Reseller Middle East December 2015

ISSUE 228 | DECEMBER 2015 www.resellerme.com

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Why the regional channel should move towards solution selling

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CONTENTS

48

ISSUE 228 // DECEmber 2015

cover feature

review

82

Key to success

hot products

Reseller ME discusses how the regional IT channel can move towards solution selling in an effective manner.

Highlights

Events

6

News

63

An evening of excellence

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

A report on Reseller ME’s fourth edition of its annual Hot 50 Awards.

67

Reseller MEet

An overview of the inaugural enterprise channel networking event.

opinion 38

Rejuvenating retail

Jacob Chacko from Aruba Networks discusses how retailers can cater to the digital customer.

Feature

Vendor focus 71

Ushering in the value

NetApp’s Graham Porter on company plans to enhance market visibility through close partner relationships.

52 Cashing in

Reseller ME looks into the opportunities for channel partners in the SaaS area.

58 Setting the trend

Ian Flemming from IFS Middle East, Africa and South Asia examines key technology trends of 2015.

Wileyfox Swift

85

Samsung enhances Galaxy Tab S2

86

NEC unveils new medical display

Partner watch 76

Validate, secure and optimise

Nabeel Ahmed from The Network Center on market trends in the regional business.

87

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Editorial GROUP Chairman and founder

Dominic De Sousa Group CEO

Nadeem Hood

Publishing Director Rajashree Rammohan raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5685

Change, the only constant

Editorial Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5678 Deputy Editor Janees Reghelini janees.reghelini@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5681 Contributing Editor James Dartnell Online Editor Adelle Geronimo Advertising Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1647 Sales Manager Merle Carrasco merle.carrasco@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5676

Jeevan Thankappan Group Editor

Circulation Database and Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5682 Production and Design Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5673 Designers Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5680 Neha Kalvani neha.kalvani@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 3751644 Digital www.resellerme.com DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developers Jefferson de Joya Abbas Madh Photographers Max Poriechkin Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 Published by

Talk to us: E-mail: jeevan.thankappan@ cpimediagroup.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ ResellerME Twitter: @ResellerME

As 2015 draws to a close, it is time to look back and reflect on the year it was. At the beginning of this year, I’d written about the mood in the channel being bullish about the business opportunities but that optimism quickly vapourised by the end of second quarter. What went wrong? It might be easy to blame the fall in oil prices, market volatility and strengthening of dollar for the sluggishness in business.

But, the real reason is the fact that the channel is still deeply rooted to the old ways of doing business, and not many have transformed their business models to stay profitable.

As Cisco’s John Chambers famously remarked, you will have to compete against market transitions, not your competition, to transform and grow. Today, powerful market transitions take place every two years, as opposed to seven years, and our tech history is littered with companies that have crashed and burned because they failed to read these periods of change. Remember Wang Laboratories, which went from billions in profits to bankruptcy because it continued to make word processors in the age of PCs that came with word processing software? Or Digital Equipment Corporation, once the second-largest technology company in the world, which paid a heavy price for sticking to minicomputers after the market had transitioned to workstations? We live in the age of disruptive technologies, which can uproot businesses that have been around for ages and we have seen multi-billion companies disappear overnight. A case in point is Blockbuster, the massive video rental chain in the US, which was done in by Netflix. Uber, an asset sharing company is turning a 200-year-old industry upside down. Airbnb is doing to the hospitality industry what Amazon has done to the retail sector.

I am using these analogies to illustrate a moot point – the channel will have to stay tuned to the tectonic shifts in technology and ride the crest of the wave to find new avenues of growth. The world is moving to a new generation of technologies and newer models of IT consumption, where services and support is going to be the real McCoy. Sooner or later, those who are going to win will be the ones who dare to be different and break the mold. I will sign off with this well-known adage: those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

Registered at IMPZ PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 Printed by Printwell Printing Press © Copyright 2015 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.

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Reseller Middle East december 2015

5

highlights

ComGuard, ARCON sign distribution deal

Canon, Cerebra announce VAD partnership

Ajay Singh Chauhan, ComGuard

Privilege Access Management (PAM) is a domain addressing growing concerns about securing access to the privileged accounts within IT infrastructure of organisations.

PAM solutions enable controlling, managing and monitoring access to critical information systems and assets of the organisation.

Ajay Singh Chauhan, CEO, ComGuard, said, “This is a technology domain has a high growth potential within the region and we are truly excited about this affiliation. ComGuard, being a leading player in the security distribution arena could think of no better way of capitalising on the opportunities than partnering with a growing trendsetter ARCON.” According to the company, ARCOS, an offering in Privilege Access Management (PAM) segment is a comprehensive platform addressing security and compliance requirements of the organisations.

“MENA is a high growth region for information security technologies and ComGuard with its skills and experience in the domain, its twotier distribution model and pre- and post-sales capabilities offers a fantastic partnership” explains Anil Bhandari, Chief Mentor, ARCON. He further added, “With this relationship serving as extension of our arms, we are certain to spread our reach within the territory.”

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december 2015 Reseller Middle East

The partnership with Canon Middle East has Cerebra Middle East partnered with Cerebra signifies the start of a Middle East, a local new era for Canon in the value-added distributor, UAE and we look forward as part of its strategy to using Cerebra Middle to capitalise on the East’s vast network and predicted growth in knowledge to make the the UAE’s security and UAE an even safer place surveillance market in for both individuals and the upcoming Expo 2020 businesses.” in Dubai.

Anurag Agrawal, Canon Middle East As part of the new The UAE’s security partnership, Cerebra Middle East, market is part of the Middle East’s will be an authorised partner physical security market, which is for the sale of Canon’s range of projected to surge by a massive 23.7 Network Visual Solutions which percent to $10.9 billion by 2020, up comprise of network cameras and from its 2014 level of USD 3 billion. network solutions in the UAE. The Anurag Agrawal, Managing alliance will enhance the vendor’s Director, Canon Middle East, said, IP Security Camera business in the “Canon Middle East is looking to region, especially in the government, establish itself in the country’s industrial and retail sectors, where security market and make strong the company is exploring business headway in the IP camera industry, opportunities. much ahead of Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Customers and partners embrace RSA’s Smart Identity solution RSA has announced that a number of RSA Via customers and partners are increasingly embracing its Smart Identity solutions.

According to the company, RSA Via Access is engineered to take a hybrid cloud approach to securing identities, allowing customers to enforce the same level of secure access to enterprise and SaaS resources, whether in the cloud or on-premise, without the need to sync sensitive user credentials to the cloud.

Additionally, the RSA Via Access integration with RSA SecurID authentication helps increase the number of authentication methods to cloud applications available to users, enabling further optimisation of convenience and security for end users.

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Jim Ducharme, Vice President of Engineering and Product Management, RSA, said, “Identity is the foundation of any security programme, and its importance is continuing to grow. Organisations across the globe must address the complexity of securing access to the ‘Islands of Identity’, meaning a combination of on-premise workloads, workloads shifting to public and hybrid clouds, and SaaS applications. With RSA Via technology, customers know who has access to the corporate data and resources and that these resources are being accessed with security and convenience in mind. RSA is an end-to-end Identity partner and we’re committed to the success of our customers’ and partners’ IAM strategies.”

Huawei Network Congress Middle East December 14, 2015 | Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, UAE

Website: hnc.huawei.com/ae Email: enterpriseME@huawei.com @Huawei_ME

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highlights

A10 Networks unveils ‘Affinity Partner Programme’

TP-LINK to expand product array in Egypt

partner profitability, and A10 Networks has new training/tools. launched the new The new A10 Affinity A10 Affinity Partner Partner Programme offers Programme in Europe, three tiers: Platinum, Middle East and Africa, Gold, and Bronze that a programme designed specify investments, to motivate and reward discounts, and enablement the company’s channel levels. With the Affinity partners who sell the Enablement Programme, company’s application A10 is making a significant service gateway and Henk Jan Spanjaard, A10 Networks investment in role-based security products. training for partner sales According to the and systems engineers (SEs). Through company, through this programme, this, partners can gain the skills needed their channel partners will have the to engage customers in the discovery capability to participate in the multisales process—helping them to land billion pound high-growth application new clients, position and demonstrate networking and security market. products, and grow their business.

Affinity partners will gain access to Henk Jan Spanjaard, VP, EMEA, a host of resources and enablement A10 Networks, said, “By launching programmes that will help them this new channel programme, we are lead with A10 solutions and grow helping our partners to increase their their business. Core benefits of A10 business and reap the rewards of the programme include expanded mutual growth.” programme offerings, increased

Arrow Electronics receives Trend Micro accolade Arrow Electronics has announced it was awarded the ‘2015 Trend Micro Global Distributor of the Year Award’ at Trend Micro’s Global Partner Summit in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

“Arrow’s strategic alliance with Trend Micro continues to accelerate through Howard Goldberg, Arrow our selection to be the only distributor for their Deep Discovery Evaluation Programme, and our recent announcement as Trend Micro’s sole North America Authorised Training Centre,” said Howard Goldberg, President, Global Enterprise Computing Solutions Business, North

America, Arrow. “Arrow sees Trend Micro as a strategic security supplier throughout our North America and EMEA businesses for data centre, cloud, endpoint, and breach-detection technology.”

“The success demonstrated by Arrow is truly impressive,” said Partha Panda, Vice President, Global Channels and Alliances, Trend Micro.

“Arrow resellers benefit from their extensive knowledge of Trend Micro’s market-leading technologies and their demonstrated excellence in delivering solutions that help address today’s security and compliance challenges.”

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Roger Gong, TP-LINK ME

TP-LINK revealed that it plans to broaden its products range in the Egyptian IT market.

According to the company, the plan to increase its products sold in the retail and traditional dealer channels, comes after the rapid acceptance of its SOHO and SMB networking products in that market. It is enhancing its partner engagement model in retail as the company starts to see signs of consumer spending in Egypt.

Roger Gong, Country Manager, Egypt, TP-LINK Middle East, said the company has decided to increase its product portfolio sold in both the retail and traditional reseller channels after seeing demand from the market surge. “Sales for our networking and wireless products are around 60 percent higher in Q3 this year compared to the same period last year,” Gong said.

“We feel that it’s critical to support our partners by broadening the range of products they can sell in the consumer, SOHO and SMB segments in Egypt.

“Despite the challenges that the country has faced in the last couple of years, we never relented to work closely with channel partners in Egypt to build a win-win business environment for us, our partners and their customers,” he said.

Gong added that the market has stabilised in Egypt and the company has developed a plan where it works with retailers, super dealers and dealers to ensure product presence is widespread across the country.

Reseller Middle East december 2015

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highlights

Bulwark, sendQuick launch sqoope

Alpha Data, Al Noor sign Phase 2 of MPS project

Jose Thomas Menacherry, Bulwark Technologies

sendQuick developed by Talariax, an appliance based SMS gateway for enterprise messaging, announced the launch of sqoope in the region. sqoope is a mobile messaging platform designed to cater to the requirements of enterprises.

It features unique notification capabilities – like guaranteed messaging status – which ensures cohesive and coherent interactivity within a secure environment.

According to Talariax, the new mobile messaging platform guarantees delivery of messages anytime and anywhere. It provides user authentication and encrypted messages for complete confidentiality. All individuals associated are listed and reflected as per their individual responses.

The technology offers the display of date and time of acknowledgement of individuals involved.

The company underlined, that this new platform is highly efficient and recommended for enterprises and is deployed as an in-premise appliance in a secure environment with additional features.

Bulwark Technologies is the authorised distributor for sqoope developed by Talariax in the Middle East region. The availability and price options can be obtained from the distributor on request.

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december 2015 Reseller Middle East

Alpha Data has reported that the initial phase of its fouryear contract to deploy HP’s Managed Print Services for Al Noor Hospitals Group has enabled the Group’s Khalifa Street and Amar Singh, Alpha Data Airport Road Hospital Campuses to reduce 30 to 40 percent of their printing costs.

Alpha Data was contracted to implement the upgrade from the existing single-function copiers to HP’s advanced multifunctional printers which can also scan and digitally transmit data.

Phase 1 of the project has already been completed, covering up to 70 per cent of the Khalifa Street and Airport Road Hospital Campuses.

Amar Singh, Head of Enterprise Department, Alpha Data, said, “Although we at Alpha Data knew that it would

be challenging to transition the culture from legacy unmanaged copiers to modern multifunctional printers, we were highly confident of the capabilities of HP’s solutions, Al Noor’s team commitment, and our own manpower and expertise to successfully execute this major project. As a result, most of Al Noor’s network of hospitals in Abu Dhabi now enjoys easy, secure and cost-effective printing for medical and administrative staff. With Phase 2 to commence soon we look forward to delivering HP’s highperformance multifunctional solutions to more of Al Noor’s facilities.”

According to Alpha Data, due to the successful deployment and use of the HP printers, Al Noor Hospitals has signed Phase 2 of the contract which will extend to the Khalifa Street, Airport Road and Al Ain branches.

Paladion includes RisqVU ADR in the IBM Global Solutions Directory and response, which enables Paladion announced the multi-fold improvements in the inclusion of its proprietary operational efficiency of Security RisqVU– Active Discovery Operations Centres (SOC). and Response (ADR) “We are excited that RisqVU platform in the IBM Global ADR is included in IBM’s Global Solutions Directory.

Solutions Directory and is now A Big Data security available for organisations analytics and orchestration Vinod Vasudevan, Paladion building their SOC with IBM solution, RisqVU ADR helps QRadar. A best in class SIEM solution, discover unknown threats by analysing IBM QRadar when integrated with RisqVU event and alerts data from multiple ADR provides a win-win for customers. data sources through statistical models, Our platform has unique capabilities that machine learning algorithms and easy complement SIEM and other security threat visualisation. The solution has now technologies. Active Discovery packages been approved by IBM Global Solutions enable detection of unknown threats, Directory and will appear in searches on while the visual analytics element makes the directory. it easier to visualise large scale historical According to Paladion, through integration with IBM QRadar, RisqVU ADR events assimilated from SIEM and other data sources,” said Vinod Vasudevan, Couses the concept of triage to prioritise founder and CTO, Paladion. the right alerts for quicker remediation

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highlights

Beta IT partners with F5 Beta Information Technology has recently announced a partnership with F5 Networks.

By joining UNITY Partner Programme as a Gold Partner, Beta IT can significantly grow their business while gaining access to the support and expertise that F5 vigorously provides inside and outside the region.

“Beta IT is a picture-perfect choice for a partner company because they fit or exceed all of the standards F5 has for its key partners.

Beta IT is a regional powerhouse in the IT industry and is known for their forward-thinking, holistic approach to customers’ needs, a perfect complement to F5,” said

Ramzi Hejazi, Saudi Arabia Channel Manager, F5 Networks. “We are extremely pleased with this mutually beneficial partnership and look forward to seeing the fruits of our collaboration.”

Zaher Al Bakri, General Manager, Beta IT, said, “We are growing at a rapid pace and were looking for the right partner to meet our requirements and boost efficiency while staying ahead of our competitors. We believe we chose the right partner to fulfill our vision of becoming a leading system integrator for enterprise information and communication technology solutions with distinguished quality and high level customer satisfaction.”

VCE signs distribution deal with Mindware

Mario Gay, Mindware and Said Akar, VCE

VCE, the global player in converged infrastructure has signed up Mindware as its value-added distributor across its product portfolio. The partnership extends across all Gulf regions excluding Saudi Arabia and includes Pakistan.

Said Akar, Regional Director, TEEAM, VCE, said, “VCE is a pioneering company focusing on converged and hyper-converged infrastructure. Middle East is one of our fastest growing markets worldwide. How we can cover the market and have the right go-

to-market strategy in place are important factors for us. This is the main reason why we are signing this partnership with Mindware.

In this region we are committed to drive our business through the indirect model. The only way for success is to have the right coverage through our channel.

Therefore we need to have a valueadded distributor such as Mindware in order to manage partners and systems integrators.”

Mario Gay, General Manager, Mindware, says, “VCE is one of those products that has been a part of EMC family and was missing in our portfolio. We had started this journey with EMC almost two years ago. We were able to prove our value to the market and to our vendors. We were keen to add VCE to our portfolio. Our objective is to serve the market and in this regard we always look to have non-competing but complementary products in our portfolio.”

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Reseller Middle East december 2015

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highlights

Finesse inks SI services deal with VCE Finesse has announced that it has partnered with VCE. Under the agreement, Finesse will provide services in consulting, gap analysis and suggesting the optimum infrastructure requirements to meet the constantly increasing demand from customers for converged infrastructure and cloud services based on Vblock Systems from VCE in the UAE. Said Akar, Regional Director for Turkey, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Middle East, VCE, said, “We’re pleased to partner with Finesse, a key systems integrator in the UAE with a strong reputation for delivering innovative solutions. VCE integrates state-of-the-art compute, network and storage technologies from Cisco and EMC, as well as virtualisation software from VMware to deliver a factory-integrated, pre-engineered, pre-configured, and validated platform.

Sunil Paul, Finesse and Said Akar, VCE

Finesse will leverage the entire Vblock Systems portfolio to provide its customer with a simple, agile and effective way to deploy, operate and manage our industryleading converged infrastructure solutions that facilitates business efficiency.”

Sunil Paul, Co-founder and COO, Finesse, said, “We strongly believe that the data centre provisioning market is quickly moving towards converged infrastructure to ensure efficiency through IT infrastructure transformation.

Our partnership with VCE, the market leader in converged infrastructure, will support our endeavor to be trail blazers with our solutions and services for our clients. We look forward to working with VCE to deliver the best of services.”

EES achieves Microsoft Gold SAM Competency Emitac Enterprise Solutions has announced its attainment of Gold SAM Competency in the Microsoft Partner Programme.

As a certified Microsoft SAM Gold Competency partner, EES will now offer qualifying organisations a complete Microsoft SAM review. By doing so, Microsoft customers can get full insight to software usage and identify if an organisation is completely utilising their software licenses with absolute minimum costs and reduce the risk of non-compliance with EES Software Asset Management services. This also helps organisations in building a strong practice around managing and optimising their software licenses.

In addition to solid and professional Software Asset Management service, EES licensing specialist also helps with Software Licensing

Consulting, Audit and Pre-Audit scans, contract negotiations and licensing maintenance.

“We are delighted to achieve the Microsoft Gold SAM Competency and look forward to this competency allowing us to deepen our relationships with our customers,” said Madhav Reddy Kolli, Microsoft Business Unit Head, EES. “Will help customers save money while improving visibility and control of their software assets through optimised SAM practices.”

Microsoft customers can now be assured about the quality and service they can expect in Software Asset Management space. There are quite a few IT firms in UAE region who claim to be SAM specialists, only a few with this achievement of Gold SAM Competency are recognised by Microsoft as true specialists.

www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East december 2015

15

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highlights

Microsoft and distributor partners stress on SMB growth Microsoft Gulf along with its regional distributors – Aptec, Mindware and Redington Gulf; held a partner event recently focusing on the importance Samer Abu Ltaif, Microsoft Gulf of using the right digital marketing tools, social media and product offerings in order to encourage growth in the small and medium businesses (SMBs) space.

The event held under the theme ‘Inspire Business Growth In SMB’ began with a keynote by Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf, followed by a multidimensional overview of the SME sector in Dubai by HE Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO, Dubai SME, and then drove into interesting panel discussions where participants from the distributor partners shared opportunities

and best practices in the SMB market. One of the highlights of the event was the keynote address and workshop by guest speaker Carol Roth, International Business Expert and New York Times Best Selling Author of ‘The entrepreneur equation’.

“SMBs are the backbone of the economy because they are nimble, innovative and connected with customer values. At Microsoft, we want to empower every person and organisation to do more and achieve more. This inspires us to empower our partners to leverage the power and elasticity of the cloud to enable innovation, reach and cost effectiveness that can help them penetrate into the SMB segment effectively,” said Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf.

Lenovo launches new unified partner portal its ‘channel first’ strategy and Lenovo has announced the helps bring together all partnerlaunch of its new unified relevant marketing, channel, partner portal during the BP management and training One Channel Roadshow, functionalities in one place, with which was recently held in one login, simple navigation and Dubai, in the presence of best-in-class new tools.

Eric Cador, Lenovo EMEA The portal is a centralised President, Marc Godin, location where business partners Lenovo MEA VP and General Mohammed Hilili, Lenovo Gulf and KSA can have access to personalized Manager, and Mohammed dashboards, latest localised news Hilili, Lenovo Gulf, Pakistan and important account details, as well as and KSA General Manager. leads and numerous other asset search According to the company, the new tools. portal, LenovoPartner.com, features a userMohammed Hilili, General Manager, friendly interface and a one-stop place for Lenovo Gulf and KSA, said, “Our new portal business partners to get the support and is an efficient platform that is designed information that they need. Lenovo´s new to provide our partners with the insights Partner Portal will make it easier and faster for partners to get special pricing on PC’s and they require to cultivate and simplify their channel business on daily basis. At Lenovo, Servers instantly in one place, helping them we continue to design technologies to respond quickly to opportunities. that are accessible to our partners and The investment in the new portal consumers alike.” emphasises the company’s dedication to

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Reseller Middle East december 2015

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DISTREE EMEA 2016 to be held in Monaco

DISTREE EMEA has confirmed that audio products, consumer drones, smart home solutions and wearables will be four spotlight product categories at next year’s event in Monaco.

The annual four-day event offers technology and consumer electronics (CE) brands a powerful platform to launch, manage or expand their routesto-market across the region.

“We’re hugely excited to announce the first four spotlight categories for DISTREE EMEA 2016,” said Alexandra

Sinson, Event Director, DISTREE EMEA. “Our pre-event research has shown that these are four product areas where EMEA’s e-tailers, retailers and distributors are really looking to focus their business development activities in 2016.”

“DISTREE EMEA is an invitation only trade only event where senior buyers and executives from the region’s leading channel partners hold prescheduled face-to-face meetings with both existing partners and new brands that they are considering adding to their portfolio,” Sinson added.

DISTREE EMEA 2016 will be held from February 24-27th at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Taking place for the 14th consecutive year in 2016, DISTREE EMEA will gather more than 1000 senior executives including vendors, plus distributors, retailers and e-tailers from across the entire EMEA region.

Canon Emirates to be official ICT print provider for Dubai Airshow

The Canon Emirates team

Canon Emirates has signed an agreement with Dubai Airports to serve as the Official ICT Print Provider for three editions of the Dubai Airshow from 2015 to 2019.

At Dubai Airshow 2015, Canon Emirates offered the entire array of MPS services through a dedicated business centre that offered end-to-end solutions, from small to large format printing, to the nearly 1,100 exhibitors

that took part in the global event as well as visitors. More than 120 Canon devices were deployed to meet the back office requirements and were stationed across the exhibition area to ensure smooth operations and meet print requirements Shadi Bakhour, GM, Canon Emirates, said, “The aim of Canon Emirates is to go in the direction of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE to transform Dubai into a ‘Smart City’.”

At Dubai Airshow 2015, Canon Emirates also exhibited its range of applications created on Canon Large Format Printers and Arizona showcasing its flexibility to print on surfaces like wood, metal, acrylic, and other media.

This gallery attracted thousands of visitors, who were treated to a compelling exhibition of artworks and photographs on ‘The Past and Future of Dubai.’

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Reseller Middle East december 2015

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HDS appoints TechAccess as ATC partner

The HDS and TechAccess team

TechAccess has announced that it has been appointed by Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) as its sole Authorised Training Centre (ATC) partner for Middle East, Saudi Arabia, North Africa and Pakistan.

The authorised training centre is based in Dubai, UAE and will feature a comprehensive set of courses and certification accessible to all of HDS’ partners and customers.

“TechAccess has invested over $1 million into equipment and resources for the training centre. This will not only help to educate partners and customers but also help to facilitate an increase in the market share for HDS and TechAccess in the region,” said Dimuth Wijeratne, General Manager, HDS Products, TechAccess at the opening ceremony of the authorised training centre.

30%

of enterprises will spend more on display screens than on PCs by 2018 Source: Gartner

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december 2015 Reseller Middle East

highlights

Smartphone sales up 15.5% in emerging markets According to a recent report by Gartner, continued demand for affordable smartphones in emerging markets drove worldwide sales of smartphones in the third quarter of 2015.

Further into the report, global sales of smartphones to end users totalled 353 million units, a 15.5 percent growth over the same period in 2014.

In the third quarter of 2015, Samsung refreshed its flagship devices just four months after its previous refresh to address slowing demand for its high-end devices, and further compete with Apple’s large-screen iPhones. Apple continued its dominance in the premium segment of the smartphone market with its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models for most of the third quarter of 2015. The global launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus during the last week of September 2015, along with the simultaneous launch in China, further added to its overall sales

during the quarter. Huawei continued its growth momentum, driven by smartphone sales in both its home market and global markets, particularly Europe, where sales were driven by its ever-growing brand visibility.

In the smartphone operating system (OS) market, Apple’s iOS continued to see strong performance and grew 21 percent, above market average. Android gained 1.4 percentage points in share year over year thanks to strong smartphone sales from Samsung and Huawei globally. Windows smartphone market share dropped from three percent to 1.7 percent year-over-year.

Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totalled nearly 478 million units during the third quarter of 2015, an increase of 3.7 percent from the same period in 2014. Continued growth in emerging markets helped bolster sales of local brands.

Oxygen teams up with Trustwave in Middle East Oxygen has Serving enterprise announced its customers in financial sector, distribution oil and gas, hospitality partnership with and retail among others, Trustwave, a global Trustwave delivers the cyber-security visibility and insight solutions provider. customers need to remediate The agreement increasingly sophisticated Philip Cherian, Oxygen Middle East will allow it to bring cyber-threats. the vendor’s IT Philip Cherian, Business security solutions Unit Head, Security, Oxygen to the Middle East market to help ME, said, “Trustwave will form a key customers with cyber security. part of our portfolio and complement Trustwave technologies and managed our existing product range of nextsecurity services are backed by global generation security solutions offered threat intelligence from Trustwave to resellers and customers in the SpiderLabs ethical hacking and Middle East. It will help customers security research team, allowing realacross all industries achieve defence time response to emerging threats. in depth through implementing With the distributor, Trustwave automated, sustainable and costfurther extends its geographic reach effective data protection and risk and presence in the Middle East. management solutions.”

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highlights

Acer, SARCO sign Oman distribution deal “This partnership Acer recently signed a agreement is a positive partnership with Al Seeb step forward for Acer Technical Establishment in the region. Having a (SARCO). In line with the direct distribution link in agreement, SARCO will Oman allows us to ensure take over the distribution a faster time to market activities for Acer, enabling for our products. Due to the company to ship products their extensive regional directly to the Sultanate. experience, SARCO have a The event was attended strong understanding of the by 50 of Acers’ valued Bassam Fahmi, Masood Group and local market and audience. partners who would benefit Daniel Trachino, Acer We look forward to a longfrom the agreement deal lasting and successful partnership with between Acer and SARCO. During increased growth in the region,” said the evening, Daniel Trachino, General Daniel Trachino, Acer.

Manager of Acer Middle East and North Bassam Fahmi, Regional CEO, Masood Africa, and Joumana Karam, Country Group, said “SARCO is delighted to join Product Business Unit Head at Acer hands with Acer and promote their Middle East and Africa Region, addressed products in Sultanate of Oman and the guests about the benefits this take this relationship to the next level of partnership would bring them and their business in Oman.” customers.

Avaya hosts Partner Forum Avaya highlighted the role of innovation in driving the world’s digital transformation amongst the private and public sectors alike at its annual Avaya Partner Forum 2016.

The two-day forum, hosted at the Atlantis Nidal Abou-Ltaif, Avaya the Palm Hotel in Dubai, gave Avaya a platform to present its strategic vision of a customer-focused engagement model that delivers better collective business outcomes. Keynote addresses from company leaders, seminars and expert sessions will enable channel partners and customers to learn about key emerging industry trends, including mobility, cloud, Big Data, and analytics, and the increased opportunities they represent.

Avaya has also highlighted its Cloud strategy at the Avaya Partner Forum

2016, including its partnerhosted solutions that enable technology partners to offer team engagement, customer engagement and video solutions as services.

Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, EU and AMEA, Avaya, said, “The Avaya Way is to put the customer first in everything we do and to work closely with our technology partners on delivering better collective outcomes for everybody. The Avaya partner community is central to our strategy and the Avaya Partner Forum 2016 is the perfect platform to drive digital transformation in our customers by bringing together our combined knowledge, expertise, and skills base to benefit all of us. Avaya is investing in and developing its partner community because we know that when we work together there are no limits to what we can achieve.”

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Pulse Secure launches Middle East Online Education Centre Pulse Secure recently announced the launch of its online Education Centre.

Developed to foster a continuous learning ecosystem, the Education Centre provides both customers and partners with a variety of training resources.

With an annual subscription to the Education Centre, Pulse Secure customers have unlimited access to a variety of educational assets, including eLearning accreditation courses, product insight videos, knowledge base articles and collaborative learning communities that help to provide premium skills development for organisations.

Through targeted content curation and analysis along with social feedback, the company ensures subscription value by providing fresh and relevant material that gives customers the flexibility to learn how they want and when they want. The Education Centre also has a mobile app and all content is HTML5 compatible, which allows customers the flexibility to learn on-the-go through access from Android and Apple mobile devices and tablets.

“Our goal is to provide our customers and partners with continuous education opportunities through a personalised online medium that gives them the flexibility to pick, choose and work the modules that are relevant for them,” said John Mitchell, EMEA Partner Director, Pulse Secure.

Reseller Middle East december 2015

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Huawei introduces HCIE programme to Middle East

Eric Dai, Huawei Middle East

Huawei recently held a Huawei Certified Internetwork Expert (HCIE) panel discussion and an award ceremony highlighting the importance of its HCIE programme.

Huawei has also awarded Visiontech, one of the company’s regional channel partners, as it became the first company to complete the HCIE certification.

The HCIE certification acknowledges the skills of an ICT engineer to construct, optimise, and manage complex large and medium-sized enterprise networks. The programme was unveiled last year and has seen increased traction in the Middle East in 2015 as the certification no longer needs to be taken in Huawei’s home market of China and is now available locally. The certification has been introduced under the supervision of the company’s HCIE Lab Centre in the UAE. Eric Dai, VP Service, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei ME said, “Huawei’s certification of regional channel partners is important to us. It bears testimony to the fact Visiontech is held in the highest regard by Huawei.”

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december 2015 Reseller Middle East

highlights

Veritas announces refreshed global partner programme Veritas Technologies has announced its independent global partner programme, Veritas Partner Force.

According to the company, the refreshed partner programme was based on extensive Mark Nutt, Veritas partner feedback and is designed to further reward information management partners focused on growing their business with Veritas.

“As Veritas prepares to become a stand-alone company, Veritas’ independent partner programme enhances the well-received updates unveiled last year to create a strong, independent channel program uniquely focused on information management partners,” said Mark Nutt, SVP, Worldwide Channel, Veritas. “Veritas listened to its partner community and built programme

enhancements on extensive partner feedback to improve and strengthen Veritas’ channel presence. The launch of Veritas Partner Force is a key milestone that enables partners to earn money quickly and predictably while selling Veritas solutions.”

Highlights of the programme, according to the company, include increased opportunity registration cap from $500,000 to $1 million, while maintaining payout rates, so partners can create and register bigger Veritas transactions with their strategic customers; enhanced growth accelerator rebate with the introduction of a threestep payout programme that increases high growth accelerators and simplifies quarterly payouts; and streamlined path to platinum status, Veritas has consolidated the qualifications for skilled partners to achieve platinum status by requiring two – rather than three – expert competencies.

ZOTAC, Al-Falak sign distribution agreement

(L-R) Sanjay Singh, Al-Falak; Ken Ho, Zotac and Savio Fernandes, Al-Falak

ZOTAC International has signed a distribution agreement with Al-Falak Electronic Equipment and Supplies, an IT and communications solution provider in the GCC countries.

As part of the agreement, Al-Falak will focus on the distribution and promotion of ZOTAC’s innovative products across the GCC countries through their strong channel network.

“The Middle East has always been an important market for ZOTAC and over

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the last few years we have managed to increase our brand visibility and market share significantly in this region. With our expanding portfolio of products, we now want to strengthen our position in the Middle East and expand our reach in this highly competitive and rapidly evolving market further. Hence, we decided to partner with Al-Falak as they are well-established and one of the most valued and reputed distributors across this region,” said Ken Ho, General Manager, EMEAI, ZOTAC. “With their experience and market knowledge, Al-Falak has always provided the latest technologies, sales support and commitment to its customers and we are confident they extend the same to ZOTAC’s customers as well. We are confident that our partnership with Al Falak will help ZOTAC increase our market share further in the GCC region,” Ho added.

highlights

Avaya and Prologix sign contract with Dubai Courts

The Dubai Courts and Avaya has announced the signing of a strategic contract that will see the Dubai Courts implement a range of Avaya solutions, including unified communications, a revamped contact centre, video conferencing, and Avaya Scopia, a webbased collaboration platform.

According to Avaya, the deal with Dubai Courts will transform the latter’s public service, and move Dubai

closer to its Smart City vision. Prologix will execute this implementation in collaboration with Avaya.

Prologix Distribution has been tagged along for the implementation of this agreement along with Avaya that was announced recently at the GITEX 2015.

Hashem Al Hashemi, Acting General Manager, Finance and Administration, Dubai Courts, said, “Dubai Courts relies on advanced technology to make

our customer service and experience exceptional. In Avaya, we have found the ideal partner to work with on this digital transformation of Dubai Courts.”

“Partnering with Dubai Courts on their Digital Transformation enables us to make a direct contribution to the Dubai Vision 2021. This adds significantly to our public sector expertise, and we look forward to continuing to play a key role in Dubai’s transformation to a Smart City,” said Mohammed Areff, Vice President, MEA & Turkey, and Avaya.

Sarwan Singh, Managing Director, Prologix, the Avaya Platinum Partner who delivered this project, said, “We are proud to have been selected by Dubai Courts for this project. Our team will ensure an effortless transformation of Dubai Courts to become one of the ‘Smartest’, most digitally-enabled Government service in the UAE.” Moreover, Prologix underlines that the deal is an exclusive one for them as it will be dealing with one of the most revered departments of the Dubai Government.

Zulekha Healthcare Group Signs Up with Finesse for Business Intelligence

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december 2015 Reseller Middle East

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People

Partners

Products

Process

Help AG achieves CPSP status from Palo Alto

Stephan Berner, Help AG

Help AG has recently announced that it has achieved the Certified Professional Services Partner (CPSP) status from Palo Alto Networks.

According to Help AG, by achieving the status they will now be able to offer its customers end-to-end services on Palo Alto’s nextgeneration firewall solutions with the highest standards and quality.

“Through our longstanding partnership with the vendor, we have successfully deployed and supported its cyber security platforms in some of the most critical and large infrastructures in the Middle East. We have already attained the highest partnership level with Palo Alto and the CPSP Programme was the next logical step. From a technical standpoint we are now positioned to deliver an unmatched level of valueaddition to customers that hope to leverage Palo Alto’s market leading security technologies,” said Stephan Berner, MD, Help AG. The vendor will also conduct ongoing recertification and provide Help AG access to its Professional Services engineers and community discussion forums.

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december 2015 Reseller Middle East

highlights

Exclusive Networks ME launches VAD for user-driven data centre the orchestration of virtual Exclusive Group is appliances. The new vendor launching its BigTec portfolio in BigTec Middle East distribution business in includes distribution partnerships the Middle East region. with Nutanix as well as other According to EXN, strategic vendors in this arena.

BigTec will be the value“We believe that this is added distributor partner a perfect time to introduce for disruptive vendors for BigTec in the MENA region,” enterprise data centre Fari Boustanchi, Exclusive Networks ME said Fari Boustantchi, CEO, transformation.

Exclusive Networks MENA. As enterprises seek “The volume, velocity and value of data is to increase the performance and flexibility rising exponentially, generating a complex of their core IT and data assets, while problem that only greater intelligence – not streamlining expenditure into an OPEX just greater horsepower – can resolve. model, the VAD highlights that BigTec helps BigTec’s bold vision is to enable its partners reseller partners harness opportunities to address this huge market opportunity from new cloud architectures and and to help enterprises build a new virtualised data centre functions that are generation of user driven data centres. We progressively more webscale and softwareare looking forward to working with our defined. channel partners to successfully introduce The VAD explains that BigTec is Big Technology to the Middle East market. focused on opportunities within the data This is another major milestone for centre around Big Data storage, virtual Exclusive Networks in the region.” desktop infrastructure, optimisation and

Paladion partners with CounterTack cyber-security-service model that Paladion Networks has merges leading-edge security recently, announced technologies and our proprietary that it has entered RisqVu ADR platform with the into a partnership with best security talent from around CounterTack. the world. Our partnership with CyberActive SOCs CounterTack takes our active are Paladion’s new type threat detection capabilities one of Security Operations step further by enhancing our Centres that employ SOCs’ capabilities in endpoint an active approach to threat context and visibility.” combat threats in the IT Neal Creighton, CEO, landscape.

Rajat Mohanty, Paladion Networks CounterTack, said, “We’re thrilled According to the risk to partner with Paladion to deliver management company, next-generation endpoint capabilities that these SOCs are organised into active integrate into enterprise and mid-sized teams of threat intelligence analysts, environments. We are laser-focused on investigators, SOC content authors, SIEM exposing attacker behaviours at scale administrators, data scientists, ethical so we can automate a fix or provide the hackers, data hunters, and many more; visibility for manual intervention, and who co-ordinate to set up active defenses we’re excited to partner with a known and proactively respond to threats. leader in Paladion to extend our footprint Rajat Mohanty, CEO, Paladion in Asia-PAC and the Middle East.”

Networks, said, “CyberActive is an active

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APPOINTMENTS

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

AMD appoints new President of EMEA

Acronis announces VP/GM of Sales for APAC and Emerging Markets

Darren Grasby, AMD

AMD has announced that Corporate Vice President Worldwide Component Channel Darren Grasby, has been appointed to the newly-created position of President of AMD EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

“EMEA is a key region with a broad set of important customers, partners and markets for AMD. Grasby is a proven leader who is ideally suited to drive deeper customer, partner, and stakeholder relationships across EMEA as a part of helping AMD accomplish our long-term business goals,” said Dr. Lisa Su, President and Chief Executive Officer, AMD. “Over the past eight years he has proven to be an effective and results-driven leader. This new role will allow him to broaden his influence and reach in supporting AMD’s customers, partners and employees while also promoting and enhancing our regional reputation and prominence as an innovative technology pioneer.”

Darren Grasby, President, AMD, EMEA, said, “I am honoured to take on this role, particularly as it allows me to promote AMD’s technology leadership and highlight the innovation that is central to its business philosophy across a broad geographic region.”

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december 2015 Reseller Middle East

Acronis has announced the appointment of Steve Goh as Vice President/GM of Sales for AsiaPacific and Emerging Markets.

In this role, Goh will be responsible for deploying and executing Acronis strategy, growing sales, and extending the company’s footprint in these regions. He will focus on restructuring, building, and motivating teams and driving growth via Channel and Alliances Sales, as well as Direct and Enterprise Sales.

“I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to be part of an exciting journey to continue the great work and foundation that the leadership team has laid down to position Acronis as the market leader,” said Goh. Goh comes with 25 years of experience in the IT industry holding several senior management positions in sales and marketing.

He brings along great experience driving business growth across enterprise, small medium, public sector, OEM and retail business segments. He was based in China, driving partner ecosystem and

Steve Goh, Acronis

helping companies to grow in Greater China region. He was also the Dean at Microsoft China University, growing the talent pool in China, and helping the company be successful as part of China’s growing economy.

“Goh’s appointment demonstrates our commitment to hiring top-notch talent to support our growth plans in Asia.

His vast experience in identifying opportunities and taking strategic steps to achieve business goals will ensure the company’s success in the coming years. Goh has a proven track record of building world-class teams, ensuring that we deliver cutting-edge products, support and service to all our customers,” said Serguei Beloussov, Co-Founder and CEO, Acronis.

“I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to be part of an exciting journey to continue the great work and foundation that the leadership team has laid down to position Acronis as the market leader.”

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APPOINTMENTS

Wacom expands global marketing focus with new SVP for Marketing

Ed Neumann, Wacom

Wacom announces the appointment of Ed Neumann to develop and orchestrate the global marketing activities for the Creative Business Unit.

According to the company, Neumann brings with him a track record of success in leading sales, marketing and operational organisations in launching innovative technology products and services in global markets. As the Senior Vice President of Marketing for the Creative Business Unit, he will develop overall marketing strategies and plans for the full product life

cycle to ensure that Wacom products and programmes are customerdriven, well positioned and launched to trigger maximum customer excitement and drive demand.

“With our recent reorganisation into global business units, we needed a world-class global marketer who thinks big and out of the box,” said Jeff Mandell, Executive Vice President Branded Business.

“Neumann’s strong leadership skills, product positioning experience, and innovative and creative approach to marketing will ensure our creative business continues its exceptional growth.”

“I was attracted to the company’s mission to serve the world’s most creative professionals,” Neumann said. “As the creative market leader, Wacom has a tremendous opportunity to continue to truly inspire creativity and accelerate growth through innovative marketing.”

Prior to joining Wacom, Neumann held leadership roles at HewlettPackard during a 15-year tenure where he focused on product marketing, new business creation and developing new solution/service business models.

“I was attracted to the company’s mission to serve the world’s most creative professionals. As the creative market leader, Wacom has a tremendous opportunity to continue to truly inspire creativity and accelerate growth through innovative marketing.”

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Mahindra Comviva appoints Market Unit Head for MENA Mahindra Comviva has announced the appointment of Kaustubh Kashyap as the new Market Unit Kaustubh Kashyap, Head for the Mahindra Comviva MENA region.

With this appointment, Mahindra Comviva aims to aggressively focus on extending its footprint across the MENA region to achieve the next growth phase. The company is targeting a 250 percent growth in revenues over the next three years, with a strong focus on research, development and deployment of Big Data analytics and future-oriented technologies. This will help the company contribute to innovation within the industry and support the digital transformation of the region.

The company introduced its offerings in Big Data analytics to assist operators to increase revenues, achieve higher retention and improve customer experience, by promoting spend on network, by extending subscribers’ age on the network and by providing unified and consistent experiences across the touch-points of the subscribers.

Kaustubh Kashyap, Vice President and Head of MENA Region, Mahindra Comviva, said, “With over 10 years of presence in the MENA region, Mahindra Comviva has gained extensive market expertise and know-how, which it can now exploit to provide differentiated portfolio of offerings across the region.

Mahindra Comviva is not only being considered as a technology partner but also is fast becoming a business partner to the major operators and banks in the region.”

Report

2015 in review

Reseller ME recaps major events that impacted the regional industry THIS YEAR. Dell acquires EMC

In what can be termed as the largest technology acquisition of the recent times, Dell’s announcement to acquire EMC for a whopping $67 billion in October created waves in the IT industry both globally and regionally. Partners will need a better understanding on how to proceed on a number of topics such as third-party partnerships and unification of partner programmes within the new Dell-EMC umbrella. The impact of this acquisition is much bigger than what meets the eye and the picture will be clearer in 2016.

This will help Dell offer end-to-end solutions and bolster our strategy to be the only IT vendor with a full set of products from PC to data centre to cloud. We have a number of synergies with EMC, as they have diversified from the core storage business with the launch of their Federation model. Even our products are complementary, and the only overlap is in the area of storage SAN.” Basil Ayass, Regional Marketing Director, Dell Middle East.

HP splits into two companies

The American technology giant has split into two distinct companies of equal sizes as of November 2015 – Hewlett-Packard Enterprise will comprise the servers, storage and networking business while HP Inc. will house its PC and printer business. The move is expected to make each of the $50 billion publicly held companies more nimble and swifter in its response to technological evolutions. From a channel point of view, it remains to be seen how partners will be affected and how they can make the most of this turn of events.

Symantec sells Veritas

In October 2014, Symantec had announced that it was looking at splitting its storage and security businesses in order to instill better focus. This meant reversing its $10.2 billion acquisition of storage player Veritas in 2005.

In August this year, the company announced plans to sell Veritas to private equity investor Carlyle Group for $8 billion. The sale is expected to be finalised over the next couple of months. Partners believe as long as they have high-level certifications from both brands, they shouldn’t be at the losing end with this development.

The first thing to note is that the split does

not take anything away because we build our practice around Veritas. Had the split happened four or five years ago, it would have made a difference to our business because then we wouldn’t have been skilled up on the Symantec products enough to qualify as their highest level partner. The positive aspect from the split is that the companies are organically aligned to solutions – one is information management and the other is security. I believe that will bring in more focus.”

Savitha Bhaskar, CEO, Condo Protego

Apple stores debut in the Middle East

Apple’s first two stores in the Middle East were unveiled at Dubai’s Mall of Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall, in October this year. The stores reflected the company’s global design, from oak tables, colourful displays to leather seating. This could negatively affect the sales of Apple resellers according to few industry experts. While others believe the bundle offers from resellers could continue to be attractive for customers. Either way, we can only analyse the impact few quarters down the line.

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Reseller Middle East december 2015

35

OPinion

Aruba Networks

Rejuvenating retail Jacob Chacko, Business Lead, SMB and Commercial, Middle East and Turkey at Aruba Networks, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, urges retail stores to be a step ahead of the digital customer experience revolution.

In-store retailing has been under rising pressure from increased costs of doing business, as well as the growth of online shopping. Yet, bricks-andmortar sales still accounts for the majority of retail spend.

According to a new publication from Hamburgbased yStats.com, the e-commerce market in the Middle East and Africa has the potential to grow at small double-digit rates in the next five years, led by countries such as the UAE and driven by improving Internet penetration, rising ownership of mobile devices and payment cards. However, despite substantial growth in the Middle East over the past couple of years, the region is still behind a number of other emerging economies in the e-commerce stakes due to factors such as delivery challenges, a preference for face-to-face, lack of choice due to limited range of online products and services, no price differential as compared to in-store purchases, consumer privacy concerns, prevalence of cash-on-delivery and others.

We believe the retail

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model of the future will be a radically different experience from today, largely driven by the changing shopping demands of the younger hyper-connected consumer.

Bricks-and-mortar retailing will remain to be a significant part in retail, however the lines between channels will erode at the benefit of both the customer and the business. Advances in technology will significantly improve the relationships between retailers and customers, much the way analytics is already doing to online shopping.

Real opportunity lies in responding to this change, focusing on delivering a truly integrated and seamless omnichannel experience. The future of retail is an exciting one, and over the next few years we expect to see a number of key developments taking place in stores around the globe: The emergence of the smart personal shopper Online retail will continue to exist for customers who want to buy a specific product and have it delivered to their home. But those who enter a store do so to learn, to view

december 2015 Reseller Middle East

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and feel items and to speak to a person. As the physical environment of a store changes, communication barriers between customers and employees such as counters will be removed, enabling staff to provide a more personalised experience.

Mobile technology will revolutionise the sales process and experience.

Tomorrow’s retail staff will be unleashed from the sales counter, and given the equipment to connect with customers across the entire store, offering a more consultative approach. In

fashion retail for example, assistants will be able to show customers a range of outfits and styles a particular item could work with.

With a real time view of stock and availability, they will be far more capable of closing sales, only recommending items that are both in stock and in size, while offering further choice and reducing wait time for shoppers.

The rise of immersive engagement Walking past a store, a customer’s phone buzzes, offering them to try on the same pair of jeans they saved in their online basket a few days ago. Enticing them in, as they’ve already shopped online, for today only they will get an additional 10 percent off all purchases.

Location-aware technology will identify customers’ mobile devices, enabling upsell and cross-sell offers based not just on what they’re viewing, but also what they’ve purchased before. As customers roam the store,

Tomorrow’s retail staff will be unleashed from the sales counter, and given the equipment to connect with customers across the entire store.”

engagement programmes will link with in-store beacons to dynamically offer up suggestions at various points along the store path.

Here, the loyalty programme and the new found freedom of the retail assistant will combine and, with a shared purchase history, the best retailers will enable assistants to make personal style recommendations, based on customer preference and items they may already own.

Experiences will extend loyalty beyond purchases too, offering experience enhancements such as VIP parking spots when customers approach retail stores, and recognising regular customers on entry.

The end of cash and plastic Part of matching the new connected consumers’ expectations will be delivering a seamless, frictionless payment experience, removing any barriers slowing down the speed of a retail sale.

Eliminating queues from stores, roaming staff, now empowered by mobile technology will be able to transact with customers in seconds, as shoppers keep focus on the purchase experience rather than the cost.

One of the most important factors to consumers, payment security requires additional compliance with higher security standards, ensuring consumers are protected from fraudulent activity and avoiding the irreparable reputational damage and financial costs

associated with a breach in payment security for the retailer.

This adoption of mobile, digital payments will further enable retailers to offer things like on-demand delivery options, where products can be delivered straight to the customer’s home or even car.

For retail businesses, this will also likely lead to higher revenues. Just as the shift from cash to plastic showed consumers are willing to spend more when not parting with cash, so too will sales be further strengthened by further dissociation from the traditional bank instrument, the card.

fully met, otherwise they face being left in the dust. Focus on enriching the customer experience immediately, and set the stage for rapid innovation in the coming years.

The road to the future These hyper-connected consumers already in the marketplace have a rapidly growing share of spending power. This always-on generation demand things like fast internet access and a more seamless, digital experience they’re already getting from other services.

While new innovations are being tested and tried in today’s market, much of this development is stifled by existing and fragmented existing IT infrastructure, negatively impacting the customer experience, and slowing the consumer adoption of new technologies that could help drive the retail business forward.

Because of this, retailers are already starting on the back foot. To build a successful platform for innovation across multiple channels, they must ensure the technological needs of today’s customers are

Sanjay Ahuja, VP, Middle East and Africa, AGC Networks

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OPinion

EMC

What’s in store?

Philippe Fosse, Vice President EMEA Channels, EMC, foresees how the regional IT channel is set to evolve in 2016.

In 2015 the cloud had full impact on businesses. Enabled by the flexibility and power of cloud computing, companies have launched new digital business models that are transforming customer services. At the same time, wholly new businesses have gained currency, ones like Uber, which is reshaping entire industries and even cultures.

Against this backdrop, the channel is evolving. In order to better meet customer requirements for flexibility and scalability, the IT channel is becoming increasingly flexible and scalable itself. It is fair to say that the channel of today bares little or no resemblance to the channel from two or three years ago.

We think that 2016 will see this pace of change accelerate further as we continue to move towards a brand new age of powerful enterprise IT. This will be characterised in the following ways: Co-opetition will become more widespread The advent of cloud computing and virtualisation

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has made the IT infrastructure channel much more complex than it used to be. With a wide array of technologies and business models available to partners and customers alike, it is no longer possible for one partner to meet the needs of all its potential customers.

This evolution places the customer even more firmly at the centre of the process. All that matters in the new channel ecosystem is the customer’s need – the partner will look to deliver on this in any way possible, using whichever technology approach is best suited to each specific use case.

There will be a war for talent in the IT partner ecosystem As the pace of hybrid cloud deployments accelerates, and cloud technologies continue to mature, it will become increasingly important for channel organisations to have the right sales talent in place.

The channel sales agent of 2016 will not only need to understand the customer’s application, but also the infrastructure that serves it.

december 2015 Reseller Middle East

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This knowledge will include understanding where best to run a workload – onpremise or in the public cloud – as well as of the key platform technologies essential for hybrid infrastructures: Platformas-a-Service (PaaS), Infrastructures-as-a-Service (IaaS). It will also require agents to know how Cloud Native Applications (CNA) are built.

of the cloud revolution.

In 2016, we expect to see an increasing number of distributors aggregate and connect private cloud services, taking on the role from vendors. This will allow IT vendors to focus on product innovation while distributors can focus on delivering effective hybrid cloud environments to their customers.

2016 will see high-growth in flash, software-defined, and hyper-converged infrastructures In 2015 we saw hybrid cloud emerge as the preferred model for cloud deployments. In 2016 this trend will continue; driving growth in three key technology areas, flash arrays, software-defined infrastructures and hyperconverged infrastructures.

2016 will be the first big year of the IoT Gartner has predicted that 2016 will see the Internet of Things hit the big time, with a mesh of ‘smart’ machines and digital devices and services glued together by a data backbone. It is a vision whereby nearly everything is a device and everything is capable of generating the data that could lead to business-changing insight.

Eventually, as a result of the Internet of Things, all businesses will be Big Data businesses. In 2016, channel organisations can stake a claim in helping businesses migrate to this new data-driven world.

Distributors continue to evolve Change has been rapid and widespread in the channel of late. Perhaps most of all, the distribution channel has been subject to transformation in the wake

Sanjay Ahuja, VP, Middle East and Africa, AGC Networks

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Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise

OPinion

Inspiring sales Manish Punjabi, Channel Marketing Manager, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, discusses the endeavour of arriving at the most ideal channel incentive programme.

Seven years ago, I received a Citibank Skywards credit card, which offered one Emirates Skywards miles point for every dollar spent. It was my dream to accumulate these miles in return for ‘free’ flights and upgrades. Recently realisation dawned upon me that I was chasing a futile dream because Emirates revamped its Skywards programme to my disadvantage.

Cash is king Spending one USD on the Citibank Skywards card accrues one Emirates Skywards mile but not too long ago, Emirates reduced the redemption value of one Skywards mile to AED 0.05 or $ 0.013. This consequently increased the number of miles needed to fly the same distance today versus a few years ago. In simple terms, my Skywards miles are reeling from inflationary side effects and my Silver status with Emirates is no greater than the lowest rung, blue.

I decided to drop the Skywards miles card in lieu of a Mashreq SmartSaver cashback card because the old adage ‘Cash is king’ sounds better than any Emirates’ line of ‘Hello tomorrow with Skywards’.

However it is not fair to single out Emirates as other airline carriers are introducing similar inflationary measures

into their miles programme considering the increasing costs of fuel and security.

Loyalty programmes Any loyalty programme is quite hard to plan, develop and execute because it will simply never please everyone.

Incentives follow a similar thread, especially the ones that vendors like us run for their channel partners. We, as our competitors, run several programmes, on a global and local level, to reward the channel partners and their sales people for their numbers.

In other words, capture the mindshare of the feet on the street. But each approach, with its merits and demerits, is not perfect and I am always looking for the perfect formula.

VitalizeR – The ALE rewards programme Our global programme, VitalizeR, the most recent version has been running for several years under different guises. VitalizeR seeks to reward the best partners with certain monies (through a pre-loaded credit card) at the end of the quarter determined sales revenues. However, this global programme struggles to please everyone and is often engulfed with administration, customs and delivery issues.

Furthermore, the modalities of MEA such as a nine-month postal strike in South Africa,

strict credit card regulation in Algeria and PO Box deliveries in the GCC have further impeded its success.

Previous versions of VitalizeR rewarded partners with points that were redeemed for gifts from a catalogue.

However, often these gifts were distributed to recognise nonALE sales and revenues.

VitalizeR localised for MEA We implemented a local programme that mimicked the VitalizeR approach of a competition open to numerous partners. Partners received a one percent incentive at the end of the quarter of their target if they reached the value. However, despite regular follow up and push, only 23 percent of our resellers achieved their target.

Bespoke incentives The failure of a singular over-arching programme that rewards sales people at the end of quarter had me looking for an alternate solution. In yet another trial, we customised our incentive approach for seven sales people of our top SMB reseller.

In this programme, aptly titled ‘Every Deal Counts’, which ran from January to March 2015, we rewarded every deal with amounts representing between 1.89 percent and 2.89 percent of the deal value using Yougotagift.com. The portal

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made rewarding easy and the variety of rewards made them easily accessible for the recipients. The programme offered encouraging results because we saw sales in segments until now untouched by the reseller, distracted the sales people from our competition and motivated the field sales as they experienced rapid recognition. However, a bespoke programme mandates an inordinate amount of attention that I don’t think vendors can afford. While an agency can typically help but agency fees detract from my personal mission to deliver maximum money to the hard working channel sales people.

Is there a solution?

Incentive programmes and short-term enticements suffer from numerous conflicts such as ethical, legal and reporting accuracies but are valuable motivation tools for the quarterly number. Our sales people love them as it helps achieve the quarterly quota but incentives are not necessarily ‘true’ marketing actions. Although, the topic of collaboration between sales and marketing risks opening a Pandora’s box, which I will leave for a different post.

There is no definitive answer or solution here. What we can do is to continue to kaizen and inspire channel sales people to sell more of our product.

Reseller Middle East december 2015

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INTERVIEW MICROSOFT

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DECEMBER 2015 Reseller Middle East

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Driving transformation VahĂŠ Torossian, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners (SMS&P), Microsoft, on how partners should stay relevant in a cloud-driven ecosystem.

Where does the region stand in terms of the cloud transformation?

Cloud has demonstrated to be one of the major fuels for SMB dynamics, both in terms of growth and competitiveness. Also, it compels our partner ecosystem to transform and evolve to deliver more value and solutions to customers.

With 2020 around the corner, the region is a high growth marketplace. Today there are approximately 70,000 SMBs in the UAE with around 1500 partners. If I look at the products that the partners are taking to market, in terms of cloud adoption or competencies, it is one of the most promising places in the world primarily because for the first time, cloud not only helps you bring value and create in-country but also helps to export your IP. This is something which was difficult to do for an SMB

or a partner before. Now we have these keys that are opening new doors.

Who are the early adopters of cloud solutions within the region?

SMBs have been the fastest adopters today because they are the ones who benefit the most out of these new technologies.

If you think about the

cost it takes to have your own local IP activities or the infrastructures to maintain it and when you think about the cost of the CAPEX versus the OPEX, in case of a crisis or a political change, the opportunities to provision or de-provision depending on the activity is a unique advantage for SMBs compared to big corporations.

Cloud has demonstrated to be one of the major fuels for SMB dynamics, both in terms of growth and competitiveness.

Also, it compels our partner ecosystem to transform.� www.resellerme.com

Reseller Middle East DECEMBER 2015

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MICROSOFT INTERVIEW

Also in the UAE, (probably in other places too, but more in UAE), the younger generation prefer working with companies that have modern environments. I can see that being more mobile and flexible at work are aspects the new generation wants to have when it comes to employment. Considering that SMBs are aligned with the aspiration of 2020, the market is quite promising. In the last 18 months, we have acquired more customers in cloud than in the last five years.

What are some of the concerns around cloud that are unique to the region?

When it comes to the flow of adoption of new technologies in cloud, one of the first questions is always about whether the data is going to be secure.

How should the policies be redesigned to ensure the data remains private and safe? These are always the questions that stem from a psychological stand point wherever you are in the world. But very quickly, customers realise that it is safer in the cloud than having the data at their desks, especially in places, which are prone to natural disasters.

This is why we have built the notion of commitment and trusted cloud around the four critical principles – security, privacy, transparency and compliance. We need to be absolutely compliant to the local regulations and requirements from

government. We have been clearly establishing these four principles, which also make SMBs trusting to adopt more solutions. We believe this is a unique value proposition compared to any competitors in the marketplace.

How can partners stay relevant in a clouddriven environment?

Staying ‘relevant’ is true for both partners and for Microsoft. We are a big corporation and have been successful for many years. But to stay successful, you need to stay relevant. And to stay relevant, you need to think differently and drive your destiny. For this, one needs to reflect on purchase behaviour and analyse where the value is. Traditionally, the partner ecosystem has been transactionoriented. Where the cloud value is going to be increasingly important for partners and customers is when a partner is going to be able to have their own intellectual properties, or their own application or their own marketplace.

This way they will have the ability to not only transact but also to offer multiple applications and services, giving the customer far more value from the relationship.

This is why we created Cloud Solution Provider programme, which has got positive response from partners. And many of them have said, “To be relevant in the future, give us tools or platforms that

Staying ‘relevant’ is true for both partners and for Microsoft. We are a big corporation and have been successful for many years.

But to stay successful, you need to stay relevant.

And to stay relevant, you need to think differently and drive your destiny. For this, one needs to reflect on purchase behaviour and analyse where the value is.” give us the opportunity to sell to our customers the applications that we have, but also give us the opportunity to build our customer on our own.” This way as the relationship goes by, the partner can increase his value offering and the more value he demonstrates, the more likely the customer remains on his platform.

The next step for us is to connect all our marketplace, including the universal application store to our partners.

And the other aspect is to make it even simpler for partners. To ensure they

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have a 360 degree view of customers and is in a position to add more value.

What do you believe is lacking currently in the regional channel market?

I think what is lacking is courage and conviction.

It is not easy to step into a new area when you have been doing one kind of business successfully for many years. But it is important to consciously move on and keep up with the evolving trends, otherwise the market will do it for us. My message to partners is to drive their own destiny.

Reseller Middle East DECEMBER 2015

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Cover feature

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Solution selling

december 2015 Reseller Middle East

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Key to success

As customers’ requirements go beyond a single point product, partners are increasingly looking to scale up through solution selling. We take a look at how the regional IT channel can move towards this business model in the most effective manner.

The fact that the regional IT industry is moving towards solution selling is now becoming a known fact. Customers want answers to their business problems, solutions to make the functioning of day-today business as efficient as possible. And here is where partners can stand out by offering comprehensive solutions, which till then the customer may not be aware he needs.

Moreover, the technological landscape has transformed to a great extent over the last couple of years. Businesses are facing the challenge and complexities of emerging trends such as cloud, Big Data, mobility and virtualisation to name a few.

David Postel, Partner and Alliances Leader, Middle East and Africa, Red Hat, says, “Channel partners need to always look ahead and work to ‘adapt’ their skill sets and businesses to address the needs of their customers in light of the availability of new

technologies and solutions, and changing business imperatives.

“The ability to place a finger on the market pulse and identify customer pain points is what should drive this adaptation. Customers rely on partners who act as consultants rather than box movers. One of the serious pain points that customers have today for example is shrinking CAPEX budgets.

The channel can convert this into an opportunity by offering something new and different in terms of a new pricing model i.e. offer a subscription or utility-based pricing model.”

With customers hunting for best-in-class solutions, vendors will be compelled to deliver solutions that are more open, flexible and costeffective.

“Channel needs to play the role of integrator, trusted advisor and expert.

Partners can help bring old infrastructure and new together to deliver performance improvements, cut complexity, reduce

management and maintenance costs, and enable enterprises to take advantage of all the latest technology trends,” Postel adds.

Jose Thomas, Managing Director, Bulwark Technologies, agrees that solution selling is one of the most noteworthy development among resellers to sell complete solutions, rather than

standalone products.

“This is one of the most effective techniques to enhance sales opportunities starting from understanding the specific IT needs of customers, to providing a complete solution to a customer, resulting in a satisfied customer, and ultimately increasing sales opportunities.”

But do partners understand these benefits

Channel needs to play the role of integrator, trusted advisor and expert. Partners can help bring old infrastructure and new together to deliver performance improvements, cut complexity, reduce management and maintenance costs, and enable enterprises to take advantage of all the latest technology trends.”

David Postel, Partner and Alliances Leader, MEA, Red Hat

www.resellerme.com

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Cover feature

Solution selling

of solution selling and how many are moving towards this approach?

According to Vibhu Kapoor, Director, Channel Recruitment and Enablement for Middle East and India, Infor, the evolution of partners in the region from ‘box pushers’ to ‘trusted advisors’ has been more rapid just in the past five years than in the previous 15 to 20 years.

He adds, “This has primarily been because the channel players have seen the shift in customer purchasing process and decision making and have, to their credit, realised that if they do not adapt, they will be just another ‘has been’.”

Meanwhile, Postel believes that although many partners do think about scaling up to solution selling, in reality very few follow this approach.

“Most are still productoriented. Resellers particularly are used to a box-selling approach. And the box-selling model isn’t really there anymore. Today what customers require is much more of a consultative approach. Partners need to be able to advise the CIO of how to structure projects, not just from a technology perspective, but also from a financial perspective.

“Resellers are also used to a licensing model for their revenues. But they need to understand that if they move away from a licensing model and create professional services revenue streams, that will not only benefit customers, but they will also be winners in the long term,” he adds.

What happens when

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a reseller adopts a more consultative approach is that customers tend to open up better and allow sales to qualify leads better.

Thomas says, “They trust and rely on such approaches, thereby helping partners align solutions to a customer’s requirement from a more holistic approach than pushing point products.

Hence there are a significant number of channel partners who are adopting the benefits of solution selling and are moving towards that approach.”

But in order to be a true solution provider, there are certain challenges that the partners grapple with.

The first problem is the need for partners to evolve the business model from reselling product to one that is focused on serving as a trusted advisor.

“The next challenge is around investment,” says Kapoor.

Partners will need to invest in hiring skilled human resources who not only have the technical know-how but are also business savvy, if they choose to opt for a solution selling approach.

“They will also need to continue to invest in skill building for these resources to make sure they stay up to date with the technology, market and industry trends, and customer needs.

“The third challenge, and this is closely linked to the previous one, is around lack of skilled resources in the region. Even if partners are willing to invest in resources, they struggle to find qualified resources or if they do, they are usually cost prohibitive.

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Partners will focus on building industry or line-of-business domains within their organisation. In parallel, as cloud adoption in the region continues to rise, I also expect partners to invest in a cloud practice as they help their customers on their journey to the cloud.”

Vibhu Kapoor, Director, Channel Recruitment and Enablement, Middle East and India, Infor

One way for partners to overcome this is to either train in-house resources or ‘import’ talent from places like India and Africa,” he says.

The biggest challenge does come down to the quality of talent because this makes all the difference for the success of a partner’s business in a value-driven business model.

Another challenge that resellers may face is the right kind of support offering provided by their vendor partners.

Postel says, “On the business side, it is important for vendors to engage with the most senior executives within their partner organisations and help them to understand that it is no longer prudent to go to customers and talk about boxes. They need to go into a meeting and be able to talk about financials like OPEX, CAPEX as well as technology.”

Over the next few years, we can expect the trend of moving towards solution

selling to continue within the regional channel.

What will now matter more are the niches the resellers will carve for themselves. Customers are on the lookout for those partners who are experts in particular fields and can offer end-to-end solutions.

Kapoor adds, “Partners will focus on building industry or line-ofbusiness domains within their organisation. In parallel, as cloud adoption in the region continues to rise, I also expect partners to invest in a cloud practice as they help their customers on their journey to the cloud.”

The concept of evolving into a ‘trusted advisor’ for a customer is not a new one, however, partners need to consciously make this transformation if they wish to capitalise on the opportunities that a value-driven business model have to offer.

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SaaS prospects

Cashing in

Reseller ME examines the opportunities for channel partners when deploying Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications and how they can profit in this space.

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Regional enterprises today are increasingly incorporating cloud-based solutions into their business architecture for efficient and smooth functioning of day-to-day operations. The concept of being able to purchase software and service when required, on a subscription model has caught the fancy of many businesses.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), also sometimes know as ‘on-demand software’ constitutes the biggest pie of the cloud services market in MENA. According to Gartner, this segment is expected to grow 25 percent in 2015 to $205.7 million.

The research firm predicts the total public cloud services spending in the MENA region to rise to $1.5 billion in 2018, with SaaS accounting for 28.3 percent of the market.

According to David Postel, Partner and Alliances Leader, Middle East and Africa, Red Hat, the main reasons for uptake of SaaS in this region are ease of use, lower cost of entry with a pay-as-yougo model, lower learning curves since usually the software is accessible via familiar web browsers, ease of integration and scalability, customisation and anywhere/anytime accessibility as the software is hosted in the cloud.

“Initially when SaaS started it was used to

enhance office productivity and increase collaboration with Office 365, Google docs, Salesforce.com,” explains Postel. “But now SaaS has extended to new areas such as human capital management, product management and ERP. “Another trend we are seeing is that SaaS apps are beginning to specialise in specific industries. With consumers demanding more apps that are relevant to specific needs, industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and retail are developing more apps in their specific fields, which makes it easier to customise later. Another trend is also data-as-a-service,” he adds.

Organisations in the Middle East are beginning to realise that they can derive greater benefits from a full-fledged SaaS implementation as per reports from IDC. Most of the growth within the region are being led by key markets such as UAE and Saudi Arabia, which are expected

to grow at 57.3 percent and 47.2 percent respectively.

Amanulla Khan, Managing Director, MEA, Linksys, says, “SaaS is the preferred cloud service for Middle East organisations, and according to various estimates more than 51 percent are planning to deploy SaaS, and in the next two years, that number will increase to 55 percent of companies.

“60 percent of Middle East organisations are allocating up to 15 percent of their budget for deploying SaaS solutions and in the next two years, 25 percent of those organisations will allocate up to 55 percent of their budget to deploy such solutions.”

The numbers alone paint a positive outlook for the SaaS market within the region. But how can channel partners make the most of these opportunities and be profitable in this space?

In today’s business environment, channel partners do a host of

Partners can enhance their relevance through value-based selling where they not only understand the IT requirements of customers but their business outcomes.”

Fadi Mubarak, Channel Leader, Avaya AMEA

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SaaS prospects

services from securing BYOD, delivering OPEX-based end-toend cloud services, building omnichannel solutions to driving digital transformation in education, healthcare, hospitality and other major verticals.

“The industry is changing quickly and organisations more often require not only IT support, but also, channel partners who understand what drives their businesses and give solid recommendations based on specific outcomes,” says Fadi Mubarak, Channel Leader, Avaya AMEA. “Keeping this in mind, there are numerous opportunities present if partners choose the right software, the right industry and bundle their complementing services to maximise the benefits for the customers.

Partners can enhance their relevance through valuebased selling where they not only understand the IT requirements of customers but their business outcomes.”

“With SaaS, channel partners have the opportunity to be strategic advisors, businesstransformation enablers and integrators of many sophisticated components,” says Postel.

Additionally, there are three main areas, which the channel partners can take advantage of. The first being providing SaaS to service providers.

“This would make sense for companies such as GBM

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and Alpha Data that are building their own public cloud offerings where they could provide services to telecom operators such as Etisalat and du.”

Partners can offer SaaS support services to enterprises in areas such as governance, managed services, consulting, automation and mobility, from an end-user perspective.

“For example if an enterprise uses Office 365 and their employees want to use productivity tools ‘on-the-go’ on their mobiles, then that would require some integration support, which could be provided by the channel. The third area is for channel partners to create their own SaaS applications,” he adds.

Khan believes ‘innovation’ is one of the main strategies for partners to stand out from competition and enhance their capabilities.“SaaS providers in the Middle East need to introduce new products onto the regional market through innovation,” he says.

“Cloud computing solutions will help service providers to access innovation because it can deliver significant rewards to the regional organisations and enterprises. Timeto-market is also another major strategy to win your share of the market. As a service provider, you must quickly establish SaaS as a ‘go to’ solution for companies that

december 2015 Reseller Middle East

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“As a service provider, you must quickly establish SaaS as a ‘go to’ solution for companies that want to stand out from competition. In addition, building differentiated SaaS will increase market share.”

Amanulla Khan, Managing Director, MEA, Linksys

want to stand out from competition. In addition, building differentiated SaaS will increase market share.”

Along with having differentiated offerings, the right business model is also equally important to gain a better market share.

The SaaS industry includes a number of elements such as appropriate resources, right financial overheads, efficient delivery methodologies and right enablement plan for their sales and post-sales resources.

“Vendor training is key to this enhancement where through training and sharpening of skills, channel partners continue to stay relevant to their customers. Additionally, certifications build trust and assurance, which is crucial to customers,” adds Mubarak.

Although, there are quite a few challenges within the SaaS segment such as fierce competition, customers’ security concerns about

where the data resides and commoditisation to name a few, partners can overcome it through valuebased business models and enhancing their skillset with evolving market trends.

Postel highlights that there will be a broader range of cloud applications as well as industry specific applications. “Today, there are barely any local data centres hosting cloud services, so if an enterprise wants a cloud application service, their data will be hosted abroad,” he says.

“For many organisations this is unacceptable, and for government organisations, it’s illegal. If Middle East businesses are going to take the cloud seriously, this issue needs to be addressed.”

The prospects in SaaS applications will only continue to get brighter for channel partners, provided they understand customers’ requirements extensively and focus on selling valueoriented services.

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IT trends

Setting the trend

Ian Flemming, Managing Director, IFS Middle East, Africa and South Asia, scrutinises key technology trends predicted this year to see if it holds water as we enter into 2016.

At the beginning of 2015 we saw some attentiongrabbing predictions that suggested major changes were afoot in the IT industry. There have been some notable developments over the course of the year, but it will be interesting to see whether these predictions stands up to a critical examination.

We took some of the key predictions made at the start of the year and looked at them under the microscope to see whether these developments are likely to come true.

‘Hybrid cloud is the future’ From tools to enable group decision on where

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to place the coffee machine in an office, all the way up to using Office 365 exchange and enterprise CRM systems, cloud services are being used today in a vast array of ways across different environments.

However, very few organisations have adopted full cloud services. Usually only very small and/or new start-ups that don’t have a legacy setup or the funds to purchase infrastructures will go fully into the cloud.

Most will operate using a hybrid cloud model because they already have existing business critical infrastructure in place, and this architecture is likely to continue for the

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foreseeable future.

As cloud continues to play a bit-part role, many predict the hybrid setup will become an ever greater part of the ecosystem. Gartner,

for example, believes that hybrid enterprise resource planning (ERP) environments will be the norm within five years, and it looks like this will be the case as businesses

Three key things to think about if you are planning updates: • Maintain a continuous inventory on what cloud services your people are using – try and catch up with people and what they’re doing to try to pre-empt them. For example, if they’re using Google Docs a lot, make it an official service to use, then you can manage it more effectively.

• As you’re updating, renovating, replacing legacy systems – consider whether to instead use the cloud – carry out a full cost/benefit analysis of every service.

• Go and use the big public cloud services where possible as they have solutions around the world, and the best communications backbone to support them.

look to mix third party solutions with their inhouse cloud architectures.

Trust in cloud services is growing as more people begin using it in their personal and professional lives. And this isn’t just happening in the general public cloud, the so-called ‘mega cloud’ environments are becoming more trustworthy too, as the likes of Amazon and IBM have developed services that can match the needs of large enterprises.

This is leading to this architectural evolution.

Over time, onsite services require replacement or updating.

When this happens it’s time for organisations to consider whether to invest in their own services, and the competence requirements that go with it, or to buy that solution as a service within the cloud. As companies often have hundreds of different solutions used by different people, cloud can be a more effective way of

delivering business critical services.

A hybrid infrastructure enables an organisation to try things out in pockets, ring-fencing a particular development to test it first before instigating a full rollout. The ability to test updates and solutions within a small environment before full implementation can make the end result more effective and less susceptible to bugs that may only be spotted within a live environment.

‘Mobility is the new normal’ The growth of hybrid cloud solutions is also helping to create a new normal for a mobile workforce, where business smartphones are a core part of business implementation and delivery. At the start of the year some predicted mobility would become a much more dominant factor within the business landscape. While it is true that enterprise mobility

is on the rise, we should not lose sight of the fact most of what we do and achieve is done at a desk.

The fact is that mobility really means more than just the device that fits in your pocket. Technology development means that bulky laptops are being replaced by powerful tablets.

What does this mean for companies? It means that when selecting software, flexibility is key. It simply has to work across a wide range of devices. This is particularly important when you consider that there are three main groups of users; casual, professional and general.

Casual users are driven by what works best for them, and will choose devices to match this wish. This is where you will find the widest array of devices and platforms.

Professional users, such as a mobile workforce, are usually more open to being supplied with

a certain device to fit with their needs, but remember they also double up as casual users too as they will want to do simple tasks like checking email. General office users are those based in the office with little mobile movement.

‘Underwhelming wearables’ A major buzzword in mobility is wearables. It’s an area where there has been disappointment in 2015 as it hasn’t come true in the way many had hoped it would - Google Glass was arguably one of the highest profile wearable flops on the consumer market. While it’s still a very interesting avenue, the scale simply hasn’t happened in 2015.

What’s interesting is that others are now looking at this differently. Sony, for example, is designing smart glasses that will be used by professionals, not consumers as Glass originally was due to be.

When considering an organisation’s mobility policy, businesses need to:

So what should the IT department do when considering a wearable policy?

• Decide whether to try and control the devices and apps people use, or let people choose for themselves?

But bear in mind not everyone will agree with your policy (particularly if it impinges on their freedom) and may opt to use their own devices.

• Be platform agnostic, especially if you choose not to control the devices people choose. Services need to operate across all three major mobile operating systems, because people will choose what works best for them, not necessarily what works best for you.

• Wait. Watch the market and monitor for interesting innovations but don’t necessarily invest yet, there’s probably still more to come.

• Don’t think that they will necessarily replace established methods. Using a warehouse as an example, many already have audio instructions delivered by an earpiece and workers use fingermounted barcode scanners. Make sure you’re thinking through the real difference wearable technology will make, and the value it will add.

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feature

IT trends

‘Internet of Things will become about software not hardware, platforms not devices.’

The Internet of Things (IoT) has spawned a wide variety of quirky ideas, from smart fridges that can tell you when you need more milk to smart homes that ‘know’ you’re home and can control the heating accordingly. In truth though we’re some way from seeing IoT in the mainstream.

Industrial examples of IoT do crop up, though they are hardly commonplace – it’s a slower game. This is largely because examples of IoT in the field tend to be unique solutions to a given challenge, and so standardisation is limited. The benefits and techniques of IoT are not commonly understood and it is a broadly unproven technology, so it takes a far-sighted business to see how it could best use IoT. Then, from a practical standpoint, that business would need to investigate and install the various components required to make a solution work,

and it would have to learn how to go about doing business in a way that takes advantage of the technology and either reduces costs or drives revenue growth.

‘Investment in Software-as-a-Service will grow’ Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is now a commonly used phrase, with many predicting a rapid uptake by business.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), for example, has predicted $78 billion will be invested by 2016.

There are a range of options when purchasing SaaS solutions. The cheaper and potentially easier – at the start – is buying a solution off the shelf that someone else controls. While this may be useful in some situations, in a context where a degree of control is required this can cause pain for the organisation - having an update forced upon your team when they’re in the middle of a big project isn’t going to help the company. In some instances, you will require more control over the solution, and

When debating whether to roll out IoT, consider the following: • Do you have the money to invest in it now and will it actually deliver a return on your investment?

• Start at the end. Think about what your end goal will be before you think about whether it’s worth that initial investment.

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When choosing a SaaS model to fit your organisation’s needs, consider the following: • Think about the level of control you need. If you’re running a mail server then you won’t need much, but if you’re developing a business critical solution you need as much control as possible, and this affects the investment decision.

• Seriously consider the single tenant option, as it can create a more secure environment that is able to adapt to the needs of the business.

need to be able to make special requests and time updates to fit with the company demands.

This is, of course, in contrast to the growth of a hybrid cloud infrastructure, because the SaaS model often relies on third party architecture. Deploying software platforms into the cloud can be fast, secure and cost-effective, but only if it fits with the company. SaaS won’t work for every business, because every business is different. If, for example, you’re a start-up that doesn’t want to or isn’t able to build out its IT team, a SaaS model makes sense. But if your company is security heavy with multiple firewalls and restrictions, it may be that a private cloud infrastructure without SaaS is a better direction - it really depends on the context as to whether this is a good model and will help to decide if this growth really will continue at this level.

There are two alternatives to this model that organisations could implement. Multi-tenant and single tenant. Multitenant works where you have lots of companies operating within the same database system, for example a large multinational with many brands with the parent company, and this can work for them. However, it does mean you are restricted as to what type customisations and configurations you can make.

The other primary alternative is single tenant, which can be much more effective.

Organisations pay on a subscription basis with access to a hybrid cloud solution that incorporates a degree of SaaS and security through the private cloud partition. This enables the individual business to choose what it wants according to its needs, without constraints, and is much more secure.

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EVENT HOT 50 AWARDS

An evening of excellence

Reseller ME hosted its fourth edition of the most-coveted Hot 50 Awards last month.

Hot 50 Awards turns the spotlight on 50 IT companies that have gone beyond their business objectives to achieve excellence in the channel business over the course of the year.

The gala event that took place at the Al Thuraya Ballroom, Grand Millennium, Al Barsha, gathered key players from the channel ecosystem ranging from distributors, resellers and systems integrators to vendors.

The attendees of the event constituted the creme de la crème of the regional channel industry.

During the course of the lively evening, 50 winners chosen by Reseller ME’s editorial team were applauded for having demonstrated leadership and commitment to enhance customer experience and partner support.

“An annual event, Hot 50 awards aims to honour those channel brands that have done exceptionally well despite market challenges.

Our objective is to recognise the efforts and hardwork put in by IT companies to enhance and enrich their business by working closely with channel partners,” said Rajashree Rammohan, Publishing Director, Technology and Finance Division, CPI Media Group.

The award’s headline sponsor was Dell Middle East and other event sponsors included HP Enterprise, Mindware, Business DNA, Bulwark Technologies, Westcon Security, Al Jammaz Distribution, Blue Coat and Fujisoft.

Take a look at the stars of the channel business.

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Best security solutions provider:Â Help AG

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Reseller MEET

report

Fueling business Reseller MEet hosted over 100 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings.

Organised by Reseller ME, the inaugural Reseller MEet is the enterprise channel networking event, which aims to open new avenues for building business relationships for vendors and distributors in the region.

Held at Grand Millennium Hotel, Al Barsha, Dubai, the event hosted over 100 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings between vendors and channel partners.

Mohammed Rafi, GM, BD and Operations, Tecpro Solutions, said, “Reseller MEet has been a unique platform to meet up with relevant vendors and it also gave us a chance to network with industry stalwarts.”

“The event was a great way to get introduced to vendors and start building relationships with them,” said Shaikh Mojaheed, Sales Engineer, Techvivid Systems.

Reseller MEet was made possible with event partners in the likes of Acronis; Comguard; Blue Coat; Dell Middle East (Software and Hardware); Despec; F5 Networks; Fortinet; Global Distribution; Juniper Networks; Mindware; Oxygen Middle East; Pure Storage; Redington Value and Westcon Security.

Fadi Chami, Distribution and Broad Channel Manager, MEA, Juniper Networks, said,

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Reseller MEET

“We were able to offer potential partners a refreshed view on the opportunities with Juniper in data centre solutions focusing on switching and security.”

“Reseller ME’s inaugural enterprise channel networking event, Reseller MEet, has been a resounding success. The event has hosted over 100 predetermined meetings, offering all the stakeholders an exciting opportunity to network and discuss business potentials.

We look forward to organising future editions of the event,” says Rajashree Rammohan, Publishing Director, Technology and Finance Division, CPI Media Group.

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Vendor focus NetApp

Ushering in the value Graham Porter, MENA Channel Manager, NetApp, explains how the company plans to enhance market visibility by working closely with partners.

The storage and data management vendor, NetApp’s primary objective is to increase market penetration within the region and deliver solutions that ease customer’s challenges.

And being a 100 percent channel-driven company, the vendor depends on their channel partners to reach out to regional customers.

Graham Porter, MENA Channel Manager, NetApp, says, “We don’t have a concept of tier-one partners who buy directly from the vendor. All our business in this region is through our distributors. It is a two-tier model and it works well.”

Working with distributor partners Aptec- an Ingram Micro company and Logicom, the vendor has a wide reach throughout the region.

“The best part about Logicom and Aptec is that they are both Cisco distributors. When we think of Flexpod, we believe half the market is going towards the converged stack, therefore we need partners and distributors who sell NetApp and Cisco together.”

Developed by NetApp and Cisco, FlexPod is a converged infrastructure solution, which delivers prevalidated storage, networking and server technologies and enhances IT responsiveness to business

requirements optimally.

“Many customers have struggled to size the server, networking, OS and storage portion and make them all work together for a particular application,” adds Porter.

“This is why customers are buying a converged stack that vendors develop together. So we work with Cisco and build the offering together. We help size, scale and guarantee that it will work. As a result converged stack is growing about 50 percent year-onyear worldwide. Customers here are increasingly considering it as an option because they believe it works.”

There are quite a few things that have it going for the company in the region.

First is that customers are increasingly looking at the brand as an alternative to EMC. Although the company is playing catching up in the region, it is investing heavily in marketing.

“This was part of the reason why we participated at GITEX this year; customers want to see and have conversations with us. It is about the company’s credibility and commitment to the region. Customers and partners want to know that we are growing,” he adds.

Next is that regional customers are demanding for storage solutions and

with its FlexPod offering, the company is at an advantage.

Along with storage, regional enterprises also require flash solutions and are paying more attention to their security infrastructure.

He says, “From a channel perspective, partners will start focusing on CCTV deals more because now these kind of deals are of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They can sell cameras, software and servers. They can also sell FlexPods. We also have many partners who want to sell private cloud.”

As partners begin to offer cloud solutions and managed services, security concerns around where the data resides and bandwidth are some key issues to tackle.

NetApp invests significantly into R&D, which it considers to be a key market differentiator.

Porter says, “We have large R&D budgets and this is important as it gives us room to differentiate. We are giving our partners great quality products, that are new and growing in the market and which the customer accepts and wants.”

He further says that the challenge most vendors have in this region is that they have too many partners.

“They are managing it as direct sale and as a result they are incurring the cost

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and need to keep more of the margins for themselves. We try to segment the market, get partners to work in different areas with different customers and we ensure that our partners are making a better margin.

“We have talked to a number of our partners and they say that with NetApp they are going to make a lot more upfront and significantly more margin, so it is a lot more attractive. We train our larger partners to do services. We do have service personnel of our own, but we prefer to go with the partner.”

He adds that partners have realised that the reason to sell software and hardware is because there are services around it.

“This is where the money is,” he says. “You get an annual revenue around it.

We have helped a number of our partners and carried out extensive training for them.

A year ago we had about 10 large partners in the region, we have grown that to about 30 now. We have also enhanced their certification levels by bringing on board people who focus on partner development.”

Porter urges partners to develop a clear market differentiator and have a distinct value-add in order to be profitable and successful in this region.

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Vendor focus i-Life

On a growth spree Deepak Bhatia, Sales Director, iLife, gives an overview of the market and discusses regional channel expansion plans for 2016.

Can you give us a brief overview of the devices market in ME? The Middle East and Africa tablet market - which includes 2-in-1 devices posted flat growth of 0.3 percent year-on-year in Q2 2015, according to the latest figures.

A total of 4.05 million units were shipped in Q2 2015, with tablets growing 0.1 percent YoY to total 4 million units. The 2-in-1 market grew 17.6 percent over the same period to make up the remaining 50,000 units. For the first half of the year, the overall market shrunk 3.2 percent YoY, which compares unfavourably to the 59.6 percent YoY growth recorded in the corresponding period of 2014.

The tablet market, which is nearing saturation point in many countries, is being cannibalised by the emergence of smartphones boasting large screen sizes.

The market share of largescreen smartphones is increasing and 2-in-1 devices have shown positive growth.

The growth of Windows will be spurred by greater adoption of tablets and 2-in-1 devices in the

commercial segment. We also expect the share of 2-in-1 devices in this market to grow from around 1.2 percent currently to 3.3 percent by the end of 2016.

The education sector will be pivotal to the growth of this form factor. We are seeing a steady increase in the adoption of 2-in-1 devices in this sector, primarily as a result of governmentdriven initiatives. i-Life is one of the few tablet vendors that continues to grow in a declining market.

Our wide range of products are popular in a growing number of regions and it is a brand that performs well in the adjacent smartphone and 2-in-1 category.

Smartphone shipments are set to total 155 million units in 2015 after increasing 66 percent YoY during the first quarter to reach more than 36 million units.

Smartphones accounted for 63 percent of the handsets shipped in the Middle East during the quarter and 47 percent in Africa.

What have been some highlights over the last few months at i-Life? i-Life Kids Tablet WiFi which was launched beginning of

2014 has been one of the most successful products in the Middle East in the tablet category.

Recently we have launched the advanced version of Kids Tablet which comes with 3G calling, SOS function, child tracking and complete parental control.

Also, we have launched the new ZED BOOK 10.1 inch which is an all-in-one device that can be used as a tablet, notebook and smartphone.

The ZED BOOK comes loaded with Dual Operating system that supports Android, Windows and supports 3G Phone calling.

What are some of the competitive advantages of i-Life’s products? i-Life is serious about product design, a rarity in the mobility business. All our products – including tooling – are designed in-house, from the ground up. These factors are key in ensuring that every i-Life product is consistent in terms of utmost quality, reasonably priced and unique.

We are known for developing unique lifestyle products such as Kids Tablet, smartphones, ZED BOOK, and other smart devices.

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How do you plan to expand into the regional market? i-Life is a well-established brand in the UAE, GCC, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and CIS markets.

In 2016, we plan to increase our focus in emerging markets such as Africa, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Can you elaborate on your channel plans for the next quarter?

Our channel programme further reinforces our commitment to an exclusively indirect sales model, and give our channel partners even more ways to succeed while delivering superior customer satisfaction.

Our recently launched channel programme called ‘LIFE’ was expanded to handle a greater number of qualified resellers, and was extended to the online channel. In regards to the remaining aspects of the programme, every authorised reseller within the programme will still be able to have increased support and engagement from the i-Life local representative and product marketing teams.

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Vendor focus Pulse secure

Finger on the pulse As Pulse Secure celebrates more than one year of being a stand-alone company, the firm’s EMEA Partner Director John Mitchell speaks to Reseller ME about their continued efforts in meeting the demands in the region’s security landscape and the company’s future channel plans.

It has been a year since your separation from Juniper Networks, how have the last 12 months been for Pulse Secure?

As an organisation, Pulse Secure started trading in October 2014, following the acquisition of the Junos Pulse business from Juniper Networks by a company called Siris Capital.

Being a new company, over the last year we have been building our partner programmes globally.

We have launched the ‘Connect Now Partner Programme’, which we have launched in June 2015. It comprises a three-tier level – Community, which is the entry level; Secure Plus, which is the mid-tier and Secure Premier.

During the last year, we have around 650 partners in EMEA, 100 of which are in the Middle East and Africa region. We have also launched a new distribution line-up, so in most territories we have at least two distributors. Some of them have the Juniper Networks’ portfolio as well because it is important for us to provide continuity for our partners that used to buy our technology before the acquisition.

We have also released a new technology a few months ago called the Pulse Secure Appliance (PSA).

Pulse Secure also launched a cloud-based management product called Pulse One and we have also brought our MDM technology called Pulse Workspace.

Lastly, another highlight that the company has over the last year was expanding our workforce. When we started out there were only three people within the company and now there are 20 of us leading the EMEA operations, and we are continuously progressing our recruitment initiatives.

Can you elaborate on how your partner programme works?

The programme includes key features such as support services, professional services and a partner portal.

While those elements are partner programme standards, one aspect that sets the Connect Now programme apart is that it does not need any certifications, instead accrediting partners based on direct evaluations of their experience and competency with the product line. Our partners are very happy with that arrangement, because

it makes the relationship between them and Pulse Secure run more smoothly.

Another key feature of our partner programme is its deal registration.

With most programmes, partners get a large upfront discount and later on get a smaller additional margin.

It is the complete opposite with our programme. So, this idea then brings users benefits such as visibility of opportunities, higher margin potential and we believe this gives them more profitability.

How significant is the Middle East region for Pulse Secure and what should your current and potential partners keep in mind in order to fully maximise your solutions?

This Middle East has always been a strong region for Juniper around security technologies. We see continued demand in the security space. Now that Pulse Secure is a standalone business we are actively investing in people and solutions to cater to the growing demands in the market.

Primarily most endcustomers are leveraging remote access technologies for both work and personal use. Pulse Secure has a

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portfolio that is focused on secured remote access and our partners have been very proactive in acquainting our solutions with their customers. Now, we see an opportunity for our partners to take the next step and have a dialogue with their end-customers about our network access solutions. Afterwards, move their discussions into our mobility segment of our portfolio. We believe that the strong correlation between the three parts of our technologies is a strong offering from a vendor consolidation perspective.

What can channel partners expect from Pulse Secure in 2016?

We have recently launched our Partner Academy, which is proof that partner enablement is core for Pulse Secure, especially in this region. Just this quarter, we have launched our EMEA enablement plans. We also have our monthly technical webinars, which focuses on systems engineers and consultants. So we will continue these initiatives – bringing our partners up to speed with the latest technologies and products, and expanding our reach within the Middle East market as well.

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Partner watch The Network Center

Validate, secure and optimise Nabeel Ahmed, CEO, The Network Center, elaborates on the nuances of the testing business within the region.

Having set shop in the UAE over two decades ago, The Network Center also known as TNC Middle East is a niche distributor delivering network and security support, testing, training and consultancy services across regions such as the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Australia.

Although it boasts quite a few vendors in its portfolio, it was only when the IP network validation and network visibility solutions vendor Ixia came on board, did the company shift its focus primarily towards the testing business.

Nabeel Ahmed, CEO, TNC, says, “Our partnership with Ixia began three years ago, as its distributor for NTS (testing solutions). During this period, we have built our expertise and specialisation and added value to some of the biggest service providers and enterprises in the region.

“Owing to the successful deliveries of these projects, and the nature of our customer’s business, we see lot of recurring business for the testing solutions and with the extension of the NVS (visibility solutions) portfolio, we can leverage the NTS customer success with existing and new customers. Going forward, 76

with the introduction of new products, we can see Ixia solutions becoming a norm for customers, hence we see growth in our association.

Additionally, we add value to our customers by providing professional services, consultation and support.”

Ixia’s Senior Regional Manager, Middle East, Derek Jackman, adds, “We are delighted to see The Network Center taking their comprehensive expertise and success with Ixia test solutions into the security and visibility arenas. Its strategy of offering the complete Ixia portfolio allied to a dynamic sales and marketing programme is aligned to generate opportunities and growth in this important market.”

Software-defined networking (SDN) solutions have been gaining momentum within the region. In this regard, the distributor is well-versed to provide SDN tests for service providers, enterprises, and government agencies.

“We assess if the network can ensure protocol conformance, support for OpenFlow conformance and optimal performance.

We verify that programming environment allow the centralised network state to easily tune the network

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behaviour, applications, and services as per user needs.

And we check if the network architecture is properly and effectively functioning.

“In addition to hardware solutions, we can provide virtualised solution for a flexible deployment of traffic generator and protocol emulation to perform widescale functional testing and validation of SDN devices. We can verify the management and orchestration of the SDN enabled data centre network,” adds Ahmed.

The distributor also provides testing as a service with a wide range of testing offerings in its portfolio.

“We add value by providing consultation and support.

Our consultants help customers to understand the full value of tests required, hence providing the right testing solutions and as service by renting our equipment and resources, which helps to reduce the capex challenges for customer. We use test and simulation platforms using high performance technology to design and validate a wide range of IP and LTE networking equipment, generating realistic, mediarich traffic to stress routers, switches and converged network appliances.”

2015 has been a significant

year for the distributor in terms of growth. While it has increased its workforce extensively, according to Ahmed, the appointment of Sandeep Gehi as Director Sales and Business Development in 2014 was an important development.

He comes with many years of experience in distribution, having worked with large regional distributors.

Gehi says, “Our forte lies in the fact that we come from the technical side. Our company has been built on the foundation of training, from there we have moved on to consultation and now into the testing space.”

The distributor has grown more than 100 percent in 2015. Ahmed attributes its success to having a strong technical team and close relationship with vendors.

“Vendors’ trust in us has helped us to grow our business. Also, another important factor is the trust the customers place in us.

Over this year, we saw a good amount of business coming from service providers. In 2016, we once again expect to grow by 100 percent.”

Over the next couple of months, we will see the distributor expanding its portfolio and reinforcing its workforce to deliver and manage existing vendors.

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DISTRIBUTED BY

Prologix

Partner watch

Enriching customer experience Sarwan Singh, Managing Director, Prologix, discusses company highlights and plans for 2016.

Could you give us an overview of the company?

An ISO 9001:2008 certified company, Prologix has been in operation since 1998 and has both systems integration and distribution arms of business. It is headquartered in Dubai and has footprints all across UAE, GCC, rest of the Middle East, Africa and SAARC countries.

Prologix Distribution’s offices and warehouses are located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kenya, Nigeria, India and Sri Lanka. We are an authorised distributor for top global brands in RF and microwave, wireless and networking, test and measurement, telecommunications and security surveillance.

How has the company grown under your leadership?

We actively participate in the market development activities and strategise the different actions in lead generations, green field projects, initiatives for new customers, strategy to introduce the product line to the existing customers and so on. Our main focus has been on growing existing accounts

and acquiring new clients.

We work towards generating and describing creative, results-focused marketing concepts to a diverse client base. We evaluate demographics, prices, distribution channels, and marketing outlets and enthusiastically participates in the clients meetings to ascertain marketing goals.

What have been some recent highlights at Prologix?

We are now successfully moving from being just the service provider to solution providers. We want to offer a wide range of solutions and be the one-stop solution for our esteemed clients. To move on with digital transformations and be upbeat with the advancement of technology, we have signed contracts with Craneworks and Catcher, who provide consumer oriented solutions covering marketing analytics and interactivity. We have also added NetScout to our product portfolio, which is purely an enterprise network security solution. We grow by researching and adding such worthy products in our product basket. We thrive

to serve our customers with best of the market offerings.

What are some of the key elements that are considered before signing up with a vendor?

While signing up new contracts with vendors especially from outside UAE, we need to take special care of the product range that the vendor wants to bring into the region. We have to map the demands of our customers and check if introduction of a particular brand will add value to our customers. With experience, Prologix has gained momentum in the market and can evaluate the upcoming trends. Cloud computing, Smart City developments, analytics and forecasting are newer focus areas of the growing businesses. We try to understand these dynamics and support the businesses with technology.

Can you elaborate on your business focus and plans for 2016?

With the upcoming initiatives like m-governance, smart government activities of Dubai government, we look forward to incorporate the

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best of the technologies in our portfolio. We aim to offer the technological solutions and applications, which focus on the enhancement of consumer experience, networking solutions, network monitoring and business intelligence systems that are becoming one of the basic necessities of any business.

12 to 18 months down the line we would like to achieve expertise in providing applications, which empower our customers to utilise these new trends in the technology space. We would like to be the facilitators of the future of technology. Prologix has crossed boundaries of MENA region and established its offices in Asian, African, European markets. With growing vendor support, customer recognition and motivated employees, we will strengthen our base in newly launched areas and enter USA too. Breaking the norms of traditional channels, we have successfully implemented our online sales channel for both B2B and B2C portfolio. We want to ensure that ‘future of today’ is secured, developed and technologically driven.

Prologix aims to create a worldwide mobility in the area of customer experience.

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Event

Juniper Networks

Art of marketing Juniper Networks recently hosted its ‘Partner Marketing Academy’ get-together in Amsterdam for a selection of its prized channel partners from the EMEA region. We bring you the highlights of the event.

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It’s clear that Juniper Networks is taking the time to reach out to those it holds dear in the channel. The Partner Marketing Academy event was designed as a training course and forum for partners to develop their marketing competencies in a number of aspects, including social media and the act of balancing scientific and artistic approaches.

In from the firm’s HQ in California, Matt Hurley, Corporate Vice President, Global Partner and Field

Marketing, described how there were three main pillars in helping Juniper’s channel partners – enablement, ease of doing business, and growth.

The company has undertaken the process of realigning its partner tiering system. Three tiers currently exist – Elite, Select and Reseller – and the number of Elite partners has recently been reduced from 700 to 400. Hurley said the process has provided greater clarity to the firm’s partnering strategy.

“Although we have

made changes to what constitutes an Elite partner, we haven’t ultimately made big changes to the programme,” Hurley said.

“Last year, we were having a very different discussion, but we now believe we have the solid foundations to push on.”

Hurley added that the changes had not caused any negative impact.

“We’ve seen no reduction in revenue as a result of the change,” he said. “It’s a positive evolution of the programme, and has allowed us to really define who our elite partners are; those with whom we have a deep level of engagement.”

Juniper has also combined its services and product partner programmes, and Hurley said the firm intended to introduce simplicity to the structure. “Over the last five or 10 years, it’s become a badge of honour to be classed as Elite, but we didn’t do a great job of distinguishing those who were the very best. We want to build a level of trust with partners so that we can get feedback and try to do what you want to make your jobs easier.” Hurley added how the key themes for partners would continue to be cloud, data centre and intelligent networks.

Martin Hester, Director, Distribution and Partner Operations, EMEA, emphasised how services models would be the

differentiator in driving value for customers.

“Service-led sales is where the market is heading,” he said. “The data centre is a key priority for us in 2015/16 – it’s all about automation and how the software-defined data centre can be developed.

Building data centre stacks with partners allows for more professional services and IP for end-user value.

This is about business outcomes, deploying and managing the business differently.”

As well as providing the necessary briefings to the firm’s channel partner strategies, Juniper enlisted a roster of speakers who were charged with driving home several key marketing lessons. Chief among them was the importance of striking a balance between scientific means, powered by technology – and in particular Big Data – and traditional, instinctive action that is required by all successful marketers.

The firm’s EMEA marketing vice president David Silke got the ball rolling by addressing the importance of striking a balance between a creative and mathematical approach to marketing. “It’s about using both artistic and scientific methods to drive strategy,” he said.

Silke went on to underline how the importance of digital

“It’s a positive evolution of the programme, and has allowed us to really define who our elite partners are; those with whom we have a deep level of engagement.” business models was having a transformational effect on the marketer’s role. “Digital culture has transformed the marketer’s job. Change is now happening in months, not decades. Marketers need to understand changes to revenue models and grasp the use of intelligence – a scientific aspect. For every conversation concerning sales and customers, you need real-time data, and be able to take a ‘I know this will work because I have facts’ approach. That being said, it is also the marketer’s job to drive how the customer feels, and this means having traditional ‘softer’ competencies.”

John Watton, Marketing Director, Adobe Marketing Cloud addressed how the “gut-driven” fundamentals of marketing remained essential, but could be reinforced with the underlying statistics on

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offer. “Marketing is now a question of ‘right time, right place,” he said. “It has historically been a creative function, but it is also now a strong maths game. Putting numbers on the table gives balance and credibility to marketing, underpinned with an understanding of numbers.” Watton added how enterprise customers often preferred softer competencies when it came to purchasing decisions. “Very rarely does a product that scores high on functionality win – B2B buyers cite reasons like ‘you understood our business’ ‘you were reliable’ or ‘we liked you’ more than they do product benefits,” he said.

“Brand fundamentals do still matter. Technology alone will never solve marketing challenges, and the emotional side of marketing remains as important in B2B.”

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REVIEW

Wileyfox

Wileyfox Swift RME RATING

The year 2015 has been one exciting year for the IT space.

Aside from big mergers, new OS releases and, of course, new smartphone launches, the tech industry also saw numerous new companies gaining visibility in the market.

Take for example the new Londonbased smartphone company Wileyfox.

The recently established British company launched its brand and smartphones in the GCC this year, one of which is the Swift.

Swift sports a simple slightly boxy, monotone black design similar to most affordable handsets. However, the back of the device does have some interesting touches like the black sandstone-like texture and the Wileyfox insignia placed right below the phone’s rear camera. The colour monotony is also broken up by subtle hints of the colour orange where the company brand is placed and a ring around the camera. The smartphone also has a five-inch screen made with Gorilla Glass 3 and weighs at just 135g, making it a comfortable handset to use. The only issue with the design is that because of the back’s texture it could be slightly prone to picking up marks.

The handset is equipped with Cyanogen 12.1, which was patterned from the Android Lollipop. According to Wileyfox, the new OS contains more personalisation features; which indeed can be found in Swift as it allows users 82

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to customise the device from UI themes and shortcuts to lock-screens and audio quality. It also has some remarkable security and privacy settings like the PIN Scramble feature, which changes the order of numbers on-screen to ensure that onlookers are not able to detect passwords through pattern memorisation.

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, Swift runs well when performing everyday tasks.

Apps open quickly, video streams well, and web browsing also runs quite smoothly.

Equipped with a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera, the Swift is more than capable for everyday snaps. The overall result of pictures are quite good, when shot in regular light conditions. However, despite featuring a Samsung-made back-illuminated

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sensor (BSI), the smartphone’s camera performance did decline in low light a bit. While not on par with flagship smartphone cameras, photos were mostly decent and adequate for sharing on social media.

As for the battery life, the handset is equipped with a 2500 mAh battery, which makes it run quite favourably for about eight hours of moderate use. The device also has a dual SIM functionality capable of 4G LTE connectivity and has a storage capacity of 16GB, which is expandable up to 32GB with a microSD. Wileyfox Swift is available exclusively on Souq.com at AED 499.

All in all, Swift’s design and performance, while not flawless, does exceed any expectations from a newcomer in the smartphone market.

Intertec Deploys Cisco Collaborative Solutions

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Intertec Systems LLC is a leading Systems Integrator in the GCC and Indian sub-Continent since 1991. As a Cisco Gold Partner, specialized in collaboration architecture, borderless network architecture and data center architecture, we have successfully deployed end-to-end Cisco Collaborative solutions in the leading organizations in the UAE.

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Established since 1991

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Intertec Systems LLC

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Sobha Saphire, Level 2, Business Bay, Sheikh Zayed Road, PO Box No. 27130, Dubai, UAE.

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www.intertecsys.com | info@intertecsys.com

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Samsung enhances Galaxy Tab S2

Samsung has developed the second generation of its Galaxy Tab S, the company’s only flagship tablet.

According to the company, the body of the device is now even thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Tab S. The Galaxy Tab S2 is outfitted with an improved WQXGA Super AMOLED display and reproduces more than 97 percent of Adobe RGB colour coverage.

Avoiding the 2-in-1 fad, Samsung also released a number of handy accessories that goes with the new tablet. The Bluetooth keyboard turns the tablet into a functional PC and a protective cover for mobile consumers.

The cover is also designed to lock on to the device and works with Bluetooth for a seamless connection. It also has an S Action Mouse which was added via Blue Trace technology, so consumers can have a PC experience at their fingertips.

Samsung also created the Samsung Tab S2 Book Cover. The Book Cover is designed with a flexible frame that lets you to set the cover at three different angles.

InnJoo launches Fire 2 InnJoo has announced the availability of its latest LTE smartphone its 5.0 inch full-metal body smartphone, Fire 2.

Fire 2 is a Dual SIM card smartphone with HD display, which according to the company was designed especially to cater the growing demand for LTE connectivity in the Middle East. The new device will be available exclusively on Souq.com and is priced at AED 299 in the UAE and SAR 299 in Saudi Arabia respectively.

The InnJoo Fire 2 is available in three colours: Champaign Gold, Titanium Grey and Rose Gold that comes with a sturdy full metal body.

The new device runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS, with 720 x 1280 HD IPS display and is powered by a MediaTek’s Quad-Core 1.0GHz MT6735P processor that delivers a rich user experience will set the market on fire.

The new smartphone has 1GB builtin RAM that comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage and supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 128GB).

It packs a 2800mAh li-Polymer

rechargeable battery with fast charge technology and can sustain for longer periods on a full charge. With 13MP auto focus rear camera and 5MP front camera exhibits great clarity and performance.

PhotoFast releases Max Extreme PhotoFast, the creator of the i-FlashDrive in 2009, has recently released Max Extreme. As a PRO version of the already launched MAX model.

Max Extreme has speeds of about 110MBs read and 90MBs write. Moreover, PhotoFast underlines that the device has a small, yet powerful iOS storage drive, which will be of great interest to users who demand the highest transfer speeds as well as portability and a feature rich user interface handling large data.

The device allows users to manage and backup data not only from their

laptops and computers but also from iPhones, iPads and iPods.

Max Extreme is available in 32GB and 64GB configurations.

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NEC unveils new medical display

Toshiba flaunts Portégé Z20t

The Portégé Z20t, a convertible Ultrabook, is the latest addition to Toshiba’s portfolio.

According to Toshiba, the new device sports an easy-to-use design with its 12.5-inch screen and detachable keyboard. It is also equipped with Intel Core M processors.

The tablet’s battery can last up to eight hours when used without the keyboard. With the keyboard attached, this convertible can last up to 17 hours on just a single charge.

The convertible Ultrabook is equipped with a svelte dock that houses a spill-resistant keyboard.

The hinge on the back of the device allows you to elevate the keyboard for maximum typing comfort.

Toshiba also underlines that the Portégé Z20t has a high-precision pen and a screen equipped with anti-glare coating that works together to give you a comfortable viewing experience.

In tablet mode, the Portégé Z20t has a Micro HDMI port, a Micro USB port, and a microSD slot. The keyboard offers more connectivity features with its full-size RGB, HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet ports. It also has two USB 3.0 ports allow you to connect more than one external device to your convertible.

The Portégé Z20t has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of fast SSD storage and is equipped with Windows 8.1 Pro OS.

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NEC Display Solutions has announced the launch of the MDC212C2, a 2MP display for diagnostic imaging applications.

Among the applications the display can be used for include image reporting in CT/ PET, MRI, fluoroscopy, dental, cardiology, oncology, ultrasound and other medical imaging techniques. The NEC MDC212C2 is the first display of the NEC MDC (Medical Display Clinical) Series that is certified for diagnostic imaging.

The MDC212C2 display works with GammaCompMD QA calibration software to maintain the display’s conformance to the DICOM standard.

It also meets the quality assurance tests required in different European countries.

The display can be used for colour and grayscale digital images. It also features the sensors offered by the MD Series such as front sensor, ambient light sensor and a proximity

sensor, which ensure long-lasting white point and luminance. With all the sensors included and the focus on reliable quality, the design of the MDC212C2 is very slim and modern.

With a maximum luminance of 440cd/m² it offers enough margin for long-term use. It also combines an LED backlight and wide viewing angle of 178 degrees horizontal and vertical, allowing very high colour reproduction.

The NEC MDC212C2 display will be available in January 2016.

Riverbed enhances SteelCentral Riverbed SteelCentral is an integrated performance management solution for centralised visibility for enterprise applications.

According to the company, SteelCentral is an end-to-end solution that combines user experience, application, infrastructure, and network monitoring for a holistic view of application performance.

The latest enhancements to SteelCentral bring major advances in collaborative troubleshooting capabilities. New features are being released in key components of the platform – including enhancements in Portal, AppInternals, AppResponse, NetAuditor, NetShark, NetPlanner and NetSensor. They support a common

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theme of improved platform integration while enhancing several capabilities, including expanded network and application visibility; superior end-to-end application transaction monitoring; and more cost-effective Web application and WAN-optimisation monitoring.

These enhancements to the Riverbed SteelCentral platform are expected to be available in November 2015.

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QNAP releases NAS TS251+ and TS-451+ QNAP has announced the release of the quad-core 2-bay TS-251+ and 4-bay TS451+ NAS. Accrording to the company, the new models feature virtualisation readiness, containerised applications, advanced backup solutions, real-time & offline video transcoding, QvPC Technology, HDMI video playback with an included remote control.

The TS-251+ and TS-451+ are powered by a 22nm 64-bit quad-core Intel Celeron 2.0GHz processor (up to 2.42GHz) with 2GB/8GB energy-efficient DDR3L RAM. They also include dual Gigabit LAN ports, and can deliver up to 225 MB/s throughput and up to 205 MB/s transfer speeds with AES 256-bit volume and folder encryption.

The new NAS series runs QTS 4.2, a smart NAS operating system that comes with a variety of features to empower offices and home applications.

Users can run multiple applications on Windows, Linux, UNIX and Android

Synology announces DiskStation DS716+

based virtual machines on the NAS with the Virtualisation Station, and operate multiple isolated Linux systems on the NAS. Users can also operate the TS251+ and TS-451+ as a PC with QvPC Technology. The NAS also supports excellent real-time and offline transcoding capabilities as well as streaming photos, music and videos to different rooms from a single device using Bluetooth, USB devices, HDMI, DLNA, Apple TV and Chromecast as a multi-zone control system.

Opengear launches new Resilience Gateway models Opengear has released two new additions to its Resilience Gateway product line, which according to them was designed for network resilience and to ensure uptime at enterprise branch offices and remote sites.

The new models of the product line feature support for multi-carrier, dual SIMs that expand carrier diversity and increase network uptime. The Opengear Resilience Gateway provides 4 USB plus 4 or 8 serial and two 10/100/1000 Ethernet console port connections to be deployed alongside network, power, server, and other IT infrastructure at remote sites which, according to the company, can proactively monitor and detecting faults to ensure rapid recovery from any unplanned IT interruption.

The new Resilience Gateway models also include an out-of-band management via Opengear’s Smart OOB. The company underlines that this technology enables maintenance of secure access and control of all infrastructure at remote sites during network outages to minimise downtime, as well as smart, event-based autoremediation of common problems based on custom scripts.

The Resilience Gateway also has WAN connectivity through Failover to Cellular to high-speed 4G LTE networks, with failover and fallback. It has an embedded cellular module with multi-carrier capabilities as well as compatibility with global carriers. It also features the Lighthouse CMS which allows easy management of dispersed enterprise locations.

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Synology has announced the release of DS716+, a 2-bay NAS server powered by a quad-core CPU and Btrfs file system.

According to the vendor, DS716+ is aimed at SMB in need of a reliable, high-efficient storage and application server.

Coming with 2GB of RAM, two Gigabit LAN ports, and a quad-core 1.6GHz CPU, able to clock up to 2.08GHz and AES-NI encryption support, the company highlights that DS716+ can deliver impressive performance with encrypted files. The device also has a transfer speed of up to 218Mb/s reading and 141Mb/s writing. In addition, it allows enthusiast users to perform on the fly H.264 4K to 1080p video transcoding.

DS716+ also comes with tool-less drive bay design, hot-swappable support, and dual Gigabit LAN ports with failover support to ensure continual service. Moreover, it features three USB 3.0 ports for higher data transmission and one eSATA port as an extensive external backup option.

Users can also enable Btrfs, a modern file system designed to address the needs of a higher fault tolerance, better management, and advanced data protection by enabling point-in-time snapshot and restore, built-in data integrity check, metadata mirroring, or quotas for shared folders.

DS716+ runs DiskStation Manager (DSM) and features a range of applications from backup to network management.

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CommScope introduces PowerShift

Belden flaunts SPIDER III Standard Line Belden has announced that it is now offering the SPIDER III Standard Line, unmanaged entry-level industrial Ethernet rail switches for long distances.

The latest from the SPIDER line of switches utilises Hirschmann technology, which according to Belden can offer a high quality, cost-effective way of transfering large amounts of data. The switch has up to eight Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet ports, and two of the ports can be fibre optic.

According to the firm, the SPIDER III Standard Line of switches is futureproof because of its Gigabit speed.

The company also highlights that these switches are also designed for use in harsh environments and have the necessary certifications, making them ideal for the manufacturing, machine building, solar power and traffic control industries.

Furthermore, Belden emphasises that the SPIDER III Standard Line switches employ a plug-and-play principle that allows for easy installation without compromising quality or reliability. Users can connect multiple devices without the need for a complex configuration process.

The switches also use less electricity, which makes them a cost-effective way to transmit data.

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CommScope has recently introduced PowerShift, a new device for managing power to RRUs at macro and micro cell sites.

According to the company, PowerShift is an intelligent, plug-andplay direct current (DC) power supply solution for RRUs. The device can help operators re-utilise existing power cable infrastructure, eliminate the need for deploying higher gauge conductors when installing new cabling and increase the useable length for cables by over four times. It can also extend RF battery uptime by up to 35 percent.

Furthermore, the company explains that PowerShift can automatically

deliver efficient voltage to the RRU. CommScope highlights other benefits for operators such as reduced capital expenditures through the use of smaller diameter power cables, especially the ones already deployed on-site in RRU upgrade scenarios; decreased operating expenditures due to lower overall power consumption, more efficient inventorying, standardized installation and lower shipping costs; decreased weight and wind load on towers with smaller diameter cables; and extended RF battery uptime of up to 35 percent more by taking full advantage of the existing battery back-up system.

MMD launches new 4K UHD display MMD, the brand licence partner for Philips Monitors, announces a new display with 4K UHD resolution.

At 23.8-inches, the 241P6VPJKEB display adds to the UltraClear 4K UHD line-up. This latest member of the series has a display is in Full HD, with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels for every square inch of the screen.

Equipped with 4K UHD technology, MMD highlights that the new display gives out high-resolution graphics and provides users with better viewing experience. It also is an excellent fit for the resolution scaling capabilities of Windows 10.

The device has over 99 percent sRGB support, assuring users that the colours they see on the display are vivid across different

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applications and devices.

MMD underlines that the technology of the panels themselves are also one of the key features of the device – the expansive, wideangle view and super-high contrast abilities of advanced AH-IPS perfectly complement the sense of space of 4K UHD. AH-IPS can also be used for applications demanding colour accuracy and brightness at all times, like photo retouching and graphics.

The display also supports MultiView, so people can connect and view images from two separate sources – a PC and TV feed– at the same time. It also has the MHL technology which enables users to enjoy mobile content from smartphones or other devices on the big screen, or use the USB 3.0 hub to hook up devices and recharge them fast. There’s also an integrated webcam and microphone.

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WD enhances My Cloud devices WD has introduced significant enhancements to its family of My Cloud personal storage devices. The series now include a redesigned My Cloud OS 3, Software Developer Kit (SDK) and a dual-drive My Cloud Mirror.

According to the vendor, My Cloud OS 3 features an intuitive user interface which can deliver a rich contentsharing experience, and back-up and sync capabilities that elevate the personal cloud NAS offering while retaining the privacy and control unique to personal cloud devices physically located in the home or office.

My Cloud OS 3 also enables users to access MyCloud.com and have global access to their My Cloud via an intuitive web browser-based user interface and enables file collaboration, comprehensive access management and a photos and videos gallery view.

It also has a new feature called WD Sync feature which syncs data across

multiple PCs and notebooks, ensuring that important files are up to date and available to users from almost any device. The OS also includes Chromebook and Chromecast support.

As part of the My Cloud OS 3 launch, WD has introduced My Cloud Device SDK and My Cloud API enabling developers to build new extensions, features and capabilities within the My Cloud ecosystem.

In addition to new software upgrades, WD has also introduced a new version of My Cloud Mirror personal cloud storage devices, featuring two hard drives set to Mirror Mode (RAID 1), ensuring content is stored on one drive and automatically duplicated to a second drive. My Cloud Mirror personal cloud storage includes the new features announced for My Cloud OS 3 and an improved processor and 512 MB RAM for faster file transfers and application support.

The WD My Cloud OS 3 is now available as a free download on current My Cloud personal cloud storage devices.

ASUS brings ZenWatch 2 to the UAE

AMD unveils FirePro W4300 AMD has unveiled FirePro W4300 for ComputerAided Design (CAD) performance that fits both small form factor (SFF) and tower workstations.

The AMD FirePro W4300 card integrates a powerful GPU and 4GB of GDDR5 memory within a low-profile design for installation in SFF as well as full-sized systems. Organisations can now confidently simplify their IT management by standardising on a single, capable professional graphics solution throughout their workstation deployment.

The AMD FirePro W4300 professional graphics card is optimised for the latest CAD applications including Autodesk AutoCAD, Inventor as well as Revit, Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS and CATIA, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, and many more.

Based on AMD Graphics Core Next (GCN)

architecture to optimise utilisation and maximise performance, the AMD FirePro W4300 card features 4GB GDDR5 GPU memory for large projects helping to improve workflow application responsiveness.

It sports AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology that allows the use of up to six ultra-high resolution displays, helping users to multitask across multiple applications and displays with ease. It comes with a Four DisplayPort 1.2a connections standard (with support for up to six DisplayPort monitors via MST-enabled hub) and AMD FreeSync technology that enables GPU control of the display refresh rate for tear-free display updates, critical for media and entertainment applications and workflows.

The AMD FirePro W4300 professional graphics card is currently in production, availability from major workstation OEMs is planned for 2016.

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ASUS has announced the launch of its second smartwatch, the ZenWatch 2.

ZenWatch 2 is available in three colours — Silver, Gunmetal, and Rose Gold.

The ASUS smartwatch also has 18 different strap material and colour combinations, including a Swarovski patterned leather strap, and the new FaceDesigner smartphone app that lets wearers create 50 different watch faces with customised style and functionality.

It is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, which according to the vendor, can serve as a smart assistant for Android and iOS devices, providing wearers with quick and convenient means to view of incoming calls, messages, notifications and other important notifications without having to remove their phone from their pocket or bag.

The device also comes with a range of software features, including ASUS ZenUI apps, Business Helper, FoneHelper, Remote Camera, and ZenWatch Message.

In addition to software improvements, the company highlights that ZenWatch 2 comes with an enhanced battery that allows up to two days of use on a single charge. It also comes with an all-new magnetic charger which gives the ZenWatch 2 and 35 percent faster battery recharge times than the previous version of the watch.

The new wearable device is powered by Android Wear and is now available in the UAE for AED 799.

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Column

Channel surfing Reseller Middle East’s deputy editor offers her thoughts on the Middle Eastern technology channel.

Janees Reghelini, Deputy Editor, Reseller ME

Take a minute December is one of my favourite times of the year, largely due to contagious festive cheer, pleasant weather and a sense of achievement after 12 months of toil and triumph. It won’t be long before we are back in the mad race but for now the next few weeks will be serene. Or at least I hope so.

We are always on the run, in a haste to achieve one thing after another. Seldom do we pause and take a minute to reflect on our progress. Sometimes I feel this is the only time of the year that gives us that much needed breathing space.

On that note, while reflecting over the last few quarters, one of the first things that comes to mind is the exploration of new business models.

This is by no means a comfortable task. The thought of uprooting a business that has been 90

december 2015 Reseller Middle East

going steadily - but perhaps not as speedily - and replacing it with a new one, essentially means to go out of your comfort zone. Even though that might seem daunting to some, a reseller today has all the resources needed to do so, as well as support from vendors.

One of my key takeaways from an interview with Vahé Torossian, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners, Microsoft, this month, was to ‘drive your own destiny’. This is important because the alternative should not be an option, where the market might force you to go out of business.

On the subject of delving into newer areas, our inaugural Reseller MEet platform was a huge success, and was much appreciated by both vendors and partners. It’s not often

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you get an opportunity to have dedicated conversations with relevant partners from across the region in the space of a day’s work. We are now excited to host the next edition in the first half of 2016 and needless to say, it will be bigger and better.

In the meantime, take a look at the coverage of the event and let that whet your appetite for participation next time.

2015 has been an exceptional year for us. We always endeavour to do things differently, and our aim is to leave lasting impressions on all we touch within the industry.

I’m sure most of you are away on holidays or are in the process of planning them, while some might be stuck with budgeting.

Either way, wish you a great year end and see you all in 2016.

Creating Opportunities COMPUTING

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With customer satisfaction and your profitability on the line, choosing a stable technology partner is a critical business decision. While other technology providers in the industry are splitting apart, Dell is committed to remaining a true source of end-to-end solutions. Certainty in an uncertain world — now that’s a choice you can make with confidence.

Sell with confidence. Sell with Dell.

To learn more, visit Dell.com/partner/yoursuccess

Š 2015 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Dell Emerging Markets (EMEA) Limited is registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 3266654. Registered address: Dell House, The Boulevard, Cain Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1LF. Company details for other Dell UK entities can be found at www.dell.co.uk