60mins Day 2 - AM (2021)

Application Implementation Application Modernization

GITEX 60MINS 2021 PARTNERS

GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK tahawultech.com

Show dates: 17-21 October 2021, Dubai World Trade Centre | Exhibition hours: 10am-5pm

Attivo visibility products Alpha Tech on the are set to provide importance of GITEX and unprecedented awareness face-to-face networking Ray Kafity, Vice President - Middle East Turkey and Africa (META) at Attivo Networks, took the time to speak about their new IDR solutions that will be debuted at GITEX 2021, the dialogues they intend to have with stakeholders at the event and the importance identity protection solutions in the future.

2021, our focus will be on introducing solutions under the new category of Identity Detection and Response (IDR), an umbrella for identity-based attack detection. IDR is about protecting credentials, privileges, and the systems that manage them. IDR is different from authorisation and authentication, which focuses on ensuring the right people can access what they need.

Ray Kafity

Can you outline to our readers what products, solutions, or partnership

agreements you’re announcing at GITEX Global 2021?

At GITEX Global

Attivo Network’s solutions that fall 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Julien Arnolda, Managing Director, Alpha Tech speaks on their planned announcements for GITEX 2021, the importance of face-to-face networking and key innovation drivers to look out for in 2022 and beyond.

Julien Arnolda

Can you outline to our readers what products, solutions, or partnership agreements you’re announcing at GITEX Global 2021?

A Change of Mindset Leveraging smart technology

Nitya Ravi speaks to Dr. Cherif Sleiman of Safe Security who explains the mistake organisations are making when it comes Echo Zhao, Product Manager at Hikvision, to Enterprise-wide security breaches. spoke to Anita Joseph, Editor, Reseller

Middle East, to find out more about their cutting-edge products and solutions.

This Gitex we will be highlighting several new brand collaborations in Enterprise communications, we will also continue to build on

our long-term partnership with Jabra, we have been appointed gold partners for “Huawei” Idea hubs (interactive whiteboards and panels), and as strategic partners for “Nexvoo” and “COOLPO” audio & video solutions. We are finalising a partnership with a software company that will complete our AV conference solution portfolio that we can showcase to our valued partners in the near future.

How important is it for your company to participate at GITEX Global 2021, in terms of getting to network 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Looking ahead Amanulla Khan, Managing Director of Linksys Middle East, Turkey & Africa spoke to Anita Joseph, Editor, Reseller ME, about what it means to be participating at GITEX and what to look forward to, next year.

Dr. Cherif Sleiman Amanulla Khan

Dr. Cherif Sleiman, Chief Revenue Officer at Safe Security believes organisations should take a closer look at Cyber Risk Quantification (CRQ) and start understanding it better as to the future benefits it provides organisations in helping mitigate enterprise-wide security breaches.

Safe Security, a new startup headquartered in Palo Alto is backed www.tahawultech.com

by John Chambers, ex CEO of Cisco, British telecom, PayPal and other luminaries who believe that there must be a different mindset to handling risk management.

“We are here to create and spread the awareness that there are alternatives to ‘let’s pile up more and more 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Echo Zhao

What are some of the trends in the video surveillance market?

There are some trends that are dominating the video surveillance market such as video resolution.

This has upgraded from standard resolution to higher resolution. Such as 4mp, 5 mp etc. Also, the system itself is upgraded from Analog to IP and

this change is happening here in the UAE and countries in the Middle East. The application of AI in video surveillance is also a growing trend.

Currently, most of HIKVISION’s cameras as well as recorders have smart functions and AI-embedded features.

4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

What does it mean to be participating at GITEX this year and what are some of the products/technologies you are showcasing?

Last year, there was a lot of uncertainty because of the pandemic.

This year, we couldn’t be more confident about everything. This pandemic has reemphasized the fact

that selling Wi-Fi is a noble cause. Today, everything is around Wi-Fi and it powers even the smallest of things. The most important thing with Wi-fi is that it should work. I shouldn’t have to worry about it. I should be confident knowing that it is always there and can be depended on. So this 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

@tahawultech

Visit us at A I E V E RY T H I N G Side at Hall 8 B60

Distributed by

Distributed by

R

R

Headquarters No.555 Qianmo Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou 310051, China T +86-571-8807-5998 overseasbusiness@hikvision.com

Headquarters No.555 Qianmo Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou 310051, China T +86-571-8807-5998 overseasbusiness@hikvision.com

Hikvision Russia Hikv Hikvision Europe Hikvision USA Hikvision UK & Ireland Hikvision USA Hikvision UK & Ireland Hikvision EuropeHikvision UAE T +7-495-669-67-99 T +01628-902140 T +31-23-5542770 T +971-4-4432090 T +01628-902140 T +31-23-5542770 T +1-909-895-0400 T +1-909-895-0400 T +9 saleru@hikvision.com sales.uk@hikvision.com salesme@hikvision.com sales.eu@hikvision.com sales.usa@hikvision.com sales.uk@hikvision.com sale sales.eu@hikvision.com sales.usa@hikvision.com Hikvision Russia K & Ireland Hikvision UAE Hikvision Australia T +971-4-4432090 Hikvision South Africa Hikvision Italy Hikvision Australia Africa Korea Hikv Hikvision Italy Hikvision SingaporeHikvision SouthHikvision T +7-495-669-67-99 902140 T +39-0438-6902 T +61-2-8599-4233 T +65-6684-4718 T +82-(0)31-731-8817 T +61-2-8599-4233 Tel: +27 (10) 0351172 T +39-0438-6902 T +6 Tel: +27 (10) 0351172 saleru@hikvision.com hikvision.com salesme@hikvision.com info.it@hikvision.com sg@hikvision.com sales.korea@hikvision. salesau@hikvision.com sale.africa@hikvision.com info.it@hikvision.com sg@ salesau@hikvision.com sale.africa@hikvision.com outh Africa Hikvision Singapore Hikvision Korea Hikvision Brazil Hikvision Poland Hikv Hikvision India Hikvision France Hikvision India Hikvision France Hikvision Brazil Hikvision Spain T +65-6684-4718 T +82-(0)31-731-8817 0) 0351172 T +33(0)1-85-330-450 T +91-22-28469900 sg@hikvision.com T +48-22-460-01-50 T +55 11 3318-0050 T +34-91-737-16-55 T +33(0)1-85-330-450 T +91-22-28469900 T +55 11 3318-0050 T +3 sales.korea@hikvision.com @hikvision.com info.fr@hikvision.com sales@pramahikvision.com info.pl@hikvision.com Latam.support@hikvision.com info.es@hikvision.com info.fr@hikvision.com sales@pramahikvision.com Latam.support@hikvision.com info rance Hikvision Spain Hikvision Poland Hikvision IndonesiaHikv Hikvision Canada T +34-91-737-16-55 Hikvision Turkey Hikvision Hikvision Kazakhstan Canada Hikvision TurkeyHikvision Tashkent Hikvision Kazakhstan 85-330-450 T +48-22-460-01-50 T +90 (216)521 70707074 T +7-727-9730667 T +90 (216)521 T7070+99-87-1238-9438 T +62-21-2933759 T +9 T +1-866-200-6690 7074 T +7-727-9730667 Tinfo.pl@hikvision.com +1-866-200-6690 kvision.com info.es@hikvision.com sales.tr@hikvision.com nikia.panfilov@hikvision.ru Sales.Indonesia@hikvis uzb@hikvision.ru sales.canada@hikvision.com sales.tr@hikvision.com nikia.panfilov@hikvision.ru uzb sales.canada@hikvision.com Hikvision Tashkent Hikvision Indonesia azakhstan Hikvision Malaysia Hikvision Hikvision Vietnam Hikvision Malaysia Hikvision Colombia Hikv Hikvision Hong KongHikvision Vietnam Hikvision Thailand T +99-87-1238-9438 Thailand 9730667 T +62-21-2933759 T +852-2151-1761 T +662-275-9949 uzb@hikvision.ru T +6-032-7224000 TSales.Indonesia@hikvision.com T +84-974270888 T +6-032-7224000 sales.colombia@hikvis T +8 +662-275-9949 T +84-974270888 ov@hikvision.ru info.hk@hikvision.com sales.thailand@hikvision.com sales.my@hikvision.com sales.vt@hikvision.com info sales.thailand@hikvision.com sales.my@hikvision.com sales.vt@hikvision.com ietnam Hikvision Colombia Hikvision Hong Kong Hikvision Germany T +852-2151-1761 Hikvision Philippines Hikvision Germany Hikvision Philippines 270888 sales.colombia@hikvision.com T +49-69-401507290 sales.ph@hikvision.com T +49-69-401507290 sales.ph@hikvision.com info.hk@hikvision.com hikvision.com sales.adch@hikvision.com sales.adch@hikvision.com

Intelligent Security and Loss Prevention

Remote Audit and Management

Advanced Customer Traffic Analysis

www.hikvis Follow us on social media to get the latest product andFollow solution us information: on social media to get the latest product and solution information: www.hikvision.com HIKVISIONMENA hikvision Hikvision HikvisionHQ HikvisionHQ Hikvision_Global HIKVISION-MENA Hikvision HikvisionHQ HikvisionHQ Hikvision_Global

HIKVISIONMENA hikvision

Hikvision Corporate Channel

Hikvision Hikvision_Global Corporate Ch

www.hikvision.com

4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SAFE Security...

Attivo...

under identity security are: Identity Detection and Response (IDR) solution The Attivo IDR solution provides detection and response capabilities for protecting credentials and Active Directory. It is endpoint-based and designed to detect lateral movement and privilege escalation. Over 42% of respondents from a 2021 ESG Endpoint Security survey stressed that protecting Active Directory is core to their endpoint defense.

The Verizon 2021 Data Breach Investigation Report findings state that 81% of breaches leveraged stolen or weak passwords. Attivo offers the solution as the Endpoint Detection Net (EDN) Suite.

It is the first line of defense against credential theft and misuse. This solution hides credentials and binds them to the applications, blocking unauthorised access.

Plus, deception credentials misdirect and lure attackers into engaging and revealing themselves. By controlling the path of the attack, organisations gain the advantage of promptly detecting, analysing, and stopping an attacker.

It prevents attackers from accessing information from Active Directory. It efficiently conceals the real objects and returns fake information when an attacker queries AD to access critical assets in the network.

to attack and detects advanced AD attacks in real-time.

Identity Visibility solution Attivo visibility products provide unprecedented awareness to exposures, vulnerabilities, and attack paths that attacks will leverage to advance their attacks. The Verizon 2021 Data Breach Investigation Report attributes over 60% of breaches to credential theft, and findings by Gartner, Inc. state that over 95% of entitlements in the cloud never get used, which creates a massive risk for organisations.

Plus, Mandiant, in their Ransomware Readiness communications, points to Active Directory exposures as the #1 reason why ransomware breaches keep occurring.

These products can be purchased individually or as part of an identity visibility bundle.

The ADAssessor solution provides continuous visibility to Active Directory (AD) exposures vulnerable

How important is it for your company to participate at GITEX Global 2021, in terms of getting to network face-to-face with your customers and partners?

Participating in GITEX Global 2021, where our channel partners and customers are present, provides us insight into maintaining

www.tahawultech.com

The IDEntitleX solution, a Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) offering, is designed to deliver visibility and reduce the attack surface for identities and entitlements in the cloud.

The solution expands the company’s leadership position to provide unprecedented visibility and prevent identity privilege escalation and lateral movement threat activity. With this product, Attivo becomes the only solution of its kind to provide end-to-end analysis of identity and entitlement exposures and risks on endpoints, Active Directory (AD), and the cloud.

The ThreatPath solution discovers exposed credentials throughout the network that enable lateral movement, which attackers use to move through a network searching for assets.

Identity Visibility Protection Bundle This bundle provides customers the functionality found in both the Identity Detection and Response Bundle and the Identity Visibility Bundle. All solutions operate under a common central management console for easy upgrade and expansion, allowing seamless addition or combination with Attivo cyber deception and misdirection technologies.

We are the only ones providing a solution that incorporates end-to-end analysis of identity and entitlement exposures and risks on endpoints, Active Directory and the cloud”.

IDR differentiates itself from identity protection systems in that it focuses on protecting credentials, privileges, cloud entitlements, and the systems that manage them”. our position as a leader in identity security, delivering a superior defence for preventing privilege escalation and lateral movement threat activity. In this event, we aim to have meaningful dialogues with our stakeholders and showcase our new identity security solutions, as we are the only ones providing a solution that incorporates end-to-end analysis of identity and entitlement exposures and risks on endpoints, Active Directory (AD), and the cloud.

In your opinion, what are the key technologies that will fuel new innovations in 2022?

Gartner estimates that in 2023 threequarters of all security breaches will result from inadequate management of identities, access, and privileges. As identitybased attacks are increasing in frequency, there is a need for a new security category that fills in the gaps in the existing identity security landscape.

IDR differentiates itself from identity protection systems in that it focuses on protecting credentials, privileges, cloud entitlements, and the systems that manage them. It represents an important step forward, marking the introduction of a new category of security tools.

As modern cybercriminals attempt to exploit vulnerable credentials and entitlements to move through networks undetected, IDR solutions play a meaningful role in stopping them, whereas other tools simply cannot.

And as these attackers evolve in their approach of infiltrating and moving laterally in the network, defenders will need to be innovative to detect and derail such attacks before they cause any actual harm to the organisation.

security controls”, says Sleiman. “In the next four years the global spending for cybersecurity products and services will topple 2 trillion. This is how much we spend to protect ourselves as people and organisations.

The economic loss by cybercrime at the end of this year will exceed 6 trillion heading towards 11 trillion by 2025. True but hard to digest”.

“Safe Security as a pioneer in CRQ space is focused on helping organisations understand that there has to be a different mindset when it comes to securing their digital footprint.

During Covid, there has been an incredible amount of digital acceleration. The rate at which organisations are embracing digital technology including SAAS, machine learning and AI to retain and attract customers and to simplify their processes is high. They are becoming digitally inclined which means there will be a lot of moving parts. There will be lots of people from an organisation working from all sorts of places, devices etc. making it difficult to be controlled

We are here to create and spread the awareness that there are alternatives to ‘let’s pile up more and more security controls”. and making them vulnerable to hackers.

Cyber risk quantification is about understanding and accepting this challenge to put in place a robust system to mitigate the risk effects”.

Sleiman goes on to add that organisations are susceptible to losing information not only through organisational network but also through partner networks. He cites the latest example of the Apple – Fitbit leak through GetHealth.

Dr. Cherif Sleiman goes on to talk about the star product of Safe Security, SAFE platform.

“SAFE is a SaaS platform which is enterprise wide, which means, it doesn’t just look at technology alone but people, third party technologies, cybersecurity policies and procedures of an organisation in an integrated fashion to understand their risk posture. We deliver a

score for every atomic level of your organisation.

Every person, endpoint, application, policy, every third-party technology is scored. It’s a predictive platform that aggregates all information to come up with a breach probability”.

Safe security is launching their channel partner program this GITEX 2021 and is also signing a distribution agreement with StarLink.

“We work with influential organisations that not only subscribe and believe in what we do but also who fundamentally have the influence and footprint to help bring about that change. StarLink is genuine in solving the cyber security issues we deal with. They can blanket all cybersecurity products with a surgical view of addressing risks in a real time fashion. We are delighted with this partnership”, concludes Sleiman.

@tahawultech

3

4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Linksys..

Hikvision...

GITEX, we take pride in showcasing our 30 years of our legacy and the new innovations and all the learning from all these years.

So the first thing we have done, which we haven’t done ever before, is to venture into mobile Wi-Fi. We believe that 5G is a real revolution which is going to change the dynamics of everything in the world-not just technology, but everything that we do today. That’s why we’re foraying into the 5G space. You see a lot of consumer-driven products, commercial products and industrial products.

The second thing we’re focusing on is our routers and Mesh technology, WiF-6 and the new technology which is W-Fi 6E, which will soon be ratified. This product is available in the US today and the moment is it given the go-ahead by the authorities here, it will become available here. The USP of this product is that it provides an unparalleled user experience. This is the focus on the consumer space.

On the commercial space, which is the SMEs,

we have enhanced our portfolio of products.

About two years back, we had announced our first cloud manager-the Linksys Cloud Manager and now we’ve added a host of products onto this portfolio. We have added an outdoor access point, we have added an indoor access point which will be used in large villas, hospitality and education sectors. So we have a complete portfolio of products which start with indoor access points, to indoor access points.

From the technology perspective, we have Wi-Fi 5 today and we are launching Wi-Fi 6 access points for businesses in December.

We have something else that’s unique: The software that guarantees the best experience.

What we have is Linksys Smart Wi-fi and each of our mesh solution comes with Linksys Smart Wi-fi.

With this product, we give you, the consumer, the control of our network where you’re able to view the number of devices connected on your network, you’re able to limit the kind of usage, the kind of bandwidth and prioritise bandwidth on applications. What’s

more, you’re also able to control the kind of access that your kids have, to the Internet and the various websites.

So, what’s the next year looking like, for Linksys?

The pandemic has taken everything online and with more and more employees working from home, you need access to the same resources and the same quality across the board. In fact, they would like to get the same experience they got when there were physically present in office. So the main thing is providing those resources to our ever-growing employee network. The remote working trend is going to continue and that’s going to be the biggest challenge. We’re also making a lot of investment in educating the customer, especially about MESH. We forsee an exciting future, especially since the partnership we have developed with Fortinet and they’re the world leaders in cybersecurity.

We have several interesting product launches lined up and we’re looking at a very dynamic period ahead.

Now, CCTV is also moving away from providing just security, to be used in day-to-day applications as well. Businesses are using CCTVs to add value.

Another trend in this area is called VSaaS or Video Security-as-a-Service.

VSaaS is the technology that hosts the hardware and software of videobased security systems in the cloud, so that users can access their IP cameras anywhere through any device and have the video footage at their fingertips.

Since there is no hassle of on-site server installation and system configuration, VSaaS is an ideal choice for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB). It is more cost-effective than traditional video security solutions since users can spread costs out over the contract term and pay only for the services that are actually used.

What are some of Hikvision’s products and the key features of some of these products?

Most of Hikvision’s CCTV products have been upgraded to build-into AcuSense technology. This detects intrusion threats in real time and triggers alerts to users’ mobile phones for faster response. AcuSense intelligently identifies people and vehicles.

AcuSense technology is combined with intrusion detection or line crossing which allows a user to define an area where a target should be identified.

AcuSense technology uses advanced machine vision AI algorithms built into Hikvision security cameras and video recorders to boost home and business security. Hikvision AcuSense technology uses a filtering system to classify targets as humans, vehicles, or “Other” objects. With a powerful deep-learning algorithm at its core, it can intelligently differentiate between moving objects like shadows, leaves, animals, 4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Alpha Tech...

face-to-face with your customers and partners?

The market dynamics have changed during the past 2 years and the new hybrid “Work from Home” norms and allowing us to use new

and other such unexpected movements.

Today’s new technologies have also empowered modern video cameras to see better in any light and in high

Today’s new technologies have also empowered modern video cameras to see better in any light and in high resolution.

Hikvision’s security cameras with their signature ColorVu technology are great examples of this”. resolution. Hikvision’s security cameras with their signature ColorVu technology are great examples of this. These cameras guarantee video with vibrant colours even in extremely dark scenarios. A nextgeneration series of the cameras goes even further, using 4K Ultra high definition (UHD) to deliver crisp images that provide richer detail.

On the access control side, we’re also upgrading our fingerprint devices to include facial recognition as well. Hikvision Access Controllers offer users various functions of access control. With its high adaptability, the device is suitable for a range of different application scenarios, and can be integrated with various other devices, such as card readers, locks or push buttons, to satisfy any user’s unique requirements.

Access control systems serve a critical role in any sensitive area, allowing only the right persons to enter at a given time.

Multiple configurations cater to various budgets methods of conducting our meetings, we will see this changing and look forward to working with our partners and customers with new AV enterprise solutions and at the same time have more interactive face-to-face meetings to educate our customer base.

and needs, ranging from the simplest card reader to the now commonly used fingerprint terminals, to the algorithm-enabled facial recognition terminal.

Hikvision’s many devices – such as controllers, card readers, turnstiles, and door locks – offer you a complete and secure access control system.

As customer requirements grow more complex, a single solution can no longer fulfill every need. That is why you can combine our access control systems with various authentication methods such as ID cards, fingerprints, passwords, facial images, and QR codes, to name a few.

On top of basic functions, Hikvision hardware extends to advanced access management through anti-passback, combined authentications, interlocking, and more.

And the professional management software makes device registration, management, and personnel registration much easier.

What are some of the products that are in high demand in the Middle East?

We have divided the market into four parts: Home users, SMB businesses, enterprise business and government businesses. For home end users, what is mostly in demand are hi-resolution videos and good after sales service. They also want their CCTV and other smart home devices to be linked, for easier use.

SMBs, on the other hand, are looking for reliable, cost-effective products.

Enterprise clients look for integrated security features that are intuitive and easy to manage, while governments clients look for a centralised management platform of smart devices and so their demand for AI products is much higher.

In your opinion, what are the key technologies that will fuel new innovations in 2022?

As mentioned, before we will see hybrid audio and video categories growing being taken into consideration as many brands are emphasising safety protocols and social distancing.

GovTech Founder, CPIMEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015), Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton, Group Sales Director Kausar Syed, Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda, Editors Mark Forker, Anita Joseph, Daniel Shepherd, Senior Designer Analou Balbero, Web Developer Adarsh Snehajan, Photographer Maksym Poriechkin

4

@tahawultech

www.tahawultech.com

TAKE VIDEO MEETINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE THE MOST OF MICROSOFT TEAMS WITH LOGITECH ROOMS SOLUTIONS POWERED BY INTEL®

MICROSOFT TEAMS RANKS AMONG THE ENTERPRISE COLLABORATION MARKET LEADERS IN USAGE METRICS

75

5

200

daily active users for Teams meetings

Teams meeting minutes generated in a single day

meeting users in a single day

billion

million

million

REMOVE I.T. HEADACHES Managing your video meeting ecosystem is simpler when you equip Microsoft Teams® Rooms with Logitech® video conferencing room solutions.

TOP CHALLENGES 33.4%

27.9%

33.3%

Dealing with security concerns

Aligning IT/telecom with business strategies

Systems integration; managing multi-vendor solutions

WORKING TOGETHER FOR BETTER MEETINGS

When your hardware and software complement each other, it’s easier for your business teams to collaborate and connect.

Logitech Room Solutions powered by Intel® work with Teams Rooms. See the latest certification with Teams Rooms.

• Specific performance levels • Easy management • Added security • Plug-and-play simplicity

MAXIMIZE YOUR TEAMS ROOMS INVESTMENT

A TOP CHALLENGE FOR I.T./ TELECOM STAFF, GLOBAL

Every enterprise is looking to maximize their IT budget.

Users prefer familiar video conferencing solutions across meeting rooms.

Complementary solutions from Microsoft, Intel® and Logitech, make adoption easy while lowering costs, boosting productivity, and enhancing manageability. IT can decide the most affordable and efficient way to deploy Teams Rooms at scale with mono PCs form Lenovo, Dell, and HP powered by Intel® Core™ Processors and certified to pair with Logitech for always-on meeting room solutions.

Intel®

Lenovo

Dell

19.4%

of IT staff identity fear among users to adopt new technologies

LOGITECH, MICROSOFT, AND INTEL® BETTER MEETINGS ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE As a partner of choice for Teams Rooms, Logitech and Intel® help people connect and collaborate in rooms of all shapes and sizes across the world.

Adding value to your Microsoft investment and a wealth of additional functions and features for your teams.

HP

Find out more about Logitech Room Solutions for Microsoft Teams

EXPLORE SOLUTIONS

Sources: 1. intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/details/nuc 2. intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/boards-kits/nuc/mini-pcs/business © 2021 Logitech. Logitech, the Logitech logo and other Logitech marks are owned by Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Logitech assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this publication. Product, pricing and feature information contained herein is subject to change without notice.

Focusing on next-gen ERP In an exclusive chat with Anita Joseph, Editor, Security ME, Ali Hyder, Group CEO at Focus Softnet, discusses the company’s revolutionary next-gen ERP solution that facilitates real-time insights and advanced data-processing capabilities, while offering superlative security features.

Ali Hyder

Focus Softnet, leaders in software development and enterprise applications, has been a regular at GITEX for 25 years. Ali Hyder, Group CEO of the company, calls it “an annual celebration,” a “festive occasion” where they

gets to meet and interact with partners. “Especially after a sober 2020, this year’s GITEX is big and exciting and we’re glad to be here,” he says.

Focus Softnet is showcasing its nextgeneration ERP solution - Focus X at GITEX

Technology Week.

Featuring in-memory computing, industryready templates, available on mobile and thin client, Focus X empowers organisations with Artificially Intelligent and Futuristic Applications (AIFA) AI and machine-learning driven statistics, predictive analysis and forecasting. It is datacentric and we can offer partial cloud and partial on-premise solutions, and what’s more, Focus X has advanced predictive analysis capabilities.

It is also offered as a composable platform.”

“The power and promise of the future is no longer a dream.

We are excited to announce the global launch of Focus X, our next-generation ERP solution at GITEX Technology Week

2021. The advanced architecture of Focus X unlocks the true power of the ERP, facilitating real-time insights and advanced dataprocessing capabilities, while offering superlative security”, Hyder says.

Focus X also includes advanced AI engine that sets it apart from conventional ERP, as it allows user to communicate with ERP and ask it to perform tasks such as fetching data, documents, reports etc. AI based predictive

The power and promise of the future is no longer a dream”.

SaaS elevates how businesses engage with their clients Vildana Karalić-Avdić, Infobip’s Head of Marketing MENA, discusses how their business has adapted to meet the demands of the digital economy, the acceleration of DX since the onset of the pandemic and opinions on the current cybersecurity climate.

This is where we help businesses meet those demands, by ensuring their end users get the most value, in realtime, and through their preferred channels.

Vildana Karalić-Avdić

Can you outline to us how your company has demonstrated its ability to leverage its technological expertise to help business transform their dayto-day operations to adapt, evolve and meet the demands of the digital economy?

We are particularly proud of how our full stack of SaaS solutions built around the AI segment has played a pivotal role in pushing businesses forward by elevating how they engage with their clients. After all, the digital economy is about connecting individuals and companies. By

6

empowering businesses and making them more accessible to their client base through our SaaS and CPaaS solutions, we are enabling them to adapt to shifting trends in customer engagement and evolving business operations.

Customers today want to communicate with brands and businesses over platforms that are familiar, fast, and reliable.

Digital Transformation has accelerated rapidly since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, but as an IT leader and expert, what are the key principles and processes businesses need to define and determine before embarking on their digital transformation journey?

Let me start with an important step, in my opinion. That is ensuring you have top management buy-in, vision, and willingness to make the switch.

Before embarking on this journey, you need to invest in a growth mindset, an internal culture ready to make the shift. The next step is to assess your internal readiness in terms of mindset and in terms of

The digital economy is about connecting individuals and companies”.

@tahawultech

operations.

The next step is to observe your current growth strategy and evaluate what tweaks are needed to accommodate the transformation. For example, if you want to integrate cloudbased communication solutions, do you have a solid communication strategy? Have you embraced a customercentric approach?

Lastly, when it is time to make the change, it is crucial to invest in a platform that is easy to manage and seamless to integrate with different channels.

At Infobip, we were also pushed to diversify our portfolio of products & solutions and tailor them further to help businesses and customers stay afloat and thrive during the challenging pandemic times. It all boils down to being agile and ready to embrace the change.

We know that technology is advancing more now than it has ever done so in the past, but what is your vision for the future in terms of the tech trends that are really going to drive change

Focus X includes a plethora of modules that simplify and automate a vast array of tasks for almost every function in the organisation”. analysis would help many vertical industries in forecasting sales, manufacturing and stock requirements with over 101 algorithms to suit even the most unique business requirements.

Moreover, Focus X brings banking right within the application, increasing security along with ease of use and simplification.

Organisations can initiate real-time transactions, and automatically reconcile the bank

and foster further innovation in the next 3-5 years?

I would say that it will all revolve around effortless experiences & communication.

It will come down to creating solutions and technologies that are making people’s lives easier in a nutshell. We are incredibly excited

It all boils down to being agile and ready to embrace the change”. about what’s next on Infobip’s horizon in that sphere. For us, it’s all about frictionless omnichannel solutions that aim to elevate the customer journey and overall experience.

Data-driven solutions are part of the way forward where SaaS and CPaaS play an integral role with the overall aim of further product optimisation to enhance the customer experience at every step.

Lastly, we project that more businesses will make the necessary shift to cloud-based contact centers to ensure that clients receive the support they need when they need it, and over the channels they use daily.

We know that cybersecurity is a major challenge in the

statement with entries in the accounting ledger.

“Focus X includes a plethora of modules that simplify and automate a vast array of tasks for almost every function in the organisation. Its visually appealing and easy-to-navigate UI provides clarity, reduces stress and allows you to access information you want with unparalleled speed. No more staring at the screen waiting for data to load! And if you need something, you can just ask AIFA. Whether it is a report you need at a moment’s notice, or data pertaining to a specific transaction, AIFA’s VUI (Voice User Interface) is ready to serve you”, Hyder adds.

Focus X is offered as an upgrade version to the 2019 released Focus 9.

Focus Softnet is also featuring a separate AIbased predictive analysis product with over 101 algorithms which takes care of key industries such as retail, banking, education etc.

current IT ecosystem, and we have seen the damage done by a series of ransomware attacks over the last number of months. In your expert opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing businesses in today’s climate?

Maintaining stringent and evolving security measures play an integral role in an organisation’s strategy. IT decisionmakers need to double their efforts to identify solutions that address their changing business needs and keep ongoing security threats at bay.

When looking for an omnichannel solutions provider, one of the essential determining factors that need to be evaluated is the service provider’s security.

Infobip is putting a lot of focus on the security, protection, and privacy of data. We have very strict security and privacy policies & standards in place. This makes it possible for us to provide a truly frictionless experience for the end-user. Therefore it is important for businesses to look for solutions that are agile and adaptable in terms of growth strategy and meeting security requirements.

Technical competency, or lack thereof, is another challenge. Businesses must invest in providing regular training to empower their staff and ensure security measures are being followed. www.tahawultech.com

KEEP CALM WITH THE RIGHT HYBRID CLOUD STRATEGY Hybrid cloud solutions: Unify, simplify, innovate-ify

Managing today’s storage needs now and getting ready for what’s coming isn’t easy. You’ve got a lot to consider beyond the basic box.

If your data grows 50% in a year, in 6 years you’ll need 11 times the capacity you need today.

Companies worldwide trust NetApp to help manage their most important resources. Simplify your search when you choose the industry storage leader.

Trust your data to NetApp. We can help. For further details please contact us: or visit:

netapp@logicom.ae https://distribution.logicom.net/netapp/

VASTDATA is out to solve age-old hardware architecture problems Haider Aziz, Regional Director Middle East & Africa, VASTDATA, discusses how their company aims to redo the entire data centre stack infrastructure by addressing age-old hardware and storage problems.

Haider Aziz

How are you solving these legacy infrastructure problems?

It ultimately comes down to the tiering of data. There are a lot of limitations.

With new applications and algorithms, you really want fast access to the entirety of the dataset, and so the whole concept of tiering is now obsolete.

We’re building a brand-new architecture that allows us to break those age-old trade-offs between price and performance and capacity and resilience, and to build one system that really does collapse that pyramid of storage tiers.

What are some of the shifts and changes in the enterprise?

10 years ago, it was all about rows and columns and transactional databases and the beginning of analytics.

Data is changing both in its form and in the access patterns. We need very fast access to very large types of data - images, video that computers can now analyse and gain insight from. We’re now seeing more natural data, pictures, video, and genomes.

Things that computers really didn’t have any business analysing before are now becoming much more interesting. This is also transforming the access pattern because these data sets are so much larger than the ones that we had before, but they need very fast access in order to run these training and inference algorithms.

Tell us about your global

presence, especially as it relates to the Middle East.

We’re growing globally.

Have started with building a foundation of customers in North America and Europe and are now having success in the Middle East.

Can you talk about the health of your business?

From a financial perspective, and even more important to consider relative to our growth, is that we’ve outpaced any infrastructure company in terms of revenue while maintaining vigilance over our cost structure to achieve cash flow positivity exiting our second full year of revenue.

In terms of the minimum revenue requirement over the past 12 months, we’ve delivered 10X above the $10 million threshold and expect to continue our growth trajectory for the foreseeable future.

Tell us about your customers/markets?

We see a lot of success wherever there’s a combination of a lot of data and the requirement to access it very quickly, over and over again, and so that ranges from AI and analytics workloads. For example, in Live Sciences, we do a lot of genomics, medical imaging and brain research, in the financial space, a lot of backtesting of algorithms in terms of going over trade data and understanding how new algorithms need to trade going forward. Just as an

We’re building a brand-new architecture that allows us to break those age-old tradeoffs between price and performance and capacity and resilience”.

example on that, if a hedge fund before could backtest on one week’s worth of data or two weeks’ worth, because that’s what they could fit on that top tier that they had before, now they can do the entirety of their history 10 years back, 15 years back. And instead of taking four or five hours in an overnight batch process where the quants need to come in the morning and see what the results are, if it’s good or not, now they can do it in minutes, and so it becomes interactive.

In a completely different space, there is great opportunity in media and entertainment. For example, a large animation company told us that they could not have developed their latest movie without VAST, and they showed us movements in hair and shadows, and they said, “Our animators have been asking for these types of abilities for years now and we couldn’t give it to them because of an infrastructure bottleneck.

Now that we have infinite access to all of the information, they can do whatever they want”.

StarLink outlines their upcoming goals within the cybersecurity ecosystem Zaidoun Arbad, COO, StarLink, discusses how they have empowered customers to achieve digital transformation, upcoming trends such as Process Automation and the region’s increased dependence on cybersecurity solutions.

Zaidoun Arbad

Can you outline to us how your company has demonstrated its ability to leverage its technological expertise to help business transform their day-today operations to adapt, evolve and meet the demands of the digital economy?

StarLink over the past 17 years has evolved to become the ‘Trusted Cyber and Cloud Advisor to over 3500 plus enterprise and government customers and over 1500 plus partners across META region.

We have empowered customers to achieve their digital transformation objectives through bestof-breed technologies - 50 plus vendors on the Solutions Portfolio through our extensive on-ground support across 20 regional offices in the META as well Europe and the US. We have become a benchmark for Operational Excellence with best-in-class solutions, finance, logistics, coupled with unparalleled momentum with customers

8

to accelerate their digital adoption at a dramatic pace and transition everything to remote working and virtual workplace with emphasis on securely accessing applications

hosted on the cloud. The need to innovate faster, collaborate efficiently, and deliver more value became paramount especially with customers expecting a digital-first experience.

Before embarking on this path, it is vital to have a long-term digital strategy that revolves around smart integration of technologies, agile processes, and competencies across all levels of different functions.

The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and the

It is vital to have a long-term digital strategy that revolves around smart integration of technologies, agile processes, and competencies across all levels of different functions”. through Customer Success functions; Professional Services, Technical Support, Training, Renewals & R&D. Besides Cloud and Cyber Technologies, StarLink’s New Division – Intelligent Automation helps connect, elevate & envision - people, process, systems, and data within an organisation with the best AI practices for a better and insightful customer experience. With this we aim to emerge as a ‘True’ Value

@tahawultech

Added leader in the digital transformation space.

Digital Transformation has accelerated rapidly since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, but as an IT leader and expert, what are the key principles and processes businesses need to define and determine before embarking on their digital transformation journey?

As a result of the pandemic, organisations were forced

We aim to emerge as a ‘True’ Value Added leader in the digital transformation space”.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) coupled with Advanced Analytics, are some of the main technologies that are gaining prominence and are enabling customers with advanced automation and helping businesses unlock new possibilities for higher operational efficiency and success.

We know that technology is advancing more now than it has ever done so in the past, but what is your vision for the future in terms of the tech trends that are really going to drive change and foster further innovation in the next 3-5 years?

The pace of innovation has been accelerating at unprecedented speeds in the past few years driven by different digitisation practices that have been embraced by governments and customers which became viable because of massive improvements in connectivity speeds and hardware and software capabilities. We will see a few trends that started recently but will be more prominent

in the coming few years; Starting with IoT with an influx of more and devices connecting to the internet such as cars, drones and home appliances, Secondly Process Automation and AI with significant part of all existing work activities to be automated, as the nextlevel of process automation and virtualisation become more common, Thirdly Connectivity speeds with more adoption of 5G and potentially the move to 6G will unlock huge economic activities, and Finally Cloud adoption and Next Gen computing will mean more companies are expected to be using hybrid-cloud or multi-cloud platforms as part of a distributed IT infrastructure which means data and processing can be handled in the cloud but made accessible to devices a lot faster. Clearly implementing those cutting-edge technologies must be well planned with good alignment between different regulators, and Cybersecurity will be paramount for those opportunities to be viable.

We know that cybersecurity is a major challenge in the current IT ecosystem, and we have seen the damage done by a series of ransomware attacks over the last number of months. In your expert opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing businesses in today’s climate?

With the rapid adoption and increasing dependency on digital solutions that have become a significant contributor to a country’s GDP, cybersecurity economy has flourished as well, it’s estimated that the cost of cybercrime will reach $6 Trillion this year, and hence the cyber challenges are becoming a lot more complex and the adversaries are returning aggressively. Ransomware will remain a top of the list as it is the fastest-growing cybercrime and has a major impact on continuity of operations. It is important to continuously adapt and take cyber risks seriously by planning, preparing, and building awareness within not only your own organisation but also throughout your ecosystem including 3rd parties that are becoming more and more part of the fabric of your business and digital infrastructure. www.tahawultech.com

Closing the skills gap James Lyne, Chief Technology Officer, SANS Institute, tells Security Advisor how cybersecurity specialists without basic IT skills are like surgeons that don’t know anatomy.

James Lyne

There is a serious shortage of cybersecurity specialists the world over. In fact, studies show that almost 70% of cybersecurity professionals the world over claim that their organisation is impacted by a lack of cybersecurity skills.

What this means for the industry as a whole is increased workload on existing security & IT staff; open, unfilled vacancies, hiring of random junior professionals and an inability to utilise technology to its full potential.

Those in the industry say that skills shortage is most acute among security analysts and cloud security professionals. And with more organisations accelerating their digital transformation journey and shifting entire workspaces to the cloud, this shortage becomes a matter of grave concern.

Again, the cybersecurity skills gap has two sides to it: the first is that there aren’t enough cybersecurity professionals and two, there aren’t enough professionals skilled in dealing with the new and emerging demands of cybersecurity.

In order to address the skills gap, SANS Institute offers training at various levels. What this means is that not only can seasoned cybersecurity experts increase their knowledge, but people who are new to the industry can also build a solid foundation for a career in cybersecurity. Core knowledge and practical skills in computers, technology and security fundamentals are crucial for launching a career.

That’s why CTO James Lyne developed SANS Foundations.

“At SANS we have been training people in cybersecurity for years.

These are people who come to refresh their knowledge, to learn new cybersecurity skills, but also people who are new to the industry.” The training organisation saw across the globe that, especially for these newbie’s, it is not always easy to understand the fundamentals of cybersecurity. “This is because they lack some basic concepts of computers, networks, data or applications. And those very elements are crucial to understanding how cybersecurity works.” Lyne draws the comparison with a surgeon. “Basically, we were training cardiologists without them knowing any anatomy. That’s a frightening idea, isn’t it?

That a surgeon doesn’t know exactly where your heart is and what it’s for, but they are going to operate on you anyway”, the SANS CTO grins.

Refreshing your knowledge Reason enough for SANS to develop a training that builds the foundation for a solid career in cybersecurity: SANS SEC275: Foundations.

Not only newbie’s can benefit from this training, but also students with a background in IT can refresh and grow their knowledge and hands-on skills with it. The people new to the industry were the initial target group for SANS, but to Lyne’s big surprise, IT professionals are also enthusiastic about the Foundations training.

“Students who don’t know much about IT gain a lot of crucial knowledge in a relatively short time, but we also see that people who already have this knowledge pick up new things more quickly”. After all, technology is developing at a furious pace and keeping up with it all is virtually impossible.

“We see people who once studied computer science, but who have never worked with containers, for example.

And virtualisation technology has also changed in recent years.

With this training you can brush up your knowledge in these kinds of areas and even learn some new things”.

The ultimate way to learn SANS Foundations is a very rich e-learning platform with many hours of content in the form of video, audio, study books and over 50 hands-on labs. Especially those labs make the platform engaging and fun for students. “You don’t just learn the theory, you can put it into practice right away”, says Lyne. He challenges students to get off the beaten track and not just follow the instructions of the teachers in the videos. “Trying things

At SANS we have been training people in cybersecurity for years. These are people who come to refresh their knowledge, to learn new cybersecurity skills, but also people who are new to the industry.”

out, finding out what doesn’t work, then getting stuck somewhere and figuring out how to make it all work again in frustration is the ultimate way to learn”, laughs the CTO. “The younger generations are a bit spoiled when it comes to technology, because 99 percent of the time it just works. That is both a gift and a threat, because it means they no longer learn to figure things out for themselves. Whereas the older generation used to have to tinker with things themselves in order to get a video game to work, for example, and therefore quickly learned the basic skills which the younger generation lacks. But you can do yourself a big favour by seeking out that frustration in our handson labs, because that struggle really teaches you the basics of IT”.

Closing the skills gap Lyne’s ultimate goal with SANS Foundations is to close the global cybersecurity skills gap. “We don’t want surgeons without anatomical knowledge.

Especially in a world that is changing at lightning speed, where IoT and smart cities will play a big role and AI-systems are ever more evolving, it is important to have a solid foundation of the knowledge pyramid. I want to help people with a passion for technology get into a cool job market where specialists are in huge demand”. In order to be successful in cybersecurity, the general basic skills are indispensable, the CTO states. “The training from SANS provides exactly what you need to take further steps in cybersecurity”, says Lyne. “IT is such a broad area, but it is not necessary to go into depth on all parts.

Then it can get a bit overwhelming. SANS Foundations gives you exactly what its name implies: a solid foundation for additional training in the field of cybersecurity”. For him,

The younger generations are a bit spoiled when it comes to technology, because 99% of the time it just works.

That is both a gift and a threat, because it means they no longer learn to figure things out for themselves.” it is important that not only IT and cybersecurity specialists gain knowledge and skills, but that other professional groups also become increasingly aware of cyber threats and the ways to work and live safely. “In this way, we are building a pyramid of knowledge and skills that can ensure the digital resilience of the world”.

Distinctive training The fundamentals training of SANS distinguishes itself from other basic training courses in three ways, Lyne says. “First, the lectures and format are really engaging and fun for students. Those are their words,” he hurries to add with a smile. “I think it’s really the live demos and hands-on labs that make this course most engaging.

You don’t just read a book to understand the theory, you actually go and do it. It’s much more fun to build a Python program yourself than just reading theory about it”. The second thing that really set SANS Foundations apart is the syllabus, which is really tailored to help people study cybersecurity. “As I said, the IT field is huge, but this course is curated to help you succeed in cybersecurity. It is thorough and sufficient, targeted and tailored”.

Last but not least, the course is constantly updated based on student feedback. “At SANS, we constantly measure student feedback on content, topics and our labs.

We also look at how the market is evolving and try to take all those things into account in continuously improving the course, which really makes a difference”.

New features coming soon “Over the next few weeks, new features will also be added to the platform”, says Lyne proudly. “We have some really ambitious plans. There are updates coming for the videos and labs, but we also have a huge set of new features dropping over the next couple of weeks that are the result of feedback from former students that have just started working in cybersecurity. We will add more content about data fundamentals and machine learning. But we have also enhanced our lab systems so they are even more rich for users to spend time practicing.

And for the employers, we will have a refined set of reporting capabilities where they can take a set of students and monitor and encourage their progress throughout the course”.

Taking luck out of the equation Lyne gets really excited talking about this course: “I really wish there would have been something like this when I was setting my first steps in cybersecurity”, he grins.

“It would have saved me a whole lot of time and frustration!” But what’s more, his path into cybersecurity was mostly dictated by luck, “and then hard work and the right mentors”.

Lyne wants to take the luck part out of the equation for people with the right aptitude, talent and interest in cybersecurity. “I want a more defined path for them. That is what we are trying to reach with SANS Foundations. You shouldn’t be dependent on luck to work in the coolest and most interesting industry there is. You should just be able to go for it”.

GovTech Founder, CPIMEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015), Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton, Group Sales Director Kausar Syed, Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda, Editors Mark Forker, Anita Joseph, Daniel Shepherd, Senior Designer Analou Balbero, Web Developer Adarsh Snehajan, Photographer Maksym Poriechkin

10

@tahawultech

www.tahawultech.com

STANDS TO WATCH

Avaya 12

Stand : Z1-C10 @tahawultech

www.tahawultech.com

STANDS TO WATCH

Commvault 14

@tahawultech

Stand : H5-A40 www.tahawultech.com

CyberKnight

Never Trust, Always Verify Intelligence & Visibility in a Zero Trust World

DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

GITEX, STAND H1-D25

STANDS TO WATCH

ESET 16

Stand : H2-A1 @tahawultech

www.tahawultech.com

STANDS TO WATCH

Jabra www.tahawultech.com

Stand : H8-A5 @tahawultech

17

STANDS TO WATCH

ManageEngine 18

@tahawultech

Stand : H7-C1 www.tahawultech.com

YOUR DATA IS YOUR BUSINESS ENDPOINT SECURITY

DATA ENCRYPTION

SECURE AUTHENTICATION

DETECTION & RESPONSE

CLOUD SANDBOXING

MAIL SECURITY

MAKE SURE YOUR COMPANY IS SAFE FROM DATA BREACHES OR LEAKS. EMPLOY OUR POWERFUL AND EASY TO DEPLOY ESET SECURITY SOLUTIONS.

110m+

400k+

200+

13

users worldwide

business customers

countries & territories

global R&D centers

WWW.ESET.COM/ME

STANDS TO WATCH

Rackspace 20

@tahawultech

Stand :H7-C30 www.tahawultech.com