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
ManageEngine takes on ‘big four’ at GITEX
ManageEngine is pushing a doit-yourself (DIY) approach to IT management tools and techniques this week, as it showcases the recently launched Large Enterprise Edition of OpManager. The solution is a network and data centre infrastructure management software. With it, ManageEngine claims businesses can speed up their IT departments, responding to challenges in real time by adopting a DIY attitude to managing their infrastructures, rather than leaving it in the hands of big vendors. According to Ajay Kumar K.G., Head of Global Marketing, ManageEngine, this approach differs completely to what big vendors such as HP and IBM offer. “We’re trying to take on the big four – IBM, HP, CA and Microsoft. We’re seeing that enterprises are now not as influenced by the big four. With them, it takes at least three months before you even see the product, after consultants and all these guys come in. We 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
WHAT’S INSIDE
DWTC selects Avaya for network virtualisation Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has chosen Avaya to supply a next-generation network virtualisation solution, bolstering agility, reliability and access to the company’s extensive calendar of 100-plus megaexhibitions. The announcement was made by the two parties today at GITEX Technology Week,
DWTC’s flagship and largest event. The new technology, known as Fabric Connect and part of Avaya’s Virtual Enterprise Network Architecture (VENA), is a fully integrated, end-to-end network virtualisation solution, and is based on enhanced 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Gemalto showcases NFCenabled POPWings
mobile application at GITEX 2013
Next-gen execs will depend on businessclass video: Cisco study
GITEX preview: TP-LINK
4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Avaya... implementation of the shortest path bridging (SPB) standard. Fabric Connect automates service provisioning, improves performance and reduces outage, Avaya said. With this deployment, DWTC said it is striving to deliver best-in-class interruption-free networking services. The technology delivers a dynamic solution that responds to the needs of an organisation which has to completely reconfigure itself frequently for each new event. As a result, a crucial element of the project selection decision was the combination of reliability and flexibility, DWTC said. Avaya added that its
technology puts the power of multi-service network virtualisation on display, and DWTC will use it to create a flexible, industry-leading solution that offers next-generation services to its exhibition clients. “This is the beginning of a business, exciting season at DWTC that is going to be filled with some of the biggest regional exhibitions and conferences in the Middle East,” said Farid Farouq, VP of IT, DWTC. “Leading into this, we wanted to look for leading innovative solutions that would vastly improve our ability to service our exhibitors. We were looking for something that would make us better able to support the
“They require a solution that is at once flexible, adaptable, easy to install and alter, and almost entirely interruptionproof, but also powerful, scalable, effective, and has a huge capacity.”
Nidal Abou Ltaif, VP of Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Avaya
industry leaders who rely on us for excellent service. “Avaya gave us that with an innovation that made us able to revolutionise the service we offer to the millions of attendees to our events each year.” According to Nidal Abou Ltaif, VP of Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Avaya, DWTC is not a standard customer. “They require a solution that is at once flexible, adaptable, easy to install and alter, and almost entirely interruption-proof, but also powerful, scalable, effective, and has a huge capacity,” he said. “This was a big challenge, but it let us showcase the power innovation has to deliver results.”
@computernewsme
P3
4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 have a product that customers can download, and they can try it before they’re sure they want to buy it or not,” he told 60 Minutes. The OpManager solution is not built for any vertical in particular, Kumar said. He explained that he could find homes for the product in such industries as banking, consulting and IT. Aside from pushing its latest edition of OpManager, ManageEngine is also using GITEX to showcase its large selection of mobileware. “We started with iPhone apps and iPhone management, and we’re going into Windows 8 next,”
said Kumar. “We know that mobile is the next frontier.” Indeed, ManageEngine sees a number of new frontiers emerging – Kumar explained that the vendor is attempting to leverage trends such as Big Data, cloud and social networking into its technologies. And as new solutions are released, they will be more effective that what is on offer from the “big four”, he said. Kumar added that ManageEngine is putting a strong emphasis on the Middle East at the moment. “After the US and UK, this is our most important market,” he said.
Gemalto showcases NFC-enabled POPWings mobile application at GITEX 2013 Gemalto is showcasing its POPWings mobile application, which is powered with mobile NFC technology. The POPWings card allows users to share contacts details with new connections instantly with a simple tap of the card on the back of an NFC-enabled mobile phone. The application also provides time, date and location to remind users of when and where they met. As all the data is cloud based, even if a POPWings user alters his details on the POP platform, his contacts will automatically be accessing the revised information. This way, end users never need to lose touch with any of their contacts.
P4
@computernewsme
“NFC and cloud-based applications are providing exciting new opportunities for swift and fun ways to interact and exchange information over mobile devices. POPWings is taking advantage of its growing availability to lift traditional business cards into the digital age and gives an interactive and realtime dimension to forging stronger relationships,” says Marc Gemeto, Business Innovation Director at Gemalto. “The solution is part of a growing trend in interactive mobile applications and is set to establish NFC as an integral part of daily life and pave way for mass adoption of other NFC use cases,” he adds.
Next-gen execs will depend on businessclass video: Cisco study The majority of next-generation executives intend to depend on business-class video to improve relationships, according to a Cisco study released today at GITEX Technology Week 2013. Cisco defined this new generation as entering the management ranks of companies across the Middle East, and, like previous generations, they will bring with them their own preferred ways of communicating and collaborating. The 2013 Cisco Future Business Leaders: Video Attitudes Survey gives insight into what management-track leaders aged 34 and under across the Middle East think about business-class video, which delivers high-quality, reliable, and highly secure lifelike video to users.
Cisco commissioned Redshift Research to conduct the survey of 200 respondents in Saudi Arabia and UAE. The majority of respondents said they believe video has a significant and positive impact on an organisation, with over half indicating that video will enhance the experience of telecommuters, and almost two-thirds believing that it will save money on travel costs.
Ninety-two percent of respondents said they value video as a way to break down language barriers that could occur in an increasingly global marketplace. And 90 percent agreed that a video-enabled organisation could sway their decision to accept a job over a company that has not invested in business-class video communications. The study also discovered that over four in 10 young leaders (44 percent) agreed that adopting business-class video would make them a more effective leader by broadening their reach. The same amount also agreed that businessclass video would enable dispersed teams to cost effectively build team rapport. Furthermore, 40 percent of
young executives said feel that business-class video could provide a competitive advantage since it would enable teams to collaborate more closely and effectively. And half of respondents said they foresee that business-class video could improve employee training, whilst 48 percent said they believe that problems in manufacturing or product development could be reduced with the use of businessclass video. “The next generation of leaders in the Middle East is aware that using video makes them more productive, helps them to communicate better, helps to reduce costs, and even plays a role in attracting the best talent to an organisation,� said Wael Abdulal, Head of Collaboration, ME Region, Cisco.
@computernewsme
P5
GITEX preview: TP-LINK What is the main theme of your presence at GITEX this year? This year’s GITEX Technology Week is all about Wireless for TP-LINK. From SOHO wireless routers and adapters using the latest 802.11ac wireless standard, to portable wireless 3G routers, and our Hybrid wireless router and extender.
wireless devices and advanced applications, at affordable prices.
Are you releasing/launching anything new at GITEX 2013? If so, what? The focus of TP-LINK’s presence at GITEX 2013 is to showcase a variety of new products coming to market soon. These include our 802.11ac wireless products, our portable wireless router with 5200mAh power bank, New Powerline series, Hybrid Wi-Fi router and range extender as well as our powerful new outdoor products and solutions. For small and medium sized businesses, we are introducing our SafeStream Gigabit Dual-WAN VPN Router and JetStream 28-Port Gigabit Stackable L3 Managed Switch. How is your company presenting itself at GITEX this year to differentiate it from competitors? We have no plans to actively differentiate ourselves from our competitors at GITEX, save for doing the same things that have led to TP-LINK success around the world, making great, high-
P6
@computernewsme
Denny Liang, GM, TP-Link quality networking products available to end-users around the globe at prices they can afford. What are the key trends influencing your approach to GITEX 2013 and the offerings you are pushing? With the continuing rapid advance of wireless networking fuelled by the world moving away from
traditional wired desktop PCs to Wi-Fi only devices such as tablets and smartphones, wireless networking is taking an ever prominent role in the homes and businesses of end users globally. With this in mind, we aim to address the needs of those end users by providing high quality networking devices capable of handling an increasing number of
What are the key offerings you will be presenting at GITEX – sum up their key and unique features. Our flagship 802.11ac wireless products include our Archer C7 is a AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router with 1300Mbps available bandwidth over the 5GHz band and 450Mbps bandwidth over the 2.4GHz band, making it a robust solution for anyone looking for a powerful network to support multiple devices and large file transfers. TP-LINK’s latest addition to our portable wireless router family, the M5360 3G Mobile WiFi, 5200mAh Power Bank is a true mobile companion device, allowing travellers and business people to get connected and stay connected on the go. With its 5200mAh battery, the device has more than enough power to both operate the router and charge other devices such as smartphones or tablets. The compact M5360 also has an internal SIM card slot, removing the need for a 3G dongle, as well as room for up to 32GB of SD card storage. TP-LINK will also be debuting our H5R AV500 Hybrid WiFi Dual Band Router and H5E AV500 Hybrid WiFi Extender, the first of their kind on the market, enabling
instant whole-home WiFi and Powerline coverage. The H5R provides powerful 600Mbps simultaneous dual band wireless signals and 500Mbps powerline data across a home or office’s electrical circuitry, accessible by plugging in an H5E anywhere around the home to extend the wireless networking coverage. What’s more, by pressing the AP Clone button, the H5E will automatically copy the H5R’s SSID and Password for an incredibly easy setup.
Highlights
How important is GITEX as a platform and event to your organisation? GITEX is one of TP-LINK’s most important global shows throughout the year. With such a diverse audience in the prominent regional hub that is Dubai, we place a great deal of importance on the show as a place to meet current partners and make new ones, from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and around the world. What is the top reason you invest in GITEX — do you see a healthy return on your investment, or is it more about presence/visibility? Both. While the primary purpose of our presence at GITEX is to meet current and new business partners, we also value the benefits that it offers in terms of a platform from which to broadcast news about new and upcoming products and reach a global audience of media and influencers.
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