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Technology Partners
60 Mins Show dates: 20-24 October 2013, Dubai World Trade Centre
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Exhibition hours: 11am -6pm
Philips Signage Solutions pushes Touch Points
Wilfred de Man, General Manager, EMEA, Philips Signage Solutions, is in no doubt as to the strengths of the company, and the pocket of the market they are exploiting at GITEX. “I really feel that the greatest trend in this market is the need for Touch Points, which is massively influenced by the emergence of smartphones,” he said. “Our Touch Points traverse a variety of sectors, including education, the corporate sector and retail. We can provide a variety of solutions for the market both in terms of hardware and software.” According to de Man, the company’s core business is that of monitors – and not just PC monitors, but also those used in hospitality, TV and a variety of other forms. “We are a complete provider of this product,” he said. He also appreciates the role that the Middle East can play in earning profit for Philips Signage 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
WHAT’S INSIDE Citrix highlights future strategy at GITEX
Fluke Networks to bring out more solutions in 2014
Mitsumi expands value business
As businesses are growing into larger organisations, there is heavy traffic on servers, which results in the networks becoming
GITEX Interview: TOTOLINK
slow. Fluke Networks, a network deployment and performance 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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Fluke Networks... management firm, plays a key role in providing solution to this problem, says Werner Heeren, RSD Middle East – Africa, Fluke Networks at GITEX Technology Week 2013. “First of all we need to pinpoint where the problem originates from and how we can improve the business of our customers,” he explained. “Most businesses are relying on the network and if that slows down it directly affects the businesses. We try to improve the business, facilitate and support, and make everything go faster.” The response to Fluke Networks at this year’s GITEX has been positive, according to Heeren. “It was better to what we received last year,” he added. “However, still not the levels like five years ago.” The company plans to increase
“Most businesses are relying on the network and if that slows down it directly affects the businesses. We try to improve the business, facilitate and support, and make everything go faster.”
Werner Heeren, RSD Middle East – Africa, Fluke Networks
the bandwidths of networks for its customers in 2014, and also will be bringing out solutions on how to deal with social media congestion, as the increasing traffic is another reason why networks slow down. “People want to see messages and videos faster, which creates more problems and we come into the picture,” Heeren explained. One key product group that Fluke Networks has been keen to push at GITEX is the Versix family, which accelerates the steps in the certification process. Future-ready design supports copper certification, fiber loss, OTDR testing and hardware upgrades, according to Ziad Sawtari, Territory Sales Manager, Fluke Networks. “The revolutionary ProjX
management system and Taptive user interface ensures jobs are done right the first time,” he said. “Analyse test results and create professional test reports using LinkWare management software. “Visual TruView is a unified application, and network performance monitoring and troubleshooting appliance, which solves problems fast. TruView represents a breakthrough advancement that sets a new bar in the way IT organisations will be able to quickly and effectively monitor and troubleshoot network and application performance problems.” Fluke are introducing new technologies, solutions for structured cabling certification and verification, and network application and performance management.
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4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 from not just the Middle East and Africa, but all over the world “The show allows us to enter new markets and also allows us to fortify our brand image,” de Man said. “GITEX gives us a platform to showcase our product offering to a larger audience that would not be possible with any other show in the region. “Our prime objective is to increase visibility for our brand and product portfolio, enhance our presence in the region by forging new partnerships and acquiring new customers. We want to send out the message to everyone that Philips is back in the region even more aggressively than ever.”
Solutions. “The market for monitors is growing, and within a year we have the clear aim of sharing at least 10 percent of this market in the Middle East,” he said. “It’s no secret that there are massive opportunities in this part of the world. It is an emerging market, and a main focus of the company at this time. “In the field we have a wide portfolio of products, and I have absolute confidence that we are able to provide and innovate products that suit the needs of every customer.” GITEX Technology Week is an important platform for Philips due to its ability to attract visitors
Citrix highlights future strategy at GITEX Cloud enabling company Citrix is using GITEX to highlight its future strategy – and Noman Abdul Qadir, Director, Channels, MEA, has a clear vision for its progress. “We are allowing people to build and manage services at the back end. What we are showcasing here is the reality, not the future,” he said. “Our exhibition at GITEX focuses on a broad range of issues; our mobile device management and mobile application management, our cloud portal business manager, our network offerings, in particular delivering cloud solutions, and our mobile data offerings.
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“As is the current trend in the market, companies are looking for the appropriate cloud solution for their needs. We offer a variety of solutions, be it public or private
cloud.” He is acutely aware of the ability for expansion in the Middle East region: “We have been in the Middle East for nine years, so it
is a market we know very well. Our main target here is to double our revenue within the next three years, and realistically we should surpass that. In this market there is high mobility penetration. “I think to maximise our revenue we need to perhaps analyse the market a little closer. Everyone knows this part of the world has potential, it’s just how to make the most of that potential. “The ultimate goal is to be able to allow the customer to access any kind of information from any kind of device. We are looking to see how we can streamline data and maximise the experience the user has in achieving this goal.”
Mitsumi expands value business The African-centric Mitsumi Distribution is expanding its value business, with a focus on technology areas such as networking, Unified Comms and security. “We have diversified into value business last year as the margins from volume products are shrinking. We already have HP Networking, Riverbed, and Polycom in the portfolio and we are looking to sign up more vendors to bolster our value business,” said Jagat Shah, Chairman and CEO of Mitsumi. The distributor, which is participating in GITEX for the second time in a row, says it has been to meet potential partners from the North Africa. “We already have a strong presence in East and West and we have been able to meet with the North African visitors
this time,” says Shah. Mitusmi has a sprawling presence in Africa with local
presence in around 19 counties in the continent. “Our strength is that we have local stocking,
local resources and we even bill in local currency. The African market is a high growth market, which hasn’t been tapped properly and we have the early mover advantage,” says Shah. Mobility is also a big focus area for the distributor. “It’s the fastest growing market and we already have brands such as Samsung, Acer and Asus in our portfolio. As we have a distribution house in Africa, we are also looking to diversify into even non-IT related areas such as solar solutions,” says Shah. Mitsumi has recently set up an office in Dubai to serve as the logistics hub. “We are not looking to start anything from the scratch in the Middle East. However, we are looking at possible acquisition opportunities,” says Shah.
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GITEX Interview: TOTOLINK What is the main theme of your presence at GITEX this year? We are getting the message out that a stylish and smart South Korea SOHO networking brand is entering Middle East markets.
How important is GITEX as a platform and event to your organisation? GITEX opens up a window for TOTOLINK to the Middle East market. It is a very effective platform to introduce TOTOLINK brand to the Middle East market.
Are you releasing ot launching anything new at GITEX 2013? If so, what? Yes, SOHO VPN router/AP/Repeater in one, and price-qualified 11AC/11n Dual Band Wi-Fi routers.
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? GITEX is top of the famous events facing Middle East areas. It is a very important fair and a great chance to introduce ourselves as a new brand here in this region. Yes, we have gotten fruitful return already. Devoting here, it is just a matter of time that your return will be more than your presence amdvisibility. We have big confidence in GITEX.
How is your company presenting itself at GITEX this year to differentiate it from competitors? We are South Korea’s number one networking brand. We have stylish design, user friendly settings and smart devices. What are the key trends influencing your approach to GITEX 2013 and the offerings you are pushing? To be a global brand, focusing on Middle East, the world trading center, is a very important strategy We are here for GITEX as there is a big potential market with large inquiries. A market with 115 million people and influence another 1.5 billion population. How have you seen the Middle East respond to those trends in question, and how did you think that will change over the next year? The Middle East is the trading centre of Asia, East Europe, and Africa.
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Alex Koo, Totolink Not only do local consumers have big inquiries on network, but also it is facing and influencing many other countries. This strategy centre is never going to change or to be replaced. How do you think GITEX 2013 is different to previous editions? 2013 is our first year attending GITEX, but we believe it is a prosperous one with innumerable achievements.
What are the key offerings you are presenting at GITEX – sum up their key and unique features. We are presenting our Primer highend 11AC/N Dual Band Route; AP/Router/Universal Repeater-in one; Smart QoS; VPN Server; the cleanest WiFi Cannel Auto Selection; a reliable and qualified economical 11N Router; AP/Router/ Universal Repeater-in one; and Smart QoS.
What does your company hope to achieve by appearing at GITEX 2013? We wanted to introduce TOTOLINK’s brand in Middle East, open up the markets together with our distributors, and achieve an appreciable market share. What are your company’s main recent achievements in the Middle East market? We met our strategy partner, Prologix Distibution. This is a great step, and together we believe we will take over the Middle East market.
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
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