ontents
Editorial
Cover Feature - 16
Smarter surveillance
Uncovering the shadows S
hadow IT is a popular reference to technologies any of the Business units maybe allowing their employees to procure and use in the workplace without possibly bringing them into the ambit of the overall legitimate repository of IT tools being used in the company. They are therefore not sanctioned by the security policies in place. It could also refer to software tools or apps that individuals themselves may have procured from the internet and are making use of to help with their work. Potentially, it helps brings in innovation and could be complementing better productivity. Unfortunately, they also enhance risks as they have circumvented the traditional model of IT procurement and exists outside the purview of the cyber security infrastructure deployed by the company. Therefore, the security aspects of the shadow IT tools being used are ‘unknown’ to the organization. It is safe to assume that the prevalence of unauthorized applications in the network enhances business risks quite significantly, howsoever be the counter opinions that advocate the use of Shadow IT for innovation. These days, sophisticated malware can sniff out any possibilities of backdoor entries quite easily as recent ransomware incidents reveal. The more shadow IT that an organization has in its network, the more the possibility of malware sneaking in and stealing data that maybe uploaded to the cloud, if any of the shadow IT technologies in use isn’t adequately secured. It is therefore essential for organizations to be at times be on top of what applications are being used within the workplace. The organization needs to work towards ensuring better ‘controls and improved protection for the cloud applications its employees use, both sanctioned or unsanctioned.’ In case, some of these applications aren’t meeting business objectives, they could be blocked. This helps the organization stay compliant with regulations and be secure.
Cameras that offer more detail and solutions that enhance analytics drive surveillance growth
News In Detail
SAP unveils IoT Solutions - 11
Microsoft highlights partner opportunity - 12 Point2Point - 14
A wide spectrum
Bhushan Kate, MD at N2N Distribution discusses the company’s physical security and access control solutions
TechKnow
Enabling better access - 20
Bhaskar Peruri, Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East at Silver Peak discusses the advantages of SD WAN
Staying in front - 22
Sathish Arya, GM MEA at WatchNET discusses how WatchNET positions itself as a one-stop vendor
Facilitating a safer future - 24
Ettiene Van Der Watt, Regional Engineering & Training Manager MEA at Axis discusses how the segment’s growth continues to be robust
Insight
CIO’s role in managing expectations - 26 Aaron White, Regional Director, Sage Middle East discusses how CIOs can manage the expectations of the connected customer
Trends impacting Infrastructure and Operations - 28
Infrastructure and Operations leaders are facing a mix of challenges, says David Cappuccio, Chief of Research for the Infrastructure teams at Gartner.
BYOD doesn’t have to be your biggest headache - 30
Manish Bhardwaj, Sr. Marketing Manager, Middle East and Turkey at Aruba discusses 8 best practices to protect your Enterprise Network
Regulars
R. Narayan Managing Editor
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HID Global acquires Arjo Systems HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, has acquired Arjo Systems SAS, a provider of physical and digital identity solutions for secure government ID applications. Arjo Systems gives HID Global broader capabilities to deploy electronic identification (eID) and ePassport solutions for government programs. “Our acquisition of Arjo Systems significantly advances our Governmentto-Citizen ID business, broadening our geographical reach and giving us critical mass,” said Stefan Widing, President and CEO of HID Global. “Arjo Systems is a strong fit for HID Global, complementing our existing government ID offerings with an expanded range of capabilities for government agencies, state printers and local integrators.” The acquisition brings together complementary strategies, customer bases and offerings that have strong synergies to support continued innovation for government-to-citizen ID customers. Arjo Systems boosts HID as an eID and ePassport solutions provider with complementary products and new software capabilities, one of the few proven eID/ePassport chip operating systems, integration services and market knowledge, expanding HID Global’s presence in select emerging markets, as HID looks to better support government customers and integrators alike.
4 | August 2017
SAP, Saudi Aramco to create new digital solutions
SAP is partnering with Saudi Aramco in creating a new solutions platform to enable Saudi Aramco to launch a digital business marketplace with thousands of Saudi Aramco buyers and suppliers in partnership with SAP Ariba. Saudi Aramco says the move forms part of its digital transformation strategy and will help it and its global subsidiaries to manage and simplify real-time collaboration between their buyers and suppliers. The deal will make it Saudi Arabia’s first company that will run solutions on the SAP Cloud Hub, which will launch shortly as part of SAP’s four-year SAR 285 million investment plan in the Kingdom. As a result, the firm will be able to run cloud-based business applications to optimize business processes and costs, and enhance customer and supplier relationships. Using SAP Ariba, Saudi Aramco can capitalize on several solution functionalities, including e-Bidding, e-Sourcing, Contracts Life-Cycle Management and Supplier Onboarding, to create a collaborative supply chain environment.
TechAccess inks Master Distribution Agreement with Informatica TechAccess has signed a master distribution agreement with Informatica, the Enterprise Cloud Data Management leader accelerating data-driven digital transformation. As the only Master Value Added distributor for the Middle East North Africa (MENA) and Pakistan regions, TechAccess will offer Informatica’s entire software portfolio of big data management, cloud integration, data integration, data security, data governance and data compliance solutions. Informatica has the industry’s most comprehensive data management solutions for cloud, on-premise and hybrid environments. The company’s data management solutions power the business of more than 7,000 customers globally, and across industry verticals. Working with TechAccess, Informatica expects to grow its footprint in the region, mainly targeting large enterprises and public sector organizations. “The increase in deployments of cloud based and IoT environments is influencing the demand for big data management and analytics solutions in the region. Organisations are realising the value that data governance and analysis offers; it helps transform their business, brings clarity and allows them to make better informed decisions,” said AshrufHassaballa, general manager, TechAccess Software division. “The addition of Informatica to our portfolio is ideal at this time, as it helps expand our software portfolio, and allows us to provide our partners with market-leading enterprise cloud data management solutions to address growing demand.” As part of its 360-degree value-add model, TechAccess will identify and onboard specialist partners, and provide them with pre and post-sales support, as well as marketing and business development support.
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Infor announces new collaboration with ADP Infor announced it is collaborating with ADP to offer new value added services and best-practice processes to Infor's U.S. Human Capital Management (HCM) customers. The goal of the collaboration is to help Infor HCM customers potentially reduce the sometimes costly, time-consuming tasks associated with regulatory compliance, possibly improve the accuracy of filings, and potentially reduce the risk of compliance fines or penalties. ADP, a leading global provider of HCM solutions, delivers solutions such as ADP SmartCompliance and ADP Health Compliance to help streamline highly manual administrative processes like employment tax, wage payments, wage garnishments, tax credits, employment verification, and unemployment claims. "Infor is committed to evolving its applications as changing industry dynamics create new challenges, and working with industry leaders, such as ADP, will allow us to keep our customers competitive and agile," said Tarik Taman, general manager, IMEA, Infor. “As a business evolves, it needs a wider range of capabilities, without adding unnecessary maintenance, deployment time, and cost - which is exactly what Infor delivers with its power cloud-based applications and strategic partnerships."
6 | August 2017
Fueled by NetApp Program Expands NetApp recently announced the expansion of its Fueled by NetApp program, designed to help drive growth for service providers who are helping their customers on the path to digital transformation. With this announcement, service providers gain access to new consulting and incubator programs, as well as new efficiency guarantees and increased training. The Fueled by NetApp global service provider program will continue to deliver go-to-market solutions with scale-out, guaranteed performance, automated management, data assurance, and global efficiencies. In addition to this, NetApp will now offer extended complementary product management consultancy services for the full NetApp product and solution portfolio with experienced service provider industry experts. It will also include the NetApp Cloud Incubator Program, which provides easy access to storage resources for cloud and hosting startups, allowing a focus on solution engineering and delivery rather than the heavy costs associated with infrastructure build-outs. “Enterprise technology is rapidly shifting to consumption-based and hybrid cloud models, creating a unique growth opportunity for the service provider industry,” said Fadi Kanafani, Regional Director Middle East & Africa at NetApp. “Our Fueled by NetApp program addresses this digital transformation with a tailored approach with a clear go-to-market consultancy for service providers designed to drive business growth while reducing risk.”
Cisco appoints new VP for MEA operations Cisco announced the appointment of David Meads as Vice President for its Middle East and Africa operations. In the current era of digital disruption, Meads, in this newly created role, will oversee the execution of Cisco’s strategy in these two regions, ensuring the technology leader maintains its momentum at the forefront of digital transformation efforts. As digital adoption gathers pace in the Middle East and Africa, the new geographical set up under Meads will allow for greater synergies, relevancy and sharing of best practices across the two regions. With more than 30 years’ experience in the IT industry, Meads joined Cisco in 1996 and was most recently Cisco’s Vice President for Africa, where he was responsible for partnering with organizations across the continent to help them implement strategies to unlock the full potential of the digital era. Over the years he has developed a reputation as a trusted advisor to enterprises and governments, partnering with them to deliver competitive advantages and efficiencies gained by adopting digital technologies. Meads will be based in Dubai, Cisco’s hub for the Middle East. “I look forward to taking on the additional responsibility of a fast-evolving, dynamic region and to working with the phenomenal team we have in place,” said David Meads, Vice President, Cisco Middle East and Africa. “Combined, the Middle East and Africa region has the world’s youngest demographic and presents a significant market opportunity, where new business models and innovative technology adoption are addressing unique market needs. Cisco’s expansive portfolio allows us to partner with our customers and support their digital journey.”
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Qlik concludes successful event with partner Finesse Finesse, a leading system integration company, together with Qlik, a leader in data analytics, has announced that it has successfully concluded the Mumbai leg of Qlik Sense Tour 2017. The event was one of the series of over 100 events in cities across Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) dedicated to demonstrating to organizations how they can give their data a voice, helping organizations understand how to listen to what their data has to say, and to end data silence. Qlik Sense Tour 2017 Mumbai was designed to help attendees discover the new era of analytics that goes beyond the linear and limited options of the past. To showcase how more flexible data analytics platforms can deliver actionable insights by giving data a voice, delegates were given product demonstrations and heard from Qlik’s customers and Finesse. Close to 100 attendees took the opportunity to discover the benefits that other Qlik and Finesse clients have derived from unleashing their data and letting it do the talking.
8 | August 2017
ISYX Technologies and Microsoft showcase solutions
ISYX Technologies successfully held a joint workshop with Microsoft on the challenges faced by the construction and building materials industry. The event focused on how specific solutions provided by ISYX Technologies using Microsoft Dynamics 365 can improve the productivity of the industry players on various projects. The key objective of the workshop was how to focus on the improvement of specific project parameters like sales automation, supply chain and delivery, material estimation, project P&L management, dashboard, KPI’s per project, resource allocation per project, service maintenance, amongst others. "Our solutions, built on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform, are meant to digitally transform the legacy project approach prevalent in this industry and boost gains for vendors, suppliers, contractors, consultants, and the end customer. Microsoft D365 solution, covers an extended collaboration model linking design, construction and operations. The solution provides a single place to understand the complete project performance including, portfolio analysis, project progress analysis, punch list analysis across projects, cash flow, EVA, and other variables," said Shiva Kathiresan, VP Applications, ISYX Technologies.
SUSE forges Training Partnership with Ingram Micro SUSE announced a new training partnership in the Middle East with Ingram Micro. As part of the partnership, Ingram Micro’s training centre in Dubai will offer a set of 18 instructed-led SUSE training modules designed to help organisations transform to digital businesses. “With digital transformation a key initiative for several enterprises in the Middle East, the region continues to set the benchmark when it comes to innovation and appetite for latest technologies. However, in parallel with investment in technology, it is paramount that organisations ensure that their IT resources have the skills and the technical know-how to reap maximum benefits from these solutions,” says Paul Abi-Chahine, Regional Director, EMEA at SUSE. “As enterprises in the region continue to ramp up their investment in open source platforms, we believe we have significant opportunity to further expand our business by adding comprehensive Linux- and Open Source-software trainings to our offerings in the Middle East”, says Mohammad Sabry, Head of Services, Gulf and Near East region at Ingram Micro Training MEA.
OMA Emirates enhances Mashreq Bank PoS terminals OMA Emirates has recently completed the deployment of Ingenico Point of Sale (POS) terminals for Mashreq Bank in the UAE. The terminals which meet with the bank’s specific requirements for superior performance will provide new, secure and a wider range of services for their customers in a cost effective manner. Mashreq leads the path by embracing innovative technology to strengthen their business strategy. The new POS terminals that are supported with customized solutions will provide a robust system for the range of cards including magstripe, contact and contactless. Mashreq Bank is now equipped with Ingenico IWL series which are wireless terminals that are supported by the broadest connectivity capabilities such as GPRS, Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth to accept any payment methods. “As one of the largest partners of Mashreq Bank’s acquiring business strategy, OMA Emirates understands their need to combine advanced technologies that are secure, geared for reliable connectivity and able to support merchants with value added services. The new smart terminals that have been deployed adhere to the strict PCI standard and supports payment methods across all channels in-store via EMV, NFC, as well as e-Wallet while also providing merchants with online payment opportunities,” said, Niranj Sangal, Group CEO, OMA Emirates Group. The new terminals supplied to Mashreq Bank brings in value additions to merchants with their higher security systems while protecting sensitive customer data. Besides, it provides them several other services that can be added to the terminals which include loyalty programs, etc.
Tata Communications expands IZO Private Cloud footprint Tata Communications, a leading provider of network, cloud and security services, announced the launch of three new nodes for its IZO Private Cloud service to support enterprises’ hybrid cloud adoption while ensuring regulatory compliance. The new private cloud nodes in Germany, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia enable CIOs to gain unprecedented control over all their applications by creating a truly hybrid, high-performance IT infrastructure where different cloud, colocation and managed hosting environments work together as one. The fully-managed IZO Private Cloud service addresses this complexity by enabling CIOs to create a hybrid IT environment that combines the flexibility of public cloud with enterprise-grade security. It also gives CIOs complete control of the residency of their data, while keeping up with employees’ demands for mobile, collaborative and social ways of working. “In today’s digital economy, enterprises’ growth is fuelled by cloud-based applications and data,” says Srinivasan CR, Senior Vice President, Global Product Management & Data Centre Services at Tata Communications. “Yet, the sovereignty and security of these critical assets is a major concern for CIOs. As a global cloud provider with a local presence, we address these concerns by giving CIOs complete visibility and control over their entire IT estate, across all networks and devices, and empower them to drive organisation-wide digital transformation with maximum agility.”
SAP to help ETA MELCO with digital transformation With the Middle East and North Africa’s infrastructure spend set to top USD 280 billion by 2018, one of the region’s largest players of people-moving machinery, ETA MELCO, is ramping up its support for mega-projects with a complete digital transformation with SAP. Supporting Middle East megaprojects, ETA MELCO has undergone an enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy, replacing legacy IT systems with the SAP S/4HANA real-time business suite. By integrating all business processes and departments on the SAP S/4HANA platform, ETA MELCO has seamless businesses processes and real-time decision-making. As a result, ETA MELCO is driving cost optimization, operational efficiency, and enhanced customer service on their installations. “ETA MELCO’s digital transformation showcases global best practices in co-innovation to drive new digital business models, and business competitiveness. SAP is committed to enabling Middle East mega-projects to have the real-time visibility to maintain their complex infrastructure,” said Tayfun Topkoc, Managing Director for SAP UAE and Oman.
August 2017 | 9
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Infoblox signs Exclusive Networks as Support Centre Partner Infoblox has signed a partnership agreement with Exclusive Networks, that enables the value-added distributor to act as an Infoblox Authorized Support Centre (ASC) in the Middle East. Exclusive Networks has been a regional distributor for Infoblox for the past nine years. Nathan Clements, Managing Director at Exclusive Networks says, “As an Infoblox distributor over the past several years, we have developed an extensive reseller and customer base and have grown the company’s presence in the region. By opening an Infoblox Support Centre, we can get closer to the partner base and provide more attractive value-added services.” Exclusive Networks will offer 24x7 telephone and email support, technology health checks, and a range of hardware replacement options. “We are very excited to partner with a regional powerhouse offering superior localized support. The Exclusive Networks and Infoblox partnership has entered a new phase and partners and customers will experience the benefits including improved call handling efficiencies, reduced communication delays, and accelerated time to resolution,” said Alexander Foroozandé, Channel Director, MEA at Infoblox.
10 | August 2017
Nuvias named Oracle PartnerNetwork Platinum partner Nuvias, a rapidly growing, pan-EMEA, high value distribution business, announced that it has achieved Platinum partner status in Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN). By attaining Platinum level membership, Oracle has recognized Nuvias for its in-depth expertise and excellence in Oracle Communications Session Border Controller (SBC) and Operations Monitoring solutions. This achievement further strengthens the EMEA product portfolio for the recently launched Nuvias Unified Communications (UC) Practice. Oracle Communications’ SBC will form the core part of a range of Nuvias’ end-to-end UC solution packages aimed at the service provider and enterprise reseller markets. These include the Nuvias Hosted Unified Communications Package, integrated with Broadsoft UC cloud technology, as well as the Nuvias SIP Trunking, Cloud Connector and Assured Trunk packages. Nuvias will roll-out these new Oracle-based solutions across EMEA with a focus on DACH*, France, Italy, Spain, the Nordics and the Middle East, through established Nuvias regional sales and support operations. “Oracle Communications is a major component of our Unified Communications Practice and, in combination with best of breed products from other leading vendors, allows us to provide the channel with the highest quality, end-to-end solutions,” said Steve Harris, EVP, Unified Communications at Nuvias (formerly Managing Director of SIPHON). “With our experience of delivering professional services for Oracle Communications’ SBC resellers, we are now in a strong positon to offer a full product and services wrap to channel partners across EMEA, including existing and new service providers.”
Retail banks will increasingly use artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is anticipated to make a significant impact on the retail banking sector, such as using non-traditional data types to assign credit ratings to potential borrowers, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report explains how technologies such as machine learning, predictive analytics, and natural language processing (NLP) are already making their mark in banking, with both front-office and back-office operations set to be transformed. From the consumers’ perspective, NLP technologies such as chatbots are starting to allow more effortless and intuitive interactions with banks. These chatbots often employ highly advanced analytics to offer financial insights to consumers, such as warning them when they are likely to go overdrawn or recommending changes in behavior that will allow them to save money. DaoudFakhri, Principal Analyst for Retail Banking at GlobalData, states: “Consumers, especially younger ones, can lack confidence around financial matters and find it hard to manage their finances effectively. There is therefore a potentially large market for AI-based services that offer a guiding hand or can assume some of the responsibility for making appropriate decisions.” AI will also transform behind-the-scenes operations. One area that is already experiencing significant change is lending. Traditional credit scoring techniques are ill-equipped to deal with consumers who lack conventional credit records, which is a common occurrence in developing markets. However, some lenders are now using AI to analyze non-traditional types of data, such as mobile phone usage and social media profiles, to predict the creditworthiness of borrowers.
News In Detail
Mala Anand, Executive Vice President and President of SAP Leonardo, Data & Insights at SAP.
Michael Kleinemeier, Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, SAP Digital Business Services, SAP.
SAP unveils IoT Solutions S
AP SE has announced new Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for its digital innovation system SAP Leonardo, helping Middle East customers to drive digital transformation, realize business value, and connect to use case scenarios. The recently announced SAP Leonardo digital innovation system has been enhanced to include new accelerators for industries and the Internet of Things, extended tools for SAP Build and new Cloud Foundry packages for SAP Cloud Platform for partners. “More than 70 percent of global CEOs think the next three years will be more critical than the last 50 years, yet only 5 percent feel they have mastered digital innovation as a competitive advantage,” said Mala Anand, Executive Vice President and President of SAP Leonardo,
Data & Insights at SAP. “We’re helping customers drive business model and process changes by building innovative capabilities that integrate with our core business applications, making it easier for customers to quickly realize the value of digital transformation and at reasonable cost,” added Mala Anand. Newly Launched SAP Leonardo Innovation Services to Foster Digitalization SAP announced the launch of three new SAP Leonardo Innovation Services to help businesses connect new technologies to use case scenarios with the goal of shortening time to value. Technologies covered include the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, analytics, Big Data, design thinking, blockchain and data intelligence. SAP Leonardo
Innovation Services connect seamlessly with SAP Leonardo system to help customers manage their digital transformation. “With the world becoming increasingly digital, businesses are at a crossroads,” said Michael Kleinemeier, Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, SAP Digital Business Services, SAP. “SAP Leonardo Innovation Services provide customers with a safe way to experiment with new technologies and find the best fit for their business before making an investment in new technology.” SAP also launched several new Internet of Things (IoT) solutions at the recent SAP Leonardo Live global summit in Frankfurt, Germany, including SAP Leonardo IoT Bridge, SAP Global Track and Trace, SAP Leonardo IoT Edge, SAP Digital Manufacturing Insights, and
SAP Asset Manager. “With SAP Leonardo as our digital innovation system, our new solutions and the many customers and partners demonstrating real-life use cases with us at SAP Leonardo Live, we are defining the path to digital transformation with innovation that can scale across the entire organization,” said Dr. Tanja Rueckert, President, IoT and Digital Supply Chain, SAP. Furthermore, SAP announced plans to collaborate with energy and services company Centrica on the delivery of Panoramic Power energy insights technology from Centrica’s Distributed Energy and Power business and SAP Leonardo solutions to help business customers better manage assets and energy consumption based on insights and connectivity available through the Internet of Things (IoT). August 2017 | 11
News In Detail
Microsoft highlights partner opportunity A
t the Microsoft Inspire in Washington, D.C. the company unveiled Microsoft 365, a new set of commercial offerings that draws from the best of the company’s commercial products across Office 365, Windows 10, and Enterprise Mobility + Security. Microsoft 365 is designed to empower all companies and all workers, recognizing that people are at the heart of digital transformation. Microsoft introduced two Microsoft 365 offerings. Microsoft 365 Enterprise is the evolution of the company’s Secure Productive Enterprise offering, and includes Office 365 Enterprise, Windows 10 Enterprise, and Enterprise Mobility + Security. It provides customers with the latest and most advanced technology for empowering employees. Microsoft 365 Business, available in public preview starting Aug. 2, is designed to give small-to-medium sized businesses a complete productivity and security solution, while streamlining IT
12 | August 2017
management. It includes Office 365 Business Premium, security and management features for Office apps and Windows 10 devices, all managed in a centralized console for deploying and securing devices and users in one location. According to the company, Microsoft 365 represents a significant opportunity for partners to increase deal size, differentiate offerings, and grow managed services revenue. According to Forrester Consulting, Microsoft 365 Enterprise increases partner revenue opportunity by more than 50 percent vs. selling and deploying Office 365 alone. To fuel Microsoft partners’ success and help meet the company’s goal of a $20 billion cloud run rate by 2018, Microsoft announced with launch hardware partners, Dell EMC, HPE and Lenovo, that Microsoft Azure Stack is now available to order. Azure Stack is an extension of Azure that brings the agility and fast-paced innovation of cloud computing to on-premises environments
and enables entirely new hybrid cloud scenarios. Azure Stack offers a truly consistent hybrid cloud platform, providing an ideal fit for customers who want flexibility without having to build applications in a different way. Azure Stack extends the Azure ecosystem opportunity by helping partners grow their Azure business and reach a larger addressable market through hybrid cloud scenarios. Microsoft also announced two new ways it is helping partners connect with customers and bring innovative solutions to market. Last year, Microsoft piloted a new Azure co-sell program to provide comprehensive sales and marketing support for partners building solutions with Azure. In its first six months in market, this program helped close more than $1 billion in annual contract value for Azure partners, created $6 billion in Azure partner pipeline opportunity and generated more than 4,500 partner deals. Microsoft sales reps are
paid up to 10 percent of the partner’s annual contract value when they co-sell qualified Azure-based partner solutions. This means Microsoft is uniquely incenting its sales reps to work hand-in-hand with Azure partners to drive new business together and enabling partners to leverage the Microsoft salesforce to grow their business globally. Microsoft is making additional investments to accelerate Azure co-sell over the next 12 months. Microsoft is also creating a new dedicated Channel Manager role in Microsoft that will be 100 percent focused on supporting partners go to market efforts. Together, these represent a quarter of a billion dollar investment that materially increases Microsoft’ partnerdedicated personnel, and adds to Azure co-sell incentives Microsoft is also making it easier for partners to modernize existing business applications, and build new ones, with a new program called ISV Cloud Embed.
Point2Point | N2N Distribution
Bhushan Kate Managing Director N2N Distribution
A wide spectrum Bhushan Kate, MD at N2N Distribution discusses the company’s extensive focus on physical security and access control solutions as well as the buoyant growth outlook for the segment
14  |  August 2017
Elaborate if N2N is positioned as an end to end physical security and access control solutions distributor? N2N was established on the fundamental premise of being a one-stop security product and solution distributor. Over the years we have strived to establish relations with a broad range of manufacturers to be able to live up to our aim of being a one-stop security solution distributor. We distribute security products and solutions across the spectrum of applications from CCTV, Access control, Intrusion alarm, central monitoring solutions, Speed gates, turnstiles, road blockers, traffic barriers, control room consoles and ergonomic chairs, monitors, networking solutions, all complementary products to form a complete solution. We also have excellent relations with various system installers and integrators who would be willing to support our customers with installation and commissioning services, if required. Do you see access control solutions seeing a greater demand traction in the region among Business customers, both in the enterprise and SMB? Access control is the first pillar of security of any facility. This is the first opportunity to stop unwanted individuals from gaining access to the facility, be it a building, compound or
a city or country. It starts at the port of entry and continues right up to the door of the room an individual wishes to gain entry into. Security has become a necessity rather than a choice due to the ever-deteriorating security environment across the world. The trend of tightening of access control which started at airports will extend itself to the business and commercial facilities in the region. One would see a lot more turnstiles, road blockers and bollards being installed across the city as time passes. It is to be noted that the Access control system primarily serves as a part of the security infrastructure with enterprise businesses and is used for time and attendance as well as security by SMB units. What do you see as some of the major improvements in control access solutions being offered today? Access control solutions are evolving steadily as technology becomes more and more accessible. As with all other segments, Internet of Things (IoT) and mobility are the two directions in which we will see the Access control solutions evolving. IoT will bring access control to the domestic market with residential access control using the internet to control access to their homes remotely to allow children returning from school or the cleaning staff into the house. Considering
The trend of tightening of access control which started at airports will extend itself to the business and commercial facilities in the region. One would see a lot more turnstiles, road blockers and bollards being installed across the city as time passes.
that mobile phones are now considered as important as a passport. Once banks started allowing use of smart phones to do day to day banking tasks, it was only a matter of time before smart phones were introduced into the security sphere. Now you can use your mobile phone as your access control credential to enter into facilities. Facial recognition is the next frontier for access control solutions. Although this feature is currently available in certain products, it is still in its nascent stage and will hopefully be available as a mainstream access control feature in the near future. Who are the vendors you are allied with for the range of solutions your provide? N2N is a Gold Distribution partner for HID who are the leaders in Physical Access control and a trend setter in Access control industry. Distribution of HID Access control products is our primary line of business. We distribute the full range of HID card readers, credentials and even controllers and access control software that was recently introduced by HID. Additionally we distribute various products from a multitude of Access control, Entrance solutions, CCTV, Control room furniture, Intrusion Alarm manufacturers some of the whom are RBH, S2, Ozak, Ulgen, Console Concepts, Thinking Space, Texecom,
Bold Communications, VeriPhi, Indigovision, KBC Networks etc. Almost all of these vendors are based in Europe, Australia and USA ensuring a high quality and durability in all the products distributed by N2N. Discuss demand for turnstiles, speed gates etc across commercial and residential properties? Demand for various types of turnstiles has always existed for various public venues for sports or entertainment events where primary application is that of crowd control. In the recent past with the growth of security concerns, need for access control into facilities has been on the rise. This has heightened the demand for speed gates in office building entrance lobbies. Speed gates are now available with aesthetic designs and finishes to suit all types of interior decors and some are optical without any flaps creating a welcoming feel without the barriers but still affording a level of security. Due to the recent unfortunate incidents of vehicles being used as a terrorism tool, there will be a sharp rise in installation of fixed bollards in all pedestrian friendly zones as a precaution and a deterred to prevent any
similar incidents occurring in the region. What is the size of the active integrator network you work with in the region? Are you looking to increase the channel footprint? We have a small but growing footprint in the integrator market across the region. We have a small customer base but a very high percentage of these are repeat customers. Our main focus in terms of customer segments is on the system integration companies who have full capability to win and manage projects across the full life cycle from design, installation, testing and commissioning to maintenance and refurbishment. We rely on the quality and promptness of our service to all our customers which results in most of them returning as repeat customers and have stayed with us throughout our journey since incorporation. Our focus is mainly within the Middle East and North Africa region with incidental forays into South Asia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iraq are our major customer locations with business also growing in the rest of the GCC and Levant countries. We work with integrators in KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman within the GCC countries as well as in Egypt,
Iraq in addition to the UAE where we are based in. We are always looking to increase our customer base to sustain our organic growth as well as to compensate for the slowdown of the overall economy within the region in the past couple of years, which has put a lot of pressure on our margins. So it is becoming important for us to increase our channel footprint so that we can not only compensate for the declining margins but also keep our growth momentum. Discuss how you help enable your partners in terms of consultancy for end customers or otherwise? Having worked in the security systems industry for almost three decades, I try to assist our channel partners in providing some consultancy and advice to their end customers by way of design assistance, recommendation of best-fit solutions to fit either their requirements, budget or the real estate space available. We provide design assistance on larger projects for CCTV, Access control, intrusion alarm and control room layout designs including control room furniture design and recommendations. We assist in sourcing special products if required and have the possibility of arranging for on-site assistance for some of the systems we distribute in collaboration with the manufacturers. August 2017  |  15
Cover Feature | Surveillance
Smarter surveillance With cameras that offer more detail and solutions that enhance analytics, the surveillance segment continues to see strong growth
S
urveillance solutions are just getting more versatile with each new generation of solutions, offering better security features and more actionable insights, for security and Business. In terms of hardware and software, there is an exhaustive range of solutions that can turn a company premises or residential buildings into secured fortresses. Abaas Mahroos, Sales Manager - Middle East & North Africa at CAMSCAN LIMITED says, “As the CCTV industry continues to shift towards IP surveillance, and as chipmakers introduce ever more powerful signal processors that can be mounted in the IP cameras, we see more and more edge processing. This opens a door for opportunity for
16 | August 2017
all sorts of analytics and we are seeing some very useful applications today especially in the retail sector. Some CAMSCAN installers are using our video content analytics people counting feature to provide insights to retailers and supermarkets are using heat maps to analyze consumer behavior to optimize store layouts." According to Ettiene Van Der Watt, Regional Engineering & Training Manager Middle East & Africa at Axis Communications, Security operators have an insatiable appetite for more clarity and detail in the images produced by their video surveillance systems. This is especially true as the adoption of intelligent video analytics continues to grow.
“Continued improvement in megapixel technology is certainly in our future. Enhanced techniques to handle challenging lowlighting conditions in new ways are coming to market, making cameras even more useful in a wider array of applications and use models. These improvements, largely focused on expanding the wide dynamic range (WDR) capability of cameras, also provide enhanced information in challenging light conditions (low light and extreme bright light) for analytics to help decipher. Look for continued adoption of 4K Ultra HD, which enables network cameras to see more details. With an HDTV or megapixel network camera, the resolution is at least three times better than an analog
CCTV camera. And 4K Ultra HD offers four times the resolution of HDTV 1080p.” According to Milind M. Borkar, VP, Sales at Infinova, M.E. Africa & SAARC, several technological advances over recent years have transformed the surveillance industry. Customer expectations for more powerful solutions is driving demand. He elaborates, “The cameras have evolved from being just a passive devices to more active devices, such as analyzing data over the edge and passing on relevant information and alarms whenever desired, thus offloading the large processing needs at the server end. Some other trends the industry has seen in recent years are 4K, H.265 and increased use
of thermal technology in commercial segments. 2MP has now become the entry level requirement for any project. Requirements for 360 degree cameras is gaining momentum in several projectscenarios. We have also seen increased demand of NVR with dedicated or external storage devices.” Costa Boukouvalas, CEO at AgilityGrid says, “IP Surveillance technology is continually improving and increasing its capabilities, both in terms of hardware and software. A lot of the latest analytics software is now maturing which enables greater customer insights. There is software now available that automates video searching to detect objects, alerts operators to abnormal behavior, monitors the infrastructure network and much more. It’s all about reducing risk. He adds, “The trend for Big Data analytics and understanding more about people’s behaviour in general, is growing. From use of facial recognition and biometric software to recognize VIP customers when they enter a hotel property to identifying and alerting authorities to the presence of known criminals that might be passing through an airport. Software that uses machine-learning and high-performance computing analyses the steams of video data coming from camera feeds to better understand people’s behaviours. This could include suspicious behaviour such as loitering, anti-social behaviour, probing, rioting etc. Surveillance systems are moving from relatively passive data gathering, to being more proactive in providing alerts.”
What’s driving the growth Law and government regulations for surveillance to secure residential and commercial premises is more stringent these days.The region has been leading the way in adopting new technologies that help boost efficiency of initiatives like smart city services and surveillance has been a key area of early adoption of the latest. Abaas says, “In the Middle East in general and the UAE specifically, the industry is highly regulated in terms of requirements and specifications compared to many other parts of the world. For example, in Abu Dhabi the Monitoring and Control Centre continues to push and improve the minimum requirements for IP surveillance in terms of cameras, recorders, failover systems, and so on. Similarly, in Dubai, the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA) keeps stringent rules on camera type and specifications. An example we saw in some residential buildings, where traditionally analogue systems would be sufficient, installers were forced to use IP systems since HD analogue cameras weren’t up to the minimum WDR range requirements set by SIRA for building entrances.” He adds, “Due to the decreased cost of IP surveillance solutions we are seeing a lot of traditionally analog segments such as the retail market move towards IP. Residential buildings, notably as well, in the UAE have shifted towards IP systems for the same reason as well as cabling benefits. In addition to regulation
Abaas Mahroos Sales Manager, ME & North Africa Camscan Limited
and the affordable costs, he says that advances in data compression methods, with H.265 being the industry standard nowadays, have greatly reduced bandwidth and storage costs, helping reduce the cost of storage and to manage it. Legislative requirements for Video Surveillance that have been established by a number of countries in the region. These laws specify video data retention periods, quality and resolution of the cameras and the frame rate of the cameras. According to Costa, “These legal obligations have created the need among both Government and private sector to source reliable solutions that fulfill these requirements and are cost effective. There is also an increasing emphasis on Smart Cities, given the development and modernization taking
place in a number of cities across the region.Maintaining and enforcing certain standards for these cities in relation to speeding, parking enforcement, driving behavior, monitoring and managing transportation systems and behavior in public spaces is essential.” Milind too opines that the stringent guidelines for having latest surveillance systems is driving adoption across residential and commercial segments. He says, “Regulations by MOI, Central bank guidelines for banks in the region, Police Department specifications make it mandatory for CCTV department to adhere to latest standards and technology. Use of Megapixel technology, H.265 compression, content basedvideo analytics, all come as a part of regular specifications in the Middle East.” August 2017 | 17
Cover Feature | Surveillance
Milind M. Borkar VP, Sales Infinova, MEA & SAARC
The need for integration It is important to have strongly integrated surveillance solutions for critical infrastructure ecosystems. The need is to ensure tight integration in instances when a customer goes in for multi-vendor solutions. Costa says, “It is essential that all system components work together effectively. The last thing businesses want is to discover that data hasn’t been captured or cannot be retrieved at a critical time such as when an incident occurs. The total IP video surveillance solution needs to be designed by an expert in this area and all hardware and software components that make up a surveillance solution should be pre-tested and certified prior to installation.” The key advantage working with multivendor solutions is it also allows you to pick the best options but unless the solution is designed with close integration between the various components and tested out extensively, there could be gaps.
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Costa adds, “The advantage of multi-vendor solutions is that they allow you to cherry pick the most effective, bestof-breed components with all the desired functionality. When you work with an experienced solution provider such as AgilityGrid, the team of experienced and highly qualified solution designers put it all together, do all the pre-testing and installation to ensure it works seamlessly.” The surveillance industry indeed sees closer collaboration between different vendors because essentially, no single vendor can do it all. Abaas says, “There are unique physical and cyber threats especially in this part of the world and addressing them with an integrated security solution is essential. More so than previously, intrusion alarm systems, access control, and other similar manufacturers are closely working with IP camera makers to achieve this.” In the beginning of 2018, CAMSCAN expects to introduce a new industry specific integration, for the oil and gas sector, where various existing
chemical monitors can trigger alarms in the security system. CAMSCAN offers 2 product lines, a cost-effective series for the consumer market that it makes available via distributors, and the projectspecific CAMSCAN PRO series. The manufacturer’s standalone Linux-based recorders range from 4 channels up to 128 channels, while its Windowsbased servers and software can seamlessly handle thousands of HD channels. Abaas adds, “4K cameras with fixed lens and recorders for the retail market are now very affordable and are already stocked by various distributors in the region.In our CAMSCAN PRO series we differ from the competition in that we offer a full line, outdoor and indoor, fixed and motorized lens options, of products with high sensitivity (0.002 Lux) and high WDR (140 dB) at the same time. Most manufacturers will offer you a choice of high sensitivity at night or wide dynamic range." Milind argues that a multi- vendor solution has its advantages and disadvantages in its own way. He says that the single – vendor solution can be a boon, provided the OEM has proven capabilities of handling multiple sites of the same customer or similar customer segment. It may also depend on several factors such as Service capabilities, Quick TAT, product stability, after sales, tech support and quick product customizations to cater to customer needs. “Critical Infrastructure Segments, such as City Surveillance, Airports, Metros, highly – secured Zones,
Government offices, Military etc., needs to ensure that all the technology systems communicate with each other so that the operational efficiency is one of the best and failure in any of the system should trigger alarms and necessary actions in other complementing technology systems. For example, it is essential that the cameras and the VMS seamlessly communicate with each other, irrespective of the OEM brands. At the same time, VMS should also be communicating seamlessly with other technology systems such as an Intrusion Detection system, Perimeter Protection system, Access Control System, Fire alarm System, Video Analytics system, etc.” Infinovaclaims that that it ensures all its products are seamlessly integrated with any other technology systems. This happens through SDK information exchange with these third-party systems. Infinova VMS seamlessly integrates with any other technology system through SDK exchange, and this is done at no additional cost. Infinova is a one source solution provider whose product range extends from Analog to IP Cameras, comprising of 4K Cameras, H.265 Enabled cameras, True WDR camera models, Integrated IR PTZ cameras, Explosion Proof Cameras, Long Range IR PTZ Dome Cameras, Thermal Cameras etc. It also offers NVR (several channel models) and Video Management Software V2217 which has built-in video analytics and can be customized into several different languages
and at the same time offer extreme flexibility to the user operating the system.
Securing against hackers One of the serious challenges is securing the IP security infrastructure itself against infiltration and hacking. This brings to the fore the need for using industry standard hardware from reputed manufacturers. Milind says, “Security definitely is a key priority. The best a company can do is to keep a check on its security protocols and implement measures to prevent hacking into its device. There are various security protocols now asked as a mandate in any project and devices are a must to comply with all of them such as HTTPS, SSL, TLS, PPoE, etc. With the recent cases of one of the Chinese manufacturer in the industry being prone to hacking, customers are very vigilant in terms of products to be shortlisted for their project.” While leading manufacturers are ensuring they have the necessary security standards in place, the role of the partner who designs and implements would be key in ensuring that all concerns are addressed. “Generally, there needs to be more diligence in CyberSecurity practices such as use of password protection and separating networks to help reduce this risk. Every manufacturer is now working on how to further harden their devices to prevent attacks on IP CCTV infrastructure. US-based Intransa is one example of a manufacture that has taken
CyberSecurity very seriously. They recently released a CyberSercurity device that logs all network events to highlight abnormalities for early detection, “says Costa. AgilityGrid positions itself as a complete endto-end IP security solutions provider, working with leading manufacturers. The company work closely with US based, Intransa for servers, workstations, enterprise storage, NVRs and switches whose products are mostly open platform, helping great flexibility in solution design. AgilityGrid also has partnerships in place with a number of leading camera manufacturers and also distributes a vast range of video analytics software and network monitoring software in the market. These include technologies such as a CCTV auditing and compliance tool from Viakoo in the US, abnormal behaviour detection, using machine learning from VI Dimentions who are based in Singapore and camera-tracking software for large installations by Snap in Australia.
The partner link Partners are a key part of the go to market ecosystems as they offer and extend versatility in dealing with different customer segments in addition to extending the market reach across several market territories for the vendor. Almost all vendors work via partners who have a strong focus in surveillance solutions integration CAMSCAN works closely with its integrators in every step of the project from bidding to delivery, installation,
Costa Boukouvalas CEO AgilityGrid
commissioning, and training. Abaas says, “Supporting our partners is always our focus. Our new and improved first project registration policy has given us a lot of positive feedback and confidence from our partners and we look forward to continuing it in the years to come.” AgilityGrid works closely with like-minded channel partners to service a wide range of Government and private industry in the EMEA region. The focus is on overall customer satisfaction and supporting both channel partners and end customers with advice and expertise in solution design. Costa says, “We ensure their specific business requirements are full addressed, while creating the most efficient and cost-effective solution. Our channel partners are all fully trained and certified to ensure end customers receive the best possible service.” Like most companies in the segment, the partner ecosystem is central to Infinova’s go to market strategy in the region. However it deals directly with integrators
without a distributor model. It also offers consulting services without a fee, supporting its partners, consultants and end customers in designing a complete project whenever desired. Milind says, “We deal only through System Integrators. We ensure we provide extended support to our partners and we support them by attending technical and negotiation meetings along with end clients, ensure they have the necessary marketing collaterals, attend workshops together, conduct Roadshows and conferences with them. We work closely with our system integrators and ensure we create a win-win situation for all the projects we work together.” The strong sustained growth in the segment has seen more vendors enter the segment and more partners building a security focus. With the extensive opportunities that looks possible with more real estate projects that come up as well as in terms of upgrades from analog to IP systems, this is an industry that will ride high for the foreseeable future. August 2017 | 19
TechKnow | Silver Peak
How do you see the outlook for SD WAN market growth? There is a shift and we are seeing increasingly quick adoption of SD WAN solutions. With SD WAN vis-à-vis traditional WAN, customers get the flexibility to move as much of the infrastructure at the edge in branch office including the security appliances to SD WAN. With our SD WAN solution, we are offering customers security, load balancing and even routing facility. It is not just the connectivity but also the availability, reliability and security that is driving traction for SD WAN.
challenge. SD WAN technology dynamically steers application traffic using multiple Internet/ broadband linksto ensure enterprise-grade performance and availability. SD-WAN uses path selection, dynamic traffic engineering and link condition analytics to optimize link and bandwidth use to deliver superior application performance to all users in the most cost-efficient manner. It provides simplified, optimized, shortest-path and secure traffic delivery to applications without the need for backhauling the traffic through data centers as hybrid WAN architectures do.
Discuss how SD WAN improves network performance? While Hybrid WAN is a WAN that utlizes both MPLS and broadband for branch connectivity, this could be considered as the initial step companies will take when moving toward a full broadband, or SD-WAN. Hybrid WAN allows companies to utlize less expensive broadband connections along with MPLS as they gradually migrate more applications to the cloud. Instances of hybrid WAN networks could be could be one MPLS with a broadband network or MPLS with an ADSL or a 4G network etc. With SD WAN, you could still run your critical applications on MPLS and run non-critical applications on a broadband network, efficiently managing bandwidth. WAN traffic challenges include specifying policies to steer the right application traffic over the right circuit at the right time and SD WAN address this
What changes are the transition to cloud based services bringing in terms of networking? When you are moving to cloud and a lot of organizations are doing that, there is only broadband connectivity as an option.Previously, not many people considered broadband as an option to run enterprise applications because the downtime was quite high but that is not the case any longer. Broadband today offers more bandwidth for smaller price compared to less bandwidth on a fixed MPLS link. People are looking to reduce WAN costs and SD WAN offers that choice. With SD WAN, we ensure that the applications you run, from on premise or from the cloud, are running faster and in a secured manner. You can set-up the broadband network faster vis-avis n MPLS network and that is great advantage for businesses.
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Elaborate features of your SD WAN solution? Our EdgeConnect SD-WAN
Bhasker Peruri Regional Sales Manager, ME Silver Peak
Enabling better access Bhaskar Peruri, Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East at Silver Peak discusses the advantages of SD WAN solution is for customers looking to leverage the Internet to securely and cost-effectively connect their users to applications and offers customers the choice to move to a broadband WAN at their own pace, whether site-by-site, or via a hybrid WAN approach that leverages both MPLS and broadband Internet connectivity. It enables geographically distributed enterprises to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of building and managing their wide area networks,
while embracing broadband to connect users to applications. We have been in the leader quadrant of Gartner Magic quadrant consistently over the past five years. We are ahead of competition in the SD WAN space because we started out earlier. We have over 400 paying customers for SD WAN and that is growing. Across the region, we have over 50 customers which is growing, for WAN optimization and we also have around 8 customers presently for our SD WAN solutions.
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TechKnow | WatchNET
WatchNET is a well- known manufacturer of Access control and IP security products with over 400 products within the portfolio including Access Control Readers, Biometric devices, Controllers, Megapixel Camera, Recorders, Storage Equipment & Enterprise Class Integrated Software as well as cloud based solutions. Sathish Arya, General Manager Middle East & Africa at WatchNET International
Sathish Arya General Manager, MEA WatchNET
Trading LLC discusses the advances that the industry has made and how WatchNETpositions itself as a one-stop vendor for partners
Staying in front Discuss the transformations that the surveillance segment has witnessed in recent years? The security solutions available today are smarter. Both hardware and software solutions are surging in demand due to the challenges that the industry is facing everyday such as increasing geopolitical instability and the rise of terrorism groups. The region faces a range of threats that are capable of disrupting national security and economic well-being. In the past decade, customers and judicial systems used security systems just to record and backup the system for evidence but the scenario has changed now since the world has witnessed a rise in
22  |  August 2017
the amount of crimes. Generic security solutions won’t suit different business verticals and scenarios at the same time. The judicial system needs high-resolution video and images for evidences. There is a challenge to get the recorded video from a large volume of storage (recorded video) which takes hours or day to get the exact video clip of an incident. The industry needs smart search to get the exact video clip within no time. Video analytics features helps such smart search. Analytics become inevitable for such smart solutions but to use analytics, the hardware must be resilient, capable of quick processing, redundant with massive storage.
The surveillance industry has witnessed sustained growth in the recent past due to continued adoption of high-resolution megapixel cameras in larger numbers; obviously the hardware and video management software have to align themselves & team up to handle such large load with different analytical features. While cameras are in the forefront, storage along with the VMS works in the background and are key building blocks for effective surveillance deployments. Are local regulations driving demand for IP surveillance? When compared to other region, GCC regulations are competent with greater
enforcement towards complying the standards is indeed driving the demand in the region. The regulations and standards are expected to keep the pace which benefits integrators and manufacturers across the region who provide various building blocks & endto-end surveillance solutions. There is a bold enforcement by regulatory bodies and agencies to enforce the surveillance system standards across the business spectrum which has helped security industry to have a strong footprint in the GCC region. The migration from analogue systems to megapixel systems has also been motivated by the regulatory approach across
"The industry needs smart search to get the exact video clip within no time. Video analytics features helps such smart search. Analytics become inevitable for such smart solutions but to use analytics, the hardware must be resilient, capable of quick processing, redundant with massive storage."
Middle East region to insist on megapixel solutions as the general standard requirement for commercial & government projects.In addition to that the fast growing construction market, infrastructural development along with government regulation for compulsory installation of surveillance systems in commercial buildings are few key factors that have led to the growth of video surveillance market in the region. Additionally, growing tourism industry in the region has resulted in increased construction projects in various sectors; primarily, hospitality and government & transportation, further fuelled the growth of video surveillance market in GCC countries.
How important is it to have strongly integrated surveillance solutions? Can there be issues when a customer goes in for a multivendor solution? For any legacy project, it is strongly recommended to deploy an integrated framework due to various reasons, different scenarios & multiple factors because the equipment (either field or back-end devices) comes with high loads such as megapixel cameras, analytics sever, higher bandwidth consumption, giant servers with massive storage. There is a large selection of devices that are involved for critical infrastructure projects. The product performance,
compatibility, integration, time-tested systems, scalability & solution reliability are unavoidable factors. Moreover, there is the need for video surveillance systems to be integrated with other complementary security and building automation systems. Hence, the integrated solutions are a need of an hour. All the high-tech legacy projects must ideally be an end-to-end integrated solution especially from a single vendor in order to ensure intact-integration between devices & compatible We strongly recommend the customer to choose a single vendor for large projects. There are very many reasons such as compatible issues, integration issues, solutions should be proven and timetested etc. It is also hard to handle multiple vendors when it comes to integration as it could be tricky since many people are involved right from manufacturer, system integrator, contractor and end-user. Even post-installation problems such as upgrades & back-ward compatibility etc could be a challenge. In addition to critical infrastructure, what are the fast growth segments in terms of demand for IP surveillance solutions? Are small to medium size Businesses as well looking to have suitable IP security solutions? Multi-location monitoring,
educations institutions, commercial buildings, hotels, small & mid-sized business houses are the fast growing segments and there is a good demand for the surveillance. There is also a sizable business from retrofit projects as well as migration from analogue to IP segment. Small and medium size projects may not require higher megapixel solutions but the customers always demands for IP based solutions which fuels small & medium business segments. The shift from analog to IP-based video surveillance; the IP surveillance solutions is growing at a much faster pace and helping garner maximum market share. The increased demand for IP-based video surveillance systems, in turn fuels good demand for Recorders Video Management Software and Storage equipment. Is security an important aspect of the IP camera infrastructure since they can be potentially hacked? Some of the factors that have been and will continue to play a large role in the steady growth of the video surveillance industry are: increased awareness of cybersecurity threats and the need for more secure solutions. There is an increased spending in the video surveillance industry as it seems a safe bet for the customers; the manufacturers must offer the solutions
that consumers live with the assurance that their information is secured. Most recently, many cameras are being hacked. This backdoor allows remote unauthorized admin access via the web and is therefore extremely severe. Multiple vulnerabilities have been found in IP camera in the recent investigation that could allow a remote attacker for easy access to the system and information. Customers should be educated by manufacturers / system integrators to choose the right product that doesn’t allow any back-door entry and are secured. Do you see yourself as an end-to-end IP security solutions vendor or are there scenarios wherein you collaborate with other vendors to offer end to end solutions? WatchNET is one among the global leaders that provide end-to-end security solutions fits for any size of the project let it be enterprise class or critical infrastructure. The integrator can choose all the devices form a single source right from Megapixel Cameras, Recorders, Storage Equipment, Servers, Media Gateway Servers, Video Wall Solution, VMS Software, Access Control & Integrated Software. It’s a great advantage for an integrator to source all the security related products from WatchNET as a one stop source since projects need seamless & intact integration between multiple equipment. August 2017 | 23
TechKnow | Axis Communications
Do you see yourself as an end to end IP security solutions vendor? Do you have cloud enabled solutions? Axis offers end-to-end solutions that secure and improve businesses. We provide a complete range of solutions, whether you need a smart system for basic surveillance or a more advanced system for security on a larger scale. All our systems are easy to install, and everything is designed with open IP standards that easily connect with your existing IT infrastructure. Our solutions adapt to your changing needs – so, you can start out with a basic system and add new possibilities when you want them. With our smart solutions, you can secure and develop your business – both now and in the future. We also value our partnerships with technology companies within our ecosystem and it’s important for Axis to engage with additional partners when a solution has requirement beyond our end to end reach. Axis currently offers AVHS cloud based solutions through our network of partners with benefits such as a trouble-free solution where your partner manages and maintains the solution and no need of hardware investments that will be outdated over time. This is a reliable security solution for you and your employees with flexible service offerings that supports and can grow with your business. You can easily get new features, applications and service offerings to support your business Do you offer consulting services as well? We promote working through our Axis Architecture & Engineering network. The A&E Program is designed to help network architects, engineers and consultants design smarter systems. Axis A&E Program members benefit from comprehensive system design support, tools and documentation to make smart system design easier. In the Middle East, we have a BDM team catering for consultants. Discuss your partner strategy and regional focus? Axis’ Channel Partner Program is designed to help system integrators, value-added
24 | August 2017
Ettiene Van Der Watt Regional Engineering & Training Manager, MEA Axis Communications
Facilitating a safer future Surveillance solutions continue to add richer functionalities and deliver more valuable insights than ever before. Ettiene Van Der Watt, Regional Engineering & Training Manager Middle East & Africaat Axis Communications, one of the leaders in offering an exhaustive range of IP security solutions discusses how the segment’s growth continues to be robust resellers (VARs) and installers accelerate their solution sales. On becominga member, Axis Channel Partners immediately benefit from enhanced margin opportunities, the industry’s most complete and reliable product portfolio, and world-class training and support.Our Channel Partner Program is as innovative as the products we bring to market. Resellers/partners/distributors can actively participate in training & certification programs with Axis Communications’ Academy. Axis Academy offers a full range
of training services and the only global professional certification within the video surveillance industry. It offers a variety of classroom and web-based training along with tutorials and guides to help individuals prepare for the exam. Axis Communications official exam for the Axis Certification Program is open to all security professionals who aim to validate their competence and skills in IP video surveillance. Anyone interested in becoming an Axis Certified Professional can register online to take the exam at any local testing centre offered by Prometric, a global provider of testing and
"All our systems are easy to install, and everything is designed with open IP standards that easily connect with your existing IT infrastructure. Our solutions adapt to your changing needs – so, you can start out with a basic system and add new possibilities when you want them."
assessment services. Once a participant passes the advanced test, they are awarded the Axis Certified Professional designation, which validates that they are well-versed in the latest network video technologies, solutions and Axis products, as well as best-practice design and implementation techniques. Once certified, participants will also earn the Axis global stamp of endorsement that strengthens both their personal and company’s credentials.
Elaborate how surveillance industry has continued to surge strongly ahead? The security industry has continued its trends of offering more specific solutions to particular problems, rather than onesize fits all hardware/software. In the end, customers aren’t looking to buy a camera, or a video management system (VMS) – what they really want is to reduce shoplifting, or make sure only certain people can access the cash office, or keep track of potential threats in an airport. Although the word ‘solutions’ gets bandied around by technology companies a lot, for once this really is the most appropriate term. The convergence of hardware and software as well as pre-installation and post installation tools into end-to-end solutions will be able to address specific security problems. They will consist of high-performance cameras, storage and access controls tightly integrated with video management and analytics tools. This approach will be easier for customers to purchase, install and implement, while offering a great return on their investment. Discuss how Analytics is becoming a key aspect of surveillance systems? If IoT devices are the eyes and ears for increasingly interconnected systems, then analytics technology is the brain. We expect to see continued growing adoption of sophisticated video and audio analytics in the coming year, helping security systems evolve from passive monitoring to intelligent and adaptive recognition, situational
awareness and analysis systems. Analytics go far beyond security uses. Retailers, for example, are increasingly using video analytics to gain business intelligence insights that allow them to optimize shop floor plans, merchandise display or checkout queue management. This opens entirely new user groups to video surveillance. For example, in-store traffic flow and behavior analysis can help guide advertising and promotion campaigns. For critical infrastructure, Axis Perimeter Defender is the perfect solution. AXIS Perimeter Defender is a flexible, scalable video analytics application for perimeter surveillance and protection. It’s designed for demanding large-scale installations.We will be adding two more analytics to Axis Perimeter Defender for reducing false alarms and for improving verifications -Axis Motion guard and Axis Fence guard. What are the various factors driving demand for IP surveillance? Under the law, landlords in Dubai re expected to install CCTV systems, including number plate recognition, in and around commercial and residential buildings and leisure facilities or face a fine. Some 25,000 Dubai buildings and complexes are still not compliant. The CCTV systems must be designed and installed to Dubai Police specifications. The formation of SIRA in January 2017 and the introduction of new Cyber Security Laws are also driving awareness. Axis has launched an education series titled Axis Cybersecurity Series, aimed at educating everyone in the security & surveillance network. How important is it to have strongly integrated surveillance solutions? Axis is a global company with a local presence and a very large ecosystem of selected partners. With the help of 90,000
partners, spanning 179 countries, we’ve delivered a series of groundbreaking products and many industry firsts. As strong proponents of integration, we strongly drive this across our channel and partner network. Axis works extensively with partners and end users to find the right fit and ensure long term associations with a high quality of service. Are small to medium size Businesses as well looking to have suitable IP security solutions? Small and Mid-sized business are definitely looking at IP security solutions. The key statement being, everyone is looking for ‘solutions’ and are not product focused only. One such segment is Retail where the demand for analytics solutions such as people counting, heat mapping, demographics etc is very high. Additionally, Axis’ Perimeter Defender has continued to be a success across segments. Is security an important aspect of the IP camera infrastructure? Yes! Security is a critical aspect of the IP Camera infrastructure. Concern about cybercrime via IP camera networks is real. Effective cyber security is about assessing risks and consequences and taking appropriate steps. It’s about products, people, technology and ongoing processes. And about partnering with a supplier that’s prepared to support you at every level. Which is where Axis enters the picture. We have 100% focus on cyber security, and we’re doing everything in our power to mitigate its risks. We have strict requirements for our own products and we’re working diligently with our partners to fight this threat. We have also recently launched our education led initiative, Axis Cybersecurity Series which consists of classroom and webinar sessions, with access to all recordings, and several support documents. August 2017 | 25
Insight | Sage
Aaron White Regional Director Sage Middle East
The CIO’s role in managing customer expectations Aaron White, Regional Director, Sage Middle East discusses how CIOs can manage the expectations of the connected customer he role of the CIO has the CIO would execute those changed significantly over experiences. recent years, evolving from These technologies put network operator and general power in the end-user’s hands FAQ answerer to business brain by making apps, services and strategist. Regionally, the and information accessible change has been driven by the everywhere (mobile), next wave of Social, Mobile, collaborative and easy-toAnalytics and Cloud (SMAC) use (social) and tailored and technologies, which promised responsive to their needs and to unleash innovation and context (analytics). productivity in the enterprise by In the background, the delivering better employee and power of the cloud makes it customer experiences. Yet the affordable and easy to deploy game changing idea was that the latest applications and
T
26 | August 2017
solutions to users wherever they are. The CIO’s role in this world is ascertaining how to use SMAC (also known as the Third Platform) to deliver personalised experiences that are tailored to new working styles across social and mobile as well as the expectations of the connected customer. Etihad Airways has enjoyed success with this recently, using VR to allow passengers to experience its headline grabbing first class cabins – a marketing tool from the office of the CIO. The engine powering SMAC is a next-generation business management system that empowers end-users and puts information and services at their fingertips. Such a system has a simple user interface, requiring little or no training, but delivers a powerful user experience. It resembles and is as easy to use as a mobile app for a social media service. It also embeds social networking features that make it easy for people to collaborate with others and share information. As such, today’s business management solutions are tailored to the needs of a digital native accustomed to WhatsApp, Netflix and Snapchat rather than a worker used to email and old-fashioned ERP. The solution is accessible anywhere, via a mobile app or a standard web browser, extending CRM, ERP, project management and business process management software to any place where there is an Internet connection. With wearables and the Internet of Things coming of age, enterprises will have new interfaces where they can interact with employees and
customers, and collect data. Analytics tools are another important piece of the puzzle. Managers and leaders will have access to real-time data about the business’s performance on their mobile devices for strategic decision-making; at an operational level, a combination of big data and machine learning will allow companies to tailor customer and employee experiences to the needs of different segments to optimise sales and productivity. Paired with the Internet of Things, advanced analytics and machine learning are bringing about thefourth industrial revolution. Connected devices and sensors, cloud computing, advanced robotics, intelligent software, and a range of other technologies are enabling companies to produce complex products in a smooth, automated process. In this environment, analytics is used to forecast issues such as machine errors or supply chain interruptions so that quality levels and uptime remain high. Major change is inevitable as the trend to manufacture in low cost economies could reverse via the use of smart technologies. Industry 4.0 also offers the ability to personalise customers’ needs into the production process in real-time. The CIO’s role is all about managing the challenges and opportunities presented by digital transformation and the Internet of Things. Expect this trend to bring the level of disruption to old-style industries such as mining, manufacturing and construction as the Internet has already brought to banking, media and retail.
Insight | Gartner
Trend 2: Interconnect Fabrics Data center interconnection fabric is poised to deliver on the promise of the data center as software-defined, dynamic and distributed. The ability to monitor, manage and distribute workloads dynamically, across infrastructures and between providers, or to rapidly provision LAN and WAN services through an API, opens up a range of possibilities. Trend 3: Containers, Microservices and Application Streams Containers (e.g. Docker) and microservices are the new application platform for cloud development. Containers provide a convenient way to implement per-process isolation, which makes them well-suited for development of microservices,
David Cappuccio Vice President Gartner
IT spend comes from business units rather than traditional IT, and this will increase over the next few years. This businessdriven IT was often a means of getting around traditional slow-paced IT processes. However, in today’s world it is more often designed to provide technically savvy business people a means of implementing new ideas quickly, while adapting to, or entering, new markets as effortlessly as possible. Astute IT leaders today recognize that business-driven IT has a real value to the enterprise, and that IT’s role should be to build relationships with key business stakeholders – thereby keeping central IT aware of new projects, and what their potential long term impacts will be on overall operations.
Trends impacting Infrastructure and Operations Infrastructure and Operations Leaders are Facing a Mix of Traditional and Transformational Challenges, Says David Cappuccio, Vice President, a Distinguished Analyst, and Chief of Research for the Infrastructure teams at Gartner.
A
s organizations strive to align IT and operational technology to drive digital business innovations, infrastructure & operations (I&O) leaders should focus on 10 key technology trends to support these initiatives. These technology trends that impact I&O fall under three areas — strategic, tactical and organizational.
Strategic Trend 1: Disappearing Data Centers Gartner predicts that by
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2020, more compute power will have been sold by IaaS and PaaS cloud providers than sold and deployed into enterprise data centers. Most enterprises — unless very small — will continue to have an on-premises (or hosted) data center capability. However, with most compute power moving to IaaS and “as a Service” providers, enterprises and vendors need to focus on managing and leveraging the hybrid combination of onpremises, off-premises, cloud and noncloud architectures.
in which applications are constructed as a suite of small services that run as separate processes and communicate through lightweight networkbased mechanisms. Microservices can be deployed and managed independently, and once implemented inside of containers, they have little direct interaction with the underlying OS. Tactical Trend 4: Business-Driven IT Recent Gartner surveys have shown that up to 29 percent of
Trend 5: Data Center as a Service IT leaders need to create a data center as a service (DCaaS) model, where the role of IT and the data center is to deliver the right service, at the right pace, from the right provider, at the right price. IT becomes a provider of services, not of hardware. IT leaders can enable the use of cloud services across the business, but with a focus on picking the right service, at the right time, from the
right provider, and in such a way that underlying IT service and support does not get compromised. Trend 6: Stranded Capacity Stranded capacity – things that are paid for, but not really used – can be found both in on-premises data centers and in the cloud. IT leaders should learn to focus not just on uptime and availability, but also on capacity, utilization and density. Fixing this can extend the life of an existing data center and reduce operating expenditures from providers. Trend 7: IoT The Internet of Things (IoT) will change how future data centers are designed and managed and how they evolve as massive volumes of devices stream data, constantly or periodically, to enterprises, government
departments and agencies around the world. I&O should use an IoT architect who looks at the long term strategy for both IoT and the data center.
or periodic battery replacement, which would require a new level of detail and control within an asset tracking and management system.
Organizational
Trend 9: Micro and Edge Computing Environments Micro and edge computing executes real-time applications that require high-speed response at the nearer edge servers. The communication delay is shortened to a few milliseconds, rather than several hundred milliseconds. It offloads some of the computationintensive processing on the user’s device to edge servers and makes application processing less dependent on the device’s capability.
Trend 8: Remote Device (Thing) Management A growing trend for many organizations with remote sites/offices is the need to manage remote assets centrally. This has taken on more importance as enterprises focus on micro-data center support for regional or remote sites, and the emerging role of edge computing environments for geo-specific compute requirements such as the IoT. The rapid adoption of IoT solutions by business units has introduced a new type of asset – connect sensors. The sensor may need to have firmware updates,
Trend 10: New Roles in IT As IT evolves to adopt these trends, some new positions will be required within the
ranks of infrastructure and operations. First and foremost will be the IT cloud broker, responsible for monitoring/ management of multiple cloud service providers. Next will be the IoT architect, tasked with understanding the potential impact of multiple IoT systems on data centers. This architect will also be working with business units to insure their closed loop IoT solutions are either compatible with the central IoT architecture or that common protocols and data structures are used. There will also be the need for an integration expert which may evolve into an integration team, responsible for ensuring integration of new initiatives while at the same time extending the operational knowledge of IT, in managing hybrid environments.
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Insight | Aruba
S
martphones and other personal devices can now be found in most businesses as users are staying connected to the corporate network from anywhere, any time. It’s the stuff that keeps IT and security managers up at night — mobile users, multiple devices per user, and enterprise data on the move. Security for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and mobile must now be part of a larger conversation when securing the network for the new digital workplace. Based on existing customers’ best practices, this paper outlines eight things you can do to boost network security amidst BYOD.
Manish Bhardwaj, Sr. Marketing Manager, Middle East and Turkey at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company discusses 8 best practices to protect your Enterprise Network Manish Bhardwaj Sr. Marketing Manager, MET Aruba
ASSIGN ROLES TO USERS AND DEVICES With users carrying multiple devices, it’s smart to standardize on user roles across the organization, and then assign device roles, too. A smartphone issued by IT for a specific purpose may require more access privileges than a personal device. IT-issued laptops would have different roles than smartphones and tablets. The value is your ability to create different rules for each device type or role. User and device roles also let you differentiate privileges by device type for the same user. An IT administrator would be allowed to change switch and controller configurations with a laptop assigned a corporate role. But, that same person would not be able to access sensitive networking equipment using a tablet
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BYOD doesn’t have to be your biggest headache assigned a BYOD role.
USE PROFILING TO CREATE DEVICE CATEGORIES Accurately profiled devices should be a cornerstone of your plan when rolling out a secure BYOD initiative. As BYOD permeates throughout your environment, not all users will
be diligent about downloading the latest versions of the operating system. You’ll want to capture context that allows you to see who is running what versions on iOS, Android, Chrome and other operating systems. As new releases become available, this data will give you the visibility to help
identify why authentications may be failing, the types of devices that are experiencing issues, and more. An understanding of location can also help determine if a problem is specific to Wi-Fi equipment if the enterprise is operating a multivendor environment.
USE CONTEXT WITHIN POLICIES It’s important to leverage multiple sources of context to manage access. Data can consist of user role, device profiling, location, and once a certificate is issued to a specific user’s device, the assumption is that it’s a BYOD. Doing this greatly enhances productivity, usability and security. By enabling the use of known data you can stop users from coming up with ways to bypass policies. The use of device categories should also be explored. The idea is to again leverage context to enforce privileges across a large category of devices. All BYOD endpoints connecting over a VPN can be treated differently than when connecting in the office. Printers can be managed differently than game consoles or Apple TVs.
MANAGE MOBILE APP USE Enterprises need to define and enforce policies that dictate who can access specific types of data from which devices, with the ability to differentiate between smartphones, tablets, laptops or IoT devices. To be effective, enforcement must extend across MDM/EMM, a policy management platform, and firewalls.
AUTOMATE AND SIMPLIFY Automation is essential for both initial onboarding and to take
"Enterprises need to define and enforce policies that dictate who can access specific types of data from which devices, with the ability to differentiate between smartphones, tablets, laptops or IoT devices."
action on non-compliant devices (for example, quarantining them until they are compliant). MDM/EMM solutions should share device posture with a NAC solution to ensure that devices meet compliance before being given access. Integrating with helpdesk applications and SIEM can provide an enhanced experience for the user and IT for improved problem resolution. By automating the discovery and onboarding of non-compliant devices, you can reduce costs and improve your security posture. This also allows users to re-onboard their own devices when smartphones and tablets are replaced, which also reduces the time IT has to spend on device onboarding.
GO WITH CERTIFICATES – THEY’RE MORE SECURE THAN PASSWORDS Users will connect to guest networks more frequently leaving passwords exposed to theft, which makes certificates a cornerstone of a secure mobile device deployment. As the use of active directory and an internal PKI for BYOD is not a best practice, an independent Certificate Authority (CA) built to support personal devices is preferred. A policy management solution that includes the ability to distribute and update,
as well as revoke certificates should be explored. Integration with an MDM/EMM solution should be an option in the event that device management was deployed prior to investing in a network access policy management solution.
MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY – SIMPLIFY SSIDS Multiple SSIDs complicate life for IT and users alike. With effective policy management enforcement in place, BYOD and corporate-owned devices can connect to common SSIDs. Reducing the options for users to choose from simplifies the user experience, and makes it easier for IT to maintain SSIDs across multiple locations. Consolidation of SSIDs can also improve Wi-Fi performance. The key to improving your security posture revolves around your ability to leverage roles, location and policy enforcement to ensure that devices receive the access that IT expects, even when using common SSIDs. When personal devices are connected to a common 802.1X network, IT can provide Internet access only if desired.
CONSIDER NEXTGENERATION MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION (MFA) These days, enterprise data
access is often initiated from smartphones and tablets. As these devices are easily shared, many IT professionals are turning to new forms of MFA to ensure that the user of a device is really the person requesting access. Instead of token generation devices that are easily lost, there’s a better way. Now when a user connects to a network or opens an application, IT can require a secondary challenge that is as simple as picking up your smartphone and scanning your fingerprint, taking a selfie, or clicking on a pre-determined image from within the images library.
CONCLUSION The continued rise of BYOD is inevitable, and few corporate leaders will pass up the productivity gains of a mobile workforce that pays for their own devices. But it is easy to lose track of long-term goals if you don’t have a solid plan. The eight ideas presented in this paper are just some of the things that IT should consider when preparing for BYOD. In the end, a central component that brings everything together starts with an advanced policy management platform. One that includes AAA services, NAC, BYOD onboarding and third-party integration with event-driven remediation. August 2017 | 31
EyeTech
R&M Polaris-Box Solution
New PRIMERGY, PRIMEQUEST servers
Overview: R&M has unveiled its new generation of sturdy and flexible connection boxes for fibre optic networks. The Polaris-box 6 has been designed to supply single and multi-dwelling units, terraced houses and comparable building complexes with fibre optics and R&M intends to engage with Middle East telecom providers to deploy the solution in their Fibreto-the-Home (FTTH) rollouts. FTTH is a future-proof technology and fast-growing method of providing vastly higher bandwidth to consumers and businesses, enabling more robust video, internet and voice services. The Middle East boasts impressive FTTH penetration, driven by national broadband networks initiatives, housing programmes and mobile backhaul. Key features: • With a dust-tight and waterproof housing and lift-up lid, the Polaris-box can accommodate up to twelve plug and up to 60 splice connections. • There is also space for four FMTS 1TPU splice trays or two 2TPU splitter trays which can be inserted and removed with minimal effort. • During development, R&M ensured that the Polaris-box was suitable for any outdoor use. The housing itself fulfils the requirements of protection class IP67. • An integrated housing seal made by a two-component injection moulding technique makes sure that dangerous dust and powerful jets of water cannot penetrate the box. The solution’s modular cable seal also fulfils IP65 requirements. • The solution features knock-out cable grommets on all four sides and on its back, giving installers more leeway when it comes to positioning. For fast access during maintenance, the lid can be opened, removed at 45° or locked at a position of 120° without tools.
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Overview: Fujitsu announced the availability of its new, fully refreshed range of dual- and quad-socket PRIMERGY servers and octosocket PRIMEQUEST business critical server systems designed for Intel Xeon Scalable processors. These combine exceptional performance, flexible configuration options, and optimized system designs to meet the changing computing demands driven by digitalization, including advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence. With its latest server models, Fujitsu offers a full set of workload-optimized servers that make a perfect foundation for building secure, agile, multi-cloud data centers: the IT architecture for a human-centric, digital world. Representing some of the biggest platform advancements of the decade, the latest server innovations are spearheaded by the multi-node Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY CX400 M4, which offers workloadspecific computing power in a compact and modular form factor. The PRIMERGY CX400 M4 combines the density and efficiency of blade-like servers with the simplicity and cost efficiency of rack-based systems, and presents a versatile and future-oriented platform for building integrated systems and software-defined technologies. Key features: • Featuring the new Intel Xeon Scalable processors, the entire new generation of Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY and PRIMEQUEST Business model server systems1 are designed for exceptional workload-specific performance and hardware-enhanced security. • Built for trusted data service delivery, the new models represent significant leaps in I/O, memory, storage and network technologies. • On top of their powerful performance and efficiency, the servers are optimized with a rich feature set to suit the broadest range of application scenarios across a range of industries, including core and business- critical digital business processes and databases, hyper- converged systems, cloud and virtual environments.
PowerEdge 14th generation servers Overview: Dell EMC announced worldwide availability for its next generation of the world’s bestselling server to help customers of all sizes fuel their IT transformation initiatives. Recently previewed at Dell EMC World 2017, the award-winning design of the new 14th generation Dell EMC PowerEdge server portfolio forms a scalable, automated and secure compute platform for traditional and cloud-native applications, designed for new Intel Xeon Scalable processors. In a recent ESG 2017 IT Transformation Maturity Curve study commissioned by Dell EMC, organisations furthest along in their IT transformation initiatives are seven times more likely to view IT as a competitive differentiator. To achieve this, the priority for many IT transformation initiatives is a modern infrastructure that can securely deliver improved efficiencies while driving innovation that enables new business models. With its scalable business architecture, intelligent automation and integrated security, the new Dell EMC PowerEdge 14th generation server portfolio delivers on these desired benefits. PowerEdge servers, the bedrock of the modern data center, enable customers to push innovation further and faster to achieve their IT transformation goals. Key features: • Accelerated database performance and lower latency with up to 12 times more database IOPS and up to 98 percent less database latency in a VMware vSAN cluster • Faster and seamless live migration of virtual machines now up to 58 percent faster with up to 75 percent less CPU usage when using 25GbE with Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) • Faster storage performance in compute to maximise application performance with up to six times more NVMe drives, up to five times total flash storage, 30 percent more input/output slots and 25 percent density improvement.
eVMS-PRO
Overview: WatchNET INC, CANADA has recently launched the enhanced version of its Enterprise Class VMS Software with more features, unifying Video, Audio, Advanced Alarm functions, Multi-level Redundancy, Mass Storage, greater Load Balance & Video Wall in a single management platform. A faster graphical search and intuitive GUI is also included, redefining the approach to video surveillance. eVMS-PRO is one of the most robust Embedded Enterprise Class VMS Platform applications in its class. The software unifies video, audio & alarm Management functionalities into a single resource. The VMS Platform can support and manage a large number of Megapixel Cameras with automated alert notification on-screen (single or multiple consoles) and VideoWall support. WatchNET is redefining its approach to security solutions and consistently improving product quality in order to be a true global leader. Key features: • eVMS-PRO is Scalable & Resilient, Client-Server Architecture (C/S), integrating multiple surveillance systems. • With eVMS-PRO, end users receive a perpetual license that includes a wide range of unmatched enterprise features. • eVMS-PRO supports both Distributed & Centralized
deployments. • The software has built-in Intelligent video analysis to aid in event identification (Tripwire, Intrusion, Object Abandonment, Missing Object and People Counting). • It has the facility to locate cameras quickly with a facility map on thick web and mobile clients. • It simplifies complex network configurations and setup by identifying cameras on the network.
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Stats & Trends
Unified Communications Market in the Gulf grows
G
rowth in unified communications (UC) applications and services due to the global shift from time division multiplexing (TDM) to the Internet protocol-private branch exchange (IP-PBX) telephony model is reflecting in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market as well, though at a lower rate. Cloud adoption is presently low in the region when compared with other developed and developing nations, but industry participants remain optimistic as digital investments are a priority for GCC. However, customers will seek a wide range of UC offerings at attractive price points through a single provider. Frost & Sullivan’s Digital Transformation Senior
Consulting Analyst Rajarshi Dha said, “Conferencing, mobility, unified messaging and instant messaging will offer UC vendors and service providers the opportunity to provide a consultative sales approach while negotiating with customers. However, regulatory reform in certain countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia and UAE, specific to blocking selected VoIP services, will drive further impetus in the growth of UC in the region.” The GCC market for UC stood at $754.3 million in 2016 and is expected to grow to $1,358.7 million by 2021. Major market players include Cisco, Avaya, Microsoft, IBM, Polycom, LifeSize, Alcatel Lucent and Mitel. Comprehensive offerings,
competitive pricing, and customer-friendly servicelevel agreements will be top expansion strategies. Key market trends include: • Steady growth that can be leveraged using a wellthought-out strategy; • Strongest investment from government sectors; oil & gas; banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) and IT/ITeS, despite the turmoil in the oil & gas sector; • Increasing acceptance due to smart city initiatives in KSA and UAE; • Mostly single-digit growth in
smaller countries like Bahrain and Oman until 2021; • Increasing enterprise preference to connect with customers across omnichannels, particularly vibrant mediums such as social media, video, email, and live chat; • Regulatory constraints as certain governments forbid data hosting in contact centres outside the country, challenging UCaaS usage; and •Demand for efficient communication tools in the hospitality, education, and customer service sectors, among others.
OEMs critical as digital transformation disrupts across verticals
D
ell EMC and IDC’s spotlight on digital transformation for VSPs predicts that enterprises who are quick to embrace digital transformation trends will outgrow their competition, with those too slow to react will struggle to survive. The report finds that many digital transformation-related technologies are still in their nascent stages but will have a profound impact in the next three years, and OEMs will be critical in helping VSPs take advantage of these advancements in line with the below findings:
Healthcare • Payers will have saved $1 billion globally through implementation of
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robotic process automation (RPA) tools, skill sets and process reengineering by the end of 2018 • 60% of healthcare applications will collect real-time location data and clinical IoT device data by 2019 • There will be a 50% increase in the use of robots in medications, supplies, and food delivery in hospitals by 2019
Manufacturing • 75% of large manufacturers will update their operations with IoT and analytics-based situational awareness by 2019 • 60% of plant workers at G2000 manufactures will work alongside robots,
3D printing, AI and AR/VR by 2020 • 50% of manufacturing supply chains will have an in-house or outsourced capability for direct-to-consumption shipments and home delivery by 2020
Telecommunications • 90% of enterprises will leverage communications service provider ‘cloud connect’ services to access multiple public cloud capabilities by 2018 • More than 65% of enterprise UC&C implementations will be cloud-based UC as a Service by 2018 • Software-defined wide area networks will be adopted by 60% of enterprises by 2018
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