Reseller Middle East April 2019 by Reseller Middle East

The region's smarter choice for IBM Software Solutions

Help your customers ďŹ nd vulnerabilities in their IT environment

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Data Discovery, ClassiďŹ cation & Vulnerability Scans

A next-generation classification engine and prebuilt data patterns helps efficiently find and classify personal and sensitive personal data.

Specialized risk-scoring techniques, applied to the result of the vulnerability scans and classification effort, provide prioritized risk information.

Risk details and remediation recommendations helps you understand how to address vulnerabilities and GDPR relevant data risk.

CONTENTS

STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER

ISSUE 267 // APRIL 2019

LARGER THAN LIFE

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Middle East VP and MD Dr. Fabio Fontana speaks about inspiring channel partners to come together towards a common goal of making people’s lives better.

VENDOR FOCUS

HIGHLIGHTS

44 COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY

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

OPINION

46 ENGINE ROOM

19 EXPLORING THE THREE PS OF CHANNEL

Trusted Access by Security Code’s Andrei Golov and Anis Khasun, give insights into its unique offering and share regional plans.

Enabler ONE’s Nehul Goradia guides channel managers on how they can effectively manage their partner ecosystem through planning, perseverance and patience.

ManageEngine’s Raj Sabhlok and Nirmal Manoharan, explain the importance of channel partners developing their skills to leverage market opportunities.

48 CONNECTING THE FUTURE

TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

Husni Hammoud from Cradlepoint, outlines the existing challenges for IoT adoption in the region and how the firm is spearheading this space.

FEATURE

Reseller Middle East profiles leading players from regional firms across distributors, partners and vendors, who have embraced excellence as part of their business DNA. We recognise these industry frontrunners and honour them for their commitment and innovative strategies that have aided in their business success.

BLOG

51 HOW TO LIVE AND WORK WITH COBOTS

Chris Pope from ServiceNow, explains what ‘Cobots’ are and how it will transform the office environment.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

Your Data. Multiple Clouds. One 360 Approach. Data Visibility

Data Protection

Gain granular understanding of the entire unstructured data landscape.

Compliance Readiness

Prove regulatory compliance, automate archiving and respond to eDiscovery matters.

Business Continuity

Minimize interruptions with one-click failover to any environment.

Ensure data recoverability for any workload; enable self-service access to virtual data copies.

INTELLIGENT CORE ClassiďŹ cation, Discovery, Policy Automation

Data/Workload Portability

Ensure freedom of data/workload movement and migration across locations and platforms.

Storage Optimization

Boost performance, scalability and availability across any storage while dramatically reducing cost.

www.veritas.com

0553006109

EDITORIAL Enabling collaborations

nhancing margins is one of the most critical priorities for any partner business. Thinking of innovative ways to boost profits is not as easy as it may seem. It is even more challenging to sustain it, especially when operating in challenging market circumstances. As an independent entity, we hosted the first ever Margin Builder Forum last year, where the 100-plus partners in the room saw leading industry experts coming together to debate existing challenges and eventually devise effective solutions to address them. Following the resounding success, we had in 2018, we are thrilled to bring the second edition on 30th April. Besides strategies to boost profits, this year we will see IT channel stalwarts discuss how to best select relevant vendors for growth and how businesses can leverage AI and analytics for channel success. The conference promises to offer indepth analysis, concrete measures for growth and unique networking opportunities. We are offering a platform for the channel community

to have meaningful conversations. It is not very often we get top distributors, partners and vendors rubbing shoulders with each other under the same roof. In fact, a feedback I received last year was how refreshing it was for some distributors to meet other CEOs and MDs they have only heard and read about. While in any business competition is healthy, collaboration is the way forward to address key partner issues. Be sure to reach out to our team for registrations and other event details. With our annual Partner Excellence Awards hosted on the same evening, it is going to be one action-packed day. We like to thank you all for the support that you have given us all these years and look forward to celebrating your milestones on 30th April.

FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9139 EDITORIAL Managing Editor Michael Jabri-Pickett mjp@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9158 Editor Janees Reghelini janees.reghelini@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167 Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9135 DESIGN Head of Design Froilan Cosgafa IV froilan.cosgafa@cpimediagroup.com Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130 Business Development Manager Youssef Hariz youssef.hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111 Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9128 Sales Manager Nasir Bazaz nasir.bazaz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9147 CIRCULATION Operations Manager Shweta Santosh shweta.santosh@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9107 DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developers Jefferson de Joya Abbas Madh

Janees Reghelini Editor

Photographers Max Poriechkin Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 DIGITAL www.tahawultech.com Printed by Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC

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

Published by

Registered at Dubai Production City, DCCA PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 ÂŠ Copyright 2019 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.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

6 HIGHLIGHTS

VEEAM HONOURS TOP MIDDLE EAST PARTNERS

eeam Software has announced the winners of the 2018 Veeam Partner Awards at its recent event held in Lebanon. The annual awards recognise and celebrate the commitment and success of Veeam ProPartners and Veeam Cloud & Service Provider (VCSP) partners who have demonstrated success in providing Veeam solutions to their customers, and growing their business while supporting users on the journey to Intelligent Data Management. “Veeam is a partner-first business and understands that the very nature of how business is done is changing – and how quickly,” said Gilles Pommier, vice president, Channel and Alliances EMEA, Veeam. “As such, we pride ourselves on adapting to these needs and ensure our partners have the latest products, first-class training and support and access to our expert ecosystem. We are confident that we are delivering new data management capabilities for our partners to help grow their business by empowering their customers to do more with their data, offering more choice and identifying new revenue opportunities for multi-cloud environments.” The following Veeam ProPartners and VCSPs were recognised at the 2019 Veeam Partner Summit in Lebanon: • Fastest Growth of the Year: Midware Data Systems • Most Significant Project of the Year: Al Rostamani • Most Active Partner of the Year: Burhantec • VCSP Partner of the Year: BIOS • Champion for New Products Positioning: MDS – UAE • Technical Champion: Systems Engineering of Egypt • Highest Revenue Contribution Partner: Alpha Data www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

BARCO APPOINTS MINDWARE AS MIDDLE EAST VAD

Nicholas Argyrides, Mindware and Ramzi Itani, Barco

arco has entered a partnership with Mindware, the regional value-added distributor of IT solutions, to expand its presence in the Middle East. The new agreement enables Barco to leverage Mindware’s extensive distribution network that spans the GCC region, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. Ramzi Itani, vice president, MEA, Barco, and Nicholas Argyrides, general manager Gulf at Mindware, signed a contract formalising the partnership. Mindware has incorporated a wide range of innovative Barco products in its value-added distribution portfolio, including the wireless collaboration systems ClickShare and wePresent as well as the LCD video wall solutions UniSee, and KVD5521B tapping into the digital signage segment. “Our unique end-to-end client support infrastructure and long-standing experience in the Middle East make us the ideal partner for technology companies in the region. Our presence in key markets, combined with our team of highly

qualified certified professionals, allows us to stay nimble and responsive to the needs of resellers and systems integrators, and exceed the expectations of global brands. We are pleased to partner with Barco and look forward to driving shared value in the coming months,” said Argyrides. The scope of the agreement also includes hosting a range of workshops and events to promote the collaboration across target markets, starting with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. “We are committed to building synergies in the Middle East that help us benefit from the growing opportunities within the enterprise market. Digital transformation is leading the GCC region, particularly Saudi Arabia, into a new era of operational efficiency and growth, especially in the ICT sector. In this context, we understand the importance of looking beyond the pure-play AV market and targeting IT networks as well. With its deep understanding of these domains, Mindware is well-positioned to deliver our brand promise across the region’s IT distribution channels,” said Itani.

VAD TECHNOLOGIES EXPANDS DATA PROTECTION OFFERINGS

oole Server, international provider of data-centric solutions, has announced its strategic collaboration with VAD Technologies, an IT and technology value-added distributor, headquartered in Dubai. Boole Server will introduce BooleBox, its secure enterprise collaboration platform, into the region. As part of the partnership, BooleBox Cloud will be immediately available in the portfolio of VAD Technologies’ Cloud Division. Potential users have the possibility to purchase

BooleBox with a simple click of the mouse. “The passion and knowhow of the leading VAD in the region is key to a successful path towards the innovation curve of the security file sharing landscape in the Middle East,” said, Valerio Pastore, president and founder of Boole Server. VAD Technologies, with its extended reach in the region and vast expertise in various sectors will support the Italian headquartered software vendor in expanding its market presence in the Middle East region, by fos-

tering a mutually beneficial partnership. “We are excited to partner with Boole Server in the Middle East region,” said Mario M. Veljovic, general manager, VAD Technologies. “We are constantly scouting disruptive next generation technologies to ensure that our partners can offer the latest and greatest to their customers. BooleBox supports perfectly our mission of Cloudification of our product and solutions portfolio.” A vibrant blend of human, financial and technological resources will be introduced

into the market to write a new chapter for the entire ICT landscape, delivering innovation and ultimate know-how.

Mario M. Veljovic, VAD Technologies

STARLINK SIGNS DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

egional value-added distributor StarLink has signed a distribution partnership with Schneider Electric for the Arabian Gulf. Schneider Electric has over 1,000 partners in 64 countries worldwide that are leveraging mobility, cloud, sensing, analytics and cybersecurity solutions running on the Schneider Electric EcoStruxure architecture to reshape industries, transform cities, and enrich lives. Integrating OT and IT allows safer, and more reliable, energy efficient, sustainable, and connected organisations, smart cities, and countries. The EcoStruxure for Data Centre solutions protect and optimise data centre and networks for cloud and big data architectures. With the Data Centre Infrastructure Management software (DCIM), customers can collect and

analyse data, and control power and processes system-wide or on individual devices. Schneider Electric offers a complete portfolio of services to assess, plan, design, build and operate a data centre. Under this sign off, StarLink will represent Schneider Electric in the assigned regions – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE. StarLink, through its skilled expert teams and wide partner network, will promote and sell the brand with aggressive demand generation and awareness programmes, as well as on-theground sales and technical support. Nidal Othman, managing director, StarLink, said, “Schneider Electric’s technology will greatly complement the StarLink cloud and data centre portfolio that will solve specific market challenges, enabling customers to scale and accelerate their digital transformation. We

are looking forward to bringing to this region a comprehensive data centre infrastructure, irrespective of business type and industry that can cater to the data centre challenges in our enormously connected world. “This is a strategic alliance and we will work closely to build their market share and achieve our joint business goals.” Furthermore, Ahmed Diab, sales director, StarLink, highlighted that with the Schneider Electric partnership, the VAD will now be equipped with a complete data centre offering. “We can cater to the increasing demands for bestof-breed technologies and assist organisations run their business seamlessly. This partnership represents our commitment to build the best solutions – from physical infrastructure to application and software integration level.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

8 HIGHLIGHTS

KASPERSKY LAB UNVEILS NEW PROGRAMME TO EMPOWER PARTNERS

aspersky Lab has launched a new global partner programme ‘Kaspersky United’. This programme enables Kaspersky Lab partners — including resellers, service providers, and system integrators — to focus on selling the Kaspersky Lab services and products that match their own specialisations. They will also receive access to education, sales and marketing toolkits and benefit from a new transparent monetary rewards scheme. According to a Kaspersky Lab survey, when it comes to cybersecurity, the complexity of IT infrastructure is the factor that’s putting the most pressure on CISOs. Complexity widens the attack surface – it makes the protection of every aspect of infrastructure even more difficult, as it requires specific cybersecurity measures. As a result, cybersecurity providers may need to develop in-depth expertise in certain domains to offer customers specialised IT security solutions and services. Through the Kaspersky United programme, partners can maintain and monetise their specialisations across different status levels (Registered, Silver, Gold and Platinum) in one or several domains: by solution (hybrid cloud security, threat management and defense, or fraud prevention), or by services, such as managed service provider, managed detection and response provider, or authorised training centre. Certification in different skills or techniques can also help partners drive sales, by demonstrating to customers that they are experts in their particular areas of need. “The channel is being transformed to meet customers’ expectations, with new

service offerings and business models emerging,” said Ivan Bulaev, head of global corporate channel, Kaspersky Lab. “For example, systems integrators have established security operation centres in their data centres, and offer them as a service. We are also seeing companies specialise in niche areas, delivering very specific expertise in SaaS form, such as threat intelligence platforms.” He said that the firm is also seeing more and more small and medium customers moving to an IT outsourcing model and MSP business growth following this pattern. “To help the channel work effectively, as a vendor, we need to take these trends into account and create conditions in which each of our partners will find opportunities to develop and provide customers with the best solutions and services. That’s what we want to support through Kaspersky United,” he added.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

Within the programme, partners will also get comprehensive support and privileges from Kaspersky Lab, including monetary rewards such as significant upfront discounts, rebates on target achievement, proposalbased marketing development funds; specialist partner rebates of up to 20 percent, priority pre-sales and implementation support; marketing and sales tool kits; education materials, online and offline training sessions and workshops. The next phase of the programme will see Kaspersky Lab update the partner portal, where a variety of valuable information can be found, such as whitepapers, webinars, competitive comparisons, and certifications. New partners will gain access to specially designed Partner Onboarding training, and assets to ensure newcomers have all they need to start selling and earning more quickly.

Website: e.huawei.com Email address: enterpriseME@huawei.com

10 HIGHLIGHTS

GLOBAL DATA ANALYTICS FIRM INVESTS $1 BILLION IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

AS has announced that it will invest $1 billion in AI over the next three years through software innovation, education, expert services and more. The commitment builds on SAS’ already strong foundation in AI which includes advanced analytics, machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision. Educational programs and expert services will equip business leaders and data scientists for the future of AI, with the technology, skills and support they need to transform their organisations. “At SAS, we remain dedicated to our customers and their success, and this investment is another example of that commitment,” said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight. “With our innovative capabilities in AI, SAS helps businesses deter damaging fraud, fight deadly disease, better manage risk, provide exemplary service to customers and citizens, and much more.” The $1 billion investment in AI will focus on three main areas: Research and Development (R&D) innovation where SAS continues to build on the success of its global AI efforts; education initiatives addressing customer needs to better understand and benefit from AI; and expert

Jim Goodnight, SAS

services to optimise customer return on AI projects. SAS is investing in R&D innovation in all core areas of AI, with a special focus on making it easy for users with different skill levels to benefit – from business experts to data engineers to data scientists. The company is embedding AI capabilities into the SAS Platform and solutions for data management, customer intelligence, fraud & security intelligence and risk management, as well as applications for industries including financial services, government, health care, manufacturing and retail. SAS continues to partner with innovative companies and leading technology providers like Accenture, Cisco, Deloitte, Intel and NVIDIA. This work brings the latest advances and practices in AI and machine learning to customers, and ensures SAS AI technologies perform optimally in customers’ hardware and cloud environments.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

F5 NETWORKS ACQUIRES OPENSOURCE SOFTWARE FIRM NGINX

5 Networks and NGINX have announced a definitive agreement under which F5 will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of privately held NGINX for a total enterprise value of approximately $670 million, subject to certain adjustments. François Locoh-Donou, F5 “F5’s acquisition of NGINX strengthens our growth trajectory by accelerating our software and multi-cloud transformation,” said François Locoh-Donou, president and CEO, F5. “By bringing F5’s world-class application security and rich application services portfolio for improving performance, availability, and management together with NGINX’s leading software application delivery and API management solutions, unparalleled credibility and brand recognition in the DevOps community, and massive open source user base, we bridge the divide between NetOps and DevOps with consistent application services across an enterprise’s multi-cloud environment.” Locoh-Donou added, “The combined company will enable every customer—from the app developer to the network engineer to the security specialist—with the tools they need to ensure their apps are available and secure across every platform, from the enterprise data center to private and public clouds.” F5 will enhance NGINX’s current offerings with F5 security solutions and will integrate F5 cloud-native innovations with NGINX’s software load balancing technology, accelerating F5’s time to market of application services for modern, containerized applications. F5 will also leverage its global sales force, channel infrastructure, and partner ecosystem to scale NGINX selling opportunities to the enterprise. “NGINX and F5 share the same mission and vision. We both believe applications are at the heart of driving digital transformation. And we both believe that an end-to-end application infrastructure—one that spans from code to customer—is needed to deliver apps across a multi-cloud environment,” said Gus Robertson, CEO, NGINX. Upon closing of the acquisition, F5 will maintain the NGINX brand. Gus Robertson, along with NGINX founders Igor Sysoev and Maxim Konovalov, will join F5 and will continue to lead NGINX. Robertson will join F5’s senior management team, reporting to François Locoh-Donou. F5 will maintain NGINX’s operations in San Francisco, California and other locations globally.

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12 HIGHLIGHTS

A10 NETWORKS APPOINTS NEW GLOBAL FIELD SALES CTO

Ravi Raj Bhat, A10 Networks

10 Networks has announced that Ravi Raj Bhat has been appointed as global field sales CTO and shared services SVP, reporting to Chris White, executive vice president of worldwide sales. Bhat’s responsibilities include driving a global technical community, both internally across sales, product management and engineering, and externally with the customer and partner ecosystem. Further alignment of technology, sales services and partner solutions will ensure A10 Networks continues to drive technology leadership in 5G, multi-cloud and security infrastructures. Bhat joins A10 Networks from Ericsson where he was vice president of engineering. “Ravi brings a wealth of leadership and technical expertise to A10

Networks. He will be instrumental in engaging the company’s technical community to drive our 5G initiative and to help A10 Networks continue to deliver innovative products and services that address the technological and business challenges our customers face,” said Chris White, executive vice president of worldwide sales, A10 Networks. “Ravi’s background across a variety of technologies, including cloud, virtualization, telecommunications and networking will be a tremendous asset to the company.” Bhat brings over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, including a variety of senior roles leading globally-dispersed engineering teams across Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. He has been involved in delivering leading technologies including distributed cloud platforms, SaaS voice/video conferencing solutions, networking products for enterprise and telco, and launched Intel’s first dual-core server processor. Prior to Ericsson, Bhat held leadership positions at Radisys and Continuous Computing. He is the co-author of two books and over 30 papers and articles in various technical journals and publications.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

MANAGEENGINE INTRODUCES NEW USER AND ENTITY BEHAVIOUR ANALYTICS SOLUTION

anageEngine has announced that it has introduced user and entity behaviour analytics (UEBA) into its SIEM solution, Log360. With score-based risk assessment, threat corroboration, anomaly detection powered by machine learning, and other new capabilities, the Log360 UEBA add-on helps security professionals identify, qualify, and investigate internal threats and anomalies by extracting more information from logs for better context. According to Verizon’s 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, over a quarter of the 53,308 cyber-attacks in 2017 involved insiders. Insider threats can be particularly difficult to detect with conventional threat detection systems, as it’s hard to spot the signs of someone using their legitimate access to data for nefarious purposes, and both vulnerabilities and exploits are unknown. UEBA delivers more robust and accurate threat detection by using machine learning to set a baseline of a user’s normal activity, and then flag any deviations from that baseline. “In today’s IT security landscape, rigid alert rules and conventional threat detection systems no longer make the cut. The need of the hour is a system that can learn and adapt to continuous change,” said Manikandan Thangaraj, director of program management, ManageEngine. “Log360 UEBA does just that and improves the accuracy of

Manikandan Thangaraj, ManageEngine

threat detection, helping SOC personnel qualify and investigate threats that actually merit investigation.” Log360 UEBA monitors user activity captured in logs to identify behavioural changes. User activities that would otherwise go unnoticed are flagged, reducing the time it takes to detect and respond to threats. The solution is capable of spotting deviant user and entity behaviour such as logons at unusual hours, excessive logon failures, and file deletions from a host that is not generally used by a particular user. It can also generate a risk score for each user and entity based on how dangerous their behaviour is, helping security admins determine which threats merit investigation. In addition, it identifies indicators of compromise and indicators of attack, exposing major threats including insider threats, account compromise, and data exfiltration. The Log360 UEBA add-on is available immediately and is priced at $495.

14 HIGHLIGHTS

AVAYA TARGETS HUDDLE ROOMS WITH LATEST PRODUCT ENHANCEMENTS

vaya has introduced a number of enhancements to its video offering that promise to transform the group meeting room experience as well as business video economics. The company has expanded its comprehensive video collaboration solutions portfolio with new offerings designed for today’s smaller meeting spaces–including new Avaya IX Huddle Cameras, which deliver high quality video at prices that match small meeting space budgets, and the Avaya IX Collaboration Unit, which is an open “all-in-one” next-generation collaboration solution. Avaya is uniquely addressing the growing business need to add collaboration technology to small meeting spaces, often called huddle rooms, by making the overall experience more intelligent. Frost and Sullivan estimates there are over 32 million of these huddle rooms in offices worldwide, of which a very small percentage are equipped with video collaboration technology. According to Frost and Sullivan, huddle room meetings will surge from 12 percent to 70 percent of all video conferencing by 2023. “Avaya is moving the huddle room experience beyond the status quo with customer-led solutions that seamlessly integrate with their existing UC and video infrastructures,” said Chris McGugan, Avaya SVP, Solutions and Technology. “Customers also want to use their favorite cloud-based collaboration applications and our next-generation open architecture enables this. The result is a much richer user experience,

plug and play simplicity, and the ability to leverage existing investments.” Avaya IX Huddle Cameras can be used with Avaya IX Room Video solutions or connected to a laptop to deliver High Definition (HD) video at price points that align with the needs of smaller meeting spaces. The HC020 and HC050 are easy to deploy and use, and both provide an exceptional video experience. The Avaya IX Collaboration Unit is an all-in-one collaboration device that represents a breakthrough in performance and price. This unit does not require a laptop connection, meaning it delivers easy startup, reliability and consistently high quality every time. It sits on top of the video screen, has integrated microphones, and provides a wide field of view which is important for huddle spaces that are typically

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

not very deep but can be very wide. It also offers wireless content sharing from mobile smart devices. This next-generation huddle room solution provides UC platform integration, interoperability with standards-based video infrastructures, and enables users to run and share their cloud-based applications of choice. It is the first all-in-one device to bring everything the cloud has to offer to the huddle space in a way that makes sense for businesses of all sizes The Avaya IX Workplace accelerates business by providing a single application that delivers calling, messaging, meetings and team collaboration–all with the same ease of use associated with personal applications. The Avaya IX Workplace can be delivered on premise or via private, public or hybrid cloud.

NOMINATE NOW

30th April, 2019

Jumeirah Emirates Towers Ballroom (Theme and dress code: Black & White)

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Partner Excellence Awards, Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech.com is proud to present the 2019 edition on 30th April. The success of the Awards over the last decade is a testament to the triumphs of the regional channel industry. Every year, the event showcases and applauds partner accomplishments and business excellence.

#RMEAwards10

tahawultech.com/resellermeawards/2019/ For sponsorship enquiries Kausar Syed Group Sales Director kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130 / +971 50 758 6672

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16 HIGHLIGHTS

UAE-BASED ENGINEERING SERVICES FIRM OPTS FOR EPICOR ERP

STARLINK HOSTS ANNUAL PARTNER SUMMIT IN DUBAI

picor Software Corporation has announced that General International Group, a provider of specialised engineering services to the UAE & Africa market, has selected Epicor ERP in the Cloud and will deploy the system on the Azure platform to help optimise operations and introduce new operational efficiencies. The move to Epicor ERP will serve General International’s current business growth cycle by consolidating data collection and eliminating replication, said the company. With the implementation, the company will be able to automate several processes that were labour-intensive under its legacy platform, and improve the speed, accuracy, and flexibility of reporting. The cloud-based ERP solution from Epicor will open the door to newfound efficiencies in business continuity, cybersecurity and risk management, as well as carry the benefit of 24/7 support and disaster recovery. The cloud model is also expected to deliver up-to-the-minute upgrades, faster time to value, and significantly lower capital and human resource investments. “The Epicor ERP cloud solution stood out clearly for us as having strikingly granular flexibility and impressive scalability,” said Sameh Awad, Director at General International Group. “Often with these platforms you have to make compromises on functionality, however, Epicor ERP was a great fit because it caters to such a wide range of use cases. Additionally, ease of implementation and ease of use were critical factors, so our day-to-day operations did not suffer a hit from delays and learning curves. It was also important for us to find a vendor who could be

Hesham El Komy, Epicor

a trusted partner in our growth journey, and work with us long term. The flexible licensing model was a further welcome bonus.” General International will roll out Epicor ERP to around 15 users initially, increasing to 20 by the end of 2019. Financials, procurement, logistics, project management, and quotations will all be deployed, in the cloud, to the company’s UAE operations. “Opting for Epicor ERP in the cloud will also allow us to save on costs. Epicor ERP provides us with the business intelligence we need for just-in-time procurement of source materials, leading to estimated savings of one to two percent. We further calculate that the savings we get from an otherwise necessary expansion of our workforce will essentially pay for the ERP solution,” said Awad. Hesham El Komy, regional vice president, Middle East, Africa and India (MEAI), Epicor Software, said, “Middle East organisations like General International are increasingly turning to cloud as the starting point for their digital transformation programmes. This is because the benefits of the architecture are compelling — reduced costs, flexibility, agility, and security. Epicor ERP can grow with your business, morphing to your ambition and circumstances, and becoming a spur and facilitator of growth.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

tarLink has recently hosted its signature channel event – StarLink Partner Summit in Dubai. The event received an overwhelming response from 300 plus channel partners across the META region, making this one of the most sought-after channel networking gathering in the UAE. StarLink’s journey as a ‘Trusted VAD’ is largely driven by the support and commitment from its esteemed reseller community and over the past decade, the distributor has fervently aligned and engaged with its partners to deliver more opportunities and to make them emerge as profitable players. Partners were treated to high level content from participating vendors – Quest, One Identity, Ivanti, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Tripwire, and Cofense Inc, and they had the opportunity to engage face-to-face with the technical experts at the exclusive ‘Technology Hub’ and get insights on the solutions that were showcased. At the event, partners also got to witness the symbolic signing ceremony of two new technology alliances – Schneider Electric and Lenovo, both leaders in the Data Center domain. Nidal Othman, managing director, StarLink, said, “The overwhelming response from our partners has elevated our relationships to a different leve l, making us more responsible to further nurture and empower these partnerships.” The VAD also announced a new initiative called ‘StarLink Capital’, to support partners with great potential in fulfilling larger projects. It noted that the facilities around this initiative is designed for growth and profitability of the partners alongside StarLink.

19 OPINION

EXPLORING THE THREE Ps OF CHANNEL NEHUL GORADIA, CO-FOUNDER, ENABLER ONE, GUIDES CHANNEL MANAGERS ON HOW THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THEIR PARTNER ECOSYSTEM THROUGH PLANNING, PERSEVERANCE AND PATIENCE.

ost organisations consider an indirect channel as the fastest and the least cost route to market. A channel driven model enables you to reduce your direct investment in a large direct presence and teams to gain market share as well as to acquire a large customer base. While the above is normally true, it doesn’t mean that the acquisition of a partner reduces the effort required to sustain the necessary channel relationships or the various other efforts and initiatives essential to penetrate any market. Further, it may not be the best route for all products/ brands/geographies. Over the years as a distribution manager, and more recently as a go-to-market (GTM) advisor, I’ve met many vendors who believe that appointing a distributor or a channel partner was sufficient to penetrate a market. They assume that the appointed channel would take the necessary initiatives, on their own, to penetrate the market. One of the recurring thought processes that I came across was that a channel-driven model would yield faster results and revenues. And if that wasn’t happening (which was

1. Planning: I am sure that business and market penetration plans are built by all organisations as a mandatory aspect to their strategy. However, it is crucial to continue to keep them in mind from two aspects:

Nehul Goradia, Enabler One

in most cases), investments into the region and teams were reduced or discontinued altogether after a period of time. According to me, while both premises are highly incorrect, I would like to explore the second one – the expectation of immediate or quick results and revenues from a channel partner. A channel-driven approach requires, what I like to call, the three Ps: planning, perseverance and patience.

a. Agility: Adapt the plan to the market, be cognizant of your peers and competitors and keep on reviewing to check if the overall plan was executed the way it was planned and modify immediately what didn’t work. Most organisations, unfortunately, stick to the plan if it isn’t yielding result. An agile and a work-in-progress plan helps tweak the activities, keeping in mind the end objective. b. Localise: This is known and understood, yet over the years, we have organisations unable/ unwilling to localise their action plans with words such as “This is a global initiative and can’t be changed” or “This mandate has come from the corporate/ regional HQ and hence can’t be tweaked”. Each market/country/ region is different and needs to be addressed with its own nuances. If the plans and initiatives aren’t localised, they stand a high chance of failure.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

20 OPINION

2. Perseverance: Sometimes the biggest error a Channel Manager makes is in mistaking that channel partners are part of his team and treating them just like employees. They are not! Almost all channel partners are either reselling or servicing other products and brands. They’ve added your product or brand in the anticipation of enhanced revenue/profitability, but very rarely would they stop selling/ servicing all other brands and focus on only your product/brand. This means that their mind share is divided and more skewed towards the brand/product, which yields the maximum revenue/profitability for them today. Thus, it is very critical for Channel Managers to not give up on a slowmoving partner, but to persistently follow up, chase and support them to help grow your business and mind share in their organisations. Use incentives and other reward and recognition programmes to motivate partners to do more with you rather than threatening them with offboarding or replacing with other partners. I would like to reiterate –

SOMETIMES THE BIGGEST ERROR A CHANNEL MANAGER MAKES IS IN MISTAKING THAT PARTNERS ARE PART OF HIS TEAM AND TREATING THEM JUST LIKE EMPLOYEES.” they are not your employees. Their first and primary goal is their own revenue/profitability and your brand/ product is just a medium to achieve it. 3. Patience: This is one of the most critical traits required while embarking on a channel-driven route to market. It takes time to forge a new path: whether it is adopting a new vendor and its product lines or penetrating a new market or building a new partner relationship.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

What may take your direct team days or weeks to achieve, in terms of account penetration or deal closure, you need to add twice that time to your timeline when you add new partners to the equation. It takes time for a new partner to understand your product, the related value proposition, the competitive landscape and so on. Hence, though in the initial days, a channel-driven route would definitely seem slower and least effective, the whole purpose of your channel ecosystem is to create reach and predictability over a longer and sustained period of time. Additionally, I urge Channel Managers and teams to bear in mind: even if you’ve achieved good success from a few partners, don’t discard your overall plan to penetrate and engage with more partners. Continue with the effort, especially with some of the lower performing ones so that they can become your best performers tomorrow. It is sincerely recommended that organisations embark on their channeldriven journey with a clear long-term plan and expectation. Rome, as they say, wasn’t built in a day.

SPONSORED 27

WI-FI 6 IS ESSENTIAL FOR TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE SUPPORT APPLICATIONS ON TODAY’S WI-FI NETWORKS.”

latency-sensitive applications. Not only the throughput increases, but also the technological advances in Wi-Fi 6 help to deliver superior user experiences for application

performance whether it is ondemand learning or AR/VR applications. IoT applications will get an extra uplift using Wi-Fi 6 given the features like Target Wait Time (TWT) that helps to reduce the power consumption and conserve battery life. In university environments with more than 30,000 students, or in outdoor sports arenas with 80,000 fans who are all trying to connect to the Wi-Fi at the same time, congestion can easily result with Wi-Fi 5, but Wi-Fi 6 alleviates this problem by enabling more clients to connect to a single AP simultaneously, and allows neighbour devices to transmit at the same time — as long as interference levels are

Faisal Malik, chief technology officer, enterprise solutions sales, Huawei Middle East

acceptable. In fact, for the same number of users and same coverage area, the number of access points required for Wi-Fi 6 is significantly less compared to previous standards, leading to substantial savings in capital expenditure. Not only with existing applications — Wi-Fi 6 also becomes an enabler of many new applications, especially when it comes to UHD and 4K videos. According to Osama, companies like Huawei have played a key role in the development of the Wi-Fi 6 standard and protocol. Huawei delegates provided almost 25 percent of the contributions submitted to the technical group. Most of these submissions were adopted in the standard document. Huawei has been one of the early adopters of Wi-Fi 6 by releasing its prototype as early as 2014 and rolling out its AP way back in 2017. As for adoption, now is the good time to start planning for Wi-Fi 6. By looking at your digital transformation strategy and how it is going to impact IT infrastructure changes, CIOs and IT managers need to start thinking about Wi-Fi 6 upgrades for smoother migration. Many hardware manufacturers and chip vendors have already come out with chips for Wi-Fi 6 and are ensuring interoperability among them. We expect 2019 to be the year of adoption for Wi-Fi 6, as many organisations start evaluating their long term Wi-Fi strategy in the wake of new challenges from digitisation.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

28 TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

RAJ SHANKAR MANAGING DIRECTOR, REDINGTON GULF

Years in the company: 19 plus Years in the IT channel business: 19 plus Company focus in 2019: 1. Protect and optimise the core distribution business 2. Promote the B2B digital commerce platform 3. Increase the Services attach across all LOBs 4. Drive increased satisfaction for customers Key vendors: Redington works with most global technology brands across the Middle East and Africa such as Apple, Dell EMC, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Oracle to name a few. Technologies that will disrupt the channel industry: 1. Increased movement from traditional IT investments to DaaS, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, which are already challenging traditional business models 2. Adoption of connected devices both at home and at work require the channel to build understanding of emerging ecosystems and skills 3. Digital commerce will force channel partners to differentiate their services since selling products alone will no longer be profitable in a digital world Define your leadership style: Teams perform best when the company direction is clear and they are given complete ownership and the right resources to make them successful. Philosophy for success: Business continues to happen even when you are not around, and people assume higher responsibility and perform at their potential even when you are not watching.

Teams perform best when the company direction is clear and they are given complete ownership and the right resources to make them successful."

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

PARTNERS

TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

DR. ALI BAGHDADI SVP AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE META, CHIEF EXECUTIVE SOLUTIONS EMEA, INGRAM MICRO

Years in the company: Six Years in the IT channel business: 30 plus Company focus in 2019: End-to-end solutions in cybersecurity; physical security; IoT; AI and ML; cloud Key vendors: We carry in META over 70 vendors plus our own products, services and consulting Key investments made over 2018: Investments in four Centres of Excellence - cybersecurity; physical security; IoT; AI and ML; cloud

Next phase for the IT industry will be: Too many changes driven by new technologies such as 5G, faster processing powers and more. However, security and AI with real machine learning utilising advanced artificial Neural Networks will make significant changes and will require new skillsets What does innovation mean to you: Big word. What is important is how to create a culture in the company that encourages and enables innovation from all employees.

Create a culture in the company that encourages and enables innovation from all employees"

AMJAD FATHI AL-OMAR GENERAL MANAGER, SARIYA LIMITED COMPANY (DISTRIBUTION DIVISION)

Years in the company: Nine Years in the IT channel business: 20 Company focus in 2019: Add more leading vendors in IT security and physical security; increase market share in the volume distribution business in the Gulf region; focus on data centres solutions/ products Innovation means the ability to think of different ideas in different scenarios and the realization of those ideas."

Key vendors: Sophos, Unitrends, INSPUR, 2CRSI, TP-Link, BENQ, Legrand Key investments made over 2018: Huge investment in channel enablement; added leading infrastructure vendors to maintain our next-

generation portfolio; enhanced the lead generation process and provided good number of trainings to our partners Key trend to watch out for in this year: adding more channels, selling services and cross selling. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Cybersecurity, cloud solutions and big data What does innovation mean to you: Innovation means the ability to think of different ideas in different scenarios and the realization of those ideas

ARUN CHAWLA CEO, TRIGON

Years in the company: 27 Years in the IT channel business: 33 Company focus in 2019: Expansion and focus on retail and B2B business Key Vendors: Samsung, LG, Barco, Ergotron, Brother, Elo, D-Link, Netgear, ViewSonic, Creative, VSun, iBrit, PNY, Transcend, Philips, AOC, Penpower, Plustek, Mustek, AVM, Port, YUPP TV, IRIS Key Investment made over 2018: Expansion of

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B2B business sales team, opening of sales office in Oman, expansion of retail sales team, expansion of service and support centre Your biggest achievement till date: Working with a loyal team called “Trigon Family” and together making Trigon as one of the best and leading IT distribution companies in the region. What inspires you: Passion and people inspire me Next phase for the IT industry will be: Digital signage and artificial intelligence

Passion and people inspire me."

ASIM SAUD ALJAMMAZ CEO, ALJAMMAZ DISTRIBUTION

Years in the company: 20 Years in the IT channel business: 18 Company focus in 2019: Cloud and digital distribution, cybersecurity, data centres, converged and hyperconverged infrastructure, Broadband Access and solutions around it, smart home and IoT Key vendors: Cisco, Dell EMC, CommScope, APC, Rittal, Veritas, STC, Alibaba Cloud, Lenovo, Panduit, Linksys, Ring, Ruckus, Honeywell, Microsoft, Tenable, Nexthink, Cradlepoint, Pivot3, Freshwork, Infrascale, Fluke Network Key investments made over 2018: Enhancing the

cloud omni channel platform, training partners on cloud computing and how to transform solutions to cloud, enabling partners to provide cybersecurity solutions, investing in the smart home and IoT business unit Key trend to watch out for in this year: Converged and hyperconverged infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud computing Next phase for the IT industry will be: Cloud computing and services, IoT, AI What does innovation mean to you: Finding new creative ways to solve customer problems or enhance peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life

Innovation is finding new creative ways to solve customer problems or enhance people's life."

DEEPESH PILLAI MANAGING DIRECTOR, SNB MIDDLE EAST

Years in the company: Nine Years in the IT channel business: 18 Company focus in 2019: Strengthening our product portfolio, expanding across MENA region and Indian Subcontinent and improvising our customer service levels. Key vendors: Pelco by Schneider Electric, Digifort, Infortrend, Pacom, Zyxel, Quantum, Toshiba, Tripp lite, Alston, Antaira, 2CRSI, Western Digital and more Innovation is identifing new technologies and transforming them into business opportunity."

Key investments made over 2018: Key investments were made on training and empowering existing partners. Organising strategic marketing events and revamping the SNB official website (which will be launched

soon). The biggest investment and achievement for SNB was establishing stronger roots with its own headquarter. Key trend to watch out for in this year: Smart cities, smart cars, virtual reality with artificial intelligence implemented within and augmented reality are some of the latest trends to watch out in the IT industry this year. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Machine Learning and Automation along with Data Science, Video Analytics is going to be the future in Technology. What does innovation mean to you: Identifing new technologies and transforming them into business opportunity.

FERAS AL HAKIM CHANNEL MANAGER, GULF IT NETWORK DISTRIBUTION

Years in the company: Seven Years in the IT channel business: Seven Company focus in 2019: Identity and privileged access management, file integrity monitoring and database security Key vendors: Sailpoint, Beyondtrust, NNT, Imperva Key investments made over 2018: Security portfolio enrichment and sales team expansion

Key trend to watch out for in this year: The two faces of cloud security in this region as ease of access consistently increases the risk of exposure Next phase for the IT industry will be: shifting from threats prevention to protection and response What does innovation mean to you: It is never about finding new ways of protecting and managing your assets, innovation is also in the way you execute

It is never about finding new ways of protecting and managing your assets, innovation is also in the way you execute."

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

PARTNERS

TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

GARRETH SCOTT MANAGING DIRECTOR, CREDENCE SECURITY

Years in the company: Six

support our channel community across the Middle East region.

Years in the IT channel business: 17 Company focus in 2019: Continue to consult and collaborate with our partners and their customers to deliver tailor-made, best-in-class cybersecurity, forensics, and GRC solutions, to both public and private sector enterprises across Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, through our select network of specialist resellers. Key vendors: AccessData Group, Blueliv, Digital Guardian, Magnet Forensics, nCipher, Nominet, RedSeal, Rsam, Thales eSecurity Key investments made over 2018: We invested heavily in channel enablement programmes (conducted a number of WebEx sessions, hands-on trainings in Dubai and a number of global training initiatives) and also expanded our GRC resources to

Key trend to watch out for in this year: With data breaches becoming more commonplace, I expect greater accountability to be a trend in 2019. As such, the number of businesses required to provide some form of security assessment, audit report, or attestation will increase along with general cybersecurity awareness. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is at the heart of the cybersecurity industry as it attempts to keep pace with those that wish to disrupt, defraud or damage organisations. However, this is also true for our adversaries in that they are always seeking new and innovative methods for achieving their goals. So, for me, innovation is all about being agile and constantly adapting to combat new threats that emerge and ultimately keep data safe.

Innovation is at the heart of the cybersecurity industry as it attempts to keep pace with those that wish to disrupt, defraud or damage organisations."

HESHAM TANTAWI VICE PRESIDENT MEA, ASBIS MIDDLE EAST

Years in the company: 17

It’is all about leveraging available technology to make a positive difference to productivity, quality or value."

Years in the IT channel business: 32

Similarly, if I do not trust my partners then I cannot grow. If the technology brought by the partner is justifiable, that is ROI for us.

Company focus in 2019: To continue gaining from consolidation, double down efforts on solutions and building blocks of enterprises and to grow 25 percent in business

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Whenever you hear about a new technology or solution, you will see that ASBIS is already on board with that and is well ahead of the market.

Key vendors: Volume business - Intel, Logitech, Seagate, AMD Value business - Supermicro, TP-Link, Lexmark, Grandstream Networks and so on.

Next phase for the IT industry will be: Our growth is organic and has been in three areas— volume business, value business and market consolidation. Value business is undoubtedly one of the highest growth areas.

Key investments made over 2018: We have been in the distribution business for three decades and have hands-on experience. We have partners working with us right from the beginning. Everything is based on ROI. The thought that keeps me awake at night is if I lose my partner’s money then what shall I do.

What does innovation mean to you: In business terms, innovation means doing things differently, more efficiently or just plain better. It’s all about leveraging available technology to make a positive difference to productivity, quality or value.

JAGAT SHAH

CHAIRMAN AND CEO, MITSUMI DISTRIBUTION

Years in the company: 23 Years in the IT channel business: 27 Company focus in 2019: Channel development and expanding value-added business in MEA region. Increase our portfolio for distribution and services, Mitsumi will appoint headcount in the Middle East. Key vendors: Dell EMC, HP, Samsung, Canon, Toshiba, Hitachi, LG and Dell Wyse Key investments made over 2018: Mitsumi made a lot of investment within a company for hiring and training certifications of sales, pre-sales and technical staff to acquire value-added distribution in the system.

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Key trend to watch out for in this year: • Cloud Computing and Mobile Devices • The professional services market will grow rapidly • The distribution and logistics services providers are shifting from traditional processes to technology-based technologies • Mobile technologies have also changed how distributors think and plan in the supply chain Next phase for the IT industry will be: E-commerce continues to grow aggressively. Digital transformation will become necessity for business growth. Focus will be more in technology driven products. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is the most important aspect of any organisation, it always adds value, makes businesses stand out and hence the business grows profitably.

Innovation is the most important aspect of any organisation, it always adds value, makes businesses stand out and hence the business grows profitably."

JOSE THOMAS MENACHERRY MANAGING DIRECTOR, BULWARK TECHNOLOGIES

Years in the company: 18 Years in the IT channel business: 20 plus Company focus in 2019: Channel development and growth into focused territories across GCC, Middle East and Indian sub-continent region. KEY VENDORS Bulwark Distribution: Sophos, MailStore, ESET, NetSupport, 42Gears Mobility Systems, iStorage and EnGenius

Bulwark Technologies: Mimecast, Lastline, HelpSystems, ARCON, Utimaco, Accellion, Netwrix, Cyberbit, Endpoint Protector, SecurEnvoy, Acunetix, Ekran System, SendQuick Key investments made over 2019: Bulwark aims to keep its channel community up-to-date on specialised cutting-edge technology products and

solutions and simultaneously provide world-class service to its customers. It is our continuous and ongoing effort to invest on channel initiatives for channel growth and development. Key trend to watch out for in this year: Cloud-based solutions, endpoint security, APT, IoT security, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning Next phase for the IT channel industry will be: AI, blockchain, cloud, big data, mobile and Internet of Things are evolving in the market. Data security is a very important aspect. What does innovation mean to you: Adapting to the ever-changing security landscape with the latest niche technology solutions acquiring the right expertise to deliver and support channel and customers. Through such solutions, end customers and decision-makers should have good visibility and clarity.

Innovation is adapting to the ever-changing security landscape with niche technology solutions acquiring the right expertise to deliver and support channel and customers."

JUDE PEREIRA MANAGING DIRECTOR, NANJGEL SOLUTIONS

Years in the company: 12 Years in the IT channel business: 30 plus Company focus in 2019: Cybersecurity assurance in an era of digital transformation Key vendors: IBM, Forescout, Looking Glass, Trend Micro, ObserveIT, Accops, Osirium

Innovation helps to make the most complicated situation seem simple and easy to manage, with a smooth transition."

Key investments made over 2018: Ensuring we have the best of breed of vendors with the right technologies to meet customer requirements. Built in-house cybersecurity defense centre to be able to demonstrate our expertise and experience in the domain of building on-premise cybersecurity operation centers powered with built-in AI and cyber automation. Trained our employees with the highest levels of skills and

certifications, which raises the bar par excellence and finally invested in the most successful awardwinning team, which has an project delivery/ completion rate of 99.999% Key trend to watch out for in this year: The big data explosion and the challenge to gain its visibility, control and management. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Transformation in the systems and processes being followed today in terms of moving away from a product centric approach towards a move matured managed service/ professional service delivery approach What does innovation mean to you: It helps to make the most complicated situation seem simple and easy to manage, with a smooth transition.

KS PARAG MANAGING DIRECTOR, FVC

Years in the company: 18 Years in the IT business: 28 Company focus in 2019: Our focus is primarily on strategically expanding FVC’s channel breadth and vendor portfolio and to continue being the Digital Transformation partner of choice. With our ‘Strength in Synergy’ approach, our efforts this year is to drive FVC’s growth via increased partner engagement and by providing end-to-end solutions that deliver optimum, cost-efficient performance for customers. Key investments made over 2018: FVC has invested on building relationships with vendors and partners to add value to the customer’s infrastructure across the unified communication and collaboration and security domain.

Next phase for the IT industry will be: Artificial Intelligence, cloud and digital transformation will drive the IT industry and business investments in 2019. In addition, we are also looking at collaboration being the next big investment that companies will make. ‘Smart Meeting Rooms’, and ‘Huddle Spaces’ are becoming the new trend in conferencing. Security will continue to be at the heart of all IT investments. Your biggest achievement till date: Building a strong FVC team dedicated to understanding the channel business, channel community and customers is my proudest career achievement. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation should lead people to be more productive with limited resources – this, in my opinion, is true innovation.

Innovation should lead people to be more productive with limited resources."

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

PARTNERS

TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

MARIO M VELJOVIC GENERAL MANAGER, VAD TECHNOLOGIES

Years in the company: Two plus Years in the IT channel business: 24 Company focus in 2019: Launching VAD’s cloud marketplace and further expanding our disruptive product and solutions portfolio across our key technologies, such as high-performance data centre, physical security, infrastructure monitoring and cybersecurity. Key vendors: Fujitsu and its alliance Partners, Pure Storage, Exagrid, Cirrus Data, DataDynamics, SEP, PRTG-Paessler, OneSpan, Systancia, TeamViewer, Aventura, AssmannDigitus, Mobotix, Cathexis, Fibrenetix, Overland, ZyXel, IP-COM, InfraScale, Alibaba Cloud, FreshWorks, Boole Server, Awingo and many more.

Key investments made over 2018: ‘Cloudification’ of the entire product and solutions offering, as well as establishing the first legal entity outside the UAE to better service the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Key trend to watch out for in this year: Cloud solutions will gain a massive momentum, as well as Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things driven projects. Next phase for the IT industry will be: IT will be a key contributor and success factor for any emerging and reinvented business model – every project is an it project.

For every problem there is a solution – we just need to be open to new ideas, apply creative thoughts and allow new imaginations."

What does innovation mean to you: For every problem there is a solution – we just need to be open to new ideas, apply creative thoughts and allow new imaginations.

NIDAL OTHMAN

CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, STARLINK

Years in the company: 15 plus Years in the IT channel business: 20 plus Company focus in 2019: We will further strengthen our commitment with newer initiatives that focusses on empowering our vendors, partners and customers. Additionally, there are plans to strengthen our data centre domain by onboarding strategic technology alliances as well as explore lucrative business ventures in the commercial space. Geographic expansion in EMEA is in the pipeline France, Lebanon and Kenya. Key vendors: 40 plus vendors and expanding Innovation is turning an idea into an agile solution that can add value."

Key investments made over 2018: • Launched ‘StarLink Marketplace’ an e-commerce destination in the cloud that provides partners flexibility with payments, scalability, end-to-end visibility and instant

•

order processing features. Expanded into the Indian Sub-continent and French-speaking African regions - Pakistan and Morocco.

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Some of the trends to watch out for would be the use of Artificial Intelligence by companies to gain a competitive edge and blockchain technology to keep data secure. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Integrating innovation into the business transformation process and becoming leaders. We need to find the right balance between providing the best technologies and satisfactory user experiences. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is turning an idea into an agile solution that can add value. StarLink, has strived at bringing new ideas to accelerate businesses and create a resilient IT infrastructure.

SAMI ABI ESBER

PRESIDENT, MIDIS SYSTEM INTEGRATION GROUP AND BOARD MEMBER MIDIS GROUP

Years in the company: 30 plus Years in the IT channel business: 30 plus Company focus in 2019: Managed Services, IoT, AI, blockchain, multi-cloud, security, big data and digital technologies Key vendors: Dell EMC, HPE, HPI, Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, Lenovo, Oracle, Vertiv Key investments made over 2018: Deployment of large transformational projects for government, education, healthcare, utilities, oil and gas, hospitality, SOC and new Call Center Key trend to watch out for in this year: We are focused on growing not just our technology and services portfolio, but also increasing our

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

market share and expanding our business within the Middle East. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Technocentric workforce, demand for tech talent, IoT and AI bringing new possibilities in ambient computing, distributed tech models challenging existing structures What does innovation mean to you: We are living in an era of unparalleled innovation. As new and emerging technologies continue to redefine IT and business, the pace of change and technological advancement is accelerating. Today, we are looking at a smarter, intelligent future, driven by technologies such as cloud, artificial intelligence, blockchain, Internet of Things, and more.

As new and emerging technologies continue to redefine IT and business, the pace of change and technological advancement is accelerating.”

SHAILENDRA RUGHWANI MANAGING DIRECTOR, EXPERTS COMPUTER

Years in the company: 25 Years in the IT channel business: 29 Company focus in 2019: Increase in bottom line and consolidation. Expansion of services and related activities Key vendors: HP, Sony, Ricoh, ViewSonic Key investments made over 2018: Expanded the product range in the group company Nirsun Technology by adding HVAC Division and signing up with DAIKIN Japan

Key trend to watch out for in this year: New Intel CPU with built-in WiFi 6 and Thunderbolt 3 support. On the technology front, we will see the upsurge of online and web content and slow death of cable TV Next phase for the IT industry will be: The IT Industry is growing at very fast pace than the past years. AI will pick up and become part of all the devices What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is something that is associated not only with developing new technology, but it can be in small things, which can make life simpler and easier.

Innovation is something that is associated not only with developing new technology, but it can be in small things, which can make life simpler and easier."

STEPHAN BERNER CEO AND FOUNDER, HELP AG

Years in the company: 15 Years in the IT channel business: 24 Company focus in 2019: Managed Security Services is the fastest growing service segment of our business and will continue to be a key focus area in 2019. From a technology perspective, the focus is going to be on Secure Cloud Enablement, Smart SOC, AI, Machine Learning, IoT and ICS/SCADA. Innovation is creating entirely new possibilities by anticipating rather than reacting to customer needs and market trends."

Key vendors: Palo Alto Networks, Symantec, Splunk, F5 Networks, Infoblox, Cisco, Fortinet, Tenable, and OPSWAT. Key investments made over 2018: Expanded to our new headquarters, a spacious 10,000 sq. ft office in the Galleries, Jebel Ali Downtown, with a state-of-theart new CSOC (Cyber Security Operations Centre).

Key trend to watch out for in this year: From a cybersecurity perspective, we will no doubt see the cloud, AI and Machine Learning, Zero-Trust, Data Analytics, OT, and IoTx being the areas that both organisations as well as attackers focus on. Next phase for the IT industry will be: We will increasingly witness the integration between cybersecurity and data analytics, following the good old concept of visibility that you can’t protect what you can’t see. It’s also important to understand that data is the new oil, and in order to offer added value to our clients, we need to be able to provide an endto-end data investigation platform. What does innovation mean to you: Creating entirely new possibilities by anticipating rather than reacting to customer needs and market trends.

STEVE LOCKIE

GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR, WESTCON-COMSTOR

Years in the company: 11 Years in the IT channel business: 28 Company focus in 2019: Further geographic expansion building on the existing UAE, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain operations. Delivering customer excellence and improved experience through more intimate relationships and leveraging our Digital Distribution IT assets and systems. Key vendors: Avaya, Beyond Trust, Carbon Black, Certes Networks, Ciena, Cisco, Datalogic, Extreme Networks, F5 Networks, Forescout, Infovista, Jabra, Mitel, NetScout Arbor, Nokia, Oracle, Panduit, Palo Alto Networks, Pelco, Poly, Pulse Secure, Ribbon Communications, Ruckus, SonicWall, Smart, Symantec, Trend Micro, Zebra

Key investments made over 2018: In country staff throughout the region, significant investment in Services sales and delivery, upgrades to Digital Distribution platform including PartnerView and RenewView annuity system. Key trend to watch out for in this year: Emergence of SD-WAN and early signs of UCaaS in the region as a credible alternative to on-premise UC Next phase for the IT industry will be: Traversing consumption models and delivering end use success through channel lead solutions What does innovation mean to you: Challenging the norm, not accepting conventional thinking, understanding consequences rather than just outcomes, leading the charge

Challenging the norm, not accepting conventional thinking, understanding consequences rather than just outcomes, leading the charge - this is innovation."

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

VENDORS

38 TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

ANAND CHAKRAVARTHI AREA VICE PRESIDENT MEA AND APAC, PIVOT3

Years in the company: Eight Years in the IT channel business: 20 plus Company focus in 2019: IoT and hybrid cloud Key investments made over 2018: We grew our presences in Dubai by over 100 percent, investing in people, channel and marketing

Key trend to watch out for in this year: IoT, Hybrid Cloud and AI will be the key trends to watch as they gain momentum and wider acceptance. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation means solving a customer’s problem, technology is an enabler and innovative technology just makes conducting and operating a business more efficient. Innovation means solving a customer’s problem, technology is an enabler and innovative technology just makes conducting and operating a business more efficient.”

BASSAM ALMASRI DIRECTOR OF CHANNEL, METI, NUTANIX

Years in the company: Three Years in the IT channel business: 14 Company focus in 2019: to keep investing and lead the market through innovation and growth Innovation is the ability to see new potential opportunities from an existing challenge."

Key investments made over 2018: coverage on big bids

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence Next phase for the IT industry will be: The transition to multi-cloud What does innovation mean to you: The ability to see new potential opportunities from an existing challenge

BRUNO MANCUSO

SENIOR CHANNEL LEADER MEA, LENOVO DATA CENTER GROUP

Years in the company: Two Years in the IT channel business: 20 plus Company focus in 2019: Data center solutions, intelligent transformation, channel landscape and ecosystem redesign to embrace the new digital challenges Key investments made over 2018: Doubled the channel team in the META region, invested in skill development and coverage, focused on selection of partners, integrated solutions, worked towards being the preferred and most trusted data center vendor in front of every customer Key trend to watch out for in this year: Hybrid cloud, blockchain, solution integration,

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simplification, IoT product integrations, edge computer solutions, big data and security Next phase for the IT industry will be: Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the enormous potential impact on human lives. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation means a new digital revolution that will establish an open ecosystem that enables us to bridge digital gaps and empower local communities. This is an industry-wide concern that can only be solved by vendors and partners collaborating to provide a series of open standards. By building alliances, partnering with other providers and working together, they can ensure end users are able to start using technology to its fullest.

Innovation means a new digital revolution that will establish an open ecosystem that enables us to bridge digital gaps and empower local communities."

FADI MOUBARAK VICE PRESIDENT, CHANNELS, AVAYA INTERNATIONAL

Years in the company: Five Years in the IT channel business: 15 Company focus in 2019: We are focusing our efforts on three key areas - a bigger emphasis on cloud; enabling the delivery of complete solutions that build on our market-leading, API-driven ecosystem; and delivering new technologies and innovations that offer answers to genuine business challenges. Key investments made over 2018: We had introduced the Avaya Edge partner programme, which provided better incentives, improved access to our cloud portfolio, greater flexibility to grow and respond to emerging market needs, and bigger investments in channel training.

Next phase for the IT industry will be: It is no longer possible for any single vendor to deliver every milestone on the digital transformation roadmap. A strong commitment to the API economy and open ecosystems will become increasingly important when it comes to enabling end customers and allowing the channel to take the lead on innovation. What does innovation mean to you: As a customercentric organisation, we believe it is our customers who drive innovation, which is why we have adopted an ‘outside-in’ approach that empowers them to play an active role in shaping the intelligent experiences of tomorrow. Good things can and do come from the R&D departments of large, multi-national technology companies, but true innovation is born out of applying global expertise to specific, and local, business challenges.

True innovation is born out of applying global expertise to specific, and local, business challenges."

FERAS MASOUD

REGIONAL CHANNEL MANAGER, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, INFOBLOX

Years in the company: Almost one Years in the IT channel business: 20 plus Company focus in 2019: Investing in channel partners by providing dedicated channel resources, sales and technical trainings and joint marketing activities that will positively impact Infoblox business across the region Innovation is an ethos of adapting and evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of the market."

Key investments made over 2018: Infoblox invested in its BuildingBlox partner programme through the launch of its partner portal, designed through partner input and feedback, which has been hailed “simple, easy and useful.”

Key trend to watch out for in this year: There are a few hot tech trends including securing customer data wherever it resides, managing and analysing huge amounts of data, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, moving from on-premise to the cloud or hybrid cloud mode. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Moving from hardware sales to Software as a Service (SaaS) and subscription revenue model. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is an ethos of adapting and evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of the market.

GEOFF GREENLAW

SENIOR DIRECTOR, HEAD OF CHANNELS, EMERGING MARKETS, EMEA, VERITAS

Years in the company: 15 Years in the IT channel business: 25 Company focus in 2019: Enabling our customers to protect their most important asset – their information. Key investments made over 2018: New highly profitable partner programme, channel team expansion, highly relevant products to protect customers information, cloud and alliance partnerships Key trend to watch out for in this year: Acceleration of cloud adoption (particularly with Azure and AWS data centres opening up in the Middle East). In addition, we will start to see an acceleration of ‘as-a-service’ offerings and outsourced managed services, such as back-

up-as-a-service, as more and more companies move from traditional CAPEX to OPEX models. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Far more confidence in cloud. We will start to see far more applications and workloads migrate to the cloud, while providing companies with highly flexible billing and subscription models for that cloud consumption. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation within Information Technology should enable customers to open up their mindset as to how a particular job or function should be carried out, moving the boundaries of what people thought were possible or not. In essence, innovation should empower companies to make far more informed business decisions with the information they have available to them.

Innovation within Information Technology should enable customers to open up their mindset as to how a particular job or function should be carried out."

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

VENDORS

40 TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

HARISH CHIB

VICE PRESIDENT, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, SOPHOS

Years in the company: 15

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Deep Learning enabled security solutions will be the trend in IT security. More and more organisations from the region will go for a layered approach to security, one where products connect and share information. It’s time to embrace this new approach. It’s time for synchronised security.

Years in the IT channel business: 15 Company focus in 2019: To be the best in the world at delivering innovative, simple and highly-effective cybersecurity solutions to IT professionals and the channel that serves them. Key investments made over 2018: We are continually investing into the channel programme and have increased our channel marketing spend annually, with a substantial portion of our entire MEA marketing spend going directly to the channel. We have increased the overall internal channel headcount annually, on top of this, we have channel dedicated marketing support and sales engineers.

Next phase for the IT industry will be: Deeper adaptation of AI and machine learning What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is often confused with invention. It is not necessary that you always invent something. Innovation also applies to the new and creative ways of achieving results. For our channel partners, it could be managing their customer’s IT security in a simple way.

Innovation is often confused with invention. It is not necessary that you always invent something."

HESHAM EL KOMY

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND INDIA, EPICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION

Years in the company: Three and half Years in the IT channel business: 18 plus Company focus in 2019: The focus is really to focus. Given the economic climate across the GCC, the approach we will be talking is to really focus on the industries in which we excel and have a strong competitive advantage. Innovation is about new technologies that are developed, while thinking out of the box, all in an effort to help businesses grow."

Key investments made over 2018: Throughout 2018, large investments were made in the human capital of our partners. There was continuous training and enablement on latest trends and positioning, and we are already seeing the results of these efforts. Key trend to watch out for in this year: Organisations will be looking for efficiencies in

everything they do, and many organisations are having to look outside of their historical line of business to survive. With the pace of innovation in technology and the change in buyer behaviour, everybody is having to adapt – I think we will see a lot of that this year. Next phase for the IT industry will be: In one word - automation. The majority of the field is now looking at enabling customers to realise efficiencies across their operations, via increased use of automation. What does innovation mean to you: For me personally, it is about new technologies that are developed, while thinking out of the box, all in an effort to help businesses grow.

JOANNE LIU

APEC SENIOR SALES MANAGER, INNODISK

Years in the company: 10 Years in the IT channel business: 12 Company focus in 2019: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) Key investments made over 2018: Innodisk has opened their Research, Development and Production Centre in Yi-Lan. This new facility supports a maximum output capacity of 1200K per month. Key trend to watch out for in this year: AI – it refers to the broader concept of how computer systems complete tasks by recognising and learning from patterns in data as well as improving without human input. Many

technical trends are increasingly integrated with AI development such as its influence on edge computing, machine learning, big data, experience economy, and so on. The next phase for the IT industry will be: Open AI and IoT ecosystems. The amount of data available in the future will be endless and with the first 5G devices entering the market this year, IoT platforms will make the technical ecosystem available to every stakeholder and enable a complete open ecosystem infrastructure. What does innovation mean to you: It can be summed up in four key concepts: keep improving; listen and respond; can, not can’t; and stay nimble

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

Innovation can be summed up in four key concepts: keep improving; listen and respond; can, not can't; and stay nimble."

JOHN ANDREWS VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL CHANNEL SALES, CENTRIFY

Years in the company: Two Years in the IT channel business: 20 plus Company focus in 2019: Centrify will continue to focus on redefining the legacy approach to Privileged Access Management with cloud-architected Zero Trust Privilege. Our channel strategy this year is focused on partners who can deliver our Zero Trust approach to stopping the leading cause of breaches – privileged access abuse. Key investments made over 2018: We invested heavily in our strategic and national partners, who have a Zero Trust approach. We focused more on partner-sponsored events and rolled out Zero Trust Privilege hands-on training, which dramatically increased the number of deal registrations we had in the second half of year.

Key trend to watch out for in this year: With the combination of vendor consolidation and outsourcing, many customers are looking to put their infrastructure – and now security – in the cloud. It presents an opportunity to reduce costs, complexity and makes for a very strong OPEX versus CAPEX conversation. Next phase for the IT industry will be: AI and ML will take on a much bigger role in IT, particularly as the amount of identities that need to be serviced increases. Those identities will less-frequently be human beings, and more often be connected machines, containers, microservices, and applications. What does innovation mean to you: To me, innovation means either doing something that has completely never been done before, or completely changing something that already exists to meet the evolving demands of business or society.

Innovation means either doing something that has completely never been done before or completely changing something that already exists."

MATHIAS MILITZER REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, MEITA, OKI EUROPE

Years in the company: Three Years in the IT channel business: 25 plus Company focus in 2019: Focus on industrial vertical printing in different segments across the region. Innovation is the ability of delivering a need-meeting and problem-solving concept, by creating something new or by redefining an existing idea into a solution."

Key investments made over 2018: Leading OKI to more successive collaborations across META region, increasing OKI’s market share, and providing the region with printing solutions of highest performance and best quality.

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Now that Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality are to be used more across various fields, it will be interesting to see how they will impact businesses and future strategies. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is the ability of delivering a need-meeting and problem-solving concept, by creating something new or by redefining an existing idea into a solution.

MAYA ZAKHOUR

PARTNERS AND PATHWAYS LEAD, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, NETAPP

Years in the company: Two plus Years in the IT channel business: 18 plus Company focus in 2019: NetApp will continue to integrate innovation into our portfolio, cater to business needs, and create successful partnerships as we strive to actively participate in building new smart city ecosystems. Our solutions will be critical to delivering this commitment. Key investments made over 2018: We introduced our Unified Partner Programme in alignment with our NetApp Data Fabric strategy, in addition to new channel incentives; the Hybrid Cloud Integrator Specialization; the NetApp Accredited Technical Sales Professional online course; and a host of new data services and solutions. Key trend to watch out for in this year: The Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial

intelligence, machine learning, 3D printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, and edge computing, among others, will continue to impact businesses this year. Next phase for the IT industry will be: The implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation has definitely influenced the IT industry ecosystem. NetApp, which is one of the few global companies that have EU-approved Binding Corporate Rules, has partnered with the world’s top governance, risk, and compliance consultancies and e-discovery vendors as part of the company’s compliance efforts. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is key to addressing and creating new markets and demand. Focusing on innovation helps develop and strengthen sales through channel and, more importantly, it is critical to digital transformation efforts.

Innovation is key to addressing and creating new markets and demand."

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

42 TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS

MENA MIGALLY

VENDORS

REGIONAL DIRECTOR, CHANNEL, TERRITORY AND TELCO FOR MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY AND NORTH AFRICA, RIVERBED

Years in the company: Five Years in the IT channel business: One Key investments made over 2018: With the introduction of Riverbed Rise in 2018, we were able to contribute to the profitability of our loyal channel as well as providing them the ability to re-invest in themselves, whether by developing talent or developing business. Also, in 2018, Riverbed METNA increased channel intimacy by extending the function and focus of our territory team to include key channel activities and responsibilities, in addition to allocating a senior technology consultant to enhance the technical capabilities of our distributors and focus channel partners. Key channel trend to watch out for in this year: The evolution of channel business models, as today there

are multiple ways of selling, be it software licensing, resale, managed services, or recurring revenuebased cloud services. It is important for vendors to recognise this and adapt their channel programmes to be flexible in supporting the partners’ business whether they are delivering solutions in a resale model or as-a-service. This is what we have achieved with Riverbed Rise. Next phase for the IT industry will be: Artificial Intelligence and business automation – technology today needs not only to understand and make sense of the data that is being gathered, but also to take action on this data based on trends and analysis. What does innovation mean to you: Making human life better and easier in an increasingly fast-paced world.

Innovation is making human life better and easier in an increasingly fast-paced world."

OSAMA ALHAJ-ISSA CHANNEL DIRECTOR, ME, TURKEY AND AFRICA, HPE ARUBA

Years in the company: Eight Years in the IT channel business: 25 Company focus in 2019: Campus Switching, cloud, security and Intelligent Edge Innovation means constantly coming up with products and solutions keeping the customer in mind so as to help them save costs, improve operations and maximise profits."

Key investments made over 2018: SD Branch and cloud to edge security and mobility

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Cloud and IoT security Next phase for the IT industry will be: Machine learning, IoT, AI What does innovation mean to you: Aruba’s moto is ‘customer first customer last’. Innovation in this context means constantly coming up with products and solutions keeping the customer in mind so as to help them save costs, improve operations and maximise profits.

SAKKEER HUSSAIN DIRECTOR, SALES AND MARKETING, D-LINK MEA

Years in the company: 11 Years in the IT channel business: 20 Company focus in 2019: We will continue to consolidate our channel partner base, ensuring that they are properly trained and enabled to take advantage of the opportunities that will open up during the course of 2019 and beyond. Key investments made over 2018: In a year that saw the regional channel in the Middle East and North Africa come under so much pressure, D-Link Middle East and Africa showed positive growth. Most channel partners (resellers and distributors) in the region were impacted by the business uncertainty, geopolitical situation and the low crude oil prices. As a result, most posted flat growth or drop in revenues. Growing our top and bottom line in a year that was full of uncertainties has to go down as one of D-Link’s biggest accomplishments in 2018.

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Key trend to watch out for in this year: The whole push towards software-defined everything, analytics and data science are all key trends that channel partners should watch out for this year and beyond. I am a firm believer that instead of resellers focusing more on trading IT products based on hardware margins alone, they need to develop in-country business and enhance their solutions capabilities through value-base selling. Next phase for the IT industry will be: The next phase for the IT industry is exciting. AI, robotic process automation, big data, analytics, cloud present great opportunities for partners. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation to me means having the guts and belief to challenge conventional wisdom or the status quo. I hope channel partners in the region can adopt the same spirit of innovative thinking.

Innovation means having the guts and belief to challenge conventional wisdom or the status quo."

SAMER MALAK

HEAD OF CHANNEL, MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY AND AFRICA, KASPERSKY LAB

Years in the company: 6 months

tech dominated market.

Years in the IT channel business: 19

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Artificial intelligence and autonomous devices are bringing new security challenges that need to be encountered in new and innovative methods. Of course, the human error will always be a major topic when it comes to security, whether it is falling to social engineering schemes or phishing attacks. That is why we will see more and more focus on awareness and best practices in 2019, in addition to incident and crisis management.

Company focus in 2019: We will focus on strengthening Kaspersky Lab’s leadership in the region by strategically promoting the company’s vision of spreading cybersecurity awareness on a national level. We will also be working on strengthening our channel go-to-market strategy, taking our relationships with our channel to the next level. Next phase for the IT industry will be: We are now witnessing the fourth industrial revolution opening up at an unprecedented rate in the Gulf region. Recent reports reveal that over 40 percent of Gulf fi rms are admitting to cyber breaches – companies need to invest in cybersecurity to safeguard their data to ensure their survival in an ever-increasing

What does innovation mean to you: Innovation does not mean coming up with the next big idea. To me, it means looking at a problem with a new perspective. Innovation is staying ahead of the game, allowing you to add constant value to your customers and partners.

Innovation is staying ahead of the game, allowing you to add constant value to your customers and partners."

SÉBASTIEN PAVIE

REGIONAL DIRECTOR META, ENTERPRISE AND CYBERSECURITY, GEMALTO

Years in the company: Four Years in the IT channel business: 19 Company focus in 2019: Transforming from a traditional on-premises cybersecurity solutions provider to a highly relevant cloud security service provider, also supporting hybrid on-prem and cloud scenarios. 2019 will see the rise of a new role for the channel – the Cloud Migration Security Specialist. Innovation is not just having a great idea but being able to bring it to life by hiring the right talent."

Key investments made over 2018: Further invested in broadening our online professional certification training offering to bolster our partner programme

Key trend to watch out for in this year: Digital transformation is the hot talking point of the moment and it goes hand in hand with data protection. Next phase for the IT industry will be: 2019 will see a new breed of sophisticated AIpowered malware where hackers will infect an organisation’s system and sit undetected gathering information. What does innovation mean to you: It’s not just having a great idea but being able to bring it to life by hiring the right talent. Also being able to anticipate what your customer needs before they even realise the requirement for it.

ZACKY VAZ

SENIOR REGIONAL CHANNEL AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER, FORTINET

Years in the company: Four plus Years in the IT channel business: 20 plus Company focus in 2019: We are emphasising on the Fortinet Security Fabric this year. Our focus is on the FortiGate secure SD-Wan in addition to solutions that address the need for securing 5G networks and OT environments. Key investments made over 2018: Fortinet’s mission is to help our partners and customers address evolving and sophisticated threats and secure their entire attack surface by leveraging cutting edge insights, tools, and services. To this extent, Fortinet has made significant investments in expanding its portfolio that will benefit the channel and our customers. We have also invested in our channel by increasing the number of training and certification workshops to help address the current

skills gap. We have also increased the level of support we offer to our partners. Next phase for the IT industry will be: From a network security vendor perspective, I believe the emphasis will be on cloud security and securing cloud environments. In addition, digital transformation will continue to drive investments in security solutions, as will the adoption of 5G by telcos in the region. Your biggest achievement till date: Building a strong distribution relationship, driving the distribution and channel business. What does innovation mean to you: Innovation is about being creative and original in your work and thinking, technically it means introducing a new idea, or to take an existing idea and make it vwork better.

Innovation is about being creative and original in your work and thinking."

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

44 VENDOR FOCUS

Comprehensive security Trusted Access by Security Code’s CEO Andrei Golov (AG) and regional managing director Anis Khasun (AK), give insights into its unique offering and share regional plans.

igital transformation technologies are redefining the ways we work and live. To successfully deploy these technologies, organisations have to first knit security into its operational architecture to safeguard its networks and data. Understanding that only by achieving a 360-degree view of their systems and data, can customers be completely protected, Trusted Access by Security Code, is committed to designing security solutions to safeguard complex IT infrastructures. Regional customers can now access these solutions as Trusted Access has recently opened its regional office in Dubai, UAE. In a detailed conversation with TahawulTech.com, Trusted Access by Security Code’s CEO Andrei Golov and regional managing director Anis Khasun, reveal how regional firms can achieve holistic security. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET OFFERS TRUSTED ACCESS BY SECURITY CODE? AG: The Middle East region serves as a hub to many local as well as global enterprises. Similar to other countries, there are political and economic threats that exist here. We have interesting solutions that can be effective alternatives to traditional solutions in this regard. We are unique because we don’t just cover end points, networks and cloud but the infrastructure as a whole and offer a holistic approach

them or their government then their data could be highly vulnerable. With our solutions, the security element is rooted in organisations’ operating systems from day one. They can proceed with daily business without worrying about security. They can be absolutely sure of the security we provide because it is entrenched in their systems.

WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING TO RECRUIT VALUE-ADDED DISTRIBUTORS AND PARTNERS WITHIN THE REGION TO CREATE OUR CHANNEL ECOSYSTEM IN THE REGION.” ANIS KHASUN, TRUSTED ACCESS BY SECURITY CODE

to protect the IT infrastructure. Our solutions maintain system integrity by being embedded beneath the operating system. The key idea is to preserve sensitive data security while accepting the fact that underlying infrastructure might be vulnerable. AK: We believe that if customers are relying on using external security solutions that are not created by

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WHAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE FOR THE REGION? AK: Our aim is to protect customers’ data residing in a vulnerable environment. We are not here just to protect customers’ hardware. We guarantee that in the worstcase scenario, if their systems are compromised, they will still have their most valuable asset, which is data. It will not be stolen or deleted, and no one else can have access to it, except the authorised person. IF YOUR SOLUTION IS EMBEDDED IN A DEVICE OR NETWORK, A HACKER COULDN’T PENETRATE THE SYSTEM? AG: Yes, there will not be any ‘point’ to hack. We take the security and data away from the computer because it belongs to you as a customer, not to the producer of IT or to Microsoft or Google. You are the owner of your data. IS THIS DATA STORED IN YOUR SOFTWARE SOLUTION? AG: No, the data continues to exist in the computer. AK: But the encryption, access

and control authentications are all regulated by you – not the producer of IT.

the last two decades. This is why we are so sure of our success. AK: Another important aspect that regional customers must note is that, if they say a particular set of data is classified, then we immediately close the IT infrastructure around it. We never touch or analyse it. We don’t have a pubic cloud for this. We are not interested in the data, we are laser-focused on protecting your data and ensuring no one has access to it.

AG: This is why we have come up with a trusted environment module that sits below the operating system. So, if a hacker tries to compromise your operating system, he cannot do so because he will not be able to turn off our defence mechanism, which is situated below. AK: If somebody tries to intercept your data or attempts to get unauthorised or hidden access through your data, we will trace it immediately. We can see Windows, however the Windows operating system will not see our solutions as it is situated below it. AG: We are like a shadow. This is why it could be interesting for regional customers because we offer an alternative view to traditional security. AK: Our focus is to safeguard customers’ own data on a hardware that does not belong to them and therefore, they cannot be sure about how it is protected or if it has any back doors. WHAT KIND OF INTEREST HAVE YOU OBSERVED FROM THE REGION FOR YOUR OFFERINGS? AK: The regional market is quite open for new solutions, especially since like any other geographies, it is susceptible to sophisticated threats or attacks. Customers can invest heavily on a protection mechanism from other providers, but at the end of the day, if it is not serving the purpose, then the money spent is in vain. Instead, our offering promises a new approach that makes them independent from third party security limitations. We like to call our approach as having ‘digital independence’.

WE ARE UNIQUE BECAUSE WE DON’T JUST COVER END POINTS, NETWORKS AND CLOUD BUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE AS A WHOLE. OUR SECURITY SOLUTIONS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE IT OF AN ENTERPRISE.” ANDREI GOLOV, TRUSTED ACCESS BY SECURITY CODE

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON YOUR MARKET APPROACH? AK: The market strategy will be based on partnerships with channel partners in different countries. However, we are ready to work together with our channel partners to customise our solutions based on the specific challenges that they face in their markets. We are currently looking to recruit value-added distributors and partners within the region to create our channel ecosystem in the region.

government entities, enterprises, banks and financial institutions, telecoms, oil and gas and the like for

AG: We are also willing to white label our solutions to further enable our partners. We will also hold regular training programmes and teach them about our offerings, as it is not your regular run-of-the-mill solutions.

AG: Security Code is the parent company of Trusted Access. We might be new to the region, however, our legacy from Security Code includes protecting critical resources within www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

46 VENDOR FOCUS

Engine room

ManageEngine’s president Raj Sabhlok and regional director for sales Nirmal Manoharan, explain the importance of channel partners developing their skills to leverage market opportunities.

he advent of the fourth industrial revolution and related technology advancements are leading regional organisations to ramp up their network infrastructure and deploy solutions that aim to enhance their operational efficiency. This results in increased demand for IT monitoring and management solutions, a space in which US-headquartered Zoho Corporation’s enterprise IT management software division ManageEngine pioneers in, having foreseen the opportunities around two decades ago. At its recently held User Conference in Dubai, TahawulTech.com caught up with the firm’s president Raj Sabhlok and regional director Nirmal Manoharan. Sabhlok said, “Our business and profitability are growing. For every technology that is deployed, organisations will need to monitor, manage and optimise it. This is where our expertise lies.” Boasting close to 7,500 employees today, Zoho Corporation is well on pace to add another 1000 personnel to its operations during this year. Sabhlok is confident about the future growth of the firm’s business. He believes with Expo 2020 around the corner, all related initiatives translate into technology, further fueling the

IN ORDER TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS, PARTNERS HAVE TO SCALE UP THEIR SKILLS AND BECOME MORE PROFICIENT IN ADDRESSING THINGS LIKE CYBERSECURITY, WHICH IS A HUGE GROWTH AREA.” RAJ SABHLOK, MANAGEENGINE

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company’s as well as its partners’ business potentials. “If initiatives such as Expo 2020 continue, and the global economy remains stable, there will be more investment in technology, which in turn will help our business. ManageEngine grew at 35 percent last year, which is more than the previous year.” According to the Sabhlok, this growth signifies the volume of consumption of technology. There are quite a few drivers for the firm’s success. “There are a lot of intersections with new technologies that are driving our business. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming relevant and it is prevalent in every one of our major product lines. Organisations beginning to retool with modern IT management solutions will further accelerate our business. “Although cloud is not as quickly adopted in the region as compared to globally, it is also starting to take off. Cloud management is an additional requirement for businesses as they have legacy systems that need to be managed. This is another driver that is going to propel our business in 2019.” Manoharan said, “We have excellent technology partner relations in the UAE. I believe the opportunities continue to be massive in the region.

The geographical area is expansive, and we are continuing to look out for new partners. However, we are clear that we will only choose partners that match specific objectives and geographies.” According to Sabhlok, partners are increasingly realising that customers’ requirements are becoming more holistic rather than focused on a single aspect of their technology deployments. He said, “In order to provide comprehensive solutions, partners have to scale up their skills and become more proficient in addressing things like cybersecurity, which is a huge growth area.” “This is why we keep focusing on partner training and certifications,” added Manoharan. “We conduct periodic trainings, both on-premise and virtual or gather together for a user conference session. “We make sure a new product update is communicated to our partners and ensure they have adequate knowledge on it. A certification by us in a technology or solution further cements customers’ confidence in our partners. We believe these are important aspects which will help partners to excel.” Customers too are interested in these certifications by the firm.

WE ARE INCLINED TOWARDS PARTNERS WHO HAVE DESIGNED THEIR BUSINESS TO SOLVE CUSTOMERS’ OVERALL CHALLENGES RATHER THAN ADDRESSING ONLY ONE PART OF IT.” NIRMAL MANOHARAN, MANAGEENGINE

Sabhlok added, “At our end user conferences, we see a lot of customers staying back for the certification sessions. It’s important for them to go back to their businesses and display the acquired skillset and be recognised for the training that they have undertaken. It even helps their career overall to have ManageEngine certifications.” Over the course of this year, one of the priorities for the firm is to conduct trainings through seminars and workshops for customers and partners alike in each product domains. Besides emphasising on training, we will see the firm scouting for partners with an appetite to solve customers’ problems. “We are on the look out for value-added resellers. Those who possess skills in various domains within ITSM will be a great match for ManageEngine. We are inclined towards partners who have designed their business to solve customers’ overall challenges rather than addressing only one part of it,” Manoharan said. “We want partners to expand their skills. This would make them more effective in representing our products as well as in providing overall IT management solutions for our customers,” Sabhlok added.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

48 VENDOR FOCUS

Connecting the future

Husni Hammoud, general manager, Cradlepoint, outlines the existing challenges for IoT adoption in the region and how the firm is spearheading this space. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON TWO OF THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS AT CRADLEPOINT OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS? The last six months have been significant at Cradlepoint. The launch of new products that support carrier aggregation and wide range of spectrum to cover all the regional telcos have been successful for the region, which boasts a high concentration of different carriers. The new routers now have up to 600mbps download speed capabilities. This is in line with Cradlepoint’s commitment to provide pervasive connectivity and network agility. Another big announcement was the partnership with AT&T and Verizon as Cradlepoint launched 5G evolution routers, namely the Gigabit class LTE mobility routers IBR900-1200M and IBR1700-1200M for first responders and the all-in -one Gigabit class LTE edge router AER2200-1200M for branch networks. The Pathway to 5G has begun to evolve and Cradlepoint is leading the way for businesses to be prepared to catch the 5G wave. DO REGIONAL ENTERPRISES HAVE THE REQUIRED RESOURCES AND SKILLSETS TO EFFECTIVELY DEPLOY AND SUSTAIN IOT SOLUTIONS ON THEIR PREMISES? Business interest will bring new urgency for IoT planning. Many regional enterprises are struggling

THE IOT ARCHITECT IS EMERGING AS THE CENTRAL, LINCHPIN ROLE FOR PLANNING, EXECUTING AND GOVERNING IOT.”

with unmanaged IoT adoption. As IoT deployments are continuously evolving, it also means more and more devices are connecting to the network. With new additions come increased need for a single pane management. The IoT architect is emerging as the central, linchpin role for planning, executing and

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

governing IoT. Organisations are including IoT architecture, planning and execution roles in their staffing and skills planning. Security and risk concerns will continue to be the greatest impediment to IoT adoption. The market for IoT-specific security solutions will dramatically expand in the coming years as current security providers aggressively retool existing capabilities to address IoT security risks. These are some of the key challenges an enterprise would have to address while adopting or deploying IoT on solutions. WHAT ARE THE FACTORS AFFECTING ADOPTION RATE? The adoption of IoT solutions is rapidly growing. Smart city initiatives are being introduced by every government sector especially in the UAE. However, the main challenges associated with the implementation of IoT are inability to link all the data together and process it effectively, incompetence in establishing same technology standards to make all connected devices ‘understand’ each other and the inability to deal with security and data privacy threats. WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO THE MIDDLE EAST PRESENT FOR CRADLEPOINT AS A TECHNOLOGY FIRM? The region is a frontrunner from its early adoption of IoT and Smart City initiatives to actual implementation and commissioning of projects.

Cradlepoint foresee exponential growth in IoT and more specifically in mobility. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman have seen increased demand for agile branch connectivity backed by Cradlepoint’s SD-WAN solutions. We see huge opportunities around these areas as businesses are ready to invest in the future-ready solutions from Cradlepoint. AS CUSTOMERS SEEK MORE FLEXIBLE AND OPEN SOLUTIONS, HOW CAN SD-WAN TECHNOLOGIES STREAMLINE OPERATIONS? SD-WAN implementations are on the rise. It’s no wonder businesses are clamouring to tap into the many benefits provided by SD-WAN implementations, including cost savings of up to 50 percent, increased network resiliency and better application performance across complex network environments. Network agility is the key driving force. In the past, network routing policies were relatively basic. Applications such as voice calls would go out over MPLS, while email would go through broadband. Today, cloudbased controllers have gained a massive amount of intelligence, and we’re witnessing a major shift in the routing paradigm for how application data and traffic moves.

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON CRADLEPOINT’S OFFERINGS IN THIS SEGMENT? Cradlepoint’s SD-WAN solution enables enterprises to securely connect their Elastic Edge to applications and resources. Through ground-breaking features such as Smart WAN Selection, application and business policies as well as WAN analytics, Cradlepoint is transforming the branch WAN from a fragile, complicated environment to a flexible, agile one. When it comes to IoT deployments Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Perimeter offers agile enterprises a way to quickly and securely connect people and things. From IT shops looking to gain insights and revenue from IoT devices connected to their networks, to virtual companies that don’t have a traditional HQ, NetCloud Perimeter offers compelling value. WHICH TECHNOLOGIES WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN CRADLEPOINT’S GROWTH STORY? In the new world where IoT, artificial intelligence and 5G coexist, there is quite a bit of anticipation for the extraordinary technologies that might be crafted in the next few years. One

facet that is slowly gaining recognition in this territory is edge computing. As more devices are connected to the cloud — and IoT systems progress in a ready-or-not fashion — edge computing will soon become a wellknown practice. Cradlepoint is already developing capabilities to embrace this wave with its Pathway to 5G that represents the promise of a wireless WAN future defined by the ability to provide 24x7 connectivity for people, places, and things everywhere. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR MARKET AND CHANNEL PLANS FOR 2019? We are in a growth phase in the region, our strategy is to continue to build strong relations with our stakeholders especially the telcos, our distribution and channel partners, key industry verticals and government entities. By the mid of the year, we aim to have increased visibility of Cradlepoint and its solutions in more countries and spread our footprint across the region. We have progressed well so far in the region by embedding Cradlepoint as the solution of choice in some major accounts and are confident of setting a solid foundation for the years to come.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

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51 BLOG

How to live and work with Cobots Chris Pope, VP Innovation, ServiceNow, explains what ‘Cobots’ are and how it will transform the office environment.

he renaissance we are currently experiencing in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and all forms of Machine Learning (ML), has given rise to widespread discussion on how business will run in the immediate future. As the impact of AI starts to be applied to realworld use cases, we will inevitably need to get used to some new terminology. One of the technology industry’s new favorites is the notion of the ‘cobot’, short for collaborative-robot. Cobots come in many forms. Some will be purely software-based helper robots that we might think of as sophisticated extensions of chatbots or virtual assistants. Some will more physically manifest themselves as robot arms, exoskeletons or some other form of intelligently programmed machinery. Some will be a super-smart mix of both. YOUR INTELLIGENT NEW OFFICE BUDDY You can think of cobots as your new office buddies and people—I do mean all of us―are going to have to get used to working alongside intelligent machines, in close proximity, very soon. Cobot brains are composed of software-based virtual services that form the synapses of ‘thought’—we know its processing and data analytics really—that they run on. Like a Tamagotchi, they do need feeding and watering, but only in the form of software updates, exposure to new datasets and patches for security provisioning and so on.

AS THE COBOTS START TO TAKE OVER THE MUNDANE TASKS IN OUR WORLD, WE MUST CONSIDER HOW PEOPLE WILL NOW COEXIST IN THE NEW WORLD OF AUTOMATED CONTROLS THAT DRIVE DIGITAL WORKFLOWS AND HOW WE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT THESE DEVICES.”

People who find the notion of cobots unnerving should perhaps stand back and consider the fact that machines have already been looking after us in close proximity for years. Your desktop machine, tablet and smartphone are all using AI to power the spam filter algorithms that assess every email you get for its potential threat value.

If it helps you warm up to the concept, think of cobots as just one step further than a spam filter. But instead of just protecting you from a potential virus, cobots will be able to intuitively manage your work schedule, actions and business decisions, to create a better employee experience all round. As DXC Technology’s CTO Marc Wilkinson recently wrote in an article, “For businesses, the promise of AI is that [intelligent assistants] will be embedded across all aspects of the organization. Such agents will analyse data, discover patterns over time and then make decisions based on predictive analysis. The outcome? The application of AI on this level will make businesses not only more efficient, but also more profitable.” BEHAVIORAL RESPONSIBILITY As shiny and fabulous as all this sounds, there is a responsibility factor to bear in mind here. As we start to feed data into cobot brains, we need to be able to reflect a consciousness

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

52 BLOG

PEOPLE WHO FIND THE NOTION OF COBOTS UNNERVING SHOULD PERHAPS STAND BACK AND CONSIDER THE FACT THAT MACHINES HAVE ALREADY BEEN LOOKING AFTER US IN CLOSE PROXIMITY FOR YEARS.”

the workplace itself from a different perspective. We’re all used to open plan office seating layouts these days, but with cobots in the workplace, the software itself will be able to straddle cross-team functionality matrices that far outstrip the boundaries of the physical office itself. For example, team member actions in the UAE can be automatically reflected in plans for the UK or US offices in near real-time. The cobot doesn’t sleep, so a new global digital workflow starts to become possible. of and appreciation for society’s acceptable behavioral norms. This means that cobots will need to be able to assess the risk factor in terms of the judgements they give to any individual worker based on that person’s skills, background and other competencies. To do this effectively, we will need to be able to assess and measure individual workers’ skills in an even more granular and mathematical way before we start to engineer more automation of this kind into our lives. Cobots will also need to appreciate cultural, ethical and behavioral norms for the global culture that they are applied in depending on location— and this is of course a subject in and of itself. COBOTS AND GLOBAL DIGITAL WORKFLOWS As the cobots start to take over the mundane tasks in our world, we must consider how people will now coexist in the new world of automated controls that drive digital workflows

and how we actually implement these devices—be they software-based, hardware-based or both—in the workplace. Some argue that we will now need to be able to measure an individual’s rank or score in terms of workplace competency. If we accept this methodology, then it could arguably help us find the engineering point at which we can apply cobot technology to an individual’s role. To reference DXC’s Marc Wilkinson again, he notes that really smart cobots that run on fine-tuned ML models will be able to bring a new level of workplace personalization to our daily routines and discover where we could be doing better. He talks about ‘intelligent agents’ that are capable of interpreting emails for us to automatically schedule meetings, flag important tasks and even unsubscribe us from newsfeeds that we never open, and more. With a cobot as your new office buddy, we can start to think about

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

A TOAST TO COBOT IPA With cobot technology now developing fast, we will more clearly be able to understand our transition from RPA to IPA or IRPA. If Robotic Process Automation (RPA) allows us to program home heating controls, for example, based on defined patterns, then Intelligent Robotic Process Automation (IRPA, or just IPA) is one step further, where home heating controls start to program themselves for optimum usage and efficiency based upon observed patterns of use. Cobots have IRPA in their ‘DNA’ from the get-go. We’re on the cusp of many technologies—perceived today as almost ‘toy like’, such as self-driving cars—becoming quite natural. We will think that cobots and intelligent assistants are quite standard in half a decade’s time. In the same way that you went from reading a map in the car and now automatically turning the GPS on, you get to a point where you just expect a new technology to be there… and cobots will be there.

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LAST TAKE

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE STARTS WITH… Eat breakfast, play with my kids, read my emails, start planning my day and push the creative work at its best.

YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… Running the marketing department and increasing OKI print applications awareness significantly among different verticals of the market across META region for the past year, while raising my one-year-old twins.

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… Family, technology, friends, art and good food.

THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… Digital currencies. Yes, it had a rough start, but it can transform the world if a digital currency protocol is established efficiently.

Natalie

FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2019… Improve physical and mental well-being, take in more of arts and painting, achieve professional goals, switch up my routine, give up one bad habit

SWEIS

REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER, META, OKI EUROPE

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // APRIL 2019

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We see something. Amid the streams of ones and zeros, we see a world where oceans of data yield sparks of insight and unending questions are being answered. A world where every space is intelligent and each connection is seamless. Where cutting-edge computing has the power to carry mankind to new planets, and faster data analysis accelerates the race for a cure. Where solutions come before problems arise and physicists have the power to map the universe’s origins. We see a world where Everything Computes, and what’s next is extraordinary. ©Copyright 2018 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP.