ICT Insight (January 2014)

etisalat.ae Issue 16 | January 2014

Etisalat Business Update

Smart cities Improving the quality of life in urban settings

INSIDE

Managed Security

Digital Signage

Video Surveillance

Digital Hospital

Contents

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04

16 Gearing up for smart cities A smart city uses intelligent technology to enhance our quality of life in urban environments. Cities can use data in a variety of ways—to save money, minimise waste, measure domestic water usage and manage transport routes. Smart technologies can help deliver a cleaner environment, a higher quality of life and a vibrant economy.

06

14

21

Perfect host

Moving to the cloud

News

Arguably, the UAE’s hospitality segment has never been so strong. Growth is healthy, hotel rooms are occupied and construction of new hotels has been at its highest rate since before 2008. Â

Sensing the increased demand for more cloud services in the UAE, Etisalat recently launched a new cloud services solution, which it calls the Cloud Unified Platform (CUP).

Etisalat partners GlobeX Data

08

16

Securing your business needs

Digital hospitals

Etisalat helps its customers address the security challenges in the face of the ever-changing threat landscape.

How technology is transforming healthcare.

12

20

Security surveillance gets smarter

Cloud-based digital signage

As businesses grow in scope and complexity, maintaining a secure working environment for customers, employees and physical assets has never been more critical. This is the vital role that digital security surveillance plays.

Delivering right information to right people in right time

with

Etisalat and UAE University organise mobile learning conference Etisalat in tie-up with NEC for unified communications services Etisalat offering

extends

M2M

Management

Speak

Chairman Dominic De Sousa CEO Nadeem Hood Editorial Abdulla Hashim, Senior Vice President, ICT, Etisalat

Looking forward: 2020 and beyond If information is power, then it is Etisalat’s goal to empower the people of the UAE by implementing smart technologies.

The Smart City concept put forward by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, has already started to take shape, and Etisalat is taking active steps to play the key role of an enabler to drive and support the creation of smarter cities in the UAE. Enthusiasm for turning Dubai into a Smart City has reached fever pitch since the Emirate was awarded the right to host the World Expo in 2020, and rightly so. Organisations across all verticals are keen to showcase the very best of what the UAE has to offer, and in many cases, this means pushing the envelope of what is technologically possible. Etisalat supports every push to make the UAE more efficient, and it will also be pulling its weight in the leadup to the Expo.

But this is not to say that we have been idle in recent years—far from it, in fact. Already smart meters line the streets of Dubai—the fruits of a project that the emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority implemented with the help of Etisalat. Meanwhile, scores of organisations have saved costs in recent years through reducing their energy consumption, thanks to the Emirates Energy Star programme. Perhaps more importantly, though, the programme has

Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1513 Editor Tom Paye tom.paye@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1499 Circulation Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1645 Production and Design Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1643 Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1504 DIGITAL SERVICES Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy P Maagma Web Developers Erik Briones Jefferson de Joya Photographer and Social Media Co-ordinator Jay Colina webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100

helped to reduce the UAE’s carbon footprint as a whole.

Achievements such as this should not be taken lightly, but there is still much work to

Published by

do. Happily, when it comes to Smart Cities, the possibilities are endless. We foresee a future in which high-performance wireless networks are readily available to the inhabitants of the UAE, and in which businesses can act in real-time on the most relevant information available.

Emerging technologies such as M2M and cloud will drive greater efficiency across key verticals vital to the growth of the local economy, and smart devices will become gateways into a plethora of next-generation public services.

As we prepare for the Expo 2020, much is already being done to realise this future, and we at Etisalat want to be at the forefront of this change. In this issue of ICT Insight, you can

Registered at IMPZ PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 375 1500 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 Printed by Printwell Printing Press

read about how we are leveraging emerging technologies to achieve the goal of a Smart City, and you can see how we are helping specific verticals to drive greater efficiency.

Regional partner of

Lastly, we’d like to wish you a happy and prosperous 2014 as we embark on this exciting new adventure. Enjoy. © 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.

etisalat.ae

Cover Story

Gearing up for smart cities A smart city uses intelligent technology to enhance our quality of life in urban environments. Cities can use data in a variety of ways—to save money, minimise waste, measure domestic water usage and manage transport routes. Smart technologies can help deliver a cleaner environment, a higher quality of life and a vibrant economy.

Zpryme research forecast the smart energy technologies market (including smart grid) reaching $220 billion worldwide by 2020, whilst markets & markets research estimate smart transport to be $156 billion, and smart water to be $22 billion globally by 2020 (Frost and Sullivan Research). Additionally, Arup conservatively estimates both smart waste and assisted living technology markets to reach $5 billion each globally. Collectively these figures aggregate to reach an estimated annual $408 billion worldwide by 2020.

Growth opportunities lie, no less, at home through smarter approaches to transport management, healthcare and energy. On the back of better connectivity and better access to public information, we can manage cities more effectively, anticipate and solve problems more cost effectively, and raise the economic prospects and the quality of life in every UAE citizen. In so doing, the UAE can strengthen its position as a global hub of expertise at a time when cities throughout the world are seeking innovative

Allowing the public access to real time information enables

solutions to the challenges of urbanization.

people to make more informed choices, such as planning

4

ICT Insight

a journey by checking for available room on trains and

What is a “Smart City�?

buses or even identifying car parking spaces before leaving

The concept of a Smart City goes way beyond the

the house. There is much more money to be made in

transactional relationships between citizen and service

embedding sensors than in analysing existing datasets.

provider. It is essentially enabling and encouraging the

And while data given passively or pro-actively by citizens

citizen to become a more active and participative member

wielding smartphones is by far the most important smart

of the community, for example, providing feedback on

city development of recent years.

the quality of services or the state of roads and the built

environment, adopting a more sustainable and healthy

Benefits of smart city solutions - Smart solutions across

lifestyle, volunteering for social activities or supporting

the verticals optimise resources through better information

minority groups. Furthermore, citizens need employment

on where resources are being consumed. This information

and “Smart Cities” are often attractive locations to live,

enables better monitoring and management on the part

work and visit.

of the utility and also enables consumers to make more

But the concept is not static: there is no absolute

informed use of resources, and lower their consumption.

definition of a smart city, no end point, but rather a process,

This in turn reduces utility operating costs and extends the

or series of steps, by which cities become more “liveable”

operating life of existing infrastructure. Smart technologies

and resilient and, thus, be able to respond quicker to new

also provide opportunities for new services to citizens.

challenges. Thus, a Smart City should enable every citizen

There is still confusion in the market as to the distinction

to engage with all the services on offer, public as well as

between Smart city solutions and Future city solutions.

private, in a way best suited to his or her needs. It brings

Future city solutions are innovative physical projects which

together hard infrastructure, social capital including local

are often but not exclusively associated with low carbon

skills and community institutions, and (digital) technologies

economies. Smart city solutions apply digital technologies

to fuel sustainable economic development and provide an

to address social, environmental and economic goals.

attractive environment for all.

Smart city solutions can combine physical and digital

There are five key aspects to smarter approaches, which are strongly information driven: a modern digital infrastructure, combined with a secure

alone. This confusion is a barrier to growth of this market as confused customers find it difficult to justify investment.

Smart city solutions are disruptive technologies which

enables citizens to access the information they need, when

require system-wide deployment to yield the most benefits.

they need it;

Existing processes will need to change. Furthermore

a recognition that service delivery is improved by being

successful deployment will require collaboration between

citizen centric: this involves placing the citizen’s needs at

multiple actors in value chain. This could be a barrier in

the forefront, sharing management information to provide

some verticals where there is little incentive for established

a coherent service, rather than operating in a multiplicity of

players to change.

service silos (for example, sharing changes of address more

Opportunities for UAE business and UAE cities - There

effectively), and offering internet service delivery where

is great potential for UAE business in this growing market.

possible (at a fraction of the face to face cost);

Furthermore there are benefits to cities and citizens by

an intelligent physical infrastructure (“smart” systems or

deploying smart solutions. This in turn would improve the

the Internet of Things), to enable service providers to use the

chances of UAE companies by opening the market here and

full range of data both to manage service delivery on a daily

providing them with a platform to export their services. In

basis and to inform strategic investment in the city/community

the verticals, UAE Government is taking a lead in removing

(for example, gathering and analysing data on whether public

barriers to innovate and facilitate collaboration between

transport is adequate to cope with rush hour peaks);

multiple diverse actors. This has already begun to happen

with new approaches and new business models; and

The estimated value of the smart energy technologies market by 2020.

infrastructure or can be based on digital infrastructure

but open access approach to public re-useable data, which

an openness to learn from others and experiment

$220bn

in the Energy and Transport verticals, but more needs to be done.

transparency of outcomes/performance, for example, city

There is also a need for cities and government to take

service dashboards to enable citizens to compare and

a cross-sectoral approach. Cities and government have

challenge performance, establishment by establishment,

traditionally considered these resources by verticals:

and borough by borough.

energy, water, waste, transport and health have been

But cities and firms we have consulted agree that

considered and managed separately, since the deployment

the key attribute for a Smart City – the sixth and critical

of smart solutions has happened largely within these

criterion - is that the leadership has a clear and consistent

vertical value chains, without much interaction between

vision of what the future city offers its people, with a

different verticals. However cities are starting to look at

commitment to deliver the necessary change. It is a vision

smart city solutions as part of a more integrated approach

which has been developed in consultation with its citizens,

to information technology and data. Furthermore they

creating an attractive environment for business across the

are looking to smart solutions and open data to address

city, so that the quality of life of all its citizens is enhanced

wider economic and social challenges. This cross-sectoral

by anticipating their needs and meeting them, such that

approach leads to additional opportunities for cities and

firms and people embrace the vision and want to locate

citizens, and should also yield additional opportunities for

and live there.

UAE industry.

Etisalat Business Update

5

Vertical Insight

Perfect host Arguably, the UAE’s hospitality segment has never been so strong. Growth is healthy, hotel rooms are occupied and construction of new hotels has been at its highest rate since before 2008.

The strength of this particular vertical, however, hasn’t just come on the back of well-known hotel brands setting up shop in the emirates. In recent years, the most successful hotels in the UAE have seen success because of their commitment to ICT spending. And, keen to help the hospitality segment up its game through technology, Etisalat has crafted a number of offerings aimed squarely at this vertical.

“The hospitality market in the UAE is flourishing—growth is around 10 percent in terms of the number of guests coming in. This is expected to continue year on year with

6

ICT Insight

an anticipated doubling of guest numbers by 2020. The

Of course, hotels have understood quickly that guests

awarding of Expo 2020 to Dubai will add greater confidence

demand high-speed Internet, and are looking to upgrade

in these numbers. The sector contributes an important and

their infrastructures accordingly. But according to Jeraj,

sizable share of our ICT revenues, so naturally we put a lot

Etisalat now offers a regional first with an intelligent, cloud-

of focus into tourism and travel,” says Irfan Jeraj, Director

based solution—called Bandwidth on Demand—which can

ICT Solutions, Etisalat.

help hotels to more efficiently provide high-quality Internet.

“Etisalat serves the complete spectrum of scales across

“Some of the top hotels here might want a 500 Mbps

the hospitality sector. At the top end of the sector, you’ve

connection, but to pay for that sort of level every month

got your super-properties. They’re the single properties

is not going to be cost efficient. We’ll do an analysis with

that have scaled to around 1,000-plus rooms, and you can

them and they’ll realise that, actually, they may only need

effectively treat them as a large enterprise. Then you also

20 percent of that capacity, but at certain events they’ll

have the national and the global chains, which have set

need to be able to burst to certain levels,” he says.

standards and policies and expectations. They want the

“We give them the capability to automatically do that,

same experience across all of their hotels, but naturally

and they just pay for the usage that they have on that day

obviously they will have a regional variance in terms of

or for the week.”

their requirements.”

Jeraj adds that Etisalat is also able to smartly manage the

Naturally, the mid and lower-end hotels still need ICT

bandwidth—the solution allows hotels to allocate dedicated

solutions, but they are inclined to require more standalone

bandwidth to business or VIP guests, even during busy

products, which Etisalat is fully capable of providing them

times. This capability can be linked into the hospitality

with, Jeraj adds.

management system, making it easy to pick out VIP guests

That said, the more impressive implementations come

or those on loyalty schemes.

with higher-end hotels, which see Jeraj and his team

Bandwidth on Demand isn’t only about making Internet

conduct an initial consultation, ahead of building what is

provision more economical, however, according to Jeraj,

essentially a bespoke and turnkey solution for the hotel.

who says that it also affords the opportunity to monetise

And while this sounds like Etisalat is simply taking the role

Internet connections in hotels.

of a large systems integrator, Jeraj believes that Etisalat’s

“You can have gold, silver or bronze levels and you can

latest offerings in the hospitality segment will provide a

sell that on. You may bundle the premium service in for

large portion of differentiation.

your VIP guests, or you can give regular guests the option

“Services have traditionally been around Internet

to pay a little bit extra for a faster connection,” he explains.

access—so Internet Direct Access (IDA), television services,

This is just one part of a new drive in the hospitality

and telephony services. However, recently we’ve now

industry to use technology as a differentiator, according

enhanced those services,” he says.

to Jeraj. Guests now expect high-quality content and

These enhancements have been created on the back

entertainment systems, high-speed Internet with next

of a deep understanding of how to improve the guest

generation WiFi infrastructure and seamless telephony.

experience, gleaned from Etisalat’s customers in the

Some hotels have even opted for advanced video-

hospitality segment. According to Jeraj, technology now

conferencing capabilities, too, Jeraj says.

plays such a fundamental part in the guest experience that the market simply needed better services on offer.

“Complementary to that, we have digital signage and security surveillance. We provide the ability to do data

“Increasingly, the most important thing for a high-end

analytics from a security point of view as well as from

hotel has been the guest Internet experience. There’s

a hotel management point of view. With our security

the guest room, there’s the hotel facilities, but it’s now a

surveillance solution, we provide the cameras, we provide

common check when you’re on a search engine to see if the

the storage, and we also do the data analytics. This helps

hotel has free Wi-Fi (Internet access),” he says.

us show when facilities such as restaurants are busy at

“If you’re a personal guest staying there with your family,

certain times, when the lobby gets congested, or when

you probably have five or six devices with you, so you

staff need to be moved around. Hotels can use this to

want to make sure that all of your devices connect with a

optimise their workforce,” he says.

good performance. You expect to be able to have the same

As time goes on, more hotels are going to be waking up

experience that you have at home, and sometimes you may

to the benefits that such technologies can bring, and Jeraj

even want a better experience because you’re staying at a

believes that Etisalat has the right solutions to offer this

certain grade of hotel.”

growing market.

Etisalat Business Update

7

Services & Solutions

Securing your business needs The first half of 2013 witnessed a significant increase in the number of cyber-attacks globally. Organised hackers, political “hacktivists�, cyber-extortionists, international cyber-terrorists and nation states are targeting businesses every day, incapacitating them, causing huge losses and tarnishing brand repute permanently. With social media being welcomed into the corporate world, the spate of attacks by hackers attempting to capture personal information and thereby gather industry information has shown an alarming increase. This wave of cyber-attacks has also shown a tremendous increase in the market activity in the security business and it is predicted that, by 2017, the global cyber-security market is expected to skyrocket to $120.1 billion. The victims of cybercrimes globally have lost well over $500 billion over the last two years. With smartphone population increasing exponentially, and with more and more services provided on mobile devices, criminals are trying out new ways and means to get access to information.

The UAE witnessed targeted attacks to multiple industry segments during the beginning of this year.

These growing threats of global nature compromised various sites, which were rendered inactive causing panic among employees and also putting a stop to certain citizen services. This has caused loss of income and

8

ICT Insight

To combat this ever changing threat landscape, Etisalat provides an array of Managed Security Services (MSSP) that will facilitate supreme protection to its customers.

The services are rolled out in partnership with Industry stalwarts in security and will help customers enjoy the best protection for their infrastructure whilst focusing on their core business. All MSSP services are provided to customers at a minimal Capex to ensure that both Enterprise and SME segments receive the best services without investing heavily. “The roadmap for the security is already laid out and customers are already showing affinity to our proven capability in the security practice,” says Al Forah.

Abdulla Hashim, SVP ICT, Etisalat, adds, “We have been offering security services to our customers for over a decade now and the services bouquet is planned to help every customer segment, be it large enterprise, SMB or consumers, to choose services for Perimeter Security, DDOS Protection, Email Security, Web Security, Governance Risk & Compliance, Audits and Vulnerability Management. Customers are also relying heavily on Etisalat to provide them with tailor-made professional productivity, loss of reputation and loss of customers as

services in security. Our services can be rendered

well. In the UAE, experts estimate that three-quarters of

through on-premise equipment, or from the Etisalat

Internet users in the country will become victims of cyber-

Cloud Computing platform. This allows the customer

crime. Of that figure, 75 percent of information hacking is slated to happen around our financial accounts. Though organisations have been trying to increase awareness on the threat landscape, the activity on safeguarding against cyber-crime is still low and it is estimated that only one out of 10 have installed anti-virus software on mobile phones.

$500bn The amount that cyber-crime victims have lost over the last two years

full freedom to choose services based on their business model, and also selects customised services to suit their business needs.”

Threat of DDoS Today’s businesses are increasingly reliant on Internet connectivity for their day-to-day business needs. Non-

Etisalat, over the last four decades, has built a modern

availability or down time of the service causes a huge

telecoms infrastructure and established its stature as a

impact both financially and will lead to loss of customers

preferred ICT partner for customers in the UAE as well as

and irrevocable brand image. A DoS attack is an attempt

its growing customer base in other markets.

by an attacker to exhaust the resources available to a

Khalifa Al Forah, Chief Digital Services Officer, Etisalat,

network, application or service so that genuine users

says, “Etisalat ICT transformation has arisen out of planned

cannot gain access. Present-day attacks have far reaching

investments in the area of state of the art infrastructure,

consequences with the emergence of DDoS (Distributed

Security & Network Operations Centers (CNOC/SOC),

Denial of Service), whereby hundreds of thousands of

Managed Services, Security Practice, Vertical Solutions,

compromised hosts jointly target a single entity, be

Unified Communications, Cloud Computing, M2M, Data

it businesses, government or service providers. DDoS

Centers, Professional Services & Project Management.

attacks in essence are weapons of mass destruction and

Our industry best practices & SLM management is ably

impacted businesses have been permanently shut down.

supported by qualified professionals available 24x7x365

Using Intelligent DDoS Management System (IDMS),

which in turn helps our customers to accomplish the ever

in partnership with Arbor, a unique combination of

growing needs of this challenging market”.

hardware, software and managed solutions, Etisalat

Etisalat Business Update

9

Services & Solutions

$120.1bn The estimated size of the global cybersecurity market by 2017

Managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Service

Protecting your email from the cloud

enables its customers’ business to respond proactively

Email

to DDoS attacks, while keeping legitimate traffic flowing

communication for business purposes that is quicker

into customer network thereby avoiding loss of revenue

and cheaper than more traditional methods. Yet it

and business impact due to downtime. Etisalat provides

brings with it the necessity to make one’s corporate

a unique combination of both cloud and cloud-plus-CPE

messaging system as secure as possible. Inadvertent

(hybrid) services to combat this ever growing menace

employee error, laptop theft, contractors’ unauthorised

of DDoS attacks. The customers benefit from supreme

access to information, disgruntled employees, password

protection from DDoS attacks and help them avoid

mismanagement—all of these factors can mean drastic

tarnished reputation, which in turn boost business

revenue loss, legal liabilities, diminished productivity and

continuity and productivity.

brand erosion. The risk of crucial corporate data, including

is

well-established

as

a

prime

means

of

corporate intellectual property and confidential business Etisalat Web Security Cloud Service Enables business

information being stolen from within the company is much

beyond the corporate network

higher than from outside.

In today’s dynamic business environment, users are

Etisalat maintains the industry’s most comprehensive

everywhere, and applications and data are moving to the

email security threat classification and email security

cloud. At the same time, the rise of social media, web 2.0

management solution against phishing, virus, spam

applications, and the bring your own device (BYOD) trend

emails, and other email borne malware. Enterprise emails

are blurring the lines between corporate and personal

are classified based on the level of email security threat to

usage, exposing companies to new risks from threats that

an organisation and managed accordingly.

target individual users and spread through social networks.

Etisalat’s Managed Email (SaaS) Security threat

As a result of this shift, traditional security appliances

protection solution uses real-time email message tracing

often get bypassed. This new, dynamic world demands

to provide the necessary security tools to triage any

a new security solution that integrates web, mobile and

security threats while backed by an enterprise-class

newer channels of communication.

support organisation focused on supporting your mission

Etisalat Web Security Cloud Service in partnership

critical communications. It enforces email security policy

with Zservices, enables organisations to embrace new

to assure legal and regulatory compliance for both inbound

cloud applications and social media technologies, while

and outbound email across your organisation.

gaining the industry’s most advanced protection from

Powered by ZServices (Zscaler – Middle East cloud),

accidental data loss, malicious attacks and emerging

Etisalat’s

threats. With Etisalat Web Security services, you get the

businesses to provision a security suite over a cloud

Managed

Email

Security

service

allows

key capabilities you need to securely enable business

thereby minimizing capital overlay, avoiding complex

beyond the corporate network, including the industry’s

deployments and reducing support infrastructure set-up

most advanced protection from mobile threats across

to run day to day affairs. Its is a secure, hosted service

multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets and PCs.

that provides enterprise-grade spam, virus protection and

This service delivers to the organizations IT, powerful and

email content filtering, hence delivering cost-effective

most advanced web security control and protection tool,

email management.

whereby organizations enjoy Advanced Threat Protection,

10

ICT Insight

Cloud Application and Social Media Control, Anti-Virus and

Managing your network security is a cumbersome task

Anti-Spyware, Dynamic URL Filtering, Real-time Reporting

Etisalat Managed Secure Connect proactively tackles

and Analysis, Unified Policy Administration, Complete

all concerns related to your network’s security and is

Visibility and Control, Mobile user and data security, Safe

a dependable security service that includes supply,

Browser for iOS and Android, Unified Policy on Any Device:

installation, configuration, onsite support, and proactive

Etisalat Zservices Web Security Cloud is the first of

24x7x365 remote monitoring. The services are delivered

its kind hosted locally in the UAE. The service offering

through security features by qualified professionals,

comes with no hardware or software allowing uniform

manning the Customer Network Operations Centre

policy implementation over any device with a real time

(CNOC), and maintaining the integrity of the network’s

reporting capability.

security requirements.

Customers will also benefit from multiple appliance options that cater to small branch offices, standalone businesses including large enterprises. Using multifaceted secure services gateway appliances from Juniper, these appliances can be accessed remotely for change of configuration, updating security patches, virus patterns, fault

troubleshooting

and

restoration

without

the

necessity to deploy manpower to the site. A combination of service components, which include Anti-Virus. Anti-

We have been offering security services to our customers for over a decade now, and the services bouquet is planned to help every customer segment, be it large enterprise, SMB or consumers.

Spam, Web Filtering and Deep Inspection provide customers the best Unified Threat Management service, it boasts of a rich services catalogue in security, it clearly

caters to their growing security demands.

understands this ever changing landscape. Customers Securing the remote worker adds complex challenges to

are finding it increasingly difficult to deploy new

your network

technologies every day to mitigate this growing threat

As network privileges are extended beyond employee

landscape. At Etisalat, the commitment is to deploy the

access, administrators have to be vigilant of thwarting

best in class security services, best practices and certified

new network security threats such as viruses, hacker

professionals to help alleviate this customer problem and

attacks and malware. With the proliferation of remote

deliver affordable services to our customers.

employees working from distant locations away from

With Etisalat Integrated Security Device Management

central business offices, high network performance

services, Etisalat provides an end-to-end security solution

and secure access to critical business applications and

to customers where we supply firewall (appliance)

information has become vital requirements to achieving

devices, install and conduct 24x7 proactive monitoring

maximum productivity.

and remote management from centrally located CNOC/

With Etisalat’s Managed Remote Access service, your organisation can empower its employees by providing them with flexible 24x7 work environment in a simple, secure, stable and scalable manner. Offered as a managed service, the solution is highly compatible with corporate office networks and needs the basic requirements like Internet access through a standard browser, a corporate username and password, in order to activate the service.

75% The number of Internet users in the UAE estimated to be a victim of cybercrime

SOC in UAE. These managed firewall devices provide the highest level of security performance, proactive support, policy management, support and resolution management to tackle any eventualities that arise and are mitigated

anticipating complete resources/

applications breakdowns.

Khalifa Al Forah adds, “Etisalat is presently revitalising our security offerings to the market. An array of new

Ideal for remote users, the service not only enables

services will be launched this year which includes

professionals to retrieve email and access corporate

Cyber Security Services, Managed Security Devices,

resources and applications, but also enables business

Mobile Security, Forensics, Authentication Services,

executives to use web-based intranet applications from

Security Event Management, Cloud Based Offerings

public or personal PCs. Being a business centric solution,

as well as customized security projects to suit every

security has been developed as the core. Remote

market demand. To facilitate this growth, a brand new

users from respective business customers are securely

Customer Security Operations Centre is being deployed

configured on the Security Appliance (SA) Device located

in partnership with Telefonica.”

at Etisalat Data Centre and ensuring that only authorized

Security is an amalgamation of Technology, People and

users are able to log in to their business resources. With

Processes. Etisalat is committed to providing the best of

Etisalat’s Managed Remote Access service, businesses

breed in all these three realms to protect its customers

can effectively lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

and to help enterprises focus on their core business.

for secure remote extranet and intranet access to mission critical network resources.

Etisalat’s constant endeavor is to deliver customers the best available protection from impending threats. Though

(For information on our security services, please write into

managedsecurity@etisalat.ae

or

contact

your

Account Manager)

Etisalat Business Update

Source: IDC, Gartner

11

Services & Solutions

Security surveillance gets smarter As businesses grow in scope and complexity, maintaining a secure working environment for customers, employees and physical assets has never been more critical. This is the vital role that digital security surveillance plays.

The legal framework in the UAE requires businesses

enhanced security and loss prevention to the analysis

and facility owners to install and maintain surveillance

of retail store traffic for optimal product placement.

systems. In addition, the legal requirement for the

Digital Security Surveillance Solutions include an ever-

duration of storage of videos files keeps increasing.

expanding range of video appliances used for physical

Security managers have to scale up with hard disks

security, intelligent traffic management, emerging

on regular basis. Sometimes these hard disks are not

business intelligence applications, and many other

properly configured or they go corrupt due to hardware

video analytics-based applications.

failure. It results in loss of video files without the knowledge of security manager.

Digital security surveillance solutions have the power

12

ICT Insight

Customers are looking for secure, scalable, and simple deployment and operations of their digital security surveillance

environment,

especially

when

video

to augment human resources and deliver comprehensive

systems are large and span across multiple locations.

security. But that’s not all. Today’s digital security

Regardless of where a digital security surveillance

surveillance solutions have the intelligence to help

solution is deployed—in healthcare, in an educational

drive informed business decisions in areas ranging from

facility, in a retail, commercial or industrial application,

or in any other environment—digital oversight can

facial recognition, or storing video. Today, supporting

complement human resources. Video security provides

requirements like these typically requires costly efforts

immediate, actionable information.

such as rebuilding the infrastructure or replacing cameras.

The cost for IP digital camera systems has reduced dramatically over the past years, making analogue camera technology redundant. IP systems provide high performance while maintaining a low cost monitoring and storing environment. However going digital doesn’t mean that all the investment in the analogue system needs to be written off. Smart architectures integrate

2% The average cost, as a percentage of annual revenue, of pilferage to business

• Automated processes to minimise management overhead. The challenge is not simply making the deployment work, but making it work with your existing resources. Adding ten times more cameras is not economically feasible if it requires ten times more staff.

The setup of security systems under the facility manager desk or at times under the reception area

the existing infrastructure with new systems till their

without any proper guidelines and polices is another

respective end of life.

factor for the loss of video and risk of undetected thefts were

and pilferages. The average cost of pilferage to business

connected to a separate network, increasing costs and

is about 2 percent of their annual revenue. This is a

restricting viewing of video feeds to consoles connected

very high cost to pay when effective converged IP-

to the same network. More recently, organisations

based security system can be installed at fraction of

have begun connecting their cameras to their existing

this cost.

Traditionally,

video

surveillance

cameras

IP network. This is part of a global trend called the

Transformation of infrastructure security system

Internet of Things, referring to burgeoning connections

from traditional reactive systems to proactive system

between people, process, data, and things, including

architecture with IP Cameras and Digital Recording has

digital security surveillance cameras and physical

been made easy by Etisalat’s Smart Digital security

access controllers.

surveillance Practice. Security Managers are provided

The Internet of Things is transforming safety and security

with one stop shop for all their Digital security

operations. For example, situational awareness improves

surveillance gear and setup. In addition, the customer

because mobile personnel can receive alerts and view

is provided with useful analytics that enables them to

video from anywhere, on any device, including tablets and

respond to events more effectively.

smartphones. In addition, you can automate response to

Etisalat has built the Digital security surveillance

events by integrating different safety and security systems

practice from the customer centric perspective. The

connected to the same network—for example, by capturing

hands-on approach involves Etisalat visiting customer

video in response to gunshots or an opening door.

premises for site survey, providing a quote, installing and configuring the system and training the customer

To capitalise on the potential of the Internet of things for video surveillance, you need:

on the usage. In addition, in the post-sale stage, Etisalat manages all the camera systems and hard disks and

• A secure architecture that can adapt to evolving

conduct Predictive Maintenance to give the customer

business needs. This might include adding many more

peace of mind that the system is working well and is

cameras, capturing high-resolution video to enable

in good hands.

Customers with distributed facilities can have all their video files located at a secure Etisalat data center and access it from their central Security office. Etisalat

The cost for IP digital camera systems has reduced dramatically over the past years, making analogue camera technology redundant.

provides all the connectivity of the satellite office to the central Etisalat Data Center for video footage transfer.

While Etisalat takes care of the Security Systems, customers can focus on their core businesses. We believe with Etisalat customer can trust that their data is secured, their camera systems are working and their hard disks will never run out of space.

Etisalat Business Update

13

Emerging Technology

Moving to the cloud It seems almost certain that 2014 will bring about an

service (IaaS), according to Ahmed M. Al Hammadi, Senior

increase in the consumption of cloud-based services. Despite

Manager, PM-e Business Solutions, Etisalat.

predictions from some analyst houses that concerns over data

14

ICT Insight

“It’s

a

platform

that

integrates

with

different

privacy might cost the industry billions in the coming year,

applications from different companies, and we only broker

businesses have found it hard to resist the draws of high-

these services. The platform itself does not have services

quality cloud services that can be paid for on an OPEX basis.

on top of it; it’s only integrated with those applications, so

Sensing the increased demand for more cloud services

the customer goes to the online portal, sees the catalogue

in the UAE, Etisalat has recently launched a new cloud

of services, chooses what services he wants, and then

services solution, which it calls the Cloud Unified Platform

pays online for those services, depending on the number

(CUP). CUP allows Etisalat to broker cloud services

of users he wants and what packages he selects,” he says.

between vendors and customers, on top of its own

However, Al Hammadi stresses that, while Etisalat

platform. The platform is a natural progression in Etisalat’s

brokers some of the services that it is offering through

cloud offerings, which began with infrastructure as a

CUP, the platform itself is still a strong one.

“It does a lot of automation, a lot of reporting, business

The customers in question are expected to be small and

intelligence types of things, billing and ordering, so it

medium-sized enterprises, Al Hammadi adds. He says that

does everything else other than the provisioning of the

the ability to pay on an OPEX model will attract a number

services,” he says.

of SMEs, and that this is true when discussing Software-

What’s more, he explains, Etisalat believes that

as-a-Service (SaaS) anywhere in the world. However, he

brokering these advanced services from reputable

adds that other customers should also be interested in

vendors is probably better than attempting to create

Etisalat’s CUP offerings.

them in-house. After all, these vendors have been

“Definitely government is a big portion of the target

creating cloud-ready solutions for years, and have the

market, but they take different types of services. The

ability to be far more dedicated in terms of research

government type of customers, or some enterprise

and development.

customers, are looking for private cloud services. If we

In terms of the services on offer, then, there are around

talk about SMEs, they look for public cloud or hybrid cloud

10 cloud applications that were available upon CUP’s

services. In terms of addressing, we are addressing all of

launch in January 2014. When working out which services

the customers and segments,” he says.

to launch with, Al Hammadi and his team categorised

Naturally, a large part of the cloud question has turned

which services would most appeal to the market.

to where the data is ultimately stored. However, this

Therefore the first applications to be made available were

shouldn’t be a worry for Etisalat customers, according to Al

around security (Web and endpoint), storage and back-up

Hammadi—a mandate from the UAE government has said

services, and CRM and ERP. Mobility tools and help-desk

that all cloud services must include a local node, so that

applications are also available, Al Hammadi says.

any data uploaded to the cloud can be kept in-country.

“These are the service types that we’ve chosen, and

“Though the service providers are international service

then we have chosen who are the leaders in those types

providers, we will have nodes for each of these services

of services. For example, in CRM, we are dealing with

inside the country, and the data will remain in the country.

SugarCRM, and in security services, we have Symantec

This is not a strategy for Etisalat only—this is the strategy

and Zscaler. Then we have online storage with a Swiss

of the country itself, so we have to follow the same,” Al

company called GlobeX Data, so it’s a mix of services,” he

Hammadi explains.

explains.

With this promise to its customers, Etisalat eventually

As the year goes on, Etisalat aims to add two to three

wants to have a wealth of applications to offer its

more cloud-applications to CUP every quarter, according

CUP customers. Al Hammadi likens it to becoming a

to Al Hammadi. That said, he believes that it’s more about

cloud application hypermarket: “When you go to the

quality rather than quantity when it comes to cloud

hypermarket, you don’t have just one brand of each type;

customers.

you have different brands, and you have the elite ones

“The quantity is not what the customer expects—the

and you have the medium ones. We to have different

quality is what the customer expects. And the right mix of

ranges of prices for different types of customers,” he says.

products is what the customer will be looking for,” he says.

With other service providers such as systems integrators and value-added resellers also now getting into the cloud brokerage game, it’s true that Etisalat may

The quantity is not what the customer expects—the quality is what the customer expects. And the right mix of products is what the customer will be looking for.

face some stiff competition in the coming years. However, according to Al Hammadi, procuring these cloud services from a telco could be much more beneficial in the long run.

“The advantage that the telco will have is that you can take everything from one telco, the telco can give you one proposition. There’s applications, plus the infrastructure, plus the storage services, connectivity, and end-to-end SLA as well. The advantage to taking those services from a telco is beyond what you get from others,” he says.

Etisalat Business Update

15

Deep Dive

Digital hospitals How technology is transforming healthcare.

A digital hospital is a patient-centric healthcare environment

mission. This real-time information environment permits

in which all systems—clinical, business, and facility—fully

a transformation to Lean technology enabled processes

integrate and connect, enabling information to flow seamlessly

that facilitate evidence-based, personalised medicine, and

and securely among departments and personnel.

alignment of IT and business.

It provides increased quality, efficiency, productivity, and

Providing real-time, evidence-based—information, the digital

patient and staff satisfaction while controlling costs. In short,

hospital is an evolution and synthesis of e-health and health

the digital hospital orchestrates the care.

informatics fields into a real-time, evidence-based, hospital

A

digital

hospital

is

comprehensive.

It

exploits

information environment. It relies on technology as an integral

communications and device technology, wireless, cloud

and fundamental part of business strategy. A digital hospital

architecture concepts and integration, imaging technology,

strategy enables the adopting healthcare organisation to

and radio frequency identification (RFID)—as well as business

provide higher quality care and patient safety in increasingly

process reengineering and organizational transformation.

efficient ways by employing state-of-the-art IT and process

The breadth and depth of a digital hospital is driven by the

16

ICT Insight

redesign.

business. It can be isolated to the digital enablement of a single

It goes beyond advanced clinical systems and includes

device such as an infusion pump or to a clinical area such as

additional integration among IT, medical, communications,

radiology. It also can encompass a facility’s IT ecosystem, a

and physical facility technologies to create a top-level, real-

building or ward, or be expanded to the enterprise or a hospital

time health information environment. For example, in the

campus and beyond including outpatient, affiliated hospitals,

United States, the digital hospital is closely associated with

and research facilities.

the concept of the National Health Information Network,

Technology is the enabler—digital hospital initiatives are

linking autonomous healthcare information systems into

being sponsored not only by IT professionals, but also by

a virtual digital healthcare environment. This enables

physicians and other clinicians, who are demanding better

patients, physicians, hospitals, and public health agencies to

tools and see technology as an enabler. Clearly, this is not

collaborate and share clinical information in a secure, real-

technology for technology’s sake. Rather, technology is

time environment, decreasing healthcare costs materially and

required to ensure the future success of a healthcare facility.

measurably while vastly improving patient care.

The digital hospital provides a foundation to integrate

The digital hospital concept is based on IP connectivity (“IP

diverse technologies; including medical systems, building

everything”). It represents an integrated platform connecting

controls, communications, and information management,

hospital technologies and business systems to meet the

enabling closer alignment of IT architecture and the hospital’s

availability, security, and reliability requirements of clinical

application deployment. It brings together information,

relationships independent of specific standards, technologies,

communication, medical, and facility technologies to support

or implementations that aim to provide an agile and unique

the care process freeing healthcare professionals from many

solution to solving the digital hospital business challenge.

manual tasks that reduce their ability to focus on patient care and safety.

There are many major engineering components associated with a digital hospital and its organiaation, including:

It also greatly reduces paperwork by supporting electronic

-Network Infrastructure that supports data, voice, video

medical record systems and provides easily stored and

communications, and location-based services with highly

transferred digital images versus cumbersome X-ray film.

reliable, converged, wired and wireless IP-based infrastructure.

More importantly, digital hospitals represent a holistic solution

-Devices and building systems: Intelligent monitoring and

to healthcare, as they encompass people, process, and

building management controls, caregiver communication

technology.

devices, and patient interactive system.

Through integration practices, digital hospitals make

- Foundation: High-availability, high-reliability servers

intelligent devices found in hospitals interoperable bringing

and storage, and the requisite system management and

information out of individual departments, devices, or isolated

monitoring tools.

process control systems. This is done through a common

- Medical devices: Medical informatics devices (biomedical)

communications and middleware platform (a device bus)

that capture, collect, monitor, transmit, or store patient point-

a network that connects all intelligent devices through a

of-care information.

common language supported by the IP.

or applications located anywhere in the network or running

such as network and infrastructure, information and

on different operating systems, providing a closed-loop,

administrative systems, point-of-care systems, communication

role-based business rule engine that enables messages—

and collaboration systems, and building management and

communications, alerts, and notifications—to be routed to the

facility systems. It brings together advanced technologies,

proper role or individual.

including location-based services, remote application, and

- Services Unifies communications and collaboration

information access. An example, imagine identifying a patient

services, providing unified operations, platform management,

in a treatment room using RFID and automatically presenting

and security necessary to ensure highly available, dependable,

the attending physician with patient information such as

and secure systems - Applications provide essential functionality for clinical

Unified communications play a key role in providing an agile

systems and data services, such as computer physician order

enterprise that can mature along with business processes

entry, electronic medical record, clinical documentation, and

and clinical needs of caregivers and supporting staff. The key

picture archiving and communications system

service of the digital hospital environment is collaboration

- Process support includes work flow-oriented systems

and communication. Digital hospitals provide communication

such as bed management, time and attendance, billing, and

services based on role, ensuring that clinicians and other

patient flow and decision support systems

healthcare professionals get the information they need for decision-making.

This means providing the correct information, in the correct format, to the correct recipient, when and where they need

- Health information exchange Integrates external entities, permitting the mobilization of healthcare information electronically across the organization and with partners from the community, region, or nationally

it. It is also about providing service related to content and

- Integration and identity management Integrates enterprise

knowledge management in support of research and evidence-

directory services and identity management systems for look-

based medicine practices, closed loop exchanges/transactions

up and access control

for building/facilities, and supply chains within the hospital ecosystem/enterprise.

One of the key communication technologies being used in digital hospitals

- Middleware: It connects different software components

It tightly integrates and collapses healthcare IT domains

medical history, allergies, or lab test results.

RFID

Everything is interconnected: Digital hospitals rely on a model in which everything is interconnected through a

A digital hospital network and its supporting infrastructure

highly available, secure, pervasive network, one where

network must be highly available, and all computing platforms

clinical staff is provisioned with the right information at

and data storage platforms installed on the network must

the right place at the right time. Time wasted locating

provide the same level of high-availability. The network

personnel, devices, and reports is vastly reduced, and the

consists of a wired network, wireless network, and location

links provided outside the hospital better facilitate care at

based services with this key capability.

lower cost, resulting in improved outcomes. This fosters

As we journey down the digital hospital path, we find

and supports one of healthcare’s primary goals: Focus on

many technical frameworks are evolving to support this

the patient, with the patient central to all activities and

growing market. The goal of a technical framework is to

information. That’s what makes a digital hospital a genuine

identify the minimum set of unifying concepts, axioms, and

patient-centric healthcare system.

Etisalat Business Update

17

10 Jaw-Dropping Facts About Our Mobile World There are 5.6 billion mobile subscriptions in the world That’s over

There are

85% of the global population.

10.7 million

mobile subscriptions in the Unites Arab Emirates alone, averaging

2 cellphones per resident

15,145 You have

15,145 messages

the number of text messages an average user sends a year.

89

the number of texts an average 18- to 29-yearold sends a day

Account Summary The world’s most expensive phone bill.

$218 trillion

Outstanding Total Due

Source: Visage - Jaw-Dropping Mobility Insights

Mobile usage has exploded in recent years. Just how much?

Enough to make our mouths gape. Here are some out-ofthis-world numbers on mobility’s enormous reach.

Reach the deepest point of the ocean:

98,560

The number of iPhones it would take to…

Reach the moon:

3.4

Circle the globe:

351

billion

million

200

cellphones are left in NYC cabs a day, that’s

73,000 a year.

205,343 years

The collective amount of Angry Bird playtime in one year.

Services & Solutions

Cloud-based digital signage Delivering right information to right people in right time The global advertising landscape has seen a dramatic

Etisalat as an owner

transformation from traditional print advertisements to dynamic

of whole ecosystem

advertisements over years. More and more enterprises are using

of the solution

digital displays within customer facing branch or store locations

has built a digital

to optimize the customer experience, increase sales, and enhance

signage platform

customer and associate communication.

at data center for the operation and management of complete

The Digital Signage is viewed as the “next big thing” for advertisers, marketers and promoters in a wide range of

signage system including site devices.

The building blocks of Etisalat Cloud Digital Signage

market segments, including retail, hospitality, entertainment,

Solution are as follows;

restaurants and convenience stores.

Screen

The Digital Signage market is on the cusp of a dramatic growth

Professional screen having wide viewing angle, reliability,

curve thanks to the digital revolution and it is estimated in size as

brightness, less energy consumption and 24x7 operations

US$ 22 million in UAE and US$ 77 million in MENA.

but, at affordable price.

The ideal market segments for digital signage are: • Retail

Media Player

• Financial Services/Banking

Presenting the right content on the right display at the right

• Hospitality

time but also used in digital signage also offer interfaces for

• Services

remote monitoring and configuration.

• Transportation • Government

Content Management System

• Business with multiple locations

Ability to create, change and delete play schedules and to

While digital signage systems have been broadly adopted across a wide array of vertical markets, many companies still have difficulty budgeting for the upfront and ongoing expenses that these systems require.

transfer these lists to media player that are organized in the head-end through dedicated systems.

Etisalat Cloud Digital Signage Solution is one-stop, turnkey solution providing:

With Etisalat Cloud Digital Signage Solution utilizing LGE

• Site systems including digital screen and media player

display systems, companies can quickly and efficiently deliver

• Content management software

digital content via Etisalat’s reliable, scalable network and

• 24x7x365 system operation and technical support

system by simply subscribing features and functionalities.

• Installation and training

The below diagram shows quick comparison Cloud based vs On-premise digital signage system.

• Preventive operations and system maintenance • Full reporting on system performance • The key benefits that customers are getting

Less staff required

More staff and IT skills needed

More cost-effective Easily accessible from anywhere

Rent system

More resource-intensive Access is limited Additional cost for software update and support Buy and own system

Choose if looking for budget friendly solution

Choose if there is clear strategy and roll-out investment

Free software update and support

20

ICT Insight

• No initial investment • Rapid deployment • Flexible payment plan • Lowered total cost of ownership • Fully hosted and managed service (For more information contact Etisalat account manager or visit us at www.etisalat.ae/digitalsignage.)

@etisalat.ae 7:11 PM - 9 Dec 13

Abdulazizhelabi4h

@Abdulazizhelabi4h ‫ بس‬.. ‫أوه العرض جميل ومغري‬ ِ EAUtalasitE@ ‫أنا انتظر تنزلون عرض على تلفون (جلكسي‬ ‫سامسونج ) و لكم كل الشكر واالحترام‬

News

Etisalat partners with GlobeX Data burden of handling confidential digital data.

“Recognising the need for top-notch services to

https://twitter.com/Abdulazizhelabi/status/410245233989787648

address this issue, we have partnered with GlobeX Data to bring to the Middle East market two new data storage

11:06 AM - 4 Dec 13

‫عمرو محمد أبوكحيل‬

and back-up offerings. The two new technologies follow

@someoneinalain

the highest standards of confidentiality and privacy,

‫شكرا‬# EAUtalasitE@ . ‫هدايا اتصاالت الجميلة‬ wEYn8ZQks1/moc.rettiwt.cip ‫اتصاالت‬

and have been designed keeping the clients’ needs and

https://twitter.com/someoneinalain/status/408311272258940928/photo/1

requirements in mind. Further, the services use eco-

10:05 AM - 4 Dec 13

Etisalat has announced its partnership with GlobeX Data,

friendly technology, in line with Etisalat’s commitments to

@ismail_Aljwabra

a cloud storage technology provider, to offer enterprises

adopt sustainable practices for growth and development.”

ismail Aljwabra ‫ اهلل يبارك في اتصاالت‬EAUtalasitE@ https://twitter.com/ismail_Aljwabra/status/408296071698194433

and individuals secure data storage and back-up services for critical business data and applications.

The partnership enables Etisalat to introduce the

11:12 PM - 3 Dec 13

Issausman @issausman75

@EtisalatUAE i like etisalat services thanks keep it up pic.twitter.com/ qeeRY4P9aI https://twitter.com/SaddmaarebMC/status/136763322598035457

10:10 AM - 3 Dec 13

‫ رواضي‬DubaiExpo2020 @umRowdha

@EtisalatUAE it’s awsome, thank you etisalat https://twitter.com/umRowdha/status/407934861857406976 12:52 PM - 2 Dec 13

Noura Alzaabi

@mpshah ‫ اجمل زينه زينة اتصاالت‬EAUtalasitE@

The DigitalSafe technology features a protected digital vault for the safekeeping of confidential information.

Using a mobile- and web-based secure cloud storage

DigitalSafe and SecurusVault technologies in the Middle

application, clients can share individual files with specific

East, thereby reiterating its position as the region’s

people, maintain multiple file versions, store passwords,

leading integrated services provider.

bank details, travel documents and much more.

The two new services are designed with Swiss high

Alain Ghiai, CEO of GlobeX Data Group, said, “We

encryption and privacy technology architecture and

are pleased to partner with Etisalat to bring to the

ensure that there is 100 percent assured safety and

region our two state-of-the-art technology offerings. At

confidentiality of critical information.

GlobeX Data, we firmly believe in establishing long-term

Abdulla Hashim, Senior Vice President ICT, Etisalat

partnerships with the best organisations that constantly

UAE, said: “Data is at the heart of any organisational

offer innovative solutions to promote business and

activity, therefore it is crucial for organisations to protect

individual developments. Our partnership with Etisalat

their data and back it up regularly. With business

is part of a tradition of aligning ourselves with the best

continuity gaining popularity in the region, an increasing

in the market and we look forward to servicing Etisalat’s

number of individuals and corporations are faced with the

client base globally.”

https://twitter.com/Nayooor/status/407613223580340224 4:57 AM - 2 Dec 13

Eng.Hend Kamali @HendAlKamali

@EtisalatUAE amazing great job etisalat

Etisalat and UAE University organise mobile learning conference

https://twitter.com/HendAlKamali/status/407493838979096577

Etisalat and UAE

conference. They welcomed representatives from

University (UAEU)

higher education faculty members and executives,

6:16 AM - 24 Nov 13

organised the first mobile

graduates and PhD students, instructional

@beibhinnisargel

learning conference

technologists, business and government officials.

Finally! I got to pay my 1st bill from @Etisalat_Care through @ AlAnsariEx So Convenient. Thanks!!!

‘Embracing Mobile

Participants had a chance to network, attend

Learning’, aimed at

professional development workshops, and discuss

modelling best classroom

topics such as materials production, engaging

practices and showcase

teaching techniques, and mobile literacy.

Beibhinn Aisling

https://twitter.com/beibhinnisargel/status/404614557663907841 6:16 AM - 24 Nov 13

Kang Leader @_skyyy_

@EtisalatUAE i love you guys for fixing my Monthly data plan. good job https://twitter.com/_skyyy_/status/404196823889231872

6:16 AM - 24 Nov 13

‫الشارقة مدينة صحية‬

@SharjahHCP EAUtalasitE@ ‫شكر وتقدير لمؤسسة اتصاالت‬ _‫الشارقة‬# ‫على رعايتهم الماسية لبرنامج‬ S8ow1nBK0N/moc.rettiwt.cip ‫مدينة_صحية‬ https://twitter.com/SharjahHCP/status/403064124680069120

how mobile technology can be integrated effectively into teaching and learning.

The event took place at the campus of UAE

Abeer Nijmeh, Director, Information & Communication Technology, Etisalat said, “Our aim has always been to stand on the forefront of ICT

University located in Al Ain. This was a unique

technology in the UAE. As partners of this unique

platform to exchange insights and innovations from

event, we are proud to offer ICT solutions and

the region’s ICT domain. The conference was a

applications for the education sector.”

medium to share research regarding the effectiveness

Etisalat has supported educational initiatives in

of mobile strategies and their influence on student

the past, including the Duroosi tutorial videos at the

engagement and learning.

Ministry of Education, and continues to contribute to

UAEU invited foreign delegations from various fields to encourage global perspectives in this

technology-based learning, reinforcing its dominance as the preferred telecom and ICT partner in UAE.

Etisalat Business Update

21

@etisalat.ae

News

Etisalat in tie-up with NEC for Unified Communications services conduct research to select a suitable cloud service, allowing customers to save on time and money. To maximize their benefits, clients also have the opportunity to contact Etisalat representatives, who offer their expert guidance on the best choice of cloud services to suit their business requirements.

The Etisalat CUP, powered by NEC, offers a carriergrade services brokering, federation and aggregation

10:11 AM - 19 Nov 13

‫الهتلـي‬

@AlHetliy ‫ اشكركم على‬eraC_talasitE@ ‫سرعة الرد واتمنى لكم التوفيق‬ https://twitter.com/AlHetliy/status/402861796111175680 9:01 PM - 17 Nov 13

Elfatih Khalid @elfatihkhalid

@Etisalat_Care Dear all, Thank you very much for your prompt response the problem was resolved yesterday night, now it is working fine https://twitter.com/elfatihkhalid/status/402300619312353280

platform, with multiple propositions on InfrastructureEtisalat, the leading telecom company in the Middle East

as-a-service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and

and Africa, today announced its partnership with NEC,

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The Etisalat CUP also

a global provider of internet, broadband network and

entails a Development Platform for young entrepreneurs,

enterprise business solutions, to deliver unified cloud

where they can develop, compile, deploy and publish

services to the UAE and Middle East market.

cloud applications in the CUP’s marketplace.

The partnership enables Etisalat to deliver to the

Abdulla Hashim, Senior Vice President- ICT, Etisalat

regional market a Cloud Unified Platform (CUP), which

UAE, said: “Adoption of Cloud Services in the region is

offers enterprises a one-stop-shop-solution for all their

gaining momentum, due to the obvious benefits it brings

cloud service needs. The Etisalat CUP marketplace will have

to customers and their businesses. However, selection

cloud services such as BigTinCan, LibreOffice among others.

and subscription to the right cloud service is no easy

The Etisalat CUP, which is hosted in Etisalat data centers in the UAE, cuts down on the time taken to

task. Customers find that the process of adoption can be time-consuming, as well as expensive.”

4:45pm - 5 Dec 13

Kate Lowhan Etisalat, u are the best. @Naseemulaziz. I'll refer u to a distant friend who works as a site engineer. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=668304 766523719&set=a.370568849630647.84288.107 009842653217&type=1 7:19pm - 5 Dec 13

Ahmed El Kholy Best network in UAE, always number one

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=6683 04766523719&set=a.370568849630647.8428 8.107009842653217&type=1 7:19pm - 5 Dec 13

Mackdonald Arinze you are the best and always the best

Etisalat extends M2M offering visibility into activities of their connected devices across the UAE. The fixed package allows 1 GB to 2,000 GB data usage which can be shared by any number of SIMs.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=6678 92969898232&set=a.116622321691969.13401 .107009842653217&type=1&relevant_count=1

4:28pm - 1 Dec 13

Alamin Mia i like dubai ad etisalat

allowance ranging from 10 MB to 100 MB per SIM. They Etisalat has announced new shared fixed data

are best suited for small to medium M2M deployments,

packages to be offered to Enterprise and SMB

where minimum amount of data is used per SIM.

The new fixed shared data packages, in addition

Wessam Chaabi ‫كثير حلوووووووووو‬

long-term basis. flexible shared data pool packages which offer data

last year.

2:24 pm - 7 Dec 13

It is optimum for big projects where expansion is on Earlier this year, Etisalat launched the UAE’s first M2M

customers from the M2M Control Center launched

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=668 304766523719&set=a.370568849630647.842 88.107009842653217&type=1

Abdulla Hashim, Senior Vice President, ICT, said: “Pioneering the latest—whether in technology or services—is a business requirement as we progress

https://www.facebook.com/Etisalat/ posts/666043880083141?comment_ id=6913569&offset=0&total_comments=18

4:29pm - 3 Dec 13

Mackdonald Arinze My best network https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.6 66010586753137.1073741832.1070098426 53217&type=1

12:59am - 1 Dec 13

Marwan El Nemr

to available per SIM flexible data packages, enhance

from being a telecom operator to becoming a complete

AMAZING!!!!!

the telecom major’s Machine-to-Machine (M2M)

ICT solutions provider. Based on market study, we

offerings for enterprises planning M2M deployments.

found that customers value real-time visibility into

https://www.facebook.com/Etisalat/ posts/666043880083141?comment_ id=6913569&offset=0&total_comments=18

The different types of packages will facilitate M2M

devices and their activities and an understanding and

deployments in automotive, health, metering, energy

diagnosis of wireless connectivity issues. In this age of

and smart city sectors.

globalisation, connected device operations must scale

Etisalat’s enterprise and SME customers can now

along with businesses and need to work anywhere

choose a package most suitable for their data needs.

in the world. Hence our solutions were custom-made

This will provide them full control over costs and data

to suit all these business needs of large enterprise or

usage on their SIMs even as they enjoy real-time

SMB customers.”

22

ICT Insight

12:16am - 1 Dec 13

Wessam Chaabi ‫روووعه‬ https://www.facebook.com/Etisalat/ posts/666043880083141?comment_ id=6913569&offset=0&total_comments=18

Business keeps changing.

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• The widest channel presence for easy access • Dedicated account managers • Tailored mobility solutions and services • More roaming partners

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