UPTO
10TB CAPACITY
SUPPORTS UPTO
64
CAMERAS
247
OPERATION
READY FOR
NVR, DVR HYBRID DVR & RAID STORAGE
180 TB/YEAR WORKLOAD
UPTO
256MB BUFFER SIZE
ROTATION VIBRATION
RV SENSOR
ontents
Dear Readers
News In Detail
Adoption is Key to Success Not long ago we heard the saying “ Businesses drive technology” well now the most acceptable saying is “Technology Drives Businesses” in today’s day to day running of companies, technology plays a pivotal role determining their business success. Huge investments are being made by Global and Local companies in streamlining their information system capabilities in order to survive and remain competitive. Its really moving at fast pace but the question remains is the Adoption at the same pace and in tandem with technology deployment that is taking place in organizations.
Oracle Helps Improve Productivity Across Global Supply Chains - 4
A10 Networks Appoints Ehab Halablab - 5 Al Falak honours 220 employees during the Annual Gathering - 5 HP Opens New 150,000 Square Foot 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence - 6 Cisco Ushers in a New Wireless Era with Wi-Fi 6 - 7
Well the Question remains!
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Redefines Mission-Critical Storage - 8
Human empowerment should be taken more seriously than ever before but very less is still invested in training specially in SME segment which comprises of large portion of global and regional economies.
ArabClicks, Basma Media collaborate to establish largest Arab digital marketing network - 9
There are many examples of heavy investments made into purchase and deployment of technology but were faced with complete failure due to challenge’s in its adoption the resistance and refusal of organizational workers to change. We will cover this more in details during the second half of the year and bring to you case studies and real-time examples of both success and failures there by putting in perspective the right mix of approach to be taken by both implementers and adopters.
Nutanix Expands Multi-cloud Solution Portfolio - 10
In this edition of “The Integrator” we bring to you investments made in the region towards next generation technology and product developments also many new products addressing data storage, security products.
NetApp Powers Data-Driven Organisations to Succeed - 13
Please brace for VARonline.com 3.0 to be launched soon with more interactivity and engagement platform as we get ready for second half of the year we will be bringing you the latest in the region in technology advances Sincerely
Managing Editor: Vivek Sharma
Vivek Sharma Managing Editor
LG to showcase immersive signage for all business sectors - 11
Infoblox Reveals Top Cybersecurity Challenges in Healthcare Organization - 12
D-Link Launches EXO Smart Mesh Wi-Fi Routers Series In MEA - 15
Synology Introduces Personal Cloud in the Palm of Your Hand - 16 Canon launches the “Perfect Choice” print solutions for Digital Workspaces and Enterprises - 18
Published by: JNS Media International MFZE
Content Lead & Business Development-
P.O Box 121075, Dubai UAE, Tel: +971-4-3705022 Fax: +971-4-3706639, website: www.VARonline.com Sales Inquiries: sales@var-mea.com All other Inquiries: info@var-mea.com | Editorial: editor@var-mea.com
Christopher David
Disclaimer: While the publishers have made every attempt possible to get accurate information on published content in this handbook they cannot be held liable for any errors herein.
Art Director: Faiz Ahmed Commercial Director - Mallika Rego
News In Detail
Oracle Helps Improve Productivity Across Global Supply Chains To help organizations design and operate efficient and agile supply chains, Oracle today announced a series of logistics management updates to Oracle Supply Chain Management (SCM) Cloud. The updates include a new logistics network modeling product and enhanced transportation management and global trade management capabilities. The latest innovations can help customers drive better business outcomes by enhancing supply chain responsiveness, optimizing shipments and asset utilization, and improving
productivity across global supply chains. “Expectations are not only increasing, they also are constantly evolving. To meet these demands, organizations need customer-driven supply chains that deliver the agility required to rapidly respond,” said Derek Gittoes, vice president, SCM Product Strategy, Oracle. “Disruptions due to customer demand volatility, new product introductions, government regulation changes, and a host of other factors, leave supply chain professionals struggling to adapt. To eliminate this guessing game of how best to respond, we are giving our customers the insights they need to improve decision making and increase efficiency of logistics operations.” To help organizations quickly and easily analyze and respond to logistics network changes, Oracle has added a new Logistics Network Modeling product to Oracle Logistics Cloud. The new product enables customers to analyze logistics networks using real-time, operational data—all within the context of
their own cloud environment. Unlike point solutions that often inaccurately model real-world conditions, Logistics Network Modeling analyzes real production data in the context of a customer’s unique rules, policies, and planning algorithms to show the true impact of change on logistics operations. This enables Oracle customers to enhance decision making and quickly improve agility and profitability. “With global trade policies in flux, organizations of all sizes are struggling to make sense of changing regulations and unstable global duty rates,” said Gittoes. “To help our customers combat global trade instability and improve efficiency, while lowering costs and minimizing risk, we have introduced a series of updates to Oracle Transportation Management Cloud Service and Oracle Global Trade Management Cloud Service. The latest updates can help our customers reduce risk and take advantage of preferential trade contracts and agreements.”
Schneider Electric Acquires Stake in AutoGrid Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced an investment in AutoGrid, a leader in flexibility management software for the energy industry. The investment makes Schneider Electric a major shareholder in the company and establishes a coinnovation partnership focused on driving new AI and machine learning solutions for the utilities and commercial and industrial companies. Most immediately, Schneider Electric will leverage AutoGrid's Energy Internet and Flex platforms to add artificial intelligence-driven solutions for customers' distributed energy projects. This will accelerate new capabilities for Schneider Electric's leading microgrid and behind the
4 | May/June 2019
meter solutions, as well as advance its ability to better serve the utility segment as the grid becomes more distributed and prosumers demand greater participation and control over their energy usage.
AutoGrid has a differentiated approach and scalable solution that allows utilities and distributed energy resources like microgrids to connect, allowing commercial and industrial clients to monetize their renewable energy assets. This strategic investment reinforces our commitment to help our clients adopt new technologies like AI and machine learning to transition to a new energy future. "The combination of AutoGrid's software driven strategy, with Schneider Electric's global footprint and expertise in a variety of enduser segments is a win-win for both companies, and both companies can co-innovate throughout the energy value chain," said Heriberto Diarte, Schneider Electric Head of External Innovation & Ventures.
A10 Networks Appoints Ehab Halablab A10 Networks, announced that it has appointed Ehab Halablab as the company’s new Regional Channel Manager for Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Ehab has more than 12 years’ experience in the IT industry. Prior to A10 Networks he worked at security firm Symantec as territory manager for enterprise where he was instrumental in driving new business acquision. He also held a regional channel leadership position at Blue Coat Systems (acquired by Symantec) and regional sales manager position at Sophos. The early part of his career was spent at Naizak Distribution Services as account manager for several key security vendors. Mohammed Al-Moneer, Regional Vice President of Sales – MENA at A10 Networks says, “Ehab brings a wealth of leadership and channel expertise to our company. Partners are critical to A10’s growth strategy and success. In order to drive our leadership in 5G, multi-cloud and security infrastructures, we needed a regional channel head with a depth of relevant experience and a proven track record and Ehab ticked these boxes. He will play a pivotal role in leading the adoption of a channel-driven business strategy, partner enablement and identifying new partners, while ensuring they are equipped with the tools necessary to sell our company’s portfolio of market leading soutions.” Ehab will be responsible for developing & executing a regional channel strategy focused on partner certification, premier security partner recruitment, and direct & indirect channel enablement programmes. As part of the strategy to grow the business, Ehab is looking to transform distributors into value added distributors (VADs). The company will be actively onboarding new potential partners in the region that will be focused on A10’s business.
Ehab Halablab Regional Channel Manager A10 Networks, MENA
Al Falak honours 220 employees during the Annual Gathering
Ahmed Ashadawi President & CEO Al Falak
Al Falak Electronic Equipment & Supplies Co., a leading IT and communications solutions provider in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), honoured several senior employees who have served the longest in the company at the annual staff recognition event of Al Falak and Al-Khaleej Group. Ahmed Ashadawi, President and CEO, Al Falak, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Group, the directors of departments and divisions and many employees Attended the awarding ceremony. The event was held in support of the distinguished efforts of employees who have served and dedicated 40 years helping the company achieve its objectives and move its work towards higher levels of excellence, progress and success. Ahmed Ashadawi, President and CEO, Al Falak lauded all the employees for their role and sincere efforts which have created a huge impact in helping the company achieve its goals and growth plans over the years. He highlighted the importance of employees as the main driver behind Al Falak’s continuing efforts to become a leading provider of technology-based integrated solutions in the Middle East. He added that the Group plans to expand its market by providing integrated technology solutions throughout the region and maintaining its leading position in the booming IT sector by developing product portfolios and services which focus on adding value to consumers. He also pointed out that the group will focus on investments towards training Saudi Nationals in various disciplines; including English, Administrative and Financial skills, as well as call-centres, in addition to Private Schools and preparatory years in Public Universities. The number of Al Falak employees reached more than 2,200, including 880 Saudis. The company also has 95 percent of the employees with higher degree education.
May/June 2019 | 5
News In Detail
HP Opens New 150,000 Square Foot 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence Accelerating transformation of industries with world-class R&D, engineering, codevelopment, and sustainable innovation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
HP Inc. opened the doors to its new 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Barcelona, Spain, one of the world’s largest and most advanced research and development facilities for the nextgeneration technologies powering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The new Center brings together hundreds of the world’s leading additive manufacturing experts in more than 150,000 square feet of cutting-edge innovation space – about the size of three football fields – to transform the way the world designs and manufactures. The 3+ acre facility at HP’s Barcelona campus is dedicated to the development of HP’s industrial 3D printing portfolio and provides a large-scale factory environment to collaborate with customers and partners on the digital manufacturing technologies revolutionizing their industries. “HP’s new 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence is one of the largest and most advanced 3D printing and digital manufacturing research and development centers on earth – it truly embodies our mission to transform the world’s biggest industries through sustainable technological innovation,” said Christoph Schell, President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing at HP Inc. “We are bringing HP’s substantial resources and peerless industrial 3D printing expertise together with our customers, partners, and community to drive the technologies and skills that will further unleash the benefits of
6 | May/June 2019
digital manufacturing.” The new Center of Excellence unites hundreds of experts in systems engineering, data intelligence, software, materials science, design, and 3D printing and digital manufacturing applications in what is believed to be the world’s largest population of additive manufacturing specialists in one location. Specifically designed for active collaboration across HP engineering and R&D groups, customers, and partners, the new facility integrates flexible and interactive layouts, co-development environments, and fleets of the latest HP plastics and metals 3D production systems to drive more rapid and agile product development and end-to-end solutions for customers. Leaders such as BASF, GKN Metallurgy, Siemens, Volkswagen
and others across the automotive, industrial, healthcare, and consumer goods sectors will continue collaborating with HP on new 3D printing and digital manufacturing innovations at the Center. The 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence also reflects HP’s commitment to the environment by incorporating a photovoltaic canopy to provide 110kW of power, rain water reuse for irrigation and sanitary purposes, HVAC and natural light optimization, and eco-friendly construction materials with a goal of achieving a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. At a company level, HP’s goal is to use 100% renewable energy in its global operations over time, with a target of 60% by 2025.
Cisco Ushers in a Mimecast Appoints New Wireless Era Brandon Bekker to Lead with Wi-Fi 6 EMEA Region
Cisco is announcing innovative solutions that help customers embrace a new age of wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi 6 (also known as 802.11ax), the new standard for Wi-Fi networks, is redefining what’s possible for businesses — powering a new era of immersive wireless experiences and the connecting of billions of things. Cisco is also extending the industry’s most extensive campus networking portfolio by delivering a campus core switch purpose-built for cloud-scale networking. By coupling powerful automation and analytics software with a complete array of next-generation switches, access points, and controllers for the campus, Cisco enables the industry’s only end-to-end, wirelessfirst architecture. Built on the same fundamental wireless innovations as 5G, these new standards will reshape how businesses and consumers interact with the world. Beyond being significantly faster than the previous generation, Wi-Fi 6 delivers up to 400 percent greater capacity and is more effective in high-density settings like large lecture halls, stadiums and conference rooms. Latency is vastly improved, allowing for near real-time use cases. Wi-Fi 6 is also easier on connected devices’ batteries and provides an overall more predictable user experience. "Every leap in connectivity enables the next wave of profound innovation. 5G and Wi-Fi 6 represent a new era of connectivity,"said Osama Al-Zoubi, Chief Technology Officer, Cisco Middle East and Africa." Developers are already creating the next generation of wireless-first, immersive experiences. With billions of things connecting to the network, this growth will create unprecedented complexity for IT. Cisco is building a multi-domain network architecture to simplify complexity for IT, allowing CIOs to deliver against their innovation agenda."
Mimecast Limited a leading email and data security company, today announced the appointment of Brandon Bekker to Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to help manage the rapid growth within region. In this newly created position, Brandon will be responsible for supporting the continued growth for Mimecast in EMEA and ensuring collaboration and consolidation across all markets in this important region. Brandon has a proven track record of leadership as he helped establish Mimecast as a market leader across various industries, including healthcare, financial services, retail and public sector in South Africa. As the new SVP of EMEA, Brandon will lead the entire EMEA region and will be based out of the London, United Kingdom office. Previously, Brandon successfully managed Middle East and Africa since 2013 and helped to grow the regional business by more than 75% since the company listed. Bekker has held various leadership roles since joining Mimecast in 2007. During his tenure, Brandon also expanded the business to serve customers in the Middle East with the opening of a Dubai office in 2016. “Brandon Bekker has been instrumental in helping MEA customers understand the cyber threat landscape and the importance of how layering a third-party solution can improve cyber resilience when adopting cloud services like Microsoft Office 365. It gives me great pleasure to see him take on this new challenge to further support customers,” said Peter Bauer, chief executive officer at Mimecast. “I am confident that he will bring the skills that helped drive customer success and growth in MEA to the rest of the region, particularly in our growing markets like Central Europe, and he will continue to motivate employees to do their best work, best teamwork and greatest learning.”
Brandon Bekker Senior Vice President, Europe, EMEA Mimecast May/June 2019 | 7
News In Detail
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Redefines Mission-Critical Storage HPE Primera leverages AI from HPE InfoSight to deliver unmatched simplicity, availability and performance for mission-critical applications Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) recently announced HPE Primera, a new platform that redefines mission-critical storage by delivering superior simplicity, availability, and performance. HPE Primera leverages the industry’s most advanced AI platform for operations, HPE InfoSight, to deliver significant breakthroughs – including 93% less time spent on managing storage , and the ability to predict and prevent issues, and accelerate application performance. Businesses seek to bring new missioncritical applications to market, and support existing ones in order to accelerate speed of business, agility and innovation. However, it is nearly impossible for IT to keep up with these demands because they remain tied down administering, tuning, and supporting infrastructure. As a result, IT is forced to sacrifice agility for reliability. HPE Primera eliminates the compromises and redefines what is possible in mission-critical storage, by blending innovation from across HPE’s storage portfolio, to provide superior simplicity, availability and performance.
Delivering a Simple, Consumer-Grade User Experience for MissionCritical Storage • Simple to install: Customers can selfinstall HPE Primera in less than 20 minutes. • Simple to manage: Storage can be provisioned on HPE Primera within seconds. Data reduction is built-in and always-on with the flexibility to turn it off. • Simple to upgrade: Built with a services-centric OS that decouples data services so they can be deployed, upgraded, or restarted independently, HPE Primera software can be upgraded by customers in 5 minutes without any disruption. • Simple to own: Customers have the choice to deploy HPE Primera as a service with a fully managed experience
8 | May/June 2019
and pay only for what they use through HPE GreenLake. For CapEx purchases, the ownership experience is transformed with Timeless Storage for HPE Primera, ending forklift upgrades. Customers get a nondisruptive controller refresh, all-inclusive software, and storage guarantees for data reduction and availability.
Raising the Expectations of Mission-Critical Storage with 100% Availability Guaranteed • 100% availability guarantee: HPE Primera comes standard with HPE Proactive Care and a 100% data availability guarantee without requiring special contracts or onerous terms. • Seeing beyond walls of storage: More than 90% of issues arise from above the storage layer2 – in the network, server and virtualization layer. HPE Primera sees beyond storage with HPE InfoSight to predict and prevent any disruptions in the networking, application and server layers. • Mission-critical reliability builtin: HPE Primera is architected for high availability with multi-node design, transparent business continuity with HPE Peer Persistence and data replication. Application-aware data protection via HPE Recovery Manager Central is included, combining with HPE StoreOnce for 15X faster restore and extending to public cloud for cost-effective, long-term retention via HPE Cloud Bank Storage.
Predictable Performance for Unpredictable Application Workloads • High performance for consolidating demanding applications: HPE Primera has an all-active architecture that brings massive parallelism and multinode performance, which accelerates applications, including 122% faster Oracle performance. • Visibility to consolidate safely: Powered
by HPE InfoSight, HPE Primera delivers the visibility for optimizing application workload placement while accounting for application performance characteristics and interactions with other shared applications on an HPE Primera system. • Real-time analytics to maintain predictable performance: HPE InfoSight is now more deeply integrated on HPE Primera with AI models trained in the cloud that are now embedded in the array for real-time analytics to ensure consistent performance for application workloads. “Intelligence changes everything,” said Milan Shetti, SVP and General Manager, HPE Storage. “Today’s organizations need a fundamentally new approach to infrastructure operations with an intelligent data strategy. HPE Primera leverages HPE’s unique Intelligent Data Platform to deliver unmatched simplicity, availability, and performance for mission-critical applications, so businesses can focus on harnessing data to drive their business forward.” “I spend my nights and weekends, as well some serious dollars, managing and upgrading my storage systems,” said Michael York, Sr. Systems Engineer, Asante. “I’m looking forward to deploying HPE Primera with its self-setup, self-tuning and automatic upgrades that don’t disrupt applications. The extremely simple management experience is something I didn’t know was possible from a high-end platform.” HPE Primera advances the HPE Intelligent Data Platform, a portfolio of products and solutions designed to accelerate application performance, transform data management, harness the agility of all clouds, and empower businesses by unlocking hidden insights within data in real time. The Intelligent Data Platform helps customers transition from delivering storage to unlocking business value with intelligent data.
ArabClicks, Basma Media collaborate to establish largest Arab digital marketing network Aimed at launching wide prospects for collaboration between influencers, Arab publishers & regional and international e-commerce platforms ArabClicks, the performance-based e-marketing platform, has signed a joint strategic cooperation agreement with Basma Media, the developer of OMNESMEDIA.com, to build effective relationships and foster business connections between publishers and social media influencers on the one hand, and various e-commerce platforms operating in the Arab world on the other hand, thus laying the foundation stone for the largest digital marketing network in the Arab region. The agreement was signed by ArabClicks Co-founder and CEO Mauro Romano, and Nasser Al Sarami, CEO of Basma Media, at the latter’s HQ in Dubai Media City. Basma Media is the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art platform in the Arab region that offers users invaluable insights into a wide spectrum of multichannel media, advertising, PR and digital services, and connecting users with a global network of media industry professionals, experts and service providers. According to the agreement, Basma Media will work with various publishers, media professionals and social media influencers in the Arab world to familiarise them with the mechanism employed by ArabClicks and then connect them to the Platform. The intent is to benefit from the media content provided by these publishers to promote commodities and products, marketed across Arab e-commerce platforms, such as Noon, Namshi, Sivvi, Java, eBay, Tajawal, and other e-commerce networks, and benefit from sales commissions resulting from the purchasing transactions conducted by the readers and followers of those media professionals and influencers of any of the products exhibited via their e-media content. ArabClicks Co-founder and CEO Mauro
Romano said: “We are delighted to partner with Basma Media to reach out to the largest segment of media professionals and influencers in the Arab world. Through the partnership, we seek to capitalise on the exponential growth of e-commerce which has become a key business sector in the Middle East, where ArabClicks is supporting and assisting various businesses in enhancing their market share of the steadily growing electronic sales in the region.” "With its innovative marketing tools based on transforming web content into a potential source of revenue, ArabClicks provides assistance to e-commerce companies to enhance their reach to various segments of society and to grow in the Middle East market, therefore, helping publishers do business and make easy money through web links, seamlessly and without introducing any changes to the published content or disturbing site users in any way," Romano added. Nasser Al Sarami, CEO of Basma Media, said: "Over the past years, we have been investing in establishing integrated database and communication
channels addressing both digital and traditional media. We offer a wide spectrum of multi-channel media services and connections with a large network of media industry professionals worldwide. Similarly, ArabClicks is one of the groundbreaking ideas introduced in the field of e-marketing. We are proud of this partnership that is aimed to build the largest e-marketing network in the Arab world by fostering business connections between influencers and publishers and linking them to e-commerce platforms.” “Over the past two years, we have been working at Basma Media to strengthen “OMNESMEDIA.com” platform with as many databases as possible for the benefit of media organisations and influencers. Today, the platform incorporates a database of more than 10,000 influencers and around 35,000 geographically diversified influential media people in addition to 3,000 free-lance gifted innovators working in various media production fields as well as 23,000 titles for various media products representing seven different types of mass media covering 35 countries all over the world. May/June 2019 | 9
News In Detail
Nutanix Expands Multi-cloud Solution Portfolio Expansion Empowers Customers to Deliver and Protect Apps and Desktops from the Cloud of their Choice Nutanix, Inc. a leader in enterprise cloud computing, today announced the continued evolution of its offerings across private and public clouds, further making multi-cloud computing a reality for its customers. With today’s news, Nutanix is extending its Xi Frame desktop-as-a-service solution from the public cloud to the private cloud, enabling the delivery of apps and desktops in a true hybrid cloud environment. In addition, the company is announcing new functionality and additional planned availability zones for its cloudbased disaster recovery (DR) service, Xi Leap.
Introducing Nutanix Xi Frame for the Private Cloud With Nutanix Xi Frame, customers can already access applications and virtual desktops from popular public clouds like AWS and Azure simply and easily, using any browser and any device. With the latest Xi Frame update running on the Nutanix AHV hypervisor, customers can now extend desktop delivery to their Nutanix private cloud, integrating virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) services with the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud platform. Xi Frame desktops can be simultaneously delivered via multiple clouds and managed via a single console for seamless control and administration, providing a true hybrid experience. In addition to being available to users on AWS and Azure, Xi Frame is now also available to customers worldwide for Nutanix private cloud deployments using AHV. Customers can provision 1000s of virtual desktops in minutes, as opposed to weeks, enabling them to improve the economics, speed and scale of desktop delivery. IT teams can now select the right cloud — public or private — for their VDI initiatives.
Extending the Reach of Cloud-based DR to More Regions with Nutanix Xi Leap As enterprises continue to embrace cloud services, and enterprise infrastructures become more virtual, data and IT operations are rapidly migrating to the cloud. When done right, cloud-based disaster recovery is an attractive strategy for any size organization to protect their business critical applications. Nutanix Xi Leap extends the enterprise datacenter to the cloud, allowing IT teams to harmonize public and private clouds and deliver enhanced availability for critical data and applications. Customers get a natively-integrated DR cloud service, and single pane management, to protect critical workloads running in the datacenter and in a cloud, delivering improved business continuity.
Nutanix is adding new capabilities to its Xi 10 | May/June 2019
Sunil Potti Chief Product & Development Officer Nutanix
Leap DR service, including: • Support for ESXi: Xi Leap now also provides DR services for enterprise workloads running on Nutanix private clouds using VMware ESXi, making it even simpler to transform existing applications into a hybrid service. “With previous disaster recovery systems, we weren’t able to achieve the performance we expected for virtual machine restoration and managing DR as a separate silo made our infrastructure more complex,” said Patrick Sudderth, Director of Technical Services, Lexipol. “Nutanix Xi Leap allows us to configure policies that automate the DR workflow directly within the Prism Console and restoration happens in a matter of minutes. No other DRaaS vendor can come close to the simplicity of execution we experience with Xi Leap.”
Securing Cloud Applications Fundamental to delivering applications in a multi-cloud architecture is ensuring that applications remain secure — independent of the cloud infrastructure chosen. Comprehensive and automated compliance assessments are necessary to ensure application mobility between clouds. Xi Beam, a Nutanix SaaS offering that provides cloud governance, will include a realtime security compliance module designed to identify critical cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities and recommend specific remediation. With new security and compliance functionality, IT architects will be able to fix security risks before they impact the business.
LG to showcase immersive signage for all business sectors LG LED Connect 2019 MEA will Illustrate the Future of LED Signage
LG Electronics (LG) will unveil its latest LED display solutions for businesses at LG LED Connect 2019 MEA next week. The company will exhibit a wide range of its in-door and outdoor LED displays at the event, with superior picture quality and world-class reliability. A key feature of the event will be the previewing of LG’s new 130-inch LED screen (LAAF series), recently showcased at InfoComm 2019 in Orlando, Florida. The LED screen has been designed for easy installation and management, with the potential to replace conference room projectors. The new standard for visual meetings, LG’s 130-inch LED screen is powered by HDR10 to enable attendees to engage deeply and work with greater productivity. For greater clarity, the LED screen also features embedded Surface Sound, with inte-grated speakers and AV connections for smooth business operations. Sound flows through 36 points within the screen’s surface to be heard throughout the meeting room with ease. Integrated with LG Signage365Care, the LED screen offers real-time device monitoring and diagnostics for ease-of-use. For large open spaces, such as airports and malls, LG has introduced its range of Premi-um Fine-Pitch LED Signage, or LAPE. The LAPE series comes in two product types, which differ in the way the power is installed, enabling customers to choose the most suitable product for their given environment. Unlike conventional displays, the LAPE series models are designed with flexible LED Display Module (LDM) technology, sup-porting true concave and convex curvature up to 1,000R. LG’s LAPE series signage features a high refresh rate of 3,840Hz, ensuring smooth playback of content. Whether
travelers wish to film their surroundings, or retailers are creating promotional material, they can do so without worrying about black bars appear-ing during video shooting. With detailed color and contrast, the LAPE series can seam-lessly bring content to life in a range of environments. At LG LED Connect, the company will also display its Transparent OLED display, de-signed to create captivating digital environments. LG’s latest technology is designed to meet the demands of premium retail, public and corporate spaces, with its Transparent OLED display offering a wide viewing angle for new forms of immersive advertising. With 38 percent maximum transparency, objects in the background can be seen, whilst the signage sits in front, drawing attention to key aspects of a product. LG’s 0.44mm Even Bezel Video Wall is also set to illustrate how a seamless viewing experience can be created. It comes a higher viewing angle with IPS panel technology to engage viewers and remain visible from a number of perspectives. For the hospitality sector, LG is presenting a range of digital signage products and solu-tions, including its OLED Wallpaper Hotel TV. Specially customized for hotel integration, the Wallpaper TV makes use of LG’s Pro:Centric platform – customizable tool which enables the hosting of applications. Hotels can customize their TVs to promote various products and services to their guests, boosting potential engagement and sales. With a slim design and the use of Dolby Vision technology, the Wallpaper TV can blend seamlessly into its surroundings, or be used to provide vivid colors and deep black on screen for viewers to enjoy a range of high definition content. May/June 2019 | 11
News In Detail
Infoblox Reveals Top Cybersecurity Challenges in Healthcare Organization IT Professionals still struggle with patching operating systems and managing shadow IT
LightNeuron has total control over email communication in the target organization
remain defiant, however, stating that they would be unwilling to pay a ransom. A large amount of uncertainty remains for IT professionals about how they should respond to potential ransomware attacks.
Greater investment
Ashraf Sheet Regional Director MEA, Infoblox
As healthcare providers continue to undertake digital transformation initiatives in an effort to improve efficiencies and the quality of care they deliver, the risk of falling victim to cyberattack is increasing. Infoblox commissioned a survey of healthcare IT professionals in the UK, US, Germany and the Benelux Union to gauge the preparedness of the industry to tackle cyberthreats. The research reveals that 92 percent of healthcare IT professionals are confident in their organization’s ability to respond to a cyber-attack, compared to only 82 percent two years ago. More than half (56%) have automated systems in place that actively scan their networks for suspicious activity, and around a third (31%) have their own Security Operation Centers (SOCs) for the same purpose. However, despite this confidence, the industry still faces challenges.
Ransomware In the event of ransomware, nearly half (39.7%) of IT professionals are not aware if their organization would be willing to pay a ransom in the event of a cyberattack. Additionally, a quarter (24%)
12 | May/June 2019
Healthcare organizations are spending between 11 and 20 percent more on cybersecurity than in 2017, with the top three investments being anti-virus software (59%), firewalls) (52%), and application security (51%). Additionally, employee education has grown in popularity, with a ten percent higher investment in 2019 compared to 2017. The reason for this has much to do with improving email hygiene in an effort to avoid phishing scams and the delivery of ransomware.
Connected devices Healthcare IT professionals are addressing the growing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and as a result the number of security policies in place for new connected devices has increased from 85 to 89 percent, with fewer respondents doubting the effectiveness of these policies (9% in 2019 vs. 13% in 2017). Victor Danevich, CTO of Systems Engineering at Infoblox said: “Healthcare companies hold some of the most sensitive and valuable personal data, making them extremely vulnerable to cyberattack. Additionally, as the number of internet connected devices in this industry continues to skyrocket, cybercriminals will have a surplus of options to mine for network vulnerabilities” “Although healthcare IT providers are some of the most educated and concerned security buyers, they mustn’t become complacent, and must continue to think strategically about ensuring the security of their networks and – most importantly – the safety of their patients.”
ESET research has uncovered LightNeuron, a Microsoft Exchange backdoor that can read, modify or block any email going through the mail server, and even compose new emails and send them under the identity of any legitimate user of the attackers’ choice. The malware is remotely controlled via emails using steganographic PDF and JPG attachments. “We believe that IT security professionals should be made aware of this new threat,” comments Matthieu Faou, the ESET malware researcher who conducted the research. ESET researchers have collected evidence suggesting, with a high level of confidence, that LightNeuron belongs to the arsenal of the infamous espionage group Turla, also known as Snake. This group and its activities are extensively covered by ESET research. LightNeuron is the first known malware misusing the Microsoft Exchange Transport Agent mechanism. “In the mail server architecture, LightNeuron can operate at the same level of trust as security products such as spam filters. As a result, this malware gives the attacker total control over the mail server – and thus, over all email communication,” explains Faou. To make incoming command and control (C&C) emails look innocent, LightNeuron uses steganography to hide its commands inside valid PDF documents or JPG images. The ability to control the email communication makes LightNeuron a perfect tool for stealthy exfiltration of documents, and also for controlling other local machines via a C&C mechanism that is very hard to detect and block.
NetApp Powers Data-Driven Organisations to Succeed Modernise IT for Hybrid Multi-cloud with Greater Simplicity, Operational Efficiency and Data Protection NetApp (the data authority for hybrid cloud, announced NetApp® ONTAP® 9.6, the new midrange, end-to-end NVMe AFF A320 storage system and an expanded portfolio of services to help businesses maximise the value of their data. NetApp’s cloud-connected flash solutions, an element of a Data Fabric strategy, provide the simplicity, operational efficiency and protection needed to support innovation, add unprecedented performance and power the most demanding data sets and technologies, such as artificial intelligence or 5G networks. Only NetApp delivers everything that companies need to build their own unique Data Fabric that spans public cloud, private cloud and on-premises environments. With NetApp solutions, this Data Fabric can deliver applications that engage users and can provide analytics that turn insights into a competitive advantage. “As enterprises evolve to new, more data-centric business models where data is a key strategic resource, data availability requirements are on the rise,” said Eric Burgener, research vice president, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms and Technologies Group, IDC. “NetApp’s cloud-connected flash solutions, coupled with their Data Fabric strategy, provide the performance, availability, agility and simplicity enterprises undergoing digital transformation need in their hybrid cloud infrastructure to create and leverage innovative business opportunities. “In advances that are coming our way, like 5G networks, we can see that a company’s ability to generate, gather and disseminate a massive volume of data will be enabled like never before and companies that aren’t ready are going to be overwhelmed,” said Joel Reich, executive vice president, Storage Systems and Software, NetApp. “With NetApp ONTAP, organisations can overcome the challenges introduced by these data-intensive technologies and cutting-edge innovations with a smart, powerful and trusted solution that maximises the value that organisations can derive from data.”
Joel Reich Executive Vice President Storage Systems
Maximising Value in the Hybrid Cloud By accelerating applications painlessly and by delivering simplicity and security for a future-proof infrastructure, ONTAP 9.6 data management software allows organisations of all sizes to maximise the value of data and take on new data-driven initiatives. ONTAP 9.6 includes the following enhancements: Expanded NVMe over Fibre Channel (NVMe/FC) ecosystem now includes VMware ESXi, Microsoft Windows and Oracle Linux hosts, in addition to Red Hat and SUSE Linux, with storage path resiliency. Organisations can experience NVMe/FC performance for most workloads. FabricPool now supports Google Cloud Platform and Alibaba Cloud, in addition to Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and IBM Cloud Storage. Organisations can lower the cost
of primary storage by automatically tiering cold data to any major public cloud or to a NetApp StorageGRID® private cloud. NetApp FlexCache® software now supports NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP, allowing organisations to experience the benefits of FlexCache in hybrid cloud deployments. Over-the-wire encryption for NetApp SnapMirror® technology and FlexCache increases security for data replication and remote caching. NetApp MetroCluster™ IP support for entry-level NetApp AFF and FAS systems now makes business continuity a costeffective option for organisations, taking advantage of existing customer IP networks between sites. May/June 2019 | 13
News In Detail
Epicor Announces Latest Release of Epicor iScala to Boost Competitive Advantage Andy Coussins Senior Vice President International Epicor Software
Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, has announced the release of its latest version of Epicor® iScala® enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Featuring enhancements that will enable organizations to boost operational agility and accelerate competitive advantages, this new release contains improvements that elevate the functionality and usability of the ERP solution. These include a powerful new reporting architecture, integration with Epicor Data Analytics, and additional country and regionspecific localizations which today’s global organizations need to drive better business outcomes. “Epicor is committed to helping customers stay at the forefront of their industry by ensuring that every new release of iScala features value-add enhancements requested by our customers ,” said Andy Coussins, senior vice president, international at Epicor Software. “In this release, we’ve put the focus on augmenting the usability, reporting, and business analysis functionality of iScala, so that customers can leverage more business intelligence, value, and growth from the platform.” iScala is priced to accelerate time to value, yet comprehensive, ERP solution designed specifically to support small to midmarket companies and subsidiaries of larger multi-national organizations. The latest innovations within iScala include: • Enhanced reporting and analytics—new customizable SQL server reporting services that can be accessed via a browser to provide anytime, anywhere, any device access • An improved user interface and user experience—more
14 | May/June 2019
New usability features, coupled with enhanced reporting and analytics, improve the ability of businesses to activate agility and drive growth
engaging and intuitive interactions that simplify the complexities of information management, and empower business teams to improve productivity • Integration to Epiror Data Analytics—helping companies turn their data stored in Epicor iScala into actionable insights. With a deeper understanding of business data, companies can grow by reducing cost, identifying new opportunities, supporting specific programs, and speeding up decision-making. • On-demand training and knowledge resources—live tips, guidance, and on-demand training that improves user satisfaction, knowledge, and productivity • Extension of international standards and localizations— supporting customers who need the assurance of a truly global solution, this release features additional country-specific capabilities to keep organizations ready to do business and compliant in any territory With this release, Epicor continues to advance the capabilities of iScala to deliver the scalability, extensibility, and rich functionality SMBs need to optimize the running and management of their operations and integrate their processes with customers, suppliers, partners, and channels. “In use for over 20 years, iScala enables SMBs to reap the benefits of a cost-effective yet powerful multifunctional ERP platform that’s been developed to support the very unique business dynamics of small and midmarket companies,” said Nina Domingo, Director of Product Management. “Better reporting capability was a top customer request in the Epicor Voice of the Customer Survey in 2018 and 2019.
D-Link Launches EXO Smart Mesh Wi-Fi Routers Series In MEA The AC1900, AC2600 and AC3000 smart routers with McAfee protection combine world leading security features with sophisticated mesh Wi-Fi technology for a safer and more seamless connectivity.
D-Link Corporation, a global leader in connectivity solutions for small, medium and large enterprise business networking, has launched its all-new Exo Smart Mesh Wi-Fi Router series; a powerful addition to D-Link’s portfolio of seamless connection solutions for the home, in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) market. According to the vendor that makes solutions in the IP Surveillance, Wireless, Switching, Storage, Security, Cloud, VoIP, Print Servers, Structured Cabling, Digital Home, 3G/4G Routers, Power over Ethernet Kit, Powerline, KVM, Structured Cabling and Digital home offerings, D-Link’s next-generation routers offer high-performance Wi-Fi connectivity combined with McAfee protection, providing a faster and more secure home network. Sakkeer Hussain, Director - Sales and Marketing, D-Link Middle East and Africa (MEA), said the launch of the all-new EXO Smart Mesh Wi-Fi Routers, is a powerful addition to D-Link’s portfolio of seamless connection solutions for the home. The routers all feature a five-year McAfee Secure Home Platform subscription; protecting every device on a connected home network by blocking suspicious connections and access to malicious content. Comprehensive parental controls prevent access to inappropriate content and can be used to set up Wi-Fi schedules. The routers also come with a two-year subscription to McAfee LiveSafe™, which allows antivirus software to be installed on an unlimited number of computers, tablets and smartphones.
McAfee Secure Home Platform includes: • Malicious site blocking • Connection anomaly and botnet detection • Advanced network controls to hide your devices from hackers • Automatically disconnect selected devices when you are away from home • Comprehensive parental control with customisable content filtering, profiles and Wi-Fi scheduling. The new routers feature best in class 802.11ac Wave 2 allowing for dual-band and tri-band combined wireless speeds of up to 1,900 Mbps, 2,533 Mbps and 3,000 Mbps. For even wider coverage, simply add compatible D-Link Wi-Fi Mesh extenders to create a seamless, self-optimising, mesh wireless network that allows you to move around without disconnection. Hussain said, “People want internet access that is as safe and secure, as it is fast and reliable. With McAfee protection, our new Exo routers provide enhanced cyber security for the home
Sakkeer Hussain Sales & Marketing Director D-Link MEA
network as well as on-the-go protection when users are away from the home.”
Other key features include: • Voice control support with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa enabled devices. • The SPEEDTEST™ powered routers allow you to find out the true speed of your internet, straight from the router. • Automatically downloads and installs firmware updates to ensure the best protection and latest features. • Powerful 880 MHz dual-core processor to handle intensive network activity, allowing users to enjoy buffer-free video streaming, lag-free gaming and lightning-fast internet surfing. He added that D-Link EXO Smart Mesh Wi-Fi Routers, eliminates your pesky dead zones permanently and get a truly seamless home networks with less Wi-Fi disruption. With Wi-Fi Mesh, you can also turbocharge your whole-home Wi-Fi with powerful and intelligent features, so you finally get Wi-Fi that works for you, on your terms, automatically," he said. The D-Link EXO Smart Mesh Wi-Fi Routers is commercially available in the MEA market through the company's retail and traditional reseller channels May/June 2019 | 15
News In Detail
Synology Introduces Personal Cloud in the Palm of Your Hand
Synology Inc. today launched DiskStation DS419slim, a 4-bay NAS equipped with 2.5" drive support. Underneath the palm-sized chassis, it supports up to 20TB maximum raw capacity with four 2.5" HDDs. "Nowadays, many people are still struggling with managing files scattered across public clouds, USB drives, or personal computers. As a clever and reliable personal cloud, DS419slim helps keep your precious photos, videos, and documents in order, bringing everything under control with its powerful file management capabilities," said Katarina Shao, Product Manager at Synology Inc.
Mini in Size, Versatile in Feature With its ultra-compact design and four 2.5" HDD/SSD drive support, DS419slim provides great flexibility in both RAID configuration and deployment. Powered by a dual-core processor, DS419slim delivers superb performance while consuming only 20.28 watts during operation. • Excellent performance: Sequential throughput at over 223 MB/s reading • Network: Dual 1GbE LAN ports for failover and Link Aggregation • Compact design: Four 2.5" hot-swappable drive trays • Portable design: Cube-shaped NAS at less than 15cm with 700 grams in weight • Flexible configuration: Configure RAID 5/6 with four HDDs or SSDs to realize redundancy • Maximum raw capacity: 20TB with 4 x 5TB 2.5" drives
Powered by Synology DiskStation Manager DS419slim runs on DiskStation Manager, the advanced and intuitive operating system for Synology NAS devices, with various applications offered to enhance work productivity. Synology has received numerous media accolades, topping the mid-range NAS category in TechTarget's storage solution survey and winning PCMag Readers' Choice nine years in a row.
16 | May/June 2019
FireEye Acquires Security Instrumentation Leader Verodin FireEye, Inc the intelligence-led security company, today announced the acquisition of Verodin, the leader in validating the effectiveness of cyber security controls. The transaction closed today and is valued at approximately $250 million in cash and stock, net of acquired net cash and excluding assumed unvested options, based on the closing price of FireEye’s common stock on May 24, 2019. The combination is expected to be accretive to revenue, cash flow from operations and non-GAAP operating income in 2020, and add approximately $20 million to billings in 2019 and more than $70 million to billings in 2020. The Verodin Security Instrumentation Platform adds significant new capabilities to the FireEye portfolio by identifying gaps in security effectiveness due to equipment misconfiguration, changes in the IT environment, evolving attacker tactics, and more. Equipped with FireEye frontline intelligence, the Verodin platform will measure and test security environments against both known and newly discovered threats, empowering organizations to identify risks in their security controls before a breach occurs, and rapidly adapt their defenses to the evolving threat landscape. “Security effort does not equal security effectiveness. That is why security-conscious customers red-team their networks – they need the unvarnished truth of how effective their security programs are. Verodin gives us the ability to automate security effectiveness testing using the sophisticated attacks we spend hundreds of thousands of hours responding to, and provides a systematic, quantifiable, and continuous approach to security program validation,” said Kevin Mandia, chief executive officer at FireEye. “Cyber security today is based on assumptions – that technologies work as vendors claim, products are deployed and configured correctly, processes are fully effective, and changes to the environment are properly understood, communicated and implemented. However, the reality is much different for almost every organization and often they discover this only after being on the wrong side of a breach,” said Chris Key, Verodin co-founder and chief executive officer prior to the acquisition. “By joining FireEye, Verodin extends its ability to help customers take a proactive approach to understanding and mitigating the unique risks, inefficiencies and vulnerabilities in their environments.”
News In Detail
Canon launches the “Perfect Choice” print solutions for Digital Workspaces and Enterprises
To support UAE’s evolving and competitive economy, Canon Middle East highlighted its commitment to the advancement of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), system integrators and value-added resellers in the country through the achievement of their business objectives. The leader in Printing and Imaging solutions unveiled the latest devices to join its popular range of i-SENSYS printers and MFPs with ‘The Perfect Choice’ campaign, showcasing its advanced capabilities to support modern business environments and provide the fast, efficient digital systems SMEs require, while being robust enough to handle enterprise requirements. The availability of the i-SENSYS range is the latest demonstration of Canon’s commitment to the SME market in the United Arab Emirates. SMEs make up 95% of all enterprises in the UAE, employing over 86% of the private-sector workforce, according to data from the Ministry of Economy. By facilitating the development of their technology and printing infrastructure, Canon is supporting the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda objective of boosting the SME contribution to non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) and helping economic diversification. “The progress of any organization depends on the resources you choose to work with – be that your employees, suppliers or partners. The Canon i-SENSYS range is not just a printer, it is a part of your team, and a vital business partner – we see it as the perfect choice for UAE SMEs,” said Venkatasubramanian Hariharan, Business Unit Director, B2C, Canon Middle East. “Canon has long worked closely with SME customers in the UAE, and we look forward to supporting the digital development of this sector, and helping SMEs play their part in the UAE’s competitive knowledge economy.” To highlight the strengths of the i-SENSYS range, Canon is
18 | May/June 2019
launching a dedicated campaign for UAE SME customers and for systems integrators and resellers. The Perfect Choice campaign will be launched at targeted events across the UAE, and will be supported with videos showcasing the devices in realworld settings. Canon will demonstrate the key qualities of the i-SENSYS range, including quality, printing speed, ease of use, cost efficiency, and customization, across a range of platforms with the aim of positioning it as the perfect addition to any SME team. Canon will also introduce a reward programme, titled the ‘PERFECT PARTNER’, for systems integrators and value added resellers, partnering with them to grow their business and deliver more comprehensive offerings to customers. It is designed to facilitate collaboration to unlock success together by addressing the needs and demands of customers while also mapping partner potential for growth. Integrators and resellers will be encouraged to see i-SENSYS as the perfect partner for their business through training sessions that highlight the end customer value proposition while also providing a thorough understanding of the product range and the skill set required to make a winning sales impression. Designed with SMEs in mind, the i-SENSYS range of devices support flexible working and offer personalisation of advanced workflows to produce consistent quality results at a lower cost to the business. Secure printing features enable administrators to better manage permissions and monitor usage, while users can also print securely from tablets and smartphones. The devices play the role of a ‘PERFECT CANDIDATE’ for any SME, allowing for compatibility with existing software and technology platforms, including the Canon PRINT Business app, AirPrint and Mopria platforms to better support flexible working habits via on-the-go printing and scanning functionality.
Ingram Micro | 2nd Floor, Building 1, Innovation Hub, Dubai Internet City, Dubai, UAE | P.O. Box 33550 Tel: +971 4 369 7111 | Fax: +971 4 369 7110 Website: ae.ingrammicro.com