Arabian Reseller - February 2020 by Rysha Media

FEBRUARY 2020

www.arabianreseller.com

Vol. 2. Issue 2.

i see you!

The Middle East Commercial Security Market is Slated to Grow Further

Ten CIO Predictions

GDPR Transforming Businesses

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Ignore Zero Trust

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CONTENTS 

08 09

NEWS

AVEVA Focusses on Delivering End-to-End Digital Transformation Capability

Threat Actors Pivot Toward More Targeted Attacks, Evasive Exploits

Raqmiyat Partners With Ivanti for the GCC Region

Hystax Partners with VAD Technologies

Retailers Look to Hybrid Cloud as They Search for Flexibility

ASUS Customers Can Now Upgrade to a Free 2-Year Perfect Warranty

SentinelOne Gets New VP for EMEA Region

16 

06 24 26

F E AT U R E S T H I S M O N T H Motorola Radios: Be Safe, More Efficient and More Productive 10 CIO Predictions: 20202025 How GDPR is Transforming Business Practices

Why Organisations Can No Longer Ignore Zero Trust

Becoming a Data-Driven Business Leader

SD-WAN Should Integrate Network & Security Functionality

EDITORIAL

FEBRUARY 2020

EDITOR IN CHIEF Chris N. Fernando chris@ryshamedia.com

CHRIS N. FERNANDO EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Commercial Security Market Will Experience Growth Over the Next Two and Half Decades

Intersec 2020, one of largest commercial security trade events in the region, concluded recently. The event saw more than 1,100 exhibitors from 56 countries, as global industry sources predicted a 10% annual growth of the Middle East security sector over the next two years. Meanwhile, a study conducted by 6W Research, which was commissioned by Intersec, concluded that the Middle East’s commercial security market will be worth $8.4 billion, which is around AED 30.85 billion by 2025. The report further suggested that the market will demonstrate a 16% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next two and a half decades. Infrastructural investment, rising risk of perceived threat activities, government mandates, and stringent implementations are leading to increased adoption of commercial security in the Middle East. The integration between the security systems, such as access control and video surveillance, simplify

security management and increase cost efficiency. Regulatory bodies in the GCC have laid down strict rules for installation of surveillance cameras for almost all market sectors, along with 180-day video storage. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Vision 2030, Dubai Expo 2020, and economic pickup in the next few years, among other factors, will all play vital roles in growth of the region’s commercial security sector. Inside this issue, we have covered the latest news from Intersec 2020 and we have regional experts commenting on the outlook for the commercial security industry this year. Spread across this issue are also expert opinion pieces from key industry experts who offer their views on a wide range of topics. So, go ahead and leaf through this issue. And please do not forget to send us your valuable comments in making Arabian Reseller even better!

SALES AND MARKETING Ranbir Sen ranbir@ryshamedia.com

DEPUTY EDITOR Edward Frank edward@ryshamedia.com

SENIOR WRITER Priyan Sampath priyan@ryshamedia.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER John Christy info@ryshamedia.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Prarthana Mary prarthana@ryshamedia.com

DIGITAL TEAM Context Media LLP, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. www.arabianreseller.com

C O N TA C T I N F O R M AT I O N Rysha Media LLC, Sharjah Media City (Shams), Al Messaned, Al Bataeh, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Email: sales@ryshamedia.com Web: www.ryshamedia.com

While the publisher has made all efforts to ensure the accuracy of information in the magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors whatsoever. Copyright @ 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

Motorola Radios: Be Safe, More Efficient and More Productive ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

Stay connected when seconds count using Motorola twoway radios, technology designed to keep you in touch. From first responders to employees and staff, Motorola two-way radios are designed to meet your needs with instant and discrete communication that can withstand harsh worksite conditions. Motorola Solutions offers a wide range of communications solutions that include ASTRO 25, TETRA, MOTOTRBO (DMR), Licenses Two-Way Radios, Unlicensed Two-Way Radios, and Consumer Walkie-Talkies. Because Motorola offers a wide assortment of digital twoway radios, there’s a perfect solution for every role. Comfortable, ultra-light, digital portable radios fit the needs of employees who work in customer-facing roles. Mobile fleets will benefit from in-vehicle mobile radio solutions with exceptional voice quality, even in noisy environments. Plus, some Motorola two-way radios are built to be rugged and water-resistant, able to withstand whatever your day throws at it. People in both businesses and government agencies depend on Motorola for reliable voice and data communication. Motorola digital mobile and portable two-way radios have the latest digital technology while seamlessly integrating two-way radio

features like push-to-talk. Motorola understands that not all businesses who want the convenience of instant communication have the same needs when it comes to equipment. That is why they offer an impressive line of products suitable for the many varied requirements of businesses today. Choosing the right kinds of radios to meet your needs can save you time, money and aggravation. Minerva Technologies is here to help you choose the Motorola digital radios that best meet your needs. Features available on many Motorola digital radios also play vital roles in promoting versatility, making them useful for a variety of business applications in different industries. Below you will find a list of some of the more popular radio features available on some Motorola radio devices: • Digital signal: better call range and signal reception • Intelligent audio: automatically filters out background noises • IMPRES Batteries: smart batteries that extend battery life • Safety features: Lone Worker, Man Down, Emergency call • Radio-embedded GPS: allows you to monitor location of radios and workers

using them Every business—and the people who work there—have specific needs. That’s why Motorola offers a full line of accessories to make your radios more comfortable and practical. These accessories include: • • • • •

Spare batteries Multi-unit chargers Earpieces Speaker mics Carry Cases

As you can see there is a wide range of accessories available for your units that make them easier to carry, and in some cases, to conceal, for easy and discrete communication. Contact Minerva Technologies today to learn more about your digital radio system options and the solutions we offer to best fit the communications needs of your business or agency.

Check out the first video in the Minerva TechTalk series. In the video, tech experts from Minerva Technologies answer commonly asked questions about Motorola radios: http://tiny.cc/MinervaTechtalkMotorola For more information, contact Minerva at: marketing@minerva.ae

NEWS

Cisco Launches a Comprehensive Security Architecture IIoT Networks have become the foundational backbone for the operational technology (OT) that underpins critical infrastructure including energy, transportation, and manufacturing. Organizations increasingly require real-time access into the data these systems hold to improve production, manage costs, and enhance safety metrics. Cisco has introduced an IoT security architecture that provides enhanced visibility across both IT and OT environments and protects industrial processes. Cisco’s new solutions enable the collection and extraction of data from the IoT edge so organizations can increase efficiencies to make better business decisions and accelerate digitization projects. “Organizations need complete visibility into the most disparate of network environments in order to secure their industrial edge, lower the risk of cyber threats, and optimize industrial processes,” said Osama Al-Zoubi, Cisco CTO for the Middle East and Africa. Cisco’s new IoT security architecture innovations include: Securing the Industrial Network Environment: Cisco Cyber Vision is the first software-based security solution for automated discovery of industrial assets delivered via Cisco’s Industrial IoT (IIoT) networking portfolio. Cisco Cyber Vision analyzes traffic from connected assets, creates segmentation policies in Cisco ISE and DNA Center to prevent lateral movement of threats across the operational environments, and is powered by Cisco Talos’ threat intelligence, providing real-time monitoring of cybersecurity threats to industrial assets and processes that affect uptime, productivity, and safety. Data Governance from Edge to Multi-Cloud: Integrated with Cisco’s industrial networking, Cisco Edge Intelligence simplifies the extraction of data at the network edge. It streamlines the data delivery to multi-cloud and on-prem destinations to improve the competitiveness of an organization and helping businesses better manage data throughout critical aspects of its life cycle from start to finish. Cisco has removed the complexity of a multi-vendor, multi-data, and multi-asset infrastructure to deliver simple IoT cybersecurity solutions that can be managed on any of Cisco’s gateways, switches, or routers, bringing end-to-end security and simplified data management together.

AVEVA Focusses on Delivering End-toEnd Digital Transformation Capability 18 months on from completing its combination with Schneider Electric’s industrial software business AVEVA is positioned as the first company in the engineering and industrial software market to comprehensively address the end-to-end digital transformation imperatives with an integrated portfolio of solutions that deliver efficiency, unlock value and empower people across the lifecycle of capital assets and operational value chains. AVEVA’s portfolio integration over the 18 months since the merger was based on its customer engagements across the oil and gas, chemicals, food and beverage, power, mining, and smart infrastructure markets. AVEVA’s portfolio capability has been validated with real-life digital transformation imperatives across these segments and has already delivered measurable value. “With over 16,000 customers and over 100,000 sites that deploy our technology, AVEVA’s experience and portfolio are already proven,” commented Craig Hayman, CEO AVEVA. “In addition to growth across all regions and product categories, our strong sales performance led to in promotion to the FTSE 100 earlier this year. We continue to innovate our technology in collaboration with our customers to increase agility, enable them to pursue new market segments, to reduce costs and improve the profitability of their businesses.” For greenfield and brownfield capital projects, AVEVA provides a unified engineering environment with common

ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

information that can be used across all stages of the capital project and between owner-operators and engineering contractors, from conceptual design to handover. This increases collaboration across all stages of the project and breaks down silos between specialized engineering disciplines and project stages in a new and unique way, so that customers can reduce risk and deliver on time and budget, cutting total installed cost by up to 15% saving hundreds of millions of dollars. Once plants are in operation, AVEVA’s portfolio enables never before realized enterprise-wide visualization of engineering, operations, and maintenance information in real-time through the AVEVA Unified Operations Center to increase visibility and enhance decision making across the enterprise. AVEVA’s Value Chain Optimization solutions, enables customers to eliminate information silos and integrate critical business processes across the operational value chain, unlocking hidden value and improving profitability. AVEVA’s portfolio provides a digital thread across the capital asset lifecycle and operational value chains, providing real-time access to relevant and useable information at every stage and enabling customers to automate actions and make more informed decisions that help to create new ways to deliver cost savings or production efficiencies, reduce risk and to maximize margins.

NEWS tion, sandbox detection and bypass techniques, resulting in a multitude of variants and the development of newer and more sophisticated exploit kits using fileless attacks instead of traditional payloads to a disk. While malware decreased 6% globally, SonicWall observed that most new threats masked their exploits within today’s most trusted files. In fact, Office (20.3%) and PDFs (17.4%) represent 38% of new threats detected by Capture ATP.

Threat Actors Pivot Toward More Targeted Attacks, Evasive Exploits SonicWall has announced its annual threat report findings, which highlight the evasive tactics cybercriminals leverage to target businesses and consumers. “Cybercriminals are honing their ability to design, author and deploy stealth-like attacks with increasing precision while growing their capabilities to evade detection by sandbox technology,” said SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner. “Now more than ever, it’s imperative that organizations detect and respond quickly, or run the risk of having to negotiate what’s being held at ransom from criminals so embolden they’re now negotiating the terms.” Rapid response has proven to be invaluable when stopping the damage caused by cyber threats to systems, hardware, daily operations, and brand reputation. The SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) cloud sandbox service discovered nearly 440,000 malware variants in 2019 (1,200 per day), with findings reported to malware repositories two days ahead of public submissions. With its patent-pending Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection technology, SonicWall identified more than 153,000 never-before-seen malware variants (145% year-over-year increase) — attacks that traditional sandboxes are subject to miss. SonicWall immediately deploys new malware signatures across all active customer solutions, instantly shielding them from attacks. The 2020 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report provides in-depth information and analysis of the cyber threat landscape. Major findings of the report include:

Cybercriminals change approach to malware: ‘Spray-and-pray’ tactics that once had malware attack numbers soaring have since been abandoned for more targeted and evasive methods aimed at weaker victims. SonicWall recorded 9.9 billion malware attacks, a slight 6% year-over-year decrease. Targeted ransomware attacks cripple victims: While total ransomware volume (187.9 million) dipped 9% for the year, highly targeted attacks left many state, provincial and local governments paralyzed and took down email communications, websites, telephone lines, and even dispatch services. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a treasure trove for cybercriminals: Bad actors continue to deploy ransomware on ordinary devices, such as smart TVs, electric scooters and smart speakers, to daily necessities like toothbrushes, refrigerators, and doorbells. SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers discovered a moderate 5% increase in IoT malware, with a total volume of 34.3 million attacks in 2019. Cryptojacking continues to crumble: The volatile shifts and swings of the cryptocurrency market had a direct impact on threat actors’ interest to author cryptojacking malware. The dissolution of Coinhive in March 2019 played a major role in the threat vector’s decline, plunging the volume of cryptojacking hits to 78% in the second half of the year. Fileless malware targets Microsoft Office/Office 365, PDF documents: Cybercriminals used new code obfusca-

Encrypted threats are still everywhere: Cybercriminals have become reliant upon encrypted threats that evade traditional security control standards, such as firewall appliances that do not have the capability or processing power to detect, inspect and mitigate attacks sent via HTTPs traffic. SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers recorded 3.7 million malware attacks sent over TLS/SSL traffic, a 27% year-over-year increase that is trending up and expected to climb through the year. Side-channel attacks are evolving: These vulnerabilities could impact unpatched devices in the future, including everything from security appliances to end-user laptops. Threat actors could potentially issue digital signatures to bypass authentication or digitally sign malicious software. The recent introduction of TPM-FAIL, the next variation of Meltdown/Spectre, Foreshadow, PortSmash, MDS and more, signals criminals’ intent to weaponize this method of attack. Attacks over non-standard ports cannot be ignored: This year’s research indicated that more than 19% of malware attacks leveraged non-standard ports, but found the volume dropping to 15% by year’s end with a total of 64 million detected threats. This type of tactic is utilized to deliver payloads undetected against targeted businesses. The 2020 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report is the result of threat intelligence collected over the course of 2019 by over 1.1 million sensors strategically placed in over 215 countries and territories. SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers collected and analyzed over 140,000 daily malware samples, blocked over 20 million daily malware attacks and recorded 9.9 billion malware attacks. SonicWall Capture Labs spotlights attack trends to help organizations and users stay ahead of cyber threats as attackers become more targeted and move into business-critical systems.

CHANNE L TALK

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise to Hosts Global Partner Summit in Dubai ALE, operating under the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise brand, hosted its Connex20, its global partner conference, in Dubai from February 4-6, 2020. It is the first time ALE hosted the global Connex in the Middle East. Over 1000 ALE partners from across the globe attended the three-day summit. The company recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary and has now moved confidently into the new decade with the Connex20 partner conference in the UAE. The conference featured speakers including ALE CEO, Jack Chen, and Rukmini Glanard, Executive Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, and other senior ALE leadership members who shared 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. “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 individuals.” During the summit, executives hosted 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 also presented the roadmap for new ALE solutions designed to help partners solve growing key business issues for customers. The company also laid out its plans to support ALE partner community success with Cloud, Network and Communications solutions tailored to key vertical markets. During the prestigious Connex event, ALE also recognised and honoured 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 fulfill this vision,” added Glanard. ALE has a robust regional partner network with over 100 partners across the Middle East. With customers from education, hospitality, healthcare, retail, transportation and government, the company has maintained a strong market share for its Cloud, Networking, and Communications solutions.

Raqmiyat Partners With Ivanti for the GCC Region Raqmiyat is now a regional business partner and authorized reseller of Ivanti products and services for the GCC region. Ivanti delivers solutions that unify IT and security operations to better manage and secure the digital workplace. Ivanti provides solutions for the integrated management of desktops, servers and mobile devices in the enterprise. It offers insight and management of devices, workflow integration, and optimal automation through a wide range of solutions such as endpoint security, IT asset management (ITAM), IT service management (ITSM), identity management and unified endpoint management to drive business growth.

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By leveraging this partnership, Raqmiyat aims to address the need for digital transformation for enterprises by enabling our customers who want to unify IT on-premises or in the cloud. Commenting on this partnership, 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.”

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Ivanti products to be offered by Raqmiyat include:

ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

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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 optimization.

Husni Hammoud, General Manager, Ivanti Middle East, said, “This partnership will provide us the opportunity to showcase the Ivanti Unified IT vision and solutions to customers and organizations in order to sustain their competitive edge, achieve higher efficiency and the ultimate goal of digital transformation. With Raqmiyat’s expertise and competency, we aim to further grow and strengthen our market dominance in the region.”

CHANNE L TALK

CyberKnight Launches its Operations in UAE CyberKnight Technologies hosted an official reception to announce the launch of its operations in the Middle East. The event took place at the Radisson Blu Media City on the 29h of January, in the presence of CyberKnight’s leadership team and over 40 industry stakeholders including vendors, and channel partners. During the reception, CyberKnight’s innovative “Art of Cybersecurity Distribution” concept, as well as, its Zero Trust Security (ZTX) Framework were unveiled.

Hystax Partners with VAD Technologies VAD Technologies has announced a long-term business alliance with Hystax to deliver the newest cloud technologies to customers in the GCC and the Middle East. Hystax offers a hybrid cloud management platform designed and developed to make digital transformation a straightforward process. Combining Hystax technology and VAD Technologies’ Distribution network unlocks multiple opportunities for serving the financial, industrial, education, telco, healthcare, government and SMB sectors, offering high-demand software. It’s the premier solution to implement digital transformation projects and simplify the following processes: • • • •

Control budget and provisioning Manage workloads and optimize resources Forecast cloud costs prior to migration Provide cloud backup and business continuity

Hystax delivers software to migrate a variety of workloads from any source platform, whether it’s cloud environment or bare metal. Fully automated

solution with consistent background replication, storage-agnostic snapshots, and orchestration functionality allows companies to avoid any performance impact during migrations and ensure industry-best, minimal Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) values. “New technologies are fundamentally changing the way we do business. However, companies are still facing challenges related to cloud IT infrastructure implementation and optimization. Through our partnership with VAD Technologies, we deliver solutions to address these challenges and help lay the foundation for cloud-driven innovation to thrive,” said Nick Smirnov, CEO at Hystax. “We are excited about our new partnership with Hystax in the region,” said Mario M. Veljovic, General Manager at VAD Technologies. “We are constantly acquiring disruptive next-generation technologies to ensure that our Partners can always offer the latest and greatest to their customers. Hystax fits perfectly and underlines VAD’s commitment to the Cloudification of our Technology Portfolio.”

CyberKnight Technologies, a company founded in 2019, is a cybersecurity value-added-distributor (VAD), headquartered in Dubai, covering the Middle East with on-the-ground presence in Saudi Arabia and all key Middle East markets. The ZTX (Zero Trust Security) framework incorporates emerging and market-leading cybersecurity solutions that protect the entire attack surface, by leveraging AI, to help security teams at enterprise and government customers fortify breach detection, accelerate incident response & remediation while addressing regulatory compliance. CyberKnight’s portfolio is made up of following market-leading vendors: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Crowdstrike (EDR & threat intelligence) Attivo (Deception) EclecticIQ (Threat intelligence platform) RiskIQ (Attack surface management) Flashpoint (Deep & dark web threat intelligence) Seclore (Data-centric security) Phishrod (Security awareness and training & anti-phishing platform) Zimperium (Mobile threat defense) MobileIron (Mobile device management) CyberInc (Browser threat isolation) Core Security (Automated penetration testing) Stealthbits (Data access governance & Active Directory security) Immersive Labs (Gamified cybersecurity training) Valimail (Automated DMARC enforcement) Seceon (AI SOC)

Xtouch Technologies Partners With Movi Movi and Xtouch Technologies have announced the partnership whereby Movi will become the video technology partner of XTouch Android smartphones and devices. Xtouch smartphones will be gradually equipped with Movi video players giving their users the power to feel, mix, share and experience their videos by enabling real-time motion interaction without remote control like fixed control buttons.

Commenting on the partnership, Farhad Khan, VP of Xtouch said, ” We are happy to partner with Movi, which provides a superlative video experience with mobile devices, which will help our customers to enjoy with the videos in a mobile phone in a playful way to touch, feel and live the videos.” Movi is an active video player built specif-

ically for modern smart devices enabling consumers to fully utilize the capabilities of modern touch-based smartphones. With Movi video player consumers are able to control & interact with their videos in real-time: zoom in & out, play videos in super slow-motion/ frame by frame, glance quickly through, create their own mixes & share with a tap to their social networks.

NEWS

Huawei Sues Verizon for Patent Infringement Huawei filed patent infringement lawsuits against Verizon in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. The company is seeking compensation for Verizon’s use of patented technology that is protected by 12 of Huawei’s US patents. “Verizon’s products and services have benefited from patented technology that Huawei developed over many years of research and development,” said Dr. Song Liuping, Huawei’s Chief Legal Officer. “As a leading communications equipment and smart device provider, Huawei re-invests 10% to 15% of its revenue in R&D each year. The company has spent more than $70 billion US dollars on R&D in the past decade, which has resulted in more than 80,000 patents worldwide – including over 10,000 patents in the United States alone. These innovations are not just the cornerstone of Huawei’s own success; they are also widely used by companies around the world, delivering value both in the United States and elsewhere,” the company said in a statement. Before filing the lawsuits in Texas, Huawei negotiated with Verizon for a significant period of time, during which the company provided a detailed list of patents and factual evidence of Verizon’s use of Huawei patents. The two parties were unable to reach an agreement on license terms. “We invest heavily in R&D because we want to provide our customers with the best possible telecommunications solutions,” continued Dr. Song. “We share these innovations with the broader industry through license agreements.” “For years now we have successfully negotiated patent license agreements with many companies. Unfortunately, when no agreement can be reached, we have no choice but to seek a legal remedy. This is a common practice in the industry. Huawei is simply asking that Verizon respect Huawei’s investment in research and development by either paying for the use of our patents, or refraining from using them in its products and services,” said Dr. Song.

Retailers Look to Hybrid Cloud as They Search for Flexibility Nutanix has announced the retail industry findings of its second Enterprise Cloud Index Report, measuring retailers’ plans for adopting private, hybrid and public clouds. The report found the vast majority of retailers (87.5%) identified hybrid cloud as the ideal IT operating model. It also showed many retailers (72%) are planning to move some public cloud applications back on-premises. Retailers recognize that seamless customer experience is no longer a “niceto-have” — it’s a critical factor in winning new customers and retaining existing ones — and flexible cloud infrastructure is critical to delivering it. A recent IDC report1 noted worldwide spending on customer experience technologies will reach $641 billion in 2022, demonstrating it’s at the forefront of business leaders’ strategy. In line with broader IT industry trends, many retailers also recognize the full, long-term costs of the public cloud. Additional findings of this year’s report include: •

Huawei respects and protects intellectual property rights, advocating the legitimate sharing of patented technologies through cross-license or paid license agreements. For more than two decades, Huawei has engaged in extensive cross-license negotiations with major patent holders in the telecommunications industry, signing more than 100 license agreements with major ICT vendors in the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea. Since 2015, Huawei has received more than $1.4 billion dollars in patent license fees. To date, it has also paid over $6 billion dollars for the legitimate use of patented technologies developed by industry peers. 80% of these license fees have gone to companies in the United States.

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Retailers focus most on agility: Unlike in the broader IT industry, where cost is the top driver, retailers ranked the ability to accelerate IT deployments (54.3%) as the top factor in deciding the best cloud environment for each application. In order to adapt quickly to customer trends in an age of multichannel selling across many platforms, retailers are leading the pack in maximizing the flexibility of IT infrastructure to keep pace. Security is top of mind: Data showed that security heavily shapes retail cloud deployment plans. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63.6%) said security has

ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

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significant influence on their future cloud deployments, with hybrid cloud specifically identified as the most secure (32%). As data privacy regulations continue to tighten and expand, retailers are at the forefront of looking for ways to efficiently manage customer data securely. Hybrid cloud operating models offer the security and flexibility retailers need to stay ahead of policy changes. Retail leads in digital apps and IoT cloud deployments: Always innovating to keep pace with customers’ demands, retailers outpace averages in using the public cloud to run digital applications and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. They also run their business applications more often in the public cloud than other industries, with about 11% current penetration of multiple public clouds and about 19% penetration of a single public cloud.

“Staying relevant to today’s customers means having the necessary cloud infrastructure in place to embrace omnichannel retail experiences,” said Greg Smith, VP of Product Marketing, Nutanix. “Retailers use data to connect the e-commerce and in-store shopping experiences, and the only way they can do this accurately and efficiently is through flexible, scalable technology. The rise of selling on social media platforms also means integrating payment into the user experience, bringing security and protection of customers’ data to the forefront of retailers’ minds. Hybrid cloud provides the portability and control needed to bring retailers into the new era of customer experience.”

NEWS

ASUS Customers Can Now Upgrade to a Free 2-Year Perfect Warranty

Oman ICT and IFS Sign Strategic Partnership IFS has announced the signing of a new agreement with the Oman ICT Group. The crucial partnership will help the Oman ICT Group achieve its key strategic objectives of developing the ICT sector for national advancement and includes Omanisation. It creates the path and provides a competitive IFS ERP solution into the Oman market while upskilling Omani consultants. Customers in Oman will now have a choice of an easy to deploy solution either on-premise or in the cloud and benefit from a low total cost of ownership. The Oman ICT Group is mandated to create synergies between various operating companies and is aligned with the National ICT Strategy to provide the necessary technology inputs whenever and wherever required. The partnership with IFS is focused on bridging the gap between the way business is done and technology while preparing for the changes that are taking place within the world of digital transformation. What is important is that IFS is able to provide flexible and tailormade solutions across a wide range of sectors including, Aerospace & Defense, Energy, Utility & Resources, Engineering, Construction & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Service industries. This covers some of the most vital sectors in Oman. According to Said Al-Mandhari, CEO, Oman ICT Group, “Keeping pace with technological advancements is very important in ensuring that we are more effective and efficient in our

operations. The strategic partnership with IFS goes beyond the commercial aspects and creates a new market for IFS. Simultaneously it also strengthens Oman ICT’s growth prospects by helping us capitalize on the international experience that IFS brings to the table. We are keen on serving our community to the best of our abilities and such partnerships are the need of the day.” “On entering a new phase of expansion in the Middle East, IFS is very pleased to join hands with a premier entity such as Oman ICT Group who are instrumental in driving the ICT investments in the country. We will be focused on having intensive training programs at the initial stage to ensure that local Omanis have the right IFS skills. There is a definite move to transition into an expanded market and we will support them with our large portfolio of products and solutions that address a range of business verticals,” said, Mehmood Khan, Managing Director and Vice-President for the Middle East and South Asia at IFS. Oman ICT Group will provide IFS implementation and Managed Services for the entire IFS product suite and will also maintain and manage all IFS customers in Oman. To support this, IFS will enable them in the pre-sales, sales and implementation services. Both partners are keen to add value to the customers and provide unparalleled best-of-breed products, services, and solutions, thereby helping to them to transform their organization, processes, and systems.

ASUS has announced that customers of ASUS and ROG notebooks are able to upgrade their current Two Year International Warranty, to a more comprehensive 2 Year Perfect Warranty by registering their devices purchased after January 11 2020, on www. asusme.com/2year. The current 2 Year International Warranty offers ASUS and ROG customers coverage in over 80 countries across the globe and also entitles them to free collection and return on any notebooks that need to be serviced. The 2 Year Perfect Warranty will also cover accidental damages, such as liquid spills, electrical surges and drops. “We understand how reliant people are on their electronic devices for work, for family, to be creative and to relax, but accidents happen to all of us. Our 2 Year Perfect Warranty program was created to help protect customers against damages such as liquid spills, electrical surges, and drop which happen when using notebooks”, said Jeff Lo, Regional Head for ASUS Middle East. “We believe in the quality and the durability of our products, but we are offering this free upgrade to bring more peace of mind to our customers. All customers need to do is register on the website within ninety days of purchase and they will receive a confirmation within a week, it’s that simple.” ASUS claims that it is the only brand to offer all customers a 2 Year International Warranty that covers them in more than 80 countries across the globe. All service is carried out by ASUS certified technicians to ensure that all the repairs are done correctly and with ASUS genuine parts. ASUS certified technicians undergo extensive training and quality checks to ensure that repairs are done to the highest standards. To make the service experience smoother, customers can also schedule a free pick up of their product that needs service from their preferred location. Once repaired, the device will be shipped back to them for free from the service center. ASUS also offers over 50 drop off and collection points across the UAE. Customers can upgrade their warranty for free by visiting www.asusme.com/2year and registering their product within 90 days of purchase. The warranty coverage begins from the date of purchase. The website also includes information covering the terms and conditions of the warranty. Questions may also be directed to service_me@asus.com for clarification.

NEWS

Oppo Expands into Levant with New Office in Amman Oppo has expanded its presence in the Middle East by entering the Levant market. A new Oppo market development office has been established in Amman, Jordan, to manage Levant operations, in addition to serving as a sales and marketing center, plus offering maintenance and after-sales services for Oppo devices.

Cloudia Brings Procure-to-Pay Solution to MEA Region Finnish eProcurement service provider Cloudia today announced an exclusive agreement with BuyerQuest to add their Procure-to-Pay (P2P) solution to the Cloudia product portfolio in the Middle East and Africa regions. Described as a next-generation Amazon-style solution, bringing the B2C eCommerce shopping experience to B2B Enterprise Procurement, BuyerQuest’s big selling point is user-friendliness. The company’s usability has been ranked number one by Gartner in peer assessment surveys across the industry. These kinds of endorsements have attracted big-name global brands to BuyerQuest’s list of clientele, among them, the world’s largest media conglomerate, two of the top five Quick Service Restaurants, and in the Middle East, Saudi Aramco. “Adding a procure-to-pay solution to our portfolio is a game-changer for Cloudia’s competitiveness,” says Joonas Jantunen, Cloudia’s CEO for the Middle East and Africa. “Cloudia currently offers a digital Source-to-Contract process, but the addition of P2P capabilities means we’ll be able to bring customers a complete closedloop Source-to-Pay process. And this is backed by a world-class platform, that can be placed over existing ERP’s and other procure-to-pay solutions, and with a capacity to load millions of items across thousands of suppliers into a single marketplace.”

Cloudia’s new Source-to-Pay suite of solutions will be a first in the region, offering business procurement professionals a user-friendly, end-to-end process that goes beyond sourcing and signed contracts to include a unique B2C eCommerce Experience. This means organizations will immediately be able to increase their user adoption, better manage their decentralized spend, have true touchless transactions, and get clear actionable intelligence and insights into purchases. BuyerQuest’s Founder & CEO, Jack Mulloy, states, “BuyerQuest is excited to build upon our success in the Middle East and to partner with Cloudia to more aggressively expand in this growing region. Cloudia’s commitment to customer success aligns perfectly with BuyerQuest and we look forward to meaningful customer expansion in the Middle East for years to come.” “The Middle East market has until now had to contend with old legacy ERP systems and first-generation procurement solutions,” Jantunen continues, “but teaming up with BuyerQuest should really push digital procurement services into the 2020s, and bring positive disruption to the market.” Cloudia sees this agreement in the Middle East and Africa region as an exciting first step on a journey with BuyerQuest.

Oppo’s expansion into the Levant region follows the company’s successful growth in the Middle East and Africa, where its smartphones have proved exceptionally popular amongst consumers. With social media presence already established across several platforms and accessible retail point of sales locations secured, Oppo is in a strong position to enter the Levant market. “Oppo is committed to localization initiatives to provide better service to customers while becoming a key component of local communities. The Oppo Levant team already comprises 200 employees, 71% of whom are nationals,” the company said in a statement. Ethan Xue, President of OPPO Middle East and Africa (MEA), said: “The Levant is of strategic importance to OPPO, and so we are glad to announce achieving this expansion milestone development with our entry into this exciting new market. Going forward, the Levant market will serve alongside the UAE and Saudi Arabia markets as the three main pillars supporting OPPO’s sustainable growth in the Middle East.” Since entering the Middle East, Oppo has solidified its commitment to the region by bringing its flagship Find X model to the market for the first time in 2018, followed by selecting Dubai as the first international launch location in April 2019 for its new Oppo Reno smartphone series. The company enjoyed a successful 2019 in the region and intends to strengthen its position by introducing consumers in the Middle East to more flagship and 5G products featuring Oppo’s signature cutting-edge technology. To date, Oppo is present in several markets across MEA, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Nigeria, and now the Levant.

MOVE RS AND SHAKE RS

SentinelOne Gets New VP for EMEA Region

SentinelOne, a company that offers autonomous endpoint protection solutions, today announced the appointment of Daniel Kollberg as Vice President EMEA. The appointment supports SentinelOne’s record growth across the globe on the journey of becoming the next great cybersecurity company, through helping organizations use AI to defend against every attack at every stage. Over the last six months, SentinelOne has more than tripled its EMEA business fueled by enterprise wins in Southern Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Serving hundreds of Global 2000 enterprises and three of the Fortune 10, key EMEA public references include Aston Martin, Casino, Monoprix, Savencia, About You, and Berlitz – each of which has replaced legacy antivirus for SentinelOne’s EPP and EDR platform. Daniel Kollberg will play an integral role in further growing and scaling the company’s growth across EMEA. “Daniel brings over 25 years of leadership experience in cybersecurity and IT solutions to SentinelOne. Prior to joining the company, Daniel was most recently VP, EMEA Service Providers at Palo Alto Networks, where he helped dramatically grow and scale the company over the past five years. At SentinelOne, Daniel will work closely with the executive leadership team to execute aggressive growth plans across EMEA,” said the company in a statement. “SentinelOne is differentiated in its ability to secure the region’s largest enterprises against the widest spectrum of attacks,” said Daniel Kollberg, VP EMEA, SentinelOne. “In SentinelOne, I see the industry’s gold-standard unified EPP & EDR solution, with unprecedented innovation in IoT and cloud workload protection, all in a single platform. SentinelOne epitomizes innovation and customer success.” “Daniel has distinguished himself as a visionary when it comes to growing and scaling cybersecurity solution sales,” said Nicholas Warner, COO, SentinelOne. “We’ve already proven our market impact as the first company to unify EPP and EDR in a single autonomous agent, the first to stand behind our solution with a cyber warranty, and the first to take AI-based protection to the edge encompassing IoT devices and cloud workloads. The EMEA market is more ready than ever before to replace legacy antivirus for AI-powered EPP and EDR across all attack surfaces. We welcome Daniel in playing a key role in the next phase of SentinelOne."

Cisco Appoints a New VP for MEA Region Cisco has announced the appointment of Reem Asaad as its new Vice President for the Middle East and Africa region. As digital transformation continues to change and evolve the business landscape at a rapid pace, Asaad, will be responsible for our Middle East and Africa business, growing its position as a leading technology company in the region.

Russia region said, “I am excited to have Reem join Cisco, leading our MEA business. Reem has a wealth of experience in business leadership and a strong understanding of the digital transformation landscape. I am confident of Reem’s ability to empower our workforce and help regional businesses address their challenges.”

With over two decades of experience across industries including technology, financial services, customer experience, Asaad’s role will focus on strengthening collaborations with governments, customers and partners, underpinned by Cisco’s portfolio of advanced solutions to accelerate their digitization agendas.

Prior to joining Cisco, Asaad held the position of CEO at Raya Contact Center, a business process outsourcing service provider based in Cairo with operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, servicing multi-national and Fortune 500 companies. During this role, she was instrumental in driving the company growth and go-to-market strategy, digital transformation, and regional market development.

Commenting on the appointment, Wendy Mars, President of Cisco’s Europe, Middle East, Africa, and

FireEye Appoints a New VP for MEA Region FireEye has appointed Gordon Love as Vice President for the Middle East and Africa to help drive growth in the region and deepen relationships with partners. He reports directly to FireEye’s Vice President of EMEA Kevin Taylor and is based in the company’s office in Dubai, UAE. Love commented: “With the growing and sophisticated threat landscape, there has never been a more critical time for organisations across MEA to build effective cybersecurity solutions. Now is the ideal time to join FireEye as our range of offerings put us in a great position to capitalize on this growing market opportunity. I look forward to

working closely with our team and MEA customers and as we work together to put efficient defense strategies in place.” Love brings engineering, management and sales experience spanning more than two decades in the IT security and enterprise software sectors. Prior to joining FireEye, Love spent 10 years at Symantec where he was Vice President of the EMEA Emerging Region, overseeing the Middle East, South Africa, Russia, South East Europe, Czech Republic, Poland, Africa, and Turkey. He previously held roles with Faritec, IBM, FNB South Africa, and Standard Bank Group.

INTE RSEC 2020

Intersec Triples Rebooking Rate as Middle East Commercial Security Market is Slated to Grow Further Intersec, the region’s leading trade fair for security, safety and fire protection, has recorded its highest rebooking rate with 150 exhibitors signing up for the 2021 event immediately after January’s show which represents a 200% increase from 2019’s onsite recommitments.

“This strong rebooking performance acknowledges the high potential of the regional security market and Intersec’s ability to reach key buyers,” said Andreas Rex, Show Director for Messe Frankfurt Middle East, which organises the Intersec exhibition and conference series.

The rebookings come in the wake of a 6W Research report which forecasts the Middle East’s commercial security market will grow 16% a year to 2025 to be worth US $8.4 billion.

A pre-audited visitor count from January’s event – the 22nd in the annual series which ran from 1921 January shows Intersec 2020 attracted 33,584 from 135 countries to Dubai World Trade Centre. With over 1,000 exhibitors from

ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

56 countries including two-thirds of the world’s top 50 security manufacturers, long-established exhibitors were impressed by the show’s expanding geographic reach. Amine Sadi, Regional Channel Sales Manager, Milestone Systems A/S, a software manufacturer of open platform IP video surveillance software, said at its 12th Intersec showing in January, the company and its community partners still managed to attract potential clients. “We found this year that several

important potential clients arrived from markets we had not anticipated,” explained Sadi. IDIS, the video analytics experts which has pioneered deep learning analytics (IDLA) technology, said Intersec 2020 stood out for the sectoral range of its visitors. “There was an impressive range of serious buyers with interest in IDIS end-to-end video solutions from systems integrators and end users working in retail, banking, healthcare, hospitality and corporate sectors, from across the region and beyond. Visitors were genuinely interested in the latest technology, and wanted to drill down and ask how our video solutions will solve their problems and deliver,” explained Jamil Alasfar, Senior Sales Manager, IDIS Middle East & North Africa. At Intersec 2020 IDIS announced a major video surveillance project it has secured with the Central Bank of Jordan. “This led to some significant conversations with buy-

ers about our new AI offerings and latest cameras, which we expect to progress very quickly,” added Alasfar. Intersec 2020’s powerful Intelligence Forums drew experts for an intense conference series which ran over the show’s three days. The Intelligence Forums included conferences, roundtables and live demos hosted by the Future Security Summit, the Fire Safety Conference, Government Summits and the Intersec ARENA. Behak Kangarloo, CISO Programme Director of BKTRON, UAE was both a speaker and a delegate at the ARENA which, he believes, now serves as a solutions catalyst for the industry. “The conferences are informative and tackle key topics in the security domain. These sessions also allow us as delegates and speakers to connect with each other in the same domain, discussing challenges and solutions in the security

sector,” explained Kangarloo. Added Messe Frankfurt Middle East’s, Rex: “We are already working on content framework for next year’s Intersec Intelligence Forums ensuring we keep totally abreast of new industry developments and the fast-moving technology advances which are shaping it. “We are committed to bringing the best brains in the business to Dubai to help ensure the regional industry benefits from the very latest knowledge which impacts the wider security, safety and fire protection fields which now involves a high degree of automation, AI, machine learning and biometrics developments.” The event will return from 24-26 January in 2021 at Dubai World Trade Centre and will be co-located with Light Middle East and Prolight + Sound Middle East which are also organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East.

INTE RSEC 2020

Video Surveillance is Moving Beyond the Traditional Approach Fadi Kanafani, the Managing Director and General Manager for Middle East at NetApp, speaks to Arabian Reseller about their participation at Intersec 2020 Which products and solutions did you showcase at Intersec 2020? So at the booth at Intersec 2020, we showcased three alliance partners - Axis being the best in breed when it comes to a camera provider. They have great cameras that we have integrated into our storage solution with those products for a long time, and have a long relationship. Then Milestone, I guess I do not have to talk a lot about Milestone. They have awesome VMS solutions as well.

something. Today, we are using intelligent solutions and intelligent applications. So video surveillance has become an intelligent solution that helps companies drive physical security as a means to even drive business decisions.

Through these solutions, companies can know more about their customers and then find out the trends thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s driving the market. So when a customer walks into a mall, our intelligent solutions can help you understand, which shop the customer stopped at, what were they looking at, which And we have had good integraproducts they bought and so on. tion on the platforms as we work So video surveillance solutions very closely with them, too. More were only focused on the physical importantly now, we have started security aspect. But now, with working with Atos for quite some- intelligent applications, it has gone time, but now we are introducing much further beyond and we are a new product that will integrate able to help customers analyse artificial intelligence into the their data. video surveillance feed. What we are showcasing is a system that What sort of market outlook do would allow you to have real time you see for 2020? information being analysed from We see the demand is on the the video surveillance feed. rise, coming from various industry sectors. So, the demand is coming So is video surveillance moving through organic growth, wherein beyond just physical security customers in the enterprise want applications? to drive growth and profitability. Yes, absolutely. In the past, video Another area is from areas where surveillance was passive. If an inci- the government has mandated dent happened, you'd look at your that companies need to adopt video feeds or the video wall, and physical security solutions. This then try to understand and define is enforced through guidelines ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

and specifications set by the local municipalities for properties such as hotels, educational institutes, hospitals and so on. We also see demand from companies that till now were using old analogue solutions. These companies have started seeing the value in intelligent security solutions and now want to get into the digital transformation mode. So these companies are moving their already existing legacy solutions to digital, thereby enabling analytics, intelligence, and so on. What learnings have you had from 2019, and what would you like to do differently this year? NetApp is a leader in data management and be it on-premises or on the cloud. When it comes to video surveillance, it's a different buyer that you engage with. And also from the channel point of view, it's a different channel ecosystem that you work with, different consultants, and so on. So it's a consulting-based business. So if you look at the customers, they are very different from a traditional data center customer. So we are upskilling our team to understand those buyers, thus establishing the right ecosystem around it from a channel point of view.

HID Throws the Spotlight on Cloud-Based Access Control Tech

INTE RSEC 2020

Wisam Yaghmour, the Regional Director for Sales of Physical Access Control at HID, speaks to Arabian Reseller about their participation at Intersec 2020 What did you showcase at Intersec 2020? At Intersec 2020, we focused on HID Origo, a cloud platform to helps partners create a more seamless and intuitive workplace built on HIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s access control architecture. As HID, we wanted to bridge physical security to building applications, services and IoT use cases via a unified cloud experience. The new platform embeds cloud connections and IoT functionality as app extensions into mobile devices, HID readers and controllers. This gives developers direct access to the hardware, using HID application programming interfaces (APIs) and software developer kits (SDK). The platform is available as a subscription-based service, making it easier for companies to order and manage mobile IDs while at the same time forecasting, budgeting and reporting. Subscription licenses can be transferred across employees and multiple IDs can be registered onto multiple devices at no additional cost. HID Origo lays the foundation for a broad ecosystem of cloudbased access control technologies, products, services and business models that will accelerate workplace innovation. It also dramatically increases our partnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; capabilities to create more connected and seamless building experiences for end

users. The platform will remove integration barriers between access control systems and smart building applications, and we will continue to expand its value with capabilities that further improve how people securely move through a facility and interact with its services. So do companies understand the value of these solutions? Are they adopting such solutions? If you see today, many companies are connected online and offline. They do understand the importance of identity and access management. These days most of us have various applications on our smartphones including the apps we using for banking, financial transactions and so on. The beauty of our solution is that it also resides through an app in your smartphone. And the good thing is that the app is more secure. Previously people used to carry access cards, which you could easily lose or misplace. Anyone with that access card could have access to your workplace easily.

hence, it becomes difficult for anyone to unlock your device. HID Origo offers a scalable and secure infrastructure that ensures top-tier service delivery. Not only does this framework provide guaranteed performance, it allows for higher data and privacy protection than can be found with traditional on-premise solutions. HID Origo is also validated by industry-leading certifications, including ISO 27001, EU GDPR and CIS benchmarks. Even more, HID Origo offers a committed service availability of at least 99.5% uptime. What sort of demand have you seen for the HID Origo platform? It all depends on the region we see a major demand from developed countries. And it is not a major challenge to get those companies onboard, since most of the employees in the organisation have got smartphones and hence, it becomes easier for them to implement the solution.

But if we go for developing markets, the challenge is deploying the technology behind How secure is your Origo sys- our solution and the support tem? for devices that can deliver our Now, say if you lost your smart- solutions. So, the first challenge phone or misplaced it, no one is to have the infrastructure in can have access to your identi- place for the devices and the ty, because the device is locked. second challenge is to adopt You also have two-factor and implement a cloud solution. authentication on the app, and 19

INTE RSEC 2020

Oxford Analytica Releases Security Report at Intersec As the global security industry converges at Intersec 2020, a new report released by Oxford Analytica in tandem with the world’s leading security, safety, and fire protection trade show, has revealed that the total cost of ‘digital crimes’ is estimated to top $6 trillion in 2021 – up from $1.2 trillion in 2017. Other major findings in the report were shared by David Young, CEO of Oxford Analytica, during an enterprise security-themed panel discussion on day two of the show: • The global Internet of Things (IoT) market is expected to be worth $520 billion in 2021 – up from $235 billion in 2017 • With more than 28 billion IoT devices expected to be operation worldwide by the end of 2020, an estimated 43% of all IoT data will be processed in an edge computing environment, or at source, instead of being transmitted to a data centre in the cloud • Ransomware attacks grew by 118% in the first quarter of 2019, with threat actors now actively advertising their access to organisations on the ‘dark web’ • The roll-out of 5G, which depends on new cloud virtualisation technologies, in 2020 will introduce new vulnerabilities as 5G’s flexible and agile networks are also open and programmable – making them targets for malicious actors • The lack of IoT cybersecurity regulatory infrastructure will fuel consumer reluctance • A breakthrough in quantum computing over the next five years, which could overpower existing encryption technologies, would have significant implications for data privacy and security • The UK’s health data carries a commercial value of £9.6 billion, or £100 per patient – UK National Health Service • Globally, the volume, variety and velocity of data generated worldwide is exploding, with 44 zettabytes (zb) expected to be accumulated in 2020, up from 4.4 zb in 2013 • On a daily basis, the world sends 294 billion emails and 65 billion WhatsApp messages, while 4 petabytes – equal to 52 years of constantly streaming HD video – is created by Facebook users Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Intersec is supported by Dubai Police, Dubai Police Academy, Dubai Civil Defence, SIRA and Dubai Municipality.

Bosch Shows its IP 3000i Camera Range at Intersec 2020 Bosch Building Technologies has showcased its IP 3000i camera range that features smart surveillance capabilities at Intersec 2020 in Dubai. The Bosch IP 3000i portfolio is available in micro dome, mini-dome, bullet and turret options for indoor and outdoor use. This new camera range offers complete flexibility for everyday surveillance in standalone installations such as small retail stores or for general surveillance in commercial buildings, offices, and banks. All Bosch IP 3000i outdoor models are rated IK10 for high impact resistance and can withstand challenging weather conditions because of their IP66 rating. The cameras offer resolutions from 1080p up to five megapixels (MP), up to 30 fps and a High Dynamic Range of 120dB. The outdoor models have built-in infrared as standard, enabling them to capture high-quality images – even in complete darkness. Built for 24/7 performance with a range of features, the cameras have Essential Video Analytics built-in as standard. Opening up new possibilities for IoT applications and smart data capture, this feature helps improve security and supports in detecting situations such as blocked emergency exits or queue notification. Hakan Ozyigit, Regional Director of Security Systems & Building Technologies, Robert Bosch Middle East FZE said, “Busi-

ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

ness and end-user needs within building management are constantly evolving. More of our built environment needs to be able to be monitored for the safety of our people and assets, so it is important to keep high-quality camera technology affordable. The Bosch IP 3000i portfolio is an industry first for cost-effective video surveillance. True to Bosch’s philosophy of offering intelligent systems for everyone, further to security benefits, users can obtain valuable data for business intelligence.” Bosch IP 3000i cameras offer Intelligent Dynamic Noise Reduction and intelligent streaming, combined with H.265 video compression. This feature helps to keep video data manageable, while substantially reducing network strain and storage requirements. Like all Bosch network cameras, the IP 3000i models are designed with various hardware and software measures to keep video data secure, including a built-in Trusted Platform Module to safeguard encryption keys. Within the portfolio, the FLEXIDOME IP micro 3000i is a fixed micro dome camera for indoor use. The FLEXIDOME IP 3000i IR is an AVF mini dome camera for outdoor use. The DINION IP 3000i IR is an AVF bullet camera for outdoor use. The FLEXIDOME IP turret is a fixed turret camera for indoor use.

Genetec Raises Awareness About Multidimensional Security

Genetec has announced its participation at Intersec 2020. At the exhibition, visitors will get a sneak peek of the upcoming release of Security Center 5.9; Genetec will also showcase Security Center 5.8. The new platform features to focus on raising awareness about the importance of multidimensional security solutions to mitigate physical and cyber risks.

Allegion Shows Off Latest Security and Safety Products at Intersec 2020 Allegion exhibited its latest security solutions at Intersec, the world’s leading trade fair for Security, Safety & Fire Protection. Running from 19-21 January 2020 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the exhibition aims to address the growing needs of the safety and security sector in the Middle East. With a strong focus on security around the door and adjacent areas, Allegion along with its partners such as Axis Communications, Milestone Systems, Genetec, Avigilion, and Lenel S2 showcased powerful security solutions to help companies proactively monitor and secure their sites, mitigating the risk among other critical tasks.

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Together with Axis Communications, a Swedish manufacturer of network cameras for physical security and video surveillance industries, Allegion demonstrated Simons Voss AX Smart Handle that offers maximum data security due to the integrated Secure Element Milestone Systems, world-leading IP-based video management solutions for organizations presented ISONAS IP Based Readers, a proven solution that is revolutionizing the industry. Easily integrated with Windows® based software, the solution delivers more simplicity, greater value, and total flexibility–allowing the user to go places they never thought possible Genetec, industry leader in IP-based security solutions presented the Simons Voss AX

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Smart Handle integrated with Genetec Security Center, and the first-generation transponder, the solution features extremely precise handle clearance along with Security Center that empowers an organization with enhanced situational awareness, unified command and control, and connectivity to the cloud LenelS2, a global leader in advanced physical security solutions, showcased Schlage® NDE Series, developed specifically for facilities that want to upgrade to electronic credentials for improved security and efficiency with built-in Bluetooth that enables NDE Series wireless locks to connect directly to smartphones and tablets Anixter, a leading global distributor of network solutions, security systems, wiring, and infrastructure presented an on-premise option, Pure Access Manager, with its modern user interface establishing a new standard for ease of use in managing an unlimited number of access points across any geography through a mobile device, tablet or modern browser Avigilion, providers of access control and integrated security systems demonstrated Schlage NDE wireless locks with ENGAGE technology, a cloud-based wireless offline security solution that simplifies the ability to connect people, openings and access management to deliver cost-effective intelligence and efficiency to any facility

Genetec conducted primary research which shows that nearly 1 in 4 organizations (23%) fail to use unique passwords and rely on the same password across all cameras from the same manufacturer. This leaves an easy point of entry for hackers once a camera has been compromised. “We see enterprises in the Middle East increasingly moving towards unified security environments, where multiple systems combine to provide a comprehensive view of security and operational events. Yet, there seems to be a ‘set it and forget it’ mentality when securing physical devices using passwords. Also, more than half of installed cameras (53.9%) are running with outdated firmware and contain known cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Keeping a default factory password and not updating the firmware puts an entire organization’s security and its people’s privacy at risk,” said Firas Jadalla, Regional Director at Genetec. Security Center is an open-architecture platform that helps users actively monitor the health of their system and ensure compliance with cybersecurity best practices. The platform unifies video surveillance, access control, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), communications, and analytics. The unified platform features customizable live dashboards, enhanced privacy protection features and, a brand-new map-driven mobile app. Security Center allows users to optimize their physical security environment while benefiting from greater visibility into their operations. “Physical security devices and systems are smarter and more powerful than ever before. As part of both public and private networks, they are increasingly interconnected. This connectivity facilitates their management, speeds up communications, and increases collaboration. However, this also means that physical security systems need cybersecurity solutions. A poorly secured camera, unencrypted communications between a server and client application, or out-of-date firmware can all be exploited by cybercriminals,” said Firas Jadalla, Regional Director at Genetec.

INTE RSEC 2020

Oxford Analytica Releases Security Report at Intersec As the global security industry converged at Intersec 2020, a new report released by Oxford Analytica in tandem with the world’s leading security, safety, and fire protection trade show, has revealed that the total cost of ‘digital crimes’ is estimated to top $6 trillion in 2021 – up from $1.2 trillion in 2017. Other major findings in the report were shared by David Young, CEO of Oxford Analytica, during an enterprise security-themed panel discussion on day two of the show: • The global Internet of Things (IoT) market is expected to be worth $520 billion in 2021 – up from $235 billion in 2017 • With more than 28 billion IoT devices expected to be operation worldwide by the end of 2020, an estimated 43% of all IoT data will be processed in an edge computing environment, or at source, instead of being transmitted to a data centre in the cloud • Ransomware attacks grew by 118% in the first quarter of 2019, with threat actors now actively advertising their access to organisations on the ‘dark web’ • The roll-out of 5G, which depends on new cloud virtualisation technologies, in 2020 will introduce new vulnerabilities as 5G’s flexible and agile networks are also open and programmable – making them targets for malicious actors • The lack of IoT cybersecurity regulatory infrastructure will fuel consumer reluctance • A breakthrough in quantum computing over the next five years, which could overpower existing encryption technologies, would have significant implications for data privacy and security • The UK’s health data carries a commercial value of £9.6 billion, or £100 per patient – UK National Health Service • Globally, the volume, variety and velocity of data generated worldwide is exploding, with 44 zettabytes (zb) expected to be accumulated in 2020, up from 4.4 zb in 2013 • On a daily basis, the world sends 294 billion emails and 65 billion WhatsApp messages, while 4 petabytes – equal to 52 years of constantly streaming HD video – is created by Facebook users Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Intersec is supported by Dubai Police, Dubai Police Academy, Dubai Civil Defence, SIRA and Dubai Municipality.

Video Storage Solutions to Shows Off IP Video Recording and Storage Appliances VSS, a division of the BCD International brand of companies, specialises in offering video recording appliances via authorised security distributors. These are pre-engineered with Milestone XProtect video management software, built on the latest generation of Intel Xeon Scalable processors and Seagate Skyhawk surveillance-grade drives. VSS appliances also feature innovative and disruptive technology such as its Storage Accelerator, which significantly increases storage scalability, performance, and reliability. “We were excited to invite everyone to stand SA-A34 to witness the power and functionality that the VSS appliance portfolio is bringing to the market,” said Rohit Khubchandani, Regional Sales Director-METAI for VSS. “In particular, we wanted visitors to see the power of our groundbreaking Storage Accelerator, the industry’s first disruptive technology which allows users to better utilize Milestone Systems video management software, by eliminating the need for expensive 10K/15K RPM SAS drives normally required to run a live database.” According to the company, this technology also enables customers to better utilize the real estate on the recording server, in order to be able to run more

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storage drives per server, thereby reducing the overall footprint of the project. This can deliver huge financial savings by reducing operational costs normally incurred, such as rack space, cooling, and power. “We showcased at Intersec 2020 the security industry’s most powerful video recording appliances, pre-engineered for guaranteed performance to our community of ecosystem partners. The Middle East is a key target market for VSS and Intersec 2020, therefore, provides the perfect platform to show our commitment to the region, whilst demonstrating the benefits of our appliances which are able to withstand the taxing video data write a load of systems that have a large number of cameras,” said Khubchandani. Visitors to the VSS stand saw some of the solutions on offer from the company’s technology partners such as Seagate and Intel Corporation, who showcased their latest technology advancements, such as its AI and machine learning solutions which are able to efficiently run on VSS appliances. In excess of 35,000 people attended Intersec 2020 which will took place on 19-20th January 2020 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Azur Drones unveils Skeyetech drone-in-abox solution

Second Annual Intersec Awards Celebrate Industry Leaders Professionals in the security, safety, and fire protection industry gathered recently for the second edition of the Intersec Awards at a gala event to celebrate their achievements in the industry. The ceremony which was hosted by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organisers of Intersec – was held at Dubai’s Habtoor Palace Ballroom and saw more than 250 guests attend. The awards saw 130 entrants across nine categories, with entries received from companies across the globe, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Mozambique, Germany, Canada and Singapore. Simon Mellor, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said: “The Intersec Security, Safety & Fire Protection Awards are a celebration of innovation, excellence, perseverance, teamwork, and of the dedication by the entire commercial security and fire protection community that continuously keep our societies safe and secure.” Spread across five security and four fire categories, entries went through a rigorous judging process which took place over two days and required shortlisted nominees to present their projects and products and attend a question and answer interview in front of an independent panel. The panel of judges including industry leaders and experts from companies such as Khalifa University, the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA), Dubai Civil Defence and EMAAR. EJADAH was the only company to win across two categories on the night, walking away with

the ‘Security Project of the Year’ and ‘Innovative Security Product of the Year’ awards. The UAE-based provider of community solutions for real estate assets was awarded for its work on upgrading the CCTVs across Jumeirah Beach Residences and their Security Robotic Service, respectively. Zainab Al Rahma, Marketing and Communications Manager for EJADAH, said: “Our robots will now offer the security industry and our customers the opportunity to purchase or rent assets that will enhance and improve the standard and quality of security services provided. They are an excellent example of utilising the latest technology that can be easily integrated into any existing security systems.” Engineering firm WSP added to its two award wins from 2018, taking home the ‘Fire Project of the Year’ award for its work on The Wharf in Bluewaters Island. Alexander Castellanos, a consultant from WSP, said: “This project is a change from the super and mega high rises and posed unique fire and life safety strategy elements which had to be considered. With the project being focused on delivering a pedestrian experience and its low-rise nature, the fire strategy took advantage of this design element in order to address life safety elements such as fire service access, phased evacuation, and evacuation discharge as an integral part of the design and allowing for efficiencies while maintaining a high standard of safety.”

Azur Drones has launched its drone-in-a-box surveillance solution, Skeyetech, at Intersec. This move is expected to boost the security monitoring for high-risk private and public sites in the Middle East. Skeyetech is a readyto-fly surveillance system, which has been designed to monitor and confirm events, conduct perimeter patrols and provide support operation to ground security personnel. This new autonomous security system, which is already deployed in France, can be used directly by security agents as it needs no remote pilot skills or certification. “We are delighted to be introducing our state-of-the-art autonomous UAV in the Middle East, and more precisely in Dubai. This launch coincides with the city’s journey towards transforming Dubai into a smart city. Skeyetech is, therefore, the perfect fit for such a status. Our drone will provide the much-needed security solution that will ensure properties such as oil and gas facilities or ports are protected from any emerging threats,” said Jean-Marc Crépin, CEO of Azur Drones. Based in Bordeaux, France and backed with $25 million raised, Azur Drones obtained the first and only approval for autonomous drone flights from the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC). This approval proves the high levels of safety, reliability and quality of Skeyetech system, which was fully developed by Azur Drones’ skilled engineering team. Azur Drones’ entry into the Middle East market is timely and also expected to reignite the industry’s growth, which according to research by 6w Research will be worth US$8.4 billion by 2025. The research also indicates that the expected growth is being driven by increasing infrastructure development and stringent regulatory policies. This, in turn, has fueled demand for super-smart high-tech surveillance solutions, such as next-generation drones. “Skeyetech’s launch into the Middle East is indeed a growth-driver for the industry. Our autonomous drone-in-a-box solution provides everything that is needed to not only grow this dynamic market but to also offer cost-effective, cutting-edge security solutions to modern security challenges. We have developed a rugged version of Skeyetech for the Middle East to withstand high temperatures and sandy weather. This shows that we have taken the region’s terrain and weather conditions into consideration,” noted Nicolas Billecocq, COO of Azur Drones.

CXO SPEAK

10 CIO Predictions: 2020-2025 Written by Bask Iyer, CIO and chief digital transformation officer, VMware

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AI passes the Turing test. Software developers gain influence. CIOs bring in business revenue and guard corporate reputations. Bask Iyer, CIO and chief digital transformation officer, VMware, predicts 10 enterprise technology trends for the first half of the new decade. Here are my 10 CIO predictions for 2020-2025: AI & the Turing Test Artificial intelligence (AI) will pass The Turing Test, meaning AI will match or exceed human intelligence in many areas. However, since many vendors claim they can integrate AI into their products and services, we’ll have to “kiss a lot of frogs” before finding our prince or princess. The Rise of the Developer Developers will move to the center of the business, enabling modern app-based innovations to drive business transformation. On a related note, IT will drive app-driven digital transformation, and IT job descriptions will match R&D and engineering such as app development. 5G-Fueled Innovation 5G networks will unleash multi-gigabit connection speeds for mobile phones. This will push enterprises toward thinking mobile-first or mobile-only. And because most of us use mobile more than other devices, this will create tremendous user satisfaction. Spotlight on the Edge Edge computing will complement data centers and cloud platforms to deliver new customer experiences and

enable new applications and use cases. Domain expertise (not technology) will be the roadblock for IoT and edge applications. In other words, technology is the easy part. How we apply it to an industry or use case takes more work. Hence, I expect startups to drive growth in this area. CIOs & Revenue Generation CIOs will become increasingly more responsible for revenue generation. This has already been happening for the past few years. Over the next five years, I believe this trend will gain momentum. CIOs: The Guardians of Trust and Reputation As our businesses become more tech-driven, companies are increasingly opening themselves up to cyberattacks and customer data loss. In this landscape, the Office of the CIO will become the new guardians of corporate trust and reputation to build and protect customer relationships, including: * Data privacy * Cybersecurity * Digital user experience * Regulatory compliance However, we’ll need to earn this designation daily. IT-Influenced Product Innovation As IT leaders, we know what it means to walk in our customers’ shoes. Over the next few years, CIOs and IT organizations will move beyond the IT stack to greatly influence the product design and development function. The IT team in most companies will evolve into a digital organization. We’ll become 25

the voice of the customer to educate companies about how their customers would discover, learn, try and buy products and services. Leaps in Digital Employee Experience Digital employee experience will become a huge differentiator to attract and retain talent. This trend is quickly picking up speed. While free food, open offices, and pool tables are talked about as differentiators, employees simply want to have the right tools, policies, and processes to get their job done. IT is now collaborating with business partners like HR and sales to improve digital experiences across the employee lifecycle, from recruiting to retirement. Even more so over the next half-decade, employee digital experience will be treated with the same priority as our external customers’ experience. Cloud Priorities Shift So far, enterprises adopt cloud-primarily for disaster recovery or to build new apps. Now, they will pivot to leveraging innovations like Kubernetes and multi-cloud solutions to modernise core business apps and processes. Multi-enterprise Blockchain Collaboration Blockchain will facilitate greater transparency and push cross-industry collaboration. Increasingly, this will be a way to fix data integrity issues across multiple corporations—an emerging issue blockchain is solving by enabling trust in transactions in new ways.

EXPE RT SPEAK

How GDPR is Transforming Business Practices Written by Barry Cook, Privacy & Group Data Protection Officer, VFS Global Our journey towards making visa processing more agile and efficient is very much about the ongoing digital transformation that is impacting all industries. This positive development, among other things, cannot be realistically achieved without relying on the collection and processing of data to create knowledge, competencies, and capabilities. This collection and processing require a governance oversight to ensure that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

not used to the detriment of the individual. To this end, we have seen an upsurge in data protection legislation in the last few years. In fact, properly regulated and controlled data protection practices do not have to jeopardiseÂ the digitisation of our industry; on the contrary, they enhance it by maintaining trust and credibility with customers, partners, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. In short, good data protection practices

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have a positive effect on the bottom line. The EU GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation, is an EU regulation (2016/679), designed to harmonise personal data protection laws across the EU member countries, it entered into force on May 25, 2018. It addresses issues of transparency around personal data usage by companies and gives more control to the individual over their personal data.

This far-reaching regulation marks a new stage in the development of data privacy practices in Europe. Eighteen months on, I have narrowed on three selected takeaways from the EU GDPR that I deem most relevant to our practices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

from the browser session. In certain countries, we have to seek permission to put those files on an individual’s device. Also if we are using any analytics, like Google Analytics, we have to make the individual aware that we are doing so, and allow them to not accept it.

Automate Automation via dedicated privacy software is the key to EU GDPR compliance in large organizations like VFS Global as it enables an organisation to easily know where personal data is located in complex systems. It also helps to fulfil the requirement to keep a record of processing activities. This enhances data security by knowing where all your important personal data is located, and this ensures a rapid response in the event of a data privacy incident or a data access request.

Be Proactive Services must analyse how the EU GDPR affects their business processes and take proactive steps in achieving compliance. To this end VFS Global adopts the concept of privacy by design and default. What that means is wherever we have a business or technical process, we look at the outcomes of that process and make the default one—the one that preserves the privacy of the individual.

Properly Handle Personal Data The EU GDPR obligations for protecting personal data are directly applicable to services like ours. The GDPR requires that companies explain how they handle personal data via their privacy notice using “clear and plain language”. It is important to see if a company has posted a privacy notice or policy which should include a simple explanation of how they collect and use data in compliance with applicable laws. We have to make sure that our 1,400 websites are compliant—taking care of simple things like cookies, the small files placed on the computer

With high penalties in place, there is a huge financial risk for companies in case of non-compliance. There are also real risks to reputation or brand image. Therefore, we must take the EU GDPR obligations very seriously, and external validation through standardisation bodies helps organisations ensure that they are on the right track to comply with the EU GDPR. Equally important is the fact that customers are concerned about where and how their personal data is being captured when using services. Most regulations, including the GDPR, are designed to ensure that personal data that can be linked to an individual are not shared without 27

the permission or knowledge of the individual. We also know that most consumer concerns center around their private information, such as personal pictures and other details. New regulations, like the GDPR, are a big step towards better-protected data. However, this is still the beginning of the journey. As a company that handles large volumes of applicant information (for visas and citizen services), one of VFS Global’s biggest focus areas is to have an uncompromising approach to maintaining information security at every level of the process. In fact, VFS Global is one of the few companies globally that was already able to comply with the requirements of the GDPR when it came into effect in May 2018. To enable use to be GDPR compliant, we have a 13-point data privacy and protection framework that has over 130 measurable metrics that enables us to monitor data protection across the organisation. This level of monitoring naturally requires an investment in skills and technology to implement and manage such a framework. I Due to a strong senior management commitment and a corporate culture of compliance since inception, that we are today one of the few companies (in any sector) that are easily able to adapt to new data protection legislations that may be introduced in any of the 147 countries we operate in.

EXPE RT SPEAK

Why Organisations Can No Longer

IGNORE ZERO TRUST

Kamel Heus, Regional Director, Northern, Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa from Centrify explains that by adopting a Zero Trust approach with least privileged access, organizations can increase their compliance levels ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

The recent Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit held in Dubai, UAE revealed that the Middle East and North Africa region has the highest number of reported breaches in the world. In 2018, more than 36,000 incidents were reported from this region, the highest in the world. Along with this statistic, Gartner presentations revealed that the region also has the highest mean time to identify the breach. At 260 days, it is the highest in the world. What are the weaknesses in organizations that allow such a high number of incidents? Post-incident analysis usually reveals that prevalence and usage of weak passwords amongst end-users, and especially privileged end users like administrators, is the root cause for such breaches. Most incidents that happen are not necessarily of an advanced nature, and mostly stem when threat actors or hackers are able to crack weak passwords and gain entry into an organization’s network using compromised credentials of end-users and administrators. Gaining entry into an organization’s network through the credentials of an actual end-user or privileged end-user like an administrator remains the easiest entry strategy for threat actors. Forrester Research points out that 80% of security breaches result from privileged access abuse. In the past, it used to be assumed that access granted through a login including a user name and password was

sufficient to guarantee the authenticity of the user. With the increasing sophistication of threat actors to brute force passwords to gain access, especially weak and repeated passwords, this assumption is no longer valid and has spawned the creation of the Zero Trust model. The Zero Trust model, first suggested by Forrester Research and National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2010, reinforces the modern belief that login identities can no longer be trusted, inside or outside the organization, especially with the expanding threat surface. The Zero Trust model today covers the following elements with the objective of not implicitly trusting any access for any user without verification. • Networks: Verify access to segment, isolate, and control the network. • Data: Control access to secure and manage data, develop classification schemes, encrypt data at rest and in transit. • Workloads: Verify and control access to the application stack. • Devices: Verify and control access of every device on the network. • Identities: Limit the access of users and secure users. By limiting and securing privileged access to the above, the organization is moving away from a perimeter-based approach to a Zero Trust approach. The Zero Trust approach boosts prevention, detection, response, and compliance towards standards 29

such as HIPAA, FISMA, PCI, and others. Moreover, it can be extended to the cloud, mobility, Big Data lakes, DevOps, containers, microservices, and others. Organizations begin their Zero Trust journey with the following initiatives: Vault All Privileged Credentials Access to the credentials of privileged users and privileged resources need to be secured and controlled, raising the level of security management control. Rigorous multi-factor authentication also needs to be enabled and added around privileged users and privileged resources. Consolidate Identities and Introduce the Least Privilege All identities need to be consolidated to eliminate redundant ones at the same time limiting privileges to the minimum required to get the work done. Along with limiting privileges, workflows need to be limited in a similar manner to restrict lateral user movements. Hardening the Environment Once the above two initiatives have been implemented, the organization can move to the next level of compliance. This can include the introduction of air gapping around hardware and resources, usage of host-based intrusion detection systems, and development of advanced behavioral analytics. By going through these steps, organizations can ensure they are no longer vulnerable in the area of security breaches and password theft.

EXPE RT SPEAK

Becoming a Data-Driven Business Leader Written by Claude Schuck, Regional Manager - Middle East at Veeam All human beings have instincts. It’s something every one of us possesses. For some of us, it’s a case of our hearts ruling our heads. Sometimes it’s a case of making decisions when we don’t have all the right information to go on. Regardless, gut-instinct is an underrated asset in business. The old adage of ‘sometimes you just know’ stands many business leaders in good stead. So, what if all of the right information be-

comes available? When the best course of action can be proven with data, do we abandon instinct? The truth is business leaders are getting more data. It’s coming to them and they’re searching for it. But data doesn’t always present answers. That’s where the combination of experience, instinct, and consultancy meets data, information, and numbers. Rational Versus Emotional To understand leadership, you have to understand

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people. Myers Briggs’ personality typing model suggests that humans have four energies: emotional, rational, emotional, introvert and extrovert. It’s usually easy to identify whether people make decisions based on rationality or emotion; the same way that it’s usually easy to identify whether people gain energy from being alone or being around people. There are also certain characteristics we associate with

certain personality types. The archetypal emotional leader would, therefore, base more decisions on instinct. They may dismiss data and follow their heart. Whereas rational leaders are analytical. They will pore over all the available information before making a call. The danger in stereotyping people, particularly those in leadership positions, is not accounting for the balance. All humans have the ability to analyse, alongside more instinctive tendencies. A scientist can be superstitious the same as an artist can obsess over his/her sales numbers. Modern business leaders of all personality types are faced with a new challenge, but a huge opportunity: data. Information is no longer the preserve of the analyst, but those who analyse the data at their disposal will make superior decisions.

es need to think slower. That it’s more important to decide correctly than to decide quickly. The latter accounts for the always-on nature of data in the modern, digital enterprise. Businesses who are ignoring the data will be found out eventually, even if they realise short term gains by acting fast. The availability of data in the modern business means it’s not simply about speed of decision making, but the speed of thought. Quick thinking is different to decisive action. You can decide quickly but decide badly. Whereas quick-thinking involves weighing up your surroundings, abilities, and options in a short enough space of time that you gain an advantage.

Veeam Cloud Data Management Report surveyed business decision-makers from across the globe, 93% told us that decision making needed to change as Cloud Data Management is deployed within businesses. Over a quarter (29%) said there needed to be a complete overhaul. Data will absolutely change business leadership, but it will not subordinate it. There will still be a place for emotion. There will still be a place for ‘I just know’. Business leaders have an expansive pool of experience, expertise, and acumen to draw on before they get to the data.

The difference is that modern business leaders will go to the data. Some will do so sooner and more readily than others, but those who This is where rationality refuse to will struggle to meets emotion and where survive. Furthermore, busithinking fast trumps thinkness leaders will set about ing slow. Businesses that creating a data-driven cullearn to think fast and smart ture. Almost three-fifths However, in business, it’s not will be the disruptors. It’s (59%) of business decialways enough to identify about analysing the available sion-makers said that comthe right course of action, data in a way that accelerpany culture must change but it is necessary to do so ates decision making. to view new technology at the right time. This brings For the data-driven business entering the workplace as a us to the issue of speed. leader, the mantra is come co-worker. to exactly the right decision Thinking Fast and Slow and do it faster than everyThis collaboration between The more traditional school body else. humans and information is of thought is that businesswhat will shape the modes that make decisions fast The Data-Driven Business ern business. As Cloud Data win. Slow decision making Leader Management permeates has been labelled as a busiBusiness leaders are at difevery enterprise, business ness killer. However, there is ferent stages when it comes leaders will incorporate data a prevailing counter-theory to how invested in using into their decision making that suggests that business- data they are. The 2019 more and more.

EXPE RT SPEAK

SD-WAN Should Integrate Network & Security Functionality Written by Alain Penel, Regional Vice President – Middle East, Fortinet The one common drawback to most SD-WAN solutions is that they address your WAN connectivity needs as if they exist in isolation. This isn’t unique. One of the biggest challenges facing organizations undergoing rapid digital transformation is that each new network element tends to be designed and implemented in isolation. While this approach has several significant flaws, none is more serious than the impact it has on security. One of the most critical functions required by security is

expansive visibility across the entire distributed network. Deploying separate security solutions in different parts of the network isolates resources and makes it impossible to see, correlate, and respond to systemic threats. While traditional hub-andspoke WAN connection models certainly have their shortcomings, they do enable all traffic to be scanned and secured by the centrally deployed security. Once you replace static MPLS connections with flexible connectivity that leverages a public

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network and begin to support direct links to the internet and SaaS applications, you shift the burden of security to the SDWAN device. The Limits of Traditional SDWAN Solutions The problem is, most SDWAN devices offer little more than extremely basic firewall functionality. This means that your critical data is no longer being protected by your full stack of security services, such as IPS, web filtering, anti-virus and anti-malware, and sandboxing. If you want those

services, you have to add them as an overlay.

compatible with those running at the branch.

This can add significant overhead to your IT team due to the heavy lifting of designing and deploying a solution, additional maintenance, and the use of separate management consoles. And if not done properly, it can also isolate your WAN security from the rest of your security architecture, both at your core and out in your multi-cloud presence. But that’s only part of the challenge.

Applications not only need to be identified and managed to optimize their performance, but security also needs to see and understand those applications so appropriate levels of security can be applied. In addition, a cloud-based security broker (CASB) solution should be positioned between the user and the cloud to secure access to cloud applications and resources and provide ubiquitous visibility and control. Finally, cloud security solutions need to also be positioned in the internet itself to provide real-time scalability for applications.

Security Needs to Consistently Span the Entire Network Managing an SD-WAN connection over a platform as unreliable as the public internet requires a significant amount of delicate connection management. Redundant systems need to be in place for immediate failover. Links with deteriorating reliability need to be hot-swapped out, even during live connections. And traffic management tools need to be constantly aware of application bandwidth requirements and prioritization of different connections to continually make micro-adjustments to support latency-sensitive applications like unified communications. SD-WAN connections require end-to-end security that goes beyond simply encrypting data. Communications between a branch office and a cloudbased application require data inspection at both ends of the connection. To avoid gaps in policy implementation and enforcement, security solutions in the cloud need to be fully

SD-WAN Needs to Integrate Network and Security Functionality But perhaps the most essential element required is the deep integration between SD-WAN network functionality and security. Unfortunately, when security is deployed as an overlay, the best it can do is react to changes in network connections. This might be good enough for basic connections to the core data center, but securing things like SaaS applications or accessing sensitive data is another matter. The lag time between a network change and the remapping of security to match that new configuration can create security gaps – which can be predicted and exploited. This problem is significantly compounded when such changes can happen on a second-by-second basis. Rather than deploying security 33

as an overlay, it instead needs to be fully integrated into the networking functionality of the SD-WAN solution itself. When new connections are created, security policies are built and deployed as part of the process. When network connectivity changes, security adapts automatically as part of the protocol. And, should a new connection or adjustment potentially compromise security policy, the integrated security element can prevent that change before it is even made. The Future Requires Security-Driven Networking This deep interoperability between security and network functions is the hallmark of the next generation of security known as Security-Driven Networking. By weaving these traditionally separate systems into a single solution, organizations can achieve the visibility and control necessary to truly secure their entire infrastructure. And as machine learning and AI become part of the solution, we will finally realize the sort of self-defending, self-healing network we have been waiting for. New Secure SD-WAN solutions are the perfect place for this to begin. Deep integration between connectivity and security allows for the seamless and straightforward deployment of a complete solution, while networking and security functions can be managed simultaneously using a single pane of the glass management system, reducing overhead, increasing performance and protection, and paving the way for the next generation of security.

MARKET UPDATE

Enterprises Exposed to Massive Risk as 45,000 Data Loss Incidents Missed Every Month 34

McAfee has released a new research study titled “Enterprise Supernova: The Data Dispersion Cloud Adoption and Risk Report.” The results describe the broad distribution of data across devices and the cloud, highlighting critical gaps for enterprise security. Seventy-nine percent of companies surveyed store sensitive data in the public cloud. While these companies approve an average of 41 cloud services each, up 33 percent from last year, thousands of other services are used ad-hoc without vetting. In addition, 52 percent of companies use cloud services that have had user data stolen in a breach. By leaving significant gaps into the visibility of their data, organizations leave themselves open to loss of sensitive data and to regulatory non-compliance. Cloud services have replaced many business-critical applications formerly run as on-premises software, leading to a migration of sensitive data to the cloud. The use of personal devices when accessing cloud services, the movement of data between cloud services, and the sprawl of high-risk cloud services drive new areas of risk for companies using the cloud. For organizations to se-

cure their data they need a thorough understanding of where their data is and how it is shared—especially with the rapid adoption of cloud services. As part of this report, McAfee surveyed 1,000 enterprise organizations in 11 countries and investigated anonymized events from 30 million enterprise cloud users to gain a holistic view of modern data dispersion. The Data Dispersion Cloud Adoption and Risk Report also reveal the following: Shadow IT continues to expand enterprise risk: According to the study, 26 percent of files in the cloud contain sensitive data, an increase of 23 percent year-over-year. Ninety-one percent of cloud services do not encrypt data at rest; meaning data isn’t protected if the cloud provider is breached. Personal devices are black holes: Seventy-nine percent of companies allow access to enterprise-approved cloud services from personal devices. One in four companies has had their sensitive data downloaded from the cloud to an unmanaged, personal device, where they can’t see or control what happens to the data. Intercloud travel opens new paths to risk: Collaboration facilitates the

transfer of data within and between cloud services, creating a new challenge for data protection. Forty-nine percent of files that enter a cloud service is eventually shared. One in 10 files that contain sensitive data and are shared in the cloud using a publicly accessible link to the file, an increase of 111 percent year-over-year. A new era of data protection is on the horizon: Ninety-three percent of CISOs understand it’s their responsibility to secure data in the cloud. However, 30 percent of companies lack the staff with skills to secure their Software-as-a-Service applications, up 33 percent from last year. Both technology and training are outpaced by the rapid expansion of the cloud. “The force of the cloud is unstoppable, and the dispersion of data creates new opportunities for both growth and risk,” said Rajiv Gupta, senior vice president, Cloud Security, McAfee. “Security that is data-centric, creating a spectrum of controls from the device, through the web, into the cloud, and within the cloud provides the opportunity to break the paradigm of yesterday’s network-centric protection that is not sufficient for today’s cloudfirst needs.”

PRODUCT REVIEWS

4/5

AED 1999

Realme X2 Pro Realme recently entered the UAE market with the launch of three smartphones, one of which is the X2 Pro. At first sight, the Realme X2 Pro seems like a beast on paper. But how does it perform in the real-world? Let’s find out.

and slow-motion content up to 960fps. The smartphone also features a 4,000mAh battery and a 16MP front camera. You also get an in-display fingerprint scanner, which is fast and accurate. The phone also features vapour cooling, a tactile linear motor for haptic feedback, and the extremely fast SuperVOOC Flash Charge, which promises a full charge from 0% to 100% in about 35 minutes.

When you first pick up the X2 Pro, you cannot help but notice the excellent build quality and overall design. The X2 Pro has a premium look and feel, though it does not command the premium price tag most flagship phones on the market are available at. Coming in at AED 1999, the X2 Pro features a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, which is coupled with a generous 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. You get a dual SIM slot on the device, though a storage expansion slot is sorely missing. But that isn’t a biggie since the phone also offers 256GB worth of storage space. On the front of the device, you get a 6.5-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED display, that offers a refresh rate of 90Hz. What’s more, you also get Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, while the phone itself is Hi-Res Sound certified. Inside the box, you get a 50W charger, a USB A-C cable, and a clear TPU case. The phone is available in two colours: Neptune Blue and Lunar White. The phone also features a quad-camera setup at the back. This setup includes a 64MP primary (f/.18) camera, a 13MP telephoto (5x optical zoom, 20x hybrid, f/2.5) lens, an 8MP wide-angle (115° FoV, f/2.2) lens, and a 2MP portrait (f/2.4) lens. The X2 Pro is capable of shooting videos up to 4K at 60fps ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

On the bottom edge, you will find a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-C port. On the left is where the volume rockers are, while on the right edge you will find the power button and the dual-SIM slot. The phone is powered by Android 9 Pie operating system, with Color OS 6.1 running on top of it. In our AnTuTu and Geekbench benchmarks, the Realme X2 Pro performed quite well, thanks to the abundant RAM and the Snapdragon 855 Plus processor. We did not find any lag or screen freezes when viewing content and flipping through multiple open app windows. The camera is also the phone’s biggest strength. Under good lighting conditions, we ended up with excellent images. Even under low light conditions, the X2 Pro performs quite well. The front camera does a good job of capturing good-looking selfies. Videos shot using the rear cameras turned out very well. So should you buy the Realme X2 Pro? Definitely, if you crave premium-level design, build quality, and specs at a very pocket-friendly price tag.

4/5

AED 999

Nokia 7.2 HMD has been regularly launching new devices on the market. The latest one to roll out of its factory floor is the brand new Nokia 7.2, a supposedly mid-ranger that offers more bang for your buck. Coming in at a price of AED 999, the Nokia 7.2 offers boatloads of features mostly found on higher-priced smartphones.

below the camera module sits the fingerprint scanner.

For one, the Nokia 7.2 is the company’s very first smartphone to feature a triple-camera setup (more on that later). Out of the box, the Nokia 7.2 feels sturdy, featuring high-end build quality and excellent overall finish and design. The body of the smartphone is clad in a matte coating, which gives it a premium look and feel.

I used the Nokia 7.2 as my primary phone for more than a week – all I experienced was a lag-free experience, even when continuously switching between apps, and playing graphics-heavy games. In terms of the operating system, the Nokia 7.2 runs Google’s Android One version of Android 9 Pie.

On the front, the Nokia 7.2 flaunts a 6.3-inch IPS LCD PureDisplay with a resolution of 2280-by-1080 pixels. Since Nokia uses an IPS type of screen, you won’t have any issues with visibility, when looking at the screen under direct sunlight. On the top of the screen, you get a front camera that combines a 20MP image sensor with an aperture of f/2.0. The front camera is capable of recording 1080p Full-HD video at 30 frames per second.

The triple-camera system is one of Nokia 7.2’s strengths. Under good lighting conditions, the Nokia 7.2 offered good exposure overall. However, under low light conditions, we had to fiddle with a few of the settings in the Pro mode to get good shots. The colours on the photos were vibrant, while the autofocus did a decent job.

Inside, the Nokia 7.2 comes equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 coupled with Adreno 512 GPU, and a combination of 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.

At the rear of the device is where you will find the triple camera module that features ZEISS optics. This is made up of a main standard wide-angle camera, an ultra-wide-angle second camera and a dedicated depth sensor for simulated bokeh shots. The primary camera uses a 1/2-inch 48MP Quad-Bayer sensor with 0.8µm pixels coupled to a standard wide-angle f/1.8-aperture lens with PDAF autofocus.

Videos shot using the Nokia 7.2 was quite good – in fact, better than many smartphones out there on the market that are available at similar price points. The front camera also does a very job of shooting selfies. The night shot and the autofocus is some of the areas that could be improved upon, but overall, the Nokia 7.2 offers good photography and videography prowess. The battery of the Nokia 7.2 easily lasts a day of usage before it needs recharging.

The Nokia 7.2 also uses an ultra-wide second shooter built around an 8MP sensor with a 13mm-equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens. The 5MP dedicated depth sensor comes into play when using the Portrait mode. You can capture video at either 2016p/30fps (4K) or lower-resolution 1080p/30fps (full HD) in default mode. Just

So who is the Nokia 7.2 for? The smartphone will appeal to those who want a smartphone that features brilliant design and build quality, good specs, and very good camera and performance, at the same time coming in at a very pocket-friendly price.

PRODUCTS

OKI Europe Launches the MC883 MFP

OKI Europe has launched the new MC883, a versatile, easy-to-use A3 colour, smart multifunction printer (MFP) featuring outstanding colour print and copy performance, customisable colour touch-screen operation and smart software solutions that enable flexible, efficient and secure document capture, collaboration and management. Powered by OKI’s pioneering digital LED technology, the MC883 produces super sharp, text and exceptional High Definition Colour images in ultra-high quality 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution on a range of media sizes, from A6 to 1.3m banners and weights of up to 256gsm. The MFP is the latest addition to OKI’s portfolio of flexible A3 and A4, colour devices and part of the MC800 Series of A3 colour smart MFPs. Ideal for the most demanding business environments, the MC883 reliably delivers high-volume, high-quality printing, scanning and copying, thanks to OKI’s digital LED technology in the print and scanner heads. It includes built-in stapling for up to 20 sheets, two output trays, a maximum paper capacity of over 2,000 sheets and print speeds of 35ppm. The new smart MFP also features comprehensive scan and document management functionality, including rapid scan speeds of up to 50ipm and a 100 sheet Reverse Automatic Document Feeder (RADF) for copying, scanning and faxing double-sided documents. It’s simple to set up, operate and maintain without the need for an engineer. Thanks to a comprehensive guided help function and consumables that users can quickly and easily replace themselves including fusers and belts, the MC883 has been ergonomically-designed with the user in mind. Furthermore, the 7” colour touchscreen is fully customisable making it easy to create and record custom Job Macros and save to the home screen for easy access, speeding-up frequent operations.

The Motorola Razr Comes to the UAE The new motorola razr, an evolution of the original flippable cell phone that defined a generation, has now officially arrived in the United Arab Emirates. The new motorola razr is the world’s first-ever clamshell-style flexible display smartphone that folds completely giving the consumers a totally unique mobile consumer experience.

Speaking about the launch, Sharay Shams, General Manager MBG, at Lenovo said, “Since the launch of smartphones, mobile design has remained unchanged. Year after year, software and hardware features have been upgraded, but form factor has seen only minor changes. The new motorola razr signifies a breakthrough in the mobile industry and disrupts status quo. It addresses a real consumer pain point – portability. It fuses the pocket-ready size of a flip phone without compromising the big screen experience of a modern smartphone.”

Vivo Launches S1 Pro

Vivo has announced the launch of the new S1 Pro. The diamond design for the S1 Pro is a style of its own. It is inspired by images of jewelry and royal palaces that conjure a distinctive look that a d d s a u n i q u e a n d d y n a m i c fe e l t o this latest smartphone. Fo r i n s t a n c e , t h e 4 8 M P A I Q u a d C a m e ra i s c l e v e r l y a r ra n g e d t o f o r m a diamond shape which is a unique design that urges fans to explore their style.

ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

The new motorola razr brings style and craftsmanship to smartphones in a new way. Constructed utilizing premium stainless steel and 3D Gorilla Glass, the razr is the perfect blend of amazing engineering and incredible design. On razr’s external 2.7-inch interactive Quick View display, you can connect with important information on the go, without ever opening your phone. You can make calls, reply to messages, pay with a tap, control your music, take stunning selfies, use Google Assistant and access customized settings, like turning on or off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, your Hotspot and more. What’s better is you can seamless transition from the external experience to the internal full screen experience The razr is priced at AED 5999 (inclusive of VAT) and is available on attractive post-paid packages through Du and Etisalat. The razr will be available on the shelf in the UAE by end of February 2020.

“S1 Pro combines industry-leading fe a t u r e s t h a t h i g h l i g h t o u r d e d i c a t i o n t o d e l i v e r i n g h i g h q u a l i t y, y e t stunning smartphone designs that enable consumers to explore their o w n s t y l e ,” s a i d J e t Xu , P r e s i d e n t o f vivo Middle East and Africa. “S1 Pro is a true example of how we design industry-leading smartphone experiences to fit the needs of our consumers in the Middle East and Africa m a r ke t .” S1 Pro comes in two colour options to match your unique personal style – Glowing Night and Nebula Blue.

Nikon Launches the new D6

Honor Launches the Honor 20 Featuring 48MP AI Quad Camera Honor has announced that the new Honor 20 will be available for purchase in the UAE for AED 1299 starting from 13th February, 2020 at popular retailers. The flagship quality smartphone packs in a 48MP AI Quad Camera with a multi-dimensional, Dynamic Holographic glass back and industry-leading technology including Kirin 980 chipset, GPU Turbo 3.0, a 3,750 mAh battery and Virtual 9.1 Surround Sound. The Honor 20’s Quad Camera leads with a Sony IMX586 48MP Main Camera, as well as a 16MP Super Wide Angle Camera, 2MP Depth Assist Camera and 2MP Macro Camera. The Honor 20 is also equipped with AIS Super Night Mode, letting users record their magic moments in great

details even in dimly-lit scenarios. 2MP Macro lens can give users a creative edge by offering new perspectives that the naked eye would never be able to see. It allows users to capture incredible details as close as 4cm, ideal for photographers who enjoy shooting flora and fauna. Similarly, the ability to zoom in on a subject at 3X lossless optical zoom, 5X hybrid zoom, 30X digital zoom, means that users can shoot minute details with absolute discretion – a useful feature for nature-loving photographers who are looking to photograph elusive wildlife or street photographers who portray the hustle and bustle of city life.

HP Launches New Chromebooks HP has recently announced new Chromebooks for students and teachers that are enhanced for learning and creativity and built to stand up to tough handling wherever learning takes you. The HP Chromebook 11 G8 Education Edition (EE), HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE, HP Chromebook 11 x360 G3 EE and HP Chromebook 14 G6 are simple, secure and shareable devices that enable schools and educators to empower the next generation with skills to master creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. “Digital teaching and learning continues to evolve with teachers and

Nikon has finally unveiled its latest flagship full-frame DSLR for sports shooters and photojournalists: the Nikon D6. At its core, the D6 uses the same 20.8MP resolution fullframe CMOS sensor as its predecessor that maxes out at the same 4K/30p when shooting video, and you won’t find any on-sensor phase-detect points for improved Live View capabilities. Instead, the hero-feature of this new camera is the new 105-point all-crosstype AF system that Nikon is calling “the most powerful AF system in Nikon’s history.” Not only does the D6 uses a “triple-sensor arrangement” for every focus point to achieve coverage that’s “approximately 1.6x denser” than the D5, but the AF system is also much more customizable. Group AF now supports up to 17 custom focus point arrangements that users can pre-set depending on the subject they’re shooting, and something called “expanded focus detection range” increases the detection area for single-point and dynamic area AF so you can still nail focus even if your subject drifts outside your focus point. Speed has also been improved, with the maximum burst rate increased from 12fps to 14fps with full AF/AE tracking, or 10.5fps in “silent mode” using the electronic shutter. You can also pull stills from video by pressing down the shutter during Movie Mode, allowing you to “shoot” up to 60fps in Full HD (2MP), or 30fps in 4K UHD (8MP). Nikon has also added a bunch of workflow enhancements for the pros. There’s built-in 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi, a USB-C port and dual CFExpress card slots allow for much faster data transfer, recall shooting functions let you assign a combination of settings to a single button, JPEG functions give you the ability to simultaneously record two JPEG images at different size and quality settings, and there are a total of 14 customizable buttons.

students valuing technology solutions that not only serve as tools for education, but that can also withstand the rigors of wherever learning takes them – whether it’s in the classroom, lab, home, or somewhere in between,” said Andy Rhodes, Global Head, Commercial PCs, Personal Systems, HP Inc. “HP is passionate about creating solutions that provide early learners the opportunity to expand their tools and their minds. With cloud-based mobile learning becoming increasingly relevant, HP’s new Chromebooks help students create and collaborate to deliver meaningful outcomes for themselves and their communities.”

HP Education Editions which were announced at BETT 2020 bring tailored learning solutions to every student and teacher. The new HP Education Edition Chromebooks are the world’s first Chromebooks with full-skirted anchored keys, delivering a new tier of pick-proof durability for classroom devices designed to be able to survive a fall off a desk, a splash from water or a tug on the power cord. Students can work continuously with long battery life, and teachers can control and manage student interactions with HP Classroom Manager.

PRODUCTS

OnePlus Shows off Invisible Camera Phone Concept During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus Concept One. The company used a technology known as electrochromic glass that can change the transparency of glass. The phone manufacturer uses it to cover up the rear-facing camera on the concept model with an opaque black finish on the back. In less than a second after the camera app is opened, faster than it takes the camera app to be fully ready, the glass turns clear revealing the lenses on the back of the phone. This hide and seek game with the camera has caught the attention of consumers. The technology also could act as a polarizing filter for the rear cameras to help them deliver sharper, clearer photos in bright lighting conditions. The version of the OnePlus Concept One that was displayed at CES featured an orange-yellow leather back that is properly called “papaya.” Today, an even more stunning version of the OnePlus Concept One surfaced in black leather. And speaking about the concept handset, an interview with Kevin Tao, a member of the company’s Industrial Design team, was published on the OnePlus Forum. The designer pointed out that this is the first time that OnePlus used leather on a phone. And while it sounds like the perfect material for the company to use, Tao says that in the future the manufacturer would prefer to use an alternative material with the same qualities. “This is the first time OnePlus explored leather back design. We believe leather is a material that achieves the premium build quality we strive for, providing a soft touch, while also create a thinner handfeel when compared to glass,” Kevin said. “We worked with McLaren on applying the same premium leather that is used on the 720s. In (the) future, if we intend to apply similar back design, we will look into alternative materials that can achieve the same look and feel with leather, while being more environmentally friendly and easier to keep clean in the long run.”

XTOUCH Launches the S40 Smartphone Dubai- headquartered mobile phone brand, XTOUCH has today announced the launch of its 6.26-inch Waterdrop Notch HD IPS display screen smartphone, S40. The new XTOUCH smartphone unveils a completely new style statement at just AED 399 in the United Arab Emirates. Farhad Khan, Vice President at XTOUCH, said, “Over the years, XTOUCH has become synonymous 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 a fingerprint sensor physical button at the back, to unlock this dual-SIM smartphone in a flash. The new device runs on Android 9.0 and is powered by a quad-core processor for speedy operations. The 4GB RAM ensures

a smooth and speedy multitasking operation. The 32GB internal storage can be extended to up to 128 GB with a microSD 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. The new device provides users to take perfect selfies by the front camera that captures live moments in real colours. The XTOUCH S40 is backed by large 3000mAh li-ion battery allow users to keep using their phone with the fastest Wi-Fi or 4G network. The S40 enables switch easily between business and family phone talks. The Bluetooth technology allows users to stay connected to Bluetooth, headset, external speakers and more.

GELID Solutions Intros Apex Wireless 2.4G Vertical Mouse GELID Solutions has launched the Apex – a wireless 2.4G vertical mouse with elevated ergonomics and human-centered techniques. The Apex is a product of GELID Solution Lifestyle product line. The Apex features the scientifically designed upright shape to level up your comfort and ergonomics while spending countless hours on the computer.

It helps keep your wrist in a natural handshake position which goes to minimize stress to muscles and reduce strain. For high accuracy and enhanced productivity, the Apex delivers precise optical tracking up to 1600 DPI that works on virtually any surface, even glass. The Apex also boasts optimal size and weight, anti-slide coating and Next/Previous navigation

ARABIAN RESELLER | February 2020

buttons to facilitate operation.

All that makes it a perfect gear to assist in your day-to-day computing. And especially, the Apex is compatible with all major operating systems including Linux and macOS. “The Apex mouse thinks differently. Its technical features are carefully blended to help you exploit the latest findings in ergonomics and feel true comfort while computing or gaming throughout your busy day,” said Gebhard Scherrer, Sales Director of GELID Solutions Ltd. The Apex is available now for a price of $19.99 or Euro 14.99.