» CIO OUTLOOK | KSA
Promises to keep Saudi Arabia is racing towards the 2030 vision and digital transformation both in the public and private sectors are key to that
There is a technology revolution in the country. Once entirely focused on oil, Saudi Arabia's economy is rapidly modernizing and diversifying. During the last year, the country's enterprises have embraced digital transformation and migrated to the cloud at a rapid pace. A new generation that considers new technologies to be one of the main components of their lifestyle has had a significant impact on the rapid transformation and on the other hand, technology giants are joining the race to entrench themselves in the Saudi Market by establishing regional offices and Cloud data centers. “Saudi Arabia is a very important market for technology companies. The advanced IT infrastructure, wide geographical distribution, e-government initiatives, electronic banking, electronic-based education, and many other factors make it a ripe technology market. Many nationals have the entrepreneur mindset, and technology helps them achieve their goal,” says Imdath Nazim, Head of IT, (IHG)Voco Hotel Riyadh.
Imdath Nazim
Head of IT, (IHG)Voco Hotel Riyadh
Saudi Arabia has the largest Information and Communications Technology (ICT) market in the Middle East and North Africa, with over 33 million consumers, and it is well-positioned to become a technology service and cloud hub with access to international connectivity. The Kingdom is poised to become a world leader in the digital economy with deployment of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Big Data, Robotics, Machine Learning, and 5G across public and commercial sectors. It was one of the first nations in the world whose institutions began to experiment with the usage of blockchain and permitted multinational enterprises desiring to test innovative digital solutions and to deploy them in the KSA in future.
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CXO DX / MARCH 2022
Digital transformation is constantly affecting businesses across the Kingdom's public and private sectors, from national-level data management systems to human capital development portals. ICT decision-makers are designing and executing strategies to use new technologies not just to fit with national digital transformation initiatives, but also to address critical business concerns. Digital technologies play an important role in allowing the Vision Realization Programs (VRPs) that are assisting in the realization of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. One of the key goals of Vision 2030's National Transformation Program is to support digital transformation and the development of the digital economy. “I believe there is an evident change in the technology industry in KSA as a result of the Saudi Vision 2030. The vision focuses on various areas but one of the main focus is digital transformation for companies. With the digital transformation journey, other elements are incorporated as cybersecurity, AI/ML, IoT, Big Data etc. This focus aligns with the visions of the companies as well. The result can be witnessed in the market with various events like @HACK, LEAP etc.” said Abdelmajed Ahmed Saeed Fadol, Cybersecurity Manager, MEDGULF. KSA has been investing in creating a strong digital infrastructure, to accelerate the digital revolution. This has helped the Kingdom to deal with public and private sector disruptions while maintain-
