1st September 2011

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Issue 143

1st September 2011

In Focus - Ruckus Wireless

In Focus - Acer

What’s New

The Wireless Expert

Acer to acquire USbased iGware to provide cloud services

AOC i2353Ph

Faisal Jamal COO, Despec

...continued on pg 4

Regional Sales Director NB, MEA, MSI

Despec is a leading print consumables distributor in the region and is now steadily diversifying its product portfolio in select markets as well as trying to consolidate in new markets. Faisal Jamal, COO at the distributor speaks exclusively to VAR Magazine in the following interview.

MSI’s notebook range caters to all markets from high powered Gaming laptops to, Fashion ‘lifestyle’ focused laptops to the Profession - Business Series including the AIO PC range which includes some of the world’s most advanced AIO PCs.

Alan Chu

Making Steady gains

MSI will be an exhibitor at this year’s GITEX and the major focus will be on Gaming laptops with the GT780 gaming laptop as the highlight of its showcase. The Taiwanese manufacturer will also highlight other products including AIO PCs.

MSI to focus on Gaming laptops and AIO PCs at GITEX ...continued on pg 4

Powerful wireless performance in your home

GRAND PCD TRADING 04-43937661

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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GO FOR WITH KASPERSKY!

Turn your Kaspersky 2012 products into gold

Buy any Kaspersky 2012 products this GITEX and win gold (7 days).

Visit Al Hosani Computer LLC at Gitex Shopper: Stand EL 2-2 (East hall) 8th - 15th October 2011 Airport Expo Dubai, U.A. E

4 In Focus

1st September 2011

News

Despec

...continued from pg 1 Discus growth in the markets that your focus on?

We have classified our territories into the LevantJordan and Lebanon, Southern Gulf, Saudi Arabia and East Africa. The East Africa business has grown by over 100%. We have opened up new product lines in East Africa. We are not only into the distribution of printer supplies but have added Norton products and the entire product lines of HP IPG. The supplies business itself has grown significantly in East africa. where Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia and Uganda are the countries of focus. We have been operational in the markets of Kenya and Tanzania from 2010 but the real momentum has come this year. We commenced operations in Uganda in 2011. We now have Logistics on the ground as well as Finance with the local subsidiary.

In KSA, we have a full subsidiary now. We have focused mostly on supplies and are transacting around 6-7 million USD worth of business and have extended the product portfolio.

As for the Levant, we entered Jordan 2 years ago and in Syria last year. We have a good team in the Levant. The sales has been consistent. In southern Gulf, we haven’t been affected much by the downturn. End users ‘need to print is growing and is a reason for the growth in sales. We are also slowly extending our portfolio.

While you have been primarily a supplies distributor for HP, discuss markets where you do the hardware distribution as well for HP IPG? We are a Supplies specialist and can offer the complete range of brands. HP for us is still the major business in supplies and with over 70 % of the supplies market, it would always remain so.

However, we also want to focus on brands where we can actually add some value add such as building market share as well as the brand. While offering an alternative to the market, that gives us the opportunity to grow our business.

We are an authorised distributor of HP IPG products in East Africa. This includes Printers, scanners and supplies. Depending on how things go, we would look at having distribution rights of the entire HP IPG portfolio in the other markets as well. It is a change for us but we see good growth potential.

Discuss your approach to extend your portfolio beyond consumables in the Kingdom?

We have added new product lines for distribution in the Kingdom. We have taken on Samsung printers and supplies. While they are no 2 or 3 globally in the laser printer market but in the Saudi market they have only 5-7 percent of the market. Partnering with us, they would want to grow their market share to a significant level. This will also give us a good opportunity to grow our business. Together, we would like to grow this to 20-25% market-share over the next 3-4 years which will be something

that does justice to Samsung’s global share of the laser printer market.

In KSA, we also offer the range of interactive pen displays and tablets from Wacom. The sales have been quite good.

We are looking at other regions for setting up in-country operations. Qatar and Kuwait are two markets that we are focusing on. We should be probably opening an office in Kuwait within the next three months. Qatar would be probably on by the first half of 2012. With Qatar, there is still an easier flow of goods to the market from Dubai since the distance is shorter as well as the fact that we have strong partners there.

What is your approach to adding new products and brands?

We took on Wacom and have taken on distribution of Samsung printers in KSA. Every few months, we want to look at adding a new brand depending on the value proposition that the brand brings. We are quite careful in choosing brands we work with. We work on longer term basis. We will work on opportunity basis and look at bringing in products that the channel can sell. We don’t want to just a do a cosmetic expansion. Our customers are already selling Samsung Supplies. They are also distributing printers. It makes sense for us to develop that channel. As for WACOM, we wanted to provide the channel hardware accessories range that would help them earn margins.

We need to provide products that make sense for our partners. Since many of our partners are in the office stationary shop segment, networking routers in distribution may not make sense for the resellers as that is not their core business.

All our products are focused on the ‘after market’ – addressing the needs after the essential hardware has been bought. Hence we offer supplies for the printers, accessories for the PCs and so on. We are looking at resellers who are focused in the ‘after market’.

Discuss your participation at GITEX We are looking at in-country exhibitions and not just GITEX. Saudi Arabia, Oman, West Africa are among the places of focus. This will gives us the opportunity to develop the local market. This year at GITEX, we will be participating in a smaller way through a vendor. Instead we will focus on running some promotions and incentives programs for the reseller channel. what is your approach to channel training?

We have got several training sessions coming along in different places –Dubai, KSA, Kenya. This should directly help build awareness of products we offer in supplies, storage, hardware and approaches to sell.

In 2012, we will focus more and more on training and enabling them with tools that help sell. It would not just be about logistics and credit. continued on pg 6

continued from pg 1 MSI will be an exhibitor at this year’s GITEX and the major focus will be on Gaming laptops with the GT780 gaming laptop as the highlight of its showcase. The Taiwanese manufacturer will also highlight other products including AIO PCs. MSI’s notebook range caters to all markets from high powered Gaming laptops to, Fashion ‘lifestyle’ focused laptops to the Profession - Business Series including the AIO PC range which includes some of the world’s most advanced AIO PCs. Alan Chu, Regional Sales Director NB, MEA, MSI says,“ GITEX Technology Week is an ideal platform for MSI to display our latest solution offerings for the local market. The exhibition is the largest ICT event in the region that enables MSI to open new doors with key industry players representing key markets across the MEA region.

He adds, “MSI’s theme for GITEX this year is GAMING. We have products designed for gamers, by gamers.

Also we will be showcasing our AIO PC with LED backlight technology. We are a pioneer in the industry – the first to introduce this lighting in an All-in-one PC. “ The company will also seek to expand business opportunities in the region, as well as increase brand awareness to be positioned as one of the leading providers in the Middle East.

Regionally MSI claims that it has increased sales by 180% in 2011 versus 2010. The company identifies KSA as a particularly strong area for growth, and the company says its AIO PC sales are highest in Saudi Arabia.

Avnet offers hot deals this summer for channel partners

Avnett Te Avnet Avne Tech Technology chno nolo logy gy SSol Solutions, olut utio ions ns, a leading lead le adin ing g Value Valu Va luee Added Adde Ad ded d Distributor Dist Di stri ribu buto torr in the Middle East and Africa region recently launched a special promotional offer for summer months to rewards its channel partners on every sale of selected HP storage and backup solutions.

The products which are available under the hot summer promotional offer are selected HP P4000-Series Units for storage and HP D2D Systems for backup storage.

HP P4000 G2 SAN Solutions are designed to fit blade servers, virtual servers, client virtualization, database, e-mail and business applications. P4000 Series can easily scale up capacity and performance linearly without incurring downtime or performance bottlenecks. It further eliminates single points of failure and offer application data high availability, reducing risks without driving up costs.

Reservation-less thin provisioning substantially increases your storage utilization and thus reduces costs. It also offers an easy manageability for SAN in virtualized environments.

HP D2D Backup Systems are rack-mountable backup appliances, supported by all leading backup applications. With choices of network interface iSCSI or Fibre Channel and backup target, virtual tape library (VTL) and NAS (CIFS/NFS), integrating into most IT environments (CIFS only for legacy systems). D2D Backup System automates, simplifies and improves the Backup Process Venkat Raman, Sales Director, Gulf & Levant, Avnet Technology Solutions, said “This hot summer promotional offer from Avnet Technology Solutions for HP Storage products is one of its kind in the region. Until end of September Resellers will be rewarded with cash incentives for every P4000 Series or D2D System order. If they order a bundle of both they even receive extra rewards. We are sure that this offer will excite channel partners to avail the benefits.“ Avnet Technology Solutions is running this scheme in several countries across the region MENA region like UAE, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, and Yemen.

INFOSEC at GITEX INFOSEC Communication that designs, that manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of UPSs and surge protectors adapted to market needs will be an exhibitor at this Year’s GITEX. At GITEX, INFOSEC will present its E6 LCD RT range of On Line Double Conversion UPSs. It is intended particularly for users of critical systems that require reliability, availability and high performance.

The practical and versatile E6 LCD RT is designed to be used as a rackable UPS. In addition, its compact 2 in 1 design means it can be incorporated into a large variety of environments both horizontally (19’’ rackmounted) and vertically (free-standing tower).

The INFOSEC UPS System meets corporate and private backup needs by offering an appropriate solution to every situation. It offers investment protection via insurance covering any damage caused to connected equipment and Data protection using automatic shutdown software. Efficient after-sales service is available with a guarantee of up to 3 years for UPSs and a lifetime guarantee for surge protectors.

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6 In Focus

1st September 2011 Ruckus Wireless

The Wireless Expert Ruckus Wireless, a leading vendor in advanced wireless systems for the mobile Internetworking market, will be showcasing their latest line of Smart Wi-Fi products at GITEX 2011. Graham Owen, Middle East Regional Sales Director, Ruckus Wireless speaks exclusively to VAR Magazine.

What are the solutions you offer?

Ruckus wireless is based out of the US. We have over 300 employees to date and are on a massive recruitment drive at the moment. We are growing at a significant rate.

Discuss some of the key technologies featured in your products?

Every product we manufacture conforms to WiFi standards. Some of the key teachologies are BeamFlex, SmartCast, SmartSec etc.

BeamFlex is a smart antenna technology that maximizes signal coverage, throughput, and network capacity by steering energy towards the best path to the receiving device.

SmartCast is a patent pending technology combines innovative multicast traffic handling techniques, smart QoS, and application-aware traffic classification capabilities, for top-quality Wi-Fi video transmissions.

SmartSec is a unique collection of security capabilities that automates client-side security, making it easy to use. It provides a patent-pending mechanism that generates, configures, and installs encryption keys on client devices.

SmartMesh Networking is the first Wi-Fi meshing approach that combines high-gain smart antenna arrays, sophisticated RF routing, and centralized management in a single WLAN system.

Discuss your focus on the SMB segment?

There is a lot of focus on the SMB segment. The advantage is we are more reliable than many of our competitors and offer cost benefits in large deployments. This is because, in some of the larger deployments, we enable 30-40 % less in terms of hardware used. It is because of the technologies on board our products like Beam flex. The connectivity at

ComGuard makes KAV and KIS 2012 editions available for partners ComGuard, distributor of Kaspersky Lab in the Middle East region announced the availability of the 2012 versions of Kaspersky Anti Virus and Kaspersky Internet Security for the Channel partners across the region.

The all-new Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 incorporate some new advanced protection technologies: a sandbox for launching suspicious applications, a program activity monitoring module, a script emulator, a cloud-based reputation database, a virtual keyboard plus many other features.

Founded in 2002, it is privately held. It started off in the domain of IPTV over WiFi networks. The wireless elements of the solution were what interested the company and that determined the future course of the company, focusing on how customer can hook up over WiFi connectivity, in the enterprise space. We also maintained our hold in the IPTV market.

Which are the verticals you focus on?

Education, hospitality, healthcare are some of the verticals that we focus on. We are also talking to operators and are hoping for significant breakthroughs. Today as it stands, Ruckus has the world’s biggest deployment of outdoor mesh WiFi deployment for a customer in India.

News

Mohammad Mobasseri Senior Vice President, ComGuard

Mohammad Mobasseri, Senior Vice President, ComGuard FZ, said, "We are glad to bring in the latest version of both Kaspersky Internet security and Kaspersky Anti-Virus from Kaspersky Lab for our channel partners across the region. World class security products from Kaspersky provide an excellent opportunity of incremental business for IT Resellers with decent margins. " With cloud gaining acceptance both Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 features improved cloud technologies and enhanced program capabilities. In addition to superior protection from the cloud, the new product versions also demonstrate how they do it. The main program window provides users with in-depth information about which cloud components are active and how they are protecting users' computers and personal data.

Graham Owen Middle East Regional Sales Director, Ruckus Wireless

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 are both high-performance products designed for minimal impact on the speed of computer.

The 2012 version have been streamlined for optimal day-to-day use when surfing the Internet, searching for and viewing web pages, making VoIP calls, watching HD videos and playing online games, etc.

the edge of the network is quite good.

We play in the mid-market across all verticals. Each country in the Middle East has its own dynamics and therefore our focus on these verticals is based on that understanding. A large portion of our business in the Middle East is however hospitality.

What has been your channel strategy?

A year ago, we managed to secure our distribution strategy in place and have recruited a huge channel to grow our business across different verticals. We have seen a significant uptake in the channel business. In the last year, we grew the business by more than 150% and now have over 100 partners in the region.

We have been recruiting large integrators to global operators and small to large resellers focusing on SMB. For the SMB market, we are interested in active partners working in the security space, in the smaller enterprise segments such as schools or colleges. We have deployments with the GEMs schools, Dubai Men’s college etc.

Do you focus on the consumer market?

We don’t focus on the consumer market. In the enterprise market that we focus on, the differentiation is quality of voice, security, reliability of the product etc. There are some added features like offering the ability to generate dynamic PSKs into a university environment for security sake etc.

We have customer references that help us. We are exhibiting at this year’s GITEX. Our partners have kits to demonstrate to customers to show them what exactly they are purchasing and make them understand how it benefits them. We are demonstrating several products including Wifi products, CC TV over IP, new controllers, media convertors etc.

Discuss your outlook for the rest of the year?

We should achieve our targets not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of channel development including channel recruitment and training.

It comes with improved interfaces and can also now be used with touch-screen devices.

Product installation has also been optimized, minimizing any conflicts with incompatible security software. Additionally, the steps for activating and purchasing licenses can now all be found in one convenient window.

...continued from pg 4 What are the challenges in the consumables business?

There is a big challenge from counterfeits. How do we fight it? We educate the resellers on identifying fakes. At the end of the day counterfeits are only 35% of the price of an original and sometimes even less. To be honest, the counterfeits are predominantly everywhere.

There is a big challenge from grey imports coming in from Far East and other places. Again we have to execute awareness programs for resellers, educating them about programs that we vendors run, the warranty support we provide on products bought through authorized channels, the advantage of better pricing options and so on.

Then there is the challenge from remanufacturers and refillers. Especially the latter segment is offering a solution that is much cheaper. So these are serious challenges.

Despite the challenges, what is the opportunity you still see in the consumables business?

We believe there is still an opportunity in the channel for original consumables which will always be there. In growing economies especially, people are buying more printers. Supplies business on an average must be growing at the rate of 10-15% based on print output. So there is a viable opportunity in these markets. In developed markets such as Europe, there is a saturation because of better penetration and people already have printers installed and therefore no significant increase in new users.

What are the different channels that you address?

We have the reseller business and the retailer business. The reseller channel comprises the corporate reseller, the IT resellers and the stationary segment. In retail, we sell to power retailers and the others. The stationary segment has been growing significantly. The corporate segment is a huge focus for us. We have a good coverage in the corporate channel.

What challenges do you see in the channel and what approach do you recommend best?

Credit risk in the market is significant. Vendors need to be mindful of that. Credit insurance is very tight right now and they aren’t giving the insurance they used to.

Vendors want to grow their business faster than the market but on our part we are careful how to work with partners. We want to maintain our channel relationships over many years. We make sure we sell as much as partner can carry and sell, are profitable and sustainable. We don’t want to burden them with inventory if they aren’t able to sell all of that. We want to build it steadily in all the markets that we operate.

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Authorized Premium Partner

Khalid Bin Waleed Road, P.O.Box No. 53583 Bur Dubai U.A.E, Tel: + 971- 4 - 393 00 38/393 08 07 Fax: + 971-4-393 07 14 Email: datasat@emirates.net.ae Branch: Tel: 971 4 3935637/3932889 Fax 971-4-3935638 Email: dctme@emirates.net.ae

8 News

1st September 2011

News

Acer

Acer to acquire US-based iGware to provide cloud services basis. As a mid- to long-term investment objective, the valuable core technology and capabilities will help create uniqueness for the Acer brand, and support a vast number of our users based on open platform.”

Wang continues, “The goal of Acer Cloud is to allow our users enjoy and manage all their ICT devices, contents and resources with ease, by integrating all Acer products including PCs, tablets and smart handheld devices within a safe and secure environment.”

J. T. Wang Chairman and CEO, Acer

Acer plans to acquire US-based iGware, a leading cloud technology company, for US$320M plus another US$75M for performance-based earn-out. With the objective of mid- to long-term investment, Acer will leverage iGware’s proven technology to establish its own cloud infrastructure, called Acer Cloud, to serve and benefit Acer customers, and enhance brand value. iGware, based in Silicon Valley, California, is a leading provider of cloud technology, offering cloud-based device ecosystems, virtual consoles and personal cloud. iGware’s cloud software and infrastructure tools currently enable and support more than 100 million consumer devices worldwide including Nintendo’s Wii, iDS and 3DS, and will support Wii U in the future.

J.T. Wang, Acer Chairman and CEO, said, “iGware offers expertise in cloud technology software design, with services already deployed on large scale and long-term

Dr. Wei Yen, Founder and Chairman of iGware said, “This merger will provide a significantly larger platform to further develop and extend our technologies to Acer’s global customers. At the same time, it will allow us to continue working closely with our existing partners and build additional strategic relationships with others.”

Acer regards the development of cloud technology as a major industry trend. In the next 10 years, Acer Cloud is expected to become a key element to create unique differentiation for Acer products.

With iGware’s cloud technology already in use, Acer is confident of a promising future development in Acer Cloud built on open platform. In the foreseeable future, Acer will begin hardware and software design integration, and expects to launch products that leverage Acer Cloud services during 2012.

After the merger, iGware’s legal entity will become Acer Cloud Technology Company, with subsidiaries in Taiwan and China to be set up. Following Acer’s global marketing strategy, Acer will continue to research, and integrate hardware and software for cloud technology innovation to meet the demand of Acer users and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Editorial

Gearing up for the gallop We are now in the fascinating phase of the year when the pace picks up in Business initiatives and transactions. The lull of the quiet period of Ramadan and the peak summer now gives way to the gallop leading up to GITEX. It keeps everyone in the industry on their toes as they execute operations and strategies.

There has been enough time during this period for companies to reflect on their next course of action to make the best of the opportunities that open up. With very little good news emerging from the global economic scenario, the advantage would be with companies that engage closer with customers and convince them to invest in new or upgrades. On the other hand, it is best to reconcile to the slower pace of recovery in the long run and get on with it.

A push strategy would not be out of place with customers that the partners share a considerable rapport in the SMB segment particularly. Every qualified lead generated can be a huge fillip to the company’s sales.

There are gaps that companies find in their go to market strategies when it comes to actual deployment of strategies. At times, readiness of people in crucial execution roles also comes into question if they are not in step with local market intelligence. In tough, challenging times such as these, all those flaws in the go to market model need to be addressed swiftly.

ABBYY to showcase New OCR Technology with Arabic at GITEX ABBYY, a leading provider of document recognition, data capture and linguistic technologies and services, together with Al Hosani Computer LLC, ABBYY software distributor in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, will participate at GITEX Technology Week - which will be held on October 9-13, 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE. This is the first time ABBYY participates in GITEX Technology Week with its own stand and expects to achieve significant results. This event is more than important especially because ABBYY presents its new Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Technology with Arabic language added.

“ABBYY has been presented on the Middle East market for many years and we have already created good partnership with several companies from different countries.

During the years of this cooperation a range of projects were successfully realized including some big indeed, such as Censuses in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,” said Oleg Sazhin, Director, Business Development at ABBYY 3A. “With the appearance of Arabic language recognition technology and with confidence that it will be the best Arabic OCR on the market we feel necessity to extend our partner chain by informing potential partners and clients about ABBYY innovation in Arabic OCR technologies and based products.”

He adds, “ There is no doubt that GITEX Technology Week, the biggest fair on Middle East and one of the biggest IT fairs in the world, is the best ground for information and product capabilities’ demonstration. So the main objective which ABBYY pursues is to introduce the new unique technology to the audience and we hope that Middle East market will appreciate the product presented by the company.”

ABBYY will be present with its distributor Al Hosani Computer LLC at the joint stand number TA-108 at GITEX Technology Week 2011.

Sharp’s new Network Scanner Tool suitable for SMB and large enterprises Sharp Middle East has introduced yet another innovation to its range of Multi Function Printer (MFP) solutions to the region, the Open System Architecture (OSA) - Network Scanner Tool (NST).

Sharp OSA is a powerful platform for automating document-related workflow. It transforms the Sharp MFP into hub for all existing applications - making document management systems, reporting functions, internally developed programs, and much more accessible directly from the touch-screen control panel.

Gautam Chakrabarty, Deputy General Manager, Marketing at Sharp Middle East, said: “Sharp prides itself on developing the latest tools to ensure that implementing a Sharp Business Solution has huge benefits on a business. The OSA-NST is the most recent of these innovations, with the system tool decreasing turn-around times by boosting productivity through smart procedures, automating a greater part of the workflow.”

OSA-NST simplifies MFP usage for regular scanning and conversion of paper documents, providing multiple benefits. These include Increases efficiency and productivity, Decreases Turn-Around Time (TAT) for a job, Help for users to create paper documents to be used in work flows, Design and add customisation of profiles to reduce the manual steps in MFP operation “We are continually seeking ways to improve on the numerous business solutions designed to streamline a business’ printing environment, and the OSA - NST is a great addition to an MFP system,” Gautam added.

With these features, the OSA can aid a range of business sizes, from small to medium businesses using just two MFPs, to large enterprises operating up to 30 MFPs in its printing environment.

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In Search of a Champion In the spotlight Belkin was one of the participating vendors at the In Search of a Champion 2011 3rd session. Carol Ann Dias, national Account Manager speaks to VAR Magazine about Belkin’s participation at the event.

What were your objectives when participating at the event?

The key objective of our participation was to provide insights to the sales about the diverse portfolio of the different categories Belkin carry. We also wanted to share insights on the added values in selling our range of products.

What was the theme of your presentation?

The Theme was to present Belkin as a Lifestyle Brand. Among the highlights was the introduction of the new line of Routers from the Technology point of view to outlining our activities. We used the opportunity to offer Insights on our conserve range of products (conserve switches, sockets, energy use Monitor etc)

and the AttachRate Sales fundamentals with our range to the on-ground staff.

What were the major products discussed and showcased?

We showcased the new Next Net Routers, Surge/Power and the insurance Belkin offers on a purchase of any Surge, mainly the various possibilities of AttachedRate Sales with the Belkin range of products.

How did you find the interaction with the frontline sales participants?

They made me want to present with their enthusiasm. It was a great interaction with the frontline salespeople.

Discuss how follow-ups with those participants has helped?

The event gave us a platform to further Brand Awareness for Belkin. Further, we have had more enquiries which ultimately leads to more sales.

Canon to tap increased demand for office productivity tools Document management systems are increasingly becoming an integral component in the growth strategies of business enterprises in the UAE. While business enterprises across the UAE deal with growing volumes of documents in light of expanding business activities, a corresponding surge in demand has emerged for document management solutions that are highly efficient, secure and cost-effective.

One important aspect in document management is security, as almost a quarter of security breaches among enterprises are paper-based. Many companies adopt proven Information Data Loss Prevention (IDLP) approaches to classify and monitor the status of data and apply policies governing sharing and access.

Unfortunately, many IDLP architectures do not cover critical automated document management areas such as the use of multifunctional devices (MFD). Enterprise IT and information security teams are often not given jurisdiction over the implementation and administration of MFDs despite the heavy document and information traffic serviced by such devices.

To address this gap, leading imaging solutions provider Canon Middle East has been focusing on helping organisations to safeguard business data and information around the MFDs, and complete their DLP infrastructure. For example Canon’s uniFLOW V5 solution, uses keyword recogni-

tion technology to automatically classify the data in a document and decide how it should be handled. It enables organizations to apply existing IDLP policies and controls to their MFDs to prevent or detect information leaks.

The UAE has naturally emerged as one of the most lucrative markets for Canon’s intelligent document management solutions.. In particular, UAE businesses are aggressively investing in solutions to address a variety of document-related security threats, which are now a growing concern in various office environments. Canon has developed solutions such as the uniFLOW V5 to enable companies to effectively address these security issues and help streamline the entire document management process. “ With the UAE being a major business hub in the region, offices across the country are particularly feeling the pressure with the increasing volumes of documents being processed every day and the growing need for effective and efficient document management capabilities. Canon’s uniFLOW V5, which incorporates IDLP to the entire document management chain, serves as an ideal solution to address these emerging office challenges as it empowers all areas of the business to use document-based information more efficiently,” said Naoshi Yamada, Deputy Managing Director, Canon Middle East.

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1st September 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

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1st September 2011

What’s ZBOX nano AD10

Acer Aspire One

Key Features:

Key Features:

• The new ZOTAC ZBOX nano AD10 series shrinks the standard ZBOX form factor and adds more home theatre PC friendly features for your digital media needs.

• It is powered by the AMD “Brazos” E-350 APU Platform with Discrete-Class AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics.

• The ZOTAC ZBOX nano AD10 series packs plenty of performance with hardware video decode acceleration technologies for popular high-definition video formats, including Blu-ray and Adobe Flash, into a miniature 127mm x 127mm x 45mm form factor that fits in the palm of your hand.

• New to the ZOTAC ZBOX nano AD10 series is an integrated infra-red receiver with bundled Windows Media Center compatible remote control – a USB IR receiver is also bundled.

• Customizing the ZOTAC ZBOX nano AD10 series remains easy with two thumb screws that unlock the internals.

• The cover has a shiny finish and is embellished by a textured water-drop design.

For more details, log on to www.zotac.com

• The Acer MiniGo adapter is 40% lighter than the previous 30 W adapters and makes your travel hassle-free thanks to interchangeable AC converters.

• Acer Crystal Eye webcam with Acer Video Conference Manager enhances image quality and allow for photo, document and screen sharing on the spot.

• The Acer FineTip keyboard has larger keys making typing more comfortable and is complemented by a wide multi-gesture touchpad matching the colour of the cover.

• Slim and light as usual, the Aspire One Happy features a superb 28 cm (10.1”) WSVGA high-brightness display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, perfect for web-chatting, web browsing and video streaming.

• For better performance and powerr savings, the display is LED backlit. w• With the high-performing and low® power-consuming dual-core Intel® Atom N570 at its heart, the Aspiree One Happy also comes with up to 1 GB of DDR3 memory and a rich selection of applications. ator • An Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 teams up with the processorr for superb graphics.

For more details, log on to www.acer.com

Kingmax ED-01 Key Features: • The ED-01 is a 128GB huge capacity USB 3.0 flash drive that meets the market’s demands for large media file storage and transferring and also transports the user to a super-speedy experience that every second counts.

• The ED-01 sports a sleek contoured design that stands out from its competitors and wins design award from m media.

• It has a delicate read/write LED indicatorr to display the flash drive’s status while in use and the unique Clip-Cap design that prevents the cap from accidental drop-offs or loss.

For more details, log on to www.kingmaxdigi.com.tw

Toughpower XT 1475w Gold Key Features: • Compliance with Intel ATX 12V 2.3 & SSI EPS 12V 2.92 standards.

• 80 PLUS Gold certified - with 87-93% efficiency @ 20-100% laod under real world load conditions.

• 24/7 @ 50˚C Guaranteed to deliver 1475W continuous power.

• S.P.T. Indicator: PSU status monitor with 3-mode LED (stand/PG signal/temperature).

• Interleaved PFC circuit provides extremely high performance and minimize audible noise.

AOC i2353Ph Key Features: • AOC i2353Ph monitor comes in a brushed-metallic finish and is a super slim display body measuring just 9.2mm thin and a slim, transparent crystal stand to further enhance its futuristic styling.

• The base has illuminated soft-touch controls, and can tilt to transform into a sleek wall mount (VESA standard), allowing the panel to seemingly float in space.

• i2353Ph has a cutting-edge IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel, a superior type of screen that offers consistent image appearance and colours across the entire display, even from extreme viewingg angles. g • Contrast ratio is ultra high at 50,000,000:1 (DCR).

• AOC i2353Ph is equipped with multiple power saving features for reduced environmental impact, whilst the LED backlight contains no toxic mercury, ensuring safer disposal when it is eventually retired.

For more details, log on to www.thermaltake.com

For more details, log on to www.aoc.com

Dlink DCS-930L (Wireless N Network Camera) Key features: • The mydlink-enabled Wireless N Network Camera (DCS-930L) comes with everything you need to quickly add a surveillance camera to yourr home or small office network.

• It works right out of the box. Simply connect the cables, plug in the camera, run the short installation wizard and setup is complete.

• To view what the camera is seeing, simply log on to mydlink.com, choose oose your device, and start viewing – there is no need to configure your router ter to open up ports or remember hard-to memorize Internet addresses.

• Since the DCS-930L comes with a built-in microphone, you can see and nd hear for yourself that everything is well at home.

• For advanced users that want more out of their camera, the

DCS-930L also comes with D-Link D-ViewCam management software, which provides a host of features including the ability to record directly from the camera to a local hard drive, trigger motion detection, set recording schedules, set e-mail alert notifications, and even support for up to 32 cameras.

• D-ViewCam also allows you to upload a floor plan of your home or small business and create a realistic layout of where your cameras are located, providing you with better access to your camera.

• For even greater recording flexibility, you can record video directly to a Network Attached storage (NAS) device, eliminating the need for a dedicated computer to store video.

For more details, log on to www.dlink.com

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Shipments of Internet-Enabled Consumer Devices to Exceed PCs in 2013 In another sign of the Internet’s transformative impact on the electronics industry, shipments of Internet-enabled consumer electronics devices will soar to exceed those of the traditional platform used for accessing the Internet—the PC—for the first time in 2013, according to a new IHS iSuppli Consumer Platforms Report from information and analysis provider IHS. Shipments of Internet-enabled consumer electronics devices, a category including a wide range of products—from televisions to video game consoles, to Blu-ray players—will surge to 503.6 million units in 2013, up from 161 million in 2010. In comparison, PC shipments during the same period will amount to 433.7 million, up from 345.4 million.

In 2015, shipments of Internet-enabled consumer devices will breach three-quarters of a billion units, at 780.8 million units, massively exceeding PC shipments of 479.1 million.

“These new figures are the latest evidence that the Internet is not just for PCs anymore,” said Jordan Selburn, principal analyst for consumer platforms at IHS. “The Internet now is revolutionizing the consumer electronics business by delivering a range of products that can bring web-based content to homes.

Increasingly, each Internet-enabled consumer electronics

device is vying to become the center of what is known as the digital living room, aggregating content throughout the home and serving up movies, television programs, videos and music. In the future, consumers will be more likely to access the Internet through their televisions than via their PCs.”

game consoles, with shipments of 50.5 million units; and televisions, with 40.0 million. However, media tablets are set to grab the top spot in 2011 with projected shipments of 61.9 million, up a thunderous 214 percent from 19.7 million last year.

Internet-Enabled Devices Internet-enabled consumer electronics devices are products that enable users to connect to the extensive universe of the Internet, where they can then view, share or download content. Examples of these devices are televisions, Blu-ray players, game consoles, set-top boxes, digital media adapters and media tablets. Excluded from this category are other devices that can connect to the Internet like PCs and smartphones, which are tracked separately as data processing and wireless communications equipment, respectively.

From virtually nonexistent levels just two years ago, media tablets will ship more than 300 million units by 2015, 15 times greater than in 2010, for a five-year compound annual growth rate of 73.3 percent. No other Internet-enabled device in the next four years will come close to that kind of growth.

Although IHS officially designates tablets as wireless devices, they are being included in the Internet-enabled consumer electronics category because of the key role they are playing in the market for the connected home.

World Internet-Enabled Device Shipment Forecast (Millions of Units) 900 800 700 500 400 300 200 100 0 2010

2011

2012

2013

Internet-Enabled Consumer Devices

2014

2015

Tablets Lead the Way The 50 percent rise in the shipments of Internetenabled consumer electronics devices will be led by the media tablet, projected to become the fastestgrowing segment within the space and spurred by the massive success of Apple Inc.’s iPad. This year, Internet-enabled consumer electronics device shipments are anticipated to reach 241.2 million units, up from 161.0 million units last year and 108.3 million units in 2009. After the 49 percent increase in 2009 and this year’s growth, the market’s expected expansion in 2012 of another 50 percent will mean three straight years of improvement at this magnitude.

PCs

Source: IHS iSuppli August 2011

The top Internet-enabled devices last year were

In particular, the media tablet appears to be the device that will pull customers into the era of the digitally connected home. It allows users to enjoy media—and not just content stored locally on the device or for viewing on the included display. With the right hardware, for example, consumers also can push music from an iPad to an audio system, or drive video to a large-screen display. And with other vendors beginning to support Apple’s proprietary AirPlay standard, the media tablet will be one of the first devices to fully integrate into the connected home, IHS believes.

Other Internet-Enabled Devices Also Make Waves Aside from the media tablet, other Internet-enabled devices that will grow rapidly in the years to come are Blu-ray players and set-top boxes.

In the case of Blu-ray players, expansion in the segment will be driven by the growing uptake of high-definition displays as well as the mandatory adoption of Internet capability. After media tablets, Blu-ray players will have the second-highest compound annual growth rate at 37.9 percent.

For their part, set-top boxes offer features that cannot be duplicated by other systems—such as obtaining content from multiple sources like video on demand or “catch up” television, in addition to the content already available from cable or satellite providers—likely making the d

A one-stop interactive information portal for the IT channel with the fastest growing readership.

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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Authorised Award Winning Partner:

Khalid Bin Waleed Road, P.O.Box No. 53583 Bur Dubai U.A.E, Tel: + 971- 4 - 393 00 38/393 08 07 Fax: + 971-4-393 07 14 Email: datasat@emirates.net.ae Branch: Tel: 971 4 3935637/3932889 Fax 971-4-3935638 Email: dctme@emirates.net.ae

www.dlink-me.com

1st September 2011

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