INNOVATING CONNECTIVITY

Sakkeer Hussain, Director - Sales & Marketing, D-Link Middle East & Africa, discusses D-Link’s achievements, growth strategies, partnerships and their latest AI powered offerings.

How was the previous year for D-Link in terms of growth and partnerships?

Customers are growing their cloud practices and we have observed this with D-Link’s business in the region. The increasing appetite for cloud solutions have also resulted in the growth of related technologies such as cybersecurity and networking including advanced Wi-Fi and highperformance routers.

2022 was a high-growth year with new customer acquisitions and even stronger business with existing ones. Our channel partners have gone above and beyond and is striving towards achieving mutual business growth. We appreciate their efforts and hard work and look forward to many more new wins in this year together.

Any new partnerships in the pipeline?

We do have a lot of exciting announcements planned for the year in terms of products and solutions launches. We are looking to strengthen our existing partnerships and see if any new partnership will add value for our business.

What are the latest digital connectivity trends to watch out for in 2023?

Customers across sectors are identifying technologies and strategies that will help them fasttrack their digital transformation journeys. D-Link plays an important role in helping them realize these digital agendas.

Wireless infrastructures will bring in enhanced efficiency, flexibility and cost savings. D-Link is laying the foundations for a world that’s more connected, smarter, and more convenient with our extensive range of products and solutions.

What are the latest innovative products or services that D-Link has launched in the market?

D-Link’s Eagle Pro AI series feature built-in AI capabilities. Infusing AI technology into the products helps monitor traffic, improve efficiency, and greatly enhance the home network. How it works is that the AI Wi-Fi

Optimizer scans and monitors the network in real time to ensure that users are connected to the most ideal Wi-Fi channel.

The devices feature AI Traffic Optimizer feature, which automatically allocates bandwidth to different applications for the best connectivity. This feature also informs users which activities are causing congestion and allows them to deprioritize.

D-Link’s AI Mesh Optimizer is a unique AI beamforming technology that enhances mesh connectivity between routers and extenders for more powerful, reliable mesh Wi-Fi all throughout a home.

The AI Assistant gathers performance information over time then sends detailed reports to update users about network quality. With AI Parental Control, parents have customized management options, giving them greater control to monitor children’s online activity.

The EAGLE PRO AI App has an embedded SpeedTest to assess Internet speed and an exclusive Health Mode function allowing households to schedule internet access, keeping family members offline during specific times. Integrating AI into the products has helped users to multi-task and stay connected seamlessly with an intelligent network while working in distributed environments.

D-Link’s EAGLE PRO AI series of Wi-Fi solutions is powered by Wi-Fi 6 technology. The solutions deliver up to four times more capacity and up to 40% throughput increase than current Wi-Fi standards with dualband speeds up to 1.5Gbps. Designed to fit seamlessly into any room or office, it also works with Google Assistant and Alexa for convenient voice control.

How D-Link is supporting or adding value to its regional partners?

At D-Link, we pay special attention to empower our channel network to efficiently enhance their businesses and thrive in the digital era. We will continue to introduce pioneering offerings across cloud, networking, and security to help partners accelerate customers’ digital journeys. We have many training programs and workshops in place to help partners grow their business. They can also access our huge repository of resources for marketing and sales activities.

How is D-Link including sustainability in the process of product development?

At D-Link we are committed to green technology and related initiatives that help protect the environment. D-Link was the first company to introduce green ethernet technology with environmentally friendly SOHO Gigabit switches that decrease energy costs by reducing power consumption without sacrificing operational performance and functionality more than 10 years ago. Our focus remains the same even today, and we continue to develop green networking technology – which means our products help to reduce power consumption. This is important in today’s business environment. Internally too, we are committed and constantly working towards reducing our own carbon footprint. This has increased momentum and we are proud of our achievements in this regard.

What are your plans in terms of business strategy and innovation for 2023?

We have a lot planned for 2023. Building on our smart 4G AI-enabled routers and Eagle PRO AI series of Wi-Fi solutions, we will have more line-ups centered around AI, 5G, IoT, and wireless all integrated with strong cybersecurity.

How D-Link is planning to include AI technology in their future products and services?

AI investments together with automation tools are gradually increasing as customers seek better efficiency in their business processes. AI has the capability to transform all industries, and at D-Link we have integrated AI into our new products. AI helps us to take advantage of analytics and optimize the DNA of our products. We are always looking to use the most advanced technologies to create fantastic products that will help in solving customer’s challenges.

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