NEWS

SAUDI FINTECH FIRM LAUNCHES BETA TESTING FOR NEW PAYMENT PROCESSES

Saudi fintech company Geidea has officially launched its BETA testing for a host of new digital payment processing and store management products. Merchants will be able to co-create product features alongside Geidea based on their needs, give feedback and suggest new innovations.

The new digital product range will accommodate every type of SME through every step of the payment process with an all-in-one, affordable and attractive solution. This will not only include card and digital payment processing but also everything from e-commerce such as the website builder, e-invoicing and payment gateway to store and restaurant management software. Merchants will also be able to integrate solutions with their existing software or hardware,

Smart Dubai has shared details on the recent decision issued by the Strategic Affairs Council, part of The Executive Council of Dubai, to mandate UAE PASS as the only digital identity to be used by citizens and residents to access government services in Dubai.

Smart Dubai had put in motion an initiative called ‘The Digital Future’, developed as part of its 100-day plan for the ‘Government Development Track’ – one of the six tracks announced by the Dubai Council, which was inaugurated at the beginning of 2020 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The initiative expedites the adoption of UAE PASS by citizens and residents, which will pave the way for a digital future across the government and private sectors.

The Strategic Affairs Council had adopted the UAE PASS policy in the Emirate of Dubai as of 1st May, 2020, as one of the initiatives of the Dubai Council.

UAE PASS TO BE THE SOLE DIGITAL IDENTITY TO ACCESS GOVERNMENT SERVICES

with third party providers like courier services, and food delivery apps.

The BETA testing is due to last until August followed by a soft launch in September and a full roll out in October. The testing will ensure existing merchants are completely satisfied with the products before proceeding to the launch stage.

At present, Geidea has 70% of the market share in POS terminals that are sold to banks in Saudi Arabia and is number one in the market. In February,

UAE PASS Dr. Aisha bint Butti offers an bin Bishr, Smart Dubai authorised digital ID through smartphones and includes a digital signature feature allowing users to sign official documents. Users can access more than 5,000 government services by using a single username and password. With this, UAE PASS adds an element of trust to digital government transactions. The service has so far been adopted by 200,000 individuals.

Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Director General of Smart Dubai, asserted that the Strategic Affairs Council’s decision to mandate the use of UAE PASS by Geidea was the first fintech company to obtain a payment licence from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, allowing it to operate in the Saudi banking market as a non-banking actor.

Now, the firm plans to utilise its longstanding legacy and its licence to empower merchants to start, grow or manage their businesses anytime and anywhere by providing them with the latest technological payment tools to do so.

“We are excited to launch our BETA testing and to co-create innovative product features with our merchants. Through this process, we will be able to gain valuable insight into what our merchants want from their payment process products and to tailor our services to their needs,” said Abdullah Faisal Alothman, Founder and CoChairman of Geidea. “For SMEs, these products will serve as the digital, inexpensive and agile solution to payment acceptance and business management. Our new products are designed for any business, whether they’re on the go, in-store or online.”

all individuals and government entities in Dubai will considerably accelerate its adoption across the entire Dubai community, and promote its use for various transactions in the UAE.

“In partnership with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, the UAE PASS project was launched in 2018 to support our wise leadership’s vision to build futureready smart cities. It is in line with their plans for digital transformation and supports the Dubai Paperless Strategy,” Dr Aisha added.

Smart Dubai will work on a set of tasks, from developing plans to implement the system in the emirate and overseeing their implementation at various government entities, to developing the system in cooperation with relevant authorities and outlining frameworks to operate it. Additionally, Smart Dubai is tasked with authorising system operators in Dubai and overseeing the proper use of the system in accordance with predetermined conditions.

AWS OUTPOSTS NOW AVAILABLE IN GULF COUNTRIES

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the general availability of AWS Outposts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It delivers fully managed and configurable compute and storage racks built with AWS-designed hardware that allow customers to run compute and storage on-premises, while seamlessly connecting to AWS’s broad array of services in the cloud. AWS Outposts brings native AWS services, infrastructure, and operating models to virtually any data centre, colocation space, or on-premises facility. With AWS Outposts, customers can use the same AWS APIs, control plane, tools, and hardware on-premises as in the AWS cloud to deliver a truly consistent hybrid experience.

Customers in the UAE and KSA who have workloads that require low latency access to on-premises systems, local data processing, or local data storage can benefit from AWS Outposts. These include applications that may need to generate near real-time responses, need to communicate with other on-premises systems, or control on-site equipment (e.g. factory floor equipment, health management systems, and retail point of sale systems). Customers can also use AWS Outposts to securely store and process customer data in countries where there is no AWS Region. This is important for organizations in highly regulated industries and countries with data sovereignty requirements.

MOHAP LAUNCHES VIRTUAL CLINICS

The virtual clinics of the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) have attracted more than 15,000 patients since their launch in response to the precautionary and preventive measures taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus, according to a WAM report.

As part of the efforts made to enhance its telemedicine system, the Ministry recently reinforced its e-services by upgrading the services provided by outpatients clinics of the ministryrun hospitals to become virtual ones, using smart technology and digital communication systems.

The service includes medical, nursing, and pharmacy services, as well as supporting medical specialties, such as nutrition and physiotherapy.

The clinics will also provide remote curative and consultative services to simulate the pattern of traditional medical services without the need to visit hospitals.

The virtual clinics deliver most of the vital medical specialties, such as cardiology, pediatrics, internal medicine, gynecology, nutrition, physiotherapy, remote mental health services, such as drug rehabilitation programmes, psychosocial consultation, other psychiatric departments, and community psychiatry of different ages, including adults, the elderly, children, and adolescents. The clinics will also provide medicine home delivery service nationwide to ensure the continuation of the curative services amid the current circumstances.

Andy Isherwood, MD, AWS EMEA, said, “We are pleased to bring AWS Outposts to the UAE and KSA. Following the launch of the Middle East Region in Bahrain last year, customers have been continually expanding their use of AWS and have asked us to help them with moving their most sensitive workloads to the cloud. AWS Outposts helps them to achieve this. It is also particularly beneficial for customers in UAE and KSA with low latency and local data processing requirements as AWS Outposts seamlessly and securely integrates with AWS Regions.”

Dr. Youssif Al Serkal, Assistant UnderSecretary for the Ministry’s Hospitals Sector, said, “The move falls in line with the government directives in terms of utilising smart solutions in the preventive

and therapeutic services to fight COVID-19. At MoHAP, we always seek to develop innovative tools and smart services to suit all the circumstances to provide our patients with top-notch health and curative consultative services.”

Al Serkal pointed to the ministry’s keenness to ensure the continuation of the health services to maintain people’s health and safety and to continue to rely on communication technology remotely, as well as to make the best use of its advanced IT infrastructure that has been developed according to performance programs and indicators.

Dr. Kalthoum Al Baloushi, Director of MoHAP’s Hospitals Administration, said, “At a time when health facilities worldwide are facing major health challenges, most importantly the prevention of COVID-19 infection or any other contagious diseases, our hospitals are well-qualified and equipped to carry out the telemedicine service which is the optimal solution to curb diseases amid COVID-19, thanks to the availability of a sophisticated IT infrastructure and a highly-skilled medical and technical staff.”

ADNOC’S PANORAMA DIGITAL COMMAND CENTER GENERATES OVER $1 BILLION

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has announced that its Panorama Digital Command Center (Panorama) has generated over $1 billion (AED 3.67 billion) in business value since its inception three years ago.

Panorama is a key part of ADNOC’s ongoing strategic investments in digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable the company to drive greater efficiencies, optimise performance, and respond to complex market dynamics with agility and speed, as it continues to deliver on its 2030 smart growth strategy.

Panorama aggregates real-time information across ADNOC’s 14 specialist subsidiary and joint venture companies and uses smart analytical models, AI, and big data to generate operational insights and recommendations.

In addition to the business value Panorama has enabled, it has also proven to be a valuable asset in navigating the current COVID-19 situation.

The access to real-time data

and analysis provided by ADNOC Classification: Public Panorama enables simulations and scenario planning, and plays an important role in ADNOC’s business continuity.

Abdul Nasser Al Mughairbi, Senior Vice President, Digital at ADNOC, said, “The importance of embedding digital technology in businesses has never been greater and ADNOC’s continuous investment in digital transformation over the last three years allows us to be more resilient, agile and responsive in navigating today’s market landscape. Our Panorama Digital Command Center acts as our ‘eyes on the ground’ and enables speed, accessibility, and integration across our operations – key attributes that are required to make smart business decisions.”

Dell Technologies has announced Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies, a new set of fully supported open source networking solutions that help enterprises modernise and simplify the operations and management of their data centres.

DELL TECHNOLOGIES DELIVERS THE POWER OF OPEN SOURCE NETWORKING

Dell Technologies is building off the work Microsoft spearheaded as part of the Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC) open source project. By integrating SONiC into the DNA of Dell EMC PowerSwitch Open Networking hardware, Enterprise SONiC creates an agile and flexible network, built on open standards, to support any size workload

Tom Burns, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Dell Technologies Integrated Products & Solutions, said “By breaking switch software into multiple, containerised components, we are providing enterprises the means to drastically simplify the management of massive and complex networks and offer reliable networking performance in a cloud model.”

“We continue to responsibly advance projects for the next phase of our digital journey, including expanding our AI solutions, rolling out new blockchain applications, and enhancing our digital modeling capabilities.”

Managed by the ADNOC Group Digital team, Panorama is currently being accessed through secure remote work settings. In addition to its digital transformation journey, ADNOC is also leveraging technology to strengthen its health, safety, and environmental (HSE) performance.

An HSE information system is currently being built into Panorama, enabling real-time readings across multiple environmental key performance indicators.

Panorama is just one of many digital transformation initiatives by ADNOC. Other digital initiatives include its smart data analytics Thamama Subsurface Collaboration Center; its use of AI-assisted value chain modeling, rock image pattern recognition, and predictive maintenance technologies; and blockchain-based hydrocarbon accounting, to name a few.

With commercial-grade support for SONiC, cloud providers and large enterprises have a new level of production-tested tools, services and support that previously required significant internal investment technology support teams. It gives customers support for full-stack solutions with enterprise capabilities and advanced functionality beyond the base SONiC distribution.

Dell offers a broad selection of open network operating systems. Customers can choose the hardware and software platform that best matches their priorities and take advantage of the benefits of open source innovation without sacrificing support, security or ease of integration into their own IT environments.

MORO HUB INTRODUCES UC CLOUD SERVICE SOLUTIONS

Moro Hub, (Data Hub streamlined access to their data through Integrated Solutions a consolidated process of IT systems, owned by DEWA), has making it effortless to achieve their launched Moro Connect, a business outcomes through high levels of disruptive offering that provides Unified services delivery,” he said. Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) Moro Hub will host Avaya’s Unified and Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) Communications and Contact Center for businesses across the UAE. solutions and make them available to

Moro Connect is built on technology enterprises in a cloud based subscription powered by Avaya, a business model, enabling organisations to communications software, systems and purchase the capacity and services they services provider. require, as and when needed, without

The collaboration between Avaya and large upfront costs. Moro Hub will enable businesses in the Through “Moro Connect” offerings, UAE to deliver services to their customers businesses in the UAE will benefit from faster at significantly reduced total cost L-R: Nidal Abou Ltaif, Avaya and Mohammed Bin Sulaiman, Moro Hub greater flexibility, enabling them to of ownership (TCO), with better return on respond quickly to changing business investments (ROI). technology to power innovation to devise demands, improve customer experience,

Mohammed Bin Sulaiman, Moro new products, services and processes.” and manage costs more effectively. This Hub’s CEO said, “Businesses in the He added that through the firm’s allows organisations the agility to scale UAE are increasingly adopting ICT in partnership with Avaya, Moro Hub will their unified communication services their daily operations to boost their be introducing groundbreaking unified deployments as per their requirements, productivity, growth and to accelerate communication solutions in the UAE. add new features and functionality and digital transformation. At Moro Hub, we “These solutions will allow our benefit from efficient customer service recognise the importance of embracing customers to experience improved and experience.

MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW SUPERCOMPUTER AT BUILD CONFERENCE

Microsoft has announced a powerful set of new tools at ‘Build’, the company’s ultimate developers conference. The twoday virtual event aims to provide the developer community with unique opportunities to come together for a truly global experience.

“This week, we celebrate the critical role of developers and their tireless efforts to rally during this time of crisis,” said Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President, Communications, Microsoft. “We’ve unveiled a range of new tools and services to meet their needs to provide immediate impact and value, empowering innovations that help organisations and individuals achieve more.”

“As work environments evolve, you’ll see how we’re creating solutions to help companies build, rebuild and thrive, including new tools that enable developers to design and deliver artificial intelligence (AI) applications in an ethical and responsible way, as well as help them build connected productivity experiences,” he added.

During the conference, Microsoft announced a range of new solutions and upgrades to empower developers tackle some of the biggest problems today and tomorrow.

Some of the key announcements include the launch of one of the world’s most powerful AI supercomputers built in Azure. Developed in collaboration with and exclusively for OpenAI, this supercomputer is purpose-built to train massive distributed AI models, giving it all the benefits of a dedicated appliance paired with the benefits of Azure’s robust modern cloud infrastructure.

The company also unveiled Azure Synapse Link, which brings operational database services and analytics together in real-time with a single click; New enhancements to Microsoft Teams for developers to build and publish Teams apps from Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code; as well as updates to the Fluid Framework, including making it open source to developers, and introducing the first way for end users to experience.

At Build, Microsoft also introduced Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, the company’s first industryspecific cloud offering, which brings together capabilities for customers and partners to enrich patient engagement, connect caregiving teams, and improve collaboration, decision-making and operational efficiencies.