Arabian Reseller - November 2019 by Rysha Media

NOVEMBER 2019 Vol. 1. Issue 2.

www.arabianreseller.com

RIDING HIGH ON

WHY YOU TRANSFORMING THE DIGITAL SHOULD NEVER DISTRIBUTORS PERFORMANCE STOP LEARNING INTO VADS COMPANY

CONTENTS 

NEWS

NetApp Reinvents the Customer Experience for the Hybrid Multicloud

Epicor Launches ERP to Support Talent Retention and Automation

Acer Shows Off its ConceptD Range at its Partner Event

16 

Spectrami Shows Off its Enterprise App Marketplace

Huawei Appoints new VP for Enterprise Networking

32 The Digital Performance Company

Riding High on 5G

F E AT U R E S T H I S M O N T H

Never Stop Learning

How Concerned Are You About Your IoT Privacy Challenges?

Transforming Distributors into VADs

Configuration Mistakes That Provide Field Days for Hackers Aligning IT Roadmaps with Business Goals is Key Visibility and Anomaly Detection in the Age of IoT

EDITORIAL

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

CHRIS N. FERNANDO



The Promises of 5G Technology

EDITOR IN CHIEF

SALES AND MARKETING Ranbir Sen ranbir@ryshamedia.com

DEPUTY EDITOR Edward Frank edward@ryshamedia.com

As the next generation in wireless technology, 5G promises to boost data speeds by up to 100 times, making it competitive with the fastest wired broadband networks. But the cold reality is that a fully functioning 5G future is still a long ways away. 5G can use any band of spectrum, but it thrives in the extremely high frequency range of 30 to 300 GHz, compared to today’s cellphones that are in much lower bands. But a key drawback is that these signals travel only short distances. The wavelengths in this band range from 1 mm to 10 mm - so these can’t reach very far and are easily degraded. Because it requires density, 5G is feasible mainly for more populated areas, where many antennas can be placed close together. However, telecom companies and other providers will have to invest billions to make 5G a reality—not only to buy more spectrum, but

also to build out the infrastructure. Inside, in our cover story titled “Riding High on 5G”, industry experts weigh in their views on the opportunities and challenges associated with the adoption of 5G technology. We also speak to Andrea Carter, the Regional Director for Marketing NEMEA at Sophos, who speaks about her passion for the IT industry in our “Women in Tech” section. For our “Channel Influencers” section, we speak to Ehab Halablab, the Regional Channel Manager for MENA at A10 Networks, who speaks about the role a channel influencer has in bettering the overall channel community. And this month, we introduce a new section called “Vendor Watch”, wherein Mena Migally, the Senior Director for MENA at Riverbed, speaks about why his company believes that technology exists to enhance the human experience.

SENIOR WRITER Priyan Sampath priyan@ryshamedia.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER John Christy info@ryshamedia.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Prarthana Mary prarthana@ryshamedia.com

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

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

While the publisher has made all efforts to ensure the accuracy of information in the magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors whatsoever. Copyright @ 2019

GITEX 2019

Maisonette Reveals Latest ProTech Innovations at GITEX 2019 Maisonette Holding, the PropTech company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is exhibiting its latest innovations in the property technology sector at GITEX Technology Week, from October 6th to 10th in Dubai World Trade Centre. Partaking in GITEX Technology Week reflects Maisonette’s commitment in providing seamless solutions that are in line with the region’s latest tech innovations, and its efforts in igniting a PropTech (property technology) movement within the region, to enhance real estate operations by providing an all-integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, a document management system and smart marketing tools. Maisonette’s user-friendly software offers a built-in CRM, manages sales and assets, thereby eliminating paperwork and double-data entry. Hence, it enables real estate companies to minimize costs by up to 30% and maximize efficiency. Because it is catered specifically to the real estate sector, the PropTech solution is cost-effective and can be easily implemented. Addedly, a complete overview of clientele’s portfolios can be accessed, including all customer-related processes for both inbound and outbound communication, thus enabling real estate companies to offer a more personalized service to their clients. The software also automates all financial operations and manages all sales and assets, significantly improving accuracy and productivity. The PropTech company is also launching a smart mobile application for facility management, streamlining maintenance requests by tenants. Commenting on the impact of PropTech within the region and the company’s participation at Gitex Technology Week, Amjad Abbas, Chief Executive Officer of Maisonette, said: “We’re proud to be taking part in this year’s GITEX Technology Week to showcase our latest innovative solutions for the real estate industry. The role of PropTech is quickly becoming integral to real estate companies and large infrastructure projects, and it is one of the main drivers for supporting economic growth and enabling smart city transformations. Countries such as the UAE are refocusing their energy on the happiness and quality of life of their citizens, and to achieve that vision, the UAE has set numerous strategies such as Vision 2021, which aims to facilitate the transformation to a knowledge-based economy. Adopting new technologies such as PropTech and leveraging Big Data can be major contributors to achieving the wise leadership’s vision.” “Our participation at GITEX aims to highlight our role in achieving this vision, as we strive to remain updated on the latest global trends within the sector and beyond. We’re currently expanding to more countries, and we’re leveraging new technologies to develop more solutions and offerings continuously. Ultimately, we believe that PropTech improves the quality of life for everyone, and it enables smoother operations for both the real estate sector and all parties involved. We are witnessing growth within the region and more tech-aware companies, whom we offer automation, optimization of costs, and maximation of sales,” he added. With offices in the UAE and Egypt, Maisonette caters its PropTech solutions to medium to large property management companies, real estate developers, facilities management companies, real estate brokers, and shopping malls across the Middle East and North Africa.

Spectrami Shows Off its Enterprise Apps Marketplace Called Hive Pro At GITEX Technology Week 2019, Spectrami showed off its new enterprise apps marketplace called Hive Pro. According to Anand Choudha, the CEO of Spectrami, Hive Pro is a zero touch, multi-tenant, intelligent and automated cloud based marketplace of enterprise solutions which provides an efficient delivery mechanism for faster deployment of enterprise solutions. “It is designed for customers, vendors and partners to collaborate and remain connected on our solution and services, Hive Pro is a next-generation cloud ready marketplace of enterprise solution which focusses on enhancing the quality of Business Life Cycle,” explained Choudha. “Our platform drastically reduces time to market enterprise solutions and accelerates customers adoption. Hive Pro automates the deployment and base line configuration of enterprise solutions and reduces the dependency on infrastructure readiness and technical expertise with the help of automation.” According to Choudha, the benefits of the Hive Pro platform include delivery, order management, customization, on-demand services, white labelling, compliance, POC/ Demo, provisioning, new customers, usage statistics, visibility and control. “Hive Pro provides vendors, partners, and customers role based access to the PRO marketplace. Role based permissions can be customized in order to leverage our platform’s features for users’ unique needs,” added Choudha.

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

On Hive Pro, vendors can list their products on the global app store. Channel Partners meanwhile will be able to select appropriate products as per their customer base to create their own app store. Enterprises on the other hand, can request for POC or deployment of the product of their choice from the global or partner app store. The Hive Pro platform can be integrated to an orchestration platform by means of APIs and can be deployed on public or private cloud infrastructures through the platform. Hive Pro supports rolebased access to vendors, partners and customers where each one of them can leverage the features of Hive as per their own needs. Choudha further added that the most important feature of the Hive Pro platform is Zero Touch Intelligent Automation. “Out IA will help you transcend conventional procedure tradeoffs to achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency and quality in solution deployments and configurations. Evolving enterprise IT solutions can be deployed automatically irrespective of the underlying infrastructure with a zero-touch model by eliminating the dependency on skilled workforce. Single solution or solution suites can be deployed on the fly with the required configurations and customization with IA. IA systems sense and synthesize vast amounts of information and can automate entire processes or workflows, learning and adapting as they go,” explained Choudha.

GITEX 2019

Jacky’s Business Solutions Looks for Channel Partners at GITEX 2019 Jacky’s Business Solutions LLC, distributor for SoftBank Robotics Europe in the Middle East for its robots, are looking to meet potential partners to expand their support across the region. Jacky’s will join SoftBank Robotics once again this year to showcase the wider applications of Pepper in customer and visitor management.

A10 Networks Focusses on Automated Security Defense at GITEX 2019 A10 Networks focused on “Automated Cyber Defense” at GITEX Technology Week 2019, which took place between 6-10 October, 2019. The company demonstrated its entire portfolio of leading solutions including service provider network security to support IoT in the age of 5G, multi-cloud management, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) with Zero-day Automated Protection, carrier-grade networking and IPV6 migration and application visibility and analytics. At GITEX, A10 Networks demonstrated its recently launched Zero-day Automated Protection (ZAP) capabilities that it has added to its leading Thunder Threat Protection System (TPS) family of distributed denial of service (DDoS) defense solutions. The ZAP capabilities automatically recognize the characteristics of DDoS attacks and apply mitigation filters without advanced configuration or manual intervention. This speeds the response to the increasingly sophisticated multi-vector attacks to minimize downtime and errors and lower operating costs. This year, the Middle East team was also joined at the A10 Networks booth by several high-level executives including Anthony Webb, Vice President Sales in EMEA. During the event, executives from A10 Networks ran a series of presentations delivered on the booth daily, with the intention of helping educate CIOs and IT managers about technology issues important from a regional standpoint including decryption, multi-cloud, 5G and DDoS. The booth presentations which ran daily,

included: • Beyond Simple TLS/SSL Decryption: Multi-Layered Enterprise Security • Automating Load Balancing Configuration in Dynamic Multi-Cloud Kubernetes Deployment • WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHERE and HOW of DDoS Attacks • Is Your Enterprise Perimeter Equipped To Defend You From Modern Cyber Attacks? • The Anatomy of DDoS Attacks, Understanding and Surviving the Three Most Rampant Attacks • 5G Security is Now "A10 Networks is a leader in next-generation security technology for mobile operators worldwide—and the solution provider of choice for carriers undertaking 5G transformation. Its advanced converged firewall and DDoS protection solutions provide hyperscale, feature richness and AI-driven automation to meet the growing capacity requirements and complex management needs of 5G networks, while also improving the economics and performance of user plane and control plane security in today’s networks," said Mohammed Al-Moneer, Regional Vice President of Sales – MENA at A10 Networks. A10 Networks’ 5G security solutions are widely recognized and embraced by mobile operators worldwide. The company secured five design wins in the second half of 2018 for its Thunder 5G Gi-LAN converged firewall from operators planning commercial 5G deployments in early 2019.

During Gitex this year, Jacky’s will also showcase its new Robot Content Management Systems (RCMS) to update Pepper. Jacky’s RCMS which will allow end-customers or resellers to manage or update content on the Pepper robot as they would a website. As a cloud-based solution, RCMS reduces the need for complex programming and setup time needed for deploying a fleet of robots or making changes to content. Ashish Panjabi, COO at Jacky’s Business Solutions, said, “We continue to look for software partners as new industry sectors deploy Pepper. This year, we are specifically looking to partner with those that are experienced in developing chatbots, AI software development, loyalty systems, banking system, travel systems and other B2B software solutions, especially those in Arabic that could work off a robot would be of interest for us to meet.” Jonathan Boiria, Head of Sales at SoftBank Robotics Europe, said, “At SoftBank Robotics, we are heavily focusing on growing our business in the Middle East by developing a local ecosystem of business and software partners. Through our collaboration with Jacky’s, we are strengthening our market reach for Pepper. Their newly acquired capacity to provide powerful, easy-to-use and customizable solutions to customers is a key driver to expand on our existing successful projects across the banking, retail, education and public sectors.” Jacky’s Business Solutions are also exploring new partnerships across the Middle East so that they can cater to the demand for Pepper in various industry sectors like hospitality, retail, banking, government, travel, education and healthcare. With its new RCMS, Jacky’s can now make it easier to deploy and reduce the learning curve for potential partners and enable them to capitalize on their existing customer relationships. Jacky’s will provide the second level of support for both hardware and software with its state-of-the-art service facilities. Jacky’s Business added Pepper to its repertoire of Visitor Management Solutions (VMS) in 2018, enhancing its wide range of customer service solutions already marketed to enterprises in the government, banking, telecom and healthcare sectors. Pepper is currently used in a wide range of industries such as retail, tourism, banking, healthcare, hospitality, enterprise, government and education.

GITEX 2019

Nandbox Exhibits at GITEX Technology Week 2019 Next to the world’s top innovative minds, Nandbox took part in GITEX Technology Week 2019. From October 6 to 9 at the booth Ontario Canada Pavilion H2 A48 in Hall 2, Nandbox exhibited its latest services, including the Native App Builder. “GITEX is a great opportunity for Nandbox to meet global tech leaders, build synergies, and together promote agile solutions,” says Hazem Maguid the CEO and Founder of Nandbox. “We are so excited about that. Especially, we will present our recently launched service - the Native App Builder - which took us over five years to craft,” Hazem declared. Nandbox is a Canadian SaaS platform with a vision of a world where a fast and secure connection is no more a privilege. By harnessing the power of AI, Nandbox aims at meeting the fast-changing market needs and hence contributing to sustainable economies. Its distributed cloud service distinguishes itself with the ultimate security, scalability, and guaranteed uptime of 99.999%. Besides two million users enjoying its Messenger app, Nandbox has helped hundreds of businesses to develop and thrive. With the Native App Builder, it has empowered its partners with ready-hosted, native mobile apps with seamlessly integrated features - that facilitate business communications and boost revenue with less effort.

Fortinet Focusses on SD-WAN Technologies at GITEX 2019 At GITEX 2019, Fortinet highlighted the importance of securing edge networks, by showcasing its Secure SD-WAN, SD-Branch, OT and Cloud Security solutions. We caught up with Nader Baghdadi, the Country Manager for South GCC at Fortinet to learn more. We would like to know about your participation at GITEX this year. This year marks our 12th year of participation at GITEX. Every year gets better in terms of our participation, the outcome we see every time from our engagement with our audience, partners, and customers. This year what we want to do is reconnect with our partners and customers of course. One of the key objectives we have is to expand our reach. Which products and solutions are you showcasing at the event? For Fortinet, every time, there is something new happening behind the doors for us. Last year we looked into digital transformation, and how Fortinet can help from a security perspective. This year, we are trying to focus into the secure SD-WAN concept as well as the cloud security.

More importantly, a field that we are playing into right now and focusing on is the operational technology security. So anything that touches OT and the SCADA systems is something we are looking into right now and we are investing a lot into it from a technology and adoption point of view. Tell us about the security threat landscape in the region. How has it evolved over the years? It’s an interesting question. If you look at 20-30 years ago, the threat landscape was at a minimum level, because technologies and applications were a bit limited. If you take a look today, everyday, the availability of tools and applications, and everything being so public and available on cloud, you are faced with all sorts of threats. One of the things we see today is the threat landscape around OT, grid, and major infrastructures, at a country level and this is where we are investing heavily. This calls for a convergence between IT and OT and that requires solid expertise and investment, and Fortinet brings that to the market.

ViTalk AI assistant Converses With Business Visitors at the Visiology Booth Visiology presented a business intelligence platform boosted by a virtual AI assistant at GITEX 2019. ViTalk, which received its name for the ability to understand natural language, is an intelligent business assistant that helps owners, managers and analysts to monitor and plan company performance. “AI, automated machine learning and conversational analytics are significant trends in the business intelligence world. Visiology BI with ViTalk is a Zero-IT solution and does not require users to have special technical skills. It helps managers to make split-second and well-informed business decisions by providing the required information in response to questions in plain language. We are excited to present Visiology platform with ViTalk and hope to see an interest from the audience,”

says Ivan Vakhmyanin, CEO of Visiology. Visiology is a cutting-edge business intelligence platform that helps to collect, analyze and visualize large volumes of data. The output result is the ability to get a snapshot of the entire business at a glance and access more details in the form of interactive dashboards. Visiology makes complicated data intuitive and understandable helping leaders of an organization to make the right decisions at the right time. Boosted by ViTalk -- an AI virtual assistant -- the platform provides users an opportunity to focus on the results of their work and information critical for the business rather than on learning how to work with complicated software systems. Based on AI technologies

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

such as Auto ML and NLP methods, ViTalk converses with smartphone users and answers plain language questions, for instance: “How is the business performing?”, “What is the forecast?”, “What are the key drivers of these numbers?”. ViTalk pulls relevant data based on the user company profile. ViTalk understands both voice and text messages. The intelligent assistant facilitates planning management in organizations by reminding staff to update cash flow forecast, collecting figures and loading them into appropriate fields. Push notifications alert users about customer payments. All the data is consolidated in ViQube – fast In-Memory database developed specifically for analytical queries by Visiology team.

GITEX 2019

Ericom Software Signs Distribution Partnership with RAS Infotech Ericom Software, a leader in Zero Trust Browser Isolation and Secure Access solutions, announced its partnership with RAS Infotech, a provider of complete Network Security and Network Management Solutions in the Middle East and Africa. Together the companies will deliver remote browser isolation (RBI) solutions powered by Ericom Shield® in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Oman, and Jordan.

Veeam Helps Companies With Their Cloud Data Management Journey Veeam Software participated at GITEX Technology Week 2019 to show its ongoing commitment to help regional organizations transition to the cloud and embrace digital transformation. The company also shared its vision for Cloud Data Management, delivering live demonstrations of the Veeam Availability Platform. We caught up with Claude Schuck and Amir Akhtar to learn more.

a longer time to adapt to such solutions. The small to medium businesses can benefit very quickly. We find that customers in that segment are able to move and transact very quickly. In the earlier years we spoke about change being the only constant, right now, it’s disruption that’s the only constant. So making sure you have taken advantage of cloud data management is the most important thing.

Tell us about your participation at GITEX this year. Claude Schuck: This year is my second year of participation at GITEX. But you can feel the energy and the vibe about showcasing new technologies, the vision about what vendors are doing and so on. We are here to talk to our customers about where Veeam’s going and that includes cloud data management and hybrid.

Tell us about the VCSP Partner Program. Amir Akhtar: So our VCSP program currently serves 20,000 partners globally. This is testament to how much they rely upon Veeam empowering them in delivering their services to their customers. Our partners grow with us through the VCSP program, irrespective of whether they have one virtual machine or a million virtual machines.

Tell us about the products and solutions you are showcasing at GITEX. Claude Schuck: Cloud data management is probably our leading tagline this year and with the advent of all the public providers coming into the region, it is very topical. The Middle East is finally ready to take that step around moving workloads to the cloud, they are trusting it, and they are understanding that the scale and cost of it, it a big benefit to their business. Which markets in the region do you see demand for such solutions? Claude Schuck: Big enterprises take

How do your solutions fit into the overall IT strategy of a company? Claude Schuck: In today’s business you need to understand that you are a software business. Your IP and differentiator, is the software. How you manage that is very important, in terms of making sure your business is always up and running. Every single moment that you are down and not operating, your competition is. So you need to make sure that your business is agile enough to take the least amount of downtime to be up and running to satisfy your customers.

Ericom Software and RAS Infotech kicked off their partnership by exhibiting together at GITEX Technology Week from October 6-10, where they demonstrated the award-winning Ericom Shield solution at Stand SR-D1. Ericom Shield uses innovative RBI technology to provide Zero Trust protection for devices accessing the internet, securing them from today’s most prevalent threat vectors – web- borne malware and email-based attacks. Ericom Shield, whether deployed in the cloud or on-premises, prevents ransomware and advanced web threats from reaching user's endpoints by executing active web content in a remote, isolated container. An interactive media stream representing the website is sent to the endpoint’s browser, providing a safe, seamless user experience. Whether users browse to a malicious site on their own or reach one by clicking a URL embedded in a phishing email or a malicious PDF document, they are safe since no web content is ever executed directly on the device. Established in 2000, RAS Infotech provides comprehensive network security and management in the Middle East, India, and South West Asia. It offers solutions and consultancy services to companies large and small across a diverse set of vertical industries, partnering with leading technology providers to meet their IT and cybersecurity needs. “Our award winning Ericom Shield isolation solution has been growing rapidly in our existing markets,” said David Canellos, CEO and President of Ericom Software. “Partnering with an established company like RAS Infotech, which is a trusted solution and service provider to a large customer base in the Middle East, will open up new opportunities for Ericom and help us build on our momentum.” Ericom Software currently has customers worldwide, in various industries including financial services, construction, government, healthcare, manufacturing, telecommunications, and more. “Ericom’s technology is ahead of the curve, and we’re proud to become an official distributor of Ericom Shield,” said Mohamed Akram Khazi, RAS Infotech Limited, CEO-MENA. “We partner with leaders in cybersecurity to meet a diverse set of requirements for our customers, and now with Ericom Shield we will be able to bring them a powerful solution to secure their web browsing and protect them from phishing attacks.”

GITEX 2019

Poll Reveals Regional Enterprises Not Taking Action to Secure Privileged Access to Cloud Centrify, a leading provider of cloud-ready Zero Trust Privilege to secure modern enterprises, today announced results of an onsite poll conducted during GITEX 2019. Overall, a majority of respondents indicated that Privileged Access Management (PAM) was important for their organization, with more than 90% of respondents indicating that PAM is important in their overall cybersecurity strategy. However, while the importance of PAM was indicated by the respondents, their real-life adoption and usage of PAM was found to be much less. Only 35% of the respondents confirmed that Privileged Access Management is being used by their organization. The remaining 65% of respondents were either testing, researching or not considering Privileged Access Management at this time. "This onsite poll indicates that organizations in the Middle East are ignoring the risk of allowing administrative users to have privileged access without any controls. Globally, Centrify and others have found that upwards of 74% of data breaches involve privileged access abuse. What’s concerning is that we continue to find it’s not a lack of awareness, but rather a lack of action. Organizations need to prioritize Privileged Access Management as a top security project now, and do so with a modern approach founded in Zero Trust and least privilege," Kamel Heus, Regional Director, Northern, Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Centrify explains. The Centrify poll also found that while 42% of respondents are moving workloads to the cloud, only 8% understand that it is their responsibility for securing privileged access to cloud environments. The remaining respondents, either felt it was the cloud service provider's responsibility or a shared responsibility. "These onsite findings demonstrate a lack of understanding about the shared responsibility model when it comes to securing cloud environments. Without a correct understanding that it is their responsibility, it’s no wonder the vast majority are not using PAM solutions to secure cloud admin accounts and access to cloud workloads. Cloud is a new attack surface that must be secured. With the enhanced role of threat activity and involvement of state actors in the region, no organization can afford the costly impact of a data breach and the associated downtime of business," added Heus.

Onapsis and Spectrami Sign VAD Partnership What is that old familiar saying...“if you’ve never been served pancakes by a robot, you’ve never really lived”. That might not be the exact saying, but the sentiment holds true. If you are not familiar with GITEX, it might be time to expand your global security conference footprint. The annual conference held in Dubai is the biggest technology show in the Middle East, North Africa & South Asia attracting over 100,000 visitors worldwide. Attendees travel to hear the latest in technology breakthroughs, from smart vehicles to high-quality streaming, to interacting with shockingly human-like robots, the conference has it all. For Onapsis, the GITEX Conference was more than just the latest technology breakthroughs, it was a pivotal moment in the company's history as we announced a strategic partnership with regional value-added distributor leader Spectrum for the Middle East region. The partnership launches Onapsis into a new international market advancing our strategic ability to globally enable

clients to benefit from new levels of business intelligence, assurance and governance. “With Spectrami we will be able to provide clients unprecedented ERP application visibility, monitoring, assessment and compliance capabilities,” the company said in a statement. Over the years, Spectrum has built a strong portfolio of solutions in niche and specialized technologies in the Middle East. “Today along with cybersecurity, the distributor also offers big data and other applications and technologies. This is a strategic opportunity for Onapsis to grow our market share in countries in the Middle East where Spectrami has a robust presence and reach,” said the company. “As partners, we will provide customers the ability to gain expanded visibility and unique insights into previous blind spots within their enterprise application environments, including SAP and Oracle EBS. Together, we will be able to securely offer customers cybersecurity and compliance solutions that were previously lacking in the region.”

ZTE & du Demonstrate 5G Live Hologram for the First Time in the MENA Region ZTE partnered with du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), to demonstrate the Middle East & North Africa’s (MENA) first 5G live 3D hologram, which represents a futuristic communication application to entertain and inform audiences in an innovative way. Unlike the flat screen projection, ZTE and du demonstrated a 3D hologram that can be viewed from 360 degree. The 3D hologram demo requires

ultra-broad band and extremely low latency for signal transmission which can be offered by du’s state of the art 5G network. The Hologram is projected and streamed using du’s 5G service, which demonstrates du’s 5G network potential and capability. Such future-oriented applications can only be realized by 5G networks thanks to extreme broadband speed and ultra-low latency. "The revolutionary power of du’s 5G network is enabling a new era of

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

connectivity and an array of endless possibilities. du is committed to playing a pioneering role when it comes to making 5G available for the next generation of real world applications. We are moving to enable the full benefits of 5G with the standalone architecture, which is why this holographic application is a concrete demonstration of what 5G will bring to the UAE’s industry verticals, government entities, and to wider society,” Saleem Alblooshi, Chief Technology Officer of EITC said.

GITEX 2019

Huawei Middle East Innovation Day 2019 Takes Place on Sidelines of GITEX 2019 Government, Telecom and enterprise technology pioneers gathered together to discuss 5G expansion, AI innovation, and supporting local ICT developers. Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, announced that the fourth Huawei Middle East Innovation Day was successfully held during GITEX Technology Week 2019, on October 7.

Flashpoint Extends its Integration Ecosystem Flashpoint has announced the release of new integrations with Security Information and Event Monitoring (SIEM) solutions, as well as the inclusion of more datasets in its existing integrations with Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) and analysis solution partners. The Flashpoint App for IBM QRadar and the Flashpoint Add-On for Splunk facilitate the delivery of contextualized indicators of compromise (IOCs) from Flashpoint’s Technical Indicators dataset.

comprise the three TIP integrations that can rapidly benefit from access to Flashpoint’s Technical Indicators dataset, Risk Intelligence Observables (RIOs) dataset, and Finished Intelligence Reports. Flashpoint also integrates with TIP providers Analyst Platform and EclecticIQ. Flashpoint’s Chat Services dataset, built on scaled and automated collections across several chat platforms, is now available via the company’s integration with Silobreaker, a data-analysis platform.

These new integrations grant extensive visibility into illicit online communities from which Flashpoint collects high-fidelity IOCs, as well as the ability to combine such IOCs with a SIEM instance. The integrations empower users to correlate relevant information—which may include potential threats not yet detected by network or endpoint tools—better equipping users to uncover malicious activity within their environment, add context to investigations, and prioritize response efforts.

Given the increasing usage of chat services platforms among cybercriminals, fraudsters, hacktivists, extremists, and physical threat actors, this crucial dataset provides Silobreaker users with greater visibility into threats and adversaries across multiple types of illicit online communities. This integration also includes access to Flashpoint’s Finished Intelligence Reports and Forums dataset.

While both SIEM integrations include Flashpoint’s Technical Indicators dataset, the Flashpoint App for IBM QRadar also integrates with Flashpoint’s Finished Intelligence Reports. Existing integrations with longtime Flashpoint partners and TIP providers ThreatConnect and ThreatQuotient now include seamless access to Flashpoint’s highly differentiated Technical Indicators dataset, bringing users unique insight into threats and the context in which they originate and evolve. With this addition, ThreatConnect and ThreatQuotient join Anomali to

Flashpoint delivers converged intelligence and risk solutions to private and public sector organizations worldwide. As the global leader in Business Risk Intelligence (BRI), Flashpoint provides meaningful intelligence to assist organizations in combating threats and adversaries. Through sophisticated technology, advanced data collections, and human-powered analysis, Flashpoint is the only intelligence firm that can help multiple teams across an organization bolster cybersecurity, confront fraud, detect insider threats, enhance corporate and physical security, improve executive protection, address third-party risk, and support due diligence efforts.

The event saw ICT experts from government, telecom and enterprise sectors gather to discuss key industry topics – including Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, ecosystem development, and more. The event included three bespoke sessions: a 5G Ecosystem Conference under the title “5G, Gear Up”; an AI Conference under the theme “Advance Intelligence”, and a “Huawei Developer Day Dubai 2019” session, which is focused on building a better ecosystem for Huawei’s local partners and developers. Innovation Day came at a time when both the public and private sectors are making critical investments in ICT infrastructure. Digital innovation is now at the forefront of many national development plans in the Middle East, and is seen as a crucial ingredient to diversifying local economies, creating future jobs, while accelerating sustainable development. Globally, 5G is gaining strong momentum in its commercial adoption. 5G networks are bringing virtual reality, augmented realty, and other ultra-HD video services to Mobile Video 3.0, and this premium experience is compelling users to change their behavior patterns. Meanwhile, industries are starting to embrace 5G and 5G is starting to explode into prominence by promoting a comprehensive digital transformation and improving efficiency in many industries. AI in particular has the potential to make a significant impact globally, with independent studies estimating that, by 2030, it could contribute nearly $16 trillion to the global economy – by which time it is predicted that a significant majority of companies will have adopted AI technology. It is estimated that the UAE’s economy will comprise 14% contribution from AI by 2030, which will be the largest GDP share in the Middle East. As for building a better ecosystem around smart phones together with partners and developers, Huawei Mobile Services will share the newest ecological construction strategy and will showcase common vision of the future, including optimized app/gaming experience, top quality content discovery, AI-powered tools, and much more. Huawei Developer Day Dubai 2019 ultimately aims to help build the bridge between the best content and global users. Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East, said: “Huawei Innovation Day is an opportunity for representatives from across the ICT sector to come together and discuss the future of the industry. High-level discussion is essential in the development of solutions and ecosystems that support the continued progression of our societies as we build a fully connected, intelligent world. AI will have a pivotal role to play in the years to come. Huawei will continue to sharpen the competitive edge of its products and solutions by leveraging the power of AI to deliver tangible impacts for clients.”

NEWS

Blackboard’s Clients Continue Their Move to Learn SaaS Blackboard, a leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, announced today that many of its clients across the Middle East continue to transition to the Software as a Service (SaaS) deployment of Blackboard Learn, the company’s flagship learning management system (LMS). The transitions come as Blackboard continues to increase investment and strengthen its commitment in the Middle East region, delivering a superior teaching and learning experience. The benefits of moving to a cloud-based delivery model include continuous delivery of new features, zero-downtime updates and quicker delivery of fixes. Once institutions are on SaaS, they can enable Learn Ultra, Blackboard’s next-generation LMS, which offers educators and students a clean, modern interface and intuitive workflows. Learn Ultra also provides immediate access to critical information and personalized insights directly within everyday workflows. This flexibility allows institutions to further adapt the LMS to their specific needs. “We are thrilled that even more of our clients in the Middle East will now be able to reap the benefits of our innovation and investments in our cloudbased LMS,” said Robert Speed, Vice President for the Middle East and Africa at Blackboard. “We look forward to continuing to support our clients as they unlock the many possibilities of Blackboard’s enhanced approach to teaching and learning.” Some of the institutions that have completed their transition to Learn SaaS this year include Batterjee Medical College, Effat University, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology from KSA; United Arab Emirates University, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi SUAD, and University of Sharjah from UAE; Maltepe University and Izmir Ekonomi University from Turkey.

NetApp Reinvents the Customer Experience for the Hybrid Multicloud NetApp has announced its reinvention of the customer experience with NetApp Keystone, a program that offers a range of flexible solutions for customers whether they choose to build or buy their cloud infrastructure. Organizations are digitally transforming to drive competitive advantage. They need to accelerate innovation in today’s real-time world while dealing with the complex reality that data and resources live anywhere and everywhere. In order to address this complexity, today’s IT environments must transform. While the industry has been focused on addressing these needs from a technology standpoint, the incremental improvements to financial options and to the upgrade process haven’t kept pace, until now. “While the advent of hybrid multi-cloud “In today’s environment, cloud sets the benchmark for customer experience,” said NetApp CEO George Kurian. “We’ve built and delivered the data fabric strategy to simplify and modernize our customer’s data centers and enable success in the hybrid cloud era. The solutions we are introducing today are an extension of that philosophy – what

data fabric has done to simplify and integrate data infrastructure; our new flexible consumption models do at the business level.”

NetApp’s vision is to simplify the business of data services for customers from every perspective: from how they buy and consume products and services to how they run them in their environments and who services them. As a leader in storage systems and software1 and an innovator in cloud services, with a business that is growing by almost 200% year over year, only NetApp offers the full range of capabilities that customers need to build and manage their unique data fabric to solve the financial, operational, and technical barriers to adopting hybrid multi-cloud environments. NetApp Keystone is a program that offers a range of flexible solutions for customers, whether they choose to build or buy their cloud infrastructure, on their premises or off. Keystone offers the agility, pay-per-use economics, dynamic scaling, and operational simplicity that customers need to be able to consume cloud on their own terms.

Nokia Prepares Ooredoo Tunisia for 5G Nokia has announced that Ooredoo Tunisia will deploy the Nokia AirGile cloud-native core and services to power its current 2G/3G/4G network in order to prepare for the transition to 5G. Ooredoo Tunisia is the country’s biggest mobile operator with 8.8 million subscribers and 40% market share. Data use, excluding voice-only subscribers, has more than doubled over the last four years and is expected to triple by 2025 — driven largely by smartphone adoption and video usage, with a fivefold increase since 2015. The new virtualized core infrastructure will harness the scalability, automation and agility afforded with cloud-native network solutions to reduce operational costs; boost the responsiveness of the network to escalating data and video demand, and speed the development of new services for the Tunisian consumer and enterprise markets. ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

The cloud-native mobile core will make services more affordable and responsive to demand, in terms of both capacity and bringing innovative services to subscribers faster. As a part of Nokia’s end-to-end 5G offering, Nokia’s cloud-native core solution is essential to running a 5G network and can be deployed in 4G networks today. The cloudification network elements allow rapid scaling in real-time to meet immediate capacity demands for consumers and enterprises, including time-sensitive services for enterprise automation or support for industrial internet of things (IIoT) sensors and devices; as well as innovative voice services, such as voice over LTE (VoLTE) and voice over broadband (VoBB). This will lead to the significant improvement of phone calls, as they move from 2G/3G networks to 4G, and eventually 5G.

NEWS

Esharah Signs MoU with Techwan Esharah Etisalat Security Solutions, experts in the field of wired and wireless Telecom Networks (TETRA & Public Safety LTE), Information Technology and Security Solutions, signed an MoU with Techwan, a Swiss software editor in CAD (SAGA COMMAND & CONTROL) and Crisis Management (SAGA CRISIS) offering solutions designed for Public Safety; for promoting competitiveness of Techwan to develop business in command and control solutions and deploy SAGA over Nedaa’s LTE cloud.

HPE Announces New Emiratization Program in the UAE Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today announced a new internship program that will enable Emiratis to gain experience working in the private sector at a disruptive global company. The internship program, which will admit its first cohort in the next few months in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, is specially designed to give participants valuable experience for their future careers, including exposure to a fast-paced, professional and forward-thinking multinational business environment. The program will be led by a newly appointed HPE Emiratization Development Ambassador.

HPE will employ the interns on a parttime basis as they divide their time between work and study. After graduation, students who demonstrate high performance and motivation may apply for a full-time role with HPE. The program will be supported by a series of lectures offered by HPE executives on topics including AI, high performance computing and hybrid cloud. “We are proud to support students

in their goal to advance their careers and contribute to the UAE business arena through our Emiratization program,” said Wolfgang Egger, Managing Director, Middle East and South Africa at HPE. “By creating diverse internship opportunities at a dynamic multinational business like HPE, we can support the UAE’s efforts encouraging young people into the private sector.”

“HPE is committed to creating a great working environment for its people and aims to be the best private sector employer in the UAE. The company demonstrated this commitment in summer 2019 when it completed the rollout of a number of new employee initiatives to enrich personal wellbeing and work/life balance as part of the Work That Fits Your Life program. Employees can now benefit from enhanced paid parental leave of 26 weeks for new parents, pathways to part-time working when they become new parents or are considering retirement and official half-days once a month to focus on personal wellbeing,” the company said in a statement.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Mr. Ali Bahlooq, General Manager of Esharah and M. Jean Paul Mauron, CEO at Techwan, in the presence of H.E. Mansoor Bu Osaiba, Chief Executive Officer at Nedaa and Frank Eggmann, Consul general of Switzerland in Dubai; to formalize the agreement. Their cooperation seeks to push forward the goals of both entities, focusing on increased collaboration and sharing of resources in the field of security. Under the terms of the MoU, Esharah will coordinate with Techwan for the development of their initiatives in order to improve and expand command and control solutions. Over a period agreed upon in the MoU, the companies will regularly meet to review activities and discuss new pathways for progression. Both parties have agreed to utilize their shared and available resources by developing and deploying secure solutions over Nedaa’s 4G LTE network to achieve their commitment within the bounds of the agreement. Techwan’s SAGA product line is an application suite for Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulances, Airports and Private Companies, essentially an advanced solution for operational management and crisis management. Each module is developed in collaboration with customers, designed to be modular, scalable extremely adaptable to meet specific needs. Chosen by several prestigious customers, SAGA key features include user and role based access control; multiplatform interface; founded on latest .NETCore, Angular, Javascript technologies; and supporting Web, Windows, Android and iOS applications. SAGA also reduces response time, optimizes assistance, reduces costs, increases situational awareness and interfaces with existing systems.

IaaS Provider Heficed Expands to Nigeria For the IaaS industry, a market that is set to grow by $101.56 billion in the next five years, the African continent holds a special potential for growth. Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, is already attracting droves of international companies. Heficed, a provider of network infrastructure solutions, is among those who see a profitable future in the country, having recently launched a new server location in Nigeria’s capital Lagos. “Nigeria is at the center of the African continent,” says Vincentas Grinius, Heficed’s CEO, who has already overseen the company’s expansion into South Africa in 2013. “It offers a great base for access to East

Africa.” Heficed is at the forefront of the IaaS industry’s development in the region, setting up shop at Nigeria’s only Tier 1 data center. Infrastructure is still brand new, and it shows: all of the company’s servers are wired using superior 10G technology. Heficed can thus immediately offer its services to its global customers. These services include IP address solutions, dedicated servers, and IP transit. “We are partnering up with some of East Africa’s largest ISPs to make our products available as widely as possible,” explains Grinius. Demand for Heficed’s services in the region has been high, so providing their acces-

sibility at the earliest opportunity was a priority, Grinius says: “Our customers have been pressing us about Nigeria for a while now. The industry is always developing and customer satisfaction is our chief priority.” Even though companies offering IaaS solutions compete with each other on a single, worldwide market, the quality of its services is closely tied to a company’s local presence. “Even though West Africa is a highly requested region, very few IaaS-providers actually have a presence there. This gives us a competitive advantage that we are intent on expanding – eventually, we plan on covering East Africa, too,” Grinius comments.

NEWS

Women are Underrepresented in Cybersecurity in Half of the Enterprises In 45% of enterprises, the proportion of women working in IT security departments is less than that in the rest of the company’s workforce. However, of these organisations only 37% of them have in place or considered applying, formal programs that will bring more women into cybersecurity security – a survey of security leaders conducted by 451 Research has revealed. A diverse workforce brings new talents to an organisation as well as improved business performance. For example, the most diverse enterprises globally achieve 19 percentage points higher revenue from innovation. It makes the idea of gender parity not only an ethical issue but an important factor for business efficiency. To help women succeed in business and progress their careers, there are initiatives in different fields, such as technologies or entrepreneurship. Despite some diversity initiatives, women constitute 39% of the labor force and only 25% of management positions worldwide in general. Cybersecurity, as well as IT in general, may be considered a male-dominated field. This perception could be a barrier for women to enter the industry. According to the 451 Research “Cybersecurity through the CISO’s eyes. Perspectives on a role” report, commissioned by Kaspersky, 45% of CISOs confirmed that women are under-represented in their department. Nonetheless, only 37% of such organizations have, or are going to implement, any formal procedure aimed at attracting more women in their IT security department. The most popular approach to attract women is to train those who have an IT background (80%). Almost half of these respondents say that they now provide, or are going to provide, internship programs aimed at female students (42%) or are ready to train candidates with little or no qualifications (40%). Only 22% hire female candidates from other departments within their organizations.

Epicor Launches ERP to Support Talent Retention and Automation Epicor Software Corporation has today announced the 10.2.500 release of its enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. The new Epicor ERP release delivers on customer growth objectives with new capabilities to support cloud adoption, improve the user experience and ensure global readiness by helping companies address pressing market challenges such as the changing workforce.

The new release advancements help companies grow their business with technology solutions that are purpose-built and leverage cloud capabilities, IoT, AI, and big data. With greater access to ERP data and the automation of redundant tasks, organizations gain greater visibility into their processes that translate to new levels of business efficiency and responsiveness.

“The need to attract and retain talent is more important than ever – with more people currently leaving the manufacturing industry than joining,” said Terri Hiskey, vice president, product marketing, manufacturing, Epicor. “Offering a modern toolset for next-generation workers which is more familiar and reminiscent of how they already interact with mobile applications, will help give them the experience they anticipate. We’re offering our customers the ability to choose their update path with tools and solutions that allow them to get where they want, however they want – via cloud environments or on-premise.”

“Small to mid-sized companies are looking to ERP vendors to democratize the advancements that big companies are making and keep pace with innovation – helping them understand how cloud environments, as well as tech advancements like AI and IoT, can be integrated within their business portfolios and drive bottom-line profitability,” said Ray Wang, Principal Analyst and Founder, Constellation Research. “Epicor is addressing this by offering ways for companies to start to leverage the power of Industry 4.0 technologies at an affordable price and with a clear path for growth.”

TP-Link and Shiva Computers Organise T10 Cricket League TP-Link has organised a Networking T10 Cricket league for their partners in association with their channel partner, Shiva Computers. Lucas Jiang, General Manager, TP-Link Middle East and Africa (MEA) Said, “Being active directly contributes towards being happier and more productive. Fitness activities also help in building a good relationship between people, which helps to create a better workplace culture. In this fast-paced world that keeps our mental activity at a maximum more often than not, it is essential to give our minds some fuel by challenging our bodies.” Keeping this in mind, TP-Link and Shiva Computers have launched the first season of their Networking T10 Cricket League which will have 6 participating teams. The league matches will be played on 1st and 2nd November at Zabeel Cricket Ground Gate No. 7 where each team will play two games to prove ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

their mettle. The contenders for the semi-finals would be decided after this, and the final match will be held on 8th November. Lucas Jiang added, “We always need some spark of energy to stay and get things done, its every companies responsibility to set a positive workplace culture that promotes the overall environment of their workplace, which actually encourages everyone in the business environment to take care of themselves and achieve better productivity.” Through this event, TP-Link said that it aims to encourage networking and communications amongst their partners while nurturing a spirit of healthy competition. By organizing this league, TP-link and Shiva Computers are taking Dubai Fitness Challenge to a corporate level and encouraging other organizations around them to follow cue as well.

NEWS

MIS Partners with LinkShadow Al Moammar Information Systems has signed a partnership agreement with LinkShadow. The agreement will enable MIS to provide the advanced technologies of Threat Hunting powered by Machine Learning to the Saudi market, which is considered one of the largest economies in the region.

Acer Shows Off its ConceptD Range At the 11th edition of Acer Middle East’s ‘Partner Week’, regional partners were invited to experience the latest suite of products from its ConceptD range including ConceptD 9 and ConceptD 3 which were presented in the Middle East for the first time. Acer’s EMEA President, Emmanuel Fromont, EMEA Education lead, Cristina Pez, and Acer Middle East Management team welcomed regional partners from around the region including distributors, retailers, commercial partners, education partners, IT industry partners and many more. The four-day event saw over 50 meetings held with partners to share business updates, discuss market trends, exchange ideas and discuss the outlooks for a successful 2020. Paul Collins, MEA General Manager at Acer said, “I couldn’t be happier with the successful 11th Acer Partner Week at Emirates Towers during GITEX 2019. The fruitful meetings with

over 50 partners from more than 10 territories shows the mutual commitment between Acer, our major retailers, distributors, service providers and international partners, and indicates that Acer is strongly positioned for an even better year in 2020. The overall consensus is that our product range, including Predator, ConceptD, Monitors and our Industry leading “thin and light” collection will provide many opportunities for growth next year.” Joumana Karam, Product & Marketing Head for Acer Middle East said, “Our goal is to provide outstanding products to different users that meet their needs by combining the latest technologies available and our own R&D strengths in innovation & Thermal-cooling technology. I was excited to see the reactions of the partners when trying our new ultra-thin products swift 5 & swift 7 as well as experiencing the amazing color accuracy in our ConceptD range.”

“The Saudi economy is witnessing a major transformation in governmental, economic and social sectors, led by the objectives of the Kingdom 2030 Vision. This requires a robust ICT infrastructure to form the foundation where the futuristic Saudi projects will be relying on”, commented Ibrahim Al Moammar, the Vice Chairman of MIS. He added: “Cybersecurity is a cornerstone in building reliable ICT capabilities, and this is exactly what LinkShadow solutions are all about. They fortify the Cybersecurity seamlessly with minimum requirements and zero administration. LinkShadow empowered by the Machine Learning will Detect the most sophisticated attacks automatically, Hunt the attackers by detecting their behaviours and techniques, and deliver ultimate visibility and reporting for Security teams, and Managers alike.” With LinkShadow CXO Visibility, IT administrators can take a glance on real-time compilation of the overall security status of the entire network. They can get a performance-based quantitative analysis of your security investments, identify & monitor key security metrics that matter, and enhance CISO decision making capabilities with a Single-Pane-of-glass view and cybersecurity teams can track key security metrics, in the blink of an eye. Worth mentioning that MIS was ranked as the 4th System Integrator company in the Saudi market according to the latest report released by IDC Report 2019. It is also representing more than 50 leading technology vendors and managed to deliver successfully many of the critical ICT projects in the kingdom.

Alaris Hosts Partner Conference in Dubai Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business, successfully hosted its Middle East Partner Conference on October 2nd– 3rd, 2019 in Dubai. 70 partners from 20 countries across the region attended the event, which was held aboard the historic Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) floating hotel and retired ocean liner. Executives from Alaris delivered a number of informative sessions including an overview of the company, latest insights into the future of information capture and management, the latest hardware, software and service solutions and how these could help grow revenues and profitability for partners’ businesses. One of the highlights of the event was an interactive session focusing on the value of the Alaris partner program and latest updates including the launch of a

new partner portal – a one stop location for sales, marketing, competitive and training materials and other valuable resources that will help partners grow their businesses. A sales master class on generating more demand and new customers leveraging the power of social media saw strong interest from partners. There was a dedicated session on the Alaris network scanning portfolio with a focus on the recently launched Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution and the Kodak Scan Station 730EX Plus Scanner that automate business processes by seamlessly connecting document capture to existing business systems and the cloud. The conference also included a ‘Solutions Expo’ where partners were given a demo of the unique

capabilities and features of the company’s software portfolio including Alaris Info Input Solution. Naji Kazak, General Manager – Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Russia at Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business said, “The Alaris Middle East Partner Conference is our flagship partner event in the region and presents our company with an opportunity to connect with our key partners to share the latest product updates and insights into our future strategy. It also gives us a chance to understand our partner’s pain points and address them. The event agenda and networking opportunities provide the insight and content our partners need to build a comprehensive plan to successfully grow their business with Alaris products.”

MOVE RS AND SHAKE RS

StarLink Gets a New CEO StarLink has announced the appointment of Bashar Bashaireh as the Chief Executive Officer, who would be based at StarLink’s headquarters in Dubai. With over 25 years of leadership experience and vast business network, Bashar is a highly recognized executive in the Technology, Security and Telecom industries with an in-depth understanding of related business dynamics. His experience spans successfully building, growing and leading organizations across multiple geographies and cultures making him the right choice for this position to lead StarLink into the next phase of growth. As the CEO, Bashar’s main role would be to capitalize and build on these strengths and solid corporate foundation to pursue a clear vision for change and value creation; harness his commercial experience to build stronger business partnerships, develop strategic alliances and expand the international sales presence for StarLink. “I am extremely excited and privileged to be part of the StarLink legacy and look forward to leading an incredibly talented team of people where together we will be focusing on new business opportunities to accelerate expansion and revenue growth over the coming years. With its value proposition and unique business model, StarLink is well-positioned to gain the required momentum and we will drive on this credibility and transition into the next wave of success.” commented Bashar Bashaireh. Prior to joining StarLink, Bashar held several management roles at leading technology vendors. Most recently he was General Manager at Symantec, managing Middle East and Pakistan region. Before that he was Vice President, Middle East and Africa at Unify and he also served as Regional Director at Aruba Networks and Fortinet. Nidal Othman, Co-Founder and Managing Director, StarLink commented that “Bashar has a remarkable track record of strong leadership and vast industry experience with vendors, partners and customers. In this role, Bashar will direct the country teams and business units to pursue StarLink’s business objectives and under his eminent leadership, we aim to drive strategic relationships with our well-integrated solutions approach. We are delighted to have him onboard.”

Huawei Appoints new VP for Enterprise Networking Huawei has announced the appointment of Ala’a as Vice President for Enterprise Networking Business for Huawei Middle East. Based in Dubai, Bawab will be responsible for driving business growth for Huawei’s enterprise networking business division. As a seasoned business leader, Bawab brings a wealth of ICT expertise to Huawei. He has more than 24 years of experience covering customers across various industries like Government, oil & gas, banking and telecom. Prior to joining Huawei, Bawab has worked with technology firms such as HP, EMC2, Cisco and DarkMatter, with specialization in sales, business development and management.

“We are pleased to welcome Ala’a Bawab to the Huawei leadership team,” said Terry He, President of Huawei Enterprise Middle East. “Huawei’s rapid growth in the Middle East region fueled by the demand for intelligent ICT solutions in the enterprise networking domain, especially those powered by AI, calls for strong local talent & expertise, which Ala’a will bring with his industry background.”

“Huawei is experiencing tremendous growth thanks to its customer-centricity and commitment to developing AI-enabled ICT solutions,” said Bawab. “I am excited to be part of this phenomenal organization that has established itself as a global ICT leader.” Huawei’s Enterprise Networking division provides organizations with solutions tailored specifically to scenarios such as campus, data center, WAN, branch interconnection, and network security, helping them stride towards a fully connected, intelligent world. More broadly, Huawei’s enterprise business division continues to grow rapidly in the Middle East, a strategic market for Huawei worldwide. During the first three quarters of this year, Huawei’s global revenues increasing by 24.4% yearon-year. By the end of Q3 2019, more than 700 cities, 228 Fortune Global 500 companies, and 58 Fortune Global 100 companies had selected Huawei as their partner for digital transformation.

Commvault Appoints new Global Head of Channels and Alliances Commvault has announced the appointments of two industry veterans to new strategic and operational leadership roles. Announced at Commvault GO 2019, Mercer Rowe’s appointment, as vice president, global channels and alliances, and Edison Peres’s appointment as a strategic go-to-market advisor come as the company embraces change and builds an even stronger, worldclass sales and go-to-market team.

start-ups in the enterprise software and service provider markets, building sales, channel and services organizations. “Commvault has a world class partner organization and it’s my job to take that strong foundation and shape it into an industry leader that helps partners transform their businesses and have the right conversations with customers,” said Rowe. “Commvault is a unique arbiter of data, not just a protector of it, and with our partners we can help customers through the next stage of their transition to a multi-cloud future.”

Rowe has spent most of the last decade leading channel and alliance organizations for companies like VMware and IBM, where he transformed these vendors and their partners into cloud-first businesses. He served as CEO of VMware and SoftBank’s joint venture in Japan, where he accelerated adoption of cloud environments in the Asia Pacific region.

Edison Peres, who pioneered and led Cisco’s channel organization for 14 years, has joined Commvault as a strategic go-to-market advisor to assist Commvault in evolving and growing its goto-market success. A former senior vice president of worldwide channels at Cisco, Peres led the multi-billion dollar global partner organization that was instrumental in the formation of Cisco’s managed services and cloud strategy.

He also led business development and alliances for IBM Watson, expanding the service into China, the Middle East, and many other markets. He spent his early career working with cloud-powered ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

Marcura Expands its Compliance Team The Marcura Group, a Dubai-based group of companies focused on providing innovative business solutions to the global maritime industry, announced today the appointment of Andrei Grigoras as its Data Governance Officer (DGO). Andrei joins Marcura after an impressive tenure at Elsevier, a leading global information analytics company based in The Netherlands which owns over 2,500 scientific, technical and medical journals.

F5 Networks Appoints Regional VP of Sales for Middle East and Africa F5 Networks has announced the appointment of Mohammed Abukhater as its new Regional Vice President of Sales for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. An experienced leader working with high-performing sales and channel teams across the GCC and Africa, Abukhater has over 16 years’ industry knowledge in the technology sector. Based in Dubai, he will report directly to David Helfer, Senior Vice President for EMEA Sales. Abukhater joins F5 from FireEye, where he stood out for driving impressive results as their VP for MEA. Over the course of his six plus years at the company, he also held several regional and vertical-specific sales director roles. Prior to that, he was making his mark as a territory sales leader and SE manager at Bluecoat Systems. “This is a significant time for Mohammed to join F5, and I am confident he will have an immediate impact,” said David Helfer. “F5 is stronger than ever in the MEA region. Not only have we reinforced our strength in core Middle Eastern markets over the past few quarters, but we’ve also seen our profile markedly grow in countries like Turkey and North

Africa. We are in a strong position to offer a unified customer experience for management across the entire app s pectrum – from code to customer.”

Abukhater’s first public appearance in his new role will be at GITEX Technology Week, where F5 is championing multi-cloud application services and DevOps methodologies as major catalysts for digital transformation and growth across the Middle East. F5 is also sharing insight on its latest solution offerings and its recent NGINX acquisition. Mohammed Abukhater said: “I am delighted to join F5 Networks at such a pivotal moment in the company’s history. All the elements are in place to take the business to the next level in the Middle East and Africa, including expanding and accelerating our multi-cloud application services, security capabilities and DevOps-related offerings. We already have an exceptional team in place, and the potential of cloud-driven, application-centric innovation is creating huge opportunities for both F5 and our customers.”

Given his extensive experience covering different aspects of data management and data stewardship, Andrei's hiring marks the Group's latest strategic appointment to further strengthen its team of professionals focused full-time on compliance and corporate governance. Felix J. Antero, Group General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer said, "With concerns about GDPR compliance, data privacy and confidentiality running high across many industries, our customers and partners are understandably looking for additional assurances that their counterparties are serious when it comes to protecting and governing their data to the highest possible standards. Having Andrei on board as our DGO, working closely with our Senior Information Security Officer (SISO) and Data Protection Officer (DPO) under the guidance of the Legal & Compliance Department, the Group continues to strengthen its data management and data stewardship competencies as an organization." Andrei will assume the DGO role at Marcura after over five years of experience supporting organizations in their data modernization efforts and governing their data assets. Most recently, he was involved in two enterprise digital transformation programs at Elsevier, supporting the vision and execution of the organization's data governance and master data management strategies. In addition, he led innovative efforts to improve the quality of Elsevier's customer and product data by advocating for and implementing data standards, policies and guidelines.

Automation Anywhere Appoints Two Industry Veterans Automation Anywhere, a global leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), today announced the appointment of industry veterans Stephen DeWitt as its first Chief Strategy Officer and Riadh Dridi as Chief Marketing Officer. The C-suite expansion will play a critical role in building the company’s global brand and supporting its next wave of global expansion.

– adding new employees, customers and countries at supersonic speed as organizations realize the tremendous value of our industry-leading RPA platform,” said Mihir Shukla, CEO and co-founder at Automation Anywhere. “I am thrilled to add such incredible expertise to our executive bench to build upon this momentum and usher in a new chapter for intelligent automation.”

In the last year, Automation Anywhere has increased its customer entities to more than 3,000, doubled its workforce to more than 2,300 and expanded its global footprint to more than 40 offices. “This year, we have achieved the most significant growth in Automation Anywhere history

DeWitt brings extensive experience building startups from inception to scale in this newly created role. He has served as a senior executive for market leaders HP, Cisco, Symantec, and Sun. Previously, he was CEO of New York-based WorkMarket, acquired by ADP in 2018. As Automation

Anywhere’s Chief Strategy Officer, Mr. DeWitt will oversee internal corporate strategy, operational excellence and help expand external relationships with investors, strategic partners and customers. Dridi brings more 20 years of marketing, product management, category creation and sales experience with industry-leading enterprise technology providers, VMware and HP. He joins Automation Anywhere from RingCentral, where he served as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). In his role as Automation Anywhere’s CMO, Mr. Dridi will lead the company’s strategy and execution of marketing efforts to expand Automation Anywhere’s global reach.

COVE R STORY

Riding High On 5G

The next generation of mobile technology, 5G, has been on the horizon for a number of years. It is only now that momentum is building in the development of 5G that public excitement is growing around the possible services and applications that 5G technologies will support. We speak to industry experts who weigh in their views about the opportunities and challenges involved A lot of expectations are riding on 5G, and for good reason. The technology offers potentially gigabyte speeds over wireless. The speeds will be fast enough that for the first time, wireless could be a competitive alternative for wired systems such as cable, phone, and fiber-based systems, for basic broadband access. 5G is designed to provide greater capacity for wireless networks, more reliability and faster speeds, and will enable new services, such as massive internet of things. Some of the features that users can look forward to include 360-degree panoramic virtual reality video, unlimited cloud storage and instant access to applications without having to download or install them. 5G IN THE REGION The Middle East and Africa (MEA) region is usually a follower rather than a leader in the launch of new technologies. But with 5G, things will be different, say industry experts. Operators in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, will be among the first in the world to launch 5G commercially, starting with 5G fixed-wireless broadband (FWB) services and adding 5G mobile services as 5G

smartphones become more commercially available. These early launches of 5G will put Gulf operators and markets on a par with some of the most advanced operators worldwide. South Africa is also preparing for 5G, though launches there are expected to come later than in the advanced Gulf markets, and progress with 5G in South Africa will depend on factors such as the allocation of spectrum. South Africa’s two biggest mobile operators, Vodacom and MTN, both have had 5G trials underway for months now, and Vodacom says it will be ready to launch 5G in South Africa as soon as it has the necessary spectrum. Vendors and key stakeholders, who support and provide for the development of 5G, agree that the opportunity is huge. “The industry is already prepared with 5G mature technology, terminals and commercial uses cases. As of September 2019, Huawei has signed over 60 5G commercial contracts and shipped more than 400,000 Active Antenna Units (AAUs),” explains An Jian, the President of Carrier

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

Networks Business Group at Huawei Middle East. “27 of the 40+ commercialised 5G networks are built by Huawei. In terms of 5G ecosystem, Huawei Middle East is currently cooperating with over 70 local partners to explore and enrich the various 5G practice.” Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, the General Manager for Middle East at HMD Global is of the opinion that everyone stands to reap tremendous benefits of 5G. “It will revolutionise the telecom industry in the region with greater speed, lower latency and the ability to connect several devices at once,” adds Kocchar. “Etisalat has already announced the availability of 5G network, supporting smartphones for commercial use, and reports indicate that major GCC operators are already accelerating the deployment of 5G networks. Once adoption rates increase, operators will be able to leverage the full potential of 5G to meet the demands of an increasingly connected society.” Nokia meanwhile adds that it has seen strong initial appetite for 5G in the US, Chi-

na and South Korea. “But, we also see a strong acceleration of 5G launches in the Middle East region this year. Globally, as of August, Nokia signed 45 5G commercial agreements and 11 networks are now live with 5G services. In the Middle East region, as of August, Nokia’s public commercial references include Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Zain KSA (Saudi), du (UAE) and Ooredoo Qatar,” adds Aji Ed, the Chief Technology Officer at Nokia Middle East and Africa.

enhance operational efficiencies and user experiences. Nokia has been conducting successful 5G use case trials with leading operators in the Middle East. Recently, Zain Saudi Arabia and Nokia successfully demonstrated a 5G-enabled VR (Virtual Reality) advanced use case in Mashaer area and the Holy Mosque area in Makkah. This technology allows visitors to experience Hajj remotely as if they are present on site,” adds Ed.

Lucas Jiang, the GM at TP-Link MEA FZE explains that with a data rate of up to 10 Gbps, 5G will bring more than ten times improvement over the existing 4G LTE technology. “5G will certainly revolutionise our world. The tech will also make online gaming and general 8K/4K video streaming possible at trailblazing speeds,” adds Jiang. “5G offers three major benefits such as faster data transfers, better coverage for IoT and stronger reliability which will support critical applications with a unified ultra-robust network.”

5G also has the capacity of supercharging AR and virtual reality by placing virtual items, virtual characters and augmented contextual information in TV shows and movies or even projecting 3D holographic displays. 5G will play a key role in supporting the massive rollout of intelligent internet of things nodes, and will drive the development of existing and new internet of things services and applications in vertical markets, including:

Quoting a market study done by Deloitte Global, Pierre Havenga, the Managing Director of Vertiv MEA, reiterates that by end of 2020, 5G handset sales (15–20 million units) are expected to represent approximately 1 percent of all smartphone sales, with sales taking off in 2021, the first year in which retailers will sell more than 100 million 5G handsets. “The most noticeable benefits of these first 5G networks for users will be faster speeds than today’s 4G technology: peak speeds of gigabits per second (Gbps), and sustainable speeds estimated to be in the hundreds of megabits per second (Mbps),” he says. According to Azz-Eddine Mansouri, the General Manager of Sales at Ciena Middle East, 5G will change how operators and customers see network performance and this will create a path for an incredible amount of new services and applications to be developed. “Smart cities are a great example, as hundreds of thousands of sensors are added to the network every minute, making cities "smart" by gathering, analyzing, and acting upon vital collected sensor data,” he explains. REVOLUTIONISING INDUSTRY 4.0 One of the biggest successes of 5G would be the fact that the underlying technologies will revolutionize Industry 4.0, smart cities and automation. 5G could also usher in new innovations to supercharge the internet of things and mobile broadband applications, among others. Hence, it is critical for many countries to adopt this technology early. And the reason is that it is going to form the basis for innovations in a variety of areas, such as smart grid and smart connected automobiles, and factories of the future. Energy, healthcare, education, transport and entertainment sectors will benefit from various IoT use cases enabled by 5G. “These use cases will

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Manufacturing, such as time-critical process control, non-time-critical factory automation and remote control E-health, such as robotics, remote monitoring and smarter medication Energy, such as advanced grid access, backhaul and backbone projects Automotive, such as connected and autonomous vehicles, sharing a vehicle’s point of view with remote devices, and the digitisation of transport and logistics Media and entertainment, such as ultra high fidelity media, on-site live event experience, immersive and integrated media, and collaborative gaming.

“5G is a catalyst for smart cities. Some of the most widely discussed use cases globally are around autonomous driving, manufacturing and immersive media. Thanks to 5G, we could be looking ahead to a future where autonomous vehicles become a reality or doctors perform surgical procedures remotely,” adds Kocchar.

An Jian, Huawei Middle East

Aji Ed, Nokia Middle East and Africa

Azz-Eddine Mansouri, Ciena Middle East

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have set up bodies to facilitate the progress of 5G. The UAE has established a National Committee for 5G, with three sub-committees focusing respectively on spectrum, network developments, and verticals. Saudi Arabia has formed a National 5G Task Force to bring together representatives from government, operators, equipment vendors, and potential user groups. Of course, the MEA region is highly diverse, and while some of its telecoms markets are very advanced, others are less so. Operators in Egypt, one of the most populous countries in the region, only launched LTE as recently as 2017. Iraq’s national operators have only progressed as far as 3G. In less advanced MEA markets, it might take some time to develop the business

Pierre Havenga, Vertiv MEA

COVE R STORY

case for 5G. The regulatory preparations – such as the allocation of spectrum – could take time, too. CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY According to 451 Research, 5G will be the most impactful and difficult network upgrade ever faced by the telecom industry. It is part of the complex ‘digital transformation’ movement encompassing IT/network convergence and radical changes in how software is created and deployed. Those that can thrive in this period of change will create a new class of telecom operator with value-creation capabilities that far exceed anything we’ve seen in the past couple of decades. Telecom companies and other providers will have to invest billions to make 5G a reality — not only to buy more spectrum, but also to build out the infrastructure. According to a report by McKinsey, since it’s uncertain how much revenue 5G will bring, for now the most prudent path for telecom firms is to upgrade the capacity of their 4G networks by reclaiming airwaves allocated for 2G and 3G, as well as buying more spectrum. “The fourth stage of the Industrial Revolution, also termed Industry 4.0, is the next era in industrial production, which will be largely dependent upon advanced mobile wireless communications machine to machine. 5G is an ecosystem for technology and business innovation with a massive portfolio of applications and their equally widespread requirements such as high reliability, ultra-low latency, high bandwidth and mobility. Some of the newer features that will boost the development of Industry 4.0 include cloud platforms, analytics, system automation and network slicing technologies, as well as new business models,” explains Havenga. Jiang says one of the basic and most obvious challenges faced by the companies to deploy the 5G service and network are the 5G enabled devices. This is because most manufacturers are yet to release 5G-compatible phones, tablets, and other devices. “Apart from this, it is an expensive affair considering the spectrum licensing, the installation of the necessary hardware and successful testing of the network for public use. There are also operational complexities associated with the deployment of 5G as not all the professionals are aware about the features, threats and concerns of the fifth-generation network. It will take some time to solve these challenges success-

fully,” he adds. According to Jian, the first challenge is talent and 5G partnerships. “To explore more 5G business, more collaborations from vertical industries is crucial. However, most entrepreneurs have limited knowledge and a good platform to join the 5G business. Hence, Huawei’s launch of the 5G OpenLab in the Middle East to focus on the B2B market, providing the local vertical industries with a real 5G network environment in which they can experience and innovate the latest 5G applications with operators and partners. By doing so, we hope more and more local vertical partners can join the 5G journey with us,” he adds. Jian further continues that the second challenge is the high cost of 5G spectrum. Currently, few countries are still offering expensive spectrum. This will cause financial stress especially in initial stage. “Aligned with GSMA’s opinion, we think that a reasonable price is essential to promote the 5G industries so that government will obtain greater benefit in the long run. Third is the challenges of difficulties in 5G site deployment, limited footprint or load, and high OPEX. In response to these issues, Huawei offers leading lean sites solution that enable rapid 5G deployment and protect customer investment,” Jian says. “With this in mind, we will keep enhancing our collaborative partnership in the Middle East to cultivate a strong and inclusive 5G ecosystem—in turn building a fully connected, intelligent Middle East.” SECURITY THREATS Upcoming technologies such as 5G offer phenomenal capabilities to industry and governments, taking developments beyond speed and bandwidth of networks to throughput, latency, and reliability, enabling technologies to succeed. For instance, IoT-enabled processes in chemical plants or manufacturing units can only have high-quality and first-right outcomes if latency levels are ultra-low, with always-on, seamless connectivity. However, as with any promising technology, there is always a threat when it comes to security. “The biggest threat surrounding 5G is in relation to cyber security. 5G enables IoT networks much larger than previous networks, so the risk of cyberattacks could be potentially damaging. Misuse of data, data privacy and related data breaches could prove to

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

be very disruptive for people and society,” says Kochhar. The challenging nature of 5G networks to support unique and diverse business requirements of various sectors have rendered current network security less than adequate. In 5G networks, reliability does not only refer to the network infrastructure but also to ensuring high connectivity, infinite capacity and coverage (and other promised 5G features) anytime and anywhere. This implies a security makeover of how confidentiality, integrity and availability will be maintained and managed in 5G networks. Furthermore, the complexity of securing a network has increased due to the introduction of SDN and NFV in 5G networks. “Our end-to-end security solutions help mitigate these security risks in a threestep process. We collaborate with 3GPP and other specification bodies to influence the security requirements, which are then implemented into all our products by our DFSEC (design for security process),” says Ed. “Lastly, we have a wide range of network security solutions and services that help operators to automate and orchestrate the security requirements by consolidating network security requirements into a single operations view via our SOAR (security, orchestration, analytics and response) approach. It leverages our best-in-class global threat intelligence repository and automated workflow management to help CISOs and CIOs develop an end-to-end visibility and control on their security operations which will become far more critical as the adoption of 5G accelerates.” 5G is a brand new technical upgrade all set to roll out in the market to revolutionise our experience of internet and communications. But it is obvious that this fifth generation network alike the other networks such as 2G, 3G and 4G is exposed to some key security concerns such as a heightened risk of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and proximity service (ProSe) intrusions. The wide distribution of decentralized, smallcell networks 5G IoT requires will make it a challenge to keep each system updated and capable of meeting rapidly evolving cyber-attacks also the higher bandwidth will create more potential security risks. “Another threat to 5G networks is the storage of large amount of data in the cloud rather than on secure local servers. The

data gathered by IoT devices contribute to a wide attack surface. Experts warn that the proliferation of data traffic and mobile IoT connectivity comes with a significant amount of risk that must be addressed by the telecom industry. The problem of authentication will be also an obvious threat to security and privacy concerns given the number of devices gathering data in massive IoT networks like connected city infrastructures, offices and homes. Addressing these concerns will require forward-thinking designs that anticipate and prepare for threats and build effective security features into the design of 5G networks,” says Jiang. With the current level of security technology, 5G data throughout would require massive server farms running intrusion scanners and packet inspectors just to keep up with the nominal state of a network. In addition, signalling for connection setup between heterogeneous connections and handover in distributed data networks will make session monitoring difficult. While it is clear that enhanced mobile broad-band (eMBB) is the simplest security case for 5G, even it will not be a simple undertaking—much work will be required to ensure that users and networks can be kept safe despite the huge amounts of data that need to be carried at breakneck speeds. “Ensuring a secure network will require not only new technology, as with eMBB, but entirely new paradigms for how security is considered within the network. IoT networks, for example, will require large numbers of devices to communicate with each other, likely without a central coordinator,” explains Havenga. Each new device doesn’t just drive traffic, it also dramatically expands the network attack surface through an increasing number of end points – fundamentally increasing the opportunity of cybercriminals to leverage sophisticated methods to exploit these opportunities. “However, to avoid security issues around 5G deployment, it is crucial that enterprises embrace a comprehensive, multi-layer security strategy to ensure an effective defense. Organisations that make a conscious effort towards implementing a multi-layer security approach have much to gain in the era of high-stake breaches and security risks,” adds Mansouri. “Additionally, the right network security partner is a crucial element which can ensure that people, processes and technologies which come into contact with an organisation’s network infrastructure are trustworthy and secure.” THE WAY FORWARD As mentioned earlier, advanced Gulf markets, notably the UAE and Saudi Arabia are expected to be the first in the MEA region to launch 5G, as well as among the first in the world. Major operators in South Africa are also preparing to launch the first 5G ser-

vices on the African continent. 5G services, including demonstrations and trials of new use cases, are expected to be an important element of the Expo 2020 event in the UAE, which will start in October 2020 and run for six months. From an operator perspective, there are many opportunities to monetise and profit from 5G. For consumers, the increased speeds offer an improved service than 4G and the reduced latency is perfect for gamers. For services such as these, a premium consumer offering can be developed to recoup the capital and operational expenditure to provide 5G services. However, this only scratches the surface. “5G is also set to create significant business opportunities for telecom companies, as it will support them in gaining revenue in the fixed broadband market and business-to-business (B2B) opportunities such as smart cities and Internet of Things (IoT). While the advancement of 5G is being contemplated around the world, operators will need to support a diversity of revenue streams. The key, therefore, is to develop a 5G platform with sufficient capacity and flexibility to enable any use case which makes commercial sense, now or in the future. Fiber throughout the network, and flexible resource management across fiber and radio, will be essential to this network versatility,” adds Mansouri. For 5G to be profitable and worthwhile, certain advancements and adjustments need to be made regarding how networks and datacenters are managed. 5G connectivity requires a significant amount of energy of run, especially after additional technologies are installed to manage and dictate the direction of energy. 5G is only a platform for services to be built upon as it is a tool to enable speed, increase the number of connections and expand the amount of data traffic flowing across it. The services which will run over that platform are largely in the incubation stage, and while we recognise they will come, we do not yet have clarity on their societal impact. “In 2020, worldwide 5G wireless network infrastructure revenue will reach $4.2 billion, an 89% increase from 2019 revenue of $2.2 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. Additionally, Gartner forecasts that investments in 5G network infrastructure will account for 6% of the total wireless infrastructure revenue of communications service providers (CSPs) in 2019, and that this figure will reach 12% in 2020,” says Havenga. “However, according to recent research conducted by Strategy Analytics, it entails that any growth in 5G will be slow for the next 18 months before the technology gains strong momentum in 2021 as network

Lucas Jiang, TP-Link MEA

Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, HMD MEA

coverage improves, phone prices fall, and use cases mature. This mirrors the growth we saw of 4G where between 2012 and 2018, 4G grew from 4% of all mobile subscriptions to 61% globally, but service revenue increased by less than 1%, according to firm’s research.” One of the distinctive aspects of 5G is that it is expected to enable many new applications and services, some of which could transform the role of the operator, as well as entire industry sectors. However, in the main, those new applications and services, as well as the business models to sustain them, have yet to take shape. Leading parties from across the industry, such as operators, technology companies, regulators, and customers, should work together to develop common frameworks that will allow the development of new applications and use cases. Each major use case or vertical, whether it is telemedicine or autonomous vehicles, is likely to require a specific group of partners. In some cases, national coordination might be sufficient, but in others, coordination might need to be regional or global.

WOME N IN TECH

NEVER STOP LEARNING Andrea Carter, Regional Director, Marketing NEMEA, Sophos, speaks to Arabian Reseller about what made her choose IT as a career choice Tell us about your philosophy, when it comes to your domain of expertise. As a marketing director there are a few key philosophies I believe in – keep it simple, don’t over complicate your message and present the right message to the right people at the right time. Additionally, I am passionate about alignment between sales and marketing. It’s important to have the same business goals and work as a team to ensure success.

winning endpoint protection at Sophos now includes AI and EDR, meaning that our customers have a greater defense against malware, exploits and ransomware. What is your advice to women looking to break into the field of technology? Never stop learning, be passionate about what you do and seek support and advice from female mentors who have done well in this sector. Most importantly, never feel that being a woman should affect your choices or roles in this industry. I may work in marketing where it is more common to see equal numbers of men and women, but I work with a whole range of successful females at Sophos who work in SophosLabs, product development or customer support.

Why did you choose IT to advance your career? That’s a great question. I practically fell into’ IT and realized very quickly that I had a passion for technology. Since taking my first job in the workforce at a sales automation software company, I have only worked in the IT sector. Fast forward to today and the world of cybersecurity: the pace and constant rate of innovation at Sophos keeps my role interesting and exciting.

Are you involved in any sort of charity work? I enjoy fitness and take part in several obstacle course races each year where I get very muddy. I also take part on races for charitable causes, including cancer research.

Have you witnessed any transformation in the technology industry? It’s exciting to work for Sophos as cyber security is a key area that is continually transforming – the attack landscape grows every day and we are seeing increasingly sophisticated threats. We are seeing a huge transformation in how organisations protect themselves due to the digital transformation we witness every day, for example storage of company information in the cloud requires new thinking on how that information is protected.

What is next for you in terms of your career in the tech industry? I have recently taken on responsibility for additional regions at Sophos and the Middle East and Africa region is one of them. I am excited to support the growth and development in the MEA region. Sophos is an exciting organisation which is continually innovating to provide leading solutions for cybersecurity, so I am confident that as Sophos continues to succeed my role will take on new elements as we continue to embrace the latest technology innovations not only in development of our products, but also in how we go to market.

Where, according to you, is the next technology transformation going to come from? I think there will be several areas, but AI is probably making one of the biggest differences right now, especially in security. Our award ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

How Concerned Are You About Your IoT Privacy Challenges?

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Written by Amer Owaida, Security Writer at ESET The alarm is ringing. Half asleep, you scramble for your smartphone on the nightstand, to snooze it for at least a few more minutes. Drowsily, you shuffle to the bathroom and ask your voice assistant to play your favorite shower song and turn on the coffee machine. Then you ask it about the weather and then to play your daily podcast while you get ready and have breakfast. Your GPS notifies you it’s time to leave and mirrors your smartphone’s screen onto the car’s multimedia system.

smart fridges, etc.). If we boil it down to individual countries, that’s about 35% of Americans and 37% of Canadians. One in four Americans watch streaming content using a device such as a Roku or Apple TV. Of those only, around 21% are concerned that cybercriminals could target their TV and remotely access it. On the other hand, one in four Canadians prefer to watch streaming content on their computers and only a fifth is concerned about their TVs being targeted.

That’s just your morning. How many interactions did you have with devices connected to the internet, just from the time you got up till you got out the door? You’re so connected that it has become a stereotypical part of your life – you don’t think about it and you don’t dwell on it. From checking your correspondence, through tracking your health to paying your bills, everything is literally at your fingertips. A large chunk of your life is recorded in ones and zeroes and shared across your devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). Fascinating and yet a bit unnerving, isn’t it?

Turning to the device that is the nerve center of a home network, most of the people asked have never changed the default password on their routers or have no idea if it was ever changed since the installation. That’s true for 61% of Canadian respondents and 57% of American respondents. Almost half of the respondents do not look for encryption features in the connected device they are purchasing. Yet one in two doesn’t know if the government should regulate privacy and security standards for IoT gadgets. What most respondents agree upon is that they worry about their children, specifically the security and privacy of the gizmos that they use. This does not come as a surprise, since children are vulnerable to threats, mainly through social media, especially with their tendency to overshare. As a parent, you can always take steps to keep your children safe online, but you are always walking a thin line between using preventive measures and encroaching on their privacy, so balance is key.

It doesn’t have to be. If you have a healthy level of cybersecurity hygiene and knowledge you can significantly reduce the risks of your data being hacked. Ahead of the 16th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), ESET and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) conducted a survey in September to find out how careful American and Canadian consumers are about their cybersecurity when it comes to IoT and their connected home devices.

Most respondents are wary of home devices that run one of the widely known smart assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri). Almost 60 % of them responded with ‘No’ when asked if they had a smart speaker, smart thermostat or other home assistant devices that ran one of the three.

In a nutshell, their approach to cybersecurity leaves a lot to be desired to say the least. About half of the 4,000 respondents own between one to five connected devices. Yet, barely a third of them are concerned about unauthorized access to their home networks through these devices (smart TVs, smart thermostats,

CHANNE L INFLUE NCE R

TRANSFORMING DISTRIBUTORS INTO VADS Ehab Halablab, the Regional Channel Manager for MENA at A10 Networks, speaks to Arabian Reseller, about the role a channel influencer has in bettering the overall channel community

ARABIAN RESELLER | October 2019

What is your career history to date and key career achievements? I have more than 12 years’ experience in the IT industry. Prior to A10 Networks I worked at security firm Symantec as territory manager for enterprise where I was instrumental in driving new business acquisition. I also held a regional channel leadership position at Blue Coat Systems (acquired by Symantec) and regional sales manager position at Sophos. The early part of my career was spent at Naizak Distribution Services as account manager for several key security vendors. I consider my current role working in A10 Networks with the A team in the region as one of my key achievements. The team is really dynamic and continuously growing. I am excited to be a part of this team and look forward to future successes we will continue to achieve together. What are your roles and responsibilities in the company as a channel influencer? I am responsible for developing & executing a regional channel strategy focused on partner certification, premier security partner recruitment, and direct & indirect channel enablement programmes. As part of the strategy to grow the business, I am looking to transform distributors into value added distributors (VADs). The company is actively onboarding new potential partners in the region that will be focused on A10’s business. The internal sales team will also be seeding new business opportunities that will be fulfilled through resellers in the region. In addition, I am focused on strengthening local ties with the company’s alliance partners like HP, Nokia Systems, Ericsson and NEC. What qualities should a channel influencer possess to lead the channel? A channel influencer should possess important qualities such as loyalty, good at building strong relationships and strong organisa-

tion skills. All of these combined lead to building trust among channel partners and having a good plan to implement and grow the business. What is your advice on finding success in the channel? Choose resellers to work with based on a few select criteria, such as, their trust in the technology, their drive to grow the business together and finally their reach into the correct customer vertical. Once the partners have been selected it is important to build a clear business plan and partner program. The investment into these partners through training and marketing is also key. How would you assess the current state of channel? A10 Networks has a good channel, however, as with anything there is room for more growth in order to fully cover the Gulf region. What is the biggest challenge facing the IT channel in the region? With the growing trend of cloudbased subscriptions the danger is that customers and vendors will deal directly more frequently. In order to maintain a strong position in the channel, resellers must add value to both the customer and the vendor. This can be achieved by providing the customer with an easy solution to their requirements. Maintaining the relation and loyalty and to keep consistent business. True collaboration at all levels can sometimes be difficult to achieve within a company let alone for an entire industry segment. However, the success of the channel can only go from strength to strength with a higher level of collaboration. This can be achieved through building strong relationships between vendors, partners and customers. We can then work together more effectively to develop a clear and detailed plan on how to drive business and technology while addressing key security concerns.

If you could improve one thing about the channel business what would it be? Frankly, there has been nothing new or exciting to say about the channel business strategy for many years. It is difficult to single out one improvement. I see it as a six-step process when focusing on head-to-head competition with other vendors: • Make it a priority. Devote resources to channel management –whose sole responsibility is to manage those relationships and build the marketing programs to drive revenue through the channel. • Develop measurements and track performance. Know who your best sales performers are • Communicate! Build relationships at every level of the channel. • Drive revenue through the channel. Take ownership of the marketing campaigns that will drive revenue at all levels through the channel. Partners have to focus on building their own customer base, not marketing just your product (remember that you’re not the only solution they offer). • Avoid pricing conflicts. Establish a pricing strategy and stick to it. If channel conflict arises because of price, attempt to resolve it ASAP • Address conflicts swiftly. Since distrust and channel conflict is common, it’s important to address problems quickly to find a solution. How can partners work effectively to generate growth? Partners should work together with the vendor to create a holistic approach to sales, pre-sales and marketing to generate leads. Any generated leads require a strong follow-up by the partner to identify opportunities and drive closure through the implementation of the jointly agreed business plan with the vendor.

EXPE RT SPEAK

Configuration Mistakes That Provide Field Days for Hackers ARABIAN RESELLER | October 2019

ometimes it’s the little things. In hindsight, more often than not, getting hacked can stem from a minor misstep or completely preventable mistake. Common security mistakes and overlooked misconfigurations can open the door for malware or attackers, potentially leaving your environment and any exposed data ripe for the picking. Avoid these top five configuration gaffes to reduce the threat exposure to your organization. Default Credentials It almost seems too obvious to include here but leaving default usernames and passwords unconfigured for databases, installations, and devices, by far, is one of the most common and easy items for a hacker to exploit. Leaving default credentials on network devices such as firewalls, routers, or even operating systems, allows adversaries to simply use password checking scanners to walk right in. In more skilled setups, hackers can simply stage a series of scripted attacks geared at brute-forcing devices by focusing on either default usernames and passwords, or basic passwords like “qwerty” or “12345.” A few months ago, researchers uncovered a Python-based web scanner, Xwo, that can easily scan the web for exposed web services and default passwords. After collecting default MySQL, MongoDB, Postgre SQL, and Tomcat credentials, the scanner forwards the results back to a command and control server. Leaving default credentials on any device is akin to leaving your keys in a locked door. Even a 12-year-old with some internet access at home could majorly breach a corporation just by using one of these freely available tools on the internet to check for default credentials. Password Reuse Having strong and complex passwords isn’t the only action that needs to be taken when securing your environment. Oftentimes, I see environments that’ll leverage the same user account and password across every device in a fleet of endpoints. Sure, to an IT administrator this may be convenient, but it’s not necessary and can grant an attacker the ability to pivot across every machine, even if only one of those computers has been breached. From there, attackers can leverage credential

dumping programs to get their hands on the passwords or even the hashes themselves and then it’s open season. Avoid password reuse at all costs and disable any accounts that are not required. Exposed Remote Desktop Services and Default Ports Any externally facing device that’s connected to the internet should have layers upon layers of protection to combat attempts to gain access, like a brute force attack. Services like Remote Desktop Protocol, or RDP, a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, can provide administrators an interface to control computers remotely. Increasingly, cybercriminals have taken to leveraging this exposed protocol when it’s not configured properly. Administrators should leverage a combination of strong/complex passwords, firewalls, and access control lists in order to reduce the likelihood of a compromise. Delayed Software Patching This, like leaving default credentials on a server or system, may seem like another potential no-brainer. It’s worth pointing out that keeping operating systems up to date and patched appropriately can prove significantly effective at preventing a breach, however. While there are numerous exploits and vulnerabilities found daily — and yes it can be difficult to keep up — if administrators aren’t properly maintaining their patch levels, then it’s game over. Ironically, of the breaches I’ve worked on where the attacker’s gotten in via a vulnerability, a majority of them have been a vulnerability that was ridiculously old. It shouldn’t come as a surprise — attackers will continue exploiting old bugs as long as they’re effective. There’s hype around detecting and preventing zero-days, but the most common vulnerabilities that are exploited can be classified as a fossil. Logging Turned Off Disabled logging doesn’t necessarily allow an attacker to get into a system, but it does allow them to act like a ghost while they’re in there. Once in, hackers can move laterally through a network in search of data or assets to exfiltrate. Without logging, they can do all this while leaving zero tracks behind. This creates a true ‘needle in a haystack’

Tim Bandos VP-Cybersecurity, Digital Guardian

scenario for incident responders and forensic analysts and makes their job that much harder when trying to reconstruct what may have happened during an incident or intrusion. Enabling logging and having it sent to a centralized location, like a security information and event management (SIEM) platform is highly recommended. That data will provide the breadcrumbs needed by forensic analysts during an incident response investigation to reconstruct the attack and scope the intrusion. Additionally, it can prove highly useful when it comes to responding to threats that may have triggered an alert from an event in the collection of said logs. Having appropriate security configurations requires your applications, servers, and databases, to be hardened in accordance with best practices. Leaving these devices or platforms in a default state only makes the job of an attacker that much easier. It may not happen right away, but they’ll discover these misconfigurations at some point, gain unauthorized access — and depending on their intent — steal sensitive data or cause damage. Avoid becoming an easy target and follow these precautionary steps to protect yourself and your data.

TÊTE-À-TÊTE

ALLIGNING IT ROADMAPS WITH

BUSINESS GOALS IS KEY Jake Callaway, Managing Director, MENA at 4C, says that IT decision makers should align their IT roadmaps with business goals in order to drive value and tangible ROI ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

What is your career history to date and key career achievements? I started my career as a Business Analyst for Manchester United Football Club, analysing data and plotting trends for their Commercial department. It was at this point that I was first introduced to Salesforce. I was instantly impressed by the features and intuitiveness of the platform which prompted my decision to join CloudSocius, a UK-based Salesforce partner. It was with this rapidly growing organization that I was presented, in late 2016, the opportunity to move to Dubai and expand their market in the Middle East. The company’s impressive growth was recognized by the European-based 4C Consulting which went on to acquire the firm, before itself rebranding to 4C. What are your roles and responsibilities in your company? As Managing Director for 4C in the Middle East and North Africa, I am responsible for developing and leading the company’s strategy in the region. I see myself as a facilitator for my team and our clients. This means that I dedicate the majority of my time to empowering my team for success by ensuring that every member is trained effectively on new technologies covered within the Salesforce ecosystem; whilst also engaging with customers to position 4C as a strategic partner in their effective digital transformation. In addition, I take personal responsibility ensuring 4C plays a lead role in raising awareness of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions in the region. We do this by actively participating at key events, running knowledge sharing sessions and spreading the word through blogs, publications and webinars. What is your advice on finding success in the regional market? There is no doubt that our commitment to being 'customer-obsessed' is what has contributed

to 4C's rapid and sustained success, both in the region and beyond. As a consultancy, this has meant that we invest considerable resources into our relationship with each of our customers. This has enabled us to gain unmatched insights into their operations and business challenges. By applying our expertise to overcome the hurdles our customers face, we have managed to elevate our brand higher in the value-chain. In line with this, our consultancy and advisory services, have been at the core of our strategy and are the fastest growing areas of our business. How would you assess the current state of the regional market? Prevailing economic conditions have meant that over the last couple of years, businesses and consumers alike have become ever more budget conscious. At the same time, given the ease of access to information and the pervasiveness of choice in the digital economy, they are more empowered than ever before. Across industry verticals, this has resulted in increased pressure on organizations to differentiate themselves and maximize opportunities. Perhaps most critical to achieving this is the ability to really know your customer. This notion is supported by a 2017 report from analyst firm Gartner which showed that by this year, 81% of companies worldwide are expected to compete almost entirely on customer experience (CX). So, while competition is rife, I strongly believe that the market holds promise and organizations that manage to place CX at the centre of their business strategies will continue to grow their revenue streams. What is the biggest challenge facing the IT industry in the region? Due to all the buzz around new technologies such as AI, organizations are under pressure to accelerate their rate of innova-

tion. But their challenge lies in correctly evaluating the nearand long-term net business impact of their investments. IT decision makers need to work with business heads, line of business (LOB) managers and effectively engage their channel partners to align IT roadmaps with business goals in order to drive value and tangible return on investment (ROI) for their organization. If they fail to do this, they could risk ending up with technically impressive IT infrastructure that delivers only marginal business value. If you could improve one thing about the IT business what would it be? Businesses are eager to accelerate their digital transformation and embrace the latest technologies such as AI. For them to be successful in these initiatives, it is imperative that their channel partners go beyond merely selling and implementing technologies. The channel needs to commit to understanding each customer's journey and work towards guiding and enabling customers to invest resources into those areas that will have the greatest positive impact on the business. The vast data lakes that go untapped in organizations serve as a prime example. The simple implementation of a CRM solution could rapidly and effectively deliver context to all this enterprise data which can then be analysed to glean unmatched insight into customers and their behaviours and preferences. Without the right guidance however, organizations might overlook this ‘easy win’ and instead be coerced into implementing advanced (and expensive) technologies that won’t work as effectively without the fundamental IT foundation in place. And this holds true across all technology domains. I would therefore like to see technology providers really commit to the long-term success of their customers.

EXPE RT SPEAK

Visibility and Anomaly Detection in the Age of IoT Written by Craig Sanderson, Senior Director of Security Products at Infoblox ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

Historically, organizations have struggled to gain visibility of what users, devices and applications are accessing their network infrastructure. If the maxim “you can’t protect what you can’t see” holds true, then the prospect of the Internet of Things (IoT) business transition which will result in billions of devices connecting to IP networks is a nightmare in waiting. Identification and classification of IoT devices is particularly problematic because the range of new device types leveraging the IP network is going to explode making it harder for IT security teams to manage and control policies that protect these new devices from themselves and the existing IP connected services. Beyond controlling accessing and setting policy, IoT also presents a sizable headache when it comes to detecting breaches and enabling effective response. The plethora of protocols that IoT devices will leverage, spanning a broad range of vertical industries from Healthcare to Retail will make it hard for traditional security platforms to detect breaches. Malware sandboxes whose expertise is identifying abuse of well-known operating systems such as Windows servers will have a steep learning curve to apply the same detection for the bespoke applications running on proprietary software platforms. Instead organizations will have to rely heavily on secure IoT endpoint platforms to try and reduce the potential attack surface area. Surely there must be a simpler way to approach these problems. A common denominator that can cope with the breadth of platforms and devices that IoT will present. That common denominator could well be an infrastructure that is already prevalent across all IP networks, whether they be corporate network, public clouds, next generation data centers and even the Internet. That infrastructure would be the DHCP, DNS and IP address management (DDI) infrastructure which for the past 30 years has pro-

vided internet scale to all IP connected devices. How could this ubiquitous infrastructure be applied to the address the challenges of IoT? Device Identification and Classification Starting with device identification and classification. IP connected IoT devices are going to require an IP address. If the addresses are statically provisioned organizations will need an IP address management platform to manage the IP address space, even more so given the dramatic increase in consumption of addresses. Even if the devices are going to use IPv6 where address space is not constrained, managing and tracking those addresses is an important operational need. Similarly, if the devices obtain their addresses dynamically, they will still need a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server to provide those addresses. In either case the centralized platforms that manage the IP address space will have a comprehensive view of what devices are on the network. More so, through the static address management process there is the opportunity to classify the device at the moment of provisioning. In the case of DHCP, the DHCP request from the IoT device provides a fingerprint that would enable the DHCP server to classify what devices is requesting an address. There does not seem to be any better common way to identify and classify the broad range of IoT devices than with an IP address management and DHCP platform. Threat Detection In the case of threat detection there is an advantage to protecting devices over users. Anomaly detection for users is difficult because it’s hard to predict what a user’s normal behaviour is. Machines on the other hand tend to be far more predictable which means anomaly detection could be a fruitful way of identifying compromised machines. One common means of applying anomaly detection across the

breadth of IoT devices would be to leverage their DNS activity. Since statically configuring applications and services is impractical and not scalable, most IoT devices will leverage DNS to dynamically locate the services and platforms it needs to interact with. DNS provides that flexibility enabling services to be re-located between networks whilst maintaining a common point of reference: the fully qualified domain. On this premise, it’s possible to monitor and model the services the IoT device seeks to communicate with. If for example there is an IoT thermostat made by a manufacturer in Germany, it may communicate back to the manufacturer for software updates, leveraging DNS to resolve the address of the update server in Germany. DNS servers could model that behaviour and if the device began to deviate from its typical pattern of behaviour, perhaps by attempting to resolve services in a previously unknown location, that would provide an indication of compromise. The common need for IoT devices to use DNS to locate services provides a simple, scalable and consistent model for detecting potential breaches. Given the looming challenges of IoT, it’s worth considering how the DNS and DHCP platforms that serve IT infrastructure today could be repurposed as a scalable tool for device classification and breach detection.

Craig Sanderson

Senior Director, Infoblox

VE NDOR WATCH

The Digital Performance Company Mena Migally, Senior Director, MENA at Riverbed, speaks about why the company believes that technology exists to enhance the human experience Tell us about Riverbed as a company? As "The Digital Performance Company," Riverbed is committed to advancing the human experience in the digital world. While we are a technology company, we firmly believe that technology exists to enhance the human experience, not the other way around. Our comprehensive suite of nextgen infrastructure solutions enables organizations to maximize digital performance so they can deliver better and more powerful human experiences — for customers, employees, partners, and citizens. We pride ourselves on the fact that despite our 15+ year legacy of success and market leadership, we remain nimble and quick to respond to the rapid changes in the market. For this reason, we consider ourselves to be a billion-dollar start-up

and every employee has the opportunity to ‘act as an entrepreneur’ and impact our strategic roadmap. This healthy work environment has been recognized by the industry too and we been named the ‘Best and Brightest Companies to Work’ and ‘Best Place to Work’ by reputable independent organisations. What products and services do you offer on the market? Riverbed isn’t just a technology provider, but rather an enabler of digital transformation for the modern enterprise. The solutions we provide can maximize digital performance, eliminate ‘IT slowness’ and enable superior digital experiences – for customers as well as employees. The industry leadings solutions we offer are broadly grouped under two core categories – Digital Networking; and Digital Ex-

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

perience Management (DEM). Riverbed’s digital networking portfolio consists of: • Software-defined WAN (SDWAN) which unifies connectivity across WANs, the cloud, and local networks. • Application Acceleration, which speeds data transfers through network bottlenecks and lessen the impact of latency. • Network Performance Management which delivers an enterprise network view of performance, even in complex hybrid cloud environments. Which markets in the MEA region are key for Riverbed? Currently, the most active markets for Riverbed in the MEA region are the Gulf Countries (UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen), Levant (Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Pales-

tine), Egypt and Pakistan. How is the networking solutions space evolving in the region? The top three trends that are currently defining the networking industry are: SD-WAN continues to mature and will become the defacto building block for organisation’s infrastructure, replacing legacy network technology, and bringing a new era of business agility and ubiquitous connectivity. The arrival of 5G will act as a catalyst for more “data rich” applications to evolve, transforming the way humans and smart devices interact with each other and between themselves. Security remains high on the agenda for all businesses, with multi-factor authentication and biometrics increasingly replacing traditional user access control methods. What role does Riverbed have to play in it? Riverbed’s digital networking portfolio of SD-WAN, Application Acceleration, Network Performance Management solutions, as well as our Digital Experience Management (DEM) division (encompassing Application Performance Management and End-User Experience Monitoring) enables businesses to optimize network performance, thereby advancing human digital experiences. In an era where applications are the lifeblood of business, we ensure that irrespective of where applications reside - whether on-premise or in public, private or hybrid cloud – or where users are based, performance is always optimized. Consider one of our latest innovations, the Riverbed SaaS accelerator. This breakthrough solution significantly accelerates the performance of leading SaaS apps, such as O365, Salesforce,

ServiceNow and Box, by up to 10 times. When SaaS Accelerator is combined with End User Experience Monitoring, organizations can for the first time directly measure and monitor in real time the performance of SaaS-based enterprise applications, and then effortlessly accelerate performance with SaaS Accelerator. From the perspective of security, Riverbed’s suite of visibility and monitoring tools enable detailed analysis, reporting, and continuous capture of network activity. Automatically learning what is normal behaviour of users and systems, to then provide alerts and alarms when there is meaningful deviation from that behaviour. Reducing risk and mitigating the effects of security events is made easier by being able to rewind and play back incidents to gain knowledge from forensic examination. Do you run any channel partner programs in the region? Last year, we entirely overhauled our partner program, introducing Riverbed Rise with the objective of supporting partner growth and profitability by aligning rewards with strategic business priorities and sales performance. This partner program is 100% focused on enabling and rewarding partner sales success rather than policing compliance which is typical of traditional vendor partner programs. It is centered on allowing partners to better plan their investments to drive growth – where, how and when to invest to transform their businesses around the Riverbed Portfolio. This is a significant change which seeks to take ‘first mover’ advantage of the new IT market supply chain dynamics. Riverbed’s partner ‘first’ initiative creates a new partner relationship framework that is fit for

purpose in the Cloud Era. It fully recognises the huge contribution that our partners make, and reinforces our commitment to our partner community. Unlike other partner programs, partner levels in Riverbed Rise aren't depend on business models or the solution consumption preferences of the end customers. Instead, partners are measured and rewarded by their success in acquiring new customers; expanding our product footprint with our existing customer base; delivering solutions as-a-service; and of course, their investment in Riverbed trained and certified resources. Do you conduct certification programs for your partners? We collaborate with our distributors to conduct on-ground partner trainings on a quarterly basis. In addition, our partners have the opportunity to attend our comprehensive on-demand webinars and our Rivercast sessions – which deliver insight and information on how they can growth their business by capitalizing on the latest technology trends. In addition to these ongoing activities, this year, in collaboration with our long standing VAD partners, Mindware, StarLink and Crestan International, we hosted our inaugural Riverbed Partner Connect summit. At this event, we provided detailed trainings on how partners can leverage the recently enhanced Riverbed Rise Partner Program, the Riverbed Digital Performance Platform and our new corporate brand identity, to drive the digital transformation that their customers need, and grow their business as a result. We also held technical breakout sessions on Digital Experience Management and next-gen infrastructure solutions.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

3/5 Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Xiaomi’s new Redmi Note 8 Pro is a photography-focused smartphone that comes packed with a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio G90T processor coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage space. On the front, you get a 6.53-inch display that offers a resolution of 1080-by-2340 pixels. Flip the phone around and you will find a quad-camera setup at the back. The cameras include a 64-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.79 aperture; a second 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture; a third 2-megapixel camera and a fourth 2-megapixel camera. The rear camera on the Red Note 8 Pro features autofocus. On the front, you get a 20-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture for selfies. On the software front, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro runs Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10 on top of it. The internal storage of 12GB can be further expanded to up to 512GB by inserting a microSD card into the dedicated microSD card slot. Connectivity-wise, the Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with support for Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, NFC, Infrared, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G. In terms of sensors on the phone, you get an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor. What’s more, the Redmi Note 8 Pro also supports face unlock for added security, in addition to the fingerprint sensor at the back of the device, just below the camera module. While four colors are available – such as the Gamma Green, Halo White, Pearl White, and Shadow Black – the one we received for this review was the Shadow Black variant. The overall design and build quality are very good, though the glass body makes it a bit slippery to handle. If you do purchase the device, we highly recommend fixing the phone case onto it, before you start using it. While four colours are available – such as the Gamma Green, Halo White, Pearl White, and Shadow Black – the one we received for this review was the Shadow Black variant. The overall design and build quality are very good, though the glass body makes it a bit slippery to handle. If you do purchase the device, we highly recommend fixing the phone case onto it, before you start using it. In terms of pre-installed apps, you get a bunch of them. These ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

AED 1049

include the Mi Video, Mi Drop, Security, RAM Jet and so on. But the smartphone still shows ADs after performing certain jobs – like the Security app will show some ADs as soon as it is done cleaning trash from your phone, which can get annoying at times. And there is no way to delete the pre-installed apps unless you root the device or use one of the third-party apps on Google Play (at your own risk). To gauge the performance of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, we ran our two standard benchmarks on it – AnTuTu and Geekbench. In AnTuTu, the Redmi Note 8 Pro managed to score 2,27,610, which is very good. The device also clocked 268 and 921 in Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests. The Redmi Note 8 Pro was able to handle all sorts of jobs thrown at it without ever freezing on us. We also did not notice any lags in the overall performance. Now, coming to the quad-camera setup on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the overall experience was very good. We ended up with some good looking shots each time under good lighting conditions. Xiaomi hasn’t changed anything in the phone’s camera app – it is essentially the same app we have seen on other Xiaomi phones. The camera app has a button that lets you switch between the primary camera and the wide-angle one. This control also offers a 2X zoom which is achieved digitally. The toggle to switch to the Macro camera is at the top alongside the AI button. This could be easy to miss and we would’ve preferred it to be grouped with the other similar control. On the top, you get a bunch of icons such as the HDR, AI, the flash, and filters. The device also comes with various modes such as Portrait, Night, Panorama, Pro, Short video, Slow motion, and 64MP, apart from the standard Photo and Video modes. As I mentioned earlier, images shot using the Redmi Note 8 Pro was very sharp, with a good amount of details. The camera also supports HDR and does a really good job of enhancing images. Even under low light conditions, we saw that the camera’s performance was pretty good, using the Night mode. For the price of AED 1049, the Xiami Redmi Note 8 Pro is worth every penny spent. It can be a very good primary smartphone for those who are looking for a smartphone that performs well, takes good photos and videos, offers excellent design and build quality, and is light on the pocket.

3/5

AED 9,999

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Laptops these days are getting better, generally. They pack in some of the best specs with excellent displays, speakers, and lots more. Lenovo’s second-generation ThinkPad X1 Extreme laptop goes a step further by offering a boatload of features in a slim package. Though the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is made for performance demanding professionals, it can also be used by content creators and casual gamers. The new ThinkPad comes packed with a 15.6-inch 4K OLED HDR display and the brilliant keyboard ThinkPads are well known for. While the chases it is built into is the same as the first-generation machine introduced last year, the spec sheet has been completely changed. Inside, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme comes equipped with Intel’s 9th Gen Core i9 processor, which is married to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 in a Max-Q design.

a dTPM 2.0 encryption chip and Intel vPro for remote management. The performance is very good, thanks to the impressive spec sheet. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme was quite responsive to everything that was thrown at it. Gaming is also not an issue and multi-tasking and switching between multiple open app windows was not a hassle. We did not come across any lag or stutter during our review period. On paper, Lenovo rates the battery life as 14 hours – on a single charge, we were able to clock around 8 hours of battery life on a normal day to day usage pattern. The price tag of AED 9,999 is a bit expensive for a business laptop. However, if you are one of those that requires top-notch specs, excellent performance, and solid security features, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme might be right up your alley.

You also get up to 64GB of DDR4 memory, and up to two M.2-2280 NVMe SSDs, bumping the total storage capacity to up to 4TB. For premium audio experience, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is also equipped with Dolby Atmos speakers. In terms of connectivity, you get a plethora of I/O ports including two Thunderbolt 3, two USB 3.1, HDMI, SD Card Reader, Smart Card Reader, 3.5mm headphone jack, Kensington lock slot, and Lenovo Ethernet port. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme weighs around 1.7 kgs and is quite slim for a business-oriented laptop. The keyboard is quite good – the keys have deep travel and feel pretty clicky. You also get some military-grade security features such as a Match-on-Chip fingerprint reader, an optional Smart Card reader, an IR camera with a privacy shutter,

PRODUCT REVIEWS

3/5 Acer Predator XB2 When it comes to serious gaming, the only requirement isn’t a powerful gaming PC. One thing that equally is responsible for the overall gaming experience is the monitor you use. The refresh rate is something that plays a very important role that can make or break your entire gaming experience. Thankfully, the Acer Predator XB2 is made specifically for games of today that pack in blazing-fast visuals and topnotch graphics. It comes with an incredible refresh rate of 240 Hz. The Acer Predator XB2 is a 27-inch IPS LED display, that offers a full HD resolution of 1080p. You also get a brilliant response time of just 1ms, while also offering support for Nvidia G-Sync and 3D Vision. Nvidia G-Sync is a display technology that delivers the smoothest and fastest gaming experience ever. The topnotch performance is achieved by synchronising display refresh rates to the GPU in your GeForce GTX-powered PC, eliminating screen tearing and minimising display stutter and input lag. The Nvidia 3D Vision meanwhile is a system of 3D display and implementation certified by Nvidia. So, when certified 3D content is launched, it will automatically display in 3D. You will be able to toggle the 3D in real-time. The Predator XB2 offers a brightness of 400 nits, while you also get two speakers with an out of 2W each. In terms of design and build quality, though the Acer Predator XB2 is very well built, the Predator’s trademark styling cues such as the red accents and sharp angles, are sadly missing. But then, you do get a chrome “Predator” branding on the bottom edge of the monitor.

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

AED 2009

The XB2 is also VESA compatible – so, its super-slim bezels make it a perfect monitor to mount on a wall. The slim bezels also make this monitor great for multi-monitor setups, if you are into that sort of a thing. The power buttons and the power port are all built into the back of the monitor. In terms of connectivity, you get two USB 3.0 ports on the left edge of the monitor. You also get a USB Type-B port, a DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 ports. Setting up the monitor is a piece of cake. Connect the power and HDMI connectors to your PC, fire it up and get ready for some serious gaming goodness. Since the XB2 features a TN panel with a 1ms grey-to-grey response time, we did not encounter any ghosting issues. The XB2 also features a 1000:1 contrast ratio for some nice blacks and includes adaptive contrast to improve the capabilities of the panel. At its highest settings (400cd/m2), the XB2 can get really bright. But fear not, Acer’s got your eyes covered with eye protection features, such as flicker reduction and an optional blue light filter. You also get a suite of picture options in the easy to navigate OSD – brightness, contrast, saturation, and so on. In addition, there’s also a handful of presets for different types of content, but those who prefer to tinker around can go crazy with the settings. For the price of AED 2009, the Acer Predator XB2 does not come in cheap. However, if you are looking for a gaming monitor that offers super-slim bezels, good colour reproduction and viewing angles, a 1ms GTG response time, and a super-fast 240 Hz refresh rate, the Acer Predator XB2 is something you can count on.

4/5

$225

Sony WF-1000XM3 The market of true wireless earbuds has exploded recently and Sony’s new iteration takes everything to the next level. The company announced its wireless noise-canceling earbuds – the WF-1000XM3 – a couple of months ago and we recently received a review unit for a test drive. The technology that the WF-1000XM3 uses is the same as the WH-1000XM3 over-ears headphone. Both the models are packed with the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e. So you get one in each earbud, containing a DAC and analogue amp, digital noise-cancellation engine and a 24-bit signal processor. The earbuds feature a refined design and outstanding build quality, something we have come to expect of Sony’s products. In terms of colors, you get two options – black and silver. The one we received for this review was the black variant. Nevertheless, both colours look excellent. The earbuds are very comfortable to wear when paired with the ear tips of your choice. Inside the box, you get a choice of four long hybrid silicone rubber earbuds and three triple-comfort earbuds. Choose the one you are comfortable with, install and fire up the Sony headphones app, and you are good to go. Place the earbuds into your ears and what you experience is a blissful listening experience without any external disturbances thanks to Sony’s noise-cancelling tech. The earbuds fit vertically, with the Sony logo pointing down, before you twist them so they face forward. On the earbuds, you get an LED which indicates when it is charging or when they are our of the case for Bluetooth pairing. You also get touch panels, the functions of which can be customised using the Sony Headphone app. The audio quality of the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds is outstanding. The HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e also accomplishes stunning sound thanks to 24-bit audio signal

processing and DAC with amplifier. Meanwhile, the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine HX (DSEE HX) upscales compressed digital music files including MP3 formats. The Sony WF-1000XM3 sounds fantastic. You also receive a bit of bump on the bass frequencies and the mids. Whatever I listened to, whether it was A. R. Rahman, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Queen, Illayaraja, Michael Jackson, and so on, everything sounded extremely incredible. On a single charge, the earbuds provide enough backup for about 5 hours before they need recharging. But I like the fact that the earbuds support quick charging. So, about 10 minutes of charging provides you with around 1.5 hours of playback, which can come in handy when you are traveling, for instance. For a price of $245, the Sony WF-1000XM3 may seem to be a bit on the higher side. But then, as they say, quality comes at a price – in that content, the Sony WF-1000XM3 is worth every penny spent.

PRODUCTS

Nikon Intros the NIKKOR Z 58mm F/0.95 S Noct Nikon Middle East has introduced a new addition to the S-Line range, the NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct. According to the company, this Noct lens offers the highest rendering performance in NIKKOR lenses to produce meticulous point-image reproduction, impeccable high-resolving power, crisp details, and beautiful bokeh, all of which allow users to enjoy shooting at a maximum aperture of f/0.95. This lens inherits the finest design and high precision feel of the renowned Noct lenses from Nikon. Featuring exceptional optical performance that embodies Nikon’s wealth of optical expertise and complementing the Z mount’s large inner diameter of 55mm and short flange distance of 16mm, the lens brings out the beauty of portraits and the brightness of the stars in astrophotography. Exceptionally sharp resolution and clear rendering is realised even at the maximum aperture of f/0.95. Capture dramatic nightscapes with ease with the NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct. While the original Noct rendered point light sources only as thick point images, this new FX-format Noct lens reproduces them as precise point images that showcases the best in nightscapes of the starry sky. Realising a f/0.95 maximum aperture that only the Z mount can achieve, makes it the brightest of all NIKKOR lenses. Crafted with sophisticated lens elements with a high refractive index and Nikon’s very own ARNEO Coat bring exceptionally well-defined and crisp images even when a light source is located within the frame. Delivering stable autoexposure, the electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism within the lens accurately controls the electronic signals from the camera. A highly precise focus ring facilitates focusing with the appropriate amount of torque and a large angle of rotation even with the maximum aperture of f/0.95. Comfortable shooting operation of stills and movies is also ensured with the newly adopted control ring to which selected functions can be assigned. The same control ring also minimises noise caused by changes of settings so a silent and smooth capture on video in particular is made possible.

HP Launches the new Elite Dragonfly in the UAE HP has introduced the HP Elite Dragonfly, which is the lightest compact business convertible laptop from the company. The laptop, which is a sub-one-kilogram ultralight premium PC, is designed to push work and life boundaries for mobile business professionals. Artfully crafted to stand out in a distinct Dragonfly blue, designed to be powerful, and hardened with security, the HP Elite Dragonfly ushers in a new era of mobility. The HP Elite Dragonfly is the company’s first notebook to include ocean-bound plastics. Its speaker enclosure component is made with 50 percent post-consumer recycled plastic including 5 percent oceanbound plastics. To date, HP has sourced over one million pounds – or more than 35 million plastic bottles or more than 450 metric tonnes – of ocean-bound plastics from Haiti for its products. To

DJI Launches the Mavic Mini

DJI has launched the new Mavic Mini, an ultra-light folding drone designed to be the everyday FlyCam. Weighing just 249 grams, Mavic Mini is portable, easy to fly, designed for safety and perfect for everyone who wants to experience the fun of flying. Mavic Mini builds on the technological innovations in DJI’s renowned series of folding Mavic drones, from the original Mavic Pro through Mavic Air and Mavic 2, to pack professional-quality drone features into the lightest possible frame.

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019

ensure their ocean-bound plastics efforts continue to scale, HP has committed to including ocean-bound plastic material in all new HP Elite and HP Pro desktop and notebook computers launching in 2020. A light compact business convertible at under one-kilogram, precision-crafted from CNC-machined Magnesium for durability in a commanding, iridescent Dragonfly Blue. Say goodbye to clicking sounds with a redesigned ultra-lightweight quiet and backlit keyboard and a new lightweight touchpad for ultra-smooth working experience. Offers the world’s highest screen to body ratio in a 13-inch business convertible at almost 86% and instantly transforms from tablet to PC. The HP Elite Dragonfly is expected to be available from December 2019, starting at AED 5,499, including VAT.

Mavic Mini’s high-grade camera captures compelling footage in high definition, and its new DJI Fly app’s suite of creative features seamlessly transforms photos and videos into professional-quality productions. Its enhanced, stable flight performance provides more opportunities to explore using one of the longest flight times for a drone of its size. Users can unleash their imagination with Mavic Mini’s exciting accessories, including a DIY Creative Kit and a 360° Propeller Guard for added safety.

Honor Launches the new 9X Honor has launched the 9X, the latest member of its powerful X-series that boasts next-generation technology in design, photography, and performance. Armed with a 48MP Triple Camera and a 6.59” HONOR FullView Display, this feature-laden smartphone offers an extraordinary user experience at an accessible price point of AED 999. The device stands out due to its stunning X-shaped design and pop-up camera mechanism.

Nokia Launches 7.2, 6.2, 800 Tough and 2720 Flip HMD Global has announced the launch of its new series of smartphones such as the 7.2, 6.2, 800 Tough and the 2720 Flip. The Nokia 7.2 is the company’s first smartphone to combine a triple camera and PureDisplay. Nokia 7.2 features a powerful 48MP triple camera with Quad Pixel technology and ZEISS Optics.

its feature phone portfolio to address new network and market categories. The Nokia 800 Tough is the first rugged Nokia phone from HMD Global, representing a new hallmark in Nokia phone durability and battery life that comes perfectly paired with essential modern tech like The Google Assistant, WhatsApp, 4G and more.

Nokia 7.2 also premiers a range of ZEISS bokeh styles, exclusive to Nokia smartphones, that recreate the way legendary ZEISS lenses produce high visual impact and signature blur. Alongside even more AI-powered features such as night mode, fans can get even more creative with their stories. Building on the strengths of its predecessor, Nokia 7.2 combines stunning PureDisplay technology and always-on HDR, with timeless Nordic design to redefine what fans should expect from this smartphone segment.

The Nokia 2720 Flip is compact and tactile but transformed in usability thanks to the integrated AI technology. This makes it an ideal phone for consumers with accessibility needs or looking for a digital detox. Lastly, the Nokia 110 is all about entertainment in an extremely affordable package.

HMD Global also announced the new Nokia 6.2, where the breath-taking PureDisplay meets an advanced triple camera setup powered by AI experiences, all in one accessible smartphone. The company also expanded

Joining the market-leading feature phone portfolio, the Nokia 800 Tough is the first rugged Nokia phone from HMD Global, bringing a new level of durability to fans across the world. Not only is the Nokia 800 Tough water and dustproof, it is also protected against drops and has been designed to withstand extreme temperatures, making it an ideal companion for demanding worksites or adventurous travels.

The company is also allowing users to lead a more intelligent life with its suite of wearables. The company also launched the HONOR Band 5 which boasts a 0.95” AMOLED Full Colour touchscreen, 24-hour heart rate monitoring, multiple sports and fitness modes and eight customised watch faces. The device is available to purchase for AED 110. Additionally, the Honor Sport Pro earphones with flexible neckband design and smart magnetic earbuds will be priced at AED 249. The launch of the Honor 9X attests to the brand’s commitment to bring a flagship smartphone experience to everyone. The Honor 9X, equipped with a 48MP Triple Camera that features an f/1.8 aperture and ½-inch sensor, allows users to capture their extraordinary moments in clarity. Powered by advanced AI algorithms, its AIS Super Night Mode produces excellent quality photos even in dimly-lit environments, and the inclusion of a 120° Super Wide Angle Camera helps users capture more in every single shot. The front of the Honor 9X boasts an immersive 6.59” FullView Display, Honor’s full screen display technology with no notch or cut-out on the screen, providing a zero distraction viewing experience. Its LCD screen is one of the largest display on an Honor device with an impressive 91% screen-tobody ratio. This is possible thanks to the pop-up mechanism of the front camera, that retracts back to the device when not needed.

Lenovo Updates its ThinkPad and Yoga Lineup with Intel’s Project Athena Recently unveiled at IFA Berlin 2019, Lenovo’s new laptops are amongst the first devices on the market to be verified as part of Intel’s Project Athena innovation program, delivering a more intuitive, focus-enabling experience for the modern workforce of today. The partnership sees Lenovo’s new ThinkPad and Yoga devices benefitting from 10th Gen Intel Core processors to deliver unparalleled performance and productivity for users who require connectivity on-the-go.

and innovative thinking, Project Athena is set to usher in a host of new enhancements for Lenovo laptop users around the world. These new devices will be designed to light up in a flash thanks to the Instant Resume feature – enabling them to wake up from sleep in less than a second. In addition to delivering super-fast connectivity, Project Athena laptops will also feature unrivaled battery life and can provide up to four-hour battery life in just a 30-minute quick charge.

Through the power of advanced research

Built-in AI and advanced voice assistance will

sense the needs of the user, optimizing performance and responding intelligently to better meet each person’s requirements. Screen viewing areas will expand, with thinner bezels that allow for far more immersive displays. “Lenovo’s new laptops are redesigned from the ground up to offer the highest quality performance, whether interaction involves a pen, one’s voice or touch. The next generation of Lenovo laptops are designed to be amongst the thinnest, lightest and most powerful Intel-powered devices,” said the company.

PRODUCTS

OnePlus Launches New Smartphones in the UAE OnePlus has launched the new OnePlus 7T Pro and OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition. “The new flagship smartphones we unveiled today showcase OnePlus’s constant pursuit of excellent user experience,” said Pete Lau, CEO, and Founder of OnePlus. “The OnePlus 7T Pro combines the latest innovations with our signature features such as 90 Hz Fluid Display and triple camera setup for the next level in a fast and smooth experience. We’ve also teamed up again with McLaren to challenge the standards for a premium smartphone.” The OnePlus 7T Pro runs on OxygenOS 10.0 software to deliver a fast and smooth experience like never before. OnePlus also pioneered the 90 Hz Fluid Display and it returns on the OnePlus 7T Pro, with an edge-to-edge display for seamless viewing. Whether you’re browsing the web or scrolling through photos, every touch is smoother and more seamless in ultra-responsive 90 Hz. With QHD+ resolution, The OnePlus 7T Pro’s spacious display is also incredibly clear with an impressive 3120×1440 resolution for 516 pixels per inch. A layer of gently-curved glass extends from edge-to-edge, providing a first-class look and feel for an immersive viewing experience. The OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition draws inspiration from signature McLaren design and celebrates the brand’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation. With 256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage and 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition pairs flagship hardware with refined software for blazing-fast performance, just like a supercar. The OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition also touts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform to save all your most valued apps, photos, and music.

Canon Developing the EOS-1D X Mark III Canon is developing the EOS-1D X Mark III – the successor to the EOS1D X Mark II. “Perfect for sports and wildlife, the flagship DSLR is being developed using feedback from the worldwide community of EOS-1D X and EOS-1D X Mark II photographers, including extensive real-world testing with professional photographers globally. Boasting Canon’s rich heritage creating optically excellent products, the EOS-1D X Mark III offers an impressive step change in autofocus, with dramatically improved image quality, video and communications. Using the camera, professionals have the confidence they will get ‘the shot’ and can deliver it at a competitive speed – faster than ever before – ideal for the increasingly fast-paced industry,” the company said in a statement.

Canon’s DSLRs continue to dominate professional photography. Speed, autofocus and high-speed communications are at the heart of the EOS-1D X Mark III making it ideal for

professionals – especially in sports or wildlife – that is under pressure to capture and deliver optically excellent images of action that could be over in a fraction of a second. The EOS-1D X Mark III is blisteringly fast – offering exceptional precision, reliability, high-performance autofocus, and subject tracking – giving photographers a greater choice when it comes to the perfect shot selection. The camera’s new autofocus algorithm improves stability and tracking – with both optical viewfinder and Live View shooting – using deep learning technology to ensure accurate focus tracking for every shot. When using the optical viewfinder the EOS-1D X Mark III makes use of a new autofocus sensor offering approximately 28x the resolution in the centre of the sensor than the one in the EOS-1D X Mark II – the current go-to camera for professional photographers.

Bang & Olufsen Launches New Beoplay H4 Bang & Olufsen released the new Beoplay H4 wireless headphones. Beoplay H4 boasts an updated design, new features such as added Voice Assistant, and the rich sound performance that characterizes Bang & Olufsen products. The use of crafted and honest materials ensures greater comfort and robustness, and with a battery life up to 19 hours, you don’t need to worry about missing out on your favourite track.

The ear cushions and headband on Beoplay H4 is made from soft lambskin. The memory foam inside the cushions adapts to the shape and curves of the ear for a tight yet comfortable fit and creates passive noise isolation. The discs on the ear cups are made of aluminium, which is stamped, polished and anodised, and the Bang & Olufsen logo on the plate has been laser-etched in a matching colour, tuned by the laser cut itself.

Beoplay H4 comes with the below improvements to the original design as well as features requested by the Bang & Olufsen community. Voice assistant functionality that lets you manage your life on the go – call out your favourite track, get the latest news or the local weather report. All with your voice.

The cord connecting the headphones is encased in braided textile that has been made partially visible between the slider and the headband to add a singular design touch, and sliders are made of stainless steel, PVD coated and hairline brushed, which make them sleek and elegant yet robust in design.

ARABIAN RESELLER | November 2019