Gulf Business Tech Edition - April 2022

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The Feed What’s next for the tech industry?

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2022

Cover Story The Oppo Reno7 Pro 5G features a new square design with upgraded camera capabilities

The CIO role has changed from managing the delivery of technologies to being the co-creator of business solution”

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Interview

– Director, IT department, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre

Manikandan Thangaraj, vice president, ManageEngine

37 The Views Fuelling space innovation

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THE FEED

004 2022

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK How to prepare for the unexpected to whatever 2022 holds for IT leaders p.08

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CYBERSECURITY Let’s look at the cybersecurity predictions likely to have the most significant impact on businesses

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND RPA Organisations will need to work on significant reskilling and upskilling employees

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CLOUD COMPUTING More businesses around the world are adopting a cloud-first strategy

F E AT U R E S THE FEED

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G B T E C H TA L K

INDUSTRY

OUTLOOK IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT THE PANDEMIC ACCELERATED DIGITAL

TRANSFORMATION HAS LED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LEADERS TO FOCUS ON OPERATIONAL AGILITY MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. HOWEVER, TO PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED WHATEVER 2022 HOLDS, COMPANIES MUST ADAPT SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN ORDER TO RIDE THE NEXT WAVE OF DIGITAL INNOVATION

WO R D S : D I V S H A B H AT

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F E AT U R E S THE FEED

Cybersecurity ver the last two years, with a continued shift to digitalisation and the cloud, cybercriminals have started using sophisticated attack vectors to explore new opportunities. From new kinds of ransomware to artificial intelligence-based deep fakes, they’re finding new opportunities in established systems like Linux and operational technology (OT). In the spirit of proactive strategy, let’s look at the cybersecurity predictions likely to have the most significant impact on businesses in the coming year and why they are essential to prepare for.

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RANSOMWARE ON THE RISE With the increasing prevalence of ransomware attacks throughout the world, businesses must step up their efforts to prevent the spread of this catastrophic threat.

“Ransomware criminal gangs are the modern-day pirates of the high Hatem Naguib seas,” says Hatem Naguib, chief executive officer at Barracuda. We’re now dealing with global criminal operations that are driving ransomware and similar types of attacks, and it’s important for people to recognise the scale,” he adds.

Meanwhile, recent Barracuda research found that a ransomware attack has hit 70 per cent of businesses, and that’s a staggering number. “The sophistication of the tools that cybercriminals are using has drastically changed the nature and effectiveness of these attacks.”

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Furthermore, Lior Div, chief executive officer at Cybereason, elaborates that the ransomware that we see today is not simple. “Ransomware is not a piece of malware, Lior Div but rather comprehensive ransomware operations, or RansomOps, where the execution of the ransomware itself is just the final piece of a much longer attack chain,” says Div. “RansomOps take a low and slow approach – infiltrating the network and spending time moving laterally and conducting reconnaissance to identify and exfiltrate valuable data. Threat actors might be in the network for days or even weeks. It’s important to understand how RansomOps work and be able to recognise indicators of behaviour (IOBs) that enable you to detect and stop the threat actor before the point of ‘detonation’ when the data is actually encrypted, and a ransom demand is made,” he adds.

RANSOMWARE IS NOT A PIECE OF MALWARE, BUT RATHER COMPREHENSIVE RANSOMWARE OPERATIONS, OR RANSOMOPS, WHERE THE EXECUTION OF THE RANSOMWARE ITSELF IS JUST THE FINAL PIECE OF A MUCH LONGER ATTACK CHAIN”

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SO IT IS ONLY NATURAL THAT OUR HOME NETWORKS SHOULD BECOME A TARGET FOR CYBERCRIMINALS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN CONTROLS ON HOME NETWORKS ARE TYPICALLY NOT NEARLY AS STRONG AS THOSE ON CORPORATE NETWORKS” HYBRID WORKING IS HERE TO STAY With employees dividing time between the office and remote sites, protecting company data will become increasingly more difficult for businesses as employees connect to public Wi-Fi and access data on their mobile devices. As a result of these shifting circumstances, businesses will need to reconsider how users are configured and handled.

Palo Alto says that working-fromhome enterprise employees are increasingly using a broader range of IoT devices – both corporate and personal devices – to access enterprise applications from wherever they are working.

“So it is only natural that our Haider Pasha home networks should become a target for cybercriminals. This is especially true when controls on home networks are typically not nearly as strong as those on corporate networks.

“Organisations need to remove the safety blanket and educate employees on cybersecurity, whether junior or most senior. The shared responsibility model for cybersecurity has become really critical, especially as we start further adopting cloud platforms. Organisations must prioritise awareness campaigns and be more creative with cybersecurity education, especially as employees shift to home and hybrid workplaces,” says Haider Pasha, chief security officer at Palo Alto Networks, MEA.

Additionally, the rise of cyberattacks has shone a spotlight on the dangers making cybersecurity a trending topic on social media platforms. As a result, Veritas believes that the average employee will be much more aware of ransomware attacks – and, therefore, open and receptive to education on how to defend against them. “This will create the best opportunity in a long time for businesses to get their employees to buy into their protection strategy. As a result, in 2022, employees should expect to witness a big uptick in communications about protecting company data and how they can become a part of the solution,” says Johnny Karam, managing director and vice president - of International Emerging Region at Veritas Technologies.

While cyberattacks are unlikely to abate anytime soon, security executives must ensure that they adequately prepare their organisations. The continuous transition from cybersecurity to cyber resilience is a critical step toward a more secure and long-term future. To maintain a trustworthy, safe, and protected digital environment, leadership teams must better integrate cybersecurity and break down silos both inside and across enterprises in order to boost Johnny Karam cyber resilience.

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F E AT U R E S THE FEED

Artificial intelligence and RPA s one of the most significant technological advances in recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionise the way businesses and organisations operate. Although it’s not yet a mainstream technology, billions of dollars are invested in research and development every year, accelerating adoption across industries. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), by 2024, AI investment is expected to surpass $500bn with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.5 per cent and total revenues reaching $554.3bn.

Infor believes that in 2022, robotic process automation (RPA) is set for a breakthrough into the mainstream consciousness. “Many repetitive business application tasks can be automated. Moreo- Khaled AlShami ver, RPA can be combined with AI to create more advanced automation, with the AI providing the requisite context and self-correction to the automated process,” said Khaled AlShami, Infor’s vice president for Solution Consulting - MEA. The RPA software business has been witnessing explosive growth in recent years. The technology has the potential to greatly increase employee productivity by relieving workers of time-consuming and repetitive tasks. In addition, the industry believes it is now seeing the awareness and

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utilisation of RPA expand into non-IT domains, promoting exponential growth of the process across the organisation.

Furthermore, Danny Allan, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Product Strategy at Veeam, adds, “We have seen technology Danny Allan begin its takeover in the service industry with the introduction of robotic waiters during the pandemic. In 2022, we will see AI and automation capable of filling positions in other hard-hit sectors like the finance, healthcare, legal and software industries.”

Despite the fact that robots are likely to be able to do more of the jobs that humans do, complement their labour, and even accomplish things that humans cannot, AI is expected to provide more employment possibilities than eliminate. The technology is expected to produce 97 million jobs and displace 85 million across 26 nations by 2025, according to the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2020.”

Organisations will need to work on significant reskilling and upskilling employees to prepare them for new and future occupations if they want to take advantage of AI’s productivity gains.

MANY REPETITIVE BUSINESS APPLICATION TASKS CAN BE AUTOMATED. MOREOVER, RPA CAN BE COMBINED WITH AI TO CREATE MORE ADVANCED AUTOMATION, WITH THE AI PROVIDING THE REQUISITE CONTEXT AND SELF-CORRECTION TO THE AUTOMATED PROCESS” 0 1 2

G B T E C H TA L K

Cloud computing

loud computing has risen to prominence due to the forced transition to remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic and appears to be here to stay for the foreseeable future. As a result, cloud Gordon Love computing is moving away from linear growth and toward exponential development. More businesses around the world are adopting a cloud-first strategy, and new cloud computing trends are predicted to emerge in 2022.

According to a survey conducted by Genetec, 45 per cent of larger organisations (with over 1,000 employees) have already adopted cloud solutions which is a significant increase compared to 2020, when only 26 per cent of respondents said they had begun their cloud journey. In addition, a massive 94 per cent of respondents said they have plans to deploy a cloud or hybrid cloud solutions in the long term.

“The adoption of cloud and hybrid cloud solutions is rapidly accelerating in the security industry,” says Christian Morin, VP of Product Engineering and CSO at Genetec.

Organisations will continue to rely on the cloud increasingly and cloud-hosted third-party providers for primary business tasks, putting more pressure on those third parties to maintain both availability and security, believes Mandiant. “The proportion of our incident response investigations involving cloud resources has grown over the past several years, and they anticipate that cloud compromise and abuse will continue to grow in tandem with enterprise cloud adoption throughout 2022,” says Gordon Love, VP MEA at Mandiant.

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THE PROPORTION OF OUR INCIDENT RESPONSE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING CLOUD RESOURCES HAS GROWN OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND THEY ANTICIPATE THAT CLOUD COMPROMISE AND ABUSE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW IN TANDEM WITH ENTERPRISE CLOUD ADOPTION THROUGHOUT 2022” Furthermore,Fadi Kanafani, managing director Middle East at NetApp predicts that cloud adoption will accelerate faster as the supply chain constraints drive buyers to find alternatives to purchasing traditional on-premise infrastructure to meet demands.

In the last two years, the cloud has emerged as one of the most successful innovations. It evolved into a trend that allows for greater Fadi Kanafani flexibility and cost savings. With cloud services continuing to play an essential role in practically all organisations, it will undoubtedly be the future of an enterprise’s vast digital ecosystem.

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F E AT U R ES C RY P TO C U R R E N CY

CRYPTO GIVEAWAYS RETURN WITH MANY OF SAME OLD RISKS

LARGE INVESTORS AND CREATORS OF THE PROJECT HAVE BEEN THE BIG WINNERS OF THE APECOIN DISTRIBUTION

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G B T E C H TA L K

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he crypto world is abuzz with tales of the virtual fortunes made and lost in recent weeks from the giveaway of ApeCoin, the cryptocurrency tied to the popular Bored Apes NFTs. The 150 million “airdrop” of tokens to collectors of the Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape UNIQUE ADDRESSES ON ETHEREUM Yacht Club projects may seem like a novel way to keep HAVE CLAIMED THEIR APECOIN TOKENS, the excitement around the nonfungible tokens (NFTs) ACCORDING TO NANSEN. going. But it’s a long-time practice in the digital world.

And one that doesn’t come without potential pitfalls once the euphoria fades.

Airdrops have “proven to be a very effective tool for building community and momentum around a project,” crypto trading data firm Kaiko wrote in its newsletter. “However, airdrops are not without their risks.”

The historical performance of airOF TOKENS TO COLLECTORS OF THE AIRDROPS HAVE dropped tokens is mixed. Short-term BORED APE YACHT CLUB AND PROVEN TO BE A prices of tokens have spiked – followed MUTANT APE YACHT CLUB by a steady decline – after airdrops by VERY EFFECTIVE PROJECTS MAY SEEM LIKE A NOVEL major crypto projects including ApeCoin, TOOL FOR BUILDING WAY TO KEEP THE EXCITEMENT decentralised exchange Uniswap, and the COMMUNITY AROUND THE NONFUNGIBLE distributed naming project Ethereum TOKENS (NFTS) GOING Name Service, according to data compiled AND MOMENTUM

by Kaiko.

AROUND A PROJECT, ApeCoin rose about 7 per cent to $13.30 CRYPTO TRADING over 24 hours, according to CoinMarketDATA FIRM KAIKO Cap.com data. An initial giveaway of about 30 per cent of the coins was conducted WROTE IN ITS March 17. The amount in circulation ApeCoin addresses sent a NEWSLETTER. will increase at regular intervals over a large amount of their ApeHOWEVER, 48-month period, raising the risk of dilutCoin to Uniswap to provide AIRDROPS ARE ing the value of the tokens awarded earlier. liquidity.

After Uniswap’s airdrop in September This shows large ApeCoin NOT WITHOUT 2020, the price of its UNI token rose to holders are “optimistic” THEIR RISKS. as high as $7.82 before it lost more than about its future, Martin Lee NAMING PROJECT half its value over four days, according Poh Xin, a data journalist to CoinGecko data. UNI’s price remained at Nansen, told Bloomberg.

ETHEREUM below the $7.82 high until January 2021.

Holders decided to stake the NAME SERVICE, Large investors and creators of the project tokens to an exchange to ACCORDING TO have been the big winners of the ApeCoin provide liquidity and earn DATA COMPILED distribution. When the coin was launched, rewards, instead of dumpventure capital firms Andreessen Horowitz ing them on the secondary

BY KAIKO” and Animoca Brands were part of a group market, he noted. More than that received a collective 14 per cent of 31,300 unique addresses on the drop, equivalent to about $2bn at Ethereum have claimed prevailing prices. their ApeCoin tokens, according to Nansen.

“I don’t think it’s wrong for founders and investors to ApeCoin is projected as playing a vital role in an anticireceive some profit but how much they should receive pated metaverse project by Yuga Labs, the creator of the is up for debate,” Thomas Dunleavy, a senior analyst at BAYC. ApeCoin will be the currency of the “Ape ecosyscrypto firm Messari, said. tem,” while providing its holders the right to participate The initial distribution of ApeCoin was designed in in the governance of a decentralised autonomous organipart to address some of these concerns. An Ethereum sation called ApeCoin DAO, according to its website. address labeled as dingaling.eth received 1.4m ApeCoin “It remains to be seen whether or not this is successtokens, the most among all holders that participated in ful,” Messari’s Dunleavy said. But ApeCoin “certainly has the airdrop, according to blockchain data firm Nansen. momentum and clout other projects did not.”

Data show that dingaling.eth and a few other top Bloomberg

31,300+

150 MILLION “AIRDROP”

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THE LATEST TECH NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD

Italy rail operator detects signs of hacking in system Italy’s state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato SpA temporarily halted in-station ticket sales after detecting signs of a cyberattack on its systems March 23, 2022.

Suspicious activities on the company’s network point to an attack similar to those using CryptoLocker ransomware, Ferrovie said in a statement.

Passengers are being permitted to purchase tickets after boarding to avoid use of electronic points of sale.

Coinbase teams up with Alviere for lineup of crypto offerings Financial-technology startup Alviere is tapping Coinbase Global to add a lineup of crypto products to its platform.

The fintech will partner with Coinbase for custody and exchange of digital assets, with the offering rolling out first in the US, according to a statement. New York-based Alviere plans to later introduce crypto in international markets.

Alviere has been building a platform to help businesses including auto-loan firms, such as AutoPayPlus, and cable companies offer financial products.

Now, after working since mid-2021 on the Coinbase partnership, Alviere will allow its customers to add crypto custody and exchange.

AI startup Aibee becomes unicorn with fresh funds from Xiaomi Aibee, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, is getting fresh funding from smartphone maker Xiaomi which propels its valuation to more than $1bn.

The startup is also receiving new funds from China Merchants Capital Management, according to a press release posted on the company’s official WeChat account. The press release didn’t give details of the size of their investment.

Aibee develops technologies such as speech recognition, computer vision, natural language processing and big data analysis, according to its website.

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Ethereum founder is backing Zambia’s bid to be Africa’s tech hub A group of young entrepreneurs in Zambia are looking to reinvent the country as an African technology hub -- with support from Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin.

Startup founders from the southern African country and abroad are talking to the government about creating the regulatory and business environment that would attract more tech firms and capital. Buterin, who helped create the world’s second largest cryptocurrency in 2013, expressed his support in a virtual meeting with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema earlier this year.

Self-driving startup Zongmu raises $157m in new funds Zongmu Technology Shanghai has raised more than $157m in a new round as the Chinese autonomous driving system startup looks to build a new production plant.

State-backed funds Dongyang State-Owned Assets Investment and Zhejiang Caitong Capital Investment led Zongmu’s series E funding round, according to a statement.

SailGP and Near unveil multi-year, global league partnership

Zongmu plans to use the proceeds to accelerate research and development.

It’s also going to spend the capital on setting up a base in Zhejiang province that can produce two million sets of autonomous driving systems a year.

SailGP, a sports properties firm and Near, a carbon-neutral, communitydriven blockchain development platform, has announced a multi-year partnership.

As part of the partnership, SailGP will explore the sale of a new team to a DAO launched on the Near Protocol – a community engagement and activation platform in professional sports. The partnership will enable fans and cryptocurrency enthusiasts to engage and access their favorite teams, athletes and events.

- WITH INPUTS FROM BLOOMBERG

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F E AT U R E S OPPO

OPPO RECENTLY LAUNCHED THE RENO7 PRO 5G THAT CARRIES FORWARD THE LEGACY OF PHOTOGRAPHY CAPABILITIES. CLAIMED TO BE THE PORTRAIT EXPERT, THE SMARTPHONE ALLOWS EASY CAPTURING OF PROFESSIONAL LOOKING PORTRAITS

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POWER

G B T E C H TA L K

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VER THE YEARS, smartphones have evolved into an essential part of our everyday lives, providing entertainment, infotainment, besides keeping us linked to the world at large. We can now watch movies, book flights, purchase meals and groceries, make payments, and even play games with just a click (or should I say touch) of our fingers.

As smartphone adoption has advanced, so have user demands. Smartphone brands have responded by showing a greater awareness, launching devices that address our very specific needs.

This has pushed research in smartphone development, resulting in the use of groundbreaking technologies such as artificial intelligence, fastcharging capabilities and sleek design.

A STEP AHEAD Global technology brand OPPO has consistently upped its game and stayed a step ahead in implementing emerging technologies to cater to the needs of the users and their continuously changing buying habits. To provide customers with a flawless experience, the brand recently launched the allnew Reno7 series across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

OPPO was the first smartphone brand to unveil a spectacular light show on Ain Dubai, the world’s largest and tallest observation wheel, to celebrate the launch of the device on March 15. The show lit up the Dubai Marina skyline while showcasing the unique and innovative features of the series, including the industry’s first orbit breathing light (ORB), the Startrails Glow design and the 65W SuperVOOC flash charge.

“To mark this launch, it felt only right that we light up one of the most iconic landmarks in Dubai Marina, Ain Dubai, bringing our key USPs to life and celebrating the Reno7 series with all our fans in the city,” Ethan Xue, president of OPPO MEA, said at the time of the launch.

COMPACT YET POWERFUL The Reno7 Pro 5G, the flagship model of the series, is designed to bring unlimited possibilities “through a completely upgraded portrait photo and video experience, upgraded power and performance, and the convenient and inclusive ColorOS 12,” says the company.

True to its words, the slim and lightweight Reno7 Pro 5G looks stunning with a matte finish shimmery back panel. The smartphone is 7.45mm and 180gms which comes with a 6.5-inch full HD + AMOLED display and a 90Hz refresh rate. The brightness of the phone can be adjusted manually to reduce eye

strain. However, the user can also keep the auto switch on for the same, and it can work just as effectively.

Powered by MediaTek Dimensity, OPPO claims that the Reno7 Pro 5G delivers superfast 5G performance. Moreover, with its long battery life, which is further extended by FLAGSHIP PORTRAIT 65W SuperVOOC charging technology, and CAMERA SYSTEM advanced gaming features, users can enjoy an All-around Flagship immersive entertainment experience for an All-encompassing extended period of time.

Power Introducing two camera The Reno7 Pro 5G is among the first sensors co-developed series of smartphones to include the new with Sony: the world’s ColorOS 12 out of the box. Built around an first IMX709 flagship inclusive design concept, the ColorOS 12 front camera sensor, and the IMX766 flagship can significantly improve productivity and rear camera sensor. privacy. “At OPPO, we handle data privacy With the ability to and information security at levels that exceed deliver unprecedented industry standards.” flagship imaging, The company has been certified by third even in unfavourable lighting—record your parties including ISO, ePrivacy and trustArc. life in vibrant detail, Furthermore, its anti-peeping notifications flagship-style help protect user’s privacy when using the phone in public areas. “With the feature enabled, detailed notification content will be hidden if the phone detects someone else looking at your screen when the message pops up,” says OPPO. The brand has also introduced the Omoji feature for the first time on ColorOS 12. It is a 3D animated emoji feature boosted by OPPO’s face capture algorithm, letting users express their unique style through a personalised emoji avatar.

The smartphone also comes with an extensive 12GB RAM + 256GB ROM configuration and OPPO’s RAM expansion technology.

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F E AT U R E S OPPO

Tarek Zaki, senior product manager, OPPO MEA

OMOJI15 Using industry-leading face-capture technology to detect dynamic facial expressions—create your own live Omoji that reflects the real you

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THE INDUSTRY-FIRST APPROACH With the launch of the Reno7 series, OPPO has also marked many industry-first achievements.

For example, the smartphone brand has made use of the industry-first application of Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) technology on the back cover of a phone. To quickly recap, LDI, also known as photolithography, is a process that uses lasers to etch patterns and textures onto photosensitive layers called photoresists. With the help of this technology, the crystals that make up the OPPO Glow design can be aligned more precisely, creating a refined finish that feels delicate.

Furthermore, it has also used the orbit breathing light (ORB), another industry-first on the Reno7 Pro 5G. This technology uses a 3D circular breathing light to surround the camera area on the back of the phone. The 1mm diameter fibre is bent into a ring around the camera area, emitting light when the phone receives an incoming call or notification or while the device is being charged.

THE PORTRAIT EXPERT As user demand for upgraded smartphone photography and videography capabilities grows, OPPO has been investing heavily into hardware and software innovations for years to further

G B T E C H TA L K

According to a Deloitte report, consumer demand for mobile-friendly experiences is expected to grow. By the end of 2023, penetration of smartphones among adults in developed countries is expected to surpass 90 per cent” enhance its imaging capabilities. Having applied AI technologies across a wide range of applications, including photography, the company claims Reno7 Pro 5G to be a portrait expert.

True to its words, the newly launched phone boasts the ultimate Portrait Camera System, with two imaging sensors — the IMX709 and the IMX766 — laying the foundations of this completely upgraded portrait imaging experience. The phone has a triple rear camera with a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide angle, and a 2MP macro camera. The front camera supports 32MP. OPPO is the first smartphone brand to use the DOL-HDR technology on the front camera.

This helps users sample different frames of the same image at different exposure levels almost simultaneously and fuse them into one image with a greater dynamic range.

Furthermore, with the updated Bokeh Flare Portrait Video and AI Highlight Video features and an all-new Portrait Mode, users can easily capture professional-looking portraits, both in video and photo.

With Bokeh Flare Portrait for photo and video available on both the front and back cameras of Reno7 Pro 5G, it’s now easy to record videos and pictures with dream-like bokeh lights as your glittering backdrop.

AI Highlight Video on Reno7 Pro 5G automatically detects ambient light, so whether you’re shooting at night or with the bright backlight during sunset, AI Highlight Video is there to help you capture clearer, brighter, and more vivid portrait videos on both the front- and rear-camera.

of 12.3 percent from 2021 to 2026. Increasing smartphone penetration and technology advancement, in conjunction with the use of emerging technologies to develop games, have played a major role in the development of the mobile gaming industry.

To keep up with the rising demands of the users, OPPO has always strived to deliver a superior gaming experience with the Reno series.

This time the brand has added X-Axis Linear Motor to the Reno7 Pro 5G. This delivers varying levels of vibration feedback where gamers can immerse themselves into an immersive gaming experience. “It’s ultra-touch response intelligently identifies gaming situations and increases the touch sampling rate up to as much as 1000Hz to accelerate reaction speeds,” says OPPO. Moreover, the device features an AI frame rate stabiliser that analyses the frame rate in real time and adjusts the frame rate if it detects fluctuations, ensuring consistently smooth gameplay.

WHAT’S NEXT In this era of invisible innovations, smartphones complete potential is yet to be ANTI-PEEPING FOR realised. According to a Deloitte report, NOTIFICATIONS Retracts notifications consumer demand for mobile-friendly expeonce it detects others riences is expected to grow. By the end of are looking at your 2023, penetration of smartphones among screen. Privacy adults in developed countries is expected to protection made smart. surpass 90 per cent.

With more innovative technologies being added to these devices in the coming years, smartphones are likely to become the primary means of communication and interaction between people.

OPPO aims to establish this strong and continuous connection that binds its customers under a united ecosystem. The success of Reno7 series hasn’t stopped the brand from working towards its next innovation in exploring the endless possibilities of the smartphone which will propel the flagship series to new heights.

UNLIMITED GAMING EXPERIENCE Mobile gaming has witnessed a meteoric rise in recent years driven by increasing adoption of mobile-first markets, especially with the younger generation and millennials.

Mordor Intelligence projects that the mobile gaming market will grow at a compound annual rate 0 2 1

F E AT U R E S OPPO

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he brand-new Reno7 series excels in all aspects of design, performance and experience along with offering state-of-the-art portrait photography and videography capabilities.

ETHAN XUE,

PRESIDENT - OPPO MEA

The series includes three variations – the Reno7 Pro 5G, Reno7 5G, and the Reno7 Z 5G – designed for content creators, immersive gaming lovers and digital alphas. From the renewed OPPO Glow patented design to multifaceted features for increased convenience, the Reno7 Series brings to life the brand’s proposition of ‘Inspiration Ahead’ which means developing a better tomorrow with an open and optimistic mind frame. Through each smartphone launched, OPPO looks to make customers’ lives easier, empowering people to capture the beauty around them to unleash their imagination of the future, thereby helping everyone get the best out of life.

THE RENO7 SERIES BRINGS TO LIFE THE BRAND’S PROPOSITION OF ‘INSPIRATION AHEAD’ WHICH MEANS DEVELOPING A BETTER TOMORROW WITH AN OPEN AND OPTIMISTIC MIND FRAME”

FADI ABU SHAMAT,

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY AND PLANNING, OPPO MEA

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e are thrilled to have partnered with Ain Dubai to become the first smartphone brand to unveil a light show on the world’s largest and tallest observation wheel. The show brought to life the features of the series, including the Startrails design, orbit breathing light, SuperVOOC flash charging and impressive camera capability.

The Reno Series is incredibly important to OPPO and as we have seen, to our customers who love all of the features that can be used with ease. To mark this launch, it felt only right that we lit up one of the most iconic landmarks in Dubai Marina, Ain Dubai, bringing our key USPs to life and celebrating the Reno series with all of our fans in the city.

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THE LIGHT SHOW BROUGHT TO LIFE THE FEATURES OF THE SERIES, INCLUDING THE STARTRAILS DESIGN, ORBIT BREATHING LIGHT, SUPERVOOC FLASH CHARGING AND IMPRESSIVE CAMERA CAPABILITY”

G B T E C H TA L K

TAREK ZAKI, SENIOR

PRODUCT MANAGER, OPPO MEA

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PPO prides itself on working diligently to maintain technological leadership in flash charge, imaging and 5G technologies, as well as making breakthroughs in frontier technologies, benefiting users with revolutionary experiences.

The Reno7 Pro 5G is equipped with the most powerful imaging system on any Reno series to date with two flagship camera sensors. As well as exclusive industry design, including the aircraft-grade laser direct imaging (LDI) being applied on the exterior design of a phone for the first time, and a unique orbit breathing light attached to the camera area, it promises to deliver a wholesome refreshed user experience.

I N T E R V I E W

THE RENO7 PRO 5G IS EQUIPPED WITH THE MOST POWERFUL IMAGING SYSTEM ON ANY RENO SERIES TO DATE WITH TWO FLAGSHIP CAMERA SENSORS”

LUCY AZIZ,

SENIOR PR AND COMMUNICATION MANAGER, OPPO

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e wanted to bring all of our friends in the industry together to celebrate this launch and of course the Ain Dubai light show. The keynote speech by senior product manager, Tarek Zaki, took our guests through the Reno7 series, while the light show bought those features to life for media, influencers and also members of the public.

With each iteration of the Reno series, OPPO solidifies its ongoing commitment to become the portrait expert by creating technology for mankind that ensures the customer’s needs are paramount and their experience is seamless with every use.

We have a commitment to the region to continue to inspire our customers and challenge the industry’s status quo.

WITH EACH ITERATION OF THE RENO SERIES, OPPO SOLIDIFIES ITS ONGOING COMMITMENT TO BECOME THE PORTRAIT EXPERT”

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F E AT U R E S GISEC GLOBAL

CYBERSEC RITY: ARE WE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY?

WITH MALICIOUS ATTACKERS CONTINUING TO PICK NEW ATTACK VECTORS, CYBERSECURITY LEADERS NEED TO REINVENT THEIR SECURITY STRATEGY TO DEFEND THIS EXPANDED THREAT SURFACE 0 2 4

B Y D I V S H A B H AT

G B T E C H TA L K

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s digital transformation measures have accelerated manifold over the past two years, cyberthreats and attack surfaces have also disproportionately increased. It’s therefore little surprise that the number of high-profile breaches have also increased significantly.

For example, Microsoft recently confirmed that hacker group Lapsus$ gained “limited access” to its systems. Meanwhile Israel said last month that its official websites had been hacked. The Israeli Communications Ministry explained it as a “broad cyberattack” and the government services and information website subsequently tweeted that the attack had restricted access to “several websites including government sites.”

In an indication how damaging and disruptive these attacks have proved to be, auto major Toyota too shut down its Japan facility earlier this year, losing about 13,000 automobiles due to a suspected cyberattack on a supplier of plastic parts and electrical components.

According to IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2022, the Middle East and Africa was ranked fourth worldwide for the most ransomware attacks, while the most attacked countries in the region were UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

“Cyberattacks have become more sophisticated over the last two years, and the MENA region is not immune,” said Shailendra Upadhyay, principal research analyst at Gartner. “The malicious nature of the attacks has forced security leaders in the region to relook at their security strategy.”

educate, collaborate and provide solutions to help tackle the biggest challenges in cybersecurity, driving thought leadership,” says Trixie, LohMirmand, executive vice president – Events Management at DWTC. Organised in partnership with the UAE Cybersecurity Council, Dubai Electronic Security Center, the Telecommunications & Digital Government Regulatory Authority and Dubai Police, the event hosted leading cybersecurity enterprises from 40 countries, chief information security officers (CISOs) from major organisations across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, government dignitaries, regional and international innovators who came together to lead the conversation around cybersecurity transformation agendas across sectors and nations.

Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Obaid Al Marri, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, inaugurated the three-day event that featured over 200 industry speakers analysing the most pressing cybersecurity issues.

CISOs, CIOs, CTOs, regulators and policymakers across government, finance, healthcare, telecom, energy and utilities set forth innovative strategies for a robust, cyber-resilient ecosystem.

The UAE Cyber Security Council hosted the Global Cybersecurity Congress and the first-ever National Bug Bounty programme, hosting over 100 international ethical hackers. At the same time, dedicated conference tracks probed the cybersecurity landscape in Saudi Arabia and Africa, while the Gisec Inspire Conference focused on the importance of women in the industry.

GISEC GLOBAL 2022 To showcase the might of the industry’s fightback against this threat landscape, Gisec Global, the cybersecurity exhibition and conference, was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from March 21-23. The event poised to re-energise the public-private sector collaboration as nations and companies explore disruptive solutions to tackle the growing global cybersecurity challenges following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Gisec has once again played a pivotal role in bringing business leaders, cybersecurity experts and world-class technology companies to connect, 0 2 5

F E AT U R E S GISEC GLOBAL

Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti

BUILDING CYBERSECURITY READINESS Delivering the keynote speech on the inaugural day, Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, head of Cybersecurity, UAE Government, discussed the shared responsibility necessary to combat the instability of cyberspace and how collaboration is vital to successfully fight against global cybercrime.

“If we look at the current landscape, awareness and collaboration are key to building a culture of cybersecurity readiness,” said Al Kuwaiti. “We 0 2 6

need to innovate and work towards building the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The UAE Cybersecurity Council has a timeline, and the plan is to export the UAE’s cybersecurity model across the region.”

“As the world starts to recover from the pandemic, big industry – education, healthcare, oil and gas, aviation, among others, – is going through rapid digital transformation. Their security is our security, and the more they are secure, the more we are secure. Cyberattacks aren’t bound by borders, so neither should be our approach to collaboration between the private sector and the government.”

Stephen Kavanagh, Interpol’s executive director of Police Services, also delivered a session, emphasising how the public and private sectors must work together to combat cybercrime.

MK Palmore, the former chief of the FBI’s San Francisco Cybersecurity Investigative Branch, meanwhile explained how globalisation is causing companies to rethink their objectives in order to avoid largescale hacks.

“By 2025, 42 billion devices will be connected to the internet,” said Palmore. “This is a huge expanded digital surface area to protect, so it offers huge opportunities for cybercriminals. It is no surprise then that, from an infrastructure and security standpoint, our reliance on digital services as we look to maintain society and business operations has become the number one issue for organisations.”

G B T E C H TA L K

Speakers at the event included hacker Jayson E Street; Mesfer Almesfer, CISO at NEOM; Professor Isa Ali Pantami, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Nigeria; and Amir Hayek, Israeli Ambassador to the UAE and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel, among others.

HARNESSING THE POWER With the nature and sophistication of cyberattacks evolving rapidly, leading to an increase in threat vectors and vulnerabilities, businesses must stay several steps ahead by being strategically prepared to identify, detect, prevent and predict the attacks.

Naveen Bharadwaj, chief growth officer at Spire SoluNaveen tions, says, “In the current Bharadwaj threat landscape, it is vital to first think like an attacker as you’ll never be able to get ahead of them or defeat them at their own game if you don’t comprehend their techniques or approaches.”

“Because of increasing reliance on technology and the growth in remote working across several industries, cybercriminals now have multiple channels to exploit. Therefore, organisations that want to keep their networks, systems, and data safe must adopt proactive and integrated security models

MK Palmore

Stephen Kavanagh

that understand the in-depth details of risks, have the ability to predict or detect threats, and respond efficiently in the adverse case of an event.”

At Gisec Global, several vendors showcased some of the solutions and tools which can help organisations implement the right security controls and transform their cybersecurity strategies. For example, XM Cyber, a hybrid cloud security company, aims to bring an innovative approach to proactively prevent cyberattacks by modelling how an attacker propagates the network. By discovering critical attack paths on the network and multi-cloud environments, it helps organisations close security gaps before their systems are compromised.

“Organisations have tried implementing hardware and software in the past to fix cybersecurity problems. However, we believe currently they need someone to look at it from an attackers perspective Dave Furneaux to help them understand their threat ecosystem better,” says Steven Durkin, channel director – EMEA at XM Cyber.

Meanwhile, cybersecurity firm Virsec has taken a different approach by showcasing its deterministic protection platform to eradicate threats.

“Deterministic is a way of protecting the software by understanding it. It ensures automatic protection against known and unknown threats to vulnerable workloads and reduces adversary dwell time from minutes to milliseconds. The solution also eliminates false positives when deployed on virtual machines, containers, or cloud,” comments Dave Furneaux, chief executive officer at Virsec.

Along similar lines, Acronis, the cyber protection company, believes that safeguarding sensitive data is critical. The company’s newly appointed general manager for the Middle East, Ziad Nasr, explains how the company provides security to customers to keep their data safe and clean of malware and from where it can be recovered at any single point. “We believe every organisation’s data, applications, systems, and productivity 0 2 7

F E AT U R E S GISEC GLOBAL

should be protected against loss, theft, and downtime – whether it’s caused by cyberattacks, hardware failure, natural disaster or human error. We minimise risks, boost efficiency, and ensure an organisation’s data is safe and secure,” says Nasr.

Ziad Nasr In addition, the company is building 111 new data centres to provide service providers and partners with cybersecurity solutions upon which they can develop new solutions.

MODERNISING LEGACY SYSTEMS Traditional information security strategies and tools are no longer enough. Effectively protecting valuable information resources requires taking a new look at the tools and developing innovative approaches to cybersecurity.

Currently, the challenge of IT environments that are growing in complexity cannot be ignored.

Delinea (formerly known as ThycoticCentrify) believes that legacy privileged access management solutions are not designed for the current hybrid environments. The company believes that the move to remote work and external access to all services needs more significant authentication and authorisation.

Businesses want easyto-use, intuitive interfaces that eliminate difficult circumstances. As a result, the solutions must be seamless while still being effective.

Keeping in mind the customers’ needs, we design our Peter solution that is very easy to Geytenbeek implement for small- and medium-sized organisations and enterprises,” says Peter Geytenbeek, director EMEA Channel and Distribution at Delinea.

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On the other hand, Kaspersky believes that their cyber immune approach helps them stand out. “In this day and age, the aspect of security is lost in most intelligent systems we use. Using vulnerable software in such systems, when the cybercrime landscape is evolving rapidly, creates a situation where cyberthreats increasingly endanger the safety of people and organisations. So, we decided to turn this situation around with the concept of designing innate immunity IT systems,” says Emad Haffar, head of Technical Experts – META at Kaspersky.

Kaspersky’s cyber immunity can Emad Haffar help organisations build IT systems that are inherently secure and safe, says the company.

“An information system can be said to be immune when most types of cyberattacks directed at it prove ineffective and cannot impact the key functions envisioned during the design phase, minimising the risk,” adds Haffar.

Furthermore, US-based cybersecurity innovator and quantum technology startup, Quantum Xchange adds that traditional encryption relies on an outdated legacy architecture. “Our devices are endpoints do a lot of encryption work. They generate and negotiate keys, encrypt data with the keys, and it turns out that they are not good at doing that. We are trying to build an infrastructure where the device can generate random keys that cannot be guessed. They can generate and distribute those keys using quantum safe technologies that will be immune to quantum computing and do all that in a way that it lessens the burden from these devices. In short, we are changing the architecture and key generation and distribution,” says Eric Hay, director of Field Engineering at Quantum Xchange.

NAVIGATING FURTHER In the Middle East and Africa, the public and private sectors are bolstering cybersecurity defences to also increase consumer and investor trust. Cybersecurity organisations like Fortinet are offering training programmes and certifications to close the skill gap in this domain. “Accumulating a breadth of security, cloud, and networking knowledge will help IT and security professionals perform well in their current role, provide career development opportunities, and, for those entering the cyber industry, it will provide a good foundation for wherever their career may take them,” says Fadi Yahia, regional director – South Middle East at Fortinet.

Meanwhile, Bharadwaj advises that organisations need to assume breaches and attacks to devise response, risk mitigation and business continuity plans powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, while also proactively focusing on privacy. “The SME/SMB sector will be targeted frequently too. So ignorance will no longer be bliss for them,” he concludes.

G B T E C H TA L K

AS ORGANISATIONS GRAPPLE WITH THE COMPLEXITY OF REMOTE WORKING AND AN INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED THREAT LANDSCAPE, INDUSTRYWIDE COLLABORATION BECOMES INCREASINGLY ESSENTIAL T R I X I E L O H M I R M A N D, E X E C U T I V E V I C E P R E S I D E N T, E V E N T S M A N AG E M E N T, D U BA I WO R L D T R A D E C E N T R E

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F E AT U R E S IHAB-MR TECH

IOS VS ANDROID

THE ONGOING BATTLE: IS THERE EVER A RIGHT CHOICE?

IS SWITCHING FROM IOS TO ANDROID THE RIGHT CHOICE OR IS STAYING TRUE TO YOUR COMFORT ZONE OF USING A SPECIFIC OPERATING SYSTEM THE WAY TO GO?

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eeping up with the latest devices or phone trends in the GCC region is necessary, but we also find ourselves feeling protective over our phones as a badge of honour as they have quickly become part of our identity. So we end up asking each other, “are you an “iPhoney” or “Androidy” as we say it here in the GCC. Let’s take a closer look at the six considerations users will think about before switching from one system to another.

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DESIGN This is usually the first appeal to any consumer. Smartphone makers have always competed to excel at the design of any device. Offering a one-of-a-kind tailored look and feel for each of their phone launches. iPhone users are known to enjoy the consistency of the Apple design when it comes to smartphones – something that is a trademark to the brand, and if they wish to switch it up, they will have to wait for the next release in the coming year.

G B T E C H TA L K

But when it comes to Android users – they have more variety in design. Users have plenty of choices with smartphone makers such as Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Motorola launching multiple devices across the year.

As a result, they can experience different options, from flip phones to foldable phones.

SOFTWARE There is no doubt that the Apple 15 bionic chipset is a masterpiece in software and performance. It serves all your needs to fit your daily tasks such as gaming, social media consumption, taking pictures or making phone calls. However, you are more in control with Android software as you can choose the processes you want and decide on the RAM storage.

The deciding factor for software in this scenario is value for money. For example, with the iPhone’s performance, you can get up to five years of iOS usage, but it will be up to three years or less when it comes to Android.

CAMERA Many users might not be familiar with this, but the quality of pictures you take on smartphones is directly related to the software. So it’s not just about the pixels or camera lens, but the device’s overall performance that contributes to a better quality picture or video.

When it comes to different camera modes such as night mode, zoom capabilities, micro and macro shots – recently launched devices for both iPhones and Android have excelled in this category, and it all comes down to the user’s preference.

However, one clear advantage the iPhones have over Android is its compatibility with social media applications. Posting images and videos through your iPhone will result in higher-end quality because of the algorithm compatibility with the social media application.

APPLICATIONS AND BATTERY LIFE With iPhone, users get a smooth experience with the App Store to download all the various applications they need.

But with Android, on some devices, you may use the Play Store, but on others, you may need to install more applications directly online, which would often present a risk and would need a few more installation steps to ensure you have all the applications available to you.

Regarding battery life, there are two considerations to think about: the charger and the battery. The race started over two years ago with Android devices that presented a charger with a speed of 65W, followed by 66W, and it kept increasing to a recent Android device that launched a month ago that is equipped with a 68W charger that is capable of charging the phone in less than 30 minutes with a battery capacity of 4,500 mAh as the average speed.

But when it came to the iPhone’s strategy of “no charger in the box” – this was a a strategy that surprised all users and consumers across the world but was widely successfully when up to three other smartphone makers

Ihab Salem, Tech influencer

WITH IPHONE, USERS GET A SMOOTH EXPERIENCE WITH THE APP STORE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE VARIOUS APPLICATIONS THEY NEED. BUT WITH ANDROID, ON SOME DEVICES, YOU MAY USE THE PLAY STORE, BUT ON OTHERS, YOU MAY NEED TO INSTALL MORE APPLICATIONS DIRECTLY ONLINE, WHICH WOULD OFTEN PRESENT A RISK AND WOULD NEED A FEW MORE INSTALLATION STEPS TO ENSURE YOU HAVE ALL THE APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE TO YOU” adopted this strategy for their launches post that. It presented companies with lower costs, smaller boxes, and saving space during shipment.

When it comes to battery capacity and longer battery life, the average iPhone user will stick to the battery that will stay up to three or four years with average charge speed or choose to enjoy the fast charge and keep the charger with you all day in case you are losing your battery fast.

VALUE FOR MONEY After considering both hardware and software options, the most significant decision will always be the value for money. No doubt that even after two years of launching the iPhone 11, people are still looking to purchase the device. But when it comes to Android, the variety of options provide you with a broader spectrum of choices, but they can differ across countries and markets, as the same phone will be sold at a different price range.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Smartphone makers have recently put many efforts into offering their users the best customer service. Whether it’s a quick and efficient service or ensuring customers are receiving faster responses, this element is a massive factor in the decision-making process between smartphone companies and is also a reason they will come back to purchase more devices.

In short, there will never be a suitable choice when choosing your smartphone operating system. It could take years getting used to one system, and then you find out you prefer another. But choosing the one that fits your needs will answer whether you are an “iPhoney” or “Androidy”.

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SPOTLIGHT ENTREPRENEUR

THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF TECH ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS THE FORMULA FOR A PROFITABLE STARTUP HAS SOME REALLY VITAL AND PREDOMINANT FACTORS THAT CAN EITHER MAKE OR BREAK THE PATH, SAYS JAIDEEP DHANOA, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF FENIX, AND MEMBER OF ENTREPRENEURS ORGANISATION (EO) UAE CHAPTER

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t is said, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, and so is the case with tech startups. A successful and sustainable startup isn’t simple and comes with its own challenges. The formula for a profitable startup has some really vital and predominant factors that can either make or break the path to success for any startup.

As a tech entrepreneur, your achievement isn’t dependent upon how new your technology is but, on your capability, to make the best of it. To lead your efforts effectively, entrepreneurial skills are essential. The good news is, entrepreneurship can be learned, and the skills and attributes of a productive entrepreneur can be augmented.

Therefore, with these caveats, these are some of the key success factors that drive early entrepreneurial traction:

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G B T E C H TA L K

Vision and goals Just like your body needs food to fuel and energise, every tech startup should have a core that starts with strong vision and goals. Ask yourself some basic questions - Why do you exist? What is your purpose? What is your true calling? Having clarity around your vision and goals is the basis of having transparency around execution, hiring, fundraising and every other aspect of your company. Vision and goals are the very foundation of the company’s core.

Storytelling Entrepreneurs have a unique perspective of what the future should look like that is different from the status quo today. In some ways it’s a “secret” about the market that the entrepreneur sees but the rest of the world may not understand. A core job of the entrepreneur is to be able to convince people of this “secret”, that it is obvious that the status quo will change to the entrepreneur’s vision. This need for effective storytelling or salesmanship is continuous – to investors, to customers, to talent, to family. You need people to believe in your vision; some described Steve Jobs ability as a “reality distortion field”, that the impossible was possible. This is especially important at the start when your product may be more vision than reality. Don’t worry, it gets easier with practice and your story refines as you pick up what language resonates with your audience.

Access to right technologies Remember, you are an entrepreneur. So, your reliance on right technologies is crucial to succeed. Adapt technologies which are agile, scalable, offer speed and elasticity and can help improve the efficiency of your processes. Also depend on automated technologies. This is the future. In fact, WorkMarket’s 2020 In(Sight) report found that 78 percent of business leaders felt that automation could help them save three hours per day — or roughly 360 hours over the course of the year.

Team of supporters Customer obsession Always solve customer needs; do what is best for the customer rather than what is easy for the company.

Proactively solicit customer feedback. Finding product-market fit is difficult and iterative. Finding a way to launch a product early will provide so many signals to accelerate your understanding of what customers need and how to reach them. It’s okay to be embarrassed with your product. If you’re on to something and it works, customers won’t care. The early feedback creates more confidence that you’re investing your resources in the right direction.

Entrepreneurship can feel like a lonely journey, but no entrepreneurial success is achieved by one person alone. It takes a team of supporters who believe in you and make a bet on you. These supporters are multifaceted – early investors that back you at your earliest maturity, early customers that are willing to try your halfbaked products and evangelise them, talent that choose to join you and be a part of building something new, and family who are just as attached to your startup journey as you are. This is the time to call on those who know you best. Don’t be shy that you’re trying something new and it may not be ready for showtime. Find your supporters, share your vision, and lean on them – they are rooting for you to succeed!

In closing, entrepreneurship is not simple, but smart. Fellow entrepreneurs understand the tribulations of the entrepreneurial journey and can be the best sources of experience share and empathy.

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F E AT U R ES M E TA

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G B T E C H TA L K

PARENTAL SUPERVISION TOOLS FOR INSTAGRAM The new update to Instagram, already available in the US and slated to roll out globally, allows teens to invite a parent or guardian to supervise their accounts

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eta Platforms has launched new has done, like defaulting new teen profiles to private parental supervision tools on Insaccounts and restricting unconnected adults from starttagram after facing criticism from ing DMs with teens. regulators and the public about the With the new tools, parents can view how much time app’s harms for young people. their child spends on Instagram, who they follow, who The new tools are part of a commitfollows them and when they report an account to content ment to protect teenagers that Adam Mosseri, the head of moderators. A future release will let parents set limits on Instagram, made in December. That promise came after a when teens can’t use Instagram, like during school hours whistle-blower testified in October that Facebook had prior before bedtime. oritised profit over the well-being of users, especially teens.

Parents currently need an Instagram account in order to The supervision tools are rolling out as part of a monitor their children’s usage, but the company is explornew Family Center, which will include an education ing the possibility of allowing parents without accounts to hub to teach parents how to talk about social media supervise their children’s social media presence. with their teens, the company said in a blog post. Meta “We know a lot of parents who are not on social media, plans to eventually expand the Family Center into a a lot of parents who are not tech-savvy,” said Ryan Kwok, platform where parents can manage teen social media one of the lead product managers working on parental activity across all of Meta’s apps, the supervision tools at Meta. company said.

Meta will also be allowing parents to supervise app The new update to Instagram, usage and downloads with its virtual reality Oculus Quest already available in the US and slated headsets in the coming months, to roll out globally, allows teens to WITH THE NEW TOOLS, according to an Oculus stateinvite a parent or guardian to super- PARENTS CAN VIEW HOW ment. The new measures come vise their accounts. Vaishnavi J, Meta’s MUCH TIME THEIR CHILD as parents, experts and the Brithead of youth well-being, said the SPENDS ON INSTAGRAM, ish government raised concerns company worked with parents, teens about children encountering and parenting experts to create these WHO THEY FOLLOW, violence and harassment in virtools for parental oversight, with the WHO FOLLOWS THEM tual reality. aim of helping them to talk about AND WHEN THEY Parents will be able to lock social media behavior.

REPORT AN ACCOUNT TO access to apps they deem inap“Those types of conversations can CONTENT MODERATORS” propriate for their children be really valuable for parents to have starting in April. Teens will also with their teens and it also is a very be automatically blocked from informed nonjudgmental conversation,” J said in an apps that the International Age Rating Coalition has interview. “It’s really more about, ‘Let’s help you get the deemed age-inappropriate starting in May. best out of your time online,’ rather than saying, ‘This is Through Oculus’s mobile app, parents will also be able good and this is bad.’” to block apps, view all owned apps and receive notificaInstagram, which says users need to be at least 13, tions of new downloads. Parents can also approve their has come under fire for its poor age verification tools, teen’s requests to purchase apps that have been blocked as well as a recommendation algorithm that can push based on age rating, monitor screen time and access their young people to consume harmful content, such as friends list on Oculus. material promoting eating disorders. After backlash, As with Instagram’s supervision tools, teenage Oculus Instagram paused development of a separate product users will have to consent to having their parents supermeant for users younger than 13, which would have had vise. On both platforms, teens will be able to view what similar controls. details their parents see about their accounts.

The new tools are intended to only be one compo“Different teens have different maturity levels, and nent -- not the entire solution -- to keeping teenagers parents know their teens best,” the company said. safe online, J said. She cited other work that Instagram Bloomberg

THROUGH OCULUS’ MOBILE APP parents will be able to block apps, view all owned apps and receive notifications of new downloads

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004 2022

38 ABDULLA AHLI

40 JAYESH MAGANLAL

THE TALK

42 MARK ACKERMAN

Featuring top IT decision makers, vendors and partners from the region who are responsible for the growth and continued development of their organisations

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T H E V I E W S | C I O TA L K

Fuelling space innovation

BY LEADING THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ACROSS THE ORGANISATION AND AUTOMATING ALL PROCESSES LEADING TO TECH STRATEGY, AHLI IS PARTICIPATING IN CREATING NEW BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

ABDULLA AHLI Director - IT department, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)

Tell us about yourself and what drove you to pursue a career in IT? I hold a bachelor’s degree in IT from HCT (Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai) and have a Master’s degree in Business Management from UTS (University of Technology, Sydney). I started my career as a system administrator in DP World-Sydney, and worked with them for seven years, including three years working as an international assignee in their port in Australia. In 2012, I moved to MBRSC, as the head of IT.

Q:

How are you helping shape MBRSC’s tech strategy?

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By leading the digital transformation across the organisation and automating all processes leading to this strategy and participating in creating new business solutions.

IT services and systems play a major role in problem-solving, decision making, smart automation, and innovative resources of the centre, which is a key objective of space and R&D industries.

In the space industry, the main initiatives are moving towards offering open access to big data from space projects and researches. Therefore, firms started adopting digital technologies such as high-performance computing and artificial intelligence to increase these opportunities of reaching the maximum benefits for society which gives IT a major job of implementing the best engineered solutions to achieve that objective.

We are also working together with our R&D, and operations team ensuring 100 per cent support 24/7/365 days.

Which are some of the cutting-edge technologies being deployed for key projects such as the Mars Mission as well as the Emirates Lunar Mission?

When handling space images and data, it needs to be quickly processed as it is in GBs (gigabytes) and TBs (terabytes) when it arrives at our ground station. We have one of the best processing systems installed with software to

provide the fastest response. We have also established the data science portal of the Emirates Mars Mission to help all our stakeholders. Moreover, we are building a unified SIEM solution and monitoring tool for the cybersecurity section. We have also implemented a smart ERP solution that helps smooth transactions for all departments and keeps our engineers focused on their core tasks responsibilities. It goes without saying that we have reached the Dubai government paperless strategy ahead of time at MBRSC. How is MBRSC ensuring that it has a next generation of highly skilled Emirati employees to lead its tech divisions?

Our organisation is one of the key governmental entities that represents Emirati employee capabilities and innovation, which continuously encourages employees to achieve long-term objectives and initiatives, while providing continuous on job training programmes and required knowledge sharing with key players in the space industry globally. Moreover, it believes in raising the younger generation’s knowledge and skills in the country about R&D and space projects. This is done by providing programmes, workshops, and camps, starting from the schools level to universities.

How has the role of CIO changed in recent years?

The CIO role has changed from managing the delivery of technologies to being the co-creator of business solutions. Looking at our organisation right now, the demand for new projects and initiatives has increased drastically, especially with the success of the Emirates

G B T E C H TA L K

In the space industry, the main initiatives are moving towards offering open access to big data from space projects and research

WE HAVE ALSO IMPLEMENTED A SMART ERP SOLUTION THAT HELPS SMOOTH TRANSACTIONS FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS AND KEEPS OUR ENGINEERS FOCUSED ON THEIR CORE TASKS RESPONSIBILITIES. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT WE HAVE REACHED THE DUBAI GOVERNMENT PAPERLESS STRATEGY AHEAD OF TIME AT MBRSC” Mars Mission project, and the success of our emerging vision in a wide range of projects and upcoming initiatives.

MBRSC was leading in a lot of key areas, which increased the reputation of the centre as being one of the major organisations under the spotlight. During this period, the information technology department was introduced to the challenge of digital transformation emerging with the speed of growth to provide and enhance all the business models in the Centre, while supporting the vision into the future.

How can they build the skills needed to implement emerging technologies?

The challenge of being an IT in MBRSC is being in the space

industry environment which has different approaches and challenges for implementing any technology since we do need to combine governmental processes with space project processes.

Therefore, the approach of developing the skills of IT involves understanding space project models and getting involved in training programmes related to that in order to provide the best solutions.

We have partnered with various organisations to ensure we know about emerging technologies well in advance and we have always been early adopters of them. I am always eager to nominate my team members for training and certifications; attendance at seminars and professional trainings are key to knowing the emerging technologies and creating proof of concept once

we can align it to our environment and business requirements.

What new innovations can we look forward to from MBRSC? We are working in all possible areas that will benefit humanity.

We continue to help various organisations in land mapping, government entities, and the scientific community to find answers when they look at the sky.

One of the areas we are focusing on in our IT lab is building an interactive solution using gamification methodology and AI technology to communicate with students. Collaboration is key to achieving our objective of developing the UAE’s space science sector and preparing new generations of Emirati engineers, experts and researchers.

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T H E V I E W S | C I O TA L K

Real estate industry embraces digital transformation Over the years, more complex technological tools have found their way into the real estate industry, changing the way properties are constructed, sold, and managed.

However, for any digital transformation initiatives to be successful, it must never lose sight of people, says Maganlal

JAYESH MAGANLAL Chief information officer, Damac Properties

A

growing number of companies in the real estate industry are embracing digital transformation, according to the latest KPMG Global PropTech Survey.

“This widely spreading trend is driven by the need for better efficiencies, cost reduction and enhanced decisionmaking that will help the organisation become more agile to deliver better customer experiences and satisfaction,” says Jayesh Maganlal, chief information officer at Damac Properties.

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Over the years, increasingly more complex technological tools have made their way into the real estate sector, transforming how properties are developed, sold and managed. For instance, data analytics is being used in developing more accurate property valuations. Virtual reality (VR) tours have also become more popular, mainly because it allows property buyers to virtually visit and immerse themselves in the property from wherever they are. This technology is taking over the entire spectrum of real estate transactions, from virtual property staging to property displaying. According to estimates by Goldman Sachs, the market for VR in real estate alone could generate as much as $2.6bn by 2025.

The adoption of smart home devices and services have also seen an uptick as technological advancements in the internet of things (IoT) have started to improve connected lifestyle.

According to a recent report by YouGov, an international research data and analytics group, more than one-third of respondents from the UAE indicated a more positive sentiment towards artificial intelligence (AI) and automation compared to more mature Western markets.

Damac envisions a techdriven future by reengineering

its processes and simplifying its technology architecture, with the objective of providing a smoother customer experience.

It has implemented a series of technology and data transformation initiatives in consultation with leading global consultants to achieve agility, gain deeper business insights and therefore, greater operating efficiencies.

As part of this process, for example, it offers residents, tenants and prospective clients 360-degree views of its ready apartments to help them get a feel for the premium quality of its homes. In addition, customers can also virtually customise their apartments or villas through this virtual viewing experience to suit their preferences so that they may begin to experience what it would feel like to live in their future homes.

The real estate developer has also developed its Living app, which seeks to make a number of services and processes easier and more seamless for homeowners – from settling payments, to uploading documents for property handover, making amenity bookings and getting special discounts on services, among others.

TECHNOLOGY IS THE BUSINESS Damac recognises that technology is no longer only a driver of

G B T E C H TA L K

Almost every aspect of an organisation now relies on, or utilises digital tools and processes

DATA ANALYTICS IS BEING USED IN DEVELOPING MORE ACCURATE PROPERTY VALUATIONS. VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS HAVE ALSO BECOME MORE POPULAR, MAINLY BECAUSE IT ALLOWS PROPERTY BUYERS TO VIRTUALLY VISIT AND IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE PROPERTY FROM WHEREVER THEY ARE” business, but it is the business.

“IT has become the forefront of our business operations, and we are ensuring that technology is engrained into every single process and business function,” continues Maganlal. “More importantly, digital transformation must be seen as an ongoing

process – it has no end for as long as technology changes, organisations must adapt, or become irrelevant.”

He emphasises that any digital transformation initiatives, to be successful, must never lose sight of people. “It’s not just about setting up the platform to digitise

the processes or installing the software or app to make processes work. People within organisations need to have the right skill set to be able to proceed and adopt the transformation,” he adds.

According to Maganlal, talent acquisition is critical to building up the digital capabilities of an organisation, as well as providing constant training and continuing education opportunities.

In all this, the chief information officer, chief technology officer and in some organisations the chief digital officer or however the title of the person leading the transformation is called, must be a key voice now more than ever, especially in a post pandemic world where digital channels and tools are increasingly replacing physical platforms and processes. Almost every aspect of an organisation now relies or utilises digital tools or processes, which means the chief digital transformation leader must be a primary decision-maker, and a key partner of management.

LOOKING AHEAD Damac’s next phase of digital transformation is about building shared experiences for everyone who engages with the brand, a holistic experience across its customers, employees, partners, etc. This total experience (TX) is all about operating experiences without vacuums or silos. It seamlessly combines and overlaps various disciplines i.e the multi experience (MX), customer experience (CX), employee experience (EX) and user experience (UX).

“We have made significant progress in addressing customer experiences through new digital touchpoints, changing the user experience to simplify ways of communicating and interacting with our customers and digitising the journey of all our processes across the organisation,” Maganlal concludes.

BY 2025, THE MARKET FOR VR IN REAL ESTATE ALONE COULD GENERATE AS MUCH AS

$2.6 BILLION

THIS TOTAL EXPERIENCE IS ALL ABOUT OPERATING EXPERIENCES WITHOUT VACUUMS OR SILOS

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BRAND VIEW

V E N D O R TA L K

Six steps to a customer-centric culture Employees at customer-centric organisations have higher work satisfaction and perform better, reveals study

MARK ACKERMAN Area VP - Middle East and Africa, ServiceNow

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nown globally for its resilience, the UAE has sprung back from the pandemic with renewed vigour. Fitch Solutions projected real GDP growth for the country at 4.6 per cent in 2022, which is a sizeable surge from 2021’s 3.4 per cent. And as life returns to one of the world’s richest economies, we can expect its constituent businesses to fight hard for the hearts and minds of customers.

The customer-loyalty story is one of many characters. Throughout the pandemic, UAE shoppers could see the efforts being made to capture their attention, keep it, and monetise it. In the F&B industry alone, brands

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like Good Basket, Barakat Fresh and Kibsons competed through discounts, introductory offers, and loyalty schemes. Other innovators reinvented their entire business models.

Emirates Catering created Foodcraft, an e-business that delivered recipe kits and oven-ready meals, to ensure the company’s staff could be retained.

Studies show employees of customer-centric organisations tend to have greater job satisfaction and perform better - which is good news, because employees are the foundation of customer–centric cultures, even if their role is not customer-facing. Each employee must understand the customer – who they are, what they want, and what their most common problems are. Here are the six proven steps to building a corporate culture that always puts the customer first.

MEASURE YOUR CURRENT CUSTOMER CENTRICITY Employee-engagement surveys are a time-honoured way to get detailed information on what is working and what is not. By the end of the survey, you should know the extent of employees’ knowledge on how they contribute to the customer experience. You should know if managers consider the customer when they make decisions. And you should have feedback from employees on how well they believe the company treats customers.

CRAFT A VISION Once you have results from the assessment, the most senior managers can now sift through the findings and

identify opportunities for CX improvement. It is essential that the C-suite be willing to pivot from an internal focus on operations and processes to a customer-first strategy – a McKinsey survey points out that prioritising the customer, along with improvements in operations and technology can positively impact customer and employee satisfaction and the bottom line.

COMMUNICATE THE VISION Cultures are embedded in the corporate DNA, at the management, team, and individual level. Beyond its people, an organisation’s culture is embedded in its processes and even its technology. There is a lot to change, so start with the people involved in annual planning and corporate strategy. Budget priorities must align with CX needs, and strategy goals must be reinforced with measurement of customer-interaction outcomes. HR should use these measurements as the foundation of KPIs. TEACH EMPATHY Employees must be exposed to the customer experience, so they become aware of the pain points of the journey. Organisations should invite customers to team and company events to tell their stories and keep employees focused.

Customer-experience insights should be shared with all employees, either face-to-face at meetings or through online dashboards and reports. Employees should have access to physical and virtual training spaces, and non-customerfacing employees should shadow sales and support teams to see the process in action.

REINFORCE THE MESSAGE An internal strategic communications plan is vital to keep customercentricity alive. Keep sharing information and issue bulletins on success stories. Executives and managers at all levels should never stop talking about CX and the customer-centric mindset.

G B T E C H TA L K

EMPLOYEES MUST BE EXPOSED TO THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, SO THEY BECOME AWARE OF THE PAIN POINTS OF THE JOURNEY. ORGANISATIONS SHOULD INVITE CUSTOMERS TO TEAM AND COMPANY EVENTS TO TELL THEIR STORIES AND KEEP EMPLOYEES FOCUSED” They should never act like the transition is over and the destination has been reached. The new culture should be an ongoing journey in which customer-centric metrics are continually updated and shared. The goals and progress of the original vision should also be discussed regularly. The goals and results of CX metrics should be treated as equally relevant next to revenues and profits.

Part of the ongoing communication should be the celebration of those employees that have done best in grasping the vision and executing it.

Formal recognition programmes should both highlight their behaviours and leverage them to train other employees. Their stories can also be shared externally as a means to recruit others trained in customer-centricity.

RECRUIT EMPLOYEES WITH CUSTOMER-CENTRIC MINDSETS Now that the current workforce is customer-focused, it is time to look further. The success that enhanced CX will bring is going to lead to growth, which requires expansion of the workforce to ensure customercentricity can continue. HR should

4.6%

Real GDP growth for the country, a sizeable surge from 2021’s 3.4% –as projected by Fitch Solutions

look for ready-made customer-centric candidates. This will lead to less of a learning curve when the successful party is onboarded. As with current employees, the role is irrelevant. All candidates should be screened on the basis of their empathy and CX credentials.

AND REPEAT… Building new cultures takes time and effort. But with CX, it is worth it. The gains, however, can diminish if an organisation relaxes and thinks the job is done and the culture is embedded. Consistent work is required to ensure the customercentric mindset does not shake loose.

Do not allow sky-high net-promoter scores to make you over-confident. Be vigilant and keep repeating the mantra: “Customer first”.

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04 | 2022

INTERVIEW

RETHINKING CYBERSECURITY AS A BUSINESS ENABLER With the increase in the cyberthreat landscape, urgent action is needed by businesses to develop more robust strategies

Q:

Which are the top cybersecurity threats organisations need to be concerned about now?

Our annual Data Threat Report 2022 found that malware, ransomware and phishing continue to plague global organisations and that one in five executives have experienced a ransomware attack in the last year.

Furthermore, 43 per cent of these have experienced a significant impact on operations. This report further reveals that almost half of IT leaders admitted failing a compliance audit.

The biggest takeaway is that urgent action is needed by businesses to develop more robust cybersecurity strategies, especially with the adoption of remote working.

Cybersecurity should be seen as a business enabler, wherein businesses embrace digital transformation while being protected, no matter how big or small.

How has your ESG strategy and digital ethics charter translated to the region?

Our purpose of ‘building a future we can all trust’ means helping to build a safer, more environmentally responsible world and societies that are more inclusive.

Thales is drawing on its technology expertise to Tell us about yourself and your role fight global warming and be a driving force behind the at Thales. ecological transition in the Middle East. Indeed, we aim EMMANUEL DE ROQUEFEUIL I have been a part of Thales for over 30 years to achieve a 35 per cent reduction in carbon emissions now, supporting across various markets by 2023, a 50 per cent reduction by 2030, and “netVICE PRESIDENT including Saudi Arabia, Australia, Canada, zero” by 2040. The Group is, for example, developing India and now I oversee operations across flight path optimisation solutions that would reduce THALES - MIDDLE EAST the Middle East. aircraft CO2 emissions by up to 10 per cent in the nearWhen I was in Australia, I led the Air Management term future.

Systems division, including the Air Traffic Control and Moreover, the countries that we operate in have made Radars Systems, and in Canada, I was part of the Avionics their commitment to the cause clear, and governments team. In France, I was looking at defence systems, and have firmed up policies that allow companies to make in India, it involved overlooking systematic progress towards the the company’s capabilities as a objectives of the Paris Agreement whole. This is identical to my role “INDEED, WE AIM TO and UNSDGs. in the Middle East.

How has the tech landscape evolved in the Middle East post-pandemic?

ACHIEVE A 35 PER CENT REDUCTION IN CARBON EMISSIONS BY 2023, A 50 PER CENT REDUCTION BY 2030, AND “NETZERO” BY 2040”

The pandemic has been a catalyst for the adoption of digital technologies across all sectors. It has played a significant role in boosting industrialisation, industrial upgrades and agile manufacturing systems.

In the Middle East, the governments are now committed more than ever to building a globally competitive economy powered by disruptive technologies. The focus on implementing new technologies that have emerged in the fourth industrial revolution in the country’s visions and strategies is a testament to this.

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What are your key priorities for the year ahead?

Our top priority is to continue to work closely with partners to realise ambitious visions and strategies. While we’re a global company, we embed ourselves in the local ecosystems of each country we operate in to deliver bespoke strategies, solutions, and services in both defence and civil domains and across sectors, such as cybersecurity, digital technologies and air traffic management, which are critical to building futureproof and sovereign economies. We have also been working hand-in-hand with our clients to increase their industrial footprints, boost innovation and upskill local talent.

G B T E C H TA L K

INTERVIEW

TECHNOLOGY DRIVES BUSINESS SUCCESS After decades of being seen as a distinct entity, technology has now become a top focus for businesses says Thangaraj

VICE PRESIDENT

to information are better able to serve customers.

They solve problems faster, see opportunities more clearly, and deliver more value. Empowered employees foster happy customers, and this is the most important factor for business survival.

MANAGEENGINE

What did you showcase at Gisec Global 2022?

MANIKANDAN THANGARAJ

Q:

How has the role of IT departments evolved post-pandemic?

The pandemic moved IT departments from the back office to the front line as businesses reevaluated decisions and adopted new technologies and processes. Our 2021 Digital Readiness Survey polled 1,210 qualified executives and technology professionals about how the pandemic and the remote work revolution have affected their IT departments.

The survey revealed that 84 per cent increased their use of cloud solutions and 83 per cent found that remote workers placed additional challenges on security. Furthermore, 86 per cent increased their use of AI during the last two years For decades, IT has been viewed as a separate entity.

Now, technology adoption is a priority, and it will continue to evolve and help drive business success.

How is empowering employees key to ensure business survival?

Employee empowerment can have a significant impact on employee satisfaction, productivity, and engagement. It unlocks the opportunity for business innovation and growth. The pandemic didn’t change the fundamental nature of work. Companies still work for their customers, creating products and delivering services that customers value. And companies still work for their employees, empowering them with the training, information, and tools they need to best serve customINCREASED ers. Leaders in the organisation THEIR USE OF AI continue to lead – determining DURING THE LAST strategies, initiatives, goals, and TWO YEARS quantitative or qualitative measures of success – but employees have control over their jobs.

Employees who are more knowledgeable, have better training and tools, and have better access

86%

We showcased our IT security products that help organisations combat evolving cybersecurity threats.

Our key focus was the recently launched cloud access security broker (CASB) component of our SIEM solution, Log360. We also emphasised how the rapid growth of cloud infrastructure services is driving increased interest in securing data, applications, and workloads in cloud computing environments.

How are you playing a key role in helping organisations secure their sensitive data?

Securing the cloud, especially a multi-cloud environment, largely depends on gaining visibility into cloud activities. We help organisations achieve deeper visibility by providing analytical information on cloud user activity, cloud app usage, cloud data access, modification activities, and more – all from a single console.

With this, enterprises can monitor and reduce the risk of shadow IT in the cloud, understand user behaviour in the cloud, and prevent sensitive data leaks.

Can you shed some light on your 10th Middle East user conference?

Our annual user conferences connect us with our customers. They enable our customers to meet the people behind the solutions they use, and share their product needs and expectations. These events help us improve, and identify upcoming marketplace challenges.

We also aim to educate our customers by conducting detailed product sessions and helping IT professionals gain valuable insights into IT service management, IT security, IT operations management, analytics, and other domains.

This year’s conference in Dubai on March 1 and 2 featured Rajesh Ganesan, vice president at ManageEngine, who spoke about how the future of work will be driven by democratised IT. RamINCREASED prakash Ramamoorthy, our THEIR USE director of research, shed light on OF CLOUD SOLUTIONS AI-enhanced IT management.

84%

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04 | 2022

INTERVIEW

A NEW WORLD OF CREATIVITY

people benefit from their own creations. Finance wise, decentralisation brings many opportunities for the DeFi sector to be adopted and ensures financial inclusion.

Can you explain NFTs and their relevance with Metaverse?

UAE can secure its position as a global and regional hub with metaverse opportunities, combining advantages that DeFi, GameFi, NFTs and DAOs bring to the table

Q:

How are NFTs and crypto helping Metaverse evolve?

Is Metaverse more than a hype?

JUWAN LEE FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN NEXCHANGE GROUP

Essential Metaverse development has definitely started to leverage outside hype curves.

Companies operating in Metaverses and Web 2.0 and scaling their services to the virtual realm have proven that technologies develop steadily, speeding blockchain adoption and overall digital innovation.

The UAE has launched the world’s first Metaverse customer happiness service centre in the health segment.

How do you see this initiative?

Healthtech is an industry where most of emerging technologies bring a lot of value.

User and customer experience taken to another level, especially when it comes to looking after one’s health, is an amazing opportunity and of course an important step forward for Dubai.

Which other industries can be expected to embrace Metaverse?

Crypto is a financial backbone of Metaverse, and the whole digital asset market has been steadily growing in capitalisation over the past years. It enables a smooth flow of a decentralised financial system, but what is essential here is a proper infrastructure.

What opportunities does Metaverse provide for the businesses based in UAE?

Interest and passion for adopting and applying cutting edge technologies in the Middle East has been increasing over the past few years. Businesses are keen on expanding their outreach not only “NFTS CAN BE geographically but also virtually. UAE can COLLECTIBLES, secure its position as a global and regional with metaverse opportunities, OR ART PIECES, hub combining advantages that DeFi, GameFi, OR LUXURY NFTs, and decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) bring to the table.

GOODS, OR

PIECES OF VIRTUAL LAND, OR REWARDS, EVEN ENTRY TICKETS”

We are already witnessing how Metaverse spearheads industries like gaming, retail, event management, fashion, art. I’m sure we’ll see more breakthroughs in the non-fungible token (NFT) sector for entertainment and music, applications of GameFi and what they do for building gaming communities, in real estate, in marketing and communication.

How can Metaverse contribute to the economy?

Metaverse is decentralised by nature, so it’s a key to enabling what we call the creators economy. In brief, it helps eliminate middlemen and connect artists and content creators directly with their audiences, adding value to the economy and business models where 0 4 6

NFTs are essentially pillars and key assets of the Metaverse asset flow and ownership. Being a digital representation of basically anything in the form of a token, NFTs can be collectibles, or art pieces, or luxury goods, or pieces of virtual land, or rewards, even entry tickets. The distributed nature of blockchains makes NFTs difficult to hack. They are unique and can be purchased with digital assets that are in circulation within Metaverses.

Is Metaverse ready to deal with the challenges of security? What kind of regulations are needed to make it a safer place?

The Metaverse environment is still in its early stages, and for those working and communicating within cyberspace it is crucially important to make sure that this environment is healthy. Users there make use of digital identities, and many would naturally choose to be anonymous. Basically, anyone can be what they decide to be, and this is an important part of artistry. For example, we had an amazing independent artist performing at MetaWeek Summit – Paris, who is a top singer and she defines herself as MetaWoman. I believe that relevant governance models will prevail, and communities and companies operating in Metaverse will establish balanced and appropriate security standards, protecting users of all genders, investors and their identities and personal data.

G B T E C H TA L K

INTERVIEW

ADOPTION IS KEY With a growing startup ecosystem and tech-driven individuals, the Middle East region is on the verge of becoming a global fintech leader

JEETU KATARIA CO-FOUNDER AND CEO DIFX

Q:

How do you see the growth of the fintech sector in the Middle East?

It’s remarkable to see the growth of fintech in the Middle East region, from payment solutions, blockchain, crypto, digital banking, etc. All have made tremendous leaps in innovation and implementation. The region’s growing startup ecosystem and technology-driven individuals show great promise in revolutionising the region as a global fintech leader. However, I think its success also greatly comes from the leaders of the region who are always forward-thinking.

Tell us about DIFX and how are you bridging the gap between traditional and digital assets?

With DIFX, we wanted to create a product that will enable users to adapt to the growing digital economy seamlessly. Our mission has always been to create a new financial order where traditional and digital assets coexist. We give our users a secure and insured ecosystem to trade between multiple asset classes.

Our exchange allows users to freely cross-asset trade between assets like Bitcoin and gold, Ethereum and Apple stocks.

“WE ARE PREDOMINANTLY A CROSS-ASSET EXCHANGE. ON OUR PLATFORM, USERS CAN TRADE BETWEEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSET CLASSES. THEY CAN HAVE UNIQUE TRADING PAIRS LIKE BTC AND GOLD, ETHEREUM AND SILVER, BTC AND SILVER ETC”

It was impossible for a lifelong multi-asset trader and venture capitalist to trade on different platforms for different assets. Therefore, we wanted to develop a platform that would provide a multi-asset trading environment that could easily solve this inconvenience for many other people facing a similar problem.

Tell us about your nomination programme in brief.

As crypto interest and investment increase yearly, the need to secure your digital wealth for the future grows imminent. We have introduced the blockchain-based nomination programme, wherein a user can nominate a beneficiary to receive their digital funds upon their death. The user can nominate anyone from their family, friends and loved ones and allow them to legitimise their claim upon demise.

What are some of the most popular cryptocurrencies and assets listed on your exchange?

We are predominantly a cross-asset exchange. On our platform, users can trade between different types of asset classes. They can have unique trading pairs like BTC and gold, Ethereum and silver, BTC and silver etc.

Traders can choose from the 60 unique cross-asset pairs and build a diverse portfolio of assets. Similarly, the exchange also hosts our own utility token called DIFX. What’s your advice to someone looking to invest in crypto assets?

Crypto is a highly volatile and risky environment where unknowing/green traders often invest in projects for the hype and exaggerated returns. Trading as per social media trends is not sustainable because doing research is fundamental in crypto.

Unfortunately, crypto is not always safe. Traders and crypto enthusiasts need to be highly aware of the possibility of scammers looking to rob them of their funds. Never send money to a wallet address without checking first and seeing the actual contract address of the projects.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

We are always in the mindset of innovation and constant development. Our new brand revamps, and launch signifies this mindset. We want to create a platform that allows users to bridge the gap between traditional and digital assets and prepare them to thrive in this digital economy. We will also be looking to get our token DIFX listed on the world’s top crypto exchanges.

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04 | 2022

INTERVIEW

MICRO-MOBILITY: RESHAPING TRANSPORTATION Micro-mobility and its increasing adoption is playing a significant role in decarbonising transportation across the world, says Melad

Q: AMIR MELAD GENERAL MANAGER MIDDLE EAST

How do you see the landscape for micro-mobility adoption in the Middle East region?

There has been a rise in demand for shared electric scooters and other micro-mobility modes in recent years. Residents in the TIER MOBILITY Middle East, specifically UAE, are now looking for ways to streamline their day, including alternative transportation methods. We have witnessed increased adoption and growth for micro-mobility in the region and understand the importance of closing the gap between travel and facilitating first and lastmile journeys.

– can detect traffic violations and collisions and reckless riding on the scooter. Riders who do not follow the rules and regulations will be alerted. The new technology is currently being tested privately and will be rolled out in cities worldwide in the coming months.

The new feature, which aims to solve the most pressing problem of micro-mobility in all cities, is enabled by GPS technology and allows for high positional accuracy and centimetre-level mapping.

Why is e-mobility here to stay?

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way we go to work and travel. Even before the pandemic, events were moving towards e-mobility. This is undoubtedly one of the better developments to have come out of the pandemic. E-mobility is here to stay as it is becoming the most accessible mode of transportation for riders first and the last mile. It is a sustainable mode of transport that provides ease of access to residents whilst reducing carbon emissions.

How do you stand apart from your competition?

We operate in over 185 cities worldwide, which has given us the knowledge to adapt our operations in each environment to suit the needs of the residents and the cities alike.

We are trusted by many transportation authorities around the globe and are involved in finding the best rules and regulations for creating a thriving micromobility scene to support the growth of our sector.

We are currently the only international operator fully dedicated to the region, which is shown by the number of countries and cities we operate in the Middle East.

We are also pleased to be the first micro-mobility provider to be fully climate neutral, allowing us to set the industry standards for sustainability.

What are your plans for the year ahead?

How are advancements in robotics driving micro-mobility innovation?

Without a doubt, micro-mobility and its increasing adoption will play a significant role in decarbonising transportation across the world. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly clear that technology plays a vital role in providing residents with ease in transport accessibility.

For instance, in the near future, we plan to introduce a new computer vision-based driver assistance technology that – paired with the latest internet of things (IoT)

With the acquisition of Spin, the year 2022 started with a significant move for us, following the purchases of Europe’s top bike-share player nextbike, the Italian subsidiary of Wind Mobility, as well as Hungarian tech agency Makery. In October last year, we announced a $200m Series D funding round closing.

By 2022, we are looking at expanding into more cities in the Middle East. With the launch of e-bikes in Bahrain and Qatar, we are one of the first micromobility providers to offer users two different types of vehicles in one app.

“WITHOUT A DOUBT, MICRO-MOBILITY AND ITS INCREASING ADOPTION WILL PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN DECARBONISING TRANSPORTATION ACROSS THE WORLD. MOREOVER, IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT TECHNOLOGY PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN PROVIDING RESIDENTS WITH EASE IN TRANSPORT ACCESSIBILITY” 0 4 8

G B T E C H TA L K

INTERVIEW

MAKING THE VIRTUAL WORLD MORE ACCESSIBLE DR BEN O. J. EL IDRISSI

Digital health solutions are on the cusp of a unprecedented growth due to augemented and virtual reality technologies, which offer unimaginable possibilities

COO AND FOUNDER AIMEDIS

How can Metaverse reshape the healthcare sector?

medical metaverse experience at the Arab Health exhibition in Dubai. Now we are onboarding forwardthinking healthcare providers and institutions that will offer services and education to their customers.

The development will continue, and our progress will compound over the next several years allowing more people, services, and products to be integrated.

We have seen incredible growth in the application of digital solutions within the last two decades. That growth has accelerated within the last two years with increased adoption of solutions that allow remote interaction.

The healthcare system is a complex beheHow do you see the future of healthcare and patient moth needing intense interaction strategies care in the Metaverse? to achieve efficiency and optimal outcomes.

For patients: The future of patient care in the Students, for example, can join lessons in the Metaverse will boost pre-and post-hospitalisation care Metaverse and participate in surgeries that for patients. The ability to communicate with healthdemonstrate details in 3D. care professionals from home will finally lower relapse Patients can speak with their doctors before surgery rates after therapies and surgical procedures and help and experience a digital walk through the facilities. Profesmanage treatment progress with less need to schedule sionals can discuss procedures with colleagues worldwide visits that could be difficult for and costly to patients. in digital conference rooms. Is this new? No, not in its Patient care in the Metaverse will also give both essence. However, the quality or, let’s say, immersiveness patients and doctors more control is a key differentiator. Technology over the long term management of not only makes virtual worlds more chronic diseases by allowing reguaccessible through better comput“WE LAUNCHED THE lar reporting and follow-up sessions ing power and virtual reality (VR) “HEALTH CITY” DEMO, between doctors and patients. headsets, it also provides more conWHICH IS THE FIRST The routine follow-up provided nection to devices that can support in our metaverse experience will the experience and actual treatment.

MEDICAL METAVERSE significantly affect the long term EXPERIENCE AT Can you tell us about your management of conditions and THE ARAB HEALTH company? lower unwanted complications We are an integrative blockchainfor patients.

EXHIBITION IN DUBAI” based platform with health-oriented blockchain apps for healthcare proFor healthcare sectors: Less stress fessionals and patients. We bring blockchain-exclusive on the infrastructure. The adoption of the Metaverse features, including security, interoperability, and scalin healthcare will shift a significant amount of the ability, to add new possibilities in the current medical workflow to remote-based services. The establishment eHealth space. We are creating the first B2B medical of remote services will ease the stress on infrastrucand scientific NFT marketplace, a healthcare ecosystem ture whilst giving patients better access to caregivers where users can buy and sell medical data. Our platform and strengthen our healthcare system, making it more provides a market for a large base of un-utilised data and resilient in facing emergent situations such as the delivers a vital resource for the pharma and health-tech Covid-19 pandemic. industry, which is crucial for drug, device, and software developments, including AI. Education: Education plays a huge role in healthcare and is perfectly transferable to the digital world.

Recently you launched your healthcare city Exhibitions, medical lectures, and other informational metaverse. Can you explain this? events will be a significant driver of participation We launched the “Health City” demo, which is the first among professionals and customers worldwide.

Q:

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CROSS REALITIES TO SHAPE OMNICHANNEL MARKETING Several industries are resorting to augmented reality and virtual reality to enhance their experience, says Pienaar

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he world of virtual and augmented reality has redefined immersive experiences for consumers, making leading brands pause and reflect on their omnichannel engagement with a new lens. Extended reality or cross reality (which broadly refers to AR, VR or mixed reality) is no longer confined to the realms of gamers and Gen Z. Accelerated by the pandemic, more and more brands across different industries are turning to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to enhance their experience, making cross realities (XR) consumers more common.

As more brands across diverse industries turn to new tech to enhance the XR customer journey, it’s becoming more accessible and commonplace. This is broadening the profile of the typical XR consumer which has only been accelerated by the pandemic, which forced more people across all generations to take their daily lives online.

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NICOLET PIENAAR HEAD OF MARKET INSIGHTS GFK MIDDLE EAST

This is particularly true of the AR market, given it has much broader applications. AR experiences tend to be more accessible and don’t typically require users to change their behaviour. VR on the other hand is currently more confined to the communications and entertainment sectors as users often need to wear goggles or headsets to access it.

How the pandemic has accelerated cross reality phenomena

Before the pandemic, consumers often visited stores to view, touch, and feel products before buying them online. This ability to see and feel a product before purchasing it on a digital platform was paramount. The restrictions in the pandemic meant that live experiences had to become virtual.

In the retail and consumer goods sector, AR experiences help XR consumers to virtually ‘touch and feel’ products without having to venture into stores. GfK Consumer Life data shows as many as 42.8 per cent of global consumers

want to use AR and VR to shop like they’re in a real store and 38.2 per cent to experiment with new products, such as cars or paint colours, before buying them.

XR consumers are an opportunity for brands

Imagine a future where customers no longer have to click-through pages of static product images. Instead, they can select a product type, then interactively click their way to make purchase decisions. They could even try it on or see what it might look like in their home.

Industry trends reveal that marketers now expect to use AR and VR more in the near future. And as 5G becomes more commonplace, accessing this type of content will be easier.

Another interesting concept is the Metaverse: a digital twin of our world which will become a much larger platform in the future. Using the Metaverse, brands can provide more tailored, personalised, and meaningful experiences, as the nature of it is uniquely experienced by every individual user in their own digital universe.

Unlocking the real potential of XR means making experiences as easy and seamless as possible to XR consumers, so they don’t think they’re doing anything different. Given the evolving consumer landscape, brands must see their customers in three dimensions (3D customers). This means combining insights that tell us what people are doing, why they are doing it and identifying all the major influences that also impact people’s purchasing decisions.

With the blurring of lines between virtual and physical realities, there is a need to address the concerns of XR consumers by increasing awareness, bridging technological skill gaps, attending to issues of data privacy and safety, and creating pricing segments in order to make the technology accessible to all.

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THE FUTURE ON THE INTERNET Web 3.0, for better or worse, will mimic and replicate real-world experiences and interactions better, says Dickenson Jr

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he Internet, or Web 2.0 as it should correctly be referred to, has done more to connect our daily lives than any other tool in our known universe.

Through it, we can hold video calls, share experiences, learn, teach, shop; the list is extensive. But in all its current glory, the Internet is still flat. What do I mean? Well, experiences on the current web version are two dimensional, mostly shared as images and videos. However, over the last couple of years, we’ve been getting glimpses of what Web 3.0 would be like.

Have you ever tried a filter from Instagram or Snapchat?

Maybe explored an object space or caught a Pokémon using augmented reality? These are the beginnings of the next version of the Internet - spatial, connected and experiential.

Web 3.0, for better or for worse, will mimic and replicate real – world experiences and interactions better. If you are old enough to remember the first chat rooms, compare them to

HAROLD S. DICKENSON JR EXPERIENTIAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR KANOUSEI

systems like WhatsApp and Facetime today. Even though they connected users worldwide, these experiences were relatively primitive in what they could share and where you could use them.

Now consider how technologies like volumetric video, depth-sensing cameras, faster connection speed and devices that continually get smaller but are much more powerful will influence the next wave of messenger apps. Volu – an app that allows iPhones to create volumetric videos – is already working on cracking some of these technical hurdles, and they are not alone.

“A LOOK AT SOME BRANDS WHO

UNDERSTAND THEIR AUDIENCES HAVE BEGUN TO PLAY IN THESE SPACES. THEY’VE HELD CONCERTS IN FORTNITE AND BRAND LAUNCHES IN POKEMON GO. COMPANIES ARE BEGINNING TO EXPLORE THE BENEFITS OF SPATIAL AND CONNECTED ENVIRONMENTS ”

Spatial is one of the most significant differences for the future of communication. It’s one of the key ingredients for changing the narrative from seeing to experiencing. Spatial puts you in the middle of what’s happening; it drives immersion and unlocks better-mixed reality experiences.

But why should brands and companies care about the technology that still isn’t ‘here’? I don’t believe that is the right question to be asking. Can companies afford to wait until Web 3.0 is matured to begin their journey? Well, what is their competition doing?

Even if they sit in a unique niche, the new trends of directto-customer, metaverse spaces, and NFTs will most likely impact industries similarly to how e-commerce did. In addition, recent trends such as v-commerce, i-commerce, play-to-pay, play-toearn, and community governance will also dictate if consumers want even to be associated with brands in the first place.

A look at some brands who understand their audiences have begun to play in these spaces.

They’ve held concerts in Fortnite and brand launches in Pokemon Go. Companies are beginning to explore the benefits of spatial and connected environments.

New ecosystems such as Odyssey Stream and The Cloud City Metaverse are using modern Pixelstreaming technology to push the capabilities and aesthetics of online experiences into Web 3.0 standards. Additionally, this year we are poised to launch several metaverse type brand engagement experiences with one or two explicitly focusing on the UAE and GCC region.

So Web 3.0 is coming, with new rules of engagement, brand activations and social constructs.

My question to brands and companies is, can you genuinely wait or have you already started experimenting?

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CREATING STRONGER HUMAN CONNECTIONS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Through the efficient use of digital tools, companies can deliver frictionless experiences, improving both customer satisfaction and profits

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xcellent customer experience (CX) is crucial for brands to survive, especially in a world where consumers expect consistent communication across multiple channels. As product offerings have become increasingly similar, the only way to differentiate and create loyal ambassadors is to be more relevant and responsive to people’s needs. Digital technologies are at the heart of customer interaction, and rather than being a barrier to personal connection, they offer exciting opportunities to engage more deeply through the channels buyers prefer.

Some of the main areas where technology can be leveraged to forge better connections in an experience economy include: OPT-IN MECHANISMS Getting people to opt-in to share their details and receive content is crucial to building a long-lasting personal relationship from day one. Opt-in places the consumer in control of the decision-making, allowing to engage them in a smoother digital dialogue. The latest online engagement tools can create suitable opt-in components that provide something of value 0 5 2

in exchange for the person’s time and interest, as well as to develop comprehensive strategies designed to increase opt-in ratios (and retain them) across different communication channels.

AHMED HAMDAN CO-FOUNDER AND CEO UNIFONIC

MEANINGFUL DATA As digital adoption has increased, so too has the desire for personalisation. 91 per cent of consumers are more likely to shop with brands who recognise, remember, and provide them with relevant offers and recommendations. The only way to know your customer is to maximise the data gathered in an omnichannel environment.

This means having digital systems in place to collect, maintain, and analyse information shared at every interaction, in order to create meaningful insights and address their pain points.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT Technology plays a huge part in

“CUSTOMER CARE AUTOMATION OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO RESPOND WITH RELEVANT NOTIFICATIONS AND GUIDANCE, RESULTING IN FASTER TURNAROUND TIMES AND BETTER OUTCOMES OVERALL”

enhancing customer service, which has expanded significantly now 24/7 online contact is the norm.

Customer care automation offers a wide range of opportunities to respond with relevant notifications and guidance, resulting in faster turnaround times and better outcomes overall. Agentless engagement reduces human involvement at critical points, but it also equips customer service reps with the ability to work smarter for the benefit of consumers.

ASKING FOR FEEDBACK Customer needs continuously evolve, and while data can help you make predictions about behaviour, feedback is still necessary to validate these assumptions. Various satisfaction metrics are available depending on the industry and different tools allow you to create a picture that combines qualitive and quantitative findings. From surveys, review functions, social media comments and customer service dialogue, honest feedback is the most valuable asset, enabling to make informed customer-centric decisions.

END-TO-END ENGAGEMENT Multiple contact points and communication channels present plenty of ways to create stand-out during the customer relationship. However, all of these elements need to work together to streamline the entire ‘phygital’ experience throughout. Customer engagement platforms allow the creation of a comprehensive framework based on the specific needs of the business, that unifies the different channels and connects the dots for a simpler more fulfilling journey incorporating everything from initial discovery to after-sales.

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IMPROVING COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH INTEGRATED BUSINESS PLANNING How to successfully integrate business planning taking into account the impact on people, processes and the technology

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ompetitive advantage is tightly associated with timely action. Any number of scenarios spring to mind – tennis matches, games of chess, bargains in marketplaces. Right now, economic recovery is gaining momentum across the region and enterprise leaders are trying to keep track of consumer sentiment, industry trends and a wide range of other data points that hold the key to their prosperity.

In this moment, traditional business planning can no longer rise to the modern standards required to deliver a tangible competitive advantage. However, integrated business planning (IBP) offers a compelling opportunity.

It is a cross-functional discipline that unites the plans of separate business units into a single coordinated strategy. It fosters greater transparency and up-to-theminute relevance, leading to enhanced quality and visibility of data, which offers numerous ways to increase value.

Here are the best-practice steps to successful IBP that account for the impact it will have on people, processes, and the technology ecosystem.

KNOW YOUR END GAME Roadmaps, by definition, have destinations. But in business planning, a vague destination can mean your roadmap is a highway to

ANDREAS SIMON DIRECTOR SALES MEA JEDOX

nowhere. Stakeholders must consider where they want to be, what they want to be doing, and how they want to be doing it, before embarking on the journey.

A “clearly defined strategy” may be a business cliché, but clichés are clichés for a reason.

COLLABORATE Gathering all relevant domain experts is practical and necessary if an organisation is to successfully restructure and achieve its stated financial goals. Collaboration should occur early and often, as it has the potential to identify any requirements gaps that can be plugged more easily at the beginning of the change management process.

CONSIDER THE FUTURE Forecasts do not have to be the nebulous stuff of market-gazers.

Many industry developments are well-telegraphed and allow planners to make the right moves to ensure they align with upheavals both small and large. Having as wide an array as possible of domain experts on hand during the planning process means an organisation is more likely to be aware of approaching crises and better able to compose reliable forecasts. These accurate views will inform everything from supply chain management and warehousing to technology procurement and even employee leave schedules.

MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE Transparent communication of everything relevant to the business, its current operations, its budgets, and its ambitions is critical in an IBP environment.

Well–defined, cross–departmental KPIs will ensure all stakeholders can see the road ahead and align their actions with the common purpose. A unified language that everyone understands also leads to greater confidence in the data, since all decision-makers receive the same multi-angle view of the organisation.

LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY Even with the best of wills, aging legacy technology systems can fall short on efforts to create rich, unified views of business performance. Modern software solutions known as enterprise performance management are ideal for delivering integrated business planning. It can bolt into the workflows of multiple departments and directly facilitate collaboration and transparency, paving the way to a culture change that benefits operational efficiency, increased planning accuracy, productivity, and a range of other business metrics.

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CLOUD HOLDS THE KEY TO HR TRANSFORMATION By automating processes and cutting costs, cloud platforms can be a game-changer for productivity and efficiency

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n recent years, to say “times have changed” would be to invite accusations of understatement. In 2020, we saw a massive overhaul of entire economies and industries around the world to absorb the operational shock of Covid lockdowns. Cloud adoption soared, and in the UAE, by one estimate, the public cloud services market alone grew by more than 40 per cent in 2020, compared with the previous year, to reach $645m.

Pre-Covid, the business case for cloud was established: fast, cheap IT that was elastic enough to fit the growing (or shrinking) needs of a business. The human resource (HR) function, which has taken on new significance since the arrival of the pandemic, can lean heavily on cloud platforms to deliver a range of new experiences for the talent they are trying to attract and retain.

ADMIN STRAIN

Let’s start with the obvious.

Core, manual tasks such as the 0 5 4

AYMAN KATTAN CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER BAYZAT

40%+

GROWTH

OF THE PUBLIC CLOUD SERVICES MARKET ALONE IN 2020

“Real-time data insights, garnered from business intelligence solutions, will provide businesses with information on how employees are using policies” processing of leave requests and expenses, and even the list of subtasks associated with onboarding a new employee, can be centralised, streamlined, and in many cases automated by cloud platforms. HR teams reclaim valuable time that can be used to innovate towards better employee experiences.

It is worth noting that these CX improvements extend to the HR teams themselves. They can easily work securely from anywhere while searching for this digital document or that and helping this employee with a leave request while supporting that one with helpful advice on health benefits.

HEALTH MATTERS

Health insurance is a notoriously difficult area for HR teams, as they try to synchronise cost considerations with the evolving needs of staff. Given the relative ease with which employees can now offer their labour (because of the potential globalisation of talent markets made possible by remote work), businesses must compete with others around the world.

Since employees put health insurance at the top of their agenda, it must consequently be at the top of employers’ agendas.

Cloud platforms grant access to a marketplace of other platforms and tools that are tailormade for solving such a challenge. Real-time data insights, garnered from business intelligence solutions, will provide businesses with information on how employees are using policies. This allows HR teams to collaborate with brokers and insurers to build benefits packages that fit behavioural trends.

PAYDAY GROANS

The days of manual Excel spreadsheets, widespread human error, and squandered person-hours are dispelled by the cloud. Cloud-based payroll records can be populated and updated by non-HR actors, including other employees and automated processes. And they can be accessed by finance managers day and night, from anywhere.

But perhaps the most exciting addition the cloud brings to an enterprise’s capabilities is the capacity to innovate. New tools are more readily available in the cloud, allowing organisations to build better working experiences for their employees, enhancing retention rates, and allowing the business to keep pace with its competitors.

With all these elements in place, the indispensable cloud can finally work its wonders, delivering value to HR and the employees it serves – employees made loyal by peerless experiences.

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Stay responsive with optimised value chains

THE DIGITAL ROAD TO THE GREEN HYDROGEN SECTOR Data-led development can help build a responsive and resilient clean hydrogen energy sector

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he world has shown its determination to slash greenhouse gas emissions and bring global warming levels down to 1.5°c on the road to tackling climate change. Achieving our ambitions will be the task ahead of us in 2022 and beyond, and the global community will need to use every available tool in its arsenal to do so.

Technologies that utilise hydrogen to create energy show great promise. Deployed effectively, hydrogen gas can power households and factories, and serve as a fuel for cars, ships and planes.

In the process, it could play a vital role in reducing the use of fossil fuels and minimising carbon emissions across several industries facing strict climate targets.

There are now 359 hydrogen fuel projects in development worldwide, with a total investment pipeline worth $500bn.

That includes $150bn in mature investments.

LET’S LOOK AT FOUR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS MAKING THE MOST OF THE HYDROGEN TRANSFORMATION:

01

Promote shorter engineering and design cycles

Short but effective design cycles are key to success. In greenfield projects and brownfield renewable

HARPREET GULATI SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTPLANNING, SIMULATION AND OPTIMISATION BUSINESS AVEVA

energy plants alike, digital process simulation can bring agility to the entire lifecycle of design, prototyping, training, and operations to accelerate the engineering cycle. Integrating design and build processes onto a single platform will allow businesses to function with global business footprints and remote working models so engineers anywhere can explore all dimensions of a potential design and quantify its impact on sustainability, feasibility, and profitability.

02

Unify data to improve decisions and optimise collaboration

In the modern industrial organisation, every aspect of the production process is monitored and analysed with sensors that can generate hundreds of thousands of data points. When collated across siloed departments and geographies, this information improves edge-to-enterprise visibility, while promoting integration and collaboration across functional departments to enhance daily activities and processes. Along the way, operational inefficiencies are exposed, empowering critical decisions and adjustments that directly impact the bottom line.

Using cloud and digital twin technologies, industrial data can be harnessed to improve responsiveness across the value chain. On the one hand, by closely monitoring operations in real time, optimisation techniques can sharpen plant performance and profits, while enabling troubleshooting of production processes and rapid analysis using rigorous models. At the same time, advanced supply chain oversight enables predictive responses to fluctuations in demand and available resources.

04

Expand plant reliability through AI-infused predictive analytics

Reducing downtime is a constant challenge for industrial organisations and it is not different for hydrogen production plants. Early warning notifications and diagnoses of equipment performance are essential to ensure that plants can operate to capacity when required, preventing mechanical or process failures. AI goes a long way to helping asset-intensive organisations reduce equipment downtime and increase reliability – while reducing operations and maintenance costs.

The lack of historical data here could pose initial challenges to reducing downtime. But by applying lessons from related industries and embedding process simulation with predictive analytics from the start, staff can foresee equipment failure from the outset.

Unlocking the enormous potential of green hydrogen will help us get to our climate goals faster.

In order to do so within a limited time window, it is vital that organisations arm themselves with the most advanced tools available.

“THERE ARE NOW 359 HYDROGEN FUEL PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT WORLDWIDE, WITH A TOTAL INVESTMENT PIPELINE WORTH $500BN. THAT INCLUDES $150BN IN MATURE INVESTMENTS” 0 5 5

FFEEAATTUURREESS GGAAMMI INNGG

GAMING-AS-A-SERVICE The gaming industry which was once considered a niche market has grown tremendously in recent years with regional governments adopting it as part of their national agenda

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G B T E C H TA L K

How do you see the growth of the esports ecosystem in the Middle East?

Electronic sports – or simply esports, is one of the world’s fastest growing tech and entertainment industries. In the Middle East, revenues, investments and audiences are consistently on the rise.

The industry has since expanded from its subculture beginnings into the monoculture realm.

Forecasts suggest that average esports players in the UAE will spend at least $115 per year in the next five years. This has pushed the government to invest billions of dollars in theme parks and other venues where esports players can access the games or take part in the competitions. Considering that about 70 per cent of UAE’s population is below 30 years, the entire business will potentially involve about 20 million people – many of which are school students.

What are the current esports and gaming trends that you are witnessing in the Middle East region?

With the gaming industry already witnessing a positive incline, we are now seeing a whole new community of people gaming, who perhaps a year back weren’t so passionate or interested. A trend we are seeing, particularly in Middle East and Africa (MEA), is a very diverse audience of people who game. Whether it’s young girls, working parents or even people over 60, we’ve worked with all of these communities over the years, recognising their love for gaming and giving them platforms on which to thrive.

The Middle East, and more specifically in GCC countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the gender split between male and female gamers is close to equal. As part of our efforts over the last few years to increase the visibility and opportunities for female gamers, we hosted the first-ever Legion Girl Cup in 2019, launched the Miss Esports platform in 2020 and League – all of which have helped girls to share their experiences, create a lasting impression amongst their peers and thrive.

We are also seeing more conversations on responsible gameplay and what that looks like – be it from a policymaking perspective, through parenting or specific controls on devices and games themselves.

Perhaps the biggest topics nowadays are esports

and cloud gaming. The future of gaming is most definitely digital. In recent years, there have been extensive plans for an esports and VR gaming complex in Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia also has its own Esports FedMohammed Hilili, general eration and as part of the manager, Lenovo Gulf Vision 2030 agenda.

With cloud gaming, we are talking about gaming on demand, or gaming-as-a-service. Traditionally, games have had to run locally on a user’s console, PC or mobile device – but now, they are coming to us via servers and streams.

It’s a new type of experience and a market that will only continue to grow.

How will your esports programme be beneficial to education institutions?

As with any competitive sport, esports gaming helps students develop discipline, teaching new skills and building engaged communities. But more than others, esports can foster an inclusive community that is largely independent of physical ability, gender, location and other factors.

With access to the right technology, diverse students from all backgrounds can compete on a global stage, and open professional opportunities for playing and developing games or digital media, streaming, influencing, and event organisation.

Recently, Gems Education and Lenovo partnered to accelerate opportunities for students in gaming, powered by the rollout of the our esports programme – a bespoke gaming solution for K-12 and university institutions with an interest in advancing their gaming offering. As part of the collaboration, we launched our first ‘Legion Gaming Zone’ at Gems Modern Academy in Dubai – a 360-degree solution consisting of Legion PCs and monitors for gaming immersion, high performance ThinkStation workstations for designing and programming.

The MoU will also provide the educational institution with Yoga Tab tablets, which will provide teachers with the tools to conduct lessons with greater visibility and efficiency and deliver on key outcomes. To keep gamers connected yet secure, the Lenovo esports solution also leverages innovations from leading esports venue software and services provider ggCircuit.

FORECASTS SUGGEST THAT AVERAGE ESPORTS PLAYERS IN THE UAE WILL SPEND AT LEAST

$ 115 PER YEAR IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

Do you see any gap in the region’s gaming industry? If yes, how can you foster the growth?

The future of gaming is most definitely digital. In recent years, there have been extensive plans for an esports and VR gaming complex in Abu Dhabi”

Our research indicates that an estimated 90 per cent of esports communities within schools have either not considered or are unaware of the opportunities to represent their school at a competitive gaming level. Many educational institutions are also yet to consider the direct correlation between esports and education, which can boost student engagement and foster the creation of a more inclusive community.

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F E AT U R E S GAMING

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF GAMING HOLD?

G B T E C H TA L K

The number of hours watched on Twitch rocketed from 3.1 billion in Q1 2020 to 6.5 billion in Q2 2021, a growth that attracted the attention of industry stakeholders. Consequently, game publishers are trying to find new ways of boosting fan engagement Chloé Brissaud, and monetisation by partnercommunications ing with content creators and lead, YaLLa Esports leveraging the interactive live features of these platforms. New movers are also entering the space, as is the case for Tik Tok recently launching its Commercially and technically, the video live stream capabilities. games industry has always been ahead of the But the most significant change the gaming industry is curve, driven by tech-savvy creators, digital currently undergoing is integrating Web 3.0 technologies in its core. “Play to earn” problematics are on the rise, as natives and early adopters shown by a consumer insight survey from Newzoo that points out a strong desire from players to trade in-game with real money. The idea of integrating transactions into games has been around for a long time, but publishers have historically been reluctant moderating in-game money exchanges. However, things are changing; and the introduction of new technologies is offering vast possibilities. Game publishers are now first in line to work on blockchain technologies and find a way to facilitate and secure player-to-player in-game transactions.

In parallel, the fast development of the Metaverse brings an arsenal of opportunities for game developers and virtual reality equipment manufacturers. These new technologies promise an immersive first-person video game experience that many players crave.

The Metaverse will also be a virtual reality where people can showcase their collection of non-fungible token (NFTs) – the importance of avatar cosmetics and personalisation options have been around since the inception of video games. Fashion brands are capitalising on these opportunities to distribute their products to a whole new type of clientele, and influencers have begun to create their collection of NFT while actively pushing for mass adoption of these tokens. he Covid-19 pandemic has permanently Esports’ relationship with blockchain and NFTs is just changed the face of the gaming indusbeginning to thrive. Historically, financially reliant on spontry and accelerated its development. As sorship, esports organisations and teams are striving to find many people were in isolation and craved new sources of income. As a result, they are starting to a human connection, the low entry baradopt NFTs to remodel the esports fan experience. Organirier of mobile gaming drove traffic and revenue sations are putting loyalty and rewards programmes on the until eventually overtaking the traditional PC and blockchain, allowing their fans to trade digital goods and console segments. The Middle East earn digital rewards based and Africa region is at the foreon their engagement and front of this transformation, with participation in certain ‘Play to earn’ problematics one of the highest mobile penetraevents. This new model are on the rise, as shown by a tions in the world, and this trend is increases engagement consumer insight survey from expected to continue in the future. and personal investment Another consequence of the in esports and will most Newzoo that points out a strong pandemic would be the partial definitely be transferred desire from players to trade replacement of social media by to traditional sports in the in-game with real money” video game streaming platforms. near future.

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THE RE V IE W

004 2022

ELITE 7 PRO

The earbuds feature Jabra’s multisensor voice technology P.61

60 12TH GEN INTEL CORE i9-12900KS

The unlocked i9-12900KS processor is for enthusiasts and gamers 0 5 9

P R O D U C T

04 | 2022

R E V I E W

12TH GEN INTEL CORE I9-12900KS

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ntel recently announced the availability of its 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900KS, which it says is the world’s fastest desktop processor. It delivers up to 5.5 GHz max turbo frequency — in spec with Intel thermal velocity boost and features its adaptive boost technology to provide the ultimate gaming experience.

The unlocked i9-12900KS processor is for enthusiasts and gamers who want the fastest processor available, said the company in a statement. The processor will be available beginning April 5 with a recommended price starting at $739.

KEY FEATURES • Up to 5.5 GHz max turbo frequency with Intel thermal velocity boost • Intel adaptive boost technology for improved gaming performance by opportunistically allowing higher multicore turbo frequencies • 16 cores (eight P-cores and eight E-cores), 24 threads, 150W processor base power, 30MB Intel smart cache, and PCIe Gen 5.0 and 4.0 support • Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s and DDR4 3200 MT/s support • Chipset compatible with existing Z690 motherboards with latest BIOS recommended for the best gaming experience

16 CORES (EIGHT P-CORES AND EIGHT E-CORES), 24 THREADS, 150W PROCESSOR BASE POWER, 30MB INTEL SMART CACHE, AND PCIE GEN 5.0 AND 4.0 SUPPORT

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G B T E C H TA L K

P R O D U C T

R E V I E W

KEY FEATURES • Jabra multisensor voice for professional-grade audio • Adjustable active noise cancellation (ANC) for full immersion • Nine hours non-stop play time with ANC, 35 hours with case • IP57 rated durability • Bluetooth version 5.2 • Use either earbud and multi-connect (by upgrade)

ADJUSTABLE ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION FOR FULL IMMERSION

• Alexa built-in, Siri and Google Assistant* (*Android only)

ELITE 7 PRO

J

abra recently introduced a new addition to its Elite series that includes the Elite 7 Pro. It features the company’s multisensor voice technology, offering good call performance. With an ultracompact design, the buds feature a re-engineered battery providing up to eight hours of battery life and up to 30 with the case. The company claims that a quick five-minute charge can give an hour of power.

Meanwhile, the bluetooth multipoint feature keeps the user fully connected to devices at once, making it seamlessly switch between work and play.

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COMPETITION

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Tech quiz whiz

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Do you code in your sleep? Do you know why SSDs are superior to standard hard drive technology?

If that’s you, make sure to participate in our quiz and stand a chance to win the Jabra Elite 3 earbuds.

Just email your answer along with your name, designation and contact details to divsha.bhat@motivate.ae and wait to hear from us.

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Wireless In-ear

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On-ear

Around the ear

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