60mins Day 4 – PM (2018)

GITEX 2018 TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

FORMERLY

VAD TECHNOLOGIES

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Show dates: 14-18 October 2018, Dubai World Trade Centre | AT GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK Exhibition hours: 11am-7pm

WE’RE RELIGIOUS ABOUT CLOUD SECURITY: VIRTUSTREAM

Roberto, Virtustream

Virtustream, the enterprise-class cloud software and solution provider under Dell Technologies, is utilising GITEX to demonstrate its abilities in hosting multitenancy cloud infrastructures in the most complex enterprise workloads.

Working with Middle East-based customers,

“NICHE TECHNOLOGY WILL KEEP US AHEAD”: SBM CEO

Essam Al Shiha, Saudi Business Machines

The CEO of a leading Saudi tech company has lauded the potential for the country’s brightest and best to shape its digital future, and also heaped praise on the ability to find “niche”

technologies at GITEX. Essam AlShiha, CEO of Saudi Business Machines, was speaking to 60 Mins from the firm’s booth on SAP’s Hall 6 stand.

As Saudi Arabia’s “leading” provider of endto-end enterprise information technology and telecommunications 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 solutions, Saudi

such as Morohub in the UAE and Mobily in Saudi Arabia, Virtustream is leveraging its local presence to serve new customers in the region through these partnerships.

As organisations in the region wake up to the benefits of moving to the cloud, Roberto Mircoli, CTO at Virtustream, believes that while there is definitely an understanding of the IT transformation that needs to take place in virtually every sector right now, there is a need to give organisations a helping hand in this transformation’s implications and the real benefits they can reap from it.

“Enterprises now so often have such critical data involved in their day to day business processes, that we’re now seeing a huge demand for the solutions that we can provide in securing these mission critical applications in a pragmatic way,” said Mircoli.

He went on to add that ensuring 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

“CUSTOMERS WILL NEED ANSWER TO CLOUD IN NEXT 5 YEARS”: NETAPP SVP

Alexander Wallner, Netapp

The senior vice president for NetApp’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region has said that although on-premise environments will serve enterprises well for the near future, there will inevitably 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 come a point where

CHECK POINT EMPOWERS CUSTOMERS TO BATTLE GEN V THREATS AT GITEX

Ram Narayanan, Check Point

At the region’s biggest technology show, GITEX Technology Week, IT security company Check Point is emphasising on its Infinity Architecture and educating attendees on Generation V threat

landscape.

As cyber-attackers become more sophisticated and advanced, customers are seeking robust security solutions to combat and prevent these increasing threats.

Ram Narayanan, regional sales manager, Check Point, said, “GITEX is a fantastic platform to network with our channel partners as well as customers who are looking for novelty in the market. It also provides us an opportunity to share our roadmap and plans with all our stakeholders 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 from a cybersecurity

ALARIS LAUNCHES NEW IMAGE CAPTURE SCANNER, OWPENS DUBAI EXPERIENCE CENTRE

Samer Mihyar, Alaris

Following the signing of an agreement with regional IT value-added distributor Mindware earlier this year, Alaris – the information management arm of Kodak Alaris, is looking to grow its channel 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 reach at this year’s

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NetApp...

cloud will dictate their storage strategies.

Alexander Wallner was speaking to 60 Mins, and is visiting GITEX from the firm’s Amsterdam office.

“I think GITEX is the last living trade show in the world,” Wallner said. “It’s unbelievable how much you can get done here.

We’ve had double-digit growth in the Middle East for the last three years and the Gulf region is a very important customer segment for us. I personally enjoy coming here every year.”

Wallner said that the firm’s overarching goal was to deliver the best possible customer experience, and that the adoption of flash storage would play a crucial role in that journey. “We’ve been the

flash storage leader in EMEA for six consecutive quarters, and we want to transform legacy environments with flash technology,” he said.

“Customers may decide that on-premise environments are fine for them today, but they will need an answer to the cloud in the next five years.

“I spoke to a CIO here who said that 85% of his company’s data was on-premise, but he spoke about a cloud-first strategy.

Now, if workloads need to be refreshed or redeployed, he always asks if it should be moved to the cloud?’ If it’s justified and cost-effective then it gets moved, and that’s representative of the current reality for a lot of customers.

“The journey to the cloud explains our success in flash storage. Looking at the requirements of our customers today, cloud is in everyone’s

I think some app providers push customers to the cloud. Some don’t really let customers have a choice, but the reality is that AI and machine learning environments usually have an on-premise and off-premise component. There’s a lot of sensitive data but you need unlimited CPU resources, which only the cloud can provide.”

mind, even through service providers like STC. In the next five years, cloud will inevitably play a major role.”

Wallner went on to highlight the flexibility that NetApp believes it can offer customers.

“Whether you’re with Azure, AWS or Google, you can manage workloads through our platform, take away the gravity of data and move it wherever you want, and can even push it to a local service provider. The issues traditionally found with service providers don’t come with us.

“I think some app providers push customers to the cloud.

Some don’t really let customers have a choice, but the reality is that AI and machine learning environments usually have an on-premise and off-premise component. There’s a lot of sensitive data but you need unlimited CPU resources, which only the cloud can provide.”

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Dell EMC... cloud security is “at the core” of Virtustream’s objective, and something that he is “religious” about.

“When I meet with CIOs, CTOs, and even CEOs in this region, I talk them through the steps to make their journey to the cloud proactive, and not reactive,” he said. “But when it comes to cloud security, we’re dedicated to provide our customers with next level protection. We combine our experience on migrations to the cloud for thousands of customers globally and bring that knowledge to the customers that we are serving here.”

He added, “We would not

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Mindware...

GITEX Technology Week.

As Mindware did not previously have any document imaging solutions in their portfolio, they were the “perfect partner of choice”, says Samer Mihyar, regional marketing manager for Alaris Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Russia. “We’ve found a lot of synergies together, and after seeing a demand in the region for document imaging and information capture solutions across verticals, we believe this partnership will help to extend our reach to accommodate this demand.”

In a bid to accelerate this, Alaris recently opened its Experience Centre in Barsha Heights, Dubai, which Mihyar says is a fantastic opportunity for partners and customers to see how Alaris’ information management solutions can provide value to their business flow.

On display at the Centre, Alaris is showcasing its solutions covering automatic invoicing, exam marking and election

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be in this business if we could not guarantee or exceed the expectations of security and performance for these mission critical workloads that our customers previously had with their private or on-premise deployments.”

Looking ahead to 2019, Mircoli said that he expects the digitisation wave to continue across the board – spanning all verticals and geographies in the Gulf. “The real potential that the region’s CIOs are seeing in migrating to the cloud is that they can offload the complexities of their IT environment, and redirect their internal IT resources to create more value and drive the organisation’s innovation and transformation strategy,” he said.

processing. The centre has now been open for the last two months, and has seen “excellent response” from the market, with over 60 visitors, 30 partners and 10 end-users calling by to see the solutions in real time.

Alaris is also promoting its enhancements to its S2000 document scanners at GITEX this year, after adding advanced capabilities to scan 40 pagesper-minute with the Alaris S2040 Scanner.

“The new 40 page-per-minute device delivers all the embedded image processing power of the S2050 and S2070 Scanners at a lower price point for customers who want a more affordable option,” Mihyar said.

Looking ahead, Alaris is looking to implement its Ephesoft Mobile solution in banks across the region to enable mobile cheque depositing – a service that Mihyar says is currently unavailable in the Middle East.

“This will eliminate the need to visit branches or ATMs, as this will be done by scanning cheques directly through banking apps that use the Ephesoft Mobile solution from Alaris,” added Mihyar.

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Checkpoint... perspective.”

Narayanan added that during the five-day technology show, the company is educating customers “on the importance of having Generation V solutions to battle Generation V threat landscape. Check Point’s Infinity architecture is specially designed to address these security challenges.”

The threat landscape has evolved greatly over time. Generation I threat landscape included virus-related attacks while Generation II was all the threats relating to networks.

Generation III threats were linked to applications with Generation IV threat landscape encompassing zero day threats, APTs and the like. Today we are operating in Generation V threat landscape, which is essentially a combination of all the threats at a much larger scale. Check Point is enabling customers to address the

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SBM...

Business Machines is the general marketing and services representative of IBM in the country.

SBM offers enterprise solutions across every industry, with a portfolio of products and services in IBM systems and software, networking solutions, systems integration, implementation, business recovery, cybersecurity and operations support.

“We love the opportunities that GITEX gives us to engage with customers and tell them what SBM is capable of from an SAP perspective, as well as the opportunity to cross-sell by providing more capabilities of our products,” he said. “We’re also meeting with some vendors to build stronger alliances and find niche products through SMEs from across the region. We try to partner with a few new companies each year to promote certain solutions.”

SBM is also “looking for new things” around IoT, mobility, Big

security challenges that arise out of the current threat landscape.

Narayanan said, “Over the course of 2018, we have expanded the team across the region. In 2019, we are aiming to have in-country presence in every GCC country. We have a large expansion plan in the pipeline when it comes to the region. We are also seeing interest for our offerings from channel partners with whom we haven’t worked with before, especially those partners focused on mobility and cloud security. We are working towards engaging closely with them.”

He added that Generation V threats are real. “Check Point is in a great position to address all customer requirements in a consolidated way.

Most of our partners are in a position to showcase the value that they can offer through Check Point solutions.

For any new partners looking to invest in security, there is a big opportunity to engage with us. We are also planning to expand our channel base in 2019.”

Data and cybersecurity. “Every day, there’s a new technology being brought to market, and we want to be ahead of our competitors,” AlShiha said. “We’ve selected some niche areas in which we can operate, and have built our own SOC to ensure we can balance innovation with security.”

AlShiha went on to underline his belief that Saudi Arabia is a country ripe for transformation, driven by its burgeoning youth population.

“I’m a big believer of the talent in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “Digital transformation is not just about technology, but also the human factor. This is something the country should concentrate on more than technology itself. Talented people need to be encouraged.”

SBM offers tailored maintenance and support services for a vast range of IBM and non-IBM products.

In addition to being Oracle's Platinum Partner in Saudi Arabia, SBM is a Gold Partner to Cisco, SAP, and Microsoft in addition to various strategic partnerships with key and multinational IT vendors. www.tahawultech.com

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STORMSHIELD HIGHLIGHTS ITS CYBERSECURITY SOLUTIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS The Cold war is taking new forms today by utilizing technological vulnerabilities to get to industrial networks, actions that could disrupt the continuity of critical network infrastructures (CNIs).

This, in turn, could create damage at a large scale.

Such CNIs could be used by utility companies (water, electricity), Oil and Gas, mass transportation and other sectors Stormshield is at GITEX to highlight its cybersecurity expertise in protecting operational technology networks (OT networks) and Information Technology Networks (IT networks).

Like other digital security

vendors, Stormshield has products for IT Security, Endpoint Security and Data Security, but it is its industrial cybersecurity solutions that the company is showcasing at GITEX, helping it to stand out from the crowd.

“For example, if you are

an organization with SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, these industrial systems are becoming vulnerable and need to be considered in the organizational cybersecurity strategy,” said Hakam Kayed, Stormshield's sales director for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

“Recently there were major attacks on industrial networks worldwide. Cyber attacks on CNIs could emanate from foreign governments or other organizations looking to destabilize nations. Stormshield's industrial security solutions aim to combat such risks.”

Illustrating the potential scale of

FROM DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TO BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER Cisco is aiming to help businesses to accelerate their digital transformation – and at GITEX the IT and networking company has been demonstrating a range of solutions designed to do just that.

A key part of Cisco's approach is the use of automation that employs artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance cybersecurity.

“This is the most important pillar for digital transformation,” said Osama Al Zoubi, Cisco's chief technology officer for the Middle East.

A focus this week is on Cisco's capability in data analytics, an area Al Zoubi said would become increasingly important in a huge array of sectors ranging from education to healthcare, oil and gas, and retail.

“They all rely on data analytics to optimise their operations,” said Al Zoubi. Another hot topic for Cisco is the multicloud, something that is coming to the for as organisations develop a www.tahawultech.com

heterogeneous environment based on using numerous storage and cloud services.

“The data centre has been the core of every business. Then a few years later, the promise of the cloud came. People thought it would solve their problems – it would be cheap, easy and have fast implementation.

But most of the businesses are left with massive complexity, cost and

It's able to bring people together with a single click. We share links, we share files, but we can also have a conference, he said."

inconsistency,” said Al Zoubi.

“We introduced a multicloud solution. It allows them to manage their workload based on their business priority.”

With this multicloud solution, particular applications can run, for example, either in the public cloud or on the software as a service (SaaS) provider's servers, based on factors such as the time of day, day of the week or business

the problem, Ukraine has suffered cyber attacks that have resulted in electricity blackouts, with Russian hackers blamed for the incidents.

Stormshield has secured important contracts with some major CNIs in the region and is now a preferred OT security provider to major industrial vendors.

Kayed added that Stormshield's key markets in the region are the GCC, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.

“We've heard recently in the news about back doors and products that are not being secured. Stormshield is certified by the ANSSI (French National Agency for Information Security) and our products are reviewed by third parties.”

priority. This results in a system that is both optimised and less complex.

Cisco's portfolio of solutions has been enhanced with the introduction of technology such as Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure, which improves application agility and allows for the automation of data centres.

Other key technologies have come from Cisco's acquisition, in March last year, of AppDynamics, which offers real-time details on what is taking place in digital businesses. If a transaction on a website fails go through, for example, this can indicate why and suggest a solution.

Cisco is also demonstrating technology that brings people in an organisation together, notably through Webex Teams, a multi-device application that can be used for file sharing, white boarding, group messaging and video meetings. Al Zoubi and his team are enthusiastic users.

“It's able to bring people together with a single click. We share links, we share files, but we can also have a conference, he said." @tahawultech

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MAKE SURE YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WORKS THE WAY IT SHOULD You need high-performance infrastructure so you can execute these strategies,” he said.

“The infrastructure always needs to be grid-like so it can grow. It's a massive amount of data that needs to be analysed to have meaning from your AI. This is the only way it will help

Companies investing in digital transformation should ensure that they do not make shortterm investments, but instead prepare themselves for the emerging trends in the IT world.

That is a key message at GITEX from Mario Veljovic, the general manager of VAD Technologies, a value-added distributor of enterprise class technology products and solutions headquartered in Dubai.

“I have worked in many organisations where we've done the digital transformation, but make sure the capital investment you do is flexible enough to meet your requirements in one or three years down the line,” said

Veljovic.

“It's important to have these discussions with partners and advise them accordingly so they don't make a short-term investment, but an investment that makes them ready for the Internet of Things, blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).”

Capital investment should, said Veljovic, be flexible enough to cope with the requirements likely to come one, two or three years down the line.

At GITEX, VAD Technologies has, with its partners, been showcasing AI-ready infrastructure, something that Veljovic said “has taken on quite a momentum now”.

“It's not just labelling it AI.

We don't see cloud as a separate business unit.

Cloud is entering all aspects of our portfolio. It's how can you make best use of it.

You need the infrastructure that's dynamic enough to accommodate it.”

organisations lower the total cost of ownership.

“Whatever infrastructure you bring in, you have to live up to the priority of delivering results.

You don't want the digital way of running your business to be slower than the old way.

This digital transformation is based on high-performance infrastructure.”

VAD Technologies is also highlighting its physical security portfolio, which extends beyond simply cameras, reaching into video management systems able to carry out, for example, face recognition, numberplate recognition and incident monitoring and control.

“People are coming and looking at what they can do.

It's not so much the underlying infrastructure, but what you can do with it,” said Veljovic.

A third key element to VAD Technologies' offering at this year's show is what it describes as the “cloudification” of its portfolio.

“We don't see cloud as a separate business unit. Cloud is entering all aspects of our portfolio. It's how can you make best use of it. You need the infrastructure that's dynamic enough to accommodate it,” said Veljovic.

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ESET to focus on Cyber Security Consulting

Dimitris Raekos, ESET

IT security firm ESET says it is transforming itself from a software provider to cyber security consultant, even as the company experienced more than average growth in the region.

The company's general manager for the region

Dimitris Raekos says ESET has overhauled its services during the past year to help enterprise IT teams prevent, detect, respond to and predict cyber threats.

"We first launched our managed console that can handle multiple operating systems including Linux, iOS and Android; which was followed by a cloud sandbox for malware analysis and a cloud administrator - mainly aimed at SMB customers," says Raekos.

ESET's latest customizable solution, the Enterprise Inspector, is an endpoint detection and response (EDR) tool and enables customers to concentrate on product development.

"Today the industry is looking for endpoint security suites that are fully capable to handle every

type of threat. Alongside they want a simple solution without much complications," he says.

According to him, clients will have an advantage with this fully customisable solution.

The company is yet to launch the latest EDR solution in the Middle East. "We will be rolling outthe solution here in the coming months," said Raekos.

"The key is to offer clients an ability to monitor network traffic and early detection of threat.

Our Security Management Center provides a central console for security management," he added.

For ESET, business across the Middle East has been better than the rest of the world during the past year.

While the company registered an average of 7.5 per cent growth

GITEX FOSTERS SYNERGIES IN CHANNEL PARTNER COMMUNITY: FVC FVC managing director KS Parag discusses why GITEX is a key event for its business What are you highlighting at the show this year?

This is FVC’s (18th) year at the show. This year, are highlighting

our full portfolio including UCC and AV and demonstrate how our offerings can enable key verticals like hospitality, healthcare and education. We are also showcasing our IT infrastructure and Security portfolio which consists of

network monitoring solutions.

We have also Launching PRYSM’s LPD 6k series.

Emphasising on strengthening our new partnership with SMART Technologies and Sony. In line with this we are showcasing SMART interactive solutions and. Sony’s Bravia range of display’s and Sony TEOS Manage software.

Why is GITEX an important event for FVC? It is the perfect opportunity to on-board the best of breed UC and Smart AV solutions and help address partner’s demands for solutions that cater to varying budgets. It helps us spread awareness and drive penetration for smart collaboration solutions. It also gives us the opportunity to meet new and existing partners

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globally, the Middle East region saw a 10 per cent increase in turnover during the past year.

ESET has been especially strong in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

"Our offerings are also compliant with the regulations of SAMA in Saudi Arabia. There has been a lot of demand from the Kingdom," he added.

We don't see clouTd as a separate business unit. Cloud is entering all aspects of our portfolio. It's how can you make best use of it.

You need the infrastructure that's dynamic enough to accommodate it.” as well as end-users as well as understand their businesses and IT challenges. What’s more is that, is helps develop synergies with our partner community What do you think are the trends that are driving adoption of technology?

Mobility and BYOD are driving factors for organisations to turn to unified collaboration solutions to complement their digital transformation initiatives.

Artificial Intelligence will make a big impact across industry segments. As the adoption of collaboration solutions – to optimise employee efficiency and reduce costs – increase, setting up ‘Smart Meeting rooms’ is becoming an essential part of the business to boost productivity and reduce costs, thus driving demand for advanced solutions which complement voice-only conferencing solutions, and provide a better user experience. www.tahawultech.com

WinSoft showcases Filemaker at GITEX Why is GITEX an important event for WinSoft?

This event is the perfect opportunity to meet strategic partners not only in the UAE but from the entire MENA region with Dubai increasingly becoming a technology hub in the GCC countries. It’s a good platform to recruit value added resellers from various countrie s such as KSA, bahrain, Pakistan, Kenya, Egypt among others.

Flying drones in the UAE is very regulated being the first country to set up a regulatory framework for using drones. We have been working closely with the likes SANAD Academy here in the region. Basically, SANAD Academy wanted a simple system, a single solution to track individual, drones and print certificates. So, we recently started a Filemaker license through an annual contract with them.

Basically, SANAD Academy wanted a simple system, a single solution to track individual, drones and print certificates. So, we recently started a Filemaker license through an annual contract with them.�

What is Filemaker and why is it important for the drone market in the UAE? To use a drone in Dubai, you need to be registered at SANAD Academy. The user should be registered into their database with a unique name, emirates, ID, contact details. Also, he needs to register the drone itself by submitting the brand, the model number and serial number in order to track both individual and the drone equipment.

SANAD will then share those information with Dubai civil aviation authority. If the person passes the exam, SANAD will issue a certificate from Filemaker

by Winsoft, which will be submitted to Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and they will issue a drone license.

www.tahawultech.com

Mihaela Vignon, sales representative EMEA, WinSoft, on taking part at GITEX Technology Week.

We are delighted to see the interest of development companies toward our rapid development platform as they can easily see the benefits for their customers.

What are the most exciting technological developments that you see in the Middle East?

Our platform helps SME businesses and government

institutions to go paperless and digitalise their activity.

To date, we count over 3 million of mobile downloads through our application, we expect this number to be doubled by the end of 2019.

Can you highlight any major regional customers you have on boarded over the last 12 months? How are they using your technologies and services to grow their business.

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GITEX Highlights

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Dejamobile flaunts fintech offerings at GITEX

French tech firm Logicom marks first year at GITEX

Fintech solutions firm Dejamobile is showcasing its latest offerings at GITEX Technology Week.

As part of the French Pavilion hosted by Business France, the company is taking part at the region’s largest technology event.

“It is the first time we participate in GITEX,” said Houssem Assadi, CEO, dejamobile. “We have decided to join the French delegation and be present on their pavilion to be visible under the French tech flagship.

Dubai is a strategic hub connected to the whole Middle East region and GITEX is a major reference Tech event where to meet with many international contacts.”

Speaking about the growing fintech industry Assadi said that they are noticing a growing interest

Marking its first-ever participation at GITEX, Logicom is highlighting its new smartphones with 19:9 format, borderless screen a fully nicer and newer design with better camera, with upgraded specifications using the last Android version.

“Our target is to find new partners distributors in MEA area and GITEX is the perfect place and platform to meet these people,” said Stephane Marciano, VP, sales and marketing, Logicom.

Looking ahead Marciano said 5G technology will make big waves in the networking space. “Regarding devices we expect an improvement in display like flexible screens. Our close partnership with chipset maker allow us to anticipate all coming features.

“In addition, AI (artificial intelligence) applications should be the new revolution. We are a new comer to the region, and of course we expect a very significant potential with the new partners,” he added.

for mobile payments and e-wallet technologies. “Several banks have already launched commercial mobile payment services, for example with Apple Pay available with some UAE banks.

Moving forward the company sees major banks and Issuers proposing mobile payment services either through the major international wallets, such as Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, or through their own wallet App. “This is the reason why we are exploring this market now and proposing our ReadyToTap Payment Hub which is already up and running, multi-scheme certified and adopted by major banks in Europe, such as Crédit Agricole, Retail bank #1 in France and in the Top10 Worldwide,” added Assadi.

“This is the reason why we are exploring this market now and proposing our ReadyToTap Payment Hub which is already up and running, multi-scheme certified and adopted by major banks in Europe, such as Crédit Agricole, Retail bank #1 in France and in the Top10 Worldwide.” www.tahawultech.com

Our target is to find new partners and distributors in MEA area and GITEX is the perfect place and platform to meet these people.” @tahawultech

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NXN AND TACTIO ANNOUNCE DIGITAL HEALTHCARE PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP NXN and Tactio Health Group team up to accelerate the development of patientcentered digital health programs in the Middle East region.

NXN announced today that together with Tactio the digital health software manufacturer, the company has developed a very progressive smart healthcare program which gives a much more personalized experience for individuals in relation to their heath. The initial program enables users to monitor themselves on a daily and weekly basis - and shall soon connect them directly with their healthcare provider in a very sophisticated way.

This partnership is supported

by NXN’s digital capabilities providing its in-country digital platform expertise and experience and, Tactio’s genuine technological expertise, TactioRPM platform and business savvy in mobile and connected health that will accelerate the adoption of digital health programs in home care areas such as Weight Loss, Diabetes, Hypertension, COPD and CHF as well as wide range of patient-centered clinical applications such as chronic disease monitoring, population health screening, clinical research, post-acute care and pre/postsurgery programs.

Tactio’s mission is centered on digitizing patients home care without directly servicing hospitals, clinics nor pharmacies.

Instead, Tactio collaborates with digital health innovators such as NXN help them rapidly and reliably introduce patientcentered, digital health programs to healthcare providers in their market. The programs consist of localized TactioRPM platforms combining mobile patient apps, clinical portals, connected health integrations (incl. Garmin, A&D Medical, BÜHLMANN Laboratories, www.tahawultech.com

Fitbit, Roche, Nonin, Omron, MIR & Welch Allyn), patient questionnaires, digital coaching programs and HIPAA-compliant messaging.

Like many other regions, the Middle East has a growing number of chronic patients and post-surgery follow-up requirements. More and more people are in need of healthcare, which places an increasing strain on public finances. NXN believes that remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions will help the local healthcare systems to meet this challenge in a way that reduces costs while improving the quality of care. Instead of admitting every time the patient to the brick-and-mortar healthcare system, digital health programs are deployed to the patient as a complement to the traditional system, saving visits and helping professionals to focus on the

patients that are most in need.

"NXN’s leadership in the region has been instrumental in providing readily deployable solutions for Smart Cities and Districts, enabling clients across the region to leverage innovative services in their

We are very excited about the partnership and the launch of advanced digital healthcare programs with Tactio by using our digital transformation platform that enables the development and roll out of digital health services in a structured and cohesive way."

digital transformation journey.

Empowered by its Zain partnership, NXN understands the value of shaping a digital future for today’s patients that have all become digital consumers. We are glad that NXN is now focusing on digitizing healthcare services and selected Tactio as the digital health platform to make it happen” said Michel Nadeau, CEO of Tactio Health Group.

“We are very excited about the partnership and the launch of advanced digital healthcare programs with Tactio by using our digital transformation platform that enables the development and roll out of digital health services in a structured and cohesive way. We believe this will enhance healthcare and provide a more engaging and result driven healthcare service to patients across the region" says Ghazi Atallah, CEO, NXN.

Figure 1 - NXN / TACTIO Patient-centered digital health platform @tahawultech

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Game changer Mamoun Abdullah, channel head of ZyXel, highlights how the firm is positioned to enable high quality connectivity to consumers and enterprises.

Mamoun Abdullah, channel head of ZyXel

How does your organisation’s technology help to enable an innovative culture in organisations that consume it?

ZyXEL’s award-winning product – the Multy X AC3000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi System allows customers to blanket their home in seamless Wi-Fi, allowing multiple devices to remain connected even as you manouevre throughout your home. The Multy X Wi-Fi system supports the 802.11ac Wi-Fi network standard and supports tri-band connectivity with one 5 GHz band dedicated to network backhaul, while the other 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies support end user connections.

Wireless devices can take advantage of enhanced Wi-Fi speeds of up to 3000 Mb/s

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thanks to MU-MIMO technology, giving you the power to stream multimedia content on your tablet, game on your laptop, and download large files all at the same time. If a wired connection is required, the Multy X comes equipped with three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and a single Gigabit Ethernet WAN port providing a fast, reliable wired connection.

What does innovation mean to your organisation?

Innovation to me is when a

An innovation is not just a change but a game changer.”

change or update is made to something that already exists, but it dramatically improves its efficiency, productivity or outcome. Whether it’s an improvement to a system, product, service, curriculum, an innovation is not just a change but a game changer.

Is innovation a question of doing more with less, or does it demand high investment?

It requires investment but in the long run it is a case of paying less for more benefits from innovative technologies.

Do organisations in the Middle East have the luxury of being able to work on innovationdriven projects?

Yes, most of the organisations

in Middle East believe in change for better results. Our tailormade solutions help clients in achieving their technical objectives.

Are organisations in the Middle East waking up to the need to innovate or face being put out of business?

The Middle East is becoming renowned as a technology hub, with the United Arab Emirates one of several nations focusing strongly on technological innovation. A number of key initiatives put into motion by the federation of emirates look set to drive technology, with digital transformation taking off in key sectors including government, banking, transportation and healthcare. www.tahawultech.com

WESTERN DIGITAL POWERS AI-ENABLED STORAGE FOR FUTURISTIC SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a global leader in data storage, showcased its expanded range of AI-enabled edge to core surveillance solutions through its ‘Beyond Surveillance’ campaign at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai. Located at Sheikh Rashid Hall, booth SR-E6, the twostorey booth presented a full range of the latest WD Purple surveillance range as well as hero products from the company’s WD and SanDisk brands.

The video surveillance market in the Middle East is growing and this in turn puts the spotlight on storage solutions that support the exponential growth in surveillance data and footage. According to IDC, the amount of data generated by surveillance solutions is expected to grow by 25% per year through 20221 globally.

As the surveillance industry moves to higher-resolution cameras and new applications requiring real-time analytics, WD’s full edge-to-core surveillance portfolio shifts focus from ‘seeing’ to safety and insights.

Built around the themes of capture, store and analyze, WD has launched three key new products for the Middle East Market at GITEX 2018: the WD Purple MicroSD card (Capture); the WD Purple12TB HDD (Store), and the enterprise class WD Ultrastar 14TB (Analyze). The new WD Purple MicroSD card comes with 24/7 video recording capabilities for up to two years of continuous use. It is also built for endurance, being able to withstand the toughest of weather conditions, and even function seamlessly at extreme temperatures of -25 degrees to 85 degrees. The WD Purple 12TB HDD is a surveillance-class drive with purposebuilt Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities that support real-time detection of AItriggered events at the point of capture with continuous background learning in

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emerging DVR and NVR systems with AI capabilities. It comes with support for up to 64 cameras and Deep Learning technology.

The UltraStar HDD is targeted at Enterprise solutions and has 10 times the workload capacity of the regular desktop drives and also includes Deep Learning technology.

Speaking at the event, Khwaja Saifuddin, Senior Sales Director, Middle East at Western Digital Corporation said, “Several countries in the Middle East are investing in the latest safe city technology innovations to keep their cities safe and secure. Video surveillance is a huge part of this technology and as it expands and evolves into a more intelligent science, so must storage. Beyond Surveillance is the latest campaign from WD that focuses on complementing modern surveillance technology with powerful storage solutions. Our WD Purple portfolio supports the capture of multiple high resolution video streams while simultaneously assessing recorded video to support deep learning and analytics such as facial or object recognition or traffic heat maps.”

At GITEX 2018, Western Digital is also showcasing flagship products from WD and SanDisk. For example, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD, a rugged and tough SSD that is capable of taking on rain, splashes, spills and dust, while still delivering 550MB/s read speeds and a 2TB storage option. Also on display is the SanDisk 400GB UHS-I microSD card that gives Android users a whole new mobile experience, with faster performance and read speeds. Visitors to the Western Digital stand can also view the recently launched super-fast Black NVME SSD; the WD Blue, Green and Black SSD drives; and the diverse range of SanDisk mobile storage solutions including the iXpand and Dual Drive storage solutions for iOS and Android phones.

INTEGRATORS TO GET ADVANCED VIDEO SOLUTIONS FROM MINDWARE FOLLOWING DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH IDIS

An extensive distribution agreement was signed between IDIS and value-added IT distributor Mindware, which will make it easier for IT/network integrators across the Middle East and Africa to deliver advanced video surveillance projects.

The deal means that from now onwards, Mindware can offer their channel partners a single supply route for high-level video surveillance installations and turnkey applications, covering both IT and security by IDIS the largest manufacturer of security and surveillance technology in South Korea and a globally recognized leader in advanced surveillance innovation.

“The distribution agreement with Mindware substantially extends IDIS’s reach across the region and opens an essential sales channel to specialist IT network integrators”, confirmed Harry Kwon, the General Manager of IDIS Middle East and North Africa.

“Integrators who already deliver successful IT network projects will particularly love our DirectIP® offering because it is a genuinely plug-and-play video solution. It is easy to work with and ideal for all commercial-grade security applications,” Mr. Kwon added.

In addition to DirectIP, IDIS’s full range of surveillance solutions will now be available across the Middle East and Africa through Mindware. This includes the company’s line-up of award-winning IP cameras and NVRs, as well as the IDIS Solution Suite modular video management software.

“This is advanced IP video technology with the complexity removed and backed by full technical support across the region and it is now supplied by the most trusted distributor,” added Mr. Kwon.

“For Network, IT and Communications integrators the availability of IDIS video technology is a one more welcome addition to our top-class vendor portfolio”, agrees Nicholas Argyrides, Chief of Sales & Marketing and Deputy GM at Mindware. “More end-to-end solution offerings by Mindware means, naturally, more value to more end-clients across the region.”

“We are delighted that IDIS plug-and-play video technologies will open up significant new profit opportunities for our customers, allow them to extend the services they propose and compete for projects which often offer higher margins,” Argyrides added. www.tahawultech.com

Pavilion Highlights

La French pavilion Organised by Business, the national agency in-charge of the international development of the French economy.

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Stand to watch

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Stand to watch

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STC Solutions signs MoU with F5 Networks to offer customers Web Application Firewall services STC Solutions has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with F5 Networks to deliver Web Application Firewall (WAF) services to STC customers in Saudi Arabia.

Announced at GITEX Technology Week, the partnership will help STC customers to securely scale operations while coping with an intensifying cybersecurity threat landscape and Saudi Vision 2030 demands.

F5’s WAFs monitor and block HTTP/S traffic to and from web applications for protection against malicious attempts to compromise systems or exfiltrate data. The solutions encompass attacks such as cross-site scripting, SQL injections, cookie poisoning, Layer 7 DoS, web scraping, brute force and credential stuffing.

The announcement follows on from F5 recently being named a Leader in the Forrester Wave™:

Web Application Firewalls, Q2 2018 report.

“Attack surfaces are rapidly expanding as businesses look to scale and take advantage of cloud-based technologies,” said Mr. Fahad AlJutaily, Vice President, Cybersecurity, STC Solutions.

“F5 Networks is a longstanding and trusted partner with an exceptional track record in the WAF space. Together, we can offer

a powerful and increasingly vital range of solutions to help safeguard Saudi organisations’ futures, as well as elevate their ability pioneer new services. This will be particularly important as we accelerate our support for major digital transformation initiatives associated with Saudi Vision 2030.”

Key technologies set to make an impact under the agreement include the F5® Silverline® Web Application Firewall, which is a cloud-based service featuring 24x7x365 support from highly specialized security experts. The solution is available as a fully managed service for comprehensive and customized app protection, or as an express self-service for rapid deployment of expertly maintained policies.

The partnership also entails giving STC customers access to F5’s recently launched Advanced WAF™ (AWAF) service using

a variety of consumption and licensing models. The technology helps SecOps better collaborate with modern DevOps and NetOps teams to easily deploy application protection services in any environment. Its holistic approach to application security reduces management complexity, decreases OpEx, and efficiently delivers services to neutralize attacks.

“STC Solutions has a hugely impressive history working with organizations to ensure they can securely scale at speed and with optimal freedom to innovate,” said Diego Arrabal, VP – Middle East, Turkey & Africa, F5 Networks “We are delighted to once again partner with STC Solutions to make a genuine difference, and jointly bring to market industryleading cybersecurity solutions that protect against application exploits, deter bots and, crucially, reduce costs in the cloud.”

Gateway Digital now in Dubai, launched at GITEX 2018 Gateway Digital, a Gateway Group Enterprise, has launched its services in Dubai at the biggest technology show in MENA & South Asia - GITEX 2018. Gateway Digital’s team of business leaders are participating in the event and have showcased the digital transformation capabilities to build a digital future of the enterprises.

With its connected automotive solutions, digital logistics services, 24*7 cybersecurity services, location-based intelligence for customer connect, intelligent staffing solution, and smart product engineering services, Gateway Digital’s team of experts is all equipped to help businesses experience the future of digital now.

As business transformation exwww.tahawultech.com

perts since 1997, Gateway Group has created a niche in Europe and the US markets in 8 disruptive segments through technology platforms and services. Our vision now is to seek alliances with tech and business partners who are looking to expand their business and grow in the MENA region.

“The technology, intelligence, and digital transformation capabilities are foundations for facilitating digital infrastructure to achieve a sustainable future.

Gateway Digital empowers businesses through consulting, core modernization services and digital touch points to create insightbased business models for a digital brand “, says Rahul Ganatra, Group Chief Executive-EMEA.

The technology, intelligence, and digital transformation capabilities are foundations for facilitating digital infrastructure to achieve a sustainable future. Gateway Digital empowers businesses through consulting, core modernization services and digital touch points to create insight-based business models for a digital brand. “ @tahawultech

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Outside the box Mario M. Veljovic, general manager of VAD Technologies believes that looking after partner needs is paramount, and that GITEX serves as a great platform to foster relationships.

Give a brief overview of VAD Technologies.

VAD Technologies is an established IT and technology value added distributor, headquartered in Dubai. We cater for enterprise and SME markets through a strong channel footprint across Middle East and North Africa, and deliver world-class technology products and solutions to transform the IT landscape.

they should meet. Partners should look out for new disruptive and innovative solutions this GITEX. Do your research before stepping into the show.

What is the company’s primary objective at GITEX? For VAD, it’s all about strengthening our existing relationships with vendors and partners, as well as building many new ones. GITEX is the key event of the year for the ICT industry and for all that are actively involved.

Is innovation a question of doing more with less, or does it demand high investment?

It’s about thinking out of the box and spending quality time with partners to understand where real value can be added. But yes, ultimately great innovations will help to drive faster ROI and lower TCO.

What does innovation mean to your organisation?

Innovation for VAD means constantly striving for ways to add value to our partners and help achieve their business goals.

How does GITEX continue to be a relevant platform?

As most of the key senior executives are in town, GITEX still remains a key venue to finalise new agreements and seek more investment into the region’s channel ecosystem.

Do organisations in the Middle East have the luxury of being able to work on innovationdriven projects?

I would rather see innovation-driven projects as a necessity to stay relevant to our business Partners.

How should partners ensure GITEX is successful for them?

GITEX helps to build new relationships, but as it grows year on year, everyone should have a clear plan of what to see and who

Are organisations in the Middle East waking up to the need to innovate or face being put out of business?

Absolutely, it’s a necessity to stay relevant to our business partners.

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Mario M. Veljovic, general manager of VAD Technologies

Great innovations will help to drive faster ROI and lower TCO.” www.tahawultech.com