Arabian Reseller - February-March 2021

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2021 Volume 3 | Issue 2

www.arabianreseller.com

#WOMENINTECH

DRIVING POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE INDUSTRY

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WOMEN IN TECH

22. "Don't Be Intimidated by the Industry" 24. “You Must Break Stereotypes and Prove Yourself” 26. “Having Women in the Workforce Has a Clear Business Impact”

CONTENTS

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28. "The Future Looks Bright For Women Interested in a Career in a STEM-Related Field"

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30. “Be Ready for the Fight to Achieve Your Career Path” 32. “Our World Would Be Different If More Women Were Also Making Decisions in the STEM Space” 34. "Diversity Always Makes a Positive Difference"

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36. "Focus, Determination and Hardwork Leads to Success" 38. "Amazing to See How Women Are Growing Equally Alongside Men in the Industry"

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News 06. Citrix Completes Acquisition of Wrike

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07. Veeam Releases New V11 with 200+ Enhancements 08. Tenable Launches Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Platform

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10. Kingston Technology to Sell HyperX Gaming Division to HP 12. 5G Will Create New Value Across All Industries 14. Sophos Intercept X Endpoint Protection for 5G PCs

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16. Vectra Extends Cloud Identity Detection Capabilities with Microsoft Azure AD 40. Review of ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733QS

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41. Review of Huawei Freelace Pro

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EDITORIAL FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Chris N. Fernando chris@ryshamedia.com SALES AND MARKETING

Ranbir Sen ranbir@ryshamedia.com ASSISTANT EDITOR

Edward Frank edward@ryshamedia.com

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Chris Fernando

Bridging the Gender Gap! According to a report by The World Bank, women make up less than 40% of the total global workforce. Having said that, however, this number differs when you zoom in to specific countries or regions.

Still, it’s not all doom-and-gloom for the outlook of women in tech. Although we have a long road until we achieve gender equality in the workplace, we’re seeing some positive trends across the tech industry.

For instance, in the EU, the employment rate for women of working age is 66.5 %. While the rate has improved over the years, it’s still less than men (78.1%) and women tend to be employed in lower paying jobs.

There are also many women-only tech groups that act as an important way for women in tech to meet, network, discuss the challenges and triumphs of their work and lift each other up.

According to another report, only 17% of ICT specialists are women. In addition, only 34% of STEM graduates are women.

Women in the ICT sector also earn 19% less than men. Figures such as these clearly show the existence of a gender gap in the tech industries and STEM fields.

The inequality in the workplace begins with inequality in the classroom. Research has also shown that the gender stereotyping of STEM subjects such as mathematics and science has a direct link to fewer girls choosing the subjects in both high school and secondary education.

A report by PWC on Women in Tech which looked at the experiences of 2,000 A-Level and university students in the UK confirmed that the view that the gender gap in technology starts at school and continues into further education and beyond.

It's a known fact that gender diversity breeds higher quality products, companies and sectors. Different backgrounds, experiences and ideas ultimately help make any business or industry stronger.

One of the ways companies can possibly help bridge this gender gap is instead of focusing solely on women at the C-Suite level, companies also need to put more emphasis on hiring and promoting women at the entry and managerial levels.

Also, give credit where credit is due, hire based on potential than just current competencies and backgrounds, and so on. Our issue this month focuses on #WomenInTech, celebrating women's empowerment, independence, confidence and strength. We hope you like reading through this month's Arabian Reseller magazine. If you have any suggestions or comments, please write to us at chris@ryshamedia.com.

COPY EDITOR

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Nisha Seth info@ryshamedia.com WRITER

Vishal Jagani info@ryshamedia.com GRAPHICS DESIGNER

John Christy info@ryshamedia.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Prarthana Mary prarthana@ryshamedia.com DIGITAL TEAM

Context Media LLP, Chennai, India. info@contextgroup.net 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, UAE. sales@ryshamedia.com www.ryshamedia.com ALL RIGHT RESERVED 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.

Cover Concept by Ranbir Sen Copyright @2021

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

SANS Institute Announces its Live Online Spring Training for the Gulf SANS Institute has announced its upcoming live online training program titled the ‘Gulf Region Spring 2021’ to be held from March 13-18th, 2021. The program will include courses on security and incident response and forensics.

Citrix Completes Acquisition of Wrike Citrix Systems, Inc. today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Wrike, a leading provider of SaaS collaborative work management solutions, for approximately $2.25 billion in cash.

Through the acquisition, Citrix will deliver the industry’s most comprehensive cloud-based work platform to empower all employees and teams to securely access, collaborate and execute all work types in the most efficient and effective way possible — across any work channel, device, or location.

“For more than three decades, Citrix has been a leader in providing digital workspace infrastructure that empowers IT organizations to securely deliver the apps, content and business services employees need to do their jobs,” said David Henshall, President and CEO, Citrix. “With the addition of Wrike’s collaborative work management capabilities, which leading companies like Walmart, Fitbit, Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Chosen Foods, and many others rely on to foster more efficient and collaborative work execution, we can take things to the next level and enable people, teams, and organizations to perform at their best.”

Digitization and the adoption of flexible and hybrid work models continues to accelerate. But complex and distributed work environments are cluttered with a heterogeneous array of applications, communication channels and devices that disrupt employees and get in the way of efficient and meaningful work.

“The need to provide a secure and simplified work experience for employees

has never been more critical,” said Mark Bowker, senior analyst for Enterprise Strategy Group. “To keep employees engaged and productive in today’s hybrid work environment, companies need to not only provide secure and reliable access to the resources they need to do their jobs, but tools that enable them to work more efficiently and effectively across work channels, devices and locations.”

Citrix Workspace is unique in its ability to unify and secure work resources and streamline workflows across work types. With Wrike, Citrix will further enhance its capabilities with a best-inclass collaborative work management solution for project-based work, portfolio management and other collaborative work types. By bringing together Wrike and the Citrix Workspace, Citrix will provide a true digital work platform that transforms how work gets done via: •

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• •

Secure delivery of all work resources, including SaaS apps, web apps, mobile apps, virtual desktops, content and business services Native aggregation and integrations for apps, content, data, projects and workflows Built-in low code/no-code tooling for workflow automation Powerful project and work management tools to execute various levels of work across the enterprise – from portfolio planning with strategy / goal planning, to project planning with capacity planning, project execution and project insight and analytics

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“The Middle East continues to be targeted by both global and regional threat actors.

As the number of high net-worth families and professionals continues to rise in the region, specifically in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as with continuing geopolitical tensions, there is a continuous rise in sophisticated cyber threats and attacks.

The amount of financial damage suffered from a data breach continues to rise in the region, and there is an immediate need to increase the skills and number of certified resources available in cybersecurity,” says Ned Baltagi, Managing Director – the Middle East and Africa at SANS Institute.

“The hybrid mode of remote working is here to stay and looks like we will continue with remote logins and virtual private networks for much of 2021. With the process of securing the organizations networks, endpoints, applications, and data centres in the post-pandemic world, the “new normal” looks more challenging than ever before. SANS is committed to increase the level of cybersecurity skills and the number of skilled and certified professions in the region, through our Live Online courses and training programs in 2021,” Baltagi adds.

The instructors for the courses for the upcoming Gulf Region Spring online event are Keith Palmgren for SEC301: Introduction to Cyber Security GISF; Chris Christianson for SEC566: Implementing and Auditing the Critical Security Controls In-Depth GCCC; Francesco Picasso for FOR508: Advanced Incident Response, Threat Hunting, and Digital Forensics GCFA; and Kevin Holvoet for FOR578: Cyber Threat Intelligence GCTI. By registering for Gulf Region Spring 2021, participants can advance their careers, develop skills to protect their organization and can take advantage of live online training with world-class cybersecurity practitioners.

Veeam Releases New V11 with 200+ Enhancements Veeam Software has announced the general availability of NEW Veeam Backup & Replication v11, enabling the most advanced data protection solution for Cloud, Virtual, Physical and Enterprise workloads. With more than 200 new features and enhancements, the single solution for comprehensive data management is powerful and flexible enough to protect each phase of the data life cycle, while handling all the complexities of a multi-cloud environment for AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

“Veeam released V10 with more than 150 new enhancements just 12 months ago, and now has more than 700,000 downloads. Being able to launch the next version — Veeam Backup & Replication v11 — with an additional 200 new and powerful backup, cloud, DR, security, and automation enhancements speaks volumes to Veeam’s speed of innovation, as well as our strong commitment to the needs and data reliability demands of our customers and partners,” said Danny Allan, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at Veeam.

451 Research reports that 69% of enterprises indicate at least 75% of their workforce can now effectively work remotely. With workloads accelerating to multi-cloud ecosystems and workers increasingly operating remotely, data is harder to manage and control than ever before. In response to the new data protection challenges customers faced in 2020 and in anticipation of those to come this year, the new V11 includes reliable security and ransomware protection that fends off increasing risks of cyberthreats now and into the future, delivering unprecedented resiliency for companies of any size.

Veeam delivers Backup as a Service (BaaS) and Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) to the market thanks to partnerships with leading cloud and managed service providers in over 180 countries. To ensure these services are seamlessly integrated into V11, NEW Veeam Service Provider Console v5 offers service providers a web-based platform for centralized management, monitoring and customer self-service access of data protection operations.

The Qatar General Tax Authority and Invenio Launch Integrated Digital Tax Administration System on SAP S/4HANA The General Tax Authority (GTA) and implementation partner Invenio Business Solutions successfully launched a state-of-the-art​ digital tax administration system, in the State of Qatar. The new system has transformed the tax administration lifecycle, digitalising existing services and making them 100% contactless. Over 58,000 taxpayers have already registered on the comprehensive new system, which supports multiple revenue types and offers access to 24×7 online services.

The GTA embarked on a national level change programme to modernise tax administration and enhance the taxpayer experience in the State of Qatar. The authority needed to simplify legislations, automate processes, and optimise the user experience, to increase taxpayer compliance. Additionally, there was a requirement for a business rules framework which could be easily adapted as laws and policies evolve.

Invenio and the GTA worked in partnership to develop an approach aligned to Qatar’s longterm aspirations. As a result, with the State of Qatar’s tax strategy at its core, Qatar now has an agile platform, where evolving tax policies, laws and innovations can be built with ease.

The SAP Tax and Revenue Management (TRM) solution on SAP S/4HANA provides end-to-end taxation management, advanced analytical processing, and seamless data integration, whilst retaining data quality, making it the perfect tax administration solution for the GTA. Despite the obstacles due to the current pandemic, the project continued as planned, with

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Invenio’s team working remotely to ensure all system requirements were met. The project, which included the design, build, test and deployment of the system, and delivery of training workshops, was completed successfully in a remote delivery mode.

In July 2020, the full registration module went live on Dhareeba, the front-end portal supporting the tax administration system.

This was followed by the introduction of e-filing and e-payments. Excise Tax, Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Withholding Tax (WHT) and Capital Gains Tax ‘CGT’ went live in November 2020, with data from the legacy system successfully migrated over the course of a weekend.

The platform has replaced manual processes with workflow driven operations and automated functions. Importantly, it is also integrated with ministries, banks and other third parties, like the National Authentication Service (NAS). These substantial changes will save time and offer far greater visibility, enabling single taxpayer views across regimes, levies, duties, and charges; and thereby help the GTA to reduce the national tax gap.

As a one-stop-shop, the new system has reduced the need to visit tax offices. Now, taxpayers can access accounts remotely, submit queries and receive notifications about their application progress. A more responsive and personalised service ensures the citizens of Qatar can take advantage of the many benefits the new platform has to offer, ultimately, encouraging higher levels of voluntary compliance.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

Williams Racing Expands its Tech Partnership with Acronis

Tenable Launches Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Platform Tenable, Inc. has launched Tenable.ep, the industry’s first, all-in-one, risk-based vulnerability management platform designed to scale as dynamic compute requirements change. Tenable.ep combines the company’s industry-leading products — Tenable.io Vulnerability Management, Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, Tenable.io Container Security and Tenable Lumin – into one platform, enabling customers to see all of their assets and vulnerabilities in a single dashboard alongside key threat, exploit and prioritization metrics. Moreover, Tenable. ep’s single, flexible asset-based licensing model frees organizations to dynamically allocate licenses across all asset types according to their unique attack surface and modify as their environment changes.

The ability to quickly spin up and connect modern assets to the corporate environment is critical to digital transformation and work-from-home initiatives. But cybersecurity pricing models designed for on-premises computing can force enterprises to choose between assessing one asset type over another, frequently charging premiums for assessing cloud assets or web applications. Tenable.ep solves this challenge with a single license that gives customers unrivaled flexibility to take a holistic, rather than piecemeal, approach to vulnerability management.

Whether it’s a web application, a cloud instance, a container image, remote worker or a traditional server, each asset counts exactly the same.

“Attackers don’t differentiate between asset types and neither should defenders.

So we designed Tenable.ep to give organizations the power to identify every asset and exposure, predict which vulnerabilities are most likely to be exploited and act to address critical risks,” said Renaud Deraison, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Tenable. “Tenable.ep delivers riskbased vulnerability management within a single, unified solution without the need to purchase separate products and manage different licensing models.”

Tenable has a track record of innovating to raise the bar for cybersecurity. With Predictive Prioritization, Tenable helped organizations evolve from trying to fix everything with a critical CVSS score to taking a risk-based approach that focuses on fixing what matters most. Frictionless Assessment removed the barriers to unified visibility of cloud assets. Now with Tenable.ep, the company is bringing these innovations together and simplifying how disparate assets are assessed so that organizations can approach their vulnerability management programs holistically.

“The last twelve months has seen organisations morph to adapt to a change in working practices. Security needs to be equally as adaptable,” explains Maher Jadallah, Regional Director – Middle East at Tenable. “With Tenable.ep our customers can allocate resources based on their specific needs, with the ability to modify that allocation as their attack surface evolves.”

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Acronis has announced that it is extending the areas of cooperation and driving the adoption of winning cyber protection technology across the entire Williams Racing IT infrastructure. As part of the Official Cyber Protection partnership, Williams Racing will continue the use of Acronis Cyber Protect across their IT infrastructure. The innovative solution, used by elite sports teams around the world, integrates fast and reliable backup, AI-powered anti-malware and antivirus, and comprehensive endpoint management, all managed from a single interface. The unique cyber protection approach eliminates the complexity and makes it simple for teams to manage and monitor workloads, data, applications, and systems across an entire network.

“Acronis Cyber Protection encompasses all areas of workload protection, simplifies data management, and prevents cyberattacks. It’s a constantly changing environment. To have a technology partner whose technology meets the modern-day needs and leads the market is critical for our team to regain competitive advantage,” said Graeme Hackland, Williams Racing Chief Information Officer.

During the last year, more than 15 new teams partnered with Acronis, pushing the total number of sports teams in the Acronis #CyberFit Sports portfolio to over 50. San Diego Padres, Washington Football Team, Atlético de Madrid, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, Roborace, Airspeeder, and many other teams chose Acronis to protect their edge.

“Acronis technology is designed to address the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of modern organizations – at the highest levels of business and competitive sport. This design methodology ensures the highest calibre of cyber protection for all workloads, data, applications, and systems., keeping data tamper-free and easily accessible for smooth day-today operations. Data is critical in Formula One and we are proud of being part of Williams Racing’ journey,” said Jan-Jaap Jager, Acronis Chief Operating Officer.

Data Center DC1000M U.2 NVMe SSD Enterprise-class U.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Gen 3.0 x4 SSD High performance over 3GB/s Predictable low latency and high I/O consistency On-board power loss protection (PLP)

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#KingstonIsWithYou

© 2020 Kingston Technology Europe Co LLP and Kingston Digital Europe Co LLP, Kingston Court, Brooklands Close, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 7EP, England. Tel: +44 (0) 1932 738888 Fax: +44 (0) 1932 785469 All rights reserved. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

Cyber Breach, Disaster Recovery, and User Access Identified as Top 2021 Tech Challenges

Kingston Technology to Sell HyperX Gaming Division to HP Kingston Technology Europe Co LLP, an affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., has announced a definitive agreement to sell HyperX, its gaming division to HP Inc. The acquisition supports HP’s strategy to drive growth in its Personal Systems business, where gaming and peripherals are attractive segments. HyperX’s award-winning product portfolio spans a range of gaming peripherals, including headsets, keyboards, mice, mouse pads, USB microphones, and console accessories.

“HyperX is a leader in peripherals whose technology is trusted by gamers around the world and we’re thrilled to welcome their outstanding team to the HP family,” said Enrique Lores, President and CEO, HP Inc. “We continue to advance our leadership in Personal Systems by modernizing compute experiences and expanding into valuable adjacencies. We see significant opportunities in the large and growing peripherals market, and the addition of HyperX to our portfolio will drive new sources of innovation and growth for our business.”

PC gaming continues to be one of the most popular forms of video gaming, with the PC hardware industry anticipated to be worth $70 billion by 2023. The global peripherals market is expected to grow to $12.2 billion by 2024, with gaming peripherals representing a disproportionate share of this growth.

“HyperX products are designed to meet the most rigorous demands of all gamers –

from casual to the most hardcore – giving them a winning edge and helping them stay on top of their game,” said John Tu, Co-founder and CEO, Kingston. “Both of our companies thrive because we focus on our employees and share the same core values and culture. David Sun (Co-founder and COO) and I saw the possibilities for the HyperX business and its employees and we both realized that this change brings a brighter future for HyperX.” HP has built a large and growing global gaming portfolio in recent years, led by its OMEN brand and a world-class ecosystem of hardware, software, content, and services.

The company continues to push progression in gaming with powerful devices like the OMEN 15 gaming laptop and the HP Pavilion Gaming 16 laptop. Beyond devices, HP is driving software innovation with OMEN Gaming Hub, a destination for players to connect, customize, and explore their gear and games. Adding HyperX to HP’s broader gaming ecosystem will deliver innovative new experiences across everything gamers see, hear, and touch.

Under the terms of the agreement, HP will pay $425M, subject to customary working capital and other adjustments, to acquire HyperX’s gaming peripherals portfolio. Kingston will retain the DRAM, flash, and SSD products for gamers and enthusiasts. The acquisition is expected to be accretive on a non-GAAP basis to HP in the first full year following closing.

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According to the recent survey, jointly conducted by Protiviti and ISACA, covering the Top Technology Risks for the organization in 2021, cybersecurity, privacy, data, and resilience emerged as the top technology challenges for organizations, with COVID-19 pandemic further heightening global concerns by impacting business conditions, risks, and priorities. The survey covered more than 7,400 IT audit leaders and professionals globally, including organizations from the Middle East who took part in the survey, highlighting cyber breach, disaster recovery, and user access to be their main concerns for 2021.

Another key finding of the report was that organizations with a higher level of digital maturity see the top risks as being more important than other organizations – and are more likely to identify and assess technology risks more dynamically and more regularly. They also incorporate more advanced technologies and make greater use of data and technology to support enhanced customer engagement and operational performance, as well as the digitalization of products and services. As a result, these ‘Digital Leaders’ can develop closer real-time views of risks, are more agile, and can respond more effectively to the rapidly evolving risk landscape.

Only 5% of organizations surveyed are considered Digital Leaders when ranked using the ISACA/Protiviti Digital Maturity Scale. These organizations have a proven track record of disrupting traditional business models, and continually improve digital aspects of strategic plans based on lessons learned and predictive indicators.

The survey found that most organizations are identifying and assessing technology risk for the purposes of audit planning – a positive development. However, ongoing digital transformation and continuing short-term uncertainty places ever-greater importance on frequent internal audits focusing on data and technology.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

Airbus and Atlas Telecom Join Forces to Offer Mission-Critical Smart Communications Airbus and Atlas Telecom, a UAE-based communications technology integration and security solutions company, signed a strategic partnership agreement at the ongoing IDEX 2021 to combine their local and global expertise and reinforce collaboration among public safety agencies in Abu Dhabi.

5G Will Create New Value Across All Industries At the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021, Huawei’s Executive Director and Carrier Business Group President Ryan Ding gave a keynote speech at the company’s “5G Brings New Value” forum, where he announced the official launch of Huawei’s 5GtoB solution. This new solution is aimed at creating new value for every player across the industry value chain.

Ding stated that building on its experience in connectivity, computing, and industry digitalization, Huawei has worked with operators and other industry partners to develop a one-stop solution that covers sales, operations, and services – the 5GtoB solution. This solution will simplify transactions for enterprise users, help operators monetize their network capabilities, and allow partners to innovate more efficiently, creating new value for every player involved.

Ding also talked about the developments, commercial returns, and opportunities for industry digitalization that 5G would bring.

The 5G industry has been developing faster than expected, with operators already seeing commercial returns from the first wave of 5G rollouts. The 5G user base and the number of 5G devices in commercial use have exploded since 2019. By the end of 2020, 380 5G devices had hit the market, 8 times more than the year before. The mobile 5G user base had also reached 220 million and wireless home broadband connections reached 1.05 million, a 17 and 21 times YoY increase, respectively. Ding claims these numbers will triple in 2021.

During the event, Ms. Jacqueline Shi, Vice President of Huawei’s Cloud & AI Business Group and President of the Cloud & AI Marketing Dept., proposed a reference

architecture for telecoms carriers’ digital transformation. Speaking during the “5G Creates New Value” forum, Ms. Shi outlined a roadmap in her speech, “Taking Digital Transformation to the Next Level”, for how carriers can build a digital, intelligent infrastructure centered around full-stack data centers and clouds, and how they can take a phase-by-phase, multi-path approach towards full-scale digital transformation.

“Digital transformation helps carriers to develop ubiquitous computing capabilities, especially cloud capabilities, and aggregate ecosystem to enable industry transformation. Huawei is willing to work with carriers and partners to light up dreams of the new industry, making the most of the unique opportunities of the digital era.” Ms. Shi said.

Additionally, Dr. Tong Wen, Huawei Fellow and CTO of Huawei Wireless, delivered a keynote speech titled “Continuous 5G Evolution for Building an Engine of All-Industry Digitalization” at the 5G Advanced Summit hosted by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). Dr. Tong emphasized that 5G must continuously evolve to build an engine of all-industry digitalization so as to satisfy the fast-growing consumer connections and diverse industrial applications.

Also, at the event, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), China Mobile Research Institute, China Unicom, China Telecom, and Huawei jointly released the 5GDN Architecture White Paper. The white paper aims to address the preceding technical deficiencies, improve the deterministic network architecture, enhance the deterministic network capabilities, and support additional service scenarios.

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The cooperation will lead to the integration of Airbus’ Tactilon Agnet, Everus Manpack and Tactilon Dabat into Atlas Telecom’s solutions for defense and security applications. Tactilon Agnet brings terminal radio and smart device users together, allowing real-time sharing of voice, data, video and location information. Embedded in Tactilon Agnet, the portable Everus Manpack LTE tactical bubble enables voice and video services, and gives users a direct link to the headquarters.

In the frame of the agreement, Airbus will also provide the TW1m Tetra modem, which will unlock the capabilities of Atlas Telecom’s E-passport tracking device, an advanced compact and intelligent vessel tracker.

“Atlas Telecom always emphasizes the need to provide a reliable and secure critical communication infrastructure for reinforced collaboration between security forces and personnel across sectors.

Through our new partnership, we can further strengthen our capability to deliver secure and modern devices for efficient exchange of data, voice, and information,” Samer Jammoul, Managing Director of Atlas Telecom, explained.

“In the Middle East, where we have strong market presence, our collaboration with Emirati companies such as Atlas Telecom allows us to jointly deliver better products and services. It results in an engagement that brings economic benefits. This reflects our commitment to introduce technology-driven solutions to the region, especially in the UAE where we are witnessing a rapid upgrade of infrastructure and security as it bids to become a leader in the global security and safety industry,” added Selim Bouri, Vice President and Head of Region MEA & Asia Pacific of Secure Land Communications at Airbus.

Digital Transformation Pressures Drive Big Spike in Global Microservices Adoption The sixth annual survey of NGINX’s extensive open-source user community found that the proportion of applications being built with microservices jumped from 40% to 60% in the past year. At the same time, more than 50% of the 600 respondents indicated that they were using microservices in some or all apps.

The survey also revealed that containers are twice as popular as other modern application technologies. Moreover, 34% of respondents said that they were using containers in their production environment, compared to serverless (15%) and service discovery (7%). NGINX’s research resonates with Gartner’s recent prediction that 75% of global organizations will be running containerized applications in production environments by 2022, up from less than 30% today.

“We’re seeing a big shift from monolithic to microservices‑based apps. More than ever before, organisations are looking to build platforms with greater resilience and faster deployment capabilities.

Without question, there’s a growing confidence worldwide that microservices‑based apps can help improve the user experience, which is an increasingly critical success factor for all organisations,” said Dor Zakai, EMEA Senior Director for Solutions Engineering, NGINX at F5.

A further indication of this shift is that 14% of respondents plan to embrace service meshes in the next year, a 50% jump from the number currently doing so. As it stands, public cloud remains the most popular infrastructure option for modern app tools (55% of respondents), followed

by Infrastructure-as-a-Service (23%), serverless computing (13%) and private Platform-as-a-Service (11%). Organisations are also steadily moving away from on-premises load balancers, with 24% now using software-based load balancers and 19% sticking with hardware. NGINX’s community survey responses indicate that the latter is set to drop to 15% in the next year.

Why Telcos Should Prioritize Efficiency and Sustainability in 5G Networks?

5G will be the most transformative communications technology in a generation and enable a universe of new services, including advanced energy management capabilities that will be critical to solving growing energy and sustainability challenges. But new research highlights the practical challenges of 5G energy management facing telecommunications operators.

Estimates suggest 5G networks can be up to 90% more efficient per traffic unit than their 4G predecessors, but they still require far more energy due to increased network density, heavy reliance on IT systems and infrastructure, and increased network use and accelerated traffic growth. The report from telecommunications consultancy STL Partners and Vertiv conclude telecom operators should address these challenges in two ways: By adopting energy efficiency best practices across their networks, and by encouraging their customers to adopt 5G-enabled services to reduce consumption and emissions in all walks of life.

STL Partners estimates global 5G traffic will overtake 3G/4G as soon as 2025, making sustainability an urgent priority for operators.

In fact, 40% of enterprises surveyed for the report indicated energy efficiency should be the first or second priority for telecom operators when deploying 5G networks.

The report, Why Energy Management Is Critical To 5G Success, uses research including a survey of 500 enterprises globally to outline the challenges telcos face as they wrestle with the increased energy use and costs associated with 5G. The paper identifies several best practices aimed at mitigating those increases and costs, organized across

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five categories: •

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Network Technology: Deploying hardware and software designed and operated for efficiency Facilities infrastructure: Including new edge data centers to support cloud-native IT Infrastructure management: Deploying the appropriate hardware and software to measure, monitor, manage, improve and automate the network Organization and evaluation: Taking a holistic, full lifecycle view of costs and investments across the network Working with others: Embracing innovative and non-traditional commercial models, standards and collaboration

“Telecom operators making meaningful energy and cost reductions are doing so by evaluating the entire ecosystems around their network operations – people, objectives, infrastructure, and partners,” said Scott Armul, vice president for global DC power and outside plant at Vertiv. “Because of the reliance on IT to enable 5G applications, a high degree of collaboration will be required across operators, OEMs and infrastructure providers, and customers to ensure deployments are optimized and every possible efficiency is pursued.”

“Operators are deploying 5G networks to grow new revenues. This growth will come from new connectivity and applications enabling operators’ customers’ own transformation journeys,” said Phil Laidler, director at STL Partners. “To be credible, informed partners for their customers, operators must lead by example. Energy strategy is a great place to start.”

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

Mimecast Ecosystem Now Offers Over 60 Cybersecurity and Compliance Integrations

Sophos Intercept X Endpoint Protection for 5G PCs Sophos has today announced its plans to provide Sophos Intercept X endpoint protection for 5G PCs powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon compute platforms from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. The combination of Sophos Intercept X with Snapdragon compute platforms will provide users next-generation security through an always-on, always-connected PC environment.

Snapdragon compute platforms enabling 5G connectivity to build on smartphone technology to deliver premium performance and efficiency to 4G and 5G cellular-connected thin and light fanless laptops. Sophos Intercept X is designed to protect advanced computing systems and endpoints, stopping the latest cybersecurity threats with deep learning AI and anti-ransomware capabilities. Sophos expects Intercept X for Snapdragon compute platforms to be available in the second half of 2021.

“An always-on, always-connected, interactive computing environment that combines smartphone and PC technology delivers unique security capabilities and opportunities,” said Joe Levy, chief technology officer, Sophos. “Mobile devices historically have experienced far fewer security incidents than PCs powered by traditional architectures.

It’s certainly not because they aren’t ubiquitous, but rather because of their modern architecture that offers overall predictability relative to PCs, enabling application vendors to design high-performance and secure software. Snapdragon compute platforms mark a major step forward because they provide all the utility and performance of a PC, but

with many of the benefits associated with modern mobile computing devices.

Security loves predictability, and Sophos is excited to be a part of securing this next-generation computing platform.”

Sophos Intercept X will also: •

•

•

Leverage Connected Standby for continuous communication with a fleet of Snapdragon-powered PCs so that security investigations have fewer unknowns as data won’t be missed due to devices being offline Use AI acceleration through the Qualcomm AI Engine to compile increasingly AI-dependent software real-time on a device with optimizations to run faster and more power-efficient, which is important when devices are running on a battery Harness the hardware-level root of trust to ascertain device and cryptographic integrity in order to create strong identity bindings

“Now, in addition to enabling always on, always connected PC experiences, our 5G-enabled Snapdragon compute platforms bring next-generation security innovation rooted in our advanced AI and 5G connectivity capabilities,” said Miguel Nunes, senior director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “By working with Sophos, we are taking on-device security to a new level by enhancing their industry-leading endpoint protection with AI accelerated threat detection on our solutions. We’re excited for Sophos to transform computing with next-generation enterprise-grade security on 5G powered Snapdragon compute platforms.”

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Mimecast has announced its API and Alliances program has hit a new milestone and now offers 60 out-ofthe-box and custom integrations with security technology partners such as CrowdStrike, IBM Security, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Rapid7, ServiceNow, and Splunk. Integrations are designed to allow organizations to gain greater insights into their threat landscape, reducing complexity, minimizing risk, and improving threat detection and response.

Through Mimecast’s robust set of API integrations, organizations can incorporate Mimecast Threat Intelligence into their broader security ecosystem. This integrated threat intelligence helps increase the efficacy of the tools used to protect the enterprise. Additionally, organizations looking to automate repetitive tasks can use Mimecast’s APIs and integrations with SOAR, ITSM, and internal systems to significantly reduce the meantime to remediate.

“A dramatic increase in the volume and success of phishing, business email compromise, and other types of cyberattacks, requires organizations to reevaluate their security controls and processes. The average enterprise organization has 75 security solutions in its ecosystem, which is difficult to manage efficiently if not integrated,” said Jules Martin, vice president, ecosystem & alliances at Mimecast. “More than half of our enterprise customers are using one or more of our pre-built integrations, some as many as five.”

Mimecast recently hosted SecOps Virtual, an event where customers and technology partners explored how to optimize Mimecast and other security investments with high-impact API integrations. Event sponsors CrowdStrike, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Rapid7 and Splunk led educational breakout sessions with actionable recommendations.

Check Point Software Expands its Unified Cloud Security Platform

Check Point Software Technologies has extended the capabilities of its unified CloudGuard Cloud-Native Security platform with the launch of new CloudGuard Application Security (AppSec), a fully automated web application and API protection solution, enabling enterprises to secure all their cloud-native applications against both known and zero-day attacks.

CloudGuard AppSec, part of the CloudGuard Workload Protection capabilities, eliminates the need for manual tuning and high rate of false-positive alerts associated with legacy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), using contextual AI to prevent attacks from impacting cloud applications and enabling enterprises to take full advantage of cloud speed and agility.

Web application breaches doubled in 2020 but legacy rule-based WAFs cannot keep up with the speed at which today’s cloud-native applications evolve. These first-generation approaches rely on threat signatures and complex manual rule tuning. This problem is magnified as organizations move to run containerized apps: a 2020 container usage study found that 49% of all containers are live for less than 5 minutes, and 21% for less than 10 seconds. These rapid changes cause legacy WAFs to produce an unsustainable overload of false positive alerts and manual admin work, often forcing security teams to leave these solutions in ‘alert only’ “Web applications are increasingly targeted by criminals, but traditional WAFs are simply unable to keep pace with the speed at which today’s cloud apps change and demand constant manual management, which leaves organizations dangerously exposed to attacks and costly breaches,” said TJ Gonen, Head of Cloud Product Line, at Check Point Software. “Our strategy is to help enterprises secure their most critical workloads – their applications and data – with a unified platform that protects all workloads, including serverless functions and containers, from code to application runtime, all at the speed of DevOps. CloudGuard AppSec simply automates all aspects of application security, with virtually no need for ongoing management, in any cloud environment or infrastructure.”

Vectra Extends Cloud Identity Detection Capabilities with Microsoft Azure AD Vectra AI has announced enhanced cloud identity detection capabilities using Azure AD within its Cognito Detect for Office 365. By integrating at the identity layer, Vectra gives complete cloudto-ground security coverage over an organization’s entire SaaS ecosystem.

This single configuration effectively puts an end to lateral movement between ground and cloud.

In the rapidly adopted remote work environment, data is stored and distributed across countless cloud applications.

For many organizations, Azure AD holds the keys to the kingdom because it is leveraged for federated authentication to their SaaS applications. The adoption of Azure AD reached 425 million active users by the end of 2020 and last month Microsoft reported a 50 percent increase in Azure sales in its second fiscal quarter of 2021.

This means that compromising a single Azure AD account can give an attacker access to a vast trove of data housed across multiple SaaS applications. With the Vectra extended support for Azure AD, Cognito Detect for Office 365 fills an unanswered security gap by drastically reducing the consequences of a largescale supply chain breach while offering a simple and comprehensive way to secure users’ cloud identities.

“Organizations must be able to see and stop attacks that have circumvented pre-

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ventative controls, including multifactor authentication (MFA), to gain access to their network and data. This starts with monitoring account usage for attack behavior and intent,” said John Mancini, Sr. Product Manager. “By using artificial intelligence to analyze how accounts are being used, we find attack behaviors in Azure AD to detect and stop account takeovers before an attack can compromise SaaS applications.”

Vectra is the first NDR solution to offer universal control over data and identities to meet growing privacy and compliance concerns. Other security solutions require configuration on a per-app basis for security coverage, which is too cumbersome and time-consuming to benefit organizations in the long-run or in the throes of a breach. Vectra integrates directly with Azure AD, giving full coverage of all federated SaaS applications. Stopping attackers earlier in the kill chain.

The adoption of public cloud services has skyrocketed within the past year, with Canalys reporting that the worldwide cloud market grew by 33 percent in Q3 2020 alone. This rapid cloud migration has led to a massive gap in visibility where traditional security solutions are unable to see what happens in the cloud.

To combat this, Vectra offers patented, industry-leading behavioral detections for cloud identity to secure SaaS applications from account takeovers and malicious insider attacks.

CHANNEL TALK //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

Mindware Partners with Cibecs to Protect Distributed Endpoint Devices Mindware has anounced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Cibecs. As per the agreement, Mindware will promote, distribute and provide implementation services support across the Middle East for the vendor’s flagship Endpoint Cloud solution.

VMRay Signs Up With Multipoint GROUP to Expand Into the Israeli Market VMRay has announced that it has signed a distribution agreement for the Israeli market with Multipoint GROUP. “Our business is built on identifying the most innovative, best-of-breed solutions in the market that will help organizations to meet their most pressing cybersecurity challenges,” said Ricardo Resnik, founder and Managing Director of Multipoint GROUP. “As one of the original pioneers of malware sandboxing technologies, VMRay is well recognized among security practitioners as one of the gold standards in its category. We see great potential in partnering with VMRay.” For Multipoint’s channel partners, the agreement with VMRay represents an excellent opportu-

nity to expand their portfolio with solutions that can drive immediate value by addressing their customers’ concerns regarding advanced malware detection.

“We are proud to be working with Multipoint GROUP and its team of security experts to establish our presence in the Israeli market and build an ecosystem of local channel partners,” said Dimitris Raekos, Business Development Manager MEA at VMRay. “We are looking forward to leveraging Multipoint’s long-established expertise to deliver our leading-edge technologies for advanced malware detection to the market.”

VMRay’s global channel partner ecosystem includes Distributors and VARs across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas.

Providing insight into the partnership, Silmi Khanfir, Director of Cloud & XaaS at Mindware commented, “During this year we have seen a shift in the way organisations operate. With the current remote working trend, workforces are highly distributed and critical business data is often inaccessible or at risk of cyberattack. IT departments often have very little visibility or control over endpoint data and devices. And this is where Cibecs’ Endpoint Cloud solution can play an indispensable role in helping customers to adapt for the new normal in IT operations. By providing a single, unified platform to discover, manage, backup and secure business data, Cibecs delivers the most advanced data management and protection technology.”

Cibecs Endpoint Cloud is a powerful cloud platform built for Azure, allowing IT departments and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to easily manage highly distributed and remote workforces, centralise, consolidate, and secure business data remotely, meet compliance regulations and drastically reduce desktop support costs. The vendor is a Microsoft IP co-sell partner with over 16 years of experience in endpoint data protection, backup & security.

Mindware will primarily target MSPs and the government sector – two areas where Cibecs has traditionally had great success. MSPs need to help customers eliminate risk, manage data efficiently, reduce spend and achieve compliance. Cibecs is helping MSPs solve data management challenges and save over 50% on their end-user data support costs. Cibecs is also very experienced in working within large government accounts. The company’s patent-pending Zero Knowledge Encryption Key Management ensures that data is stored in the cloud without any compromise in security, which is a key priority for government agencies.

Retail Connect March 2021 Sees 950 Private Meetings, 40 Product Pitches ChannelHub successfully concluded its second Retail Connect One-to-One event for EMEA. The online event that ran from 2-4 March 2021 with an additional day of one on one meetings on 5 March, allowed each registered vendor to access and connect to over 300 registered buyers across EMEA and India. This edition saw the largest participation from Europe with Western Europe (25%) followed by 24% from Central and Eastern Europe. The second largest

participation came from the Middle East with 18% and Southern Europe at 17%.

Retail Connect allowed them to set up direct one on one meetings with key decision makers at some of the leading retailers and distributors in the EMEA region. The event hosted keynotes and workshops conducted by event partner, GfK, and pitch sessions from vendors for key consumer electronic segments including mobile accesso-

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ries, smart tech, PC, gaming, and AV. Farouk Hemraj, CEO at ChannelHub, said, “We only deal with senior executives from the consumer tech channel across EMEA, people with decision making power. Audience quality is our motto and half of our team is dedicated to select and invite the right audience to our event. This is important for our vendors who need to find a way to continue to expand their markets and their reach across the globe.”

Cisco Small Business Partner Summit to Explore Growth Opportunities

CyberKnight Becomes Sole Middle East Distributor for Netwrix and Stealthbits CyberKnight has extended its relationship with one of its technology partners – Stealthbits to become sole Middle East distributor for Netwrix, following Stealthbits’ recent merger with Netwrix, a company that makes data security easy.

This partnership will enable CyberKnight customers to address challenges related to identifying and detecting data security risk as well as protecting, responding, and recovering from cybersecurity attacks.

Gartner predicts that “through 2024 80% of information governance programs that do not include unstructured, semi-structured and structured data into the same governance program will fail, up from 30% today.” In addition, fragmented solutions in the data security market prevent organizations from building comprehensive security strategies to protect their

sensitive and regulated data.

“We are thrilled about a strategic partnership with the combined entity of Netwrix and Stealthbits, now part of Netwrix. Their solutions will empower our regional customers to identify and classify sensitive information with utmost precision, reduce exposure to risk and detect threats in time to avoid data breaches – all while achieving and proving compliance,” commented Vivek Gupta, Co-Founder & COO at CyberKnight.

"We are confident that we will continue to drive customer value with CyberKnight through their deep-rooted channel partnerships, enterprise and government customer advisory relationships, strong cybersecurity expertise and local presence across the region,” said Rob Billington, Channel Manager, EMEA at Netwrix and Stealthbits.

Cisco’s Small Business Partner Summit is taking place virtually this week, outlining the importance and growth potential of the small business sector across the Middle East and Africa. Small businesses account for 44% of all IT spending and continue to outpace traditional enterprise growth. On Tuesday 2nd March, summit attendees will be provided with insights into Cisco Designed – a tailor-made portfolio that delivers simple, secure and flexible products, available at competitive price points to help small businesses to thrive.

Participants will also learn about Cisco’s Partner Programs, incentives, and rewards to expand their own business offerings, while simultaneously empowering small business customers in their endeavors to leverage digital solutions. “The pandemic has intensified the digital divide that was already present in the small business market, and it is pushing companies to accelerate their digitization agendas,” said Hani Raad, General Manager of Small Business at Cisco MEA. “Business owners are realizing that digitization is essential, not only to ensure continuity today but to secure future growth and resiliency. With

our growing portfolio of software and hardware solutions for small businesses, alongside tailored advisory, Cisco is playing a pivotal role in empowering the sector to thrive – at times of crisis and beyond. We look forward to sharing key learnings from the past year and exploring new growth opportunities at the Partner Summit.”

Indicating strong progress and understanding of the importance of investing in technology, IDC’s META DX Survey notes that 60% of small and medium businesses in the region have brought forward their digital transformation roadmaps by between 1 to 2 years.

This acceleration has led to significant growth on digital and non-digital IT spending. Cisco notes growing to spend on areas including advanced malware protection, intent-based networking, and intelligent meeting spaces.

At the Cisco Small Business Partner Summit, attendees will learn how to adapt to the current climate and futureproof their business offerings while empowering small business growth. Following the event, all content will be made available to the public for on-demand viewing for a period of 60 days.

Jumbo Group Partners with SAWA Life Jumbo Group has announced its association with SAWA Life – a sustainable social enterprise based in Africa – to bring unique tech-lifestyle accessories for customers in this market.

SAWA Life was founded in 2017 as part of a philanthropic mission of uplifting marginalized women in Africa through employment and showcases the beauty of designs synonymous with African culture through the creation of 100% hand-bead-

ed fashionable tech accessories.

The artisans of SAWA use craft skills indigenous to Kenyan culture and paper beading techniques that originate from Uganda’s Luo tribe with sustainability firmly entrenched at the heart of the enterprise.

Pankaj Kumar, Head of Jumbo OmniChannel Retail said, “Jumbo has always pioneered unique concepts in tech retail for this market

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and our association with SAWA Life will add another dimension to our range of sustainable tech products. We are particularly pleased to launch SAWA Life as it aligns with the values of the Jumbo Group towards sustainability and the preservation of the ecological balance of our society at large. The vision of SAWA Life is also in tandem with the CSR values of our brand and we are happy to contribute to the empowerment of marginalized women in Kenya through this association.”

MOVERS AND SHAKERS //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

IBM Saudi Arabia Gets New General Manager IBM has announced that Fahad Alanazi has joined IBM as General Manager of IBM Saudi Arabia.

“I am privileged to join IBM and lead its business in Saudi Arabia,” says Alanazi. “Technology is a core component of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. By leveraging IBM's hybrid cloud and AI solutions, services and our ecosystem partners, IBM is positioned to accelerate our clients’ digital transformation journeys and support Saudi Arabia’s Vision.”

“Alanazi is a highly respected transformational leader and brings strong knowledge and expertise of the Saudi market. I am confident that his perspective and experience will be an asset to IBM and our clients,” said Hossam Seif El-Din, General Manager, IBM Middle East and Pakistan. “His appointment is a testament to our commitment to provide the highest level of expertise and support to our clients and continuous efforts to harness Saudi Arabia’s pool of vast talent.”

Schneider Electric Gets New Gulf Vice President for Secure Power Schneider Electric has appointed Manuel Alzugaray Rodrigues as Vice President for the company’s Secure Power division in the Gulf region. Rodrigues, who has over 16 years’ experience in the technology channel space, will now lead the company’s data center business across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

A computer systems engineering graduate of Boston University, Rodrigues joined Schneider Electric in 2014 as a sales manager. His last role was as an IT Business Unit sales director in North America. Rodrigues will transfer from North America to the Gulf this month.

“Manuel has excelled in a variety of sales roles throughout his time with Schneider Electric, and he’s exceptional in engaging with customers and partners,” said Ziad Youssef, MEA Vice President for Secure Power at Schneider Electric. “We’re excited about the capabilities that he’s going to bring to this role, and

how he’ll take our Secure Power business to the next level.”

Schneider Electric’s Secure Power Division has supported the data center industry for decades with a range of power and cooling product; the Division is now driving transformation at the edge of the network with a range of new technologies. Secure Power supports customers, both business and government throughout the Gulf.

“The Secure Power business is fundamental to the promise that Schneider Electric makes to its customers worldwide. We are at the heart of digitization and we’re supporting our clients when it comes to greener, more sustainable data centers,” said Rodrigues. “I’m excited about what we can do with the team, our partners, and customers, to drive the region’s digital transformation and help the region lead the way when it comes to using technology for a better future.”

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Riverbed Promotes Brecht Seurinck Riverbed has announced the promotion of Brecht Seurinck to Vice President Channel Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In his new and expanded role, Seurinck will oversee Riverbed’s channel strategy across the region to maximize customer value and strengthen relationships with strategic partners.

He will lead an outstanding channel sales team to drive growth and revenue through Riverbed’s channel ecosystem in 2021. Seurinck will report to Elie Dib, SVP, EMEA. Seurinck is a channel and sales executive with more than 20 years of experience in leading direct sales teams across many geographical markets in the EMEA region. He joined Riverbed in 2014 in a senior channel management position spearheading one of Riverbed’s largest strategic partners globally, until transitioning into this new role. In his new role, he will also draw on his early business development experience at IT organisations including Vanco, Infonet, and Mobistar Corporate Solutions.

Elie Dib, SVP, EMEA at Riverbed, said, “Since the vast majority of our business is conducted through the channel, it continues to be a critical part of Riverbed’s go-to-market strategy in EMEA, as organisations accelerate their business transformation strategies, implement visibility and performance solutions and look to modernize their complex IT infrastructures.

Brecht’s deep understanding of the international channel landscape, combined with his technology expertise and business acumen, makes him the ideal leader to spearhead the channel team. He will also be a great addition to our EMEA leadership team.”

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

// EXPERT SPEAK

HOW THE PANDEMIC IS CHALLENGING YOUR IT NETWORK While convergence of networking systems has been taking place, the benefits of a single and agile network to manage everything has been accelerated, explains by Arafat Yousef, Managing Director – Middle East & Africa, Nexans Data Network Solutions The pandemic of 2020 has made the concept of remote teams and remote work collaboration a reality. Previously used by digitally mature and advanced organizations, like high-tech companies, the requirement of enabling mobile work triggered by the need for social isolation across much of 2020, has forced all organizations to adapt to this new reality.

Transformation of the physical workplace has been a logical consequence, whether at home or at the office. Team members whether they are part of the family working at home, or employees when they are working from the office by rotation, will usually not sit at any one physical location. They need to be able to work equally well from any place in the office work area.

Wi-Fi network connectivity and power over the Ethernet networks (PoE) need to be ubiquitously available and scalable across such places of work. Flexibility and scalability of the Wi-Fi network access points, access to the Ethernet, and availability of Power over the Ethernet, are now prerequisites to support teams working in the “new normal”.

Today, these include security systems, building management systems, access entry systems, biometric systems, digital signage, low voltage power, LED lighting.

• This has spawned the term – ‘Everything over IP’ or an ‘All-IP’ approach in the convergence of isolated networks.

The benefits of this convergence of networks are many, fueling continuous industry innovation and end user adoption. Such, ‘Everything over IP’ networks, offer significant benefits ranging from savings in power, cost, time for installation, activation, modifications and upgrades of networks.

Such types of networks also reduce the chances of network failures and downtime and because of their ability to rapidly scale up or down, match today’s requirements demanded by agile organizations.

However, all these innovations and transformations are also putting pressure on the design and architecture of networks. These include: •

While places of work, whether they are supporting the family working and schooling at home, or employees at the office premises, are transforming, on a much wider scale, networks within buildings themselves are also transforming.

Just a few years ago, the convergence of voice into IP based, LAN data networks, was a high point of disruption and innovation. Since then, there has been a relentless trend into converging siloed networking systems into IP networks.

•

Mapping the networks to match the functional distribution of workers. In other words, there should be more network points and connectivity, wherever there is more employee activity. Working areas with a high density of people and devices should also have the provision to provide higher network connectivity and power usage.

Creation of active consolidation points to allow networks to scale.

The creation of consolidation points allows the network to support

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an unlimited number of devices in theory. In practice, it means it should be possible to create additional network points on demand.

Fibre To The Office (FTTO), can be used to boost redundancy and longevity. FTTO is a centralized LAN cabling technology that combines passive fibre cabling with active switches and requires no floor distributors or technical rooms. Combining fibre and copper offers the advantages of fibre infrastructure, while end-user devices can be connected with a standard copper connection, guaranteeing no changes in usage and comfort for the end-user.

The concept of a digital ceiling solution is becoming increasingly relevant in digitally advanced buildings. The traditional LAN network is now being deployed vertically to support the growing installation of ceiling access points, surveillance cameras, motion sensors, indoor atmospherics, amongst others. A digital ceiling approach combined with an FTTO solution could bring significant benefits in terms of flexibility and scalability to the building’s IT network infrastructure. The benefits of such, single converged networks, that support the connectivity requirements of agile organizations, are being realized every day.

Hot-desking and smart desking are now logical and functional solutions realized in the office workspace. For network administrators, managing a single network for operations, performance and efficiency offers huge time and cost savings.

EXPERT SPEAK //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

AI IN 2021: TRANSFORMING DATA SECURITY AND PROCESS OPTIMISATION Written By Ali Shabdar, MEA Regional Director, Zoho Corp With COVID-19 disrupting former methods of business and most companies going fully or partially remote, data security has become an issue. With data no longer stored in specific network and device parameters, business data has been left exposed and at risk. That’s where AI will play an important role in 2021. Advanced AI technology will help enable data security by detecting potential threats and data breaches before they happen.

For example, AI will be used to recognize suspicious activity that could be seen as an indicator of a security attack.

With AI setting thresholds becoming more sophisticated, 2021 will see security breaches minimized thanks to security becoming more proactive.

Besides data security risks, the shift to remote work has forced companies to become digitized rapidly, and with so much more data generated from the efforts, the need for AI tools has grown. In 2021, AI embedded into new and existing roles and workflows will optimize everything from driving to helping businesses sell more, and beyond. The future will be a combination of AI and humans working together rather than competing.

The benefits of AI from this year onwards will mostly come from process optimization and revenue maximization. AI will touch business software and redefine what is possible from an optimization stand point. At the same time, AI will have an emphasis on data protection from both a business perspective and a legal one. With the increase of data breaches, we’ll see AI working in malware detection, root cause analysis, outage prediction, adaptive authentication, and more.

BI Smart BI is accelerating due to AI, Intelli-

gent Storytelling, and more. In the last few years, BI (business intelligence) has gained momentum in becoming an essential catalyst for business growth, and with COVID-19 impacting the acceleration of software technology, we see BI rapidly changing to fit the future of business.

In this year we can expect to see BI and AI working together to create augmented analytics and augmented data.

With augmented analytics, businesses will be able to identify data types automatically, model information straight from the source, and automate suggestions. With AI and BI working in unison, jobs will be completed more easily, faster, and more effectively. Aspects such as conversational analytics will gain more popularity and be readily adopted so that business users can simply ask questions in natural language and the engine will be able to understand and generate answers within seconds.

Propelled by AI’s integration with BI, expect to see users with less technical backgrounds gaining analytic literacy in 2021.

Storytelling, also known as automated insights, will also help businesses in this year. Instead of users spending time determining which insights are more impactful for their business, intelligent storytelling will highlight key findings for them. The system will be able to track changes and build a narrative that’s digestible to the user and points to key findings.

Storytelling will also be able to generate presentations automatically to eliminate tedious busy work. It is important to note that while storytelling will impact business in 2021, it will need to be adopted in a way where deliverability of insights will come from regularly used business tools, such as email or a chat. Enabling storytelling to be accessible in these types of software tools will be a key component in driving

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the consumption of storytelling BI. Embedded BI and self-service BI are also on the forecast for rapid growth in 2021.

With embedded analytics giving end users the ability to manipulate data, businesses will be able to generate advanced analytics, rather than static reports as seen in the past. Momentum around embedded BI adoption has been growing over the years and interactive filtering will be more common in the near future.

Because of embedded BI, users will be able to create actionable insights, and business apps with analytical aspects will become more integrated. Additionally, self-service BI will provide businesses with AI enhancements to automate search engine reporting, insights, augmented data preparation, unified business analytics, and more. It has become critical for businesses to have the ability to connect all data points so they can have a 360-degree view of business insights.

Unified business analytics will prove to be an essential aid in that process.

With COVID-19 and remote work accelerating cloud adoption, connected cloud will be a huge influence on BI in this year. Businesses will be looking for vendors that offer cloud-based BI as well as vendors that offer either self-managed cloud networks or private cloud servers like AWS and Google Cloud.

Additionally, mobile BI will prove to be more prevalent in 2021. Mobile BI will enable anywhere access to insights to work in harmony with a “work from anywhere” environment. While a limited screen size continues to be a challenge for mobile BI, specific mobile interfaces will become more prominent and will bring in aspects such as conversational capability to help drill down data further.

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

// EXPERT SPEAK

HOW VIDEO TECH CAN HELP RETAILERS GET BACK IN BUSINESS

Written by Louise Bou Rached, Key Account Manager, Middle East, Milestone Systems While the retail sector was already going through a period of great transformation, the pandemic pushed retailers to face these challenges from one day to the next. No longer for the sole purpose of differentiating themselves and becoming more competitive, but for their survival.

According to a report by Reportlinker. com, the UAE retail market was valued at $55 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow to $75 billion by 2025 due to various factors such as rising per capita income, growing tourism industry, increasing expatriate population and rising number of upcoming development projects in the country.

A combined effect of the adoption of AI, IoT, Big Data Analytics, among other advanced technology along with major events such as the Dubai World Expo 2020, will further boost the tourism, transportation, and manufacturing industries in the country.

However, in 2021, even after the lockdown restrictions have been lifted to a great extent, most people want to avoid crowded places like malls, shops or public places regardless of their size. Amazon, a relatively new player in the region, saw its sales in the GCC grow by 26 percent to $76 billion in the first quarter of 2020. The pandemic-related movement restrictions have led to a shift in shopping habits in the region with e-commerce expected to double in the next 5 years.

The equation is simple: if fewer people can or want to enter a store, there will also be fewer sales opportunities and, consequently, less business.

So, how can retailers adapt to this

‘new normal’, not only providing safety for their customers but also optimizing the sales and purchasing experience in a way that will make the buyers want to leave e-commerce and come back to the stores? Technology is and will be among the core assets to address both challenges – safety and the brick-and-mortar experience.

Let’s look at the current situation.

Although stores are slowly going back to 70% or more, it is happening under strict hygiene and safety restrictions. As an assessment by epidemiologists in the science journal Science shows, these distancing rules (“social distancing”) will remain an important part of the fight against the virus to prevent renewed waves of infection in 2021 and beyond.

This presents many retailers with a range of challenges and questions: How can I make sure that my store is not overcrowded?

Which area of my store is most frequented and when?

How do I know if the minimum distance between people is being respected?

How can I determine if all customers entering the store are wearing a face mask if required?

Every business is trying to create a secure environment for their employees and customers in the current situation.

The existing and new video technologies can increase your efficiency and sales, both now and into the future.

After all, the same solutions that help you comply with the coronavirus regulations can provide you with interesting insights into your custom-

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ers’ buying behavior after the crisis.

For example, what products are the customers most interested in? What paths are people taking within the store? What is the most frequent customer type? All these insights can be collected while respecting privacy and complying with data protection regulations.

What is the most profitable solution?

The attitude that can guarantee a return on investments is not installing new products with the idea of unplugging them when the emergency is over. The most profitable choice is the system that doesn’t merely solve the challenges of today, but also offers possibilities for the future.

For example, a camera equipped with thermal technology costs more than a simple thermo-scanner, but while the latter will no longer have reason to exist when the emergency is over, a thermal camera can be used for surveillance, people counting, video analysis, etc. In two words: for protection and marketing!

Indeed, the attitude among retailers has changed during these unprecedented times. Many have seen how technology isn’t just a cost, but rather a benefit if perceived from a longer-term perspective.

As the corona pandemic has clearly demonstrated, it is impossible to predict what the future holds. This calls for an open and flexible platform offering the possibility of integrating any new technology that can be used to address future challenges.

WOMEN IN TECH //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

"DON'T BE INTIMIDATED

BY THE INDUSTRY"

Zenab Abbas, the Marketing Manager at Vertiv speaks about her journey into the tech industry as a career choice.

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So what is it that you do at Vertiv?

Well, I guess, the typical thing about my day at Vertiv is that it's not typical.

While, my official title is Marketing Manager for the Middle East and Africa region, which is a very broad title, I guess everything related to this region that falls under marketing, whether it's telemarketing, events, PR, channel campaigns and so on, fall under my responsibility.

Of course, it's not me alone - I'm supported by a wonderful team of colleagues and a corporate marketing team as well. So I would actually have to say that my responsibility is to assist others to be successful.

Did you always know that you would you wanted to work in the technology industry? How did you decide on doing that?

Definitely not! If you had told the, I guess, the 15 year old self that you know one day you're going to be driving growth in critical infrastructure solutions in the Middle East and Africa market, she probably would have given you a sarcastic nod and continued munching on her burger!

So, I was given the opportunity to join the Emerson Network Power as a PA to the MD at the time. So, I actually wasn't too interested in the technology I wasn't too sure of, when someone said data centers to me. I kind of thought "Oh, okay!". But, when I met Pierre, and saw his passion for this industry was infectious. He's a great salesperson and I have to say and he got me into saying yes, to which you know I'm thankful every day for.

I think that things like AI, AR, and so on, are definitely interesting because it's a different world. However, the interest in the industry - I probably developed that when I actually started in the industry. By joining the IT industry and then stepping into the marketing shoes, was a massive learning curve and the more I learned about data centers, UPS, Server Management, and so on, it became a very interesting topic.

This is because, if you think about the growth in data and cloud, you know that the cloud is somewhere.

However, there actually is a backbone to that. So learning about critical infrastructure really opened my eyes to this whole new world of technology in this industry.

Do you believe our world would be different if more women were working in the STEM industry?

I guess we'll find out soon! I don't know about it yet, but I think actually when you asked me this question I kind of did a bit of research. I looked at this report and it is quite interesting to know that there is a ratio of more men to women in the industry.

no obstacles - it's just challenges.

And every new adventure that you face as an individual, comes with its set of challenges which as you and an individual needs to decide how you're going to overcome these.

I think that it starts with a mentality that there are no obstacles and it's just a challenge. And I have to navigate and come around these.

For me, in this industry, I think the biggest challenge was the learning curve, to start understanding the basics of the technology.

However, I don't think it's about the industry itself and I don't think it's about the companies as well.

Companies like Vertiv are very inclusive of women. They promote gender diversity and just recently in February 2021, we had two of our leading women in tech in our company, being part of a panelist for this women in tech industry event.

I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by very supportive colleagues, inspirational mentors and a company that fosters an improvement in your skill sets. So, I really didn't face any obstacles and I don't feel like I face obstacles. Today, being a woman, I think that the training programs like the Vertiv academy offers - such as basic programs on explaining the technology to people. So, there were plenty of sources for me to dive into and get that knowledge that I needed to be where I am today.

I think it's more about the kind of the way that the females are brought up. The influences of a young child's life also matters and through all those influences like family, friends and schools, there's sort of this lack of, I would say, equal influences, so women grow up thinking that the STEM industry is not a very female friendly industry and it's very male dominated one.

What sort of advice do you have for women who are looking to break into the technology industry as a career choice?

Definitely don't be intimidated by the industry. Judging from my own personal experience in this company, I'm surrounded by people who assist others to be successful.

I see it everyday that everybody is very supportive of others.

And it is because of those kinds of influences, women grow up not having the confidence to go into this sort of industry. But then, we've seen a lot of progress recently - there has been and increase in women representation in research and development, for instance.

I guess, I probably would have told my early self that don't be intimidated by this industry. I don't come from an engineering background and I didn't find that as an obstacle. It's just that it depends on how much you want to learn as an individual and how much you want to absorb that knowledge.

So what sort of challenges do you face in your day-to-day work life?

It's difficult, because I cannot claim to speak on behalf of all women in tech you know. For me, there are

That will then determine how far you go and that's kind of advice I would give to women looking to get into the IT industry as a career choice.

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WOMEN IN TECH //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

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“YOU MUST BREAK STEREOTYPES AND PROVE YOURSELF” Olesya Pavlova, the VP of Marketing at CyberKnight, speaks about her journey into the IT industry as a career choice

Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

As Vice President of marketing, I am responsible for CyberKnight’s marketing strategy as well as the company’s accelerated growth in the region and creating value for vendors, channel partners, and end-customers.

A typical day at the office I always try to divide into 3 parts, where one-third of the time I am usually spending on strategic calls with vendor/channel partners as well as collaboration with agencies, one third will be dedicated to alignment with the CyberKnight Team and one third will be allocated for execution of ongoing programs and initiatives.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do? How did you decide on it?

Absolutely! My career in technology began back in 2011, in Sweden, where I joined one of the leading approved resource providers (ARP) for Ericsson, for large telecom projects across the globe as a marketing manager.

That was such an exciting time, being totally new in this field, I managed to learn a lot about 4G (back then!), Ericsson radio systems, network operations, and how it helps to connect the world.

After a while I got an offer from an R&D company based out of Stock-

holm, a leading Nordic IoT and RTLS provider, focusing on IoT and pioneering Europe’s first IoT projects: developing SW and HW for industrial use.

A few years later my IT journey continued in the UAE, where I was doing marketing for multiple technology companies predominately focusing on IT, OT, and IoT cybersecurity.

Do you have a role model?

Yes, I do. Adena Friedman, the first woman to lead a major U.S. stock exchange.

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? Definitely. It is no secret that the tech industry is male-dominated: less than 10% of the Middle East’s tech workforce is female. Many tech companies are run by men and, clearly, women are under-represented in the IT sector.

Yet throughout my career in the Middle East, I have come across quite a few women working in the cybersecurity domain – highly educated, talented, knowledgeable, and passionate individuals who already became senior leaders, reputable technical experts, or successful sales representatives within their organizations.

Thus, I do believe that companies in the region shall promote more diversity and inclusivity in their staff hiring, retention, and development to

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create greater balance.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

I think that I am lucky that I did not have so many obstacles throughout my career (at least so far). I believe confidence, knowledge, and experience are the tools that help to overcome any challenge at any organization you are working for.

Also, when it comes to fighting gender stereotypes, in my opinion, role models play a crucial role. There are always a few in my mind that I admire and look up to.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry?

I strongly agree with the following: “Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it”. – George Carlin.

The most important, in my opinion, is to believe in yourself no matter what.

There will be always cases where you must break stereotypes and prove yourself, – but, after all, that is part of a ‘game’ we are all playing.

What do you do to unwind after work?

I spend time with my newly born baby boy. My life changed so much for the past few months. I feel eternally happy when spending precious hours with the little one and try to enjoy every moment as these bundles of joy tend to grow way too fast.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

“HAVING WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE HAS A CLEAR BUSINESS IMPACT” Claire Carter, the Marketing Director at Lenovo Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, and Women in Lenovo Leadership Ambassador, speaks to Arabian Reseller about her journey into the IT industry as a career choice

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Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

I usually start my workday at around 7:00 AM, going through my list of action points and signing off necessary approvals. This head start affords me the flexibility to leave work in the middle of the day if required – whether I need to take my daughter to an appointment or simply run an errand.

All of this is made possible by the agile working policy Lenovo has long had in place, where we focus more on the output people deliver, rather than set hours they commit to sitting at a desk. Given the nature of my role, working with multiple markets and timings, I am usually online after dinner. Agile working by no means equates to working fewer hours (in fact it is quite the opposite), but it gives you the flexibility to make your day work for you.

What first got you interested in tech?

In my earlier marketing year, my experience was largely in FMCG and F&B. It puzzled me as to why digital and marketing teams were often operating in silos from one another – when they are in fact, incredibly intertwined and complementary to one another.

I began researching how different types of organizations were approaching their structures and technology intrigued me the most. Firstly, I noticed a much more cohesive approach to integrated marketing and communications. Secondly, it was clear that technology brands were starting to outgrow and outweigh FMCG and F&B in terms of popularity and impact. It was clear that technology was the future, and Lenovo was a perfect fit for me in this regard.

Do you have a role model?

I am a big fan of Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg – she has one of the biggest jobs in the world and seems to have the ‘mom juggle’ mastered. She also does a lot for gender equality and I find her very inspirational. In my early career, I was also inspired by former managers who showed me the importance of maintaining a good work-life balance. This is something I try to pass down to my team.

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? Diversity and inclusion are often buzzwords we hear being thrown around, but I truly believe them. Having women or indeed any under-represented community within the workforce is not only a matter of upholding good ethics, but it also has a clear business impact.

The more diverse a workforce is, the more diverse your business approach will be, and this clearly has a positive impact in terms of how end-users see your brand. At Lenovo, diversity allows us to challenge our assumptions and think from new perspectives, which in turn creates better products, services, and experiences for end-users.

Across the Middle East, in particular, we are seeing great strides being made to increase the number of opportunities open to women in STEM – and this will only continue. It is important to remember that ‘STEM’ is extremely broad – whether you are interested in healthcare, aviation, education, technology, or any other field, there is most likely an opportunity out there that you may not have yet considered.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

The biggest challenge is dealing with the ‘unconscious bias’ where sadly a pre-determined mindset about someone leads to double standards being applied. For example, if a woman is authoritative, she is often labeled negatively – while a man would be seen as a strong leader.

The same behavior conducted by men and women is unfortunately labeled and judged differently and we must be honest in saying that this still exists today.

What is great to witness, however, is a growing allyship, where we are seeing more men actively trying to support women and even stand up for inequality.

Men have a huge role to play in addressing gender inequality and I would love to see more men speaking out and standing up on this topic!

What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

Being a woman or even a man in tech is

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the place to be. If you look at how the top brands in the world have evolved over the last 5-10 years, they are all now tech brands. Tech is now what drives great brands and being part of this industry exposes you to a wonderful culture and way of thinking.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

There was a time when we did see significant under-representation of women in tech, with stereotypes and educational differences each playing a role. However, there is progress being made, including in the Middle East. In countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the number of female graduates in engineering, for example, equals and in some cases outweighs male graduates. What we need to see in technology and STEM as a whole is a continued effort to educate, lead by example, and create opportunities from which young girls and women can also benefit.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry? What do you wish you had known?

This is an incredibly exciting time to be involved in the tech industry – each day, we are learning new ways in which technology is impacting not only particular sectors but also whole communities. My advice to all women and girls is to not think of it as a male industry, but rather to think of it as a leading industry to which women have a lot to contribute to. Women can be whatever they want to be and should not think of themselves as only being stereotyped into certain industries.

What do you do to unwind after work?

Of course, family time is very important to me. I make it a priority to have time to spend simply relaxing and catching up with my daughter and husband. When it comes to unwinding, my guilty pleasure is watching ‘reality’ TV. It is just that one part of the day where I don’t have to think or do and it fascinates me to see how ‘successful’ some people are, coming from not much at all. I am also an online shopaholic – a delivery driver is at my door every other day.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

"THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR WOMEN INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN A STEM-RELATED FIELD" Dolly Lakhani, the Senior Marketing Specialist (MEA, Networking) at TPLink MEA, speaks about her journey into the tech industry

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Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

My day usually starts with checking my emails. Since TP-Link is a global organization, most of the communication between the HQ team and our customers takes place via mail. By studying these internal requests first thing in the morning, I can prioritize my tasks for the day and adjust my schedule accordingly. I then get busy managing a team of creative staff, going over the budget, as well as monitoring and reporting on the success of campaigns.

This entails planning and communicating for social media platforms, email marketing, paid advertising campaigns, and content marketing to the relevant. All of these elements work together to help meet the goals of our digital marketing strategy. Most days, a quick check is required for ground branding, obtaining progress reports and ensuring everything is running smoothly with the agencies. Some time then needs to be dedicated towards handling and updating the website as well as monitoring the Google Analytics randomly to check performance data and discover patterns. A portion of my time is devoted to various meetings with PR Agency, Suppliers, partners & distributors and other internal management meetings that happen round the clock.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do? How did you decide on it?

I started out as a Project Management Lead, and my experience in that role resulted in providing me with unique technical skills that I can apply to this multi-faceted role that I am in today. Working with a start-up early on gave me an excellent opportunity to understand the industry’s ins-and-outs at the beginning of my career. I analysed what I’m good at and felt that this industry would be a good fit for me.

For starters, I’m incredibly organized and am not afraid of taking calculated risks. I believe failure is an essential part of the experimental process that drives this industry towards success. I take genuine pleasure in learning new things and getting out of my comfort zone to take up new challenges.

Continually on the lookout for new learning opportunities, I realized early on that this is the best industry to find that in.

What first got you interested in tech?

IT is a part of every industry today, and this even includes retail, design, insurance, bank-

ing, aerospace, energy, and healthcare. At a young age, I was able to gauge that IT is essentially growing to provide the infrastructure and tools every business organization needs to operate and thrive.

Technology has been growing and evolving at a lightning-fast speed, and I had made up my mind that it can be one of the best industries to work with. Fast forward all these years, and it still holds true, only more so— the demand for solutions provided by this growing exponentially by the year. Being on the marketing side of this industry, I genuinely feel I’m doing what I love.

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? The future looks bright for young girls who are interested in a career in a STEM-related field. I would encourage them to follow their passion because that’s where their success is going to be, regardless of what area of STEM it is. As the number of women in STEM continues to grow, women will have a more extensive support system and opportunities to excel in their chosen fields.

Women bring a whole new set of skills to the table here.

When I’m solving problems, both logic and unquantifiable aspects are considered in equal proportion. For instance, I’m trained in SEO and possess the knowledge on how to use analytics to ensure the success of a marketing campaign, but I also majored in design and know-how to apply creativity to a project to take it to a different level of appealing.

What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

As we can see around us, technology innovation and its adoption growing and evolving manifold by the day. There is no doubt that it is in high demand and one of the best industries to work with. For me, marketing technology is a field where I feel I truly love what I do. There are a number of positive aspects of working in the field of technology, especially for women. In most cases, the work here is dynamic and ever-evolving; thus, it is highly engaging and provides women with a path to create in myriad ways.

According to a survey it is fantastic to see that 67% of women in tech believe that ‘making a positive impact’ on their organization and/or industry is the best thing about being a woman in tech. According to the same report, the second-best thing about being a woman in tech is ‘encouraging other

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women’, and I second that as it is one of the most critical factors.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

The number of women taking up a career in a STEM-related field is growing but at a reduced pace. Studies report that only a small percentage of women are selecting their career in STEM. This is increasing as more and more women encourage, motivate, and set an example for those around them to explore the benefits and learning outcomes of working in these fields.

Honestly, I personally cannot pinpoint the cause behind these figures as I genuinely believe that this is the best decision I took in terms of my career. With increased exposure and access to advanced education, the industry will surely see more women bringing their expertise on board in the next couple of years.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry?

What do you wish you had known?

Dive into the tech industry with confidence.

Always be on a lookout for new opportunities, be willing to learn more, and try new things in the tech industry. Always know that everything is achievable. It’s just a matter of how much work you want to put into it to make it happen. Don’t be afraid to take on a task that you may not be proficient in. Take it up and its on journeys like these that you’ll learn the most.

As women grow in this field, they’ll see that an increasing number of opportunities will start opening up for them. Even when times get difficult, my advice would be not to look for an easy way out. I know it sounds easier said than done, but once you try to embrace this approach, you’ll see that there’s a lot to learn from it. One can learn so much about the industry and oneself by taking up new challenges.

What do you do to unwind after work?

After work, my entire time is dedicated to my family and myself. I love spending time with them and catching up on how everyone’s day went. I enjoy cooking for my children and spending quality time with them. Children are therapeutic, and time with them can really feel like an elevating therapy of sorts after a long day at work. I try and engage in various kinds of activities with them, going for cycling trips in safe places, for instance.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

“BE READY FOR THE FIGHT TO ACHIEVE YOUR CAREER PATH” Sandrine El Khodry, the Vice President for Middle East & Africa at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, speaks about her journey into the field of technology as a career choice

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Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

My typical day starts with a coffee, during which I look at my agenda and narrow it down to the top 3-5 priority tasks to create focus. My days are usually packed with meetings; these days it’s web meetings with customers and partners. What’s central to my day is that I make a to-do list and take notes during all my meetings, which I go back to at the end of the week and month to ensure that all tasks are duly ticked off and my commitments are met.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do? How did you decide on it?

I’ve built my career working in technology for the last 20 years. It is changing the world by the minute and I’m proud to be a part of that revolution. Working in the business is an enriching experience as it brings you in contact with different people, cultures, personalities, and work processes. It allows you to acquire and enrich yourself with new skills, encouraged you to keep an open mind, be flexible and adapt to various situations.

When you work in a specific field of technology, you build certain expertise and subsequently become a source of new ideas that will change the way businesses work. This is an exciting journey that a few enjoy, and I am proud to be one of those women who have made a place for themselves in this field.

What first got you interested in tech?

Technology has always fascinated me, from my first job as a sales specialist.

I discovered that there is always something new to come and possibilities are endless. It’s never a dull day when you have a career in technology. It’s a constant journey of learning, innovating, and introducing a new way with new technology.

Did someone support you and do you have a role model?

I started my career as a salesperson – so I acquired the know-how of doing business from the bottom-up. In each step of my career, I got the chance to have a person who believed in me and give me the opportunities to grow. But no one can succeed on their own – there

is always someone who will support you in reaching your goals.

I have three people who supported me on each of these different steps of my career that I am really grateful for. As a woman in the technology sector, it has always been a challenge to prove that you are capable of being in this field.

At each step, I needed to work thrice as hard as my male colleagues would to make a place for myself in this market.

I’m proud of what I have achieved until today, but my journey is not finished yet.

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? Women are greatly underrepresented in STEM. I believe women bring a certain intuition, intelligence, and emotional quotient to everything they do. Their cognizance and difference in perceptions would certainly contribute to better outcomes. However, women should be encouraged to take up and build a STEM career, and this must be done from the time they are in school. Universities must offer enough incentive and encouragement for young women to take up more STEM-related courses, and businesses must offer support and positions that help aspiring women fulfil their potential.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

The main challenge a woman faces is being stereotyped and viewed as someone who can only perform certain job roles. Women have a lot of capabilities and skills that, from my point of view, are not yet well utilised and explored. The world is changing towards greater gender equality, which is a good sign, however, it hasn’t yet reached a level where women are 100% recognized.

Women deal with several challenges on a daily basis. They play various roles, that of a mother, wife, and a professional, which is huge reasonability. But a women’s unique quality is the capability to multi-task and excel in each of these responsibilities while maintaining the balance between their personal and professional lives.

What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

I can’t say that there is a specific part

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in tech for women leader’s VS any other sector as the challenges for women are always the same when it comes to becoming part of the management. The Tech industry is mainly a male-driven world, so when you establish your position there, it is a proud moment and one of accomplishment.

But it also means you will have to continue working harder to maintain that place. Having said that, today’s professionals don’t view gender as a hurdle to achieving one’s goals, and this is what is the best part of being a woman in the technology field.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

Yes. As I mentioned above the technology is largely a male-driven industry, and we are only starting to see more and more women joining this field.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry? What do you wish you had known?

The advice that I can give to a woman in the tech industry will be: Don’t give up, trust in yourself, persevere, and show what you are capable of. Learn constantly, reinforce your skills and be ready for the fight to achieve your career path.

I knew from the very beginning that it was very challenging to aim for a decision-making position in the industry.

So, I was ready for the fight and armed myself on each step with the right skills, knowledge, experience and hard work to acquire credibility and to be ready for each new step. My motto is to never give up, and with endless perseverance, I am where I am today. But as I mentioned before, this is only the start of my journey.

What do you do to unwind after work?

I enjoy reading biographies; it gives me ideas and motivation to continue on my path. I also indulge in sport to get rid of the day’s stress and increase my adrenalin. I love travelling, as it opens your mind and makes you discover people, places, cultures, ethics, and enriches your life. Most of all, I spend time with my kids, family, and friends – they are the backbone of everything I do.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

“OUR WORLD WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF MORE WOMEN WERE ALSO MAKING DECISIONS IN THE STEM SPACE” Mareva Koulamallah, the Head of Marketing and Communication for MEA at Acronis, speaks about her career journey into the tech industry

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Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

I head up Marketing and Communication for the Middle East and Africa region for Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection. The daily essentials involve checking emails, conducting meetings, drafting strategies, planning events, launching campaigns, and signing off on content.

The day usually includes calls with agency reps from one of my markets and with local distributors. There are of course also weekly brainstorming sessions to discuss key initiatives and projects. Overall, I split my day between my internal communications with peers and my external communications with our business partners and PR agencies.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do? How did you decide on it?

During my early years, technology was generally considered a male domain though a few women doing well in tech was not unheard of. I always had an interest in it but never thought it was something for someone like me.

After I got started, I realised that I actually do have a knack and aptitude for tech, then combining that with my love for communications, made the choice to pursue this path easily.

In the back of my mind, I always wanted to encourage and inspire other women and girls to get into this industry too.

What first got you interested in tech?

My dad; he was always buying every single gadget that existed. I experimented with how to use new devices and fix things through him. I never thought tech was for me because of the lack of representation and the misinformation at that time. I thought I needed to have a highly qualified degree with mathematics, physics or science as specialties.

on my TV or started my studies I did not really have someone in a role of influence to follow.

bring to the table, regardless of my gender or physiological characteristic.

It was only later in life that I realized I could dream big and become anyone I wanted. It took 10 years of hard work, sacrifices, and several failures to get to the one year that completely changed my life.

To answer that question, I will comment on the part of what is best in being in the tech industry, for women or men, is the opportunity to be part of an industry which by its advancements shapes our daily lives. Knowing that the products that you help launching or your business partners, competitors, peers launch, are changing the world is inspiring.

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? Absolutely. It is not about women versus men, it is about having a fair balance of representation, and ideas. Several official studies show women bring more soft skills to their roles. Many people do not necessarily know that STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which in itself provides so many different opportunities.

I think the world would be different if not only more women would be working in STEM but making decisions in the STEM space, not that they are better than men, but for the diversity in vision, they would provide.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

Prejudices at school, having professors in high school trying to discourage me from following the business school’s path because I did not fit the “profile”, financially, socially, and culturally. The non-existence of a professional network to help (and something now I always recommend people to make a priority).

A clear obstacle is to get the first foot in the industry when you do not have a technical background. Then, as a woman and especially a woman of colour, credibility and command respect not only from within an organisation but from the industry itself, or peers at events is quite the challenge. A type of recurrent obstacle is the continuous dilemma between being seen, and being heard; two very different things.

It did not occur to me that I could start by training myself by learning on the internet, or receive classes from a company, as it was my case with my previous employer. Anything technical can be learned, but it is the soft skills and attitude that make you stand out.

Being seen is the first step and a massive one but being heard is the ultimate goal. Having your voice heard, your ideas respected and suggestions implemented are the parameters we should use to measure if the women in the technology industry have a real impact yet; this is what we should thrive for, and not just our mere presence.

Do you have a role model?

Not one, but two: my parents. They have always been models of determination, humility, and stability for me. We did not have much but they worked so hard to always ensure I had all I needed. However, besides singers that looked like me, at the time; when I turned

What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

As much as I want more visibility for this movement because we do need to bridge the gap, I do not like to be defined as only a woman in the tech industry. I prefer to be recognised for my skills, my work, and what I

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Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

For sure, there is a gap, and still, a long way to go. I have to admit that in the last five years that I have been part of this industry I have seen changes and improvements. However, we must not only look at the big picture, we might think that all those movements, groups, and initiatives are great, because they are; but we must also look into the details and see where women get opportunities.

I am proud to be in the Marketing and Communication fields because this is where my passion lies. I also have extensive technical knowledge despite what people can think of professionals in my areas. I want to see more women that are software developers, data scientist or engineers; not because we just need to fill a quota but because they had the exact same opportunities, and decided to go after them.

One thing I believe is that in order to really change things we need to remain inclusive and men should be part of this conversation.

We also need to make the norm not to be the only woman in a room and make sure to pave the way for everyone else. Being the exception should not be an achievement, being the door opener should.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry?

What do you wish you had known?

Go for it! No matter where you are from, your social status, your age, and your knowledge; if the genuine interest is there and the determination to learn quickly too, then you have all your chances. I wished at a young age, I had more interaction with sciences and technology. At Acronis, we are working on a Cyber Diversity program, a unique initiative where three organisations from different segments (technology, science, and legal counsel) join forces. We are planning to launch this program in April and the goal is to create new opportunities for people of all backgrounds through mentorship, coaching, and networking.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

"DIVERSITY ALWAYS MAKES A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE" Andrea Carter, the Regional Director for Marketing - NEMEA at Sophos, speaks about her journey into the IT industry as a career choice

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Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

At Sophos, I am the Regional Marketing Director for UK and Ireland, Nordics, Western Europe, Middle East & Africa.

I head the field marketing for these regions. I have spent my entire career of more than 20 years’ working in technology targeted to businesses.

A typical day for me in these new times starts with an early walk with my two dogs (my own version of a commute to work since I no longer drive to the office). Most of my day is spent attending Zoom meetings which include inputs into product launch activities, team meetings to discuss and drive strategy for the regions I work with, one on one meeting with my team and calls with the sales organizations who we partner very closely with, to meet the goals set for the business.

Every day, my attempt is to contribute, in my capacity, to the vision of Sophos which is to save organizations of all sizes and types from cybercrime through innovative products and services.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do? How did you decide on it?

I initially wanted to be a Lawyer but then ‘fell into’ technology and realized very quickly that I was passionate about it.

My first role was with a Sales Automation Software company where I was lucky enough to get a very broad role which even included technical support.

I enjoyed learning the software system and my love of technology grew from thereon. Fast forward to today and the world of cybersecurity, the pace and constant rate of innovation at Sophos keeps my role interesting and exciting.

What first got you interested in tech?

My first experience of technology was using a ZX Spectrum Sinclair computer.

I love learning new things and I am confident to have a go-getter attitude when

it comes to technology. My love for technology comes from the fact that in technology, there are endless possibilities and constant evolution.

Do you have a role model?

I am very fortunate to have several role models and have had the pleasure of working for many inspirational women during my career. We are proud at Sophos to have many committed women in our business.

An early role model was my Grandmother who worked in a senior role in the Royal Air Force which was a great achievement back at that time. In terms of business role models, Cheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook has always been someone I have admired. I also enjoyed reading her book ‘Lean In’.

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? I think diversity always makes a positive difference, not only having more women but a wider diverse team working in STEM will make a huge difference to any business. Sophos is a great, fully inclusive business where diversity is celebrated.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

I think I have been very lucky that I have not faced too many obstacles in my career journey, but I feel much of that is due to working for the right businesses like Sophos, where I have thrived under female leadership. One of the challenges was that I suffered with ‘imposter syndrome’ in the past and doubted my own abilities.

tech industry is having the opportunity to work in such a high paced, exciting environment where no day is the same and you can guarantee you will be doing something new continuously.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

Sadly, I do still notice a lack of women in technology. It is still often the case that the ratio of male to female in every meeting and event that I attend is still higher on the male side. I think the current situation is due to a legacy of not having STEM programs in the past targeting girls in schools and the lack of successful female role models in technology has led to less women choosing technology as an industry.

However, I am positive that things are changing as many tech companies have launched campaigns and initiatives in support of women in STEM. I am hopeful that in the future this issue ceases to exist. At Sophos, we are now seeing more women taking up high tech role in cybersecurity which is a good sing in this direction.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry? What do you wish you had known?

The sky is the limit and believe that you can achieve anything you set out to do.

A piece of advice I try to live by is don’t focus on problems but instead on the potential solution.

I felt that I was constantly trying to prove I was good enough. I even took a practitioner course in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) which had a huge impact on my self-awareness and outlook and it definitely made a big difference.

Most importantly, never feel that being a woman should affect your choices or roles in this industry. Research the top tech employers and seek mentors within the industry who would be more than willing to offer an insight and advice. I wish I had known tech was so great and had may be studied IT so that I could have been in Sophos Labs fighting cybercrime.

What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

The best part of being a woman in the

What do you do to unwind after work?

I like to train in the gym, enjoy cooking and spend time with friends and family.

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WOMEN IN TECH //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

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"FOCUS, DETERMINATION AND HARDWORK LEADS TO SUCCESS" Line Bang Riecke Hjardemaal, the Director for EMEA Sales and Tech Operations at Milestone Systems speaks about how diversity creates new opportunities and insights

Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

I am responsible for EMEA Sales and Tech Operations, which is a department that covers presales, technical and sales support, training, custom development and professional services, it is about 85 people in total.

vision of ‘Making the World See’ and its ethical approach to business and technology that motivated me and made it the perfect match.

Our main purpose is to ensure that we cover the needs of our partners and customers and that we serve them with high quality, seamless and consistent ways to build longterm relationships so that we can grow together.

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? Diversity creates new opportunities and insights and I truly believe that it is a key driver for continuous development.

A typical day would be full of meetings to ensure stable and efficient operations, working on strategic projects to develop the future. Most of this is done from the home office but otherwise I would be travelling, meeting up with partners and customers all over EMEA.

Therefore, utilizing the potential we gain from mixing gender, age, backgrounds etc. is a need for all companies who aspire to grow and develop. To say no is to miss out and I would regard it a business risk.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do? How did you decide on it?

First I worked in the financial sector and then in telecommunications before joining Milestone Systems. I have always had an interest in tech, so when the opportunity came, I was really excited.

However, it was Milestone System’s

What first got you interested in tech?

I strongly believe in continuous development and for me tech is precisely that.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

Focus, determination and hard work is needed to succeed in any job and also required when working in tech.

The support of my family has been key for my success, as they have had to accept and support my late hours and business travels.

What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

I feel privileged to be able to inspire

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young talented women who are interested in a career within tech as it is an industry that has so much to offer. In this industry there is so much innovation, talented people and endless possibilities, so as a woman and a person, I am proud to be part of it.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

There are fewer women than men in the tech industry for sure and I think the reason lies in traditions and habits.

There simply has not been a tradition for women to aspire for a career in tech, but I do believe that it is changing and I expect to see many more women joining our industry in the nearby future.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry? What do you wish you had known?

Do it! Be focused and do your best, you will not regret it.

What do you do to unwind after work?

I spend time with my two children and I really enjoy running half marathons, it helps to clear my mind, regain and build my energy.

WOMEN IN TECH //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

"AMAZING TO SEE HOW WOMEN ARE GROWING EQUALLY ALONGSIDE MEN IN THE INDUSTRY" Samina Yusuf, the Manager for Global Business Solutions, at Pixcom Group of Companies, speaks about her journey into the tech industry as a career choice

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Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

I am proud to be working with Pixcom Group of companies. My role is Manager - Global Business Solutions, where I am privileged to handle a leading global client account with multiple projects at various locations within and outside of the GCC region.

We are involved in the complete project digitalization and aid in providing both hardware and software innovative ‘Smart Solutions’. My typical day is filled with a vast amount of interaction with stakeholders and management.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do?

Strangely enough, yes. Throughout my career I have always been intrigued by the technology world and somehow been associated with it in one way or another.

How did you decide on it?

When I was offered a job here at Pixcom, I saw it as an opportunity to finally get into what has always been of deep interest to me. It was quite difficult initially, as I felt that I might not fit into this industry due to not having the technical skills or the ‘know how’ but for some reason I still decided to leap into it. It has only grown in interest to me ever since.

What first got you interested in tech?

Pixcom Group is not just any IT or a LED company. What makes us different is the leadership of our CEO, Shihas Kizhisseri, as well as the team’s expertise and innovative ways of digitizing projects in the region over the last 17 years. It is quite an inspiring story in itself, hence our tagline ‘Digital Transformation Experts’.

Every day is a new exciting learning curve. In addition to having great project titles and success stories in our pool, we also take pride in having a great team that is now more like a

big family. What better opportunity could I get to learn about the industry, than from the experts themselves?

Would our world be different if more women were working in STEM? Yes, I would surely love to see more women working in STEM, that would be great. It would contribute to a lot of innovative thoughts and motivation to work within teams in organizations.

Women by nature have a great eye for detail, however that doesn’t necessarily mean that our world would be different, I am a firm believer in gender equality.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

My previous years of management and operations experience wasn't in tech and actually I did have what many would consider a ‘Dream Job’, when I worked at the Dubai International Film Festival, for over a decade.

To move out of that industry and then dive into a technology company, I was worried about how I would be accepted due to not having much experience in this field. There were definitely obstacles, but I saw it as yet another learning and growth opportunity. By being involved with projects, people, different situations, I got better everyday. Without a doubt, I feel blessed to be where I am today, despite the leap of faith I had to take to get here.

What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?

I think the flexibility. As a woman, it is so important to be working at a company that is flexible and understanding. I feel the technology industry is always thriving and is quite fast paced, there are always interesting thoughts, challenges that we are facing every day.

It is a thrilling job which brings a huge sense of fulfilment with every challenge that’s accomplished.

Working alongside brilliant techies is one of the many perks, to be able to

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learn from the experts and have that constant drive to complete projects, it keeps me incredibly motivated. It’s definitely empowering to be working in an industry that is believed to be primarily male dominant.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

I don’t think there is a lack of women in technology. As a matter of fact, I see a lot of the future generation gearing up to get into the STEM world. It is absolutely amazing to witness how the women are growing equally alongside the men in every level.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry?

If there is even a slight interest you have in the tech industry, go for it! This field is so vast and exciting. Something that I have learnt from one of my closest friends at work, who is a computer engineer, is that the majority of the time, all that is required, is logic.

What do you wish you had known?

I wish that during our times, we had all the avenues for learning that kids have today. As we can witness through the COVID pandemic, thanks to technology, kids are still up to date with everything, whether it is common knowledge, school work or the news.

Can you imagine what our state would be like if we didn’t have the Internet and Smartphones? How would we survive this pandemic? Perhaps if all these tools were available to us back when I was in school, I would have had more knowledge on different things.

What do you do to unwind after work?

Every day, I start and end my day by thanking Allah. I then go to my most favorite place in this world, to my husband and my family.

This is where I find true peace.

REVIEWS //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

4/5

AED 12,999

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733QS ASUS’ ROG Strix Scar series of laptops have been known for powerful gaming laptops for years. This year, the company takes this series a step further by adding AMD-based machines to the portfolio. We received the new ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733QS for a test drive and we came away impressed.

Let’s start with the design, which has been completely overhauled from the previous iterations. You will see a whole lot of clean cuts across the board. The lid of the laptop is made using metal and features a matte finish. The ROG logo illuminates as soon as you switch the laptop on.

On the screen of the laptop, you will find thinner bezels than its last year counterpart. ASUS offers a couple of different screen options for this 2021 version of the ROG Strix Scar 17. However, all the variations come packed with a 17.3-inch, 16:9, matte and non-touchscreen. The variation we received, came with an IPS Full HD display that offers a refresh rate of 300Hz, a response time of 3ms, 100% SRGB, and a brightness of 300 Nits.

There is no camera on the laptop like last year. However, the display now also supports ActiveSync, a technology that

handles tearing in games and seamlessly commutes between the AMD iGPU and Nvidia GPU based on the task at hand.

Under the hood, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733QS is powered by an AMD Cezanne-H R9-5900HX processor, coupled with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM, 32GB of DDR4 3200mhz SDRAM, and two PCIE SSD Slot M.2 for storage rated at 1TB each.

Connectivity options are aplenty on the G733QS. You get a wide range of ports such as three USB3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one USB3.2 Gen2 Type-C which supports Display Port and 100W PD Charger, one LAN RJ-45 jack, one HDMI 2.0b, one Audio combo jack, and a Keystone. The laptop also comes with Dolby Atmos technology built-in with four speakers, and AI mic noise cancellation for crystal clear audio/video-conferencing calls.

In terms of specs, the ASUS ROG Scar 17 G733QS packs in the absolute latest hardware from AMD and Nvidia.

As mentioned earlier, you get an AMD Cezanne-H R9-5900HX processor, coupled with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM, 32GB of DDR4

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3200mhz SDRAM, and two PCIE SSD Slot M.2 for storage rated at 1TB each.

In order to gauge the real-world performance of the G733QS, we ran a bunch of benchmarks including PCMark and 3DMark. On 3DMark, we got a Time Spy Score of 9087, with 9371 for graphics and 6910 for CPU. On PCMark 10, we were able to clock 6312 points, with 9388 for Essentials, 9065 for Productivity, and 8370 for Digital Content Creation.

The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733QS is priced at AED 12999, which includes the VAT. For this price, you get top-notch specifications based on the AMD platform. The overall performance is very good with a visible improvement over its predecessor, while the feature sets are good, too.

While the pricing may seem a bit steep to some, if you are absolutely on the hunt for one of the most powerful gaming laptops that money can buy today, then you can’t go wrong with the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733QS. The gaming laptop thus comes across as highly recommended.

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ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

4/5 Huawei Freelace Pro Huawei’s new Freelace Pro neckband-style wireless earbuds were launched a couple of weeks ago. The company was kind enough to send us a review unit and boy, we were surprised by the sheer quality and value it brings along.

The Huawei FreeLace Pro is a premium wireless earbuds that come with active noise cancellation, an IP55 rating, 24 hours of battery life, and promises of awesome sound quality. While the earbuds are available in three colours such as white, black and green – Huawei calls them Obsidian Black, Dawn White, and Spruce Green. We received the green variant for this review.

Upon opening up the box, the first thing you see is the pair of wireless neckband-style earbuds. Digging deeper, you also get two pairs of ear tips, the warranty card, quick start guide, and safety info.

The overall build quality of the earbuds is very good – clad in a mix of plastic, metal, and rubber, the neckband is detachable, which reveals a USB-C connector.

Now, this can be connected to a USB-C charger or to a smartphone directly that supports reverse charging, such as the Huawei Mate 40 Pro. The earbuds weigh just 34-gms and are a pleasure to wear.

The earbuds fit snuggly into your ears and they don’t protrude too much from the ear. In addition, the wingtips on the earbuds make sure they sit in place securely in your ear and do not move around, when you are out on a run, or during a workout session.

Towards the right earbud is where you get the controls (volume up, volume down, play/pause) and the power button. In addition, you can touch the exterior of the left earbud to perform some functions. For instance, touching and holding it cycles between Huawei’s proprietary active noise cancelation modes: ANC on, Awareness, and ANC off.

Connecting the earbuds to a smartphone is a walk in the park – switch on Bluetooth pairing on your smartphone, select the Freelace Pro from the list and that’s it.

And if you happen to own one of Huawei’s recent smartphones, the procedure is even simpler. Detach the neckband to reveal the USB-C connector and insert it into the USB-C port of the Huawei smartphone to charge it or instantly pair it with the smartphone.

Audio quality is very good since Huawei packs in a pair of 14.2mm dynamic drivers inside the earbuds. I was able to hear

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// REVIEWS

AED 399 tones on the entire spectrum – from rich lows to punchy mids and crystal clear highs. It does not matter what type or genre of music you play or prefer. You will be able to enjoy your music at the highest quality, as it was meant to be.

Another plus with the Huawei Freelace Pro is its ability to reduce audio latency for gaming, all the way down to 150 ms. This is done through wireless audio codec optimization. The low-latency gaming mode is automatically enabled when you start a game, thus keeping you alert and sharp for every round. You also get two microphones for Active Noise Cancellation and in-call noise cancellation, which is handled by a triple-mic system.

The three things that clearly make the Huawei Freelace Pro a winner are comfort, noise cancellation, and audio quality – they are all exceptional, especially when you consider the pocket-friendly price it is available at – AED 399. If you are on the market, looking for an excellent pair of wireless earbuds that offer tons of value and brilliant audio and build quality, the Huawei Freelace Pro should be on your list.

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REVIEWS //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

4/5 Misa Social Robot Misa Social Robot is a next-generation smart robot that is targeted at families and kids. Misa responds to ‘Hey Misa’ and can do a lot of things such as play/teach children, handle daily schedules and tasks, offer home automation and surveillance, and even support elderly care. And it comes programmed in ten languages such as French, English, Dutch, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.

Upon opening the box, you get the Misa robot, which is available in two colour options – pink and blue. The one we received for this review was pink in colour. You also get some paperwork including the command list, the quick start guide, and the charger along with the power adapter, which includes four USB ports. You also get two microphones for karaoke sessions – one in pink and one in blue colour.

The Misa Social Robot comes with a 7-inch screen on the front, that offers a resolution of 1280-by-700 pixels. It is powered by a Quad-Core 1.8GHz processor, comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage space. The robot is powered by the Android 9.0 operating system, and it comes packed with an HD Camera and an AR Camera. It also comes with a dual microphone, and a bunch of sensors such as a touch sensor, drop sensor, range sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor to avoid obstacles.

The battery is rated at 10000mAh, which offers a standby time of 48 hours and a talk time of 8 hours on a single charge. It weighs around 1.19-kgs and is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Once you switch on Misa, you go through an intuitive setup procedure. Connect it to your WiFi network, scan the QR code to download the Misa Connect App, then connect the app to the Misa robot. To do that, scan the QR code on Misa’s screen and the app will immediately connect to it.

Next, name your Misa robot and you will be good to go.

In order to ask Misa a question, all you need to do is say, “Hey Misa,” followed by a question, and Misa will get to work on an answer. Since Misa is connected to the internet, the variety of questions you can ask is endless. Especially if you have very inquisitive kids like mine, who ask a thousand questions a day, simply direct them to Misa to handle those questions!

In addition, since Misa comes with four wheels and a bunch of sensors all around it, it can move around the house with ease. Simply say “Hey Misa, Come Here!” and Misa will come rolling towards you.

You can even move Misa throughout your house to monitor your kids and pets.

At first glance, the Misa Social Robot might look like another overpriced toy. But just a toy, it is not! It is a robot that packs

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AED 999 in features such as home automation, security, social interactions with the expression of emotions, and it can also act as an assistance robot for seniors and family. It features Child Monitoring through the app, edutainment, multimedia playback, can work as a personal assistant, and more.

It can do chores like book a hotel, display a recipe, play music, show real-time stock prices, and lots more, through voice commands.

For a price of AED 999, you get a robot that offers all of the above-mentioned features, in addition to coming packed with thousands of hours of safe and ad-free games, books, learning apps, and videos all from top family brands such as Little Miss, The Moomins, Mr. Bean, Peter Rabbit, Mr. Men, and so on. You can even remotely monitor your home and control Misa to move around remotely using the app.

Misa also lets you make video calls, set alarms, teach good habits, tell stories, play music, play videos, indulge in karaoke sessions, and lots more. Furthermore, you can also create a personalised display message on its screen to surprise your family members and friends – possibly a Birthday message on their birthdays or a personalised message on their anniversaries. Considering all of that, Misa comes across as a truly worthwhile investment.

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

3/5

// REVIEWS

AED 19290

Double Robotics Double 3 The age of the robots is here – and we mean for the better. A wide range of companies have started investing in robotics and telepresence, and one of the companies to commercially launch such robots onto the market is Double Robotics. The company sent us the Double 3 for a test drive a week ago and boy, did we have fun!

The Double 3 is, as the company describes, a self-driving, two-wheeled videoconferencing robot that has been designed to make remote work effortless.

The robot is aimed at telecommuters, doctors, remote workers, and students to give them a feeling of “physical presence” where they can’t be in person.

The Double 3 has been upgraded with the latest tech that’s available on the market today. Unlike its predecessors, the Double 3 does not use just an iPad for an interface. Instead, it uses a fully-integrated solution that packs in the latest Nvidia Jetson TX2 GPU tech, two Intel RealSense depth sensors, two high-resolution cameras rated at 13MP, and a beam-forming microphone array that consists of 6 microphones.

Since the Double 3 flaunts new hardware, you now get a new click-to-drive interface,

obstacle avoidance, and pan/tilt/zoom video functions, to provide a fully-immersive remote experience to seasoned users as well as complete beginners.

Starting off with the Double 3 is a walk in the park.

Once out of the box, connect the head to the body that consists of a rod attached to a pair of wheels. The head runs Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS as the operating system of choice. Switch the Double 3 on, and it will walk you through the setup procedure, which hardly takes minutes to complete.

Once completed, you get a digital pair of eyes on the screen, indicating the Double 3 is ready to use. The Double 3 comes with an array of 3D sensors, which lets it map the floor and its surroundings, thus allowing it to divert around obstacles to reach its destination.

In order to test the Double 3 out, we installed and set it up, which hardly took minutes. Once done, we were able to drive it around, even over difficult terrain such as doorways. The robot was even able to balance itself over tough terrain inside our office such as a door threshold and cross it with ease.

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We also tried logging into a video call through an Android smartphone. The call quality and the video quality were very good, considering the Double 3 has two 13MP cameras and 6 microphones. On a single charge, the Double 3 worked nonstop for about 4 hours, before it needed to recharge from its charging dock.

The Double 3 can move autonomously and offer a new mixed-reality driver’s interface. By doing this, Double Robotics enables users to drive their own Double 3 to roam around the office, visit patients, attend meetings, monitor work sites, or go to class from anywhere in the world.

The Double 3 with a charging dock is priced at AED 19,290 which includes the VAT. Installation and setup are free in the UAE. It is worth noting that if you invested in a Double 2 robot, you can just stick a Double 3 head on a Double 2 body and it instantly becomes a Double 3.

However, if you are on the market for a telepresence robot that is easy to install, setup, and use, offers a good set of features, you can’t go wrong with the Double Robotics Double 3.

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REVIEWS //

ARABIAN RESELLER - FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021

3/5

AED 119

Kingston ValueRAM KVR26S19S6/8 DDR4 2666MHz SODIMM (8GB) RAM can make a huge difference in the performance of your PC or laptop, irrespective of whether you are a content developer, coder, gamer, or just another office employee.

The more RAM your system has, the less likely you would be pulling your hair off in despair.

Kingston Technology is known for quality memory products around the world including memory cards, SSDs, USB drives, and lots more.

The company also offers an affordable lineup of RAM products under its ValueRAM series. And today, we are putting the KVR26S19S6/8 DDR4 2666Mhz SODIMM to test!

The ValueRAM KVR26S19S6/8 is a DDR4 SO-DIMM memory module for laptops and the package comes with one 8GB module inside it.

For this review, we received two separate packs – meaning two 8GB modules. These modules offer memory speeds of up to 2666MHz.

Each of the memory modules weighs around 9-gms and requires around 1.2V of power supply to function.

Installing them into laptops is a walk in the park. On a laptop, you would usually need to remove the screws around the edges and remove the bottom cover of the laptop.

Next, disconnect the power cable from the laptop’s battery to avoid any instances of a short circuit. You will see a dedicated area just above the motherboard to insert the RAM sticks.

These will have a sort of a spring mechanism to remove the RAM sticks and replace them with the new RAM modules.

Once you have removed and replaced them with the new Kingston ValueRAM KVR26S19S6/8, you will be good to go.

After installing the memory modules, our test laptop (ASUS ROG Strix Scar II) booted in at 2666MHz without any intervention at all on our part.

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However, if you would like to change any settings of the memory modules such as the timing, you can use tools such as Memory Tweaker to do it.

We used the MemTweakIt tool for ASUS laptops to change the settings between 2133 MHz, 2400 MHz, and 2666 MHz. We also used AIDA64 for benchmarking the memory modules. The results we achieved were very good for a RAM module that comes in at a pocket-friendly price.

For a price of AED 119 for one memory module of 8GB, the Kingston ValueRAM KVR26S19S6/8 DDR4 2666MHz SODIMM does come across as an affordable option if you are on the market looking for a dependable memory module to upgrade the performance of an aging laptop.

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