Cover Feature
Editorial
Pg 16 | Big Data Analytics: The next frontier
Analyzing big data is anticipated to become a key basis of grabbing the competitive edge in future and this will potentially channel the future waves of growth and innovation according to research. Big data will impact all sectors of the industry and the leaders in each of those sectors will have to deal with it. How they leverage the opportunity that Big Data analytics can provide will determine how they sustain their leadership in the longer run. Potentially, companies could draw up strategies that can redefine go to market models as the outcomes of their usage of data analytics. As is obvious, data continues to growing rapidly and unstructured data will forms a majority component of this explosive growth over the course of the next five years according to Gartner. This will create great challenges and new tools will be required to structure and mine the datapile that will create realtime information of value to customers who are seeking to improve productivity and the competitive edge they hold in their respective domains. The cover feature in this issue examines these trends in detail and includes insights from some of the leading vendors about their approaches and solutions around Big Data. Several vendors are looking to provide unified approaches to Big Data. With several choices of Big data solutions available from leading vendors, customers would be challenged to choose the best fit solutions for their respective verticals as it would be difficult to assess the relative merits of some of the leading competitive solutions. In such a context, established big brand names could be seen as safer bets. On the other hand, some of the other lesser known vendors could strongly focus on niche or vertical solutions and that could be their distinct USP. In summary, with the onset of the Big data era, IT has come to the point where it is no longer the mere infrastructure but the very engine of business growth and innovation.
News-In-Detail
Pg 10 | Cloud Spending Accelerates as users realise Business benefits Pg 11 | Imation is consolidating in scalable storage
Pg 12 | HP announces support services for the Cloud Era Pg 13 | Software AG acquires my-Channels for Universal Messaging Technology Point2Point
Pg 22 | Business Acceleration
Paul Sherry, Regional Director - Middle East & North Africa speaks to The Integrator in the following interview about the company’s streamline focus on partners
Techknow/Kaspersky
Pg 14 | Effective strategies
Aman Manzoor, Channel Manager, Kaspersky Lab ME and Turkey speaks to the Integrator in the following interview about trends in security and the growing engagement with the channel.
Pg 24 | The Reliable workhorses
Mohit Bector, Channel development Manager, Workstations at HP Middle East speaks about HP’s news Workstations and trends that favour the continued relevance of Workstations.
Insight
Pg 26 | Evaluating Security Effectiveness and Performance
Consistency of security effectiveness and performance come into play in two important aspects of any security solution, writes Marc Solomon, Chief Marketing Officer, Sourcefire
Pg 28 | Securing the virtual environment.
Vladimir Udalov, Senior Corporate Product Marketing Manager, Kaspersky Lab writes about the best approaches to securing data in a virtualized IT environment
Pg 30 | Deploying a High-Performance Networking Infrastructure
Publisher: Vivek Sharma Managing Editor: R. Narayan Art Director: Faiz Ahmed Sales Director: Alishan Zaidi Sr. Sales Manager: R. Subramanyan Business Development Manager: Mallika Rego Sales Manager : Saad Zaidi Sales Coordinator: Smitha Jithesh
IT leaders must demonstrate how strategic changes to the network infrastructure will deliver fast ROI and ongoing returns writes Sufian Dweik, Regional Manager, MENA at Brocade Communications
Regulars
R. Narayan Managing Editor
Content
Harvesting Big Data
No mere buzzword, Big Data Analtics is a definitive opportunity for organizations to wrest the competitive advantage in their respective industries.
News EyeTech Stats & Trends
Published by: JNS Media International MFZE
P.O. Box: 121075, Montana Building 404, Zabeel Road, Near GPO, Karama, Dubai-UAE Tel: 04-3705022 Fax: 04-3706639
Disclaimer: While the publishers have made every attempt possible to get accurate information on published content in this handbook they cannot be held liable for any errors herein.
News Bytes
Kaspersky Lab Releases Company’s Virtualization Security Solution Kaspersky Lab announced the release of its latest security technology to ensure businesses will “Be Ready for What’s Next.” Kaspersky Security for Virtualization is delivered as a virtual security appliance that integrates with VMware vShield Endpoint to provide agent-less, anti-malware security based upon Kaspersky Lab’s advanced anti-malware engine. Developed from the same code-base as Kaspersky Lab’s line of endpoint security products, Kaspersky Security for Virtualization avoids the needless complexity and resource-drain associated with security programs that typically “bolt-on” acquired technology for virtual environments. With Kaspersky Lab, customers have a single, unified management platform for their virtual, physical and mobile environments. In addition to plug-and-play compatibility with Kaspersky Lab’s own endpoint security offerings, Kaspersky Security for Virtualization seamlessly integrates with VMware vShield Endpoint Security, providing straightforward protection for virtual data centers, virtualized servers and desktops.
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The Integrator | May 2012
Comguard partners with Solera Networks Comguard has added Security Intelligence and Analytics vendor Solera Networks, to compliment its security solutions portfolio. Together, ComGuard and Solera Networks will deliver advanced security solutions that will enable enterprises to defend and prepare for the inevitability of security breaches. With advanced malware and targeted attacks constantly threatening networks and data, organizations large and small are accepting that breaches will occur. As a result, they are focusing on preparedness – despite an already robust security environment. “There is a lot of interest from government and enterprises in the region for enhancing their security to the highest levels”, said Jayadevan K, Senior Vice President, Value Business at Comguard. “We believe that security intelligence, analytics and forensic technology can be of great help to organizations in the region to counter security threats and increase visibility to better prepare and defense against vulnerabilities and attacks on their networks.”
Barracuda Networks signs Redington Value as distributor Barracuda Networks has signed up Redington Value, to be its distributor across the region. Redington Value will sell Barracuda Networks’ entire portfolio of IT security, networking and data protection solutions. The Middle East has become a major focus for Barracuda Networks with more than 1,000 customers in the region currently using its solutions. The company’s growing commitment to the region includes the recent appointment of Sherif AbdElGawad as GM for the Middle East. Ramkumar B., Vice-president, Value Business at Redington said: “With its comprehensive product portfolio and highly respected management team, Barracuda Networks has the potential to become one of the most dominant IT security and data protection brands in the Middle East. Having seen the investment and commitment made by Barracuda Networks in the region, we expect the company to contribute significantly in strengthening our security offering for resellers in the region.”
R&M Plans Aggressive Expansion in MEA Reichle & De-Massari (R&M), the Swiss structured cabling specialist, is set to aggressively expand its market share in the Middle East & Africa during the current year through new programs and initiatives. R&M has already seen rapid expansion worldwide with a year on year growth of 14.8% in local currencies in 2011. In terms of market share, the family owned Swiss cabling specialist is one of the top three players in Middle East and Africa (MEA) and plans to extend its presence in the region this year. Over the past three years, R&M MEA has more than tripled its staff strength and has successfully undertaken a large number of high complexity cabling projects for both public and private sectors. The company now intends to further increase its employee strength as well as assembly capabilities. “We invest heavily in the region, for the region,” said Jean Pierre Labry, Executive Vice President of R&M Middle East and Africa. “Our sole focus is on providing innovative, reliable and flexible cabling solutions and we have become industry leaders in this niche market. In terms of cabling alone, we have the largest dedicated team in the region and have a local presence in countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt. Speed of delivery is our key strategy in the region. This is why we believe in a strong local presence as it enables us to be close to customers and the market.”
IBM Expands Middle East Operations with Qatar Office IBM has announced the opening of a new branch office in Doha, Qatar. The increased presence in the Middle East region is in line with IBM’s global geo-expansion strategy, an initiative aimed at strengthening the company’s presence in growth markets around the world by providing services and solutions to an expanding base of customers and partners.
Double strike for Mindware at Microsoft awards Mindware was the recipient of both the MEA and EMEA award from Microsoft held recently at the 2012 EMEA Partner Operations Conference in Dublin, Ireland. The event was attended by all Microsoft's distributors and DLARs across the EMEA region. Mindware received the award purely for their investment in delivering operational excellence. The event which took place was attended by all the distributors & DLARs across the EMEA region. Jeff Jacob –Unit Manager who attended and received both the award commented that Mindware is proud to receive both the awards and will continue to deliver operational excellence.
“IBM is placing a strong emphasis on investment in the Middle East as we recognize the opportunities presented by high growth rates and an increasingly competitive market. Our expansion strategy in the region is significant and ongoing and Qatar is a key focus in the market as we undertake that expansion,” Said Amr Refaat, IBM General Manager for Middle East and Pakistan. Qatar is one of the world's fastest growing economies with a national vision to create a sustainable and diversified economy by 2030. “We are looking forward to contributing to Qatar's vision of transitioning to a competitive knowledge-based economy, by expanding IBM’s expertise in IT services and solutions with the aim of strengthening organizations and helping businesses achieve their objectives,” added Refaat. May 2012 | The Integrator
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News Bytes
Citrix Systems appoints new Channel Development Manager Citrix Systems announced the appointment of Sarah Mews Sultani for the role of Channel Development Manager, Middle East & Africa (MEA). She joins Citrix from Oracle’s Partner network, to support the regional channel team with the growth targets for the MEA region and will be focusing on the management of Citrix’s key partners in UAE and Kuwait. In her new role Sarah will be based in Citrix’s regional head office in Dubai to drive channel marketing activities in the region. She reports to Noman Qadir, Regional Channel Manager for MENA and Turkey. Citrix’ has ambitious plans for the region including an exponential revenue growth targeted in 2012 and a revamp of the Enterprise Channel Partner business strategy,
Brocade selected as networking partner in EMC VSPEX Initiative Brocade has been selected as a 'Networking Provider' as part of the EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure cloud initiative. Brocade's cloudoptimized ICX and VDX switches and 6510 Fibre Channel Switches will be integrated with other VSPEX solutions and be made available via authorized Brocade Alliance Partner Network (APN) and EMC's network of partners. "The channel is the logical point of integration for data center architecture design and private cloud deployments," said Barbara Spicek, vice president of Global Channels at Brocade. "EMC's move toward offering modular, prevalidated virtualization solutions fully aligns with Brocade's strategy and philosophy to enable its partners to create open, multi-vendor solutions that help customers make a smooth transition toward the cloud." EMC and Brocade will both focus on 'enabling' and incentivising the channel in order to help them capitalize on these new opportunities. EMC VSPEX is aimed at SMBs and smaller sized enterprise customers.
Gulf Business Machines Appoints John Banks as Director of IBM Software Gulf Business Machines (GBM), the region’s leading IT solutions provider, today announced the appointment of John Banks as the new Director of IBM Software. In his new role, John will be the Director responsible for all aspects of growth and development of the IBM Software portfolio in GBM. Cesare Cardone, chief executive officer of GBM said: “Having worked in software with IBM for over a decade, John brings along extensive industry expertise matured in over 30 countries. He possesses the in-depth understanding required to successfully drive GBM’s software business development. He has the mission of expanding IBM’s portfolio and improving the availability of IBM software technology in the region in order to evolve our customer’s IT infrastructures.” John Banks joins GBM from IBM where he has worked for over 16 years in both the outsourcing and software divisions in both Australia/New Zealand and Asia Pacific regions.
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The Integrator | May 2012
GBM recognized as Cisco Mobile Internet Technology ATP Gulf Business Machines (GBM) has achieved Mobile Internet Technology Authorized Technology Provider (ATP) status from Cisco. This designation recognizes GBM as having fulfilled the training requirements and program prerequisites to design, resell, install and maintain the Cisco ASR 5000 Series multimedia core platform. “Gulf Business Machines is very pleased with this great achievement. This authorization from Cisco will allow us to further enhance the cutting-edge innovations and solutions we provide our customers with,” said Hani Nofal, Integrated Networking and Site Services Director, Gulf Business Machines. “In addition to the world class offerings that are made available to the market through our well-trained and highly skilled staff, the Mobile Internet Technology Authorized Technology Provider (ATP) status will now complement our Wireless Service Providers Network offering which will allow us to add value to our customers’ businesses while increasing productivity and cost-efficiency.”
Cisco Expands Technology Portfolio for Small Businesses Cisco has expanded its small business product portfolio with new wireless access points, routers, switches, unified communications and partner-managed service offerings. These new solutions help to drive customer productivity and growth by allowing small businesses to get the most out of smartphones, tablets, and cloud applications and services. The suite of small business networking and communication offerings builds on Cisco’s dedication to provide partners who sell Cisco solutions to small businesses with a complete portfolio to create the right networks for customers. Saeed Agha, Regional Manager, Cisco UAE said,“ With the proliferation of mobile devices and increased adoption of cloud applications and services in small businesses, having a secure and reliable network in place is business critical. The updated suite of our small business solutions and services provides customers with highly secure, reliable network technologies that are easy to deploy and manage. Today’s announcement further demonstrates our continued commitment to providing costeffective products to our small business customers.”
HP Showcases Security Solutions HP highlighted its integrated platform of risk-driven security solutions at the MENA Information Security Conference (ISC) at the Dead Sea in Jordan. At the Conference, HP joined in the discussion about the cyber security agenda in the Middle East. Senior HP representatives highlighted where the risks are for enterprises, and how clients could best take preventative measures by equipping their IT infrastructure with the most upto-date solutions for the “e-era”. Richard Archdeacon, CTO, Strategy and Technology within HP Enterprise Security Services delivered the key note address at the conference, setting the stage for in-depth discourse on cyber security in the region. With the expanded HP SIRM platform, HP is delivering on its first major milestone for security since it brought together products from ArcSight, Fortify and TippingPoint to form the HP Enterprise Security Products group last year.
May 2012 | The Integrator
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News In-Detail
Cloud Spending Accelerates as users realise Business benefits
scalability: businesses using the cloud are experiencing greater flexibility to extend or contract IT services as required. A further 54% highlighted the significance of increased agility, again emphasising the importance of being able to deliver new services in a shorter period of time.
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% 40 30 20 10 0
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2011
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CA Technologies EMEA partners predicting an increase in cloud computing spending since 2009
For the fourth year running, spending on cloud computing is increasing, according to the 2012 CA Technologies Channel Index, the annual study tracking the IT industry outlook of CA Technologies EMEA channel partners. The 2012 Channel Index surveyed 902 CA Technologies partners from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UK. Over two thirds (69%) of EMEA partners predict an increase in cloud expenditure this year, up from 60% in 2011 and 48% in 2010. Partners report that almost two thirds (62%) of customers are now using some form of cloud service, with a further 20% expected to do so by the end of this year. The survey findings strongly indicate that organisations are turning to cloud to achieve higher business agility and scalability. “Increased cloud spending as predicted by this year’s Channel Index reflects that the cloud model is a good response to the growing 10
The Integrator | May 2012
pressures modern business is facing. IT organisations are asked to deliver new applications and services to a growing number of internal and external users in a fast and cost-effective way.” said Marco Comastri, President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, CA Technologies. ”To quickly respond to those demands, customers and partners are looking to different cloud models that help them drive innovation and generate new revenue streams, and we are committed to support them as they move into that new hybrid world where cloud services will combine with their existing systems.” When asked about key customer benefits of cloud, two thirds (67%) of EMEA partners pinpointed
It also explored the cost savings to be gained from cloud services. It found that EMEA partners say that cloud customers are realising savings of 11.5% of annual IT budgets, up from 9.7% reported last year. Their move to cloud is directly combating the need for companies to reduce costs. Although private cloud presently dominates the industry, with 51% of partners saying their customers use it compared with 33% for public and 22% for hybrid, it is the hybrid model that is expected to really take off. When asked what type of cloud will be predominantly used in five years time, almost half (47%) answered hybrid cloud, compared with 37% for private and just 16% for public. The hybrid cloud model combines the best of both worlds by allowing customers to maximize their existing infrastructure and keep it under internal control, but with the ability to use public cloud resources as needed.
Highlights • Spending increase in cloud computing expected for the fourth year running say CA Technologies partners. • Over two thirds (67%) of cloud users experience scalability and 54% agility benefits • EMEA partners say that cloud customers are realising savings of 11.5% of annual IT budgets
News In-Detail
Imation is enroute to a strategic transformation and is now strongly consolidating its position in the scalable storage and data security domains. The company sees great scope in those areas which especially cater to the requirements of SMB customers. “Our legacy has been built on a comprehensive portfolio of removable storage. Imation is now
security space, we purchased Encryptx Corporation, Ironkey and MXI Security. On the scalable storage side, we have acquired ProStor Systems and 9 Technologies. We bought IronKey's secure data storage hardware business, 9 Technologies for deduplication technology that would have taken us a longer time to build ourselves, “says Plummer.
The scalable storage specialist Imation is consolidating its intent to be a leader in scalable storage looking at growth opportunities ahead in data storage, protection and connectivity and has made several releated acquisitions in the past 15 months or so,” says Brian Plummer, VP, Imation. The company has made five acquisitions in the past year and half and now has a considerably expanded portfolio in the domains of scalable storage and data security. Imation’s scalable storage platform features new Imation InfiniVault and Imation DataGuard multi-tiered data-archive and data-protection appliances, as well as the company’s existing Imation RDX removable hard disk storage and Linear Tape-Open (LTO) technologies. “We are focused on growth in security and scalable storage environments and on solutions specific to SMB customers. In the
The company has a strong association in the region with Redington which is its distributor in the region and together held an event recently which marked the occasion for the launch of Imation’s scalable storage products in the region. The target for scalable storage products is primarily SMB segment customers and Imation believes it can cater to their growing needs with storage add-ons. Plummer adds further, “SMB customers themselves are witnessing explosive growth of data in their Businesses. We are providing them an ideal set of solutions to complement their scalable needs to store, retrieve and retain data, helping them meet present data storage needs and others including meeting compliance requirements.”
Imation DataGuard T5R
DataGuard T5R is a purposebuilt backup appliance to utilize hard drives, removable RDX disk cartridges, replication and cloud storage to provide up to four layers of data protection in a single backup infrastructure. DataGuard T5R delivers a costeffective, NAS-based disk drive appliance to SMBs with an unprecedented combination of data security, flexibility and simplicity. Highlights: • Purpose-built to provide multiple layers of data protection in a single package • Compatible with multiple cloud storage APIs from Amazon, DropBox and OpenStack-based cloud providers • Media-agnostic, blending the best of hard drives, RDX drives and cloud storage to shorten backup windows and enable fast recovery • Non-disruptive, easily integrating into current backup frameworks and leveraging existing backup investments • Disaster-tolerant, capable of making multiple copies of content as local online copies, replicated copies, offline RDX copies, and remote online (cloud) copies
May 2012 | The Integrator
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News In-Detail
complexity to operations. Diagnosing problems in these environments can be slow, leading to unplanned downtime that can cost the average enterprise $10 million per hour. As a result, today’s enterprises need a new outlook regarding support. According to a recent Gartner report, the definition of support is changing. Customers want and need support services that help them to avoid issues
Ryan Dsouza Technology Services Director HP, Middle East
HP has announced IT support services architected for multivendor, converged and cloud environments, helping enterprises address problems before they occur, realize 95-percent firsttime resolution rates and resolve unplanned downtime issues up to 66 percent faster.. The new Always On Support Services from HP integrate the intelligent technologies built into the HP Converged Infrastructure with innovative services to deliver a modern support experience for today’s complex IT environments. Legacy support services offer a break/fix model for an individual piece of equipment in a single technology silo. However, that equipment is likely part of a virtualized, multivendor or cloud environment with interdependencies across the IT infrastructure, adding a level of 12
The Integrator | May 2012
communication with a professional who already knows the client, the details of the client’s environment and what the client’s system is experiencing prior to the first call. The recently announced HP ProLiant Gen8 Servers were built with this new service model in mind. By tightly integrating server diagnostic data with advanced HP Insight Remote Support automation tools, new support and
HP announces support services for the Cloud Era occurring far more than they need reactive services after the fact. In instances where predictive measures aren’t enough, clients also require more streamlined support when a problem arises, such as a single point of contact that is familiar with their environment and can resolve issues quickly. “Technology advances such as virtualization and flexible infrastructures are combining with multivendor environments to create complexity and make today’s technology environments much more challenging than in the past. As a result, customers need and expect more from their support providers,” said Rob Addy, research director, Gartner. “Legacy support models are becoming less relevant. It is time for a complete overhaul of support practices. The use of predictive and proactive prevention based methodologies is now highly desirable.” Always On Support Services from HP provide “direct to expert”
delivery capabilities, and customer warranty information, HP can provide an economical support experience that is unmatched for industry-standard environments. “Enterprises need to be built on a technology foundation that helps IT shift time and resources from problem resolution to innovation,” said Ryan Dsouza, Technology Services Director, HP Middle East. “The traditional reactive IT support model is no longer effective – the industry needs to change the way it delivers support to offer proactive solutions and customized service offerings.” To deliver an enhanced client experience along with proactive problem resolution, Always On Support Services from HP continuously monitor the 1,600 diagnostic data points collected by the HP ProActive Insight Architecture. This architecture, currently embedded in HP ProLiant Gen8 servers, will soon be integrated across the entire HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio.
Software AG acquires myChannels for Universal Messaging Technology Software AG announced the recent acquisition of London based my-Channels, a move that complements and extends Software AG’s current integration technology through myChannels’ extremely fast (low latency) messaging software. The acquisition of my-Channels will enable Software AG’s customers to integrate their enterprise applications, cloud-based applications, and mobile devices through a unique, universal messaging layer. Customers will now have the ability to stream large volumes of critical data to employees, customers and partners anywhere, over any channel and to any device. This is a major step in implementing Software AG’s strategy for the in-memory management of Big Data. myChannels technology supports modern messaging standards such MQTT and HTML5/webSockets. A universal messaging bus is fundamental to the rapid integration of the emerging “applications without boundaries” landscape. Organizations that need real-time and secure stakeholder communications within the enterprise, across the web, in the cloud or on mobile devices require the unhindered performance of a single messaging layer. At the same time, explosive growth in data volumes offers a huge opportunity to organizations that can extract and distribute vital business information in real-time. Analysis of this large data volume,
from any source and distributing the results to thousands of clients, will be a critical success factor for companies. Doing both cost effectively and with scalability will require this single and universal capability approach. “This acquisition, as an integral part of our portfolio strategy, will give our customers a huge competitive advantage. An advantage in terms of the performance of their internal enterprise communications today and in the flexibility and scalability provided in adopting new information delivery channels, as they emerge, to external customers,” said Software AG CTO, Dr. Wolfram Jost. Marco Gerazounis, Senior VP Middle East North Africa & Turkey, Software AG, said: “It is our commitment to continue to expand the breadth of Software AG’s core offerings and add greater value in the delivery of our products and services. The acquisition of my-Channels is an important step in this direction as it supports the growth plans of our clients in the Middle East. We are now more strongly positioned to deliver a powerful, costeffective solution that can help clients achieve business process excellence.” my-Channels was founded in 1999 and has its headquarters in London. Nirvana, my-Channels’ messageoriented middleware technology, guarantees delivery of real-time data between multiple platforms
Marco Gerazounis Senior VP, MENA & Turkey Software AG
and to enterprise, Internet, Cloud and mobile users. my-Channels has several toptier banks as customers and is expanding to gaming, defense and e-commerce industries. myChannels’ technology powers two of the top three Foreign Exchange (FX) platforms and is used globally by banks that account for 40% of FX market volume. The my-Channels acquisition strongly enhances Software AG’s strategy for providing the flexible infrastructure needed by customers to achieve business process excellence. The new technology boosts Software AG’s ability to compete across the board from Application Integration and B2B Integration to BPM, CEP, and Mobile development. May 2012 | The Integrator
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TechKnow | Kasperksy
services is going to become more and more ubiquitous, there will still be the need for devices to access these cloud services and the vulnerabilities that exist on these devices need to be resolved. For this purpose the security software needs to have some sort of footprint on the device in order for it to effectively protect the device. However, in the defense of the cloud, we have harnessed the potential of global monitoring and automatic updating of new real-life threats. Our approach has been implemented in Kaspersky Security Network. Information about suspicious files downloaded to and executed is collected strictly voluntarily and confidentially. The
Aman Manzoor Channel Manager Kaspersky Lab ME & Turkey
Do you see cybercrime being combated successfully with security software? The dark side of the cyberworld is has highly-organized, well financed and trained professionals, as our CEO Mr. Eugene predicted that “there will be more and more attacks on companies and the attacks will become more and more successful at achieving their aims. Attacks on industrial systems (like Stuxnet) can’t be ruled out. And such attacks will become the main news items of 2012.” We have 14
The Integrator | May 2012
Effective strategies Kasperksy continues to grow its focus on the corporate and enterprise segment even as it consolidates its presence in the retail segment. Aman Manzoor, Channel Manager, Kaspersky Lab ME and Turkey speaks to the Integrator in the following interview about trends in security and the growing engagement with the channel.
seen the same rolled out in the first couple of quarters of this year. The only way to combat this epidemic is not with software alone, but a combination of the right hardware, user education and applying the best practices of security in the environment. Do you see security software delivered via the cloud gaining ground among enterprise customers? The answer to this question is yes and no. As the utilization of cloud
user of one of Kaspersky Lab’s consumer products has to agree to participate in the system and Users of Kaspersky Lab’s corporate solutions do not participate in the process of forming up the database of Kaspersky Security Network. In any case, no personal information is collected. And the data collected is then analyzed and the decision on the safety of a program is made based on the availability of a digital signature verifying the source and integrity of the program, as well as
a number of other factors. Today, Kaspersky Security Network technology is used on millions of computers around the world, presenting a global but detailed picture of how new malware evolves and circulates, where new threats originate and how many infection attempts occur within specific time periods. The globally distributed malware monitoring carried out by Kaspersky Security Network provides an effective response to new threats no matter where the sources and targets are located. Hence, it should be emphasized that the most effective user protection is achieved by using a combined approach meshing and cloud technologies with other technologies already used to counteract emerging threats. Discuss your initiatives in the channel in recent past as well as the planned activities for the rest of the year? The initiatives that we have launched vary from channel recruitment initiatives & channel development initiatives to Joint Marketing Program (MDF), Deal Registration program, Renewal protection program along with support to Pre-sales, Post-sales and Consulting Support Initiatives. Further, the initiatives in the retail space wherein we are training the frontline sales personnel of the key retailers have increased the product sell out and has resulted in ensuring that we retain the most chosen antimalware solution in the region. The roll out of the partner program and other initiatives have ensured that the overall channel community
has garnered the ability to address the opportunities in the market in a more effective and profitable manner. We have tripled the number of certified engineers in the channel to enhance both presales and post-sales support to the end-user customers. The various channel recruitment initiatives that we have started have increased the number of channel partners working with us to almost double. The number of partners receiving the premier status and having their names listed in our website has increased the number of leads that have been generated for our premier partners. The initiatives in the retail space wherein we are training the frontline sales personnel of the key
Added Distribution Partners (VAD) and the Enterprise Partners and five types of indirect partners based on their business specialties and their commitment to Kaspersky Lab, the Sub-distributor, the Premier Retailer, the Premier Business Partner, the Trusted Reseller and the Authorized Reseller. The latest version of program lays out major improvements the communications with the channel network, enabling partners by providing them with access to Partner Portal, Partner Magazines, which list the best practices across the world and share success stories in the industry. Giving partners access to free class room based training session from Kaspersky Lab experts that cover both Technical and Sales topics. Our
The globally distributed malware monitoring carried out by Kaspersky Security Network provides an effective response to new threats no matter where the sources and targets are located.
retailers have increased the product sell out and has resulted in ensuring that we retain the most chosen antimalware solution in the region. We will develop the programs this year along this line. You had rolled out an improvised version of your channel program earlier this year. Please elaborate on the success so far and as to how has the feedback been from the channel? Our partner program has three kinds of direct partners, the Republishing Distributor, the Value
partners also have tools ranging from the margin enhancement programs, knowledge transfer and certification programs, incentive programs, joint marketing programs. We were able to meet the expectations that we had set for ourselves in the channel. The feedback from the channel has been encouraging and we hope to see quicker adoption of the program across the region.
May 2012 | The Integrator
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Cover Feature | Big Data Analytics
BIG DATA ANALYTICS The next frontier No mere buzzword, Big Data Analytics is a definitive opportunity for organizations to wrest the competitive advantage in their respective industries.
Big Data is more than a buzzword and Big Data analytics is increasingly seen as the next frontier that companies will invest in to gain performance advantages and competitive advantage in their domains. Big data is conveniently categorized as any type of data, including both structured and unstructured data such as text, audio, video, sensor data, etc. “Big data is certainly the topic du jour in the business and technology media, dividing critics and inspiring contradictory opinions. Dismissed by some as old hat, and hailed by others as a revolutionary new business tool for competitive advantage, the opportunity is massive, both globally and in the Middle East. Gartner forecasts that companies
who will successfully implement Big Data solution will be average 20% more profitable than the one who don't. This gives an idea of the opportunity,” says Philip Roy - Director - Data Computing Division at EMC. Companies that churn out more Intelligence out of their data will differentiate themselves better, would be in a position to provide more customized services, acquire more customers and hold a distinct edge over companies that don’t do similar investments. To do that, they will need to seek out Analytics Technologies that can be embedded into their Business processes. Eyad Shihabi, MD, HP Middle East says, “If you look at a typical organization whether private or
public, the size of data that they have is massive and is exploding. That company may have access to only 15% of structured data, and the other 85% is the unstructured data that they have no access to. Most of the data that they cannot tap into is video, audio, text, email, tweets, social media etc. One of our biggest focuses is to bring in solutions to our clients that are able to tap into this unstructured data.” The data deluge is challenging organizations on the ways they are following to store and retrieve data as required. Simon Gregory, Business Development Director at CommVault says, “We see big data as two distinct elements with their own associated issues. Firstly; big data in terms of explosive
data growth for an organisation who is now storing, processing and retaining exponentially more data than previously is the most common concern. The second issue is whereby business systems data (e.g. data warehouse) or specific data sets (video content, image scans, exploration survey data as examples) are growing beyond the scope and ability of legacy solutions.” He adds, “In simple terms and for both scenarios, companies are struggling to meet the protection windows available to them in which they can process this data and are also struggling financially to control the storage allocated to preserving the data for either recovery or long term business orientated retention (compliance, governance, retrieval).” In the social networking and consumer space, the explosive growth of data is like the onslaught of a constant tsunami. This also means companies can potentially access a lot of information that is available and process it intelligently to make use of it in their goals of business growth. Roy says, “Social media websites, smartphones and other consumer devices, including PCs and laptops, have allowed billions of people around the world to process huge amounts of information. The big social media platforms are generating vast quantities of unstructured data as online conversations grow. Downloadable software applications - iPhone apps - allow people to do virtually everything from their mobile phones while applications like Google Maps generate vast quantities of transient data every day. ”
Phillip Roy Director Data Computing Division, EMC
He adds, “Digital data should concern leaders across the public and private sectors and every citizen who interfaces with technology every day. We should treat it as an opportunity to learn more about our business and public policy environments. This is where the real value lies for businesses and where forwardthinking IT professionals can prove their worth. IT managers know they
face a monumental task in simply taming the deluge of data.” IBM estimates 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every day from a variety of sources including sensors, social media, and billions of mobile devices around the world, making it difficult for businesses to navigate and analyze it to improve competitiveness, efficiency, and profitability. According to Cisco,
Companies that churn out more Intelligence out of their data will differentiate themselves better, would be in a position to provide more customized services, acquire more customers and hold a distinct edge over companies that don’t do similar investments.
May 2012 | The Integrator
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Cover Feature | Big Data Analytics
Analytics – the big opportunity A recent International Data Corporation (IDC) study, sponsored by EMC, projects that, to manage big data growth over the next decade enterprises will need 10 times the number of servers they have now. But there is potentially huge payback in the form of big data analytics. Roy says, “Big data requires a different treatment and substantially more powerful technology to manage and manipulate than ever before. Businesses and public sector organisations should invest in the appropriate technology to manage process and store exploding volumes of data.”
Simon Gregory Business Development Director CommValult
there will be 10 billion mobile internet devices on the earth by 2016 for only 7.3 billion people. All this big data has consequences for how it is to be captured, stored, managed and analysed. IDC estimates the market for big data technology and services will grow at an annual rate of nearly 40 percent to reach $16.9 billion by 2015. According to Arvind Krishna, general manager, Information Management, IBM Software Group, “Navigating big data to uncover the right information is a key challenge for all industries. The winners in the era of big data will be those who unlock their information assets to drive innovation, make real-time decisions, and gain actionable insights to be more competitive." 18
The Integrator | May 2012
Several of the larger Technology providers are striving to be at the forefront of this domain, expected to be increasingly critical in future. The usual suspects including EMC, IBM and HP have come to market with different approaches and their
streams from unstructured data. The data itself provides valuable insights into customers and their relationships with companies: ones that, if extracted properly, can generate new sources of revenue. EMC believes that full analysis of data needs to be agile, self-service, increasingly real-time, and ultimately collaborative. This is exactly what EMC is out to build with its unified analytics platform. Roy says, “The opportunity is about Analytics. It is about understanding what the data says and build new business and commercial strategies based on that. It doesn't mean that Analytics will replace human decision making. It means that human decision making can be backed up by real information, either from the past or even predictions. So it is about mining the data, looking at it differently, applying statistical method to simplify the view and applying mathematical method to build
“Big data requires a different treatment and substantially more powerful technology to manage and manipulate than ever before. Businesses and public sector organisations should invest in the appropriate technology to manage process and store exploding volumes of data.”
independent solutions that can enable customers to manage Big Data. EMC's pioneering efforts EMC is driving the Big Data analytics market with its Greenplum and Isilon solutions. EMC is a leader in storage, security, capture, search, discovery and analysis tools for organizations, enabling them to derive real value and create revenue
predictive or risk models.” EMC offers the EMC Greenplum Unified Analytics Platform (UAP), which is a single, unified data analytics platform that is extensible to other tools and uniquely able to support the analytics process by facilitating the discovery and sharing of insights from Big Data, in turn leading to greater business value than ever before. Greenplum
UAP is the foundation of a data analytics strategy that enables organizations to be far more disciplined and proactive with their most valuable asset, data.
From laptop to desktop to server to datacenter, cloud or offsite data, CommVault is able to pick and chose the most appropriate time and place to de-duplicate data against any hardware platform (including tape). This minimising of data as a core component of the data management function (backup or archive) and not as a separate process allows us to process only the changed blocks at the right place and at the right time. Source-side deduplication eliminates redundant backup and archive data at the client before sending it across networks, servers and storage.
“In our vision, it is irrelevant of the type of data. Our Unified Analytic Platform is fully integrated and can manage transparently structured, unstructured and semi-structured data. Right now, the emphases is about structured data. Since 80% of new data created is unstructured, a tipping point is coming.”
EMC Greenplum UAP fuses three Greenplum products into the unified offering to support Big Data analytics. These include the EMC Greenplum database for structured data; the enterprise Hadoop offering EMC Greenplum HD, for the analysis and processing of unstructured data; and EMC Greenplum Chorus, which acts as a productivity engine and social network for data science teams. Through the EMC Greenplum Chorus interface, users get ready access to tools, data and supporting resources that enable enterprisewide Big Data productivity. Frictionless and rapid collaboration across data science teams helps to ensure useful insights get back to the business in time to take the right actions, thus increasing agility and innovation. He adds, “In our vision, it is irrelevant of the type of data. Our Unified Analytic Platform is fully integrated and can manage transparently structured, unstructured and semistructured data. Right now, the emphases is about structured data. Since 80% of new data created is unstructured, a tipping point is coming.” The unified approach CommVault also follows the unified
approach to Big Data analytics. Simon says, “CommVault Simpana is fundamentally different from other vendors legacy solutions. A unified platform allows CommVault customers to see all of their data from a single point which in turn allows them to analyse and move data based on its value to the business and not simply by a static backup or archive policy. By unifying the data management platform we remove the silos of data and the supporting hardware infrastructure and products and are able to apply growth trending, prediction and cost metrics to the data we manage.” To support the singular approach to managing data and information, Commvault has also developed specific technologies that integrate into the unified platform to deliver immediate financial and operational returns. With regard to big data there are three such functions that provide these unique benefits. These are OnePass, Snapprotect and Deduplication. OnePass is a combination of backup, archive and analytics (Storage Resource Management). By traversing the file system structures once it reduces the scan time for achieving these operations by @66% often a task that can break backup windows on large file structures.
Simpana SnapProtect technology delivers a broad hardware snapshot integration, providing customers with SAN investment protection and choice, eliminating the backup window, accelerating recovery and reducing costs. The Big Blue's strategy IBM has developed an enterprise big data platform that allows clients to manage, access, and gain intelligence on the full variety, velocity and volume of structured and unstructured data. IBM's big data platform is based on open source Apache Hadoop. The platform makes it easier for dataintensive applications to manage and analyze petabytes of big data by providing clients with an integrated approach to analytics, helping them turn information into insights for improved business outcomes. May 2012 | The Integrator
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Cover Feature | Big Data Analytics
IBM's approach to big data challenges blends traditional data management technologies that are well suited for structured, repeatable tasks, together with complementary new technologies that address speed and flexibility, and are ideal for data exploration, discovery and unstructured analysis. According to Arvind, “Today’s growing data volumes make it tougher for clients to access the right data when they need it to stay competitive. IBM has advanced database and data warehouse technology to the point where data management can be automated and insights shared more broadly than ever before, freeing up decision makers and IT staff to focus on business growth.”
Arvind Krishna Information Management IBM Software Group
The platform provides clients with the industry's broadest array of advanced business analytics, Hadoop-based analytics, stream computing, data warehousing, integration, visualization, systems management, governance, and consulting services. Big data integration and real-time data analysis provides faster insights from unstructured data, such as social networking information or text from mobile devices. Insights from Hadoop based systems are now easily integrated with real-time analysis of structured data in the warehouse to enable better and faster business decisions. 20
The Integrator | May 2012
The HP way HP made strategic acquisitions to bolster its offerings in the Big Data domain in recent years. Its acquisition of Autonomy late last year enabled it to come to market with combination offerings along with solutions available from another HP company Vertica. Eyab says, “HP acquired Autonomy, a company that has been a leader Information optimization solutions. We see good requirements coming from the market with customers asking us how you can help us tap into unstructured data and be able to use it to some benefit. A lot of activities are going on to support our customers in big data information optimization and accessing unstructured data.” He adds, “100% of unstructured date is useable and there are tools today to extract it. For example, a typical company that has a customer service center to improve customer service has traditionally had to pull out basic
SQL reports that give the list of customers who have called from a certain date to another date etc. They look at the data, do manual analysis and execute the required action. However they are not able to tap into the rest of the data. By implementing the platform that we have got from Autonomy, they are plugged into all these sources. Now, instead of asking for a list of customers who have called from so and so date they will add one simple human language query which will say “when they were not happy”, then the platform looks at all the social media and pulls out all the information that were negative, context aware and reports it to business.” The utility of big data analytics is realised when seen in situations where data is unstructured, not conventionally tapped and the intelligence extracted. Eyab illustrates a situation wherein all the audio recordings are translated into context aware and the negative information is reported by interpreting the sentiment of the person calling at the time. This gives access to more information that can be useful for the Business. He says, “Imagine you have access to 15% versus 100%, how much improvement you can bring to the business. We have different applications related to video surveillance too where we are able to detect real time motion, based on that take security to next level. Being able to take all these unstructured data feeds into our platform and analyze the information and make real time suggestions for improvements is the way we are going to be useful for our customers. “ The HP Next Generation
Information Platform – IDOL 10 enables organizations to automatically understand and act on a combination of human and extreme information by identifying ideas and patterns in place and in real time. The combination of an information processing layer from Autonomy with a real-time analytics engine from Vertica allows organizations to analyze 100 percent of unstructured, semistructured and structured information.
Seize the advantage Companies that embrace the ‘big data’ challenge by deploying technologies to absorb, store and analyse unstructured information will be in prime position to move ahead of the pack and develop better marketplace intelligence which, ultimately, will make a difference to their bottom line. Customer across verticals can benefit in the longer run and the early adopters will be able to wrest the competitive advantage.
Powered by IDOL 10, the HP Autonomy Appliances for archiving, eDiscovery and Enterprise search allow organizations to quickly use and extract metadata from all data types and sources. The eDiscovery Appliance provides analysis of critical data points to case status, data volume and litigation trends. With the Enterprise Search Appliance, enterprises can categorize, tag, link, retrieve, and profile of all forms of data to deliver large volumes of pertinent information. The HP Social Intelligence Solution helps organizations harness unstructured data generated in social media channels to optimize the customer experience, manage brand reputation, empower resources, as well as drive product innovation. In addition, HP Advanced Information Services for Vertica accelerate the implementation of the Vertica Analytics Platform, which analyzes structured, semistructured, and unstructured data on a massive scale to quickly gain critical business insight. These services assist clients in defining their specific data analysis requirements and determining the best options for integrating the Vertica Analytics Platform into their existing infrastructure.
As EMC’s Roy says, “All verticals will benefit, with a phased approach in terms of adoption. Telecom and banks are already engaged. Public Sector represents a massive opportunity. Some are obvious like national security or health care, others carry huge strategic importance like service to citizen, forecasting, etc. “ He adds, “Large companies are already pioneering Big Data and will build their own system since they have the investment capabilities and the skills to do it. We believe that as a second wave, SMEs will engage as well, but mostly via a Service Provider model. We are already working on technology and business models for Analytics in the Cloud for instance.” It will not be a one size fits all strategy however in this domain. A holistic Big Data strategy will follow up from a comprehensive mapping of the customer’s Business. “Each customer environment is different, some complex some less so. We take a broad view of the customers goals for handling big data, advise and then jointly develop the right solution. This in
Eyad Shihabi MD HP, Middle East
stark contrast to simply applying another new technology which could just leave the customers with yet another silo and yet another headache,” says Simon. In summary, Big Data analytics will help organizations achieve an unprecedented degree of foresight and business agility. The earlier organizations wake up to the need to manage the growth of Big Data in their businesses and the need to deploy the Technology that suit them best to deal with it, the more primed they would be to take their Business towards further growth.
May 2012 | The Integrator
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Point2point | Riverbed
Business Acceleration The recently announced Riverbed Partner Network (RPN) program is designed to accelerate partnership momentum with new tools, resources and profitability programs. Paul Sherry, Regional Director - Middle East & North Africa speaks to The Integrator in the following interview about the company’s streamlined focus on partners. We have a very structured training and certification program with specific requirements of technical and sales expertise. We have in the region training in Saudi, UAE and other markets. We believe the channel partners are extensions of our own presence and in terms of capabilities. We want to aggressively focus on the opportunities in the market with these key partners that we have.
Paul Sherry Regional Director-MENA Riverbed
Elaborate on your partner focus Since the past few years, we have created several partners in the region. In the last 12 months, we have been working with some select partners to upskill them and promote them to premium partner status. There are Platinum, Gold and Silver tier partners while the majority are Gold tier partners. There is mostly one Platinum partner per country and maximum of two in most cases. Silver partners are mostly engaging on an opportunistic basis. They have relatively lower skill levels and we have transactional relationships with them. 22
The Integrator | May 2012
What are the kind of partners that you work with? We are not looking to recruit or add many more partners but rather want to focus on the right kind of partners. In fact in the past year or so, we have consolidated and reduced the total number of partners based on who was aligned to our focus areas and expectations. and who wasn't. Inevitably, we are working more closely with Microsoft resellers or resellers that are software oriented in their business focus. Microsoft is a strategic partner for us globally and we have a strong set of solutions oriented for applications from Microsoft. Are partners focusing on different verticals or competencies? We are making a significant investment in building partners’ competency around the Riverbed performance platform
and across the entire Riverbed product portfolio, which spans WAN optimization, edge virtual server infrastructure (edge-VSI), application-aware network performance management (NPM), application delivery, web content optimization (WCO), and cloud data protection for backup, archive and disaster recovery. As part of the recently announced Riverbed Partner Network (RPN), a new specialization framework through Technology Authorization Paths (TAPs) empower partners to focus on building competency and selling the products and solutions that are best suited for their skills, target markets, and expertise. How do you manage who sells to whom? We want to try and avoid channel conflict as far as feasible. Eventually, they may need different product skills. We also have a structured deal registration program wherein we work with the partners on the opportunities they come with which are locked in their name. Although you can’t lock down end users as they will decide whom they want to deal with. However, we ask our partners to share their customer lists with us and based on that matrix, we decide who would be ideal to work on a project opportunity with a specific customer.
Techknow | HP
In the era of Cloud computing and Virtualization, where do you see workstations headed? Virtualisation and thin clients are a significant trend in the industry. The USP of thin clients is that all the power is at the backend. However, they depend on network connectivity and network speeds. In verticals like the Construction sector for instance, they need machines with powerful specifications on site to execute the required tasks. All architects need heavy graphics for their work. Workstations offer
The Reliable workhorses Mohit Bector Channel Developement Manager Workstation, HP Middle East
Discuss HP’s portfolio and in Workstations In layman terms, a workstation is a desktop with server grade components that gives it more stability. The workstation is a solution that can be customized. CPU, Graphics cards, number of hard drives, SSD etc can be chosen based on customer requirements. It is not a hardware that comes with ‘x’ specifications at a ‘Y’ price. We offer different models from Z1, Z210, Z400, Z600 to 800 increasing in terms of performance, expandability, pricing etc. 24
The Integrator | May 2012
Mohit Bector, Channel Development Manager, Workstations at HP Middle East speaks to VAR Magazine in the following interview about HP’s news Workstations and trends that favour the continued relevance of Workstations .
HP has 65% marketshare according to IDC in the region in the workstations category. HP produced the first workstation about 10 years ago and currently worldwide, we are market leaders. We have 4 desktop workstations, one all in one, and 2 mobile workstations. All our workstations are made in Europe and come with the professional server grade components. All workstations except mobile workstations offer 3 years onsite support except mobile workstations.
server kind of capabilities on your table which thin clients can’t offer. Thin clients have their limitations in getting these heavy graphics, processing them in the back end and then displaying on the screen with nothing in the box itself. Further, all vertical based software vendors do certify on their website to not use their software with desktops. Elaborate on the highlights of the Z1workstation The HP Z1 workstation is completely toolless and completely serviceable. The display of the
new HP Z1 snaps open so users can easily swap out parts and make upgrades without any tools required. Hard disks, power supplies, memory modules, graphics cards etc can be taken out and replaced or upgraded as required by yourself when required. All components are plug and play which is the highlight of the product. It combines the capabilities of a workstation with the elegance of an all-in-one to meet the demanding visualization and computing needs of customers. The Z1 includes Xeon series processors, Nvidia Quadro series of graphics processors, ECC memory etc. It is ideal for graphics
professional, professionals working on AutoCAD and 3ds Max in the construction sector etc for stability and enhanced performance. It comes with the expandability options required for professional users. How do you recommend the right fit solutions to customers? We work as consultants. On the website, we have recommended component options as per software used for different industries from Oil and Gas to Construction, Media etc. Accordingly, we offer a recommended configuration. We also work closely with our software partners.
We engage with customers in the pre-sales phase to understand their requirements. Based on this understanding, we try and offer an optimum configuration that is required with the kind of software that is being used in that industry. Obviously, customers aren’t interested in paying for something they aren’t using.
HP's new workstations The new HP workstations feature the latest eight-core Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family, offer up to 512 gigabytes (GB) of DDR3 memory, and support multithreaded workstation applications that professionals rely on. The latest additions to the industry-leading line of HP Z Workstations also feature thirdgeneration PCI Express technology, providing customers increased performance and seamless integration of new graphics cards. The Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family allows for up to 16 physical cores in a single system and let 32 threads run at one time when using two processors, each with eight cores and Intel HyperThreading Technology enabled. The new processors include Intel vPro Technology, integrated memory controllers and Intel Turbo Boost Technology.
HP Z820— Engineered for the most demanding and compute-intensive visualization needs, the HP Z820 is ideal for customers using oil and gas, computer-aided design (CAD), and engineering, medical or media and entertainment applications. The HP Z820 provides up to 16 processing cores, up to 512 GB of ECC memory, up to 14 terabytes (TB) of high-speed storage and up to dual NVIDIA Quadro 6000 graphics. HP Z620— For quiet environments and minimal space consumption, the HP Z620 is a great choice for customers in financial services, video, animation, architecture and midrange CAD. Updated to support both single- and dualsocket processors, the powerful and versatile HP Z620 provides up to 16 processing cores, up to 96 GB of ECC memory, up to 11 TB of high-speed storage, and up to NVIDIA Quadro 6000 or dual NVIDIA
Quadro 5000 graphics. HP Z420— Engineered to meet mainstream computing and graphic needs for customers in product design, architecture, video and image editing, the HP Z420 includes up to eight processing cores using the latest Intel Xeon processor E5-1600 and E5-2600 product families, providing up to 64 GB of ECC memory, up to 11 TB of high-speed storage, and up to NVIDIA Quadro 5000 or dual NVIDIA Quadro 2000 graphics. May 2012 | The Integrator
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Insight | Sourcefire
in today’s dynamically changing threat and IT environments, they need to evolve. Each time these solutions evolve you’re, in effect, dealing with a “new” solution. IT security teams need to be able to count on that “new” solution just as they could at the time of the initial purchase. If a solution has a spotty track record with respect to security effectiveness and performance the potential ramifications to your buying decision and day-to-day security management must be carefully considered. Consistency of security effectiveness and performance come into play in two important aspects of any security solution— maintenance and upgrades.
Marc Solomon Chief Marketing Officer Sourcefire
How do you separate marketing hype from reality? One approach is with third-party tests of IT security solutions—an efficient, neutral way to validate vendor claims of solution effectiveness and performance. But it isn’t enough to just look at a point-in-time result. What really counts is consistency year after year. Here’s why. Buying security technology isn’t like buying a car or a bottle of wine where the product is static. As a buyer, as long as you made your purchase in a year when your car received top rankings by Motor Trend or that bottle of wine was lauded by Wine Spectator you can feel confident in your choice. But security solutions aren’t frozen in time. In order to be effective 26
The Integrator | May 2012
IT security teams need to remain even more vigilant to the possibility of breaches with vendors that can’t demonstrate a history of security effectiveness. As networks expand and new applications, content and devices drive higher performance requirements, security teams considering upgrades must understand if hardware performs “as advertised.” When making buying decisions and considering future growth, it is important to know if actual throughput levels are on par with claimed performance and if hardware performance levels are linear. For example if a 10Gbps appliance when tested performs at 17 Gbps, does a 20Gbps model
Effective Security Consistency of security effectiveness and performance come into play in two important aspects of any security solution, writes Marc Solomon, Chief Marketing Officer, Sourcefire With respect to maintenance, vendors of technologies such as anti-virus (AV), intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), firewalls, log management and security information and event management (SIEM), frequently issue updates to monitor and protect against the latest threats. Vendors who don’t demonstrate security effectiveness year after year have a greater likelihood of providing inconsistent levels of protection from one update to the next. Whatever the reason— inconsistent investment in resources, a faltering commitment to quality, organizational changes, or complacency—the result is the same: missing potential new threats despite these updates. From a security management point of view,
perform at 34Gbps? Reliable performance metrics are critical for planning. Traditionally, organizations have had to sacrifice performance for effectiveness, but with today’s advanced technologies and engineering this is no longer true. IT security teams need to identify vendors they can trust to continue to develop new capabilities while maintaining security effectiveness and performance. It’s not enough to look at the latest third-party test results. Understanding historical performance and comparing track records is essential to selecting a vendor you can count on to provide consistent protection now and in the future.
Educating and empowering the channel VAR Magazine is the leading B2B publication for the MEA IT channel with the widest readership among the region’s reseller community. With nearly 150 print issues to date, the publication plays a pivotal role in keeping the MEA IT channel well informed about the latest industry events and announcements that could potentially influence their business decisions.
VAR MEA Magazine
VAR Magazine also publishes a bilingual edition for the Saudi Market. The Arabic /English edition brings out perspectives on the trends in the strategic market of KSA based on conversations with local industry spokespeople that augment further understanding of the market.
Pioneering training series for frontline sales Conceived by VAR Magazine, ‘In Search of a champion’ is a series of multi-brand training workshops for frontline IT salespeople and serves as a platform for sales talent development. The format enables interactive training in classroom environment where sales lessons are imbibed. Participants are graded throughout their participation and champions receive grand prizes at the end of the year. Over the past couple of years, ‘In Search of a Champion’ has drawn wide appreciation from all participants and brands that have been associated with it. With its unique format and process, the event is trusted by leading Technology brands in the channel to keep the frontline sales staff abreast of product, Technology and market updates. It is currently organized in the UAE and KSA markets and is very soon expanding to other MEA markets.
IT Business Networking VAR Conclave is a series of networking platforms envisioned in several flexible formats as standalone events as well as in partnership with leading regional ICT expos across the GCC. VAR conclave fosters channel partnership opportunities and helps clinch strategic business leads across strategic markets. It includes one-on-one focused meetings between participating exhibitors and leading resellers. It is also an ideal platform to showcase products and technologies.
An essential read for the Value add IT channel The Integrator is a magazine that offers strategic insights to the systems integrator and the value add reseller channel. The magazine offers path breaking features and other content including case studies, expert columns, Round Table discussions that focuses on Industry trends which are opening up new frontiers of opportunities for the SI channel. The magazine has the intent of demystifying Technology trends for facilitating the channel’s learning of the same and empowering their decision making in Business. The magazine is distributed to an exclusive database of systems integrators and VARs in the region.
For sales queries, please email info@var-mea.com. or contact Tel: +971 4 3705022, Fax: +971 4 3706639
To read online log on to: www.VARonline.com
Insight | Kaspersky Lab
One thing is for sure, by storing data in its own datacenter a company is able to define the security measures and audit information security on its own. When storing data in a public cloud service a company is unable to check the level of security. Even if the cloud service provider allowed their client to audit its server security, it’s unlikely that many client companies would have the specialists with the relevant qualifications to do so. Therefore, the client simply has to trust the information that
Vladimir Udalov Senior Corporate Product Marketing Manager Kasperksy Lab
data belonging to tens or even hundreds of corporate clients, the ‘cloud’ is an attractive target for cybercriminals. The best example is that of the company HBGary being hacked in 2011. The hackers failed to penetrate the company’s local network, but succeeded in gaining access to corporate email based on the Google Apps for Business service. As a result, the entire email archive was stolen and made public. Since more and more large companies are storing their corporate data in the cloud and critical business data and
Securing the virtual environment Vladimir Udalov, Senior Corporate Product Marketing Manager, Kaspersky Lab writes about the best approaches to securing data in a virtualized IT environment.
Very often when it comes to cloud technologies the major concern of business is whether it is more dangerous or not to store data in the cloud or on a physical server. To assist the scope of the problem one needs to have an understanding that it depends on what IT security measures are in place. Just because information is hosted on a company’s own servers does not mean it is better protected than if it was stored in the cloud. Despite all the obvious risks, it shouldn’t be presumed that data that ends up in the cloud suddenly becomes accessible to someone else. It is not uncommon for data stored in the cloud to be protected better than if it were stored inside a company. 28
The Integrator | May 2012
cloud service providers give about security measures. Today, the existence of cloud services is grounded primarily in the confidence that users have in them. Within the next few years companies may appear that specialize in independent auditing of the IT security of public cloud services, and certificates confirming a high level of security will be a must-have item of any major cloud service. Yet, one should also keep in mind that cloud services, like any other information system, have their vulnerabilities and can be attacked by hackers. Since one cloud server, as a rule, contains
confidential information is increasingly being moved there, we can expect to see an increase in the interest shown in cloud services by hackers. It is very important to understand what sort of security measures a cloud service provider takes. The majority of cloud services are based on virtualization technologies. The use of specific antivirus solutions developed for virtual environments increases the level of cloud service protection and helps strike a balance between security and efficiency. Virtualization technologies are now at the peak of their development
and have already reached sufficient maturity to allow companies to transfer into cloud or in other words virtualize their most important business applications & servers, storing and processing their confidential data on virtual machines. This calls for high standards in both the performance and security of the virtual infrastructure. Traditional security technologies are not always able to provide such a balance so we advise companies to pay attention to specific solutions specially designed for virtual environments. There are very few specific threats that only target virtual environments. However, all viruses designed for physical servers are just as dangerous for virtual machines. That is why any claim that virtual machines are less vulnerable than physical ones is just a myth. Moreover, one infected machine can threaten the operation of other virtual machines running on the same host server. Additionally, most malicious programs can be stored on a virtual machine even when it is inactive, and resume their malicious activity when it wakes from standby mode. The technology of virtualization itself already offers the indisputable advantages of higher productivity while decreasing and simplifying admin costs. However, many companies forget about security on virtual servers. While interacting with our clients we notice that when implementing virtualization, companies follow a process of evolution in their attitude to virtual servers. Usually it all starts with a test adoption, but with the passing of time companies start virtualizing more and more resources and little by little transfer crucial business applications like email, CRM and ERP. So, while there is no special
need to worry about print server security, the transfer of the ERP system raises questions about securing the virtual environment. There are several security approaches. One classic approach is to install antivirus protection on each virtual server. However, this may frequently negate all the advantages for which virtualization is implemented – efficiency and controllability. Installing an antivirus solution on each virtual machine means they will update separately and use their own antivirus engines. This approach can hardly be described as efficient or rational, since each product functions on its own, overloading the network
sometimes liable to stay offline for a long time before demanding an update for the whole period of downtime. Not only does that generate significant extra traffic, it also leaves the recently reactivated machine insecure while the updates are being downloaded. However, if the antivirus engine is running on a separate virtual machine, it will always be up to date and as soon as a virtual machine is on in the network it is already protected automatically. The detached server always stays on and monitors the network. Our product uses a specific VMware interface – vShield – which transmits files from virtual machines
"The use of specific antivirus solutions developed for virtual environments increases the level of cloud service protection and helps strike a balance between security and efficiency".
and computing resources. That is why specific centralized solutions for virtual environments have appeared on the market. For now there are very few of these solutions on the market – as a matter of fact, there was only one similar product before Kaspersky Security for Virtualization appeared. The key advantage of a dedicated product is that it is installed on a separate virtual machine assigned to antivirus scanning. That delivers a very important gain – the right balance between protection and performance, since we do not replicate antivirus engines and databases numerous times. Moreover, virtual machines are
to be checked by Kaspersky Security for Virtualization. Kaspersky Security for Virtualization supports the VMware ESXi platform from version 4.1 and higher. For now we work with VMware virtual servers only, but we are working on widening the list of supported platforms. From the point of view of draining computing power, Kaspersky Security demands significantly less than products being installed separately on each virtual machine. The amount of resources consumed depends first of all on scanning volume – this approach is optimal for virtual environments.
May 2012 | The Integrator
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Insight | Brocade Communications
countries in its use of ICT to enhance competitiveness and development. As more business process find their way onto the network, the conditions favourably suit network infrastructure investments. Virtualization has already seen high penetration in the Middle East and is only set to grow at an accelerated pace. And in 2012, as organizations turn to the Cloud to gain a competitive edge and reduce infrastructure costs, flatter fabric-based network architecture will address the scale, traffic forwarding efficiency and latency
Sufian Dweik Regional Manager, MENA Brocade Communications
how their proposals will deliver a justifiable Return On Investment (ROI) within ever shorter time frames, while flexibly supporting anticipated demands over the next five to seven years. This, of course, is a daunting challenge, but highlighted below are four key guidelines to help CIOs frame such a proposal. Business Case Builder #1: Demonstrate Future-Proofing with a High-Performance Network A future-proofed network vision emphasizes the ability to scale and deliver the agility needed to
High-Performance Networking IT leaders must demonstrate how strategic changes to the network infrastructure will deliver fast ROI and ongoing returns that enable businesses to operate with greater agility, writes Sufian Dweik, Regional Manager Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at Brocade Communications
Although IT infrastructure is viewed as a strategic investment for business development, getting budget approval for technology upgrades is never a cakewalk. Fortunately, when it comes to critical network upgrades, IT leaders have some strong allies in their corner- business unit heads whose requirements call for strategic infrastructure improvements to help them manage new demands and support regulatory mandates. According to The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, released by the World Economic Forum, the UAE ranks 24th in the world and 1st among Arab 30
The Integrator | May 2012
requirements. Fabrics will drive cloud adoption and virtualization to the next level by supporting heavy traffic volumes and demand. A modern enterprise network should meet four basic requirements- non-stop networking to maximize business uptime; unmatched simplicity to overcome today's complexity; optimized applications to increase business agility; and investment protection to provide a smooth transition to new technologies while leveraging existing infrastructure. CIOs who want to upgrade to such modern end-to-end network infrastructure need to make watertight arguments about
meet business requirements, while leveraging existing investments. For example, the ability to add blades, line cards, or other modules to costeffectively meet new requirements and avoid the expenses of having to rip and replace components down the road is a key driver for companies as they seek to meet growing user demand. CIOs could outline the growing use of the network as the core communications medium. Leveraging a unified network infrastructure for real-time collaboration could address the travel costs associated with inperson meetings while supporting increased network usage as
opportunities for expansion begin to emerge. To support a far-reaching unified communications infrastructure, CIOs should invest in networking solutions that can reliably and cost-effectively deliver switching and routing today and- as business conditions demand- be configured to support IP-enabled voice, video-conferencing, and dynamic document exchange, all in the same architecture. CIOs can also begin to future-proof their data and storage networks. Part of that is obvious: Investing in IP products whose architecture, system design, and backplane are purposely built to support Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) today- as well as wire-speed 10 GbE, 40 GbE, and 100 GbE as required in the future. Business Case Builder #2: Demonstrate Fast and Ongoing Cost Control in a HighPerformance Network Creating a more power-efficient network infrastructure is an important way CIOs can address immediate ROI in their business cases. Modern networking equipment not only deliver high density and performance, but also draw only a third of the power that older systems do. Power savings on network components, along with server consolidation and visualization, means IT departments can achieve 40 to 50 percent savings on network infrastructure costs for a fast and definitive ROI that continues to generate paybacks on electricity charges year over year. Of course, one of the highest-cost elements in any IT organization is managing environments in which a range of different network tools
are in use. The ongoing expenses are for the licensing and support of point tools, and also include costs associated with training and maintaining the IT staff to effectively use them. CIOs can make a business case for simplifying management- and lowering costs- by leveraging a cohesive network management platform and interface for operational simplicity. Business Case Builder #3: Investment Protection by Leveraging Existing Infrastructure in a HighPerformance Network By continuing to gain value from existing investments, businesses can reduce capital expenses and avoid lock-in to a single vendor's solution and architecture, with all the repercussions this can have on future efforts to control costs. Towards that end, networking infrastructure must be able to seamlessly integrate with other IT solutions. IT leaders' business cases should emphasize how their planned investment will fit fluidly into the heterogeneous infrastructures that characterize most IT environments, through support for open standards and by use of interfaces that foster choice and avoid the disruption that can ensue from abandoning existing tools. One guiding principle for CIOs should be the ability to integrate with the orchestration frameworks that already exist to manage the data center. The importance of this will only grow as virtualization and LAN-SAN convergence begin to change data center paradigms, requiring even-tighter coordination among network, storage and server domains.
Business Case Builder #4: Demonstrate the Value of Greater Network Expertise As demands on the network grow, IT leaders must explain to the business that their plans account for creating and accessing talent to ensure high performance during the rapid infrastructure changes taking place. Virtualization and LAN-SAN convergence might require IT leaders to break teams out of their functional silos and create tighter coupling among various groups. Networking experts, for instance, must learn to be more cautious about turning on features in virtual software switches that might decrease server performance. Storage administrators and network infrastructure personnel would also have to cross-train each other in their areas of expertise and collaboratively address issues that will emerge over time as the enterprise moves to a converged infrastructure. For CIOs, upgrading the network infrastructure provides a good opportunity to bring these parties to the same table. The business ultimately benefits from having a more comprehensively skilled IT staff, along with more efficient service, greater business continuity, and lower management costs that free up money for investment in other areas of the enterprise. In conclusion, if there is one point that IT leaders must emphasize throughout their business cases, it is this: A highly optimized, always-on network offers strategic advantage to the enterprise and can be leveraged as a competitive tool- it is time for businesses to recognize this and give the network its due importance. May 2012 | The Integrator
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eyetech
ERB9250 300Mbps Wireless N Range Expander Overview The Wireless N Range Extender from Engenius is the easiest way to extend wireless coverage in your home or small office without running cables. Just put it in between your main access point or wireless router and the dead spot in your area that you want to cover with the wireless signal. It is designed to “repeat” signals into the far, hard-to-reach areas of your home or office. Eliminating the need to run cables allows you to build a wireless network in a most cost effective way. The Wireless-N Range Expander works with All Wireless access points and wireless routers, and is compatible with Wireless-B, Wireless-G and Wireless-N devices so you'll get the benefits of increased coverage even with a mixed network. Installation is a snap with Push button Setup (WPS). Just plug it in and press the button. The Expander is designed to find your wireless network and configure itself automatically. There is also an easy to use installation wizard for more complicated setups.
Key features: • Wireless 802.11n Technology: The most advanced wireless networking technology for the best range and speed • Range Expander: Extends the range of Wi-Fi networks to areas that the signal cannot reach • Client Bridge Mode: One 10/100 port allows connection of an Ethernet equipped device to a wireless network • Configurable through push-button setup, your networked PC’s Web browser, or the included Setup Wizard • Works with Wireless-B, Wireless-G and Wireless-N • Secure Push-Button Setup: Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2/WPA) and WEP-64/128 • Removeable and Upgradeable Antennas
Xerox ColorQube 8900 Color Multifunction Printer Overview: Xerox’s new color multifunction printer (MFP) can help turn these challenges into opportunities by making it affordable to create colorful marketing materials while managing office functions ranging from printing to scanning with ease. Key features: • Compact enough to fit into any office environment, including on a desk • The Xerox ColorQube® 8900 Color Multifunction Printer uses solid ink technology – a cartridge-free, crayon-like ink stick – to produce high-quality prints such as sales brochures, flyers and presentations.
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• With the ColorQube, any size business can create professional-looking, colorful marketing materials and other documents on a range of media, including recycled paper. • Cost-savings can be gained with Hybrid Color Pricing Plans, allowing businesses to pay only for the amount of color on a given page. • A 7-inch touch screen makes it easy to program jobs, including printing, scanning, distributing and organizing documents.
Dell Precision T7600 Overview: Engineered for the utmost in compute and visualisation performance, Dell’s most powerful and expandable workstation is perfect for video, animation, engineering, simulation and financial and scientific analysis of massive data sets. The advanced architecture of the T7600 features one of the highest performing CPU stacks, power supplies and graphics power for a dual-socket system. It offers up to two Intel Xeon E52687W 150 watt processors with a total of 16 computational cores, a 1300 watt 90 percent efficiency power supply, up to 600 watts of graphics, and up to four full x16 graphics slots which can power up to an NVIDIA Quadro ultra high-end 6000 professional graphics card and two NVIDIA Tesla C2075 processors at the same time.
Key features: • Power through resourceexhausting and graphics-intensive engineering and analysis workloads with the advanced architecture of the Dell Precision T76003. • Take charge of your workload with powerful Intel processors and up to 512GB4 of memory. Process huge data sets with ease with up to eight hard drives and an integrated SATA/SAS controller. • The Dell Precision T7600 features a totally redesigned chassis, enabling you to perform service and modifications with greater ease than ever before. • Your most important workstation-class applications will run smoothly thanks to ISV certification available with the Dell Precision T7600. • Mitigate risk and help prevent work stoppages with Dell’s
exclusive Reliable Memory Technology. The new technology maximizes uptime by eliminating virtually all memory errors so the workstations can get more reliable over time, providing a stable and reliable platform you can trust. • A variety of NVIDIA and AMD graphics options, including powerful NVIDIA Maximus (In English) technology, help you get the most out of your workstation. • Help save energy and reduce environmental impact with EPEAT registered and ENERGY STAR qualified configurations available with the Dell Precision T7600.
Brocade 6505 Switch Overview: Brocade announced a new entrylevel Fibre Channel SAN switch, the Brocade 6505 Switch, to broaden its full suite of next-generation SAN switches and backbones. This new addition further increases customer choice and flexibility for data center consolidation, expansion and refresh projects. In addition, Brocade has added new, industryfirst virtualization functionality between Brocade adapters and switches to simplify server deployment and management.
Key features: • Provides exceptional price/ performance value and enterpriseclass functionality. • It is configurable in 12 or 24 ports and supports 2, 4, 8 or 16 Gbps speeds in an efficiently designed 1U package.
• The Brocade 6505 joins other members of the Brocade SAN family, which includes the Brocade 6510 Switch, configurable between 24 and 48 ports, and the Brocade DCX 8510 Backbone, available in 4and 8-slot configurations.
May 2012 | The Integrator
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Stats & trends
Wireless LAN is the hottest market in enterprise networking Highlights: Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its fourth quarter 2011 (4Q11) Wireless LAN Equipment and WiFi Phones and Ethernet Switches vendor market share and forecast reports. "Sales data for 2011 enterprise networking equipment are in, and the results are very clear: Enterprises are racing to upgrade their infrastructure to support the wave of wireless devices hitting their networks," explains Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research. "While the bulk of expenditures still goes toward wired Ethernet switches, and will for some time to come, the growth is coming from wireless networking gear, up 24% in 2011, compared to flat sales for Ethernet switches." Machowinski adds: "With wireless taking up an everlarger share of the expenditure pie, vendors must have a well-developed wireless strategy to address the evolving requirements of their customers."
• The global wireless LAN (WLAN) equipment market hit an all-time quarterly high of $893 million in 4Q11, up 1% over the previous high of $880 million set in 3Q11 • Sales of wireless LAN equipment have been on a strong double-digit year-over-year growth trajectory for 9 consecutive quarters • 2011 demand for wireless LAN equipment sales was well balanced across the major world regions, all posting 20%+ annual growth • Access point (AP) shipments grew stronger than revenue in 2011, jumping 32% and crossing the 7 million unit mark • 802.11n APs now make up about 75% of all AP sales • Due mainly to declining prices, the torrid growth rate of the WLAN market is expected to slow, but pick back up in 2015 with the adoption of 802.11ac technology • 802.11n APs now make up about 75% of all AP sales • Market leader Cisco saw significant competitive pressure across its product portfolio in 2011, and the wireless LAN market was no exception, though it easily maintained its near-50% lead
Worldwide Unified Threat Management Market Surpassed the $1 Billion Mark in 2011 Worldwide unified threat management (UTM) revenue reached $1.2 billion in 2011, a 19.6 percent increase from 2010 revenue of $972 million, according to Gartner, Inc. "The UTM market is in the midst of a transition of its customers from older technologies, such as stateful firewall inspection, to the latest next-generation firewall technology supporting application control capabilities," said Lawrence Pingree, research director at Gartner. "Many UTM vendors delivered new products during the last several years with some vendors performing product refresh efforts to their UTM portfolios while others worked to expand their small or midsize business (SMB) offerings and wireless UTM offerings." Fortinet remained the No. 1 vendor 34
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in revenue in 2011, accounting for 19.6 percent of the market (see Table 1). SECUI showed the strongest growth, increasing its revenue 59 percent year over year. SECUI predominately focuses its sales in the Asia/Pacific market, and it has goals of expanding globally with initiatives emerging to target the U.S. market.
Middle East and Africa UTM revenue reached $28 million in 2011, up 13.5 percent from 2010 revenue of $25 million. Growth in this region was driven by a mixture of transformational government projects, high-speed Internet connectivity adoption and a heavier reliance of regional SMBs using Internet access to conduct business.
Top 10 Worldwide Unified Threat Management (SMB Multifunction Firewalls) Vendors’ Revenue for 2011 (Millions of U.S. Dollars) Company For net SonicWALL Juniper Networks CheckPoint So ware Technologies LTD WatchGuard Technologies Cisco Sophos (Astaro) SECUI Cyberoam Barracuda Networks Other Vendors Total
2011 Revenue 228 154 138 127 127 107 73 52 47 40 71 1,163
Share (%) 19.6 13.3 11.8 10.9 10.9 9.2 6.3 4.4 4 3.4 6.1 100
2010 Revenue 172 133 128 110 112 100 54 33 35 36 60 972
2010 Market Share (%) 17.6 13.7 13.2 11.3 11.5 10.3 5.6 3.3 3.6 3.7 6 100
2010-2011 Growth (%) 33 16.1 7.7 15.7 13.5 7.1 35.5 58.8 32.5 10.8 1.7 18.3
Source: Gartner (March 2012)
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