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Editorial
Cover Feature
The smart world of IoT – 8
Feature Interviews
W
e have finally arrived at the much-awaited week of the year. The GITEX Technology Week is the most exciting time of the year that everyone in the technology space looks forward to. The buzzword for this year is “Future Urbanism” and everyone is waiting to benefit from a hands-on experience of the future technologies at various booths apart from listening to expert keynote and panel discussions and meeting the who’s who in the tech space. The JNS Media Team will be available to meet and greet with everyone for all five days at Stand Number CC16. We are very much looking forward to interacting with leading innovators, experts, vendors and partners. In this edition of “The Integrator” magazine, our cover story focuses on the widely popular topic – Internet of Things. IoT is a growing topic of conversation both within the workplace and beyond it. The “Internet of Things” has the capacity to impact our day to day lives and we don’t even realise the full potential of it. We reached out to some of the leading companies that deal with IoT and understand their views on the subject. Apart from a wide range of insights, it is also fascinating to note the latest innovations that helps us realize the true impact of IoT. It has the capability to change and improve our way of life. This GITEX is a very exciting time for us as we have our much-awaited Choice of Channel Awards. An even to celebrate the best of the best in the industry. Awards are the perfect platform to bring recognition to the very best in the industry. That’s why this year, we have set up a new category – UNEQ Products. Where we recognise the truly unique and very best out there. This category celebrates products in the industry that have gone above and beyond usual expectations. Happy GITEX to all!
Vivek Sharma Managing Editor Managing Editor: Vivek Sharma Content Contributor: Sweta Fernandes Art Director: Faiz Ahmed Commercial Director: Mallika Rego Sales Manager: Christopher David
Organizations Must be Proactive in IT Management – 15
5G will wccelerate transformation – 18
CDI can power hyperscale data centres – 21 Our people are our DNA – 22
Channel will play an important role in IoT – 23
Services and Technology Sectors Drive the Middle East and GCC Markets – 24 UAE and Saudi Arabia Witnessing Rapid IoT adoption – 25 Compliance to Regulations Key in Payment Industry – 26
Privacy, Trust and Security: Cornerstones of Urban Futurism – 28 IoT is Here to Stay – 30
Rules for a Safer Smart Home – 32 IoT Needs a Right Ecosystem – 33
Dell Technologies at GITEX 2018 – 34 Innovation is Key to Exceptional Customer Service – 37
Coming Soon: The World’s Smartest Concept Vehicles – 38
Published by: JNS Media International MFZE
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 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.
News Bytes
Sophos Recognized as a Leader by Gartner For the seventh consecutive year, Sophos has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant of Gartner, Inc.’s September 18, 2018, Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management (SMB Multifunction Firewalls). Sophos became the only IT security company to be consistently positioned as a Leader by Gartner in both the January Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms and the Magic Quadrant for Unified Threat Management. “Introducing innovative technologies such as deep learning in the sandbox and synchronized security enables Sophos to stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape,” commented Dan Schiappa, senior vice president and general manager of Products at Sophos. “We develop our cybersecurity products to work better together as a system, enabling our defenses to be as coordinated as sophisticated attacks such as the persistent SamSam ransomware. We believe that the continued placement of Sophos in the Leader quadrant in both the Endpoint Protection Platform and UTM Magic Quadrant reports, allows our customers to be confident that they are getting best of breed protection and a predictive, integrated solution that can detect, analyze, and automatically respond to even unknown threats.”
Consultancies Enabling Middle East and North Africa's Digital Transformation The Middle East and North Africa is seeing record-high enterprise application software spend, with IDC projecting it to reach USD 760 million in 2018. Cloud-based software is helping organizations of all sizes to become more agile, efficient, and productive. However, increased investment in software alone does not enable digital transformation. A joint survey by IDC and Veritas suggests that while 60 percent of organizations worldwide will implement a digital transformation strategy by 2020, an equal percent (60%) of organizations are concerned about gaps in their toolset. These gaps can include successful cloud migrations, reliably and quickly recovering from outages and disasters, and successfully tracking and managing service level agreements. As a result, Middle East organizations are turning to digital consultancies to help solve their business challenges including budget constraints, over-extension of IT infrastructure, optimizing information management, and finding minimal time to value for digital business solutions and strategies. “Record-high software spend shows that Middle East CIOs understand the importance of cloud-based information management software. But if used improperly, then software becomes technology for technology’s sake without meeting business goals,” argues Savitha Bhaskar, COO at Condo Protego, the UAE-based IT infrastructure and information management consultancy and solutions provider. Condo Protego has seen strong demand for the Veritas 360 Data Management Suite, that helps organizations to assess current capabilities, define future strategies, and design new programs. “As most Middle East organizations need to enhance their digital toolset, specialized channel partners are key for implementing information management strategies and training customers. Organizations should use have the best in-house capabilities to manage their IT effectively, especially in prioritizing data validity, classification, retention, and analytics for new levels of business insights,” added Savitha Bhaskar.
Array AVX Series Forms the Foundation for WAF-as-a-Service Array Networks has announced that its AVX Series Network Functions Platforms have been selected by one of the world's largest telecommunications service providers to serve as the basis for a new Web Application Firewall managed service. The AVX series of network functions platforms are hyperconverged appliances that are designed specifically to run networking and security Virtual Appliances (VAs) while addressing the most difficult challenges of network services virtualization that face managed service providers (MSPs) of all sizes. "Service providers of all sizes are struggling with the need to differentiate service offerings in order to stand out in a highly competitive market, while at the same time holding the line on costs and maintaining SLAs," said Paul Andersen, Array's vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The AVX Series provides the best of both worlds - the agility and low cost of virtual appliances coupled with the guaranteed performance of dedicated appliances - allowing service providers to quickly create robust, targeted service offerings that can begin generating revenues and ROI in weeks, not months."
4 | October 2018
News Bytes
Achieving Availability in a Multi-Cloud Era The new digital economy has brought about many changes, forcing businesses and their IT infrastructure to react in innovative ways to meet new demands. When it comes to cloud, the changes are just as dynamic. With a big move to multi-cloud (81% of enterprises are embracing a multi-cloud strategy) what can businesses do to ensure their apps and data are available across the new multi-cloud models they are adopting. The three key multi-cloud availability best practices to consider are: Leverage the cloud for backup and disaster recovery of on-premises data: A good start for any availability strategy is to follow the 3-2-1 rule, which is to have at least three copies of data, two of which are local but on different mediums, and at least one off-site copy. Protect data already in the cloud: It’s important to control and protect data already deployed in the cloud. Email data, for instance, must be retained for extended periods of time for compliance and regulatory needs. Whether using a SaaS solution or hosting email application on IaaS, it is critical to have protection against accidental deletions, outages, or a malicious attack.
One in 10 USB Infections is a Crypto-miner USB devices, best known for spreading malware between unconnected computers have been harnessed by cyberattackers as an effective and persistent distribution vehicle for crypto-mining malware. Although the range and number of attacks is relatively low, the victim toll is rising year on year, according to a Kaspersky Lab review of USB and removable media threats in 2018. Despite having been around for two decades and acquiring a reputation for insecurity, USB devices remain popular business tools and trade show giveaways. This has kept them on the cybercriminal radar, and they are used to spread a range of threats that have stayed remarkably consistent over the last few years. The top 10 list of threats targeting removable media, as detected by Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), has been led since at least 2015 by Windows LNK malware. It also includes the ageing 2010 ‘Stuxnet vulnerability’ exploit, CVE-2018-2568, and, increasingly, crypto-miners. According to KSN data, a popular crypto-miner detected in drive-roots is Trojan. Win32.Miner.ays/ Trojan.Win64.Miner.all, known since 2014. The Trojan drops the mining application onto the PC, then installs and silently launches the mining software and downloads the requirements that enable it to send any results to an external server controlled by the attacker.
IceWarp Introduces All-in-One Webclient IceWarp has announced its IceWarp Webclient 12.1 with world's first Teamchat group. It allows for advanced team collaboration with extended options of email composition. It also helps in creating natural flow of work in teams and delivers the most important information directly in the team. IceWarp's Webclient 12.1 version comes with two-factor authentication and is GDPR compliant. It offers compatible enterprise grade features with rich office suite that lets the customers create, preview and edit MS Office and open file formats through its online editors tools. Adam Paclt, Global CEO at IceWarp said, "In today's technology era, smart organizations want to connect with clients and manage their business functions on emails. In order to avoid multiple toggling, IceWarp's webclient 12.1 version allows companies to perform their major project or task with a single interface with no complication of switching between applications to accomplish standard tasks which will lead to an increase in IT productivity." "Email is still the preferred way of communication in today's business world— both within the organizations and with the rest of the world. It also helps us to store communication for regulatory and compliance needs. With this new release we are the only company to have an all-in-one web client in the world. We are truly redefining the way organizations look at Email and Collaboration solutions", said Pramod Sharda, CEO at IceWarp - India & Middle East.
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Cover Feature | IoT
Internet of Things is transforming human life through interconnected smart appliances, people, and services
In
1999 Kevin Ashton had introduced the term 'the internet of things' in his article published in the RFID Journal. He wrote, “If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things - using data they gathered without any help from us - we would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best. We need to empower computers with their own means of gathering information, so they can see, hear and smell the world for themselves, in all its random glory.” Not even two decades have gone by, and we have achieved what Ashton had hoped for. That's IoT, a technology
numbers will be outnumbered by IoT devices in 2018. These devices will include connected cars, meters, wearables and consumers electronics. Ericsson foresees that 70% of the wide-area IoT devices will use cellular technology in 2022.
Transforming Dumb Devices to Smart Internet of Things (IoT) is a giant network of interconnected devices and people that connect, collect and exchange data through embedded sensors. To enable these devices to add value to our lives, technology companies are innovating furiously in areas such as conectivity, computing, and cognitive technologies. These innovations are fast transforming otherwise dumb devices into smart devices that make everything around us
Apart from business and regulatory hurdles, IoT also faces technical obstacles evolution leading to innovations, disruptions, and general transformation of the human society.
IoT Growth in Numbers IoT is witnessing an explosive growth the world over. The number of interconnected devices globally is increasing exponentially with the number expected to reach 50 billion devices by 2020, says Cisco. The IoT market in the Middle East and Africa region, according to IDC, is predicted to grow 15 per cent in 2018 to $6.99 billion compared to $6.07 billion in 2017, with areas including smart transportation, oil and gas, healthcare, manufacturing, and hospitality witnessing high adoption of IoT in the region. According to Ericsson, mobile phone
useful in this hyperconnected world. Technological innovations are resulting in never-before intelligence by leveraging oceans of data that is facilitating newer ways of interaction. Harnessing this data allows for greater overall efficiency, judicious use of resources, and better governance. Besides, these innovations are enabling 'intelligent things' to observe, reason, and infer to intuitively enhance user experience. As a result, IoT has already made successful inroads into numerous. IoT has also been successful in touching aspects of everyday life through smart everything including refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves, traffic lights, health monitors, watches, cars, trains, and even toys.
The Buzz Around Urban Futurism Internet of Things (IoT) is an integral component of urban futurism. There is great excitement surrounding connected homes, selfdriving cars, smart meters, and smart wearables that will reshape the contours of the human society. Millions of IoT devices globally are being deployed and connected using cellular networks. As a result, hyperconnectivity will be the foundation for successful IoT deployment and will need to be assumed as a given—much like internet or mobile connectivity today. When all the required pieces fall in their proper places, it will improve the quality of human lives, powered by sustainable growth models. Urban futurism, however, runs the risk of exposing personal privacy and security of the interconnected devices to evolving cyber threats. Therefore, a great deal of work must be done that enable creation and deployment of frameworks that can collaborate to create useful and trustworthy solutions.
October 2018 | 9
Cover Feature | IoT
IoT Holds Potential Data is central to the Internet of Things. The data collected from interconnected devices is a treasure trove of insights, patterns and behaviours, which can allow businesses to improve customer experience with greater personalized services and tailor-made product suggestions. When patterns are unearthed, it becomes easy to spot anomalies and prevent fraud, making for a safer customer lifecycle. The data-driven, smart decisionmaking helps optimize processes, thereby increasing efficiency of a business. Increased efficiency reduces the stress on available resources, allowing for optimum use of available resources. Using sensor-based tracking, businesses can gain real-time insights to enable preventive maintenance. IoT also enables enhanced productivity through automation of routine or mundane jobworks, allowing staff members to focus on more productive functions. Improved security and safety of neighbourhoods and remotely located workplaces through sensors and video cameras is another area that IoT is helping with. IoT is disrupting traditional business models through innovative models and services, leading to newer business opportunities and revenue streams, besides reducing the time-to-market and increasing return-on-investment. IoT, with its numerous benefits, is changing the face of the society enabling
Technological innovations are resulting in neverbefore intelligence by leveraging oceans of data that is facilitating newer ways of interaction sustainable business growth and judicious use of limited resources. Efficient business processes, increased productivity, datadriven smarter decision-making can all add to up significant cost savings for any business.
Block-buster Use Cases IoT is seen as a promising technology as it has the potential benefits for the society at large. Some of the biggest use cases of IoT include:
Smart Cities: Urbanization is increasing at a break-neck speed. According to Deloitte, about 66%
population will live in urban areas by 2050. This will increase the pressure on the available resources that will demand judicious use. This is where IoT steps in to help collate data via sensors embedded in smart devices across the city. This data is then analyzed and the insights used for better governance. Cities around the globe are beginning to build new digital services such as smart lighting, traffic, waste management and data analytics to reduce costs, tap new sources of revenue, create new innovation business districts and improve the overall quality of urban life. For example, realtime bus information to adjust the timing of traffic lights is improving traffic flow in Abu Dhabi by up to 25 percent, informs Shadi Salama, Channel Leader – East Region, Cisco Middle East. World Bank predicts that smart cities will increasingly contribute to the world economy generating about 60% of the world’s GDP by 2025. It is also estimated that by 2020, the smart city industry will likely become a $400 billion market spanning 600 cities across the globe.
Smart Homes: Smart homes with interconnected devices are changing the dynamics of the realty industry. Domotics is the term that refers to building automation for a smart house. It includes a home automation system that controls lighting, climate, entertainment
A modified Coke machine was the basis of the modern concept of a network of smart devices. It was in 1982 that Carnegie Mellon University's Coke dispensing machine becoming the first Internetconnected appliance. It could report inventory as well as provide information if the drinks were cold enough for use.
10 | October 2018
systems, and appliances. The global adoption rates of smart homes are high and it is witnessing growth in the Middle East region as well. “The smart home has gone mainstream in the UAE and homeowners are excited about its promise to make things safer, smarter and more efficient,” says Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President of Business Development – Middle East and Africa at Ring.
Smart Manufacturing: Manufacturing is possibly the one use case of IoT which will likely command the biggest market share. By integrating machine-gathered data, data shared through sensors, human intelligence, and computerized production management, each stage of manufacturing can be harmonized. Businesses can rapidly develop simulations that can help optimize the manufacturing process.
Smart Retail: IoT is powering smart business analytics that enables retailers to improve customer experience, power faster trnsactions, prevent theft, optimize fleet operations and monitor employee activities.
Things (IoT) will continue to see humanity take a new foundation (the Internet) and use it to build things that fundamentally change the way we live our lives, says Gordon Love, Vice President, EMEA Emerging Region, Symantec. The biggest reason why IoT is witnessing prolific success is the economic value it brings. According to Cisco, IoT will help private and public sector industries worldwide uncover an estimated US$19
Dubai’s IoTPowered Smart City Ambitions Dubai’s public sector stake in IoT stands at of AED 4.3 billion (USD 1.17 billion) across these segments:
Smart Transportation:
• Public sector
Self-driving cars are already being tested commercially and we can expect transformation of the transportation industry faster than we ever thought. These smart vehicles, controlled by software, are programmed for better traffic regulation and fewer accidents. IoT based smart parking technology also allows to check for available parking space.
• Transport (AED
Smart Wearables The next in line are the IoT-based smart wearables including devices that enable access to and monitoring devices remotely.
Economic Potential of IoT IoT holds immense potential for the future. “Today, and into the future, the Internet of
productivity (AED 1.892 billion/ USD 515 million) 1.094 billion/ USD 298 million)
• City Management (AED 378 million/ USD 103 million) Other use cases (AED 949 million/ USD 258 million)
trillion of economic value by 2022. Therefore, there is a greater commitment of investments—both from the industry and national governments—towards commercialization of IoT. A Navigant Research report states that more than 250 smart city projects have been launched in 178 cities around the world. At present, the Middle East region is in its first phase of the IoT revolution, where some initial improvements are already changing industries. IoT is impacting business-to-business markets from manufacturing to oil and gas to retail.
Drivers of Growth It is evident that IoT is growing at an unprecedented rate. IDC predicts that the rate at which IoT is growing, it will soon become indispenasable as the internet itself. The major factors driving the growth of IoT include always-on connectivity, connected computing, embedded sensors on everything including wearables, predictive intelligence powered by technologies such as machine learning, analytics-as-a-service, location-based customer information, supply chain analytics, and not to forget the reducing age of the workforce. “Emerging technologies and the digital transformation currently happening in the Middle East, smart city adoption and steady acceptance and exploration of artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving urban futurism,” says Hesham Tantawi, VP, ASBIS Middle East Turkey and Africa.
Not Without its Share of Challenges IoT has created enormous expectations owing to the benefts that it promises. However, despite its benefits and the potential it holds, IoT comes with its share of challenges. Apart from business and regulatory hurdles, IoT also faces technical obstacles such as an absence of standardization of IoT infrastructure and lack of compatilibility with business October 2018 | 11
Cover Feature | IoT
systems. According to a Cisco research, “coordination via common architecture or a consistent security strategy is all but absent, and vendor product and service selection remains largely ad hoc, based upon the device provider's alliances with partners or the core system that the devices are enhancing or replacing.” Although organizations are working closely to establish common IoT standards to achieve compatibilty between diverse IoT components, it is expected that even with a common standard coming into place, technical and compatibility issues will likely continue. That brings us to another hurdle, the cost of implementation. Currently, IoT implementation requires large investments and it will be long before costs normalize. The biggest and the gravest hurdle that IoT faces is that of data security. Since IoT is a network of smart interconnected devices generating volumes of data, it provides a large attack surface to cyber criminals looking out for loopholes to exploit. While the data generated from IoT devices empowers business growth, the same oceans of data are attractive target for cybercriminals. There are cases of IoT-based cyber attacks already reported. Gartner's recent survey has revealed that nearly 20% participating organizations had observed at least one IoT-based attack in the last three years. Therefore, security of business and sensitive customer data is a big challenge in IoT. To ensure IoT security, worldwide IoT security spending is likely to increase with Gartner estimating that the worldwide spending on IoT security in 2018 will touch $1.5 billion, rising 28% over 2017.
Measures While Building IoT infrastructure Building an IoT infrastructure calls for detailed planning as it must be efficient, reliable and secure. Therefore, it becomes imperative that right network protocols are chosen. That said, both critical and massive applications represent a vast range of
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use cases with varying connectivity requirements. As a result there can be varying factors that can influence IoT infrastructure. Also, no single technology is suited for all potential scenarios. To meet the use case requirements of different potential massive IoT applications, several cellular IoT technologies are being standardized, including Extended Coverage-GSM-IoT (EC-GSM IoT), Cat-M1 and Narrow Band-IoT (NB-IoT), informs Alp Uysal, Head of Strategy, Technology, Sustainability and Public Affairs for Ericsson Middle East and Africa. High speed internet connectivity stands out as the most important requirement for an IoT infrastructure. “It’s significant to have unparalleled internet connectivity for smart cities to succeed,” says Sakkeer Hussain, Director - Sales and Marketing, D-Link Middle East and Africa. IoT wireless technologies such as WiFi is useful in terms of capacity and coverage it provides. Topologies where WiFi cannot be
Internet of Things (IoT) is a giant network of interconnected devices and people that connect, collect and exchange data through embedded sensors
deployed, braodband cellular connectivity through 3G or 4G LTE can be considered. “The introduction of 5G will accelerate transformation in many industry verticals, enabling new use cases in areas such as automation, IoT and big data,” suggests Alp Uysal of Ericsson. Currently, LTE’s share of cellular IoT devices is around 5%. And with declining modem costs, evolving LTE functionality and 5G capabilities the range of applications for critical IoT deployments are all set to expand.
IoT-ready Data Centers IoT is a data-intensive technology generating enormous amounts of data, thanks to millions of interconnected sensors. Therefore, data storage and management will be a prime area of concern for businesses. As a result, cloud data storage will play an integral role in the data centers of the IoT era. It will be equally critical to ensure security of data and strong security protocols will need to be followed in these data centers. To handle greater data traffic and accomodate data from sensors, data centers will need more bandwidth than ever. According to IDC, workload demands from IoT are expected to increase 750% by 2019! As a result, edge-based data processing will see greater adoption.
Conclusion: Rapid digitalization, rising urbanization, greater reach of mobile phones, and of course the Internet of Things (IoT), have given rise to innovative devices, services, and experiences that were once considered a part of a sci-fi movie. Make no mistake, fiction has become reality. IoT is empowering smart devices to communicate amongst themselves and with humans, through sensors to improve the way we live and interact as a society. IoT has been successfully used in numerous use cases and will continue to reshape human lives in a data-driven landscape with far-reaching implications.
Interview | Cisco
Cloud and IoT will Dominate Enterprise IT Development
We are just beginning to understand IoT’s potential. But ten years from now, it will be hard to find an industry that IoT would not have transformed, says Shadi Salama, Channel Leader of Cisco adding that more than a third of today's businesses will not survive the next ten years
How big is the IoT market in the GCC? How fast do you see
Verticals such as manufacturing and transportation use large
the market growing?
data sets to optimize operations processes and extend the life
Cisco predicts the Internet of Things (IoT) will become a $19
of high-capital cost assets, while for sectors like healthcare and
trillion market over the next few years while IDC predicts that the
consumer IoT technology is used to produce benefits that improve
worldwide installed base of IoT endpoints will grow to over 82
quality of life. In the O&G sector, budget constrains will push
billion in 2025. At this rate, IoT may soon be as indispensable as
crude producers to improve and increase efficiencies in general
the Internet itself. Despite the forward momentum, a new study
by exploring ways to make its oilfields smarter, such as with
conducted by Cisco shows that 60% of IoT initiatives stall at the
unmanned oilfields, and by leveraging IoT technology to digitize
Proof of Concept (PoC) stage and only 26% companies have had
operations and benefit from big data and analytics, sensors, and
an IoT initiative that they considered a complete success. Even
control systems.
worse, a third of all completed projects were not considered a success.
The Middle East is primed to become a global driver in IoT connected innovations. As Cisco’s Global Cloud Index (GCI) Forecast by 2019, estimates that the Middle East and Africa (MEA)
Which GCC sectors could benefit most from IoT, and why?
will have the world’s highest cloud traffic growth rate, at 41
Manufacturing and transportation are the vertical industries
percent. By 2021, more members of the global population will be
leading the way in terms of IoT investment in the Middle
using mobile phones (5.5 billion) than bank accounts (5.4 billion),
East. Other industries include oil and gas (O&G), utilities,
running water (5.3 billion), or landlines (2.9 billion), according
education, banking and finance, healthcare, retail, sports and
to the 11th annual Cisco Visual Networking Index™ (VNI) Global
telecommunications.
Mobile Data Traffic Forecast (2016 to 2021).
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Interview | ManageEngine
Organizations Must be Proactive in IT Management New technologies and innovations are taking centre-stage. As a result the future of IT management is in aligning IT too business, says Nirmal Manoharan, Regional Director of Sales, ManageEngine in an interview with The Integrator
Since GITEX last year, have you added new products to your portfolio? Please elaborate on them. In relation to that, please elaborate on some of this year’s key attractions at GITEX. ManageEngine has added a few new products over the last 12 months. One of our recent announcements was in the end point security space—Patch Manager Plus on Cloud. This product enables IT teams to automate the entire patch management process, from patch detection to deployment, without any infrastructure investment. We also recently launched Browser Security Plus, a browser management solution that helps organizations secure their corporate data in the cloud and protect their networks from web-based cyberattacks. Some of our other product updates, which we plan to showcase at GITEX 2018, are Active Directory management plugin for ServiceDesk Plus and Zendesk; O365 content search capability to its O365 Manager Plus, SAP NetWeaver password synchronization, and Key Manager Plus integration with GoDaddy SSL certificate authority. With “Future Urbanism” as the buzzword for this year’s GITEX, could you talk about any new launches that will affect the future of technology? With new technologies and innovations taking centre stage in the realm of IT, ManageEngine believes the future of IT management is in aligning IT to business. At GITEX 2018, we plan to announce a new feature around user-behaviour analytics for one of our IT security products. We will also launch the Artificial Intelligence Chat Bot capability along with geofence support to our unified endpoint management offering— Desktop Central. Discuss the Middle East market’s requirement for organizations to find reliable solutions that help secure, control and manage their IT ecosystems. With latest technology developments in cloud and other technologies, organizations need to be proactive in IT management. In the Middle East, organizations are looking for IT management tools that support the proactive posture, both as individual products as well as an integrated suite.
Nirmal Manoharan Regional Sales Director ManageEngine
What are your plans for 2019? Comment on new launches to look forward to, if any. Over the past year, our business has grown by roughly 40 percent in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), thanks to our strong network of resellers and solutions providers. Given the pace of digitization in the region, we expect our growth to continue as aggressively going forward. In this ever-evolving IT world, how do you ensure that the solutions you provide are a cut above the rest? ManageEngine’s R&D focus and investment has been the source of innovation to ensure that our solutions can provide value to businesses across various disciplines. For more log onto www.varonline.com October 2018 | 15
Get Set to 'Experience Future Urbanism'
W
ith the GITEX Technology Week commencing on 14th October 2018, Dubai will witness some of the biggest global technology
companies showcasing their path-breaking technological innovations. GITEX, in its 38th year now, is one of the biggest technology events in the world. More than 4000 exhibitors from over a hundred countries are expected to participate in this year's event. Visitors to the event can benefit from hands-on experience of the future technologies at various booths apart from listening to over 290 hours of expert keynote and panel discussions, or networking with more than 100,000 tech experts. Tech giants including Google, Amazon, HPE, Microsoft, among many others will unveil their latest technological innovations during the GITEX Technology Week. Visitors are in for a treat with numerous mind-blowing concepts, such as X-Ray mirrors or car windows that can be used as touchscreen entertainment screens, to be demonstrated at the event. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the centre-piece at this year's event. Companies will demonstrate numerous ground-breaking technologies including 5G, robotics, VR, and AR allowing visitors to 'experience future urbanism', in line with the tagline of this year's theme. The GITEX Technology Week will also see its twin— the GITEX Future Stars—showcasing some of the most innovative start-ups and their out-of-the-world technology concepts. One can check out the sit-in pod that conducts a full body check-up in probably lesser the time it takes to call up a doctor! Or sample the world's lightest and smallest robotic lunar rovers. And, that's just the beginning, as there will be thousands of such digitally creative concepts and products on display at the twin events.
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ESET Launches Flexible Cloud Service
T
o address the security challenges that small and medium businesses face, ESET has launched the ESET Cloud Administrator – a cloud-based remote security management solution, especially for SMBs. It is estimated that nearly one in five SMBs fell victim to an external security threat in the past two years while nearly half (44%) believe they could face a cyber-threat in the next 12 months. The challenge for many SMBs is that they do not have resources, budget or knowledge to properly tackle this growing number of cyber threats. Characterised as a ‘central remote control’, ESET Cloud Administrator is a cloud -based management console that allows centralised management of ESET security products such as ESET Endpoint Antivirus & Security for Windows, ESET Endpoint Antivirus & Security for macOS and ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server. As a cloud hosted service, ESET Cloud Administrator offers SMBs a means to connect to and from any device or location. The ESET Cloud Administrator does not require management server installation and is ready to be used out-of-the-box. It carries out upgrades in the background without the need for an administrator’s input, minimising disruption to the business. It also does not require additional IT staff or hardware, reducing costs for SMBs. “For small and medium companies, a security solution needs to be reliable, easy to use and cause minimal impact to their IT and business processes,” said Vladimír Matovcík, Business Security Product Manager at ESET. “Cost, too, is a key consideration. They want technology that is fit for their business needs at an affordable price. For such customers, ESET now offers a great “puzzle piece” which fits their network infrastructure, providing SMBs the ‘all in one security‘ solution they require,” he added.
Interview | Ericsson
5G Will Accelerate Transformation Declining device costs, evolving LTE functionality and 5G capabilities will be critical to IoT deployments. Alp Uysal, Head of Strategy, Technology, Sustainability and Public Affairs for Ericsson Middle East and Africa
IoT is moving beyond smartphones. How far has it evolved? Growth of the Internet of Things and in the number of connected devices is driven by emerging applications, business models and supported by standardization and falling device costs. Around 29 billion connected devices are forecast by 2022, of which around 18 billion will be related to IoT. Mobile phones are expected to be surpassed in numbers by IoT devices, which include connected cars, machines, meters, wearables and other consumer electronics. Between 2016 and 2022, IoT devices are expected to increase at a CAGR of 21%, driven by new use cases. The number of IoT devices with cellular connections is projected to reach 1.5 billion in 2022, or around 70% of the wide-area category. This growth is due to increased industry focus and 3GPP standardization of cellular IoT technologies. What are the major challenges that currently hold businesses from realizing the full potential of IoT? Within the wide-area IoT segment, two distinct sub-segments with different requirements have emerged: massive and critical applications. A. Massive IoT connections are characterized by high connection volumes and small data traffic volumes, low cost devices and low energy consumption. Many things will be connected through capillary networks. B. At the other end of the scale, critical IoT connections place very different demands on the network: ultra-high reliability, availability, low latency and high data throughput. There are, however, many use cases
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between these two extremes, which today rely on 2G, 3G or 4G connectivity. To examine the capability of cellular networks to carry IoT traffic, knowledge about real IoT services scenarios and their network impact is important. Cellular networks can handle a large number of massive IoT devices with minimal network capacity impact. A small number of poorly configured connected devices can cause a signaling storm, degrading an IoT network’s performance and, in the worst case, resulting in a network blackout. That is a challenge that businesses need to address through customized solutions. What technologies will be an absolute must for the success of IoT? Today, LTE’s share of cellular IoT devices is around 5%. Declining modem costs, evolving LTE functionality and 5G capabilities are all expected to extend the range of applications for critical IoT deployments. Both critical and massive applications represent a vast range of use cases with varying connectivity requirements. Cellular networks are suitable to support both segments, although no single technology is suited for all potential scenarios. To meet the use case requirements of different potential massive IoT applications, several cellular IoT technologies are being standardized, including Extended Coverage-GSM-IoT (EC-GSM IoT), Cat-M1 and Narrow BandIoT (NB-IoT). What are your views on urban futurism and how will it be achieved? In the context of this interview, IoT is one of the most crucial component
Alp Uysal Head of Strategy Ericssson Middle East
of urban futurism. Across the globe, a multitude of different IoT devices are being deployed and connected by mobile networks. Secure, reliable, ubiquitous and intelligent network connecting everything we interact with, needs to be assumed as a given (the same way mobile communication is regarded today) for future urban living. Once this is achieved, possibilities to improve quality of living in a sustainable way are only limited by our imagination.
Interview | Commnet
CDI Can Power Hyperscale Data Centres Smart cities will be the game changer in the infrastructural needs going forward. A powerpacked panel from Commnet emphsizes that effective strategy, and technology can help improve lives of the people
Cloud is central to Internet of Things. But, it also increases the attack surface for cyber criminals. What precautions can business take to mitigate risks? Nikhil Nair, Chief Operating Officer—I would say let’s face it – the overall attack surface is really big and only getting more expansive each day. Key decision makers must accept this reality and stop addressing cybersecurity as a series of distinct problems. Also, the only way to address the growing attack surface is with a comprehensive strategy, integrated controls, and end-to-end security data collection, processing, and analytics. Enterprises are fast becoming digital. What are the key infrastructure requirements for this? Gopal Krishnan, Chief Projects Officer—As you said, it’s swifter than we think. As organizations are moving towards digitalization, we too play a vital role in ensuring they take right steps at every stage. Commnet being one of the oldest passive infrastructure player in the market, our experience in this segment adds up to about 20 odd years. Backbone for any infrastructure would be the passive block and then move towards active components. In a data-driven world, data is the new currency. What kind of data centres are needed to meet this requirement? Karthikeyan, Chief Executive Officer—A composable disaggregated infrastructure (CDI) complements virtualization and software defined technologies to provide the efficiency and agility that today’s hyperscale data centres demand. I guess it also summarises the type of datacentre which is required. Increasing data loads require efficient and scalable storage. How can businesses tackle this challenge? Karthikeyan—To ensure business is tackling the challenges effectively, we must control the below parameters at the foundation level itself. Data transmission, management, processing, analysis, visualization, integration, architecture, security, and quality.
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How do you see urban futurism changing the infrastructural needs? NikhilNair—By 2035, 55 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in mega-cities or Smart Cities. How all those people live, and what their lives are like, will depend on the important choices that leaders make today and in the coming years. Smart Cities will be the game changer in the infrastructural needs going forward. Technology has the strength to help people live in communities that are more responsive to their needs and that can improve their lives too.
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Interview | Exclusive Network
Our People Are Our DNA What role do value-added distributors have in this digital era? Digital transformation is fast gaining traction in the Middle East with cloud and cybersecurity dominating the boardroom agendas. As a result, channel needs to be in sync so that they can help their customers easily migrate and protect their business assets. Exclusive Networks is a global cloud and cybersecurity valueadded distributor (VAD) and is helping to accelerate the market entry and growth for innovative cloud and cybersecurity technologies. As a specialist distributor, we are the preferred choice for vendors and sellers due to our business model of ‘singletouch/ multiple markets’.We provide specialized value-added technical combine specialist value-added technical and marketing support with a global reach. Our reseller partners globally rely on us for new business opportunities and revenue generation from new technologies. We are redefining VAD with continuous challenge to traditional distribution models. As a result, over the last two years Exclusive Networks has evolved by adapting to the fast-changing market dynamics and technologies to stay relevant to the vendor and reseller partners. With our focus on building a portfolio with leading vendors and investing in our people,we have been able to drive business growth and success. What are you showcasing at GITEX this year? We will launch our first Cyber and Cloud super centre at GITEX this year. We will leverage the event to drive home the message that we are a proven and specialised distributor in cybersecurity and cloud. For the last few months, we have
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In the wake of a clear roadmap for both cloud migration and cybersecurity, while offering differentiated solutions to channel partners, Nathan Clements, Managing Director Exclusive Networks Middle East and North Africa, tells The Integrator why his company can benefit from the booming demand for emerging technologies
trained our partners in cloud technologies and hosted security workshops for them. We will also launch our Cloud Training Centre, that helps deliver authorised and approved cloud training to technical and sales teams across the region. Another highlight at this year’s event will be our diversified portfolio of products and solutions. We are working closely with around 15 industry leaders and we will formally launch some of our new relationships at GITEX. What makes you successful? We are in a period of sustained growth primarily attributed to our existing vendors as well as to the addition of new vendors and services. We also have an energetic and highly motivated team that has made it possible. Our people are our DNA and we have been successful in finding the best industry talent that helps make Exclusive Networks a place where people aspire to work. We invest in our people
Nathan Clements Managing Director Exclusive Network
through continuous training and mentoring of our staff. We believe success breeds complacency. So, we make sure we do not let complacency creep in through regular meetings with our partners and ways to challenge ourselves. This helps us to constantly evolve and improve. With global private equity firm Permira acquiring a majority stake in Exclusive Networks, how will it impact your business? Permira's investment is the biggest ever in cyber/cloud distribution. We propose to use this investment to accelerate our global expansion plans and diversify our product portfolio. The investment underscores our status as a global specialist VAD for cybersecurity and cloud. Further, it will help us to extend our value-based service offerings with a bigger geographical footprint. This partnership is critical to our continuing success.
Interview | ASBIS
Channel will Play an Important Role in IoT The MEA region is witnessing strong interest in IoT that will continue to accelerate over the next few years, says Hesham Tantawi, VP, ASBIS Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Companies that can harness data will emerge winners in the IoT age, he tells The Integrator
Internet of Things is the buzz word today. What transformation do you see happening in the human society due to IoT? IoT adoption in the MEA region is expected to accelerate over the coming years, as organisations from both the public and private sectors increasingly digitalise their businesses in a bid to automate their operations and ramp up productivity. The region is seeing strong interest in IoT, with more than three quarters of digital leaders investing in IoT in 2018. What factors will drive urban futurism? Advancements in digital technology and wide adoption, advanced communication systems and biological technologies are transforming the way people interact with each other and fundamentally shaping how we experience the innovation around us. Emerging technologies and the digital transformation currently happening in the Middle East, smart city adoption and steady acceptance and exploration of artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving urban futurism.
What challenges will IoT throw up for businesses? The key challenges to IoT lies in security and protecting all devices at the endpoint, network, cloud and application layer, and using overarching threat analytics to study the overall ecosystem and designing products with a builtin, always-on security approach. The channel has an important role to play. Partners who can provide integrated security solutions will stand to gain the most by recognising the potential threat IoT devices—designed without security in mind—might pose for their end user customers; and, this in turn, creates opportunities for them. How can businesses thrive in the datadriven world of IoT? The MENA region is generating unimaginable amounts of data that have the potential to drive ground-breaking insights. Companies that can navigate this ocean of data – that have the speed and agility to learn and act from it – will be the winners in the IoT age. The application of artificial intelligence
Hesham Tantawi Vice President ASBIS META
and machine learning will, therefore, have a huge impact and has the highest potential in the longer term for partners and businesses alike. Mobility and connectivity are key to IoT. What must businesses do for business continuity and minimize risks from cyber attacks? There is continuous growth of digitization, IoT and a general trend of governments in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa moving towards citizen and resident service quality improvements. These have prompted the growth of online services including cloud and managed security services. Data collection and storage is now at an all-time high and the risks involved in the security domain have also seen a marked increase among vendors, distributors and resellers. From our perspective as a VAD in security and solutions distribution, the Middle East, Turkey and Africa market has seen a considerable rise in managed security services offered through Security Operations Centre (SOC) services being outsourced by businesses of all sizes. October 2018 | 23
Interview | EverestIMS
Services and Technology Sectors Drive the Middle East and GCC Markets EverestIMS plans to bring the IoT platform to the Middle East market, says Satish Kimar V, CEO at EverestIMS Technologie Pvt Ltd. He also shares company's plans for the Middle East and GCC markets with The Integrator
As an IMS company, what are EverestIMS’ latest offerings for the Middle East & GCC market? We see Middle East and GCC market as a mature market that is primarily driven by the services and technology sectors. EverestIMS comes to the Middle East and GCC market with a great combination of infrastructure management solution and service management software that are tightly integrated at the DB level with an architecture that supports deployment in any advanced environment (either onpremise or on cloud). IMS software from Everest offers a unified IT infrastructure management solution that can also encompass extended segments like Wi-Fi, and CCTV, among the others, in addition to core network / server / application and access network devices. When this is combined with a highly flexible ITIL v3 based service management software, that can cater to both IT and non-IT service segments, customers are in for a powerful automation/standardization of infrastructure operations and service delivery. What is EverestIMS' roadmap ahead in Middle East for Q4 2018 and the year 2019? EverestIMS intends to bring in advancements in automating IT operations management along with advanced analytics relevant to each field of business in this market. EverestIMS also plans to bring in the IoT platform—an ever-useful ingredient in today’s connected and digitized world—to the Middle East market. Latest release of Everest NCCM catering to audit and compliance of networks will also be introduced in 2019
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How is EverestIMS structuring its GTM strategy for Middle East & GCC region? Are you looking to partner locally with a distributor to create deeper reach and better last mile outreach? EverestIMS has successfully implemented a model in which a regional distributor plays a critical role from technology fitment to GTM strategies. This reginal distributor is assisted by a network of channel partners that bring in the reach and local touch with customers across the Indian market. We intend to replicate the same model that is driven both by capabilities as well as business growth. We will sign up with one VAD who works in the software solutions space and tag on to the partner through the VAD. Our EPP (Everest partner program) will also be rolled out to the partner network, which has very attractive schemes under its umbrella.
What are the roles and responsibilities for EverestIMS’ exclusive distributor for the Middle East? EverestIMS believes in and follows a strict non-exclusive engagement model. This keeps both us and our key distributor(s) in a highly active and result-oriented business development environment. We seek someone who understands technology, is capable of business growth through extended reach and believes in continuous customer engagement. These are the key traits for our distributor in the Middle East market. Our distributor should be able to on-board and manage partners (who handle software business) and have effective reach to customers across verticals.
How do you see the Middle East market vis-a-vis India market in terms of IT implementation? More specifically, in terms of IMS. India is a diverse market that has customers across various segments: start-ups, SMBs, enterprises, and MNCs. Our software solutions have been catering to all these segments across business verticals driven by use-case and adaptation-based fitment rather than one-size fits all approach. Middle East is a much more mature market in terms of IT implementation and the process they follow is still little lacking in India. In the lucrative and happening market of Middle East and GCC, we intend to cater to customers in the manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, telecom and government verticals as we strongly believe that EverestIMS software offerings can add value to them.
Interview | Linksys
UAE and Saudi Arabia Witnessing Rapid IoT adoption BYOD, IoT and proliferation of new devices is making it complex for SMBs to manage wireless network Through our Cloud Manager solution, we are helping SMBs and mid-sized businesses to address their most pressing challenges by securing their network without stressing their finances, says Amanulla Khan, Managing Director of Linksys META at Linksys
Discusses some key highlights at GITEX this year. We have some ground breaking technology both in the consumer and commercial spaces. On the commercial side, we recently announced the Linksys Cloud Manager. At GITEX, for the first time, we will showcase the entire solution, complete with a live demonstration. Linksys Cloud Manager is a cloud-hosted Wi-Fi management solution. Although the technology has existed for some time now, we are the first when it comes to bringing such a solution to the mid-market and SMB space. The existing solutions in this space are built on consumer grade hardware, with basic wifi. So, they are not so stable or secure enough. Then there are enterprise solutions that are made to fit the SMB or mid-market space. These are complex and expensive with features and functionalities that not many mid-market owners will use. On top of that, there are annual license fee applicable for access. So, there are attached recurring fees. Linksys Cloud Manager is a purpose-built solution for the SMB and mid-market segment with 90% of its features and functionalities that will be used by SMBs and mid-market businesses. It is competitively priced and has no recurring costs. It comes with a five-year license built-in. During this five-year period, businesses do not need to pay any license renewal cost. Also, the license includes all upgrades to features and new launches at no extra cost. The solution offers a centralized management dashboard to help business-owners to manage many remote locations from a single device. Since the solution is built on enterprise grade hardware, it is robust and can be mounted and provisioned remotely. It offers tremendous scalability with no limit to the number of access points that can be deployed. It gets auto-upgraded so there are no additional costs. It has exception warranty for five years. Also, it has the best of security features. We hire third party providers for vulenrability tests and feedback. It promises 99.9% uptime, since the cloud is hosted on Amazon or Azure. We also build in redundancy by using many micro-servers. If a single
Amanulla Khan Managing Director Linksys META
server being used gets affected, bringing it up again is difficult But, this is not the case with smaller servers. Another benefit for business owners is the flexibility it brings. They are not tied to a a specific vendor, unlike other cloud wireless solutions where customers are locked in and lose the complete network if they choose to opt out. With us, if they do not want to use it, they can switch to use as single network wireless solution. And, it becomes a local managed wireless solution that can be used from their own premises. Apart from the above, we will for the first time in the region, showcase our full-power POE switches. Since surveillance and IoT devices are increasing, they require high power consumption. As a result, there is a huge demand for these. In the consumer space, we will showcase our hugely popular, Velop family of products. We pioneered mesh WiFi in the region with its launch in March 2017. We had about 80% market share in the Saudi Arabian and UAE markets. It is the most awarded mesh wifi solution globally. Visitors at the GITEX can see the whole familiy of Velop solutions, traditional routers, ring extenders, and the mesh WiFi platform can be seen with a lot of new features added to it. October 2018  |  25
Interview | OMA Emirates
Compliance to Regulations Key in Payment Industry The two major challenges in the digital payment sector are acceptance of new technology and security, says Niranj Sangal, Group CEO, OMA Emirates Group. He shares his company's plans in the digital payment sectors with The Integrator
Can you elaborate on the new offerings that you have unveiled this year? OMA Emirates this year has focused on enhancing its Digital Banking Solutions portfolio to improvise customer experience and introduce different modes of banking services. This includes solutions like digital wallets, mobile applications, instant account opening and card issuance kiosks, QR code payments and biometrics to mention a few. Apart from Digital Banking Solutions, mobility has been a key solution driving OMA Emirates to enhance our capabilities, to keep abreast with client requirements, delivering solutions to enrich the end-user experience especially in the retail sector. This will empower convenient check-in and checkout experiences that will save time, add value in terms of customer journey and experience in retail. With an increase in penetration of smartphones, OMA Emirates released a smart app Benefit Beyond (BB) that allows payments using its 'BBPay' which uses NFC technology for payments via a smart phone. This behavioural app will adapt to the customer's selection and will be a one stop solution for the end-user. In short, the BB mobile app will include GEO marketing, BB Pay, multi loyalty program, mobile key, m-commerce, mobile check-in, m-parking, taxi bookings, utility payments, remittances, loyalty, gift, prepaid card, store locators, public transport utilities, etc. A unique feature of accepting digital wallets, QR code (dynamic) and NFC payments are also a value added service integrated on the app. Elaborate on the latest developments that have had a significant impact on digital payments over the last year. The UAE Government has been playing a key role in digitization, which has always been an upward trend predominately in
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Niranj Sangal Group CEO, OMA Emirates Group
the Middle East. There have been constant enhancements, innovations and best practices through technology, enriching the society digitalization. Tech giants like Apple and Samsung, are also working towards introducing more value added services allowing consumers to make payments instantly through their smartphones and contributing to the cashless economy. Apart from making payments, other services like geo-fencing, discounts and offers are also integrated to enhance user experience. Inkeeping with the Smart Government Initiative, contactless and QR code payments have also risen as new trends, with banks and financial institutions working towards delivering greater services and benefits to the consumers. Additionally, there are other key factors that are spearheading mobile wallet in the UAE such as the UAE Bank Federation initiative. This is a consortium of 16 banks in the country with mobile payment devices, which supports the overall Smart Government initiatives. Privacy is a major issue faced by companies everywhere today. How do you ensure that data is kept secure and private? In digital technology era, data security is a major threat faced by banks, financial institutions, government entities and technologycentric companies. We strongly believe that compliance to industry regulations in very important in the payment industry. As a result, at OMA Emirates we follow ISO 27001, PCI DSS Standards along with other security measures. Research and Development team at OMA Emirates is constantly working on finding solutions to keep current to universal data security threats. For more insights visit www.varonline.com
Interview | Symantec
Privacy, Trust and Security: Cornerstones of Urban Futurism
Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way we live and transact as a society. With the number of connected devices proliferating, cyber threats will increase as cybercriminals have a lucrative target. Gordon Love, Vice President, EMEA Emerging Gordon Love Vice President EMEA Emerging Region Symantec
Region, Symantec tells The Integrator what precautions businesses and end-users can take with these smart devices.
How will Internet of Things transform the way we live? Internet of Things (IoT) has already transformed the way we live today and will continue to do so as we adopt more and more internet-connected devices. While new IoT devices can bring great benefits to our everyday lives, they also have the potential to become serious security risks and can be an easy and lucrative target for cybercriminals. Whether through fitness trackers and routers to home security systems, smart TVs and baby cameras, cybercriminals are starting to pay attention and threats are on the rise. Cybercriminals are interested in cheap bandwidth to enable bigger attacks. They obtain this by hijacking our devices and stitching together a larger web of consumer devices that are easy to infect because they lack sophisticated security.
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All they need to do is pre-program their malware with commonly used and default passwords, allowing them to easily hijack device passwords. As we see more and more consumer devices being hijacked because they are connected to the internet and their default device passwords have not been changed, a bigger emphasis on securing these devices is needed. According to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report published earlier this year, IoT devices continue to be ripe targets for exploitation. Symantec found a 600 percent increase in overall IoT attacks in 2017, which means that cyber criminals can exploit the connected nature of these devices. There is a proliferation in the number of smart devices across the globe, including smart homes, increasing the surface and vulnerability to cyber-
attacks. What security hygiene must be followed to mitigate these threats? Security varies a lot with different smart devices, so it is difficult to give generic advice to users. It is important that users remain vigilant when installing smart home devices and make sure that the device configuration settings are understood. Here are a few points to consider when installing smart devices, which can also be used for home as well: • Use strong and unique passwords for device accounts and Wi-Fi networks • Change default passwords • Use a stronger encryption method when setting up Wi-Fi networks, such as WPA2 • Disable or protect remote access to IoT devices when not needed • Use wired connections instead of wireless, where possible • Use devices on a separate home network, when possible • Be careful when buying used IoT devices, as they may have been tampered with • Research the vendor’s device security measures • Modify the privacy and security settings of the device to your needs • Disable features that aren’t needed • Install updates when they become available • Ensure that an outage, for example due to jamming or a network failure, does not result in an unsecure state of installation • Verify if smart features are really required or if a normal device would be sufficient For more insights visit www.varonline.com
Interview | Finesse
IoT
is Here to Stay Sunil Paul Co-Founder & Executive Director Finesse
What challenges do businesses face due to smart and connected devices? IoT is among the big technology innovations the world is foretelling. However, the paradoxical situation arises due to unstructured process planning. Huge storage of data, security vulnerabilities, and sending incorrect readings to the system can be some of the issues an enterprise may have to face. It is all about getting the perfect transformation solution to the business challenges for smooth functioning. How can businesses prepare themselves to stay competitive in an IoT-driven landscape? Businesses need to match the pace with technology to be in the race while earning good revenue with less cost disbursement. Companies need to have connectivity and control over IoT-driven landscape within their premises. How will infrastructure need change in the wake of IoT? IoT is presenting many opportunities for enterprises to digitally transform and reap the benefits in the end. Companies are betting big on IoT and infrastructure is getting modified all the time. This technology allows companies to upgrade the infrastructure to become revolutionary than being evolutionary. Finesse has been
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Storage of data, bad connectivity, and security issues can arise when dealing with IoT technology, Sunil Paul, Co-founder & executive director at Finesse informs The Integrator. He advises businesses to match the pace with technology to remain competitive
providing robust IoT infrastructure security solutions to clients for years now. Smart devices will generate petabytes of data that will need protection. What challenges can businesses expect in such a connected landscape? IoT are interconnected physical devices for collection and communication of data via embedded chips or sensors for proper connectivity. Storage of data, bad connectivity, and security issues can arise when dealing with IoT technology. For petabytes of data generated, the businesses require structured and unstructured data management. BI and analytics come into the picture here and should enhance the business process, whilst providing security from any sort of data breach. Every challenge that arises can easily be solved with wise usage of technology. How can businesses leverage IoT to succeed in the datadriven economy? Undoubtedly, IoT is here to stay and play a vital role in maintaining the competitive edge for businesses. IoT collects the data from every nook and corner of the business process connected through devices. With technology upgradation, an enterprise can have a distinct data portfolio for a cost-effective and profitable business.
Interview | Emitac
Emitac Cloud Service Management platform that provides an efficient way to visualize, optimize, and automate their multiple public cloud environments, EES CloudHealth Cloud Migration Services to help migrate the current environment to the public cloud, and expertise in both Azure, AWS and hybrid cloud technologies.
Emitac Enterprise Solutions has announced its integration with CloudHealth Technologies, a cloud management platform provider. This collaboration aims to help customers visualize, optimize and automate the management of multi-cloud environments across public and hybrid cloud environments. Managing cloud infrastructure is becoming as complex as managing traditional data center infrastructure. There are ways for cloud infrastructure to become highly optimized and it provides an opportunity to automate tasks and processes. EES CloudHealth is a policy-driven solution that provides transparency into cloud infrastructure, helping businesses to optimize cost, usage, performance, and security. The solution aims to simplify cloud migration, optimization, monitoring and governance for customers in the UAE. Customers will experience greater cloud intelligence through Emitac Cloud Service Management platform
Emitac Partners with Cloud Health Technologies that provides an efficient way to visualize, optimize, and automate their multiple public cloud environments, EES CloudHealth Cloud Migration Services to help migrate the current environment to the public cloud, and expertise in both Azure, AWS and hybrid cloud technologies. Full managed services combine the experience and expertise of the Emitac dedicated cloud team and the power of the CloudHealth platform to provide full visibility and governance across cloud infrastructure. “As Microsoft and AWS have announced the opening of their datacenter
in the Middle East, we are excited to partner with CloudHealth to bring the technology and offering to the Middle East.” said Gautham Raj, Emitac Enterprise Solutions CEO. “Emitac’s Managed Services offering focuses on sustainable value realization through an emphasis on technology and operational efficiency,” said Bob Kilbride, Sr. Director of Channels for CloudHealth Technologies. “Their approach of driving a close alignment between business operations and IT throughout the customer’s cloud transformation journey complements the CloudHealth platform perfectly.” October 2018 | 31
Interview | Ring
Rules for a Safer Smart Home Connected homes may make lives convenient. However, they can provide a large attack surface to cyber criminals to invade our lives unless strong security measures are put in place. In an interview with The Integrator, Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President of Business Development – Middle East and Africa at Ring spells out some basic rules that can be followed to enhance security of smart homes.
Mohammad Meraj Hoda VP, Business Development Ring, MEA
How big is the home security market in the Middle East? While we cannot predict exactly how big the home security market is in the Middle East, but it’s a growing segment for sure. Homes around the world will become smarter and more connected over the next five years. And, technology has radically changed the way we protect our homes and communities. The digital revolution has made its way into our homes and now, doorbells and security cameras are joining the technological revolution, transforming into robust security devices that connect potential visitors directly to a home owner’s smart phone. Over the next few years, there will be an increase in innovations and what will drive the market is the same thing that’s driving a lot of the automation market: security. We'll see smart home security
32 | October 2018
systems installed in homes of all shapes and sizes with families beginning to realize that smart home security is an investment, not a cost, and it's an affordable one at that. The UAE and GCC are witnessing a positive growth of the property sector with many developers focusing on building master-planned communities. Today, we are seeing many residents in the UAE opting to move to suburban community focused areas instead of dense high-rise communities. But, we also know that besides the 24-hour security that is often extended to its residents in the gatedcommunities, homeowners want first to feel protected. We found that the smart home has gone mainstream in the UAE and homeowners are excited about its promise to make things safer, smarter and more efficient. They want devices to work in a seamless manner to proactively make the homes and communities safer, smarter and more efficient. Is it a growing market? What are the reasons driving the growth? Many residents in Dubai prefer gated communities or suburban community focused areas over dense high-rise communities. This is primarily due to safety, amenities, lifestyle, status, restricted access and resultant privacy, recreational clubhouses and community awareness. Smart homes have gone mainstream in Dubai as they promise safer, smarter and more efficient home with a single app to control everything. At Ring, our mission is simple: to reduce crime in neighbourhoods. Ring’s products have been globally hailed as dependable second set of eyes and ears to deter would-be thieves from entering homes, and Ring Door Bell Cameras have
successfully reduced crime by up to 55% in neighbourhoods where Ring has been introduced. Our goal is to bring the same convenience and security to Middle East neighbourhoods. Smart homes are a key component of Internet of Things (IoT), which also makes them vulnerable to cyber threats. What can be done to ensure security of smart homes? While internet connectivity for home devices may be convenient, it's not so great for security, as "smart" gadgets can be hacked much more easily. The global home automation market was valued at $4.41 billion in 2014, and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.3 percent from 2014 to 2020, reaching $21.6 billion by 2020, according to a report by Transparency Market Research. More than 25 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2020, according to a report by Gartner. Therefore the bottom line is that if you have a connected home, it needs protection. Here are a few simple rules to follow: • Signal interception: Wi-Fi- and bluetooth-enabled devices use wireless signals to communicate. Hackers with the right tools can easily tap into those signals, and — if the transmissions aren't encrypted — use them to take control of the system in question. You can avoid some vulnerability by investing in a recognized name-brand home security system with good customer reviews. Additionally, look for a system that emphasizes encryption. Any data sent — no matter what the method — should be sent securely to avoid interception. For more visit www.varonline.com
Interview | Aptec
IoT Needs a Right Ecosystem Svetlana Sorokina, Managing Director, META, Aptec, tells The Integrator that using technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, drones, and 3D printing, IoT projects can be used to improve the lives of the citizens
What are the key drivers of IoT? Organizations, today, depend on huge amounts of data that was earlier not easy to collect, manage or analyze for insights. IoT technologies enable all industries to collect required data to get insights about their customers or operations of their businesses. Real demand to understand the business, availability of the right technologies to collect required data, communication protocols and bandwidth need to transfer data, strong analytics solutions, and the rise of the artificial intelligence capabilities, are key drivers for the IoT business. Ingram Micro IoT and AI division have created the right ecosystem to offer IoT technology in simple ways to the channel partners and subsequently to the end customers. What challenges do cloud environments and virtualization pose to the growth of IoT? Cloud environment acts like the main infrastructure platform for IoT and doesn’t need much customization and/or integration for every project. This makes the delivery of IoT projects much easier and faster. At times, business requirements may change that can affect the response
time to market. In such a situation, unlike on-premise solutions, cloud saves the time to make required changes. IoT will result in an explosion of data. What must businesses do to efficiently harness this data to gain competitive advantage? Let's take an example. While driving an airplane, it is all about having the right dashboards and right controls at the right time. This is critical as much for the airplane as it is for the passengers onboard. Similarly, in business, dashboards that provide the right visualizations help decision-makers to take the right action at the right time. Using the best business intelligence tools, like Microsoft Power BI, can put businesses in control. By adding artificial intelligence to this, businesses can get more accurate predictions by analyzing history correlated with other types of data depending on the nature of the business. What network requirements are an absolute must to meet the demands presented by IoT-driven smart devices? IoT devices i.e. sensors, trackers, actuators, etc. must be connected to the platform in the backend using a reliable network, that
can grow rapidly to connect heterogeneous IoT elements on the edge to the core and cloud. Power consumption of the communication protocols is an important factor in the IoT communication world. In many cases, sensors may not be connected to power source and the battery replacement is not an easy task. Low latency, high reliability, ability to secure traffic flow, and ability to monitor and manage traffic are crucial to have the right communication network for IoT. What are your views on urban futurism and its impact on global business? Urban futurism is a vision, which is now supported with IoT, AI, blockchain, drones and 3D printing technologies. Hundreds of use cases using these technologies are making urban futurism a reality. We can see the number of connected cars increase every day and an intelligent traffic solution is being demanded by every city. We also see the rise of smart building management solutions to make noticeable percentage of energy saving. There can be many other IoT use cases that should be integrated together and centrally managed to improve lives of the citizens. All we can say is that urban futurism will make a positive impact not only for businesses but also for the lives of the people. October 2018  |  33
Interview | Dell EMC
Dell Technologies at GITEX 2018 Dell EMC has recently collaborated with Dubai Municipality and Abu Dhabi Monitoring and Control Centre (ADMCC). Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President, Middle East, Turkey & Africa at Dell EMC shares the details with The Integrator
Mohammed Amin Senior Vice President META Dell EMC
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Tell us about your innovative products and services Dell Technologies provides the essential infrastructure for organizations to help them build their digital future, transform IT and protect their most important asset, information. This is achieved through an essential infrastructure for digital business and IT transformation and bringing together strong capabilities in the fastest-growing areas of the industry, including hybrid cloud, software-defined data center, converged infrastructure, platformas-a-service, data analytics, mobility and cybersecurity. Dell Technologies is a leader in numerous high-growth areas of the $2 trillion information technology market. The company has portfolio, sales team and R&D organization across four globally recognized technology franchises –servers, storage, virtualization and PCs. The Dell Technologies family of businesses comprises Dell, Dell EMC, Pivotal, RSA, SecureWorks, Virtustream and VMware. It stands as a $79.9 billion market leader with the industry’s most expansive portfolio comprising edge, data center, and cloud. What do you aim to achieve from the exhibit at GITEX? There is an immense possibility on the horizon, given the pace
of progress in the Middle East. Organizations are on the verge of entering the next era of human and machine partnerships. This is a crucial time for businesses to take the leap by grasping the mantle, transforming their IT, workforce and security, and playing a defining role in the future, or be left behind. GITEX is a unique event that provides a platform to bring these critical conversations to the forefront. At this year's event, we will demonstrate the unparalleled strength of Dell Technologies that is helping organizations in the UAE and the whole of Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region to lead the frontlines of innovation. How are you alleviating the fears that businesses have towards digitalization? According to a recent research by Dell Technologies, only 27% of regional businesses believe they are ingraining digital in all they do, while nearly half (45%) don’t know whether they’ll be able to compete over the next decade. Majority (68%) of businesses are struggling to keep-up with the pace of change. In this pivotal time, Dell Technologies partners with businesses to provide capabilities spanning strategy development, consultative services and solution deployment and support to help customers and partners drive the digital transformation of their businesses. We will also share our latest news and plans, products, solutions, initiatives, partnerships, and much more at the GITEX event. By 2050, the world population will reach 10 billion people, compared to 7.6 billion today. This demographic boom poses numerous challenges. The Connected City presents an attractive opportunity to improve the quality of life and facilitate a continuously innovative environment which not only caters to residents’ needs, but can also predict their future requirements and demands. Future urbanism is fast gaining relevance. Dell Technologies is committed to creating technologies that help drive human progress. We will use the opportunities at GITEX to collaborate and innovate for future development. What have been your major success stories? Digital transformation is fast becoming a priority for businesses in the region. We are witnessing an increased adoption of technology to tackle the challenges and drive human progress. In-keeping with the vision of its leadership, Dell EMC recently collaborated with Dubai Municipality and Abu Dhabi Monitoring and Control Centre (ADMCC) to help advance the nation’s innovation agenda and facilitate development of smart cities. In order to achieve greater digital transformation to interconnect public and private services, increase innovation and efficiency, and provide credible measures to enhance safety and security of the citizens of the capital through surveillance
cameras, ADMCC collaborated with Dell EMC to build an advanced control center. The transformational project includes the deployment of industry-leading, highly available and space efficient solutions to build an advanced control center and manage mission critical applications. These allow monitoring and analyzing video streams from surveillance cameras. Leveraging Dell EMC ViPR Controller and storage automation software to optimize the control centre will reduce human error and the number of staff focusing on managing the infrastructure, compared to the existing setup. In addition, ADMCC will be able to meet their surveillance data needs while simplifying management of unstructured data using
According to a recent research by Dell Technologies, only 27% of regional businesses believe they are ingraining digital in all they do, while nearly half (45%) don’t know whether they’ll be able to compete over the next decade.
these scalable, secure and highly available solutions. This is in-line with our vision of enabling government agencies to pre-empt and respond to emergencies and safeguard the city’s inhabitants. Dell EMC has announced a strategic collaboration with Dubai Municipality to create an integrated and agile technology foundation. This is a landmark project at it aims at driving the city’s advancing innovation agenda and contributing to the overarching goal of transforming Dubai into the world's smartest sustainable city by 2020, by offering digitally enabled services. With a mandate to transform the IT foundation, Dubai Municipality works with Dell EMC to implement their strategy and enable virtualization capabilities. This is achieved using software defined scale-out infrastructure. In addition to helping reduce complexity of managing the IT infrastructure, the growing number of smart services and the resulting data, this solution also allows the IT staff to focus on innovative projects, rather than maintain the infrastructure. Together with Dell EMC, Dubai Municipality has created an advanced and agile platform to transform its position as a broker of smart services and add real value to the lives of the citizens. October 2018 | 35
Driving an Open Networking Architecture
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aloom is delivering industry-first programmable fabric for the DC networking space. The Kaloom programmable fabric is a fully automated DC networking solution that has been tested by multiple alpha customers. Multiple proof of concepts (POCs) are being conducted for customers in the gaming, enterprise/FSI, data center operators (DCO) and 4G/5G telco spaces. It requires no vendor lock-in, reduces opex with automation and reduces capex by leveraging white boxes. Due to the vSwitch offload, it enhances performance many times over. Kaloom brings programmability to the DC networking, which allows developers to innovate and customers to introduce new features and services. Kaloom is currently growing in North America, Middle East and APC, and will announce its strategic partnership with Mbuzz at the GITEX event in October. In the next phase of expansion Kaloom plans to grow more in Europe. Kaloom is driving an open networking architecture that drives down cost and allows customers not to be locked in through product portfolio including Kaloom Flow Fabric, Kaloom vRouter, and Kaloom vSwitch.
NoviFlow Helps Accelerate Throughput and Dynamic Scaling
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oviFlow provides SDN network operating systems and solutions for programmable match-action data planes. The solutions are deployed by global network operators, hyperscale data centers, enterprises and government agencies to accelerate throughput and provide dynamic scaling for applications such as cyber security, in-line packet brokering, load balancing, BNG/BRAS, next generation central office, lifecycle service orchestration, SD WAN, and data center interconnect. The company has design wins from companies spread across 35 countries on five continents. In the last 12 months, NoviFlow has seen rapid growth from the cybersecurity and BNG gateway segments as a result of the release of NoviFlow’s CyberMapper and GatewayMapper products. These products simplify the integration and operation of VNFs and network appliances with SDN programmable pipelines in order to accelerate their throughputs and enable them to scale dynamically. Since its inception in 2012, NoviFlow has led commercial deployment of programmable matchaction forwarding planes allowing customers to develop solutions that utilize SDN/OpenFlow to the maximum possible extent.
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Interview | Mbuzz
Innovation is Key to Exceptional Customer Service Serving SMEs in MENA region through motivated network of system integrators will be our high priority, says Sabir Saleem, General Manager at Mbuzz. He tells The Integrator that the company will also address the requirements of verticals like aviation, education, healthcare and banking sectors of the region What sets you apart from your competition? Our value distribution model is proactive to technology and regions. Our teams have an in-depth experience in the MENA market and can, therefore, represent global brands to provide innovative solutions in every vertical. We aim to be present all complementary technologies in the MENA market and will represent the best global brands to achieve this positioning. We will respond to global brands to achieve their technology and market share goals in MENA region. We are the preferred partner for many vendors. We provide unique value addition in technology distribution through Bid Desk. It provides latest, technical and intelligent solutions at the best ROI. Bid Desk enhances competitiveness of our vendors and partners. What is driving your business growth? Customers want to replace obsolete technology with new age technologies and are using them for growth and competitiveness. There are many under-
and un-represented technology brands of the world, and we will work to provide them with the best headstart in MENA region. Since we address the Middle East and Africa region (MEA) our customer base comprises mostly Telecom companies,public sector in Saudi Arabia, and the SMEs sector that constitutes 90% of the UAE economy. Serving SMEs in MENA region through motivated network of system integrators will be our high priority. We also will address the requirements of verticals like aviation, education, healthcare and banking sectors of the region. What are your internal strengths and innovative products in your industry? Innovation is the key to this industry and therefore is embedded in all of our solutions and deliverables. Our customer base is very strong in the public sector of Saudi Arabia and the SMEs in the UAE. We believe in securing a strong partner base for efficient business maneuvering. This helps us increase our visibility in the targeted markets and
Sabir Saleem General Manager Mbuzz
concurrently contribute to the growth of our partners. Where do you excel so far as your employees are concerned? Tell us more about your organization culture. Mbuzz follows an HR model that enables grouping the best of human resource teams in technology field. Our professionals for technology distribution market are geared to provide solutions beyond sales and logistics supports. They are also skilled to respond to the market requirements and thus to represent great brands of the world. The seniors and business unit heads focus on team building exercise. We operate with a lean and flat model which empowers regional teams to make their own decisions and achieve results faster. We train and motivate our team to look beyond achieving numbers by reflecting to the requirements of the end user. All team members work on clear roles with time set objectives and reward model, assuring them career growth too.
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Interview | SAP
Coming Soon: The World’s Smartest Concept Vehicles Security is considered a big concern in IoT projects. But, XYZ, ABC at SAP tells The Integrator that IoT itself is not inherently insecure. He suggests a 5-step approach that organizations can take to secure the Internet of Things
What parameters must businesses consider while designing IoT architecture? The Internet of Things is one of the building blocks of the Middle East’s public and private sector organizations to digitally transform into Intelligent Enterprises. Intelligent Enterprises that undergo digital transformation can gain 85 percent of market share and 23 percent more revenue, according to our recent SAP and Oxford Economics Digital Transformation Executive Study. In 2018, more than 70% of MENA’s digital leaders are investing in Cloud, Big Data, and IoT, according to the study. However, C-suite executives should understand that investing in IoT alone is not enough. Enterprises should first outline the business cases that can be solved using IoT. What are the major challenges posed by IoT? The Internet of Things is still an emerging technology field both regionally and worldwide. Middle East enterprises should co-innovate with specialized channel partners that have the knowledge and skills in IoT. The best channel partners can tie IoT projects into a wider organizationwide digital transformation roadmap. Optimizing the IoT business benefit requires breaking down data silos across different lines of business, and training staff to have basic data science skills to make business sense of the Internet of Things. Middle East organizations can start small with the IoT projects in order to show quick ROI.
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What strategy must businesses adopt to ensure security of their IoT infrastructure? Securing IoT infrastructure, especially critical national infrastructure in Smart Cities, is one of the most pressing concerns among the Middle East’s public and private sectors. The IoT itself is not inherently insecure. The question Middle East CIOs must ask themselves is not what to protect, but rather how to implement and apply security measures. Organizations can take a 5-step approach to securing the Internet of Things: managing risk, limiting device-to-device communication, retaining control over the infrastructure, using endto-end encryption, and leveraging existing expertise. SAP and our channel partners bring decades of experience in IT and enterprise security. We are helping organizations to carefully plan and build-in security, and properly evaluate IoT equipment. What SAP solutions are currently powering Internet of Things? SAP Leonardo is our digital innovation system that can integrate the Internet of Things with technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain to drive the biggest business benefit. Our SAP PartnerEdge Channel Partner Program is enabling the Middle East and North Africa’s channel partners to become specialized in IoT skills, knowledge, and deployments. Supporting the UAE as a global lighthouse for public sector Internet of Things excellence, we plan to launch SAP Leonardo Center at Area 2071, which
would join a global network in Bangalore, New York, Paris, and São Leopoldo Customers, partners, startups, and educational institutions can pilot solutions on SAP Leonardo. What exciting IoT projects is SAP powering? At GITEX, visitors to our SAP stand can experience an exciting IoT innovation with the Middle East debut of one of the world’s smartest concept vehicles. The vehicle’s passenger pod and chassis can be separated and re-arranged for different industry vertical use cases, such as autonomous travel or logistics, smart utilities by charging in smart street lights, or collecting waste from connected waste bins. For more visit www.varonline.com
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