Arabian Reseller - Nov-Dec 2022

Unleash

Linksys Hydra Pro 6E unleashes maximum WiFi speeds and supports more than 55 devices at a time. WiFi 6E extends WiFi 6 to a new dedicated 6 GHz band for no interference, up to 4x faster speeds*, and lower latency..

With massive capacity, easy setup and advanced security, the Hydra Pro 6E is an essential upgrade to any business or home that needs the most reliable, interference-free high-speed WiFi.

Ultra-fast multi-gigabit speed. A 5 Gbps WAN (internet) port unlocks your ISPs multi-gigabit speeds across your home or business for video conferencing, large data transfers and more.

Highest device capacity ever. With 4x** the channels of current WiFi router systems, the 6 GHz band can handle all the traffic from the busiest smart homes or businesses all day, every day.

Tri-band dynamic backhaul. Hydra Pro 6E routers can broadcast on three wireless radio bands simultaneously with a combined WiFi speed of 6.6 Gbps.

More WiFi Channels.

Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) provides access to more channels, reducing interference from neighbouring networks.

Industry-leading technology. The Qualcomm™ Networking Pro 810 Platform delivers the ultimate WiFi 6E experiencewith wired-like stability & speed.

Easy setup & control. It’s simple to set up and lets you manage your network or prioritise devices from anywhere, all with the free Linksys app.

EDITORIAL

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

SALES AND MARKETING Ranbir Sen ranbir@ryshamedia.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR Edward Frank edward@ryshamedia.com

COPY EDITOR Priyan Sampath priyan@ryshamedia.com

The 2023 Industry Predictions Are Tech Heavy

A lot of crystal balls come out this time of year and they often display an intriguing forecast of what’s to come in the near term. For the region, many of the recurring images appearing in those crystal balls have to do with technology, which can be used, as Gartner's VP Distinguished Analyst and Gartner Fellow, Daryl Plummer puts it, "to seize uncertainty".

According to Plummer, people typically hate change. "People, culture, markets and strategies value consistency and stability over innovation and uncertainty. But executives must allow for the possibility of failure as a means of finding success," he says. That requires flexibility and a willingness to let go of old ways of thinking, and old patterns of action.

Gartner has listed 10 predictions for 2023. The research company says that through 2027, fully virtual workspaces will account for 30% of the investment growth by enterprises in metaverse technologies and will “reimagine” the office experience. By 2025, “labor volatility” will cause 40% of organizations to report a material business loss, forcing a shift in talent strategy from acquisition to resilience.

Furthermore, by 2025, organizations that remediate documented gender pay gaps will decrease women’s attrition by 30%, reducing pressure on talent shortages. Through 2025, employee value metrics like well-being, burnout and brand satisfaction will override ROI evaluations in 30% of successful growth investment decisions.

In addition, by 2025, without sustainable AI practices, AI will consume more energy

than the human workforce, significantly offsetting carbon-zero gains. By 2027, social media platform models will shift from “customer as product” to “platform as customer” of decentralized identity, sold through data markets.

By 2026, citizen-led denial of service (cDOS) attacks, using virtual assistants to shut down operations, will become the fastest growing form of protest. By 2025, shareholder acceptance of moonshot speculative investments will double, making them a viable alternative to traditional R&D spend to accelerate growth.

Through 2025, powerhouse cloud ecosystems will consolidate the vendor landscape by 30%, leaving customers with fewer choices and less control of their software destiny. And through 2024, jointly owned sovereignty partnerships sanctioned by regulators will increase stakeholder trust in global cloud brands and facilitate continued IT globalization.

Technology today is evolving at a rapid pace, enabling faster change and progress, causing an acceleration of the rate of change. However, it is not only technology trends and emerging technologies that are evolving. A lot more has changed this year due to the changes various markets have gone through due to the pandemic.

These changes have made IT professionals realise that their role will not stay the same in the contactless world tomorrow. And an IT professional in 2023-24 will constantly be learning, unlearning, and relearning, out of necessity if not desire.

SENIOR WRITER Nisha Seth info@ryshamedia.com

WRITER Vishal Jagani info@ryshamedia.com

GRAPHICS DESIGNER John Christy info@ryshamedia.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Prarthana Mary prarthana@ryshamedia.com

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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.

>>> Chris N. Fernando

Huawei Intros New SD-WAN and Wi-Fi 7 Series Products at IP Club Saudi Arabia

Huawei has launched SD-WAN and Wi-Fi 7 Series products and innovations for the first time in Saudi Arabia at the IP Club KSA forum on November 30, 2022, in Riyadh. Under the theme of “Intelligent Cloud Network, Unleashing Digital Productivity,” the Huawei IP Club aims to build an open, free, friendly thought-sharing platform for network technical supervisors, engineers, industry analysts, and key opinion leaders. At IP Club, people will be joined by the best minds in the industry to engage in thought-provoking conversations about future network technology trends, share perspectives on digital transformation, and chart the way forward.

SD-WAN is an important market segment in the datacom field with numerous applications. Most vendors in the industry mainly focus on routing devices for branch interconnection. Huawei SDWAN is an end-to-end solution that integrates branch interconnection routers, campus switches, Wi-Fi access, and a unified network management platform. Further, Huawei is the leading vendor implementing converged LAN-WAN management, including branch network provisioning, deployment, and unified O&M, significantly improving management efficiency and O&M experience.

Through IP club activities, Huawei experts can guide customers through the numerous benefits of the Huawei SD-WAN solution. With the solution already deployed across industries, Huawei SD-WAN was named a 2022 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for WAN Edge Infrastructure, the third year in a row that it has earned such recognition.

Also, Huawei has launched its first enterprise-class Wi-Fi 7 AP AirEngine 8771. As

we know, incorporating innovative technologies such as multi-link operation, WiFi 7 improves space resource utilization and increases the theoretical Wi-Fi rate to 30 Gbps, achieving a threefold increase compared to Wi-Fi 6. According to an industry report released in 2021, Huawei has always been the main contributor to Wi-Fi Standard, including Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, and Wi-Fi 7. Overall, Huawei has accumulated numerous innovative technologies and patents and has been the front-runner in Wi-Fi industry standards.

Daniel Kirk, vice president of Strategy Huawei Enterprise Business said, “Robust connectivity is the backbone of the digital era. By bringing these innovations in SDWAN and Wi-Fi, we enable our customers and partners in KSA to offer differentiated services to end users cost-effectively. The Huawei IP Club in Saudi Arabia has the largest community membership outside China, demonstrating the Kingdom’s appetite for innovative technologies to drive digital transformation in line with Vision 2030.”

“To enjoy convenient digital services in the cloud era, every person, family, and organization demands network access anytime and anywhere. This has led to the acceleration of enterprise digital transformation and an urgent need for upgraded connections. Huawei’s Intelligent Cloud-Network solution implements a new type of service network capable of both cloud-based network migration and cloud-network-security integration. This solution serves multiple industries, including e-Government, smart healthcare, smart education, smart mine, smart port, and smart manufacturing,” the company added.

Toshiba Gulf FZE Launches 20TB Enterprise Drives

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region, a massive capacity 20TB HDD with the conventional magnetic recording (CMR) technology. The 20TB MG10 Series has a 10-disk helium-sealed design that leverages Toshiba’s innovative Flux Control Microwave Assisted Magnetic Recording (FCMAMR) technology to boost storage capabilities.

With 11.1% more capacity than Toshiba’s prior 18TB model, 20TB MG10 Series are compatible with the widest range of applications and operating systems and are adapted to mixed random and sequential read and write workloads in both cloud-scale and traditional data-center use cases. The drive features 7,200rpm performance, a 550TB per year workload rating, and a choice of SATA and SAS interfaces— all in a power-efficient helium-sealed, industry-standard 3.5-inch form factor.

The 20TB MG10 Series further illustrates Toshiba’s commitment to advancing HDD design to meet evolving needs for storage devices in cloudscale servers and object and file storage infrastructure. With its improved power efficiency and increased capacity, the 20TB MG10 Series helps cloudscale infrastructure to advance storage density, thereby reducing Capex and improving the total cost of ownership (TCO).

As data growth continues at an explosive pace, the advanced 20TB MG10 Series with FC-MAMR technology will help cloud-scale service providers and storage solution designers to achieve higher storage densities for cloud, hybrid-cloud, and on-premises rack-scale storage. The 20TB MG10 Series will be available in the region from Jan 2023.

Toshiba Gulf FZE Dubai, UAE has an

nounced the launch of the MG10 Series in the MEA

Aramex Overhauls its Customer Service with Sprinklr’s AI Chatbots

Sprinklr has announced that Aramex is using Sprinklr Modern Care to improve the efficiency and scale of its digital customer service in line. Aramex will be using Sprinklr’s AI chatbots in four languages to automate responses to common inquiries while driving positive customer experiences at a lower cost than live human interactions.

“Since its foundation in 1982, Aramex has grown to become a global leader in the logistics and transportation industry, recognized for its customized and innovative services for businesses and consumers. In order to increase its operational efficiency, Aramex is working to implement AI to automate tedious global customer service processes. The company is consolidating its contact center on Sprinklr’s unified platform to serve customers with speed and efficiency on every major channel – including live chat, email, and WhatsApp,” the company said.

“Our focus on quickly responding to changing customer preferences has helped Aramex successfully introduce market-leading express delivery and logistics solutions to the Middle East and beyond,” said Moe Abeidat, VP of Technology at Aramex. “As customers increasingly prefer to connect with us across digital channels, we’re thrilled to have Sprinklr’s support in helping us exceed customer expectations and create a unified, digital customer service strategy.”

“More than 400 Aramex customer service agents will use Sprinklr’s Conversational AI and Bots to manage customer inquiries across digital channels in multiple languages – all from a single Sprinklr dashboard. With Sprinklr, Aramex will be improving and transforming the overall customer experience with fast, effective, and efficient customer service at scale,” the company added.

Sustainability is an Important Consideration in E-Commerce Purchasing: FedEx Research

Recent e-commerce research commissioned in key markets across Asia by FedEx Express (FedEx) shows that small and medium businesses (SMEs) that embraced e-commerce during the COVID pandemic are underestimating the importance consumers now place on sustainability in their purchase decision-making. 75% of SMEs surveyed said their customers are more interested in receiving their goods as quickly as possible rather than in sustainable shopping. 73% of SMEs also thought that receiving goods as cheaply as possible is more important to customers. Insights from consumers show the reality is very different.

The What’s Next in E-Commerce survey polled SMEs and consumers in 11 prominent Asian markets in July 2022. The poll explored the continuing evolution of e-commerce in Asia and identified trends that could fuel their future growth.

Key Finding: Consumers want both sustainability and speed

The accelerated growth of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic occurred as consumer concerns over the environment continued to grow. For a significant number of consumers, the future of the planet is top of mind, and they do not want to compromise – they want both sustainability and speedy delivery. 67% of those surveyed expressed as much interest in receiving their goods quickly as they did in the sustainability of the online shopping process.

The e-commerce research shows that 8 out of 10 consumers expect the e-commerce companies they buy from to pursue sustainable business models. 7 out of 10 also prefer to buy from companies with an effective Environmental, Social,

and Governance (ESG) policy in place. This presents an interesting opportunity for SMEs to invest in more sustainable practices.

Consumers in the United Arab Emirates are also most likely to take sustainability considerations into account during a purchase decision. According to a PwC survey, this trend is also seen across the wider Middle East and North Africa region with 53% of respondents saying they will always or often buy eco-friendlier products.

Taking a more sustainable approach to delivery “Sustainability is no longer an optional extra for SMEs interested in expanding their e-commerce businesses. Consumers increasingly see it as an essential and non-negotiable part of their decision-making process,” said Kawal Preet, president of Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (AMEA) at FedEx Express. “SMEs can make an immediate difference by thinking about the logistics connecting their supply chain all the way to the end-consumer. At FedEx, we’re already taking tangible steps to mitigate the impact of delivery on the planet.”

FedEx is following a multi-track path to reduce carbon emissions in the delivery cycle with a goal of achieving carbon-neutral global operations by 2040. This includes investing in electric vehicles for last-mile deliveries, and digital solutions like FedEx Electronic Trade Documents that allow customers to submit their customs documents electronically, reducing paper waste. Additionally, FedEx is implementing solutions like reusable packaging to help reduce waste in the shipping process.

Kingston Reiterates the Role of Encrypted Hardware in Mobile Healthcare Data Security

Kingston Technology Europe has emphasised the importance of hardware-based encryption in strengthening mobile healthcare data protection efforts across the globe. The company made the statement as data breaches remain one of the biggest digital threats within the healthcare industry, thereby raising the need for stronger data security protocols and stringent compliance with relevant policies.

The average total cost of a healthcare data breach worldwide rose by almost $1 million to reach $10.10 million in 2022, according to IBM Security analysis of research data compiled by Ponemon Institute. Healthcare breach costs have been the most expensive industry for 12 consecutive years, increasing by 41.6% since the 2020 report.

Kingston maintained that hardware encryption can help bridge gaps by providing a fortified layer of data protection through an encryption process designed to be unbreakable or hard to intercept. Whether stored or transported, the medical data saved in encrypted hardware devices such as USBs can be accessed only through authentication codes set by authorised individuals.

The encryption feature is also separate from any PC, mobile phone, or network systems to keep the data out of reach in the event cybercriminal breaks into the gadgets or online networks. Security is also assured even if the encrypted device ends up being misplaced, lost, or stolen. “Encrypted drives such as IronKey encrypted USBs are made to keep the data from falling into the wrong hands. Many are equipped with top-notch features that can also detect and respond to physical tampering and provide automatic data protection upon drive removal for added peace of mind,” said Antoine Harb, the Team Leader for Middle East and North

“Such capabilities are vital given that human error is considered one of the common causes of data breaches. One recent example took place in Japan where a worker reportedly lost a memory stick that contained the personal data of all residents of a Japanese city after a night out. The data had been encrypted and password-protected, preventing unauthorized access, Hardware-based encryption not only offers strong and reliable protection but is also a practical and easy-to-use approach to safeguarding private healthcare-related information,” added Harb.

According to Harb, it offers out-of-the-box cybersecurity measures minus the need for regular updates like those required in the software-based encryption processes. “Cybercrimes are on the rise worldwide, resulting in astronomical financial and reputational costs. In the Middle East, IBM Security reported that the region had the second highest average total data breach cost reaching $7.46 million in 2022 from $6.93 million last year,” the company said.

“We can only expect that online network intrusions will grow and become even more sophisticated and bold as the world transitions to an ultra-connected society. Implementing or using encrypted devices is an important cybersecurity protocol that both individuals and corporations can adopt for stronger and easier-to-use data protection. Understanding one’s needs and, in the case of healthcare providers, knowing the importance of protecting the patients’ private mobile data, among others, play an important role in choosing the right encrypted hardware,” Harb added.

Tenable Research Finds 72% of Organizations Remain Vulnerable to “Nightmare” Log4j Vulnerability

Tenable has announced the results of a telemetry study examining the scope and impact of the critical Log4j vulnerability, known as Log4Shell, in the months following its initial disclosure.

According to the data collected from over 500 million tests, 72% of organizations remain vulnerable to the Log4Shell vulnerability as of October 1, 2022.

The data highlights legacy vulnerability remediation challenges, which are the root cause of the majority of data breaches.

When Log4Shell was discovered in December 2021, organizations around the world scrambled to determine their risk. In the weeks following its disclosure, organizations significantly reallocated resources and invested tens of thousands of hours in identification and remediation efforts. One federal cabinet department reported that its security team devoted 33,000 hours to Log4j vulnerability response alone.

Tenable telemetry found that one in 10 assets was vulnerable to Log4Shell as of December 2021, including a wide range of servers, web applications, containers, and IoT devices.

October 2022 data showed improvements, with 2.5% of assets vulnerable. Yet nearly one-third (29%) of these assets had recurrences of Log4Shell after full remediation was achieved.

“Full remediation is very difficult to achieve for a vulnerability that is so pervasive and it’s important to keep in mind that vulnerability remediation is not a ‘one and done’ process,” said Bob Huber, chief security officer, Tenable. “While an organization may have been fully remediated at some point, as they’ve added new assets to their environments, they are likely to encounter Log4Shell again and again. Eradicating Log4Shell is an ongoing battle that calls for organizations to continually assess their environments for the flaw, as well as other known vulnerabilities.”

Africa at Kingston Technology.

Zoom Announces Zoom Mail and Calendar

At their recent annual user conference Zoomtopia, Zoom announced the next step in their platform evolution, the beta of new productivity tools: Zoom Mail and Calendar Clients and Zoom Mail and Calendar Services. These new products work together with the communication and collaboration offerings already available within Zoom Meetings, Phone, Whiteboard, and Team Chat.

Now, teams can move quickly and seamlessly from email to a video meeting, elevate a chat message to a phone call, collaborate on projects, and early next year, they can share out whiteboards, all without ever leaving the Zoom app. The Zoom Mail and Calendar Clients (beta) will let any Zoom user — free or paid — access their existing email accounts from popular third-party email services directly in the Zoom desktop app.

In addition to the Zoom Mail and Calendar Clients, Zoom also announced a new Zoom Mail Service (beta) and Calendar Service (beta). Zoom customers in the U.S. and Canada with Zoom One Pro or Zoom Standard Pro plans will also have the ability to set up an email account hosted by Zoom at no additional cost, through the new Zoom Mail Service. Customers with a Zoom One Business or higher plan will even have the ability to set up a custom domain.

Zoom Mail Service is designed for small-to-medium businesses without dedicated IT resources who also have a need for enhanced privacy in their business communications, such as law firms or any business needing to share private information within their team. Zoom Mail Service offers end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for emails sent directly between active Zoom Mail Service users and expiring emails with access-restricted links for external recipients.

TEXUB Announces DigiNOMICS Training Program

TEXUB has launched DigiNOMICS, a training program to support B2B IT traders in their digital transformation journeys. It aims to educate on the economics of digitalization and trade as it evolves across the globe. The program focuses on how business revenue can grow as a result of shifting from traditional legacy systems to smart digital systems. The program will create awareness amongst B2B IT traders on how they can leverage the TEXUB B2B marketplace platform to expand their reach and business globally, by accessing it locally.

Following the global health crisis in 2020, B2B decision-makers noticed that online and remote selling was as effective – if not more – as in-person engagement. Sellers also saw that digital prospecting was as effective as in-person meetings to connect with existing customers. The DigiNOMICS training program by TEXUB elevates B2B IT buyers and sellers and highlights the value of how TEXUB can support its digital transformation journeys and global expansion plans without any investments while reducing offline costs. Upon completion of the program, all participants will be certified.

“DigiNOMICS focuses on skill development and skill upliftment to support partners as they adapt to digital transformation and understand the importance of digitalizing their businesses today,” said Suchit Kumar, the CEO of TEXUB. “Post-pandemic, the B2B buying process has transformed significantly due to the unprecedented acceleration of digital transformation, and sellers need to adapt their sales strategy to keep up with this change. These rapidly shifting buying dynamics, powered by digital buying behavior have reshaped the strategic focus of IT sellers.”

The strategic priorities for sellers in this era of digital adoption are driving topline growth, improving the consumer experience, building new channels, and expanding their reach globally. A recent Forrester analysis estimates retailers can save up to 90% on Sales & Operational Costs by the business on a B2B e-commerce website. To achieve this it is, therefore, imperative for sales leaders in the IT trade to upgrade their skills for future trends, adapt to digital business transformation, enhance their business scope, and create value.

Kumar continues, “‘Digital Sales Specialist’ is the new term for the traditional ‘Sales Executive’, as legacy systems are being updated to digital standards of running businesses in the B2B space. Organizations need to upskill and retrain their employees to ensure they can trade as per current market standards and upcoming trends while remaining competitive in an increasingly virtual world.”

Niranjan Gidwani, Consultant Director, TEXUB, added, “Launched earlier this year, TEXUB is a non-subscription-based business which offers a safe, stable and seamless digital ecosystem for global IT and mobility trade in the B2B space by taking care of end-to-end business requirements and simplifying operations. DigiNOMICS will further help create greater brand awareness, credibility, and visibility while building trust in our markets.”

TEXUB says it is positioned to reach out to global buyers and sellers across GCC, Europe, CIS, and Africa. The company currently has hubs in the UAE, USA, India, Netherlands, Nigeria, and Singapore.

Dynabook Expands its Satellite Pro C-Series Range with Two New Devices

Dynabook Europe GmbH has announces the expansion of its Satellite Pro C-Series with the arrival of the 14-inch Satellite Pro C40-K and 15.6-inch Satellite Pro C50-K. Both devices are powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors and have been designed to combine performance and productivity with a contemporary look and feel, at an affordable price point.

Along with the existing 13” Satellite Pro C30-K this makes the Satellite Pro C-series an ideal option for SMB and education markets, which now have an increased size range to meet their needs. “We’re excited to bolster our Satellite Pro range with the new C-Series devices, continuing to deliver a combination of innovation and elegant design at an affordable price tag,” said Damian Jaume, President, Dynabook Europe GmbH. “These new models prove that entry-level devices can meet a range of needs in terms of style, performance and supporting features, without pushing budgets to the limit. The C40-K and C50-K will fit seamlessly into hybrid work and study environments, ensuring productivity, connectivity, and security to users, wherever they need it.”

The Satellite Pro C40-K and C50-K boast a slimline and lightweight frame to maximise mobility, finished in a modern and sleek dark blue colour. The C40-K comes in at just 18.75mm and weight of 1.36kg, while the C50-K provides a form factor of 18.95mm and weighs 1.52kg. Additionally, for peace of mind, the chassis, keyboard, and click pad have been treated with an antibacterial coating to reduce the spread of potentially harmful bacteria by up to 99.9 percent.

These new devices certainly do not com-

promise on powerful performance and connectivity capabilities, despite their affordability. With the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors, coupled with DDR4 3200MHz memory up to 32GB and PCIe SSD storage options up to 1TB, workers and students can power through the most demanding tasks, ensuring continuity in work regardless of location. The devices are also equipped with 3-cell 45Wh batteries which can deliver almost eight hours of battery life, so users can confidently deliver without a charging cable in sight.

The C40-K and C50-K devices are engineered with collaboration and productivity in mind. The display can be opened to 180 degrees, so students and workers can easily collaborate on tasks. The two devices also offer a range of ports from a multifunctional USB 3.2 Type-C port that allows charge, display, connectivity, and data transfer, along with a further three USB 3.2 Type-A ports enabling users to quickly connect further peripherals. Further connectivity capabilities include an HDMI port, an RJ45 connector, and a Micro SD card slot. With WiFi 6 802.11 AX, students and workers are equipped with powerful wireless options, supporting the hybrid experience.

Robust biometric authentication is delivered via an optional integrated face authentication camera or biometric fingerprint reader. A webcam shutter provides increased privacy, while both devices are equipped with a security lock slot for extra protection. The new Satellite Pro C40-K and C50-K are available immediately.

du to Reshape the Healthcare Sector with Mixed Reality

du has collaborated with Microsoft and apoQlar to present one of the most innovative healthcare applications, VSI HoloMedicine for the first time in the UAE. VSI HoloMedicine by apoQlar is a medically certified Mixed Reality platform that leverages the Microsoft HoloLens 2 to transform medical images, clinical workflows, and medical education into a 3D mixed reality environment. du is working with Microsoft to power the future of surgical care and medical education with Mixed Reality in line with its goal to strengthen the UAE’s digital transformation agenda.

Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO at du said, “Merging the real-life environment with digital components, the healthcare sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by next-generation technologies such as Mixed Reality. Our collaboration with Microsoft and apoQlar will further explore the potential of technology in the domain of healthcare with multiple use cases from medical student training to pre-operative visualization. In line with the UAE’s futuristic digital agenda, this collaboration is focused on developing technology with a purpose.”

Naim Yazbeck, General Manager of Microsoft UAE said, “Healthcare has always been a sector benefiting from rapid innovation. New technologies such as mixed reality are empowering healthcare providers globally to scale as well as approach challenges and therapies in new ways, powered by the cloud and local data centers. We are excited to collaborate with du and contribute towards making healthcare more efficient through our technologies and infrastructure, in alignment with the UAE’s digitalization vision.”

The global mixed reality in healthcare market size is expected to reach $723.9 million by 2026, according to a report by ResearchAndMarkets.com. The Mixed Reality solution du is introducing to the UAE, displays medical images and allows the visualization of 3D imaging holograms. It can be utilized for surgery planning, remote collaboration, the teaching of medical students, and patient education. The solution enables medical students to develop critical thinking capabilities by visualizing medicine from multiple perspectives. It also helps doctors to augment their teaching with experiential and immersive 3D education guides to drive student engagement and learning.

Africa Data Centres Provides Colocation for the First ICANN Managed Root Server in Africa

Africa Data Centres, a business of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology group, has announced that it is the colocation provider for the first ICANN Managed Root Server (IMRS) cluster deployed in Africa. The IMRS cluster deployment is intended by ICANN to assist Internet users in Africa to have faster access to services on the Internet and better protection from cyberattacks, which is aligned with the Cassava group’s vision of a digitally inclusive Africa.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), in cooperation with its regional partners, recently announced that it is deploying a new ICANN Managed Root Server (IMRS) cluster in Africa, located in Nairobi, Kenya. ICANN is a global non-profit organisation that coordinates the Domain Name System (DNS) and plays a key role in ensuring a global, interoperable and secure Internet.

An IMRS cluster helps improve DNS infrastructure in any country, territory, or region of the world. It is key to stimulating Internet access and strengthening Internet stability. The IMRS cluster will reduce the impact of potential cyberattacks across Africa. One of the most common types of attacks, distributed denial-of-service attacks, works by overwhelming servers with a flood of queries or Internet traffic. IMRS clusters provide higher bandwidth and data processing capacity to alleviate some of that traffic.

Africa Data Centres has been selected by ICANN as the host of the IMRS cluster at their class-leading Kenya data centre facility. There are five IMRS clusters worldwide, two in North America, one in Europe, one in Asia, and the newest in Africa. “Improving users’ access to the Internet in Africa, and their safety while using it, is part of ICANN’s mission to help make the Internet more secure, stable, and resilient across the world,” said Göran Marby, ICANN President and CEO. “The installation of this new IMRS cluster would not have been possible without the participation of the local community. We are grateful to the Kenyan government for its support and commitment to advancing Internet accessibility across Africa.”

Dell Technologies Expands its HPC Portfolio

Dell Technologies has expanded its high-performance computing (HPC) portfolio, offering powerful solutions to help organizations quickly innovate with confidence. With a range of new offers, Dell delivers technologies and services to help customers power demanding applications while making HPC capabilities more accessible to businesses.

New Dell PowerEdge servers help organizations embrace AI and HPC initiatives to generate faster, smarter outcomes. Designed in collaboration with Intel and NVIDIA, the new systems use Smart Cooling technology and enable organizations to harness AI for model training, HPC modeling, and simulation, core-toedge inferencing, and data visualization

• PowerEdge XE9680– Dell’s first high-performance 8x GPU server leverages eight NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs or NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs, resulting in optimal performance, in an air-cooled design. The server combines two upcoming 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors and eight NVIDIA GPUs, to help deliver maximum performance for AI workloads.

• PowerEdge XE9640– Next-generation 2U performance optimized 4x GPU PowerEdge server, combining Intel Xeon processors and Intel Data Center GPU Max Series. With fully direct liquid cooling, the system is designed to reduce energy costs with greater rack density.

• PowerEdge XE8640 – Air-cooled 4U performance optimized 4x GPU server featuring four NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs and NVIDIA NVLink technology, along with two

upcoming 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors. Designed to help businesses develop, train and deploy machine learning models to accelerate and automate analysis.

Dell APEX High-Performance Computing provides customers with everything needed to run HPC workloads, including an HPC cluster manager, a container orchestrator, a workload manager, and underlying HPC-optimized hardware configurations. The service offers the flexible capacity and security required to meet changing workload requirements and realize faster results while getting the most from their HPC investments, all in one, three, or five-year subscriptions.

The fast-paced global financial industry needs access to technologies that can provide measurable returns on investments. New Dell Validated Design for HPC – Risk Assessment runs data-intensive simulations on HPC systems, including GPU-accelerated Dell PowerEdge servers, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and NVIDIA Bright Cluster Manager software, to look at large volumes of historical and real-time data to analyze risk and return faster.

The validated design offers financial services institutions optimal configurations for system performance and efficiency. These configurations are designed, validated, and tuned for this specific use case by Dell HPC engineers and workload experts. The result is modular IT building blocks that offer simplified design, configuration, and ordering more quickly with a single point of contact for services.

Sustainability Should Also Look at the Whole Lifecycle of Products

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Vertiv has a wealth of experience and expertise in bringing important technologies and best practices to the industry. A recent example is Vertiv’s white paper: Zeroing in on Sustainability Enhancing Efficiency While Maintaining Resiliency.

Data centers have a key role in the journey towards net zero also thanks to new applications like artificial intelligence and data analytics that can help other industries become more sustainable, such as agriculture or industry 4.0. Moreover, by providing grid support services via their UPS systems, larger data centers can help the transition to renewable energy sources whilst stabilizing the grid.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

The industry’s ever-increasing demand for data results in record-breaking demand for hyper-scale data centers which in turn consume large amounts of energy and resources. While the demand for hyper-scale data centers is at an all-time high level, businesses of all sizes are also looking for solutions that make their digital footprint sustainable.

The following are some of the current Vertiv initiatives that support the use of a multifaceted strategy for data center sustainability:

• Localization – Vertiv had opened new plants closer to their customers thus reducing the carbon footprint generated by shipping goods in shorter distances

• Innovative thermal management solutions developed to achieve a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) close to 1. That means that the power required to cool servers / active equipment is minimised, while eliminating any water waste

• Advanced UPS (uninterruptible power supply) technology to support dynamic grid services, enabling the transition to renewable energy sources whilst stabilizing the grid.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

Yes, as we know sustainability should also look at the whole lifecycle of products, including recycling and waste reduction to avoid any impact on the environment. “Green energy” is just a small part of the picture, there are many other strategies needed to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

Getting inspired by the UAE’s local government initiative of paperless transactions, Vertiv in the Middle East also adopts a highly digitized internal process when it comes to daily operations and activities. This is just a simple example of many other regional and global activities that Vertiv adopted to minimize its carbon footprint.

Vertiv is creating a system to track the amount of electricity, water, and waste used throughout the company and to calculate our carbon footprint. Vertiv has implemented a number of environmental improvement projects concurrently, including the use of LED lighting, equipment modifications, and the purchase of renewable energy.

With regard to environmental improvements and cutting-edge health and safety procedures, our EHS professionals actively support and advise our manufacturing facilities and Service organization. All staff has access to training on best practices for waste reduction and sustainably designed work through the rollout of the Vertiv Operating System (VOS), and they are expected to adhere to these standards.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Taking a look at Vertiv’s white paper titled: Zeroing in on Sustainability Enhancing Efficiency While Maintaining Resiliency we take a look at some of the challenges companies faces which Vertiv provided the solution to, such as the below:

•

ciency

• Managing Higher Densities

• Moving to Locally Generated Renewable Power

The above challenges highlight that data center operators must balance the need of decreasing their environmental impact with the difficulty of accommodating growing capacity requirements. Fortunately, although the technology necessary to support local renewable power generation continues to progress, there are solutions available now from data center equipment manufacturers, such as Vertiv, that enable operators to boost utilization, minimize water and energy usage, and cut emissions.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

There are many factors, however, we have first-hand experience through witnessing large hyper-scale operators who have set targets to become carbon neutral or carbon negative by the end of this decade and are driving the industry shift. These operators are leading the industry in defining a roadmap and advancing technologies that support these objectives.

In order to meet market demand for data center services that support the environmental objectives of their enterprise customers, several colocation providers are now transitioning to carbon-neutral and water-efficient operations. In order to achieve such objectives, businesses must also consider the impact of their on-site data centers.

In order to satisfy the rising demand of the digital world, Vertiv is dedicated to improving the sustainability of its global operations and collaborating with clients to offer sustainable solutions. By concentrating on innovation and ethical business methods that contribute to a more sustainable future for our sector, our people, and our planet, we as creators of crucial digital infrastructure will be able to meet the growing need for data in the modern-day.

Enhancing Power Utilization and Effi

Tassos Peppas, the Regional Director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Central Asia at Vertiv, says data centers have a key role in the journey toward net zero

Sustainability Needs to be Looked From Every Aspect of the Supply Chain

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Technology can provide a positive impact on almost every sector or field – whether it’s automotive, farming or even sustainability.

Given sustainability is a key focus globally, it’s only natural that businesses and companies would leverage technology in their R&D processes to help create products and solutions to enable greener operations and more environmentally friendly practices.

We’ve done this through Acer’s Vero line of eco-conscious devices, which incorporates eco-friendly and recycled materials, such as PCR plastic and ocean-bound plastic, all while providing incredible performance.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

Acer has been committed to long-term sustainability for over a decade. We collaborate with our employees, business partners, and consumers through Project Humanity, the RE100 initiative, and the Earthion Platform which launched in 2021. The Earthion Platform encourages eco-friendly initiatives in the company’s supply chain ecosystem.

Under this platform, we’ve introduced a line of eco-conscious devices through our Vero series of laptops, monitors, and accessories. We also introduced this year the ‘Earth Mission’ app for Acer employees worldwide in which we aimed to establish positive green habits over a 21-day period by encouraging them to reduce, reuse and recycle. Our actions through this app resulted in 44 Tons of CO2 savings

Do we need to look at sustainability be-

yond the use of “green energy”?

Of course, we need to look at sustainability from every aspect of the supply chain.

As an example, although our Acer Vero products use eco-friendly and recycled materials, we wanted to go further for the end user.

Therefore when designing the products, we thought of how we could make them easier to disassemble for repairs, upgrades, or recycling.

For example, we use standard screws where consumers wouldn’t need a special tool to open their laptop, extending the lifespan of the device and the period in which a customer may need to replace their laptop.

Aside from hardware and packaging, we’ve also worked on green software. Our Aspire Vero comes with VeroSense which focuses on energy efficiency. It contributes to the laptop running longer with four performance modes: Performance, Balanced, Eco, and Eco+.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practices?

There are a lot of different things that companies can do to reduce their carbon footprint, whether it’s introducing recycling, using eco-friendly suppliers, or eliminating single-use plastic – it can be small or big initiatives.

There are also third-party entities like CSR Arabia that recognize companies across the region for their sustainability practices and initiatives. We’re proud to share that we won in the ‘Small Business Category’ at this year’s CSR Arabia Awards for making changes towards a more sustainable future.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Companies might think that committing to a lower carbon footprint will impact their bottom line, especially with the current inflation across the globe. They also sometimes lack information on what sustainable practices really mean and what they look like, or how to implement them.

It’s also a fine balance between making small changes, rather than one large change that will be easier for both companies and individuals to implement.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals? There are several factors, but to name a few: automated systems that can help monitor real-time data or even digitize purchase orders to reduce waste.

Shared resources across a company can reduce power consumption while implementing smart and green products can go a long way toward a company’s sustainability goals.

Michele Montecchio, the General Manager for Acer Middle East, says Acer has been committed to long-term sustainability for over a decade

Environmental Stewardship Goes Well Beyond the Use of Green Energy

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

We believe that the rapidly changing global context urges the tech industry at large to respond with smarter technologies and innovations, as well as more responsible operations, seizing every opportunity to decarbonize the global economy and build a more sustainable future. By implementing new, sustainable technologies into operational and manufacturing processes, we are contributing to reducing our overall environmental impact in measurable and meaningful ways.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

Lenovo has a long track record of addressing environmental issues. We are investing in environmentally sustainable business practices, product designs, and services, which enable customers to reach their ESG goals and support Lenovo’s commitment to carbon neutrality and net-zero carbon economies.

Throughout FY2021/22, Lenovo increased participation in the circular economy, integrating new recycled materials such as magnesium, aluminum, and ocean-bound plastic into products. Lenovo has also grown its use of plastic from recycled electronics to 248 products, from 103 products reported in FY2020-21. Additionally, Lenovo made progress in establishing its vision for net-zero emissions by 2050.

The company’s emissions reduction targets for reaching net-zero are under review by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for validation against the Net-Zero Standard. In FY2021/22, Lenovo reported its progress toward the 2030 emission reduction goals, including a 15% reduction in direct emissions. The company is increasing its focus on collaborating with suppliers to reduce emissions intensity across the value chain.

Lenovo has also pioneered notable innovations like the Lenovo TruScale which offers technology equipment and services on a subscription or “as-a-service” basis, minimizing waste throughout the value chain; the use of low-temperature solder technology which reduces greenhouse

gas emissions during the production of PCs.

Over a decade ago, Lenovo began using 100% recycled and recyclable packaging material. Instead of using polystyrene packaging, we now encourage the use of molded pulp, fiber, and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). And in 2018, we began implementing the use of innovative biobased packaging made from bamboo and sugar cane fiber.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

We believe that environmental stewardship goes well beyond the use of green energy, which is just one tool in the toolbox. We are leveraging our integrated capabilities across different aspects of sustainability, fostering a more circular economy, driving out waste across the value chain, reducing the usage of virgin materials in products, focusing on renewables, and always maintaining rigorous supplier standards aligned with our mission.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

Local governments across the Middle East have introduced a variety of initiatives, encouraging companies to implement sustainable practices. For instance, among the UAE’s environmental projects are the UAE Vision 2021, the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which calls for the country to use 50 percent clean energy by 2050, and the UAE Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge, which aims to increase the engagement of the private sector in the country’s decarbonization drive. These initiatives serve as the foundation for most new initiatives, including Lenovo’s expansion of the CO2 Offset Service to the region.

Lenovo CO2 Offset Service is a simple solution for both companies and consumers to help them reduce their carbon footprint and meet their own environmental goals. Through a simple purchase add-on, customers can offset the carbon emissions produced from the manufacture to the shipping of their PC or server, as well as the power consumed over the device’s lifecycle. Working through a third-party

global advisor, the funds are channeled towards UN-approved environmental projects like windmills, solar cells, and renewable energy initiatives. To date, Lenovo’s customers have offset more than 1 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from their purchases of Think PCs.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Although the environmental impact has become a vital business criterion, companies might face a lack of technologies that would make their journey toward net zero simpler and more transparent. We see that both companies and consumers are increasingly on the lookout for new IT solutions that can address their ESG-related needs and help them achieve their green goals. Lenovo is committed to supporting customers in their own sustainability efforts to help them reduce their environmental impact.

The introduction of our CO2 Offset Service was intended to meet customers’ growing desire for eco-transparency in all their purchases and help them better understand and offset their individual carbon footprint. We are glad we found a solution that makes understanding the ecological impact of every individual product and its lifetime usage simple and transparent, offering a simple way for enterprises and consumers to offset carbon emissions and contribute to specific ecological projects.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

We believe that it is important to implement sustainable practices in various business processes. In order to achieve our net-zero ambitions and reduce our overall environmental impact, it is crucial to act with a larger purpose in mind throughout the system’s entire life, from acquisition to disposal, from decreasing paper and plastic packaging waste to providing customers with innovative, highly efficient components. With this in mind, we will continue to develop innovative sustainable solutions across hardware, infrastructure, software, and services.

Thibault Dousson, the Services and Solutions Lead at Lenovo META, speaks about how technology can help contribute to sustainability

The Journey Towards Reducing Carbon Footprint Can Seem Daunting for Many Businesses

Watts, the Chief Technology Evangelist at NetApp, says technology can also play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

While the technology sector plays a crucial role in driving sustainability, the relationship can be a double-edged sword. Technological advancements are often associated with adverse environmental effects due to the vast amounts of energy they require, good examples are the mining of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or the massive computing requirements of AI. However, technology can also play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy efficiency.

Research commissioned as part of the World Economic Forum’s 2030 Vision found that 70% of the 169 UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets can be directly supported by advanced technologies. Thus, technology companies across the board, including NetApp, are placing a huge emphasis on what we can do to help build a more sustainable future.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

At NetApp, we seek to conserve, optimize, and responsibly source energy for our buildings, labs, and data centers. These efforts span from the energy-efficient design of new facilities to enhancements to existing facilities, such as lighting upgrades. In the past year, we have also decreased energy use by shrinking our building footprint. A mix of related strategies has helped reduce our resource consumption and improve overall efficiency:

• GHG Emissions: We’ve just announced our commitment to a 50% intensity reduction of Scope 3 GHG emissions and a 42% reduction of Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions by 2030.

• Renewables and Efficiency: Use of renewable power, drawn and from wind generation sources, mini hydroelectric plants, and onsite solar plants.

• Waste: We divert as much waste as possible from landfills by recycling, composting, and encouraging employees to opt for reusables in our break rooms and cafeterias

• Green Teams: To encourage environmental stewardship among employees, we established Green Teams at several U.S.-owned sites. These employee groups raise peer awareness of sustainable practices and

have achieved measurable resource conservation and energy savings improvements.

• Water: For all landscaping irrigation, our RTP campus uses non-potable reclaimed water provided by the local utility company. We also recycle wastewater to reuse for irrigation and HVAC cooling towers, making some site a zero-discharge facility.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

We need to take a very broad view, when we look at how we operate our organisations we must consider all the resources in use at our facilities, energy, water, the car fleets that we operate, and the waste that we create. Also, companies such as NetApp that produce and deliver products have a responsibility to look at these factors across the companies in our supply chain so that we hold our suppliers up to the same high standards.

We have to consider the materials we use in our products, the energy that’s consumed by our products during their life with our customers, and then finally how these systems are recycled. “Green energy” is very important, but it is only one part of a green plan.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

Starting the journey towards reducing carbon footprint can seem daunting for many businesses. However, the process is much easier than it seems. The first step is to find out how big an organisations carbon footprint is – measuring and understanding where the businesses produce carbon emissions will point businesses to the areas they need to work on. Carbon literacy training will also help businesses and their employees to better understand carbon emissions and the impact it has on businesses.

It helps establish a low-carbon culture within the business. Businesses must also look at supporting and working with suppliers who have sustainable business practices. Implementing green technologies to run business operations is also essential for businesses in reducing their carbon footprint. NetApp joined the PAIA consortium in December 2021, whose goal is to help ICT companies perform quantitative and

consistent environmental evaluations of their products.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Governments and the world’s largest organizations have made net-zero pledges, and this has had a snowball effect that is encouraging other companies – large and small, to join in. Companies in the process of starting their net-zero journey often face some typical challenges, such as setting targets for various activities or business areas, maintaining sustainability levels, and the economic viability of the initiative, and some are just setting net-zero goals without a path or accountability.

Net zero pledges and goals have to be grounded in science-led facts and have a measurable and public plan as to how a company will achieve its goal. A tangible, measurable plan to reduce emissions that can be tracked and delivered is probably better in many cases than net zero flag-waving exercises that aren’t grounded in hard facts and realities.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

Despite IT’s sustainability challenges, companies can implement proven strategies to maximize energy efficiency. Here are four areas they should prioritize:

• Use Infrastructure analytics to understand how assets across their IT estate are being used, there is a lot of digital waste inside data centers across servers, storage, and networking

• Perform comprehensive analysis of their data. Up to 68% of data is never used again after it’s created, implementing data analytics can help companies to make more sustainable decisions as to how to manage this.

• Use the public cloud to take advantage of sustainability at scale, consider moving data and workloads to a net zero public cloud

• Challenge vendors to make sure they are providing energy-efficient storage, servers, and so on for the data and workloads that will remain in the data center.

Matt

One of the Key Elements in the Journey Towards Net Zero is a Focused Intent

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Technology is not always perceived as a positive contributor to sustainability. However, in the ever-changing world, there has been a tangible evolution of technology working as an enabler in the journey towards the Net Zero objective.

There are various instances across the world wherein tech firms are working with manufacturers toward lowering emissions. Electric vehicles come foremost to mind as a tangible example. Research on fuel shifts, CCUS, and so on, are prime examples of technology picking up the mantle.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice? Examples: minimal/recyclable packaging, use of recycled material for devices, green energy, low energy consumption, digital products and services, and so on?

At Cloud Box Technologies we utilize recycled material for devices as the first priority for internal use, energy efficient lighting is the norm via LEDs and CFL as well as controlled cooling. Internally, we also encourage car shares and in general urge our employees to travel smart.

And, we keep the use of paper to a bare minimum. The Net Zero journey is a work in progress, and we are constantly on the lookout for improving our green credentials.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

Attainment of complete green energy most definitely would go a long way in achieving zero emissions. However, there are other sources of clean energy like neutrino energy, hydrogen-powered energy, and so on, widely discussed and studied as potential sources for a clean and net zero planet.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage com -

panies to adopt best practices?

Companies who are green-conscious to a large extent follow the set templates for reducing their carbon footprint –similar to what we at Cloud Box Technologies do. In the UAE, the government has promoted various initiatives even to the extent of excluding nongreen companies from participating in important tenders.

This has spurred a lot of organization to wake up and start becoming more conscious about the environment. There are various government initiatives that aim at making citizens and residents aware of the importance of being green. Sustainability as a textbook subject is included in the curriculum of most UAE universities as a part of their catch them the young initiative.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

There are multifold challenges that companies and even countries face on their journey to zero-emission standards. The most obvious one is the dynamic nature of the world we live in, the uncontrolled expansions, population growth, and technological changes, are not adopting green standards fast enough, while electric vehicles are still expensive and the charging points infrequent. High cost is often cited as another reason.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

The most important elements for jump-starting your journey toward Net Zero is a focused intent and a no holds barred buy-in. These two elements will ensure continued investment in zero-emission technology and practices. Smarter thinking along with civic responsibility can become a good advert for organizations and be a positive driver.

There are also global initiatives like the

Net zero tracker wherein companies commit to lower their carbon emissions and be Net zero inside a definite timeline.

These are acquiring traction among midlevel companies too and soon will gain momentum of their own. Similarly, the government is acknowledging companies that have tangible green initiatives and restricting participation in government projects to green companies. This has prompted more organizations to embrace green processes wholeheartedly and even be quite vocal about it.

Biju Unni, the Vice President at Cloud Box Technologies, speaks about the role technology plays in sustainability

Reliable Renewable Power Integration is Key for a More Sustainable Future

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

At ABB, we strongly believe that early investments in automation, digitalization, and electrification technology are the key steps toward reducing carbon emissions and overall sustainability. This can ensure a reduction in operation costs and even create safer work environments. For example, the automation of oil and gas facilities alone can improve the overall carbon footprint, achieving in over 320,000 tons of carbon savings per site per year for offshore facilities. This adoption can also enable the path toward renewable energy, especially in the context of the oil and gas industry, where the use of resources is optimized.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice? Examples: minimal/recyclable packaging, use of recycled material for devices, green energy, low energy consumption, digital products and services, and so on.

At ABB, we provide targeted solutions and technologies that enable automation and efficiency. Our goal is to reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 100 megatons by 2030, the equivalent of the annual emissions of 30 million combustion cars. The target for 2050 is to bring that down to net zero emissions with the use of automation, digital, and electrification technology. We commit to protecting the environment, primarily through investment and research on e-mobility, automation services, and global R&D centers.

Our new HQ and collaboration center in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi is one of the largest, that focuses on targeted solutions, developments, and training, making it a key hub in the region. We also partnered with the Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing’s Engage scheme to look at strategies, R&D projects, customer deliverables, and future trends to help its customers prepare and deal with crises better through the implementation of automation and mobile technology for energy management.

We have also launched a new online hub to help Energy Service Companies (ES-

Cos) to tackle the energy crisis, as it demands a drastic scale-up of projects with the integration of new energy sources and renewables for a hybrid power market. The web-based collaborative hub provides access to important information, facilitates relations, and accesses new energy consultancy opportunities. Our technology is also used to maximize the efficiency and reliability of the world’s largest single-site solar plant Al Dhafra PV2 in Abu Dhabi, where the plant will generate enough power to meet the energy demand of 160,000 homes and reduce the city’s CO2 emissions by 2.4 million metric tons per year, equivalent to emissions from 470,000 combustion cars.

We have also signed an agreement with Coolbrook, known for their RotoDynamic technology which can help cut up to 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon emissions annually, to advance and commercialize the technology on an industrial scale

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

We believe that the successful implementation of reliable renewable power integration is key to a more sustainable future.

The main goal is to reduce carbon emissions through automation technologies, thereby reducing energy use in industry, buildings, and transport. At ABB, we commit to protecting the environment with the use of technology, especially through investment and research on e-mobility, automation services and global R&D.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practices?

We firmly believe that automation and digitalization is the key to reducing the overall carbon footprint, which is what our core solutions focus on.

In the UAE, the Energy Strategy has a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and focuses on the implementation of new technologies to reach that goal. ABB also plays a key role in the same, with its targeted solutions and technologies that

enable automation and efficiency.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Companies in the UAE lack a proper support framework toward net zero and renewable energy while also being challenged by an over-dependence on fossil fuels.

Additionally, there is hesitance from companies who are wary about adopting new technologies, which is supplemented by high operational and running costs. The risk of adoption to the cloud is widespread across larger companies, especially with concerns around protection, security, and safety.

This is topped off by high costs and concerns about adoption at high enough rates to cover these costs.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals? Sustainability should be one of the key goals for companies today. At ABB, we follow our Sustainability 2030 Strategy which focuses on four main pillars. First and foremost, we aim for a low-carbon society with a goal of carbon neutrality across our own operations. We also work with impactful suppliers and aim for a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030.

We also focus on preserving resources, with a goal of zero waste from our operations that will be disposed of in landfills. We also commit to having at least 80% of ABB products and solutions covered by our circularity approach. We also commit to promoting social progress, where zero harm is caused to our employees and contractors resulting in a reduction in lost time from incidents.

Our final pillar focus on acting with integrity and transparency, by setting annual ESG targets for bonus awards and having a Code of Conduct that acts as a basis for interactions with projects and counterparties.

Christian Cravedi, the SVP Hub Manager IMEA PAEN and Group MD for Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, at ABB, speaks about the role technology plays in the journey toward sustainability

Energy and Utilities Contribute Approximately 12% of the CO2 Emissions Worldwide

In Nokia’s view technology is a key enabler for sustainability, or as we like to say: ‘there is no green without digital’. Digital technologies and critical communication networks contribute in different ways to improving sustainability: evolving telepresence, in the past mainly voice, today video and immersive AR/VR experiences significantly reduced the need to travel for meetings.

Digitalized supply chains and production facilities operate more efficiently, producing less waste, thus reducing emissions. Intelligent power grids enable the production, storage, and distribution of electric energy in optimized ways.

tion can be achieved. The reduced operating temperature leads also to increased reliability and longevity of the hardware. To ensure market-leading performance, Nokia is investing and developing its own chipsets for most product segments. The latest release of our IP networking processor FP5 pushes the limits on throughput (1 Tbps) but does so with a 75% reduced energy consumption over previous generations.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

stem from the sourcing and energy production side, efficient energy distribution networks can significantly reduce the overall emissions. Remodeled grids, socalled smart energy systems (SES) with embedded connectivity and analytics are key to the digitalization and decarbonization efforts.

As the first large vendor in the telecom technology supply business, we at Nokia joined the Science Based Targets initiative with an aim to reduce our scope 1,2,3 emissions from the 2019 baseline by 50% by 2030. Scope 1 and 2 are those emissions that are owned or controlled by a company, whereas scope 3 emissions are a consequence of the activities of the company but occur from sources not owned or controlled by it. At Nokia, we aim to use 100% renewable energy by 2025 for our own operation. In 2021 we reached 53%, for 2022 our aim is 60%.

Our latest, award-winning product packaging (reddot winner 2022) is not only made 100% from recycled materials but is also lighter and more compact, reducing CO2 emissions during transport. However, most of the CO2 emissions occur during the operation of our products. For example, throughout the lifecycle of radio networks, 92% of CO2 emissions are borne when the networks are in use, and about 8% are created in manufacturing and transportation. Therefore, Nokia puts focuses on significantly reducing the energy consumption of its products by making innovations as part of our development process.

For example, Nokia’s liquid-cooled radio base station reduces direct energy consumption by 30%. In the case of harvesting the waste heat to replace other sources of energy, even 80% of CO2 footprint reduc-

Usage of green energy is of course preferable, whenever available. However, reducing energy consumption or not using energy in the first place is another critically important way to increase sustainability. This approach has various angles, like improving the energy efficiency of telecom equipment, as mentioned above, and intelligently powering off-network parts depending on the load and need of the end-users. Nokia’s portfolio of energy savings software features in combination with AI/ML-powered products and services can help to reduce energy consumption by another 10 – 30 %.

Indirect effects of communication networks are another angle, like increasing the usage of remote meetings and training, requiring people to travel less, and reducing their footprint.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

We at Nokia believe digitalization is a key enabler to optimize processes and avoid waste across a wide area of sectors, like transport, logistics, manufacturing, energy, and utilities. The transport sector is responsible for around 16% of CO2 emissions. The main reduction levers are electric vehicles (EV), optimized routing of heavy goods vehicles (HGV), and commercial shipping. Working from home is another contributor. Digitalization, IoT in particular can support optimizing the EV charging grid. IoT services are also key to improving the efficiency of HGV by optimizing the routes, and monitoring engine and driving dynamics to reduce fuel consumption.

Energy and utilities contribute approximately 12% of CO2 emissions worldwide. While the majority of the CO2 emissions

A major part of the reduction will be achieved by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources over time; in parallel reductions can be achieved by better balancing demand and supply by connecting the supply side (solar, wind, and other sources fitted with IoT sensors) and demand side (residential, business, electric vehicles, vehicle to grid) via mobile and fixed networks. These smart grids lead to better efficiencies in distribution, reduced leakages, and more efficient, optimized use of green energy by customers with smart meters.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

In many instances companies struggle to establish a baseline and understanding of the main drivers of their CO2 emissions, as their systems are isolated and offline. Fitting / connecting key parts of an energy production plant, factories, or transport system with connected IoT sensors will create a solid set of data, that can be used to create a digital model (digital twin) of the overall process. These models can be used to identify key drivers for energy consumption, loss, and other inefficiencies. Iteratively, the company can implement changes to the process and verify those in the model first, and afterward in the real system.

Communications technology overall, digitalization in particular, and cloud technologies play a central role in achieving net zero carbon emissions, but how soon it can be achieved depends on the pace of industries across all verticals in adopting these technologies. This is why Nokia is heavily focusing on providing relevant technologies with innovations and professional consultations leveraging its global expertise for deploying these technologies.

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

Soenke Peters, Head of Strategy and Technology at Nokia for the Middle East and Africa Market, speaks about the role technology plays in the journey toward sustainability

With a Constant Commitment to Innovation, Companies can Reduce their Carbon Footprint

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Technology is constantly evolving to meet the demands and responsibilities of businesses and consumers; solution providers are creating smarter, greener, and more holistic solutions that preserve natural resources. Epson is leading the digitisation of printing to reduce environmental impact and increase work productivity.

Epson is investing more than €770 million in sustainable innovation and toward becoming carbon-negative and underground resource free by 2050. Internally, this investment will contribute to decarbonisation and close resource loops. Externally, this investment will see Epson innovations reduce the environmental impact for customers and partners and develop new products that are inherently sustainable.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

Epson is committed to becoming carbon-negative and underground resource-free by 2050 as outlined in the Environmental Vision 2050. We are committed to using 100% renewable electricity across the entire global Epson Group by 2023. Epson is ranked in the top 10 of all companies measured by industry intelligence provider IDC’s sustainability framework, rating higher than average across all indexes measured.

Epson’s EcoVadis platinum status places it in the top 1% of technology companies globally for sustainability. Epson recently renewed its Corporate Vision, Epson 25, putting four key priorities at the centre of its strategy: achieving sustainability in a circular economy, advancing the frontiers of industry, improving quality of life, and fulfilling its social responsibility.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

Yes, a sustainability strategy should also include improving the overall qual -

ity of human life.

This is one of Epson’s four priorities — campaigning for human rights and strong governance at all levels within the company’s structure. Epson contributes to the communities around them by partnering with stakeholders and charitable institutions in the geographies served.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practices?

With a constant commitment to innovation, companies can reduce their carbon footprint. At Epson, the main vehicle for innovation is digitalising services to reduce energy consumption and manufacturing costs while improving the company and customer experience.

The fact that the majority of governments in the MENA region are focusing on sustainability also encourages more commitment from private sector companies to share this vision. Innovation is the primary enabler of sustainability. Recent research from Epson shows that 62% of MEA organisations want to reduce energy costs, with 58% of respondents looking to invest in sustainable technology.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

Sustainability should be a core focus for organisations; companies can define and achieve their sustainability goals by looking at all their operations and considering how they can be transformed through ethical practice and innovation.

In March 2021, Epson renewed its environmental vision – Epson 25 – putting four key priorities at the centre of its strategy: achieving sustainability in a circular economy, advancing the frontiers of industry, improving quality of life, and fulfilling their social

responsibility.

To achieve these goals, Epson will drive innovation in six areas: office and home printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing innovation, visual innovation, lifestyle innovation, and microdevices.

Partnership with like-minded organisations can also help to achieve sustainability goals; over the next several years, Epson will continue to collaborate with other forward-thinking innovators around the world to push boundaries and find more sustainable solutions.

Jason McMillan, the Regional Sales Director for Epson Middle East and Turkey, says that a sustainability strategy should also include improving the overall quality of human life

Failure to Act Will Have Grave Consequences

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

One of the keys to becoming more sustainable is digital transformation: With the right solutions – especially ones based on the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and Artificial intelligence – companies can operate much more efficiently and reduce their carbon footprint.

What sort of sustainability efforts for your company practice?

Cloudera uses lighting controls in work areas and conference rooms. We have LED lighting for all new construction, recycling, and waste management programs. With these implementations, we have reduced our carbon emissions by 26%.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

Absolutely! Think about reducing water consumption, for example, by using rainwater and processing water or waste management through reduction and recycling initiatives. Sustainable buildings have better energy efficiency. The Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence can optimise energy consumption and help meet sustainability goals.

Scania, a world-leading provider of transport solutions, is using the information from the 300,000-strong connected fleet. The ability to tap into data, trends, and insights promises to be the foundation for their sustainability mission long into the future.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

Digital solutions help organisations track emissions across their entire value chain and examine carbon offsetting and circularity. Solutions for supply chain management are helping companies monitor and improve their supply chains’ sustainability.

Saudi Arabia, in particular, has shown an outstanding commitment to devel -

oping and using AI technology, and organisations have aggressively invested in new technology, with government backing. The 120,000 smart meters will be installed in the Kingdom’s Northern and West Northern areas. The $30 million project will minimise operating expenses and water waste while increasing the accuracy of water consumption data, laying the groundwork for future AI-based advancements.

Some local initiatives in the UAE in attempts to reduce carbon emissions include the implementation of 14 projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Development Mechanism.

The region has been actively hosting seminars and educating the population about the importance of sustainability, and encouraging the public to plant 100 million mangrove seedlings by 2030. Moreover, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment pushed out a Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge encouraging the private sector to engage in the country’s decarbonisation drive for its Net Zero vision.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward Net Zero, and how can technology help resolve those issues?

According to a Cloudera study published earlier this year, the vast majority of knowledge workers (81%) argue that AI is needed to deliver more sustainable business practices that benefit their organisation and the communities it serves. But less than a third (31%) of business decision-makers are active in implementing these technologies and need a greater understanding of how they work.

If businesses genuinely want to embed sustainability at their core, leaders must start to use data to deliver more sustainable outcomes – and quickly. Failure to act will have grave consequences. Almost half of business decision makers (47%) and 40% of knowledge

workers revealed that they believe their company will see its growth decline if they don’t start to use data to make more sustainable business decisions in the next 36 months. Furthermore, 23% of knowledge workers and 27% of business decision-makers believe employees would leave the business for this reason.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

Technology opens up new opportunities and new ways for businesses to operate. With the world at an environmental tipping point, the time to take advantage is now.

Zayed Abu Alhaj, the Regional Vice President of MENA at Cloudera, says digital solutions help organisations track emissions across their entire value chain

Technology Alone Cannot Make Net Zero a Reality

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Although technology alone cannot make Net Zero a reality, advanced technology will continue to play a critical role in enabling a more sustainable future. In fact, the innovations of the fourth Industrial Revolution, such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI), are not only crucial commercial enablers, but they can also speed up efforts to stabilize global temperatures. If utilized correctly, these innovations can also promote climate protection, better air quality, and the preservation of biodiversity, through greater data collection and transparency, collaboration, control, and informed decision-making.

New technologies, such as ‘Digital twins,’ which simulate future product or process performance using real-world data, can play a crucial role in our climate agenda. They are able to simulate generating peaks, predict maintenance requirements, and monitor energy flow in real time, resulting in a decrease in embedded carbon and energy consumption during operations. By generating digital twins of the as-installed and as-planned grids, they can also simulate energy systems and infrastructure for smart districts and utilities – and, if scaled up, entire national networks.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

We take our environmental responsibilities seriously at Endava, and we believe that everyone must work together to combat climate change. To that end, we recently launched our annual We Care sustainability report, which provides a comprehensive overview of our core priorities and the rigorous approach we’ve taken in bringing our sustainability mission to life.

This year, we undertook a more thorough accounting of our Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and aligned our methodology for accounting and reporting GHG emissions with the 2013 UK Government environmental reporting guidance (Chap-

ter 2) and the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (revised edition).

Furthermore, we enlisted PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), as an independent third party, to provide limited assurance over certain metrics in our 2022 GHG emissions data. Earlier this year, we also signed the commitment letter to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a cornerstone of corporate climate action. In doing so, we have committed to establishing and validating net-zero targets in accordance with the SBTi’s Net-Zero Standard.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

The transition to Net Zero is far more challenging than just switching from one energy source to another. Achieving Net Zero demands not only the elimination of greenhouse gas production but also the effective and efficient capture of carbon. This requires a massive societal and industrial transformation. To effectively remove our carbon impact on the world, we need to optimize every aspect of our life, and technology will play a vital role in this.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practices?

The climate problem affects every living thing on our planet; therefore, it is everyone’s duty to take action to have a more beneficial impact on the world. Numerous programs exist for businesses to reduce their carbon impact. Governments have laid the groundwork for greater carbon-neutral legislation; however, it is now up to businesses and individuals to realize this ambition. There are numerous methods by which companies can change their operations not only to reduce their emissions but also to cut costs and boost productivity.

To combat the issue, organizations must first determine what needs to be fixed. Therefore, they should start by first gaug-

ing the carbon footprint of their business and its operations in order to prioritize problem areas. Businesses can then implement initiatives that can help them in achieving their goals. These may include incorporating greener energy into their overall energy mix, collaborating with sustainable suppliers, implementing the three Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle into their corporate culture, and carbon offsetting.

The UAE was the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement in 2016. The country then launched the Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative in October 2021. Following this, they also founded the UAE Council for Climate Action, headed by the Minister of Climate Change and Environment and comprising representatives of 23 public and private sector entities, to serve as an umbrella for nationwide climate action.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Developing and implementing a sustainable business strategy is not one-sizefits-all. An organization’s sustainability efforts will be influenced by the specific complexities and opportunities facing its supply chain, customers, stakeholders, and industry.

Companies are now under increasing pressure to back net-zero ambitions with a visible and concrete strategy in order to combat climate change. To achieve this, businesses must define quantitative, time-bound science-based objectives, as well as a strategy with distinct milestones and a method for tracking progress.

Doing this right also means accounting for, and addressing, scope 3 emissions, the indirect emissions generated throughout a product’s life cycle or by company activities. This may be one of the most complex challenges companies are facing this year.

Joe Dunleavy, the Head of Innovation at Endava, says the transition to Net Zero is far more challenging than just switching from one energy source to another

A More Modular Approach Has Become the Norm in Recent Years

Responding to the climate crisis is everyone’s responsibility and for those of us in the tech sector, it’s imperative that we do what we can to mitigate the environmental impact of data infrastructure.

As sustainability and energy savings become increasingly critical to organizations around the globe, Pure is continuing to invest in helping customers achieve their environmental and energy reduction goals. Our all-flash technology and unique Evergreen portfolio of subscriptions allow customers to lower their power and cooling consumption, reduce their overall data centre footprint and reduce e-waste.

Since reporting our first sustainability results in March 2022, Pure Storage has now completed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) across our full portfolio of arrays. We can deliver between 75% to 84.7% reduction in direct energy savings vs. competitive solutions for the FlashArray// portfolio and between 60%-67% reduction for FlashBlade//S.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

Absolutely! And I think we are seeing that organizations are beginning to look at green technologies too. Five years ago, for many, green technologies were not a consideration — when we used to speak to customers, the discussion was around features and price and the misconception was that green technology was just too expensive.

But that is quickly changing as customers begin to realize that investing in the right green solutions delivers a dual benefit — they get the infrastructure that is best suited for their environments and can be future-proofed from a frequent technology refresh cycle.

Take storage as an example, which is a critical part of data center infrastructures. Most legacy systems have a lifetime of about five years and after this, organizations need to purchase extended maintenance or replace the system completely. This not only comes at a high financial cost but also involves sending equipment to landfill.

In addition, it requires a complex data migration process which can take several months to complete and involves infrastructure running in parallel, adding to power and cooling costs. However, Pure’s unique EvergreenTM architecture and subscription offerings extend the service lifetimes of equipment and reduce the underutilization of storage. As a result of these programs, 97% of Pure arrays purchased six years ago are still in service.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

Enterprises considering their own environmental impact and how they can improve the lifecycle of technology investments should focus on two key areas:

• Engineer for a smaller footprint. Corporate data centers are often still optimized for reliability, performance, or cost, and less for efficiency. Old magnetic disk technologies delivered capacity yet sacrificed inefficient power usage and e-waste. Solid-state media can enable organizations to design and operate less resource-intensive data centers and can help shrink footprints dramatically. At Pure, we believe that our tightly integrated software and hardware allow us to deliver market-leading density, longevity, and efficiency, and help to improve and drive further efficiencies over time. Our Evergreen architecture and philosophy of continuously and non-disruptively upgrading both the hardware and software components of customers’ systems spares our customers from unnecessary and costly product replacements and the associated energy and e-waste.

• Develop an as-a-service approach. True “as-a-Service” solutions are about buying an outcome (i.e. Service Level Agreement) and having a third party deliver it. You should be able to start small, grow over time, and have transparency over pricing and related KPIs, including sustainability. In storage, that requires an architecture that enables technology improvements without costly and disruptive rip-and-replace projects, is capable of flexing up and down as you need, and only deploying equipment as it is

required. For example, with our Evergreen//One subscription, we are able to remove the energy and waste typically associated with underutilized or over-provisioned systems.

Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practises?

In the Arab Gulf, national economic visions aimed at alleviating petrochemical dependence have put renewable energy sources front and center. For example, the world’s largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) facility can be found in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Project describes itself as “grounded” in sustainability and the kingdom’s Qiddiya development will focus on Saudi Arabia Vision 2030’s “key tenet” of sustainability.

Qatar’s Lusail smart city is another example, following sustainability requirements laid down in Qatar’s National Vision 2030. Such government initiatives can make a big impact in helping organizations, particularly those in the early stages of transition, overcome the challenges of making the shift toward sustainability.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

From the software architect to the CIO, digitization must be understood and analyzed within the context of sustainability. Systems and strategies must reflect national carbon-reduction goals.

In terms of design: a more modular approach has become the norm in recent years, allowing specific components to be replaced as needed, instead of entire systems: and embedding sustainable design into hardware and software.

An additional benefit is that there is less hardware turnover and therefore less e-waste sent to landfill. Opting for as-aservice offerings is another avenue for organizations to get the most out of their investment and cut waste dramatically.

This leads to lower levels of energy consumption and far less waste, as companies no longer need to run under-used or oversized systems. Effective, efficient, and sustainable.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

Omar Akar, the Regional Vice President for Middle East and Emerging Africa at Pure Storage, speaks about the role technology plays in the journey toward achieving sustainability

Companies Can Reduce Their Carbon Footprint by Adopting Cloud-Based Infrastructure

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

The world is warming up. To avoid the consequences of climate change, we must work together to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Utilizing advanced technology can play an important role in companies’ sustainability initiatives by accelerating their progress and developing profitable solutions that also benefit the environment, social, and governance goals.

As a leading provider of cyber security solutions, Check Point Software understands that climate change and global warming have observable effects on the environment. We, therefore, take an active part in helping to ensure the sustainability of the world’s resources and the environment by reducing our carbon footprint and creating reliable products and services.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

As part of our mission to “secure your everything”, Check Point Software is deeply committed to the protection of our planet alongside our digital world and striving to look after the environment by joining the global action for mitigating the climate crisis and doing our part to strive to reach carbon neutrality by 2040. Check Point Software’s impact on the environment is generally through its products, services, and facilities.

We comply with the applicable environmental laws and regulations and create reliable products and services that minimize the environmental impact throughout all phases of the life cycle. Below are some examples of the practices and efforts carried through Check Point Software’s environmental policy:

• Products and Services: We create reliable products and services that minimize the environmental impact throughout all phases of the life cycle. We strive to reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as our suppliers comply with the requirements and standards of ISO 14064:2006.

• Trade-in Program: We offer a tradein program incentivising the return of hardware products by customers

rather than disposing of them.

• Transportation: Employees are enabled to work remotely as part of our Hybrid work model.

• Paper use reduction: We monitor and reduce our paper use by issuing paperless certifications, licenses, and technical manuals and supporting paperless infrastructure.

• Waste management: We apply waste reduction strategies, and reuse and recycle electronic waste, plastic bottles, batteries, paper, and cardboard.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

The environment often comes first when we talk about sustainability, but equally important are economic and social sustainability aspects which need to be addressed to promote sustainability initiatives. Through its ESG practices, Check Point Software strives to identify and manage sustainability impacts in all areas of its business by being committed to:

• Complying with the applicable environmental laws and regulations.

• Adopting environmental practices, standards, and policies across our operations.

• Developing products and services with minimal environmental impact throughout all phases of the supply chain.

• Assessing our performance and measuring our environmental impact.

• Holding ourselves accountable to our stakeholders regarding our environmental impact and maintaining transparent communication.

• Expect all employees to be engaged in environmental activities and make careful use of resources. Addressing environmental challenges in the workspace through various responsible means and inspiring employee conscience in support of the environment.

• Working with our suppliers to identify environmentally conscious components to increase lifecycle and energy efficiency. Suppliers are requested to disclose their objectives and their use of emissions and comply with our commitments and

goals.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

One of the ways for companies to reduce their carbon footprint is through the adoption of cloud-based infrastructure. A study suggests that cloud computing can help companies reduce their per-user carbon footprint from 30% for large enterprises and up to 90% for small businesses. Cloud-based infrastructure is shared among multiple organizations and operated by organizations that are highly motivated to maximize efficiency.

This provides a much more sustainable solution than an onsite data center that may not be fully utilized or optimized.

Check Point Software supports the reduction of physical infrastructure by moving to virtualized infrastructure by moving from on-premise solutions to cloud security. Cloud-native applications can reduce carbon emissions, infrastructure, and physical space and control the overall use of energy.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

It is clear that most businesses are committed to moving forward with progress to a Net Zero Future, though it can be difficult to determine where to start and how to move forward due to the various challenges along the way. Some of the major obstacles to developing and implementing a net zero plan are lack of expertise or experience with carbon management, the cost associated with the new technologies and energy-saving initiatives, as well as overcoming the challenge of altering individual behaviours to act in accordance with the Net Zero initiatives.

Technologies like Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are potential technologies for improving cutting-edge working techniques to attain the most beneficial energy efficiency. Fundamentally, they present great opportunities to improve the environmental performance of current and future business practices.

Ram Narayanan, the Country Manager at Check Point Software Technologies, Middle East, says Check Point Software is committed to making the world a safer and more secure place

Technology Can Assist Businesses with Optimising the Use of Resources

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Technology is so integral to business nowadays that it not only contributes to sustainability but shapes the sustainability impact of every business, across all sectors. With the proper implementation, technology can assist businesses with: optimising the use of resources and manufacturing processes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and minimising waste.

Devices across the whole of a business’s infrastructure, ranging from sensors to computers and servers, can become much more energy efficient, which can create a significant impact on everyday energy consumption. On top of this, breakthrough technologies such as AI and machine learning empower businesses to gain insight into energy usage and can recommend ways to be more energy and cost-efficient (for example building usage). AI and machine learning are helping to solve some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges to accelerate innovation and keep the vision of a circular economy alive even in turbulent times.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

Juniper considers sustainable networking to deliver ever-increasing energy efficiency on top of environmentally responsible materials and responsible end-of-life product management. Through a multi-year process, we have developed a tool to measure the energy efficiency of all hardware products, the carbon emissions inherent in those products’ production, delivery, and use, as well as their potential for recyclability and reuse in a circular economy.

Last January, we pledged to achieve carbon neutrality across our global operations by 2025. Juniper’s carbon-neutral strategy is focused on two long-term sustainable approaches: leveraging energy efficiency measures and increasing the use of clean energy sources. We currently have solar power purchase agreements in place for our facilities in Bangalore, our

most energy-intensive site, and we continue to work on efficiency measures such as lab consolidation to lower our total electricity use.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

While the importance of green energy cannot be overstated, businesses need to address all aspects of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) in order to drive progress and make an impact. For example, integrity, ethics, effective governance, compliance and reporting, talent support, and respect for labour and human rights across operations and the supply chain are all crucial. Of course, sustainability is all about resilience: to change, to risk, to disease and natural disaster, to the challenges of a warming planet.

Businesses that embrace a core strategy of resilience will be able to overcome challenges, mitigate risks, and capitalise on opportunities. According to recent research commissioned by Juniper Networks in the region, IT decision makers and office workers in Saudi Arabia (95 percent) and in the UAE (91 percent) want to see more action from their organisation towards environmental sustainability in the next two to five years. This research clearly shows it is top of mind for a lot of workers as the sustainability agenda continues to gain prevalence.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

Climate change is the greatest threat to our planet, and Juniper Networks believes the IT industry must play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as energy consumption rises in response to increasing digitalisation. Consequently, companies should invest in hardware, software, and service solutions that support a circular economy, lower operational costs, and contribute to a healthier, more consumption-conscious ecosystem. End-user and supply chain-related emissions should also be considered.

There are local and regional initiatives

by the UAE Government to encourage organisations to adopt sustainable business practices. For example, the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) provides an ambitious and clearly defined roadmap for regional climate action, ensuring a coordinated and localised response to the unique ways in which climate change affects Middle Eastern countries.

The UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative is a national drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In parallel, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy has also approved updated plans to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent before the end of 2030. Participating in these initiatives can help companies amplify their efforts in reducing their carbon footprint. Saudi Arabia also has launched its roadmap for climate action called Saudi Green Initiative, which paves the way for the Kingdom’s plan to reach net zero emissions by 2060.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Digital technologies have brought revolutionary efficiency in sectors ranging from communications to transportation to industrial production. However, there is a paradox here: these savings have been countered by a surge in energy demand to power and cool data centres, cloud infrastructure, and other ICT products and services – and much of this energy is still generated from fossil fuels. The more we demand our digital networks, the more these dependencies will grow.

As reported in the research by Juniper Networks, IT decision makers and office workers in the UAE (92 percent) and Saudi Arabia (88 percent) feel networking is important to contribute towards climate change measures. Therefore, IT systems need to be designed with sustainability in mind from the beginning if they are to effectively assist organisations in their quest for net zero.

Feras Abu Aladous, the Systems Engineering Sr. Manager for META at Juniper Networks, says businesses that embrace a core strategy of resilience will be able to overcome challenges

Companies of All Sizes Can Take Steps to Reduce Their Carbon Emissions

Gomaa, the Acting Chief Executive Officer at Omnix International, says the key challenges companies face today in their journey towards net zero are lack of data and verifiability, economic viability, and financing

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

There is a great reliance on technology to solve environmental problems around the world today while also serving to make our lives easier. Technological advances in recent years have made sustainable living more viable than ever. There are technologies that can help in monitoring activities from connecting devices and machines and then taking action to cut down energy waste.

With certain technologies, organizations can effectively record, report, and analyze data from devices to reduce their environmental impact. In turn, it helps organizations unlock their potential and achieve their sustainability goals. In addition, technology can support substantiality initiatives in areas like alternative energy, energy storage, electrical vehicles, and precious agriculture to name a few.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice? Examples: minimal/recyclable packaging, use of recycled material for devices, green energy, low energy consumption, digital products and services, and so on.

At Omnix, we are keen to create a greener and healthier sustainable workspace. We took the initiative to offer employees drinking glass containers which significantly reduced the need for paper cups. We implemented solutions and automated some of our processes to minimize the need for printed documents. We have a special focus on having a sustainable interior fit to create the base conditions in terms of energy and resource consumption, lighting, air quality, thermal comfort, and others.

Our IT team is continuously working to optimize the workload to minimize IT power consumption. In addition, by using our skilled resources, we support our customers to adopt a paperless environment, optimize their process -

es and infrastructure and build digital solutions to help them with their sustainability goals.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

Let’s start with the definitions. Green Energy means energy that can be produced in a way that protects the natural environment, for example by using wind, water, or the sun. While Sustainable energy means; the ability to maintain energy at a certain rate/ level or the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources to maintain an ecological balance. We need to look at sustainability to be able to maintain the energy for the foreseeable future without compromising or threatening future generations.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practices?

Companies of all sizes can take steps to reduce their carbon emissions. This can be anything from implementing recycling collections all the way to actively planting trees. Examples of the ways that companies can reduce their carbon footprint:

• Use recycling at the workplace

• Invest in green energy and green office equipment

• Eliminate Single-use Plastics

• Optimize the use of IT resources

• Optimize workplace consumption of lighting, machinery, AC, and so on, using IoT devices

• Think digital footprint first

• Engage with and evaluate your supply chain

• Educate the workforce about the environment

There is a renewed focus in the Middle East to demonstrate leadership in tackling issues of climate change. This year 2022, Egypt is hosting COP27 (Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC). UAE will host COP28 next year. This yearly event discusses the crit -

ical issue of global warming, carbon emissions, and how to tackle climate change. We started to see some countries in the region taking steps in their transition to achieving net zero on their carbon emissions.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

The key challenges companies face today in their journey towards net zero are lack of data and verifiability, economic viability and financing, difficulty to measure their business’ environmental impact and performance, and supplier emissions data gap. Some of the most noteworthy technologies that can help in solving these challenges are digital technologies, Cloud computing, advanced monitoring equipment, and satellite technology.

Walid

Energy Management and Conservation Should be on Your Sustainability Roadmap

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Technology is, undoubtedly, an enabler of sustainability in modern society. It can make operations more intelligent and sustainable by enhancing the operational performance and governance of business verticals. Also, it has had a profound impact on our culture and economy throughout history. Social structures, including our values, have been affected by technological developments. Hence, technological progress is escalating and making an acute impact on different verticals of society and sustainability is no stranger to this trend.

Some examples of how technology contributes to sustainability include Blockchain. this technology, which is most associated with cryptocurrencies has a broad potential to contribute towards sustainability. For example, the technology can bring more transparency to a supply chain or verify that a product comes from a fair-trade supplier. Companies can also use the blockchain for waste management purposes, such as tracking trash bins when they become full.

In India, EV solutions can help reduce carbon emissions by 37% by 2030. Hence, Tech Mahindra has created Intelligent Electric Vehicle Charging System (IEVCS) solutions. Tech Mahindra offers Sustainable Smart City Technology along with smart city offerings such as SMART Grid, Microgrid-As-A-Service, and Community Action Platform for Energy (CAPE), smart energy management, smart traffic management, smart lighting management, smart waste management systems, and command and control centers. These offerings can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across multiple cities, globally.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

In our constant endeavor to improve the operational efficiency of our facilities and promote environmentally responsible practices, we have installed motion sensors, replaced incandescent lights with LEDs, and purchased energy-efficient equipment and HVACs to reduce energy consumption. With “Work from Home”

becoming the new normal, we are taking various measures to cut down our business travel and employee commute essentially focusing our efforts towards establishing sustainable business travel practices.

Making Sustainability Personal (MSP), an organization-wide initiative at Tech Mahindra is helping associates not just act sustainably but also think sustainably – at the workplace and beyond. It transcends the boundaries of our sustainability targets and roadmap to becoming a real experience and a purpose.

With sustainability being our supreme priority, we, at Tech Mahindra, have also implemented the following measures to manifest our commitment to a better planet:

• Adopted clean energy technologies to reduce emissions and improve air quality.

• Implemented a Carbon Price mechanism to boost green investments.

• Installed Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to recycle and reuse water, thereby, preventing freshwater withdrawal.

• Fixed water restrictors and sensors to help conserve water.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?

Yes, the concept of Sustainability covers a wide range of topics such as Climate Change, Energy Management, Water and Waste Management, Biodiversity, and so on. We aspire to be one of the most sustainable companies in the world and to achieve this vision, we have set goals and targets that are aligned with globally recognized standards and frameworks on Sustainability. Additionally, with a focus on doing the right thing, responsibly, we have prioritized material issues, as well as a Sustainability roadmap with defined targets.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

Companies can reduce their carbon footprint through investments in low-emission technologies, increasing renewable energy consumption, adopting energy-efficient equipment, increasing operational

efficiency, and formulating net-zero strategies. Also, global as well as regional regulations and initiatives stimulate and encourage companies to follow best practices on sustainability.

For instance, Tech Mahindra aligns itself with the Paris agreement and Business Ambition of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by implementing the following sustainable practices across its value chain.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?

Net zero offers an opportunity to reduce the impact of climate risks and provides benefits such as increased brand reputation, investor confidence, and so on. for companies that serve customers or businesses that are cognizant of sustainability requirements. Asset Inventorization & GHG accounting, Scope 3 emissions tracking, Supplier engagement, and alliances are some of the challenges an organization could face in their transition toward Net zero.

Technology can be an enabler in achieving Net zero targets for an organization. Adopting low-carbon technology practices and developing and co-creating innovative and sustainable solutions for all stakeholders across a value chain can help in accelerating the journey towards Net Zero emissions. Additionally, transitioning towards new technologies and implementing eco-design principles across operations not only accelerate Net Zero plans but also reduce operational costs and efforts.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

At Tech Mahindra, we believe that sustainability is about balancing people, the planet, and profits. We believe that embedding ESG principles into business strategy, prioritizing measures around the adoption of green and clean initiatives, implementing carbon prices, developing green solutions, and driving sustainability across the supply chain can drive long-term growth and profitability for an organization and mitigate environmental as well as social risks.

Sandeep Chandna, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Tech Mahindra, speaks about how technology contributes to sustainability

Regional Government Initiatives Are Encouraging Companies to Join the Sustainability Wave

How does technology contribute to sustainability?

Technology has the potential to achieve sustainability at a large scale and over long periods. Speaking of the water industry in particular, we’ve seen the wide-reach impact of applying advanced data analytics, AI to digital control systems, and machine learning.

Utility companies that have taken the leap and actively adopted these tools have not only generated huge water, energy, and cost savings but have also been at the forefront of intelligent decision-making and sustainable operations in the region.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?

As a company, Sustainability is at the core of everything we do — not just externally for our clients but internally as well. Over the years, we’ve worked hard to operationalize sustainability across our own company.

Xylem’s sustainability goals can be mapped out into three main pillars: customers, the company, and communities. All our efforts are directed towards positively impacting environmental and social outcomes in these three streams.

Within these three key areas of focus — we identified three critical, interconnected water challenges the global community is facing and we believe will be felt across our value chain: decarbonization, watershed resiliency and stewardship, and equity.

We are decarbonizing the water sector and mitigating future climate impacts by reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) released across our value chain and that of our customers. Within Xylem, we aim to achieve Net-Zero before 2050 across our value chain. We also help our customers reduce their carbon footprint with Xylem-curated solutions and we are empowering communities by aligning philanthropic partnerships

to decarbonization, including nature-based climate solutions.

In the context of stewardship, Xylem is partnering on and providing innovative solutions to address water challenges already threatening the health of watersheds around the world. When it comes to equity, we strive for all people to have equitable access to water and sanitation services and to have a voice in the design and management of those services. Additionally, lead by example by creating an organization centered on diverse representation and inclusivity. To this end, we are committing 1 percent of our profits every year towards being sustainable and 1 percent of our employees’ time towards contributing to sustainability.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practices?

Regionally, we’ve seen several government initiatives come into play to encourage companies to join the sustainability wave. However, there needs to be a top-down approach toward sustainability in companies. Instead of viewing sustainability measures as a cost centre, leaders must look at it as an opportunity to do good and meet the needs of the customer and the community.

In the water management sector, utilities need to look at their operations in a broader sense. At present, there is a lot of technology already available that can help lower emissions and drive more sustainable operations through high-quality water management. And through our products and services, we at Xylem are reaching both the water and the wastewater companies to ensure that they have to opportunity to ride the wave of breakthrough innovation and sustainability, through increasingly inter-operable solutions.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero

and how can technology help solve those issues?

For water utilities, reaching net zero will be a challenge. Water infrastructure accounts for about 2% of Green House Gas emissions – the same as the global shipping industry. Unlike most businesses, utilities aren’t just required to deliver on financial metrics. They must meet their communities’ needs for safe, affordable water and sanitation, while also complying with myriad regulatory requirements.

Those imperatives don’t pause for emissions reduction and they don’t have to. Utilities can reduce emissions quickly and affordably. With the right approaches and proven technologies, net zero is possible. Already, more than 80 water and wastewater utilities with have explicit net-zero and climate-neutrality targets, and of these, 26 have already joined the UN Race to Zero.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?

I think the first and most important factor is a change in the way sustainability is perceived. Once leaders understand how important sustainability goals are, it is easier for them to trickle through the entire organization.

Besides that, the adoption of technology is another important step on the road to sustainability. If we look at the energy sector or water management, technology is the only way you can improve operations and ensure that you’re running your business efficiently.

With the adoption of the right technology, companies also need to invest in monitoring/assessment tools that can offer an in-depth analysis of how each function is performing. This can help companies trim any unnecessary excesses and make their operations even more efficient and sustainable.

Naji Skaf, the Managing Director for Xylem Middle East and Turkey, speaks about the potential of technology to achieve sustainability

CHALLENGES IN CLOUD MIGRATION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The cloud has changed the IT landscape forever. It has catapulted innovation and transformed the way organisations do business. More and more organisations are moving to the cloud to achieve the scalability and flexibility it provides. However, cloud migration is not easy. Irrespective of the type of cloud service your organisation requires, the right strategy and tools can help make the shift as seamless as possible.

Let’s dive into a few of the challenges faced by organisations as they migrate to the cloud.

Lack of clear migration strategy

A common mistake while migrating to the cloud is having no clear objective or strategic migration plan. To avoid disruptions to business processes, conduct an organisation-wide IT audit to understand what business processes exist now and how moving to the cloud will impact them. Draft a clearly defined cloud migration strategy and take hold of key factors such as cost, security, and workload balance to ensure smooth sailing.

Less control over the stages of migration

To transition from traditional structures to the cloud seamlessly, it is imperative to have a clear view of each phase of the migration. If an organisation plans to have multiple cloud services and resourc-

es under its belt, it is harder to have full visibility. However, it is critical to monitor every stage of cloud migration to prevent network outages or data loss.

Cost of cloud migration

Keep your cloud spending in check by measuring your expenses from day one. This helps to assess the ROI of cloud migration. As the technology can be scaled up or down, an organisation can adjust its investment in cloud resources to suit business requirements. Keeping cloud migration cost-effective can help when it comes to making future decisions around the adoption of future technologies.

Downtime

When moving large amounts of data, there’s a high chance of network unavailability. If your data is not backed up, this could lead to irreversible data loss. To protect your data, create a temporary backup environment that can host critical applications. Remember that the temporary environment cannot hold peak user loads. Therefore, it is advisable to inform users of the limited capacity and expected unavailability.

Interoperability

Not all applications will be compatible with the cloud. Some applications might require minor tweaking, whereas others might require extensive rewriting. In-

teroperability shouldn’t be an issue if you choose a reliable cloud-based service provider that can meet your organisation’s unique needs.

Employee training for the cloud

At the early stages of cloud migration, expect your in-house IT teams to have limited skills and knowledge related to the new cloud environment. Educate your employees by including cloud training in your migration timeline. Moving to the cloud can make an organisation’s business process more agile and innovative, but it comes with challenges.

If you are looking to adopt cloud solutions without any hassle, ManageEngine offers IT management tools to ensure optimal performance of your IT infrastructure, including networks, servers, applications, endpoints, and more. ManageEngine has offices worldwide, including in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, India, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, Japan, China, and Australia, as well as 200+ global partners to help organisations tightly align their business and IT.

For more information, please visit manageengine.com, follow the company blog, and get connected on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE DATA CENTER

Written by Samer Labaky, Manager, Enterprise and Public Sector Accounts, UAE and Oman at Nutanix

When it comes to provisioning the IT on which all businesses rely, running costs and energy efficiency have long played a significant role in the decision-making processes. Recently, however, concerns around global warming and soaring energy costs have moved them to the top of the priority list.

This, in turn, is causing CIOs across the board to fundamentally rethink the approach they take, particularly when it comes to the datacentre where huge benefits are to be had on both counts.

The size of the problem

Estimates vary but according to the International Energy Agency (and others), datacentres and their associated infrastructures account for around 1% of global energy consumption.

In EMEA alone that translates to over 90TWh per year, or enough to satisfy the domestic energy needs of a small country. Moreover, this figure carries with it an environmental impact equivalent to running almost 6 million vehicles.

Big numbers whichever way you look at them and which, in turn, mean that any action to reduce energy consumption would not only save businesses money but have a significant impact when it comes to climate change.

Datacentre change

There are lots of ways of tackling this issue with some organisations, for example, abandoning their on-premise datacentres altogether and moving to the cloud. That, however, doesn’t necessarily save on running costs.

Indeed, many businesses find it more expensive compared to running an on-premise datacentre, and with none of the budgetary certainty of an on-premise facility. Neither does it address the climate issues. It just makes them somebody else’s problem.

Of course, the cloud has other benefits besides, but the datacentre looks like it’s here to stay for some time albeit with changes to the operational model to deliver the benefits of cloud computing at a lower cost in terms of energy and emissions.

Indeed, that change is already happening with growing numbers moving from traditional 3-tier architectures (servers + storage + networks) towards next generation models, in particular hyperconverged infrastructures (HCI) which, most analysts, agree is the best and most expedient way of reducing datacentre energy consumption and carbon footprint.

The reason for that assertion is down to the way hyperconverged models work by distributing computing power and storage across low-cost commodity hardware platforms, linking them with software and using virtualisation to provide an easily scaled and managed operational whole.

A mature technology with a number of different HCI platforms available, here are the expected benefits in terms of energy consumption and climate change of switching from 3-tier to HCI models:

• Measurable benefits could be achieved across a range of organisations from small businesses through big enterprises to the large scale hyperscalers and managed service providers

• In comparison to traditional 3-tier IT platforms, next generation HCI architectures could potentially reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint by up to 27% per year

• Across the EMEA region HCI transformation has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 56.7 TWh and cut emissions by 14.2 million tonnes of CO²e over the period

2022-2025

• By 2025 a full changeover to HCI across UK datacentres could potentially save 8.1 TWh of energy and 1.8 million tonnes of CO²e, roughly the same as taking 400,000 cars off the road

• By 2025 a full changeover to HCI across datacentres in the Middle East & Africa could potentially save 4 TWh of energy and roughly 2.4 million tonnes of CO²e

• Large-scale colocation datacentres offer a much lower PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) factor than typical on-premise facilities. Switching these to HCI architectures could potentially boost energy saving towards 30-40%

• Next-generation colocation datacentres could provide access to renewable energy through long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) and so contribute to an organisation’s climate neutrality goal without having to invest in CO2 certificates.

Working towards climate neutrality It’s important to recognise that the datacentre industry has delivered significant energy efficiency improvements over past decades and is now one of the most advanced in terms of both energy efficiency and decarbonisation. That said it remains a major energy consumer and could do a lot better.

Moreover, without significant change future energy demand will continue to rise and result in large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. The answers to all this lie in innovative next generation datacentre technologies, like HCI, which have been proven to work and which have the potential to deliver considerable efficiency gains with a significant impact on energy cost and climate change.

VERTIV SEES ENERGY USE, EFFICIENCY LOOM LARGE AS DATA CENTER INDUSTRY TURNS TO

2023

Increased regulation is inevitable and will lead to important innovations across our industry, says Giordano Albertazzi, Vertiv Chief Operating Officer and president, Americas at Vertiv

Data centers will experience increased regulation and third-party oversight in 2023 as the world continues to grapple with the industry’s rising energy and water consumption against the backdrop of ongoing climate change. The intensified focus on the overall environmental and community impact of the data center is one of five industry trends for 2023 identified by the global data center experts at Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions.

“The data center industry is growing rapidly as more and more applications require computing and storage, driving a corresponding rapid increase in energy and water use in data center facilities.

The industry has understood that pursuing energy and water efficiency aggressively is key for future success and survival,” said Giordano Albertazzi, Vertiv Chief Operating Officer and president, Americas. “Increased regulation is inevitable and will lead to important innovations across our industry. The process

may not always be easy or linear, but it can be navigated with the help of expert data center partners and innovative solutions that can anticipate the changes while meeting the always increasing requirements of the data center applications.”

The advances in chip design and manufacturing that limited server power consumption through the first decade and a half of the 2000s reached their limits in recent years, and a spike in the num -

ber of energy servers use has followed. In a recent report, Silicon heatwave: the looming change in data center climates, the Uptime Institute cited data from the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) that showed server power consumption increasing by 266% since 2017. This surge is among various technical and market forces driving the focus on environmental awareness and sustainability in several of the 2023 trends identified by Vertiv’s experts. Those trends are:

Data centers face increasing regulation

Mounting pressures to meet consumer demand for energy and water are forcing governments at all levels to take a harder look at data centers and their outsized consumption of those resources. Data centers are estimated to be responsible for up to 3% of global electricity consumption today and are projected to touch 4% by 2030.

The average hyperscale facility consumes 20-50MW annually – theoretically enough electricity to power up to 37,000 homes. Vertiv’s experts expect this to prompt increasing governmental scrutiny in 2023.

It’s happening in some places already. Dublin, Ireland, and Singapore have taken steps to control data center energy use, and data center water consumption – especially in areas prone to drought – is likely to trigger similar scrutiny. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the water usage effectiveness (WUE) of an average data center using evaporative cooling systems is 1.8L per kWh. That type of data center can consume 3-5 million gallons of water per day –similar to the capacity used by a city of 30,000-50,000 people. The industry will continue to take steps to self-monitor and moderate – including an increasing preference for environmentally-friendly thermal designs – but 2023 will see increases in regulatory oversight.

Hyperscalers and others shop off the rack

cording to a recent Omdia survey, 99% of enterprise data center operators says prefabricated, modular data center designs will be a part of their future data center strategy. That’s more than a trend; it’s the new normal. In 2023, Vertiv’s experts anticipate a continuing shift in the same direction among hyperscalers as they seek the speed and efficiencies standardization delivers.

This is a newer concept for the world’s

leading cloud providers, and they’re turning to colocation providers – who have been standardizing for years – to make it happen. Specifically, those cloud providers are outsourcing their new builds to colos to leverage their in-market expertise, proven repeatability, and speed of deployment. In short order, standardization – ranging from modular components, such as power and cooling modules and skids, to full-fledged prefabricated facilities – will become the default approach not just for the enterprise, but also hyperscale and the edge of the network.

Diesel generators see real competition

The diesel generator has long been an imperfect but inescapable piece of the data center ecosystem. It represents stored energy that largely goes unused while still requiring maintenance or fuel replacement after periods of inactivity. Then, when pressed into service, generators produce carbon emissions operators are desperately trying to avoid. Already, some organizations are relying on batteries for longer load support – up to five minutes in some cases – and even designing their data centers with minimal generator capacity.

These are transitional steps to minimize the role of the generator as the industry searches for other options – including new battery technologies – for extended backup power. In 2023, Vertiv’s experts anticipate a preferred alternative will emerge – specifically hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cells will function much like a generator at first, providing momentary load support, and eventually holding promise for sustained or even continuous operation.

Higher densities alter thermal strategies

After years of relatively static rack densities, data center operators are increasingly requesting higher-density racks. According to the Uptime Institute’s 2022 Global Data Center Survey, more than a third of data center operators say their rack densities have rapidly increased in the past three years. This is especially true among larger enterprise and hyperscale data centers, where nearly half of those operating facilities at 10MW and above reported racks above 20kW and 20% claimed racks higher than 40kW.

This is consistent with the maturity of liquid-cooled server technologies and the increasing acceptance and adoption of such technologies. The aforementioned increases in server power consump-

tion are happening as the need to add capacity quickly is growing, challenging operators from all sides. This leaves them little choice but to explore the boundaries of existing facilities by adding computing in tight spaces, increasing rack densities, and creating thermal profiles that require liquid cooling. While liquid cooling is not a new technology, the early wave of successful, efficient, problem-free deployments in high-density environments has provided proof of concept that will boost adoption in the coming year. The addition of direct-tochip cooling to new OCP and Open19 standards will only accelerate this trend.

5G meets the metaverse at the edge Omdia, in its 2022 Mobile Subscription and Revenue Forecast, projects nearly half of all mobile subscriptions – more than 5.8 billion – to be 5G by 2027, pushing computing closer and closer to the user. The metaverse is an application in search of an ultra-dense, low-latency computing network. In 2023, we’ll see these two activities intersect, with metaverse implementations leveraging 5G networks to enable the ultra-low latency features the application demands.

Ultimately, this will require higher-powered computing in those 5G edge locations, and we’ll see that happening soon – with early forays in 2023 followed by more widespread deployments in the years after. As the edge of the network becomes more sophisticated, so will the infrastructure needed to support it. This will include technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality planning and management systems and increased adoption of lithium-ion UPS systems at the edge – an ongoing trend that saw a share increase from 2% of sales in August 2021 to 8% in August 2022, according to IDC.

“In recent years, sustainability has been the greatest focus area for the data center industry, and that aligns with the 2023 emphasis on increased regulation from governments, as well as interest in alternative energy sources,” said Karsten Winther, Vertiv president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “As we move forward, data center owners and operators will need to choose an infrastructure solutions partner that is able to advise them on the best practices and technologies to help them meet their ‘net zero’ goals. With greater innovation and industry transformation, particularly in 5G and the metaverse, 2023 will be an exciting year for our customers and industry.”

Q-Sys at the Forefront of High-Impact Spaces

Logitech Throws the Spotlight on its Channel Initiatives

Shure Talks About its Role in Today's Hybrid Workplaces

Genesys Helps

to and

Corelight Discusses Evolving Security Threat Landscape

Linksys Hydra Pro 6E

It’s all about WiFi 6E these days and for good reason. This is because WiFi 6E builds on the existing WiFi 6 (802.11ax) standard by allowing you to enjoy all the features of WiFi 6 but by accessing the new 6 GHz wireless band. Now, this offers a huge difference when it comes to seamless connectivity and minimal latency.

So, to understand the true value of 6E here’s a quick refresher. WiFi 5 only supports the 5 GHz band and hence, devices that only supported 2.4 GHz had to connect using WiFi 4. While 5 GHz offers greater bandwidth than 2.4 GHz, it only covers a smaller area. Hence, devices not within the range of a 5 GHz band, still required 2.4 GHz to connect.

With WiFi 6 and 6E, you get support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, thus offering your client devices the flexibility to choose the better option. In addition, both WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E are superior to WiFi 5 – a maximum throughput of 9.6 Gbps versus only 3.5 Gbps for Wi-Fi 5.

Here’s the biggest difference between WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E, and why WiFi 6E is a better option overall. While both standards support 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, WiFi 6E is the only wireless standard that supports the new 6 GHz frequency band.

Hence, WiFi 6E devices can operate within their exclusive area, thus bypassing the other two overutilised bands. This allows them to operate without interference from noisy legacy devices

that still rely on legacy protocols.

Now that we got the refresher out of the way, let’s get back to the review. So, in this review, we test out the new Linksys Hydra Pro 6E, a new Mesh WiFi 6E router that extends multi-gigabit speeds to more than 55 devices at the same time.

The Hydra Pro 6E offers coverage to up to 3000 sq. ft. of area, a WiFi range of up to 2700 square feet of area, and connectivity speeds of up to 6.6 Gbps. In terms of specs, the router is powered by a 1.8 GHz quad-core processor, 4×4 MU-MIMO, 512GB of RAM, and 512GB of onboard storage.

Inside the box, you get the Hydra Pro 6E router, along with an AC adapter, a Cat 6 cable, and a Setup Guide to get you going. The overall design and build quality are top-notch – the router comes with soft rubber feet and inserts for hanging on a wall.

The Hydra Pro 6E comes with a 5 Gbps WAN input port that can help gamers stay ahead of their competition with seamless connectivity and minimal latency. In addition, the router can also be used as part of a Velop mesh system using Linksys’ Intelligent Mesh software.

The router also comes with four downstream 1 Gbps wired Ethernet ports. The router has a USB 3.0 connector that allows you to plug in an external hard drive, thus making its contents available on your network.

At the rear of the device, you will also find an on/off switch, the router’s power port, and a recessed reset button. On the side of the router, you will find the WPS button for tapping into the Wi-Fi Protected Setup to quickly add devices. Unlike other routers out there on the market, the front face of the Hydra Pro 6E isn’t filled with multiple LEDs – it has just one. This single LED bar glows Blue when it’s online, Purple during setup, and Red when offline.

In order to test the performance of the Hydra Pro 6E we ran a few speed tests. We also used a network simulation tool to mimic five data-hungry devices on the network. The setup also included a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro gaming laptop running in performance mode.

At a distance of 15 feet, it yielded 1.012 Gbps over the 6GHz band as well as 627 Mbps and 102.4 Mbps over the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, respectively. That adds up to a total potential throughput of about 1.741 Gbps, which is very good. Overall network coverage was fantastic and I did not encounter any lag or drop in connectivity during my review period.

For a price of AED 949, you get a router that offers fantastic WAN speeds, a generous amount of tri-band coverage, and the ability to expand your network with more mesh nodes. The Linksys Hydra Pro 6E thus comes across as highly recommended.

Dynabook Tecra A50-K-11L

Dynabook’s new Tecra A50-K-11L is a lightweight laptop that comes certified with the MIL-STD-810G standard for durability.

The design and build quality is quite good – something you might expect from a brand such as Dynabook. The body of the laptop has been made using Polycarbonate ABS with an anti-bacterial coating.

Upon opening the lid of the laptop, you are presented with a 15.6-inch Full HD Anti-Glare IPS display that offers a resolution of 1920-by-1080 pixels.

On top of the display, you get a built-in HD camera with Dual Mic for Cortana and Skype for Business, though a variant with an IR-camera Dual Mic for Windows Hello and Intel Authenticate is also available.

The laptop also comes with stereo speakers, which offer an enhanced audio experience, thanks to the DTS Audio processing capability.

The A50 comes packed with a lowered frameless full-size matt black tile keyboard with a separate numeric keypad. The click-pad is also big enough to be used comfortably.

In terms of I/O ports, you get two USB

3.2 Type-C Gen 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports which support data transfer, power delivery, and a display port. You also get two USB 3.2, one Gigabit LAN, one HDMI 2.0, one audio combo jack, one micro SD card slot, and the power port.

The laptop is powered by a 53Whr battery with quick charge technology that promises four hours of battery life with a 30 minutes charge. Inside the box, Dynabook also includes a 19V 65W adaptor, along with the quick start guide.

For security, the Tecra A50 is certified for Microsoft Secured-Core PC and comes packed with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) v2.0, a spill-resistant keyboard, Intel Authenticate support, Webcam Shutter Slider, and a security lock slot. A fingerprint reader and an Infrared (IR) camera for face authentication, are offered as optional.

Under the hood, the Tecra A50 is powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1240P Processor running at a clock speed of 1.7GHz. You also get 16GB of RAM, but only 256GB of onboard storage. I wonder why Dynabook skimped on the internal storage capacity.

Performance-wise the Tecra A50 does a great job. Packed with a Core i5-1240P processor and 16GB of RAM, the Tecra A50 delivers solid performance for mul -

titasking. The laptop was very speedy and responsive and was able to handle all tasks we threw at it, with ease.

The audio performance on the A50 was also very good. The speakers produce good-quality audio, with the low, mid, and high tones being clear of any sort of deviation.

In order to test the battery life, we test it by keeping the Windows Better performance setting turned on and the screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits. We also turn all the applications off, except for the one we are testing the laptop with.

During our tests, the A50’s 53Wh battery lasted for 11 hours and 20 minutes of Web browsing, and around 8 hours of video playback. So, it’s quite clear that the battery life offered by the A50 is very good.

For a price of $960, which translates to about AED 3570, the Dynabook Tecra A50-K-11L comes across as highly recommended if you are into multitasking and need a super quick and responsive laptop.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13

If you were looking to buy a laptop for work, you must have considered Lenovo’s ThinkPad series of laptops in your shortlisting process. The company’s ThinkPad series has stood the test of time and have emerged as one of the top choices for business laptops. With the new ThinkPad Z series, which includes the Z13 and the Z16, the company has totally refreshed the design of the laptops.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 comes packed in a beautiful body. The company has used sustainable materials such as recycled aluminum and recycled black vegan leather to build the laptop. The company also has its sights on sustainability – this philosophy extends to the packaging of the laptop, which is made using 100% renewable bamboo and sugarcane. In addition, the AC power adapter of the laptop uses 90% Post-Consumer Content (PCC).

As mentioned earlier, the company has used black vegan leather on the lid, while the edges have a brushed bronze metal look and feel. The overall build quality is quite robust. Open up the lid and you get a 13.3-inch WQXGA OLED touchscreen display that offers a peak brightness of 400 nits. The display supports an aspect ratio of 16:10, offers a 91.6% screen-to-body ratio, and is Eyesafe certified. The display also supports Dolby Vision and Low Blue Light functionality.

On the top of the display, you will also find what Lenovo calls the “Communication Bar”. This includes a 1080p webcam, an integrated Windows Hello IR camera, and

dual microphones. The laptop is also the first Lenovo ThinkPad to come packed with a trackpad that uses haptic feedback. This means the trackpad doesn’t have a physical click mechanism at all. This one uses haptics to simulate the feeling of a click, even if there’s no depression of a button whatsoever.

In terms of connectivity, the Z13 has one USB-C port on each side. This means the laptop can be conveniently charged on either side. On the right edge, you also get a 3.5mm audio jack, the Power button, and a Nano-SIM card slot. In terms of security, you can either use your fingerprint or your face to unlock the device, thanks to the Windows Hello integration.

Other security features include the eShutter option. Instead of using a physical shutter, the camera can be locked electronically by pressing F9. Another new feature is the Microsoft Pluton security chip, which performs the task of a dTPM chip. It also blocks a Linux installation by default, but this can be easily changed in the BIOS.

Under the hood, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is powered by an AMD Ryzen PRO 6850U processor running at a clock speed of 2.70GHz. You also get Radeon Graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. Wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. The laptop also weighs 1.25-kgs. Inside the box, you get the 65-watt power adapter along with the laptop, but that’s it. If you need additional connectivity options, you may need to buy a connectivity hub.

The ThinkPad Z13 also offers a two-stage backlit keyboard, which is quite similar to the one on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano. It offers a key travel of 1.35 mm. In addition, Lenovo has included a standard-width keyboard on the ThinkPad Z13. This means the keyboard has very minimal borders on the sides. Using the keyboard and the trackpad was a great experience. And Lenovo has also included the iconic ThinkPad TrackPoint, too.

The overall performance of the laptop was very good. We ran a few benchmarks to gauge the real-world performance of the laptop. On PCMark 10, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 was able to clock 5517 points. In CrossMark, the laptop was able to clock an overall 1417 points.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 also scored really well in our battery life tests. On a single charge, we clocked over 12 hours of day-to-day usage. This is really good considering the target audience this laptop is aimed at – mobile professionals. Lenovo seems to have nailed it with the new ThinkPad Z13. With the Z13, what we get is a very beautifully designed laptop, that does not skimp on features and performance.

I would have personally liked more USB-C ports on this thing, but frankly, since I also carry a tiny dock around, which offers a few more USB-C ports, standard USB ports, and an HDMI port, it isn’t a biggie. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 thus comes across as highly recommended!