Reseller Middle East January 2018 by Reseller Middle East

ISSUE 253 | JANUARY 2018 www.tahawultech.com

OUTLOOK 2018 BATTLING GREY MARKET MARKET FOCUS: KUWAIT

POWER PLAY

Asbis Middle East on seizing opportunities to strengthen channel business

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 253 // JANUARY 2018

COVER FEATURE

POWER PLAY

Asbis Middle East on seizing opportunities to strengthen channel business

18 BARRIERS TO CLOUD SELLING

HIGHLIGHTS

NEWS We help you catch up on all the major news and announcements in the regional channel community.

OPINION

16 SCOPE OF CHANNEL

Dell EMC’s Havier Haddad on how partners can be equipped to optimise the opportunities in 2018.

Alfred Manhart from NetApp elucidates the biggest challenges for partners when selling cloud solutions.

MESH OF OPPORTUNITIES Kristian Kerr from Juniper Networks discusses how self-driving networks can help partners embrace the era of digital cohesion.

FEATURES

32 GRAVE MATTERS

COCOON SMART HOME SECURITY SYSTEM

SIEMON ANNOUNCES NEW MAX HDMI ADAPTER

REVIEW

Reseller ME speaks to experts to find out if concrete measures can be taken to address grey market issues.

36 ON THE RISE

HOT PRODUCTS

Reseller ME examines the prospects present for channel businesses in Kuwait.

EVENTS

42 SNAP INTO THE FUTURE

The latest updates from Qualcomm Technologies’ second annual Snapdragon Tech Summit in Hawaii.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

EDITORIAL Sparking innovation

Janees Reghelini Editor

E-mail: janees.reghelini@ cpimediagroup.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TahawulTech Twitter: @TahawulTech

FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9139

Published by

Registered at Dubai Production City, DCCA PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 © Copyright 2018 CPI All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

he year gone by has been another tough one for most firms in the channel segment. Those players who didn’t abandon caution completely have been able to sustain the business and some have even managed to grow. In 2017, the primary challenges faced by partners were around credit issues, low margins, currency fluctuations and political instability. Channel organisations also spent the year understanding the implications of VAT being introduced from this month in UAE and Saudi Arabia. While several specifics of VAT still remain unclear to many channel players, overall the industry hopes with time it will drive automation and validate the market. However, it is important for all stakeholders to first understand thoroughly the processes required. The beginning of 2018 might see some unsteadiness in the market as players experience the practical consequences of VAT implementation. Post the initial setbacks, which is typical when anything new is introduced, experts say business will get back on track.

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Michael Jabri-Pickett mjp@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9158

Some also expect it to be a high-growth year as the opportunities that exist today have never been so attainable in the previous ones. With technologies such as cloud, Internet of Things, virtual reality and artificial intelligence increasingly taking a centre stage within the industry, partners have infinite avenues to grow. The knowledge and support that partners can access today truly offers them a chance to enhance their own operations as well as assist customers in their journey to the digital era. However, channel firms must rise to the challenge of offering differentiated solutions and services, which is currently lacking in the market today. We term everything as ‘innovative’ nowadays even without any genuine innovation. Partners need to recognise and seize the opportunity around each technology and market development to flourish in this New Year. In 2018, we hope differentiation and genuine innovation can be the cornerstone of the channel business.

Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com

PRODUCTION Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9159

Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9129

ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130

Operations Manager Shweta Santosh shweta.santosh@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9107

Editor Janees Reghelini janees.reghelini@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167

Sales Manager Merle Carrasco merle.carrasco@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9147

DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developers Jefferson de Joya Abbas Madh

Business Development Manager Youssef Hariz youssef.hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111

Photographers Max Poriechkin Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100

Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9135 DESIGN Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com

CIRCULATION Database and Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4440 9119

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www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

Lenovo DCG appoints Ingram Micro as Saudi Arabia VAD

Russell Theron, regional enovo DCG manager, Data Center (Data Center Group (DCG), Lenovo Group) has Middle East and Africa announced said, “Saudi Arabia is the an important market for appointment of Ingram Lenovo DCG and this Micro, as its value-added appointment in part of an distributor (VAD) in the aggressive growth plan Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we’ve set for the country. (KSA). By combining Lenovo’s As a part of this innovations with Ingram agreement, Ingram Micro, Micro’s technical expertise a regional technology distributor, will be Russell Theron, Lenovo DCG MEA and deep market insight, this strategic partnership is responsible for providing expected to empower our market growth specialisation, coverage and operational and offer enhanced solutions from clients management of Lenovo DCG’s portfolio to data centre and storage to businesses in the Kingdom. Lenovo’s data centre in Saudi Arabia. portfolio spans servers, storage, Shaikh Mohammed Abdullah, general converged and hyper-converged, manager, Ingram Micro KSA said, networking, hyperscale, software and “Lenovo is a global Fortune 500 company services.

By combining Lenovo’s innovations with Ingram Micro’s technical expertise and deep market insight, this strategic partnership is expected to empower our market growth and offer enhanced solutions from clients to data centre and storage to businesses in Saudi Arabia.” and a leader in consumer, commercial and enterprise technology. It is committed to transform the data centre customer experience in the region, and we’re proud to be enablers of this vision. Being appointed as VAD for Lenovo DCG in Saudi Arabia will allow us to expand our solutions to a wide-range of partners from small business to large-scale enterprise”.

Majid Al Futtaim to enhance advanced analytics capabilities

egional retail will see great value in our giant Majid Al personalised experiences.” Futtaim has Majid Al Futtaim has announced defined four elements plans to for its data analytics enhance its advanced transformation journey; analytics capabilities, which increasing group wide will allow the company to analytical capabilities, gather deeper consumer enriching data to maximise insights, and in turn, group synergies, enabling revolutionise the analytics through “statepersonalised experiences it of-the-art technology”, offers to customers. and delivering value from Alain Bejjani, Majid Al Alain Bejjani, chief data through advanced Futtaim Holding executive officer, Majid analytics. The company Al Futtaim Holding said, “At Majid Al is currently recruiting a group of data Futtaim, our customers are always at the engineers, scientists and translators who centre of everything we do. By investing will be embedded within the business in advanced analytics, we can more units to harness the power of data. intimately understand and predict their The School of Analytics and evolving needs and preferences, and in Technology, which was launched in turn, more effectively deliver experiences June, is a key driver of the data driven that fulfil our vision of creating great culture. Located at Majid Al Futtaim’s moments for everyone, every day. Leadership Institute in Dubai, the With a robust and diverse database of School has already started to deliver a unique customers, and best-in-class number of education programmes to tools, training and expertise now in employees focused on enhancing their place, we are confident our customers understanding of how analytics can be

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

used to improve the delivery of unique and engaging experiences, the firm said. It is also training a select group of employees to become Analytics Translators, who will act as the bridge between Majid Al Futtaim’s businesses and a group of advanced analytics experts. To harness all the available data across the business, these experts will be responsible for mining and analysing data in real-time, using sophisticated algorithms, before converting it into simple actionable insights.

15.2 % y-o-y DECLINE IN MEA PERSONAL COMPUTING DEVICES (PCD) MARKET Source: IDC

HIGHLIGHTS

Synack signs SecureLink as Middle East distributor SecureLink, a risk advisory firm based in Dubai and part of the StarLink group, has announced signing up distribution rights with Synack for the Reghu Mohandas, SecureLink region. Synack provides a solution that is hackerpowered/crowdsourced, on-demand, and actionable, helping clients realistically defend against cyberattacks. No longer are customers bound to limited skillsets and personnel, point-in-time testing periods, and limited support following an engagement from their testing providers. Using Synack, customers in the region will gain access to the world’s best security researchers and a powerful, data-driven security platform. Under this alliance, SecureLink said it will bring to this region a full-

service model of disruptive Penetration Testing encompassing a trusted, controlled penetration testing service with the diversity, continuity and incentive drivennature of bug bounty programmes. This is the first time that a solution of this nature is being launched in the Middle East, according to the firm. Reghu Mohandas, director, SecureLink said, “We are thrilled that through this partnership with Synack, we can offer our customers a truly adversarial approach to information security. The firm allows customers to continuously test their web, mobile, host, ICS or IOT infrastructure without being hindered by a lack of skillsets. With this partnership, the world’s best researchers are now available

With this partnership, the world’s best researchers are now available for enterprises in the Middle East. We think that this is going to change the way customers do their security testing forever.” for enterprises in the Middle East. We think that this is going to change the way customers do their security testing forever.” Ron Peeters, managing director EMEA, Synack said, “By onboarding SecureLink to our distribution network, we look forward to capitalizing on their expertise and reach in the GCC region. We intend to rapidly deploy our offensive security solution where customers can safely engage an exclusive set of highly skilled and trusted security researchers, enabling continuous testing of web applications, mobile applications, and host infrastructure.”

Ingram Micro expands Cisco portfolio with Meraki solutions Aptec, an Ingram Micro company, has announced that it now offers Cisco’s Meraki solutions for Cisco resellers in the Gulf Region. Meraki solutions by Cisco delivers a fast, simple path to cloud networking, simplifying end-users’ needs by allowing central management of wireless, security, switching and devices anywhere and at any time. Meraki is a solution to seamlessly carry out business in a cost-effective manner. As a value-added distributor in the Middle East region, Aptec, an Ingram Micro company, along with Cisco’s support will play an integral role in providing demo kits, sales trainings and one on one deep dive technical enablement sessions to help partners benefit from Meraki’s technology. “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Ingram Micro to incorporate our cloud-managed

networking footprint channel solution, Cisco partners can Meraki,” said Shadi touch.” Salama, channel “We are lead, East Region, excited to Cisco Middle East. expand our Cisco “The addition of Portfolio with Meraki solutions the addition of to the growing Meraki solutions, portfolio of Cisco which will help solutions offered by enable our distributor Ingram channel partners Micro addresses to successfully the market’s address new growing need segments of for feature-rich the market and cloud architecture enjoy recurring that drives faster revenues. It is Bahaa Salah, Ingram Micro connections, an excellent greater user capacity opportunity to and more coverage. Meraki solutions’ pave way for a digital transformation,” easy to deploy technology addresses a said Bahaa Salah, managing director, wide range of customer requirements, Aptec, an Ingram Micro company, GCC enabling us to further expand the and Near East region. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

Xiaomi opens second Mi Store in UAE

Xiaomi has opened its second Mi Store in Dubai, in partnership with its local distributor TASK FZCO. Its second UAE Mi store comes less than four months after the first store was opened. Located at Deira City Centre in Dubai, the company’s second physical store features a wide range of Xiaomi products from Xiaomi’s smartphones such as the flagship Mi 6 to Mi Ecosystem products including Mi Air Purifier 2, Mi Band 2 and the 10000mAh Mi Power Bank, among others. Customers can also purchase the recently launched Mi A1 and Redmi Note 5A at the new store. Raymond Tian, Xiaomi’s global strategy director, said, “The opening of our new Mi store reflects our commitment to provide UAE customers with greater accessibility to our broader product range. “The UAE with its immense potential is a key market in our expansion strategy in the MENA territories thanks to its rising economy, growing middle class, surging consumer confidence in technology, and increasing domestic consumption. Xiaomi, which is at the forefront of cost-efficient technological innovations, will capitalize on these many local and regional growth opportunities as we aspire to be seen as a leading technology company in the regional.” Ravi Mathew, chief operation officer of TASK FZCO, said, “The overall mobile market in the region is changing rapidly. The UAE is responding well to the introduction of connected smart handheld devices available at affordable prices. And since its entry into the UAE market, Xiaomi has seen remarkable growth. TASK is more than pleased to continue our partnership and collaboration with Xiaomi to enable more people to enjoy Xiaomi’s highquality products with amazing prices.” The new Mi store is located on the third floor between VOX cinemas and dine-in food court at Dubai Deira City Centre.

Canon recognises KSA channel partners Canon Middle East, has reinforced its commitment to KSA channel partners at its annual Imaging Inspired event. Held at the Mövenpick Hotel Riyadh, the event brought all its KSA channel partners under one roof highlighting ‘business performance and innovative selling practices. The event, held under the theme ‘Be Story Ready’, celebrated the achievements of channel partners in the Kingdom in the last year with an award ceremony with over 150 key Canon channel partner attendees. Venkatasubramanian Hariharan, B2C Business Unit Director, Canon Middle East said, “Our partners represent our brand in-market in the Kingdom, and our partner community is seeing accelerated growth and success with the broad Canon portfolio. As a leader in the imaging and business solutions category, it is essential for us to empower our partners and end-users with the best technological innovations of the future. These annual awards serve to recognise innovation and success, and also inspire the community to play a part in every image in the

Kingdom.” Securing the Canon Middle East Performance Awards this year was prominent regional retailer Jarir Bookstore in the DSLR & Lens category, as well as the Cameras & Selphy section. Acknowledging retailers for their innovative selling practices, Canon awarded the regions electronics giant eXtra for Best Customer Experience & Display, Best e-tailing & Social Media Collaboration, and recognized its performance in the inkjet category of printers. Al Ajyal secured the award for Innovative Selling Concepts. Al Ghamdi won the award for the laser category of printers while Phone for Communication was awarded for their performance in Printer Consumables category. The company also introduced its channel partners to Canon’s Cloud Services that are designed to bring people closer together: Irista, a cloud-based image management platform that stores files (images and videos) at full resolution, and a photo-sharing cloud-based platform called Lifecake, which is targeted at young mothers and mothers-to-be.

StarLink inks distribution deals with Centrify, FireMon

tarLink has expanded its portfolio by adding two new vendors last month. It has entered into an agreement with access and privileged identity management provider Centrify for the Middle East region. It has also signed up FireMon, a global player in network security policy management, to deliver its solutions across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. “StarLink is a reputed security specialist VAD with an impressive track record and large network of customers and channel partners across the region. Having already worked with StarLink in Africa and seeing the value they brought to our business there, we felt they would be a perfect partner for Centrify in the Middle East as well,” said Kamel Heus, regional manager Middle East

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

and Africa, Centrify. Kurt Mills, vice president, Worldwide Channel Sales and Operations, FireMon, said “With StarLink’s expertise and extensive channel breadth, we look forward to deploying our security management solutions in organisations across META, to help them reduce complexity, inefficiencies and errors within their security infrastructure.”

16%

INCREASE IN WORLDWIDE SERVER REVENUE IN Q3 2017 Source: Gartner

HIGHLIGHTS

Noon, eXtra tie up to distribute top electronics brands in Saudi Arabia

oon.com has recently signed a partnership agreement with United Electronics Company (eXtra), Saudi electronics giant to be the online platform’s exclusive partner for a range of consumer electronics and home appliance items. According to reports, the agreement will entail a collaboration between the two

partnership will improve Noon’s value proposition to its customers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he said. “Valuable and strategic partnerships with leading retailers such as eXtra enables Noon’s continued growth.” Abdullah Al Fozan, Chairman and Founder of eXtra, stressed on the importance of driving the Kingdom’s economic growth led by Saudi Vision 2030. “This partnership will make a positive

Mohamed Alabbar, Noon

firms on commercial, marketing and supply chain initiatives of electronic products such as Samsung, LG, Sony, Braun, Kenwood and Moulinex, among others. The strategic agreement positions eXtra and Noon as key partners in the fastgrowing e-commerce market in the region. The $1 billion e-commerce platform officially began its operations in October this year. It aims to be an Arabic-first offering by partnering with market leaders, small and medium enterprises, helping them gain a greater share of the e-commerce market in the region. Noon founder Mohamed Alabbar said that the partnership with eXtra is consistent with the company’s vision of making the platform for the region’s retailers to come together on a digital marketplace. “We believe this

impact on the market growth, including the creating of new job opportunities for the youth in the Kingdom,” he added. Noon is headquartered in Riyadh, and has already put in place a dedicated distribution hub, distribution channels and a secure payment gateway for serving Saudi customers. It also has a dedicated delivery fleet in Saudi Arabia, with professionals who know the market, and also offers flexible payment solutions. Mohamed Galal, CEO, eXtra added that the vision of eXtra’s partnership with Noon is to deliver customer flexibility, enabling them to buy from anywhere, at any time, delivered at any place, or picked from 43 stores in 26 cities, offering various payment option – Saddad, credit card, installment, cash on delivery, and supported with eXtra’s lowest price guarantee, and extensive after sale services.

eHosting DataFort attains Level 4 accreditation for CDC eHosting DataFort (eHDF) has announced the certificate of achievement (CREST Maturity Model) for its Cyber Defence Centre (CDC)/ Security Operation Centre (SOC) based in Dubai Internet City. The Cyber Security Incident Yasser Zeineldin, eHDF Response certificate demonstrates the maturity level of eHDF’s CDC/SOC and showcases the effective policies, processes and procedures the company has in place in helping customers to detect, contain, eradicate and recover from significant cybersecurity incidents in a fast, effective and secure manner. CREST provides standards and requisite qualifications for companies and individuals providing security services. The certificate is designed to provide customers with confidence that the Managed Security Services Provider that they deal with has the necessary defences in place to protect their information against the most common cyber threats. The test criteria cover information security best practices contained within the ISO 27001 standard. Only those businesses that apply the very highest level of expertise and professionalism to security are able to pass CREST’s highly technical assessment programmes and achieve the accreditation. eHDF said it managed to complete the stringent certification process in a record time within few weeks due to the existing compliance with several other industry standards like PCI-DSS, CSA-STAR and ISO 27001, 22301, 20000, 9001. This places the company high on its maturity in security mandates and governance. The procedure required thorough assessment to evaluate the process, technology and systems that govern the information security architecture and to ensure that the standards are met. Additional measures were incorporated to meet the required controls. “Having started our CDC earlier this year, we have moved towards solidifying our customer confidence not only with our technology and services, but also with our continuous efforts in raising the bar by offering a complete set of security services. The certification based on CREST framework and maturity assessment model provides added assurances that the eHDF CDC has appropriate methodologies and expertise to deliver Managed Security Services and effective cybersecurity incident response services,” said, Yasser Zeineldin, CEO, eHosting DataFort.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

Saudi to levy VAT on e-commerce transactions

he General Authority of Zakat and Tax (GAZT) of Saudi Arabia has announced that electronic sales and purchases are subject to the value added tax (VAT) of 5 percent, and that Customs will collect it when goods enter the Kingdom through border crossing points, according to Arab News. GAZT affirmed that VAT will be applied to goods imported from the GCC countries as a temporary measure until activation of the electronic service system between the GCC countries. Electronic services such as software, e-subscriptions, mobile applications, and digital content will be governed by special laws that determine how the VAT is applied to them. GAZT stated that if the supply is a service from outside the Kingdom, the recipient in the Kingdom must calculate the tax according to the reverse charge mechanism.

The reverse charge is defined as a mechanism by which the recipients of taxable services calculate the VAT payable instead of the non-resident supplier. GAZT said that if the service recipient is the final consumer, the nonresident service provider must register in the Kingdom for VAT purposes,

regardless of the volume of its supply. In cases where electronic services are provided via electronic platforms acting as intermediaries for non-resident suppliers, these platforms will be responsible for the calculation of the tax value, rather than on behalf of nonresident suppliers. GAZT called on all qualified entities to be fully prepared to apply the tax on January 1, 2018 and to access www. vat.gov.sa/ar. The website contains a â&#x20AC;&#x153;guideâ&#x20AC;? that provides a simplified explanation of the basic concepts that enterprises need to apply for the value added tax, as well as a wide range of tools and information that serve as a reference for enterprises to achieve their readiness. GAZT has called on enterprises with annual revenues exceeding SR1,000,000 ($266,630) to register for the VAT before December 20, 2017, in order to avoid fines and suspension of many government services, says the report.

HIGHLIGHTS

Smartphone sensor shipments to top 10B in 2020: study Today’s smartphones contain a plethora of sensors which provide an array of features and functionalities boosting the overall user experience of the device. Some premium smartphones have already integrated more than 15 different sensors and this number is set to increase due to technological advances in MEMS and other sensor technologies driving newer use cases. According to Counterpoint’s Components Tracker research, all sensors combined, more than 6 billion sensors were shipped within smartphones in 2017 and it is estimated to cross the 10 billion mark in 2020. Pavel Naiya, senior analyst, Counterpoint Research, said, “Sensors such as accelerometer, compass, gyroscope and ambient light sensors

(ALS) have become ubiquitous across smartphones even down to a sub$50 category. These sensors have been the key components to make a phone smarter carving out meaningful use-cases from navigation, gaming, augmented reality to preserving battery

life and much more. Similarly, biometrics base sensors in smartphones have seen greater adoption in the last few years. For example, more than a billion smartphones to be shipped in 2018 will sport a fingerprint sensor and close to 400Mn will feature some form of face unlock biometric sensor solution.” He adds that health based sensors such as Heart Rate, SpO2 are picking up traction though mostly in premium offerings and mainly driven by Samsung for enhancing its S Health offering. Adoption by other brands will depend upon their companion wearables strategy. However, for some OEMs, rising Bill of Materials (BoM) costs pressure will be a barrier to adopt these special sensors.

AWS revamps AWS Partner Network customers have access Amazon Web Services, (AWS), to the best software and an Amazon.com company has services for AWS and so that unveiled several new features our partners can continue for its marketplace and AWS to build successful cloud Partner Network programme businesses on AWS.” to further simplify the AWS also introduced the purchasing and deployment preview of a new enterprise of third-party software on feature for sellers and buyers AWS. The company also in the AWS Marketplace introduced new AWS Partner – the Enterprise Contract Network (APN) programmes for AWS Marketplace. to increase consulting partner Terry Wise, AWS Designed by a working success and aid ISVs in group of 30 enterprise software buyers building their SaaS businesses on AWS, and sellers, the Enterprise Contract for as well as new APN competencies in AWS Marketplace is an agreed upon Machine Learning and networking to help customers select APN Partners with standardised contract template between enterprise software buyers and sellers the right expertise. “As businesses of all sizes continue to that resolves challenging terms including move to AWS, the majority of the Fortune liability, dispute resolution, IP protection, warranty, and more across multiple 500 companies and over 90 percent of vendors the Fortune 100 utilise APN partners for Enterprise Contract for AWS specialised technology and expertise,” Marketplace is currently available said Terry Wise, vice president, Global in preview to interested enterprise Alliances for Amazon Web Services. “In customers and will be generally available fact, in the past year we have added to all sellers and enterprise buyers who more than 10,000 new partners to the APN, and more than 160 thousand active choose to accept the standardised enterprise contract terms in the first customers are using software from AWS quarter of 2018 Marketplace. To support this growth, The firm also introduced the AWS we are continuing to invest heavily in the Solution Provider Programme for APN Programme to ensure that AWS

APN Consulting Partners and new programmes for technology partners to build and grow their AWS-based SaaS offerings. The AWS Solution Provider Programme, which will be available in early 2018, replaces the Channel Reseller Programme and offers a new, tiered incentive structure that rewards APN Consulting Partners who are innovating on behalf of their customers with proven solution capabilities and have achieved competencies in the areas of migration, Managed Service Provider (MSP), and/or DevOps. The programme also provides more flexible contracting and support options for AWS Partner Network members in key competency areas. The new AWS Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Factory provides a comprehensive set of enablement content and collateral for APN Technology Partners with SaaS offerings. According to the firm, the new SaaS Accelerate Programme aids technology partners in driving increased profitability with go-to-market support for their SaaS solutions including funding for lead generation and customer proof-ofconcepts, and resources for joint sales support. The AWS SaaS Factory and SaaS Accelerate Programme will be available in early 2018.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

Avaya exits Chapter 11, completes restructuring

vaya has announced that it has successfully completed its debt restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11. Executives from Avaya International celebrated the announcement with key channel partners from the UAE and Oman at an Avaya Edge World Tour event hosted in Dubai. Nidal Abou-Ltaif, president, Avaya International, thanked the partners for their commitment and support during the Chapter 11 process. “This is the beginning of an important new chapter for Avaya,” said Jim Chirico, Avaya’s president and CEO. “In less than a year since the commencement of our Chapter 11 restructuring, Avaya has emerged as a publicly traded company with a significantly strengthened balance sheet. Overall, we reduced our prior debt load by approximately $3 billion, and we exit today with more than $300 million in cash on our balance sheet. The reduction of our debt and certain other long-term obligations

will also improve solutions through annual cash flow by emerging technologies approximately $300 such as artificial million compared to intelligence, analytics, fiscal 2016. blockchain and the “We have the Internet of Things. flexibility we need The event is also to invest in the large outlining Avaya’s and growing contact roadmap for 2018 in centre and unified delivering customer communications experience solutions markets as we for industries such complete our as financial services, transformation to a healthcare, hospitality, software, services retail, and government. and cloud solutions Avaya is taking the provider. With a new steps necessary to board and leadership list on the New York team firmly in place, Stock Exchange. The Avaya is now wellcompany expects to Nidal Abou-Ltaif, Avaya positioned to execute have approximately on its growth plan 110 million shares and deliver the returns and value outstanding upon emergence. expected by our stakeholders.” Centerview Partners LLC and Zolfo During the Dubai leg of the Avaya Cooper LLC are Avaya’s financial Edge World Tour, company executives and restructuring advisors and are exploring how Avaya and its Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the company’s ecosystem of partners are creating restructuring counsel.

Dubai Economy holds unified contract workshop for electronics firms Ahead of the implementation of the unified contract, the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in Dubai Economy organised a workshop for electronics firms in the emirate. The objective of the workshop was to explain the regulations regarding the unified contract that should be part of any sale or service of electronic goods and spare parts in the UAE effective 2018, according to a report in Al Bawaba. The ‘Unified Electronic Contract,’ which includes three contracts for sale, warranty, maintenance and spare parts, will be effective as of early January 2018. Each dealer or distributor will be required to honour all the guarantees provided by the producer or the customer in accordance with Article 12 of the Consumer Protection No. 24 of 2006, which obliges suppliers of any commodity to repair, maintain and provide after-sales service, and return

the commodity within a specified time once a defect is brought to their attention, said the report.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

“The main objective of unified contract is to ensure the commitment of electronics companies to the interests of consumers and enhance consumer confidence in the local market, in addition to eliminating any after-sale uncertainties,” said Ahmad Al Zaabi, senior manager consumer awareness, CCCP. The unified contract should include all product details, serial number and date of purchase. The seller may also add other information, provided that they do not conflict with any of the provisions of the unified contract or Consumer Protection Law No. 24 of 2006. Al Zaabi added that the warranty terms must be clarified by the dealer or distributor in accordance with the Consumer Protection Law. “The contract should include customer information and warranty period in addition to the warranty terms.” Sale of any electronic product without a dated contract is prohibited.

HIGHLIGHTS

VAT to compound ‘dire’ GCC mobile phone market Research firm IDC has said that the introduction of value-added tax in January 2018 will exacerbate the outlook for the mobile phone market in the GCC region. With VAT of 5% becoming effective across the UAE and Saudi Arabia on 1st January, and the rest of the GCC following suit later, questions are being asked about what this means for the region’s mobile phone market. IDC monitors developments in the space through its Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, and the technology research and consulting firm examines the potential implications for the market. The concerns come at a time when the region’s mobile phone market is already in a state of flux, with IDC’s latest Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker showing that overall shipments increased just 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2017 to total 6.4 million units. Smartphone shipments declined 4.9% over the same period, so the scenario could have been even more perilous had this decline not been offset by a 13.0% increase in feature phone shipments across the GCC. Looking further ahead, IDC expects the introduction of VAT to

have a negative impact on smartphone shipments to the UAE and Saudi Arabia during the first half of 2018, with these two markets set to experience a combined -10.1% decline when compared with the same period of 2017. “Given that mobile phones are included in the list of VAT-able items, the entire industry – vendors and distributors alike – are wondering what they can expect from consumers in a post-VAT economy and how they can prepare for it,” said Nabila Popal, a senior research manager at IDC. “Many are looking at global case studies where there was a huge buildup of stock in the channel preVAT followed by a major slump in sales post-VAT, and they are understandably wondering whether we might see a repeat in the GCC. “The GCC mobile phone market is already going through many significant challenges outside of VAT, due to various ongoing social, political, and economic developments, and VAT will only compound this dire situation. “Indeed, many industry experts feel this is the worst possible time that VAT could have been introduced, with demand already faltering due to consumers no longer being enticed by

The GCC mobile phone market is already going through many significant challenges outside of VAT, due to various ongoing social, political, and economic developments, and VAT will only compound this dire situation.”

the ‘amazing’ new features advertised by vendors as they try to push they latest devices. “There is already a large amount of stock left over in the channel from previous quarters, so distributors are not looking to increase their shipments in the pre-VAT weeks, with many even looking to vendors to reduce their targets for Q4. IDC’s recently published Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker supports this assumption, predicting a quarteron-quarter increase in smartphone shipments to the UAE and Saudi Arabia of just 5.0% in Q4 2017, which can be attributed to the traditional seasonal increase rather than to any pre-VAT stock buildup.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

APPOINTMENTS

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

An overview of the latest people movement within the IT channel business.

Microsoft appoints new country manager for Bahrain, Oman public and privateMicrosoft has sector organisations appointed Saif Hilal Al in Bahrain and Hosni as the country Oman and with their manager for Microsoft digital transformation Bahrain and Oman. journeys, as both Al Hosni will countries continue spearhead Microsoft’s to implement efforts to assist public their long-term and private-sector economic-reform organisations in programmes. Bahrain and Oman After joining and with their digital Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Microsoft Microsoft in 2009, transformation Al Hosni spent over journeys 8 years and held key positions in the Al Hosni will drive Microsoft’s efforts public-sector to drive the company’s to assist public and private-sector mission of empowering organisations organisations in Bahrain and Oman with to achieve more. Most recently he was their digital transformation journeys. the Regional Manager for Small and In his new role, Al Hosni will Mid-Market Solutions and Partners spearhead Microsoft’s efforts to assist

Digital Shadows strengthens management team Digital Shadows has announced several key appointments to its management team designed to scale the business in support of company growth following Series C funding earlier in the year. The firm has appointed Samantha Murphy to the new post of vice president customer success. The role involved heading the customer satisfaction team that ensures clients across the globe gain the full value and benefits of the company’s SearchLight service. Murphy has 20 years of experience building technical and customer success centers to serve global enterprise client including with Sage, CMO Software, Trend Micro, and McAfee. Digital Shadows has also appointed its first chief information security officer (CISO) and head of IT. Rick Holland will expand his

Samantha Murphy, Digital Shadows

current role as VP Strategy to become CISO responsible for the firm’s own security risk management, security improvement projects, compliance programme and vendor assessment support function. He will continue to be responsible for Digital Shadows’ research and strategy programmes.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

(SMSP), leading Microsoft’s public-sector team. He has previously served as the IT Director at Oman’s Ministry of Finance. “Microsoft has a long and strong tradition in the public and private sectors of Bahrain and Oman,” said Saif Al Hosni. “Digital transformation, powered by the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge can build a responsive, modern workplace that allows organisations to engage customers, empower employees, optimise operations and transform their business models. With Microsoft’s holistic security platform, business applications and technologies, I look forward to working closely with our customers on these transformative journeys – contributing to the social and economic growth in both countries.”

Becky Pinkard, Digital Shadows’ vice president, service delivery and intelligence operations, will now also take responsibility for IT across the company. Another key appointment is that of Ian Cuthbertson as director of Sales Engineering. Cuthbertson has more than 15 years’ experience in cybersecurity, threat detection and response, SIEM, forensics and SOCs with RSA security. “Digital Shadows continues to grow rapidly due to our success in protecting customers from digital risks. To support this growth, we are thrilled to have Murphy and Cuthbertson join the management team especially as we expand into new markets and regions,” said Alastair Paterson, CEO and cofounder, Digital Shadows. “Holland and Pinkard are already integral parts of our management team, and I am excited about the energy and leadership they will bring to these two new roles as we continue our mission to protect our clients’ digital footprint and help to manage their digital risk.”

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OPINION // DELL EMC

Scope of channel

Havier Haddad, senior channel director, Dell EMC, reflects on the year gone by and how partners can be equipped to optimise the opportunities in the new year.

usiness opportunities with increased focus towards digital transformation and demand for cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) among organisations were two dramatic developments over the course of 2017. IoT and cloud computing represented a significant opportunity for channel partners, who can build platforms as pro-active and trusted advisers in the implementation and management of new infrastructure and enterprise protocols. Efficiency, simplicity, innovation and collaboration will be key to capitalise on new avenues of business for the channel ecosystem in 2018. Efficiency and simplicity in terms of resourceful partner programmes such as our unified Dell EMC programme that preserves the best aspects of two world-class legacy programmes and addresses the needs of partners today and into the future. Innovation and collaboration pertains to partners rising to the role of a strategist to their customers, generating trust and

providing them with tailored information that can help customers better unlock the potential and benefits of the products and services the organisation is implementing. In 2018, we will see artificial intelligence (AI), IoT and cloud computing assume a central position and drive channel business. Channel partners who think about the customer needs and growth opportunities that can be solved with IoT will contribute to positive development in the sector. In the new year, businesses will overwhelmingly move toward a multicloud approach, taking advantage of the value of all models from public to private, hosted, managed and SaaS. This will result in the emergence of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mega cloudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which will weave together multiple private and public clouds to behave as a coherent, holistic system. As a novel opportunity, customers will have to incorporate AI to bring automation and insight to a new level from this next generation IT environment.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

The Middle East, unlike other regions, is home to forward-looking organisations that consider technology as an innovation enabler and a competitive differentiator. Hence, channel partners need make a concerted effort to bridge the skills gap through trainings and certifications and have the right talent in place to ensure greater outcomes that result in higher levels of user satisfaction and expanded technology utilisation. With the wave of digital transformation sweeping across the Middle East, a number of the leading private enterprises and Government departments are in the midst of building a strong technology foundation to ensure digital-readiness. This indicates that there is a very positive uptake of advanced solutions such as hybrid cloud, flash storage, hyper-converged infrastructure, and software-defined solutions. So, to be successful, partners need to ensure they cater to customers with the right technology solutions to meet the length and breadth of their IT challenge.

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esigned for education, the ThinkPad 11e and Lenovo N24 are the best students at adapting to different ways of learning and teaching. These highly durable and dependable laptops are versatile, quiet and offer blazing-fast responsiveness and an amazing battery life. Their physical experience reflects the quality of their design. Each key is calibrated with its own specific feedback and its surface is shaped to fit the curve of your finger. Typing for long periods of time easily becomes a natural and comfortable experience. These highly versatile devices work as a laptop or a tablet for lessons in class or study at home. Learning or teaching can reach a new level of efficiency with these two classroomready laptops. Both the Lenovo N24 and the ThinkPad 11e are optimised to run ThinkPad 11e From book-bags to buses to desks, this device is ready to go through any kind of toss, spin, drop or spill that could ever occur at school. The top cover is protected by a special rubber bumper while the corners are reinforced to withstand drops of up to 90cm. The ThinkPad 11e is one of the most rugged and dependable devices out there. It passed magna cum laude 23 military-grade tests such as high pressure, humidity, vibration, high temperature, temperature shock, low pressure (15,000 ft), low temperature, solar radiation, fungus, and dust. That’s way more problems than you would ever find in a classroom.

Lenovo N24 This laptop works and thinks the way students do. With its 360-degree hinge it can be used in tablet mode to sketch over documents, in laptop mode for taking notes and tent and presentation mode for collaboration and communication. This device was engineered for education as it supports the full range of classroom experiences. Even when homework gets hard the Lenovo N24 will handle anything that is thrown at it. Its semi-rugged design makes it durable enough to withstand bumps and drops and even the accidental spill thanks to its internal drainage channels. Learning is different for everyone and this laptop adapts to each style.

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Thanks to Active Pen support, students can draw, diagram, and take notes directly on the N24’s display. The whole experience is natural and intuitive due to pin-point accuracy and precise pressure sensitivity. Also, the palm rejection feature prevents unintentional marks and makes using the Active Pen comfortable and ergonomic. With a full slate of ports, a battery life that last a whole school day, four usage modes and a display that doubles as a sketch pad this laptop is ideal for students and school life. Windows 10 Pro. With Microsoft’s multi-layered enterprise-grade security features you know that Windows 10 Pro means business. Get more control on existing infrastructure with Azure Active Directory Domain Join and get more on your investment with more durable components, longer warranties and better support options. Windows 10 Pro devices with Intel Core processors have up to 2.5x better performance, 3x longer battery life and wakes up from sleep mode 4x faster than a 5-year old laptop. Get the right technology for top notch performance in any learning environment. The Lenovo N24 and the ThinkPad 11e are designed for students and teachers alike and fit the bill of any school. With features created to help learning, studying or teaching these devices help make light work out of school work.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

OPINION // NETAPP

Barriers to cloud selling

Alfred Manhart, senior director channel and SI EMEA, NetApp, elucidates the biggest challenges for partners when selling cloud solutions.

here is a widespread misconception about the cloud always being a simple, easy-to-set-up solution and that the process ends there. The truth is that using cloud is an elaborate process that involves immense planning, integration, implementation and management, maintenance, support and every other aspect you can imagine. With the increasingly diminishing focus on hardware, value-added resellers (VAR) need to evolve simultaneously by adding more and more services and products that provide business solutions to their portfolios. VARs must focus on developing business solutions that involve various platforms, products, and customer-oriented services to become consultants that help their customers succeed and keep up with

the ongoing digital transformation that is redefining the way enterprises function. There is a high revenue potential in cloud services but with a different split and segmentation. Cloud services are swiftly transforming revenue models. Therefore, resellers need to explore new ways to fit in and stay relevant in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) world. VARs need to explore opportunities presented by changing business and financial models along with vendors and end customers. For instance, small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) look for one bill and one service provider, which in turn creates opportunities for cloud resellers to come up with innovative cloud services packages with other hardware and software purchases. VARs operating in traditional spaces may fail to attract vendors and distributors over time, leaving them

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

with lesser opportunities in the market and prompting their transformation into cloud resellers to compensate for the lost revenues. Cloud has emerged to be one of the most important aspects of digital transformation. Around 67 percent of all enterprise IT infrastructure and software spending will be on cloudbased solutions by 2020, according to IDC. The time is ripe for the channel to rise up to the challenge by providing comprehensive cloud computing technology certification programmes. Investing in education, certifications and specialisations must become a priority for partners in order to stay ahead of the competition. With the advent of hybrid cloud, vendor portfolios are changing drastically, and training programmes aimed at honing expertise are becoming increasingly important. Some partner firms are

even adopting mandatory training requirements as part of their employee bonus programmes. Finding and addressing the needs of new line-of-business decision

Alfred Manhart, NetApp

makers is another key area that should not be overlooked. Education and IT channel training around business basics and enhanced communication with customers are needed to develop non-technical sales professionals. Enterprises are showing an increased interest in hybrid cloud and are seeking new approaches to IT. The market is witnessing an emerging need for a new breed of business analysts: professionals who can help customers rationalise workloads and assist them with their cloud choices. Resellers and end-users must gain a better understanding of what the cloud is as the subset of definitions within the cloud becomes stronger. In line with the ongoing massive business model transformation, channel operators need to grow their engagement with broader and more complex ecosystems. Given that they are the final layer of the consumption model that customers want to use, the commercial constructs of channels’ engagement with their clients is becoming the basis for decision making. At the other end of the spectrum, the reseller-centric channel is becoming increasingly centred on adopting new consumption models and being cloud-ready. Generating annuity services business and software subscription revenues are new concerns. The diversification of business services and models to include managed services and improving credentials in the services area should be among the priorities of the channel.

As long as resellers understand their customers’ needs and offer the right kind of services to help them with their business priorities, positioning themselves as trusted managed services providers (MSP) is not a difficult goal to achieve. Shifting from a traditional services-provider role to a trusted, value-adding MSP starts with understanding the full responsibilities of an MSP, and then working towards meeting these requirements. Establishing a business model is the next step. Aspiring managed services providers should be proactive and consider automating some of their routine IT support services as this will help them differentiate themselves. Restructuring your entire business model to focus on sales and delivery of cloud services is not easy as one might think, and it involves an immense amount of careful planning, preparation and research. Morphing into a cloud services delivery partner can significantly impact sales teams and their positioning of the cloud. Managing this business model transition can be challenging if you are dependent on large capital purchases from customers every quarter. In order to make this transition process less bumpy, consider beginning with cloud service sales, and gradually add the number of managed services in your portfolio. This will help in maintaining a healthy balance by preventing negative effects on your current business processes, and simultaneously paving the way for future cloud revenue.

“The time is ripe for the channel to rise up to the challenge by providing comprehensive cloud computing technology certification programmes. Investing in education, certifications and specialisations must become a priority for partners in order to stay ahead of the competition.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

OPINION // JUNIPER NETWORKS

Mesh of opportunities

Kristian Kerr, EMEA head of channels, Alliances and Commercial, Juniper Networks, discusses how self-driving networks can help channel partners embrace the era of digital cohesion.

he networks of today are becoming unsustainable. Never before have networks been so heavily replied upon for business success and yet been increasingly less fit-for purpose to deal with the future. It’s not just the increasing reliance on networks to power and connect businesses and customers, including everything from voice and data to storage and device sharing, or the rise of highly sophisticated hackers eager to access private data via the network. It’s these elements, combined with the expected proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), and the onset of an era of what we call digital cohesion. As we move towards the emergence of digital cohesion, with a greater reliance on network-based mega-services that adapt to and predict our behaviour, the

pressure on our networks will become unprecedented. The impact on businesses and public-sector organisations will be profound; networks could become a fundamental bottleneck to business development and innovation. The rising complexity of managing more devices, added security measures and increasing levels of support will have cost implications, and any chances of competitive advantage will be negated by slowing time-to-market for products and services. The financial burden and manpower needed to make networks more resilient and defend them in the face of rising complexity could be devastating for many enterprises. These challenges in the era of digital cohesion, will be met by the advent of automated, programmable and self-defending networks that can

adapt and cope with predictive artificial intelligence-based services that change and adapt to our behaviour. Digital cohesion will help us – channel partners and their customers - make better, faster business decisions based on facts and data, and at the heart of it sits the self-driving network. Like autonomous cars, the selfdriving network started its journey a long time ago and will take time to be widely adopted due to the change in mind-set and IT infrastructure needed, and this will likely start with a phased or semi-automated approach. However, whether it will take another 10 years like the expected move to autonomous cars is unlikely – quite simply businesses do not have the luxury of a 10-year adoption phase. Network capacity is already nearing maximum in many organisations and struggling to keep

“The self-driving network gives VARs the opportunity to elevate themselves into more customer buying centres across the customer’s organisation as the network becomes the platform to deliver more services.” Kristian Kerr, Juniper Networks

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

up with the demand â&#x20AC;&#x201C; driven by growth in IoT, the increasing sophistication of hackers and the level of resource required to manage it. The self-driving network, like cars, will be fully automated, selfprogramming systems that can make autonomous decisions without human intervention. It will be able to monitor, manage, self-configure, detect, defend, update and analyse everything happening on the network, predicting any issues before they occur. With less operational complexity, costs can be reduced, and manpower redeployed. With fewer network team members focused on the day-to-day running, upkeep and monitoring of the network, these skills can be refocused on tasks that will help drive revenue back into the business, transforming the networking team from a cost canter to a hub for business enablement and innovation. Additionally, a self-driving network can self-configure and completely auto-provision, helping to consolidate network services and virtualisation requirements. This results in less storage space, less maintenance

and power savings within the data canter. Finally, most of the outages within a network are caused by human error misconfiguring or provisioning incorrectly and opening up vulnerabilities. An automated network manages itself and so delivers a higher level of reliability and consistent network services. So, where does the opportunity lie for the channel? For the Self-Driving Network to harness these advantages and efficiencies, everything from the network to the compute, storage routers and switches, to the hypervisor down to the application layer and beyond, must work together making channel players and VARs an essential component. Businesses are under pressure to find a solution to their network challenges. Regardless of what technology and services VARs are selling to customers, network connectivity is a necessity and therefore channel partners have insight into customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; network pressure points, challenges and aspirations. The VAR is perfectly positioned to become the network expert to design,

deploy and manage the multiple software-based components that require integration and interoperability within a self-driving network. The self-driving network gives VARs the opportunity to elevate themselves into more customer buying centres across the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organisation as the network becomes the platform to deliver more services. With the selfdriving network, VARs can take cost and risk out of operating the networks and allow the IT teams to focus on business innovation and transformation. Moreover, this is a long-term bet for the channel. Networks are not going to change. Yet, as customers start to see the value in automating parts of their network, starting with small areas, such as smart bandwidth provisioning, auto-service placements or specific upgrades based on agreed configurations, their networks will grow and require expertise. Mirroring the uptake of cloud computing, the selfdriving network is firmly on the horizon and the VARs who start investing in this process now will be those that reap the benefits in the future.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

COVER STORY // ASBIS MIDDLE EAST

POWER

PLAY Hesham Tantawi, vice president, MENA, Asbis Middle East, reveals plans to become a one-stop-shop player for solutions across the technology spectrum.

Asbis Middle East has been in operations for almost 30 years, what is the next step for the firm? We have been a strong IT distributor in the region and have grown even during challenging market circumstances over the years. The market will see our next phase from this year onwards. We are working towards becoming a one-stopshop for enterprise, data centres, services, storage solutions and Internet of Things (IoT). We have been working towards this for the last two years. During the course of 2018, you will see us doing a major play around these arenas. We will continue our focus on volume within these areas. The volume we are seeing in PCs and notebooks have been declining year-over-year. The growth is mainly going to be around solutions and consolidation.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

What have been the two biggest milestones for the firm in 2017? 2017 was a challenging year for the channel business with issues around credit and finance. We were able to successfully overcome these challenges because we drove the business with knowledge, experience and relevance. We began developing our relationships with our partners last year and this gave us great strength. Besides overcoming the credit and financial obstacles, we were also able to prepare our business for the implementation of value-added tax (VAT) from this month onwards. We worked towards developing the processes and educating our staff and stakeholders on its implications. While most players believe VAT will force the market to shrink, I am certain that it will make it much more stable. We have worked with our partners to help them become VAT ready.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

COVER STORY // ASBIS MIDDLE EAST

“We are expecting to grow by 20 percent this year and are confident to attain this through strong channel partnerships.”

How has your channel strategy evolved over the last few years? Our channel strategy is simple – more ‘partnerships’ than just customer relationships. We depend on longlasting relationships with our partners. Our aim is to continue serving them in the right areas and be the preferred partner of choice. What are the technologies that the firm will be focusing on in 2018? This year, our focus is on storage and storage solutions with hard drives. We are going to deploy the hard drives in the surveillance systems, data centres or in the servers or use it as a back up. Our second focus area was to develop vendors such as Logitech where we have big partnerships with them for providing robust solutions for logistics, tier-1 partners and distributors. In 2017, we have signed up with Logitech and QNAP.

Can you elaborate on plans for 2018? We are looking to grow our portfolio in solutions this year. Partners can expect even more support from us over the course of this year. How can partners grow their business and remain profitable in this era where everything is going digital? Everything is going digital and into the cloud, however, customers, resellers and dealers need to focus on solutions. Because this is how they can serve the market efficiently and effectively. If they serve the market then the market will serve them as well by being stable and profitable. Partners need to identify the right solutions to focus on and then sell them. This is because today it is not about selling just a notebook but it is more about selling a complete solution, which includes servers, storage and a notebook. This is the right approach.

“Partners should avoid stocking, as that is a distributor’s job. They need to sell and look at making consistent profits.” 24

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

How can partners battle challenges such as credit issues and low margins? Partners need to manage their inventories smartly. They should not buy a lot expecting that they will get best prices for the goods. Partners should avoid stocking, as that is a distributor’s job. They need to sell and look at making consistent profits. What kind of mantra should partners follow to put together the right solution? They need to understand the customer requirement, identify the right solution that addresses the customers’ challenge and implement it efficiently. Which are some of the focus markets going forward? Saudi Arabia is a primary focus market. Initiatives such as NEOM are great opportunities for us. Once the planning stage is completed, our job will begin. We see immense opportunities for infrastructure, servers, storage and smart solutions. Egypt is another focus market for tenders and supply to governments and for big projects. Algeria and Tunisia are also main focus markets outside the GCC. What do you believe are the chief factors to influence business in 2018? The most crucial factor will be the political scenarios within the region. The implementation of VAT will be another factor to impact business this year. As it is a new initiative to the region, it will take time for customers to accept and understand the process. How much growth are you looking to achieve in 2018? We are expecting to grow by 20 percent this year and are confident to attain this through strong channel partnerships. We encourage all our partners to be focused in their approach, identify and compile compelling solutions and sell them profitably.

OUTLOOK 2018

WHAT’S IN STORE

Industry stalwarts share the latest trends and technologies expected to shape the regional channel industry over the course of 2018.

he regional IT channel industry has had a challenging year in 2017. Channel credit and financing, low margins and currency fluctuations were some of the bigger problems that have left a mark on partner businesses last year. Mario Veljovic, general manager, VAD Technologies, adds that it was a difficult year especially for channel business in

the larger markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He adds, “We continue to work closely with our partners to be able to extend preferential credit terms to them. We were only able to achieve this by allowing high transparency about partners’ financial situations as well as the actual deal or transaction details.” The market has witnessed a number of consolidations and mergers within distributors, resellers and vendors in

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

2017. Many firms have scaled down their operations owing to the current regional economic climate. Chris Wiese, regional channel manager, Credence Security, says, “However, vendor expectations for revenue growth in the Middle East still remain high, which is putting more pressure on an already tough market. “Another important development includes the trend of vendors opening

offices in the Middle East and adding resources to cover the territory, especially in the cybersecurity space. This is making it even more compelling for partners to be active in this domain. Vendors are also creating strong partner programmes that are attracting channel partners.” 2017 has had its ups and downs and it’s likely some of those challenges will continue into this year. “The ongoing political situation will no doubt impact channel organisations through 2018 as well,” says Stephan Berner, CEO, Help AG. “Unfortunately, it is near impossible to predict such developments, which will make forecasting and planning a challenge. We have already seen the need for vendors and distributors to adjust their delivery models and it’s likely such logistical challenges will continue to shape the channel during the course of this year.”

Stephan Berner, Help AG

“We have already seen the need for vendors and distributors to adjust their delivery models and it’s likely such logistical challenges will continue to shape the channel during the course of this year.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

OUTLOOK 2018

“Partners need to customise the way they do business by focusing sharply on the challenges they help their clients overcome instead of focusing on the products and services they offer.” Sunil Paul, Finesse

That being said, channel players are also expecting the market to pick up in this New Year. Sunil Paul, co-founder and COO, Finesse, says customer experience will be top priority as businesses increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics. This will drive the channel business in 2018. He adds, “Top performing companies focus on the problems that partners solve, and the anticipated results they deliver. Hence, partners need to customise the way they do business by focusing sharply on the challenges they help their clients overcome instead of focusing on the products and services they offer.” He points out that organisations today want to be able to work, interact and stay connected using a combination of devices and online and offline channels, moving seamlessly between them whenever they choose.

“To meet these rigorous demands, a successful omnichannel strategy must include capabilities for multichannel engagement, connectivity management and omnichannel fulfilment. This is where partners should look at honing their skills in,” he adds. Savitha Bhaskar, COO, Condo Protego, expects the Middle East channel businesses to become increasingly competitive – with more generalist channel partners, lower partner margins, and largely unchanged customer budgets, in 2018. “As a result, we expect to see continued growth of value-adding channel partners. The three highest potential areas for Middle East channel partners to specialise in will be preengineered systems, disaster recovery orchestration technology, and modular infrastructure systems.”

Veljovic believes that channel players should look at countries that have a strong SMB and SME driven economy. “This is because the main growth will come from those regions, since economies accelerate their diversification. The introduction of VAT in the region and an accelerated drive for automation across all industry verticals will be another driver to improve the overall business climate in 2018 and offer many opportunities for the channel community,” he says. According to Paul, digital transformation is creating a shift in technology and businesses have to be on top of emerging technologies to stay ahead in the race. The market will see increased adoption of converged infrastructure, software defined networking, cloud and mobility. He adds, “With the advent of AI in all walks of life, we are seeing a rampant

“Vendors’ innovations in hybrid solutions, cloud security, online procurement and general factors that eases both customer and partner purchase paying points will certainly drive partners’ operations.” Chris Wiese, Credence Security

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

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OUTLOOK 2018

Mario Veljovic, VAD Technologies

“The introduction of VAT in the region and an accelerated drive for automation across all industry verticals will be another driver to improve the overall business climate in 2018 and offer many opportunities for the channel community.”

use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA). No doubt the future would have these as the backbone technologies in everything from customer service and robotics to analytics and marketing. AI and RPA will govern the businesses across and keeping abreast will be business intelligence and analytics as well as security as consumer privacy is at stake. “Blockchain will find its place in 2018, with the financial industry to be the first to begin utilising this tool. Other verticals such as healthcare, entertainment

and hospitality will not be far behind. Channel should be ready with the digital basket of solutions including cloud, mobility and MDM, converged infrastructure, software-defined networking and analytics.” Agreeing, Veljovic adds that converged and hyperconverged solutions will also take centre stage in 2018. “Channel partners should choose vendors with the broadest alliances to ensure they can comprehensively address this segment. Anything-As-a-Service will

help improve channel profitability and business sustainability.” One of the important trends that channel partners must keep in mind is the impact of VAT being introduced into their selling and re-selling processes, adds Bhaskar. In order to emerge as profitable players in 2018, she says, “Channel partners need to focus on offering value-added services, such as guiding digital transformation agendas, offering proofs of concept running in the customers’ own IT environments, providing around-the-clock support, and exchanging skills development.” Berner from Help AG, says, for partners to be successful in 2018, they need to focus on building their technical competency and leveraging new skill sets to identify and deliver those services that customers require most critically. He explains, “Take managed security services for example- this potentially entails a large number of services, however each of these many not necessarily be required by the majority of customers. So by focusing on the most pressing issues such as 24x7 security monitoring, security event management and incident response, and managed web defence, partners will be able to enter into meaningful relationships with customers which they can later expand on with other less critical services.” Wiese says with a saturated and competing marketplace, it is key for channel partners to have a differentiated value proposition, whether that is the value of their services they deliver or the turnkey solutions they provide. “Vendors’ innovations in hybrid solutions, cloud security, online procurement and general factors that eases both customer and partner purchase paying points will certainly drive partners’ operations.” Partners need to be on top of market developments and stay current in their niche domains. They have to gain expertise in new technologies and be in a position to address customers’ problems with comprehensive solutions. While some of the business challenges are bound to continue into this year, those partners who ensure differentiation in their offerings will be able to sustain operations profitably.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

FEATURE // BATTLING THE GREY MARKET

GRAVE MATTERS 32

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

The issue of channel players trading in the grey market and disrupting business continues to plague the industry even today. Reseller ME speaks to experts to find out if concrete measures can be taken to counter this age-old problem.

rey market refers to an unofficial market where the products sold have not been released by the original manufacturer. While counterfeit products are unauthorised replicas of the original product. The regional channel industry has been grappling with both challenges for years and it continues to disrupt businesses. The problem persists despite certain measures from the industry to keep it in check. Shailendra Rughwani, chairman, Experts Computer, says it is not possible to completely control this situation. “Dubai is a dynamic market where about 60 percent or more products imported are for reexport to different Middle East and African countries. To a large extent, vendors have been able to tackle the grey imports by being aggressive in terms of pricing and channel control but it is not possible to completely stop the grey imports due to different reasons,” he explains. According to Karim Kattouf, investigator, Cisco Brand Protection, Middle East and Africa, there has been a spike in counterfeit products circulated in the UAE and the Gulf recently. “The size of this market can vary with the macroeconomic environment and product supply versus demand, among other factors,” he says. “During tough economic times, budgets get stretched and the grey market can appear attractive to those looking for lower cost products, which on the surface meet their needs but also increases the likelihood of counterfeit products being deployed in their networks. Lack of awareness of how it affects the brand and their own

firms is one of the reasons why channel players believe no harm is done by trading in the grey market or selling counterfeit products. That being said, there are players who are educated on the issues of trading in the grey market and yet resort to it. This is largely due to the availability of products and high prices in the local market. Also, some players think of it as means to earn easy bucks. “Pricing, as it is on the higher side for this region, and issues with availability sometimes compel players to trade in the grey market,” Rughwani adds. “Pricing is a major factor as there is a difference in the prices of products sold locally compared to the ones imported and significant profits from the difference.” Kattouf says, “Counterfeiting is not a new issue in the IT industry or indeed in any successful global enterprise.” Therefore, the question is what kind of regulations need to be in place to deter players to trade in this market? Rughwani says, “Dubai is an open market and with its numerous free zones where goods are imported to be exported, it is difficult to have a total control. However, the vendors can play a major role here where they can control the pricing and product availability. Also, I believe open policies from the vendor where they are in direct touch with the channel will help greatly to improve the situation.” According to Kattouf, the company actively monitors the counterfeit market and have longstanding processes in place to address this challenge. “As part of our commitment to the integrity and quality of Cisco technology and services, our Brand

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

FEATURE // BATTLING THE GREY MARKET

Shailendra Rughwani, Experts Computer

“To a large extent, vendors have been able to tackle the grey imports by being aggressive in terms of pricing and channel control but it is not possible to completely stop the grey imports due to different reasons.”

Protection team leads an aggressive, concerted and company-wide effort to prevent potential damage to our brand and to our customers as a result of counterfeiting. Counterfeiting is a criminal activity and therefore we work closely with law enforcement agencies worldwide whenever those agencies decide to take action against those who would profit by this illegal conduct.” While some would argue that the grey market challenge is a necessary evil, the truth of the matter is that it is a delicate issue due to the regional market dynamics, says Rughwani. “Vendor interaction with the channel will surely prevent the grey market to some extent. Also controls in other markets from where the products are imported can help curb the grey

Karim Kattouf, Cisco

market,” he adds. Vendors have a responsibility to speak to partners and understand their concerns and put in place effective measures to control the problem. This will only be possible with more communication and identifying the reasons as to why it happens in the first place. Kattouf adds, “As the Middle East enhances its role as a global economic and technological hub, we are seeing counterfeiters deploying increasingly sophisticated methods to get their counterfeit IT goods into the region. “Due to inferior components and illegal software frequently found in counterfeit IT products, we are alerting organisations of all sizes and verticals in the UAE that purchasing counterfeit IT goods could cause an increased risk of

cybersecurity threats.” These threats could bring business to a halt, potentially endanger the wider industry, and even cripple citywide or national infrastructure. “We are dedicated to working with government authorities, including the police, to help in eradicating counterfeit IT products in the UAE and in securing the country’s network infrastructure,” he says. The stakeholders in the entire IT channel ecosystem, including vendors, distributors and partners, need to come together to find a way to address this challenge. They might need to approach local authorities and identify a way to establish stricter laws and regulations. Only if the channel community is united in finding a solution, can there be one.

“Due to inferior components and illegal software frequently found in counterfeit IT products, we are alerting organisations of all sizes and verticals in the UAE that purchasing counterfeit IT goods could cause an increased risk of cybersecurity threats.”

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

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FEATURE // KUWAIT PROSPECTS

ON THE RISE Kuwait was recently classified as an emerging market by global index provider FTSE Russell, reflecting the country’s progress across verticals. Reseller ME examines the opportunities present for channel business.

Oil exports account for over

90% 50%

and Iraq. Rich in oil, the country owns about six percent of the world’s oil reserves. According to HKTDC Research, oil exports account for over 90 percent of Kuwaiti government revenues and 50 percent of nominal GDP. After oil, services sector within various segments constitutes the majority of the economy with 30 percent of GDP. According to the research, the rest of the economy is mostly attributed to manufacturing and this comprises primarily oil-related

of Kuwaiti government revenues and

of nominal GDP. (Source: HKTDC Research)

ocated at the northern most part of the Persian Gulf, the State of Kuwait is nestled between influential neighbours Saudi Arabia

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

industries such as oil-refinery and petrochemicals. Over the last few years, the country has worked towards strengthening its information technology infrastructure by enhancing services, networks and security. This has unlocked infinite opportunities for the channel players. Russell Theron, regional manager, Data Center Group (DCG), Lenovo Middle East and Africa, says, “Kuwait is undoubtedly a key market in the area of technology and data services. Today, the country is seeing developments in this area, and is constantly working on improving its offerings and capabilities to align with its neighbouring countries, such as the United Arab Emirates.” He believes for the country to meet its objective of becoming a top provider in the IT sector, it is imperative that adequate and appropriate investments are made in effective solutions. He says, “This will help to reach their target faster.” Wassim Seliman, government market director, GBM Kuwait, adds that along with being dominant

“We believe this is an opportune time for doing business in Kuwait.” Wassim Seliman, GBM Kuwait

in the oil sector, which will continue for the years to come, the country has also seen a substantial increase in government services and significant investments being made towards developing the national infrastructure. He adds, “We believe this is an opportune time for doing business in Kuwait.” As a channel player operating in the country, GBM has witnessed increasing investments in infrastructure from various industries. “This growth has in turn seen the need to automate processes, especially within the government entities. This has increasingly become an area of focus for GBM, and we are working with multiple entities to bring relevant solutions to facilitate this.” Seliman adds that through the boom in recent years of economic activities and policies that support commerce, a conducive environment for business has been created in Kuwait. “However, there is still a need for substantial efforts to set up a business, but

things seem to be positively changing on this front in order to make the process easier. We often see channel players face difficulty on the logistics side, particularly in the process, health, oil, and retail industries.” Theron says the other challenges present in Kuwait to do channel business are not different from other countries. At the end of the day, every customer is seeking high value. “Organisations need to shift their mindset to become more solutionoriented, rather than being a basic IT provider. Return on investment and a final positive outcome is exactly what customers desire to see, not a product. Ultimately, channel partners want to understand which solutions will increase their profits and provide them with efficient and cost-effective solutions. For this reason, it is crucial that channel players invest their time and efforts in becoming trusted advisors that can support making an informed decision,” he adds. According to Theron, the firm is optimistic about the growth in the SMB and mid-market channel businesses in Kuwait in the coming quarters. “This area is rapidly evolving, creating many new opportunities for data service providers to tap into.

Also, our partners have engaged us in many new non-Lenovo DCG customer requirements, another space which we are excited to be a part of.” The country has increased its trade routes with the opening of the new port in the north of Kuwait, thus becoming more connected with the rest of the world. “We can expect this to positively impact the market and bring new opportunities into the country. We are also witnessing a period of dynamic change in the country, which makes it an exciting time to be operating a business in the state of Kuwait,” adds Seliman. Kuwait could be a lucrative market for those channel players who can invest time to understand the challenges of the market and how best to optimise the opportunities. However, they need to also ensure value-addition and differentiation to their offerings to be successful.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

PARTNER WATCH // EXCLUSIVE NETWORKS

Ascending to the cloud

Patrick van Arendonk, director, Cloud First, Exclusive Networks Group, elaborates on how the firm aims to assist partners on their journey to the cloud.

loud has transcended from being a buzzword to seeing several on-ground applications over the last few years. However, regional channel partners are yet to completely optimise the opportunities that the technology presents. Patrick van Arendonk, Exclusive Networks Group’s recently appointed director for Cloud First, believes partners need to be educated on the benefits of cloud to be in a position to approach customers expertly. Over the last six months, Arendonk has spent time conversing with partners and vendors across the region to gain a better understanding of the overall cloud market. He says, “We have a huge opportunity for providing skillset and knowledge about cloud. We have seen that many partners across all regions lack the knowledge to talk about cloud at its basic level. Our immediate priorities are to educate our own teams on talking the cloud language and extend that to our partner base. We will also ensure to be in sync with our vendor strategies.” He adds that for many partners and customer it is a journey to the cloud. “It will happen although it will not take place overnight. Education is the fundamental piece of this journey while security also plays a critical role. We need to make sure when data or application workloads are moved to the cloud, it is done in a secure manner. As a value-added

“Education is the fundamental piece of this journey while security also plays a critical role.” distributor known for its security proficiency, we have immense knowledge in this space.” Partners need to understand cloud skillfully to be able to explain to customers about the migration of applications and data to cloud, compliancy and the level of security involved in the process. “Our aim is to guide them on this journey,” Arendonk says. He admits that over the last few years, some partners have come forward with a keen

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

interest and asked for help with the cloud movement. However, most of the partner community are not proactive. According to Arendonk, the firm will invest in training sales and presales engineer teams and motivate them to learn more. He says it is also important for them to attend cloudspecific events to understand the nitty-gritties of the technology. “This way, we take a step further and develop a more knowledgeable team within the company, which different regions can leverage,” he explains. The factors driving the demand for cloud solutions are largely within security and migration of data. Recent cloud-related security breaches were about fundamental basic hygiene requirements, says Arendonk. “It was about not securing the data sitting in the cloud. When we talk about moving data to the cloud, the opportunities will be around authentication and encryption services and solutions.” Over the course of this year, we will see the company doubling-down on its cloud strategies to ensure its partner community is equipped to approach customers as trusted advisors. “2018 will be about internal education and transferring that knowledge to our partners. We might also look at providing a white label of cloud expert resources. It will not be a service which we provide directly but one that partners can take advantage of. We will also ensure we are aligned with our vendors’ strategies,” he adds.

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PARTNER WATCH // OMA EMIRATES

Strategic goals Niranj Sangal, group CEO, OMA Emirates, discusses e-commerce trends and reveals plans for the year.

he regional e-commerce landscape has been bustling with activities all through last year. 2017 saw the purchase of JadoPado and Namshi by the $1 billion e-commerce platform Noon.com and Emaar Malls respectively. Amazon’s entry into the region through Souq.com acquisition is expected to transform the regional e-tail segment even further. UAE-based payment solutions provider OMA Emirates’ group CEO Niranj Sangal, says, “Banks are now attracting customers to buy online. Also, most banks have created their own shopping profiles where customers can log onto their portals and buy products put together by their SMB base. We are seeing that volumes are going higher by 30 percent in online shopping.” One of the drivers of e-commerce sales includes customers now realising that they can easily return a product if they are unhappy with it. Sangal notes that compared to a year ago cash-backs have increased from online purchases. “The reason behind this is that acquiring banks return the margins as that’s the net saving that they have. This margin is taken from the merchant itself. As the margins are lowering, volumes are going higher.” According to Sangal, this is expected to continue. “We have seen this market growing at seven to eight percent with an average of six percent. During the course of 2018, I believe the market will see at least a six percent growth,” he adds. OMA Emirates invests heavily into R&D to provide innovative solutions, says Sangal. “We invest about 13 percent on an average on R&D. This is a lot higher than what other IT companies do. Our advantage is that as we are

“Our message to the market and customers is to believe in technology. Many of us have the advantage of advance technologies at our disposal, however only a small percentage utilises it thoroughly.”

present in multiple territories, we have the understanding of different markets and customer base.” Identifying that technology is going to play a vital role in the firm’s growth, Sangal aims to unveil new offerings over the course of this year.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

“We avire moving away from a CAPEXbased model to more of an OPEXbased one,” he explains. “We are now applying for retail PSPs and micro PSPs from the central bank, which will allow us to offer cross-border remittances for customers by using any of our networks. Retailers will be able to take advantage of the technology and pay based on service and consumption.” We will also see the firm promoting a closed loop loyalty. “Here, we are trying to create a network of closed loop payment platforms where everybody saves. Merchants will not end up paying their margins to banks. They can use a closed loop network and simultaneously leverage multiple marketplaces using their market presence. We will be deploying around 5000 terminals in this year so that the network is bigger than what we have currently.” The company will also be testing the waters with bots during this year. Sangal adds, “It is an interest everybody has but most don’t know how it is going to be cost-effective. We are working on bots, which is purely a service base to what we do on our loyalty platform Benefit Beyond, which is equipped with a payment gateway.” The bot will keep a track on what the customer buys and act as a personal assistant with reminders to pay utility bills and so on. Customers can name the bot and will have to pay only for the service. “We are running a pilot at the moment and hope to go live this year. Google is also working on and investing significantly on bots.” he says. “Our message to the market and customers is to believe in technology. Many of us have the advantage of advance technologies at our disposal, however only a small percentage utilises it thoroughly.”

For details contact MarketingMET_team@barracuda.com

EVENT // QUALCOMM

Snap into the future

In its second annual Snapdragon Tech Summit, Qualcomm Technologies revealed its 5G vision and unveiled its latest flagship system-on-a-chip Snapdragon 845, which it claims will transform the mobile industry. Adelle Geronimo reports from Maui, Hawaii.

ualcomm has been at the forefront of the smartphone chipset market with its Snapdragon SoCs, owning 42 percent market share in 2017. Over its 30-year history as a semiconductor player the company now holds the position of being the number one fabless chipmaker in the industry, according to Insights. With the breadth and depth of its expertise and offerings, the firm’s president Cristiano Amon highlighted that the company’s Snapdragon family is currently the most widely used mobile chipset in the world. “We are at this point when almost every smartphone today contains a piece of our technology,” he said. “However, more than that, at the heart of Qualcomm we are a systems innovation company committed to delivering solutions that can transform user experiences and industries.” Furthermore, Amon also noted that Qualcomm has always been dedicated to driving the evolution of the wireless industry. The Qualcomm president then talked about future 5G plans and how it expects the technology to work, and where the company fits in the expanding 5G scene. “The last 30 years saw more and more devices becoming interconnected. This interconnectivity has changed how we handle productivity on a daily basis,” said Amon. For the next 30 years the

mission of the company is to connect everything around us, and that is the promise of 5G.” Amon predicted that the mass adoption of 5G can be expected in 2020. “The technology will bring about a new era for connectivity and will enable unlimited high-speed data for everyone,” he said. “Soon, 5G will be like electricity. It would no longer be something that people will have to think about. It will be ubiquitous and the bandwidth will be abundant.” Qualcomm is already working on finalising the standards for 5G and it already had a reference smartphone design that uses the network technology, according to Amon. One of the biggest announcements at the show is the unveiling of the Snapdragon 845, the firm’s latest flagship SoC, which it claims will transform next-generation Android smartphones and tablets in 2018. The company has been spending more than $1 billion per quarter on R&D over the last five years aimed at bringing innovative experiences to consumers through its technologies. Keith Kressin, senior vice president, Product Management, Qualcomm said that the investment on R&D is not just building the latest chips. “It’s about leadership and innovation,” he said. “Our priority is technology and innovation. The focus is on investing ahead of the curve,” he said. “Our priority is partnerships with other technology investors, that is our goal.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

We don’t just create chips, we help build foundations for new technologies. The primary focus is technology leadership to improve the world.” The upcoming 10nm mobile CPU was designed with five key pillars in mind – immersion, AI, security, connectivity and performance – enabling the new SoC to deliver faster and efficient performance, said Kressin. “Immersion is about seamlessly capturing the world around you,” said Tim Leland, vice president of product management, Qualcomm. Equipped with Qualcomm’s Adreno 630 graphics processor and Spectra 280 ISP, the Snapdragon 845 can process more shades of the same colour for more depth and display a broader spectrum of colours, according to Leland. Furthermore, he highlighted that Snapdragon 845 promises to deliver immersive experiences to today’s digital citizens. “The Snapdragon 845 features new level of support for XR experiences, which encompasses AR, VR and everything in between,” Leland said. The new Snapdragon 845 boasts a completely new architecture that sees almost all its major subsystems renewed with more performance capabilities and designed to be more efficient. “It will support and enhance new tools for industrial manufacturing, healthcare, military, engineering and emergency response.” With AI increasingly becoming a hot topic in the industry, Qualcomm made

Alex Katouzian

Cristiano Amon

sure to not leave out its credentials in this space. The firm’s director for product management Gary Brotman took the stage to explain the new mobile platform’s support for AI. “AI is transforming everything. Every industry, top to bottom, products and services, back office processes and development processes are all being augmented and improved by AI. Brotman said the AI-related capabilities of the Snapdragon 845 represent a threetimes improvement over the Snapdragon 835. “AI and machine learning has traditionally been something that has been referred to the cloud,” he said. “With the Snapdragon 845 we will see intelligence moving to the edge.”

Sy Choudhury, senior director, product management, discussed the “vault-like security” that comes with the new secure processing unit on the Snapdragon 845. “At the end of the day, security is a set of defensive features that we incorporate into the hardware and the firmware,” said Choudhury. “Privacy is a key benefit of security,” he added. “That is why the secure processing unit has its own dedicated core, microprocessor, memory and cryptography engine to ensure privacy, security and trustability for a variety of applications including biometric authentication, mobile payments.” Peter Carson, senior director of product marketing, described efforts to create a “wireless fiber” experience for gigabit LTE, 5G and Wi-Fi networks. The Snapdragon 845’s X20 modem represents a 20% improvement over the X16. The new modem supports fivechannel carrier aggregation, 4X4 MIMO, License Assisted Access and dual SIM, dual VoLTE technology designed to divide usage between the two SIMs. With these updates, Carson said the Snapdragon 845 can achieve “wireless fibre speeds that enable downloads of two-hour videos in two minutes or less.” Other connectivity features include multi-gigabit Wi-Fi based on the 802.11ad standard, as well as an integrated 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with dual band simultaneous support; and Bluetooth 5 for ultra-low power wireless ear bud support and direct audio broadcast to multiple devices. Carson called it the “most advanced

“Our priority is technology and innovation. The focus is on investing ahead of the curve. Our priority is partnerships with other technology investors, that is our goal. We don’t just create chips, we help build foundations for new technologies.” connectivity in a smartphone ever and a big step to the 5G experience.” Last but not the least, Qualcomm touted that Snapdragon 845 will enable efficient performance of smartphones. With the new mobile CPU, Qualcomm offers more than 20 hours of continuous video playback, or over three hours of continuous VR gameplay. “Our research shows that battery life is the number-one smartphone purchase criteria,” said Travis Lanier, senior director of product management for Qualcomm. “At the end, battery life is one of the determinants for the satisfaction of a smartphone.” Qualcomm noted that the first devices to launch commercially with the Snapdragon 845 will arrive in early 2018. Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager, mobile, Qualcomm Technologies, said, “The Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform is the next horizon of innovation and is going to transform the way people use their mobile devices to make their lives better.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

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ecurity cameras are becoming popular in many homes, and they come packed with many features. However, most home security systems don’t really work because of the complex installation process and high false alarm rates, which can be as high as 98 percent in some cases. This is where Cocoon’s smart home security system kicks in. Designed mainly for indoors, Cocoon uses Subsound technology to sense unusual sounds in your home, not just the room you place it in. Getting started with Cocoon is easy as plugging the device into a power supply and downloading the app onto your phone. Cocoon combines Infrasound, machine learning and geolocation to understand who should and who shouldn’t be at your home. Through the Cocoon app available on both iOS and Android platforms, you can check in on your home from anywhere, anytime and see your household’s comings and goings, and it generates text-based alerts whenever it detects something unusual. And if you are suspicious about any activity, you can raise

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

an alarm by simply sounding the deafening 90+db siren on the app. Recently, Cocoon has integrated with Amazon Alexa, and Echo devices, which means you can your voice to control the system or ask for information about your home. Cocoon also allows you to add more than one device; if you already have Cocoon set up, you can add new devices in the ‘your household’ part of the app. Cocoon is powered by AI, which helps it avoid false alarms. However, when you first set it up, the system takes around 7-10 days to adapt to your environment, and you should brace for false alerts during this period, especially if you have active pets in your home. Armed with a wide viewing angle, Cocoon can be set up to point at any directions and it sends multiple alerts to multiple people if there is a breach. The only drawback we could find with the system is the lack of battery. This means you can’t keep the video rolling if the power fails and the system can be set up only next to a power source. Barring that, Cocoon is a beautifully designed home security system that be easily activated and it provides protection to your household without any blind spots. We recommend that you buy.

PRESENTS

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SIEMON RELEASES NEW Z-MAX 45 CATEGORY 6A SHIELDED OUTLET Siemon has launched its new Z-MAX 45 shielded Category 6A outlet in the Middle East. According to the firm, the device features a shorter, compact design with the ability to terminate cable at a 45-degree angle, reducing rear depth requirements whilst maintaining proper bend radius. Z-MAX 45 outlets use a reversible rear cap that enables cable to exit the outlet at a 45-degree angle to accommodate shallow back boxes and wall-mounted raceway applications. With 40 percent less depth compared to standard outlets, Z-MAX 45’s hybrid design supports both flat and angled mounting orientations. Unlike true 90-degree side entry outlets, Z-MAX 45 also enables side stacking for high density applications, whilst the plastic bezels prevent contact between metal housings for superior alien crosstalk performance.

The new outlet can be terminated to stranded and solid cable types from 22 to 26 AWG. In addition, the outlets also feature Siemon’s patented crowned jack geometry, the industry’s most reliable jack-plug connection for support of the latest PoE applications. The crowned jack geometry, according to Siemon, improves electrical and mechanical performance and ensures that any contact damage caused by arcing while unmating under PoE load occurs well away from the final mated contact position.

AXIS INTRODUCES NEW LINE OF THERMAL CAMERAS In launching the first thermal cameras in its P-line – Axis Communications aims to introduce the benefits of thermal imaging to a broader range of customers and environments. The AXIS P1280-E Thermal Network Camera is an indoor/outdoor camera with a flexible form factor that allows the thermal sensor unit to be placed in locations with limited space. The devices are also designed to utilise a wide range of mounting accessories for both wall, ceiling or recessed installations. Meanwhile, the AXIS P1290 Thermal Network Camera is an indoor camera protected in a dome casing for discretion. According to Axis, the new cameras deliver thermal imaging capabilities to small and mid-size systems with budget limitations – such as schools, care environments and independent retailers– allowing

for intrusion detection and incident identification, without compromising individuals’ identities. In addition, the devices also have built-in analytics, such as AXIS Video Motion Detection that can send an alert when it detects motion from moving objects within a predefined area. The cameras also support AXIS Camera Application Platform, which is compatible with a broad range of thirdparty applications.

ESET ADDS NEWS LEVELS OF PROTECTION INTO CONSUMER PRODUCTS PORTFOLIO ESET has introduced its latest consumer security product portfolio for Windows. The company highlighted that the new portfolio of products enhances the security capabilities of ESET NOD32 Antivirus, ESET Internet Security and ESET Smart Security Premium. A new layer of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Scanner is integrated in all three products, levels of malware protection are enhanced by detecting threats that potentially launch before the operating system boots up. According to the firm, the new line is ideal for connected households with a new feature that embraces the Internet of Things (IoT) and keeps all of the smart devices that connect to a home network safe. Additionally, the re-invented license manager gives users peace of mind as all the important data is available at one click at my.eset.com. The enhanced Connected Home Monitor (previously Home Network Protection) enables users protect computers from threats coming from Wi-Fi networks; the updated version can test network-connected devices proactively and safeguard users in three ways: For customers purchasing a full license, ESET automatically provides technical assistance, in the relevant local language. Lastly, there is no charge for customers upgrading to the latest software – all valid ESET licence holders can simply download the latest products.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

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A10 NETWORKS TOUTS FLEXPOOL CONSUMPTION-BASED SOFTWARE MODEL

HONOR 7X LAUNCHES IN THE UAE

A10 Networks has released A10 FlexPool, a new software subscription and capacity pooling model that eliminates the traditional challenges of resource planning and portability across on-premise and cloud environments. According to the company, A10 FlexPool helps customers simplify consumption of app services with ability to re-allocate capacity across multiple infrastructure deployment models. The solution allows customers to seamlessly use A10 services either on-premise or in the cloud. A10 FlexPool allows customers to purchase licensed capacity, then allocate and redistribute that capacity across applications and infrastructures as desired. Additionally, FlexPool simplifies the operational process by limiting the administrative task of centrally managing the license pool. Whether A10 software is deployed

on virtualised infrastructure, bare metal, or in the cloud, A10 FlexPool gives IT professionals and service providers the flexibility and portability across multiple application services and cloud infrastructure deployment models. With capacity pools that are sharable across on-premise, public and private cloud infrastructures, A10 FlexPool can help simplify cloud migrations, and at the same time eliminate costly overprovisioning and prevent service disruptions. FlexPool supports A10’s softwarebased Thunder appliances, both virtualised and Bare Metal, for Thunder ADC, Thunder CGN, and Thunder CFW. A10 FlexPool is available in one-year or three-year subscriptions and with several capacity pool options, including 10G, 50G, 100G and custom. Gold support and software upgrades are included. Its annual subscription pricing begins at $29,000.

SIEMON ANNOUNCES NEW MAX HDMI ADAPTER Honor has released the latest addition to its Honor X-series range, the Honor 7X. The new smartphone features the Honor FullView Display, a 5.93 inch edge-to-edge, bezel-less screen with 2160 X 1080 resolution and UHD display. It has a metallic chassis and rounded edges. It also features a One-key Screen Split function. In addition, the max-ed bezel-less screen and Honor 7x is equipped with dual-lens 16MP + 2MP rear camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF). The device is powered with octal-core Kirin 659 and graphics processing unit (GPU), 4GB RAM and EMUI5 to ensure intuitive multitasking and gaming functions. Honor 7X packs up to 64GB of internal storage and an extended 128GB. It has a 3,340 mAh battery, which supports Ultra Power Saving Mode.

Siemon has launched a new MAX HDMI adapter extender cable in the Middle East. According to the firm, the new cable provides an easy pass-through connection for extending cables from LCD projectors, high-definition video monitors and digital displays to an HDMI interface mounted in a Siemon MAX series faceplate. The MAX HDMI adapter extender cable fits into a single 2-port opening on all Siemon MAX series faceplates or modular furniture adapters and can be mounted alongside other types of Siemon MAX or Z-MAX outlets. It is ideal for use in conference rooms, classrooms, retail shops or any other space requiring an accessible interface for connecting laptops, DVRs or other video controllers to ceiling or wall-mounted video monitors, projectors or digital signage.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

The new HDMI adapter extender cable features a female HDMI MAX connector on one end with a short pigtail to a standard female HDMI connector on the other. The pigtail extends the HDMI connection outside of the outlet box, eliminating the current management and bend radius challenges associated with larger diameter HDMI cables. Front faceplate installation offers fast, easy deployment without faceplate removal, while the flat or angled mount position allows for easy access. Available in six different bezel colours to match any décor, Siemon’s MAX HDMI adapter extender cable supports HDMI V1.3 applications at 340 MHz (10.2 Gb/s) for a higher resolution of 2560 x 1600, including 720p and 1080p, Dolby TrueHD, Blu-Ray, HD DVD and DVD-Audio.

VOTE NOW! 29th January 2018 Safinah Ballroom, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, UAE

#MastersOfTech

For the first time, CPI Media Group and Tahawul Tech present the Masters of Tech Awards 2018. The Masters of Tech Awards will honour one of the most important parts of our global technology ecosystem - that of vendors and providers. CPI Media Group and Tahawul Tech have nominated the companies that they believe comprise the top 10 vendors for each category. The final decision will come down to the results of an online public vote, which is open now.

www.tahawultech.com/mastersoftech/2018/ For sponsorship enquires, please contact OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

Kausar Syed, Group Sales Direcror Mobile: +971 50 758 6672 HOSTED BY

HOT PRODUCTS

D-LINK UPDATES DGS 3630 SERIES

D-Link has announced the new generation of Layer 3 Managed Gigabit Switches - the DGS-3630 series. The series now offers PoE models DGS3630-28PC with 24 PoE GE + and DGS-3630-52PC with 48 PoE GE+ to provide a complete 10G managed switch portfolio. The DGS-3630 series switches delivers scalable software management and multiple software image upgrades to access additional advanced features according to your network requirement. The Switch Resource Management (SRM) feature allows the hardware table size to be changed so that switch functions can be optimized based on different applications. Working at wire-speed performance, the switches can aggregate all the traffic in the network. Together with high reliability and availability, the DGS-3630 series is the ideal core switch in SMB networks. Built-in 10 Gigabit uplink ports and stacking technology allow the switch to easily accommodate larger enterprise networks. Full Layer 3 protocol support, OAM features, and advanced QoS offer scalable and efficient network operation, administration and maintenance even in stressful metro Ethernet infrastructures. It supports DHCP autoconfiguration and auto-image upgrading can be used to configure and upgrade multiple switches automatically. It also has an Auto Surveillance VLAN feature enables the switches to prioritise surveillance traffic in the network to provide effective surveillance system management. The series’ hardware-based Solid Dying Gasp feature allows the switch to retain enough power to automatically send out an alert message in the event of device failure.

LG’S NEW GRAM LAPTOPS OFFERS ENHANCED PORTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE LG Electronics (LG)’s new gram laptops sport ultra-thin bodies and are equipped with highly efficient 72Wh battery which allows longer work time without plugging in, according to the firm. The devices have compact design that allows the LG gram’s smaller form factor to feature wider screens. The 14-inch model 14Z980 is the same size as a conventional 13-inch laptop but still offers a wider display with a minimised bezel. Equipped with the latest 8th Intel CoreTM i7 and i5 processors and SSD storage, the newest LG gram devices promise efficient and faster performance, said LG. Users can boost work efficiency as high as 40 percent while booting time now comes in under 10 seconds. The compact laptops has a second SSD drive slot for even more internal storage for large video files. LG highlighted that the new gram models are durable enough to use even in the most extreme environments, passing seven stringent US military MIL-STD

810G durability tests for resistance to impact, pressure and temperature. This improved build quality is achieved by the Nano Carbon Magnesium full metal alloy body, often used in the aerospace industry where high strength and light weight are required. The result is an increase in durability by 20 percent compared to traditional magnesium objects. The 2018 gram laptops carry on LG’s trend of incorporating advanced optional features into its computing products such as Touch Screen, Fingerprint Reader and Thunderbolt 3.

EPSON ANNOUNCES NEW FLAGSHIP HIGHVOLUME DYE-SUBLIMATION TEXTILE PRINTER Epson has released the new SureColor SC-F9300 dye sublimation textile printer, designed primarily for fast, high-volume printing for clothing, textiles and soft signage, as well as other printed merchandise. According to the firm, this new flagship model replaces the existing SC-F9200. The device utilises the new Epson Precision Dot technology for dye sublimation including a halftone module, look-up tables and microweave to produce instantly noticeable difference to print quality. Meanwhile, Epson’s Wide CMYK input profile combines with UltraChrome DS inks to ensure the maximum possible colour gamut, for accurate reproduction of even the most complex designs. The printer offers speeds of up to 108.6m2/h, the SC-F9300 provides a complete Epson solution, comprising printer, inks, sublimation

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

papers and software, that maximises uptime, with improved take-up and other reliability features to eliminate common problems such as cockling and head strike. The SureColor SC-F9300 comes with Oeko-Tex Eco Passport certification and has passed Japan’s AZO test for household products, meaning that clothing and textiles produced on the printer using UltraChrome DS inks are completely safe to wear for adults and children, including babies.

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HUAWEI FLAUNTS PORSCHE DESIGN MATE 10 Huawei Consumer Business Group has unveiled a Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 designed for luxury aficionados. According to Huawei, the Porsche Design Mate 10 is a statement of style, luxury and innovation – all the qualities synonymous with the lifestyle of the UAE and also comes with VIP member services to look after it’s crème de la crème users. The designer smartphone sports an exclusive look and feel with signature craftsmanship and distinguished Porsche racetrack stripes to show off its speed heritage. The partnership of Huawei and Porsche Design blends perfectly to create one of the most luxurious and powerful smartphone in the market. The limited edition model is driven by intelligent performance - intelligent

speed, intelligent power and an intelligent camera, according to Huawei. The Porsche design Mate 10 sports a 6GB RAM + 256GB ROM storage solution that maximises performance. The device comes in exclusive Diamond Black Color and is available for purchase at the HUAWEI brand store located on level 2 at the Dubai Mall. The luxury model is priced at AED 5,299. It comes with Mate 10 Care offer that includes an initial six months screen damage warranty service available at all Huawei Service centers across the UAE. The Mate 10 Care programme also includes one-time free engraving service and device sanitizing.

HIKVISION UNVEILS TURBO HD 4.0 The new Turbo HD 4.0 range boasts ultralow light performance and the ability to send power as well as 8MP video images over conventional coaxial cable. The latestgeneration Turbo HD 4.0 products also take advantage of Hikvision’s new H.265+ video compression technology, which provides astounding savings on both bandwidth usage and storage requirement. The first Turbo HD 4.0 products to hit the market include 8 megapixel box and varifocal bullet cameras, and DVRs with 4K UHD HDMI outputs. The 8MP cameras offer the highest resolution ever available in an analog surveillance

system. Models equipped with Hikvisionpatented Power over Coax 2.0 (PoC) capabilities also allow users to transmit both UHD video and power over the same coaxial cable, for faster, simpler and less expensive installations using existing infrastructure. As with previous Hikvision Turbo ranges, IP, analog, Turbo HD, and third-party AHD cameras are all supported, providing a flexible upgrade path.

JOHNSON CONTROLS RELEASES KANTECH KT-1

Kantech KT-1 is a single door controller with embedded simplified access control software for one door systems. KT-1 Standalone is the ideal choice for a cost-effective, easy-to-use, single-door application. With KT-1’s new Standalone Mode, using a dedicated web browser, the KT-1 Ethernet-ready single door controller can be controlled and managed via simple and intuitive web based software. EntraPass software is not required. This makes the KT-1 a viable option for small businesses and individuals with basic access control needs such as being able to assign card access and run reports. With a simplified and quick installation and no software required, KT-1 Standalone is appealing to a base beyond the traditional access control installer. No additional training is required because there is no software system to learn or special certification needed. The wizardbased platform walks installers through the process in minutes.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2018

Tech talk Reseller Middle East's Online Editor Adelle Geronimo shares her views on the current tech scene.

Adelle Geronimo, Online Editor, Technology Division

The year of ransomware

rom a security perspective, 2017 has been an interesting one. It was the year when cybsersecurity became mainstream and made people sit up and take notice. The amount of attention grabbed by ransomware attacks over the last 12 months also makes it somewhat tempting to dub 2017 as ‘the year of ransomware’. WannaCry affected over 300,000 computers in 150 countries in May. In the UK alone, it affected 80 NHS organisations resulting in almost 20,000 canceled appointments, 600 GP surgeries having to return to pen and paper, and hospitals unable to handle emergency cases have had to divert ambulances. The following month, the world was shook by yet another ransomware incident. This time by a variant called NotPetya, which affected

over 20,000 computers in 60 countries. Although NotPetya was smaller in scale, its impact was big enough to cost giant companies such as Maersk and FedEx’s European business TNT Express over $300 million in lost revenues. While these incidents have caused unprecedented disruptions to organisations all over the globe, it definitely brought forward a positive factor. It served as a wake-up call for today’s enterprises to realise that they can no longer afford to make security an afterthought. It pushed them to become more vigilant of the threat looming in the digital space. So, can we expect less ransomware incidents in 2018? Unfortunately, no. According to experts, ransomware activities will not slow down in 2018. If anything, breaches will be bigger and hackers will be smarter.

JANUARY 2018 // Reseller Middle East // www.tahawultech.com

There will likely be an increase in Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) attacks, whereby relatively unskilled cybercriminals can simply purchase ransomware codes from the dark web and even get instructions as to how to customise and distribute an attack. This means that the attack landscape will likely continue to expand and organisations will do well to ensure that their security teams and budgets could adapt to keep pace. Companies and their IT teams will need to productively deal with incidents and proactively educate users on how critical security is. Taking a fresh look on security policies will also be a good step to stay armed against attacks during 2018. While we can never be 100 percent safe from cyber-attacks, a firm – no matter how big or small – can never protect itself too much.

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