1st June 2011 - KSA

 2011-1 137/12

ARABIA



What’s New

In Focus - Secureway

News

Samsung Series 9

Security at the forefront

Jumeriah ME looks to consolidate

Staying Steady



Redington is a premier distribution company  ""  in the region and in Saudi Arabia, it continues  to make inroads with its services. Rawad  Ayash, General Manager, Redington Arabia  speaks with VAR Arabia in an exclusive interview about how the distributor is further  consolidating its business.

Discuss brands you operate in your distribution business The brands that we are associated with currently include HP IPG and PSG, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, WD, Seagate, Sandisk, Acer Monitors, Molex, Trend Micro, Avaya, Red   Hat, Sonicwall.  ...continued on pg 4

 ""  ""  4

Holding on to the lead Amanulla Khan Regional Manager, Cisco How has Linksys by Cisco been able to further consolidate in the year gone by within the channel?

Since Linksys created the Home Networking category, its products have been the choice of consumers with more than 100 million devices sold worldwide. Cisco’s leadership, knowledge in networking platform, commitment to Home Networking business has helped us innovate and deliver outstanding experience to our consumers.

Our Home Networking business is 100% channel driven and they play a strategic role in helping us achieve and maintain a market

Linksys by Cisco is popularly considered as the leading Networking consumer brand in the region’s market. Amanulla Khan, Regional Manager at Cisco Consumer Group elaborates on aspects of Technology as well as market strategies employed by the networking powerhouse in a bid to consolidate in the consumer segment leading position in the Home Networking category.

Which of the GCC markets have shown markedly encouraging growth signs?

We maintain market leading position across all major retail stores across the GCC. We have appointed in-country distributors who have excellent reach, logistics and understanding of retail business. This has helped us further consolidate our position in the GCC states You had unveiled the E series routers sometime early this year.

info@var-mea.comwww.VARonline.com





How are the faring in the market?

We launched the E Series Wireless Routers in Middle East and Africa during FY11, they are designed to let Consumers tech experts and enthusiasts take their home networking experience to the next level. The new, streamlined product lineup has set a new precedent for simplicity, power, and performance and makes it easy for consumers to find the right technology to fit their needs. E Series comes included with new Cisco Connect software, which gives users tools ...continued on pg 10

    NL0000400653 GTO     24 50      "  " "    " 4

+97143326621+97143326647121075

2011 1 | 2

In Focus

Redington

2011 1 | 4



1

...continued from pg 1 We have two teams, one taking care of volume distribution and the other looking after value sales.

How many offices do you have in the Kingdom?

We have three sales offices and four service centres.

How was last year and how do you reckon this year in turning out?

2010 was quite a tough year. However we believe that 2011 is better until now.

We are expecting growth in the value business. The networking and security business is growing. The government is investing in IT infrastructure. This will grow further. We are growing faster than the market growth rate. I reckon that the market is growing at between 10-12 %. As distributor, we are the biggest player in the Saudi market.

What are the challenges that you see in the market?

The market needs to grow into maturity wherein resellers, retailers and distributors focus more on selling rather than on buying. The sell out needs to improve and if distributors realize their constraints and deal within their limits including reasonable credit limits, vendors will know how to size up the market. Currently there is a lot of excitement about the Saudi market and almost every vendor and distributor wants to do business here. However it is essential that companies that are operating in this market have a good understanding of the market size and conduct accordingly. If this is done, the market will be quite a profitable one.

One of the other challenges is with the payments.

Extended credit limits are creating an issue and the cycle of money is not what is affordable for a distributor. There are no dedicated computer plazas and centres outside the main three cities. We try to reach through our sub-distributors to sell to remote areas such as Tabuk, Madina, Mecca etc. We are delivering to remote areas.

   ""          2011  2010    10-12%                   

Sophos to Acquire Astaro Sophos has entered into an agreement to acquire Astaro, a privately held provider of network security solutions.

“The combination of Astaro’s comprehensive portfolio of network security solutions alongside our endpoint, mobile, and email and web threat and data protection capabilities will enable us to continue to deliver on our vision of providing complete security without complexity wherever the user and company data resides,” stated Steve Munford, Chief Executive Officer, Sophos.

There is a w i d e n i n g security gap for Steve Munford companies given Chief Executive Officer, Sophos the new rules by which users, businesses and IT operate and this acquisition answers unmet customer needs for better security coordination and effectiveness between users, applications and IT infrastructure.

The market for multi-function security appliances has continued to grow. According to IDC, the market for unified threat management was approximately $2 billion worldwide in 2010, with a CAGR of 13% 2010-2014 . Astaro, with $56 million in billings and 30% year over year growth in 2010, is the fourth largest dedicated UTM provider, leads the market and has sustained fast growth due to its strong track record of innovation and robust portfolio of feature rich network security solutions.

News Al Khaleej and Al-Falak employees get recognition Al-Khaleej Group and Al-Falak Electronic Equipment & Supplies Co. recently honoured long-serving employees of Ahmed Ashadawi the company CEO, Al Falak at an annual event held at the Al-Gosaibi Hotel in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The event, which was hosted by Ahmed Ashadawi, President and CEO of Al-Falak, Chairman of Al Khaleej Computers Board of Directors, President of Al Khaleej Holding and Group Board Member, was attended by Board Members, clients, senior businessmen, bank managers and company staff.

During the event, as many as 77 employees were felicitated, including 43 who completed 5 years with the Group, 29 who completed 10 years, four who completed 15 and one employee who has been serving for 20 years. The Group currently has 4,000 employees including 1,480 Saudi nationals.

Speaking at the event, Ashadawi said, "Many of our employees have been with us ever since the company's inception and have been integral to our sustained growth, expansion and diversification over the years. Today, the Group has an established presence across key regional markets including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Sudan, and we owe our success to the dedication and hard work of our employees.”

In line with its corporate social responsibility agenda, the Group’s activities have expanded to include several charitable activities

1



   80     UICCSIM ""  USB  

20111 | 5

2011 1 | 6

 Jumeriah Middle East looks to consolidate Jumeirah Middle East, a leading reseller of printer supplies and consumables, was one of the exhibitors at the recently concluded VAR GITEX. The reseller has started its operations in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the current year and is excited about the potential of business in the Kingdom.

The company is operated by partners Ayub Parker and Manoj Tiwari who were present at their stand at GITEX KSA. Speaking to VAR Magazine, Parker said, “The Saudi market is quite strategic and significant in size. It is also a stable market which means there is a lot of less risk compared to other markets in the region.”

That was the belief which inspired the company to set up operations in KSA. He adds, “Since January this year, we have been operational here and already have a good base of partners. There are 100 active customers who are buying from us here. Mostly they are based out of Jeddah and Al Khobar. “ The reseller has a sales team in the Kingdom. This includes 2 salespeople on the ground in Riyadh and Jeddah and one in Al Khobar. The reseller has been focusing largely on distribution of the premier brand in its portfolio.

“We are mostly doing business in HP

       

consumables. HP has a dominant market reach here with market coverage of about 90% here. We are a HP preferred partner for KSA from the 1st of May this year. As a pure consumables company, we hope to reach the Gold accreditation soon.”

 90%  2011  " 

The reseller has set up its channel network in the country but is expecting to kickstart its channel network in Riyadh.

  

He adds, “We have been actively doing business in Jeddah and Al Khobar.

However we have see the travelling time inside Riyadh is quite challenging because of traffic, which is why we thought we will first set up business in the other two cities and later focus on Riyadh. We are now doing that. “

"    "

Overcoming the snags on the way Speaking to some industry people, especially those from the distribution business, it becomes obvious that there are a few niggles that are hurting business cycles. One of the issues has been that in the excitement to tap into a large market, several companies have arguably been over zealous in their estimates or forecasts, which doesn’t translate into reality. There needs to be some reality checks such as data collected on ground that fairly indicate the consumption capacity of the market.

One of the other issues that seem to be worrying is that there is talk of some instances when only partial shipments reach the distributor while some of the missing stock seems to make a backdoor entry later into the market. Distributors are keen that this issue is addressed by the concerned authorities at the earliest since this affects business profitability and well being of the channel.

Reaching out to the remote areas of the large Kingdom to do justice to as much addressable

market as possible has been a challenge and some of the distributors have indeed been relying on the larger resellers to do that. One of the challenges is a lack of computer plazas in those peripheral markets or not enough. There is therefore an opportunity for resellers to start tapping into newer towns. While the bigger cities are markets that are most tapped, there will be enough gain for the first few who do business in newer markets.

And finally, VAR Arabia made its maiden appearance as exhibitor at GITEX Saudi Arabia this year.

While the crowd turnout could have been better, the event did manage to have a reasonable showing despite the fact that there were several prominent brands missing in action at the exhibition this year.

 "" "   "   " 2011 100 "      "

Autodesk Unveils New Saudi Arabia Initiative Autodesk in conjunction with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Information, has launched a new license compliance initiative in KSA to help educate businesses, students and the general public of the benefits of using legal software. Although the situation is improving, software piracy remains among the most significant threats to the IT industry in the region.

“Our approach is to work with our channel partners and industry organizations, like the BSA, to highlight the many benefits of license compliance to businesses across the KSA,” says Anders Arthur, Regional Director, MEA for Autodesk.

Autodesk encourages the practice of Software Asset Management (SAM) as a way for customers to ensure license compliance throughout their organisation. It provides a free SAM toolkit containing guidelines and templates.

YOUR DATA IS PRECIOUS. HANDLE IT WITH CARE ITWITH

In Focus

Secureway

2011 1 | 8

Security at the forefront Secureway is one of the leading Network Security distributors of the region. It works with vendors including Fortinet, F5, Sophos, Imprivata, Vasco, LogLogic and InfoBlox. Mohamad Akkad, Country Manager – KSA, Secureway Network Distributors FZ LLC speaks with VAR Arabia about how the company is making inroads in the Kingdom When did the Saudi operations commence?

SecureWay was established in KSA 4 years ago. We report to Dubai which is the region’s headquarters. Our company is originally based out of France. The Saudi office was opened to serve specific customer contracts that we were associated with initially. Then we expanded to cover the channel.

Discuss your engagements with the reseller channel?

We have focused on corporate VARS that sell to top customers including telcos, ISPs. We have high end solutions. We are looking for quality resellers who can provide support and follow-ups in their customer segments and are keen on being trained. A lot of VARs are happy with the training and support we provide. We have enhanced our relationships with a large number of VARs, not just in Riyadh, but in Jeddah and Al Khobar.

There is a need for specialized resellers.

Clients are hungry for support and advice from VARs. We believe we are reaching the Saudi market deeper than ever before and have had a lot of activities in the past 6 months in terms of channel and market development, more than ever before.

What is the challenge you see in the market in terms of market development?

We have seen that there are much lower end products in the market and customers have easy access to them. So the faster we get our higher end

products to our customers, the better it is for customers to become aware of the high end options. Through our resellers, we are reaching more and more end users.

Where do you have offices in KSA? We are based in Riyadh. However, my team travels regularly to other parts.

Resellers come down to our Riyadh office for training. We have expanded our facility in Riyadh office for training with complete video conferencing infrastructure etc .

Which are the client verticals that you are most successful in?

We are proud to say that all telco companies including Mobily, STC etc have bought our products. We are successful in the banking sector with most Banks. There are many who are buying our products as part of upgrading.

What are the value propositions you give your partners?

We have a focused range of products.

The reseller finds us very easy to work with and he knows for certain that we have all the best security line-up of products that he can sell to his customers. We also make it easy for our partner to study and learn about the products he is likely to sell. We ensure that his deliveries are done in the best possible way and cheapest possible way. We don’t sell directly to customers but we pass on leads to our VARs generated from any activities such as our participation at GITEX or any others.

  

                           ""                    ""

    "" "5" "" "" "" "" ""                 

Infor Continues Channel Expansion with New Partner for the Middle East Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving over 70,000 customers, has appointed MIC (Middle East Investment Company) as a new channel partner for the Middle East. The reseller agreement covers a number of Infor solutions including Infor ERP LN (enterprise resource planning) and Infor EAM (enterprise asset management). MIC and Infor were exhibitors at this year’s KSA GITEX.

United Computer Company (UCC) Saudi Arabia (one of MIC’s operational subsidiaries) has been appointed as a strategic channel partner for growth in the region, based on its existing regional presence through owned subsidiaries in 13 countries with around 500 customers in manufacturing, retail, education, financial services, energy and oil & gas. MIC was chosen for its deep ERP expertise and capacity to offer value

added services for both existing Baan customers and prospects, with the latest Infor ERP LN product and Infor strategic solutions.

MIC will work with other Infor channel partners in the Middle East to co-operate in the sale of Infor’s strategic supply chain management solutions for demand planning, bar-coding and warehouse management.

2011 1 | 10

News

Focus Softnet unveils latest version of ERP Focus Softnet announced the launch of the latest version of its best-selling Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution - Focus i at GITEX Saudi Arabia 2011.

The company also promoted its latest cloud compliant enterprise solutions, its Academic solution – Focus ARMS and its customized enterprise solutions for different verticals at the event.

At GITEX Saudi Arabia 2011, Focus Softnet unveiled the niche and advanced features added to Focus i, which remains the top of the range ERP in its product portfolio. The new features make Focus i a more robust solution, which goes beyond their customers’ expectations in SMB domain. The new features include credit control management, Focus i on smart phone, budgeting and cash flow management and release of next version of HRMS and Payroll solution which is integrated with Focus i.

...continued from pg 1

for easier customization and control of their home wireless experience. E Series is one of our best selling product category and the latest addition E4200 is the first to the market Wireless Router with upto 450 MBPS speed offering Superior Wireless Coverage, Simultaneous Dual Band, Built-in USB Port and UPnP Media Server, Home Theater Ready.

Are there any changes in the go to market strategy?

We continue to evaluate our Go To Market strategy to ensure we keep to the changing market dynamics and also ensure partner profitability. High on our agenda is to offer Consumers the best in-store experience. We have implemented Planograms across all major stores and now we are making further improvements to help consumers better identify the right technology and the right product which suits their lifestyle

 2011         100    ""      100%   ""    "4200" 450       ""            ""    ""  

Supplier of Original consumables.

Jumeira Middle East Trading King Fahd Abdulaziz Street, Cross 18, Al-Khobar, KSA. Tel: +966 3 8948440 / 5671 Fax: +966 3 8945617 Email: jumeira2011@gmail.com



20111 | 12

5565

HP t5565z Smart Client



Key Features:

5565 "  "  ""    "  " "" "" "" 

• The HP t5565z Smart Client is a uniquely intelligent elligent zero client delivering new levels of simplicity and value in thin computing. ogy that • The HP t5565z features auto-sensing technology adapts to your environment.

• You can choose to deploy or repurpose the nts with HP t5565z in Citrix XenDesktop environments support for HDX, or choose VMware View or Microsoft Session Virtualization via RDP 6, for a brilliant user experience.

• HP Smart Client intelligence is automatically inherited from the preconfigured host server in the data center.

• Simply connect the HP Smart Client to the network and a user monitor, and you’re on. ith • Connect to the latest in display technology with native dual-digital monitor support or connectt to an analog monitor using the included DVI-I to VGA adapter.

•    •  •    

www.hp.com

900700

FUTRO S700 and FUTRO S900 Key Features:



• The new FUTRO S700 and FUTRO S900 thin clients are the firstt er Fujitsu thin clients to use innovative and eco-friendly Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, offering both power and Ethernet via a single cable for increased flexibility and connectivity.

• The FUTRO S700 and FUTRO S900 are among the most powerful thin clients available today, boasting up to six times enhanced performance over previous models.

• System performance is enhanced with two memory slots for increased local performance, while both models feature integrated WLAN for improved connectivity.

900700  •  "thin client"   900   •   

www.ts.fujitsu.com

Samsung Series 9

8510

9

Sonicwall NSA E8510

 10.32.881.3    130.64  16 ""9   i57   8 Key Features:

•   •  • 

• With a weight of only 1.31kg (2.88lbs.), measuring only 16.3mm (0.64inches) in depth and a screen size of 13 inches, the Samsung Series 9 is the premium notebook for consumers.

• Samsung’s Series 9 has also been equipped with a vivid ‘SuperBright Plus’ display (400nit) with 16 million color reproduction, all encased in the most advanced duralumin min metal alloy.

• Equipped with Microsoft Windows ndows 7 & the 2nd generation Intel Coree i5 Processor with up to 8GB memory, the Series 9 Notebook accelerates performance mance using Intel’s intelligent Turbo Boostt technology 2.0.

• A 128/256GB solid state drivee (SSD) provides more than enough space for personal and professional life.

www.samsung.com

 5.8    5.8     

• •  •

Key Features: • The Network Security Appliance (NSA) E8510 provides 10Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) connectivity in a compact, 1U rack mountable form-factor to accommodate security, performance and power efficiency requirements of modern high-capacity networks.

• The appliance is powered by SonicWALL’s SonicOS 5.8firmware, which offers latency-free intrusion prevention and anti-malware protection.

• SonicOS 5.8 features application intelligence and control functionality for granular control over application traffic and bandwidthin real-time.

• With the ability to block or throttle application usage on a user or group level, and its compact form factor and affordable price, the E8510 is an ideal solution for corporate, healthcare and education deployments. www.sonicwall.com 

What’s

"  • WLAN 

20111 | 13



GS950 Gigabit switches



Key features: • The AT-GS950/8, AT-GS950/16 and AT-GS950/24 maintain the same standard of Gigabit Ethernet speeds while reducing power consumption by as much as 50%.

• A number of models in the GS950 series operate with no internal fans, making them suitable for use in a range of environments.

• The new series of switches are smaller in size than existing models, offering customers greater flexibility and further cost savings in power consumption.

AT-GS950/8, AT-GS950/16 AT-GS950/24   50% 950   MDI-XMDI  

•  •  • 

• The switches are suitable for desktop, wall, or rack mounting and all ports are auto MDI/MDI-X for a simplified cabling process.

• Each port also contains a diagnostic LED, enabling the network administrator to identify how each port is connected.

23.0

DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2



Key features:

• The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2, Kingston’s fastest USB Flash drive, 3.0   "23.0 " uses a native USB 3.0 controller for better performance and power 3.023.0  management. 10023.0  • DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 features the latest technology for USB 3.0 Flash   70 drives, making it ideal for IT professionals and enthusiasts.

• The new DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 has a read speed of up to100MB/s, and a write speed of up to70 MB/s.

• When plugged into a USB 2.0 port, the drive has read and write speeds of around 30MB/s. www.kingston.com 

• • • 

What’s

www.alliedtelesis.com 



40%   ""1.38   "" "    "

    71.7  10%  2010 

"2010  261.2 " 40% 195.2 2010  "" 66 30% "" 10%

Global PC Hard Disk Drive Revenue Forecast (Billions of US Dollars) $34.0 $32.0 $30.0 $28.0 $26.0 $24.0 $22.0 $20.0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

     " "        652.4        "" 2010

2015

Source: IHS iSuppli May 2011

     "" 115.8     203.7        319.5      2010 50%

20111 | 14

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

Al Afkar Al Markazia Co. # 408, Al Rusayes Building Olaya - Riyadh - Tel : 01 4602748 Fax : 01 4602749