Reseller Middle East January 2020

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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 275 // JANUARY 2020

GROWING TOGETHER Sakkeer Hussain, Director – Sales & Marketing, D-Link MEA shares insights on how the company enables channel partners to take advantage of the many opportunities and business needs that small businesses seek in the networking and wireless LAN space.

HIGHLIGHTS

06

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

OPINION

16 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION:

A SILVER LINING FOR CHANNEL

INTERVIEW

36

NCC’s Kristina Tantsyura and Marco Del Piero Piccozzi discuss how the Russian company is planning to drive innovation for organisations in the Middle East.

Nexthink’s Walaa Nader discusses that digital transformation – even at the channel and reseller level is here to stay.

16 THE PACE OF CHANGE IS

CONTINUING THE LEGACY

VENDOR FOCUS

ACCERLATING

Veritas Technology’s Jamie Farrelly outlines his predictions for the channel in 2020.

38

PROOF OF COMMITMENT

Ravi Sudarshan at 2CRSI on channel activities and the firm’s strategic initiatives in the near future.

FEATURES

24 OUTLOOK 2020

Discover which technologies and trends partners need to watch out for in 2020.

28 ON THE RISE

HOT PRODUCTS

40

Reseller ME examines the prospects present for channel businessess in KSA.

PANASONIC LAUNCHES “THINNEST” VIDEO INTERCOM MODEL

REVIEW

46

20

BENQ ZOWIE XL2546

EVENTS

32 THE NIGHT OF IT STARS

In its eight edition, the Hot 50 Awards pays tribute to ICT players who have distinguished themselves within the regional market in the past year.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

3

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EDITORIAL Reality Check

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oday, rapid change is taking place across the IT industry impacting business models, the competitive landscape, styles of consumers, purchasing habits and more. In the cloud age, what used to be a fairly stable set of infrastructure products in the portfolio of a channel provider has morphed into myriad choices around software-as- a-service applications, data tools and a stack of emerging technologies.

As a result of this complexity, integration work and security considerations have ratcheted up, making the channel’s job more and more challenging. But with challenges come opportunities!

The focus of this year’s first cover story is networking vendor D-Link who wants to help small businesses adopt technology from its broad product offerings.

SMB sector is by far the strongest performing segment for D-Link, says Sakkeer Hussain, Director – Sales and Marketing at D-Link UAE. He also discusses how the company is encouraging channel partners that serve this market vertical to help their customers to upgrade to new IT infrastructure. More on page 20.

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

Registered at Dubai Production City, DCCA PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 © Copyright 2018 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.

The IT channel is full of confident, optimistic people who make it such a great industry to be part of. The new technologies that come into play – 5G, IoT, AI, machine learning, blockchain, etc. bring tremendous opportunities for enterprising resellers, VARs, ISVs, and MSPs. The impact these emerging technologies will have on business in 2020 are discussed by a panel of IT experts on pages 24-27.

I had the pleasure of meeting the executives from National Computer Corporation (NCC). The duo Kristina Tantsyura and Marco Del Piero Piccozzi shared insights into the planning of the Russian company to drive innovation for Middle East organisations. Find out more on page 36.

On a seperate note, we’ll also be celebrating a new decade when we usher in this new year. Industry debates and forecasts have been complex since 2010: with heavily debated opinions at new technologies.

Channel partners need to be clear about what’s going to happen and what’s happening now. The fact is innovation is constant in IT. Partners need to keep track of the latest technology and they need to reality-check customer consumption of what’s now and what’s next.

Wish you all a prosperous 2020!

EDITORIAL Deputy Editor Sharon Saldanha sharon.saldanha@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167 Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9135 DESIGN Head of Design Froilan Cosgafa IV froilan.cosgafa@cpimediagroup.com Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130

Business Development Manager Youssef Hariz youssef.hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111 Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9128 CIRCULATION Operations Manager 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

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

DIGITAL www.tahawultech.com Printed by Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC Published by

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 // JANUARY 2020

5

6 HIGHLIGHTS

SAUDI TELECOM COMPANY TAPS IFS TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

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lobal enterprise applications company IFS announced that Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has selected IFS Service Management to increase process efficiency, improve margins, and facilitate improved customer satisfaction.

To bolster its leading market position and ready the company for future business driven by an increasing need for digitalisation, STC launched a comprehensive evaluation process, selecting a service platform to replace

legacy business systems while improving operational efficiency.

From a short list that included solutions from some of the largest vendors in the world, STC chose IFS for its powerful scalability, intuitive user experience and robust functionality.

“We believe IFS’s enterprise class, innovative solutions represent the best fit for our organisational needs,” said Jamel Alshahri, General Manager Enterprise Enablement, STC. “What attracted us to IFS, besides the broad and

Stephen Keys, IFS

deep functional capabilities of its software, was its customer-first approach, which is apparent in all engagements we have had with the company to date.

IFS is an agile, collaborative and trustworthy partner for STC.” Stephen Keys, Regional President, IFS APJ ME&A, added, “We are honored to be working with STC, a prestigious and most valuable brand in the region. We look forward to a long and successful partnership together, creating value for STC and its customers.”

INFOBLOX ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF SNAPROUTE

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nfoblox has announced the acquisition of SnapRoute. SnapRoute’s talent and technology add significant depth to Infoblox’s suite of offerings and will help the company to radically simplify networking and deliver groundbreaking services more quickly and efficiently.

SnapRoute’s cloud-native network OS together with Infoblox’s cloud-native network services platform promise to deliver a next level network experience.

As business environments continue to evolve as part of digitalisation efforts, they become more decentralised, and operate across multiple platforms and devices in a hybrid cloud architecture. Technology and service providers will need a new platform/architecture to deliver and manage network and security services at scale. Infoblox’s BloxOne platform is built around cloud-native architectural principles, enabling the delivery of cloud-managed secure network services at scale.

With SnapRoute’s cloud-native OS,

Infoblox will now be able to accelerate the development and delivery of additional network services on its platform.

With its BloxOne Threat Defense solution and recently released BloxOne DDI solution, Infoblox has already delivered DDI and security centric services built on the SASE architecture. According to the company, SnapRoute’s technology, IP and exceptional talent will accelerate Infoblox’s ability to expand the suite of SASE services offered on this cloud-native architecture.

“We recognise that the future is in the cloud, and to meet customer demands for flexibility, scalability, adaptability, enhanced security and speed, it will become increasingly important for network and security services to be cloud-native,” said Jesper Andersen, President and CEO, Infoblox. “We are thrilled to welcome the SnapRoute team as we work together to leverage their innovative technology and IP to rapidly expand the services we offer on our BloxOne platform.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

Jesper Andersen, Infoblox

7 HIGHLIGHTS

VEEAM BOLSTERS CHANNEL PROGRAM WITH NEW BENEFITS FOR KEY PARTNERS

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eeam Software announced the launch of its enhanced Veeam Accredited Services Partner (VASP) program to strengthen its partners’ capabilities to sell, deploy and support Veeam solutions, and ensure customer satisfaction.

According to the 2019 Veeam Cloud Data Management Report, 71 percent of the senior business and IT business decision makers surveyed agreed that technology will be the most important factor of their Digital Transformation.

As product implementations become more sophisticated, Veeam recognises the growing customer demand to identify partners, system integrators or freelance consultants that are able to deliver high-quality professional services and technical implementations related to Veeam solutions.

The new program restructures the Veeam professional services department to a channel alignment model, dedicating internal resources exclusively to VASP members. With Veeam’s enhanced VASP program, members can now differentiate service offerings and drive customer success.

“Today, data management is imperative to an organisation’s growth.

To remain competitive, leaders need qualified professionals to implement and manage the technologies that will enable them to transform into more intelligent businesses,” said Danny Allan, Vice President of Product Strategy, Veeam. “Veeam is committed to delivering a business model that is fully focused on its partner ecosystem and providing the highest level of service for its customers. With these

enhanced capabilities to our partner ecosystem, partners are equipped with the tools to shape and control the solution transaction and customer journey.”

Danny Allan, Veeam

KODAK ALARIS RECEIVES TOP RECOGNITION FROM BUYERS LAB

K

eypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab (BLI), an independent evaluator of document imaging software, hardware and services, has recognised the Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution with its Outstanding Achievement in Innovation award in the Document Imaging Software category. The coveted honour acknowledges products or capabilities that stand out for a particular innovation that moves the product category forward.

“Capture and workflow solutions are nothing new. But delivering a truly customised, automated solution typically entails server- and workstation-based software at the client site, training of end users on how to use the solution, and hours of on-site setup and ongoing maintenance for the integrator placing the system.

Alaris has changed all that,” said Jamie Bsales, director of Solutions/Security Analysis, Keypoint Intelligence. “The INfuse Smart Connected Scanning

Solution lets Alaris partners deploy turnkey business process solutions to their customers that turn complex tasks into, essentially, a press of a button on the INfuse AX scanner. And even the scanner setup is automated.”

To create this unique solution, Alaris combined several key technologies into a distributed scanning ecosystem. At

Don Lofstrom, Kodak Alaris

the customer site (or sites), INfuse AX Scanners are the touchpoint for end users. These smart network scanners require no PC or software/drivers, and securely transfer data, metadata and finished image files directly into a cloud-based business process created and hosted by the Alaris channel partner or solution provider (typically an ISV or integrator). The scanner employs Alaris’ exclusive EasySetup technology, so configuring device settings is as easy as scanning in a cover sheet. The system also includes INfuse Management Software, which provides Alaris partners with easy end-user set-up, remote configuration, and fleet management.

“The inspiration for INfuse comes directly from channel partner and end user feedback,” said Don Lofstrom, President and General Manager, Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business. “Kodak Alaris is pleased to be recognised by Buyers Lab and our customers for our leadingedge technology and innovation.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

8 HIGHLIGHTS

FORTINET, SIEMENS PARTNER TO BETTER SECURE OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

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ortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, has announced a technology alliance partnership with Siemens, a global industrial powerhouse.

The company also announced its first integrated solution combining bestin-class technology and a worldwide resell agreement to address the unique security and connectivity requirements of operational technology (OT) networks.

Highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity in OT environments and the need for solutions specifically created for OT networks, Siemens has joined the Fortinet Fabric-Ready Technology Alliance Partner Program to address the security challenges associated with the convergence of OT and IT networks. Technology ecosystem partners are a key part of the Fortinet Security Fabric, which enables Fortinet and partner products to cooperatively integrate and provide comprehensive security solutions.

The first Fabric-Ready solution from Fortinet and Siemens integrates Fortinet’s industry-leading FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall with the Ruggedcom Multi-Service Platform family of switches and routers to improve the integration of cybersecurity into locations with harsh environments such as electrical substations, while simplifying management, space, and power issues. This solution provides a single, integrated appliance for OT networks.

By simplifying deployment to

John Maddison, Fortinet

a single piece of hardware, the power, space, physical security, and connectivity issues typically encountered outside of a single box deployment model are resolved.

Remote management further simplifies the deployment and ongoing management.

In addition to this joint solution, Siemens will bring to market Fortinet’s FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall VM bundled with the APE 1808 to further enable the availability of advanced security solutions for OT environments.

John Maddison, EVP of products and CMO, Fortinet, said, “OT networks are increasingly exposed to cyber threats through their convergence with IT systems.

By partnering with Siemens, a global leader in OT digital solutions, Fortinet continues our focus on expanding the Fortinet Security Fabric platform deep into OT networks.

This partnership enables our customers to get even more value from their security deployments and facilitates the development and delivery of truly comprehensive, end-to-end security solutions specifically designed for OT environments.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

QUALYS INKS PARTNERSHIP DEAL WITH GOOGLE

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loudbased security and compliance solutions provider Qualys has announced its partnership with Google Cloud to provide its customers with oneclick vulnerability assessment via Philippe Courtot, Qualys seamless integration of the Qualys Cloud Agent.

Qualys’ broad suite of integrated Cloud-based security and compliance solutions will be available via the Google Cloud Marketplace, streamlining deployment, updates and purchasing for customers.

With Qualys on Google Cloud, vulnerability findings are automatically available in the GCP Security Command Center (Cloud SCC), enabling self-service capabilities for cloud administrators by giving them direct visibility into the security posture of the cloud assets they manage. These same findings are also available centrally in the Qualys Cloud Platform allowing security teams to track and report across the entire enterprise, including multiple cloud accounts, various providers, as well as on-premises assets and user endpoints.

“We’re delighted to partner with Qualys to deliver their leading security capabilities on Google Cloud,” said Manvinder Singh, Director, Partnerships at Google Cloud. “Customers can easily and quickly deploy via the Google Cloud Marketplace, and immediately leverage Qualys for visibility into vulnerabilities and their security infrastructure via the Google Cloud Security Command Center.”

“With built-in integration in Google Cloud, customers can now gain full visibility and establish consistent security policies across their entire hybrid environment (cloud, on-premises, endpoint, mobile, OT and IoT) without any software to install or maintain,” said Philippe Courtot, chairman and CEO, Qualys. “Additionally, Google Cloud customers will have access to Qualys VMDR staring in January to build a streamlined workflow to create their global IT asset inventory, continuously identify vulnerabilities across their entire environment, prioritise and remediate those vulnerabilities at a click of a mouse, drastically reducing their threat exposure.”

9 HIGHLIGHTS

D-LINK STRENGTHENS MESH NETWORKS PORTFOLIO IN 2020

A

decade from now technology is going to be even more deeply rooted in our lives than it already is. Everything will be about connectivity. Home automation will increasingly become the norm, with customer expectations nothing short of unprecedented technologies that are seamless and unified.

D-Link, the global leader in connectivity solutions for small, medium and large enterprise business networking, is well-positioned to leverage the opportunities that smart homes and mesh technologies will bring about in the coming year.

The global smart home market is estimated to be valued more than $53 billion by 2022. The backbone technologies fueling the growth of this segment include Internet of Things (IoT), enabled by fast and stable Wi-Fi connections. Mesh routers are the cutting-edge technology modernisation for home Wi-Fi setups, that can be the answer to most Wi-Fi challenges.

Sakkeer Hussain, Director, Sales and Marketing, D-Link MEA, said, “Many channel partners and customers are still not clear about how mesh routers work and why it is the better option.

Partners find it challenging

Sakkeer Hussain,D-Link MEA

to convince customers to upgrade their old routers, let alone make the switch to mesh routers. At D-Link, we enable our partners and customers to stay on top of the latest market trends.”

“Technologies are evolving at a dynamic pace. It is important to stay up to date with the latest technology to get the best possible results.

Mesh networks adapt more efficiently to the way technology is used today,” added Hussain.

D-Link has launched its all-new Exo Smart Mesh WiFi Router series earlier this year, adding to its portfolio of seamless connection solutions for the home, in the Middle East and Africa market.

Over the next few quarters, D-Link aims to introduce a number of new and innovative products in the mesh networks space.

NIT SIGNS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH FIBRENETIX

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IT, an Ingram Micro Company and regional value-added distributor of IP surveillance and physical security solutions in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region has announced the signing of a distribution agreement with Fibrenetix, a market-leading manufacturer of Video Optimized Servers and Storage Solutions.

With this agreement, according to the company, NIT can now make the Fibrenetix product portfolio available to its customers throughout the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. NIT’s latest offering from Fibrenetix includes high performance servers and storage solutions with European quality, scalability and reliability, as well as a unique software solution for Smart Vehicle Management (SVMS), comprising the supply of small form factor vehicle mounted ruggedised Servers.

“We believe Fibrenetix has a strong future in the META region and together, we expect to build scalable solutions to reduce the overall cost for the end

Bassel Fakir, NIT

user,” said Bassel Fakir, Managing Director, NIT. “Fibrenetix stands out as something different, especially with their new mobility platform and other new innovative technologies.”

Jes Nagel, CEO, Fibrenetix, said, “NIT has an excellent reputation with a significant industry expertise in the region and we are pleased to collaborate together to meet the evergrowing demand for data and video storage in the surveillance market. Fibrenetix is currently growing at a double-digit rate and to sustain this and build an infrastructure that supports this high growth rate, we need to work closely with companies like NIT.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

10 HIGHLIGHTS

AOC APPOINTS TECHXHUB AS ITS RETAIL DISTRIBUTOR FOR THE REGION

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OC, the display specialist has announced the appointment of Techxhub as its retail distributor for the Middle Eastern markets. Techxhub will be responsible for distributing both AGON and G-Line series of AOC gaming monitors across the region.

The partnership, according to the company, aims to expands the reach of AOC gaming monitors at all the major retail stores across the Middle East region The Gaming market in the region is on upswing for past years and is expected to follow the growth trajectory in the coming years also. Echoing the similar sentiments, the recent study by Newzoo, reveals that the Middle East & Africa games market will reach total revenues of $4.8billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $6.0billion by 2021.

“We are glad join hands with Techxhub, as they specialise in gaming industry and our monitors comprehend their range of gaming accessories.

Retail market is key to our growth strategy and with this partnership we intend to expand our footprint and maximise our

Carol Anne Dias, AOC

market share in the retail segment across the region,” said Carol Anne Dias, Regional Sales Director – Middle East & Africa, AOC. “We are looking forward to work closely with Techxhub to address the retail sector requirements as well as engage with the gaming community and support local gaming tournaments in different parts of the region.”

Sachin Kapoor, Vice President – Middle East, Africa & India, Techxhub said, “AOC is one of most respected gaming brands in the world and with AGON and G-Line series put together AOC offers the largest range of most technologically advanced gaming monitors in the world.

This will help us and our retail partners to offer widest spread of choices to the gamers who are looking for ultimate gaming experience.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

ASBIS INTRODUCES LOYALTY PROGRAM FOR AMD PARTNERS

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MD has rolled out the Ryzen Loyalty Program (RLP) app for partners in the Middle East region. The loyalty program offers cash rebates to partners buying from official distributors.

Once registered on the app, the Ryzen Loyalty Program will help partners to collect points on AMD product purchases which they will then be able to redeem at their selected preferred distributor, to claim cash rebates.

The Ryzen Loyalty Program (RLP) app offers Sales Tracking where partners will be empowered to track AMD sales per country and gain in-country customer visibility.

It offers Price Visibility where partners will be able to close the gap on prices by gaining visibility of price wars in the ‘grey market’ and online market space.

Christian Assaf, Sales Manager – MENA Component Channel, AMD, said, “At AMD, we continue to bring the latest and most exciting products to the Middle East, through our vibrant channel network. Together with ASBIS, our regional distributor, we are excited to see that Ryzen Loyalty Program is receiving great interest from our partners in the Middle East.

Our partners have been an integral part of our success in the region and this loyalty app is designed to help channel partners grow their business with us and claim significant cash rebates on their sales.”

The RLP app received 113 registrations, with 43 partners approved when it was initially introduced earlier this quarter

Christian Assaf, AMD

in October in the Egypt and Lebanon markets. Currently, 157 partners have signed up for the program and cash rebates of USD 23,000 have been earned by partners in the Middle East, said a statement from the company.

The app is being rolled out in the GCC and North Africa markets of UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Algeria.

Paul Anlin, Product Line Sales Manager, ASBIS Middle East, said, “We’re moving into a world that’s dominated by innovation, transformation, artificial intelligence and 4k gaming. While the industry has been trying to perfect itself, its users’ habits are changing in the blink of an eye. We believe that with the award-winning AMD products, partners will offer a high level of avenues to grow their business at fast pace. The Ryzen Loyalty Program initiative is a great platform for resellers, which would further enable our partners in the region to grow their businesses.

The business that knows how to strengthen and facilitate their customers, know how to accelerate path to success and outshine the competition.”

12 HIGHLIGHTS

MINDWARE UNVEILS EXPANSION PLANS FOR NEW CLOUD MARKETPLACE

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indware, a Value Added Distributors (VAD’s) in the Middle East and Africa, has announced regional expansion plans for the company’s new Cloud Marketplace. The company has had a great deal of success on-boarding current channel partners and actively recruiting new partners to the platform. It is also adding a number of new products on the marketplace, giving partners an opportunity to co-sell these solutions with the existing Microsoft products, thereby enhancing their revenues.

Mindware is currently seeing a lot of interest from the channel community in countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Northern Gulf. It will also be launching the Marketplace in LEVANT where the company believes there is high potential with the growing interest in cloud services in these regions.

Vijayan K. Raman, Managing Director, ICT & Cloud Solutions at EMTECH said, “We are excited about the launch of the Mindware Cloud Marketplace and the various co-sell motions the company has put into place. Over the past couple of years, digital transformation has become a big priority for regional enterprises.

A lot of our customers rely on our expertise as consul-

tants to help them transition to the cloud which they see as a big enabler of their digital transformation. The Marketplace is a great platform for us to leverage and the various built-in features enable us to be more productive and profitable as we help customers on their cloud journey.”

Mindware is in the process of adding several new products on the platform that can be bundled with the existing Microsoft solutions. These new ‘co-sell’ products are in the areas of virtualisation, backup and disaster recovery, security and performance management. In the background, Mindware is working closely with various vendors to get these ‘Cloud Solutions’ certified for interoperability.

Vijay Kumar, CTO and cloud Director at Mindware said, “A lot of products that we intend to bring onto the cloud platform have already been available on-prem as a bundle with Microsoft solutions. Partners using our cloud platform will find tremendous value in co-sell products since they will be able to offer an end-to-end solution to their customers, rather than a stand-alone product. This in turn optimises the revenue and profitability opportunities for partners. We also offer partners the option of using Mindware’s professional

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

Vijay Kumar, Mindware

services in case they don’t have their own capabilities.

This is a big value add for those partners that are just beginning their cloud journey.”

The company is also looking to sign up Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to list their products on the Marketplace.

“A lot of regional ISVs are already selling products in Microsoft Azure Marketplace that they have developed on Microsoft solutions. The biggest ad-

vantage of listing on Mindware’s Cloud Marketplace is the fact that our platform is targeted to the local region.

We have a large number of managed service providers in our base and thus provide a fantastic reach and access to market for ISVs,” Kumar adds.

In order to build awareness about the Marketplace, Mindware is hosting a series of roadshows across the region which will run up until the first quarter of this year.

13 HIGHLIGHTS

NOOR TAKAFUL ACCELERATES ITS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY WITH BIOS MIDDLE EAST’S CLOUD

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IOS Middle East, managed services and cloud provider in the UAE, has announced that it has successfully completed Noor Takaful’s migration from on premise to the cloud, to accelerate its digital transformation journey.

After an extensive search in the market, Noor Takaful chose BIOS Middle East and CloudHPT for the cloud migration project.

“It’s an exciting time for Noor Takaful, this project was extremely crucial to take the business to the next level of growth and we’re delighted to have chosen BIOS Middle East as our partner,” said Rajesh Sethi, CEO, Noor Takaful | Ethical Insurance. “I am confident that we will be even more responsive and customer centric now.”

An intense 3-month

migration process followed, involving over 60 plus engineers between application vendors, Noor Takaful and BIOS Middle East’s teams, resulting in a successful migration of Noor Takaful’s critical applications and data. The services delivered and migrated include domain migration, email migration to M365 with Mail Assure security and archiving from Solarwinds.

The cut over happened over a weekend with only minutes of downtime.

“The insurance industry in the UAE is undergoing a profound transformation and technology is at the forefront of it. BIOS Middle East is proud to be the technology partner of choice for Noor Takaful and this complex, critical project allows us to leverage our knowledge and experience in the insurance industry

SENTINELONE LAUNCHES SENTINELLABS RESEARCH DIVISION

Tamer Odeh, SentinelOne.

S

Rajesh Sethi, Noor Takaful and Dominic Docherty, BIOS Middle East

to provide Noor Takaful a modern, agile and cost effective platform on which to run their business with confidence,” said Dominic Docherty, Managing Director, BIOS Middle East.

In addition, Noor Takaful has outsourced IT infrastructure and Network operations for their remaining on premise equipment to BIOS Assured. BIOS Assured provides full managed services for all on premise

entinelOne has announced the launch of SentinelLabs, a research division designed to identify new attack vectors and mitigate threats impacting businesses. Led by famed cybersecurity researcher Vitali Kremez, SentinelLabs is powering SentinelOne’s first threat intelligence offering, a managed threat monitoring and reporting service designed to equip SentinelOne customers in the Middle East and globally with analyst coverage of the latest cybersecurity tactics and techniques.

With the launch of the new threat intelligence platform, SentinelOne provides clients with 24/7 secure and stable access to platform data along with daily updates, detailed threat intelligence reports, infection metrics, and further requests for information and briefings.

infrastructure across 4 locations which is backed by an in-country 24/7 NOC for Noor Takaful. The final requirement was for end user support and this was met through a help desk called BIOS Assist. This service provides Noor Takaful with a single point of contact for all IT related issues for end users. Auditable remote access from BIOS L1 engineers ensures compliance and swift ticket resolution.

“The Middle East region becomes more and more dependent on the technology with the rapidly growing digital transformation trend. Introduction of 5G connectivity, cloud computing and increasing adoption of IoT technology in the region broadens cyber threat landscape and creates more opportunities for cyber attackers. Offering more visibility and insight through the newly launched SentinelOne Labs to our regional customers will add tremendous value to their breach prevention efforts. Cyber threats are evolving daily, and our research team will help cyber-security professionals to stay up to date and well informed about evolving tactics and metrics employed by criminals.” said Tamer Odeh, Regional Director, SentinelOne.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

14

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

A10 NETWORKS ANNOUNCES NEW CEO

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10 Networks has appointed Dhrupad Trivedi as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.

Chen, founder of A10 Networks in 2004, has served as CEO since inception and will continue to be actively involved with the company to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

Dr. Trivedi joins A10 Networks from Belden, where he most recently was Executive Vice President running Tripwire, a cybersecurity software business and CTO of Belden. Prior to this, he held other executive roles at Belden, including President of Belden’s Network Solutions Division; Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development, leading the company’s M&A activities; and starting in Belden as President of Trapeze Networks.

“I am honored and excited to join A10 Networks as CEO to help the company pursue its mission of organic growth by delivering leading technology for our customers in terms of reliability, security and availability. I also look forward to partnering with the Strategy Committee of the Board of Directors to maximize shareholder value,” said Trivedi. “Lee and the A10 team have established a strong reputation as the high-performance leader in multiple growing markets, which will provide strong secular tailwinds for many years to come. I am excited to join the company at a pivotal time and lead it through this key inflection point to the next phase of growth. I look forward to working

Dhrupad Trivedi, A10 Networks

with our customers, employees, partners and investors.”

“I am privileged to serve marquee customers across the globe in a wide variety of industries and tremendously proud of the innovative solutions we offer. I am honored to have worked with our

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outstanding team at A10. I especially appreciate their commitment to customer success first and foremost in everything they do,” said Chen.

“I am also deeply confident that under Dhrupad’s leadership the A10 Networks team will continue to help our customers prosper.”

APPOINTMENTS

15

NUTANIX APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR GLOBAL ACCOUNTS FOR EMEA REGION

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utanix, a leader in enterprise cloud computing, announced the appointment of Thomas Rollin as Director Global Accounts for its EMEA region.

The appointment according to the company will focus on heightening customer service delivery for the company’s global accounts, accelerating sales growth and providing trusted advisor services.

“I am very excited to join Nutanix and look forward to working with such an experienced team to propose a new generation of solutions for the hybrid world,” says Rollin. “After 16 years at NetApp, I am looking forward to building a best in class EMEA organisation, focused on customer experience. One that delivers a whiteglove experience to customers as we

help them on their journey to the cloud.”

In his time at NetApp, Rollin was tasked with driving sales, delivering exemplary customer experiences and growing the company’s C-Level engagements and relationships by establishing himself as a trusted advisor to their businesses.

At Nutanix, Rollin will work with its global customers to identify the right fit solutions for these accounts. This will include delivering solutions and services that can scale across geographies, meet different compliance needs, and unlock hybrid and multi-cloud opportunities.

“Nutanix best serves the needs of its large international customers through partnerships and relationships.

Through regular feedback and insights, our global account teams continually orchestrate customer development

Thomas Rollin, Nutanix

and growth,” said Sammy Zoghlami, Senior Vice President of Sales EMEA, Nutanix. “With his focus on customer centricity and his hands-on approach, Thomas will help to provide customers with a better understanding of how the Nutanix offerings can facilitate innovation in technology, skills, processes, and support to the business.”

EMITAC ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS APPOINTS NEW GM

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nterprise solutions provider, Emitac enterprise solutions, has announced the appointment of Antoine Abi Abad as the new General Manager for the company.

Bringing almost three decades of experience across fields ranging from strategic alliances to consulting, Antoine will be responsible for the company’s overall performance and operations while continuing to grow its prominent position within the local market.

Emitac is a pioneer in the enterprise solutions domain, delivering end to end digital transformation and technology services from ideation to execution by combining talent, technology, automated solutions and innovation with scaled enterprise-level operational platforms.

According to the company, Abad’s client-focus approach and stellar ability to address their pain points, makes him a great leader to be at the forefront of aligning and improving the overall operational corporate strategy.

“Abad’s core expertise lies in his customer and service-oriented approach that helps in creating highly conducive environments for growth for the customers and the business.

He believes in achieving successful outcomes through empowering the teams, processes, and clients with efficient pain-point addressal,” said a statement from the company.

A veteran and a visionary in the field of people and resource management, Abad’s well-versed knowledge and progressive guidance make him a great fit at the helm of steering useful strategies for Emitac. Given his robust background in product and business

Antoine Abi Abad, Emitac

management, and under his strong leadership skills, the enterprise will be able to nurture a culture of sincere, motivated growth as well as be able to sustain customer satisfaction and loyalty.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

16 OPINION // NEXTHINK

Digital Transformation: A silver lining for the channel Walaa Nader, Channel & Alliances Manager, Nexthink says for any digital transformation project to succeed, maintaining real-time visibility into the performance of new workplace technologies and how employees interact with them is critical.

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ustomers will always demand business value from their technology investments to help them achieve their business goals. Today, CEOs and CIOs are looking for strategic partners to guide them through these changes and make the right investments.

With the number of smart connected devices proliferating around us and consumers themselves becoming increasing digitally oriented, I believe that only those companies that offer digital services, proactively learn from market interactions and use data-driven insights to optimise their operations, will be able to survive and thrive. Smart solutions have emerged as a result of these efforts to incorporate digital into initiatives across the value chain.

In a Financial Times survey, digital adoption was ranked as the highest

priority by GCC business leaders when asked about their key focus areas as digitally oriented companies have a high level of agility that is needed to respond quickly to changing market conditions and customer needs.

This shows businesses that can transform digitally – fostering better customer interactions, innovating faster for new services, and integrating to a multi touch points approach – will ultimately be able to enjoy a clear advantage over their competitors.

The rules of business are being rewritten in line with today’s digital lifestyle and only those business that evolve along these trends will win customers’ trust and loyalty.

However, embarking on such a digital transformation journey is not easy.

Although the majority of businesses expect that there will be significant digital disruption in the future, very

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few are adequately prepared to manage this disruption. According to Strategy&, although 77 percent of companies surveyed were aware of the importance digitisation, only 37 percent had a clear digital strategy with only 3 percent being at an advanced stage in their digital transformation. This clearly shows not all companies understand it fully, even if they acknowledge its importance.

Digital transformation allows companies to better engage with their customers and the marketplace.

It does so by creating an open environment internally within companies that fosters innovation and collaboration – leading to higher workforce engagement and higher productivity improvement opportunities. Furthermore, it creates a platform for core business functions, such as finance, operations, HR, etc.,

17 OPINION // NEXTHINK

41 PERCENT COMPANIES IN THE CHANNEL BUSINESS CONSIDER DIGITISATION AS A CORE PART OF THEIR ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY. ANOTHER 43 PERCENT CONSIDERED DIGITISATION AS AN IMPORTANT SUB-SET OF THEIR COMPANYWIDE STRATEGY. BETWEEN THESE SEGMENTS, IT’S CLEAR THAT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION – EVEN AT THE CHANNEL AND RESELLER LEVEL IS HERE TO STAY.” Walaa Nader, Nexthink

to be automated – allowing employees to focus on larger business goals.

In fact, tightly integrated digital strategies – backed by a step-bystep execution plan will prove to be biggest differentiator for companies that aim to thrive in today’s digital environment.

However, for any digital transformation project to succeed, maintaining real-time visibility into the performance of new workplace technologies and how employees interact with them is critical. Many companies fail to adequately monitor how their employees are interacting with their evolving IT systems, which can lead to poor employee experiences (EX) and higher end-user computing costs (i.e., increased IT maintenance and support requirements). Fostering positive EX overall is undeniably critical for any business, as happy, motivated employees allow companies to more effectively innovate and deliver on key objectives.

If deployed in the right way, using these innovative tools can mean that digitally transformed companies end up creating better and more innovative products and services. This is because such companies are able to access a multitude of data points about all aspects of their business and use that to transform towards datadriven decision making – leading to better market positioning.

This has a trickle down impact on the channel and reseller partners as well, which is evident in a TechAisle report that argues digital transformation will benefit the reseller channel - as 41 percent companies in the channel business consider digitisation as a core part of their organizational strategy. Another 43 percent considered digitisation as an important sub-set of their company-wide strategy. Between these segments, it’s clear that digital transformation – even at the channel and reseller level is here to stay.

Digital transformation is also playing a fundamental role in shaping the way governments in this region are adapting to new opportunities and challenges. The importance associated to digital transformation within the GCC is evident from the initiatives such as UAE Vision 2021, Saudi Vision 2030, Smart Dubai and the creation of a Minister of State for AI in the UAE. This increasing digitalisation across the region is enabling the growth of a new digital economy that is transforming the business landscape forever.

In summary, businesses across industry and regional lines are now increasingly looking at harnessing, and benefiting from, new innovative technologies as they embark on their own digital transformation journey within the connected world. And adapting quickly to today’s hyperconnected environment is becoming a make-or-break proposition for their continued future survival.

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18 OPINION // VERITAS TECHNOLOGIES

The pace of change is accelerating As channel partners and managed service providers navigate the era of transformation and growth, Jamie Farrelly, VP EMEA Channels, Veritas Technologies, outlines his predictions for the channel in 2020.

OFFERING A VALUE-ADD SERVICE TO CUT THROUGH THE HYPE Within the technology industry, vendors and analysts are constantly promising the next big thing – from AI to IoT and edge computing. Much of this hype is now turning into reality. The channel’s role is to think about how the latest technology can be applied to solve a problem for customers or present a new opportunity. Whether it’s reducing complexity or increasing efficiency, the pace of change is accelerating, and the onus is on partners to understand the technology, know how it positively impacts customers and then work with vendors to develop a new approach for customers.

VENDORS BREAK OUT OF THEIR TECHNOLOGY BUBBLE The world of technology is always

moving and evolving quickly.

As the industry accelerates at a faster rate than ever before, the role of the channel partner is shifting. Traditionally, channel partners have always aimed to understand customers’ problems and find solutions to reduce risk and complexity while increasing revenues. While this aspect hasn’t changed, the evolving digital business landscape means that customer challenges are changing, and partners now need to work with a variety of different solutions and platforms that they haven’t traditionally worked with before to help address the problems of today’s digital age.

Vendors also need to realise that they can no longer exist solely within their own technology bubble, and that they in fact are part of a much wider ecosystem. However, with this realisation comes a degree of

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responsibility. There’s a real need for technology vendors to think beyond their own area of expertise.

It’s no longer just about working with partners, but also other vendors, in order to create ecosystem solutions that solve bigger customer issues in this digital age. Integration and specialisation mean everything to the modern customer, so working with other vendors is a must. As a result, we’ll see more integration and collaboration in the channel in the year ahead.

AUTOMATION WILL BE THE KEY TOPIC IN 2020 As we move into 2020 and towards greater integration, the channel’s next big consideration will be on simplifying the user experience.

We’re already seeing a movement towards generalist IT, and this will continue through the next year. For example, businesses will want to

19 OPINION // VERITAS TECHNOLOGIES

AS PARTNERS LOOK FOR NEW WAYS TO BECOME A TRUSTED ADVISOR AND AUTOMATE PROCESSES, WE WILL SEE THE EMERGENCE OF NEW PLATFORMS DESIGNED TO BRING TOGETHER MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE GUARANTEED TO WORK TOGETHER.”

democratise their IT environments, adding security and backup functions to their existing technology stack, with the confidence that the backend processes and policies are taken care of by specialist technology partners. The channel is vital to this. It can embrace automation and enable customers to adapt to change by delivering services that are independent and decoupled from the underlying infrastructure or operating system, integrating multiple technologies that are guaranteed to work together through a single user interface.

CHANNEL AS A SERVICE As partners look for new ways to become a trusted advisor and automate processes, we will see the emergence of new platforms designed to bring together multiple technologies that are guaranteed to work together. For example, combining security, backup and workload technologies with an automated billing platform based on a partner’s integration capabilities.

However, channel providers will need to have a very clear plan surrounding the technologies they want to integrate. It will require them

Jamie Farrelly, Veritas Technologies

to understand a vendor’s roadmap, its integration technologies and have a strong go-to-market plan that will continue to add value to the customer after the sale.

CAPABILITY, COMMITMENT AND GROWTH MEAN TRADITIONAL PARTNER PROGRAMMES WON’T GO OUT OF FASHION Forrester predicts that vendors will break down their channel with rewards based on expertise in sub-industries, geographies or technology stacks. However, larger vendors have already started categorising their partners in this way, but the idea of a pyramid structure based on gold, silver and bronze tiers remains. That’s because capability, commitment and growth are what’s important to vendors, which is why tiered programmes will remain popular well into the next decade.

THE CHANNEL WILL TAKE CUSTOMERS ON THE SECOND PART OF THEIR CLOUD JOURNEY Cloud service providers (CSPs) are driving hyper growth and we can expect to see more mergers and acquisitions in 2020. The launch of AWS Outposts will also take enterprises by storm and accelerate the move towards a hybrid cloud strategy.

In turn, CSPs will need the channel more than ever before. As businesses move more workloads to the cloud, the channel will evolve from simply managing SLAs to offering a more profitable and consultative approach.

The channel will be able to use its understanding of an organisation’s business to offer advice on how to secure data in the cloud, move it around to remain agile and generate further insights. All of this will help the channel build more of a long-term relationship with customers and create a bigger role for themselves.

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20 COVER STORY

IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING FOR A SMB CUSTOMER TO ZERO IN ON THE IDEAL SOLUTION, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY’S DYNAMIC TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE. THIS IS WHERE PARTNERS MUST STEP IN AND PROACTIVELY OFFER THEIR EXPERTISE.” SAKKEER HUSSAIN, DIRECTOR – SALES AND MARKETING, D-LINK MEA

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GROWING TOGETHER THE SMB MARKET IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST SEGMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THERE ARE A LOT SMALL AND MEDIUMSIZED COMPANIES SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE REGION. SAKKEER HUSSAIN, DIRECTOR – SALES & MARKETING, D-LINK MEA SHARES INSIGHTS ON HOW THE COMPANY ENABLES CHANNEL PARTNERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MANY OPPORTUNITIES AND BUSINESS NEEDS THAT SMALL BUSINESSES SEEK IN THE NETWORKING AND WIRELESS LAN SPACE.

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mall and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) make up for almost 94 percent of the total companies operating in the UAE, according to a research by Bloovo Middle East. There is no debate about how important it is to have SMBs thrive to help grow the country’s economy.

According to the Bloovo statistics, they contribute 30 percent of the UAE’s GDP and employ 72 percent of its working population. While these statistics are from a 2016 study, D-Link believes these numbers would have only increased taking into account the number of new entrants each year.

With the wave of digital transformation taking over at every organisation, SMBs too are looking for new and cost-effective ways to deploy innovative enterprise-level solutions that will help boost their businesses. They are looking to upgrade their networks, have robust cybersecurity solutions, use mobility solutions, avail the benefits of cloud and automation technologies as well as use data and analytics solutions to enrich their operations.

Sakkeer Hussain, Director – Sales & Marketing, D-Link MEA says that channel partners have a real and significant opportunity across all technologies to guide SMB customers select the right technology for their operations.

“They can do this by being trusted and valueadded partners. They should help customers with the relevant information that will allow them to

choose the appropriate technological upgrade for their business. It can be overwhelming for a SMB customer to zero in on the ideal solution, especially in today’s dynamic technology landscape. This is where partners must step in and proactively offer their expertise,” says Hussain.

He says that domain knowledge also plays a key role and if channel partners hone their skills in specific verticals and become specialists, they will be in a better position to advise SMBs with the right tools and solutions to accelerate their niche businesses and increase productivity.

“It is important that channel partners customise their strategy for each SMB customer by truly understanding the nitty-gritties of their business and not have a general approach. Channel partners should also keep themselves abreast of current market trends in their specialisations so that they can help SMB customers future-proof the technologies they implement,’’ says Hussain.

As SMB businesses grow, they need to have enterprise quality networking and wireless solutions but at cost-effective way. Understanding the requirements well, over the years, D-Link has released a number of products and solutions targeted at the SMB market.

He adds, “We have held and continue to invest in numerous trainings, certifications and workshops for our channel partners to educate them on the fundamentals of SMB businesses and how they www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

22 COVER STORY

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE PARTNERS FACE IN THIS SEGMENT IS THE LACK OF APPROPRIATE SKILLSETS AND TALENTS. NOT HAVING IN-HOUSE EXPERTISE TO CATER TO SMB CUSTOMERS’ DEMANDS IS SOMETHING PARTNERS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH.”

should approach customers from these segments. We also continuously work on developing incentive programs, loyalty and post-sales initiatives aimed at partners that cater to the SMB space.”

The networking manufacturer boasts of an extensive product array which includes solutions for IP Surveillance, Wireless, Switching, Storage, Security, Cloud, VoIP, Print Servers, Structured Cabling, Digital Home, 3G/4G Routers, Power over Ethernet Kits, Powerline, KVM, Structured Cabling and Digital SMB offerings. The breadth of its offerings gives the company the leverage with SMB focused partners as a one-stop shop.

In addition, Hussain points out that D-Link has specific and dedicated programs directed at the SMB sector to motivate partners to earn more. Coupled with relevant services opportunities, partners can have a higher margin with D-Link offerings in the SMB space.

GROWTH DRIVERS IN THE SMB SEGMENT SMB customers are looking to leverage emerging technologies to enhance their operations. The rapid rate of technological adoption within this segment is a prime factor for its growth.

SMBs are constantly looking for ways to save on time and costs so that they can increase business efficiency.

In this regard, they are embracing cloud, automation and Artificial www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

Intelligence tools and solutions. This further relies on Internet of Things (IoT) technology and fast and stable Wi-Fi connections.

Networking solutions play a vital role in helping SMB companies to stay connected and focus on growing their revenues and reach. Channel partners have an

opportunity to ensure SMB customers never have to worry about their connectivity with our solutions. Also, more and more SMBs are looking at increasing their productivity with remote working cultures.

This is another factor that will further propel the growth in this segment.

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THE MAIN DIFFERENCE WITH OUR SMB APPROACH IS THAT WE ENGAGE PARTNERS THAT HAVE THE DESIRE AND HUNGER TO LEARN, GROW AND MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE REGION.” Hussain comments that the SMB market is one of the strongest and fast-growing segments for D-Link.

D-Link’s broad portfolio gives partners the confidence to face any requirements from customers.

“The main difference with our SMB approach is that we engage partners that have the desire and hunger to learn, grow and make a real difference to small businesses in the region. We have not approached the SMB market by going after established VARs or systems integrators, but rather going after solution providers we believe can develop and share the same desire with us in unlocking opportunities in the SMB space.”

This approach in the SMB has helped D-Link to work with a lot of channel partners that want to grow their share of the SMB business. In addition, the company has a lot of products that they are bringing to market and that in itself plays a huge role in encouraging SMBs to invest in their technology and

solutions because of the breadth of their product.

However, Hussain adds that the biggest challenge partner’s face in this segment is the lack of appropriate skillsets and talents.

Not having in-house expertise to cater to SMB customers’ demands is something partners continue to struggle with. Other challenges include lack of financial resources and adequate knowledge about the potential and implementation of technologies such as cloud and AI. “At D-Link, we offer end-to-end support, training and education for these problems and truly enable partners to optimise the opportunities.

Partners have to be focused in their approach and look at being masters in specific technology and vertical domains instead of trying to be a jack of all trades.”

The vendor has a dedicated SMB Partner Program, as part of its enhanced focus in this segment within the region.

“When we began our focus on the SMB segment, we were keen to work with emerging value-added resellers who had similar aspiration like us, to strengthen business in the SMB segment,” he said. “We can gauge a partner’s appetite for growth and commitment to building the business together by looking at how motivated he is to avail the benefits the program offers. We wanted to help them chart a growthoriented future. We are happy and proud to see some of our leading partners grow into the stature they are in today by focusing on growing the D-Link brand in the SMB market.”

Looking ahead, Hussain explains that D-Link will witness even more SMBs adopting cloud and IoT technologies to remain competitive in this dynamic marketplace.

He says, “At D-Link, we will continue our role of being an ‘enabler’ for SMBs and partners in this segment. We will be strengthening our SMB partner program and releasing innovative products in the coming months. We look forward to growing regional SMB business together with our channel partners and expect to scale new heights in 2020.”

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24 FEATURE // OUTLOOK 2020

A look into the future Industry Stalwarts discuss pertinent challenges that partners need to be prepared for in 2020.

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he regional channel industry has had a challenging year in 2019. The region has dramatically increased its speed and adoption of cloud technology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this has been a

consequence of the countries in the region diversifying their economies.

Mario M. Veljovic, General Manager, VAD Technologies adds that in 2019 modernisation of data centers and using innovative new technologies had a massive trajectory,

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coupled with blending in cloud solutions to achieve true and agile Hybrid IT Infrastructure set ups.

Jeroen Schlosser, Managing Director Equinix MENA says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;At a regional level the hyperscalers, network services providers and

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PARTNERS NEED TO FOCUS ON THE RELEVANT MARKET SEGMENTS AND THE RIGHT ACCOUNTS WITHIN THOSE SEGMENTS WHICH WILL LEAD THEM TO A HEALTHY PIPELINE. ZAIDOUN ARBAD, COO, STARLINK

ENTERPRISES MUST FOCUS ON ENSURING THE AVAILABILITY, PERFORMANCE, SECURITY AND RELIABILITY OF A MASSIVE SET OF APPLICATIONS WHILE OPERATING IN A COSTEFFECTIVE AND SCALABLE MANNER. JEROEN SCHLOSSER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, EQUINIX MENA

general ICT providers are building regional hubs where datasets and applications can live and serve regional demand.”

“From a vendor perspective, we are seeing more vendors are looking towards a channel model rather than a direct selling method – this shows that vendors truly trust and rely on a channel model to grow their business,” says K.S Parag, Managing Director, FVC. “From a channel perspective, we’ve seen a stronger focus on solution selling rather than box mobbing – this is encouraging to see as we’ve always supported the solution selling approach for longterm success.”

According to Hadi Jaafarawi, Managing Director, Qualys Middle East, cloud deployment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is not as advanced as it is in other parts of the world, but infrastructure development is picking up speed as governments fund public initiatives,

service providers rush in to a lucrative market, and fast-growth, small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) adopt emerging technology.

Schlosser anticipates edge computing will be a key driver in accelerating hybrid multi-cloud adoption across every business segment worldwide, which in turn will also enable the rapid progression of other emerging technologies, such as 5G mobile communications.

“With customer experience and employee productivity being a focus area for businesses, we believe nextgeneration collaboration technologies will see a rapid uptake,” says Parag.

“At the same time, security and infrastructural investments will grow as businesses look to modernise their IT environments. Services will be a game changer and I believe this will largely be a driving force for our growth in the coming months and in 2020 as well.”

VAD Technologies’ pipeline shows

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26 FEATURE

FROM A SECURITY PERSPECTIVE, IN 2020, OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ASSETS GETTING ONTO THE INTERNET OF THINGS WILL NEED MORE SECURITY THERE WILL BE MORE EMPHASIS ON REAL-TIME UPDATES AROUND ANY ASSETS THAT ARE GETTING CREATED. HADI JAAFARAWI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, QUALYS MIDDLE EAST

strong prospects for 2020 linked to data centre optimisation and hybrid cloud to build the right foundation for the businesses’ digital transformation across all Industry verticals, says Veljovic.

Jaafarawi comments that from a security perspective, in 2020, operational technology assets getting onto the Internet of Things will need more security - there will be more emphasis on real-time updates around any assets that are getting created.

He says, “In the rush to make use of the IoT, it’s important that companies don’t create security risks where they did not exist previously.”

Schlosser says that enterprises are taking a bigger leap to make critical decisions on IT infrastructure – whether to adopt cloud services or risk failing to compete in the digital economy. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

He adds that 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.

Agreeing, Parag says that there are a number of challenges, however, finding the right skill sets and dealing with credit issues will continue to be the biggest challenges.

“Partners can overcome these challenges by investing in training their own resources to strengthen their positioning, create differentiation and building customer confidence,” says Parag. “At the same time, partners need to work closely with distributors in registering and closing deals and make sure deals are insured and timely payments are secured.

CHANNEL PARTNERS SHOULD INTENSIFY THEIR EFFORTS TO PROMOTE DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND SOLUTIONS THAT WILL ALLOW FASTER ROI (RETURN OF INVEST) THROUGH LOWER TCO (TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP) – AS SIMPLE AS THAT. MARIO M. VELJOVIC, GENERAL MANAGER, VAD TECHNOLOGIES

27 FEATURE

Alignment with the distributor’s and vendor’s go-to-market strategy can help partners be prepared for solution selling to ensure customer satisfaction and increased profitability.”

Jaafarawi opines that MSPs and consultants have been seeking a single platform that allows them to perform security assessments across on-premises environments, endpoints and clouds. This continues to be a challenge as most times, they do not have enough IT workers to catalog what’s running on a network.

He says, “In order to overcome this hurdle, they need technology that can help them perform multiple ongoing vulnerability assessment engagements from a single, centralised and self-updating platform that consolidates their technology stack, including on-premises environments, endpoints and clouds, reducing total cost of ownership (TCO).”

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, says Schlosser.

Parag says, “Disruptive technologies like AI and Cloud along with security are dominating IT investments.

Partners need to be cognizant of this to help customers choose the best solutions.”

Zaidoun Arbad, COO, StarLink, says, “Customer investments are moving from CAPEX to OPEX and vendors are transitioning to more predictable revenue streams through Software and license subscriptions, says Arbad.

“This calls for consumption models that have a right balance between cost, efficiency and productivity.

Therefore, partners need to become more user-friendly and offer options such as Pay-As-You-Go, which provides them with flexibility and scalability,” he adds.

However, Jaafarawi points out that today’s issues are getting exploited faster than traditional patching schedules can cope with. The sheer variety of platforms in place means that changes can affect multiple systems running in different places.

He says, “New technologies like cloud and containers can run intermittently, getting missed by scheduled scans.

For 2020, more companies will have to move over to real-time vulnerability scanning, looking for issues as they occur.”

Schlosser says that enterprises must focus on ensuring the availability, performance, security and reliability of a massive set of applications while operating in a cost-effective and scalable manner.

He adds, “To meet these evolving needs, partners must team up together to develop solutions to help enterprises accelerate hybrid cloud.”

“Partners need to focus on the relevant market segments and the

APART FROM FOCUSING ON SPECIALISING IN SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGIES, PARTNERS MUST INVEST IN BUILDING A STRONG AND SKILLED TEAM THAT IS NOT ONLY CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATIONS, BUT ALSO BUILDING CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE. K.S PARAG, MANAGING DIRECTOR, FVC

right accounts within those segments which will lead them to a healthy pipeline,” says Arbad. “Furthermore, a holistic solution-selling approach with well-integrated technology vendors and services should be the go-tomarketing strategy.”

Veljovic comments that channel partners should intensify their efforts to promote disruptive technologies and solutions that will allow faster ROI (Return of Invest) through lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) – as simple as that.

Parag says, “Apart from focusing on specialising in specific technologies, partners must invest in building a strong and skilled team that is not only capable of supporting technology implementations, but also building customer confidence.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

28 FEATURE // PROSPECTS IN KSA

On the Rise Reseller ME examines the opportunities present in KSA for channel business.

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s the economy opens up, and with Vision 2030 at the heart of investment initiatives, technology such as AI, robotics and IoT are starting to make its way into large enterprise implementations.

There are strong opportunities for growth as the Kingdom makes concerted efforts to encourage tourism, introduce reformed legislations and facilitate foreign investments - as it moves away from its dependency on oil to enhance the competitiveness of the economy.

Maged Eid, Area Vice PresidentMETA, Nexthink adds that the launch of the National Transformation Program (NTP) is one of the key factors expected to trigger the IT market in Saudi Arabia; which will focus its ICT spend mostly on digital transformation (DX) technologies in all the sectors of the economy.

According to IDC, government organisations in Saudi Arabia are expected to spend $2.13 billion on ICT in 2020, a 6.1 percent increase on the anticipated spend for this year.

Maged says, “KSA has the largest economy among other GCC regions.

Recent developments and the country accelerating its digital transformation agenda as part of its Vision 2030 objectives, provides a massive and steady growth for the channel.”

Zacky Vaz, Senior Regional Channel & Distribution Manager, Fortinet opines that as Saudi

Arabia encourages investment in key sectors such as Oil & Gas or FSI, organisations are investing in building strong IT foundations to cater to the onslaught of new and future technologies that will take their business to new levels.

He says, “It’s a golden opportunity for partners to invest in the Saudi market now owing to the momentum created by the Saudi 2030 vision.”

Maya Zakhour, MEA Partners & Pathways Lead, NetApp says, “Investments in new technology and modernising of IT infrastructure is the primary driving factor for IT investments and business growth in the country.”

We are seeing growth coming from the key cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam that are home to some of the Saudi Arabia’s large projects, says Zakhour.

Samer Jadallah, VP-KSA and Bahrain, StarLink says, “The most recent government budget announcement for 2020, which is the largest so far is a testimony of the country’s sustainable growth, and we are very excited about the opportunity and will continue to invest locally.”

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR CHANNEL PLAYERS K.S Parag, Managing Director,

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

FVC says, “With digital transformation and infrastructure modernisation I believe KSA is ripe for the channel community. Partners stand to benefit immensely by developing the market for vendors and providing organisations with the right solutions as well as services.”

Zakhour adds, “Saudi Arabia is home to some of the region’s largest projects, so there is definitely big opportunity for partners. There are big projects being launched this year and the upcoming year as well, and we see IT investments at the heart of business enablement. The country is spearheading projects that will be utilising cloud and AI and we see huge opportunity for partners to capitalise on these projects.”

The channel needs to focus on developing new vertical solution to accommodate the expected demand for entertainment & touristic security, which is the key focus of growth for

29 FEATURE // PROSPECTS IN KSA

KSA government in the next 5 years, says Wisam Yaghmour, Regional Sales Director – Physical Access Control, HID Global.

Zakhour says that in light of the rapid growth and large investments, partners will need to work harder on enablement at a faster pace.

“This will help them support customers with implementation and migration to the cloud, while preparing the foundation for implementing AI driven solutions,” she says. “This cannot happen without partner enablement and their ability to provide implementation and topnotch professional services.”

Jadallah says that the KSA has always been a strategic market to StarLink and its channel partners.

“StarLink has invested in StarLink Academy to support partners and customers in helping bridge this gap in the region.

Also being able

to afford new consumption models financially will be essential for the partners to stay in the game.”

Maged believes that it is important that SI and distributors deliver on the promise of providing value added solutions, services and to keep educating the market about the new global IT trends. He says, “In a highly competitive environment, distributors need to differentiate their offerings and deliver a solid ROI to the customer. Digital transformation / IT analytics solutions can be useful additions to complement a distributor’s portfolio.”

As Saudi Arabia opens its economy and offers ease of doing business, we are seeing a number of new players entering the market, says Parag.

“This means an increase in competition and multiple layers vying for the same

opportunity. Partners with a skilled and competent team, strong solution portfolio and robust service offering with stand to benefit the most.”

However, according to Vaz, finding resources with the right skills still happens to be a major challenge.

“Partners need to overcome this by investing in training their existing resources to cater to the shortage, while building their own strengths and capabilities to ensure customers get the highest level of service and satisfaction,” says Vaz. “As the country focuses on driving a non-oil dependent economy, we see IT investments coming from all key verticals. With security being at the heart of all investments we see our partners greatly benefitting from these opportunities.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

30 FEATURE // PROSPECTS IN KSA

KSA

MARKET EVOLUTION

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

31 FEATURE // PROSPECTS IN KSA

Saudi Arabia’s latest initiatives and ambitious plans will have positive implications on the market over the next few years. And technology will play a major role in supporting these strategic long term initiatives and encourage massive growth in the region.

MAGED EID, AREA VICE PRESIDENT- META, NEXTHINK

We are optimistic about growth coming from KSA in the coming quarters and year.

This is mainly going to be driven by investments not only in the O&G and government sector but will also come from retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, transportation, and manufacturing.

K.S PARAG, MANAGING DIRECTOR, FVC

If you don’t disrupt, you will be disrupted. Trends like AI and Cloud are taking over digital transformation.

We see more and more customers embracing new technologies and becoming flexible as to where the data is sitting by leveraging on a multi-cloud model as opposed to the traditional on-premise, mandatory model. Large transformational projects happen with robust funding by the government are on the horizon, which will continue to set an example for other business to invest and disrupt the status quo.

SAMER JADALLAH, VP-KSA AND BAHRAIN, STARLINK

Saudi Arabia is first country in the region to deploy 5G, while technologies like IoT and OT are becoming hot investment projects. This market growth and the hunger for new technology is why the market calls for channel players capable to meet these demands and deliver as per customer expectation.

ZACKY VAZ, SENIOR REGIONAL CHANNEL & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER, FORTINET. Saudi Arabia has embarked on a new, transformational era of growth led by Vision 2030 towards economic and social development whereby leveraging the potential of non-oil sectors and subsequently improving the quality of life of its residents. We see this is great opportunity over the next few quarters.

WISAM YAGHMOUR, REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR – PHYSICAL ACCESS CONTROL, HID GLOBAL

Megaproject Vision 2030 is at the center of this growth and is driving investment from all sectors mainly retail, transport, healthcare, utilities and hospitality. KSA is growing by leaps and bounds and is a healthy region for NetApp. Surely, the coming quarters look promising for us as well as the channel.

MAYA ZAKHOUR, MEA PARTNERS & PATHWAYS LEAD, NETAPP

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

32 HOT 50

The Night of

IT STARS

TAHAWULTECH.COM FETES LEADING ICT ENTERPRISE VENDORS AND CHANNEL PLAYERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS AT ITS ANNUAL HOT 50 AWARDS.

T

ahawulTech.com hosted its eighth annual Hot 50 Awards at The Terrace, The Loft, Dubai Opera.

The most-coveted Awards gathered key players across vendors, distributors, resellers and system integrators together on one platform. The 150 plus guests had an opportunity to network and applaud the achievements of the year. The exclusive event paid tribute to both ICT enterprise vendors and channel players alike.

Organisations who have demonstrated commitment to developing the regional technology landscape by creating value for clients, partners and themselves were considered for the prestigious Hot 50 brand. Selected by TahawulTech.com’s editorial team, the elite winners were companies that shaped the regional business through innovative initiatives and grew

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

their operations despite challenging market circumstances.

The event also announced a few personality winners who have continued to work diligently to ensure their company has a strong reach in the market. Kinda Baydoun, HPE won the ‘best business woman leader’ while Juned Attar, Redington Value bagged the ‘marketing trendsetter of the year’ award. The ‘women executive of the year’ award was presented to Maya Zakhour, NetApp and the ‘rising star in marketing’ was awarded to Eleni Papapostolou from Logicom. Aditionally, Ekta Puthran from Barco was recognised as ‘Outstanding Channel Executive of the year.’

The complete list of award recipients is available in the Hot 50 supplement.

33 HOT 50

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

34 HOT 50

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

35 HOT 50

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

36 INTERVIEW // NCC

Kristina Tantsyura, National Computer Corporation

Continuing the legacy Kristina Tantsyura, Chief Operating Officer, and Marco Del Piero Piccozzi, Chief Strategy Officer at National Computer Corporation (NCC) sat down with Reseller ME to discuss how the Russian company is planning to drive innovation for organisations in the Middle East.

CAN YOU GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATIONS AND OFFERINGS? KT: National Computer Corporation (NCC) is one of the largest group of companies in Russia’s IT industry and has taken the first place in the Russian market in 1990 with respect to digital technologies for the last twelve years. NCC provides a full range of IT services for the Russian government, large firms, semigovernment firms and private firms and is the only company in Russia which has its own production line.

WE GIVE OUR PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS VERTICAL APPROACHES, WHICH ARE SPECIALISED IN ADDRESSING SPECIFIC USED CASES AND RELEVANT TO THE XaaS MODEL.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

The company incorporates some sectorial IT market leaders, that enables NCC to launch a unique model based on competency and expertise of the specialists highly skilled in the IT technologies. NCC is also Russia’s largest distributor and we have contracts with over 250 leading IT companies around the world including Microsoft, CISCO, HP, Dell, Huawei and others. Last year, with 30 offices in Russia and 6 abroad, NCC chose to go to the Middle East market because we saw a huge opportunity here in terms of

37 INTERVIEW // NCC

the current situation and digital transformation initiatives.

NCC COMPANIES ARE OPEN TO THE POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION WITH NEW BUSINESS PARTNERS. WHAT IS YOUR PRESENCE LIKE HERE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN IN THE REGION OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS? MDPP: Business in the Middle East was definitely not without challenges, but there were a lot of opportunities as well. NCC comes from a very strong legacy of having implemented advanced projects abroad with 15 years of experience.

Our central focus in this region over the past 12 months has been understanding the market and listening to our customers’ needs, specifically our partners. We focus on creating an ecosystem and product line and service offering that is tailored to this market and so far, we have received a very positive response from our partners and customers.

KT: For us, 2019 has been the year of communications, relationships, change, and learning. We put a lot of effort into establishing strategic partnerships and good relationships with key market players in the region. We built a strategic partnership with Dubai Police – we will support the Innovation Center of Dubai Police and the other projects. On the other hand, we’ve also signed an agreement with Evoteq, which is a big step for us to penetrate the market. We are also discussing the partnership with Emaratech and other companies.

WHEN YOU TALK TO YOUR PARTNERS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THEIR COMMON CHALLENGES AND HOW CAN THEY BEST SELL YOUR SOLUTIONS EFFECTIVELY IN THE DIGITAL ERA? MDPP: The challenges partners face in this area are the ones that

Marco Del Piero Piccozzi, National Computer Corporation UAE

have been resonating over the past five years. Budgets are shrinking, and customers are very cost-sensitive, but on the other hand, they still want a solution to be delivered to them at the highest standards with the latest technologies. However, partners here, have more or less portrayed the same technology stack to consumers over the past few years. So the competition comes down to cost and price, and perhaps yes, references and some kind of relationship they may have with vendors of technology, and so on. That’s where I believe we were quite instrumental in being able to offer to our partners something they could really differentiate themselves from.

HOW IMPORTANT IS NCC’S ROLE IN ENABLING ITS PARTNERS GROWTH HERE IN THE REGION? WHAT KIND OF VALUE-ADD OFFERINGS DO YOU HAVE? MDPP: We bring very innovative

technology, ranging from liquid immersed equipment and system equipment to highly specialised algorithms for machine learning qualified for vertical offerings. In addition to modern hardware and software engineering, advanced algorithms and IOT tools. With us, partners have the ability to offer something very unique and different from anyone else.

NCC acknowledges, however, that technology has a very short lifespan in terms of the value they can actually demonstrate in a medium to short period of time, and what we’ve adopted is a more agile approach to how we provide such services. We give our partners and customers vertical approaches, which are specialised in addressing specific use cases and relevant to the XaaS model.

WHAT CAN REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS EXPECT FROM NCC IN THE COMING MONTHS? KT: We’re going to build our partnership with Evoteq, and we’ve already planned the first phase, smart parking in Sharjah, which will start in mid-January.

We are also considering the expansion of the production line in the UAE. This is going to be the biggest project for NCC as this project has not only been supported as a business project but also as a national project. In terms of the Russian pavilion, we will also endorse Russian participation in the EXPO. Last but not the least, we will continue our market activity and as NCC has been Russia’s leading company for the past 12 years, we also expect to be the UAE’s leading company.

AND FINALLY, DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOUR PARTNERS FOR 2020?

MDPP: We look forward to working together to build an ecosystem that is very robust and tailored to local demands and market needs.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

38 VENDOR FOCUS // 2CRSI

Proof of commitment Ravi Sudarshan, Regional Manager – GCC at 2CRSI discusses channel activities and the firm’s strategic initiatives in the near future.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

39 VENDOR FOCUS // 2CRSI

PARTNER PORTAL IS A PROOF OF OUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING AN EASIER PATH FOR OUR PARTNERS TO CONFIDENTLY GENERATE PREDICTABLE REVENUE, BUILD PIPELINE AND DO BUSINESS WITH US.”

HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN FOR 2CRSI BY FOLLOWING THE CHANNEL MODEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION? We are happy and confident of our channel business model. We would like to increase our presence and enable our channel bit faster in KSA in order to reach to our goals for 2020.

2CRSI HAS CONSOLIDATED ITSELF AS ONE OF THE LEADING PLAYERS IN CUSTOMISED SERVER SOLUTIONS WITH A CLEAR FOCUS ON HPC. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT DIFFERENTIATES YOU FROM YOUR COMPETITORS? Our positioning is definitely to provide high performance solution to address very demanding customer needs (Life science, Academic, Defense etc.) Where other players come with standard solutions, 2CRSI providing custom solutions, precisely tailored to target the need of the customer. We streamline, we re-think the whole concept to make final solution in an energy efficient and affordable way. We believe in Green IT and energy efficient solutions and recommend enterprises to contribute to their country by being a sample, we provide them our success stories to motivate them too. I believe this is where we are different from others.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHANNEL ACTIVITIES DONE SO FAR AND HOW ARE YOU STREAMLINING THEM?

We were doing partner events to educate and enable. From the 4th quarter of 2019 we are giving same focus for end user events too. We were part of Intersec, GITEX, WETEX and ASIS EXPO and this has helped us a lot to interact with new partners and end users. A total of four end user events were conducted with the help of our partners. We were glad that we were present in industrial revolution 4.0 event, we showcased our solutions to end users in manufacturing industry.

2CRSI HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH OF ITS NEW PARTNER PORTAL THAT STREAMLINES AND SIMPLIFIES THE WAYS PARTNERS ENGAGE WITH 2CRSI AND THE CUSTOMERS. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE NEW PROGRAM AND PORTAL? Partner portal is a proof of our continued commitment to providing an easier path for our partners to confidently generate predictable revenue, build pipeline and do business with us. We expect more than 200 partners to log in monthly and this number will grow as we continue to deliver new content and functionality, providing our partners with improved capability to sell more. Ultimately, this is a significant step forward in the 2CRSI Partner engagement program. Our B2B program is simple and clear with a focus to improve margins of our partners without any conflict of interest, even performing sales team

Ravi Sudarshan, 2CRSI

members of distributors and channel partners are benefitted through this program. Exciting additions are going to be announced in January 2020.

IN THE COMING YEARS, WHAT ARE THE COMPANY’S STRATEGIC INITIATIVES IN TERMS OF NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST? In near future, we are going to bag our first OEM deal from Middle east – This will enable some players in market to bring high quality, UK/ French made hardware in their name.

Our engineering skills and experience in industrial computing experience is well appreciated. We are very thrilled that Middle East enterprises are serious about quality. We are working closely with consultants, to work with our Green IT initiatives.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

40 PRODUCTS

PANASONIC LAUNCHES “THINNEST” VIDEO INTERCOM MODEL

P

anasonic is boosting its range of cutting-edge home monitoring solutions for the Middle East market with the introduction of the VL-SV74 Video Intercom System.

Boasting sleek and streamlined design, the highly-expandable VL-SV74 is the “thinnest” intercom with built-in power supply developed by the Japanese electronics giant.

VL-SV74 comes with a 1.3M pixel image sensor, night vision, voice change function, picture recording and electric lock release support.

Developed for single-unit Apartment and Condominium residential markets, the VL-SV74 comes as a kit comprised of an outdoor camera door station and a fixed seven-inch main monitor with touch sensor keys. The main monitor, engineered for easy viewing in wide vertical and horizontal views and system navigation, can support up

to three wide extension monitors (7inch), giving users extra convenience to respond to visitors from any room.

Moreover, PBX connectivity is also supported.

Bibin Thomas, Product Manager, Panasonic, said, “There is increasing demand for innovative home security systems in the region with the growing awareness about general in-home safety and how they help bring peace of mind to residents. At Panasonic, our commitment is to consistently deliver insightfully efficient and reliable solutions that enrich families’ lives and enhance businesses. We believe that the addition of the VLSV74 to our expansive portfolio of industry-leading security solutions will do just that. This new video intercom system

offers easy, no-fuss installation and is designed to seamlessly integrate with your home’s aesthetic. Combining style and unmatched function, the VLSV74 is an ideal solution that can help people feel safer and smarter about their homes.”

LENOVO UNVEILS THINKBOOK LAPTOPS IN THE UAE

L

enovo has announced the local availability of its ThinkBook laptops.

The flagship ThinkBook 14 and ThinkBook 15 devices are powered by Windows 10 Pro and up to 10th Gen Intel Core processing. Options include Intel Optane memory, WiFi 6, and discrete graphics.

“Today’s young business leaders have grown up with the latest technologies and they expect their workplace devices to not only keep them productive and be reliable, but also match their lifestyle.

ThinkBook is designed to fill this gap in the SMB marketplace and we’re proud to be aligned with the UAE government on its agenda to empower and facilitate the growth of such organisations,” said Mohammed Hilili, General Manager, Gulf, Saudi Arabia & East Africa, Lenovo.

The ThinkBook laptops are available in 13, 14 and 15-inch variants. The ThinkBook 15 comes at just 18.9mm thin, while the ThinkBook 14 is a mere 17.9mm. With FHD displays and two Dolby Audio speakers, users have full visibility and clarity when working.

Lenovo has also introduced the ThinkBook S series, including the 13.3-inch ThinkBook 13s.

As with the ThinkBook 14 and 15, the ThinkBook 13s also features advanced Intel processing and an FHD display.

Dolby Vision and Harman speakers with Dolby Audio

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

ensure users remain engaged and immersed in their content.

The ThinkBook laptops are now available in the UAE with prices starting at AED 3,499 and AED 2,599.

REDEFINING technology transformation

+971 4 440 9100

@TahawulTech

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12TH

Tuesday, 28th January 2020

Diamond Ballroom, Rixos Premium, JBR, Dubai

Have you nominated for the CIO 100 Awards yet?

Hurry Last chance to nominate.

Today is the last day to nominate and celebrate your tech excellence.

The deadline for nominations is closing tomorrow 15th January 2020.

Join our respected 12th Annual CIO Industry Awards event as we celebrate technology leaders who are evolving their organisations in 2020 and beyond.

CIO 100 winners will receive their awards at our annual CIO 100 Symposium & Awards Ceremony and will also be featured in the February 2020 issue of CNME magazine. *CIOs, CTOs, IT directors and equivalents are invited to take part in the CIO 100 nominations.

#CIO100ME www.tahawultech.com/cio100/2020/ For sponsorship enquiries Kausar Syed Group Sales Director kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130 / +971 50 758 6672

Youssef Hariz Business Development Manager youssef.Hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111 / +971 56 665 8683

Sabita Miranda Senior Sales Manager sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9128 / +971 50 778 2771

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43 PRODUCTS

LOGITECH LAUNCHES TAP IN THE UAE

L

ogitech introduced the Logitech Tap, a touch control display that makes collaboration rooms easy to deploy and use.

Tap is part of pre-configured room solutions for major collaboration platform providers such as Microsoft Teams Rooms. Like other Logitech conferencing equipment, Tap is built on open standards, enabling a broader set of integrations, for example with interactive whiteboards, room control functions, and more.

The tech challenges in meeting rooms, for example starting video calls and managing the remote control, have continued to plague workers despite advancements in conferencing technologies. With Tap, Logitech is simplifying the deployment and use of video conferencing in any meeting room. Coupled with intuitive software from leading collaboration service providers, it’s easier than ever before to deliver functions like one-touch start, calendaring, and seamless content sharing.

“Over the past five years, we’ve changed the video conferencing market by bringing simple, high-

quality, video devices to the masses.

With Tap, we are extending our approach to meeting control,” said Abraham Mammen, Head of Video Collaboration, Logitech Middle East.

“In addition to enabling onetouch video with the world’s leading collaboration providers, Tap challenges the complex and costly status quo of touch controllers by delivering an affordable, premium solution that can be used for a variety of applications well beyond video conferencing.”

As an integral component of Logitech Room Solutions, Tap couples the purpose-built utility and robust build quality of a meeting room touch control panel with the affordability and flexibility of a tablet. It delivers one-touch video calling simplicity for users in an IT-friendly design ideal for mass deployments. Logitech Room Solutions with Tap include all necessary components in one package: the Logitech Tap touch controller, a small form factor computer with roomoptimized video conferencing software from Microsoft and other providers, and a Logitech conferencecam.

“The workplace has evolved in

recent years and demands for a fastpaced environment, where teams can collaborate, ideate and grow.” Said Mohammed Arif, Director Modern Workplace & Security, Microsoft UAE. “Our innovations are built from the ground up with productivity and teamwork in mind. Microsoft Teams Rooms, coupled with Logitech’s TAP – is a perfect combination to empower UAE organizations to create rich and collaborative environments – so they can connect, innovate and achieve more.”

Featuring a 10.1-inch touchscreen, HDMI input for content sharing, and robust cable retention, Logitech Tap is designed and engineered for reliable convenience in the meeting room. A range of table, riser and wall mounts offer tremendous placement flexibility, while in-wall rated cabling enables topologies and room layouts that please the eye as well as IT. Logitech Tap is now available for businesses in the UAE and is part of pre-configured room solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms (formerly Skype Room Systems) and other leading collaboration platforms.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

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45 PRODUCTS

LG RELEASES NEW ULTRAGEAR MONITORS

HP ANNOUNCES EDUCATION EDITION LAPTOPS

H

P has introduced new devices designed for education—the HP ProBook x360 11 G5 Education Edition and HP ProBook x360 11 G6 Education Edition. Running on Windows 10 Pro, these new devices enable students to move quickly between writing documents, running STEM applications, and editing videos with the latest Intel processors.

The slim-but-tough HP ProBook x360 11 Education Edition PC features a versatile 360-degree design, the HP School Pack software suite, dual camera system, and touch/pen interactions to help students create and learn how they choose. The HP ProBook x360 G5 EE is available now and the HP ProBook x360 G6 EE is expected to be available in March.

L

G Electronics (LG) has released its new UltraGear monitors, designed for the gamer to be at the heart of the experience with innovative technology that delivers a truly immersive experience.

The UltraGear’s 23.6-inch display features a 1920 x 1080 resolution (16:9 Aspect Ratio) allowing users to see the action in crystal clear detail. The monitor is optimized for experiences that require instantaneous decision making such as real-time strategy (RTS) games and first-person shooters (FPS), with a 1ms response time and 144Hz native refresh rate. It means gamers can see and respond to even the smallest movements on screen while enjoying super-smooth gameplay.

The UltraGear is equipped with Radeon FreeSync that provides smooth motion without onscreen tearing or stuttering thanks to Adaptive Sync technology.

Meanwhile the customized gaming mode truly gives the edge to gamers by providing two pre-set FPS modes and an RTS mode to ensure players

have the ideal conditions in place before they take on the competition.

Dynamic Action Sync minimizes input lag so the gameplay in RTS and FPS is much more responsive.

By incorporating Black Stabilizer, players can take advantage of the stealthy approach and keep to the shadows. This feature gives gamers full night vision visibility in deep-dark scenes by synchronizing even the darkest areas and making them brighter. Crosshair enhances accuracy in first-person shooters by placing the striking point at the center of the display. It enables the player to target with greater precision, to aim at objects or opponents with greater speed.

BENQ UNVEILS NEW ESPORTS GAMING MONITOR

B

enQ’s e-sports entity ZOWIE has introduced its latest gaming monitor XL2731 across the Middle East.

The BenQ ZOWIE XL2731 is a 27-inch e-Sports monitor for PCs with a native refresh rate of 144Hz. Equipped with a Black eQualiser and Color Vibrance technology, it comes with a heightadjustable stand and works with computers that can operate at up to 144fps.

The BenQ ZOWIE XL2731 is part of the Esports entity’s XL-series that comprises of premiere monitors for PC Esports.

Equipped with Colour Vibrance technology, the XL2731 has high colour grading definition and empowers gamers with the flexibility to select their preferred colour tone.

The XL2731 also comes with a heightadjustable stand that allows gamers to adjust the height of the monitor. Like all monitors in the XL-series, the XL2731 is equipped with an LCD frame that has been specially designed to minimize light reflection from the screen.

BenQ ZOWIE XL2731 Esports Gaming Monitor is retailed at a cost of $380.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

46 REVIEW

BENQ ZOWIE XL2546

RATING

AVID GAMING AFICIONADO AND CPI MEDIA GROUP’S WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER JEFF DE JOYA TAKES THE BENQ ZOWIE XL2546 FOR A SPIN AND SHARES HOW THE DEVICE DELIVERS A SMOOTH, SHARP AND SUPERB GAMING EXPERIENCE.

T

he BenQ Zowie XL2546 is a 24.5-inch gaming monitor, which sports a utilitarian shape boasting a matte black frame with subtle accents of red.

Despite lacking bells and whistles, the device’s design is simple and sensible, which allows you to focus on the most important element of the

monitor – the content on-screen.

The monitor comes with a unique adjustable stand providing you with the flexibility to find the right height for your display during gameplay.

It also has two optional removable “shields”, which are basically plastic panels that can be screwed into both sides of the display to help you not only avoid distractions but also prevent nearby players from looking at your screen.

The BenQ Zowie XL2546 is also integrated with multiple connectivity options including DisplayPort, Dual-Link DVI-D, HDMI and headphone/microphone input.

The BenQ Zowie XL2546 comes with a 1080p screen and a 240Hz refresh rate. It also boasts a DyAc (Dynamic Accuracy) technology, which allows the device to deliver remarkable clarity during fast motion gameplay. In addition, when turned on, this feature minimises the blurriness on erratic in-game movements especially the vibrations from gunfire recoil during FPS games.

Along with the DyAc technology, BenQ Zowie XL2546 also has features such as Black eQqualizer

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JANUARY 2020

and Advanced Motion Accelerator (AMA), which reduces latency making in-game movement more fluid.

Furthermore, you can clearly see the huge difference in display and performance with a 240Hz monitor compared to other monitors that I have previously used, which only pack a 60Hz and 144Hz refresh rate.

I can confidently say these features have elevated my gaming experience and made it more engaging especially when playing FPS games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, PUBG and CS:GO. My first game with the BenQ Zowie XL2546 resulted in a 9-kill win and I immediately backed that game with another 7-kill win. I was on fire!

Needless to say, I was very impressed with the monitor. It made aiming and other in-game movements much easier, giving me an advantage over my opponents.

I’m still in awe with its performance and I’m definitely not going back to 60Hz and 144Hz monitors.

Overall, BenQ delivered a great gaming monitor and the XL2546 certainly exceeded expectations.

It has improved my gameplay and has given me a superb gaming experience. Thus far, the BenQ Zowie XL2546 is the best monitor I have used and is currently my favourite.

If you’re looking to upgrade, this monitor will surely augment your FPS performance just make sure your GPU supports the 240Hz mode before acquiring it.

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