@ GITEX 2019 We are at that time of the year when top companies and best brains from the information technology sector, from around the globe, converge in Dubai and help shape the future. Yes, it is the time for GITEX 2019 and we are witness to the latest in technology and innovative solutions that will likely disrupt the digital world forever.
ontents
Editorial
Living On The EDGE - P-16
Considered the next big thing in the world of computing. Businesses look to gain an edge over competitors.
We spoke exclusively to representatives from these companies and have presented their insights into the technologies and innovative solutions that they believe will shape the future—both in terms of business and consumer use. The main thrust of these information technology companies is on innovation that enables them to deliver better, smarter solutions in order to enable businesses become more productive and environment friendly.
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One such technology which, although, in its nascent stage of adoption, but is being hailed as the next big thing in the world of computing, is edge computing. This technology promises numerous benefits to businesses—prime being reducing latency, improving efficiency, and cost savings— although security still remains a gray area. We present a detailed look into what edge computing technology is and the impact it will have on businesses in the near future. Early movers—Microsoft, Dell, HPE, Cisco, Google, Amazon, Schneider Electric—have already made a lot of headway in the right direction. However, there are challenges as well. And our cover story details them out, as well as workarounds that can help businesses maximize return on investments (RoI).
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The edition would not be complete without information about new product launches, announcements and various initiatives that have kept the market abuzz. We have included all the useful information to help you make informed decisions.
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We will also be holidg our 13th Edition of ICT Champion Awards at teh sidelines of GITEX 2019, wishing every nominee the very best! Happy reading!
Vivek Sharma Managing Editor
Huawei Founder: AI to change how the international community develops - P-6
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Nutanix to Showcase its ‘One Platform For Any App’ for the Multi-Cloud Era at GITEX 2019 - P-9 Ring to Promote Innovative Home Security Products at GITEX - P - 14
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Western Digital at GITEX Technology Week 2019 - P-22
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Toshiba SMART App is an Industry First - P-26
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Experience the First- hand Demo of Un-hackable KasperskyOS at GITEX - P-29
Green Data Centers Are in Trend - P-31
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Veeam Named to the 2019 Forbes Cloud 100 for Fourth Consecutive Year - P-46
Published by: JNS Media International MFZE
Managing Editor: Vivek Sharma Commerical Director: Mallika Rego Content Lead: Deepti Israni Art Director: Faiz Ahmed
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
Toshiba Adds 16TB Capacity to N300 and X300 Internal Hard Drive Series Toshiba Gulf FZE has announced the addition of new 16TB helium-sealed models to both the N300 and X300 Series. The 16TB models offer 14% more capacity than 14TB models. The 16TB models also double the buffer size of the 14TB models, increasing from 256MB to 512MB. The 16TB N300 and X300 Series utilize a 9-disk helium-sealed design, delivering increased storage density with a lower hard drive operating power profile. Toshiba’s laser welding technology and case design keep the helium securely sealed inside an industry-standard 3.5-inch drive enclosure. “Toshiba’s 16TB N300 and X300 deliver new levels of storage capacity and density while offering improved power efficiency utilizing our advanced helium-sealed design,” says Hirohisa Fujiki, Senior Manager of Storage Products Sales & Marketing Division at Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation. The N300 Series is ideal for applications like home office and small business NAS and private cloud storage, with up to eight drive bays supported. Designed for 24/7 operation, the N300 Series has a workload rating of up to 180TB/year, 7200rpm performance and integrated sensors to compensate for rotational vibrations. Designed for PC and high-end desktop workstations, the X300 Series delivers 7200rpm performance, drive stabilization technologies for improved reliability and Toshiba’s cache technology to optimize cache allocation during read/write to provide high-level performance in real time. The N300 NAS series includes a 3-year limited warranty, and X300 Performance series includes a 2-year limited warranty. The 16TB N300 and X300 models are expected to be available in Q4 2019.
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Kodak Alaris Launches New Network Scanning Solutions Kodak Alaris is launching a new wave of networkconnected scanning solutions aimed at tackling the most difficult pain points organizations face when onboarding information into line-of-business applications. The Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution and the Kodak Scan Station 730EX Plus Scanner automate business processes by seamlessly connecting document capture to existing business systems and the cloud. Benefits include fewer touchpoints and less human error, making the entire information capture process smarter and more efficient. The Alaris INfuse Solution integrates directly with enterprise applications and enables customers to carry out tasks in hours which, in the past, may have taken days to complete. INfuse also offers an unprecedented opportunity for channel partners to engage with customers to streamline expensive business processes and quickly grow new revenue streams. The key components of the Alaris INfuse Solution includes Partner Software Application, INfuse Management Software, INfuse AX Scanner. “Exception handling and the opportunity for immediate corrective action is critical,” said Don Lofstrom, President & General Manager, Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business. “Reconstructing and re-scanning documents is difficult and costly. Bi-directional communication enabled by Alaris APIs is a game changer. It places INfuse in a category by itself – a smart, connected scanning solution with IoT capabilities for today’s information capture market.”
A10 Networks Cloud Access Proxy Provides Secure Access and Visibility for SaaS Apps ATEN has announced a new Cloud Access Proxy (CAP) solution that provides secure access to software as a service (SaaS) applications, such as Microsoft Office 365. The latest solution optimizes branch offices with better performance, stronger security and an enhanced user experience. Additionally, it provides full visibility into SaaS applications for improved security. With an increased adoption of SaaS applications, as well as the rapid move towards multi-cloud deployments, enterprise networks are changing with the consolidation of WAN edge infrastructure and migration from MPLS. Maintaining the security and user experience is increasingly challenging in this environment. A10 Networks CAP solves these problems by consolidating different features of multiple point products. “Traditional enterprise networks are not optimized for SaaS application traffic and the security provided by the SaaS vendor is not adequate in addressing today’s cyber threats and increasing use of shadow IT,” said Yasir Liaqatullah, vice president of product management at A10 Networks. “A10 Networks’ Cloud Access Proxy is designed specifically to help organizations optimize the performance and security of their SaaS application traffic,” he adds. The complete Cloud Access Proxy solution, including Thunder 840 Cloud Access Proxy, Thunder CFW, and the centralized Cloud Access Proxy Visibility and Analytics solution, is available now. The centralized Cloud Access Proxy Visibility and Analytics solution will also be available as an add-on app on the A10 Harmony Controller in early 2020.
News Bytes
Honeywell App to Tackle Counterfeit Refrigerants Honeywell has launched an application to combat counterfeit refrigerants in the Middle East region. The new app, named after Honeywell’s Genetron brand of refrigerants, provides proof of authenticity to customers across the region and directs access to important resources for end-users. It was unveiled at a customer event at Honeywell headquarters in Dubai. Genetron branded products have been a target for counterfeiters in the Middle East region. Fake refrigerants can cause a variety of issues, ranging from increased energy use and decreased cooling performance, to significantly reducing the operating life of systems and causing injury and equipment failures. They can also damage air conditioning and contain dangerous chemicals. According to research as little as 2% of the wrong chemicals present in a refrigerant mix can cause costly system failure. The digital platform, specifically beneficial for small and medium enterprises, is part of Honeywell’s ongoing efforts to ensure the correct usage of refrigerants across the Middle East. The app will provide customers with direct and quick access to Honeywell consultants and technicians, and enable users to learn about other new relevant solutions and technologies. “The launch of the Genetron app highlights Honeywell’s commitment to using the latest technologies to create safer communities and industries,” said Amir Naqvi, regional business leader, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, Honeywell Fluorine Products. The Genetron app is free to use for customers and can be downloaded from iOS and Android app stores.
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Huawei Founder: AI to change how the international community develops Ren Zhengfei, CEO and founder of Huawei, hosted an open discussion alongside other prominent guests to examine the role of innovation and trust in the future of the information, communication and technology (ICT) sector. He stated that technology will continue evolving in an unpredictable manner and emphasized that there was no need to feel uneasy about this. Zhengfei was joined in the discussion by computer scientist, futurist, and serial entrepreneur Jerry Kaplan; Professor Peter Cochrane OBE, innovator, academic, and consultant, and Zhang Wenlin, President of Corporate Strategy Department, Huawei. When asked how he saw the future, Zhengfei commented: “I believe that society is on the eve of another explosion of new theories and technologies. Technology will continue evolving in a manner that we cannot predict yet. We can't tell what the trends of the future will be.” Artificial intelligence, however, will have a large role to play. “AI will certainly start being applied on a large scale,” said Zhengfei. “It will just create greater wealth and generate higher efficiency for society as a whole. This means AI will fundamentally change how the international community develops. With support from infrastructure that includes supercomputers, super-large storage systems, and ultra-high-speed connectivity, humanity will welcome a new level of prosperity.” Speaking on AI’s impact on society, Kaplan said: “AI is not magic. It's not really about intelligence at all. It's simply a new wave of automation. Cochrane discussed the purpose of AI and the ICT sector. “First of all, we have to try and create sustainable societies. Transformation demands biotech, nano tech, AI and robotics, and the Internet of Things.
HP - World Wildlife Fund partner on Forest Protection, Restoration and Management At the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit, HP announced its next steps in creating a forest positive future for printing with longstanding partner and conservation leader World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Partnering with WWF, HP is committing to the restoration, protection and conservation of 200,000 acres of forest, an area equal to the size of New York City. As part of the 5-year agreement, HP will also support WWF’s efforts in developing sciencebased targets for forests, estimating carbon and nature co-benefits of forest restoration and improved forest management. By collaborating with WWF, the company is investing in the conservation of the world’s forests and taking meaningful action towards its vision for sustainable printing. HP’s Sustainable Forests Cooperative is designed to drive action now and inspire others to preserve and improve forest ecosystems for future generations. “HP has long envisioned a future bettered by technology and the power it has to create a more sustainable future,” explains Tuan Tran, president, global imaging and printing solutions. “That’s why we’ve teamed up with World Wildlife Fund, FSC and others to create a forest positive future for printing by restoring and protecting the world’s forests for our industry, our customers and our communities.” “The decline of forests around the world increasingly destabilizes our climate and threatens the rich biodiversity that sustains billions of lives and livelihoods,” explains Carter Roberts, President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund. “To reverse the global loss and degradation of forests, companies need to look beyond their own supply chains and implement bold strategies to protect and restore these critical ecosystems. HP’s new project has the potential to deliver meaningful and lasting change and spur other industry leaders to action.”
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Meet Poly at GITEX 2019 T
his year at GITEX Technology Week, Plantronics, Inc. (“Poly” – formerly Plantronics and Polycom) will showcase robust and human-first end-to-end unified communications (UC) solutions for all types of workspaces. Poly’s exhibition of a comprehensive set of smart endpoints will span across both personal and group UC communications. Poly humanises all meetings and workplace collaborations, whether at the noisy open-plan offices, large meeting rooms, busy contact centres, chaotic airports or increasingly popular huddle rooms. 99% of workers have reported being distracted at work and that’s where Poly comes into picture. Paul Clark, Managing Director – EMEA at Poly, comments: “New ways of working and open-plan offices are revolutionizing the workspaces beyond comprehension. Every revolution brings about a new set of perils. Technology has saved the day for companies looking to further their reach ahead of the competition. Poly’s customers have offered employees chaosproof solutions so they can get more done and be happier while doing it, whether they are in a huddle room, on the go or at desks. A noisy contact centre, a large meeting room or even a cloud meeting application thrives when powered with the right UC technology.”
Experience Poly’s latest UC technology at GITEX Technology Week Booth 40 at Hall 8: • All-in-one meetings: G7500 puts content at the centre of the video conferencing experience. With a single interface for 4k content-sharing and video calls, the solution allows anyone to securely share content during the meeting wirelessly from their own device and capture the content for later use as well. • Smaller groups in huddle rooms: A business-class solution for small meeting room users, Poly Studio offers a simple USB plug-and-play connectivity to virtually any cloud-based service to provide enterprise-grade video and audio experience and reduce the frustration caused due to connectivity challenges. • Conference phone to video, flexible meetings: Poly Trio conference phones make any room smart and all meetings scalable, whether the meeting involves audio calls, video calls, content-sharing or all three. • Desk workers, On-the-go workers, Mobile-first workers, Click and talk with Microsoft Team, Real-as-life collaboration experience will also be showcased at the stand. Poly’s solutions can also be experienced at partner stands: FVC at Booth B2, Hall Sheikh Rashid.
Kingston to Unveil Latest Innovative Solutions at GITEX 2019
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ingston Technology will be showcase the latest product launches at GITEX 2019. The company will be exhibiting at their stand H3-B23 in Hall 3; presenting the products and solutions that reflect the company’s achievements of introducing encrypted devices and memory products that will help strengthen the security landscape in the region. The company will present its Supermicro server upgraded with the latest Intel Cascade Lake processor, along with promoting all the memory modules of the portfolio, such as 2933MHz modules and their DC SSD product line. Kingston will also highlight NVMe SSDs in servers, accompanied by live demos of their encrypted USBs. “Data protection has become a baseline requirement for most businesses in these times. At Kingston, we are constantly exploring new solutions for organizations to improve and successfully gain control and visibility of their security environment by mitigating risk in today’s digital world. With our cutting-edge technologies, we continue to upgrade our products infrastructure to deliver on our commitment of supporting digital transformation in the region. Our philosophy of developing new solutions rests
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on the premise of providing products that offer consistent and reliable performance, as has been our hallmark. By actively taking part at GITEX, an event that embodies the UAE's leadership in the field of future technologies, we will be showcasing market leading encrypted storage solutions for data protection, along with high quality Kingston memory solutions that play a prominent role in driving digital transformation and developing the ICT sector in UAE.” commented Laurent Sirgy, Regional Director SEMEA Kingston Technology.
Nutanix to Showcase its ‘One Platform For Any App’ for the Multi-Cloud Era at GITEX 2019
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utanix will demonstrate the power of its advanced Enterprise Cloud software platform – developed around the principles of ease, intelligence and resilience. With oneclick simplicity, including full lifecycle management, Nutanix customers can provision a complete IT infrastructure stack, and manage the delivery of critical applications and data from private, hybrid or multi-cloud environments. Hybrid cloud and automation will be the key focus of Nutanix’s participation at GITEX this year. Executives from the company will discuss the potential for artificial intelligence and machine learning-based automation to improve the efficiency of modern datacenters, as well as demonstrate the latest technologies and innovations for building, running and governing multi-cloud environments. Commenting, Aaron White, Regional Director – METI at Nutanix said: “We have come to an inflection point in the Middle East, where enterprises are wholeheartedly embracing hybrid clouds. As both public and private clouds continue to mature, many companies opt for both, leveraging the two cloud environments to meet their diverse enterprise computing needs. Nutanix believes that the future of cloud in
the Middle East is undoubtedly hybrid cloud.” Mr. White added: “With our company’s well-earned reputation as a global leader in hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), we aim to help regional organizations embrace the power of hybrid clouds by eliminating pain points, and enabling them to manage, govern and optimize applications across public and private cloud architectures. Nutanix is the operating system for hybrid clouds.” Elaborating on Nutanix's fifth annual appearance at GITEX, Mr. White said: “We have found that the discussions we have with regional CIOs and IT managers around cloud are getting more sophisticated every year. The market is definitely maturing which is great for a company like Nutanix that is leading innovation in the cloud space. GITEX is a great platform for our company to not only expose our brand and showcase our latest technology innovations, but also to understand the unique challenges that organizations in the Middle East face when it comes to making the transition to the cloud. This enables us to better address market needs. We are committed to the region and investments in events like this are absolutely key to our growth.”
Sophos To Showcase Its Latest Cybersecurity Innovations at GITEX
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ophos will showcase its latest cybersecurity innovations at GITEX Technology Week 2019, at Sheikh Rashid Hall Stand: SR-D10. Visitors will be able to hear more about Sophos’ endpoint and network security solutions that are powered by deep learning and synchronized security and help organizations of all sizes battle today’s ever changing threat landscape. “Organizations do not have the resources to combat cyber threats like malware, exploits, ransomware and automated, active attacks. Moreover, our research shows the lack of visibility, protection and response capability in the IT security of organizations globally. Under such circumstances businesses need intelligent security solutions that are predictive, multi-layered, and can work together as a system,” said Harish Chib, Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Sophos. “GITEX offers us a great opportunity to demonstrate why every organization needs security that is innovative, integrated and scalable and how next-gen cybersecurity protection from Sophos proactively protects against sophisticated threats. It is also an ideal platform for us to meet partners and develop new partnerships that will strengthen the Middle East channel.” Sophos will showcase its next-gen cybersecurity innovations at
GITEX 2019, including: • Sophos Cloud Optix, which leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to highlight and mitigate threat exposure in cloud infrastructures • Sophos Intercept X with EDR, which features on-demand curated threat intelligence from SophosLabs and deep learning to rapidly detect, prioritize, investigate and respond to incidents • Sophos Intercept X for Server with EDR, which expands Sophos' EDR offering to secure cloud, on-premises, or hybrid server environments • Sophos’ latest release of XG Firewall with lateral movement protection. As part of Sophos Synchronized Security, companies can better manage and defend their network thanks to integration between endpoint and network solutions. Both XG Firewall and Intercept X are now available on Sophos Central’s cloud management platform Sophos Synchronized Security technology allows its network and endpoint protection products to share threat intelligence and respond to security incidents. Synchronized Security is made possible through Security Heartbeat and reduces threat discovery, protection and incident response time - which ordinarily could take hours, days or weeks - to seconds. October 2019 | 9
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Synology's Storage and Data Management Innovations, and Smart Surveillance Solutions on Display at GITEX 2019
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ynology Inc. will showcase its latest product innovations and solutions across three stations, which include storage foundation and digital workplace, smart surveillance solutions, and multimedia and networking for home. "We are happy to announce our participation in GITEX Technology Week 2019 once again this year. It is a perfect platform for us to showcase our best-in-class innovations in Network Attached Storage (NAS), enterprise data protection, file sharing, and file syncing solutions as well as smart surveillance solutions to a niche audience attending the region’s largest technology exhibition from across the globe,” said Nick Jheng, Regional Manager of Middle East at Synology. At GITEX 2019, Synology plans to showcase its complete hybrid cloud solutions, along with its dual controller Synology NAS UC3200 at its storage foundation and digital workplace station for medium and large-scale enterprises. The company will highlight its deep video analytics NAS model DVA3219, powered by NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti graphic card, for the first time in the Middle East at the smart surveillance solution station. It will also showcase its range of new, entry level Synology NAS products,
that are suitable for households, power users, small office and home offices at the multimedia and networking for home station. Synology will present its latest and largest upgrade to its operating system, DiskStation Manager 7.0 (DSM 7.0), that brings increased agility and scalability at mid-range price points. “We see the beginning of large-scale technology transformation taking place in the Middle East region across small and medium businesses and enterprises. As a global networking and storage vendor, we are geared up to make our NAS solution, video archiving, data management applications, and home solutions available through our trusted channel partners, to the end customers," Nick explained. "With our three-pronged use case approach, leveraging NAS in the area of digital workplace, smart surveillance solutions, and multimedia for home, Our solutions meet the pain points of end users in the region with attractive price points, reliability, support and solid relationships from local channel partners," Nick concluded. Senior executives and technology experts from the company will meet customers and partners and hold demonstrations of their latest technologies at the Synology stand H7-C40, Hall 7.
ManageEngine to showcase its AI-enabled IT Management Solutions at GITEX 2019 ManageEngine, an enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation, will demonstrate how the integration of Zia—Zoho's artificial intelligence (AI) assistant—in ManageEngine’s ServiceDesk Plus and Analytics Plus helps customers achieve real business impact. ManageEngine will also use GITEX 2019 as a platform to showcase its best-in-class IT security solutions. The company will exhibit its security solutions that can help combat the increasing number of cyber attacks in the region, and validate why endpoint management is critical to IT security. Some of the key products on display will be its recentlylaunched Device Control Plus and AI-enabled Analytics Plus, along with ManageEngine's other flagship products— ServiceDesk Plus, Desktop Central, and OpManager. “AI technologies are becoming a key success factor for companies seeking a competitive edge. But AI also poses new threats that organizations need to address with proactive IT security so that AI opportunities and benefits do not come at the cost of breaches,” said Nirmal Manoharan, regional director of sales, ManageEngine. “At
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GITEX 2019, we plan to educate visitors and customers about the latest trends in IT, address their security concerns, and help them mitigate those risks.”a Senior executives and product experts from the company will be available at the ManageEngine booth (H7-C1) to meet and interact with existing and potential customers, and share their global experiences and expertise with them.
Honeywell to demonstrate technologies impacting retail, supply chain at GITEX 2019
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oneywell will demonstrate cutting-edge IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) technologies designed to optimize e-commerce operations and advance digital transformation across the region’s retail, transportation, logistics and warehousing sectors at GITEX 2019. With the Middle East’s e-commerce market expected to grow in value to $48.6 billion in 2022, up from an estimated $26.9 billion in 2018, retailers are increasingly leveraging advanced technologies to meet growing consumer expectations around delivery options, shorter delivery timelines and lower costs for shipping goods. Honeywell’s recent “IIoT Market Spotlight – UAE & Saudi Arabia” report, which analyzed the views of approximately 250 C-level executives at medium-to-large companies across key industries, reveals there is a strong and growing appetite among businesses to embrace digitalization to meet market demands. Key data from Honeywell’s research in the transport and logistics sector includes: • 50% of companies say IIoT solutions are critically important to
operations today • 19% say these technologies will become critical to operations during the next five years • 47% say they are actively investing in IIoT technologies, and 70% report they plan to increase investments during the next five years. “Over the past decade, the Middle East’s retail and supply chain industries have undergone a significant transformation due to the growing requirement for the more rapid and seamless delivery of goods,” said Miroslav Kafedzhiev, vice president and general manager for Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions, Middle East, Russia, Turkey and Africa. “At Honeywell, we deploy a range of smart solutions that facilitate digital warehouses and more connected supply chains, where operators can receive, store and ship goods quickly and accurately using advanced software, artificial intelligence and mobile computer technologies.” Over five days of GITEX 2019, Honeywell will address the growing digital demand across retail and supply chain by hosting industry-specific Tech Talks and Executive Briefings.
Posiflex Technology Inc. Brings Serviced IoT Solutions to Life at GITEX Technology Week 2019
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osiflex Technology, Inc., a global leader in Point of Sale (POS), self-service kiosks, and embedded computing technologies will showcase its latest technology and integrated Serviced IoT solutions in GITEX Technology Week 2019 from October 6th – 10th in Dubai World Trade Centre. Posiflex will showcase common field service endpoints represented in a Department Store setting. Field solutions for an array of vertical markets include QSR, cinema, and supermarket. Demonstrations in Hall 3, stand #H3-E10 will include Posiflex’s next-generation state-of-the-art Serviced IoT solutions, which includes POS machines, kiosks and digital signage that are now in deployment, as well as its vision of a seamless retail store concept. The company will also unveil Remote Management System (RMS) technology, which enables real-time alerting and dashboard management of any smart device within the Field Edge Network, including kiosks, POS terminals, transaction peripherals, computers, gateways, and more. With more than 30 years of experience in designing and manufacturing world-class POS solutions, Posiflex expands its expertise with cutting-edge technology. As a result, Posiflex
envisioned that a “One-Stop Solution” can adopt to any business setting. With a full range of products including modular POS solutions and kiosks, Posiflex provides diversified peripheral options including a thermal printer / A4 printer, a 2D barcode scanner, NFC technology, MSR, biometric identification, EMV payment devices, card dispenser, bill acceptor, etc. to fulfill customer need to build up unique machines. By deploying the RMS solution, Canopy - Empowered by Posiflex, users can modernize operations and drive increased visibility and control of Posiflex hardware assets. While maximizing the utility of the data through advanced analytics and automation, RMS-centralized management capabilities enabled through Canopy will help users increase efficiencies and improve uptimes. By combining world-class enterprise POS / Kiosks with a full range of retail-specific peripherals and software, Posiflex is uniquely positioned to help retailers run stores more efficiently as well as create exceptional consumer experiences. Visitors to our booth will see why Posiflex is the leading provider of Serviced IoT solutions for retail stores. October 2019 | 11
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Centrify to Highlight the Role of Zero Trust Privileged Access Management at GITEX
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entrify will showcase its cloud-ready Zero Trust Privilege Services to advocate how Zero Trust mandates a “never trust, always verify, enforce least privilege” approach to privileged access, from inside or outside the network. “The leading cause of most data breaches today is privileged access abuse. Cyber-attackers don’t hack in anymore — they’re logging in using weak, default, stolen, or otherwise compromised credentials, and then are moving laterally across the network to gain further privileged access to steal data while covering their tracks. Analysis of recent breaches highlights the fact that most organizations are still not prepared to protect themselves against identity-based threats. Cyber-attacks will only grow in virulence and volume until they truly prioritize Privileged Access Management. At GITEX 2019, Centrify plans to show visitors how their organizations can significantly strengthen their security posture and greatly reduce the risk of a breach by controlling privileged access and minimizing the attack surface,” says Andy Heather, General Manager EMEA, Centrify. A recent Centrify survey revealed that 45 percent of organizations are not securing public and private cloud workloads with privileged access controls. By implementing Zero Trust
Privilege, organizations minimize the impact of attacks by preventing the threat actor from running wild or at least limit the hackers capability to move laterally. Centrify’s cloud-ready Zero Trust Privilege helps organizations secure access to infrastructure, DevOps, cloud, containers, Big Data, and other modern attack surfaces. “Centrify’s cloud-ready Zero Trust Privilege is designed to handle requesters that are not only human but also machines, services, and APIs. Our Zero Trust Privilege helps customers grant least privilege access based on verifying who is requesting access, the context of the request, and the risk of the access environment,” Heather adds. “GITEX is a perfect platform to meet customers and partners from across the Middle East and Africa looking for the latest cybersecurity solutions and services in one single location. Apart from showcasing our Zero Trust Privilege Services, we look forward to educating customers on the evolving threat landscape and the importance of Zero Trust Privilege, as well as strengthening our regional channel network,” explains Heather. Centrify will be participating with its distributor, StarLink, at GITEX Technology Week 2019 at Stand SR-J2 in Sheikh Rashid Hall.
ThreatQuotient to Debut at GITEX
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hreatQuotient has announced that the company will make its first appearance at GITEX Technology Week this year. ThreatQuotient believes that threat intelligence is the glue that binds together disparate systems and teams, and that a threat-centric security operations platform is foundational to overall security posture. In line with this, ThreatQuotient will use the GITEX platform to promote the ThreatQ platform, to customers and partners. “With threat intelligence as an organization’s foundational element, ThreatQ makes security operations more efficient and effective. Every company has its own unique environments and faces different threats, which is why ThreatQ empowers organizations to set their own specific controls for prioritizing the threat intelligence that is most relevant to them,” said Anthony Perridge, VP of International at ThreatQuotient. “ThreatQ acts as the heart of an organization’s defense system, able to integrate with all security tools that need to work in unison - such as orchestration tools, SIEMs, network security, endpoint software, multiple intel feeds and other processes and we are excited to have a platform like GITEX to showcase our product and solutions to our regional customers and partners.” At GITEX, ThreatQuotient will educate customers and partners on why large and small threat intelligence teams would benefit by using ThreatQ to apply customer-defined scoring of intelligence, quickly deploy threat data to existing sensor grids, and cornerstone workflows to focus on time
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to detect (TTD) and time to respond (TTR). Through their participation, ThreatQuotient also hopes to showcase how it enables a shared understanding across teams and tools within an organization’s defense infrastructure and how by leveraging an integrated self-tuning Threat Library, Adaptive Workbench and Open Exchange, ThreatQ has become the foundation of security operations and threat management systems for organizations across the globe. ThreatQuotient will exhibit alongside StarLink on Stand SR-J1 in Sheikh Rashid Hall. ThreatQuotient’s security experts will be available to discuss the evolving threat landscape and explain why organizations in all sectors need to rethink their approach to security operations.
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Equinix to show digital-ready infrastructure with interconnection at GITEX
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quinix has announced its participation at this year’s GITEX Technology Week and will demonstrate how it can empower businesses in the Middle East in their digital transformation journeys, enabling interconnection of these businesses to networks, cloud service providers and digital supply chains. During the event, Equinix will also share how organizations can use co-location centers to leverage the benefits of edge computing and networking both in the region and globally. “For Middle East organizations to unlock the full potential of applications such as Cloud, Blockchain, AI, Robotics, Middle East businesses will need a highly advanced IT infrastructure and mature digital readiness that enable seamless and secure interaction among all nodes,” said Jeroen Schlosser, Managing Director, Equinix MENA. He added: “For a successful transformation, companies will need to adopt an interconnection-first architecture that will enable them to de-centralize IT and networking and extend their IT operations through the interconnection of people, things, locations, clouds and data”. As the technology industry continues to expand at a rapid pace, today’s businesses see digital technologies that need
to be seamlessly integrated with legacy IT infrastructures to optimize business processes, agility and scale. According to the 2018 Global Interconnection Index (the “GXI”), a market study published by Equinix that analyzes traffic exchange globally; digital business drives real-time interactions to capture greater value. By 2021, at least 50% of global GDP will be digitized, with growth in every industry driven by digitally enhanced offerings, operations and relationships. “Having private connections can help businesses eliminate throughput delays and security risks inherent in internet connections, perfectly complementing the key attributes of these applications,” commented Schlosser. Equinix has been instrumental in helping companies shift to a digital-ready IT infrastructure by providing direct and secure, private interconnection on our global vendor-neutral platform. Today, MENA companies are already using Platform Equinix to access clouds, and many are using a hybrid cloud strategy with a combination of public, private and on-premises capabilities. Equinix experts will be available in Hall 6, Stand H6-3 to discuss the need for interconnection in the region at GITEX Technology Week at Dubai World Trade Center.
Ring to Promote Innovative Home Security Products at GITEX
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ing will promote its innovative home security products and services at GITEX, giving customers and neighbors the opportunity to experience Ring products firsthand and to learn about the devices’ features and benefits. “Ring’s mission to make neighborhoods safer drives every decision we make. Your house is more than just four walls, it’s your home. It’s where we lay our heads down at night, where our children feel safe and where we keep our valuables. Whatever makes your house a home, we want to do everything we can to protect it and help provide convenience and peace of mind to homeowners by keeping an eye on their most important possession, their home, even when they can't physically be there. The goal is to bring the same convenience and security to Middle Eastern neighborhoods,” said Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President of Business Development – Middle East & Africa at Ring. Ring will showcase its latest suite of smart home security products, including the Ring Stick Up Cams, Ring’s first cameras meant for both indoor and outdoor use. With multiple power options, Stick Up Cams give customers maximum flexibility to position the cameras anywhere to secure virtually every corner of their property. In addition, Ring will also showcase all available Ring Doorbells and Cams,
14 | October 2019
which are all Wi-Fi enabled and equipped with HD video, motion-activated alerts, two-way talk, and night vision. GITEX offers an opportunity for Ring to conduct live demos and offer customers the opportunity to touch and feel the product and understand how effective and easyto-use Ring’s solutions for home security are. Ring will explore opportunities to expand its presence in the region by interacting with potential distributors and system integrators by highlighting that Ring provides the ideal home security solution that is affordable, proactive, easy to install, and comprehensive. Ring will be at GITEX at Zabeel Hall Z3-C12.
BIOS Middle East puts the spotlight on Multi-Cloud during GITEX 2019
S
uccessfully advancing customers’ cloud journeys, UAE-headquartered BIOS Middle East together with Cisco, will showcase how customers can efficiently and securely manage workloads across a Multi-Cloud environment, at the GITEX 2019. BIOS Middle East will advise customers on how they can select the most suitable cloud for specific business needs through the Multi-Cloud. Increasingly, organizations are looking to adopt a multi- cloud strategy when it comes to revolutionizing their existing IT infrastructure. According to Gartner, by 2021, at least 75% of large and global organizations will implement a multi-cloud-capable hybrid integration platform, up from less than 25% in 2018. Identifying the market opportunities, BIOS Middle East will emphasize the benefits of BIOS multi-cloud and how customers can achieve comprehensive visibility from a single pane of glass through which they can manage, govern and provision workloads on Microsoft Azure, AWS, CloudHPT and others. BIOS Multi-Cloud also integrates into its Cross Cloud Managed Services, BIOS
Assured, as well as into Cross Cloud Managed Security Services, BIOS Secured. According to the company, this allows for a fully managed and secure Multi-Cloud strategy. “Multi-Cloud environments are rapidly becoming the norm within enterprises. To further demonstrate its capabilities, we will have one-on-one sessions with our customers on Multi-Cloud. As the only Cisco-powered cloud in the UAE, we will continue to work towards significantly growing the business and educating customers on cloud-based solutions,” commented Rudi Feitsma, General Manager, BIOS Middle East. “GITEX is the ideal platform to reinforce our commitment to the region. Multi-Cloud strategies are becoming the backbone of enterprises’ transformation journey. BIOS Middle East has consistently driven value for our customer base and we are excited to capitalize on the market opportunities together,” commented Shukri Eid, Managing Director, Cisco East Region. BIOS Middle East will be exhibiting at Cisco Stand #Z1-B20 in Za’abeel Gulf Comms Hall at GITEX 2019.
Emitac Enterprise Solutions Showcases Innovation at GITEX
E
mitac Enterprise Solutions, an award-winning enterprise solutions provider is showcasing some of the most innovative range of Enterprise Solutions at GITEX this year. Recently awarded with GEC Award 2019 for the “Best Business Transformation Initiative”, Emitac is positioned as a pioneer in the enterprise solutions domain, Emitac, delivers digital transformation and technology services from ideation to execution by combining talent, technology, automated solutions and innovation with our scaled enterprise-level operational platforms. Some of the key highlights from Emitac at GITEX this year included CAFM, a real estate and facility management solution, CardNext, a leading solution for the banking industry, FieldINSPECT and SOC along with technologies SAP, Aruba WiFi, Azure Stack, and Green Lake. Another major innovation showcased by Emitac was Syngraffi, a remote wet-ink solution for digital workspaces. Gautham Raj, CEO, Emitac Enterprise Solutions said, “We want to ensure that our clients and the industry gets the best of innovation from us that can help businesses. GITEX has always been a great platform for us and the technology industry to
engage with the industry professionals and learn from the best in the business and offer the best solutions to our clients.” Emitac Enterprise Solutions and their team will be looking forward to meeting the GITEX 2019 visitor at HPE Booth at Hall 7, Stand 7-A1. October 2019 | 15
Cover Feature | Edge Computing
LIVING ON THE
E
dge computing is considered the next big thing in the world of computing. As more and more businesses deploy edge computing, they will address the challenges and look to gain an edge over competitors. 16 | October 2019
EDGE I
t is estimated that by 2025, globally there will be nearly 55 billion devices in use across smart homes and businesses. These connected devices will generate humongous
amounts of data that will help gain deep-dive insights that will power decision-making— for businesses, society, and governance. However, this same data will pose several challenges—storage, analytics, and security. Businesses are migrating their workloads to the cloud, but ever-increasing volumes of data will cause bottlenecks in terms of speed of transmission, which in turn will impact data analytics. Additionally, not all of this data is relevant or worth analysis. To streamline data analytics and maximize efficiency, edge computing (or simply edge) is the muchdiscussed solution. Edge computing refers to data processing—collecting, processing, and analysis—closer to the source, unlike the cloud where data analytics is centralized. That is not to suggest
that edge computing eliminates the need
University, and Purdue University who
for a cloud. Edge computing is essentially
have come together to form the OpenFog
a cloud-based environment, which resides
Consortium. According to OpenFog, fog is
at the edge of the network. It enables low latency, high-bandwidth, and real-time access to digital information—for instance, in smartphones, automated machines, robots, and so forth. This not only reduces the volumes of data being transferred to the cloud but also speeds up data analytics. Edge computing is being hailed as the next big thing. Although limited in use at present, experts believe that over the next few years, almost six billion IoT devices will
Edge computing refers to data processing— collecting, processing, and analysis - closer to the source
an IT architecture comprising a network of dynamic interconnections. Further, the consortium believes that fog encompasses the complete space between the edge and cloud. As a result, fog is sometimes also considered a super-set, which includes the edge as well as the network that enables transfer of processed data to the cloud. While fog always includes the edge, that is not the case vice-versa.
use edge computing for data processing. Cisco estimates that more than 500
Impact on Data Center
zettabytes of data—primarily created by
The modern data centers of today
IoT—will be processed at the edge, driving
have covered a fair distance over their
greater adoption of edge computing.
Edge vs Fog
journey—having witnessed the rise
Gartner suggests that in 2018, 18% data
Edge and fog computing are often used
of virtualization, SDN, NFV, and so
was created and processed outside of the
interchangeably as effectively they
forth. The journey continues with edge
cloud, which is expected to rise to 75%
leverage computing capabilities of a
by 2025 as more and more organizations
local network to process data, which
adopt edge computing technology.
would otherwise be done in the cloud
Edge computing is gaining ground
and create latency issues. However,
because it increases the reliability
there is a difference in the location of
and responsiveness of numerous IoT
data processing. While edge refers to
applications. Eliminating latency even by
the periphery of the network—closest to
a few seconds can prevent accidents and
the devices, fog refers to the network
save lives—for instance in a manufacturing
connections—LAN or the LAN hardware
setup or self-driving cars where drop in
itself— between the devices and the cloud.
time-to-action of safety sensors can prove
Therefore in edge computing, there is no
immensely helpful. Since the volumes
data transfer, all the data is processed at
of data moving to the cloud is reduced,
the device or sensor-level. Whereas,
edge computing helps decongest the wide
fog computing is a standard that
area network and reduce the bandwidth
facilitates data processing and
requirements—a huge benefit for mobile
occurs in a fog node or IoT
networks. Further, since bandwidth
gateway in a LAN.
requirements are in check, it can help
The term fog computing
IT environments with rather unreliable
was coined by Cisco in
connectivity setup—for example, ships
2014 and is supported
on the high seas or military outposts in
by Intel, Microsoft,
remote areas.
Dell EMC, Princeton
Remi Pouchuq Business Development Manager Schneider Electric October 2019 | 17
Cover Feature | Edge Computing
computing, which will further disrupt the
as they will be limited to a single point in
fundamental nature of the data center.
a network. “Think of edge computing as
An edge data center will feature new variables and new restrictions. From a fleet of racks to a standalone box somewhere at the bottom of a cell tower, edge data center will be unconventional, to say the least. To begin with, edge data centers will bring bandwidth-intensive content and latency-sensitive apps closer to the source of data—at the edge. This will enable businesses to minimize latency, achieve high bandwidth, improve reliability, and
Gartner suggests that by 2025, 75% enterprise data will be processed outside of the cloud
micro data centers that work alongside existing data centers to reduce latency, increase security and deploy IT equipment close to data-intensive applications or users, giving critical resiliency in today's data center ecosystem,” says Remi Pouchuq, Business Development Manager, Schneider Electric.
Applications/Use cases It is considered that edge computing can
achieve greater compliance with data
hold a key role in several applications
security regulations. This will also minimize
and use cases across industries. According
disruptions to the entire cloud architecture
to McKinsey, the industries that can
Edge Computing in Action E
nvision wind turbines: The three million sensors installed in 20,000 wind turbines managed by Envision produce nearly 20 terabytes of data. Envision uses edge computing to reduce time-to-analyze from an earlier 10 minutes to a few seconds. This has helped Envision increase the production from these wind turbines by 15% Coca-Cola vending machines: Powered by edge computing server, Coca Cola Freestyle vending machines dispense over a hundred combinations of carbonated and non-carbonated drinks. Coca Cola's Atlanta-based headquarter gets hourly sales updates from the freestyle vending machines, which is used to understand customer preferences and improve the offerings accordingly. Rust analysis: Identification of rusting in industries helps prevent breakdowns or failures of machines. NVIDIA's chip set—JETSON TX2—allows
18 | October 2019
users to attach their IT cameras to perform edge analytics at the device. The NVIDIA JETSON TX2 can scan objects using machine learning, detect anomalies in machines, use QR scanning to identify machines and predict temperature by integrating thermal sensors. GE digital locomotives: Nearly 200 sensors on GE's Transportation Evolution Series Tier 4 locomotive collects operational data running into gigabytes and processes one billion instructions every second. The locomotive has an onboard edge computing server which enables the train to apply algorithms in real-time and perform at peak performance. Smart solar street lighting: This is a mesh solution that provides mesh hopping across 150 nodes. This implies that one gateway can monitor all nodes. This smart solar street lighting application can monitor and control
remote communications centrally. Palo Alto’s smart infrastructure: Palo Alto, a city in the United States has invested in edge-enabled parking space project where sensors notify drivers about the available parking spaces. This eases traffic congestion and reduces air pollution. Similarly, in the smart traffic signal project traffic lights sync with connected vehicles to help drivers avoid waiting for the traffic light to go green. Smart retail shelf: Using sub GHz mesh technology, multiple shelves are connected to a single gateway. The weight of the shelf is assessed using the sensors which help count and maintain the items. The data goes to the edge, which is then sent onward to the server for processing. Eventually, the user gets the final data and replenishes the items. The solution provides real-time alerts that help efficiently track and replenish the inventory.
potentially have the maximum use
• Micro data centers: As telecom companies
cases for edge computing are: travel,
build 5G cellular networks, IDC believes
transportation, and logistics; energy, retail,
these companies will either locate the micro
healthcare, and utilities. Here are some of the industries and use cases that edge computing is being deployed for: • Oil and gas industry: IoT-enabled devices with embedded sensors are being used to monitor parameters including pressure, temperature, humidity and so forth to gain insights into the state of the systems to facilitate preventive maintenance and prevent accidents.
Edge computing is gaining ground because it increases the reliability and responsiveness of numerous IoT applications
data centers close to the towers or integrate them within the towers to enable businesses to rent these data centers for their own edge computing needs.
Potential Benefits Edge computing is believed to offers numerous benefits. Some of these include: Faster processing: A delay by a couple of seconds—for that matter milliseconds— can be crucial, especially in autonomous vehicles, telemedicine, or manufacturing
• Traffic management: IoT-enabled sensors
units. Data analysis at the edge eliminates
and cameras gather traffic information that
latency and speeds up data analysis. This
must be analyzed real-time to facilitate
real-time data enables faster response and
timely action. Edge computing enables
timely action. Edge computing relieves the
quick data processing closer to the data
network from undue resource requirements
sources and saves critical time-to-action. Also, since it requires fewer resources in terms of bandwidth and storage space, it saves on overall operational costs. • Public security: Similar to traffic management, cameras installed at public places—parking, malls, cafes, and so forth— collect data that be analyzed quickly using edge computing, thereby reducing the load on the cloud and bandwidth requirements. Adding fog computing further enhances security by helping track movement in real-time and detect anomalies. This can be achieve by dividing the video processing from crown-jewel surveillance systems between different fog nodes. • Smart grids: With a thrust on using renewable energy sources, power grids are stressed. Edge computing eases out this stress by streamlining the integration and management of the distributed energy sources through real-time monitoring and analytics into these existing grids. Smart meters provide useful data for analysis that provides actionable insights into production,
availability, and requirement, thereby reducing wastage and preventing outages. • Video delivery: Edge computing makes it possible to optimize the delivery of videos, that are traditionally bandwidth-intensive. A video file is orchestrated, cached, and distributed close to the device—something like a content download network (CDN) in close proximity. This prevents the video from traversing through multiple network hops. • Autonomous vehicles: Autonomous vehicles use artificial intelligence and IoT-based applications. Edge computing enables these self-driving vehicles to exchange and analyze sensory data in real time, which improves decisioning without adding pressure to the on-board resources. • Healthcare devices: Health monitors and wearable devises can be used for telemedicine to save lives in critical cases. This can be achieved by analyzing patient data instantly and sending out alerts to the caregivers, who can quickly take corrective actions.
which results in improved network performance and reduced operational costs. Security: Edge computing distributes the data analytics tools and in the process distributes the risks as well. In case of centralized analytics, a single disruption can impact the entire operations. With distributed risks, a disruption is localized and the other assets remain unharmed. This reduces the overall impact of the disruption and allows businesses to achieve better regulatory compliance. Data processing is done at the edge. Therefore, raw data is not transmitted over the network, which prevents man-in-themiddle attacks. Edge computing also helps ensure sensitive information is processed onsite and only the relevant, processed, anonymized, and privacy-compliant data travels over the network. This ensures sensitive data is duly protected. Optimize costs: Not all data is relevant for analysis and edge computing helps categorize important data. This optimizes the storage required for only the relevant October 2019 | 19
Cover Feature | Edge Computing
data, saving storage costs. Since relevant
computing too has its pros and cons. It
overlooked? Could this discarded data
data is processed at the edge, it eliminates
promises multiple benefits, but it also
provide additional insights? Segregating
the requirement for costly bandwidth,
entails some drawbacks. The prime
data such that it is optimally categorized,
saving significant costs.
challenge that businesses face with edge
improves efficiency, and eliminates loss of
Large data centers need elaborate
computing is identifying the functions that
critical data, is therefore a challenge which
cooling mechanisms that increase the
must be performed at the edge and those
needs to be addressed with caution.
monthly cost of electricity used. On the
in the cloud. The edge computing devices
other hand micro data centers used for
with processing functions are costlier than
will be a need for high-power processors
edge computing reduce cooling costs.
their predecessors. As a result, to operate
that can provide cloud-like remote services
To provide for multi-tenancy, there
the older versions of these devices,
to commercial customers. This will create
by Schneider Electric, while an enterprise
additional equipment may need to be
the need for high-voltage, three phase
would spend about $7 million to build a
deployed, which calls for extra costs.
electricity—a difficult proposition in remote
traditional 1 MW facility, it would need
Building an intelligent edge
According to a white paper published
locations.
just about $4 million to build two hundred
computing framework requires an equally
5-KW facilities.
intensive configuration, deployment, and
The Security Debate
maintenance. Gartner warns businesses
The biggest debate around edge computing
data processing more reliable since its
that deploying and operating edge
is on security. The proponents say that by
reliance on cloud connectivity is minimum.
computing may lead to spiraling costs.
distributing the processing over the edge,
Intermittent network connectivity
Therefore, businesses must evaluate each
the risk also gets distributed and in the
disruptions, therefore, do not impact data
case for the benefits that can justify the
event of a security incident, the effect will
processing at the edge unlike the cloud
return on investments.
be localized and hence will not impact the
Reliable: Edge computing makes
that depend heavily on uninterrupted network connectivity.
Not all available data is processed
entire organization. By limiting the data
in edge computing, which means the
residing in the cloud, the vulnerability to
remaining raw data must be discarded.
possible exposure is also reduced. However,
IoT devices at the edge with the data
Could this discarded data have some
the opponents argue that by increasing the
processing tools when compared with
important data elements that were
number of data processing locations, the
Scalable: It is easier to add more
migrating additional workloads to a cloud
surface for potential cyber attacks increases.
environment as simple modifications in the
Standalone data processing equipment
latter case are not only expensive but also
and devices used for data processing may
resource-intensive.
themselves become attack vectors.
Versatile: Scalability of edge computing lends it versatility, which enables businesses to partner with local edge data centers for their unique business needs— without the need incur infrastructure costs. Besides, they can cater to their end users rather swiftly. Maintenance: Micro data centers allow for maximum accessibility and fair amount of portability. These can therefore be used closer to the users and in situations that need hosting for time-critical functions.
The security challenges in edge are
Gartner predicts the edge computing market will surpass $13 billion worldwide by 2022
similar to those for IoT devices. According to Gartner, security at the edge is a challenge due to lack of traditional IT hardware protocols in most IoT devices. These devices may lack security configuration and software updates, providing opportunities for potential cyber attacks. It is for this reason that experts suggest the zero trust security approach which can help ensure IoT devices powering an edge computing framework do not act as a gateway for cyber attack. In addition,
The Challenges
data encryption, access control, VPN
As with any other technology, edge
tunneling can help enhance security of
20 | October 2019
the edge computing framework. Gartner
the platform to be remotely monitored
advises businesses looking to deploy edge
and controlled. With the Edge Module for
computing to critically evaluate the security
IoT applications and mobile, businesses
of the devices they propose to include in
can process IoT data at source without the
their edge computing infrastructure. Beside cyber security, physically securing the edge computing infrastructure from tampering is also important. This makes it all the more challenging as in an attempt to make the system resilient to physical attacks, it may not remain edge computing after all!
Implementation Strategy Edge computing is not a simple plug-
Businesses looking to deploy edge computing must craft an implementation strategy
need to send it to a remote data center. Schneider Electric also offers micro data centers that can be quickly deployed at edge locations. This standardized infrastructure includes software, cooling, PDU, UPS, and security.
The Road Ahead Edge computing is considered the next big thing in the world of computing, which is well on its way to becoming a multi billion
and-play deployment. It entails sweeping
dollar market—Gartner predicts the edge
changes to technology architectures and
computing market to surpass $13 billion
processes which requires services to
worldwide by 2022. Experts believe that it
manage expansion and evolution—both on
will have a much larger impact—probably
the software and hardware fronts—as well
even bigger than the internet—and will
as expert resources.
completely transform the way we live analytics. Microsoft recently introduced
as a society, although it may take a long
computing must craft an implementation
Azure IoT Edge service that includes
time to reach its full potential. That is not
strategy that begins with identifying the
container modules, edge run-time, and a
to suggest that cloud will lose its ground.
right use cases and addresses all key areas—
cloud-based management interface.
Instead, cloud will assume a greater role
Businesses looking to deploy edge
devices, costs, security, scalability, service
Dell's IoT division offers products and
in the processing landscape and will have edge computing sharing its workload.
portability, monitoring, and governance.
services including edge gateways, VMware's
Businesses must understand that a cloud-
Pulse IoT Center, PowerEdge C-Series servers,
native mindset can help develop services in
Isilon storage and Pivotal Cloud Foundry.
use of these devices in edge computing,
an edge architecture because when cloud-
Some of the IoT and edge initiatives that the
the issue of security of IoT devices
native services evolve, service integration
company has undertaken include Nautilus,
will attract more debate. As more and
and delivery must also evolve. “Having the
Fire, IRIS, and Worldwide Herd.
more businesses begin deploying edge
right balance of edge computing and cloud
Cisco offers a range of routers,
Going forward, with an increase in the
computing, they will address the challenges
computing can maximize digitization and
access points and other solutions for
and look to gain a competitive edge.
cost efficiency benefits,” advises Pouchuq of
edge computing deployments. The Cisco
Amazon, Dell, Google, Hewlett Packard
Schneider Electric.
Industrial Compute Gateway IC3000 offers
Enterprise, IBM, Microsoft, and Schneider
Businesses would also do well to
built-in security and manageability, which
Electric are leading the way with edge
evaluate solutions available on the market
helps quickly translate insights into actions.
computing solutions already available and a
and make selections according to their unique business needs.
Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure IT
lot of research currently underway.
solution provides insights on critical IT
End users will experience the
environment assets that help optimize
transformation but may never really
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure,
performance and mitigate risk. The
understand the ubiquity of the smart
and Google Cloud—the three cloud giants—
software platform features key locks, rack-
devices and smart technology - working
are supplementing their IoT offerings
mounted and exterior cameras, exterior
quietly in the background - to make
by building-in edge gateways and edge
lights, and a card kit key reader that allows
everything work in tandem.
According to Forrester Research,
October 2019 | 21
Interview | Western Digital
Western Digital at GITEX Technology Week 2019 Are you launching any new products or services at this year’s GITEX? As consumers generate more content than ever, Western Digital is creating and delivering innovative solutions to help them capture, share and manage it all. At GITEX Trade Week 2019, we will be showcasing our latest offerings, ranging from SanDisk’s all new 1Tb microSD card, the WD Black P10 gaming drive and WD’s innovative portfolio of internal SSDs, all the way to WD Purple’s broad storage portfolio for security & surveillance and Western Digital’s Ultrastar datacenter drives.
Khwaja Saifuddin Senior Sales Director, ME Western Digital Corporation
What differentiates your company for your competitors? Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. We drive the innovation needed to help the world capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. On your phone, in the cloud, across organizations—everywhere data lives, we’re there to drive the innovation necessary for the best results today and tomorrow. New devices, new systems, new solutions and world-class data infrastructures, all optimized and tuned to create the right conditions for data to realize its full potential. We help the world capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. As a-leader in data center infrastructure, we accept the responsibility to empower people and systems that depend on data.
22 | October 2019
What are the most exciting developments in the Middle East’s technology landscape over the last 12 months? Even as new technologies are developed, innovation around the application of existing technology is rapidly changing how organisations operate. Leaps in computing capacity, data capture and connectivity are accelerating this change. There hasn’t been one single trending technology in 2019, but a bunch of technologies have instead made their presence felt. Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Internet of Things, blockchain and Automation have been the key hot topics for quite some time now. IoT, important one for Western Digital Corporation, is one of the technologies that remain to expand continuously. Understanding and working with different types of data in the IoT ecosystem, where data can be cultivated, is the bread and butter of Western Digital. As always, Western Digital provides pristine and high-endurance IoT solutions in a myriad of commercial industries, which allows management of data and work function to last for a long time. Moreover, the evolution of Edge Data Centers & Software Defined Data Centers with the introduction of 5G and concepts like Mobile Edge Computing. The primary
driver of edge data centers and the need to reduce latency to support a range of applications from autonomous vehicles to artificial intelligence to deep learning to robotic surgery have made a profound impact on the progression of the data centre market and Western Digital is at the forefront to address its needs through its diverse product portfolio. What are your goals and objectives for the remainder of 2019? The volume and complexity of data will only increase. This explosion of data brings with it unprecedented opportunities. Customers are looking for storage solutions that unlock the value of data. Storage technology needs to be geared towards enabling business leaders to make better, more informed and smarter decisions that are backed by not just data but by insights. At Western Digital, we will continue our drive towards developing industry-leading solutions that create an environment where the flow of information leads to smarter decisions, breakthrough discoveries and deeper connections. What do you think are the challenges organizations in the Middle East face in their digital transformation journey? In this digital era, companies across all industries need to embrace new technologies and business methods to stay relevant and ahead of their competition, which means improving their customer interactions and experiences, and therefore unlocking their business models. Commenting on our region specifically, and according to McKinsey, many businesses are interested in digitization, but only a few of them have moved aggressively enough. According to the report by McKinsey, 82% of the region’s population already own smartphones. Surprisingly enough, the progress on digital transformation among companies has been limited.
Interview | Linksys
Ultrafast, Secure Wi-Fi is the Foundation for Middle East Smart Cities
Amanullah Khan Managing Director Linksys, Middle East, Turkey & Africa
What's your focus area for this year's GITEX? In 2018, Foxconn Interconnect Technology merged with Belkin International (Belkin, Linksys, Wemo, and Phyn) to create a global consumer electronics leader. This year, Belkin, Linksys, and Phyn will jointly participate for the first time at GITEX 2019 under the new Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT)entity. Supporting the Middle East’s increasing levels of connectivity across the business, industry, and consumer markets, we will showcase integrated solutions that demonstrate the power and ubiquity of Middle East organizations and consumers adopting connected things, connected home, and smart utilities. In terms of Smart City projects, how will connectivity requirements be met? Ultrafast and secure Wi-Fi is the foundation
for Middle East Smart Cities to leverage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things to enhance citizen services and happiness. One of the biggest Smart City opportunities is in the Smart Home. While we’re currently talking about smart lighting and voice assistants, even smarter and connected devices will integrate with one another to transform experiences. For example, Linksys Velop can provide the underlying Intelligent Mesh WiFi system can connect to Phyn smart water solutions that can protect homes from leaks by learning about water usage and smart kitchen ranges. In the UAE, for example, we are working with the telco du to offer the Linksys Velop as part of their solutions portfolio, and to equip front-line technicians and field engineers with best-in-class expertise on Linksys Velop to transform customer communication capabilities and to innovate physical and digital touchpoints. How can businesses provide secure mobile connectivity to their on-themove workforce? The threat of cyber attacks is at an alltime high. Cyber criminals have become more sophisticated, and significantly better funded to pursue their ultimate target—your network assets. Belkin’s secure KVM switching solutions can protect organizations and their valuable network assets from harmful behavior. Secure KVMs allow users to share a single keyboard, mouse, and video displays across multiple systems. This NIAP (National Information Assurance Partnership) certified peripheral sharing capability maintains air-gap isolation between computing devices and protects networks where they are most vulnerable, the desktop. How do you see technology disrupting
customer service? Retailers are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to personalize customer experiences – and to cater to customers’ different mobile product devices and usage. At Belkin, we do a lot of consumer testing and research to determine the main points that our end-users have in hardware and charging. As a result, our range of Belkin connected charging and audio products and solutions are catered to different product ranges, including Apple iOS, Google Android, Samsung, and Huawei. Each device charges at a different speed, and each with its own proprietary charging technology. Middle East retailers are transforming in-store experiences to provide customers with opportunities to touch and feel and interact with charging and audio products. Are you announcing new products or partnerships at GITEX? Linksys will demonstrate the latest innovations that can enable seamless connectivity across the Middle East’s residential market. These include the Linksys Velop Whole Home Mesh WiFi systems, with Intelligent Mesh and multiple nodes installed around homes for solid WiFi coverage throughout the house, Linksys Cloud Manager, which can manage all of an organization’s networks, access points, and clients under one intuitive and centralized dashboard in the cloud, Linksys Shield for enhanced parental controls and network security, and SMB portfolio of solutions. Belkin will showcase product wireless chargers, Thunderbolt docks, audio portfolio, fast charging solutions, and many other things connected. Phyn will increase awareness of industry leading SmartWater.
October 2019 | 23
Interview | AOC
AOC's sleek designs enhance user’s surroundings AOC has a full range of product portfolio be it for the enthusiastic gamers or professionals and designers, informs Carol Anne Dias, Regional Sales Director MEA at AOC. As one of the oldest manufacturer of display, how has AOC kept pace with changing technologies and is addressing consumer choices? TPV Technology being the world’s largest manufacturer of computer monitors with almost 33% market share, keeping pace with the changing trends and consumer needs has been our key focus. AOC’ being our own brand, caters to the a variety of consumer needs—from high resolution 8K/4K, to narrow bezel for multi-display and productivity, slim and border-less designs. With gaming and iCafes becoming increasingly popular, AOC offers a full product range for gaming—monitors from Nvidia G-sync to AMD Freesync, with G-Line and their premium range AGON series. The latest connectivity USB Type-C and Thunderbolt are some of the features in the portfolio. Hence be it a gamer, or a designer, from B2B to B2C segments, AOC monitors cater to every individual’s requirements. What innovations have you have introduced to keep attracting gamers? AOC’s curved gaming monitors create a whole new level of immersion, allowing you to fully dive into your favorite games. Curved screens create less distortion compared to traditional flat designs, resulting in a more convenient experience. Gamers can choose from Freesync to G-Sync models with AOC Lighting Sync technology allowing the gamers to synchronize the lighting according to their moods. They feature the lowest response time 1ms/0.5ms and higher refresh rates 200hz/240Hz. AOC has also introduced the super-size series ranging from 35’’ to 49’’ with height adjustable stands. For instance, the AG493UCX FreeSync 2 & HDR400 feature
Carol Anne Dias Regional Sales Director, MEA AOC
120Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, low input lag, HDMIx2/DPx2/USB-C( DP alt mode), two 5W speakers, PIP & PBP, remote control, and height adjustable stand. What does your new range include and what segment does it target? AOC Flagship -U1 series with 31.5’’ UHD 4K features an unparalleled design, with unmatchable brightness, HDR600 with more detailed and stunning colors. A wide viewing angle enabled by IPS technology, more than 135% sRGB, and 104% DCI-P3 color coverage lets you see rich color, greater depth, and a wider range of shades no matter where you sit. So, whether you’re watching a movie, playing a game or working on a presentation, you’ll see superb visuals. HRD movies shine like they were meant to.
How you plan to engage channel more deeply for the sales push? AOC works closely with its partners and implements programs best suited for them. Currently, AOC is running a mega promotion, extended for the full quarter with a very achievable target. Customers can opt for trips or phones or travel vouchers and rebates. How does your product line help professionals and high-end designers meet their demanding needs? With our P-Line Professional range of monitors, we cater to high resolution QHD & UHD powered by 3.6M pixels to enhance the customers' viewing experience. Sleek designs and clutter free cabling connectivity enhance the user's surroundings. October 2019 | 25
Interview | Toshiba
Toshiba SMART App is an Industry First Toshiba has a complete 360-degree range of products that cater to the data storage needs— from memory cards in smartphones to client HDD on the PCs to dedicated drives for high performance computing, gaming, and NAS applications, informs Santosh Varghese, General Manager, Middle East and Africa, digital products and services, Toshiba Gulf FZE.
What are some of your innovative products on demo at the GITEX 2019? Toshiba will display its high capacity 16TB Enterprise HDD which will be the showcase model. It’s the highest capacity so far and incorporates the Helium technology which ensures over 50% saving on power consumption. Also on display will be other mission-critical and high capacity Near Line HDD that are used for today’s data centers and server farms. We will also display a wide range of dedicated surveillance products from 2TB to 10 TB. What measures are you taking to address the evolving storage needs for performance, gaming, and small office NAS applications in the MEA region? Currently, we are witnessing data explosion, which is expected to reach 166ZB (zeta bytes) by 2025. Toshiba has a complete 360-degree range of products that cater to the data storage needs—from memory cards in smartphones to client HDD on the PCs to dedicated drives for high performance computing, gaming, and NAS applications. What are your growth plans for the region? Toshiba currently has 30% market share in its consumer storage business and 17% in the enterprise segment, mainly in the surveillance storage. Our plan is to sustain our leadership position in the region. With our channel strategy of Go Wide-Go Deep, we will strengthen our business in the emerging markets like Egypt and West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana).
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Santosh Varghese General Manager, MEA Toshiba Gulf FZE
How are you strengthening your customer-facing workforce with the launch of Toshiba SMART App? Toshiba SMART App is an industry first. We are the first brand in the IT segment to launch an app for our channel partners and customers. The app provides complete product information, use cases, and marketing collateral, which will add value across the ecosystem. How do you propose to leverage the opportunities presented at GITEX 2019? GITEX is a platform to showcase the latest technology and solutions and also connect with businesses across the region. We have decision-makers (IT managers, CIOs, etc.) from GCC visiting the show and also big representation from the Africa region. GITEX helps connect with businesses which may be missed out by conventional sales processes.
Toshiba SMART App is an industry first. We are the first brand in the IT segment to launch an app for our channel partners and customers.
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Interview | OMA Emirates
Startups are Discovering Exciting Niches process, V-POS, merchant acquiring mobile app and digital wallet. What innovative solutions do you deploy for the oil and gas businesses? OMA has implemented the retail automation solution, which help the customers to get enhanced customer payment experience without human intervention. Customer can drive in, do self-fueling, pick up the product from un-manned retail store and drive off. The integrated retail automation system will do the customer identification, product payment status check, payment authentication, settlement, and inventory management.
Niranj Sangal Group CEO OMA Emirates Group
Smart pass, biometric and face ID authentication, and voice pass can help overcome traditional methods of check-out and payment authentication issues, while enhancing customer experience and cyber-security, informs Niranj Sangal, Group CEO, OMA Emirates Group. What challenges do financial institutions face in delivering online services? Financial institutions are currently facing the pressure to innovate new technologies with the competitive market. Some of the challenges in implementing the same are: • Cyber-security • An absence of online identity verification • High fraud volume • Delivering an omni-channel customer experience • Maintaining customer loyalty
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Please tell us about your solutions for card personalization, payment issuance, and payment acquiring systems. As a technology-centric company, OMA Emirates provide an end-to-end solution for card personalization, payment issuance, and payment acquiring systems. This not only includes our solutions, hardware, project implementation, management, infrastructure and data center management but also enhances personalization, payment issuance, and payment acquiring product portfolio by introducing robotic process automation, instance issuance kiosks, e-KYC
How are you helping online retailers streamline their payment systems for enhanced customer experience and greater check-outs? To overcome the traditional methods of check-out and payment authentication issues, we have introduced smart pass, biometric authentication, face ID authentication, voice assistance and voice pass which not only enhances the customer experience but also cyber-security. How are you empowering start-ups to leverage technology in order to fuel and sustain business growth? Today startups are actively pursuing innovations and technologies which assist in easing many of the operational activities. From automated finance management solutions to AI systems, learning how and when to take advantage of these innovations, consistently attempting to bring fresh ideas to the table. There are many startups today that prefer taking the path of doing something different, something unique and move on to discover an entirely new, exciting niche within the market place.
Interview | Kasperksy Lab
Experience the Firsthand Demo of Un-hackable KasperskyOS at GITEX Amir Kanaan Managing Director, META Kaspersky Lab
How do you envision increasing adoption of IoT changing the security landscape? The main purpose of IoT is to connect devices to each other to help users achieve heightened levels of convenience in order to maximize their own productivity and efficiency. However, with this level of connectivity it does pose a lot of threats. Typically speaking, if a device is compromised it does not affect any other devices because they are independent of each other. In the near future though, if one device has a security flaw that can be taken advantage of, the entire network can be corrupted giving access to sensitive material that could be used to exploit organizations and individuals. IT professionals, as a result, will need to become more diligent in terms of securing their data to avoid data breaches that could cost businesses billions of dollars. What's your motivation to participate in this year's GITEX? GITEX gives us an ideal platform to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity for organizations of all sizes. We are proud to showcase our range of market leading solutions which gives businesses the opportunity to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. Over the duration of GITEX, we also look forward to providing our expertise, technologies and services to enterprises in the region and beyond to help fight cybercrime. GITEX has always allowed us to have meaningful conversations with customers, partners, and the industry at large. What solutions can businesses adopt to get ready for an increasingly digital world? It is difficult to pinpoint which specific solutions businesses need to adopt to get ready for an increasingly digital world because there is an application and solution for any kind of emerging technology like 5G, AI, IoT and more, that can help companies maximize profitability and efficiency. This also varies based on each company’s specific need.
There is an application and solution available for any kind of emerging technology like 5G, AI, IoT and more to help companies get ready for an increasingly digital world and help them maximize profitability and efficiency, informs Amir kanaan, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Kaspersky Lab.
However, the one thing that we are certain about is that a company’s data is something of extreme value and needs to be protected; which is why it is absolutely imperative to secure it. Having cyber criminals access a company’s data and hold it at ransom or sold to competitors is catastrophic to any organization. KaspersyOS is one solution that could benefit any organization especially when dealing with cyber criminals that are using emerging technologies to serve their own interests. KasperskyOS aims to protect software and data systems from the consequences of intrusion of malicious code, viruses and hacker attacks. Are you making any announcements pertaining to products or partnerships at GITEX 2019? operating system dubbed, KasperskyOS. It is a specialized operating system that has been designed for embedded systems with strict cybersecurity requirements. We are looking forward to meeting and collaborating with hardware manufacturers who might be open to developing the KasperskyOS for their own products. Our focus at GITEX will continue to be on our extensive B2B enterprise solution range. We are proud to showcase our flagship product - Kaspersky Threat Management and Defense. It delivers a unique combination of leading technologies and services which support the implementation of an Adaptive Security Strategy. We will also showcase our threat intelligence services that deliver in-depth visibility into cyber threats targeting organizations. GITEX also gives us a platform to have a conversation on-ground with potential customers. Members of our Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) will be present over the course of the GITEX week. These talented security professionals will be at the stand ready to meet possible customers and provide them with their unrivaled expertise on all things cyber security. Lastly, we will also be unveiling a brand new product that will help companies developing blockchain solutions to become cyber immune. October 2019 | 29
Interview | Touchmate
Make Your Home or Office Smart TOUCHMATE has partnered with Tuya to deliver smart home and smart security products to this region, informs Vasant Menghani, founder and CEO at Touchmate.
What products will you display at GITEX? TOUCHMATE will introduce the latest smart home product range at GITEX. How do you propose to increase the reach of your products in the region? TOUCHMATE has partnered with Tuya, an artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) company with headquarters in California and China to deliver smart home and smart security products to this region. Through this partnership with Tuya,TOUCHMATE aims to be the leader in developing next-generation smart home products backed by superior technology and at competitive pricing. What specific needs of the smart homes will you cater to? A connected home, also called a smart home, puts computer network technology to use for the added convenience and safety of families. TOUCHMATE smart home products allow you to control the entire home just your smartphone in your hand. Today with smart home technology, you can control all the home or office systems functions through the internet via mobiles and tablets wirelessly from anywhere. Modern connected home devices use wireless network to communicate with each other. After being into the IT business for more than three decades, we at TOUCHMATE understand the need of smart home products in this region to make life easy and comfortable. TOUCHMATE's new smart home products with Tuya smart chip technology, is now available and allows you to make your home or office
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Vasant Menghani Founder & CEO Touchmate
completely smart. You can control the lighting, climate, curtains, blinds, music systems, energy management, device automation, and security. What are some of the products in the smart home product range? Our smart home product range includes: 1. TOUCHMATE Smart Camera Allows you to know what’s happening at home. It's built-in motion detection will alert you to unexpected activity. Take action by checking out what’s happening at any time with enhanced night vision or using the two-way audio to listen and talkback via the built in microphone and speaker. 2. TOUCHMATE Smart Doorbell on your doorstep shows you the waiting Amazon package and even though you are not at home, you can still communicate and accept package. Visitor’s full activities can be monitored and can be stored in smartphones.
3. TOUCHMATE Intelligent curtain control allows you to open and close the curtains while staying in bed or from your office. 4. TOUCHMATE Smart LED bulb is essential for every home. It enables you to light up your home before you step-in remotely—even when you are on holiday—for better security. 5. TOUCHMATE Smart Socket Adapter – Users can control different appliances remotely, that are connected through this power socket adapter. 6. TOUCHMATE Smart Power strip – You can add intelligence into home environments, such as triggering a ceiling fan to switch on when someone walks into a room or lights to switch off when someone leaves. Music system, TV, lights, appliances, lamps etc. can be controlled through smartphones connected to these power strips. Any device in your home that uses electricity can be put on your home network and at your command.
Interview | D-Link
Green Data Centers Are in Trend
Sakkeer Hussain Director - Sales & Marketing D-Link MEA
No matter the size of your organization, technology brings both tangible and intangible benefits to help businesses fuel growth and meet customer requirements, says Sakkeer Hussain, Director – Sales and Marketing, D-Link Middle East and Africa
How do you see 5G disrupting the connectivity landscape? 5G is predicted to be a catalyst to enormous technological advancement as connectivity, the foundation of digital communication, continues to evolve. As 5G is entering into a crowded market, the connectivity landscape is getting complex and fragmented with numerous technologies overlapping in function and addressable market. Nevertheless, consolidation of 5G along with other standards, going forward, will increasingly simplify this landscape. Developments in connectivity will pivot around varied and changing requirements for ubiquitous and deep coverage, low latency and high bandwidth which 5G has on offer. How will storage systems evolve to keep pace with the burgeoning amounts of data being generated by smart devices? For many years, cloud computing has played the role of a reliable and cost-effective technology to connect a plethora of smart devices to the internet. However, the continuous rise of IoT has put a strain on networking bandwidth. This challenge is being catered to by edge computing technology, where small, distributed data centers
being deployed to provide hyper-local storage at the edge of the network. What will the data centers of the future look like? In today’s era, where, even half percentage of energy saved is a treasure for the coming generation, big companies are shifting towards developing strategies that can help the environment as well as act as a business benefit to them. Designing, building, and operating a green data center is in trend, which aims for a green environment, thereby shaping the future of data centers. How can the SOHO segment benefit from the rapid developments in these technologies? Technology developments has important effects on business operations. No matter the size of your enterprise, technology has both tangible and intangible benefits that will help you make money and produce the results your customers demand. Different industries and companies rely on technology in different ways, but some benefits of technology developments in business include improved communication, optimized production, inventory management and financial record-keeping October 2019 | 31
Interview | TP-Link
Faster, Better Connectivity with WiFi 6
What is WiFi 6 and what are its advantages? As the number of devices rises dramatically, numerous apps and services compete for network resources, crowding your network and creating lag. To solve this problem, WiFi 6 (also known as 802.11ax), a next-gen high-efficiency WiFi standard, was created. The newest WiFi standard aims to solve the problem of congestion and satisfy the growing need for efficient WiFi connections. It delivers four distinct advantages: • Super-Fast Speed: 1024-QAM and long OFDM symbol boost overall speeds up to an incredible 9.6 Gbps, 40% faster than WiFi 5. • Connects More Devices: The most important improvements to WiFi 6 are reducing congestion and allowing more devices to connect to the network. WiFi 6 can simultaneously transfer data to dozens of devices with OFDMA and UL/DL MUMIMO, while WiFi 5 can only do so for four devices, at most. • Low Latency: With OFDMA and Spatial Reuse Technology, WiFi 6 can deliver multiple parcels to several devices simultaneously with no need for them to wait their turn. This reduces the time delay and competition of bandwidth resources, improving the whole network efficiency. • Low Power Consumption: Target Wake Time (TWT) allows devices to
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negotiate when and how often they will wake up to send or receive data, increasing device sleep time and substantially improving battery life for mobile and IoT devices. How are you making your product line compliant with this new WiFi standard? TP-Link will provide a comprehensive WiFi standard upgrade across all product lines on both network devices and client devices. We continue to work on launching home network devices like the already launched Archer AX6000 WiFi 6 Router, which is armed with blazing-fast WiFi speed and 2.5 Gbps high-speed internet access. Three other models are planned for release in 2019 to meet various network requirements. In addition, TP-Link will combine WiFi 6 and mesh technology to develop a brand-new product for the Deco series, providing a whole home mesh WiFi 6 solution. In addition to the products mentioned above, VDSL modem routers, range extenders, wireless adapters, and business access points will also have better performance after the upgrade with WiFi 6 What is the performance level of these products? Not only does TP-Link have a plan for WiFi 6, but our products also have superior performance thanks to our advanced technology. For example, Archer AX11000, which
aims to dominate the gaming with WiFi 6, is the world’s fastest gaming router. WiFi 6 features and Tri-Band take the WiFi speed to a whole new level—11,000 Mbps. Three WiFi bands make it possible to dedicate one band to gaming traffic while the remaining two bands deliver high speed WiFi to the rest of the home. Furthermore, the cutting-edge hardware and software are greatly optimized to guarantee an excellent gaming experience. However, if you have a limited budget for home network devices, Archer AX10 and Archer AX50 may be good choices. Archer AX50, a 3,000 Mbps dual band gigabit WiFi router, is armed with an Intel Home WiFi chipset which has a more stable and low latency connection with next-gen PC and mobile devices. What are some of the other innovative products and technologies you are working on? In addition to the basic features of WiFi 6, TP-Link also has some advanced exclusive technologies and products. These include: • HomeCare: TP-Link HomeCare, provides a kit of features to help you create a personalized, secure network that caters to the whole family Other Showcased products and solutions are • OneMesh, Flooding Inhibition Technology, APS for Data Package, Range Boost for IoT, Truly Seamless Roaming, CPU Auto-Boost.
Interview | Malco
There is No One-Size-Fits-All Infrastructure Web-based application software accessible on tablets, smart phones and laptops help monitor complex operations in real time with 100% accuracy, informs Huzaifa Kanorwala, General Manager MALCO
Huzaifa Kanorwala General Manager MALCO
How are you helping businesses create infrastructure that can help deliver on the evolving customer expectations? We believe infrastructure is the foundation on which modern businesses are built. The right infrastructure is crucial and ensures that the firm is at its most productive – maximizing ROI and minimizing costs and risks. The type of infrastructure that is best for every business is dependent on several factors – there is no "one size fits all". Malco Technologies believes in providing companies with infrastructure solutions that focus and caters to customers’ requirements. With our specialized team of technology experts and wealth of industry knowledge from multiple business sectors, we work with our clients to ensure that they have the best choice of infrastructure solutions for their business requirements.
In the wake of smart city projects, how will the data centers evolve? As the technologies of the Internet of Things (IoT) become increasingly prolific, we can soon expect to see smart cities relying on it to improve the way we live, work and travel. Manufacturing industries and factories around the world have copious amounts of data that need to be stored and secured. Titanic amounts of data, noisy IT equipment, unsafe cable management, etc., are the problems these industries face and these loose ends pose a huge threat to major industries. Understanding these issues, Malco Technologies provides the perfect solution for data security and storage. We not only distribute a variety of products like Server/ Network Rack and accessories, but also provide an array of services that serve to store, secure, integrate and systematize passive and active network components. How do you help businesses ensure real-time monitoring of complex operations? We distribute smart infrastructure cabling solutions that gives visibility of the physical network by automatically mapping, locating, reporting and alerting on any network ‘event’ whether this is the logical connection/disconnection of a device or a physical change to the infrastructure. For real time monitoring of complex operations there are web-based application software that can be accessed on tablets, smart phones and laptops to provide 100 percent accurate records. At Malco Technologies, we also distribute PDU’s and ATS that monitor the real time power consumption by an individual equipment installed within data centers and help with EMS (Environmental Monitoring System) and proper air
sealing for CAC (cold aisle containment) in order to drastically reduce the power consumption used for cooling. Please tell us more about your solutions for the next-generation systems in the energy sector. Malco Technologies supports the state-ofthe-art equipment that is available now for a next-generation future proof system that can lock in your savings no matter what power failure does going forward. Malco Technologies ensures continuous availability of power and the safe operation of critical applications in all environments with UPS, PDUs and power cords. At Malco Technologies, we understand that customers now require more than just the basic level of power protection for their critical systems. They now need solutions that can operate even when exposed to harsh elements. We distribute a fully digital, double conversion UPS solution that offers efficiency of up to 96.3 percent over a wide range of load conditions, resulting in significant cost savings. It has a Power Factor (PF) of 1.0, delivering more power than standard UPS solutions. Please share your vision on how you propose to grow business in the region. We believe that Malco Technologies now has the right team, right capabilities and the right solutions needed to achieve greater momentum in the region. We are confident that we have the perfect partners whose solutions can be successfully marketed. As one of our set goals, we have successfully launched the Audio and Video Solutions segment which comprises six prominent brands from the industry. Our vision is to expand our partner profile with manufacturers that provide IoT, AI and active component solutions. October 2019 | 33
Interview | Eposn
Epson’s Display Solutions are Built to be Sustainable lumens and a projection display of up to 130 inches. Also, on the stand are a wide range of business scanners, consumer inkjet and large format printers.
Jeroen Van Beem Sales Director Epson MEA
What's new from Epson this year at GITEX? We welcome everyone to visit our stand at GITEX Technology Week (Hall 4, G20). This year, we will continue our focus on business inkjet printing. We will showcase the economical and ecological benefits they offer, encouraging the shift from laser to business inkjet printing and communicating our commitment to a 100% indirect business sales model. We recently celebrated nine of our business inkjet products winning in three Green MFP categories at the 2019 DataMaster Lab Print Awards. Visitors to our stand will be able to enjoy an amazing 180-degree shared virtual reality (VR) projection space on our stand. We built it in partnership with Igloo Vision and it will give everyone a chance to experience the crisp bright images delivered by our 3LCD projectors. Three Epson EB-L1755U laser installation projectors with ELPLX02 ultra-short throw lenses are used to display the VR content. The projection space acts like a giant VR headset and will give you a great shared VR experience.
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AI and marketing automation have allowed our audiences to personalise their experiences with us and enabled us to communicate better and become more confident in offering recommendations across our products and services, informs Jeroen Van Beem, Director of Sales, Epson MEA Visitors can also enjoy demonstrations of our wide range of products for different industry sectors. For example, those looking for the best projectors for businesses should look at the new Epson EB-1485Fi laser interactive projectors which transform any workplace with their large scalable display of up to 120 inches. They enable remote collaboration and engagement and allow content sharing from a range of devices simultaneously. Epson is also showcasing its EB-L1070u compact laser projector with 3LCD technology and interchangeable lenses. Those more interested in robotics can see a demonstration of our SCARAT3401S Robot which is used in a wide range of industries and applications, such as automotive assembly and pharmaceutical pick-and-place applications. Visitors can also experience our Moverio BT-35E smart glasses used for remote assistance applications. Not to be missed is the new EHLS500w ultra short throw home cinema projector with a beautiful discreet design. It is perfect for a big screen experience at home, with its 4K enhanced quality,4,000
How can educational institutes benefit from advancements in printing technology? We provide high quality, low-intervention, cost-saving and environment-friendly printing solutions. Cost saving is a huge factor for education institutes and our products deliver on this key aspect, reducing power consumption by up to 96% compared to laser, in turn reducing running cost. Further, user interventions are reduced by 98%, freeing up time, and consumables waste is reduced by up 99%. Our EcoTank range of printers deliver cartridge-free printing while saving users up to 90% on the cost of ink. Energy-efficiency is key to sustainable development. How are you contributing in this regard? As a Japanese company, circularity is in our blood. We were the world’s first company to announce a complete phase out of CFCs and have publicly tracked our CSR performance for over 20 years. In 2018, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved our Greenhouse gas reduction targets. We are a member of the Responsible Brands Alliance (RBA) and have been recognised by FSTE4Good for the 15th consecutive year. We invest heavily in R&D to make sure all our products are energy efficient. Within business printing, our heat-free micro-piezo inkjet technology means that we are able to reduce power consumption by up to 96% compared to laser printers. Within projection, 49 of our products are TCO Certified, meaning that they have been independently recognised as having been produced in an ethical and ecological
way. At every stage—from design through manufacture, use and end of life—Epson’s display solutions are built to be sustainable. Epson’s PaperLab in-office paper recycling solution enables a circular economy. Last month Epson was awarded a Key Point Intelligence – Buyers Lab PaceSetter award for sustainability as part of the testing lab’s recognition of manufacturers advancing environmental initiatives. How do you leverage technology to improve your marketing strategies and market outreach programs? We live in a digital world and it is essential for us to embrace technology to reach out to our partners and customers. As a company that develops, receives, and delivers messages to audiences around the world, we have seen the benefits that AI and marketing automation have to offer. Not only do we communicate better, but we have become more confident in offering recommendations across our products and services because today’s technology has allowed our audiences to personalise their experiences with us. That said, technology is only a start point and we still place the greatest emphasis on personal relationships with our partners, customers and prospects. For this reason, shows such as GITEX remain important to us. Any new partnership announcements on the cards this GITEX? Every year at GITEX we make new connections and partnerships, I am sure this year too we will do the same. We focus on developing strong relationships with both our customers and partners. We have a 100% indirect sales model and offer strong support for our channel. We hope, at GITEX we will enjoy great networking opportunities and have great news to share later.
Emerson Accelerates Digital Transformation with Cloud-Hosted Software Suite on Microsoft Azure
E
merson has announced its entire exploration and production (E&P) software suite is now available on the cloud, enabling oil and gas companies to securely take advantage of digital technologies to better model and optimize production in new and established reservoirs. Emerson now delivers seismic processing and imaging, data interpretation, subsurface modeling, formation evaluation, reservoir engineering, production optimization, and other services with faster, more powerful computing power to connect critical subsurface intelligence with surface operations. The growth in the volume and complexity of Petrotechnical data, combined with the need to reduce costs and enhance productivity in the E&P market, poses a growing challenge for today’s chief information officers. Emerson addresses these challenges by utilizing cloud computational horsepower while leveraging proven and reliable machine learning algorithms and other technologies. “With our E&P software-as-a-service model and long history of domain experience, Emerson is well positioned to lead the cloud transformation for the oil and gas market,” said Peter Zornio, chief technology officer with Emerson’s Automation Solutions business. “Our customers can now enjoy the same benefits from our software suite, whether they choose to run it locally, host it on the cloud, or use a hybrid of both. This expanded platform provides greater data analytics power and flexibility for some of the most challenging operational environments in the industry. When you combine our software with our technology and experience in the production area, we have a unique capability in the oil and gas marketplace.” Emerson’s E&P cloud-hosted software is currently available in two business options: customer-managed and Emerson-operated. The solution utilizes Microsoft’s strategically placed Azure datacenter regions for faster performance and compliance with local government regulations. “Microsoft and Emerson have cooperated on cloud offerings for several years and we’re pleased to see Emerson extending its use of Microsoft Azure to support its full software suite,” said Jose Valls, CTO, Process Manufacturing, Microsoft Corp. “Emerson has high computational, data management and visualization needs and a global customer base. Azure provides a full set of configurations suitable to the wide range of computing requirements of the Emerson application portfolio, without compromising performance.”
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Interview | Ethos Technologies
Customers are Driving the Buying Process Technology-driven changes are not only good for the customers but also bring massive benefits for the companies in terms of time saved, increased accuracy, zero error and so forth, informs Imtiaz Ghani, General Manager of Ethos Technologies.
How are technology-driven innovations changing the way customers access digital services? Technology has empowered customers to get what they want, whenever they want, and how they want it. Today, customers are driving the buying process using websites, blogs, and social platforms. By the time they enter a store or become visible in the sales funnel, they know what they want to buy and how much they want to pay. For instance, multiple food websites and applications are available to help customer find the cuisine they want to eat and where it would be available, restaurant rating, price comparison, ambience. Customers can gather all of this information easily while sitting on couch at home. Similarly, financial services, banking transaction are all possible in now 2-5 min through mobile applications in simple click. Cloud computing, driverless cars, product delivery through drones, 3D printing, artificial and business intelligence tools, collaboration tools, CRM, use of robots in manufacturing and receptions, and internet of things are some examples of how technology has changed business. These changes are not only good for the customers but also bring massive benefits for the companies in terms of time saved, increased accuracy, zero error etc. What measures are businesses adopting to make their customer outreach more effective? Some of the measures are: • Surveys allow businesses to identify user needs, Once customers' needs are known, companies can steer their offerings
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Imtiaz Ghani General Manager Ethos Technologies
towards filling these needs • SEO to increase the quality and quantity of website traffic by increasing the visibility of a website or a web page to users of a web search engine. • Prospecting right contacts through catchy emails subject line. • Social media marketing. • Marketing calls, SMS. • Promotions with call to action. What technologies can help businesses better assess customer expectations and redefine their go-to-market strategies? Businesses can: • Use digital surveys to understand customer demand • Seek and analyse customer feedback
• •
Offer competitive price with maximum offering. Maintain advance level of customer service support.
How do you assist your customers leverage technology to redefine your strategies? We use the following to redefine our strategies: • Customer testimonials • Feed back with their likes and dislikes • Referrals commission plan or gift voucher. • Promotional ideas. Are you making any pathbreaking announcements at GITEX? No, we will not be making any new announcements at GITEX.
Interview | Netweb & Techcare
All Solutions Under One Roof We hope to increase our footprint in this region from the current three geographies – UAE, Kenya and Oman—to at least 15 to 20 geographies in the next three years, informs Arun Sachdev, General Manager Netweb What’s your vision in the MEA region? Given the growth rate in the region, a savvy digital population, favorable government initiatives towards smart cities and EXPO 2020 around the corner, we see outstanding potential in the region. The next phase of growth will come from a larger geographical reach. Our current footprint in this region is in three geographies – UAE, Kenya and Oman. And now, we are hoping to penetrate at least 15 to 20 geographies in the next three years directly and through our distribution network. We are also looking forward to introducing new technologies to our product portfolio across Surveillance, IoT devices, and Passive Networking. What aspects of Techcare impressed you for appointing them as partners? Techcare has a strong presence in UAE and a skilled support team to cater to
Together with Techcare how you wish to expand your channel and customer relationship? We plan to continuously run several campaigns and promotions for our channel partners in UAE. We have a channel partner program in the works, which is essentially a loyalty rewards program for Ozaas and Techcare’s customers. Together with Techcare, we are exploring and expanding our distribution network in the MEA region.
different customer segments – online, channel, corporate and government. With a loyal customer base and strong financial fundamentals, they have seen steady growth through the years.
Please share your initial success through your Techcare partnership in the region. We have been successful in implementing a smart home auditorium equipped with Ozaas smart products in schools. We look forward to replicating the concept across many more schools in the region. We have more than 20 resellers promoting our smart home products in UAE and carrying out installations of Ozaas Video Surveillance and Etisalat-approved Ozaas Passive Networking products across all emirates.
Next Phase of Growth to Come from Larger Geographical Reach Ashok Uttam, Business Unit Head Techcare Solutions How has Netweb product portfolio help you expand your customer base? Techcare Solutions brings together over three years of experience in Extra Low Voltage (ELV) and Information Communication Technolaogy (ICT) solutions. Bringing in Netweb product portfolio under Techcare’s umbrella has been an added advantage to us. The product range offered by Ozaas complements Techcare’s line of business. As we are experts at determining our client’s needs, and designing, installing and maintaining solutions for them. Ozaas product profile has given us an opportunity to offer smart choices to our clients. With Ozaas offering an exclusive
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range of video surveillance solutions and video management solutions; Ozaas smart devices for smart homes with a range of smart plugs, smart bulbs, smart switches; and networking solutions, our clients are now finding the solutions under one roof for their requirements. This has helped us expand our customer base. As turnkey solution providers, we survey, design, supply, implement and maintain a broad range of low voltage solutions. Netweb has opened doors for us to reach out to different market segments with product outline which can cater to everyone’s needs. As the products are developed on deep consumer insights it has helped us bridge the gap between technology and our customers.
Whats your channel strategy for Netweb product line? An appropriate channel strategy can vary from one product or service to another. In the business-to-business (B2B) world, our channel strategy aims to provide the best way to expose Netweb's products to potential customers. Our go-to-market strategy includes direct selling, influencers, channel partners/dealers/agent sales. Techcare has a dedicated team focused on customer acquisition. We have placed demo units and POCs for user experience. We have introduced partner pricing model and deal registrations. Techcare has conducted roadshows for Ozaas. We are promoting this product line through e-commerce channel for larger reach.
Interview | Bitdefender
Most IoT Applications Cannot be Secured via Anti-malware Solution
Tarek Kuzbari Regional DirectoR, ME Bitdefender
With physical and digital infrastructures converging, smart cities face data explosion creating opportunities for cyber criminals and increasing security challenges as well as a shortage of skilled personnel, says Tarek Kuzbari, Regional Director – Middle East, Bitdefender What measures can ensure security in the wake of Internet of Things-enabled smart devices increasing the attack surface? Given the region’s appetite for technology and innovation, governments and enterprises across the Middle East are increasingly turning to cloud environments and IoT applications to transform their operations and achieve growth. At the same time, it is imperative that these organizations also realize the security implications associated with these initiatives. The consequences of an IoT attack can range from downtime and loss of revenue and reputation to―in the case of an attack on medical devices in the healthcare sector—even loss of life. Traditional security solutions fall short in these scenarios as most IoT applications cannot be secured via an anti-malware solution.
The best IoT security strategy is to focus on network threat detection, as the network is the common ground for all IoT devices. It is estimated that by 2050, 60% of global population will live in smart cities. In light of this, how do you see the security landscape evolving? As physical and digital infrastructures converge, smart cities face increasing challenges when it comes to cybersecurity. Specifically:
- The attack surface will increase. - The massive use of IoT and integration with different systems will create massive data and opportunity for the cyber criminals to generate more money and achieve destruction. - We will see a skills gap.
What innovative products are you displaying at GITEX this year? Through a mix of live demonstrations and hourly presentations at the stand, at GITEX, we will highlight how Bitdefender Network Traffic Security Analytics (NTSA) utilizes network traffic to provide an effective threat and breach detection solution, improving the security posture of IoT infrastructures. What makes Bitdefender NTSA unique is the cloud threat intelligence from 500 million sensors deployed globally, the proprietary machine learning and behavior analytics used to detect network traffic anomalies early in the attack cycle, and the automated alert triage to provide context and facilitate incident response. We will also showcase how Bitdefender GravityZone. It offers organizations an end-to-end breach avoidance platform across endpoint, network and cloud, enabling them to protect both IoT and IT infrastructures by yielding complete visibility on securityrelevant events across both environments. It also provides the tools to respond proactively, before an attacker can establish a presence in the infrastructure. Can we expect some announcements at GITEX? We won’t be making any big announcements at the show but to further highlight the challenges around IoT security and advise Middle East organizations on how best to secure their infrastructures, we will host a 25-minute presentation in the X-Labs area titled ‘Defending IIOT: From Stuxnet to Trisis — 10 years of industrial cyberattacks’. Led by Bogdan Carlescu, cybersecurity evangelist at Bitdefender, the presentation will highlight the evolution of industrial attacks between the two milestones, Stuxnet and trisis. October 2019 | 39
Interview | FINESSE
Smart Cities will Train Focus on Service Excellence and Revenue Generation
To ensure customers have a safe and seamless online banking experience, blockchain, API-based banking, voice and digital banking, RPA, business intelligence and analytics, and security solutions will play a key role.
Digital transformation is the buzz word today. What technologies do you think are making the maximum impact? Finesse assists more than 250 enterprise clients in the region, including 80% of the banks in UAE with their digital transformation journey. We believe artificial intelligence and chatbots, augmented reality, blockchain, 3D printing, robotic process automation (RPA) and customer experience management are some of the technologies making an impact now.
intelligence and analytics.
Online retail is leveraging technology to offer innovative customer services. What should the tech checklist of online retailers comprise of? Online retailers need to ride on the wave of innovation to enhance customer experience. They must seriously look to embrace augmented reality, social media marketing, AI-based customer mapping and pricing, CRM and CEM, and business
As smart cities increasingly require smart and secure solutions, how do you see this space evolving? A4. With rising use of IoT-enabled smart devices, everything will be connected with human-centric approach, intuitive and transparent processes, decentralizing control, interoperability with a focus on service excellence and revenue generation.
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In terms of banking, what technology trends one must watch out for? Today customers can perform most of the banking activities online. To ensure, customers have a safe and seamless banking experience online, some of the technology trends that will dominate banking include blockchain, API-based banking, voice and digital banking, RPA, business intelligence and analytics, and security solutions.
What are your key solutions on display at GITEX this year? A team of evangelists from Finesse will be available at Booth no. 09 in Hall no. 07 to discuss emerging technologies at GITEX 2019. From its diverse digital solution portfolio, Finesse booth will have the following on display: • AI-based chatbot solution is a software that can simulate a real human conversation with real-time responses to users based on reinforced learning. • BI and Analytics are data management solutions implemented to collect data whilst using statistics and software for analysis and quality insights. • CEM/CRM solutions use an approach to enhance company's interaction with existing and potential customers which helps improve customer engagement and increase sales. • Robotic Process Automation uses specialized computer programs, known as software robots, to automate and standardize repetitive and mundane tasks. • Infra Management services include implementation, control, and management of facilities. It also includes cloud migration to support an organization's digital Transformation journey.
Synergising the Mind & Technology Economy The biggest tech show in the Middle East, North Africa & South Asia
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News Bytes
Taking Reliable Connectivity, Speed, And Stability A Notch Higher The number of WLAN-capable devices has risen drastically in the past few years, and it’s predicted that there will be nearly 40 billion personal smart devices and 100 billion internet connections around the world by 2025. Therefore, future Wi-Fi networks need to be capable of managing dense usage, more devices and increased data traffic IEEE 802.11ax standard, a revolutionary high-efficiency Wi-Fi standard, rises to the challenge. Archer AX11000 is the world's fastest gaming router. 802.11ax features and Tri-Band, take the Wi-Fi speed to a whole new level - 11000Mbps. Three Wi-Fi bands allow to dedicate one band to gaming traffic while the remaining two bands deliver highspeed Wi-Fi to the rest of home. Designed for gaming, Archer AX11000 provides strong guarantee, QoS, for gaming acceleration. Accelerated and complemented wired connections make Archer AX11000 excellent on wired gaming as well. One 2.5Gigabit WAN port is provided to fully use the internet speed and eight Gigabit Furthermore, two LAN ports can be teamed to double connection speeds from 1 Gbps to 2 Gbps by using Link Aggregation. Powered by Trend Micro, TP-Link HomeCare is provided to protect every device from the latest cyber threats with powerful security, built-in antivirus and cutting-edge intrusion prevention,
ensuring the security of your game account along with other private data. The AX11000 speed machine delivers Wi-Fi speeds at a whopping 10 Gbps: 4804 Mbps at two 5 GHz Gaming bands along with 1148 Mbps at 2.4 GHz. With this router, users can access their game statistics in one place where everything from realtime latency, game duration and network resource allocation can be viewed at a glance. Lucas Jiang, General Manager of TP-Link MEA FZE said, “We are committed to offer the reliable networking solutions that are not just safe and stable but also allow our users to take a leap into the future. With our latest home router AX6000 (which is already available in the UAE market), and our carefully crafted gaming router, AX11000 (will also be available very soon). We aim to enable our users with speeds and connectivity that are unmatched to create seamless experiences for them.” It even makes use of intelligent band steering which directs clients to less congested bands to offer better connectivity. With its built-in security system, the futuristic router makes use of TP-Link’s exclusive HomeCare technology to provide users with advanced anti-malware services powered by Trend Micro.
ZTE and China Mobile empower China's first 5G sporting events with 5G Live TV solutions Delivering an innovative, multi-angle viewing experience for the 2nd National Youth Games ZTE Corporation a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet, has announced today that ZTE and the Shanxi Branch of China Mobile broadcast the 2nd National Youth Games of China with integrated 5G Live TV solutions. With ZTE's 5G technologies widely adopted in video collection, editing, broadcasting and transmission for the live streaming of the 2nd National Youth Games, it is China's first 5G sporting event. ZTE's Digital Intelligent Indoor System 5G-QCell solution covers multiple major venues, including the main stadium. This solution delivers an innovative viewing experience by providing the audience with
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three distinctive 5G scenarios, including multi-angle views, flexible zooming, and free viewpoint, fully meeting the audience's personalized needs for game watching. Backed up with technologies such as MEC and low latency coding, ZTE's 5G Live TV solutions reduce the live end-to-end latency to less than 1 second, so that the off-site audience can experience the games in real time. Moreover, by means of the industryleading video production and playback technologies, the on-site spectators can enjoy a special viewing experience on the multi-angle live streaming APP. Meanwhile, ZTE will provide the 5G-QCell deployment solution for the
future network capacity expansion and new service functions, such as MEC and LBS(Location Based Services).By August, ZTE has shipped over 80,000 5G QCell products worldwide. The application of 5G Live TV solutions in the 2nd National Youth Games sets a great example for the future live streaming of sporting events. With the large-scale deployments of 5G networks and vigorous development of 8K/VR/ AR video technologies, ZTE will continue to promote 5G Live TV commercialization in collaboration with partners, exploring the live streaming solutions, industry applications, and in-depth cooperation among industry players in the 5G scenario
News Bytes
Fujitsu Establishes the Fujitsu Group External Advisory Fujitsu has announced the establishment of the Fujitsu Group External Advisory Committee on AI Ethics to ensure safe and secure deployment of AI in society. The committee aims to regularly discuss issues relating to ethics in the rapidly transforming field of AI, provide feedback to the Fujitsu Group AI Commitment, and embark on an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders throughout society to support the safe and secure use of emergent AI. To help resolve ever-changing societal issues and environmental problems, the Fujitsu Group will continue to promote the development and delivery of technologies as well as solutions and services that adhere to AI ethics. In March 2019, Fujitsu defined the policies it should observe as an enterprise engaged in business as well as research and development in the field of AI. This statement, informed by Fujitsu's Human Centric vision for AI, forms the Fujitsu Group AI Commitment. Based on this commitment, Fujitsu has now established a committee of external experts as a way of receiving objective, third-party evaluations of the Fujitsu Group's AI ethics, thereby enhancing the Fujitsu Group's corporate governance in the area of AI ethics. The Fujitsu Group External Advisory Committee will initiate an ongoing dialogue around the issues listed below, sharing the objective opinions and perspectives gained through these discussions with Fujitsu's Board of Directors. These include: 1. To consider, especially from an ethical perspective, the Fujitsu Group's
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Cyber Resilience Think Tank Offers Insights to Reduce Security Complexity Mimecast has announced the availability of Decluttering Your Security Environment, the latest eBook from the Cyber Resilience Think Tank (CR Think Tank). The eBook provides expert insights and prescriptive advice to global industry influencers on how the industry may be to blame for the complexity in security environments, best practices to effectively reduce security risk by minimizing complexity, and considerations for hiring the next generation of security professionals. “Controls are a drag coefficient on people, data, and business processes,” said Malcolm Harkins, chief security and trust officer at Cymatic. “When you have too much friction in your environment because of the controls, you’re actually creating a systemic business risk for your organization.” “[The skills gap] is something we have largely created for ourselves,” said Sam Curry, CSO at Cybereason. “It’s the complexity issue that has manifested itself in human form. It’s hard to find someone that knows 75 security solutions. You need to find a unicorn, and you never do. But if you didn’t have that complexity, you may not need a unicorn after all.” The eBook Decluttering Your Security Environment details how security environments became cluttered in the first place, how it’s directly related to the cybersecurity skills gap and what organizations can do to minimize complexity. This report offers key insights to reduce the overall risk of an organization through simplifying IT infrastructures, helping improve the effectiveness of the security environments.
Nutanix appoints Cyril VanAgt to lead Channel and OEM activities in EMEA Nutanix has appointed Cyril VanAgt to lead its Channel and OEM activities in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Mr. VanAgt will oversee all of Nutanix's go-to-market relationships with resellers, distributors, regional system integrators and technology partners in the EMEA region, providing them with the capabilities needed to apply the company's cutting-edge technologies. In particular, Mr. VanAgt will be responsible for driving the Nutanix Channel Charter, a strategic initiative to strengthen the company's relationships with the reseller community by empowering them to succeed throughout both the sales cycle and their own customers’ technology lifecycles, ultimately enabling all participants to compete in the modern era of multi-cloud needs and capabilities. Mr. VanAgt joined Nutanix in October 2014 and has been responsible for channel sales in the Southern European territories of the EMEA region since then. In four years he structured the Nutanix distribution network and built a strong channel ecosystem in this part of EMEA. The organization established by Mr. VanAgt enabled the readiness and autonomy of Nutanix channel partners in France, Italy, Iberia, Switzerland and Frenchspeaking Africa, turning this region into a model for collaboration between Nutanix and its channel network. Mr. VanAgt's responsibilities were expanded further in 2018 with addition of OEM and alliance partner management. Commenting on Mr. VanAgt's appointment, Sammy Zoghlami, Senior Vice President of Sales for the Europe, Middle East & Africa region, said: “I am delighted to have Cyril lead our Channel and OEM operations in EMEA. These relationships are critical routes to market for Nutanix and its solutions, and Cyril's vast experience in technology partnering and implementation, will see these partners gain maximum benefit and value from what these innovative products have to offer them.”
MMD Announces the Philips Ultra-Wide 5K monitor in Middle East MMD, a license partner for Philips monitors, is launching the Philips 499P9H Brilliance 32:9 SuperWide curved LCD display. This award-winning 49” (48.8" / 124 cm diag.) monitor provides professional users with a treasure trove of performance-enhancing features to make every minute they spend working more efficient, more productive, and more enjoyable. Equipped with an expansive 32:9 SuperWide screen and ultra-high resolution, the Philips 499P9H delivers stunning graphics on a large format that is the equivalent of two full-size monitors, making it the ideal alternative to a double 27” Quad HD set-up. Featuring convenient USB-C docking, which offers the benefit of high-speed data transfer and flexible connectivity, as well as a pop-up webcam and environmentally-friendly design, this monitor has it all. The Philips 499P9H has a mammoth format and is an award-winning feat of modern design with an 1800r curved display
that mirrors the natural shape of the eye and subtly wraps around the user, minimising distractions while maximising comfort. The 499P9H provides 49 inches of workspace, just like having two 27" 16:9 Quad HD displays placed side-by-side. This allows users to spread out, compare documents, or handle multiple files at once without having to stack windows, scroll, or zoom. And to accommodate additional set-up scenarios, a built-in MultiClient Integrated KVM switch works with the Multi-View function to allow users to manage two separate devices at the same time with a single keyboard and mouse, saving even more time and space. The Dual Quad HD (5120 x 1440) resolution lends a higher pixel density and greater detail, while VESA-certified HDR 400 technology provides dazzling colours, inky shadows, and sparkling whites, bringing images to life and ensuring optimal depth and nuance. The Philips’ VA LED display relies on an advanced vertical alignment technology that delivers high static contrast
ratios, resulting in crisp images from any viewing angle. CAD and graphic designers, architects, engineers, photographers, and all other professionals who require pixel-perfect precision and colour accuracy will be well served by this monitor. The Philips 499P9H meets the modern workplace requirements of ever-greater flexibility, dynamism, and adaptability with an array of innovative features that help users get the most out of their workday. A built-in USB 3.1 type-C docking station with power delivery plays a key role in boosting productivity for professionals on the go. With high-speed USB 3.1 technology, data transfer is faster, and the reversible USB-C connector allows for easy, one-cable docking. For further convenience and security, the monitor includes a handy pop-up webcam equipped with Windows Hello facial recognition, which can be discretely and securely tucked away when not in use. Philips 499P9H comes with a three year warranty and is priced at US$ 1,100 in UAE.
Focus Softnet Accelerates Global Business Expansion with Tata Communications’ Cloud Platform Focus Softnet has announced its partnership with Tata Communications to host its cloud-based ERP solutions on the IZO Private Cloud platform. Tata Communications' IZO Private Cloud platform is enabling Focus Softnet to offer its cloud-based ERP solutions either as a public cloud SaaS solution or as a private cloud option. "We are proud to partner with Focus Softnet, who is moving their Focus 9 solution to our IZO Private Cloud, after a successful proof of concept on the Tata Communications cloud platform. During the six months of operations after startup, Tata Communications has been actively helping Focus Softnet onboard 40+ new customers." said Rajesh Awasthi, Associate Vice President - Managed Hosting & Cloud Services, Tata Communications. “Customers globally have common demands such as flexible operational payments, scalability requirements, usage agility, and the option of global delivery anywhere and anytime, which are now met by the IZO Private Cloud platform,” explains Ali Hyder, Group CEO of Focus Softnet. “We now have a single point of contact to support our ERP software solutions. With the cloud service, we know immediately if there is a problem and can quickly fix it remotely. There is no need for on-premise visits. Tata Communications’ enterprise-grade service
and support and its global footprint were deciding factors in our decision to migrate to IZO™ Private Cloud platform,” he adds. With Tata Communications’ IZO Private Cloud platform, Focus Softnet will offer scalability and agility with its cloud software licensing, which is a flexible pay-as-you-go model, and can deliver anytime, anywhere. Focus Softnet can now provide end-to-end solution and round-the-clock support for its global customers. “With Tata Communications’ IZO Private Cloud, there are no bottlenecks and it is affordable to our small and medium business (SMB) clients. Faster set-up and greater network performance have opened the door to business expansion," Mr. Hyder added. Due to its global reach, Tata Communications matched the requirement of having its cloud nodes closest to Focus Softnet’s customers, thereby reducing the latency or sluggishness of response to application refresh. The company’s customers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore, Malaysia and India are using Focus Softnet’s solutions on the IZO Private Cloud platform. Focus Softnet has adopted a multiple business cloud model from Tata Communications to offer the most stable and cost-effective cloud experience. October 2019 | 45
Accolades
ViewSonic Launches New Generation X Series 4K UHD Lamp Free Smart Theatre Projector
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iewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, announced the launch of its Lamp Free Smart Theatre Projector, redefining home entertainment in its class, in the X series range. The ViewSonic X10-4K is the first 4K UHD Short Throw Lamp Free Smart Theatre projector designed to move your home entertainment from room to room. It deploys second generation, mercury-free LED technology that offers longevity, integrates best-in-class dual HarmonKardon speakers, and keeps abreast of smart functionality trend with wireless miracasting and Bluetooth capability. Additionally, it incorporates Alexa and Google Assistant voice control technology and a Smart TV interface to access and stream popular apps of your choice. The products authentic design mirrors that of an affordable yet luxurious home appliance gadget. The ViewSonic® X10-4K is built using a DLP® 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) chip with XPR technology and offers HDR10 content support to deliver incredibly detailed video playback, contrast and vivid color. Max Hsu, Regional Director – MEA, ViewSonic, said: “The new X10-4K UHD Lamp Free Smart Theater Portable Projector delivers impressive display and intelligent performance. Combining its stunning 8.3 million pixels and 4K resolution with smart streaming functionality and a portable design, the X10-4K delivers a theaterlike experience in just about any room. ViewSonic gives users an incredible and truly immersive visual and audio experience.” It’s second generation, mercury-free LED technology ensures up to 30,000 hours of brilliant, blur-free image projection. With built-in auto focus and auto v keystone, images will continue to remain well-proportioned from any angle. It also comprises an extensive array of connectivity options including HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2, USB 3.0 Type-A, Type-C, Audio In/Out, and RJ45.
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Veeam Named to the 2019 Forbes Cloud 100 for Fourth Consecutive Year
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eeam Software, the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management, has for the fourth consecutive year, been named on the Forbes 2019 Cloud 100, the definitive ranking of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures. “We are honored to be named to the Forbes Cloud 100 for the fourth consecutive year,” said Ratmir Timashev, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President (EVP) of Sales & Marketing. “This recognition further solidifies Veeam’s ongoing commitment to help enterprises transition to the cloud and embrace Digital Transformation. As enterprises look to embrace Cloud Data Management.” According to the 2019 Veeam Cloud Data Management Report, 72% of organizations are now looking to embrace Cloud Data Management to better meet protection needs and leverage the power of their data. Now a $1 billion private software company and with more than 350,000 customers and 23,500 partners in the Veeam Cloud & Service Provider (VCSP) program. As part of the rigorous selection process for the Forbes 2019 Cloud 100, Bessemer Venture Partners received submissions from hundreds of cloud startups. The Cloud 100 Judging Panel, made up of public cloud company CEOs, reviewed the data to select, score, and rank the top 100 private cloud companies from all over the world. The evaluation process involved ranking companies across four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people & culture (15%). For four years now, we have ranked the best and brightest emerging companies in the cloud sector,” said Alex Konrad, Forbes editor of The Cloud 100. “With so many businesses growing fast in the cloud, from cybersecurity and marketing to data analytics and storage, it’s harder than ever to make the Cloud 100 list – but with more elite company if you do. Congratulations to each of the 2019 Cloud 100 honorees and the 20 Rising Stars honorees poised to join their ranks!
Ratmir Timashev Co-Founder & EVP, Sales & Marketing Veeam
Innovation
LG’s latest ultrawide monitors designed to boost productivity in the GCC
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G Electronics (LG) has unveiled the latest in its family of curved Ultra-Wide monitors which improve productivity with larger displays, vibrant color and clarity. The new monitors can handle any demand placed upon them through their advanced Quad High Definition (QHD) screens, which allow for pristine views of everything from videos to text heavy documents. LG’s Ultra-Wide technology means greater screen real estate, making them the ideal companion for any task. 37.5-inch LG Curved Ultra-Wide Monitor The HDR10 monitor can also showcase the latest console games and video on demand at their highest quality levels. The streamlined 3-Side Virtually Borderless Design has a slim bezel on three sides and Rich Bass for an immersive visual and audio experience. With a curved screen, Picture-by-Picture display and On-screen controls, the 38WK95C-W makes it easy to switch between tasks without losing performance or display quality. Its sleek, curved screen and ergonomic height and tilt adjustable stand make the content viewable at an angle which is most convenient for the user. The monitor is ideal for video editing, enabling producers
to view their video timeline and multiple clips of footage at the same time. Its industry leading nano IPS display effortlessly reproduces subtle color tones and contrast, meaning designers and filmmakers can work in finer detail. On-screen controls make switching between tasks a breeze, with documents equally as clear as photographs and a 5:9 ratio preview giving users the ability to change work priorities on the fly. Perfect workstation for visual effects professionals, graphic designers, movie editors and streamers among others.
McAfee Product Line-Up Continues to Innovate to Best Serve Consumers’ Evolving Digital Lives
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cAfee has announced its latest consumer security portfolio that includes enhanced system performance and increased detection effectiveness, plus privacy and security enhancements, all enabling consumers to enjoy peace of mind as they go about their digital lives. McAfee’s updated portfolio offers solutions for users across devices and platforms allowing its customers to protect what matters most to them wherever and whenever they need it. To protect a user’s privacy McAfee’s VPN service, McAfee Safe Connect, has been enhanced with app level protection and autoconnecting which automatically activates VPN when connecting to untrusted Wi-Fi networks. In addition, McAfee’s VPN service will be included with McAfee Total Protection (10 device version) and McAfee LiveSafe. Other innovations include protection against malicious coin-mining with McAfee Cryptojacking Blocker, and the introduction of a completely new product – McAfee Gamer Security. “Consumers’ privacy and security concerns continue to grow as they spend increasingly more time online and use a growing number of cloud services, and the approach to protecting themselves and their families is not one-size-fits all,” said Gary Davis, Chief Consumer Security Evangelist at McAfee. “Our new lineup reflects features that will make it easier than ever to protect what matters most to our customers in their daily online
activities, while delivering enhanced performance and industry leading security.” Given consumers now go online whenever and wherever they can, internet privacy concerns have increased. Until recently, having a VPN service on devices was seen as less important . However, a recent study by McAfee found 90% of consumers are very concerned about their internet privacy. Available on Windows, Android, iOS and for download via various app stores, McAfee Safe Connect protects user privacy by encrypting online activity, meaning users can browse privately and enjoy unlimited data use. To improve the user experience, this year’s lineup includes Proprietary Tunneling Technology, App Level Protection, Auto-Connecting, and Wi-Fi Activity to allow users to enjoy their online activities at home and on the go. McAfee has gone beyond traditional antivirus to build a product designed to satisfy the unique needs of the large and growing PC gaming audience. The features in the newly-launched McAfee Gamer Security include: MicroAV Engine, Game Boost Technology, Realtime & Historical Performance Monitoring, App Manager, Customizable Settings, and Notification Suppression. McAfee Gamer Security is available in the U.S. while availability in other regions is expected throughout the second half of Q4. October 2019 | 47
Partnership & Tie ups
Mindware Becomes Citrix Service Provider Distributor
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indware has been appointed by Citrix as the Authorized Citrix Service Provider (CSP) Distributor in the Middle East region. Under the Citrix Service Provider Distributor program, Mindware shall provide product and service fulfilment, technical and business enablement and support to the Citrix Service Providers in the Middle East. The Citrix Service Provider Program is a Citrix partner program designed specifically for service providers who provide paid third party hosted software services to end-user customers. In addition to complete Desktops-as-a-Service offerings, many Citrix Service Providers host a single application or applications for an ISV who does not have a SaaS-based offering, provide NetScaler as a service, mobility (mobile device management) as a service and/ or managed services to their clients. With Mindware becoming the Authorized CSP Distributor in the Middle East region, integrators that aim to become Citrix Service Provider would benefit from more than 15 years of product, technical and licensing expertise as a Citrix Distributor. They would also get access to skilled consultants and experts as well as to the Citrix Cloud lab environments to demonstrate the value of Citrix SaaS solutions to customers. “Mindware is delighted to be appointed as an Authorized
Citrix Service Provider Distributor for the Middle East. Our Distribution relationship with Citrix has grown over the years. This new program is a natural extension as the technology adoption matures from on-prem to the cloud. With Citrix, our partners/ service providers will have all the elements to create scalable, reliable, private or public cloud-based offerings. This will help our partners to be more productive & profitable,” says Philippe Jarre, CEO, Mindware. “As a Citrix Service Partner Program Distributor, Mindware will help manage and support the service providers in the region who want to build and deliver complete hosted service portfolio (hosted desktops and hosted apps, mobile device management and secure file share, infrastructure for self-service provisioning and secure networking). Mindware will also support in the hosted workspace activities of these partners and ensure on-time reporting for their products," Says PiotrFaderski, Partner Director, Emerging Markets, Citrix.
Samsung Pay and Finablr Announce Cross-Border Payments Partnership
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inablr PLC, a global platform for payments, and Samsung Electronics America today introduced the Money Transfer feature in Samsung Pay. This new in-app international money transfer service, a first of its kind in the U.S., offers users seamless and secure cross-border payments to 47 countries through a variety of payout methods, all within Samsung’s native mobile wallet. The service combines Samsung Pay’s convenience, scale and security with Finablr’s international reach and 40 years of cross-border payment expertise to put mobile payments into the hands of millions of consumers. Samsung Pay users in the U.S. can use their existing eligible preregistered debit or credit cards in Samsung Pay to safely and securely send money in most major currencies to their recipients via Finablr’s global network. The service leverages Finablr's global reach and distribution capabilities, providing a wide choice of payout options tailored to the preferences of the recipient – from bank deposits to cash available for pick up. This partnership marks a significant collaboration between Samsung and Finablr to launch such a service with global scale. Finablr’s network of trusted brands, including Travelex, wih its 40 years of experience in cross-border payments, and licensed by over 100 regulators globally, bring security, reliability and peace of
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mind to the Samsung Pay users of this feature, which uses tokenized credentials and is backed by Samsung Knox security. “Our consumers are global and have friends and family around the world. Samsung is excited to enable users to send money from the US to the rest of world by making it simple, secure and transparent,” said Sang W. Ahn, Vice President & Division Head, Content & Services, Samsung Electronics America. “Money Transfer is a first step in our vision to evolve Samsung Pay into a platform that makes users’ financial lives more convenient. The range of services in Samsung Pay, developed in close collaboration with industry leaders such as Finablr, positions us to positively impact consumers’ everyday financial experiences.” Promoth Manghat, Group Chief Executive Officer at Finablr, commented, “We are delighted to be partnering with Samsung to launch this new in-app cross-border payments capability. Underpinned by our integrated technology platform, this service demonstrates our ability to drive payments innovation. Combining our industry-leading network and pioneering technology with Samsung’s leadership in the mobile device market, allows us to innovate at a scale that is unique in the US$127 trillion global crossborder payments market.
SPECTRAMI Predictive Cyber Defense Roadshow 2019 arrives in Saudi Arabia
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PECTRAMI's Predictive Cyber Defense Roadshow 2019 arrived in Saudi Arabia with the distributor conducting two roadshows in the kingdom; Riyadh and Damman—at Burj Rafal Hotel, Riyadh on 18th September 2019 followed by one in Damman on 19th September 2019. SPECTRAMI Predictive Cyber Defense Roadshow 2019 showcased leading edge technologies that focused on the “Road from prevention to prediction” and the roadshow was designed to educate organizations on the merits of predictive cyber security approach as against the prevention or detection-based approaches, which is a decent approach but, in many cases, leaves them vulnerable. The roadshow also highlighted the key solutions and services designed to support predictive cyber defense model and to provide an interactive platform to disseminate information and network with security decision makers from most prominent organizations in the region. The vulnerability analytics, security analytics and multi-vendor threat intelligence are three major pillars of prediction-based approach, which SPECTRAMI presented to help all the decision makers to stop the attacks before they hit their organization. The security roadshows featured several of the subject matter experts
that shared use case studies and demonstrations. Anand Choudha, the CEO and President at SPECTRAMI commented: “After witnessing housefull roadshows in Dubai, Doha and Muscat, we were confident that Riyadh and Damman would recieve similar response. We were confident that all the planned roadshows covering major 7 countries and 8 major cities in the region would provide an interactive, educational, and intimate networking sessions discussing key technology trends by the industry experts and security specialists.” With our key technology partners, Flashpoint, Anomali, Automation Anywhere, ExtraHop, Tenable, HIVE PRO, Intel471, Micro Focus, Fidelis, Pulse Secure and Belkin, SPECTRAMI addressed the challenges faced by end-users not just from product or solution perspective but from the framework and policy aspect too. Ilyas Mohammed, VP Operations KSA, Turkey, Egypt, Levant & North Africa at SPECTRAMI said: “It is a great moment for us to highlight the predictive risk management strategy to the organizations in the kingdom that will enable them to defend themselves against any cyber security risk by proactively identify threats and staying ahead of potential threats.”
IBM Unveils z15 With Industry-First Data Privacy Capabilities
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BM has unveiled IBM z15, a new enterprise platform that helps manage the privacy of customer data across hybrid multicloud environments. With z15, clients can manage who gets access to data via policy-based controls, with an industry-first capability to revoke access to data across the hybrid cloud. With the growing adoption of hybrid multicloud environments, the challenge of maintaining data security and privacy only grows more acute and challenging. "While organizations continue to rapidly adopt hybrid multicloud strategies, we are seeing an increasing concern over privacy and data security as a result of data movement from one environment to the other," says Miguel Vega, Vice President, IBM Systems, Middle East and Africa. "IBM Z is central to IBM's hybrid cloud strategy, and with the launch of z15, our clients will have the flexibility to adopt the cloud they want, with the privacy and security they need." The key z15 innovations from investments across IBM Systems and Research include: Encryption Everywhere, Cloud-Native Development, and Instant Recovery. With z15, pervasive encryption is designed to extend across the enterprise enforcing data privacy by policy even when it leaves the IBM Z platform. With this capability,
clients can offer new services and features that give their consumers stronger control over how their personal data is used. Businesses today have reportedly already completed the first 20 percent of their cloud journey. z15 helps companies take the next step in their digital transformation efforts to move mission critical workloads (the other 80 percent) to the cloud by delivering a hypersecure, agile and continuously available platform.
With z15, clients can: • Process up to 1 trillion web transactions a day, support massive databases, and scale-out to 2.4 million Linux containers in a single z15 system • Address mission-critical latency challenges by delivering up to 30x lower latency and up to 28 times less CPU utilization on z15 • Leverage 12 percent more cores than z14, and 25 percent more memory than z14 to help meet the needs of today's digital businesses.
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Partnership & Tie ups
Help AG Partners with Proofpoint to Deliver PeopleCentric Cybersecurity for Middle East Enterprises
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hile cybersecurity awareness and spending in the Middle East continue to increase, human behaviour remains the weakest link in enterprise security strategies. Recognizing this, Help AG and Proofpoint have entered into partnership to deliver people-centric cybersecurity solutions covering key user-focused threat vectors including email, social media and mobile devices. The new agreement with Proofpoint advances Help AG's strategy of broadening its cybersecurity managed services offering to include the protection of people, however and wherever they work. In its recent Human Factor Report, Proofpoint identified that more than 99% of cyberattacks rely on human interaction to work — making individual users a critical line of defence. “Attacks have pivoted from the network to endpoints because social engineering attacks are
Emile Abou Saleh Regional Director, MEA ProofPoint
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Stephan Berner CEO Help AG
not only easier to execute, but also more successful, making them highly profitable. The rapidly changing dynamics of the Middle East workforce – with more employees working remotely and on-the-go than ever before – introduces a new set of security complexities and risks. However, this mobility is key to the modern workforce’s ability to excel. That’s why at Help AG, we’re partnering with Proofpoint to adapt cybersecurity to new business requirements, giving organizations the ability to empower their employees without sacrificing protection,” explained Stephan Berner, CEO at Help AG. This emphasis on securing businesses without imposing restrictions is reflected in the flexibility of Proofpoint’s deployment models. The vendor’s solutions offer the same industry-leading level of protection in both cloud and onpremise environments. As a result, Middle East businesses currently in the critical transition phase can realize their cloud ambitions without introducing risks in the interim. The vendor’s global intelligence
platform spans email, social and mobile and collects and analyses more than 100 billion data points a day from more than 100 million email boxes, 200 million social-media accounts, and 7 million mobile apps. “Threat actors are increasingly targeting people, not infrastructure, and the move to the cloud is changing protection needs. Thus, it’s vital that organisations, not just in the Middle East, but globally, recognize the human factor threat,” said Emile Abou Saleh, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa at Proofpoint. “Proofpoint integrates a people-centric view into its security platform to offer tailored, first-class protection to address the challenges enterprises are facing today in a fastevolving threat landscape. Proofpoint is committed to its channel strategy and recognize that working with a key, trusted partner such as Help AG will boost our growing presence in the region and advance security awareness within Middle East organizations.”
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