Computer News Middle East November 2014

strategic ICT partner

issue 274 | november 2014 WWW.CNMEONLINE.COM

big

ICT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2014 Trust issues Storing data on

the cloud

ambitions

chink in the armour

Huawei steps up enterprise play with diverse project portfolio

PLUS:

under-sea cables

Identifying weak pionts

|

internet of things

|

si market boom

|

big data

Bound to Wi-Fi only?

Roam free with Business Traveller Packs Introducing Business Traveller Packs, your data travel pass that helps you conduct business and roam over 63 countries at affordable prices. Roam for the whole month without any worries by choosing your data roaming pack from as low as AED 60 and get up to 10GB!

Your business grows with us

800 5800 I Etisalat Business etisalat.ae/businesstravellerpacks

EDITORIAL

True value

Jeevan Thankappan Group Editor Talk to us: E-mail: jeevan.thankappan@ cpimediagroup.com

GROUP Chairman and founder Dominic De Sousa GROUP CEO Nadeem Hood

The fifth edition of ICT Achievement Awards was record-breaking in terms of both nominations and attendance. Ever since we solicited applications beginning July this year, we received more than 350 entries, almost double from last year. Once the application phase ended, all the nominations were vetted by CNME editors and then divided among our 4-member panel of judges, who pored over the shortlisted entries for and helped us cull the winners from the pack.

As it is with IT, the ICT Achievement Awards continue to evolve, and the judging process itself has become more rigorous. We scrutinised how each company stacked up against others in the pool based two primary criteria – innovation and business value. The companies that were honoured at this year’s awards for creating value using IT come from every industry. Despite years of reined-in budgets, some of these IT organisations have found ways to ensure that technology has a major impact on the business and demonstrated when done right, IT delivers value and boosts the bottom line.

Not very surprisingly, the creative use of new technologies such as virtualisation and mobility was a significant feature of this year’s award winners. Many have tapped it to boost business efficiencies and transition from legacy systems to improve efficiencies and productivity.

While organisations have done great things with IT, there are always remarkable people behind these achievements, leaders who see things clearly and then make things happen. This why we have a set of awards that directly honour the people themselves. These IT decision makers have pursued improvements in efficiency and execution, advancing their organisations’ strategic plans and initiatives.

The 2014 ICT Achievement Awards honourees also included vendors and integrators for excellence in their respective fields. Be it the best technical service, the most innovative product, exceptional implementation or best bang for the buck, the companies have changed the way their customers do business or solve technology problems.

Our special thanks go to our panel of judges: Ali Radhi, Head of IT, MBC; Ian Wakeford, MD, DW Consultants, Mohammed Shah, Head of IT & Business Solution; AMS Baeshen Company; and Trevor Moore, CIO, Qatar University.

Read on to explore how this year’s winners showcase the transformational value of IT and how these technology visionaries have made the strategic goals of their businesses come true.

strategic ICT partner

issue 274 | november 2014 WWW.CnmeonLine.Com

GROUP COO Georgina O’Hara

Publishing Director Rajashree Rammohan raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9131 Editorial Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9133 Editor Annie Bricker annie.bricker@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9116 Online Editor James Dartnell james.dartnell@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9140 ADVERTISING Senior Sales Manager Michal Zylinski michal.zylinski@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9119 Circulation Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9142 Production and Design Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9136 Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9132 DIGITAL SERVICES Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy P Maagma Web Developer Jefferson de Joya Photographer and Social Media Co-ordinator Jay Colina webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100

Published by

Registered at IMPZ PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409

If you’d like to receive your own copy of CNME every month, log on and request a subscription: www.cnmeonline.com

Printed by Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing

big

iCT ACHieVeMeNT AWArDs 2014 TrusT issues

ambitions

chink in the armour

Huawei steps up enterprise play with many projects in the region

PLUS:

Under-Sea cabLeS

|

Regional partner of

Storing data on the cloud

Combating cyber criminals

internet of thingS

|

Si market boom

|

big data

© Copyright 2014 CPI All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

RaÄąse the bar

release the clo Ericsson’s award winning Connected Vehicle Cloud enables stakeholders in the automotive ecosystem to reach drivers and passengers in new ways.

oud

EDITORIAL Our events

Intertwined IoT

Annie Bricker Deputy Editor Talk to us: E-mail: annie.bricker@ cpimediagroup.com

IT has changed the way we interact with the world in almost every way imaginable.

From the way we make purchases and track inventory with ERP systems, to our expectations of Wi-Fi when we travel and even the way we order food after a long hard day at work. Every single moment of our days are touched by technology.

Now, we are taking IT to the next level. At the moment it seems like everyone is chattering about the Internet of Things. Machine-to-machine communication is no longer something in the distant future, but a reality that we are beginning to live. Pass by a cinema, and chances are your phone will ping you with an offer on two-for-one tickets. Enter a shop, and it is likely you will receive an SMS with an offer on goods. Perhaps it is not happening on the level that analysts predicts it eventually will, but we are undoubtedly in the midst of IoT. Machines-to-machine communication may well make our lives more convenient. When you run out of milk, your refrigerator will contact your grocery store and your next cup of freshly-made tea will never be far away.

Soon, you won’t have to even open the app on your device – the system at your local curry joint will just alert the employees there that it’s Tuesday, and you are likely going to order your weekly Butter Chicken.

Perhaps more notably, IoT is going to change the way we communicate with our government agencies. At this year’s GITEX Technology Week the government of Dubai laid out its plans to enable citizens to work with and respond to government activities from transportation to finance. In the future, traffic lights can monitor the flow of traffic, and adjust their timings to maximise efficiency.

All of this agile communication will need a brand-new infrastructure. At this month’s Infrastructure Strategies event, hosted by CNME, we learned about the ways in which companies from hotels to waste management are ripping and replacing their legacy systems to support the new ways in which we handle our information.

Only time, and likely a good deal of trial and error, will tell what is coming in regard to M2M communication and IoT. I can only imagine, as we standardise how devices communicate with each other, that we will run in to a few bumps in the road (not to worry, it's likely that a traffic light may have already noticed said bumps and reported them to the authorities).

My first GITEX truly shed some light on what will be possible in this new, wireless and agile world. We may have to learn some new tricks, but one this is for certain – it is going to be an interesting ride.

Big Data

Symposium

Our online platforms

Our social media

facebook.com/computernewsme

twitter.com/computernewsme

6

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

linkedin.com/in/computernewsme

Our Strategic Partners

Contents

Strategic ICT Partner

Strategic Technology Partner

Strategic Innovation Partner

ISSUE 274 | november 2014

22

sage strategy

Driving change

34

ICT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2014

10 Infrastructure Strategies 2014

A diverse collection of esteemed speakers highlighted the importance of modern IT infrastructure at CNME’s annual event.

14 Dell on SDN

CIOs joined Dell representatives to discuss the potential and pitfalls of software-defined networking.

26 Digital Dose

We talk to Thumbay Group CIO Vignesh Unadkat, who is relishing the challenge of multiple disciplines.

74 8

Security: weak point

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

82

60 Everything connected

The Internet of Things will transform lives around the world, but the trend will require tweaking of existing architectures 64 Different ball game

With Systems Integrators’ services seeing a boom in demand, we can expect a shift from the traditional role of an SI. 68 Public paranoia

Public cloud has a number of clear benefits, but mistrust surrounds the trend. We look at its pros and cons.

28 High tech health

Due to open in 2015, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has set the bar for first class patient experience through the adoption of leading technology.

78 Undersea cables

99 percent of international communications pass through unseen wires that sit on seabeds around the world. We look at the technologies that keep the planet connected.

32 Foundation for communication

Construction firm ALEC needed a solution for faster decision making, so set on a journey to design an intranet portal that could unify the business.

84 R&M

CNME sat down with cabling firm R&M’s CEO Michel Riva, who is celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary, and has confidence for its solutions in the ME market.

www.cnmeonline.com

if You can dream it.

We can Print it.

TASKalfa 5551ci SerieS

Finally an output solution to inspire creativity

The new KYOCERA TASKalfa 5551ci series impresses with innovative toner technology. Its professional colour management function ensures that all printed documents are accurate and consistent and have stunning vibrant colours. More colour management with ICC-colour profiles and higher productivity can be achieved with an optional EFI Fiery® controller. With high-speed operation, impressive media flexibility and versatile finishing options you can create perfect documents in any format. These TASKalfa are equipped with our renowned long life technology components offering unmatched reliability to save you time, money and energy – which you can use for your creative ideas instead.

For more information please contact: KYOCERA Document Solutions Middle East | P.O. Box 500817, Dubai, U.A.E | Tel: +9714 4330 412 | Fax: +9714 4231 944 KYOCerA Document Solutions europe B.V. – www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.eu KYOCerA Document Solutions inc. – www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.com

in depth Infrastructure Strategies

Charting a new course CNME's Infrastructure Strategies 2014 brought together some of the top thought-leaders from the industry to talk about the latest trends and technologies.

O

n October 27th, some of the best minds in Middle Eastern IT gathered at the Address Marina hotel for CNME’s Infrastructure Strategies forum. More than a series of lectures, the four speakers and subsequent panel of experts showcased current infrastructure creation and management strategies and sought to shed some light on this ever-changing subject.

To be as competitive as possible more organisations today are creating agile infrastructure, which promises the ability to scale IT resources up and down to rapidly meet changing user and customer needs, reduce costs and help bring new products and services to the market. A solid IT infrastructure is a key building block for agility. Done right, it can

10

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

increase efficiencies and reliability. As business environments become less predictable, where cycles are shorter, quicker refreshes are required, creating agile infrastructure is more important than ever.

This year’s Infrastructure Strategies forum featured speakers that have addressed large scale infrastructure changes in a variety of industries – from hospitality to waste management.

How these professionals have integrated new technologies into their legacy systems to address the needs of their end-users highlights the many of ways that agile, modern infrastructure can streamline and improve business.

First to take the stage was Wissam Mattout, Head of IT Infrastructure, Nextcare.

Nextcare provides third-party administration

www.cnmeonline.com

for healthcare organisations, and as such is part of one of the fastest changing industry verticals. Mattout has seen firsthand how the role of the CIO is evolving in light of changes in IT infrastructure. “The role of the CIO has completely changed - now responsibilities of the CIO are on the board level,” said Mattout.

Following Mattout, Mehmet Akdeniz, Director of IT and AV, Emirates Palace, came to discuss the rapidly changing IT infrastructure in the hospitality industry. The hotel, often a temporary home to presidential dignitaries and their guests, are challenged with maintaining IT security, while providing services to a clientele with ever-increasing IT needs. “In 2012 we had to readdress the IT/AV infrastructure and take on a number of improvement projects,”

in depth Infrastructure Strategies

recounted Akdeniz. As to how hospitality infrastructure will change in the future - “Our future investments will be defined by the characteristics of our guests.”

Amin Al Zarouni, Head of ICT, Beea’h, then joined to discuss IT in urban waste management.

Bee’ah’s cutting-edge infrastructure has allowed the waste management company to take its operations to the next level. To do that, the company needed an agile, scalable infrastructure.

“This an industry that grows fast. We need to make sure that our solutions are going to cloud,” said Al Zarouni.

Last, but not least, V Suresh from Jumbo Electronics took the stage with a case study on building an agile back-end infrastructure to meet business goals. Widely known for its consumer goods, many overlook the fact that Jumbo is a leading enterprise IT provider. “Our enterprise division must keep infrastructure agile and scalable,” said Suresh.

Following these invaluable local case studies, a panel of vendor experts joined the stage for an audience interactive panel discussion. The panel included Werner Heeren, RSD, Fluke Networks; Ammar Ennaya, General Manager, Middle East, Aruba Networks; Omar Atabani, Director of Foundstone Services – EMER, Intel Security; Spencer Mitchell, Senior Manager Global System Integrators, Brocade and; Shanoy Sandeep, Associate Vice President, Spire Solutions. The panel fielded questions from the audience on the challenge of dealing with legacy systems, the regional adoption rates of Infrastructure-as-a-Service, as well as BYOD and security. The panel then took a series of questions on emerging trends in the infrastructure market.

12

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

in depth Dell Roundtable

Road to simplicity As a prelude to CNME’s fifth annual ICT Achievement Awards, Dell partnered with CPI to host a roundtable discussion on Software-Defined Networking. Chief Information Officers from a range of verticals gathered to share their thoughts on the futuristic technology.

14

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

“In a word, I want ‘simplicity’ from SDN. It’s important that SDN can allow us to virtually move networks and still have capacity planning.

It’s essential to provision services as quickly as possible. We require direct services, and that is what the introduction of SDN has to bring.”

Prasanna Rupasinghe, Director of Information Technology, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates

C

IOs across the region are already feeling the benefits of SDN, with faster network provisioning and orchestrating, reduced management time and the risk of human error, along with the faster deployment of applications, services and infrastructure. Nonetheless, CNME’s SDN roundtable drew a range of cautious attitudes from attendees, who were keen to ensure the technology was tried and tested before they made the final pushes into adoption.

Prasanna Rupasinghe, Director of Information Technology, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, set the tone for the discussion by summarising what he expected from the technology. “In a word, I want ‘simplicity’ from SDN,” he said. “It’s important that SDN can allow us to virtually move networks and still have capacity planning. At Kempinski we have different

clients coming into the premises every day, so it’s essential to provision services as quickly as possible. We require direct services, and that is what the introduction of SDN has to bring.”

As with any technology that can bring increased business benefit in this day and age, SDN brings added complexity, which could invite security risks. Devender Manral, Chief Information Officer, NMC Healthcare, was eager to highlight potential hazards, “I think a main concern for a large number of us is what exactly is going on from a security and performance perspective,” he said. “It is essential that the necessary dashboards can provide realtime insights into the network.”

Ajay Rathi, Head of IT, Meraas Holding, echoed these sentiments, “Until enterprises have some sort of reassurance on a number of fronts then I think it is difficult for us to make the leap

www.cnmeonline.com

to SDN,” he says. “It may seem like a negative approach but IT leaders have an obligation to be vigilante and do their due diligence when it comes to implementing new technologies.”

Although the Middle East has been on the heels of the U.S. and Europe in terms of technology development, there remains an understandable skepticism throughout large parts of the IT industry when it comes to adopting new technology. Hussam Alnowais, Director of IT, twofour54, flew the flag for adopting a more prudent approach, “Until the concept of SDN matures, I don’t believe regional adoption will be that high,” he said. “Personally, I want to see the technology establish a proven track record. I’m a small fish; I don’t manage the IT for a large corporation, so I want to see ideas tried and tested, with proven maturity and standards. At the moment SDN lacks all these things, and until I see them I can’t take the risk of adopting it.”

Shabbir Ahmad, Regional Sales Director, Networking, EMEA Emerging Countries, Dell, framed SDN as a technology that would require patience but would make in time make its mark.

“With SDN it’s maybe an issue of time, and getting reliability in the market,” he said. “We don’t see it as complex or expensive; customers who are adopting private and public clouds are seeing huge benefits, they can easily provision bandwidth and storage.”

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

15

short takes Month in view

HP set to split off PC, printer business

Abu Dhabi’s GlobalFoundries takes on IBM semiconductor unit IBM will sell the semiconductor technologies unit that makes its Power processors to Abu Dhabi-owned GlobalFoundries, paying the chip manufacturer about US$1.3 billion to take two factories off its hands in a move to erase losses.

Under the deal, GlobalFoundries will take over IBM’s existing semiconductor manufacturing operations and facilities in East Fishkill, New York, and Essex Junction, Vermont.

IBM is now expected to pay GlobalFoundries $1.5 billion in cash over the next three years.

IBM will still invest $3 billion over five years in semiconductor technology research, the results of which GlobalFoundries will have “primary” access to.

As part of the deal, GlobalFoundries will become IBM’s exclusive server processor provider for 22 nanometer, 14nm and 10nm chipsets for the next 10 years. IBM sold its x86 servers to Lenovo, but kept System z mainframes, Power Systems and Power-based Flex servers.

GlobalFoundries is based in Silicon Valley and has about 13,000 employees.

It is owned by Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), which is a part of the Abu Dhabi government’s Mubadala Development investment arm.

WHAT’S HOT?

Reversing the corporate strategy CEO Meg Whitman set three years ago, HewlettPackard is set to announce that it will split off its PC and printer business into a separate, publicly traded company.

In 2011, she decided not to spin off the PC business, saying PCs were key to longterm relationships with customers.

With HP’s PC business coming off a strong quarter, it might be the right time for the move. Combined, HP’s PC and printing

Microsoft phases out Nokia brand Microsoft is officially phasing out the Nokia brand name, following a post on Nokia France’s Facebook page saying that the account will soon change its name to “Microsoft Lumia.”

Samsung to invest $14 billion in new plant

Samsung Electronics is investing $14.7 billion in a new South Korean chip plant.

The company will begin construction of the new fabrication facility – encompassing an area of 790,000 square metres – with operations starting in the second half of 2017.

A decision has not been taken yet on what type of chips will be manufactured at the new facility.

16

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

operations contributed 50 percent of the company’s quarterly net revenue of $27.6 billion.

PC revenue was up 12 percent year over year during the quarter. Though printer sales declined, it is a particularly profitable business, generating operating profit of $1.03 billion compared to the PC unit’s $346 million. Sales for all other business segments, hurt by softness in software and services, declined 2 percent.

www.cnmeonline.com

Nokia France’s Twitter account linked to the post as well, and Microsoft confirmed that other countries will follow the same rebranding steps.

Microsoft acquired Nokia’s device business in April for $7 billion.

Lenovo completes Motorola Mobility acquisition Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.91 billion has been completed.

The acquisition of the Motorola brand and Motorola’s portfolio of smartphones such as Moto X, Moto G, Moto E and the DROIDTM series, as well as the future Motorola product roadmap, positions Lenovo as the world’s third largest maker of smartphones.

EMC unveils hybrid cloud solution Storage vendor EMC has unveiled a new hybrid Cloud solution integrating hardware, software and services from EMC and VMware and Microsoft.

The solution enables IT-as-a-Service in as few as 28 days, according to a company statement.

The EMC Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Solution features access to a service catalogue of automated data services, and interoperability with public cloud services

built on VMware vCloud Air, Microsoft Azure, AWS and other EMC-powered cloud service providers.

It can also be built on VCE Vblock Systems and EMC VSPEX reference architectures for accelerated deployment.

In 2015, EMC plans to offer the EMC Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Solution built with Microsoft and OpenStack technology.

EMC’s solution for the Microsoft Cloud Platform will be designed to enable

Twitter, IBM form analytic apps partnership IBM and Twitter have announced a partnership that will merge Twitter’s massive flows of social media data with Big Blue’s analytics software, including Watson.

The partnership will involve three major components, according to the announcement.

Firstly, IBM will use Twitter data streams for cloud services such as Watson Analytics, Watson Developer Cloud and its Bluemix Platform-as-a-Service.

Twitter and IBM are also planning to collaborate on enterprise applications aimed at helping businesses make smarter decisions.

The initial release will combine Twitter data with IBM’s customer experience software, ExperienceOne. IBM’s consulting arm will work along with Twitter on industry-specific products for areas such as retail, banking and travel.

The IBM deal “has been years in the making,” starting when Twitter first made its tweets available to be analysed, Twitter said in a blog post.

customers to integrate their on-premises EMC storage solutions and Windows Server Hyper-V infrastructure with Microsoft Azure, in order to deploy and manage applications and workloads across hybrid environments.

EMC is also introducing new professional and educational services designed to help customers quickly implement the EMC Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Solution within their IT environment.

Cisco, Acer join Intel-backed IoT standards group The Open Interconnect Consortium has announced it has gained 27 new members, including Cisco Systems, Acer and chip maker Mediatek.

The group’s founding members include Intel, Samsung Electronics and Dell.

The group says its mission is to ensure that devices such as wearables, remote controls, appliances and handsets can easily communicate and exchange information regardless of operating system, form factor or service provider.

China Huaxin buys alcatel-lucent enterprise Alcatel-Lucent has announced that it has closed the sale of its subsidiary AlcatelLucent Enterprise to China Huaxin Post & Telecommunication Economy Development Center for a fee of around $254 million.

As previously announced, Alcatel-Lucent will retain a 15% minority stake in the communications and networking solutions business, as well as maintaining a commercial relationship with it in support of its growth

Microsoft ‘almost’ concludes largest job cuts in its history Microsoft has initiated a third round of job cuts that “almost” concludes its plan to eliminate 18,000 positions.

The company announced in July that it would let go about 14 percent of its workforce, the largest set of job cuts in its history, saying it would carry out the cuts over the course of its fiscal year, which ends in June of next year.

ambitions under new ownership.

The divestment of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise forms part of Alcatel-Lucent’s commitments under its Shift Plan, launched in June 2013, to refocus itself as a specialist in IP, Cloud and Ultra-Broadband Access, while realigning its balance sheet, implementing cost savings of €1 billion and generating at least €1 billion through selective asset sales by the end of 2015.

Google parts with former Android chief

WHAT’S NOT?

Andy Rubin, the former head of the company’s Android business and the current head of its robotics arm, has parted ways with Google.

A Google spokesperson declined to say how his departure might affect Google’s robotics efforts.

After founding Android and joining Google, Rubin acted as a senior vice president in charge of Android for about eight years.

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

17

Find us online

www.cnmeonline.com

Features: The French connection

Read more online

http://bit.ly/1uz3LOh

The evolution of CRM

Analysis: Dynamic defence

Read more online

http://bit.ly/1GrXgk6

Eastern promise

www.cnmeonline.com Read more online

http://bit.ly/1uyP9it

Insight:

Case studies: Paper chase

Gartner identifies top strategic 2015 tech trends

Read more online

http://bit.ly/1u2kJTN

CNME Tweets:

follow us at Twitter.com/computernewsme ComputerNewsME http://www. cnmeonline.com/news/twitter-ibmform-analytic-apps-partnership/ …

Twitter, IBM announce analytics deal @IBMMEA http://bit.ly/1x5NkKc 12:09 AM - 30 Oct 2014 · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · More

Read more online

Read more online

Generation UX: Transforming business software

All systems go

http://bit.ly/1u2kLLo

http://bit.ly/1tf8RZE

Lee Miles, Regional Director, Middle East & India, Infor

Read more online

Computer News Middle East

12:42 AM - 27 Oct 2014 · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · More

ComputerNewsME Mehmet Akdeniz, from Emirates Palace takes the stage to discuss gigabit wireless for network connectivity. #infrastrat #computernewsme http://bit.ly/10qoAhz 12:02 AM - 27 Oct 2014 · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · More

ComputerNewsME http://www. cnmeonline.com/news/abu-dhabisglobalfoundries-buys-1-3-billion-ibmsemiconductor-unit/ … Abu Dhabi’s GlobalFoundries has agreed to take over IBM’s semiconductor operations #ibm #globalfoundries @IBMMEA http://bit.ly/1xhkJP1

Read more online

http://bit.ly/1vMBpLV

18

ComputerNewsME “We enjoy working with SMEs, because they grow fast and we would like to grow with them,” Al Zarouni #infrastrat2014 #computernewsme http://bit.ly/1Gs0ggm

http://bit.ly/1uyPPo0

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

12:50 AM - 21 Oct 2014 · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · More

Managing your multi-screens is a complex job

Get it done faster and more efficiently with our Cloud Digital Signage Service

800 5800 etisalat.ae/signage

I

Etisalat Business Business Simplified

Managing an entire array of digital screens is a huge job, but it doesn’t have to be thanks to our Cloud Digital Signage Service. Powered by cloud technology, Etisalat mobile broadband service and LG Electronics, it’s the one-stop service that allows you to manage the contents of your digital screen without having to physically go to their locations.

1964

KEY DATES IN MESSAGING HISTORY

1970

1984

1971 The first email is sent by Ray Tomlinson

Fax.com is fined $5.4 million for faxing unsolicited avertisements to consumers

Monty Python’s Spam EU Directive 2002/58EC and the UK “The Pricavy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003” go into effect

2004

2003

2004

2004 A New York man is the first individual to be arressted under CAN-SPAM of 2003

2005

Text (as in texting) is added to the Oxford English Dictionary

2006

The first cellphone goes on sale

The first documented instance of a mass unsolicited commercial telegram

YEARS OF SPAM

FTC announces that spam volume has begun to level off as a result of anti-spam technologies

Monty Python’s Spam sketch debuts

Gmail becomes available worldwide without invitation

2003 CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 becomes law in U.S.

A Florida spammer ordered to pay $11.2 billion to an ISP and banned from using the Internet for three years after sending 280 million email messages

2007

BILL

The first generation iPhone is released on June 29

Facebook is awarded $873 million judgement againts spammers

The “Godfather of Spam” is sentenced to prison for wire fraud, mail fraud and violating the ACN-SPAM act

2007

2008

2009

2008 Hosting provider McColo is cut off by its Internet providers after hosting machines responsible for 75% of spam sent worldwide

2008 MySpace awarded $234 million in damages under CAN-SPAM

In Cyber Promotions vs.

America Online, the District Court of Pennsylvania rules that spam filtering is legal

1992

1994

The first documented instance of a mass unsolicited commercial telegram

1996

1996

1997 Microsoft purchases Hotmail for approximately $400 million

Hotmail - one of the world’s first webmail services- is founded

Realtime Blackhole List - the first network blacklist for filtering spam - debuts

The first Blackberry device, an email pager, was released

“Spam” is added to the Oxford English Dictionary

2002

1999

1998

2000 Spamhaus publishes its first Register of Known Spam Operations

2011 GSMA, a mobile operators association debuts its spam reporting services

1997

EarthLink wins $25 million lawsuit againts notorious spammer, who used the company’s network to send an estimated 1.25 billion junk emails

1997

“Green Card Spam” the fist mass commercial internet spam debuts on Usenet

1998

Yahoo!

Mail launches

Spamhaus - an international organisation that tracks spam - is founded

Heartland Automotive services, a Jiffy Lube franchise, settles for $47 million for sending sms spam

12 individuals agree to pay $2 million in settlements for sending phony gift card SMS spam

2012

2014

2013 The FTC files suits against multiple defendants for sending “Free Gift Card” SMS spam

On April 12, 1994, the first commercial internet spam debuted. As new technologies for communication have emerged and user behaviour has changed, spammers have also evolved to keep pace.

This timeline highlights key technologies that have driven messaging adoption over the past twenty years, how spammers have targeted them, and how the industry and law enforcement have sought to protect users against messaging threads.

Source: CLOUDMARK

CIO Spotlight Faizal Eledath

Sage strategy With over a decade’s experience in the banking industry, Faizal Eledath knows that great results don’t come overnight. The National Bank of Oman Chief Information Officer has learned the value of comprehensively understanding a business and its employees before making rash decisions, and his thorough approach continues to yield consistent results.

22

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

F

or Faizal Eledath, three has always been the magic number.

Via his illustrious international career, he has developed an ethic of patience and precision, which translates into a smoother working environment for his IT teams, and long-term growth and stability for his employers. “The ‘three-year strategy’ defines the way I work,” Eledath says. “I believe it takes time to change an organisation for the better, to define its long term goals. The people driving technology are more important than the technology itself; in my hands a Ferrari is no good, but with a professional driver behind the wheel it’s a different story.”

Raised in Kerala, India, Eledath’s stint at boarding school taught him “The role of humans as social creatures, and the importance of independence.” He moved on to Bharathiar University, where he studied for a degree in Computer Engineering. “The subject was relatively new at the time, but the chance to build applications for the real world was a fantastic experience,” he says.

Eledath then took the bold leap of moving 7,000 miles across the world to study for a Master’s degree in Computer Science Engineering at the University of Alabama in the United States, followed by an MBA at the University of Southern New Hampshire.

He describes the experience as a shock on a number of fronts, “There were a lot of things to get used to in America,” he says. “The culture, the teaching style, the weather! The experience taught me so much, and not just in the classroom. I owe so much to the family who hosted me in Alabama, they showed me the U.S., helped bring me out of my shell and build confidence.”

Eledath returned home for a brief period, before moving to Oman to live with an uncle in 1992, and then began full-time employment as a Systems Analyst at Oman Computer Services.

Two years later, he joined Mashreq Bank in the UAE as a Systems Programmer. He would go on to spend 13 years at the firm, and he swiftly rose to the position of Vice President of Alternate IT Channels. In the role, he was responsible for optimising Mashreq’s bank card system, core banking applications and enterprise architecture. He also oversaw work concerning customer touch points, including telebanking and Internet banking. His spell at the company culminated in a four-year stint as SVP of Technology at the company’s subsidiary Mindscape, where he was largely responsible for working with Customer Relationship Management technology.

“Mashreq spun off part of its IT as a profit centre, and we catered mainly for other financial firms,” he says.

In 2006, Eledath called time on his lengthy Mashreq stay by moving to Dubai Bank as Chief Information Officer. His initial joining period was particularly arduous as the bank was converting its operations from being commercial to fully Islamic. “We had to complete the conversion groundwork in six months, and the actual migration itself could only take one day,” he says. “If we didn’t

“I was adamant that none of my fantastic team would be out of a job. There was inevitably anxiety, but I did my best to keep the team focused and make them understand how they could provide value-adding innovations.” migrate on time we would have instantly lost profits, so we had to work very closely with our vendor ecosystem.” Extra pressure was heaped on Eledath as every product had to be Sharia compliant, and the company board had also decided to close the bank’s card business, potentially risking losing customers. He says the process was tough but hugely beneficial, “The real anxiety was retaining clients. We had to build strong working relationships to make sure we didn’t lose business, but the pressure of the whole experience has undoubtedly made me better at my job.”

Unsurprisingly, after three years in the post, Eledath had established a platform to impart his working idealogy. “By that point I’d really started to gather steam,” he says. “My time covering a lot of strategy elements at Mashreq meant I was equipped for the Dubai Bank role. I designed a three-year strategy for the bank with all its long term capabilities in mind.”

2012 would see another key milestone for Dubai Bank, and for Eledath. A merger with Emirates Islamic Bank was on the cards, and this brought inevitable unease for his team, “None of my team had never been through a merger before, but had heard horror stories,” he says. “I was adamant that none of my fantastic team would be out of a job. There was inevitably anxiety, but I did my best to keep the team focused and make them understand how they could provide value-adding innovations.” Fortunately for Eledath’s IT team, no jobs were lost. He says the experience has hardened him for future adversity, “I believe you grow most when you’re stressed,” he says.

“There’s no way I’d trade that experience having come out the other side.” Following the success of the merger, Eledath was left reporting to Emirates Islamic Bank’s CEO for the final six months of his tenure, until he opted for a change of job, and country.

The opportunity to return south of the UAE border proved too

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

23

CIO Spotlight Faizal Eledath

TIMELINE

1992 Joins Oman Computer Services as a Systems Analyst

1994 Takes on Systems Programmer role at Mashreq Bank

good to turn down in late 2012, and Eledath joined National Bank of Oman as Chief Information Officer. Having recently completed his two-year anniversary in the role, Eledath has carved out yet another opportunity to implement his meticulous working philosophy. “Now more than ever, IT’s role is as a business enabler, not as a barrier,” he says. “I certainly don’t see myself as a technologist, but as a businessman with technical acumen. I want to instill that mentality into my team, to cultivate the DNA of innovation which can meet the aspirations of the business. I want my team to understand the implications for the systems’ end state, infrastructure, and for people. They need to grasp the idea of ‘this is where we are now, but this is where we want to be in the near future.’”

Eledath attributes a strong start at National Bank of Oman not just to the way he has collaborated with his staff, but to the strong channels of communication that exist between all levels of the company. “There is a smooth level of communication between the top and bottom of the company,” he says. “By ensuring that we have a specific frequency of meetings for varying levels of IT, it means that the transmission of ideas is smooth.” He also believes that the ability to translate technology into business value fully displays his team’s work. “As CIO you have to make technology tangible,” he says. “The business has to understand how it will be benefitted by our work. This is ref lected in the board’s support, allowing us to focus 60 percent of our time on new initiatives.”

He also believes that following his first two years in the job, he is now better equipped to serve his customers based on their needs. “There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ in our conversations,” Eledath says. “We’re now in a very strong position to determine which segments we are best suited to. Doing the right things takes time; there’s no good going into a company straight away and rehashing ideas from your old company. Take three months to understand the organisation, and build a picture for the way forward.”

24

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

2006 Left Mashreq for Dubai Bank CIO post

2012 Dubai Bank merges with Emirates Islamic Bank

2012 Joins National Bank of Oman as CIO

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING ON YOUR NETWORK Today’s advanced cyber threats hide in plain sight amidst your network traffic, making them nearly impossible to defend against.

These cyber threats use applications as their infiltration vector, exhibit application-like evasion tactics and they leverage commonly used network applications for exfiltration.

The Palo Alto Networks® 2014 Application Usage and Threat Report exposes the intertwined relationship between cyber attacks and applications using live network data collected from over 5,500 networks worldwide. The report shows you: n

Which applications are the most highly targeted.

n

Which applications are most commonly used to mask malware activity.

n

Which applications are the most vulnerable.

Get your copy now at: go.paloaltonetworks.com/autr

Dubai Internet City Building 16 ground floor office no 19 /Dubai middleeast@paloaltonetworks.com

CIO Spotlight Vignesh Unadkat

digital dose Vignesh Unadkat, Director of IT and Promotions, Thumbay Group, was exposed to computers at an early age. Since then, his zeal for technology has only grown.

This interest has become a passion for him, and a key asset to Thumbay Group.

V

ignesh Unadkat has been interested in computers since his childhood in Mangalore, India. The Director of IT and Promotions for Thumbay Group was exposed to IT at a very young age, as a high school student. At this time, computers in schools – particularly secondary schools – were not very common, and so to some extent, Unadkat was very lucky to have such an experience. “I remember they showed us a supercomputer – a Zenith computer, I remember clearly,” he recalls, “They said that if we were interested in computers, we could take courses and learn.” With that, he says, the instructors gave the students a box of floppy disks, and his passion for technology was born.

In those days, the students were learning simple code and using MS DOS. “We were writing programs in MS DOS, and as I learned, the technology progressed with 2.0 and so on.” After his technology course work in his teenage years, Unadkat was certain that his career future was in IT. In 1989, Unadkat enrolled in Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College of Engineering and Technology, a private engineering college located in Dharwad in the state of Karnataka, India. There, he became involved in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest technical professional association. In 1993, he earned his Bachelors in Engineering, and began his career.

“My story is a little bit unusual,” says Unadkat about his relationship with Thumbay Group. “In fact, one of my first jobs after graduation was setting up technology centres for Thumbay Group in India. I was in Mangalore, assembling computers and laying out the foundations for their computer centres.” At the time, he didn’t realise that he would go on to spend the rest of his career with the company.

In 1999, Thumbay informed Unadkat that they would be opening a health facility in the UAE, and invited him to move to the Gulf. There, he became an Assistant Manager at the newly formed Gulf Medical University. “I will admit that I was a bit nervous,” recalls Unadkat, “We were setting up a new health facility, and it was my first experience doing something like that.” In 2001, he also began work as a lecturer at Gulf Medical University.

Nervous or not, Unadkat was quite successful and in 2005 opted to return back to school to capitalise on his experience with technology in the healthcare industry. He attended Sikkim Municipal University of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences and in 2007 earned his MBA in Information and Technology.

That year also saw Unadkat progress up the ladder at Thumbay, becoming the Assistant Director of the IT Division at Gulf Medical University. In this position, he began to take on promotional responsibilities as well. “I became interested in branding as we began

26

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

TIMELINE building our websites,” he says, “the management recognised that I was especially creative in this aspect, and allowed me to take on the management of branding and promotions.” Since then, he has taken on a number of branding and promotion projects, most visibly as the cocoordinator of Thumbay Group’s Health Magazine.

In 2012, Unadkat was moved up yet again – this time taking on the top position in the IT department as the Director of IT and Promotions.

This year is his 15th with Thumbay Group. “A great deal has changed since I began with the company,” he says. “When I joined, there were only 10 computers. Now we are working on projects that involve linking campus IT infrastructures.” In addition, Unadkat is overseeing a number of upgrades and installations for the company.

“To be honest,” he says, “my role in IT has changed a great deal. Now I think about strategic planning. I am on the phone with vendors, and on the phone with other departments.” Though his days of tinkering with technology have passed, Unadkat still manages to “get under the hood” of a computer every once in a while. “I try to spend one and a half to two hours per week just getting inside and working with things,” he says.

Though he is more often in a boardroom or office than laying cables or setting up computers, Unadkat realises the importance of staying abreast of current IT trends. “People expect me to know what is best for the company in regard to IT. However, they also expect me to tell them what I think of the latest laptop or smartphone. I get personal calls like this quite frequently,” he says. Also, Unadkat clearly enjoys knowing about the latest and greatest in technology – it is obviously his passion, even outside of an office setting.

When asked about his greatest accomplishments at Thumbay Group, Unadkat is modest. “I could not have done anything without the support and trust of our management,” he boasts, “It is amazing to have an administration that truly trusts my judgement and believes that I know what is best.” The president of Thumbay Group, Thumbay Moideen, Unadkat says, understands that technology is a key driver of business.

The trust that the management has placed in him is likely a reason that he has stayed with Thumbay Group these many years. “Because the management has confidence in my projects, I am never bored,” he says, “we are always doing something new – we are always on the cuttingedge,” says Unadkat. This kind of forward-thinking, coupled with the variety of industries that Thumbay Group now works in, keeps the job ever-changing and interesting. In the last decade, Thumbay Group has expanded its operations into a variety of industries – from health spas to coffee shops.

Unadkat advises university students that may want to go into IT to stay passionate about their work. “I think that, no matter what you do, you have to be passionate. If you are interested in what you do, you are sure to succeed,” he says, “You need to work hard as well, but if you are passionate, the hard work will become easier.”

As for his other passions, Unadkat is hard-pressed to think of something outside of technology. “I quite like cricket,” he says, “I used to lead the cricket team here at Gulf Medical University.” Unadkat’s true passion will always be technology, computers and keeping Thumbay Group on the cutting-edge of technology. In an industry that often sees IT professionals move from one company to the next, it seems clear that Unadkat’s 15 years at Thumbay Group are only the beginning.

1983 Attends Saint Aloysius School

1985 Sees first Zenith computer

1988 Earns B.E. from S.D.M College

1991 Moves to UAE

1999 Becomes Assistant Director – IT Department at Gulf Medical University

1999 Becomes Director of IT and Promotions at Thumbay Group

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

27

CASE STUDY CCAD

Healthy Foundations Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi won't see its first patient until 2015.

However, the clinic is already redefining healthcare in the region.

Michael Reagin, CIO, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi explains some of the revolutionary technology and techniques the clinic plans to offer.

28

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

T

he Abu Dhabi landscape has undergone a number of changes over the last couple of years, but perhaps none more striking than the addition of the enormous Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi building. Located on Al Maryah Island, the clinic is in the final stages of construction and is set to open its doors to patients in 2015. Of course, there is a great deal of work to be done to lay a strong foundation before the clinic can open its doors to the first patient.

The 364 - expandable to 490 - bed facility will be an extension of the Cleveland Clinic headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The aim of the Abu Dhabi clinic is to offer the same standard of medical care as their home clinic, while addressing the specific needs of the community in a culturally sensitive context.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is the result of a partnership agreement signed in 2006 between Mubadala Development Company and Cleveland Clinic. It will house five clinic floors, three diagnostic and treatment levels and thirteen floors of critical and acute inpatient units.

The hospital is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, as well as a Four Pearl rating from the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s Estidama Pearl rating system.

As impressive as the exterior of this new health facility is, it is what is slated to be inside that is truly amazing. Not only will Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi be one of the largest medical facilities in the Middle East, it will be one of the most technologically advanced.

Chief Information Officer Michael Reagin heads up the IT team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and is charged with managing the IT infrastructure that will allow the clinic to leverage the latest in health technology and provide world-class care to its patients. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is set to be unparalleled in patient services and the use of technology. “There are a lot of firsts here,” says Reagin, “our levels of automation and integration are more advanced, allowing us to focus on patients and business.”

“The benefit to being a part of the Cleveland Clinic system as well as a Mubadala company,” says Reagin, “is that we can leverage all of the knowledge and business processes of Cleveland Clinic and implement them here.” In this way, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi will be able to provide the world-class healthcare that the Cleveland Clinic system is known for.

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

29

CASE STUDY

The Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi building itself will be Smart, utilising 53 building management systems, and on a truly converged network. Elements such as environmental temperatures and power will be centrally managed. The ability to control building systems in this way will allow for more streamlined management, and will ultimately create a more enjoyable patient experience.

The automated processes, of course, are not limited to building controls. “We are automating every business process possible,” says Reagin, “We are doing away with the traditional rooms of filing cabinets.” The healthcare industry, of course, creates a great deal of records and images, which have, in the past, been collected, stored and archived using paper-based systems.

In an effort to cut down on paper – though they admit that going completely paperless is not exactly realistic – Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi will use the latest in EMR and EHR systems. What sets the medical record keeping systems apart at the new clinic will be the fact that they are completely vendor neutral. “A patient can come to us with their images on a disk, taken from another healthcare provider, and we can archive them in our system,” explains Reagin.

Automation will continue throughout the patient experience. Even the pharmacy will be automated. “We will have a dispensary system that is 95 percent automated,” says Reagin. The clinic boasts an impressive 120 integration points, and even communication will be hands-free utilising Voicera technology.

Mobility will also be an integral part of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s technological landscape. Patient beds will be equipped with a tablet. With it, they will have access to their room’s environmental controls, televisions and even be able to order their meals. In addition, healthcare providers at the clinic will sport chip-enhanced badges.

These badges will allow caregivers to have access to their patient sessions on any device.

Additionally, virtualisation is already an extremely important tool in the belt of the facility. “We are 100 percent virtualised,” says Reagin, “We don’t have to worry about creating additional components and we reduced our power expenses by 30 percent.” To manage all of these components, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi maintains two data centres.

“We have one centre on-site,” says Reagin, “and another Injazat hot site off-premises.”

Cloud computing and virtualisation certainly can create more a more agile infrastructure, however, with sensitive information such as health records, security is always of utmost concern. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has made data security a priority. The clinic will have tight perimeter security and end-point security systems as well as data encryption and IPU single sign-in technology. They will use a defensein-depth approach with multiple data security layers.

With all of this cutting-edge technology in place, one might worry that the patient experience may be compromised. Reagin explains how the clinic will maintain its positive bedside manner – “We have a high level of touch from our caregivers. The technologies that will be

30

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

“We are 100 percent virtualised. We don’t have to worry about creating additional components and we reduced our power expenses by 30 percent.”

Michael Raegin, CIO, Cleveland Clinic

available to our patients to enhance their stay are supplementary – not required. If a patient is unsure as to how to use their tablet, they can still always call a caregiver to assist them. We will provide superior patient care.”

The technology leveraged by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi may be new to some caregivers and physicians at the clinic as well. The chipenabled badges are only one example of how the physician experience may change. Caregivers will also have the ability to video conference with their peers in Ohio in real time. These new systems may require a bit of change for Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi employees. “We have training currently in process,” says Reagin, “and much of our staff has had experience at the Cleveland Clinic facility in Ohio as well.

The new technologies at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi have allowed the administration to rethink the very structure of the IT team.

Instead of one, centralised team with general specialities, each hospital department now has an IT team with training that is unique to that department. “For example,” says Reagin, “the cardiac department has its own cardiac IT team that is versed in the needs of that department.”

The intended result of this new look at team structure will be IT teams that are more specialised and more in contact with their departments.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi promises to be an outstanding addition to the healthcare landscape in the region. With state-of-theart technology and world-class care, the new building is set to house some of the most sought-after care in the Middle East. Not only is the group rethinking how technology is used in healthcare, but also how technology services are provided within the hospital itself. “There is a library of business processes that we are using,” says Reagin. Even before the clinic has opened its doors, it is already setting a new standard for care.

MORE THAN LINUX Infrastructure | IaaS | PaaS | Application development & integration

redhat.com

CASE STUDY ALEC

Building bridges The construction industry is all about progress. With a lack of communication and collaboration between on-the-ground workers and office staff, the ALEC (Al Jaber LEGT Engineering and Contracting) IT team set about establishing a self-service Intranet portal to streamline communications and optimise business processes throughout all levels of the company.

“C

onstruction companies aren’t traditionally good collaborators,” Maisam Zaidi, Head of IT, ALEC, says.

“The management often has a hard time communicating with the large user base, especially when not all employees have IT skills. An aligned workforce is essential, and this also means IT must align with business needs.”

Using Microsoft SharePoint 2013, Zaidi set about designing an

32

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

intranet portal that employees could use to share their concerns, ideas and work needs, as well providing a centralised dashboard for financial results. Initiated in 2012, ‘ALEC Central’ would have to provide company news and updates, a powerful search tool, a self-service application and a knowledgebase.

The dynamic nature of the construction industry necessitated the introduction of the portal, with a constant flow of new projects arriving,

requiring influxes of new staff. These new recruits and existing workers needed fast access to a tool that could provide them with up-to-date information and allow them to offer swift feedback to their employers.

“Most companies grow organically but the construction business is not like that,” Zaidi says. “We needed a tool that could provide top class communication and collaboration between on-site workers – the ones who really matter – and us in the offices, as well as one that could optimise business processes. An aligned workforce was our ultimate aim.”

Agile methodology was central to Zaidi’s plan, meaning his team had to work in “three or four month sprints” to realise immediate benefits for parts of the project. “Stakeholder requirements constantly change, so we required fast completion of certain parameters of the project,” he says. “It’s no good getting a year down the line and finding that the CEO wants something completely different. Business realities change so it was important that we could flexibly move from one aspect to another. We focused on quick wins to prove to our stakeholders that we were adding value, and so we didn’t take on too much too soon and overcomplicate matters.”

In order to ensure that the project translated well to practical aspects of the business, a non-IT-based Project Manager was assigned to the task. “If a technology project is related to the business, it is a business project,” Zaidi says. “It’s better if someone who works in construction can oversee things because they have a better understanding of how the project can impact the business, not just IT. In this sense, the business also has to impact the technology.”

Zaidi was faced with the daunting prospect of key stakeholders rejecting proposals for the project, after the previously installed SharePoint 2007 was deemed a failure by ALEC. “The project hadn’t gone as planned,” he says. “Adoption of the software was relatively low and it was underused.

With hindsight we can say the project was too technology focused; it had not been driven by the business and that was its greatest flaw.” Fortunately Zaidi learned from the team’s previous mistakes and righted their wrongs, “Failure isn’t always bad. As long as you learn lessons and use evidence from the past to persevere then it can be beneficial. This time we used the business case to persuade them; we showed that one app could save a large number of man hours, which translated into returns,” he says.

On a practical level, given that a lot of employees had no access to desktop PCs, it was crucial that ALEC Central could be pushed through to employees mobile devices. As such, integration with iOS and Android operating systems would prove a challenge. Zaidi also says that like any IT project, the portal would receive a degree of employee resistance. “There are always roadblocks with testing,” he says. “There are also always a lot of employees who are not tech-savvy so require a bit more training.”

To ensure that the project “made people part of the ecosystem”, kiosks were installed on construction sites to allow workers access to the portal.

In addition, an awareness campaign was pushed, which included a team of power users who went from site to site explaining the purpose of the project, and ensuring all employees were well trained in using the tool.

Throughout the process, Zaidi ensured that the implementation was tested by business users and stakeholders as well as IT workers. This was to ensure that “fresh perspectives” could be offered on progress, to ensure that objectives were satisfied on both business and technology fronts.

Rolled out in May 2013, the project has proven a success in comparison to the previous SharePoint venture. The completion of eight of the expected 30 parameters in the project has convinced Zaidi that selecting agile methodology has been the right move.

An important aspect of Zaidi’s aim for a smooth communication and collaboration tool was designing a feedback application for company staff. ‘Right ideas’ now offers employees an open-ended means to submit suggestions or give feedback. Zaidi believes a more accessible user interface has increased awareness of the app, “We’re now getting a lot of positive feedback from users,” he says. “In time the amount of suggestions that are put into practice will be the true test of its success.”

A variety of human resource, IT and accounting processes have now been smoothed by the introduction of ALEC Central. Things such as leave requests are now deployed much quicker, with employees able to directly

“Construction companies aren’t traditionally good collaborators.

The management often has a hard time communicating with the large user base, especially when not all employees have IT skills. An aligned workforce is essential, and this means IT must align with business needs.” submit electronic forms via the portal rather than fill in paper requests, which had to be passed from construction worker to site manager to office worker. This in turn has saved the company money on paper costs.

The central dashboard providing financial results and project progress also gives Zaidi’s team a comprehensive overview, of projects, which has facilitated decision making.

By pushing the portal to mobile devices, Zaidi has increased user adoption and enhanced efficiency. “In today’s world, you need to provide mobile access to everything via mobile devices; without that access you reduce your options,” he says. “A lot of users don’t have desktop PCs so that was an added reason why the move was a must. It’s crucial that business processes can be conducted directly on site, and everywhere else for that matter.”

Looking forward, Zaidi says work will continue on the portal to satisfy all 30 of the project’s parameters, which should be completed by mid-2015.

He is confident that ALEC’s commitment to business-IT alignment will serve the business right in the long term, “At ALEC, IT is a business enabler and we focus on empowering our stakeholders via technology,” he says.

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

33

The frontrunners Middle Eastern IT leaders were honoured for playing their part in a year of great progress in regional technology development at CNME’s 5th annual ICT Achievement Awards.

E

very year, CNME celebrates organisations that have made the best use of technology to derive strategic value and maximum benefits for their businesses. Whether ushering existing infrastructure into the new era of requisite agility, or working new technologies successfully into traditional business setups to meaningful ends, the organisations that make it as the winners of ICT Achievement Awards each year serve as inspiration and proof that striking new paths in ICT

34

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

use can yield business and even social rewards.

All of our winners across 24 different categories were selected after a rigorous application and review process by a panel of judges comprising CIOs, academics and consultants. This year’s winners are a heartening reminder of the great things that can be accomplished when determined people put their mind to a task, and harness the full potential of technology.

Panel of judges Ali Radhi, Head of IT, MBC Ali has over 30 years of experience working in the IT industry, and has worked in Iraq, Jordan, New Zealand and Dubai.

Prior to his current role, he has operated a computer supplier and programming company and headed up the network support operations for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

He joined Cisco UAE in 2005, and was responsible for managing a number of high-profile accounts for the networking firm and in 2008 was recruited by his current employer.

Ian Wakeford, MD, DW Consultants Ian has over 20 years of business and IT experience in various senior management roles. His strengths lie in quickly analysing, understanding and delivering viable and costeffective solutions. He has strong technical knowledge in IT and all related practices from mainframe to mobile, and has managed numerous projects in IT, distribution and commercial environments.

Mohammed Shah, Head of IT & Business Solutions, AMS Baeshen Company Mohammed is a recognised IT executive with about 20 years of experience in leading edge IT and change implementation in the Middle East in areas of IT strategy, Smart City IT, ERP, DSS, and IT outsourcing.

Acclaimed as an agent of change with a track record of successfully implementing complex IT and change projects, he is currently leading IT in an FMCG environment.

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Trevor Moore, CIO, Qatar University As the CIO of Qatar University, Trevor is responsible for leading the ITS department and providing leadership to the University on technology. The ITS department is responsible for delivering ITS services to over 20,000 students, faculty and staff.

Computer News Middle East

35

Year: Hu e h t f o r o d Hardware Ven

awei

Though cloud and software options have deflated the enterprise hardware market globally, it has remained firm in the Middle East. Huawei Enterprise, despite being a late entrant, has made deep inroads into the regional enterprise market with solid products and values.

Finalists: Aruba Networks

The Chinese behemoth continued to expand its portfolio by adding enterprise storage systems, BYOD solutions and SDN-enabled network switches. This year, the vendor has extended its Authorised Learning Partner programme to include training on UC and video, cloud, data centres and networking technology. It has also partnered with Enterprise Systems to launch its Online Technical Assistance Centre for customers with immediate technical issues.

Avaya Brocade Dell

Huawei boasts of some impressive implementations across the region including a softwaredefined data centre for the Jumeirah Group, WLAN deployment at Emirates Golf Course, and a cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure system for Saudi’s Technical & Vocational Training Corporation.

F5 Networks Rittal Riverbed

36

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

http://www.datacenterfuture.com/

VMware : r a e Y e h t f Software Vendor o For about the last decade, VMware has been one of the pre-eminent companies ushering in a new era of computing related to virtualisation. The vendor has recently announced new virtualisation, cloud management and integrated OpenStack solutions that advanced its product portfolio for implementing a software-defined data centre, and supporting the dynamic needs of businesses.

Finalists: Nexthink Red Hat

In addition to a complete software stack for managing a software-defined data centre and public cloud infrastructure services (IaaS), the vendor has recently rolled out Horizon FLEX that enables enterprises to centrally provision, manage and secure virtual desktops and applications running locally on Macs and PCs, using policy-based controls to more securely embrace bring your own (BYO) policies.

SAP Symantec Veeam Software

One of its most notable implementations included the National Information Centre in Saudi, which has used VMware vCloud technology for building out a public government cloud environment. This deployment enabled NIC to automate the deployment of cloud workloads based on a self-service portal and a set of pre-defined infrastructure and platform services.

38

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

We not only provide core technology,

we provide confidence.

THE CRITICAL DATA STORAGE CHALLENGE Data is crucial to an enterprise’s operation. The problem is that long-term operation of key storage systems at high loads often results in slower response from the system and an increased risk of downtime. So how do you choose a reliable storage system that ensures the robust storage of data and the enterprise's smooth operation?

A BETTER WAY HUAWEI OceanStor 18000 SERIES ENTERPRISE STORAGE SYSTEM

Safe and trustworthy, flexible and efficient, ensuring the reliable storage of critical data

Huawei OceanStor 18000 Series Enterprise Storage System is designed to support the smooth operation of the core business of an enterprise. The system’s high performance, high reliability and low latency ensure that core business processes remain online and receive rapid service from the storage system.

• High reliability: 20 times faster data recovery and 99.9999% usability of recovered data ensure core business reliably online.

• High performance: Millions of IOPS and performance twice the industry standard will easily cope with the deluge of data over the next 10 years.

• High efficiency: Microsecond response time with up to 10 times faster response to business systems, increases the quality and efficiency of services.

To find out more,, please visit: enterprise.huawei.com

HUAWEI OceanStor 18000 Series Enterprise Storage System Huawei OceanStor 18000 Series Enterprise Storage System With Intel® Xeon® processor Intel, the Intel logo, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

For more information, please search Huawei OceanStor 18000 Series

rend Micro T : r a e Y e h Security Vendor of t Finalists: BlackBerry

Fortinet

Palo Alto Networks

Cyberoam

InfoWatch

Secunia

ESET

Kaspersky Lab

Symantec

ear: Dell Storage Vendor of the Y Finalists: Hitachi Data Systems

Symantec

NetApp

40

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

The ubiquity of security threats has led organisations to realise that traditional security approaches have gaps, thereby leading them to rethink and invest more in security technology. This, in turn, has fuelled the growth of the security market in the Middle East. Trend Micro provides security solutions across smart devices, virtualisation and cloud.

The security vendor says it has seen a 71 percent increase in the dollar value for its cloud and virtualisation security product Deep Security, and a 42 percent increase in the dollar value for its Deep Discovery solution, which combats APTs.

The rise in storage requirements is unprecedented and enterprises are spending more on systems to store their fast-growing data volume.

With more than $2 billion invested in storage-led acquisitions over the past three years, Dell offers a comprehensive enterprise storage technology portfolio in the Middle East and Africa region.

The growth of Dell’s storage hardware, software and cloud offerings demonstrates its understanding and commitment to changing the way that companies use their data, not just how they store it. More importantly, the diversity of the portfolio means that Dell can provide business solutions to Middle East enterprises of all sizes, from regional SMEs all the way up to multinationals with offices in the region.

sting DataFort the Year: eHo f o r e d i v o r Managed Services P Finalists: Du Injazat Data Systems

e e Year: Finess h t f o r o t a r Systems Integ Finalists: ALROWAD IT Solutions Arabic Computer Systems Al Futtaim Technologies Alrowad IT Solutions Condo Protego

Emitac Enterprise Solutions Help AG MDS UAE Securetech Seven Seas Smartworld

www.cnmeonline.com

With most users looking to improve efficiencies, cut costs and speed time to market, the demand for managed services is at an all-time high. eHosting DataFort owns and operates multiple tier-3 data centres in Dubai and offers a gamut of cloud hosting and managed hosting services ranging from leased dedicated servers to a fully managed services option whereby a customer’s IT infrastructure is managed right from the data centre layer up to the application layer and everything in between. eHDF caters to local and global customers and some of its notable clients include Dubai Financial Market, Panasonic, DUBAL, Tejuri.com, Khaleej Times, Société Générale Bank, TRIMEX Group, JRG International, Paramount Computer Systems, Dunia Finance and Geotab ME.

Finesse is a global systems integrator with domain expertise in BFSI, education and healthcare sectors. It provides technology solution spanning across BI and analytics, ECM and GRC with a 24/7 on-demand support centre based in Bangalore in India.

The SI counts 7 out of 10 banks in the GCC region in its client roster and has delivered some of the technologically most complex projects in the region in the last 18 months.

This include an analytical solution over a private cloud for Network International, trade finance automation for National Bank of Fujairah and ECM & procurement system for ASRY in Bahrain.

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

41

ons angjel Soluti N : r o t a r g e Security Systems Int

In this new category, the Dubai-based Nangjel Solutions was adjudged the winner for its broad array of security solutions and its technical capabilities when it comes to design, implementation and support of these solutions. The security SI specialises in helping its client implement security frameworks with an open architecture interface that can integrate with all the silo solutions horizontally. Among its most notable security implementations were Crown Prince Court and Takreer Oil.

pire Solutions r of the Year: S e d i v o r P s n Security Solutio

In another newly introduced category, Spire Solutions was awarded for emerging as a preferred information security partner of user organisations and channel partners alike. Spire provides solutions through a unique service delivery model which ties in technology providers, channel partners in addition to its own team, resulting in a rapidly growing client base.

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

43

bai Customs t of the Year: Du n e m y o l p e D Government Finalists: Al Ain Municipality Abu Dhabi Police Abu Dhabi Retirement Pension & Benefits Fund Department of Transport Dubai Smart Government

Dubai Astronomy Dubai World Trade Centre General Organisation for Youth & Sports Ministry of Economy Ministry Of Hajj, Saudi Arabia Ministry of Defence, Oman

al Bank of Bahrain e Year: Nation h t f o t n e BFSI Deploym Finalists: ADIB Ahli United Bank Emirates Islamic Bank Emirates NBD

44

Computer News Middle East

Mashreq Bank Muslim Commercial Bank National Bank of Abu Dhabi UAE Exchange

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

Dubai Customs has the responsibility of surveillance and facilitation of passengers, goods and transit vehicles activities crossing the Emirate’s borders. For this, Dubai Customs (DC) has developed the Advanced Container Scanning System (ACSS), which is said to be the first innovative and comprehensive solution in the world that combines and integrates multiple disparate components of technologies in order to effectively protect the borders. Prior to ACSS, DC had to face the challenge coming from threats of illegal trade and smuggling due to the high volume of containers flowing through Jebel Ali, and ACSS was the perfect innovative solution to improve DC’s inspection capabilities without compromising on safety and security.

Ministry of Environment & Water National Information Centre, Saudi Ministry of Justice Port of Fujairah Statistics Centre, Abu Dhabi TECOM investments

National Bank of Bahrain won the coveted trophy for its Mobile Banking Service System, which gained significant adoption.

The solution is highly interactive, easy to enroll and use, and also rich in features and functionalities. The MBS is available as an app in Android, iOS and Blackberry, in addition to a Web browser version for all other smart devices.

Unlike many other mobile banking services, the bank’s customers can enroll directly onto the mobile banking without any previous access or dependence on other channels such as Internet banking.

YOUR PREFERRED PARTNER IN SUCCESS...

Best security services company in the middle east 2013.

Best information security solutions (VAD) value added distributor 2014.

SPIRE Solutions, Level 41 Emirates Towers, PO Box 31303 Dubai, UAE. Phone: +971 4 4279940. Website: www.spiresolutions.ae

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme (MBRSLP) is a joint venture between the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) and the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in cooperation with the UAE Prime Minister’s office.

he Year: Education Deployment of t g Program rt Learnin a m S d i h s Mohammed Bin Ra

Finalists: Abu Dhabi University

Saudi Electronic University

Al Rashed School

Higher Colleges of Technology

Bahrain Teachers College

Paris Sorbonne University

Emirates International School

University of Sharjah

The MBRSLP offers a modern way of teaching through the integration of technology into the education system. It aims to bring a blended approach to learning where technologybased devices are combined with traditional classroom tools to reshape education in and outside the classroom. The program offers a dynamic and interactive experience for both teachers and students aimed at improving student performance through enabling collaboration, sharing, and exchange of knowledge. MBRSLP was awarded for its new smart and mobile learning initiative that aims to transform classrooms as well as integrate teachers, students, parents and administrators into a single e-platform.

Albatha Holding’s real estate arm implemented the SAP Flexible Real-Estate Management solution to provide the group with strategic, tactical and operational decisions. The real estate business was operated on a legacy home-grown system for 17 years and the new solution helped to significanty reduce vacant days and improve workforce productivity to manage new projects.

ate Construction and Real Est

lbatha Holding t of the Year: A Deploymen

Finalists: Aldar Properties Nakheel

46

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

The system also provides strategic business insights with integrated reporting capabilities, and increased transparency to optimise investment decisions.

Year: Etisalat e h t f o t n e m Telecom Deploy

The winning project was an online selfservice solution that lets online users to access their accounts, modify subscriptions and place new orders for lines and plans.

This online channel is comprehensive and the service provider plans to make it the first choice for customers to pay bills or manage their accounts.

Etisalat has also launched an interactive self-care app to offer customers a range of smart services on their fingertips – mobile account tracking, bill payments, instant subscription to packages and bundles, parking payment and much more. This was downloaded by more than quarter million users in just two months.

Finalists:

Mobily VIVA Kuwait

Landmark Group, which operates over 1800 outlets across the region, has deployed an Enterprise Reporting solution that provides a single source of data for serving the dual needs of one-click analytical information across the enterprise at any place and data requirements for all downstream applications.

the Year: L Retail Deployment of

48

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

andmark Group

www.cnmeonline.com

This was made possible with an Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) that provides the flexibility for each brand to view the data based on their specific needs or slice/dice across multiple views. The EDW provides a one-stop-shop for all the data needs of the enterprise and business processes of the Group.

ComGuard Joins CounterTack’s CyberPath Partner Program “ With its powerful combination of stealthware technology and Big Data analysis capabilities, CounterTack Sentinel puts security teams at ease by protecting the endpoint ” Ajay Singh Chauhan, CEO, Comguard.

CounterTack Continues to Strengthen International Footprint through New Global Partnership CounterTack, a pioneer in delivering real-time endpoint threat detection, context and visibility around targeted attacks, announced its partnership with ComGuard, the leading value-added distributor for networking and IT security products in the MENA region. By joining the CounterTack CyberPath Partner Program, ComGuard’s network of VARs, resellers and end-user customers in the Middle East and North Africa region will benefit from CounterTack Sentinel’s dynamic capability to deliver context around advanced endpoint threats through continuous monitoring and behavioral analysis.

About CounterTack

The CounterTack CyberPath Partner Program is CounterTack’s growing ecosystem of channel, solution, technology and MSSP partners, built around CounterTack Sentinel, the industry’s leading enterprise platform for endpoint threat detection and response. Sentinel ultimately helps global end-users reduce security incident investigation cycles while providing security teams and responders with unprecedented visibility across their attack surface.

CounterTack's real-time endpoint threat detection and response platform, CounterTack Sentinel, delivers unprecedented visibility and context to enterprise security teams around targeted, persistent threats. CounterTack dramatically reduces the impact of advanced attacks, providing real-time, behavioral-based intelligence on attacker activity upon infiltration, so organizations can defend their business leveraging Sentinel's contextual attack evidence for a rapid, prioritized response.

“With its powerful combination of stealthware technology and Big Data analysis capabilities, CounterTack Sentinel puts security teams at ease by protecting the endpoint,” said Ajay Singh Chauhan, CEO, ComGuard.

“Joining the CounterTack CyberPath Partner Program positions ComGuard at an advantage by enabling our network of resellers and users to significantly reduce the impact of threats detected.”

By combining 'Stealthware' technology and Big Data analytics, CounterTack turns the tables on attackers, giving security teams and incident responders an advantage over their adversaries to make better security decisions with real-time, automated, forensic-level analysis. CounterTack is revolutionizing how companies defend their endpoints across the enterprise.

ComGuard will be distributing CounterTack Sentinel to its integrated network of VARs, resellers and end-users; the partner will also be supporting the business and technology efforts of these organizations to further strengthen CounterTack’s presence in the region.

To learn more, please visit: www.countertack.com

“As CounterTack continues to make strides in our global reach, joining forces with companies such as ComGuard further enables us to offer attack context and visibility across the endpoint to our customers,” said Kirk Appelman, senior vice president of sales, CounterTack. “It’s clear that in today’s evolving threat landscape, legacy solutions such as anti-virus and firewall technology fail in their attempts to protect an organization from being penetrated; CounterTack Sentinel steps in as an solution to this problem. We’re proud to welcome ComGuard as an established distributor in the space to our partner network.”

About ComGuard: ComGuard is the leading value-added distributor in the IT Security space reaching across the Middle East and North Africa regions.

Established since 2002 with headquarters in Dubai, ComGuard is part of the Spectrum Group which is engaged in IT Networking and Security Training, and Consultancy Services.

More information can be found at www.comguard.net or Email to countertack@comguard.net

Year: Jumeirah Group loyment of the p e D m s i r u Hospitality and To

Finalists: Emirates Emirates Palace Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates

ealthcare Year: NMC H e h t f o t n e Healthcare Deploym Finalists:

50

Al Hammdi

SEHA

King Faisal Specialist Hospital

Zulekha Hospital

King Hamad University Hospital

Suleiman Habib Medical Centre

MedNet

Thumbay Group

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

The IT team at Jumeirah Group re-looked at its existing IT infrastructure and identified ways in which guests across its properties could receive an even more enhanced experience no matter what services they used or company property they chose to stay in worldwide. The Group migrated to a softwaredefined data centre that accelerated the deployment and delivery of application within and across multiple sites and clouds. The hotel group is said to be currently the only organisation in the world’s enterprise market that has deployed a software-defined data centre of this scale.

NMC Healthcare is one of the largest healthcare providers in the UAE with five hospitals, one day surgery centre, three medical centres and ten pharmacies.

NMC has deployed a Hospital Information System (HIS) to digitise all the patient data including demographics, medical history, personal statistics and billing information and accessed across all NMC facilities.

The new HIS system is designed to capture accurate data of patients at all times, and is seamlessly integrated to Oracle e-Business system, all centralised over a private cloud.

DNOC Distribution of the Year: A t n e m y o l p Energy Sector De

Finalists: Argas Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation Kuwait National Petroleum Company

IT Team of the Year: Mer

Some of the key challenges for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Distribution (ADNOC) included the ability to respond to market demand on time, to be able to process daily in a secure manner and to have fast performance for up to two million transactions.

ADNOC implemented full application cloud services that have led to business applications being done in just hours rather than days.

ADNOC’s business now enjoys quick time to market through the increased level of application adoption and availability for the consumers. Today’s IT department can now carry out full Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in days, a task which used to take weeks in the past.

Meraas was setup in 2008 to redevelop the Satwa area in Dubai. By 2012, the focus shifted to community mall development, leisure and entertainment, healthcare and hospitality. The organisation heavily depends on IT to integrate the business lines. The average age of the T team at Meraas is 30 years, and has delivered more projects in the last year than the total number done in the previous five years.

Whether it is migration from Microsoft to Linux on core ERP or data centre migration, this team has delivered the goods without disrupting business.

aas Holding

Finalists: Abu Dhabi Food Control

AW Rostamani

Dubai Customs

Kuwait International Bank

Authority

Aldar

GOYS

MedNet

ALBA

Beea’h

Gulf Air

National Bank of Oman

African Eastern

DoT

ICSS

Tecom Investments

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

51

r54 Editor’s choice: twofou

Twofour54 is tax-free media and entertainment free zone in Abu Dhabi that provides its partners with a streamlined process for the provisioning of IT services within 72 hours of receiving requests. The services provided by twofour54 IT include shared Internet connectivity, IP telephony, IPTV, managed print services, co-location and cloud services.

eel Editor’s choice: Nakh

Nakheel has delivered – and continues to enhance – an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai across a range of sectors including residential, commercial and leisure. The company has implemented a core real estate facilities management system that caters to more than 40,000 apartments and villas. The installation was made over the recently deployed private virtual environment which includes more than 100 virtual servers that are running multiple applications and operating systems.

52

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

Healthcare networking and technology demands responsive care and communications, patient privacy protections, and protection for healthcare providers from any consequences of regulatory non-compliance.

bib Medical Centre a H n a m i e l u Editor’s choice: S

Suleiman Habib Medical Centre, part of Habib Medical Group which operates 14 medical facilities across the GCC, has deployed a fully-converged IP network that provides comprehensive connectivity services such as IPTV & patient entertainment systems, VDI, digital signage and other bandwidth-intensive applications with a seamlessly integrated installation and delivery.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Mubadala has the mandate to strengthen UAE’s growth potential, and help the government meet its social-economic targets. It is focused on investment and development across multiple sectors, has a portfolio valued at more than $60 billion.

dala Editor’s choice: Muba

54

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

*Based on internal Dell analysis in July 2013 based on Dell Compellent flash-optimised vs.spinning disk arrays and an internal test performed by Dell in March 2013 with Storage v6.310 on dual SC8000 controllers running OLIP type workloads using IOmeter with a 100% random, 70/30 read/wirte mix and 8K sector transfer size achieved this IOPS performance.

Actual performance/latency will vary based on configuration, usage and manufacturing variability **Based on internal Dell analysis performed in May 2013, comparing similar Dell Compellent offerings to EMC VNX Family, HP 3PAR StoreServ, HP EVA, IMB V7000, IBM XIV, Hitachi Data Systems HUS 100 Family,and Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Family and competitive US list pricing from Gartner Inc, Cp Storage, as of June 2013. Š 2013 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

Menezes l i e N : r a e Y Future CIO of the Neil Menezes is a strategic and visionary IT leader with more than 15 years delivering mission-critical, next generation ICT architecture to support organisational growth. He is part of the Jumeirah Global Leadership Team, reports to the CIO and represents the CIO in his absence.

Finalists: Amin Al Zarouni, Beea’h

Neil joined Jumeirah Group as IT Helpdesk Manager in 2000 and rose to his current position of VP IT Infrastructure & Operations on account of his role in transforming and modernising the IT infrastructure of the Group. He is tasked with establishing an appropriate and cost effective IT Operations and Application strategy in line with the overall Jumeirah Group IT Strategy.

Einstein Johnson Rozario, MedNet

Neil was chosen as the Future CIO for having played a pivotal role in growing the IT infrastructure and developing the strategic technology and communication roadmap that has allowed Jumeirah Group to achieve scalable growth on a global level.

Samir Khan, African Eastern

56

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

Deepu Philip, Kuwait International Bank Moza Suwaidan, Dubai Culture

Sajwani CIO of the Year: Ali Emirates NBD Group’s IT organisation takes pride in leading and managing the IT affairs of the largest banking group in the region, comprising 8,500 plus IT users and 160 odd branches spread across multiple group companies both locally and internationally.

Finalists: Ahmed Ebrahim Ahmad, Nakheel

Ali Sajwani, ENBD Group CIO, has the privilege of leading a team of 350 plus high calibre professionals. Ali has diligently worked closely with his business scounterparts in the creation and execution of a highly business-relevant IT strategy over the past number of years. Sajwani was one of the key architects in enabling the business to reach its set goals for the last few years.

He has embedded a culture of innovation, customer service and excellence in execution. ENBD Group IT core values have been conceived and launched under Ali’s leadership and desire to transform the IT organisation into a long lasting institution.

Ajay Rathi, Meraas Holding

Sajwani has also been responsible in helping ENBD groups’ expansion into new geographies. He has successfully undertaken projects to create, expand and support applications and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, London and Singapore.

Esam Hadi, Aluminium Bahrain

Aliasgar Bohari, Zulekha Hospital Arun Tewary, Emirates Flight Catering Esam Al Falasi, Ministry of Economy

Jassim Haji, Gulf Air Mohamed Al Merri, Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi Tariq Al Hawi, aeCERT Saeed Al Gailani, Department of Transport Sebastian Samuel, AW Rostamani Suresh V, Jumbo Electonics

58

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

Javed Abbassi, GISBA Farid Farouq, DWTC

FEATURE

IoT

Everything connected The Internet of Things (IoT) is undeniably on the rise. The infrastructure that it will take to support the massive amounts of data that will be transferred to the cloud is currently being built, and groups across industries are beginning to utilise this type of technology. A future of connected devices feeding data into the cloud may bring untold benefits, however, the prospect also brings up some concerns.

60

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

Strategic Innovation Partner

network WORLD

LEADER IN UTM

E

xperts estimate that there will be a whopping 50 million connected devices by 2020. Many of these devices will leverage M2M communication to provide information and data to businesses and consumers alike. The Internet of Things (IoT) has significant potential to transform the way the world does business. With items from cars and furniture, to even the clothing we wear every day slated to be 'smart' in the near future, an enormous amount of data will be created. The IoT currently includes a wide range of projects. Intrepid companies are dabbling in IoT practices using pattern tracking, resource monitoring and scheduled goods delivery.

IoT's infrastructure is being built by companies and governments today. We can already see a few industries leveraging IoT with smart appliances and smart vehicles already gracing our homes and streets.

Xerox Research Centre Europe has already developed a system for managing the Los Angeles traffic grid and provides dynamic pricing at parking meters. The company deployed 7,000 sensors around the city to detect if a parking meter was occupied and adjusted pricing dynamically to ensure a certain number of parking spaces were always available.

More specifically, military branches in many countries are already utilising M2M and, more broadly, IoT in their operations. “Here, satellite based M2M allows soldiers in the field to communicate data from chemical sensors via smartphones and tablets back to a central platform and automatically trigger an alert to other soldiers

8 years of successful Middle East Distribution Authorised training centre Professional Services www.exclusive-networks.ae fortinet@secureway.ae

P O W E R E D B Y S E C U R E WAY

FEATURE

IoT

within a radius of the detected threat,” explains Tim Grant, CEO, Track24, “It also means that military vehicles can be reprogrammed while on the go, instead of having to return to base to do so.”

Another industry that stands to leverage IoT is healthcare. Already we can see pace-makers and other medical devices that can trigger alert systems to hospitals when a patient is in distress.

For the healthcare industry, and almost every industry vertical imaginable, this kind of M2M communication made possible by IoT is just the beginning.

In the near future, we will be able to see all manner of everyday objects smartened up. Though we cannot predict with certainty exactly what will be ready to become a part of the IoT in the future, experts can make educated guesses. “We expect the connectivity to start from the devices that provide maximum productivity benefits. That is typically our home network,” predicts Vimal Sethi, Managing Director, Synechron Middle East. As such, the sorts of objects enabled by IoT will be largely determined by consumers. It may well be that purchasers of home appliances don’t care to have their refrigerators alert the local grocery store that milk needs to be delivered. Conversely, the need for vehicles to contact local authorities and rescue teams that there has been a collision could save lives.

“As the data grows, the software of these products becomes far more valuable than their associated hardware," explains Euan Davis, Senior Director, Centre for the Future of Work, EMEA, Cognizant. "For example, with a smart toothbrush, the physical tool itself is a commodity, while brushing habits, dental hygiene history and health needs create a data field that is of premium value.”

Thus, the cost of microchips, and the value of the

“As the data grows, the software of these products becomes far more valuable than their associated hardware. For example, with a smart toothbrush, the physical tool itself is a commodity, while brushing habits, dental hygiene history and health needs create a data field that is of premium value.”

62

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

We expect the connectivity to start from the devices that provide maximum productivity benefits. That is typically our home network.”

Vimal Sethi, Managing Director, Synechron Middle East

data they provide, will also have an effect on the rate in which IoT is adopted into the mainstream. As the cost of chips decreases, the likelihood that items like shoes and chairs will come equipped with IoT ready sensors will increase. If chips are inexpensive, there will be no reason not to include one with items that can provide valuable data to manufacturers.

The benefits that IoT could bring to the lives of end-users are countless. A totally connected life would be completely transformative. As data is created, and transmitted into the cloud, the transactions and interactions of end-users are set to be more streamlined and efficient. “The Internet of Things interconnects devices, assets, processes and systems to improve business models and profits, increase efficiency and optimise the use of resources," says Sherry Zameer, Vice President Telecommunication Solutions for Middle East & Africa, Gemalto. "Objects and assets have the potential to create value when they are connected, and when they have sensors and processing capability."

The ways that most end-users may not be aware of, however, could have the greatest impact. For example, a manufacturer of smart connectors and instrumentation for monitoring control in the US has changed the way food is processed in large scale operations. The technology the company provides can sense the environment in various ways, such as monitoring temperature, pressure, viscosity and geo-positioning. IoT allows the system access to less expensive wireless technology to move monitoring data to the cloud.

However, the creation of all this data may seem like an overwhelming future for some. We

LEADER IN are already in the era of Big Data, with a veritable tsunami of information created every day by Internet-enabled devices. One of the biggest issues that businesses who utilise IoT will face is how to analyse the massive amounts of information that will be created, gathered and stored by IoT. The issue will not be mining through data, as new, better and faster tools are bound to be created. The issue will be how to ensure that the business does not waste time on analysing data that is not useful, while missing out on data that could be beneficial. “Focusing on the type of data based on priority would be the way businesses mitigate the risk, ensuring better and accurate results,” explains Sethi, “Certain businesses will derive benefit from analysing the structured data which is collected by the devices. However, in certain cases unstructured data may yield some positive benefit. Just making the right decisions on what type of data to focus on first will be the key.”

An issue that all end-users will face when devices are equipped with smart capabilities is that of privacy and personal autonomy. Users may go about unaware what data they are creating, let alone what information is being transferred and to whom. “If it is personal data and it is healthcare related, then I would argue there is a huge dark side to data and you can really see it that way. This dark side is much darker than normal. What if my data gets compromised, or even worse, hacked?” asks Davis. This question is being posed by experts and potential end users as IoT communication takes off and is standardised. The answer to potential privacy issues that may arise with the transfer of data, says Zameer, is going to be an increased level of security precautions. “Security solutions have to be put in place at different levels: security at the core, to protect the data itself and the confidential information it can reveal through encryption for instance if the data is sensitive; and security at the edge to secure access to the data through a strong authentication of the user,” she explains.

If and when standardisation and security measures are in place, IoT stands to benefit both businesses and end-users, according to Diego Arrabal, Regional Director, F5 Networks. “All in all, IoT is a technology promising compelling benefits in our personal lives and business environments. Backend technology will need to keep pace with these developments and become increasingly sophisticated to ensure all the potential benefits are fully and effectively unlocked.”

SECURITY & APPLICATION DELIVERY

8 years of successful Middle East Distribution Authorised training centre Professional Services www.exclusive-networks.ae f5@secureway.ae

P O W E R E D B Y S E C U R E WAY

FEATURE

Market Boom

Boom times With organisations out to improve and modernise their IT infrastructure in the near future, experts are predicting a huge increase in the Systems Integration market. However, this could mean big changes for the role of the modern SI professional.

64

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

integration advisor

DNS – DHCP IPAM – NETWORK SECURITY & AUTOMATION IPV6

T

he System Integration market is expected to reach $377.59 billion by 2020. Systems Integrators worldwide are looking to be a part of, and capitalise on, the upcoming boom.

As companies look to integrate new technologies into their existing systems, the demand for quality SI services is skyrocketing. The need for enterprises to connect disparate systems is on the rise, with disruptive technologies leading the charge. However, the SI landscape is changing, and it is entirely possible that the industry will look very different in just a few short years. There may be increased success for SIs in the near future, however, it is important to understand what is driving this growth to stay on top of the wave.

The boom in the SI market is particularly obvious in the Middle East region. Business is expanding, and technologies are being adopted at a rapid pace. “As a new web of interconnected technologies becomes pervasive across the Gulf, this has led to the need for technically qualified specialist teams who have the knowledge and skills to ensure that complex IT projects work together as a single cohesive entity,” explains Manish Punjabi, Channel Marketing Manager, Middle East and Africa, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise.

The most obvious underlying causes for the rapid expansion of the SI market is the advent of cloud computing and virtualisation. Companies demand applications and services that are compatible with their current cloud-enabled systems and that are both agile and scalable as well. A growing need for virtualisation

Your Value Added Distributor Authorised training centre Professional Services www.exclusive-networks.ae infoblox@secureway.ae

P O W E R E D B Y S E C U R E WAY

FEATURE

Market Boom

and consolidation of IT resources has been creating opportunities for SIs. “As business demands become increasingly dynamic, clients require real-time data insights to come from a number of systems spread across their hybrid environment,” says Sunil Paul, Chief Operating Officer, Finesse, “The legacy, on-premise, SaaS, cloud, as well as other systems need to work together to achieve the seamless flow, access and analysis of information.”

Another driver in the expansion of the SI market is the growing demand for the adoption of open standards based on software such as XML. This software acts as a common language for disparate systems. “For example, a desk phone can view surveillance camera feeds or even control the curtains and lights in a hotel guest room,” explains Punjabi, “This need for a seamless customer experience has given rise to Systems Integrators who, with sufficient specialist teams, create a bridge between these dissimilar systems.”

SI specialists are used in every industry, but there are a few arenas that are contributing more than others to the current SI market. “I see an excellent expansion in most of the vertical market segments.

The IT spending for government, banking, education, healthcare, and oil and gas continue to grow as well aviation,” observes Stephan Berner, Managing Director, Help AG. These industry verticals are largely those who are also early and rapid adopters of cloud, virtualisation and mobility.

In an interesting new development, government agencies are beginning to add more agile computing to their systems, and are in increasing need of SI expertise.

Governments worldwide are taking on projects that will ostensibly streamline the lives of their citizens, and strengthen communication between agencies and their beneficiaries. As governments seek to become more technologically advanced and work with their constituents through new technologies, they need to integrate their existing legacy systems with new, cutting edge components. Governments stand to account for a large portion of the upcoming boom in the SI market.

In addition, healthcare, banking and hospitality industries will continue to play a major role in the SI market. With an estimated 50 billion devices set to be connected wirelessly by 2020, these industries are rapid adopters of disruptive technologies. Medical devices are rapidly modernising, banks are responding to customer demands for services such as mobile banking and the hospitality sector is dealing with an influx of consumers that have multiple connected devices and service needs.

66

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

As a new web of interconnected technologies becomes pervasive across the Gulf, this has led to the need for technically qualified specialist teams who have the knowledge and skills to ensure that complex IT projects work together as a single cohesive entity.”

Manish Punjabi, Channel Marketing Manager, Middle East and Africa, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise

As such, SIs should continue to specialise and improve their skills when it comes to these industries.

As systems and applications become more varied and complex, it is difficult for organisations to retain the skills required to maintain their IT infrastructure.

It is often simply not possible for organisations, particularly SMEs, to retain an IT staff that harbours every skill it takes to maintain their complex systems.

The answer, for them, is often outsourcing some of the training and maintenance of systems. This gap in on-premises skill and training in operations and maintenance leaves ample opportunities for specialised System Integration companies to build and maintain these new, agile infrastructures. “For example,” says Punjabi, “SIs will evolve from a merely reactive mode - answering a request for proposal or quoting upon client request - to a more active consultative mode of managed services and offering cloud based services.”

Cloud, mobility and virtualisation are currently keeping the SI market healthy. As more and more businesses virtualise their infrastructure, the need for skilled SIs will increase. However, there are a number of wheels already set in motion that may spell enormous opportunity for growth in the specialised SI market.

“We see that Big Data, cloud, mobility, social, customer experience and analytics are currently driving the SI Market,” explains Paul, “but with the Internet of Things to become a reality soon, the opportunity is going to

ADVANCED PERSISTENT THREAT (APT) ATTACK & ZERO DAY PROTECTION As business demands becoming increasingly dynamic, clients require real-time data insights to come from a number of systems spread across their hybrid environment.”

Sunil Paul, Chief Operating Officer, Finesse

be huge.” These developments are set to support the overall growth, and are also creating client success cases that make the market move forward toward further implementations across other verticals.

It is paramount to keep in mind, however, that these upcoming opportunities could mean serious changes for the role of the SI. “The role of the SI provider is changing from installing and commissioning products to be more of a solution provider helping customers to consolidate and optimise the use of their IT infrastructure,” says Umair Khan, Regional Sales & Marketing Coordinator, Midis Group.

As enterprises move from CAPEX to OPEX models, they are beginning to include managed services in their expectations. “Leading system integration companies globally are now looking beyond deployment and starting to pursue a build and operate model. Most SI’s have now included managed services as an integral part of their portfolio,” explains Paul.

Virtualisation and cloud computing are, without a doubt, no longer trends but set realities. However, the IoT, another major driver in the SI boom, is still in its infancy, and its future is muddy at best. This could mean uncertainty for the future of the SI market. If IoT is standardised and takes hold, businesses will inevitably need the experitise of third-party support such as an SI to manage the technology it will take to leverage IoT and integrate new components into their existing infrastructure. However, as to whether this expansion in the SI market is set to last, SIs are confident that the industry is stable for the long term.

“I don’t see a danger of the SI bubble bursting in the coming two to three years,” says Khan.

Your Value Added Distributor www.exclusive-networks.ae fireeye@secureway.ae

P O W E R E D B Y S E C U R E WAY

FEATURE

Cloud Storage

Trust issues Storing data in the public cloud can be both convenient and cost-effective. However, shared access to stored information can be a nerve-wracking prospect for some users. Vendors can do some things to ensure security – authentication codes and log-ins, for example – but is data stored on the public cloud ever truly safe? CNME investigates the benefits and pitfalls to storing data on the public cloud.

68

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

storage advisor

W

ith a large number of Middle Eastern businesses treading carefully in terms of public cloud adoption, there remains a degree of mystery and mistrust around the concept. Its financial benefits are clear, and in the age of business/IT alignment this is one of several key drivers behind their adoption. They are able to turn capital expenses into operational expenses, in a pay as you go model, saving an organisation from building their own entire data centre. Greater economies of scale is another key bonus; private clouds struggle to compete with the likes of Google and Amazon in terms of price. www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

69

FEATURE

Cloud Storage

There are also a variety of practical benefits, including improved elasticity. While organisations could in theory find a way to consume all of their own computing power on their private cloud, the same happening on the public cloud is unlikely.

Nonetheless, security concerns are never far from the minds of IT leaders. The physical location of servers, and issues surrounding data ownership, as well as entrusting data and applications to a third party is too much for some. For a large number of organisations in the Middle East, it will take time and an evolution in the technology before paranoia surrounding the issue dissipates.

Cherif Sleiman, General Manager, Middle East, Infoblox, believes the underlying risk associated with public cloud means a worst case scenario qualifies it is a risky option for IT leaders. “The common saying in business is that the value of an organisation lies in its assets and its people,” he says. “In today's information age, an organisation's data is absolutely its most important asset, making data loss the biggest risk posed by the public cloud.

If the data is breached, depending on the sector and the nature of business, it could be catastrophic for the organisation.”

In the eyes of a number of IT leaders, there remain a number of unanswered questions

Non mission-critical data and applications that do not require highly specialised and customised IT infrastructure would benefit from using the public cloud. Examples of data which can be safely stored in the public cloud include shared documents and files, webmail and CRM applications.”

Rajesh Abraham, Director Product Development, eHosting DataFort

70

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

In today's information age, an organisation's data is absolutely its most important asset, making data loss the biggest risk posed by the public cloud. If the data is breached, depending on the sector and the nature of business, it could be catastrophic for the organisation.”

Cherif Sleiman, General Manager, Middle East, Infoblox

surrounding public cloud. Security issues stay top of that list, while reliability, availability and regulatory compliance issues are subsequent headaches.

The issue of legacy technologies that are not yet fully adapted to the needs of public cloud is a niggling threat that could be off-putting for those looking to adopt. “When it comes to security, most public cloud environments are based on inconsistent network architectures common in traditional data centres and still rely on legacy security technologies – such as stateful inspection and port-based firewalls – that aren’t capable of securing public cloud or hosted VDCs against sophisticated cyber threats,” says Saeed Agha, General Manager, Middle East, Palo Alto Networks.

“Enterprises are keen to take advantage of the agility, scalability and cost benefits of cloudbased virtual data centers (VDCs) by building their own private cloud, purchasing public cloud services from providers, or adopting a hybrid cloud approach. Most enterprises are ultimately aiming for the portability of both the application and security policies, regardless of where the application is deployed.”

A move towards a hybrid model could be the answer for allaying insecurities surrounding public cloud. It is also key to have a clearly defined policy as to what types of data and applications

SECURE DATA

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES Enjoy Safer Technology Protected by ESET Our line of solutions for business ensure that all your vital IT infrastructure that runs your business is protected.

From servers to the last smartphone out on business, you can relax and enjoy your safer technology, looked after by ESET.

www.eset.com/me I Info@esetme.com I Tel +97143754052 I Fax +97144290967 I Office 305, Building 2, Dubai Internet City

FEATURE

Cloud Storage

Most public cloud environments are based on inconsistent network architectures common in traditional data centres and still rely on legacy security technologies that aren’t capable of securing public cloud or hosted VDCs against sophisticated cyber threats.”

Saeed Agha, General Manager, Middle East, Palo Alto Networks

should be stored in what environment. Rajesh Abraham, Director Product Development, eHosting DataFort, believes that this differentiation is key.

“Non mission-critical data and applications that do not require highly specialised and customised IT infrastructure would benefit from using the public cloud,” he says. “Examples of data which can be safely stored in the public cloud include shared documents and files, webmail and CRM applications. Industries with highly sensitive & confidential data, including hospitals, government, financial institutions, and police departments must be vigilant when storing critical information on the public cloud. For such organisations a hosted private cloud is more suitable.”

There are a number of reasons why a lack of trust towards the public cloud could be unjustified.

Cloud firms seek to hire the best available security professionals, and attempt to harden their defences through numerous varied hacking attempts and investments in the latest technology. With most organisations not specialising in data security, the risk of breach can increase. A prevalent feeling in the industry seems to be that if data and applications are stored on the internal network then they must be secure. Whether or not that is actually the case, a number of organisations still need convincing as to the safety of public cloud.

72

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

Sleiman touches on the desire to retain IT within an organisation’s physical parameters as a concern in private cloud adoption. “If you really think about it, cloud computing is not a new concept,” he says. “The fact is that people are starting to see readily the proposed value of the public cloud, SaaS and IaaS models. And there is always apprehension that when something looks too good to be true, there's the possibility that it is. Traditionally, IT teams have always wanted things to be within their own four walls but the organisation has fundamentally changed. Today, work is no longer a place you go to but rather a thing you do. So as we develop new ways to consume IT we have to also look at new ways to deliver IT.” A key step for any organisation in ensuring the integrity of data stored in the public cloud is by establishing thorough and precise Service Level Agreements. This is an important part of the process in terms of ensuring any vendor is holding up their end of the bargain in all respects, mainly that they have requisite hardware and software to protect data. SLAs will also allow end-users to define exactly what they want from their public cloud.

Agha highlights the allure that is drawing organisations to the cloud, but is equally aware of the need to ensure security appliances can cope with these new demands leveraged by SLAs. “As you evolve your data centre towards a cloud-based architecture, you begin orchestrating the automated tasks for provisioning workloads (compute, storage, network),” he says. “Unfortunately, securing these workloads with today’s existing network security appliances is a manual, time-consuming process.

Security teams simply cannot keep up with how quickly these workloads are being provisioned by the virtual infrastructure teams.”

Sleiman is clear on the most direct way that organisations can protect their data. “The best method of protection for data stored on the public cloud is encryption,” he says. “Of course this has to be for data that is in transit as well. The fact is that once you trust it to a public cloud provider, you have no control over it and you cannot be aware of what backdoors are available to attackers.

But if you ensure that data is transmitted in an encrypted format, this no longer remains a concern.

If a breach were to occur and data was lost, it would be irrelevant as with encryption, the data is unreadable.”

FEATURE

Cybercrime

Chink in the Armour IT security professionals have to find frailties in external security systems before cybercriminals seek to exploit them. Cybercriminals can inflict devastating damage, and the speed in which they can accomplish their task is only getting faster. With that in mind, it is paramount that security professionals are aware of common weak points.

74

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

security advisor

F

“Cybercriminals will exploit any weak point of a network to gain entry – rather than targeting a specific area, they will attack the whole network hoping to find their way in,” says Latik Gupta, Head, Jumbo Enterprise. “These are known as blended attacks and use an array of malware to break in and access data.”

This blanket approach to attack is an equally accurate representation of the reality of security defence; if attackers have the determination, they can and will find a way in. Although IT leaders are waking up to the reality that their defences are not impenetrable, they still need to remain vigilant in order to identify their own weak points that attackers will seek to exploit. Gartner’s prediction that Middle East and North Africa IT spending will hit $1 billion in 2014 is certainly an indication that region-wide, the need for a proactive rather than reactive security approach is being acknowledged.

David Flower, Managing Director, Bit9 + Carbon Black, EMEA, believes that the advancement of attacks requires a security rethink. “Given how unpredictable and sophisticated these attacks are, antivirus, or signature-based threat prevention solutions are no longer sufficient,” he says. “It is important therefore to invest in more advanced security approaches that do not depend solely on simple signatures and known blacklists of IP addresses or files. The proper integration of security tools is also as important to make it easier to detect attacks across multiple layers.”

Stephan Berner, Managing Director, Help AG, is mindful of the importance of a fresh security base that can position organisations to protect their assets. “The thing is that the existing systems and technologies already implemented bring big risks because they need to be continuously maintained, updated and upgraded,” he says. “Organisations have to build an information security baseline which is the foundation to increase their security posture gradually and then they can stack advanced initiatives without falling short in results.”

IT’s transition to the third platform heralds a new age in the way that technology will drive business value, as well as define citizens’ day-to-day lives. However, the increase in the number of endpoints also increases the breadth of attack possibilities. Although a large number of security concerns have been raised around the pitfalls

Since the weakest security link can often be humans, companies must incorporate privacy and security training and instill the culture of data privacy within all employee groups. It is important to ask your employees to change their behaviour in regards to how they use their IT systems.”

Anas Ali Al Naqbi, Senior Security Consultant, eHosting DataFort

of public cloud, the unavoidable tide of mobility, and Bring Your Own Device culture is perhaps the greatest threat to enterprise security that the third platform brings. The lure of greater productivity, and being able to allow employees to work anytime, anywhere is an impending reality that even the hardest-nosed CIO cannot ignore. But with this promise comes the need for sharpened vigilance and fresh security strategies.

“The ongoing trend of BYOD means that any device that has malware on it can then be introduced in to the enterprise network once connected,” says Gupta. “This malware can find its way onto a device through unsecured Wi-Fi connections, and can remain on the device for extended periods of time without interrupting usability. Once connected to the enterprise network, the malware can then be passed on and gain access to data.”

If ill-prepared, organisations risk allowing hackers to target mobile devices by circumventing traditional security layers. However, establishing and enforcing IT policies, particularly in terms of managing employeeowned devices that are connected to the network, will mean taking a big step towards a more secure IT environment.

Inextricably linked with the risks that mobility brings is the slippery issue of employee naivety, which always has the potential to be the poisonous sting that

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

75

FEATURE

Cybercrime

compromises an organisation’s integrity. Whether downloading malicious attachments, clicking unsecure pop-up windows or leaving mission-critical passwords written on scraps of paper, individuals who contribute so much to a business can easily create a string of problems for IT arms via their corrosive security habits.

Anas Ali Al Naqbi, Senior Security Consultant, eHosting DataFort, believes that employee education is paramount in plugging what is perhaps the most widespread of security threats. “Since the weakest security link can often be humans, companies must incorporate privacy and security training and instill the culture of data privacy within all employee groups,” he says. “It is important to ask your employees to change their behaviour in regards to how they use their IT systems. They may have to stop downloading new software from the Internet, and start using stronger passwords on all of their devices, especially on their smartphones.”

Flower thinks that formal designations will cement this mentality among staff. “Your employees must be well informed of the potential threats to customer data as well as the legal requirements for securing them,” he says. “One of the best measures is to designate an employee as an information security coordinator to oversee the company’s security efforts. Another is having a clear data security policy to guide employees on the proper use of data to help create a more secure environment.”

An inconvenient truth perhaps, but the reality of flawed, decade-old architectures is a key factor in rendering businesses of all sizes susceptible to security

Organisations need real-time visibility into what is happening in the enterprise IT environment, with intelligent IT analytics automatically generated to reveal risk factors and exposure, indicators of compromise and data exfiltration activities.”

Maged Eid, Regional Director, Nexthink

76

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

My advice to customers is that attackers will always go after the lowest hanging fruit.

By hardening their IT infrastructure, organisations can make themselves a far less attractive target.”

Stephan Berner, Managing Director, Help AG

breaches. Accepting this predicament is perhaps the most prudent thing an organisation can do to combat external threats, rather than burying its head in the sand and wishing unavoidable issues away.

“Traditional security simply cannot protect against the complex malware types we are seeing today,” says Berner. “Take firewalls for example, which are an essential part of network security. They are very limited in their features and lack the ability to close unnecessary ports, dynamically route packets and protect against denial-of-service attacks. They also lack the ability to analyse packets for malware and identify if an attack is taking place on the network. Without these measures in place, an organisation is a prime target.

My advice to customers is that attackers will always go after the lowest hanging fruit. By hardening their IT infrastructure, organisations can make themselves a far less attractive target.”

Although the underlying issue of incomplete infrastructures could take years to resolve, Maged Eid, Regional Director, Nexthink, believes that a proactive approach involving Big Data analytics is the most efficient way to combat existing weaknesses. “In today’s world of custom attacks, traditional security solutions are ineffective because they do not sense unusual activities and usages that should be detected,” he says. “It is important to focus on the detection of current threats and damage mitigation rather than relying solely on defences that are supposed to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Organisations need real-time visibility into what is happening in the enterprise IT environment, with intelligent IT analytics automatically generated to reveal risk factors and exposure, indicators of compromise and data exfiltration activities.”

Enable the all-wireless workplace with 802.11ac LEARN MORE: www.arubanetworks.com/11ac

FEATURE

Submarine cables

beneath the surface Submarine cables are the unseen lattice that make communication across the globe possible. These connections are often used but rarely thought of – until one needs to be repaired or replaced. The result is felt by internet and mobile users everywhere.

Conversely, the addition of a cable will prevent bottle necks in service often experienced by underserved areas. How will this network of cables grow in the future?

78

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

in association with

telecoms WORLD

S

Submarine (or undersea) cables have had a profound impact on third-world countries and isolated continents, who once had to rely on land-based systems and satellite transmissions. No limits exist for the length of cable which can be laid to link up other countries and remote islands, and the application of submarine cable has increased the amount of bandwidth flow, allowing huge communication transmission through single cable networks that can instantly carry terabytes of information. This has reduced the cost of communication access and stimulated increased economic growth.

With the first cables laid in 1850, there are now 280 in use worldwide, and it is estimated that they carry 98-99 percent of international data traffic, with satellite communication carrying the remaining one percent.

As expected, the cables themselves are extremely durable and resilient to a variety of damage causes. They are multilayered, and feature steel wire armouring, coming in a variety of thicknesses – simple, single, double, and extra heavy – and are roughly 80-90 mm in diameter. Rumours have circulated online that the cables are prone to damage from shark bites, but academic research has dispelled them.

Physical security doesn’t just remain wrapped around the wire itself. Governments have designated corridors of oceans which are no-go zones for fishing and anchoring, which both have the capacity to damage cables.

“There is a breakage or cut in an undersea cable approximately every three days, but most of these go unreported,” says Colin Anderson, Submarine Networks Marketing Director, Ciena. “Most cables usually sit on the seabed in water of a depth of around 2000 metres, and towards the shore they are heavily armoured, and often buried up to 3 metres deep.”

Contrary to popular belief about the potential of individuals to sabotage the cables, the biggest causes of fault are equipment reliability, anchor damage and earthquakes, while roughly 70 percent of damage to undersea cables is caused by earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides.

The impact of damage to a submarine cable – particularly to a less developed country – could have a large impact on its ICT and infrastructure. In September, the 20,000 km long AAG cable – one of four running into Vietnam - that connects South-east Asia with the U.S. mainland, was found cut at its S1l section, and took two weeks to be fully repaired.

S1l connects the Vietnamese coastal city of Vung Tau and Hong Kong, and is connected to the US across the Pacific Ocean via Guam and Hawaii. It was reported that the damage

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

79

FEATURE

Submarine cables

had been caused by an anchor, and that up to 40 percent of Vietnam’s Internet connection was cut as a result during the two week period. Unfortunately for Vietnam, this was the third time the cable had been cut since 16th July. The cut shows the damage that could be inflicted on the country’s infrastructure during that period.

“The role of submarine cables has changed a lot in the last five years,” Anderson says. “They were thought of as connections between two beaches, but this has dramatically shifted. Whereas before it may have been beach-to-beach communication that was the go-to link, presence-to-presence connections are now in high demand. Changes in network architecture have catalysed this demand. A connection between London and New York, for example, has to traverse sections of land and does not just stop at the coast.”

The emergence of Coherent Transmission technology within the last four years has enhanced their ability to achieve this. The deployment of 100 gigabit Ethernet cables in long haul optical networks has enabled vastly higher data rates to be transmitted over distances of around 2,000 km, and is a precursor for the introduction of software-defined networking.

SDN stands to be a disruptive force in the world of submarine cables, potentially changing the architectures of terrestrial networks. This could move communication from a point-to-point model to making points part of an international terrestrial network. “This could bring changes in terminal behaviour,” Anderson says.

The Middle East is currently forming part of two cables that will connect Asia to Europe, adding to the 48 that already feed into the region. Confirmed on 27th January, AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Europe 1) will be 25,000 km long, spanning from South East Asia to Europe, and will cross Egypt. It will connect Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France, and is due for completion in 2016. It is anticipated that cable will eventually connect more than 40 percent of the world’s population.

Each trunk fiber-pair in the cable’s segments - supplied by TE SubCom – will have a minimum cross-sectional capacity of 80 x 100Gbps and each branch will be implemented with optical add/drop multiplexing (OADM) nodes containing TE SubCom’s wavelength re-use technology.

In a similar vein, 20,000 km SEA-ME-WE 5 will connect 17 countries through points-of-presence from Singapore to the Middle East, then to France and Italy, with a system capacity of 24 Tbps. The consortium consists of 15 telecom operators, and was agreed on 7th March, with Alcatel Lucent supplying the Sri Lanka to France part of the cable, and NEC completing the Sri Lanka to Singapore segment. The construction of three other major cables across the Pacific Ocean has also been agreed in 2014.

Looking forward, the vast increase in data quantity and traffic means that undersea cables will become more 80

Computer News Middle East

NOvemBER 2014

The role of submarine cables has changed a lot in the last five years.

Whereas before it may have been beach-to-beach communication that was the go-to link, presenceto-presence connections are now in high demand. Changes in network architecture have catalysed this demand. A connection between London and New York, for example, has to traverse sections of land and does not just stop at the coast.”

Colin Anderson, Submarine Networks Marketing Director, Ciena

www.cnmeonline.com

widespread in years to come. “The compound growth rate for submarine cables is staggeringly high,” Anderson says. “Network capacity is expected to grow five times over the next six years. The industry is currently growing at 30-40 percent per annum so that gives you an indication of how prevalent the technology is.

With enhancements in technology including the rise of third platform computing, as well as the spike in demand for mobile, video and on demand content, the need to provide capacity to end users, as well as backing up data around the world is a key driver in this expanding market.

“More than 40 percent of international traffic is currently delivered by the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon and Twitter,” Anderson says. “Over the last seven years their presence has hugely increased, and there is now a colossal amount of social traffic that is being pushed by these companies.”

The key role these firms play is likely to increase their involvement within the undersea cables world. With the cables themselves falling under the bracket of consortium or non-consortium-owned – with most falling into the former category – it becomes increasingly likely that technology giants will become key stakeholders in them, setting up specialist teams to work with vendors.

Although some would dismiss the issue as wishful thinking, one could be forgiven for asking if, given the nature of public information that passes through the cables, they could become publicly owned in the near future. Anderson is in no doubt that this won’t be the case, “Telco providers will surely remain the major stakeholders,” he says.

THE CENTER OF

STRATEGIC GROWTH With 100 state-of-the-art data centers worldwide and vendor-neutral access to more than 975 network and 450 cloud providers, Equinix is the strategic asset you need not only to survive, but thrive today and in the future.

Find out how Equinix can help you add strategy to your data center

www.equinix.ae/CPI

Face to face Dong Wu

Driving change Huawei has fast become one of the most important players in the IT industry in the Middle East. From hospitality to education, the company has projects in a variety of industries across the region. CNME’s Deputy Editor, Annie Bricker, sits down with the President of Huawei Middle East Enterprise Bussiness Unit, Dong Wu, at GITEX to discuss the company’s role in changing the lives of customers in the Middle East.

82

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

H

uawei’s presence at GITEX is huge – why does the company find this show so important?

As you know, in the global IT industry there are a few exhibitions we cannot miss. As a global IT vendor, GITEX is one of these. It a very good platform to demonstrate our latest technologies and solutions. In the past few years, we have demonstrated a lot of important technologies at GITEX which gained a lot of interest from the markets. It gives us a chance for our customers and our partners to understand Huawei more completely and to consider our very long and productive portfolios. In short, the GITEX exhibition gives us a very good chance to show our abilities.

Do you plan on expanding your presence next year?

Yes, if you look at our business in the past few years and the enterprise markets in the region, they have increased at a very fast speed. Our business will continue expanding here, as will our booth at GITEX. Huawei has a number of projects happening in the region – why is this region so important to the company?

Our history in the region begins around the year 2000. Today, we have become one of the biggest leaders in the Middle East telecom and IT industries. We always regard the Middle East as one of our strategic regions, and we have from day one. We always try to bring the latest technology solutions to the Middle East, so that customers here have the chance to enjoy the latest technologies. This is one of the key success factors here. For example, in 2003, we were one of the first vendors to bring 3D technologies to the region.

Do you think the ME is a unique region for Huawei?

The unique thing here is that the customer

always wants the best and latest technologies.

Consumers want to enjoy the newest technologies available. Also the customer demands a higher level of service and support.

People expect, and we can deliver, long term support and faster response times.

Huawei has a number of projects in the region right now. Can you speak on Huawei’s style of partnership in regard to these projects?

A good example is our partnership with Saudi Aramco. They are one of the biggest oil companies, and we have helped them to build a nationwide, unified communication system.

That is only one of our success stories. Others include TVTC – this is one of the biggest cloud-based solutions in the region. Another customer we are working with is the Jannah Hotel and Resorts. With them, we provide the fastest Internet connection at any hotel in the UAE. The CEO of the Jannah Hotel says that the reason they came to Huawei for a solution is because rather than the traditional style of the vendor coming to them and saying, “This is what we have,” we actually came to them and asked, “What do you need?” From that moment they realised that Huawei wants to understand what they need in regard to products and solutions.

Does Huawei provide continued support once a project’s implementation has been completed?

Yes. Not only continued support, but we provide managed services as well. We help them to maintain and operate their own network. We like to work together with our partners in training and knowledge transfer.

Do you think that your growth in the Middle East is a health indicator of the IT industry in the region?

Yes. From our company perspective, we have seen huge potential in this region in comparison

to other regions. We have very positive forecasts here. Also, many of the IT players are gaining a lot of attention in the Middle East as well. This is especially true because there are more and more government agencies in this region that want to get involved with the latest technology and improve their telecom and IT infrastructures. This will generate a lot of IT related opportunities.

What trends are Huawei paying attention to for the next six months to a year?

The first trend in this region is Smart Cities and mobile government or e-government. To make this vision happen, telecom and IT vendors will have to be involved. If the cities want a broadband network on every corner, Huawei can and is doing a lot of things to make this happen. We can give the customer a complete picture of ICT in the cities. This means that people can enjoy IT everywhere – schools, banks, restaurants – customers can enjoy different kinds of broadband technologies.

Based on that we have vertical solutions for different industries. Our solutions can be onestop solutions. We have e-classroom solutions for education, and telecommunication services for finance, for example.

In regard to your partnerships with local government, how is Huawei changing how citizens interact with their government agencies?

Huawei is looking to create a better connected world. So our technology has improved the lives of citizens a great deal already. It can increase the level of transparency between citizens and what the government is doing and bring them one step closer to the government.

For example, with what we are doing with the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, we have upgraded an infrastructure that streamlines the process for citizens wanting to utilise their services.

Face to face Michel Riva

GOLDEN JUBILEE R&M, the Swiss cabling company, is celebrating a milestone this year. During this, its 50th year in operation, they are coming with solutions and expertise that fit the region’s booming investments. CNME sits down with CEO Michel Riva to see what is in store for the company this year.

W

hat are you doing this year that is different from previous years?

Most importantly, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary in business.

This year our focus is on data centres. We have seen a significant increase in data centers in the past few years. It is now one of the main drivers for our industry. We also introduced a new software this year called R&MinteliPhy. This solution allows data centres to immediately improve capacity utilisation, profitability and availability. It also helps with analysis and documentation and with all typical management tasks involved with passive infrastructures. We have invested a lot of innovation in these aspects.

R&M has been growing in the Middle East – why do you find this region to be so important?

I’d say in the course of the last two years we have seen a good increase in the industry in the Middle East. For our company the Middle East is very broad, and we are very positively investing in this region and we really believe in those investments.

Two years ago we made an investment here in Dubai to put up an assembly implementation and we are now finishing up a similar project in Saudi Arabia.

84

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

What are some of the key trends driving structured cabling market in this region?

I think that there are various aspects. Most importantly, there are a great deal of investments in the region. We have EXPO 2020 coming up, as well as a lot of construction projects in the region.

The investments that we lost during the recession are coming back. I think that investments like that are driving the IT industry in general here. We see many more projects using higher standards. This helps the cabling market.

This region is still predominantly an unshielded market. Do you see a demand for shielded solutions now?

We have seen in other regions and in this region a move from Cat6 to a Cat6A solution. More modernised markets are using shielded solutions.

There are different reasons for that – most importantly that there is a stronger link with data centre solutions. That is a great benefit. We offer both solutions. However, we are seeing shielded solutions gaining momentum globally.

What is R&M’s go to market strategy in this region? What role does the channel play in your business?

We invested in this region early on. We normally work with installers and partners as well as end-users. We work more on the remote side with distributors.

Are plug and play solutions more in demand?

We have seen plug and play solutions become more and more important, particularly with data centre solutions.

How do you see the uptake of Cat6A solutions?

Which verticals are adopting advanced cabling systems and newer technologies?

I would say the last 12 months we have seen a significant increase in the uptake of Cat6A solutions.

Probably 40 percent of new projects are using Cat6A solutions. You can see verticals like banking, universities and data centres using Cat6a solutions.

www.cnmeonline.com

What is your advice to customers who are looking to future proof their networks?

Today, you can have everything. You can have an array of high-end solutions. At the end of the day, you need to make an investment that will last over the next ten to 15 years. You need to find solutions that fit your business and that will last over time. R&M has experts in the region to assist all industry verticals. There is really no single cabling solution for a business, so we provide expertise that fit the business.

Analyst corner Digital Business Technologies

The ever-changing ‘Hype Cycle’

By Hung LeHong and Jackie Fenn, Gartner, Inc.

I

magine this: As you leave for work in the morning, your house automatically turns down the heat and places an order for milk (connected home) and your virtual personal assistant (VPA) alerts you that your colleague will be late to your 9 a.m. meeting and besides, the forecast you prepared has already changed (Big Data). You allow your car to navigate the traffic to your office (smart machines and Internet of Things [IoT]) while you manage the latest crisis. In this scenario, much of the possibility stems from the growth of digital business and continued adoption of the related

86

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

technologies as they move through the Gartner 2014 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle.

Now in its 20th year, the Gartner Hype Cycle tracks technologies as they journey from their ‘Innovation Trigger’ stage to the ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’ then down to the ‘Trough of Disillusionment’ and finally, to the ‘Slope of Enlightenment’ and ‘Plateau of Productivity’.

As organisations plan their journeys to becoming digital businesses, the 2014 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle helps them understand both the technologies on the horizon as well as those that have reached more widespread adoption. This is important for CIOs, business leaders and strategists to spot opportunities as well as threats from competitors.

Smart Machines Trigger Innovation Technologies early on the Hype Cycle, including virtual personal assistants (VPA), the connected home and smart robots, will disrupt current behaviours and business processes. It will take five to 10 years for these technologies to reach mainstream adoption, yet the hype surrounding their potential drives innovation to deliver on their promise.

Internet of Things rises to ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations Standardisation’, including data standards, wireless protocols and technologies will slow rapid adoption of IoT. A wide number of consortiums, standards bodies, associations and government/region policies around the globe are tackling the standards issues.

Ironically, with so many entities each working

www.cnmeonline.com

on their own interests, we expect the lack of standards to remain a problem over the next three to five years.

In contrast, dropping costs of technology, a larger selection of IoT-capable technology vendors and the ease of experimenting continue to push trials, business cases and implementations of IoT forward.

Big Data Moves Over the Peak The Big Data market is settling into a more reasonable approach in which new technologies and practices are additives to existing solutions and creating hybrid approaches when combined with traditional solutions.

Watch out, Big Data’s passage through the ‘Trough of Disillusionment’ will be fast and brutal. Tools and techniques are being adopted before expertise is available, and before they are mature and optimised, which is creating confusion. This will result in the demise of some solutions and complete revisions of some implementations over the next three years.

Elements of the work scenario described earlier, such as forecasting from Big Data, may be possible today. Others, such as the connected home and Smart machines, remain on a longer horizon to adoption. Yet, as some of these technologies progress along the Hype Cycle, they will drive enterprises to become digital businesses. This is particularly true for smart machines, IoT, 3D printing and wearables.

Combined, digital business technologies will transform enterprises and entire industries.

Supported by:

17-18 November 2014, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, UAE

300 Delegates

25 Expert Speakers

1 Dedicated M-Government Conference

Confirm your place TODAY!

His Excellency Eng. Ahmed Saeed Al Sayyah, General Manager, RAK e-Government Authority (EGA)

His Excellency Eng. Ali Bin Saleh Al-Soma, Director General, e-Government Program of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

His Excellency Eng. Mohammed Saif Al Afkham, Director General, Fujairah Municipality

Darryl Owen, Vice President and General Manager - International Region, MicroStrategy

Ahmed Buhazza, Director of eService Delivery and Channel Enhancement, e-Government of Bahrain

Dr. Fawaz H. Abu Sitta, Advisor, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority

Abdulla Ebrahim Al Ahmed, SVP, Enterprise Sales - Government, Etisalat

Khaled W. Jaouni, Managing Director, Middle East and North Africa, Accela

Juan Pablo Luchetti, Director of Partner Relations, Mubaloo

Ilias Chantzos, Senior Director Government Relations and Public Affairs for EMEA, Symantec

Mohammed Qadadeh, Head of Government Services and Solutions for MENA, MasterCard

Johnny Karam, Regional Vice President, Middle East and Africa (MEA), Citrix

Be part of this exciting initiative.

Limited seats are available. To book your delegate place today, please contact Daksha Patel on daksha@m-gov.ae or +971 56 6907668 or visit www.m-gov.ae Diamond Sponsors

Strategic Sponsor

Lead Media Partner: Gold Sponsor

Session Sponsor Innovation Partner

Premium Exhibitors

Delegate Folder Sponsor

Organised by:

PRODUCTS

Launches and releases

Product: ZenWatch Brand: ASUS What it does: ZenWatch is ASUS’s first wearable device.

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and the Android Wear OS, it integrates with the ZenUI. As a result, the smart watch enables one to use a ZenFone without touching the device. It lets the user view incoming calls, messages, notifications, and other important information without having to pull the phone out. The Watch Unlock feature turns the watch into a universal key for unlocking the phone; Cover to Mute that lets the user mute an incoming call by gloving the watch’s display; and Find My Phone that helps one find a ZenFone when it is misplaced by ringing it remotely. Alternatively, ASUS ZenWatch Manager on the smartphone can be used to find a misplaced ZenWatch by making it vibrate and flash. ASUS Remote Link smartphone app Presentation Control enables users to use the watch as a remote control and time manager when giving a business presentation or lecture. Users can move between slides, keep track of their progress, and keep an eye on the elapsed time all from the ZenWatch.

What you should know: ZenWatch comes with a wide selection of instantly-changeable watch faces to fit any style or mood, and Li-polymer 1.4Wh battery that needs a recharge every 24 hours. The watch’s AMOLED 1.63inch display shelled with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla glass makes it seem thinner than it is actually. It is compatible with all smartphones running Android 4.3 OS or higher. With 1.2GHz CPU and 512MB RAM, the watch is designed to meet IP55 certifications standards keeping the functionality intact under water suiting the sporty user – to whom the watch also serves as a personal wellness manager. It provides one with wellness statistics and relaxation tips to help live a balanced life. It can be purchased from any electronic store for US$260.

Product: Galaxy Note 4 Brand: Samsung What it does: The latest in the Galaxy series of mobile smartphones from Samsung, the Galaxy Note 4 aims to improve on standard smartphone technology and offer new features to its users. The Galaxy series is known for large screens, and the Note 4 is no different, sporting a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) super AMOLED display, which boasts response times as fast as a millionth of a second. The display is encased in a metal frame beneath a 2.5D glass screen, which was inherited from the Galaxy S3. Powering the Note 4’s multitude of apps and functions is a 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor, running an Android 4.4 operating system. The device is equipped with a 16 megapixel rear-facing camera featuring a Smart Optical Image Stabiliser that counterbalances camera shake and automatically extends exposure time in dark settings. In addition, a 3.7 megapixel frontfacing camera with f1.9 offers a default 90 degree shooting angle and up to 120 degree wide angle.

What you should know: The most notable feature of the Galaxy Note 4 is the “S Pen”. The stylus is designed specifically for the phone to offer an array of S Pen Optimised Features such as: Air Command, S Note, Photo note, Direct Pen Input and others, all aimed at authentically emulating the analog pen-to-paper experience. The S Pen functions also include multi-window operating, which allow apps to be selected and viewed in split-screen, pop-up and multi-sized windows according to the user’s preference.

88

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

www.cnmeonline.com

Product: Microsoft Band Brand: Microsoft What it does: Microsoft band is a piece of wearable tech that resembles a simple wrist watch, but offers users an array of additional functions that focus on health and fitness. The Band is the first device powered by Microsoft Health, an app that tracks heart rate, steps, calorie burn and sleep quality. An optical heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer/Gyrometer and built in GPS help collect user information and display it on the 11mmx33mm Capacitive 1.4” TFT full colour display with a 320x103 pixel resolution. In addition to health and wellness functions, the Microsoft Band also hopes to help users be more productive by offering an array of functions and features including Email previews, calendar alerts, and the ability to connect with smartphones and other devices.

What you should know: The Microsoft Band aims to provide a balance of fitness and productivity benefits including: guided workouts from fitness professionals, continuous heart rate monitoring, calorie burn measurement, sleep quality tracking and delivery of notifications including calls, emails, texts and social updates.

Those using a Windows Phone 8.1 or higher, can utilise Cortana. Cortana is a “digital personal assistant” capable of taking notes, setting reminders, giving driving directions, traffic, sports, stock and weather updates and more, all through voice commands.

Product: Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact Brand: Sony What it does: The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is part of Sony’s flagship Z3 series and focuses heavily on design and social function. On the outside, the Xperia clocks in at 6.4mm slim, weighs less than 270 grams, with stainless steel corners, a rounded frame and tempered glass front. It also boasts the highest waterproof rating (IP 65/69) available in a compact tablet. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad-core processor with 2.5 Ghz speed, and a Battery STAMINA Mode which turns off background functions when they’re not in use in order to extend the life of the battery.

What you should know: Gaming fans will be pleased to know that the Xperia Z3 series is the only tablet equipped to utilise “PS4 Remote Play”, which allows the tablet to act as a remote screen for connecting and controling games on the PS4. Audiophiles will enjoy Sony’s High Resolution Audio experience through the company’s DSEE HX technology, which upgrades the fidelity of MP3 or AAC files to high-resolution quality. For those looking to capture the moment, the Xperia Z3 series also offers the world’s first ISO 12800 sensitivity in a tablet, even in low light, along with a 25mm wide-angle Sony G lens and a 20.7 megapixel outward facing camera for video and still-shot capture.

www.cnmeonline.com

november 2014

Computer News Middle East

89

Column The word on the street

James Dartnell

HP: The Enterprise expects S

CNME’s man about town gives his spin on the latest IT news and trends.

90

Computer News Middle East

november 2014

o HP have decided to split up their enterprise and PC/printer businesses.

The break signals a U-turn from CEO Meg Whitman, who after taking over from former chief Léo Apotheker in 2011 declared “together we are stronger” in reference to a rumoured separation, saying PCs were key to long-term relationships with customers.

But times change, and this is especially the case in the technology industry.

Whitman will become Chairman of PC and printer business HP Inc. and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, indicating where HP views the greater promise.

The announcement comes towards the end of HP’s ‘five year turnaround’ plan, during which the company aimed to revitalise its flagging fortunes.

The move echoes rival IBM’s bid to shake-off its lagging operations, following the sales of its PC and then x86 server businesses to Lenovo, then its dwindling semiconductor facilities to Abu Dhabi-owned GlobalFoundries.

Big Blue’s focus has since shifted to enterprise technology, and the Hewlett Packard Enterprise firm will now have greater agility in its attempt to beat the tena-penny cloud and software vendors in the market today.

Whether it can, or will, remains a large question mark over Whitman’s head.

She’s previously lauded the company’s tablet range as a game-changer, and it

www.cnmeonline.com

didn’t exactly set the world alight.

With HP’s PC and Printer operations bringing in half the company’s quarterly net revenue of $27.6 billion, now is as good a time as any to begin adjusting for the 2015 split.

HP has also showed overall revenue growth for the first time in 11 quarters, but all of the gain was in the PC business, and this strong return was boosted by a short-term upgrade cycle from the death of Windows XP. Hewlett Packard Enterprise will also have its work cut out to boost its also-ran storage, networking and server businesses.

Although the 55,000 employees expected to be laid off as part of the split may be left feeling double-crossed by Whitman, the decision to allow the company’s enterprise business to move forward independently was probably its best option.

A touted merger with EMC has not yet materialised, and rumour has it that HP had attempted to sell its PC and printer business before the spin-off, but found no takers.

An initial glance at the Enterprise business’ figures certainly suggest it has work to do, operating at a 2.5 percent margin, while the Software division – a strategic area for the company - earned $2.9 billion in net revenue for the nine months before 31st July.

If the split is to be a success for the Enterprise Group, this part of the business will have to go up a few gears.

Whether or not the split is the right choice, the elephant in the room for HP remains revenue growth. Its servers remain under pressure from more affordable rivals and its cloud offering has a way to go as well.

As with anything, time will tell, but the newly formed Enterprise Group will need to make the most of its newfound agility to ensure it can keep up with innovative competitors.

Avaya Fabric Network... vlan i-sid 7 700

Done... end-to-end!

That is why Dubai World Trade Center, organizers of Gitex, converted to Avaya Fabric Network. 路 50% less provisioning time 路 1 converged network with video surveillance 路 100X faster application delivery 路 1000s of exhibitors and millions of visitors satisfied Welcome to the new age of networking.

Convert to Avaya FabricConnect!