick, and similar to the gestures customers are used to on screen. And with Accidental Activation Prevention, there are no more mis-clicks when the palm hits the touch pad.

The Corning Gorilla Glass NBT QHD+ display is up to 10 times more scratch resistant than soda lime glass, so it helps prevent scuffs caused by handling, cleaning or wiping.

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WD My Cloud

Alienware 15 The built of the new Alienware 15 is thin without compromising on performance. It’s designed with aerospace-inspired carbon fiber that provides styled stiffness and impressive durability. It’s outfitted with copper heat sinks that enable proper cooling, full-throttle graphics performance for up to 100W of dedicated graphics power from AMD or NVIDIA, and the very first optional Ultra HD 4K screen in an Alienware notebook.

When paired with the optional Alienware Graphics Amplifier, users can transform the Alienware 15 with up to 375W of AMD or NVIDIA desktop graphics performance. The device’s configurations that include an Intel Core i7 processor will also become overclocked when paired to the Graphics Amplifier for even more total system performance.

Customers can simply plug in the Alienware 15, reboot and enjoy a fully expanded desktop experience – supported graphics cards from AMD or NVIDIA that result in up to a 4K experience, multiple-monitor display and more connectivity with a built-in 4-port USB 3.0 hub. Matched with the Alienware 15, the Graphics Amplifier provides a perfect solution for the gamer who desires the full rush of ultimate gaming anytime. The Alienware 15 is equipped for up to 3.5 GHz of turbo power and a seamless gaming experience. Intel offers the only processors that allow you to hyper thread so your machine can simultaneously perform multiple functions faster. Enjoy IPS-based LCD technology on an expansive 15.6inch screen that offers stunningly clear color and clarity anywhere. The Alienware 15 is available with Full HD display, or choose Ultra HD 4K display with touch screen option. Get up to 3840X2160 pixel density – four times the base LCD option – and extra wide viewing angles with optional IPS panel technology.

Inspiron 15 5000 Series (Advanced)

With the new Inspiron 15 5000 series, web pages, games and apps fire up fast with up to 5th Gen Intel Core processors thanks to premium performance and stunning visuals.

With the available NVIDIA GeForce discrete graphics, users can effortlessly handle intense

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Western Digital’s personal cloud storage solution—My Cloud— allows you to keep content safe at home and get abundant storage with fast performance. The customer can store, organise and back up photos, videos, music and important documents all in one place. What’s more, you can use the company’s free apps to upload and access and share content from anywhere with any device.

It also allows you to transfer files between personal cloud, Dropbox and even other public cloud accounts using the company’s free My Cloud mobile app. The capacity of your personal cloud can also be increased by attaching a compatible USB 3.0 directly to the USB expansion port on the My Cloud drive.

photo- or video-editing without slowing down performance. Equipped with up to 1TB of space, users have plenty of room to store photos, files and more.

The versatile laptop is made to impress with an attractive design and many colour options.

The True Color feature allows users to adjust color saturation to one’s personal preferences.

Choose the newest 802.11ac technology for fast WiFi across an extended range, which reduces buffering and allows you to enjoy surfing, streaming or chatting throughout your home. It requires 802.11ac router; which is sold separately. www.redingtonmea.com

SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive

High-speed transfer from iPhone and iPad to the Flash Drive makes iXpand the quickest, easiest way to free up memory on mobile devices and instantly expand storage by up to 64GB. The iXpand app makes managing a device’s memory effortless; automatically offload new photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to the drive whenever it’s connected.

The USB connector can be used to move photos and videos between the drive and a user’s PC or Mac. And it allows users to play movies and listen to music directly from the drive—no Internet required.

With iXpand Flash Drive, users are assured of the content’s safety from prying eyes even when you move it from iPhone to Mac to PC to iPad and back again. The iXpand Flash Drive encrypts users’ files for secure transfer between devices making it easy to protect private files.

Sleek and sturdy, iXpand Flash Drive keeps connectors safe from breakage when they’re not in use and works easily with all iPhone and iPad cases.

Belkin N750 DB Wireless DualBand N+ Router Belkin’s exclusive MultiBeam antenna technology gives users maximum throughput while minimizing dead spots for optimized video streaming from multiple devices, virtually anywhere in your home. Get the fastest dual-band speeds for video streaming and gaming—up to 300Mbps (2.4GHz) + 450Mbps (5GHz) with this device. Users can connect an external hard drive for easy sharing of photos and files, and connect a printer for wireless printing from any computer in your home through the two USB ports. Four gigabit ports let users connect multiple computers or devices for ultra-fast network speeds and file sharing. WPS/WPA2 encryption standards and preset security settings get you up and running safely. One-touch Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) securely connects multiple computers and devices with the push of a button. Users can enhance their online activities with Belkin’s integrated apps, self-healing, video mover, print zone and memory safe.

Acer P1173 Projector

TDK Trek Wireless Speaker

In the Acer P1173 Projector, colors remain balanced and images accurate with advanced Acer technologies.

Everything comes to life with crystal clarity thanks to exceptional resolution and high brightness. What’s more, this projector is DLP 3D ready, depicting lifelike and breathtaking visuals with greater depth. It has a display panel of 0.55-inch DarkChipTM 3 DMD with a resolution of Native SVGA (800 x 600), Maximum UXGA (1600 x 1200), WUXGA (1900 x 1280). Its aspect ratio is 4:3 (native) and 16:9

TDK’s Trek Wireless Speaker is designed to deliver exceptionally clear sound while on-the-go. Additional product features and benefits include Bluetooth v2.1 for high-quality wireless audio and Near Field Communication (NFC) for simple Bluetooth pairing with an NFC-enabled device. The TrueWireless Stereo allows pairing of two Trek Micro speakers for stereo audio. It comes with rechargeable battery that lasts up to six hours and can be charged on the go.

The 3.5mm auxiliary input plays music from any device with a headphone jack and the 3.5mm auxiliary output makes a standard speaker Bluetooth technology-enabled.

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while the contrast ratio is 13000:1.

The brightness of the device can be adjusted to 3000 ANSI Lumens (Standard), 2400 ANSI Lumens (ECO).

And the lamp life can sustain 5000 hours (Standard), 6000 hours (ECO) and 10,000 Hours (ExtremeECO).

Weighing 4.4lbs, its projection lens come in F = 2.57 ~ 2.65, f = 21.00mm ~ 23.10mm and has 1:1.1 manual zoom and manual focus.

Targus Executive Laptop Roller

LIFESTYLE

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Targus’ Executive Laptop Roller is designed to fit laptops with up to 15-16 inch screens. The zip-down workstation includes pen loops, business card holder, zippered pocket, cell phone pocket and large pouch to store additional accessories; large storage space for other office essentials or clothing for an overnight stay. It is constructed of durable/water resistant 1200D polyester material.

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Step up to SSD speeds SanDisk® SSD Plus

Home User 520

UP TO

MB/s* READ

Step up to SSD speeds and inject new life into your laptop or desktop PC with a cool, quiet solid state drive from SanDisk. With a fast, reliable SanDisk® SSD Plus, you’ll experience quicker boot-up and shutdown, quicker application response and data transfer speeds than with a typical hard disk drive1, at just a fraction of the cost of a new computer. It’s shock and vibration resistant so it’s more durable too.

Professional User

SanDisk Extreme PRO® SSD Pro-level read and write speeds Consistent 7/24 performance you can count on

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Enthusiast

SanDisk Ultra® II SSD More than 28x better performance than typical HDD1 No-wait boot up and shut down Fast game loads and performance

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www.sandisk.com

As compared to 7200 RPM SATA 2.5” hard drive. Based on published specifications and internal benchmarking tests using PCMark © 2015 SanDisk Corporation. All rights reserved. Vantage scores) 1

Toll-free support, call: 8000-17-87-75

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HP

Smart printing The Shelf sits down with Pawel Miszkiewicz, Print HW Category Manager, Middle East Region, Dubai UAE, HewlettPackard, to learn about the company’s latest innovation – JetIntelligence.

What have been some highlights at HP over the last few months?

Pawel Miszkiewicz, Print HW Category Manager, Middle East Region, Dubai UAE, Hewlett-Packard

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It has been a busy two years for HP Printing team for a number of reasons. In 2013, we brought nine new platforms to the market, added another 10 in 2014 and now in spring 2015 we have introduced seven new platforms – HP Color LaserJet Pro M252 series and HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277 series, which are our low-end consumer/SMB color devices; HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M552/M553 series, which are our new mid-range color printers and HP LaserJet Enterprise M604, M605, M606 series, which are our high-end high-volume mono printers. We have also introduced a special line up of managed devices, specially designed for our MPS (Managed Print Services) business and exclusively sold through our MPS partners in the region. As a market leader we are constantly trying to innovate and bring

new products and solutions to market to help our customers be more effective and efficient in their day-to-day operations.

What are the features of HP’s latest Laserjets?

Can you elaborate on JetIntelligence?

The whole story about our new products begins with our latest laser technology called JetIntelligence.

This is the most important HP innovation since laser technology was introduced. New LaserJet Technology from HP enables higher yields, improves printer performance and brings new security features never seen before. Let me try to explain in a few words what these innovations are and how they are translated into customer benefits.

The first benefit is around better performance.

The new ColorSphere 3 toner with hard shell, soft core means irrespective of how many times the toner particles shake and have friction between them, the hard shell prevents erosion. The hard shell also allows a softer core. For example, imagine a paintball that has a hard plastic shell but contains liquid inside.

ColorSphere 3 allows higher yields thanks to the hard shell. The soft core contributes to a low melting or fusing point, meaning smaller and faster printers that consume less energy. We have moved from nonspherical to spherical toner with the new Precision black toner, which is a new chemically produced toner. Thanks to this, we are able to achieve higher yields. Additionally, chemically produced toner has a lower melting point.

Next benefit has got to do with more pages.

With the new Page Maximizer Technology, we have redesigned the drum, the rollers and blades and made them smaller and more robust. We have extended the life of the cartridge, which brings lower cost per page and fewer interventions – as the cartridge now needs to be replaced less often. Our

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HP

new Print Gauge technology provides more accurate tracking of the cartridge life. We can now precisely predict when the cartridge will reach its end of life.

Thanks to a better measuring, we are able to get maximum number of pages from it.

The third benefit is that the technology gives more protection. We have named this particular innovation Anti-fraud technology. There is a continuous connection between printer, cartridge and a new encrypted chip, smarter and much more powerful. Every time you install a cartridge, it will tell you if it is original, used or counterfeit. This is something that we don’t have today. Aftermarket players reuse our chips and when customers install the reused cartridge, it says HP original most of the times. We get protection against cartridge theft.

Customers have the possibility of tying a cartridge to a printer or fleet. This means that cartridge will only work on that printer or fleet. It prevents people stealing cartridges from the office. You can also enforce your fleet to use original HP only. Another new feature that will be available is what we call the cartridge history. You simply go to the panel menu and you can get a report of all cartridges installed during the life of the cartridge and if these were original or not.

Last but not the least innovation is autoseal removal. Customers no longer have to pull out the seal tab. The pull tab gets automatically removed and becomes part of the printing mechanism. This means easier and cleaner cartridge installation.

How do these products enable businesses to be more efficient?

Our journey today begins with the toner cartridge because up to 70% of the printing technology is in the Original HP cartridge. The breakthrough technology JetIntelligence will deliver greater value

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to our customers and help them to be more efficient.

For example, melt at a lower temperature, which means 53% less energy on the color M552 vs M551 predecessor and because the toner uses less heat, the fuser warms up faster and has 50% faster first page out from sleep when comparing M552 to the previous M551 color printer. The new ColorSphere 3 toner with a durable shell, and soft core is longer lasting, more efficient and requires less space. Thus resulting in a significant increase in yields - 58% more color pages with the M552 compared to M551.

We have done all this while reducing the size of the printer – 41% smaller on the color M277 vs the M276 MFP. This all helps our customers to be more efficient.

With technologies such as cloud incorporated into it, what are the opportunities SMBs can avail with these Laserjets?

This is my favorite innovation. HP Jetadvantage is a new generation of our ePrint solution, which also offers free pull printing.

Any customer who buys new HP printer can benefit from this solution. Until now, this kind of solution was available only for big corporate customers. They have to buy HP Access Control for which the cost depends on number of devices and users. Now we bring this secure printing/ mobility solution into the SMB space to help our SMB customers be better equipped in today’s very competitive market.

In order to benefit from the solution, a user must go to our website www.hpjetadvantage.com and create his own account. He must sign in with his email address and follow the step by step installation guide. He can install the software on his PC as well as download an application to his tablet or smart phone. Whenever he wants to print, he clicks print on his PC or smart device, since it is connected to the

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“There is a continuous connection between printer, cartridge and a new encrypted chip, smarter and much more powerful. Every time you install a cartridge, it will tell you if it is original, used or counterfeit.

This is something that we don’t have today.”

cloud. The whole process is extremely secure and the document is completely encrypted. The next step is that he goes to any HP printer in the world, which has this solution installed and whenever he wants, he can log into HP on Demand application on the device with his email address and password he had created during the set-up of his account and he will be able to see all the documents he sent for printing. He chooses a document he wants to print and done. He can also authenticate himself with PIN or proximity card, which he can set up during installation process.

Exactly the same solution will be available in our consumer printers. If you want to print pictures from holidays or send them to your family, you will be able to do it all through HP Jetadvantage.

I encourage users to go to our website to get more information on this newest solution and of course create their own account. The solution is installed with all new printers and selected existing devices after upgrading the firmware.

How can resellers profit with these products?

Can you elaborate on your channel plans?

We enable our partners by providing them with enhanced products and solutions, which will give them a better competitive advantage and help them to sell on value and not only on price, which is what will make their business more profitable and stronger. This is a win-win situation, which helps both our partners and HP in maintaining our long-term partnership and HP’s commitment to this region’s channel business.

Is there anything else you like to highlight?

Definitely, be sure that we will continue innovating.

And around GITEX 2015, I will be able to share more information and showcase new exciting devices, which we plan to introduce in autumn this year.

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Products from HP

HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277 series

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553 series

HP’s new loaded MFP and Original HP Toner cartridges with JetIntelligence combine to give customers the tools they need to get the job done. Using the MFP, one can create professional-quality colour documents and speed through tasks with super-fast two-sided printing. Customers can access time-saving apps from the 7.6 cm touchscreen and scan directly to email, network folders and the cloud. Through NFC-enabled mobile devices and wireless direct printing, the MFP can print without accessing the networks. Without the hassles of setups or apps, customers can also print from a variety of smartphones and tablets. Get more pages than ever before, using Original HP High-Yield Colour Toner cartridges with JetIntelligence. Customers can make sure the printer is authentic HP quality with anti-fraud technology. They can print right away with preinstalled toner cartridges and replace them with optional high-yield cartridges. While also safeguarding data and easily managing the devices with a suite of essential security and management features. One can easily access, print and share resources with Ethernet and wireless networking and increase security, restore control and help avoid additional expenses with HP JetAdvantage Private Print.

HP’s latest energy-efficient printer and Original HP Toner cartridges with JetIntelligence combine to produce vibrant and professional-quality documents. Customers can enjoy high-speed performance and a number of features with the latest series. Even when in sleep mode, the device can print in as fast as 9 seconds and customers can get twosided prints as quickly as one – up to 40 ipm. Thanks to smart media-sensing and toner technology, the device uses exceptionally low amounts of energy. Employees can be equipped to fly through tasks with the adjustable 10.9 cm (4.3-inch) colour touchscreen.

Customers can consistently print high-quality documents across a variety of media, including A5, with automatic media sensing. With HP Web Jetadmin, organizations can centralise control of the print environment and help build business efficiency. Protect sensitive data with embedded or optional features, including HP JetAdvantage Security Solutions. Easily develop, deploy and add on HP and third-party solutions and choose the optional 1 GB memory upgrade. Organizations can increase security, restore control and help avoid additional expenses with HP JetAdvantage Private Print. Customers can also enable wireless direct printing in the office – from mobile devices – without accessing the network or can print through NFC-enabled mobile device without connecting to the network. Customers can help ensure the authentic HP quality they paid for with anti-fraud and cartridge authentication technology.

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Products from HP

HP LaserJet Enterprise M606 Series

HP LaserJet Enterprise M604 Series The LaserJet Enterprise M604 series from HP helps businesses to tackle large jobs and equips the team for success and take productivity to the next level. Customers can monitor jobs and settings quickly with the 4-line display and use the 10-key pad for PIN printing.

With automatic two-sided printing and versatile paper trays, high-volume demands are better met. Efficiency can be greatly improved by adding paper-handling accessories to presort jobs, print on different media and more. Employees can easily print from virtually anywhere in the office with Ethernet and optional wireless connectivity. The series have the option of wireless direct printing without accessing the network.

Sensitive data can be protected with a variety of embedded and optional security solutions. Customers can effortlessly take command of the printing environment from one central location with HP Web Jetadmin and quickly troubleshoot problems using cloud-based help services that are relevant and up to date.

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The M606 series drive business results and produce outstanding print quality. It also allows for easy management of the device and reduces environmental impact. With the intuitive 10.9 cm (4.3-inch) colour touchscreen and PIN printing, users can get through the tasks effortlessly and meet high-volume demands with automatic twosided printing and versatile paper trays – up to 3,600 sheets. It is possible to print for longer periods of time with high-yield Original HP LaserJet cartridges. Users can enable wireless direct printing in the office through mobile devices without accessing the network. With Ethernet and wireless connectivity, it is easy to print from anywhere in the office. Sensitive data that is at rest on in transit can be protected with a variety of embedded and optional security solutions. Customers can take command of their printing environment from one central location with HP Web Jetadmin.

Additionally, the HP AutoOn/Auto-Off Technology turns the printer on when users need it and off when they don’t. This efficient printer consumes less total energy than any device in its class. Also, customers can count on easy, free cartridge recycling through HP Planet Partners.

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HP LaserJet Enterprise M605 series

HP Color LaserJet Pro M252 Series Combined with Original HP Toner with JetIntelligence, the LaserJet Pro M252 helps meet the needs of a business. Users can create professional-quality colour documents and speed through tasks with fast, automatic two-sided printing. They can also access timesaving, built-in business apps by just tapping and swiping the 7.6 cm touchscreen. Customers can print with just a touch of their NFC-enabled mobile device and no network is needed. They can count on wireless direct printing in the office from mobile devices without accessing the company network or without any setup or apps. By using Original HP High-Yield Colour Toner cartridges with JetIntelligence, users get more pages than ever before. Organizations can expect professional quality at high speeds – high-impact powerful toner works best with your HP printer and get the authentic HP quality they paid for with anti-fraud technology. Also, customers can safeguard data and easily manage devices with a suite of essential security and management features.

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HP’s LaserJet Enterprise M605 is capable to accelerate business results with outstanding print quality. It can tackle large jobs and equip users to fly through tasks with the intuitive 10.9 cm (4.3-inch) colour touchscreen and PIN printing. The device can print uninterrupted for longer periods of time with high-yield Original HP LaserJet cartridges. Through the printer, customers can print wirelessly without accessing the network, from mobile devices and can also use NFC-enabled mobile devices. Also, there are setup or apps required when printing from mobile devices. Users can easily advance the capabilities of the printer depending on use and requirement.

Sensitive data can be protected, while at rest or transit, with a variety of embedded and optional security solutions. The HP Auto-On/ Auto-Off Technology turns your printer on when you need it and off when you don’t. This efficient printer consumes less total energy than any device in its class.

For more information, please write to sales.volume@redingtongulf.com

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YEAH, YOU SHOULD BE

SCARED Introducing the Next Generation of Gaming

HP OMEN

Next-level performance

Blow away even the most demanding games with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics and an Intel® Core™ i7 processor.

Conquer your keyboard

Seize control with per-game assignable profiles and definable dedicated gaming keys so you never miss a move.

Game on, anywhere

Play on the go for hours with a sleek, aggressive design and optimized battery life.

© Copyright 2015 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of

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Mitashi

Tapping innovaton In conversation with The Shelf, Rahul Singh, Vice President, International Business, Mitashi, reveals that ‘premium value’ will be the basis of the company strategy in the region.

Can you give us an overview of Mitashi’s business in the gulf region?

Rahul Singh, Vice President, International Business, Mitashi

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Mitashi has been in the consumer electronics and innovative edutainment products industry for almost two decades. Thanks to our strong R&D team, Mitashi is the frontrunner in the handheld gaming space and is extremely popular in smart gaming mobiles and educational toys segments in India.

Mitashi had entered into the panel business early on and is now one of the leading brands in the value LED TV segment with a consistent growth year-on-year. We hope to emulate this growth in the GCC region. With a diverse product offering in segments such as LED TVs, speakers, smart mobiles, gaming devices and edutainment toys, we look forward to catering to the unique needs of our customers and partners to generate high growth within a short time period. Our presence at GITEX (2014 & 2015) and DISTREE (2015) has been received with a tremendously positive response from partners as well as consumers across the MENA region, giving us confidence to enter the market aggressively.

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Mitashi

What opportunities do you see in the Middle East region? What is Mitashi’s business focus?

The Middle East is a gateway to Mitashi’s Gulf ambitions where we wish to provide premium value products. The region has shown tremendous growth over the last few decades. The adoption of international lifestyle and spending habits by consumers coupled with rising population and transformation of the region into a tourist and shopping hub, makes it a very attractive option to expand our reach.

We consider the UAE market to be a big challenge but as our volumes grow in other markets, we are sure to sustain in the Middle East as well. Our target and vision go hand-in-hand where we wish to provide innovative solutions to the customers’ edutainment needs with excellent service backup.

The aim is simple – we want to be sustainable and the most trusted brand wherever we go.

What is your go-to-market strategy for your consumer electronics portfolio?

After extensive research of the growth potential in the Middle East market, we believe that Mitashi can stand out from the multiple low-end cost-driven brands that are currently in the market, by offering premium value products for value driven consumers.

Mitashi as a home-grown Indian brand, houses LED TVs using A grade, which give wider viewing angle with different sizes such as, 15-inch (38cms), 17-inch (43cms), 19-inch (47cms), 20-inch (51cms), 22-inch (55cms), 24-inch (60cms), 28-inch (70cms), 29-inch (72cms), 32-inch (80cms), 40-inch Smart TV (100cms), 40-inch (100cms), 50-inch 4K(127cms), 50-inch Smart TV (127cms), 65-inch (165cms). We use M-Star picture processing engine in our TVs, which gives more vibrant colors, better images and uses advance picture quality improvement algorithm, this engine improves the quality of any image and uncovers hidden details.

Home theaters or portfolio of speakers are available in different sizes and functionalities with crystal clear sound quality at a valuable price point.

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“We see a gap in the market and will focus on positioning the company as a premium value brand setting it apart from the competition’s offerings and generating value for our partners.”

We also have multiple inhouse brands known as Game-In Thunder Series, catering to teenagers. In this category, we have Android-based gaming consoles targeting teenagers as well as serious gamers.

To conclude, we have been growing wholly as a company and with innovation and value proposition for each product, we offer a compelling story to our consumers.

Who is your target audience and which are the key verticals that you are focusing on in the region?

Mitashi has products that cater to customers, right from 6 months all the way up to 60 years.

Our kids portfolio consists of multiple brands such as GameIn – high end TV video games, Skykidz – kids fun & learn products, Bang – foam bullet guns & dash and stunt & licensed RC cars, ensuring a child from every age group is catered to.

In consumer electronics, Mitashi aims to provide premium value products to our consumers allowing them to experience high quality products and latest technology at affordable prices, thus enriching their lives.

offerings with aggressive marketing and price promotions. This is also having an impact on the consumers. With so much exposure, the consumers are spoilt for choices and with higher education, international exposure and willingness to spend, they are becoming very picky and brand conscious.

Mitashi has always provided consumers with premium value offerings i.e. high value products at affordable price points and reliable service support.

With this combination of offerings, we are sure we can win the trust of our consumers and establish ourselves in the Middle East market.

What is your channel strategy? How can partners grow their business profitably?

Middle East is unique in its retail scenario, which is dominated by power retailers. We will be focusing on getting Mitashi products on their shelves to reach out to the masses. We see a gap in the market and will focus on positioning the company as a premium value brand setting it apart from the competition’s offerings and generating value for our partners.

Where do you see the growth coming from within the region in terms of products and markets?

Which are some of the technologies that you are betting on for 2015?

We have seen a shift in the consumer buying trends moving towards the bigger panel sizes i.e. 40-inch as a benchmark size for local consumption, however smaller sizes such as 19/22/24 etc. still remain popular in exports due to their aggressive price points.

Mitashi’s expertise lies in big size panels with world class quality and finishing and yet affordable price points, we are sure to be able to capitalize on these trends and come out as a consistent player in the years to come.

Technology has progressed rapidly and we live in a world full of smart and connected devices dominated

by Android. Mitashi has embraced this change and have a wide range of smart devices on offer for our consumers such as the smart LED TVs, gaming mobile phone and Android gaming consoles.

There is fierce competition in the electronics and gaming space, how does Mitashi stand out?

The last decade has seen a large number of foreign brands being introduced in the UAE market swamping the retail segment with several product

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Can you elaborate on your company plans for the remaining part of the year?

We have an exciting lineup of innovative products for the Middle East markets. We have tied up with a leader in the GCC markets and are pushing to make our products available at all the major retail outlets.

We will also be participating in several B2B and B2C exhibitions and events to raise brand awareness and showcase the quality of our products. www.redingtonmea.com

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Intel

New frontiers Firas Alfanney, Middle East North Africa Reseller Channel Manager, Intel, elaborates on the company’s new innovations in the marketplace.

What have been the highlights for Intel in the past quarter?

Intel as the world’s largest semiconductor has seen over 25 consecutive years of positive income.

Keeping with that legacy, Intel posted revenues of $12.8 billion in Q1’15 and a net income of $2 billion in the same period.

We continue to drive and be part of fantastic devices and technologies around the world and strive to bring innovation and opportunities to the market.

sharing, ensure an immersive gaming experience and offer touch-free control.

How quickly do you see a proliferation of RealSense enabled devices happening?

New technology adoption happens gradually. We have seen keen interest from the market in RealSense technology that has been adopted in the devices at the top-end of the market. We expect a much broader range of devices becoming available in the second half of 2015.

What are some of the new technologies that Intel is working to bring to market?

Could you get into more detail on the Intel Compute stick?

Intel very recently had introduced the NUC, which puts the performance of a desktop in a form factor that can fit in the palm of your hand. In 2015 Intel befittingly announced the launch of Intel RealSense 3D Camera, which enables a more interactive, natural, intuitive and immersive user experience, by bringing human-like senses to Intel-based devices.

Another recent introduction is the Intel Compute stick, which is Intel’s first product line in the nascent compute stick computing category.

At CES 2015, Intel announced the upcoming launch of a new product family, the Intel Compute Stick. This is an entry computer, with an Intel Atom Quad-Core Processor, on board storage and a full operating system. This allows the Intel Compute Stick to transform any HDMI display into an entry computer capable of working with productivity apps such as Microsoft Office, reading and composing emails, and browsing the web, in addition to enjoying local or streaming content.

Why do consumers need a 3D camera?

Could you share with us Intel’s vision for the way forward?

Intel RealSense 3D Camera brings real-time interactive 3D experiences to your personal devices.

The technology allows the user to interact, share and create in a more immersive way. With Intel RealSense, a device can do 3D scanning and

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This decade we aim to create and extend computing technology to connect and enrich the lives of every person on earth.

Firas Alfanney, Middle East North Africa Reseller Channel Manager, Intel

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INTEL INSIDE MORE VIVID VISTAS OUTSIDE UP TO

12X BETTER HD GRAPHICS than a 5-year-old PC

Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark* and MobileMark*, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations and functions.

Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more information go to http://www.intel.com/performance.

Testing: Measured using 3DMark* Ice Storm 1.2 Unlimited—a 3D graphics benchmark that measures 3D gaming performance. Find out more at www.futuremark.com.

Systems Configurations: Systems Compared: Intel Reference Platform vs. 5 year old PC. Intel Reference Platform is an example new system. Products available from systems manufacturers will not be identical in design, and performance will vary.

Intel Reference Platform: Intel® Core™ i5-5300U processor 15 W thermal design power, (up to 2.9 GHz, 4T/2C, 3 MB cache), 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) LPDDR3-1600 , Intel® HD Graphics 5500, 180 GB Intel® SSD, Intel® Graphics Driver 10.18.10.3960, Intel® Rapid Storage Technology v.10.0.22.

5-year old PC: Intel® Core™ i5-520UM processor (up to 1.86 GHz, 4T/2C, 3M cache) on Acer Aspire One* 1830T-3721. 18W thermal design power. BIOS: Insyde v.1.11*, Graphics: Intel HD Graphics (driver v. 8.15.10.2104), Memory: 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3 1333 Mhz, HDD: Seagate* 500 GB, OS: Windows* 7 Ultimate 6.1 build 7601. © 2015 Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core, and Intel Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Lenovo

Customized experiences Jeff Meredith, GM and VP, Tablet Business Unit and WW VP Marketing, Lenovo elaborates on the company’s overall tablet strategy and how it aims to create a brand that resonates with the youth.

What’s the thinking behind the tablet product strategy?

The way that we are going to approach our overall product strategy in the future is to really stop this idea of creating another iPad, and design our products based on real consumer use cases.

So the first use case is entertainment. So for entertainment we have the YOGA Tablet series.

The YOGA Tablet is built for entertainment. It has a stand that enables you to stand it up so you can watch video content very easily. There is a version of this product that has a projector so you can project it onto a wall to watch video content.

Great sound quality and front-facing sound, so that when you’re actually watching video content, it sounds great. So everything about the product is designed with entertainment in mind.

So the next use case is connectivity. This is for people who enjoy using the product, using the larger screen form factor—but for on-the-go use. So we see this as a predominant use case in emerging markets where people are on trains, on buses, on-the-go a lot of the time. A larger screen size is something that enables them to enjoy tablets—whether it’s their business email or video content or social media—in a different way. So the second area is connectivity, and we’ll use our phablets to focus on that.

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The last area from a product standpoint is that we think that there is a growing population of people has been touching technology forever.

They’ve constantly been touching technology, and have been since they were very young, and feel very comfortable using a tablet for productivity. So we think that there’s this growing demand for productivity-based tablets, and we’ll use an all new series of products that we’ll launch at the end of the year to attack that market.

The last thing I would like to say is that if you look at how we’re thinking about the category and these specific use cases, it’s very different from that of all of our competitors—extremely different. I think the majority of competitors look at tablets as just a screen, a simple, general purpose screen. And we’re seeing people use them for different reasons – for entertainment, for on-the-go connectivity, for productivity. So we’ll build products that will actually hit each of those use cases.

If the YOGA were a person, who would it be?

What kind of personality would it have?

You know, I never really thought about this question.

I think that the YOGA would be Johnny Depp.

It would be him because Johnny Depp is different

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in every movie. He’s a very unique character, but he’s also very well-liked. Very rarely would you find someone who doesn’t like Johnny Depp.

He breaks the mold in terms of the roles that he takes on, and he takes on a bunch of different ones. And that’s like how the YOGA would take on a bunch of different roles in your own life.

He’s all about entertainment—ultimately he’s an entertainer. So I would say that if I had to say what the YOGA would be in terms of a person, I’d say Johnny Depp.

What user-experience is the YOGA trying to bring to its consumers? Is there anything unique to this experience compared with that of the other tablets?

This, again, follows the logical flow around the consumer use experiences that we’re trying to deliver. For an entertainment-based product such as the YOGA, we’ll have applications and experiences that enhance the entertainment aspect of the product. So we’ll partner with Netflix in delivering a superior Netflix experience: HD quality, unique user interaction in terms of finding and searching for content, and even a promotional offer. So we’ll partner with Netflix and we’ll partner with Dolby to deliver an improved audio experience, and even

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“We want to be seen as a vibrant, fresh, young brand, and a company that makes very compelling products that would appeal to a millennial audience.”

Jeff Meredith, GM and VP, Tablet Business Unit and WW VP Marketing, Lenovo

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for video—they’re working with us on video enhancement as well. So within each of these areas—whether it’s entertainment, connectivity or productivity—you can expect to see from us unique services with well-known brands that deliver the overall experience.

The general consensus in the market is that Lenovo is transitioning to become a more youthful brand. Do you agree with this assessment?

Strategically, we’re very much trying to do that. We want to be seen as a vibrant, fresh, young brand, and a company that makes very compelling products that would appeal to a millennial audience, so I hope that you do see that. Because we’re absolutely trying to achieve that objective: To become younger, and a little bit more cool and fresh.

Is YOGA your flagship product for becoming a youthful brand?

I think YOGA is definitely a part, but not all of it. When you look at what I’ve just laid out in terms of our product portfolio—every one of the products that we’ll deliver against these use cases will be very fresh ideas—delivered in such a way where I think a millennial audience is going to look at them and really be excited about the innovation and creativity. So I think YOGA is definitely a very big part of our strategy, our transformational strategy. And frankly, YOGA was the first tablet that didn’t look like an iPad. So it’s also a breakthrough product in that regard. But it’s not just about the YOGA. There are other factors that we think will propel us forward into becoming a cool brand for young people.

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Microsoft Cloud Club

Could you discuss Microsoft Cloud Club promotion briefly?

Microsoft Cloud Club promotion is primarily focused on cloud product offerings such as Office 365 and Azure. It is a well thought out promotion created to entice all the stakeholders of the business, be it a partner distributor, partner reseller, partner resellers’ sales team. The idea was to encapsulate all the benefits such as incentives, rewards, trips, training, and migration services, all under one promotion. This way the promotion offers benefits to all and can help in influencing the decisions.

Cloud clout Microsoft has had a resounding success with its Cloud Club promotion. Fadi Farhat, Gulf Distribution Manager, Microsoft Gulf, explains how partners have responded.

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Can you elaborate on the success of the Microsoft Cloud Club Promotion?

Microsoft Cloud club promotion success is reflected in the business number that each distributor has achieved. The partner engagement through this promotion exercise has been phenomenal, there were 35 partners gratified with exotic destination trips such as Thailand, Singapore and South Africa. The recognition on resellers’ business achievements were well appreciated through awards and incentives, quarter on quarter. The promotion has helped us extensively in reaching our business objectives and we are now hoping to cash in on the mood that it has created.

How many partners participated and how have they responded to this initiative?

The promotion attracted around 140 travelers among all the distributors and the total member count of the club amounted to 650 partners.

These partners have objectively responded to the initiative by making the most of it. The migration support on Cloud and CRM Online were additional factors to boost partners’ confidence and gain more business deals.

What have been some motivating factors for partners to embrace this promotion?

The USP of the promotion was laid out in the benefits that were clubbed together, which have enticed partners to pitch the products aggressively.

What has also made a difference were the rewards given to partners on the business number, which were equally supported by product and business training via number of round tables that each distributor planned and executed.

What have been the feedback from partners?

Partners’ feedbacks have been positive and encouraging, given the support and benefits they were entitled to via this promotion. They wish to continue with this promotion over the next quarters.

Do you plan to continue with the promotion? If so, what are some new elements partners can look forward to?

We have kept the options open with our distributors to deliberate and see what further can be improved upon and how it can work better.

The ingenuity of this promotion will definitely need to be maintained and creativity can be added to help achieve greater success.

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Microsoft CRM Online

Customer is king Zeynep Algonul, CRM Online Partner Sales Executive, Microsoft Gulf

Zeynep Algonul, CRM Online Partner Sales Executive, Microsoft Gulf, discusses Microsoft CRM Online features and benefits with The Shelf.

What are the opportunities for Microsoft partners to sell CRM Online?

CRM OL is a great opportunity for Microsoft partners!

Market Opportunity

Upside Opportunity

New Revenue Channel

> 95 %

Sell CRM Online to your Office 365 customer

Make margin from CRM OL licensing + Implementation

of SMB customers don’t have any CRM solution WW number from Gartner, Market Share Analysis

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Leverage Q4 CRM OL Promo for existing Office 365 customer

Industry Trend Related Opportunity

Additional Benefit Especially for B to C Customers: Social Listening Feature of CRM OL

How do you define CRM? Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a business solution that helps companies improve marketing, sales, and service engagement with their customers to drive organizational efficiency.

“You can control your opportunities by assigning automated reminders and follow-ups and close the deals easier with CRM.”

What is Microsoft CRM Online?

It is a cloud-based CRM that has all the features that Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers and in addition to these features, it comes with ‘Social Listening’, which is a social listener and sentiment analysis.

What are the basic functions that show how CRM can help organizations?

• You can track and organize your client information and know your most and least profitable clients.

• You can increase sales performance with realtime visibility and pipeline tracking.

• You can resolve customer issues quickly and create loyalty.

• Your sales reps can manage their daily tasks easily and you can monitor the daily work of your sales people, for example, their actions, calls and tasks.

• You can track the leads you get from marketing campaigns, generate reports about these leads and see the status of each lead.

• You can control your opportunities by assigning automated reminders and followups and close the deals easier with CRM. • You can generate customized reports and dashboard to review your quarter/yearly goals and see all win and missed opportunities listed by your team.

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Microsoft SPLAR

New way of business Cater to customers’ unique requirements through Microsoft SPLAR

Microsoft’s Service Provider License Agreement Reseller (SPLAR) allows service providers to license the company’s products on a monthly basis to offer services and hosted applications to their end customers. In this regard, Redington Gulf has been named as the new Microsoft SPLAR for the Gulf region. Through this agreement, the reseller can offer any MS product on a monthly

subscription and be in a position to provide genuine value-add to customers.

Detailed benefits are as follows: 1. Pay as per use End customers will pay only for what they use and how long they use it for. Monthly subscription model where ‘Software Assurance’ is a built-in

feature for the SPLA licensing model, will be beneficial when maintenance and upgrade costs are considered. This service offers immense value for your client.

2. Always up to date Customers can take advantage of the latest Microsoft products without paying an upgrade fee.

3. Predictive costs You don’t have to worry about price fluctuations. Microsoft commits that the costs will be predictive. Once a year, in January, MS will announce the prices for next year. Your use rights will not change.

4. No upfront costs NO UPFRONT COSTS. End customers don’t have to pay for full licenses or the infrastructure as you will provide it either on private or public cloud.

Save Money

5. No geographical boundaries Provide custom-made or Microsoft applications to your client in any part of the world. This is especially beneficial for clients who have global and multi-country presence.

6. SPLA on-premise Provide Microsoft SPLA licenses at your client’s premises when you manage the infrastructure of your client, thereby protecting your client’s hardware cost, security sentiments and offer Microsoft licenses on a monthly subscription model.

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Products from Microsoft

Microsoft Surface 3 Surface 3 was built for business. It’s a thin, light tablet, but with Windows Pro and Intel processor, customers can also run the desktop software they rely on. With a built-in Kickstand, click-in keyboard, plus a full-size USB port, you have a laptop at hand when you need it.

Surface 3 comes powered with Quad Core Intel Atom x7 processor, which helps in delivering fast, responsive and quality performance. The laptop runs all the Windows desktop software such as Microsoft Office, iTunes and Photoshop Essentials. Equipped with Windows 8.1 with a free upgrade to Windows 10, users can opt to use the Surface Pen, which feels just like an actual pen, making it easy for drawing or taking notes.

Surface 3 is the most portable Surface yet—it’s just 1.4 lbs and .34inch thin with long battery life—and offers quick convertibility to laptop when you need to get real work done. The ports allow you to connect to external monitors, printers, and additional storage.

The device is built to last, stands up to heavy use with durable casing and impact resistant optically-fused glass.

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Retail focus stability and affinity in the market. Emax has also partnered with leading local and international banks to provide customers with easy payment and reward plans ranging up to 12 months to buy their favourite gadgets without burning a hole in their pockets.

We will continue building on our great results, pursuing our growth strategy in the region to be the closest and favorite electronics store to customers and maintain our leading position in the regional electronic retail industry. We are always looking for innovative ways to optimize the value we create for our customers, be it in terms of store design, range and availability of products, customer service and reward.

Shop talk Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO, Emax Electronics, discusses key regional retail trends and company plans.

What have been the latest developments at Emax in the last quarter?

Last year, we opened more than 10 stores across the region, confirming our strategy of being within consumers’ reach. We participated in Spring Gitex Shopper and we undertook several promotions across the region to reward our customers. Emax recorded a 30% surge in sales during DSF 2015 compared to DSF 2014 and 32% in this year’s edition of Spring GITEX Shopper compared to the show last year.

Present across the GCC region, within a short span of just 8 years, we are the largest electronics retailer in the GCC and have grown steadily to maintain around 28% YOY growth that confirms our

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How has Emax transformed itself to cater to the omni-channel demand?

Retailers have to adapt to consumers’ changing behavior and trends to keep up their competitive advantage. So, a good share of retailers’ sales will come from online and mobile purchases, but this doesn’t indicate any existential threat to physical stores. Retailers cannot opt for either an online channel or a physical one; they need to have both because they complement customers’ convenience and this is necessary for the longevity of the business.

In addition to having the right technology infrastructure in place, retailers embarking on an omni-channel route, should keep in mind that omnichannel covers all the stages of the consumers’ shopping experience. It’s an evolution of retailers’ customer service that adds an online or virtual service to the existing physical one and needs the right technology and processes in place.

Also, retailers need to adopt a holistic approach to pricing and trade promotions across all channels.

Can you elaborate on your plans for the next quarter?

We expect our sales to grow by 30% in 2015, to boost further our business and help us achieve our performance targets for the year. Considering the

ever-expanding base of loyal customers, we are confident that 2015 will be another great year for Emax. Our goal is to open the 100th store in the GCC region by 2017 and we are well on our way to achieve that figure.

We also have a major expansion in the pipeline, which will set the ground for further growth and extended revenue streams as we plan to tap into other markets in the MENA region, mainly Iraq, Egypt and North Africa, all of which are very promising markets.

Can you discuss key market trends governing the regional retail industry?

In terms of channels, we will see online and mobile purchasing gaining more traction, pushing retailers to adapt to the needs of the around-the-clock connected digital customer, by developing a digital customer service and multi and omni-channel.

In terms of products, smartphones will continue to lead sales. Clearly the ‘smart’ segment is on a sharp rise and the trend is expected to continue.

Wearables and panels are another sector where retailers are witnessing ongoing growth.

How has Redington Gulf supported Emax in its endeavour to become a leading retailer in the region?

Redington being one of our key strategic partners has enabled us in achieving desired levels of customer deliverance with their industry expertise in end-to-end supply chain management. Our strategic relationship with Redington has helped us gain business advantage in the following areas: • Their just-in-time logistics support helps us optimize our inventory and stock availability.

• Strategic alliance of Redington with all major vendors helps us achieve joint business, growth and profitability objectives.

• Their volume distribution strength and expertise aids in securing exclusive products or deals at any required point.

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Final take

Enable with cloud Cloud has transformed the traditional way of doing business to one that is a lot more scalable and agile. It is now being considered as the key component in an organization’s go-to-market strategy.

Having identified the advantages cloud technology offers to enhance business processes, an increasing number of organizations are gradually moving to cloud platforms or cloud-based policies.

In a nutshell, the benefits range from having lower operating costs, zero capital costs to streamlined processes and hardware optimization. Over and above that, cloud also has the potential to create new business models, which can generate newer value propositions.

There is no doubt that the prospects of cloud-led solutions are many. And the regional companies are becoming more serious about the technology by the day, which is a positive sign.

Research firm Gartner has projected Middle East IT spending to reach $214.7 billion in 2015, which is a 5.2 per cent increase from 2014. This in itself sums up where the market is on the cloud curve.

Industry reports reinforce that cloud is a business ‘enabler’ and this is the key message partners need to understand and convey to customers. As organizations make the shift to cloud platforms, partners must be able to advocate the technology as per the customer’s requirements. This is only possible through education and training.

Customers depend on partners to play the role

of consultants and this offers them an opportunity to stand out from competition. Channel partners need to concentrate on expertise in order to be able to grow profitably consistently.

Microsoft’s cloud offerings – Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Office 365 – empower businesses to operate more effectively. By analyzing real-time data, organizations are able to create better and more engaged user-experiences, leading to satisfied customers. Building on the cloud competency could make all the difference in a partner’s business today. At Redington Gulf, we offer in-depth support to our partners to achieve this. We are also immensely proud to announce that Redington has won the prestigious ‘Distributor of the Year award’ from Microsoft at the Microsoft WPC 2015, which took place in Orlando this year. We were the only distributors to receive an award in the Gulf region at the event.

We are looking to grow our Microsoft business through successful alliances with our channel partners and this will continue to be our focus over the next few months.

Jeetendra Berry Vice President – PPS & COMP, Middle East Redington Gulf

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Issue 07

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intel inside more game outside

2x fasTer 2 IN 1s uP To

than a 4-year-old PC

The power of a laptop and the freedom of a tablet.

Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark* and MobileMark*, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more complete information visit http://www.intel.com/performance.

Configurations: Intel Reference Platform is an example new system. Products available from systems manufacturers will not be identical in design, and performance will vary.

Estimated based on SYSmark* 2014, a system level performance benchmark that measures and compares PC performance using real world applications. Find out more at www.bapco.com.

Latest 2 in 1: Intel® Core™ M-5Y70 processor (up to 2.60 GHz, 4T/2C, 4M Cache) Intel Reference Platform: 4.5 W Thermal Design Power. BIOS: v80.1. Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics (driver v. 15.36.3650). Memory: 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) Dual Channel LPDDR3-1600. SDD: Intel® 160 GB. OS: Windows* 8.1 Update RTM. System Power Management Policy: Balanced. Wireless: On and connected. Battery size assumption: 35 WHr. 4-year old: Intel® Core™ i5-520UM processor (up to 1.86 GHz, 4T/2C, 3M Cache) on Acer Aspire One 1830T-3721. 18 W Thermal Design Power. BIOS: Insyde v.1.11. Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics (driver v. 8.15.10.2104). Memory: 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3 1333 Mhz. HDD: Seagate* 500 GB. OS: Windows* 7 Ultimate 6.1 Build 7601. System Power Management Policy: Balanced. Wireless: On and connected. Battery size: 62 WHr. © 2015 Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core, Intel Inside, the Intel. Experience What’s Inside logo and Intel. Experience What’s Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Issue 07

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