Reseller Middle East February 2020 by Reseller Middle East

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CONTENTS

STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER

ISSUE 276 // FEBRUARY 2020 VENDOR FOCUS

PUSHING BOUNDARIES Hesham Tantawi, Vice President, ASBIS Middle East, on revolutionising the distribution space by improving the efficiencies of every single distribution move it takes.

HIGHLIGHTS

SMART SECURITY

Western Digital’s Khwaja Saifuddin on how the company’s new suite of security solutions that are infused with AI are making cities smarter.

HOT PRODUCTS

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

REALME SMARTPHONES LAUNCHES IN THE UAE

OPINION

18 PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST Vmware’s Ossama Eldeeb outlines three ways the channel can help deliver the true digital employee experience.

EVENT

22 BEYOND THE DIGITAL HYPE

Reseller ME attended AVEVA World Conference in Abu Dhabi, where the industrial software company shared customer success stories and enhancement to its Asset Performance Management portfolio.

PRESTIGIO UNVEILS THE CLICK&TOUCH KEYBOARD

FEATURE

28 IMPORTANCE OF SPECIALISATION

We analyse the current challenges and benefits for partners when it comes to specialising in a particular skill set.

REVIEW

HACHI INFINITE

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

EDITORIAL Shifting landscapes

020 has just barely begun, yet the technology industry is already hot on the heels of what new innovations the new decade will bring with it. At the AVEVA World Conference, held last month at the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel, the industrial software company showcased its latest innovations and unveiled a new enhancement to their Asset Performance Management portfolio. I managed to secure an exclusive interview with AVEVA’s Chief Revenue Officer, Steen Lomholt-Thomsen, to find out about the recent developments and initiatives in the channel partner programme. See page 22 for more. Technology keeps changing the game all around us, including the distribution industry. It is becoming much more complicated than physically moving items from point A to point B. The aim is often to discover a new competitive advantage or boost the bottom line as companies embrace

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.

new technologies. Hesham Tantawi, Vice President, ASBIS Middle East, says in this month’s cover story that those companies that don’t try to predict what changes are going to happen in the market will find it hard to adapt more quickly. Tantawi also provides insights into how the organisation is planning to revolutionise the distribution space by improving the efficiencies of every single movement of distribution. Further about this on page 24. Over several years, IT vendors have acknowledged the shift to specialisation and almost all of them have now tailored their partner programmes to reflect this. A panel of IT experts discuss the benefits and the current challenges that partners face when it comes to specialising in a specific skill set on pages 28-31. As we move towards greater integration, the next big consideration for the channel will be to simplify the user experience. We’re already seeing a movement in this space and experts say that this will continue through the next year.

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

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

Photographers Max Poriechkin / Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 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 // FEBRUARY 2020

6 HIGHLIGHTS

EMT DISTRIBUTION ANNOUNCES EXPANSION TO AFRICA WITH ACUNETIX

mt Distribution, a specialised distributor focused on security, IT Management and analytic solutions, has announced its business expansion to Africa with Acunetix. Kevin Abela, vice president, global channel sales, Acunetix, said, “We have been working with emt Distribution since 2016 as one of our key partners in the Middle East and North Africa. Together, we are further strengthening our partnership to ensure continued growth for Acunetix in the region. emt helps us to deliver local support including installations and deployments and assist us in extending our services by providing Acunetix training to our partners and customers in the region, as well as taking part in region-specific events. Together with emt, we are looking forward to growing our presence in the Middle East and North Africa in 2020.”

Naresh Kumar, director, Regional Sales Development, emt META, said, “We are delighted to extend and expand our business alliance with Acunetix and include new solutions in our portfolio for Africa especially as its home to some of the world’s most rapidly growing economies.” Acunetix is an end-toend web security scanner that offers a 360 view of an organization’s security. It integrates with popular WAFs to automatically create appropriate Web Application Firewall rules to protect web applications against attacks targeting vulnerabilities that the scanner finds. This allows customers to temporarily prevent exploitation of high-severity vulnerabilities until they are able to fix them. Furthermore, Acunetix can export scan data to the popular Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) such as Imperva F5 and FortiWeb.

Naresh Kumar, emt Distribution and Kevin Abela, Acunetix

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

Reghu Mohandas, SecureLink

SECURELINK INKS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH SHIFTLEFT

ecureLink, a risk advisory firm based in Dubai and part of the StarLink group, has announced signing distribution partnership with ShiftLeft for GCC and Egypt. SecureLink will be the distributor for the entire ShiftLeft product suite - ShiftLeft Inspect, ShiftLeft Ocular and ShiftLeft Protect. Leveraging the ShiftLeft Code Property Graph (CPG), all ShiftLeft solutions are designed to provide accuracy, speed and scalability to help organization achieve continuous security at the lowest OpEx. Reghu Mohandas, Director, Risk Advisory and Analytics, SecureLink said, “Adoption of DevOps requires organisations to be able to be agile and secure at the same time. Using platforms like ShiftLeft, we believe our customers can ensure that their applications are secure both during build-time and runtime. Under this partnership, we will jointly focus on engaging with customers who require advisory services around application security and leverage the ShiftLeft platform in providing continuous assessment and protection.” “The GCC is one of the fastest growing, and most dynamic, regions powering the global economy,” said Manish Gupta, CEO & Founder, ShiftLeft. We’re excited to be working with SecureLink, the premier value-added distributor to enter this exciting region. Combining our fastest and most accurate code analysis with the top application security advisory will provide our customers with the most advanced application security solution.”

7 HIGHLIGHTS

SOPHOS LAUNCHES MANAGED THREAT RESPONSE SERVICE

ophos, a global leader in network and endpoint security has announced the availability of Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR), a fully managed threat hunting, detection and response service. The re-sellable service provides organisations with a dedicated 24/7 security team to neutralise the most sophisticated and complex threats. “Cybercriminals are adapting their methods and increasingly launching hybrid attacks that combine automation with interactive human ingenuity to more effectively evade detection. Once they gain a foothold, they’ll employ ‘living off the land’ techniques and other deceptive methods requiring human interaction to discover and disrupt their attacks,” said Joe Levy, chief technology officer, Sophos. “For the most part, other MDR services simply notify custom-

Joe Levy, Sophos

ers of potential threats and then leave it up to them to manage things from there. Sophos MTR not only augments internal teams with additional threat intelligence, unparalleled product expertise, and around-the-clock coverage,

but also gives customers the option of having a highly trained team of response experts take targeted actions on their behalf to neutralise even the most sophisticated threats.” Built on Intercept X Advanced with endpoint detection and response (EDR), Sophos MTR fuses machine learning with expert analysis for improved threat hunting and detection, deeper investigation of alerts, and targeted actions to eliminate threats. According to the company, Sophos MTR is customisable with different service tiers and response modes to meet the unique and evolving needs of organisations of all sizes and maturity levels. Unlike many MDR services that focus on monitoring and threat notification, Sophos MTR rapidly escalates and takes action against threats based on an organisation’s preferences.

BEYONDTRUST NAMES TENABLE AS PARTNER OF CHOICE

enable, the Cyber Exposure company has announced that it has entered into an exclusive partnership with BeyondTrust. According to the company, BeyondTrust has made a decision to exit the Vulnerability Management market and has selected Tenable as its exclusive partner. Tenable was chosen for its market leadership in Vulnerability Management and Cyber Exposure to help organisations understand and manage their cyber risk. “The market has spoken again - and has selected Tenable as the market leader in vulnerability management. In addition to the recognition from Forrester, we are number one in coverage, number one in accuracy, number one in zero-day research and the only vulnerability management vendor to surpass 100 zero-day discoveries in a single

Renaud Deraison, Tenable

year. We’re laser-focused on ongoing innovation — from delivering Tenable Lumin to the industry’s first unified risk-based view of IT and OT security — to transform how cybersecurity is managed and measured,” said Renaud

Deraison, chief technology officer and co-founder, Tenable. “We are honored to be the vulnerability management platform of choice for BeyondTrust. BeyondTrust vulnerability management customers should be very confident that they will be in the best possible hands with Tenable to solve their vulnerability management challenges.” “When we decided to exit the vulnerability management market, it was critical that BeyondTrust referred its customers to a trusted company with a proven track record of product innovation and customer loyalty,” said Dan DeRosa, Chief Product Officer, BeyondTrust. “Tenable was the logical choice, having earned the trust and respect of tens of thousands of organisations globally. We are confident in our decision and know that our customers will be very well taken care of.”

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

8 HIGHLIGHTS

RAQMIYAT ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH IVANTI FOR GCC

egional systems integrator and provider of digital transformation solutions and services Raqmiyat has announced that it is now a regional business partner and authorised reseller of Ivanti products and services in the GCC. By leveraging this partnership, Raqmiyat will address the need of digital transformation for enterprises by enabling our customers who want to unify IT on –premises or in the cloud. Ugresh Kumar, director, Managed Services, Raqmiyat, said, “Ivanti’s comprehensive portfolio of ITAM, ITSM, endpoint, and security management solutions are designed specifically to help enterprises achieve a secure, automated, and digital workplace. We believe Ivanti’s solution that helps secure and automates

IT operations will provide additional value to the existing customers helping them in achieving their digital transformation agenda. And also, adding, Ivanti product line to Raqmiyat’s Managed Services offerings will help customers to achieve the higher success rate of automation, end-user support and also new business to Raqmiyat.” Ivanti products to be offered by Raqmiyat include: • Ivanti Security Controls – A comprehensive patch management solution for operating systems and third-party applications on physical and virtual Windows and Linux servers as well as workstations in the data center. • Ivanti Endpoint Manager – Quickly discover and manage all devices

•

with the ability to automate complex processes, helping IT work faster and smarter. Ivanti User Workspace Manager – To deliver an unparalleled user experience, while increasing productivity and liberating IT from the shackles from slow and complex desktop tools. Ivanti Service Manager – A leading ITSM solution with comprehensive service management and workflow automation capabilities to improve IT service delivery and employee productivity inside IT and beyond. Ivanti Asset Manager – powerful ITAM solution, provided on the same proven Service Manager platform, to efficiently manage IT assets from purchase to disposal for complete asset optimisation.

SAUDI ARABIA’S MOBILY TEAMS UP WITH ERICSSON TO ACCELERATE DIGITAL SERVICES

audi Arabian communications service provider Mobily and Ericsson have signed an agreement whereby Mobily will be leveraging Ericsson’s cutting-edge products and solutions to support its drive to empower the kingdom’s government and private sectors towards digital transformation, accelerate the deployment of digital services, and expand the provision of Internet of Things solutions, including the company’s smart meter project that is driven by the Saudi Electricity Company. This comes in line with Mobily’s strategy to support digital transformation initiatives to achieve the kingdom’s vision 2030 aspirations. The Ericsson Radio System products will enable Mobily to boost spectrum

assets and enhance customer experiences and operational efficiencies, said a statement from the company. Ericsson will also provide and integrate a nextgeneration operation to enhance Mobily’s customer experiences, capture new opportunities and drive business efficiencies in addition to offering nextgeneration communications services for the digital era including 5G and machinecritical Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 use cases. Fadi Pharaon, Head of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said, “Today marks another major milestone in our long-standing partnership with Mobily in Saudi Arabia as together we will launch 5G in the western region. 5G is set to revolutionise how we use and

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

adopt technology and will have a huge impact on businesses and society in the kingdom. It will bring high speed, ultralow latency and highly secure connectivity to a massive number of devices and is a technology that will unlock a vast array of new use cases through Mobily’s nextgeneration network.”

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10 HIGHLIGHTS

STARLINK SETS SIGHTS ON STELLAR GROWTH FOR 2020

egional value added distributor StarLink has announced an impressive target of USD 500M for 2020, a turning point in the history of StarLink. Revealed at the Company’s sales kick-off in Dubai, this ambitious target is in line with the steady revenue growth achieved over the past five years. The fiscal year 2019 closed with a 30 percent YoY growth, making the global distributor maintain lead as top cybersecurity VAD in the ME region. Last year was groundbreaking with the highest distribution partnership sign-offs – elevating its solutions portfolio to 50 plus vendors and some major strategic geographical expansion into Africa and Europe. With big plans underway for 2020, StarLink is already en route with significant resource ramp up, new strategic alliances and ‘first of its kind’

initiatives. 2020 strategy will focus on reshaping the distribution landscape with key-value creators – become specialised in cyber and cloud solutions, increase market share, invest in automated and leading-edge processes and services, predicate and manage risks as well as continue to add value on all fronts. Nidal Othman, Co-founder and Managing Director, StarLink said, “We are very proud of our 2019 accomplishments and are fully committed to create long-

term value for all our stakeholders. In 2020, we will continue to maintain a competitive edge with a sustainable and equitable growth strategy, and this will be driven by the strong executive team we have in place.” Mahmoud Nimer, Co-founder and General Manager, StarLink, said, “StarLink continues to make its mark as ‘True’ VAD with a winning combination of great technologies, great people and innovative strategies and we take this opportunity to thank our vendors, partners and customers who have been instrumental in our journey. Bashar Bashaireh, Chief Executive Officer, StarLink, said, “We had a tremendously strong finish for the year and are fully geared up to deliver the growth for 2020 and beyond! We are ready and have our strategy and plans in place to do that.”

SERVICENOW INTRODUCES NEW INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS STRATEGY

erviceNow has announced a new industry solutions strategy to deliver workflows that help companies in specific industries address their unique digital transformation challenges and create value at scale. “Every company around the world aspires to deliver great experiences that drive fierce customer loyalty and create powerful employee engagement,” said Bill McDermott, President and CEO, ServiceNow. “And companies across many industries are turning to ServiceNow to help them transform their business to unleash productivity and fuel innovation. By creating industry-specific solutions, delivered through a partner-led model, we can better address the unique challenges that companies in key vertical markets face as they look to digitally transform their businesses.” The new banking solution, according to the company, will

simplify middle-to-back office operations to help banks move at the speed of digital business, delivering

Bill McDermott, ServiceNow

seamless customer experiences throughout the enterprise that drive customer loyalty. The company’s new telecommunications solution will align customer care and

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

service assurance to transform how communication service providers deliver great customer experiences by proactively anticipating issues and addressing them quickly while maximizing availability and quality of service. ServiceNow also announced it is extending the scope of its partnerships with Deloitte and Accenture to address the unique challenges in the initial target industries. Deloitte will become the “Lead Launch” Partner for ServiceNow’s banking solution, working with ServiceNow to implement new workflows that will transform how banks operate. ServiceNow’s solutions for banking and telecommunications are expected to be available later this year. The company expects to announce solutions for additional industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, media, technology and others, in the future.

11 HIGHLIGHTS

HELP AG TO HELP MIDDLE EAST FIRMS RAPIDLY IDENTIFY SECURITY THREATS

elp AG has launched a new Incident Response and Forensics Service to further help Middle East enterprises enhance their resilience against advanced cyber threats. The service will empower security teams to drastically shorten the time taken for identification, response and remediation in case of incidents involving cyber-attacks, data leakage and service disruption. Additionally, the Help AG team will work to identify and provide measures to address the root cause of the incident, thereby helping prevent reoccurrence of the threat. “Cyber-attacks are an inevitability and time is the most critical element in the subsequent incident response chain. However, Middle East businesses are facing an acute shortage of cybersecurity resources which greatly encumbers their ability to detect, contain and mitigate threats,” said Stephan Berner, CEO, Help AG. “Our new service offers enterprises a truly unique cybersecurity edge. With their ability to ‘think like hackers’ our team of qualified experts can rapidly identify and isolate threats, thereby enabling our clients to effectively contain the impact of an incident and maintain business continuity.” An addition to the company’s Managed Security Services (MSS) portfolio,

KODAK ALARIS BAGS BUYERS LAB’S SCANNER LINE OF THE YEAR AWARD

Don Lofstrom, Alaris, A Kodak Alaris business

Stephan Berner, Help AG

the new Incident Response & Forensics Service will be delivered by experts with over 10 years of experience in cybersecurity. The new service was unveiled at Help AG’s flagship Security Spotlight Forum event in the UAE and several large enterprises from the regional banking, telecoms and government sectors have expressed interest in the new offering. “As the region’s trusted cybersecurity advisor, we have already successfully supported several incident response requests. With this now formalised into a comprehensive offering, our customers will have the ability to not only respond more rapidly to security incidents, but also strengthen their policies, procedures, and awareness in a bid to prevent the occurrence of these threats,” added Berner.

uyers Laboratory (BLI), the world’s leading independent evaluator of document imaging hardware, software, and services, has announced that Kodak Alaris has won BLI’s coveted 2020 Scanner Line of the Year award for the fourth time in five years. “Scanners from Kodak Alaris enable businesses of all shapes and sizes to extend business process automation to the point of capture. Across the entire line, customers can expect highly integrated onramps for entering all paper-based information to the systems that drive their business. Each device is characterised by its exceptional media handling, top-notch image enhancement and OCR capabilities, flawless reliability, and a simple user experience.” said Lee Davis, Senior Editor, Scanner Analysis and Software Evaluation, Keypoint Intelligence. “Whether it’s a small desktop unit or a production scanner—and everything in between— scanners from Kodak Alaris are class leaders that can add tremendous value to any business, earning the company its fourth Line of the Year award in five years, and its fifth overall.” “Kodak Alaris is by far the most-awarded scanner manufacturer in BLI’s 62-year history, with 30 Pick and Outstanding Achievement awards along with the five Line of the Year honors,” said Don Lofstrom, President and General Manager, Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business. “As we kick off a new decade with this prestigious award, we look forward to innovating, delighting customers and growing with our partners for many years to come.” www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // FEBRUARY 2020

12 HIGHLIGHTS

ALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE TO HOST GLOBAL PARTNER SUMMIT IN DUBAI

LE, operating under the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise brand, has announced that it will host Connex20, its global partner conference, in Dubai from February 4-6, 2020. The company will be hosting the global Connex for the first time in the Middle East and is expecting over 1000 ALE partners from across the globe to attend the three-day summit. The conference will feature speakers including ALE CEO, Jack Chen, and Rukmini Glanard, Executive Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, and other senior ALE leadership members who will share the company’s 2020 strategy and vision, product roadmap, and channel growth opportunities with the ALE global partner community. “The Middle East is one of our fast growing, dynamic and demanding markets. The UAE especially is leading the way with rapid modernisation and technology adoption to fuel economic growth,” says Rukmini Glanard, Executive Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, ALE. “With the region on the cusp of leading a global digital revolution, choosing the UAE to host our global partner summit is a demonstration of our support towards building a technology-driven economy that will benefit organisations as well as

Rukmini Glanard, ALE

individuals.” During the summit, executives will host dedicated sessions to share best practices, supported by use cases and customer wins, to demonstrate the global use of ALE innovations across verticals. Product specialists will present the roadmap for new ALE solutions designed to help partners solve growing key business issues for customers. The company will also lay out its plans to support ALE partner community success with Cloud, Network and Communications solutions tailored to key vertical markets. During the Connex event, ALE will also recognise and honour the outstanding partners who accomplished an impressive expansion of their ALE business in 2019. “ALE has evolved in line with shifting modern-day communications requirements. We are committed to delivering innovation and helping organisations prepare for an era of growth fueled by digital transformation. We know that our partners’ commitment will help us fulfil this vision,” added Glanard.

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

HID GLOBAL SHOWCASED SECURE IDENTITY MANAGEMENT OFFERINGS AT INTERSEC 2020

ID Global showcased its latest innovations in end-to-end solutions at this year’s Intersec, to help organisations in the Middle East address the growing complexity in modern identity environments. “Digital transformation, the Internet of Things Wisam Yaghmour, HID Global (IoT), and cloud-based solutions are key trends driving investment in secure access solutions. Current market analytics predict an annual growth of eight percent for access control in Middle East in the upcoming years, and HID Global is well positioned to meet this growth with a robust portfolio of solutions designed to cater to the complexities of cloud and IoT environments.” said Wisam Yaghmour, regional sales director, Physical Access Control, HID Global. Industries such as banking, oil and gas, healthcare, education, transportation, government agencies, and enterprises are driving the adoption of secure access and identity management solutions. • ID Global’s latest and fastest card printing solutions that enable organisations to issue highly-secure cards and IDS on premise, including the HDP6600 with its wasteless lamination module, DTC5500LMX and DTC1500. • The revolutionary cloud-based card issuance solution HID FARGO Connect, which integrates with HID SAFE Enterprise. Together these solutions take seamless onboarding and credential issuance to a new level. • The award-winning iCLASS SE RB25F fingerprint reader will be a key solution focu HID’s multispectral imaging technology captures images from both the surface and sub-surface of the skin enabling all types of fingerprints, from people of any age, to be read quickly and reliably in cold, dry, dirty, wet and other challenging environmental conditions. • Experience the benefits of Seos, the next generation of credential technology that provides the ideal mix of security and flexibility for any organisation. Powered by highly advanced encryption and a software-based infrastructure, Seos secures trusted identities on any form factor and can be extended for applications beyond physical access control. • HID Mobile Access leverages Seos credential technology and offers user convenience, better operational efficiency, cost effectiveness and higher security.

KASPERSKY, ECLECTICIQ PARTNER TO EMPOWER BUSINESSES WITH THREAT INTELLIGENCE

aspersky has announced that it is now offering business users of EclecticIQ Platform access to its threat intelligence. In this new partnership, Kaspersky Threat Data Feeds, APT Intelligence Reports and Threat Lookup service will provide EclecticIQ customers with key expertise to enhance their understanding, prevention and reaction to the latest cyberthreats. The Threat Intelligence platform (TIP) from EclecticIQ collects intelligence from open sources, commercial suppliers and industry partnerships and makes them available in a central resource – empowering threat and SOC analysts with the latest actionable and relevant context on cyberthreats. This allows the analysts to stop or swiftly respond to threats through their existing security infrastructure. With this integration, users can draw on Kaspersky’s threat intelligence, including access to latest Threat Data Feeds, online search through historical TI using Kasper-

Veniamin Levtsov, Kaspersky

sky Threat Lookup (which contains petabytes of information about threats), legitimate objects and their various relationships, and Kaspersky APT Intelligence Reports – revealing methods, tactics and tools used by advanced malefactors. “We are delighted to now offer

HIGHLIGHTS

our threat intelligence to EclecticIQ customers. EclecticIQ is focused on providing security intelligence to governments and enterprises, especially once from the financial sector. Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Services have been proven to be a source of curated data – helping to defend businesses. And, through this collaboration, customers can benefit from more convenient access to up-to-date and proven insight on the global threat landscape,” said Veniamin Levtsov, VP, Corporate Business, Kaspersky. “EclecticIQ is constantly thriving to provide CTI analysts with the best possible tools for their work. Through the partnership with Kaspersky we are able to present our customers with a variety of integrations that bring high-class intelligence to their analyst teams. In conjunction with the capabilities of our threat intelligence platform, businesses and enterprises alike will be able to perform deeper and more informed analyses”, said Pim Volkers Executive Vice president, EclecticIQ.

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

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

AUTOMATION ANYWHERE APPOINTS NEW CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

utomation Anywhere has announced the appointment of Yousuf Khan as the company’s first Chief Information Officer. As the new CIO, Khan will be responsible for leading and overseeing the vision, strategy and operations of Automation Anywhere’s IT department globally. He will also provide strategic IT leadership and direction for all business units and functions, delivering technology solutions that power innovation and operational excellence throughout the organisation.

“Yousuf is a creative and innovative leader and his skills complement the talents of our IT leadership team as we build the systems and processes to support our vision of the Digital Workforce and building a robust enterprise business,” said Clyde Hosein, Chief Financial Officer, Automation Anywhere. “In a world of rapidly changing technology, his industry knowledge, leadership and vision will play a fundamental role at Automation Anywhere as we continue to work towards our goal of helping organisations use automation to unchain human potential.”

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

Yousuf Khan

APPOINTMENTS

TENABLE NAMES NEW VICE PRESIDENT

enable has announced the appointment of Marty Edwards as Vice President of Operational Technology (OT) Security. “OT is part of the modern attack surface and CISOs are being tasked with securing OT systems alongside traditional IT,” said Renaud Deraison, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Tenable. “Together with Indegy, we’re going to deliver the industry’s first unified, risk-based view of IT and OT security. Adding Marty Edwards, one of the foremost and most sought-after industrial cybersecurity experts, to our OT bench is another testament to our growing expertise in

this space and to our commitment to pioneering new solutions for the next wave of IT/OT convergence.” According to the company, Edwards will serve as an evangelist for the company’s OT security vision, with a particular focus on furthering government and industry initiatives to improve critical infrastructure security. Edwards and his team will help ensure organisations address OT security as part of their risk conversations. He will report to the office of the Chief Technology Officer. “Tenable uniquely understands the security challenges of dynamic computing environments — from traditional IT to OT to modern assets — and is bringing innovative solutions

Marty Edwards, Tenable

to market to solve them head-on,” said Edwards. “I’m very excited to join the Tenable team and I’m looking forward to helping customers around the world understand and reduce their cyber risk in the digital era.”

QUALYS APPOINTS DAN BARAHONA AS CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

loud-based security and compliance solutions provider Qualys has appointed Dan Barahona as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Dan will direct the company’s worldwide marketing team and oversee strategy, brand, corporate communications, demand generation, and other go-tomarket initiatives. “Qualys continues to bring innovative cybersecurity solutions via its cloud-based security and compliance platform, most recently introducing VMDR – Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response – that spans on-premises, endpoints, cloud, containers, web applications, and OT and IoT environments,” said Dan Barahona, CMO, Qualys. “I’m thrilled to rejoin the Qualys team as we bring VMDR to market, helping organisations increase their security and compliance posture while

streamlining security workflows, prioritising threats, automating responses and drastically reducing costs.” Dan has over 20 years of cybersecurity industry experience and deep business acumen. He previously served as Chief Marketing Officer for Anomali and prior to that, he was EVP Worldwide Field Operations for Qualys. “It’s with pleasure that I welcome Dan back to the Qualys team,” said Philippe Courtot, chairman and CEO, Qualys. “Dan brings to Qualys a unique breadth of cybersecurity experience covering business development, sales, and marketing leadership roles at ArcSight, Anomali, and Qualys. His extensive experience, including his knowledge of Qualys and deep technical background, will help us accelerate our go-to-market strategy as we continue to bring new, innovative solutions to market. It is great to have Dan on board to

Dan Barahona

provide his leadership and expertise as we continue to drive brand awareness for our groundbreaking VMDR solution as well as the significant expansion of the Qualys Cloud Platform coming in 2020.”

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

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

COMMVAULT ANNOUNCES NEW VP IN EMEA AND APJ

ormer Dell Technologies vice president and general manager of enterprise sales, Marco Fanizzi, and Callum Eade, former vice president, APJ for the Software Defined Data Center business at VMware, have joined Commvault as vice president of EMEA and vice president of APJ, respectively. Fanizzi has over 30 years of experience in the enterprise data industry, covering multiple geographies and sectors. According to the company, Fanizzi will drive the company’s growth objectives across more than 70 markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Eade joins the company with extensive sales and business development experience and will be responsible for driving growth across Commvault’s

diverse markets in APJ. “Marco and Callum are highly experienced, highly effective leaders and are joining an executive team with great chemistry and a history of working together and winning big,” said Riccardo Di Blasio, chief revenue officer, Commvault. “The industry’s most successful people are recognising the opportunity ahead of us. We’re focused on the needs of our partners and customers and our objectives are clear – simplify, innovate and execute. This is a new Commvault.” “Commvault has always been maniacally focused on providing value to its customers and partners. When you combine this with a history of innovation, you have a winning combination,” said Fanizzi. “Commvault was one of the first companies that bet big on solutions

Marco Fanizzi, Commvault

that seamlessly span private, public and hybrid clouds, and the recent acquisition of Hedvig and launch of Metallic solidified my belief that the direction of the company is clearly one of growth.”

CAFU ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

AFU the region’s first on-demand fuel delivery service app has announced the appointment of Clare Holburn-Archer as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Clare’s role will be instrumental in scaling the company’s growth in new and existing markets and broadening its industry reach, said a statement from the company. With a career spanning over 17 years and having worked in industries such as aviation and entertainment, Clare brings nearly two decades of marketing and communications experience to CAFU. Most recently, she held the position of Marketing Director at Emaar Entertainment where she led the

strategic planning and execution of integrated marketing campaigns for each of Emaar’s entertainment brands. Previously, Clare served as the Manager for Digital in Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand at Emirates Group, responsible for the digital strategy of Emirates Airline and Group brands, in over 100 markets. Clare said, “Driving business value through real-time conversations between brands and customers has never been more exciting. We are seeing the rise of an intelligent app economy here in the UAE as well as other regions. My role at CAFU is to establish and increase CAFU brand equity in each market. Running integrated marketing campaigns, using data driven decision making, and advanced AI techniques is essential to

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

Clare Holburn-Archer, CAFU

our success. With a number of ancillary business to launch under the CAFU brand, as well as aggressive expansion into new markets, it is essential to understand and capitalise on all marketing channels working together to achieve such growth, while deliver award-winning, exciting work in the global marketing landscape.”

APPOINTMENTS

HID GLOBAL NAMES NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO

ID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, announces Björn Lidefelt as the company’s new President and CEO. Björn joins the company after serving as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at HID parent company ASSA ABLOY, where he oversaw branding, communications, commercial development and strategy. He also has extensive experience in international sales and marketing, having spent more than nine years in Asia Pacific markets including China and Malaysia.

“Björn has had a very successful journey with our organisation, and will bring a wealth of experience and perspective from various roles and markets to HID,” said Nico Delvaux, President and CEO, ASSA ABLOY. Björn holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from the University of Linköping, Sweden, majoring in computer science and marketing. He succeeds Stefan Widing, who led HID Global for over four years. “I look forward to leading a dedicated and talented global workforce focused on delivering industry-leading solutions to

Björn Lidefelt, HID Global

governments, universities, hospitals, financial institutions and some of the most innovative companies on the planet to create trusted physical and digital places,” Björn added.

FORCEPOINT APPOINTS NEW CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER

lobal cybersecurity leader Forcepoint has announced the appointment of Nico Popp as Chief Product Officer (CPO). In this newly created role, Popp will oversee the global execution and strategic evolution of Forcepoint’s behavioralbased cloud security platform. Popp brings more than 15 years of cloud operations and product development experience to Forcepoint. He will be an integral leader in delivering on the company’s mission to be a trusted partner to enterprises and government agencies worldwide seeking a modern security-as-a-service platform to accelerate their digital transformations, said a statement from the company. Popp joins Forcepoint from Symantec, where he was senior vice president of Cloud and Information Protection leading the data and cloud security product and engineering teams. Prior to

Symantec, Popp held senior leadership roles at Verisign, RealNames, and was the co-inventor of WebObjects at NeXT, Apple, still used as the primary cloud platform for iTunes, iCloud and the Apple store today. “The race to embrace digital transformation has created enormous opportunities for global enterprises today. However, with these significant gains in digital innovation and business productivity comes an added layer of security complexity. This complexity can only be addressed by moving traditional security to the cloud. Forcepoint is uniquely positioned to capture this industry shift towards security-as-a-service,” said Popp. “The new cloud capabilities which Forcepoint is introducing through its Dynamic Data Protection and Dynamic Edge Protection security platform present a very real opportunity for customers to derive the benefits of digital transformation, allowing them to accelerate business growth and

Nico Popp, Forcepoint

desired business outcomes. This is a critical tipping point moment for the cybersecurity industry, as the legacy approaches to securing users and data must change. And with the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio available to customers today, Forcepoint is uniquely positioned to be the next recognized leader of global cybersecurity. There couldn’t be a better time to join this team and help drive forward the Forcepoint mission.”

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

18 OPINION // VMWARE

Putting people first

Ossama Eldeeb, Director, Partner Organisation, Middle East, Turkey and North Africa (METNA), VMware outlines three ways the channel can help deliver the true digital employee experience.

he need for companies to put their people first has never been greater. The ‘experience’ organisations can now offer their employees – in terms of giving them access to the right digital technologies, applications, culture and support – can now directly impact business growth and attracting and retaining talent. SO WHY AREN’T ALL BUSINESSES DOING THIS? AND WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CHANNEL? As ever, it’s often easier to say than do. Creating an optimum digital employee experience means overcoming operational, cultural and technology challenges. Specifically, it means bridging significantly siloed thinking between HR and IT teams, which is compromising the ability of organisations to deliver the digital

experience their employees are demanding. Here’s where partners play a vital role as trusted advisors – they’re invested enough to know the nuances of the business, yet objective enough to drive coordination between different departments within companies. The opportunity for businesses operating in the channel is to challenge their customers to think differently, to help bridge the gaps within organisations, to ensure the business performance case for taking a digital-first approach to employees is well understood. So, what steps can they take to do this? 1. COMMUNICATE TO COLLABORATE I’ve sat in workshops with Heads of IT and HR where it’s clear these teams rarely share conversations concerning areas of overlap. This

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

is a widespread phenomenon – 84 percent of employees in EMEA are calling for HR and IT to work better together, while just 18 percent think HR and IT collaborate all of the time. The result is a lack of coordination and unclear accountability – that’s between lines of business but also for employees. In fact, half (49 percent) of employees don’t actually know whether they should approach HR or IT about the digital experience they are having at work. With such internal confusion, partners have a strong opportunity to drive joined-up communications and connect these departmental silos, to help unshackle IT from being just the tech and distance HR from being seen as just the procedural elements of talent management. By doing so, they can help clarify roles, responsibilities and routes to internal teams better working together. Taking a joined-up

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESSES OPERATING IN THE CHANNEL IS TO CHALLENGE THEIR CUSTOMERS TO THINK DIFFERENTLY, TO HELP BRIDGE THE GAPS WITHIN ORGANISATIONS, TO ENSURE THE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE CASE FOR TAKING A DIGITAL-FIRST APPROACH TO EMPLOYEES IS WELL UNDERSTOOD.” Ossama Eldeeb, VMware

approach to this, where IT, HR, the business and employees all have a voice and a role, is essential. 2. ALWAYS THINK USER FIRST, NOT DEVICE FIRST Too often, we think of mobility and digitally empowered employees as classic office workers, emailing on the move and joining conference calls from the comfort of their homes. It’s so much more than this, and the opportunity for organisations is always thinking ‘user’ first rather than ‘device’ first. Partners can help drive this mindset shift, away from managing laptops and mobile devices towards best supporting the broadest possible needs of users. This could be employees operating in back offices, delivering customer services and sales, or working on retail stores and manufacturing floors. Whatever the specific field, organisations will require guidance to ensure the right technology supports business imperatives – managing all of the apps, all of the use-cases

– to free up IT to think differently. When approaching this, partners can offer value by thinking broad and drawing on existing insights from previous projects, across different organisations and sectors. 3. PRIORITISE PROJECTS AT SPEED; TRY SMALL AND FAIL FAST Partners also need the foresight to determine which parts of the business should be involved in each project. It’s not that every project, even those relating to the digital employee experience, will require full engagement from both IT and HR teams. But for those that do, push for seamless coordination – despite the friction that might follow. Onboarding new employees is a prime example, requiring textbook collaboration between HR and IT. The ambition here is a ‘day zero experience’ – where the new employee digitally receives all employment documentation, log-in details, preparatory questions and

onboarding information before day one of work. Delivered via a single technology platform that can simply and securely manage any app on any device, this allows the employee to return completed materials, select the workplace device of their choosing, get set-up on the corporate system and familiarise themselves with immediate tasks and training so that, as they walk in the office doors for the very first time, they can simply collect their device and go. When prioritising such projects, there’s also the need to consider trying small and failing fast. A lot of infrastructure and modernisation programmes tend to be 18 months long – ‘big bang’ plays that are sizeable in scope and complexity to deliver. In today’s world, companies can’t always afford that time – onboarded talent needs to be delivering from day one, for example. So, partners should also help organisations prioritise things at speed; fail-fast, learn quickly, be iterative and adapt for the next challenge/opportunity.

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

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21 INTERVIEW // NETAPP

Evolving beyond security Fadi Kanafani, Middle East Managing Director and General Manager, NetApp, on the evolution of video surveillance technologies and the role that storage solutions play in supporting this transformation.

CAN YOU DISCUSS WHAT NETAPP HIGHLIGHTED AT THIS YEAR’S INTERSEC? At this year’s Intersec, NetApp’s platform was geared for intelligent video applications. These applications were developed with the aim of helping organisations modernise their video surveillance infrastructure. Participating at Intersec gave us the opportunity to demonstrate our expertise in this sector and how we can help businesses get more out of data by using AI-driven analytics to derive information that they can work with. NetApp also showcased its relationship with three alliance partners: Atos, Axis and VMS. Together, we complete an offering and demonstrate our integration when we go to customers. NetApp’s E-Series storage offers VMS and analytics technologies direct, super-fast access to data along with ensuring reliability, speed, and scalability. HOW HAS THE SURVEILLANCE STORAGE MARKET GROWN OVER THE YEARS AND WHAT ARE THE TRENDS ORGANISATIONS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR IN THIS SPACE IN 2020? In the Middle East, we see emerging demand for security and surveillance. Video surveillance technology has been developing in leaps and bounds and the storage solutions to support it have also been evolving. Businesses aim to get more out of their surveillance data to make better and faster decisions and to ensure swift operations for their security teams. In addition, advances in camera technology place extreme

video surveillance systems. At NetApp, our technology is constantly evolving to ensure that we deliver what the market needs. Growth has been accelerating from a physical security perspective and we have seen development not only in the UAE but in Saudi Arabia and the region as well. HOW CAN THE COMPANY’S OFFERINGS ENABLE SMART AND SAFE CITIES? When you say smart, you have to ensure that you have the right infrastructure and right application in place to render it as smart. It also requires the eyes to see what’s going on, to see the trends, if its related to traffic or people walking around in the late night or if its related to a shopping mall and understanding the needs of your customers etc.. The common denominator for all this is a robust infrastructure that NetApp provides. We have been in that business for over 20 years and we’ve sold a million systems that has made physical and video surveillance solutions possible.

Fadi Kanafani, NetApp

ORGANISATIONS ARE BEGINNING TO REALISE THAT THEIR VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST CAMERAS AND SOFTWARE.”

demands on video surveillance storage infrastructure. Organisations are beginning to realise that their video surveillance system is much more than just cameras and software. Storage is the backbone of today’s

HOW DO YOU MARKET YOUR TECHNOLOGIES TO YOUR CHANNEL ECOSYSTEM? NetApp has its presence in three different countries in the Middle East. However, the size of the business is so large that it’s going to be naïve on our part to believe we can cover all that business. We operate in a two-tier model – NetApp to the distributor, distributor to the partner channel and then to the end customer. The landscape for storage devices has also changed and evolved rapidly. NetApp has stepped up to meet this challenge by providing the proper training to ensure its success.

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

22 EVENT // AVEVA WORLD CONFERENCE

Beyond the digital hype

Reseller ME attended AVEVA World Conference in Abu Dhabi, where the industrial software company shared customer success stories and unveiled a new enhancement to their Asset Performance Management portfolio.

Craig Hayman, AVEVA

he AVEVA World Conference, held at Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel on January 21 and 22, showcased AVEVA’s latest innovations in industrial software and featured a series of customer speakers, including Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Saudi refiner SASREF. After the opening remarks by Mohamad Awad, VP Middle East & Africa at AVEVA, the software company’s Chief Executive

Officer, Craig Hayman delivered a compelling keynote on the importance of using technology to enhance human experience. “Technology is intended to enhance the human experience, rather than eclipsing it. At AVEVA, we focus on the industrial sector – this is the sector that produces the staples of our lives: food, medicine, oil and gas to name a few,” Hayman explained. He continued by highlighting the great success the business has seen in the past year, as AVEVA became

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

the largest technology company on the London Stock Exchange and has doubled its market capitalisation. He believes the success is due to their focus on their customers. Hayman said, “Our focus on our customers and the digitalisation of the industrial sector are one of the main reasons for our success.” “Two years ago, many of our customers were just beginning to understand the concept of Industry 4.0, while today they too have begun their digital transformation efforts by driving more digitalisation into

their businesses – they are moving very fast and we are moving with them.” Futhermore, the Chief Executive Officer opined that digital transformation calls for more than just technology and ambition. It also requires trust and collaboration. He said, “At AVEVA, we have an approach to how we work with businesses to rapidly move them. We make it very visible to people of what’s going on inside their business and there are different levels of adoption to every country we work with.” The industrial software company also revealed global survey findings which identify the key investment drivers for digital transformation across 1240 EMEA, North American and APAC decision makers across nine industry verticals. According to the survey, the Middle East showed less demand for AI, while it favoured technologies such as IoT and Edge, 3D visualisation and enterprise mobility. Martin Yeomans, EMEA Lead at AVEVA, also touched on AVEVA’s growth in the region and in the UAE specifically. The company has in fact recently moved into a new and larger office in Dubai with a workforce of about 70 people, with a further 15 in Abu Dhabi. “The UAE is one of the fastest growing parts of our business. Our customers here are mainly from the energy sector, but we’re seeing water and wastewater as key growth areas in the region. The areas we are most excited about is within the future of the smart city project, with cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi taking the lead in this aspect,” Yeomans explained. At the conference, AVEVA also announced the launch of AVEVA APM Assessment, a significant enhancement to its Asset Performance Management (APM) portfolio, AVEVA Asset Strategy Optimisation and AVEVA Asset Strategy Library. Adding to AVEVA’s comprehensive preventive, condition-based and predictive software capabilities, the integrated solutions enable the workforce with prescriptive

Steen Lomholt-Thomsen, AVEVA

“OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS, WE HAVE UPGRADED OUR CHANNEL PROGRAMME AND HAVE ALSO INTRODUCED A ‘COSELLING’ PROGRAM, BRINGING TOGETHER OUR DIRECT SELLERS, RESELLERS AND DISTRIBUTORS TO CO-SELL TO DRIVE AVEVA’S BUSINESS.”

guidance, resulting in improved efficiency, safety and reliability. The Chief Executive Officer said, “Our Asset Performance Management product line

gives us the ability to take all of the operational data of an organisation’s asset, to analyse that data and predict a failure before it happens.” By deploying these AVEVA solutions, organisations can predict asset failure and then prescribe the most economically advantageous action to take to remediate potential asset failures. For company directors, these tools mean doubling production output resulting in a safer, more reliable environment for the workforce. “In the last four months, we have invested heavily in our APM portfolio and we believe that we are number one in the market in this area,” added Hayman. On the sideline of the conference, AVEVA’s Chief Revenue Officer, Steen Lomholt-Thomsen spoke about the recent developments and initiatives in AVEVA’s channel partner programme. He said, “Over the past 12 months, we have upgraded our channel programme and have also introduced a ‘co-selling’ program, bringing together our direct sellers, resellers and distributors to co-sell to drive AVEVA’s business.” Strategically, the industrial software company encourages partners to focus on industries where they have a very good footprint and the company wants to work with partners to make them grow in those industries. “We are implementing our channel partner systems and introducing new incentive models so that we can work together, be transparent about business performance and investments and partners can become an extended part of the AVEVA family,” commented Thomsen. Commenting on AVEVA’s roadmap for the future, Thomsen said, “We are bringing about 600 of our most accomplished partners to our annual kick-off in April, where we will announce the partner ecosystem, and our co-sell platform. Today our partner channel is about 30 percent of our business. In three to five years, we envision it to be close to 50 percent.”

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

24 COVER STORY

PUSHING BOUNDARIES HESHAM TANTAWI, VICE PRESIDENT, ASBIS MIDDLE EAST SHARES INSIGHTS INTO HOW THE COMPANY PLANS TO REVOLUTIONISE THE DISTRIBUTION SPACE AND DISCUSSES THE KEY THRUST AREAS FOR 2020 AND BEYOND.

ear by year ASBIS Middle East has grown solid collaborative relationships with the top worldwide vendors and suppliers of Consumer Electronics, IT products and solutions. The company is constantly strengthening its presence in the most promising segments of the fast-changing global marketplace, introducing to the portfolio new product lines

of Consumer Electronics and IT products and improving business techniques, strategies and services – with the aim to deliver the highest value to the company stakeholders. For ASBIS, 2019 was a fruitful year as the organisation had anticipated what will happen in the coming year. The company was fully equipped at the beginning of the year and installed systems on all its daily works which resulted in efficient, satisfying

WE ARE AN EARLY PICKER OF CHANGES AND THIS YEAR WE ARE FACED WITH A LOT OF CHALLENGES FROM POLITICAL TO ECONOMIC SITUATIONS.” www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // FEBRUARY 2020

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

26 COVER STORY

revenues and profits. Hesham Tantawi, Vice President, ASBIS Middle East, said, “Every year is a challenge for us. Today, the IT distribution space faces a lot of obstacles as the landscape and technology continues to change. Five years ago, the distribution method was entirely different from what happened last year and what is going to happen this year. Therefore,

every year there’s a dramatic change in the way distribution takes place.” Tantawi opined that businesses who don’t look to foresee what changes are going to happen in the market will find it tough to adjust faster. “Technology and methods of distribution are changing faster than the market would indicate. So, you’ve got to be quicker than market

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

changes. You have to be on top of the wave and not let the wave drive you,” explained Tantawi. The VP plans to push the boundaries on everything that the company is doing this year by improving the efficiencies of every single distribution move it takes. “We put forward forecasting efficiencies, we calculate logistics, days, hours, minutes, how long each

BUSINESSES WHO DON’T LOOK TO FORESEE WHAT CHANGES ARE GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE MARKET WILL FIND IT TOUGH TO ADJUST FASTER.” process takes. If we add these efficiencies to all that we do on a daily basis, I think we are going to grow our business in two digits this year.” The VP also commented that with all the organisations the company is dealing with, transparency is key. “If you look at Intel, we celebrated 22 years of working with them last year, 15 years with AMD and 28 years with Seagate and ASBIS completed 30 years this year. They are mindful of our movements. They acknowledge that we are taking the steps to open up new markets and new areas in the industry for them. Our businesses grow on the trust we have in each other.” The company also boasts that it is the sole distributor for both Intel and AMD Processors. According to the VP, trust and transparency is the company’s way of balancing between the two, which has made them one of the leading distributor’s in EMEA for Intel as well as AMD. In 2009, the company had accepted the challenge of global crisis and swiftly adapted to the changes in the environment by reviewing the product portfolio, reducing expenses and focusing on improving the cash flow and maintaining profitability level. The company’s strategy, focused on transparency to partners, vendors and investors, accompanies with strong internal management proved to be

effective during the massive changes in the market landscape. Tantawi said, “We still monitor these changes at ASBIS and do our best to be ahead of any market change. When any changes occur unestablished, we are on top of it. And this is how we have gained. We are an early picker of changes and this year we are faced with a lot of challenges from political to economic situations. Whatever we do today, we plan it and we do it. But most importantly, we think about what will happen tomorrow to stay ahead of the challenges. Furthermore, the company depends on long-lasting relationships with its partners to help them identify the right solutions to focus on and then sell them. Tantawi said, “Partners are the major success factor for ASBIS because we cannot grow without our partners growing. We’re in close cooperation with our partners. We discuss with them what we do annually, quarterly and monthly – the supply chain, the profitability drivers etc. Our goal is to continue serving them in the right areas and be the preferred partner of choice.”

PARTNERS ARE THE MAJOR SUCCESS FACTOR FOR ASBIS BECAUSE WE CANNOT GROW WITHOUT OUR PARTNERS GROWING.”

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

28 FEATURE

Importance of specialisation IT vendors have recognised the shift to specialisation over several years and almost all have now tailored their partner programmes to reflect this. Reseller ME speaks to experts to find out the benefits and the current challenges partners face when it comes to specialising in a particular skill set.

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

HOW IMPORTANT IS PARTNER SPECIALISATION AND WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR PARTNERS IN THIS SPACE? PAUL POTGIETER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, DIMENSION DATA ME Today, businesses in the Middle East, especially those in the UAE, are taking a progressive stance towards adoption of technology. This in turn translates into a high degree of complexity in the solutions being deployed. Engagements with technology providers have moved away from commodity-based discussions to a demand for innovation that contributes to positive business outcomes. Therefore, specialisation is essential if partners are to deliver innovative solutions that drive the outcomes and impact business at a process level. ZACKY VAZ, SENIOR REGIONAL CHANNEL AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER, FORTINET For partners and service providers, profitability, growth and service quality depend on the development and enforcement of well-defined technology standards. In general, this concept entails a dramatic narrowing of the range of supported technologies. From a security vendor point of view, we believe that specialised partners are very important to our business as they not only provide a solid understanding of security technology but also have extensive experience in helping customers address their security concerns with the right skills and market knowledge. SAKKEER HUSSAIN, DIRECTOR – SALES AND MARKETING, D-LINK MEA ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’ is no longer functioning as an advantage for partners. It is important that partners hone their skills and become accredited experts in niche technologies and industry-specific areas. As a specialist, partners do stand to gain a lot more benefits from their vendor partners. We reward and incentivise those resellers who have gone the extra mile through our partner programmes to get more certifications completed and become technically skilled in niche technologies and verticals that impact our business. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // FEBRUARY 2020

30 FEATURE

PAUL POTGIETER

SAKKEER HUSSAIN

ZACKY VAZ

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE CURRENT CHALLENGES PARTNERS FACE WHEN IT COMES TO SPECIALISING IN A PARTICULAR SKILL SET?

well as one of the barriers. Partners can overcome this challenge by investing in their current resources to ensure they update their skills through regular training and that certification levels are at the mark. Retention of highly qualified resources is also a challenge, as they have plenty of market opportunities. A strong incentive and rewards program coupled with a competent support team can be of great help in retaining employees.

to staying relevant to stakeholders and being seen as a trusted adviser.

Dimension Data ME

HESHAM ELSHERIF, PRINCIPAL SYSTEM ENGINEER, A10 NETWORKS Vision and agility, in my opinion, are the main challenges. IT technology gets outdated and replaced by new technologies in a very short time. Specialisation requires time, effort and money, and selecting the right area for specialisation building ensures ROI. At the same time, the agility of being prepared to adapt to the rapid developments within this sector is also key. PAUL POTGIETER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, DIMENSION DATA ME With rapid progress in ICT innovation and accelerated digital transformation across industries, the pool of IT expertise falls short of meeting resource demands. The resulting skills gap makes it challenging for organisations to commit precious resources to highly specialised domains. ZACKY VAZ, SENIOR REGIONAL CHANNEL AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER, FORTINET Cybersecurity is one of the most important aspects of specialisation as

D-Link MEA

RIFAI WAHID, DIRECTOR CHANNEL SALES â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MESA, IFS One of the challenges that partners face is to find a consultant with the right mix of skill set. There are plenty of highly qualified consultants in the region. However, some consultants lack the experience of working on software projects, while some consultants are purely technical and hence, finding the right balance can be a challenge. HAIG COLTER, DIRECTOR, ALLIANCES, THREATQUOTIENT The biggest challenge partners are likely to face are the experts who can clearly and intelligently speak to buyers. Until recently, most experts had come from defense or military backgrounds and the community was tightly knit and relatively small. Training on new technologies is vital

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

Fortinet

WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT AND RESOURCES CAN VENDORS AND DISTRIBUTORS OFFER TO PARTNERS TO STAY FOCUSED ON UPSKILLING AND RESKILLING THEMSELVES? HESHAM ELSHERIF, PRINCIPAL SYSTEM ENGINEER, A10 NETWORKS Building the right training tracks, documentations and marketing material is both a responsibility of the vendor and the distributor. Vendors and distributors must listen to their partners and give them the right focus and attention. While the partners need to be committed and allocate the correct resources at the same time. The partner needs to reciprocate the investment of vendors and distributors through regular training. It is a shared responsibility. HAIG COLTER, DIRECTOR, ALLIANCES, THREATQUOTIENT Vendors and distributors can provide training to help partners stay focused on their products while also helping them understand the entire market. It offers the partner both the

31 FEATURE expertise of the company as well as an understanding of the value that the technology can bring to the customer. If it’s done right, it’s a win for everyone involved. ARE REGIONAL PARTNERS INVESTING IN RECRUITING NEW TALENTS? WISAM YAGHMOUR, REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR – PHYSICAL ACCESS CONTROL, HID GLOBAL This depends on the market situation and on stability. Given that the MEA region is a very challenging area, partners are continuously trying to expand regionally as a preventive plan to overcome the economic and political challenges locally as well as adapt new technology solutions that will require new talents and skills. SAKKEER HUSSAIN, DIRECTOR – SALES AND MARKETING, D-LINK MEA I believe that in almost all partner organisations the desire to recruit new talent is strong. However, it is not easy to find the required talents in different technology domains. I urge all partners to look into internal training – to educate and invest in their current staff to help them develop the required skills.

HESHAM ELSHERIF

HAIG COLTER

RIFAI WAHID

WISAM YAGHMOUR

A10 Networks

IFS

ThreatQuotient

HID Global

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

32 SPONSORED

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

customers where you want them to go, have an equally essential role to play in the sales cycle, especially when it comes to impulse buying and other spontaneous purchases. Rather than wait for printed marketing collateral to be sent to store, retail-ready High Definition Colour printers give supermarkets the ability to react to a sudden heatwave, news report or online food trend by creating large and small marketing and point-of-sale materials on demand. ‘Just follow the sign’ Cost-effective and practical, this clear in-store signage not only improves the customer experience by helping them to find what they are looking for but can also be used strategically to draw shoppers towards high margin products, as well as promoting lines that are underperforming. At a time when delivering a

frictionless customer experience is high on both the online and offline retail agenda, fulfilling a basic requirement to enable customers to find what they need not only helps to promote sales but can also avoid frustrating shoppers by making them seek out an assistant to ask for help – or, worse still, driving them to abandon their shop. Small enough for use in back offices, the latest retail-ready printers offer the flexibility to create largeformat, high-impact double sided banners and floor signage, as well as instructional shelf labels and gondola frames, making the most of valuable shelf and aisle space. At the shelf-edge, rather than simply highlighting a price discount, retailers can make the most of this ability to print on demand by quoting a recent critic’s endorsement or tapping into a national marketing campaign with printed materials featuring eyecatching images and clear text. As well as promoting sales, this information can speed-up decision-making by helping to guide the undecided shopper and, crucially, make them feel good about their choice.

A study conducted by psychologists at Columbia and Stanford University found that, rather than increase satisfaction and sales, having a wide choice of products can in fact serve to demotivate shoppers, resulting in fewer sales. Rather than leaving customers feeling overwhelmed when looking at a choice of products, point-ofsale material such as price tags and product information supports decision making, empowering the customer, as well as encouraging spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous purchases. Likewise, with dietary requirements a priority for a growing number of shoppers, it can also be used to highlight a key ingredient or emphasise the fact that a product is nut or gluten-free, for example. The recipe to success - in-store printing beyond standard A4 OKI Europe’s Retail Signage Solutions include, OKI’s C800 Series digital LED A3 colour printers which are the smallest A3 printers on the market, making them perfect for the retail environment where space is at a premium. Offering the flexibility to print on pre-cut media including

small-format shelf-edge labels, price tags and shelf wobblers as well as large, double sided banners up to 1.3m even on waterproof media, suitable all around the store, from outdoor pavement signs, and alongside chilled and other fresh produce, or in the freezer aisles. Italian craft beer producer Zion has significantly increased its sales through eye-catching pre-cut collateral printed in a range of formats through OKI’s Retail Solutions. From event wristbands to bottleneckers, menus and banners, Zion has established itself as a popular brand in the crowded craft beer market by creating waterproof, tearproof collateral quickly and to a highly professional quality in-house. At a time of continued pressure for supermarkets and fierce competition for loyalty, customer experience matters more than ever. For this reason, the ability to react quickly to unpredictable seasonal weather or tap into changing food trends and dietary demands through inspirational customer-facing signage printed ondemand undoubtedly offers a vital tool in the retail armoury.

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

34 VENDOR FOCUS // WESTERN DIGITAL

Smart Security

Khwaja Saifuddin, Senior Sales Director, Middle East at Western Digital discusses how its new suite of security solutions that are infused with AI are making cities smarter.

CAN YOU TELL ME WHY WESTERN DIGITAL PARTICIPATED AT THIS YEAR’S INTERSEC 2020 – AND WHAT VALUE THE EVENT PROVIDES FOR YOUR BUSINESS PORTFOLIO? At Intersec this year, Western Digital showcased how it is pushing the boundaries of surveillance technology through the concept of ‘No Blind Spots’. With the rapid advancement of smart security, the company demonstrated its storage solutions that span from the end points such as cameras, to the core data center. These solutions are designed to handle high resolution and capacity for enhanced public safety and artificial intelligence (AI) analytics use cases. The WD Purple portfolio is an ideal companion to enhance smart video technology. Both the WD Purple microSD card and WD Purple Surveillance HDD bring internal and external solutions to the market. The WD Purple microSD card provides long lasting on-camera storage coupled with exceptional performance and reliability. The WD Purple Surveillance HDD features Western Digital’s AllFrame technology that helps create a security system tailored to the needs of the business. Intersec presents a great opportunity to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of our cutting-

product reliability and longevity that support multi-streams as well as offering scalable and built-in analytics. AI, once engrained into public safety infrastructure, could analyse thousands of video feeds generated, transforming cameras from their current form, often providing only the illusion of protection, into a realtime public safety tool for tomorrow’s smart cities and towns.

Khwaja Saifuddin, Western Digital

edge products and solutions designed to prepare our customers for the zettabyte-scale age of the future. WESTERN DIGITAL ANNOUNCED THE INTRODUCTION OF ‘NO BLIND SPOTS’ SMART VIDEO SOLUTIONS AT INTERSEC? CAN YOU TELL US HOW THIS SOLUTION IS ENHANCING PUBLIC SAFETY? No Blind Spots includes Western Digital’s thoughtfully calibrated storage solutions designed for smart video. The company’s approach encompasses products that use raw video, AI and endpoint to cloud technology. Western Digital delivers

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

IN TERMS OF VIDEO SURVEILLANCE THERE HAS BEEN SOME ETHICAL CONCERNS FROM SOME REGARDING THE INTEGRATION OF AI INTO THESE SECURITY SYSTEMS. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THOSE THAT BELIEVE BIOMETRICS, AI AND RFID IMPINGES ON THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS? With so much data available today, it is understandable people are wary of proposals that suggest even greater data collection, knowing the potential exists for misuse of the data and, consequently, violations of privacy. But the tradeoffs in the form of crime prevention, which is saving lives and property as well as positive economic impacts, argue in favor of more expansive, and more intelligent, public safety. By progressively applying new technologies to their approaches, public safety agencies could boost the number of violent

and property crimes they prevent each year from approximately 2,100 today, to 4.2 million in 2025, to 5.6 million in 2035 or possibly 81.7 million by 2040. Education and awareness will be required as a balance needs to be struck between data privacy and data responsibility where public input and oversight are necessary to ensure that video public safety systems are designed to prevent misuse and abuse. WESTERN DIGITAL HAS REALLY POSITIONED AS A LEADER IN DATA INFRASTRUCTURE AND HAS ALWAYS DISPLAYED TREMENDOUS INNOVATION. HOWEVER, IN YOUR OPINION WHAT IS THAT DIFFERENTIATES THE COMPANY FROM ITS RIVALS? Western Digital’s unmatched portfolio offers a range of storage solutions for everything from mobile to highly specialised performance drives. We are in a unique position where we innovate across the technology stack right from building a flexible foundation to enabling access to faster intelligence.

sense of the massive amounts of data generated by artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads. Businesses have a winning strategy if the elements of the right infrastructure, information architecture, skills and processes, and partnerships, are put into place to ensure data availability and analysis. This, in turn, will open a world of new possibilities with data across sectors and verticals in the upcoming year.

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

2020 IS GOING TO BE A HISTORIC YEAR FOR THE UAE WITH EXPO 2020. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR TRENDS THAT YOU ENVISAGE WE’RE GOING TO SEE OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS? Digitising initiatives will continue to flourish moving forward, with IT spending in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) set to reach $83.7 billion in 2020, according to IDC. The quest for digital transformation will also drive investments in big data and analytics, among others, which is also expected to be a key area of investment in 2020. The future is bright for dataenabled intelligence. In 2020, we will see a growing number of organisations capitalising on smarter use of the information we create, capture and store while also making www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // FEBRUARY 2020

36 PRODUCTS

REALME SMARTPHONES LAUNCHES IN THE UAE

ealme has announced its official entry into the UAE with three premium products: realme X2 Pro, realme 5 Pro and realme C2. realme has made it to the TOP 7 in 18 months and has already achieved 25 million users since its founding in May 2018, said a statement from the company. realme 5 Pro features 48 MP Quad Camera, Snapdragon 712 AIE Mobile Platform and 20W VOOC Flash Charge 3.0. It also features a 6.3-inch FHD screen (2340×1080) which offers a wider and clearer vision with “dewdrop design”. realme X2 Pro, the brand´s Full Speed Flagship arrives with the aim of becoming realme’s truly flagship model. With Snapdragon 855+ mobile platform, its 50W SuperVOOC Flash Charge can be fully charged in 35 minutes and a 90hz refresh rate screen. It also features 64MP Quad Camera

with a 20X hybrid zoom with a 115º wide-angle, a telephoto lens and a portrait lens. realme C2 is of 4000mAh battery and 6.1” HD+ display. With 19.5:9 display, the screen body ratio, reach up to 89.35 percent. Josef Wang, President, realme Middle East and Africa, said, “We are very happy to be launching this whole portfolio of products in UAE. Following our motto, Dare to leap we arrive in UAE –and GCC- hoping to provide young consumers with more surprising products within at each price range, and exceed their expectations, whether in design, performance, or quality. We want to offer a full range of dare-to-leap experiences in terms of performance, design, quality and service realme is committed to leap for the future with UAE together, bringing Quad-Camera experience for everyone. Also, we will soon introduce 5G and

XTOUCH UNVEILS ITS NEW S40 SMARTPHONE

ubai-headquartered leading mobile phone brand, XTOUCH has announced the launch of its 6.26-inch Waterdrop Notch HD IPS display screen smartphone, S40. Farhad Khan, Vice President, XTOUCH, said, “Over the years, XTOUCH has become synonyms with the most affordable brand of powerful smartphones available in the region. Once again, we are happy to introduce our latest cost effective smartphone, S40 offering revolutionary speed, enhanced power and high performance that is going to enthrall the users in the region.” The XTOUCH S40 comes with backside fingerprint sensor physical button to unlock this dual-SIM smartphone in a flash. The new device runs on Android 9.0 and is powered by Quad-core processor.

The 4GB RAM ensures a smooth and speedy multitasking operation. The 32GB storage that can be extended upto 128 GB with a Micro SD card to provide enough space for photographs, files and videos. The 6.26-inch Waterdrop Notch HD IPS display smartphone is equipped with triple back cameras 13+0.3+0.3 MP and the advanced 5MP front camera, that helps the user enjoy lightning autofocus and take bright light and vivid color images. “We are excited to begin the year with the launch of S40 smartphone that is best in class and offers satisfaction and happiness to the customers in the region,” Khan added. The new XTOUCH smartphone is now available in the UAE and is priced at AED 399.

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

AIoT (AI + IoT) products to be a tech populariser.” realme C2 and realme 5 pro will be available online and in retail stores while the realme X2 Pro can be bought exclusively on Amazon.ae.

37 PRODUCTS

SEAGATE ANNOUNCES NEXT-GEN GAMING SSDS

eagate Technology has added new high-performance external solutions to its line of storage for gamers. The Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD and BarraCuda Fast SSD deliver elite performance and convenience for gamers and power users on the go. Designed as the perfect companion to Seagate’s recently released FireCuda Gaming Dock, the portable FireCuda Gaming SSD delivers performance to help scorch the competition. Purposebuilt for gamers, it marries Seagate’s premium FireCuda NVMe 510 SSD and the latest cutting-edge SuperSpeed USB 20Gb/s (USB 3.2 Gen2×2) interface, delivering staggering read speeds of up to 2000MB/s. Optimised for performance and high on style, the drive offers capacities of 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB and features a signature chisel metal enclosure with customizable RGB LED lighting. Gamers

can personalise the drive’s full-range RGB LED with the free Seagate Toolkit software and synchronise the LEDs with a FireCuda Gaming Dock, creating an immersive setup. Also new to the Seagate SSD line-up is the BarraCuda Fast SSD offering 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB of capacity. With mobile gamers and active power users in mind, the SATA SSD external drive features rapid read/write speeds of up to 540 MB/s for improved gameplay and quick file transfers. Pocket-sized, the sleek drive features an attractive green LED and offers versatility with a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port. It is PC and Mac (exFAT) compatible out of the box, includes Seagate’s Toolkit with simple backup and sync, and a complimentary two-month subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud

Photography Plan. Available in March, the FireCuda Gaming SSD includes a five-year limited warranty and retails for $189.99 (500GB), $259.99 (1TB), and $499.99 (2TB). Seagate’s BarraCuda Fast SSD is available this February, offers a threeyear limited warranty, and retails for $94.99 (500GB), $169.99 (1TB), and $299.99 (2TB).

HUAWEI LAUNCHES MATE 30 PRO 5G IN THE UAE

he Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G is the “world’s first” second generation 5G smartphone, using Kirin 990 5G chipset that allows support for 2G/3G/4G as well as 5G NSA (non-standalone network) and 5G SA (standalone network), which allows users to be prepared for the eventual seamless transition of 5G networks from NSA to the faster and more efficient SA networks. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G also supports (5G+4G) dual SIM in addition to FDD and TDD covering a wide range of 5G frequency bands. Additionally, users can also enjoy AI Gesture Control features that allows them to complete tasks without having to touch their phone. AI Auto

Rotate will also ensure that viewing is not interrupted by automatically rotating the screen according to the angle the user is looking at the screen. Users can also use the EMUI 10 powered Multi-Screen Collaboration to wirelessly stream their device to a compatible Huawei MateBook. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G does not pre-install Google Mobile Services, and users will be able to download and enjoy the applications from the Huawei AppGallery preinstalled in the device. The smartphone comes in tones of Emerald Green and a variant with Vegan Leather Orange and is available across Huawei stores, select retailers and online platforms for a price of AED 3899. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // FEBRUARY 2020

Up to 5000 pages right out of the box before your first reload

ÂŠ Copyright 2020 HP Development Company, L.P. Learn more: hp.com/neverstoplaser 1 Constant toner self-reload using imaging-drum-in-place OEM toner supplies compared to majority of worldwide competing OEM monochrome laser printers <$250 USD and MFPs priced <$350 USD as of Nov 15, 2018. HP internal research & Keypoint Intelligence-Buyers Lab 2018 study commissioned by HP. Market share as reported by IDC CYQ4 2018 Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, 2018Q4 Release. For details, see keypointintelligence.com/HPNeverstop. 2 Based on internal HP comparison of MSRP/(MRSP for EMEA region) and cost-per-page of in-class HP LaserJet Pro M15 and HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28 with standard-fill HP 44A/48A Black Original LaserJet Toner Cartridge, as of March 2019. For details see hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies.

SOLUTIONS

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

39 PRODUCTS

NIKON LAUNCHES ITS LATEST FULL-FLEDGED FX-FORMAT D780

ikon Middle East FZE has unveiled the new D780, the latest model, succeeding the Nikon D750. The new D780 sets the standard for next-generation cameras featuring evolved autofocus (AF) system with easy-to-view optical view finder and high AF precision in low light situation. The D780 is further complemented by NIKKOR’s extensive selection of highperformance interchangeable F mount lenses along with improved battery life all condensed into a compact, high performing body.

Narendra Menon, General Manager, Nikon Middle East FZE said, “The D780 is a highly versatile and agile DSLR camera with significant upgrades from the well-loved D750 camera. We’ve refined the D780’s autofocus functions so that photographers can achieve higher focus accuracy when shooting both photos and videos, along with optimisation in operation layout and ergonomics so that they can shoot in comfort when they are out and about. A combination of the latest technology from our newest products will also impress the owners of the D780.”

LENOVO LAUNCHES “WORLD’S FIRST” 5G PC

ACER DEBUTS CONCEPTD PCS AND WORKSTATION

cer has announced its new line of ConceptD creator PCs with Windows 10 convertible notebooks and a powerful workstation. The ConceptD 7 Ezel series features Acer’s Ezel hinge that allows for five usage modes. “We’re expanding our ConceptD line with new convertible notebook form factors to support professionals in their creative endeavors,” said Jerry Kao, Co-COO, Acer.

“Ideally suited for professionals creating 2D and 3D work, we’re excited to expand the line with these powerful new tools that can assist more creators.” The ConceptD 7 Ezel and ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro convertible notebooks will be available in Q2 in EMEA, starting at EUR 2,499 and EUR 2,999 respectively. Meanwhile, the ConceptD 700 workstation will be available in Q1, starting at EUR 1,699.

enovo announced the launch of its Yoga 5G PC at CES 2020. It’s a 2-in-1 ultra-portable laptop, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx 5G Compute Platform. The laptop weighs 1.3kg and allows its users to log in either through the fingerprint scanner, or via infrared camera. Lenovo says that the Yoga 5G delivers highspeed 5G network connectivity, that’s up to 10 times faster than 4G, through a 5G service provider when on the move and reliable WiFi access at home. The Lenovo Yoga 5G comes sporting a 14inch Full HD IPS touch display, with 400 nits brightness and narrow bezels on all sides. As with all Yoga devices, this one too comes with the digital pen.

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

40 PRODUCTS

RING’S FIRST-EVER INDOOR SECURITY CAMERA LAUNCHES IN THE UAE

R PRESTIGIO UNVEILS THE CLICK&TOUCH KEYBOARD

restigio, an ASBIS owned brand has introduced the “world’s first” touchpad on keyboard, Click&Touch. Externally, it does not appear different from other keyboards but when you touch its keys, you realise that it can function not only as a keyboard, but also as a touchpad or mouse. TOP FEATURES OF CLICK&TOUCH KEYBOARD: • Automatically switches between keyboard and touchpad modes; • • Supports gestures: cursor control, click, scroll, media sliders; • Greatly simplifies interaction with smart TVs; • Opens opportunities not provided by a remote control; • Does not require special software; • Provides connection of up to 5 devices simultaneously via 3 connection channels; • Compact and lightweight, saves space on your desktop The keyboard system itself determines which mode you are working and automatically switches between the keyboard and touchpad mode. This allows you not to think about the input device, the control is intuitive. Scrolling is activated intuitively, just like any other action — just swipe with two fingers on the keyboard. On the keyboard system, you can scroll through videos and change the volume level using media sliders. The keyboard functions effectively with its main task – typing. Click&Touch is a universal option for PC, TV, interactive screens and other devices. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // FEBRUARY 2020

ing has announced the company’s firstever indoor-only security camera. With its compact design, the new Ring Indoor Cam can be mounted just about anywhere in the home and features up to 1080p HD video, motion zones, night vision, two-way talk, and motion-activated recording. The device also includes privacy features that enable users to disable motion and audio recording right from the app, and an indicator light that displays whenever the camera is recording. Ring has also announced the third-generation Ring Stick Up Cam which can be installed indoors or outdoors and features up to 1080p HD video, motion detection, night vision, two-way talk, and a wide viewing angle. Jamie Siminoff, founder and Chief Inventor, Ring, said, “We’re excited to bring customers our most affordable camera yet, and provide even more security options with Ring Indoor Cam and the all new Ring Stick Up Cam. As a team of inventors, we are constantly pushing ourselves to identify innovative, cost effective and easy-to-use security products that make our neighborhoods safer. With our growing lineup of both indoor

and outdoor cams, varying in size and functionality, our customers have choices when determining how best to secure their homes.” Ring Indoor Cam is available in the UAE on Amazon.ae, Dubai Duty Free, Jumbo, Sharaf DG, and Virgin Megastore for AED 249 (including VAT). The third-generation Ring Stick Up Cam is available – PlugIn and Battery options for AED 399 (including VAT) at Amazon.ae, Dubai Duty Free, Jumbo, Sharaf DG, and Virgin Megastore.

41 REVIEW

HACHI INFINITE

A SELF-DEVELOPED AUTOFOCUS ULTRA-SHORT DLP AI DEVICE WHICH COMBINES AI TECHNOLOGY AND ANYTOUCH FUNCTION THAT WORKS ON ALL FLAT SURFACES AND ENABLES RESPONSIVENESS ON PAR WITH CAPACITIVE DISPLAYS.

achi Infinite is a visual assistant and portable projector that turns any flat surface into an interactive touchscreen. It features an ultrashort throw DLP and a 500 lumens HD display of up to 120 inches from just half an arm’s length away. Unlike projectors with basic touchscreen capabilities, Hachi Infinite employs a proprietary multitouch technology called AnyTouch that works on all surfaces and enables responsiveness on par with capacitive displays. Coupled with high-precision sensors and deep learning technology, Hachi Infinite enables more intuitive interactions with users to create an enjoyable and immersive experience for kids

and adults alike in learning, cooking, fitness and other settings. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor, a new hardware framework, Hachi Infinite features built-in Android OS 9.0 and a custom UI, which allows users to enjoy third-party apps, games and entertainment with touchscreen functionality. The portable projector also offers voice control and wireless

pairing across iOS and Android devices from any location. With the application of Google’s tensorflow framework, Hachi Infinite combines intelligent vision with family use case. In veritical projection mode, Hachi Infinite recognises letters through front-end cameras to help children learn English words and parents can also participate in it. This brings a new interactive experience. In the kitchen, Hachi Infinite’s front-end camera can identify salmon, fruits and other ingredients. It can also automatically analyse the nutritional ingredients and calories and match the corresponding recipes for users. Through in-depth learning, Hachi Infinite can continuously identify more ingredients and promote online kitchen to have a better application experience.

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

42 REVIEW

HP ELITE DRAGONFLY ARTFULLY CRAFTED TO STANDOUT, DESIGNED TO BE POWERFUL AND HARDENED WITH SECURITY, HP’S LATEST HP ELITE DRAGONFLY REDEFINES WHAT IT MEANS TO WORK WITHOUT COMPROMISE WITH UP TO 24.5-HOUR BATTERY LIFE IN A DURABLE SUB ONE-KILOGRAM DESIGN.

oday’s mobile business professionals need to move freely between conference rooms, campuses, airports, rideshares, and wherever work strikes. HP Elite Dragonfly is designed to make a bold, personal statement. It is lightweight and powerful offering the “world’s longest” battery life in a 13-inch business convertible with up to 24.5-hour battery life and the latest Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. Optional gigabit-class 4G LTE allows workers to connect and collaborate from almost anywhere with the world’s first business convertible with 4x4 LTE antennas. HP Elite Dragonfly is also the world’s first business convertible with preinstalled personal wellbeing software, HP WorkWell. LIGHT AND DURABLE: • World’s lightest compact business convertible at under one-kilogram, precision crafted from CNC-machined Magnesium

•

for durability in a commanding, iridescent Dragonfly Blue. Say goodbye to clicking sounds with a redesigned ultralightweight quiet and backlit keyboard and a new lightweight touch pad for an ultra-smooth working experience. Offers the world’s highest screen to body ratio in a 13-inch business convertible at almost 86 per cent and instantly transforms from tablet to PC.

SMART AND PERSONALISED: • Make health measurable and actionable at work with HP WorkWell software. • Coaches users to take breaks and provides individual productivity tips. • HP is helping users find a healthy work and life balance with personalised wellness recommendations. POWERFUL AND SECURE: • Verified to the target specification

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

• •

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and key experiences of Intel’s “Project Athena” innovation program. Experience best-for-business performance with an 8th Gen Intel® Core™ vPro™ processor. Wi-Fi 6 offers up to three times faster file transfer speeds than Wi-Fi 5 for higher performance in high density environments. HP Sure Sense defends against malware attacks on mobile workers using the power of artificial intelligence. HP Sure Recover with Embedded Reimaging gets users back up and running fast— anytime, anywhere.

Mobile professionals also need maximum productivity when they touch down in the office. A device like the HP Elite Dragonfly is perfect for capturing ideas, collaborating, and working on the go. The HP Elite Dragonfly is expected to be available in EMEA from November, starting at €1299 (excluding VAT).

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