Editorial
Cover Feature - 16
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he speed of Technology disruptions behooves the channel to constantly map out opportunities and take the lead in driving awareness and adoption. Partners must be able to visualize the transformations that they can be great agents of and they need to take customers along towards embracing new Technologies sans vendor lock-ins. Partner must seek to drive down the customer’s apprehensions to accepting new technologies, if any, by elaborately walking them through details of solutions that can tangibly benefit the Business processes in their specific verticals. Partners are instrumental in helping customers who are finding it a challenge to address paradigm changes and make a safe, successful and compliant transition. And for that, partners themselves need to be first convinced about the benefits of new frameworks of computing. Besides, even as models of technologies change, there are always new revenue streams for partners who are instrumental in deploying and supporting. So if cloud computing or Big Data analytics adoption in the region continues to be modest, that is a challenge that the partner community must proactively negotiate since they are after all taking these solutions to market. Inevitably and sooner than later, customers of different sizes will have to embrace many of these technologies for accessing the sometimes elusive competitive edge Businesses are in constant search of. In addition, partners should regularly review portfolios they hold of vendors to ensure they are allied with some of the leaders of various technologies. The Gartner Magic Quadrant is a good reference point for this purpose. Partners can stay focused if they have don’t have too many overlapping vendor portfolios. Finally, if partners have Business vertical focused portfolios and are able to provide end to end solutions in each vertical either by oneself or through collaborations with other integrators, that helps seal trust of the customer for future Business as well.
R. Narayan Managing Editor
Founder & CEO: Vivek Sharma Managing Editor: R. Narayan Editor: David Ndichu Art Director: Faiz Ahmed Sr. Sales Manager: R. Subramanyan Sales Coordinator: Smitha Jithesh
Content
Take the driver’s seat
Big Data gets traction As Businesses realize the imperative to capture not just structured data but also unstructured data to sustain their competitive edge, they will see themselves looking more towards adopting Big Data tools.
News in Detail - 11
Spectrami organises ‘Confluence’ Feature - 26
A concerted push
At a recent Dell Sonicwall channel Meet, the focus was on Dell’s PartnerDirect Program which now includes Dell Sonicwall partners.
TechKnow
Taking the lead - 12
Hany Fahmy Aly, Executive VP, Enterprise Business at du discusses on the ISP's range of Managed Services
Charting New Waters - 14
How we manage data is an area where EMC can help organizations as Sa’diAwienat, CTO & Global Services Lead for EMC Gulf explains
Scaling up - 22
Ayman Al-Ajouz, Sales Manager MENA, Seagate discusses Seagate’s growing focus on storage solutions for Business
Point 2Point
Ready to accelerate - 24
Logicom is strategically aligned with some of the leading brands to be a key player in the solution distribution market. The company’s UAE GM, Sajith Raj elaborates.
Excelling across a wide repertoire - 25
GIT is a solution provider that designs, builds and supports the systems and environments that enable communication and collaboration. B. Vengattaramanan, BDM at GIT discusses the company’s focus areas
Insight - 28
Towards A Connected Society
Omar Alsaied, Middle East Carriers Sales Director, Ciena discusses how machine to machine communication is transforming our society
Regulars News Eyetech Stats
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News Bytes
Etisalat signs Network sharing MoU Etisalat Group signed a Network Infrastructure Sharing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with seven of the largest mobile network groups operating in the Middle East and Africa. The MoU will facilitate an initiative to proactively explore greater cooperation with respect to infrastructure sharing. As part of the MoU, Etisalat Group will actively explore commercially negotiated agreements on passive infrastructure sharing, and where feasible from both technical and regulatory perspectives, active infrastructure sharing with Bharti Airtel, MTN Group, Ooredoo Group, STC Group, Orange, Vodafone Group and Zain Group. The MoU is intended to form a platform for other initiatives with operators outside this initial group. Etisalat’s Group CEO, Ahmad Abdul karim Julfar said, “Etisalat Group is pleased to enter into this first-of-its-kind infrastructure sharing MoU with mobile operators from the region and beyond. It is a big step forward for the industry and in our endeavour to making telephony available to large sections of the population in emerging markets."
4 | April 2014
StarLink Extends Distribution Coverage with Dell Software StarLink, a security-specialized "true" Value-AddedDistributor (VAD) has entered in a new agreement with Dell Software expanding distribution of Dell SonicWall across the Middle East region. StarLink’s channel partners in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon can now provide their customers with Dell Software’s leading connected security solution. This includes SonicWALL’s Next-Generation Firewall and VPN appliances with application intelligence, control and visualization and value-added security subscriptions such as anti-virus, intrusion prevention and anti-spyware for wired and wireless networks of all sizes. “This extended distribution coverage with Dell Software is very exciting for us, as it enables StarLink to work closely with our channel partners across the region to grow our Dell Software business with SonicWall security products. As a part of our Year of the Channel initiative, we will be welcoming our Strategic Partners into StarLink’s Choice Program, as well as Dell’s PartnerDirect program, in order to reward the most committed partners with the tools and resources to drive profitability and growth.” said Avinash Advani, Director – Business Strategy, StarLink
Redington Value to Distribute Oracle Solutions across Middle East Region Redington Value will distribute Oracle solutions in the Middle East region including Egypt. Redington Value will provide a multitude of services for the entire Oracle Stack to its value-added reseller partners, including Sales Support, Market Intelligence, Pre Sales Support, Commercial Skills and also provide Oracle Authorized Solution Centers across the region. Redington Value will focus on the development of the Oracle channel in the Middle East Region. Redington will offer its partners pricing and deal support for Oracle solutions, as well as support in terms of enablement and demand generation. Redington will also be responsible for identifying a strategic network of specialist partners for driving deeper adoption of Oracle products within the ISV community in the region. “Oracle represents the first opportunity for Redington Value to position the entire stack including Applications, Middleware and Storage as a true converged infrastructure platform in the form of Oracle engineered systems to its customer segment. We see great value in this relationship and the potential that it has for both the companies to harness the capability of the channel in the Middle East,” said Ramkumar Balakrishnan, Senior Vice-President of Redington Gulf, Value Division.
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News Bytes
Mackeen Technology honored by Axis Communications Qatar based Mackeen Technology recently won the ‘Best Silver Partner Award’ in the Middle East by Axis Communications, a market leader in innovative video surveillance and access control, during the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the company held in Dubai. Mackeen was honored for having achieved the highest business performance in the integration of security cameras, measured by revenues, customer service support and training goals during 2013. Salman Kaldari, CEO, Mackeen Technology, said: “Mackeen Technology is elated on receiving the award from Axis Communications for our impressive performance in the integration of security cameras in 2013. We are grateful to our partner for extending their support in successful implementation of several of our projects with some of the leading organizations in Qatar. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Axis Communications in offering cutting-edge solutions to our customers in Qatar.”
6 | April 2014
IT industry megatrends in focus at Open Door 2014 Microsoft UAE in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre (ADSIC), introduced its latest innovative solutions at the Open Door 2014 event organized in Abu Dhabi, as part of the company’s transformation to a ‘Devices and Services’ organization. The annual event included interactive sessions and demonstration stations in which Microsoft experts provided insights into the ways in which Microsoft has been empowering businesses, educators, governments and individuals. The demonstration of the highly anticipated Windows 8.1 update was one of the main attractions during the Open Door, which highlighted the new features on a range of the latest Windows devices allowing users to rediscover cloud connectivity through OneDrive and the updated Windows Store, which now hosts over 100,000 Apps. Promoting the true spirit of personalization, Windows 8.1 advances the vision set forward with Windows 8 and delivers the experiences that people look for in the latest PCs, tablets and other devices to run their favorite modern apps and experience exclusive cloud-connected services. Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf, said: “Open Door is a unique platform to experience all the latest innovation from around the world. The world of IT is evolving at a rapid pace and we continue to see disruption dominated by four main megatrends: mobility, cloud, big data and social networking. During Open Door, we presented solutions that are in-line with these megatrends, enabling businesses and governments to carry out activities that support their objectives.”
Alpha Data’s new Qatar branch part of regional expansion thrust Alpha Data, the UAE’s leading systems integrator with over 30 years track record, recently inaugurated its new subsidiary, Alpha Data Technology, in Doha, Qatar. The company’s launching of its first permanent overseas office forms part of a broader expansion agenda targeting prime business opportunities in key regional markets. Qatar, one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, is an ideal market for Alpha Data to offer its more than 30 years of expertise to boost local IT services. Alpha Data Technology will offer Audio Visual (AV), Mobile, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Security solutions directly from the new office. Specialists certified to the highest levels by some of the world’s leading technology providers will also deliver pre- and post- sales, project implementation, and support services across all technologies. Fayez Ibbini, Managing Director, Alpha Data, said, “Alpha Data was established during a time of great change for both the IT industry and the UAE. With Qatar on a similar development path, our company is well-equipped to support the company’s IT-enabled growth. As one of the fastest-growing countries in the region, Qatar is also the ideal base for us to pursue our regional expansion plan. We have been looking at Qatar as a key growth market for some time now and we are delighted to have finally established a permanent base there.”
News Bytes
Jumbo partners Unify Communications in Oman The Oman operation of Jumbo Electronics entered into a partnership with Unify Communications. The tier one reseller partnership will see Jumbo Electronics represent Unify Communications for selling, installing and maintaining Unify products and solutions in Oman. Unify, a JV company of the Gores Group and Siemens AG, helps to streamline communications systems for enterprises of all sizes. It builds on a heritage of product reliability, innovation, open standards and security to provide integrated communications and networking solutions. Vishesh Bhatia, CEO of Jumbo Group, said, "The new partnership with Unify is an integral step in Jumbo’s strategy to continuously expand the enterprise division of the business and to offer comprehensive solutions to corporate enterprises, SME offices and government bodies in the region. Our Oman division has seen strong growth in recent years and a partnership with a company such as Unify allows us to better service the needs of organizations in Oman.”
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New Regional Director to expand Bit9’s regional footprint Bit9, a leading vendors in advanced threat protection for endpoints and servers announced the appointment of Mohammad Aquib Aftab as Regional Director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Aftab will be tasked with further establishing the Bit9 brand in the region as the right choice for enterprise endpoint and server security, along with developing the company's Channel by building long-term, sustainable business relationships with the region’s top Partners. Aftab has more than 12 years of experience in IT sales, including the last five years in Value Added Distribution, where he was responsible for establishing and promoting new security products in the Middle East, as well as, developing strong relationships with Channel Partners. Aftab has also previously won deals in a large number of enterprise customer accounts in the telecommunications and government sectors, which will enable rapid build-out for Bit9's client portfolio. Aquib Aftab, Regional Director, Bit9 Inc says, “Ever evolving security threats within the two regions necessitate a new way of approaching security. Enterprises know that they can no longer rely on old-world security technologies such as antivirus in today’s new, disruptive security landscape. With a next-generation approach to endpoint and server security, and robust partnerships with network security leaders, including Fire Eye and Palo Alto Networks, Bit9 is uniquely positioned to help companies enhance their security posture”, added Aftab.
Dimension Data recognised by FireEye as 2013 Global SI of the Year Dimension Data, the USD 5.8 billion global ICT solutions and services provider, announced that it is a recipient of the FireEye 2013 Global Systems Integrator of the Year Award. The award was presented to Dimension Data at FireEye Momentum 2014, the company’s annual partner and sales conference held recently in Las Vegas, Nevada. The FireEye awards recognises partners who are at the forefront of helping customers adapt to the modern threat landscape and help organisations create more secure infrastructure to combat today’s advanced threats. Matthew Gyde, Dimension Data’s Security Group Executive said, “We are very pleased to be recognised with this award. The global cyber threat landscape is expanding exponentially in both size and sophistication, and organisations are struggling to comprehensively protect their assets from advanced threats. As a leading global security system’s integrator, this award is testimony to the trust that our clients place in our ability to help them integrate and implement solutions that enable business growth and innovation, without compromising their security.
News Bytes
GBM highlights benefits of big data analytics Gulf Business Machines (GBM) organized its 2014 Big Data & Analytics Seminar in Bahrain. The seminar was designed to help clients explore the business potential of “big data” solutions and how they can use analytics to improve decision-making capabilities, optimize operations and manage risks. “To be competitive in today's business environment, organizations need to be able to capture and analyze large volumes of data in order to gain useful insight, said Abdulla Ishaq, Country General Manager of Bahrain Business Machines (BBM), GBM's division in Bahrain. “Many companies struggle to keep up with the exponential growth of data they are collecting, and they risk being overwhelmed if they continue relying on outdated data platforms. These limitations affect a wide range of industries and sectors, from finance to medical research. Going beyond traditional solutions will provide a range of distinct competitive advantages for businesses.” Big Data is all about better analytics on a broader spectrum of structured and unstructured data that need to be analyzed at the speed of business to create value and differentiation among industry peers. According to The New Intelligent Enterprise, a study conducted by the IBM Institute of Business Value, in partnership with MIT’s Sloan Management Review, organizations that achieve a competitive advantage with analytics are over two times
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more likely to substantially outperform their industry peers. To maximize this opportunity, IBM has developed an enterprise-class Big Data platform that allows clients to tackle the full spectrum of big data business challenges. Commenting on this unique solution, Ishaq continued: “As the sole distributor for IBM– excluding selected IBM products and services –throughout the GCC, GBM is uniquely positioned to guide clients through the adoption of technology like big data and analytics with the latest solutions and implementation capabilities, which strengthen their customer engagement and serves as an engine to drive their business forward."
News In Detail
S
pectrami, a regional value added distributor organized its first 2 day partner conference,Confluence 2014, at Rotana Resort and Spa Hotel, Fujairah, UAE. Spectrami’s executives and partners from around the Middle East and Africa region gathered at Confluence 2014. All attendees had the access to Spectrami’s special presentations, meetings and breakout sessions. Spectrami believes Confluence 2014 will help its channel partners “Inspire Minds,” creating the ideal environment for strengthening relationships, building collaborative sales strategies and aligning efforts. Anand Choudha, Managing Director, Spectrami, said, “Confluence 2014 is one of the many ways we interact and help our channel partners. We exceeded our own expectations from the event and had to organise extra range of sessions for channel partners that provided an indepth insight into our vendors’ products and how our channel partners can utilize the various platforms we offer to generate newer sales opportunities.” Choudha also added that at the event, Spectrami and its channel partners shared success stories and customer
wins which can be replicated across all the territories we are present in. “Our presales team ran technical sessions for our channel partners. In addition, we also provided an opportunity to all our partners to interact with our vendors on a single platform and learn more about their technologies and market potential,” said Choudha. Topics that were presented at Confluence 2014 included market potential of Middle East, introduction of Spectrami’s product portfolio, reference customer lists, channel partner focus and model, and technical Anand Choudha Managing Director Spectrami
Spectrami organises‘Confluence’ presentations of product portfolio. In addition, speakers at the event threw some light on the IT security landscape in the Middle East, product positioning within customer environment, high level introduction of products and its feature sets, support model for customers, and training
and certification initiatives for partners, among other topics. “In a world where the right IT solutions equal business performance, Spectrami is committed to offering – together with its vendors and channel partners – the most complete platform to enable organizations to
embrace computing to better leverage global resources,” added Choudha. “A partner event such as Confluence 2014 is the best platform to speak about our top notch breed of IT solutions and help our channel partners leverage the solutions to our customers’ advantage.”
April 2014 | 11
As one of the two ISPs in the UAE, Du has a great reach into the enterprise segment through it voice and data services. It has also built up leading edge capacities and competence in IT Managed services and is looking to make further inroads. Hany Fahmy Aly, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Business at du discusses elaborately on the ISP’s range of offerings in Managed Services
Taking the lead Discuss du’s consulting and Managed Services for the B2B enterprise segment A managed service typically includes remote provisioning and trouble management, remote monitoring of all solution elements, detailed service-level agreements, and contracts that extend beyond one year. We offer a range of managed services for our business customers. Our consultative approach helps to understand enterprise’s business needs and develop tailored solutions. All solutions are based on proven methodologies and have been designed to be transparent, impartial, and meet business challenges. Our managed Services has five key portfolios. Global Managed Services helps organisations stay connected seamlessly to their international business locations
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around the world by tapping into our secure and fullyresilient global MPLS network. Du’s Business Cloud solutions offer organization the ability to leverage benefits of private, public or hybrid cloud backed by industry leading Colocation services. Our Managed Security services allow customer to focus on business while du managed security services take all the operational challenged and stay ahead of the evolving treat landscape. Managed Video Conferencing as a service allows organisations to collaborate quickly and efficiently. On the Mobility front, our range of services includes Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Machine to Machine (M2M) communications. Are these services available outside the UAE as well? Our Managed Services are predominately designed for
Hany Fahmy Aly, Executive VP. Enterprise Business, du
TechKnow | Du
UAE-based business customers, however, businesses are increasingly going global and therefore we have partnered with services providers across the globe to ensure that customers are able to connect their overseas branches together. The feature rich Global Managed Services allows customers to use du’s MPLS network to experience next generation features. Do you see a growing demand for such managed network services? Managed Connectivity, mobility and managed security are the highest growth markets, being driven by the need of organisations to roll out next generation networks and secure them (a key activity for all), in order that they are subsequently able to attain the many business benefits of a highly connected and mobile workforce. Enterprises
realize that efficient and costs effective ICT infrastructure is not only necessity but also help them to gain competitive advantage. Our Managed Services allows them to focus on their core business without worrying about managing ICT infrastructure. Do you provide these services with your own in-house technical services team? We have developed expertise over the years to offer a complete range of Managed Services. Our typical engagement with customers for Managed Services begins with a team of pre-sales Engineers who understand customer’s business and technical requirements and design solutions specifically to meet their needs. Once a customer signs off the proposal, our project management teams ensure that all activities are synchronized and delivered efficiently. After delivering services successfully, our services management team takes care of the customer throughout the lifecycle of the service. What are the cloud solutions that you provide? Cloud is a game changing phase of IT that is not only impacting the way computing services are and will be delivered, but also the way in which users will use IT. Among many other projects, our ‘College on the Cloud’ is one of the leading cloud projects which we have successfully delivered.
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TechKnow | EMC Gulf
Sa’di Awienat, CTO & Global Services, EMC Gulf
organization has to follow until they reach a level of awareness and understanding of howto make use of that technology. Additionally, there’s the issue of the huge investments that organizations have made over many years in installing traditional data centres and building applications and it’s not easy to scrap this entireinfrastructure. However, no one is expecting CIOs to dismantle everything and start afresh; it’s more of an evolution, building new infrastructure on top of what they already have. Organizations are also not expected to have everything immediately;rather, this process takesawhile and maturesover time. EMC has evolved from a
data that we are dealing with right now and the forecasted growth of that data over the next few years. It would be a real shame if this massive data is kept stored without making any useful decisions or analysis of it. This is one of the issues that EMC has focusedon, in terms of how we can analyse this data and how we can build on top of that an ecosystem that can provide decision makers with the tools and the information that can help them make strategic decisions to differentiate themselves in the market. Big Data is the new evolution of business intelligence. At EMC, we believe this is one of the key pillars of the future and EMC will continue to focus and play in this area now and in the future.
Charting New Waters At the heart of the IT transformation we are all part of is information; how we manage this data is an area where EMC can really help organizations as Sa’di Awienat, CTO & Global Services Lead for EMC Gulf explains. What is your outlook for 2014 in the information management and storage space? In 2014, we are expecting to see a major revolution happening in the IT Industry, a transformation that started several years ago inwhat IDC calls the Third Platform. The Third Platform sees the shift away from the legacy platforms that where we deal with millions of users and thousands of applications to the third generation platform that consists of billions of users and millions of applications. This year, we are also going to see
14 | April 2014
acceleration in the adoption of the mega trends within the third generation platform which are mobility, cloud computing, social media and Big Data. Each one has different adoption rate and maturity but we are expecting all them to accelerate in 2014 and beyond. Why is there still reluctance in the market for faster adoption of these emerging technologies? Any new trend that is launched brings with it a lot of uncertainties and doubts. There’s therefore a learning curve that each CIO and
storage s'olutions provider to information management and more. What are some of the trends that you are witnessing currently in this transformation? EMC has widened its vision in terms of what we are offering in the last few years and now we are dealing with information management, security and information analytics in addition to the traditional storage solutions. Right now, information analytics is one of the mega trends that are going to impact each and every organization in the future given the size of the
Do you see the narrative changing as new technologies emerge? Big Data, cloud, mobility, social media will continue to be hot topics for the coming few years and we expect to see more innovation coming in these areas. We are living in a much accelerated world where with innovation happening very fast and companies emerging out of nowhere and offering new technologies and new ideas that we have not even thought of. I’m sure that in 2014 and beyond, we will be seeing much more innovation in the within the IT industry.
Cover Feature | Big Data
ANALYTICS GAINS TRACTION Adoption rates of Big Data tools, although modest, is witnessing an acceleration in the region
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ig Data continues to surge across sectors, making it imperative to deploy tools that can manage and analyse the unprecedented volume, velocity, and variety of the data available. The Big Data market reached $18.6 billion in 2013, a 58 percent growth rate over 2012, according to Wikibon Principal Research Contributor and Big Data Analyst. Further, Big Datarelated services revenue makes up 40% of the total, with hardware at 38% and software at 22%. The relentless pursuit of competitive advnatages by Businesses is conducive to the growth of Big Data Analytics. That is because while relational databases and traditional BI tools have been equipped to deal with transactional data generated and help companies in their Business decision making, beyond that unstructured data was largely not stored. It is now feasible to capture this and therefore becomes a further source of information that can be utilized. Weblogs, social media, email, sensors, and photographs are examples of less structured data that can be now mined for information. “Decreasing cost of both storage and compute power have made it feasible to collect this data - which would have been thrown away a few years ago. As a result, more and more companies are looking to include non-traditional yet potentially valuable data with their traditional enterprise data in their business intelligence deployments,” says Aydin Gencler, Director, Cloud OS Data Platform at Microsoft Middle East and Africa. He adds, “Today, enterprises want to capture and manage large amounts of information from multiple sources both structured such as ERP, CRM and database systems and unstructured including web sites, social media and streaming. By investing in Big Data solutions, enterprises would be able to understand the semi structured or unstructured data that represent more than 85% of their business will gain a huge competitive advantage over their competitors.” There is a steadily growing confidence
Aydin Gencler Director, Cloud OS Data Platform Microsoft Middle East & Africa
in Big Data products and services in the enterprise segment. Vendors are striving to get the message out into the channel and customer base to increase adoption rates. “The surge in data is a global phenomenon. Even in the Middle East, we continue to witness an accelerated data generation as a result of a surge in Internet usage, online banking and social networking in addition to smartphone and tablet penetration and this is only going to continue. Increasing sources and amounts of data are being created, offering organizations more insight into their decisions, ideas and predictions,” says Sadi Awienat CTO and Global Services Lead, Gulf and Pakistan, EMC. Therefore the traction in the region needs to be a lot better as it is restricted to a few Businesses at the moment although the traditional BI and analytics
deployments have been widespread. He adds, “In a maturing market like the Middle big data presents huge opportunities for enterprises to better understand their customers, evaluate larger market trends and predict emerging business opportunities across the region. Business Intelligence and Analytics have always been key priorities with CIOs in the region and few businesses have already begun harnessing Big Data Analytics, with more and more to follow the path.” One of the bottlenecks could be the readiness of customers in the region to consider Big Data deployments as they may already have BI tools in place that are doing reasonable jobs of mining and analyzing structured data. These customers may hold back until they are certain they really need the information from the additional unstructured data but in certain April 2014 | 17
Cover Feature | Big Data
Andrew Calthorpe CEO Condo Protego
key verticals, customers are realizing the value they can extract out of such Big Data deployments. Boby Joseph, Data Practice Head at Data Science Technologies, a subsidiary of StorIT Distribution and a pioneer in the Big Data Analytics solutions and services space says, “Though organizations in the Middle East are becoming aware of the challenges Big Data brings, the adoption of Big Data analytics in this region is still lagging far behind as compared to the global adoption rate. The region definitely needs to deploy Big Data tools for enhancing the analytics and reaping the benefits of data mining. However, companies in the Middle East are beginning to realize the benefits of harnessing Big Data in business, education, government and security.” Driven by customer and market demands moving at breakneck speed,
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Businesses need to engage with, capture, manage and transpose data into intelligent action to stay relevant. There is a key role for the VAR channel to engage with the wider customer base and understand their apprehensions if any about Big Data and provide consultation that can convince them to adopt Big Data tools. Andrew Calthorpe, CEO at Condo Protego, a leading Systems Integrator in the region says, “MENA’s VARs would do well to connect with their clients and start to answer some of these questions with a positive outlook. The top priority is to instill the mindset that data should never be dismissed as forbidding white noise, but rather treated as one of the most valuable assets in the game. .” He adds, “A meticulously planned, cutting-edge and scalable IT architecture that can collate and store enormous amounts of unstructured data is now a must. A whole lot of consultation and integration needs to take place across the region, and VARs need to be ready, willing and able to help make it happen.” Challenges exists however for companies looking to invest in Big Data solutions. According to the Wikibon Big Data analyst, barriers exist which include a lack of best practices for integrating Big Data analytics into existing business processes, concerns over security and data privacy, continued “Big Data washing” by legacy IT vendors, a volatile and fast developing market, and a lack of polished Big Data applications for solving specific business problems. The Hadoop open source storage system that helps collect large amounts of data from servers and breaks into manageable chunks is seen as a key technology underpinning Big Data tools from major vendors. Because it is schemaless, Hadoop can ingest structured or unstructured data from any number of sources. This data can be collated in combinations required to enable incisive decision making. Further, the introduction of YARN (Yet Another Resource Negotiator), a resource management layer
to Hadoop in 2013 is seen as a milestone as it provides the structural foundation for Big Data analytics to move beyond MapReduce-style batch processing. “Microsoft embraced Hadoop project for many years and started building its integration on the Hadoop platform to provide a Big Data solution that is available with SQL Server, SQL Server PDW appliance and Windows Azure platform as Azure HDInsight. Microsoft’s approach is to standardize implementing Hadoop on Windows Server on premise or Windows Azure in the cloud while simplifying usage and extraction of data via HDInsight and technologies like Polybase in SQL Server PDW. So far Apache Hadoop has proved to be the best option to implement Big Data,” says Aydin. He adds, “Microsoft believes big data should be in the hands of people who are closest to their business. The approach is simple—combine the power of 100% Apache Hadoop with the core databases and bring unstructured and structured data to life through rich 3D data visualizations with the tools that your business uses most.” Microsoft’s Big Data solution that offers a modern data management layer that supports all data types – structured, semi-structured and unstructured data at rest or in motion. There is also an enrichment layer that enhances your data through discovery, combining with the world’s data and by refining with advanced analytics. Finally, there is an Insights layer that provides insights to all users through familiar tools like Office. Microsoft has built rich, 3D data visualizations and storytelling right into Excel. This makes it easy to slice, dice and visualize multiple data sources – even modify them on the fly while presenting in PowerPoint – helping you uncover insights that would have otherwise remained hidden in static charts. HDInsight is Microsoft’s new Hadoopbased service, built on the Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) that offers 100% compatibility with Apache Hadoop. HDInsight enables customers to gain
business insights from structured and transactional and analytical processing in unstructured data of virtually any size and one system. SAP HANA provides a single activate new types of data irrespective of platform for advanced real-time analytics, its location. Rich insights from Hadoop can data warehousing, visualization and be combined seamlessly with the Microsoft reporting and enterprise applications. The Business Intelligence (BI) platform to platform offers a choice of deployment give customers the ability to enrich their models and partners, providing lower models with publicly available data and cost and faster innovation from an open services using familiar tools like Office and ecosystem. SharePoint. Paul Devlin, Director - SAP Platform There are several variants of Hadoop Solutions, SAP MENA says, “Big data is based solutions that the channel can work characterized by the three V’s: velocity, with to offer solutions to customers. These volume and variety. Businesses must include Cloudera, MapR and Hortonworks. think about architectures that can IBM as well Pivotal, an EMC spin-offalso accommodate big data from access, offer their Hadoop versions. Many of storage and consumption perspectives. the data management vendors would Firstly, businesses must be able to access be working with one of these Hadoop any data, in any format, at any speed. distributions or with several of them. Secondly, businesses must be able to DST focuses on offering consulting effectively and economically store and and integration services in the Big Data access big data. Here the key is to deploy Analytics and is allied with vendors appropriate platforms based on the including SAS, Hadoop, MapR, MapReduce, temperature (access frequency) and value Greenplum, Elastic Search, Python, of data. Finally, businesses must provide MongoDB, RedisSolr etc.. easy and intuitive ways for analysts and Paul Devlin Boby says, “Data Science works on decision-makers to consume big data in Director most of the Big Data platforms in Open order to make sense of it and make better, SAP Platform Solutions, SAP MENA Source. All Solutions and architecture faster decisions.” designed can incorporate various variants He adds that depending on overall of Hadoop. We also have integrated volumes being accessed, businesses should Cloudera Hadoop offering where in the different storage tiers. think about hybrid approaches that utilize customer has a choice to opt for having it SK Solutions,anti-collision software in-memory databases such as SAP HANA integrated (factory installed) or to choose pioneers,has partnered for instance with for hot, high-value operational data; high from choice of other Hadoop variants. Data SAP to enhance worker safety, reduce performance disk-based data warehouses Science has the most exclusive Hadoop costs and improve productivity on Dubai such as SAP Sybase IQ for warm and offering from one source. Data Science construction sites. The project uses sensorhistorical information, and possibly also can also deploy Hadoop in the Microsoft based data fed through a system using Hadoop clusters if the volumes of data Windows environment for various Microsoft make it uneconomical to store data ina portfolio of SAP technologies, including Analytics deployments. Microsoft has some in-memory computing platform SAP HANA, memory or in disk-based RDBMS’s. SAP very powerful analytics in the Big Data to prevent cranes and construction vehicles has made it possible to integrate HANA space and Data Science has the skill set to from colliding. and Sybase IQ with Hadoop for easy deploy in similar environments. Dr. SéverinKezeu, CEO, SK Solutions management and access of data across the According to says, “Our solution SAP, Big Data’s vast entails deploying potential is one of sensors on cranes "The approach is simple—combine the power of 100% the main driving and construction Apache Hadoop with the core databases and bring forces behind the vehicles to pull unstructured and structured data to life through growing popularity actionable data rich 3D data visualizations with the tools that your of SAP HANA, an such as 3-D motion in-memory platform control via inertial business uses most." that combines motion unit,
April 2014 | 19
Cover Feature | Big Data
Boby Joseph, Practice Head, Data Science Technologies
adoption of cloud." location via GPS and load weight, "The elasticity of the cloud makes it ideal for big The road equipment usage data analytics -- this practice of rapidly crunching large ahead and wind speed volumes of unstructured data to identify patterns More and more and direction. This and improve business strategies will help big data BI tools will information is then incorporate Big extracted to help adoption of cloud." Data elements keep personnel in future. As the safe and enhance traditional BI tools deal with the structured utilization of construction equipment, which cost of ownership. Cloud based offerings are available and are expected to become data sources, these tools will either helps improve productivity and ensure more pervasive in the Big Data analytics incorporate the new enhancements to projects meet key milestones.” segment. understand Big Data or complement with SAP HANA also allows users to easily Microsoft’s Aydin says, “As a result of the new tools that can already work Big analyse billions of records in seconds, exponential data growth compounded with Data. which means that complex business mobile access to data and applications Aydin adds, “The traditional BI tools questions and simulations that took hours from multiple devices such as smart and Big Data tools will be complementing can now take mere seconds. phones and tablets and increasing social each other to emerge as the next media adoption, we expect the cloud generation business analytics. The solutions Cloud based offerings computing will grow to address the needs that provide a hybrid solution that Cloud based solutions could attract midof enterprises and consumers. Therefore, embraces both on premise, traditional, market customers who will look at lower we expect cloud based implementations structured as well as in the cloud, semi or will grow to handle the data growth, unstructured data access and analysis will storage and access to Big Data. have a better chance to address customers’ He adds, “Cloud based solutions from needs.” simply storing data in the cloud to gaining While BI tools are quite competent insight will be consumed as a service. to deal with the structured data that Therefore, the total cost of software and Businesses have been used to, the fact that hardware ownership will decrease and Big Data tools that help mine through the become a subscription based service model data deluge that is coming in will make it that would be much more affordable for imperative for most BI vendors to include SMB companies.” Big Data variants, especially as customers Through cloud based subscription start demanding such solutions. That day models, Big Data can gain some needed may not be far off. traction with SMB customers. SMBs will be Boby Joseph opines, “Big Data will able to quickly adapt to the cloud services replace some of traditional BI tools but, BI to conduct and move their businesses is still part of Big Data. However, new data forward with a low Capex and OPEX. sets have taken them to a new dimension, Data Science Technologies has various where in existing BI tools or applications Cloud-based Big Data solutions available are deficient in servicing the consumer’s for the SMB segment voracious data mining and visualization Boby says, “Cloud would play an needs.” important role with the SMB segment that In summary, we are yet only at the can save on investment to slowly move beginning of what certainly appears to be their needs of analytics and talent to a strong growth area. 2014 will see more different geographies and thus pay-per-use products coming in and increased adoption. model integrated into their current needs. Big Data analytics is expected to be quite The elasticity of the cloud makes it ideal for pervasive eventually, especially when big data analytics -- this practice of rapidly Technologies like IoT (Internet of Things) crunching large volumes of unstructured will make more things around us intelligent data to identify patterns and improve with embedded sensors that can transmit business strategies will help big data actionable data back.
20 | April 2014
www.emt.ae
Scaling up Late last year, Seagate announced a broadening of its enterprise storage portfolio with the release of the Seagate Business Storage rackmount NAS, delivering centralized backup, data protection and remote access to critical information for small and medium-sized business organizations (SMBs). Ayman Al-Ajouz, Sales Manager MENA, Seagate discusses Seagate’s growing focus on storage solutions for Business users
Discuss Seagate’s growing focus on NAS storage for business users. What are the strengths you offer as a manufacturer of NAS storage devices? Seagate is known for storing the world’s content. Households and SMBs continue to generate a significant amount of data, and need fast and reliable storage solutions. Keeping consumers and businesses in mind, we have dedicated NAS storage devices to offer in both segments even in a mixed environment of Windows and Mac devices. With the industry’s first hotswappable 8-bay 1U rackmount NAS and our new 4-bay rackmount NAS, our latest solutions take the lead in this category with top performance and the highest capacity at an approachable price point for our SMB customers. Our business NAS devices also give users the ability to save and share data for multiple computers, whether they are Macs or PCs, allowing
22 | April 2014
them to access that data whether they are sitting in the same room with the network or securely when they are on the go, over the Internet. Through our partnership, organizations can now tap into the benefits and scale of enterprise level IT systems while easily backing up all the computers in their home or office to their Seagate NAS device, and then access that data from each computer. Today implementation of a Seagate NAS system is also made easier with support software that goes a long way in simplifying installations, customizing error recovery controls, improving power management, and fine-tuning vibration tolerance. What are the different kinds of NAS storage devices you offer? Today we offer the industry’s broadest portfolio of hard disk drives, solid-state drives and solid-state hybrid drives,
Ayman Al-Ajouz, Sales Manager MENA, Seagate
TechKnow | Seagate
as well as an extensive line of retail storage products for consumers and small businesses along with data-recovery services for any brand of hard drive and digital media type. Seagate Business NAS and Seagate Business Storage Rackmount NAS are a few of the latest solutions we provide to address the changing needs of small office / home office (SOHO), remote mobile office (RMO) and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). When it comes to Seagate Business NAS, our 2 and 4-bay versions of Seagate Business Storage have capacities ranging from 4 to 16 terabytes, delivering maximum data protection by providing redundant backups of the information stored on the device. Also, the addition of a Universal Storage Module (USM) slot allows for plug-n-play removable external drives to be input and removed from the device for improved workflow and offsite backup capability.
Hundreds of In terms of small and mediumSeagate Business "In order for the industry to achieve the growth sized businesses Storage rackmount demanded to support these storage demands, we in the Middle East NAS, the Seagate today already Business Storage must strip out layers of inefficiency from legacy depend on NAS 1U rackmounts architectures and introduce a new approach optimized solutions. For 8-bay and 4-bay for scale-out application and data center needs." many of them, 1U rackmount form meeting storage factors in capacities requirements ranging from 4 to can be even more challenging than for 32 terabytes, providing the performance large enterprises as they desire high needed for businesses to support multiple capacity, efficient storage while dealing simultaneous connections and enable with limited budgets and constraints of everyone within an organization to easily dedicated IT resources. backup and share files With many businesses in the region transitioning to cloud-based storage With different configurations being platforms, we recently unveiled the made available, which are the faster Seagate Kinetic Open Storage platform moving ones in sell out? that promises to simplify enterprise We are experiencing good sales on data management and lower total mostly all different models that we are cost of ownership of the average currently offering. It all depends on the cloud infrastructure by up to 50%. It customers' needs. Nevertheless, I’d say implements and enables the most that the 4-Bay Business Storage model is efficient stack (devices, protocol, in particularly high demand in the region. interface, software, systems) to optimize Conference which was held in February, for current and future application we outlined a new class of video What is the distribution strategy demands, uniquely enables objectsurveillance, SSHD, NAS, enterprise and for these products? Who are your oriented applications to take direct cloud technologies. This has included distributors in the region? Seagate’s latest network-attached storage advantage of storage, and fuels scale-out We engage with nearly all major data center innovation. In doing so, it HDD lineup and two new enterprise HDD retailers through campaigns and through enables significant gains in performance, marketing. We also have rebate programs offerings. We are also planning on the manageability and total cost of ownership Middle East launch of the Backup Plus for certain retailers to further enhance (TCO). FAST & the Backup Plus Slim personal our sales with them, and to give partners devices, which were unveiled to much an incentive for doing business with What are the emergeing trends and acclaim at CES 2014. Seagate. We used to have a distribution needs in enterprise storage? team that does everything, but now we Over the past decade, the explosive What strengths do these products offer have a team focused on the retail side of growth of large-scale, data-driven Seagate’s business. What we’re looking at for customers looking to leverage applications has begun to shift the nature cloud based storage more? is targeting the high-end product, which of enterprise storage infrastructure There are numerous cloud service is an added value to the customers fundamentally. The traditional paradigm providers in the region today who offer On the distribution side we currently of hardware-centric, file-based systems storage-as-a-service. One of the key have two regional distributors, FDC and is moving aside to make way for advantages of cloud storage is that it Asbis, and ECS servicing the local market new software-defined, object-based provides notably easy access to your data in Egypt. from any place where there is an Internet approaches. In order for the industry to achieve the growth demanded to connection. In view of this, an increasing What are the top 3 customer verticals support these storage demands, we number of SMEs are adopting a mixed you are focusing on? Are there any must strip out layers of inefficiency from approach to their storage needs. While significant activities Seagate did for legacy architectures and introduce a leveraging the benefits of what the cloud raising awareness of these products in new approach optimized for scale-out has to offer, they also integrate a NAS the regional channel/industry? application and data center needs. solution into their cloud environment. At our annual Middle East Partner
April 2014 | 23
Ready to accelerate Logicom is consolidating its Business portfolio and is strategically aligned with some of the leading brands to be a key player in the solution distribution market. A chat with the company’s UAE GM, Sajith Raj follows.
Discuss Logicom’s go to market focus in terms of value and volume models of distribution We are on the right track to further strengthening our focus in solution distribution and we have received recognition from some of our vendors last year that confirms we are moving in the right direction. APC By Schneider Electric, with whom we mostly collaborate on enterprise products, awarded Logicom the Distributor of the Year for MEA in 2013. Last year, Logicom was also named ‘HP PPS Distributor of the Year’for its focus on more commercial value products. Finally, Logicom was awarded ‘EMEAR Services Distributor of the Year’ at Cisco’s EMEAR Distribution Business Forum.These were amongst the highlights ofthe past year. Currently, we are trying to develop a solution portfolio where all our value products will complement each otherin order to provide a solution to our resellers. We are in the process of adding more products and brands that will
24 | April 2014
complement what we already have on offer. Logicom has a balanced portfolio. In terms of components, we have strong brands including Intel, Kingston and WD, through which we continue to address the volume distribution segment. Discuss your solution distribution portfolio We have the perfect mix of brands which can make up solution distribution for different verticals. Our Cisco and HP Business units lead the way, while technology solutions and products such as APC, Commvault, NetApp and WatchGuard add further value to our solution offering. We are expecting new additionsin Virtualisation and Security, which we expect will further enhance our solutionsfor the channel and grow our business in the solution distribution space. Discuss your growth in 2013 We have definitely seen growth in 2013,
Sajith Raj, GM, Logicom, UAE
Point2Point | Logicom
especially with the addition of new products to our portfolio. For instance, we have added printing, which had been missing from our portfolio, as well as other product lines which have encouraged growth across all areas. Public announcements about the overall performance of Logicom are made available after the annual audit, while ME figures will be provided separately. Do you have presence in all GCC countries? We have presence in all GCC countries and Logicom is probably one of the few distributors to have sales offices and representatives on the ground in smaller countries such as Bahrain. Ourplan for 2014 is to strengthen our Kuwait and Qatar operations by setting up in-country Logicom entities and local operations. 2014 will be the year of growth for our GCC operations, which will enable Logicom to becomea preferred local distributor with global touch.
Point2Point | GIT
Discuss the range of operations that GIT does? Grand Information Technologies (GIT) provides fully integrated communications solutions that enable companies of all sizes and industries to consolidate information and collaborate effectively. Having positioned ourselves in UAE since 2012 our Middle East hub, where most of the Global ICT giants have their local presence in the region, we have a quick access to the new developments and products in the ICT field. We design, install and implement customised turnkey solutions using innovative, high-performance technologies, and our dedicated professionals provide complete customer care. From web design, development, mobile applications, software development, boardrooms and hospitals, to classrooms and command centers, IT strategy, ITSM to Information Security, GIT offers a wide range of ICT solutions that enhance the productivity of operations. We are proud of the aggressive way in which we’ve gone about the multi-faceted process of upgrading our existing account base from traditional services to interactive services. What are the consulting services you provide? From concept to the detail, our design services draw on deep technical experience combined with a long track record of delivering excellence in the field. Our design teams have expertise across the technical spectrum and are available locally in UAE and world-wide off-shore locations to discuss customers’ needs. We help companies to choose our consulting services for all verticals – be it Hospitality, HealthCare, Logistics, Education or Retail solutions enable people to communicate faster, more efficiently and with greater impact than ever before. And to do it all with an eye on the bottom line. Our engineers not only design a solution to meet your immediate audio-video, IT requirements, we incorporate a forward thinking approach to accommodate all
Grand Information Technologies (GIT)is a solution provider that designs, builds and supports the systems and environments that enable communication and collaboration. B. Vengattaramanan, Business Development Manager at GIT discusses the company’s focus areas B. Vengattaramanan Business Development Manager GIT
Excelling across a wide repertoire your needs. The focus is on providing complete solutions!
system and provide service throughout the life of the warranty period and after.
Discuss outlook for the key domains that you focus on in the region? GIT’s philosophy has always been to embrace opportunities that advance the image of the industry. We understand how to install your IT / AV system on time, within budget, in accordance with the plans and specifications, and to the satisfaction of our customers. Upon the final completion of the projects, our Support team will take charge of your
Are you associated with any specific vendors in terms of reseller agreements? We have big plans for the Middle East in the distribution segment. Our Business Management team is enthused seeing the drastic increase of demand in the market and strong growth in the Middle East. We are open to discussing with the all IT or AV manufacturers to finalise and move forward more success together. April 2014 | 25
Feature | Dell SonicWALL
D
ell SonicWall, part of The Dell Software Group (DSG) held its Annual partner meet recently in Dubai where a large number of its partners were applauded. The company used the occasion to further drive home the advantages of going to market with a consolidated approach under Dell’s Partner Direct Program. Shahnawaz Sheikh, Regional Director for Middle East, North Africa and Turkey at Dell Sonicwall says, “The focus at the conference was around Dell Security product updates, roadmap updates, the recently launched partner program and eventual we also recognized and rewarded the top performing Dell Security partners of the region. We also had some partners who were new to Dell and Dell Sonicwall business. Among Dell partners, we
Shahnawaz Sheikh Regional Director, MENA & Turkey Dell Sonicwall
Over two years ago, the SonicWALL acquisition expanded Dell’s security software and services portfolio and since then the company has carefully gone ahead with the integration of the entire SonicWall business into the Dell ecosystem. At a recent Dell Sonicwall channel Meet, the focus was on theDell’s PartnerDirect Program which now includes Dell Sonicwall partners.
26 | April 2014
wider market opportunities in the high potential emerging markets.” The event had over 100 attendees fromover 35 partners across the region. The key business and technical contacts of those partner companies attended the event.At the channel Meet, the company gave away 18 awards to partners from across the region. Major markets were included for recognition with the ‘Best SMB partner of the year’ and ‘Best Enterprise partner of the year’ awards while the smaller markets had were awarded with ‘Best partner of the year’ recognition. There were in addition 14 technical awards given to the best performers from across the region. One of the takeaway messages for the partner at the event to the channel
A concerted push witnessed attendance from Dell’s direct Preferred partners, partners primarily selling Dell Networking and Dell Identity and Access Management solutions as for those partners Security goes hand-in-hand in their solutions offering.” The integration of the SonicWALL Medallion Partner Program into Dell’s PartnerDirect Program provides partners with various benefits including an access to an enhanced networking and security solutions portfolio. Shahnawaz adds, “The new channel program has been officially launched and is in the process of being communicated and adopted within the channel community. The new program has the ingredients of a successful and robust partner program detailing the prerequisites and benefits of being in the program and helping businesses to grow and expand to tap
was about ‘Connected Security’, the concept of correlation between different security products of Dell that helps the customers to achieve comprehensive and efficient security for their businesses. Through connected security, Dell aims to consolidate endpoint, perimeter, network and other solutions from its security portfolio, and sell it as a single solution. The company also introduced a highend WAN Optimization device at the event, which is a software bundled on a Dell server and can support 2000 concurrent connections. This is being positioned as a cost effective WAN optimization solution for mid-sized organizations. Shahnawaz mentions that going to market as part of the larger Dell organization is paying rich dividends for partners and there is greater access to the Enterprise Business as well. The company
is relying on SMB partners to leverage the partner program further and make deeper inroads. He says, “The Dell Sonicwall business in the enterprise has been growing at a rapid pace. We see a seamless adoption of our products and solutions by Dell customers in the enterprise space. The install base in enterprise verticals has been growing rapidly. Further, independent reports from NSS Lab, Gartner and ICSA Labs have helped customers understand the strengths of our products better. The SMB business is already well placed to further grow via the channel and the channel program focuses on enabling the channel to independently handle the SMB inquiries and grow the market accordingly. Besides using the window to bond with the top channel partners as well
get some valuable feedback, the focus was on driving home the advantages of being enrolled in a new partner program that gives them greater opportunities to address opportunities in market. Shahnawaz says, “Many partners appreciated the support they are availing from Dell Sonicwall and they gave feedback on the need to strengthen what they are presently receiving with partners from other countries who had travelled to attend asking for more mindshare from Dell Sonicwall teams. The entire channel community is excited with the introduction of the Partner Direct Program for Dell Sonicwall products in the emerging markets and they all look forward to comply and benefit from this highly rewarding program that supports their businesses with win-win proposition.”
The merger with Dell’s other focus areas has been advantageous for all stakeholders. Dell’s partners now have a network security portfolio to access. The focus is on enabling an end to end approach among partners and further boost the growing sales of its Dell Software portfolio by tapping. “With the message of ‘Better Together’ there has been significant increase in collaboration at all levels. The Dell teams collaborate to build and go-to-market with end-to-end solutions offering as ‘ONE DELL’. The same behavior and approach is seen among channel partners towards their customers as the key mantra has been the focus on offering end-to-end solution from one company, the power of Dell with power to do more,” adds Shahnawaz.
April 2014 | 27
Insight | Ciena
Towards A Connected Society Omar Alsaied ME Carriers Sales Director Ciena
Omar Alsaied, Middle East Carriers Sales Director, Ciena discusses how machine to machine communication is transforming our society and its importance in a connected society.
28  |  April 2014
M
achine-to-machine communications is significantly growing and the connectivity will fundamentally transform our society and the way we live. Communication between devices is perhaps the next technological wave that will revolutionize our daily lives. According to a study by International Data Corporation (IDC), the total spending on machine-tomachine (M2M) connections in the Gulf countries will increase by 19 per cent in 2014 to reach $224 million. Humanity has imagined such a world often in the domain of science fiction. Now we
see this concept coming to fruition as technology leaders make strides towards enabling intelligence in and between devices. Widespread availability of M2M communications has already spurred innovative use cases across different industries, such as: smart grid in energy/utilities; communication between various devices for security and industrial/building control; environmental monitoring; and many applications in the consumer domain ranging from retail to home appliance intelligence as well as across various industries like shipping,
Insight | Ciena
to be integrated healthcare, "M2M without the cloud will not deliver the enterprise with other agriculture. For elements of the example in the value that will be expected in the near future. To fully cloud computing shipping industry, take advantage of the “Internet of Things” principle, system—namely, a company interoperability amongst all players in the M2M chain storage and delivering goods must be a priority." servers. This to a merchant integration is can employ accomplished a device that multitude of sensors or devices incumbent upon a reliable, by allowing the network to tracks the precise location of scalable and robust network; would be just that—data—and be controlled by the cloud specific products in transit. otherwise bandwidth-intensive not actionable intelligence. “machine” through software This information can then applications are not feasible. Due to the above mentioned application programming be relayed to customers so Additionally, the virtualization attributes, and the positive interfaces (APIs). they can pinpoint when to of storage and servers across economies of scale, cloud M2M without the cloud will expect their delivery and plan computing has emerged as the multiple data centers puts not deliver the enterprise accordingly. increased requirements on de facto method for storing value that will be expected M2M communications can the network. The network and sending data generated in the near future. To fully be triggered by both planned must have high-performance by M2M communications. As take advantage of the and unplanned events. For and reliability, low jitter, low such, it is important for M2M “Internet of Things” principle, example, in a smart grid latency, scalable bandwidth vendors to understand what interoperability amongst all application, smart meters capacity, and protection against players in the M2M chain must it takes to enable secure and can send information about multiple levels of failures. reliable transfer of information be a priority. electricity consumption to a • Dynamic bandwidth: The via the cloud. In order to The network platform that centralized database at prenetwork should adapt to enable cloud as a platform enables M2M communications scheduled times. At the other fluctuating bandwidth demand for technology adoption has multiple segments: the extreme, sensors can react to seamlessly, scaling up and and innovation for M2M access segment (wireless radio unplanned events that happen scaling down so that service communications, the cloud has or wireline-based), backhaul in the real world and trigger to serve as a high-performance providers can exploit network to the cloud and the cloud increased communication in a assets in an economically computing platform. Many network. certain geography or location. viable way through pay-perrefer to this as an enterpriseThe successful adoption The network that connects use, while ensuring application grade or carrier-grade cloud. of M2M communications these devices to each other performance is achieved. A high-performance cloud depends on the maturity and/or to the cloud has to • Interoperability between network should include the of multiple elements in the perform in both instances, cloud computing sub-systems: following attributes: ecosystem, including the adapting to both forecasted The M2M value chain is • Terabit-level connectivity, wireless technology and increases in traffic and random complex and fragmented. For business system, the network spikes, with automatic, assured high-performance and highthe cloud platform to perform assurance: The success of connectivity that connects the performance. optimally, the network has M2M communications is machines/sensors to the cloud, Fortunately, the evolution the cloud computing platform, of the computing industry and the software applications towards cloud has enabled the that translate the huge amount storage of huge amounts of of information collected into data originating from devices useful intelligence. In the and also made the analysis future, M2M will be widely of this data computationally adopted across almost every feasible. Without these industry enabling a networked technological advances, society. the data acquired from the
30 | April 2014
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WD Purple surveillance drives Overview: WD announced the availability of WD Purple, a purpose-built line of 3.5-inch, high-capacity hard drives for surveillance applications. Designed specifically for video surveillance units, WD Purple hard drives excel in new and existing home and small business security environments with up to eight hard drives and up to 32 high-definition (HD) video cameras. WD Purple hard drives are available in capacities from 1 TB up to 4 TB.
Xerox Wide Format IJP 2000 Overview: Xerox Emirates, a joint venture between Xerox Corporation and Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba, recently launched the Wide Format IJP 2000 enabling Xerox Emirates to keep up with the growing demand for large posters, signs, point-of-purchase graphics and banners in the UAE. Potential IJP 2000 application providers have the option of collaborating with other small format production devices from Xerox enabling them to offer a one stop convenience print shop to their customers. With the increasing demand for printing in the MENA region, the IJP 2000 will prove to be highly efficient within the large format arena in producing value added services to its customers. Key features: • Faster print speeds: Complete jobs more than 40 times faster than comparable wide format systems (up to 4,520 square feet/420 square meters per hour). That means high-quality, colour signs can be printed in five seconds, 30 foot banners in one minute and production runs of 200 prints in about 20 minutes. Increased speed means printers can accept and produce more jobs, even last minute requests
Key features: • WD Purple surveillance-class hard drives are equipped with AllFrame technology which works with ATA streaming to reduce frame loss, improve playback and increases the number of drive bays supported. • These drives are designed to replace standard desktop drives that were not designed for the harsh 24/7 always-on, high-definition surveillance environment. • WD Purple Surveillance Storage is designed for high temperature, always-on, surveillance security systems to ensure reliability and quality video play back when you need it most. • Support up to eight drives and 32 HD cameras so there is the flexibility to expand for future system coverage. • Built for compatibility with industry-leading chassis and chip set manufacturers for seamless integration into your new or existing video surveillance system.
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• Stationary print heads: Allow the paper to move under five print heads in one single pass; fewer moving parts mean better speed and less maintenance. • High vibrancy with instantly dry ink: Produce a variety of full-color products – from tradeshow banners and presentation graphics to life-size photos and promotional displays – with crisp, precise imagery.
3-Phase Switched PDUs
Allied Telesis AT-IX5-28GPX
Overview: Tripplite has introduced six new 3-Phase Switched Power Distribution Units (PDUs) with precise current monitoring technology and improved power delivery. Available in hardwire and plug-in options with load capacities up to 28.8kW— over double the amount of previous models—Tripp Lite’s 3-Phase Switched PDUs provide advanced power management capabilities for denselypacked rack applications.
Overview: The Allied Telesis AT-IX5-28GPX is designed for high availability video surveillance applications, featuring dual hot-swappable power supplies, 1/10 Gigabit uplinks and extended temperature range. Supporting the full 30 Watts of PoE+ on all 24 ports simultaneously allows the IX5 to power the latest PTZ (Pan, Tilt, and Zoom) cameras. The AT-IX5-28GPX offers an impressive set of features in a high-value package, making it ideal for IP video surveillance applications Key features: • AlliedWare Plus CLI and Web interface • Dual hot-swappable power supplies • Full Power over Ethernet Plus (POE+) on all ports • AMF for simplified management • EPSR Master (requires additional license) • VCStack of up to four units with 40Gbps of stacking bandwidth • Ethernet Protection Switched Rings (EPSRing) • Industry-leading Quality of Service (QoS) • Loop protection • LLDP-MED
Key Features: • Switched 3-Phase 415/400/380V input and Single-Phase 240/230/220V AC output PDUs in 23kW or 28.8kW capacities • 3-Phase input via IEC309 32A and 63A Red plug, or 3-Phase Hardwire • Current metering at 1% billing-grade accuracy • Individual outlet control to manage reboots, custom power-on/off, load-shedding and disabling of unused outlets • 24 or 30 C13 and C19 switched outlets configured in six separately breakered Single-Phase load banks • Multi-color LEDs to indicate individual outlet load capacity and circuit breaker status • Ambient temperature and humidity monitoring with ENVIROSENSE module (sold separately) • 0U vertical form factor with toolless button- mount installation • CE certified
• Voice VLAN • Multicast support • sFlow • Layer 3 static routing • Tri-authentication • TACACS+ authentication and accounting • Voice, video and data convergence
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Stats & Trends
Public Cloud Services in MENA to clock $620 Million in 2014
T
he public cloud services market in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is on pace to grow 21.3 percent in 2014 to total $620 million, up from an estimated $511 million for 2013, according to the latest outlook by Gartner, Inc. Software as a service (SaaS) is expected to grow 29.1 percent in 2014 to $126 million. Gartner predicts that from 2013 through 2017, $3.8 billion will be spent on cloud services in MENA region, $1.1 billion of which will be spent on business process as a service (BPaaS). “Public cloud services continue to grow rapidly around the world and MENA is no exception,” said Ed Anderson, research director at Gartner. “Growth in MENA is expected to be slightly higher than the rest of the world led by strong growth in SaaS, infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS Organizations are turning to cloud computing to realize business benefits such as increasing their speed in responding to changing market conditions and lowering IT costs.” Cloud services in the MENA region will be strong across all cloud services market segments through 2017. SaaS is expected to grow from $97 million in 2013 to $253 million in 2017. IaaS is expected to grow from $60 million in 2013 to $138 million in 2017.
The market in the MENA region is predicted to demonstrate high growth through the forecast period. IT spending on public cloud services in the region is expected to reach $1.1 billion in 2017.
IT Spending by UAE Businesses to Top $4.6 Billion in 2014
B
usiness IT spending in the UAE is expected to increase 8.3% year on year in 2014 to total $4.63 billion, according to the latest figures released today by International Data Corporation.Referencing its recently released United Arab Emirates Vertical Markets 2013–2017 IT Spending Forecast, IDC anticipates healthy growth over the 2013–2017 forecast period as the governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai continue to spend on upgrading the country's infrastructure. The public sector, which includes government, education, and healthcare organizations, will account formostof the business ITspending in 2014.Organizations in this vertical are predicted to invest $1.12 billion in IT and account for 24.3% of the spending, driven primarily by governmentled initiatives to bring more public services to online and mobile platforms.Governmentbacked projects to increase the use of
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ICT in educational institutions, together with regulations in the healthcare sector that mandate a reduction in paper-based processes, are other major factors driving IT spending in this sector. 'Combined Finance' is the secondbiggest vertical in the UAE with respect to business IT spending. Organizations in this vertical, which includes banking, insurance, and securities services providers, are predicted to invest $719.77 million in IT in 2014. The rapid expansion of branch and ATM networks, investments in online and mobile banking channels, and the need for better regulatory complianceare the primary drivers of ICT investments in the banking sector. Consumer IT spending in the UAE is expected to account for 30.5% of total IT spendingin 2014, though it willcontract 8.4% year on year. This decrease in spending is a result of the stagnating PC
market, which is being cannibalized by the growing demand for tablets. The strong infrastructure backbone, business-friendly government, and ongoing and planned large-scale investments make the UAE more prepared for growth than its regional peers. IDC expects total IT spending in the UAE to increase at a CAGR of 6.0% over the five-year forecast period to total $8.06 billion in 2017. "Robust growth of the UAE's IT market is expected to continue throughout the 2013–2017 forecast period," says Jebin George, a senior research analyst at IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. "IT vendors will find the biggest opportunities in the government sector, as it is the largest and fastestgrowing market. Communications finance, and oil and gas willcontinue the other major vertical markets for IT spending, while healthcare, transport, and utilities are growing the fastest."
Migrate to IP Surveillance Making the move to digital technology at your own pace
The security of your business is at risk if there is no monitoring system in place to protect your business assets. Choosing to implement IP Surveillance offers the advantage of leveraging your existing network infrastructure to maximise your investment. D-Link can supply end-to-end networking solutions to build an affordable and easy to deploy system to ensure the security and safety of people, possessions and places.
DCS-3716 PoE HD Day and Night Wide Dynamic Range IP Camera
DCS-5615
DCS-6113
DCS-6315
DCS-6915
Full HD Mini P/T Dome Network Camera
Full HD Fixed Dome IP Camera
HD Outdoor Fixed Dome Camera with Color Night Vision
Full HD High-Speed Dome Network Camera
DCS-7513 Full HD WDR Day & Night Outdoor Network Camera
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