ICT Insight Issue 14

Issue 14 | May 2013 www.etisalat.ae

Etisalat Business Update

Muna Salem Ajaif Al-Zaabi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services Sector, Ministry of Social Affairs

Star treatment

Ministry of Social Affairs joins Emirates Energy Star programme to help reduce UAE carbon footprint

INSIDE

Professional Services

DDoS

Infrastructure-as-a-Service

M2M

Telepresence

Grow your business by enhancing your voice communication with Managed Voice As a comprehensive PBX business tool, Managed Voice allows you to outsource proactive/ reactive monitoring along with management and support of your voice communications to enhance your corporate efficiencies, create synergies and augment business value.

It’s time to make your voice heard!

Contact your

Account Manager

etisalat.ae/managedvoice

I Etisalat Business

Management speak

Managing success We continue to demonstrate our leadership in ICT with an expanded portfolio of business services. One commitment we were keen to highlight was that to the SME sector in the UAE, which comes in the form of new business packages in mobility and cloud services such as Infrastructure-as-a-Service designed specifically for them.

Enterprises in this region are increasingly showing their eagerness to embrace the mobility trend, and as such we see it as our role to ensure the latest and greatest phone models are offered to SMEs with our superior business plans. The SME market Abdulla Hashim, Senior Vice President, ICT, Etisalat

makes up an important part of the UAE’s business community, and we will continue to provide them with better network coverage and more choices.

Meanwhile, Etisalat’s expansion into ICT services continues to grab the eye of enterprises throughout the country. Following the recent launch of our infrastructureas-a-service (IaaS), we have already seen a terrific customer response and I expect such cloud services to gather further momentum going forward.

One of the more noteworthy, although not surprising, findings of a recent IDC Stateof-IT report showed that managed and data centre services have seen significant traction in the region over the last couple of years. The new paradigm gives organisations the control of deciding what stays in-house and what is outsourced, meaning CIOs can focus on business-critical projects while outsourcing other timeconsuming IT functions. That’s not to mention the cost-savings.

But it’s not just infrastructure functions that enterprises are looking to capitalise on the cloud with. The rise of cybercrime and “hacktivism” has left every organisation in the world a potential target of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

Subsequently – following the successful launch of our cloud-based Web and email security service back at GITEX – we have now deployed our DDoS Mitigation Service.

As part of this, we ensure our Internet connectivity is clear of harmful traffic, thus providing a clean-pipe service to customers.

Publisher Dominic De Sousa COO Nadeem Hood Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 4409109 Editor Ben Rossi ben.rossi@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 4409114 Circulation Database and Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 4409147 Production and Design Production Manager James P Tharian james@cpidubai.com +971 4 4409146 Design Director Fahed Sabbagh fahed.sabbagh@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 4409132 Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 4409104 DIGITAL SERVICES Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy P Maagma Web Developers Erik Briones Jefferson de Joya webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 Published by

Our services offering also extends to professional services following the recent announcement of a new ICT outsourcing function to support business process outsourcing for customers. This essentially provides a one-stop shop where we provide a complete end-to-end project with post-implementation support, removing

1013 Centre Road, New Castle County, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

much of the hassle and costs customers normally have to deal with.

Head Office PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE

All this and more can be read about in more detail in this month’s issue of ICT Insight.

Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409

I hope you enjoy.

Printed by Printwell Printing Press LLC Regional partner of

www.etisalat.ae

© Copyright 2013 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.

Case Study

Star treatment

The vision and execution of long-term goals is a distinctive characteristic of the United Arab Emirates, and when Etisalat and Pacific Controls joined forces with the Ministry of Environment and Water to proactively reduce the carbon footprint of the nation, a new vision was set. The initiative continues to gain traction as more and more high-profile organisations get on board.

The Ministry of Social Affairs added itself to that list.

Combine the technological know-how of Etisalat with the

Al-Zaabi, who was appointed as Assistant Undersecretary

missionary focus of the UAE’s government entities, and

for Support Services Sector five years ago, covers five

you’ve got a force to be reckoned with. The Emirates Energy

administrations at the ministry; financial management, IT,

Star programme has one simple objective: reduce the carbon

human resources, legal affairs, and services and equipment.

footprint of the UAE by 20 percent by 2015.

She is responsible for energy saving across the organisation,

With expertise in research, innovation and technical solutions,

the

partnership

concluded

that

buildings

contribute to 60 percent of energy consumption across the

“We

joined the

programme, launched by Etisalat,

in July 2012 in order to reduce our carbon emissions

yes, but one that isn’t about to discard its sustainability and

and

ensure

a

healthy

environment,”

she

says.

“It all started when we met with Etisalat, and they offered

It was this knowledge that led the partnership to act upon

us the chance to participate in the programme. We found

the consumption rates of buildings. “No other sector has such a

that it was a genuine platform that would add value to the

high potential for drastic emission reductions,” stated the United

environment, so we decided to adopt it, especially since it

Nations Environment Programme, speaking about the project.

would be in line with the UAE’s policy aimed toward energy,

In July last year, the Ministry of Social Affairs joined the

cost saving, and improving green credentials.”

Emirates Energy Star programme in a bid to commit to reducing

Al-Zaabi says that the ministry didn’t even need to allocate

its carbon emissions and energy consumption. Muna Salem

a specific budget for the programme because the organisation

Ajaif Al-Zaabi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services

would be able to pay the requested amount for applying it

Sector, Ministry of Social Affairs, says it was the ideal way to

simply from the savings collected by the programme.

contribute to environmental awareness.

ICT Insight

programme to join.

nation. It’s a booming metropolis and central business hub, conservation responsibilities.

4

and Emirates Energy Star seemed to be the perfect

“It is a very cost-effective programme – the continuous

The Ministry of Social Affairs was one of the first ministries in the country to work on energy savings in its buildings, centres and institutions, numbering more than 40 buildings. The ministry has directed all its staff and employees to save energy through reports and email messages and apply the measures they take to save energy, not only in the ministry, but also in their homes and their daily lives.

These instructions include saving electricity and water consumption and reducing their excessive use, in addition to reducing paper consumption.

H.E. Mariam Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs

monitoring ensures the maximum benefits from the

investment. Emirates Energy Star adopts a systematic valueengineering approach to ensure maximum gains are achieved

Al-Zaabi says the programme’s team visited the ministry

for the minimum expenditure on both capital and running

buildings and prepared a plan to control energy consumption

costs. The energy savings cover the cost of servicing the loans

through continuous monitoring of the air conditioning from

through payment of equal monthly instalments.”

a control room, 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. The

The technology provided by the partnership allows users to

team would handle any alerts and requests from the sites

monitor and manage energy consumption in real time, using sophisticated information communication technology. All building owners are invited to participate in the programme, however the Ministry of Social Affairs was one of the first ministry entities to do so, as it linked its air conditioning with room occupancy.

“We started in a number of institutions including Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, and Ajman. We receive a monthly report from the programme experts which includes suggestions for

themselves.

The Emirates Energy Star programme’s objective by 2015 is to reduce the carbon footprint of the UAE by

20%

Carbon emissions and total energy consumption can be displayed and monitored in each facility in order to decrease the carbon footprint and maintain sustainability, says Al-Zaabi.

“In the first five buildings, as mentioned in the reports, we were able to save 26 percent of energy consumption – that’s the equivalent to planting 286 trees.”

The ministry shares its monthly reports with its employees in order to show them how they are contributing to create a

changes and extensions to the project when appropriate, in

healthier environment, as well as a way of encouraging them

addition to the percentage of energy consumption savings

to apply to the programme in their home lives.

that we have achieved, along with our contribution to the

“They can contribute at home either by linking their air

environment,” Al-Zaabi says.

conditioning with room occupancy, or by turning off lights

However, the ministry hasn’t stopped there, and quality

during the day,” Al-Zaabi explains.

input and guidance from Etisalat has led it to expand the

“This is actually working since almost 50 percent of them

application of the programme across its institutions throughout

are trying to save energy – also, they can see a difference in

the UAE.

their electricity bills.”

“Since we have 42 institutions and main ministry buildings

The programme is a fantastic initiative for demonstrating

in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in addition to external centres in the

commitment to future generations in an age when carbon

UAE, we decided this year to expand the application of the programme,” Al-Zaabi says.

“We received a proposal from Emirates Energy Star and

Muna Salem Ajaif Al-Zaabi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services Sector, Ministry of Social Affairs

emissions are extremely high. The ministry has made its intentions clear in this area by revealing multiple areas which it will be focusing on in the coming years.

Etisalat about the centres in which we could start applying

“We are keen, in the near future, on applying standards

the programme. Now we are covering almost 10 institutions.

which maintain sustainable development and create a green

However, we’re still waiting to receive the reports of the

environment on recycling, reducing inks, and limiting printing

newly joined institutions.”

and faxing,” Al-Zaabi concludes.

Etisalat Business Update

5

CLOUD GONE MOBILE PaaS market data

In 2013, worldwide IT speding is forcasted to exceed

PaaS market size in 2010 Between 2010 and 2011, more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from the Apple store

25 billion From 2013 through 2020, mobile, social, cloud and big data will drive around 90% of all the growth in the IT market.

$512 million

$2.1 trillion

Mobile apps moving to the cloud Between 2009 and 2014, the market for cloud-based mobile apps is set to increase by nearly

PaaS market size in 2015

$1.7 billion

90%

You would be hard-pressed to find two other trends more significantly influencing the ICT industry right now than mobile and cloud. Put them together, and the force only grows as mobile apps continue to move to the cloud, driving significant momentum in Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

In 2013, Smart mobile devices will grow by Big data tech and services will grow to nearly

20%

$10 billion

... and generate nearly 57% of the industry’s overall growth.

57% App Store There was a

91%

By 2016 there will be 10 trillion mobile Internet devices used globally

increase in time users spent on apps

10 trillion

1

billion

smartphones will be sold in 2014

Source: IDC, Gartner

IaaS

Introducing Infrastructure-asa-Service

Etisalat has recently been expanding its ICT service offerings, providing the region with a far wider portfolio in order to improve customer experience, opportunities and create new revenue streams.

In the last fortnight, Etisalat launched its first cloud

understand and want to be involved with,” he says. “The

Etisalat is seeing increased customer interest in its

difference is that now it comes from a service provider.”

offerings since then and is confident that the service will see an impressive uptake across the GCC. Ahmed Al Hammadi, Senior Manager of Hosting and Cloud Services, Etisalat, believes that the customer

8

ICT Insight

“The evolution of cloud is something that people

computing service – Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).

Etisalat has launched the service in partnership with leading hardware and software technology providers.

The infrastructure is hosted in its Tier III data centre in Jebel Ali.

need for cloud services in the region is extremely high,

“In the last two weeks, we’ve seen lots of customers

and that its IaaS offering will be a market-leading one,

asking for the service. That’s really a good start,” says

thanks to a number of key reasons.

Al Hammadi.

“We have seen a lot of talk and introductions. The

something most people are talking about, not to mention

market is showing great interest and we are confident

storage,” he says. “With the amount of data out there

that this will be another successful story for Etisalat.”

at the moment, it’s only normal to expect everyone to

Al Hammadi believes that the region is still lacking

be discussing storage. Any company will need hosting,

behind the US and the European markets when it comes

regardless of the current dynamics of the market place

to the adoption of cloud technologies. However he does

– be it recession or not.

feel that the UAE as a country is ahead in relation to the

“For example, customers here are still concerned with

rest of the region.

moving their core business applications into the cloud,

“The UAE is well positioned compared to others in the region,” he says. “Its customers are aware of the trends as they’ve been asking for such offerings before we even launched these services. Our present IaaS service

so they’re hosting them in a traditional manner. They Ahmed Al Hammadi, Senior Manager of Hosting and Cloud Services, Etisalat

will still need storage for this.

“We do currently offer a managed storage service.

Storage-as-a-service is a big opportunity for us.”

offerings are customer-demanded services, for sure.”

Al Hammadi is a lead member in the Etisalat Cloud team. His role in this area is to set the company’s strategy and produce the roadmap for taking cloud services to the market. He defines service characteristics and then positions them for the right market after taking them through the product development cycle.

Etisalat is well versed in this area. It’s certainly not a new technology to the company which began hosting shared infrastructure services all the way back in the year 2000, prior to when Al Hammadi had even taken on his present role.

“Cloud is not a new service and it’s certainly not new

The UAE is well positioned compared to others in the region. Its customers are aware of the trends as they’ve been asking for such offerings before we even launched these services. Our present IaaS service offerings are customer-demanded services, for sure.

to us,” he says. “It is a new form of delivering computing resources, network elements and storage on a pay-per-

Al Hammadi says that companies still aren’t trusting

use basis, with the option of acquiring the service in the

100 percent when it comes to putting their applications

form of public, private or hybrid cloud.

in the cloud. The weak point out here, he believes, is

“Based on our customer requests and feedback, we

the security on the cloud.

are soon going to launch many Business Productivity

“We as a provider need to address this issue. And it

Applications on a pay-per-use, Software-as-a-Service

is not just Etisalat; all providers, hosters and vendors

(SaaS) basis,” he adds.

in the region have a need to address this important point. The Internet is open and you can understand

Moving with the tide

why people are hesitant. This issue isn’t even a regional

Based on the amount of ICT offerings it is delivering,

issue,” he says.

it sometimes seems unnatural to refer to Etisalat just

“As a whole, it’s not being addressed globally in the

as a telco these days. Though Al Hammadi claims that

way it should be, as providers around the world do not

competition in the telco space isn’t living up to the

have enough control over data movements. But we at

standards his company has set.

Etisalat are certainly addressing these issues here.”

“Our competition in this space hasn’t announced anything like this yet,” he says.

$378.5m by the end of 2013, according to anaylsts.

Al Hammadi says that, in regards to security on the cloud, Etisalat won’t disappoint with its serivces:

But this doesn’t mean that Etisalat is about to rest

“With this, I would like to assure our customers that,

on its laurels. Al Hammadi outlines the key needs for

as we have always done in our managed data centre

regional customers and says that these needs are

services, Etisalat will far exceed its expectations on

being addressed.

the security and protection of customer data on all the

“Managing the network and infrastructure are

The Middle East’s cloud market will be worth

cloud services it brings to them.”

Etisalat Business Update

9

Managed Security

How to defend against DDoS attacks

With distributed denial-of-service attacks getting more sophisticated and targeted, Rakesh Jain, Director of Product Marketing and Management, Managed Services and Unified Communication, and Sudhir Menon, Senior Manager of Security Services, Etisalat, talk about why Etisalat is your trusted partner for defence against DDoS. Organisations today have a growing dependence on

Internet connectivity provided by us is devoid of any

the Internet, be it for their day-to-day operations, inter-

illegitimate traffic. In essence, we ensure that we provide

connecting their business ecosystem, or even building

a clean-pipe service to the customer.

revenue models. This growing dependence has caught the

Rakesh Jain, Director of Product Marketing and Management, Managed Services and Unified Communication, Etisalat

10

ICT Insight

attention of organised hackers, political “hacktivists”, cyber-

What is a DDoS? The readers would like to know

extortionists, and international cyber-terrorists. Groups

more about this and how different it is from a

with malicious intent are targeting businesses every day,

normal security attack?

incapacitating them, causing huge losses and tarnishing

As the name suggests, a DDoS attack is an attempt by

brand reputation. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)

an attacker to exhaust the resources available to a

attacks are a real and growing threat to business globally.

network, application or service. It is done with the intent that genuine users cannot gain access to the network,

As a service provider, where do you see

rendering the service as non-usable. The reality today

Etisalat’s role in ensuring peace of mind for

is that thousands of compromised hosts jointly target

your customer?

a single entity, be it businesses, government or service

Etisalat is the preferred Internet services provider for

providers, incapacitating the network. In a nutshell, they

businesses in the UAE. In the spate of increased DDoS

could be termed as weapons of mass destruction. What

activity globally, our esteemed customers are also an

makes it different from other attacks is that this attack

impending target. As a service provider, we care for our

isn’t taking advantage of any vulnerability on the firewall

customers’ business and security. We have deployed a

or other security devices. This is a traffic flood and can

DDoS Mitigation Service, whereby we ensure that the

only be stopped by a services provider.

As Etisalat, how do you protect the customer?

Etisalat has set up a cloud-based infrastructure whereby DDoS attack identification and mitigation will proactively take place within the Etisalat Internet backbone before it reaches the customer network. The service will be a hosted solution within the Etisalat infrastructure, providing customers clean, legitimate Internet traffic after getting rid of volumetric attacks before it reaches the customer’s network.

Thousands of compromised hosts jointly target a single entity, be it businesses, government or service providers, incapacitating the network. In a nutshell, they could be termed as weapons of mass destruction.

You mentioned Volumetric attacks. are there other types of DDoS attacks that customers

ICT services, we do not have to start building from

should be aware of?

ground up. For a faster go-to-market, we work with our

DDoS attacks vary significantly and generally fall into one

ICT partners, complementing each other’s capability to

of three broad categories:

deliver the best possible service to our customers. In

1. Volumetric attacks: An attempt to consume the entire

the DDoS service, Etisalat has partnered with Arbor,

link (causing congestion) or forwarding capacity by causing

who is the global leader in DDoS mitigation services.

non-availability of the link for legitimate traffic to flow.

We have deployed a DDoS scrubbing centre in the UAE

2. TCP state-exhaustion attacks: An attempt to consume the connection state tables which are present in many infrastructure

components

such

as

load-balancers,

firewalls and the application servers themselves.

to deliver this service to our customers. To deliver the Sudhir Menon, Senior Manager of Security Services, Etisalat

hybrid model, Etisalat will deploy Arbor’s CPE, Pravail, within the customer’s network to provide for supreme protection from DDoS attacks.

3. Application layer attacks: These target applications within websites or services at Layer-7, causing huge delays

During the last Gitex, you launched a cloud-

in processing requests, thereby frustrating the users and

based Web and email security service, and now

also rendering websites inaccessible to legitimate users.

DDoS. Is this a planned entry into the security services market?

Does Etisalat protect the customers against

Yes, we had a successful launch of the Web and email

all these attacks?

security service with Zscaler, and now DDoS with Arbor.

Etisalat, while delivering any service, makes sure that

We also provide Managed SSL VPN and Managed UTM in

our customers’ needs and demands are met. Our DDoS

collaboration with Juniper. Customers, after having a good

offering includes two types of services:

experience with our Managed Network Services, have

Cloud-based: This service was already discussed earlier.

approached us for other managed services as well. To fulfill

This will ensure protection from volumetric as well as TCP

this need, we currently provide Managed WAN, Managed

state-exhaustion attacks. It will be available to Etisalat

LAN, Managed Voice and Managed Firewall to our customers.

customers who are using our IDA (Internet Direct Access)

The UAE market predominantly is a vendor-driven or a CPE-

as well as customers hosted within Etisalat data centres.

associated market. The bulk of the security services prevalent

Hybrid model: The most common attacks seen today

in the market are box-based. Etisalat, in collaboration with

are the application layer flood attacks. Since this cannot

these vendors and partners, will roll out a series of Managed

be caught by using a cloud-based deployment, Etisalat

Security Services (MSSP). The service will be rendered from

provides a hybrid model wherein a device is hosted within

the cloud, as well as through perimeter hosted models. Our

the customer’s perimeter. The combination of our cloud

state-of-the-art SOC infrastructure is built to ensure that our

and perimeter solution is termed the hybrid model that

customers stay protected in this volatile threat landscape.

offers the highest protection for our customers.

Our certified professional workforce is geared to meet any such growing demands within the security space. For more

Is this solution developed internally?

information on these services, I would request you to please

Etisalat is the preferred ICT partner for most of our

get in touch with any of our relationship managers or our

customers in the UAE. To deliver an extensive list of

sales manager.

Etisalat Business Update

11

Executive Brief

Adoption of M2M communications An insight into the UAE market.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication has become

know the status (occupied or free) of each vehicle thanks to

an integral component for enterprises and consumers in the

embedded sensors, allocate job tasks, and ensure passenger

UAE. It is one of the leading countries in the Middle East with

safety by monitoring taxi speeds.

respect to M2M uptake and applications. M2M has already

· Road and Transport Authority (RTA): In 2007, the RTA

made significant inroads in enterprises across different

introduced an automated road toll collection system called

verticals, such as transportation and logistics, and power and

Salik, aimed at automatically deducting a toll when vehicles

utilities. However, it is important to realise that the benefits of

pass through designated Salik toll points without stopping. It

M2M are not confined to a specific area but offer a wealth of

is an M2M-based solution that relies on passive RFID (radio

opportunities across all verticals.

frequency identification) tags.

Various M2M Applications

Energy:

M2M applications are tools that enable communications and

Considering the importance of energy conservation and the

data from a module to be converted into action and perform

rising costs of utilities, enterprises are inclined to source

a specific function. These applications are often specific to a

solutions that are not only green but also save them money.

particular vertical or to a usage case across different sectors.

· Dubai Municipality: In 2012, Dubai Municipality

Many of these applications are offered by telecom operators

announced its participation in the Emirates Energy Star

or software vendors that specialise in a specific vertical. Globally,

project, an initiative led by Etisalat and UAE-based firm

many enterprises are looking for a one-stop shop that is able to

Pacific Controls, and launched a partnership with the Ministry

offer various M2M applications to meet their specific needs.

of the Environment and Water. The M2M-based project

Numerous possibilities exist for deploying M2M in order to

aims to reduce carbon footprint levels in the UAE by retro-

improve efficiency and lower costs while enhancing the quality

fitting existing commercial and government buildings with

of a particular service and even, in many cases, a person’s life. It

energy-saving smart control systems, thus reducing overall

is likely that many deployments are enterprise-specific.

energy consumption. The project is capable of achieving energy savings of 10 to 35 percent. It will be implemented

12

ICT Insight

Verticals and Successful Business Cases in the UAE

first in Dubai Municipality’s Al Twar Building Centre and

Transportation:

will subsequently be rolled out to the remaining buildings

Automated toll collection and fleet management are some of

under the municipality’s control. The primary aim of these

the main solutions for organisations in the transportation sector.

implementations will be to reduce the consumption of

· Dubai Taxi: A large number of taxis in Dubai use M2M

utilities and limit associated service costs. Dubai Municipality

chips. This helps Dubai Taxi Corporation to track vehicles,

is expected to recover the investment made in the Emirates

Energy Star project from the savings that are realised, with the

on, remotely. This will eventually result in better business

average payback period, per building, ranging from 18 to 24

planning and increased transparency.

months. Apart from the net cost savings in the form of lower energy bills, the project will help decrease pollution and water consumption and the resultant waste.

Currently, a large number of facilities across the country are participating in the project. The enterprises that have adopted these Emirates Energy Star solutions include Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Al Ansari Real Estate, First Gulf Bank, Jumeirah Plaza, and Danat Al Nahda.

The Emirates Energy Star project is capable of achieving energy savings of up to

35%

· Improved business Analytics: The key to business analytics is the availability of relevant data, and M2M generates real-time data points that can aid the analytics procedure. · Scalability: Modern enterprises demand scalability and customisation to meet their changing requirements. M2M provides these enterprises with a scalable and flexible platform and with horizontal solutions that can be customised to vertical specific requirements.

· Utilities/facility management: M2M solutions can be used for utility billing, as well as monitoring, tracking,

Considerations and Challenges

surveillance, and smart metering solutions.

Despite the numerous applications and their potential

· Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) and Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) Smart

benefits, it is critical for enterprises to realise that obstacles remain. Some of the main challenges are highlighted below:

Metering Deployments: Both ADWEA and DEWA have

· Vendor selection: Selecting a service provider is a

deployed smart metering programmes for automating utility

daunting challenge for enterprises. Enterprises do not know

metre readings, as well as provisioning intelligent monitoring

whether to source M2M solutions from vendors, systems

and data capturing systems. These smart metres, connected

integrators, application developers, or telecom operators. They

to Etisalat SIM cards, can provide customers with real-time

have the option either to choose separate vendors for various

information on energy consumption, as well as the cost of the

tasks, such as connectivity, platform, devices, and application,

utilities used.

or simply to go to a one-stop shop, such as a telecom operator.

· Imdaad: This company is a facilities management solutions

· Standardisation: Standards, or rather an inherent lack

provider in the UAE. In 2011, Imdaad deployed an M2M/

of standards, continue to be a particular issue in the

mobility-based mobile workforce management solution in

regional M2M industry.

a bid to automate key processes that help to increase field-

· Complexity: M2M solutions are complicated to develop,

worker efficiency and communication and streamline field-

configure, and deploy. Significant effort is needed to integrate

force management, workflow approvals, asset management,

an M2M solution into an enterprise’s existing systems.

and facility management. The solution utilises location-based services, barcode scanning, RFID, and Bluetooth.

· Lack of awareness: One factor that limits the wider adoption of M2M solutions is a lack of awareness. M2M stakeholders need to educate enterprises about the

Benefits

ecosystem and how M2M services can improve efficiency in

As mentioned above, the two main benefits of M2M are

their particular domains.

process automation and cost efficiency. The fact that machines can interact to record critical data is, in itself, reason

Conclusion

enough for an expected increase in enterprise uptake of M2M

IDC believes the UAE will witness more M2M deployments

services. The other important advantages of M2M include:

as enterprises acquire knowledge about its potential benefits.

· Flexible pricing: The pricing paradigms for M2M services

Verticals such as transportation and utilities have already

are flexible; enterprises can choose the pricing model that suits

embraced M2M, and their success will spread to other

them best. Two of the most commonly used pricing models

sectors. Industries expected to drive further growth include

are use-based pricing and bundled-data pricing. Others include

automotive, consumer electronics, and remote-asset and field-

data-pool pricing, revenue pricing, and SLA-driven pricing.

equipment management. Enterprises with liquidity concerns,

· Remote management: M2M enables enterprises to manage their assets, customers, inventory, sales, and so

or showing reluctance toward Capex-intensive initiatives, will opt for managed M2M solutions.

M2M can be a compelling way to acquire process automation and reduce costs, and it will play a major role in the evolution

M2M applications are tools that enable communications and data from a module to be converted into action and perform a specific function.

of the communications industry. IDC believes that, if fixed communications represented the first telecommunications age and mobile was the second, M2M will be the third.

(This report was sponsored by Etisalat and written by Hasan Sandila and Paul Black of IDC. It was first published this month.)

Etisalat Business Update

13

Professional Services

Staying the course Etisalat’s professional services line for customised, large ICT projects is seen as an industry-leading offering and has successfully delivered multiple large and medium turn-key ICT projects in the past few years.

However, the Telco isn’t resting on its laurels. Recently, the company introduced an IT outsourcing function, based in Abu Dhabi, which aims to support Business Process Outsourcing for customers. Salem S. Alshareef, Senior Director, Professional Services and Project Management, Etisalat, believes that, thanks to this offering, the firm’s competition is falling behind.

“I don’t think the other telecom provider is offering such a broad range of services,” he says. “In ICT projects or regular telecom projects.”

Alshareef’s role lies on the delivery element of the customised projects. In all of Etisalat’s customised ICT projects, the consultants come first to evaluate and finalise customer needs and then translate these to state-of-the-art technical solutions. Following this, the project management team will come and implement the project, ensuring the quality of delivery. Lastly, post-implementation support from the outsourcing team take over day-to-day management of the completed solution.

14

ICT Insight

“The idea came about because outsourcing is a top talk

to overcome. However, Alshareef says that Etisalat was

now,” says Alshareef, in regards to the newly established

already in a fortunate position because it had many

outsourcing function.

specialised employees in various technical areas prior to

“People want someone to take care and manage

the offerings going live.

processes which are not part of their core business. We

“We were lucky. We have many specialised people

manage the network, for example, for large entities that

already in Etisalat with professional certifications, covering

don’t need to waste people and costs on doing the same.”

a wide range of IT aspects – network, auditing security,

Etisalat already has plenty of high-profile customers

vulnerability assessment – things like that. Thanks to this,

signed up to the outsourcing project. And although all

we have many skills on board. But we’re still improving

these customers are currently Abu Dhabi-based, Alshareef

on this with our training and uptake of new technologies.

says that he is in talks with some fairly large customers in Dubai, too.

“However if there happens to be a specific need from a customer which we are unable to fulfil to the highest quality, we will look at our partnerships and compensate

Salem S. Alshareef, Senior Director, Professional Services and Project Management, Etisalat

New revenue stream The idea behind the outsourcing project, as well as the professional services, was to create a new revenue stream for Etisalat – Alshareef believes that this offering is exactly what the market needs right now because it offers a one-stop shop for customers.

“The professional services from us is a one-stop shop.

A customer can come to us and deliver a complete endto-end project, and get post-implementation support once the project is completed,” he says. “The customer

People want someone to take care and manage processes which are not part of their core business. We manage the network, for example, for large entities that don’t need to waste people and costs on doing the same.

doesn’t have to deal with multiple vendors – we take away that headache. You deal with one entity only which is Etisalat. It’s more saving, too; the costing of the

from those – be that by taking knowledge, technologies,

other vendors is much higher than if the customer deals

or specific know-how. The thing to remember is that all of

with one vendor directly.

our projects are fully customised, so you rarely get two

“On top of this, another reason for why they get such

that are the same.”

value is that we are technology-neutral. We don’t provide

The fact that each project is customised is working

from only specific vendors. We offer the best solutions

to the advantage of Etisalat. Alshareef explains that the

on the market at that time for that specific project – be it

customers have shown a great level of enthusiasm, making

Cisco, Juniper et cetera.”

it easier for Etisalat to sell projects because it doesn’t

The professional services solution offerings include network consulting and implementations. This means

have to pitch any products or services – everything the telco does is brought to its attention from the customer.

network design and architecture; data centre design (an increasingly popular project in the current market,

The common trend

according

cloud

Alshareef believes that the demand from customers in the

computing; IP contact centres; and network collaborative

next few years will circle mainly around cloud computing,

services. Additionally, Etisalat offers bespoke security

mobility and collaboration – something he claims is picking

solutions, which include vulnerability assessment and

up in the region.

to

Alshareef);

network

migration;

penetration testing; systems and web-hardening; and security log management and analysis.

“People will start fully moving to the cloud now – mostly to reduce costs. However security will then become a major talking point,” he says.

Tackling the challenges

Though Alshareef still believes that the uptake is fairly

With Etisalat expanding its offerings into such broad

low, he does feel that, because the UAE is a green-field

areas, the company was obviously going to run into

market, the time to harvest these technologies has finally

some complications and challenges that it would have

arrived, and Etisalat is perfectly placed to do this.

Etisalat Business Update

15

Partner Spotlight

A collaborative partnership This month, we spotlight Etisalat’s partnership with Avaya. Whilst the partnership is officially three years old, the relationship stretches back as far as 13 years.

Etisalat’s relationship with Avaya started back in

and UC solutions, that are focused on driving business

2000, when the communications vendor was selected

efficiency and productivity for SMBs and enterprises

as the telco’s preferred supplier for contact centre

in the UAE.

solutions and technologies, providing the 101 customer

The Managed Services offering enables customers

care services and 181 directory inquiry available today

to have the latest communication solutions without the

throughout the UAE.

need to invest up-front in managing and maintaining

The relationship developed into a fully fledged partnership in early 2009, when Etisalat moved further

“As businesses move from the age of information

of products and services from Avaya within the UAE,

to the age of collaboration, workers are becoming

as part of Etisalat’s strategy to diversify its revenue

increasingly mobile and teams more widely distributed,”

streams. Today, their joint GTM offering includes

says Sherif Khairallah, Sales Director for Telcos and

unified communications (UC), contact centres, and SME

Service Providers, MEA and Turkey, Avaya.

“Many are operating 24-seven, in an always-

“The evolution of Etisalat’s relationship with Avaya

on mode. Organisations are experiencing increased

from supplier to strategic partnership is in line with

pressure to perform, with more work, from fewer

Etisalat’s strategy to offer businesses a wide choice of

people, at a faster pace. Avaya and Etisalat’s current

innovative and integrated solutions in order to boost

market offerings enable organisations to embrace such

business productivity,” said Abdulla Hashim, Senior Vice

evolving technology trends in their organisations.”

President, ICT, Etisalat.

Avaya provides cloud-enablement solutions that

“In our dynamic, rapidly growing market, it’s critical

are a part of the Avaya Collaborative Cloud portfolio, a

to have partners like Avaya who can help us meet our

strategic framework developed for enabling enterprises

customers’ complete business needs with creative and

and cloud service providers to evolve, augment,

transformative turn-key ICT solutions.”

federate and simplify their cloud communication and

Etisalat has also been working with Avaya to offer managed services, including managed LAN, telephony

ICT Insight

effective business enabler.

into the IT services market as a value-added reseller

communications and networking.

16

the network, and is considered a significant and cost-

collaboration applications for UC, video collaboration and contact centres.

Recently, Avaya has launched a new suite of solutions for small and mid-sized enterprises that can provide enterprise-class collaboration features on smaller budgets.

Mid-sized organisations in the UAE currently account for up to a third or more of the GDP. There is a lot of government support for SMEs and start-ups, and it is essential that they are properly equipped to achieve their business and growth objectives.

“The days of complicated IT solutions, intended for larger enterprises, have come to an end,” says Mohamed Areff, Managing Director, Gulf, Avaya. “SMEs are busy expanding their core businesses, and need simple solutions that embrace innovation.

“Avaya IP office - suitable for SMEs with as few as five employees - now scales up to 1,000 users. This solution gives mid-sized companies in the UAE a more These solutions help to evolve toward cloud communications and collaboration, with paths and

cost-effective, simplified way to manage growing staff on a network across one or multiple sites.”

choices across public, private, and hybrid cloud options

In addition, Avaya has made video more mobile,

rooted in flexible licensing and pricing options to

accessible and affordable to mid-sized enterprises.

accommodate variable business priorities.

Customers no longer need to confine themselves in

They also augment existing on-premise and cloud applications,

with

complementary

Avaya

cloud

applications delivering enhanced innovative solutions,

expensive video conferencing rooms to stay visually connected with their customers, peers and partners on their device of choice.

and federate cloud communications across enterprise

Alongside the launch, Avaya has also announced

domains. This enables enterprises to interoperate

Avaya iConnect, a regional programme aimed to equip

across platforms and protocols to cloud applications and

Avaya channel partners to address the needs of the

across clouds.

segment with training, demo kits, marketing support,

Furthermore, they simplify user experiences and

sales incentives and rebates.

environments, with rich clients, unified platforms and easy-to-use administration.

“Etisalat has all that is needed to deliver industryleading managed services solutions, particularly for SMEs, who are constantly growing and agile,” says Nidal Abou-ltaif, Vice President for the MEA and

Integrated ICT offering from Etisalat and Avaya

Mediterranean, Avaya.

“We believe the market is ready for such services and is definitely an area for growth, and we look forward to working closely with Etisalat to tap new doors.”

Avaya in the UAE has a proven track record across all major verticals, including banking, hospitality, healthcare and government. Enterprise customers across the UAE such as Emirates NBD, Atlantis the Palm, and Dubai Civil Defense - trust Avaya solutions every day.

Avaya has been awarded three consecutive awards for Enterprise Telephony Vendor of the Year at CNME’s Network World Middle East Awards, showing a recognition of Avaya’s leadership in business communications solutions in the Middle East.

· One stop shop: Work with one provider for all your business communication needs - SIP trunks, IP Lines and unified communication · Enjoy operational and financial Flexibility: Move from a CAPEX to OPEX model – pay as you go, no matter how big or small your organisation · Reduction in costs: Integration of all corporate applications on one network rather than separate voice, video and data networks reduces cost · Optimisation of productivity: Multichannel communication reduces the average duration of calls, which enhances the effectiveness of individual employees · Greener IT environments: SIP trunks use 50-75% less power than traditional networks by using fiber optics and high-density servers · Increased interoperability: SIP solutions promote interoperability between software and hardware-provider vendors, ensuring that users receive a better return on investment through a multi-channel communication strategy

Etisalat Business Update

17

Business Ultimate

Etisalat revamps business packages for SMEs Offers best value in the country for business competitiveness.

Etisalat has announced its accelerated focus towards the SME sector in the UAE, reaffirming its commitment to continue offering superior

60% Estimated amount that the SME sector contributes to the UAE’s GDP.

propositions for this segment, providing empowerment, flexibility and competitiveness to SME businesses.

The new Business Ultimate mobile plans are customised targeting specific SME business needs. There are four bundled packages offered at Dh99, Dh199, Dh399 and Dh999. All the bundles comprise of local

Khalifa Al Shamsi, Chief Digital Services Officer, Etisalat

and international calls, SMSs, local data and smartphones at zero upfront costs. The latest Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE, BlackBerry Q10 and iPhone 5 are offered exclusively with this plan for the first month.

The basic business ultimate package for Dh99 comprises 130 minutes of local and international calls each, 130 SMSs and 130MB of local data. International calling add-ons are at rates are as low as 50 fils per minute on a per-second billing basis. Users can also benefit from per-second billing on both local and international calls in the package.

Customers can also choose from multiple add-on options based on their usage patterns, at Dh60 for 1GB, Dh149 for 5GB, and Dh219 for 12GB. These add-ons are essential today, especially where mobile data volumes are becoming an integral part of business needs.

Abdulla Ebrahim Al Ahmed, Senior Vice President, Business Solutions, Etisalat, said, “The Business Ultimate plans are designed to offer businesses better network coverage, calling and messaging values, which are top priorities while choosing a service provider today.

These users do not have to compromise on quality, after-sales service and support to get better value from their money. The packages are transparent, providing these users offerings which are required for the long-term growth of the organisation.”

John Lincoln, Senior Vice President, Business Marketing, Etisalat said, “SMEs currently represent a significant part of the business community in UAE. The top priorities for SME customers is to lower capital expenses, economise international calling and also avail the latest devices to increase productivity. Etisalat has always strived to provide best-in-class solutions offering value to their business at the same time meeting their dynamic demands and requirements.”

Today, SMEs represent more than 90 per cent of UAE businesses, playing an essential role in building a private sector, and contributing significantly to employment and economic activity in the UAE. According to the Ministry of Economy, the sector contributes an estimated 60 per cent of the UAE’s GDP.

18

ICT Insight

Fayzah A AlNuaimi, VP – SC & SMB NE, Sales Consumer-SMB, Etisal

lat

“Stop calculating, start communicating” On the sidelines of the

Yes, absolutely. And we want to go beyond that and

Business Ultimate launch, John

become the business partner for SME growth in this

Lincoln, Senior Vice President,

region. If you look at SMEs, they look for value for

Business Marketing, Etisalat,

money, which has got two components. First, they

talked about what the service

want pricing transparency and predictability. Second,

provider is bringing to the

they want to move from a Capex to Opex model and

table for SMEs.

we are offering a monthly recurring model. They also look for a single-stop shop for their communications,

John Lincoln, Senior Vice President, Business Marketing, Etisalat

What is your mandate

and, as they don’t have IT administrators, they want to

at Etisalat?

take away the complexity. And that is exactly our value

I look after the business

proposition to them.

marketing, helping to drive our revenue and customer growth in both large enterprise and SMEs.

How does this plan benefit SMEs? Most SMEs, when they make a call, look for peak and off-

What are some of the key challenges that

peak rates. What we are saying is to stop counting and

small and medium enterprises face?

start communicating. We have multiple plans that cover

SMEs typically spent a large amount of money on basic

every sector, including voice, SMS and data. Also, we are

telecom services and most of them trade off on quality to

offering handsets at no upfront cost so these companies

save costs. Most of the SMEs that are connected don’t have

don’t have to invest in procuring handsets for their

a clue about how they are connected and they need network

employees. It’s not just a plan that covers voice, and our

management. Security is a big concern for them because their

central message is, “Don’t compromise on quality.”

survival depends on how secure their infrastructure is. Most of them need back-up, storage and business continuity services.

What is the key differentiator for Etisalat?

Also, there is an opportunity to offer them mobility device

We are the largest telecom service provider in the region

management. What we are planning to offer them is a bundled

with a highly reliable and quality network. With us, you

office in a box kind of solution.

don’t have to trade off on quality for value for money.

Now we have an accelerated focus on the SME market,

Most SMEs in the region don’t have dedicated IT

which is really the growth engine of the economy. With

resources and often rely on partners as their

solutions and services tailored to suit the unique needs

trusted advisors. Will Etisalat be playing

of this market, we are playing a key role in the socio-

such a role?

economic development of the country.

Etisalat Business Update

19

Feature

Telepresenting the future

With CIOs looking to invest more and more into visual and audio-rich solutions, the telepresence market continues to gain traction across the globe. And though Etisalat formerly launched one of the region’s first ever public telepresence centres back in 2010, the blueprints have been out again, and the telco giant now has its sights set on deploying the technology in the private sector.

Much has been said about Telepresence since it

connect to any other video-enabled device around the

was introduced into the market many years ago. The

world which was running on a telepresence globally

intuitive nature of video conferencing has always

connected network. What’s more, the fee would never

been something which has attracted the attention

change, regardless of the location. It was a case of

of business leaders. However only recently has the

simply turning up, connecting, and getting on with

enterprise world begun to really reap the benefits of

your meetings.

such a technology, and Etisalat has been a key driver in that transition.

20

ICT Insight

Raied Ariqat, Manager of Unified Communication at Etisalat, who is in charge of Telepresence, says that

In 2010, Etisalat deployed one of the region’s

although the initial uptake for this centre was slow, due to

earliest public Telepresence Suites at Dubai World

minimal awareness, the hype around public telepresence

Trade Center. Customers were invited, for a fee of

is now clear to see. So much so, indeed, that Etisalat

Dh2,000 per hour, to use the telepresence suit to

deployed its second for the region last year, in Abu Dhabi.

“The Telepresence Suite in Dubai was the first we

Telepresence networks are connected globally

deployed, then we deployed the second suite in Abu

through 41 business hubs around the world, and

Dhabi because verticals are now really starting to

the technology allows you to connect to any video

utilise to this technology,” he says.

conferencing device, regardless of platform or location.

“The benefits are clear; it’s very efficient, very cost-

The Etisalat Telepresence Suites can accommodate

effective, and it solves a lot of issues surrounding

up to six participants per side of the screen. It’s an

travel and safety.”

extremely accessible, efficient and reliable service – one which Ariqat believes is setting a benchmark for

Ariqat says that the high-definition visual and the

the way in which we communicate.

quality of the audio is so impressive that telepresence suites will provide the feeling of being in the same room with someone, although he or she is thousands of miles away – reducing the need to travel across the

Raied Ariqat, Manager of Unified Communication at Etisalat

“There’s no doubt we are in the era of video communication.

People

need

and

want

to

communicate by utilising video – it’s no longer a

globe – eliminating visa complication, travel time, air

luxury; it’s a requirement. A huge percentage of the

fare costs, and more.

global bandwidth over the Internet is utilised by video,” he says.

“There are a lot of business travel challenges, and this technology simply eliminates them, such

“It’s fair to say Etisalat is no longer just a telco.

as safety, health, political, visa and other issues,”

The demand for Etisalat’s managed services and

he says.

ICT solutions is increasing day after day, and we’re

The Middle East, and more so the UAE, has grown

always looking for the latest technologies to meet

as a business hub over the past decade and it stands

the requirements of the customers - and these are

to reason that more and more enterprises around the world will be wishing to connect with the region. Ariqat believes that telepresence is the ideal technology to do this with. However, in an area which values faceto-face communication, he says that telepresence will not entirely replace formal meetings.

“Frankly speaking, it will not 100-percent replace business

travel.

Sometimes

you

need

to

sign

Telepresence services can help to replace up to

sophisticated requirements now.”

Delivering on the demand

90

With the demand for these technologies ever

percent of business travel.

demand for private telepresence solutions.

increasing, Etisalat has progressed even further into the realm of telepresence by addressing the market The Private Telepresence service, which Ariqat

contracts and see people – but before you get to this

says will be launched later this year, will be aimed

point, think of how many meetings and discussions

at large organisations in many verticals ranging from

you have to go through. Imagine being able to do

government, banking to aviation. These customers

these all in real-time, real-life circumstances but

will have their own Telepresence Suites, built up on

without leaving your city. This is where people can

their own premises, and connected to Etisalat’s global

really utilise this technology – it can replace up to 90

telepresence exchange by a local link.

percent of business travel,” Ariqat says.

This solution will also enable the customers to communicate internationally and in a B2B fashion, without bearing the cost of international link.

The benefits are clear; it’s very efficient, very cost effective, and it solves a lot of issues surrounding travel and safety.

“We really are becoming a one–stop-shop for turnkey services like this. With leading partnerships in the region, such as Cisco, which is one of the leaders in this technology, we can provide quality services on a public and private basis. We expect the private B2B deployment to be rolled out in Q4 this year,” says Ariqat.

Etisalat Business Update

21

Security Strategist 2013

Playing it safe

The evolution of not only the threat landscape, but also the intelligence of the attackers has brought to light just how severe and real the situation surrounding webbased attacks has become in recent years.

Subsequently, IT decision makers in the region

As Middle East organisations frantically seek the

were lining up at Security Strategist 2013, which was

solutions and practices that will prevent them from

partnered by Etisalat and aeCERT (the UAE Computer

being the next cybercrime victim, senior-level IT

Emergency Response Team), to understand how they

executives flocked to the Habtoor Grand hotel in Dubai

can make sure these threats do not begin to affect their

last month to find answers at the Etisalat-partnered

own organisations.

Security Strategist 2013 conference.

22

ICT Insight

With

an

action-packed

agenda,

including

two

The last year or so has seen information security

specialised roundtables covering the banking and

emerge as a number-one priority in the IT world.

aviation sectors, the day provided end-users with

Several high-profile security breaches around the globe

insightful and engaging information that was pivotal for

had already grabbed the attention of the Middle East IT

any business moving forward.

industry, but it took the first major attack on a regional

Presenters covered all the major talking points,

organisation – Saudi Arabian Aramco – to really bring

ranging from defending attacks to data loss prevention,

it home that cybercrime is something CIOs should be

with speakers including Meshal Abdulla Bin Hussain,

taking very seriously.

Head of aeCERT; Dr Deepak Kalra, CIO, Al Asas; Ahmed

Aramco suffered a massive 30,000 machine malware

AlAhmed, CIO, Nakheel; Ahmed Baig, IT Security and

attack, and the oil giant now sits as the benchmark example

Compliance, DWTC; and Mohammed Khatib, CIO, Amman

for the damage that can be done by sophisticated attackers.

Stock Exchange.

Review

The Q10 question The new BlackBerry smartphone features a real keypad, along with some great new features. display on the Z10 (and also smaller than the displays of most competing smartphones). The 720-x-720-resolution (330 pixels per inch) display shows images brighter and crisper than does the LCD screen of the Z10.

Aside from differences with the keyboard and display, the Z10 and Q10 offer pretty much the same hardware. Both run dual-core 1.5GHz processors, which provide snappy performance for touches, swipes and other inputs in various applications. Both have 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a microSD slot under the back cover for adding up to 32GB. Also, both have 8-megapixel rear cameras and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras.

However, the Q10 has a 2,100mAh removable battery, considerably bigger than the 1,800mAh battery in the Z10.

BlackBerry rates the Q10′s battery life at up to 9 hours for video playback and up to 61 hours for audio playback.

The Q10 will ship out of the gate with an upgrade to BlackBerry 10.1 that adds some significant new features and a number of minor ones to the BB10 present on the Z10.

A really cool new feature is a high dynamic range mode (HDR) for the camera, which automatically picks the best According to BlackBerry representatives, 80 to 90 percent

combination of dark and light areas of an image based

of BlackBerry’s 76 million subscribers are still using older

on three frames taken in sequence. It is a noticeable

BlackBerry smartphones with physical keyboards. That’s a lot

80-90%

improvement over version 10 for indoor shots.

of BlackBerry’s 76 million subscribers are still using older BlackBerry smartphones with physical keyboards.

provide keyboard shortcuts in various apps. For example,

of people who will likely be delighted by the new BlackBerry Q10, with its stylish QWERTY keyboard, vivid Super AMOLED display and updated BlackBerry 10.1 software.

The next question, however, is whether people who currently use smartphones with virtual keyboards (including the recently introduced BlackBerry Z10), will feel comfortable going back to (or trying for the first time) a QWERTY keyboard device.

But the biggest OS improvement in 10.1 is a feature that BlackBerry calls Instant Action, which is designed to if you want to reach your colleague quickly via BlackBerry Messenger, you can just start typing the name in the home screen; when it appears in a frame on the screen, you touch the frame, type the message and finish by touching the enter key.

At 4.9 ounces and 4.7 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches, the Q10 is a tad

BB 10.1 also allows slightly more content to appear

heavier, thicker and wider than the Z10 — although it is shorter.

on the display by hiding the toolbar for more onscreen

The Q10 has rounded corners and a gently curving top and

space, which can be quickly brought into view with a

bottom edge that are actually seductive — especially when

finger swipe. Meanwhile, busy executives will love that

placed beside the boxy and rectangular Z10. It feels great

BB 10.1 adds support for receiving and reading .msg and

in the hand, with bevelled edges all around the plastic

.eml attachments in email.

back. There is a black steel edge around the entire device

Ultimately, what Q10 users will get with the new

and a glass front above the keyboard. The back comes

smartphone is a distinctive-looking device with a

with a grey tweed-over-black pattern.

vivid

display,

and

touchscreen

To accommodate the keyboard, the Q10 has a 3.1-inch display, which is 25 percent smaller than the 4.2-inch

approach

to

an

easy-to-use interface

user

security

physical and and

an

keyboard inventive

management.

Etisalat Business Update

23

News

Etisalat exclusively launches Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE in UAE Etisalat exclusively launched the

exclusively launch the Galaxy

than 1,000 bay stations. We are

new Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE in

S4 LTE in the country, and

constantly working on launching

Etisalat enables all post-paid customers to use lines abroad

early May in the UAE, whilst the

to be providing cutting-edge

a rich suite of services on this

Etisalat’s post-paid customers

3G version was be available from

technological devices to our

infrastructure and therefore

who do not have a roaming

April 27.

customers,” said Khaled El Khouly,

this partnership will enhance

service subscription can now

Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat.

productivity and connectivity for

receive incoming voice calls

our subscribers.”

and send and receive SMS by

Subscribers were able to pre-order the 3G and 4G LTE

“This new evolution of

Etisalat’s advanced infrastructure

devices from April 25 on Etisalat’s

smartphones will provide a unique

website. The LTE version is

user experience, especially as it

allows 4G phone users to connect

the telecoms operator recently

available for free when signing up

is rolled out on our superior 4G

at speeds reaching up to 150 Mbps.

announced.

for an annual contract.

LTE network that is now covering

These speeds allow for quicker

80 percent of the inhabited area

access to applications for work and

customers with post-paid

of the country through more

productivity.

accounts are now given this

“Etisalat is pleased to be working with Samsung to

default while travelling abroad,

Both business and consumer

service without having to apply

BlackBerry Q10 hits the UAE exclusively with Etisalat

for any service or pay the roaming deposit.

In addition, any new postpaid line will also be enabled with this feature at the time of

looking forward to the new

activation, Etisalat said.

Etisalat

As an introductory offer on

recently

the phone, Etisalat said it would

BlackBerry Q10 and we are proud

announced

offer a 50-percent discount

to be one of the first operators

by default when roaming

that UAE

on its Complete, Unlimited and

globally to announce the pre-

include receiving voice and

pre-orders

Global BlackBerry packages for

orders for this device exclusively

video calls, receiving and

are open for

six months. New or existing

in the UAE,” said Khaled El Khouly,

sending SMS, and dialling free

the new BlackBerry Q10, making

customers would pay Dh40 per

Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat.

USSD codes. Customers can also

Etisalat one of the world’s first

month for Complete, Dh93 per

telecoms operators to offer the

month for Unlimited and Dh150

meet the expectations of

Incoming Voice Roaming packs

LTE-enabled device.

per month for Global, instead of

business and personal users,

while abroad, Etisalat added.

the standard package prices.

providing a perfect balance

Data and outgoing calls are

between work and personal

not included in this new default

The smartphone became available at Etisalat business

The BlackBerry Q10 is powered

“We believe the Q10 will

The services now available

purchase any of the existing

centres and outlets from the

by the new BlackBerry 10.1

life. The tools available on the

feature, meaning customers

last week of April for Dh2,699.

operating system, and features

device are revolutionary and

who want to use this service

Customers were able to pre-order

a physical QWERTY keyboard to

have unquestionably set a new

will need to upgrade to the

the Q10 from Etisalat’s website

cater to BlackBerry’s traditional

benchmark in the evolution of

full Standard Roaming through

from April 17.

userbase. “Our customers are

the smartphone.”

Etisalat outlets, as per the current process.

Etisalat stresses ICT as key education enabler

The service is available when travelling through

The criticality of ICT to transform

was a strategic ICT partner for,

Education Council (ADEC), Etisalat

any of the countries where

the education sector by increasing

to emphasise its experience and

demonstrated how it helped elevate

Etisalat has a roaming partner.

efficiency, quality and agility was

comprehensive portfolio in the

the education quality of over 300

Roaming charges generated

the key message of Etisalat’s

ICT domain. The telco is the major

Abu Dhabi schools to international

by customers will be charged

presentation at the Learning

contributor to the UAE ICT fund and

standards. Over 500 Etisalat staff

at standard roaming rates,

Technologies MENA Conference.

the ICT strategic partner of major

worked on the project for two years

while receiving SMS is free.

government initiatives.

to ensure access to high-quality

Customers can dial *177# for

education for students through an

free to find out more about

advanced ICT infrastructure.

roaming charges.

Etisalat used its presentation on the opening day of the threeday Dubai conference, which it

24

ICT Insight

Showcasing its successful ICT integration for the Abu Dhabi

Etisalat honoured Etisalat Information Services signs exclusive agreement with Google AdWords at rights and power brands ceremony a soft launch at Etisalat Academy, which is located in Dubai.

Rashed Al Naqbi, General Manager, eIS, said,

Etisalat recently showcased its services and

“Today, SMBs are one of the largest contributors

held discussions at the Dubai World Conference

to our economy, and contributing to the growth

on Consumer Rights (DWCCR) and Power Brands

of every sector in the country. With the new

Exhibition held at Dubai World Trade Centre.

partnership, eIS will enrich its comprehensive

UAE directory services provider Etisalat

As an advocate for consumer satisfaction,

The telecoms operator also won an award for

portfolio of services for SMBs, which is also in line

participating in the Power Brand Exhibition at the

with our strategy to invest in new businesses.

event. The global meet, organised by the Department

“SMBs have specific needs and requirements

of Economic Development (DED), was held for the

Information Services (eIS) recently announced an

as they are constantly looking at innovative

first time in the UAE under the patronage of His

exclusive partnership with the Google AdWords

ways of targeting their audiences, helping

Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin

advertising platform to help SMBs create, manage

them to tap into new customer segments.

Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

platform to address this sector by providing

Shahab, handed over the award to Etisalat Deputy

medium businesses) to engage with key

expert advice from one of the largest global

General Manager for Dubai, Ghanim Al Marri, in

audiences, eIS said.

online companies. These small businesses are

the presence of DED Deputy Director and General

also able to reach out to a global audience,

Manager, Khalid Alqassim, and DED Deputy CEO of

expanding their business beyond local markets.”

Consumer Rights, Mohammed Lootah.

and optimise online advertising channels.

This will allow the UAE’s SMBs (small and

Under the Google AdWords Premier SMB Partner Programme umbrella, eIS will provide advice to businesses on their online advertising campaigns. The programme will provide SMBs with a complete turn-key solution, eIS said. The

“Google AdWords provides Etisalat a

Mourad said that Google was excited to enter into a new phase of its alliance with eIS. “The Premier SMB Partner Programme

The DED CEO of Consumer Rights, Omar Bu

During the event, Etisalat showcased a number of its latest services, including the eLife TV iPad app, which allows an integrated multi-

programme will allow SMBs to focus on their

was created to help small and medium-sized

screen experience. Etisalat also showcased

businesses and boost sales when potential

businesses to utilise their resources and

its IDD service that allows international calls

customers search for products or services via

manage their business growth via online

at local rates, as well as customised calling

Google in the Middle East.

advertising campaigns,” he said.

solutions for customers.

An MoU was signed between the two

“eIS will be able to offer their wide customer

companies by Ali Mohammed Rashed Al Sharid,

base AdWords advice, expertise and experiences,

CEO, Services Holding, Etisalat, and Mohamad

expanding their business in the region as well as

Mourad, Regional Manager, Google, during

reach out to new customers online.”

Etisalat partners in fibre optic cable project Etisalat has announced its strategic partnership

Etisalat Academy develops FEWA employees recruiting under the Absher initiative, which aims to create more jobs for Emirati citizens.

intercontinental connectivity and diversity for the UAE and wider region.

Other telecom majors involved are Telekom Malaysia Berhad (Malaysia), Vodafone Group

existing FEWA employees.

(UK), Omantel (Oman), Reliance Jio Infocomm

headquarters in Dubai by Dr Ali Al-Qayedi,

to train and develop UAE national employees

(BBG) submarine fibre optic cable to enhance

The agreement will also involve developing The agreement was signed at the FEWA

Etisalat Academy has signed an agreement

in the construction of the Bay of Bengal

Limited (India), and Dialog Axiata (Sri Lanka).

The construction of the BBG will provide

Acting General Manager, Etisalat Academy, and

connectivity between the Middle East, South

Mohammed Saleh, General Manager, FEWA.

East Asia and South Asia and is a clear

Etisalat Academy will provide FEWA employees

indication of the growing demand for bandwidth

of the Federal Electricity and Water Authority

with assessment, soft skills and technical training,

in the participating countries. The total distance

(FEWA) through the recently launched Kawadir

on-the-job training and individual evaluation

of the cable spans approximately 8,000km

Nationalisation Centre at Etisalat Academy.

reports. The training and development activities

and is designed to provide upgradable and

will take place at both Etisalat Academy and

transmission facilities by adopting the state-of-

FEWA premises across the Emirates.

the-art 100Gbps technology. The

The agreement aims to qualify new national employees that FEWA has committed to

Etisalat Business Update

25

@etisalat.ae

Law Update

09:42 - 6/11/12

Peter Glasder

Legal issues in cloud computing

Etisalat UAE

Thank you for your fast reply…

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid= 485382418149289&id=107009842653217 10:58 - 06/11/12

binQatal @etisalat

‫ليس في يدي إال االنتظار ولكم‬ ‫جزيل الشكر على سرعة االستجابه‬ ‫وجزاكم اهلل كل خير‬

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fb id=485382418149289&id=107009842653217 09:42 - 6/11/12

MounaTweets_ @etisalat

cool just noticed you have your available timings in your bio.. awesome idea for customer care accounts :) http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid =485382418149289&id=107009842653217 10:58 - 06/11/12

jalkaabi @etisalat

‫تصلت باتصاالت مساء الخميس‬ ‫وما قصروا طرشوا لي الفني صباح‬ ً‫ فشكرا‬..‫السبت وحل المشكلة‬ ‫التصاالت على سرعة االستجابة‬

https://twitter.com/jalkaabi/statuses/267153569092882432 09:42 - 6/11/12

Remote access computing services,

in some jurisdictions, compliance

whereby

Rules

governing

document

hammadsiddiqi @etisalat

Noone says this enough @ EtisalatUAE on twitter are very prompt and helpful

applications,

with data protection regulations

retention are another point to bear

databases, data storage, network

may require the ability to annotate

in mind when considering a move to

configuration and programming tools

records to reflect objections raised.

the cloud. In the UAE, the Commercial

are made available to clients as a

If the CSP’s system cannot facilitate

Transactions

service, are becoming increasingly

this, it may result in the client failing

No. 18 of 1993) sets out general

SaudYusefzai

popular. Cloud computing allows

to comply with legal obligations.

requirements

Thanks a lot for prompt reply..

Appreciate ur service...!!!

software

Law for

(Federal the

Law

retention

capital

Security of information is another

of commercial records, requiring

expenses associated with IT systems

important consideration. ISO 27001 is

that such records be retained for a

and infrastructure into operating

a standard that details requirements

minimum period of five years from the

expenses associated with platforms,

for

date of issue or receipt. With limited

capacity and applications. For many

operating,

companies, the business case is

maintaining

an

and Transactions Law (Federal Law

compelling, but it is important to be

information security management

No. 1 of 2006) provides that, where it

fully informed, and aware of the risks.

system. It acts to formalise specific

is required by law to retain a certain

Before signing on with a CSP, the

businesses

to

convert

establishing,

implementing,

monitoring, and

reviewing,

improving

exceptions, the Electronic Commerce

criteria for a range of IT security-

document, record or information

client should familiarise itself with

related

for any reason whatsoever, the

the legal obligations relating to its

information

handling of personal data. When

handling; third-party access; incident

considered met if the document,

negotiating the terms of service,

management and communication;

record or information is stored in any

the client should ensure that the

disposal of media; hiring, discipline

electronic form. When engaging a

agreement does not permit the CSP

and termination of staff; acceptable

CSP to manage commercial records,

to engage in any conduct that would

use

the client should focus on making

be inconsistent with the client’s own

development

obligations in respect of personal

and change management; and data

document

data. The client should also consider

access, availability and integrity.

consistent with the requirements of

whether there might be any practical

As part of its due diligence, a client

the client’s own jurisdiction – and not

aspects of its privacy obligations

should aim to engage CSPs that can

with those of the CSP.

that the CSP’s system would need to

show that they are compliant with

accommodate. By way of example,

the ISO27001 certification.

26

ICT Insight

processes,

of

including

classification

computer

and

equipment;

processes;

release

retention

requirement

shall

be

sure that the terms relating to the retention

period

Source: Al Tamimi & Company

are

https://twitter.com/hammadsiddiqi?protected_ redirect=true 09:42 - 6/11/12

@etisalat

https://twitter.com/SaudYusefzai/statuses/267271900273721346 09:42 - 6/11/12

@MaisoonAlSaleh @etisalat

I’m impressed by how @Etisalat_ Care are too active on twitter https://twitter.com/MaisoonAlSaleh/statuses/270176450802499587 09:42 - 6/11/12

HishamWyne @etisalat

U guys are so so so brilliantly helpful. RT @Etisalat_Care https://twitter.com/HishamWyne/statuses/272610550855372801 09:42 - 6/11/12

Saltanat Kaipova Etisalat UAE

Thank you so much! Let me express sincere respect to you and all your colleagues. I am happy for your reply.

http://www.facebook.com/Etisalat?sk=messages_inb ox&action=read&tid=id.556046961091528 09:42 - 6/11/12

ThamirAlnaqbi @etisalat

‫شكرا اتصاالت على الهديه الحلوه‬ https://twitter.com/ThamirAlnaqbi/statuses/273398077912670210

@etisalat.ae 16:00 - 30/11/12

Inam Uddin Etisalat UAE

Etisalat is simply the best.

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid= 494713020549562&id=107009842653217 23:23 - 2/112/12

helshahri @etisalat

thanks for the follow up, much appreciated. :) https://twitter.com/helshahri/statuses/275319359000436737 15:24 - 3/12/12

jamshaidsyed @etisalat

Wireless networks and mobility quiz iPhones and other handhelds bought for home use are infiltrating corporate networks, but there is a host of other wireless technologies, comprising a wave of mobile computing, that is creating sweeping changes in business infrastructure. How well versed are you in the technical and not-so-technical details? Take this brief quiz to find out.

ProudToBeAFanOf @ EtisalatUAE

https://twitter.com/jamshaidsyed/statuses/275561142338867200 14:40 - 30/12/12

Maryowwm @etisalat

‫شكرا لكم على سرعة أحظار جهاز‬ ‫ سعدت كثيرا‬.. « ‫االنترنت « إياليف‬ ‫لسرعة االستجابة و هذا ليس‬ ‫بغريب عليكم ياالتصاالت‬

https://twitter.com/Maryowwm/statuses/285334603764482048 15:20 - 3/12/12

H1237393 @etisalat

‫مشكورين ماتقصرون و جزاكم‬ ‫اهلل خير‬ https://enterprise.cotweet.com/#/inbox/6110/ timeline/messages 11:26 - 1/14/13

iLady_B @etisalat

you guys are awesome, thanks for the quick reply https://twitter.com/iLady_B/statuses/290721411398512640 11:39 - 14/01/13

BIN7AMID LTE is designed to be backward

Which company bought mobile

What’s the top range of

compatible with what cellular

tech manufacturer Palm in 2010?

Bluetooth?

technology?

• Microsoft

• 50 metres

• WiMax

• Sony

• 100 metres (33 feet)

• W-CDMA

• Oracle

• 200 metres

• GSM

• HP

@etisalat

very good idea.. thanx a lot.. u r doing a great job ! https://twitter.com/BIN7AMID/statuses/290724699460214784 11:39 - 21/01/13

iscreamjacquie @etisalat

What is a cantenna?

How much faster are 4G

Which mobile platform was

• An early form of antenna

networks compared to 3G

exclusively developed by

• A Wi-Fi antenna made from a

networks?

Samsung?

Pringles can

• 5 times faster

• Symbian

• An underwater repeater for fibre-

• 10 times faster

• Maemo

optic lines

• 100 times faster

• Bada

@Etisalat_Care awesome!

Thanks. You’ve been helpful. =)) https://twitter.com/iscreamjacquie/statuses/293228473403703296

12:39 - 14/01/13

UMRashed7 @etisalat

‫شكرا لسرعة الرد وإن شاء اهلل‬ ‫نحاول إتمام التسجيل‬

https://twitter.com/UMRashed7/statuses/290739078205435904

• Android

15:32 - 28/01/13

Which mobile operating systems

@Al7ammadi_3

support syncing with PCs via Wi-

How many free and pay

Fi connections?

wireless hotspots are there in

• Apple’s iOS

the world?

• Google’s Android

• Fewer than 100,000

• Windows Mobile

• 100,001 to 200,000

• All of the above

• 200,001 to 300,000

• None of the above

• 300,001 and above

@etisalat

To take part in this quiz please go to www.cnmeonline. com/quiz/

‫«شكراً لشركة اتصاالت على‬ ‫تفاعلها مع الجمهور والمشتركين‬ ‫وطرح مزايا تبشر بالخير‬ »‫منها لالمام إن شاء‬

https://twitter.com/Al7ammadi_3/status/295856943493423105

Etisalat Business Update

27

Saving costs is no longer a compromise With Business Ultimate - The new package for business As a business owner you have always wanted the best value for money without compromising on quality and productivity. So why sacrifice on quality when you can get the latest handsets for free with the best calling and data rates in the UAE. Choose from four cost-effective mobile plans to find one that best suits your needs. You can be sure that you have a reliable partner you can always count on. No fine print.

No hidden costs. Just pure value for your hard-earned money.

800 5800

etisalat.ae/businessultimate

I Etisalat Business

Start communicating

T&C apply

Stop calculating