THE AGENTS ARE SWOOPING IN
We are still astonished at the uncontrolled speed of technological progress, especially in the area of AI. At the same time, we've witnessed incredible advancements in other areas, such as space technologies, communications, and others.Enter AI Agents! The advent of AI agents marks an epochal moment in mankind’s rapid digital journey. They are tools that are transforming sectors and how we interact with technology. As an extension of innovation in Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, AI agents are no longer query-response tools to execute tasks autonomously, make choices, and communicate with external tools. This is the beginning of the "Agentic AI" age where agents are able to plan, execute, and audit tasks with minimal or no human input.AI agents represent a significant step from assistive AI to autonomous AI. They leverage LLMs, tool integration, and memory systems to facilitate reasoning, decision-making, and task automation. Agents do not only execute pre-described workflows but also adapt dynamically to new stimuli, independently solving complex problems
We are beginning to see AI agents deployed across various verticals. However, these implementations can be complex and will require a deep understanding of the specific contexts within departments and functions across different organizations and industries. The quality of training models and data will be paramount. The extent to which AI agents can match human instinct—capable of overriding reasoning when necessary—while mitigating human flaws or errors, will determine their success on a case-by-case basis.
The way ahead is to integrate AI agents into existing enterprise systems while addressing challenges like data privacy, scalability, and training. Successful deployment requires a methodical approach, starting with pilot projects and smooth integration with business processes. As we move into this new era of AI, organizations need to leverage the potential and navigate the challenges to realize the full potential of AI agents.
RAMAN NARAYAN
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R. Narayan Editor in Chief, CXO DX
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Co-Founder & MD
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Co-Founder & Director Client Solutions mallika@leapmediallc.com Mob: +971-50-2489676
Thomas Pramotedham, CEO at Presight,a G42 company discusses the company’s focus on empowering enterprises with generative AI capabilities
Peter Oganeasen, Managing Director of Middle East and East Africa, HP, discusses HP’s focus on AI-enabled solutions across its portfolio
Digitized power systems are best suited to handle fluctuating, challenging modern demands, writes Sue Quense, chief commercial officer, AVEVA
14 » THE DAWN OF AI AGENTS
AI agents are emerging as game-changing tools that are transforming industries and altering the way we interact with technology.
Paul Ju, Corporate Vice President and CTO of the Infrastructure Solutions Group at ASUS discusses the manufacturer’s AI infrastructure strategy
David Boast, General Manager – UAE & KSA, Endava discusses how to tread the elusive optimal path to AI adoption
Samer Semaan, Director, Distribution & Alliances, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Pure Storage discusses how they are enabling partners
Vibhu Kapoor, Regional Vice President - Middle East, Africa & India, Epicor discusses how Middle East manufacturers can secure their digital future
Dave Russell, senior vice president, head of strategy at Veeam Software discusses balancing usability and security in the age of AI and regulation
Filippo Cassini, Global Technical Officer, SVP of Engineering discusses the need for a platform approach to cybersecurity
SOPHOS MDR SURPASSES 26,000 CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE WITH 37% GROWTH
Sophos MDR offers a comprehensive suite of capabilities that go beyond standard threat containment to include full-scale incident response
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, announced that its Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service has reached a major milestone, now protecting more than 26,000 organizations globally, growing its customer base by 37% in 2024. This achievement highlights the increasing demand for Sophos’ proactive, expert-led security solutions, which help organizations of all sizes stay protected 24/7 against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, including the most advanced ransomware, business email compromise (BEC) and phishing attacks.
Sophos MDR offers a comprehensive suite of capabilities that go beyond standard threat containment to include fullscale incident response, such as root cause analysis, the removal of malicious tools or
Regional Director of META, Milestone Systems
At Intersec 2025, the Middle East’s flagship security and safety event, Milestone Systems made a resounding statement about the future of data-driven video surveillance and analytics. The Danish video management software (VMS) leader showcased its latest innovations, highlighting the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in redefining safety and operational efficiency across industries.
According to the independent, global ana-
artifacts used by attackers, and investigations across customers’ environments to ensure adversaries are fully ejected to prevent another attack. What further differentiates Sophos is that these incident response services are included with Sophos MDR on an unlimited basis, meaning customers are not additionally charged and there is no limit on the number of incident response hours. Sophos MDR Complete also includes a breach protection warranty covering up to $1 million USD in incident response expenses.
“Attackers are continuously advancing their tactics to outmanoeuvre traditional security defenses,” said Rob Harrison, senior vice president of product management at Sophos. “Our customers rely on Sophos MDR to help their organizations tackle today’s threats 24/7 with full-scale
Rob Harrison Senior Vice President of Product Management, Sophos.
incident response to remove active adversaries and conduct root cause analysis to identify the underlying issues that led to an incident. We’re consistently evolving our solutions with new offerings and integrations, just like attackers are constantly evolving their tactics, so customers can disrupt threats before they escalate into destructive attacks.”
MILESTONE SYSTEMS SETS NEW PACE, OUTGROWS GLOBAL VMS MARKET
Milestone’s plans include strategically bolstering its UAE operations and Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing market
lyst company Omdia, Milestone Systems is estimated to be the largest supplier of video management software in the Middle East and Europe.
The company has consistently outpaced the average growth rate of 8-9% in the VMS sector, driven by heightened demand for robust and intelligent surveillance solutions in the Middle East.
“We are proud to have participated for the 15th time in Intersec 2025, as a security leader in the transformation of the Middle East towards smart cities.” said Louise Bou Rached, Regional Director of META at Milestone Systems “Our strategy is to strengthen partnerships with integrators, resellers, and end-users to drive growth and innovation and simultaneously expand our presence in the MENA region.”
Milestone’s plans include strategically bolstering its UAE operations and Saudi
Arabia’s rapidly growing market, where smart city initiatives like NEOM signal tremendous potential.
Central to Milestone’s presence at Intersec was the flagship product, XProtect Video Management Software, and the AI-driven BriefCam Video Analytics platform. Milestone underscored the value of collaboration, announcing seamless integrations with eight leading technology partners, including Conexao Technology and CIAS. These partnerships highlight the open-platform flexibility of XProtect, a key differentiator in a crowded market.
Together, these technologies demonstrated the power of converting video into actionable data insights, from monitoring bustling airports to streamlining operations and enhancing public safety supporting diverse industries from retail, hospitality, and healthcare to public safety and government infrastructure
Louise Bou Rached
SALESFORCE EXPANDS PRESENCE IN SAUDI ARABIA WITH NEW REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN RIYADH
Company pledges to upskill 30,000 Saudi citizens in AI, focusing on women’s workforce participation and inclusivity
Salesforce announced plans to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia with a new regional headquarters in Riyadh. Salesforce also announced plans to partner with IBM to open a Center of Excellence in Riyadh. Separately, it pledged to provide upskilling opportunities to 30,000 Saudi citizens by 2030. These investments underscore Salesforce’s growing presence in the region as more companies invest in Agentforce, the digital labor platform for enterprises.
Driven by Agentforce, Salesforce is ushering in a new era of digital labor, where AI agents work alongside humans to redefine productivity and unlock unlimited potential. Salesforce’s expanded presence in the region will enable customers like Almosafer (part of Seera Group), Red Sea
Global, and Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) to benefit from its local expertise and will help businesses and the public sector in the Kingdom drive unprecedented innovation and operational efficiency, supporting the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals.
“We’re excited to expand our presence in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East region and help drive innovation, enhance productivity, and support key digital transformation initiatives with our Agentforce digital labor platform,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce “This is a moment where productivity is no longer tied to workforce growth but to intelligent technology that can be scaled without limits, a new era of humans with agents working together to drive customer
CLOUD BOX TECHNOLOGIES ACHIEVES FORTISASE CERTIFICATION
The certification expands the company’s ability to address modern security challenges, particularly for organizations transitioning to hybrid and remote work models
Cloud Box Technologies (CBT), a premier systems integrator and IT services specialist in the Middle East, announced that the company has received the prestigious FortiSASE certification after successfully navigating Fortinet’s rigorous certification process. The FortiSASE certification aligns with CBT’s vision to address the growing demand for secure, scalable, and flexible cloud-based solutions.
The certification process was a rigorous combination of comprehensive technical training, real-world implementation exercises, and extensive workshops designed to provide an in-depth understanding of FortiSASE’s architecture, features, and benefits. The CBT team successfully underwent the challenging assessments, upgrading their expertise and aligning the training to suit Fortinet’s global requirements.
Ranjith Kaippada, MD, Cloud Box Technologies, said, “The FortiSASE certifi-
cation reflects Cloud Box Technologies’ unwavering commitment to upholding the highest industry standards in cybersecurity. It demonstrates our ability to adopt cutting-edge technologies that protect businesses while ensuring operational resilience. Moreover, it promises that our customers receive solutions that are reliable, and future-ready.”
Attaining this certification enables CBT to address these evolving challenges and support businesses in securing their operations without compromising productivity and ensuring business continuity.
As an Advanced Partner, CBT is positioned to provide cutting-edge solutions tailored to customers across industries such as transportation, education, and finance. It also places the company as one of the early adopters, with the technical expertise to deliver advanced SD-WAN and SASE solutions that seamlessly secure applications, networks, and data for
success. I look forward to seeing the fruits of our partnership with IBM and our customers in the region.”
Mohammed Alkhotani has been newly appointed as the Senior Vice President of the Middle East, where he will oversee regional strategy, operations, partnerships, and customer engagement.
Mohammed Amin
President, CEEMETA, Dell Technologies
Ranjith Kaippada Managing Director, Cloud Box Technologies
enterprises operating in dynamic and hybrid environments.
“For CBT, the FortiSASE certification enhances our service portfolio, allowing us to deliver secure, cloud-based solutions that align with global security standards. For our customers, this certification also translates to enhanced cybersecurity measures and ensures that organizations maintain trust, safeguard critical data, and mitigate risks posed by increasingly sophisticated cyber threats,” Kaippada added.
DATAIKU
SURPASSES $300M
ARR MILESTONE, ACCELERATING GENAI ADOPTION IN ENTERPRISES
Universal AI Platform pioneer doubles ARR over past three years while steadily slashing burn rate and maintaining near-term path to profitability
Dataiku, the Universal AI Platform, has announced a major milestone in its growth journey, surpassing $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). This achievement highlights significant growth in Dataiku's ARR, which has more than doubled over the past three years, reinforcing the strength of its Universal AI platform and business model. Feeding this momentum, the company saw a rapid acceleration of GenAI adoption over the past year. Over 20% of customers now use Dataiku to integrate GenAI into their business and data workflows, with multiple projects per customer exceeding 1,000 active use cases.
In addition to its financial performance, Dataiku has expanded its global footprint, growing its customer base to over 700 organizations worldwide. More than 100
customers, from Johnson & Johnson and Novo Nordisk to Perdue Farms and Rolls Royce, shared their stories on stage as part of Dataiku’s Everyday AI global event series and annual Frontrunner Awards in 2024. Supported by a workforce that has grown to over 1,100 worldwide, Dataiku now serves 20% of European Forbes Global 2000 companies, with rapidly accelerating market penetration across the Americas and APAC.
“Surpassing $300M ARR underscores the impact of Dataiku’s Universal AI Platform and its central role in the AI strategies of the world’s largest companies,” said Florian Douetteau, co-founder & CEO of Dataiku. “Our cloud- and model-agnostic platform doesn’t just future-proof enterprise AI—it empowers business teams to
drive innovation and real results. In 2024, C-suites turned to Dataiku to harness AI and reshape their markets.”
DELL TECHNOLOGIES, ARAMCO AND NITA CELEBRATE GRADUATES FROM “ITXCELERATE” PROGRAM
The young graduates earned Dell Proven Professional Certifications in Information & Storage Management, as well as Data Science & Big Data Analytics
Dell Technologies, Aramco and National IT Academy (NITA) celebrated the graduation of talented Saudi students from the 18-weeks “ITXcelerate” program.
These graduates have earned globally recognized Dell Proven Professional Certifications in Information & Storage Management and Data Science & Big Data Analytics, equipping them with advanced technical expertise and positioning them as future leaders in the tech industry. They also gained invaluable real-world experience through on-site job shadowing at Dell Technologies’ Riyadh premises and tackled industry-relevant challenges in a collaborative Dell-Aramco use case project.
For this year’s cohort, the use case projects were categorized by four groups:
• Group one: Multi-Cloud & Deployment: Focused on modernizing Aramco’s data centers by integrating multi-cloud environments and advanced technologies like AI. The adoption of the solution could lead to potential enhancement on the scalability, flexibility, and innovation in IT infrastructure while aligning with global best practices.
• Group two: Cybersecurity: Prioritized safeguarding Aramco’s data and operations by implementing advanced cybersecurity solutions from Dell Technologies. The
group strengthened defences against evolving cyber threats, ensuring robust data protection and business resilience.
• Group three: HPC/AI: Leveraged high-performance computing and AI to transform seismic data analysis, improving speed, accuracy, and efficiency. This supported better decision-making in exploration and production, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs.
• Group Four: Data Lakehouse: Addressed data management challenges by developing a unified data architecture combining the benefits of data lakes and warehouses. This approach streamlined data storage, retrieval, and analysis, accelerating decision-making and supporting future growth.
Dell Technologies, Aramco and NITA remain committed to nurturing local talent and fostering a vibrant, innovation-driven technology ecosystem, that is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to foster economic diversification and digital transformation.
Florian Douetteau co-founder & CEO, Dataiku
ASBIS MIDDLE EAST AND FANVIL ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
The partnership expands the availability of Fanvil’s extensive range of communication products
ASBIS Middle East, a prominent regional distributor, has announce a strategic partnership with Fanvil, a leading global provider of Audio & Video IoT (A&V-IoT) devices. The partnership was formalized during a signing ceremony, marking a significant milestone for both companies.
The signing ceremony was attended by key executives from ASBIS Middle East and Fanvil. Hesham Tantawi, the Vice President of ASBIS Middle East, and Louis Chen, the Vice President of Fanvil expressed that partnering is a significant step forward for both companies.
The collaboration between ASBIS Middle East and Fanvil highlights a strategic partnership that expands the availability
of Fanvil’s extensive range of communication products. These include enterprise IP phones, hotel phones, intercoms, broadcast & intercom system, healthcare devices, and cloud-based solutions, etc. Among Fanvil’s diverse offerings, the V Pro Series stands out as a high-end yet budget-friendly option, integrating advanced features such as Bluetooth wireless handset functionality. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses seeking both affordability and high performance in their communication solutions.
The partnership not only aims to increase market presence in Middle East area but also to drive innovation, especially in sectors such as hospitality, healthcare, and enterprise communication. As the demand for
CISCO UNVEILS AI DEFENSE TO SECURE AI TRANSFORMATION OF ENTERPRISES
The end-to-end solution protects both the development and use of AI applications so enterprises can advance their AI initiatives with confidence.
Cisco has announced Cisco AI Defense, a pioneering solution to enable and safeguard AI transformation within enterprises. Cisco AI Defense is purpose-built for enterprises to develop, deploy and secure AI applications with confidence.
"Business and technology leaders can’t afford to sacrifice safety for speed when embracing AI,” said Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Cisco. "In a dynamic landscape where competition is fierce, speed decides the winners. Fused into the fabric of the network, Cisco AI Defense combines the unique ability to detect and protect against threats when developing and accessing AI applications without tradeoffs.”
AI Defense enables enterprises’ AI transformations by addressing two urgent risks:
Developing and Deploying Secure AI Applications: AI Defense helps developers move fast and unlock greater value by protecting AI systems from attacks
and safeguarding model behavior, across platforms. The capabilities of AI Defense include:
• Discovering AI: AI Defense detects shadow and sanctioned AI applications across public and private clouds.
• Model Validation: This AI-driven algorithmic red team identifies potential vulnerabilities and recommends guardrails in AI Defense for security teams to use.
• Runtime Security: Continuous validation safeguards against potential safety and security threats such as prompt injection, denial of service and sensitive data leakage on an ongoing basis.
Securing Access to AI Applications: As end users rush to adopt AI applications like summarization tools to improve their productivity, security teams need to prevent data leakage and the poisoning of proprietary data. AI Defense enables security teams with:
• Visibility: Provides a comprehensive
advanced, cost-effective communication solutions grows, ASBIS Middle East and Fanvil are committed to delivering customized products that meet the evolving needs of their customers.
Looking to the future, ASBIS Middle East and Fanvil are committed to exploring joint initiatives that will facilitate development and strengthen competitive positions.
Jeetu Patel
Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Cisco
view of shadow and sanctioned AI-enabled apps used by employees.
• Access Control: Implements policies that restrict employee access to unsanctioned AI tools.
• Data and Threat Protection: Continuously safeguards against threats and confidential data loss while ensuring compliance.
QLIK PARTNERS WITH REDINGTON AS DISTRIBUTOR
The partnership will drive AI adoption across MEA
Qlik, a global leader in data integration, data quality, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI), announced its partnership with Redington, a leading technology aggregator and innovation powerhouse across emerging markets. This collaboration marks a significant step in Qlik’s regional growth strategy, ensuring that Qlik partnerships in MEA will now be streamlined through Redington.
“Partnering with Redington allows Qlik to expand our reach into one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing markets globally,” said David Zember, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Channels and Alliances at Qlik. “Redington’s regional expertise and strong relationships with partners across MEA will enable businesses to unlock the full potential of their data, driving meaningful outcomes through analytics and AI.”
As a key Qlik’s distributor in MEA, Redington will manage reseller relationships, simplifying operations for partners and ensuring consistency across 74 countries. Through this partnership, Qlik will be able to leverage Redington’s deep understanding of the MEA region to tailor Qlik solutions to local business needs, fostering greater adoption. Regional partners will benefit from comprehensive training, co-marketing initiatives, and demand generation campaigns to accelerate onboarding and engagement.
Redington will distribute Qlik’s trusted offerings, including Qlik Talend Cloud for AI-augmented data integration and Qlik Answers for extracting insights from unstructured data.
“Redington is thrilled to partner with Qlik to bring advanced data, analytics and AI
AI-DRIVEN DATA CREATION TO SPUR NEXT-WAVE CLOUD STORAGE GROWTH
According to a survey commissioned by Seagate, 61% of respondents expect their organization’s cloud-based storage – underpinned by hard drives – to increase by more than 100% by 2028
According to a recent, global Recon Analytics survey commissioned by Seagate Technology, business leaders from across 15 industry sectors and 10 countries expect that adoption of AI applications will generate unprecedented volumes of data, driving a boom in demand for data storage, in particular cloud-based storage.
With hard drives delivering scalability relative to terabyte-per-dollar cost efficiencies, cloud service providers rely on hard drives to store mass quantities of data. Recently, analyst firm IDC estimated that 89% of data stored by leading cloud service providers is stored on hard drives. Now, according to this Recon Analytics study, nearly two-thirds of respondents (61%) from companies that use cloud as their leading storage medium expect their cloud-based storage to grow by more than 100% over the next 3 years.
“The survey results generally point to a
coming surge in demand for data storage, with hard drives emerging as the clear winner,” remarked Roger Entner, founder and lead analyst of Recon Analytics.
Key Findings:
• 72% surveyed say they use AI today.
• 61% of respondents who predominately use cloud storage say their cloud-based storage will increase by over 100% over the next 3 years.
• Storage ranks as the second most important component of AI infrastructure, with Security ranking #1.
• Of those businesses who’ve adopted AI technology, 90% believe longer data retention improves the quality of AI outcomes.
• 88% of respondents believe adoption of Trustworthy AI requires an increased need to store more data for longer periods of time.
David Zember
Senior Vice President of Worldwide Channels and Alliances, Qlik
solutions to businesses across MEA In today’s fast-paced digital economy, AI plays a pivotal role in driving smarter decision-making, optimizing operations, and unlocking new growth opportunities,” said Dharshana Kosgalage, Executive Vice President of the Technology Solutions Group at Redington MEA.
“Trustworthy AI is really the key to enabling mainstream adoption of AI,” said BS Teh, Chief Commercial Officer of Seagate. “With the vast majority of survey respondents saying they need to store data for longer periods of time to improve quality outcomes of AI, we’re focused on areal density innovation needed to increase storage capacity for each platter in our HAMR-based hard drives. We have a clear pathway to more than double per-platter storage capacity over the next few years.”
GENETEC HIGHLIGHTS TOP PHYSICAL SECURITY TRENDS FOR 2025
In 2025, the physical security industry will focus on ways to maximize existing investments to enhance security, increase efficiency, and boost collaboration between teams.
Genetec, a global leader in enterprise physical security software, shared its top predictions for the physical security industry in 2025.
Practicality will overcome hype
Organizations are becoming more strategic in deploying the cloud. They’re balancing on-premises, edge, and cloud solutions for optimal fit. In 2025, decision-makers will prioritize hybrid systems, focusing on centralized monitoring, reduced maintenance with quick-deploy hybrid cloud systems, and modernizing video or access control systems without discarding existing investments. Fully cloud-based deployments may optimize costs or enable broader third-party integrations using on-premises infrastructure. SaaS solutions supporting hybrid-cloud environments will offer the most flexibility, combining video, access control, and sensors from various manufacturers while integrating existing infrastructure via the cloud.
AI for outcome-driven benefits
The 2025 State of Physical Security Report indicates that 42% of respondents who work in procurement, management, or use of physical security technology, plan to deploy some facet of AI in their security operations in the coming months.
When applied thoughtfully, AI-enabled security solutions can be game-changing. Especially when organizations start by identifying key operational challenges and then solve them through intelligent automation, which is a combination of artificial intelligence (AI), intuitive user experience (intuitive UX), and automation. The most effective implementations are anchored in Responsible AI, ensuring technology is both ethical and transparent. This approach not only mitigates risks but also enhances trust and compliance.
Organizations will prioritize data privacy
The global average cost of a data breach hit $4.88 million in 2024. This, combined with the fact that 67% of organizations were impacted by industry regulations in the last year means organizations will continue to invest in data protection and industry compliance. However, not all physical security systems on the market are built to support these efforts. When deploying new systems, IT and physical security teams will choose ones with built-in data protection and privacy tools and that have the latest certification. They’ll also look at cloud and hybrid-cloud solutions since upgrades and fixes automatically get pushed to their physical security system— including new cybersecurity and privacy features.
Cross-team collaboration will gain traction
Our latest industry survey indicates that many organizations expect difficulty hiring qualified personnel in 2025. This could explain why tools that help with data analysis and visualization, and improve collaboration between teams ranked
among the top 5 projects for 2025. Organizations want to remove bottlenecks and ease stress for security teams. To do that, they’ll look for tools that empower people in IT, facilities, and human resources with greater information and autonomy.
Stakeholders will demand more from service providers
Choosing physical security solutions doesn’t solely fall on the shoulders of security professionals anymore. From information technology (IT) teams and security operations (SecOps) to facilities teams, more people are getting involved in physical security decisions. But they all come to the table with a focus on their own challenges, requirements, and priorities.
Because of this, end users will demand more from service providers including channel partners, consultants, and technology vendors. They expect these providers to have a deeper understanding of cybersecurity, operations, data, and business automation. They’ll want more cohesive guidance to address stakeholder needs and equip them with the right tools.
NUTANIX LAUNCHES MULTICLOUD EXPERTS COMMUNITY IN EMEA
The initiative brings together industry leaders to drive multicloud collaboration
Nutanix, a leader in hybrid multicloud computing,announced the launch of its Multicloud Experts community ("MC Experts") in EMEA. A bold initiative, MC Experts aims to create a platform for leading cloud experts to pool knowledge and resources while being able to lean on peers and specialists to empower customers to thrive in an increasingly complex multicloud world.
Modern cloud projects are no longer confined to a single platform or provider. According to the 2024 Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI) report, 64% of organisations are planning to adopt a multicloud strategy within the next three years. However, Nutanix understands that the complexities of multicloud require drawing expertise from a diverse array of cloud services, demanding the collaborative effort of specialists. To meet this demand, MC Experts will bring together a community of multicloud experts with diverse expertise and experience across leading industry solutions, spanning from from private cloud, to public cloud and the edge.
"The creation of the MC Experts community underscores the importance of cross-platform expertise in today’s cloud environment and is a nod to the reality that no single provider can address every challenge in a multicloud landscape,” said Paulo Pereira, VP, Pre-Sales and Systems Engineering, at Nutanix. “By pooling knowledge and creating a collaborative space for learning, we are equipping businesses with the resources they need to thrive across multiple clouds."
The MC Experts community will be a dynamic group comprising cloud specialists strategically selected to ensure a wide range of expertise across platforms. These experts will participate in knowledge-sharing sessions, webinars, hands-on labs, and certification opportunities, making it a truly interactive and engaged community.
Each quarter, members of the MC Experts will be engaged with challenges developed to deepen their understanding and further their skills. Nutanix will create a space for the community to collaborate seamlessly with a dedicated Slack channel, discovery plans tailored to multicloud topics, and participation in annual challenges.
"Cloud projects succeed when we work together, and the MC Experts community is a reflection of that belief. By bringing together experts from every corner of the cloud ecosystem, we can push the boundaries of what’s possible," added Pereira.
Nutanix sees its role in the MC Experts community as more than just facilitating collaboration—it will actively support, educate, and engage with the community participants.
● Access to exclusive tools and resources: Nutanix will offer
MC Experts free access to training and certification programmes and other multicloud certifications. Participants will also receive hands-on experience through real-world cloud projects.
● Comprehensive engagement tools: Nutanix will provide a Slack channel for seamless interaction between experts and Nutanix engineers, product managers, and cloud technologists. This space will be used for collaboration, Q&A sessions, and feedback loops to ensure ongoing engagement.
● Interactive discovery plans: Every six months, new cloud communities will be invited to join the MC Experts, ensuring the community is continuously growing and learning. These discovery plans will introduce new topics, industry trends, and best practices.
Looking ahead, Nutanix plans to expand the MC Experts community by bringing in new participants from across the cloud industry every six months. The vision is to build a truly global network of over 360 cloud professionals who can collaborate across borders and industries.
"The MC Experts community is not just about sharing knowledge—it’s about creating a space where the brightest minds in the cloud can come together to solve real-world problems. As we continue to grow this initiative, we look forward to seeing how these collaborations will drive new solutions and open doors for businesses globally – while helping customers accelerate their cloud transformation," said Pereira.
Raif Abou Diab Country Manager UAE, Oman, Pakistan, and Sub-Saharan Africa, Nutanix
CISCO UNVEILS FINDINGS FROM THE LATEST AI READINESS INDEX IN THE UAE
64% of organizations in the UAE have a strategy to deploy AI powered solutions. Yet businesses are facing challenges in fully leveraging AI.
Cisco announced findings from its latest AI Readiness Index, that reveals that 64% of organizations in the UAE have a strategy to deploy AI powered solutions in their organisation. The report highlights that despite increasing urgency in deployment and investment, businesses in the UAE face challenges in adopting, deploying, and fully leveraging AI.
The Index is based on a double-blind survey of 7,985 senior business leaders from organizations with 500 or more employees across 30 markets, including UAE. These leaders are responsible for AI integration and deployment within their organizations. The Index is measured across six pillars: strategy, infrastructure, data, governance, talent, and culture.
Abdelilah Nejjari, Managing Director, Cisco in Gulf and Levant, commented: "Our survey reveals that companies need to prioritize investments in infrastructure and talent to effectively navigate the complexities of AI deployment. Organizations in the region need to prepare their workforce, existing data centres and cloud strategies to meet the AI requirements and harness its full potential.”
Key Findings include:
• Acting with Urgency:
AI has become a cornerstone for business strategy, and there is an increasing urgency among companies to adopt and deploy AI technologies. In UAE, nearly all (99%) report an increased urgency to deploy AI, primarily driven by the CEO and leadership team. Nearly all (86%) companies say they only have 18 months to start demonstrating the impact of AI. More than half (64%) give it only 12 months.
• Rising Investment:
Businesses in the UAE are accelerating efforts and increasing investments to overcome barriers and embrace AI-driven transformation. Notably, over a third (34%) of organizations plan to allocate more than 40% of their IT budget to AI investments in the next four to five years, a significant increase from 8% of companies who said they are allocating a similar portion of their IT budget to AI currently. Additionally, almost half (47%) of companies indicate that between 10% to 30% of their IT budget is allocated to AI deployments.
AI investments focus on three strategic areas: cybersecurity (45%), IT infrastructure (39%), as well as data management (34%), and data analysis (33%). The top three outcomes they aim to achieve are improving the efficiency of systems, processes, operations, and profitability; the ability to innovate and remain competitive; and growing revenue and market share for the business. However, over 40% of respondents report that the gains from
their AI investments have not yet met expectations in augmenting, assisting, or automating current processes and operations.
• Infrastructure Preparedness:
Networks are yet to be equipped to meet AI workloads. There are gaps in compute, data centre network performance, and cybersecurity, amongst other areas. Only 14% of organizations have the necessary GPUs to meet current and future AI demands and only a third (31%) have the capabilities to protect data in AI models with end–to–end encryption, security audits, continuous monitoring, and instant threat response. Positive developments are underway as companies acknowledge the necessity of enhancing their readiness to effectively leverage AI. In the UAE, 54% say improving the scalability, flexibility, and manageability of their IT infrastructure are top priorities, showing they are aware of the gaps that need to be addressed.
• Addressing Skills and Talent Gaps:
A lack of skilled talent is a top challenge for companies in the UAE, underscoring the critical need for skilled professionals to drive AI initiatives. Only 37% of UAE organizations claim their talent is at a high state of readiness to fully leverage AI, and 27% say their organizations lack in-house talent necessary for successful AI deployment.
Abdelilah Nejjari
Managing Director, Cisco in Gulf and Levant
THE DAWN OF AI AGENTS
AI agents are emerging as game-changing tools that are transforming industries and altering the way we interact with technology. AI agents are poised to revolutionize everything from automation to decision-making in this new era, and bring a revolutionary period of innovation.
by R. Narayan
AI has seen a dramatic surge of innovations and adoption over the past several years, but the launch of Chat GPT in 2022 marked a pivotal turning point in introducing us to the world of Gen AI technologies and its immense possibilities for enabling enhanced productivity, alongside the challenges. It ushered in a new wave of numerous LLMs alongside further innovations. Ever since, there has been a dizzying pace of evolution in the world of AI where in recent months, the introduction of LLM-based AI Agents has set up the next definitive era of AI evolution and is reshaping human-machine collaboration and automation.
According to Antonio Rizzi, Area VP Solution Consulting, South EMEA at ServiceNow, “AI agents represent the next phase in the evolution of artificial intelligence. Looking at the roadmap of AI, we started with assistive AI, which functions as a chatbot that responds to user queries. Then we moved to functional AI, capable of executing simple tasks and automating specific functions. Now, we are in the era of autonomous AI, where AI agents can orchestrate multiple actions to solve complex problems independently. The next stage will be predictive AI, where agents won’t just react to user input but will anticipate future challenges and proactively offer solutions. AI agents are a crucial step in this evolution, marking a transition from simple automation to advanced problem solving and decision making.”
The Agentic AI era unleashes autonomous AI agents that can plan, execute, and review tasks with minimal human interactions, complementing LLMs and bringing a new level of autonomy with action-oriented systems.
Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director of AI Research at ManageEngine says, “Agents are the next phase of AI evolution and deployment. An LLM generates answers based on the patterns in their training data but agents build this up a notch by interacting with external tools and completing the tasks. Working along with LLMs, agents interpret prompts, break them down, choose the right tools, and execute tasks independently. These agents do not follow predefined workflows; instead, they devise their plans and execute tasks based on natural language inputs.”
He adds, “AI agents are designed to execute tasks based on the environment they operate in. For instance, an agent deployed in a meeting application can schedule a meeting by checking calendar availability, coordinating with participants, and setting reminders automatically.
Ramprakash Ramamoorthy
Director of AI Research, ManageEngine
The transition from LLMs to the Agentic era marks a significant leap, enabling structured AI deployments that drive tangible outcomes across industries and departments. With autonomous decision-making and task execution capabilities, AI agents unlock new possibilities for real-world applications.
Ashraf El Zarka, Vice President and Regional Managing Director of MEA and Pakistan at UiPath says, “Agents are AI-model-based software entities able to perceive their environments, process information, and take actions to achieve specific objectives. These agents leverage large language models (LLMs) to process natural language, make real-time decisions, and execute tasks and processes with minimal human oversight. Furthermore, agents learn and improve with every interaction and adapt dynamically to new or unexpected scenarios. This makes them a powerful force for agentic automation.”
Ramprakash adds that while AI in general helps in the automation of tasks such as processing data, recognizing patterns, and executing predefined tasks, AI Agents further improve this by being adaptable to new environments and autonomously take as well as act on decisions based on real-time data and external tools. AI agents enhance user interaction by providing personalized, dynamic, and context-aware responses. They make interfaces adaptive, intuitive, and responsive to user behaviour in real-time. According to him, AI agents improve the decision-making process through three different ways of reasoning such as ReAct, CoT and ToT.
• ReAct is Reasoning + Acting, is a framework that provides a thought process strategy to reason and take action on a user query.
• In Chain-of-Thought (CoT) the agent breaks down complex tasks into sequential logical steps for better decision-making.
• In Tree-of-Thought (ToT): An advanced reasoning model that explores multiple branching paths of thought to evaluate different solutions before deciding.
The makeup of AI Agents and capabilities
AI Agents include key components that enable their reasoning and execution capabilities.
Ramprakash says, “AI agents have three core components: Large Language Models (LLMs), tools integration, and memory systems. LLMs help agents understand natural language queries, process inputs, and generate contextually relevant responses based on user intent. The tools act as the arms of AI agents; for instance, they can integrate analytics tools to process and analyze complex data sets, get insightful reports that help to make decisions. AI agents use memory systems to break down complex tasks into sub-tasks. Short-term memory tracks immediate context, while long-term memory retains past interactions. Together, these components enable AI agents to perceive, reason, and act.”
He adds, “The workflow of an AI agent follows these steps: You input a query, which the LLM processes to generate an initial response. The AI agent interprets the query, determines the necessary tools to retrieve information, plans actions, and executes them. Memory systems provide context by referring to past exchanges. Finally, the agent completes the task, delivering an efficient response.”
Antonio elaborates that AI Agents work as wrappers around LLMs, extracting output from LLMs and actioning task execution and automation.
“Large Language Models (LLMs) are at the core of generative AI. They take a prompt, essentially a user question, and generate a response. AI agents build on top of LLMs by adding key functionalities. They act as wrappers around the LLM, retrieving relevant data to make responses more grounded and accurate. Additionally, AI agents can take the output of an LLM and trigger automation, turning responses into actionable workflows. This ability to connect with external data and execute tasks makes AI agents a critical step beyond standard LLM capabilities, enabling real world applications and automation that provides true value to the enterprise.”
Ashraf El Zarka Vice President and Regional Managing Director of MEA and Pakistan, UiPath
How AI Agents automate and enrich workflows
The robust architecture of AI agents helps them operate beyond static query-response models, making them powerful assets for automation, research, customer support, and enterprise decision-making. Their advent signals a shift from traditional, rulesbased automation to a more dynamic, context-aware approach.
Ashraf says, “This opens new opportunities and elevates the potential for automation in the enterprise, by bringing to the mix the capability to handle complex decision-making processes that can adapt to an evolving context in real-time. By empowering businesses to execute complex processes rapidly, agentic automation will revolutionize customer experience and user interaction. However, despite having a high degree of autonomy, AI agents still rely on robots and human employees to execute reliably and accurately. While software robots are needed to carry out rulesbased tasks and to securely connect agents with the necessary business data, employees remain crucial for handling reviews and exceptions.”
Antonio says that the core capabilities of AI agents lie in their ability to execute specific tasks by leveraging generative AI and automation.
“AI agents are defined in natural language by specifying their purpose and objectives. For example, an agent can be designed to search a company’s knowledge base for solutions, generate emails for user communication, or automate specific workflows. The more focused an agent is on a particular task, the more efficient and precise it becomes. While a general purpose agent
such as one designed to resolve generic user issues would require complex reasoning and significant resources, task-specific agents operate faster and more effectively. Essentially, AI agents are specialized applications of LLMs, enriched with contextual data, that trigger automation to solve targeted problems efficiently.”
While AI Agents enhance the scale of automation, there will still be room for human intervention and supervision as required. They certainly augment the capabilities of the workforce and allow them more time to focus on core duties as well as drive further innovation. AI Agents are also expected to collaborate in the scenario of enterprise-wide deployments although we are still in the very early stages and challenges remain.
Ramprakash says, “AI agents collaborate with each other and human users through multi-agent communication, and task delegation. In multi-agent systems, different AI agents specialize in distinct tasks while exchanging information and working together to solve complex problems. They use predefined protocols, reasoning models, and shared memory to coordinate effectively. Humans can step in when the AI Agents plan involves risky operations, such as updating a database or merging a code change. The AI Agent can ask for human approval before executing these operations. To make this possible, you need to clearly define the level of automation an agent can have for each action.”
He adds “For instance, in an e-commerce supply chain, multiple AI agents collaborate to optimize operations. A customer service agent can handle user inquiries using natural language processing (NLP) while a logistics agent tracks inventory levels and a fraud detection agent monitors transactions for suspicious activities. If a customer asks about an out-of-stock item, the customer service agent checks with the logistics agent for restocking updates before replying.”
Ramprakash also mentions while there could be a need for siloed instances of AI agents, in instances where information is confidential they would lose contextual relevance in case cross-functional intelligence is required.
“Siloed agents can be effective for confidential tasks, where sensitive information requires to be isolated and handled by a specific agent for privacy and security. For tasks that require cross-functional coordination, working with siloed agents that function independently without shared communication risk losing context as they lack access to information from other agents. This can lead to inefficiencies, inconsistent responses, and missed insights.”
Ashraf says that we're approaching a future where teams of robots, directed by AI agents, will enable a single employee to boost productivity beyond what was previously possible. He illustrates a scenario of multi agent collaboration to streamline the organizational efficiencies.
“By handling complex, end-to-end processes, AI agents share information, coordinate tasks, and make decisions, to ensure systems run efficiently while allowing human interventions when they are needed. AI agents also collaborate with each other. One agent might collect data, while another analyzes it and a third takes action. This is common in supply chains, where AI agents track shipments, predict delays, and adjust delivery routes. In fi-
Rizzi Area VP Solution Consulting, South EMEA, ServiceNow
nance, they detect fraud, report suspicious activity, and automate compliance checks. In healthcare, they process patient data, suggest treatments, and notify doctors of urgent cases. As such they give managers the space to mentor, doctors more time to care for their patients, developers the ability to fine-tune their work, engineers the freedom to innovate, and customers the seamless and personalized experiences they’ve been promised.”
To work well, AI agents need an orchestration layer that connects systems, manages data, and ensures smooth operations.
“Platforms like UiPath provide this structure, allowing AI agents, robots, and human users to collaborate effectively. An enterprise that’s optimized for the future is one where AI agents can handle the majority of 'work,' grounded in business policy and data, while people continue their roles as supervisors, decision-makers, and leaders,” adds Ashraf.
Antonio too highlights the need for a solution that can orchestrate multiple agents in an organization’s workflows and mentions human intervention can come in if there is uncertainty in decision-making or task execution in critical areas.
“You need a library of specialized agents and once this is in place, they can work together to solve intricate problems efficiently. At the core of this collaboration you need a solution like ServiceNow’s AI Agent Orchestrator, which is responsible for complex reasoning, defining resolution plans, and coordinating specialized AI agents in task execution. This orchestrator ensures that different agents work together seamlessly, assigning the right tasks
Antonio
to the right agents based on their specific capabilities. When an agent encounters uncertainty or requires access to sensitive actions, it interacts with a human operator to request permissions or seek additional input. This dynamic allows AI agents to act as force multipliers for productivity. Where today a human operator handles a set number of tasks, in the future, they will coordinate multiple AI agents, achieving exponentially more work in the same time.”
Use cases
AI Agents help streamline operations, enhance productivity, and enable more intelligent, adaptive automation across industries by integrating with enterprise tools and leveraging contextual memory.
Ashraf says, “AI agents are capable of handling complex processes across CRM, ERP, and other enterprise systems, while improving over time, making fewer mistakes, and reducing the need for manual work and interventions. For example, in finance, AI agents can detect fraud, process transactions, approve payments without human checks, and analyze investment-related risks. In logistics, they optimise supply chains by providing real-time shipment tracking, rerouting deliveries, and proactive delay management. AI agents process vast sets of data in seconds. They find patterns, predict outcomes, and recommend the best options. Unlike fixed-rule automation, they adapt to new data and learn from results. When used in healthcare, for example, they can review patient records, suggest treatments, and highlight urgent cases. In supply chains, they forecast demand, manage stock, and lower costs. AI agents make conversations feel natural. They understand intent, answer questions, and adjust responses based on past interactions. Unlike chatbots, they handle complex conversations and solve problems without scripts. For example, in customer service, AI agents resolve issues, offer product suggestions, and complete transactions without waiting for a human, making automation smarter, faster, and more responsive.”
Ramprakash mentions the example of SDRs, the acronym for Sales AI agents and agents for other key functions and how they make the workflows more effective.
“SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) are responsible for lead generation, prospecting, and outreach. AI-powered SDR agents automate tasks such as qualifying leads, follow-ups, and scheduling meetings to streamline sales. Similarly, AI agents exist for other functions, such as marketing agents for ad targeting and content generation, customer support agents for handling inquiries, HR agents for recruitment and onboarding, finance agents for data analysis and reporting, and IT agents for system monitoring and cybersecurity. These specialized agents improve the efficiency, automation, and decision-making across various industries.”
The Road ahead
Organizations and IT leaders should plan AI agent deployment by identifying the key areas to automate, testing it, and ensuring they integrate well with existing systems, says Ramaprakash.
“It's important to align the deployment with business goals, main-
tain data privacy, and follow ethical guidelines. Challenges include ensuring good quality data, seamless integration with external tools, scalability, and training agents to adapt over time. Since AI agents often perform multiple steps to complete tasks, accuracy can decrease as the number of steps increases. For instance, if an agent has 95% accuracy per step, after 10 steps, accuracy could drop to 60%, and after 100 steps, just 0.6%. Addressing these challenges will help ensure a successful and effective deployment.”
According to Antonio, organizations should approach AI agent deployment by leveraging existing building blocks within their current processes.
“The first step is to develop simple AI skills connected to these blocks, gradually evolving into task-specific AI agents to automate more complex workflows. A workflow-driven platform that consolidates enterprise data into a single model is crucial for this transition. However, there are challenges to consider. AI agents must be designed carefully to avoid inefficiencies, ensuring they remain task-specific and resource-efficient. Governance and security are also critical. With a well-structured roadmap and a robust platform, organizations can harness AI agents effectively while maintaining compliance and security.”
Ashraf says that it is wiser to start with pilot programs. He also highlights the need to access quality data and for strong governance that is critical to the success of Agentic AI deployments.
“Building a strong foundation is essential. AI agents are only as good as the data and enterprise tools they have access to. They need access to the right data and systems and require seamless integration with CRM, ERP, and enterprise platforms. Without this, AI agents risk working in silos, leading to inefficiencies. Training staff is also key, as employees should understand how AI agents function and when human oversight is needed. Security is another major factor. Since AI agents often process sensitive data; companies must set strict access controls and follow data protection rules. Lack of proper security can lead to an AI agent creating risks instead of solving problems. Automation robots provide the best method to securely control the access of AI agents to data, as they retrieve only the data required exactly when it is needed.” He adds, “Before full deployment, start with small pilot programs to test AI agents in real-world scenarios. Gather feedback, measure performance, and fine-tune systems as needed. AI agents learn and improve over time, but only when they are monitored, adjusted, and continuously optimized. AI deployment is not a one-time setup. It requires constant fine-tuning, performance checks, and system updates. When done right, AI agents boost efficiency, improve decision-making, and free employees to focus on high-value projects.”
AI agents are poised to unlock a new era of enterprise productivity, yet challenges remain in implementation—particularly in accessing the right data and training models tailored to diverse organizational needs. While the benefits are clear, governance must evolve alongside large-scale deployments. As we stand at the dawn of this new digital epoch, businesses must navigate these complexities to fully realize the transformative power of AI agents.
ACCELERATING THE GEN AI JOURNEY FOR ENTERPRISES
Thomas Pramotedham, CEO at Presight,a G42 company discusses the company’s focus on empowering enterprises with generative AI capabilities
Thomas Pramotedham CEO, Presight
How do AI agents operate?
AI agents are trained models that have niche capabilities for specific work in an organization. They behave exactly like specialized human workers. We were talking about the concept of AI as collective intelligence last year, how we collaborate with humans and don't substitute them. The raw intelligence to form the agents is based on LLMs, but they get trained on topics like HR, legal, and marketing specifically.
For example, in HR, we have an AI agent that is particularly designed for talent hunting. The agent is able to sift through thousands of resumes, identify key qualifications, and shortlist candidates efficiently. Another agent could be employed for interviewing in the first round or designing customized interview questions. These agents collaborate smoothly in an AI-based workflow, handing over tasks seamlessly from one to another without any involvement at each step.
Elaborate on how your AI platform handles HR as a function?
We have a foundational AI platform and then train agents upon specific HR compliance policies and rules. For instance, we have 68 HR compliance policies in Presight, and our AI assistant interacts with all of them. This architecture facilitates bespoke solutions, whether it is for talent acquisition, compliance tracking, or workforce analytics. Similarly, our legal AI agents can function as virtual paralegals and assist in contract analysis, legal research, and compliance checks.
How do you visualise the outlook for enterprise investments in Gen AI?
The adoption of Gen AI has been evolving very rapidly. Last year, the discussions were around large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and CoPilot. But now the conversation has shifted to agentic AI—specialized AI agents that collaborate with humans in business processes. We launched our enterprise AI suite last year to address the problem of AI adoption. Most companies would want to adopt AI but are unsure how. Our answer is specialized AI assistants compartmentalized for HR, legal, marketing, and accounting, so it is simpler to adopt.
We also introduced an on-premises AI solution for enterprises who desire to keep their data in their secure silos. A real-world example of the concept is our collaboration with ADNOC in which we developed the first LLM aimed at the energy sector that integrates agentic AI workflows. The model AI that we trained on ADNOC's native data within their sovereign environment streamlines operations and decision-making.
Do the AI agents coordinate if the request is not within the ability of a single agent?
In the background, AI agents collaborate. For example, if an HR assistant has a question that is outside its scope, it passes it on smoothly to a related employee without the user ever knowing. It is similar to modular programming, where different pieces communicate within but present a single interface to the user. The HR director or lawyer has only access to the output but not the internal process that goes into creating it.
How much time did it take to train your AI models and get them into the market?
It took us around a year to develop our enterprise AI suite. When GPT models and open-source LLMs like LLaMA and Mistral became available, we picked the most suitable ones and prepared them for enterprise deployment. Initially, trust and data privacy mattered, so we developed sovereign AI solutions that held data within borders of nations or enterprises. Nowadays, our sovereign AI assistant functions completely in the UAE, delivering secure AI services to various sectors.
What are other major sectors wherein your solutions find application?
We have four major sectors including the Public Sector, Financial Services, Energy Sector and Smart Cities. In the Public Sector, we collaborate with federal and national governments to embed AI in policy-making and administration. In Financial Services, Regulators and banks utilize our AI-based solutions for surveillance of compliance, hyper-personalization, and fraud detection. In the Energy Sector, our partnership with ADNOC entails AI-enhanced upstream operations, whereas with IHC our collaboration is on AI-powered smart grids for utilities. In the Smart Cities segment, we design AI-driven city management systems, such as our digital mayor assistant, which provides real-time traffic and infrastructure information.
All of these sectors have unique AI applications, from HR automation to policy-making through AI.
Do you see growing momentum for AI adoption in 2025?
Yes. There are several reasons that fuel this momentum. For instance, GPU prices have reduced, so AI infrastructure is cheaper. AI technologies are becoming smaller, more efficient, and deployable. The fear of AI displacing employees has dissipated, and business leaders now appreciate its potential for efficiency improvements.
Businesses recognize that failure to adopt AI might leave them in the slow lane.
We are seeing businesses making greater investments in AI analytics to enhance decision-making, maximize utilities, and reduce carbon footprints. The return on investment (ROI) is becoming evident, further driving adoption.
What are the issues businesses face in getting access to AI talent?
It is cultivating the talent. They possess a high degree of mathematical and engineering expertise, but applied AI experience is only emerging. AI is going to revolutionize education so that programming skills will be devalued as AI will be easier to use. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has also spoken recently that generations to come won't have to learn programming like we do now, since most of the computing will be processed by AI. Businesses will have to train workers to work with AI and not program it directly.
Tell us about your Data Hub product and what value it adds to businesses.
Data Hub is designed to consolidate and streamline data management within organizations. It allows businesses to integrate data from multiple sources into a single repository. It helps implement access controls and metadata tagging for better governance. It also supports AI model training from structured, high-quality data.
In the long term, we have a UAE-wide data market in which anonymized data can be securely sold. This would enable businesses to learn from broader industry trends without exposing sensitive information.
Would you envision Presight playing a part in data monetization?
Yes, but under controlled and disciplined circumstances. Open
Data Hubs, like the US, Singapore, and South Korea, demonstrate the power of data sharing for driving innovation. We see a future where business and government communities are sharing insights in a manner that doesn't compromise privacy. That will support policymaking and commercial innovation led by AI.
What are the key implementation layers if an organization decides to deploy Gen AI?
We have decomposed Gen AI deployment into a simple framework:
Data Preparation: Aggregating structured and unstructured data into one system.
Model Selection: Choosing pre-trained LLMs, fine-tuned models, or custom AI solutions.
AI Training & Customization: Training AI agents based on company-specific workflows and policies.
Integration & Deployment: Integrating AI into current enterprise software and business processes.
User Training & Governance: Ensuring employees understand how to interact with AI while maintaining compliance and oversight.
This structured approach enables enterprises to implement AI incrementally, ensuring seamless integration and measurable benefits.
AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a business imperative. Organizations that embrace AI-driven decision-making and automation will gain a competitive edge. Our goal at Presight is to make AI accessible, secure, and impactful across industries.
“We also introduced an on-premises AI solution for enterprises who desire to keep their data in their secure silos. A real-world example of the concept is our collaboration with ADNOC in which we developed the first LLM aimed at the energy sector that integrates agentic AI workflows.”
ENHANCING WORKFORCE PRODUCTIVITY
Peter Oganeasen, Managing
Director
of Middle East and East Africa, HP, discusses HP’s focus on AI-enabled solutions across its portfolio including PCs, printers as well as collaboration tools to empower the workforce
Peter Oganeasen Managing Director of Middle East and East Africa, HP
What is the broad message that HP wants to share with its customers and partners in the present context?
As we seek to dominate a new frontier in innovation, specifically in AI, we aspire to support our customers with the transition to this new landscape. HP is uniquely positioned to solve the problems of the workforce and at the same time deliver significant productivity benefits. With the deployment of AI into our portfolio, we are making certain that our customers will be able to achieve maximum productivity and effectiveness.
What are the major pivots in HP’s go-to-market strategy at this point?
Historically, we focused on the sale of PCs, printing business, collaboration solutions, and security. However, the shifts in productivity-centered marketing have made it possible to move away from product sales pairs to productivity solutions sets. Rather than focusing if a customer needs one device or several, we wish to focus on their problems and solve them. The key is improving productivity within the company by focusing on collaborative workspace optimization and personalization of work for target employees.
It is not so much the devices anymore, rather the experience and the effects that are paramount. The tools, the devices, peripherals, and services work together to form a better seamless interaction.
Poly was a valuable addition to the HP portfolio. What synergies have you observed since the acquisition?
We went through a dramatic transition to remote and hybrid work during the pandemic, and this underscored the importance of frictionless connectivity and collaboration. The workforce required flexibility, and what we realized was that our collaboration tools needed to be part of our solution set.
Poly has enabled us to expand our portfolio beyond devices. Now, we can provide real value to users by connecting them without losing productivity, creativity, or security. Connectivity is a fundamental right, and with AI-driven innovation, we can further boost productivity. Poly is a key enabler of hassle-free remote work, ensuring users can participate in meetings from anywhere without compromising on quality.
On HP's new AI-driven PCs, how do you envision they will position themselves in the Middle East? Are we anticipating rapid adoption?
The rate of adoption varies by customer. Large companies with sophisticated IT organizations already are rolling out new AI capability, conducting POCs and exploring the value proposition of computing with AI. Others are rolling it out conservatively but are highly interested.
Companies want to know how AI PCs will increase their productivity. The most frequent question we still get is, "How is this going to make me more efficient?" As long as we can easily demonstrate these increases in productivity, customers are eager to explore AI-enabled solutions. We can see a great amount of interest, with many increasing numbers of POCs already underway and increasing numbers of AI PC units being tested within large organizations.
What are your perspectives on the future of print as part of the future of work?
Print is evolving to provide a seamless and intuitive user experience. While printers are not going to start creating content autonomously, the focus is on optimizing output efficiency. We see a future where printing will be smarter, with self-healing capabilities, enhanced connectivity, and learning-based automation.
Scanning, in particular, will be a key driver of innovation. Printers will increasingly understand and process documents more intelligently, helping users organize and simplify workflows. Overall, the print industry is moving toward a more intuitive, software-driven approach that enhances productivity.
The theme of intuitive, AI-driven solutions seems to apply across HP’s product lines. Please elaborate.
Absolutely. In PCs, we are integrating NPUs (Neural Processing Units) to accelerate AI applications while also extending battery life. We now offer up to 27 hours of battery life with NPU-enabled devices.
In the print segment, the focus is on software optimization rather than major hardware modifications. Future printers will leverage AI to learn user preferences, manage print jobs more effectively, and streamline document handling. Across all our products, the emphasis is on intuitive, AI-enhanced experiences.
HP has traditionally been strong in terms of partner engagement. What is your focus on partners in this AI-driven era?
HP is a partner-driven company, and our success is directly tied to the knowledge and capabilities of our partners. For us to excel in AI, our partners must also embrace it.
We are actively educating partners on AI applications, encouraging them to integrate AI into their processes and solutions. In our partner presentation later today, we will emphasize the importance of understanding real-world AI use cases so they can effectively communicate these benefits to customers.
The key shift is moving from a device-centric approach to solution-based selling. If our partners align with this strategy, we can collectively drive better outcomes for our customers.
“Rather than focusing if a customer needs one device or several, we wish to focus on their problems and solve them. The key is improving productivity within the company by focusing on collaborative workspace optimization and personalization of work for target employees.”
ENABLING AI INFRASTRUCTURE
Paul Ju, Corporate Vice President and CTO of the Infrastructure Solutions Group at ASUS discusses the manufacturer’s AI infrastructure strategy, its advanced server solutions, liquid cooling technology, and global partnerships.
Paul Ju
Corporate Vice President and CTO of the Infrastructure Solutions Group, ASUS
What is ASUS's focus on AI, and more notably, the Generative AI opportunity?
ASUS is strictly committed to AI across verticals. Our strategic alignment with the NVIDIA product roadmap includes the H100, H200, GB200, and B200 series. We also have AMD and Intel offerings to give customers a choice in AI infrastructure.
Can you provide more information on ASUS's AI infrastructure solutions?
ASUS's Infrastructure Solutions Group is dedicated to providing comprehensive support for AI infrastructure development. These offerings encompass a range of advanced solutions designed to meet the demands of high-performance AI workloads.
One of the key components of our approach is the deployment of full rack solutions equipped with liquid cooling technology. This ensures optimal thermal management, allowing AI systems to operate efficiently while maintaining performance stability. In addition to hardware solutions, ASUS extends its expertise to data center development, assisting customers with networking and power infrastructure to create a robust foundation for AI-driven operations.
A significant focus is also placed on turnkey AI solutions, which are designed to streamline the deployment process for customers. By minimizing setup times and optimizing capital efficiency,
ASUS enables businesses to quickly operationalize their AI investments, reducing the time required to achieve tangible results.
ASUS has also demonstrated its capabilities through collaborations with major institutions such as Taiwan’s National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) and various international organizations. These partnerships highlight ASUS's ability to support large-scale infrastructure deployments, ensuring that AI-driven enterprises have access to the necessary resources and expertise to succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape.
How does ASUS benchmark itself with industry norms? Performance is nVidia GPU-controlled, yet we fine-tune power efficiency and system integration. Our AI servers offer market-leading power efficiency and end-to-end AI infrastructure solutions.
How does ASUS compete with competitors in AI infrastructure servers?
We entered the AI infrastructure market later than some of our competitors, but our technical depth gives us a competitive edge. Our H100-based solutions consume ~9kW compared to 10kW from competitors. We package storage, networking, and software management into our solutions. Our AI server business has grown 7x between 2023 and 2024, indicating strong market traction.
How do you look at the opportunity with AMD in ASUS's AI strategy?
Though NVIDIA dominates the AI market, we provide AMD solutions to provide alternatives. Players like Microsoft and Taiwan's NCHC explore AMD for diversification and cost savings.
How successful has ASUS been overseas outside of Taiwan in AI based projects?
We have developed massive AI infrastructure projects in the United States, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Europe. They include government and enterprise customers.
Are you involving partners in the Middle East in AI infrastructure?
Yes, we collaborate with partners such as TII (Technology Innovation Institute) in the UAE to implement AI infrastructure solutions.
What are ASUS's 2025 goals?
Key 2025 initiatives include expanding AI storage solutions to unify compute and storage under a single umbrella and developing strategic partnerships for distributing AI power and optimizing infrastructure. We will also look at scaling global AI server deployments with a focus on energy efficiency and performance.
AFRICA’S LARGEST TECH AND STARTUP EVENT JUST GOT BIGGER
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AMPLIFYING PARTNER CAPABILITIES
Samer Semaan, Director, Distribution & Alliances, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Pure Storage discusses how they are enabling partners to address customer needs to support data-intensive workloads in the era of accelerated AI adoption
How has demand for all-flash storage evolved in recent years, discuss the demand in this region?
The demand for all-flash storage has surged in recent years, driven by its performance, reliability, and efficiency benefits over traditional disk-based storage. Organizations are increasingly adopting flash storage to support data-intensive workloads such as AI, big data analytics, and real-time decision-making.
In the Middle East, organisations across the Finance, Telecommunications, Government, and Healthcare industries are undergoing rapid digital transformation and are adopting all-flash solutions. With growing investments in smart cities, cloud computing, and AI-driven solutions, enterprises seek storage solutions that meet future looking business needs.
How do you see the role of your partners helping customers adapt to these trends in a cloud-first and AI-driven world?
The IT landscape is undergoing seismic shifts driven by accelerated adoption of AI, a requirement to digitally transform and a shift to consumption-based models. As a result, organizations need a data storage platform that is scalable, flexible, and optimized to unlock the full potential of their data. Pure Storage’s partner program positions the channel ecosystem to meet these demands head on.
This year, as part of the recent updates to our partner program, we are sharpening our focus on key growth areas, including cloud, AI, app modernization, and cybersecurity. These targeted efforts will amplify partners’ ability to lead in critical markets, provide future-ready solutions, and enable customers to thrive in an increasingly complex IT landscape. Key areas of focus include:
• Hybrid Cloud Optimization: Partners can provide customers with seamless mobility, cost optimization, and consistent storage services, resiliency, and APIs across their hybrid cloud environments.
• AI-Ready Infrastructure: Partners can help customers unify data to speed up training, inference, and insight.
• Modern Applications: Partners can support customers as they automate, protect, and unify their data for modern applications across on-premises, public cloud, or hybrid cloud environments.
• Cyber Resilience: Partners can arm their customers with tiered resiliency solutions that defend and secure data before, during, and after a cyberattack, addressing the urgent need for advanced cybersecurity.
Samer Semaan Director, Distribution & Alliances, MET, Pure Storage
How does Pure Storage address the growing concerns around sustainability and energy efficiency in storage?
Pure Storage addresses sustainability and energy efficiency in several ways:
Energy Efficiency: Our technology is engineered to take up less space and use less power to operate, reducing data centre footprint by up to 77% and saving customers up to 85% in energy use.
Data Reduction: Pure Storage have built in data reduction techniques like compression and deduplication, minimizing the amount of physical storage needed. As a result, this reduces power and cooling requirements.
Longer Product Lifespan: Pure Storage’s Evergreen architecture ensures storage systems can be upgraded and expanded without disruptive rip-and-replace cycles, reducing e-waste and promoting sustainability.
Carbon Footprint Reporting: Pure Storage provides tools for customers to analyze and reduce their carbon footprint related to storage operations.
How does your new reseller program accelerate revenue growth opportunities that exist for your partners?
As part of the recent partner program updates, we announced enhanced training and enablement features to empower partners and drive profitability and growth. The program introduces solution-oriented training to address the evolving market needs, providing resources that cater to both individuals and organizations. Partners will also have access to new, tailored sales plays and campaigns, designed to help them effectively engage with customers. Additionally, all technical enablement content has been refreshed to enhance partners’ technical expertise. To further support skill development, we are now offering new on-demand courses and technical bootcamps, encouraging partners to strengthen their capabilities and close competitive takeouts with confidence.
In parallel, we also launched new investments geared toward helping partners close deals faster and more efficiently and incentivizing partners who successfully replace aging disk-based storage with Pure Storage’s best-in-class, all-flash offering. These include:
• Pure Partner Intelligence: Partners can leverage real-time insights and analytics to identify growth opportunities within their install base, driving proactive expansions and renewals.
• Pure Realize: Partners can elevate customer conversations with use-case proposals, price quotes, and solution expertise for targeted business challenges, differentiating themselves as solution providers.
• New Digital Partner Master Services Agreement (DPMSA) process: Partners can deliver a highly automated and efficient experience for customer upgrades, expansions, and renewals. The automated digital experience through the Pure1 platform enables quote requests, purchase orders, and installations in a fraction of the time it takes with other data storage competitors.
• Continued Operational Enhancements: Partners can expect a redesigned partner portal, and new CPQ tooling which will introduce guided selling for partners and more updates to increase sales velocity and partner autonomy later this fiscal year.
How do partners benefit from Pure Storage’s Evergreen subscription model?
Pure Storage’s Evergreen architecture and subscription offerings provide several key benefits for partners. Beyond the simple transition from Capex to Opex, we will see the increased adoption of real services. In the wake of ‘everything as-a-service,’ organisations have discovered that there is a major difference between opex billing, and a true, value-added service. Challenging economic conditions mean that budgets are tight, and waste is unacceptable. It’s great to have subscription billing, but if the service itself isn’t flexible, or supported with robust guarantees from the
vendor, business outcomes will not be met, and precious time and resources will be wasted. Ultimately, customers are going to vote with their dollars if vendors continue to offer substandard 'services' which don't put the customer's needs front and centre, with meaningful SLAs, ensuring ROI for the customer. Partners who can position subscription services well are those who will be positioned to benefit the most.
Finally, what differentiates Pure from other storage vendors in the market
As enterprises further embrace AI to drive innovation, streamline operations, and gain a competitive edge, legacy storage infrastructure fails to meet the performance, scalability and energy-efficiency requirements needed. In fact, according to a recent survey that Pure Storage conducted, 98% of CIOS & IT decision makers state that their IT infrastructure requires urgent improvements in order to create the necessary conditions for AI success. 81% believe that AI-generated data is likely to outgrow their organisation’s current data centers, emphasising the need for a robust, high-performance, efficient and cyber-resilient AI infrastructure.
Customers today also face challenges around ease of management and automation of disparate systems. While competitors look to address these issues by offering a potpourri of disparate products — consisting of different operating systems, APIs and management — Pure Storage offers a single, consolidated, consistent, and highly orchestrated platform that delivers more than 10x the reliability at less than one half the power, space, cooling and labour of competitive solutions.
“In the wake of ‘everything as-a-service,’ organisations have discovered that there is a major difference between opex billing, and a true, value-added service. Challenging economic conditions mean that budgets are tight, and waste is unacceptable.”
NEW DATA DEMANDS, SAME TIGHTROPE
Dave Russell, senior vice president, head of strategy at Veeam Software discusses balancing usability and security in the age of AI and regulation
Keeping data both safe and easily accessible has been a challenge for organisations since, well, since the first paper file was stored away. Admittedly, over the last couple of decades, this has become much trickier to navigate - digitisation means the sheer amount of data collected, stored, and used has grown exponentially. And now, we’re seeing another data growth spurt due to widespread AI adoption.
Meanwhile, governments worldwide are doing their best to keep up, introducing growing levels of data regulations seemingly every year. This puts organisations under increased pressure to ensure data resilience as they get to grips with this new age of AI. They’ve been left to walk a tightrope between ensuring that data is usable for business use while also keeping it secure and resilient, in line with evolving regulations.
Dude, where’s my data?
With the widely acclaimed promise of AI, the demands on enterprise data have never been greater - requiring it to be accurate, accessible, and usable at all times. While the initial excitement around generative AI has quietened, organisations are now adopting the technology in earnest to unlock increased business value from all that existing data. According to the latest McKinsey Global Survey on AI, 65% of respondents worldwide reported that their organisations are regularly using AI. But what does this mean for data resilience?
Well, it’s no secret that AI relies on data. Some would say the more data the better, but the wiser approach is the more accurate and relevant data, the better. While some AI applications might only need to be trained once, most require live access to a data pool to analyse and react to changes in real time. Any inaccuracies or inconsistencies in data across an organisation can quickly render AI’s output useless. As the adage goes: garbage in, garbage out. Of course, it's important to be careful about what data you feed the beast, namely any sensitive, mission-critical or customer data. There’s very much still a balance to be figured out as more and more organisations embrace AI.
Dave Russell Senior Vice President, Head of Strategy, Veeam Software
What should help organisations strike this balance is the wave of regulations demanding greater data resilience and responsibility both in AI and more broadly. These regulations, including NIS2 and the EU AI Act, have all placed increased responsibility on organisations to ensure data security, and rightly so. This new wave of data regulation focuses largely on extending the line of custody that organisations have on their data, requiring them to consider how it will be secured when plugged into AI and other new technologies. When data was originally collected and stored, organisations likely didn’t have AI on their radar, let alone consider how their data might be used in such technologies. While these new considerations fall primarily under the responsibility of chief information governance teams, achieving compliance with AI-related regulations will require effort across the entire organisation. And this is all while ensuring that relevant teams have access to the data they need to innovate and grow.
No need to throw away the key
So, at the moment, organisations are starting to walk the tightrope between ensuring a suitable speed of access to data while also maintaining data resilience in line with evolving regulations. While this might seem like a herculean task, it is the same problem that organisations have been tackling for years, just with a new set of systems and circumstances.
This challenge never ends, it just evolves. The principles stay the same, but the technology, the environments, and the scale keep changing. According to the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2024, 76% of organisations recognise a ‘Protection Gap’ between how much data they can afford to lose and how often their data is protected. That sounds like a big gap, but it's been getting smaller in recent years. With AI creating and needing exponentially more data as it evolves, however, this gap could start to widen unless action is taken.
Collaboration between teams, from data governance to security IT and production has always been, and continues to be, essential to staying on top of data resilience. Working together to create a new set of business risk assessments will lead the way forward for organisations working with data in AI models.
Despite the additional work it brings for organisations, these regulations are perfectly timed to coincide with this AI boom as they demand a re-evaluation of data security practices. But, organisations shouldn’t be reliant on new regulations to prompt this. Monitoring and adjusting risk levels should be a regular, ongoing process, especially when a new technology such as AI comes into the picture.
Two birds, one backup
Ultimately, as in so many cases, it comes back to data backups. Already a key aspect of modern data regulation in its own right, they will play a larger role in AI-specific regulation in the future. It will provide those teams developing AI and LLMs a much-needed anchor in a constantly changing environment.
Not only do they ensure that data remains accurate, secure, and usable at all times but they can also provide a comprehensive record for organisations to prove their adherence to regulations. An invaluable source of truth when dealing with AI as its very nature makes it difficult to account for how exactly it has used the data it’s been fed or trained on. But, by using data backups, organisations can account for the security of their data at any given time, no matter where it’s being used.
Of course, total security can never be fully achieved when dealing with data and there will always be a weighing up of risk and reward for organisations. But, with quality data backups, you can be assured that you’ve got a safety net to, well, fall back on.
“Any inaccuracies or inconsistencies in data across an organisation can quickly render AI’s output useless. As the adage goes: garbage in, garbage out. Of course, it's important to be careful about what data you feed the beast, namely any sensitive, mission-critical or customer data.”
AS WE REBUILD THE GRID, WE MUST ALSO RETHINK ITS MANAGEMENT
Digitized power systems are best suited to handle fluctuating, challenging modern demands, writes Sue Quense, chief commercial officer, AVEVA
Sue Quense Chief Commercial Officer, AVEVA
As the world looks to abate climate change by tackling emissions, global legislation is mandating that more renewable energy be integrated into the grid.
The good news is that 151 countries had net zero targets in place in 2023. The US aims to transition the grid to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035. The remaining G7 advanced economies have agreed to move to achieve “predominantly decarbonized” electricity by the same date.
These goals are already translating into action. For example, the US Energy Information Administration projects a 17% growth in renewable deployment in 2024, up from 15% in 2023. In the fiveyear window from 2023 to 2028, the US will likely add 340 GW of new renewable capacity, with solar being the most prominent.
These vast new streams of renewable energy also present a major challenge for power players: the integration of hundreds of gigawatts of new green energy, including solar and wind, into aging and siloed grid infrastructures. In addition, global power demand is rising year on year, fueled by rapid urbanization and growing electrification trends.
Against this disruptive backdrop, it’s clear that we must not only rebuild the grid, but also rethink its management.
Reimagining power
Modern power systems are fed by fluctuating, disparate energy sources. To deal with variable supply and demand, as well as both green and conventional energies, modern grid infrastructure needs to be smart, reliable and resilient. Furthermore, as physical
grids become less centralized, flexibility and visibility are critical.
This new power era calls for rapid grid transformation, enhanced energy storage, and the integration of advanced technologies.
Digital solutions, such as IoT, AI and the cloud, can enable real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and seamless integration with traditional power systems. Such technologies can support efficient operation with supply-demand, variability and under increasingly stringent regulatory frameworks.
Power companies are already leveraging digital applications to analyze power supply and demand (forecasting), consumption patterns and weather conditions. These solutions enable companies to optimize load balancing to protect equipment and enhance reliability.
Real-time data sharing has emerged as a key solution for uncovering actionable insights. Power companies can analyze and share information both internally and with ecosystem partners to make more informed decisions to drive resilience, performance and profitability.
What’s more, modern grid management tools can operate at a national or even global level, dynamically reconfiguring operational states across units, fleets, markets and geographies.
Modern grid technology in action
An example of a major US firm using technology to lead the energy transition can be seen in Xcel Energy. The Minneapolis-headquartered firm, which has been a wind power operator since 2005, uses an integrated data management platform to predict drops in wind speed hours in advance. Operators now know when winds are likely to die down, so they can fire up backup plants in a way that minimizes wear and tear on the equipment. This enables them to run the plants at their most efficient rates. Over six years, the company estimates it has saved roughly $46 million.
Another case in point is Vattenfall Hydro Power, which manages more than 50% of energy production in Sweden and is the third-largest hydropower provider in Europe. The utility runs more than 100 hydropower plants with an annual production of 30–35 Terrawatt hours, as well as wind and nuclear plants. By leveraging a data management platform integrated into existing systems, the company can quickly find failures before they occur, reducing overall maintenance costs.
Finally, consider Chevron-owned Renewable Energy Group (REG), operator of low carbon fuel biorefineries, and service provider Allied Reliability who used cloud data sharing capabilities to mitigate centrifuge failures. Through a closed-loop, real time two-way data-sharing process, REG sends process data to Allied Reliability for vibration analysis and receives recommendations directly in the system. This setup not only enables them to detect and remediate critical issues quickly, it has the potential to reduce equipment downtime by as much as 90%.
As these case studies show, digital technologies can accelerate the management of renewable energy. Indeed, more than half (55%) of power industry leaders say they currently lack access to reliable, real-time data and insights most or all of the time when making key business decisions.
As we upgrade the grid with renewables in mind, digital innovation will be essential to advanced power management. These technologies optimize operations, ensure regulatory compliance, and move us closer to a sustainable energy future aligned with net-zero goals.
“To deal with variable supply and demand, as well as both green and conventional energies, modern grid infrastructure needs to be smart, reliable and resilient. Furthermore, as physical grids become less centralized, flexibility and visibility are critical.”
MODERNISATION WITHOUT RISK
David
Boast, General Manager
–
UAE
&
KSA,
Endava discusses how to tread the elusive optimal path to AI adoption
The new year offers the perfect moment to reflect on the past and shape the future. What insights can guide us forward? What strategies will drive success? Which fleeting trends will fade, and which transformative forces will demand our focus? Amongst these, artificial intelligence stands as a pivotal opportunity that businesses can no longer afford to overlook.
Omar Akar Regional VP, Middle East & Emerging Africa, Pure Storage
Around the world, a wave of quick-fire AI implementations has emerged, driven by the urgency to gain first-mover advantage. Yet, this rush has sparked a new and essential conversation: how
David Boast General Manager UAE & KSA, Endava
can businesses harness AI responsibly, ensuring compliance with data regulations? The reality is that even leveraging first-party data effectively may call for a comprehensive modernisation of core systems. In many ways, this marks a new era of digital transformation — one that balances technological advancement with ethical responsibility.
The change before the change
In many cases, AI has been layered onto existing systems as a quick fix. While this approach might work temporarily, it falls
short of laying a foundation robust enough to support AI's full potential. Effective AI adoption requires more than patchwork solutions; it demands an infrastructure designed for scalability, agility, and governance.
An AI-ready business must be prepped to adapt quickly to shifting market dynamics, customer demands and emerging technologies. This begins with a deep understanding of workflows, business logic and operational nuances that may be obscured by legacy tech sprawl. Leaders must prioritise data governance, invest in modular architectures for rapid deployment and establish systems capable of managing AI’s demands over the long term.
While modernisation is a cornerstone of keynote speeches and whitepapers, CTOs know that it can be fraught with risk. Tacking AI onto legacy systems might seem like a lower-risk option but is often a false economy. Clean data and modular building capabilities must come first. The challenge, therefore, is to find ways of making changes that minimise service disruption.
For incumbent GCC businesses, this urgency is compounded by competitive pressures. The plain fact is that these businesses are prone to disruption by well-funded startups that do not have to tear down old systems to be AI-ready. But with a data-based approach and the right expertise, established organisations can rise to the challenge of modernising their core systems without derailing operations, in preparation for AI-driven growth.
Building the foundation for success
Start with the business fundamentals. Understand yourself before trying to understand AI. From this starting point, methods for clearly capturing data will emanate from the way the business operates day to day. Composable architecture comes next; rapid feature deployment is a must in a digital economy. Finally, if the business can dig into its existing systems to understand its workflows and business logic, then the fundamentals are in place. The change before the change is complete. Subsequent modernisation will be more transparent and flexible, leading to reduced risk.
Milestones provide confidence and clarity along this journey. A move to the cloud might come first, or perhaps you will choose to rewrite your application architecture. Whatever foundations you build, AI will sit on a far firmer base than if simply tacked onto a legacy stack. Blending the strengths of technology and people, regional organisations can take deep analytical dives into legacy assets. Tools even exist to offer data-driven automation of this process, backed by the right skillsets, to deliver a derisked, cost-controlled, modernisation process. Essentially, the organisation uses advanced AI in controlled circumstances to pave the way for embedding AI deeper into the fabric of business.
This core modernisation is, remember, only a means to an end. In
the GCC, where bold innovation is the norm, businesses already understand the power of AI. Governments and businesses here are practiced early adopters, so they have many lessons to draw on. They know that adoption of a new technology often requires fundamental shifts in infrastructure, business processes and even corporate culture. AI is a many-headed beast capable of fulfilling a rich menu of use cases. Your organisation has to consider its industry, workforce, operating capital, growth ambitions and more. It must grapple with the eccentricities of its people, shareholders and market. And it must be clear-eyed about where it wants AI to take it and how to undertake the journey with the lowest possible risk.
As is abundantly evident at this point, embracing AI will no longer be optional for GCC businesses. To remain competitive, organisations must modernise their core systems and infrastructure, prioritising clean data and composable architecture. This foundation will enable seamless integration of AI, unlocking its potential while minimising risks. With the region’s history of bold innovation and a readiness to embrace transformative technologies, the GCC is well-positioned to lead in this new digital era. This is a pivotal moment for organisations to align bold technological ambitions with solid execution, paving the way for long-term success.
“An AI-ready business must be prepped to adapt quickly to shifting market dynamics, customer demands and emerging technologies. This begins with a deep understanding of workflows, business logic and operational nuances that may be obscured by legacy tech sprawl.”
STRENGTHENING THE FACTORY OF THE FUTURE
Vibhu Kapoor, Regional Vice President - Middle East, Africa & India, Epicor discusses how Middle East manufacturers can secure their digital future
At the onset of 2025, the outlook for the region’s manufacturing sector looks bright. Manufacturing output is estimated to be around US$130 billion in Saudi Arabia and US$132 billion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Industry players understandably want to share in the growth inspired by government programs such as the UAE’s Operation 300bn.
But though they may bring undeniable strides towards competitiveness, some popular emerging technologies enabling this growth are not without their caveats. Manufacturers continue to couple IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology) more tightly, turning to solutions in the edge-computing, IoT, and automation spaces. In an industry that can ill afford disruption, the cyberattack surface is expanding through the very modernisation of connectivity that was intended to make it more resilient.
In March 2024, a survey backed by the UAE Cyber Security Council revealed 155,000 vulnerable assets in the country. Alarmingly, more than 40% of their critical vulnerabilities had been unaddressed for more than five years. And a PwC report on the state of cyber-readiness in Saudi Arabia cited a 2022 finding of 110 million threats detected in the Kingdom in a single year. As regional surveys continue to predict inflated cyber-budgets and overwhelmed CISOs continue to express concern over the shifting threat landscape, manufacturing stands as one of the major sectors of concern.
Risk e-business
The problem lies in selective modernisation. For manufacturers, being offline is unthinkable, so they may connect IT and OT without due regard for the Internet-facing exposure of their mission-critical equipment. Assets that were difficult to patch in the
Vibhu Kapoor Regional Vice President Middle East, Africa & India, Epicor
past may have been left untouched and since they were unconnected to the outside world, such decisions did not result in any harm to the business. But with so many unpatched legacy assets now within reach of threat actors, the risk profile of the manufacturing enterprise has changed.
Concerns within the cybersecurity community are growing over the merger between OT and IT. Threat actors never leave an opening unexplored for long. If we are talking about it, they are thinking about it. And recent reports have flagged an uptick in incidents involving critical infrastructure and OT in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. CIOs and CISOs in manufacturing firms will now have to work together to ensure they are not among the early victims of this new opening for threat actors.
The problem in protecting OT has always been skills. Equipment can be so specialised that even replacing a maintenance engineer can be a challenge. But to find cybersecurity skills in IT staff, much less engineers, is rare. And to find deep and proprietary engineering knowledge in a CISO is just as unlikely. This is where collaboration across IT, OT, and security will be critical for regional manufacturers. But do they have all those skills on hand? And if they do, do they have enough people in each position to ensure not only 24-7, 365-day coverage but also the right approach to strategy and IT/OT policy? A threat actor can keep trying to hammer on the door. They only need to find it unlocked once to prevail. Cyber-defenders must get it right every time. And with both skills gaps and heightened connectivity in play, threat actors are the most likely victors in the long run.
Look to the cloud
With some manufacturing solutions crossing cloud boundaries, the problem becomes all the more acute. It is impossible for a business with growth ambitions to ignore the scalability and cost benefits of the cloud. There are also collaboration advantages that are very attractive in a design-heavy sector like manufacturing. Additionally, it is in the cloud that modern businesses most commonly find advanced technologies like AI and machine-learning. But the cloud also represents a significant expansion of the attack surface, putting the onus on manufacturers to enhance their risk management so they can enjoy the full potential of cloud computing without falling prey to cyberthreats.
To add another layer of complexity, AI is just as ubiquitous a tool among threat actors as it is among legitimate organisations. Its global appeal in law-abiding circles, however, makes it another point of entry as well as an attack weapon. For the manufacturer, AI must therefore be thought of as a defensive tool but also as a tool to be defended. AI assets must be used responsibly by business users and used innovatively by technical users as they write business code and as they sift out and deploy countermeasures against malware in real time.
Manufacturers must examine their toolbox for weapons of defence. Many cloud-based solutions are equipped with security features out of the box that are sensitive to AI systems. Cloud platforms have similar offerings that can dial down risk while actually accelerating AI adoption. CIOs, OT specialists, and security professionals must work together to harden devices, patch software, and protect users. The right tool for the right asset is a challenging prospect in an environment with so many different types of assets. Sometimes it will not be possible to place technical protections on equipment because to do so would be too disruptive to the manufacturing process. In this event, its people are an enterprise’s greatest defence. New skillsets must be developed to maintain trust between manufacturers and regulators. It will be up to technical and non-technical leaders to ensure employee training concentrates on the most relevant threats, like social engineering and credentials theft.
The PPT triad
People, processes, and technology. If regional manufacturers build their security posture around these fundamental elements, they can derisk their digital transformation and share in the industrial growth ahead.
“Concerns within the cybersecurity community are growing over the merger between OT and IT. Threat actors never leave an opening unexplored for long. If we are talking about it, they are thinking about it.”
TALKING TO THE C-SUITE ABOUT CYBERSECURITY
Filippo Cassini, Global Technical Officer, SVP of Engineering discusses the need for a platform approach to cybersecurity
Filippo Cassini
Global Technical Officer, SVP of Engineering, Fortinet
Increasingly, new laws and regulations are designed to help guide companies in structuring their cybersecurity strategies. For example, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has become very strict on what organizations have to report. The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other regulations like the NIS 2 Directive—an EU legislative act that aims to compel a higher and common level of cybersecurity across all the organizations within the union—are driving structural changes in cybersecurity. Ultimately, it all boils down to adhering to the rules to protect organizations and, by extension, citizens from cybercriminals.
From an executive vantage point, the central questions to be addressed are: “Is my company safe? Is my IT organization doing a good job of protecting us? And, as a leader, am I making sure we’re doing what is required by the SEC, or the EU government, or whoever else is creating the regulations?” In this post, we discuss how top-level managers of organizations can best navigate the intersection between their business needs and cybersecurity requirements.
Indicators of Compromise
Executives rely on their cybersecurity teams to give them an accurate and unvarnished view of the organization’s security posture. When leadership asks, “Are we safe?” the team needs to respond in a way
that they can be easily understood and is honest. Cybersecurity managers should frequently check the pulse of their networks. When they come upon a concern, they need to provide executives and board members with timely reports about attacks, threats, and indicators of compromise (IOCs).
Typically, an IOC is something new or abnormal that is occurring. This is often a sign that your organization has been compromised. An example of an IOC might be that some devices in the network are connecting to somewhere never witnessed before. Or, it might be an unusual rate of connection or an unusual amount of data being transferred to or from certain locations that are geo-based. Anytime you experience something you would not expect, proceed carefully and be suspicious.
Are You Ready?
Organizations need cybersecurity technology, but they also need to consider their readiness, which requires a strategy. Organizations can acquire pretty much any product or service that they want to protect against this or that particular threat, but the job doesn’t stop there. Each of these new tools will generate information logs and reports. When the tools generate data, a dedicated individual or group must be ready to process all the new information.
If your organization is not processing this new security data, some intrusion that could have been prevented invariably happens. Often, the IT team discovers the initial attack occurred months before, despite all the relevant devices doing their job of generating data logs. However, with no one analyzing all the information, a preventable hack can easily occur. If your organization wants to maintain its security posture, you must be able to do the triage.
When the triage has pinpointed an attack, your organization needs to have a plan in place. And that means, you have to proactively know what tools you have, who the players are, and who needs to be doing what. This is not the time to say, “Let's call a meeting and figure it out!” Most hackers are using tools that are automated and execute at computer speed. If your organization tries to respond at human, Zoom-meeting speed, you’re in big trouble. So, you must have your processes documented and prepared in advance. Also, you should proactively employ some software technology, like a SIEM or SOAR solution, that enables you to respond to threats immediately.
The Platform Approach
At Fortinet, we believe good collaboration requires moving from a best-of-class approach to a platform approach. With a platform, you can use multiple technologies that can exchange information between themselves and in an open way with other systems. The platform approach is more efficient. It allows multiple technol-
ogies to “talk to each other” and extract information that can be used proactively, effectively, and automatically.
For example, when you analyze every confirmed threat and build a model for responding to it, you may end up building hundreds of models. These models are often referred to as playbooks. Eventually, you realize that the playbooks can be condensed and automated. That process is a lot easier to do with a platform of products that have already been designed to work together.
Conclusion
Board members and C-suite executives should have more than a basic understanding of cyberthreats and cybersecurity. If one of their primary goals is to keep the business well-protected, they need to be aware that a platform approach to cybersecurity is the best way to keep their organizations secure. Having a cybersecurity platform allows for the automation of defensive tasks and the ability to respond to attacks in milliseconds. Automation is the key because it allows for essentially synthesizing and automating tasks in a timely way. Responding to cyberthreats with a Zoom meeting or a manual process is never going to be adequate.
“Executives rely on their cybersecurity teams to give them an accurate and unvarnished view of the organization’s security posture. When leadership asks, “Are we safe?” the team needs to respond in a way that they can be easily understood and is honest.”
SYNOLOGY ACTIVEPROTECT
Synology has announced the general availability of ActiveProtect, a new line of data protection appliances that integrate enterprise backup software, server, and backup repository into a unified solution. Designed to simplify complex data protection, ActiveProtect offers comprehensive platform support, advanced security, and scalability, all with a transparent pricing model. Perform backups at record speeds, eliminate duplicate data, maximize storage capacity, and instantly recover your data with ActiveProtect appliance.
Highlights:
• Unified solution: Combines backup, recovery, and management in a single appliance, eliminating the need for separate hardware and software, sizing, purchase, and maintenance.
• Comprehensive workload support: Protects PCs, Macs, file and physical servers, virtual machines, databases, and Microsoft 365 services through a single intuitive interface.
• Scalable management: The ActiveProtect Manager (APM) console supports users in viewing or monitoring up to 150,000 workloads or 2,500 sites, providing scalability, enterprise-grade data visibility, and control.
• Advanced protection: Offers immutable backups, air-gap capabilities, and regulatory compliance to guard against cyber threats.
• Efficiency at scale: Delivers fast incremental backups with global source-side deduplication, reducing network load by up to 99% and storage needs by 50%, empowering backup performance and minimizing operational costs.
• Unique pricing model: Businesses can access full platform support and complete advanced protection features with a one-time purchase ─ no additional subscriptions required. Managing up to three backup servers is also license-free, with optional CMS licenses available for larger deployments involving more appliances.
Dell Pro 14 Premium
Tackle your work from anywhere on the Dell Pro 14 Premium, the lightest and quietest 14" laptop in the Dell Pro family, crafted with a 90% recycled magnesium body in an innovative design. Exceptional battery life and fast performance meet a built-in AI chip powered by Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors.
The Dell Pro 14 Premium is the lightest and slimmest 14" laptop in the Dell Pro portfolio, crafted from premium 90% recycled magnesium with a sleek design that won't weigh you down in your bag or backpack. Lead with a device that fits you.Built to travel wherever your work takes you, our durable laptops undergo rigorous MIL-STD testing to ensure reliability for your fleet.World's only commercial PC with an elegant Zero-Lattice Keyboard featuring wide and deep keys for efficient and comfortable typing. Battery-Saving Mini-LED Backlit Technology reduces the keyboard's power usage by up to 75% and extends battery life by approximately 4 hours.The quietest laptops in the Dell Pro family, Dell Pro Premium runs smoothly and almost silently thanks to a dual fan system that increases airflow by 20%.
Highlights:
• Harness exceptional performance and battery life, as well as powerful on-device AI, with Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors featuring an NPU, GPU and CPU.
SEAGATE’S EXOS M HARD DRIVE
Seagate’s Exos M hard drive, boasting breakthrough 3 TB per platter density, delivers extraordinary storage capacity and power efficiency. Engineered on proven technology, it’s crafted to power AI and data-intensive applications in cutting-edge cloud and enterprise environments.Based on Mozaic 3+, the company’s breakthrough heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology platform, Exos M delivers unprecedented storage scale for large-scale data center deployments.
The Exos M 3+ hard drive is the first to feature 3 TB per platter, enabling massive storage capacity of up to 36 TB in the same footprint for maximised efficiency in hyperscale, cloud, and AI-driven data centres. It is built with 90% trusted components from previous generations and powered by Mozaic 3+ technology. Seagate is currently ramping Exos M to volume shipments on capacity points up to 32TB with a leading cloud service provider. Separately, Seagate is also sampling drives on the Exos M platform of up to 36TB.
Highlights:
• Breakthrough Areal Density: The Exos M hard drive is the first to feature 3 TB per platter, enabling massive storage capacity in the same footprint for maximized AI-driven data center efficiency.
• Unmatched Capacity: 30 TB+ of storage in an industry-standard 3.5-inch form factor delivers capacity at scale while optimizing space utilization in data centers.Time-Tested Excellence Meets Next-Gen Innovation: Blends 90% of trusted, proven components from previous generations with cutting-edge Mozaic 3+ technology.
• Superior Power Efficiency: Offers 3× the power efficiency per terabyte compared to typical drives, reducing operational costs and energy consumption and supporting your sustainability goals.
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GARTNER PREDICTS AI ADOPTION IN 40% OF POWER AND UTILITIES CONTROL ROOMS BY 2027
94% of Power and Utility CIOs Plan to Increase Their AI Investments in 2025, With an Average Spending Increase of 38.3%
By 2027, 40% of power and utilities will deploy AI-driven operators in control rooms, reducing human error risks, but increasing cyber-physical system security vulnerabilities, according to Gartner, Inc.
The 2025 Gartner CIO and Technology Executive Survey indicated that 94% of power and utility chief information officers (CIOs) plan to increase their AI investments in 2025, with an average spending increase of 38.3%.
“AI technology is poised to transform the power and utilities sector,” said Jo-Ann Clynch, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner. “Human decision-making is critical, but it is also a significant factor in industrial accidents. AI-driven operations offer a compelling solution, performing tasks with repeatability, precision, and without bias when effectively governed.”
The power and utilities industry is transitioning from its traditional model of utility-owned assets, driven by technological advancements and evolving customer attitudes. Future decentralization through distributed energy resources, such as solar panels and energy storage, will enable dynamic circular behaviors, allowing customer-owned intelligent assets to address objectives
like cost, production, and comfort.
“Power and utility CIOs must focus on creating intelligent operations to integrate these assets into their digital ecosystem,” said Clynch. “Investing in data infrastructure and analytics, transitioning to cloud-based services, and preparing for AI integration in control room operations will help them succeed in this new competitive landscape.”
Managing Security Risks in AI-Powered Control Room Operations
Deploying AI-driven operators in control rooms reduces human-error risks and enhances efficiency through real-time data processing, predictive maintenance, and automated anomaly detection. However, this transition introduces new cyber-physical security vulnerabilities, demanding significant investment in advanced security measures and compliance with evolving regulations.
“Organizations must establish guardrails, such as access control and scope enforcement, for the implementation of their AI tools and the data the tools can access,” said Clynch. “CIOs should develop an AI strategy aligned with business goals, supported by strong governance and security frameworks, and ensure workforce training and infrastructure upgrades for effective management and scalability.”
To successfully navigate the transition to AI-driven operations and fully leverage AI-driven decision intelligence, Gartner advises power and utility CIOs to focus on the following priorities:
• Enhancing Operational Efficiency: Develop a comprehensive AI integration plan. Identify key areas in control room operations where AI can minimize human error and establish governance controls for implementation and monitoring to mitigate risks.
• Strengthening Cyber-Physical System Security: Implement advanced security practices and invest in cutting-edge measures tailored for AI systems, such as quantum-enhanced security. Conduct regular audits of essential security hygiene, including vulnerability assessments and incident response planning.
• Fostering Effective Human-AI Collaboration: Train control room staff on AI technologies to ensure they can effectively collaborate with AI systems. Emphasize oversight, interpretation of AI output, and maintaining critical thinking in decision-making.
