Reseller Middle East October 2019 by Reseller Middle East

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CONTENTS

STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER

ISSUE 272 // OCTOBER 2019

VISIONARY LEADERSHIP IN DIGITAL ERA Claude Shuck and Amir Akhtar, on driving Veeam’s channel and cloud businesses in the MENA region.

INTERVIEW

HIGHLIGHTS

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

OPINION

16 THE HIDDEN MIDDLE

Morten Illum from Aruba elaborates on digital transformation and the evolution of the digital workplace.

36 CHANGING WITH THE CURRENTS

Crowdstrike’s Rawad Sarieddine on the evolution of endpoint security.

40 A NEW DIMENSION

Sayantan Dev from Redington Value shares updates on the firm’s data science analytics practice.

EVENTS

48 COMBINING SKILLS

Insights into GSD’s quarterly Partner Networking Event.

PRODUCTS

50 LENOVO INTRODUCES THINKSMART HUB 500

18 RISE BY DIFFERENTIATING

Sophos’ Harish Chib on how to be a profitable and successful MSP in the next-gen era.

52 APPLE UNVEILS THREE NEW IPHONES

FEATURES

20 GITEX 2019

A round-up of what to expect at the 39th edition of Gitex Technology Week 2019

5IN5

54 TOP TECH ENTHUSIASTS

We ask five questions within five minutes to top technology enthusiasts in the regional IT channel industry.

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

EDITORIAL LOOKING FORWARD

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

t is with great excitement (and some nervousness) that I take over the role of an Editor for Reseller Middle East.

EDITORIAL Deputy Editor Sharon Saldanha sharon.saldanha@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167

RME has been guided by a strong leadership and I understand that there are very big shoes to fill. However, with the support of my team, I’m thrilled about this new challenge.

Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9135

And as I pen my first editor’s note, I feel truly honoured to be entrusted with a magazine that has broken so much ground over the last two decades.

DESIGN Head of Design Froilan Cosgafa IV froilan.cosgafa@cpimediagroup.com

In this issue of RME – as in every issue – you won’t find technology taking a breather.

Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com

This month’s cover story features Veeam’s dynamic duo, Claude Shuck and Amir Akhtar, who discuss the challenges and opportunities in the current market climate, and how they continue to reinforce Veeam’s status as a visionary leader in the GCC region. Sophos’ VP for the Middle East and Africa, Harish Chib, shared some compelling insights on how to be a profitable and successful MSP in the next-gen era. More on page 18. I also had the pleasure of meeting the Senior Vice President of Redington Value, Sayantan Dev, who spoke about his plans on strengthening the company’s position as a VAD in the region. He also explained why spending big on Data Analytics Practice (launched by Redington Value last year), has been an interesting development for the company. The lead-up to GITEX has raised the stress level of the regional technology industry, but in spite of the chaos, I couldn’t have chosen a better time to begin my work on Reseller. To meet and learn from inspiring individuals across partner, vendor and distribution firms who effectively drive growth through innovation is a pleasure. Looking forward to seeing you all at GITEX.

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 Cherylann D’Abreo cherylann.dabreo@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

Sharon Saldanha Deputy Editor

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E-mail: sharon.saldanha@ cpimediagroup.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TahawulTech Twitter: @TahawulTech Instagram: @TahawulTech

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 // OCTOBER 2019

6 HIGHLIGHTS

REDINGTON GULF INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH FRESHWORKS

alue-Added Distributor Redington Gulf has announced signing a distribution agreement with San Mateo-based Freshworks Inc., the customer engagement software company. The partnership will enable digital transformation for companies of all sizes in the MEA (including South Africa) market. Anand Venkatraman, VP of Global Partnerships at Freshworks, said, “We are excited to partner with Redington Gulf. They are the largest, and most respected distribution partner in the region, and we look forward to exploring the huge mutual opportunity as companies look for a powerfully

simple customer engagement software. Redington’s teams, which include experts in implementing cloud software solutions, coupled with their strong reseller network will bolster our existing portfolio and enrich our offerings. This will further cement our commitment to regional customers.” With an extensive network of over 6000 resellers in MEA, Redington Gulf is committed to transforming customer experiences in the Middle East and Africa and bring world class products by Freshworks in the region. Sayantan Dev, SVP at Redington Value, said “Businesses in the MEA are undergoing rapid growth

Sayantan Dev, Redington Value

and transformation, we’re seeing increasing interest from companies to deploy software solutions to improve and automate their support & sales functions. Freshworks’ products are apt to fulfill the needs of the industry. The compa-

ny’s design philosophy of delivering simple-to-use products and customer centric pricing models makes it a preferred choice for businesses. This partnership will enable us to expand the current offerings in our portfolio with a competitive software solution to win the market.” Redington Gulf will pursue opportunities to offer the multi-product customer engagement suite, implement sales growth by cross-selling and introduce potential businesses to Freshworks’ user friendly software. In addition to driving sales, the company will provide dedicated onboarding and customer support to clients of all sizes.

2CRSI LAUNCHES NEW PARTNER PORTAL

CRSI announced the launch of its new partner portal that streamlines and simplifies the ways partners engage with 2CRSI and customers. “The announcement of the new 2CRSI partner program and portal demonstrates our continued commitment to providing an easier path for our partners to confidently generate predictable revenue, build pipeline and do business with us,” said Nirmal Menon, Channel Manager 2CRSI. “We expect more than 200 partners to log in monthly and this number will grow as we continue to deliver new content and functionality, providing our partners with improved capability to sell more. Ultimately, this is a significant step forward in the 2CRSI Partner engagement program.” 2CRSI new partner program is built

on a single platform with simple, membership requirements across four partner tiers: Authorized, Silver, Gold, and strategic. The portal provides access to marketing resources, enablement and training. Key benefits include: Enhanced Deal Registration: helps protect partner-sourced deals, ensuring maximum margin Upgraded MDF Program: streamlines the provisioning of marketing funds for Silver, Gold and strategic partners to drive demand generation activity Increased Speed: accelerates turnaround time for deal registration, quotes, orders and MDF. “We’re excited about the rollout of the new program and portal,” said Ravi Sudarshan regional manager of 2CRSI. “It clearly evidences the

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

Nirmal Menon, 2CRSI

significant technological and financial investment 2CRSI is making to supply partners with the accessibility, information and tools needed to deliver mutually beneficial business.”

7 HIGHLIGHTS

VEEAM NAMED TO THE 2019 FORBES CLOUD 100 FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

ackup solutions player Veeam Software has, for the fourth consecutive year, been named on the Forbes 2019 Cloud 100, the definitive ranking of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures. “We are honored to be named to the Forbes Cloud 100 for the fourth consecutive year,” said Ratmir Timashev, CoFounder and Executive Vice President (EVP) of Sales & Marketing. “This recognition further solidifies Veeam’s ongoing commitment to

help enterprises transition to the cloud and embrace Digital Transformation. As enterprises look to embrace Cloud Data Management and move to hybrid cloud, they are looking for vendors who can deliver optimal solutions for these environments and Veeam, yet again, proves that it is leading this space.” According to the 2019 Veeam Cloud Data Management Report, 72% of organizations are now looking to embrace Cloud Data Management to better meet protection needs and leverage the power of their data. Now a $1 billion private software

company and with more than 350,000 customers and 23,500 partners in the Veeam Cloud & Service Provider (VCSP) program, Veeam’s momentum in both company growth and cloud commitment continue to accelerate its market share. “For four years now, we have ranked the best and brightest emerging companies in the cloud sector,” said Alex Konrad, Forbes editor of The Cloud 100. “With so many businesses growing fast in the cloud, from cybersecurity and marketing to data analytics and storage, it’s harder than ever to make the Cloud 100 list –

Ratmir Timashev, Veeam

but with more elite company if you do. Congratulations to each of the 2019 Cloud 100 honorees and the 20 Rising Stars honorees poised to join their ranks!”

CITRIX APPOINTS MINDWARE AS MIDDLE EAST CSP

VI networks and value-added IT distributor Mindware has been appointed as the authorized Citrix Service Provider (CSP) Distributor in the Middle East region by Citrix. The Citrix Service Provider Program is a Citrix partner program designed specifically for service providers who provide paid third party hosted software services to end-user customers. Philippe Jarre, CEO, Mindware, said, “Mindware is delighted to be appointed as an Authorized Citrix Service Provider Distributor for the Middle East. Our Distribution relationship with Citrix has grown over the years. This new program

Philippe Jarre, Mindware

is a natural extension as the technology adoption matures from on-prem to the cloud. With Citrix, our partners/ service providers will have all the elements to create scalable, reliable, private or public cloudbased offerings. This will

help our partners to be more productive & profitable.” Under the Citrix Service Provider Distributor program, Mindware would provide product and service fulfilment, technical and business enablement and support to the Citrix Service Providers in the Middle East. With Mindware becoming the Authorized CSP Distributor in the Middle East region, integrators that aim to become Citrix Service Provider would benefit from more than 15 years of product, technical and licensing expertise as a Citrix Distributor. They would also get access to skilled consultants and experts as well as to the Citrix Cloud lab environments

to demonstrate the value of Citrix SaaS solutions to customers. Piotr Faderski, Partner Director, Emerging Markets, Citrix, said, “As a Citrix Service Partner Program Distributor, Mindware will help manage and support the service providers in the region who want to build and deliver complete hosted service portfolio (hosted desktops and hosted apps, mobile device management and secure file share, infrastructure for self-service provisioning and secure networking). Mindware will also support in the hosted workspace activities of these partners and ensure on-time reporting for their products.”

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

8 HIGHLIGHTS

AVEVA TOUTS HOLISTIC DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION CAPABILITIES

ollowing its combination with Schneider Electric’s industrial software business, AVEVA has positioned itself first company in the engineering and industrial software market to comprehensively address the end-to-end digital transformation imperatives with an integrated portfolio of solutions. AVEVA’s integrated portfolio Craig Hayman, AVEVA capability harnesses the power of technologies such as artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), digital twin and cloud computing, coupled with the rich functionality of its industry leading applications. This capability enables companies to realise capital project efficiency, edge to enterprise visualisation, optimised value chains, safe and reliable operations, and a workforce empowered with actionable decision support. AVEVA’s portfolio integration over the 18 months since the merger was based on its customer engagements across the oil and gas, chemicals, food and beverage, power, mining and smart infrastructure markets. AVEVA’s portfolio capability has been validated with real-life digital transformation imperatives across these segments and have already delivered measurable value. “With over 16,000 customers and over 100,000 sites that deploy our technology, AVEVA’s experience and portfolio is already proven,” said Craig Hayman, CEO AVEVA. “In addition to growth across all regions and product categories our strong sales performance led to in promotion to the FTSE 100 earlier this year. We continue to innovate our technology in collaboration with our customers to increase agility, enable them to pursue new market segments, to reduce costs and improve profitability of their businesses.” For greenfield and brownfield capital projects, AVEVA provides a unified engineering environment with common information that can be used across all stages of the capital project and between owner operators and engineering contractors, from conceptual design to handover. Once plants are in operation, AVEVA’s portfolio enables never before realised enterprise-wide visualisation of engineering, operations and maintenance information in real time through the AVEVA Unified Operations Center to increase visibility and enhance decision making across the enterprise. AVEVA’s Value Chain Optimisation solutions, enables customers to eliminate information silos and integrate critical business processes across the operational value chain, unlocking hidden value and improving profitability. The company’s portfolio provides a digital thread across the capital asset lifecycle and operational value chains, providing real-time access to relevant and useable information at every stage and enabling customers to automate actions and make more informed decisions that help to create new ways to deliver cost savings or production efficiencies, reduce risk and to maximise margins.

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

VECTRA EXPANDS MIDDLE EAST OPERATIONS

etwork threat detection and response company Vectra has announced that it is expanding business operations in the Middle East to arm enterprise organizations and managed detection-and-response providers with a platform to stop in-progress cyberattacks in the cloud. Ammar Enaya, Vectra Regional presence is critical to the company’s global go-to-market channel strategy to deliver advanced AI to detect and respond faster to cyberattacks. To accommodate its rapidly growing customer base in the region, Vectra is expanding customer success, professional services, sales, and security engineering capabilities along with additional channel partner support. Fueled by a recent USD$100 million Series E funding round, Vectra regional headquarters in Dubai is crucial to the company’s global go-to-market channel strategy to deliver advanced AI to detect and respond faster to cyberattacks. Powered by AI, the Cognito platform from Vectra enables enterprise organizations to detect cyberattackers in real time and empowers threat hunters to perform conclusive incident investigations. Cognito provides 360-degree visibility into hidden threats in cloud, data center, user and internet-ofthings (IoT) infrastructures, leaving attackers with nowhere to hide. “Cloud architectures are plagued by security vulnerabilities,” said Ammar Enaya, Regional Director, Vectra, Middle East, Turkey and North Africa. “The SANS Institute says that one out of five businesses were hit by unauthorized access to their cloud environments in the past year. As more enterprises turn to the cloud for greater operational scale and cost efficiencies, it’s critical to address these security vulnerabilities so businesses can innovate free from external threats.” The Cognito platform makes a considerable contribution to closing the cybersecurity skills gap. Completely overwhelmed, security analysts today must manually sift through thousands of threats alerts and logs each day to find cyberattacks. Driven by AI, Cognito completely automates these manual and mundane processes and prioritizes active attacks that pose the highest risk. This reduces the security operations workload by 34X and enables skilled analysts to focus their attention on threat hunting and data breach prevention.

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11 HIGHLIGHTS

AVAYA SIGNS DEAL WITH IBM TO DRIVE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

vaya Holdings and IBM have announced that Avaya will adopt hybrid cloud solutions from IBM to help expand its Avaya ReadyNow private cloud unified communications and contact centre offerings. As part of its focus on providing choice Chris McGugan, Avaya and flexibility in cloud solutions, Avaya is expanding the availability of its Avaya ReadyNow private cloud offerings in order to help meet growing demand from clients across the globe. According to the company, by working with IBM to implement a hybrid cloud strategy, it plans to tap into advanced technologies like AI to modernise its offering while enabling its customers to benefit from the scale and performance of IBM’s global footprint of cloud data centers. By hosting and managing select services on a private cloud, Avaya aims to deliver secure and resilient solutions to its clients and service their needs more efficiently while accessing higher value services that can help transform their customer experience. “Companies today need to be able to deliver the best experiences for their customers while improving efficiency and business performance,” said Chris McGugan, SVP, Solutions and Technology, Avaya. “Together, IBM and Avaya plan to deliver one of the most complete contact center solutions on the market, featuring Avaya’s best-of-breed software and infrastructure with IBM’s leadership in hybrid cloud, consulting and implementation services. We are excited to collaborate with IBM as part of our hybrid multicloud strategy to provide customers with experiences that matter at cloud speed. Additionally, the combination of Avaya and IBM Watson APIs will help make businesses work smarter, and I am pleased to form this strategic alliance.” Denis Kennelly, General Manager, Cloud Integration, IBM, highlighted that their clients are embracing hybrid cloud strategies in order to modernise their businesses and drive innovation, while maintaining high security standards. “By working with Avaya to integrate this hybrid cloud approach, we can help them enhance their performance and security for clients while accelerating access to higher value services that can help differentiate their offerings and drive customer loyalty.”

FOCUS SOFTNET TAPS TATA COMMUNICATIONS’ CLOUD PLATFORM TO ACCELERATE GLOBAL BUSINESS EXPANSION

oftware development and enterprise applications provider Focus Softnet has partnered with Tata Communications to host its cloud-based ERP solutions on the IZO Private Cloud platform. Tata Communications’ IZO™ Private Cloud platform is enabling Focus Softnet to offer its cloud-based ERP solutions either as a public cloud SaaS solution Ali Hyder, Focus Softnet or as a private cloud option. Rajesh Awasthi, Associate Vice President, Managed Hosting & Cloud Services, Tata Communications said, “We are proud to partner with Focus Softnet, who is moving their Focus 9 solution to our IZO™ Private Cloud, after a successful proof of concept on the Tata Communications cloud platform. During the six months of operations after startup, Tata Communications has been actively helping Focus Softnet onboard 40+ new customers.” “Customers globally have common demands such as flexible operational payments, scalability requirements, usage agility, and the option of global delivery anywhere and anytime, which are now met by the IZO™ Private Cloud platform,” said Ali Hyder, Group CEO, Focus Softnet. “We now have a single point of contact to support our ERP software solutions. With the cloud service, we know immediately if there is a problem and can quickly fix it remotely. There is no need for on-premise visits. Tata Communications’ enterprise-grade service and support and its global footprint were deciding factors in our decision to migrate to IZO™ Private Cloud platform,” he adds Focus Softnet can now provide end to end solution and round-the-clock support for its global customers. When new customers are onboarded, Tata Communications’ engineers work closely to understand their needs and size the IZO™ Private Cloud offering accordingly. Depending on the customer requirements, Tata Communications can offer either a dedicated virtual machine or shared cloud model. Hyder said, “With Tata Communications’ IZO™ Private Cloud, there are no bottlenecks and it is affordable to our small and medium business (SMB) clients. Faster set-up and greater network performance have opened the door to business expansion. We adopted a flexible multi-cloud model to offer the best experience to our clients. This helps cement their loyalty while opening new, recurring revenue streams. The move to Tata Communications’ IZO™ Private Cloud means we get better support everywhere. Their resources make a distinct difference.” www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // OCTOBER 2019

12 HIGHLIGHTS

BLUE WHALE COMPANY ANNOUNCES NEW 4G/5G PRODUCT LINE AT GITEX

S Nidal Othman, Starlink

STARLINK AND DEMISTO SIGN DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT FOR META UAE-based value-added distributor (VAD) StarLink has signed up with Demisto, a Palo Alto Networks Company for distribution of its Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) portfolio, in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region. Demisto, is a Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platform that helps security teams accelerate incident response, standardise and scale processes, and learn from each incident while working together. Demisto Enterprise integrates with more than 160 security products and enables organisations to build playbooks for different security operations. Under the agreement, StarLink will promote Demisto through its regional sales and marketing expertise, widespread partner network and strong customer base. It is uniquely positioned to support Demisto in expanding their geographical footprint, customer base and grow potential business opportunities. Demisto perfectly fits in at the core of StarLink’s solutions Lifecycle, complementing many of the technologies in the StarLink ecosystem. “Today, enterprises are facing many challenges when it comes to getting ahead of their security goals and the right SOAR tool can transform an organization’s security operations. With Demisto on-board, we aim to equip customers with a comprehensive security operations platform that delivers higher levels of integration and automation to solve unique and complex threats,” said Nidal Othman, managing director and co-founder, StarLink. “Palo Alto Networks is very strategic to StarLink, thus making this alliance with Demisto a valuable addition to the StarLink portfolio in terms of the relationship as well technology, which would further strengthen our commitment to enterprises in the region,” he added. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // OCTOBER 2019

pecialist of IoT for water management Blue Whale Company will announce a new 4G/5G product line at this year’s GITEX. The new products will be on the market by the end of 2019 and will be LTE-M and NB-IoT with a 2G fallback. Thierry Sartorius, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Whale Thierry Sartorius, Blue Company said, “The Middle Whale Company East market is one of the most advanced markets in the world. Our new 4G/5G network creates an opportunity for an increased market base for IoT.” Sartorius said, “Blue Whale Company is looking permanently at market needs with the objective to develop products that answer specific needs. Blue Whale Company has developed special products to measure, control and at the same time to action valves, flaps or motors. This is what makes the Blue Whale Company offer very specific. On top Blue Whale Company takes the opportunity of the new NB-IoT to offer improved performance and connectivity.”

LINAGORA TO ANNOUNCE NEW SOLUTIONS AT GITEX

pen Source Software company Linagora will announce the launch of OpenPaas, a Smart Open Source Digital Workplace and OSSA, an Open Source Software Assurance service for the first time in the Middle East at GITEX. Alexandre Zapolsky, LINAGORA LINAGORA will attend GITEX to share their vision of how open can aid organisations in the Middle East accelerate their digital transformation goals, whilst maintain their privacy and most importantly owning their transformation. Alexandre Zapolsky, Founder and President, Linagora said, “Our new solutions are a truly revolutionary offering that will empower businesses in the region and allow them to pursue open source innovation with more confidence. GITEX also offers us a unique opportunity to partner with other leaders in the region in order to collaborate together and bring around open source sustainable innovation as a vehicle to drive forward and achieve the visions of the GCC countries.” “Simply put they are using our technology as it provides them with a secure and private platform that they can tailor to their needs with no vendor lock-in and since it is open source, they will be able to use it to innovate and integrate more services as they grow,” explains Zapolsky.

THE FRENCH TECH PAVILION @ GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 6-10 OCTOBER 2019 La French Tech and the latest innovations to be showcased at Hall 4 For more information, contact : Nathalie MARCHAL Project Manager nathalie.marchal@businessfrance.fr Christelle PEYRAN Regional Trade Advisor christelle.peyran@businessfrance.fr Miryem OUKAS Regional Communications Manager miryem.oukasmessidi@businessfrance.fr

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APPOINTMENTS

CYRIL VANAGT TO LEAD CHANNEL AND OEM ACTIVITIES IN EMEA: NUTANIX

utanix has appointed Cyril VanAgt to lead its Channel and OEM activities in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. VanAgt joined Nutanix in October 2014 and has been responsible for channel sales in the Southern European territories of the EMEA region since then. In four years, he structured the Nutanix distribution network and built a strong channel ecosystem in this part of EMEA. The organization established by VanAgt enabled the readiness and autonomy of Nutanix channel partners in France, Italy, Iberia, Switzerland and French-speaking Africa, turning this region into a model for collaboration between Nutanix and its channel network. In his new role, VanAgt will oversee all of Nutanix’s go-to-market

relationships with resellers, distributors, regional system integrators and technology partners in the EMEA region, providing them with the capabilities needed to apply the company’s cutting-edge technologies. VanAgt will be responsible for driving the Nutanix Channel Charter, a strategic initiative to strengthen the company’s relationships with the reseller community by empowering them to succeed throughout both the sales cycle and their own customers’ technology lifecycles, ultimately enabling all participants to compete in the modern era of multi-cloud needs and capabilities. Sammy Zoghlami, Senior Vice President of Sales, Europe, Middle East & Africa region, said: “I am delighted to have Cyril lead our Channel and OEM operations in EMEA. These relationships are critical

routes to market for Nutanix and its solutions, and Cyril’s vast experience in technology partnering and implementation, will see these partners gain maximum benefit and value from what these innovative products have to offer them.”

Cyril VanAgt, Nutanix

HTC ANNOUNCES NEW CEO

TC Corporation has appointed Yves Maitre as the new CEO of HTC. Yves Maitre has held senior executive positions at Orange for over 14 years, most recently as EVP of Consumer Equipment and Partnerships. Throughout Yves’ tenure at Orange, he consistently delivered innovative services and devices in a growing range of responsibilities across the business and was the first to negotiate and deploy Android smartphones in Europe. His expertise includes both consumer electronics, services and B2B technology development. He first started working with HTC upon his appointment as Senior VP for Devices in 2005. Cher Wang, Chairwoman, HTC says – “I am truly delighted that Yves

Yves Maitre, HTC

is taking the reins; he has a long association with our company, and he shares our passion for innovation. I firmly believe Yves is the right leader to continue to lead HTC to its full potential.” “HTC has long been a bellwether for new technology innovation, and I’m honored to be selected by the Board of Directors to lead the next phase of HTC,” said Yves Maitre, CEO at HTC. “Across the world, HTC is recognized for its firsts across the mobile and XR space. I am incredibly energized to grow the future of both 5G and XR alongside HTC employees, customers and investors. We will set out immediately to continue the transition from building the worlds’ best consumer hardware to also building complete services around them to make them easy to manage and deploy.” www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // OCTOBER 2019

16 OPINION

THE HIDDEN MIDDLE

Morten Illum, Vice President, Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa, Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, elaborates on digital transformation and the evolution of the digital workplace.

hen it comes to talking about digital transformation or the adoption of technology in business, the focus is most frequently on the challenges that large companies face to adapt, or the opportunities for small businesses to rapidly scale their operations. However, often forgotten are medium-sized companies, even though, they contribute over €1tn to the economy across Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA). Therefore, we refer to this demographic as the ‘hidden middle’ – an untapped market that is willing and agile enough to make better use of workplace technology and to understand

IT IS THE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE CALLING FOR BOLD NEW INNOVATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE, RATHER THAN MANAGEMENT.”

the opportunities that digital transformation brings. OPPORTUNITY FOR VENDORS AND CHANNEL HPE Aruba’s latest research highlighted medium-sized businesses

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

as the most active users of workplace technology. The study showed that employees in medium-sized businesses rated their technology, applications and IT support better than those at larger companies (63% to 53%, respectively). Medium-sized businesses were also ahead of the competition in their use of advanced audio-visual technologies (such as voice-activated speakers), which are offered by an average of 27% of medium-sized businesses, compared to 16% of smaller and 22% of larger employers. These stats show that midsized companies tend to have a better grasp of workplace technology and are more active in implementing this tech into their daily lives. This provides a big opportunity for vendors and partners, as we look to support their continued evolution

stated that 74% of medium-sized business employees said they had taken risks with company data in the past year. It’s clear that medium-sized businesses need help managing their network, keeping it secure, and maximizing efficiencies – but this is just one area of many.

into a digital workplace. Despite their agile nature and commitment to innovation, mid-sized businesses face several unique challenges that they aren’t currently prepared to combat. As suppliers, we must understand these challenges, and figure out how we can shape technological solutions to mitigate them.

MID-SIZED COMPANIES TEND TO HAVE A BETTER GRASP OF WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGY AND ARE MORE ACTIVE IN IMPLEMENTING THIS TECH INTO THEIR DAILY LIVES.”

WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES FACED BY THE ‘HIDDEN MIDDLE’ The path to a digital workplace is a complex one, made up of many components that must be coordinated with caution. Despite our research showing that mid-sized businesses are heavily invested in technology and are faster to adopt new tech such as IoT devices and the cloud than their enterprise counterparts, this can still present a considerable hurdle to medium-sized businesses. They have almost all the same demands placed upon them as large

enterprises (i.e. regulations, rising employee expectations), and yet don’t have the IT resources in-house to handle the increasingly complicated hybrid infrastructure that emerges as a result. Without such resources, organisations will open themselves up to unnecessary risks as they continue to progress down their digital transformation path. For example, our research uncovered a growing cyber-disconnect among employees in the sector. While mid-sized business employees are conscious of their organisation’s cybersecurity, with 59% thinking about it ‘all of the time’ or ‘often’ compared to 51% at large enterprises, they are also more likely to partake in risky behaviour that threaten their organisation’s defences. The report

NEXT STEP IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY Although our stats show that midsized businesses are investing fastest in new technology, they could still be doing more. Our report highlighted that it is the employees who are calling for bold new innovations in the workplace, rather than management. Three quarters (75%) believe that the workplace should be fully automated, with elements such as temperature and lighting controlled by an AI. Almost two-fifths (38%) are calling for their organisations to provide more cloud storage software and 44% are advocating for further cyber security software. As the adoption and integration of technology becomes a bigger priority across the corporate spectrum, medium-sized businesses have a distinct opportunity. Though often forgotten in the digital transformation conversation – with the focus instead on how large companies are struggling to adapt or smaller businesses are seizing the ability to scale – it is mediumsized businesses whose employees show the agility and willingness to make better use of technology and understanding of the opportunities it brings. The key is enabling them to do so. But with that comes a certain degree of security risk. The success of the digital workplace depends on the practical implementation of technology – and that’s as much about the user experience as it is the technical infrastructure. For medium-sized businesses to realize the full value of their investments and eliminate the risks, their leaders must ensure employees are given the training and support needed to make both productive and safe use of the new tools.

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

18 OPINION

Rise by differentiating Harish Chib, Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Sophos, on how to be a profitable, successful MSP in the next-gen era.

he transition to next-gen IT Security MSPs - often called Managed Security Service Providers or MSSPs has been a challenge for channel partners to operate successfully in this new and far more complex environment. The numerous vendors and products MSPs need to provide to cover the full range of services required has never been an easy burden to bear, but in today’s fast-paced environment, managing these vendors has become a costly time sink. There’s also been a shift to a subscription model for MSP services. This shift impacts the vendor as well, as most vendor services are perpetual licenses rather than monthly, preventing MSPs from managing their billing processes consistently. MSPs work within a finite budget and need to determine where their budgets are best spent. MSPs do have options to save on costs, however—buying licenses in bulk or through an aggregator can ease some of the burden. In order to survive successfully in the current market, MSPs need to differentiate what they provide to rise above the competition. BE A VIRTUAL CIO Clients are entrusting the security of their greatest assets—their data—to the MSP. A successful MSP will be able to provide both the high-level and userlevel guidance the client needs, acting as a resource for the answers, software, hardware, and more. BE A SERVICE DIFFERENTIATOR Meet the modern client’s needs by being constantly available, wherever they are—and wherever you are—through a SaaS-based management console. The right tools will give you the flexibility to match your clients’ mobility.

you provide them—an MSP can be the first and last line of defence against cyber threats.

NEXT-GEN MSPS MUST ALIGN THEIR SECURITY STRATEGY WITH VENDORS. ” Next-gen MSPs must align their security strategy with vendors. Vendors, meanwhile, need to become more integrated into the MSP vendor ecosystem, developing and providing tools MSPs use to run their business (PSA) and remotely monitor and manage (RMM) for their customers. BE A PROVEN SECURITY DIFFERENTIATOR Ensure your tools provide top of the line security and protection. Your customers can offer secure, uninterrupted service for their users because you’ve got them covered against outside threats. By finding and working with the right vendors—and by providing them with the education they need to make best use of the tools

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

Be an efficiency differentiator and pass that efficiency on to your clients Don’t get bogged down. You can minimize the number of vendor partnerships you’re engaged in to speed up and streamline your vendor management and improve your own efficiency by scaling back on the number of unique tools you’re using to meet your clients’ needs. Finding the right aggregate partner—or better yet, work with a vendor who owns all the technology you’ll license through them, which can be a much more efficient option than a “marketplace” or aggregator— can integrate a successful MSP’s services, removing much of the manual work MSPs spend updating and managing security services. ANOTHER METHOD OF IMPROVING EFFICIENCY: Find a better way to manage your licenses. By using a billing and licensing option where you can distribute licenses across multiple clients in a more flexible manner— like an aggregate monthly billing option—you’ll speed up the services you offer and be ready to evolve and meet the needs of your clients if those needs grow (or shrink) unexpectedly. AND LASTLY, BE A FINANCIAL DIFFERENTIATOR The old paradigm of annual contracts for vendor services is no longer efficient in the rapidly changing world of next-gen MSPs. If you bill your clients monthly, you should be able to pay your own bills monthly. It just makes sense.

GITEX 2019

GITEX 2019: A NEW ERA GITEX Technology Week in its 39th year revolves around 5G connectivity, featuring the region’s largest 5G tech applications, new Lifestyle Tech, Future Mobility Developments that drive its theme of “Synergising the Mind and Technology Economy” and a glimpse into the ways of how AI and Gen Z will shape the future. Here’s a sneak peek on what the market can expect from top players at this year’s tradeshow.

A10 NETWORKS Stand SR-J10

Mohammed Al-Moneer

A10 Networks will showcase ‘Automated Security Défense’ innovations and technologies at the GITEX Technology Week. The company will demonstrate its entire portfolio of leading solutions including service provider network security to support IoT in the age of 5G, multi-cloud management, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) with Zero-day Automated Protection, carrier-grade networking and IPV6 migration and application visibility and analytics. Mohammed Al-Moneer, Regional Vice President of Sales, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), A10 Networks, said, “In today’s sophisticated security landscape, a breach can happen unexpectedly at any point in time, and every second is critical when it comes to protection and remediation. Automation of cyber security systems can make the difference in those crucial moments during a breach, to help regain control and minimize any damage.”

“We believe the future of cyber security for 5G and multi-cloud rests on Intelligent Automation coupled with machine learning, ensuring that business-critical applications are protected, reliable, and always available,” he added. Al-Moneer said, “With our position and depth of experience in the security and application delivery networking domain, we see GITEX as the perfect platform to educate the market about the need for security automation and also spread awareness about A10 Networks’ AI-driven application and network security solutions including hyperscale 5G security, DDoS protection and multi-cloud application visibility, analytics and automation.”

ASBIS ME Fujairah A, B & C – Hall 8

Hesham Tantawi

ASBIS Middle East will highlight how channel partners can grow profitably and explore new avenues to fast-track their businesses successfully into the digital era.

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

Hesham Tantawi, Vice President, ASBIS (META), said, “GITEX provides us an excellent platform to network and stay in touch with our partners and customers every year. Our objective is to review current business, plan for upcoming quarters and maintain the strong relationships we have developed over the past 20 years.” At this year’s GITEX Technology Week, the company is looking forward to helping partners drive profitability in innovative ways and playing a big role in aiding them to expand their business across product lines and markets. The distributor will focus on scheduling dedicated one-on-one meetings with its vendor and partner ecosystem during the five-day trade show. Tantawi said, “ASBIS Middle East aims to enable business transformation in the region. The market can expect to see even more innovation in terms of technology, trainings and portfolio. Channel partners can enhance their net outcome together with us. We look forward to forging stronger relationships and building the market potential jointly with our vendor and channel partners at GITEX 2019.”

GITEX 2019

BIOS ME

CENTRIFY

EQUINIX MENA

Zabeel Hall, Stand Z1-B20

Stand SR-J2

Stand H6-3

Rudi Feitsma

BIOS Middle East, together with Cisco, will highlight the benefits of multi-cloud environments at GITEX this year. The company will advise customers on how they can select the most apt cloud for specific business needs through the Multi-Cloud. Customers can achieve comprehensive visibility from a single pane of glass through which they can manage, govern and provision workloads on Microsoft Azure, AWS, CloudHPT and others. BIOS Multi-Cloud also integrates into its Cross Cloud Managed Services, BIOS Assured, as well as into Cross Cloud Managed Security Services, BIOS Secured. Rudi Feitsma, General Manager, BIOS Middle East, said, “Multi-Cloud environments are rapidly becoming the norm within enterprises. To further demonstrate its capabilities, we will have one-on-one sessions with our customers on Multi-Cloud. As the only Cisco-powered cloud in the UAE, we will continue to work towards significantly growing the business and educating customers on cloud-based solutions.” “GITEX is the ideal platform to reinforce our commitment to the region. Multi-Cloud strategies are becoming the backbone of enterprises’ transformation journey. BIOS Middle East has consistently driven value for our customer base, and we are excited to capitalize on the market opportunities together,” he added.

Andy Heather

Jeroen Schlosser

Centrify will showcase its cloud-ready Zero Trust Privilege Services and advocate how Zero Trust mandates a “never trust, always verify, enforce least privilege” approach to privileged access, from inside or outside the network at the GITEX Technology Week. Andy Heather, General Manager, EMEA, Centrify, said, “Centrify’s cloudready Zero Trust Privilege is designed to handle requesters that are not only human but also machines, services, and APIs. Our Zero Trust Privilege helps customers grant least privilege access based on verifying who is requesting access, the context of the request, and the risk of the access environment.” The company plans to show visitors how their organizations can significantly strengthen their security posture and greatly reduce the risk of a breach by controlling privileged access and minimizing the attack surface. Heather said, “GITEX is a perfect platform to meet customers and partners from across the Middle East and Africa looking for the latest cybersecurity solutions and services in one single location. Apart from showcasing our Zero Trust Privilege Services, we look forward to educating customers on the evolving threat landscape and the importance of Zero Trust Privilege, as well as strengthening our regional channel network.” Centrify will be participating with its distributor, StarLink, at Stand SR-J2.

Equinix is looking forward to briefing all technology players on the value of interconnection and ecosystems at GITEX this year. Jeroen Schlosser, Managing Director, Equinix MENA, said, “As the enterprise workforce becomes increasingly dispersed, and companies are faced with the rise of new technology trends; enterprises need partners who can help them decide which IT and cloud services to use and how to deploy them quickly.” “Equinix’s Channel Partner Program is designed for managed service providers, network service providers, system integrators and solution providers to help design and deploy the right IT and cloud solutions for enterprise customers. We work closely with our partners on a joint value proposition as part of our activation process. At the end of the process we have a unique value proposition and a specific plan on how to drive the business together.” Schlosser added, “In order to evolve from traditional businesses to “digital businesses” and undertake digital transformation initiatives, customers need to utilise interconnection and move into the cloud. Channel partners must have a clear vision on how they can serve the end customer and who are their key partners that can help them build the tech offering that will digitally transform their end customer base.”

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

GITEX 2019

F5 NETWORKS

FRENCH TECH PAVILION

HUAWEI

Stand H6-C1

Hall 4

Stand Z2-A10

Business France, the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, is once again hosting the French Tech Pavilion at the 39th annual edition of GITEX. This year, tourism and ticketing platform, Amadeus will be the official partner of the French Pavilion. It will reward the most innovative French Tech company of the Pavilion. France is achieving strong growth in the technology space internally and through foreign direct investments. The spectacular rise in funding startups through venture and growth capital is also making France one of the world’s leading startup nations. Business France will also showcase innovations by several French tech startups who will be sharing breakthrough solutions and are looking to connect with other stakeholders attending the show including Wizaplace, Token Capital, Dawex, Bertin IT, Two-i VCA, as well as Blue Whale Company, “On behalf of Business France, it is with great honor to participate once again at GITEX as committed partners over the last six years. It is an exciting year for La French Tech, and we look forward to introducing startups with revolutionary new ideas to the potential investors visiting, while our highly regarded companies look to meet with new partners as part of their business expansion,” said Frederic Szabo, Managing Director at Business France Middle East.

At this year’s GITEX, Huawei’s focus will revolve around ‘Advance Intelligence’ (AI) and ‘5G, Gear Up’. In parallel to the GITEX exhibition, one of the company’s biggest highlights will be the fourth edition of the annual ‘Innovation Day’. Taking place on the second day of GITEX, the event will include three sessions: a 5G Ecosystem Conference under the title “5G, Gear Up”; an AI Conference under the theme “Advance Intelligence”, and a “Huawei Developer Day Dubai 2019” session which is focused on building a better ecosystem. At the GITEX technology week, visitors will benefit from Huawei’s unparalleled expertise in the 5G arena having already secured more than 50 commercial 5G contracts while shipping more than 200,000 base stations worldwide. Charles Yang, President, Huawei ME, said, “We are building a fully connected, intelligent world. When many people think of Huawei, they think connections. It’s true we have been investing in connectivity for the past 30 years, but our work doesn’t stop there. Both connections and computing are key – they’re inseparable. Today this combination is delivering more advanced intelligence across every touchpoint of the digital economy and is being accelerated with the launch of 5G networks. As leaders in both AI and 5G technologies, GITEX visitors will be able to see how Huawei is working to bring digital to every person, home and organization.”

Tabrez Surve

F5 Networks will highlight the Middle East’s potential for DevOps methodologies and multi-cloud-driven digital transformation at the GITEX Technology Week. Tabrez Surve, Regional Director, Gulf & Turkey, F5 Networks said, “The true value of the modern enterprise resides in its applications and data. We call this Application Capital. Given the Middle East’s growing adoption of cloud computing, we believe that Application Capital is now a key driver for differentiation, innovation and value creation in the region.” “True digital transformation can only occur if organisations fully understand and invest in the concept of Application Capital, particularly in the context of multi-cloud application services and associated infrastructures. For example, it is now possible to attach individual services to applications based on specific needs. It is also possible to achieve consistent quality and security across entire application portfolios. This is critical at a time when much of the user experience is digital, delivered via the cloud, and increasingly built by developer teams outside of the IT organization,” he added The cloud and application security expert’s key focus areas at GITEX 2019 include – F5 and NGINX, Multi-cloud application services, and Security to the fore.

Charles Yang

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

GITEX 2019

KASPERSKY

MANAGEENGINE

NETAPP

Stand SR-C1

Stand H7-C1

Stand C30-H6

Amir Kanaan

Kaspersky offers specialized security solutions that are equipped to take on the most sophisticated cyber threats. Amir Kanaan, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Kaspersky said, “Our focus at this year’s GITEX will be on demonstrating our unhackable Kaspersky operating system, dubbed KasperskyOS, a specialized operating system designed for embedded systems with strict cybersecurity requirements. We are looking forward to meeting and collaborating with hardware manufacturers who might be open to adopting and customizing the KasperskyOS for their own products.” The company will also unveil their flagship product - Kaspersky Threat Management and Defense, equipped to deliver a unique combination of leading technologies and services that support the implementation of an Adaptive Security Strategy. For 2020, Kanaan said that Kaspersky is planning to strengthen their relationship in the region by spreading their vision of cybersecurity awareness on a national level. “In the coming year we also aim to invest in reinforcing our channel go-tomarket strategy and taking our relationship with our channel to the next level,” he added. Attendees at GITEX can meet the Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) to learn more about their experiences and expertise on every aspect of cyber security.

Fadi Kanafani

Nirmal Manoharan

ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation, will showcase its AI-enabled IT Management Solutions this year. At GITEX, the company aims to demonstrate how the integration of Zia, Zoho’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, in ManageEngine’s ServiceDesk Plus and Analytics Plus helps customers achieve real business impact. The company will be exhibiting its best-in-class IT security solutions – exhibiting its security solutions that can help combat the increasing number of cyber-attacks in the region, and validate why endpoint management is critical to IT security. ManageEngine’s key products in the GITEX 2019 spotlight will include its recently-launched Device Control Plus and AI-enabled Analytics Plus, along with ManageEngine’s other flagship products—ServiceDesk Plus, Desktop Central, and OpManager. “AI technologies are becoming a key success factor for companies seeking a competitive edge. But AI also poses new threats that organizations need to address with proactive IT security so that the AI opportunities and benefits do not come at the cost of breaches,” said Nirmal Manoharan, regional director of sales, ManageEngine. “At GITEX 2019, we plan to educate visitors and customers about the latest trends in IT, address their security concerns, and help them mitigate those risks.

At this year’s GITEX, NetApp will demonstrate its capability to help businesses simplify and accelerate their data pipeline for deep learning with the NetApp ONTAP AI architecture powered by NVIDIA’s DGX AI systems and NetApp cloud connected all-flash storage. The firm will highlight the NetApp cloud connected all-flash data management portfolio; NetApp ONTAP AI powered by NVIDIA DGX AI systems; NetApp HCI; and NetApp Cloud Volumes Service for Google Cloud Platform, Azure and AWS. NetApp will also showcase its partnership with Ducati where visitors can experience Ducati’s ‘Connected Bike’ concept at NetApp’s stand (C30 in Hall 6). Fadi Kanafani, Managing Director and General Manager, Middle East, NetApp said, “Accessing, managing and efficiently using data is at the heart of every business’ digital transformation initiative. Data-driven decision makers are increasingly turning to AI and Machine Learning to aid their data management and analysis to fuel their digital transformation. Businesses that leverage AI in the cloud have a huge critical advantage.” “With our hybrid cloud data services, NetApp is enabling customers to put their data-centric vision into practice to respond faster to market changes and boost business success. At GITEX, we will focus on how NetApp can enable businesses to unleash the power of the hybrid cloud and AI together to transform their data into strategic assets that can advance their business,” he added.

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

GITEX 2019

NOZOMI NETWORKS

STARLINK

TREND MICRO

Stand SR-C10

Stand No. SR-J1

Hall 6

Marcus Josefsson

Nozomi Networks will showcase its realtime industrial control system (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) network visibility products at the GITEX Technology Week. Marcus Josefsson, Director, Nozomi Networks, Middle East, Africa & Russia said, “As IT and operational networks become more interconnected across the UAE and elsewhere, the attack surface for cyber threats has also expanded. Nozomi Networks arms enterprises with proactive tools, delivering OT visibility, threat detection and insight within a single solution to hundreds of thousands of critical infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, mining, transportation and other industrial devices worldwide.” He added “GITEX Technology Week 2019 offers the perfect platform to showcase these tools to an audience of targeted customers and partners from across the region visiting the exhibition to scout for the latest technologies.” Visitors can learn about the shifting threat landscape as organizations embrace the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Josefsson said, “Cyber security challenges are expanding as ICS boundaries become broader, interwoven and interdependent, exchanging information with myriad other systems and processes. Challenges in this area include mobile and wireless devices, as mobile applications replace engineering workstation applications, and wireless communication is more widely used to transfer data from sensor networks.” Nozomi will be exhibiting with Fortinet on their Stand SR-C10.

At this year’s GITEX, Starlink aims on empowering enterprises drive digital transformation. The value-added distributor in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region will demonstrate its fully automated cybersecurity ecosystem with an integrated suite of best-of-breed technology solutions lined up at the GITEX Technology Week 2019. StarLink will showcase its comprehensive solutions portfolio at Stand No. SR-J1 where both StarLink and participating vendor expert teams will be engaging and networking, one-on-one with customers and partners to impart valuable insights on the product offerings and industry best practices. StarLink will host 18 strategic vendors – Acronis, BlackBerry/Cylance, Centrify, Citrix, Cofense, Forescout, FireEye, Infoblox, LinkShadow, LogRhythm, Nexthink, Palo Alto Networks, Riverbed, Threat Quotient, Pure Storage, Trend Micro, Tripwire and SecureLink with focus on Data Protection, Software Defined Data Centre, Identity & Access, Risk and Compliance and Infrastructure Security. Nidal Othman, Co-Founder and Managing Director, StarLink, said “Over the past decade, StarLink has pioneered various innovative initiatives to empower and facilitate its stakeholders to grow and expand their global footprint. Once again, we look forward to join forces and collaborate at this unique platform and strengthen our commitment to support enterprises in the region build a robust cyber and cloud infrastructure strategy to optimize their business operations without compromising user experience.”

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

Dr. Moataz Bin Ali

Trend Micro is a global leader in cybersecurity solutions. Its innovative solutions provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, Vice President, Trend Micro, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said, “As the cybersecurity landscape becomes more complex, cyber-threats can be abstract to understand and ugly to confront when they strike.” “However, with our GITEX theme of ‘The Art of Cybersecurity,’ we aim to show how cybersecurity can be beautiful when organizations literally see how siloed threats can be put together to show a big picture, helping organizations stay one step ahead of cyberthreats,” he added. At the GITEX Technology Week, the company will highlight its Deep Security solution for cloud and data security with AWS, Microsoft, and VMware, along with its new XDR detection and response solution for email, endpoint, server, and network with its channel partners Redington and StarLink. “Trend Micro’s everywhere-at-GITEX approach will help us to get closer to our vendors, our customers, and our channel and alliance partners across every industry vertical and technology,” said Moataz. “Our proven foresight, XGen cross-generational security strategy, and passionate people can enable Middle East organizations to prepare, withstand, and recover from cyberthreats.”

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GITEX 2019

VAD TECHNOLOGIES

VMWARE

ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES

Stand D1-H3

Stand B10-H7

Stand H5-A11

Mario M. Veljovic

VAD Technologies is an established IT and Technology value added distributor, headquartered in Dubai, UAE. Catering to Enterprise and SME markets through a strong channel footprint across Middle East and North Africa, it delivers innovative technology products and solutions to transform the IT landscape. The firm will showcase its comprehensive IT Service Management Portfolio, comprising of several Vendors and Technologies – from Event Management, IT Service Assurance, Performance Monitoring to Remote Connectivity, supported by Augmented Reality. Mario M. Veljovic, General Manager, VAD Technologies LLC said, “VAD’s primary objective is to meet with the ICT Ecosystem to explore business opportunities and GITEX is a must attend Exhibition in our annual Event Calendar.” “At GITEX 2019, the company’s key focus is to excite Partners for VAD’s Cutting Edge / Next Generation Technology Vendor Alliances and work with new Technology Vendors to join VAD’s Product & Solutions Offering,” he added. VAD Technologies will be exhibiting at Stand H3/D1 and will support VAD’s Vendors Alliances on their respective Stands across the Exhibition.

Ahmed Auda

VMware will be showcasing its latest advances in cloud infrastructure, intrinsic security and digital workspace technology at GITEX 2019. Aligned with the GITEX theme of ‘Synergizing the Mind and Technology Economy’, VMware will assist regional customers in establishing a successful digital business built upon a robust digital foundation. At the Gitex Technology Week, the company will host several demonstrations throughout the event, including demos of its integrated digital workspace platform, Workspace One, its End-User Computing (EUC) solutions, as well as its vSAN Assessment module. Ahmed Auda, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and North Africa, VMware, said, “The advent of technology-driven innovation is disrupting every market and industry, which creates new opportunities but also brings new challenges. For the last decade, VMware has been a driving force in the successful digital transformation of many public sector and private organisations across a range of industries in the Middle East. Our focus now is to help our customers to unlock the full potential of their digital foundation, capitalising on their operational improvements, while remaining secure in the face of new threats. GITEX gives us the opportunity to not only showcase our solutions but to also show customers first-hand how they can transform their organisation into a digital force to be reckoned with.”

At this year’s GITEX, Zebra Technologies will be showcasing its portfolio for omnichannel fulfilment and its prescriptive analytics solutions to help retailers make smarter, more informed decisions. Among the solutions that will be on display at GITEX are Savanna Prescriptive Analytics for retailers including solutions from Profitect (now part of Zebra) which use machine learning and prescriptive analytics to identify opportunities to positively impact sales and margin for some of the most recognized retailers globally. Zebra’s acquisition of Xplore Technologies, designed to provide full-shift, around-the-clock power on a single charge will be featured as well as the recently announced L10 Android™ ultrarugged tablet, built with over 20 years of experience. Zebra will also showcase the ZQ630 mobile printer available with RFID options, enabling businesses to print and encode RFID tags as well as standard labels and receipts at the point of application to reduce errors.

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

28 COVER STORY

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

VEEAM: VISIONARY LEADERSHIP IN THE DIGITAL ERA IN THIS MONTH’S EDITION OF RESELLER WE MANAGED TO SECURE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH CLAUDE SCHUCK AND AMIR AKHTAR, THE DYNAMIC DUO THAT ARE DRIVING VEEAM’S CHANNEL AND CLOUD BUSINESSES IN THE MENA REGION.

eeam has been a disruptive force since its entry into the market in 2006 and has become the go-to player for enterprises looking to transition towards the cloud. Claude Schuck, Regional Manager of the Middle East and Amir Akhtar, Manager of Channel, Middle East at Veeam discussed the challenges and opportunities in the current market climate, the impact disruptive technologies are having on the ICT ecosystem, its channel business, and how the global software company continues to reinforce its status as a visionary leader in the GCC region. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CHANNEL BUSINESS TO THE OVERALL GROWTH OF VEEAM? Amir Akhtar: Channel is an instrumental part of the overall business and to our success. Veeam has

had a 100% channel model since the company was founded. We do all of our business through the channel, so our partners are our differentiators. We ensure that our growth is aligned with the open market conditions which means that we really need to understand our existing and potential channel to see what opportunities and challenges we may encounter, taking partners that buy into our strategy on the journey with us. I’ve seen a lot of vendors come to the market with a business plan specific to their business, but they’ve failed to take into consideration whether or not it is planned and correlated with the channel ecosystem and the opportunities for partners. If it isn’t collaborative then it’s not going to get adopted, especially when your go-tomarket strategy relies on the channel. You have to be relevant and Veeam offers a clear model that inspires confidence with partners. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // OCTOBER 2019

30 COVER STORY

I BELIEVE WE’RE NOW AT AN AFFLICTION POINT, THE BIG CLOUD PROVIDERS HAVE PUT DOWN BRICKS AND MORTAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THAT’S THE SPRINGBOARD.”

YOU’VE BEEN TASKED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SPEARHEADING REGIONAL ENTERPRISES TRANSITION TO THE CLOUD. CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW ON THIS CHALLENGE? Claude Shuck: It’s a very interesting time, especially in the Middle East. People have been talking about cloud for a long time but when you mention cloud, it means many things to many people and for most people it means something out there that they can’t control. Cloud, is a touch and feel thing and cloud or workloads hosted could be on-prem or off-prem. However, I believe we’re now at an affliction point as the big cloud providers have put down bricks and mortar in the Middle East and that’s the springboard. Every single customer and partner we speak to wants to know how they can enable that in their business in order to make it more efficient and leverage what they haven’t had before. WHAT DIFFERENTIATES VEEAM FROM OTHER VENDORS?

Amir Akhtar: Veeam’s Act I was creating and dominating the VMware backup market. We have been the leader for the last decade. In 2006, we boldly claimed that we were going to be the go-to back-up solution for virtualisation, but back then people were saying virtualisation was never going to fly as everything is physical hardware. Some of our biggest competitors back then were saying that Veeam was going to be out of business within the next 12 months. However, we’re now the company which has completely turned that on its head. Veeam competitors have walked away from traditionalbased back-up solutions and are now trying to do what we did 10 years ago. The co-founders of Veeam were extraordinarily visionary in the way the industry was evolving and identified the potential of virtualisation. Veeam’s partner-centric strategy has been the foundation for our success. Our ability to adapt to ever-changing market trends continues as the company enters Act II as the leader

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

in Cloud Data Management. From day one, Veeam has focused on partnerships to deliver customer value and our Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 3.5 times the industry average, putting us alongside some of the biggest brands in the world such as Apple and Tesla. The key for us is the simplicity of our technology. It works, it’s simple to plug and play and our support is exceptional that make Veeam the No.1 market leader in EMEA. ENTERPRISES IN THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE ISSUES OF ‘DARK DATA’ AND A LACK OF VISIBILITY. WHAT SORT OF NEW TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES ARE YOU SEEING EMERGE THAT CAN HELP THEM ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES? Claude Schuck: I spent a lot of time with one of the major cloud providers in the US at a conference recently and they spoke about managing data. They highlighted analytics in that space and how easy it has become to utilize those services.

PEOPLE ARE NOW DEFINITELY LOOKING TO DO MORE WITH LESS AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAD A SLOW ADOPTION TO THE CLOUD IN THE MIDDLE EAST.” I was blown away by some of the technologies that are coming to those platforms. One of the things that struck me is that if I was a CIO of a company, specifically in the Middle East, and I landed back in the region after seeing the vision for Cloud Data Management on display at that conference, I’d be asking myself some questions. How much hardware do I still need? How can I leverage my data in the cloud? These organisations are searching for the next niche and the next differentiator to make sure they compete effectively against their competition. They’ve found it in the form of data. The power of data when it sits there in terms of

what you can do with it, how you can analyse it, and how you utilize and move it is very, very powerful. At Veeam, we are working closely with our customers to manage their data and unlock its use and potential to drive business transformation, without creating vendor lock-in and looking after their IP to ensure their business is up and running all the time. THE UAE HAS FACED SOME ECONOMIC CHALLENGES OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS, BUT HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN FOR VEEAM IN THE MIDDLE EAST? Amir Akhtar: Economically we all know it’s been a challenge for the last 12 months. I personally feel that budgets from an end-user perspective haven’t rebounded following the oil crash. People are

now looking to do more with less and this is one of the reasons we’ve had an increased adoption of cloud in the Middle East. Historically in the region, end-users spent a significant amount of money in their own data centers, but only had a short-term vision. Now that budgets are being scrutinised, they’ve got to be much more stringent in terms of where and how they spend it and show greater ROIs. We’re now seeing a rapid evolution towards nextgeneration technologies like cloud, AI and Business Intelligence creating data management challenges where customers are looking burdens and again where Veeam helps customers to cure these pains. If they can streamline their processes internally by investing in these new technologies, then they can show a quicker ROI and a lower TCO. That’s where I see the market heading. We want to focus on key partners that we know deliver the best of breed solutions across both Veeam and our alliances. This adds much more value for us, our customers and partners us, the channel and the end user. Overall, the Veeam business model has been very resilient to the economic climate and as a result we are continuing to grow our business exponentially year on year. WHAT SORT OF SERVICES ARE YOU OFFERING IN THE ENTERPRISE SPACE THAT ALLOWS MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF? Claude Schuck: We’ve got the platform, but we need to develop services around it. Is it backup-asa-service, is it Disaster Recoveryas-a-service or is it AI-as-a-service? We’ve got to start monetising these emerging technologies. We’ve got the Availability Platform, so a big focus over the next 2-3 months will be helping service providers and telecommunication operators monetise these services. It’s one thing telling them to take our product and run, but we need to design something that they can sell to their customers and consume.

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

32 INTERVIEW // EMIRCOM

Data, data everywhere

Mohamed Kabel, Head of HIC Business Unit, Emircom, on company updates, multi-cloud approach and the firm’s future plans for growth in the region.

CAN YOU GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE KEY MILESTONES AT EMIRCOM OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS? In the area of multi cloud and virtualisation, Emircom aims to achieve more in the coming months than it ever has thanks to the ever-increasing demand for IT services. We attribute this success to our focus on helping our customer achieve their business outcomes by building robust, stable and scalable infrastructures. In our recently revamped Hyper-IT and Multi-Cloud (HIC) unit, we have a solid team of business technology experts that use best practices to advise customers on how to make best use of their budgets and investments. Our first target was to enable our customers towards multi-cloud by leveraging the best of breed technologies from a selection of highly capable and innovative vendors that could provide the stability, scalability and data protection needed. We then focused on excelling in our deployments and ensured very high customer satisfaction. From the last months alone, we have more than eight success stories of customers who started their journey from scratch towards hybrid cloud thanks to our software defined solution.

I AM CONVINCED THAT WE WILL BE MORE IMMERSED IN SMART LIVING, INTELLIGENT WORK, AND A FRICTIONLESS ECONOMY.”

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

WHICH VERTICALS WITHIN THE REGION DO YOU SEE THE MOST DEMAND CO MING FROM FOR YOUR SOLUTIONS? We see the demand coming from across all vertical’s, be it oil and gas, banking and government. The urgency to transform and be digitally ready is now is real: we cannot continue building infrastructures and data centers the way we used to 5 years ago, everything has to be digitally transformed, even in our personal lives. Customers that do not have a have a smart solution built on a multi-cloud approach are going to be left behind in the new digital economy. Can you elaborate on Emircom’s vision for cloud? Our vision is to bring a new level of simplicity to the multicloud journey and to make IT infrastructures as easily accessible and reliable as utility services. We want to provide freedom of choice, but not compromise on agility, security or flexibility. I find it very important to advise my customers to never make concessions on their

TRUE VALUE-ADDED DISTRIBUTOR

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supply chain and all other key aspects of the business with converge towards one word: ‘Data’.

security, compliance or governance mandates but ensure that they are able run their workloads anywhere, anytime. WE ARE KEEN TO OFFER A FULL PORTFOLIO OF CLOUD SERVICES, BASED ON SOLID AND MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIPS WITH MAJOR CLOUD PROVIDERS AND VENDORS. What kind of innovation can the regional market expect from Emircom going forward? Can you share any initiatives planned for the end of this year? Emircom Innovation Engine is fueled by three main sources: (1) investments in our company to increase our capability in multi cloud, AI, IoT and Digital Transformation. We have even developed our own IoT energy monitory product called SEnergy, which has already been successfully deployed at a number of UAE customers, (2) Partnerships with leading technology vendors like Dell EMC, VMware and Software AG and (3) Development of a pools of subject matter experts in our Hybrid IT and multi-cloud (HIC) business to expand and differentiate our solutions. Our main initiatives for Q4 2019 is to provide a free service for cloud assessments for moving onto a

OUR VISION IS TO BRING A NEW LEVEL OF SIMPLICITY TO THE MULTI-CLOUD JOURNEY.”

third platform. We are also providing a tested end-to-end solution to our customer like VDI, private, hybrid and multi-cloud solution. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR GITEX 2019? We are keen to demonstrate a new approach and our new methodologies. During our participation at GITEX, we will be launching something really special: our own green product, our own home-grown IP, called SEnergy, which is an IoT solution specialised in monitoring energy consumption and related power parameters in any facility using a variety of smart IoT sensors. Along with our partner Dell Technologies, we will go with our customer on a true digital transformation journey where IT, cloud, security, workforce, processes,

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

WHAT DOES THE MARKET LOOK LIKE FOR EMIRCOM IN 2020? In 2020, we see three major changes happening – Immersive Technology, 5G City, and Multi Cloud concept. The good thing is, we are ready for all of them. Through innovation over the next decade, I am convinced that we will be more immersed in smart living, intelligent work, and a frictionless economy. The more connected things will be (thanks to the IoT), the more data we will generate. With the first 5G devices set to launch next year, this hugely anticipated network promises to completely change the data game in terms of speed and accessibility. The opportunity (and need) for organisations to store data at the edge, in the core, and everywhere in between, will be essential in their quest to drive automation and enhance AI and ML processing. The newly generated data will need to be stored somewhere and managed by smart tools and software. We are confident that Emircom will be the partner of choice to provide solutions to store, protect, and manage this new influx of data.

36 INTERVIEW // CROWDSTRIKE

Changing with the currents Rawad Sarieddine, Senior Director, CrowdStrike META, explains in-depth on the evolution of endpoint security and how to simplify the process in the digital era.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST TRENDS WITHIN SECURITY TODAY? Today, the endpoint remains the most targeted asset in an organisation. The definition of an endpoint has evolved from a server or desktop, into any workload, such as a cloud asset, mobile device, virtual machine, VDI or container. Endpoint security is again gaining a lot of traction and the trend is leaning towards more agent consolidation. Therefore, customers are looking for platforms that offer a unified management console and a single agent that supports the different endpoint flavors, in order to simplify the tedious process of securing endpoints.

THE TRADITIONAL NETWORK SECURITY SPENDING WILL SLOW DOWN, IN FAVOR OF MODERN REQUIREMENTS.”

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON CROWDSTRIKE’S BUSINESS OBJECTIVE AND CHANNEL STRATEGY? CrowdStrike’s objective will always remain focused on stopping breaches and protecting any workload or endpoint. From a business

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

perspective, we are witnessing a massive acceleration in our META growth and customer adoption. In order to meet the customers demand, we continue to foster a channel first strategy by embracing the two-tier model of distributors and channel partners, investing in enabling the partners technically, and certifying their engineers, for the purpose of scaling. We also continue to invest globally in technology partnerships, with vendors that offer email security, web security, OT security, NAC, UEBA, etc. WHY IS THE MIDDLE EAST AN IMPORTANT MARKET FOR THE COMPANY IN TERMS OF PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS? The channel strategy for any vendor is particularly relevant in the Middle East, where customers value the relationship that they have built over the years with local security advisors and system integrators. We greatly appreciate the efforts of our channel community and constantly work

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Visit us at SR-C10 in Sheikh Rashid Hall during GITEX 2019 to learn more.

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

39 INTERVIEW // CROWDSTRIKE

on increasing our investment in enabling the partners to succeed, while extending our reach to protect our customers. WHEN YOU TALK TO YOUR PARTNERS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THEIR COMMON CHALLENGES AND HOW CAN THEY BEST SELL YOUR SOLUTIONS EFFECTIVELY IN THE DIGITAL ERA? We constantly get feedback from our partners that they are tired of deploying complex solutions and proposing a multivendor approach to just protect their customer endpoints across a diversified environment, of onpremises and cloud assets. The common feedback that we get is that our product makes their lives easy, so we advise our channel to simplify their product portfolio and offer integrated solutions of best-of-breed vendors, such as CrowdStrike, to protect their clients in their journey of digital transformation.

WITH GITEX 2019 KICKING OFF NEXT MONTH, WILL YOU BE MAKING ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING YOUR PARTNERS ECOSYSTEM? We continue to outpace the endpoint security space in terms of innovation and technology partnerships. Apart from running ten modules on our platform at the moment, we will announce some recent technology partnerships with vendors of email security, web security, OT security, NAC and UEBA. At this year’s GITEX, visitors will also get a chance to meet our new META channel distributors. WHAT ASPECT OF CYBERSECURITY DO YOU THINK WILL SEE INCREASED INVESTMENTS IN 2020? While the global and regional investments in other areas and sectors are witnessing a slowdown, we foresee a continued growth in the cyber security market. The

WE ADVISE OUR CHANNEL TO SIMPLIFY THEIR PRODUCT PORTFOLIO AND OFFER INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS OF BEST-OFBREED VENDORS, SUCH AS CROWDSTRIKE”

uncertainty of economic situations and the complicated geopolitical landscape is driving an increased investment in securing high risk assets, such as endpoint protection and cloud workload protection. We believe that the traditional network security spending will slow down, in favor of modern requirements, such as advanced threat hunting platforms and threat intelligence solutions. CrowdStrike is uniquely positioned to cater to the shift in enterprise security spending.

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

40 INTERVIEW // REDINGTON VALUE

A New Dimension

Sayantan Dev, Senior Vice President, Redington Value, shares updates on the firm’s data science analytics practice launched regionally last year and how they plan on bringing a third dimension in the market.

CAN YOU GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE KEY MILESTONES AT REDINGTON VALUE OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS? Over the last few months, Redington Value has expanded across the Middle East and Africa region. We have doubled down our investments in certain countries and are expecting a significant growth there. Our cloud practices are maturing both in terms of services delivery and capabilities of cloud management portal, while we continue to add a lot of our existing products and services, making them available on the cloud market place. Moreover, our practices around data science & analytics has eventually led us to engage with the customers in terms of delivering business outcomes for them – you will hear a lot of announcements in the coming weeks. AS THE NEW LEADER OF REDINGTON VALUE, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO STRENGTHEN THE COMPANY’S POSITION AS A VAD IN THE REGION? For almost eleven years, I am attuned to the core value of the company which is growth. Over the past decade, Redington Value has established itself as a leading VAD in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). My primary focus will be to build an organisation which is extremely agile and one that is constantly vigilant of what is going on. In terms of business model changes, we have certain strategies, keeping in mind the agility, the changing IT consumption model and how we can change our goto market in a digital world as digital

ALL OUR EFFORTS TODAY ARE ENCOURAGING PARTNERS TO SPECIALIZE IN A PARTICULAR SILO OR IN A SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY.”

transformation will possibly be one of the major growth drivers in the months and years to come. WHAT KIND OF DEMAND HAVE YOU OBSERVED FROM THE REGION AND HOW CHALLENGING IS THE DISTRIBUTION SECTOR NOW? Currently, the speed of disruption is so high that our entire ecosystem

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

is finding it difficult to cope up and with that, we realise there is a need to not only create aggregation of products but also aggregation of services. The region has warmed up to the concept of digital transformation. Internet of things is no more a science project; it is becoming a reality. We are encountering what we used to read in science fiction. Many of our vendor partners have recently announced opening up several data centers in the region in response to the increased demand for cloud computing. Security continues to be a major concern in a world full of intelligent and connected devices. These are going to be the major growth drivers in the coming years. LAST YEAR, REDINGTON VALUE LAUNCHED ITS DATA ANALYTICS PRACTICE, WHAT TRACTION HAVE YOU SEEN IN THIS TECHNOLOGY IN THE REGION? Data Analytics is a broad area with several segments for partners to develop their niche in. Data Analytics Practice has different silos - it starts with data management to data preparation, governance to advance analytics to visual analytics. Each of these silos are in different phases of evolution and we have gained a significant maturity in certain areas. This has led us to create practices and go into areas where

we didn’t exist before. Partners are seeing great value with our new practice and currently trying to figure out the area they want to invest and specialize in. With this investment, we have increased our footprint across organizations and have also gained a set of new partners who are developing their competencies in a particular category of data science or analytics. Today, if we look back at our journey, this has been a very interesting development for Redington Value as we now have our presence not only in one part of the customer but also different departments. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEW TRENDS DO YOU THINK ARE EMERGING AND HOW CAN REDINGTON LEVERAGE THEM? If it is an on-premise infrastructure, we are looking at modernisation of the data centres. There have been massive developments on the cloud side as data centres are offering

more and more services. Security continues to be a major concern and we are observing an increase in cloud computing adoptions. There is artificial intelligence almost everywhere, and then obviously the analytics and AI are something we are encountering on day-to-day interaction level. We are also seeing a new surge of players entering the market offering niche solutions and services and many global solution providers looking at new geographies. WITH GITEX KICKING OFF NEXT MONTH, WHAT WILL REDINGTON VALUE SHOWCASE THIS YEAR? Our theme for GITEX this year is “Powering innovation.” We believe for any problem, one must be innovative and then there is technology to solve it. All our efforts today are encouraging partners to specialise in a particular silo or in a specific technology. This is a new opportunity

on the table for partners. They need to build a model where they are able to leverage the investments, we (Redington and Citrus, our consulting arm) are making and then get themselves specialised in different areas of this segment. WHAT WILL BE SOME OF THE MAJOR REVENUE DRIVERS FOR REDINGTON IN THE UPCOMING YEARS? You will see us going into areas where traditionally distributors have not ventured – application and analytics. Our capabilities around cloud in the market place are maturing very fast and we are making a significant investment there. The demand for security also is constantly changing and this will always be a high area of activity for us. If you look at distributors or a VADs evolution over the years, it has been a two-dimensional affair (Product & Channel) when it comes to go-to market. Redington Value is working overtime to bring in a third dimension (i.e. specialization and practice development) and maturing that in good time to bring an entirely new market dimension.

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

42 INTERVIEW // REVEILLE

Unlocking potential Bob Howatt, Vice-President of Sales, Reveille, elaborates on how their new partnership with Gulf Software Distribution can help them penetrate the marketplace in the Middle East. Reseller ME speaks to the charismatic Howatt who documents the success that the US-based company has enjoyed - and reveals how its customer-centricity has enabled Reveille to maintain its status as a market leader in IT software solutions in both the United States and Europe.

FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES, SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED BY REVEILLE HAS EMPOWERED BUSINESSES TO MONITOR, ANALYZE AND GAIN INSIGHT FROM PLATFORMS AND APPLICATIONS. HOW HAS REVEILLE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN ITS STATUS AS LEADER IN ECM SOLUTIONS OVER SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME? Our company was born out of an internal IT project at a large US bank. There was no product that existed specifically in those environments, so we identified a gap in the market. The project was with one of the four largest banks in the United States, but they didn’t want to run these applications with that much risk, so they funded an internal IT project. We took hold of the management environment, both for the capture part of the ECM and a repository. The product worked so well that the bank started selling the software as a separate internal activity selling to all the financial institutions and when the banks merged, they didn’t want to have it in their portfolio any software. We had some investors and they took control of the company and we’ve been an independent software company since 2007.

REVEILLE SOFTWARE ENABLES CLIENTS TO MANAGE BUSINESS CRITICAL CONTENT BY PROVIDING TRANSPARENCY INTO THEIR CONTENT SERVICES.”

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

REVEILLE HAS A GLOBAL FOOTPRINT, BUT WHAT IS YOUR PRESENCE LIKE HERE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN IN THE REGION OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS? That’s a good question. How did we get here? Well, we met Gareth, the General Manager at Gulf Software Distribution at an IBM show February of this year. We engaged in a discussion and he told me about his business and his network of partners. He articulated to us some of the opportunities and potential that could be realised in the Middle East market and following some internal discussions as a company we decided to go for it. We entered into contractual negotiations and reached an agreement in April. We’ve been going through the process of educating their resellers. Their network of resellers specifically in the enterprise content space, not only do they have resellers that have outstanding knowledge of the products but also the customers. Lots of their reseller networks can help their customers build applications on top of these complex environments and help them manually manage. However, both GSD and its partner networks were not familiar with the

solutions like ours existed. We’ve never marketed, sold to or advertised anything in this region. We’re always looking for markets if its real and if we can make it happen, so we started this relationship, and this is our first shot to come over here to physically meet the partners. We as a company and an individual group, are very impressed with both GSD and its partner networks. The challenges facing the organisations in the Gulf Region are the same as those throughout the rest of the world, namely keeping up with the rate of change in using existing technologies with emerging technologies to provide newer/faster/better ways to utilise information. Since the majority of new data is “unstructured “ data, the use of ECM technologies is growing. The need to manage and secure this explosive growth has become a priority for CIO’s as they try to meet the demands of the business. As a partner of Gulf Software Distribution, we are looking to provide consumers of ECM applications with the system management capabilities they need to ensure superior performance and security of these mission critical business applications in the Gulf Region of the world. GSD’s partner network works with hundreds of organisations throughout the Gulf Region who utilize these complex ECM environments to run their strategic business applications. AS WE ALREADY HIGHLIGHTED, REVEILLE IS A LEADER IN ECM SOLUTIONS AND HAS PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOME HUGE COMPANIES. HOWEVER, WHAT IS IT THAT ULTIMATELY DIFFERENTIATES YOUR COMPANY FROM YOUR COMPETITORS? Technology has moved quickly in recent years, making it difficult for leaders to get a hold on their operations. While much of the focus is on current trends such as IoT, mobility and cloud computing, smart organisations realize that

competitiveness hinges on data and their content service platforms (ECM). As ECM adoption continues to proliferate throughout organisations, poor performance levels can become very costly. Reveille Software, an application performance management (APM) ISV, has long been focused on helping users monitor and improve their ECM performance levels. Reveille Software enables clients to manage business critical content by providing transparency into their content services. Built for ECM, document capture, and enterprise file sync & share (EFSS), we provide user and operational analytics utilising

sophisticated visualisations and response capabilities. We provide performance and security management for complex business applications utilising Enterprise Content Management systems from IBM, Microsoft, OpenText and other leading ECM providers. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2019? Our goals for the remainder of 2019 is to continue to educate the GSD network of partners and introduce this purpose-built/agentless solution to the user community in the Gulf Region.

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

45 45 INTERVIEW // RAQMIYAT

The trend continues

In an in-depth conversation with Reseller ME, Amer Khreino, CEO, Raqmiyat, explains why diversification matters to keep SI business afloat.

SINCE WE ARE IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2019, CAN YOU GIVE US A BUSINESS OVERVIEW OF RAQMIYAT’S 1H AND YOUR PLANS FOR 2020? Raqmiyat had concluded a good business during 1H19. Our sales had accelerated by 27% over the same period of 2019, due to the new contracts acquisition across all our strategic business units. Our net operating profit was also up by double digits vs. the first half of 2018, as we continue driving higher efficiencies to the existing operations, adding new revenue streams and expanding our customer base. The trend is continuing as we speak. As for FY2020, the outlook is even better from growth perspectives; considering the new lines of business that’s been added, within the digital transformation arena, yet, this is coming with a mixed sentiment (& caution) due to the global economic vulnerability, political tension between the super powers and business slowdown in many European and international markets. THE SI MARKET IS PREDICTED TO SET AN ASTONISHING GROWTH BY 2026, REACHING A VALUE OF USD 90.82 BILLION. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS KEY TO KEEP THIS BUSINESS AFLOAT WITH SO MANY ORGANISATIONS INVESTING IN IT? Despite all growth potential and favorable predictions, SIs continue to face the toughest time ever, due to changing

in the business models, the technology shifts and customers own challenges in adopting these disruptive technologies. As a SI, we offer many valuable services that complement the offering of these technologies, including consultancy services, customisation services, data migration and post live support that require qualified, experienced and talented professionals who are difficult to find and retain. This adds to the operating cost of the SI who needs to secure steady business throughout the year, with minimal fluctuation. As the bullish market fades away, the SI needs to be creative in finding best operating models that keep them afloat and profitable, through strategic associations, tight cost management and efficient delivery mechanisms, to name a few!

WITH HIGHER COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE, THE BARGAINING POWER HAS SHIFTED TO THE CONSUMERS, LEAVING THESE TECHNIQUES WELL EXPOSED & SHAKY.”

PART OF THE NEED FOR DIVERSIFICATION IS PROFITABILITY – ORGANISATIONS NEED TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE THEMSELVES STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD. WHAT ARE OTHER CHALLENGES FOR ORGANISATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO PROFITABILITY? In today’s time, profitability is a

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

MOVE & IMPROVE RATHER THAN SIMPLY LEFT & SHIFT”

function of both science and art. There are many techniques to price your products and services, to allow you meet your profitability targets. Most of these techniques are based on your product/service cost, organisational B.E. analysis and market price (competitors’ offerings). With higher competitive landscape, the bargaining power has shifted to the consumers, leaving these techniques well exposed & shaky. Hence, come the value-based approach that is creative and tough to duplicate. Most of our future profitability will come through innovative services and complementing solutions that can add value to our customers throughout their digital transformation journey. WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASING NUMBER OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES ENTERING THE MARKET AND TRANSFORMING BUSINESSES ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES. WHAT MARKET TRENDS DO YOU PREDICT WILL BE GAME CHANGING FOR ORGANISATIONS AND ENDUSERS? This is absolutely an important question, as there are dozens of new

disruptive technologies that are confusing, not only customers, but the business community itself. “FOCUS” is key and the answer to your question. You may need to understand what your core competencies are and what value-add you are offering tor your customers. Most of these new technologies are game-changer, but heavily rely on how well you deploy them. Considering our own strategic objectives and future plans at Raqmiyat, we will invest in area of the business transformation that include, automated & digital workplace, analytics, data security and data compliance. Some of the technologies that are being considered including Cloud (offerings & migration), Integrated ERPs, mobility platforms, AI and Cyber Security. WE HAVE DISCUSSED YOUR PLANS FOR 2020 – CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT A SPECIFIC PROJECT YOU HAVE COMING UP AND HOW THIS

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

WILL HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS MOVE FORWARD IN THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY? There are many strategic projects that we are working on for FY 2020. One includes fully automated payment solution with AI capabilities, to capture and automate the full payment cycle, hence reducing the operating overheads of our clients, increasing time to market and reducing risk of defaults. Another project includes fully automated talent management system, to renowned government entities that cover thousands of employees that include their employee appraisals, succession planning, learning and performance management. Other strategic projects include migrate large clients to cloud in a process we call “MOVE & IMPROVE” rather than simply “left and shift”, with many improved-value as, licenses optimisation, guaranteed SLAs and reduced overall operating cost.

CYBERY SECURITY IS ALL ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS DRIVEN COGITATE Achieve your business Use Cases with Secure, Produccve and Use experience with our Vendors...

48 EVENTS // GULF SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION

Combining skills

The quarterly events are a highlight for the partners and part of the ‘Value Add’ GSD regularly provides to support their partners in innovative ways that continue to add value to their growing business.

SD hosted its Q3 Partner Networking Event at Radisson Blu Media City where 19 partners participated from the GCC Region along with GSD’s Vendor IBM who spoke about Red Hat. GSD Partner Networking Event, held each quarter, brings Partners together in a conducive

environment to receive updates about vendors and products, while networking to encourage teaming together in search of new business opportunities and leveraging others solution knowledge to become the best possible software solution providers for customers in the GCC. The Q3 event was also attended by one of GSD’s new Vendors, Reveille, who had traveled from the US.

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

Gareth Hansford, General Manager, GSD said, “This is a very exciting vendor for us to bring to the GCC region as the Sole Distributor. Reveille is a specialised monitoring solution for ECM products such as FileNet, Documentum, SharePoint, Kofax, Box and others. There are many other software tools that can monitor apps, yet no other competitor has been able to achieve

such depth, dedicated, and comprehensive ECM monitoring capabilities as Reveille. Many companies have tried; almost all have come back to Reveille a few months later. There are many opportunities for businesses in the region to now leverage Reveille’s software to optimize business processes, improve information management and become a more intelligent connected enterprise. Finally, the necessary foundation needed for business growth is available locally from Reveille and its customers to see, know and protect their environment in the most protected way.”

“Our success depends on their success, so we work with the business leaders to ensure we find the right solutions that address their needs, help them understand these new technologies available and build plans, skills and solutions

to keep them ahead in the market. Enabling them to provide solutions that address their customers rapid transformation is the core focus of our business strategy. This is our proven methodology and the reason for our continued success,” he added. The Q4 event is a special GITEX edition taking place on 8th October, which ties in with the third day of the tradeshow. Partners are encouraged to take advantage of this event as GSD’s Vendors will be available to deep dive into discussions, schedule enablement sessions, book briefings and converse with customers. GSD will also be launching an online Partner Marketplace called the ‘Majlis’ – a private portal used only by GSD partners to achieve the same benefits as their Partner Networking Event at any time rather than only at the quarterly events.

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

50 PRODUCTS

LENOVO INTRODUCES THINKSMART HUB 500

enovo has introduced the ThinkSmart Hub 500, an all-inone collaboration platform that can be used for maximum efficiency, comfort and reliability. The ThinkSmart Hub 500 can eliminate time lost due to technical issues during meetings and provide a desirable working environment for a conference call or meeting. Pre-configured for Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business or Zoom Rooms, it facilitates all communication software. Moreover, its movable touchscreen display helps

attendees around the table to record their inputs and structure plans in real-time. Its 360° microphone array and Dolby Audio premium sound keep the conversation clear, while an innovative cable management system helps eliminate cable clutter to provide a seamless user experience. Additionally, the cable management door locks, securing physical ports and preventing cables from being accidentally disconnected. With audio and video capabilities, users can simply press a button to initiate

BELKIN SHOWCASES POWER BANK FOR APPLE WATCHES

elkin’s Boost↑Charge Power Bank 2K for Apple’s smartwatch device is compact, lightweight and fits easily into a pocket or go-bag The portable power bank’s 2200 mAh battery extends the use time of an Apple Watch by a whopping 63 extra hours. “For Middle East Apple Watch users on the go, there is nothing worse than losing access to your watch’s features because of a drained battery,” said Fawad Mir, Sales Director, Belkin, Middle East and Africa. “Belkin’s new Boost↑ChargeTM Power Bank 2K is a robust charging solution that not only extends your watch’s use time by an additional 63 hours, but also supports Nightstand Mode, making it an ideal choice for those taking an overnight trip.” Equipped with a 6” micro-USB cable for easy recharging, Belkin’s Boost↑ChargeTM Power Bank 2K is now available at all major retail and online stores for AED 299.

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

their meeting with ease. The ThinkSmart Hub 500 is enabled with ThinkShield – Lenovo’s industry-leading suite of security solutions which protect data and privacy. It also comes preloaded with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise software to provide intelligent business-grade protection, while the Intel vPro processor helps maintain remote devices.

EPSON ANNOUNCES “WORLD’S SMALLEST” 3LCD LASER PROJECTOR

pson has launched EF-100W/B, the company’s first portable laser projector that’s compact, lightweight and can project images up to 150 inches – ideal for supersizing content. Measuring just 23cm along its longest edge, the EF100W/B can be placed and projected in any direction. This gives users more flexibility as to where they can project onto such as a wall, ceiling or floor. Offering a long-term and maintenance-free solution, the laser light source lasts up to 20,000 hours. Complementing its portable design, the EF-100W/B offers a swift and simple set-up. Furthermore, the remote makes it easy to navigate the user-friendly interface. Accessing content from a phone, tablet, DVD player, games console or laptop is easy by inserting a cable into the HDMI port. Streaming content is simple too – devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV can be plugged in the back. The plug and play design also incorporate flexible options for sound: built-in speakers, Bluetooth connectivity for sound bars or a headphone jack. There’s also a sound mode to reflect the type of content being shown. The new EF-100W/B is available now and comes in two finishes – white EF-100W features silver accents while the black EF-100B has copper edging.

52 PRODUCTS

APPLE UNVEILS THREE NEW IPHONES

pple has unveiled three new iPhones at its recently held keynote event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. The company has launched the iPhone 11, which features a 6.1inch Liquid Retina display, Face ID, a dual-camera on the back and a new A13 Bionic chip. The chip according to Apple will make the phone the “fastest CPU and GPU ever in a smartphone”. Priced at $699, the iPhone 11 comes in six new colour options: white, black, yellow, red, lavender and green. The tech giant also launched high-end models iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, which are the first Apple phones to sport the ‘Pro’ denomination. The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro

Max feature a brand-new triple-camera system and an ultra-wide-angle lens. The iPhone Pro features a 5.8-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the iPhone Pro Max will be slightly bigger with a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display. Both devices are also equipped with A13 Bionic chips. The iPhone Pro and Pro Max are available in a new colour – midnight green, as well as Apple’s traditional colour options, which are space grey, silver and gold. The price tag on the Pro versions is slightly higher, but in line with Apple’s previous price point – the iPhone Pro will start at $999 while the iPhone Pro Max will start at $1099.

DELL LAUNCHES DELL XPS 13 2-IN-1 AND ALIENWARE M15 R2

ell launched the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and the Alienware M15 R2 at GITEX Shopper 2019. The two laptops were designed and engineered to cater to the growing demand for 2-in-1 laptops and high performing gaming units. Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 offers up to 2.5x more performance in a device that is 8% thinner than its predecessor and incorporates a UHD+ touch display that can reach up to 500 nits of brightness with Eye safe Technology. It also features Intel’s 10th Gen “Ice Lake” which allows the device to generate exceptional performance from a 10nm chip that should boost battery life and keep the heat down. The Alienware M15 R2 is the thinnest and lightest 15-inch Alienware laptop ever. It features the new Cryo-Tech 3.0 technology with 8-phase multi-stage graphics voltage regulation and 6-phase processors voltage regulation delivering clean power while enabling longer

sustained turbo frequencies for the best performance available in a thin gaming notebook. In addition, it is built with core technologies that include NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 20-series graphics with Max-Q design and up to 9th generation Intel Core i9HK processors with dynamic overclocking. Additionally, the Alienware M15 R2 gaming Ultrabook boasts an optional rich OLED HDR500 display experience combined with the awareness and reflexes only made possible with Tobii eye tracking, a first for thin gaming laptops. With 240Hz and 144Hz panels, gamers will be to maximize their potential, enhance their skillset and compete more effectively than before. The two devices are now available for purchase and can be found at any major

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

retailer in the UAE – prices starting at AED 7499 for XPS 13 2-in-1 and AED 9499 for Alienware M15 R2.

54 54 TOP TECH ENTHUSIASTS

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES... having coffee while driving to work and listening to French timeless classic songs by Dalida, Joe Dassin, and Julio. Then I try and clear as much as possible emails from my inbox and organise my to-do-list for the day, based on top priorities.

YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… planning and executing a successful roadshow for Infoblox in February 2019 across six cities in the MEA. I was awarded the Top Marketing Manager of the Year 2019 along with my peers in marketing across EMEA and APJ for the success of our 22city roadshow.

Charline

Fahed FIELD MARKETING MANAGER, INFLOBLOX MEA

FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2019… Making good use of Infoblox’s learning programs, growing my family by planning for my firstborn, staying healthy by sticking to a routine of a well-balanced diet and frequent workouts, traveling to new destinations, making smart investments and donating to charity.

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… Family, Mobility, Starbucks, Cellphone and the Internet.

THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… Cybersecurity - it is often misunderstood or over-complicated. We should all be very vigilant about our digital records on both personal and organizational level and invest in the right tools to safeguard our data.

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

MICROSOFT 365 Best-in-class productivity apps with intelligent cloud services that transform the way you work.

Comes with Office

Protect your Information

Secure Access to your Business

Customize your Workspace

Automate Business Processes

Effective Communication

Visit us at Redington Value stand - Hall 6 in GITEX 2019

56 TOP TECH ENTHUSIASTS

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES… starting my day with some exercise and then focus on the key tasks for the day. YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… Challenging myself and doing the world’s highest bungee jump. FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2020 ... Contribute towards education of under privileged, get my own novel published, tick off another place from my bucket list, learn Skiing and further enhance my kick boxing skills.

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… Travelling, eating healthy food, gym, reading books and my family.

THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU... I believe Artificial Intelligence is highly underrated.

Chawla

Tushar

MARKETING MANAGER, WESTCON

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

CYBERSECURITY CAN BE At Trend Micro, we’ve made cybersecurity an art form, orchestrating our proven foresight, XGen™ security strategy, and passionate people to secure your connected world. Because when you can prepare for, withstand, and rapidly recover from threats, you’re free to go further and do more. That’s The Art of Cybersecurity.

To learn more visit us at GITEX at the below location: Redington booth - B2, Hall 6

This artwork represents unknown threats detected and stopped over time as a result of Trend Micro’s proven foresight and investment in technologieslike AI and machine learning.

www.trendmicro.com

Created with real data by world-renowned data artist and designer Brendan Dawes.

58 TOP TECH ENTHUSIASTS

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES… starting my early morning with a glass of water, dropping my boys to school and coming back home to have coffee with my Husband before I start my day at work. YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… for the first time, this year, we organised 10 Partner Sync events at Fortinet in MEA that made us reach out to more partners. FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2020... Maintain a happy and healthy Family Life, increase my work out time, keep up the good work with my team, stay positive and always smile, Enjoy more time with my boys.

THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU... Data Science – it uses big data and machine learning to interpret data for decision-making purposes. Data science can be used to enhance multiple areas of marketing including SEO, content marketing, customer responsiveness and engagement, and real-time marketing campaigns.

Rafeh ManaL FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… Family, car, coffee, internet and work.

SENIOR FIELD MARKETING MANAGER, FORTINET MEA

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

Synergising the Mind & Technology Economy The biggest tech show in the Middle East, North Africa & South Asia

#GITEX2019

gitex.com

#gitexfuturestars

futurestarsSales@dwtc.com

60 TOP TECH ENTHUSIASTS

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES… standing in front of my window for good 5 minutes every morning and welcoming the day with a smile. After that, a short exercise session, have my breakfast while checking my messages. I don’t want to miss the magical morning moment! YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… Character, Reputation & Goodness of yours towards man-kind. I believe accomplishment is to achieve that lives forever with & without you. FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2020 ... I want to enjoy myself more! Either its work or family. I believe if you dedicate yourself to be a good employee, a great partner and a responsible family member, you will be waking up feeling blessed every day.

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… My family, good food, exercise, prayers and mobile of course. THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… Organic electronics! In my opinion, organic devices inside your body indicates you about your health, so you can cure any disorder on time.

Khan

Faraz Ali www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // OCTOBER 2019

MARKETING MANAGER, ASBIS MIDDLE EAST FZE

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

62 ADVERTORIAL

CYBERWEEK Technology, Competitions, and a fun day out for the family!

he largest ever HITB Technology and Cybersecurity event is coming to Abu Dhabi on 12th October till the 17th October. The event will take place at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi. HITB + CyberWeek is more than just an ‘extended HITB conference’ that builds on HITB’s legacy of developing cutting-edge content while at the same addressing the needs of an expanded target audience (i.e. students, families and government). The event is divided around four broad areas; (1) Handson Trainings: Cutting edge, hands-on technical trainings for security professionals, students & educators. (2) Competitions: Multiple competitions including HITB’s PRO and EDU Capture the Flag competitions and a new bug bounty contest and AI challenge. (3) Talks: HITB’s multi-track technical conference combined with business track talks and learning labs for security professionals (4) Open Areas and Demos: Various HITB style villages or demo areas in which both research presentations, tools demonstrations and career guidance sessions will be held.

Three keynote speakers will be leading the event on 15th, 16th and 17th October. RODRIGO RUBIRA BRANCO -Founder of the Hackers to Hackers Conference (H2HC), the oldest security research conference in Latin America and Chief Security Researcher at Intel Corporation. CHRIS WYSOPAL - One of the original members of L0pht Heavy Industries -InfoWorld’s Top 25 CTO’s and one of the 100 most influential people in IT. MARC ROGERS - Has been hacking since the ‘80s and one of the first to hack Apple’s TouchID, Tesla’s Model S sports car and technical advisor on the popular “Mr. Robot” TV show. KEY ACTIVITIES AND HIGHLIGHT CONTESTS PRO CTF - Come see the world’s top 25 Capture the Flag teams battling it out for US$100,000 DRIVEN2PWN - The world’s first 90+90 coordinated disclosure bug bounty contest where hackers are invited to find and exploit devices

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

for a prize pool of over USD2 MILLION! AI CHALLENGE - Machine learning and artificial intelligence challenge for Universities in which 5 teams have been shortlisted to show off their models applied to two cyber security challenges – fully automated penetration testing of secured machines and a challenge to produce undetectable malware. Cyber Battle of The Emirates The final competition pitting the UAEs next-generation best and brightest who have spent the last 3 months in an intensive hands-on cyber range and training exercise. Winners will win a spot to complete in the PRO CTF Finals and an allexpense paid trip to HITBSecConf in Amsterdam next year. The Standoff Cyberbattle - A real-world hacking exercise featuring a city model where defenders will be tasked with protecting vulnerable services that will be under attack by red team attackers. This is one of the most challenging attack and defense contests in the world, featuring real technologies used in critical infrastructure installations.