The Integrator

A Small Footstep and an Endless Journey

The American astronaut Neil Armstrong famously declared, “That is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” after placing his left foot on the lunar surface. Today, when The Integrator features blockchain technology on its cover and other cutting-edge leaps in technology, i.e., metaverse, AR, VR, and digital twin, on inside pages, Amstrong’s words resurface in our minds. Perhaps, everything about technology started with an exemplary step somewhere in the distant past but it eventually helped humankind advance beyond imagination.

On the subject, we observe blockchain technology as a brilliant rescuer, if it establishes a secure, encrypted, and trusted system for global trade and transactions in the era of cyber intrusions. The cover story emphasizes the UAE’s trade hopes through blockchain from the perspective of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI). Together with blockchain, the issue articulates the significance of metaverse and immersive technologies in the field of commerce, education, healthcare, construction, automotive, etc.

The October issue of The Integrator is substantially supporting the organizations that are part of GITEX Global 2022, Dubai’s topmost tech tradeshow, with their latest products and associations. Clearly, the publication provides a superior reading experience to the community as it exclusively carries the views of 30+ industry titans on technology, innovation, trade, and finance along with news, reports, product appreciations, etc.

Our prestigious annual awards event, “ICT Champion Awards 2022,” its 15th edition is being held on the sidelines of GITEX. It recognizes leading ICT vendors, distributors, resellers, and eminent personalities. We are also overwhelmed by the excitement to re-launch VAR magazine with its 236th edition, our grand old publication and the pioneer in the IT and electronics industry.

We will be announcing our other exciting initiatives in GITEX 2022.

Read, encourage, and support. Wish you happy and successful moments at GITEX.

Murali Margassery Assistant Editor

Content

Vivek

COVER FEATURE

38 Dubai Disrupts Global Trade With Blockchain Technology

Yazeed Salah, Senior ManagerChamber Executive Office at Dubai Chambers interacts with Murali Margassery, Assistant Editor at The Integrator on its ongoing efforts.

NEWS IN DETAIL

16 With OpenShift

Plus, Red Hat

Greater

Embrace Digital

With

22 PNY Rules IT Component Industry with Innovative Products

Ahmed

Menon

Hassan

Fazal

VMWARE REDEFINES NETWORKING AND SECURITY FOR MULTI-CLOUD

SIMPLIFYING NETWORKING AND SECURITY FOR MULTICLOUD

VMware announces new innovations across its expanding networking and security portfolio that will help customers embrace the cloud operating model.

“VMware is radically transforming how our customers consume networking and security – allowing them to realize the agility and efficiencies of the cloud operating model through a cloudsmart approach. With a privileged position in the infrastructure and a scale out distributed software architecture, we’re able to leverage the intrinsic attributes of our platforms and deliver these unique solutions in a consumption-oriented manner.” says Tom Gillis, Senior Vice President and General Manager of VMware’s Networking and Advanced Security business group.

In Project Northstar, VMware announces a major advancement of its NSX platform. Announced in technology preview today, Project Northstar will transform how enterprises consume networking and security in a multi-cloud world.

STRENGTHENING LATERAL SECURITY

VMware is strengthening its lateral security capabilities by embedding network detection and visibility into Carbon Black Cloud's endpoint protection platform, which is now available to select customers in early access.

WSO2 LAUNCHES WSO2 PRIVATE CIAM CLOUD TO MEET B2B AND B2C DEMANDS

WSO2 Private CIAM Cloud is part of WSO2’s CIAM suite, which also includes the industryleading, open-source WSO2 Identity Server software that manages more than 1 billion identities each year. WSO2 Private CIAM Cloud combines the proven B2C capabilities of the WSO2 CIAM suite with new B2B organization management functionality, which uniquely enables organizations to create multiple levels of B2B organizational hierarchies and lets administrators of each organization configure their own policies and processes.

WSO2 also introduced WSO2 Identity Server 6.0. Both the newest release of WSO2 Identity Server and the new WSO2 Private CIAM Cloud build on the current WSO2 CIAM suite to add significant new features. These include integration with thirdparty analytics tools, integration with TypingDNA for authentication

based on typing biometrics, multiattribute log-in support to give users more sign-in options, and device flow support to bring CIAM to a broader range of devices.

“More than a quarter of our CIAM customer base has started using

WSO2 Identity Server for B2B, which gave us valuable real-world insights into how to support enterprises’ increasingly sophisticated market requirements with our new WSO2 Private CIAM Cloud,” said Geethika Cooray, vice president and general manager of identity and access management at WSO2.

WSO2 Private CIAM Cloud supports the growing demand to extend CIAM from B2C to B2B by building on the industry-leading functionality already in use with WSO2 Identity Server, the uniquely extensible, API-driven, cloud native product that enables developers to harness the power of CIAM without being security experts. It incorporates the ability to federate, authenticate and manage identities; bridge across heterogeneous identity protocols; and secure access to web and mobile applications along with API-based endpoints.

Tom Gillis Senior VP and GM, VMware

Geethika Cooray VP AND GM - IAM, WSO2

FUGRO EXPANDS ITS PRESENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST WITH NEW FACILITY IN JAFZA

The leading global Geo-data solutions provider, Fugro has inaugurated a new facility in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) expanding its footprint in the Middle East and India region. With this new facility, Fugro reaffirms its commitment to offering expertise and advanced Geo-data solutions to the rapidly growing energy, infrastructure, and construction industries in the Middle East and India.

The new 28,000-square-meter facility will be the new base that advances collaboration between teams and act as a regional base combining expertise to support clients with advanced Geo-data solutions. The facility will also host a state-of-the-art Remote Operations Centre (ROC) expanding the

company’s remote and autonomous capabilities, transforming the maritime sector.

Since entering the Middle East in the early 1970s, Fugro has established itself in multiple strategic locations across the region including Qatar, Egypt, India, and

Saudi Arabia.

The new facility was inaugurated by the Fugro Board of Management Mark Heine and Barbara Geelen –and attended by the Council General of the Netherlands in Dubai, Abdulla Bin Damithan, the CEO & Managing Director DP World UAE and JAFZA.

DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS VITAL FOR EVOLVING CYBERSECURITY LANDSCAPE

changing cybersecurity landscape,” says Wael Jaber, Vice President of Technology Services and Channels at CyberKnight. Technologies. He stated that organizations should utilize cyber threat intelligence to help define strategic goals to counter cyberattacks.

control boundaries,” Jaber said. The comments come as the 10th edition of MENAISC2022 nears its launch on September 6-7 in Riyadh.

Wael Jaber VP - CyberKnight

“Organizations in the Middle East and North Africa region should develop critical infrastructure that is more predictive and responsive to the

“The Middle East is facing several challenges that threaten infrastructures. Firstly, current infrastructures are widely open from an access permission perspective. Organizations must invest more in managing the identity sprawl and ensure the least privilege concept is applied across the board. Secondly, organizations must build more restricted environments by implementing micro-segmentation and cross-domain technologies to

Jaber predicted the cybersecurity market in the Middle East to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.7% to be valued at $13.78 billion by 2023. He said that Saudi Arabia has made great strides in digital transformation. The Kingdom ranked second globally among the G20 countries in the 2021 Digital Competitiveness Report and 14th in the National Cybersecurity Index for 2022.

“Therefore, digital transformation must go hand in hand with the implementation of cybersecurity controls that can protect against the growing cyber threats,” he concluded.

TAHALUF AL EMARAT AND CPX HOLDING SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

and provide safe and scalable solutions that leverage leading technologies.

Advanced cyber solutions are necessary for organizations that wish to combat these threats effectively and reap the benefits of new technologies, while being assured that their business is secure.

Tahaluf Al Emarat and CPX signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build successful long-term relationships that will benefit both the UAE-based parties and their customers.

The MoU was signed in Abu Dhabi by Yahia Alhami, CEO of Tahaluf Al Emarat, and Khaled Al Melhi, CEO of CPX.

The partnership aims to provide secure, reliable IT solutions and advisory services to enterprises and government entities so they can focus their resources on value generation, while knowing their data is protected. Both parties will tender and conclude project contracts

During the signing ceremony, Yahia Alhami, CEO of Tahaluf Al Emarat, said, “The signing of an MoU with CPX will encourage a beneficial relationship in the best interest of both companies by exchanging knowledge and experiences through mutual collaboration. This MoU will help us identify new opportunities to cooperate and share best practices.”

Khaled Al Melhi, CEO of CPX, said, “As a newly established company, it is crucial to partner with a prominent local player as we both strive to deliver excellence to our customers. As the trusted cybersecurity partner to our customers, our ambition is to help them reach a new level of cyber maturity by implementing customized solutions and services for both the public and private sectors. We aim to limit exposure of UAE organizations to cyberthreats, so that they can increase their opportunities to innovate and thrive.”

SALESFORCE ANNOUNCES FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND CARBON CREDIT MARKETPLACE

Salesforce has introduced Net Zero Marketplace, a trusted platform that makes carbon credit purchases simple and transparent, allowing organizations to accelerate climate-positive impact at scale.

Net Zero Marketplace, built on Salesforce’s Commerce Cloud, claims to connect buyers and ecopreneurs — environmentally-focused entrepreneurs who lead and drive climate action worldwide.

Suzanne DiBianca, EVP and Chief Impact Officer, Salesforce. “Businesses aiming to achieve long-term emission reductions can complement their efforts with high-quality carbon credits. Net Zero Marketplace brings together

Salesforce’s values, technology, and commitment to ecopreneurs to accelerate climate action.”

“The first step of anyone’s net

zero journey is reducing emissions. But we now know that reducing selfgenerated emissions is not going to be enough,” said Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Climate Change and Co-Host, Outrage and Optimism.

Carbon credit projects go through a series of independent verifications against global standards. If they pass the verification process, the projects can issue carbon credits that can then be sold. Projects can include forest conservation, tree planting, wind farms, solar cookstoves, or better farming methods.

Suzanne DiBianca EVP and Chief Impact Officer, Salesforce

RESPOND.IO DOUBLES ITS INVESTMENT IN SOCIAL COMMERCE SPACE

term brand loyalty. The effectiveness and broad-scale applicability of respond.io’s solutions across industries are evidenced in its strong base of hundreds of customers in the Middle East, which include leading brands such as Rotana Hotels, Cosmesurge, Ritchie Bros Middle East, and Hidayath Stainless Steel.

Respond.io, a social to conversational commerce platform, has doubled down on its strategy and investment in the country as it looks to pioneer the burgeoning social commerce space.

An official release stated this success has been driven by the company’s unique ability to empower retailers to convert social media engagements into sales through instant messaging while building long-

“Social media usage in the Emirates is among the highest in the world and is fuelling a new wave of digital commerce innovation. Platforms such as Instagram have enabled brands to connect directly with consumers and accelerate their purchase decisions,” says Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io. “We are especially keen on further developing our relationship with Etisalat as this would supercharge our growth strategy and make our value proposition more easily and rapidly available to a broad segment of UAE businesses.”

Respond.io is on track to lead the market globally with social to conversational commerce solutions at the world's largest brands, nationwide retailers, and other enterprise companies.

TRELLIX LAUNCHES ADVANCED RESEARCH CENTER

Trellix, cybersecurity announced the establishment of the Trellix Advanced Research Center to advance global threat intelligence. Comprised of hundreds of the world’s most elite security analysts and researchers, the Advanced Research Center produces actionable real-time intelligence and threat indicators to help customers detect, respond and remediate the latest cybersecurity threats.

Aparna Rayasam, Chief Product Officer, Trellix said, “we do this work to make our digital and physical worlds safer for everyone. With adversaries strategically investing in talent and technical know-how, the industry has to study the most combative actors and their methods to innovate at a faster rate.”

Trellix Advanced Research Center has the cybersecurity industry’s most comprehensive charter and is at the forefront of emerging

methods, trends, and actors across the threat landscape. The premier partner of security operations teams across the globe, Trellix Advanced Research Center provides intelligence and cutting-edge content to security analysts while powering our leading XDR platform.

Open-source developer tools, like Python, are necessary to advance computing and innovation, and protection from known vulnerabilities requires industry collaboration. Trellix is working to push code via GitHub pull requests to protect open-source projects from vulnerability. A free tool for developers to check if their applications are vulnerable is available on Trellix Advanced Research Center’s GitHub.

Aparna Rayasam Chief Product Officer, Trellix

Gerardo Salandra CEO, Respond.io

CLOUDFLARE MAKES R2 STORAGE AVAILABLE TO ALL; PROVIDES EASY AND SCALABLE STORAGE

and access everything they need. Whether it's storage for large media files, logs, or delivery of web assets, Cloudflare R2 offers flexibility with zero egress fees. R2 gives developers both an S3-compatible API, making for seamless migration and powerful integration with Cloudflare Workers, Cloudflare’s highly scalable serverless computing platform.

service as an open beta eight weeks ago, more than 11,000 developers have an active account with R2 Storage. With the global general availability of R2, developers are free to focus on innovation instead of worrying about the costs of storing their data, and can:

• Slash their cloud provider egress and storage bills

Cloudflare announces that Cloudflare R2 Storage is the distributed object storage that eliminates egress costs. Cloudflare R2 Storage claims to be offering a better way for developers to store

“Egress fees are nothing but a tax on developers, stifling innovation and creativity. We are redefining the standard of how developers work with object storage, allowing them to focus on innovation, rather than the costs of accessing their data. That is why R2 Storage will never have egress fees,” said Matthew Prince, Co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare.

Since launching the R2 Storage

• Take advantage of the performance of object storage built with Cloudflare’s global network

• Unlock the power and scale of Cloudflare Workers within their applications

• Access data efficiently from anywhere

• Integrate R2 Storage across Cloudflare’s product portfolio

NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY MUST EVOLVE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

Juniper Networks has announced initial findings of an international research project that shows a highly positive mindset and attitude amongst IT decision-makers and the workforce in the UAE towards networking technology’s strategic influence in leading the experiencefirst digital economy.

The research, conducted by Vanson Bourne on Juniper’s behalf, surveyed 650 IT decision makers and 1,200 office workers from mainstay sectors of the economy across eight countries, including the UAE. The IT decision-maker respondents are directly involved in their organization’s digital strategy, technology investment plans, and development. The research gauges the sentiment and perceptions

of IT decision-makers and the workforce in the UAE in the context of its Centennial Plan 2071 prioritizing digitization.

The findings provide insights into three themes: intelligent networking, security challenges, and sustainability in networking.

Yarob Sakhnini, Vice President, Emerging Markets, EMEA at Juniper Networks, comments, “this research affirms that organizations and the workforce in the UAE are aware that succeeding in the experience-first economy will require openness to change. With transformation also comes challenges, but by leveraging the capabilities of a network-driven digital strategy, the possibilities are endless to unlock enterprise value."

Matthew Prince Co-founder and CEO, Cloudflare

OMNIX LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Omnix announces the launch of its state-of-the-art Center of Excellence (XOC), an innovative managed service offering that was conceptualized to support businesses in their digital journeys.

Omnix’s XOC includes a unique combination of a Security Operations Center (SOC), Network Operations Center (NOC), and Operations Control Center (OCC) with managed services aimed to assist organizations to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives and overcome challenges relating to security threats, network issues, and performance, as well as operations-related tasks.

The XOC, equipped with the skilled resources and tools, will enable customers to identify cyber threats and analyze network performance, to enable organizations across sectors to

remain focused on turning their aspirations into reality. It is designed to provide a centralized and coherent view of the users’ network, security, and operations challenges.

“At Omnix we understand our customer needs and are committed to provide both strategic and tactical offerings, especially at a time when they are looking to strengthen their digital transformation journey. The newly launched XOC builds on Omnix’s strength as an industry leading solution provider, and we are committed to providing an environment powered by bestin-class tools and highly qualified resources. Our XOC is the ideal solution for businesses who want to reap the benefits of technology while remaining focused on their business objectives,” said Walid Gomaa, CEO of Omnix International.

With the Security Operations

Walid Gomaa CEO, Omnix International

Center (SOC), Omnix can support businesses with event classification, alert prioritization and investigation, incident containment and recovery, remediation and mitigation, and attack assessment and audits.

INFOBLOX Q2 2022 CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS SMISHING AND VULNERABILITIES IN WORDPRESS WEBSITES

Infoblox has published a new edition of the company’s quarterly cyber threat intelligence report, a security intelligence report that compiles the main threats and security breaches detected during the previous three months on a quarterly basis worldwide. Among the main conclusions of this report, which covers the months of April to June 2022 are:

SMISHING - A STRATEGY THAT COMBINES SMS AND PHISHING

Smishing messages are sent by bad actors to get victims to reveal private information, including passwords, identity, and financial data.

PREVENTION AND MITIGATION

Smishing messages are a common method for sending phishing links.

Infoblox recommends the following precautions for avoiding smishing attacks:

• Always be suspicious of unexpected text messages,

especially those that appear to contain financial or delivery correspondences, documents, or links.

• Never click URLs in text messages from unknown sources.

Mohammed Al-Moneer, Regional Director, META at Infoblox says, “Our report shares research on many dangerous malware threats. Security effectiveness depends on timely, up-to-date threat intelligence. Using tools included in Infoblox BloxOne threat defense, security teams can collect, normalize and distribute highly accurate, multi-sourced threat intelligence to strengthen the entire security stack. Additional capabilities can help SecOps to accelerate threat investigation and response by up to two-thirds.”

Mohammed Al-Moneer Regional Director, META, Infoblox

WITH OPENSHIFT PLATFORM PLUS, RED HAT DRIVES GREATER CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE HYBRID CLOUD

New capabilities further simplify the Kubernetes stack, helping to streamline and standardize application development and management from the data center to the edge to multiple public clouds

Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions, announced a new iteration of Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus, with new features and capabilities that go beyond the base Kubernetes platform to encompass storage, management, and more. This further extends Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus as a singular Kubernetes platform to span the breadth of enterprise IT scenarios, whether a traditional data center, distributed edge operations, or multiple public cloud environments.

“With the latest updates, Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus remains positioned to provide this consistent foundation along with a comprehensive set of integrated tools for enhanced management, improved data resiliency, and a stronger security posture,” says Joe Fernandes, VP, and GM - Platforms Business Group, Red Hat.

Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus is engineered to provide a more consistent foundation for organizations to drive transformational IT standardization. The newest offering includes the necessary tools to more simply build, protect and manage applications throughout the software lifecycle and across Kubernetes clusters. These underlying technology updates include:

• Red Hat OpenShift 4.11

• Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.6

• Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation 4.11

A COMPREHENSIVE PLATFORM FOR WORKLOADS THAT SPAN THE HYBRID CLOUD

As organizations continue to scale operating environments, the need for greater consistency across these heterogeneous footprints has grown as well. Red Hat OpenShift 4.11, based on Kubernetes 1.24 and CRI-O 1.24 runtime interface, is designed to make it easier to consume enterprise Kubernetes however and wherever needed across the open hybrid cloud.

The latest version of Red Hat OpenShift enables organizations to install OpenShift directly from major public cloud marketplaces, including AWS marketplace and Azure marketplace. This provides even greater flexibility in how an enterprise chooses to run OpenShift and enables IT, teams, to better meet dynamic technology requirements.

New features and capabilities in Red Hat OpenShift 4.11 include:

• Pod Security Admission integration, which enables users to define different isolation levels for Kubernetes pods to help enforce clearer, more consistent pod behaviors.

• Installer-provisioned infrastructure (IPI) support for Nutanix for users to employ the IPI process for fully automated, integrated, one-click installation of OpenShift on supported Nutanix virtualized environments.

• Additional architectures for sandboxed containers, including the ability to run sandboxed containers on AWS as well as on single node OpenShift. Sandboxed containers provide an optional additional layer of isolation for workloads, even at

the far reaches of the network’s edge.

A single Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management hub cluster can now deploy and manage up to 2,500 single-node OpenShift clusters, which can be deployed and managed at the edge through zero-touch provisioning. Additionally, Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management 2.6 provides edge metrics collectors designed specifically for singlenode and small workloads, allowing for greater observability of remote operations.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management also offers new integrations with key tools, providing users with the flexibility to continue using existing workflows.

Joe Fernandes

VP, and GM - Platforms Business Group, Red Hat

CATALYST HELPS ORGANIZATIONS EMBRACE SECURE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Catalyst is a global technology solutions provider offering end-to-end services for business applications, the internet of things (IoT), middleware, database, etc. Debashish Ray, General Manager – UAE and Group Financial Controller at Catalyst Business Solutions speaks about the competent products, solutions Catalyst offers to organizations.

Describe the competitive advantages enterprises receive while relying on Catalyst for integrations

We assist organizations in their digital transformation while improving their cybersecurity with the following qualities:

• Provide cloud, on-premise, hybrid business applications audit, implementation, support, upgrade, and managed services

• Handle “tomorrow's” problem – unknown attacks

• Reduce compliance risk and penalties

• Protect brand and customer data

• Increase competitive stance

• Reduce penalty of regulations

• Automate cybersecurity posture

• Reduce security OPEX

• Accelerate growth by mobilizing resources on core business

Besides that, we are Oracle’s Platinum partners since 2002 and we accommodate Oracle and cybersecuritycertified experts in the workforce. We also have local subsidiaries, teams, and competitive delivery centers.

Discuss the emerging technology products and solutions Catalyst offer to its customers

The services we offer include:

• Automation of the cybersecurity posture; inventory of assets and vulnerabilities and technical and financial quantification of the risk

• Protection of servers/applications against all attacks (especially zero days) in a few milliseconds, reduction of false positives and OPEX costs

• The protection of mobile devices and applications

• Compliance, confidentiality, privacy, and governance of structured and unstructured data

Speak about your participation at GITEX GLOBAL 2022. Is it through partners or independent? We are participating with our strategic partners.

What are your Middle East business plans and strategies for the remainder of 2022 and 2023? The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the primary

target countries for cyberattacks. According to the latest Global Cybersecurity Index of the International Telecommunication Union, the UAE ranks 5th in the world in cybersecurity with Russia and Malaysia. In contrast, it ranks 2nd among the Arab states - just behind Saudi Arabia.

The latest events and meetings organized by Catalyst with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum and His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi have solidified Catalyst’s commitment to ensure that the Emirates and its stakeholders be able to do business in a safe and secure environment. Catalyst is dedicated to achieving the vision of the UAE to become one of the most cyber-secure countries in the world by pursuing the implementation of its next-gen cyber security solutions.

Tell us about the major collaborations and strategic partnerships that Catalyst handles currently

Our one-of-a-kind cybersecurity partnerships:

Virsec - Server/Application Workload Protection against known and zero-day attacks in milliseconds during runtime

Balbix - Automated Cybersecurity Posture

Zimperium - Mobile Threat Protection

Securiti - Data Compliance and Governance

WITH SOLID PARTNERSHIP, ASBIS AIMS TO HELP BUSINESSES ADVANCE WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

ASBIS is one of the leading IT distributors in the Middle East with a wide range of IT solutions including networking infrastructure, software and security, and printing and business solutions. Hesham Tantawi, Vice President- MENA, ASBIS Middle East speaks about the company’s strategic focus and strength in the region.

We understand ASBIS extends its winning streak from the past year to this year. Elaborate a little on your current achievements

Yes. 2022 is treating ASBIS well, especially in terms of growth in the core products, irrespective of the less market growth in general.

We have already achieved what we had planned for the last five years. We aimed for a solid partnership, and we are yielding the results now. We are also planning to open new segments in the distribution business, incorporating consumer-centric products with targeting a specific league of customers.

How competent are you in providing customers with advanced technologies (AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, etc.)

In addition to ASBIS’ earlier portfolio in the key business verticals (i.e., volume, value-added, and commercial services), we have recently added one more segment focused on consumers.

ASBIS aims to help business advance with emerging technologies, including data analytics, cyber security, and AI, and that is handled through our value vertical. It gives a competitive advantage for organizations when configuring themselves with these latest technologies. We enthusiastically work with system integrators and solution providers to make that happen. Supermicro, Seagate System, Infinidat, and TP-Link are a few leading vendors we present to customers from the value-added divisions. Plus, ASBIS is presenting itself as a one-stop shop for all organizational needs, incorporating retail, building management, agriculture, etc., of our customers.

Explain how ASBIS optimizes its business strategies

around GITEX GLOBAL 2022

At GITEX, we are representing leading vendors with the entire portfolio in the following categories:

VOLUME: AMD, Intel, AFOX, Sapphire, PNY, AOC, ECS, and Lexmark

Storage: Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, Kingston, Transcend, QNAP, Synology, Dahua, Solidigm, Infortrend, DDN, and infinidat

VALUE:

Networking: TP-Link, Ubiquiti, Grandstream, Mimosa, Yealink, Yeaastar, and Mikrotik.

Server: Supermicro, NVIDIA, and Gigabyte

CONSUMER: Logitech, Bang and Olufsen, Loewe, Prestigio, Canyon, Lorgar, Aeno, and Perenio

Even though ASBIS’ policy is not to show itself at the event, we are conducting a client reach out and meeting program soon.

ASBIS’ strategies for 2023

The key strategy we have is that we will continue to create a solid association with our partners. We will integrate more brands, offer excellent support to the existing ones, and that’s the culture we followed since the beginning.

How do you evaluate the growth of ASBIS in the future?

ASBIS gained revenue of $3.7 billion. We are expecting a growth of $7.97 billion, which is bottom-line profitability, and we are determined to grow and go beyond.

From East Europe and Russia, ASBIS used to have 22 percent annual revenue. But now, the business isn’t operational there due to the ongoing geographic tensions. However, ASBIS is trying to add 2-3 percent additional revenue from other countries to compensate.

Hesham Tantawi Vice President- MENA, ASBIS ME

MALCO’S INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS MINIMIZE COSTS, RISKS AND MAXIMIZE ROI

Malco Technologies deals with the distribution of software and hardware products for data center network components in the Middle East and beyond from the bestin-class manufacturers across the globe. Its product lineup includes video, connection, security, cabling, energy and power, and data center solutions. Huzaifa Kanorwala – General Manager, Malco Technologies, speaks about its infrastructure solutions and regional strategies.

Elaborate on the infrastructure solutions that Malco Technologies distributes to enterprises and their significance in the era of digital transformation

For countries to have the conditions for continued development, digital technologies are becoming increasingly crucial. The right infrastructure is key 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” be it solutions that reduce power consumption or transfer data efficiently. Malco Technologies believes in providing companies with infrastructure solutions that focus on and cater 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.

What types of verticals Malco is mainly focusing on? ELV/Security, IoT, and Audio-Visual Solutions.

Briefly describe the AV or unified communication solutions that you offer to customers

We provide a wide range of Commercial display

solutions such as Fine Pixel LED/LCD Video Walls, digital signage, corporate screens, and various customized solutions for Indoor Transparent LEDs, Asymmetrical Screens to suit every Retail, Media, Corporate, and NOC/SOC control room requirements. We also provide various connecting cables like HDMI/AOC, matrix switchers, Tx/Rx systems, etc.

Describe Malco’s vision in infrastructure distribution

Our vision for Malco Technologies is to be the one-point distributor of the highest quality IT infrastructure and security solutions. As technology develops, we focus to inform and educate our clients about these opportunities.

We aim to provide an end-to-end passive service, making sure each & everyone has access to easier, reliable, and smart IT solutions. 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 for their business requirements. We are diligent to become one of the global leaders in the IT distribution sector.

What are your Middle East strategies for 2023?

We believe that Malco Technologies now has the right team, the 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 in other GCC regions. As Malco Technologies set a vision, we are in the process of opening offices in multiple locations all around the GCC and Africa markets.

Huzaifa Kanorwala GM, Malco Technologies

METAVERSE: THE FUTURE OF INTERACTIVE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Verse Estate is a hyper-realistic metaverse company headquartered in Dubai. Leila Hurstel, Chief Metaverse Officer at Verse Estate, speaks about the merits of the metaverse and the potential impacts of the organization’s Dubai Metaverse Strategy.

Explain how Dubai Metaverse Strategy will contribute to enhancing economic growth and job creation

The Dubai Metaverse Strategy aims to turn Dubai into one of the world’s top 10 metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the metaverse community. The strategy seeks to attract more than 1,000 companies in the fields of blockchain and metaverse, to support more than 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030, and supports the development of Web3 technology and its applications to create new governmental work models and growth in vital sectors including tourism, education, retail, remote work, healthcare, and the legal sector.

VR and AR are two key enablers of the metaverse, responsible for 6,700 jobs and contributing $500 million to the UAE’s economy, which is expected to increase significantly in the future.

How businesses are experimenting with the metaverse and establishing their early presence?

So far, companies are exploring the metaverse to improve customer experience through the creation of interactive immersive experiences, and generate revenue growth by setting up virtual stores and selling digital assets tied to a physical one or any other utility. E.g., Nikeland, which is the sporting goods brand’s micro metaverse built-in Roblox, has attracted 6.7 million people from 224 countries since its launch in November. The space allows users to try on virtual products and buy them as NFTs.

What are the challenges to mass adoption?

A Citi report says the metaverse represents a potential $8 trillion to $13 trillion opportunity by 2030. It’s expected that a minority of participants will make use of virtual or augmented reality devices, with most users accessing the metaverse via mobile phones. Significant infrastructure investments will be needed to enable users to go seamlessly from one experience to another. The metaverse is still in the early stage of development, there are a plethora of risks and challenges as we have seen with web2.0, there will be challenges around content moderation, free speech, and data privacy. The legal frameworks developing around cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance (DeFi) will also be relevant to the metaverse.

Share your insights on the new era of government services through the metaverse

Governments can leverage the Metaverse to upgrade the efficiency and quality of public services. The Metaverse has the potential to make available seamless and frictionless citizen services and applications 24X7 anywhere and everywhere. Also, it can enable enhanced communication and engagement between the government and its people.

Governments need to take Metaverse seriously since it offers novel ways to generate employment, impart education, deliver healthcare and map urban planning.

How digital twins in the metaverse can enhance smart cities?

Deploying digital twins (3D virtual replicas of a given system, place, or thing) in the metaverse can significantly aid with smart city planning. It allows cities to test out changes before they enact them in the real world. Cities are increasingly using this technology to study the effects of development, traffic, climate change, and myriad other situations a city must face. E.g., through replicas of roads, buildings, and public spaces, digital twins can help city planners better plan transportation systems and warn inhabitants about pollution levels and other suspected problems.

Leila Hurstel Chief Metaverse Officer, Verse Estate

PNY RULES IT COMPONENT INDUSTRY WITH A BROAD RANGE OF PRODUCTS

PNY Technologies is a leading IT manufacturer with a broad product range including flash memory cards, USB flash drives, and solid-state drives (SSD). Jérôme Bélan, CEOEMEA at PNY Technologies explains its collaboration with NVIDIA, notable GPU solutions, and other signature products to The Integrator.

From graphic cards to USB devices, from SSDs to AI-configured data center ecosystems, and gaming machines to multi-dimensional entertainment systems, PNY had proved its sound dominance and we aim to continue that winning strategy in the IT component industry.

How are PNY’s performance and market share in the MENA region and compare them with other regions?

Walk us through the latest AIpowered deployments that PNY conducts in the data center ecosystem of customers and its merits

We see a great opportunity in AIpowered deployments in the data center ecosystem as there are large prospective projects in the field of NLP, artificial intelligence for healthcare, automotive, autonomous driving, smart cities, etc. When NVIDIA’s data center technology and PNY’s business association come together, we could deliver enormous strength to enterprises to accelerate computing power.

In addition, the AI-powered data center deployments of PNY have a unique approach. Instead of developing everything from scratch, we have a container and you can just charge your application into it – it is a much faster approach than anything implemented previously.

How does the partnership with NVIDIA help your customers a higher margin of business success?

We have been NVIDIA’s sole partner for over 20 years; since that time, it was called Quadro distribution. We were the sole distributor in the US, Europe, and the Middle East regions. NVIDIA is taking care of the technology and PNY handles the channel development across these regions. With the inception of the graphical processing unit (GPU), the strong relationship gained bigger traction and momentum later. With our active collaboration, enterprise customers are exposed to the smartest processing units and speed up their business activities.

Tell us about the strength that PNY amasses in the IT component industry with an emphasis on your signature products

PNY is a global technology leader dedicated to consumer and business-grade electronics through our production capabilities and partnership with other manufacturers. We collaborate with one of the leading Indian manufacturers on hardware and data center equipment. Similar associations are handled across the world for different electronic and IT components.

We are hugely interested to invest and expand across the Middle East and North Africa region as countries in the region are committed to making smart cities, security solutions, AI-powered data center ecosystems, hyper-graphical platforms, etc.

Compared with Europe, the Middle East region is keen on security, healthcare, media, entertainment, gaming, and autonomous driving, NLP and PNY are interested to evaluate business scopes in these verticals even though there are obvious constraints in NLP. As we have a strong channel persists in the region, we hope to catch up with the streak as quickly as possible.

Describe the brand “XLR8” that PNY established XLR8 combines GeForce graphics cards, SSDs, and PC memory. With these, we help gamers achieve the ultimate gaming experience by combining their passion for the game with XLR8's core components specially designed for gaming enthusiasts. Essentially, they take the users' gaming to the next level and they push the existing boundaries. Plus, XLR8 GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics cards, powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, deliver the performance that gamers crave.

Jérôme Bélan CEO - EMEA, PNY Technologies

HANDLE HUGE VOLUMES OF DATA WITH COSTEFFICIENT STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Western Digital (WD) is a computer hard disk drive manufacturer and data storage company. It designs, manufactures, and sells data technology products, including storage devices, data center systems, and cloud storage services. Tareq Husseini, Senior Sales Director – META, WD talks about the company’s enterprise-storage products.

Speak about the latest products of Western Digital for enterprise customers

At Western Digital we are constantly working to help address the capacity and analytical needs of the industry, as well as support the evolving economics of data centers, NAS, and smart video customers for decades to come. Our newly introduced 22TB drives are built to help our customers efficiently store and access huge volumes of data while offering cost efficiencies and low TCO. We offer the world’s first 22TB CMR HDDs, which are now available in the region. Western Digital WD Gold is the preferred choice for IT/ data center channel customers.

Describe the competencies of WD’s SSDs than that of its competitors Western Digital has launched a new family of high-capacity SSDs to give cloud customers the ability to manage, scale, and provision infrastructures with high-capacity, low TCO, and better QoS consistency. This allows them to provide flexible cloud services that can adapt and scale to the changing demands of the digital world around us.

• The new Ultrastar DC SN650 NVMe SSD family includes a 2.5-

inch form-factor for traditional infrastructure and the slimmer, ruler E1.L form-factor, both with capacities up to 15.36TB

• The Ultrastar DC SN640 NVMe SSD is a mainstream NVMe SSD targeting broad deployment as boot, caching, or primary storage in data center IT and cloud environments.

• Ultrastar DC SN840 extends Western Digital’s leadership in dual-port architecture by vertically integrating proven flash controllers. Dual-port high availability supports two redundant paths to the SSD and is critical to ensuring access to data in the event of a failure in the data path.

Are you planning to present products or solutions at the GITEX Technology Week? If so, which are they?

Western Digital will have our range of data solutions available from WD, SanDisk, and WD_BLACK, as well as our more recently launched products which include:

o The new 22TB CMR HDDs

o The WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD

Moreover, we will be displaying our latest range of premium storage solutions under the SanDisk

Professional portfolio designed to empower professional content creators around the world. The range of products promises to deliver scalable, high-performance, reliable solutions across industries globally.

Discuss WD’s prospective regional plans for the remainder of 2022 and strategies for 2023.

WD has over two decades of presence in the local market, and in that time we have established on-ground teams, made extensive local investments, and aligned our offerings with our reseller partners and distributors. WD understands that the next few years will be an exciting time for smart technology providers in the Middle East. The market is growing, and consumers are excited about what’s coming next, but a lack of knowledge around smart technology infrastructure threatens this progress and the gains that will go with it.

We are prepared to support the growing digital needs of companies and consumers with specialized storage solutions to create optimum value from IoT data, which must be considered when building out the wider data infrastructure.

WITH PERFECT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SOLUTIONS, FINESSE KEEPS BUSINESS STAY AHEAD OF COMPETITION

As a regular participant at GITEX, how do you see GITEX has evolved over the years and how has it helped Finesse in your growth strategy

Since its inception, Finesse has participated regularly at GITEX. In the past, GITEX was mainly focused on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), but as Dubai and the UAE have become global innovation hubs, GITEX has become one of the world's most important tech events, showcasing some of the world's largest companies' latest innovations.

Over the years, Finesse has also grown. Until a few years ago, Finesse was recognized as the region’s leading Software Integrator (SI), but now it is at the forefront of driving secured digital transformation, helping organizations stay ahead of the competition as they embark on their digital transformation journeys. In the past few years, the company has grown to support over 350 enterprise clients from 10 different global locations with over 450 employees.

What is your focus on GITEX 2022 and what new solutions and services are you presenting?

Finesse

is a trusted software system integrator (SI), enabling digital transformation for global financial institutions and enterprises. Finesse offers solutions and services for business intelligence, analytics, ECM, GRC, CPM, RPA, blockchain, core banking, etc. The Integrator engages Sunil Paul, Co-Founder & MD, and Eljo J P, Chief Business Officer, at Finesse in a conversation regards to the company’s participation at GITEX 2022.

Through the years, Finesse has refined the process of helping businesses chart out their digital transformation journeys. Be it a pure brick-and-mortar business or a business just entering the digital world, Finesse has helped chart the best path businesses can take to experience the best outcomes. As part of its commitment to helping businesses on their digital transformation journeys, Finesse offers technological solutions which delight customers and set the foundation for sustainable long-term growth. Some of the technology solutions are AI chatbots, BI & Analytics, Blockchain, CRM/CEM, Enterprise Content Management, Information security through Zero-trust modeling, infrastructure, and cloud security, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Intelligent Process Automation (IPA), and managed IT services.

In this year's GITEX, Finesse will emphasize to companies the importance of investing in cybersecurity. As a result of the increased digitalization of services, cybersecurity incidents and threats have increased. These data breaches make it difficult for customers to trust businesses and hinder smooth operations. It is imperative to implement a robust cybersecurity process alongside digital transformation initiatives. By combining these two elements, businesses will be able to enjoy the benefits of their digital transformation journey sooner, better, and for a longer period.

Sunil Paul Co-Founder & MD, Finesse

What is the relevance of “Cyberhub,” your 24x7 SOC and Cyber Defense Centre?

Because of the growing need to support cybersecurity initiatives in the GCC, Finesse, has launched a fully functional state-of-the-art Security Operation Centre (SOC) in the UAE. With the launch of this center, Finesse continues to invest substantially in the cybersecurity space. The newly opened SOC will enable organizations in the region to improve their security posture significantly, by proactively detecting, analyzing, and responding to cyber threats to their digital infrastructure 24/7/365.

The highlight of the SOC that would come as a boon for SMEs in the UAE would be the ‘pay-as-yougo’ digital security solutions. Out of the 30+ services offered through the SOC, businesses can pay per use for any service they choose. A customer can, for instance, only opt for threat intelligence, data protection, SIEM, microsegmentation, Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), or Extended Detection and Response (XDR). Clients could be charged in accordance with the duration and services they select. As a result, organizations can begin with the most essential services and gradually progress to full protection services.

Who are all your partners joining you this time at GITEX

By establishing strategic partnerships with forwardthinking software companies, we ensure our clients get the most out of the latest technologies, that are tailored to their unique needs. This year, we have partnered with the leading cloud-based content company Hyland, the on-demand edge cloud service provider Zenlayer, and the leading HR transformation solutions provider Adrenalin HRMS and AI Chatbot vendor yellow.ai.

Take away with GITEX

GITEX is the largest global event that brings together innovative technologies from the world's most prestigious brands, as well as customers from all over the world. The event is a fantastic opportunity for Finesse to reconnect with our partners and clients after the long period of Covid, and to initiate active conversations about how we can grow our partnerships in the years to come.

Eljo J P Chief Business Officer, Finesse

PHILIPS, AOC PRODUCTS CATER TO YOUTHFUL AND MATURE CUSTOMERS

TPV designs and produces a full range of CRT and TFT LCD monitors as well as LCD TVs and it owns brands such as Philips, AOC, and Envision. The Integrator interviews Carol Anne Dias, Regional Sales Director – MEA at TPV Technology.

Speak about the latest products of AOC/Philips for the enterprise and individual customers

AOC had launched a 15.6” portable monitor 16T2 with FHD IPS touch panel with battery and smart cover for POS and on-the-move customers. AOC Q32V3S/WS is available for customers looking for a big size, high resolution with a stylish design.

AOC U27U2DP will be launched with features like Nano IPS black, USB-C docking with charging capability, and 4K resolution. Philips Touch series 162B9T (15.6”), 222B9T (21.5”), and 242B9T (23.8”) had got a very good response in the Middle East region. This series comes with 10-point touch, water and dust resistance, VGA, HDMI, DP, DVI, USB connectivity, speakers, and a smart stand.

Philips V8 line up of white color models in 22”, 24” and 27” are stealing the show with our retailers. Recently, webcams with Type-C models 24E1N5300HE and 27E1N5600HE are launched in Philips to cater to the growing demand for hybrid working.

Carol Anne Dias Regional Sales Director –MEA, TPV Technology

Discuss the signature features and newest technologies associated with display products. Monitor has now evolved as a product that adds value to the user experience.

New panel technologies of OLED, Mini-LED, and Nano IPS along with high refresh rates up to 360Hz and high resolution up to 5K give the customer a near real-life experience on the screen.

How do you segregate and differentiate your customers with AOC and Philips, as both brands cater to the same industry?

Both AOC and Philips monitor brand comes with a very exciting and futuristic model line-up to cater to the various need of all customers. For Enterprise customers, AOC comes with E Line, P Line, and U line to fulfill the requirements.

For Individual customers, T line (Stylish), V Line (Midlevel), and B Line (Entry Level) are available to meet the demands of the customers across all the segments.

Similarly, Philips monitor models are also segregated into B Line and E line for B2B and B2C customers respectively.

AOC brand connects more with young, stylish, casual & gaming consumers while Philips brand stands for design, safety, security, caring, and responsibility. AOC Gaming and its professional gaming brand, have been the No. 1 gaming brand for three consecutive years (Source: IDC).

The versatile design of the monitors not only takes very less of your desk space but also looks elegant. Wide color Gamut, IPS black, and Adobe RGB solutions in a monitor produce an array of colors for true picture quality. Philips had been the front runner in launching monitors with EPD (e-ink tech), anti-bacterial painting, Ergo-sensor, and Thunderbolt4 connection.

What are the future technologies that we can expect in Philips monitors?

Customers will see new models with a wide color gamut, IPS black, and Adobe RGB solutions in a monitor produce an array of colors for true picture quality. They will also experience models with video conferencing solutions with 5M or 8M webcams, and microphones with noise cancellation.

TPV technology gulf is planning to launch new panel technologies of OLED, Mini LED, and HDR for the best viewing experience. Ultrawide monitor and super ultrawide monitor with 21:9 and 32:10 aspect ratios will be made available for customers who are looking for more productivity.

WITH STRONG LEGACY OF SUPPORTING SMES, TRIGON EXTENDS ITS WINNING STREAK

Trigon LLC, an Al Ghurair Group Company, is a front runner in the distribution of professional displays and AV integration in the UAE. Kamran Khayal, General Manager at Trigon speaks to The Integrator on various dimensions of distribution, technology, and display market.

Walk us through the categories of IT products Trigon mostly distributes to enterprises Trigon is one of the biggest ICT distribution companies in the Middle East and an authorized distributor for leading IT and consumer electronic brands, i.e., Samsung, LG, D-Link, Acer, Asus, Ergotron, Brother, Netgear, Transcend, Philips, AOC, etc. We also focus on distributing large-scale infrastructure solutions, commercial displays, PCs, and monitors for various industries across the Middle East region.

Tell us a bit about Trigon’s association with the small, medium (SMEs), and large enterprises in the region 2022 marks a milestone of 25 years for Trigon and we carry a strong legacy of supporting SMEs since the inception of the company. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) constitute a significant portion of business for Trigon. We are creating income opportunities and empowering our network of SMEs by providing product training, credit facilities, and access to the latest technologies. Also, with our comprehensive and turnkey solutions, we address all the technology needs of large enterprise customers wherein we have been involved in the concept, design, and implementation of various large-scale projects. We are one of the first ICT companies to collaborate with all major retailers including Carrefour, Jumbo, Lulu, Sharaf DG, E-max, Virgin Megastore, and many others. Apart

Kamran Khayal General Manager, Trigon

from that, we did iconic projects for Expo 2020, Burj Khalifa, Royal Atlantis, and Dubai Airport, and the very recent one is the implementation of LED screens in the control room of Meydan racecourse in Dubai.

Explain the after-sales services that Trigon offers to its customers. How comprehensive they are? We are continuously investing to strengthen our supply chain to ensure 100 percent customer satisfaction. We have a 19-member team who looks after the after-sales services covering areas such as In house repairs, onsite support, 24X7 support, system integration, and annual maintenance contracts. We have our warehouse and distribution services located in Dubai, Jebel Ali, Riyadh, Manama, and Muscat and these locations serve as a strategic gateway for all our customers.

Describe the competencies of Trigon in supplying the latest and cutting-edge technologies to enterprises. We rely on our strategic vendors, who happen to be leading global brands, to offer a wide range of turnkey solutions covering AI displays, wall mounts solutions, next-gen video communications, interactive displays, gaming monitors, consumer, commercial, and gaming notebooks, networking solutions, indoor/outdoor LED display solutions and kiosks. We are actively engaged with 700+ channel partners, power retailers, system integrators, and AV consultants.

How does Trigon plan to present its brand and solutions at GITEX?

This year, Trigon is participating in GITEX with PeopleLink, one of our recently collaborated vendors. PeopleLink is a pioneer in modern video conferencing technology.

NETSKOPE IS REDEFINING CLOUD, DATA, AND NETWORK SECURITY

Netskope, a global cybersecurity leader, is redefining cloud, data, and network security to help organizations apply Zero Trust principles to protect data. Jonathan Mepsted, VP of Sales - Middle East, the UK, and Africa at Netskope speaks about its latest enterprise solutions.

our global alliance partner Mimecast, showcasing how combining our solutions allows omnichannel in-depth defense against threats and risks.

Tell us about Netskope’s business goals for the remainder of 2022 and plans for 2023

This year Netskope’s NewEdge infrastructure became the most well-connected security network in the world, including the addition of five new data centers in the Middle East. These data centers help support security and network transformation for local customers across a variety of sectors including energy, telco, and finance. With a newly expanded local Gulf team, our goal is to support even more businesses within the region, ensuring they know about the full extent and capabilities of our platform.

Speak about the latest solutions Netskope offers to SMEs and large enterprises

Organizations have fundamentally changed in recent years, and they are not alone… malicious actors are changing too, both using and targeting the cloud, taking advantage of growing digital trust. With a divergence of working models and IT infrastructure (SaaS, private cloud, web, private apps) the number of attack surfaces to protect has grown, but organizations cannot just keep adding costs and resources - it is time to consolidate and integrate. Netskope is a global cybersecurity leader, and we are redefining cloud, data, and network security to help organizations apply zero trust principles to protect data wherever it goes - in the cloud, on the web, in private applications, and even onto endpoint devices.

What are the key products or solutions you are presenting at the GITEX 2022?

At GITEX 2022 we are showcasing our newly completed SASE architecture, which brings together our marketleading Intelligent SSE, IoT Security, and Borderless SD-WAN to deliver a modern cloud security stack with unified capabilities for data and threat protection and reliable network connectivity for every site, application, the user or IoT device. We will be exhibiting jointly with

This summer we announced two initiatives that give a good guide to the evolution of the Netskope platform. First, Netskope launched endpoint data protection (eDLP), with a pathway to move beyond traditional office endpoints (printers, CCTV, etc) into broader IOT and OT, demonstrating our commitment to protect data, regardless of where it goes. Following that, we announced our acquisition of Infiot to bring Borderless SD-WAN into our product alongside SSE. This acquisition makes Netskope one of the very few companies able to deliver a single vendor SASE solution.

How do you distinguish between Netskope and its competitors in offering cyber protection?

Our unique investment in our NewEdge infrastructure in both the UAE and KSA allows us to specifically help with this conundrum, securing the path to cloud for the middle east.

We are recognized by Gartner and others as leading the market with our vision of cloud-native, data-centric security, SASE, SSE, and SD-WAN. We help organizations turn security into an enabler for growth - addressing today’s data protection, cloud data processing, and security challenges and creating a security posture that allows the organization to embrace innovation and growth.

Jonathan Mepsted VP of Sales - ME, the UK, and Africa, Netskope

EMBRACE A HYBRID MULTICLOUD PLATFORM; DON’T SETTLE FOR CLOUD CHAOS

Mohammed Abulhouf Senior Sales Director - ME, Nutanix

What products and solutions will you be showcasing at GITEX Global 2022?

Nutanix will be sharing our company’s vision and strategy that emphasizes that enterprises should never settle for Cloud chaos, but rather, embrace a hybrid multicloud platform that prioritizes simplicity, flexibility, and freedom of choice.

Over the past year, Nutanix has re-packaged its solutions to make them even more simple, to offer a consistent operating model across all types of clouds: public, private, and hybrid. We are keen to demonstrate these innovations at GITEX:

• Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI): Providing complete software solutions including virtual compute, storage, and networking for virtual machines and containers, that can be deployed in private data centers on the hardware of the organization’s choice or in public clouds

• Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM): If an organization is managing multiple cloud deployments, Nutanix can support by driving consistent governance across private and public clouds, helping customers accelerate their cloud journey

• Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS): Nutanix supports a variety of workloads deployed anywhere – private, public, or hybrid by allowing software-defined storage for multiple protocols ((volumes, files, objects). This is a

single point of management for all storage resources

• Nutanix End User Computing Solutions: This speaks to running applications and workloads anywhere, on any device supporting the new normal of remote work and remote learning

• Nutanix Database Service (NDB): Simplifies database management across hybrid multicloud environments for database engines such, as PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database

We’ve done just that with Nutanix Era, a Databaseas-a-Service (DaaS) solution ‘On Your Terms’. In the same way, the Nutanix Cloud Platform has made IT infrastructure ‘invisible’, Nutanix Era is a database lifecycle management software that runs on the Nutanix Cloud Platform and empowers organizations to achieve invisible databases. Era can manage databases deployed on on-premises infrastructure and a public cloud of choice, making it a true multicloud solution ready to modernize databases.

What do you hope to achieve from your participation at the event this year?

As always, GITEX offers a brilliant platform to promote our brand. Most importantly, it’s a way to reconnect with our customers and partners at scale. We anticipate even more traffic coming in from the other GCC countries, such as Saudi Arabia – which is a hyper-growth market for us.

What will be your theme of participation at GITEX?

Nutanix will be exhibiting with the theme “Cloud on Your Terms” intending to help regional organizations master the art of Cloud freedom

Do you plan to run any activities alongside GITEX?

We are running a series of executive dinners during GITEX week and have several MoU signings that will occur at our stand.

Where can trade visitors find you at GITEX?

Nutanix will showcase its beautiful stand H6A30 in Hall 6 at GITEX, which has been designed to be inviting, safe, and open space for great conversations. This year key alliance partners and resellers have been welcomed to participate along with the company. The focus is on emerging alliances including HYCU, ArcServ & Stratodesk.

Nutanix offers customers simple and flexible software solutions and seamless storage offerings. Mohammed Abulhouf, Senior Sales Director, Middle East at Nutanix speaks about the company’s GITEX strategy.

PALO ALTO’S ZTNA 2.0 HELPS SECURE CONNECTIONS FOR BUSINESSES WITH HYBRID WORKFORCES

Palo Alto Networks, a multinational cybersecurity company, offers advanced firewalls and cloudbased security solutions, Ercan Aydin - VP, Emerging Markets - Palo Alto Networks speaks to The Integrator about the next-gen cybersecurity solution the company offers to its customers.

Elaborate on Palo Alto Networks’ principles about cybersecurity and speak about the latest solutions Palo Alto Networks is the world's cybersecurity leader. We innovate to outpace cyber threats, so organizations can embrace technology with confidence. We provide next-gen cybersecurity to thousands of customers globally, across all sectors. Our best-in-class cybersecurity platforms and services are backed by industry-leading threat intelligence and strengthened by state-of-the-art automation. Whether deploying our products to enable the Zero Trust Enterprise, responding to a security incident, or partnering to deliver better security outcomes through a world-class partner ecosystem, we're committed to helping ensure each day is safer than the one before. It's what makes us the cybersecurity partner of choice.

Palo Alto Networks aims to innovate and provide solutions to help its customers. We are the first and only vendor currently offering Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) 2.0, which helps secure connections for businesses with hybrid workforces. ZTNA 2.0 helps organizations protect all applications and data from any location, without compromising access for users. We have recently announced the Prisma SASE to enable customers to identify and remediate misconfigurations in SaaS apps using SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) capabilities.

What products and solutions will you be showcasing at GITEX Global 2022?

Customers visiting GITEX will be able to see live demos of our best-in-class cybersecurity platforms representing our 3 main security pillars plus our services: Strata (The Networks Security with NGFW and SASE), Cortex (Endpoint security and SoC Automation, Unit42 Incident Response), Prisma Cloud (Cloud Security) and Professional Services.

What types and sizes of enterprises that Palo Alto focuses on?

Palo Alto Networks supports firms of all sizes, from SMEs to multinational organizations. We are neither limited in terms of size nor the capabilities we can support. In addition to firewall support for businesses, Palo Alto Networks also offers cloud solutions. Our mandate is to consistently evolve, creating a safe and secure environment for our customers and partners.

How do you evaluate the way security solution business progresses in the Middle East region?

Technology is advancing rapidly and post the pandemic with continued hybrid work and the accelerating shift to the cloud; the need for a cybersecurity partner has become an even bigger priority. Palo Alto Networks helps deliver what’s next in security to help organizations get ahead of the threat landscape, with broad industry recognition of our best-of-breed platforms: network security, cloud security, and security operations.

Ercan Aydin VP, Emerging MarketsPalo Alto Networks

FORTICNP CHECKS CLOUD DATA CHANGES, OFFERS SECURITY

Fortinet develops and sells cybersecurity solutions, such as physical firewalls, antivirus software, intrusion prevention systems, and endpoint security components. Alain Penel, VP - Middle East and Turkey at Fortinet talks about Fortinet’s security fabric to deliver cloud security solutions for securing cloud workloads.

Integrations with Amazon GuardDuty malware protection leverage a zero-permission, agentless approach for detecting malware throughout the data supply chain by scanning cloud data stores, disk volumes, and workload images.

For customers utilizing Fortinet cloud security solutions such as FortiGate-VM and FortiWeb, RRIs will be able to trigger stopgap remediations to block high-impact threats.

FortiCNP continuously scans and monitors changes to cloud data with industry-leading threat intelligence and content scanning powered by FortiGuard Labs.

Discuss the risk management potential of FortiCNP

FortiCNP is a cloud-native protection platform natively integrated with cloud service providers (CSP) security services and Fortinet’s security fabric to deliver a comprehensive, full-stack cloud security solution for securing cloud workloads.

FortiCNP delivers the following features that allow security teams to effectively manage risk in the cloud:

FortiCNP resource risk insights (RRI) leverage a patented risk score algorithm to contextualize security findings from Fortinet cloud security solutions and AWS products and services to provide teams with prioritized, context-rich, and actionable insights about resources that present the highest risk and need immediate attention.

What advice does Fortinet want to give the Middle East enterprises to safeguard their business from cyber threats?

Organizations need security operations that can function at machine speed to keep up with the volume, sophistication, and speed of today’s cyber threats. AI and ML-powered prevention, detection, and response strategies based on a cybersecurity mesh architecture allow for much tighter integration, increased automation, as well as a more rapid, coordinated, and effective response to threats across the extended network.

Cybersecurity awareness and training are also important as the threat landscape changes to keep employees and security teams up to date.

Tell us about the products you’re

presenting at GITEX 2022

Our focus at GITEX this year is to showcase our cybersecurity mesh platform which gives businesses a broad, integrated, centralized management and visibility, supports, and interoperates across a vast ecosystem of solutions, and automatically adapts to dynamic changes in the network. Our portfolio of more than 50 security and networking technologies is designed from the ground up to interoperate, share threat intelligence, correlate data, and automatically respond to threats as a single, coordinated system.

On site, visitors will experience the key pillars of the Fortinet Security Fabric such as the Zerotrust network which securely connects applications hosted everywhere with users working from anywhere; Security operations which enable fast, coordinated detection and enforcement across the entire attack surface; Network security which addresses digital acceleration challenges by tightly integrating network infrastructure with advanced security across all edges; and cloud security which delivers visibility and control across cloud infrastructures.

Regional strategies ahead of GITEX

In the future, security will become a larger share of the networking market and Fortinet is wellpositioned to continue to meet the needs of organizations looking to enable digital acceleration through convergence. New advanced solutions, such as AIOps, integrated zero-trust network access (ZTNA) and identity, zero-trust, and AIenhanced outbreak detection, are only possible because Fortinet has converged critical security and network functions into a single, expansive platform.

Alain Penel VP – MET, Fortinet

KEEP YOUR NETWORKS SAFE AGAINST DDOS; NETSCOUT OFFERS SUPPORT

NETSCOUT is a leading provider of business assurance, a combination of service assurance, cybersecurity, and business intelligence solutions, for enterprise and government networks. Gaurav Mohan, VP, SAARC & ME, NETSCOUT explains the cybersecurity and service assurance offerings that the company is showcasing at GITEX 2022.

Explain the latest enterprise solutions NETSCOUT offers to SMEs and large enterprises

One of our latest innovations for businesses is Omnis AIF. This AI-based solution helps users instantly and automatically thwart a significant amount of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, thereby streamlining operations and reducing exposure to risk. Our approach is different because we leverage global observations in DDoS attack activity to drive local automation and response. Therefore, we can drastically lessen our customers' exposure to DDoS attacks and their potential consequences for their businesses.

We have added the nGeniusEDGE Server to our service assurance offerings to guarantee that businesses are kept up-to-date and protected against any potential vulnerabilities to their networks. This all-in-one, plug-and-play solution gives customers the oversight and information they need to guarantee a positive final-user experience, regardless of where staff members physically perform their duties. nGeniusEDGE Server is a simple-to-deploy technology that alerts IT departments to issues as soon as they arise, allowing them to fix them before they disrupt business operations and end-user satisfaction.

What are the key products or solutions you are presenting at the GITEX 2022?

At GITEX, we will showcase our full suite of cybersecurity and service assurance offerings. NETSCOUT

Gaurav Mohan VP, SAARC & ME, NETSCOUT

solutions, providing visibility and analysis into any infrastructure environment - data center, private & public cloud, and co-locations; for whatever service is deployed - customer-facing applications, voice, video, SaaS, and UCaaS; and from wherever they are accessedheadquarters, regional locations, or home offices.

Tell us about NETSCOUT's business goals for the remainder of 2022 and plans for 2023

At NETSCOUT, we constantly listen to our customer's evolving needs and objectives. We're growing our presence in the Middle East by securing new customers, introducing our services to a wider range of existing customers, and deploying more sales staff to the region. We are devoted to improving the efficiency of our customer's online environments.

Omnis Security is a portfolio of network-based cybersecurity solutions and products that delivers the scale, scope, and consistency necessary to secure today's enterprise networks, thereby strengthening the digital infrastructures of regional businesses. These tools enable cybersecurity teams to detect and respond to threats quickly and comprehensively throughout their networks.

We'll also be showcasing our service assurance portfolio, which is built to facilitate seamless operations across enterprises. Our nGeniusONE Service Assurance solution is one of our flagship

How do you distinguish between NETSCOUT and its competitors in offering cloud and cybersecurity solutions?

Businesses and service providers worldwide rely on NETSCOUT to help keep their networks safe against distributed denial of service attacks and other advanced threats.

We protect digital business services against disruptions in availability, performance, and security. Our market and technology leadership stems from combining our patented smart data technology with smart analytics. This is what differentiates us from other vendors in the industry.

SMART DISTRIBUTION OF DIGITAL SOLUTIONS; NEWCOM LEADS THE WAY!

Newcom Computer Systems is one of the leading IT distribution companies offering both business and consumer solutions. Jai Bhatia, Director – Sales and Marketing at Newcom Computer Systems talks about the diverse aspects of the ICT distribution.

Elaborate on the products and solutions that Newcom Computer Systems provides and their significance in the era of digital transformation Newcom Computer Systems is one of the award-winning leaders in the digital distribution solution where we not only concentrate on “volume-added” services but also strongly caters to “value-added” distribution. The competition has gone stronger, the demand in gadgets has increased, in short, the world has digitalized itself and has become more tech savvy. Here is where Newcom continues to play the most crucial role with their philosophy of partnership beyond business by building the bridge between the vendors and the channel partners. It ensures the product reaches to the correct end consumer.

At Newcom we offer a wide range of products in two different sectors which, includes business solution and consumer solution. By adding more brands to our catalogue this year, Newcom has built a strong and dedicated team and continues its journey as one of the pioneers in the distributor for globally renowned brands. We accommodate various categories i.e., monitors, computer peripherals, video conferencing solutions, gaming accessories, security are some of the most in demand categories at Newcom.

What types of verticals are you mainly focused on?

Newcom Computer Systems works on one of the rare modules of providing solutions to business groups and enterprises as well as channel market. With our strong presence in the market for VAD Solutions such as video collaboration and interactive panels, we are partnered with well-known brands such as Logitech, Samsung, Targus, Hyper, Rapoo, J5create, Lindy, Arozzi and few more in the pipeline. We work directly with the top system integrators to offer the best business solutions to the sectors such as hospitality, education, automotive, etc.

Briefly describe the AV, computer peripherals, or unified communication products that you offer to enterprise customers

Newcom provides an enterprise IT solution with

renowned brands such as Logitech, Samsung, Targus, Rapoo, J5create, HP and few more in Pipeline which puts us into a place as one of the leading distributors in UAE. The range of these products spans Monitors, gaming accessories, video Conferencing devices, docking stations, cables and adaptors, cybersecurity products, and much more. Each product that we offer is unique with its feature and add value to the customer experience. Our most popular enterprise IT solution includes room conferencing solutions.

What are your Middle East strategies for 2023 as a prominent distributor in the region?

Newcom believes to push through the fear, step out of the present and begin to peer around the corners toward 2023 and beyond. We have observed that the industry is inclined towards AI, AR, and Security solutions, and we would like to explore and expand our brand partners in these fields. The new trends that will drive the market in coming years will be a strong digital presence and preparing different marketing strategies using geo-fencing data. In 2023, We are looking forward to increasing omnichannel selling and expand our business into the global market. We are also spreading our wings in different regions and countries in Middle East and Africa region.

Jai Bhatia Director – Sales and Marketing, Newcom Computer Systems

DIGITAL SILK ROAD: DUBAI DISRUPTS GLOBAL TRADE WITH BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) is a public non-profit organization that promotes Dubai as an international business hub. DCCI forefronts the blockchain movements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with substantial initiatives. Yazeed Salah, Senior Manager - Chamber Executive Office at Dubai Chambers interacts with Murali Margassery, Assistant Editor at The Integrator on its ongoing efforts.

We understand that Dubai Chambers spearheads the adoption of the blockchain revolution in the country. Kindly elaborate on the ongoing efforts and recent initiatives.

As Dubai’s largest economic development arm, Dubai Chambers is playing an active role in supporting the Dubai Blockchain Strategy.

Well before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the business world, we were exploring and adopting cutting-edge solutions powered by blockchain and other advanced technologies to streamline our services to our customers, facilitate trade processes, improve ease of doing business and enhance Dubai’s economic competitiveness.

Digital transformation is a key focus of Dubai Chambers’ 2022-2024 strategy and we are working closely with strategic partners in the public and private sectors to spearhead innovative initiatives and programs that create added value for businesses in Dubai and expand their access to growth opportunities at home and abroad.

One of our biggest initiatives in the pipeline is Digital Silk Road, a blockchain-powered platform that facilitates Dubai’s trade with the world. The platform is designed to simplify the import/export process by enabling users to track trade transactions, reduce transaction time and enable digital authentication in an encrypted, secure and cost-effective manner.

This mega project, aligned with Dubai 10X and designed to drive disruptive change among government entities and place Dubai 10 years ahead of leading global cities, is the result of several years of collaboration between Dubai Chambers and strategic government and private sector entities in the UAE and abroad. Following in-depth research into existing systems, we worked with leading banks, licensing authorities, free zones, port operators, and other industry stakeholders to develop a game-changing digital platform that will drastically improve and simplify trade processes and procedures.

The Digital Silk Road has the potential to reshape the global trading system as it will connect with similar digital trade platforms covering other markets around the world. Ultimately, it will elevate Dubai’s position as a business hub in the global arena and fast-track the emirate’s progress toward achieving its 5-year foreign trade target of $545 billion.

How successful is Dubai Chambers in receiving international attention for its initiatives?

Since Dubai Chambers was restructured last year into three chambers – namely Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Dubai International Chamber, and Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the organization has expanded its efforts to promote Dubai as a preferred business hub and attract multinational companies, startups, and scaleups from around the world. Earlier this year, Dubai Chambers launched the Dubai Global mega initiative that leverages a network of international offices and public and private sector partners to assist companies with their entry into the Dubai market.

As Dubai continues to open up its economy and introduce new incentives and advantages, we are increasingly seeing a surge in inquiries from investors and businesspeople from around the world who are keen to explore business opportunities in the emirate and leverage its strategic geographic position to expand its global reach.

Do you think the adoption of blockchain technology eliminates vulnerabilities in the global trading system? Trade is one of the key sectors where blockchain is expected to create major business benefits and impact. By creating a digital record in real-time, blockchain technology has proven to be extremely valuable for global supply chains associated with international trade. For example, blockchain seamlessly facilitates transactions made between exporters and importers using a trusted

system that doesn’t involve a third party.

Trade sector stakeholders are using blockchain to build trust, and make trade systems more efficient, secure, agile, and able to deal with future challenges. This is a positive for traders, governments, and citizens as such platforms become the go-to channels to drive revenue and boost trade.

Looking at other blockchain-based trade portals that are already up and running such as Singapore’s Networked Trade Platform and the Open Trade Blockchain, we are encouraged to see promising results such as increased trade volumes and enhanced efficiency and security of trade transactions. The future potential of these systems is tremendous, especially given the fact that they are linking China and Belt and Road countries digitally in a brand new and innovative way.

We believe that Dubai’s Digital Silk Road can do all of that and more as the emirate has everything it needs to digitize its trade system and connect it with its global counterparts, such as advanced IT and logistics infrastructure, thriving innovative business eco-system, strategic geographic position connecting markets across Eurasia, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as strong confidence among global businesses and investors.

Which are the top enterprises (public or private) and entities supporting Dubai’s blockchain ambitions? There has been a lot of movement from both public and private sector players to support Dubai’s strategic ambitions to become a global innovation hub and knowledge-based economy. Government entities across the emirate have adopted blockchain solutions as part of their efforts to digitize services and this has enabled the emirate to achieve its vision of becoming 100% paperless.

Several leading cryptocurrency firms have relocated their operations to Dubai in recent years. This trend is a testament to the growing confidence in Dubai as a digital economy hub that fosters innovation and provides an ideal environment where blockchain companies can set up a base, thrive, and grow.

Despite such progress, the government of Dubai continues to raise the bar and set out new targets as it strives to build a thriving digital economy and position the city as one of the Silicon Valleys of the world. Recently unveiled, the Dubai Metaverse Strategy aims to attract more than 1,000 blockchain and metaverse companies to the city, in addition to creating more than 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030.

Does Dubai Chambers facilitate talks between UAE and other countries for collaborations based on these emerging technologies?

International cooperation is a key area

of focus for Dubai Chambers and the three chambers operating under its umbrella. We are leveraging global exhibitions such as GITEX GLOBAL 2022 to provide a platform for innovative startups and digital companies from other markets to showcase their solutions, collaborate, and connect with potential business partners and investors.

To add to that, through Dubai International Chamber and the Dubai Global initiative, we are working to expand economic cooperation between business communities in Dubai and abroad across new emerging sectors and fields such as AI, blockchain, Web3, and the metaverse, fintech, and health-tech, among others. New roadshows, events, programs, and initiatives have been launched to create such collaboration opportunities and attract hightech companies and startups to Dubai that can support the emirate’s innovation agenda.

Yazeed Salah Senior Manager - Chamber Executive Office, Dubai Chambers

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES ESTABLISH DECENTRALIZED TRADING SYSTEMS

WeTel Blockchain Centre provides skills development in blockchain education. Aliona Zaleskaya, Director at WeTel shares her insights into the global blockchain industry and education in an exclusive interaction with The Integrator.

What are your initiatives towards UAE's blockchain goals?

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has always been and will be a leading country in implementing new technologies, and blockchain is not an exception. WeTel Blockchain Centre is the first in UAE to provide skills development education in the blockchain. We have KHDA-certified workshops and courses in Blockchain Management, DeFi, and Metaverse besides offering a one-year Executive MBA in Blockchain Management.

How successful are you in receiving international attention for your initiatives?

WeTel TV Group has the full support of the European Blockchain Association and it is headed by worldclass experts including Christian Gleich (President), an ambassador to the European Blockchain Association (EBA), Prof. Adil Matin (Founder and Chairman), and Mohamad Khalifa (Advisory Board Chief), a leading Emirati businessman and industry leader, ex-VP of DIFC. The lecturers are carefully selected by specialists and our academic partners include Nest Academy, Britts Imperial University College in Dubai, and Euclea Business School in France.

We offer education but additionally create a community of professionals and enthusiasts as well. E.g., We run weekly “Blockchain Coffee Talks,” every Friday at 4:00 PM GST, bringing together experts in the field for informal conversations around trends and developments and this is televised on WeTel TV Info UAE Etisalat 336. Plus, we are present at various gatherings and seminars.

Do you think the adoption of

blockchain technology eliminates vulnerabilities in the global trading system?

The global trading system is vulnerable and anyone with knowledge of finance and economics can probably write a compelling thesis on the extent of the vulnerabilities. Blockchain technologies seek to decentralize and democratize trading systems. This is a generally new and evolving technology and over time and with scrutiny it will continue to achieve its purposes.

Incidentally, we are offering certified trading courses specifically

in trading (from entry level up to expert level traders), demonstrating that the barrier for entry is low and with the right knowledge and education, now just about everyone can leverage blockchain technologies to enter the world of trading.

Articulate the relevance of your blockchain events, conferences, and other programs

Our courses are taught and delivered by recognized experts. For instance, one of our lecturers is an expert who is the world’s first Ph.D. holder in Blockchain! On 11th October we are hosting Blockchain Summit and AcceleratorsX Awards at Emirates Towers, Dubai. We are very excited about the expertise that will gather for this. The full lineup is evolvingbut anyone would be impressed by those in attendance.

Do you think the adoption of blockchain helps financial organizations in the country to boost their market share?

Certainly! Blockchain changes the game. It provides a unique and until now unknown landscape that underpins the fourth industrial revolution. We are witnessing reallife applications and uptake across multiple industries and financial organizations are no exception.

Aliona Zaleskaya Director, WeTel

KIOXIA INFLUENCES THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET WITH EXCEPTIONAL MEMORY PRODUCTS

KIOXIA is a multinational computer memory manufacturer, a subsidiary company of Toshiba Memory Holdings Corporation. Santosh Varghese, Vice President at Toshiba Gulf speaks about the latest KIOXIA memory products and their competencies.

Give a broad overview of the brand KIOXIA

KIOXIA was previously known as Toshiba Memory. In October 2019, Toshiba Memory was rebranded as KIOXIA; KIOXIA is a combination of the Japanese word KIOKU - which means “MEMORY” and the Greek word “AXIA” which means “VALUE.” Kioku goes beyond the notion of memory as just storage of data to broadly encompass experiences, emotions, and ideas.

Tell us about your memory products

KIOXIA teams are the inventors of NAND flash memory in 1987. Our legacy of innovation continues in the NAND Flash industry. With our proven track record of success and reputation for innovation, KIOXIA has an innovative and award-winning range of products in the memory storage lineup and SSDs.

Do you continue your legacy memory products and drives?

Hard disk drives are also a key business for Toshiba. Toshiba has a complete 360 range of HDD products in personal client storage, nearline storage, network attached storage, data center, and cloud storage.

Elaborate on KIOXIA’s industry engagement through its latest initiative, ExceLENS.

ExceLENS is an innovative channel and marketing promotion campaign focused on promoting KIOXIA products in the channel and also for our end consumers. The following are the key activities conducted as part of the initiative:

• ExceLENS Photo Walks: It’s an initiative to promote the KIOXIA range of EXCERIA Pro/EXERIA PLUS SD cards for photo enthusiasts. Customers who buy cards 64 GB and above will get a chance to learn the basics of photography both theoretical and practical field training from renowned photographers/photo influencers. They also get goodies, such as a KIOXIA branded t-shirts and caps besides standing a chance to win a photography trip to Maasai Mara/Ranthambore (India ) or Georgia

• ExceLENS Awards: This is an annual photography award for amateur and professional photographers in

the Middle East and Africa

• Channel Programs

Santosh Varghese Vice President, Toshiba Gulf

• ExceLENS Performance Club: This initiative rewards the sales performance of our front-end sales staff across dealer channels. Currently, this program is being launched in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

• ExceLENS Cricket League: This is an annual cricket league match between KIOXIA channel partners across the UAE

How do you evaluate KIOXIA’s business prospects for the upcoming years?

The demand for phones will keep increasing due to the rapid implementation of 5G in the Middle East region.

Mobile PC will fuel demand for SSD, SD cards will continue to be in demand as DSLR photography is still popular among photo enthusiasts, and USB will be in demand with students!

ANNOUNCES A STRATEGIC LICENSING PARTNERSHIP WITH ARAS

AVEVA, a leader in industrial software, and Aras, a provider of low-code platforms, have entered into a strategic OEM partnership to deliver industrial “Asset Lifecycle Management” solutions. Complimenting the partnership, AVEVA will license the Aras Innovator platform to deliver a series of scalable, asset lifecycle management solutions.

“Lifecycle management capabilities play a critical role in the large-scale digital transformation of all the industries that we support. By unifying data, they provide the basis for automating many business processes, and, because they are based on accurate, real-time information, they also provide customers with assurance and trust in the accuracy of the engineering digital twin. Our partnership with Aras takes this a step further, by enabling customers to take advantage of innovative cloud-based Asset Lifecycle Management solutions to accelerate their digital transformation,” said Peter Herweck, CEO, AVEVA.

Peter Herweck CEO, AVEVA

C

loud-native point of sales (POS) solution, 6DX has launched in the Middle East and is aiming to transform the retail experience in hypermarkets, supermarkets, fashion, and lifestyle stores.

6DX appeared to have been built on the robust principles of design thinking at the R&D Innovation Lab at Intellect Commerce. 6DX is a MACH (Microservices based, API First, CloudNative, and Headless technology) enabled open retail composable architecture that fits into any environment without disrupting the existing technology ecosystem of the retailer. It is built on microservices and an API-first design to maximize flexibility and speed of implementation.

Commenting about the launch of 6DX, Ramanan S V, Director – Intellect Commerce said, “Middle Eastern Retail sector is at the cusp of major digital transformation right

now. 6DX unlocks high performance and great returns by providing user experience-oriented solutions such as point-of-sales (POS) and retail analytics, along with customer relationship management (CRM) with its cutting-edge NextGen Retail Xperience technology.”

With 6DX, the retailers can get six key elements, which are the following:

Faster Checkout – Enable retailers for a faster and easy checkout process using barcode-based scan, role-based authorization, order booking, Peripheral Integration, offline billing, refund, etc.

Promotions - Customer behavior information is obtained from mining transaction history, and it is correlated with customer segment attributes to inform promotion strategies and percentage-based promotions.

Payments- Making the checkout process easier for the customers with multiple payment options including card payment, digital wallets, loyalty points, closed wallets, gift voucher redemption, and cash payment

CRM - Empowers business to help them sell better, and allow them to harness the power of customer data with the CRM module to capture data on customer enrolments, KYC, location tagging, NPS, analytics, marketing campaign, and social media integration

BINSINA PHARMACY BRAND EXPANDS INTO MUSCAT

Al Khayyat Investments (AKI), one of UAE’s prominent family-owned conglomerates, has announced the foray of its BinSina Pharmacy brand into Oman with the launch of a flagship outlet in Muscat. It is the first of several BinSina Pharmacy stores already planned to open across Oman in the coming months.

The brand’s entry into Oman is yet another step forward in AKI’s exponential growth plans across the Middle East and North Africa region, which to date encompasses over 5,500 employees working across AKI’s various business divisions.

BinSina Pharmacy is one of the company’s flagship brands within its Retail Business Unit - one of eight business units spanning diverse sectors such as distribution, retail, healthcare, contracting, fitness & leisure, and automotive. BinSina is already one of the leading pharmacies in the UAE with a growing network of more than 150 outlets. BinSina was the UAE’s first pharmacy chain and today offers more than 57 years of expertise from the world of health, wellness, and beauty.

WITH DYNAMIC NETWORKING PRODUCTS, ARUBA SUPPORTS SMBS

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, provides secure edge-to-cloud networking solutions and AI-based services to businesses. The Integrator engaged Aruba’s high-profile executives, Amol Mitra (VP and GM - Worldwide – SMB) and Jacob Chacko (Regional Director – ME, KSA, and SA), in a conversation that focused on the company’s latest offerings for the SMB sector

Walk us through the newest and innovative solutions that Aruba has introduced to the small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the market

AMOL MITRA: Most SMBs do not have IT staff within the organization. So, technology products and solutions need to be easy to use, plug and play, affordable, and meet the security requirements of these businesses. Thus, we decided, when we embarked on this journey, to deliver customized solutions for SMBs.

We created a new brand, ‘Aruba Instant On’, that differentiates our SMB offering from our enterprise offering. Under the brand, we introduced a

and GM - Worldwide – SMB

set of Access Points (APs), switches, accessories like transceivers, and a mobile app through which businesses can manage and configure the entire network environment.

With the need for increased speed, capacity, and scalability, we initially launched Aruba Instant On APs three years ago, now featuring Wi-Fi 6, that delivers blazing-fast performance, greater capacity to handle more devices simultaneously, and greater performance. These APs are perfect for small businesses with expanding mobile, cloud, and IoT requirements.

We will continue to lead innovation in the future and deliver more high-performance, secure access points, switches, and technology that is purpose-built for SMBs. Aruba Instant On portfolio is ideal for Small Businesses/ Offices and institutions in hospitality, healthcare, and education.

Elaborate on the competitive advantages and scalability that SMEs find after turning to Aruba’s network technologies

AMOL MITRA: Besides vendors who compete with us in the enterprise space, there are other specific SMB networking vendors in the marketplace. So, we realized that in order to create a competitive advantage, we not only need to create brand differentiation but also create

Amol Mitra

Jacob Chacko Regional Director

product and solution differentiation as well.

When compared to the competition, I believe the following four areas are where our value proposition and differentiation lie:

• The first is “ease of use,” which is hugely important in this marketplace. Besides the cloud-based app, we also included intelligent automation through artificial intelligence (AI) to make sure that customers don't need to spend a lot of time configuring or managing the product

• The second is security. We have made sure that our products have hardened security. We have taken our enterprise security feature set and replicated it into our SMB solutions

• Next, this business is channel-led and built through our broad channel ecosystem. So we have made sure that our channel partners are engaged and enabled from a pre-sales and a post-sales perspective to deliver whatever support and service is required by customers

• And finally, everything we do is centered around our customers. We build features that are tailored to the needs of individual customers and SMB businesses. For example, if you have a small coffee shop and you want to have a guest network that is segmented from the administrative network and the staff network, it is a one-click capability that we provide

Give insights into Aruba’s latest undertaking concerning hybrid work and employee collaboration and their success

AMOL MITRA: Our products are inherently built for a hybrid work environment. We have a specific configuration for users who work from home, office, or in a hybrid mode. With a one-click button, you can configure it for a hybrid work environment. All this is held in the cloud and managed through a mobile app.

With Aruba’s products, a user can have the same environment, configuration, and policy management irrespective of the workplace. There is zero configuration change that is required with our products.

Discuss Aruba’s Middle East plans and business strategies for the SMB sector in the upcoming years

JACOB CHACKO: We have been at the forefront of innovation in the enterprise networking segment, helping large enterprises meet their connectivity, security, and financial requirements across campus, branch, data center, and remote worker environments. Our strategy is to extend our leadership in the Enterprise sector to the SMB segment by providing them with ‘enterprise grade’, feature-rich solutions at an attractive price point, that are simple, secure, and easy to deploy. Aruba’s SMB networking solutions deliver intuitive management, automated intelligence, and security features to save time and gain a competitive edge.

Aruba Instant On is a big technology focus for us when it comes to SMBs. They are wi-fi access points (APs) purpose-built for small businesses that just work— reliably, securely, and remarkably simple, right out of the box. SMBs can create “Always On” networks with little to no IT support required. It’s easy to set up and manage remotely with a cloud-based mobile app.

Our go-to-market strategy is through our SMBfocused partners and distributors. Stocking is a key area of focus for us when it comes to SMBs. We are making concerted efforts to build a strong supply chain network to ensure that our partners have stocks readily available at any given point in time.

What is special this year for Aruba GITEX for SMBs?

JACOB CHACKO: At GITEX Global 2022, Aruba will be exhibiting under the theme “Making Connections, Anywhere” - creating the connections that power businesses and the world. In its 13th appearance at the event, the company will demonstrate its cloud-native approach to helping customers meet their connectivity, security, and financial requirements across campus, branch, data center, and remote worker environments covering all aspects of wired, wireless LAN, and wide area networking (WAN). At the event, Aruba will demonstrate its latest technologies addressing the digital transformation needs of regional enterprises including Wi-Fi 6E and cloud-managed networking, SD-WAN & SASE, Aruba User Experience Insight, and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS).

D-LINK EMBRACES INNOVATION TO COME UP WITH RELEVANT AND RELIABLE PRODUCTS

D-Link is one of the global leaders in the design and manufacture of networking, broadband, digital, voice, and data communications solutions. The company caters products to the connectivity needs of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and enterprise environments. Sakkeer Hussain, Director – Sales & Marketing, D-Link Middle East & Africa speaks about the innovative networking products the company has brought out to its SMB customers.

Elaborate on the newest products D-Link introduced to its SME/SMB customers and their capabilities

At D-Link, we embrace innovation to create relevant and reliable products for our customers. Our EAGLE PRO AI AX3200 Mesh Systems is designed for today’s devicedense smart homes. These systems are equipped with dual-band wireless speeds of up to 3.2 Gbps with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, including 1024 QAM, MU— MIMO, and OFDMA technologies. They are available in both 2-pack (M32-2) and 3-pack (M32-3) formats. The built-in AI Wi-Fi Optimiser continuously connects to the best Wi-Fi channel and AI Traffic Optimiser prioritizes the most critical internet usage.

EAGLE PRO AI AX3200 Mesh Systems can be easily managed through the EAGLE PRO AI app.

Some of our recent launches include Covr Series WiFi 6 solution and EAGLE PRO AI Series:

• Covr Series Wi-Fi 6 solution: This also includes multi-pack options that are all equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and mesh technology to provide faster speeds, greater capacity, and less network congestion for the modern device-dense smart home. With next-generation speeds of up to 1.8 Gbps total, these Covr AX Wi-Fi 6 solutions are perfect for simultaneous 4K streaming, VR gaming, video calling, and keeping the smart home connected. They also feature 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and 1 Gigabit Ethernet WAN port for optional wired connectivity.

Sakkeer Hussain Director – Sales & Marketing, D-Link MEA

• EAGLE PRO AI Series – It features a comprehensive range of routers to fulfill everyone’s needs for home Wi-Fi and 4G Wi-Fi. Equipped with Wi-Fi 6 Technology, the R15 AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Smart Router, M15 AX1500 Mesh Router, and E15 AX1500 Mesh Range Extender deliver up to four times more capacity and a 40 percent throughput increase than Wi-Fi 5. The R03, R04, and R12 Wi-Fi AI Routers are entry-level devices for emerging markets that provide the latest WPA3 security encryption for more secure connectivity. The EAGLE PRO AI series also includes 4G AI Routers G415 and G416, as well as entry-level models G403 and G412, all with two built-in external LTE antennas. Additionally, the G416 utilizes Carrier Aggregation Technology to boost data speeds up to 300 Mbps. Carrier Aggregation provides the foundation for deploying 4G and 5G networks, with the capability to combine several frequency bands for higher peak rates and increased cell coverage.

Other new launches include DCS-8300LHV2 Full HD Wi-Fi Camera with AI-based person detection, Outdoor Industrial AC1200 Access Point DIS-3650AP and Indoor Industrial Access Point DIS-2650AP, and so on.

Describe the competitive advantages enterprises receive while relying on D-Link for its networking needs D-Link is and has been a market leader in networking, as we have specific solutions and different consumption models designed for different target audiences. Our suite of cloud and networking solutions boasts quality and robustness. We attribute the success of our market leadership to being able to curate offerings as per each customer’s requirement and help them achieve their business outcomes seamlessly and securely.

Discuss the emerging technologies (AI, IoT, security, analytics, etc.) that are part of D-Link products

At D-Link, we ensure we are always ahead of the market curve by introducing timely and innovative offerings. All our new products are integrated with AI, IoT, and analytics, and equipped to cater to the rising 5G demand. Customers are seeking data-driven decision-making tools and technologies, and this is where analytics come into play. Security is the most important element today for every solution and product. Our Nuclias range, Wi-Fi solutions, and AI-embedded routers, integrated with resilient security all offer strong capabilities on these technologies. We have observed a high appetite for these

technologies from the customers’ end as they see and understand the benefits clearly.

What are your Middle East business plans and strategies for the remainder of 2022 and 2023?

Customers can expect the latest technological innovations from us to power them to seamlessly achieve business objectives in the digital modern era. At D-Link, we work very closely with our partner ecosystem to deliver ground-breaking products and solutions to help customers thrive in the digital era. As a partner-first company, building partners’ businesses continue to be our top priority.

We will continue to ensure innovation and creativity are part of our DNA. Our business objective at D-Link will always be – to innovate to be several steps ahead of the market. With this in mind, you will soon hear from us on exciting new launches around 5G, IoT, AI, smart home tech, Wi-Fi 6, cybersecurity, and networking.

Tell us about the major collaborations and strategic partnerships that D-Link handles currently in the region

We have established powerful alliances with global leaders such as Moxa, Gajshield, and ZCOM to help us further cater end-to-end to the market’s wireless solutions and security demands efficiently.

THE CURIOUS CONNECTION BETWEEN CLOUD REPATRIATION AND SRE OPERATIONS

Written by: Lori MacVittie, Principal Technical Evangelist, Office of the CTO at F5

It is an important point to make as we dive into the question of the relationship between site reliability engineering (SRE) operations and cloud repatriation.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that adopting SRE practices causes cloud repatriation. But I am suggesting that there is a close and meaningful relationship between the two. The fact that Google—a cloud provider—created SRE as a practice is not a mistake. The model, mindset, and skillsets associated with SRE are integral to successfully operating cloud infrastructure and services.

CLOUD REPATRIATION IS REAL

Public cloud repatriation itself is a somewhat taboo topic in certain circles. Consider the controversy raised by Andreessen Horowitz when it published “The Cost of Cloud, a Trillion Dollar Paradox” and suggested companies were repatriating from the cloud and realizing significant cost savings as a result. Some would have you believe it’s not happening, but there’s enough data and anecdotal evidence to indicate that yes, it is.

For our 2021 State of Application Strategy Report, we asked the market about public cloud repatriation. A mere 13% had repatriated apps and another 14% were planning to. One year later, that combined total rose 40 percentage points to 37% and 30%, respectively. This is not an anomaly, as multiple credible analyst firms are reporting similar results. Interestingly, the rate of repatriation is not globally universal. APCJ and LATAM are both far less likely to repatriate than EMEA and NA.

For now, we’ve been digging into a possible enabler of repatriation—SRE operations. Because even if the increasing cost of cloud is a driver of the desire to repatriate if you don’t have the skills to operate as efficiently elsewhere—and thus benefit from lower cost—then why would you repatriate?

And we posit that it is SRE operational practices and skills that enable companies to repatriate and maintain the efficiency and cost savings needed to justify the decision—whether they’re moving those workloads to another public cloud, on-premises, or the edge.

Lori MacVittie Principal Technical Evangelist, Office of the CTO, F5

DIGGING INTO THE DATA

On the surface, there is a strong correlation between the adoption and application of SRE practices with cloud repatriation that seems to indicate that organizations with the ability to operate in a cloud-like manner, i.e., they’ve adopted SRE practices, effectively pick up their toys (apps) and go home (on-premises or elsewhere) because they can.

Cut another way, only 4% of organizations that have not adopted SRE practices have repatriated apps from the public cloud. A whopping 73% of those who have adopted SRE practices have also repatriated apps.

Meaningful relationship or curious coincidence?

There appears to be an inarguable correlation between organizations embracing SRE as an operational practice and public cloud repatriation rates. But is it a meaningful relationship or merely a curious coincidence?

LOOKOUT SSE SOLUTION SECURES ORGANIZATIONS’ DATA REGARDLESS OF WHERE IT’S STORED

Bahaa Hudairi, Regional Sales Director - META at Lookout speaks about its cybersecurity strategy.

Elaborate on the cybersecurity strategy that Lookout provides from endpoint to cloud

To prevent data leakage in this cloud-first era, organizations need a unified platform that protects users, devices, access and data, across all applications and devices, from any modern-day cyber threats, and that is where SSE, and as a consequence, Lookout can play a vital role.

The Lookout SSE solution enables organizations to secure their data while supporting a modern, anywhere anytime workforce with consistent cloud-delivered security policies regardless of where data is stored. In addition to integrating Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB),

EPSON DELIVERS INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT DIVERSE, CROSS-SECTION ORGANIZATIONS

Jason McMillan, Sales Director – ME, Epson speaks about the company’s major enterprise-level installations in the Middle East

How do you differentiate Epson’s products from its competitors in the industry?

Each day, Epson invests about €1.14 million (AED 4.12 million) into R&D, as a reflection of how important innovation is for the company. Epson has pledged to become carbon negative and underground resource free by 2050 and has committed €73 billion (AED 264.47 billion) to sustainability developments. This focus on creating technology that not only saves businesses and consumers money and time but also helps to save energy, reduce water

consumption and push boundaries, is what differentiates Epson technology from competitors.

Briefly explain a case study of Epson’s major enterprise-level installations in the Middle East Epson has successfully delivered innovative solutions to support a diverse cross-section of organizations across the region. These include organizations such Mediclinic, Art Coast, Arab Fashion Week, and Theatre of Digital Art (ToDA). To bring this to life, GITEX 2022 visitors can stop by the ToDA zone at the Epson

into a single platform, Lookout SSE integrates policy and data security enforcements deeply across web, SaaS and private applications. These include User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Enterprise Digital Rights Management (EDRM).

What products will you be showcasing at the GITEX 2022?

At GITEX 2022, attendees will have the opportunity to learn how the Lookout cloud security platform safeguards an organization’s data with security that goes everywhere the data goes — whether it’s in a data center, public cloud or downloaded to an endpoint.

Jason McMillan Sales Director – ME, Epson

stand to experience immersive solutions that deliver memorable, unique customer engagement opportunities.

One of our most recent case studies with Mediclinic helped the organization meet its day-to-day printing needs with convenient, compatible, and sustainable printing options.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Secure Web Gateway (SWG)

Bahaa Hudairi Regional Sales Director - META, Lookout

JUNIPER MAINTAINS ZERO TRUST AND END-TO-END SECURITY MODEL

Juniper Networks develops and markets networking products, including routers, switches, network management software, network security products, and software-defined networking technology. Feras Abu Aladous, Sr Manager, System Engineering - META at Juniper Networks talks about the company’s security policy and the Middle East strategy.

What is Juniper’s network security policy?

We have a zero-trust security model, where no one is trusted, and this is the core security policy that we follow. Another focus is to provide end-to-end security besides embedded security and switching for routing platforms. We provide customers with firewalls with unified threat management (UTM) functions. Similarly, we have the secure AI-driven SD-WAN and the security is embedded in each component.

Elaborate on the findings of Juniper’s recent research on the enterprises

The research surveyed 650 IT decision makers and 1,200 office workers from mainstay sectors of the economy across eight countries, including the UAE. This research affirms that organizations and the workforce in the UAE are aware that succeeding in the experience-first economy will require openness to change. With transformation also comes challenges, but by leveraging the capabilities of a network-driven digital strategy, the possibilities are endless to unlock enterprise value, enhance experiences and help meet the objectives of the UAE Centennial Plan 2071.

Explain Juniper’s cloud and data center services for customers

When it comes to setting up on-premise data centers, we provide customers with the data center infrastructure. As a technology centric company, we believe in the hybrid cloud system, we have a multivendor automation platform to ease the security concerns of the enterprises.

What are the products that you will be showcasing in GITEX 2022?

We will be showcasing the following category of products and solutions at GITEX. AI-driven enterprise solutions, automated data centers - operated by the abstract platform, security products, and paragon automation mainly for service providers.

What are the sizes of the enterprises that Juniper is

focusing on?

Feras Abu Aladous Sr. Manager, Juniper

Our business fits all sizes of enterprises covering all verticals. We have our clients from the oil and gas industry as well as from government and retailers.

How juniper contributes to sustainability? We design chipsets that adopt the latest technologies and there is lower power consumption as most of our equipment come very compact. We have a mission of being committed to the market by producing less harmful things to the environment.

What is Juniper's market strategy for the remainder of 2022, and the next year?

When we talk about our strategy, I can tell you that at the top of everything we will have the talent acquisition and rebound. We believe in hiring talented people to support our business and customers for the best experience.

Do you want to work with partners or operate independently through the market?

We still see that our maximum business comes from the partners. Partners will always be there to support Juniper. We are planning to increase the space and reach in the market.

LOGITECH ENABLES ORGANIZATIONS TO WORK EFFECTIVELY FROM ANYWHERE

Logitech is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of input and interface devices for personal computers (PCs) and other digital products. Loubna Imenchal, Head of Enterprise Business, AMECA at Logitech shares the company’s new range of products and plans for GITEX 2022.

How important is professional-grade video collaboration to innovation in modern workplaces?

The first step to innovation is collaboration, and our video collaboration and personal workspace solutions make this happen because employees are empowered to embrace the “work and create from anywhere” concept. Video serves as a “middle ground” between voice-only phone calls and in-person meetings, which is important for building business relationships. Moreover, video collaboration solutions enable managers, and the workforce to better convey and understand information that is being shared. As a result, new ideas can be actioned and rolled out faster, and that too, with a higher degree of quality and customer learning.

Briefly tell us about the industry verticals that you’re focused on at GITEX Organizations within the government, financial, education, and healthcare have been and will continue to be our focus. The application of video collaboration solutions may be different for each of these sectors but the end goal is common, to improve collaboration in the world of hybrid - with customers, partners, and employees.

What kind of solutions do you provide for the healthcare, and education sectors?

Our Logitech MeetUp is a bright example of a conference camera suitable for the demanding healthcare environment. MeetUp provides 4K Ultra HD optics for a sharp, distortion-free 120° view of both patient and room, enhancing the quality of telehealth offerings. In the education sector, our video collaboration solutions can maintain and enhance many scenarios across teaching and learning Interactions between faculty, teachers, and parents; and even guest lectures and field trips to get the best learning outcomes. We have the Logitech MeetUp, Rally Bar, and Rally Plus video collaboration solutions which are easy to use and deploy. They provide exceptional clarity and wide viewing angles to show more of the classroom to remote pupils.

Speak about the products, and solutions that Logitech is presenting at GITEX 2022

At GITEX Global, we will be showcasing in-office and personal workspace solutions that focus on humancentered solutions in this “New Logic of Work.” We

recently launched Logitech Brio 505 and Zone Wireless Headphones will be showcased. In addition, we also want to show how enterprise-grade solutions can be blended into personal workspace through our Ergo and MX series solutions to have a seamless hybrid style of work.

What differentiates Logitech from its market rivals, and what are your goals and objectives for the remainder of 2022?

As a market-driven and solutions-based company, Logitech is in the best position to enable organizations to lead their digital and workplace transformation. We help customers think through their processes of how infrastructure, tools, software, services, and physical environment all work together.

Globally, our client portfolio includes the top 10 largest pharmaceutical companies, 9 out of 10 largest healthcare companies, 8 out of 10 largest automakers, and 9 out of 10 manufacturing companies.

We have new product launches in the remainder of 2022. And, we will always continue exploring new partnerships to strengthen our presence in the region.

Loubna Imenchal Head of Enterprise Business, AMECA, Logitech

CLOUDERA INTRODUCES HYBRID DATA PLATFORM FOR END-TO-END DATA MANAGEMENT AND ANALYTICS

Cloudera delivers a hybrid data cloud for any data, anywhere, from the Edge to AI. Powered by the relentless innovation of the open-source community, Cloudera advances digital transformation for the world's largest enterprises. Karim Azar, Regional VP - Middle East & Turkey at Cloudera speaks to The Integrator about the products the company is showcasing at GITEX 2022.

How does Cloudera’s hybrid data platform help enterprises?

Cloudera’s hybrid data platform enables businesses to transform complex data into actionable insights easily and quickly. Our hybrid data platform helps companies with end-to-end data management and analytics, allowing organizations to ingest, process, store, analyze, and model any kind of data from anywhere. The platform offers an integrated suite of proven and open data management tools to help turn insights into real-time actions that enable compelling use cases, driving unmatched outcomes.

What are the other key products that Cloudera is showcasing at GITEX 2022?

This year at GITEX, we will be highlighting our Cloudera Data Platform (CDP). The CDP launch is one of our most significant announcements this year. We will also disclose some of our new partnerships at Cloudera. We have been building our portfolio across the government sector, especially in Abu Dhabi.

Keeping in mind that the UAE has been adopting and implementing new technologies to become more digitally driven, the government sector has been looking into ways to use data as an enabler for business opportunities in the region.

As service providers in the region, we have observed

an increase in the adoption of use cases in products build on data. The telecommunications industry, including companies like Du and Etisalat, has highlighted progressive visions hinting at what the region can expect over the next 5 to 20 years.

Moreover, as a business, we are keen to learn more about what other vendors and service providers in the region are bringing to the table.

Which types of companies and verticals can make use of Cloudera’s products and solutions to enhance their business?

Cloudera’s products and solutions are open to any business looking to become more data-driven. Cloudera’s platform helps companies to segregate and sort out big data to gain actionable insights and make better business decisions. Overall, Cloudera helps businesses empower a digital journey.

Our clientele involves businesses in various industries, including finance, healthcare, telecommunications, insurance, and more. We are also expanding its portfolio within the government sector, helping build more significant business opportunities. We help enterprises by enabling them to understand their data, create better strategies for customer experience and become more costeffective.

Karim Azar Regional VP – MET, Cloudera

KASPERSKY SHOWCASES THE CONCEPT OF CYBER IMMUNITY WITH A RANGE OF PRODUCTS

Kaspersky is a multinational cybersecurity provider that develops and sells antivirus, internet security, and other cybersecurity products and services. Amir Kanaan, Managing DirectorMETA at Kaspersky talks about the company’s participation at GITEX 2022.

Why is GITEX GLOBAL 2022 important to your business?

GITEX gives us a platform to showcase our wide range of products and services and continue raising awareness about cybersecurity. It also gives us an up-close and personal view of the industry’s developments which inform our approach for the future. Better yet, it allows us to educate the industry about the need for cyber immunity through meaningful conversations with our existing and prospective customers.

Tell us about the launches, products, and services you will be exhibiting at GITEX GLOBAL 2022

We are very excited to showcase our concept of cyber immunity to our customers, partners, and attendees at GITEX Global 2022. The world has changed drastically over the last two years, making digitization an inseparable part of our lives. This also calls for our attention to the way we implement or deploy cybersecurity. We believe it is time that we move from cybersecurity to cyber immunity. As part of our Cyber Immunity portfolio, we will be launching the Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000, a new offering for IIoT protection, which is built on our proprietary operating system, KasperskyOS.

IoT plays an important role in building smart cities, digitizing power plants and refineries, and ensuring seamless connectivity across industrial organizations. With increased connectivity also comes increased vulnerabilities that can have disastrous results. The Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 addresses these concerns by boosting industrial cyber defenses.

In addition to that, other solutions that will be presented at the booth comprise “Kaspersky Antidrone”, a drone protection solution at sites of all sizes that can cater to military advancements, airports, oil and gas plants, and so on. We will conduct demonstrations of an ecosystem based on AI to protect the territory from drones through continuous detection of airborne objects and the identification of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) s. We will also showcase Kaspersky Consumer Business Alliances, a complete portfolio of cybersecurity products and services to mobile operators, internet providers, B2C Resellers, and other partners.

What are your objectives and expectations for this year’s show?

We expect to drive business opportunities and engage

Amir Kanaan MD - META, Kaspersky

with our existing and prospective customers across all sectors, service providers, and B2B distributors at the event. With this in mind, we aim to emphasize our cyber community approach and want to collaborate, partner, and work with companies that hold a futuristic perspective like ours and elevate the cybersecurity industry to the next level.

Why are Dubai and the UAE important destinations for your business?

The UAE has a conducive business climate and is home to multinational companies and increased entrepreneurial activity. Most importantly, Dubai and the UAE have become a center for digital transformation in the Middle East and are home to more than 20,000 international companies, including offices from 124 of the Fortune 500.

When it comes to cybersecurity, Dubai earlier launched the Dubai Cyber Security Strategy. The objectives of this strategy closely align with Kaspersky’s aim to innovate and support businesses in the UAE with advanced tools and services in their fight against evolving cyberattacks.

CONTROL ROOM OPERATIONS: OODA FOR COMMAND AND CONTROL

Obvious Technologies focuses on corporate security, public safety, and law enforcement. Naoufal El Ouali, Co-founder and Executive VP at Obvious Technologies, speaks about OODA, its competencies in control room operations, and participation at GITEX.

What are the products Obvious Technologies showcasing at GITEX 2022?

We will be demonstrating this year at the G42 booth our practical solutions to address customers' problem areas, as well as our potential to adapt to any system and organization and our flexibility to provide solutions to the market. We have coordinated our product selection with the G42's theme, "the answer is yes, what was the question," as part of our exhibit for this year's GITEX Technology Week. We'll showcase how our OODA platform is the ideal choice for the next 3D PSIM and Command & Control for smart and secure borders, infrastructure, venues, and buildings.

Discuss the competencies of the OODA suite in control room operations

OODA is a software platform that offers maximized access to the Command & Control platform. It is the most suitable platform to use in control room operations. It has configured user privileges (alarm management, video monitoring, 3D situational awareness, and log reporting). It offers a strategic system when controlling situations.

What are Obvious Technologies’ views on security management

The diversity of the internet and its capability to breach easier has established a crisis in the security field. Ultimately, with our products. We aim to secure and protect using integrated software. Security management is protected thanks to the imperative design of OODA and its agile system. Obvious Technologies has a strong view on security due to our recruitment of software experts, data scientists, and AI doctors. They have built solutions that cater to our customer needs ranging from a variety of markets such as law enforcement organizations, smart cities, airports, and infrastructures.

Speak about the business verticals that you are focusing on

OODA is an open platform and a software suite that suit many vertical markets and get the best impact when it comes to mission-critical businesses, with a

variety of systems and data source to integrate with, multiple sites to monitor and control, and finally realtime coordination and communication needs between control room stakeholders and field resources (mobile command & control centers, patrol vehicles, agents, etc.). That being said, we have witnessed a great market fit with major events management (and ultimately large venues welcoming visitors), smart safe cities, and critical infrastructure protection. Government and semigovernment organizations remain a large portion of our targeted audience.

Discuss Obvious Technologies’ regional strategies for 2023

After opening offices in Doha in 2020, then Dubai in 2021, our objective is definitely to increase our footprint to the rest of GCC, with initially promising results and new contracts already signed in Saudi Arabia. 2023 will be then a year of significant growth for Obvious Technologies in the GCC, supported by a perfect market fit with regards to the maturity, size, and complexity of the projects, along with some key recruitments in sales, pre-sales, and marketing roles. But GCC is not an end goal for us, with eyes on the Middle East, Central Asia, and beyond by the end of 2023.

Naoufal El Ouali Co-founder and Executive VP, Obvious Technologies

CHECK POINT INFINITY PORTFOLIO FOCUSES ON UNCOMPROMISED SECURITY

Checkpoint delivers the most diverse and expansive IT services to all clients from across the globe. Ram Narayanan, Country Manager – ME, Check Point Software Technologies talks about expanding the reach– vertically and geographically

Ram Narayanan Country Manager – ME, Check Point Software Technologies

Speak about the latest solutions Check Point Software offers to SMEs and large enterprises

Check Point Software delivers industry-leading cyber security solutions to enterprises of all sizes globally with one of the largest security technology portfolios in the industry. Check Point Infinity portfolio of products focuses on those technologies and capabilities that will provide uncompromised security. Check Point Software has taken over 80 products and technologies all managed by Infinity-Vision, and organized them into the following main pillars:

• Check Point Harmony for secure users and access,

• Check Point Cloud Guard to automatically secure clouds environments and

• Check Point Quantum to protect network perimeters and data centers

• Check Point Software has also recently launched the fourth core pillar, Check Point Horizon, –the industry-leading prevention-focused suite of security operations solutions and services

that provides XDR/XPR, MDR/MPR, and events management solutions.

What are the key products or solutions you are presenting at the GITEX 2022?

We plan to showcase Demo Point to our channel partners and end customers where they get to explore Check Point Quantum (Network), Check Point CloudGuard (Cloud), Check Point Harmony (User and Access) security products, and the recently launched Check Point Horizon. We will also have our cloud security architects engaging with customers onsite and showcasing how to address cloud security at scale and speed. We will be discussing and showcasing our hyperscale architecture – Maestro solution and engaging with prospects on how it can be relevant to their environment and address some of their use cases

Tell us about Check Point’s regional strategies and plans for 2023

Check Point Software rolled out the new mantra earlier this year, “You Deserve the BEST Security”. With this new mindset, we have been constantly growing and are continuing to invest with more resources in the region. We are expanding in the UAE by investing in additional sales and technical teams to continuously engage with our stakeholders and educate them on the current threat landscape and how Check Point Software’s solutions can be of value to their organizations. Our long-term goal is to expand our reach – vertically and geographically - in the region by bringing our solutions to businesses.

How do you distinguish between Check Point and its competitors in offering cyber protection?

We respect our competition and think that healthy competition is good for the industry. We have competitors in individual product segments, but no other company offers as wide a range of solutions, covering small offices to enterprises and telcos, and mobile devices to data centers as we do. Our mission is to provide any organization with the ability to conduct its business on the internet with the highest level of security. Check Point Software’s Gen V protection is focused on attack prevention, stopping attacks from even entering networks, and speed of response.

GITEX 2022: Barracuda Showcases Its Comprehensive Portfolio

Toni El Inati RVP Sales, META & CEE, Barracuda Networks

At GITEX, Barracuda showcases the breadth of our product portfolio, from email security and web application firewalls to cloud backup and network security. While these solutions enable businesses to effectively protect against a wide range of cyber-attacks, the common feature they all share is their simplicity and effectiveness.

EXPECTATIONS:

We see GITEX as a must attend event which signals our deep commitment to our customers and partners in the region. We intend to have our top regional executives from across the region fly in to be present and available for engagements with attendees. From a team building and company culture perspective too GITEX proves invaluable.”

FORWARD-LOOKING PLANS

In August this year, KKR, a leading global investment firm, completed its acquisition of Barracuda from Thoma Bravo. This move has set us on track for our next phase of growth, and as highlighted by our CEO, Hatem Naguib, Barracuda will continue to invest in its team and product portfolio to provide innovative cybersecurity solutions for customers and partners.

Our regional strategy mirrors this corporate mission, and we continue to invest in our technology as well as our presence across the region. Today Barracuda has a dedicated presence in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria, and Morocco and earlier this year, we began to deliver our Cloud-to-Cloud Backup solution to customers in the United Arab Emirates from Microsoft’s local cloud data centres.

GITEX 2022: Delinea Provides Security and Control

THEME

Our core message to attendees at GITEX is that the opposite of complex isn’t simple – it’s seamless. Our mission is to provide security that’s invisible to the user, while simultaneously providing IT and security teams with the control they require.

SOLUTIONS THAT DELINEA WILL BE SHOWCASING AT GITEX GLOBAL 2022

Mohammad Ismail Regional Director - ME, Delinea

Delinea is a leading provider of privileged access management (PAM) solutions that make security seamless for the modern, hybrid enterprise. At GITEX, we will showcase our portfolio of solutions that empower organizations to secure critical data, devices, code, and cloud infrastructure to help reduce risk, ensure compliance and simplify security. We offer a comprehensive and modern PAM solution portfolio that not only provides the right users just in time and just enough access to critical data, servers, and applications but also provides end-to-end monitoring and reporting to identify abuse of privilege and quickly thwart attacks.

EXPECTATIONS AND PLANS

We are excited to have the opportunity to introduce prospects, customers, and partners to Delinea, and to our new Regional Director, Mohammad Ismail, who joined us in August year from our valued distributor partner, Shifra. Through our engagements at the event, we want to emphasize that whether in the cloud or on-premises, Delinea provides powerful, customizable, and scalable solutions to secure organizations of any size or in any industry, no matter their PAM maturity.

FORWARD-LOOKING PLANS

We are presently focused on evangelizing the Middle East market on how the Extended PAM approach redefines PAM to treat all users as privileged users and address complex IT environments.

Pure Storage to Demonstrate How Organizations Can Uncomplicate Storage

Pure Storage announced its participation at GITEX 2022, where it will showcase a series of recent innovations — including Evergreen// One, Pure Fusion, Portworx Data Services, and FlashArray//X — that is intuitive, green, and enable businesses to innovate at scale.

Omar Akar, Regional Vice President, Middle East & Emerging Africa, Pure Storage, comments, “with a design approach that is fundamentally rooted in simplicity and customercentricity, Pure continues to disrupt the storage industry with uncomplicated technology that enables transformation sustainably and cost-effectively.”

Visitors to the Pure Storage stand will have a chance to experience and interact with the latest solutions across three key themes:

As-a-Service: Pure has advanced its unrivaled leadership in delivering Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS) with updates to its Evergreen portfolio. This suite of products which includes Evergreen//Forever, Evergreen// Flex, and Evergreen//One prioritizes cost efficiencies, a longer, sustainable technology lifecycle, and modernization without disruption.

Infrastructure-as-Code: By combining the simplicity of the cloud with on-demand consumption and backend provisioning, Pure Fusion enables organizations to deliver a new scale-out storage model that unifies arrays and optimizes storage pools on the fly. Portworx Data Services (PDS), the industry’s first Database-as-aService platform for Kubernetes, enables developers to run heterogeneous data services from a single platform, on any cloud, and at a low cost.

Sustainability: Pure recognizes that building a sustainable model for the future now requires data storage that is engineered to require significantly lower power, lower cooling, and far less waste. With a portfolio that includes FlashArray, FlashBlade, and Evergreen, the company is leading the way in delivering solutions and services that allow customers to dramatically decrease their environmental footprint.

GITEX 2022: Dataiku to Showcase “Everyday AI” Platform

Dataiku has announced it will participate at GITEX Global 2022, and it will showcase how its Data Science Studio (DSS) can enable organizations across the Middle East to make “Everyday AI” a reality.

A Dataiku-commissioned YouGov study from earlier this year conducted in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region showed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leads its EMEA peers in the leverage of data, data science, and artificial intelligence (AI). UAE respondents were the most convinced of the data’s utility, with 84% considering it essential compared with the EMEA average of 69%.

“We can see in the [YouGov] findings the need for a democratization of AI that will drive universal buy-in and organization-wide innovation,” said Sid Bhatia, Regional Vice President & General Manager for the Middle East and Turkey at Dataiku.

Dataiku’s main GITEX showcase will be its end-to-end Data Science Studio (DSS) platform, which systemizes AI and turns businesses into AI creators. Easy-to-use, unified, collaborative interfaces allow every business role to gain access to data and leverage it to add value.

Sid Bhatia Regional VP & GM, MET, Dataiku

Omar Akar Regional VP, ME & Emerging Africa, Pure Storage

Illuminate, Accelerate and Empower Every Digital Experience

THEME

This year, our participation at GITEX will centre around the theme “Illuminate, Accelerate and Empower Every Digital Experience”. Visitors to our stand will have the opportunity to learn how Riverbed is evolving all parts of its Alluvio Unified Observability and Acceleration portfolios.

SOLUTIONS THAT RIVERBED WILL BE SHOWCASING

At GITEX this year, we will showcase two industry leading product lines – Alluvio by Riverbed, our Unified Observability portfolio and Riverbed Acceleration. These portfolios represent the logical evolution of our company which this year has celebrated its 20-year anniversary. Our Unified Observability software portfolio has been designed to provide IT with a unified view to see through massive complexity and transform data into actionable insights across the entire digital ecosystem. This enables organizations to provide seamless digital experiences that drive enterprise performance for both the employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX).

EXPECTATIONS AND PLANS

The demand for and participation at in-person event has rebounded this year so we expect a heavily attended show that will present us with the opportunity to engage with customers, partners, and prospects from all across the region. We have set clear objectives for our presence at GITEX.

Veeam Tackles

Ransomware, Cloud, and Kubernetes Challenges

Veeam Software, the leader in backup, recovery, and data management solutions that deliver Modern Data Protection, has announced its

participation at GITEX GLOBAL 2022. The company will use the event as a platform to share its vision for the future of data protection and deliver live demonstrations of its flagship single platform for Cloud, Virtual, Physical, SaaS, and Kubernetes environments.

Speaking about the company’s presence at this year´s GITEX, Mohamad Rizk, Regional Director, Middle East & CIS at Veeam Software said, “against the backdrop of the pandemic, we have witnessed an acceleration of digital transformation initiatives across regional enterprises. This has brought with it a multitude of challenges and complexities relating to multi-/hybrid-cloud architectures and Kubernetes adoption. The incidence of ransomware is also on the rise. Within the region, 88% of UAE and 84% of Saudi Arabian organizations fell prey to ransomware attacks in 2021. We will use GITEX to showcase the innovations that will help our customers drive business efficiency and agility, protect their data, and ensure that they are well prepared for the next stage of their digital transformation.”

Over the past year, Veeam has unveiled more than 30 product updates. Trade attendees visiting the Veeam stand D-20, Hall 7 at GITEX can expect to learn more about the following innovations among others:

• Veeam Backup & Replication v12

• Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 v7

• Veeam Backup for Salesforce

• Kasten by Veeam K10 v5.0

Veeam will also look to engage and enter into highlevel discussions with its ecosystem of channel partners at GITEX. Providing advice to the channel community, Kinda Baydoun, Manager of Channels, Distribution and Alliances - Middle East & CIS at Veeam commented: “The cloud market continues to expand, and we are seeing more and more hyperscalers investing in the Middle East region by building their in-country data centres.”

Mohamad Rizk Regional Director, ME & CIS, Veeam Software

Ghassan Abou Rjeily Regional Channel Sales Manager –META, Riverbed

AVIENTEK PROVIDES DIFFERENT USE CASE SCENARIOS TO SHOWCASE MEETING ROOM EXPERIENCE

Avientek is a leading value-added distributor of audiovisual (AV) and unified communications across the Middle East. V M Manu, General Manager at Avientek explains its GITEX portfolio.

Elaborate on the AV solutions that Avientek provides and their importance in the era of digital transformation

The simple fact is that hybrid has transformed how we work. We all remember where we were. We had standardized work hours. We had dedicated focus and work time. We had an environment built for work that controlled the number of distractions that were around, so we could focus better.

Over the last year and a half, we've undergone a radical shift, a kind of global experiment in how office work happens. It has led to a decrease in work-life balance. Many of us had to do a total shift to remote-only work, and in that environment staying engaged was significantly harder. We had to figure out how we deal with kids being around all the time and a home environment that wasn't designed for work.

And a lot of people are returning to the office, but what they’re returning to, isn't quite the same as what they had before. We have a situation where now people have gotten used to managing their own time and worklife balance, and they want to be able to collaborate and work now, on their own time. Considering these things, we are providing different use case scenarios to showcase a meeting room experience for the customers.

What are the products that Avientek will be showcasing at GITEX?

We are showcasing four different kinds of Microsoft meeting room solutions

• Hybrid workspace with Logitech & Epson

• Yealink MTR with speaker tracking & presenter tracking AI features with Jupiter Pana display

• Crestron MTR solution with huddly IQ camera suitable for small to medium meeting rooms

• Newly launched MS-certified Vaddio IntelliShot camera with speaker tracking along with NEC all-in-one collaboration display On the ground floor,

• Logitech: Showcasing a different kind of meeting room product range & MX series product line.

• NEC booth we are showcasing a hiperwall solution that will benefit a variety of industries & services and is suitable for enhanced digital signage.

• ClearOne booth showcasing different types of USB cameras along with advanced beamforming array ceiling tile and ceiling microphone array. Also showcasing Versa Mediabar 4K Ultra HD camera with 110° ultra-wide-angle field of view

• Epson: Showcasing ultra-short throw projectors along with the interactivity features

• Artome: All-in-one smart furniture with embedded projection & sound system

• DigiBird : Video wall solutions suitable for control rooms

• Yealink : Showcasing an all-in-one meeting board with native MS teams & A30 video collaboration bar suitable for small to medium rooms.

• SMART Technologies: Showcasing Educational and Business Interactive Displays.

• Jupiter: Showcasing PANA 105 21:9 5K resolution display

• Wolfvison: Showcasing wireless presentation, collaboration, and

knowledge sharing systems and VMatrix Solutions.

• Soltec: Showcasing Retractable and Foldable monitors for Boardrooms and Meeting Rooms.

• Purelink GmBH: Showcasing Digital Connectivity Products.

• Purelink AV: Professional 4K Video distribution products.

• Sangoma: Showcasing a different range of UC Platform products.

• LegrandAV: Showcasing a different range of CHIEF mounts, Da-Lite and Projecta Projection Screen, Vaddio Cameras, and Middle Atlantic AV Racks

What types of verticals are you mainly focussed on in providing the solutions?

All types of collaboration rooms including conference rooms, board rooms, training rooms, smallmedium-large meeting rooms & classrooms, control rooms, auditorium, and business & retail digital signage.

V M Manu General Manager, Avientek

CLOUD BOX EMPHASIZES SMART DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR ENTERPRISES

Cloud Box Technologies (CBT) is an IT Infrastructure Solution provider in the Middle East and it offers a single interface for technology integration and services. Ranjith Kaippada, Managing Director at CBT speaks about the competitive advantage that enterprises receive when choosing it in an exclusive interview with The Integrator.

Global IT companies providing local support services –all delivered by vendor-certified engineers. Solutions include Data Center, Storage, Server, Backup, Disaster Recovery, Network Security, Server Managed, and Desktop Virtualization.

The organization works with talented professionals that help clients define the strategies to evaluate, design, develop and implement systems and processes that best achieve their Digital Transformation goals. CBT also provides the best combination of value and expertise required to deploy bespoke IT solutions to drive growth. CBT believes that quality breeds quality and success is a by-product.

Ranjith Kaippada Managing Director, CBT

Speak about your participation at GITEX GLOBAL 2022. Is it through partners or independent?

Maintaining the Titanium Partner with Dell, Cloud Box Technologies will be focusing on Dell EMC PowerStore Storage as well as the advanced Dell EMC VxRail Hyperconverged Infrastructure solution at the event.

There is also an emphasis on showcasing the company’s cybersecurity offerings which have been strengthened over the last year with best-of-breed global vendor partnerships. They will also highlight the in-house infrastructure capabilities that enable them to provide customers with seamless services.

Describe the competitive advantages enterprises receive while relying on CBT for integrations

With years of combined technical expertise in the Middle East, Cloud Box Technologies has partnered with

Discuss the emerging technology products and solutions CBT offer to its customers Cloud Box Technologies is emphasizing smart digital transformation for both small and large enterprises and is capable of addressing customers’ individual needs within allocated budgets. The company is very capable of being a Systems Integrator that is highly equipped to tackle on-prem digitization, it provides customers with a strong NOC as well as strengthening how it is being preemptive in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service capabilities.

What are your Middle East business plans and strategies for the remainder of 2022 and 2023 Cloud Box Technologies has been growing not only its bouquet of solutions and services but has also been focusing on several new industries. Apart from providing technology infrastructure support to its customers, the company is very focused on understanding the current customer trends and is making heaving investments in its cloud, security, and MDR capabilities. It is also putting heaving emphasis on developing in-house skills and technical capabilities. Besides being present in the banking and finance, retail, and healthcare sectors, the company is now gearing up to be able to support customers in the hospitality and education sectors. For this, Cloud Box Technologies is partnering with global vendors to be in a position to provide software capabilities by adding several additional layers.

VEEAM HELPS ORGANIZATIONS TACKLE RANSOMWARE, CLOUD, AND KUBERNETES CHALLENGES

Veeam Software develops backup, disaster recovery, and modern data protection software for virtual, physical, and multi-cloud infrastructures. Mohamad Rizk, Regional Director, Middle East & CIS at Veeam Software talks about its latest products and their competencies.

What products and solutions will you be showcasing at GITEX Global 2022?

Veeam will use the event as a platform to share our company’s vision for the future of data protection and deliver live demonstrations of Veeam’s flagship single platform for cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS, and Kubernetes environments. We will also look to engage and enter into high-level discussions with its ecosystem of channel partners. Over the past year, Veeam has unveiled more than 30 product updates. Trade attendees visiting the Veeam stand at GITEX can expect to learn more about the following innovations among others:

• Veeam Backup & Replication v12 – Released as the most advanced data protection solution for cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS, and Kubernetes workloads, Veeam Backup & Replication v11 has been downloaded by more than 850,000 users. The company has continued innovation and expansion of its expansive feature set with v12 by further hardening the capabilities customers need in today’s ever-changing IT ecosystem. The new version expands the ability to reduce business risk through improved data and systems security recoverability at scale

• Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 v7 – As the Microsoft 365 backup market leader, with over 11M users under paid contract, the new version will include enterprise-grade monitoring and reporting capabilities as a result of integration with Veeam ONE, helping to keep systems and infrastructure running smoothly thanks to built-in intelligence

• Veeam Backup for Salesforce - Following the success of its Microsoft 365 product, the company will provide a demo of Veeam Backup for Salesforce, a much sought-after addition to Veeam’s portfolio. With the ability to back up in the cloud and on-premises, the new offering eliminates the risk of losing Salesforce data and metadata

• Kasten K10 v5.0 – the most complete enterprise data management solution to date purpose-built for Kubernetes. This latest release is focused on delivering a comprehensive risk management strategy, streamlined CI/CD pipelines, and new ecosystem advancement details that optimize and de-risk Kubernetes investments. These

advancements all aim to help the expanding Kubernetes community work more efficiently and securely in cloudnative applications.

What do you hope to achieve from your participation at the event this year?

Besides networking with customers, partners, and industry peers, we will present our brand and position as a global leader in modern data protection. Veeam’s YoY growth was more than double its nearest named top five competitors in the market. I can attribute much of our success to the relationships we have built and fostered at the event over the years and I expect GITEX 2022 to be no different. We expect to build a strong business pipeline by showcasing our innovations that will help customers drive business efficiency and agility, protect their data no matter where it resides, and ensure that they are well prepared for the next stage of digital transformation.

What will be your theme of participation at GITEX?

The theme of our participation will be around “Helping Organizations tackle Ransomware, Cloud and Kubernetes Challenges with Modern Data Protection.”

Where can trade visitors find you at GITEX?

Veeam will be exhibiting from Hall 7, Booth D-20

Mohamad Rizk Regional Director, ME & CIS, Veeam Software

DELL PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS TO DRIVE BUSINESSES THROUGH SUCCESS

Dell Technologies is a leading technology solution provider that focuses both on businesses and consumers. Walid Yehia, General Manager – UAE at Dell Technologies talks about quantum computing and Metaverse.

platforms that are ready for the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).

Walid Yehia GM – UAE, Dell Technologies

What are the products/solutions you are showcasing at GITEX 2022? Dell Technologies will highlight new growth opportunities for regional businesses with best-of-class infrastructure solutions comprising multi-cloud, digital workplace, data, security, and finance solutions, through its end-to-end portfolio that is helping businesses thrive in today’s digital economy. We will also showcase the uses of quantum computing and the rapidly evolving world of the Metaverse. We will have a partner-led stand where our partners will be showcasing our integrated solutions portfolio from edge-to-core-to-cloud.

Elaborate on the products and solutions that Dell Technologies provides and their significance in the era of digital transformation Dell Technologies provides leading digital technology solutions, products, and services to drive business success in the digital age. Some of the key technology sub-segments include data protection, data Storage, networking, hyperconverged Infrastructure, Laptops, PCs, Monitors, and more. Customers look to Dell Technologies for its market-leading Cloud, Edge, Infrastructure, Security APEX and Workforce Solutions. Additionally, Dell Technologies provides comprehensive hardware and software solutions, including

In addition to our Infrastructure Solutions Group segment, this year we will also be showcasing some of Dell’s client solutions group offerings. These include, and are not limited to, hardware and software including end-point security. We’re also excited to be showcasing some of our flagship alienware gaming products with activations.

What types of verticals are you mainly focusing on and why?

At Dell Technologies, our primary focus is to help our customers accomplish their transformation initiatives and thrive in a fastevolving business landscape. Customers look to Dell Technologies for our end-to-end product lines to transform their IT strategies and infrastructure, across various

verticals. From creating remote workforces with our leading lineup of laptops and monitors to virtualized infrastructure – to protecting critical data and applications, we have bestof-breed products.

At this year’s GITEX, we will have a special highlight on solutions for the telecom and healthcare verticals. We’re introducing solutions that will help communications service providers (CSPs) reduce complexity and accelerate their cloud-native network deployments, which can help speed up the introduction of new technologies. For healthcare, we are reimagining patient care delivery, with a patient-first, dataanywhere focus - where secure, modern health IT solutions enable a more connected workforce.

Briefly discuss your Middle East strategy for the remainder of 2022 and plans for 2023 Our purpose is to create technology that drives human progress, and we strive to take a leading position in helping the countries from this region become worldwide pioneers in digital innovation. We’ve enjoyed a long-standing relationship with and are committed partners to our regional customers.

Looking beyond 2022, and as our customers progress on their digital transformation journeys, Dell Technologies is committed to continuing to make transformation real for organizations. We look forward to not only strengthening our position as trusted advisors to our customers and partners but to also helping regional businesses succeed in the digital future.

VIEWSONIC OFFERS A WIDE PORTFOLIO THAT MAKES WORK EASIER, EFFICIENT, AND FASTER

ViewSonic is a leading global provider of visual solutions and conducts business in over 100 countries worldwide. Max Hsu, Regional Director – MEA, at ViewSonic explains the latest solutions the company presenting at GITEX

Explain ViewSonic’s latest products and solutions that offer entrepreneurs and individual users a better prospect at work. ViewSonic offers a wide portfolio that provides individual business users with solutions that can make their work easier, more efficient, and faster. For example, our range of monitors is designed for different customers’ requirements, from Professional monitors, ergonomic and one-cable solution monitors, and gaming monitors to portable and touch screens that can be taken by users anywhere and ensure a comfortable working space with an extended screen on the go.

Elaborate on “Universe,” ViewSonic’s latest initiation ViewSonic's UNIVERSE is a metaverse built specifically for education that facilitates interactive learning experiences through personalized avatars. The immersive 3D virtual platform drives engagement, enhances collaboration, and fosters a sense of belonging while allowing educators to teach with more creative freedom and additional digital teaching tools. Built for educators by educators, the UNIVERSE helps teach, engage students, and manage the class with digital tools that support them to achieve more. We are also offering a free trial of this unique world of education that can be availed here.

Discuss the competencies of ViewSonic’s interactive display devices and their use in SME-level organizations.

Our EdTech solutions are designed

to be intuitive for teachers of any level, and our comprehensive learning ecosystem provides the flexibility that teachers need to integrate technology into their classrooms without sacrificing human connection. ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive flat panel displays offer the best digital whiteboard solution, with content sharing and interactive touch capabilities that make presentations, brainstorming, and decision-making easier.

For Education: ViewBoard interactive displays are a center point for cooperation, with touchscreens that provide outstanding interactivity for 21stcentury schools. ViewBoard displays give several people the ability to write, modify, and draw onscreen for dynamic presentations and innovative thinking using huge touchscreen displays. Our interactive ViewBoard displays are perfect for technology-rich, learner-centered lessons that encourage collaboration between students and teachers.

Give insights into your positioning in the Middle East market and plans for 2023.

As a leading EdTech provider, ViewSonic plans to continue its number-one ranking in MEA and KSA in the IFP segment through product hardware and software innovations. 2023 is the year we will be focusing on UNIVERSE. We are the first firm to bring Metaverse into the educational sector, and we're receiving great feedback from our partners about such cutting-edge

technology that can help schools and universities embrace more technology while also improving students' learning environments. On other hand, we are also leading in LED projectors and we are among the top 3 in the region and topmost globally for the same category.

Tell us about the products you are presenting at GITEX 2022: During GITEX Global, we will be launching all-new LED smart projectors from the M & X series which will bring a new level of the home cinema experience and portability solution for our users in 2023. Highlighting that our LED smart projectors come with built-in Harmon Kardon speakers up to 3,100 Ansi Lumens brightness, and up to 150” of the projected screen, these projectors will provide an immersive Audio-visual experience to our users.

Max Hsu Regional Director – MEA, ViewSonic

Collaboration simpli�ed

PROOFPOINT OFFERS PROTECTION TO ENTERPRISES WITH PEOPLE-CENTRIC PORTFOLIO

Proofpoint is a cybersecurity and compliance company that protects organizations’ greatest assets and biggest risks: their people. Emile Abou Saleh, Regional Director - MEA at Proofpoint speaks about its latest products and presentation at GITEX 2022.

Speak about the latest solutions

Proofpoint offers to SMEs and large enterprises

Proofpoint has a portfolio of peoplecentric cybersecurity solutions for both SMEs and large enterprises, which help protect organizations’ people and data. With an integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, Proofpoint provides unique visibility into an organization’s most targeted employees and how and where they are accessing critical data.

Earlier this year, Proofpoint announced a host of people-centric innovations across its entire product line, meeting customer demand for solutions that address the security and compliance needs of today’s increasingly cloud-reliant, distributed workforce.

What are the key products or solutions you are presenting at the GITEX 2022?

Proofpoint will showcase its portfolio of people-centric cybersecurity solutions at GITEX Technology Week 2022. These include:

Proofpoint Information Protection: Information Protection applies security solutions and other technologies, as well as processes and policies, to secure your information. Organizations get data protection against accidental mistakes, attacks, and insider risk across their cloud services, email, endpoint, cloud apps, web, on-premises, and shared cloud repositories. It brings together content, threat, and behavior insights and gives a people-centric approach to data loss prevention (DLP).

Proofpoint Cloud Security:

Provides secure access to the web and cloud services with access control, threat protection, data security, security monitoring, and acceptable-use control.

Proofpoint Email Protection: Proofpoint Email Protection is the industry-leading email gateway, which can be deployed as a cloud service or on-premises. It catches both known and unknown threats that others miss. Powered by NexusAI, our advanced machine learning technology, Email Protection accurately classifies various types of email. And it detects and blocks threats that don’t involve malicious payload, such as impostor email—also known as business email compromise (BEC)—using our Advanced BEC Defence.

Tell us about Proofpoint’s business goals for the remainder of 2022 and plans for 2023.

Looking ahead at the remainder of this year and forward to 2023, we are committed to our people-centric approach to security that protects organizations’ most important cybersecurity targets, its people. With an integrated suite of cloudbased solutions, Proofpoint helps companies and their CISOs to stop targeted threats, safeguard their data, and make their users more resilient against cyber-attacks. Our business focus also lies on insider threats in the modern workplace as well as continued innovation, urgency, and speed in identifying potential threats — to keep customers a step ahead of the latest attacks.

How do you distinguish between Proofpoint and its competitors in offering cyber protection?

Proofpoint is focused on developing security innovations that protect people—wherever they may work—and defend their data from today’s most harmful risks. To stay ahead of the threat actors, we invest hundreds of millions annually – 20% of twenty percent of our annual revenue is reinvested into R&D, one of the highest in the industry - into our products and rely on the most advanced AI/ ML technologies to defend our customers. Our unmatched AIpowered data intelligence and ongoing commitment to innovation are why 75% of the Fortune 100 trust Proofpoint as their cybersecurity partner.

Emile Abou Saleh Regional Director - MEA, Proofpoint

MAIMOON GARDENS OFFERS MEANINGFUL LIFESTYLE, IMPROVED AIR QUALITY, AND SUSTAINABLE HOMES

Fakhruddin Properties, a UAE-based property management and development firm, offers end-to-end property solutions with residential and commercial portfolios. Yousuf Fakhruddin, CEO of Fakhruddin Properties explains their latest residential project that is built with sustainable features.

a vertical herb garden in every apartment, and more.

Despite there’s ample support from people for sustainable initiatives, there is limited infrastructure. So as a developer, I feel that I should be the one providing that platform so they can work.

Elaborate on the radiant cooling technology

introducing

Yousuf Fakhruddin CEO of Fakhruddin Properties

Give us a brief profile of Fakhruddin Properties and what’s new that you are bringing into the real estate market of the UAE

With over 50 years of experience in the business, Fakhruddin Properties started investing in real estate in 2003. We are involved in multiple kinds of developments in the UAE, UK, and Uganda.

Speaking about the latest residential project, we are focusing on sustainable community living and improved lifestyle at Maimoon Gardens in Jumeirah Village, Dubai - we realize it is the need of the hour. Maimoon Gardens lends a resort-like feel to its inhabitants with inclusions, such as a Zen Garden, cascading waterfalls, a meditation garden, a community greenhouse with radiant cooling technology,

Maimoon Gardens’ will be equipped with a sustainable cooling solution for the greenhouse –Radiant cooling, a self-regulating radiant cooling technology that automatically increases or decreases the flow rate based on the change in the room temperature. This silent cooling and dehumidification system is not only self-ventilating but also comes with higher operational safety.

The promise of the cleanest indoor air in Dubai

The new development will provide the cleanest air in Dubai for its occupants by utilizing a unique Air Purification Technology known as Airocide, which was originally designed for NASA. It also has an additional air purification technology, HEECO2R, which prevents mold growth and sick building syndrome, which can result in savings of 30-50%. Fakhruddin Properties is focussing on the highest levels of indoor air quality in each apartment.

Describe the unique waste management system that you are

At Maimoon, residents are expected to segregate wet and dry waste and deposit them through designated chutes. We process the wet waste into compost and give it back to the residents to use in their vertical gardens (greenhouse) or herb walls. The dry waste will be transferred to the Waste Department of Dubai Municipality. It is part of our wellthought-out plan and we encourage the whole Maimoon community to do it.

Besides the character of conservation, the community will have an awesome mix of people from all over the world.

Discuss how energy efficient and impactful the smart home automation you provide Studies suggest that you can save up to 30 to 35 percent of energy through smart home motivation. As a responsible developer, we configure it in every apartment of our properties.

The Alexa-configured smart home automation is great as a luxury item for people to enjoy a better lifestyle besides it helps with reducing the carbon footprint. Each apartment will have basic automation and its thermostat unit makes sure the indoor temperature is managed well. The activity takes place along with motorized blinds and curtains. In addition, the energyefficient system would essentially impact utility bills, which are directly involved in 70 to 75 percent of the perception in the region.

MICROSOFT BECOMES STRATEGIC PRINCIPAL SPONSOR OF COP27

Microsoft, together with Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its role as a Strategic Principal Sponsor of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27). The United Nations conference, to be hosted in Sharm-El Sheikh from November 6-18, 2022, provides a platform for world leaders, businesses, and citizens to come together to discuss their role in mitigating the escalating climate crisis.

Through its COP27 partnership, Microsoft aims to help people and organizations understand and harness the transformative power of technology to set and achieve new and impactful climate goals.

During the signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offices in Cairo, Microsoft Egypt General Manager, Mirna Arif, commented: “We believe in the transformative power of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties and are proud to again play a key role in this year’s event. Technology will provide answers to many of today’s most pressing climate challenges, and COP27 is an opportunity for the public and private sectors to collaborate on climate solutions to accelerate progress in Egypt and across the

wider region.”

Microsoft Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, added, “The world needs to move faster and COP27 will provide an important forum to move from pledges to progress. We are proud to partner with the Egyptian government and support this urgent effort."

Ambassador Ashraf Ibrahim, General Coordinator for organizational and financial aspects of the conference welcomed Microsoft as a Principal Partner of COP27. He emphasized the important role played by the international private sector in promoting sustainable business models and supporting the agreed climate goals.

PURE STORAGE EXTENDS LEADERSHIP IN SUSTAINABILITY

Pure Storage has announced advancements in its sustainability efforts, helping customers reduce their energy use and environmental footprint.

The new Pure1 Sustainability Assessment gives customers visibility on their environmental impact and proactively suggests optimization opportunities.

Features include:

• Power savings analysis: Pure1 will show the power used compared to the appliance’s nominal power load. Customers can monitor power consumption efficiency for an entire fleet, by data center site, or at the individual array

• Greenhouse gas emissions monitor: Pure1 provides direct carbon usage estimates based on the power used

• Assessment: Customers can use Pure1 to assess how to improve power efficiency by metering Watts per unit of data on the array that can be read back

• Recommendations: Pure1 provides proactive insights and guidance on improving the direct carbon footprint

In addition to delivering new sustainability tools, Pure continues to advance its core products to be more sustainable. With the launch of the FlashBlade family of products, Pure is delivering more than double the power efficiency of previous versions.

Jim Chilton, CIO, Cengage said, "running our organization on Pure Storage FlashArray, FlashBlade, Pure1, and Evergreen//One, has not only enabled us to significantly improve the storage performance and data accessibility needed to deliver on this mission, but it has also allowed us to save on space, power, and cooling."

Because of unique design decisions – including Pure’s DirectFlash technology, built-for-flash software, alwayson deep compression, and Evergreen architecture – both FlashBlade and FlashArray can achieve energy savings unlike any competitive storage systems on the market.

Since reporting its first sustainability results in March 2022, Pure Storage has now performed use phase sustainability analyses following the Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) formula across its full portfolio of storage arrays.

DATAIKU HIRES DANIEL BRENNAN AS CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER

FRESHWORKS APPOINTS DENNIS WOODSIDE AS PRESIDENT

Daniel Brennan Chief Legal Officer, Dataiku

Freshworks announced that Dennis Woodside is joining the company’s executive leadership team as President. Reporting to Freshworks CEO and Founder Girish Mathrubootham in this newly created role, Woodside will be responsible for leading Freshworks’ global business operations and strategy.

Dennis Woodside President, Freshworks

Dataiku, the platform for Everyday AI, has announced the appointment of Daniel Brennan as its new Chief Legal Officer. Brennan, who previously spent more than a decade at Twitter, joins the company during a surge of enterprise demand, traction, and exceptional customer retention rates.

Brennan said, “Dataiku’s platform is catching on like wildfire among global enterprises. This groundbreaking AI technology, along with the company’s employee-first culture, was an incredibly appealing combination, and I am looking forward to playing a part in the company’s growth.”

Before joining Dataiku, Brennan served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel of Twitter, where he helped to build and lead the organization’s commercial, international, corporate and securities, and legal operations teams. Before this, he spent nearly 11 years at Dell 67, finishing his tenure as Director, Legal, for its multi-billion-dollar Global Services business unit.

“Daniel has worked for some of the fastestgrowing, most innovative global companies of our time – a perfect match for Dataiku as we continue to scale,” said Florian Douetteau, CoFounder and CEO of Dataiku.

Woodside most recently served as president of Impossible Foods where he oversaw operations, manufacturing, supply chain, sales, marketing, HR, and other functions for more than three years. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer of Dropbox where he was responsible for all customer-facing functions and revenue generation for four years, helping the company reach $1 billion in annual revenue.

“I am excited to partner with Dennis and add his experience scaling global operations to our team. His skills will help evolve our business and allow me to focus on our company vision, culture, and product innovation – areas that bring immense value to our employees and customers,” said Mathrubootham, CEO and Chairman of the Freshworks board of directors. Woodside will also join the board of directors.

Woodside held various sales roles at Google for over 9 years, from 2003 to 2012, including Managing Director of Emerging Markets, Vice President of Sales in the UK, and President of the Americas, where he oversaw an $18 billion advertising sales business. From May 2012 to April 2014, Woodside served as CEO for Motorola Mobility LLC, reporting directly to Larry Page after the company was acquired by Google. Woodside was previously on the board of ServiceNow from 2018 to 2022.

“I am honored to join this team and work with Girish to continue building what he’s started. I’m drawn to companies taking a fresh approach to big markets. From a decade driving category creation at Google, to the high growth era at Dropbox, and the scale at Impossible Foods, I see Freshworks as a great match for my experience,” said Mr. Woodside. “

NVIDIA INTRODUCES GEFORCE RTX 40 SERIES

NVIDIA unveiled the GeForce RTX 40 Series of GPUs, designed to deliver revolutionary performance for gamers and creators, led by its new flagship, the RTX 4090 GPU, with up to 4x the performance of its predecessor.

GPUs based on the new NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, the RTX 40 Series claims to be delivering massive generational leaps in performance and efficiency and represents a new era of real-time ray tracing and neural rendering, which uses AI to generate pixels.

“The age of RTX ray tracing and neural rendering is in full steam, and our new Ada Lovelace architecture takes it to the next level,” said Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s founder, and CEO.

KEY FEATURES:

• Streaming multiprocessors with up to 83 teraflops of shader power

• Third-generation RT Cores with up to 191 effective ray-tracing teraflops

• Fourth-generation Tensor Cores with up to 1.32 Tensor petaflops

• Ada Optical Flow Accelerator with 2x faster performance allows DLSS 3 to predict movement in a scene

Both RTX 4080 configurations will be available in November, with prices starting at $1,199 and $899, respectively.

SERVICENOW UNVEILS THE NOW PLATFORM TOKYO RELEASE TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS

ServiceNow has announced the Now Platform Tokyo release, designed to help organizations navigate complex business challenges amid an uncertain macro environment. The ServiceNow Tokyo release is purpose-built and claims to deliver better employee and customer experiences, supercharge automation and trust in operations, and accelerate value in ways that are good for people, good for the planet, and good for profits.

“Our ServiceNow Tokyo platform release gives customers exactly what they need at this moment—new solutions that deliver immediate value, are easy to implement and use, and help them do more with less,” said CJ Desai, Chief Operating Officer at ServiceNow.

Organizations such as Blackhawk Network, DNB Bank, First Solar, Fruit of the Loom, Orange Business Services, and the University of California Irvine are already realizing the benefits of the ServiceNow platform.

“With the Now Platform Tokyo release, we are giving our customers in the MEA region purpose-built solutions that will create value in critical business

areas. Whether it be modules like Manager Hub and Admin Centre that will enable businesses to stay one step ahead of the competition in the war for talent, or modules like Supplier Lifecycle Management and Enterprise Asset Management that will simplify complex supply chains, automate asset management, and deliver auditable, investor-grade sustainability data.

BLOCKCHAIN: STORING DATA IN BLOCKS AND MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO HACK

Sehrish Tariq's article gives insight into the digitally decentralized ledger, widely known as the blockchain, and its capability in conducting secure data transactions besides storing and recording them in the form of blocks.

Sehrish Tariq Digital Content Specialist, JNS Media

The phrase "blockchain technology" has often been used along with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, etc. over the past few years. It is very difficult to make a layman understand a hypothetical term like blockchain. Therefore, this article intends to address the following questions "What is blockchain technology? What is its use? And more!

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

In the age of data storage and cyber intrusions, blockchain is said to be the major technique for storing data and makes it impossible to alter or hack. Across the network of computers involved in the blockchain, a distributed ledger known as a blockchain repeat and distributes transactions; thus, making it difficult to be hacked!

The most interesting thing about the blockchain is that anyone who is participating in this ledger can see the data but cannot corrupt it. Blockchain is a technology that can be used for a wide range of applications in several different sectors, including manufacturing, supply chains, and finance. It has become popular for many reasons. One of the important factors is “speed.”

It is the advancing technology for delivering information because it offers real-time, shareable, and entirely transparent data that is kept on a ledger. The data is accessible exclusively to members who participate in the transaction process. Recently, blockchain technology has become popular in the banking industry for the speed and protection that it provided.

HOW BLOCKCHAIN DATABASE IS DIFFERENT FROM CONVENTIONAL?

What makes a blockchain database different from a traditional database is the structure it follows. A blockchain collects transaction details together in groups, known as blocks, that hold sets of information. Blockchains are chains of data linked together by blocks of data with certain storage capacities. When they are filled with data, they become closed and connected to previously filled blocks. All new information that follows the freshly added block is compiled into a newly formed block. It will also be added to the chain once filled.

WHY BLOCKCHAIN?

It is an interesting question to

understand why anyone should opt for blockchain technology when already a traditional form of database is doing well in the market. The reasons are many, and a few of them are the following:

Accurate Information: In the blockchain, the data is visible only to the participating members. Apart from that, the data received is accurate and timely, and the user data will be shared with the person to whom the access is granted– it makes blockchain more secure.

Security: Validated transactions are immutable as they are recorded permanently. No one, not even a system administrator, can delete a transaction. This also is the basic reason for blockchain’s popularity, as all the information is protected and simultaneously reaches users on time when needed.

Efficiency: The decentralized nature of blockchain is a significant characteristic. A central authority, such as a government or financial institution, verifies activities in conventional transactions. However, blockchain enables near-real-time transaction verification through the consensus of all users sharing the data that is making it a more efficient way of storing the information.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MISSIONS GATHER PACE IN THE UAE

YouGov survey of IT decision-makers highlights expanding, increasingly distributed app portfolios, growing multi-cloud investments

IT decision-makers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are doubling down on their digital transformation efforts, according to new research by market insight specialists YouGov. Commissioned by F5, the findings highlight encouraging progress and awareness for emerging technologies set to underpin the nations’ future transformation plans.

“Businesses in the UAE are ramping up their abilities to provide fast, seamless digital experiences,” said Fadia Abi-Ayad, Regional Director - UAE & Gulf at F5. “We are now seeing that organizations are starting to anticipate greater automation as IT and operational technology convergence. In addition, they are also embracing the promise of AI to adapt to conditions that change faster than ever. At the heart of all this are applications, and their safe deployment across multiple clouds.”

Driven by consumer demand and expanding app portfolios, most decision-makers ranked 5G top of their trends chart (62%), followed by multi-cloud networking (42%). The integration of IT systems with operational technology (OT) claimed third place (38%). Thirty-six percent also flagged the importance of Web Application and API protection (WAAP) services, which encompass WAF, DDoS protection, bot management, and API protection, and 34% are keeping an eye on AIOps platforms (combining big data and machine learning functionality to support all primary IT operations functions).

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION GAINS CUSTOMER-CENTRIC TEETH

The focus of all respondents’ digital transformation missions centered on customer-centricity and operational efficiencies.

Moreover, 44% are employing AI and machine learning to automate and optimize business processes for efficiency and/or effectiveness (e.g., fixing workflow bottlenecks in customer service). Forty-four percent are also automating business processes by integrating applications (e.g., multi-channel communications between chat and website, a seamless experience between a mobile app and desktop for a digital banking or e-health solution).

In terms of specific digital transformation benefits, 46% hailed employee productivity improvements (improved collaboration and decision-making), followed by increased revenue (42%), operational IT efficiency (40%), and new business/market penetration opportunities (38%).

MODERNIZING APP PORTFOLIOS AND SERVICES

YouGov noted both growth and increased distribution of app portfolios; 31% of respondents work for organizations with between 100 and 500 applications in play. Nineteen percent juggled portfolios of between 500 and 1000 apps.

Zooming in further, application services are increasingly deployed in a variety of different environments, with a high percentage of organizations using a mix of

models. Forty-four percent use the public cloud, 40% leverage managed services, and 36% use onpremises solutions. The popularity of edge (32%), co-location (27%), and Software-as-a-Service (22%) deployments further underline a shift toward app heterogeneity.

Navigating Multi-Clouds

Seventy-one percent of UAE respondents indicated that cloud services spending was up in the past year. In related projections, 36% expect more than 50% of their app portfolio to be hosted in the cloud within the next three years.

The most prominent emerging strategic cloud trends over the next three years include Security-asa-Service (34%), SaaS (31%), and private cloud services (31%).

When asked about app deployment challenges across multiple clouds, 36% said they struggled to manage the complexity of management tools and APIs. In addition, 35% highlighted the difficulty in applying consistent security policies across all apps.

Fadia Abi-Ayad Regional Director - UAE & Gulf, F5

RIVERBED REVEALS UAE FINDINGS OF UNIFIED OBSERVABILITY SURVEY

new survey revealed that IT teams are struggling to effectively manage highly distributed digital infrastructures and deliver digital experiences that meet increasingly high customer expectations. The survey of 1,400 IT workers across 10 countries uncovered the following in the UAE:

• 93% of respondents currently use observability tools yet 55% of them believe those tools are too narrowly focused and fail to provide a complete and unified view of their organization’s operating conditions

• 53% said the lack of unified observability restricts the IT organization's ability to meet business requirements, and 52% said it makes their job and the job of their staff/peers more difficult

Riverbed has unveiled the findings of a new survey from leading market research firm IDC, which revealed that a unified view of digital infrastructure is essential for IT teams that must improve the digital user experience while boosting overall organizational productivity. Informed by the findings of this survey, Riverbed is focusing its presence at the show on helping customers address this important market need and will demonstrate leading Alluvio unified observability.

Mena Migally, Regional VPMETA at Riverbed commented, “At GITEX, we will demonstrate how Unified Observability empowers all IT professionals with insight that they can act upon, thus allowing senior IT leaders to direct their attention to strategic initiatives that drive business outcomes. This is especially important given our survey shows that 44% of UAE respondents agree their organization struggles to hire and retain highly skilled IT staff.”

Sponsored by Riverbed, the

• 61% of respondents believe that their most well-trained IT staff spend too much time on tactical responsibilities, and 57% of respondents agree their organization needs to find ways to enable lower-skilled IT staff to find and fix issues.

• 60% of organizations use six or more discrete tools for IT monitoring and measurement, and 59% said the tool limitations hold back productivity and collaboration

• 56% of organizations have difficulty analyzing correlations and 45% struggle to derive actionable insights

As observability becomes the responsibility of C-level technology executives (CIOs, CTOs, CDOs,

etc.), companies in the UAE are also investing more dollars in observability solutions. In the survey, 86% of UAE respondents said their observability budgets will rise in the next two years, and 41% said their budget will increase more than 25%.

At GITEX, Riverbed will showcase its Alluvio Unified Observability and Riverbed Acceleration portfolios that help organisations overcome today’s complex IT environments and sprawling data, to deliver seamless and secure digital experiences to users everywhere and accelerate performance. At GITEX, Riverbed can be found in Concourse 2 – Stand CC2-26, and the theme for this year’s stand is “Illuminate, Accelerate and Empower Every Digital Experience.”

Top executives from Riverbed’s regional leadership, sales, and presales teams will be attending GITEX Global 2022. Attendees can meet them at the Riverbed stand, Concourse 2 – Stand CC2-26, the Riverbed kiosks on the stands of our distributors, Mindware (D1 in Hall 3); StarLink (B1 in Hall 1); and Crestan (C30 in Hall 2), as well as on the stand of our valued partner, Microsoft (D1 in Hall 7).

Survey Details: The survey respondents came from seven industries (financial, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, government, and professional services). Over 75% of respondents represented large enterprises (1000+ employees) and 70% held Director or above positions within their respective IT organizations.

Mena Migally Regional VP - META, Riverbed