EDITORIAL
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Edtech Reimagines Learning, Redefines Education After a tough toggling between in-person and remote learning for over two years because of the pandemic, children are back in schools for the regular classroom sessions. Interestingly, the schooling is vastly different now, and the traditional teaching styles are practically gone forever.
COVER FEATURE
The outbreak of COVID-19 closed down educational institutions worldwide, and over 1.2 billion children had kept out of their classrooms. The global education system had to rely on technology to reconnect kids to schooling. Market researchers reported, 'an explosion in demand for laptops and tablets'. Similarly, edtech companies, Google Classroom, and Kahoot – to name a few, raised their investment by billions of dollars in the past two years besides adding a huge user base.
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The cover feature addresses several concerns, including the safety and security of students, as technology is intensively involved.
NEWS IN DETAIL
Collectively, the significance of education technology (edtech) is redefined and learning is reimagined through enormous easy collaboration systems, personalized teaching materials, robotic lecturers, and AI-powered learning tools, along with AV/immersive technologies.
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OMA Emirates Partners With Magnati to Enable Payment Services Through Android
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
The April issue of The Integrator sheds light on the happenings in the edtech industry and notifies its enterprise readers of the important aspects of the market. With a cover feature, expert columns, and research reports it enthusiastically appraises the topic. Developments in the SME sector, and advancements in the logistic, hospitality, and BFSI industries are also in coverage in the current edition as part of our latest initiative, “SME Champions.”
Education Technology: Learning Patterns and Security
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Salesforce’s Cloud-Based CRM Solutions Serve the Needs of SMEs and Large Enterprises Thierry Nicault, Area Vice President – UAE, Middle East, explains Salesforce’s enterprisespecific solutions
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Read and comment!
Murali Margassery Assistant Editor
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Vivek Sharma Murali Margassery Faiz Ahmed Suneeta Dadwani Sreejit Nair
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CEO Assistant Editor Graphic Designer Business Coordinator & Executive Assistant Sales Manager
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Shipsy Empowers Logistic-Powered Businesses With Endto-End Shipment Execution
INTERVIEW
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Trusted Partnership: CBD Offers Easy Access To Banking Transactions And Services For UAE SMEs
Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) is a UAE-based banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Dubai. With more than US$23 billion in assets, Gulf Business listed CBD as the 7th largest bank in the country. Amit Malhotra, General Manager - Personal Banking Group, at CBD speaks about the bank’s relationship with SMEs and specific products.
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COLUMN
NEWS BYTES
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Combating Fatigue and Looking After Students’ Health in Hybrid Education
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Why Hospitality Must Accelerate Digital Transformation to Secure Long-Term Recovery
Sales Inquiries:
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All other Inquiries: info@var-mea.com Editorial:
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editor@var-mea.com
IDC Forecasts ICT Spending In Saudi Arabia To Reach $32.9 Billion In 2022
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Selfdrive Launches Its Super App in Qatar and Bahrain
EYE TECH
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Dynabook bolsters X Series with new Portégé X40-K
Published by: JNS Media International (OMA Group Company) OMA House, P.O. Box: 3314, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Tel: +971 6 573 0000 | website: www.VARonline.com Disclaimer: While the publishers have made every attempt possible to get accurate information on published content in this Magazine they cannot be held liable for any errors herein.
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APRIL 2022
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TECHNOLOGY
NEWS BYTES
UAE’S METAVERSE FORERUNNER BEDU OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES OPERATIONS IN DUBAI
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Khaled Al Huraimel Co-Founder & Chairman, BEDU
EDU has announced its UAE launch along with a pledge to empower businesses, governments, and individuals with the tools and knowledge they need to build the next digital frontier. The company was formed to bring expertise and investment from around the world to the UAE to accelerate the realization of the vision for Web3, blockchain, NFT (non-fungible tokens) and the Metaverse. “BEDU is committed to creating world-leading blockchain, Web3, and Metaverse solutions within the UAE and then expanding that progress throughout the MENA region and beyond, because we see
the country as a potential Silicon Valley for NFTs and blockchain,” said Khaled Al Huraimel, CoFounder and Chairman of BEDU. Khaled Al Huraimel is a leading Emirati tech entrepreneur and an advocate for digitalisation, having founded several startups as well as serving on several boards. BEDU operates under two business verticals: BEDU Labs and BEDU World. BEDU Labs is an “NFT factory” that provides turnkey solutions for clients interested in pursuing the potential of the Web3 arena. BEDU World is the company’s vision to the creation of a future interconnected ecosystem – the Metaverse.
CASHEE JOINS VISA FINTECH FAST TRACK PROGRAM
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ashee, banking and edtech platform, has announced that it has joined Visa’s Fintech Fast Track program to roll out the Cashee teen digital payment solution to youth in the MENA region. Through its partnership with Visa, Cashee targets to improving financial literacy and increasing financial inclusion for the youth in the MENA region. Cashee provides teens in the MENA region with a banking mobile app and personalized Visa prepaid card which enables them to track their earnings, spending and savings. Through its edtech platform, Cashee promotes and teaches money management with the aim of creating money smart teens. Smeetha Ghosh, Co-founder and CEO of Cashee, said, "together with Visa, Cashee is using technology to have a positive social
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impact on the MENA region by improving financial literacy and increasing financial inclusion." “By joining Visa’s Fintech Fast Track program, exciting Fintechs like Cashee gain unprecedented www.VARonline.com
access to Visa experts, technology, resources and can launch with speed,” said Alex McCrea, Vice President and Head of Digital Partnerships & Ventures in CEMEA at Visa.
TECHNOLOGY
NEWS BYTES
CONFLUENT OPENS MIDDLE EAST HQ IN DUBAI; ENTERPRISE DATA STREAMING IN FOCUS
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Fred Crehan Regional Director, ME - Confluent
onfluent, a data streaming platform, has inaugurated its local headquarters in Dubai with an aim to establish a local presence with dedicated teams serving sales, solution engineering, professional services, customer success, and channel functions. Fred Crehan, an IT industry veteran, has been appointed as the company’s Regional Director for the Middle East. He added, “The continuous collection and delivery of data across the digital enterprise - what we refer to as 'data in motion' - underpins all digital initiatives, be it the modernisation of IT, adoption of AI, utilisation of analytics, or migration to the
cloud. UAE organisations recognise that unlocking the full potential of real-time data will empower them to pioneer compelling digital services for the discerning modern consumer.” Data streaming is a new category of computing that enables any business to stream, store, and process data in real time. With data streaming acting as a central nervous system, all the data within an organisation becomes instantly available to all applications and people in real time. As a result, new business can be uncovered, customer experiences exceeded, and new operational efficiencies realised.
VAD TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH COHESITY
Mario M. Veljovic GM, VAD Technologies
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AD Technologies, an IT and technology value added distributor in the MENA regions, has announced a partnership with Cohesity, a data management solution provider. An official release from VAD stated, “It will use its partner ecosystem the region to bring
Cohesity’s data management solutions to customers across the Middle East. This will enable organizations to radically simplify how they manage their data, and will help them to develop cyber resilience so they can quickly defend and if needed, rapidly recover data in the event of a cyberattack.” Mario M. Veljovic, General Manager at VAD Technologies, commented, “Businesses across the region have learned that it’s crucial to protect their business from sophisticated ransomware attacks with a sophisticated ‘threat defense architecture.’ We are excited to partner with Cohesity and promote the industry’s first comprehensive next-gen data management platform that goes beyond zero trust.” “VAD Technologies has a proven track record of working with Disruptive Technologies and that is www.VARonline.com
Gregg Petersen Regional Director MEA, Cohesity one of the key reasons why we feel so excited about this Partnership. With their significant footprint in the public and enterprise markets, the team at VAD serves an important and already established partner ecosystem,” said Gregg Petersen, Regional Director Middle East and Africa at Cohesity. APRIL 2022
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TECHNOLOGY
NEWS BYTES
NETAPP ACQUIRES INSTACLUSTR FOR DEPLOYING OPEN-SOURCE DATA AND WORKFLOW APPS
George Kurian CEO, NetApp
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etApp, a cloud-led, datacentric software company, has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Instaclustr, a platform provider
of fully managed open-source database, pipeline and workflow applications delivered as a service. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. George Kurian, CEO at NetApp, said, “the acquisition of Instaclustr will combine NetApp’s established leadership in continuous storage and compute optimization with Instaclustr’s fully-managed database and data pipeline services to give customers a Cloud Operations platform that provides the best and most optimized foundation for their applications in the public clouds and on premises.” The acquisition of Instaclustr builds on a series of strategic acquisitions made by NetApp to deliver a leading best-ofsuite platform for CloudOps. NetApp’s strategic acquisitions including Spot, CloudCheckr,
Data Mechanics, Fylamynt and now Instaclustr have made Spot by NetApp a compelling platform for applications on one cloud and across multiple clouds, stated an official release of NetApp. “Instaclustr’s growth has been driven by the fact that companies want to leverage opensource databases, pipelines, and workflow applications without overwhelming themselves with the complexity and cost of managing and operating them. We are excited for organizations building applications for their multicloud and hybrid cloud reality to benefit directly from Instaclustr’s data PaaS solutions along with NetApp and Spot by NetApp’s infrastructure solutions, while minimizing operations burdens,” commented Peter Lilley, CEO and Co-founder at Instaclustr.
UNIPHORE ACQUIRES COLABO TO DELIVER KNOWLEDGE AI AND AUTOMATION
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niphore, the conversational automation solution provider, has announced that it has acquired Colabo, an AI-powered knowledge automation solution that specializes in extracting and utilizing information from structured and unstructured documents in real time. “Simply put, consumers today expect access to up-to-date information to solve their problems and contact centers can provide better experiences with the latest technologies that do exactly that,” said Umesh Sachdev, co-founder and CEO of Uniphore
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Umesh Sachdev Co-Founder and CEO of Uniphore www.VARonline.com
Yoav Dembak, co-founder & CEO, Colabo, commented, “I am proud to say we have achieved that and will be taking our vision even further by integrating into Uniphore’s conversational AI and automation platform, bringing rigor and bestof-breed agility and accuracy to every contact center inquiry.” Colabo claims, its innovative AI solution powers customer engagement solutions by unifying knowledge from any digital and physical content into a seamless, and personalized omni-channel experience.
NEWS IN DETAIL
OMA EMIRATES
OMA EMIRATES JOINS MAGNATI TO ENABLE PAYMENT SERVICES THROUGH ANDROID DEVICES
Niranj Sangal Group CEO, OMA Emirates
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MA Emirates, a Middle Eastbased payment service provider, is partnering with Magnati, a regional leader in the payment solutions industry, to white label Android-based Point of Sales (POS) terminal devices that would be deployed to registered Magnati merchants’ locations. The smart portable Android 7.x devices use the latest Android technology and the fastest communication mechanisms to perform transactions within a few seconds. Linked to Magnati’s Payment as a Platform offering, the new Android POS devices converge card payments; new payment methods; including domestic and international digital wallets, loyalty programs and QR solutions; and value-added services such as buynow-pay-later and easy-installment plans, in addition to Magnati’s Super Surprises, which is an AI-based data monetization solution that generates customized offers for customers.
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The devices are also designed for other value-added services facilitated by features like QR Code scanning, dual cameras, NFCenabled readers, GPS, Bluetooth, and 3G/4G/WiFi network communication support that give Magnati’s merchants a variety of payment options. These highly secure devices, which are PCI PTS 5.x certified, are easily integrable with the merchant’s cash register.
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“Our solutions enable our clients to simplify payments and deliver a brand promise to Magnati. As an experienced payment service and solution provider, we were in a position to understand their requirements and deliver accordingly”, said Niranj Sangal, Group CEO, OMA Emirates, commenting on the partnership with Magnati. Umer Farooq, MD & Head of Payments Platform, Magnati, said, “Partnering with OMA Group for over six years has enabled us to provide different payment technologies in line with changing consumer and merchant needs. The addition of advanced Android POS terminals to our suite of payment solutions offers a great user experience at the merchant level. The development and rollout of the Android payment devices is just the first step in a plan to ensure merchants are well-equipped to deal with new in-store environments and evolving consumer demands. Smart and adaptable payment devices play a key role in our Payment as a Platform solution where our clients will benefit from a future-proofed service with tools that make it easier for them to run and grow their businesses.”
NEWS IN DETAIL
CUEMATH
GOOGLE-BACKED EDTECH FIRM CUEMATH BOLSTERS INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION EFFORTS •
Cuemath expands the business across the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) • The company focuses on developing maths and critical thinking skills as a foundation for future work • Regional governments’ education policies and societal visions are taken to consideration for growth and expansion Cuemath, the global maths tutoring platform, has further strengthened its senior leadership team by appointing of Divi Ramola as the Head of International Business. In her role, Divi will engage with key stakeholders and collaborate with new partners while expanding the business for Cuemath, primarily across the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) and rest of the world, including Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom (UK). Commenting on the appointment, Vivek Sunder, CEO, Cuemath said, “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Divi Ramola to Cuemath. As a seasoned EdTech industry leader, she brings an ideal combination of expertise and experience to usher Cuemath into its next chapter of growth and shape our strategic direction across the GCC and rest of the world.” He further added: “We are proud to be a homegrown startup serving thousands of customers around the world. Today, more than 50 percent of our revenue comes from overseas markets, and we anticipate that this share will continue to grow. Moreover, since our launch in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar in 2021, our subscriber base has increased exponentially, which is testament to the value that people universally place in experiential learning. This newly created role is part of Cuemath’s plan to scale itself worldwide. Divi will be instrumental in accelerating growth, generating leads, and advancing the company’s mission to be global maths leader, and providing strong maths foundation for students everywhere.”
Divi Ramola Head of International Business at Cuemath
According to an official press release, GCC governments are increasingly recognising the types of skills that children need to participate in a futureorientated economy. Cuemath’s focus on developing maths and critical thinking skills as a foundation for future work is aligned to regional governments’ education policies and societal visions. Divi Ramola, Head of International Business at Cuemath said, “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Cuemath team and to support its overall strategic objective to strengthen Cuemath’s presence across these dynamic markets. Globally, the education technology sector has witnessed high growth and the overall market for online education is projected to reach $350 billion by 2025. It is an interesting time for Cuemath to take its unique proposition to the world and help students across build a strong foundation for their future.” With over twelve years’ experience, Ramola has held senior positions across India and Asia-Pacific market. Prior to joining Cuemath, she was the head of India, South-East Asia, Japan, and Hong Kong for Promethean, a leading education technology company. Cuemath is a global online maths learning platform backed by marquee investors including Lightrock, Alpha Wave Incubation, Sequoia Capital India, CapitalG (formerly Google Capital), and Manta Ray. The EdTech brand, which is present across 50 countries, has over 2,00,000 students leveraging its platform, at present.
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APRIL 2022
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INTERVIEW
SALESFORCE
SALESFORCE’S CLOUD-BASED CRM SOLUTIONS SERVE THE NEEDS OF SMES AND LARGE ENTERPRISES
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alesforce, a cloud-based software company, provides customer relationship management software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and application development. Thierry Nicault, Area Vice President – UAE, Middle East, explains Salesforce’s enterprise-specific solutions. Speak about Salesforce’s CRM solutions for SMEs and large enterprises Salesforce offers the best cloud-based CRM solutions that serve the needs of both SMEs and large enterprises, connecting the management, customers and workforce together. This includes automation of workflow, better collaboration, opportunity management, and easy thirdparty integration. Additionally, these tools also help in real-time forecasting, reporting, lead generation, and competitor tracking. How about their pricing, scalability, after-sales support, and productivity improvement options? For customers across the Middle East, Salesforce has demonstrated the scalability of its solutions, delivering a central platform for a start-up, such as Boxit4me, while also supporting thousands of interactions for the customers of major real estate developers including Emaar and DAMAC. Customers have reported that the centralization of their most important data has contributed to significant improvements in productivity across the organization. In the areas of pricing and support, Salesforce manages to remain competitive and attuned to its customers’ diverse needs. It is an age of digital transformation and automation, and organizations require the right support. What potential Salesforce does have to meet these requirements? Salesforce’s platform architecture is built to deliver the Salesforce Customer 360, while Hyperforce delivers a platform that is powerful and scalable and supports high-level encryption, local data storage and is also backwards compatible. Through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hyperforce is able to deploy Salesforce solutions in the region while leveraging the advantages of public cloud computing.
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Thierry Nicault Area Vice President – UAE, Middle East, Explains Salesforce’s Enterprise
Describe Salesforce’s presence in the Middle East and its prospects for the upcoming years The Middle East is one of Salesforce’s strongest and fastest-growing markets. With dedicated customers and partners, Salesforce is able to expand further into this region and deliver solutions that enable the Middle East’s marketing, sales, commerce, service, and IT teams to work as one from anywhere. In addition, Salesforce is making large-scale investments in the UAE and will also be opening an office in the region soon. What industries and verticals are in the focus of Salesforce? Salesforce provides its services within a wide variety of industries and verticals, including real estate, financial services, healthcare, communications, retail, manufacturing, transportation, energy, as well as the public sector and nonprofit organizations.
www.VARonline.com
TECHNOLOGY
STORY COVER FEATURE
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY:
LEARNING PATTERNS AND SECURITY The cover feature addresses several concerns, including the safety and security of students, as technology is intensively involved in education in the post-pandemic era.
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echnological advancements are making it easier for institutions to work towards safety enhancement, the improvement of protection measures, and boosting learning. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that there are certain rules and precautions that need to be addressed to ensure that students’ privacy is respected.
SECURING STUDENT IDENTITY Although the first thought that comes to mind when we think about “maintaining security” is video surveillance, tracking electronic devices, and so on, that’s not all security is about. It is important to secure student identities, especially while managing a younger age group. Fortunately, with developments in technology, it is possible to maintain surveillance on campus while blurring out details you prefer to be private, such as computer screens, students’ faces, classroom boards, and more. It is critical to choose the right Video Management System (VMS) which meets each learning institution’s needs.
CREATING A BETTER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Students need to be given the time and space to get accustomed to new environments. Keeping in mind, that throughout the pandemic, they have been adjusting to remote learning, getting back into a classroom, or being in a classroom for the first time can be a significant change. Looking at it from a student-teacher relationship perspective, video technology can help you identify student behaviors. This, therefore, enables schools, universities, coaching institutions, and more to create a better and more conducive learning environment. This technological aid will especially come in handy while managing students with learning disabilities. For example, a non-profit organization for students with the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Lebanon, installed surveillance cameras in their classrooms to understand the students’ behaviors and study patterns, which in turn helped them create a better learning environment, and study plans for individual students. Furthermore, it showed significant improvements in how students grasped the concepts being taught in the classroom.
MAINTAINING SAFETY FROM UNFORESEEN SITUATIONS While keeping safety in mind, it is important to stay vigilant during unforeseen
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www.VARonline.com
TECHNOLOGY
COVER FEATURE
Amine Sadi Regional Sales Manager MENAT, Milestone Systems
events such as natural disasters, vandalism, or break-ins. There are several factors that can be considered in such events. Video management systems help maintain safety and security by capturing and storing footage from cameras installed throughout the building or property. The recordings can be accessed remotely so any emergencies can be handled promptly and effectively without someone having to go to the location to retrieve the video evidence. Schools in Puerto Rico, for example, faced the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria in 2017. After the disaster, the Department of Education decided to heavily prioritize on-campus security for their educational institutions. They used their 25 million-dollar budget to integrate a video solution giving them full coverage of all public and private schools across the island. Once the installations were complete in 2019, Puerto Rico noticed a 97% decrease in trespassing. These are just a few examples that continue to show how technology is increasingly playing an important role in several aspects of our lives, and it is crucial that we use its benefits to the optimum. Creating a safe and positive technology-driven environment for students, teachers, and citizens, in general, is important and should indeed be a priority for all learning institutions. With the right digital tools and strategy in place, these all-important spaces can boost not just academic excellence but also physical and emotional well-being.
Written by: Amine Sadi, Milestone Systems www.VARonline.com
APRIL 2022
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FEATURE
POLY
COMBATING FATIGUE AND LOOKING AFTER STUDENTS’ HEALTH IN HYBRID EDUCATION Written by: Bob Aoun, Regional Sales Director MENA, Poly
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ore than 1.2 million students successfully switched to online lessons in the UAE during the pandemic as stated by H.E Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education. A shift that led to pupils from 4 to 22 spend more time with their headsets on and using their personal devices, causing some detachment from reality.
protective devices, which actively identify and cut out excessive noise while speaking, thus reducing loud tones. They also recommend comfortable ear cushions, lightweight devices for added comfort, and active noise canceling features.
THE UNDERLYING EFFECT CONSTANT EXPOSURE TO NOISE CAN DELAY LEARNING
It is advised to switch between headsets and speakers (where possible) within normal decibel limits to reduce the impact on your ears. Additionally, having plants in your study area act as a great natural insulator and help absorb noise and echoes.
According to a 2012 study by a UAEbased researcher, Elmehdi, “Noise levels encountered in classrooms and associated health impact at selected schools in United Arab Emirates,” the impact of sound ranging between 56 and 78.5 dBA in classrooms substantially impacts a child's focus and comprehension level when exposed to continual noise. This finding has also been supported by Maria Klatte, Jan Spilski, and Jochen Mayrei in their 2016 research paper, “Effects of Aircraft Noise on Reading and Quality of Life in Primary School Children in Germany”, reflecting on the direct correlation between noise levels above recommended guidelines and poor reading skills, concentration, memory, and academic achievement that could be responsible for learning delays of up to 2 months. Multiple students of different ages sharing a room, and taking lessons simultaneously, can create enormous noise disruption and dBA levels are bound to exceed the prescribed limit. Furthermore, when it comes to the UAE, most kids share a room with their siblings and rarely have a dedicated study space as researched by Sarah Hopkyns in her 2021 study on the ‘Cultural and linguistic struggles and solidarities
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2. SWITCH BETWEEN SPEAKERS AND HEADSETS
Bob Aoun Regional Sales Director MENA, Poly
of Emirati learners in online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic’.
ONLINE CLASSROOM EXHAUSTION- VIDEO FATIGUE Besides noise pollution, video fatigue is another major issue that causes significant distractions in virtual classrooms, reducing students' attention span, as studied by Hopkyns in 2021. The 'mirror view' feature is often blamed for video fatigue, as students are more concerned with how they appear on camera rather than paying attention to the lecturer. Here’s a quick guide on how you can combat the above issues in three easy steps:
1. INVEST IN GOOD QUALITY HEADSETS Doctors and sound industry specialists have recommended investing in headsets and hearing www.VARonline.com
3. CHOOSE AN ACTIVE CAMERA WITH MOVEMENT CAPABILITIES It is critical that schools provide teachers and students with widerange cameras that allow them to move around to ensure optimal engagement levels and counteract the adverse effects of monotonous, static online classes. This allows teachers to use whiteboards for live demonstrations and use all the space they require, all while making lessons more engaging, dynamic, and exciting, creating total equality between those in the room and those who aren’t. Being able to create an atmosphere that enables students and teachers to be collaborative and comfortable no matter where they work, is today’s biggest challenge. There are multiple ways to resolve the same problems but getting it right for yourselves and your students is all about determining which solution works best for you, depending on individual work styles and the space you work from.
CORPORATE GOLF
CBD SMEChampions 2022
SPECTACULAR LAUNCH OF CBD SMECHAMPIONS 2022
UNIQUE FORMAT OF THE PLATFORM COMBINES CORPORATE GOLF, PUBLICATIONS, AWARDS, AND CSR ACTIVITIES
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ME Champions, an exceptional confluence of SMEs in the Middle East, architected by JNS Media International (an OMA Group company) officially launched on March 30, 2022 at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. With its first corporate golf tournament, the launch event had gathered hundreds of participants from across the enterprise ecosystem of the UAE and registered the attendance of C-level executives, decision makers, and influencers of large enterprises, medium, and small companies. Vivek Sharma, CEO of JNS Media pronounced in his launch speech, “we are very happy and elevated to share that the Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) invested in their time to understand this truly innovative platform and chose to be the ‘title sponsor’ of the year-round program.” He added, “The platform SME Champions has four pillars that are SME-focused Publication, Annual SME Awards, CSR Activities, and Corporate Golf. The sustainable nature of the initiative keeps evolving and
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www.VARonline.com
CORPORATE GOLF
CBD SMEChampions 2022
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consistently contributes to the enhancement of business growth and relationships of its partners and sponsors. One of its notable features is, it is a subscription-based platform, in which participants register themselves or gets listed by its sponsors.”
SME CHAMPIONS UPHOLDS VERSATILITY The SME Champions platform stands out from the crowd as a sustainable initiative, bringing SMEs, large enterprises, tech giants, BFSIs, and logistic companies together on a common platform comprising of networking, business communications, and partnerships. Not only it intends to perform as a unique platform that facilitates comprehensive business engagement between SMEs and resourcing enterprises, but also stands as the most dynamic medley of value exchange. The unique quality of the event is the versatility and standards of integration of diverse wings into a single platform that no one ever imagined. www.VARonline.com
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NEWS BYTES
VMWARE
DISTRIBUTED CLOUD: DELOITTE AND VMWARE COLLABORATE
Zia Yusuf Senior VP, VMware
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eloitte and VMware have announced the creation of the Deloitte VMware Distributed Cloud (DVDC) practice to help clients transform their businesses and the industries they serve by more effectively implementing and utilizing distributed cloud architectures. The strategic DVDC practice area within Deloitte will provide advanced software engineering and multi-cloud services capabilities to clients to accelerate product velocity, enabled across distributed cloud environments. VMware Cross-Cloud services, particularly VMware Tanzu, will provide a modern cloud-native apps platform in an ecosystem strategy that enables Deloitte to deliver apps to production faster and more securely across industries such as retail, public sector, health care, financial services and automotive. “The Deloitte VMware Distributed Cloud practice will focus on transforming our client's technology to become an innovation enabler,” said Ranjit Bawa, principal and U.S. cloud leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP Zia Yusuf, senior vice president of strategic ecosystem and industry solutions, VMware, said, “as exemplified by being a multi-year VMware Partner Achievement award winner, it’s clear that VMware and Deloitte are fully aligned on our commitment to delivering outcomes as a service to our mutual clients.”
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IDC FORECASTS ICT SPENDING IN SAUDI ARABIA TO REACH $32.9 BILLION IN 2022
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he 8th edition of the ICT Indicators Forum, held on March 29 in Riyadh, revealed that Saudi Arabia is now home to one of the world's fastest growing ICT markets. The forum, hosted jointly by the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) and International Data Corporation (IDC), featured a series of enlightening presentations and panel discussions that provided valuable insights into the current ICT market and the Kingdom's digital transformation journey. The sessions also highlighted the impact of government initiatives on enabling digital transformation across sectors in the Kingdom.
NEWS BYTES
SELFDRIVE
SELFDRIVE LAUNCHES ITS SUPER APP IN QATAR AND BAHRAIN
Speaking at the event, Hamza Naqshbandi, IDC's associate vice president for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, described the Saudi ICT sector as one of the most rapidly growing markets in the region. "The Kingdom's response to the pandemic was one of the strongest and most robust that any economy had to the pandemic," said Naqshbandi. The Saudi ICT sector expanded 8% between 2019 and 2021 to reach a value of $32.1 billion. IDC forecasts further yearon-year growth of 2.3% for 2022, with ICT spending set to top $32.9 billion (SAR 123.4 billion). According to data presented by the CITC, Saudi Arabia has added 37,000 telecommunication towers since 2017, covering about 99% of the Kingdom's area. Moreover, the value of the Saudi ICT and postal markets exceeded SAR 140 billion in 2021. The session showcased valuable insights and perspectives from a number of Saudi Arabia's most respected ICT leaders.
Soham Shah CEO of Selfdrive
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elfdrive, a UAE-based car rental tech platform, is expanding its geographical footprint by launching in Qatar and Bahrain after Oman. An official release stated, the move comes following the app’s growing popularity and success. Selfdrive will cater to the needs of individual customers, business executives, visitors and corporates in Qatar and Bahrain markets, making it the 1st Super app to be launched in the region. The company articulates, using the app’s easy and convenient process of ‘Search – Select – Pay’ ethos, Selfdrive customers in the region have access to over 5,000 vehicles available for rentals starting from 1 day to 36 Months delivered to their doorstep. “Our expansion into Bahrain and Qatar is testament to our growing popularity and success, and an indicator of the changing landscape of the automotive rental market in the region and beyond. We plan to add further new markets in the Middle East and are actively looking at other regions globally as business goes from strength to strength,” says Soham Shah, CEO of Selfdrive. Selfdrive is now looking at Saudi and Kuwait markets. Further plans are afoot to venture westward into UK, Europe and the United States by the third and the fourth quarter of 2022. www.VARonline.com
APRIL 2022
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INTERVIEW
SHIPSY
SHIPSY EMPOWERS LOGISTIC-POWERED BUSINESSES WITH END-TO-END SHIPMENT EXECUTION Shipsy, a SaaS-based smart logistics management platform provider, offers delivery services for Pizza Hut, KFC, Amazon, Fetchr, and other leading companies. Soham Chokshi, CEO and Co-Founder of Shipsy, speaks to The Integrator about their regional goals and strengths.
Discuss the unique qualities of Shipsy's logistics management solutions Our highly agile and customizable smart logistics management platform drives exceptional business outcomes for various verticals and use cases. Let's have an industry-wise look into what sets our solutions apart. Cross Border Trade/Export-Import: We help manufacturers drive seamless collaboration with freight forwarders and CHAs to manage freight procurement (rates, vendor negotiations), shipment documentation, shipment tracking, and invoice reconciliations. Retail Industry: Using Shipsy, retailers can gain greater visibility into SKU movements and inventory levels by leveraging digital control towers and predictive
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intelligence. Courier, Express, and Parcels Industry: By leveraging Shipsy, CEP businesses get a unified view of ground-level activities across different legs of logistics and easily track shipments in real-time and identify delays and update ETAs accordingly. On-Demand Industry: Our solution empowers ondemand delivery providers to rapidly scale same-day and less than 45 minutes deliveries by automating core delivery operations such as delivery scheduling, task allocation, driver selection, and roster management. Tell us about the possible achievements for a logistic enterprise when it comes to choosing Shipsy as its
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INTERVIEW
SHIPSY
logistic management partner. Shipsy empowers logistics powered businesses to: • Lower customer onboarding time by 45% • Reduce mid-mile costs by 12% • Reduce carbon footprint by shrinking distance traveled and trip volumes by 5% and 6%, respectively • Save last-mile delivery costs by 23% • Reduce customer complaints by 28% • Increase on-time delivery by 24% • Boost delivery NPS by 18% • Rapidly scale less than 30 min deliveries • Automate order allocation by more than 99% and more Apart from food and product delivery, which are the other logistics verticals, Shispy is interested in? Our platform empowers leading manufacturers, e-commerce players, and retailers with end-toend cross-border shipment execution. Besides, our technology is helping one of the prominent last-mile delivery providers in Saudi Arabia to precisely deliver packages leveraging new-age delivery modes. We are also building technological capabilities to power drone deliveries. Going forward, we will ramp up our efforts to monetize our capabilities in a way that brings even more value to all supply chain and logistics stakeholders. Elaborate on the analytics, automation, AI, and other modern technology integrations in Shipsy platforms. Our technology integrations allow customers to gain end-to-end visibility over their supply chain and logistics operations. This empowers them to exercise better control and make data-driven decisions. Shipsy's AI and machine learning capabilities help global businesses to optimize their core logistics processes to drive operational excellence. It does so by optimizing vehicle capacity, intelligent freight procurement, 3PL/resource management, dynamic route planning, enabling enroute order clubbing, enhancing ETA accuracy, thereby reducing investment in costs and person-hours, and ensuring optimum resource utilization. Speak about your interests in the Middle East and prospective expansion plans outside the UAE The Middle East contributes more than 35% of our current revenue. We have seen a two-fold increase in both our clients and the revenue for the last two years in this region. The Middle East has been an instrumental
Soham Chokshi CEO and Co-Founder of Shipsy
chapter in Shipsy's growth story. We already have a long list of happy customers from different industries. How did your new partners overcome those after implementing Shipsy's solutions? We provide customers with state-of-art security, rapid scalability, and round-the-clock availability. Our platform can be easily integrated with other enterprise systems and devices. Updates are quick and hassle-free. Businesses don't need to invest heavily in upgrading the physical infrastructure to scale operations. Shipsy's platform ensures seamless integrations with existing IT infrastructure across a business' supply chain network. This helps logistics stakeholders gain real-time insights, drive data-driven decision-making, and identify areas that can be further optimized to boost delivery performance.
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APRIL 2022
23
INTERVIEW
CBD
TRUSTED PARTNERSHIP: CBD OFFERS EASY ACCESS TO BANKING TRANSACTIONS AND SERVICES FOR UAE SMEs
C
ommercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) is a UAE-based banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Dubai. With more than US$23 billion in assets, Gulf Business listed CBD as the 7th largest bank in the country. Amit Malhotra, General Manager - Personal Banking Group, at CBD speaks about the bank’s relationship with SMEs and specific products.
What role the CBD, as one of the longest established banks in the country, has played in helping SMEs to grow and thrive? As a financial solution provider, we firmly believe in backing our customer’s ambitions. At CBD, we recognize that SMEs are the backbone of the UAE’s economy, accounting for around 94 percent of businesses in the country and they must get the right support to grow and expand their businesses. As one of the first and most reputed banks in the UAE, CBD has always differentiated itself from the other competitors by truly being a bank focused on familyowned and managed businesses across the Emirates in the UAE. Over the years, it has supported numerous small and medium enterprises that have later grown with us to become large corporates. Further, we have partnered with several government entities such as the Dubai Economic Department and Free zones such as JAFZA, DMCC, DCAA, and RAKEZ to
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offer a full suite of products that are specially tailored for the SME segment to fulfill their business requirements and back their ambitions. What are the business solutions you offer for newly onboarded SMEs at CBD? CBD provides SMEs with a wide range of solutions. We offer instant digital business accounts through our state-of-art, CBD Rise Digital account opening platform enabling SMEs to get access to banking transactions and services instantly. The digital business account offers attractive features such as no minimum balance requirement and a choice of six account currency denominations, as well as a complimentary business debit card with high daily cash withdrawal limits. We offer SMEs fast and easy access to secured business loans and a wide array of financing solutions that suit their business needs. Our SME customers can avail of competitive rates on money transfers, remittances, and foreign currency exchange. CBD also provides SMEs with experienced business banking relationship managers to provide them with the required advice, guidance, and individual client support. Give us some insight into other business financing services you offer and their eligibility criteria CBD provides SMEs with a comprehensive portfolio of financing solutions that include regular working capital facilities, collateral-free business term loans, business credit cards, overdrafts, and lots more. Our business term loan is an award-winning product, which offers an advisory tool that helps SMEs manage their finances and supports their business growth through a customized business finance package. It
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INTERVIEW
CBD
combines purpose-specific business products which allows them to better manage their business growth efficiently, thus saving time and money by applying for one comprehensive and affordable solution instead of multiple loan facilities. We offer SMEs market-leading financing facilities with high loan amounts, flexible repayment options, low-interest rates, and fast approvals granted within 48 hours of the application’s submission. Our facilities also include quick business loans for retailers and online trading and service sector businesses against their point of sale (POS) machines’ proceeds which can be easily repaid through monthly installments of sales proceeds collected from the POS machines. Tell us a bit about the next few years’ growth prospects of SMEs in the UAE After facing unprecedented challenges in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, 88% of SMEs in the UAE are optimistic about the next 12 months, according to the latest research study conducted by MasterCard, published in the 2021 Mastercard Economic Outlook. The study also showed that 73% of UAE consumers are shopping more online than they did since the start of the pandemic and 97% of UAE shoppers would consider making a purchase with an emerging payment technology over the next year. CBD has been pioneering this digital transformation and provides its customers with a wide range of digital tools that enable them to accept online payments as well as accept payments through POS and is well-positioned to meet the evolving digital needs of consumers. In line with our purpose to back the nation’s ambitions, we will continue to support our SME customers, ensuring they get access to the financial and banking products they require to set up and grow their businesses. Any new product or service initiated by CBD to grow its SME sector engagements CBD launched its unique digital instant business account for SME customers through the CBD Rise Digital platform, offering four feature-rich business bank account packages that are not only value-packed but also
Amit Malhotra General Manager - Personal Banking Group, CBD
designed to meet customers’ everyday banking needs and deliver a better banking experience. CBD offers exclusive financing facilities, including unsecured loans of up to AED 2 million, with flexible repayment options of up to 48 months, low-interest rates, and fast approvals granted within 48 hours of the application’s submission. The benefits also include quick business loans for retailers and online trading and service sector businesses against their POS proceeds, with finance amounts up to AED 1 million. The loan payments can be easily repaid through monthly installments of sales proceeds collected from the points of sale. SME customers can avail of CBD business credit cards with features that meet their personal and business needs such as free for life cards with credit limits of up to AED 250,000, a cash advance facility of up to 50% of the credit limit for urgent expenses, access to a flexible line of revolving credit and more.
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APRIL 2022
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FEATURE
ARUBA
HOSPITALITY MUST ACCELERATE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR LONG-TERM RECOVERY Written by: Jacob Chacko, Regional Director - ME, KSA & SA, Aruba - HPE
G
argantuan advancements have been made over the last couple of years to tackle the pandemic. But COVID-19 is still casting a long shadow of uncertainty across the globe. Businesses in almost every sector have had to quickly adapt to a digital-first world and, as economies start to fully reopen, many are finding that the challenges faced so far were just the tip of the iceberg. Hospitality organizations know this only too well – while some were able to adapt to online models to continue trading, others were forced to close their doors for 12+ months, leaving huge swathes of the industry – and its digital advancement – largely dormant.
Jacob Chacko Regional Director - ME, KSA & SA, Aruba - HPE
DIGITAL-FIRST DEMANDS For hospitality businesses to bounce back better they must quickly demonstrate they’re able to respond to the digital-first expectations that have emerged from/been strengthened by the pandemic – delivering safety-conscious contactless experiences, hyperpersonalized engagement, and digital interactions.
AVOIDING SLOWDOWN But why does it matter? As hospitality businesses accelerate their digital transformation, they also face an exponential uptick in data. While this presents exciting opportunities to create better, more differentiated customer experiences (to name just one benefit), that very same data can quickly become a hindrance if it’s not controlled, understood and utilized. And not only could that throw businesses into a major digital slowdown, but it could also really impact their ability to deliver a competitive advantage.
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HARNESSING DATA TO MAINTAIN DIGITAL MOMENTUM Establishing a network that gets a handle on all this data and allows hospitality to put it to good use is critical for continued digital momentum and long-term success – and we see this being a three-step process:
STEP 1: PROCESS DATA EFFICIENTLY To process data efficiently, organizations must follow it to the Edge of the network, capturing it in real-time at its source versus transferring it back to a centralized hub and causing unavoidable latency. This is especially true in hospitality where every millisecond counts, ensuring targeted promotions and smart venues can adapt based on immediate needs.
STEP 2: ANALYZE DATA INTELLIGENTLY Capturing data is one thing but www.VARonline.com
acting on it is something else entirely. Enter AI and automation. Hospitality already had a strong uptake of AI before the pandemic – IDC discovered 62.6% of hospitality and travel brands were focusing on data optimization programmes, using AI to leverage data and adapt to the digital nature of guests and employees. One example of this could be the deployment of AI chatbots that interact with and learn from people, enabling them to intricately understand customer preferences, respond with hyperpersonalized services, and manage complaints.
STEP 3: STORING DATA SECURELY The final step in the data process is security – customers must trust their data is secure, and businesses must feel confident in policing new levels of app and device usage. This requires a delicate balance of locking down data enough to reassure customers without freezing out further transformation.
CONCLUSION As hospitality’s doors finally swing open and footfall increases again, hoteliers must work fast to encourage on-premise interaction and achieve customer delight. But a huge part of this will be reliant on managing data at the Edge, which in turn requires having the right infrastructure and solutions in place to support next-generation technologies. Done correctly, this has the potential to significantly (and positively) change the way hospitality services are delivered. Done wrong, however, or not done at all, and the results could be catastrophic.
FEATURE
VEEAM
CLOUD, SECURITY, AND CONTAINERS SHOULD BE THE KEY FOCUS Written by: Kinda Baydoun, Manager of Channels & Distribution - ME, Veeam Software
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here is a clear wave of optimism as I interact with our Veeam partners, as most agree that this year is shaping up to be a year of not just recovery but of acceleration and innovation. During our recent Middle East ProPartner Summit in Dubai, we saw signs of healthy IT budgets and more focus on investing and adding more skills to their workforce to adapt quickly to key IT trends. There are three key trends that I believe will shape the Enterprise IT landscape this year and beyond. They consist of three distinct pillars: Cloud, Security and Containers. Businesses need to have a good understanding of what cloud brings to an organization and why it is important. Secondly, before the pandemic, we had a centralized office where employees were all in one place. With decentralization now, the boundaries of the organization have become invisible. Data is all over, necessitating a need for a comprehensive security strategy to safeguard all entry points. Modern Data Protection and management technologies will be a number one priority for CIOs and IT managers to combat the increasing incidence of cyberattacks, including ransomware that has huge negative ramifications for organizations. And finally, we see an increased interest in Kubernetes as a critical piece of an enterprise’s cloud infrastructure. This has created a new area around container-native data protection that needs addressing. The adoption of remote work and e-commerce had been already growing at a fast pace in the last few years. The Covid pandemic lockdown restrictions worldwide ended up highly accelerating their adoption. These trends created expectations that “a new normal” will include hybrid work environments and continued e-commerce growth. The IT Channel industry will continue to play a major role in supporting customers from different segments manage this “new normal” by providing the technology and all related consultancy and professional services. Cloud adoption continues to be one of the key trends, as partners are racing to having their operations “cloudready” to capture the high potential of this market. The adoption of cloud is accelerating in the Middle East, fuelled by the pandemic, government spending on smart cities and public sector projects, and the availability of an expanding range of data centre and managed services options to support enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. With the acceleration of cloud adoption which is supporting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT)-managed environments,
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Kinda Baydoun Manager of Channels & Distribution - ME, Veeam
ransomware becomes one of the major threats to any organization’s data security. Besides Cloud, Security and Containers, I also believe that the channel should keep a close eye on AI technologies. AI is already transforming numerous industries for the better. Fields as varied as healthcare, education and public safety are leveraging artificial intelligence to automate some processes and optimize others, allowing humans to spend more time on their most meaningful work and less time managing rote tasks. In the near future we will see AI and automation capable of filling positions in other hard-hit sectors like the finance, healthcare, legal and software industries. AI is also poised to transform data management. In this space, true innovation isn’t just about capturing more data—it’s about having it always available, responding to it and separating the signal from the noise in order to improve processes and drive better business decisions. In order to grab a piece of the ‘AI pie’, channel partners need to align with vendors that have a strong value proposition and technologies with established use cases that meet the specific needs of regional enterprises.
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FEATURE
A10 NETWORKS
CLOUD APPLICATION DELIVERY: IT’S STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS FOR MANY Written by: Amr Alashaal, Regional Vice President Middle East, A10 Networks
F
or digital business, transformation, and resiliency, success depends on application performance. Organizations must deliver the best possible experiences for employees and customers while driving innovation and ensuring security. To meet these interrelated objectives, many enterprises are migrating application delivery to hybrid/multi-cloud environments and related techniques to achieve the kind of agility and resiliency formerly only found in public cloud providers. In a recent survey, The State of Cloud Application Delivery, A10 Networks and Gatepoint Research asked senior technology decisionmakers about their experiences delivering applications in the cloud, and what today’s organizations need to achieve the digital resiliency on which their businesses depend. Given the critical role of application delivery performance in digital business success, the fact that only 34 percent of companies are highly satisfied with their application delivery controller (ADC) solution should raise eyebrows.
MODERN BUSINESS RUNS ON HYBRID CLOUD AND MULTI-CLOUD APPLICATION DELIVERY It’s important to state the key role of application reliability and performance for today’s organizations. To compete effectively and grow in modern
digital markets, businesses must meet high customer expectations for a great experience. Hybrid workplace strategies and workfrom-home policies make it all the more critical to deliver a consistent high-quality experience wherever people work. Rising cyber threats and an expanding attack surface call for a heightened focus on security. And agility is a must to support innovation and keep pace with fastmoving markets.
productive and engaged.
HOW UNDERPERFORMING ADCS UNDERMINE THE PROMISE OF THE CLOUD
THE AGENDA FOR HYBRID CLOUD AND MULTI-CLOUD APP DELIVERY
Ensuring application delivery performance in a hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environment hinges on several key ADC functions. Global server load balancing (GSLB) is essential, as organizations need to go beyond traditional disaster recovery requirements to optimize traffic and ensure availability across multiple data centers and clouds. With the vast majority of internet traffic now encrypted, TLS/SSL offload makes it possible to perform TLS/SSL encryption and decryption without straining server resources or creating bottlenecks. Application acceleration and optimization capabilities, including application analytics, fast root-cause analysis, and performance feedback for developers, are invaluable for delivering an outstanding, and consistent, customer experience while keeping employees fully www.VARonline.com
Amr Alashaal Regional Vice President – ME, A10 Networks
The gap between outdated application delivery solutions and modern requirements only continues to grow. With hybrid cloud and multi-cloud complexity rising, organizations need to be able to deploy and deliver applications more flexibly and efficiently, avoid being bogged down in manual tasks, and gain greater insight to ensure that fast-changing environments maintain performance and availability. These needs are reflected in the key objectives for the coming year cited by survey respondents. Forty-eight percent reported plans to increase agility with software/scale-out solutions for a faster response to shifting needs, while 47 percent intend to drive operational efficiency through the deployment of hybrid cloud automation, management, and analytics capabilities. APRIL 2022
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TECHNOLOGY
FINTECH
REVOLAND: FIRST BLOCKCHAIN GAME ON HUAWEI CLOUD
IN4X GLOBAL INTRODUCES A USERFRIENDLY CRYPTO ECOSYSTEM IN THE ME
I
Jimmy Zhao CEO, Chain X Game
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aming enthusiasts in the Middle East can look forward to a brand new gaming experience this month with the launch of the much-anticipated blockchain–based game Revoland on the HUAWEI CLOUD,” said an official release of Huwaei. It added, “The game integrates all the advantages of traditional mobile games, with a high degree of completion and entertainment to create an authentic ‘social gaming experience’ and profit model.” Revoland is a blockchain-based multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game where players can gather friends to form a team, fight with others, and earn token rewards for their individual skills. Revoland’s gameplay combines players' individual skills and teamwork to challenge themselves in various game modes, with attractive ranking rewards that are updated monthly. Jimmy Zhao, CEO of Chain X Game, said, “The Middle East’s gaming community is highly engaged and continues to thrive. Hosted on HUAWEI CLOUD, Revoland’s ‘play to earn’ game model will create new sources of income for Middle Eastern gamers as they have fun. We will be tapping into a strong network of telecom operators to drive adoption.” Revoland demonstrates the rapid progress of blockchain-based games, a segment referred to as GameFi. The game goes beyond traditional blockchain card games, adding a variety of changes to the gameplay that allows crypto players to reap the benefits of ‘play to earn’. Meanwhile, Huawei Cloud also has emerged as an essential platform for internet companies and organizations to go digital.
“
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nternational cryptocurrency technology solution company IN4X Global has introduced its new cryptocurrency payment solution and claimed it as the first cryptocurrency payment platform from the Middle East region. The IN4X Global’s payment platform is directed towards empowering businesses to accept cryptocurrencies as an additional payment mode. An official release stated that utilizing such platforms will enable businesses to keep track of their transactions in real-time, regardless of whether they use e-commerce websites like WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, or point of sale (POS) transactions. The solution provides a user-friendly ecosystem within the multi-asset iOWN crypto wallet. The iOWN wallet also allows businesses to accept the iOWN token, USDT, USDC, and various other cryptocurrencies. The payments will be facilitated through the IN4X Global crypto payment gateway. Ala Albatayneh, General Manager, IN4X said, “We truly believe that cryptocurrency is the future of business. This is an opportunity for us to further the UAE’s blockchain agenda and contribute to the building of our country’s future economy. The company has been able to demonstrate its potential and dedication to accelerate crypto adoption in the Arab region.” “The use of cryptocurrency has been growing stronger in terms of variety, acceptance, versatility, and knowledge. Businesses are now beginning to see their potential as an alternate mode of payment, and IN4X Global is proud to champion this shift,” he added
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Ala Albatayneh General Manager, IN4X
APPOINTMENTS
ACRONIS/SHIPSY
ACRONIS APPOINTS ZIAD NASR AS GM FOR THE MIDDLE EAST
A
Ziad Nasr General Manager ME, Acronis
cronis has announced the appointment of Ziad Nasr as the General Manager for the Middle East. Ziad brings 22 years of extensive experience in sales and operations management in the information technology industry. He has risen through the ranks serving several management roles with major system integrators, service providers, and global software vendors covering the MENA market. Ziad commented, “I am excited to join this new adventure with the Acronis team and provide support to our growth acceleration in the region. Growing the team and focusing on dedicated territories within the region will be among¬ my priorities. There are a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline for 2022 and we will be making some announcements soon.” Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges. It was founded in Singapore in 2003 and incorporated in Switzerland in 2008, Acronis now has more than 2,000 employees and offices in 34 locations worldwide.
IYAD KAMAL, FORMER ARAMEX COO, JOINS SHIPSY'S ADVISORY BOARD S
hipsy, a SaaS-based smart logistics management platform provider, has announced the joining of Iyad Kamal, former Aramex COO, to its advisory team. Kamal has over 29 years of leadership experience with Aramex and was instrumental in driving the company's global expansion. At Shipsy, Kamal presently serves on the board of Tradeling, a growth-stage e-marketplace focused on building the largest digital network of B2B sellers and buyers in the MENA Region. He also focuses on the growth in the Middle East and Southeast Asian markets and accelerating expansion in Europe and the US. Plus, he will advise the company to drive rapid logistics innovation by further strengthening its AI, ML, and Blockchain capabilities. "I'm glad to join Shipsy in its mission to transform the global logistics industry and deliver greater value for all stakeholders," stated Kamal. "We see growing demand for Shipsy's game-changing logistics management products and services across multiple geographies. Therefore, having advisors with indepth industry knowledge is critical to our growth," stated Soham Chokshi, Shipsy's Co-Founder & CEO, Shipsy.
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Iyad Kamal Advisory Board, Shipsy
APRIL 2022
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TECHNOLOGY
EYE TECH
TEAMGROUP UNVEILS THE UPGRADED ELITE U-DIMM DDR5 STANDARD MEMORIES
T
he leading memory brand, Teamgorup, has announced the upgrade of TEAMGROUP ELITE U-DIMM DDR5 standard
memory. The manufacturer claims that ELITE U-DIMM DDR5 is complying with JEDEC standards and supports highperformance specifications of frequency 5600MHz and 1.1V voltage. ELITE U-DIMM DDR5 has also been sent to major motherboard manufacturers for verification.
NOTABLE FEATURES: •
Increased frequency from 4,800MHz to 5,600MHz
•
Offers high speed while being energy-efficient
•
Available in different storage capacities, incl. 2X8GB, 2X16GB, and 2X32GB
DYNABOOK BOLSTERS X SERIES WITH NEW PORTÉGÉ X40-K
D
ynabook Europe announces the Portégé X40-K, a new 14” device within
Dynabook’s premium business range that is engineered to deliver the demands of today’s flexible worker. “The latest addition to Dynabook’s premium X Series range of devices demonstrates our continued promise to strive for the very best in mobile computing” said Damian Jaume, President, Dynabook Europe GmbH.
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KISSFLOW REIMAGINES TESTING AND DEPLOYMENT FOR CITIZEN DEVELOPERS
K
issflow, a SaaS software company, has announced the addition of an industry-first, end-toend Process Simulator in the latest version of its no-code platform. The company hopes, “With this, business users no longer have to worry about separate environments for developing, testing and deploying workflows, and can instead create, simulate and go-live within a single interface. “ Dinesh Varadharajan, Chief Product Officer at Kissflow explains, “Conventionally, no-code platforms are either too basic, don't offer customisation, or are too complex that applications can’t be built and rolled out without IT’s intervention. Rising customer demands put a lot of pressure on the business user, whereas the technology or the IT team is not agile enough to handle constant changes and corrections. What they need is not just a way to preview, but to simulate the entire workflow from end-user perspective
in a simple and easy to use environment. No more feedback loops just before go-live!”
THE NEW KISSFLOW PROCESS SIMULATOR OFFERS: •
A single environment for the comprehensive simulation of end-to-end workflows
•
Ability to test and view the outcome of Forms, Approvals and Integrations in real-time To play role impersonations to view and test from different end-user perspective
• •
140+ readymade templates for business users to set up and launch anything from simple approval requests to complex processes
KEY FEATURES: •
Powered by the latest 12th generation Intel Core
•
processors
Ultra-slim and easy to hold at only 17.9mm thick and 1.46kg* in weight
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Windows 11 Pro
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Equipped with not one but two Thunderbolt 4 ports
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Intel AX211 2x2 Wi-Fi 6E technology
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Offers up to 32GB DDR4 3200 MHz memory
and fingerprint authentication and Trusted
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SSD options up to 1TB
Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
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AI audio and HD with FA (face authentication)
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Crisp metallic finish which also protects against everyday scrapes and scratches
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Dynabook’s in-house BIOS, paired with face
camera features equip workers with the ideal tools for remote collaboration.
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APRIL 2022
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TECHNOLOGY
EYE TECH
TECHNOLOGY
RESEARCH TECH
ANDROID BANKING STEALER “SHARKBOT” FOUND DISGUISED AS LEGITIMATE ANTI-VIRUS APPS ON THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE
Check Point Research (CPR) found anti-virus apps on the Google Play store disguised as legitimate which downloaded and installed android malware • At least six different apps with over 15,000 total downloads were spreading the malware, which were consequently all taken down from the Google Play store after CPR’s disclosure • Dubbed “Sharkbot” the malware steals credentials and banking information When searching for an antivirus (AV) solution to protect your mobile, the last thing one would expect is for it to make your device vulnerable to malware. This is what the CPR team encountered while analyzing suspicious applications found on the Google Play store. These applications were disguised as genuine AV solutions, but in reality, users downloaded and installed an android stealer called ‘Sharkbot’. Sharkbot steals credentials and banking information. This malware implements a geofencing feature and evasion techniques, which makes it stand out from the rest of malwares. It also makes APRIL 2022
DISGUISED AS LEGITIMATE ANTI-VIRUS APPS ON GOOGLE PLAY STORE CPR researchers spotted a total of six different applications in the Google Play store that were spreading Sharkbot. Four applications came from three developer accounts, Zbynek Adamcik, Adelmio Pagnotto and Bingo Like Inc. When CPR checked the history of these accounts, we saw that two of them were active in the fall of 2021. Some of the applications linked to these accounts were removed from Google Play, but still exist in unofficial markets. This could mean that the threat actor behind these applications is trying to stay under the radar, while still involved in malicious activity. Overall, we saw over 15,000 downloads of these apps from Google Play.
•
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using the geofencing feature to identify and ignore users from China, India, Romania, Russia, Ukraine or Belarus.
RESPONSIBLE DISCLOSURE TO GOOGLE Immediately after identifying these applications that spread Sharkbot, CPR reported these finding to Google. Quickly after examining the apps, Google proceeded to permanently remove these applications on Google Play store. use of something called domain generation algorithm (DGA), an aspect rarely used in the world of Android malware. CPR identified approximately 1000 unique IP addresses of infected devices during the time of analysis. Most of the victims were from Italy and the UK as per the chart below. Sharkbot lures victims to enter their credentials in windows that mimics benign credential input forms. When the user enters credentials in these windows, the compromised data is sent to a malicious server. Sharkbot doesn’t target every potential victim it encounters, but only select ones, www.VARonline.com
BEWARE OF MALICIOUS APPS Threat actors are evolving and constantly seeking ways to inject and drop malware at any means possible, including disguising as legitimate “official” apps. We advise Android users to: • install applications only from trusted and verified publishers • if you see an application from a new publisher, search for equivalents from trusted publishers • report to Google any seemingly suspicious applications you encounter
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APRIL 2022
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