The Integrator by INTEGRATOR MEDIA

EDITORIAL

AI EVERYWHERE Wishing everyone an excellent start to the new year and big success throughout the year! Each year starts with new hopes and proceeds with explorations of fresh opportunities; some are continued from the past year. For The Integrator, co-publications, and JNS Media International, it is a year of bigger adventures and smarter outcomes.

COVER STORY

As everyone knows, we are hosting MENA’s largest partnership-based initiative, named “SME Champions,” for business enterprises, manufacturers, financial service providers, and logistic solution providers, besides repeating our successful award ceremonies. By incorporating Golf tournaments, networking programs, gala awards, lead-gen activities, and publications, the year-round partnership initiative would establish the biggest winning streak for its investors.

The significance of AI is getting accepted across industries. The cover story examines how AI influences financial, logistics, hospitality, and education.

NEWS IN DETAIL

The Integrator’s January edition analyses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and how they impact major industries, including financial, healthcare, logistics, hospitality, and education. With a detailed cover story, exclusive interviews, and columns, we comprehensively attended every aspect of AI and ML in the issue. Besides the holistic approach, the study of the nitty-gritty of AI would certainly help businesses adopt modern technology appropriately. The Integrator’s February edition is reaching the next milestone in success as it is our 100th edition, which gives insights into cybersecurity. Join us to celebrate the moment and take advantage of getting your services, solutions, or views featured in it!

Murali Margassery Assistant Editor

JANUARY 2022

Aruba Extends Network Segmentation Into the Cloud Through AWS Cloud

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

Axis Offers a Wide Range of Safety and Security Solutions for Enterprises Ettiene van der Watt, Regional Director – MEA at Axis speaks about the regional strength and expansion strategies of the company in the MEA.

Happy reading!

Collaborative Intelligence Can Make the Future Bright

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Vivek Sharma Murali Margassery Faiz Ahmed Suneeta Dadwani Dhawal Dholakia Sreejit Nair

CEO Assistant Editor Graphic Designer Business Coordinator & Executive Assistant Sales Manager Sales Manager

Content 19

IceWarp’s Unified Solutions Keep You Seamlessly Connected and Collaborated

Pramod Sharda, CEO, IceWarp India, and Middle East, speaks about seamless integration and real-time collaboration offered by IceWarp unified solutions.

Intelligent Assistants, Robot Teaches, and More; AI Hints Incredible Future

FEATURE

Dr. Jassim Haji is the chairman of the IGOAI, and a researcher in technology. The Integrator engaged Dr. Haji in a holistic discussion on AI in different industry verticals.

Strategies for Cybersecurity Survival Strategies to handle DDoS and MitM attacks, social engineering, insider threats, malware, and advanced persistent threats (APTs).

Microsoft's EnterpriseSpecific Cloud Soultions Tariq Halawani, Executive Director - Enterprise Solutions at Microsoft talks about the company’s interest in providing cloud solutions to enterprises in the MEA region.

VMware Handles Digital and Multi-Cloud Needs of Enterprises Ihab Farhoud, Director, Solution Engineering, MENAT at VMware speaks about how the company is working with organizations to embrace digital transformation.

Sales Inquiries:

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COLUMN

EYE TECH

AI Applications, Use Cases, and Examples in Finance

Empower Healthier Remote Productivity With BenQ’s Eye-Care Monitors

AI technologies will help banks and other financial institutions accelerate their processes with reduced cost and error while ensuring data security. By Cem Dilmegani, Founder, AIMultiples.

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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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JANUARY 2022

TECHNOLOGY

NEWS BYTES

VALTECH ENTERS MENA MARKET TO REDEFINE THE BUSINESS-TRANSFORMATION LANDSCAPE

igital agency Valtech announces its plans for expansion in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region following the completion of the company’s acquisition of Dubai-based digital-agency Revonic. Valtech focuses on business transformation and will look to accelerate its regional impact by helping clients improve their digital engagement. The company’s acquisition of Revonic followed its securing of funding from BC Partners, a UK investment firm, that values Valtech at US$1.4 billion. Valtech appears to set its sights on further regional expansion with offices planned for launch in Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the next 12 months. Kareem Monem, Regional Managing Director, MENA explained, “The unprecedented demand for Digitally enabled Transformation (DeT) in both the public and private sectors means that Valtech’s pragmatic approach to consulting, creating, and connecting experiences across the B2B and B2C landscape will be very well received.” With an initial focus on four key industries, namely FSI, retail, government, and travel and hospitality, Valtech is aiming to look to launch its experience,

commerce, and data services to help accelerate its clients’ transformational journeys and positively impact their business performance. Valtech is a global business transformation agency and is headquartered in Dubai. It is expected to launch additional operations in Saudi Arabia. The service provider offers strategy consulting, service design, and technology services to enterprise customers.

TENABLE ENHANCES OPEN SOURCE CAPABILITIES AND EXPANDS CLOUD NATIVE SUPPORT

Nico Popp Chief Product Officer, Tenable

enable announces new features for Terrascan, the leading open source cloud native security analyzer that helps developers secure

JANUARY 2022

Infrastructure as Code (IaC). It claims that the new capabilities enable organizations to embed security into their DevOps tooling, pipelines and supply chains, mitigating risks before infrastructure is provisioned. Nico Popp chief product officer, Tenable says, “Just as IaC opens the door to programmatically embed policy checks earlier in the development lifecycle, Terrascan detects compliance and security violations across IaC to mitigate risk before provisioning. We are committed to ensuring Terrascan remains open and available to all development teams and are excited to contribute to its growth.”

TERRASCAN FEATURES:  The ability to identify security risks www.VARonline.com

in more IaC and container definition formats  Integration with all major container registries, including to identify vulnerabilities in container images referenced by IaC  More flexible developer workflows, including the programmatic enforcement of security policies before changes are committed into the code repository and before they are applied to the runtime environment  Improved ability to filter and prioritize findings according to user needs  Deeper integration with external dashboards and reporting frameworks  A new graphical user interface to simplify creation and testing of new policies

TECHNOLOGY

NEWS BYTES

IFS PROMISES SIMPLICITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND SPEED WITH ITS LATEST IFS ASSYST RELEASE

FS, a cloud enterprise software company, has announced the launch of IFS assyst 11.4. This latest update is set to deliver the ability for companies to adopt and deploy workflow technology more broadly within their business. IFS assyst 11.4 also promised to deliver a considerable set of new capabilities to help organizations standardize, improve, and automate service management workflows simply and effectively. “Digitizing processes and building effectiveness through workflows is a fundamental pillar of any company’s digital transformation journey. Achieving this across the entire enterprise has until now been complex and expensive, and therefore limited to the IT function,” said Martin Schirmer, President, IFS assyst. With this release, assyst has extended the omnichannel experience, advancing its chatbot and providing a mobile app for self-service. This means that employees can get access to the help they need

wherever they are working, allowing them to focus on more complex or pressing priorities. • Key capabilities of IFS assyst 11.4 include: • Over 100 predefined service workflows for improved time to value • Low code approach Martin Schirmer to defining & President, IFS assyst maintaining service workflows • A consumer-standard user interface, intuitive, and easy to navigate • Simple cost-effective pricing for easy enterprisewide deployment • Integration with collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams IFS (Industrial and Financial Systems) is a multinational enterprise software company headquartered in Sweden. IFS develops and delivers cloud enterprise software for companies, who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations.

INVIXIUM LAUNCHES A SMARTPHONE APP TO ENHANCE BIOMETRIC SECURITY SYSTEM

nvixium, a manufacturer of touchless biometrics, is broadening its offerings through IXM Mobile, a smartphone app with features designed for healthy access. The mobile app will provide end-users with groundbreaking features to enhance their biometric security system for staff and visitors. Designed for use with TITAN, IXM Mobile offers five licensed features: remote face enrollment, digital card or QR code as contactless credentials, a custom attestation questionnaire, and vital signs screening. An official release stated, “With face enrollment via IXM Mobile, employees will no longer need to enroll for face recognition onsite, significantly speeding up the process of staff or contractor enrollment. Remote face

enrollment enables IXM Mobile to generate a biometric template using Invixium’s face enrollment algorithm for use with TITAN. The app will then securely transfer each individual’s biometric template to IXM WEB, Invixium’s enterprise-grade software.” Invixium It designs and manufactures modern biometric solutions and claims to provide www.VARonline.com

businesses with a unified end-toend solution for access control, workforce management and health screening at entrances. Key features: • Remote face enrollment • Light and dark themes and responsive user interface • Generates a biometric template • User-friendly JANUARY 2022

TECHNOLOGY

NEWS BYTES

DRAGOS CONTINUES EXPANSION TO MEET DEMANDS FOR INDUSTRIAL CYBERSECURITY

ragos, a provider in cybersecurity for industrial control systems (ICS)/operational technology (OT) environments, has announced further expansion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), where Dragos has its regional headquarters at the Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE) in Riyadh, in alignment with accelerated growth in the country. Robert M. Lee, CEO at Dragos said, “the expansion supports priorities set by Saudi Arabia’s 2020 budget allocation of SAR102 billion ($27.2 billion) for security and regional administration including cybersecurity, as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Vision

2030 pillar on National Industrial Development and Logistics. “ Bruce Niven, Chief Investment Officer, Aramco Ventures said, “Dragos is that partner and as a testament to our trust in them, we have invested in the company. We are pleased that Dragos continues to expand its footprint to enable more organizations in the region to secure the critical infrastructure that serves our communities and contributes to the global economy.” Dragos is privately held and headquartered in the BaltimoreWashington, DC area with a regional presence around the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the Middle East.

Robert M. Lee CEO, Dragos

DYNABOOK ANNOUNCES MAJOR UPDATE TO DYNAEDGE AR SMART GLASSES SOLUTION

ynabook Europe GmbH announces an update to its dynaEdge AR (Assisted Reality) solution with the launch of the dynaEdge DE200, the next generation of its Windows 10/11 Pro mobile edge computing device. The new dynaEdge AR solution is claimed to have been designed to provide lightweight, hands-free functionality for mobile working, and improve efficiency, connectivity, and security for the enterprise in today’s constantly evolving working environments. It accelerates diagnostic and repair scenarios, information sharing and collaboration, information capture, and data processing – even in the most remote locations.

JANUARY 2022

“Over the last 20 months, mobile edge computing and smart glasses solutions have become integral to many industries,” said Damian Jaume, President, Dynabook Europe GmbH. With the new enhancements, including 4G LTE, 11th gen Intel core processors, and edge AI-enabled mobility, the system is expected to offer improved security for the corporate environment. The following are its key features: • Faster connection with 4G LTE integration: Wherever there’s a 4G signal, the worker can be connected - without tethering to a phone or relying on a WiFi signal • Smart vision with Edge AI: Edge AI Engine improves camera visuals with image stabilization, brightness compensation, and object tracking • Improved charging and battery life: Offers up to 6.5 hours** of battery life and includes a universal Type C charging connector which can be extended with an optional power bank, enabling front-line workers to achieve all-day operation. • Advanced power: Provides enhanced performance through the 11th Gen Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors

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NEWS IN DETAIL

ARUBA

ARUBA EXTENDS NETWORK SEGMENTATION INTO THE CLOUD THROUGH AWS CLOUD WAN A

ruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company announces Aruba SD-WAN support and integration with Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) new AWS Cloud WAN, a cloud networking service introduced at AWS re:Invent. Aruba claimed, “this new solution will enable Aruba customers to use the policy-based framework of AWS Cloud WAN to create advanced WAN topologies with integrated network segmentation that aligns seamlessly with the Aruba SD-WAN fabric.” With this latest development, Aruba now supports a wide range of integrations with AWS. Aruba’s integration with AWS Cloud WAN is believed to be providing large-scale support for cloud connectivity use cases that extend LAN/WAN network segmentation and traffic isolation from the edge to and through the AWS global backbone network. According to Aruba, the benefits of LAN/WAN segmentation with AWS Cloud WAN include: • Improved network security from edge to cloud: Easily segmenting users, devices, applications, and WAN services into secure end-to-end zones in compliance with predefined security policies, regulatory mandates, and business intent provides

JANUARY 2022

David Hughes Chief Product and Technology Officer, Aruba

consistent security policies and automated enforcement across the enterprise. • Faster spin-up of new branch sites and Cloud VPCs: The integrated solution, combined with the new “one-click” EdgeConnect VPC instantiation, automates network deployments, removing the complexity associated with manual, step-by-step configuration of the SD-WAN (IPSec tunnels, segmentation, route tables, and VRFs) with the common AWS Core Network Policy, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. “This latest integration with AWS Cloud WAN changes the game for enterprises looking to maximize flexibility and reduce operational complexity while strengthening security posture within their cloudcentric WAN deployments,” said David Hughes, chief product and technology officer at Aruba. Organizations can now extend policy-based network segmentation from the branch edge – which spans the campus, branch, microbranch, and remote worker solutions – into the AWS global network. Aruba Orchestrator also supports automated “one-click” deployment of EdgeConnect SD-WAN instances directly into AWS VPC’s.

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JANUARY 2022

INTERVIEW

AXIS COMMUNICATIONS

AXIS COMMUNICATIONS OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY SOLUTIONS; SUITABLE FOR ALL ENTERPRISES

xis Communications is a known manufacturer of network cameras, access control, and network audio devices for the physical security and video surveillance industries. Ettiene van der Watt, Regional Director – Middle East & Africa at Axis speaks to The Integrator about the strengths of the company and their expansion plans for the Middle East and Africa regions.

Give us an overview of Axis’ regional business strategy and strengths Axis Communications has been operating in the UAE, and the broader Middle East, for 15 years. With consistent approaches over the years, we have built strong relationships with our enterprise customers. By creating and hosting a large technical community, consisting of engineers, partners, and trainers, we pursue focused accounts and support customers on all their safety and surveillance needs. The critical infrastructure sector is one that we have always been really strong in, but we also have a strong footprint in the transportation and large enterprises sectors. While security is still our main focus, we are gradually expanding into related markets using new networkbased products and solutions. Our experience in working with network video and audio solutions, analytics, and access control contribute to the protection of people and property, process optimization, business efficiency, and information access. Speak about the types of enterprises you collaborate with other than transportation and critical infrastructures We offer surveillance services for airports, oil and gas enterprises, mining industries, education, and healthcare. To date, we have worked with several airports in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the US.

JANUARY 2022

Ettiene van der Watt Regional Director – MEA, Axis

For mission-critical projects, we install explosionprotected cameras to monitor critical operations and processes, with remote visual verification of readings from gauges and sensors, across the sites. The thermal and temperature alarm cameras monitor for leaks and unsafe temperatures. The health and safety of employees are some of the key advantages of these systems. Beyond that, we have a large customer base in the hotel and hospitality sectors. With the healthcare sector coming into more focus, in view of the the pandemic, we see a lot of opportunities in that too. What genre of enterprise-based devices and solutions are offered by Axis Communications? Axis Communications started its journey as a cameracentric company but we have evolved and now offer a wide range of IP-based products for video surveillance, network audio, access control, network intercoms, and analytics and management applications. Can you elaborate on your business in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector? We understand that there is a huge opportunity in the SME sector and Axis has security solutions for this class of customers as well. To explore those business opportunities, we created an ecosystem including channel partners, distributors, and system integrators. We rely on the strength of our eco-partnerships in most regions.

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INTERVIEW

ICEWARP

ICEWARP’S UNIFIED SOLUTIONS KEEP YOU SEAMLESSLY CONNECTED AND COLLABORATED

ceWarp develops cost-effective unified collaboration tools for small, medium, and enterprise-level businesses. Pramod Sharda, CEO, IceWarp India, and Middle East, speaks to The Integrator about seamless integration, real-time collaboration, and simplified sharing options offered by IceWarp unified solutions. Speak about IceWarp messaging and collaboration platform and why do you claim it as the only alternative to G-Suite and Microsoft 365? IceWarp is a 21-year company that provides unified communication and collaboration solutions for enterprise customers. Our solution ecosystem is competent to transform how teams share information online and optimize business processes through its streamlined and seamless team collaboration tools. We observe messaging, communication, collaboration, and security are the important pillars of IceWarp. Following that, we invested time and R&D resources for over two decades to come up with a unified webbased platform, which facilitates the entire enterprise communication in a sophisticated and secured manner. When an enterprise customer chooses IceWarp, they can handle the entire communication, data sharing, collaboration, and storage activities through a single platform without installing multiple agents or applications on the computer. It also has unimaginable capacities to customize for the changing needs of enterprise customers. Therefore, we claim IceWarp as the most solid and reliable alternative to G-Suite and Office 365. The rapid shift to remote and hybrid working scenarios in the past couple of years has made IceWarp’s family of applications a highly sought-after one, owing to its smooth interface and incredible ability to be used alongside widely used enterprise collaboration software. What unique features or claims do you have to keep IceWarp solutions

Pramod Sharda CEO, IceWarp India, & ME

over its competitors? IceWarp platform has everything that an SMB, a government enterprise requires to efficiently collaborate with its workforce and customers simultaneously. Although the competitors claim the same, the consumers eventually need to juggle between multiple agents/windows in a system to keep them intact. We offer a single pane window on a browser interface for unified communication besides giving the feeling of a desktop application. While attending a meeting, the user could compose an email, respond to a message, or handle a shared file (similar to doc or excel) without shifting the application. The UI supports all devices, such as a PC, an iPad, and a mobile, and the experience will be the same. The platform has also been enhanced to customize based on the needs of users invariable to industry verticals. How about the pricing options for IceWarp solutions and migration from the previous platform(s)? As opposed to our competitors, IceWarp offers better plans with www.VARonline.com

convenient pricing. We offer Lite, Standard, and Pro plans with varied features and storage options. When an organization opts for the IceWarp solution, it can choose an appropriate one based on the requirements of each of its users. It saves the cost that usually incurs when choosing the prominent collaborative tools. Migration to IceWarp from other platforms is totally hassle-free. We let customers use their previous email solution and with our hybrid solution, IceWarp can co-exist with their existing solution on a single domain. Similar support is given for data sharing as users get to share documents of all sizes with users in the same network or outside domains through our cloud service. Complete ease is guaranteed to view and edit documents or share/ co-author them. Flexibility to invite users for videoconferences via links irrespective of their domain lenience is another feature IceWarp solutions offer. All of these activities happen in a secure environment and without vulnerabilities make us stand out from the crowd. JANUARY 2022

TECHNOLOGY

COVER STORY

Collaborative Intelligence Can Make the Future Incredibly Bright

While the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) is broadly accepted across industries, the cover story examines how AI influences financial, logistics, hospitality, education, and other sectors. 14

JANUARY 2022

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TECHNOLOGY

COVER STORY

n January 23, 2020, almost immediately after CNN reported the confirmation of the first Coronavirus case in Washington, United States, Diana J. Flaherty, a Huston-based entrepreneur, wanted to cancel her entire Singapore itinerary, scheduled for the first week of February. After several hours of tiring attempts, her flight, hotel bookings, and transfers got canceled. She had called and emailed travel agents, transfer service providers, and third parties to get the job completed. None of the chatbots, IVR interactions, or online ticketing services, which she reached out responded appropriately – the time difference between countries added more stress to the job. Now; two years later, intelligent IVR assistants, conversational automation systems, AI-powered chatbots, and data processing tools automated not just the travel booking process but nearly 70 percent of the customer-business engagements ranging from inquiry to service delivery, from issue registration to technical support, and from itinerary design to meeting schedules, and more.

Dr. Jassim Haji IGOAI

PANDEMIC-READY IT SYSTEMS AND HYBRID WORK Even though most of these technologies have existed back then, their implementation has been fast-tracked due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cost, reduced workforce, travel restrictions, and several other constraints have forced enterprises to invest in technology that reduces human involvement. Besides building pandemic-ready IT systems, most enterprises have permanently shifted to hybrid work mode and most of them are functioning with less than 25 percent of their workforce from offices. It is already proven that the abilities of AI are incredible and beyond imaginable limits especially when it collaborates with human intelligence and thought processes. While solution providers accelerate the potential of their tools with the help of AI, cybercriminals use AI systems to infiltrate into both public and private networks. Most of the cyberattacks recently reported are facilitated by AI-powered agents and applications. Traditionally, AI remained as a classy technology stood only by commercial segments that demanded quick return on investments (ROI). But when the unrelenting rampage of COVID-19 variants impacted nearly all verticals, the idea of creating resilience with modern technologies had popped up. Since then, the healthcare, research, and drug sectors started to get benefits out of AI. Dr. Jassim Haji, President at International Group of Artificial Intelligence articulated, “the use of AI in

healthcare wasn’t adequate and much less compared with commercial verticals especially in modern societies, such as the United States, China, and Europe. Had there been the modern technologies used efficiently in hospitals, research labs, patient care units, and drug development centers earlier, we could have saved many lives that the COVID-19 pandemic claimed.” Read his exclusive interview on Page 19 Referring to the early trends, positive impacts such as enhanced customer engagement and revenue growth have been witnessed in some of the key sectors including finance, manufacturing, aviation, hospitality, and logistics.

UNLOCKED REVENUE GROWTH IN FINANCE Finance Institutions believe in the potential of AI. Hence, they started using AI-driven solutions for reducing operating expenses and automating intensive processes. Eventually, it led to revenue growth. A survey by NVIDIA titled “State of AI in Financial Services,” also showed a substantial financial impact of AI for enterprises with 34% of those who replied agreeing that AI will increase their company’s annual revenue by at least 20%. FinTech and investment firms use AI for the following benefits: • Algorithmic trading

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JANUARY 2022

TECHNOLOGY

COVER STORY

"AI-powered solutions influenced EdTech space for some time. Studies predict nearly all learning management tools will be enabled with AI capabilities in the coming years." • • • • • • •

the adoption of AI up to 70 percent by online travel agencies and 60 percent by hotels, worldwide before 2020. The prediction of SITA, an IT solutions provider to the air transport industry, was hinted about the investments in AI and machine learning (ML)-based programs by 52 percent of airlines and 45 percent of airports by 2021.

Fraud detection Improved productivity End-to-end trading infrastructure Anti-money laundering (AML) and KYC Accurate insurance policies Automated call centers Risk assessment and management

ROBOTS REPLACE WORKFORCES IN LOGISTIC SECTOR

ROBOT TEACHERS AND ON-DEMAND TUTORING

The logistic sector had a major setback due to the pandemic. The entire supply-chain process got tarnished due to worldwide lockdowns and the absence of workers – the crisis was visible even to transfer medical supplies between countries. Solutions providers considering the option of replacing workers with robots, introducing selfdriving cars, automation in documentation, inventory, warehouse, and clearance processes.

AI-powered solutions influenced EdTech space for some time. Studies predict nearly all learning management tools will be enabled with AI capabilities in the coming years and that will be a complete transformation of the education sector worldwide. Plus, AI gives a completely different perspective of education not only to students and teachers but also to parents and institutions. When experts predict it as the future of education, the following are the merits of AI in education:

In the logistic sector, AI-powered systems are calibrated for: • Big data analysis • Better demand prediction • Planning and resources management • Real-time route optimization • Warehouse automation • Product inspection

• • • •

CONCLUSION

DYNAMIC PRICING OPTIONS IN HOSPITALITY SECTOR The hospitality sector probably conducts an increased amount of customer engagements and it is higher than most other sectors. Thus, automation and AI implementation have been done in several areas including: • • •

•

Chatbots and virtual assistants: Commonly used to handle inquiry and complaints Apps and sophisticated UIs: Provide hassle-free booking and easy cancellation Revision of customer reviews: AI-powered applications can evaluate customer reviews that help organizations learn better customer handling Prediction and data analysis: Customers are offered dynamic pricing based on their engagements The market intelligence firm IDC estimated JANUARY 2022

Personalized learning programs On-demand tutoring using AI chatbots 24/7 learning from anywhere Better time management and task division for teachers

AI and ML are on the scope of defining the future for individuals, groups, organizations, industries, professional sectors, and governments. Robots outperform the existing workforce across the planet, in a decade or less, and there is almost nothing they can’t do in terms of labor. While there are positive and productive impacts, there could be, certainly, adverse impacts as well. Experts forecast massive job losses, unlawful cyber activities, cyberwarfare, etc. Therefore, active intervention of governments in both the implementation and the practice of technology is highly desired. Governments should deliberate schemes for employment protection and social cohesion (e.g., universal basic income (UBI). Simultaneously, states should encourage AI groups, societies, and think tanks to join forums and engage in regular conversations for value exchanges to have the future bright for everyone!

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INTERVIEW

UNIPHORE

UNIPHORE CONVERSATIONAL AUTOMATION PLATFORM ENHANCES ENTERPRISES’ CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS

niphore, a conversational automation company, develops AI and natural language processing (NLP)-based solutions for enterprises. Ravi, Co-founder & President-APAC at Uniphore speaks about the solutions it delivers to address the entire lifecycle of customer conversation. Explain how Uniphore products work in terms of Conversational Automation, and how enterprises can make use of this. Uniphore is a conversational automation company. We provide a framework wherein AI and natural language processing (NLP) can be applied to a company’s conversational data to enhance engagements, both internally and externally. Our current focus is on providing an integrated conversational service platform, which combines conversational AI, workflow automation, robotic process automation (RPA), and low-code and no-code capabilities, all wrapped up with a businessfriendly user interface (UI). Our goal is to transform and democratize exceptional customer experiences. Uniphore enables businesses to empower their contact center employees to deliver highly personalized, empathetic customer interactions which elevate the overall experience. The solutions we deliver include: U-Self Serve - It helps drive customer engagement across channels like IVR, web, and mobile, and reduces the cost of customer service. U-Trust: It delivers frictionless agent verification to increase customer trust. It can verify agents effectively and reduce contact center fraud. As the customer converses with the agent U-Assist: It steps in to give the agent real-time analytics that drives compliance, facilitate crosssell and up-sell opportunities,

address consistency and churn with knowledge management and most importantly enable agents to be more empathetic. U-Analyze: It makes it possible for 100% of interactions to be monitored and analyzed for details such as soft skills, compliance, churn, and cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. In this way, Uniphore delivers a platform upon which our products address the entire lifecycle of customer conversation – from an automated channel to authentication, to live service, and finally to post-factor. How can automation be tailored to the needs of each organization? Give us an example and speak about the verticals that Uniphore focuses on For example; a typical request to a bank such as ensuring the customer’s credit card will work during an overseas trip. Between navigating the IVR, speaking to an agent, and the agent subsequently making the required updates to the system, this interaction is likely to take no less than 10-12 minutes. But if Uniphore has been deployed, then instead of the IVR, the customer can speak in a native language to a bot, which connects them more efficiently and conveniently to an agent. Then as the customer relays the request to the agent, RPA processes automatically populate forms, allowing the agent to fulfill the request with just a single click. Within in financial services industry, we also serve other nonbanking service providers such www.VARonline.com

Ravi Co-Founder & PresidentAPAC, Uniphore

as mortgage providers, and many of the world’s leading insurance companies. Beyond BFSI, we serve the telecoms sector and the healthcare market. Of course, BPOs are another large focus for Uniphore. In addition, we also have a big customer base in the eCommerce, Ed-Tech, and hospitality segments. Tell us about your presence in the Middle East and your strategy for the region in the coming years In the Middle East, we have a strong partner focus as we sell through our partners and alliances. Of course, we also have a team that is based in the Middle East that is headquartered in the UAE and has a local presence in countries across the MENA, including Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. We have a very strong penetration into the enterprise space. Globally, Uniphore works with 6 out of the top 10 BPOs, 3 out of the top 5 telcos, and between 70% to 80% of Fortune 500 companies. JANUARY 2022

INTERVIEW

VMWARE

VMWARE HANDLES DIGITAL AND MULTI-CLOUD REQUIREMENTS OF ENTERPRISES

Ihab Farhoud Director, Solution Engineering, METNA, VMware

Mware is a provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. Ihab Farhoud, Director, Solution Engineering, Middle East, Turkey, and North Africa at VMware speaks to The Integrator about how the company is working with organizations to embrace digital transformation and cloud-first solutions.

What are the biggest challenges that businesses in the region face? A large number of businesses in the region are yet to adopt digital technologies and if they don’t go digital, they will practically fade away in the market. At VMware, we understand how important this is for customers and try to help them throughout their digital transformation journey. We explain to them the current market trends and educate them on how they can run their businesses after opting for the transition. What issues are holding companies back from embracing a cloud-first approach and wider digital transformation plans? The local regulations in some countries, security concerns, data privacy, data sovereignty, and cost were major factors holding companies back from the cloudfirst approach. I don't think it is the case anymore as things have drastically changed after the pandemic hit. Most of these challenges were well addressed and enterprises are swiftly moving toward cloud solutions. A shortage of multi-cloud talent is the next major challenge. It is difficult to find the talent that knows the various hyperscalers and the different cloud providers across the board. Businesses can no longer stick to one cloud provider as different clouds have different features and different capabilities. Depending on how complex the business is, having multiple clouds will satisfy most of the business requirements. Is the situation the same for all sizes of businesses? Are larger organizations more advanced in their digital transformation plans than SMEs? Small and medium enterprises and large enterprises

JANUARY 2022

have the same kinds of considerations when it comes to choosing cloud solutions. However, cost is a probably more of a factor influencing small businesses in choosing modern technologies. How does VMware help organizations move to the cloud? We help our customers by providing a digital platform to help them build, run, manage, secure, and connect modern applications and clouds end-toend. Some organizations face a challenge with cloud in that they have a lack of visibility about whether applications or workloads are running efficiently on a specific cloud, and also whether it is cost-effective to run the workload on a specific cloud. VMware solves these challenges for customers. Our platform can run traditional or legacy applications next to modern cloud-native applications. We enable customers to monitor workloads of applications protected by a single security platform across the board. VMware offers services with AWS, Microsoft, Google, Alibaba, and Oracle. Tell us about your role at VMware and the strategies you devise for the region? I handle presales for the organization across Middle East, Turkey, and North Africa. I regularly travel across the region to meet different types of customers especially in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt. Regarding our regional strategies; we want to offer services to all sectors, including government, healthcare, education, banking, security, and mission critical sectors.

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INTERVIEW

IGOAI

INTELLIGENT ASSISTANTS, ROBOT TEACHES, AND MORE; AI HINTS EXCEPTIONAL FUTURE Dr. Jassim Haji is the chairman of the IGOAI and a researcher in technology and AI. With over three decades of experience in the aviation and technology, Dr. Haji has been instrumental in implementing some key innovations at Gulf Air. The Integrator engaged Dr. Haji in a discussion on AI in different industry verticals. Briefly explain the role of IGOAI and its missions International Group of Artificial Intelligence (IGOAI) was established in 2021 to create global awareness about artificial intelligence (AI). The community involves academics, students, CIOs, members of global AI associations, and professionals who engage with AI from over 24 countries. IGOAI is one of the fast-growing non-commercial communities that currently has around 450 members and we are expecting over 1200 members joining in it by the end of 2022. We disseminate learning about AI through global summits and conferences by articulating potential algorithm-based biases, security gaps, and other key areas that need feedback and scrutiny. We have conducted major conferences with key representations of ministers of justice (GCC), public prosecutors, parliamentarians, women, and people of several walks of life. Besides giving them fair chances to share their AI experience, we keep them educated about several aspects of the technology. How well do you think AI will be used in various sectors in the postpandemic era? We had conducted a study in the pre-pandemic days and predicted a drastic growth in the use of AI, digital transformation, and other futuristic technologies by 2025. The pandemic had fast-tracked its implementation and growth. The customer service segment of various verticals such as healthcare, banking, education, sports, etc.

would likely witness major growth in the post-pandemic era. AIpowered chatbots and conversational automation technologies can play vital roles in customer service whereas robotic lecturers take over the education segment. How do you react to the use of AI in healthcare industries during the pandemic? Apparently, the use of AI in healthcare wasn’t adequate and much less compared with commercial verticals especially in modern societies, such as the United States, China, and Europe. Had there been the modern technologies used efficiently in hospitals, research labs, patient care units, and drug development centers earlier, we could have saved many lives that the COVID-19 pandemic claimed. What impact AI could create in financial and e-payment segments? AI can be used to improve the speed and efficiency of the payment process by reducing the extent to which humans need to be involved, especially the developments in speech recognition technology. Through which banks can increasingly process payments initiated via voice, where the initiator uses a smartphone or smart speaker in addition to chatbots. What is the scope of AI in the aviation sector? AI can be sued effectively in several areas of aviation, specifically in airlines, such as revenue management, crew management, fuel-efficiency optimization, inflight sales, airplane maintenance, and air safety. www.VARonline.com

Dr. Jassim Haji IGOAI

Do you see the significance of AI in manufacturing and logistics verticals? AI is most commonly applied in manufacturing to improve overall equipment efficiency (OEE) and firstpass yield in production. Over time, manufacturers can use AI to increase uptime, improve quality and constancy, which allows for better forecasting. In logistics, it can be used for collecting and analyzing information and inventory processes, enabling companies to increase efficiency and boost revenues in warehousing. What hospitality industries could achieve by involving machine learning? It can be used for in-person and customers within hospitality, such as chatbots, virtual assistance, and guest data analysis with predictions. Like some others, do you anticipate job loss and employment crisis after a vast implementation of AI in several industries? There will be certainly many jobs lost in the next five years, but equally, there will be the creation of new jobs and also different job functions to accommodate new generations and specifically those that are tired of AI. JANUARY 2022

INTERVIEW

MICROSOFT

MICROSOFT’S POSITIONING WITHIN THE REGIONAL DIGITAL LANDSCAPE IS IDEAL FOR INNOVATIVE ENTERPRISES

icrosoft Azure is a cloud computing service operated by Microsoft for application management via Microsoftmanaged data centers. Tariq Halawani, Executive Director - Enterprise Solutions at Microsoft talks to The Integrator about the company’s interest in providing cloud solutions to enterprises in the UAE and other regions in the Middle East.

Digital transformation for enterprises is no longer an option but a necessity; cloud support becomes an integral part of it. How can Microsoft help small, medium, and large enterprises on this mission? Small to medium-sized businesses are the backbone of economies, while larger enterprises facilitate diversified ways to generate revenue and boost the economy of scale. So, organizations must be enabled to seamlessly conduct operations through the power of the Cloud. Microsoft’s positioning within the regional digital landscape is ideal for innovative enterprises. Our Abu Dhabi and Dubai data centers place the trusted, versatile, intelligent Microsoft Cloud at the disposal of businesses looking to compete in the post-COVID world.

JANUARY 2022

From the collaborative potential of Teams to the productivity of Office; from the business intelligence of Dynamics 365 to the pioneering capabilities of Azure’s IoT functions, and Cognitive Services’ chatbots – there’s something for every innovator. Tell us how cloud-based infrastructure and platforms offered by Microsoft help businesses grow, improve flexibility, and increase profitability? Cloud services give businesses the option of using and paying for only the tools they need to achieve their own individual goals. Controlling costs when businesses are at a nascent stage is important for their early cash flow and profitability. Then, when brand recognition and revenues hit critical mass, smaller businesses can take their next steps by growing their technology stack to meet the needs of their next five-year plan. Supporting short-term to long-term plans are the benefits of cloud services that improve efficiencies, cost savings, cyber-resilience, and secure access. These future-proof innovations allow businesses to fully harness the capabilities of AI, IoT, Blockchain, and augmented or virtual reality, providing a competitive edge while upholding privacy and security.

www.VARonline.com

INTERVIEW

MICROSOFT Kindly articulate hybrid cloud and differentiate it from multi-cloud services from a business perspective Hybrid is a mix of different types of clouds like public and private clouds, while multi-cloud is a blend of several separate public clouds of the same type. For example, in a hybrid cloud, workloads and application services could run in a public cloud while data resides in a private cloud. In multi-cloud environments, the same solution would have both clouds being public. For businesses, it is all about the choice between multiple providers, or a single trusted partner to achieve consistency. The decision to be made by businesses depends on their specific chief concerns such as cost, security, reliability, performance, time, and effort in migration to the cloud. Be it hybrid or multi-cloud, cost and security remain the highest of priorities from the lot. Therefore, for those who have higher regulatory standards, hybrid cloud services may be ideal, while cost concerns can lean toward the multi-cloud service option. In terms of cloud architecture, it is worth noting that services such as Microsoft Azure Arc can help manage these complex architecture seamlessly, no matter what cloud services, providers, and components are involved. Speak about the collaborations that Microsoft have made to strengthen its cloud deployment and support services in the UAE and other GCC countries Our activities in these areas are multifaceted, however, skilling is at the core of our efforts, especially through the Microsoft Cloud Society. We have partnered with the MADRASA free e-learning platform and collaborated with the One Million Arab Coders initiative as part of our ongoing commitment to skilling and upskilling. Bolstering these skills is also found in the AI School, exploring the latest AI technology at a personalized pace at any level. This in-depth learning path navigates through the essential concepts of AI and machine learning services, preparing individuals to discover various innovative ways to develop AI solutions from the power and potentials of the cloud. Building cloud skills is integral to transforming a business into a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and secure organization that delivers performance driven by innovation. These initiatives empower a generation of future leaders to contribute to the UAE’s digital economy, enabling them to excel in cloud development skills and creating greater prospects for the nation’s digital endeavors. Discuss the scope of cloud-based infrastructure and related solutions in the post-pandemic era Cloud is now the fastest way to develop digital experiences for employees and customers. And in the modern era, where B2C and B2B customers and the employees that serve them are mostly digital natives,

Tariq Halawani Executive Director - Enterprise Solutions at Microsoft

saying something is the “fastest way” is tantamount to saying it is the “only way” because digital natives are not known for their patience. Business employees will also be empowered to achieve more through the new challenges and demands of remote work. Untethered to a physical location, the right cloud service can provide equal to higher efficient productivity through communication tools. Within this process, organizations will have fresher sources of innovation and insights that can proactively connect with customers and cater to their specific needs. Migrating and fully operating in the cloud will also optimize costs by unlocking new degrees of productivity. Reducing the overall infrastructure costs will drive profitably and growth for an organization. And safeguarding these stages of transformation is also of utmost importance, for example, the way Azure invests heavily in security and compliance within a cloud framework. The agility, security, and cost-effectiveness of the intelligent cloud are the new normal because of the pandemic. Organizations must be equipped with the right solutions to be able to take on today’s challenges and be prepared for any future hurdles that can be faced with the power of the cloud, with confidence and resilience.

www.VARonline.com

JANUARY 2022

APPOINTMENT

ACRONIS/COHESITY

ACRONIS APPOINTS MICHAEL CALLAHAN AS CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

cronis, a leader in cyber protection, has announced the appointment of Michael Callahan as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Callahan joins the team with sales Michael Callahan and marketing Chief Marketing Officer, Acronis experience, serving in senior leadership roles at companies such as McAfee, HP, and Juniper, and most recently as the Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Cofense. He will focus on developing Acronis’ global brand position while increasing awareness of the Cyber Protect Cloud Platform. Patrick Pulvermueller, Chief Executive Officer at Acronis said, “Michael brings more than 20 years of marketing leadership from some of the most well-known companies in the industry, and will be instrumental in solidifying Acronis’ position as a leader in endpoint security. His track record of driving impressive growth from the brands he developed excites us for what is to come under his leadership and expertise.” “I’m very excited to be joining Acronis at a time when the value of our solutions is rapidly gaining traction in the market resulting in exceptionally fast growth that allows us to continue to invest in solutions to our customers’ problems. As the world moves towards a cloudbased digital ecosystem, it’s more important than ever to make sure cybersecurity solutions effectively stop threats so security leaders can protect their organizations,” said Michael Callahan. Callahan is a marketing executive with extensive software-as-a-service (SaaS) security domain experience, serving in leadership roles at McAfee, HP, Firemon, and Zimperium, where he effectively managed and led global teams.

JANUARY 2022

COHESITY APPOINTS JAMES WORRALL AS HEAD OF EMEA CHANNELS

ohesity, a data management solution provider, has announced the appointment of James Worrall as head of EMEA channels. Worrall has extensive experience in building sales channels, James Worrall Head of EMEA Channels, Cohesity having been in leadership roles for networking, enterprise IT, and technology startups over the last 20 years. In his role at Cohesity, he will report to the Cohesity global partner organization, led by Mike Houghton. Worrall has responsibility for scaling the company’s EMEA partner ecosystem while advancing the company’s go-to-market strategy in the region. Before joining the team at Cohesity, Worrall was vice president of EMEA channel at F5 Networks and EMEA channel sales lead at Juniper Networks. In these and previous roles, Worrall held responsibility for developing the overarching channel program and strategy, with a focus on incentivizing partners, simplifying processes, and making the technology easy to understand and resell. Worrall is based north of Oslo, Norway, but traces his sales roots back to his youth in Bolton, UK, where he worked in door-todoor sales. “Cohesity is already helping numerous organizations throughout EMEA transform how they back up, protect, secure, and derive value from data through next-gen data management, but I believe we have only scratched the surface of what is possible and the opportunity for partners is immense,” said Worrall. Cohesity offers services consolidated on one multi-cloud data platform: backup and recovery, disaster recovery, file and object services, dev/test, and data compliance, security, and analytics – reducing complexity and eliminating mass data fragmentation.

www.VARonline.com

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AIMULTIPLE

AI APPLICATIONS, USE CASES, AND EXAMPLES IN FINANCE Cem is a high-tech industry analyst and he served as a tech consultant at McKinsey and as a tech entrepreneur at Hypatos, the document hyperautomation company. AIMultiple.com provides 1M enterprises with transparent, datadriven insights on enterprise technology.

The article was originally published on AIMultiple.

LENDING RETAIL LENDING OPERATIONS

As seen in the image above, interest in artificial intelligence (AI) in finance is increasing, like in other industries. According to a 2020 Business Insider report, 75% of respondents at banks with over $100 billion in assets are implementing AI technologies. McKinsey shares that banking and other financial service companies can generate more than $250 billion in value by applying AI technologies in their financial processes. However, there is still a long way for AI models to be widely used in financial services. For example, historical bias can be an issue in automated credit scoring. AI models could take into account variables like gender, race, or profession which may have been used historically in credit applications. Banks need to monitor models to avoid such situations. Although the integration of AI into finance needs further development, the benefits definitely outweigh the potential costs. AI technologies will help banks and other financial institutions accelerate their processes with reduced cost and error while ensuring data security.

Thanks to document capture technologies, financial institutions can automate their credit applicant evaluation processes. Instead of reviewing financial documents like payslips or invoices manually, which is a tiring task, AI algorithms can handle this operation, capture data from documents automatically, and manage lending operations with less human intervention. This will enable banks and financial institutions to conclude credit applications faster and with fewer errors.

JANUARY 2022

COMMERCIAL LENDING OPERATIONS Similarly, financial companies can capture relevant data from borrower companies’ financial documents, like annual reports and cash flow statements. With the extracted data, credit evaluation can be handled much accurately, and banks can provide faster services for lending operations.

RETAIL CREDIT SCORING Financial companies can leverage AI to evaluate credit applications www.VARonline.com

faster and more accurately. AI tools leverage predictive models to assess applicants’ credit scores and enable reduced compliance and regulatory costs on top of better decision-making. For example, Discover Financial Services has accelerated its credit assessment processes by ten times and achieved a more accurate view of borrowers by using AI technologies in evaluating credit applicants. For more on credit scoring, feel free to read our article on the topic or access an interactive list of leading vendors in the space.

COMMERCIAL CREDIT SCORING AI can analyze relevant financial information and provide insights about financials by leveraging techniques like machine learning and natural language processing. Instead of conducting numerous calculations in spreadsheets or financial documents, AI can rapidly handle large volumes of documents and deliver insights without missing an important point. This can enable better commercial loan decisions.

INVESTMENTS ROBO-ADVISORY Companies can offer AI chatbots and virtual assistants to monitor personal finances. These assistants can provide insights based on target savings or spending amounts. Besides giving insights on personal finances, robo-advisors can give financial advice to help investors manage their portfolio optimally and recommend a personalized investment portfolio containing shares, bonds, and other asset types. To do that, robo-advisors use customers’ information about their investment experience and risk appetite.

OPERATIONS DEBT COLLECTION

and other financial institutions. AI can leverage Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies to scan legal and regulatory documents for compliance issues. As a result, it is a scalable and cost-effective solution because AI can browse thousands of documents rapidly to check noncompliant issues without any manual intervention.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) shares that “Continued attempts to collect debt not owed” is the most common complaint by 39% in the US in 2017. Banks and other financial institutions can use AI to solve this issue and provide a compliant and efficient debt collection process. According to the CEO of Brighterion, a MasterCard company, effective use of AI can help reduce delinquency rates by 76%.

PROCURE-TO-PAY Companies can introduce AI-based invoice capture technologies to automate their invoice systems and use accessible billing services that remind their customers to pay. These will enable businesses to accelerate their processes, reduce any manual errors and costs, and improve loan recovery ratios. Feel free to read our in-depth source-to-pay automation guide to learn more.

ACCOUNT RECONCILIATION IN COMMERCIAL BANKING Companies can leverage AI to extract data from bank statements and compare them in complex spreadsheets. By using AI, account reconciliation processes can be accelerated significantly, and errors that can cause significant disruption would be eliminated.

INSURANCE INSURANCE PRICING Like credit applications, AI can assess customers’ risk profiles and identify the optimal prices to quote with the right insurance plan. This would decrease the workflow in business operations and reduce costs while improving customer satisfaction.

CLAIMS PROCESSING Claims processing includes multiple tasks, including review, investigation, adjustment, remittance, or denial. As AI can rapidly handle large volumes of documents required for these tasks thanks to document processing

TRAVEL & EXPENSE MANAGEMENT

Cem Dilmegani Founder, AIMultiple

technologies, it can also detect fraudulent claims and check if claims fit regulations. As an example, Tractable has introduced an AI system that can recognize accident images and estimate repair costs in real-time. As a result, it claims that insurance companies can accelerate claims processing by ten times.

AUDIT AND COMPLIANCE FRAUD DETECTION According to KPMG, the main challenge that banks face today is cyber and data breaches. More than half of the survey respondents share that they can only recover less than 25% of fraud losses, which makes fraud prevention necessary. AI technologies advanced significantly to detect fraudulent actions and maintain system security. Using AI for fraud detection can also improve general regulatory compliance matters, lower workload, and operational costs by limiting exposure to fraudulent documents. In a case study by Vectra.ai, DZ Bank has reduced the workload of security operations teams by 36x.

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE Complying with regulatory requirements is essential for banks www.VARonline.com

Expenditure reports require travel receipt checks (like hotel reservations, flight tickets, gas station receipts, etc.) for compliance, VAT deduction regulations, and income tax laws. While this task includes compliance risks concerning fraud and payroll taxation, AI can leverage deep learning algorithms and document capture technologies to prevent non-compliant spending and reduce approval workflows.

CUSTOMER SERVICE KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS (KYC) PROCESSES By leveraging AI technologies like natural language processing and data extraction models, banks can find anomalous patterns and identify areas of risk in their KYC processes without human intervention. For edge cases where human interaction is needed, the case can be forwarded for approval. The integration of AI technologies will have benefits like accelerated processing times, improved security and compliance, and reduced errors in these processes.

RESPONDING TO CUSTOMER REQUESTS Conversational AI systems can instantly support customers to fulfill their requests. In cases where the claim is not resolved, humans can intervene. By integrating AI into customer service, customer requests are addressed faster, the workload of call center workers would be reduced, and they can focus on more complex customer requests. JANUARY 2022

COLUMN

AIMULTIPLE

FEATURE

A10 NETWORK

STRATEGIES FOR CYBERSECURITY SURVIVAL Amr Alashaal, Regional Vice President - ME at A10 Networks

SOs, CIOs, and CISOs have never had it so tough. Alongside their traditional responsibilities of safeguarding the corporation’s physical assets on a day-to-day basis and preparing crisis management strategies, they must now face a cybersecurity threat environment that is growing exponentially. Ransomware is only one of the many threats organizations have to deal with. There are also distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, Man in the Middle (MitM) attacks, social engineering, insider threats, malware, and advanced persistent threats (APTs) to contend with – and those are just the most common network security threats. Below are the strategies to make cybersecurity professionals’ organizations safer from the countless network security threats they’ll be facing shortly:

CREATE A “SECURITY-FIRST” CULTURE The problem for CSOs is that, while most employees have some basic knowledge of cybersecurity best practices, that is pretty much all they have. Without ongoing training, knowledge testing, and awareness, staff behavior is one of the biggest cybersecurity risks that organizations face.

CREATE A CONTINUOUS SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM A “security-first” culture requires that all members of the culture appreciate the concept of network security threats. For this to actually have an impact on culture, however, staff must be trained routinely to ensure that their knowledge is current.

IMPLEMENT A ZERO-TRUST 26

JANUARY 2022

policy compliance and privacy standards in the Zero Trust model. Also called “break and inspect”, TLS/SSL inspection bolsters Zero Trust in three major ways. It allows for the detection and removal of malware payloads and suspicious network communications, prevents the exfiltration of sensitive data, and enables the Zero Trust model to do what it’s supposed to do.

REVIEW AND TEST DDOS DEFENCES REGULARLY

Amr Alashaal Regional VP – ME, A10 Networks

MODEL THROUGHOUT THE BUSINESS Well-trained staff and a monitored environment are crucial to the successful protection of any organization but without a foundational Zero Trust environment, defenses will be intrinsically weak. The Zero Trust model is a strategy for preventing network security threats that all enterprises and governments should be using to defend their networks. It consists of four components: • Network traffic control • Instrumentation • Multi-vendor network integration • Monitoring

IMPLEMENT SSL VISIBILITY – “BREAK AND INSPECT” TLS/SSL inspection solutions that decrypt and analyze encrypted network traffic are key to ensuring www.VARonline.com

Routine testing against a checklist of expected configurations and performance standards, as well as random tests of security integrity, is crucial to detecting a distributed denial-of-service attack.

SECURE ALL INBOUND AND OUTBOUND NETWORK TRAFFIC USING SSL/TLS ENCRYPTION When users’ computers connect to resources over the internet, SSL/ TLS creates a secure channel using encryption, authentication, and integrity verification. Encryption hides data communications from third parties trying to eavesdrop, while authentication ensures the parties exchanging information are who they claim to be. The combination ensures the data has not been compromised.

ESTABLISH AND TEST DISASTER RECOVERY PLANS A key part of a disaster recovery plan involves backups. However, it is surprising how often restoring from backup systems in real-world situations doesn’t perform as expected. It’s important to know which digital assets are and are not included in backups and how long it will take to restore content.

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JANUARY 2022

TECHNOLOGY

PREDICTIONS

VEEAM PREDICTS AI TAKEOVER OF ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS AND MORE IN 2022 Veeam, one of the cloud solutions providers, announces its technology predictions report for 2022 and it engages AI, cloud, and cybersecurity, privacy laws, and several other important topics on the prediction. Danny Allan, CTO and Senior VP of Product Strategy, and Claude Schuck, Regional Director - Middle East, at Veeam, together made comments on the topics.

Danny Allan CTO & Senior VP, Product Strategy, Veeam

The following are the predictions made by Danny Allan: Acquisitions will stagnate as company valuations outstrip available assets In 2021, global M&A activity reached new highs aided by low-interest rates and high stock prices. In 2022, we will see that momentum shift. Larger acquisitions will be few and far between as company valuations continue to rise. Only wellestablished, cash-rich companies will have the money required to make new purchases. The higher purchase threshold will make it harder for medium- and small-sized companies to grow and evolve, giving the advantage to larger, established firms. AI and automation will replace entry-level jobs in the finance, healthcare, legal and software

JANUARY 2022

industries The talent shortage will leave many jobs unfilled, making way for the advancement of artificial intelligence and automation to fill new roles. We have seen technology begin its takeover in the service industry with the introduction of robotic waiters during the pandemic. In 2022, we will see AI and automation capable of filling positions in other hard-hit sectors like the finance, healthcare, legal, and software industries. These developments will mostly affect entry-level positions, such as interns, making it harder for recent graduates entering the workforce to gain job experience in the future. Tech’s labor market will be met with big money and big challenges The COVID-19 economy – and the subsequent great resignation – throughout the last two years certainly made its mark in the tech industry. As we continue to see turnover and lower employee retention, tech salaries will begin to grow in 2022 to incentivize talent to stay. I see this causing an interesting dynamic, presenting bigger challenges, especially to the folks in the startup and VC world. The bigger tech giants are the ones who can meet the high dollar demand and deliver benefits for a competitive workforce. It will be interesting to see in the years ahead what this does for innovation, which tends to come from the hungry startups where people work for very little for a long time. We could very well see a resurgence of tech talent returning to the “old guard” companies to meet www.VARonline.com

their needs for stable (and large) salaries, forgoing the competitive, hard-knocks of startups that could cause skills and talent gap that lasts for years to come. New privacy-focused legislation will shift attention to data sovereignty clouds With increased focus on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulating data protection and privacy in the EU and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) enhancing privacy rights and consumer protection for Californians, other states and countries are facing pressure to enact comprehensive data privacy legislation. As this continues in 2022, I expect we’ll see much more focus on data sovereignty clouds to keep data within nations or a certain physical location. This is a far more specified cloud model that we’re starting to see in EMEA with Gaia-X. Some will see this as an obstacle, but once implemented, this will be a good thing as it puts consumer privacy at the core of the business strategy. Containers will become mainstream to support the cloud explosion of 2021 Businesses wrongly predicted that employees would return to the office, as normal, in 2021. Instead, remote working continued, and companies were forced to develop long-term remote working strategies to ensure efficiency, sustainability and to retain employees seeking flexibility. This remote work strategy demanded cloud-based solutions,

TECHNOLOGY

PREDICTIONS resulting in an explosion of cloud service adoption. To meet this moment, containers will become mainstream in 2022, making the generational shift to the cloud much easier and more streamlined for organizations. The following are the predictions made by Claude Schuck: Every enterprise in the Middle East looking to build a strategy around Modern Data Protection should keep the three important pillars in mind – Cloud, Security, and Containers. Businesses need to have a good understanding of what the 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 the place, necessitating a need for a comprehensive security strategy to safeguard all entry points. 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. Accelerated adoption of Cloud technologies Although the cloud is not yet mainstream in the region, adoption is expected to witness significant growth in the Middle East as enterprises begin to “trust” incountry offerings with the big public cloud players like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services that have opened data centers in the Middle East. Gartner forecasts end-user spending on public cloud services in the MENA region to grow 19% in 2022. Another big trend we see is that many governments across the Middle East are creating their own ‘Government Cloud’ to have control over their data and not letting it reside in the public realm. With this acceleration, Veeam is investing in more headcount in the region to be

able to assist organizations as they transition to the cloud. Security – cybercrime In the Middle East, security will always be a top priority. Not only can cyberattacks affect day-to-day business, impact revenue, and create other problems, but above all, it affects the brand reputation and workforce. Enterprises will continue to invest and safeguard themselves against the ever-growing increase in cyberattacks, especially ransomware. Although organizations in the Middle East, in general, spend a lot on security technologies, there is a huge gap when it comes to planning and executing a security strategy. This mainly boils down to the complexity of the IT environment. There are still a lot of legacy systems. Protecting these complicated environments is a big challenge and becomes even more so in the transition phase of moving to the cloud. Regional CISOs need to have a stringent security program in place which includes important elements like stress testing of IT Systems, backups, a disaster recovery strategy, and educating employees to become the first line of defense for improving organizational resilience Security – data privacy and protection In early September 2021, the UAE announced the introduction of a new federal data protection law. With this, data privacy and security are set to take center stage as consumers demand transparency and their

"Enterprises will continue to invest and safeguard themselves against the evergrowing increase in cyberattacks." www.VARonline.com

Claude Schuck Regional Director - ME, Veeam

“right” to be forgotten. By having the option of opting out, consumers can ensure that their data is being handled correctly and they are not targeted by organizations. But more importantly, international corporations that are based in the UAE and the Middle East can be assured that policies are being applied when it comes to data incountry – whether it be in terms of the way data is stored, IP is managed or how customer and consumer data is protected Digital transformation powers ahead thanks to Containers The rapid adoption of Containers in enterprises, the need for ondemand resources, and the flexibility of workloads will drive digital transformation. The Lack of skilled resources and understanding of the technology is a big challenge for enterprises in the Middle East. Veeam, through its acquisition of Kasten, is simplifying container strategy and delivering the industry’s leading Cloud Data Management platform that supports data protection for container-based applications built-in Kubernetes environments. JANUARY 2022

TECHNOLOGY

PREDICTIONS

NETAPP 2022 EMEA PREDICTIONS INCLUDE DIGITAL FIRST, AI, CLOUD, AND SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS

etApp, a leading cloud solutions provider, comes up with its latest EMEA predictions for 2022. The predictions emphasize enterprise-level digital-first approach, cybersecurity, and further expansion of AI, cloud technology, data management, and sustainability solutions. Representing NetApp, Fadi Kanafani, Managing Director of NetApp Middle East released the predictions. The following are the abstract of NetApp 2022 predictions. “Digital First” As New Business Paradigm While IT teams and IT leaders are historically called on to drive digitization and increase value, the roles will be reversed in the post-pandemic world. Strategic decision-making starts with digital experience and digital transformation since they are now deeply connected to the successful operation of any company. We see this for example in business analytics, where the analysis of user experience journeys or customer experience journeys become a crucial information source for strategic decisions. Cyber Security and Resiliency The pandemic months have triggered a rapid increase in ransomware attacks as more and more people worked remotely. Coincidentally, this opened up a multitude of new infection vectors. Enterprises had to come to terms with the fact that many IT security processes and protocols are not well suited to the fight against ransomware, because it is virtually impossible to cut off all these infection routes, especially when criminals use social engineering. Instead, enterprises will rely on AI-based prevention across their whole domain and stringent zero trust policies. Rather than preventing IT attacks from happening, this approach minimizes their impact. Once an infection happens, it is discovered almost instantaneously: Infected areas are cordoned off and infected files are replaced in almost real-time. Sustained Impact of the Pandemic: Cloud Acceleration and the Supply Chain The global supply chain has been brought close to its breaking point by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on air, sea, and land travel. We predict that cloud adoption will accelerate faster as the supply chain constraints drive

JANUARY 2022

Fadi Kanafani Managing Director, NetApp ME

buyers to find alternatives to purchasing traditional onpremise infrastructure to meet demands. At the same time, optimization of production lines and business processes can help the system to become more robust in the future. Productized AI In 2022, artificial intelligence (AI) starts to permeate all industries. We will see it used in agriculture, food production, fast-food chains, and the entertainment and hospitality sector. Agriculture and the food industry, for example, will use it for packing and processing, while other sectors gain most from general automation and the simplification of their processes. Data trends Several technology sub-trends drive change and innovation. One is Analytics & Optimization of digital services. E.g., Finops results are much easier to come by as more automation and smarter applications take hold. This results in increased ROI from cloud investments throughout the public and private sectors. Another trend concerns production environments. There is a clear move away from applications as companies deliver their services through containerized solutions.

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JANUARY 2022

TECHNOLOGY

EYE TECH

EMPOWER HEALTHIER REMOTE PRODUCTIVITY WITH BENQ’S EYE-CARE MONITORS

enQ has launched its all-new GW2485TC and GW2785TC monitors claiming that these are designed to reduce eye strain during prolonged screen time through upgraded eye-care technologies. They also sport productivity features such as a built-in noise-canceling microphone for joining online meetings and a USB-C port for powering devices, plus adjustable-height via the ergonomic stand to help young professionals succeed at work. An official release stated that the GW2485TC 24inch and GW2785TC 27-inch monitors have built-in productivity features to keep young professionals focused. The built-in noise-canceling microphone filters out background noise to give meeting attendees clear audio, even in noisy environments, while Dialogue Mode makes voices clearly audible during calls and online video meetings. Additionally, the USB Type-C port delivers fast audio, video, and 60 watt-quick charging of mobile devices via a single cable.

KEY FEATURES INCLUDE • Advanced eye-care technology: It keeps eye safety in mind during prolonged work and online learning sessions.

• Low Blue Light Plus: It works by filtering out the shorter, higher energy blue-violet radiation which is harmful to the eyes while also preserving blue hues in images to maintain color accuracy. • Brightness Intelligence: It uses a sensor that detects ambient light, brightness, and contrast of screen content to adapt brightness levels and enhance dark areas without overexposing bright regions. • Flicker-free technology: It eliminates flickering at all brightness levels to reduce eye strain, headaches, and decreased productivity. • Ergonomic design: The monitors feature an ergonomic design, letting users easily adjust the monitor’s position for a more comfortable viewing angle and an improved work or study space.

TP-LINK LAUNCHES TAPO CARE WITH INTELLIGENT CAMERA AND SECURITY FUNCTIONS 32

JANUARY 2022

www.VARonline.com

TECHNOLOGY

EYE TECH

KISSFLOW DEMOCRATISES APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT FOR UAE ORGANISATIONS

issflow, a provider of work management software and has launched its enterprise-grade, Low-Code application development platform in the UAE. Targeted at businesses of all sizes, the platform aims to bridge the gap between business and IT by offering Low-Code and No-Code capabilities on one unified platform. Kissflow Low-Code largely aims to eliminate the technical skills barriers by enabling both IT & non-IT staff such as line-of-business managers and department heads to collaborate. “The market is saturated with low-code offerings that are complex, require heavy investments and are heavily reliant on IT teams for application development. Kissflow Low-Code is our answer to the rising demand from IT leaders who want to scale, grow, move faster, increase productivity, and reduce costs,” said Suresh Sambandam, CEO, Kissflow.

SOME OF THE DIFFERENTIATING FEATURES OF LOW-CODE ARE: • Application Builder: Builds operational dashboards, workflows and portals using pre-built templates or from scratch with minimal coding • Custom UI: Create customised landing pages with forms, widgets, custom analytics, and manage access permissions to enable user navigation based on their roles

etworking, security, and smart home solutions provider, TP-Link has launched Tapo Care, a subscription and cloud-based app, which helps users optimize their surveillance camera usage experience with more advanced and intelligent security functions. The cloud storage service now supports many intelligent functions, including 30-day video cloud storage, person detection, baby crying detection, motion tracking, and privacy zone. When the Tapo camera is turned on, all the moments at the camera-installed location captured by the device can be stored by Tapo Care without worrying about the storage space limitation. Users can check the recorded video anywhere, anytime, regardless of the camera status and the app ensures user privacy is 100 percent data protection.

• Developer Sandbox: Optimise application design, identify bugs, and deliver a streamlined developer experience • Application Deployment: Modify app capabilities, extend the code, validate and deploy applications as and when requirements change • Extensive Integration: Kissflow Low-Code supports multiple integrations with some of the most widely used ERP, CRM, and other core utility platforms to augment the capabilities of existing IT investments Kissflow is a leading SaaS software company offering solutions on workflow management, low-code platform, procurement cloud solution, etc.

TAPO CARE’S FEATURES INCLUDE: Advanced AI Functions: The updated its algorithm support functions such as person detection, baby crying detection, and privacy zone. Person Detection: The “person detection” function is an update on the traditional motion tracking function found in many standard security cameras. With that, users can protect their indoor home security with more accurate notifications. Baby Crying Notification: The option enables users to track the crying of babies if they are kept at home. Privacy Zone Protection: Tapo Care protects users’ privacy by owning the cloud service provider. TP-Link also encourages users to set customizable block zones to keep specific spaces from being recorded.

www.VARonline.com

JANUARY 2022

APPOINTMENT

THYCOTICCENTRIFY

THYCOTICCENTRIFY BOLSTERS EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH KEY LEADERSHIP HIRES

Jon Kuhn SVP,Product Management

hycoticCentrify, a provider of cloud identity security solutions has announced the addition of several industry veterans who will play a key role in supporting the company’s next phase of global growth. Executive leadership additions include Chief Legal Officer, Suzanne Tom; Senior Vice President of Product Management, Jon Kuhn; Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development, Ram Venkatachalam; and Vice President of Business Operations and Chief of Staff, Josh DeLong. Additionally, Pascal Van Dooren has joined the company’s Board of Directors. “We’ve added proven leaders to our executive team who will be pivotal in supporting our company's accelerated growth plans. Each of these industry veterans brings a world-class level of expertise and

JANUARY 2022

Ram Venkatachalam Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development

knowledge as it relates to business transformation and navigating the challenges that arise when scaling in a time of rapid growth,” said Art Gilliland, CEO of ThycoticCentrify. Tom was most recently SVP and General Counsel at Calix, where she was instrumental in guiding the business through its transformation to a platform and SaaS company while building governance and operational processes for strategic growth. Kuhn joins ThycoticCentrify having previously led and served as VP of Products for F5/NGINX’s security and DevOps portfolio of products, including the company’s application identity and access management, network and application protection solutions. Venkatachalam brings more than 15 years of experience in corporate www.VARonline.com

SUZANNE TOM Chief Legal Officer

development and strategy, financial advisory, and product development to ThycoticCentrify. He previously served as Senior Director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise where he led acquisitions, investments, and strategic partnerships. DeLong joins ThycoticCentrify having previously led the Americas’ customer success and professional services teams at Forcepoint, where he oversaw the full customer experience from customer onboarding to adoption and value realization. Van Dooren is a trusted advisor on several company boards, drawing on his 25 years of sales and marketing leadership and go-to-market strategy experience, including most recently as Chief Revenue Officer at Avalara and Galvanize.

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