Strategic ICT Partner
Technology Partners
60 Mins Show dates: 20-24 October 2013, Dubai World Trade Centre
|
AT GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK
|
FOLLOW US
@computernewsme
Exhibition hours: 11am -6pm
Sharp banks on interactive future at GITEX
WHAT’S INSIDE
Sharp has this week placed a strong focus on interactive display solutions, which it believes will help draw more consumers into retail and entertainment environments. The headline act at Sharp’s GITEX stand this week is the PNV601A Gesture Video Wall with 60-inch Class Ultra Slim bezel Display. Using a kinetic video device, the “wall” allows users to 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Citrix survey exposes lack of BYOD enablement Citrix has revealed the results of a local survey exposing a large disconnect between employees that want BYOD enabled and organisations that have actually done so. According to the survey, which officially releases tomorrow, around 78 percent
of employees in the UAE said they would be happier and more productive in the workplace if their organisation enabled them to use their mobile devices. “Seventy-eight percent is really high, but it’s not too 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Avaya bolsters smart government initiative Brocade to exhibit on-demand data centre
GITEX preview: Huawei Enterprise ME
4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Citrix... surprising because we know people want that,” said Johnny Karam, Regional VP, Middle East and Africa, Citrix. “What was really interesting was the other percentage. It’s a bit gap. “However, we are seeing some studies showing that by 2016 the compounded growth of cloud will be around 45 percent, and cloud is driving the mobile trend. What’s more interesting is the fact that the percentage of spend will almost double from 13 percent to 25 percent by 2016. That tells us that it is being embraced right now and people need to respond to this.” Citrix has been present at GITEX in one form or another since 2002, each year increasing its investment from the previous
“Our focus this year is around mobile work styles, which is being pushed by the fact that today’s mobile and tablets are going into the organisation whether it wants it or not. Staff are putting pressure on IT to enable these devices by insisting on using them. At Citrix our focus is on preparing organisations to be able to deliver this mobile work style.” Johnny Karam, Regional VP, Middle East and Africa, Citrix
year. “It’s a platform for our voice to be heard throughout the region,” Karam said. This year, it is all about the aforementioned BYOD (bringyour-own-device) trend, by presenting solutions that help organisations in the Middle East prepare. “Our focus this year is around mobile work styles, which is being pushed by the fact that today’s mobile and tablets are going into the organisation whether it wants it or not,” Karam said. “Staff are putting pressure on IT to enable these devices by insisting on using them. At Citrix our focus is on preparing organisations to be able to deliver this mobile work style.
“Over the years we’ve seen a lot of organisations say mobile will not enter. Practically what happened is someone in the C-suite went to IT and said here’s my iPad, enable me. So it was really forced on them and that’s the problem they have to deal with.” Citrix is particularly focused on helping customers from the government, telecommunications and financial industries. However, the trend is reaching verticals far and wide. “We’re really working on them to get them to that convincing point,” Karam said. “It’s coming whether we like it or not so organisations need to prepare for it now.”
@computernewsme
P3
4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 interact easily with objects on the large screen. “With this, you have many, many interactive applications, and this is to draw the audience into a retail environment in a shopping mall, or an entertainment environment,” said Ravinder Kumar, General Manager, Sharp Middle East. Sharp is also showcasing a number of solutions targeted at retail environments. For example, the vendor’s SEE ME Display mirrored display acts as an interactive mirror. When not in use,
the display can run through a large number of signage applications, displaying advertisements and the like. A motion-sensing camera on the bottom detects when someone wants to use the display as a mirror, and the signage is switched off. Also targeted at retail is Sharp’s Boutique application, which turns the display into a digital fitting room – displaying animated clothing that fits on top of an image of the person standing in front of the display. That said, according to Kumar, Sharp is targeting all kinds of
verticals with its futuristic display solutions. “Basically we are proposing a different kind of signage solution, which can fit into any environment, whether it’s education, restaurants, retailing, entertainment, theatres – all the domains are covered. Any domain you’re into, we can deploy signage related to that domain,” he said. A case in point is the Sharp PN-L702B, a 70-inch interactive LED display with touch-sensitive capabilities. The solution is targeted at educational institutions
as an alternative to traditional white boards. According to Kumar, such technologies are now revolutionising classrooms, not least because they allow the information covered in classes to be saved digitally. “This is already very popular – it’s changing classrooms, getting rid of projectors and flip charts. It’s very environment-friendly. There’s no uptime, so from the moment you switch it on, you’re on. And what do we write? It’s digital information – stored information that you can use in any way you like,” he said.
Avaya bolsters smart government initiative Avaya is using its presence at the 2013 GITEX Technology Week to educate visitors about Avaya’s innovations for collaboration, video, customer experience and networking, all of which support the UAE’s Smart Government initiative, which provides access to government services on almost any device. At GITEX, Avaya will provide live solution demos of many of its top technologies, and will outline the successful strategies employed by Avaya customers including the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Silicon Oasis and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai. For the first time in the region, Avaya will showcase the power of its Software Defined Data Centers, which
P4
@computernewsme
feature Avaya’sFabric Connect technology. Unlike other vendors, Avaya IP Multicast protocols are able to support up to tens of thousands of video streams versus just hundreds, with subsecond failover times rather than seconds or minutes. And
the Avaya Collaboration Pod, a preconfigured ”all-in-one” solution that offers networking, storage, virtualization and communications infrastructure enables customers to reduce time of deploying applications and building a cloud environment. In this, Avaya’s ninth year participating in GITEX, they will be conducting live solution demonstrations demonstrating the availability of solutions to every customer. They will be in Zabeel Hall C-20. “Almost every company visiting GITEX 2013 – regardless of size or industry -- needs a flexible strategy that reflects current trends while driving their communication and collaboration forwards. The region is growing, the business community is
growing, and small and mediumsized businesses are growing, and everyone will be looking for mobile, efficient, secure, and strategic communications. We realize that it’s a new world, and Avaya has developed the right solutions that can equip organizations to cope with these emerging trends. Our major focus is supporting mGovernment and Smart Government Initiatives, supporting the Expo 2020 Initiatives, and supporting the success of the SME business sector in the Middle East. We believe that the innovations we’re demonstrating at GITEX today will power businesses throughout the region for years to come,”said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, VP of Middle East, Africa India and Turkey, Avaya.
Brocade to exhibit on-demand data centre Brocade is demonstrating its OnDemand Data Centre at this week’s GITEX Technology Week. Representatives will also be on hand to show the HyperEdge Architecture, which delivers a campus environment whilst adapting to the demands of increased user mobility. Sufian Dweik, regional director MEMA at Brocade Communications said, “At Gitex, we will educate attendees about our recently unveiled On-Demand Data Center strategy, which combines the best of physical and virtual networking elements to create a future-proof data centre environment that helps organizations rapidly react to market changes and deploy new services and applications in the most efficient manner possible.” “It represents a logical step on the path towards adoption of solutions and approaches such as
virtualization and Software-defined Networking, which vastly improve the efficiency, utilization, resilience and manageability of data center environments.”
According to a recent IDC report, emerging markets, such as MENA, will witness the fastest growth in cloud spending anywhere in the world, collectively growing at 44.1%
until 2016. Dweik is conscious of the increasing demand for cloud technology in the Middle East: “A recent global survey we conducted indicates that current data center networks are unable to handle cloud computing and virtualization demands. This is of particular concern for businesses in the Middle East where cloud related IT investments are expected to increase substantially in the next few years,” he said. He also believes Brocade’s HyperEdge Architecture is a versatile development: “HyperEdge Architecture provides an evolutionary approach to campus network design, providing agile, application and services-centric campus networks that organizations need today. “It also delivers instant access to services and applications.”
@computernewsme
P5
GITEX preview: Huawei Enterprise ME 1) What is the main theme of your presence at GITEX this year? Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group will be the focus at GITEX this year showcasing many of its latest technologies and solutions catered to industries from government to healthcare, education, oil & gas, power, transportation and more. Living up to our brand platform “A Better Way”, visitors at GITEX will have a chance to touch, feel and experience Huawei technology for themselves in a real-case environment along with lively panel sessions that will address hot topics most talked about in the industry. This will be in addition to Huawei’s active participation in forums such as the GITEX Big Data Conference; a first at this year’s exhibition for which Huawei is involved as a Platinum sponsor. 2) Are you releasing/launching anything new at GITEX 2013? If so, what? Those at GITEX can look forward to a number of exciting Huawei product launches seen for the first time in the region including our latest Bring-YourOwn-Device (BYOD) solutions, Software-Defined Networking (SDN) switches and additions to
P6
@computernewsme
our high-end storage technology portfolio. Huawei will also be spotlighting its recently deployed e-classroom solution, along with its Safe City solution in addition to its all new HD video-conferencing solution—ideal for local SMEs. 3) How is your company presenting itself at GITEX this year to differentiate it from competitors? Recognizing the extraordinary changes that are taking place in the information and communication industries today, Huawei has implemented a number of strategic adjustments to better serve our local customers. These initiatives have been particularly impactful within the Middle East as over the last two years Huawei has extended the reach of its offerings from the telecom carrier field to the enterprise and consumer fields as well. This is known as our “cloudpipe-device” strategy and is a core differentiator for our business globally and in the Middle East region. With each of these business groups hosting a full program activities at this year’s GITEX, our end-to-end ICT offerings will certainly differentiate Huawei from others at the exhibition.
4) What are the key trends influencing your approach to GITEX 2013 and the offerings you are pushing? The next wave of digital society will see the rise of a new kind of intelligence; a connected and shared wisdom. For service providers, future growth will involve exploiting the integration of the cloud, pipe, and device within the context of skyrocketing data usage. This era of “Big Data” is also inspiring revolutionary changes within the business community, enabling organizations to have real-time visibility of their operations, capture a wealth of new market intelligence, and keep their people connected through more efficient communication tools. The rapid advancement of smart devices over the past year has further meant that personal devices have far exceeded their traditional legacy as basic communication tools—offering individuals and businesses the ability to work, play and explore the world from wherever they are in the world. In this context, Huawei has been striving to better understand customers’ needs and innovate hand-in-hand with customers to realize business success. With a strategy to develop an open industry architecture and enhance integration within the ICT ecosystem, GITEX 2013 will be a platform for Huawei to showcase just how we are able to offer effective and agile technology solutions that address these trends.
Highlights
Publisher Dominic De Sousa, COO Nadeem Hood, Commercial Director Rajashree R Kumar, Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan Editors Ben Rossi, Tom Paye, Janees Reghelini, James Dartnell Circulation Manager Rajeesh M, Production Manager James Tharian, Senior Designers Analou Balbero, Glenn Roxas, Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy Magma Web Coordinator Jarris Pedroso Photographers Jay Colina, Abdul Kader
@computernewsme
P7