Distribution Disttribu ution Outlook Outlook 2011 2011 Coming Soon
Celebrating 1st anniversary Issue 139
1st July 2011
News - Aptec
Reseller Watch - Rising Technologies ogies
What’s New W
Wyse Partners with Aptec
Battling the challenges
Verve Folio for iPad
Courting partners
Hemal Patel CEO, Elitecore Technologies
Seagate appoints Redington as distributor
Cyberoam is one of the leading brands in the UTM market and is continuing to forge strong channel partnerships in its quest to make further inroads. Hemal Patel, CEO at Elitecore technologies which owns the Cyberoam brand speaks with VAR Magazine in the following interview.
Seagate has announced its partnership with Redington Gulf to distribute its retail products in the region. Redington Gulf will distribute Seagate’s GoFlex and Expansion ranges of external hard drives and the company’s BlackArmor network attached storage solutions for small and medium enterprises across the region.
Please discuss your focus on the SMB channel? We are extremely channel focused. The primary market that we focus on is SMB worldwide. In this region, the SMB market is quite vibrant and suits our go to market strategy. Initially when we entered the region, we had to rely on gaining resellers on margins.
Sofocles Socratous, Seagate’s sales director for the Middle East, said, “Teaming up with a distributor as well-entrenched as Redington Gulf is a strategic move in this high growth market. Redington’s strong business relationships, its in-country infrastructure and its impressive network of offices and warehouses will help strengthen our reach within the Middle East. ...continued on pg 4
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Published by: VAR MEA Magazine. For enquiries, contact Tel: +971-4-3326647 Fax: +971-4-3326621 sales@var-mea.com or info@var-mea.com www.VARonline.com
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4 In Focus
1st July 2011
News
Cyberoam
...continued from pg 1 Lately, it is not just margins that are drawing them now but the value that we deliver for our partners. We provide flexibility on commercial terms including special pricing, protected pricing etc and we get approvals done very quickly. We provide completely free Training support for our VARs unlike some of our competitors. We have resources 24 by 7 for providing presales support. We do handholding for the first couple of years. When you make it easier for the partners to deploy solutions, they become loyal towards you over time. We have seen this happen in our case. How do you review your consolidation in the UTM space? On an average in the Middle East, we have been in the top three. We are number three in the region and believe that we are closing in on second placed competitor. I won’t be surprised if we are able to dislodge them by end of this year. In two years, we intend to take the number one spot. According to IDC figures, in 2008, in the UTM market, we were in the top 20 and by 2009, we were no 15 and expect to be in the top 10-12 by this year. We have been growing each year. According to Frost and Sullivan, we are in the top ten among the UTM manufacturers. It has been an amazing pace of growth for Cyberoam as one of the very few product manufacturing company based out of India. It has been a brand success. What is your next challenge? We are now focusing on developing the MSSP channel in the region. The SMB depends on VARs for all support. There is an opportunity for us to help the partner tap more opportunities and help gain more partners. However, we have seen that Technical staff are quite attached to brands thy have been working with and need to won over even if we have the approvals of the heads of the companies. We are working on providing new opportunities for partners. For instance, partners may be looking to provide security services. To do it on their own would be expensive. Instead, we are planning the launch of a Cloud based central console that will be offered as a free service for our partners. 1st November is the proposed launch date for this. A partner can connect his customers to a cloud based console and can monitor their network with a login user ID given and provide services. The partner can then use this as a revenue driver. This would be
virtually a free partner enabler facility from our side, not a revenue stream for us. We are going to combine the iView, our open source logging and reporting system and the cloud monitoring service. Security is assured in this because when a partner logs in, he will get the view of only his customer network. There would be a facility as in when a network is down at a customer site, there would be a sms alert going to the partner. Backups would be taken on a regular basis. The objective behind this initiative is to add more partners. It is VAR centric. We want to test this first in India and the Middle East before other markets. Discuss how you are faring in Africa? We are quite strong in Kenya and Nigeria and are the leader in the space. We are doing quite well in the rest of Africa as well. We have in-country distributors that provide value adds. Shipments are reaching each distributor directly. We have invested in partner development in all our markets including Africa which wasn’t a focus for many of our competitors. It has paid off. We are investing now in getting in-country resources in those markets. We are hiring more people across Europe, MEA regions to develop the channel. We want to make sure the more productive partners stay on with us. Are you tapping opportunities beyond the SMB? While the UTM is still not a commodity device, the SMB segment wants more functions each year but not a higher price. So we are looking at growing in other segments as well.
Wyse Technology announced the latest stage in its growth strategy for the Middle East with the appointment of Aptec as its second distributor for the region. Wyse has partnered in the major markets including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The appointment of Aptec, and its large community of partners across the region, will allow Wyse to grow its cloud client computing implementations throughout the market.
In the enterprise segment, we are looking at possible acquisitions. We want to acquire a company that has expertise in building enterprise systems. Enterprise users have shown resistance in the past to use an UTM since they have the money to spend on separate solutions but that perception is also changing and we will make use of this opportunity.
Wyse offers a broad range of cloud client computing solutions that combine cloud client hardware with management, virtualization, and cloud software to form powerful IT solutions. These help businesses, governments and institutions reduce costs, improve security, compliance, mobility and productivity. IDC recently confirmed Wyse as the worldwide leader in enterprise client devices, surpassing all other vendors.
Seagate's BlackArmor network attached storage (NAS) solutions are for small and medium enterprises and offer up to 12 terabytes of storage. The BlackArmor family combines hardware, software and services to provide optimum uptime and data integrity to ensure business continuity.
Ashish Bharti, senior vice president (IT Volume ME Business), Redington Gulf, said, “Partnering with Seagate provides us with a great opportunity to reinforce our commitment to our customers by bringing them world-class storage products. Seagate has a strong local sales and marketing team on the ground in the Middle East, and we look forward to working with them. Seagate’s range of retail products covers the spectrum of users’ needs whether they are in the home, on the move or at work.”
The new distribution partnership with Aptec enables Wyse to take advantage of their substantial region-wide operations and facilities, as well as Aptec’s in-depth expertise and experience in working with enterprise technology solution providers and VARs in the region. Aptec has more than 600 employees and 11 subsidiaries and locations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Morocco, which ensure the delivery of speedy, effective and professional service to resellers throughout the region. Mark Jordan, vice president EMEA for Wyse said: “Cloud client computing answers the region’s demands for more flexible IT infrastructure that is more secure, simpler and more affordable to manage and extend to more end users. Aptec provides us with another set of invaluable capabilities and skills and geographic spread of operations to enable our channel partners to realise these exciting opportunities among public and private enterprise customers in their countries.”
The Middle East market for hard drives is estimated to be worth around US$380 million a year with retail products accounting for a quarter of total sales. Seagate's GoFlex storage solutions are the next evolution of the company's FreeAgent external hard drives in capacities up to 3TB. The FreeAgent GoFlex storage family includes easy, plug-and-play portable and desktop drives, with an array of interchangeable cables and desktop adapters that allow each drive to adapt to the interface or device being used.
Dr. Ali Baghdadi CEO, Aptec Holdings
We are looking to tap into the enterprise market as well as in the soho marketsl. The home segment users not only need desktop security but with the flurry of devices now in use, these users also need some gateway level security. That is a separate channel segment as well and we need to look at that. It would be a price sensitive market.
continued from pg 1 The continued growth in demand for digital storage by consumers and businesses, presents a significant window of opportunity for us. This partnership is a great fit given Redington’s experience of successfully working with global technology brands.”
Wyse Partners with Aptec
Sofocles Socratous Sales Director Middle East, Seagate
Dr. Ali Baghdadi, CEO of Aptec Holdings, commented: “We view the addition of Wyse’s innovative products to our portfolio as a major component in the solutions provided by Aptec. It is an essential part of our private cloud offerings as well as providing secure client peripherals for our Data Centre solutions. The Wyse cloud client computing solutions completes our vision for Desktop and Server virtualisation and I feel that our strategies are completely aligned.”
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6 In Focus
1st July 2011 AL Otaiba Communications
Ramping up Al Otaiba Distribution is a leading distributor of networking products and the flagship networking brand in its portfolio is Sitecom. Shadi Abdullah, COO of Al Otaiba Communications discusses some of the additional initiatives the company has made recently.
News
Microsoft forms Consumer Channels Group Microsoft Gulf has announced the formation of its regional Consumer Channels Group (CCG), which will bring together the company’s Retail, Original Equipment Manufacturers, Distribution and Communications Sector Channel teams into one organisation. This will create new business opportunities and deliver exciting consumer experiences through Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox and Office for the first time having been previously not available in the region. The formation of CCG will see Microsoft Gulf expand its range of lifestyle and personal computing products to customers by offering its complete range of merchandise in Sharaf DG stores across the United Arab Emirates. Sharaf DG is one of Microsoft Gulf’s value-added partners in the region, therefore would be able to provide customers with Microsoft’s high quality products at highly competitive prices. Samer Abu-Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf commented, “The formation of the Consumer Channels Group (CCG) will enable us to further strengthen our relationship with Sharaf DG, which has been one of our valued partners since 2007.”
Shadi Abdullah COO, Al Otaiba Communications
Discuss your distribution strategy? We have a very simple win-win strategy in all our group companies, running from Al Otaiba Distribution to Al Otaiba Communications and Al Otaiba Technologies. The Win-Win relationship focus works across all our companies for all the partners, protection and support, apart from marketing and training strategies. On the distribution side strategy, we at Al Otaiba group works horizontally to cover MEA and vertically to cover UAE. We find it really works and the results are fantastic. You have expanded your own outlets in the UAE. Please elaborate? We are Al Otaiba Technologies have our group retail arm, operating chain of outlets in which we have two stores within Al Ain Center Computer Plaza at Bur Dubai. On the mezzanine floor store, we have the largest shop in the center with an eye catching store front. We are planning to establish stores in shopping malls of Dubai once we see some stability in rents after the real estate downturn.
Sitecom has developed one of the most successful, easy to use, smart, 2 way audio, and 300N wireless IT Cameras that is designed to meet every home need but also can fit offices or any other applications with DDNS features that can solve the changing of IP problem so as to access your camera remotely from any place around the globe. In terms of pricing, Sitecom is very competitive with the highest specs in the market. Does Sitecom offer NAS solutions? Sitecom has a range of storage enclosures and NAS solutions. Sitecom has developed something for the home, which is easy to use and is aesthetically designed. It can take two hard drives of any market available capacities. Once connected, the home users can enjoy sharing movies, audio files and pictures, all this at full HD quality using Sitecom TV Player. We do have a bundle of Sitecom Wireless Media Router with Sitecom Home Storage Center, Sitecom TV Player and Sitecom Media Adapter. All this comes with free 1TB storage and Logitech Harmony Universal Remote Control at an attractive price.
He also added, “Windows 7, Office 2010, and Xbox 360 have grown to become leaders in their categories in stores, and we look forward to further to future collaborations that will allow us to contribute to Sharaf DG’s growth in sales in the region.” One of Microsoft’s innovative products that has been key in driving sales in the region is the Kinect for Xbox 360, the controller-free gaming system, which recently entered the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest-selling gaming console. And high demand is expected to continue throughout the remainder of 2011. Earlier this month, Microsoft revealed that a plethora of new gaming titles will be released by the end of the year. Another exciting milestone has been Microsoft’s announcement on the availability of the Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) from Microsoft Research, a free beta release for non-commercial applications designed to create experiences, such as depth sensing, human motion tracking, and voice and object recognition using Kinect technology on Windows 7. Nilesh Khalkho, CEO, Sharaf DG said, “Since its arrival late last year, Kinect for Xbox 360 has generated an unprecedented amount of interest, and it is the leading console in its category. With additional titles being released soon, and with Microsoft increasing the variety of applications in which the Kinect can be used, we expect the demand for the Kinect and Xbox 360 gaming platform to continue to grow this year.” Microsoft Gulf will also continue to expand on its commitment to training in the region by providing extensive capacity development programmes for retail sales individuals. These training programmes will help them develop an overall understanding of the Microsoft range, hence offer exceptional in-store consumer experience.
Do you offer IP cameras as part of your portfolio?
Xerox Emirates forms partnership alliance with Tuqnia Xerox Emirates has announced the appointment of Tuqnia as a business partner to sell Xerox products, services and consumables. Tuqnia is a systems integrator offering a range of solutions from brands including Dell, Microsoft, Juniper, EMC, Symantec and Cisco. The partnership alliance between Xerox Emirates and Tuqnia will provide their customers in the UAE with the widest selection of products and service offerings. This alliance forms part of XEM’s channel vision for 2011, which is to be considered for every single business process and document management opportunity within its relevant markets and increase
coverage through leveraging its distribution and strengthening channel partner relationships as well as generating incremental business and profitably growing market share. “Expanding market reach not only helps increase sales and profits but is also one of the key criteria to survive in today’s challenging economy. Our strategic alliance with Tuqnia will help us expand our market reach in the UAE thereby offering our customers the wide range of products and solutions offered by Xerox”, said Andrew Hurt, General Manager for Xerox Emirates.
“We have been rapidly expanding our presence in the UAE and today offer 'total solutions' services ranging from IT hardware to software services and consulting”, said Amar Singh, Sales Director of Tuqnia “Our partnership with Xerox Emirates will help us offer our customers state of the art Xerox products as well as office document solutions. Xerox Emirates aims to build a strategic partner network in order to expand its service and product range to more accurately and conveniently meet its customer needs.
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8 Reseller Watch
1st July 2011 Rising Technologies
News
Battling the challenges How do you see the business scenario as of now? The Network & Hardware market has faced a very tough period since the slowdown. The receivables and payables payments are not happening on time and at the same time many projects are on hold or scrapped. Some of the expected orders have been cancelled and even some of the confirmed orders in hand have been either cancelled or kept on hold. The demand for hardware & networking products has come down dramatically by 40% to 50%. What are the brands you deal with? We are dealers for active & passive components from several leading brands. These include Linksys by Cisco, D-Link, SMC, Netgear, HP, 3COM, Kuwes.D.TEK, Digitech, APC, IBM, KUWES, Belden, 3M, Norden, Belkin, Aten Systimax etc.
Om Prakash Virwani Director, Riging Technologies Resellers are confronting tougher market situations in a slowing market and the business is not getting any easier. Om Prakash Virwani, Director of Rising Technologies, a reseller speaks to VAR magazine on some of the trends, issues as well his business.
Do you believe the award for resellers from vendors help the channel create further momentum? Frankly, it is commonly seen that most of the award winners are unable to consume the merchandise but because they have to fulfil their targets they start selling goods during and even after promotional period bellow the cost price. This has created an unhealthy competition in the retail sector and this is affecting the market badly in terms of value and volume. What are your expectations from your vendors? First of all, we expect price protection and correct price policy. As much I am aware, most of the vendors have the different price for different dealers and different incentives for everyone. so I am pretty sure that there is a big possibility for vendors to create unhealthy competition unwittingly. I would like to reiterate that healthy competition is always gainful and unhealthy competition never pays, it has only ill effect on business. I must add that most vendors are helpful in this regard. Do you see the uncertainties in some of the export markets as having affected you? There are uncertainties due to unrest in the neighbouring region. Any more unrest and protest in those markets can affect this market. The inflation is also affecting the business.
HP Appoints New ESSN Director for Middle East HP announced that Alaa AlShimy has been appointed to the position of Enterprise, Storage, Servers and Networking (ESSN) Director for the Middle East, effective June 1st. Alaa Alaa Al Shimy has taken Director, ESSN, HP Middle East over from Fawwaz Qadan who has been appointed as the Director of HP Networking for Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa (MEMA). In his new role, Alaa is responsible for managing growth and cost control for the ESSN revenue streams in Middle East focusing on the end to end business and operational management in the region. Prior to this role, Alaa was the Regional Director for HP Networking for the Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa (MEMA) region, and grew the networking business by over four times in the last two years.
NETGEAR hosts roadshow with partner Acronis NETGEAR hosted a special roadshow event with its global technology partner, Acronis, a leading provider of easy-to-use disaster recovery and data protection solutions for physical, virtual and cloud environments in Dubai. The event saw the launch of NETGEAR’s new Global Partner Program for resellers and the release of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11, the latest edition of Acronis' backup and disaster recovery family. The move complements the latest industry reports from IDC, which point to an expected 4.5 per cent CAGR for the storage software market between 2010 to 2014; reflecting the fact that businesses and private users today are averse to putting their stored data at risk. The roadshow is part of NETGEAR’s strategic move to mark a stronger market presence in the Middle East region and increase awareness on the key benefits and advantages of using world-class networking and storage solutions. During the event, David Blackman, General Manager, Acronis NEMEA, talked about the new marketing opportunities presented with the release of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11, the industry’s first affordable, integrated solution for disaster recovery and data protection, while Simon Poulton, Senior Solution Architect, Acronis NEMEA, made the first live demonstration in the region of the solution. Ahmad Zeidan, Channel Sales Manager, NETGEAR Middle East, discussed the new Global Partner Program and how resellers can gain key benefits from the incentive program. He also talked about the ReadyNAS storage solutions package and showed why businesses today should adopt and install reliable and effective networking, storage and security software.
relationship that we have developed with NETGEAR and also gives us the key opportunity to meet up with our reseller partners and discuss new strategic and promotions that can help raise their sales and margins,” said David Blackman, General Manager, Acronis NEMEA. “The release of the new Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 product family complements our commitment to provide our customers with a strategic solution to address their disaster recovery and data protection objectives in physical, virtual and cloud environments. Acronis remains faithful to its move towards keeping up with the demands of today’s businesses and individual users for essential and fully reliable backup storage systems.” “Small Medium Businesses in the Middle East region have created a key demand for networking and storage products that can help improve their operations and increase efficiencies in the workplace,” said Richard Jonker, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, NETGEAR. “Our strategic partnership with Acronis has helped us develop and provide joint data management solutions to our customers in the region. As part of our move to raise awareness of the key advantages gained from using our diverse range of storage and backup solutions, we hosted and organized this roadshow event for our resellers to launch Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 and announce our new Global Partnership program. This move demonstrates our eagerness in both increasing our awareness in the region and live up to our reputation as a key provider of strategic and effective solutions for businesses today.” “This special roadshow event demonstrates the strength of the
The complete NETGEAR ReadyNAS for Business product line, which includes the 24TB ReadyNAS 4200, a network storage system with 10Gb Ethernet support and uses enterprise-class drives, supports unified NAS and SAN architecture, incorporates secure replication utilities and is backed by a five-year hardware warranty. The ReadyNAS 4200 also comes with iSCSI support, Quad WAN Gigabit SSL VPN Firewall, unmanaged switches, L2 Gigabit POE Switches, and new wireless controller supporting up to 150-Aps. The Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 family has been designed to simplify and automate workstation and server backup and recovery processes in Windows and Linux environments and across physical and virtual platforms. The compatibility between the two families of products will allow channel partners to deliver backup, restore and disaster recovery solutions that solve replication, disaster recovery, and individual file restore issues.
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1st July 2011 In Focus
Avnet Technology Solutions
Editorial
Avnet extends its Africa focus countries like Egypt, Nigeria, and Morocco. Avnet has introduced a new innovative way to educate the partner community and recently held a series of special training programmes called “HP Storage Academy” in association with HP and Brocade in South Africa, Egypt and Kenya. The Academy received an overwhelming response and was attended by large number of partners hailing from countries like South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Mahmoud Al Salhi Sales Director Africa, Avnet, MEA Avnet Technology Solutions has extended its focus on the fast growing African region by investing heavily in the resources with a dedicated team of highly skilled sales, technical, financial and marketing professionals to expand its footprint across the continent. Avnet is also expanding its portfolio of products, solutions and services for solution providers on the African continent. A recent IDC forecast states that IT spending on the African continent will grow by 10% to touch US$ 25 Billion in 2011. South Africa is expected to grow by 7.5% in 2011, while Egypt will continue to grow rapidly at over 15% and the spending in the rest of Africa will grow at 12% to go past US$ 10 Billion in 2011. To keep up with the growth of the continental Africa, Avnet Technology Solutions is also rapidly expanding its reach across Africa. Avnet has an office in South Africa apart from direct presence in several
The HP Storage Academy presented an overview of HP Storage portfolio including 3Par and addressed the latest trends, challenges and pain points that partners face in Africa. It also educates the channel partners the importance of designing efficient storage solutions and enhancing their skill-sets. Mahmoud Al Salhi, Sales Director Africa, Avnet Technology Solutions MEA, said, “Africa is key to Avnet’s overall growth strategy for the Middle East and Africa region. We are investing heavily in resources to service our partners and provide them with the best of breed technology. Our Value Added Services model ensures that our partners make decent margins. Programs like HP Storage Academy allow partners to stay abreast with the latest technologies and offers tight solutions to end-users.” Avnet has also introduced its Avnet Financial Services to its partners in Africa. The initiative offers flexible financial solutions to its channel partners like Open Trade Credit, Bank Guarantees, Individual Project Financing and Letter of Credit facilities to add more value to their businesses.
Will the channel ride the tablet’s success? A few years ago, when the tablet failed to make a significant impact, it was hardly anticipated until Apple reinvented the category that this category would soon return with a vengeance to become the toast of the industry. All that changed with the emergence of the iPad which was an overnight success. This was soon followed by the Galaxy Tab from Samsung and more recently arrival of iPad lookalike tablet designs. However, none have so far succeeded as much as the iPad and now the iPad2. Unless, the PC heavyweights are able to bring to market devices that are as powerful feature wise and offer considerable price advantage to be seen as viable iPad alternatives, it would be difficult for the reseller channel to benefit significantly from the success of the tablet. It must be however argued that there has been a spillover benefit for manufacturers who have added the accessories to go with a tablet from docking stations, carry cases, add- on keyboards etc. This in turn has benefitted the channel as well. On the other hand, HP, Dell and Acer have seen their notebooks and desktop sales to the consumer segment dip in recent quarters. The argument there is indeed some PC market being usurped by the tablet would hold reasonable conviction. A viable alternative to the iPad that delivers similar user experience is yet to emerge from within the IT industry but to be fair, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab has had a fair run so far in the market. HP’s forthcoming Touchpad that uses HP’s own WebOS has some huge expectations riding on it although not there have been no regional announcements so far about its availability here. Perhaps more than just the product’s features, it would be the edge that HP holds in potentially marketing the product as well as using its vast channel that can catapult the Touchpad as a viable competitor to the iPad. That could also perhaps bring the channel back in the game. Subsequent generations of tablets can be expected to include more Business applications and be more ready for integration into the cloud computing environments. That could trigger an opportunity for VARs to get a equitable share of the momentum that the tablet market is seeing. Some of the forthcoming enterprise ready tablets include Cisco Cius with a 7 inch display that expected to be compatible with existing Cisco solutions including TelePresence, Quad, and WebEx Meeting Center and Panasonic’s Google Android-based Toughbook tablet, with an XGA screen that will offer ruggedness. In all probability, what we have witnessed so far is only the opening act in the evolution of the tablet and the next act could be its integration into enterprise and workplace environments.
Aptec hosts Dell Storage forum lent Fibre Channel, and the introduction of Fibre Channel on its PowerVault product line.
Aptec Holdings Ltd concluded its launch of Dell Storage forum in Dubai on a high note. The event saw 30 top resellers from around Middle East attending and get trained and familiarized with latest technology in Dell Storage arena. The Dell Storage program enables reseller partners to sell Dell Storage solutions and train partners on its Storage Technology. The Dell Storage program is a partner enablement and loyalty platform designed for channel partners to explore, experience and exploit key technologies and solutions related to Dell storage solutions. The 1 year program which takes partners from signing/enrollment to the program and through various technical and Sales training and certifications is created to encourage enablement and business growth. The program also rewards partners on these training and on business leads which will drive them further in exploring Dell Storage solutions. The Storage forum showcased growing Dell Storage portfolio—Dell EqualLogic, Dell Compellent and Dell PowerVault products. Dell believes data is the new growth driver for businesses and organizations, and its Fluid Data architecture can help deliver the efficiency, agility and resiliency to support that growth. From the desktop to the data center to the cloud, Dell Storage provides the foundation for today’s virtualized environments. Top resellers where called on a fully paid trip to attend the
forum, the selection was made picking up top regional channel leaders who are providing Dell technology solutions to businesses in the Middle East. The event was kicked off by a Pre Event Gala Dinner launched by Dr.Ali Baghdadi, CEO Aptec Holdings & Dave Brooke, GM Middle East – Commercial -Dell at the Address Hotel, Downtown Dubai one day prior to the event. The Dell Storage Forum showcased Dell’s new solutions built on its Fluid Data Architecture to optimize cost, performance and protection as storage scales with a growing organization. New solutions include its first unified Dell EqualLogic platform, updated Dell EqualLogic software capabilities, Dell Compel-
Manoj P.K, Business Unit Manager, Dell at Aptec Distribution said “The idea behind the forum was to transfer knowledge on new Fluid Data storage and its offerings. Aptec and Dell is investing heavily on educating their partners, we believe it is the key to the success in exploring the storage business. Partners who sign up for the Aptec Storage program are offered a distinct special treatment and promotions to guarantee the best out of the business and explore the storage opportunities” Svetlana Sorokina, Regional Marketing Manager, Aptec Holdings added, “We were happy to see the interest from partners when The Dell Storage program was launched during the Forum. Partners were asking questions on how specific enablement modules will work, how trainings will be delivered in all countries across the Middle East and so on. It showed that the channel is ready for such innovative ideas of enablement and solutions offering.”
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1st July 2011
What’s BenQ BL-Series LED Monitors
Samsung ML-1670 Key Features:
Key Features:
• The ML-1670, the new compact laser printer from Samsung, is ideal for personal, home office and small office users. • It features a streamlined design with a stylish and glossy finish. • The ML-1670 enhances the daily user experience by integrating the unique one-touch print screen function onto the printer’s control panel. • The new models also include Samsung’s AnyWeb Print software that allows users enhanced webprinting capabilities regardless of the browser interface such as Internet Explorer, Firefox or the Mac OS Safari. • The ML-1670 is now upgraded to a 300MHz CPU, providing higher performance at a speed of 16 pages per minute (PPM) (A4). • It features a first page output time (FPOT) of a mere 8.5 seconds and an impressive 1200x1200 dpi pi print resolution, filling both the need for speed and quality most efficient manner. For more details, log on to www.samsung.com
• Specially optimized for office work stations and built with the latest LED backlight technology, the new monitor cuts down power consumption by 33% a year. • The new BL-Series LED monitor’s ultra-flexible height adjustment system (HAS) allows workers to tailor the height, tilt, pivot, stroke and swivel adjustment to perfectly fit their individual needs thereby facilitating better productivity and efficiency at work. • The BL series includes built-in speakers. • The Eco Sensor feature of the new BL series automatically switches the monitor to Eco Mode. • Equipped with an automatic eye-protect sensor, the new monitor automatically detects the ambient light levels and sets the monitor's brightness to the most optimal level of clarity and comfort all through the day. • The BenQ BL LED monitor also features an anti-glare, matt-finish display to keep distracting reflections to a minimum, giving workers a squint-free, comfortable and easy to read environment. • The new BL-Series is also made of recyclable plastic materials and a uses greener packaging. The new BenQ BL-Series will •T soon be available in the Middle s East E and comes in six models: BL2400PT, BL902TM, BL902M, B BL2201PT, BL2201M, BL2201. B
Verve Folio (F8N648cwC00) for iPad Key Features: • The new magnetic feature automatically wakes your iPad 2 when you open the Folio so it’s instantly ready to use,, without even touching a button. n the • The magnet sensor inside the iPad 2 also detects when case is closed, activating the sleep mode, preventing unintentional entries and conserving the battery • Professional style and convenience with multiple viewing angles • High quality design in premium leather • Convenient protective solution with easy access
For more details, log on to www.benq.com
For more details, log on to www.belkin.com
AXIS Q1602/-E Network Cameras
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 550 Ti Multiview
Key Features:
Key Features:
• The perfect solutions for indoor and outdoor surveillance in low-light conditions, especially where users require color information in the video to enhance recognition and identification of objects. • Lightfinder makes AXIS Q1602 highly sensitive to low light, effectively allowing the camera to ‘see’ even in dark conditions. • The fixed network camera delivers progressive scan image quality at D1 (720 x 576) resolution, in both indoor and outdoor applications, where light is poor. • The advanced Lightfinder technology will be especially beneficial in demanding video surveillance applications, such as construction sites, parking lots, perimeter & city surveillance. • In contrast to conventional day/night cameras which switch to black & white in darkness, AXIS Q1602 can maintain colors even in very dark conditions. onditions.
• The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 550 Ti Multiview is the latest mainstream graphics card capable of delivering a seamless triple-display computing experience. • The latest ZOTAC GeForce GTX 550 Ti Multiview helps deliver a quality visual experience that combines Microsoft DirectX 11 compatibility, NVIDIA CUDA technology and triple simultaneous displays at a mainstream price point. • The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 550 Ti Multiview is powered by the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics processor with 192 lightning-fast unified shaders paired with 1GB of DDR5 memory. • The combination enables users to experience stunning visual quality while maintaining class-leading performance-per-watt with the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 550 Ti Multiview.
For more details, log on to www.axis.com
For more details, log on to www.zotac.com
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Laptop Key features: • Lenovo announced its thinnest business laptop ever, the ThinkPad X1 laptop, designed for business leaders who demand the best in performance, mobility and entertainment.. • The ThinkPad X1 laptop incorporates several features new to the ThinkPad X series family including a 13.3-inch super bright ht infinity screen made of Corning Gorilla Glass, RapidCharge battery technology and a Dolby Home Theatre multimedia feature. • As the thinnest ThinkPad, the ThinkPad X1 laptop measures less than 17 mm. • Packed into the ultra-thin form factor are second generation Intel Core processors which are typically offered on Lenovo’s larger 14 and 15-inch laptops. For more details, log on to www.lenovo.com
• This allows the ThinkPad X1 laptop to double the CPU performance and quadruple the graphics performance of the ThinkPad X300, Lenovo’s previous flagship 13-inch laptop. • Starting at only 3.7 pounds/1.72kg, the ThinkPad X1 laptop feels incredibly light and sturdy thanks to its interior roll cage and magnesium chassis. • The screen uses Corning Gorilla Glass for extra durability, rigidity and scratch resistance. • The hardened ThinkPad X1 passes eight military specifications so that mobile professionals can work anywhere with confidence.
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U.A.E. Consumer Partner
Hamoor Computers L.L.C Elektrotek Middle East LLC www.elektrotekme.com
Tel: +971-4-3937474 Fax: +971-4-3936633
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Worldwide IT Spending is on track to Grow 7.1 Percent in 2011 Worldwide IT spending is on pace to grow 7.1 percent in 2011, according to the latest quarterly spending outlook by Gartner, Inc. Analysts have revised overall IT forecast spending growth in U.S. dollar terms, up from their first quarter update, when they projected 5.6 percent growth for 2011. Global IT services is forecast to reach $846 billion in 2011, a 6.6 percent increase from 2010. The computing and hardware segment is poised for the strongest growth with spending forecast to grow 11.7 percent in 2011. The migration to public cloud services is currently one of the hottest topics in IT, and Gartner's latest forecast found that spending in this area is projected to grow four times faster than spending on overall IT. Worldwide public cloud services spending is forecast to total $89 billion in 2011, up from $74 billion in 2010. The market is forecast to reach $177 billion by 2015.
Intel Navigates Sandy Bridge Recall Without a Scratch, Expands MPU Share in Q1 Despite a design problem that forced a large-scale chipset recall, Intel in the first quarter managed to pad its dominant position in the global microprocessor business, according to new IHS iSuppli research. Intel during the first three months of 2011 accounted for 82.6 percent of global microprocessor revenue, up 1.6 points of share from the 81 percent it held in the fourth quarter of 2010. On a year-over-year basis, Intel gained 2.0 percentage points.
However, to put this growth in context, Gartner analysts said public cloud services spending was only about 2 percent of global IT spending in 2010, and by 2015 the level of spending on public cloud services will be less than 5 percent of the total spent on IT overall.
Intel in the first quarter discovered an error in the serial ATA controller in its core-logic chipset that supports the company’s Core Sandy Bridge microprocessors. The company said it would recall and replace about 8 million chipsets.
Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (Billions of U.S. Dollars)
While such a major recall would represent a major setback for most companies, for giant Intel, it didn’t even cause a scratch.
Compu ng Hardware Enterprise So ware IT Services Telecom All IT
2010 Spending 375
2010 Growth (%) 12.1
2011 Spending 419
2011 Growth (%) 11.7
244
8.4
268
9.5
793
3.1
846
6.6
2,015 3,427
7.3 5.9
2,140 3,672
6.9 7.1
“Intel moved quickly to identify and correct the Sandy Bridge chipset issue during the first quarter,” said Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst, compute platforms, for IHS. “The fact that the company achieved a 25 percent increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010 shows that its chipset concern did not really affect the company to a significant degree. This serves as a testament to Intel’s capability to react to a potential crisis with speed and agility. Intel’s handling of the issue on both the public relations and business fronts stands in stark
contrast to other recent examples of big companies facing major product quality challenges.” While Intel continued to gain, chief Intel rival AMD saw its share dwindle further. AMD accounted for 10.1 percent of global microprocessor revenue in the first quarter of 2011, down from 10.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, and down from 11.8 percent in the first quarter of 2010. Despite its decline, both AMD and Intel continued to increase their collective domination of the microprocessor market, with the two companies holding a combined 92.7 percent share of revenue in the first quarter of 2011, up from 92.4 percent in the first quarter of 2010. This represents good news for the two dominant players, given that the worldwide microprocessor market expanded by about 20 percent in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the same period a year earlier. While Intel continued to ride high in the first quarter, the company this year will face a challenge from the continued market advances of the media tablet. Although Intel’s sales of its Atom microprocessor for netbook PCs rose in the first quarter, tablets will cut down shipments of netbook PCs this year. Media tablets, most notably Apple Inc.’s iPad, don’t employ dedicated microprocessors like Atom, instead using integrated chips that include processor cores.
Source: Gartner (June 2011)
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A one-stop dedicated, specialist for genuine consumables Now relocated to a brand new store at a new address at Al Ghubaiba Rd., Opp. to National Flour Mill & Carrefour, Bur Dubai
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P.O. Box 103743, dubai - UAE. Tel: +971 4 3254446 Fax: +971 4 3254447 Email: sales@buraidacomputers.com website: www.buraidacomputers.com
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1st July 2011
A one-stop interactive information portal for the IT channel with the fastest growing readership. Products and services include • Exhaustive content & analysis. • Video training facility for channel. • Customized online campaigns. • Market research. • Sponsored blogs. • E-newsletters. • Email marketing. • Web banners.
Log on now and discover the multiple facets of www.VARonline.com that are designed to facilitate your business in the channel.
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1st July 2011
VAR Magazine Empowering and educating the channel
VAR Magazine is the fastest growing channel magazine in the MEA region. VAR MEA Magazine, which has completed over 125 issues of print, is the leading channel magazin in the region. Over five years and more, the magazine has become the preferred mode of communication with the channel for many leading vendors, distributors and resellers. VAR Magazine is presented in an easy to read print format, one of the reasons for its endearing appeal. It has deep and wide channel
penetration in terms of its distribution, a feature well recognized by the industry. VAR MEA magazine has introduced several expansion initiatives including the exciting bilingual VAR Arabia. www.varonline.com, an interactive portal for the channel, was launched towards end of 2009 and has a fast growing readership in the channel
VAR Arabia - A bilingual magazine for KSA IT channel With the monthly VAR Arabia edition, the magazine extends its value proposition to benefit the Saudi Arabia ICT channel. The VAR Arabia print edition has a specific focus on the large strategic market of Saudi Arabia and is in line with the commitment of the VAR team to meet the expectations of a larger local IT channel readership across the Middle East. The intent is to deliver a product that builds on the strengths of VAR magazine with a strong editorial focus as well as providing unique value to advertisers.
Milestones of VAR Magazine • VAR MEA Magazine was founded on Sept. 18th 2005 for providing better, in-depth & sustained communication across the MEA IT channel. • Over the past 5 years and 125 plus issues, VAR has successfully informed and executed channel centric communication like product launches, call to action campaigns, special offers, etc. • 1st to launch a channel magazine in eBook format • With over 5000 resellers in OGCC having access to the magazine, the VAR Advantage delivers wide and deep penetration into the channel for advertisers. • VAR Value fortnightly e-newsletters re-launched in January 2010 • First to launch channel awards in the region. The awards ceremony for the 4th edition of the VAR Choice of Channel Awards was held on the 21st of March at the landmark Meydan hotel in Dubai.
VAR Magazine’s vision of being a most reliable information media for the IT resellers in the region is backed by the execution from a team that has over a decade’s experience working closely with the channel. For VAR, the greatest success has been in winning trust from the region’s channel and the magazine will look forward to emulating that with its KSA edition.
For sales enquiries, contact sales@var-mea.com For subscription, contact subscribe@var-mea.com For more details, contact info@var-mea.com
1st July 2011
Authorized Partner
Zoomline Networks Technology PO Box 242042, Al Raffa Road, Bur Dubai U.A.E. (before Al Raffa Police Sta on) Tel : 04-3257866, Fax: 04-3257867 Email: nasir@zoomlinenetworks.com
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