Smart SMB June 2020 by Business Media International

SMARTSMB / June 2020

EDITORIAL

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THE RESOLVE TO OVERCOME

PUBLISHED BY Business Media International REGISTERED OFFICE: Office 10, Sharjah Media City www.bmi-digital.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Raman Narayan narayan@bmimea.com Mob: 971-55-7802403 SALES DIRECTOR Ankit Shukla ankit@bmimea.com Tel: 971-4-2618885, Mob: 971-55-2572807

There is a remarkable sense of resilience that companies have shown in their efforts to normalize Business operations to the greatest extent possible, under the most challenging circumstances, brought about by the pandemic. While the pandemic looks unlikely to peter out on its own and humankind definitely is in pursuit of an effective vaccine against it, there is only that much time that the world can be put on hold. We need to get a move on, with all precautions in place. It is precisely this mindset that companies are adopting. This resolve hand in hand with caution will ensure that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fall too far back against the goals that were set for the year before the pandemic broke through. Get back to those plans you had in place and see what needs to be revised, what needs to re-adjusted, have a revised plan in place and try and salvage as much as you can from the remainder of the year. Do ensure your Business is not contracting this year, not just by streamlining operational costs, but by looking for new sales and for which you would rely on the insights you can glean from your customer records or sales transactions, available from CRM and ERP systems. The more individual Businesses meet their growth goals, the better it would be for the economy as a whole to achieve brighter figures. In this issue, you will get to read insights from different companies as to how they have been responding to the challenge of keeping their operations on during the restrictions owing to the pandemic. From all quarters, there is the unmistakable sign that companies indeed see this new normal as something we all will effectively deal with, something we can put behind us once we have a vaccine in place.

DESIGN Sunil Kumar design@bmimea.com

R. Narayan Editor in Chief, Smart SMB

Management Chairman S.N. Tiwari

CEO Saumyadeep Halder

Publisher Raman Narayan

Managing Director Ankit Shukla

sn.tiwari@bmimea.com

narayan@bmimea.com

saumyadeep@bmimea.com

ankit@bmimea.com

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to validate the accuracy of all information included in the magazine, the publishers wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be liable for any errors therein Copyright@2019 Business Media International LLC. All rights reserved.

June 2020 / SMARTSMB

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CONTENT

CONTENTS Cover featurE

Security 5 LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES FOR THE CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONAL - 26

Economy BUSINESS IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC - 14

IN FOCUS

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CASH ECONOMY! - 28

Healthcare

SPEED HOUSE GROUP SELECTS EPICOR ERP - 11

TALKPOINT SCALING UP - 13 RESILIENCE ON DISPLAY - 18 SAFE AND SECURE - 20 A STEP AHEAD - 21

COVID-19: AN INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS THE WAY FORWARD - 30

EXECUTING TO PERFECTION - 24

CIO OUTLOOK

Digital Transformation HOW YOU CAN AVOID DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STAGNATION - 32

Manufacturing 10 REASONS WHY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS FAIL - 22 SMARTSMB / June 2020

A FIRST 4 STEPS TO INDUSTRY 4.0 SUCCESS - 34

June 2020 / SMARTSMB

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NEWS

AL-FUTTAIM TECHNOLOGIES IMPLEMENTS GENESYS REMOTE WORKING SOLUTIONS Over 500 contact centre customer service agents are remotely ensuring they continue to provide important business functions remote working capabilities for contact centre agents. As a result of its early intervention, over 500 contact centre customer service agents are remotely ensuring they continue to provide important business functions.

Al-Futtaim Technologies has implemented mission-critical mitigation strategies for its contact centre customers. In collaboration with Genesys, the global leader in customer experience and contact centre solutions, Al-Futtaim has enabled customers service agents to work remotely, ensuring they continue to provide important business functions during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Al-Futtaim Technologies has put into place secure and seamless remote working solutions using Genesys Cloud and Genesys Premises solutions. Customers across vital sectors including government, healthcare, financial services and aviation in the UAE have taken advantage of Genesys Rapid Response offer and Al-Futtaim’s #BeAloneTogether program to enable SMARTSMB / June 2020

Murali S., Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Engineering & Technologies, said, “Before the early signs of the COVID-19 impact on businesses, our team looked at global trends from the major hotspots and engaged with our customers early to ensure business continuity in a seamless and timely manner. As part of our regional #BeAloneTogether program and in line with the group’s efforts, we are committed to supporting communities and our partners in these challenging times. Our customers, staff and associates are at the forefront of our operations and we are dedicated to ensuring that their health and safety. “We also want to thank our silent heroes – customer service agents who are working tirelessly to contribute towards ensuring that our customers and their business operations have minimal impact. Our team put into place a robust mitigation plan that enabled critical sectors in the UAE to continue to operate as normal and meet key business objectives. We are extremely pleased with the results and the quick response from our team to ensure there was no impact on our customers’ operations,” he added.

Moro Hub launches Unified Communication Cloud Service powered by Avaya Avaya’s Unified Communications and Contact Center solutions to be made available via a cloud based subscription model Moro Hub (Data Hub Integrated Solutions owned by DEWA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has launched Moro Connect, a disruptive offering that provides Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) for businesses across the UAE.

NEWS

Moro Connect is built on technology powered by Avaya, a global leader in business communications software, systems and services. The collaboration between Avaya and Moro Hub will enable businesses in the UAE to deliver services to their customers faster at significantly reduced total cost of ownership (TCO), with better return on investments (ROI). Mohammed Bin Sulaiman, Moro Hub’s CEO said, “Businesses in the UAE are increasingly adopting ICT in their daily operations to boost their productivity, growth and to accelerate digital transformation. At Moro Hub, we recognize the importance of embracing technology to power innovation to devise new products, services and processes. Through our partnership with Avaya, Moro Hub will be introducing groundbreaking unified communication solutions in the UAE. These solutions will allow our customers to experience improved and streamlined access to their data through a consolidated process of IT systems, making it effortless to achieve their business outcomes through high levels of services delivery.” Moro Hub will host Avaya’s innovative Unified Communications and Contact Center solutions and make them available to enterprises in a cloud based subscription model, enabling organizations to purchase the capacity and services they require, as and when needed, without large upfront costs. “Avaya solutions, hosted by Moro Hub, will give businesses in the UAE the flexibility and agility they require to benefit from the latest technology trends and prepare for digital transformation. Enterprises will be able to get access to Avaya’s innovative technology solutions at prices that suit their needs, while benefiting from the reliability and expertise that industry leaders such as Avaya and Moro Hub bring to the market place,” said Nidal Abou Ltaif, Avaya President, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and EU.

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DUBAI CHAMBER MEMBERS TRADING IN ASIAN MARKETS REMAIN RESILIENT Signs of resilience in several markets and geographical regions, with trade activity particularly strong in Southeast and East Asian markets. Dubai Chamber members who are trading with markets in Asia are faring better than expected despite business challenges brought forth by the pandemic, a new report issued by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has revealed. The report, entitled Asian Markets: Bright Spots amid the COVID-19 Trade Disruptions and issued to Dubaibased exporters and re-exporters who are members of the Chamber, observed signs of resilience in several markets and geographical regions, with trade activity particularly strong in Southeast and East Asian markets. The total value of Dubai Chamber members’ Certificates of Origin (COOs) targeting Southeast Asian markets during the month of April 2020 reached AED 652.3 million, with overall activity in this region registering a 34% year-on-year (y-o-y) growth rate for the same month, and a 119% month-on-month (m-o-m) growth rate. With respect to East Asian markets, the declared overall value of COOs in April reached AED 341.7 million, representing a y-o-y growth rate of 23% and m-o-m growth rate of 0.1%. Several factors supporting Asian markets’ ability to deal with the impact of Covid-19, include past experience in dealing with pandemics, namely measures implemented to promote commerce amid restric-

tions and divert trade from countries under lockdown to Dubai. In addition, large amounts of gold shipped from Dubai to Asian markets in recent months has boosted the value of the emirate’s exports – a trend that is particularly evident in Singapore. The report identified Singapore as the top Southeast Asian market for Dubai Chamber members in April, with the value of COOs targeting the country reaching AED 407.5 million, marking y-o-y growth of 93% and m-o-m growth of 202%. Indonesia was next most significant market in Southeast Asia for Dubai Chamber members with COOs valued at AED 75 million, representing a y-o-y growth of 9% and m-o-m growth of 136%. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

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NEWS

UAE banks among top performing in GCC, KPMG report finds ported the highest net profit across the GCC, at USD 3.94 million, and the highest return on equity at 21.8 percent. Speaking about the report, Abbas Basrai, Partner and Head of Financial Services at KPMG Lower Gulf, commented: “The UAE banking sector has remained resilient, with overall good performance from the top ten listed banks. These positive financial results, coupled with the increasing focus on ‘digitization’ in the region, have resulted in a move towards a more innovative approach in “new age banking.”

Abbas Basrai

Partner and Head of Financial Services, KPMG Lower Gulf

KPMG recently released its fifth edition of the ‘GCC listed banks’ results’ report, which analyzes the published results of listed commercial banks across the region for the year ended 31 December 2019. The report, titled ‘New Age Banking’, demonstrates that the UAE’s top ten banks reported positive results in 2019, with an average 13.9 percent growth in net profit,a the highest among GCC countries, driven by an increase in the overall loan book and inorganic growth. The local banking sector continues to show strength and resilience as top UAE banks reported the region’s highest growth in their asset base of 19.5 percent. UAE-based Emirates NBD reSMARTSMB / June 2020

On another note, Covid-19 is having an unprecedented impact on financial markets globally and locally and creating a unique situation for the industry. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Central Bank of the UAE announced several relief packages. Banks must contend with many new regulations, as well as meet consumer demands for innovative, new digital banking products. “Looking to the future of the financial services sector in light of the current pandemic we are experiencing, banks will need to innovate now more than ever to reach their customers through digital platforms and new mediums. Banks that are agile, flexible and willing to transform their business models will succeed, and secure their financial strength for future growth, while those that rest on their laurels will be left behind,” added Basrai.

DXBUY – a B2B e-commerce app launches in UAE The Dubai-based startup connects small businesses with manufacturers and wholesalers through a digital platform and a tech-savvy supply chain. DXBUY, a B2B e-commerce platform dedicated to the small & medium businesses in retail, unorganized trade and F&B has announced its official launch. After being available to select users during the beta phase for nearly six months, DXBUY is now available to all businesses in the UAE to download and self-register. The mobile eCommerce app is designed to simplify the buying process by offering convenience, control, and choice. Co-founded by two experienced entrepreneur brothers, Rizwan and Adnan Zubairi, DXBUY’s mobile-first approach is designed to make the everyday

NEWS

buying process faster, smarter, and cheaper for retail buyers. The company helps fill the gaps in supply chain and provides a wide range of products by having multiple vendors and brands on a single platform. Buyers can be assured of getting cost-effective, timely deliveries and could further benefit by reducing their inventories to save on precious real estate space.

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Ziina launches UAE’s first Social P2P Payments Solution

The platform leverages data-driven technology to efficiently operate across the high volume, low transaction value categories by optimizing sales and logistics cost. It further supports local manufacturers, wholesalers and brand owners to streamline their operations with greater visibility and insights about their product categories. “Even in this day of technological advancement, the majority of purchase decisions are impulsive. Our application acts as a convenient marketplace and comparison tool for businesses to make rational decisions, while providing visibility on buying patterns to both consumers and vendors,” says Adnan Zubairi, CEO – DXBUY. “With the progression of technology and changing consumer preferences, B2B buyers fancy a B2C shopping experience for their every-day business purchase needs. With a sleek app, extensive product range and dynamic pricing, we at DXBUY have thus raised the bar in B2B e-commerce,” commented Rizwan Zubairi, COO – DXBUY.

UAE bank account holders can now use their smartphones to send and receive money as easily as sending a text message. Ziina, the UAE’s first licensed social peer-to-peer (P2P) payment application, is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for download. Ziina is on a mission to simplify payments for everyone. Users can send and receive money with just a phone number — no IBAN or swift code required. Ziina offers bank-grade security and end-to-end encryption, never holding onto your money so every transfer goes fast. The app provides a seamless way for friends and family to split the cost of takeout or a grocery bill. The young start-up raised a pre-seed round of US$850,000, led by San Francisco based Class 5 Global with participation from Samih Toukan’s Jabbar Internet Group, and other prominent angel investors. Ziina is the latest addition to the Middle East’s fintech ecosystem and is capitalizing on the region's rapid adoption of fintech friendly regulation.

Ziina’s cofounders – Faisal Toukan, CEO, Sarah Toukan, Chief Product Officer, and Andrew Gold, VP Engineering look to encourage the adoption of mobile payment solutions in their bid to fast track the UAE’s transition towards a cashless society. They are joined by a strong advisory board including serial entrepreneur Samih Toukan, and Emre Tok, who previously served as VP of Growth at Careem leading a team of 80 people. The founding team recently launched the start-up’s operations out of Dubai’s In5 tech start-up incubator, with a license issued by TECOM. Faisal said, “With several user-centric features, Ziina will redefine the way people in the Middle East think of, interact with and experience financial services. Our company is founded on the belief that everyone should have access to the next generation of financial services.” Ziina plans to gradually introduce several value-added services such as QR Code Integration, Prepaid Cards, and Utility Payments, amongst others. In the medium-term, Ziina will integrate different revenue streams. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

NEWS

IBM UNVEILS NEW AI DESIGNED TO HELP CIOS AUTOMATE IT OPERATIONS IBM is unveiling IBM Watson AIOps, a new offering that uses AI to automate how enterprises self-detect, diagnose and respond to IT anomalies in real time. Unforeseen IT incidents and outages can cost businesses in both revenue and reputation. Market research firm Aberdeen pegs an outage at about $260,000/hour. Watson AIOps enables organizations to introduce automation at the infrastructure level and is designed to help CIOs better predict and shape future outcomes, focus resources on higher-value work and build more responsive and intelligent networks that can stay up and running longer. The new solution is built on the latest release of Red Hat OpenShift to run across hybrid cloud environments and works in concert with technologies at the center of today’s distributed work environment, such as Slack and Box. It also works with providers of traditional IT monitoring solutions, such as Mat-

termost and ServiceNow. As part of the rollout, IBM is also announcing the Accelerator for Application Modernization with AI, within the IBM’s Cloud Modernization service. This new capability is designed to help clients reduce the overall effort and costs associated with application modernization. It provides a series of tools designed to optimize the end to end modernization journey, accelerating the analysis and recommendations for various architectural and microservices options. The accelerator leverages continuous learning and interpretable AI models to adapt to the client’s preferred software engineering practices and stays up-to-date with the evolution of technology and platforms. “What we’ve learned from companies all over the world is that there are three major factors that will determine the success of AI in business – language, automation and trust,” said

Rob Thomas

Senior Vice President, Cloud and Data Platform, IBM

Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President, Cloud and Data Platform, IBM. “The COVID-19 crisis and increased demand for remote work capabilities are driving the need for AI automation at an unprecedented rate and pace. With automation, we are empowering next generation CIOs and their teams to prioritize the crucial work of today’s digital enterprises—managing and mining data to apply predictive insights that help lead to more impactful business results and lower cost.”

BULWARK TECHNOLOGIES SIGNS DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH HEIMDAL SECURITY Bulwark Technologies, a leading specialized VAD has signed a distribution partnership with Heimdal Security, a global leader in leading edge endpoint protection. Unparalleled vulnerability management, Automated patch deployment, Perimeter level DNS Security along with Endpoint admin privilege management and advanced Email Security makes it a holistic security platform for all sectors of business. Heimdal Security provides users & companies from cyber-criminal actions, by keeping critical information & intellectual property safe. The proactive approach and smooth patch deployment offered by Thor Foresight is now strengthened SMARTSMB / June 2020

by Thor Vigilance’s strong reactive protection with 100% detection.

agent to activate all their products in endpoint machines.”

“We are delighted to be working with Heimdal Security and thereby further strengthening our comprehensive IT security portfolio,” says Jose Menacherry, Managing Director at Bulwark Technologies. “With its longstanding cybersecurity expertise, Heimdal Security enables us to provide our customers with industry-leading endpoint protection solutions that are both easy to integrate and highly flexible. With Heimdal solution, IT Administrators are able to implement and manage security of the end points effectively since Heimdal uses single client

Pavin Varughese, Country Manager at Heimdal Security, adds: “This new partnership with Bulwark represents a great opportunity for both sides. Working with Bulwark brings us closer to our local customers, who can now rely on both Heimdal’s comprehensive product family as well as the value-added services and on-site support offered by our competent partner. We are excited to be able to draw from Bulwark’s proven experience and its strong standing in the Middle East region. This is a big chance to strengthen our footprint in the region.”

IN FOCUS

ZOHO OFFER ITS NEW VERTICAL RELIEF PLAN DURING COVID-19 IN UAE Non-profit & government, and retail would be the sectors benefiting under the elaborate plan

oho Corporation has introduced its Vertical Relief Plan (VRP) in the UAE. The VRP is comprised of programs and tools to assist businesses and organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across two verticals: non-profit & government, and retail. "We are so grateful to all the workers who are helping us weather this storm," said Sridhar Vembu, Zoho co-founder and CEO. "Beyond those on the front lines, there are workers in industries who are struggling, who are persevering, who are inventing new paths forward. The Vertical Relief Plan is a way to support those people, whether they be government workers, or retailers, who are entirely committed to helping others and returning the world to solid ground." The VRP is a targeted effort to provide maximum assistance for businesses and organizations critically hit during this crisis. In addition to these programs, Zoho is encouraging small businesses, as well as finance, sales, marketing, and HR professionals within larger organizations to utilize discounts, training, and support programs that the company is offering. Here are some of the key features of the Vertical Relief Plan:

NON-PROFIT & GOVERNMENT • Zoho Creator COVID-19 App Program: The program helps non-profits, government bodies, and communities that are working on various programs like patient monitoring or food distribution to execute their mission more efficiently with the help of apps. These organizations can place a request, and

Zoho will build web and mobile apps for free using Zoho Creator, a low-code application development platform. • For government agencies and departments around the world that are working on COVID-19 relief initiatives like citizen helplines, Zoho is currently offering free software licenses of Zoho Desk, the company's help desk software • Increasingly, non-profits are turning to social media to drive donations and manage distribution pipelines. Governments are using social media more than ever to spread awareness and communicate breaking developments. To aid them, Zoho Social is opening up its advanced edition for free for six months. • For non-profits working to provide relief during the pandemic, Zoho Checkout is available for free, enabling them to collect online donations easily.

RETAIL • Retail store-fronts, shuttered due to the crisis, can build out an online presence using the Zoho Commerce Starter Plan for free, up to 60 days. For the existing Commerce customers, the company is raising the transaction fee threshold for the next 3 months to assist with tougher economic conditions. • Businesses providing essential services, such as retail or pharmaceuticals, can quickly set up their online presence by availing free training and rapid onboarding of Zoho Inventory, Zoho's order management software, set up specially for them.

Sridhar Vembu

Zoho co-founder and CEO

Additional Programs in Support of Change Management • Zoho Survey is now available at a 50% price reduction and comes with several crisis-related survey templates to help organizations jump-start the data collection process. Furthermore, Zoho Campaigns now offers crisis templates to assist with outreach and communications. • Zoho has increased the storage limit for businesses using WorkDrive to 1TB of shared storage for the Starter plan and 3TB of shared storage for the Team plan to help businesses currently experiencing higher-than-normal volume of data. • Zoho is offering several development programs through Zoho People, including unexpected change management training, stress management training, new technology training, onboarding training, and role-change training. • Zoho is rolling out free Zoho Recruit video credits until the end of June, 2020. Zoho Recruit has integrated with Zoho Meeting to make the video interface possible. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

IN FOCUS MANUFACTURING

SPEED HOUSE GROUP SELECTS EPICOR ERP

picor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, announced that Speed House Group of Companies has chosen Epicor ERP, a global enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, to enhance operational efficiency, scalability, and customer satisfaction. Valued Epicor partner Knowledge Web Consultancy will work with Speed House’s stakeholders to bring the full value of the Epicor commerce platform to the company and its employees. Speed House has been providing quality manufacturing products to the regional construction industry since the early 1970s, expanding from 50 employees to more than 1,200. From its home base in Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Group has spread across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, to serve customers in Australia, UK, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Lebanon. The Speed House Group now encompasses nine companies and exports to more than 20 countries. “In this modern era, digital transformation is inevitable if we want to maintain the high standards that our customers have come to expect from us,” said Saymaad Mansoor, ERP project manager, Speed House Group. “We committed ourselves to a comprehensive overhaul, including an upgrade from our existing ERP, HRMS and other core applications, to a next-gen, cloud-ready ERP solution.” Speed House’s stakeholders were keen to increase transparency, responsiveness, and traceability in their processes, as well as improve on lead times. The management team also sought to establish a foundation to enhance product quality and improve customer satisfaction. Speed House’s procurement team scoured the market for a scalable ERP platform that would give the best possible fit for the company’s

SMARTSMB / June 2020

coming the leading manufacturing company in the region.” Knowledge Web Consultancy (KWC) was chosen by Speed House for its proven record of Epicor implementations with manufacturers. Knowledge Web will assist two of Speed House Group's companies with implementation in phase one, covering an estimated 30 users and expected to last six months. Subsequent phases are intended to cover another six companies. Epicor ERP modules to be deployed by Speed House include Supplier Relationship Management, Advanced Planning and Scheduling, and Customer Relationship Management.

Amel Gardner

Regional Vice President – MEA, Epicor Software

ambitions. “Our legacy ERP solution’s data models were just not designed to handle a high volume of information in a real-time environment,” said Mansoor. “Redundant information was saved and stored by different divisions, and incompatible part codes from different applications meant stock-taking was a tedious task. The system was also not designed for a multi-company environment.” After a year-long procurement process, which evaluated several vendors and included a proof-of-concept run, Speed House selected Epicor ERP. “While its core functionality covered most of our important business processes, it was the modular approach and flexibility in customisation that set Epicor ERP apart,” Mansoor explained. “Epicor was also the best fit for our manufacturing requirements, and the software has scalability options that will empower us in our pursuit of be-

“We expect to improve productivity and reduce decision-making time thanks to the effective transfer of information,” said Mansoor, of the projected benefits of implementing Epicor ERP. “We believe that the new software will give us a competitive edge on a regional level.” As part of its ambitions to compete on the international stage, Speed House is exploring further cloud solutions from Epicor, including Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. “The Middle East and North Africa construction industry is currently a competitive hot zone for the entire supply chain,” said Amel Gardner, regional vice president – Middle East, Africa & India (MEAI), Epicor Software. “Companies that want to stay ahead of the pack know this is the time not just for optimisation, but for continuous improvement. Finding a flexible, tailored ERP platform that supports growth and is easy to deploy, integrate, use and maintain is the cornerstone of any such initiative. Epicor ERP is designed specifically to address these requirements and we are excited to help Speed House reap the benefits of the platform and be able to accelerate its growth ambitions as a result.”

TALKPOINT

SCALING UP ekar raised a $12.5M Series B, the 5th largest venture round in the Middle East in 2019. Despite the pandemic, the company is still well on its way to disrupt the car rental market and reshape mobility across the Gulf. Vilhelm Hedberg, Founder and CEO, eKar discusses how the company has coped with the disruption due to the pandemic and has a positive outlook up ahead

Vilhelm Hedberg Founder and CEO, eKar

How has ekar as an organization responded to the challenges of the pandemic from its early days? Have the employees been working from home?

SAAS platform that allows car rental and leasing companies to tokenize their fleet to rent digitally. We are going to have a huge impact on the car rental industry over the next year.

ekar management was quick to recognize that measures needed to be acted upon swiftly in order to ensure the safety of both internal and external stakeholders. We initiated the relevant contingency protocols and had the entire ekar team working remotely within 48 hours, prior to any governmental requirements to work from home. We were well prepared.

Further, we have a brand new service called subscription sharing, whereby a customer can lease a vehicle for 1-6 months and then re-share the car on the ekar platform for credits when not in use. This is launching in September, and we already have thousands of cars committed to the program.

Have you started out operations at the office or continue work from home mode? We are easing back into the office, ensuring that we follow all governmental protocols. How was business impacted and do you expect a return to a more positive trend soon? Is this already happening - can you mention with respect to all markets you address? The mobility industry took a hit during the COVID outbreak. ekar was averaging 3,000 trips daily prior to the outbreak, and quickly took an 80% drop in April as certain cities were under a full lockdown. ekar has seen positive trending, with its Saudi service on track to a record month for June 2020. We are launching the Riyadh Airport service this month, and will continue to onboard car rental cars to our service via ekar Fleet, ekarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

How do you look to plan the road to full scale operations and by when? or do you have plans to have a percentage of your workforce working from home as so many companies globally seem to be considering? We are fully up and running and are already scaling up the fleet. In terms of work from home, we are in the midst of reviewing this right now. Like many other companies globally, this crisis has opened our eyes to the fact that people can work from home. Remote work can not only save costs in rent, but can provide ekar access to talent around the world. What have been the collaborative technologies you relied on to keep the operations on as normal as possible? We relied heavily on Zoom meetings to keep operations as normal as possible. For our customer service team who need to attend to our customers and their queries, we also relied heavily on our CRM system that we had to tweak in order to ensure it could be utilized from home. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

COVER FEATURE

BUSINESS IN THE MIDST OF THE

PANDEMIC Companies in the tech sector manage to align well with the demands of the new normal

he pandemic has disrupted the world as knew it and all industry predictions have gone haywire. A few months into what is shaping up as a new normal as they call it fashionably, we are taking baby steps getting our Businesses back on the move. Companies have readjusted and in line with the guidelines from the authorities. In the Technology segment, companies have more or less enabled effective work from home measures for a good percentage of their workforce and in part with sparse attendance at the office premises itself to ensure they are taking all safety precautions. Safety

SMARTSMB / June 2020

takes precedence over all matters of commerce. Aaron White, Regional Sales Director – Middle East at Nutanix says, “First and foremost, our top priority is to protect the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners, and communities. We are assessing the situation daily, keeping the well-being of all of our stakeholders’ safety top of mind. As a company, we are following the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization and local, regional and country guidelines to guide our actions.” Nutanix was early to bring a business

continuity plan into effect. This went a long way in ensuring no interruption in its services to its customers. “At the start of the crisis, we immediately began the implementation of our business continuity plan, which is driven by a small group of global executives representing all of the critical functions inside Nutanix. Capitalizing on our own technologies and business continuity plan, Nutanix remains open for virtual business around the world. We have also implemented a number of precautionary measures to ensure uninterrupted service to our customers and partners and the continued safety

COVER FEATURE

and productivity of our employees. In an effort to protect the health of our employees and visitors, we have implemented work-from-home procedures for our global workforce and ensured employees have access to laptops, VDI infrastructure, adequate internet bandwidth, and expanded VPN capabilities,” adds Aaron. Likewise, Zoho was also quick to counter the challenge at hand. The company itself, a powerhouse today of cloud-based business-productivity and collaboration software products, had a good advantage to start with in facing up to the challenge. Ali Shabdar, Regional Director, MEA, Zoho Corp says, “We adopted a worldwide work from home policy early in March before the public lock downs were put in place. Within three days of making the announcement, 8000 people across 12 countries were able to start working remotely. Having access to Zoho's enterprise level collaboration and communication software that work seamlessly together was a major boon. As mentioned earlier, our communication and collaboration tools were heavily used to organize the teams and set up policies for remote working.” He elaborates further, “Zoho runs on Zoho. We moved our entire operation— sales, marketing, customer support, finance, legal, IT etc.—using the Zoho suite of 45+ applications. Once an internal decision was made, weeks before the global call to work from home, with little adjustments we were able to continue our work remotely. The apps that we cannot live without are Meeting and ShowTime for video calls, webinars, and conferencing Cliq, Connect, and Mail for communication, and our office and project management apps.” TP-Link, the networking vendor, responded to the situation by following a routine where only 30% of its workforce was attending office while the rest operated from home. Lucas Jiang General Manager TP-Link MEA FZE, TP-Link says, “As per law, the UAE currently allows us to operate with 30 per cent of our workforce during this

phase of the lockdown, and that is precisely what we are doing. The rest of our staff is continually devising innovative ways to increase their efficiency and productivity while working from home.” TP-Link is trying to replicate office routines for work from home via new methods to continue following old practices that help track and monitor employee performance. “Like the proper clocking-in and clocking-out system in place at our workplaces, we are following the same during this period of working from home –Moreover, they are also required to fill out daily work-reports that the HR department can evaluate to ensure that employee productivity isn’t taking a significant dip during this pandemic. This is a learning opportunity for all of us, and we can see that the requirement for our latest technologies and offerings is swelling during this time as home-office network demands shoot through the roof around the globe.” The transition has required a good bit of advance planning and execution even for companies that are Technology leaders. Ali says, “Going remote isn’t just a matter of flipping a switch and assuming that everything is business as usual. It took a substantial amount of coordination and effort to ensure that we continue serving our customers while also keeping our employees safe. We set up trial runs with selective teams a couple days before making the official announcement. We then started helping our customers going remote as well with the launch of Zoho Remotely. We have seen a surge in the interest from the market and we work tirelessly to serve everyone to the best of our ability.” Zoho released a remote-working toolkit, put together specifically to help businesses transition smoothly into remote work. “It is no easy task, especially when many business operations require you to be on-the-ground and have in-person communication. The Zoho Remote-

Aaron White

Regional Sales Director – ME, Nutanix

ly is at the core of offerings to help businesses make this happen. It is a suite of 11 business apps specifically bundled for remote workers and to help our customers more, we made it available for free until July 1, 2020.” As a fully bootstrapped company for more than 20 years, Zoho was also aware of the challenges growing busi— By Diksha Vohra nesses face. With that in context, Zoho launched the Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program (ESAP). “Our goal is to lighten the financial burden on those small business customers who have been severely impacted by the economic disruption. We also tapped into data resources and created Coronavirus Tracker Dashboards using our BI platform, Zoho Analytics. These are designed to give everyone clear and up-to-date information, so they can make informed safety decisions and take the necessary precautionary measures.” Nutanix has seen itself at a good advantage in the evolving situation as it has relevant solutions that cater to enJune 2020 / SMARTSMB

COVER FEATURE

Lucas says, “Our main challenges lie around managing work from home logistics as this is relatively new for everyone and something we’ll have to learn to adjust to and come on top of as the situation is far from over gauging from its current status. The biggest challenge that everyone, including our workforce, is currently experiencing is also one of our most significant business growth opportunities at the moment – the increasing demand for seamless WiFi and connectivity at home. This is where our forward-looking hi-tech products come into play because this is the very problem they are built to cater. Internally, we are overcoming this challenge by allocating the workload smartly so as to manage it and remain on top of things efficiently.”

Ali Shabdar

Regional Director, MEA, Zoho Corp

abling remote work. They are addressing these new opportunities coming their way as many companies across different verticals are in process of enabling the new way of working. Aaron adds, “As mentioned, we have transitioned smoothly to the new normal. In fact we have seen an increasing interest in our remote working solutions from enterprises in the region. Our solutions (for example, virtual desktop with our partner Citrix or desktop-asa-service with our product Frame) can help organizations adapt to this rapidly-evolving situation by allowing them to support their employees to work productively from remote locations. We have many customers in different verticals, including government entities and educational institutions and it is a chance to help organizations quickly provide viable work- or learn-fromhome options.” TP-Link has ensured its operations were on schedule but with strict adherence to safety guidelines and the 30% formula for office attendance. The experience of the work from home set-up has revealed to the company that the home segment now indeed needs high er bandwidth wi-fi connectivity. SMARTSMB / June 2020

While there may be some relearning adjustments called from employees as they go completely digital when working on remote basis, companies like Nutanix and other technology vendors who may already have had a percentage of workforces working remotely, look geared to make a seamless transition. Aaron says, “As a global IT company, our current infrastructure was designed to support remote work, with half our global workforce already working remotely in their day-to-day roles. We were already well prepared to continue running our business and focusing on our customers during a crisis” Digital transformation is key to successfully managing remote working. However, the measurement would vary based on what an employee’s profile is and how they are able to cope and adapt to the ‘new normal’. Lucas says, “Digital transformation is a journey that can be different for each resource, and our management is working towards understanding and enabling each member of the staff on the basis their individual needs. They engage with their team members to gain a clear understanding of the conditions under which they perform best, their concerns about their workflow and their emotional response to the

situation. Our managers are using a customization of tools and motivators that work best for each member. On the whole, we are making extensive use of platforms like Zoom for meetings and WhatsApp and WeChat for one-to-one communication.” He adds that however, there is no major re-skilling expectations or requirements from employees in the changed context. The challenge is to maintain the work discipline when working from home. Lucas says, “The challenge is in conditioning themselves to manage a work routine from home and complete their tasks without dampening their productivity much despite the lack of an office-like feel. We try to look at it more like re-adjusting as per a new working environment that the workforce is already too familiar with while they continue doing what they were doing earlier in terms of work.” Zoho's culture enables its employees to always be in the know of the current trends and build exceptional solutions. The hand on approach to technology is pervasive across the company culture that ensured there were far few hiccups in the transition and everyone was up to speed. Ali says, “We have active (internal) channels on Zoho Cliq and groups in Zoho Connect discussing various topics, global challenges, and possible solutions. We are a hands-on company by design. There is a good synergy between the leadership, product teams, and the teams on ground to ensure we all stay up to speed with how to improve ourselves and in turn improve the solutions we provide to our customers.” The supply chain has likely come under duress as factories remained closed in parts of the world during the peak of the pandemic infections, but companies seem to have coped to a good extent. Likewise, on the support side too, companies have used technologies to reach out to customers. Aaron says, “We’ve conducted a supply chain analysis and created contingency plans with our key suppliers.

COVER FEATURE

Based on current information, we do not anticipate any immediate supply constraints, though the situation is obviously fluid and could change. We will keep our community in the loop as new information becomes available. Our worldwide support teams and other key functions remain up and running and ready to attend to all customer and partner needs. Based on the analysis we’ve done to assess both hardware and software support capabilities, we have contingency plans in place to allow us to continue to provide 24x7 worldwide support to our customers at this time.” A manufacturer of networking hardware products, Lucas concedes that there has been a disruption in the supply chain. He says, “As mentioned earlier, logis-

been getting around the challenges and doing so through regular online meetings with customer and partners. There has been a substantial interest and demand for solutions that enable work from home and there has been a spurt in online shopping as well. For vendors, who have solutions that fall into categories that are seeing demand are catering to this need. Lucas says, “Given the current COVID-19 circumstances, everyone around the globe is more or less being pushed to work from home for an unforeseeable amount of time. This shift from workplaces to home offices has caused a consequential and exponential rise in the demand for better networking solutions, speeds, and bandwidth. Moreover, there is the sudden surge in retail

Lucas Jiang

General Manager - MEA FZE, TP-Link

"The challenge is in conditioning themselves to manage a work routine from home and complete their tasks without dampening their productivity much despite the lack of an office-like feel" tics has definitely been affected owing to the lockdown rules that have been put in place for everyone’s safety at the end of the day. However, our after-sales support remains as prompt as ever – we were remotely assisting customers earlier, and we continue to do so during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Technological advancements and the intelligent architecture of our offerings make things easier for both our customers and our technical support staff as many situations don’t actually require site visits. All our support lines are being forwarded to the technical support staff’s mobile numbers, and we already had applications in place to help customers with routine issues and troubleshooting.” As the world gets used to the new circumstances, companies have

and online businesses and more so for those that operate within the purview of essential services. In view of this, our digital engagements are on the rise with our partners and customers. We regularly conduct digital meetings with our partners.” Finally, overcoming the challenges presented during the current COVID’19 crisis will require making the company’s digital transformation a requisite, a decision not to be deferred. To compete in the evolving future, companies needs to have the right fit infrastructure that is mostly cloud enabled. According to Aaron, companies should embrace virtualize desktops and Applications as physical desktops and laptops are becoming a

poor fit for today’s dynamic, digital workplace. He says, “Enterprises will stand a better chance of enduring the situation if they have already modernized core infrastructure. They will be ready to meet the challenges of the current environment - or any other challenges for that matter - i.e start-ups , rivals, pandemics. Organizations need to look to modernize their IT infrastructure by enabling increased automation, increased self-service, making greater use of cloud and mobile platforms and optimizing use of data wherein decisions should always be made on the data, despite emotional times.” While it has not been easy, companies have done well so far to cope with the unprecedented calamity that the pandemic has brought upon the world. The alternative way to work has been rolled out across industries and yet in near future when we find a way out through a good vaccine that can beat covid-19, hopefully a balance would be established between what was before and what we can in future. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

TALKPOINT

RESILIENCE ON DISPLAY Rizwan Sajan

Founder and Chairman of Danube Group

SMARTSMB / June 2020

The Danube group has transformed from its modest beginnings over 25 years ago to one that employs over 3300 people across 50 locations in over 9 countries. Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group, who has been â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ranked 7th among Top 100 Indian leaders in the UAEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, has been instrumental as Founder and Chairman in building his group of companies into a formidable market leader in the region for Building Materials. In this interview with Smart SMB, he elaborates on how the group has continued to keep it Business as usual in the midst of the pandemic while following all safety guidelines

TALKPOINT

How has Danube responded to the challenges of the pandemic outbreak in terms of managing operations? Our company has been operational with our building materials vertical running at full tilt since it fell in the list of the businesses authorized in the region to operate partially if not completely when the lockdown was imposed in the beginning. Although, we were exempted from the restrictions of the lockdown, we tried to keep as lesser number of people outside as possible, asking them to go places only if it was absolutely necessary. While in offices, strict instructions were cascaded down the hierarchy of all of the departments to use the precaution kits, consisting of gloves, masks and sanitizers to be handed out to all of the employees and anyone entering our office premises with thermal scanners and instructions of social distancing being in place. So, following these measures, we had made sure that our building material vertical ran without a hitch to ensure full productivity. Are there Danube staff working from home? We have allowed 70 percent of our staff to start coming to office with remaining working from home. Considering the easing of lockdown happening in the world nowadays, we could enjoy the leeway of letting more number of people come to work, but we are still refraining from doing so. The more we could contribute to the containment of this virus, the better. How are safety precautions being met at the warehouse and office facilities? Firstly, people are thermally scanned and observed by guards at the gate to check if they are wearing masks and gloves before they enter the offices and warehouse facilities. There are instructions at prominent places to remind people of social distancing measures. Disposable wipes, masks and sanitizers are also being distrib-

uted among the workforce from time to time. Our employees are relying more on digital meetings even if they have to communicate with someone present in the office at the same time, adding more to the safety factor inside the facilities from the virus. Our Danube home’s division is following a strict procedure when it comes to the logistical arrangements of delivering products from its warehouses to its customers. Different

scope of vision of the leaders of the region is known to keep the market always booming and dynamic, we are definitely expecting an upward trend in the economy around the corner. Do you intend to keep a percentage of your workforce in work from home mode as so many companies globally seem to be considering, at least some of the backend staff? We are constantly keeping a tab on

"Our online sales through e-commerce has seen a spike during these times and since the wide scope of vision of the leaders of the region always keeps the markets booming and dynamic, we are definitely expecting an upward trend in the economy around the corner." personal protective equipment, covering the bodies from head to toe, are worn by workers at the time of delivery of the products at customer’s place and its shipment from warehouse. Other than that, all of the products are disinfected as well before their movement to any place.

what is being communicated by the government for how much workforce is allowed to work from home and office. We have allowed 70% of our employees to start coming so far and rest are working from home. So, there are some people that are working as backend staff now.

How was business impacted and do you expect a return to a more positive trend soon? Is this already happening - can you mention with respect to all markets you address?

What were the collaborative technologies you relied on to keep the operations on as normal as possible? Did you initiate any new technology deployments to beat the challenges ?

Our businesses were impacted like every other Business out there. But, building materials vertical of our conglomerate was still functioning as it fell in the list of the businesses authorized by the government to operate partially if not completely when the lockdown was imposed in the beginning. Due to this leniency allowed for the building materials businesses, home interiors décor vertical and real estate division of our conglomerate were working by extension. Our online sales through e-commerce also spiked during these times and since the wide

We had been using Microsoft teams, cisco webex, zoom, video conferencing tools, VPN’s and other IT tools to keep our productivity in place. On top of that, we were conducting virtual trainings of employees as well, using these tools with some virtual motivational sessions to keep our employees happy and motivated all the time and because of the shift towards e-commerce during these times, our online sales has compensated for absence of footfall in our store across UAE. So, Technology has been really great to us. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

TALKPOINT

SAFE AND SECURE Andrea Carter, Regional Director, Marketing NEMEA, Sophos discusses how the vendor responded to the operational challenges brought up by the Covid-19 pandemic How has the company reviewed and adjusted its workforce to work from home due to Covid19? Following the continued spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe, we have reassured our customers and partners that our ability to protect them is uncompromised. All departments, including threat intelligence, protection, and response from SophosLabs, Managed Threat Response, and Global Support Services are operating as normal to provide 24Ă&#x2014;7 detection, protection, and technical support. These business units already use a global follow-the-sun delivery strategy that allows Sophos to maintain continuity during the regular course of business and is continually improved as needed. Sophos also has in place a robust set of technologies that enables the majority of our global employees to work from home. We are fully enabled to continue day-to-day business, including product development and other important efforts, remotely. What have been some of the challenges that you have overcome? Sophos has implemented a range of precautionary measures to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. We are extremely committed to stopping the spread of COVID-19. We have taken some steps and we will continue closely monitor and adjust as needed. As of now, most of our employees are working from home. As a global cybersecurity company, we have a geographically diverse workforce that was already set up to work remotely - previous to COVID-19. We have stopped all SMARTSMB / June 2020

business travel and support employees who need to shelter in place. We are also not attending or producing regional in-person events, and instead we have postponed our own events or we are holding virtual events as a replacement Was the company ready in quick time to make a successful transition? A vast majority of employees are already set up to work remotely, as this was a practice that we used previous to COVID-19. Being a technology company with a geographically diverse workforce, we were already a digitally enabled. Discuss some of the digital engagements you have executed/ planned with partners/ end-customers? The working environment has changed beyond recognition and organizations everywhere are supporting a newly remote workforce while remaining operational, productive and secure. For channel businesses, customer service and support are being redefined as they look to help their clients navigate this new landscape. Sophos is also committed to making it easier for partners to support their customers through the crisis by encouraging the wider cybersecurity community to share threat intelligence through what is now the COVID-19 Cyber Threat Coalition. This grassroots industry group was started by Sophosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Chief Scientist Josh Saxe. In addition, we have shifted all our partner and customer engagements to virtual platforms. Very soon we are going to host our partner conferences

Andrea Carter

Regional Director, Marketing NEMEA, Sophos

virtually. Our major customer and partner engagements like round tables, customer focused events, Sync with Sophos series, SOS Week and Marketing classes are currently happening over virtual platforms. We have also noticed the increase in engagement from our partners and customers. Do you see the role of digital marketing becoming more important? The kind of targeting, engagement and measurement matrix that digital marketing provides are beyond comparison. At Sophos, digital marketing is always a large part of our spend, even in the MEA region. Hence, the importance of digital marketing has always been there. However, this phase has certainly made digital marketing the only way to reach out to people and therefore the frequency of activities has certainly increased multiple folds. Is there a lot of relearning and reskilling expected from employees? At Sophos, most of the employees and processes were already set for such a scenario previous to COVID-19 and hence there were minimum changes that employees had to deal with.

TALKPOINT

A STEP AHEAD Richard Botley, senior content manager at Mimecast discusses the measures the company undertook in the face of the challenges presented by Covid-19 How has the company managed operational challenges dues to Covid19? Was work from home implemented?

We know education and support is critical in these times, so we’ve been running weekly threat intelligence webinar briefings to arm our customers with the right knowledge to defend against these threats.

In early March, we stopped all international business travel and enacted a global working from home policy. Our early decision was led by an abundance of caution and we were thankfully already setup with our own cloud-first strategy for IT and security for years. This was both in preparation for an emergency as well as for the daily support of our highly mobile and global staff, including some members that permanently work from home. What have been some of the challenges that you have overcome in ensuring the transition? After ensuring safety of our teams, the next challenge was to keep business running effectively to look after our customers and channel partners. Based on initial customer feedback, we saw an opportunity to help organisations who were struggling to rapidly transition to a secure WFH environment. Our teams quickly worked together to launch a website focused on helping security leaders better secure and protect their employees while enabling a mobile workforce. This site is updated regularly to provide insights into new threats, to help organisations through this challenging time. What are some of the collaboration tools you have adopted during the phase as a team? Due to the global nature of our business, Mimecast employees already had a strong mix of online collaboration tools such as secure email, Slack and video conferencing and webinar options.

Is there a lot of relearning and reskilling expected from employees? Many employees who have never worked from home before will certainly need to adapt their workstyle, especially if juggling personal demands from family and the distractive mental strain of the pandemic itself.

Richard Botley

Senior Content Manager, Mimecast

However, here in the Middle East we know that physical events and faceto-face meetings are culturally important, often more so than many other geographies. The UAE for example, traditionally has only around 10% of people working regularly from home. This shift remains a challenge but we’re also deeply invested in experimenting with new virtual events to keep us close and engaged with our communities Discuss some of the digital engagements you have executed/planned with partners / end customers? We’ve seen significant increases in coronavirus-related spam and impersonation attack campaigns, which are exploiting the vulnerability of users working at home. Criminals are taking advantage of the desire for information about the coronavirus pandemic to entice users to click on unsafe links.

Keeping safe and secure online at home also requires new skills. Mimecast has detected a rise in unsafe clicks, suggesting that there’s an urgent need to refresh awareness training for employees and to help ensure they have a secure working environment. How are specific job functions like logistics/ after sales support that is part of technology business impacted? Customer support has easily transferred over to secure video conferencing. We obviously love to meet up face-to-face, but there are some circumstances where we’ve found that virtual is better because we spend even more time with customers, by removing travel time and office distractions. What would you want to tell your partners and customers about overcoming the challenges presented during the current COVID’19 crisis? Consider how to build resilience in everything you do – from community to cash flow, IT security to mental health, family to friendships, a prepared-for-anything mindset can only help guide you through this global crisis. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

CIO OUTLOOK

10 REASONS

WHY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS

FAIL

Partha Banerjee, Group IT Manager at Al Safeer Group offers us an expert view on why some digital transformation journeys tend to fail and how avoiding the listed mistakes would be vital to ensuring successful digital transformation

igital transformation is the latest trend in the market. CIOs are stitching together cloud, APIs and micro services into platforms to augment business processes. Agile architectures, they believe, help streamline operations and better serve customers. More than 50% of the business and tech leaders claim that their organization is advancing digital transformation plans across the enterprise. The harsh reality is that such transformations often feel like mirages: cool and inviting from afar, but less real as they progress along the path. Often the biggest misstep is the inability to account for the cultural change required to pull off enterprise-wide transformation. Getting blindsided by COVID-19 isn’t doing organizations any favors on their transformation journeys, but even for those who keep most of their budgets intact, there are very specific impediments to driving wholesale enterprise change. Here are 10 stumbling blocks that are considered to be responsible for derailing digital transformations.

SMARTSMB / June 2020

Culture shock: For many organizations, the culture change required for transformation can prove insurmountable. A large number of organizations say that their organizational structure is not aligned to support transformation. Technology is at everyone’s fingertips but realizing how to optimize its potential is complicated. That narrow mindset — lacking a common vision and failing to consider the entire ecosystem — is exactly where digital initiatives go wrong.

Lack of CEO sponsorship: Digital transformation efforts are coming up short on intended ROI, in part because digital transformation is as much a leadership issue as it is a strategy, technology, culture and talent issue. Transformation starts from the top — in theory, at least. But, according to a 2017 Wipro Digital survey, the lack of a clear transformation strategy was cited by 35 percent of executives as a key barrier to achieving its full digital potential, according to Rajan Kohli, global head of Wipro Digital, the CEO is often to blame.

The problem with siloes: Many technology leaders cited too

many competing priorities as a transformation hurdle they are struggling to clear. It is critical to secure consensus among senior leaders and stakeholders regarding business goals and minimize conflicts in expectations. COVID-19 has highlighted these disconnects in the organizations. A product owner who can’t see inside the supply chain because they aren’t allowed access will find it difficult to serve customers. Moreover, a siloed organization isn’t going to respond nimbly in a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic. It's about success in transcending or traversing the organizational siloes and the organization layers to transform all of the business processes to get the outcome you desire.

Trouble with ‘what and how’: Assuming they get over their resistance to change, most companies don’t exit the ‘wait-and-see’ mode until lackluster financials and pressure mounts from the board and rivals. Still, most leaders struggle to figure out what they need to change and how to go about it. This indecision can create inertia or, worse, wrong decisions. A major stumbling block for transfor-

CIO OUTLOOK

mations involves the failure to understand the technology required and the talent necessary to operate it. Business unit leaders must liaise with their CIOs to get a handle on the knowledge gaps. The pace of digital change makes this a difficult but necessary ingredient for success.

Wait-and-see trap: Indecision over the “what and how” puts companies in binds, as they delay transformation. The single biggest predictor of success of transformation is the promptness of their start. Ironically, while COVID-19 has ground a lot of businesses to a standstill, it’s also accelerated transformative tech maneuvers in a matter of weeks instead of months. COVID-19 is driving us through barriers.

The shiny new toy syndrome: Neither the willingness to change nor the perfect alignment of tech and staff can save CIOs from falling into the technology-centricity trap, aka the shiny new toy syndrome. While technology is a critical driver of transformation, applying tools that don’t help satisfy customer demands or enable new digital business models adds little value. Another problem is that of picking favorites, such as cloud, predictive analytics, block-chain, artificial intelligence or internet of things (IoT). Sometimes CIOs can fall in love with a single tool in their kit and obscure fundamental competitive and customer considerations. The clients we see that are doing well focus less on the new shiny toy or new tech component and more on looking for the right place to apply it.

Big Bang Theory: Organizations that find common grounds on a strategy and show a willingness to change tend to treat transformation with a Big Bang approach, rather than as a series of iterative shifts shaped to change the business process. Often, this results in too many expectations on too many outcomes. And if the culture isn’t aligned right, the strategy fails.

Partha Banerjee

Group IT Manager, Al Safeer Group

Slow & unpredictable ROI: In a survey carried out by Wipro Digital's survey only 4 percent of respondents said they realized barely half of their digital investments in less than a year, with the majority of respondents saying it has taken their company two to three years to see at least half of these investments come to fruition. The scale and pace of digital acceleration compounds the issues, making it hard to close the gap between incumbents and rivals. For instance, companies that are starting version 2 of a digital service may find themselves competing against disruptors that are on a higher version. Scale or network effects can make failure seem even bigger.

Talent deficit: Digital transformations require new talent, including

software engineers trained in the latest programming languages and product managers who know what customers want in a virtual assistant. But demand far outstrips supply, and most enterprises find it hard to lure seasoned software developers, product managers and other tech professionals away from high paying and reputed establishments.

10.

Lack of continuity: Usually, senior-level leaders don’t want to inherit a transformation, they want to start from scratch to leave their mark. Turnover among the rankand-file staff and other managers is as much to blame for the issue. With CIOs and their staff jumping ship (both voluntarily and involuntarily), enterprises suffer in executing their digital strategies. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

TALKPOINT

EXECUTING TO PERFECTION Isha Farha Quraishy, Customer Success Manager, Digital Transformation, Finesse discusses how the system integrator was quick to adjust to the remote working mode in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak How has the company reviewed and adjusted its workforce to work from home during the Covid19 disruption? Finesse quickly adopted Stay home stay safe policy for the wellbeing of the employees and the community. Finesse being a digital-ready company, We were fully geared up to ensure full digital adoption for business continuity and customer satisfaction. We thoroughly checked and tested for remote working facilities and conducted a few days of trial much before the Lockdown to identify any challenges. We also offer work from home digital solutions to our customers and partners. What have been some of the challenges that you have overcome? We have been running our customer’s business-critical systems. Every business continuity measures were in place to overcome the challenges. The Prime challenges that every company faces today were Communication, Privacy, and Security along with the adoption of Work from home culture. As mentioned earlier, we had plans in place, hence we did not face any challenge during the Lockdown. Was the company ready in quick time to make a successful transition? Being a digital-ready company, Finesse did not require a business re-engineering. The current challenge had given us an opportunity to adopt and promote our specialized digital transformation solution and services. We use Microsoft Teams, Internet telephony, and other web conferencing tools, along with Business Process automation tools to automate end to end business process. Discuss some of the digital engageSMARTSMB / June 2020

ments you have executed/ planned with partners/ end-customers? We have executed work from home Solution, AI-based Chatbot to elevate the communication platform, Robotic Process Automation, Digital Security Solutions, Business Intelligence, Treasury Management, and CRM solution. We also have Currency Sterilizer which is Plasma-based and Physical robots as well. In fact, Finesse is engaged with 300 plus enterprise customers in this region with their digital enablement, we have around 30 plus project executions running concurrently. Do you see the role of digital marketing becoming more important during this phase? Finesse is the No.1 trusted Software system integrator of this Region with laser focus on digital transformation. Digital Marketing is a major part of Finesse marketing strategy. We have seen the return of investment over the years . We have been part of regions biggest Technology Expo since many consecutive years . We have Digital Marketing Technology and Application solutions for our customers to adopt. Irrespective of COVID or not , Digital Marketing is a very important in any business in today’s digital age. Is there a lot of relearning and reskilling expected from employees? Being a company with a core focus on digital transformation, we were Digital ready for now and for the future. The customer experience of the latest digital tools are awesome and it is very user friendly. The adoption did not require any additional training. Staying upto date with software versions and security patches are important part of

Isha Farha Quraishy

Customer Success Manager, Digital Transformation, Finesse

companies technology matrix.

— By Diksha Vohra

How are specific job functions like logistics/ after-support sales impacted and being coped with? Be it sales, presales, or delivery, we are not affected much. We executed remotely without compromising the quality. We already had a practice of remotely dealing with our customers, partners, and vendors. I agree that it got increased with the lockdown. Customer satisfaction increased and business perspective did not affect much. What special message in one line would you like to send out to partners and customers? Technology is keep on evolving, Tomorrow will be all about virtual spaces - world will learn to run virtually than

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June 2020 / SMARTSMB

CYBERSECURITY

Leadership Principles for the Cybersecurity Professional

eadership is at the core of all success and failure in business. During a time of crisis, the critical strengths of leaders, such as compassion and agility, are pushed front and center for all to see. Some organizations will thrive while others will struggle and much of it is based on the decisions and actions of leaders. Every organization needs good leaders, especially when things get tough. So, it’s important to keep developing your own skills as a leader, as well as grooming the next generation of leaders. In cybersecurity, it’s not uncommon for technologists to manage teams. I have been lucky to work for technologists who not only have a good perspective on leadership but can practice what they preach. However, the more common refrain is that technologists understand technology but not people, that they tend to be technically competent but lack the social and emotional skills required for effective leadership. This presents a challenge in cybersecurity. As a field that demands specific knowledge and deep expertise, technologists are the natural choice when it comes to lead-

SMARTSMB / June 2020

M.K. Palmore, Field Chief Security Officer at Palo Alto Networks discusses some key tips for people in leadership roles of cybersecurity ership. For non-technologists, it might seem daunting and they can feel overrun by the complexity of constant technological advances. But here’s the funny thing about leadership — if you give me a skilled leader I could put him or her in charge in nearly any scenario and the outcome would likely be promising. A skilled leader knows how to motivate a team, inspire people, solve problems, delegate tasks, and be the captain of the ship providing confidence and a sense of community. Of course, domain-specific expertise still matters. In leading people with technical skills, they need to know that you have a grasp of the concepts before they will accept your vision and strategy. That part falls on you. In addition to evolving your leadership capabilities, you must pay attention to honing your technical skills. Leaders are not born. They are forged through deep experience and have two overriding characteristics: They are consistently self-aware, and always seeking to improve their skills in leading people. For technologists seeking to become better leaders, or non-technologists seeking to lead better in cybersecuri-

CYBERSECURITY

ty (or a related technical field), I want to share five broadly applicable principles that have guided me through the years. Keep these in mind when you get a group of high performers waiting to be led:

1. Let your eagles fly Good leaders recognize exceptional talent quickly. These eagles are normally well regarded by others and quickly prove their value and usefulness to the team. Once you have these one or two folks identified, share your overall strategy and vision and then let them do what they do. Eagles rarely require intervention and direction. Once imbued with the strategic vision of the leader they typically forge ahead and bring a lot of value to the team. Leaders can get hung up on methods. Don’t! The worst thing you can do is attempt to impose your methods on someone else. It worked for you; maybe you are an eagle yourself. You’ve achieved some level of success because your prior leaders trusted you to do what was needed to succeed. More often than not, you did just that. Don’t attempt to corral your eagles. They are talented and capable. Their success will bring light to the team’s vision.

2. Prepare your team for your eventual departure I am a student of leadership. One of the principles drilled into me early was that one of the best things you can do shortly after your arrival is to begin preparing your team for your eventual departure. It’s counterintuitive but serves your team in the best way possible by taking on the multi-disciplinary role of both leader and teacher. It can be done, especially as you begin to see members of your team clearly show their potential for future leadership opportunities.

3. Train your workforce The cybersecurity field will keep changing at a rapid pace. Technology and innovation are not waiting for the information security teams to take great leaps. Keeping your workforce trained on contemporary and bleeding edge technologies and developments will ensure the readiness of your team and the individuals, who might be ready to tackle different challenges outside of your team.

4. Actively look to diversify your team Diversity is the buzz word here in Silicon Valley. There has been study after study and observations abound about the lack of diversity in the technology and cybersecurity realms. How many times have we seen splashy headlines of diversity hires only to see those folks leave an organization a year or two after a very public hire. We need to do better and simply get this right. There’s a saying in business circles that which gets measured gets done.

M.K. Palmore

Field Chief Security Officer, Palo Alto Networks

Time to apply this simple mantra to the hiring of a diverse workforce. The growing complexity of cybersecurity demands that we create a workforce highly capable and ready to tackle future challenges. A diverse team means you’ll have diverse ideas. It’s all hands on deck. Let’s start acting like it.

5. Communicate on a regular basis It shouldn’t take a crisis to drive home the need to level up the amount of communication we do with our teams. If you are not speaking to your teams weekly or bi-weekly in the current environment, then you are not likely in touch. Communication has always served as the life blood of team connectivity and now more than ever staying in touch with our people and simply being available are really the most important thing you can be doing. Jump on the Zoom or Google Meets and touch base with your team right now! Five principles will not cover all of your bases, but it’s a great place to start. Being a student of leadership means constantly sharpening your tools. Get after it … and become a stronger leader! June 2020 / SMARTSMB

ECONOMY

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CASH ECONOMY! Sunil Paul, the Co-Founder & Managing Director of Finesse, a global provider of digital transformation solutions discusses how cash payments still form the majority of consumer transactions in the region

SMARTSMB / June 2020

he maxim â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cash is kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; still carries currency in the oil-exporting countries in the Middle East. In fact, cash remains the most widely used payment instrument in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first and second biggest Arab economies in the world. While the UAE and Saudi have some of the highest levels of Internet and smartphone penetration in the region, and although non-cash payment instruments like credit/debit cards and mobile wallets gaining traction among the youth; in the UAE, for example, cash transactions accounted for 82 percent of total payment transaction volume in 2018, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com. Cash remains popular in GCC countries because of several factors: consumers see cash as a quicker and safer payment option which gives them more control on their spending and stay within their budgets. The large transient and unbanked blue-collar workforce in the region

ECONOMY

prefers cash as they don't have credit cards or bank accounts. There is also a significant part of the trading and small business sectors in these countries that prefer to transact in cash. Even the growth of e-commerce hasn’t dented cash’s pole position with 62 percent of MENA online shoppers preferring cash on delivery (COD) as a payment method when buying online, according to a study released by Bain last year. So, where this region is concerned, it is clear cash is going to be around for much longer period than in the West where people would be hard-pressed to remember the last time, they had used cash to settle bills. But then came the coronavirus pandemic, which is still reworking the way the world looks at work, travel and community hygiene. Now, cash is being regarded not so much as a vector of wealth than as a vector of the dreaded coronavirus that has, to date, claimed 308,000 lives worldwide. However, physical currency, whether notes or coins, being viewed as carriers of bacteria, viruses and other organisms that potentially pose a threat to human life, isn’t something that happened with COVID-19. A study by Indian scientists in 2015 of banknotes collected from street vendors, grocery stores and money exchanges found that they harboured fungi (70%), bacterial populations (9%) and viruses (<1%). Swiss researchers discovered that when they smeared bills with mucus from children with the flu, the virus lived for up to 12 days, according to a New York Times report. A recent report in US News and World Report cited a study which found that “counting paper notes using saliva, coughing and sneezing on hands then exchanging money, and placement or storage of paper notes on dirty surfaces leads to the contamination and these notes will act as a vehicle delivering bacteria to contaminate the hands of the next user.” COVID-19, since it lies dormant for longer periods on surfaces and has a high infection rate, has raised the fear level several-fold among the public about the virus spreading through currency notes. Reuters had reported that the US federal reserve was quarantining dollars repatriated from Asia before recirculating them, as a precautionary measure against spreading the virus. Recently, the UAE Central Bank asked customers to use the same precautionary measures as other surfaces to bank notes, such as cleaning it with antiseptics, or washing hands after each use. Even the Bank of England has gone on record that banknotes can spread viruses and bacteria, thus, it is urged for people to wash hands frequently. The spread of COVID-19 has made sanitising every item a necessity. However, disinfecting liquids like sanitiser gels are not recommended, especially for paper currency notes, since they can damage its security features.

Sunil Paul

Co-Founder & Managing Director, Finesse

While the onus for hygiene and safety is mainly on the consumer who is asked to wash his or her hands frequently, companies and organisations that handle cash and/or coins regularly – like banks, currency exchanges, retail shops and even hospitals - could do their bit as well. In Thailand, for example, a local forex firm sprays currency with disinfectant before sealing them in the plastic bags to be sent to its other branches. There are also machines available in the market disinfect currencies and coins in contactless manner while eliminating elements of human error that arise with manual cleaning. Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems mainly apply Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation concept to kill or inactivate microorganisms. However, plasma ion sterilisers go a step further by eliminating bacterial fine dust (PM 2.5) and kills 99.9 percent of germs in 30 seconds. Unlike UV-based systems, where the currency must be exposed to UV rays for a period of time, plasma ion systems do the job while counting currency ensuring that minimal work flow disruption. Global System Integrator Finesse has recently launched a one of its kind open steriliser based on plasma ion technology in the region. While governments worldwide are keen to accelerate the adoption of contactless payments to ensure social distancing, cash is going to be around as long as people prefer to use it or have no trust-worthy and cost-effective alternatives to it. Moreover, the desire to hold more physical cash during a time of crisis may give some people a sense of control over the situation, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

HEALTHCARE

COVID-19:

AN INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS THE WAY FORWARD At King's College Hospital London, Dubai, multi-disciplinary teams have challenged the so-called old-fashioned siloed practice, and work as a single ecosystem to prioritize the health and well-being of its patients. Christian Schuhmacher, CEO, King's College Hospital London, Dubai highlights how a truly integrated approach is driving the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effective response to the pandemic

SMARTSMB / June 2020

ith dozens of healthcare facilities across the UAE, the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthcare system is evolving faster than elsewhere in the world. A few weeks back, the World Health Organisation (WHO) commended the UAE for leading the front in COVID-19 by conducting the highest level of testing per million in the world, which is an effective strategy of keeping track of the virus, which is pertinent to knowing the necessary measures to take in combating the epidemic. All these efforts have been made possible by the integrated healthcare system put in place to unite all the key health delivery systems.

ers in the wide healthcare field is key to effectively and efficiently tackle any challenge, and especially one on the scale of the current pandemic. In Dubai not only is the coordination of beds, both critical as well as normal beds centralized, but all relevant government agencies, from Dubai Ambulance, to Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality and many many others closely coordinate their efforts in tackling COVID 19 in Dubai.

And it went beyond just coordinating the immediate response. Also, research facilities like Mohammed Bin Rashid University (MBRU) is part of this unified approach and came up with groundbreaking analysis of the strain of virus here in the UAE. The key role The UAE is a set example of how unified in coordinating all these efforts in the policies Simon and infrastructures across the Fisher public and privateVice healthcare sectors sector is played by the Executive President - Gulf, ACEhealthcare Group COVID Central Command Center, where can work towards the delivery of a full all initiatives, challenges and learnrange of services and as a result imings are translated into practice and prove health outcomes. The collaboraunified policies. All the relevant regution and coordination between all play-

HEALTHCARE

lators like Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Healthcare City Authority and their key senior members as well as the aforementioned other key governmental and private stakeholders play a vital part in this collaborative effort of ensuring sufficient capacity and unified testing and treatment protocols. The WHO describes an Integrated Healthcare System as “the organization and management of health services so that people get the care they need, when they need it, in ways that are user-friendly, achieve the desired results and provide value for money”. This is what the healthcare system in the Emirates envisioned, and the reason why it is ranked among the leading healthcare delivery systems in the world. In the wider sense of the definition this includes all parties involved in delivering care and protection to the population of Dubai. Under the visionary and efficient leadership of Dubai, the old and traditional model of “siloed” healthcare delivery and the gap between public and private providers was overcome in a matter of days.

Coordinated Efforts in the Face of COVID-19 As the pandemic jumped inside the UAE borders and continued to spread within, a need for integrating healthcare services across the board for both public and private players arose. With this fast-evolving health situation, a methodical approach was achieved by having a strong link between a cross section of healthcare facilities and medical staff, and synchronized systems of care among others. Within days all medical professionals were allowed to practice in any healthcare facility, no matter what their original licensing body is (DHA, MOH, DHCC) The goal of this methodology is to ease navigation through the healthcare infrastructure, not only for the patients, but for the medical and non-medical staff, and other professionals in the healthcare sector. As the virus spread, the UAE health authorities had already risen to the

Christian Schuhmacher CEO, King's College Hospital London

expected challenge by successfully integrating healthcare services by adapting to the fast-changing global landscape.

A Pandemic as an Accelerator Even before COVID many initiatives were in place to build a sustainable integrated healthcare system in the UAE. For instance, a while back before Coronavirus came knocking, the Abu Dhabi Department of health (DoH) and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) established a partnership to develop an international healthcare model that would promote quality of life and enhance health for everyone. This enabled the streamlining of healthcare delivery processes and enhancement of resources for a unified patient care within healthcare facilities. And as a result, adaptable service provision settings were created at different levels. An example of these adaptable provision points was the Salama initiative, created by the DHA and launched back in 2017, which is a project who’s main goal is to ‘provide patients and doctors access to medical records through a patient portal and ensure that the electronic patient medical record is available across all the DHA health facilities’. Today, and in the current COVID-19 climate, it couldn’t play a bigger role.

A second example of integrated healthcare is another gem, also by the DHA, known as NABIDH (Network Analysis Backbone Integrated Dubai Health) which enables the creation of Phil Perry a unified medical record for each indiand Ireland,the invidual in Head DubaiofbyUKconnecting formationZoom contained in all public and private healthcare facilities, leading to improved patient safety, reduced cost and evidence-based care.

Harmonization Between Health Professionals With integration of a healthcare system also comes the challenge of overcoming the old-schooled healthcare siloes where there exists a boundary between healthcare specialties, and doctors and nurses just to name a few. To realize the goals of healthcare integration, health facilities need to adopt a high degree of harmonization of services at different levels and sectors. This includes patient care, policy making, and organization management to unite the diverse roles of services at different levels of a health facility. As a result of this multi-level unique communication and sharing of data related to patient care and treatment plans, the needs of the patient can be effectively and efficiently met. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

HOW YOU CAN AVOID DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STAGNATION Morten Illum, EMEA Vice President at Aruba, a HPE company discusses what can companies do to ensure the digital transformation projects do not go into a limbo

s businesses everywhere struggled to get a true sense of COVID-19 during the first month of lockdown, data analytics company Global Data predicted that “The impact of COVID-19 on the IT services sector will be deep, immediate, and long-lasting.” One month on and thoughts are indeed beginning to turn from the immediate business continuity challenge of keeping companies running remotely, to the far more insidious financial fallout of the pandemic – as the long-term economic impact leaves businesses facing significant cashflow and liquidity challenges. According to IDC, worldwide IT spend-

SMARTSMB / June 2020

ing is now projected to decline by 2.7% in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Meanwhile a recent CFO survey from Gartner found that 70% of CFOs are making changes to their longterm investment plans.

Digital transformation And yet against this backdrop, the continued digital transformation of businesses will be more vital than ever – not just to help them get through lockdown but also to set themselves up for a successful rebound. In fact, many industry commentators are telling businesses to accelerate their projects if they want to give

themselves a fighting chance. To bring in Gartner again, Sandy Shen, Senior Director Analyst, has said of COVID-19: “Businesses that can shift technology capacity and investments to digital platforms will mitigate the impact of the outbreak and keep their companies running smoothly now, and over the long term.” So whether you’ve gone through the hard work of getting a digital transformation project up and running only to find it put on ice, or find yourself facing an uphill battle to get new projects moving in response to the pandemic, how can you unlock them from limbo?

Flexible financing Even in today’s uncertain business climate, there are options available for companies seeking to continue their tech investments despite a squeeze on funds.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Morten Illum

EMEA Vice President, Aruba

Indeed, this is something vendors like Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, have been giving serious thought to in recent weeks – evaluating our finance portfolios to find a way to support both customers and partners. In general, there are two main avenues to explore when it comes to flexible financing: • Defer or reduce expenses – vendors may let you delay payments for a set period of time (typically a number of months) or start your payments on a reduced rate and offset the balance at an agreed date in the future (i.e. one year from now) • Generate cash from assets – vendors will offer to buy back your existing IT assets or other infrastructure and lease it to you as a service Determining which option suits your

business will largely depend on your current IT real estate and preferred future consumption model. What is the scope of your existing tech infrastructure? Do you want to continue to own it or are you happy to pay to use it instead? Are you comfortable outsourcing its management or would you like to keep it in-house? Your sector may also be a deciding factor, as certain sectors will be more risk adverse when it comes to moving their IT solutions off-premise and handing over their management. Good examples of this include financial services and healthcare, both of whom have serious data protection issues to navigate when it comes to changes to their IT infrastructures.

What to do next There is no doubt that COVID-19 has been a wake-up call for companies in terms of how ready they are for a tru-

ly digital age – with many finding that their current infrastructures and systems are simply not able to cope with the demands this brings. In the coming months it will be important not to lose sight of the fact that the digital age will not end when lockdown does. The need to transform existed before the pandemic and it will continue long after – particularly as consumer behaviours and habits become permanently changed by the experience of living remotely. In light of this, you cannot afford to let your digital transformation journey stagnate. So, continue to pressure your C-Suite on its digital transformation promises, assess what consumption models your business will be comfortable with coming out of the crisis, and challenge your vendor on their financial portfolio. If they are anything like Aruba, they’ll want to help. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

MANUFACTURING

A FIRST 4 STEPS TO SUCCESS Khaled AlShami, Director, Solution Consulting, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Infor discusses what it takes to ensuring that companies are executing their industry 4.0 strategies efficiently

gainst the backdrop of an increasingly uncertain global economy, one area of consistent investment has been digital transformation. Within manufacturing, that means the ongoing evolution towards Industry 4.0. The rationale is simple enough. Manufacturers that are willing to embrace Industry 4.0 connectivity and modern automation opportunities stand to see significant improvements in productivityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not only on the shop floor, but also across the enterprise. Another reason that these programmes are still being developed is because they can engender a great deal of confidence amidst volatile markets. Industry 4.0 improvements

SMARTSMB / June 2020

are all very tangible and quickly identified and measured. According to a joint survey on smart factories from PwC and the Manufacturing Institute, productivity gains, reduced labour costs, and uncovering new revenue streams are among the top benefits for manufacturers that have deployed Industry 4.0 technologies. This confidence is so strong that while many manufacturers are still in the research and pilot stages, the survey reports that 73% of them are planning to increase their technology investments over the next year. But where exactly should manufacturers look to secure these early wins and focus their investment plans to deliver not only resilience but growth?

1. Shop-floor optimization

Manufacturers can use Industry 4.0-ready technologies to help digitize shop floor processes that are still largely paper-based. Today, many manufacturers still use paper trails to monitor the progress of work orders, the location of parts, and sometimes even the assembly sequence and steps for a specific order. This is not only inefficient in the immediate, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;here and nowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but it restricts the speed and agility that is vital for new product development to help drive the future growth of a manufacturer.

MANUFACTURING

Modern software provides ways to automate and streamline steps as new functionality anticipates the needs of the user, based on roles and custom-defined workflows. Modern software empowers faster decision-making with easy-to-read dashboards, workbenches, and consumable reporting.

2. Transparent supply chain

Efficiently filling customer orders is top of mind for manufacturers. According to a survey from industry advisory firm BDO, 23% of midmarket manufacturers are looking to supply chain technologies to help speed up order cycle times. In an age where we can track every personal delivery to our home, businesses (including manufacturers) now realise that they need end-to-end supply chain technologies that give them a network-wide view of inventory on order, so they can see where potential bottlenecks may be—whether it’s from the supplier during transport, or once it makes it to the manufacturing facility.

3. Workforce augmentation

Automation often strikes a note of fear into many manufacturers, but collaborative robots, or “cobots,” aren’t here to replace human workers, but to work side-by-side with them to help handle the heavy work or repetitive tasks that can be hard on employees’ bodies over time.

Khaled AlShami

Director, Solution Consulting, MEA

With cobots taking on some of the more monotonous tasks, human employees can focus on activities that require more dexterity, creativity, reasoning, and critical thinking. This has the potential to be truly transformative over the long term. Just as robots can help on the shop floor, workforce management and human capital management systems can help a manufacturer’s employees succeed as the roles and responsibilities within the workplace shift. These software tools can provide ease of use, automation, and analytics that help managers plan the use of resources and control labour costs, while also enhancing the employee experience.

4. Predictive asset maintenance

It’s mission-critical for shop floor equipment and assets to keep running—even when the machinery is past its prime and needs frequent repairs or even replacement. With minimal resources and numerous demands for their time, maintenance teams need to develop and follow optimal strategies. Reactive maintenance isn’t an acceptable strategy—fixing broken equipment, one emergency after another, is an inefficient use of resources and can even result in entire production lines shutting down. A predictive maintenance strategy, however, can catch issues before they become expensive and time-consuming problems.

Modern enterprise asset management software systems contain powerful predictive capabilities combined with innovative business intelligence and artificial intelligence that uses algorithms and data science to identify patterns in data points and project next-likely outcomes. Users can explore “what if” scenarios and obtain forecasts of likely costs and probable demands to help drive decision-making. It is worth concluding on a note of realism. Industry 4.0 is not a panacea for the current issues impacting global manufacturing – it wasn’t before COVID19 hit and it still isn’t now. But it is a set of tools that can not only improve the response to issues such as economic difficulties imposed by the coronavirus, but also drive future growth and strength within the sector. As an example of digital transformation, Industry 4.0 can lead a lot of businesses forward, but early wins will be critical to maintain confidence and investment levels, helping businesses to realise positive initial progress and develop competitive advantage. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

TECH WATCH

D-LINK DWR-925W 4G LTE M2M ROUTER with dual SIM load balancing mode, taking advantage of the speed needed for fast, responsive Internet access. D-Link’s new router can be deployed in a remote location to access IP cameras and systems without physical contact. The blazing fast LTE connection allows multiple users to access e-mail and stream music and video on the go.

Highlights:

D-Link has launched the DWR-925W 4G LTE M2M Router in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region to offer seamless connections to businesses. The easy-to-deploy, high performance 3G/4G router features a dedicated Gigabit WAN port and dual-SIM 4G LTE mobile broadband for maximum redundancy and flexibility for intense machine-to-machine applications. DWR-925W comes with 4 Gigabit LAN ports to connect wired devices for high-speed activities and same time enjoy high-speed wireless IEEE 802.11AC with speeds of up to 1200

SMARTSMB / June 2020

Connectivity: Blazing fast combined LTE speeds up to 300 Mbps with dual SIM load balancing mode, Gigabit Ethernet for broad compatibility, Dual-SIM for High Reliability and speed, Wireless IEEE 802.11AC for flexible network access.

•

Simplicity: Plug-and-Play with Ethernet interface, Easy-to-use web interface for advanced cases

•

Advanced VPN and Management Features: Support for IPSec, PPTP, L2TPv2, GRE, OpenVPN Tunneling

•

Rugged and Flexible: Wide operating temperature and humidity Tolerance

Mbps, so that you can access the Internet and transfer data quickly over wireless for better flexibility. Equipped with powerful VPN tools and advanced remote management combined with ease of use make the DWR925W ideal for both large-scale and individual deployments. Customers can effortlessly connect to their high-speed 3G/4G LTE mobile internet backup network connection with the DWR-925W 4G LTE M2M Router. They can enjoy brisk combined downlink speeds of up to 300 Mbps

HP PRO C640 CHROMEBOOK ENTERPRISE For some, the thought of Chromebooks conjures an image of an affordable mid-to-low-end device, possibly for use by a student. However, over the last few years, Chrome OS has entered the workspace in a real way, including seriously highend devices.

•

TECH WATCH

AWS OUTPOSTS Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the general availability of AWS Outposts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). AWS Outposts delivers fully managed and configurable compute and storage racks built with AWS-designed hardware that allow customers to run compute and storage on-premises, while seamlessly connecting to AWS’s broad array of services in the cloud. AWS Outposts brings native AWS services, infrastructure, and operating models to virtually any datacenter, co-location space, or on-premises facility. With AWS Outposts, customers can use the same AWS APIs, control plane, tools, and hardware on-premises as in the AWS cloud to deliver a truly consistent hybrid experience. Customers in the UAE and KSA who have workloads that require low latency access to on-premises systems, local data processing, or local data storage can benefit from AWS Outposts. These include applications that may need to generate near real-time responses, need to communicate with other on-premises systems, or control on-site equipment (e.g. factory floor

The HP Pro c640 Chromebook Enterprise is designed for users to easily navigate work in the cloud. The device is powered by the latest 10th Gen Intel processors and users can spend more time getting work done with up to 12 hours of battery life and HP Fast Charge, which recharges the battery to 90% in 90 minutes. It is arguably the world’s Thinnest 14" Business Chromebook with an aluminum-exterior device that's stylish and easy to carry. You can intuitively, easily navigate cloud work with the performance and privacy features of the ultra thin HP Pro

equipment, health management systems, and retail point of sale systems). Customers can also use AWS Outposts to securely store and process customer data in countries where there is no AWS Region. This is important for organizations in highly regulated industries and countries with data sovereignty requirements.

cluding Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), and Amazon Elastic MapReduce (Amazon EMR), and can connect directly to regional services like Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) buckets or Amazon DynamoDB through private connections.

Highlights • AWS Outposts delivers pre-configured racks of compute and storage to bring AWS services, AWS designed infrastructure, and operating models on-premises. The infrastructure is the same as is used in AWS Regions. • With AWS Outposts customers can choose from a range of compute, storage, and graphics-optimized Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances, both with and without local storage options, and Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) volume options. • Customers can easily run a broad range of AWS services locally, in-

c640 Chromebook Enterprise that also has full Chrome Enterprise3 manageability and security for IT.

Highlights • Durability. The world’s thinnest 14” Chromebook with a stylish aluminium exterior, the Chromebook is designed to pass rigorous MIL-STD testing and has a backlit keyboard that resists spills up to 350 ml of water. • Enterprise-grade security. The HP Privacy Camera with inte-

grated shutter helps protect from camera hacks while an optional integrated fingerprint sensor provides fast access. • S e a m l e s s - c o l l a b o r a t i o n . Equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and HP’s proprietary extended range LAN, cloud users get increased networking range and performance. The 180-degree hinge lay-flat design and built-in webcam and audio allow for easy collaboration, and the integrated HDMI port removes the need for dongles. June 2020 / SMARTSMB

MARKET MONITOR

CLOUD COMPUTING SPECIALISTS, SECURITY AND DATA PROTECTION ANALYSTS IN DEMAND UAE organizations are experiencing increased demand for individuals with deep technology skills, according to a new research by the International Data Corporation (IDC). The research commissioned by Microsoft titled ‘Future of Work Skills’ and covers findings from key markets across the Middle East and Africa to examine insights, trends and challenges that the region is facing amidst its digital transformation journey. The report finds that over 90% of organization in the UAE are in the process of implementing their digital transformation initiatives. However there remains a gap in the depth of digital experience and skills needed to support these ambitious journeys. This is especially in the case of specific business functions such as marketing, sales and human resources. As it stands, 66% of businesses in the UAE expect to see an increase in positions that require deep technology skills over the next two to three years. Recognising the cloud as a foundational technology needed to drive digital transformation, almost 73% of UAE-based organisations are already using some form of cloud-based solution. However, more than half of surveyed companies still lack the cloud computing skills they need, while 67% agree they will need even more advanced skills in coming years. UAE organizations are also aware that digSMARTSMB / June 2020

FUTURE OF WORK

THE UAE’S MOST IN-DEMAND DIGITAL SKILLS Who are companies looking for? Today AI & machine learning specialists

40%

IT services managers

47%

IT services managers

38%

41% Cloud computing specialists

AI and machine learning specialists

37%

Mobile technology specialists

Good networkers

In 2 Years

58%

48%

Mobile technology specialists

Good networkers

53%

Cloud computing specialists

55%

67%

*Percentage of companies that lack these necessary skills

74%

UAE companies expect an increase in demand for positions that require extensive use of digital systems and applications for work

22%

of UAE organisations battle to recruit staff with digital skills

IT, marketing, sales and HR report the biggest skills gap

68%

of businesses in the UAE are actively upskilling their employees

Source: Future of Work Skills 2019

ital skills are not the only capabilities needed to help them compete in the digital age. This is evidenced by the fact that 41% of companies indicate they are lacking necessary networking skills and 53% believe they will need more of those skills in the future. A key strategy is to retain and upskill existing staff, with 77% of companies saying they find this an effective approach to acquiring the digital skillsets they require. In fact, with the goal of developing a future-ready workforce, almost 70% of companies have reskilling programmes in place, many

of which are now available for people to attend remotely. To address the skills gap, Microsoft has set up a virtual training ecosystem designed to benefit, not only students and young professionals, but also employees specialising in certain skills that may soon be less needed or even obsolete. Initiatives like the Microsoft Cloud Society, till date, has over 256,000 members across the Middle East and Africa, and platforms such as the AI Business School are empowering individuals to remotely upskill in areas around AI, Cloud, Data and Security.

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Smart SMB June 2020

Articles inside

SUCCESS

Digital Transformation

SYSTEM IS THE WAY FORWARD

BERSECURITY PROFESSIONAL

Economy

EXECUTING TO PERFECTION

SCALING UP

A STEP AHEAD

TRANSFORMATIONS FAIL

SAFE AND SECURE

RESILIENCE ON DISPLAY

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES FOR THE CY

IN FOCUS

REASONS WHY DIGITAL