42 minute read
Companies Should Make Simple Switches to Innovative Tech
Jason McMillan, the Sales Director of Epson Middle East, speaks about his company’s participation at GITEX this year
Advertisement
Which products and solutions will you be showcasing at GITEX Technology Week?
Epson continues to support customers across industry verticals to make simple switches to innovative technologies in order to become more sustainable and cost-effective. Epson’s technologies can also support social distancing in back-to-work and back-to-school.
In the office, business leaders can leverage from Epson’s interactive display solutions, business inkjet printers and scanners.
Epson’s interactive display solutions can scale up to 155 inches in full HD or 350 inches in total and have a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio to safely bring people back together and maintain social distancing in meetings rooms and conferences, while still able to see material being presented in meetings. It can manage up to 50 devices in a collaborative engaging environment. The interactive display solutions can offer a more flexible, inclusive, collaborative, and memorable solution than flat panel screens. Middle East offices that adopt simple but effective and sustainable business inkjet printing solutions can reduce touchpoints, enhance employee efficiency, reduce servicing, save energy, reduce waste and CO2 emissions, whilst also saving money. Larger enterprises can similarly adopt safety measures such as de-centralizing printing fleets. Rather than having one large printer that everyone uses, organizations can opt to place smaller printers around the office to reduce the gathering of people. Epson document scanners for business & office offer superior performance at a significant value, ideal for customer-facing environments with a requirement for high efficiency and speed which can help reduce the long queues and gatherings. Many offices can also scan and email documents as PDFs rather than handing them out – further reducing the number of touchpoints and continuing to foster the socially-distanced office. Contactless printing solutions, such as Epson Print Admin, can control paper and ink wastage, as printing is only completed when an employee swipes their card to release their print job. Contactless printing solutions can also reduce the number of touchpoints as people swipe cards. Cloud-based solutions, such as Epson Connect, can allow employees to remotely print documents from their mobile devices instead of going to a printer to scan or copy documents. Channel partners can use remote servicing software such as Epson Remote Services to reduce on-site repair visits that can in turn reduce any potential health risks, increase first-fix success, and costs in servicing printers and business downtime. Which also means a more sustainable option by reducing commuting to lower our environmental footprint.
What are your expectations from the event this year?
Epson’s commitment to the region is underlined by our participation at GITEX, the region’s largest and most innovative technology event. Epson is continuing to support our investment in the Middle East, especially in our key markets of the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
We are continuing to hire talents across the region and to bring innovative solutions to the market.
GITEX is an ideal opportunity for Epson to demonstrate how innovative technology solutions can enable a return to work and life, especially in the office and in educational establishments, amid the “new normal” environment. We are also helping to foster greater sustainability aligned with nationwide transformation agendas such as UAE Vision 2021, Saudi Vision 2030, and Egypt Vision 2030.
We will emphasize our support for supporting industry verticals such as business offices, education, retail, tourism, and hospitality, and manufacturing to adopt the latest technology innovations to fuel their business growth.
Epson’s solutions in interactive display solutions, visualizers or document cameras and business inkjet printers can support socially-distanced offices and classrooms. Our solutions in digital signage, mobile point of sale (PoS), and industrial label printers can help retailers, malls, and hotels and resorts to differentiate customer experiences.
Our line of SureColor Large Format Printers can support innovation in textile manufacturing, especially in Egypt and Jordan. And our advanced industrial robotics and Moverio smart glasses can support the Middle East in reshoring manufacturing and help workers on factory floors.
Do you hope for a business relief from the pandemic based on your engagements at the event?
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Epson has posted continued business growth on our B2B and B2C products and solutions in the Middle East. We are seeing strong demand for supporting remote and hybrid working and learning environments for our business and consumer customers.
We are continuing to put our customers first, especially at GITEX, which remains the most important technology event in the Middle East, and one of the largest and most innovative worldwide.
Thanks to our robust supply chain, Epson has not faced any disruption in our product and solutions pipeline. Epson has even shifted our global production facilities in order to ensure that we are continuing to maintain the availability of our solutions.
Avaya has announced its participation at the 2020 edition of GITEX Technology Week, where the company will demonstrate solutions that address post-pandemic business challenges and prepare organizations for the new world of work. Avaya’s presence at GITEX Technology Week, the only in-person global technology exhibition of 2020, will be supplemented with a large footprint on GITEX Unlimited, a digital platform that enables remote visitors to experience the event from the comfort of their homes and offices.
Under the theme ‘Every Experience Matters’, the technologies on display are based on Avaya’s multicloud application ecosystem that delivers effortless, seamless, and context-driven experiences across all touchpoints for customers and the employees who serve them. The event comes as IT and business leaders are grappling with a raft of fast-moving challenges and uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Avaya’s recent ‘Work from Anywhere’ survey found that 72 percent of businesses have been revisiting their overall business model due to the changes brought on by COVID-19. And an even larger number, 80 percent, are rethinking their customer experience. At GITEX, Avaya will address these challenges with a solution portfolio, powered by AI, automation and layered innovation, that enables businesses to create the future customer experience center and future digital workplace and realize shorter time to value.
“The world is very much adapting to new business models – a fact made obvious by GITEX Technology Week’s decision to adopt a hybrid approach for its 2020 edition. COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation by several years, and amid that shift, it’s become clear that increased focus needs to be placed on delivering incredible experiences across every touchpoint. We’ll be at GITEX to demonstrate how every experience matters, felt by a customer or employee and whether it’s online or in-person. And that prioritizing those experiences is the key to business success in the new future of work,” said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Avaya International.
At the heart of Avaya’s presence at GITEX is Avaya OneCloud, a unique hybrid delivery architecture that protects investments prevents disruption and ensures multi-experience continuity across each phase of a personalized cloud journey. Visitors to the Avaya stand at GITEX, as well as to its virtual booth, will discover real-world examples of Avaya OneCloud technologies in action, with AI-powered workflows providing employees with the context and virtual assistance they need to create memorable experiences.
Saudi Ministry of Interior to Present New Innovations at GITEX 2020
In co-operation with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), Saudi Ministry of Interior (MOI) is participating for the sixth year at GITEX Technology Week, 6-10 December 2020, Dubai World Trade Centre.
The initiative highlights the latest technological innovations, systems and applications, as well as many smart initiatives supporting data-driven and AI-based digital transformation efforts, especially those adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In line with the digital transformation strategy consistent with the Saudi Vision 2030 aimed at enhancing performance, the Absher platform includes over 200 e-services that benefit more than 17 million verified users, and serve citizens, residents, visitors and businesses.
The platform played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic, by reducing the number of visits required to security and government service centers through the provision of high quality services to individuals, companies, institutions and government agencies via governing procedures.
The Tawakkalna app plays a major role in enabling a safe return to normal life through a set of remote service features, in addition to contributing to the management of this year's Hajj by making Hajj permits available through the application.
Tabaud app is a contact tracing app, notifying users who were in contact with people infected with coronavirus over the previous 14 days. The application leverages the latest technologies developed by Google and Apple, while maintaining the privacy of users and the confidentiality of their data. KSA was the third country in the world to utilizing these applications and technologies, which helped the relevant authorities, especially the Ministry of Health, in managing the COVID-19 crisis.
The Broouq platform is a visual and secure communication platform, developed to enable government entities to hold their internal and external meetings remotely during the pandemic crisis. The tool was used to hold the first virtual summit of G20 leaders, as well as 200 other key meetings.
MOI partnered with SDAIA and Elm company to launch the Absher Challenge (Absherthon). The Challenge invited ideas to help improving existing services offered by the Ministry of Interior. The competition also aims to ensure a better life for citizens and residents of the Kingdom, by utilizing modern technologies such as AI, IoT, Big Data, Blockchain, and drones
Huawei Focuses on Creating New Value Together at GITEX 2020
During this year’s GITEX Technology Week 2020, Huawei is collaborating with partners from around the world to showcase how governments and organizations in the Middle East can create new value through synergy across five tech domains. As this year’s 5G Innovation Partner, Huawei has strengthened its commitment to the region’s technology ecosystem by confirming its largest ever GITEX Technology Week presence at the 40th anniversary edition of the event.
As 5G has been rolled out at scale in the region and worldwide, Huawei believes that connectivity, cloud, AI, computing, and industry applications are now truly coming together to create unprecedented opportunities for society. Huawei is thus focusing on applying ICT technologies to more industries through scenario-specific solutions that help enterprises to enhance their business, and governments to achieve strategic goals related to domestic productivity and improving overall governance.
Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East, notes: “This year’s GITEX Technology Week comes at a time when the true value of ICT has become increasingly clear. Keeping people, businesses, and communities connected even when physically apart is more essential than ever. Through open collaboration, the ICT sector can accelerate the development of the digital economy, in turn contributing to sustainable growth and supporting national transformation agendas in a post-pandemic world.” GITEX visitors will not only see a demonstration of new technologies, but current and future-oriented applications that Huawei has developed with its global partners for customers in government, energy, transportation, finance, and more. Huawei’s regional leadership team is also connecting with attendees through participation in many of the individual GITEX conference tracks. During these sessions, the company will share best practices in helping to build smart enterprises, campuses, and cities, leveraging its depth of industry know-how and experience in more than 170 countries worldwide.
In addition, Huawei will host a “Igniting Innovation Through Education” virtual summit dedicated to the unique requirements of today’s education sector, and what the ICT community can do to bolster digital learning, support new academic models, and promote ICT innovation in line with countries’ national development visions.
Huawei will also host its sixth 5G Ecosystem Conference bringing together vertical industries, 5G ecosystem partners, and 5G operators. Recognizing the COVID-19 outbreak challenges, 5G is essential for societal development and business continuity during the pandemic, as well as for economic recovery post the pandemic. Participants will share insights on the 5G network values, and explore 5G applications both for consumer and industry, to harvest more remarkable achievements in business and social values.
VMRay, a provider of automated malware analysis and detection solutions, today announced that it will be participating at GITEX Technology Week 2020, to be held from 6-10 December 2020 at Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE. This year at GITEX Technology Week, VMRay will be showcasing the industry’s most comprehensive and accurate technology for automated analysis and detection of advanced threats.
“We’ll demonstrate how our technologies differ from other solutions. We strengthen our customers’ capacity to detect unknown malware and provide their Incident Response and SOC teams with the tools to handle the growing volume and diversity of threats with far greater speed and precision,” explained Ilijana Vavan, Chief Sales Officer at VMRay. “At GITEX, we’ll present for the first time our Email Threat Defender technology with its unique capability of detonating and analyzing suspect URLs at time-of-delivery rather than time-ofclick. This powerful solution lifts protection from email threats and phishing attacks to a new level.”
The company will present its complete portfolio consisting of three products that addresses specific Incident Response and SOC requirements:
VMRay Analyzer enables IR teams to quickly analyze and protect against the full spectrum of threats, including advanced malware and phishing attacks. • Deep-dive threat analysis with full visibility into malicious activity, noise-free reporting • Streamlines threat analysis by automating every stage of the process • Enhances threat intelligence through automated generation of IOCs from analysis results
VMRay Detector is the key to scaling automated detection across the organization and the nexus for integrating the VMRay Platform with other security systems. • Delivers a detection verdict indicating whether a file or URL is malicious • Machine-readable detection results can be widely shared with other tools (SOAR, EDR, etc.) • Fully automated detection process, without human intervention
VMRay Email Threat Defender complements anti-Spam and anti-Phishing solutions and detects email threats that other defences miss. • Scans incoming mail and extracts potentially malicious attachments and URLs • Accurate detection, without human intervention • Scales easily to support increased email volumes without hurting performance
Italy’s Startups Double Their Presence at GITEX Future Stars
Italian Trade Agency (ITA) has selected 20 innovative SMEs from Italy’s booming start-up sector to showcase their unique solutions at GITEX Future Stars 2020. As a nation with a history of innovation and creativity led by masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Italians have a unique sense to match innovation with solutions that make life better, and this sensibility has extended into the technology sector, making Italy a fast growing technology hub in Europe.
Participating for the third time at GITEX Future Stars, this year the Italian pavilion has almost doubled in size and the number of participants now stand at 20, compared to 10 companies that participated last year. Technology highlights at the Italian pavilion include blockchain solutions to solve the issues of counterfeit products, use of Artificial Intelligence to complement personal services in the HORECA sector, Semantic Web and Sentiment Analysis digital solutions, platform to expedite “Digital Transformation” in healthcare applications, solutions for vertical gardens, Smart Farming solutions and contact-tracing and social-distancing systems; and more.
Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the United Arab Emirates, says: “Thanks also to a very advanced regulatory framework to promote the establishment and growth of new innovative enterprises with a high technological value, the number of Italian start-up companies has boomed over the years, with 11,500 start-ups registered in Italy as of July 2020. Despite these difficult times, we are therefore happy to bring to GITEX Future Stars, a number of Italian start-ups who are keen to present their innovative solutions to an inspiring ecosystem of companies, active investors, venture capitalists and visitors from over 60 countries.”
According to Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE and Director of ITA: “Italy is a country with a tradition of innovation, historically supported by industries like automotive and fashion, but we also have a fast-growing tech ecosystem. With the onset of the pandemic, the importance of technology in keeping us all safe and connected with minimal disruption to work, has become more evident than ever. Italy started pursuing a strategy of digitalization when the pandemic struck, offering several rounds of stimulus for the technology sector this year. Technology is the future and, not by chance, 18% of new Italian startups are founded by under 35. At the Italian pavilion in GITEX Future Stars, visitors will get a true picture of the new Italian Leonardos and their creative and innovative tech solutions.”
The Italian pavilion is in Sheikh Rashid Hall, stand SR-04, Dubai World Trade Centre from December 6-9, 2020.
Trackimo, an American-Israeli IoT solution provider that develops the world’s most compact and cost-effective tracking devices looks to connect with UAE’s telecom operators during Gitex. Global mobile operators such as Verizon, Vodafone, Telefonica, among several others have already rolled-out Trackimo’s personal safety and asset tracking products to their customers. The most successful Trackimo consumer IoT product launched recently is the Vodafone Curve Tracker, which was recognized by the Financial Times as ‘the best tracker ever’. The company is also looking at establishing a strong relationship with Bahrain’s Batelco, the leading integrated communications provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Trackimo was also the sponsor of the very first historic Israel-Dubai Conference held in UAE that featured senior Israeli executives and leading prominent companies and government officials from the UAE. Shai Bar-lavi, CEO, Trackimo, said, “We want to bring our global industry expertise to the UAE and Bahrain after having worked with some large mobile service provider in Europe, the US, and other parts of the world. For instance, Vodafone UK has expanded its consumer smart tech offering with the launch of smart GPS tracker, Curve. Basically, Curve allows users to stay connected to the people and things they love, sending them alerts and updates straight to their mobile from a distance.
Trackimo has confirmed its participation in GITEX Technology Week 2020 and will be present at booth Z2-B1 located in Zabeel Hall 2. The company specializes in making trackers that work seamlessly indoors and outdoors, worldwide. Trackimo’s smart GPS (Global Positioning System), GSM, Wi-Fi trackers are purposed for personal, professional, industrial, and commercial use.
“As the average person loses four items a month mainly keys, Curve could be valuable for those who want to keep track of regularly misplaced or valuable items – whether it’s laptop bags to cars, keys, and backpacks. With 41 billion smart devices predicted by 2027, and the Internet of Things (IoT) sector forecast to grow annually by trillions of dirhams, the launch of such product such tracking devices emphasizes a telecom operator continued innovation through the creation of smart devices and digital experiences, connected by its mobile network. We want to be part of this next phase of innovation and join forces with the telecom operators in UAE and Bahrain,” said Amit Shaked, Chief Operating Officer, Trackimo.
“We are delighted to be part of this first face-to-face show of the year and are looking forward to personally demonstrating our latest patented tracking capabilities to a variety of industries at the Gitex event in December,” added Shai. Hosted between December 6th and 10th at the Dubai World Trade Centre, GITEX Technology Week brings together buyers from the world’s largest tech buyers in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia to test and collaborate with game-changing innovations from niche startups and global tech giants.
MBZUAI to Outline the Critical Role of AI in Fighting COVID-19 at GITEX 2020
Dr. Mohammed Yaqub, Assistant Professor at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world’s first graduate-level, research-based artificial intelligence (AI) university, will discuss the critical role played by AI in the fight against COVID-19 and improving healthcare outcomes at a high-level session at GITEX 2020.
Dr. Yaqub will lead the talk, ‘How does AI Help Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic?’ on the first day of GITEX on December 6. Dr Yaqub will show how AI helps detect, respond to, and recover from the pandemic, as well as predict infection progress and facilitate healthcare solutions to tackle the pandemic. AI will be central to enabling improved healthcare outcomes from the novel coronavirus, and accelerated research to improve the understanding and treatment of COVID-19.
Dr Yaqub, who leads research in healthcare applications for AI at MBZUAI, will speak at the GITEX Future Stars: AI Everything stand, from 12-12.30pm on December 6. MBZUAI experts will be available at GITEX to discuss the application of AI across key sectors serving UAE National Priorities. Dr Yaqub will participate in the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (ADDA) session entitled ‘AI in Healthcare: challenges, opportunities, responsibilities, and the future’, discussing the challenges in adopting AI for healthcare problems. He will outline how implementing AI solutions to solve these problems increases the responsibilities of entities such as patients, researchers, industry, government, and healthcare bodies, while exploring the future potential of AI in healthcare. The session will be held in the ADDA Theatre from 4-4.30pm on December 6.
“AI has come to the fore in 2020 due to its successful application in combating the spread of the novel coronavirus,” said Dr. Yaqub. “From research into vaccines to faster diagnoses, AI-based technologies have elevated the healthcare, scientific and research sectors by providing new tools to augment current capabilities. This is not just helping in the fight against COVID-19, but also accelerating solutions in current and future healthcare problems.”
Veeam to Show Best Practices to Protect, Manage and Unleash Data
Veeam Software, the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management™, today announced its participation at GITEX Technology Week, taking place between 6 -10 December at the Dubai World Trade Centre. This year, Veeam’s participation is centered around the theme ‘Protect, Manage and Unleash Data’, referring to Cloud, Cyber Security and Modern Data Protection as the three pillars that form the foundation driving Digital Transformation (DX) and enabling organizations to unleash the power of their data to deliver a rich customer experience.
The company will have both a physical and an online booth on the new GITEX.Virtual.Platform. As part of the GITEX Conference Program, Claude Schuck, Regional Manager for Veeam Software Middle East, will be participating as a speaker in the ´Smart Cities & 5G´ panel discussion on ´Boosting Efficiency in Business and Industry with 5G’.
“I am very excited to take part in GITEX, and looking back, I can attribute much of our success to the relationships we have initiated and fostered at the event and I expect this year to be no different. After months full of virtual meetings and interactions, my team and I are eager to personally meet with our partners, customers and prospects again while respecting safe meeting protocols and social distancing guidelines. I look forward to meaningful and memorable interactions that will strengthen our local presence and open up the pipeline of new business for 2021,” said Claude Schuck.
As part of Veeam’s mission to help regional organizations transition to the cloud and accelerate their DX journey, Veeam will present its entire suite of software solutions with a focus on the Veeam Cloud Data Management Platform for modernizing backup, accelerating hybrid cloud and securing enterprise data.
With close to half a year of ‘work-fromhome’ under their belts now, the remote workforce across the globe has started getting comfortable in their new living room-offices, and some companies are making this permanent. Along with work, entertainment, shopping, education, socialising - activities that would have earlier required one to step out of the house, have been brought, quite literally, into the palms of our hands, through our phones and laptops.
As we have graduated to living lives online with streaming services, e-commerce, e-learning, and social media - we have also made ourselves increasingly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and cyber-criminals have responded to this by shifting their focus to attacks on mobile devices. In the work from home scenario, data protection is becoming an increasing concern. Without the protected IT framework of an office, systems and their data can become vulnerable to malicious forces.
According to research by Kaspersky, the number of attacks on mobile users reached 68,063 in the United Arab Emirates between January to June 2020. In other Middle Eastern countries, Egypt faced 220,000 cybersecurity breaches, Saudi Arabia saw 160,000 attacks in five months, followed by Kuwait (20,000) and Oman (15,000).
In the recent months, cyber-attacks have risen to become one of the biggest threats to the digital health of corporations – with even the most heavily protected businesses becoming vulnerable to data breaches. The UAE has foiled about 120,038 cyberattacks in July, UAE’s state news agency WAM reported citing the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). In fact, malware accounted for 78 percent of the attacks prevented by the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) – there were also a number of phishing attacks stopped.
These not only pose a threat to sensitive company data, but also cause serious loss of production time, man-hours, revenue, while impacting the company’s reputation and inviting potential regulatory fines. It is therefore imperative to ensure you brace your company and employees with preventive measures to minimize such risks, instead of preparing to deal with consequences.
Today, there are various simple ways in which corporations can ensure that employees remain secure while working remotely, keep company data safe, and have a healthy digital experience as they navigate their new work-lives from home. Here are a few ways the companies can go about doing so, without overwhelming employees with complex directives and regulations.
Is Your Data as Secure as Your Home?
With our homes doubling up as offices, people are now increasingly using the same set of devices for both work and recreation - this puts not only their personal information at risk, but also risks exposure to sensitive company data. Physical security, firewalls, anti-fraud measures - these were all far more effective when everyone was accessing official data at work, protected with enterprise-level security, but not anymore. One of the most common downsides to working from home is unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
While your employees are physically in the office, the company IT department can control the security of the Wi-Fi and LAN networks that are being used. Since home Wi-Fi networks may use weaker protocols (WEP instead of the more commercially used WPA-2, for example), it not only makes devices directly vulnerable, but also exposes them to hacks on other personal devices connected on the same network, such as mobile phones, digital assistants, smart appliances, and so on.
There are a few ways to avoid this. Companies should issue advisories around router protocols that are the safest to use while working from home – i.e., a WPA-2 or higher, and ensure that employees assign it strong passwords that are frequently updated. Regular and comprehensive trainings must be provided to all employees to educate them on how to identify and mitigate threats to data security, and to secure systems in remote working, in line with EU GDPR guidelines, or the relevant laws that are followed by the organisation. There is also merit in providing them with simple instructions or training in creating separate subnets for each home device that uses their home router, to ensure that even if one of their devices is compromised, the others remain secure.
Don’t Let Data Get Caught in the Phishing Net
Another leading cause of data breaches, especially in recent times, is phishing scams. Taking advantage of people’s anxiety to know more about the COVID-19 crisis, there have been several instances of fraud emails and SMS messages linked to information about COVID being shared. This is a common strategy used by scammers to hoax unsuspecting people under the guise of sharing important information and data, followed by infecting your device with ransomware. With the lack of robust firewalls by home networks, this can unfortunately be a common occurrence.
This can be remedied via simple instructions issued to employees, starting with emphasising the importance of double-checking each link they click on. As a company policy, while using official email, any links or attachments received from an unknown sender, should not be clicked on at all. A handy tip to share with employees while looking for fraudulent emails is to check the way it’s written/formatted - if they have obvious typos, grammatical errors, or misspelled words – one should avoid them.
Ensuring Closed-Door Meetings
The most significant tech adoption for companies adapting to work-from-home has been using video calling software for team meetings - which means a proportional increase in the potential for trouble as well. These platforms, if not used correctly, can very often be unsecured and open to uninvited guests, which is anyone with a meeting link, thereby providing adept hackers a gateway to an employee’s system and the data it houses. However, there are simple solutions to ensure your official meetings remain secure and the data on the systems remain protected.
Meeting hosts should ensure they “lock” their virtual conference rooms, or password-protect each meeting, and not share meeting links on open platforms such as social media so as to avoid virtual gate crashers. Regulations for remote meetings should mandate the updating of video calling software regularly so that it’s equipped with the latest security upgrades and bug fixes.
Although 6 months of working remotely have made most of us semi-experts in wielding technology, doing so correctly is key, especially when organisational data is in the mix. Corporations need to be vigilant in their approach to data security, educating and monitoring employees regarding network security, usage of work devices on unsecured routers, inactive accounts lurking in the corners of the internet, and the latest software upgrades. Now that remote working is here to stay for the foreseeable future, these handy tips and a little foresight can ensure round-the-clock security for both your company and employees.
Ensuring Digital Safety and Security THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Written by Sam Curry, CSO, Cybereason
In mid-2020, the Cybereason Research Team detected an active campaign that targeted Brazilian customers of MercadoLivre, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Latin America. The purpose of the campaign was to infect users with a new multi-stage malware called “Chaes.” This threat used Living Off the Land binaries (LOLbins), or binaries natively supplied by the operating system, along with other open-source tools to evade detection by anti-virus tools. Such stealth augmented Chaes’ ability to steal sensitive information including login credentials, credit card numbers and other financial data from MercadoLivre customers’ browsers. It also helped the threat to covertly take screenshots of victims’ infected machines. The Chaes campaign is likely just one of many sophisticated threats online shoppers could encounter during the 2020 holiday season. And with a recent report from Criteo finding that 65% of UAE consumers are more comfortable shopping online than in store, this year, here are some specific recommendations that individuals can follow to ensure their digital safety and security for the 2020 holiday season.
Be Wary Around Email-Based Offers
It’s not uncommon for customers to receive emails advertising special offers and sales from retailers and e-commerce platforms during the holidays. The issue is that these emails might not be legitimate. Indeed, the messages might originate from attackers masquerading as trusted entities. These types of attack emails could carry malicious links that redirect recipients to fake login portals designed to steal customers’ account credentials or financial data. They could also carry malware that steals users’ information and/or holds it for ransom. Acknowledging that threat, users should exercise caution around clicking links in unsolicited emails from retailers and e-commerce platforms. That’s especially the case if those emails claim to advertise special offers and sales. Customers can instead cut and paste promo codes that might be included in the emails and use them after visiting the retailer or e-commerce platform website.
Exercise Payment Card Prudence
Threats like Chaes give attackers the opportunity to steal users’ payment card information. With those details, malicious actors can make fraudulent purchases in the customer’s name. They can also monetize that information on the dark web by offering it in a sale or auction of stolen data. In response, users should consider protecting themselves against credit card fraud by enabling alerts on their payment card accounts and by reviewing their payment card bills for suspicious activity. They might also think about augmenting their financial security by developing a payment card strategy for the holidays. For instance, they could choose to use one card for holiday purchases and temporarily suspend all of their other cards. That way, they can limit the damage (and the recovery time) if malicious actors compromise the details of a user’s holiday payment card. Users can then take things one step further by placing fraud alerts or security freezes on their credit reports to prevent malicious actors from using stolen information to open new payment card accounts in their victims’ names.
Spoil Yourself with a Password Vault
As they hop from website to website during the holidays, customers might be inclined to make things easier for themselves by setting easy-to-remember passwords on their web accounts. They might even be tempted to reuse the same password across multiple web accounts. In doing so, however, users could potentially expose themselves to account takeover attacks where malicious actors use brute forcing, online data dumps and other resources to try to authenticate themselves on a user’s account. If successful, nefarious individuals could then use a working set of credentials to try to conduct password reuse attacks and thereby authenticate themselves across some of the user’s other web accounts that might be protected by the same set of credentials. Users can protect themselves against the threats listed above by protecting each of their services with a strong, unique password. Remembering each of those passwords might get difficult if they have multiple accounts online, however. In response, users can splurge before the holiday season by buying themselves a subscription to trusted password vault software. Such tools not only store account credentials for customers, but they also help users generate strong passwords for each of their accounts. So in summary, exercise caution around email links, lock down payment cards and invest in a password vault. And with that, all that is left to be said is, I hope you have a secure and happy holiday season.
4/5 Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G
AED 1799
Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G smartphone comes with a 6.67-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor.
It comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. The Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G runs Android 10 and is powered by a 5000mAh non-removable battery. The Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G supports proprietary fast charging.
Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 series in February this year and just a couple of days ago, they announced their new Mi 10T series. The Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G comes packed in minimalist white packaging. Upon opening it up the first thing you see is a paper sleeve.
Inside that, you get a clear protective case and some paperwork that includes the quick start guide and the warranty information. Digging deeper, you get a 3.5mm audio to USB-C converter if you are still using your favorite pair of headphones and don’t want to switch from it just because you got a new phone.
You also get a USB-C cable that’s orange in colour at the connectors and a 33W fast charger. On the right edge of the device, you get the volume rockers, and just below it, there’s a power button that also doubles up as the fingerprint scanner.
Apart from the fingerprint sensor, you can also unlock the device by using face recognition. On the bottom of the device, you get the speaker grille, the USB C port, and the dual SIM card slot. On the top, you get the IR Blaster and noise-canceling microphones.
The overall design and build quality are top-notch. The phone has a metal frame running around it, while the front and back are made of glass. On the front, you get a 6.67-inch display that offers a whopping 144Hz refresh rate. The maximum resolution it offers is 1080-by-2400 pixels and a pixel density of 395 PPI.
The panel used on the smartphone is the LCD variety to keep costs low. But, the display looks really nice irrespective of what you play on it. Under the hood, the Mi 10T 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor.
The phone runs on the Android 10 operating system with Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 running on top of it. You also get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. The overall UI is quite clean and intuitive to use. And the spec list is enough to power most apps on the market including games.
The performance felt smooth and we did not encounter lags or stutters when flipping through multiple app windows. Gaming sessions were quite good too and the gameplay felt quite fluid. Turn the phone around and you come face to face with a triple camera setup.
This camera module includes a 64MP main camera that offers an f/1.9 aperture. You also get a 13MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.4 aperture, a 5MP Macro lens with f/2.4 aperture, and a sensor for the Auto Focus. The phone was able to capture some amazing shots under good lighting conditions.
To check out the real-world performance, we went to The Fresh Market in Al Aweer. As you can see in the video above, the images are quite vibrant and crisp. The videos captured natural and the colours popped out. On the front, you get a 20MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture for all your selfie requirements.
In terms of battery, you get the 5000MAH variety that offers a battery life of a little more than a day without needing a recharge. For a price of AED 1799, the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G is worth the money you spend on it.
4/5
$ 695 ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3060 Ti OC
NVIDIA announced its new GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards today. These graphics cards are expected to feature the GA104-200 GPU with 4864 CUDA Cores. On the sidelines, all GPU manufacturers will out their very own iteration of the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards, with ASUS being one of them.
The company has launched the ROG STRIX RTX 3060 Ti OC onto the market and Gadget Voize was able to prepare the benchmarks well in advance to go live with this review as soon as the graphics cards were announced on the market by ASUS.
Coming to the specifications, the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti features the GA104 GPU which confirms that this is the second GPU to feature the said chip.
The GA104-200 GPU on the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti graphics card features 4864 CUDA Cores, 80 ROPs, clock speeds 1410 MHz base, and 1665 MHz boost. Based on the specs, the card can deliver an effective compute horsepower of 16.2 TFLOPs. These are also the default clock speeds for the card.
For memory, the graphics card features 8GB of GDDR6 memory which runs across a 256-bit bus interface. The memory clock for the GDDR6 memory is maintained at 1750 MHz or 14 Gbps effective which rounds up a total bandwidth of 448 GB/s. The pixel and texture fillrate are both at 133.2 GPixel/s & 674.3 GTexel/s, respectively.
The card comes packed with a dual-bios design with performance and silent mode. Its three fans start to spin and cool once the GPU warms up. maximum power draw for providing performance. There is something new on the spec list, too – support for PCI-express 4.0.
In order to gauge the real-world performance, we put the card through bunch of benchmarks. Ion the 3DMark: Night Raid tests, it scored 56329, while its graphics score stood at 118197. In the 3DMark: Fire Strike tests, it scored 23690, while its graphics score stood at 30124.
In 3DMark: Fire Strike Ultra, the card scored 7514, while the graphics score stood at 7536. In the 3Dmark TimeSpy tests, the card was able to score 11374 and the graphics score stood at 12356. In 3Dmark Port Royal, the ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3060 Ti GAMING OC was able to score 7045.
The graphics card was able to keep its operating temperatures well inside the borders. For this benchmark, we used a test bed that consisted of the Intel Core i7 9700K as the processor, ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI APEX as the motherboard, ASUS ROG THOR 850W as the PSU, and GSKIL TridentZ 3200MHz CL14 2x4GB as the RAM.
This card is sort of a mass product for gaming enthusiasts, and it can run games at 4K. You also get WQHD and Full HD. In terms of the audience, the 3060 Ti series will appeal to those looking for a gameplay experience in WHQL resolution. For anyone who is looking for a gaming GPU that is offered at a pocket-friendly price, offers good performance, and good rendering quality, the ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3060 Ti OC perfectly fits the bill.
4/5
AED 2500
AOC G Line Second Gen CU34G2X
AOC’s new G Line Second Gen CU34G2X is a 34-inches curved gaming monitor that offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz, a response time of 1ms, and a widescreen aspect ratio of 21:9. The monitor offers a WQHD resolution at 3440-by-1440 pixels and a brightness of 300 nits.
The AOC CU34G2X is built using Samsung’s curved VA (Vertical Alignment) panel. Now, this panel offers a static contrast ratio of 3,000:1, 178° viewing angles, and true 8-bit colour depth. The CU342X is also a curved gaming monitor and offers a 1500mm radius curved panel.
The monitor also supports Adaptive-Sync technology that ensures your monitor’s refresh rate is always synced with that of your processor. You also get HDR technology that improves picture quality by delivering better contrast and colour accuracy.
Inside the box, the monitor comes with a stand and base, both of which feel quite sturdy. No tools are required to attach the monitor panel to the stand. You also get a bunch of cables that include the DisplayPort, HDMI and USB. An IEC power cord provides the necessary electricity to power up the monitor. In terms of the design and build quality, the monitor gets full marks. It offers a stylish design and some gamer-inspired accents all around it. The monitor also offers a wide range of ergonomics, including up to 130mm height adjustment, +/- 30° swivel, -5°/23° tilt, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility. When it comes to connectivity, you get a boatload – there are two HDMI 2.0 ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs, a headphones jack, and one upstream + four downstream USB 3.0 ports (one with quick charging). Keep in mind, though, that the HDMI 2.0 maxes out at 100Hz at 3440-by-1440. For 144Hz, you will need to use DisplayPort 1.4. If your GPU has DP 1.2, you will be limited to 120Hz at 3440-by-1440. The monitor also supports FreeSync over all four ports.
In addition, you also get features such as Picture in Picture, Picture by Picture, and High Dynamic Range support. The OSD menu is very user-friendly, and navigating through it via the four small hotkeys beneath the bottom bezel was easy, too.
When it comes to performance, the AOC CU34G2X truly shines. The colour and contrast, the in-game details and so on, just pop off the screen. The colours didn’t look oversaturated at all and everything looked very natural. It also offers good video processing and a fast refresh rate.
In terms of screen uniformity, the CU34G2X showed no visible issues, even at the edges. The anti-glare layer is fitted tightly, making that performance even more impressive. The picture modes include a uniformity option that couples up with the included calibration data sheet very well by raising the black
levels. Recently, ultra-wide curved monitors have become a sort of “go-to” for most gamers out there. The AOC CU34G2X is a great ultra-wide curved gaming monitor that ticks most of the points that gamers are looking for in a good gaming monitor.
For a price of AED 2500, the AOC CU34G2X offers excellent value for money; immersive image quality with high pixel density, contrast, and a wide colour gamut; plenty of gaming features including FreeSync; and ergonomic stand and rich connectivity options.
$35 1MORE Omthing AirFree TWS Earbuds 3/5
The market for True Wireless Stereo earbuds has been growing lately and we have seen new entrants on the market to cash-in on the demand. 1MORE is such a brand that launched its Omthing AirFree TWS earbuds for a very attractive price tag of $35, which kind of hits the sweet spot for those looking for quality at an affordable price point.
The earbuds come packed in a minimalist packaging. Upon unpacking, you get the charging case that already comes with the earbuds snuggly seated in, two pairs of extra eartips, a USB-C charging cable, and the quick start guide.
The overall design and build quality of both the charging case and the earbuds are quite good for budget-friendly TWS earbuds. While its charging case isn’t the smallest on the market, it is small enough to slide into any pocket. The lid closes magnetically and there is one LED-light at the rear of the charging case, which lights up when it is charging.
The earbuds themselves are IPX4 rated – so it can withstand light rain and is also sweat resistant if you are into workouts. The earbuds have a smart design – this includes an oval-shaped part with a big round bump and a tiny stem that sticks out of the ears – this includes the microphones.
The earbuds are very light – so these can perfectly be used for all sorts of workouts. Touch controls on the earbuds again are quite minimal. You can tap twice on the right earbud to pause/ play music, while tapping twice on the left earbud will activate the voice assistant. There, however, are no controls to changing the music track or change the volume level.
The earbuds come with a 7mm dynamic driver that offers an impedance of 16 ohm and a sensitivity of 121 dB. The frequency response of the earbuds ranges from 20 Hz and 20 kHz. The earbuds offer a maximum output of 5 mW. In addition, the capacity of the charging case is rated at 550mAh. The total charging time of the charging case and the earbuds is 1.5 hours.
On a full charge, you get around 4 hours worth of listening time. The charging case offers a further four lc time of charging of the earbuds. Each of the earbuds also come with two noise control microphones and single LEDs on the earbuds that light up in two colours — white and blue.
For a budget-friendly TWS earbuds, the Omthing AirFree performed quite well. Sound quality was quite good for the price point it is available at.
Lows and mids were clearly defined and there was a punch in the highs. Bass performance was average, but that is expected in pocket friendly earbuds. There is no noice cancellation feature on the earbuds though.
The 1MORE Omthing AirFree TWS Earbuds is available at a price of $35. For this price, you get value for money – so if you are on the market for a quality at an affordable price point, you should definitely consider the 1MORE Omthing AirFree TWS Earbuds.
3/5
AED 799
Realme 7i
Realme has been on a launching spree and the company recently announced the availability of the 7i on the regional market. Priced at at very attractive AED 799, the phone offers good features and performance for those wanting a quality product at a pocket-friendly price tag.
Inside the box, you het the handset, an 18W fast charger, a USB Type-C cable, a Protective Case, the SIM card tool, and the quick start guide with the warranty card. On the right edge, you will find the power button and the volume rockers. On the left edge, you will find the dual SIM + microSD card slot.
On the bottom edge, you will find the USB-C port, the 3.5mm jack, and the phone’s single speaker vent. The Realme 7i comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen display that offers a resolution of 720-by-1600 pixels and a refresh rate of 90Hz. Under the hood, the Realme 7i is powered by a 2-GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor.
It also comes packed with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space, which can be further expanded using the microSD card slot. The Realme 7i runs Android 9 operating system and also comes with Realme’s very own Realme UI V1.0 on top of it. The phone is powered by a 5000mAh battery and also supports the company’s 18W Quick Charge function which takes just 30 minutes to charge up to 33%.
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Realme 7i comes packed with a quad camera setup. Now, this includes a 64-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture, a 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture, and a 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture. There’s a fingerprint scanner just next to the camera module.
On the front, the also sports a 16-megapixel camera for selfies, with an f/2.1 aperture. Apart from the dedicated microSD card slot, the Realme 7i comes with a dual-SIM capacity that accepts Nano-SIM cards. The phone is available in two colours – Aurora Green and Polar Blue. Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor.
In terms of performance, the Realme 7i is quite breezy when it comes to multi-tasking between multiple open apps. We did not encounter any issues when shuffling between multiple open app windows. The photography and videography capability of the Realme 7i is very good.
The camera app is clearly arranged and simple to use -you get options to shoot portraits, night mode, full-64MP, and videos right from the main screen. Other options include macro mode, Google Lens, slow-mo, time-lapse, and pro mode. The depth of field while taking the picture is hassle free, too.
The display offers an outstanding 90Hz refresh rate at a pocket-friendly price point. However, it also does not offer the goodness of a Full HD display. Having said all of that, there’s a lot that is going on for the Realme 7i. If you are on the market for a good entry-level smartphone, but are on a strict budget, the Realme 7i could be one of the options you could consider.
