february 2014
DESCRIPTION
This issue talks about the influence and growth of software defined technology.TRANSCRIPT
STORIT DISTRIBUTION LAUNCHES NEW SUBSIDIARY /10
W W W . E N T E R P R I S E C H A N N E L S M E A . C O M
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MINDWARE: CREATING A VALUE BRIDGE /26
LOGICOM TO WIDEN ITS REACH IN IRAQ /12
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PA G E S 4 4V O L U M E 0 1 | I S S U E 0 7F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4
INDIAECM022014
DEMYSTIFYING SOFTWARE-DEFINED
ENVIRONMENTWith vendors as well as service
providers all geared up to address the market requirements, MEA market is poised to see deployments being
commissioned starting this year. /30
Cover MEA.indd 1 18/02/14 8:48 am
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Big Data in a Clasp
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I N F O M E D I A
MEA05FEBRUARY 2014
EDITORIAL
Looking at a right match
Till 2020, we are seeing the Middle East market, especially UAE, Saudi and Qatar markets are going to take a big leap in terms of technology adoption compared to other countries globally. Firstly, these are young countries from technology adoption perspective; plus there are huge projects coming up in the region to gorge the supply - whatsoever. With the mammoth technology adoption happening in the region, the countries are also looking at ease of usage and convenience. Therefore, all these countries are talking about
e-Governance and M-Governance, which enable the users to exercise his/her rights and duties using notebooks, tablet, smartphones, etc.
When people are saying only Dubai will grow 40-50% in terms of its GDP, most of the technology vendors are eying at a growth of 20% and excess YoY from 2014.
So if one takes higher GDP forecast and adoption of smart governance into consideration, one could well imagine that the backbone and backend of the infrastructure has to have technologies, which are solid, fail proof, agile and elastic to withstand major disruption attempts. Therefore the chances of using software defined data centre, which comprises all the core technologies including storage, compute, networking, security, etc., is a
big possibility. Without using virtualization at the core, always availability is an issue as it could easily pressurise the concerned resources. Not only that there is a possibility of using a lot of hybrid-cloud is a bigger possibility.
Keeping the regional growth on the perspective, we have tried to bringing out some regional specific viewpoints about Software Defined market and also virtual desktop market. Plus, one can read special stories about channel partners, vendors, technologies, and even about the market trends. ë
MEA
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INNOVATIONS /41
NEC MD302C4NEC MD302C4, a medical display providing precise
colour reproduction, provides wide viewing angles and factory-calibrated uniformity
control calibration for more accurate primary diagnosis.
FEATURETime to Adopt VDI /22IT organizations are struggling to balance their Capex and Opex and in this regard Desktop Virtualization is becoming a priority on their lists.
EDITORIAL :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 05
CHANNEL STREET ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 08
GUEST TALK ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 20, 40
CORPORATE STORY :::::::::::::::::::::::::: 28, 36
INNOVATIONS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 41
COVER STORY
MY VIEWS /18“Addressing the
customer needs”WALID ABDULMOTI,
MARKETING MANAGER, EPSON MIDDLE EAST
MY VIEWS /38
“We are looking at a 40% year on year growth in 2014.”SAURABH ARORA,VICE PRESIDENT - SALES & SUPPORT, CEREBRA
CORPORATE STORY /26
Creating a Value Bridge
With changing business dynamics, Mindware has
aligned its portfolio to suit the demand of contemporary
market.
DEMYSTIFYING SOFTWARE-DEFINED
ENVIRONMENTWith vendors as well as service
providers all geared up to address the market requirements, MEA market is poised to see deployments being
commissioned starting this year. /30
CONTENTS
06 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
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We Serve the Future
Value Distribution Rede�ned
Harnessing the value of information
A u t h o r i z e d M i d d l e E a s t Va l u e A d d e d D i s t r i b u to r
StorIT Distribution fzco P.O.Box 17417 Jebel Ali FreeZone Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 881 9690 | Fax: +971 4 887 1637 | Email: [email protected] | www.storit.ae
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Lenovo Plans to Acquire IBM’s x86 Server BusinessLenovo and IBM have entered into a definitive agreement in which Lenovo plans to acquire IBM’s x86 server business. This includes System x, BladeCenter and Flex System blade servers and switches, x86-based Flex integrated systems, NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and associated software, blade networking and maintenance operations. The purchase price is approximately US$2.3 billion, approximately two billion of which will be paid in cash and the balance in Lenovo stock.
IBM will retain its System z mainframes, Power Systems, Storage Systems, Power-based Flex servers, and PureApplication and PureData appliances.
The agreement builds upon a longstanding collaboration that began in 2005 when Lenovo acquired IBM’s PC business, which included the ThinkPad line of PCs. In the period since the
companies have continued to collaborate in many areas.
Approximately 7,500 IBM employees around the world, including those based at major loca-tions such as Raleigh, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taipei, are expected to be offered employment by Lenovo.
This agreement follows recent announcements by IBM that it will invest more than $1 billion in the new IBM Watson Group, and $1.2 billion to expand its global cloud computing footprint to 40 data centers worldwide in 15 countries across five continents.
Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO, Lenovo, said, “With the right strategy, great execution, continued innovation and a clear commitment to the x86 industry, we are confident that we can grow this business successfully for the long-term, just as we have done with our worldwide PC business.”
SOPHOS BUYS CYBEROAM
Cyberoam Technologies Private Limited, a spinoff from Elitecore Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and funded by the Carlyle Group has been acquired by Sophos. Originating from Ahmedabad, India, Cyberoam has consistently grown faster than the market and gained cost leadership and operational efficiency advantages in the global network security market announced the press release.
Hemal Patel, MD & CEO, Cyberoam Technologies, said “Cyberoam and Sophos comple-ment each other in many ways in the fast-growing network security market. Joining forces will allow us to offer more product innovation and value to our customers and channel partners.”
MITEL AND AASTRA MERGED
Mitel Networks Corporation has completed its merger with Aastra Technologies Limited. With US$1.1 billion of combined annual revenue and 60 million customers worldwide, Mitel now has one of the largest global footprints in the industry and is driving consolidation in the US$18 billion business communications market, the press release stated. “With this merger the combined annual revenue of Mitel exceeds a billion dollars, which we believe creates the financial scale and operational leverage to drive share-holder value and profitable growth in an opportunity-rich consolidating market,” said Richard McBee, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mitel. “We now have double the talent, tools and range of solutions to aggressively compete for a greater share of our market.”
YANG YUANQING, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, LENOVO,
08 FEBRUARY 2014
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Dell’s New Data Center Networking Model
StorIT Distribution Launches New Subsidiary
Dell demonstrated game-changing support for open networking by becoming the first global end-to-end technology company to provide customers including cloud providers and Web 2.0 companies a choice of third-party operating systems, tailoring networks for their specific application needs. In this effort, Dell announced a re-seller agreement with Cumulus Networks - maker of the first Linux operating system for bare-metal networking devices - to support a new disaggregated networking model for its fixed-configuration switches.
Dell’s vision of the new data center networking model is an open ecosystem in which customers can choose among various industry-standard networking gear, network applications and network operating systems to meet their business needs.
For the past 20 years, data center networks were a three-tier proprietary hierarchy built for pre-virtualized, client-server implementations using chassis-based switches.
Dell announced a reseller agreement with Cumulus Networks as its first partner in an
ecosystem to fill a critical gap in realizing the true promise of the software-defined data center. Dell will begin offering Cumulus® Linux® network OS as an option for its Dell Networking S6000 and S4810 top-of-rack switches.
“This is a great example of innovation coming from the new Dell. Networking is an industry crying out for disruption. We’ve done this before with PCs and servers, putting us in the best position to offer a choice of network operating systems,” said Tom Burns, vice president and general manager, Dell Networking. “Networks are like human minds - they work better when open.”
“Dell is fundamentally changing the nature of the networking business, and this partnership with Cumulus Networks represents a defini-tive step towards disaggregating hardware and software,” said JR Rivers, co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Networks. “In this new open, multi-vendor ecosystem that’s becoming all the more prevalent, the customer finally gets to choose exactly the components they need to build the software-defined datacenter of the future without having to worry about vendor lock-in.”
StorIT has announced the launch of its new subsidiary, Data Science Technologies (DST), a pioneer in the Big Data Analytics solutions and services space. As a wholly owned subsidiary of StorIT Distri-bution, Data Science Technologies will function as an independent company focused on providing cutting-edge tools, integration services and application develop-ment capabilities related to Big Data Analytics.
“Big Data is no longer a buzzword but has become one of the biggest technology trends today with more companies realizing
the potential of harnessing their structured and unstructured data in order to gain a competitive edge. This presents huge opportunities
for the channel but not many can capitalize on these disruptive technologies because of the sheer scale of knowledge and skilled resources required to translate the potential of big data in enterprise organizations into actionable insights”, said Suren Vedantham, Group Managing
Director, StorIT Distribution.“Organizations, in both private
and public domains, are drastically ramping up investments in Big Data
analytics as the hype around it in the last couple of years is turning into apparent value proposition that can define their core competencies. Enterprises across the world are planning to implement predictive analytics which can help use big data to increase productivity and profitability in all areas of business. DST has got the right pool of data scientists, developers, consultants, business practitioners and visionar-ies, who constitute the Big Data Practice, with industry-specific experience and skills to deliver appropriate solutions,” Vedantham added.
EPICOR EXPANDS CHANNEL IN AFRICA
Epicor Software Corporation has signed four new partners in Africa as part of its new channel strategy that continues to gather momentum across EMEA.
The new partners include: Glenco Con-sulting, South Africa; Innovative Apps, East and Southern Africa; Featherline Resources, Nigeria; and Bitz IT Consut-ling in Kenya and Somaliland. Members of the Epicor Inspired Partner Network benefit from good margins, full support for the entire sales and implementation cycle as well as ongoing educational, technical and business development services.
“With the steady decline in sales of more costly tier one applications in South Africa, we have changed our corporate strategy to become a market leader through a more affordable ERP solution which we believe is desperately required in the South African market,” said Zaid Glennistor, chairman for Glenco Consulting. “We chose Epicor because of its robust offering and value for money while challenging and often, surpassing the functionality found in the larger tier-one solutions. The partner recruitment program focuses on partners that already have enterprise resource planning (ERP) experience.
SUREN VEDANTHAM, GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR, STORIT DISTRIBUTION.
CHANNEL STREET
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Logicom to Widen its Reach in IraqLogicom has announced a new strategy to enhance its coverage in Iraq. This investment is part of Logicom’s commitment to grow Cisco’s business in the Middle East. Logicom will be the only authorized Cisco distributor to cover the whole Middle East region, both through a local presence and remotely, through its partners in Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, UAE, KSA and the Gulf.
With its international reach and local cover-age, Logicom will offer consistent value-added services based on Cisco products and solutions, as well as enablement activities for its partners, including solution-demos and training events.
Nicholas Argyrides, Director of Sales and Marketing - Distribution, commented “Undeni-ably, Logicom’s focus on Iraq has never been greater. While being in the process of solidifying our in-country expansion, the aim of this project is to make the best of our multinational presence in the Middle East and serve our Iraq-focused partners in any way and from any location we can. Leveraging on our six offices and warehouses in each of the adjacent countries definitely helps.”
Logicom kicked-off its 2014 activities in Iraq with the successful Logicom-Cisco Partner Forum, held at the Erbil Rotana Hotel on January 15th.
CANON TOP JAPANESE COMPANIES PATENTSAastra Canon Middle East announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., is again ranked first among Japanese companies and third overall for the number of U.S. patents awarded in 2013, according to the latest ranking of preliminary patent results issued by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services on January 14, 2014.
Canon Inc. actively promotes the globalisation of its business and places great value on obtaining patents overseas, carefully adhering to a patent-filing strategy that pursues patents in essential countries and regions while taking into consideration the business strategies and technology and product trends unique to each location. Among these, the United States, with its many high-tech companies and large market scale, represents a particularly important region in terms of business expansion and technology alliances.
Canon has ranked in the top five patent holders for 28 consecutive years.
HITACHI AND SAP EXPAND RELATIONSHIPSpectrum Hitachi Data Systems Corporation (HDS) and SAP announced an expansion of their worldwide alliance by signing a global original equipment manu-facturer (global OEM) agreement that introduces plans to include SAP HANA delivered by HDS. The collaboration focuses on providing future technology innovation and combined sales and marketing activities to customers worldwide. With this agreement, the companies will extend further integration in areas such as cloud computing, the SAP Real-Time Data Platform and high-performance enterprise
computing. Hitachi plans to build on its vision for social innovation, industries, and big data expertise with SAP HANA.
This global OEM agreement enables HDS to bundle a more complete Enterprise Data Center solution for SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (SAP NetWeaver BW) on SAP HANA, and is the first OEM agreement for SAP NetWeaver on SAP HANA. The tighter integration will allow customers to make purchases that consist of a unified computing platform, software and managed services from HDS. It is envisioned
that customers can benefit from a platform that scales without affect-ing performance or adding needless complexity. The global collaboration is designed to bring customers from SAP, Hitachi and HDS a more cohesive solution with a focus on SAP HANA, storage virtualization, cloud computing, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and information life-cycle management (ILM) solutions. The parties expect that customers will be able to achieve maximum value from SAP and Hitachi solu-tions, including lower implementa-tion and operational costs, higher availability and increased enterprise-
class disaster tolerance. “In this market, Hitachi Data
Systems’ customers need to see a real return on the data they collect and store. Speed, scalability, and access to business information are their primary concerns, and each are boosted by the disruptive technology in SAP HANA. Our partnership with SAP will help both companies mutually benefit from recent growth and success in the region, and will help our customers use new technology to innovate with information,” said HDS general manager Middle East and Turkey Aaron White.
RICOH TO EXPAND ITS CHANNEL IN MIDDLE EASTXerox Ricoh is expanding its channel network to include power retailers and resellers across the Middle East for their range of consumer printers, including its GelJet printer range. As part of its expansion strategy, Ricoh will be participating at DISTREE EMEA scheduled to be hosted from11-14 February 2014.
Ahmed Kamal, Regional Sales Head for Middle East & Africa at Ricoh’s International Division, said, “During the event we will be showcas-ing our new product range, including GelJet printers – a cost effective and eco-sensitive alternative to laser and inkjet printers for homes and offices. We are currently in the process of developing a partner support programme for existing partners in the region.”
Ricoh has appointed Supra as its authorized distributor for UAE and FDC for the Levant region to expand its presence across some of the key retailers in the region. Ricoh offers a range of laser printers and multi-function printers - both colour and monochrome devices. Ricoh will also look to sell its GelJet range through the channel and build routes-to-market for its projectors.
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The UAE Ministry of Education has launched the ‘Etisalat Education Technology Center’, a major initiative in smart education as well as the first state of the art educational technology hub in the country to focus on R&D and experimental educational tools. This launch is a result of the strategic partnership between the UAE Ministry of Education and Etisalat, leading telecom operator in UAE, and in association with the technology giant Microsoft.
The Etisalat technology center is one of the projects executed by the UAE Ministry of Education and Etisalat. The association with Microsoft brings global educa-tional expertise to the technol-ogy center. The technology major will provide an annual
training programme for educators to enable them to use technology and help them develop the skills of students in UAE for work and life.
H.E. Humaid Mohammed Obaid AlQatami, UAE Minister of Education, said, “The ministry today is witnessing tremendous changes in the educational process in the country. Education plays a major role in achieving sustainable development in the country. The UAE govern-ment vision is to provide the highest level of modern education that is up-to-date in curricula,
technology and environment. We want to provide the best infrastructure, facilities and services for the education sector that is accompanied with best teaching methodologies and expertise.
SECONDS6
First Technology Hub UAESCHNEIDER ELECTRIC TO LOCATE
OFFICES AT MASDAR CITY
Schneider Electric has signed a lease agree-
ment to locate offices at Masdar City – Abu
Dhabi’s low-carbon, sustainable city. In addition, a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also
signed to explore areas of collaboration, including
the deployment of Schneider’s energy manage-
ment, performance and efficiency solutions in
the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology’s
phase 1a buildings. The lease agreement and
MoU were signed during the World Future Energy
Summit, as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability
Week 2014 – the Middle East’s largest gathering
focused on sustainability attracting more than
30,000 people.
NEXT GENERATION CITRIX XENAPP
Citrix has launched next generation Citrix XenApp
product which the company claimed the market-
leading app virtualization solution.
The company said that with out-of-the-box
support for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and
CloudPlatform powered by Apache CloudStack
clouds, and Microsoft Azure cloud support under
development, XenApp is the only solution that
can be easily deployed both in the cloud and on-
premises with the same management interfaces
and skillsets. The new XenApp 7.5 is built on
the FlexCast Management Architecture used in
the Citrix XenDesktop solution which provides a
single console from which customers can deliver
both virtual apps and desktops.
EPSON LAUNCHES PHOTO SCANNER
Epson has announced the Middle East launch
of its new photo scanner that allows users to
scan and upload photos directly to social media,
photo sharing websites and other cloud storage
services. Featuring Digital ICE Technology, which
removes dust and scratches from damaged film,
the Perfection V550 Photo Colour Scanner is the
ideal scanner for photo enthusiasts.
The Perfection V550 Photo allows users to share
photos much more easily with friends and family
by uploading scanned images directly to selected
social media platforms and photo sharing
sites such as Facebook or Picasa. Meanwhile,
Digital Image Correction and Enhancement (ICE)
Technology automatically removes dust, imperfec-
tions, scratches and fingerprints from scanned
film, without the need for time-consuming manual
retouching.
“Organizations in the Middle East will evolve in 2014 as GCC states and other countries in the
region increasingly adopt technologies.”MEGHA KUMAR, RESEARCH MANAGER
FOR SOFTWARE AT IDC MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, AND TURKEY.
IN PUBLIC
MANAGEENGINE LAUNCHES PITSTOPManageEngine has launched PitStop, the user community for all IT professionals. Beyond ManageEngine product support, PitStop offers a vendor-neutral venue for IT admins, managers, directors and other IT pros to discuss IT management issues and ideas that are germane to the entire IT community.
PitStop sets itself apart from other IT communities by providing a cascading, Facebook-like wall for users to share and discuss topics and trends with the PitStop community at large. Users can also tailor PitStop to their individual interests by subscribing to specific groups and pages, enabling them to virtually collaborate, share and engage with colleagues in their domain. To keep PitStop users engaged while on the move, mobile apps for iOS and Android are available.
“IT teams drive business success, but IT pros need to refuel every now and then,” said VidyaVasu, head of the ManageEngine community.
NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS UNVEILS ADDITIONS TO XUN SERIES
NEC Display Solutions Europe has unveiled four additions to its MultiSync XUN Series range of large format displays, bringing an even better viewing experience thanks to a thinner bezel and a new feature set of display improvements.
The updated range will bring a host of new benefits including Auto Tile Matrix, Frame Comp and myriad of industry-first innovations as stated by the release. Furthermore, the new models are diversi-fied to help address different market needs. The 55-inch display X554UNS, with a bezel of just 3.5mm, is aimed at high-end applications, the XUN models in 46- (X464UN) and 55-inch (X554UN) for 24/7 usage and high brightness and the X464UNV, 46-inch model, for budget driven investments requiring less brightness and operating windows of no more than 16 hours at time.
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BOOLE SERVER INTEGRATES WITH TITUS SOLUTIONS
StarLink announced Boole Server’s integration with TITUS Classifica-tion solutions, enabling customers in the region to identify, govern and secure their business critical information.
This integration, which is imme-diately available with the current versions of both solutions, makes it possible for all TITUS Classifica-tion customers to seamlessly apply military-grade encryption and enterprise digital rights manage-ment while sharing their sensitive
documents and email using the Boole Server platform.
“We are pleased to see this integration with TITUS. Recent
use cases have led us to integrate our data protection product with TITUS in order to offer end-users further possibilities to secure all their file sharing processes. Our encryption technology allows end-users to share and receive every file in a highly controlled manner and now those files can not only be secure, but also classified” said Paolo Ardemagni, CEO Boole Server.
“As DLP is gaining the utmost importance worldwide, the
integration between Boole Server and Titus Classification could not have come at a better time. This integration will provide custom-ers with added protection after classification is complete. From a DLP stand point, enterprises will now be able encrypt files, emails and text plus add digital rights management, and then securely share sensitive data, complement-ing network DLP technologies”, said Mahmoud Nimer, General Manager, StarLink.
WATANIYA KUWAIT NETWORK ACHIEVES GOOD LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
oredoo’s Wataniya Kuwait network is one of the best in the region, delivering network performance on a level with the very best international carriers, according to a new report from leading telecommunications engineering and consulting company Omnitele.
Among the key findings of the audit was that Wataniya Kuwait’s 3G network’s data rate is the best in the Omnitele global database, delivering average throughput speeds of 9.5Mbps compared to 8.3Mbps for the best operator measured in Europe.
In addition, the customer experience for voice calls – measured through a series of Key Performance Indicators – were considered “very good” compared to operators worldwide.
The survey measured performance across 222 hotspots in Kuwait, 5,200 km of drive-tests across the country, 640 km of sea measurements and 300 km of extra 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) measurements.
Overall, the report concludes: “The modernized Wataniya network performance is on a very good level compared to International standards.”
VMware to Acquire AirWatchVMware and AirWatch have signed a definitive agreement under which VMware will acquire AirWatch, the leading provider of enterprise mobile management and security solutions.
VMware will acquire AirWatch for approximately $1.175B in cash and approxi-mately $365M of installment payments and assumed unvested equity. The AirWatch team will continue to report to founder and chief executive officer John Marshall as part of VMware’s End-User Computing group, led by Sanjay Poonen, EVP and GM. Alan Dabbiere, AirWatch’s co-founder and chairman, will be overseeing a new AirWatch operating board which will report to Pat Gelsinger, VMware chief executive officer.
“AirWatch provides best-in-class, secure,
enterprise-mobile management to thousands of businesses around the world,” said Pat Gelsinger, chief executive officer, VMware. “With this acquisition VMware will add a foundational element to our end-user computing portfolio that will enable our customers to turbo-charge their mobile workforce without compromising security.”
This acquisition will expand VMware’s End-User Computing group; AirWatch’s offerings will form an expanded portfolio of mobile solutions that are complementary to VMware’s portfolio. The acquisition has been approved by the boards of directors of both VMware and AirWatch and the acquisition is expected to close during late Q1 2014 subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
CYBEROAM ME HEAD - BUSINESS DEVELOP-MENT JOINS WATCHGUARD Surender Kumar Bishnoi, Head - Business Development, Cyberoam ME, Joins WatchGuard as its Regional Manager for Middle East and Africa. He takes this position from John Spoor, who joins Secunia as the Director for Emerging Market. Speaking to Enterprise Channels MEA, Mr. Bishnoi said, “It is quite a good feeling for me to work with WatchGuard, which is a leading brand in the US and Europe market. WatchGuard is a top global network security player, It has also been constantly named as a leader in the Gartners Magic Quadrant for UTMs. My aim is to replicate its US and Europe success in this region.” Enumerating his priorities, he added, “Now my focus is to strengthen the channel base of the company in the region. I will drive strong channel recruitment process, plus work towards proliferating products knowledge in the market aggressively.”
MAHMOUD NIMER, GENERAL MANAGER, STARLINK.
CHANNEL STREET
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WEB CLIPS
A10 NETWORKS ANNOUNCES ACLOUD
SERVICES ARCHITECTURE
Sophos A10 Networks announced the aCloud
Services Architecture designed to help
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) data center
operators deliver a rich set of application network-
ing and security services to their customers,
improving business agility and lowering total cost
of ownership. The aCloud Services Architecture
includes a range of new products and integrations
with 3rd-party software-defined networking (SDN)
and cloud platforms that enable dynamic L4-7
security and application services in multi-tenant
cloud data centers.
DUBAI TO HOST M-GOVERNMENT 2014
Focus Dubai is set to host the Middle East’s first
dedicated annual event for ‘mobile governance’
this March, as the region prepares itself for the
next stage of citizen engagement.Set against
the backdrop of a number of ‘smart government’
initiatives being rolled out across the region,
m-Government 2014 will provide a vital platform
for government ICT leaders to meet with global
industry experts and suppliers at one venue, share
experiences and develop successful strategies to
implement their mobile governance programmes.
OKI EUROPE LAUNCHES EXTENDED RANGE OF MX8000
OKI Europe Ltd has introduced an extended
range of MX8000 line printers designed for appli-
cations requiring high-volume, multi-part forms
printing. For the first time the upgraded MX8000
Series includes a Table Top version, putting
high-performance line printing on the desktop - a
perfect option where office space is limited.
The MX8000 Series is targeted at sectors with
a requirement to produce high-volume, multi-part
forms with low running costs, forms flexibility
and reliability. These include warehousing and
logistics, financial institutions, automotive, retail
and other environments with mission-critical
back-office printing needs.
SANDISK RELEASES ULLTRADIMM
SanDisk Corporation announced that its
ULLtraDIMM Solid State Drive (SSD), the
industry’s first enterprise-class, ultra-low latency,
memory channel storage solution, is now shipping
for qualification with select enterprise servers.
The addition of flash technology on the DRAM
memory channel expands the growing penetration
of flash storage technology in enterprise data
centers, and complements SanDisk’s existing
flash-based server hardware and software
storage solutions.
CC Solution for Mid MarketAvaya has announcedAvaya IP Office Contact Center to bring affordable, multichannel contact center functionality to midsize businesses. Purpose-built to enable voice, email and chat capabilities for contact centers with 5 -100 agents, Avaya IP Office Contact Center providesmidsize businesses with Avaya’s expertise in cus-tomer experience management in a solution that is flexible, easy to use, maintain and administer.
Avaya IP Office Contact
Center blends the expertise gained through 50,000 contact center deploymentscovering more than six million agents with the company’sgrowing command of the midmarket. With Avaya IP Office Contact Center, midsize companies can now simply and effectively manage inbound and out-bound multichannel customer interactions.
“Contact center opera-tions are highly beneficial for building and maintaining customer relationships. Until
now, however, complexity and cost put them out of the reach of many midsize businesses. In Avaya IP Office Contact Center, we’ve recognized and addressed that different size contact centers tend to have different requirements. This purpose-built multichannel solution is a combination of the robust features they need, with the simplicity and value they’ve come to expect from IP Office,” said Mark Monday, vice president and general manager, Collaboration Platforms.
MOVEMENTSNUMBER GAME
Symantec announced that effective February 18, SHEILA JORDAN, senior vice president, IT – Communication and Collaboration, Cisco, will
become the chief information officer of Symantec.
Brocade has appointed YAROB SAKHNINI as Regional Director for the Middle East, Mediterra-nean and Africa (MEMA) region.
Red Hat has appointed FAYÇAL SAILE as general manager for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region.
20percentof enterprise bring your own device (BYOD) programs will fail by 2017 due to MDM measures that are too restrictive.
ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS SIGNS VAD PARTNER-SHIP WITH BROCADEEnterprise Systems has signed a Value-Added Distributor (VAD) partnership across Middle East and Africa (MEA) with Brocade.
“Trends like cloud computing, mobility and BYOD and big data are putting increasing pressures on data center networks of regional enterprises and they are beginning to realize the importance of upgrading and modernizing network infrastructure. Industry analysts like IDC have predicted that Ethernet Fabrics is the future of networks and Brocade has established itself as a pioneer and leader in this technology. As such, the potential for regional uptake of Brocade’s solutions is huge. It is also at the forefront of other exciting technologies that are shaping the future of the industry, like SDN and NFV. We are excited at the prospect of partnering with Brocade in order to assist regional enterprises in modernizing, future-proofing and optimizing their networks,” says Mr. Pouya Parsafar, managing director, Enterprise Systems.
CHANNEL STREET
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TERADATA UNIVERSE CONFERENCE IN THE UAE
Teradata unveils the Teradata Uni-verse Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Now in its 4th year, the conference runs from 10-12 February and highlights the how the global surge in data volumes is changing every major industry and every aspect of consumers’ daily lives, creating the need for analytic solutions for enterprises. Teradata Universe also features an Expo Area where attendees will have the opportunity to meet and interact with 20 leading Teradata
business and technology partners showcasing the latest innovations and services to help enterprises achieve their objectives from big
data analytics to enhance business efficiency, create new routes to market and sustain a competitive edge.
Over the course of the two-day conference, senior representatives from Teradata will come together with the company’s expansive base of customers, partners and prospects to exchange ideas, highlight challenges and showcase the latest innovations from Teradata available for any industry including telcos, banking, Oil &
Gas and others. “The Teradata Universe Conference in Dubai gives us the perfect opportunity to meet and interact with our many customers and partners across this exciting and important region for Teradata. The Middle East is witnessing an exciting evolution as organizations continue to adopt mobile and social technologies creating a surge in both structured and unstructured data,” said Eric Joulié VP, Southern Europe, MEA, Teradata.
PRIORITY PASS PARTNERS WITH VODAFONE QATARPriority Pass, the world’s largest independent airport lounge access program, has announced a major partnership with Vodafone Qatar, one of the leading telecommunications networks in the region.
Vodafone Qatar wanted to bring innovation to the market by offering its customers benefits they would not expect from their telecommunica-tions provider. To deliver this to customers, Vodafone has partnered with Priority Pass due to its world leading lounge access program, brand strength and proven track record in the lifestyle enhancement market.
The Priority Pass lounge member-ship is now available to all Vodafone Qatar Red Postpaid customers, giving access to over 600 VIP lounges across the globe, simply by showing their Priority Pass Membership card at participating lounges in airports in more than 100 countries.
Errol McGlothan, General Man-ager EMEA, said, “Adding airport lounge benefits to a Telecoms propo-sition is unique in this region, and based on continuous research from millions of frequent travellers, we know that Vodafone’s Red customers are going to find real value in having access to these airport lounges.”
Injazat Achieves ‘Diamond Level’ StatusInjazat Data Systems has been granted ‘Diamond’ level status –the highest membership level – within The Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized program. The upgrade recognizes Injazat’s exceptional ability to provide various specialized value-added solutions to develop, implement, and deliver Oracle technologies.
The OPN Specialized program enables Oracle partners to leverage learning, growth and differentiation opportunities with the company. As a member of an elite global group of Diamond partners, Injazat will enjoy Oracle’s full support in attracting and serving major global businesses.
The latest achievement affirms Injazat’s ability to deliver diverse, world-class and customized
solutions in partnership with some of the best names in technology. Injazat has grown a rich eco-system of global alliances and partnerships with major industry players such as Oracle to provide clients with access to the latest and best technologies and solutions to fulfil business goals.
“Our Diamond Partner status will enable us to better differentiate our service offerings, acquire specialized skills and expand our capacity through the assistance of Oracle. More impor-tantly, this achievement affirms our value and expertise as a partner and our ability to deliver best-in-class solutions to our clients enabling them to run their businesses more competitively and efficiently.,” said Ibrahim Mohamed Lari, Chief Executive Officer, Injazat Data Systems.
INFOR TO HOLD EMEA PARTNER CONFERENCEInfor will hold its annual EMEA Partner Conference in Barcelona, Spain on March 11 and 12, 2014. Infor executives, including CEO Charles Phillips and SVP of Global Product Develop-ment Soma Somasundaram, and the Infor Partner Network (IPN) leadership team will connect with more than 300 attendees to deliver first-hand updates on the latest innovations including Infor 10x, Infor Ming.le and Infor ION, enhancements to the IPN, achievements and award winners in fiscal year 2013, and goals for fiscal year 2014.
“The EMEA Partner Conference gives us an opportunity to interact with partners across EMEA to not only discuss how we’re building out the Infor Partner Network, but to gain their feedback on how we can continue to enhance our relationships and utilise them for strategic advancement,” said Jeff Abbott, SVP, global alliances, channels, telesales and field marketing, Infor. “Attendees will learn about how we’re helping partners connect faster, market faster, and sell faster through our ongoing investment in partner initiatives.”
ERIC JOULIÉ, VP, SEMEA, TERADATA
CHANNEL STREET
16 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
Channel Street.indd 16 17/02/14 10:05 pm
POLYCOM LAUNCHES NEW VIDEO SOLUTIONS
Polycom has unveiled a new portfolio of video software, services and hardware solutions that provide organizations of all sizes more access than ever before to the benefits of enterprise-grade video collaboration. These new solutions, which focus on simplified video delivery and new or updated video environment options, will be showcased at TEAM Polycom 2014, the company’s largest partner event of the year, which begins tonight.
“We needed to change the way
the University of Tasmania com-peted in the market and specifically how our students and teachers collaborate, learn, and conduct research,” said Jeff Murray, CIO, IT Services, University of Tasmania.
“We were very impressed by the highly innovative solu-tions proposed by Vantage Systems and Polycom. The broad Polycom portfolio integrated seamlessly with our UC platform to deliver a flexible collaborative
environment to meet our needs, including fully immersive video studios, high-definition video walls, advanced content annota-tion, and other flexible learning environments.”
“We know that video collabora-tion makes organizations more successful and productive, and that it is a critical tool in getting work done together better and faster. Today’s solutions and offerings deliver the value of video to more people through the easiest and most accessible methods for buying, implementing and using video collaboration,” said A.E. Natarajan, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Engineering, Polycom.
UAE MOE WINS ‘BEST M-GOVERN-MENT SERVICE’ AWARD
The UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) has won the ‘Best m-Govern-ment Service’ Award in recognition of its innovative mobile application, Abnaai, which serves parents and their children who are studying in UAE-based government schools. Launched by H.H. Sheikh Moham-med Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the award was given at the concluding session of the second annual UAE Government Summit.
The recognition aims to encour-age government entities to provide creative and innovative solutions via smart phone applications and mobile phones for round-the-clock access by the public. The solutions must be easy to use and understand and properly working to surpass the public’s needs and expectations.
H.E. Humaid Mohammed Obeid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, highlighted the Ministry’s efforts to meet the Mobile Government project of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed. The endeavor aims to deliver government services to the public through mobile phones.
Riverbed Steelhead DX Edi-tion 8000 SeriesRiverbed Technology has expanded its Riverbed Steelhead wide area network (WAN) optimiza-tion product family, delivering a new purpose-build appliance – the Steelhead DX Edition 8000 Series - to address the unique needs of datacen-ter-to-datacenter data replication workloads, delivering up to 60 times WAN performance acceleration and up to 99 percent bandwidth reduction. With the Riverbed Steelhead DX Edi-tion 8000 Series, organizations can transfer and protect more data more often, with less risk and cost and recover data far more rapidly to improve business continuity.
“The Steelhead product family is already the most complete WAN optimization solution in
the market, and with this announcement we added another important and business-critical use case,” said Paul O’Farrell, senior vice president and general manager, Steelhead Products Group, Riverbed. “The new Steelhead DX Edition eliminates distance between datacenters as a barrier to achieving true location-independent computing, which in this case means that data can be moved, stored and backed-up regardless of where facilities are located, but with performance similar to a local area network. Only Riverbed offers a complete solution for both large-scale branch-to-datacenter and datacenter-to-datacen-ter environments.”
KONICA MINOLTA WINS “LINE OF THE YEAR” AWARD
Konica Minolta Business Technologies has been presented Buyers Laboratory Inc.’s (BLI) award “Line of the Year” for 2014, becoming the first company in history to receive this award for four consecutive years. Konica Minolta also won four individual device awards following BLI Pick of the Year Awards for the bizhub C364e, bizhub C454e, bizhub 554e and the Mono Printer for Mid-Size Workgroups bizhub 4700P.
“To be awarded the A3 Line of the Year for the fourth time in a row is an extraordinary honor for us. This prestigious award fills us with pride and is confirmation for our continuous efforts to enable our customers’ businesses. With the development of new top-class products as well as offering future-proof software and services, we –our customers and Konica Minolta together – are well positioned for continued growth”, says Abdullah Hamayoon, Marketing Manager, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Middle East FZE.
CHANNEL STREET
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Channel Street.indd 17 17/02/14 10:06 pm
in IT in the coming years.
While the industry has the potential to generate trillions of revenues in 2020, a portion of this opportunity is at risk if continuing problems are not tackled soon. Highlight some of the common challenges that needed to be overcome? One critical issue that industry must address is the proliferation of counterfeit products. We need to encourage the region’s governments to take more effective actions against the grey market to ensure fairness and competitiveness.
As a leading player, what will be the contribution from your end to build the domestic market? We have a dedicated R&D team that meticulously studies customer needs to ensure that the new products we launch satisfy local market demands. We also foster close relationships with our chan-nel partners to get a pulse of the domestic market and help direct and expedite its growth.
How will the role of channel partners evolve with these changing times? How significant will be their contribution in the growth of IT business by 2020? We see channel partners continuing to play both important and strategic roles in providing key logistical and technical services to enterprises. This will be a key factor in the sustained and substantial growth of the IT business.
While MEA’s technology and business services industry has flourished in the last decade. Industry stakeholders will need to break out of the traditional mould that resulted in past successes and step up to the aspirations of 2020. Please comment. The IT industry is growing rapidly, so major market players should always stay ahead of com-petitors. The best approach is to provide products that meet both the present and future needs of consumers, who are becoming more demanding when it comes to new technologies.
What’s your vision and goal for 2020? Please outline your roadmap to achieve this goal? We would like to see an Epson product in each and every home and enterprise in the region by 2020. We will continue to launch new products that meet our customers’ need to fulfill this vision. ë
The MEA IT industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two decades. How do you foresee the MEA IT business evolving till 2020? We foresee continuous growth for the region’s IT industry in the coming years, in line with intensive efforts at the local and regional levels to grow genuine digital societies and knowledge-based economies.
What kind of growth expected out of IT business by 2020? What are the factors that will drive this growth in the region? There are several factors driving IT business growth in the region. The MEA economy, for one, expanded rapidly over the past year and is on track to post higher growth and increasing budget spends through 2020. Another ele-ment is that the people of the MEA region are well-educated about new technologies and are
always looking for and demanding the latest innovations.
Highlight some of the megatrends that will drive IT business landscape and create new opportunities for the industry by 2020? At the top of the list is the huge budget we see being directed towards the sector by both the private and public sector. Government efforts to bolster IT-related spending are particularly worth watching out for. And then there’s the growing MEA economy which will sprout new and excit-ing opportunities moving forward.
Which all new verticals and customer segments that will largely invest in IT? In which areas, do these investments will take place? We can expect the education, banking and government sectors in particular to invest heavily
AS THE MEA IT INDUSTRY IS POISED FOR A MAJOR TRANSFORMATION
DRIVEN BY INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES, ADDRESSING THE
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS WITH THE RIGHT SET OF PRODUCTS AND
SOLUTIONS IS TOP OF EVERY VENDOR’S AGENDA
“Addressing the customer needs”
WALID ABDULMOTI, MARKETING MANAGER, EPSON MIDDLE EAST
MY VIEWS
18 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
Q&A-Epson Interview.indd 18 17/02/14 10:07 pm
Advancements in technology over the past decade have been so rapid that devices that generate process, transmit and store data are now cheaper and more
accessible than ever before. Smart, internet-enabled devices have penetrated every aspect of everyday life and their numbers are only set to rise. Research firm IDATE predicts that eighty billion things will be connected to the internet by 2020, leading to a phase that industry experts have termed as the ‘Internet of Things’. This trend, coupled with the exponentially growing volumes of traffic from traditional sources will require a fresh set of network investments.
With the Internet of Things now an imminent reality, Middle East network providers have their work cut out for them. It is an opportunity, despite one that entails significant challenges. As promising new technologies continue to emerge, regional network operators must meticulously plan their investments in order to build the high-perfor-mance, future-proof networks of the tomorrow.
As a first step, organizations in the Middle East that have not done so already, must consider virtualization. Now the de facto industry standard, virtualization brings the uncontrolled growth of hardware in the data center to a halt. By virtualizing servers and applications, and adapting their network topologies accordingly, companies can improve performance in the data centers without bearing cost overheads. Mobile and cloud services have increased reliability and scalability requirements of the data center and virtualization addresses these issues too. But to
effectively build, expand and monitor virtual-ized networks, operators must closely examine the physical, virtual and control layers of their infrastructures.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE ON-DEMAND DATA CENTERWith consumers increasingly subscribing to on-demand services, data center requirements have evolved. In addition to being the solid base which provides physical connectivity between applica-tions, servers, and storage, the data center is now the epicenter of IT innovation. For organizations looking for greater flexibility in their data centers, fabric network topology is essential. Compared to classic hierarchical ethernet architectures, ethernet fabrics provide higher levels of perfor-mance, utilization, availability, and simplicity. A fabric approach is also far more suitable for working with highly virtualized data centers.
On top of the physical infrastructure lies the virtual or logical layer. This has been widely utilized in the server domain with hypervisor technology. With new requirements, there is need to adapt these concepts in the IP network and storage domains as well such as through the introduction of virtual switches and routers. Using Network Function Virtualization (NFV) opera-tors can leverage a virtualized solution to improve the efficiency of their routing and switching. Also, as there is little or no special hardware required, there are major cost benefits too.
In the third layer are the controllers for the network, servers and data storage, which monitor the status of the data center components based
on pre-defined KPIs. The entire management is possible with orchestration frameworks such as OpenStack. It is an open-source software that delivers a massively scalable cloud operating system designed to enable end-to-end data center orchestration. OpenStack not only supports business objectives, but also creates a foundation for growth, ongoing flexibility, and innovation.
DATA CENTER IN A BOXThe data center of the future, that is capable of supporting the Internet of Things without huge management or cost implications, will require the optimal combination of physical and virtual elements. The virtual layer will continue to grow in importance as increasing demands are placed on the three core functions in the data center - compute , storage and network. This brings the ‘data center in a box’ concept within reach: a 1U appliance that can be customized with any type of functionality or combination thereof. An organization that successfully fills this with applications, storage and a virtual router will create easy virtual LANs and thus support secure and reliable multi-tenancy in its data center. And this is exactly what will be needed.
It is clear that networks of the future will require significant investments in the physical, virtual and control planes of the network of today. The Internet of Things is not an “if ” but rather a “when” proposition. Its development and success will depend on the commitment and foresight of network operators. Smart investment and future ready infrastructures will be the cornerstone of this evolution! ë
BROCADE
Need to Build Future-Proof Networks for the ‘Internet of Things’With the Internet of Things now an imminent reality, Middle East network providers have their work cut out for them. It is an opportunity, despite one that entails significant challenges. SAMER ISMAIR
MEMA NETWORK CONSULTANT BROCADE
NETWORKING
MEA19FEBRUARY 2014
networking-brocade.indd 19 17/02/14 10:35 pm
Privacy is not dead - you’re just doing it wrongMy advice is to try and break the app addiction. Wherever possible, use your mobile device’s browser instead
SECURITY
n W O R D S : CHESTER WISN IEWSKI , S E N I O R S E C U R I T Y A D V I -
S O R S O P H O S
n P H O T O : S H U T T E R S T O C K
Security and privacy are often conflated, and in many ways the two concepts do overlap, but they differ in an important way. Security is about being free from danger or threats. Privacy is about controlling what information about you is known and who you want to know it. Safer Inter-net Day occurs every year on the 11th of February and is intended to remind us to more carefully consider our online activities. And as far as privacy goes, a safer internet is in your hands. Because of this I ask you to think about your privacy choices next time you create a new online profile, load an app on your phone, or sign up for a frequent shopper card at your favorite retail establishment. When you sign up for an online profile, you are usually trying to connect with like-minded individuals on a hobby forum or find friends and family on social media. These sites ask for a lot of personal details to “help” you: name, country, city, where you went to school, gender, birth date and even whether you are in a relationship.
The more information you provide, the richer experience you will have using the service, right? For each of us the information we choose to divulge will differ. Many of these pieces of information are likely optional to pro-
vide and we should carefully weigh the benefits of sharing them. It’s essential to remember that, while passwords can be changed, our birthdates, national identification numbers (SSNs, SINs, NI numbers, etc.) and other personal details cannot. And with the big data movement hell-bent on collecting as much information about us whenever possible, apparently innocuous or unimportant details can be pieced together in new and surprising ways.
Phone apps are another story. An enigma. A mystery. Any company with a bit of cash can commission a phone app to make it easier to do busi-ness with them, but is it safe? Research shows that what is going on under the hood is often far more dangerous than you might imagine. Apps often ask for a bevy of permissions without any guarantee that these permissions won’t be misused. My advice is to try and break the app addiction. Wherever possible, use your mobile device’s browser instead.
Lastly, we should reconsider our relationships with retail establishments. Does your coffee shop need to know your birthdate for you to join their cup-a-day club? Is it worth disclosing your household income, address, favorite cereal, and postal code to join your supermarket’s points program?
Most often it is as simple as questioning whether it is needed or desired. Do you require my phone number or simply wish to have it? Can I buy an item with-out telling you my postal code? What is your organization’s plan to protect this information if I choose to share it with you? Is it legal for you to ask me for this information? That last question is the toughest one, and we can’t easily provide you with a guide.
Each jurisdiction has different privacy laws that explain the data that a company must collect, what it may ask for, and - importantly - what it is legally forbidden to request. If you are concerned, you need to know your rights. Look into the laws where you live and don’t be afraid to challenge companies overstepping their bounds in asking for your personal informa-tion. I believe this isn’t just about slow-ing down the erosion of our privacy: I honestly believe we can build it back up. If it feels wrong, it is wrong, so privacy is defined by each of us. Some of us want to air every detail of their lives, while others are willing to forgo some conveniences to keep life more private. Don’t be bullied: Ask questions and get informed. Your privacy is only gone if you stop caring.
Freedom isn’t free - you have to make an effort! ë
“Apps often ask for a bevy of permissions without any guarantee that these permissions won’t be misused. My advice is to try and break the app addiction. Wherever possible, use your mobile device’s browser instead.”
GUEST TALK
20 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
Guest Talk-Sophos.indd 20 17/02/14 10:36 pm
Still a Viable, Cost-Effective Solution for 10 GbE NetworksEverything changes with the launch of 10 Gigabit ethernet to the workstation. Now, everyone is talking about sensitive high frequency technology up to 500 MHz.
COPPER CABLING
n W O R D S : SH IBU VAH ID , H E A D O F T E C H N I C A L O P E R AT I O N S ,
R & M M I D D L E E A S T , T U R K E Y & A F R I C A
n P H O T O : S H U T T E R S T O C K
Across the Middle East, organiza-tions are witnessing a staggering growth of video, network-based business, network-attached devices, cloud computing, and virtualization in the datacenter. All of this has brought about the need for higher performance networks and today 10 Gigabit ethernet (10 GbE) is rapidly becoming a standard across the region. According to IDC, in Q3 2013, MEA region ethernet switch sales increased by almost 23 percent year-on-year, much above the global average of just 6.5 percent.
The constant demand for higher ethernet speeds has caused organizations to pay close atten-tion to their structured cabling systems. Seen as the backbone of the network, the cabling system must be robust and reliable since unlike active components, it cannot be frequently replaced. And while the popularity of fiber optic cabling grows, a large number of organizations still opt for copper cabling. But can it meet the new requirements and demands? And if it can, what are the requirements of the copper cabling system.
Shielded or unshielded- this is always the first question asked when deciding on investing in a
local data network or structured office cabling. Shielded copper cabling gives signal transmission reliable protection against inter-ference; and is said to be more stable and secure. Unshielded copper cabling is easier to install, and is thus often more affordable which is why it is used all over the world.
When correctly installed, both technologies offer sufficient reserves for applications up to and including 1 Gigabit ethernet. That, at least, was the situation to date. But everything changes with the launch of 10 Gigabit ethernet to the workstation. Now, everyone is talking about sensitive high frequency technology up to 500 MHz. That is a quantum leap for data transmission and at the same time an incredible challenge for the passive infrastructure.
One-hundred-fold more sensi-tive cabling systems are constantly having to improve because of increasing transmission rates, higher frequencies and extremely fine potential differences. In com-parison to 1 GbE, the interference sensibility when using 10 GbE increases one-hundred-fold. The physical properties of twisted-pair
copper cabling are being tested to their limits. The concealed perfor-mance headroom that was implicit with 1 GbE no longer exists with 10 GbE. Cabling of class EA with Cat. 6A components really has to fulfill all demands of the applica-tion for 10 GbE to work.
The 10GBASE-T specification by IEEE, which is the standard for 10 GbE transmission over copper twisted pair, permits the use of both Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) copper cabling systems. And while organizations that place signal quality and system robust-ness at the top of their priority lists may be quick to eliminate UTP, new advances in unshielded cabling are once again making it a feasible choice.
ZERO TOLERANCE IN CABLINGWhen considering the robustness of a cabling system, interference sensibility is a key parameter to consider. Luckily, the problem of interference sensibility is easy to control with resolute cabling measures. But in real terms, that means: zero tolerance with the individual components, zero errors
in installation. Absolute precision is required from everyone involved to prevent electromagnetic interfer-ence as far as possible and to ensure good signal quality.
When using 10 GbE, this particularly depends on preventing or reducing crosstalk (ANEXT).
The specification of cabling in accordance with class EA as stipulated by ISO /IEC 11801 with connection technology in accordance with Cat. 6A as stipulated by IEC 60603-7-41 / 51 offers by far the best prerequisites for fulfilling the high demands of 10 GbE. In comparison with TIA requirements, this standard has stricter regulations on transmis-sion parameters and is thus better equipped to cope with future chal-lenges. Other criteria should also be taken into consideration during evaluation. Comprehensive quality control, process security, simple handling, extensive guarantees and low overall costs are just a few of the most important points in production selection.
UTP cables are lightweight and flexible and due to their versatility, reliability and relatively low costs, have been deployed by organiza-tions all across the globe. ë
GUEST TALK
MEA21FEBRUARY 2014
Guest Talk-Shibu Vahid of R&M.indd 21 18/02/14 8:46 am
VDI
Time to Adopt VDIIT organizations are struggling to balance their Capex and Opex and in this regard Desktop Virtualization is becoming a priority on their lists.
n W O R D S : M A N A L I M I S R A < M A N A L I @ A C C E N T I N F O M E D I A . C O M >
Desktop Virtualization has moved out of its testing phase and today it has become a major part of strategic IT planning. It suits to the mobile working class which is
definitely burgeoning and proffers relief in quite a number of pain points IT organizations are grappling with.
THE ADOPTION TRENDThe region is embracing the wave of desktop virtualization and is depicting a steady growth. “The adoption rate of Desktop Virtualization in the Middle East market is on the rise, and is here to stay for a substantial amount of time. Large companies are adopting Desktop Virtualiza-tion in both private, as well as public sectors, implementing their own Private Cloud in certain scenarios,” comments Simonetta Mercieca, Sales Director – Emerging Markets, 2X Software.
Mark Hosking, Data Centre and Virtualization Lead for the Middle East, Cisco has the same opinion on the adoption of desktop virtualiza-tion. “We have seen a lot of interest and demand as people are becoming more familiar with desktop virtualization. There are number of factors which are driving this. And then if those
are combined with specific requirements and the success of server virtualization in the data centre, the two are going really hand in hand. Organiza-tions are becoming much more comfortable and familiar with the function of virtualization in IT,” adds Hosking.
BENEFITS AND DRIVERSVirtual desktops have several benefits over traditional PC deployments. Higher rate of ROI, reduced costs, better manageability, flexibility over control are just to enumerate a few. “We are seeing an uptake in our business. The trends that are driving are mobility, BYOD and people who want to access their secure environment from anywhere. Security is another aspect. Desktop sitting on somebody’s desk is usually the most lethal weapon as far as security is concerned, this is how most attacks enter the organisation and lastly you are reducing operational costs,” comments Deepak Narain, Regional Presales Manager, VMware.
A centralized and remotely control environ-ment helps in tackling security challenges in a better way. Virtualized Desktop infrastructure (VDI) uses thin or ultrathin clients which consume considerably less amount of energy.
Mercieca points out, “There are many advantages to Desktop Virtualization but the core concepts lie around efficiency, security and mobility. Desktop Virtualization reduces IT administration and PC refresh costs, ensures secure access, and provides the mobilization of Windows applica-tions on tablets and other mobile devices. There are also the benefits of easily supporting a remote workforce and facilitating the policies of a BYOD environment.”
Hosking says that people are also interested in virtualized desktops because they can be managed from central environment rather than multiple laptop or PC at end points.
IMPORTANT VERTICALSOrganisations across various verticals deploying VDI are also bracing themselves to accommodate new changes to IT environments. “The two verticals in which we have seen a lot of growth are education and healthcare. This is reflective because there is a lot of spending on both as most of the countries are doing the next phase, the first was basic infrastructure and now human related infrastructure. Education and healthcare are the peak areas of growth,” tells Narain.
Mercieca too observes growth in healthcare
FEATURE
22 FEBRUARY 2014
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FEATURE
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Feature-VDI.indd 23 17/02/14 10:52 pm
and education but she feels even banking is equally strong in the adoption of desktop virtualization. “This is predominantly due to the security and mobility aspects of the businesses within these verticals,” she adds.
ROLE OF CHANNEL PARTNERSAs with other areas in IT field, channel partners are crucial in the adoption as well as closing of various deals. They augment sales and are in a better position to counsel the end-customers as they are the link between them and the vendors. So, any new trend gaining traction as far as IT is concerned, channel partners have a role in its actual functioning. “Channel partners are really important as we are the technology providers but they are the ones closest to the customers. They are the ones who understand the require-ments and gaps, they are the ones customising our products according to the user’s needs,” says Narain.
Hosking informs, “We are working with part-ners to make the end users aware of the benefits of the solutions available we do this via seminars because when the end customers understand the
DEEPAK NARAINREGIONAL PRESALES MANAGER,
VMWARE
“We find that if we don’t have a channel partner involved in a desktop virtualization project,
the probability for success drops drastically”
MARK HOSKINGDATA CENTRE AND VIRTUALIZATION LEAD FOR THE MIDDLE EAST, CISCO
“Organizations are becoming much more
comfortable and familiar with the function of virtualization in IT”
SIMONETTA MERCIECA
SALES DIRECTOR – EMERGING MARKETS, 2X SOFTWARE
“The adoption rate of Desktop Virtualization in the Middle East market is on the rise, and is here to stay for a substantial
amount of time”
business value then the outcome can be delivered and we focus a lot on business outcomes.”
2X Software works closely with a number of partners that are in the Desktop Virtualization space, and who have the technical knowledge and expertise within Network Infrastructure. The companys also work with a number of service providers that use our product to deliver Software as a Service (SaaS) to their customers.
The vendors are helping channel partners by various programmes to keep them up-to-date with the ever changing technology. Hosking tells that Cisco is educating the channel partners and bringing them up to a level so that they are data centre ready. “Our role really here is education. We are helping the channel partners stay ahead of the technology, it is moving rapidly. We are doing multiple releases of our products a year we are still in that phase in desktop virtualization. So, it’s really important for the channel partner to understand how flexible the technology is, which nerves they can push to customise the product for the end users,” says Narain. The 2X Software channel strategy for the Middle East region is to work with the existing partner base and help them grow their 2X business, by running joint
campaigns or activities to maintain our existing customers, as well as finding new customers. “At the same time, we are aiming to increase our partner base in the rest of the Middle East. We will continue supporting our new partners via our 2Xpert training, as well as joining them in customer meetings, assisting them with POC’s, deal registrations and much more,” explains Mercieca.
“We find that if we don’t have a channel partner involved in a desktop virtualization project, the probability for success drops drastically,” adds Narain.
CHALLENGESDespite the numerous benefits of VDI, choosing the right infrastructure remains a concern for IT organisations. It requires strategic planning for right approach and right vendor. “The core challenge in the Middle East market revolves around selecting the right infrastructure and sizing the right resources. An initial virtual desktop and application delivery deployment can be complex and requires careful planning, therefore the correct course of action can lead to a much quicker ROI,” says Mercieca. Hosking
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believes that providing good quality of service in VDI experience can also be a challenge.
THE ROAD AHEADThe Middle East market shows huge potential as the adoption of Desktop Virtualization is gaining currency. “We see huge potential in the Middle East as it is growing rapidly. The market has high rate of adoption of new products. VDI allows managing end points and this is giving it a push,” says Hosking.
Mercieca says, “At the moment, we are seeing that the Middles East market is more geared to app virtualization rather than VDI. However, budget constraints, market pressures, the need to improve workforce productivity and a focus on enterprise mobility are driving organizations in the region to consider VDI as an alternative to traditional PC Computing and the creation of their own private cloud. The Middle East region has one of the highest adoption rates (about 80%) of the practice worldwide in 2012. Therefore, the shift from app publishing to VDI is expected to happen quite soon, and we are already seeing customers considering this shift seriously.”
FINALLY..Desktop Virtualization is clearly gaining traction because of its various advantages. However, the path to VDI deployments is not that easy. Choosing the right approach seems to be a major hurdle. ë
IDC MARKETSCAPE CLIENT VIRTUALIZATION SOFTWARE MARKET
CA
PA
BIL
ITIE
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STRATEGIES
Participants
Contenders
Major Players
Leaders
CITRIX
VMWARE
MICROSOFT
NCOMPUTING
VIRTUAL BRIDGES MOKA5
UNIDESK
DELL
W W W. E N T E R P R I S E C H A N N E L S M E A . C O MSTAY UPDATED
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For Matrix Comsec, one of the leading providers of world-class telecom and security solutions, the Middle East and Africa are two of the fastest growing markets on the
planet. As there is a huge spurt in infrastructure development in these regions and with telecom and security being part of the basic infrastructure for any modern economy, the company is seeing significant potential for its telecom and security solutions in the Middle East and Africa markets.
When Mindware was established in 1991, its business was around hardware. Today, 22 years down the line, Mindware has strengthened its portfolio which includes three business units viz Business Solutions, Networking, and Hardware. With 140 employees, the leading VAD of MENA region has offices in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Leba-non, Qatar and Kuwait with one representative office in Egypt. In 2012, the company reported revenue of $242.
The business dynamics have changed over the
period of time. Today, the market is not driven by hardware alone. On the other hand, a larger share goes to software and solution business. Storage, security, cloud computing, networking etc. are key drivers now. “If you look into history, the setup of the company was around hard-ware. Mindware has suffered reduction of the component business. In the past the big chunk of business was driven by hardware, today the big chunk of business is driven by software,” com-ments Mario Gay, General Manager, Mindware.
However, Mr. Mario points out that the stock side of the business has not altered much. “On the hardware you still need to have the stock. It is imperative to have the stock to do the sales. The key point is to have the right stock at the right time because this is a big market that if you don’t have the stock you don’t do the sales. We want to have a large no of customers and if you want to serve the customers, with hardware the important things is the stock,” says Mr. Mario.
Hardware business represents 40-45% of
VALUE ADDED DISTRIBUTOR
Creating a Value Bridge With changing business dynamics, Mindware has aligned its portfolio to suit the demand of contemporary market.
n W O R D S : M A N A L I M I S H R A ( M A N A L I @ A C C E N T I N F O M E D I A . C O M )
TIME LINE OF THE BRANDS’ ASSOCIATIONS
HEAD OF THE ORGANIZATIONMr.Mario Gay
TURNOVER IN 2013-14US$ 242 M
HEADCOUNT140
KEY EXECUTIVESMario Gay – General Manager ; Shadi Tahan – Solutions & Networking Business Unit Manger; Vijay Kumar - Virtualization Business Unit Manger; Wissam Hajj – Regional Operations Manager; Rania Al Khatib – Marketing Manager
GEO PRESENCEUAE, KSA, LEBANON, QATAR, KUWAIT, EGYPT
NO. OF PARTNERS ALIGNED3500+ regionally
NO. OF BRANDS22
ADVANTAGEOur VAD products & solutions are adapting to suite new trends like cloud computing, BYOD, and expanding to green field markets like Iraq , Afghanistan. We have also strategically focused on enabling our partners by providing end to end solutions across all segments of solutions, networking & hardware products. Mindware has also focused on increasing their investment on Pre sales consultants, sales & technical trainings to our partners, Value Added sales/services, customized channel programs to promote our products. In addition, we have dedicated teams for logistics, sales & marketing with a focus on delivering timely deliveries, providing the right solutions to serve our partner needs and providing the right marketing tools to support our partners in all means of business.
SALES [email protected]
FACTS ABOUT
1991 1992 2000
Microsoft SymantecCitrix
McafeeIntel
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Mindware’s revenue. The rest is equally divided between the other two business units. The portfolio of Mindware is defined with well-known brands in all the three categories. Dell, Citrix, Emerson Network Power, Microsoft, Symantec, Intel, Juniper, Brocade are to just name a few. EMC and Lenovo are the latest additions in 2013. Mr. Mario informs that this is a conscious decision by the company to build a portfolio of such brands. “Bringing an unknown brand to the market and if the vendors are not here, it some-times becomes very difficult task and doesn’t pay enough,” adds Mr. Mario.
The company’s strategy is to have comple-mentary products and not competing ones. However, it is not possible in absolute terms but our aim is to provide always full separation between competing products. Mindware never goes for direct business. It aims to make its partners successful. “We believe we have almost all the products in our portfolio to support our partners. At the same time, we believe we have
do POC, building proposal, level one support and then arriving to the implementation,” he adds. In terms of value addition, Mindware has Account Managers dedicated to the channel. They work with the channel partners to generate the demand in the end users. For products like Citrix, Juniper, EMC, Mindware has end-user account managers who work hand in hand with the partners.
FINALLY…Out of the total revenue of Mindware, key countries are represented in the Gulf region. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are growing on a yearly basis. Qatar and Kuwait are the other important regions. “In the VAD business we can expect good growth next year and look for the double digit growth. Our value addition is becoming very important and out of our total revenue it would hold a big stake. Our objective is that we have the right products so that we can support the demand from the channels,” concludes Mr. Mario. ë
MARIO GAYGENERAL MANAGER, MINDWARE
“In the VAD business we can expect good growth next year and look for the double digit growth.”
also the right pre sales engineers to make the partners successful in winning a project. These are the two key points to make a distributor successful,” says Mr. Mario.
Mindware is building the channel for Emerson with which it started a year ago.
The company is strong in its commitment to the partners. “The entire flowchart of the presales activity goes from channel enablement, ability to
2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008 2012 2013
DellCA
Brocade
SAP BO Nexans Quantum Motorola Solutions Emerson
LenovoEMC
Mcafee Juniper
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For Matrix Comsec, one of the leading providers of world-class telecom and security solutions, the Middle East and Africa are two of the fastest growing markets on the
planet. As there is a huge spurt in infrastructure development in these regions and with telecom and security being part of the basic infrastructure for any modern economy, the company is seeing significant potential for its telecom and security solutions in the Middle East and Africa markets.
It is very evident that MEA is a high standard and high priced market, where all the global brands are given preference. This is where Matrix as an Indian brand stands a high chance to succeed as well.
Ganesh Jivani, CEO, Matrix Comsec, says, “Values of a band differ greatly from personal products like consumer, fashion and luxury to the enterprise telecom and security solutions business we are operating in. In our business, just a brand name may not convince a customer if the name is not supported by other vital aspects like performance, reliability, flexibility of the vendor, after-sales support and cost.”
From Matrix perspective, the company is already exporting products designed and manufactured in India to more than 50 counties and most of them to technologically advanced countries like the USA, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Portugal and Australia. “In the beginning it is always little hard to win
few references in any new market. However, this is doable if one is determined and focused. After all, brands don’t fall from the sky. They, too, begin as new-entrants and become brands over a period of time with their vision, focus and energy,” adds Jivani.
He further states, “We are living in the era of cross-border collaboration. Top MNCs of the world today have their R&D, KPOs/BPOs in India and their manufacturing in China. Gradually, technology development is becoming region or country neutral. The end results depend more on talent, infrastructure and processes and not so much on the company’s location. Today, India is already a recognized brand in technology development in the sectors like pharmaceutical, semiconductor, software, project consulting and ITeS. From where we are today, creating products is just a few more steps ahead.”
From the products’ perspective, Matrix is competing with the global brands yet keeping the price at the affordable side, giving the typical Indian manufacturing condition. Matrix value proposition is ‘substance’, by which it means depth of the offering. The company strives to offer substance in everything it does, wherein it offers more functions, features, flexibility, scalability and support. Once a customer is convinced on
the substance of a Matrix solution, price becomes secondary.
And if one looks at Matrix’s cost competitive-ness, the company believes that it is easier to control costs in India than many other countries due to lower man-power and other costs in the country. In addition, Matrix strives to reduce its costs by improving productivity through efficient operations, stronger systems and better infrastructure.
Matrix specializes in solutions for organiza-tions where groups of people work, live, study or play. As far as the preferred vertical segments in the MEA market is concerned, the company offers telecom and security solutions to all types of organizations like private, public and govern-ment. The target customers include all types of businesses like offices, factories, retail outlets, warehouses, ports, campuses, residences, etc. in all industrial sectors.
For example, in the telecom sector, it is focusing on Unified Communication and Convergence with solutions like IP-PBXs, Media Gateways and Terminals. On the other hand, in the physical security domain, it is focusing on access control, time-attendance, and IP video surveillance solutions.
In the MEA region, the company’s go-to market strategy is to reach out to organizations and businesses in the target market to meet their
ENTERPRISE COMMUNICATIONS
Going High On Difficult Terrain An innovative, technology-driven and focused organization, Matrix is committed to keep pace with the revolutions in the telecom and security domains. The company is today recognized as the providers of cutting-edge products and solutions that are feature-rich, reliable, and conform to the international standards
n W O R D S : N I V E D A N P R A K A S H ( N I V D A N @ A C C E N T I N F O M E D I A . C O M )
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GANESH JIVANI, CEO, MATRIX COMSEC
“We have a well-defined channel program to work with partners at all levels beginning from consultants, resellers, system integrators and distributors/stockists”
telephony, access control, time-attendance and video-surveillance needs at optimized costs. It promotes the products through trade fairs, exhibitions, road-shows and advertisements. Moreover, Matrix always operates through a well-defined and trained channel network consisting of consultants, resellers, system integrators and distributors.
Besides, differentiation is the prime business strategy for Matrix. Therefore, its marketing strategy also revolves around differentiation. The company works very hard to create differentia-tion in everything it does – be it product design, manufacturing, marketing, or sales and support. Specifically on marketing strategy, Matrix identi-fies and builds differentiated products, positions and communicates these differences, offers
the products and solutions at optimized costs through trained sales and technical resources, and ultimately offers prompt and sincere support.
With regards to the channel strategy being followed in the region, Jivani says that Matrix is essentially a products and solutions company and not a sales organization. Hence, it is a completely channel-oriented company wherein it doesn’t sell directly to end-customers anywhere. This single-minded channel orientation has helped it to develop strong and long-term relationship with channel partners across the globe. Most of Matrix channel partners are with Matrix for more than 10-15 years.
“We have a well-defined channel program to work with channel partners at all levels beginning from consultants, resellers, system integra-
tors and distributors/stockists. We work very closely with our channel partners in all the areas including marketing, sales, supply and support. They benefit from cutting-edge technology, field-proven solutions, marketing-sales-technical trainings, solution design assistance, presenta-tions and sales calls help, immediate supply, technical support during installation, technical help during customer complaints and efficient and cost-effective RMA services,” explains Jivani.
Meanwhile, the company provides three levels of support in the region. The primary support is provided by the system integrators of Matrix. This reduces downtime and maintains close relationship between SIs and end-customers. And to facilitate this, system integrators are offered in-depth technical training. They are also offered spares at discounted prices to encourage them to invest in support.
Secondary level of support is provided by Matrix’s distributors. If an SI cannot resolve the complaint, he can contact the local Matrix distributor. All Matrix distributors maintain trained technical manpower for remote and on-site support. In the event of hardware failures, the distributors also offer stand-by products to the system integrators. In addition, they are also equipped to manage basic repairing requirements locally in order to save on time and transporta-tion costs.
And the third level of support is managed by Matrix itself. The company has a 24x7 technical support centre at Vadodara, India to help its system integrators spread all over the world. Matrix’s technical support engineers provide online help on any mode – telephone, chat, Skype and email. If required, they can view and configure Matrix products using remote manage-ment tools. For RMA services, Matrix promises to repair and return any faulty product within 4 working days.
In the Middle East region, Matrix is already active in the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Iran, Iraq and few other countries.
He further asserts, “In the Africa market, we already have channel partners in South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana and few other countries. Honestly, all our partners don’t sell all our solutions. We need to correct this by finding distributors who stock all our products and appointing dedicated system integrators for spe-cific verticals like IP telephony, time-attendance, access control and IP video surveillance.”
“The Middle-East and Africa regions are growing rapidly. These are focus regions for Matrix and we hope to grow by more than 25% every year for the coming few years,” concludes Jivani.ë
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The world is gradually moving towards an era of ‘software-defined everything’, where an entire IT infrastructure will be controlled by software. This environment
enables any organization to deliver IT services in the most efficient way possible, as it optimizes any enterprise compute, storage, and networking infrastructure so that it can adapt to the type of work required.
The goal of a software-defined environment is to enable business users to describe their expectations of IT in a systematic way, which in turn drives automation of the infrastructure. The infrastructure understands application’s needs through defined policies that control the configu-ration of compute, storage, and networking, and it optimizes application execution. Through this approach, organizations are able to respond in real time to provide improved availability, as well as support for shifting volumes of work.
According to IDC, software-defined “every-thing” is a broadened view of the software-defined datacenter (SDDC) — a loosely coupled set of software components that seek to virtualize and
federate datacenter-wide hardware resources such as storage, compute, and network resources and eventually virtualize facilities-centric resources as well. The goal for a software-defined “everything” is to tie together these various disparate resources in the datacenter and make the datacenter available in the form of an integrated service — a service that is governed by policies and processes and that can be metered and measured.
ADOPTION IN THE REGION If we look at the current level of awareness towards these software-defined technologies in the MEA market, it is in the early stages of the learning curve. In fact, the migration to a completely software-defined infrastructure is yet to gain traction in the region. The early adopt-ers are currently investigating a wide range of applications and use cases that include network virtualization, large-scale data centre infrastruc-ture management, traffic engineering, and WAN flow management.
“The current level of awareness in the region is relatively low with deployments limited to
cases where the vendors up-sell their software defined technology to certain end-users who are upgrading their virtualization infrastructure,” says Swapna Subramani, Senior Research Analyst, Systems and Infrastructure Solutions, IDC MEA.
Samer Ismair, MEMA Network Consultant at Brocade Communications, says, “With regards to enterprises in MEA region, most of them understand that this is a powerful new network paradigm designed to address some issues in their traditional networks and data centres such as the astronomical growth in bandwidth-intensive applications—and the ever-increasing demand for speed, scalability, and resilience. Therefore, they are seeking to learn more from initial roll-outs to understand how the approach could be adopted at the enterprise level.”
On one side where most of the large enterprises are still exploring the potential benefits of the software-defined technologies, the service provid-ers on the other side are currently evaluating Software-Defined Networking (SDN) enabled WAN and bundled cloud services.
“SDN is gaining so huge attention today that at least every data centre and service provider that
n W O R D S : N I V E D A N P R A K A S H < N I V E D A N @ A C C E N T I N F O M E D I A . C O M > n P H O T O : S H U T T E R S T O C K
In order to achieve continued flexibility and control, it’s now time for the enterprises in the MEA region to start implementing software-defined technologies (network, data center, storage) at a large scale. With vendors as well as service providers all geared up to address the market requirements, MEA market is poised to see deployments being commissioned starting this year.
Demystifying Software-Defined Environment
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wants to remain in business over the next few years is looking at how they can better automate and orchestrate assets for competitive gain. There is still some residual skepticism about what SDN means in practice, and whether it can deliver everything it promises. However the underlying premise of SDN appears compelling in terms of reducing equipment costs in the core, reduced complexity and improved control and transparency. Given the scale of some of the infrastructure in MEA, we would expect some of the larger service providers and enterprise customers to take the lead here first,” adds Glen Ogden, Regional Sales Director, Middle at A10 Networks.
Giving the perspective of a service provider, Ranjith Kaippada, Product Sales Manager at StorIT Distributions, comments, “While the concept of software-defined ‘everything’ is gaining momentum in the Middle East, it is still a buzzword for many enterprises here. Many vendors and analyst firms have predicted that in 2014 there will be increased innovation in SDN, SDS, and SDDC with many Middle East Enter-prises choosing to implement software-defined
of ‘virtualization’ today is broadening to storage, network and desktop virtualization. This will be the main driver for the software-defined “everything” market being the next logical step to efficient control and centralized management in a fully virtualized environment.
For example, the growth in the SDN market will be driven by companies working towards solving existing problems with networks – security, robustness and manageability and by innovating new revenue generating services on network infrastructures. SDN is a new network model that proposes a network that is cloud-optimized, scalable, and far more adaptive than traditional network approaches.
Johnny Karam, Vice President, MEA, Citrix,
SAMER ISMAIR, MEMA NET-WORK CONSULTANT AT BRO-CADE COMMUNICATIONS
“SDN will transform networking infrastructure into a platform for inno-vation, enabling custom-ers to deliver new services and applications faster and at greater scale”
SWAPNA SUBRAMANI, SENIOR RESEARCH ANALYST, SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOLU-TIONS, IDC MEA
“Software-defined technologies provide a centralized management layer, thus enabling adequate support to the traditional infrastructure, legacy applications, and cloud services”
GLEN OGDEN, REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR, MIDDLE AT A10 NETWORKS
“Given the scale of some of the infrastructure in MEA, we would expect some of the larger service providers and enterprise customers to take the lead in SDN first”
THE WORLDWIDE SDN MARKET FOR THE ENTERPRISE AND CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER SEGMENTS TO GROW FROM $360 MILLION IN 2013 TO A ROBUST $3.7 BILLION BY 2016. IDC
architectures for greater efficiency, flexibility and control. Businesses want to ensure a future-proof network that can be managed holistically and this can be achieved with a software-defined infrastructure.”
MAJOR FORCES BEHIND IT As per IDC estimates, the adoption of server virtualization technology in the region is con-tinuing to accelerate as organizations consolidate critical applications on virtual machines. These deployments will see organizations exploit other benefits of server virtualization, such as high availability, increased flexibility and scalability, and simplified disaster recovery. The adoption
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asserts, “The emergence of consumerisation, the internet of things and near-ubiquitous depen-dence on technology in all aspects of our lives will drive adoption of software defined solu-tions. Most customers are familiar with server virtualization, storage and network virtualization - the latter two effectively allowing organizations to manage underlying hardware resources as though they were abstracted pools of computing resources. Recently, industry jargon for doing this changed from ‘virtualization’ to ‘software- defined’ – meaning computing resources will be defined, controlled and managed using software, improving utilization and the ability to automate management.”
“The underlying technologies under the umbrella of software-defined ‘everything’ are evolving very quickly. Therefore, there is a need to align the pace at which applications are rolled out in each element be it network, storage or others. SDN and SDS are starting to be consid-ered as mere facilitators to achieve an ultimate virtualization of the data center and the branch. National initiatives, especially in the GCC, will drive adoption of these technologies amongst the
enterprises. Also, mobility is acting as another catalyst in this regard,” opines Taj El-Khayat, General Manager, MENA, Riverbed Technology.
LONG-TERMS BENEFITSThere are multiple benefits enterprises can enjoy by adopting software-defined technologies. For example, In a SDDC, policy-driven automation enables provisioning and ongoing management of logical compute, storage, and network services. The result is unprecedented IT agility and efficiency, with flexibility to support hardware and applications. SDDC technology also helps attain new levels of infrastructure utilization and staff productivity, substantially reducing both capital expenditures and operating costs.
Highlighting the benefits of Software-Defined Data Center, Sadi Aweinat, CTO & Global Services Lead for Gulf, EMC, states, “SDDC can provide enterprises with better ROI and cost optimization given the maximum utiliza-tion of hardware (no more idle hardware) and the pay as you grow model which reduces the upfront CAPEX investment. Additionally IT via automation will be able to reduce execution time,
RANJITH KAIPPADA, PRODUCT SALES MANAGER AT STORIT DISTRIBUTIONS
“Businesses want to ensure a future-proof network that can be managed holistically and this can be achieved with a software-defined infrastructure”
JOHNNY KARAM, VICE PRESI-DENT, MEA, CITRIX
“The emergence of con-sumerisation, the internet of things and near-ubiq-uitous dependence on technology in all aspects of our lives will drive adoption of software defined solutions”
SOFTWARE-DEFINED STRATEGY OF IT VENDORSn The SDN strategy will guide Brocade investments in R&D, its partnerships, and future business direction. Brocade is embedding the open networking technologies of SDN into its solutions, enabling organizations to realize the possibilities of SDN—such as network virtualization, programmatic control of the infrastructure, automatic and dynamic configuration etc.n A10 Networks’ strategy is to continuously expand its industry-leading innovative hard and soft virtualized solutions, as well as expanding portfolio of SDN and cloud integration features.n Ciena is fully committed to help its MEA customers realize the benefits that SDN enabled services can bring. The company’s initial SDN offering is the V-WAN solution, which provides portal or API-driven network resource brokering and scheduling and orchestrates performance on demand in the WAN. n Citrix is leading the transition to application-defined networking. By integrating and embedding its ADCs into core transport networks, expanding into adjacent mobile network optimization, and building an ecosystem around the NetScaler SDX platform, Citrix is driving service delivery consolidation and the proliferation of Software-Defined Networking and Network Function Virtualization. n Riverbed’s strategy takes into consideration the element of change and the need to evolve into more automation and software-defined solutions. The company has transformed its profile from mono-product with a reliance on Riverbed Steelhead, a WAN optimization solution to offer software-enabled technologies.
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enhance operations excellence, eliminate human mistakes, and provide better scalability and protection to enterprise key assets.”
Similarly, with the SDN architecture, indi-vidual enterprises can develop tailored network operations that are flexible, cheaper and that can be rolled out quickly, improving capital efficiency and OPEX over the long term.
Subramani states, “Software-defined technolo-gies provide a centralized management layer, thus enabling adequate support to the traditional infrastructure, legacy applications, and cloud services. By centralizing control and federating disparate datacenter hardware on the software layer, organizations can benefit from simplicity of scale, manageability and flexibility leading to a service oriented infrastructure.”
“SDN will transform networking infrastruc-ture into a platform for innovation, enabling customers to deliver new services and applica-tions faster and at greater scale. Turning to SDN can provide the ability to have a real-time visibility into the network to accurately gauge bandwidth utilization and real-time traffic tools that allow the user to dynamically change
requirements rather than the physical storage characteristics.
From the business perspective, the key benefits include significantly better resource optimization, reduced complexity and much greater agility. As a direct consequence, the infrastructure can be orchestrated to deliver more service to more customers in a much more customized form. This gives service providers that ability to offer a wider range of differentiated services to clients, and the ability to move with the times.
Adding further, Omar Alsaied, Middle East Carriers Sales Director, Ciena, points out, “It’s also important to note that software-defined technologies offer significant business benefits on both sides of ledger. By virtualizing the infra-
THE GROWTH IN SDN MARKET WILL BE DRIVEN BY COMPANIES WORKING TOWARDS SOLVING EXISTING PROBLEMS WITH NETWORKS – SECURITY, ROBUSTNESS AND MANAGEABILITY
services, in addition to that they will have ways to change traffic flows to handle user mobility and flip the switch applications and tools to enable them to “dry run” new service options without impacting the production network with the flexibility needed to make dynamic network changes and create new service offerings,” explains Ismair.
Meanwhile, software-defined storage (SDS) is the logical next step of the SDDC. By employ-ing SDS, organizations are able to separate and abstract storage elements, as well as combine stor-age elements and capabilities providing storage solutions/services. They also have the potential to enable heterogeneous storage resources to create virtual pools of resources based on application
SADI AWEINAT, CTO & GLOBAL SERVICES LEAD FOR GULF, EMC
“SDDC can provide enterprises with better ROI and cost optimiza-tion given the maximum utilization of hardware and the pay as you grow model which reduces the upfront CAPEX investment”
OMAR ALSAIED, MIDDLE EAST CARRIERS SALES DIRECTOR, CIENA
“As SDN becomes main-stream, the channel will need to show their capabilities in helping enterprises transition to the new infrastructure with minimal business disruption”
TAJ EL-KHAYAT, GENERAL MANAGER, MENA, RIVERBED TECHNOLOGY
“We offer our partners training opportunities to help them live to their capabilities and support the customers to adapt to software-defined technologies”
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structure, enterprises can realize the benefits of the cloud, which include improved time-to-new services/applications deployment; unprecedented programmability allowing enterprises to tailor their infrastructure to the needs of their organiza-tions; virtualization enables resource utilization to be optimized as stranded capacity, which can be minimized and used as an elastic resource; and automation enables operations to be streamlined, reducing configuration and provisioning times, manual errors, and overall OPEX.”
PROPAGATING THE RIGHT MESSAGE An early supporter of SDN initiatives, such as OpenFlow and OpenStack, Brocade is help-ing organizations realize the promise of SDN through innovative technologies and solutions. Besides regularly contributing thought leader-ship articles in relevant media across the region about SDN and its benefits, the company has also realized that its partners are an indispensible channel for getting the message out to enterprises and through workshops, training programmes and webinars, it is educating the partners so that they in turn can take the message to customers in the region.
A10 is utilizing its channels partners to get the message across and educate enterprises so that they start adopting these technologies. In due course, the channel in turn would need to be trained and the company intends to organize various certification and training workshops to get them up to speed. Its marketing efforts will also be directed at propounding the benefits of these technologies, whether it is through thought leadership articles in the media or speaking opportunities or participation at industry events where the company is presented with the chance to interact with end-users and enter into discus-sions about market trends and new technologies like SDN.
“EMC has announced a unique innovative storage virtualization platform called ViPR, the first of it is kind in the whole industry that can be used to manage and virtualize a heterogeneous storage environment. This is an important step towards SDDC. As of today, several large custom-ers in the Middle East have started the imple-mentation of ViPR to virtualize and consolidate storage which complements the great success made with compute/server virtualization,” says Aweinat.
Currently, Ciena is working with MEA service providers to determine how they can use SDN to improve network efficiencies and deliver new and differentiated services (such as bandwidth-on-demand). The company is also working closely
with its customers using a consultative approach to define price and introduce new services to targeted verticals so that it can help improve their competitive advantage.
“Citrix is partnering closely with Cisco on a network services strategy to provide enterprises with solutions for next generation networks. Further, NetScaler appliances from Citrix will integrate seamlessly into the Cisco next genera-tion switching platforms appearing as blades without taking up space. The delivery of Citrix NetScaler 1000V brings intelligent application delivery capabilities to Cisco Cloud Network Services. This unified, integrated approach represents the next evolution in ADC technology, fundamentally changing and uniquely enabling a tight integration with the Cisco network infrastructure that is unmatched by any other ADC on the market,” mentions Karam.
Meanwhile, as a VAD, StorIT needs to prepare for innovative and disruptive technologies such as software-defined technologies, which will offer it immediate as well as future growth opportunities if the company enables itself as well as its channel. The company believes that when software-defined technologies have a better uptake, the business that was previously hardware-oriented will become a more software- and services-driven one.
RAMPING UP CHANNEL STRATEGIESLooking at the enormous potential of software-defined “everything”, most of the leading technol-ogy vendors have started ramping up their channel strategies around these technologies.
“A10 believes that channel is fundamental to our future growth and scalability as an organiza-tion in the next few years. This year we have taken major steps to strengthen the corporate executive team and field teams to support and drive channel strategy, as well as plans to accelerate and drive through training and support programs in 2014,” states Ogden.
Alsaied further comments, “As SDN becomes mainstream, we will utilize the channel to support SDN in a variety of ways. Firstly, the channel will need to show enterprises that there are various benefits in upgrading their network infrastructure. Secondly, the channel will need to also show their capabilities in helping enterprises transition to the new infrastructure with minimal business disruption. Additionally, channel part-ners will have the ability to act not only as system integrators, but also as consultants to enterprises and help to guide them in transforming their business processes.”
Similarly, Citrix understands the importance
5
of the channel as a point of integration of technologies and as such it is embarking on a pro-gram to increase the number of partners across the MEA region with the appropriate skills to make SDN a reality. This will require enablement with the right technical skills and appropriate partnerships to ease the channel sales structure.
“We have enhanced our partner program taking into account precisely this evolution in the market towards software-defined technologies. We need to have the best partners to support us and who have a deep understanding of the regional market. We also offer our partners training opportunities to help them live to their capabilities and support the customers to adapt to these technologies. We take special care to ensure that we relay a good understanding of this IT transformation placing it at the heart of any enterprises’ strategy and ensuring investments meet their expectations.,” points out El-Khayat.
On the other hand, since the adoption is still in its infancy stage, channel partners can utilize this window period for ‘trial and error’ and also prepare themselves to solve actual business problems as well as drive new business opportu-nities. While developing the right skill sets during this period will not only allow them to address all types of customers’ requirements but also make them trusted advisors to both the vendors as well as customers.
“StorIT always strives to be at the cutting-edge of technology and this helps us to enable our channel to face all disruptive technologies that have already been in the market and those that are yet to come. We have a good idea of what the channel wants and we will work towards meeting these. Our channel development and education program, ‘Taalim’, prepares our reseller partners for all emerging technologies, thus creating new avenues for revenue while simultaneously moving our channel partners higher up in the value chain,” asserts Kaippada.
HOW WILL IT EVOLVE It is quite clear now that world is moving towards software-defined IT infrastructure even though these technologies are in the infancy stage of adoption amongst the enterprises in the MEA market. But they are expected to become main stream in a span of one year or so.
The SDN market is growing much larger and much faster than anyone had anticipated. As per IDC, the worldwide SDN market for the enterprise and cloud service provider segments is forecast to grow from $360 million in 2013 to a robust $3.7 billion by 2016. And this worldwide growth is expected to have a significant contribu-tion from the MEA region as well. ë
COVER STORY
MEA35FEBRUARY 2014
Cover story.indd 35 17/02/14 10:18 pm
ENTERPRISE COMMUNICATIONS
When Siemens Enterprise Communications rebranded itself as Unify with a new and vibrant “I” in its logo, it was not just
about the altered look and feel on the surface. It involved underlying changes within the company which can be termed as the real change. It has invigorated the whole organization and Unify is enthused to take the Middle East market in its stride.
Marc Aghili, SVP Global Indirect Channels, Unify GmbH & Co. says that the company is getting positive reaction on its rebranding from partners and customers. “We have partners approaching us. They are hearing about our refreshed brand and are keen to join Unify partner community. We have also seen existing and potential customers to hear about us and approaching us for sales opportunities. People are approaching us from our competitors who want to work in our sales team. This is really a compliment,” expresses Aghili.
GITEX, where everybody, from end-customer to partner to industry analysts, comes together in the region, proved to be a really important place for to showcase the new brand afresh. Unify is enhancing its partner portal which is also refreshed and rebranded along with some of the functionalities and offers for the partners. “Partners are the ones who are out in the market place and driving the communication for the customers and carrying our new brand and the solutions and services in the market place,” added Aghili.
Renaming the Titan The leader in the Enterprise Communication Solutions – Siemens Enterprise Communication does everything in style, now when they are rebranding to Unify, they are painting it with style and vibrancy.
n M A N A L I M I S R A < M A N A L I @ A C C E N T I N F O M E D I A . C O M >
Partners who build the brand and drive business are to be considered while making any change in companies’ functioning if they are channel-driven. As Aghili tells, Unify was worried about the reaction of its partners but the reactions of partners on the change quelled Unify’s apprehensions. “The reaction is abso-lutely positive. We are getting great feedback. The partners are energized and that’s what the brand is relaying as well. They are excited to carry the brand to market. Even the custom-ers are very receptive because the ownership of the company hasn’t changed. It is only the brand and the way we position ourselves in the market,” he explains.
As a part of its renewed strategy, Unify wants to target partners with new skills with other background than the traditional. The market is evolving and moving into more and more new technologies and clearly partners that have IT experience are a target for Unify. “We would like to have really good partners of other vendors if they are willing to take second or third brand to the market. If they already have other brands then it is going to be difficult so your value proposition has to be even better. Another area that we are targeting is, the partners that have knowledge in certain verticals. Like in Dubai, hospitality and banking are important,” says Aghili.
The quality of partner network is crucial to the company. “We are in the process to onboard and recruit new partners and the emphasis is on quality partners not quantity. We don’t want over distribution. We would like to have partners who are committed to work with us
and go to the market with us and they are also willing to make some investments. We are will-ing to make investments in the indirect channel and our partners. So, it’s a joint responsibility,” he adds.
Unify’s GTM is indirect and to target different segments, the company has different type of partners addressing those market segments pertaining to different needs of each segment. “We have good install base of large customers, we are addressing and serving those customers in the past and we continue to serve them. We also have more and more SME customers,” he adds.
Go forward! Partner Program is the founda-tion of how Unify works with its partners. It comprises of different levels viz distributors, first and second tier and within those categories there are specialisations. The company allows partners to choose their specialisation. They have partner logos accordingly and Unify’s certification for SMB or large enterprises.
Aghili cites different reasons why the partners of competition could be drawn in to join Unify. Unify’s strong portfolio to address different market segments – small, mid market and the large enterprise and in each of those market seg-ments the unique offerings is one of the reasons. “I think what really the key is that these offerings when you go through indirect channel model are easy to implement, easy to scale, packaged in such a way that can be taken to the market in an easier way. I would say to the partners joining us that you not only have a portfolio that is well-priced, allows you to get good margins but it also gives the new channel partners to draw the support
CORPORATE STORY
36 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
Unify Story.indd 36 17/02/14 10:55 pm
MARC AGHILI,SVP GLOBAL INDIRECT CHANNELS, UNIFY GMBH & CO.
“The partners are energized and that’s what the brand is relaying as well. They are excited to carry the brand to market.”
that we are giving as part of the channel program,” he explains.
Unify’s online marketing automation tool, Digital Channel is something which the company takes pride in. Through this platform, the
partners generate demand in the market place. Middle East as a region is full of diversity - be
it based on culture, language or the way of doing business. “You have to adapt to this diverse market and address each of those markets separately. Business is about people, if we are not in front of the partners and customers, we will not be able to succeed in the market. The key is to go out with the partners in the specific region and address the local needs. Each market has chal-lenges but opportunities too,” comments Aghili.
Investing in business is proportional to the prospect of return on investment. “We see the returns and that’s why we continue to invest. GITEX is a big investment. We are investing in our internal resources. We will continue to invest and with our partners we are excited to drive the business forward,” says Aghili.
Unify will host International Partner Confer-ence in April 2014. For Aghili, holding the international conference in Dubai carries out the message of the company’s immense commitment to the region. Unify is expecting 250-300 partners from various countries. It will address SMB and large enterprise partners. The conference will include R&D people, senior leadership team, hands on technology booth, special session with journalist and analysts and depict commitment to drive our indirect channel model.
FINALLY...It is too early for the company to disclose the number of partners, but Aghili asserts that in each country in the GCC region where Unify has its presence, it has a good number but not an overly high number of partners. It is a good mix of large and SME partners, distributors and first tier partners. It has also signed some reputed companies in the region. “Let’s look at it just a little bit wider than just the brand. What we really want to do is take our presence here in the Middle East market to the next level. We are investing in people and resources and particularly in our partner network,” concludes Aghili. “To me a partner is extension of our sales force. We treat them as partner of the family that means you don’t forget about them when the deal is over. The relationship should be such that there is no open door policy and we can communicate to the highest extent. This way there will be more trust and business will be more profitable for both the parties. I really want to thank the partners for their support shown in last couple of months. The commitment and dedication of the partners in this region will help us really succeed. We will support them and take our brand to a next level.” - Marc Aghili, SVP Global Indirect Channels, Unify GmbH & Co. ë
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE PARTNERS?“TO ME A PARTNER IS AN EXTENSION OF OUR
SALES FORCE. WE TREAT OUR PARTNER AS
PART OF THE UNIFY FAMILY WHICH MEANS
YOU DON’T FORGET ABOUT THEM WHEN THE
DEAL IS OVER. THE RELATIONSHIP SHOULD
BE SUCH THAT THERE IS AN OPEN DOOR
POLICY AND WE CAN COMMUNICATE TO THE
HIGHEST EXTENT. THIS WAY THERE WILL BE
MORE TRUST, MORE BUSINESS AND MORE
PROFITS FOR BOTH THE PARTIES. I REALLY
WANT TO THANK THE PARTNERS FOR THEIR
SUPPORT SHOWN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF
MONTHS. THE COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION
OF THE PARTNERS IN THIS REGION WILL
HELP US REALLY TO SUCCEED. WE WILL
SUPPORT THEM AND TAKE OUR BRAND TO A
NEXT LEVEL.”
CORPORATE STORY
MEA37FEBRUARY 2014
Unify Story.indd 37 17/02/14 10:55 pm
AS THE MIDDLE EAST IT INDUSTRY IS POISED GROW REMARKABLY IN THE
COMING YEARS, THE VALUE ADDDED DISTRIBUTORS WOULD WOULD
LIKE TO JOIN THE PARTY BY OFFERING A WIDE RANGE OF DIVERSIFIED
PRODUCTS CATERING TO THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS.
ENTERPRISE CHANNELS SPOKE TO SAURABH ARORA, VICE PRESIDENT
- SALES & SUPPORT, CEREBRA TO GET AN INSIGHT INTO THE COMPANY’S
OFFERINGS. EXCERPTS.
“We are looking at a 40% year on year growth in 2014.”
SAURABH ARORAVICE PRESIDENT - SALES & SUPPORT, CEREBRA
What is your goal for 2014 and how are you approaching this year?Cerebra Middle East is a subsidiary of the 24 year old Cerebra Group based out of Bangalore, India and was established in Dubai in April 2011. Our business model here in the Middle East is Value Added Distribution of Data Center Centric products and solutions. The key focus for Cerebra in 2014 would be on Channel growth and Channel enablement. Cerebra has been working very closely with its channel partners to bring to them best in class Data Center Solutions. Cerebra also launched its Security Solutions business unit this year with some very exciting vendor part-nerships. We would not only be rolling out an exciting partner program in the near future, but also add further value to the channel by providing vertical specific solutions
MY VIEWS
38 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
My Views-Saurabh Arora of Cerebra.indd 38 17/02/14 10:19 pm
Pls. tell us about the brands you want to add this year?At present Cerebra is a value added dis-tributor for Cannon Technologies, Fujitsu, FalconStor, Fibrenetix, Milestone, Tandberg Data, Stardot, Brickom and GData. We presently have divided our business into two business units namely ICT and Security. It is our endeavor to enhance our solution portfolio in accordance with the requirements of our valued channel partners, and we are already in discussions with some vendors to incorporate some complimenting technolo-gies in our solution mix. Even though with our existing vendors and their OEM alliances we are able to provide an end to end solution portfolio in the data center arena, we would need to add certain technologies on the Backup & Archive application, Virtualiza-tion, Data Loss Prevention and Information Security space in future.
What will be your strategy in terms of reaching out to different geographies?Being into the business of Distribution we have to be strategically located in vantage positions across the region. Presently we have offices in UAE and KSA and plan to move into North Africa in the next Finan-cial year. We are extremely excited about having stepped into KSA this year and see the Kingdom as a major growth area for us. Considering our fast growing channel and customer base, we would shortly be announc-ing a strategic presence in Qatar as well.
What will be your channel engagement and marketing strategy?Cerebra Middle East works with approxi-mately 80 to 85 focused Channel Partners, System Integrators and ISVs in the region. Our reseller representation are a mix of being vendor specific or solution specific and covering UAE, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Pakistan and Afghanistan at present. They are divided in to two segments where some focus on the traditional ICT business stream along with an emerging breed concen-trating on IP Surveillance solutions
Our strategy is to bring to our channel partners best in class solutions focused on Storage and Infrastructure and add value to the product offerings of all the vendors we
partner with. The region lacked true value added distribution and we saw a space for ourselves in this fast growing market. Cerebra Middle East will launch its partner program, C-Connect, in 2014. Apart from the existing channel initiatives C-Connect will incentivize the channel further with rebates, certification incentives, awards etc.
What kind of differentiation will you bring this year compared to other VADs or distributors?We would like to answer this in a way that there is not enough “Value Added Distribu-tion” support available in the region. Most distributors present in the region are volume distributors and are fulfillment partners only. They don’t really understand the support required by the reseller in challenging times such as these. Cerebra’s adds value to its vendor product portfolio with the following key Initiatives for the channel:• Pre Sales assistance• POCs (Proof of Concepts)• Technical Support and Post Sales Support• Training & Channel enablement
• Channel Sales Incentives• Channel Certification Incentives• Lead generation activities• Joint Marketing activities• Credit supportI think we are already different and would
continue to strive to add the right value.
Any particular area you want to strengthen this year?As mentioned earlier Cerebra will certainly add to it’s Vendor portfolio on the Backup & Archive application, Virtualization, Data Loss Prevention and Information Security space in the near future. We would also be lauch-ing our services division C:\Serve shortly in order to assist our channel with post sales implimentation, support etc. pertaining to all
the vendor technologies we carry.
What kind of challenges you have this year?The market conditions overall are challenging and at present suggest that the Mid Market is a potential growth area in the region. A modest growth rate of 4% is anticipated in the MEA IT infrastructure market, the key growth areas being Security & Storage Management Solutions. Cerebra along with its vendor partners is focusing on highly affordable Mid Market products which will also be extremely attractive for the Enterprise segment. Channel community is also facing challenges from the resource perspective which was a direct result of a lot of downsiz-ing that the region witnessed lately. Further to this credit in present times is an issue, how-ever this is also an opportunity for serious players who look at the MENA market with a long term strategic perspective. At CEREBRA our approach has always been long-term and we always go that extra mile to support our channel partners.
One of the challenges is the retention of good manpower, how would you like to deal with that?Yes, this is a challenge particularly in this region. The idea is to keep your resources motivated. We at Cerebra ensure a high level of job satisfaction amongst all our team mem-bers. As a long term retention strategy we offer stock options along with a profit distribution strategy amongst all our business units.
What kind of financial goal/ number you have set this year end? We are a subsidiary of a public listed company in India and have certain norms in terms of publishing financial information. What I can reveal is we are looking at a 40% year on year growth in 2014. ë
“AS A LONG TERM RETENTION STRATEGY WEOFFER STOCK OPTIONS ALONG WITH A PROFIT DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY AMONGST ALL OUR BUSINESS UNITS.”
MY VIEWS
MEA39FEBRUARY 2014
My Views-Saurabh Arora of Cerebra.indd 39 17/02/14 10:19 pm
‘Tis the season for predictions…..The reality is that cybercriminals are professionals and hacking today is an industrial process that follows the opportunity and the money
SECURITY
n W O R D S : GRAHAM WELCH , E M E A M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R ,
S O U R C E F I R E , N O W A PA R T O F C I S C O
n P H O T O : S H U T T E R S T O C K
Each year, about the time the mince pies and festive bunting appear, we begin to see a raft of predictions from companies, analysts and other opinion leaders on what the newest trend businesses and consumers will face in the coming year.
While these certainly grab the attention of the media, seldom do they throw up any huge surprises. Of course you would not expect it any other way, after all, few things arrive unexpectedly or suddenly in the IT world. Fewer still in IT security.
The reality is that cybercriminals are professionals and hacking today is an industrial process that follows the opportunity and the money. There is a direct correlation between the popularity and the pickup of new programmes and applications, and the increase in cyberattacks on those apps and programmes.
After all it is a numbers game. If businesses start to use a certain tool, then it is worth the cybercriminal gangs investing their time to find an exploit and way in via that tool to infiltrate the network and make money. If the application is a specialist one few use, it is unlikely to be worth the criminal’s efforts to exploit it.
Cybercrime today is not like the early days of virus writers and hackers who bragged about
their exploits with friends. Today cybercrime is a serious business where actually most hackers do not want to be noticed as the longer they remain hidden in the network and are free to conduct their opera-tions, the more information they can steal and the more money they can make.
So what are the IT business trends we see today that will be driving the cybercriminals activities next year and beyond?
1. Everything is moving to the cloudWhile ‘cloud’ is seen as a new trend, for those of us who grew up when William Shatner was Captain James T Kirk, boldly going across the reaches of space, it’s effectively just a new name for the old practice of ‘hosting’ or Software As AService or outsourcing.
Many security companies are taking advantage of the cloud to enhance the effectiveness of their own products and services, but it also creates challenges for the IT department due to loss of governance and concerns about segmentation from other parties in the cloud, to potential data loss and leakage.There are many possible security risks to consider when deploying a cloud-based strategy
2. Mobility is everythingBYOD isanother buzzword, however the proliferation of smartphones and tablets and other employee-owned mobile devices is that they access corporate resources outside of the control of the corporate IT function. This means it can be difficult to identify even basic environmental data for these devices, such as the number and type of devices being used, and the operating systems and applications.
3. Data centre’s rule the worldThe data a company hosts in its data centre is very often the crown jewels of that company. By ensuring you have good visibility across the data centre, we can better understand what is happening on the network and effectively take action based on this new information. At the end of the day, better visibility allows for better protection.
4. Android will continue its dominanceThere has been a sharp increase in malware designed for mobile platforms and kits are now being sold in the underground market to help hackers target mobile banking. Android devices, in particular, due to the open nature and less stringent
security testing are directly in the crosshairs of hackers as threats proliferate and the user-base expands with little thought given to security.
If we believe these are the trends we all recognize, then we can be pretty confident that the cybercrim-inals will continue to look for routes to target these areas. We know that because they are already.
I can say with some confidence is that the battle between IT security and cybercriminals will continue in 2014 and beyond. Criminals will look at vulnerabilities and other holes in companies’ defences to exploit their network, and security companies will continue to plug those holes and look at new ways to thwart their activities. But what I feel completely confident about predicting for 2014 is that it is increasingly not a question of if you will be attacked, but when.
Most corporate security teams recognize that when it comes to IT security, there is no silver bullet to keep you safe, and it is far better that they plan their corporate networks assuming that they will be com-promised at some point, so then it becomes a question of knowing when that happens and containing and repairing the damage to brand and reputation that results. ë
GUEST TALK
40 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
Guest Talk-Graham Welch of CISCO.indd 40 17/02/14 10:19 pm
A10 Networks has launched A10 Thunder TPS Series, designed to provide high-performance, network-wide protection against a variety of volumetric, protocol, resource and more sophisticated Distributed
Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and improve service availability for critical Internet infrastructures and public-facing websites.
The Thunder TPS product line is built upon A10’s Advanced Core
Operating System (ACOS) platform, which delivers up to 155Gbps of throughput, thereby helping enterprise and service provider custom-ers address the increasing scale of DDoS attacks. Broad multi-vector attack detection
KEY CAPABILITIESn Equipped with high-
performance FPGA-based Flexible Traffic Acceleration (FTA) technology to detect and mitigate over 30 common attack vectors rapidly in hardware, without degrading the perfor-mance of the core system general purpose CPUs.
n More complex application layer (L7) attacks (HTTP, SSL, DNS etc.) are pro-cessed and detected by the latest Intel Xeon CPUs, so performance scaling is maintained by distributing multi-vector detection and mitigation functions across optimal system resources.
n Architected with an open design, which allows it to be readily deployed into a variety of existing network architectures and integrated with third-party attack detection systems.
n It supports flexible deploy-ment models for in- and out-of-band operations, and routed or transparent operation modes.
A10 Thunder TPS Series
NEC MD302C4, a medical display providing precise colour reproduction, pro-vides wide viewing angles and factory-calibrated uniformity control calibration for more accurate primary diagnosis.
Designed for the demanding needs of healthcare professionals in medical imaging and PACS, this 4MP model offers DICOM calibration and excellent uniformity. The range of connectivity options – DisplayPort, Mini-DisplayPort, DVI-D and HDMI – and Picture-by-Picture mode make this an ideal single display replacement for a pair of side-by-side 2MP displays.
The 30-inch medical-grade, widescreen display makes use of the some of the most cutting-edge backlight technology with a GB-R LED panel, which provides more vibrant colours. Furthermore, an integrated three-colour front sensor constantly monitors ambient light conditions and adjusts brightness to maintain the factory DICOM GSDF calibration.
The MD302C4 monitor includes out-of-the-box calibration to the DICOM greyscale display function for luminance. The MD302C4 also includes a human presence sensor that can automatically dim the screen to conserve power and display life, as well as a Quick QA function for checking DICOM conformance without a computer. The monitor’s stand has four-way ergonomic functionality, including height-adjust, swivel, tilt and pivot.
PLEASE SEND YOUR FEEDBACK AT [email protected]
NEC MD302C4
capabilities are designed to secure customers’ networks against a variety of attack types, while support for multiple deployment modes provides the flexibil-ity needed to integrate with various customer network designs. Thunder TPS is architected with an open design, which allows it to be readily deployed into a variety of existing network architectures.
KEY CAPABILITIESn The MD302C4 display offers a 1000:1 contrast ration 2560 x 1600 native resolutionn 180 cd/m2 of calibrated brightnessn 14-bit lookup tables provide 1,024 levels of gray out of a palette of 4,096n Meets the needs of healthcare facilities requiring consistent and accurate medical imaging using Picture Archiving and Com-munication System (PACS).
INNOVATIONS
MEA41FEBRAUARY 2014
Innovations.indd 41 17/02/14 10:20 pm
ZOTAC ZBOX ID45 SeriesZOTAC International combines the power of 3rd Generation Intel Core i3 processing with NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 graphics to create the ultimate 4K ready HTPC. The new ZBOX ID45 series delivers the perfect synergy of energy-efficiency and high-quality video processing in a compact form factor.
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 graphics enhances the video playback capabilities of the ZOTAC ZBOX ID45 series with high-quality HD processing and 4K video decode capabilities for a superior HTPC experience. An Intel Core i3 3227U processor delivers outstanding CPU performance with dual processor cores and Intel HyperThreading technology for unmatched multitasking responsiveness and quick video transcoding capabilities.
Dual Gigabit Ethernet enables excellent wired networking capabilities for redundant connectivity or to transform the ZBOX ID45 series into a high-performance network router. Wireless 802.11ac networking technology delivers a wireless experience that’s comparable to wired Ethernet on the ZOTAC ZBOX ID45 series.
The ZOTAC ZBOX ID45 series ships as a barebones and as a PLUS version with 4GB DDR3 and 500GB hard drive preinstalled. Users can install a variety of operating systems on the ZOTAC ZBOX ID45 series including Windows 7, 8 and OpenELEC.
KEY CAPABILITIESn 4K video decoding n High quality HD video processing n 802.11ac Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0 w/ external WiFi antenna n 4 x USB 3.0 n Gigabit Ethernet n Bundled VESA75/100 mountn 1.9 GHz, dual-core, 3MB L2 cache n NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 n 500GB HDDn HDMI, DVI-I and VGA (with included adapter) outputs
OKI MX8000 SeriesOKI extended range of MX8000 line printers designed for applications requiring high-volume, multi-part forms printing includes a Table Top version, putting high-performance line printing on the desktop - a perfect option where office space is limited.
The MX8000 Series is targeted at sectors with a requirement to produce high-volume, multi-part forms with low running costs, forms flexibility and reliability. These include warehousing and logistics, financial institutions, automotive, retail and other environments with mission-critical back-office printing needs.
The MX8000 Series replaces the MX1000 CRB Series and incor-porates significant product enhancements. These include a new user interface with larger LCD screen, graphical display and intuitive menu navigation for improved user experience.
In addition to the new Table Top (desktop) line printers, which are available in both 500 and 1,000 lines per minute (lpm) versions, the MX8000 Series provides easy-to-move Pedestal variants for maximum office flexibility. These include Zero Tear variants, designed for customers printing large amounts of short print runs or single sheet jobs, when it is important not to lose forms between print tasks; for example when printing cheques, pay slips or tickets. Additionally, Cabinet versions are available keeping noise to a minimum - perfect for office environments
KEY CAPABILITIESn Range: MX8050 (500 lpm), MX8100 (1000 lpm), MX8150 (1500 lpm) and MX8200 (2000 lpm)n Variants: Table Top, Pedestal and Pedestal Zero Tear (MX8050, MX8100), Cabinet (MX8050, MX8100, MX8150, MX8200) and Cabinet with SureStak Power Stacker (MX8150, MX8200)n Cartridge ribbons: Standard life 17,000 pages or Extended life 30,000 pages (not including MX8050) n USB2.0/Serial RS232/Ethernet10/100 interface version also availablen The Integrated Print Management systemn Improved user interfacen Very quiet 50dBA noise level; (MX8050 and MX8100 only)
INNOVATIONS
42 FEBRUARY 2014
MEA
Innovations.indd 42 17/02/14 10:20 pm
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Advts.indd 4 17/02/14 9:48 pm
Introducing
Unifying business communications for the new way to work.
unify.com
Formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications Copyright © Unify GmbH & Co. KG, 2014
UNI-3746 ME Intro Ad.indd 1 2/11/2014 9:21 AMAdvts.indd 6 17/02/14 9:48 pm