NEWS

ORACLE’S SECOND CLOUD REGION IN THE UAE GOES LIVE

H.E Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade

Oracle’s second cloud region in the United Arab Emirates is now live. Located in Abu Dhabi, the new cloud region, and the previously launched region in Dubai will offer all Oracle Cloud services, including Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle Cloud Applications.

Oracle’s two cloud regions in the UAE will provide a secure, advanced, and agile platform for organisations to leverage the full potential of latest digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning, Blockchain etc. to achieve strategic business objectives.

The availability of this secondgeneration digital infrastructure will act as a major catalyst for further accelerating the implementation of cloud technologies in the UAE.

His Excellency Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade said, “Oracle’s decision to open a second cloud region in the UAE is a clear reflection of our nation’s embrace of digital transformation, advanced technologies and the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which have become central to our economic and investment strategy for the next 50 years.

“We are committed to developing an innovative- and knowledgebased economy that encourages the development and deployment of the technologies of the future, and attracting human, financial and technological capital to the nation is central to these ambitions. Oracle’s continued investment into the UAE will only accelerate this process, providing critical infrastructure, expertise and insights to further elevate the UAE’s standing as a place where the boldest ideas and biggest projects can come to life.”

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s (OCI) next-generation architecture provides a high-performing, resilient foundation for cloud services, while its physical and virtual network design maximises performance and security. For example, each Oracle Cloud region contains at least three fault domains, which are groupings of hardware that form logical data centers for high availability and resilience to hardware and network failures.

Oracle is fully aligned with Abu Dhabi Digital Authority’s (ADDA) mandate of delivering digital services, platforms, channels, and implementation of applied intelligence and cybersecurity solutions for government entities. Oracle’s new cloud region in Abu Dhabi will help accelerate the authority’s efforts.

As part of Oracle’s planned expansion of its cloud region footprint to support strong customer demand for Oracle Cloud services worldwide, over the next year, Oracle will open seven additional cloud regions in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, France, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

SIEMON JOINS THE ETHERNET ALLIANCE

Siemon has joined the Ethernet Alliance, a global, non-profit, industry consortium dedicated to the continued success and advancement of Ethernet technologies.

Global demand for bandwidth and connectivity to support the everincreasing number of connected devices and emerging technologies are pushing Ethernet technology innovation faster than ever before. As the premier industry voice for Ethernet, the Ethernet Alliance provides a forum for the open exchange of ideas and a platform for consensusbuilding to increase the advancement and adoption of Ethernet technology around the world. As a leading global Siemon is committed to providing innovative cabling and connectivity solutions that enable that advancement and adoption.

“The Ethernet Alliance has long been committed to supporting Ethernet development through industry standards and multivendor interoperability. This falls perfectly in line with Siemon’s longstanding participation in industry standards and commitment to delivering standards-based, quality solutions,” said John Siemon, Chief Technology Officer. “Ethernet is everywhere, and we are extremely pleased to join this consortium of like-minded industry leaders all working together to expand the Ethernet ecosystem and educate markets worldwide about this technology’s expansive capabilities.”

John Siemon, The Siemon Company

manufacturer of high-performance IT infrastructure solutions and services,

MCAFEE AND FIREEYE JOIN FORCES TO FORM NEW XDR BUSINESS TRELLIX

“Symphony Technology Group (STG) has announced the launch of Trellix, a new business delivering extended detection and response (XDR) to organisations with a focus on accelerating technology innovation through machine learning and automation.

Trellix emerges from the previously announced merger of McAfee Enterprise and FireEye in October 2021. “We are incredibly excited to have Trellix in the STG portfolio,” said William Chisholm, Managing Partner, STG. “Customers can expect Trellix’s living security platform to deliver bold innovation across the XDR market.”

The new name evokes the structure of a trellis, a strong and safe framework used to support structured growth of climbing plants and trees. Trellix will deliver its brand promise to build resilient and confident organisations through living security—security technology that learns and adapts to protect operations from the most advanced threat actors.

“As today’s organisations push to achieve digital transformation, a strong security foundation is required to ensure continued innovation, growth and resiliency,” said Bryan Palma, Chief Executive Officer, Trellix. “Trellix’s XDR platform protects our customers as we bring security to life with automation, machine learning, extensible architecture, and threat intelligence.”

Trellix’s XDR ecosystem is designed to accelerate the effectiveness of security operations by providing customers with the capability to ingest over six hundred native and open security technologies. By providing security analysts with better insight, granting more control, and delivering comprehensive threat context, analysts can save time and act decisively to remediate threats.

“The promise of XDR dramatically improves security efficacy, and the vendors that can deliver on that promise will capture market share,” said Frank Dickson, Program Vice President, Cybersecurity Products, IDC. “However, integrating context and delivering outcomes takes resources and work. It is a monumental effort made possible with the right security partner. With a combined product portfolio that spans endpoint, network, messaging, data protection, and cloud services, Trellix has an impressive multi-technology portfolio to address the promise of XDR.”

Bryan Palma, Trellix

SCOTT BADER SELECTS INFOR FOR GLOBAL CLOUD UPGRADE

Infor has announced that Scott Bader, the global chemical company, has selected Infor CloudSuite Chemicals. Delivered by Infor Consulting Services via a multi-tenant cloud deployment, Infor CloudSuite Chemicals, including the Infor OS platform, will replace an existing Infor M3 ERP solution.

This initial, six-year agreement will help enable Scott Bader to standardise and harmonise a variety of core business functions for 380 users throughout North America, Canada, Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Australia and South Africa. Established in 1921, Scott Bader became the first employee-owned UK company during 1951. Now it employs almost 750 people across 7 manufacturing sites and 17 offices globally. Drawing on a century of tradition, it is a leader in the manufacturing of products for the composites, structural adhesives and functional polymer markets, offering a range of technologies and manufacturing capabilities for multiple market sectors.

Following a thorough review of the market including customer references, Scott Bader chose Infor due to its commitment to cloud, the chemical industry vertical and the planning and production scheduling functionality of Infor CloudSuite Chemicals. As there are plans for third-party software integrations in the future, the superior integration capabilities of the Infor OS cloud operating platform were also a key factor in Scott Bader’s decision.

Scott Bader chose a multi-tenant cloud deployment running on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to ensure the business can benefit from continual updates whilst maintaining a standardised software with minimal customisations.

The initial phase of the deployment, set to be completed during 2022, will help establish and roll out a set of standardised process templates across Scott Bader globally.

“Seven strategic goals drive Scott Bader,” said Mike Findlay-Wilson, Group CIO at Scott Bader. “These include striving for excellence, developing excellent partnerships with customers and suppliers, protecting our environment and going beyond the demands of compliance. To achieve these goals, our business demands the best processes and an ability to stay continually up to date with the supporting technologies. Therefore, we have chosen to move to the cloud with Infor.”

MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW RESEARCH AND TECH TO EMPOWER FRONTLINE WORKERS

Microsoft has released its Work Trend Index Special Report, “Technology Can Help Unlock a New Future for Frontline Workers,” and announced new features in Microsoft Teams and

Microsoft Viva designed to serve millions of frontline workers.

The Work Trend Index report reveals key insights that impact nearly every segment of the workforce:

• A culture of caring is the new currency

on the frontline: 76% of workers feel bonded to each other, yet over 60% say their company should better prioritise culture and communication from the top. In addition, 51% of those in nonmanagement positions on the frontline don’t feel valued as employees.

• Frontline workers are at an inflection

point: Amid the Great Reshuffle, frontline workers cite better pay and benefits, work-life balance, and flexibility

as reasons for considering a job change. • Optimism for tech is high: 63% of frontline workers are excited about the job opportunities tech creates and tech ranks third on the list of factors workers say could help reduce workplace stress.

• There’s an opportunity to bridge

the tech and training gap: 46% of frontline workers feel pressure to adapt to new tech or fear losing their jobs — but 55% say they’ve had to learn new tech on the fly, with no formal training or practice.

The company is introducing new joint offerings with industry partners as well as capabilities specifically designed to support frontline workers in Teams and Viva, Microsoft’s employee experience platform introduced in early 2021.

Microsoft is deepening its strategic relationship with Zebra Technologies. The two companies are delivering the Teams Walkie Talkie app on a wide range of Zebra mobile computers, including a dedicated push-to-talk (PTT) button to access Teams Walkie Talkie functionality on Zebra devices. In addition, Teams Walkie Talkie digital PTT is now available on all iOS mobile devices in addition to Android.

The company is enhancing Teams’ integration with Zebra Reflexis, which connects the Reflexis Workforce Management solutions with the Shifts application in Teams. This new integration streamlines shift scheduling and time off requests in Teams, making them easy for managers to approve.

Scheduled queuing for virtual appointments are now available in Teams, providing one location for realtime updates on wait times, missed appointments and staffing delays to create a transparent and stress-free experience for customers and patients.

The Viva Connections app in Microsoft Teams links frontline workers to company culture, resources and tools, news and employee resource groups in the flow of work. Integrations with strategic partners such as Workday and Espressive make accessing important resources easier and put actions like payroll and HR resources in one location.

The Viva Learning app enables frontline employees to discover, share and track learning content right from Microsoft Teams — making it easier for a company’s entire workforce to stay up to date on required and recommended training. New updates make it easier to assign learning from partner solutions like SAP SuccessFactors, Cornerstone OnDemand and Saba Cloud.

ACI WORLDWIDE HELPS BANKS TO ALIGN WITH UAE’S NEW PAYMENTS SCHEME

Global provider of real-time digital payment software ACI Worldwide has announced that it is working closely with national banks to help connect to the United Arab Emirates’ real-time payments scheme set to launch in October 2022.

The UAE Instant Payments Platform (IPP) will enable instant transfers between bank accounts 24/7/365, with participation mandatory for all financial institutions in the country. The scheme will provide core payments and overlay services such as Request to Pay, built on top of the new instant payment rails. The UAE Central Bank expects to announce the technical details that will underpin the new scheme in the coming days.

The UAE Central Bank has been actively promoting the modernisation of the country’s payments infrastructure for several years; it now hopes to accelerate this process by implementing a domestic real-time payments scheme. IPP is part of the country’s National Payments Systems Strategy and aims to provide best-in-class payments services, promote financial inclusion, and increase financial stability in the UAE.

“The announcement to build a domestic real-time payments scheme mandatory for all financial institutions is testament to the vision and ambition of the UAE Central Bank. It signifies the nation’s commitment to continue to elevate the country’s global recognition as a leading economic and financial hub,”said Craig Ramsey, Global Head of Real-Time Payments, ACI Worldwide. “ACI already has a large footprint in the UAE and is supporting some of the largest banks in modernising their payments infrastructure. As the global leader in real-time payments, we know first-hand that real-time payments drive economic growth and promote financial inclusion. We are excited to be shaping the future of real-time with our stakeholders in the UAE this year.”

ACI delivers mission-critical real-time payments software solutions that enable corporations to process and manage digital payments, power omni-commerce payments, process bill payments, and manage fraud and risk. ACI currently supports 17 real-time domestic schemes around the world, including Zelle and TCH in the US, and FedNow as it moves toward production.

THE OIC-CERT 5G SECURITY WG ANNOUNCES NEW 5G SECURITY FRAMEWORK

The OIC-CERT 5G Security Working Group (WG) has announced the completion of the core OIC-CERT 5G Security Framework in less than eight months after the initiative was launched.

The Framework, now in the hands of the OIC-CERT, consists of a 5G security risk repository, a 5G security baseline technical specification, and a crossrecognition assurance methodology.

The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation- Computer Emergency Response Team (OIC-CERT) is a platform for information sharing and developing cybersecurity capabilities for the members mainly among the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) community.

It is an Affiliate Institution of the OIC. The OIC-CERT 5G Security WG is jointly led by Cybersecurity Malaysia, the OIC-CERT permanent secretariat, and Huawei UAE, an OIC-CERT commercial member.

Eng. Badar Ali Al-Salehi, the Chairman of the OIC-CERT said, “It has been eluded on many platforms and occasions that the only way to solve the ever increasing cybersecurity challenge is through collaboration. The OIC-CERT 5G Security working group affirms this viewpoint and we are seeing remarkable progress in addressing some of the security concerns around 5G in general.”

A meeting between the co-chairs and the OIC-CERT secretariat team is planned for February 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the WG work plan for the year 2022 will be announced immediately after it is finalised in the meeting. The work plan shall address promotion and adoption of the 5G Security Framework within OIC community and outline additional technical work needed to enhance the Framework. The document remains a work in progress due to 5G evolving technological improvements and new application scenarios and there are plans to give a technical presentation of the OIC 5G Security Framework during the GISEC in Dubai in March 2022, bringing the initiative to a full circle as the formation of the WG was also announced at the same event in 2021.

The 5G heralds a new era of digital transformation. But with this progress comes new threats and vulnerabilities because of the vastly expanded attack surface. Adopting IoT, for example, will add a new set of challenges such as the security, safety, and robustness of cyber and physical systems. Therefore, there’s an urgent need to enhance cybersecurity measures proportionate to the threats emerging from digital technology advances. More than ever, cross-border collaboration is key to mitigating cyber threats and that is so true for OIC whose 57 member states are spread over 4 continents, a challenge that is exacerbated by the contrasting maturity of ICT adoption within the countries.

PROVEN DEBUTS ROBOTICS TECHNICAL SERVICES AND TRAINING CENTRE IN SAUDI ARABIA

Proven Robotics has announced the launch of its first robotics and technical service centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new service centre will help customers to enhance strategic sales and achieve their technical goals, while benefiting from end-to-end local support and expertise in robotics and advanced technologies.

The new facility builds on Proven

Robotics’ reputation of delivering efficient and innovative robotics solutions. It will offer a wide range of services including providing customers with original spare parts, onsite troubleshooting, inhouse maintenance from qualified and technically certified teams, as well as the installation and configuration of robots.

“The GCC has made considerable strides in adapting and deploying robotics solutions in line with government blueprints such as Saudi Vision 2030. However, aftersales maintenance has remained a challenge in the region and most robotics hardware is currently being shipped back to its country of origin for servicing,” said Zaid Al Mashari, Principal Proven Robotics.

The concept of robots and humans working alongside each other is fast becoming the new normal,” added Al Mashari. “Opening a service centre responds to long-standing customer demands for improved after sales services response times, addresses market needs for advanced technological solutions and training and boosts human resources expertise within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

As a first-of-its-kind service centre for Proven Robotics, the new facility strengthens the company’s operations within the region at a time when demand for advanced technologies is on the rise worldwide. The global service robotics market is expected to grow by $35 billion during 2021 and 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 22 percent. Businesses are increasingly turning to

Zaid Al Mashari, Proven Robotics

automated solutions for support with day-to-day operations, contactless interaction, carrying out repetitive tasks, and leveraging productivity efficiencies. Despite the pandemic, demand for robotics solutions has been particularly high in transport, professional cleaning, medicine, hospitality, and industry.

With its new service centre, Proven Robotics will continue to grow and expand its technical and support team. The facility will support the company’s customers as well as partners and suppliers within the region. Proven Robotics will continue to establish global partnerships with worldwide leaders in the robot manufacturing industry to ensure improved efficiency and support to keep automated systems functioning at optimal performance levels.

CHECK POINT RESEARCH: CYBER ATTACKS INCREASED BY 71% IN THE UAE IN 2021

Check Point Research (CPR) is sharing statistics of increases in cyber attacks on organisations in 2021. Last year, CPR saw a 71% increase in cyber-attacks per week on corporate networks compared to 2020 in the UAE, and a 50 % increase worldwide. The trend of increasing cyber attacks reached an all-time high at the end of 2021 after revelations of the Log4J exploit, peaking to 925 cyber-attacks a week per organisation globally, and 408 weekly attacks on organisations in the UAE.

Less than a month after the world witnessed one of the most serious vulnerabilities on the internet, with millions of attacks per hour attempting to exploit the Log4J vulnerability, 2021 been a record breaking year in terms of cybersecurity. Back in October, Check Point Research (CPR) reported a 40% increase in cyber attacks globally, with 1 out of every 61 organisations worldwide impacted by ransomware each week.

In 2021, education/research was the sector that experienced the highest volume of attacks, with an average of 1,605 attacks per organisation every week.

Maintaining security hygiene

Patching: All too often, attacks penetrate networks by leveraging known vulnerabilities that have a patch that has not been applied. Organisations should strive to make sure up-to-date security patches are maintained across all systems and software. Segmentation: Networks should be segmented, applying strong firewall and IPS safeguards between the network segments in order to contain infections from propagating across the entire network. Educate Employees to Recognise Potential Threats: Quite often, user awareness can prevent an attack before it occurs. Take the time to educate your users and ensure that if they see something unusual, they report it to your security teams immediately. User education has always been a key element in avoiding malware infections.

GLOBAL VISA STUDY REVEALS UAE’S CASHLESS FUTURE IS IMMINENT

Anew Visa research study, the ‘Visa Back to Business Global Study – 2022 SMB Outlook’, found that 94% of consumers in the UAE said they will continue to use digital payment as much as, or more than, in 2021. Moreover, 96% of SMBs surveyed in the UAE (vs. 74% globally) said accepting new forms of payments is fundamental to their growth, signaling that digital payments are no longer about pivoting and surviving, but rather finding growth in new digital realities.

“Payments are no longer about simply completing a sale. It’s about creating a simple and secure experience that reflects one’s brand across channels and provides utility to both the business and its customer,” said Shahebaz Khan, Visa’s General Manager for the UAE, Bahrain and Oman. “The digital capabilities that small businesses built up during the pandemic – from contactless to eCommerce – helped them pivot and survive and by continuing to build on that foundation, they can now find new growth and thrive.”

According to this year’s study, which surveys small business owners and consumers in nine markets – Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Russia, Singapore, UAE and United States – the consensus outlook for 2022 is one of optimism and intent to digitise even more:

The Path Forward in 2022 for SMBs in the UAE

• Ninety-three percent of SMBs said they are optimistic about the future of their businesses, up by 5% since the 2021 Visa Back to Business global study. • A majority of small businesses in the

UAE (71% vs. 59% globally) said they already are, or plan to be, cashless

in the next two years. More than half of UAE consumers (52% vs. 41% globally) plan to be cashless by 2024 and nearly all (99%) consumers see benefits of a cashless society. • All small business owners surveyed in the UAE (100% vs. 82% globally) said they plan to accept some form of digital payments in 2022, including crypto, with 35% (vs. 24% globally) indicating a willingness to accept currencies such as Bitcoin. • Of small businesses with an online presence, nearly all in the UAE (99%) attributed their survival through the pandemic to eCommerce, which accounted for an average of 58% of revenue.

UAE Consumers Set the Tone in 2022

• Over two-thirds of UAE consumers (68% vs. 41% globally) saying they have abandoned a purchase because digital payments were not accepted,

SMBs are wise to continue to grow digital payment acceptance. • Due to ongoing supply chain issues, 69% of UAE consumers (compared to 59% globally) are willing to buy internationally. The most important factor cited to help them feel more comfortable with international commerce is positive customer reviews (55%). This aligns to 86% of SMBs (compared to 50% globally) that plan to increase cross-border sales in 2022. However, a majority (96%) of UAE SMBs find it challenging to accept and process cross-border payments, demonstrating demand for faster, seamless, and secure cross-border payment solutions like Visa Direct.

Digital Commerce Differences Globally

• Only 1% of small businesses in the UAE expect their business will continue to accept cash compared to 39% of Canadian and 31% of U.S.

SMB owners saying they will continue to accept cash. • Consumers in the UAE (60%), Brazil (52%) and U.S. (39%) intend to support small businesses even more in the year ahead.