Business Transformation Issue 70

BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

THE CHANGE TO FUTURISTIC BUSINESS

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A CLOUDY FORECAST

Though the Middle East is leading in digital transformation, cloud adoption remains slower than anticipated, primarily due to concerns around data residency and sovereignty. For many organizations in the region, these issues stem from regulatory requirements mandating that sensitive data remain within national borders. While the growing availability of local cloud data centers from global cloud providers has alleviated most of these concerns, cloud adoption in this part of the world has not kept pace with some of the more mature markets. However, this might change this year as application modernization becomes a key priority for CIOs.

Legacy systems, often resistant to change, remain a bottleneck in realizing the full potential of the cloud. Modernizing these applications not only enhances performance but also ensures they are better aligned with cloud-native architectures. This transformation requires CIOs to adopt strategies that emphasize agility, scalability, and long-term sustainability, ensuring their organizations remain competitive in a fast-evolving digital landscape.

Another critical aspect for CIOs to consider is the rise of Cloud FinOps—financial operations for the cloud. In the early days, the elevator pitch for the cloud was cost efficiency compared to on-premises solutions, but many companies have realized that cloud costs can spiral out of control if not managed carefully. As organizations increase their reliance on cloud services, understanding and managing costs will become vital. Cloud FinOps enables businesses to optimize cloud spending while maximizing value. This involves leveraging tools and strategies to track resource consumption, avoid overprovisioning, and ensure ROI from cloud investments.

The path to widespread cloud adoption in the Middle East may still be lined with challenges, but with a focus on localized solutions, modernized applications, and cost efficiency, organizations can unlock unparalleled growth opportunities. By addressing these priorities head-on, CIOs can steer their companies into a future driven by innovation and resilience.

Jeevan Thankappan jeevan@gecmediagroup.com

Imad Itani, Head of Innovation, at ALEC, writes about the Middle East’s construction sector’s automation journey.

Bespin Global CEO Mouteih Chaghlil discusses how the company is addressing the cloud computing

Kevin Price, Global Head of Enterprise Asset Management, IFS writes about

Deloitte Middle East upgrades Tax and Legal Gen AI solution and enhances offerings to accelerate AI adoption

Deloitte Middle East’s Tax and Legal practice has announced the launch of the second generation of its in-house pioneering AIpowered solution, Tax Genie 2.0, designed to drive innovation in an increasingly complex tax landscape. Deloitte is at the forefront of AI adoption to reshape and transform industries, with cutting edge solutions that set new standards for progress.

Developed by the Middle East chapter of the Deloitte AI Institute, Tax Genie 2.0 encompasses all areas of the Tax & Legal business, including tax, legal, finance, human resources, risk management, and beyond for Tax professionals.

Tax Genie 2.0 is based on GPT4o with RAG architecture. Using the principles from Tax sGenie 2.0, to help Tax & Legal clients ensure a successful adoption of Gen AI solutions, Deloitte employs a robust approach to GenAI implementation that spans every phase—from initial assessment and strategy development to continuous optimization.

Muhammad Bahemia, Deloitte Middle East Tax and Legal Leader, highlighted the transformative potential of Tax Genie 2.0, said,

“The launch of the second iteration of Tax Genie exemplifies our unwavering commitment to innovation in tax and legal services across the Middle East. Our vision is to ensure our clients are well positioned on Gen AI to lead and succeed in the future.”

Although being an in-house platform, Tax Genie 2.0 is a flagship example of Deloitte’s GenAI capabilities. The platform features over 1,000 specialized workflows for a wide spectrum of tax, legal and operational matters. With an intuitive interface and workflowbased architecture, the platform is designed for ease of use, enabling tax and legal professionals to leverage its capabilities without the need for specialized technical skills.

Rittal Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation and Excellence in the Middle East

Rittal has marked 25 years of unparalleled success and collaboration in the MENA region. This significant milestone reflects the company’s gratitude for enduring partnerships and an unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence.

As part of the grand celebrations, Rittal unveiled its New Office in JAFZAONE building, spanning over 3000 Sqft alongside one-ofa-kind, revolutionary ‘Showroom in the Sky’. This groundbreaking space symbolizes Rittal’s journey of growth and achievement over the past 25 years while also showcasing our vision for the future.

RECOGNITION. COMMITMENT. FUTURE

The day was filled with energy, starting with the New Office Inauguration attended by the HQ Management Team, Mathias

Betz (EVP – MEA), C-Level Customer Office Dignitaries, JAFZA Officials, long-standing partners, and MENA colleagues from Rittal. The evening featured a Grand Gala Dinner, celebrating customers, partners, and colleagues with awards recognizing regional partners' support and Rittal employees' service.

Introducing the Iconic “Showroom in the Sky”

Picture this: elevated on the 24th floor, approximately 85 meters above sea level, the new office spans an impressive 500 square meters, with an 80-square-

meter showroom at its heart.

The “Showroom in the Sky” offers visitors an unmatched experience, combining cuttingedge innovations from Rittal and breathtaking views of Dubai’s iconic skyline.

“Rittal’s 25 years of success in the Middle East is a testament to the strength of our partnerships, the trust of our clients, and our shared vision for a brighter, more innovative future. Here’s to the next 25 years of excellence.

“Commitment to our customers and their success in the MENA region has been the paramount objective for Rittal FZE across these 25 years’ journey, and rest assured, it will continue ahead! It’s always succeeding together – You.We.Us,” Ignatius Emanuel, Regional Marketing Manager – Middle East and Africa, RITTAL FZE .

BenQ Middle East Launches First ZOWIE Experience Centre in the Region

BenQ Middle East has officially inaugurated the region’s first-ever ZOWIE Experience Centre at the prestigious Royal Focus Store in Dubai, UAE. This milestone marks a significant step forward for the esports community, offering enthusiasts and professionals a dedicated space to experience the latest in gaming innovations. At the heart of the Experience Zone are the Newly launched ZOWIE XL2586X 540Hz & ZOWIE XL2566X+ 400 Hz Esports Gaming monitors, designed to provide unrivaled smoothness, clarity, and

responsiveness for competitive gaming. This cutting-edge monitor redefines performance benchmarks and sets the stage for a new era of eSports.

The latest addition to ZOWIE, XL2566X+ Esports Gaming Monitor, featuring Fast-TN and DyAc 2 technology

The monitor includes a 24.1inch Full HD Fast TN display with a 400 Hz refresh rate and DyAc 2 technology, delivering sharper images, superior motion clarity, and reduced blur. It offers clearer visuals than QHD panels at popular FPS resolutions like 1280×960 for CS2 and 1920×1080 for VALORANT.

According to BenQ, the Fast TN panel enhances liquid crystal response, reducing ghosting and crosstalk while improving color

performance for better enemy detection.

Manish Bakshi, Managing Director of BenQ Middle East, expressed his excitement: “The opening of the ZOWIE Experience Zone is a pivotal moment for BenQ in the Middle East. Our collaboration with Royal Focus Store reflects our shared passion for empowering the gaming community. With the launch of our groundbreaking XL2566X+ 400 Hz monitor and plans for introducing more models in 2025, we are solidifying our commitment to providing gamers with the ultimate tools to succeed. We believe the new XL-X series from ZOWIE will redefine the way athletes compete in the esports arena.”

Arab National Bank Leverages Riverbed Observability and AIOps Solutions to Execute Major Digital Banking Upgrade and Enhance Customer Experiences

Riverbed has announced that Arab National Bank has collaborated with Riverbed to help deliver on its commitment to meeting the high expectations of its customers through “brilliant digital interfaces.” By implementing Riverbed’s Platform – including Network and Infrastructure Observability and AIOps solutions – Arab National Bank has seamlessly migrated its core banking application and delivered topquality digital experiences for over two million customers and over 4,000 employees. Providing innovative tailored financial solutions and a fast and simple experience is central to Arab National Bank’s mission, and the Bank sees Riverbed as

an essential business partner. “Riverbed’s NetProfiler, NetIM and AppResponse solutions allow our IT team to recognize where issues are, and to notify the right team to fix them quickly,” said Alaa ElJabari, Head of IT Telecoms in the Network Department at Arab National Bank.

Most crucially, Riverbed also managed a critical migration of the bank’s core banking infrastructure to a new version of Infosys Finacle, an industry-leading universal banking solution. Such migrations, which are typically executed only once every decade, are highly complex and critical to a bank’s operations, requiring meticulous planning and flawless execution to avoid disruptions.

By leveraging Riverbed NetIM,

Moueen Zahreddine, Senior Regional Director, EMEA Emerging, at Riverbed

an infrastructure observability solution, the bank ensured minimal downtime, maintained seamless service delivery, and safeguarded customer experiences during the transition. This successful migration not only modernized the bank’s core systems but enabled them to scale their operations to deliver more agile, innovative services in the future.

Cemplicity Expands to UAE, Supporting National Healthcare Goals with Real-Time Patient Insights

Cemplicity has launched its advanced platform in the UAE, empowering healthcare providers to enhance patient care, improve operational efficiency, and achieve better clinical outcomes. By enabling real-time analysis of patient-reported data, the platform supports the UAE’s ambition to deliver world-class healthcare and address pressing

health challenges.

Already working with one of the UAE’s leading private healthcare groups, Cemplicity’s entry into the market aligns with the country’s We the UAE 2031 vision to harness data-driven solutions for improving population health and positioning the UAE as a global hub for medical innovation.

Transforming patient feedback into better care

Cemplicity’s platform integrates Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) and PatientReported Outcome Measures (PROMs), enabling real-time collection and analysis of patient feedback. These insights help drive measurable improvements in quality of care, operational efficiencies and patient experiences.

The platform helps hospitals measure patient experiences and manage chronic conditions like diabetes, affecting 12.3% of the UAE population, by enabling home monitoring. It also supports the UAE’s goal of reducing cancer mortality by 18% by 2025 through enhanced screening, early detection, and treatment adherence.

Blaik Wilson, Cemplicity CEO, said, “We are excited to bring Cemplicity to the UAE, a nation committed to healthcare excellence. With the private healthcare sector evolving at an impressive pace, partnering with such forward-thinking providers enables us to transform patient feedback into meaningful insights that enhance patient experiences and improve outcomes.”

Siemon releases 2024 ESG Report: A commitment to sustainability

Siemon has announce the release of its 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report. This latest report highlights Siemon’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and robust governance principles, solidifying its leadership in advancing ESG initiatives within the information communication technology industry.

John Siemon, Chief Technology Officer, stated, “Our 2024 ESG Report underscores Siemon’s commitment to driving meaningful change across all aspects of our business.

Achieving the EcoVadis Gold Rating, investing in state-ofthe-art tools for ESG reporting, and being recognised as a Great Place to Work for the second

consecutive year reflect the strides we have made. At Siemon, sustainability and ethical business practices are embedded in our DNA. Together with our employees and partners, we are charting a course toward a more sustainable and equitable future.”

The 2024 ESG Report outlines

several key accomplishments over the past year, including:

• 2023 Gold EcoVadis Rating: Siemon’s commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices has been recognised with a gold rating from EcoVadis, placing Siemon in the top 5 per cent of companies globally for our ESG commitment.

• Investing in advanced tools like 3E Exchange, Greenly and One Click to enhance reporting accuracy, transparency, and decisionmaking.

• Recognition as a Great Place to Work® for the second year in a row, reflecting the exceptional workplace culture at Siemon.

John Siemon, Chief Technology Officer

Synology Launches ActiveProtect to Simplify Business Data Protection

Synology has announced the general availability of ActiveProtect, a new line of data protection appliances that integrate enterprise backup software, server, and backup repository into a unified solution. Designed to simplify complex data protection, ActiveProtect offers comprehensive platform support, advanced security, and scalability, all with a transparent pricing model.

“Data protection should empower businesses, not be a burden to businesses,” said JiaYu Liu, Executive Vice President at

Synology. “ActiveProtect embodies Synology’s expertise in hardware and software engineering and insights from close collaboration with customers. We are confident that ActiveProtect will exceed enterprises’ expectations for data protection.”

Key features of ActiveProtect appliances include:

• Unified solution: Combines backup, recovery, and management in a single appliance, eliminating the need for separate hardware and software, sizing, purchase, and maintenance.

• Comprehensive workload support: Protects PCs, Macs, file and physical servers, virtual machines, databases, and Microsoft 365 services through a single intuitive

interface.

• Scalable management: The ActiveProtect Manager (APM) console supports users in viewing or monitoring up to 150,000 workloads or 2,500 sites, providing scalability, enterprise-grade data visibility, and control.

• Advanced protection: Offers immutable backups, air-gap capabilities, and regulatory compliance to guard against cyber threats.

• Efficiency at scale: Delivers fast incremental backups with global source-side deduplication, reducing network load by up to 99% and storage needs by 50%, empowering backup performance and minimizing operational costs.

Zebra Technologies Introduces New AI Solutions to Empower Retail Frontline Operations

Zebra Technologies Corporation has announced several new products and AI innovations for the retail industry. Zebra’s solutions will be showcased in booth #3303 as part of Zebra’s AI-powered Modern Store at NRF 2025 Retail’s Big Show on Jan. 12-14, 2025, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.

Zebra is unveiling the Zebra Mobile Computing AI Suite, a comprehensive set of tools that includes an AI data capture software development kit (SDK) and example applications optimized for select Zebra Android mobile devices. This suite facilitates the development of AI applications, enabling customers, developers, and independent software vendors

(ISV) to easily integrate cuttingedge vision AI capabilities into their mobile applications.

Zebra has leveraged these AI capabilities to enable frontline workers to easily, accurately and quickly capture workflow context and integrate that directly to Zebra Companion, a new and comprehensive suite of AI agents specifically designed to empower retail frontline workers. This multimodal generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) solution is being developed in collaboration with select customers to work with frontline retail workers to improve productivity and elevate the customer experience.

“For years, we’ve been embedding AI into our products, elevating outcomes for our

customers and partners,” said Yogesh Kulkarni, Vice President, AI Strategy, Zebra Technologies. “Our AI-enabled solutions are shaping the future of frontline operations by creating new ways of working.”

Legacy Technology Unlikely to Hinder AI and Machine Learning Growth, Study Reveals

Fewer companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) believe that legacy technology poses a barrier to digitalization at this time compared to 2022, according to a new study commissioned by Eaton, a global leader in intelligent power management. Companies are currently reaping the benefits associated with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to advance their digitalization efforts.

Eaton commissioned S&P Global

Market Intelligence to survey digital transformation leaders from the data center, utilities, buildings and manufacturing sectors in the Middle East and other global markets. The findings of the study, detailed in the second Eaton Brightlayer® research report, show that digitalization strategies are being developed quickly in these sectors.

Fewer than one-in-four companies (23%) surveyed said that legacy technology poses a barrier to digitalization compared with one-in-three (33%) who were asked the same question in 2022. Newly emerging AI and ML applications, which show huge potential to transform businesses, are credited with this 10% shift in sentiment over a period of less than 24 months.

Qasem Noureddin, Managing Director at Eaton Middle East, said, “Businesses in the UAE and KSA are accelerating their efforts towards digital transformation. This report emphasizes the pivotal role of digital technologies in driving business objectives and shows how urgently businesses want to implement technologies that incorporate AI and ML. It shows that demand for data centers has increased, driven by artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies. Other B2B sectors in the UAE and KSA like manufacturing, utilities, and building/facilities management continue to advance their digitalization efforts to achieve their digital transformation and sustainability goals, aligning with national objectives.”

SAP Survey Reveals AI Aspirations and Strategic Investment Priorities for Saudi Businesses

Saudi enterprises are ramping up their AI investments and targeting key business functions for AI transformation, according to a recent YouGov survey commissioned by SAP. The results will be used to drive SAP’s efforts to expand collaboration with customers and partners in the Kingdom to create industryspecific AI solutions and use cases at its Experience Innovation Center in Khobar.

The survey gathered insights from IT decision-makers across a variety of Saudi industries, uncovering key trends and investment areas that illustrate the growing role of AI in the economy. Notably, 40% of surveyed Saudi companies plan to dedicate over 50% of their technology budgets to AI by 2025, with strategic AI

applications being prioritized in customer service (45%), finance (41%), and sales (41%). This focus underscores an increasing awareness of AI’s capacity to transform critical operational areas, enhance customer interactions, and foster business agility.

The survey also considered how companies would approach

selecting and investing in solutions. The top priority was seen as investment in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution with embedded AI capabilities by 39% of companies, followed by AI solutions custom-built by a third party (33%), in-house developed AI systems (17%), and a series of AI solutions from multiple vendors (7%).

“Saudi enterprises are harnessing the transformative power of AI to boost operational efficiencies and enrich customer experiences,” says Ahmed AlFaifi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, SAP, Middle East Africa –North. “We are encouraged that the top investment priority is an AI-infused ERP system as this is the approach we promote through solutions such as SAP S/4HANA.”

Ahmed AlFaifi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, SAP, Middle East Africa – North

Qasem Noureddin, Managing Director at Eaton Middle East

BlueVerve

HEARTBEAT OF HEALTHY LIVING

Omnix Pioneers AI Monetization Service to Drive Purposeful AI Adoption in

the Middle East

Omnix has announced the launch of its AI Monetization consultation service for the Middle East market. This cutting-edge offering will enable organizations to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to align with their business objectives, improve processes, and maximize returns. The AI Monetization service is designed to help businesses shift from

The AI Monetization consultation service offers a structured, resultsoriented framework to support businesses at any stage of their AI journey. From aligning adoption strategies with organizational visions to creating actionable AI roadmaps, driving change management, and evaluating ROI, the service ensures sustainable growth and long-term success.

Walid Gomaa, CEO of Omnix International says, “AI Monetization is a game plan for businesses ready to leverage AI as a true competitive advantage. With this offering, we are enabling

organizations to transition from testing AI’s capabilities to embedding it as a core driver of innovation, efficiency, and enhanced user experiences.”

As the Middle East’s AI adoption matures, the need for strategic implementation and measurable outcomes has never been greater. Omnix’s AI Monetization service addresses these needs with a methodical 5-stage approach to ensure AI initiatives deliver tangible value:

Prescriptive Roadmap: Defines clear initiatives, highlights specific problems or opportunities, identifies AI use cases, and quantifies value creation.

Redington Gulf Launches Reboot 2025 Initiative to Empower Channel Partners on Windows 10 End of Support and Transitioning to AI-Powered PCs

Redington Gulf has unveiled Reboot 2025, an initiative bringing together the PC ecosystem working with Windows. As Windows 10 approaches its end of support on October 14, 2025, businesses are at increasing risk of security vulnerabilities and diminished performance by continuing to rely on outdated PCs. To address this, Redington is empowering the channel ecosystem across MEA to drive awareness and help their customers seamlessly transition to Windows 11 Pro.

Ronan Symth, Device Partner GTM Director, CEMA, Microsoft commented, “Reboot 2025 will unite Redington, OEMs, Intel, Microsoft, and partners to expedite the Windows 10 End of Support refresh before October 14, 2025. This initiative will help customers understand the risks of missing this deadline, highlight Windows

11’s productivity and security innovations, and guide them in selecting the right devices, including AI PC and Copilot+ options.”

As the largest PC distributor across MEA region, Redington is working with channels partners so that businesses are fully aware and prepared for the transition to modern PCs. Through its extensive network of channel partners, Redington aims to maximize the benefits of AI PCs for businesses across the region. Key initiatives include:

• Training Programs for Channel Partners: Equip partners with knowledge to promote AI-powered PCs.

• Trade-In Program: Allows businesses to trade old PCs, reducing costs on new purchases.

• Device Lifecycle Management experimentation to differentiation by creating impactful AI solutions.

Services: Supports businesses with large PC fleets by offering data wiping, configuration, deployment, and maintenance services.

“As the largest PC distributor in the region, Redington has taken responsibility for helping the channel ecosystem understand the implications of Windows 10 end of support for businesses. Additionally, partners need to advocate the benefits of AI PCs and the positive impact AI PCs will have on businesses across the region,” said Jeetendra Berry, President –End Point Solutions Group MEA, Redington Gulf.

Walid Gomaa Chief Executive Officer at Omnix International

Ronan Symth, Device Partner GTM Director, CEMA, Microsoft

MAKING THE CLOUD WORK

Bespin Global CEO Mouteih Chaghlil discusses how the company is addressing the cloud computing needs of the diverse industries in the region.

CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH THE JOURNEY OF BESPIN GLOBAL FROM ITS INCEPTION?

Bespin Global started in 2015 in South Korea. At the same time, in 2015, I also launched my own startup called Falcon Nine. In 2019, Bespin Global acquired Falcon Nine, and we rebranded the company as Bespin Global Middle East and Africa.

Fast forward to 2021, we signed a strategic agreement with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO). In 2022, we secured a significant investment from e&Enterprise, creating a joint venture (JV).

Primarily, what Bespin Global does is support our clients in their migration to the cloud. We see cloud as a fundamental pillar for innovation and cutting-edge solutions like AI, smart cities, and the Metaverse — all of which require cloud infrastructure to thrive.

We assist our clients in this journey toward advanced technologies in collaboration with our vendor partners, which include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, Alibaba, and Huawei in China.

HOW

DO YOU TYPICALLY MANAGE THE MIGRATION PROCESS? DO YOU START WITH CONSULTING TO DETERMINE WHICH WORKLOADS TO MIGRATE AND WHICH TO KEEP ON-PREMISES?

Absolutely. It’s a full-cycle approach, and we’re prepared to engage with clients at any stage of the process. Some of our clients are unfamiliar with the cloud—they’ve heard of it but don’t fully understand it. So, we start with consulting,

enablement, and alignment, even at the C-level, to explain what cloud technology is and what it can bring to their organization.

Next comes the migration phase, or the planning phase, where we analyze the full footprint of their technology ecosystem. We then identify which workloads make sense to migrate, how to handle dependencies, and everything else needed for a successful transition.

Once the migration is complete, the exciting part begins. This is where we start introducing AI and other cutting-edge technologies enabled by the cloud. A key focus during this phase is educating our clients—not just transitioning them to new technologies but also equipping them with the skills to maximize their potential. This is facilitated through our Bespoke Academy in Abu Dhabi or the Innovation Center in Dubai.

Many of our clients express the desire to focus on their core business—whether it’s aviation, hospitality, or another industry—without having to build large IT teams to manage their new workloads and technologies. This is where we step in as a managed service provider. Our certified team works with them 24/7 to manage their infrastructure, ensuring it is secure, wellorganized, and highly available, allowing them to concentrate on their business.

Being part of the broader e& Enterprise portfolio also adds significant value. For example, we collaborate with our sister company, Help AG, for cybersecurity, Engage

MOUTEIH CHAGHLIL CEO of MEA, Bespin Global

X for customer experience, and the data and AI team to build specific use cases. This ecosystem of expertise enables us to deliver comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients.

DO YOU TYPICALLY LIFT AND SHIFT WORKLOADS, OR DO YOU REPURPOSE THEM? DOES IT REALLY DEPEND ON THE CLIENT?

Lift and shift is the easiest approach—exactly, exactly. Many clients say, "This is a massive transformation, and I don’t want to make too many changes. Just take me as-is to the cloud," which is precisely what lift and shift entails.

However, the challenge they face after a lift-and-shift migration is the cost. Why? Because they often need to modernize, replatform, or rethink their workloads. Without doing so, they encounter the problem of higher costs compared to their previous setup. This happens because the solution was originally built for a specific environment, and adapting it to the cloud without changes can lead to inefficiencies.

In this region, I would say lift and shift accounts for more than 80% of the migrations we handle. But typically, it’s followed by efforts to modernize and innovate to optimize performance and reduce costs.

DO YOU HELP YOUR CLIENTS WITH CLOUD COST MANAGEMENT AS WELL?

Absolutely, 100%. I think we were innovators and pioneers in cost management, which today we call FinOps (Financial Operations). We have our own intellectual property called OpsNow. It’s a multi-cloud tool that provides our clients with visibility across various cloud providers, giving them a single pane of glass to monitor and optimize their costs.

In addition to the tool, our MSP team includes a group of experts who work closely with clients to ensure their costs remain within budget. But here’s an important part that many clients overlook: FinOps isn’t something you manage monthly or even weekly. It’s something that needs to be monitored daily, every second, and every moment.

Why? Because certain actions—whether internal or external—can lead to cost explosions in less than 24 hours. For example, we had a case where one of our client’s accounts was compromised. A bitcoin miner infiltrated the account, deployed massive infrastructure to mine cryptocurrency, and in less than 24 hours, the client ended up with a bill of almost $100,000. If we hadn’t been there to monitor the costs in real time, imagine the shock they would have faced at the end of the month.

THE YEAR OF ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

How new advances in ALM technology will evolve the performance and profitability of assetintensive industries in 2025 and beyond, writes Kevin Price, Global Head of Enterprise Asset

Management, IFS

In Q3 of 2024, IFS acquired Copperleaf, the world's leading Asset Investment Planning (AIP) solution, triggering an acceleration of innovation that will forever change ALM technology as we know it.

While it may seem self-serving to focus my 2025 predictions on an IFS initiative—with a front-row seat to the acquisition and resulting technology roadmap—I believe merging traditional ALM with AIP, in the deep domain capabilities of IFS, represents a lasting advancement for assetintensive and risk-critical industries worldwide as the only complete ALM offering on the market.

My predictions for 2025 relate to three distinct yet interrelated benefits IFS customers will derive from fully end-to-end ALM:

Prediction #1: Capital efficiencies will improve by at least 5%

Maximizing capital efficiencies is a significant competitive differentiator. The concept is simple enough: measure how much money is put into the business versus how much money is generated from the investment. When capital efficiencies improve, so does profitability.

IFS ALM, underpinned by Industrial AI, helps to inform capital planning, enabling the strategic allocation and execution of CAPEX and OPEX to balance expenditure, business objectives, risk, and optimal asset performance.

The system generates rich analytics derived from enterprise asset management (EAM), AIP, asset performance management (APM), planned preventive maintenance (PPM), and other applications to support data-based decisionmaking. With end-to-end ALM, the company explores the past, the present, and the future, examining different probabilities and comparing outcomes.

For example, an electrical utility weathered a devastating wildfire that consumed a significant portion of its operating budget, impacting planned capital projects and day-to-day operations. In building its plan for the upcoming year, the utility needed a resilient strategy to

accommodate the unexpected.

With end-to-end ALM, the company can overlay its business strategy across various what-if scenarios. If the utility encounters another disaster, it will know which projects to deprioritize to help rebalance the budget and which must be maintained to deliver optimal value.

IFS ALM helps to inform and guide operational, tactical, and strategic decisionmaking, with the potential to increase capital efficiencies by an estimated 5%.

Prediction #2: Greater accuracy and resiliency in project cost projections will save the business a minimum of 15% in overall costs

Accurate project cost projections go handin-hand with better capital efficiencies. After all, an improved project costing mechanism frees up funding to invest in capital projects.

The emphasis is on planning (and spending) to ensure effective capital efficiency execution. Inaccurate project cost projections result in expensive schedule and budget overruns, unfortunately a common outcome for over 90% of large projects.

When building a project cost projection, all requirements must be analyzed and incorporated. Along with equipment, parts, and other hard costs, planners must accurately predict the project timeline, the required number of skilled and unskilled workers, and other potentially fluid requirements that impact the efficiency and ultimate success of the project.

IFS ALM is built upon a composable framework that natively incorporates industry-leading applications, for example, EAM, enterprise resource planning (ERP), field service management (FSM), and other capabilities such as project performance and portfolio management to help inform capital investment plans.

KEVIN PRICE

Global Head of Enterprise Asset Management, IFS

Along with real-time data that reflects the state of enterprise assets, inventories, and workforce dynamics, IFS ALM supports predictive analyses, factoring in the potential of market volatility based on industry trends, geopolitical, and other factors such as global warming and environmental risks.

IFS ALM customers access a dashboard that incorporates all of the data needed to inform project cost decision-making, supplying critical data to quantify project timelines, risk factors, and alternative strategies if the unexpected occurs. The data is simplified and streamlined within the composable IFS Cloud

environment.

In 2025, with full end-to-end asset lifecycle management technology, project managers will more accurately identify potential cost overruns and risks before and during a project, resulting in significant savings for the business.

Prediction #3: Maintenance capacity will expand by up to 30%, supporting full cycle methodology (1.0 to 5.0)

Even with the best maintenance model, unexpected events occur, forcing unplanned downtime and other inefficiencies, all taking their toll on the bottom line.

For example, industrial manufacturing facilities

average about 800 hours of unplanned machine maintenance and downtime annually or about 20 monthly downtime incidents.

While improving these outcomes requires detailed insight into the real-time state and condition of enterprise assets, the company must also be strategic in its maintenance response.

IFS ALM optimizes visibility, delivering robust analytics on the state and condition of assets. A streamlined data model enables a more strategic approach to deploying and directing maintenance resources. Even if the company has achieved a Maintenance 4.0 proficiency, elevating every event to this response level may not be the most sensible approach.

IFS ALM delivers deeper insights, extending beyond a single event to understand how every asset's performance impacts the business's overarching goals. The company makes informed decisions with these insights, assigning the appropriate maintenance methodology and response. Some assets may warrant a predictive and proactive model, while preventive maintenance— or even running an asset to failure—may be appropriate for less critical components.

An expanded maintenance methodology creates significant efficiencies in capacity—estimated at up to 30%, allowing the business to apply time and resource savings to higher-value work. Instead of focusing on a singular maintenance strategy, IFS ALM supports a broader and more agile approach to asset maintenance.

BUILDING SMARTER

Imad Itani, Head of Innovation, at ALEC, writes about the Middle East’s construction sector’s automation journey.

In a quiet corner of a sprawling construction site, a robot hums quietly as it methodically drills into concrete walls, preparing precise conduits for MEP systems. A task that once took a team of skilled workers hours to complete is now being executed in minutes, with unparalleled precision. These once-futuristic scenes are increasingly becoming reality, marking a shift in the construction industry’s relationship with robotics and automation.

Globally, robotics has surged ahead, transforming industries from manufacturing to healthcare. In construction, however, the journey has been slower. Challenges like cost, complexity, and a deeply entrenched reliance on manual labour have slowed adoption. But as we approach 2025, the Middle East is emerging as promising proving ground for construction automation, with regional dynamics, bold ambitions, and unique projects driving this transformation.

A MARKET AT THE CROSSROADS

Historically, the Middle East construction sector has leaned on the relatively abundant availability of cost-effective labour. Unlike Western markets, where spiralling labour costs and worker shortages made automation a necessity, the region’s dynamics offered little pressure to disrupt the status quo. In addition, the sheer scale of iconic projects often demanded human ingenuity over the meticulousness of machines.

But the sands are shifting. The Middle East is now home to some of the world’s most ambitious construction projects, from Saudi Arabia’s NEOM—a futuristic city being built from scratch— to the UAE’s cutting-edge hospitality and cultural developments. These undertakings are no longer just about size; they demand innovation, precision, and sustainability.

Consider the burgeoning hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia, where mega-resorts are being built at a breakneck pace. Or the UAE’s ever-expanding cityscape of sky scraping residential towers and sprawling communities, designed to house a rapidly growing population. These types of projects, with their high-volume, repeatable tasks, are perfectly

suited to automation, creating an environment where robotics can truly shine.

THE PROMISE OF ROBOTICS

Incorporating robotics into construction isn’t just about replacing human effort; it’s about enhancing it. Robots can take on monotonous and physically taxing tasks, allowing workers to focus on areas that demand creativity and expertise. This shift improves efficiency, reduces timelines, and boosts safety—an especially crucial factor in an industry where hazardous conditions are an ever present reality.

Imagine a world where robots scale soaring towers to paint facade walls, lay bricks with millimetre precision, or lift and position heavy structural components. This isn’t science fiction—it’s a glimpse of what’s already possible. For the Middle East, where project deadlines are often non-negotiable and quality expectations sky-high, the potential impact is transformative.

But this vision doesn’t come without its challenges.

COLLABORATION: THE BRIDGE TO REALISATION

For robotics and automation to become industry mainstays, the Middle East must overcome more than just technical hurdles. The key lies in fostering collaboration across the ecosystem. Many robotics companies focus narrowly on innovation. Playing to their strenghts, they excel at building state-of-the-art solutions, but lack the resources or infrastructure to scale them effectively. They need partners who can help with distribution, training, and onground support—elements that are critical for widespread adoption.

Market maturity is another factor. While the cost of labour may not be a pressing concern in the region, the economics of robotics require a certain scale of operation to justify investment. Without this, even the most advanced solutions struggle to make financial sense.

IMAD ITANI Head of Innovation, at ALEC

This is where industry leaders like ALEC are stepping in. Recognising the need to lead by example, we’ve embraced a dual role—not just as an adopter of robotics but as an enabler for the entire sector.

A PIONEERING SPIRIT

At ALEC, our approach to robotics is grounded in the belief that success isn’t just about innovation but about lifting the industry as a whole. On our own projects, we’ve integrated robotics solutions that have enhanced efficiency and safety. But our mission doesn’t stop there.

We actively collaborate with subcontractors and peers, introducing them to advanced robotics and providing the training and support needed to

implement these technologies. Whether it’s advising governments on forwardthinking regulations or working with academic institutions like NYU Abu Dhabi to explore cutting-edge applications, our efforts are about building an ecosystem that can sustain and scale automation.

One of my proudest moments was guiding a team of university students through a robotics project focused on autonomous data acquisition. Watching their faces light up as they realised the possibilities of what they could achieve was a stark reminder that our work is not just about projects—it’s about shaping the future.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE, ONE STEP AT

A TIME

Adopting robotics in construction isn’t a plug-and-play process. It requires a rethinking of workflows, a readiness to retrain workers, and a willingness to fail and learn. Through 2025, we anticipate that the industry will dip its toes into proven applications like robotic painting, MEP drilling, and lift-assist solutions.

These early successes will be critical in building confidence, not just for construction firms but also for clients and regulators. Meanwhile, market leaders must continue to push the envelope, exploring nascent but promising technologies such as autonomous site inspections and modular construction robotics.

A FUTURE WORTH BUILDING

As we move closer to 2025, it’s clear that the Middle East is at the brink of a construction revolution. The industry’s embrace of robotics and automation will address some of its most pressing challenges, from labour shortages to sustainability. But this journey will only succeed if it’s a collective effort.

For me, the excitement lies in the opportunities for collaboration. Whether it’s working with suppliers to improve robotic systems, engaging with competitors to set new industry standards, or inspiring young minds to dream bigger, every partnership strengthens the foundation of this movement.

Automation in construction isn’t just about machines—it’s about people. It’s about creating a safer, more efficient, and more sustainable industry. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. Together, we can ensure that this tide carries the Middle East construction sector to new heights.

THE TRUTH ABOUT VM MIGRATION

Robert Hormuth, Corporate Vice President of Architecture and Strategy for the Data Center Solutions Group at AMD, debunks myths about VM migration for enterprise IT teams.

If enterprises are going to execute exceptional workload performance and IT services in today’s rapidly evolving landscape, there is a growing need to refresh legacy data center infrastructure used to run virtual machines (VMs).

As data-intensive workloads ramp up, so will the pressure on existing infrastructure performance and the footprint and power required to run data centers. Not to mention the building pressure to modernize and increase capacity to unlock the opportunities that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) present.

Within the context of this changing landscape, sticking to legacy infrastructure will likely cause modern workloads to run slower, consume more energy, and become more susceptible to security risks. After all, the average server is already between 3-5 years old.

DON’T SETTLE FOR GOOD ENOUGH

Despite the extensive laundry list of reasons to modernize, CIOs and IT decision-makers are resistant toward VM migration.

This hesitancy and wish to avoid anticipated pain points can cause IT departments to settle for good enough, despite the potential performance and efficiency improvements that come with modernization.

By showcasing the benefits and value of VM migration, and debunking myths surrounding the process, enterprises can overcome the obstacle standing in the way of more efficient data centers; a necessity to keep up with compute demands and the ever-changing technology landscape.

MYTH: COLD MIGRATIONS REQUIRE A REBOOT, WITH NO WORKAROUNDS AVAILABLE TO AVOID APPLICATION DOWNTIME

REALITY:

Rebooting systems is an inevitable part of migrating VMs between hardware architectures.

But it is also true that reboots are a standard practice when applying operating systems, applications, and security patches.

Migration doesn’t have to be viewed any differently from a routine patch where organizations make use of available application environments built for redundancy. These configurations mean applications can remain available when performing routine maintenance and critical updates.

Ultimately, IT teams can rest assured that there is an established workflow that IT professionals have used for years which can be used when migrating VMs: Power down systems, perform operations and updates, power up systems, and verify completion and proper operation.

MYTH: LIVE MIGRATIONS WITHIN A VENDOR’S PRODUCT LINE PROVIDE EASY UPGRADES AND ACCESS TO NEW PROCESSOR ADVANCEMENTS

REALITY:

It is possible to migrate live when you don’t change vendors. But, there are costs to be considered that can limit you in the short and long term.

For example, when you live migrate to new servers, VMs have no choice but to emulate your old hardware on new servers. This means missing new instructions that could improve performance, up-to-date security features, and bug fixes – all of which rank among the main reasons you would choose to migrate and modernize your infrastructure in the first place.

Because performance is impacted when VMs, applications, and workloads don’t run in an environment where every new CPU feature is available, what may feel like a shortcut – migrating live within a vendor’s product line – likely isn’t in practice.

Especially when cold migrating 40 VMs can be done in less than 30 minutes, which

ROBERT HORMUTH

Corporate Vice President of Architecture and Strategy for the Data Center Solutions Group at AMD

was achieved in tests conducted by Prowess Consulting when migrating from Intel Xeon Scalable Processor-based systems to servers with AMD EPYCProcessors.

MYTH: MIGRATION REQUIRES A LENGTHY OUTAGE THAT DISRUPTS WORKLOAD OPERATION

REALITY:

Simply put, you don’t need to perform a migration in one step. Highly available configurations include functionality tiers so you can migrate different sections of your system over time using the same process as when

upgrading other elements of your infrastructure.

Since IT teams have the power to decide which layers are migrated, and when, organizations can retain that all-important element of control. Working in collaboration across the business, you can decide what is migrated and when, limiting impact or user and business operation, causing minimal disruption.

An open-source tool like the VMware Architecture Migration Tool (VAMT) makes this process even simpler with features like ‘Change window support,’ where you can stage which machines migrate first and which follow to perform an entire migration of multitier architecture with virtually zero downtime.

EFFICIENT

MIGRATION – EFFICIENT

DATA CENTERS

Enterprises are at a point where they must embrace the evolution of their data centers to keep up with the compute requirements of AI and ML. That is why it is so important to dispel the myths surrounding virtual machine migration, and show it is a crucial step in the data center modernization journey.

Instead of being seen as costly and complicated, VM migration can be navigated with confidence by IT teams, harnessing established workflows and leveraging innovative tools.

The rewards are clear. Not only does VM migration pave the way for seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies, like AI and ML, but it also optimizes resource utilization and fortifies defenses at an important time.

BALANCING PRIVACY AND GROWTH

Paul Wright, General Manager - Western Europe and MENAT at AppsFlyer, on how Middle East banks can unlock the power of customer information in the age of privacy.

The BFSI sector in the Middle East is an industry built, and continually reinvented, on asking what customers want. In the digital age, the answer may change from month to month, which is why banks’ marketing professionals have come to rely on first-party data. More than any other industry, banking gets a rounded view of customer behaviour, since it regularly receives direct information about what people buy. They can therefore harness their first-party data to gain insights that are highly actionable and allow them to optimise marketing campaigns for optimal impact.

First-party customer data has become pivotal in ensuring that campaigns are playing to the right audience. But while this type of data has great significance to prospects for business growth, challenges remain in monetising it. Banks must first aggregate the information. They may control it, but it does not necessarily reside in a common store. Then stakeholders must collaborate on how the collated data is analysed to best effect. The ultimate goal is, of course, monetisation, but the immediate goal of the analysis is likely to be intermediate, like deducing the need for a new product or uncovering an opportunity to enhance the customer experience.

Throughout the process, marketers face risk. Governments in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and over Middle East nations have established robust regulatory frameworks that mandate adequate privacy protections for customer data. Marketers at leading banks must always account for the compliance impacts of sharing sensitive first-party customer data with outside parties like content providers and ad agencies. Advertising that has the potential to drive revenues and build stock value is now a tough needle to thread.

THE RIGHT STUFF

For finance-sector marketers to add value, they must now deliver on both trust and measurement. If customers and media-network partners do not trust the brand, sharing of data with the

institution will diminish. Data-sharing is essential for accurate targeting. And even assuming the right data is within reach, if measurement tools are not up to code, then insights from omnichannel campaigns are unlikely to be rich enough for monetisation, for ROI calculation, or for growing commerce media networks.

Such problems have given rise to data collaboration platforms (DCPs), which now play a major role in wringing value out of first-party data. The right DCP does much more than aggregate data. It enhances performance along the campaign pipeline, from ensuring data quality and preserving its security, to the delivery of actionable insights. All of these things are essential for success. Data collaboration is pointless if quality (accuracy, timeliness, and so on) is substandard; all parties will be subject to regulatory action if privacy is not upheld; and the exercise will be for naught if it does not yield suggestions on how to improve campaigns.

DCPs can be the foundation of robust data management – a new culture where aggregated data from disparate sources is routinely checked for accuracy and relevance. This ensures an ongoing realtime view of customers – their purchases and other behaviours – that subsequently allows more granular designs of marketing campaigns. But DCPs can also be strongholds of security, thereby promoting trust in the brand from customers and network partners. To be this stronghold, the DCP must go beyond regulatory requirements like encryption and anonymisation. It must enable a governance-focused culture where data protection comes naturally to every employee and is integrated into every process.

THE MISSING INGREDIENT

The best DCPs are transparent and allow

WRIGHT

General Manager - Western Europe and MENAT at AppsFlyer

This puts marketers back in the driving-seat of value creation because they now have the essential tools to measure and impact ROI.

But success keeps relying on that company culture of “data first”. When we think of this culture where the bank’s people live and breathe data, and work in an environment of continuous learning, what do we see, day to day? We see collaboration as a habit. We see data scientists, marketers, product developers, ethics specialists, and others working in perfect concert. The right DCP will be designed around these same disciplines, allowing each to contribute organically.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The best DCPs are bedrocks of security, guarantors of data integrity, and fountains of actionable insights. They empower banks to optimise the use of their existing resources, guiding stakeholders on how to uncover value gems within their existing infrastructure. With the right training and outside consultancy, bank employees can use DCPs to build data literacy and ensure that all-important information culture.

the organisation to share that transparency with others –to keep consumers informed, through easily-digestible policies, about how their information is used. Datasharing ecosystems build trust by being transparent. They also do so by allowing participants to have granular control over what they share.

Once the DCP has established a sharing ecosystem it must then be able to empower its users to transform the accumulated

data into actionable insights. Once again, effectiveness requires going beyond tradition. Fortunately, today’s measurement and analysis tools can call on machine learning and predictive analytics to dig deeper into customer behaviours and campaign performance. These advanced technologies allow marketing professionals to access real-time dashboards and multi-touch attribution models as standard features.

If the regional banking industry is to continue responding to what customers want, it must first come to terms with the new rules governing how it comes by this information. Through the strategic, ethical use of data – supported by the right data collaboration platform that delivers on data quality, security, transparency, and powerful results – banks can keep on driving business growth and customer engagement in the region’s digital economy.

PAUL

A GLIMPSE INTO 2025

Cisco identifies technology trends that will define 2025

Cisco revealed key technology trends for 2025, emphasizing a landscape shaped by shifting consumer behaviour, an expanding digital ecosystem, and the need to integrate AI.

Reflecting these dynamics, the Middle East emerges as a hub of innovation, with rapid adoption of AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and smart city initiatives. IT spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is projected to total $230.7 billion in 2025, an increase of 7.4% from 2024, according to Gartner.

David Meads, Vice President for the Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania, and CIS at Cisco, commented: “By embracing this year’s technology trends with both strategic foresight and pragmatism, companies can effectively navigate challenges and seize growth opportunities.” He added: “The Middle East is witnessing a significant surge in technology investment, driven by a strong commitment from both governments and private enterprises aimed at establishing the region as a leader in technological innovation. This rapid adoption of technology provides businesses with unique opportunities to enhance efficiency, boost productivity, improve customer experiences, and gain a competitive edge.”

AGENTIC AI WILL FULFILL AI’S PROMISE OF PERSONALIZATION AND EFFICIENCY.

Many AI-powered tools in use today are based on static rules or datasets. Agentic AI differs in that it can continuously learn from user inputs and make decisions with little to no human oversight. Imagine a customer service AI that predicts user needs before a query is made, or a network management AI that identifies potential issues and resolves them autonomously, ensuring uninterrupted service. In response to the rise of Agentic AI, we will see organizations implementing mandatory ethical guidelines to ensure fairness and transparency in algorithmic decisions and protecting intellectual property.

HUMANOIDS AND HUMANS COLLABORATING WILL FORCE COMPANIES TO RETHINK WORKPLACE DYNAMICS. AI-powered humanoids will form a part of the

future workforce. This will force companies to completely reimagine their workplace dynamics. For example, companies will need to ensure their connectivity has the right levels of latency and throughout to process and analyse data in real time. At the same time, organizations must ensure their security postures.

This human and machine collaboration will be inspiring and allow organizations to greatly scale operations but will also likely trigger concerns about AI replacing jobs. Leaders will need to be clear and uncompromising about harnessing AI’s power without losing the human touch that defines world-class customer experiences.

AI WILL PRESENT CHALLENGES FOR COMPANIES, PARTICULARLY REGARDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND DATA READINESS.

AI will continue to captivate businesses, promising unprecedented innovation and efficiency, and companies will continue to invest in AI-powered solutions. As AI journeys progress, so too will the understanding that the path is fraught with hurdles. Despite billions of dollars invested into AI models and AI-powered solutions in 2024, new data from Cisco’s AI Readiness Index shows that AI readiness has declined as now only 13% of companies are ready to leverage AI-powered technologies to their full potential.

In 2025 organizations will grapple with how best to secure the right level of compute power to meet AI workloads. Companies will need to lean on their strategic partners to identify and prioritize their AI use cases. IT teams will experience increasing pressure to optimize the management, hygiene, which is currently spread across multiple systems and locations.

CYBERSECURITY WILL FACE NEW THREATS, LEADING COMPANIES TO ENHANCE HUMAN EFFORTS WITH MACHINES.

Advancements in quantum computing are increasing pressure on security teams to

address the vulnerabilities of traditional encryption methods against quantum attacks. As these technologies gain traction, organizations must adopt quantum-resistant security protocols to protect sensitive data. The interconnectedness of digital ecosystems complicates security, making attacks more sophisticated. According to the latest Cisco AI Readiness Index, only 30% of companies globally have the capabilities to tackle these threats. As cybercriminals adapt their tactics, networks will become essential as the first and last line of defence. Integrating AI will enhance human capabilities, strengthening network security and policy enforcement.

NETWORK DOWNTIME DUE TO

MISCONFIGURATION WILL APPROACH ZERO.

Over 40% of network outages are directly caused by misconfigurations, and can cost businesses 9% of their total annual revenue. AI has the potential to virtually eliminate these manual misconfiguration mishaps.

Intelligent, automated tools can execute workflows throughout the network lifecycle and provide traceability for every action. AIdriven tools will revolutionize network management, learning from each configuration to reduce errors and ensure uninterrupted operations. As AI adoption increases, we expect to see a rapid decline in misconfigurations and network downtime caused by human error approach zero.

COMPANIES WILL NEED HELP TO BALANCE SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH IN AN AI-POWERED ERA. The environmental impact of AI is the elephant in a lot of rooms. AI requires high energy consumption levels that impact carbon emissions across the board. The energy used by AI-dedicated data centres is expected to match the amount consumed by a country the size of the Netherlands in one year. Sustainability frequently arises in discussions with customers, who increasingly seek partners that can help them achieve net-zero commitments and sustainability goals.

Successful businesses will prioritize energy-efficient products and circular business models. AI technology will be pivotal in enhancing energy efficiencies, ushering in an era of "energy networking" that combines software-defined networking with direct current (DC) microgrids for improved visibility into emissions and optimization of power usage, distribution, and storage.

DAVID MEADS

Vice President for the Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania, and CIS at Cisco

POWERING THE FUTURE

Omar Akar, Regional

VP, META & CEE

at

Pure Storage,

on the AI bubble burst and other trends that will shape business strategies in 2025.

Right through the pandemic, supply chain disruptions and regional geo-political conflicts, IT has been the one segment that has been growing at an unshakable pace. Indeed, for 2025, Gartner projects that IT spending in MENA will once again rise by an appreciable 7.4%. And while the US$230.7 billion set to be invested in IT projects through next year underscores IT’s significance as a fundamental enabler of business, there are signs that reality is beginning to set in.

As business leaders mould their organisations’ strategies for the year ahead, they will be well served to take stock of ongoing shifts in market dynamics. Though these may appear gradual, the sudden and dramatic rise of AI stands testament to how rapidly such movements can gain momentum and upend businesses. So, for the savvy business leader, here are three key trends to consider when charting your organisations’ course for 2025.

2025 WILL SEE STRICTER SELECTION ON AI PROJECTS AS BUBBLE STARTS TO BURST

Organisations are going to be more selective on AI projects next year. While PwC’s Strategy&, sees the Middle East’s generative AI race as a US$23.5 billion “opportunity”, I anticipate companies will pull back spending before fatigue sets in.

I expect the market will realign. The existing growth could become unsustainable because projects aren’t delivering ROI and realism will set in. Many organisations aren’t going to be able to convince business leaders that they need to invest

in new technology when existing AI or GenAI projects haven’t delivered the promised benefits. While FOMO is still a huge driver for investment, we expect this will be tempered in 2025.

Non-customised AI solutions will fall out of favour in 2025. RAG will become a non-negotiable inclusion for Middle East enterprises, and it will take over as the adopted method of implementing AI. As business leaders demand ROI from the speculative investments they’ve already made in AI, RAG will be crucial for success. This is because it provides a standard approach to customisation, improving results and reducing the possibility of hallucinations, rather than building, training and fine-tuning individual models from scratch.

SUSTAINABILITY GOALS WILL BE PUT AT RISK BY AI AND INCOMING WAVE OF DATA CENTRES

As the demand for AI and associated data storage continues to grow, sustainability is once again going to be in the spotlight. As AI drove greater use of computing resources across the region, which had a negative impact on energy reduction goals, sustainability was sidelined. But following Egypt’s and UAE’s hosting of COP summits, it is rising up the corporate agenda. How organisations view and implement sustainable practices is once again going to be

OMAR AKAR

Regional VP, META & CEE at Pure Storage

on upper management’s radar. I foresee the following issues:

• More organisations will discuss their energy transition — how they are going to power the increased demand for data centres.

• As a method to highlight the impact of sustainability, Impact Accounting will become widely adopted at a senior level. As it focuses attention on environmental issues and associated costs, it will become the de facto means of calling out the benefits of sustainability initiatives in a language the C-Suite and board will understand.

• There will be a drive to build

more data centres across many countries, as Middle East regulators continue to insist on data residency. However, how to power these and maintain both sustainability goals and ensure there’s enough power for powering homes and businesses will stay firmly in the spotlight.

HAVE WE REACHED PEAK CLOUD?

There is a growing realism about the adoption of cloud. With increased expectations from regulation, more knowledge about the downsides, and geographical restrictions, 2025 could be the year we reach peak cloud.

On the regulation side, the Middle East could see DORA-like frameworks coming into force in 2025 and beyond, which will bring cloud service providers’ actions into focus. They will need to evidence the steps they take for compliance, for example, testing and resilience plans which are shared with regulators. Cloud Service Providers and Hyperscalers will be held accountable in a way they haven’t been before, and non-compliance will force remediation efforts across FSI industries. I expect some will be made an example of, to ensure tighter adherence to these new regulations.

Another element driving change is the ongoing disruption brought on by the Broadcom acquisition of VMware. In 2025 we will see if customers will accept their fate or adopt alternatives. Many organisations are still discovering what does and doesn’t work in terms of the other options out there and next year we’ll see if the alternatives can meet enterprise needs fully, or if organisational anger will subside and they stick with what they know.

PRAGMATIC PIONEERING

As 2025 gets underway, the IT landscape will continue to be dynamic and transformative. Yet, it is clear that the era of unchecked growth and speculative investments is giving way to one of strategic discernment. From the recalibration of AI ambitions to the balancing act between sustainability and data demands, business leaders must navigate a complex interplay of innovation and pragmatism. Success in this evolving environment will depend on adaptability, foresight, and a clear focus on delivering tangible value.

EPICOR

ARTURO BUZZALINO Group Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Epicor

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025?

AI will undoubtedly be the defining technology in 2025 as organisations further their adoption. Generative AI is particularly exciting as businesses and individuals have largely familiarised themselves with this form of AI over the past two years. So, in the coming 12 months, we can expect to see organisations move from testing the waters, to implementing impactful uses cases.

Middle East manufactures will have reason to be optimistic about this year as we are also witnessing the development of polyfunctional robots. These are capable of performing multiple tasks and will become essential in dynamic environments, boosting efficiency and return on investment.

HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

As impressive as current AI technologies have been, we are only at the starting point. Over the next 12 months, I anticipate a marked shift towards more sophisticated, autonomous systems that blur the lines between human and machine intelligence. Far from

AI is going to reach even further than simply ‘automation’, as developers enable the technology to become more intertwined with human behaviour. There’s a clear opportunity for developers to lead on innovating user interfaces that empower workers to talk to machines in plain language rather than code.

taking humans out of the equation, the integration of AI tools into everyday work will foster symbiotic relationships between humans and machines, boosting overall productivity and innovation.

In this new industrial technology landscape, established business software like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) will serve as a vehicle for widespread adoption of automated processes and large language models (LLMs). Integrating AI capabilities into existing ERP systems and other business software will be essential, opening huge opportunities to not only innovate, but shape the post-AI era.

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

With the rapid pace of technological advancement, it’s difficult to envision any industry remaining untouched by change. Organisations that proactively adopt these innovations will view them not as disruptions but as opportunities to gain a competitive edge.

Even traditional, and more regulated industries, have the opportunity to embrace change. In manufacturing for example, integrating AI into ERP systems will provide real-time insights into material availability and demand, optimising the supply chain and production processes. Healthcare will see AI-driven diagnostics and personalised medicine transforming patient care. The finance sector will benefit from AI and blockchain technologies, enhancing security and efficiency. Retail will be revolutionised by VR for Metaverse stores and AI for personalised shopping experiences.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

For enterprise IT professionals, several skills will be crucial. Cybersecurity expertise will be key, focusing on threat detection, incident response, and robust security measures. Mastery of cloud computing platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud will be essential as businesses continue to migrate to the cloud. Proficiency in AI and machine learning tools, deep learning frameworks, and

ethical AI development will drive innovation. Additionally, skills in data analytics, including data interpretation, visualisation, and strategy development, will be highly sought after. Soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability will also be vital for navigating the dynamic IT landscape.

AI is going to reach even further than simply ‘automation’, as developers enable the technology to become more intertwined with human behaviour. There’s a clear opportunity for developers to lead on innovating user interfaces that empower workers to talk to machines in plain language rather than code. This shift means creating natural language processing capabilities within applications, allowing users to have a conversation with a machine and ask it for exactly what they’re after.

Armed with AI, developers can effectively grant everyone with the superpowers that they’ve never had before — efficiencies will increase, as will return on investment. The post-AI era will unlock value in ways akin to an industrial revolution, with developers at the helm.

CLOUD BOX TECHNOLOGIES

Practice Head, Cloud Box Technologies

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025?

A lot is being discussed, researched, and practiced regarding technology innovations for 2025. However, I believe there are a few standout advancements that will truly make a mark in the coming year. For instance, artificial intelligence (AI) will be powered by advanced models, contributing significantly to society with its exceptional decision-making and automation capabilities. Supercomputers will experience breakthroughs as quantum computing makes its commercial debut, solving complex trillion-dollar problems in mere seconds.

Next-generation 6G technology will redefine ultra-fast connectivity and data transfer speeds, enabling seamless communication and extending reality across various industries such as training, healthcare, and retail, to name a few. Researchers are actively exploring sustainable and renewable power sources to support green data centers, addressing the growing need for energy in facilities that essentially power the internet worldwide. While these trends and innovations may seem far-fetched, remember

AI-driven autonomous systems will dominate healthcare diagnostics, supply chain management, and more. These advancements will reduce human error, enhance efficiency, and elevate customer experiences

AVINASH GUJJE

that air travel was once just a dream—and now, there are more options to fly than ever before.

HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

It goes without saying that technology becomes more sophisticated with every passing year, and 2025 will be no exception. The pace of innovation will accelerate, thanks to the rapid adoption of AI and digital transformation worldwide. Blockchain will take on an expanded role in financial and other transactions, creating tamper-proof and permanent ledgers. Meanwhile, 6G networks will revolutionize smart cities, offering speeds theoretically 100 times faster than 5G, enabling autonomous vehicles, real-time data transfer, IoT ecosystems, and beyond.

AI-driven autonomous systems will dominate healthcare diagnostics, supply chain management, and more. These advancements will reduce human error, enhance efficiency, and elevate customer experiences. Decentralized

technology ecosystems will gain prominence, especially in emerging markets such as the Middle East, where localized solutions will reduce dependencies on global ecosystems and mitigate associated challenges.

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

In 2024, we witnessed rapid technological adoption across various sectors. Moving into 2025, we can expect even greater disruption due to evolving consumer preferences, expectations, and advancing technologies.

Healthcare is poised for a paradigm shift driven by AI adoption. AI-powered diagnostics, health monitoring, personalized medicine, and robotics—potentially even autonomous surgeries—will transform healthcare globally. Telehealth services will expand significantly, fueled by advancements in virtual and augmented reality.

In manufacturing and logistics, technologies such as AI, IoT, 5G, and XR will play pivotal roles. AI applications,

ranging from route optimization to digital twins for ports and airports, will drive efficiency.

Self-driving vehicles, whether carrying individuals or transporting thousands of tonnes, will become commonplace. Similarly, the retail industry will embrace immersive shopping experiences powered by AI and extended reality, enabling consumers to engage with products and fashion in unprecedented ways. These are just a few examples; countless other technologies will disrupt additional sectors in the coming year.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

The ever-evolving IT landscape demands new skills and adaptability to meet emerging roles and responsibilities. For enterprise IT professionals, mastering AI and ML is essential. These technologies form the backbone of operations and nearly every aspect of business. Proficiency in AI will prepare professionals to design, deploy, and manage AI systems effectively in the long term.

Cybersecurity is another critical area, particularly in AI-driven threat detection, zero-trust architectures, and compliance with global data protection regulations. Skills in IoT security, cloud security, email security, and other cybersecurity domains will ensure the smooth functioning of IT ecosystems and offer professionals abundant opportunities to grow.

Additionally, IT professionals must refine their soft skills, including communication and collaboration. These abilities are vital for fostering effective teamwork and excelling in crossfunctional environments.

TECH MAHINDRA

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025? HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

In 2025, Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), 5G, Cloud-native technologies, and Quantum Computing will be in high demand. LLMs will revolutionize industries by enhancing automation, improving natural language processing, and enabling hyper-personalized customer interactions. GenAI will continue to drive innovation in content creation and decision-making. 5G will accelerate connectivity, empowering IoT, new enterprise and real-time applications. Cloud-native technologies will offer unmatched scalability and flexibility, while quantum computing will begin addressing complex problems. The global technology landscape will be more interconnected, with AI, LLMs, and cloud solutions reshaping industries and emphasizing cybersecurity and data privacy. By 2025, the convergence of these technologies is expected to create a more interconnected, efficient, and intelligent global ecosystem. Industries will experience enhanced automation, improved decision-making capabilities, and the creation of new business models.

As we approach 2025, we will continue to embrace our ‘Scale at Speed’ initiative, designed to help enterprises transform rapidly, bringing agility, resilience, and efficiency to their operations. This approach addresses the dual imperatives of scale and speed, enabling us to meet the evolving demands of our clients across various industries. We will strategically focus on key markets, including the Middle East (Saudi, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Egpyt), the Americas, and Europe,

RAM RAMACHANDRAN

Senior Vice President India, Middle East & Africa, Tech Mahindra.

and prioritize countries in the rest of the World, such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Our expansion plans involve strategic partnerships to enhance our service portfolio and deliver innovative solutions to our clients. While maintaining our presence in the telecom sector, we will also broaden our focus to include BFSI, manufacturing, healthcare, and life sciences to reduce concentration risk and tap into new growth opportunities.

Further, recognizing AI's transformative potential, we are integrating AI and automation across our service offerings. Our commitment to operational excellence is evident through initiatives like Project Fortius, which aims to optimize costs and enhance productivity. We also invest in talent management by increasing fresher hiring, reducing subcontracting costs, and improving our offshore mix to drive greater utilization and efficiency.

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

The Middle East is at the forefront of global innovation in digital transformation, driven by ambitious initiatives across various sectors, including BFSI, energy and utilities, travel and logistics, smart cities, and Telecom. In 2025, the region’s commitment to sustainability, technological adoption, and customer-centric innovation presents vast opportunities for growth and value creation. Key technologies such as Generative AI (GenAI), Cloud, IoT, Security, and Intelligent Managed Services will play a pivotal role

in transforming industries.

In BFSI, financial institutions are accelerating modernization to meet evolving customer expectations. GenAI will revolutionize customer interactions with conversational AI and hyperpersonalized solutions, while cloud technologies offer scalability and resilience. Cybersecurity remains crucial in safeguarding sensitive data, and intelligent managed services will optimize operational efficiency and compliance.

In Energy and Utilities, the transition to renewable energy and the implementation of smart grids provides ample opportunities for IoT and AIdriven real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and enhanced operational efficiency. Cloud platforms will enable seamless integration of renewable energy sources while robust security frameworks protect critical infrastructure.

For Travel and Logistics, the Middle East's strategic position as a global logistics hub offers significant potential. IoTenabled supply chain visibility and GenAI-powered customer engagement, such as virtual assistants and personalized itineraries, will redefine operations. Cloud-based platforms ensure flexibility, while intelligent services enhance predictive logistics and agility.

In Smart Cities, the region is investing in sustainable, technology-driven urban environments. IoT, cloud, and AI will power smart infrastructure across utilities, traffic, and citizen services. GenAI will drive personalized citizen engagement while intelligent managed services

ensure seamless operation and proactive maintenance.

Finally, Telecom will play a critical role in supporting digital transformation across all sectors. With the rise of 5G and beyond, telecom providers will enable ultra-fast connectivity and data-sharing capabilities, driving innovation in smart cities, IoT applications, and cloud services. Enhanced telecom infrastructure will be key in unlocking the potential of other technologies, such as AI and IoT, creating more connected, efficient, and resilient systems. Many Telecom providers are also moving towards being Techo’s and lifestyle operators. Our approach focuses on innovation, sustainability, and security. We work alongside enterprises and governments to help Middle East organizations achieve their ambitious, transformative goals.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

In 2025, enterprise IT professionals will need a blend of technical, business, and soft skills. Key technical skills include expertise in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data analytics, alongside knowledge of Generative AI and Large Language Models. Business skills like understanding digital transformation, ERP systems, and aligning technology with business strategy will be crucial. Soft skills such as collaboration, adaptability, and effective communication will help IT professionals work seamlessly with cross-functional teams. A commitment to constant learning and openness to adapt will be essential for future-skilling, ensuring success in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

SOLARWINDS

SASCHA GIESE Technical Evangelist, Observability at SolarWinds

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025?

While no longer a new paradigm, we can still expect that through 2025 , AI and machine learning will dominate technological innovation, transforming business processes across industries. One key area of application of AI will be within the IT department as it becomes integral in automating tasks like root cause analysis, anomaly detection, and system correlation. It will enhance tools for monitoring, observability, and incident response, making operations more efficient. In other business functions, generative AI will improve decision-making by generating reports, drafting responses, and forecasting needs. As AI integration deepens, the demand for skills in prompt engineering and data management will rise, creating new opportunities for those who adapt and innovate with these technologies, despite the

In other business functions, generative AI will improve decisionmaking by generating reports, drafting responses, and forecasting needs. As AI integration deepens, the demand for skills in prompt engineering and data management will rise, creating new opportunities for those who adapt and innovate with these technologies, despite the learning curve.

learning curve.

HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

Legacy technologies still dominate industries like finance and healthcare due to technical debt and inertia. However, with the pressure of competitiveness building, these businesses will continue to seek agility and efficiency. Many will have to finally resort to retiring outdated gear and solutions, accelerating their digital transformation.

And while the migration to the cloud is often touted to be an unmissable step in enterprise modernisation, I believe we will actually see remigration of workloads to on-premise datacenters. With rising IT costs, driven by increased license fees from major vendors and soaring hyperscaler bills, many organizations are facing budget crises. So, in 2025, I predict a shift as companies begin moving workloads back

from the cloud to on-premises or co-locations, to reduce operational expenses.

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

While there are sectors such as healthcare and education that could significantly benefit from transformative, or so called disruptive technological advancements, their ability to embrace these technologies is constrained by sector specific regulation. Others, such as scientific research, that are expected to be at the cutting edge will experience a significant boost, as routine tasks can be outsourced to a machine, and those machines will provide a huge benefit when it comes to speeding up tests and results.

Aside from specific sectors, I also see tremendous opportunity in providing new tech to the C-suite of enterprises. I think we are close to what I call CEO-GPT, an

LLM that has received training specific to typical C-level tasks. It will be able to speed up the decision-making process and, based on current advancements in tech, won't require months of on-site training.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

While technical skills and certifications may be a prerequiste when working with certain solutions, I believe that one of the most critical areas for IT professionals to work on will be on the softer side of things –namely collaboration. The “do more with less” mantra demands greater collaboration. We still see individual IT units working in silos and only taking care of their direct responsibilities. This leads to communication problems and is the number one reason projects get delayed, become too costly, or fail. We must remember that IT is about more than technology; humans are also involved.

ENDAVA

DAVID BOAST General Manager, UAE & KSA, Endava

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025?

2025 is set to bring a transformative focus on strengthening the digital core — the foundation of any tech ecosystem — to harness the ongoing AI-driven shift revolutionising industries. While organisations that adopted AI early have surged ahead, sustaining success now demands systemic transformation. Businesses must prioritise robust digital frameworks, optimised data infrastructure, and scalable solutions to unlock AI’s full potential and drive innovation forward.

Enterprise modernisation will dominate the agenda, requiring tailored approaches that cater to unique organisational needs. By fortifying systems and breaking down data siloes, companies can achieve genuine value creation while staying adaptable in a rapidly evolving landscape. The result? A future-ready foundation that enables growth, efficiency, and meaningful change across industries.

AI will no longer be an optional add-on; it will be

embedded across enterprise operations, from customer service to decision-making. It won’t be limited to standalone applications but will be integrated into software, infrastructure and devices, often invisible to the end user.

HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

AI will no longer be an optional add-on; it will be embedded across enterprise operations, from customer service to decision-making. It won’t be limited to standalone applications but will be integrated into software, infrastructure and devices, often invisible to the end user.

Of course, for this potential to be unlocked, organisations need systems that capture data in clear and organised ways, composable architectures that allow for quick deployment of new features and functions, and a deeper understanding of their workflows and business logic that currently sits buried in their systems. Core modernisation, though not an end-goal in and of itself, will be a prerequisite for AI success. Endava’s approach here is to first conduct an in-depth analysis of legacy technology assets led by data-driven automation, complemented by patented capabilities that help us deliver a de-risked, costcontrolled, accurate end-toend system transformation. But that's only part of the picture, as we also build on our client subject matter expertise to validate findings.

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

Whilst the AI-driven digital shift is reshaping industries worldwide, retail is poised for a particularly extraordinary transformation. For forwardthinking retailers, leveraging innovative technology will redefine customer-centricity, delivering exceptional experiences that align seamlessly with shoppers’ needs in 2025.

Advanced search capabilities are revolutionising how customers discover products, offering bespoke recommendations that eliminate the frustration of irrelevant results. By presenting tailored suggestions, these tools not only save time but also drive sales by providing exactly what customers are looking for.

The shopping journey is becoming increasingly multimodal, enabling website visitors to interact using video, audio, and images. This allows for a richer, more intuitive experience. As an example, consider the challenges faced by expectant parents planning a nursery: with an AI-powered search tool, they could input budget and design preferences while uploading a photo of the

space. The AI could then suggest suitable products and even generate a visual mock-up of the completed room. This capability redefines the shopping experience, eliminating the need for endless scrolling and repetitive searches. From fashion and beauty to grocery shopping, this innovation empowers consumers to find what they need with ease and precision.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

AI and data science expertise is an obvious area of focus for IT professionals, particularly skills in training and deploying AI models, data analytics, and understanding AI ethics. But for organisations to really benefit from AI’s full potential, they need to ensure they have the right foundation in place. With that in mind, core modernisation knowledge will also be essential in the enterprise IT industry. Finally, expertise in cloud architecture, multi-cloud strategies and cloud-native development will all prove to be highly valuable, as more organisations look to move to the cloud for cost, sustainability, and convenience reasons.

MANAGEENGINE

RAJESH GANESAN President at ManageEngine

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025?

2024 has been a year for emergent technologies to take charge and see widespread adoption and integration in almost every sector. Especially with respect to the MENA region, there has been a rapid pace of digital transformation, which has also been enabled by the adoption of AI and ML capabilities. In 2025, the trend is all set to follow with earlier implementation of AI investments expected to show more ROI in its performances.

Emergent technologies have also resulted in a huge spike in cyberthreats with organisations across the globe experiencing varied cyberattacks, ransomware attacks and phishing attacks polished by emergent technologies. We can expect more innovations in cybersecurity powered by AI to counter the threat of cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities to specific attacks in order to better protect the cyberspace organisations operate in.

HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

The global technology landscape has grown and advanced in leaps and bounds in recent years, with emergent technologies like AI and ML causing disruptions in the way organisations operate. In 2025, there would be more attention shown towards the following:

• Democratizing Cybersecurity

- The way organisations go about cybersecurity has changed in recent years, with importance shown on how to counter vulnerabilities and adopting best practices to ensure everyone in the organisation is committed towards protecting the cyberspace of the organisation.

We can expect cybersecurity to be democratized in such a way that it is not restricted to just a toporganisational level activity. Every employee plays an important role in maintaining cybersecurity and should be responsible for their actions. This could enhance cyber resilence in the long run and keep employees updated about the latest cyber threats and attack patterns and what would be the best security measures to follow to minimize human errors leading up to a cyberattack.

• Outcome driven ITModern-day organisations are moving towards outcome driven IT wherein IT leaders will need to clearly demonstrate the value generated by their IT investments or risk shrinking budgets. While dashboards provide metrics that point to the operational performance of technology, they don’t

always present a clear case for the business benefits derived. That clarity can be gained by aligning IT with not only operational efficiency but also with business velocity and opportunity costs. In 2025, CIOs need to closely focus on KPIs and metrics that provide a direct link to the business outcomes that depend on them.

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

Ever since the recent boom of emergent technologies, most sectors have been disrupted by the usage of AI technology. In 2025, AI is expected to retain and become an integral part of modern business operations and play a key part in automation and in transforming strategic decision-making. With the rising rise of cyberthreats across regions, the use of AI and its integration with cybersecurity will see more spikes in 2025 and is expected

to become a top priority going forward.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

The demand for skilled employees, especially in the field of enterprise IT, has been at an all-time high with the need for skilled talents in handling emergent technologies like AI and ML capabilities. Cybersecurity professionals are now prioritizing understanding and learning more about AI and how it can be integrated into current cybersecurity standards to enhance and strengthen cyberspace against evolving cyberthreats. Cloud computing and cloud security have been on the rise as well with more and more organisations shifting towards cloud and adopting a cloud-first approach. Another area of demand could be in the way of Data analytics as analysing data becomes an important step towards making data-driven decisions which forms the bread and butter of modern business success.

VIJAY JASWAL President at ManageEngine

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025

The extra computing power of Quantum Computing will drive multimodal AI (processing of larger models with multiple data sources). This in my opinion will be the largest advancement.

Extended Reality (XR) which is basically the convergence of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality will create more immersive experiences that have numerous applications in the workplace. Imagine an example where an engineer has to be trained in how to put out a fire in an oil refinery – through Extended Reality this training can be completed in a totally safe environment.

HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

The ubiquity of Artificial Intelligence is set to become more prevalent, where AI becomes more embedded in everyday life activities, both in the workplace and at home. Already co-pilots are helping us draft emails and summarize meetings, but I can foresee co-pilots becoming more like personal assistants that will constantly be available to us from our mobile phones. For example, if I wanted to book a family holiday, I would ‘speak’ to my personal assistant and ask it to book me a beach holiday for a duration of 5 nights to a country that does not require me to apply for a visa? The personal assistant would go away and use my historic holidays as a basis for its search – anything it was not sure of, it would ask me to validate by asking questions like: “Do you want to be on the beach?” or “Would you like the location to be tranquil, or near restaurants & nightlife?”

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

All of the asset rich sectors that IFS serves are predicted to experience the most disruption. This includes Manufacturing, Aviation & Defense, Utilities & Natural Resources, Telecommunications, Construction & Engineers, and any Service rich industry. Some examples of these use-cases in the manufacturing vertical include Planning & Scheduling optimization and Demand Planner AI forecast.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

The new skill will to be able to ask the correct question in the relevant level of detail when it comes to interrogating Large Language models! As we humans are able to access large fathoms of data, this ability to ask the right question will become paramount in order to get the correct response. Ask the wrong question, or a question that is vague, the LLM will not provide the best answer!

PROVEN CONSULT

HILEL BAROUD CEO of PROVEN Consult

WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS EXPECTED TO DEFINE 2025?

In2025,wewillwitnessArtificialIntelligent(AI)reachneweras of adoption and integration. Almost every technology vendor is leveraging AI capabilities into their solutions. For example, leaders of Intelligence Automation platforms transformed their solutions into AI-powered Agentic Business Automation platforms. This transformation is enabling more technologybased decision making in our day-to-day operations.

Another technology that is expected to define 2025 is robotics in healthcare. We see significant adoption of robotic surgeons, particularly in precision-driven procedures, where their accuracy is improving surgical outcomes and patient recoverytimes.IoTwillcontinuetoexpanditsinterconnectivity, creating a technological environment enabling real time data collection and enabling intelligent decision making.

HOW WILL THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE DIFFER IN 2025 COMPARED TO TODAY?

In my opinion, the technology landscape will grow closer together and become more interconnected. Technology vendors are designing platforms to have the ability to connect with other platforms, creating a seamless interconnected ecosystem. On top of these interconnected platforms, AI-driven Intelligent Automation will enhance workflow execution by optimizing efficiency and enhancing operations. Within organizations, C-level management and department heads will embrace AI-driven decisionmaking as a standard practice. Enterprises will rely more on systems to standardize and optimize decision making outcomes, in efforts to reduce the unpredictability of human-driven execution and decision making.

WHICH SECTORS ARE PREDICTED TO EXPERIENCE THE MOST DISRUPTION BY 2025?

I predict advanced disruption in the financial and health sector in 2025. AI and Machine Learning (ML) engines will help financial institutes detect suspicious activities through real-time data analysis and pattern recognition. Customers on the other hand will experience insignificantly enhanced through automated credit scoring enabling faster, more accurate and unbiased credit offerings.

WHAT SKILLS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENTERPRISE IT PROFESSIONALS?

Roles that will be in high demand are:

• Data Engineers to analyze and extract meaningful information from big data sets.

• AI Engineers to design and integrate AI solutions intro enterprise environments.

• Technical Business Consultants that can fully understand the business needs and translate them into technical solutions.

• Robotic Engineers to develop robotic automations that enhance operations efficiency.

LEADING THE WAY

SALEM ALQAHTANI CTO of Al Rajhi Takaful.

Al Rajhi Takaful is one of the largest insurance companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ranked number one in motor and life insurance, the firm offers a range of products, including general and medical insurance, serving a customer base of approximately 3.5 million in the Kingdom.

As the company scales rapidly, it seeks to provide innovative insurance solutions to its customers. To support its business objectives, Al Rajhi Takaful required a modern, scalable, and secure digital infrastructure. “This warranted a modern, scalable, and secure digital infrastructure to achieve its business objectives,” says Fahad Al Turief, Vice President – Technology Cloud, Saudi, Levant, and North Africa, Oracle.

Recognizing this need, Al

Al Rajhi Takaful accelerates digital innovation with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Rajhi Takaful selected Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). With OCI, the company can automate core business processes, scale quickly, ensure compliance with local data residency regulations, and run applications faster and more securely at a lower cost.

“Before moving to Oracle Cloud, we had a legacy data center hosted on-site, which faced numerous challenges, including issues with availability, scalability, and performance,” explains Salem Alqahtani, CTO of Al Rajhi Takaful. “The main driver for migrating to OCI was to adopt a cloud-native environment as part of our strategic direction.” He emphasizes that ensuring business continuity and maintaining credibility with customers by guaranteeing always-on services was critical.

MIGRATION CHALLENGES AND APPROACH

Salem acknowledges that transitioning from a legacy environment to a cloud-native one was challenging. “However, with the support from Oracle and their partners, we managed these challenges effectively. Within a very short time, we completed the migration with no major interruptions to the business,” he says.

The company adopted a hybrid migration approach, given its legacy environment. “Some components were liftand-shift, others were replaced with new solutions, and some were built from scratch. It was truly a mix of migration types,”

Salem adds.

Today, approximately 98% of Al Rajhi Takaful's workloads are on the cloud. While reduced operational costs are a benefit, Salem highlights performance and scalability as the primary drivers of the migration. “Our vision is to become the topranked insurance company in the Kingdom, which means we expect significant business growth. Therefore, we need a scalable, highly available, and

We have a significant program focused on data and AI. We’ve developed our own AI solutions running on OCI, starting with applications like medical claims approval, motor assessment, claims assessment, pricing, and cross-selling

claims assessment, pricing, and cross-selling,” Salem explains.

Looking ahead, the company plans to explore OCI’s advanced AI and machine learning capabilities further to improve operations.

WHY OCI?

Before selecting OCI, Al Rajhi Takaful evaluated other cloud providers, including Google and AWS. “Oracle stood out due to its local data center and disaster recovery (DR) site, which were critical factors for us,” Salem notes. Additionally, the company sought a partner capable of providing effective support, managing the environment, and being readily available.

FUTURE PLANS WITH OCI

In addition to leveraging OCI for its data and AI initiatives, Al Rajhi Takaful plans to expand its data center to include both primary and secondary environments. The company is also close to decommissioning its on-premises data center.

high-performance environment to achieve our goals.”

LEVERAGING DATA AND AI FOR FUTURE GROWTH

Currently, Salem and his team are building a data lake environment to enhance the company’s AI capabilities. “We have a significant program focused on data and AI. We’ve developed our own AI solutions running on OCI, starting with applications like medical claims approval, motor assessment,

“OCI is also providing the foundation for Al Rajhi Takaful to launch innovative products like digital insurance and personalized solutions. By leveraging AI and advanced analytics on OCI, Al Rajhi Takaful can gain deeper customer insights and deliver customized solutions that will help the company lead the Sharia-compliant insurance sector," says Fahad Al Turief, vice president – Technology Cloud, Saudi, Levant and North Africa, Oracle.

UAE PAYMENTS REVENUE POOL PROJECTED

TO REACH $27.3 BILLION BY 2028, MAINTAINING STRONG GROWTH TRAJECTORY, ACCORDING TO BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP.

The UAE’s payments industry is poised to achieve significant growth, with total revenues projected to reach $27.3 billion by 2028, according to the latest Global Payments Report 2024 from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Despite a global slowdown in growth rates, the UAE continues to lead in the GCC, driven by its rapid digital transformation and strategic investments in the financial sector.

The Global Payments Report 2024 marks BCG’s 22nd annual analysis of the global payments industry, emphasizing the need for decisive action in navigating a rapidly evolving landscape.

The report aptly titled Fortune Favors the Bold highlights the importance of adapting to shifting customer expectations, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and technological disruptions. While growth is slowing globally, the UAE remains a bright spot in the region, continuing its high growth and innovation trajectory.

Globally, payments revenue growth is projected to slow significantly, with CAGR halving to 5% through 2028, resulting in a global payments revenue pool of $2.3 trillion. This marks a sharp decline from the 9% CAGR observed over the previous five years, which pushed the global revenue pool to $1.8 trillion in 2023. North America and Europe are expected to experience the most significant slowdowns, with projected annual revenue increases of just 3%. In contrast, regions like the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific are forecasted to see higher growth, with the Middle East projected to grow at a 7% CAGR, driven by accelerating digital payments in emerging markets.

UAE PAYMENTS SECTOR SET FOR CONTINUED GROWTH

The UAE’s payments sector has seen robust growth in recent years. From 2018 to 2023, the country’s payments revenue grew from $9.8 billion to $18.8 billion, with a CAGR of 13.8%. By 2028, the UAE is projected to reach $27.3 billion in revenues, marking a 45% increase over the next five years.

Transaction volumes in the UAE are also forecast to rise significantly, from 1.7 billion in 2023 to over 3.1 billion by 2028, representing a 78% increase. The shift from cash-based to digital payments, spurred by government initiatives and increased fintech adoption, continues to drive this expansion.

"The UAE's payments landscape is reaching a critical inflection point," says Lukasz Rey, Managing Director and Partner and Head of the Middle East Financial Institutions Practice at BCG. "As we move beyond the era of easy growth, the sector must pivot from pure expansion to sustainable profitability. Tech modernization is no longer optional –payment firms must upgrade their legacy systems to modular, scalable, cloud-ready architectures to reduce tech debt, improve unit economics, and adapt efficiently to evolving market demands. Early adopters already leverage generative AI to enhance customer service, strengthen fraud detection, and drive operational efficiency at scale. With intensifying global pressures and regulatory scrutiny, UAE companies that act decisively now – investing in modern tech stacks while strengthening their risk and compliance frameworks – will be best positioned to deliver the seamless experiences customers demand and the sustainable returns investors expect."

NEW STRATEGIES NEEDED AS PAYMENTS INDUSTRY FACES TRANSFORMATION

The global payments industry is at a turning point, requiring companies to shift from easy growth to bold, strategic approaches, and reporting highlights that digital payments are nearing maturity in critical markets like the U.S. and U.K., with

less than 10% of transactions still in cash. Shareholder value creation has evolved, with buybacks and dividends making up over one-third of total returns. Instant payments are now standard in 60+ countries, while central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are poised to disrupt the landscape. Generative AI is already cutting costs by up to 70% for early adopters, making modernization essential for staying competitive.

Future-Proofing UAE’s Payments Industry for Sustainable Success

As emerging technologies like generative AI, real-time payments, and digital currencies reshape the global payments landscape, the UAE remains well-positioned for long-term success through continued innovation and modernization.

"The growth momentum in the UAE payments sector is clear," says Mohammad Khan, Managing Director and Partner at BCG. "With UAE transaction volumes expected to increase by 78%, reaching 3.1 billion by 2028, we're witnessing one of the most dynamic markets globally. This growth brings both opportunities and challenges. While digital payments and emerging technologies like real-time transfers and digital currencies reshape the landscape, success will belong to those who effectively combine innovation with strong execution. Companies that strategically invest in their capabilities today while maintaining operational discipline will be the ones who capture this significant market opportunity."

Lukasz Rey Managing Director and Partner BCG

Mohammad Khan Managing Director & Partner, BCG

Proofpoint appoints Kenan Abu Ltaif as regional lead for the Middle East and Turkey

Proofpoint has appointed Kenan Abu Ltaif as Regional Lead for the Middle East and Turkey. With almost three decades of leadership experience in the IT industry, the cybersecurity expert will continue to drive Proofpoint’s expansion in the region.

In his new role, Abu Ltaif will be responsible for managing the business operations in the region, acquiring new customers, developing the highperforming local team and driving innovation and growth in the market. This new appointment underscores Proofpoint’s ongoing commitment to investing in a high-growth region that is strategically important to the company.

Abu Ltaif brings more than 28 years of leadership experience in the IT industry. Having held key roles at global leaders such as Cisco AppDynamics, Citrix, Symantec, McAfee, and NCR, he has consistently demonstrated expertise in driving results and fostering growth.

Acronis appoints Gerald Beuchelt as CISO

Acronis has appointed Gerald Beuchelt as its new Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). In this role, Beuchelt will lead the execution of Acronis’ global information security strategy, ensuring the protection of the company’s information, systems, and technologies while advancing Acronis’ goal to protect all data, applications, and systems.

As a key member of executive leadership responsible for security, Beuchelt will lead a global team of IT, security, and compliance professionals. Beuchelt will oversee corporate IT infrastructure, including help desk operations, server and network management, and more. Additionally, he will support the expansion of Acronis’ impact in the cybersecurity community through new research, reports, and threat intelligence from the Acronis Threat Research Unit (TRU).

PROVEN strengthens its KSA leadership team with Loay Faisal as new GM

PROVEN has announced the appointment of Loay Faisal as its new General Manager. This strategic appointment underscores PROVEN’s commitment to strengthening its solid foundation and continued growth across the region. It reflects the company’s vision to deliver innovative, client-focused solutions that create value and drive business success in an evolving market landscape.

In his new role, Loay will lead service delivery operations with a particular focus on Business Process Outsourcing and contact center solutions, to ensure that PROVEN consistently meet and exceed client expectations. In addition, he will provide strategic leadership and direction to drive the company’s growth while fostering robust relationships with clients, enabling them to maintain a competitive edge in the market.

Kenan Abu Ltaif, Regional Lead of Middle East and Turkey, at Proofpoint

Loay Faisal General Manager PROVEN

Gerald Beuchelt CISO at Acronis

UAE - 18 FEB KSA - 24 FEB SINGAPORE - 24 OCT

INDONESIA - 27 OCT MALAYSIA - 29 OCT INDIA (MUMBAI) - 12 NOV

INDIA (BENGALURU) - 14 NOV KENYA - 19 NOV