Reseller Middle East July-August 2019 by Reseller Middle East

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CONTENTS

STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER

ISSUE 270 // JULY/AUGUST 2019

THE SERVICE QUOTIENT Harish Chib from Sophos on why it is crucial for partners to build compelling managed services offering.

WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

HIGHLIGHTS

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

OPINION

17 TRAIN OF THOUGHT

FVC’s KS Parag explains why it is important for channel partners to become leaders in digital training.

INTERVIEW

18 ENABLING THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

Charbel Zreiby from Dell Technologies, outlines how the firm enables channel partners to effectively help customers with the four pillars of digital transformation.

FEATURE

22 PARTNERS’ ROLE IN MODERNISING SMBS

Jon Bove from Fortinet, on how partners can minimise cyber risk for SMB customers offering digital experiences.

PARTNER WATCH

44DIGITAL PILOTING THE FUTURE

Raqmiyat’s Bahaa Eddine Al Indary explains how the firm plays a critical role in enabling customers with their digital transformation journey.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

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EDITORIAL FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015)

Enhancing customer experiences

n any business, customer experience can be the key aspect that distinguishes a company from competition. While selling products are definitely a primary goal, the overall experience a customer has makes all the difference. Customer experience is not really a new battlefield in the business world anymore but one that is often lost in the zeal to meet increasing sales targets. Reselling and systems integration firms are focusing more on delivering better customer experiences, according to recent studies. However, when it comes to the regional channel industry and customer experiences, it leaves a lot to be desired. There are several elements to providing a satisfying customer experience, such as – clear communications, availability of information and support, reliability of your services, customising your offering to fit customers’ requirements, offering innovation and the list goes on. Communicating and staying in touch with your customers is marketing 101. A research by CompTIA reveals that increasing number of channel partners are adopting an omnichannel approach to interact with customers. Regional

partners should look at tailoring the experiences as per each customer’s preferences and requirement, which will be the next level to reach, one where data analytics can play a big role. One common issue is when partners are not able to deliver what has been promised. Making sure to take only what your firm is capable of delivering is essential in offering a good customer experience. Great service and ensuring they have adequate support whenever they need are critical parts of the overall customer experience. But this is not the only aspect to consider, partners have to keep in mind the entire customer engagement process, right from the first meeting to training and ongoing relationship development. I believe every now and then, we have to remind ourselves that all it takes is one bad experience to lose a customer. Achieving optimal customer experiences shouldn’t be an individual goal but an overall organisation mandate.

Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9139 EDITORIAL 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 CIRCULATION Operations Manager Shweta Santosh shweta.santosh@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9107 DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developers Jefferson de Joya Abbas Madh Photographers Max Poriechkin Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 DIGITAL www.tahawultech.com

Janees Reghelini Editor

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Registered at Dubai Production City, DCCA PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 © 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 // JULY/AUGUST 2019

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7 HIGHLIGHTS

INGRAM MICRO EXPANDS CYBERSECURITY OFFERINGS WITH LATEST ACQUISITION

ngram Micro has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire French cybersecurity VAD Abbakan, as part of the expansion of its cyber security business in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). The acquisition of Abbakan expands Ingram Micro’s network of system integrators and telecommunications companies across France. Sophie Deleval, chief executive, Ingram Micro France, said, “This acquisition cements the transformation we initiated two years ago to strengthen our ability to support our partners in developing their business and stay relevant and sustainable. Abbakan’s and Ingram Micro’s teams will combine their expertise, dynamism and

engagement to provide an outstanding value proposition to the exciting market in which we operate.” Abbakan provides cybersecurity Solutions through a network of partners across the country through its headquarters in Paris and offices in Lille, Lyon, Toulouse and several other locations. The firm’s existing customers will now also have access to Ingram Micro’s wider portfolio of cyber security solutions and network of experts. Jean-Charles Vasseur, CEO, Abbakan, said, “We are pleased to join forces with Ingram Micro, one of the largest multinational companies with a clear focus on the needs of cyber security.” Abbakan will retain its current management and team as part of the expand-

REDINGTON VALUE SIGNS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH COHESITY

edington Value, the value-added arm of regional distribution firm Redington Gulf, has announced a distribution agreement with San José-based software-defined data management provider, Cohesity, for the Middle East and Africa markets. The Cohesity Platform is available both as a turnkey appliance and a software solution that can be implemented on specific reference hardware architectures. The relationship will provide Cohesity’s large and growing network of partners with added efficiency, productivity and speed in delivering customer solutions.

(L-R) Jean-Charles Vasseur, Alain Monie, Franck Navaro and Sophie Deleval

ed Ingram Micro operations in France. The transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory and other closing conditions, is expected to close in the 3rd quarter of 2019. Ingram Micro senior vice president and Chief Executive META and Cybersecurity EMEA, Dr. Ali Baghdadi, said, “Cyber security is high

“Cohesity’s disruptive hyperconverged technology will provide our partner ecosystem with an opportunity to distinguish their businesses and stand out in a competitive marketplace,” said Ramkumar Balakrishnan, chief operating officer, Redington Gulf. “The partnership will bolster our existing portfolio and enrich our offerings, further cementing our commitment to regional customers and channel partners.” According to Balakrishnan, the distributor will begin onboarding new partners to efficiently take Cohesity solutions to market while simultaneously conducting training workshops for existing channel firms. Redington Value will provide its partner ecosystem with in-depth support around sales, pre-sales, training, consultancy and post-sales among other areas. “Redington Value brings together the end-to-end ecosystem and support

priority for Ingram Micro. One of our global initiatives is establishing Centers of Excellence (COE) around the globe, and this strategic acquisition provides us with the opportunity to further enhance our value-added capabilities, while expanding our cybersecurity footprint across France and the rest of EMEA”.

Ramkumar Balakrishnan, Redington Gulf

that we value greatly in a distribution partner,” said Johannes Kunz, head of channel sales EMEA, Cohesity. “Redington Value’s distribution expertise across the Middle East and Africa will be instrumental in helping us continue our high-growth path. Redington Value also has strong relationships with the majority of our existing channel and alliance partners, which we believe will provide a seamless transition and increased delivery of sales as we expand.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

8 HIGHLIGHTS

AWINGU, ALJAMMAZ CLOUD SIGN MIDDLE EAST DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

wingu, the Gartner Cool vendor in ‘Unified Workspaces 2017’, has announced a distribution agreement with AlJammaz Cloud, a business unit of AlJammaz Technologies and Distribution with headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and coverage across the Asim Saud AlJammaz, Middle East region. AlJammaz Awingu’s unified workspace solution provides businesses of all sizes with a highly secure browserbased workspace solution. Awingu aggregates all company files and applications, including SaaS and Windows programmes into one secure online workspace. This workspace can be accessed using any device through the browser, allowing for a secure, simple and cost-effective way for companies to implement remote access and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. Awingu differentiates itself in the market by its ease-ofuse and ease-to-install features. Deploying Awingu in an existing IT environment can be finalised in as little as one hour. Furthermore, Awingu brings businesses additional security and compliance enhancing features such as a built-in ‘multi factor authentication’, full usage insights, anomaly detection, SSL certificate generation and so on. “Awingu is used by businesses to increase security and compliancy, while reducing costs and improving productivity and mobility. With this in mind; the VAD is well positioned to drive value creation in the Middle East markets,” said Walter Van Uytven, CEO Awingu. As the leading cloud distributor in the Middle East region, AlJammaz’ focus is to identify, aggregate and distribute cutting-edge cloud technologies and bestof-breed DaaS (Workspace as a Service) suite for its channel partners and their customers, Asim Saud AlJammaz, CEO of AlJammaz, said, “Our objectives include helping and enabling our channel partner in the Middle East to transform and join the cloud era with hybrid cloud approach by adapting unified on premise and in cloud solutions.” He added, “We are very proud to partner with such an innovative leader such as Awingu in the Middle East region. We are always looking for disruptive cloud technologies and Unified Workspace Solution are ranking high on our partners’ agenda. We are convinced that Awingu will add significant value to our partners’ product and solutions offerings.” www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

VAD TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH FRESHWORKS

AD Technologies has announced a distribution partnership in the Middle East region with Freshworks Inc, a global innovator in customer engagement software. With this announcement, VAD Technologies will expand Freshworks’ offerings in the Middle East market. With a dedicated go-tomarket team, managing field and channel partner operations, VAD technologies will play an important role in growing Freshworks’ business in Middle East. Some of key focus sectors in the region are BFSI, MRD, IT, travel and hospitality, education and healthcare. Saurabh Prabhuzantye, head of business, Middle East and Africa, Freshworks, said, “The partnership with VAD Technologies is an important milestone for us, as it enables us to bring our innovative Saas products to companies who are looking to better their customer experience. The combination of our industry-leading software solutions along with the network of VAD in the region will enable our new and existing partners to grow Freshworks’ business.” Mario M. Veljovic, GM, VAD Technologies said, “Our mission of cloudification of our products and

Saurabh Prabhuzantye, Freshworks

solutions portfolio requires that we are constantly scouting disruptive next generation technologies to ensure that our partners can offer the latest and greatest to their customers. Freshworks, as the leading provider of customer engagement software, supports our vision perfectly. We are extremely happy to partner with Freshworks in the Middle East region.” Earlier, Freshworks had also hosted a stakeholders’ networking forum to discuss the future of customer experience in the Middle East. Details emerged that even with most companies having made huge strides in improving and enhancing their customer experience, more was needed to be done to effectively and efficiently address evolving customer dynamics and expectations.

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10 HIGHLIGHTS

ASBIS ME ANNOUNCES CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME FOR GRANDSTREAM NETWORKS

REDINGTON VALUE STRENGTHENS RPA OFFERINGS WITH AUTOMATION ANYWHERE

lobal unified communications provider Grandstream Networks has revealed the first edition of GCS-UCM certification programme with regional distributor ASBIS Middle East in the UAE. The certification programme was held in Dubai at Rotana Hotel on 26th June for the SMB partners. Grandstream Networks GCSUCM certification programme is designed to help and educate network professionals with network and wireless concepts and qualify for the certificate programme to equip them with latest skills, tools and best practices, which will enable them to build and strengthen the bridge between technology solutions and business needs. According to the vendor the first batch of training and certification outcomes were impressive. Mousa Abla, regional manager sales, Grandstream Networks, said, “This is the first basic level of the certification, we will soon announce second advanced and third specialist certification programmes for customers. I am impressed with the interest, attendance, enthusiasm and result, the idea is to educate SMB and corporate sectors.”

He added, “We provide training and resources to our partners, as we believe that high-end communication technology should be easy and attainable for business of all sizes and designs solutions to implement.” Praveen Singh, director sales, ASBIS ME said, “Grandstream, one of the top four manufacturers of VoIP endpoints, also offers a full portfolio of awardwinning products including video conferencing, WiFi, IP PBXs, VoIP gateways, analog telephone adaptors, door access systems and more. We will announce more certification programmes very soon.” Prince Gangadharan, product manager, Grandstream, ASBIS ME said, “We’re moving into a world that’s dominated by innovation, transformation, artificial intelligence and unified communication. While the industry has been trying to perfect itself, its users’ habits are changing in the blink of an eye. We believe that the awardwinning Grandstream solutions with added training, skill sets of partners via today’s technical certification will offer a high level of avenues to grow their businesses at fast pace.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

obotic Process Automation (RPA) provider Automation Anywhere has entered into a distribution agreement with Redington Value, Redington Gulf’s value-added arm. The collaboration will help Automation Anywhere to strengthen its market capabilities across Middle East and Africa by efficiently catering to the growing demand for automation. “We are excited to announce this partnership with Redington as this further expands our reach, as we enable future of work to lead enterprises across Middle East. Digital transformation is fuelling new business models and cognitive RPA is clearly emerging as the first step as our customers embark in this journey. We are witnessing significant demand from Middle East across industries and this partnership will enable our customers to increase productivity, customer experience and accelerate growth,” said Milan Sheth, EVP IMEA and ROW, Automation Anywhere. Ramkumar Balakrishnan, chief operating officer, Redington Gulf, said, “We believe Automation Anywhere’s best-in-class RPA solutions will further enable regional organisations to fast track their business goals towards becoming digitally empowered. We will work closely with our channel partners to successfully deliver the innovations from Automation Anywhere to our enterprise customers in the region.” Regional customers can now future-proof their RPA journey with Automation Anywhere’s enterprise-grade platform, which unites sophisticated RPA, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and embedded analytic technologies.

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12 HIGHLIGHTS

SCOPE ME, KASPERSKY EXPAND DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT FOR SAUDI ARABIA

MINDWARE WINS RIVERBED’S ‘GO TO MARKETING INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR’ AWARD

iddle East IT value-added distributor Mindware has announced that it has won the Riverbed Technology METNA Go to Market Initiative of the Year 2019 Award. The award was presented at Riverbed Partner Connect 2019, the company’s inaugural METNA partner conference, held in May in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Riverbed ‘Above & Beyond’ Partner Awards recognise partners for excellence in driving business outcomes, operational agility and improved customer experience for end customers. Having entered into partnership half a decade ago, Riverbed and Mindware have been able to build a solid relationship. The addition of Riverbed’s digital performance products to Mindware’s portfolio has added value to the regional channel and ultimately to end customers’ businesses through effective partner programs and support services. “The MBED Program, launched by Mindware over a year ago, provides hybrid cloud architecture for modular and distributed applications from a single source,” said Philippe Jarre, CEO, Mindware. “At Mindware, we constantly innovate our offering to the channel, acting more as a solution aggregator as we are able to effectively collate multiple vendor components to create unified solutions that deliver maximum benefits to end clients.” “With this award, we recognise and congratulate Mindware’s performance and achievements as a Riverbed distributor during the past year, and look forward to continuing to work together to meet the needs of our joint customers,” said Mena Migally, regional director, Channel, Territory and Telco for Middle East, Turkey and North Africa (METNA) at Philippe Jarre, Mindware Riverbed.

ollowing a successful partnership across the LEVANT region, Kaspersky and SCOPE Middle East (ME) are now expanding the relationship into Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This includes Kaspersky’s comprehensive security portfolio including its endpoint protection and number of specialised security solutions and services. According to SCOPE ME, through its skilled expert teams and wide partner network, it will promote and sell the brand with aggressive demand generation and awareness programmes, as well as on-the-ground sales and technical support. “We are extremely glad to further strengthen our relationship with Kaspersky, by extending our partnership to Saudi Arabia and Africa. The recent inclusion in our contract is a significant stepping stone into the evolution of this partnership,” said Fadi Abu Eqab, chief executive officer, SCOPE ME.

Kaspersky highlighted that as one of the fastest growing security vendors in the region, it constantly takes strategic measures in its channel strategy to support its growth. According to the firm, the partnership with SCOPE ME will enhance its ability to support its partner network and customer base in Saudi Arabia.

Fadi Abu Eqab, SCOPE Middle East

AT MINDWARE, WE CONSTANTLY INNOVATE OUR OFFERING TO THE CHANNEL, ACTING MORE AS A SOLUTION AGGREGATOR AS WE ARE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY COLLATE MULTIPLE VENDOR COMPONENTS TO CREATE UNIFIED SOLUTIONS THAT DELIVER MAXIMUM BENEFITS TO END CLIENTS.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

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14 HIGHLIGHTS

ZENOSS STRENGTHENS MIDDLE EAST GROWTH WITH VAD TECHNOLOGIES PARTNERSHIP

AL ROSTAMANI COMMUNICATIONS AWARDED ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFICATION

Brian Wilson, Zenoss

ntelligent application and service monitoring provider Zenoss Inc. has announced a strategic expansion in the Middle East through a key partnership with VAD Technologies, an established value-added distributor, headquartered in Dubai (UAE). Through this partnership, Zenoss intends to accelerate growth in the region. “The Middle East is a rapidly growing market for us,” said Brian Wilson, chief customer officer, Zenoss. “VAD’s expertise in the market will enable Zenoss to continue providing world-class, tailored solutions that help our enterprise customers monitor and optimise all application performance in their complex and dynamic IT environments.” “We are excited to partner with a leader in eliminating risk and increasing efficiency through software-defined IT operations,” said Mario M. Veljovic, general manager, VAD Technologies. “We’ve selected Zenoss because their world-class technology and people ensure our resellers can offer the best service assurance strategies to their customers as they undergo digital transformation.” Zenoss Cloud is the first SaaS-based intelligent IT operations management platform that streams and normalises all machine data, uniquely enabling the emergence of context for preventing service disruptions in complex, modern IT environments. Zenoss Cloud is powered by the Google Cloud Platform, leveraging the most powerful machine learning and real-time analytics of streaming data to give companies the ability to scale and adapt to the changing needs of their businesses, said the firm.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

T and Telecommunication solutions provider and systems integrator Al Rostamani Communications (ARC) has announced that it has been awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification. ISO 9001 is a quality management system standard that was developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation, an association of governmental and nongovernmental organisations from many countries. The ISO 9001 standard is utilised to certify quality management systems that focus on continuous improvement, client satisfaction and the active involvement of both management and employees in a process-based approach. Youssef Fawaz, general manager, Al Rostamani Communications said “We are excited to be awarded with the certification ISO 9001:2015. This certainly provides additional assurance to our clients that we are focused on continuous improvement, innovation and quality client satisfaction. We don’t just talk about quality, we live by it every day. We will continue to do everything we can to provide the support to all of our clients in the future.” He added, “This certification signifies our commitment to excellent business practices and the highest quality services that meet and exceed clients’ expectations.”

WE DON’T JUST TALK ABOUT QUALITY, WE LIVE BY IT EVERY DAY. WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT TO ALL OF OUR CLIENTS IN THE FUTURE.”

15 HIGHLIGHTS

OPTIMAL IDM, PRECISE TECHNOLOGIES TO DELIVER IAM SOLUTIONS IN META

lobal provider of Identity Access Management (IAM) solutions Optimal IdM has partnered with Precise Technologies who will be the exclusive value-added distributor (VAD) of ‘The OptimalCloud’ in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region. The OptimalCloud is a scalable and customisable IAM solution that deploys easily and provides seamless and secure access

to thousands of applications using single sign-on technology. Precise Technologies, a VAD specialising in technologies focused on cybersecurity, information security, digital and cloud transformation, and AI-based analytics solutions, will now distribute and support Optimal IdM in expanding its market presence in the META region, by fostering a mutually beneficial partnership. “We are looking forward to introduce Optimal IdM

to META region and we are confident we will be able to help grow new business for Optimal IdM in META to the next level and support customers with our sales and technical team locally available across the region,” said Ranjit Pillai, co-founder and managing director, Precise Technologies. “We are very excited to be working with Precise Technologies on our outreach into the META region,” said Chris Curcio, vice president of partners and channels

Ranjit Pillai, Precise Technologies

for Optimal IdM. “Expanding our products and services, like The OptimalCloud, into the region has been a top priority and partnering with a respected organisation like Precise Technologies is exactly what we wanted.”

EPICOR CELEBRATES CHANNEL PERFORMANCE AT GLOBAL PARTNER SUMMIT

lobal enterprise business software provider Epicor Software Corporation has announced the 2019 winners of its international Partner Excellence Awards programme at its annual global partner summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The awards programme, now in its fourth year, recognises the exceptional roles partners play in helping customers to transform their operations, realise business efficiencies, and achieve tangible growth outcomes from their Epicor investments. Additionally, this year’s awards also applaud partners who have accomplished an impressive expansion of their Epicor business through innovation in business and technology. Data World Solutions Ltd bagged the Business Trans-

formation category for its work with a customer in the plastics trade, to boost Just In Time (JIT) production efficiencies and enable rigorous tracking and traceability compliance with fast-changing international toy safety and quality standards. RheinBrücke IT Consulting was named the best in the Cloud Transformation category for its pioneering work on bringing Epicor ERP in the cloud to mid-market companies in the Middle East region. Precise Business Solutions was the winner in the Customer Experience category for helping industrial sealing products manufacturer Klinger take its Epicor ERP implementation to the next level. Need2Code took home the award in the Challenger category for innovative thinking on behalf of a

customer headquartered in Sweden, who wanted to initiate an ERP solution for its specialist manufacturing subsidiary based in Italy. The Star award category was won by Aspera Solutions for its innovation and creative implementation of Epicor solutions in a variety of different customer imperatives, including cloud deployment, business transformation and customer experience. “This year’s awards celebrate those partners

who truly embody the spirit of co-creation and breakthrough thinking, to drive positive change and sustainable growth on behalf of Epicor customers. Demonstrating an outstanding commitment to resolving our customers’ most critical business challenges, these awards are a testament to the amazing work and value they deliver,” said Andy Coussins, senior vice president and head of international sales, Epicor Software.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

16 HIGHLIGHTS

COMMVAULT TOUTS BIGGER INCENTIVES WITH NEW PARTNER PROGRAMME

ommvault has unveiled its latest partner-first strategy with a new global partner programme that will make it easier and more profitable to do business with the vendor. According to the company, the new tools and capabilities available Riccardo Di Blasio, through the Partner Commvault Advantage programme are designed to help partners accelerate business, expand the path to multiple revenue streams and consistently win more business. Commvault highlighted that the financial rewards under the new programme have never been more focused, easier to understand and profitable. Partners now have access to more rebates at higher percentages, a more lucrative and flexible year-end bonus program, additional business development fund investments, and improved deal registration benefits. “We’ve listened to our partners and customers and built a stronger foundation for the mutual success of Commvault and its worldwide partner network based directly on their feedback,” said Riccardo Di Blasio, chief revenue officer, Commvault. “The key objective for us is to make it easier and more beneficial for partners to do business with Commvault. We’re committed to our partner-first strategy and this program represents the simplest, most transparent and financially rewarding partner program in Commvault’s history.” In addition to the range of new financial incentives, Commvault has improved the partner experience with easier access to training, sales enablement, marketing materials, and real time support. Programme tier progression, simplified quoting and easier deal registration and deal protection have also been introduced into the programme. The new Partner Advantage program offers four partner tracks: Distributor, Solution Provider, Global System Integrator and Alliances, and Service Provider. The enhancements announced today center on Commvault’s Distributor and Solution Provider partners and are available now. Enhancements to Commvault’s Global System Integrator and Alliances and Service Provider tracks will be unveiled later this year.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

DELL TECHNOLOGIES RECOGNISES EMIRCOM AS TITANIUM PARTNER

AE-based Emircom has announced that it has been honoured with the Titanium Partner status by Dell Technologies. According to Dell Technologies, the status is reserved for partners demonstrating exceptional capabilities, expert-level certifications and strong commitment to its portfolio of products and solutions. The Dell Technologies Partner Programme provides partners with the competitive advantage of Dell Technologies, enabling Emircom to do more business with transformational solutions. The programme provides simplified engagement to cross-sell and procure products and solutions across the Dell Technologies family of brands. The Titanium tier of the Dell Technologies Partner Programme designates partners that have capabilities and resources with expert-level certifications, making them industry experts in their des-

ignated competency. Titanium partners also have the option of embracing and supporting comprehensive solutions in the competencies of products, services and solutions. These partners can deliver complete end-to-end solutions, inclusive of services. Combining its service capabilities with solution expertise has helped Emircom unlock a competitive edge within the industry. This approach has enabled the company to provide an outstanding customer experience with a series of turnkey IT solutions while also earning other remarkable achievements. Mohamad Abou Zaki, CEO, Emircom said, “This partnership status is a testimony to our excellent service and unparalleled expertise which customers have grown to prefer and expect from us. In this age when customers are actively adopting and embracing digitisation, we know that they want a partner that is more than an ICT provider and we strive to continue building strong relationships based on this understanding.”

17 OPINION

TRAIN OF THOUGHT KS PARAG, MANAGING DIRECTOR, FVC, EXPLAINS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR CHANNEL PARTNERS TO BECOME LEADERS IN DIGITAL TRAINING.

igital Transformation (DX) is driving organisations to rethink their IT strategies, technology and resource investments. DX can be challenging or easy to implement based on various factors such as business processes, a constantly changing technology landscape, and evolving business models. The rapidly changing pace in technology means that even if you were up to speed six months ago, you might have already missed the bus in terms of innovation. Add to this, there is a pressing need for skilled professionals who know how to initiate a customers’ DX journey and successfully complete it. It is here that the channel needs to play a key role in digital training that can help them get exactly the skills they need, right now. A shortterm investment in digital training will result in long term reward by empowering a channel firm and its employees, maintaining their competitive advantage and ensuring they don’t get left behind. Here is how your firm could benefit from a strategic and sustainable digital training: MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES Today, there is an unprecedented global digital skills shortage affecting all the industries. As a result, the recruitment of competent candidates presents a problem to organisations of every size. As they are in competition with each other to hire the few digitally engaged professionals that exist, smaller businesses suffer, failing to match the increasingly lucrative salaries and benefit packages easily offered by their corporate competitors. If organisations empower their employees with a digital education, not only will they benefit

cost savings from using digital methods to promote their products and services. These savings can then be taken and reinvested into more digital marketing techniques and tactics to reiterate revenue success at a lower overall expenditure. With digital methods, easy and immediate online interactions are possible with a segmented target audience, that can generate more conversions for a lesser cost. An abundance of data from analytics tools can also provide invaluable insight, which can help in refining a digital strategy and avoid unnecessary spending.

IF ORGANISATIONS EMPOWER THEIR EMPLOYEES WITH A DIGITAL EDUCATION, NOT ONLY WILL THEY BENEFIT FROM THEIR NEW DIGITAL CAPABILITIES AND INCENTIVISED ATTITUDE, THEY CAN LEVERAGE THE TRAINING AS A POWERFUL RETENTION TOOL AS WELL.”

from their new digital capabilities and incentivised attitude, they can leverage the training as a powerful retention tool as well. GENERATE COST SAVINGS According to a market study by Gartner, 40 percent of organisations claimed they received considerable

DRIVE MORE REVENUE By 2020, customers will manage 85 percent of their interaction with the enterprise without interacting with a human. Digital skills can enable your organisation to better nurture its customer relationships, establish itself as an industry thought-leader and convert more buyers throughout the customer journey. Digital skills training will release the potential of driving more revenue for your business. DEVELOP A COMPETITIVE EDGE A strong digital skillset is no longer a luxury for organisations – it’s a fundamental element of any competitive business model. Digital is a data-driven enabler for success. It can streamline processes and the accompanying efforts required, while expanding capabilities. Some of the main barriers to digital adoption is lack of expertise in-house, as well as lack of organisational commitment to the area. In order to realise the potential what digital training holds for your organisation, it’s essential to have the requisite skills training to be able to understand its significant benefits and take action.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

18 INTERVIEW

Enabling the digital economy

Charbel Zreiby, senior manager, Channel Specialty Sales, META, Dell Technologies, outlines how the firm enables channel partners to effectively help customers with the four pillars of digital transformation.

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE FOUR PILLARS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION –IT, WORKFORCE, SECURITY AND APPLICATION? Over the past few years we’ve seen every industry, regardless of the size or geography, get affected by digital disruption: think of how the technology enabled new companies to enter different markets and become the unexpected competitors. That’s why every firm needs to be ready to become a digital organisation, powered by data and running in a multi-cloud world. The way to prepare your organisation for the digital future is by focusing on four transformational areas that will lay the groundwork for the digital future today and be ready for tomorrow: IT TRANSFORMATION IT Transformation is an initiative to accelerate the digital delivery of modern IT services and applications that can differentiate a business, its products and operations. In order to transform IT, organisations must follow a well-planned strategy. Regardless of industry and IT maturity at the company, the strategy includes three critical steps: • Modernising critical IT infrastructure so that it is efficient in terms of operational expense and management overhead • Automating IT processes to reduce risk and accelerate the provisioning and deployment of applications • Transforming IT processes and operations in order to align IT staff and roles as tightly as possible to the business and its customers

WE WANT TO ENSURE OUR CHANNEL PARTNERS CAN ADD MORE RELEVANCE TO THEIR CONVERSATIONS WITH CUSTOMERS AND BUILD A COMPETITIVE EDGE IN THIS DIGITAL ECONOMY.”

At Dell Technologies we empower our customers to seize those opportunities, and help with everything else, from simplifying core platform management to automated service delivery. WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION: The way we work is evolving and the tools we need are not the same. The fact is, everyone wants to work in a

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way that suits them, collaborating and communicating with colleagues in a natural, seamless way. As this change is mainly driven by people, the aim of the workforce transformation is to provide the solutions that help make employees more productive by: • A personalised experience: Create hyper-tailored experiences for everyone with the right apps, data, services and inspiring device • Dynamic teams: Enable office, remote, home and on-the-go collaboration, conferencing and easy communication with total security. • Simplified management: Deliver faster, smarter, more efficient workforce services with automation and selfservice that delights users and unburdens IT Dell Technologies’ comprehensive portfolio of solutions, from devices to management tools and services, are designed to meet and adapt to today’s changing workforce SECURITY TRANSFORMATION: It is important for digital leaders to adopt a new mindset to managing security and business risk for them to rapidly and securely embrace emerging technologies. While traditionally risk has been something that

19 19

transformations are complete. That being said, IT transformation could be the most crucial for many reasons: a modern IT infrastructure is key to driving innovation, providing automation and efficiency to do more in less time, less money and resources; and agility to stay competitive and accelerate results; in addition, to minimising risks. Moreover, modern IT is the power behind artificial intelligence as it helps to unlock the value of data in ways that were never possible before.

holds you back, today it needs to be an accelerator for the organisation. For that, security transformation is about: •

•

Embracing risk: turn risk into opportunity with Dell Technologies end-to-end capabilities in planning, insight and visibility. Simplifying security: Reduce complexity across your operations with Dell Technologies broad domain expertise and intrinsic security capabilities (from Dell Technologies) Empowering people: give staff and customers the power and confidence to use emerging technologies and innovate (with Dell Technologies)

APPLICATION TRANSFORMATION: We believe that the digital future is defined, differentiated and driven primarily by software. Leaders and laggards will be determined by their ability to creatively innovate and efficiently operate software across the spectrum of their business activities. By transforming the way our customers design, build and run applications, we can get them to market sustainably faster than their competitors and that means they can build a leadership position for their organisation’s digital future. This can be done by: • Accelerating Software innovation: to compete more effectively against the disruptors • Streamline application operation: to improve operational efficiency,

WE BELIEVE THAT THE DIGITAL FUTURE IS DEFINED, DIFFERENTIATED AND DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY SOFTWARE.”

• •

reduce costs and free up budget for innovation. Minimise application delivery risk Dell Technologies helps our customers deliver new digital products and experiences faster and more efficiently, all while minimising risk.

WHICH ONE OF THESE TRANSFORMATIONS IS MOST CRUCIAL FOR THE FUTURE? COULD YOU EXPLAIN THE DRIVERS BEHIND THIS? Digital transformation affects each part of the business and for it to be successful it requires all functions to collaborate and plan together. Also, at the heart of the digital world lies the customer experience (including your own employees’) and when you look at the four transformations you find that each one of them delivers an enhanced new experience, which makes it hard to say that one is more crucial than the other for the future. If you look even closer, you’d realise that your digital transformation journey is mature only when all four

HOW IS DELL TECHNOLOGIES ENABLING PARTNERS TO ASSIST THEIR CUSTOMERS IN THIS TRANSFORMATION? We want to ensure our channel partners can add more relevance to their conversations with customers and build a competitive edge in this digital economy. As per a recent study by Dell Technologies, 30 percent of organisations in the region believe that lack of the right skillsets and expertise is one of the top barriers for digital transformation. Helping our partners build their capabilities and adopt innovative strategies becomes our focus which will enable them to respond quickly to new opportunities, markets and technologies. We will continue to invest in developing their skills by assessing them today and providing the right training and certifications that will yield the desired outcome. As a result, our partners would become more profitable on the top line through selling their services offerings and will definitely make rich back-end rebates that our partner programme offers on all LOBs. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ARE REGIONAL PARTNERS’ TWO BIGGEST CHALLENGES TODAY? HOW CAN THEY ADDRESS IT? We live in a time of change and solution providers’ first challenge is to transform themselves in order to provide the right solution to their customers. It’s no longer about sizing an infrastructure with certain performance metrics, it’s more about understanding where the customer is in their business transformation journey and how to help them build

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20 INTERVIEW

WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN DEVELOPING THEIR SKILLS BY ASSESSING THEM TODAY AND PROVIDING THE RIGHT TRAINING AND CERTIFICATIONS THAT WILL YIELD THE DESIRED OUTCOME.”

the ideal solution that will provide the desired results. This means the regional partners should equip themselves with the right capabilities that will help them position any solution from the application (cloud or native) down to the infrastructure layers such as storage, data protection, and so on. Another challenge would be the ability to put all the pieces together when they engage in a transformation project. For that, partnering with Dell Technologies would help them through our partner programme, as mentioned before, to provide integrated solutions from across the complete portfolio. Also, equipping themselves with advanced services competencies (such as consulting services around the business transformation) will help in differentiating themselves from the rest. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON WHAT DELL TECHNOLOGIES HAS IN STORE FOR ITS CHANNEL COMMUNITY? Dell Technologies has unveiled new updates for

its 2019 Partner Program designed to drive growth and profitability for partners through its simple, predictable and profitable approach. The Dell Technologies Partner Program was launched two years ago when Dell and EMC officially merged. Dell Technologies and its partners have focused on sustaining and investing for further growth. Dell Technologies continues to value partner feedback and the new enhancements have been developed and implemented according to direct input from partners in order to streamline the programme, while delivering greater opportunities for success. Through this programme, Dell Technologies is offering partners a roadmap and investment in skills, solutions competencies and expertise needed to assist customers in their business transformations. Building on the successful Dell EMC Partner Program, the Dell Technologies Partner Program provides simplified engagement for partners to crosssell and procure products and solutions across all Dell Technologies strategically aligned business partner programs, making it easier to holistically provide integrated solutions from across the breadth of the Dell Technologies portfolio. Dell Technologies will also provide learning investment protection. For example, it will work with its strategically aligned businesses to gain

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bi-directional certification recognition to enable resell and/or deploy capabilities where possible. Also, it will recognise “like” credentials and/or certifications earned from strategically aligned businesses and count them toward Dell Technologies programme requirements/tier attainment.

CMY

HOW DO YOU SEE THE REGIONAL CHANNEL LANDSCAPE EVOLVING OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS OR SO? The channel landscape is continuously evolving. For instance, in recent years we’ve seen a shift towards MSPs and CSPs and while we saw new players around that in the market, some of the traditional solution providers added those routes to market along with the required capabilities to their portfolio. Moving forward, innovative technologies (such as IoT, AI, AR/ VR), cyber recovery solutions and the move to multi-cloud are taking centre stage as organisations aim to leverage their capabilities to fuel their business agility and growth as well as remain competitive in the market. Subsequently, the channel landscape will evolve into adding those technologies and competencies into their offerings and we will also witness the emergence of new specialised partners in those different fields.

22 FEATURE

Partners’ role in modernising SMBs Jon Bove, vice president, Channel Sales, Fortinet, on how partners can minimise cyber risk for SMB customers offering digital experiences.

mall and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are experiencing increased pressure to provide digital experiences for their customers and end users due to changes in today’s evolving, competitive landscape. By providing digital experiences and services for their clients, SMB customers are able to compete with similarly-sized businesses, and can even take on larger organisations in the digital marketplace. The tools and technologies that enable digital engagements allow SMBs to improve communication efforts and build loyalty to meet the growing demands of online consumerisation. This is not just a nice addition to their current business models. SMBs who do not adapt to these changes will fall behind. Therefore, partners must be able to advise their customers on how to modernise their business while still avoiding risk. SMBS NEED NEW TECHNOLOGY TO COMPETE In order to provide the best service for clients and win market share, your customers must modernise in accordance with current consumer demands. In fact, 82 percent of SMBs are already undergoing digital transformation. Concerning digital investment, key focus areas for your customers should include cloud, mobility, and customer relationship management (CRM). Cloud: According to a recent survey, 48 percent of small to mid-sized businesses cite cloud computing as a priority investment for the year 2019.

BY LEVERAGING THE RIGHT TOOLS AND SERVICES, PARTNERS CAN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN ENABLING SMB CUSTOMERS TO MODERNISE THEIR NETWORKS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REDUCING COMPLEXITY AND MITIGATING SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE RISKS.”

Cloud computing has become crucial as it offers significant processing power at a lower initial cost, enables greater productivity and accessibility for employees with productivity suites, and allows businesses to quickly scale to keep pace with the demands of their customers.

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Mobility: SMBs are investing in mobile business to improve accessibility across a range of devices for customers, employees, and partners. Many SMBs are developing mobile apps and websites that allow their audience to engage from IoT devices. In fact, about half of all SMBs currently have a mobile application as part of their digital strategy. For some SMBs, increasing mobility may also include providing access to data on their network. 88 percent of consumers do research online before purchasing instore, so this growing online presence is becoming imperative for survival. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): SMBs are also incorporating third-party tools such as CRMs to enhance customer engagement. These tools collect and organise customer and prospect information, making it easier to provide personalised digital experiences. Close to 40 percent of SMBs note CRMs as a priority investment. As your customers continue to leverage and store sensitive customer data, however, they must also ensure it is secure. SUCCESSFUL MODERNISATION REQUIRES A PLAN TO REDUCE RISK Modernisation introduces a number of benefits to SMBs, but also opens the door to many security risks. Taking shortcuts with strategy can be detrimental to the success of digital transformation. It’s essential to develop a well thought out approach to ensure that you are protecting against potential security

23 23

of-glass visibility. The fact is, many SMBs have turned to the cloud because it offers speed of growth and digitisation at low upfront costs. Partners can aid in their deployment of cloud environments by assisting customers with their understanding of their cloud exposure and by demonstrating the right tools and processes necessary for security. This effort should begin with a strong identity and access management process, and incorporate the use of web application firewalls (WAFs) and CASBs where necessary.

and customer data risks. Start by considering how you are planning for regulatory requirements, security, and data privacy. When compared to larger organisations, though many do not realise it, SMBs are at equal risk of cyberattack. Cybercriminals are looking for high-value customer data, which is stored by both SMBs and larger enterprises. However, adversaries are also aware that SMBs are typically less equipped to defend against attacks - making these organisations an easy target. At the same time, as your customers enable digital engagements with new tools and technologies, they also continue to add complexity to their networks. These efforts can easily result in a disorganised infrastructure that can not only harm productivity across locations and hinder visibility into data storage and usage, but also complicate establishing the visibility and control necessary to secure their infrastructure. Take for example distributed cloud and multi-cloud environments. Without due care taken beforehand, these new networking trends can ultimately complicate your customers’ ability to identify abnormal behavior and detect breaches.

When adopting new tools, your customers must also account for regulatory standards that accompany their use, such as GDPR. In the instances of cloud computing or CRMs that store consumer data, security must meet even more stringent standards in order to remain compliant. Non-compliant tools leave your clients at risk for penalties and fines. Partners need to ensure that customers have the resources in place to protect consumer data and secure the technologies they use for digital engagements. Additionally, your customers must have the ability to support operations and performance should digital efforts be disturbed, while continuing to meet regulatory requirements. HOW PARTNERS CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF CUSTOMERS’ DIGITAL EFFORTS By offering the tools needed to secure new technology deployments, as well as services and expertise, partners can assist in areas where SMB customers lack resources. For the year 2019, 47 percent of SMBs have noted information security as a priority investment. Partners stand to earn a share of this investment if they can successfully reduce risk along their customers’ path to digital transformation. SECURE DIGITISATION BY PROVIDING NECESSARY TOOLS SMBs need to keep their networks secure as they deploy cloud technologies, integrate third-party CRM tools, and allow for accessibility from IoT and mobile devices. Fortinet partners can offer unique coverage in each of these areas by providing customers with integrated tools that offer security-spanning endpoints, LAN, cloud, and other environments with single-pane-

EXTEND SERVICES AND EXPERTISE In addition to providing tools, partners can help SMBs by offering enterprisegrade services and protections from FortiGuard Labs as their customers shift to a service-oriented business model. These services include customisable offerings such as cloud sandboxing, mobile security, application control, antispam, intrusion prevention, and more. Offering valuable insight, partners can support SMB customers to minimise downtime in the event of a security incident by ensuring that they can maintain productivity. Partners can also help by providing guidance and actionable insights to assist in regulatory compliance. Fortinet helps our partners meet the needs of SMB customers by crafting specialised contracts and offering support and expertise. Additionally, partners can provide a wide range of resources including product training, technical support, and more. FINAL THOUGHTS SMB organisations are using new tools to support the digital transformation efforts of their customers to expand their networks. While these efforts present real value to small to midsized businesses, taking shortcuts in relation to deployment and security can create unnecessary risks for these organisations. By leveraging the right tools and services, partners can play a key role in enabling SMB customers to modernise their networks while simultaneously reducing complexity and mitigating security and compliance risks.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

Intelligent Cyber Security

Exclusive value Added Distribution in GCC

Data and Application Security Business core data values are stored in the Database Servers and your core values are being accessed frequently.The business owners doesn't aware of Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening into their business data. Imperva is the leaders in Cyber Security for preventing critical business data and gives the visibility to the business owners. NNT File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) is awarded for CIS bench mark .NNT is Replacing Tripwire Enterprise globally with many customers. NNT ease of deployment, manage and aligned with Security and Compliance Standards.

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BeyondTrust Privileged Access Management (PAM) The Broadest Set of Privileged Security Capabilities available in one Platform. Gives the visibility & control over all privileged accounts, users & access of your critical IT infrastructure.

miniorange provides an array of user Authentication solution that enhance the security for user’s access with Single Sign-On (SSO) and Two Factor Authentication (2FA).

Automations and orchestration of fraud and SOC Fcase is Fraud Orchestration for financial Institutions. Today's financial services industry are facing challenges with financial fraud and Cyber-crime with innovative ways in the Cybercrime market. Fcase automates the CRM data, Transactions, Fraud with One Orchestration and gives the visibility to the CEO and CFO.

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United Arab Emirates

Oﬃce No 410, Building No 11, Dubai Internet City - Dubai, U.A.E

sales@gulﬁtd.com

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26 COVER STORY

THE SERVICE QUOTIENT SOPHOS’ VICE PRESIDENT FOR MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA REGION HARISH CHIB DELVES INTO THE FIRM’S CHANNEL STRATEGY AND EXPLAINS WHY IT IS CRUCIAL FOR PARTNERS TO BUILD COMPELLING MANAGED SERVICES OFFERING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN TODAY’S CYBERSECURITY LANDSCAPE.

WHAT MAKES SOPHOS STAND OUT AGAINST YOUR COMPETITORS? Sophos is at the forefront of a pivotal moment in the evolution of cybersecurity. As a global cybersecurity leader, Sophos is constantly driving change to reshape and innovate the market. One way Sophos is doing this is by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, through deep learning neural networks, so that its security solutions adapt more quickly to today’s fast-changing threat landscape. Secondly, at the heart of Sophos’ strategy, lies the concept of synchronised security, where all of the company’s security products actively work together to provide faster, more accurate detection, and greater levels of automation to isolate and stop threats from spreading. At Sophos, we know that the solution to complexity is not more complexity. We tackle security challenges with clarity and confidence, knowing that simple, innovative security is better security. COULD YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR CHANNEL PLANS AND STRATEGIES? Sophos is a 100 percent channel focused cybersecurity company. We are the only cybersecurity

company that has ‘channel’ as part of its mission statement. We put our partners first in everything we do—from sales, marketing and support to product development. Our extensive global partner channel is a key strategic asset for Sophos and remains a key differentiator. Over the last few years, Sophos has built a structure that provides our partners with the support and resources they need to be successful in the cybersecurity market. We are continually investing in our channel programme and have increased our annual channel marketing spend. The overall internal channel headcount has increased over the last few years and we now have channel dedicated marketing, support and sales engineers. Currently, Sophos has a presence in more than 50 countries across the Middle East and Africa with a team of more than 50 people working hand-in-hand with more than 3,000 transacting channel partners. HOW DO YOU SEE THE CHANNEL EVOLVING? WHAT IS SOPHOS’ CHANNEL STRATEGY FOR THE REGION? As cyberattacks today are both constant and changing on a daily basis, businesses of all types and sizes need to be serious about their security. The best way for

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organisations to stay on top of new cybercriminal behaviours and new security solutions is to rely on their channel partner to recommend the best protection against ongoing sophisticated attacks. Sophos employs a simple and effective “channel first” sales strategy that allows us to efficiently scale our customer base. In the Middle East, we offer a strong, flexible and generous partner programme with dedicated support, sales tools, training and certification, deal registration protection, and competitive margins - including a programme dedicated to Managed Service Providers (MSP). Sophos creates products with features designed specifically for partners, such as the Sophos CentralPartner dashboard that allows partners to centrally manage their customer endpoints and firewalls from a single dashboard. Partners also have clear upsell and cross-sell opportunities with their existing customers, due

SOPHOS IS UNWAVERING IN ITS COMMITMENT TO BE A TRUSTED PARTNER TO THE CHANNEL BY PROVIDING THE BEST CYBERSECURITY PRODUCTS, SUPPORT AND PROGRAMMES THAT ACTIVELY ENABLE RESELLERS TO GROW AND GENERATE REVENUE.” to the broad portfolio of Sophos products that are available within Sophos Central. Sophos is unwavering in its commitment to be a trusted partner to the channel by providing the best cybersecurity products, support and programmes that actively enable resellers to grow and generate revenue. Our plan is to expand our channel depth across the Middle East and provide next-gen threat protection to businesses of all sizes. WHAT HAS BEEN SOPHOS’ BIG CHANNEL PUSH LATELY? ‘Everything as a service’ is virtually taking over all areas of technology and technologydriven businesses, and cybersecurity is no different. This shift to ‘as a service’ is driving a dramatic transformation in the channel, where cybersecurity value-added resellers of all sizes are rapidly transitioning www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

28 COVER STORY

THE SHIFT TO ‘AS A SERVICE’ IS DRIVING A DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION IN THE CHANNEL, WHERE CYBERSECURITY VALUE-ADDED RESELLERS OF ALL SIZES ARE RAPIDLY TRANSITIONING THEIR BUSINESSES TO BECOME SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS.” their businesses to become service providers for their customers. This enables them to move up the value chain to become more strategic, and also enhances the predictability of their business model and customer retention. More than two years ago, we introduced a new MSP

HOW SOPHOS EMPOWERS PARTNERS The cybersecurity firm empowers channel partners with new, innovative products and business enablement tools, including: Partner portal website and app – The app makes working with Sophos even simpler and easier for partners Channel service center – This offers free marketing agency support to all partners News sync - Code that partners can copy into their website to mirror Sophos’ Naked Security blog on their own site, with no additional investment Content syndication News and information partners can post on their website Channel influencer community – An initiative that brings together Sophos and the larger channel ecosystem to gather feedback on products, programmes, marketing, and support

programme explicitly designed to enable and support our partners to embrace this new selling opportunity, and we believe our product portfolio, integrated cloud management console, and channel priorities are an ideal fit for MSPs. THE RISE OF NEXT-GEN MSPS IS REDEFINING THE CORE ATTRIBUTES OF A PARTNER. WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS THAT PARTNERS REQUIRE IN ORDER TO DRIVE A SUCCESSFUL MODEL? Building a next-gen MSP business can be a challenge. Gone are the days where on-site visits and set business hours are the norm. Customers are now looking for MSP support 24x7, and part of this is due to the “always on” attacker mentality and our digital culture today. As a result, MSPs must be flexible and well-equipped to manage customer needs from anywhere and at any time. Partners must also drive marketing and brand development programmes that educate end-users and generate new business leads. Sophos helps with this by providing marketing support as part of its partner programme. We also offer regular training and certification programmes that allows partners to become trusted advisors to their customers. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SOPHOS MSP CONNECT PROGRAMME? Sophos MSP Connect is our dedicated programme for MSPs. The awardwinning programme provides MSPs with endpoint, server, firewall,

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mobile, encryption, web, and email security solutions – all through Sophos. This means MSPs don’t have to chase multiple vendors or juggle numerous contracts. Since Sophos’ full portfolio of products fall under the Sophos Central umbrella, they are fully integrated for enhanced protection, allowing MSPs to offer a higher level of security. MSPs can manage all of these products, their security licenses and customer information from a single pane of glass – all in one view. MSPs don’t need to bounce between multiple tools or management resources anymore. They get a single, complete platform to watch for risks and respond to threats. All of this saves MSPs precious time and resources.

DOES SOPHOS HAVE A PARTNER PROGRAMME? PLEASE SHARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS. Yes. Sophos has a flexible and generous MEA partner programme with dedicated support, sales tools, training and certification, deal registration protection and competitive margins - including options for MSPs. The Sophos Partner Programme for Middle East and Africa is based on sales performance and consists of four levels – Authorised entry level, Silver level, Gold level and Platinum level. Each level increases with the partner’s commitment to selling Sophos’ products. Our partner programme for the MEA region highlights our mission to be the world’s leading

‘channel first’ and ‘channel best’ cybersecurity company that creates all-star programmes and incentives for channel enablement and accelerating Sophos partner profitability. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN PARTNERS? Partners are our first priority and they are the key to our success. This is also the main focus of our channel sales model. We are fully committed to helping our partners increase their profits and customer loyalty. And, we look for a similar level of commitment from partners at all levels, including a strategy to develop their business with Sophos and a plan to complete training and accreditations at the highest level.

SOPHOS MSP CONNECT PROVIDES MSPS WITH ENDPOINT, SERVER, FIREWALL, MOBILE, ENCRYPTION, WEB, AND EMAIL SECURITY SOLUTIONS – ALL THROUGH SOPHOS. THIS MEANS MSPS DON’T HAVE TO CHASE MULTIPLE VENDORS OR JUGGLE NUMEROUS CONTRACTS.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

30 SPECIAL FEATURE

WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY G ender diversity is a global endeavour that the technology industry is aspiring to achieve to this day. As researchers continue to prove how more women at workplaces can enhance businessesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bottom lines, regional tech firms are increasingly paying attention to ensuring more female participation in their operations. With acute skills shortage as one of the biggest issues in the tech space, organisations are also discovering how women can help bridge the talent gap by offering their unique perspectives. We profile and feature women in the regional channel technology space across designations to learn how their leadership positively impacts the workplace and overall business performances.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

Cherine Trabulssi

Kinda Baydoun

MEA sales leader for converged systems, Oracle Systems

Middle East channel and alliances manager, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE)

How did you get into the IT business? My goal after graduation was to join a multinational company. In 2006, I got an opportunity to join Oracle as a business development consultant. Despite being a marketing management graduate, I decided to leave my home country and join Oracle in Dubai, where I developed my sales and leadership skills as well as IT industry knowledge.

How did you get into the channel business? The channel business was an obvious career continuation and progression for me at HPE. I was given the role of ME Inside Sales manager in 2011, then I was asked to coach all the inside sales rep and to convert their roles into field sales, and with that we started - for the first time in the Middle East - the SMB Sales organisation in 2013. Managing SMB customers was based on close engagement and alignment with channel partners and distributors, and therefore, it was clear to me that my next career move should be into the channel business.

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? I am fortunate to be working in a company that values diversity by creating a workplace where all kinds of people work together. At Oracle, we have an initiative that unites our employees for the empowerment of women: Oracle Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leadership (OWL). Describe yourself in two words: Passionate and honest Strengths you believe you bring to your work: My integrity; being competitive and achieving my goals with courage, confidence and tenacity; being goal oriented with an eye for detail The best part of your job: Working in a multicultural workplace such as Oracle has exposed me to people from different cultures and diverse backgrounds. This has been a rewarding professional experience. The biggest challenge in your role: It is vital for me to ensure that my team is constantly updated on and understand the potential impact of new technologies such as AI, IoT, Blockchain among many others.

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? By giving equal opportunities to women and men within my team, and by mentoring young women Describe yourself in two words: I am an enthusiastic and result-oriented person. Strengths you believe you bring to your work: I am a structured, committed and self-driven team player The best part of your job: Working closely with partners and distributors and helping them grow their business The biggest challenge in your role: Managing a very complex channel ecosystem

Name of your industry mentor: Giovanna Sangiorgi, Oracle Digital SVP. A source of inspiration to me, Giovanna always aims to empower women and she has been a key catalyst for the success of Oracle Digital.

Name of your industry mentor: I am always in touch with my former managers, and I reach out to our senior and executive management whenever I need a career advice.

Motivating factors for you are: My family, friends, coworkers, my passion in driving change, making a difference and positive impact in my society by helping people, encouraging and empowering them to accomplish the desired goals

Motivating factors for you are: Achieving results, solving conflicts and developing my career

Advice for young aspirants in this space: Believe in yourself, be bold enough to ask for what you want, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to play to your strengths and push back when necessary while remaining ethical and professional. Know how to position yourself as a woman in technology by following the right mentors and having the right conversations. Let the sky be your limit.

Advice for young aspirants in this space: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have your eyes on the next job, just do your best in your current role, and good things will always come your way.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

32 WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

Kristina Tantsyura

KU Shankri

SVP for Sales, marketing and business development, National Computer Corporation (UAE)

managing director, Lucky Star Computers

How did you get into the technology business? I worked for a long time in the IT business in Russia. In 2011, I had an idea to bring Russian technologies to the Middle East market. Since then, I have been successfully and actively developing sales of Russian technologies in the UAE and the Middle East.

How did you get into the channel business? My whole career is linked with direct relationships with customers. When I started my retail business, this skill helped me greatly. In the channel, we educate customers and learn from them a lot.

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? My Russian colleagues for a long time did not believe that I would be able to work effectively in the UAE and develop the IT business and, frankly, are still surprised. I believe there is no gender problem in the industry, instead there are issues such as lack of qualifications and prejudice. From this point of view, the UAE is a very comfortable country for women in business. Describe yourself in two words: Bright and charming Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Sociability, calm, attention to detail and results-oriented The best part of your job: Acquiring new knowledge and making new connections The biggest challenge in your role: Is to help the customer choose the right technology or solution from a variety of similar ones Name of your industry mentor: Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr, director general, Smart Dubai Office Motivating factors for you are: Satisfaction from a great job done Advice for young aspirants in this space: Study, work hard and do not be afraid to make mistakes

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

How you have addressed gender biases in your industry? Honestly, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see any differences between the genders in my field. Dubai market has well accepted the gender equality. Describe yourself in two words: Hard working and independent Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Positive thinking, energetic, detailed planning of my day The best part of your job: Meeting and interacting with different nationalities, understanding their need and offering the right solutions. The biggest challenge in your job: Market fluctuations Name of your industry mentor: Raj Shankar, MD, Redington Gulf Motivating factors for you are: My main motivation comes from providing excellent service to every customer. Customer appreciation encourages me to do better. Advice for young aspirants in this space: Be honest, work hard and dream big. Make the world a better place through your business ventures.

Marissa Safe

Maya Kreidy

COO and vice president, FDC International

channel lead, Middle East and Turkey, McAfee

How did you get into the channel business? I got the opportunity when I was researching the Middle East market requirement and because I was in the right place at the right time.

How did you get into the channel business? About 17 years ago, when I started my career in IT, I worked as a technical consultant and quickly moved into sales, gaining experience with vendors and partners. I soon learned the importance of the channel and also saw a gap in the market for strong channel leaders that could engage and strengthen relationships with key partners to drive business. So, when the opportunity came around for me to lead the channel, I didn’t hesitate.

How have you addressed gender biases at your workplace? Never thought of that! For me, integrity and loyalty are the qualifications that are more important than gender. Describe yourself in two words: Passionate and hardworking Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Positive attitude The best part of your job: Meeting and working with educated professionals and the best people in the industry The biggest challenge in your role: Unstable economy and political situation, which greatly affects the planning for ROI and to be able to do the right thing in an environment with different rules for different countries. Motivating factors for you are: My family and the part of “ecosystem of providing and not only using” Advice for young aspirants in this space: To be themselves by looking inside to find what they really want to do. Be persistent and never give-up. Failure is not a bad thing, it is the guidance to success always.

How have you addressed gender biases in the industry? As IT has traditionally been a male dominated sector, overcoming gender biases is not easy. Dealing with these kinds of issues begin with building higher self-awareness and confidence at your workplace and always being engaged with the business and voicing your opinion. I am lucky that at McAfee gender equality is a key area of focus. McAfee runs multiple initiatives — such as diversity hiring, leadership trainings and webinars — to enforce the message and ensure continuous inclusion. Describe yourself in two words: Innovative and self-motivated Strengths you believe you bring to your work: I drive change and challenge status quo. I seek to lead and have an impact. Also, I am able to think “big picture”. The best part of your job: Always meeting new people and exploring new markets The biggest challenge in your role: Maintaining work-life balance in a very hectic industry Name of your industry mentor: I am part of the Leadership Aspire Program at McAfee and Nicole Miller is my mentor and coach Motivating factors for you are: Stability, flexibility, recognition, personal growth, responsibility Advice for young aspirants in this space: Do what you like with passion and dedication and set your expectations based on your ambitions and not based on other people’s promises. That’s the secret of success.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

34 WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

Maya Zakhour

Nadine Welly

head of distribution and alliances, Middle East and Africa, NetApp

channel sales lead, UAE, Dell Technologies

How did you get into the channel business? Ever since I began working in the IT industry, the channel has been my passion. I have always chosen roles that are strategically important to the business, and the channel is at the heart of a vendor’s go to market strategy.

How did you get into the channel business? I first gained exposure to the channel business at Microsoft in 2007. I started with managing license compliance and in the next six months was promoted to an internal regional partner account manager. This is where I discovered my drive for the channel business. Since then, I have focused on building my knowledge and translating my experience in managing the channel ecosystem and partnerships.

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? At NetApp, we embrace diversity in the workplace and make positive strides toward change so that both the business and employees succeed. Describe yourself in two words: Progressive leader Strengths you believe you bring to your work: My ability to lead by example coupled with the ability to strategise, build relationships and effectively manage time. The best part of your job: Managing NetApp’s regional distribution landscape and growing channel coverage in the MEA region is what I find refreshingly dynamic, demanding, and challenging—where no two days are the same. The biggest challenge in your role: Onboarding the right partners to keep up with our growth, and ensuring they are aligned with our strategy. I see this as a positive challenge because it shows the potential that NetApp has to grow in the market, and that partners are keen and committed to work with us. Name of your industry mentor: Dr. Ali Baghdadi, SVP and CEO at Ingram Micro Motivating factors for you are: The positive organisational climate and the opportunity to excel in what I do. Advice for young aspirants in this space: My advice to women who want to build their career in IT is to learn what IT really is—its aspects, trends and what the future of technology will look like. To succeed they need to equip themselves with a deep understanding of the different layers, applications of different technologies, underlying factors that form the backbone of the industry, and of course, the IT channel and its landscape.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? As a seasoned IT female leader, I do not believe in gender bias. Every individual is provided with an opportunity to make his mark and excel in their role by providing real value to their organisation. Describe yourself in two words: Tenacity and integrity Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Empowering my team to act as leaders within the channel ecosystem, being well organised and diligent. The best part of your job: I truly cherish the strong bond that exists within my team and extended team. I also thrive in finding opportunities in challenges. The biggest challenge in your role: Working on long-term plans with channel partners on specific products and solutions that might become obsolete is a challenge. So, constantly reworking the plan to adapt to the changing landscape has become the norm. Name of your industry mentor: When I started my journey at Dell Technologies, I was a working mother. Amel Gardner, who was the Global Business Director for Emerging Markets that time, was one of the women who helped me shape my personality and outlook towards the business. Motivating factors for you are: Training my team to become leaders and witnessing their growth, working with partners to transform their business and helping them grow and doing what’s right with the highest level of integrity and fairness Advice for young aspirants in this space: You are your own brand. So, integrity should be the basis of all business. To make a real difference, it is integral to step up to your role, know your partners well, give your best in everything you do, share your expertise and keep the passion alive to ensure exceptional partner experience is delivered.

Nandini Sapru

Reshma Naik

vice president, sales and marketing, EMT Distribution

sales engineering manager, Emerging EMEA, Citrix Systems

How did you get into the channel business? I was looking to enter the Information Security business in 2008 in a pre-sales/technical role. At that time, there was a sales position that I thought was interesting. It required me to understand products well, train the channel and support partners to resell the product. I found channel sales interesting as I could enable partner companies learn technology (which I always had a passion for) and also make them profitable. I took a real liking for channel sales, as it fulfilled both my passions namely technology and to support people, and thus I kept going.

How did you get into the channel business? My first job in the Middle East was at a distributor as a product manager. So, I worked at grass root level in the channel business before moving to a vendor.

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? To be honest, I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t faced this issue. Twelve years ago, there were probably some hesitations from customers as to whether I would understand their technical requirements and deliver projects to their satisfaction. But those could be easily overcome. In fact, I think being a woman was an advantage for me as customers easily remembered me and my efforts to support them. Today, I see many women in the channel, and I do not see any gender biases in the workplace. The Middle East is a safe and supportive environment for working women. Strengths you believe you bring to your work: I strive to be persistent, consistent and compassionate. The best part of your job: I love that no two days are the same. It helps me learn something new every day. Also, I love that my job keeps me on my toes when it comes to being updated on changing technology and business strategies. The biggest challenge in your role: We have to adapt to change quickly, be it in technology or in business strategy or political and economic landscapes in the region. Name of your industry mentor: EMT Distribution CEO Mohammad Mobasseri has had a great influence on my career development

How have you addressed gender biases at your workplace? Standing up firmly for what you believe in (which for me is equality) helps address any kind of biases that you may face at work or anywhere. Describe yourself in two words: I am extremely passionate about my work and I am a people-person Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Enthusiastic about learning anything new, structured and wellorganised, highly-motivated and driven The best part of your job: My job makes me feel like a genius every time I solve our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; challenges The biggest challenge in your role: Maintaining a healthy work-life balance Name of your industry mentor: Sevi Tufekci, director for sales engineering, Emerging EMEA, Citrix Systems Motivating factors for you are: Flexibility at work, company culture, learning and development opportunities Advice for young aspirants in this space: Be yourself, be fearless and always be adaptable to changes

Motivating factors for you are: New technology, new business strategies and customers interested in adopting changes into their technology Advice for young aspirants in this space: Stay focused, stay strong and never stop learning

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

36 WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

Sanja Horylova

Serap Yilmazer

sales director, Asbis Middle East

channel manager, Software AG Turkey

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? I always act from a human perspective and do not encourage biases of any nature. Describe yourself in two words: Driver and Empathic Strengths you believe you bring to your work: My need to improve, competitiveness to lead and willingness to change. The best part of your job: No limits in achieving what you want The biggest challenge in your role: Being patient Name of your industry mentor: Hesham Tantawi, VP, MENA, Asbis Middle East

How did you get into the channel business? Years ago, I got an opportunity to work in channel management at Oracle Turkey and I chose the role because I wanted to work with different parties of the ecosystem. It was a great learning curve for me and after four years with Oracle, I took another chance to work for Turkcell, one of the biggest Telco provider in our region and dive into telecommunications. I spent ten years with Turkcellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Value Added Services Ecosystem and acquired rich experience in areas such as IoT, Mobile Payment, Health, Marketing, etc. And now in the present day, I am back to IT with Software AG Turkey. How have you addressed gender biases at your workplace? People have biases in many areas (gender, age, religion, race) and therefore it could have disadvantages in the beginning. However when you work together, people know you for who you are and in the business world what really matters is the result you achieve for the hard work put in. In general, I believe in, if you are confident and work hard, people give you credit where you deserve. Describe yourself in two words: Fair and results-oriented

Motivating factors for you are: Self-motivation is what keeps me going.

Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Empathy, hardworking, patience

Advice for young aspirants in this space: Be who you are or act as the one you are presenting

The best part of your job: To meet new people and get exposed to new ideas every day The biggest challenge in your role: To create win-win situations in every case Name of your industry mentor: Pinar Rua Aksu, Oracle Turkey, Sales VP, UKII, South & ECEMEA at Oracle Motivating factors for you are: Learning and accomplishment Advice for young aspirants in this space: It is important to meet with people face to face and understand their aspirations and to be able to find a way to get best results for all parties involved. Partnership means a longtime, steady relationship and communication is the key to every successful relationship.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

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38 WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

Simran Bagga regional channel sales director, Middle East and Africa, Cambium Networks

How did you get into the channel business? The ICT industry is truly one of the most versatile career fields. I wanted to passionately impact partners and customers in an ever-evolving industry and help maximise their potential. All through my IT career spanning over 24 years with HP, Compaq, IBM, Microsoft and currently Cambium Networks, I have experienced transformation at a fast pace. Driving the channel business has been both challenging and exciting. How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? The IT industry was very much a male domain in the early 90’s, when I stepped into this environment. Continuous learning, acquiring new skills, be a trusted advisor, can do attitude, fostering strong partnerships have been instrumental in overcoming the gender discrimination and provided a level playing field. Describe yourself in two words: Passionate and culturally astute Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Building robust business partnerships, result-oriented hands-on pragmatic leader and an eye for detail. The best part of your job: Thinking of innovative ideas, putting them into practice and learning from outcomes keeps the thrill and excitement of work going. The biggest challenge in your role: Building a niche brand in a fiercely competitive environment Name of your industry mentor: My mentor is R Srinivasan who has been an integral part of my personal and professional journey. Motivating factors for you are: To be a top performer one must be passionately committed to what one is doing and insanely confident about one’s ability to pull it off. The only constant in life is change and people who adapt and respond rapidly to change are happy and successful in their personal and professional lives. Advice for young aspirants in this space: The possibilities are endless, and the doors are open, we just need to believe in ourselves. We always need to understand and appreciate the value we bring and share as individuals in our role, our team and our organisation. Work hard, work smart. Never give up. And last but not the least, “find work that you love, and you’ll never have a job in your life”. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

Sithi Sahleena runrate leader, Middle East Africa and Turkey, Lenovo Data Center Group

How did you get into the channel business? I started my career as a Test Engineer in the IBM plant in India. At that time, I did not know what channel was. As my career progressed, I understood that channel is the key to the growth of any business. And then I came to Dubai and the first opportunity, which came to me was to grow the IBM channel in the UAE through distribution. This was 13 years ago and I have never turned back. How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? Lenovo is a highly employee centric organisation and I have not faced any gender biases. Having said that it is important to highlight that I am the only woman in the sales team, working and collaborating with 20 plus men. Sometimes they forget that there is a woman in the room and talk causally. It’s an art to selectively hear what you want to hear and ignore what you don’t want to. I admit that I have a razor focus only on the objective/outcome of the discussion and have no room for any other factors. Describe yourself in two words: Passionate and result driven Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Goal oriented, win or learn and never give up The best part of your job: Is when I have to turn challenges into opportunities. I perform best when my back is against the wall. The biggest challenge in your role: “Surprises”. I love bad news, and dislike surprises. Name of your industry mentor: Akram Ayyad, GM, GBM Distribution Motivating factors for you are: My Family and my team Advice for young aspirants in this space: Set up goals, break them into daily objectives, achieve and move to next. Repeat.

40 WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

Sneha Reddy

Sushma Kajaria

account manager, Epicor Software Middle East

channel sales manager, Nutanix

How did you get into the channel business? Having worked in sales from the start of my career, it was a natural transition to move into the channel role. While it did seem challenging at first, I was excited about the opportunity to grow within Epicor and take the next step in my career.

How did you get into the channel business? I started my career in IT as an account executive at Ingram Micro and then moved to distribution firm Westcon ME where I was business unit manager for the network security and wireless portfolio and was successful in driving and managing business goals via channel partners. Since then I have been in various channel leadership roles across the Middle East and Emerging EMEA, managing business via channel and direct customer approach.

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? I strongly believe that, we as women need more than just a seat at the table. We need to make sure our voice is heard and speak up for ourselves, which is something I practice daily. Describe yourself in two words: Energetic and dependable Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Interpersonal skills, self-confidence and the ability to learn from mistakes. The best part of your job: I love that the work culture at Epicor in the region offers me a great degree of control and freedom. This keeps me engaged and motivated and helps ensure I do my best work. The biggest challenge in your role: Finding the right work-life balance Name of your industry mentor: Hesham El Komy, regional vice president, Epicor Motivating factors for you are: Positive work environment and recognition Advice for young aspirants in this space: With a constantly changing business environment, the key to success is staying up to date with trends and continuously learning. As women, it is important for us to be assertive and pursue our aspirations whole-heartedly.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

How have you addressed gender biases in your industry? I have been fortunate not to have faced gender biases in any of my roles. I agree that traditionally, IT used to be a male dominated industry. But not anymore. In the past few years, I have witnessed the change and I see a lot of women in IT managing impactful roles. Describe yourself in a few words: Go-getter, humble, honest and persistent Strengths you believe you bring to your work: Results oriented, team player and super motivated and energetic The best part of your job: I love building and nurturing relationships with the channel community, and I find it exciting working towards common goals and achieving the seemingly impossible. The biggest challenge in your role: Everyone has different priorities. The greatest challenge is getting all these priorities aligned in order to create a win-win situation. Name of your industry mentor: Keith Rich, Senior VP at Westcon and Eva Chen, co-founder and CEO of Trend Micro Motivating factors for you are: Solving complex problems and witnessing the impact that my role brings to the organisation Advice for young aspirants in this space: Be persistent. Always keep your goals in focus and work smart to achieve them.

10th September 2019 Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai, UAE

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OPTIMISING MULTICLOUD ENVIRONMENT ALAA ELSHIMY, MD AND VP, ENTERPRISE BUSINESS, HUAWEI MIDDLE EAST, ELABORATES ON HOW THE FIRM EMPOWERS CUSTOMERS TO CAPITALISE ON MULTI-CLOUD COMPUTING.

t’s no surprise that organisations across the Middle East today are making the move from traditional in-house infrastructure to the cloud. Cost, performance, management and space savings are all important motivators. In particular, the hybrid cloud environment has become one of the most preferred as organisations can use a mix of on-premises private cloud and third-party public cloud services with orchestration between the two platforms. There are, however, different hybrid cloud architectures. The heterogeneous architecture is perhaps the most prominent. In a heterogeneous model, the environment is built with public and

BUILDING AN OPEN, COLLABORATIVE CLOUD ECOSYSTEM IS KEY TO DRIVE SUCCESS IN THE DIGITALISATION ERA.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

private technologies from different vendors. An enterprise chooses a public cloud provider, such as AWS or Azure, and pairs it with a private offering, such as OpenStack. Initially, many organisations pursued a multi-cloud strategy because they were uncertain about cloud reliability. Multi-cloud computing can indeed help organisations meet those requirements, since they can select from multiple IaaS providers’ data centre regions or availability zones. This trend has continued following an explosion of new applications in cloud computing. With the roll-out of 5G, for example, there will be real-time transfer speed between the cloud and devices with zero lag. Therefore, the response time for computation and storage will be the same

WE BELIEVE IN FOCUSING ON FULL-STACK PLATFORM CAPABILITIES, END-TO-END SERVICE CAPABILITIES, AND COMPREHENSIVE ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIPS.”

for both cloud and device. Cloud businesses are also going through a major development of their AI capabilities to offer a competitive edge to enterprise customers. Traditionally a single Cloud Service Provider (CSP) would be challenged to meet all of these application requirements, so it follows that a multi-cloud solution was the inevitable choice for enterprises. Yet in this multi-cloud environment, organisational leaders still want simplicty. They want a single solution that can provide a fully-integrated cloud service system. They require integrating network, compute and storage resources in data centres to unify the virtual and physical

worlds, implementing multi-cloud connectivity and cloud-based network automation to make cloud computing easier. Even in today’s IT environment, some cloud operations managers and business owners still face challenges. There’s often a lack of in-depth information on infrastructure utilization, as well as sub-optimal utilization of hardware infrastructure. There can also be a lack of historic data to analyze periodicity or seasonality in usage patterns, and hence get the most out of cloud investments. The inability to accurately predict usage for future provisioning also means difficulties apportioning hardware costs for

internal charge back based on usage. For this reason, building an open, collaborative cloud ecosystem is key to drive success in the digitalisation era. We feel it is essential to work with CSPs to optimise cloud infrastructure resource utilisation, drive proactive risk assessment, and provide a 360-degree view of the infrastructure. There’s also an opportunity to help CSP to identify operational slack and improve ROI by using underutilised infrastructure components. We are doing this today by teaming up with global partners in the public cloud domain to combine cloud, network, and digital services. We believe in focusing on full-stack platform capabilities, end-to-end service capabilities, and comprehensive ecosystem partnerships. In addition, we are committed to providing a wide array of hybrid cloud solutions that support homogeneous and heterogeneous architectures. This type of coordination and collaboration across industries will drive cloud innovation at scale. In the end, by using AI, cloud, and big data technologies, businesses in the region will better understand their customers’ needs, and will be able to provide a more personalised experience for every customer.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

44 PARTNER WATCH

Piloting the digital future Bahaa Eddine Al Indary, AVP, Sales, Raqmiyat, explains how the systems integration firm plays a critical role in enabling customers with their digital transformation journey.

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON KEY HIGHLIGHTS AT RAQMIYAT OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS? At Raqmiyat, we are focusing on serving the market in the best possible way. We view ourselves as ‘next-generation’ systems integration firm. Our offerings as a traditional systems integrator is all about developing applications, supporting our customers and doing managed services. However, recently, we have observed an increase in demand from our customers on how to transform their business and move

their operations to the cloud. We have evolved our offerings around this rising demand. Today, besides our regular offerings, we also focus on providing consultancy services. As many legacy applications are still in use, customers want to know how they can optimise these technologies and move to the cloud. This is where our role comes into the picture as we guide them in this journey. We have partnered with global firms who play a significant role in migration services and cloud offerings. This is what we mean by

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

‘next-generation’ systems integrator – we are striving to upscale our resources, skillsets and capabilities to match what our customers require. WHAT KIND OF DEMAND HAVE YOU SEEN FROM THE MARKET WHEN IT COMES TO SERVICES AROUND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION? Currently, most organisations are under huge pressures to innovate and accelerate their businesses digitally. In order to innovate, customers need to identify the right tools to use. We

have teamed up with global leaders who can provide these tools. With these tools also come skillsets that are needed to build applications for the future. This is our key message to our customers. If you don’t have the right set of tools, then you won’t be able to innovate – and this is where our expertise comes into play. In order to accelerate the business, we need to enable the team to the next era of development. Today we see that organisations are looking to digitise any customer-facing operation. CONSIDERING THAT DATA SOVEREIGNTY IS IMPORTANT IN THIS REGION, HOW IS RAQMIYAT ENABLING CUSTOMERS TO MIGRATE THEIR OPERATIONS TO CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES? We have tied up with companies who boast offerings around migration services. As many customers have legacy applications in place, they need to update to the latest version or make a transition from on-prem to cloud or switch from hardware platforms to operating systems. This is where our experienced team can offer expertise as they help customers to prepare their business for tomorrow, which cannot be done without innovation. Improving customer experiences, reducing cost and boosting security, availability, performance and agility are our addedvalue to our clients. We help clients map out a detailed plan and decide which functions or solutions should be migrated to cloud. Cost is not the only factor to

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IS THE DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN TODAY’S DYNAMICALLY EVOLVING DIGITAL WORLD. IF A COMPANY CANNOT SCALE UP IN CAPABILITIES, IT WILL FAIL TO MATCH THE DEMAND IN THE MARKET. INVESTING IN YOUR OWN RESOURCES IS A KEY ELEMENT.”

consider, but also technical aspects. It is our role as Raqmiyat to advise customers and guide them with the right roadmap. WHAT ARE THE CURRENT CHALLENGES CUSTOMERS FACE WHEN LOOKING TO MIGRATE TO THE CLOUD? There are several challenges customers face when it comes to migrating operations to the cloud. Security and compliance are the biggest setbacks the industry faces today in this area. Security is a joint

responsibility that all stakeholders must take. This means everything from encryption, access control, risk management among other security features have to be unified and clearly laid out across all applications and data. Lack of technical expertise for transferring workloads to the cloud is a big issue in the industry today. Another problem is vendor lock-in, which means there is no standardisation in how data is stored, secured and moved between cloud providers. Additionally, incompatibility between components and services across clouds compels customers to select a single cloud, which makes it difficult to adopt a best-of-breed approach. Customers have to also be conscious of controlling costs. While it may be easy to move data to a public cloud, it could be expensive if you have to transfer it back. It is critical for all organisations to have a data strategy, which is currently lacking. Achieving a seamless processing of data without restricting it to silos, right from collecting and storing to analysing and deriving actionable insights, is important in today’s multi- and hybrid cloud environments. HOW SHOULD TRADITIONAL SIS EVOLVE THEIR BUSINESSES TO ENSURE THEY ARE RELEVANT IN TODAY’S ERA? Technical expertise is the differentiating factor to be successful in today’s dynamically evolving digital world. If a company cannot scale up in capabilities, it will fail to match the demand in the market. Investing in your own resources is a key element. Customers and providers alike need to see how the market is structured today. They need to be aware of the new trends and how it could shape the future. Also, customers need to evaluate if their applications are enabled to support new technologies in the form they are in today as well as if it advances tomorrow. At Raqmiyat, our focus is on organisations’ cloud strategy and how to optimise in-house resources.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

46 PARTNER WATCH

Connecting the dots Farouk Hemraj, CEO, Channelhub, delves into the thoughts behind launching a digital consumer technology networking platform, which aims to connect vendors, distributors, retailers and business developers from all over the globe. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON HOW CHANNELHUB CAME TO BE ESTABLISHED? Channelhub was born as a result of my 20 plus years of experience of running events and connecting vendors to appropriate channels across the Middle East, Europe, Russia and Asia. Over the years, I realised that our industry is facing a double challenge. One challenge is on the vendor’s end – they have high tech products, a global market and the need to find partners as quickly as possible. On the other hand,

you have retailers who also face a huge challenge because increasing number of shoppers today opt for online platforms rather than go to stores. This means retailers need to find innovative ways to bring customers back. The way the market operates today is outdated. People still rely on traditional methods such as trade shows and key Internet searches. However, these methods are not efficient. Channelhub was established to create quick connections and to shrink the time to market for products.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE OBJECTIVE OF CHANNELHUB? The idea of Channelhub is to change the way this market operates and to make the products available faster for end customers. Channelhub’s mission is to digitally connect consumer technology vendors and retailers to allow a faster and more productive way to bring innovative products to the market. Channelhub enables vendors, distributors, retailers and business developers from all over the world in the consumer technology space to

build trusted relationships in a fast and easy way, leveraging cutting edge technology with human expertise. HOW DOES CHANNELHUB ACHIEVE THIS? We design matching algorithms which helps us to bring companies together based on their profiles. It works similar to a social networking site. Everyone signs into their accounts and manages their profiles. Post which, they will see company or product suggestions appearing based on their type of business. If you are a vendor looking for retailers or distributors, you can invite them to connect with you to take the conversations further and vice versa. The members have three action buttons on the front of the site, which helps us to fine-tune the customised suggestions even further. They are “I’m not interested” and we remove the suggestion and make a note of it. We also go one step further to find out why they are not interested to improve our algorithm. The second tab is “The product is nice, but not for now”. We then just save it for later and it is added to their wishlist, which they can manage. The third tab is “I like the product and I want to have a sample”. Immediately within two clicks, you can send a request for sample to the vendor. We track the whole process to ensure there is feedback for every product sample. Vendors often complain that after sending samples of products, they don’t hear back from the retailers. So, we keep a track and expect the retailer to give an evaluation. We collect this data and share it with the vendor. Also, we realised that often decisions are delayed in business because decisionmakers don’t have all the

HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN IN THE WORKS? We have spent the past year to develop the platform as it takes a lot of time. We have to consider several different scenarios. We launched the platform in November 2018. Since then, we have been collecting profiles. We have also recently opened the matching feature, through which people are beginning to contact each other. As of today, we have more than 400 members registered with readyprofiles. We have received excellent initial feedback. I want to emphasise that we are not a marketplace. In a marketplace, you place an inventory for selling to anyone. Here we are creating connections, especially because in this business, we need to look at longterm relationships. We are a business network and not a marketplace. We create meaningful connections. We also qualify who comes on board to ensure all connections made here are relevant. It is a focused global networking platform catering to only consumer technology and products.

CHANNELHUB’S MISSION IS TO DIGITALLY CONNECT CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY VENDORS AND RETAILERS TO ALLOW A FASTER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE WAY TO BRING INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS TO THE MARKET.”

WHAT IS THE GOAL FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF YOUR OPERATIONS? 2019 is the first year and by the end of it, we are expecting to have 500 suppliers and an equivalent figure in terms of channels in distribution and retail.

information such as product details, reviews, market response and so on. If all the data is available on a platter from a neutral party, then one doesn’t need two months to take a decision. Also, Channelhub is interconnected. For example, if a Dubai-based retailer sees a French product, on the same page, he can check if the brand is already sold in the Middle East. Retailers usually buy locally from a distributor. If the brand is not distributed in the Middle East, the retailer can press a button to recommend a distributor. Immediately we connect the vendor with the distributor and inform them that there is an interested retailer in Dubai. The whole process is instant.

DO YOU SEE ANY KIND OF CHALLENGES TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL? It is challenging as many platforms exist today. It is difficult to grab our target audience’s attention and help them understand what makes our platform unique. However, once they are on board and have experienced the benefits, the reasons why our platform is better becomes evident. Another challenge, which is probably the biggest, is to change people’s habits. They might be used to one way of doing things. This is where we are spending a lot of time educating and ensuring that people understand how our platforms works and how it can be a part of their daily lives.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

48 VENDOR FOCUS

Beyond storage

OUR FOCUS FOR OUR CHANNEL FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR IS TO ENHANCE THEIR CAPABILITIES AND DIRECT THEM TO BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE BUSINESS THEY ARE DOING AND THE PRODUCTS THEY ARE DEALING WITH.”

Nick Jheng, regional manager, Middle East, Synology elaborates on the firm’s channel strategy and how partners can best capitalise its offerings in the region.

rganisations are increasingly realising the importance of being data-driven in their businesses. The growing data deluge continues to pose huge challenges as well as opportunities for companies today. Customers are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data being created and struggle to manage it yet alone optimise it. Specialising in Network-Attached Storage (NAS) appliances, Synology is a Taiwanese firm that has rapidly grown its operations across the globe. Besides NAS products, the company also offers a number of applications; public cloud services and boasts its own wireless routers. According to Synology’s regional manager for the Middle East, Nick Jheng, because the company truly understands the nuances of managing and storing data, it is able to anticipate customers’ challenges and offer innovative solutions. “Customers can use Synology NAS as a portal and sync files to our public cloud service. We also have

our own routers. We know how important it is to have stable and secure Internet environment for NAS users.” Jheng adds that the company’s focus for the region will continue to be on the SMB market. He says, “The regional SMB market generates more than 50 percent of UAE’s total GDP. This is also why we see our entry-level 4-bay NAS DiskStation as the most requested model in this market. However, we have observed that many users still use our NAS simply as storage. Our priority is to educate our users that they can go beyond just storage to optimise its data security, collaboration and surveillance features.” Customers have to go to the company’s package centre and download Surveillance Station as an add-on package to expand the functionality of the NAS. This way they can effortlessly convert their NAS into a Network Video Recorder (NVR) system or take advantage of the data protection features. “When customers use our NAS as storage, they don’t have to worry about paying for third

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES IN THIS MARKET AND DELIVER PIONEERING OFFERINGS THROUGH OUR DEDICATED PARTNER ECOSYSTEM.”

party software. They only have to undertake one-time expense of purchasing the NAS and drive. All the other features are add-ons and free of charge,” he explains. Jheng emphasises that while the company is primarily a NAS storage vendor, its three main pillars continue to be backup, cloud and networking. “These three focuses will remain our priority going forward.” Synology operates in a two-tier channel model in the region and works with distributors such as FDC

International and Hiperdist in the UAE market. Over the next few months, we will see the firm training partners to focus on the different functionalities of its NAS offering when positioning it to customers. “Our focus for our channel for the rest of this year is to enhance their capabilities and direct them to become more familiar with the business they are doing and the products they are dealing with. Additionally, we will also be looking to expand our channel network by

selecting partners who have similar growth objectives and relevant technology expertise.” Jheng adds that the company is excited about the Middle East region and it plays a significant part in its overall business goals and strategy. “We will continue to follow the trends and technologies in this market and deliver pioneering offerings through our dedicated partner ecosystem. We have been growing 20 percent year-on-year in this geography and expect to close the year with similar figures.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

50 REVIEW

XIAOMI MI 9T ONLINE EDITOR ADELLE GERONIMO TRIES AND TESTS THE LATEST ADDITION TO XIAOMI’S FLAGSHIP MI 9 SMARTPHONE FAMILY AND FINDS OUT WHY THE DEVICE “POPS-OUT” IN THE SMARTPHONE MARKET.

nly a few months after the release of Xiaomi’s midrange device Mi 9, the Chinabased phone maker has launched its newest flagship – the Mi 9T. The device, which ships as Redmi K20 outside the Europe and Middle East region, runs on the Android Pie-based MIUI 10 that the firm had introduced a year ago. The user interface is clean and responsive, making multi-tasking and switching through apps seamless. The Mi 9T is powered by a Snapdragon 730 chip, which is a powerful upper midrange SoC from Qualcomm. It has an 8nm octa-core chip running at 2.2GHz and integrated with the Kryo 470 CPU and 610MHz Adreno 618. It’s also paired with 6GB of memory and 128GB of in-built storage. It sports a sleek glass body with a curved aluminum frame, which has a rounded and glossy finish, giving the device a premium feel. However, the glossy frame can make the phone feel slippery and slightly insecure in hand. This can be easily solved with a good phone case and fortunately the device ships with a matte back case too. Xiaomi Mi 9T comes in three colours – Glacier Blue, Flame Red

and Carbon Black. The review unit that we have received is the Glacier Blue, which features an icy pattern with a shimmery gradient finish. The Mi 9T offers an all-screen experience with minimal bezels. The earpiece is etched between the glass and the screen. It has a 6.39-inch full AMOLED display that’s Gorilla Corning Glass 5-protected. With a Full HD+ resolution of 2340×1080 pixels, the device produces vibrant and immersive images that’s perfect for watching videos from Netflix and YouTube as well as for mobile gaming. There’s a single bottom-firing speaker on the Mi 9T – it provides decent audio and is reasonably loud. Unlike most handsets, Xiaomi Mi 9T’s fingerprint scanner is embedded underneath the lower section of the display instead of the back. The biometrics sensor is fast and accurate. It works exceptionally well and hardly ever misses if you place your finger down on the sensor properly. For many smartphone users, especially for the younger market, the cameras are among the top elements to consider when purchasing a device. In this aspect, the Mi 9T does not disappoint. Since the Mi 9T touts a

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

RATING

THE DEVICE PACKS A 4,000MAH LI-ION BATTERY AND COULD LAST BEYOND A FULL DAY OF NORMAL USAGE, WHICH INVOLVES USING SOCIAL MEDIA APPS, EMAILS, CHAT APPS AS WELL AS A BIT OF VIDEO STREAMING AND MOBILE GAMING.”

notchless design, the 20MP motorised pop-up selfie camera slides up and out the chassis – complete with flashing lights and a whimsical ringtone. By default, a beauty filter erases any blemishes or wrinkles on your face, but you can disable it for a more naturallooking photo. In addition, you can set up to five different customised modes for taking selfies. It produces images with more than enough detail as well

as vibrant and sharp colours. In Portrait mode, the phone can also take blurred background selfies and produces a fairly good bokeh effect despite the lack of a depth sensor. If you’re one of those users who tend to drop your mobile phones, fret not, as Xiaomi says that the pop-up camera

automatically retracts when the phone senses a free fall. We’ve tried dropping the phone while on selfie mode a couple of times and the pop-up mechanism does close down immediately. As for the rear shooters, the Mi 9T is equipped with three vertically lined up cameras at the back. The main cameras are headlined by a 48MP AI lens, which produces detailed images that are sharp enough without appearing unnatural. The auto-focus is fast and accurate in good light even when zoomed in. The other two cameras include an 8MP telephoto lens and 13MP ultrawide lens, which deliver a solid picture quality. The images produced while on Night Mode can be a bit grainy but nothing too major to complain about. The cameras also take smooth 1080 and 4k video footages. Another key highlight of the Mi 9T is its battery. The device packs a 4,000mAh Li-ion battery and could last beyond a full day of normal usage, which involves using social media apps, emails, chat apps as well as a bit of video streaming and mobile gaming. It also supports Quick Charge and the supplied 18W charger fills 45% of a depleted battery in half an hour. A full charge takes about an hour and a half. On the top, next to the pop-up selfie cam is the 3.5mm audio jack. Meanwhile, the bottom houses the dual-SIM tray, the USB-C port, and the speaker grille. FINAL THOUGHTS If you’re looking for a device that offers a powerful performance, produces good images and can last a full day of being onthe-go without breaking the bank the Mi 9T could be the phone for you. Priced at only AED 1, 349 the device definitely offers great value for money.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

52 REVIEW

ULTRA SLIM WORKSTATION – “THE SILENT WORKER”

he Ultra Slim workstation is unique in its design and innovative in terms of the technology that is packed into it. The device is created by TranquilPC, a Manchester-based low-energy IT systems provider, which is a company that was acquired by 2CRSI – storage systems and HPC solutions manufacturer – last year. Portability and form factor are two key criteria that customers consider when buying a laptop or any electronic device. Most manufacturers aim to make their device slimmer and sleeker to appeal to their target audiences. And it is not uncommon that today most products are touted as “slim”. However, what makes 2CRSI’s Ultra Slim workstation stand out is the fact that the company has equipped the device with full-fledged desktop computing power in a form that resembles a wireless router. Added

to that, the workstation works silently without making any whirring noise unlike most devices and usually something customers have acquiesced. Customers no longer have to settle for anything that is subpar and can enjoy and customise the device’s sturdy performance with top IP rating. The all-weather capabilities and the temperature resistance up to 60-degree Celsius without any fan will be a boon to the outdoor installations and facilities, which demand compactness and ruggedness. Customers get a fast and compact workhorse when coupled with Intel Chipsets with SSD by ensuring the loading and computing speeds are at the very best always. Manufactured in Manchester, United Kingdom, the

KEY FEATURES • Compact, 26 MM thickness and lightweight at just 1.1 KG • Boot speed of five seconds • IP50 All Weather Rating with Industrial Ruggedness • Fanless, noiseless and no moving parts • Great I/O Port Selection

device excelled in all our tests and it’s not easy to impress us considering the plethora of options available at present in this segment of computing power. The winning factor was the versatility of the device in almost any scenario, be it indoors or outdoors. It’s tinier and lighter than a laptop, which means the device can easily be a mobile solution when coupled with a monitor. The VESA mount helps to have a cleaner desktop with less cable clutter when paired behind a VESA supported monitor. It is an impressive device which lives up to its pedigree of great engineering excellence.

PRODUCTS

AOC LAUNCHES NEW RANGE OF USB MONITORS

OC has announced the three new models of AOC 16-inch class USB Monitors in the Middle East. The 15.6-inch plug and play models I1601FWUX, I1659FWUX and E1659FWU are build with ultra-slim IPS panel for extreme portability. The ultra slim and lightweight USB monitors receives both power and signal from a single USB cable for connectivity. Simply plug the monitor into a USB port on your laptop and it is ready for use and multitasking on the move without hassle. Supporting multiple monitor connections and compatibility with PCs and Macs, AOC USB Series is an ideal extended display.

The new models come with the advanced IPS technology for vibrant, consistent colours and wide viewing angles. The portable design allows users to enjoy crisp and refined visuals anytime they want. Ideal for users who are always on the move, said the firm. Users can auto pivot their screen while they rotate the display in Portrait or Landscape mode. They can install AOC iMenu software to activate Auto Pivot function. Customers can view Full HD images and videos (including Blu-ray titles) with maximum clarity and detail. I1601FWUX and I1659FWUX comes with resolution (1920×1080 @60Hz) and for the model E1659FWU

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

(1366×768 @60Hz). A pixel response time for I1601FWUX (5 ms GTG), I1659FWUX (25ms), and for E1659FWU (8ms), means speed without the smear for an enhanced gaming experience. AOC offers a three-year warranty for all AOC monitors products. The models come in end-user prices, 799 AED for I1601FWUX, 649 AED for I1659FWUX, and 499 AED for E1659FWU.

53 REVIEW

SEAGATE SKYHAWK 14TB HARD DRIVE

eagate’s brand new SkyHawk is a 3.5-inch, SATA 3 (6Gbps) hard drive equipped with eight spinning platters and the associated read-write heads. The hard drives employ parallel magnetic recording and features 256MB of DRAM cache. The regular version is supported with three years of full 24/7 use warranty, while the AI variety is guaranteed for five years by the storage firm. Customers will find the hard drives efficient as its average power draw when in operation is 5 watts, and 3.4 watts when not in use. The SkyHawk range features rotational vibration sensors, which enables the drive to compensate for the rumblings of up to 16 other drives in an array.

Seagate also presents ImagePerfect firmware in the hard drives, which is a multi-tier/ level caching technique modified for the average Network Video Recorder (NVR) workload. According to the company, ImagePerfect also supports larger cache sizes. When it comes to optimising the hard drives to store videos, the data is usually written to different drives. However, on SkyHawk, customers will see a huge advantage from using a single drive or mirrored array capability. The 24×7 workloads can leverage up to 14 TB with drives designed for DVR and NVR systems. Additionally, Seagate’s regular

SkyHawk 14TB drive supports up to 64 cameras and the SkyHawk AI version supports eight AI channels (16 streams). During our review of the product, we found SkyHawk to be an excellent hard drive that does not compromise on performance or speed.

ARUBA INSTANT ON – NEW WIRELESS SOLUTIONS NOW AVAILABLE

ruba Instant On, a new family of powerful and secure wireless solutions designed to address the current and future needs of small businesses with capacity for growth. The Instant On family will initially include indoor/outdoor Wi-Fi access points (APs) designed to deliver secure, high-speed wireless connectivity with hassle-free set-up and management, all with the quality, performance and exceptional support that customers expect from Aruba. Featuring Aruba’s industry-leading 802.11ac Wave 2 technology, the Instant On portfolio combines Aruba’s business-grade Wi-Fi in a simple, easy-to-set-up solution that offers the flexibility to scale up as business needs dictate. The Instant On family also features: • A simple, intuitive mobile app for easy set-up and management • Two management modes via the Instant On mobile app or cloud-based web portal • Best-in-class security capabilities, including compliance with the latest authentication protocols such as WPA2/WPA3 • Smart Mesh technology for easy expansion of the network to hard-to-wire areas

•

Ceiling, wall mount and desktop options to suit a variety of small business environments

The first set of Aruba Instant On APs will begin shipping in early July, with a list price starting at $119 USD.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

54 PRODUCTS

AVAYA INTRODUCES IX COLLABORATION UNIT CU360

he Avaya CU360 is a compact all-in-one video collaboration unit with full HD 1080p performance, a 4K camera sensor, along with 4K display support. Right out of the box, the unit can be up and running in 5 minutes, providing a quick and easy “huddle room” setup in virtually any space. It can be integrated with an organisation’s existing UC platform as well as any existing standards-based video infrastructure. By delivering access to and use of cloud-based applications, it can turn any room into a cloud-enabled collaboration room. Additionally, it can also turn any TV into an Android device with a

camera and microphone. This means it can be used for video recording, Skype, and any other functionality that Android apps provide. Thanks to this simplicity and performance, it encourages and empowers employees

to use video for their meetings instead of just audio, adding a personal connection to training, brainstorming, and other team meetings and customer interactions. According to Avaya’s 2018 State of the Desktop Report, given that 33 percent of employees won’t use video conferencing if the solutions are difficult to set-up, start or enter; and an equal percentage say they won’t use conferencing solutions because of poor audio/video quality, the Avaya CU360 is set to be a gamechanger in collaboration, said the firm.

HYPERX ANNOUNCES FIRST WIRELESS HEADSET UNDER £100

yperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, has announced that it is now shipping the HyperX Cloud Stinger Wireless gaming headset. The light weight Cloud Stinger Wireless gaming headset weighs just 270 grams, features 90-degree rotating earcups for an adaptive fit and offers up to 17 hours of battery life on a single charge. The Stinger Wireless utilises intuitive onboard controls, includes a swivel-tomute noise-cancellation microphone and 50mm directional drivers, delivering high-quality sound with pinpoint audio precision, said the firm. The wireless headset provides great sound for gaming, chat and watching movies at an affordable price. The Cloud Stinger Wireless headset is built on the comfort and sound DNA of

previous Cloud headsets. It operates on 2.4GHz wireless providing freedom from cords, featuring on-ear cup volume control and a swivel-to-mute noise-cancelling mic. The HyperX Stinger Wireless is also PC, PS4, PS4 Pro ready.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

R&M UNVEILS CAT. 8.1 CABLING SYSTEM

&M’s new Cat. 8.1 connection module is based on the design of its Cat. 6A module. This solution for data centres and office LANs supports up to 40 Gigabit/s Ethernet (GbE) – the fastest data transmission rate that local networks with structured copper cabling can achieve today. Because it uses the standard RJ45 plug-in format, the Cat. 8.1 cabling system is backward compatible. So, using this new solution LAN operators would not need any additional

adapters, transmission cables or fiber optic interfaces if they are soon migrating to the faster 25 and 40GbE generations. The key features include – the system complies with both standard families: ISO/ IEC 11801, Class I, and ANSI/ TIA-568.2-D; it is suitable for data centre and office cabling; guarantees 40GbE performance for 24-meter permanent links, and up to 30-meter channel depending on the patch cords used and is R&M PowerSafe rated.

SENNHEISER LAUNCHES TEAMCONNECT CEILING 2 BUSINESS CONFERENCING SOLUTION

e nnheiser has announced the availability of TeamConnect Ceiling 2 in the Middle East. This second generation of Sennheiser’s ceiling microphone incorporates automatic adaptive beamforming technology to deliver superior audio quality for voice and video conferences in mid to large sized meeting rooms, said the firm. With support for Dante, the industry standard for networked audio, and Power over Ethernet (PoE), the system can be easily integrated into the existing network infrastructure of offices for rapid deployment. According to the company, TeamConnect Ceiling 2 is an ideal choice for medium-sized to large meeting rooms, where it is unobtrusively (flush-) mounted to the ceiling and powered via Ethernet. For larger or oddly shaped rooms, several ceiling microphones can be combined to ensure best coverage. With TeamConnect Ceiling 2, the meeting room can be used in a totally flexible way: The tables are free from cables and microphones, chairs and tables can be arranged as desired, and the meeting participants can move about the room freely. Sennheiser’s adaptive beamforming

technology automatically follows the active speaker’s voice, letting people speak naturally, when moving around the room. TeamConnect Ceiling 2 can be controlled via the Sennheiser Control Cockpit application. Providing a digital workflow for networkenabled devices from Sennheiser, the software allows centralised administration, remote configuration and monitoring of multiple voicetracking microphones within the

network. Accessible on any device via a browser, Sennheiser Control Cockpit makes TeamConnect Ceiling 2 installations effortless to manage. For integration into larger media control systems, integrators can make use of Sennheiser’s open media control protocol (API) to offer remote configuration, control and monitoring of the TeamConnect Ceiling 2. The system is now available in the Middle East through Sennheiser’s network of channel partners.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

56 LAST TAKE

Sandrine

YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… In my personal life, having single-handedly raised three girls who have blossomed into beautiful women with great values. And professionally, successfully leading the massive international campaign around R&M’s successful implementation at Istanbul Grand Airport, the largest airport in the world. There were many challenges but thanks to the support of a great team we managed an incredible success.

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES... A lemon and ginger detox juice, waking up my daughters with a kiss, a healthy breakfast and training in the gym for an hour to energize me for the work day ahead

P rat

FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2019… Spread happiness by spending more time with my loved ones; be part of an association for women and young girls; become a Certified Nutritionist as nutrition is key to a long healthy life; rejoin yoga classes which bring so many physical as well as mental benefits and focus on “SMARTKETING’ by closely aligning with sales to close more leads, shorten sales cycles and strengthen customer relationships

HEAD OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, R&M META

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… Family, everything inside my gym bag, organic daily moisturizing cream, baguette with French cheese and Netflix

THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… Artificial Intelligence (AI). While some fear that AI will replace human jobs, I believe it has tremendous potential to solve some of humanities biggest challenges while giving humans time back to interact with each other and lead happier wholesome lives

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

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58 LAST TAKE

YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… my ability to successfully devise marketing strategies having measurable mix of direct, Indirect and Digital channels creating positive impact to the Business objectives.

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES... waking up with a refreshing glass of water, getting ready for work and also preparing my little princess for school, followed by healthy breakfast to kick-start and prioritise my activities for the day.

Sonali Basu

Roy

FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2019… Career enhancement, travel to an exotic location, taking up advanced courses for knowledge enrichment, community service and staying healthy and happy.

MARKETING MANAGER, BULWARK TECHNOLOGIES

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… Family, friends, smartphone, lipstick and accessories.

THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… Robotic Technology.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY/AUGUST 2019

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