Reseller Middle East December 2019 by Reseller Middle East

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SOLUTIONS

SMJ Solutions LLC, P.O. Box: 116223, Al Zarooni Building, G Floor, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street, Bur Dubai, UAE Tel: 04-3880848

CONTENTS

STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER

ISSUE 274 // DECEMBER 2019

BUILDING ON RETAIL KNOWLEDGE

Neil Rom, Sales Director MEITA Region, OKI Europe, on how the firm has grown through their thorough knowledge of retail and the innovative offerings they have in store.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

OPINION

16 GET AHEAD OF THE ADVERSARY

INTERVIEW

Fortinet’s Derek Manky, on the importance of threat intelligence to partner business.

Corelight’s Basil Shahin on the company’s expansion strategies and how channel partners can enable their customers to have advanced threat hunting capabilities.

19 OUTSOURCING SECURITY

Recognising that security isn’t one-size-fits-all, MSSPs and MDR services offer a way for organisations to get the solutions they need from a menu of options, says Threat Quotient’s Matt McCormick.

VENDOR FOCUS

22 EMPOWER THE DIGITAL WORKFORCE Xerox’s Lisa Graham, outlines the business challenges that can use the help of a channel partner.

ACCELERATING GROWTH

EMBRACE THE NEW

Avaya ENGAGE explored the latest innovations and use cases of Avaya solutions at the three day event in Dubai.

REVIEW

42 RING DOOR VIEW CAM

EVENTS

23 “WE’RE FOR THE CHALLENGERS”

IFS hosted its first Partner Launch Event in Dubai that got many industry experts, channel partners and SI’s together to discuss the benefits of IFS’s channel program and initiatives.

HOT PRODUCTS

LENOVO UNVEILS “WORLD’S SMALLEST DESKTOP”

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

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

Change is the only constant

Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9139 EDITORIAL Deputy Editor Sharon Saldanha sharon.saldanha@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167

emember the good old days when you could sit by the fax machine to wait for purchase orders and still run a successful business? Well, as the IT channel moves from 2019 to 2020, sitting still for only a couple minutes could be the move that forces a channel entity into bankruptcy.

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

The channel is experiencing change at breakneck speeds driven in part by changing consumer habits that are now centered on the cloud. With some vendors all-in on the cloud and everything-as-a-service and some still mired in the sales of gear, it is up to the channel to be ready to put the pieces together to meet customer needs, particularly when it comes to on-demand or consumption-based IT. Some are already there, some are depending on new vendor or distribution models to help with the transition, and some are wondering what happened. Don’t wonder what happened. Be prepared, and make sure you are ready to meet changes expected from trends that are likely to impact the channel in 2020. Channel-focused companies who do not embrace disruption in 2020 will find survival in 2021 difficult. That leaves many in the channel looking at what it will take to reinvent themselves to meet changing customer requirements. For some, this will mean a wholehearted adoption of the cloud and related technologies. For others, it will mean partnering closely with other companies who can handle the disruption for them while they change. Others will face the prospect of a merger or acquisition to gain the scale to make the changes. And some will, well, let’s not go down that depressing path for now. Happy Holidays everyone!

DESIGN Head of Design Froilan Cosgafa IV froilan.cosgafa@cpimediagroup.com Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130 Business Development Manager Youssef Hariz youssef.hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111 Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9128 CIRCULATION Operations Manager 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

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Registered at Dubai Production City, DCCA PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 © Copyright 2019 CPI All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

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

6 HIGHLIGHTS

A10 NETWORKS SIGNS UP REDINGTON GULF AS REGIONAL VAD

10 Networks has announced a partnership agreement with Redington Gulf across United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Through this strategic agreement, Redington will promote A10 Networks’ entire portfolio of leading solutions including service provider network security to support IoT in the age of 5G, multi-cloud management, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) with Zero-day Automated Protection (ZAP), carrier-grade networking (CGN) and application visibility and analytics. Ehab Halablab, regional channel manager – MENA, A10 Networks said, “As our company continues to increase focus and investment in the Middle East region, we require strong channel support to grow our share of the enterprise market. We believe

that Redington, with its vast channel network, can help us to recruit new reseller partners into our Affinity Partner program. We will also rely on their sales and marketing expertise and technical training services to promote the A10 Networks brand and increase our partners’ knowledge of our company’s technologies.” According to the company, with the addition of A10 Networks, Redington can now build and offer partners and customers a robust, end-to-end solution, integrating complementary solutions from various vendors in the company’s portfolio. The partnership also gives Redington the opportunity of revisiting existing customer accounts and using A10 Networks’ solutions to cross-sell/up-sell. “Redington has a strong portfolio of security vendors that provide solutions like SIEM, IPS, DLP, packet broker and

Sayantan Dev, Redington

forensics, that complement those of A10 Networks. This plays well for both our companies and provides growth opportunities. We look forward to growing our footprint in the region through this new partnership,” he added. Sayantan Dev, senior vice president, Redington Gulf said, “5G and Multicloud environments are two of today’s biggest trends that will transform the market. 5G and multi-cloud environments require the most automated and reliable security solutions to ensure that business-critical applications are protected and always available. A10 Networks has proven market leading technologies in these areas, and as such, the vendor is an invaluable addition to our portfolio. We are excited to be able to offer the company’s security solutions to our partners and customers across the region.”

VEEAM UNVEILS NEW BACKUP SOLUTIONS FOR MICROSOFT CLOUD PLATFORMS

ackup solutions provider Veeam Software, has announced the public beta release of the new Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 v4 at Microsoft Ignite 2019 in Orlando, FL. Additionally, the company will be offering Microsoft Ignite attendees a sneak peek of a new cloud-native data protection solution for Microsoft Azure workloads, Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure. These new solutions support the company’s cloud strategy and provide Microsoft users with additional data protection, scalability, and enhanced control of their cloudbased data. With Office 365, Microsoft is responsible for the uptime of the Office 365 infrastructure, but backup and management of the data is the customer’s responsibility. The new Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 v4 offers direct integration

with Microsoft’s Azure Blob Storage, giving companies that want to keep their Office 365 data in Azure a cost-effective, scalable and secure solution for doing so. This latest release also adds additional performance improvements for backing up Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive for Business. Ease of use is built into the new Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure with turn-key deployment via the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, while powerful recovery capabilities are also delivered with features like file-level recovery for native snapshots and Veeam backups, said the firm. “With 114% year-over-year growth, Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 continues to be the fastest growing product in Veeam’s history,” said Ratmir Timashev, co-founder and executive vice president of sales & marketing, Veeam. “Just as in the on-premises days with customers backing up and

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

Ratmir Timashev, Veeam

protecting their data, the need persists with SaaS solutions to backup and protect this same critical information. Veeam Backup for Office 365 delivers on this need and with the rapid rise in adoption for Azure we’re seeing across our customer base, Veeam is excited to build from our work with Microsoft and deliver a native backup solution developed specifically for Azure-based workloads.”

7 HIGHLIGHTS

NUTANIX, HARDIS PARTNER TO DELIVER IOT SOLUTION FOR SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS

nterprise cloud computing firm Nutanix has announced a partnership with Hardis Group, a consulting, digital services and software publishing company, to deliver Vision Insights powered by Xi IoT, an innovative solution to manage supply chain operations efficiency. Available now, Vision Insights powered by Xi IoT is a supply chain optimisation solution comprised of Hardis Group Vision Insights software running as a container on the Nutanix Xi IoT platform. This solution will help companies harness the potential of cognitive services (image and voice recognition), IoT, edge computing, and machine learning technologies to dramatically improve efficiency, traceability, and safety of logistics and supply chain operations in warehouses, factories and distribution centres. In a new survey of 2,650 IT decision-makers around the world by Vanson Bourne, commissioned by Nutanix, IoT and edge computing

ranked highest among other highimpact technologies and trends as having a “significant impact” overall on respondents’ businesses. In addition, AI and IoT will have a strong impact on supply chain management operations and according to Gartner “by 2023, at least 50 percent of large global companies will be using AI, advanced analytics and IoT in supply chain operations.” Vision Insights powered by Xi IoT allows Hardis Group’s Vision Insight customers to get easy traceability of assets through real-time image monitoring and recognition. “Historically, warehouse and supply chain managers have had to rely on manual processes to track warehouse logistics. With our joint solution, we’re helping customers improve the logistics performance in their factories, including upstream and downstream of their production lines, from the moment their components and raw materials arrive on-site, to storage and shipment of finished products. Customers can now

Satyam Vaghani, Nutanix

seamlessly track and control routine processes through automation and IoT to improve efficiency, traceability and safety,” said Satyam Vaghani, senior vice president and general manager of AI and IoT, Nutanix. “This partnership will bring better management of customer’s logistics flows by leveraging AI, advanced analytics and IoT to improve supply chain operations.”

EMT DISTRIBUTION INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH SECURENVOY

mt Distribution has signed a distribution partnership with SecurEnvoy for its existing multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions as well as other future product categories in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META). SecurEnvoy develops identity and access management solutions to protect the user, device and data, enabling organisations to deploy a wide range of methods to authenticate users accessing Microsoft Office 365 web and desktop applications. EMT Distribution’s third-party solutions are sold and supported throughout the Asia Pacific region, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “EMT Distribution is well positioned to accelerate growth

across the META region for SecurEnvoy’s product set, in particular its MFA-as-a-Service,

Naresh Kumar, emt Distribution

which integrates with its on-premise MFA solution said Phil Higgins, CEO of Shearwater Group. “This agreement opens up an additional distribution channel for SecurEnvoy and strengthens its position in the identity and access management sector.” Mohd Mobasseri, CEO of EMT Distribution, said, “Our distribution agreement with SecurEnvoy is a real testament to the value of our channel as we continue to build global support around our network. SecurEnvoy has a fantastic technology and we look forward to seeing how we can support the growth of the business across META. We are very proud to start this new relationship.”

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

8 HIGHLIGHTS

HELP AG, SENTINELONE PARTNER TO ARM MIDDLE EASTERN ENTERPRISES

ybersecurity solutions, services and consultancy provider, Help AG has signed an agreement with SentinelOne, the endpoint protection company. As IT strategies adopt cloud and mobile-first approaches, increasing the number of connected devices on Stephan Berner, Help AG organisations’ networks, cybercriminals have shifted their focus towards targeting users and endpoint devices. The partnership of Help AG and SentinelOne will deliver fully automated endpoint protection to arm the Middle Eastern enterprises against endpoint attacks. “As the region’s trusted security advisor, we are firmly committed to introducing best-in-class solutions to the Middle East – especially those that uniquely address key cybersecurity challenges our customers face. Today, endpoints such as laptops and smartphones are the primary workforce enablement tool and protecting them against the myriad of threats should be top priority for any business,” said Stephan Berner, CEO, Help AG. “SentinelOne has been a disruptive force in the AV industry and their technologies perfectly align with the AI-focused strategy at Help AG. Together, we can enable businesses to automate vital security functions with confidence that their vital assets are comprehensively protected.” In addition to offering its customers the entire suite of SentinelOne solutions, Help AG intends to utilize the vendor’s technologies within its own Cybersecurity Operations Centre (CSOC). This will enable Help AG to leverage these solutions in the delivery of its market-leading Managed Security Services (MSS) offerings. “Organisations around the world are fed up with passive legacy anti-virus solutions and are looking for one agent to protect them from the increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks that are being leveraged across all the major threat vectors,” said Tamer Odeh, regional sales director - Middle East, SentinelOne. “We’re very much looking forward to introducing customers in the Middle East to our autonomous endpoint protection platform. After all, we’re still the only platform defending every endpoint against every type of attack, at every stage in the threat lifecycle.”

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

KODAK ALARIS ANNOUNCES NEW DEVELOPER PROGRAM AND PARTNER PORTAL

laris, a Kodak Alaris business, has announced the launch of a series of initiatives designed to support channel partners and significantly increase their ability to pursue new revenue streams. The global Don Lofstrom, Kodak Alaris information capture firm is expanding its Developer Program to accelerate innovation within its new Smart Connected Scanning category. Alaris is opening a new dedicated partner portal that provides resellers with easy access to a wide range of training resources, sales support tools and marketing assets. The Alaris Developer Program gives Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), System Integrators (SIs), Value Added Resellers (VARs) and third-party developers access to Alaris’ technical toolkits including market-leading application program interfaces (APIs) that they can use to jointly create new and innovative customer solutions. The program supports the demand for increased connectivity, the ability to elevate traditional push scanning to enterprise-scale efficiency and enable scanning directly into line-of-business processes. Through this collaborative developer ecosystem, partners can also help their customers realize the full potential of the Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution to automate workflows by seamlessly connecting document capture to existing business systems and the cloud. “By making it easy for partners to access our APIs, they can custom-develop integrations that work with their customers’ business processes to deliver automated, easy to manage workflows,” said Don Lofstrom, president & general manager, Alaris. “The program will also extend the value and reach of our solutions, empowering partners to secure new recurring revenue by transforming legacy, transaction-based hardware sales into a simple to deploy, subscription-based offering.” With the launch of its new partner portal, Alaris is making partnership easier, offering resellers its full support across the entire sales cycle, empowering them to grow their business and earn more with Alaris. Partners also benefit from access to Alaris’ learning management system where they will find a wealth of sales and technical training courses. The company has introduced a number of selling and partnership incentives, benefits and rebates that increase in line with the resellers’ business commitment to Alaris.

9 HIGHLIGHTS

RISING CLOUD ADOPTION TO DRIVE CHANNEL PARTNER ENGAGEMENT IN UAE: EQUINIX

Jeroen Schlosser, Equinix

lobal interconnection and data centre company Equinix has revealed the findings of an independent survey exploring the views of senior enterprise IT professionals on the future of the Channel industry. Jeroen Schlosser, managing director, Equinix, MENA, said, “Analyst firm IDC has stated that at least 30 percent of Channel industry players will not exist in the format we know them today by 2021. As the findings of this study suggest, many of these changes will be driven by cloud, and it will be the Channel players that are agile and respond to these changes, that will survive and thrive.” The results show cloud is now the number one driver of Channel engagement, with almost half (48 percent) of the 836 EMEA IT decision-makers surveyed, using the Channel to access cloud-based services. 7 out of 10 (68 percent) IT decision makers work with multiple public cloud providers, with half (50 percent) of IT decision makers are solely utilising private cloud and almost a quarter (24 percent) deploy a multi-cloud model. With Gartner highlighting that by 2025, 80 percent of enterprises will migrate entirely away from on-premises infrastructure to colocation and the cloud , these findings suggest companies are utilising the Channel to reduce the complexity of such a critical infrastructure upheaval. Oren Yehudai, senior director, EMEA Channel Sales, Equinix, said, “The move to the cloud has been incredibly exciting to see. By 2021, European spend on cloud will hit £100 billion. Enterprises must make critical decisions on IT infrastructure as they adopt cloud services or fail to compete in the digital economy. The speed of

demand and consumption of cloud services is both a huge opportunity and a threat for many resellers. Channel players have to be ready to support this, and for many that means making significant changes, from accelerating the development of consulting and ‘cloud-complementing’ services to adapting to a monthly billing system or changing compensation plans to match new purchasing patterns.” Along with the shift driven by cloud, the study highlighted other areas where services traditionally managed in-house are beginning to move to the Channel. Security management – an area that enterprises have previously been reluctant to outsource – was the second highest-ranked service for which Channel partners are being utilised, named by 39 percent of respondents. The study also found that more than one-third of decision-makers (34 percent) are using Channel partners to access interconnection, making it the third-highest priority service – an ongoing trend that is reflected in the growth of Equinix’s own Channel Partner Programme. Enterprise IT decision-makers were also asked why they choose or might consider working with Channel partners. Cost was the number one priority across almost every market, with over half (53 percent) of UAE IT decision makers overall stating they choose to work with Channel partners because it’s more cost-effective than other routes to market. Being able to access a better breadth of services came a close second (46 percent of respondents overall), with enterprises in the Netherlands and Turkey naming this as their main reason for working with Channel partners, while convenience was the key driver for decision-makers in France. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2019

10 HIGHLIGHTS

MCAFEE ENABLES ENTERPRISES TO “SHIFT LEFT” TO REDUCE RISKS ON MICROSOFT AZURE

cAfee has announced updates to McAfee MVISION Cloud for Microsoft Azure that will help customers “Shift Left” with security to preemptively help to address compliance and risk within their cloud infrastructure. According to the firm, with MVISION Cloud, security is pushed Rajiv Gupta, McAfee earlier into the DevOps process so that security professionals can catch risky configurations before they become a threat in production. This gives organisations the ability to confidently deploy applications in the cloud with greater speed and efficiency. While Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-aService (PaaS) environments provide customers with choice and flexibility, if not configured correctly, they also potentially increase the organisations surface area for security risks. With the new features in McAfee MVISION Cloud for Azure, security groups can integrate policy natively into DevOps processes and toolsets to discover security issues before systems are deployed to accelerate business in the cloud. New capabilities include: Security Scans for Azure Resource Manager Templates: allows users to discover risky configuration issues or violations in Azure Resource Manager Templates prior to deploying resources. Inline integration with the tools developers use: security checks inside the DevOps pipeline through API integration with popular tools including Microsoft Git, Github, and Azure DevOps. Security Feedback is natively integrated into the build process saving time, effort, and frustration. Unified Cloud Security for Azure Ecosystem: allows developers to leverage Azure services knowing security will be built-in by design (IaaS/PaaS/Container services) aligning closely to the Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) best practices. Preemptive Risk Avoidance: improves compliance with regulatory frameworks and reduces the likelihood of data loss, abuse or fines associated with improper security controls by highlighting security findings before they become security incidents. “Developers increasingly leverage modern DevOps tools to operate at the “speed of cloud” to help transform their organisations,” said Rajiv Gupta, senior vice president of Cloud Security, McAfee. “By integrating with the DevOps tools, McAfee MVISION Cloud for Microsoft Azure will help security teams remove the risk of systems running with unresolved misconfigurations, reduce the workload of infrastructure teams by employing a fix once at the source and give them the ability to enact and evaluate security policies from one central location without adding friction to the development teams.”

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

SAGE INKS DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH REDINGTON

loud business management solutions provider Sage has signed a distribution partnership in the Middle East region with Redington to deliver Sage’s mid-market products and services as an Authorised Sage Distributor. The partnership agreement, according to the company, enables Sage to expand its presence in the Middle East, simplify and improve operational processes, and reach new markets and new customers. Redington was considered to be in the best position to support the long term growth strategy of Sage in the Middle East. The agreement covers the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Pieter Bensch, EVP for Africa and Middle East, Sage, said, “Businesses in the Middle East have long recognised the need to move from legacy business software systems to smarter cloud-based business solutions that are both affordable and fit for purpose. By partnering with Redington, we have the opportunity to expand Sage’s footprint across the region, work with their extensive partner network to reach new customers and embed Sage values across the ecosystem. We will refocus existing efforts on the UAE and KSA and expand to new markets, including Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan. We look forward to also growing our independent software vendor network and provide companies in the GCC with more tailored and vertical-specific solutions.” As an Authorised Sage Distributor, Redington will act as an intermediary between, channel partners, resellers and system integrators. The agreement grants Redington the official distribution rights for Sage 300, Sage 300 People, Sage CRM, Sage X3 and Sage 200, all of which are award-winning cloud-powered software solutions for accounting, payments, payroll and more that cater to medium-sized enterprises. “Strategic synergies are a vital tool for organisations to move forward while leveraging each other’s expertise, networks and knowledge. This mutually beneficial partnership with Sage opens new opportunities for us to help businesses in the Middle East face challenges and stay competitive through utilising technology to drive efficiencies,” said Sayantan Dev, Senior Vice President - IT Value Distribution at Redington, which has an extensive portfolio of 220 international brands in the IT and mobility sectors across more than 30 emerging markets.

11 HIGHLIGHTS

BITDEFENDER EXTENDS MSP SECURITY SUITE

ybersecurity solutions provider Bitdefender launched new endpoint defense capabilities for its GravityZone MSP platform. The new features are designed to help managed service provider organizations to offer enhanced endpoint protection and detection services by identifying and stopping network-based and fileless attacks, exploits and malicious behaviors before they reach endpoint resources. Incident response for security operations is now simplified offering better guidance to streamline processes. Backed by the power of Bitdefender’s threat intelligence, the new capabilities of GravityZone enables managed services providers to detect attacks earlier in the kill chain, increasing protection of their customers. “Over the last 3 months, we noticed an increasing frequency of targeted at-

tacks, ranging from brute force attacks to spear phishing, executive impersonation and credential compromise. These recent changes in the threat landscape put even more pressure on Service Providers which are already expected to protect their small and medium business customers against breaches and business disruption,” said Alina Draganescu, senior director, security for MSP and SMB, Bitdefender. “With GravityZone’s proven integrated technologies and capability to identify suspicious activities across endpoints, servers and email, in the early stages of attack attempts, Managed Service Providers can provide high accuracy and efficient protection, while automating and streamlining incident response. In addition, they can offer now more value-added services and boost revenues by managing cloud email security for their small and medium business partners”

Alina Draganescu, Bitdefender

According to the company, the GravityZone Email Security leverages a multi-stage threat prevention model which blocks highly redirected threats with more than 10,000 algorithms and world class reputation engines. Accommodating virtually any deployment scenario, it features a unique multi-engine platform for highly accurate message categorization and threat protection.

MIMECAST ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF DMARC ANALYZER

mail and data security company Mimecast Limited, has announced that it has acquired DMARC Analyzer, a SaaS-based solution provider. The acquisition, according to the company will enable Mimecast customers to address threats at the email perimeter, inside the email network, and beyond their immediate purview. By combining Mimecast defenses with DMARC Analyzer’s reporting and email validation solution, customers can now further strengthen their cyber resilience with robust visibility into attacks that defraud customers, suppliers and partners. “DMARC adoption is growing as more organisations look to ensure their email is authenticated,” said Peter Bauer, chief executive officer, Mimecast. “With the power of Mimecast’s Cyber Resilience platform, we now have the brand and domain protection capabilities so we can better serve our customers beyond the perimeter.” According to Mimecast, the acquisition of DMARC Analyzer strength-

Peter Bauer, Mimecast

ens Mimecast’s Email Security 3.0 approach which delivers perimeter to pervasive email security for organisations that need comprehensive protection at the perimeter, inside the perimeter and beyond the perimeter. DMARC Analyzer will provide Mimecast customers a more integrated solution for stronger visibility, governance, and brand protection across all email channels. The ability to implement

DMARC efficiently as well as to hunt for and take action against threats using impersonation, will help customers protect their brands and domains that defraud customers and partners. “We are very excited to become part of Mimecast. This will help us leverage threat intelligence to better protect our customers against phishing and spoofing attacks. Mimecast’s global footprint will help DMARC Analyzer to achieve our mission and simplify DMARC deployment,” said Dirk Jan Koekkoek, chief executive officer, DMARC Analyzer. “Research has shown that impersonation attacks targeting employees, customers, suppliers and partners are all on the rise – and they can affect organisations large and small,” said Bauer. “These types of attacks are tricky, as they often bypass traditional security solutions and are not easily identifiable to the untrained eye. A pervasive email security approach is needed to ensure organisations are addressing threats at, inside, and beyond the perimeter.”

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

12 HIGHLIGHTS

THREATQUOTIENT RECOGNISED AS TOP THREAT INTELLIGENCE PLATFORM

hreatQuotient has announced that Frost & Sullivan has named ThreatQuotient the 2019 Technology Innovation Leader in the threat intelligence platform industry. Frost & Sullivan’s best practices research report, available now, revealed that ThreatQ is the only solution in the threat intelligence space that enables John Czupak, ThreatQuotient siloed security teams to work collaboratively and manage threats effectively. After extensive evaluation, Frost & Sullivan’s global team of analysts and consultants recognised ThreatQuotient for consistently pursuing and investing in new technologies, which enables the company to serve customers more effectively and grow at a rate above the industry average. “ThreatQuotient is proud to be recognised by Frost & Sullivan as the industry’s best threat intelligence platform. Our solution, which empowers teams to identify and anticipate threats, enables organisations to reduce risk now and in the future,” said John Czupak, President and CEO, ThreatQuotient. “Our mission is to continually innovate to help security operations teams to become more efficient and effective, especially with the dynamic threat landscape and rapidly changing business requirements.” Frost & Sullivan believes finding new ways to motivate the market and maintaining a long-term commitment to innovation are key to successful growth in any organisation, and that technology innovation can only be sustained by understanding demand, nurturing the brand, and differentiating from the competition. “Today’s enterprises require a streamlined, efficient threat intelligence platform that will enable their threat operations teams to understand and quickly act upon the highest priority threats they face. ThreatQuotient offers exactly this solution,” said Mohammed Riyaz Ahmed, Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst. “Achieving excellence in technology innovation is never an easy task, and it is made even more difficult considering today’s competitive intensity, customer volatility, and economic uncertainty. Frost & Sullivan recognises that ThreatQuotient’s accomplishments are the result of many employees, customers, and investors making daily choices to support their organisation and contribute in a meaningful way to its future,” he added. The ThreatQ platform was developed to accelerate security operations utilising a threat-centric approach. Using an integrated, self-tuning Threat Library, Adaptive Workbench, Open Exchange and ThreatQ Investigations, analysts can detect, investigate and respond faster and more effectively than ever before.

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

SCOPE MIDDLE EAST APPOINTED AS DISTRIBUTOR FOR C3M’S CLOUD CONTROL PLATFORM

3M has announced its partnership with UAE-based value-added distributor SCOPE Middle East to deliver Cloud Control, its cloud security and compliance management platform in the region. Paddy Viswanathan, founder and CEO, C3M, said, “It is a great privilege to announce our partnership with SCOPE Middle East to spearhead our operations in the Middle East. They are renowned for their outstanding expertise in all aspects of cybersecurity and offer great value-added services to their partners across the whole of the region. Enterprises in the GCC are rapidly adopting the public cloud and we expect to see rapid growth from this market in 2020. Knowing Cloud Control is in safe hands is key to our continued global success.” Cloud Control offers 24/7 security monitoring, risk identification and remediation in a multi-cloud environment. The platform offers automated and actionable cloud security insights to help enterprises automate cloud security monitoring and management and enforce security best practices. Fadi AbuEkab, founder, SCOPE Middle East, said, “C3M’s Cloud Control is a great and core addition to our security portfolio. Whether an organisation has one cloud account, or multiple workloads spread across various cloud accounts in a multi-cloud environment; security, and control is critical. C3M’s platform enables organisations to have full visibility of their cloud assets, monitor and remediate compliance breaches, audit all cloud activities, and schedule actionable reports and alerts. “C3M is a channel-only vendor who puts partners first. Their technology is easy to demo, easy to sell, and easy to manage, with generous margins and a recurring revenue stream. This is a perfect scenario for both SCOPE Middle East and our reseller channel.” SCOPE Middle East and C3M will be launching through a series of webinars and technical workshops across the Middle East from November 2019 onwards.

APPOINTMENTS The latest of who has moved where in the IT channel business.

TARKAN MANER JOINS NUTANIX AS CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER

utanix has announced the appointment of Tarkan Maner as Chief Commercial Officer. In his new role, Tarkan will be responsible to lead Nutanix’s global business development and corporate development efforts, with a focus on strategic partnerships, alliances, system integrators, and service providers. “Nutanix’s DNA is rooted in disruptive innovation on behalf of its customers. I am delighted to partner with Dheeraj and the executive team to accelerate Nutanix’s position as a leader in enterprise cloud computing,” said Maner. “Nutanix has accomplished so much over the past ten years, but there’s so much potential to go even further. I am excited to charge ahead and play a critical role in helping realise Nutanix’s vision of making computing invisible, anywhere.” Maner’s responsibilities will include leading critical hybrid cloud-focused strategy and product teams including Nutanix’s core virtualisation platform (AHV), software-defined networking, and some of the key hybrid cloud services: End User Computing (Xi Frame), Database-as-a-Service (Era), DR-as-a-Service (Xi Leap), Xi Partner Network (XPN), and Solutions Engineering. Armed with over 25 years of experience, Maner has held several executive roles at disruptive technology companies in the IT infrastructure space. He joins from Nexenta Systems, Inc., where he

Tarkan Maner, Nutanix

served as Chairman and CEO. “Tarkan brings an entrepreneurial mindset and an acute awareness of the computing landscape to lead Nutanix in its second decade,” said Dheeraj Pandey, Chairman, Founder and CEO, Nutanix. “His authentic leadership style, a clear bias for

action, and a broad industry network have helped him create high-energy companies, as I’ve observed him from afar. Given his deep sense of commitment to company-building, I look forward to this new partnership to build Nutanix into a hybrid cloud powerhouse.”

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

The latest of who has moved where in the IT channel business.

CITRIX NAMES NEW SVP FOR WORLDWIDE CHANNEL SALES AND ECOSYSTEM

itrix systems has appointment Bronwyn Hastings as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Channel Sales and Ecosystem. As the new SVP, Hastings will continue to spearhead the company’s efforts to deliver market-leading digital workspace solutions that transform the employee experience and the way work gets done through its robust ecosystem of partners. Hastings will be responsible for partner sales worldwide, go-tomarket partner programs and partner marketing for all Citrix products. “At Citrix, we’re delivering the future of work today. But we aren’t doing it alone,” said Mark Ferrer,

executive vice president and chief revenue officer, Citrix. “Our partner ecosystem is among the most powerful in the industry and Bronwyn is uniquely positioned to enhance this network and the programs and services that we provide to help companies accelerate their digital transformations and power a better way to work.” Joining from SAP, Hastings brings with her over 25 years of experience leading strategic and operational functions of business development and partner organisations in the software industry. Her career spans numerous senior positions at SAP and Oracle. “Citrix has a compelling vision for the future of work,” said Hastings. “I am eager to collaborate with our

Bronwyn Hastings, Citrix

incredible community of partners to provide companies with the solutions and services they need to make this vision a reality.”

EXTREME NETWORKS APPOINTS NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR META

xtreme Networks has announced Maan AlShakarchi as Regional Director of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region. The appointment, according to the company, signals a step-change in investment and focus for the company in this growing region. In his new role, Maan will be responsible to accelerate the company’s growth in the META markets, including the Levant countries, by helping customers to accelerate their digital journey through software-driven networking solutions. “We are committed to delivering the benefits of cloud-driven networking solutions to all potential customers and to help them build an infrastructure capable of supporting their competitiveness,” said John Morrison, SVP EMEA, Extreme Networks. “Maan has a key role to play in helping us accelerate our vision into this important growth

market. The opportunity is huge, and Maan has the right credentials and pedigree - we’re very excited to achieve great things over the next 12 months and beyond.” Armed with over 15 years of experience, Maan has been an active member of the Middle East networking industry.

Maan Al-Shakarchi, Extreme Networks

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Prior to joining Extreme Networks, Maan has worked with Nortel Networks in Montreal, Canada, as part of the Networking Research & Development team. He held several leadership roles at Nortel, followed by Avaya. “Customers in the META region are among the most forward- thinking in the world. The potential of Extreme Networks in this region is huge. As a global brand, Extreme has an incredible reputation in the market. The company features prominently in analyst reports for its leadership in the enterprise wired and wireless LAN market for innovations in fabric networking, Wi-Fi access solutions, and IoT security, as well as cloudmanagement,” said Al-Shakarchi. “And our recent acquisition of Aerohive only serves to cement Extreme’s position as an innovative organisation. But at a local level there is plenty more that we can do to elevate the brand, and to demonstrate the full breadth of the Extreme service portfolio.”

APPOINTMENTS

NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER JOINS SERVICENOW

erviceNow has announced that Gina Mastantuono will join ServiceNow as Chief Financial Officer, effective January 13, 2020. Mastantuono joins the company from Ingram Micro, where she also served as CFO. “Gina is a highly experienced technology industry CFO and incredibly capable global leader who will be a great partner to me and a perfect fit for ServiceNow,” said ServiceNow President and CEO Bill McDermott. “I want to thank John Donahoe and ServiceNow’s Board of Directors for conducting such a highquality global search and providing me with an exceptional slate of candidates to consider. Gina is the right person to join me and our leadership team, help

continue ServiceNow’s remarkable momentum, and drive our next phase of shared growth and success with our customers.” Mastantuono brings more than 20 years of financial experience to ServiceNow, including in the cloud, IT and mobility solutions industries. Since 2016, she has served as CFO of Ingram Micro, a leading provider of global technology and supply chain services with more than $50 billion in revenue in FY2018 and 200,000 customers worldwide. Mastantuono led the company’s global finance organisation, including financial planning and analysis, M&A, treasury and risk management, accounting and reporting, internal audit, tax, investor relations and global business processes. “I’m honoured to join Bill and the ServiceNow team,” said Mastantuono.

Gina Mastantuono, CFO, ServiceNow

“ServiceNow is highly regarded by its customers and has tremendous momentum and opportunity to enable digital transformation and help make work, work better for people. I look forward to joining ServiceNow and helping the company continue to deliver incredible value for customers and shareholders.”

MIMECAST APPOINTS NEW SVP OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS

ybersecurity and compliance provider Mimecast has appointed Heather Bentley as Senior Vice President of customer success. Heather Bentley joins Mimecast from Symantec and the appointment, according to the company is to help drive the company’s next phase of growth. “We’ve seen tremendous growth over the last several years requiring us to take an inside-out look at the business to understand how we can continue innovating, supporting customers and creating resilience – both in the technology we provide and our footprint in society. Customers are, by far, the heart of Mimecast and they are a vital part of the ecosystem for cyber resilience, which is why ensuring their success is second to none,” said Peter Bauer, chief executive officer, Mimecast. The experience these leaders bring will truly help guide the success of our

customers, our position in the market as we journey into our next phase of growth and innovation.” Previously, Heather was the Head of Customer Success in Europe for Automation Anywhere. For more than a decade, Heather held leadership positions at Symantec and recently was their Vice President of Premium Support and Customer Success. As the SVP of Customer Success at Mimecast, Heather will be responsible for leading the global customer success and services strategy to ensure alignment with corporate goals and initiatives. This will require her to drive cross functional initiatives and develop a roadmap to strategically engage, retain, and scale positive customer experiences. With the huge cyber security skills gap, there is an opportunity for Mimecast Legendary Customer Success to serve as a trusted security advisor to our valued customers. Heather’s experience building global services programs will help Mimecast expand its efforts in this area to deliver amazing customer

Heather Bentley, Mimecast

engagements. Heather Bentley said, “I love Mimecast’s customer-first approach to doing business. There’s really a sense of wanting for each customer to have the best experience possible that resonated with me when talking to both executives and team members across the globe. I’m excited to take my passion for building customer success to Mimecast and help continue driving the Legendary Customer Success they’re known for.”

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

16 OPINION // FORTINET

Get ahead of the adversary

Derek Manky, Chief, Security Insights & Global Threat Alliances, Fortinet on the importance of threat intelligence to partner business.

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

rganisations of all sizes are working to prioritise security initiatives as cyber threats become more targeted and sophisticated. Aware of the consequences a breach can have on business operations, organisations are seeking to deploy more security controls throughout the network and build out security teams. When implementing these initiatives, organisations should focus on attaining accurate, current threat intelligence. This is what will inform strategy, personnel, and security solutions. Why is threat intelligence so important? Your customers are facing an onslaught of threats. Cyber criminals are using automation to operate at machine speed and have become more adept at evading security measures in their attacks, meaning a successful attack is inevitable. The focus now must turn to locating those attacks in complex network environments and addressing them in as little time as possible. Threat intelligence gives IT teams essential context on the types of threats and vulnerabilities that are trending among attackers to ensure fast response times across distributed environments. The ability to provide cuttingedge threat intelligence on a regular basis allows Fortinet partners to consistently deliver value to customers through informed security strategy. Our partners are enabled by the full force of FortiGuard Labs, our threat intelligence division. Security researchers and analysts at FortiGuard Labs evaluate security incidents and alerts detected by the millions of Fortinet threat sensors, honeypots, and collectors deployed around the globe to understand where networks are weakest at any given time. In the wake of the cybersecurity skills gap, which makes it nearly impossible for your customers to employ security researchers in house, access to this research makes partners a highly valuable resource. It is important to provide support for partners with threat research in several ways such as helping partners become expert advisors for customers, offering support to customer accounts,

Derek Manky, Fortinet

and enabling regular training for partners in emerging threats. Partners must provide their customers with regular insights into cyber-criminal capabilities, motives, goals and trending cyberattack infrastructure and resources. Partners must be able to access threat intelligence via weekly threat intelligence briefs, playbooks, threat early warnings, quarterly threat reports. As a founding member of the Cyber Threat Alliance, Fortinet is able to share threat information with other member organisations to improve threat awareness and minimize the efficacy of attack campaigns. This means partners are not only getting information from Fortinet’s own team, but also threat research from other leaders in the industry. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS? Access to this threat intelligence can offer immense benefits to your customers as they ramp up security efforts, addressing several key challenges: • Reduce Complexity and Increase Visibility Your customers are working within increasingly complex networks as cloud environments, apps, and

IT IS IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR PARTNERS WITH THREAT RESEARCH IN SEVERAL WAYS SUCH AS HELPING PARTNERS BECOME EXPERT ADVISORS FOR CUSTOMERS, OFFERING SUPPORT TO CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS, AND ENABLING REGULAR TRAINING FOR PARTNERS IN EMERGING THREATS.”

devices are introduced. Many are also working with an assortment of disparate security controls, the lack of integration of which can actually cause blind spots when it comes to threat detection and remediation. Centralised threat intelligence offered by partners can help break

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18 OPINION // FORTINET

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down information silos across network security teams and devices, ensuring all parties are acting on the same, most current data. This will also increase adaptive visibility giving customers insight into security events occurring locally and globally, enabling them to adapt strategy based on real-time threat intelligence when using the integrated Security Fabric. Prioritise Speed The goal of modern security teams must be to detect anomalous activity in the network and respond to it as quickly as possible. This is a departure from perimeterbased security strategies of the past. Today’s cyber criminals work so fast that perimeter

•

defenses are not enough. When informed about current attack vectors and vulnerabilities, customers can more quickly identify malicious activity in the network and act upon it. Furthermore, based on this intelligence, partners can more knowledgeably help customers build and adapt their security strategies to ensure the necessary controls are in place, without compromising performance or speed of business operations. This is essential to effectively secure digital transformation. Leverage Automation Finally, partners can assist by outfitting their customers with security controls that are informed by this current threat data, and constantly share

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new discoveries and alerts across other controls. Fortinet’s security fabric incorporates controls that are integrated and regularly updated with the most recent threat intelligence. This allows customers to automate responses to threats. These tools can more readily detect the most recent attack vectors and evasion tactics, and issue automated responses to ensure minimal dwell time. As your customers aim to increase their security capabilities, they should begin by obtaining access to current threat intelligence to inform broader strategy. Fortinet partners can be of value here, offering access to comprehensive threat intelligence to help customers stay a step ahead of adversaries.

19 THREAT QUOTIENT // OPINION

Matt McCormick, ThreatQuotient

Outsourcing Security

Recognising that security isn’t one-size-fits-all, MSSPs and MDR services offer a way for organisations to get the solutions they need from a menu of options, says Matt McCormick, SVP Business and Corporate Development, ThreatQuotient.

or years we’ve been talking about the skills shortage that plagues the cybersecurity industry and which some reports now peg at three million and growing. Organisations lack trained, experienced resources in many areas including expertise in management and monitoring of the infrastructure protecting an environment, incident

responders, threat intelligence analysts, security operations engineers and even security leadership. These gaps increase cybersecurity risk for organisations and their key stakeholders, including customers, employees, business partners and shareholders. No group feels the impact more every single day than an organisation’s cybersecurity team. Enterprise

Strategy Group (ESG) recently surveyed cybersecurity professionals and Information Systems Security Association members about their experiences on the job. The report, “The Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals 2018,” concludes that the ramifications of the skills shortage include an increased workload on existing staff, an inability to fully learn or utilise some security

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20 OPINION // THREAT QUOTIENT technologies to their full potential, and the need to spend significant time training junior employees since it is difficult to hire experienced cybersecurity professionals. When organisations do manage to hire top talent, they experience trouble with retention. Three quarters of survey respondents told ESG that they are solicited to change jobs by recruiters at least once a month. The result? Salaries, attrition and competition for skilled applicants are soaring. Outsourcing to a managed security services provider (MSSP) or a provider of managed detection and response (MDR) services is one of the strategies that organisations are using to close the skills gap while mitigating cybersecurity risk. MSSPs offer 24x7 monitoring and management of security devices and systems and are in the position to hire, train and leverage security experts across many different customers. Providers of MDR services focus on detecting threats that have infiltrated an organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network, capabilities sometimes not offered by MSSPs. Both types of services help organisations reduce costs building out their own security operations center and get the expertise they need to adequately protect their environment. These services are in such demand that IDC predicts global security spending will top $103 billion in 2019, with managed security services accounting for the largest category of spending at more than $21 billion. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2019

MSSPs and MDR services will remain an important option for many companies for the foreseeable future, particularly when you consider other factors at play beyond the skills shortage, specifically: a dynamic threat landscape, an ever-expanding attack surface and an increasingly complex security technology environment. Organisations must be able to identify and mitigate the threats most relevant to them and these factors make that task more difficult. Recognising that security isn’t onesize-fits-all, MSSPs and MDR services offer a way for organisations to get the solutions they need from a menu of options.

•

If you’re considering outsourcing some or all aspects of your security operations, be sure to consider these key points: • Make sure the service provider can protect your entire technology stack – on-premise and in the cloud. You may not need support for both immediately but validating that they have the capability will ensure they can adapt as your needs evolve.

•

Unfortunately, in security there are no silver bullet solutions, and this holds true with managed services. There is no way to guarantee 100% protection. However, putting Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in place can help ensure support expectations are met, for example with respect to response times. When evaluating a service provider one of the most important things you can do is speak to references with similar environments and/or in similar industries. Make sure you understand what happens when there are problems and look for a partner that will respond as one of your team. If you feel that you are lacking security leadership, consider a CISO-as-a-service offering, also known as a virtual CISO (vCISO). Ten percent of the organisations that responded to the ESG survey say they are now retaining a vCISO. In addition, 29% of the CISOs surveyed are working as a vCISO while another 21% are considering doing so.

MSSPS AND MDR SERVICES WILL REMAIN AN IMPORTANT OPTION FOR MANY COMPANIES FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER OTHER FACTORS AT PLAY BEYOND THE SKILLS SHORTAGE.”

The time is now for many organisations to consider managed security services to help address their security needs. They fill the cybersecurity skills gap and, in the process, help you overcome a broad spectrum of security challenges so you can improve your overall security operations.

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

22 OPINION // XEROX

Empower the digital workforce Undergoing a workplace transformation can be difficult. It includes capitalising on the relationship between happy, productive employees and customer satisfaction and implementing technologydriven strategies to nurture both. Lisa Graham, Channel Marketing Manager - Channel Partner Operations, Xerox outlines the business challenges that can use the help of a channel partner.

n the surface, creating a digital workplace appears simple. After all, it’s a matter of providing the right technologies and tools to empower workgroups. But in reality, it is much more complex. It’s about capitalising on the relationship between happy, productive employees and customer satisfaction, and implementing technology-driven strategies to nurture both. While the concept of digital workplaces is not new, it’s finally reached a tipping point and is fast becoming the marketplace differentiator. The message is clear – embrace it and thrive or face obsolescence. This is good news for channel partners who are armed with an arsenal of solutions that drive adoption.

Let’s look at three conversation starters that print partners can use to help solve challenges for businesses undergoing workplace transformations: 1. THE MILLENNIAL WORKFORCE For businesses executing digital workplace initiatives, the main concern should be how technology drives job satisfaction, feelings of accomplishment, and pride in one’s work – not which generation they belong to. As Millennials started moving into the workforce, many organisations became overly focused on pleasing them, but it turns out Millennials seek the same qualities as their older peers, and they’re not as tricky to please as many businesses thought. Studies are clear; job satisfaction requirements are not generational.

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People of all ages have four basic desires when it comes to work, and these factors are key when deciding to accept an offer, facilitating longevity, and knowing when to leave: · Pride in their organisation · Ability to maximise one’s own job performance · Fair treatment · Enjoyment Channel partners are in a perfect position to leverage these facts. Start by educating prospects and customers on the similarities of needs across the entire workforce. Then, show how adoption of the translation app, mobile printing, cloud storage connectivity, and other performance enhancing applications address these needs and increase overall productivity. 2. UNIFICATION OF COMMUNICATION AND CONNECTION CHANNELS A key driver of solution selection for digital workplace transformations is how it will positively impact communication and connectivity within workgroups. Of course, practically every employee has communication capabilities in their pocket, but are those devices equipped with business apps, mobile access to workflows, and the security required to keep the company’s data safe? There must be a balance of convenience for employees and business must-haves in order for digital workforce adoption to be successful. For small to medium-sized businesses as well as larger enterprise organisations, channel partners can offer customised solutions while expertly addressing security challenges. 3. TALENT ACQUISITIONS AND RETENTION Savvy businesses realise the connection between digital workplace capabilities and the ability to acquire and retain topnotch talent – and they actively develop and execute strategies that further those initiatives. When channel partners demonstrate how devices fit into the talent acquisition and retention puzzle and introduce the idea that apps can be customised to address needs unique to the business, it’s a win-win for the organisation as a whole.

23 EVENTS // IFS

“We’re for the challengers”

The IFS Partner Launch event was aimed at educating channel partners about the opportunities with IFS as well as advantages in specific aspects of ERP including service management, enterprise asset management and supply chain. Reseller Me secured an exclusive interview with Rifai Wahid, Director Channel Sales – MESA and Terry Crawford -Smith, Vice President, Partners & Alliances, Asia-Pacific and MEA at the event in a bid to understand the importance partners play in IFS’ journey.

FS hosted its first Partner Launch event in Dubai which was held at Intersect by Lexus. The event got many industry experts, channel partners and SI’s together to discuss the benefits of IFS’s channel program and initiatives.

The Partner Launch event primarily focused on educating attendees on how businesses can enjoy a partnership that delivers measurable results, choice, provides hundreds of courses and trainings, clear accountability, increased market visibility and much more.

Rifai Wahid, Director Channel Sales – MESA, IFS, said, “IFS is doing a great job in the region. We are looking at new partners who can come on board with us and we want to educate the market here as to our go to market. This therefore involves segmenting the customer base and

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24 EVENTS // IFS

focusing on major markets where we work alongside partners and other markets where it is a partner first market.” IFS has clearly identified five key industries that they focus on. And the reason they’ve done that is because they have a lot of history around. “We need partners who have adjacent capabilities in those markets,” said Rifai. Terry Crawford-Smith, Vice President, Partners 7 Alliances, AsiaPacific, Middle East and Africa, said, “Another growth adjacent to that is around new technologies. Today, a lot of manufacturers are turning to new technologies like AI and machine learning to compliment the business processes and systems. We at IFS have a division called office labs and we’re adopting a lot of those technologies and integrating them with our solutions around how to maintain large scale.” The company has recently undergone a huge business transformation that has resulted in six consecutive quarters of growth above 20 percent. It is due to this growth that IFS is looking to increase its ecosystem. Terry said, “We have recently launched a new global partner

WE ARE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS WITH THE LOCAL MARKET KNOWLEDGE AND DEEP TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ERP, WHICH CAN BECOME OUR EXTENDED ARM IN THE MARKET AND ACT AS TRUSTED ADVISORS TO OUR CUSTOMERS.” Terry Crawford -Smith. IFS

program aligning with partners that have industry knowledge. We recognise and value the importance partners play in our journey, so we create a path to success with recognised training, certification and opportunities to connect with IFS and our customer network.” “We have also relaunched the IFS Academy where we’ll be running academic trainings in the Middle East. This is exciting in terms of how we’re going to the market rolling out trainings across all of APJ,

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

Middle East and Africa through our academy,” added Terry. Rifai further highlighted that one of the key areas of business growth is the opportunities that come with the growth in licenses. There are also the service factors which helps in business growth, these include Implementation Services, Application Management Services, and Managed Services on the Cloud. He said, “What our partners can also look forward to are the tremendous opportunities we provide which allows upselling and cross selling of IFS services within the existing client base. IFS Middle East is one of the best performing markets within the organisation where we have grown our business significantly over the last 12 months. In fact, we have doubled our accounts due to the high demand for our products. The region has also had made sales of some of the larger products. With this positive trend, we are confident that our channel partners will also benefit from the business growth that we are experiencing.” To further demonstrate its strength and stability in the Middle East market, the company has moved to a newer and bigger office located in Dubai. Speaking on the company’s

25 EVENTS // IFS

expansion plans, Mehmood Khan, managing director and vice-president for the Middle East and South Asia, IFS said, “IFS has been growing its business at more than double the industry average, with license revenue increases YoY over 20 percent for the past six quarters. We are expanding in the Middle East deliberately and with purpose. The region plays an important role in our overall revenue goals. We are embarking on a partner recruitment drive to help propel our business into newer areas of growth. We are looking for partners with the local market knowledge and deep technical expertise in different aspects of ERP, which can become our extended arm in the market and act as trusted advisors to our customers.” “IFS is looking for value-added resellers and systems integrators, whose appetite to invest, grow and succeed complements perfectly with our company’s vision and global initiatives. While we are not precluding working with a distributor, our focus is to recruit limited but relevant partners to help customers with their business outcomes,” Khan added. Besides leveraging on the technology and market strengths, regional partners can avail various other benefits by working with

WHAT OUR PARTNERS CAN ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO ARE THE TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITIES WE PROVIDE WHICH ALLOWS UPSELLING AND CROSS SELLING OF IFS SERVICES WITHIN THE EXISTING CLIENT BASE.”

IFS. The company will provide the safeguarding services to ensure customer success and deep architectural skills in support of its partner project teams. With each select partner, IFS will build go-to-market business plans, identify training requirements, and plan joint marketing and other investments that will ensure a successful start to the relationship. This will include the opportunity for the channel to run joint marketing events with IFS, leverage pre-built marketing campaigns in a box and other tools to help them win and prosper their businesses. Established and new partners will have the opportunity to scale their operations with the IFS Partner Network Program, which defines partner relationships, provides a context for partner solutions and a framework for how IFS products and services combine with those of partners to extend the capabilities of IFS. The company is providing partner training via the IFS Academy with $0 tuition fees until mid2020. Currently, partners can be a part of the IFS Partner Network Program without any joining fee. Additionally, IFS has announced a new Marketing Development Fund for 2020, which channel partners can capitalise on.

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

26 COVER STORY

BUILDING ON OUR THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF RETAIL AND OUR VALUED PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE INDUSTRY, OKI CAN TAILOR THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR THE BUSINESS, COMBINING THE BEST PRINTING DEVICES, SOFTWARE, MEDIA, ACCESSORIES AND SERVICE.”

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

BUILDING ON RETAIL KNOWLEDGE MULTIPLE INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING THE RETAIL SECTOR, INCREASINGLY BECOME DIGITISED. RESELLER ME SPEAKS TO NEIL ROM, SALES DIRECTOR - MEITA REGION, OKI EUROPE, TO FIND OUT HOW THE DEMAND FOR PRINTED AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION MATERIALS HAS EVOLVED AND WHAT DIFFERENT OFFERINGS THE FIRM HAS IN STORE FOR THE RETAIL SECTOR.

OW IMPORTANT IS THE ROLE OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION MATERIALS IN ENHANCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES? External signage, in-store displays and POS materials are vital in attracting customers to the store and helping them navigate around the best offers, keeping them inside longer. Signage only works now if it combines eye-catching design with frequently changing, relevant offers. Additional signage creates a positive customer experience and helps to build the perception of a professional and appealing store. Market research suggests customers spend more in shops they find easy to navigate. In-store signage helps provide a positive customer experience that translates into increased basket value. AS MULTIPLE INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING THE RETAIL SECTOR, INCREASINGLY BECOME DIGITISED, HOW HAS THE DEMAND FOR PRINTED AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION MATERIALS EVOLVED? Attracting customers to the shop and helping them navigate through the different departments

and offerings in the store is one of the essential purposes of the visual communications. Today’s retailers must be smarter than ever to find new ways to attract customers. Online shopping and the rise of omni-channel commerce have changed the stakes and drawing customers into traditional shops is becoming more difficult than ever. OKI has been there and will continue to be there throughout this evolution. We understand the urgent need to drive traffic to stores and convert this to revenue – and then ensure the customer keeps returning. HOW HAVE YOU INNOVATED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR OFFERINGS ARE ADDRESSING THE DEMANDS OF TODAY’S RETAIL SECTOR? When it comes to POS and signage for retail environments, OKI’s LED printers and software solutions provide shops with superior print quality combined with flexibility. Now retailers will be able to print anything they need in their own store, whenever they need it. No wastage, no storage issues. With our solutions, stores can have their marketing materials right away, whenever the business needs them most, rather than whenever external print partners have an www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2019

28 COVER STORY

OKI WILL CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH THE SMART RETAILERS WHO NEED SUSTAINABLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD PRINT SOLUTION TO ATTRACT SALES, CUT COSTS, AND DELIVER MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES FOR CUSTOMERS.”

available slot to complete a job! Most importantly, retailers can do it all using their standard OKI printer, with no need for specialist design skills. That’s the same device they can use for their invoices, orders and other back-office needs. OKI’s printers enable retailers to reprint and adapt signage in minutes, even on weatherproof media, creating up-to-date offers that drive traffic into stores.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT OFFERINGS OKI EUROPE HAS FOR THE RETAIL SECTOR? WHICH RETAIL SEGMENTS ARE YOU FOCUSING ON? OKI’s printers produce 1200x1200 dpi resolution on a range of different media types, weights and sizes. You can produce small price tags to 1.2m hanging and floor banners. Print on pre-cut media for door hangers, bottle collars and much

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more. OKI’s printers can even print on waterproof and UV resistant media maintaining a professional finish and exceptional colour vibrancy! OKI’s retail solutions suit the needs of a variety of different retail environments and across many subverticals, including hypermarkets, garden centres, automotive, furniture, leisure stores, and fashion. From shelf signage, including price-tags, labels and almost any pre-cut media formats, to self-adhesive floor stickers, eye-catching posters, promotional displays, gondolas, double-sided banners, and waterproof media application, all this and more can be done using OKI’s compact LED devices. WHAT IS YOUR GO-TOMARKET STRATEGY FOR THESE SOLUTIONS? Building on our thorough knowledge of retail and our valued partnerships within the industry, OKI can tailor the right solution for the business, combining the best printing devices, software, media, accessories and service. From our compact desktop printers to OKI’s smart printer and MFPs, our portfolio offers the right device for every store and head office. All provide professional quality output on an unrivalled range of media weights – which means no expensive outsourcing costs. Working with some of the world’s top retailers, OKI has developed a range of innovative printers and retail solutions to help businesses work quicker and more efficiently while maximising their productivity, reducing costs – and ensuring that when customers come through the door, the store is able to make the most of every opportunity to convert footfall into revenue. WHAT KIND OF CUSTOMER ENABLEMENT INITIATIVES DO YOU HAVE FOR THESE SOLUTIONS? With OKI printers, retailers don’t have to outsource their in-store

signage printing needs when they can print what they need when they need it with OKI’s C800 Series printers. These ultra-compact, cost efficient A3 colour printers for retailers feature innovative, in-built digital LED technology, delivering high-speed, high-quality results on demand, in-house on an unrivalled range of media. There’s no longer a need for large format printers with additional cutting equipment, or specialist printing devices. OKI provides fast, reliable solutions for a diverse range of applications, to help retailers communicate and engage with customers instore.

TODAY’S RETAIL INDUSTRY HAS NEVER BEEN MORE COMPETITIVE, EVEN WITH ITS DIGITISATION, SO HAVING THE ADVANTAGE OF ATTRACTIVE SIGNAGES IS STILL A MUST BUT NOW NEEDS MORE FLEXIBILITY, AVAILABILITY AND DIVERSITY.”

AS A COMPANY, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION? We’ve experienced how the internet has accelerated the shopping process. To compete with the growing e-commerce industry, traditional retailers must respond immediately to circumstantial changes, for example

key events or a shift in customer demand. They must also stay on top of inventory levels and ensure the back office works with utmost efficiency to integrate with online sales. Today’s retail industry has never been more competitive, even

with its digitisation, so having the advantage of attractive signages is still a must but now needs more flexibility, availability and diversity. HOW DO YOU SEE THE PRINT INDUSTRY EVOLVE IN THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS? WHAT ROLE WILL OKI PLAY IN THIS TRANSFORMATION? The print industry will focus more on delivering comprehensive and full solutions across all sectors, even if more challenges occur in the industry. OKI will continue to partner with the smart retailers who need sustainable and straightforward print solution to attract sales, cut costs, and deliver memorable experiences for customers. Also, as the pioneers of the LED technology in the print industry, we will continue to develop and improve our printing solutions and technology to deliver the superior quality on the unrivalled range of media for our customers, in retail and beyond.

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

30 INTERVIEW // CORELIGHT

Accelerating Growth

Basil Shahin, Regional Sales Director at Corelight told Reseller ME about the company’s expansion strategies and gave insights on how channel partners can enable their customers to have advanced threat hunting capabilities.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS AT CORELIGHT THIS YEAR? Corelight experienced significant business momentum over the past twelve months, expanding into EMEA and META with regional offices and support teams in UK and Dubai. In addition, the company launched the Corelight Cloud Sensor for AWS and Azure making it possible for threat hunting teams to use a consistent downstream analytics stack and find attackers regardless of the environment. Other product enhancements include the launch of Corelight Fleet Manager for accelerated deployment, configuration, and ongoing administration of Corelight Sensors across the enterprise whether they are physical, virtual or cloud-based;

a new Splunk app to better facilitate network-based threat hunting in Splunk; and the Corelight Encrypted Traffic Collection (ETC) offering rich and actionable insights for encrypted traffic. Corelight also closed a $50 million Series C funding round in October, paving the way for increased investment in product development, research, sales, and marketing efforts. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPANSION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA? This is a very exciting year for Corelight in the Middle East and Africa region. We have opened our regional office for the META region in Dubai as well as added sales, presales, and customer success teams. We have acquired new customer

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

CORELIGHT IS DESIGNED TO INTEGRATE WITH MANY POPULAR SIEM SOLUTIONS, THEREFORE, ALLOWING EASY INTEGRATION FOR MSSP PROVIDERS AS WELL AS THEIR CUSTOMERS.”

logos as well as expanded existing customers in the region. We have participated in major conferences in the region including GITEX and other security events. We have also appointed three new distributors for the region including Redington

31 INTERVIEW // CORELIGHT

WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING PARTNERS WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SUPPORT TO MARKET, DESIGN, SELL, AND DELIVER INDUSTRY-LEADING NETWORK TRAFFIC ANALYSIS (NTA) SOLUTIONS WHILE ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS.”

across META (Middle East, Turkey, Africa), Gulf IT for GCC focus, and New Order Group for Africa. We have also signed up with strategic partners across the region to allow us to accelerate our channel go to market strategy. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE BUSINESS OBJECTIVE AND CHANNEL STRATEGY? Corelight provides a comprehensive channel program, aimed at accelerating growth in enterprise and government sales across all verticals. The Corelight channel program is designed to work with trusted partners in the enterprise data, networking and security space, as well as partners with expertise in selling into large government agencies and enterprise commercial space to bring Corelight’s powerful network traffic analysis, threat hunting, and forensics capabilities to their customers. Corelight believes that partners are a critical part of the security strategy of our mutual customers. We have designed our partner program with specific partnership levels, criteria, and benefits tailored to meet each partner’s business goals. Partnering with innovative providers in their areas of expertise provides outstanding value and a wide range of solutions for our customers around the world. Corelight distributor partners extend our reach and help solution providers and MSSP partners deliver NTA solutions. Distributor partners provide sales training, technical and sales support, and account management to their select resellers. Distributor partners also offer credit services, marketing support, logistics,

Basil Shahin, Corelight

and access to dedicated sales representatives. HOW IS CORELIGHT ENCOURAGING PARTNERS TO ENABLE THEIR CUSTOMERS TO HAVE ADVANCED THREAT HUNTING CAPABILITIES? We are committed to providing partners with the highest level of support to market, design, sell, and deliver industry-leading Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) solutions while achieving the highest degree of customer success. The end-user typically is a threat hunter and is looking at the data through an analytics platform such as a SIEM platform and doesn’t interact directly with the Corelight sensor, which sits in the network sending data to the security team. We provide a very rich set of data - roughly 400 network traffic data elements - that can be used to understand attackers, where they’ve been, what they’ve done, who they are, what other things might be related to a particular incident. From a sales point of view, we’re

not trying to displace or change the behavior of the customer. We’re adding an ingredient to the security stack that will make the end-user more effective. This is where a strong security partner can play a big part in putting together this stack for the customer with their existing experience in security analytics platforms such as SIEMs or adding Corelight to their existing customers who recently added a SIEM solution. WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MSSP PROVIDERS TO ENHANCE THEIR SOC STACK USING NETWORK-BASED DATADRIVEN ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE? MSSP providers have a great opportunity to work with Corelight. Corelight is designed to integrate with many popular SIEM solutions, therefore, allowing easy integration for MSSP providers as well as their customers. We also offer on-premise, cloud-based, and virtual sensors. This provides great flexibility for deployment. Corelight licenses are sold as a subscription. This aligns very well with many MSSP’s enduser operational expense model where they charge the customer on a subscription basis as well. WHAT CAN REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS EXPECT FROM CORELIGHT IN 2020? With representation in the META region, organisations can expect a significant level of focus and attention that is only possible with local teams. We will be launching a new distributor/channel program specifically for EMEA in early 2020 to equip our partners to identify and deliver Corelight’s solutions to ultimately lower risk and increase efficiency. Corelight will continue to build on the secure, trusted foundation of the open-source Zeek (formerly Bro) network security monitoring platform to deliver additional benefits to end-user organisations and to our partner ecosystem.

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

32 VENDOR FOCUS // AVAYA

“EMBRACE THE NEW” Avaya ENGAGE explored the latest innovations and use cases of Avaya solutions. The three-day event saw presentations from top executives encouraging customers and partners to master the “Art of Experience” as the company seeks to energise its channel for the new year.

vaya encouraged its customers and partners to master the “Art of Experience” at their annual event Avaya ENGAGE in Dubai. The event stretched over three days and saw over one thousand users and partners come together to discuss the latest updates and use cases in Avaya’s human-centric innovation. While the first day was dedicated entirely to Avaya’s partner ecosystem, the second and third day saw customers share the stage with Avaya’s executives to discuss success stories. At the partner summit, Avaya unveiled its 2020 fiscal year strategies and demonstrated the strong growth opportunities for partners with detailed sessions on the solutions that are driving cloud growth, including Avaya IX Subscription program, Avaya OneCloud ReadyNow, Avaya CPaaS, and Avaya IX Spaces. Fadi Moubarak, Vice President – Channels, Avaya International said, “Our message to partners this year is to embrace the new – new solutions, new customers, and new deployment models. We’ve demonstrated our commitment to this idea with an impressive number of solutions, offerings and programs, all of which will drive compelling opportunities for partners in the coming financial year.” The event also served as the go-tomarket launchpad for Avaya’s latest CX applications, Avaya IX Onespace, and other impressive innovations

Fadi Moubarak, Avaya International

– all of which are being rolled out across the International theatre. “Nowhere is this more obvious than in the announcements we’re making around cloud and the subscriptionbased model,” Moubarak added. “This is where the industry is moving, and with programs like Avaya IX Subscription, we’re enabling our channel partners to support our joint customers at every stage of their cloud journey.” “Partners will see us take a much more aggressive stance with our approach to innovation and opportunity this year, and we’ll be encouraging and supporting them to join us as we leverage the market forces around digital transformation

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

to enable our customers. Between our new cloud offerings, vertical-specific solution sets, and advanced Contact Center and Unified Communications applications, we have a compelling story to take to our joint customers as CX and EX leaders that will drive amazing business outcomes,” said Moubarak. Avaya Holdings also honored 25 of its most stand-out channel partners from across the EMEA & APAC regions at the partner summit. The awards, presented at a galadinner attended by over 500 Avaya technology alliance and channel partners, encompassed excellence in service delivery, open innovation, and cloud specialisation. Winners included leading channel players in the UK, Europe, Middle East, India, China, and ASEAN regions. Moubarak said, “The winners were chosen based on their demonstrated ability to increase their strategic importance and value proposition to Avaya customers over the past year. These channel partners have extended, designed and implemented compelling blended communication solutions that solved pressing business challenges for our joint customers. Honored here today are the disruptors, innovators and visionaries that are rapidly recognising market trends and evolving their business to deliver outcome-driven solutions to the market. On day two, dedicated to both partners and customers, Fadi Hani, Vice President, Avaya MEA and

Turkey, welcomed the attendants in a heartfelt speech. He said, “Avaya is like a family, and our customers and partners are an important extension to that family. Whenever we get together it feels like we have a special bond that keeps us going.” Moubarak later gave an insightful keynote on the importance of “connecting dots” to create the best experience possible for customers. “Connecting dots we can create an infinite number of experiences, but choosing which elements, when and where to connect them to try to achieve the desired experience – that’s the ever ongoing challenge we all face in our daily operations,” he said. The Channel VP continued to explain that Avaya is always striving to do its best to serve partners and customers to create the best experience possible and going further by trying to exceed their expectations. “Experience is an art – there is a lot of fundamental science behind

it, which Avaya delivers, but the how, what, and where to use it takes art, and we see it every day in every industry as we all try to deliver the best experience possible to our customers. Companies are all competing on experience because that’s one of the very few remaining spaces left to compete in. We can all deliver the best technology, but it’s about how you make it work for your customers – how you connect the dots.”

Mourabak was followed on stage by Benjamin Steen, Head of Customer Care, Digital Licencing & Stadium at German football club FC Bayern Munich. Steen shared the club’s experience with new technologies, how they are embracing them to exceed their fans expectations and why customer loyalty is so important to any organisation. Steen argued that customers’ needs are changing, but too often organisations try to meet these needs

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

34 VENDOR FOCUS // AVAYA

by jumping too many steps that are necessary for a successful digital transformation journey. He said, “Everyone is talking about digital transformation, but most companies and brands make the second step before taking the first step – organisations need to transform their company from within before deep diving into new technologies. You should ask yourself ‘do I have the right set up for digital transformation?’.” The event also saw Avaya announcing a MoU with Singaporebased start-up H3 Dynamics, which will see the companies deliver a suite of aerial video and real-time video analytics to help government entities and emergency responders react faster and more efficiently. Furthermore, the worldwide leader in enterprise communications announced a new subscription program for Avaya’s customers. The new program, Avaya IX Subscription, was launched in the international market, to make it easier for EMEA and APAC customers to purchase

THE AVAYA PARTNER SUMMIT INCLUDED DEEP DIVES INTO THE FOLLOWING SOLUTIONS AND PROGRAMS: Avaya IX Subscription PARTNERS WILL SEE US TAKE A MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE STANCE WITH OUR APPROACH TO INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY THIS YEAR, AND WE’LL BE ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING THEM TO JOIN US AS WE LEVERAGE THE MARKET FORCES AROUND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TO ENABLE OUR CUSTOMERS.” and consume Avaya’s world-class communications and collaboration solutions to drive their business growth. Showcased at Avaya ENGAGE, the Avaya subscription program provides customers with a flexible new consumption-based alternative to traditional perpetual pricing models, and can also facilitate their transition to cloud.

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

Avaya IX Spaces Avaya ReadyNow Avaya Communications Platform as ‘a Service’ (CPaaS) Avaya Device as ‘a Service’ (DaaS)

The company also partnered with Dubai Police and who co-hosted the inaugural edition of the International Call Center Awards on the third day of the event. This recognised and honored international government and police agencies, and private sector enterprises that have pioneered new standards and innovations in customer service.

REDEFINING technology transformation

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36 EVENTS // EXCLUSIVE NETWORKS

The first line of defence

Exclusive Networks together with SentinelOne hosted a dedicated partner event to discuss the recent trends in endpoint security and the latest updates in the vendor’s endpoint protection offerings.

s threat actors become smarter and cyber-attacks become more sophisticated, organisation today can no longer afford to rely on passively deployed technology alone. With annual global losses from cyber-attacks expected to hit $6 trillion by 2021, enterprises need to augment their approach to cybersecurity.

The digital nature of modern workplaces has enabled employees within organisations to be more connected, efficient and productive. The increasing mobility of today’s workforce has resulted in the rise of endpoint devices within enterprises, which made networks even more susceptible to threats. With cybersecurity being the need of the hour amid the expanding threat

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

landscape, customers are seeking trusted advisors who will help them navigate the challenges in protecting their endpoints. Exclusive Networks together with SentinelOne has recently organised a dedicated event to provide partners with the latest know-how about the security industry and updates on the vendor’s offerings. The two-day event, which took place

37 EVENTS // EXCLUSIVE NETWORKS

in Dubai and Abu Dhabi consecutively, was attended by over 100 of Exclusive Networks’ channel partners. “Today, security is integrated into every IT solution,” said Jijo Joseph, head of strategic channels and business unit manager – SMB, Exclusive Networks. “It has become one of the most vital elements of any technology implementation. Channel partners have the opportunity to become the catalyst for an organisation’s security transformation and with SentinelOne they can further enhance their customers’ cyber defences.” SentinelOne unifies prevention, detection, and response in a single platform driven by sophisticated machine learning and intelligent automation. The vendor’s solutions enable security teams to predict malicious behaviour across major threat vectors in real-time, rapidly eliminate threats with fully-automated, integrated response capabilities, and adapt defences against the most advanced cyber-attacks. “Through the event we are enabling our premium partners who are offering endpoint protection solutions with the latest updates from SentinelOne,” said Joseph. “We have three different sessions focused on SentinelOne’s Core, Control and Complete solutions. We are educating our partners on how they can differentiate these three offerings to

WE ARE HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE’VE HAD ZERO CUSTOMER LOSS IN OUR SENTINELONE PORTFOLIO AS 100 PERCENT OF OUR USERS HAVE RENEWED THEIR CONTRACTS.” JIJO JOSEPH, EXCLUSIVE NETWORKS

help them better sell these solutions and efficiently provide support to their customers.” Joseph added that as SentinelOne’s distributor here in the region and across the globe, Exclusive Networks

has witnessed a significant uptake of its solutions over the past couple of years. “In the region alone, we’ve seen the adoption of SentinelOne solutions grow by 300 percent. We have also seen partners switching from other endpoint protection vendors to SentinelOne as well.” “Moreover, customer demands for SentinelOne solutions across top industries such as banking and finance, education and oil and gas have increased significantly. We are happy to say that we’ve had zero customer loss in our SentinelOne portfolio as 100 percent of our users have renewed their contracts.” Endpoint protection has been constantly evolving over the years. With threats such as cyber warfare, ransomware and nation state attacks at a constant evolution, enterprises today are demanding stronger endpoint security solutions that will help them stay resilient. SentinelOne offers a unique singleagent platform to hunt, prevent, detect and respond to attacks across all major vectors. It has been designed to save customers’ time by applying AI to automatically eliminate threats in real time for both on premise and cloud environments. It also provides full visibility across networks directly from the endpoint. Tamer Odeh, regional sales director – Middle East, SentinelOne, said,

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

38 EVENTS // EXCLUSIVE NETWORKS

“Endpoint security is the first line of defence. That’s why we believe that protecting endpoint devices is paramount in keeping enterprises cyber resilient. Ensuring that you have robust security solutions for your endpoints reduce the chances of attackers succeeding in penetrating your systems and extracting data from your organisation.” Odeh further explained that SentinelOne’s single agent offering means that their solutions are easy to deploy and manage. “It also means that enterprises can seamlessly run our solutions across different operating systems, be it be Windows, Mac or Linux. “We are also an open API company, which means our solutions can easily be integrated with various other cybersecurity solutions in the market. This is very important for us and our customers as we believe that threat intelligence and sharing is paramount to be proactive in our defences.” Speaking about the event, Odeh highlighted that as a channel-driven organisation, partners play an important role in the growth of their business. “Our partners are very important to our success. We do most of our business via a two-tier model – through distributors and partners. They are instrumental in our success by helping us reach our customers

OUR PARTNERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR SUCCESS. WE DO MOST OF OUR BUSINESS VIA A TWO-TIER MODEL – THROUGH DISTRIBUTORS AND PARTNERS.” TAMER ODEH, SENTINELONE

faster, enabling us to scale our business and speeding up the delivery of our mission, which is to provide the market with a solid endpoint protection solution.”

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

He then noted that with the support of Exclusive Networks, they aim to continuously enhance the capabilities of their partners through constant training and education. “Through events like these, we are able to provide our partners with the latest updates in the market and in our offerings. This gives them a good opportunity to learn how they can augment their strategies in offering SentinelOne solutions. In doing so, I believe they will be able to deliver our product in a better way and keep their customers engaged for the long-term.” Looking to the future, Odeh said that with the cybersecurity space growing at a very fast pace, SentinelOne is dedicated to addressing market demands and challenges as quick as possible. “We aim to continue investing more time, effort and resources into R&D,” he said. “We will also continue to enhance our Managed Detection and Response as-aService offering. With the current and expanding skills gap in the cybersecurity industry, we believe that SentinelOne can play a key role in supporting our customers in terms of offloading their burdens when it comes to endpoint protection and defence through MDRaaS.”

39 BLOG // CAPILLARY TECHNOLOGIES

Driving the Omnichannel Strategy with AI While technology is the key enabler for brands wanting to enhance their omnichannel strategy, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another crucial component that is driving its success says Vikram Bhat, Chief Product Officer, Capillary Technologies

he Ecommerce momentum is becoming unstoppable as brands are cashing in on a number of factors such as spike in mobile applications, a new generation of high-spending shoppers, and the availability of faster internet speeds to enable them to offer their customers a shopping experience whenever and wherever they choose. In addition, an omnichannel approach has clearly shaped the retail industry in 2019, a sector largely driving ecommerce sales in the region. Going omnichannel is tempting for many retailers who have not yet embarked on their digital transformation journey. However, implementing an omnichannel strategy isn’t only about being present on all channels and platforms available. It is about providing a seamless and unified brand experience to customers across channels to enable them to connect with a brand and simplify their shopping experience. A google report further proves this is the right approach after the study found that 85 percent of shoppers start their shopping journey on one device, like a laptop for example, and end it on another, say a smartphone, or even a physical store. While technology is the key enabler for brands wanting to enhance their omnichannel strategy, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another crucial component that is driving its success. But AI is only a tool and not a standalone solution, so organisations need to understand that while it can be immensely beneficial in providing customer insights, it cannot compensate for a modest or nonexistent omnichannel strategy.

•

Vikram Bhat, Capillary Technologies

In short, AI needs to be a supporting element of a wider omnichannel strategy and not being implemented for the sake of being a hot technology. When organisations take this approach, the power of AI can truly be unleashed to boost sales and customer engagement. Let’s take a look at how AI can be applied online as well in brickand-mortar stores. • Unlocking data potential: Imagine the amount of data brands have access to via multiple platforms. AI can help brands to process this data to identify consumer spending patterns, buying preferences, customer demographics, personal preferences, and so on. • Personalisation: The best way AI can help brands is with the power of personalisation. It allows brands to communicate with their target audience at the right time, with the right product, the right offer and message, through the right channel. Brands are able to achieve higher response rates, increased customer loyalty, and lower marketing costs

•

Image Search: AI allows consumers to search for products based on images they’ve come across. Shoppers simply take a picture and get matched to similar items on ecommerce websites. A good example is Pinterest who are leveraging this technology by allowing its users to select any item from any photograph online and then throws up similar items through an image recognition software. Enhancing customer service: Chatbots are a popular and invaluable way for brands to offer 24/7 customer service support on their ecommerce websites. They simulate human-like conversations with customers and can execute tasks, automate order processing, and can also provide accurate answers to customers about product details, quantities and shipping terms. Generating customer insights Instore: AI deployed in physical store helps capture, and correlate in store customer behaviour data and shopping preferences with digital channels like social, email, and mobile app. These insights can be passed onto the sales associates for cross-selling, up-selling and strengthening the customer engagement directly on the sales floor.

The use of AI becomes even more powerful when combined across all channels. Organisations that realise its potential will not only drive sales and improve efficiency across platforms, but will also build a strong and loyal clientele in the long-run.

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

40 BLOG // ENABLER

The Backbenchers

Nehul Goradia, Co-Founder, Enabler One shines light on the 80:20 Channel Engagement Syndrome.

f you’ve gone through the old Indian school system, like I have, you would remember that most classroo ms were filled with 40+ students managed by a single class teacher. (This may still be the case in certain schools). With a low teacher to student ratio, the teacher would be forced to focus on the studious top performing students in the class, who would typically be sitting in the front row, with an inability to pay attention to the back-benchers who, while could be highly intelligent and academically inclined, were the naughty and notorious class disruptors! With innovations in education, most schools have now begun to reduce their class strength to a maximum of 25 students and even have appointed class assistants to further support teachers to manage their classrooms. DOES THIS ANALOGY REMIND YOU OF OUR CHANNEL ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES? Most global organisations have hundreds of partners across the world split into their tiered channel program. With the studious and

top performing students (channel partners) forming the base of the top tier level, whether you call it Gold, Platinum, etc. (essentially they are the frontbenchers) and the rest being split into the other tier levels such as Silver, Registered, etc. (though not all of them are naughty, let’s club them together as backbenchers). Considering the above analogy, wherein like most classrooms, many vendors have limited channel management resources, the attention which would include dedicated support teams, channel marketing dollars, etc. is typically lavished on the frontbenchers with limited focus being provided to the backbenchers. While this may not seem right, the issue stems from the 80:20 scenario, wherein 80% of the revenue is brought in by 20% of the channel base, and the vendor’s channel management team (like with any other sales team) are under constant month-end, quarter-end and year-end pressure to deliver revenues. Apart from the revenue aspect, there are various other factors that contribute to this situation:

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

1. The frontbenchers, i.e. the highertiered partners, are typically large in nature and thus have the fiscal and technical resource capability to address complex and larger value projects. 2. The backbenchers, i.e. the lowertiered partners, are at times much smaller in terms of their technical resource capabilities, as well as, financial wherewithal to address larger ticket items. Hence, it becomes a simple question of risk mitigation, wherein most vendors look at their larger and top tiered partners to ensure that their revenues are transacted, and customers supported. The above situation has also resulted in a couple of engagement aspects between the vendors and their channel eco-system: 1. Expectation of the frontbenchers: With a larger team size, most top tiered partners, are under tremendous pressure to deliver revenue and profitability to their management. This in turn, has created a fulfillment model expectation between them and their vendors. With their ability to financially execute larger value deals, their expectation from their vendors is that most large vendor driven deals will be routed through them, with little or no, technical support from their end. One of the vendors, that I had a conversation with, mentioned that one of their toptiered partners had even asked for a regular pipeline submission by the vendor’s channel manager to them so that they’re aware of the deals the vendor would be bringing to them! 2. Appetite of the backbenchers: With little or no support, the

lower-tiered partners are at times hungrier for support and revenue. With pressures to survive, these partners look at innovative solutions to bring to their customer base, in a need to differentiate themselves. While their team sizes may not be big, it also creates a unique multi-tech skilled team, allowing them to bring true systems integration capabilities to the table. Conversation with another vendor, highlighted that a recent analysis of their revenue, reflected net new opportunities being brought in by some of what they considered backbencher partners, with revenues of the frontbencher partners actually dipping in recent times! Over the years, I’ve always maintained that more attention should be paid to these backbenchers, even if it’s from a basic risk mitigation stand point, to ensure that you have skilled back-up partners ready to grow to the front bench, if one of your existing frontbenchers suddenly drops or churns for any reason. In my opinion, keeping the classroom analogy in mind, the vendor is the class teacher and their distributors are the new class assistants; wherein the vendor should focus on the frontbenchers to ensure consistent revenue flow and the distributors should focus on the backbenchers to ensure there is a constant and consistent growth within the channel ecosystem. I do believe that though most of my brethren within the distribution landscape would agree with the above thought and are actively practicing it, they too are victims of dwindling margins and revenue pressures, and hence sometimes end up focusing on the frontbenchers, just to ensure their quotas are done. While they do provide significant support and service to the frontbenchers opportunities, either by way of presales, credit or stock support; it requires a larger investment at their end to provide the support required

by the backbenchers in nurturing them over longer periods of time (sometimes even years) to bring them up the value system and make them frontbenchers. If you look at Enabler ONE’s 2018 Channel Speak Report, it reflects that the maximum support required by partners with less than 50 employees from a distributor is around Presales (72% of the relevant respondents), whereas those with 50 or more employees are looking at more leads (81% of the relevant respondents) from their distributors. (Graph Figure 1) On the other hand, the smaller sized partners are expecting more Marketing Expertise Support (64% of the relevant respondents) from their Vendors, vis-à-vis Presales Support (81% of the relevant respondents) demanded by the larger sized partners! (Graph Figure 2) This clearly reflects that lower sized partners are looking at their share of channel marketing dollars from their vendors while they expect their distributors to support them with the presales aspect. This is more from the perspective that a lower tiered partner, the backbencher, may not have the marketing dollars available for them to grow their own business and are looking at their vendor to support them. But since, most MDF funds are linked with revenue linked, it results in a ‘chicken and egg’ story! To conclude, my recommendation, would still be what it has been over the years: Pay attention to the backbenchers too!

To the Vendors: Align your own team and your distributors team in a manner that you’re able to support and engage a broader spectrum of your channel base. Utilise your Partner Development Funds, to provide the initial marketing support (if possible) and push your distributors to engage and nurture the Backbenchers. Create a KPI, which measures how many such Backbenchers are moving up the desks (tier levels) to reach the Frontbench To the Distributors: Assign some members in your team which focus only on the backbenchers. Upsell and cross-sell to them. If supported with sales and technical resources, leads and marketing dollars they shall prove more loyal than the transaction-based frontbencher engagement To the Backbenchers: Approach your vendors/distributors with clear plans, strategies, team alignments, skill sets and thought processes on how you can add value to their business and their market. If requesting for more marketing dollars (without sufficient revenue based MDF), then showcase clear ROI scenarios in terms of qualified leads and revenue generated. Don’t follow the herd, in conducting marketing exercises for the sake of marketing. You’ll be surprised, by how many are willing to enable channel marketing dollars with a future revenue projection mechanism! Assign team members to maintain healthy upward alliances with your distributors and vendors. This will only help in the long run, with a more active and successful channel base.

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

42 REVIEW

RING DOOR VIEW CAM

WITH AN ARRAY OF SMART DOORBELLS IN THE MARKET, CNME DEPUTY EDITOR GIORGIA GUANTARIO TOOK RING’S DOOR VIEW CAM FOR A SPIN AND SAID THAT SHE WAS IMPRESSED WITH ITS EASE OF INSTALLATION, GOOD VIDEO QUALITY AND MOTION SENSORS’ SETTINGS.

eing a home renter, I have never actually looked into smart doorbells, as I doubt any of my landlords would’ve been delighted to know I drilled holes into the outside of their property. Enter Ring’s newest addition to the market, the Ring Door View Cam – the first of its genre that will easily replace your peephole with a smart doorbell, no drilling involved whatsoever. For the ones who are not familiar with smart doorbells, the Door View Cam will send a notification to your phone through the Ring app whenever someone knocks on your door, triggers its motion sensor

(depending on the selected level of sensibility – more on that later) or rings the built-in doorbell. Through the app, you will then be able to see, listen or talk to whoever is outside your door. The easy set up is arguably the best feature of this smart doorbell – so easy that it probably didn’t take me more than five minutes to complete (even though I did have to rely on Ring’s YouTube channel to walk me through some of the steps). After fully charging the Door View Cam’s battery, using a very handy tool included in the box that can scrape away any paint and acts as a screwdriver, I was able to remove my flat’s peephole, something I didn’t

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

even know was possible, in a matter of seconds. Then I just had to place the smart doorbell in the hole from outside, and connect it to the inside part, a white plastic box placed on the inside of your flat to connect the camera’s cable and battery. Ring even provides a spare connecting cable in case anything happens to the first one during or after installation. Once the physical set up is out of the way, all I had to do is connect the doorbell to my Wi-Fi connection and download the app to finish setting it up, which again probably took me less than a minute. The Door View Cam works on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi – not as good as Ring

43 RATING

Video Doorbell Pro’s 5.0GHz Wi-Fi, but understandable as that requires hardwire configuration. When it comes to everyday use, Ring’s smart doorbell is the perfect tool for anyone, who like me, has stuff delivered to their flat all the time. Thanks to the app, you don’t just get to see whoever is outside your door at any time and wherever you are, but you can also communicate with that person using the doorbell’s two-way communication feature. The Door View Cam also features 1080p resolution, with a wide-angle 155-degree lens and IR lights during nighttime. For the first 30 days, Ring also provides video recording on the cloud for free using Ring Protect Plan. Once the free period is up, you can purchase a monthly or yearly plan, or if you choose not, you will still be able to get alerts and answer the door, but no footage will be recorded. The first few days with the Door View Cam were a bit of a nightmare, mainly because I didn’t realise I could

WHEN IT COMES TO EVERYDAY USE, RING’S SMART DOORBELL IS THE PERFECT TOOL FOR ANYONE, WHO LIKE ME, HAS STUFF DELIVERED TO THEIR FLAT ALL THE TIME.”

adjust the sensitivity of the motion sensors, which means that anytime a neighbour would pass in front of my door, I would get a notification – let’s just say there were a whole lot and it felt quite creepy to watch my neighbours’ movements. Once I explored the settings of the smart doorbell on the app, I discovered that Ring allows you regulate your motion settings in many different ways to avoid any unwanted notifications, including

adding a motion schedule and frequency, turning on motion verification to reduce unwanted motion notifications and trim recordings if motion stops, and optimise the sensors using Ring’s Motion Wizard – a nice little questionnaire to give the doorbell more information about your door’s surroundings. The Door View Cam also works with Alexa by asking “Alexa, show me my front door”. For any Echo Show or Echo Spot’s owners, you will also be able to use the devices as you do your mobile phone to view, listen and talk to anyone in front of your door. The smart doorbell doesn’t however work with Google Smart Assistant. Last but not least, the smart doorbell includes a glass viewer, so if you’re home you can just use the Door View Cam as a normal peephole. The Door View Cam is priced at AED 699 and available at Ring.ae, Amazon.ae, Dubai Duty Free, Jumbo, Sharaf DG and Virgin Megastore.

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

44 PRODUCTS

TECNO MOBILE LAUNCHES CAMON 12 IN THE UAE

CANON LAUNCHES ITS FIRST TWO 8K BROADCAST LENSES

ECNO Mobile, has launched its new smartphone CAMON 12 in the UAE. The new CAMON 12, according to the company, is designed specifically for selfie and photography enthusiasts. The launch event of the new device also saw the company highlight its regional market strategy, and expansion plans as it seeks to grow its footprint across the Middle East. “We are excited to launch the new CAMON 12 in the UAE, for consumers who seek to have a class-leading camera, larger screen size and solid processing power, at accessible pricepoints,” said Jack Long, Chief Executive Officer, TECNO Mobile, Middle East. “The Middle East region remains an important market for us where we have seen sustained demand from an audience

that seeks accessible smartphones with high end features. We continue to increase our brand awareness and invest in bringing new and innovative smartphones to Middle East. With the strong growth we have witnessed since our launch in the UAE, our goal is maintain and increase this growth on both of branding and market share over the next few years.” The key features of the new smartphone include – 6.52” Crystal Dot Notch Screen, Super FULLVIEW Experience, 64GB ROM + 4GB RAM, 4000mAh long-lasting battery, Powerful Performance, AR Sticker & AR Emoji, Newest version of Android Pie & HiOS 5.5 The CAMON 12 comes in Dark Jade and Dawn Blue and is available in the UAE for a price of AED 589.

a non Middle East has announced two new lenses for 8K broadcasti cameras, equipped with 1.25inch sensors: the new UHD-DIGISUPER 51 (SP51x15.5B) and 7x10.7 KAS S portable zoom lens. The models are compatible with 8K broadcast cameras that feature 1.25” sensors, according to Canon, which notes that this equipment has become more popular in documentary production and sports coverage. The UHD-DIGISUPER 51 8K model is a 51x field zoom lens with what Canon says is the longest focal range in the world at 15.5 - 790mm. An integrated 1.5x extender brings the total telephoto focal length to 1185mm. Canon says this new model offers high-end quality

‘from the center to the periphery of the screen. Joining the zoom lens is Canon’s new 7x10.7 KAS S 8K portable 7x zoom lens with a 10.7 - 75mm focal range. As with the UHD-DIGISUPER model, the 7x10.7 KAS S 8K lens features the ‘same operability’ as its 4K and 2/3” HDTV lens counterparts, according to the company. The 7x10.7 KAS S model will arrive first; customers will be able to special order it starting in January 2020. The UHD-DIGISUPER 51 will likewise be offered as a special order, but not until May 2020.

LENOVO UNVEILS “WORLD’S SMALLEST DESKTOP”

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, Pictureby-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.

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

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.

45 PRODUCTS

ACER LAUNCHES THE PREDATOR HELIOS 700 IN THE UAE

cer’s newest Predator Helios gaming notebook, the Helios 700 is now available in the UAE. Powered by Windows 10, the allnew Predator Helios 700 includes a unique HyperDrift keyboard that slides forward, allowing increased airflow directly through the top of the notebook, enabling gamers to push the powerful components to their highest potential. The Helios 700 is equipped with the new 9th Gen Intel Core i9 processors and 32 GB of DDR4 memory. Paul Collins, MEA General Manager, Acer, said, “We are delighted to announce that the Helios 700 will be launched in in the UAE. The Helios 700 adds a new dimension to the line of Helios gaming notebooks. It is equipped with innovative, future-proof technologies, including a new 9th Gen Intel Core processor and a NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2080 GPU, to ensure that it withstands even the most intense gaming sessions.” The Predator Helios 700 notebook is equipped with technology including up to an all new 9th Gen Intel Core i9, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, and Killer DoubleShot Pro with Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX 1650 and E3000. The notebook’s 17-inch 144Hz FHD IPS display has a 3ms response time and NVIDIA G-SYNC technology and it comes with five speakers and a subwoofer. One of the Helios 700’s features, its “HyperDrift” keyboard is part of

PANASONIC INTRODUCES THREE ZEROOFFSET LENSES TO MIDDLE EAST

anasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa (PMMAF) has announced the introduction of a new range of zero-offset lenses designed to further enhance the versatility of Panasonic’s 1-Chip and 3-Chip DLP projectors. The new releases include the ETDLE020 ultra-short throw (UST) lens, the world’s first featuring Powered Optical Zoom, designed to fit the brand’s 1-Chip DLP projectors. The ETD3LEW200 short-throw zoom lens and ET-D3LEU100 ultra-short throw lens, meanwhile, have been developed for Panasonic’s high brightness 3-Chip DLP laser projectors. According to Thameem Ahammed, Product Manager, PMMAF, all three lenses feature full range powered lens shift to realize greater adjustment flexibility, as well as ensure that images are projected in a crisp, clean and unobstructed manner.

ultra-short throw lens featuring powered optical zoom. It offers a reduced throw distance with flexible zoom to project in extremely tight spaces, as well as diminishes onscreen shadows from presenters or people passing in front of the screen. Additionally, it supports a 0.28–0.30:1 (WUXGA) throw ratio and powered lens shift of +50 % to -16 % (V) and +23 % to -10 % (H) to enhance freedom of screen adjustment in all four directions. ET-D3LEU100 Ultra Short-Throw Lens With a throw ratio of 0.40:1 (WUXGA), this ultra-short throw lens offers

the notebook’s thermal architecture, which consists of two of Acer’s engineered 4th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fans, five copper heat pipes, a vapor chamber and Acer CoolBoost Technology. By sliding the keyboard forward, two additional air intakes are uncovered above the keyboard and below the display, giving the powerful heat-generating components extra air flow for cooling and overclocking. The HyperDrift keyboard is desgined to provide desktop comfort in a notebook form factor. A Precision Touchpad is also outlined with blue lighting and features two discrete mouse buttons below the pad. However given its size and weight, this would be at best a desktop replacement The Predator Helios 700 gaming notebook will be available in the UAE at Jumbo and Sharaf DG starting at AED 16,000. flexible installation options for 3-Chip DLP projectors to accommodate projecting in tight spaces from very short distances. The L-shaped design eliminates the issue of screen offset, giving the audience a clear and unobstructed view of the image even in low-ceiling installations or projection in space-constrained environments. ET-D3LEW200 Short Throw Zoom Lens The ET-D3LEW200 has a throw ratio of 0.65 – 0.85:1 (WUXGA). It is also ideal for projection in tight spaces, but further enhances flexibility with a powered optical zoom, eliminating offset without increasing projection distance. Its novel L-shaped design eliminates lens under-hang, ensuring an unobstructed view.

ET-DLE020 Ultra-Short Throw Zoom Lens ET-DLE020 is the industry’s first www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2019

46 46 LAST TAKE

YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES… Nothing beats the feeling of a post morning workout! A complete hour sets the tone for the day – followed by breaking my intermittent fast with a breakfast, and upon reaching the office, catching up with colleagues over latest news and priorities; go over any unread emails and finally list out my priorities for the day & week and get busy! YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS… launching our Western Digital business in the African continent, specifically in Nigeria. Executing a comprehensive research and trying to understand the different ways of business, culture and media landscapes seemed very overwhelming in the beginning. But with the right research & team support, it was as simple as launching in

Zaina

TAHBOUB WESTERN DIGITAL

our hometown & ending in a great success by catering to different storage needs through our extensive portfolio! FIVE THINGS YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT… Daily blessings we take for granted, Family & Friends, Coffee, My Phone: to catch up with the world and Vitamin Supplements! THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… The power of Artificial Intelligence

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

(AI)! AI is rapidly becoming part of one’s everyday life - From personalising & curating your Social Media feeds and facilitating your online buying experience through purchase recommendations based on purchase history; to allowing AI powered systems to learn types of transactions & identify fraudulent ones – are all just a tiny drop in the great AI sea! FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2020…Fit enough to start with a 5K marathon, Expand into new territories at work & business, More quality time-off with family, Cross off more ‘bucket list’ experiences off the list, Be Grateful & Content.

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