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PA G E S 5 2 VOLUME O5 | ISSUE 05 DECEMBER 2017 WWW.EC-MEA.COM

DIGITAL LEARNING TAKES THE FRONT BENCH

As far as digitization is concerned, education is one of the unique sectors where priorities can be unified across the domains. / 24

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EDITORIAL

Augmented by Intelligence

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

2018 is being nicknamed as the year of ‘believable’ technologies. A year where the technological discussions that were being raised in the boardrooms will make believable entries into the mainstream. Industry leading digital offerings and hybrid IT solutions will be the key drivers in providing actionable insights to the customers. The rules and edge of competitive advantage will thus touch new horizons with business getting amplified with these intelligences. Vendor lock-ins will have to make way for flexible platforms and business requirements of agility and scalability will keep the game rolling for start-ups to bring in fresh models of services. Not only this, we will also see digital transformation going a step further with advances in BI, DRaaS and RPAs. Also, as we sit down to capture the predictions and outlook for 2018, one should not be astounded to see AI as the most recurring theme— irrespective of the technology, incumbents, industry or service we are talking about. Such is the prod of AI that any sector which is on the threshold of digitization would surely be planning to embrace a fraction, if not in entirety, of intelligence into its existing architectures. We at Enterprise Channels MEA are also set to ride the wave of change. Come 2018 and there will be a lot of new additions, attractions and amplifications to our features. We are introducing some new segments that are akin to this change; that include channel-intensive segments picking a leading channel ace from the market every month; new entrants’ market reviews, aspirations and offerings; hi-tech solution and services reviews; partner watch; industry focused topic and much more. Apart from this, our event roaster will also have some brand new additions in 2018— bringing focused events for the customers, industry and the IT fraternity at large. See you in 2018! ë

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2017 CONTENTS

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

COVER STORY

DIGITAL LEARNING TAKES THE FRONT BENCH As far as digitization is concerned, education is one of the unique sectors where priorities can be unified across the domains. /24

MY VIEWS /22

MAPPING BUSINESS GROWTH WITH NATIONAL AGENDA IYAD CHAMMAT, COUNTRY GENERAL MANAGER, GBM - OMAN

INTERVIEW /32

RETHINKING MARKETING IN A NEW LIGHT MARWA ABDULWAHED, SENIOR REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER, DELL EMC

INNOVATIONS /49

SPECIAL STORY

Is Your Uber Data Safe?

SENSEPOINT XRL

Honeywell unveiled a new connected gas detector available in the Middle East designed to keep industrial operations safe while making setup, maintenance and compliance reporting faster and easier by leveraging Bluetooth connectivity.

GUEST ARTICLE /33

HORIZON SCANNING IN EMEA FOR 2018 AND BEYOND GREG DAY, VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER FOR EMEA, PALO ALTO NETWORKS

EDITORIAL::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 04 CHANNEL STREET : ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 06 FOCUS IRAN ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 28 GEC OPEN ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 38 INNOVATIONS : ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 49

ADVERTISER INDEX: TOSHIBA 02, FUTURE IT SUMMIT 2018 03, GBM 07, TALARIAX 09, BULWARK 11, RITTAL13, VALUEMENTOR 15, INNOVATIVE SOLUTION 17, STORIT 19, CATALYST 21, INFINITE WIRELESS 23, FINNESE 41, VEEAM 51, GEC OPEN FINALE 52

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STREET H.E. AWADH SEGHAYER AL KETBI, ASSISTANT UNDERSECRETARY FOR SUPPORT SERVICES, MOHAP

MOHAP Enhances its Emergency Operations The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has revealed the implementation of new improvements on its ‘Wareed’ system, an electronic healthcare information system (HIS) that virtually links all the Ministry’s healthcare facilities in Dubai

and the Northern Emirates by automating all healthcare processes across various departments. The new enhancements are expected to enhance the Department of Emergency Operations of the Ministry while also reinforcing communication ties with local

COURT APPROVES AVAYA’S RESTRUCTURING PLAN The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has confirmed Avaya’s second amended chapter 11 plan of reorganization. As a result, Avaya expects to emerge from its restructuring process before the end of this year. “The Court’s approval of our plan is the culmination of months of hard work and extensive negotiations among our various stakeholders,” said Jim Chirico, Avaya’s President and CEO. “In the coming weeks, Avaya will emerge from this process stronger than ever and positioned for long-term success, with the financial flexibility to create even greater value for our customers, partners and stockholders.”

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healthcare providers. According to His Excellency (H.E.) Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services, MOHAP, the improvements installed into the system will now result in the seamless linking of UAE-based

health and medical facilities with the Ministry–ably powered by the integrated IT system of ‘Wareed.’ The move demonstrates MOHAP’s commitment towards providing the best levels of health care that follow international standards to UAE nationals and residents.

MICROSOFT HOSTS SECOND CISO EXECUTIVE SUMMIT The event, this year titled “A Hacker’s Guide to Security Strategy”, was held at the Burj Al Arab, Dubai, and allowed security professionals to network with peers, as well as hear from a renowned cyber-security specialist on current and upcoming threats.“Most organisations know what cyber-attackers are likely to go after, once they have breached the corporate perimeter,” said Cyril Voisin, Executive Security Advisor for France, Italy, the Middle East and Africa at Microsoft’s Enterprise Cybersecurity Group. “That means that you know where to focus your efforts; and that is the beginnings of a formal, coherent, inhouse security strategy.

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Telcos Play a Major Role in AI Revolution

KHALIFA AL SHAMSI, CHIEF STRATEGY & GOVERNANCE OFFICER, ETISALAT GROUP.

Khalifa Al Shamsi, Chief Strategy & Governance Officer, Etisalat Group.was part of a panel discussion which focused on ‘AI, Cybersecurity and digitisation enablers: Challenges & Expectations’ at the fourth edition of the ‘Knowledge Summit’ organised by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF). The theme this year was ‘Knowledge and the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and studied the impact

of the fourth industrial revolution on different sectors as it continues to focus on all aspects of life for individuals, institutions and nations. The panel discussion focused on the role of telecom operators in protecting digital security, hacking concerns as a hurdle towards broader IoT adoption, enablers for the AI revolution when it comes to capability and infrastructure, the movement towards a safe digital community, role of telcos in the AI revolution.

ANKABUT SIGNS MOUS WITH DARKMATTER & FUJITSU Of the two MoUs, the MoU with DarkMatter covers ‘Security and Management’, while the MoU with Fujitsu focuses on disaster recovery (DR) as service provider. The agreements are expected to provide Ankabut with adequate strength in offering enhanced services to its users. Fahem Al-Nuaimi, CEO, Ankabut, offered an overview of the activities, updating participants on the progress of all the projects and projected plans for the future. Al-Nuaimi said: “The two MoUs, redesigned website and the data center together add a new dimension to our services, enhancing user experience and better connectivity. Ankabut aims to remain the right channel for knowledge-related information that could be used for better learning experience.

IFS REVEALS THE RESULTS OF DIGITAL CHANGE SURVEY The results of the Digital Change Survey by IFS show that companies are focused on driving process efficiencies through investments in technologies for digital transformation. The study highlights that the main driver for digital transformation is process efficiency (44% of the respondents,) followed by improved reporting and decision making (39%.) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools (46%) are flagged as the number one capability identified for investment, highlighting the need for more mature centralization and management of data internally. This is followed by Big Data and analytics (45%) and Infrastructure as a Service (37%.) Some 39% of construction sector organizations consider themselves digitally advanced, second only to aviation among the sectors IFS studied. However, this varies significantly by size of company. Over one fifth (21%) of the largest ($25bn+) firms consider themselves fully optimized to leverage digital transformation, while the figure is just 11 percent among the smallest ($1-4.99bn) players. “Construction firms are recognizing that in order to improve efficiency they need to offer services that manage the total lifecycle of an asset, as opposed to purely its construction,” said Kenny Ingram, Global Industry Director for Construction and Contracting at IFS.

DELL EMC REVEALS NEW LOYALTY PROGRAM The new Future-Proof Storage Loyalty Program by Dell EMC offers three-year satisfaction guarantee along with customer benefits such as all-inclusive software, hardware investment protection, storage efficiency guarantees, worry-free data

migrations and free Virtustream Storage Cloud. This new offering will provide partners with a considerable advantage in meeting the needs of customers looking for future-proofed storage technologies to enhance and grow their business. Additionally, Dell

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EMC’s expansion of its midrange storage portfolio with two new SC All-Flash data storage arrays, along with key software updates to Dell EMC Unity designed to boost efficiency and cost savings for mixed block and file workloads, provides customers with an even

greater value proposition when transforming their IT infrastructure to meet the requirements of today’s market. The new Dell EMC Future-Proof Storage Loyalty program offers customers guarantees and value through the lifetime of their arrays.

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NetApp Survey Puts Spotlight on Data Thrivers

SECONDS

TREND MICRO ACQUIRES IMMUNIO As companies build and deploy applications faster across everything from cloud to containers, any drag on the DevOps lifecycle can create drag on an entire business. In response to this, Trend Micro Incorporated expanded its Hybrid Cloud Security solution scope. New capabilities, attained through a combination of acquiring Montréal, Canada- based Immunio and in-house development, increase the automated protection that Trend Micro can provide throughout the DevOps lifecycle. MCAFEE TO ACQUIRE SKYHIGH NETWORKS

JEAN ENGLISH, SVP AND CMO, NETAPP.

Skyhigh Networks CEO Rajiv Gupta will join McAfee CEO Chris Young’s leadership team to run McAfee’s new cloud business unit. Skyhigh’s existing organizational structure will remain generally intact, ensuring continuity for customers and partners. At the same time, Skyhigh will benefit from McAfee’s global scale and integrations to McAfee’s broad and deep product portfolio to even better protect customers.

NetApp revealed the findings of a global research program focused on helping companies embrace digital transformation. In partnership with IDC, the research program provides immediate and impactful steps any company can use to transform. The study results show what separates Data Thrivers, who are aggressively disruptive in the use of digital technologies to affect new markets, from those who are merely Data Survivors or even Data Resisters. “Our mission is to support companies throughout the digital transformation process, delivering hybrid cloud data services that radically improve organizational efficiency

and create new business opportunities” said Jean English, SVP and CMO, NetApp. “To thrive in today’s data-driven economy, we looked to NetApp Technology to ‘bridge-thecloud’ so we could focus on our core business, providing retail investors with next-generation financial services. We are looking forward in an open market of compute capacity, whether it comes from the cloud or other areas” said Michael Jaeggi, head of IT, Boerse Stuttgart GmbH. Data Thrivers are taking steps to increase revenue, improve business outcomes, and transform data into dollars.

MIRAL TO LAUNCH DIGITAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCE ON YAS ISLAND Miral has embarked on a major digital transformation project to create a seamlessly connected destination of world-class theme parks and attractions on Yas Island. Advancing Miral’s vision to create unique and immersive experiences, the project will take visitors on a highly personalized digital journey, enhancing Yas Island’s destination appeal to global leisure and business travellers. GENETEC TO PARTICIPATE AT CAIRO

NEW ERA OF ELASTIC TECHNOLOGIES TO REVOLUTIONIZE LOGISTICS LANDSCAPE The rise of innovative new machines & features such as drones, AI, GPS tracking, and datadriven logistics, have had a promising effect on the logistics landscape, as researched by FarEye. Supply chains across the Middle East have been revolutionized by new advancements, making logistics services faster, more accurate, and efficient. Commenting on what the trends means for the future of the logistics industry, Kushal Nahata, Co-founder & CEO of FarEye said, “At FarEye, we constantly review the trends and nature of our industry, so that we stay ahead of the curve and provide the best possible service to our customers. Listening closely to the market needs and utilizing the advancements in technology allows us to create a platform that improves efficiency, enhance customer experience and create revenue streams.”

ICT Genetec will be participating at this year’s edition of Cairo ICT which will be held from December 3 to 6, 2017 at the New Cairo Exhibition Center Cairo. The event is being held under the high patronage of Egyptian President, His Excellency (H.E.) Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The company will be throwing the spotlight on three of its leading offerings—Access Control, Security Center and Mission Control—and help increase more awareness on the significance of these new solutions in the efforts to maintain safety and security across the daily operations of today’s businesses.

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StarLink Signed as Extreme Networks VAD in MENA

MAHMOUD NIMER, GENERAL MANAGER AT STARLINK

StarLink will drive new business opportunities for Extreme Networks with a focused team that will sell, install and support the entire portfolio of products. Mahmoud Nimer, General Manager at StarLink said, “We have primed our portfolio for a best-of-breed network infrastructure vendor, and the timing could not be more well aligned with this partnership. Extreme’s growth strategy to lead the networking industry from the data center to the wireless edge, secures their position

as a top player in the enterprise networking market. We are excited about the opportunity to assist Extreme Networks achieve exponential growth in region.” Mark Smith, Regional Sales Director MEA at Extreme Networks said, “We expect StarLink to play a pivotal role in our regional growth strategy, enabling us to reach more resellers with end-to-end software-driven solutions that will drive their customers’ digital transformation initiatives.”

HITACHI VANTARA LAUNCHES CLOUD ENABLED DATA RECOVERY SOLUTION Hitachi Vantara introduced the latest version of its data recovery platform, Hitachi Data Instance Director (HDID) v6, which significantly modernizes IT environments and how data is protected. This newest version improves data availability – a requirement for transforming an organization into a modern digital enterprise – by supporting always-on service objectives. HDID v6 unites operational recovery, business continuity, disaster recovery and copy-data management capabilities with business-critical application environments. This release addresses the needs of customers, partners and global system integrators requiring a cloud-enabled data recovery solution. It provides a comprehensive application-programming interface, multitenancy and granular role-based access controls coupled with a highly scalable, whiteboard-style policy engine. “HDID is a critical function in our production environments; without it, Talisys would turn our 15-minute process into 10 hours of work. With the use of HDID v6, we are now able to scale out the product to more departments based on its greatly improved security and role-based access. We have found with the HDID v6 improvements in application aware controls, we can now simplify our current process even further,” said Chadd Warwick, systems architect, Talisys. HDID v6 reduces risk and administration costs while significantly improving data availability. “Our goal at Hitachi Vantara is to help customers achieve tangible outcomes that positively drive business forward. HDID does just that.” said Iri Trashanski, SVP, Market Development and Product Management, Hitachi Vantara.

ARUBA NAMED AS ‘LEADER’ IN GARTNER’S MAGIC QUADRANT Aruba has topped Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure, positioned furthest overall in the ‘Leaders’ category for its completeness of vision. Aruba also ranked number 1 in all

use-cases in the accompanying Critical Capabilities report, which scores 16 vendors on a variety of networking capabilities across six enterprise use-cases. This is the first time any vendor is leading in all the use-cases.

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Gartner also notes that Aruba has scored higher than Cisco in every use-case, the first time in the four editions of this research, positioning Aruba as the top networking vendor in the world for wired and wireless LAN

access. According to the report, Aruba has one of the broadest wired and wireless access layer portfolios in the market, and Gartner recommends organizations to consider it for all campus deployments globally.

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Tech Firms Posing Bigger Threats to Banking

WEB CLIPS TERADATA LAUNCHES AGILE ANALYTICS FACTORY

Bain & Company, in its eighth annual retail banking study, partnered with Research Now to survey more than 133,000 consumers in 22 countries. It found that across most countries at least half of respondents said they are open to buying a financial services product from a technology company. This is particularly true in countries where the banking experience is more time-consuming and cumbersome. For example, in India and Mexico, 91% and 81% of

respondents, respectively, expressed a willingness to run their finances through major tech firms. Interest is similarly high in countries that have long used non-bank payment systems, such as in China, where many consumers conduct financial transactions via WeChat. Here, 88% of consumers said they would bank with a tech firm. Technology companies have also earned a high degree of trust with consumers, according to the survey.

Teradata’s Agile Analytics Factory provides data science skills and analytics expertise as a service to deliver systemic and repeatable analytic capabilities. The program also applies data management practices, employs agile delivery methods, and works across technology and business functions to reduce costs and complexity in data and analytic environments. XEROX RELEASES 2017 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP REPORT Xerox has achieved several of its corporate “2020” sustainability goals for energy, Green

IMDAAD DRIVES DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH MICROSOFT CLOUD

House Gas (GHG) emissions, water use and

Imdaad has adopted Microsoft cloud and productivity solutions to transform into a modern workplace of the digital era. The move has revolutionized the company’s operations by improving efficiency, enhancing security and reducing overall IT costs, empowering Imdaad to achieve more. Imdaad’s digital transformation journey to empower employees and optimise its operations began with the implementation of Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft StaffHub, a cloud-based business collaboration app designed for the mobile workforce, that puts the office in their pocket and take it with them wherever they go.

the remaining goals. The report is prepared in

Days-Away-From-Work rates across operations globally and is on track to meet most of accordance with GRI G4 Guidelines and aligns with the new GRI Reporting Standards issued late 2016. It continues the Xerox legacy of reporting on corporate social responsibility for the 12th consecutive year. DUBAI FREE ZONES COUNCIL, FEDERAL TAX AUTHORITY HOLD 2ND INFORMATIVE WORKSHOP ON VAT With the aim of helping private free zoneregistered companies fulfill their tax obligations, the workshop provided a comprehensive

66% OF IT PROFESSIONALS IN KSA BELIEVE IAAS HELPS BUSINESS INNOVATION The proportion of businesses reaping the rewards of embracing cloud infrastructure services is increasing, according to the latest quarterly global survey of 1,610 IT professionals. Two-thirds of respondents from Saudi Arabia (66%) believe Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) makes it easier for businesses to innovate, up from 62% last quarter. Nearly half of respondents from Saudi Arabia (49%) found their organisation is already experiencing improved productivity from their migration to cloud, while 60% said it has significantly reduced time to deployment of new applications and services.

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NUMBER GAME

overview of VAT and related mechanisms, the implementation timeline, products and services

of Enterprises Investing in AI acc to ThinkBig

it will cover, as well as tax-exempt sectors. The session clarified the impact of the new tax law, announced in March 2017 by the Ministry of Finance and the Federal Tax Authority, on activities such as bookkeeping as well as on the preparation of invoices and other financial documents. AWS LAUNCHES AMAZON SUMERIAN Amazon Sumerian makes it easy for any developer to build Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and 3D applications, and run them on mobile devices, head-mounted displays, digital signage, or web browsers. With Amazon Sumerian’s editor, developers can build realistic virtual environments, populate them with 3D objects and animated characters, and script how they interact with each other and the application’s users.

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Attivo Partners with Networks Unlimited

ANTON JACOBSZ, MD, NETWORKS UNLIMITED

RAY KAFITY - VICE PRESIDENT - MIDDLE EAST TURKEY AND AFRICA (META), ATTI

Attivo Networks revealed a strategic partnership with Networks Unlimited and with this distribution partnership, they together aim to extend comprehensive next-generation deceptionbased cyber security defence to customers across the South and Sub-Saharan region. This agreement with Networks Unlimited

makes it possible for customers operating in the South and Sub-Saharan region to fortify their security defences to immediately detect, quarantine and remediate cyber threats by gaining easy access to Attivo Networks’ powerful line of deception-based tools for actionable defence.

TAKELEAP, IKEA SHAKE HANDS TAKELEAP has partnered with IKEA to develop Virtual Shopping Experience by IKEA POPUP concept throughout the Middle East. The pop-ups have taken place in malls within five cities across three countries, including Jordan, Kuwait and Morocco. Visitors to the pop-ups can create their own virtual living room by placing IKEA signature products in the scene using VR technologies to facilitate the home furnishing experience. Users can choose from pre-set room layouts to match the dimension of their living space, then purchase the products on site if they wish, removing the need to visit a traditional IKEA store to visualize and purchase products.

CANON HIGHLIGHTS GROWTH PRIORITIES FOR 2018 Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) hosted its second Partner Conference in Luxor, Egypt, over three days. During the event, Canon highlighted its commitment to the region and its strategy to expand its network of partners across new and existing markets in Africa. The event, which brought together more than 135 partners from 45 countries in Africa, further underlines Canon’s focus on being closer to its customer and strengthening its regional presence. The Annual Partner Conference served as a key platform for the company to highlight its achievements in 2017 and to outline the strategic growth priorities and opportunities in 2018, which also included organisational enhancements to better serve its partners. Roman Troedthandl, Managing Director of CCNA, said: “The Annual Partner Conference is a flagship event, and being in Luxor is extremely significant as we reflect on the incredibly history of the past while focusing on the path of the future ahead of us. As we celebrate our achievements, Canon also aims to discuss business growth opportunities and strengthen our association with our partners, who contribute significantly to our success. Africa region is of strategic importance to us, and with the support of our partners, we have been able to make strong inroads in building our market share.” CCNA will continue to build on the momentum through its objectives set for 2017 including growing and enhancing the market through market assessment with a key focus on new partner development, in addition to channel expansion and adding market value.

MICRO FOCUS EXTENDS DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH SPECTRAMI Spectrami has been appointed as an official distribution partner for Micro Focus following the completion of its merger with Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s software business. Anand Choudha, Managing

Director at Spectrami, said, “We are extremely excited by the opportunities this partnership opens up to us and we are pleased to expand the Micro Focus portfolio across the MEA region. With the addition of Micro Focus in our portfolio,

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Spectrami will be able to offer wide range of high quality, enterprise – grade scalable software to customers through its extensive network of channel partners, working closely alongside with Micro Focus’ global sales and support team to ensure its

channel partners receive strong Presales, marketing, implementation and Post – sales support.” Spectrami strives to build a diverse portfolio of products to enhance its offerings to customers through an extensive network of Channel Partners.

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OMA Emirates & Karma Technology Join Hands

JUNIPER CUSTOMER SUMMIT TO ADDRESS ENTERPRISE NETWORK AUTOMATION’S ROLE Juniper Networks will hold its annual customer summit on December 11, 2017 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. A complimentary event for CIOs and IT managers as they navigate digital transformation, the 2017 theme is the Self-Driving Network: Automation to Autonomy. The program will share learnings, explore market research findings, highlight innovation and discuss the future of autonomous networks.

NIRANJ SANGAL, GROUP CEO, OMA EMIRATES

OMA Emirates Group has partnered with Karma Technology and successfully completed a safe and seamless mobile payment solution across all 15 Maison BMore outlets. The multi fashion brand stores in the UAE now has a new deployment that allows sales staff to run the fully customized ECR application in the palm of their hands and enriches the customer experience. Payments can now be processed anywhere within the store and also fulfils the company’s requirement for smart payment devices which accept multiple modes of payment including Smart EMV, Magstripe and NFC/Contactless. This enhances the customer and merchant experience through ease of usage, safety, security and is a convenient way of transacting. “We are extremely privileged to supply a Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) device for an organization that is focused on raising its customer services and experience. The customized

application and the advanced iSMP terminals will add value and innovation within the stores,” said Niranj Sangal, Group CEO, OMA Emirates. While eliminating the need for cash registers and external bar-code readers, the new mPOS Cashier System provides greater freedom and flexibility to enhance customer service across any part of the store. A significant advantage is the ability to engage and interact with customers and allows a convenient mobile checkout experience that saves time, improves efficiency and strengthens customer loyalty. The enhanced services are also equipped with automated payments and receipts that are easy to track. Compatible with iPhone, the new solution integrates between the iSMP application and Karma Technology’s iOS merchant application and payment gateway, connected to a proprietary ERP system developed to automate the company’s retail operations.

This seminar will help organizations understand how to reduce rote tasks, mitigate risk, strengthen security and focus on future business demands of the network through automation. The event will also include the launch of brand new market research from IDC that examines strategies, adoption of and plans for network automation across enterprises and service providers in the Kingdom. “At Juniper Networks, we believe that automated networks, artificial intelligence and machine learning will provide business agility and enable IT teams to focus on innovation and acceleration of the business,” said Yarob Sakhnini, Head of Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Juniper Networks.

ESET Technology Alliance Welcomes Xopero Xopero has joined the ESET Technology Alliance. As a result, existing ESET customers now have the option to add Xopero backup and disaster recovery to their multilayered security strategy. “With Ponemon Institute revising upwards the average cost

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of unplanned downtime in 2016 to $8,850 per minute, ESET Technology Alliance prioritized its critical cloud backup and disaster recovery vendor relationship, one needed to maintain the multi-layered security our users expect. With Xopero

we’ve got you covered,” said Jeronimo Varela, Director of Global Sales. ESET Technology Alliance will offer both Xopero’s on premise and cloud solutions, as well as its service provider products.

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AUTHORIZED VALUE ADDED DISTRIBUTOR FOR

CHANNEL STREET

Re-visiting ‘Availability’ for Modern Enterprises The Rajmahal Theatre, famous for its larger-than-life performances, came alive with ‘enterprise-changing’ thoughts and best practices on Availability and Backup with the VeeamON Forum 2017 closing on a high note at the Dubai Parks and Resorts on 15th November, 2017. The event that connected leading IT experts and visionaries throughout the region to share and learn how to ensure Availability for the Always-ON Enterprise and deliver a seamless Digital Life Experience. Senior Veeam Executives presented keynote sessions exploring the ‘Digital Future’ – how user demands, driven by digital transformation, are changing daily with users wanting a seamless digital experience and 24.7.365 access to data and applications. In this scenario, enterprises are having to re-think their IT strategies and service models, and Availability is of paramount importance. Graham Porter, Head of Channels for Middle East at Veeam said, “The number of attendees at the VeeamOn Forum are growing. 80%

of the attendees are our end-users and potential customers. At the event, we are talking about the Veeam v10 and some upgrade packs as well and about the key API’s – Application Programming Interfaces. We have got partners like HPE, Microsoft, NetApp, Alpha Data etc. We have signed reseller agreements with HPE, NetApp and Cisco as well recently. The ecosystem and the partners are growing and by December, we should be a $800 million company and by 2019 we aim to touch $1bn.” Recent major customer wins show momentum in high-level projects, including: Dubai Duty Free, Jumeirah Group, Al Naboodah Group Enterprises (ANGE), King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST), Electronic Government Authority (EGA) of Ras Al Khaimah, and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia and UAE, the two countries that have traditionally been the highest revenue contributions for Veeam within the region, will continue be critical to Veeam’s

future success. The ongoing focus on Smart Cities, Saudi’s Vision 2030 where technology is key to the country’s National Transformation Program, the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, plus trends such as cloud computing, big data, virtualization, security and mobility, make it clear technology has a vital role to play in the Middle East for many years to come. These factors only serve to fuel Veeam’s ability to play a big role in the region’s digital transformation by assisting government agencies and enterprises to remain ‘AlwaysOn’ businesses with its market leading technology. “We are seeing a lot of investment in cloud in the Middle East region. The exciting part is we are growing faster than our competitors and also have grown in terms of our partners. Our message to people would be, don’t believe what we say – try our product, see for yourself how easy it is to install it and how it works. A lot of enterprise customers are seriously looking at Veeam,” added Graham. Gregg Petersen, Regional Sales Vice President, Middle East and Africa,

Veeam Software said, “We have had a very positive growth in 2017 and the VeeamON forum is a testament to that growth. The Middle East continues to be a fast-paced growth region, with high levels of innovation and people eager to adopt technologies that drive digitization and ease the burden of growing data management tasks. These ambitions compliment our technology proposition, of enabling businesses in the Middle East to deliver the Digital Life experience users expect with robust levels of data availability. Saudi and UAE have been our high growth countries but we already have a lot of implementations and have a strong momentum in countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman as well and moving to 2018, you will be seeing a lot of case studies and best practices from Veeam in those countries.” The VeeamON Forum featured Veeam use cases and scenarios addressing critical pain points, real-world strategies and solutions, technology and business sessions.

RSA CONFERENCE CONCLUDES ON A HIGH NOTE RSA Conference in conjunction with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), has successfully concluded this year’s Conference with over 1100 attendees from around the world. The key highlights included – Opening Keynotes delivered by Dr. Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Executive Director, Signals Intelligence Agency (SIA), followed by Eng. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Deputy

Director General for Information & e-government sector, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority; 35+ track sessions which covered trends including Blockchain, AI, Cloud, IoT and Ransomware; A Closing Keynote presented by former Director General of the United Kingdom’s MI5, Dame Stella Rimington, who spoke on leadership and teamwork, in addition to anecdotes about her life

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and career. “The success of this year’s Conference proves that cyber security is firmly established in the region’s business agenda and provided an opportunity for knowledge-sharing and public-private discussions on the most pressing trends and topics,” said Linda Gray Martin, General Manager, RSA Conferences. “RSA Conference 2017 Abu

Dhabi remains one of the most important global forums for cyber authorities and market innovators to gather to discuss both the challenges posed by the growing worldwide cyber threat and the solutions we can offer our customers as they seek to protect their data, critical infrastructure and military hardware,” said Tom Goodman, Director, International Cyber Business, Raytheon.

CATALYSTS

AWARDS 2018

RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE

MARCH, 2018

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INTERVIEW

Mapping Business Growth with National Agenda WITH 27 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, GULF BUSINESS MACHINES BRINGS STRONG UNDERSTANDINGS OF LOCAL NEEDS, COUPLED WITH ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE AND TECHNOLOGIES AND SOLUTIONS FROM THE INDUSTRY GLOBAL PARTNERS. IYAD CHAMMAT, COUNTRY GENERAL MANAGER OF OMAN SHARES HOW GBM MANAGED TO SURVIVE THE YEAR 2017 WHEN OMAN MARKET WENT THROUGH NUMBER OF CHALLENGES.

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going through number of challenges influenced by fall of oil prices and the shrinkage in Government spending. These elements definitely have direct impact on any large business in the country. However, since we have nurtured partnerships with the world’s leading technology companies and invested in a talented, skilled workforce, GBM managed to survive the situation by offering innovative solutions that reflects deep understanding of customers and their requirements and effective integration with their business growth objectives. What are the high growth areas in Oman that GBM has been cashing upon? Infrastructure, software related, big data and security solutions Which vertical has been the highest adopter of digitization? Since government is reducing spending, for 2017 organizations from the banking sector and the services sector were more spenders in term of digitization.

IYAD CHAMMAT,

COUNTRY GENERAL MANAGER, GBM - OMAN

Please tell me about the key projects of GBM in Oman. Oman continues to be an important market for Gulf Buisness Machines (GBM). Drawing on a twenty-seven year of experience in integrated technology solutions, GBM brings strong understanding of local needs, coupled with access to international expertise and technologies and solutions from industry leading global partners. We are committed to provide the best IT solu-

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tions that support economic growth at a national level and we are running diverse key projects in infrastructure, software related, big data which need to be complimented with security solutions. How has the market responded to GBM’s solution in 2017 and how promising the 2018 market looks like? During 2017, Oman market was tough as it was

What would be GBM’s go-tomarket strategy in Oman for 2018? What kind of new partnerships can customers look forward to? The Fund forecasts that Oman’s economic growth would bounce back to 3.8 per cent in 2018 and revenue is projected to increase. Therefore, we have plans to invest in resources which can address customer requirements. We are also considering outsourcing some of the managed services. We will also focus on security and digitization which are gaining more importance and value in the market. There is a national strategy to focus on non-oil sectors including manufacturing, transport and logistics, tourism, fisheries and mining so the momentum is there and we need to map our business growth with national agenda. ë

COVER STORY

DIGITAL

LEARNING TAKES THE FRONT BENCH

As far as digitization is concerned, education is one of the unique sectors where priorities can be unified across the domains. Technology can play prominent role in education institutions regardless of the country or region that they are in by reconstructing the institutions into systems.

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ailored, accelerated, effectiveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; these summarize the services of any sector today. Such is the end result of digitization that, different sectors have been forced to churn out, if not all, the potentials that can be reaped out of it. The education sector has been considered to be the last in the chain of these development. There have been various debates and reports that studied the lowly impact of digitization on the education sector. While some blamed the

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legacy pedagogy, that did not allow the role of the teacher to be usurped by technology, to be the hindrance; others simply questioned the investment pattern that are unwilling to change. Talking about the GCC region, things have definitely taken a positive turn for the education sector. Though not in its entirety, digitization and digital technologies have definitely shaped the education sector to be able to be at par with the global counterparts.

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“Professional development programs for educators should incorporate IoE tools to encourage early adoption and help educators develop innovative methodologies and appropriate pedagogies for the learning environment.” -FADY YOUNES,

“Education CIOs need to present IT investments to the school boards, and also to parents, as enabling smart learning and future education.” -SAVITHA BHASKAR, COO, CONDO PROTEGO

“Just like medical tourism that attracts patients across boundaries because of their advanced technology, education tourism should also attract students from different parts of the world.” -SIRISH KUMAR,

CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, TELR.COM

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR – EAST REGION, CISCO MIDDLE EAST

WELCOMING A NEW GENERATION OF STUDENTS Today, it is inevitable that a school or any other educational institutions would be operating on the mere legacy models of papers or physical identity. From boarding the bus, to marking attendance to enrolling in the curriculum, the next generation of students will need the ability to take information one step further by applying it creatively in a number of situations. The earlier or legacy models of listen and learn have made way to explore, create and learn. Virtual education and mobile technologies have put the world at the fingertips of the students and they have access to not only the text books that hold in their hands but to the entire world. Fady Younes, Deputy Managing Director and Operations Director – East Region, Cisco Middle East says “The role of technology is to give students an expanded experience with a superior outcome. Cisco enables these approaches with solutions such as Cisco LectureVision to capture, transform, and share video anytime, anywhere in any format. Colleges and universities can deliver blended and online learning with solutions such as WebEx, Mobile Learning, and the Cisco

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TelePresence solution.”

MAJOR ARENAS FOR INVESTMENTS The region would see a great inclination towards virtual classrooms and mobile learning. According to reports, the next stage would require a unified framework in preparation for the comprehensive development which needs a common, unified education system that can deliver national higher objectives of 2021. Sirish Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder, Telr.com makes a very interesting point here. According to him, education is a true way to attract different nationalities. Just like medical tourism that attracts patients across boundaries because of their advanced technology, education tourism should also attract students from different parts of the world. “Education is at the heart of strong economic development and social equity. The network must be stable, scalable, reliable, and capable of handling the increased rate of traffic from the explosion of mobile devices, the use of video, and the implementation of new applications for communications and collaboration. It must be

safe, secure, wired, and wireless, easy to manage and administer, and it must be designed to meet future growth requirements,” says Fady.

SETTING UP THE PRIORITIES As far as digitization is concerned, education is one of the unique sectors where priorities can be unified across the domains. Technology can play prominent role in education institutions regardless of the country or region that they are in by reconstructing the institutions into systems. Studies have testified the role of technology as an enabling force behind globalization, knowledge work, and entrepreneurship, and thus students must understand the role it plays in transforming political, social, cultural, civic, and economic systems around the world. Condo Protego identifies the key role played by the channel partners in enabling the institutions to leverage their digital models. “Channel partners can play a key role in supporting educational boards to develop their digital transformation plans, prioritize the technology solutions, and train educational IT staff to free them up to focus on innovation. Condo Protego works closely

COVER STORY

lot of trust in technology and software providers to do the right thing, but we might not be doing enough to ensure that this trust is earned. The circle of trust is further complicated when you realize that many providers rely on their own business partners to deliver security — companies that the school doesn’t deal with directly and into which they have no visibility. “Cisco Connected Learning is leading this new world of education with visionary technologies that make it possible for students and educators anywhere to do almost anything. From safe, instant communications to blended learning experiences, worldwide collaborations, and rich, online media experiences, Cisco is developing the visionary technologies today to create a better tomorrow,” says Fady.

GOING WITH THE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

WHAT THE CIO SAYS ASHITH PIRIYATTIATH,

GROUP IT HEAD, AL MASAH CAPITAL

Digital technology is enabling teachers to create more interactive, engaging, flexible learning materials in a range of digital and multimedia formats and make them available to students online. Educators are also able to teach in a variety of different ways in the classroom, through the use of in-class technologies, online materials and students’ own mobile devices. These changes are enabling educators to have a more diverse set of pedagogical approaches to support their learners, which means that they can be more inclusive in their teaching methods. I Have seen wide usage of the concept ‘BYOD’ in education sector in the year 2017, where the schools encourages children to bring their own device/ procure own device as per the standards specified by the school to enhance interactive digital learning. Also even schools are procuring devices for the students directly from the Principal vendor in large volume to get educational/academic pricing benefits.

with leading Middle East educational institutions on their digital transformation, with enterprise storage, cloud, Big Data, and data protection solutions.

ITS PLAYFUL TOO Interactive education has always proved effective for teachers as well as students. The introduction of educational games have been aiding the teachers to conceptualize topics. Vendors are incorporating features of artificial intelligence in games to enhance the interactivity element. These games embody the adaptive learning feature so

that students can be given frequent and timely suggestions for a guided learning experience. These games improvise adaptive learning features while deploying machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence.

USHERING A SECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT While technology opens a whole new world of opportunities to the students, it is equally important to make sure that the new world is secure to be visited. Principals, teachers and parents put a

To make that a more flexible and adaptable process, van Rooijen points to the benefits of using ‘learning analytics’ and ‘adaptive learning’ technologies, from companies such as Knewton and Smart Sparrow. These analyze how students navigate the online components of courses to see, for example, if they need additional support or the course itself needs to be improved to make it more accessible. For one of the UAE’s leading higher education institutions, Condo Protego designed and implemented an innovative data storage and protection project. “Now, the institution can centrally manage data recovery and retrieval from its 17 campuses, with full disaster recovery to a second data center,” says Savita Bhaskar, COO of Condo Protego. Sirish says, “As a payment service provider, our view is that digitising payments stands to make a significant difference to educational institutions – improving the level of convenience for feepayers and removing administrative issues with collecting fees in cash or by cheque. Payments technology also has a role to play in the lives of students, with regard to their on-campus spending – reducing the burden for both the institution and students of operating in cash, and allowing for innovative schemes to instill financial literacy into students.”

FINALLY There also has been a lot of skepticism from the academia who considered themselves as a separate entity from the management, according to few reports, in initiating a joined-up approach. Its time for a change, a serious change that brings the education sector to the forefront of this digital chain. ë

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FOCUS STORY

FOCUS IRAN

IRAN

RECONNECTING WITH THE GLOBAL ECONOMY 28

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FOCUS STORY

The idea of a nuclear Iran has outshined an interesting discussion in the past decade about the country’s non-nuclear economic potential in both Middle East & Central Asia. The most exciting part is about the technologies that will change the future of the country and its surrounding regions. The country could possibly become a science and technology leader in the region with the amount of support that it receives from the government. 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

fter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iran is the second largest economy is the Middle East and North Africa with an estimated GDP in 2016 of US $ 412.2 billion according to World Bank Group. Iran’s economy was up surged when the United States lifted sanctions in 2015. In February 2016, Iran began shipping oil to Europe for the first time in three years. Iran ranks the 2nd in the world in natural gas reserves and 4th in proven crude oil reserves.

VISION 2025 Based on the analysis report by McKinsey Global Institute, by 2035, Iran has the potential to increase its GDP by $1 trillion and create 9 million jobs. The international companies might play a significant role by bringing in investments and technology know-how that could improve productivity. But the nation will also need to undertake some improvements in order to support dynamic and sustainable long-term growth. To compete globally, Iranian companies will need to improve their labour and capital productivity. Multinational firms will need to customize their business models. Financial institutions based in the country and abroad should reconnect to reopen financial flows. To address these issues and to play a remarkable role in the global economy, the Iranian government has taken several measures.

In the year 2005, the Islamic Republic released Vision 2025, describing the state’s intentions to be a leader in areas such as science and technology in the Western South Asia region. The technology sector is one the nation’s top three priorities in the five-year plan. The 6th five-year plan (2016 – 2021) will focus mainly on the development of resilient economy, growth of science and technology and the promotion of cultural excellence. The administration has released an outstanding budget for the internet infrastructure and communications. Social media is very popular within the country and the Iranian government has also changed its decisions that limited internet speeds to only residential users and has issued 3G and 4G licenses to the country’s leading telecom operators. Today, around 47 million people in Iran use the internet. With the improvement of the structure of telecommunications and information technology networks, the speed and quality of services have also increased throughout the nation. The goal set for the Information and Communication Technology sector is to increase its share in GDP by up to 6%; the figure currently stands at 2.5%. According to sources, the IT market in Iran is worth $7.5 billion, of which 84% account for telecoms technologies.

SIXTH FIVE YEAR PLAN The 6th Five Year Development Plan sets out the objectives of Iran for the next five years (2016 –

SIX STRENGTH POINTS OF IRAN’S ECONOMY Scientific Education

The Growing Consumer Class High Urbanization Rate

Economic Diversification

Entrepreneurial Culture Strategic Position for Cross Border Issues

2021). For the Financing and Investment Sector, the Iranian government plans to introduce legal and policy directives to provide clarity of information to ensure the nation becomes the 3rd most foreign investment destination in the region. The Government will place an emphasis on attracting US$30 billion in the form of project finance, US$15 billion in the form of foreign direct investment and US$20 billion in the form of joint investment agreements. Under the banking sector, the government will encourage partnership between domestic and foreign financial institutions. In the tourism industry, the government will provide necessary support particularly to increase the number of religious tourists and also provide financial incentives. With the signing of nuclear deal, the economy of Iran grew 6.5 percent in 2016 and has attracted massive investment in infrastructure, utilities, hospitality and oil and gas sectors since its nuclear deal. The nation has also signed major projects for road and rail by European and Asian construction companies. It also signed huge private power plant project valued at US$ 3.6 billion. The country has also signed major international brands in the hospitality sector and recently signed the Iran Petroleum Contract in the oil and gas sector. The Government hopes to accomplish the objectives by issuing all the new directives.

THE $1 TRILLION GROWTH OPPORTUNITY IS THE TIME NOW? Given the various number of investment opportunities in different sectors, the nation has the potential to attract more than $ 3.5 trillion worth of investments over the next 20 years. To achieve its goals, the government has outlined economic priorities which include upgrading infrastructure through the adoption of technology, strengthening the financial system, etc. With its extraordinary geopolitical position in the Middle East and with a population of 80 million educated youths, the country offers the right set of circumstances for regional and international investors. ë

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SPECIAL STORY

Is Your Uber Data Safe?

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DARA KHOSROWSHAHI, UBER CEO

Uber confirmed a massive global breach of the personal information of 57 million customers and drivers in October 2016, failing to notify the individuals and regulators, the company acknowledged. It had paid the hackers responsible $100,000 to delete the data and keep the breach quiet. The breached exposed the names, email addresses and phone numbers of users around the world, including the driver’s license numbers of about 7 million drivers, 600,000 of which were in the United States. The information was accessed through a third-party cloud-based service Uber uses. The company said no Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, birth dates or trip location data was taken. Instead of explaining why the breach wasn’t disclosed earlier, Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahiinstead outlined measures that had been taken by the company as a result of the breach. These included hiring a National Security Agency alumnus to improve the company’s security in the future, terminating the employment of two individuals who led the response to the hacking, providing assistance to the drivers whose personal information was compromised and notifying regulatory authorities. “None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it,”Khosrowshahisaid. “While I can’t erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes. We are changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make and working hard to earn the trust of our customers.”

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JAMES LYNE, SOPHOS CYBER SECURITY ADVISOR

“Uber isn’t the only and won’t be the last company to hide a data breach or cyberattack. Not notifying consumers puts them at greater risk of being victimized with fraud. It’s for precisely this reason that many countries are driving to regulations with mandatory breach disclosure.”

SPECIAL STORY

VINCENT WEAFER, VICE PRESIDENT, MCAFEE LABS

“McAfee Labs believesthe hack was successful because credentials that were used to access Github data or code were similar to those used to access Uber’s own data repository containing the personal information. “It shows how attackers are trying to use credentials as a means of gaining entry inside organizations. Once a hacker has the credentials, he can move around inside an organization without detection.This is a good example of why people need to be very careful of how credentials are used and managed. We know attackers have been trying to track down administrator credentials--the keys to the kingdom--that allow them to move around within an organization. Keeping those credentials separate and managing them should be a serious matter.”

DAN SLOSHBERG, CYBER RESILIENCE EXPERT, MIMECAST

“Uber had both the legal and social obligation to inform governments and customers of this attack, and the fact the company chose to pay hackers and hide the massive breach is shocking. Pretending that an attack hasn’t happened, or quietly paying attackers off only emboldens perpetrators further.With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into effect in May 2018, businesses must report breaches within 72 hours or face crippling fines much bigger than what Uber paid to hackers.Businesses need to realise that the impact of breaches can be very serious with knock-on effects on the organisation itself, employees and customers. To combat threats and ensure they remain compliant ahead of the GDPR, organisations must invest in minimising their risk appropriately with an appropriate cyber resilience strategy. This should also include a plan if something does go wrong.”

CHESTER WISNIEWSKI PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST, SOPHOS

“Uber’s breach demonstrates once again how developers need to take security seriously and never embed or deploy access tokens and keys in source code repositories. I would say it feels like I have watched this movie before, but usually organizations aren’t caught while actively involved in a cover-up. Putting the drama aside and the potential impacts from the upcoming GDPR enforcement, this is just another development team with poor security practices that has shared credentials. Sadly, this is common more often than not in agile development environments.”

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INTERVIEW

Rethinking Marketing in a New Light MARWA ABDULWAHED, SENIOR REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER, CHANNEL & DISTRIBUTION FIELD FOR META AT DELL EMC TALKS ABOUT THEIR MARKETING INSTITUTE THAT HELPS THEIR PARTNER COMMUNITY WITH MARKETING AND AWARENESS OF DELL EMC SOLUTIONS AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITIES.

Tell us more about the Marketing Institute. What prompted you to establish such a forum? The Marketing Institute is where Solutions Providers and Authorized Dell EMC Distributors participating in the Dell EMC Partner Program earn their marketing accreditation. It is located within the Partner Academy which can be accessed through the Dell EMC Partner Portal. The curriculums available vary depending on partner type and tier level. The trainings within the Marketing Institute will empower the channel to discover our program, tools, resources and processes to effectively manage their marketing initiatives. We know our partners are invaluable at helping tell the Dell EMC story, so this effort aims to make marketing simple, self-service affair. By investing in these capabilities through industry-specific courses, we want to enable our partners to scale and create effective marketing initiatives that ensure success and help them win new business.

MARWA ABDULWAHED,

SENIOR REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER, CHANNEL & DISTRIBUTION FIELD - META, DELL EMC

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How can the institute help in building the knowledge ecosystem and how will the forum function? Or in other words, how will it work with the various tiers of partners and their level of knowledge? The curriculum and training modules provided by the institute count towards partner accreditation and tier eligibility. We encourage anyone who manages or supports MDF, programs, process or logistics for Dell EMC to complete the credential. However, only one marketing contact from a company is required to complete the credential. Courses will be available on training, measuring marketing ROI, maximizing MDF, social media marketing and growing partners’ business with distribution and brand awareness. Gold Partners can complete the Marketing Specialist or Expert Credential 2017. Platinum and Titanium Partners must

complete the Marketing Expert Credential 2017. Dell EMC Authorized Distributors need to complete the Marketing Credential for Distributors 2017. This full suite of marketing resources serves as a knowledge center which can be tapped to understand and cascade the best practices to the ecosystem and do some focused trainings, so that partners can increase their resourcefulness and reduce their dependence on vendors for lead generation. Will this have any direct benefits for your customers? Absolutely! Primarily, this complete turnkey operation helps partners embrace innovative marketing tools to reach their customers. Following which, the training curriculum is designed to impact their overall knowledge on marketing trends and Dell EMC resources. The courses are dedicated to enhancing the acumen of partners around marketing, helping them scale their marketing awareness and scale their training. In addition, partners earn credentials at and individual level and these counts towards company competency goals. All in all, these trainings are aimed at providing the channel ecosystem with the necessary tools to seamlessly make their marketing efforts an extension of Dell EMC and cater to the length and breadth of their customer’ needs. What opportunity does this bring to the channel? The marketing institute allows our partners to effectively develop and execute campaigns, while offering them the ability to closely monitor customer response and campaign performance. The curriculum embraces emerging technologies like machine learning, IoT and security, which enables partners to become strategists and advisors to their customers, providing them with tailored information that can help them better unlock the potential and benefits of the products and services the organization is implementing. ë

GUEST ARTICLE

Horizon Scanning in EMEA for 2018 and Beyond Greg Day, Vice President and Chief Security Officer for EMEA, Palo Alto Networks shares the predictions and recommendations for Cyber Security in 2018

This time of the year is always a chance for a little reflection on the past 12 months, and – perhaps more importantly – what is likely to happen next. Here are some of my thoughts on what I think we’ll see kicking off in the coming year, along with suggestions for how to manage these risks. Cyberattacks’ impact will change - With some of the ransomware attacks in 2017, it is clear that cyber incidents are now having real-world, physical impact on people. In this context, the role of security leaders, such as the CSO, must evolve. If there is harm to citizens due to technology failure, there will likely be public requests to understand if and why there was neglect, who bears responsibility, and what relevant actions must be taken. Twenty-year old first principles are finally reset – In 20 years, practitioners have strived to solve every problem. However, significant changes in IT consumption models – dynamic, agile systems that are increasingly disposable in nature and based around subscription billing – mean that businesses will no longer continue to buy and build separate siloed cybersecurity solutions. Functioning in such dynamic environments requires cybersecurity to be native and

n G R E G D AY, V I C E P R E S I D E N T A N D C H I E F S E C U R I T Y O F F I C E R F O R E M E A , PA L O A LT O N E T W O R K S

automated, to work and adapt at the same pace. Cyber adversaries will extend further into ransomware, OT systems and cryptocurrencies - In recent years we have seen ransomware used for profit. While continuing to be financially focused, I believe ransomware will also start to do more data analysis. The volume of OT is growing at pace, whether that is factory systems or automated drones, and we have yet to see the impact of such systems coming under direct attack. Finally, with the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, we can expect to see more malware focused on stealing account information to empty these next-generation accounts. Credential theft will target weak collaborative cloud points in the supply chains of all kinds of businesses - Businesses must start to consider what information they include in these spaces, how they validate the use of connected third parties so they can spot anomalous behavior, and look at how they segregate such connection points from more critical, internal business systems, using methodologies such as the Zero Trust model. Focus on responsibilities and accountability - The number of organizations and processes is increasing, which widens the scope for error,

and therefore requires increased understanding and visibility of where responsibilities and accountabilities reside. The likely outcome is that every business will be looking at contract details and regulatory requirements, to be clear where these lie. They will also be looking to keep richer audit trails and logs, detailing each transaction to be able to validate when, where and why incidents happen. Significant new EU regulation will hit the streets - Like any new legislation, it will take time for businesses to understand the impact the regulations will have on their business. All carry potentially significant penalties for infringement, so 2018 will be a big year for businesses in coming to grips with what each of these mean when it comes to applying cybersecurity and managing ongoing requirements. Takeaway – your 2018 resolution: cybersecurity must be more agile - If we are to scale for the future, we need to refocus our time and resource usage, so only the minority is spent on sustaining legacy, and the majority is supporting the exponential agility our businesses are embracing. As such, consider a New Year’s resolution to detox your legacy to ensure you can embrace your future. ë

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FEATURE STORY

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FEATURE STORY

M-Commerce & E-Commerce

The Opportunity Awaits

Gone are the days when consumers queued in front of check out counters. Today, they have adopted more convenient ways of shopping. The transition from in store to online shopping has taken years but the shift from e-commerce to m-commerce is gradually emerging.

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he number of internet users particularly in the Middle East & Africa region have been growing rapidly over the past five years. The current internet penetration in countries like UAE and Bahrain is more than 90%. As people become more familiar with online shopping,

e-commerce is on the rise and has started to change the way brands interact with people in the region. According to a recent study by MasterCard, online shopping in the Middle East has grown by 1500% over the last decade. Within the region, the UAE holds a large potential market for e-commerce, especially when compared to developed

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FEATURE STORY

“THE VAST MAJORITY OF E-COMMERCE AND M-COMMERCE VENDORS IN THE REGION PROVIDE SAFE PURCHASING ENVIRONMENTS FOR CUSTOMERS,”

“AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN BUILDING TRUST IN ONLINE COMMERCE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS COME FROM EGOVERNMENT INITIATIVES”

-ENRIQUE DUVOS, EMEA DIRECTOR PRODUCT MARKETING, AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES

-TABREZ SURVE, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, F5 NETWORKS.

countries in Europe. According to recent research by Malloftheworld.com, the e-commerce industry in the UAE is expected to hit the $10 billion-mark (AED36.7 billion) by 2018.

FACTORS DRIVING THIS MARKET GROWTH The evolution in consumer behaviour, mobile technology, and retail shopping will all drive the e-commerce market growth. According to PayFort, the e-commerce market in the Middle East is set to double to more than $69 billion by 2020 with the UAE and Saudi Arabia dominating the region. Tabrez Surve, Regional Director, F5 Networks highlights the fact that this growth in eCommerce is not solely driven by the private sector. An important factor in building trust in online commerce over the last few years has come from eGovernment initiatives. “Across the region, you see the integration of traditional offline services such as Visa services, Traffic services, Utilities services and many more onto online platforms integrated with online payments to provide citizens and residents faster and more effective public services online,” says Tabrez.

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“THE MARKET IS YET TO MATURE IN TERMS OF DIGITAL ADOPTION, AND LOGISTICS INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH GIVES A HUGE SCOPE FOR THE INDUSTRY TO REACH TO GLOBAL LEVELS,” -MANSOUR AL THANI, CEO & CO-FOUNDER OF ITCAN

Mansour Al Thani, CEO & Co-Founder of itcan also points out the main factors behind this market growth – Government Initiatives (FreeZones, Events), Investor Interest, Legislation promoting e-commerce business, Customer rights on online shopping, Internet penetration in the region and Brand moving to digital presence, along with stores. However, he says that the market is yet to mature in terms of digital adoption, and logistics infrastructure, which gives a huge scope for the industry to reach to global levels, however this will be a faster process as the region is taking in the best practices.

penetration rate in UAE and Saudi Arabia is about 70% and the consumers mostly shop with mobile phones. Smartphones have also outnumbered the landlines in Egypt. With the tremendous increase in mobile phones, some retail brands are investing in creating mobile platforms where the customers can shop for full selection of products using various mobile apps. Consumers can compare prices online while they add items to their cart. Concepts like eBags, allow the consumers to transfer the items on their cart to email. For sure mobile commerce is here to be a game changer in this industry but how safe is it?

E-COMMERCE TO M-COMMERCE

NEW OPPORTUNITIES BRING NEW RISKS

The rapid shift from e-commerce to m-commerce is mainly due to the advancement in mobile technology that offers consumers with unlimited access to retailers across the globe. Smartphones or simply put m-commerce have become a staple to e-commerce as it is extremely convenient. According to a report by Marketingland, nearly 55% of all the web traffic that streams into the top sites come from smartphones. The smartphone

Smartphone payments have become much convenient and gained popularity in many regions. However, security remains an issue in these payment systems. Many regulations are in place and have been enforced to ensure payment data security, but, protecting data is not an easy task says Tabrez. Whether it is a smartphone or any other gadget, cyber criminals will exploit any security

FEATURE STORY

“M-PAYMENTS ARE MORE SECURE THAN OTHER FORMS OF PAYMENT. IF DEALT THE RIGHT WAY, THEY JUST NEED SOME TIME FOR PEOPLE TO GET ONBOARD AS CURRENTLY, WE ARE STILL GETTING USED TO CARD PAYMENTS,” -TONY N. AL SAIEGH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VIRTUAL DUSK, HOLDING COMPANY OF SOUQPLACE.COM

vulnerabilities. A mobile device is often used for various purposes such as emails, word processing, entertainment, etc. It is up to the users to update the mobile operating systems. A mobile device may or may not have the latest security patches. Many attacks have been reported on mobile devices, such as spam, spoofing, phishing, etc. These attacks must be considered in the development of a mobile payment system. The payment data must be protected when it is at rest, in transit, and in use. “The vast majority of e-Commerce and m-Commerce vendors in the region provide safe purchasing environments for customers, but continuous work and effort must be put in place to guarantee that secure buying experience,” says Enrique Duvos, EMEA Director Product Marketing, Akamai Technologies. The online threat landscape is ever-changing with repeat attacks being the most common at 32 average attacks per customer. DDoS attacks continue to grow at a 28% rate from Q1 to Q2 of 2017, and Web Applications attacks at a 44% rate y/y, with major holidays being popular targets, according to Akamai’s latest SOTI report. “That said, Akamai provides a range of integrated, on-demand

SOURCE: COUPOFY.COM

services proven to help overcome these issues and consistently deliver an optimal experience to consumers anywhere, on any device – be it a mobile or a laptop,” adds Duvos.

M-PAYMENTS – THE FUTURE While the concerns about fraud are valid, not accepting m-payments can end up harming the business of an organization. Consumer buying habits are evolving on a daily basis and people are getting accustomed to convenient payment processes. A report by Allied Market Research forecasts that the global Mobile Payments Market is expected to garner $3,388 billion by 2022 and grow at a CAGR of 33.4% from 2016 - 2022. Social media websites have introduced ‘buy buttons’ that lets online shoppers make purchases without having to leave the platform. Also, many retailers have introduced ‘on click’ checkout

methods. “M-payments are more secure than other forms of payment. If dealt the right way, they just need some time for people to get onboard as currently, we are still getting used to card payments,” said Tony N. Al Saiegh, Executive Director, Virtual Dusk, holding company of Souqplace.com.

THE FUTURE OF SHOPPING – A CASHLESS SOCIETY M-commerce is the rising star of the e-commerce industry. Organizations must put themselves in the best position to take the advantages it has to offer. Businesses that adopt the changes early will gain an edge over the competition and excite their customers with a never-seen-before shopping experience. Get involved if you do not wish to be left behind! ë

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MUMBAI The Mumbai edition of the five-city GEC Open India tour was held at The Willingdon Sports Club on Sunday, November 12th. One of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest and most exclusive golf courses, the par 65 golf course at the Willngdon Sports Club, hosted over 70 top businessmen and industry leaders for a round competitive golf and networking luncheon. Amidst tough course conditions at GEC Open Mumbai in association with OMA Emirates, Hassanali Bulsara of Bulsara Tours & Travels from Pune carded the best Nett score of the day. At 36 points playing off a 9, Bulsara emerged victorious with a one-point difference ahead of Prabal Banerjee with 35 points (11 hâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;cap). Riaz Batliwala grabbed third place with 34 points at 6 handicaps.Bulsara will join the Indian contingent of Anmol Puri who qualified from Delhi earlier this month and Naveen Wahi who aced the Bengaluru qualifier. The trio will be joined by winners from Bhubaneswar and Jamshedpur qualifying rounds to compete against world finalists from other participating countries in Dubai Corporate Golf World Cup.

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The journey nears the finale

INDONESIA THAILAND

Around 100 top corporates and industry leaders were seen in action at the Bali National Golf Club for the maiden edition of GEC Open global golf tour qualifying round in Indonesia on November 12th. Organised in association with the OMA Emirates, the event witnessed competitive golf amidst fun and frolic. In Men’s competition, Putu Srimawan playing off a handicap of 10 secured 41 points while Made Subyukta, playing off a handicap of 13 scored 38 points to finish top in their respective classes. Caroline Selins scored 35 points with an 18 handicap in the ladies’ category to claim victory and book her berth along with the gents at the World Final. The trio will head Indonesian challenge against winners from 17 other qualifying countries at Dubai Corporate Golf World Cup scheduled at two world-class golf courses over two days in Dubai on December 13-14.

The crème-de-la-crème of Thailand corporate leaders and socialites came together to participate in the inaugural edition of GEC Open in association with the OMA Emirates. The coveted event held at Nikanti Golf Club in Bangkok saw over 110 amateur golfers vying for the podium finish to qualify for the world final. The qualifying round was played in individual Stableford format in three handicap categories – 0 -12, 13-24 for Men & 0-24 for Ladies. SamranTiwalai with 44 points, YukolYingyongkij (40 pts) and PuttidaThongphen (39 pts) emerged victorious in respective categories to seal their berth at the Dubai Corporate Golf World Cup – the World final and a culmination of GEC Open 2017 tour of 18 countries. The trio will head Thailand ’s challenge against winners from 17 other qualifying countries at Dubai Corporate Golf World Cup scheduled at two world-class golf courses over two days in Dubai.

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OMAN

GEC Open, in association with OMA Emirates, recently hosted the national qualifying round in Oman amongst a select participation of top corporates and avid golfers of the region at the picturesque course of Al Mouj Golf in Muscat. Played in individual Stableford format with full handicap allowance, the competition was divided into three handicap categories – 0-9,

10-18, 19-24. The trio of Mark McCarthy, David Henderson and Alan McInnes played top golf to claim the world-final berths and will now compete against national winners from 17 other countries at the World Final. Global Enterprise Connect (GEC) Open is an annual global corporate golf tournament held

across several countries in eastern hemisphere amongst top corporates and industry stalwarts. GEC Open serves as a platform for Oman business community to align their interests with international corporations and vice versa bringing financial opportunities to the region and establishing camaraderie.

JAMSHEDPUR

The steel city of Jamshedpur recently hosted the final qualifying round of GEC Open’s Indian swing at the par 72 championship golf course of Golmuri Golf Club. In an invitational tournament, the crème de la crème of Jamshedpur golfing fraternity came out for a fun filled yet competitive golf day. The celebrity quotient of the day was upped by the participation from Shri. Arjun Munda (Ex CM Jharkhand). The tournament was played in stroke play format with the top best Nett scores to qualify for the GEC Open World Final. Independent businessmen Vipul Amin and

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RishadChinoy, a Tata Group employee returned the best scores in their respective categories to be crowned champions in a hotly contested tournament. The Duo will now join other India winners and present the Indian challenge at the World Final – Dubai Corporate Golf World Cup 2017. The Dubai Corporate Golf World Cup is set to be played at Jumeirah Golf Estates – Earth Course and Emirates Golf Club – Majlis Course over two days on December 13-14 where national champions from 18 countries will vie for the coveted championship and bragging rights as global champion.

Tushar Sahoo, Managing Director, GEC Open, said: “It was our debut edition in Jamshedpur and we absolutely elated with the response. Congratulations to Vipul and Rishad who played the best golf of the day. We look forward to hosting you at the World Final. We had more number of qualifiers in India than any other country on our global golf tour. All tournaments were very well received by the Indian golf fraternity and we saw massive participation in all five legs. With the support from local sponsors and partners, we hope to even expand it to more cities next year.

SPECIAL STORY

The VAT

Voyage Starts 42

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SPECIAL STORY

With the implementation of VAT in the GCC in just less than a month, there is so much to talk about how technology could support businesses. Organizations need to focus on the practical implications of updating their systems to manage this tax. Once introduced, technology will be widely used in VAT.

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

he Ministry of Finance (MoF) of UAE has decided to implement Value Added Tax across the country from 1st January 2018 on the consumption of goods and service. The introduction of VAT will not only impact end consumers but also businesses in the country. From the VAT system in UAE, several businesses are facing challenges in implementing the taxation system. Apart from focusing on additional administration costs, businesses will be required to focus on how VAT will impact their operating models which include the financial system, transition periods, operation models, etc.

VAT READINESS Value Added Tax is all about efficient processes, good practices like running spot checks to ensure the organization remains compliant. Before the implementation of VAT, it is necessary to recognize the scope of changes required within the business. Once the changes are known, it will be necessary to develop a structured implementation plan. In addition to the changes required in the IT systems & processes, the organization should ensure their relationships with customers & suppliers are compliant or able to be made compliant immediately upon the introduction of VAT.

TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE

CHECKLIST FOR VAT PREPARATION FOR COMPANIES n VAT mapping of business processes and transactions to identify which systems and how they are impacted n Ensuring underlying Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) changes are made to reflect all relevant VAT processes n Determine the need and beneficial use of VAT specific tools n Appropriate governance and controls to ensure VAT regulations and commercial drivers change systems are kept up to date SOURCE: PWC

Businesses need to be aware of the long lead times required for effecting VAT compliance within the organisation. The Value Added Tax is embedded into most of the business processes. ERP systems will need to be enhanced to incorporate all aspects of VAT implementation. From the POS terminals, accounting systems, IT systems and processes, VAT will have an impact on the entire of business systems. According to PwC, the health of any organisation’s VAT compliance function is dependent on the current processes in place, the capabilities of the ERP system & the people who operate it. A well-designed ERP system should link the business areas transactions with a sound VAT set up for greater reporting efficiency. By improving the processes, businesses can gain more control over their VAT compliance process, reduce the risk and level of errors while also reducing cost. Investing in a cloud-enabled accounting solution can streamline the VAT collection, record-keeping and reporting processes. Web-based and mobile solutions could also be useful as one could photograph receipts straight on the smartphone & enter expenses into a mobile app. Automated solution could also save the time wasted in chasing receipts and inputting basic information.

CHALLENGES FOR ORGANIZATIONS There are several challenges that the businesses in UAE will face – from updating of IT systems, training of staff to be VAT-compliant, renegotiation of supply contracts, etc. But that’s just not it. Some of the other challenges businesses might face are – l Businesses need to acquire knowledge in terms of how to apply the levy VAT on their commercial activity l Businessmen will have to reconsider their suppliers to determine the impact of VAT on the goods/products/ services in which the company deals l Invest in additional manpower to facilitate tax collection l Companies will have to keep an account for the VAT and submit the regular filings to the government

THE WAY FORWARD By adopting the new technologies, VAT compliance and automation solution will enable companies to be ready to meet compliance obligations, optimize costs, mitigate risks, and avoid unnecessary penalties. As the date is fast approaching, organizations must prioritize VAT implementation if not yet done. It cannot be avoided or ignored and therefore the discussion of VAT compliance will remain to ensure that businesses are ready to navigate any challenges which is present during implementation. But once implemented, how the organizations will survive to the upcoming challenges is worth wait the watch! ë

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INTERVIEW

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AN EXPANDING TEAM, NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND A NEW OFFICE IN INDIA... ALL THESE HAVE BEEN KEY FOR BULWARKS MARKET REACH IN 2017. MR. JOSE THOMAS MENACHERRY,MANAGING DIRECTOR,BULWARK TECHNOLOGIES TALKS ABOUT HOW THE VAD IS SET TO MAINTAIN ITS POSITION IN THE MARKET WITH SOME NICHE OFFERINGS DOWN THE PIPELINE, BOTH FOR THE CUSTOMERS AND THE PARTNER ECOSYSTEM.

How challenging was the high-end security market for Bulwark in 2017? The CISO, security heads & business owners are concerned about the security of their information & taking adequate measures by implementing relevant solution. Even SMB customers have started investing into security solutions to safeguard their infrastructure & business. With a plethora of technologies & solutions in the market place, guiding the customer & the partner to the optimal solution that would most likely fit their environment addressing their concerns, is the biggest challenge. How did you transform your workforce or on-field security experts to match or cater to the rising demands in security? Were there any new recruitment or aggressive training for your local team? It has been a steady growth for Bulwark all these years, consistently adding more resources & products based on the customer needs and expanding our reach through channel partners & to cater to the rising demands of Security of the customers in the ME region. We have inhouse training programs to induct new recruits in a systematic manner.

JOSE THOMAS MENACHERRY,

MD, BULWARK TECHNOLOGIES

What kind of Vendor extension models can customers expect from you? Bulwark’s vendor extension business model not just enhances the growth opportunities for channel partners but also hand holds partners in the initial stage of engagement with customers. Bulwark houses a team of sales, marketing & technical experts who deliver complete support to customers, to act as an extended arm for their vendors, locally in the region. You have also been instrumental in various channel enablement

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programs throughout the year. Can the customers and partners look forward to more of such activities or enhancements to the current ones in 2018? Yes, partners & customers would continue to look forward to more of activities & enhancements in 2018. We offer regular channel enablement & enhancement session for partners to make them self-sufficient on the solution offerings to be able to manage the opportunity end-to-end. We assist them in conducting product specific roadshows in coordination with vendors. Generation and assignment of potential leads, along with Sales and technical enablement sessions on regular basis. We also conduct combined customer visits to address customer’s requirements. We offer 24/7 all-round support to partners in undertaking PoC, demos and implementation services whenever required. You have also recently started full-fledged operation in India, Bengaluru. How different or similar is the market there compared to Middle East? Bulwark’s India office will help the company to better serve the needs of a robust partner network and its growing customer base in India. The company is investing in new talent and has recruited a strong team to drive sales and offer on ground technical support and services. What kind of expansion of growth plans do you envision for the Middle East market in 2018? Are you planning to add on to your resources or portfolio? Being a security focused VAD, we have been regularly scanning the technology space for latest products addressing the new threats. Focus will be on security for Cloud, Mobility and IoT space. In terms of growth, we will be strengthening our team with onsite presence in some of the countries we currently operate. ë

INTERVIEW

Readiness, Response, Resilience CYBERCRIME REMAINS A PERVASIVE THREAT TO ORGANIZATIONS. AZEEM ALEEM, DIRECTOR, ADVANCED CYBER DEFENCE PRACTICE AT RSA SHARES HIS VISION OF THE EVOLUTION OF THREATS AND SOLUTIONS THAT CAN HELP CUSTOMERS RESPOND EFFECTIVELY AND PROTECT WHAT MATTERS THE MOST.

How have the security measures evolved in the past year? Now a days, the attacks have becomemore sophisticated. Dubai is one of the smart city concept and around 50 different services are shared across 26 different government agencies in this region. They are advancing to other smart cities which again creates wider problem of cyber security. For example, when the data is shared among the agencies and as a result, if any breach takes place during that chain of communication, it can create a big issue. Security is a process and not a product. I can divide it into three areas – Readiness, Response and Resilience. Any organization needs to have a readiness capability which means detecting advance attack. Although, no organization is 100% secure, but we can work towards minimizing the breach exposure time.Secondly, Response – could be proactive and reactive. For instance, the attacks that impact the oil & gas industry would be different to banking sector or smart cities concept. The last one is Resilience Capability which means how an organization evaluates the success of its capability.

AZEEM ALEEM,

DIRECTOR, ADVANCED CYBER DEFENCE PRACTICE AT RSA

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How should the Middle East region respond to the attacks? The attack domain is the same in the Middle East as in Europe or United States. In fact, it is getting advanced in the Middle East as you have nation state actors and I would called it the hub of advanced attacks. There are specialized attacks that take place and the organizations are aware of it. The core to detect attacks is developing actionable intelligence. The problem in the Middle East is, it does not have a lot of measures to develop this concept. They are building their defense capability on the intelligence which is on a

broader perspective. For instance, hackers have a specific pattern for banking sectors here. So, the path towards the development of actionable intelligence would be the key to detect attacks in the region. Which sectors in the Middle East are more vulnerable? In the oil and gas sector, threat levels have increased dramatically as it takes long to update those systems. There are financial gangs who try to hack the IP of the oil and gas sectors and sell it to their competitors. E-health is also one of the key issues in the Middle East and these electronic devices are vulnerable as the data in the healthcare sectors are critical. How are sectors like Oil & Gas and Healthcare getting digitalized? There is a revolution right now in terms of digitization in the oil & gas sector.The vision is quite aggressive but the implementation is slow as they are built on old control systems. A normal patching of the industrial control systems in the oil and gas environment takes about eight to nineteen months. In the e-health, the implementation is rapidly evolving. But again, there are loopholes as well. By 2020, when we have 50GB of connected devices, issues will rise. How has the RSA Conference been this year? The conference was amazing and was the best place to exchange knowledge on cyber security. As a region, it has matured. The first RSA shared views on implementing policies, implementing whole framework of cybersecurity, but now we talk about actionable intelligence, proactive incident response, etc. It has always been a great experience to be a part of this platform. ë

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INTERVIEW

Carving a Niche Please tell us more about Skyhigh. This is our debut at the RSA conference. Skyhigh allows people to ensure that cloud developments are secure and safe. Our participation in various events helps us understand the market better whilst leveraging our position as well. RSA is an educational place in the GCC to talk about the whole area of cloud security.

NIGEL HAWTHORN,

DIRECTOR - EMEA MARKETING, SKYHIGH NETWORKS

What demand do you see for your solutions in the region? We have already had some major customer wins in the region and we have seen a great demand for our services in leading services organizations that operate on a global scale. As an example, Etihad airways is one of our customers. They have a massive scale of individual and corporate data that needs to be highly secure, whether it hosted on or off-premise.

What is your go to market strategy in the Middle East? Currently, we have a worldwide presence but the sectors or verticals that we cater to are in a stage of education and growth. We are not hurrying with the process of reaching to the market to ensure that we provide tailor-made services and the support to our customers. At present we’re not aiming at small and medium business enterprises. We do not have a local office in the Middle East and we are using Z Services as our go-tomarket partner. We trust them and their team in delivering our expertise and solutions in the Middle East. What were your key takeaways from RSA? Besides speaking to our existing customers, we also looked at new prospects and partners. We also spoke to other technology companies to ensure that what we did can integrate with their solutions too.

“Making the Online World a Safer Place” CHAD LOEVEN,

VP - SALES & MARKETING, VMRAY

VMRay debuted in the RSA Conference. In a chat with Chad Loeven, Vice President – Sales and Marketing for VMRay, he said – “This is the first event we have done in the Middle East. We were glad to be there with our local partner, Forcespot.” The company delivers advanced threat analysis and detection that combines an agentless hypervisor-based network sandbox with a realtime reputation engine. The combination provides both fast, high volume file classification and deep malware analysis. VMRay focuses on more sophisticated organizations that have information critical enough, that

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represent a target for a state actor. “I think it’s no secret that there’s obviously government agencies here that are targeted by other governments. So those are the people that need our solutions and that cannot be protected just by software’s. Regular firewalls are not going to be enough,” said Chad. Commenting on the go to market strategy in the Middle East region, Chad says – “We are happy working with our local partner. Dubai is the obvious choice to have a regional office but I think that may be in the future. We plan to expand in the whole of Middle East. UAE itself is a sizeable chunk in the market. And then Saudi Arabia.” ë

INTERVIEW

Innovation is Just a Click Away AMAZON WEB SERVICES HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO SERVE A GROWING BASE OF CUSTOMERS SINCE THE EARLY DAYS OF CLOUD COMPUTING. IN JANUARY 2017, AWS OPENED OFFICES IN THE REGION TO SERVE THIS RAPIDLY GROWING CUSTOMER BASE AND NOW HAS A PRESENCE IN UAE AND BAHRAIN.

With AWS recently announcing new datacenters in Bahrain in 2019 and its first AWS Edge Network Location for the Gulf in the UAE, can you please elaborate on your upcoming plans and preparations in the region? The announcement of the data centres in Bahrain, to be available in 2019, will bring flexible, affordable, reliable, and secure cloud computing technologies close to end users in the Middle East, and will help organisations speed up their digital transformation initiatives and more rapidly innovate for the citizens of the region. The AWS Edge Network Location in the UAE will be available in 2018, and will bring access to key services to improve end user experience including faster content delivery and cybersecurity protection solutions to the region. AWS is also supporting the advancement of technology education across the Middle East, making AWS Training and Certification programs available to customers. In the education sector, AWS is supporting the development of technology and cloud computing skills at local universities through the AWS Educate and Academy programs, providing students and educators with the resources needed to accelerate cloud-related learning.

ZUBIN CHAGPAR,

HEAD OF PUBLIC SECTOR BUSINESS - MEA, AWS

Can you highlight any major customer wins across the region in 2017 (highlighting existing customers), and what are the key solutions and services that you provide for these organisations? Organizations across the Middle East have been increasingly moving their missioncritical applications to AWS. Middle Eastern start-ups like Alpha Apps, Anghami, Careem, DevFactory, Dubizzle, Fetchr, Genie9,

Mawdoo3.com, Namshi, Payfort, and Tajawal are building their businesses on top of AWS, enabling them to scale rapidly and expand around the world. Enterprises in the Middle East, such as Actel, Al Tayer Group, Batelco flydubai, MBC, Silah Gulf, Union Insurance, and United Arab Shipping as well as government originations such as the Bahrain iGA, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Justice, are also using AWS to drive cost savings, accelerate innovation, and better serve the citizens of the region. One of the key reasons that customers use AWS is the breadth of functionality that exists in AWS. AWS has more than 90 services that range from compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, application services, deployment, management, developer, mobile, IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), security, hybrid, and enterprise applications. Can you share your thoughts on the future of AI in the Middle East and how AWS is helping to drive this technology trend to customers and businesses? In the past, anyone who wanted to use this technology had to start from scratch. Today, AI and ML technologies are available on the AWS cloud, at the click of a mouse, and they can be called up according to individual requirements. Even users who are not specialists can very easily and affordably incorporate the building blocks into their own services. In particular small and medium-sized companies can benefit as they do not have to learn any complex AI or ML algorithms or technologies and they can start experimenting straight away without incurring high costs. Similarly, cloud technologies, including AI, can help governments that are looking to innovate and develop new ways for engaging and serving citizens. ĂŤ

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GUEST ARTICLE

Implementation of BIM and VR Technologies As Atkins celebrates five decades in the region, Steven Anderson, Senior Product Manager at Atkins and Marc Durand, Atkins’ new Director of Digital Disruption for the MENA region, share how the engineering industry has come a long way in the last 50 years and the evolution of engineering design from a digital to a virtual reality model.

construction, commissioning and operation. MASSIVE SHIFT TO VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY As a result of these early initiatives, Marc Durand believes that Atkins is at the forefront of innovation and drivers behind digital transformation in the construction industry. Atkins utilises digital tools to drive new and innovative ways of work with clients, by mixing software and technology into product delivery. An example of this is MR (Mixed Reality) technology, which offers the possibility to bring members from anywhere into a project eco-system, linking all the visualisations with engineering innovations. Using VR to engage stakeholders in the design, helps to ensure a clear and comprehensive understanding between the client, the design intent and contractor. Marc also added: “Atkins will continue to put a lot of resources into developing a whole line of products to drive further innovation within the organisation.” n M A R C D U R A N D , D I R E C T O R - D I G I TA L D I S R U P T I O N S , AT K I N S

Nowadays with buildings becoming increasingly complex in design and execution, traditional approaches are no longer suitable. Radical new innovations are required and Atkins is at the forefront of this movement. ADOPTION OF BIM Atkins has been helping to shape the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) – the digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a building – since its inception. The team has been strategically proactive in leading the exploitation of BIM to implement better integrated design solutions for their clients’ projects after they recognised long ago that BIM represents the future for the industry. Using Revit 2008, Steven Anderson, a Product

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n STEVEN ANDERSON, SENIOR PRODUCT MANA G E R , AT K I N S

Manager at Atkins, led a small team to drive BIM implementation and develop multi-discipline design models to demonstrate buildability and coordination on the Green Line section of the project. Commenting on the process Steven said: “In 2008, BIM was mostly undercover, as we were also learning how to use and best implement the technology, solving design challenges and building models virtually before building them. This also gave the client and the construction teams an understanding of how the stations and other facilities would be put together with all the internal systems fully integrated.” When implementing BIM, Atkins focussed on four areas – policy, process, people and technology phase and continuing through planning to the project ‘s

THE IMPACT OF FUTURE DIGITAL INNOVATIONS The latest computer technology will allow real time rendering with better graphics and displays, to enable better engagement with clients. This will also make it easier to immerse clients into the design eco-system to make sure they fully understand the design intent. It will enable the industry to ultimately design with clients in real time, with real time output, by placing clients into the simulation, before buildings have been built. Working with early computer technology in the 1950’s, Atkins developed stress analysis tools, project planning programmes and one of the first optimised structural computer aided design packages in the industry, eventually supporting their teams in putting computers to work across the business. Today, this legacy of innovation remains in Atkins’ culture, enabling our teams to meet the technical challenges of their clients’ most complex infrastructure projects. ë

INNOVATIONS

KEY CAPABILITIES n Bluetooth Enabled n Can be set up and maintained remotely using smartphone app n Performs maintenance tasks including set up, commission, calibration wirelessly from up to 33 feet away Produce system reports for safety and environmental regulatory compliance n Certified for explosive area applications n Suitable for wastewater, utilities, power generation, laboratories, downstream oil and gas operations n Monitors for hazardous levels of one targeted gas from among 23 toxic and combustible gases n Is IP 66-rated and uses a metal enclosure to stand up to rugged use, including hosedowns.

Sensepoint XRL Honeywell unveiled a new connected gas detector available in the Middle East designed to keep industrial operations safe while making set-up, maintenance and compliance reporting faster and easier by leveraging Bluetooth connectivity. The new Sensepoint XRL fixed gas detector monitors industrial operations for specific hazardous gases, such as carbon monoxide or methane.

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AMD EPYC PROCESSOR AMD revealed the new Hewlett Packard Enterprise ProLiant DL385 Gen10 server, powered by AMD EPYC processors set world records in both SPECrate2017_fp_base and SPECfp_rate2006. The secure and flexible 2P 2U HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 Server joins the HPE Cloudline CL3150 server in featuring AMD EPYC processors.

KEY CAPABILITIES n Designs range from 8-core to 32-core n Delivers memory bandwidth across the HPE line-up, with 8channels of memory n Supports integrated, high-speed I/O with 128 lanes of PCIe 3 n Performance of AMD EPYC is delivered by up to 64-cores in the HPE DL385 2P server configuration and access to 4 terabytes of memory and 128 lanes of PCIe connectivity. The combination of core-count and features attains up to 50 percent lower cost per virtual machine (VM) HPE sees over traditional server solutions. n Integrates hardware based security. n ProLiant DL385 delivers security via the HPE Silicon Root of Trust enabling only validated firmware to run.

D E C E M B E R 2 017

MEA

INNOVATIONS

ThinkSystem SD530 Lenovo Data Center Group revealed new initiatives designed to empower customers to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and make it a true reality for their organizations to achieve augmented intelligence capabilities for increased productivity and transformative results. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning workloads demand a foundation of flexible, agile and high-performance computing (HPC)-optimized infrastructure to operate on. To empower customers to pursue these transformative capabilities Lenovo revealed ThinkSystem SD530 KEY CAPABILITIES n Planned support for up to 2 Intel or NVIDIA GPUs to maximize computing power n Fits 4 hot-pluggable SD530 servers into a ThinkSystem D2 Enclosure or ThinkSystem Modular Enclosure n Is easily adaptable for customers seeking the power & scalability to drive large, complex environments n With the new Tesla V100, ThinkSystem SD530 becomes a powerful choice for AI applications including training workloads at scale and inference n Supports processors with up to 28 cores, core speeds up to 3.6 GHz, and TDP ratings up to 165W n With 7.68 TB 2.5-inch SAS hot-swap SSDs, each SD530 supports up to 46 TB of internal storage n Supports up to 16 DIMMs to maximize memory capacity, supporting up to 1 TB with 16x 64 GB LRDIMMs and two processors n Each processor has six memory channels with memory speeds of up to 2666 MHz to maximize system performance n Each SD530 server supports up to six 2.5-inch hot-swap drives

D E C E M B E R 2017

MEA

IoT-based Well Surveillance Siemens announced a scalable, end-to-end IoT solution, designed to help oil and gas companies optimize production and reduce costs through connected systems, automation, and analytics at the edge. Developed in collaboration with Intel’s Industrial IoT Group, Siemens IoT Well Surveillance was showcased at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC). This innovative solution offers companies across the oil and gas industry a cost-efficient solution to link distributed assets into an integrated network with minimal effort, while simultaneously providing a high level of automation. Siemens IoT Well Surveillance lets companies connect and integrate data from previously unconnected assets in a cost-efficient manner — enabling comprehensive condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and reduced facility downtime. KEY CAPABILITIES n A cost-efficient solution to link distributed assets into an integrated network n Secure, scalable edge solution for oil and gas well automation and control n Will allow energy companies to acquire the cost benefits of Digitization n Let’s companies connect and integrate data from previously unconnected assets in a cost-efficient manner — enabling comprehensive condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and reduced facility downtime n Addresses field operation and oilfield artificial lift control. n Include increased asset awareness, operational efficiency, and increased revenue from production optimization

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