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THE NEXUS OF GCC COUNTRIES FOR FUTURE ECONOMY Unveiling the investments, roadmap, technolgies and key infrastructure pillars that put GCC on the map of global competitiveness

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EDITORIAL

Driving the ‘Ubantu’ philosophy in IT

ANUSHREE DIXIT A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R A N U S H R E E @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M

‘I am, because we are’— This famous Ubantu philosophy of humanity stands true for the other doctrines as well. It gives you a sense of realization that things coexist; and things co-exist in harmony. Isolation was and never will be an answer. At a time when the IT infrastructure is going through a digital overhaul— thanks to the rising buzzwords— there tends to be a gap. In the process of designing a complete ‘infrastructure’, organizations often tend to miss out on the negligible. I am sure we all would agree to this fact that the news of data loss, cyber attacks, malwares, ransomwares, business downtimes… etc that made headlines recently had one thing in common— Negligence or a slight distraction. The moral of the story is, just having ‘good enough’ technology will not serve the purpose. Coming to the Ubantu philosophy— Technologies in an organization have to co-exist (regardless of how many vendors it comes from). Through our stories in this edition, we have tried to put together some strong cases of infrastructure digitization and see how cloud, HCI, chatbots, virtualization, networking…..etc are redefining their purpose and existence. Yes, all of this leading to GITEX and the numerous ways in which it will depict the end-to-end infrastructure. I was driving past the ‘almost built’ Dubai Eye or Ain Dubai, which once operational will give you a 360 degree view of the entire Dubai. What struck me instantly was how acutely it resembles a CIO’s vision of an end-to-end infrastructure. Visibility is all set to be the Priority!

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2017 CONTENTS

VOLUME 05 ISSUE 02 SEPTEMBER 2017 W W W. E C - M E A . C O M

COVER STORY

DIGITAL GOVERNMENT, SMART GOVERNANCE ACCELERATE THE JOURNEY

From e-Government to m-Government to s-Government, government organizations in the Middle East have compelled themselves to embrace digitization and its overwhelming service delivery patterns. /24 MY VIEWS /22

CONNECTING THE CRITICAL GURUPRASAD PADMANABHAN, VP AT REDLINE COMMUNICATIONS

INNOVATIONS /51

XIRRUS WI-FI ACCESS POINT

Riverbed Technologylaunched a new Xirrus Wi-Fi Access Point.

FEATURE STORY Are You Ready if the Disaster Strikes?

MY VIEWS /30

EMPOWERING INTELLIGENT DIALOGUES IN ENTERPRISES RAJ KONERU, FOUNDER AND CEO OF KORE TECHNOLOGIES

MY VIEWS /47

EDITORIAL::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 04

KEEPING PAYMENT HURDLES AT BAY

CHANNEL STREET : ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 06

NIRANJ SANGAL, GROUP CEO, OMA EMIRATES GROUP

INNOVATIONS : :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 51

FEATURE STORY “ BIG DATA”::::::::::::::::::: 34

ADVERTISER INDEX: CIF 02, EMITAC 03, VEEAM 07, OMA 09, ACCELION 11, GITEX 2017 (INHOUSE) 13, RITTAL 15, GEC AWARDS 2017 17, COMVAULT 19, DELL 21, BULWARK 23, GITEX DWTC 39, FINESSE 43, SOPHOS 45, GBM 51, HID 53, PURESTORAGE 55, GEC OPEN 56

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CHANNEL

STREET GEORGE KURIAN, CEO, NETAPP

NetApp Reports Q1 Fiscal Year 2018 Results NetApp reported financial results for the first quarter fiscal year 2018, ended July 28, 2017. Net revenues for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 were $1.33 billion, compared to net revenues of $1.29 billion for the comparable period of the prior year. GAAP net income for the

first quarter of fiscal year 2018 was $136 million, or $0.49 per share, compared to GAAP net income of $64 million, or $0.23 per share, for the comparable period of the prior year. Non-GAAP net income for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 was $173 million, or $0.62 per

SOPHOS LAUNCHES SUPER STAR CAMPAIGN FOR PARTNERS IN THE MEA Sophos launched a new initiative for its authorized and silver partners from the Middle East & Africa. The Sophos Super star campaign is designed to motivate partners with additional rewards on achieving their target. It is also aimed at driving sales for the latest security solutions. Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Harish Chib, Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Sophos said, “Authorized and Silver partners are our major source of SMB business in the MEA region. With this campaign, Sophos’ objective is to reward and motivate the extensive list of partners of these categories in the MEA region”

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share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $129 million, or $0.46 per share, for the comparable period of the prior year. “Customers and industry leaders are excited by our strategic direction and are choosing NetApp as their partner for data-driven digital

transformations. We are building on a strong foundation and are, without question, the best positioned and the best executing company in the industry” said George Kurian, CEO. The Company announced the next cash dividend of $0.20 per share.

SERVICENOW LAUNCHES TRUSTED SECURITY CIRCLES Trusted Security Circles is a new cloud-based application that gives enterprises the ability to share and receive hyper-relevant threat intelligence in near real-time. Customers now know if a security incident they’re investigating is happening to any peers, partners or suppliers. If the number of sightings exceeds a set threshold, a security incident can be automatically opened in ServiceNow Security Operations. This serves as an early warning system for industry-specific, targeted attacks, can speed up response and shore up an entire supply chain from attacks. Sean Convery, General Manager, Security Business Unit, ServiceNow. “ServiceNow enables enterprises to apply the power of collaboration to proactively avert attacks.”

CHANNEL STREET

Epicor Reveals International Winners of 2017 Partner Excellence Awards

The global awards program was launched as part of the new international channel programme, and demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to investing in and growing its international channel. All recipients, a mixture of both new and long-term partners, were selected by Epicor based on exceptional performance in

market growth, customer satisfaction, total sales and overall commitment to Epicor solutions. Partners are recognised for excellence in growing their Epicor customers through innovation in business and technology. Winners have enabled their customers to compete in today’s global economy by setting them up for success.

SALESFORCE INTRODUCES EINSTEIN VISION FOR SOCIAL STUDIO Salesforce is introducing Einstein Vision for Social Studio, delivering AI-powered image recognition directly within Marketing Cloud’s social media marketing solution. Now, marketers can automate the discovery and identification of images, and respond appropriately. By understanding the photos that consumers post, marketers are empowered to reach customers even when they have not specifically mentioned a brand, product or service by name. Salesforce is introducing Einstein Vision for Social Studio, delivering AI-powered image recognition directly within Marketing Cloud’s social media marketing solution.

KACST DEPLOYS VEEAM AVAILABILITY SUITE The Internet Services Unit (ISU) of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), a government entity that coordinates and promotes scientific and technological research in Saudi Arabia, has deployed Veeam Availability Suite from Veeam Software in order to provide the science community in Saudi Arabia with 24.7.365 access to critical data for research that fosters innovation and promotes a knowledge-based society. The two most important components of science and innovation are people and data. Therefore, KACST created the ISU to provide people in the science community with 24.7.365 access to data. Without 24.7.365 access, they can’t carry out their collaborative research and develop solutions that improve society. ISU provides hosted services and cloud computing to approximately 30 organizations in the science community, including universities, research centers, laboratories and government agencies. “Our job is to provide high availability to the organizations that conduct scientific research and foster technological innovation,” said Mr. Abdulmajeed R. Al-Osaimi, Manager of the System & Development Department at ISU “Veeam helps us deliver 24.7.365 Availability of the data that becomes the catalyst for discovery, economic development and social prosperity.”

HP ROCKETS INTO MARS RACE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE HP and NVIDIA teamed up with Autodesk, Fusion, Launch Forth, Technicolor, Unreal Engine and VIVE to launch HP Mars Home Planet – a global project to experience, through virtual reality, what a human population of one million could look like on Mars. The HP Mars Home Planet proj-

ect advances work initially done for Mars 2030, a virtual reality experience created by Fusion with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Now, HP and its partners are uniting engineers, architects, designers, artists and students to imagine, design and experience humanity’s future

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on Mars through VR. “Through HP and partner technology, we are unleashing engineers, architects, designers and students to help anticipate and solve the real world problems we’ll face to inhabit Mars one day” Gwen Coble, Director, Workstations, Thin Clients, Retail Solutions and Immersive Computing,

EMEA, HP. The project looks beyond 2030, to a time in the future where there are families and communities living on Mars. The goal of the project is to engage creative thinkers to solve some of the challenges of urbanization on the red planet.

CHANNEL STREET

Genetec Achieves Top Global Market Share Rankings

SECONDS

SAUDI’S NCSC RECEIVES UL CYBERSECURITY CERTIFICATION The certification was the first to be awarded in the Middle East region. UL CAP applies the new UL 2900 series of standards using testable cybersecurity criteria for network-connectable products and industrial control systems to assess software vulnerabilities and weaknesses, minimize exploitation, address known malware, review security controls and increase security awareness. The NCSC has a deep understanding of regional and international cyber security issues and its Community of Trust network infrastructure security software meets the rigorous standards of UL’s Cybersecurity Assurance Program. XEROX REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2017 EARNINGS The company delivered second-quarter 2017 GAAP earnings per share from continuing operations of 63 cents, reflecting its onefor-four reverse stock split on June 14, 2017. Revenues were $2.57 billion in the quarter,

ANDREW ELVISH, VICE PRESIDENT AT GENETEC

down 8.1 percent or 6.4 percent in constant currency. Post-sale revenue was 79 percent of total revenue.

Genetec has emerged as the only security and public safety solutions developer to hold a place in the top-10 global rankings for video management software (VMS), access control software, and automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) software, according to recently published market research reports by IHS Markit. The IHS Markit reports include 2017 Video Surveillance Market Share Database, 2017 Access Control Intelligence Database, and 2017 ANPR & Detection Sensors

Report. “Customers are trusting us in ever greater numbers to deliver on our promise of true unification, and we are honored to be able to develop the software and appliances that bring that promise to life” comments Andrew Elvish, Vice President at Genetec. With its open platform Synergis line of software, Genetec entered into the top-5 ranking for access control software developers in the Americas.

SAGE 300 USER CONFERENCE PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON VAT The Sage 300 User Conference took place on 15 August 2017 at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa, Dubai and aimed at accounting, finance, sales and purchasing departments, and logistics professionals. Delegates learnt about the latest developments in the business and technology landscape, heard success stories from other Sage customers, and saw ISV and OEM solutions from Sage. The user conference showed how businesses can use the software to prepare for the regional implementation of VAT

ITSM PROFESSIONALS BELIEVE FUTURE IT ROLES WILL BECOME MORE CHALLENGING ManageEngine revealed the results of its IT Service Management Future Readiness survey. The survey, which was conducted in collaboration with ITSM.tools, consisted of ten questions that focused on the opportunities and challenges ITSM will see in the future. It was presented to ITSM professionals and garnered over 300 responses, yielding key findings in five distinct areas. “Being aware of potential future challenges and opportunities helps ITSM professionals stay relevant and responsive to changing landscapes in IT and business, giving their organizations a competitive edge” said Rajesh Ganesan, Director of Product Management at ManageEngine.

FRANCISCO PARTNERS COMPLETES INVESTMENT IN ERICSSON’S ICONECTIV BUSINESS As part of the investment, Francisco Partners invests USD 200 million to acquire a 16.7% ownership in iconectiv. The partnership between Ericsson and Francisco Partners will enable iconectiv to accelerate growth and deliver shareholder value. Headquartered in the United States, iconectiv develops solutions that enable operators to interconnect networks.

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New Research Supports Think Tank Assertions on Cyber Resilience Planning

NEIL MURRAY, CTO AT MIMECAST

Mimecast Limited published its e-book, Strengthen Your Defenses Against Cybercrime: Cyber Resilience Planning for Email, that voices insights and prescriptive advice from members of the Cyber Resilience Think Tank. This first-ofits-kind Cyber Resilience Think Tank was first hosted by Mimecast at the RSA Conference 2017, bringing together top industry experts to discuss the meaning of cyber resilience. “Mimecast’s first Cyber Resilience Think Tank was a meeting of the minds. It was great to bring together some of

brightest experts in cybersecurity and collaborate on what organizations need to do to build a comprehensive cyber resilient strategy” said Neil Murray, CTO at Mimecast. While the definition of ‘cyber resilience’ can vary across industry, this research indicates that organizations acknowledge the need for a plan yet only 30% of respondents have adopted a complete cyber resilience strategy, with about one third still in the early stages of development or planning.

VMWARE AND DELL EMC ACCELERATE MOMRA’S DELIVERY OF DIGITAL SERVICES VMware said its solutions are accelerating a massive digital transformation taking place at the Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) in Saudi Arabia. As part of its strategic targets to deliver on the National Transformation Program 2020 and Saudi Vision 2030, MOMRA has created the Municipal Information Center to deliver innovative digital services to citizens and residents across Saudi Arabia. By deploying VMware vRealize Suite cloud management platform, as part of Dell EMC Enterprise Hybrid Cloud, MOMRA’s Municipal Information Center provides a centralized, cloud-based self-service portal for its municipalities. The delivery of IT services is instant, automated and highly available, enabling MOMRA to introduce new digital services to citizens 200% faster and reallocate 30% of IT budget to the development of future offerings, according to MOMRA. “Working with VMware and Dell EMC, we now have a cloud platform for the rapid delivery of Municipal digital services to business and citizens across Saudi Arabia both today and tomorrow. As a result of our digital transformation, MOMRA is quickly executing on the government’s National Transformation Program 2020 in line with Saudi Vision 2030, and providing world-class government services,” said Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah, Director, Municipal Information Center, MOMRA.

MICROSOFT NAMED A LEADER IN MAGIC QUADRANT FOR DATA MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS FOR ANALYTICS Gartner has identified Microsoft as a market leader in its Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics. The company’s placement was accredited to its “ability to execute” and its “completeness of vision”.

“In providing customers with data management solutions for analytics, we help them realise the full potential of their data and give them the power to revolutionise their customer relationships” said Necip Ozyucel, Cloud & Enterprise

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Business Solutions Lead, Microsoft. DMSA is defined by Gartner as a system for storing, accessing, processing and delivering data for analytics. In line with the evolving nature of data science Microsoft has implemented its own data platform

evolution through SQL Server 2016 and the Cortana Intelligence Suite, to make big data processing and analytics simpler and more accessible, so that organisations can transform data into intelligent action.

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Pure to Showcase All-Flash Data Platform at GITEX 2017

WEB CLIPS ARC NAMES IFS LEADER IN AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE EAM SOFTWARE

Pure Storage will be participating at GITEX Technology Week which will be held October 08-12 at the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC). The company will be showcasing their latest cloud-enabled, all-flash data platform, powered by the combination of FlashArray//X, the company’s first all-NVMe, enterprise-class, all-flash array for high performance structured data workloads and FlashBlade, the company’s all-flash array built for high-performance unstructured data workloads. “At Pure our mission is to help our customers put their data to work to drive innovation. This means bringing their business three critical attributes—speed, agility, and intelligence—to succeed in their own digital transformation,” said James Petter, Vice President, EMEA at Pure Storage. “We do this by delivering the Data Platform for the Cloud Era that enables our customers to run all operations with cloud agility, improve the economics of data analytics at high velocity and scale, and ultimately derive new insights to deliver data-driven customer results never before possible.”

This is the ninth consecutive year that IFS has been named as the global market leader by the major research and advisory firm ARC Advisory Group. The study found IFS has continued to increase its A&D market share, and now has a commanding market share lead over the next highest participant. These 2016 figures do not include the gains following the acquisition of the A&D maintenance management software provider Mxi Technologies that closed in January 2017 AWS CHOSEN BY HULU AS ITS CLOUD PROVIDER Hulu has leveraged AWS to launch its new,

SANS FINDS UNPROTECTED DEVICES AND RANSOMWARE ARE TOP THREATS TO ICS SANS Institute’s annual survey of industrial control systems (ICS) has revealed that the introduction of unprotected devices into sensitive ICS networks and ransomware are now among the top threats that organizations face in securing critical infrastructure. In addition, 69% of respondents stated that the level of threats to control systems is now high or severely critical. “Traditionally, these systems have been less frequently updated and the teams operating them lack dedicated cyber security professionals. This places some of the most critical systems we have in the ME at risk of cyber-attack” explained Ned Baltagi, MD, Middle East & Africa at SANS.

over-the-top (OTT) live TV service. Hulu turned to AWS for a scalable, agile, and cost effective infrastructure to support the addition of more than 50 live channels for the Hulu with Live TV launch in May 2017. Running its live TV service on AWS’s reliable and secure infrastructure allows Hulu to deliver a great viewer experience, even in times of rapid spikes in viewership and traffic CLICKODE AND DREMMWEL PARTNER TO EXPAND IN MEA Under the agreement, Clickode has entrusted Dremmwel with the task of designing, structuring and developing its own indirect collabora-

NUMBER GAME

MOVEMENTS Sophos appointed CLARISSA A. PETERSON as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Infoblox Appoints ASHRAF SHEET as MEA Regional Director

Redline Appoints GURUPRASAD PADMANABHAN as Channel Specialist to Oversee Expansion in MEA

Telr appoints WISAM FADEL as Chief Technology Officer PRETAM RAIKAR, as Head of Sales for Telr in the UAE

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86.4bn

Worldwide spending on information security products and services will reach $86.4 billion in 2017 according to Gartner.

tive sales channel, extending their expertise to vendors, service partners and VARs of the SAP ecosystem in the MEA region. Dremmwel will ensure access to Clickode’s expertise for the local SAP community to the best in class business continuity services, migration capabilities and projects implementations. INFOR MADE AVAILABLE INFOR CONCIERGE Infor Concierge is a self-service tool for customers that simplifies access to important sites, content, and resources within Infor. Infor Concierge is intuitive, with a modern look and feel and is available 24 x 7 for no additional fee to all customers who are on a current Infor Maintenance or Subscription contract. Every user can personalize their home screen, have instant access to information about their Infor services and solutions at any time and connect with other users in Infor Communities.

Discover it – the new world of IT solutions.

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Ajman DED launches ISIC-4 system

The Department of Economic Development – Ajman, launched its ISIC4 system, to enhance electronic communication with other local and federal agencies, to streamline government procedures. The move supports the DED-Ajman’s commitment to developing an ideal environment for investment, while adopting best practices to encourage further investments in the promising

AI AND ANALYTICS ACCELERATE THE PACE OF DIGITAL WORKPLACE TRANSFORMATION

opportunities Ajman has to offer. The ISIC4 system is an important tool, and is fundamental in the process of enhancing business competitiveness, as it helps to facilitate over 3.700 economic activities by investors. This supports the DEDAjman’s goal to develop a thriving economy for the community in Ajman.

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IMPORTANT FOR BIG DATA MANAGEMENT, DELL EMC Emphasizing the importance of leveraging Blockchain technology to unlock new enterprise value for organizations and address unresolved Big Data challenges, Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President, Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Dell EMC says, “Sharing data through blockchain technology, can not only help in unlocking new enterprise value for organizations but also address three of its unresolved challenges: controlling data, ensuring data credibility, and building universal exchanges.

New research which examined how organisations are evolving from a traditional office environment to a digital workplace reveals that gaining competitive advantage and improving business process are among the top goals of their digital transformation strategy. This is according to 40% of 800 organisations in 15 countries on five continents that were interviewed for Dimension Data’s Digital Workplace Report: Transforming Your Business. Another insight in the Report is that digital transformation is not just about adopting the technologies of the past: 62% of research participants expect to have technology such as virtual advisors in their organisations within the next two years. “In a new Digital Transformation in the Workplace report published by Dimension Data last month, the research revealed that countries in the GCC and the Middle East are rapidly divesting from oil driven economies into digital, smart, mobile, and data enabled services driven economies. Migrating their workforces into transformative work environments is critical to ensure success in this journey,” says Mechelle Buys Du Plessis, Managing Director, Dimension Data, Middle East.

BREAKTHROUGH IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: THYSSENKRUPP CONNECTS MACHINERY A milestone for the digital transformation: thyssenkrupp connects the machinery of the materials division via a new digital platform. Thanks to toii all machines can communicate

with each other. Due to predictive maintenance, the platform is also supposed to forecast the necessity of machine services in the future. The name chosen by the business area is a

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double play on words – it spells IIoT backwards, the abbreviation for “Industrial Internet of Things” – and it is pronounced like the word “toy”, an indication of how the new platform makes

linking heterogeneous machines to existing IT structures “child’s play”. toii was developed completely in-house by company software engineering experts and tailored to the specific

requirements of Materials Services.

HONOURING THE BEST

GLORY AWAITS THE CHAMPIONS!

It is time to raise the bars and touch new milestones, yet again as the 4th Annual GEC Awards 2017 is set to go on stage this October. Ruling the pre-GITEX stage since the past 4 years, GEC Awards has become the fastest growing industry awards in the region and a major referral for ICT champions in the MEA region.

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Updating a Defense Classic for Machine-Speed Cyber Protection The OODA (observe-orient-decide-act) loop was defined by Col John Boyd in 1950s as a process for reacting intelligently to any stimulus, including attacks and threats. OODA’s principles are as relevant today as they were at its inception. Applied in new approaches of managed detection and response (MDR) and machine learning (ML), they can significantly lower security risks and improve security postures. With Paladion’s Managed Detection and Response service, identi-

MEA TO SPEND $8 BILLION ON IOT IN 2017

fied threats can then be validated in minutes and containment and remediation organized within hours. “Our specialized MDR teams use these data analytics and machine learning resources and also push the boundaries of OODA even further to identify threats and attacks earlier – even to the point of tackling them before they happen,” says Amit Roy, Executive Vice President and Regional Head for EMEA at Paladion.

GARTNER IDENTIFIES 3 MEGATRENDS DRIVING DIGITAL BUSINESS The emerging technologies on the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2017 reveal three distinct megatrends that will enable businesses to survive and thrive in the digital economy over the next five to 10 years. Artificial intelligence (AI) everywhere, transparently immersive experiences and digital platforms are the trends that will provide unrivaled intelligence, create profoundly new experiences and offer platforms that allow organizations to connect with new business ecosystems. “Enterprise architects who are focused on technology innovation must evaluate these high-level trends and the featured technologies, as well as the potential impact on their businesses,” said Mike J. Walker, Research Director at Gartner. “In addition to the potential impact on businesses, these trends provide a significant opportunity for enterprise architecture leaders to help senior business and IT leaders respond to digital business opportunities and threats by creating signature-ready actionable and diagnostic deliverables that guide investment decisions.”

Middle East organizations are adopting the latest Internet of Things technology infrastructure to drive the wider region’s USD 8 billion market, revealed SAP. As the inter-connected Internet of Things era advances, Middle East organizations are forced to manage a vast network of connected devices, wearables, and physical objects – from cars to oil drills. Using machine-to-machine technology, organizations can provide a secure, usable infrastructure that shares machine and sensor data for actionable information in real-time. “Every industry vertical in the Middle East is set to be transformed by the Internet of Things – from smart utilities predicting service outages, to healthcare providers predicting patient treatments,” said Gergi Abboud, Managing Director for the Gulf, Levant, North Africa, and Pakistan at SAP. “The strength of an Internet of Things use case improves exponentially when you unleash the connectivity between all of the ‘things’ inside and outside of an enterprise across its supply chain. Hence, a secure Internet of Things platform on the cloud becomes vital for supporting next generation applications, which can scale up quickly and easily,” added Gergi Abboud. Showing the strong demand, 82% of organizations see the Internet of Things as “strategic” or “transformational” to their business, according to a recent survey by IDC.

THE BLOCKBUSTER SAGA CONTINUES Unit 42 researchers at Palo Alto Networks have discovered new attack activity targeting individuals involved with United States defense contractors. Through analysis of malicious code, files, and infrastructure it is clear the

group behind this campaign is either directly responsible for or has cooperated with the group which conducted Operation Blockbuster Sequel and, ultimately, Operation Blockbuster. The threat actors are reusing tools, techniques, and

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procedures which overlap throughout these operations with little variance. Recently, they’ve identified weaponized Microsoft Office Document files which use the same malicious macros as attacks from earlier this year. Based on

the contents of these latest decoy documents which are displayed to a victim after opening the weaponized document the attackers have switched targets from Korean language speakers to English language speakers.

CHANNEL STREET

Waseela Takes a Step Further in Smart City Solutions

WASEELA CEO, DR. SAMER TAHA

Waseela is currently engaged in a record number of active projects for in-building wireless coverage and capacity enhancement solutions, following a spike in demand for technology driven by the GCC’s status as a pioneer of Smart City solutions. Waseela’s engineering delivery department is currently and concurrently working on more than 200 mega buildings across several GCC countries, a record number for the company. The

GCC’s growing appetite for innovation follows its pursuit of connected and automated cities, more efficient buildings and Smart city capabilities, in line with such National Agendas as UAE Vision 2021 and Saudi Vision 2030. Waseela CEO, Dr. Samer Taha, said: “This important milestone is not only significant for Waseela but also for the GCC, as it reflects the pace and scope of innovation currently taking place across the region.”

PROTOTYPE UNDERLINES 3 DIGITAL HABITS TO DEVELOP SOUND DIGITAL STRATEGY Digiculture – the perfect term to describe the culture today’s world lives in. In digiculture, the transformation of society and generation into a digitally charged collective is real-time. Alexander Rauser, CEO and Founder of Prototype puts forward 3 digital habits; Do your research--It is imperative for businesses to do their research before embarking on a digital strategy plan. Get inspired--Discover the top players in the digital world and pay heed to their actions. Learning from the online success of a brand will enhance a businesses’ approach to creating a sound digital strategy. Make time--There is no better way to learn than trial and error. Grasp a clear understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

MEDICLINIC SELECTS INTERSYSTEMS TO SUPPORT A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE InterSystems, revealed that Mediclinic Middle East (MCME), is implementing InterSystems TrakCare, a unified healthcare information system. The solution will provide all MCME hospitals and clinics in the UAE with an online, secure, electronic medical record. This will give the group’s care providers the clinical and administrative information they require about each patient at any given time. TrakCare will support the MCME medical staff in their decision-making, while creating more opportunities to offer patients an enhanced experience and seamless care journey. TrakCare will also help clinicians and administrators to manage costs and maintain efficiencies by streamlining care processes, eliminating duplicate tests, expediting billing, and maximizing the use of resources. TrakCare’s advanced interoperability will enable MCME to align with the UAE Health authorities’ plans for a Health Information Exchange (HIE). The HIE platform will connect public and private systems, so patient records may be easily accessible across the Emirate by authorized individuals. “Our goal is to provide outstanding facilities, with best in class solutions, reinforced by sound medical expertise. We selected InterSystems TrakCare as it is best suited to help us achieve our goals.” said Donna Lunn, Chief Information Officer, Mediclinic Middle East.

RESEARCHERS AT NYUAD DEVELOP COMPUTER CHIP SECURITY TECHNOLOGY Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi’s Design for Excellence lab have developed new innovations in computer chip technology that present landmark achievements in IT security. Secured by a secret key so that only authorized users may utilize them and immune to

reverse-engineering, ‘logiclocked’ computer chips will provide future users with new guarantees of security for their devices. As IT security rises to the forefront of public concern in the wake of recent cyber security attacks such as WannaCry and Petya ransomware, academic

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solutions have been investigated in order to secure future systems from hackers. With any electronic device claiming to be “smart” containing a chip, from cell phones and computers to airplanes and medical devices, chip security has become a subject of priority amid the

broadening debate surrounding measures for cyber defence. NYUAD’s Dfx research team designed two different chips over the past year, utilizing commercial and in-house developed software tools to help them build a baseline chip as well as their logic-locked chip.

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MY VIEWS

REDLINE COMMUNICATIONS

Connecting the Critical

THE CENTRAL PHILOSOPHY OF REDLINE COMMUNICATIONS, AS GURUPRASAD PADMANABHAN, VP MEA PUTS IT, IS ‘CREATING SOLUTIONS’ FOR THE CUSTOMERS RATHER THAN JUST ‘SELLING PRODUCTS’. AS A CONNECTIVITY ENABLER FOR ADVANCED WIRELESS BROADBAND APPLICATIONS, REDLINE IS PROPELLING ITS GROWTH IN THE MEA MARKET AND IS ACTIVELY SEEKING REGIONAL PARTNERS TO HELP MEET THAT GROWTH.

n B Y: A N U S H R E E D I X I T < A N U S H R E E @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M >

Canadian-based radio developer and manufacturer, Redline offers a comprehensive wireless broadband solutions portfolio that meets customers’ communications demand in the harshest outdoor environments. According to Guruprasad (Guru) Padmanabhan, Redline’s Vice President, Middle East & Africa (MEA), the company offers complementary point-to-multipoint (PMP) and point-to-point (PTP) wireless systems can serve the Enterprise in a variety of applications efficiently and cost-effectively in the most remote and rugged situations. “We work in the most challenging locations and environments. Our customers often tell us that Redline’s systems work where others do not. This is a strong testimony for our very powerful, versatile, and very reliable outdoor wireless broadband systems in both PMP and PTP applications,” says Guru.

SERVICE VS THE PRICE TAG ““We can deliver the Rolls Royce-level performance but not necessarily at Rolls Royce prices.” says Guru. “Redline regularly comes in at the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) in the industry. Our radios are very competitive and powerful compared to our

competitors in terms of reach, throughput and reliability.” According to Guru, Redline is uniquely-positioned as the only radio system manufacturer who offers Virtual Fiberwireless broadband, wireless backhaul and small cell LTE for mobility. “No one else can provide all three capabilities in a single portfolio and make them work together in a cohesive network. More important, many MEA countries are looking closely at LTE for their next generation wireless services. This market will really grow and we are a pioneer in private LTE network solutions. We are in a unique place in the market and we are here to build and develop skills along with some key partnerships in the region to capitalize on that opportunity by leveraging the channel ecosystem.”

VERTICAL SPECIALIZATIONS Redline is a major supplier in key vertical markets including oil and gas, government, military, service providers and Enterprises. In the Oil and Gas sector, Redline’s ‘Digital Oil Field’ initiative enables oil and gas companies to integrate, interpret and act on productionrelated information in real time to optimize field operation and development. The company works with leading service providers and large

ON DECK FOR GITEX 2017 Redline Communications will be very active at GITEX 2017 with a focus on its channel strategies. “We are focused on working the right regional distribution partners who have a great local presence and are financially-stable. At the same time, we welcome local, certified value-added resellers (VARs) who can be the ideal technical advisors to our customers.”

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GURUPRASAD PADMANABHAN,

VP AT REDLINE COMMUNICATIONS

Enterprises around the world. Redline supports governments in public safety and civil defense, and smart cities projects. “We are the key connectivity enabler for advanced wireless broadband applications,” adds Guru. “Our solutions fit best in those situations where connection distances are very long, fibre optic cable is not commercially feasible and in areas with small populations. Service providers can benefit from our cost-effective wide area wireless solutions while serving their customers very efficiently.” ë

For Further Details, please contact us: 710, IT Plaza, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai - UAE | Phone:04 3262722 E-mail : info@bulwark.biz

COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

Digital

Government, Smart

Governance Accelerate the Journey From e-Government to m-Government to s-Government, government organizations in the Middle East have compelled themselves to embrace digitization and its overwhelming service delivery patterns. With diversification of the oil-dependent economies, the region has taken a step further into realizing its vision of being an end-to-end digital government. Examples are many…. ‘Sustainability’ is the question! n B Y: A N U S H R E E D I X I T < A N U S H R E E @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M > n P H O T O : S H U T T E R S T O C K

hen I say sustainable, it is not exhaustive of its base meaning. A sustainable government is never an ‘achievable goal’ but an ongoing process. A process that grows with the generations, but can never get old with the generation. A true, sustainable, modern and adaptive government is one that forces the older generation to walk hand in hand with the new one . All the government bodies are working collectively towards the same goals to ease complex integration across the various government bodies, thereby making process simpler, less time intensive, secure and more cost effective.

CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT Though a repetitive idiom, this phrase holds

true for the regional government organizations that are always welcome for new technologies coming on board. Studies have observed that the government organizations are not reluctant to change their service models to better suit the needs of the citizens. “The need to develop an economy beyond the oil and gas industry has led to significant industrial refocusing along with the adoption of IoT and deepening smart city initiatives in the Middle East and Africa region. The need to bridge the infrastructure and technological gap is expected to drive ICT investments into the government sector, according to a recent report from Grand View Research,” says Sharoon Shamsuddin, CEO, ISYX Technologies. It is also interesting to see how the CIOs from Government sectors have also shed their legacies and are ready to embrace the new waves of technology, meet potential solution providers and have, in reality, eradicated the belief that

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COVER STORY

“The Smart Dubai goals include a highly secure platform where data share will boost government service delivery and foster business growth.” -MECHELLE BUYS DU PLESSIS,

“The first thing that government bodies should ensure is that their IT plans align with the organizational strategy.” -ZUBIN CHAGPAR, HEAD OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR BUSINESS FOR MEA AT AMAZON WEB SERVICES

MANAGING DIRECTOR – MIDDLE EAST, DIMENSION DATA

CO-FOUNDER AND COO OF FINESSE

‘UAE Centennial 2071’

“Government Accelerators”

UAE Vision 2021

Dubai’s autonomous transport

‘UAE Centennial 2071’to ensure government revenue is diversified, relying less on oil

“Government Accelerators” form a platform for teams from various UAE government departments to work together

UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by the Golden Jubilee of the Union

Dubai’s autonomous transporthas a five-year road map that will prepare the ground for all future technologies in the sector.

Under RTA smart transport strategy 2017-2021, Dubai will transform 25% of its road trips into autonomous by 2030.

With Block chain technology, Dubai stands to unlock AED 5.5 billion in savings annually in document processing alone

Open Data for the geographic addressing system Makani is hosted and published by Dubai Municipality

Dubai is aiming to make all government services and transactions paperless and cashless, 2021

Spending on cloud computing in the Middle East is expected to $20 billion by 2020

transport strategy 2017-2021

AED 5.5 billion

Makani

2021

$20 billion by 2020

there exists a gap between the public and the private sector in adopting technologies. Cloud, for instance, has been the biggest game changer for the government organizations across the Middle East region. In the UAE, for example, the government is moving to the cloud to help with digitalization of citizen services. “We are also seeing this move in other countries across the region. For example in April, Bahrain’s Informa-

“Finesse is one of the first few SPs to offer solutions for Blockchain and RPA along with our long standing offerings including BI, and Corporate Performance Management.” -SUNIL PAUL,

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tion & eGovernment Authority (iGA) announced they will begin the migration of 10 government websites to the AWS Cloud including, the Ministry of Justice & Islamic Affairs; Ministry of Health; Central Bank of Bahrain; National Oil & Gas Authority; Survey & Land Registration Bureau; Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning; Ministry of Transportations & Telecommunication; Public Prosecution; Capital

Governorate and the Northern Area Municipality. This is allowing the iGA to provide government departments with the latest cloud technologies to help them better serve the citizens of Bahrain,” says Zubin Chagpar, Head of the Public Sector business for MEA at Amazon Web Services

RISE OF THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED

COVER STORY

MOHAMMED BIN RASHID CENTRE FOR GOVERNMENT INNOVATION INCLUDES l INNOVATION DIPLOMA l GOVERNMENT INNOVATION

LABS l IBTIKAR TALKS l ‘CEO’ OF INNOVATION, NEW

POST

“The adoption of ICT services has continued to witness tremendous growth owing to the increased business activities in the region along with the growing investment flows.” -SHAROON SHAMSUDDIN, CEO, ISYX TECHNOLOGIES

ECONOMIES Over the last decade, UAE has become the eye candy for good and bad people alike. On one hand global counterparts of the UAE praised and partnered with it for various initiatives, while on the other hand, UAE was the prime target for various cyber attacks. Science, technology and innovation has found a great home in the country. According to a report, the government of UAE had introduced the post of Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) in the public sector As mentioned on the Government.ae website of UAE, “Several steps and initiatives have been undertaken to promote and encourage innovation in the UAE, all corresponding with Vision 2021 and aiming to make the UAE among the best countries in the world by the golden jubilee of the union.”

A PARADIGM FOR SMART CITIES According to the KPMG report ‘Dubai – a New Paradigm for Smart Cities’, Dubai’s smart city strategy plans to transform a thousand government services into smart services. The project aims to encourage collaboration between the public and private sectors to achieve targets in six particular focus areas: Smart Life, Smart Transportation, Smart Society, Smart Economy,

“Customers are now the ones who can determine and judge how successful a given organization is – and that’s a major paradigm shift.” -FADY KASSATLY,

l DUBAI FUTURE

ACCELERATORS l MUSEUM OF THE FUTURE l FREE ZONES PROMOTING

INNOVATION

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON

Smart Governance and Smart Environment. The strategy will rely on three basic principles – communication, integration and cooperation. Mechelle Buys Du Plessis, Managing Director – Middle East, Dimension Data says, “A visit to the Smart Dubai website provides you with content that we can see coming to life on the ground. Smart applications with automated processes are released almost daily. The success will be a combination of the parts, or a combination of the deliverables from various government sectors, in addition to the creation of what Smart Dubai calls, the “Smart Dubai Platform”. According to FadyKassatly, Senior Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton, the key digital accelerators for the government in driving the vision of the smart city are; blockchain technology, data analytics accelerator, IoT digital accelerator, Customer happiness accelerator, Digital human capital accelerator etc.

FINTECH AND BLOCKCHAIN— A SHINING PROMISE FOR DISRUPTION With Fintech making its way into the mainstream

economy, the region is buckled up for a great joy ride. The inaugural Fintech program of DIFC— FinTech Hive—has received more than 100 applications from 32 countries. Technology innovation in the financial services industry has been spurred like never before. According to a report published by Strategy&, A sign of just how significant FinTech has become, global investment in this sector jumped three-fold between 2008 and 2014, reaching US$3 billion. By some estimates, that investment will at least double again by 2018, and may even hit $8 billion. Blockchain on the other hand will be evoking a new era of digital transactions, record keeping and the entire concept of going paperless, especially when it comes to government organizations. Sunil Paul, Co-founder and COO of Finesse says, “Finesse is one of the first few SPs to offer solutions for Block Chain and Robotic Process Automation along with our long standing offerings including Business Intelligence, and Corporate Performance Management. We are already working on POCs on these technologies with a few government and public organisations. Our analytics solutions are already being adopted successfully at various government agencies for better decision making and governance.”

FINALLY Sustainability would be driving the digitization journey by all means. It would be interesting to see how 2020 will change the course of service delivery. But more than that we have to wait and watch how many SPs will make it up till there. ë

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GUEST MY VIEWS TALK

RETAINING STRENGTH “WE ARE ONE OF THE VERY FEW SIS IN THE MARKET WHO IS HAVING OFFICIAL OUTSOURCING LICENSE WHICH DIFFERENTIATE US FROM OTHER VENDORS PROVIDING MANAGED SERVICES IN THE MARKET.”

JIGNASU RATHOD,

CEO, ELITSER TECHNOLOGIES

“Our strategy is to work closely with very few partners. We believe in enabling our partners to deliver our products/ services with minimum assistance.”

How has the business year 2017 been for Elitser? What kind of market shifts do you see? 2017 has been slow so far in terms of business. We are sitting on a very strong business pipeline but closure are not happening very easily. We are hoping to have the market receptive and open post august once holidays are over. The market is very conservative on the spending. Customers are spending on the “MUST TO HAVE” technologies rather than “GOOD TO HAVE” technologies. Also due to budget constraints customers are preferring cost effective solutions/vendors rather than spending on big solutions/vendors.

East? What kind of partner engagement strategies are you working on? We have been operating in UAE from last 14 years and have started increasing our foot print in other GCC countries. The recent addition is our Bahrain operations. We are planning to have our offices functional in Oman by this year end. Our strategy is to work closely with very few partners. We believe in enabling our partners to deliver our products/services with minimum assistance. We also provide fill sales/presales/ delivery support to the partners who are new to the domain.

What have been your latest solution offerings to the modern enterprises and how well do they compete with other SIs in the market? Our tagline is “YOUR ITSM PARTNER” and we primarily focus on ITSM space. We are partnered with ManageEngine and carrying their full suite of ITSM, Security and Monitoring products. As Elitser we are offering complete range of services starting from Consultancy tools,Training and Managed Services. We are one of the very few SIs in the market who is having official outsourcing license which differentiate us from other vendors providing Managed Services in the market. Our primary motto is to give great products and services at a very reasonable price. This is the biggest differentiator against other SIs who are working into ITSM domain.

What roadmap do you have for the last quarter of 2017? As mentioned we are sitting on a very strong pipeline of leads. Our goal would be to close as many deals possible in the last quarter and deliver these projects. We have been growing at a pace of 20-25% year on year and I would like to retain the same growth % this year as well.

What has been your go-tomarket strategy for the Middle

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Will we see you at GITEX 2017? If yes, what would your focus be? We have been participating in GITEX from last 10 years and we will be surely there this year with our partner ManageEngine. The focus would be to showcase new modules/ features in ITSM space. We have added couple of products in IT security and Active Directory Management/auditing space and will be showcasing these new offering to our customers and prospects. ë

HOW I CAME TO THIS MARKET?

CLOUDHOST

Ready to make a ‘Cloud’ Change AS A YOUNG ORGANIZATION IN THE REGION, CLOUD HOST HAS SET SAIL ON A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY BY CLAIMING TO PROVIDE THE REGION WITH THE MOST ‘SUITABLE’ CLOUD SERVICES MODEL. AS THE ORGANIZATION LOOKS FORWARD TO EXPAND IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION, WE GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE ORGANIZATION.

VISON OF CLOUDHOST At CloudHost our Motto is to give clients a service where they operate their business applications on our platform seamless and we manage and ensure the performance and stability of the services. Hence we say u operate and v manage. Our Major target audience is the SMB and Mid-Market where our Vision is providing IT Service like a utility service similar to DEWA where a customer does not need to bother about what is the configuration or setup but uses any application which is not even cloud ready or SAAS solution seamlessly at a flat fee trouble fee.

KEY PARTNERS Focus, Centra, Epromis, Sage, Suntech, Redington

YOUR MOST RECENT INNOVATION IS

WHAT MADE YOU SEE MEA AS A POTENTIAL REGION TO START YOUR VENTURE MEA is an upcoming market and a growing market, the adoption of cloud is yet to progress and expand. In such a scenario proposing a value proposition different from the rest of the providers makes us unique and would help us to get more adoptability in the region.

MAJOR CUSTOMER WINS SO FAR? Hadid International Blue Rhine Italian Jewellers Liberty Dental Clinic

APPFY AppFy is an application delivery platform, delivering applications seamlessly to the cloud environment giving application users a dynamic experience of mobility and cloud. AppFy enables SMB’s to avail the enterprise grade technology at a fraction of the cost. RISALA Risala powered by CloudHost Technology is an enterprise email solution for the global market, supporting 11 million users including governments, telecoms, enterprises and individuals. With over 1.2 billion people, 22 official languages in 12 different scripts and just 12 percent native English speakers, CloudHost Technology inherently understood the need for people to have email addresses in their native scripts. CLOUDSCALES The data volumes are exploding; more data has been created in the past two years than in the entire previous history of the human

NIKHIL KATARA,

CO-FOUNDER, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, CLOUDHOST TECHNOLOGY

race. It is becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to store, archive, and retrieve the data. Thanks to the evolution of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) platforms that offer a highly cost effective, scalable, and agile alternative to invest in physical storage infrastructure. IaaS adoption has gained significant momentum in the past few years.

IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS YOU LOOK FORWARD TO? Expansion to GCC Regions and making CloudHost as a Regional Cloud Service. Provider

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GUEST MY VIEWS TALK

EMPOWERING INTELLIGENT DIALOGUES IN ENTERPRISES THE MATURING MARKET OF CHATBOTS TECHNOLOGIES HAS BEEN PROPELLING THE BUSINESS OF KORE.AI. RAJ

KONERU, FOUNDER AND CEO OF KORE.AI SPEAKS TO EC MEA ON HOW THE MARKET SHIFTS HAVE HAD A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON THEIR SOLUTIONS.

RAJ KONERU,

FOUNDER AND CEO OF KORE TECHNOLOGIES

“Chatbots built on our Platform have the ability to prioritize intents, meaning the bot can complete more complex requests with multiple intents. ”

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From ‘Kore’ perspective, what kind of market shifts have you seen in 2017? Through August it’s been a promising and productive year for Kore.ai, both from a product and customer standpoint. Our product and engineering teams spent nearly all of 2016 refining and improving the NLP and intelligence capabilities of our Bots Platform, enhancing the developer experience of our Bot Builder tool, and more generally gearing every single aspect of the Platform to meet the highest standards of the Global 2000 enterprises we’re working with. And, we’ve started to see all that work pay-off. As far as the market shifts are concerned we’ve seen a nice jump in 2017. In 2016, the conversations we were having at trade shows, conferences, and within our office walls were still rudimentary in nature. We’re getting companies coming to us with devoted budgets and timelines for deployment. And overall the market is in a much more educated and prepared space to adopt chatbot technology than it was last year What have been your latest solution offerings to the modern enterprises and how well do they compete with other solutions in the market? As I mentioned the entire Kore.ai team, but especially our product development team have brought a handful of new Platform features to life this year. Among them is the ability for chatbots to seamlessly perform live agent hand-offs, which can be especially helpful in retail and service situations. Chatbots can also pause and resume and perform sub-intent recognition, which means they can start a task, receive a separate task, pause the first to complete the more immediate need, and circle back to complete the first task. Sub

intent recognition means chatbots built on our Platform have the ability to prioritize intents, meaning the bot can complete more complex requests with multiple intents. We’ve added a Dialog Builder which allows developers to build complex logic driven workflows in a GUI based tool. It allows them to virtually build any type of custom workflow they’d like. We’ve also new channel integrations such as Workplace by Facebook, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Spark, Glip. These new features and solutions compare favorably with the competition because we combine advanced functionality with a developer and admin-friendly interface to build and manage bots as a complete PaaS offering. What has been your go-tomarket strategy for the Middle East? What kind of partner engagement strategies are you working on? Our go-to-market strategy is direct as well as through select partners. The partner engagement strategies of Kore.ai for the Middle East Market is based on global partners such as Accenture and CapGemini as well as local partners in the region. Kore.ai is also working very closely with OEM partners such as SAP in the Middle East market. What roadmap do you have for the last quarter of 2017? Some of our big features on the roadmap are some cool new channels like Amazon Echo, Skype For Business, and Yammer, multilanguage NLP support including German and Spanish, and we are also working to import a tool for API.ai/LUIS.ai/Watson/Amazon Lex to Kore.ai, and to use other speech APIs from Amazon, Watson, etc. which will help integrate existing services completely within the Platform. ë

MY OPINION

Smart Solutions for Smart Cities “THE VISION OF THE LEADERSHIP OF UAE, ESPECIALLY, HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH MOHAMMED’S GUIDANCE TO CREATE DUBAI AS A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY, WE DECIDED TO FOCUS ON A SIMILAR PEDESTAL AND DECIDED NOT JUST TO BE THE CONSUMERS OR DISTRIBUTOR, BUT CREATOR OF TECHNOLOGY FOR THE COUNTRY”

n B Y: D I V S H A B H AT < D I V S H A @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M >

Could you please tell me about Dubai Technologies? Dubai Technologies provides ICT Solutions and business knowledge consulting, involving designing & developing solutions for Smart Cities. The investment in technology and deployment of smart solution is very high in UAE but none of the solutions were homegrown. We wanted to be a catalyst to the Vision of the Country by creating innovative technology and smart solutions in Dubai to meet the needs of the region and the world. Today we are home grown market leaders in IOT/Mobility and engaged with many Smart City projects like RTA’s Heavy Vehicle Smart Monitoring, DM Integrated Waste Transport Monitoring, ADEC Smart School Transport, AD-DMAT Highway Patrol Management, etc.

ALI MOIDU,

CEO, DUBAI TECHNOLOGIES

“We wanted to be a catalyst to the Vision of the Country by creating innovative technology and smart solutions in Dubai to meet the needs of the region and the world”

How has technology changed your business models over the last 2 decades? In terms of technology, there is exponential change globally which was well received in UAE, particularly Dubai. In 1995, the first level of taxi and bus transportation was regulated in Dubai, we were an integral part of it. Since the time RTA took over in 2005, lot of advanced deployments of technology has taken place. So, we were always in line with or ahead of that technology implementation in Dubai. How are your solutions walking hand-in-hand with the smart cities? As the business process demanded integration of various process despite its diversified needs in various industry sectors, we bought all of them into a single Smart IOT Platform. Today our solutions serve the key pillars – MOBILITY, SUSTAINABILITY and SECURITY - of Smart City. The latest value addition provided in our solutions is the Remote Monitoring of Regulatory Policy. Our

solutions are now imbibed with the Regulatory Policy Monitoring Features for industry sectors like, Heavy Vehicles Safety, Hazardous Transport, Public transport, etc., which again needs centralized intelligence to monitor and ensure the regulation followed. These are not ready-made solutions. They require strenuous amount of research and development. We also focused in waste management industry as part of our continued engagement for sustainable Environmental for Smart Cities. We developed solutions taking 360-degree control of the waste right from the source of disposal to recycling. Who are the partners you work with? Under technology partners, we have partners from across the globe like France, Spain, Taiwan, USA, etc who are our device suppliers. We heavily depend on them for products and equipment’s which we do not manufacture anymore. On the business side, we work with large corporate, government and semi government sectors like Municipality, RTA in Dubai and DP World, Etisalat in UAE. Within RTA, we work agencies like the licensing or public transport or marine to understand their challenges for their services to improve. Who is your competition in the market? We have competition from businesses like Fleet tracking and monitoring for which there are many players in the market but our focus is on specialized solutions and always a step ahead of the market. We also have competition from international players who come with established solutions which is a tough challenge for us. We overcome such competition by our dynamism & flexibility in adopting innovation. But nevertheless, competition is always interesting & the support from the leadership of the country and our management keeps us going! ë

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THE FASTEST GROWING CORPORATE CHARITY TOURNAMENT OF THE REGION

THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROLLS GHANA

TURKEY With humble beginnings in 2014 in just one country, GEC Open has grown into a global platform for networking and a nursery for everlasting friendships and international business relations. The 2017 edition will see 29 golf rounds played across 18 countries amongst 2400 CXO’s under the aegis of 800+ global organisations. Following Ghana, qualifying rounds will be held in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Nepal, Dubai, Kenya, Botswana, Egypt, Thailand, UAE, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Bahrain, Singapore, China, Indonesia to name a few.

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One of the most awaited premium corporate golf tournament in the Ghana, GEC Open was held on August 26, 2017 at Celebrity Golf Club in Tema. Over 100 top corporates and industry leaders came together for fun filled yet competitive round of golf. George Amoah, a business and investment consultant, Samuel Koranteng from MTN Telecom and Elizabeth AkuYabah who works in the hospitality industry emerged victorious in their respective handicap classes to book their berth at the World Final. The trio will head Ghana’s challenge against winners from 17 other qualifying countries at Dubai Corporate Golf World Cup scheduled at Trump International and Emirates Golf Club over two days in Dubai

GEC Open was held on August 26, 2017 at Kemer Golf & Country Club. Around 60 top corporates and industry leaders came together for fun filled yet competitive round of golf. In Men’s competition, SerhanÇökelek, playing off a handicap of 20 secured 42 points while Ali Fidanboy, playing off a handicap of 33 scored 38 points to finish top in their respective classes. NurselÇökelek scored 40 points with a 36 handicap in the ladies’ category to emerge victorious and book her berth along with the gents at the World Final.

“Continuing the high standards set during the previous editions of the event, the 3rd edition of GEC Open in Ghana and Turkey was every bit impressive. The participants had a great time and the event was the right combination of competitive golf and networking for potential business opportunities. Indeed, it was another successful edition of the event in the country and we have no doubt that it will grow into one of the most coveted corporate tournaments in the region. We will continue to expand this platform and associate GEC Open with more golfers and corporates across the globe.”, said Tushar Sahoo, MD, GEC Open.

MY VIEWS

PIVOT3

Re-writing Datacenter DNA PRIORITIZING WORKLOADS IS THE ANSWER TO APPLICATION CANNIBALISM IN AN ULTRA-MODERN DATACENTER. IN AN UP CLOSE RENDEZVOUS WITH ANAND CHAKRAVARTHI, AREA VICE PRESIDENT FOR PIVOT3, WE DIVULGE INTO HOW A PERFORMANCE, POLICY AND PRIORITY-BASED HYPERCONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTION IS PIVOT3’S ACE FOR ORGANIZATIONS WITH AN APPETITE FOR CLOUD-LIKE AGILITY ON PREMISE.

n B Y: A N U S H R E E D I X I T < A N U S H R E E @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M >

eing ‘Hyper-converged’ is on the priority list of all organizations that are standing on the threshold of digitization. In the race to being an agile, always-on, software-defined enterprise datacenter, it is inevitable for customers to realize the need for a ‘priority-aware’ HCI solution that is able to manage multiple workloads. Energizing the traditional data centers with cloud like agility on premise has been the primary propellant for Pivot3. The company has introduced a policy-based solution that it claims is one-of-its-kind in the market. “Organizations are increasingly facing the challenge of running multiple workloads on platforms that are built for single workloads. We are introducing a priority-based management solution that will enable predictable performance of these applications,” says Anand Chakravarthi, Area VP of Pivot3.

BUILDING A SOFTWAREDEFINED FUTURE WITH INTELLIGENCE AND SIMPLICITY The future is software -defined and the future of software-defined is purely based on intelligence and agility. As Anand puts it across, ‘Hardware, today, has become a commodity. All the intelligence lies in the software. Hence, the more

agile and intelligent the software is, regardless of the hardware they are using, it becomes more viable for the customer to adopt. This is where HCI plays a key role. We support hardware platforms like Dell, Lenovo, Cisco ... etc. These are the tested platforms that we support. With this, customers have the choice of the hardware that they want to use but our software intelligence gives the functionality they need. Plus, it becomes easy for them to adopt data center infrastructure rather than planning for months and having multiple solution architects designing them. They can have this running up, then and there, in no time.” Talking about the simplicity of the architecture and deployment models, Anand gives us the example of a major commuter rail in the US that runs on Pivot3’s HCI. “Their entire infrastructure of the metro system is managed by one security guard. This comes across as a strong testimony of the simplicity of our architecture.”

WHAT TO SCALE, WHAT NOT TO SCALE? According to Anand, Pivot3 provides seamless scalability to customers by giving them the choice to scale their storage, compute, networking and virtualization resources as per their requirements. “Many competitive vendors force

WHAT’S NEW Pivot3 Acuity is the new industry-standard in hyperconvergence. It is the first priority-aware, performance-architected HCI solution with policy-based management. Advanced QoS enables IT to simply and predictably run multiple, mixed applications on a single platform. Guaranteed performance—significantly expanding what businesses can do with hyperconverged technology.

ANAND CHAKRAVARTHI,

AREA VICE PRESIDENT, PIVOT3

their customers to scale everything together. We give them the freedom to scale what they want to scale.” Anand also says that they are the only vendors in the market whose storage and data protection model is based on erasure coding rather than replication, unlike other vendors. “Making things simple is the most difficult thing for a vendor. It is a very clichéd statement but a fact. Hence, our solutions are designed in such a way that you do not need a IT specialist. Our channel partners are also well trained to communicate the value of Pivot3, which allows us to grow and further solidify our presence in market.” ë

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FEATURE STORY

S E P T E M B E R 2017

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FEATURE STORY

Its time to take

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Decisions

As data volumes multiply at increasing rates, organizations will be forced to plan for a data-driven future. There is huge demand for people with skills to analyse and help businesses use data effectively, with huge amounts of data being produced in real-time. In relation to cognitive techniques like ML, advanced analytics is rapidly growing. Over the coming years, with the explosion in the number of connected devices, this trend is set to intensify as IoT will produce massive amount of data that can be used to develop and improve new business models. n B Y: D I V S H A B H AT < D I V S H A @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M > n P H O T O : S H U T T E R S T O C K

ccording to IDC, the Big Data market is predicted to be worth $46.34 billion by 2018 and is expected to have a sturdy growth across Big Data related infrastructure and services over the next few years. IDC also predicts that the Big Data technology and the associated services market is expected to grow at a

compound annual growth rate of 23.1% over the period of 2014-2019 with annual spending reaching $48.6 billion in 2019. Hadoop which has become almost synonymous with Big Data is predicted to grow at 58.2% CAGR between 2013 and 2020.

NEW TRENDS IN BIG DATA Big data analytics has seen exponential growth in the

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FEATURE STORY

“One of the trends in advanced analytics is to be able to apply machine learning and predictive analytics when data is streaming, without even getting into big data platform itself” -HOSSAM HASSANIEN,

“In the Middle East, organizations are facing three key trends in Big Data – greater volume, velocity, and variety of data” -DEEPAK NARAIN, REGIONAL PRESALES MANAGER - MENA, VMWARE.

SENIOR BUSINESS SOLUTIONS MANAGER, SAS BIG DATA ANALYTICS PHD CANDIDATE, LULEÅ-SWEDEN.

“We empower our customers by providing visual analytical platforms that enables users to see the whole story in their data” -KERRY KOUTSIKOS, COUNTRY MANAGER - MEA & TURKEY, QLIK.

BIG DATA & ANALYTICS TRENDS FOR 2017

Use of social media data in claims & fraud analytics – Insurers & banks stand to gain nearly $30 million in annual savings by leveraging social media data in claims and fraud analytics.

300

AI becoming mainstream – Businesses to invest 300% more in Artificial Intelligence in 2017 than they did in 2016.

Personalization of ‘Customer Experience’ priority for marketing leaders – 94% of customer insights & marketing professionals said personalization of customer experience is extremely important for their business.

Augmented reality to rise in Virtual Reality’s shadow – AR market would reach $90 billion by 2020 and VR market at $30 billion.

Big on Blockchain – by 2020, 66% of banks will have blockchain in commercial production and at scale.

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Source: Aureus Analytics

FEATURE STORY

“The tools, controls and data Kronos collects provides unique insights as to how a business is operating and where improvements can be made” -GREGG GORDON, VP OF BIG DATA, KRONOS.

Middle East & Africa region as organizations look to this trend for informed decision making to give their businesses a competitive edge. According to IDC forecast, investment in business analytics in the Middle East is expected to increase at a CAGR of more than 20% over the next 5 years. Reports also predict that 40% of CIO’s in the region are considering investing in big data. Hossam Hassanien, Senior Business Solutions Manager, SAS Big Data Analytics PhD Candidate, Lulea - Sweden believes that the organizations must adapt to market requirements in a very fast way. The customers expect smart interactions which force organizations to adapt technologies that advanced analytics is embedded into, for instance, analytics based cloud computing and streaming analytics capabilities. “One of the trends in advanced analytics is to be able to apply machine learning and predictive analytics when data is streaming, without even getting into big data platform itself. This allows data to be analysed, explored in real time, enabling faster data exploration and decisionmaking in business operations. Another trend in applying advanced analytics is that, organizations who want to innovate in a very fast manner are looking for analytics based cloud computing platforms where they can easily test their business

“The volume and velocity makes it difficult to ingest, store and optimally respond to both traditional transactional reporting and newer Big Data workloads” -CHRISTIAN PUTZ, DIRECTOR, EEMEA, PURE STORAGE.

ideas before putting them on-to production. Lastly, there is a big trend towards approachable analytics platforms which allow people with basic analytical skills can generate insight for organization” adds Hossam. Deepak Narain, Regional Presales Manager - MENA, VMware says “In the Middle East, organizations are facing three key trends in Big Data – greater volume, velocity, and variety of data, especially with the Internet of Things era generating new and massive amounts of data streaming in from mobile devices, connected machines, and business applications.”

TRANSFORMATION OF DATA IN BUSINESS Organizations are realizing the opportunities in embracing big data and also see the actual benefits that can enhance the decision-making process. “Regional organizations are not only looking for tools that can enhance their reporting, visualizations and dashboards requirements, but solutions that allow their employees to gain knowledge from raw data to refined information that leads to analysis and conclusions resulting in relevant action. We empower our customers by providing visual analytical platforms that enables users to see the whole story in their data” said

“Xerox developed an application which brings together the time, cost and carbon footprint for each transportation option so users can choose the quickest, cheapest or most environmentally friendly route” -PUI-CHI LI, HEAD OF MARKETING, XEROX MEA.

Kerry Koutsikos Country Manager - MEA & Turkey, Qlik. Enterprises have been tracking machines closely for years and these resources are often a significant expense and therefore they have received priority, yet the workforce data was often left unused, stored only for compliance. Gregg Gordon, VP of Big Data, Kronos says that “The tools, controls and data Kronos collects provides unique insights as to how a business is operating and where improvements can be made. Kronos also frees up time by automating cumbersome but necessary administrative tasks such as scheduling and timekeeping which allows managers to focus on their employees, value-added processes and customers.” Xerox conducted an in-depth study with Forrester consulting in 2015 which revealed that the vast majority (74%) of organizations expect intelligence gleaned from big data to produce a positive ROI within 12 months of implementation; with more than half (56%) already experiencing business benefits from big data. “Xerox is taking it to the next level by helping our customer to use Big Data to solve their business challenges. In one case, Xerox developed an application which brings together the time, cost and carbon footprint for each transportation option so users

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FEATURE STORY

“Middle East CIOs should work closely with channel partners to devise an organization-wide digital transformation strategy” -HICHEM MAYA, HEAD OF INDUSTRIES, SAP MENA.

53.4

Big Data is projected to grow into a $53.4 billion market by 2017, up from $10.2 billion last year.

can choose the quickest, cheapest or most environmentally friendly route” said Pui-Chi Li, Head of Marketing, Xerox Middle East and Africa.

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES ORGANIZATIONS FACE Organizations need better ways to navigate through the huge amounts of data to find what is relevant to them and to get answers to their specific business queries, so they can make decisions more quickly. “The volume, velocity and variety of data poses management and processing challenges. Starting with flexibility and scalability of the environment used to host it. The volume and velocity makes it difficult to ingest, store and optimally respond to both traditional transactional reporting and newer Big Data workloads. The data growth in source systems has an impact in loading and query performance” commented Christian Putz, Director, EEMEA, Pure Storage. However, Hichem Maya, Head of Industries, SAP MENA feels that the greatest technical challenges facing organizations is not adopting

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Big Data solutions in isolation. “Middle East CIOs should work closely with channel partners to devise an organization-wide digital transformation strategy that prioritizes the digital core and Big Data solutions to meet business needs. In particular, most Middle East organizations do not have the digital core needed to analyze the new and different types of data coming from the Internet of Things, whether through sensors, machines, mobile devices, or business applications” says Maya. One of the greatest technical challenges organisations which are looking to adopt a big data strategy lies in the lack of availability of the right data analytics tools and platforms says Kerry Koutsikos. “Data analytics is top of mind for many forward-looking C-level executives as they realize the potential opportunities and additional business insights that lie in their data undiscovered. Making analytics available to a larger proportion of the organisation empowers users at all levels and efficiencies can be made throughout the organisation” adds Kerry. Organizations are constantly being challenged

to efficiently access and analyse data and gain insight from it. They need better ways to navigate through the huge amounts of data to find what is relevant to them so that they can make better business decisions more quickly. “The technical skills scarcity aspect is a key challenge for any organization considering adopting a big data strategy. A range of talents is needed for successful big data analytics. With an outlook on the Big Data Landscape an enormous spread of skills that needs to be covered for. The challenge of not being able to amalgamate the quick wins delivered with Enterprise grade tools and open-source powers intensifies the challenge of adopting a big data strategy with organizations in an efficient and compliant tactics that abides by the IT standards and governance” says Hossam.

FINALLY Big data will grow much bigger to what it is today. Will it be the next trend or not; only time will tell. But the important thing is; the organizations that ignore it will be left behind! ë

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FEATURE STORY

Are you ready if the

Disaster Strikes?

With the changing phase of data, the CIO’s of Middle East and Africa are changing their data protection infrastructure. It is not only about backing up files anymore. Backup and recovery is an integral part of the business continuity plan. Data backup strategy begins with selecting and implementing advanced recovery procedures.

n B Y: D I V S H A B H AT < D I V S H A @ G E C M E D I A G R O U P. C O M > n P H O T O : S H U T T E R S T O C K

“For lack of back up, data was lost; For the want of data, enterprise was lost” (I AM SURE THIS DOES RING A BELL IN YOUR EARS OF THE PROVERB FOR WANT OF A NAIL BY BENJAMIN FRANKLIN).

he concern of data loss, rise in backup, risk and compliance are expected to drive the growth of global data protection as a service market. Retail and healthcare sectors have been widely adopting data protection solutions to ensure safety of their digital assets. According to reports, the Data Protection as

S E P T E M B E R 2017

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a Service market is expected to reach $28,878 million by 2022, registering a CAGR of 31.5% from 2016 to 2022. Most of the SMB’s today are working with the channel partners to determine whether they should have a physical or cloud based back up.

BETTER BACKUP STARTS WITH BETTER PRIVACY With the increase of data in organizations, data protection and backup naturally gain high priority. Synology believes that one of the important traits of a good back up is the high level of

data security, optimal RPO and remote backup for disaster recovery. It is critical for all organizations as they store sensitive information. Reliable backups are also expected to provide the appropriate encryption to protect the data from cyber criminals. Synology also says that’s another important trait of a secure back up is the ability to save multiple versions of the data access and be able to access and restore through multiple authorized devices. This helps to safeguard against hardware failure and data loss. Rick Vanover, Director of Technical Product and Market Evangelism, Veeam Software comments that a secure back

FEATURE STORY

up has these characteristics – There is atleast one offline copy; There is precise administration of credentials and Visibility to accessing the data. Nigel Tozer, Solutions Marketing Director, Commvault explains “The traits of a secure backup extend beyond the obvious need for military-level security and encryption of stored data and data transfers. Backup and recovery software with strong access management and audit, and high-levels

of physical security at the location of the stored data, are key traits of a secure backup. Storing encrypted data in an offsite location ensures that, should disaster strike, your data remains safe, while making sure that access rights are limited to those who have a business need to be involved in the backup and recovery process. This in turn helps to further secure data from human error and related risk” With the increasing number of cyber-

attacks, having a secure backup that has methods of protecting itself from attacks is very important. In the case of Ransomware, it really does become the last line of defense.

CIO’S STRATEGIES FOR BACKUP For a CIO, backup is an important part of recovery strategy. The CIO’s understand the threats and deploy solutions to protect their organization. A CIO may consider

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FEATURE STORY

“Near-zero RT/PO can be achieved through application availability and business continuity software, but these methods deal with production data and not backups” -SAVITHA BHASKAR, COO, CONDO PROTEGO.

SPEED UP YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

“CIO’s should ensure that backup & recovery vendors are able to support both true cloud backup along with support for on premise environments” -JASON ROOS,

“With our storage integration technology, I encourage organisations to take backups at any time of the day Veeam can handle it” -RICK VANOVER, DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL PRODUCT AND MARKET EVANGELISM, VEEAM SOFTWARE

CHANNEL AND ALLIANCES DIRECTOR AT MIMECAST.

JUMP AHEAD OF ESCALATING DATA

OPTIMIZE EXISTING SOLUTIONS

CUT ON COST & COMPLEXITIES

EMBRACE THE HYBRID CLOUD

Tips to stay ahead of

trends

comprehensive data platform from a sole vendor when deploying backup as opposed to multivendor which increases unplanned downtime. A

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2016 IDC worldwide survey titled ‘Quantifying the Business Value of Commvault Software: Worldwide Customer Survey Analysis’ revealed

that enterprises employing a single platform approach to backup and recovery experienced up to 55% less downtime than those making use of

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FEATURE STORY

“Storing encrypted data in an offsite location ensures that, should disaster strike, your data remains safe” -NIGEL TOZER, SOLUTIONS MARKETING DIRECTOR, COMMVAULT.

“CIOs should design their backup and recovery in way that is reliable and efficient to maintain for the future needs of their organizations” -NICK JHENG,

SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER AT SYNOLOGY.

multiple products/vendors. Jason Roos, Channel and Alliances Director at Mimecast notes down how CIO’s should look to the following part as a part of their requirement for building a 21st backup strategy - Evaluate vendors capability to provide a holistic and integrated solution that encompasses all elements of cyber-resilience; When looking to the cloud, ensure that backup & recovery vendors are able to support both true cloud backup along with support for on premise environments; Ensure that the administration experience is simple and intuitive; CIO’s should evaluate how their strategy encompasses the need to not retain but also recover at a moment’s notice additional data outside of just email to support compliance or eDiscovery requests. On the other hand, Nick Jheng, Sales Account Manager at Synology points out the 3-2-1 strategy that CIO’s of today should follow for secure backup. It means at least 3 total copies of your data; 2 of which are local but on different mediums and at least 1 copy offsite. “The 3-2-1 plan is a great start in getting your files backed up. If you view your files as your investment capital, you want to diversify them as much as possible to limit your exposure should the unthinkable happen. However, this backup should be made more effective to ensure business continuity, and that relies on optimal RPO and RTO. CIOs should design their backup and recovery in way

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that is reliable and efficient to maintain for the future needs of their organizations” adds Nick.

THE RTPO OF DR SYSTEM When selecting a Disaster Recovery system, organizations should ensure to define clear RTPO (Recovery Time & Point Objective) and find a system that will meet their objectives. It is important for organizations to then consistently measure their RTPO and make sure they are still in line with the business. As the data of the business increases, the time it would take to recover the files increases. Therefore, the organizations should select a RTPO best acceptable for them. “RT/PO should be determined by each business based on the risk they are willing to accept. Nearzero RT/PO can be achieved through application availability and business continuity software, but these methods deal with production data and not backups. Customers should no longer expect lengthy backup and recovery times. Technologies like backup accelerators enable customers to massively reduce traditionally lengthy backup times” commented Savitha Bhaskar, COO, Condo Protego. Commenting on their RTPO, Walid Issa, Senior Systems Engineers Manager for Middle East and Africa, Netapp says that it depends on the actual design and configuration of the solution. “Our integrated Snapshot technology allows us to define very granular Recovery Point

“Our integrated Snapshot technology allows us to define very granular Recovery Point Objective times, for example, every 15 minutes or even less” -WALID ISSA, SENIOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERS MANAGER FOR MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, NETAPP.

Objective times, for example, every 15 minutes or even less. Therefore, the possible data impact is very low. On the other hand, Recovery Time Objective needs to take into consideration other parameters like the reason of the downtime and the impacted infrastructure. But even for challenging environments, there are solutions like MetroCluster where we can prevent data loss by switching to a different cluster at a second location in minimal time.” “Veeam’s RTPOs can’t be matched” says Rick Vanover. “In regard to the recovery time; we introduced Instant VM Recovery where in the situation, an administrator inadvertently deleted a virtual machine, Veeam can have it running in just seconds. In regards to the recovery point; Veeam has introduced many technologies to reduce the burden of taking a backup to avoid losing critical data. In particular, with our storage integration technology, I encourage organisations to take backups at any time of the day –– Veeam can handle it.”

FINALLY As the organizations data increase, IT leaders will need to design more advanced backup and recovery strategies. The enterprises should select a service provider with deep experience who have the ability to deliver fast, seamless recovery and restoration of data; for the value of something is known only once its lost! ë

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MY OPINION

Fortifying Sensitive Content Collaborations “THE ABILITY TO ACCESS, SHARE AND COLLABORATE ON SENSITIVE DATA SECURELY AND EFFICIENTLY, FROM ANY LOCATION OR ANY DEVICE, WILL NOT ONLY AVOID DATA LOSS BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE AND, OF COURSE, PROVIDE ORGANIZATIONS WITH A TRUE COMPETITIVE EDGE.”

As Digitization rises up as the new mandate for modern enterprises, what important role do you see Accellion playing in further propelling the drive? The digital transformation and the continued growth of IoT translates to exponential growth in data – much of it sensitive: intellectual property, personally identifiable information (PII), and/or protected health information (PHI). It is becoming increasingly imperative for businesses to know where this sensitive data resides in their enterprise (on-premises, in the cloud, home drives, CIFS shares, etc.), but also who has access to it and what’s being done with it. This knowledge is critical for mitigating the risk of a cyber-attack as well as demonstrating compliance with a number of regulations, including GDPR.

SAPAN AGARWAL,

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, ME AT ACCELLION

“It is becoming increasingly imperative for businesses to know where this sensitive data resides in their enterprise, who has access to it and what’s being done with it.”

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As data becomes the new currency, how do you see content collaboration coming up as the need of the hour? As more data is generated, it will need to be shared with more people so that it can be properly analyzed and monetized. This inevitably involves sharing data with people outside the enterprise firewall. This can include remote employees and temporary workers but also legal counsel, investment bankers, auditors, and a variety of other consultants. The ability to access, share and collaborate on sensitive data securely and efficiently, from any location or any device, will not only avoid data loss but also demonstrate compliance and, of course, provide organizations with a true competitive edge. Coming to your Private cloud content collaboration solutions; How has the adoption been in the public sectors? What kind of growth have you seen? The content security and governance require-

ments of public sector organizations like government agencies are some of the strictest among all industries. Ultimately, there are a number of organizations (both public and private sector) that will never consider storing sensitive information in the public cloud – it’s a risk they just aren’t willing to take. At the same time, more organizations are adopting a hybrid cloud structure so that organizations can have full control and visibility of sensitive content (via private cloud) while benefitting from the cost and operational efficiencies gained from storing non-sensitive content on the public cloud. Are you able to share any recent success stories? We have many success stories in ME across almost all the verticals. However, recently we on boarded three big banks in the region which showcases technology wide demand in banking industry. We recently announced our work with New York City Health + Hospitals, the US’ largest health system. Our solution has greatly enhanced the way employees collaborate with external parties, such as specialists, community-based physicians, other health providers, insurance companies, and government agencies at the state and local level. In addition, by leveraging our Microsoft Outlook plug-in, employees are able to access and share information more easily than ever before, significantly improving their productivity. How do you plan to position Accellion at GITEX 2017? We are looking forward to attending GITEX 2017 and speaking to attendees about Accellion’s unique ability to provide CIOs and CISOs full control and visibility of all of their sensitive content to protect against data loss and demonstrate compliance with strict industry regulations. ë

GUEST TALK

Keeping Payment Hurdles at Bay OMA Emirates Group CEO Niranj Sangal describes how their solutions are injecting ease into payment models across varied sectors.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

RETAIL

Solution offered Working with Ingenico Unattended terminals, the F&B solution accepts all latest forms of electronic payments including EMV, magstripe, NFC/contactless. Simultaneously it enables clear and consistent branding across each guest touchpoint. This pioneer solution was developed in UAE, in accordance to local regulatory requirements, and provides total protection and peace of mind to end users.

Solution offered Mobility solution for in-store, out-ofstore and e-commerce delivery solution. The solution is pitched to the end customer and implemented through their acquiring banks and retailers who are looking at innovative ways of payment to enhance customer experience and encourage new customer acquisition to retailers.

Challenges overcome Given the large number of outlets that OMA Emirates would need to market the solution to it was a daunting task ahead. To tackle the hurdle, OMA Emirates partnered with existing kiosk and vending machine vendors to promote the solution to their clientele, and creating a demand for the solution.

Challenges overcome The primary challenge is the acceptance of mobility payment solutions at the merchant/retail level as well as banks. Most merchants are concerned about the spending cost for a mobile payment solution and the changes they would need to make. There are also concerns on the investments that need to be made by banks in implementing the solution. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong sales and technical team was able to convince banks as well as merchants about the benefits of the solution and the strong ROI.

Sector benefits It improves operational efficiencies by eliminating the need for servers to walk to a POS terminal to process transactions. In doing so it also accelerates the checkout process and eliminates long queues. For restaurants like QSR (Quick Service Restaurants), it helps improve table turnover and customer satisfaction by allowing payments at the table. Given the convenience of the mobile solution, it helps in opening up extended revenue opportunities which can include catering and delivery. Customers Currently in talks with partners providing kiosks and vending machines to F&B merchants. OMA Emirates has successfully deployed solutions with partners across two leading amusement parks in Dubai.

Sector benefits It accelerates the checkout process by checking out customers from the store aisles itself and reduces waiting time and enhancing customer experience.

n N I R A N J S A N G A L , G R O U P C E O , O M A E M I R AT E S G R O U P

TRANSPORT

Solution offered The introduction of a new solution will expand and enhance payment collection in parking areas. It combines a highly secure unattended payment module which processes payments with magnetic strip and EMV cards while preventing data theft and cloning. This will be the first contactless transaction device to be launched in the market which is approved by the PCI security standards council. Challenges overcome Given the product benefits and the overall conduciveness to the solution acceptance, it was not difficult to make inroads into the market. Sector benefits IThe solutions allow customers to use their credit or debit cards to pay for parking using the unattended payment stations. The traditional payment acceptance limited payments at counters or kiosks. Customers OMA Emirates has partnered with parking management service providers offering on-street parking, car parks and airport parking.

Customers A leading fashion group based in Dubai with multiple fashion labels under one roof. The company now has grown into 12 outlets across Dubai where the OMA Emirates solution is implemented.

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WHITEPAPER

GBM

Connected Youth: Are GCC enterprises ready for the next generation of employees?

he digital transformation is an inescapable part of today’s reality; it’s no longer a question of “if ” but rather of “when”, companies and people, will opt to ride the waves of change. Such a movement is blossoming not just out of pressure from above, but rather organically, as companies find themselves facing the prospect of irrelevancy should they opt to remain averse to change. As the region’s leading IT solutions provider, one of GBM’s strengths is ushering clients through this transformative process, sharing our expert consultancy and broad range of solutions with our clients in order to help them remain both relevant and profitable in their respective markets. GBM released its 6th Annual Security Survey during GISEC this year, and in it, we took a closer look at a different angle of the mobility and security situation within GCC enterprises by examining the digital demographic makeup of the market as well as their preferences and usage patterns. In this survey, we wanted to take a look at the way the different generations interacted with the current state of information security and mobility, and whether GCC enterprises are ready for the next generation of technology users to enter the workforce. The results were as we expected – by and large the next generation, including millennials, have a set of completely different expectations when it comes to the workplace. To start with, Generation X is defined as individuals born between 1960 and 1979, while Generation Y (also known as millennials) includes those born between 1980 and 1995, and Generation Z includes those born after 1996. Currently, one can find most Gen X in board rooms and senior positions, Gen Y climbing their way through the food-chain, and Gen Z in classrooms. That alone can give you an idea of how varied their perspectives will be

S E P T E M B E R 2017

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND INFORMATION SHARING Unlike their predecessors, Gen Y already turn to social media as their trusted source of news, a habit enterprises need to be aware of in order to make the proper arrangements for this shift. Unlike Gen X, Gen Y and Z enjoy sharing their lives online as they take pride in editing their pictures, engaging with followers, and displaying their life to the world. A generation of multitaskers seeking online fame, they find social media a part of their daily routine, and thus expect it to be a part of their workday as well. Millennials are unhappy with the current work structure as around 75% of the surveyed sample stated that their companies restrict social media in the workplace, in many cases due to privacy and security concerns. Advocates of social media workplace blocks in the Gen X cohort also cite issues of productivity as they consider social media something that should be done at home, on personal machines, and on personal time. While Gen X are active on social media, most reported taking an observant role as opposed to a participatory one. Unlike their younger counterparts, Gen X did not grow up with social media, so they are wary of its uses and effects. Their favored application is WhatsApp, polling at74% – a far cry from the Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook preferences of the younger cohorts.

of GCC Enterprises Restrict Social Media Access

HANI NOFAL,

VICE PRESIDENT, INTELLIGENT NETWORK SOLUTIONS, SECURITY AND MOBILITY, GBM

Considering the social media and digital consumption patterns exhibited by Gen X, a pattern that is only going to grow with Gen Z, we foresee a struggle between the old and the new in the near future. Gen Xers at the helm of the region’s powerhouses need to embrace the digital era and all that it brings. Placing barriers to social media access might provide them peace of mind in the short-term, but it will harm employee morale and scare off younger talent in the long term.

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MOBILE DEVICES Given the GCC is one of the most connected regions in the world, our results when it came to mobility were of no surprise. The survey showed a great increase in the number of personal connected devices in the GCC, wherein 2012, 63% respondents were carrying three or below devices, that number increased to 72% in 2014, with respondents carrying more than three devices. By 2017, 84% of respondents reported carrying more than four devices. Generations Y and Z have chosen the iPad, iPhone, and Mac as the preferred devices to work on, with 47% and 42% of respondents, respectively, choosing Apple as their preferred operating system to work on. Gen X, on the other hand, prefers Microsoft Windows, considering it a trusted, familiar system. Generation X also stands out when it comes to workplace device ownership program preferences. Gen X prefers to keep things under their control, with 65% having chosen the Corporate Owned Personally Enabled (COPE) program as their preferred workplace device management. On the other hand, millennials prefer to keep utilizing their personal device for work, given the fact that they chose that device and they are comfortable

*BYOD

57%

Prefers to use their own laptops *bring Your Own Device

CONCLUSIONS In the face of these great contrasts, we believe there needs to be a collective effort between employees and companies, with both putting in their best efforts to accommodate one another in the face of a new era. Just because current company climates in the GCC aren’t ready for the next generation doesn’t mean they are to remain this way; on the contrary, solutions are available to

be implemented. The bottom line is that Gen Z needs to be connected, and it’s up to Gen X and Y to pave the way with secure mobile devices, accepting workplace social media policies, and flexible device programs. The introduction of the CYOD program (Choose Your Own Device) would be a welcome compromise between the differing generational preferences. This allows companies to

with it, which is why Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) was selected by 57% of respondents as their preferred device ownership program. Millennials also do not see the necessity in adding another device to their collection when they can just add their work requirements to the device they are already using. Considering these habits, it is imperative that GCC enterprises consider iOS and MacOS for their next workplace device purchases as not only are they the preferred machines of their incoming workforce, but also the safest, as Apple is also known for designing the iOS platform with security at its core.

avoid making the wrong device choices on behalf of their staff by instead giving them a selection of pre-approved devices to choose from. While it may be difficult to shift every policy and program overnight, GCC enterprises have the opportunity to take the next couple of years to engage with Gen Y and Z, to study their habits, preferences, and mindsets, in order to deliver a healthy working environment for all involved.” ë

S E P T E M B E R 2 017

MEA

WHITEPAPER

PRISE:

THE EVOLUTION OF GCC ENTER

THE ARE THEY READY FORN? TIO NEXT GENERA

6TH ANNUAL SECURITY SURVEY GENERATION

1480+ RESPONSES

NUMBER OF

PARTICIPANTS

333 529 623

45% 18%

13% 16%

GEN X

GEN Y

GEN Z

Age Group 38 to 57 years

Age Group 22 to 37 years

Age Group 17 to 21 years

PREFERED OPERATING SYSTEM

52%

47%

42%

PREFERRED DEVICE TO BE ONLINE

31%

26%

21%

28%

25%

41%

25%

49%

54%

SOCIAL MEDIA FOOTPRINT THE MOST ACTIVE PLATFORMS

74%

79%

ACTIVE ON

63% 61%

TRADITIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

57%

PUBLIC SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK (OUTSIDE PERSONAL NETWORK)

PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

S E P T E M B E R 2017

MEA

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

63%

THE MOST TRUSTED NEWS SOURCE

TRADITIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

PUBLIC SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK

(OUTSIDE PERSONAL NETWORK)

GBM Annual Security Survey 2017

ACTIVE ON

71%

THE MOST TRUSTED NEWS SOURCE

PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK

79%

63%

THE MOST TRUSTED NEWS SOURCE

ACTIVE ON

PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK

TRADITIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Unless you know your risks, you can’t mitigate them

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INNOVATIONS

KEY CAPABILITIES n Is an 802.11ac AP that can be managed from the cloud or on premise. n Designed with a powerful integrated controller, providing layer 7 application visibility to help businesses keep up with the demands that applications are putting on Wi-Fi. n With 3 radios, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the XD2-230 model provides secure access for Wi-Fi users and IoT devices with an easyto-use SaaS solution. n Delivers an unprecedented level of price-performance at 3.9Gbps total Wi-Fi bandwidth.

Xirrus Wi-Fi Access Point Riverbed Technology launched a new Xirrus Wi-Fi Access Point. The new Riverbed Xirrus Wave 2 AP (Model XD2-230) enables organizations to support business-critical applications in mobile environments at an extremely cost-effective price point, with zero-touch configuration that can be set up within minutes. In addition, the new Riverbed Xirrus Wave 2 AP strengthens the wireless and wired LAN capabilities of Riverbed’s SD-WAN solution, SteelConnect, the first and only solution with unified connectivity and policy-based orchestration spanning the entire network – wireless LAN, WAN, data center and into the cloud.

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HP Z VR BACKPACK HP unveiled the world’s first professional wearable VR PC- the new HP Z VR Backpack. Businesses can use VR to deliver safe and effective simulated training in dangerous environments, in medical training or for heavy/large equipment operations. In architectural building development, virtual walkthroughs at scale for client reviews can help quickly close the deal. In product development where product concepts are reviewed, executive agreement and sign off for new product styling can be done in virtual product showrooms. In commercial entertainment, new location-based entertainment centers featuring exhilarating virtual reality experiences can now be realized with the HP Z VR Backpack.

S E P T E M B E R 2017

MEA

KEY CAPABILITIES n Is light with an ergonomic backpack design and hot swappable batteries to provide unrestricted freedom within an immersive experience. n Has high-end processing power and the latest high-fidelity graphic solution to help prevent disruptive dropped frames so users can work in VR for as long as needed. n The Intel Core i7 vPro processor provides the power to process applications quickly and includes the vPro chipset. n Is the first wearable VR PC in the market with the NVIDIA Quadro P5200 with a huge 16GB video memory. n Itsdocking solution lets digital creators quickly transition back and forth between high powered desktop for content design and wearable VR PC to validate creations.

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or registered trademarks of HID Global or its licensor(s)/supplier(s) in the US and other countries and may not be used without permission. © 2016 HID Global Corporation/ASSA ABLOY AB. All rights reserved. HID, HID Global, the HID Blue Brick logo, and the Chain Design are trademarks

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© 2016 HID Global Corporation/ASSA ABLOY AB. All rights reserved. HID, HID Global, the HID Blue Brick logo, and the Chain Design are trademarks or registered trademarks of HID Global or its licensor(s)/supplier(s) in the US and other countries and may not be used without permission. © 2016 HID Global Corporation/ASSA ABLOY AB. All rights reserved. HID, HID Global, the HID Blue Brick logo, and the Chain Design are trademarks or registered trademarks of HID Global or its licensor(s)/supplier(s) in the US and other countries and may not be used without permission.

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INNOVATIONS

Radeon RX Vega Graphics Cards

imagePROGRAF PRO-6000 printer

AMD unveiled its Radeon RX Vegagraphics cards giving 4 million gamers access to the best enthusiast-class gaming experiences possible.Radeon RX Vega graphics cards are the most advanced consumer graphics cards in the world, built on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vegaâ&#x20AC;? GPU architecture.

Canon Middle East has launched its new 12-colour 60-inch large format professional inkjet printer to complete the imagePROGRAF PRO series. The PRO-6000 offers unsurpassed photo printing with a 12-colour ink system, dual-roll printing for excellent productivity and a space-saving design. As the largest model with the largest ink system, the imagePROGRAF PRO-6000 rounds off the full line of printers in the Canon PRO series.

KEY CAPABILITIES n Employs pioneering graphics technology in High Bandwidth Cache composed of 8GB of leading-edge HBM2 memory. n Features capabilities like Rapid Packed Math, the High Bandwidth Cache Controller and new Geometry and Pixel Engines to better harness low-level APIs and excel in DirectX 12 and Vulkan games. n Premium design, with start-of-the-art materials n Customizable GPU tach meter and iconic LED illumination. n Supports display technologies including Radeon FreeSync technology for smooth, vibrant HDR gaming. n Enables the ultimate in performance, features and stability to ensure an exceptional out-of-box experience

S E P T E M B E R 2017

MEA

KEY CAPABILITIES n Enables photographic output of exceptional quality, which is now available in 60 inches. n Ideal for advertisements, graphics and posters for indoor and outdoor use n Features the LUCIA PRO pigment ink and transparent Chroma Optimiser ink for printing. n Multifunction Roll System enables unattended use for multiple purposes using different media types with a single printer. n Simultaneous loading of the two types of black ink allows loss-free and automatic ink switching across various media. n Is capable of processing large volumes of high-res images and data with ease. n Full connectivity and Wi-Fi functionality ensure optimum productivity n The compact design of the PRO-6000 also makes it ideal for spacepressed print operation

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