CONTENTS
STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER
ISSUE 273 // NOVEMBER 2019
UNLOCKING THE 06 ‘NEXT LEVEL’
HIGHLIGHTS
Cherif Sleiman,Senior Vice President (SVP), International business, Infoblox discusses how the firm empowers channel partners to grow in an era of networking at the next-level.
NEWS We help you catch up on all the major news and announcements in the regional channel community.
OPINION
16 EMBRACE AND ADAPT
32 MARKETING IS KEY
Reseller ME caught up with Mary Aji, Marketing Director, Starlink to learn about the company’s marketing strategy.
Pure Storage’s Matthieu Brignone outlines the challenges MSPs face in a changing landscape.
FEATURE
22 THE SHIFT TO EDGE COMPUTING
Reseller ME speaks to industry experts to discover the challenges and opportunities for partners in the edge computing market.
VENDOR FOCUS
34 REVIEW
36
EXTENDING EASE
Ring’s Mohammad Meraj Hoda explains how the firm aims to harness the regional prospects and shares details about its new product.
LENOVO THINKPAD X1 EXTREME
HOT PRODUCTS
38
EVENTS
26 THE A LOOK INTO FUTURE
HUAWEI’S NOVA 5T SMARTPHONE DEBUTS IN UAE
The IT giant Dell Technologies held its GITEX Reseller Loyalty event at Mandarin Oriental in Dubai.
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INTERVIEW
30 ACCELERATING THE DIGITAL JOURNEY
HPE’s Hani Ajouz discusses how partners can benefit from HPE GreenLake and Pointnext Services.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
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For more information, please write to: Sales.value@redingtonmea.com
EDITORIAL Embrace and Adapt
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FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9139
echnology moves at a breakneck pace and it’s changing the business landscape faster than companies can keep up.
EDITORIAL Deputy Editor Sharon Saldanha sharon.saldanha@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167
New technologies such as AI, emerging 5G-powered networking and new industries that adapt to environmental challenges all bring exciting opportunities. Channel partners, however, need to keep up and evolve with the market demands and dynamics to emerge as successful players.
Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9135 DESIGN Head of Design Froilan Cosgafa IV froilan.cosgafa@cpimediagroup.com
Today, there is great emphasis on how digital transformation is driving fundamental market shifts in the regional landscape. This evolution does not only impact enterprise firms but also IT companies themselves. Recognising this growing market need, Infoblox has transformed its services and evolved from a network control pioneer to a next-level networking leader. This month’s cover story stars the charismatic and innovative technology leader, Cherif Sleiman, Senior Vice President (SVP), International business at Infoblox who outlined how the firm is helping channel partners to grow in this new era of networking at the next level. Increasing intelligent applications and connected devices are also contributing significantly to the growth of the edge computing market in the region. Estimates say that the region’s edge computing market is expected to reach $1.46 billion by 2023. According to experts, partners that pursue the edge computing market need to upskill their capabilities in building offerings that consider latency requirements, geography, cost and security all at the same time to meet customers objectives. Find out more on page 22. In addition to this, HPE’s Channel Services Manager-ME Hani Ajouz, discussed how partners can benefit from HPE GreenLake and Pointnext Services. In a compelling interview, he said that these services enable the company to work closely with their service partners to help customers accelerate their digital transformation journey.
Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130 Business Development Manager Youssef Hariz youssef.hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111 Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9128 CIRCULATION Operations Manager 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 Printed by Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC
Sharon Saldanha Deputy Editor
Published by
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 // NOVEMBER 2019
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6 HIGHLIGHTS
CORENT INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH EHOSTING DATAFORT ON CLOUD MIGRATION SERVICES
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orent Technology has announced the signing of a cooperation agreement with eHosting Datafort (eHDF). eHosting DataFort is a provider of Cloud Infrastructure, Managed Hosting and Managed Security Services in the gulf region. “We are excited to start this partnership with eHDF as it enables both eHDF and its customers to capitalize on their Cloud Ambition by guiding and migrating customer IT assets to the Cloud or Hybrid Cloud environments,” said Feyzi Fatehi , CEO, Corent Technology. “Adoption of cloud is increasing rapidly in the Gulf region as enterprises realize the business benefits of better agility and a reduced datacenter footprint.” Corent’s SurPaaS MaaS platform, a fully integrated platform, allows System Integrators and Managed
Service Providers to rapidly analyze, plan, optimize, and migrate their customers’ enterprise applications into the target cloud. The target estate can be Azure, AWS, GCP, IBM Softlayer, Oracle CI or even a hosted data center, such as eHDF. The power of the platform enables organizations to manage and execute their migration journey to the cloud in a cost effective, accelerated and optimised way, in line with their own desired business roadmap. Yasser Zeineldin, CEO, eHDF, said, “Our mission is to help our clients manage and secure their IT workloads no matter where such workloads reisde. To deliver on that mission, we work closely with our customers and partner ecosystem in the assessment of their workloads, and getting the customer safely and cost effectively to their desired destination.In our
Feyzi Fatehi, Corent technology
Cloudburg services platform, integrated with Corent SurPaaS MaaS, we are leveraging this power to help customers in their cloud journey.’’
FVC TO DELIVER VIRSEC CYBERSECURITY SOLUTIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
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VC, a value-added distributor in the Middle East and Africa, has signed a strategic partnership with Virsec, a cybersecurity company delivering a new approach to protect organisations against advanced cyber-attacks. The partnership will enable FVC to distribute Virsec’s cybersecurity solutions throughout the Middle East region. Responding to a sharp increase in cyber-attacks targeting businesses, Virsec has validated its patented Trusted Execution technology with FVC’s partners and customers to provide unprecedented protection against advanced cyber-attacks. High-profile attacks such as WannaCry, NotPetya, Black Energy, Industroyer, and others have used advanced hacking techniques and memory exploits to hijack
control, cause disruption, shut down critical business applications or worse. These techniques bypass conventional network security tools and have been considered “indefensible” by many security experts. “Cybersecurity is a top concern for our customers today as hackers are evading conventional security defenses,” said K.S. Parag, managing director, FVC. “Virsec provides effective runtime application memory protection against fileless and memory-based exploits, helping our customers eliminate these dangerous attacks. Through this strategic partnership we have strengthened our IT security portfolio to provide our partners and customers with a complete suite of complementing security solutions required to protect their businesses and critical assets.”
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
K.S. Parag, FVC
Virsec is the only security vendor that protects processes and memory in real-time. The solution maps acceptable application execution, and instantly detects deviations caused by attacks. This deterministic process takes the guesswork out of cybersecurity by detecting and blocking application attacks within milliseconds, with precise forensics at every step.
7 HIGHLIGHTS
AVAYA, MORO PARTNER TO DELIVER DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROJECT AT DEWA
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vaya Holdings and Moro, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), have joined forces to kick-start a full digital transformation project for DEWA’s contact center, led by Moro as a Tier 1 reseller. Built to the Dubai Model Standard, and hosted in Moro’s Dubai data center, the contact center will introduce new technologies that provide nextgeneration capabilities such as dynamic self-service, speech analytics and advanced knowledge management. HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA and Chairman, Moro, said, “The new contact center will also enable conversational IVR (interactive voice response), as well as payment gateway integration with Dubai Smart Government. Combined, all of these efforts will support DEWA’s smart services, enhance customer happiness.’’
With technologies that augment the use of artificial intelligence and self-service, the new contact center will enable DEWA employees to deliver higher levels of performance and enjoy greater job happiness. And through the use of these technologies, including conversational AI, speech analytics, and integration with a range of channels, the citizens of Dubai will be given the freedom to choose their best customer journeys. “This project provides yet another example of the Dubai government sector taking a giant leap onto the global stage. We are proud to have been chosen as the technology partner to help facilitate this bold step towards building world-class customer experiences. And because our values towards delivering outstanding customer experiences are so aligned, working with the Moro team is a natural progression for our business in the region,’’ said Nidal Abou Ltaif,
Nidal Abou-Ltaif, Avaya International
President, Avaya International. “The level of service that DEWA provides UAE citizens is world-class and is born out of a fierce dedication to industry best practices and best-in-class customer experience technologies. Like DEWA, we share an obsession with delivering incredible customer experiences, and we thank the Authority for trusting us to take their customer service levels to even greater heights.’’
UAE’S DU TEAMS UP WITH TREND MICRO TO ACCELERATE CLOUD SECURITY
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u, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has announced the launch of its latest cloud security solution, Multi-Cloud Workload Protection as a Service, in partnership with global cybersecurity firm Trend Micro. According to both companies, the Cloud Workload Protection Service will provide customers with a locally hosted, unified, security management experience that will help them to accelerate compliance and to secure workloads hosted in their hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Reflecting the strong demand for cloud-based cybersecurity, the Middle East and North Africa’s cloud security spend is $9 billion in 2019, a 108 percent increase over 2018, according to a recent Gartner report. “At du, our objective is to support our customers in their digital journeys by providing them with leading cloud
Trend Micro - du Partnership
security solutions, which will enable them to adopt the cloud confidently and as effortlessly as possible. Building on du’s commitment to ensure business growth and continuity through reliable and trustworthy solutions, the multicloud workload protection service will enable customers across the UAE to provision and orchestrate cloud security – all from a single, convenient
platform,” said Andrew Ward, senior vice president – ICT Products, Enterprise Solutions, du. Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, vice president, Trend Micro, Middle East and North Africa, said, “Trend Micro will leverage its expertise and insights as a technology leader in cybersecurity to help support organisations in the UAE with their migration to the cloud. It is our privilege to work alongside du and look forward to our role in supporting the development of a secure and prosperous digital economy in the country.” du’s Multi-Cloud Workload Protection as a Service, in partnership with Trend Micro, aims to deliver a multi-layered automated approach to protect hybrid cloud workloads and container environments against known and unknown threats including malware and vulnerabilities, helping to secure business data and applications all from within one solution.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
8 HIGHLIGHTS
MANAGE ENGINE EXPANDS ITS ENTERPRISE SERVICE DESK SOLUTION
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anageEngine,the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corp, has announced the general availability of enterprise service management (ESM) capabilities in the on-premises version of its flagship ITSM solution, ServiceDesk Plus. Businesses can now create and deploy Rajesh Ganesan, ManageEngine individual service desk instances for multiple departments using ServiceDesk Plus and make them accessible to end users on an enterprise service portal. Fulfilling end user expectations and unifying siloed service desks across the organisation can be challenging for IT leadership due to the absence of universally accepted standards for managing enterprise-wide service delivery processes. Service delivery, irrespective of business function, involves uniting data, people, and processes through automation; so adopting proven service management best practices, like ITIL, across the enterprise is a wise move. ITSM solutions makes a great starting point for organisations to design, implement, and move to an ESM model.
The ESM functionality in ServiceDesk Plus offers: • The rapid-start capability to create a service desk instance in under 60 seconds while keeping each department’s service desk compartmentalised and autonomous in terms of data, automations, and people. • A central ESM portal for end users to access the different service desk instances across the organisation. • An ESM directory to manage the organisation’s users and service desks from a central console. The enterprise service desk capabilities are available now in the latest version of ServiceDesk Plus. “While every department leverages technology to deliver its services, inconsistent processes and disparate tools result in a poor user experience overall and lost productivity,” said Rajesh Ganesan, vice president, ManageEngine. “A proven way to address this challenge is to replicate IT’s model of service delivery across the enterprise. This new capability in ServiceDesk Plus helps our customers seamlessly and effortlessly extend service management best practices to all departments.” www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
TENABLE EXTENDS LUMIN TO ALL PLATFORM CUSTOMERS
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yber Exposure company Tenable announced an extension of the Tenable platform to bring Tenable Lumin to Tenable. sc, for vulnerability management on-premises. This is in direct response to explosive demand for Tenable Lumin from Tenable.io platform customers, the compaOfer Ben-David, Tenable ny’s cloud-based vulnerability management platform. For the first time, all Tenable platform customers will be able to leverage the power of the cloud and machine learning to accurately score, trend and benchmark their organisation’s cyber exposure. Ofer Ben-David, Chief Product Officer, Tenable said, “Tenable Lumin is a game-changer for cybersecurity. In an industry first, we’re giving Security and the Business the visibility and data they need to translate technical jargon into business insights that drive strategic decision making. Our customers have spoken - and the response to Lumin has been extraordinary. We started nearly a year ago with our Predictive Prioritisation innovation to help organisations with threat-centric vulnerability remediation. Lumin is another innovation milestone for the industry to drive the transformation from a technology to a risk-based approach to vulnerability management and overall security programs.” The core innovations included in the Tenable Lumin are Cyber Exposure Score, Cyber Exposure Benchmarking, Remediation Guidance Workflow. Tenable Lumin is now available to Tenable.io customers while the Tenable Lumin connector for Tenable.sc will be released by the end of 2019.
CHALLENGERS
DESERVE CHOICE IFS is today a global company working with some of the world’s largest businesses, with +10,000 customers, +3,500 employees, and in excess of 350 partners. The IFS Partner Network provides unmatched industry and technology expertise as well as systems implementation and consulting services. We recognize and value the importance partners play in our journey, so we create a path to success with recognized training, certification and opportunities to connect with IFS and our customer network. Want to know more, join us for the IFS Partner Launch Event 25th November 2019 Intersect by Lexus, Gate Village 7, DIFC #forthechallengers | ifs.com To register for this event log on to https://amplifydubai.com/clients/ifs/
10 HIGHLIGHTS
ALARIS HOSTS MIDDLE EAST PARTNER CONFERENCE IN DUBAI
INGRAM MICRO EXPERIENCE ZONE TO FUEL UAE AI STRATEGY 2031
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rovider of information capture solutions Alaris, successfully hosted its Middle East Partner Conference on October 2nd– 3rd, 2019 in Dubai. The event was held aboard the historic Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) floating hotel and brought together 70 partners from 20 countries across the region. Executives from Alaris delivered a number of informative sessions including an overview of the company, latest insights into the future of information capture and management, the latest hardware, software and service solutions and how these could help grow revenues and profitability for partners’ businesses. There was a dedicated session on the Alaris network scanning portfolio with a focus on the recently launched Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution and the Kodak Scan Station 730EX Plus Scanner. The conference also included a ‘Solutions Expo’ where partners were given a demo of the unique capabilities and features of the company’s software portfolio including Alaris Info Input Solution. Naji Kazak, General Manager - Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Russia at Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business said, “The Alaris Middle East Partner Conference is our flagship partner event in the region and presents our company with an opportunity to connect with our key partners to share the latest product updates and insights into our future strategy. It also gives us a chance to understand our partner’s pain points and address them. The event agenda and networking opportunities provide the insight and content our partners need to build a comprehensive plan to successfully grow their business with Alaris products.” As part of the event, Alaris organised a desert safari which was a thrilling first-time experience for many of the partners. The company also hosted a gala dinner to commemorate the end of the event.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
ngram Micro has recently launched its Experience Zone, which showcases numerous Artificial Intelligence driven Computer Vision and IoT use cases, including applications for medicine, building, transport, security and smart cities. The Experience Zone, which is part of Ingram Micro’s regional headquarters located in the Innovation hub Dr Ali Baghdadi, Ingram Micro at Dubai Internet City, was inaugurated by UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence Omar Al Olama. Other executives in attendance included Alain Monie, CEO of Ingram Micro, Dr. Ali Baghdadi, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive META at Ingram Micro, and Ammar Al Malik, Managing Director at Dubai Internet City. Visitors at the Experience Zone can interact with the latest development in AI, including learning more about face recognition, object detection, emotion, gender, age estimation and many others. Ingram Micro and its vendor partners are making it possible for resellers, customers and students to touch and experience the latest technology in the easiest way, helping them understand how they can use and deploy the latest in AI. In addition, the Experience Zone’s training centre is hosting the Ingram Micro AI and Cyber Security Academies. Dr. Ali Baghdadi, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive META, Ingram Micro, said, “Our strategic plan is to support UAE Leaders in their AI Strategy 2031 and their long-term vision of making the UAE the first in the field of AI investment and the creation of a new vital AI market with high economic impact. One of the key objectives Ingram Micro is to be an active contributor to building a strong AI community that attracts young talent and offers unlimited possibilities in AI education and development of innovative AI solutions.” According to the company, the AI use cases at the new Experience Zone will be continuously updated to keep pace with innovation. The Experience zone is designed to help accelerate AI journeys faster and help early adopters move in the right direction.
11 HIGHLIGHTS
A10 NETWORKS’ NEW CLOUD ACCESS PROXY SOLUTION FOR SAAS APPS
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10 Networks an-
nounced a new Cloud Access Proxy (CAP) solution that provides secure access to software as a service (SaaS) applications, such as Microsoft Office 365, optimizing branch offices with betYasir Liaqatullah, A10 Networks ter performance, stronger security and an enhanced user experience. Additionally, the solution provides full visibility into SaaS applications for improved security. The CAP solution is comprised of three components: the new A10 Networks Thunder 840 CAP appliance for the branch office, higher-performance Thunder Convergent Firewall (CFW) platforms for the headquarters, and the new centralized CAP Visibility and Analytics solution, which provides centralized insights into outbound application traffic and SaaS application usage. Together, the CAP solution ensures that access to SaaS applications and data is accelerated and secured while maintaining full, centralized visibility across sanctioned and unsanctioned applications. With the increased adoption of SaaS applications, as well as the rapid move towards multi-cloud deployments, enterprise networks are changing with the consolidation of WAN edge infrastructure and migration from MPLS. Maintaining the security and user experience is increasingly challenging in this environment. A10 Networks CAP solves these problems by consolidating different features of multiple point products, like software-defined-WAN, cloud access security brokers and secure web gateways, providing a unified solution for SaaS optimization, security and visibility. The complete Cloud Access Proxy solution, including Thunder 840 Cloud Access Proxy, Thunder CFW, and the centralized Cloud Access Proxy Visibility and Analytics solution, is available now. Yasir Liaqatullah, Vice President of product management, A10 Networks said, “Traditional enterprise networks are not optimized for SaaS application traffic and the security provided by the SaaS vendor is not adequate in addressing today’s cyber threats and increasing use of shadow IT. A10 Networks’ Cloud Access Proxy is designed specifically to help organizations optimize the performance and security of their SaaS application traffic.”
NUTANIX ANNOUNCES NEW IT AUTOMATION FOR PRIVATE CLOUDS
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nterprise cloud computing firm Nutanix announced that the Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform is integrated with the ServiceNow IT Operations Management solution to automate critical private cloud workflows. With this integration, Rajiv Mirani -Nutanix ServiceNow customers can not only discover Nutanix HCI environments automatically, but also gain access to Nutanix-powered IT services and get direct notification of critical incidents related to Nutanix HCI in their private clouds, said the firm. According to Gartner, by 2022, intelligent infrastructure will add infrastructure machine learning, analytics and artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps) as software to 60% of HCI and composable integrated systems. Integration with the ServiceNow IT Operations Management solution enables Nutanix customers to: • Automatically discover Nutanix private cloud environments with ServiceNow ITOM Discovery capability, giving IT operators end-to-end visibility of Nutanix assets. • Deliver self-service capabilities to ServiceNow users so they can quickly provision, manage and scale applications via Nutanix Calm blueprints, which are published as service catalogue items in the Now Platform. • Better manage Nutanix-based private cloud operations via integration with Nutanix’s X-Play automation engine built into Prism Pro. With a new X-Play action for ServiceNow, IT managers can leverage ServiceNow ITSM service to notify their team of incidents and alerts in their Nutanixpowered private cloud environment, such as when a host loses power, or a server is running out of capacity. “Automation is the key to harnessing the power and flexibility of private cloud, removing mundane tasks so IT can focus on competitive differentiation through the use of the latest innovations, while future-proofing their infrastructure investment,” said Rajiv Mirani, Chief Technical Officer of Cloud Platforms, Nutanix. “By integrating Nutanix software with ServiceNow’s leading digital workflow solutions, we are making it easier to deliver end-to-end automation of infrastructure and application workflows so that private cloud can deliver the same simplicity and flexibility as public cloud services.” www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
12 HIGHLIGHTS
LINKSHADOW SECURES COVETED SECURITY AWARD
FOCUS SOFTNET LAUNCHES ITS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PLATFORM
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inkShadow – Next-Generation Cybersecurity Analytics platform has announced that they have been honored with the “User & Entity Behavioral Analytics Security Solution Provider of the Year” award by CyberSecurity Breakthrough. Cybersecurity Breakthrough is an independent market intelligence organisation that recognises the top companies, technologies and products in the global information security market today. With behavior analytics and extensive machine learning capabilities, LinkShadow, the next-generation cybersecurity analytics platform can detect both cyber and internal threats. This dynamic technology platform helps enhance the productivity of existing security tools as well as provide a host of complementary functions that holistically create a singlepane-of-glass view into the critical challenges. Designed for businesses looking to improve their defenses against advanced cyberattacks, LinkShadow empowers security teams to gain maximum insights through multiple features catering to Behavioral Analytics, CXO Visibility, Security Synopsis and Threat Hunting. “Investigating breaches, currently is extremely inefficient due to the sheer number of tools and complexity of those tools to conduct an investigation,” said Fadi Sharaf, Sales Director, LinkShadow. “LinkShadow empowers security teams with cutting-edge Threat Hunting capabilities powered by heavy and extensive Machine Learning algorithms to detect, analyse, respond, resolve and even mitigate incidents faster.” Duncan Hume, Vice President, North America commented that “We are extremely pleased to represent LinkShadow in the region and having this unique technology on our portfolio adds immense value to our solutions offering. We will be working closely to improve the market share for LinkShadow in the region through our reseller community.” “With LinkShadow’s unparalleled detection of even the most sophisticated threats, the chance of an attacker passing through your network is virtually nonexistent,” said James Johnson, managing director, CyberSecurity Breakthrough. “In a world where the threat landscape is rapidly evolving, the need for new approaches to cyber security is becoming extremely important, and LinkShadow is delivering on that need. Congratulations to the LinkShadow team on their well-deserved 2019 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Award designation.”
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
oftware development and enterprise applications providers Focus Softnet, announced the launch of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, AIFA (Artificially Intelligent Futuristic Applications). AIFA is an advanced, automated platform Ali Hyder, Focus Softnet meant to enhance business, increase productivity, and reduce investment in human training. During the launch of AIFA, Ali Hyder, Group CEO, Focus Softnet said, “Businesses in the region are now ready to leverage digital technologies to improve efficiencies. Focus Softnet has developed AIFA that can be used by organizations to automate all types of functions. These could be from the front office, top executive, managerial, and back office. With CIOs and IT managers under pressure to do more with less funds, AIFA as a workforce assistant can be used across multiple departments and across multiple roles.” As an advanced AI chatbot that uses machine learning, AIFA will understand queries and respond smartly, said a statement from the company. AIFA also helps in marking automatic attendance of employees using AI face recognition feature and gets integrated with any Payroll & Attendance system. The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) feature in AIFA allows organizations to automate routine tasks that can be integrated with business application. Further, the face recognition feature also helps in contributing to the increase in sales by getting maximum information of walk-in customers in retail sales. According to a recent PwC report, analysis conducted by IDC estimates that spending on cognitive and artificial intelligence systems in the Middle East and Africa region will grow from $37.5 million in 2017 to over $100 million by 2021, representing a growth rate of 32%. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, in particular, have demonstrated strong commitment towards the development and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies. Hyder said, “We have also made significant innovations around voice recognition, allowing customers to build triggers and alerts with call to action and data embedded in them. Customers can customize these alerts as required and can create a culture of proactiveness when they are sent and heard by recipients on the move, rather than read as text or email messages at a later time, often too late for action.”
APPOINTMENTS The latest of who has moved where in the IT channel business.
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HUAWEI NAMES NEW LEADER TO DRIVE ENTERPRISE NETWORKING BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
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uawei has announced the appointment of Ala’a Bawab as vice president for Enterprise Networking Business for Huawei Middle East. Based in Dubai, Bawab will be responsible for driving business growth for Huawei’s enterprise networking business division. As a seasoned business leader, Bawab brings a wealth of ICT expertise to Huawei. He has more than 24 years of experience covering customers across various industries like Government, oil and gas, banking and telecom. Prior to joining Huawei, Bawab has worked with technology firms such as HP, EMC2, Cisco and DarkMatter, with specialisation in sales, business development and management. “We are pleased to welcome Ala’a Bawab to the Huawei leadership team,” said Terry He, president, Huawei Enterprise Middle East. “Huawei’s rapid growth in the Middle East region fueled by the demand for intelligent ICT solutions in the enterprise networking domain, especially those powered by AI, calls for strong local talent & expertise, which Ala’a will bring with his industry background.” Huawei’s Enterprise Networking division provides organisations with solutions tailored specifically to scenarios such as campus, data centre, WAN, branch interconnection, and network security, helping them stride towards a fully connected, intelligent world. “Huawei is experiencing tremendous growth thanks to its customer-centricity and commitment to developing AI-enabled ICT solutions,” said Bawab. “I am excited to be part of this phenomenal
Ala’a Bawab, Huawei
organisation that has established itself as a global ICT leader.” More broadly, Huawei’s enterprise business division continues to grow rapidly in the Middle East, a strategic market for Huawei worldwide. During the first three quarters of this year,
Huawei’s global revenues increasing by 24.4 percent year-on-year. By the end of Q3 2019, more than 700 cities, 228 Fortune Global 500 companies, and 58 Fortune Global 100 companies had selected Huawei as their partner for digital transformation.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
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The latest of who has moved where in the IT channel business.
NEW VP FOR ALLIANCES & CHANNEL ECOSYSTEM EMEA JOINS SERVICENOW
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erviceNow has appointed Sebastian Fitzjohn as Vice President, Alliances & Channel Ecosystem, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). As a part of his new role, Sebastian will be responsible for helping to enable and accelerate the ServiceNow partner ecosystem, and for implementing the new global operating model for Alliances & Channel Ecosystem in EMEA. This operating model is aimed at driving new sales and delivery capability and capacity for the Now Platform across a vibrant and growing ecosystem. Sebastian brings to his position 20 years’ experience in transformational settings, covering
both direct and partner sales leadership roles. Prior to joining ServiceNow, he spent four years at VMware as Senior Director for the EMEA Global System Integrator and System Outsourcer business. “At ServiceNow our focus is helping customers accelerate their digital agenda by automating workflows in a way that delivers amazing end-user experiences and significant business value,” said Sebastian. “To this end we see partner success as being synonymous with customer success. By working together, we believe there is a huge opportunity to accelerate growth for both ServiceNow and our partners, through a laser focus on delivering business outcomes for our joint customers.”
Sebastian Fitzjohn, ServiceNow
4C ANNOUNCES NEW MARKETING CLOUD PRACTICE LEAD
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C has announced the appointment of Ali Saeed as Salesforce Veteran to lead the company’s new division ‘Marketing Consultancy
Practice.’ The new division, according to the company, is set up to give Middle East marketeers a decisive digital edge which will be headed by Ali Saeed who joins 4C as Marketing Cloud Practice Lead for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Ali will be responsible for building the high performing professional services unit, specialised in delivering a range of marketing automation services. Ali has over 12 years of experience in the Digital Marketing industry. Prior to joining 4C, he spent eight years working with Salesforce in London as a Marketing Cloud Solutions Architect & Solution Engineer.
Ali has delivered successful Marketing Cloud projects for companies such as Ticketmaster, Sony PlayStation and other leading brands in the aviation, retail and software sectors. Most recently, he led the successful implementation of the Marketing
Ali Saeed, 4C
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
Cloud platform for the iconic Atlantis, The Palm Resort in Dubai. Ali and his team intend to initially focus on the travel, hospitality, entertainment, retail, automotive, energy, and financial sectors – drastically enhancing their digital marketing initiatives through highvalue marketing automation. “Digital marketing in the Middle East is still in its nascent stages but this is changing rapidly – driven not by businesses but rather by consumer preferences. There is a tremendous first-mover advantage for those businesses that adapt their marketing models to successfully engage the new breed of tech-savvy, digital-first customers,’’ said Ali. “The Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the ideal platform to empower this evolution, and as the clear regional expert in this domain, 4C is ready to be the longterm partner in helping businesses efficiently and effectively navigate this transformation.”
APPOINTMENTS
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F5 NETWORKS APPOINTS NEW REGIONAL SALES VP FOR MEA
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5 Networks has appointed Mohammed Abukhater as Regional Vice President of Sales for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The appointment, according to the company, is set to further expand F5’s influence in the region and accelerate a transition to a software-driven business model. Abukhater has more than 16 years’ industry knowledge in the technology sector. Prior to F5 Networks he worked at FireEye where he stood out for driving impressive results as their VP for MEA. Over the course of his six plus years at the company, he also held several regional and vertical-specific sales director roles. “This is a significant time for Mohammed to join F5, and I am confident he will have an immediate
impact,’’ said David Helfer, Senior Vice President for EMEA Sales, F5 Networks. “F5 is stronger than ever in the MEA region. Not only have we reinforced our strength in core Middle Eastern markets over the past few quarters, but we’ve also seen our profile markedly grow in countries like Turkey and North Africa. We are in a strong position to offer a unified customer experience for management across the entire app spectrum – from code to customer.’’ Abukhater said, “I am delighted to join F5 Networks at such a pivotal moment in the company’s history. All the elements are in place to take the business to the next level in the Middle East and Africa, including expanding and accelerating our multi-cloud application services, security capabilities and DevOpsrelated offerings. We already have
an exceptional team in place, and the potential of cloud-driven, application-centric innovation is creating huge opportunities for both F5 and our customers.”
Mohammed Abukhater, F5 Networks
RIVERBED NAMES NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO
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iverbed has announced Rich McBee as its new President and CEO to drive continued momentum for the company’s digital networking and digital experience management businesses. McBee is the former President and CEO of Mitel. Prior to transforming Mitel into a leading global provider of unified communications, McBee served as President of the Communications and Enterprise Group of Danaher Corporation. In this role, he was responsible for annual sales derived from carrier, enterprise, and SMB markets via both direct sales and channel partners. “Rich is a strong leader and strategist and has a solid track record of driving business execution and results. Riverbed has experienced strong performance recently and Rich is the right leader to continue our upward momentum, as well as bring the passion and dedication to operational excellence that he is
well known for in the industry,” said David Murphy, Riverbed Chairman and Senior Operating Partner, Thoma Bravo. “I look forward to working with Rich and the Riverbed executive team as we continue to deliver against our strategy and drive growth in two very unique and growing markets – Digital Networking and Digital Experience Management.” Armed with over 30 years of experience, McBee holds top leadership roles driving market expansion, revenue growth and operations excellence at a range of technology companies. “Riverbed has a well-respected brand, a history of innovation and a strong customer installed base that is wellearned,” said Rich McBee, President and CEO, Riverbed. “Riverbed’s current technology portfolio and strategy opens up significant market opportunities for our Company, as organizations worldwide are looking to capitalize on their digital transformation investments and enhance the digital experience of their users. I’m looking forward to
Rich McBee, Riverbed
working with our experienced team to accelerate our execution and drive great outcomes for Riverbed, as well as for our partners and customers.”
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
16 OPINION
embrace the change Matthieu Brignone, Area Vice President EMEA Partners, Pure Storage outlines the challenges that lie ahead for MSP’s in a changing landscape and how they should be addressed.
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he business environment has dramatically and rapidly changed in recent years. We’re living in a world where widespread economic and political uncertainty now runs parallel with unprecedented levels of technological development and adoption. It’s no surprise that these two factors have resulted in a shift in attitudes towards IT expenditure. No longer seen as a cost, but as a business critical spend that can drive efficiencies, reduce operational costs and enable fast growth. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have always played a vital role in running a customer’s IT infrastructure, and over time this has evolved into a supportive and consultancy role. MSPs now play an active part in helping
businesses to achieve operational success and reach their goals. Done correctly this looks like a true partnership, but there are challenges ahead for MSPs to navigate. THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE FOR MSPS: THE RISE OF THE HYPERSCALER Hyperscale public cloud providers have created a new dynamic in the cloud market, offering businesses unlimited capacity, seamless updates and large geographic scope. Over the past few years alone it’s been suggested that hyperscalers have spent $185 billion building out new data centres; showcasing their fast and ambitious growth, as well as customer demand for their services. This growth could actively be taking away business from MSPs as customers go to hyperscale cloud providers directly.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
CAPEX CONSTRAINTS Unsurprisingly, budget restraints present another issue of contention, changing customers’ purchasing needs and habits. For example, increasingly buyers are reaching out to service providers and vendors themselves, with research to suggest that they are already 57 percent of the way through their decision making process when they do. Budget concerns mean that more than ever before, organisations need services and solutions that meet their needs and objectives. UNCERTAIN & UNPREDICTABLE GROWTH More than ever before organisations face uncertainty on how they should size their environment, or how to grow and evolve their infrastructure without impacting service delivery. In an age where downtime is no longer acceptable, they’ll be looking
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into long contractual agreements to lease equipment. Vendors could do more to support MSPs through financial innovation and a degree of shared risk. NEW WORKLOADS Hybrid cloud has changed the game for organisations. While it’s without a doubt opened new opportunities, it now means businesses require the infrastructure and solutions that allow for their workloads to work seamlessly in different environments. Of course, there are challenges that have moved the goal posts, but they also present unprecedented opportunities for those MSPs who get it right.
towards technology solutions that can guarantee up-time and a partner that can advise accordingly. SHORTENING CONTRACT TERMS The combination of CAPEX restraints and unpredictable growth means that many customers are increasingly issuing shorter-term supplier contracts. The technology needs of a company – and in many occasions the budget to support it – are in a constant state of flux, making it impractical to be tied into a long-term contract. The result on MSPs? They have less time to deliver solutions to the business and are under more pressure than ever to prove their worth and effectiveness from day one. CAUGHT BETWEEN CUSTOMERS AND VENDORS The ability to adapt to the changing needs of customers is further complicated by the financial challenges MSPs face. Often, MSPs have to purchase solutions from vendors upfront, or enter
SO JUST HOW CAN THESE CHALLENGES BE ADDRESSED? AVOIDING THE ‘ONE SIZE FITS ALL’ APPROACH Organisations across all industries are facing their own unique set of technology challenges. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach, and more to this point, an approach that works for a customer today might not work a month from now. This has given rise to the success of more flexible subscription-based models. Businesses increasingly require solutions that are agile enough to scale up and down according to demand. UTILISING NEXT-GENERATION SOLUTIONS MSPs need to ensure that their infrastructure investments will support next-generation solutions. This means enabling customers to leverage data intensive applications that require low-latency and high throughput – such as predictive analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning – to get better insight into what is going on with their business, customers, and industry. COLLABORATING RATHER THAN COMPETING Rather than competing with hyperscalers, forward-thinking MSPs are already starting to work with them. In this scenario MSPs must act as the metaphorical glue that
Matthieu Brignone, Pure Storage
OF COURSE, THERE ARE CHALLENGES THAT HAVE MOVED THE GOAL POSTS, BUT THEY ALSO PRESENT UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE MSPS WHO GET IT RIGHT.’’
brings all of these new technologies together for their customers. Only by doing this will they be seen as a true partner, having the best interest of their customers at the forefront. DEFEATING GROWING PAINS Ever-changing workloads can present challenges. In order to overcome these hurdles businesses are increasingly looking to reap the benefits of a hybrid environment. In order for MSPs to accelerate development and provide extra support when needed, they should be advising on solutions that will work in a hybrid environment to ensure they are adding real value to customers and prospects.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
18 COVER STORY
IN THIS NEW ERA, IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF NEXT-LEVEL NETWORKING, ONE NEEDS TO BE A TRUE SOLUTION PROVIDER TO MAKE MONEY AS A PARTNER.’’
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
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UNLOCKING THE ‘NEXT LEVEL’ DYNAMIC AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY LEADER CHERIF SLEIMAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT (SVP), INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, INFOBLOX, DISCUSSES HOW THE FIRM EMPOWERS CHANNEL PARTNERS TO GROW IN AN ERA OF NEXT-LEVEL NETWORKING.
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ver the past year, secure cloudmanaged network services provider Infoblox has undergone a remarkable business transformation. The organisation has evolved from a network control pioneer to a nextlevel networking leader. We all know what networking is. So, the question is, what’s next level about networking? Cherif Sleiman, senior vice president (SVP) International business, Infoblox said, “It is all about digital transformation that is driving a major transformation in our industry”. And the whole idea is that we fundamentally have entered an era where organisations are having to build networks in very different manner using concepts like Saas, multicloud, SD-WAN, Internet of Things and more.’’ Digital transformation requires companies to take a step back and reconsider their business models and approaches, and thus have networks that are scalable and versatile enough to allow them to deliver on new business models. “It’s not just about intelligence and reliability but also how you secure these networks and Infoblox is one of the top innovators in this segment, he adds.’’ Organisations are flocking to digital transformation because they want to offer a better customer experience; empower their users to be very responsive, reduce the cost of operations and help offload IT Staff from dealing with more load, and they want to
streamline and automate their operations. Sleiman points out that in doing so, you can’t keep designing networks in a tightly managed, kind of this two-tiered architecture, where you have data centers with all the data and applications; and all users are sitting at a specific location on a particular machine, wired into a specific network to be efficient. “In a digital organization, the fabric of your business is the internet. So, you’re really sitting right in the arms of the enemy, and you’re going to have to find a way to continue to be secure and conduct business. There is no more need for the private MPLS network since advances in fixed and mobile broadband (5G) with the use of technologies such as SD-WAN, eliminate the need for such a need. While you may have some defenses, the whole idea here is focused on detection, and the rapid remediation of whatever anomalies you find.’’ In this setup, DNS becomes the contextual fabric connecting people, devices, applications and networks and can be leveraged as the first line of defense and detection when empowered with the proper intelligence and analytics. From that perspective, that’s what next level networking is about - recognising that organisations are having to build different networks to cater to their digital presence, which is forced upon them by the trends and the global competitiveness. Internet enabled organisations are moving very fast, and the accidental security architecture that they have actually built over the years is ineffective — this www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
20 COVER STORY
INFOBLOX HAS PRETTY MUCH BEEN ON THIS JOURNEY OF ADDING LOTS OF INTEGRATIONS TO HELP ORGANISATIONS STREAMLINE AND SIMPLIFY THEIR SECURITY OPERATIONS AND SECURITY DEFENSES BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF WHERE WE SIT IN THE NETWORK WHICH IS PRETTY UNIQUE.’’
kind of stack of disconnected security layers that they’ve stumbled upon across the years in a reactive manner, always deploying the next layer based on the cat and mouse games. There’s a need for integrating all these silos, and there’s a need for creating a level of automation, specifically in the context of Next
Level Networking. “Infoblox has pretty much been on this journey of adding lots of integrations to help organisations streamline and simplify their security operations and security defenses by taking advantage of where we sit in the network which is pretty unique.’’ Infoblox has about 10,000
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
customers all around the world and the top 95% of the Fortune 2000 are Infoblox customers. “We’ve taken many used cases, and based on that, we have mapped these challenges to many vendors, where we can actually do some integrations to simplify our customer’s life. And that’s exactly what we’ve done with our Technology Alliance Partners. Therefore, that’s where you see a major uptake of Infoblox solutions as that engine of simplification and automation, specifically in the security department.’’ On another note, the company understands that resellers are struggling with this transformation that’s happening in the industry. “How do we really enable them to add value in this new era? We have revamped our partner program to focus exactly on that and we’ve seen very good momentum in our partner landscape, with more revenue from our gold and our platinum partners.’’ Sleiman highlights that making money, at least for Infoblox, has always been about innovation. In this new era, in an environment of next-level networking, one needs to be a true solution provider to make money as a partner, he says. “Resellers need to know about cloud computing; they need to learn about the concepts of SD-WAN, AWS, and Google Cloud. They will probably have to resell and understand most of the horizontal and generic SaaS, such as Office 365, while some may need to specialise in vertical SaaS applications for example for Banking, Education and Healthcare.’’ Moreover, the company is committed to a business
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model that rewards its investing partners. Their new partner program is designed to help selected organisations unlock more revenue by harnessing Infoblox’s solutions, allowing customers to travel from legacy to digital through the bridge that Infoblox offers. Further into the program, which will be officially launched in the second quarter of Infoblox’s fiscalyear 2020, Sleiman says, “We have rolled out our 2.0 Professional Services Partner (PSP) Program that helps organisations build a practice focused on Security, Automation, and Threat Intelligence. The PSP program is by invitation only as we want to do more business with less partners to help them reinvent themselves.’’ Infoblox’s strategy can be articulated from their go-to market. “One is, obviously, pivoting our business to subscription. Second, moving more and more of our functionality into the private and public cloud domain. The third is
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT INTELLIGENCE AND RELIABILITY BUT ALSO HOW YOU SECURE THESE NETWORKS AND INFOBLOX IS ONE OF THE TOP INNOVATORS IN THIS SEGMENT.’’
continuing to grow our security business by solving some of the critical and complex problems that organizations are facing as a result of them adopting more digital. Another area is making sure that we’re upselling our existing customers and evolving the way they build networks and evolving the way they use our solutions. And then obviously,
the final point is being very, very prescriptive about the new accounts and new markets that we want to expand it.’’ With the firm’s biggest focus on these five overarching priorities, Sleiman says that a specific area that really gave the company a boost is their security. “Our security solutions have experienced faster growth than some of the traditional portfolios that we have. Specifically, our BloxOne Threat Defense (B1TD) architecture, which is the security architecture for the digital enterprise. It is designed like an octopus, with tentacles in private cloud and in public cloud; and with capabilities on premise, and in endpoints and user devices. And it’s taking this entire distributed fabric of the digital organization and centrally governing it through some very advanced policy, advanced heuristics, AI, machine learning, and probably one of the best and most powerful thread Intel capabilities in the market.’’
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
22 FEATURE
The Shift to Edge Computing www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
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Paradigm change. Bigger than cloud. Massively disruptive. The shift to edge computing tends to be talked about. Reseller ME speaks to industry experts to discover the challenges and opportunities for partners in the edge computing market.
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he increase in the number of intelligent applications and connected devices is contributing significantly to the growth of the edge computing market in the
region. Growth in adoption continues along an upward trajectory, confirmed by a report titled ‘Middle East and Africa Edge Computing Market (2018-2023)’ that estimates that the region’s edge computing market is expected to reach $ 1.46 Billion by 2023. The reasons for the move to distributed edge computing are many, but they can be simplified into a few strategic buckets: speed, capacity, efficiency, cost and responsiveness,
THE REASONS FOR THE MOVE TO DISTRIBUTED EDGE COMPUTING ARE MANY, BUT THEY CAN BE SIMPLIFIED INTO A FEW STRATEGIC BUCKETS: SPEED, CAPACITY, EFFICIENCY, COST AND RESPONSIVENESS.’’ KHWAJA SAIFUDDIN, WESTERN DIGITAL Khwaja Saifuddin, Western Digital
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
24 FEATURE says, Khwaja Saifuddin, Senior Sales Director – Middle East, Western Digital Corporation. “With the introduction of 5G, even more data will be generated from endpoints and IoT devices, with more metadata and contextual data produced and consumed. As a result, there will be more demand for real-time processing and more edge compute processing, analysing, and data storage scattered throughout the network.’’ Mohammad Al-Jallad, Regional Chief Technologist, HPE, says, “There is an estimate that 75% of generated data will never see a data center or cloud and this is where edge computing empowers enterprises to harness the value of data, yield deeper insights faster and be more competitive by processing data in real-time near the edge of the network where it is being generated.’’ There is an accelerated adoption of edge computing in the Middle East to enhance experiences and driving smarter operations. The deployment of high speed 5G networks in the region will further accelerate edge computing. “As the region advances, organisations are increasingly recognising the added value that is provided by edge computing, and we are seeing increased adoption by customers and organisations across different sectors,’’ says Richard Wilcox, Regional Director, Lenovo Data Centre Group. “Trends such as cloud computing, 5G, artificial intelligence, and internet of things (IoT) are catalysing edge capabilities and it’s multicomplex use-cases. With these trends growing at our fingertips, we can foresee an immense rate of growth in this space in the coming two years.’’ HPE believes that the enterprise of the future will be intelligent, edge-centric, cloud-enabled and data-driven. Al-Jallad says, “If we look at the history and the shift of technology, we transitioned from a centralized mainframe architecture to a distributed client-server networked computing model then to a centralized mobile-
Mohammad Al-Jallad, HPE.
THERE IS AN ESTIMATE THAT 75% OF GENERATED DATA WILL NEVER SEE A DATA CENTER OR CLOUD AND THIS IS WHERE EDGE COMPUTING EMPOWERS ENTERPRISES TO HARNESS THE VALUE OF DATA, YIELD DEEPER INSIGHTS FASTER AND BE MORE COMPETITIVE BY PROCESSING DATA IN REAL-TIME NEAR THE EDGE OF THE NETWORK WHERE IT IS BEING GENERATED.’’ MOHAMMAD AL-JALLAD, HPE.
cloud architecture and now to a distributed next generation computing architecture by combining cloud and data actions at the intelligent edge.’’ The edge is where data is generated, acquired, aggregated and processed and the cloud is where data is cleansed, restructured, aggregated and ultimately prepared for analytic AI models. “To help customers turn data from every edge to any cloud into intelligence, HPE committed to invest $4 billion in intelligent edge technologies and services. HPE’s next generation GreenLake will be able to deliver one unified as a service experience across public, private and edge workloads and will simplify the
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
experience through a set of integrated tools that provides visibility across cost, compliance and governance,’’ Al-Jallad adds. It’s easy to see that the future of cloud computing is bright, however, modern cloud computing hasn’t been around for very long and still has much room for growth in the region. When pairing the cloud capabilities of a data centre with edge computing, we have increasingly seen edge computing as a tool to work alongside cloud computing in furthering a company or end-user’s technological and business goals, says Wilcox. According to Saifuddin, instead of relying on the shared resources of large data centers in a cloud-based world, the edge computing world will place more demands on both individual endpoint devices, as well as an entire range of new intermediary devices, such as gateways, edge servers and other new computing elements that are being developed to enable a full edge computing environment. He further says that in order to build robust solutions for the smart city and industry 4.0, you require IoT, the edge and the cloud. “Ultimately, the world is moving to a more distributed computing model where cloud-based computing plays a critical but not solitary role in driving forward the capabilities of both connected consumer devices and critical devices for enterprise and industry.’’ Edge computing is creating opportunities across a breadth of industries including finance, healthcare and manufacturing. While these sectors that have taken a more traditional data centre approach, the capabilities of edge computing will help make substantial improvements in human productivity and safety in those areas, says, Wilcox. “Bearing in mind multiple factors like the deployment of 5G high speed networks, the fact that 75% of data is expected to be generated at the edge and the multiple initiatives from various countries around AI, It is expected that the market will see an enormous growth in edge computing technology not less than 30% CAGR,’’ Al-Jallad adds. Saifuddin says that companies designing and building these new
25 FEATURE
edge devices need to be cognizant of the kinds of computing and storage requirements that will be necessary to make them effective tools in this new computing world. Speedy flashbased storage will be one the critical elements to make them as useful as possible, by providing the kinds of throughput speeds that will be needed to function in these demanding new edge computing environments. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Although the market for cloud and edge computing are both growing rapidly, there are some common misconceptions about them that are unfortunately preventing many endusers from harnessing the full potential of these capabilities towards achieving their business goals, says, Wilcox. “Partners that pursue the edge computing market need to upskill their capabilities in building offerings that consider latency requirements, geography, cost and security all at the same time to meet clients’ respective business objectives,’’ he adds. “The region is blessed with Partners who are strong from a technical perspective; but it is the Partners who put the customer at the centre of the discussion who we see as truly driving the edge computing market. Lenovo’s strategy of being software agnostic, allows us and our Partners to truly consult on the right solution for a customer’s real requirements in order to collaborate with them in scaling out their business.’’ Al-Jallad says, “Partners play key roles in accelerating customers’ journeys to intelligent edge. Partners
Richard Wilcox, Lenovo
PARTNERS THAT PURSUE THE EDGE COMPUTING MARKET NEED TO UPSKILL THEIR CAPABILITIES IN BUILDING OFFERINGS THAT CONSIDER LATENCY REQUIREMENTS, GEOGRAPHY, COST AND SECURITY ALL AT THE SAME TIME TO MEET CLIENTS’ RESPECTIVE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES.” RICHARD WILCOX, LENOVO
should possess technical skills around edge computing ecosystem including IoT, Big Data and cloud. To be more specific: connectivity, security, mobility, analytics, edge compute and infrastructure technical skills are vital. This is in addition to having advisory, industry, business and economics skills.’’ With edge computing, the opportunity lies in a more lucrative and longer-term engagement with the client. However, the challenge would be to steer the consumer away from a one solution fits all mindset to embrace an edge ecosystem built for success, says Saifuddin. “As one of the building blocks of a broader digital strategy, partners will be instrumental in identifying the customer’s wider business need and presenting the real opportunity with this innovative solution. The conversation will have to focus on the next level of benefit from digital transformation rather than the product itself. With this in mind, those partners that view edge computing as a business growth opportunity, will need to enhance their prospects for success with the right vendors complimented by the right capabilities and skills.’’ Apart from a deep dive into edge computing architecture, partners would also be required to be well aware of its key considerations. How best to evaluate present architectures and identify opportunities to add value for the customer would also be necessary knowledge for success.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
26 EVENTS // DELL TECHNOLOGIES
A look into the future The IT giant Dell Technologies’ event in Dubai had experts involved in learning about the new opportunities that will emerge in the near future and how partners can expect to have a competitive advantage with the business.
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he entertainment-packed GITEX Reseller Loyalty event of Dell Technologies which took place at Mandarin Oriental in Dubai, was filled with insight, entertainment and excitement. Every year, Dell Technologies is able to achieve several milestones such as forming strategic partnerships, helping customers achieve their business objectives and improving their own presence in the region as providers of the most outstanding digital transformation solutions.
The aim of this event was to share these accomplishments with partners and customers, providing them with updates on company growth, showcasing new partners and celebrating the current customers’ victories. At the event, the senior executives also had an opportunity to engage with each other and learn about the new opportunities that will present themselves in the near future and what can be done to establish a favorable position.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
Dell Technologies’ objective in the region is to actively engage with key stakeholders, partners and customer during events to understand the unique challenges they face and share its broad capabilities that enable them to drive innovation and be more competitive whilst optimizing costs. The company said that at these events they will continue to present the power of Dell Technologies’ family of strategically aligned businesses that help organizations make digital transformation a reality through
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information technology solutions from edge to core to the cloud. Moreover, they are committed to delivering the most innovative technologies to help customers in the region overcome these barriers. Across the region, the company seeks to become the technology industry’s most trusted advisor, providing capabilities spanning strategy
development, consultative services and solution deployment and support to help customers and partners drive the digital transformation of their businesses. This year, Dell Technologies partnered with four industry stalwarts that include: Atlantis The Palm; Higher College of Technology; Ankabut and Oman Data Park.
According to the firm, these partnerships are a testament to Dell Technologies drive and commitment to help companies operating with a variety of industries build their digital maturity and seamlessly transition into this new data-driven world with the right technology and competencies as well as strategic partner and trusted advisor.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
28 EVENTS // DELL TECHNOLOGIES
DELL TECHNOLOGIES’ PARTNER AND CUSTOMER INITIATIVES The company highlighted that they are on the cusp of the next era of human-machine partnerships and events with their partners and customers are important because they help in providing a key understanding of their needs and how the economic landscape will change in the near future. By 2030, the exponential increases in data, processing power and unparalleled levels of connectivity will open up new possibilities making the partnerships between humans and machines deeper, richer and more immersive than ever before, enabling us to surpass our own limitations. It is at events like this where these conversations are brought to the forefront, inviting stakeholders to collaborate and work together
towards the creation of a new technohumanity society characterized by the perfect synchronization between technology and humanity, said the firm. WHAT PARTNERS CAN EXPECT FROM DELL TECHNOLOGIES’ APPROACH TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL “2020 AND BEYOND” Partners can expect to have a competitive advantage with Dell Technologies, according to the company, enabling them to do more business with transformational services. The company has simplified engagement for partners to cross-sell and procure products and solutions across the Dell Technologies family of brands. Dell Technologies understands the opportunities for partners around services and emerging technologies
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
and has introduced new solutions competency offerings such as: IoT; High Performance Computing; Data Analytics; Business Applications and; Security. Furthermore, partners will have the opportunity and ability to complete different combinations of training while progressing to higher tiers, based on their business models. In fact, with the Proof of Concept (POC) program, Dell Technologies has removed the complexity around partner-led POCs, streamlining the approval process and enabling Titanium partners to independently lead POCs at the end-user’s location with no-cost hardware, software, pro-support and even shopping. This new program will offer bigger and better promotions whilst delivering rebates focused on driving new business, storage refresh and attaching pro-support plus to storage.
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Š Copyright 2019 HP Development Company, L.P. Learn more: hp.com/neverstoplaser 1 Constant toner self-reload using imaging-drum-in-place OEM toner supplies compared to majority of worldwide competing OEM monochrome laser printers <$250 USD and MFPs priced <$350 USD as of Nov 15, 2018. HP internal research & Keypoint Intelligence-Buyers Lab 2018 study commissioned by HP. Market share as reported by IDC CYQ4 2018 Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, 2018Q4 Release. For details, see keypointintelligence.com/HPNeverstop. 2 Based on internal HP comparison of MSRP/(MRSP for EMEA region) and cost-per-page of in-class HP LaserJet Pro M15 and HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28 with standard-fill HP 44A/48A Black Original LaserJet Toner Cartridge, as of March 2019. For details see hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies.
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30 INTERVIEW // HPE
Accelerating the digital journey
Hani Ajouz, Channel Services Manager for the Middle East at HPE discusses how the IT leader’s partners can benefit from HPE GreenLake and Pointnext Services.
HPE GREENLAKE NOW HAS ABOUT $2.8 BILLION UNDER CONTRACT AND IT’S THE FASTEST GROWING SOLUTION IN YOUR PORTFOLIO. HOW DOES HPE GREENLAKE’S UNIQUE APPROACH TO IT
CONSUMPTION BENEFIT YOUR PARTNERS? Our partners are excited about GreenLake consumption model as much as we are. One of the key drivers for HPE and our partners is that we have our strategies and focus areas
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
aligned. GreenLake, being the future of services, is a unique model as you mentioned, and our partners are benefiting by being able to address the customer’s needs with the technology change. GreenLake, being the first and most comprehensive consumption on
31 INTERVIEW // HPE
ONE OF THE KEY DRIVERS FOR HPE AND OUR PARTNERS IS THAT WE HAVE OUR STRATEGIES AND FOCUS AREAS ALIGNED.’’
premise model in the market, helps our partners offer a complete solution to our customers with the option to add their own value-added services. Moreover, it’s a long term association with the customers while helping them to achieve more with less investment. IN TODAY’S DIGITAL ECONOMY, SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE TO SUCCEED. HOW DOES HPE POINTNEXT SERVICES HELP YOUR PARTNERS WITH THEIR END CUSTOMERS TO ACCELERATE THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY? Our wide portfolio in Pointnext services that varies from support services, education services, customisable SLA’s to meet different customers IT & business needs, consultancy services and of course GreenLake consumption model enables us to work closely with our services partners to help customers accelerate their digital transformation journey. For instance, with on premise consumption model customer can have multiple projects with less investment and be compliant to the local security policy. We also help our customers, along with our partners, in defining their long term IT and business strategies via HPE global expert teams. HPE OFFERS ITS PARTNERS AN ARRAY OF SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO MAKE SURE THEY SUCCEED – WHAT ULTIMATELY DIFFERENTIATES YOUR STRATEGY IN THE CHANNEL FROM YOUR COMPETITORS? We work closely with our partners on joined business plans to accelerate their revenue, maximise efficiency and meet common objectives.
We also emphasise on partner enablement and market readiness programs from sales, delivery and marketing perspective. We invest with our partners on customer events and workshops. I would also add that our support portfolio which is comprehensive and differentiates HPE from any other competitor in the market today. We truly believe in complimenting the partner’s services with various programs, cases studies and associated benefits. Moreover, we have a central repository which all our partners have access to, to develop themselves and present to our end customers effortlessly. HPE HAS ANNOUNCED IT PLANS TO DELIVER ITS ENTIRE PORTFOLIO AS A SERVICE BY 2022. HOW WILL THIS DECISION AFFECT YOUR PARTNERS? Indeed, our CEO’s strategy is to have everything to be delivered as a service by 2022, this decision will help us and our partners adjust to market changes faster, to be there at the right time offering the right solutions to our customers. The market is shifting from traditional IT models – it’s going more into cloud services and consumption services. GreenLake is a cloud-like experience on premise which fits perfectly in the transformation journey of our customers. In today’s fast-paced environment, HPE’s strategy and offerings is what differentiates us. We believe that in the hybrid IT world, being at business speed means overcoming IT complexity to match the speed of actions to the speed of opportunities, deploying the right technology to respond quickly to market possibilities, and designing your digital transformation with expert IT consultation services.
Hani Ajouz, HPE
GREENLAKE IS A CLOUD-LIKE EXPERIENCE ON PREMISE WHICH FITS PERFECTLY IN THE TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY OF OUR CUSTOMERS.”
FINALLY, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS CHANNEL SERVICES MANAGER AT HPE? As a Channel Services Manager for the Middle East, my role keeps evolving. It started as a Channel services manager for the support division only, then we added the consulting services to the portfolio and most recently, Pointnext services which makes it quite interesting for me and my partners especially with the GreenLake model being part of it. Apart from that, I strongly believe in the channel as the way to grow the business. Working closely with the partners, managing the services channel eco-system, empowering, enabling partners and aligning our strategies definitely make my role much more exciting and always motivates me to do more. My partners are HPE’s extended arm in the market, so one of the key criteria for any channel role is to make sure that we and our partners have the same strategies and the same focus areas.’
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
32 INTERVIEW // STARLINK
Marketing is key As StarLink restructures and aims to become a $1 billion company, having a first-rate marketing operation is essential. Running this vital element at the value-added distributor (VAD) is Mary Aji, StarLink’s marketing director.
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ary highlights that StarLink has always had a “two-pronged” marketing strategy that consists of direct customer-centric marketing and supportive partner-centric marketing. “We work closely with the vendors to ensure that their go-to-market strategy is strongly supported by our marketing strategy and tactics,” said Mary. “For each vendor, depending on their regional focus and product focus, we work on a plan to support their key goals and KPIs [key performance indicators].” In line with StarLink’s two-pronged approach, Mary says that for every marketing activity rolled out to customers, partners are, in parallel, supported with relevant marketing assets so that they too can spread the word to customers. StarLink has more than 45 technology vendors in its portfolio and a channel network of over 1,100 partners serving thousands of enterprise and government customers. Founded by Nidal Othman, the managing director, and Mahmoud Nimer, the general manager, the company is described as one of the fastest-growing “true” VADs in the region. Turnover has reached $400 million and the recent appointment of Bashar Bashaireh as CEO, a newly created position, is aimed at continuing growth towards the $1 billion sales mark. Among the 20 countries where StarLink has an on-the-ground
STARLINK IS THE EPITOME OF STRONG VALUES AND EXEMPLARY RELATIONSHIPS; I’D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT THESE VALUES EXTEND TO THE SUCCESS OF MY TEAM TOO.”
presence are the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. Marketing is managed centrally from StarLink’s Dubai headquarters, where the team includes designers, web developers and marketing operations staff who produce the digital content and assets used by the company worldwide. “We also have marketing operations teams regionally that support us with on-the-ground tactics, especially event
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
management,” said Mary. “Moreover, we work with our regional partners across the globe to roll out our marketing plans with their customers in their regions.” Mary also highlights that “everyone in the region knows about StarLink”, including that it started as a specialised value-added distributor in cybersecurity. Looking ahead, she says the company’s focus is broadening. “We are evolving into a DC & C specialised VAD to complement our security offering. One cannot treat these two fields as exclusive anymore. Our marketing efforts will be focused a lot more on our DC & C business growth in 2020,” said Mary. “Furthermore, along with our vendor solutions marketing, I would like to see more branding and brand-building for StarLink in other regions.” Mary says that she has an “amazing” marketing team behind her and, just as importantly, full backing from StarLink’s top management. “Internally, I have the most supportive and pro-marketing leaders in Nidal and Mahmoud. Together with our new CEO, Bashar, and Zaidoun [Arbad], our COO, the marketing team enjoys unconditiona l support,” she said. According to Mary, becoming a trusted business partner happens when organisations live their values and respect their stakeholders and build strong relationships. Mary said, “StarLink is the epitome of strong values and exemplary relationships; I’d like to believe that these values extend to the success of my team too.’’
33 VENDOR FOCUS // HACHI
A touch of innovation Tang Song, Vice President of Technology and Lead of IoT, Hachi, discusses Puppy Robot’s line of cutting-edge robotics and smart home technologies and why the Middle East region is an important market for the company.
CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF YOUR COMPANY? Puppy Robot is a provider of consumer robotics technology to help consumers build an AI-enhanced smart home ecosystem. We have launched our operations in 2016 with a strong team of technology experts. Our mission is to make life smarter, easier and more convenient. Our flagship innovation is called Puppy Cube, which is a portable ultra-short throw projector that turns any flat surface into an interactive touchscreen expertly designed for users of all ages and skill sets. WHAT LED TO PUPPY CUBE’S INNOVATION? Puppy Cube is a portable, ultra-short throw projector and standalone entertainment system that turns any flat surface into an interactive touchscreen. Providing a unique interactive experience, users can enjoy unlimited built-in Android apps, entertainment and social media possibilities with its impressive touchscreen functionality. Unlike projectors with basic touchscreen capabilities, Puppy Cube utilises a proprietary 10-point multi-touch technology called AnyTouch that works on all surfaces and enables responsiveness on par with capacitive displays. The ultra-short throw projector can also be paired with other Android and iOS devices at home or on the go via screen sharing, AirPlay, DLNA, Miracast, HDMI and Bluetooth.
technology, and how it can affect their daily life. Second, we met some great business and cooperations last time we attended GITEX, and since then we have built a full chain from distribution, marketing, and customer service. We are hoping to find some new partners and distributors to develop the Middle Eastern market together. In the consumer market, we believe parents have been a large proportion of those interested in purchasing Puppy Cube. Given the large amount of time children spend on mobile phones and tablets today, Puppy Cube provides families with a unique alternative to harmful screen time, as the device is expertly designed to protect a user’s eyes.
Tang Song, Hachi
THIS WAS THE SECOND YEAR OF YOUR PARTICIPATION AT GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK. WHY IS GITEX AN IMPORTANT PLATFORM FOR YOUR COMPANY TO CONNECT WITH THE MIDDLE EAST’S TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY? There are a lot of reasons why we came to GITEX and why we are entering the Middle East market. Firstly, we found the consumers in the Middle East are just like the US – they have a great passion for new
CAN YOU SHARE YOUR GOTO MARKET AND EXPANSION STRATEGIES FOR THE REGION? Puppy Robot’s participation at GITEX 2019 celebrates the brand’s recent and highly anticipated entrance into the Middle East market, where its products are now available throughout the region on Amazon and worldwide at puppyrobot.com. In addition, Puppy Cube will be retailed at Dubai Mall – one of the largest shopping malls in the world – starting in January 2020. In addition to expanding our presence in this region, we will also be unveiling a new product within the Puppy Cube line in early 2020, incorporating Amazon Alexa for voice control and a powerful Qualcomm chip.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
34 VENDOR FOCUS // RING
Extending Ease Mohammad Meraj Hoda, vice president, Business Development - Middle East and Africa, Ring, explains how the firm aims to harness the regional prospects and shares details of its new product.
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lobal home security firm Ring aims to expand across stores in the Gulf and African markets. Having commenced its business in the Middle East, the company is now seeking keen interest from other regions. Ring offers a range of home security products that include outdoor and indoor motion-based cameras and doorbells, one of its flagship devices include Ring Video Doorbell. As the concern grows for neighbourhood safety and security, end-users are faced with the challenge of securing not only their digital assets but also increasing security around their homes. Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President of Business Development – Middle East & Africa, Ring, believes the company’s offering is perfectly aligned with the evolving customer needs. He adds, ‘We are a home security company and offer customer products to secure their home and neighbourhood perimeters with our cameras and doorbells. Our goal is to bring Ring products to every household and provide a 360 view of security to every neighborhood.
OUR CORE FOCUS IS ON HOME SECURITY, AND THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PRIORITY FOR OUR FUTURE ROAD MAPS.” Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Ring www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
35
The products can be controlled easily and remotely through an app, which is effective and simple to install. The simple and powerful app also allows customers to share an incident with the neighbourhood community.’’ At GITEX this year, the company has also launched its fifth video doorbell, Ring Door View Cam. “Our core focus is on security, and this will continue to be a priority for our future road maps,” Meraj says. “Focused on apartments and rentals, the door view cam has been very well accepted in the market and that has been a key success for us in the last few months.” Meraj also highlights about building Ring’s existing market in the UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, where they have achieved quite a lot from last year. With a strong presence in retail and online, proper distribution channels and a strong support system, the company has expanded further in other gulf countries like
INVESTING IN THIS REGION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US AND WE ARE ENGAGING IN BRINGING MORE AND MORE CHANNELS TO EXTEND RING PRODUCTS TO BROADER CONSUMERS.”
Oman, Bahrain etc. “Investing in this region is very important to us and we are engaging in bringing more and more channels to extend Ring products to broader consumers. Our ‘Ring Smart Lights’ which we have launched in the US will be available in this region very soon.” Meraj believes that Ring is one of the fastest-growing smart security companies providing end-to-end solutions. “The entire ecosystem around home security has been made very
easy using Ring’s set of products not only with hardware, but also with the software app,” he says. “Specially in a city like Dubai where we’re all busy, either working or traveling, Ring’s products provide an extension using the app and the device. Ring is not just about security but also convenience.” Meraj also points out that 2020 will be a very exciting year for the company because of its strong foundation as a brand in the market. “We are working on a number of new projects that will materialize for us in the coming year. The overall market is quite receptive to what Ring has done in a market like the US and Europe. Bringing those solutions to the Middle East really helped the neighbors to achieve home security with the ease of solution that we offer. This has been quite exciting for us and we look forward to expanding by bringing more portfolios to this space.’’
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
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36 REVIEW
LENOVO THINKPAD X1 EXTREME STAYING TRUE TO THINKPAD’S DISTINCT RUGGED LOOK, THE X1 EXTREME OFFERS A DOSE OF NOSTALGIA FOR THE OLDER CUSTOMER BASE. HOWEVER, ITS PREMIUM FEATURES MAKE IT AN ATTRACTIVE CHOICE FOR EVEN THE YOUNGER ‘PROSUMERS.’
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hinkPads have always sported a distinct carbon black design. While the X1 Extreme holds true to that, it has a number of features that will appeal to millennial professionals. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme boasts an all-black carbon fibre/
graphite exterior giving the device a svelte aesthetic with a smooth, matte finish. It also has a soft-touch surface with a rubberized feel. However, while this feels nice to touch and enhances the grip, it also retains smudges and dust easily. Its chassis measures at just .72-inches thin makes it lightweight and highly portable.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
The X1 Extreme line has also been tested against 12 military grade requirements, which means the device can take a few knocks and drops. Despite its rugged design it packs premium components that help increase your productivity and efficiency. The device comes with a 15.6-
37 RATING
inch screen and a standard 1080 display. It shows lively, crisp and vibrant colours and produces high brightness levels. If you want a higher end version of the device, there’s an option to upgrade to a 4K UHD touchscreen display with Dolby Vision HDR. Under the hood the X1 Extreme is powered by Intel’s 8th-gen i7 processor with up to a whopping 64GB of DDR4 RAM and 2TB of hard disk space with 2 1TB SSDs. It also sports NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q graphics chip, which makes the device perform effortlessly. Multi-tasking with several applications and having multiple tabs opened in the web browser didn’t pose any issues with the laptop. While ThinkPads are not typically known for being gaming laptops, the X1 Extreme’s beefy specs managed to run a few graphics heavy games such as PUBG with ease. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme’s keyboard is impressive. Its design has all the mainstays that come with the moniker, including the signature red TrackPoint. There’s not much light leak around the keys but it has a long travel and crisp feel, which gives really tactile responses. It is also spill-proof and has a high durability certification ensuring it’s a long-lasting business traveling companion, which is ideal for users who are always on the go. Below the keys you’ll find an adequately sized touchpad that’s highly responsive touchpad when executing multi-touch gestures. The X1 Extreme comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, two
ITS STRONG PERFORMANCE, BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY AND EXCELLENT KEYBOARD MAKE IT A GOOD CHOICE IF YOU NEED A POWERFUL DEVICE BOTH FOR WORK AND PLAY.”
USB 3.1 ports, HDMI 2.0, a smart card reader, a SDcard reader and a dedicated ethernet dongle port using a proprietary connector. For audio, there are two downward-firing speakers on both sides of the laptop and they offer a decent audio performance. The speakers are adequate for casual video streaming on YouTube but plugging in an external speaker is
suggested for movies or music. Another interesting detail in the X1 Extreme laptop are the security and privacy features. It is equipped with a fingerprint reader at the side of the keyboard and a Windows Hello camera that can be covered with the ThinkShutter camera cover. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme packs a 4 cell, 80 watt-hour battery and ships with a 13 AC power charger, which is easy to plug in and out, but it’s not a universal standard. It has an optimised battery performance and can last up to an average of 8 hours under normal to medium workloads. Charging is quite fast as well with supplied 135W adapter. There’s also the option to top up the battery through its USB-C Thunderbolt ports, although it will charge slowly. There’s no doubt that the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is a brilliant laptop. Its strong performance, beautiful display and excellent keyboard make it a good choice if you need a powerful device both for work and play.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
38 PRODUCTS
SONY ANNOUNCES THE NEW RX100 VII
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ony has announced a new addition to its series of RX cameras, the RX100 VII (model DSC-RX100M7) in the UAE. Utilising technologies developed for Sony’s full-frame mirrorless camera Alpha 9, the RX100 VII achieves new levels of performance in a compact camera, in both stills and movie shooting. Powered by 1.0-type stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor and latest generation BIONZ X image processor, the RX100 VII delivers new levels of autofocus performance and achieves speed breakthroughs that have previously only been seen on the Alpha 9. In addition, the RX100 VII also debuts a new drive mode, Single Burst Shooting, for capturing a high-speed shot at up to 90fps in JPEG/RAW
format utilising the anti-distortion shutter. RX100 VII introduces advanced ‘Real-time Tracking’ and ‘Real-time Eye AF’ capabilities. “The RX100 VII sets new standards for both photography and videography in a compact camera and we are confident that its phenomenal speed and AF capabilities will be very well received by customers,” said Murat Gebeceli, Head of Digital Imaging, Sony Middle East & Africa. “Users will feel the reassurance that they have the power of an Alpha 9 in their pocket, in compact form, so they can trust this camera in any given
situation.” The RX100 VII (model DSCRX100M7G, package with Shooting Grip Kit) is now available in the UAE and is priced at AED 5099.
HUAWEI’S NOVA 5T SMARTPHONE DEBUTS IN THE UAE
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uawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) has announced the launch of its new HUAWEI Nova 5T in the Middle East region. According to the firm, the Huawei nova 5T is an essential digital partner in the modern age: avant-garde and fashionable, pushing the boundaries of style and functionality. Huawei Nova 5T is equipped with four rear AI cameras that support highdefinition, ultra-wide-angle, macro, and depth of field photography. The smartphone also combines AIpowered image semantic segmentation and partition optimization technology with the 48MP HD lens, 16MP wideangle lens, 2MP macro lens, and 2MP bokeh lens. Powered by the premium Kirin 980 AI processor, the Huawei Nova 5T comes with 8GB of RAM. Together with the
powerful EMUI 9.1 operating system, the components combine to offer a lagfree, fluid experience equal to high-end models. This is supported by 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage making it perfect for storing large amounts of photos and videos. The HUAWEI nova 5T runs on Android and brings with it a wide range of user-favorite apps out of the box. David Wang, UAE Country Manager, Huawei Consumer Business Group, said, “The HUAWEI nova 5T is the perfect partner for consumers who want to share the best of themselves and their lives on social media or want to enjoy unparalleled gaming on-the-go. With its advanced Five AI Cameras and refined, ergonomic design, the HUAWEI nova 5T raises the bar for content creators on the move. The HUAWEI nova 5T invites you to inspire your moment.”
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
Huawei nova 5T is available in three color variants and can be purchased across Huawei experience stores, select retailers in the UAE on 31st October at a price of AED 1599.
39 RUNNING HEADER
NIKON LAUNCHES THE NEW Z 50 MIRRORLESS CAMERA
LG UNVEILS LATEST ULTRAWIDE MONITORS IN THE GCC
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G Electronics (LG) has unveiled the latest in its family of curved UltraWide monitors. The new monitors, according to the firm, can handle any demand placed upon them through their advanced Quad High Definition (QHD) screens, which allow for pristine views of everything from videos to text heavy documents. The 38WK95C-W boasts a large screen with a resolution of 3840 x 1600 and the 21:9 QHD+ display resolution is equivalent to three times that of a standard HD screen. The HDR10 monitor can also showcase the latest console games and video on demand at their highest quality levels. The streamlined 3-Side Virtually Borderless Design has a slim bezel on three sides and Rich Bass for an immersive visual and audio experience. With a curved screen, Picture-by-Picture display and OnScreen controls, the 38WK95C-W makes it easy to switch between tasks without losing performance or display quality. Its sleek, curved screen and ergonomic height and tilt adjustable stand make the content viewable at an angle. The newest edition to LG’s range of curved UltraWide monitors is the LG 34WL85C-B. With its pixel count of 3440 x 1440, the monitor is ideal for video editing, enabling producers to view their video timeline and multiple clips of footage at the same time. The 34WL85C-B’s HDR10 technology coupled with Maxx Audio and color reproduction covering 99 percent of the sRGB color space also makes watching movies and gaming far more immersive. Additionally, users can work with multiple applications, simultaneously.
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ikon Middle East FZE launched its new Z series’ mirrorless camera, the Z 50. The company also announced the release of two new lenses to complement the new Z 50, the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR are highperformance zoom lenses. The Z 50 is a high functionality ergonomic camera with a 3.2” touch-screen 1040k-dot monitor and an effective pixel count of 20.88 megapixels. Featuring a new CMOS sensor and imageprocessing engine, the Z 50 adopts the same hybrid autofocus (AF) system as the Z 7 and the Z 6 and comes equipped with one of the first Nikon CMOS sensors that incorporates phase-detection AF and eye-detection AF which can be toggled to have the focus effectively centred to the eye or face of the subject. Equipped with in-built Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for SnapBridge 2.6, enables users to instantly share their snapshots on social media. The camera’s wide array of movie functions include full-pixel readout with no crop in 4K UHD, Full HD 120p with audio, 4K UHD and Full HD time-lapse. The compact and versatile lenses, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and NIKKOR Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR offer ground-breaking optical performance and uncompromised image quality. Equipped with a powerful stepping motor (STM) along with autofocus (AF) enables quiet and accurate AF control with both still-images and movie recordings while the diaphragm mechanism enables stable exposure for continuous shooting.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
40 PRODUCTS
NEW SCAN STATION NETWORK 730EX FROM KODAK ALARIS
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odak Alaris has announced the launch of the Kodak Scan Station 730EX Plus Scanner with powerful features and unlimited integration options. The Scan Station 730EX Plus is an integrated network scanner that securely automates document capture and allows for fully finished files to be scanned directly into business processes. Like INfuse, the Scan Station is a network-connect-
ed solution that sits at the edge of workflows and operates in a wide range of customer environments. It offers embedded Windows 10 IOT Enterprise Operating System and network domain authentication for secure log-in. The new Scan Station is said to be ideal for capture and advanced processing such as OCR, all done in the scanner – It is specifically designed for integrators to create custom solutions. Partner applications can be loaded on the scanner, extending the capture solution to address the unique needs of the partner and end user. The Scan Station 730EX Plus Scanner can be deployed in a wide range of industries and applications including BPOs, service bureaus, healthcare, retail invoicing, insurance records, human resources, legal, tax consulting, and general office environments. According to the firm, the Scanner can solve unique challenges with powerful integration capabilities that can be used to produce efficiency-boosting customizations. Turn data into decisions quickly and seamlessly with simple network setup and robust remote management.
ONEPLUS LAUNCHES NEW SMARTPHONES IN THE UAE
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nePlus has unveiled the lineup for flagship smartphone OnePlus 7T series, with the launch of OnePlus 7T Pro and OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren edition. “The new flagship smartphones we unveiled today showcase OnePlus’s constant pursuit of an excellent user experience,” said Pete Lau, CEO and Founder, OnePlus. “The OnePlus 7T Pro combines the latest innovations with our signature features such as 90 Hz Fluid Display and a triple camera setup for the next level in fast and smooth experience. We’ve also teamed up again with McLaren to challenge the standards for a premium smartphone.” The OnePlus 7T Pro runs on OxygenOS 10.0 software to deliver a fast and smooth experience. With QHD+ resolution, The OnePlus 7T Pro’s display is also incredibly clear with an impressive 3120x1440 resolution for 516 pixels per inch. The triple camera system on OnePlus 7T Pro
creates the experience of an all-in-one photography studio. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus, the OnePlus 7T boasts 15% faster graphics rendering and faster processing speeds and paired with lightning-fast UFS 3.0 storage. The OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren edition draws inspiration from signature McLaren design and celebrates the brand’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation, said the company. “We’re very happy to be able to work with McLaren again and use the iconic brand as inspiration for this incredible piece of engineering,” said Lau. “This limited-edition device celebrates both brands’ relentless pursuit of excellence, bringing users the very best in smartphone experience.” With 256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage and 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition pairs flagship hardware with refined software for blazing-fast performance, just like a
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
supercar. The OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition also touts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform. The OnePlus 7T series smartphones also come with OxygenOS 10.0 out of the box, OnePlus’ latest operating system based on Android 10. The smartphones are now available in the UAE exclusively on Amazon.ae at a starting price of AED 1,949.
9th December 2019
The Terrace at The Loft, Dubai Opera TahawulTech.comâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hot 50 Awards is back for its eighth edition. To be held on 9th December 2019 at The Terrace, The Loft, Dubai Opera, the eighth annual Hot 50 Awards will be open to both ICT enterprise vendors and channel players alike. As with every edition, this exclusive event seeks to inspire ICT players to deliver innovative solutions and open new opportunities in the region. Organisations who have demonstrated commitment to developing the regional technology landscape by creating value for clients, partners and themselves will be considered for the prestigious Hot 50 brand.
#Hot50ME
www.tahawultech.com/hot50/2019/ For sponsorship enquiries Kausar Syed Group Sales Director kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130 / +971 50 758 6672
Youssef Hariz Business Development Manager youssef.Hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111 / +971 56 665 8683
Sabita Miranda Senior Sales Manager sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9128 / +971 50 778 2771
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42 42 LAST TAKE
YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES... No fixed routine; the demands of the day keep me agile. I like waking up to music, keep up with industry news and other topics of interest - reading up or listening on the move. YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… Professionally, I am very proud of what we have achieved, and continue to accomplish as “The StarLink Marketing Team”. There isn’t a specific project or accolade I would highlight; as a team, we are a passionate bunch committed to excellence, and StarLink’s brand equity today, is our reward! I love what I do and the people I work with – building a team that delivers exemplary results, reckoning us a benchmark when it comes to marketing, within the industry is indeed an accomplishment. On the personal front, I love the person that I have evolved to be!
Mary
AJI MARKETING DIRECTOR, STARLINK
FIVE GOALS YOU HAVE ACHIEVED IN 2019… Annual goal-setting and resolutions have never been my thing! At work and in personal life, I continue to give my best in all the roles I assume. I guess my goal is contentment it’s a “check” for 2019.
FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT… Music, Books, Opportunities to Learn, My Me-Time, My Persons.
THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… In my opinion, it is not so much a technology that is underrated; instead, our adoption of technology is! Being a Marketer in the IT/ Cybersecurity industry, my feedback is contextual. I would love to see technologies like cognitive analytics and machine-learning being espoused more, by us marketers, to deliver personalised, dynamic real-time content and services to our customers across all touchpoints. Marketing would then transform from being a customer-acquisition activity to one that enables outstanding human experience, grounded in data. Imagine that!
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // NOVEMBER 2019
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