Few companies can beat Oracle’s GITEX history as it exhibits this week for the 23rd year, but rather than looking back, the software giant is all about the technologies it believes will move Middle East enterprises forward.

The most prevalent technology to fall into that category is cloud computing, which subsequently represents the main theme of Oracle’s presence at GITEX 2012.

“Every year we bring the latest technology that has been promoted on a global level. The good thing about this year is that GITEX has happened immediately after Oracle OpenWorld, which took place in San Francisco two weeks ago. Our theme is ‘engineered for innovation’. When it comes to the utilisation of products we want to ensure innovation,” said Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, VP, MEA.

Recently Oracle has launched a number of engineered systems that demonstrate the innovation that came from the Oracle’s acquisition of Sun Microsystems. However, its main initiative of late was the launch of its cloud offering.

“The difference this year at GITEX is the phenomenon of cloud. We believe the event gives us the opportunity to educate our customers on what Oracle can provide in the cloud space,” Al Thehaiban said.

“Oracle is the only company to provide a full stack cloud offering. Not so many players can accommodate a heterogeneous environment with a cloud offering, but with Oracle we always give our

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DIC highlights technology entrepreneurship

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customers the options. The options with cloud are to start with cloud and then move on-premise, or to start on-premise and then move to cloud. The other players in the industry go either-or, not both – so that’s a key differentiator for us,” he added.

Whilst the hype of cloud in the Middle East continues to rise, adoption rates remain relatively low. Al Thehaiban said this comes down to mindset and awareness. 

“I think there is no doubt that the Middle East is a huge potential market for the cloud. However, it always takes time for IT offerings that have taken off globally to be adopted in this region. The reason is to gain the market awareness for that offering. We see a lot of customers interested in the cloud but we’re still at the positioning stage for people to develop the right infrastructure and mindset, and that is reflected globally as well. So I think we’re still at the early adoption stage,” he said.

He also pointed to the early days of ERP, when the region

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Symantec showcases integrated appliancesAt GITEX this year, Symantec is addressing the rapid growth of information and the importance of data protection for businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Following the successful launch of NetBackup 5220 appliance in the Middle East, Symantec is now bringing Backup Exec 3600 appliances to the region to provide an easy to install backup appliance. Backup Exec 3600 includes the latest Backup Exec 2012 software from Symantec and delivers on Symantec’s Better Backup for All initiative.

“Earlier this year, we announced our new approach to delivering better backup to our customers, introducing ground-breaking new features to replace outdated and

complicated approaches. Beyond features, we are changing the regional market with technologies like our purpose-built appliances that combine backup software, servers, storage and deduplication in a single solution – a key part of our strategy to drive complexity and costs out of the backup market,” said Amer Chebaro Appliances Sales Manager for Emerging Region at Symantec. “Both our Backup Exec and NetBackup appliances provide customers with an all-in-one platform that centralises backup for physical and virtual environments and maximizes performance with end-to-end deduplication – all on a pre-configured device supported by Symantec.”

Symantec retains its prime location at the entrance of Hall 3, Stand D3-1, which includes meeting rooms, a presentation theatre and solution demonstration pods where various solutions will be showcased in collaboration with our trusted channel partners from across the region. In addition, Symantec is sponsoring this year’s SME Zone located in Sheikh Saeed Hall 2 where the small and medium enterprise team will be demonstrating their strategy and products designed specifically for SMB’s in the SME Lounge. The Symantec.cloud portfolio and experts from Symantec.cloud will also be showcased in the Cloud Confex in Hall 6, Stand CLD-23.

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only adopted the technology after a couple of years of adoption in the West.

“That firstly comes down to the infrastructure itself, and we are now gearing towards a stronger infrastructure. Secondly, it’s the mindset of people. So it just takes some time. Thirdly, we have an extra barrier here compared to the West and that’s the skillset. We need to see more investment in the right skillset to adopt such technologies,” Al Thehaiban said.

Despite this, he said that Oracle is in fact getting people to adopt cloud sooner than it anticipated.

He added that moving forward this will only increase as customers becoming more accepting of the technology.

“We’re going to see more customers move to the cloud and more investment in the cloud. It is a key part of our global strategy, almost $1bn globally, so we anticipate much more customers to adopt it,” he concluded.

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Dubai Internet City (DIC) focuses on ‘Technology Entrepreneurship at GITEX Technology Week 2012, as part of its overall vision to support the growing entrepreneur community in the country.

Towards this end, DIC will host panel discussions daily on new entrepreneurial concepts such as ‘Entrepreneurship Growth in UAE’, ‘E-Commerce Success in the Region’, ‘Innovation and Investment Landscape in Dubai’ and ‘Payment Gateway Technology Challenges’

DIC will also launch an exclusive report on the role of entrepreneurship and SMEs in the development of the ICT industry at GITEX Technology Week 2012. Developed in association with Frost & Sullivan, DIC’s report will be released on 17 October at 10.30am at the DIC pavilion.

Additionally, DIC is providing a platform for partners from ‘Majid Bin Mohammed Innovation Centre in5’ to share experiences, challenges and first-hand information on setting up business in the region.

in5 is an exclusive incubator to promote entrepreneurship and technical innovation in the UAE. The centre aims to accelerate the take-off of new ICT initiatives through the creation of an enabling ICT ecosystem.

The in5 partners that will be featured at the event include ‘Promomz’, an online application company focusing on mothers, healthcare solution provider ‘Healthimized’, online photo solutions firm Advansas and ‘Qordoba’, DIC’s rising tech start-up specialising in crowdsourcing and technology.

Malek Al Malek, Managing Director at Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “Entrepreneurship is of great significance to any economy. It remains a mainstream priority for

Dubai eGovernment unveils mobile ePayment applications

DIC highlights technology entrepreneurship

In line with its ‘Customers First’ strategy and its commitment to adopt the latest technologies in support of Dubai’s eTransformation, Dubai eGovernment has recently announced the launch of two new mobile applications to facilitate real-time ePayment services and allow easy access to all services provided by the Government of Dubai.

The first application is designed to offer immediate ePayment services

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Malek Al Malek, Managing Director at Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone

via mobile phones to facilitate access to information and online payment transactions of three main government services: Dubai Police fines, DEWA bills and RTA Salik account recharge. The second application covers Dubai Government services such as information, location and contact details of government authorities and departments, and also the filing of complaints or making suggestions online.

In addition, the public will be able to stay up-to-date with the latest news on Dubai and government authorities, as well as the various events taking place in the emirate, while also being able to access a database of information on more than 1,600 exciting landmarks in and around Dubai.

These applications make available a mixture of the latest events, news, radio programmes and TV shows, providing users with comprehensive information on the wide range of e-services offered by local government authorities via the Dubai Government Portal (dubai.uae)

H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment, said: “These new applications are of immense importance as they represent an effective, highly-advanced mobile channel enabling users-on-the-go to access our electronic services anytime, anywhere. Dubai eGovernment has ensured that these applications are in sync with the Dubai Government Portal, as well as with Dubai government eServices.”

Bin Humaidan further added

that the Department has designed these services to bring in highly efficient, reliable and user-friendly mobile ePayment services, and increase public awareness about Dubai eGovernment’s eServices and channels aiming to ease the lives of citizens, residents, businesses and visitors by offering easy and simple payment methods and information.

“These two applications will contribute to the increasing popularity of government eServices, thus complementing the imminent digital transformation in Dubai. We are confident that the new ePayment application will help extend our online customer base. Moreover, Dubai eGovernment is looking forward to leverage these advanced mobile applications during this year’s edition of GITEX Technology Week, introducing the latest, most sophisticated technologies to the public, such as iPhone applications which are widely used in Dubai and the UAE. The two new applications contain a simple, touch-screen-friendly interface in both Arabic and English languages. We are also planning to launch more innovative applications for mobile users in the near future,” concluded Bin Humaidan.

our leaders as well, a reason why we have identified technology entrepreneurship as our theme for the GITEX Technology Week this year. Our initiative conforms to the goals of the economy to encourage entrepreneurs and draw investments into the region.

“Since its inception, DIC has supported the growth of the IT sector and the technology landscape. DIC will help connect ICT start-ups and innovators with industry leaders and experts. We believe that gaining insights, networking and sharing will help build the capacity of successful young entrepreneurs in the region.”

Dubai Internet City’s 12th consecutive participation at GITEX is additionally highlighting the infrastructure offerings of Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ).

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Du brings NFC technology to UAE

Inmarsat showcases technology portfolio

As an affirmation of its commitment to innovation and adding life to life for its customers, du has partnered with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to bring another first to the UAE: a revolutionary method of payment for public transportation, using Near Field

Communication (NFC) technology.With the launch of this service in

the near future, du’ customers will have the convenience of using their mobile to pay for their transportation, through a simple tap with their smartphone. They will also be able to

conveniently manage RTA services through a user-friendly mobile app, that can be easily downloaded onto their smartphone.

To use NFC, customers must have an NFC-capable device and a NFC SIM card, into which a virtual RTA NOL card will be embedded. An announcement on the availability of NFC SIM cards at du Shops will be made at a later date.

“We are constantly looking for new ways in which we can bring further convenience and added value into our customers’ lives, beyond merely offering traditional telecoms services. By presenting this demonstration of NFC, we are providing them with a new, secure and accessible way in which to conduct their daily

transactions, starting with our partnership with the RTA,” said Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du. “The consolidation of multiple functions into a single device is the future of communications. We are delighted to embrace this technology and to be able to offer it to our customers soon.”

The potential for NFC applications expands beyond the ability to pay for public transportation alone. It provides a new platform of interaction between mobile users and their environment, and can be applied in many purchasing situations and more.

For further details, please visit du stand at GITEX 2012, (#Z-F20) or RTA’s stand at GITEX 2012. 

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Global mobile satellite communications services provider Inmarsat is showcasing its expanded portfolio of business-critical voice and data services at Gulfcomms 2012. The company will also be previewing the major new possibilities that will be enabled by its next generation of satellites and services that will be launched in 2013 and fully commercially available in 2014.

Delivered via the world’s most reliable, global satellite communications network, Inmarsat’s comprehensive current offerings include voice, broadband and M2M (machine-to-machine) connectivity for a broad range of sectors, underpinned by 99.9% network availability.

Gulfcomms 2012 will see Inmarsat showcasing its product roadmap, including the new Alphasat I-XL satellite which will enhance the company’s L-band service capabilities across the Middle East and Africa, providing even faster streaming performance and greater capacity. In addition, Inmarsat will be introducing a new, higher BGAN streaming rate service, which becomes available in 2013.

This step change in our L-band portfolio is a precursor to the major additional capabilities that will be enabled by the future Ka-band services, which will be introduced through Global Xpress®, Inmarsat’s ‘game-changing’ network. The service will be available in

the EMEA region from end of 2013 with Global Xpress becoming fully available on a global basis by the close of 2014. The company will deliver the world’s first truly global Ka-band network for fixed and mobile communications services. Its unprecedented bandwidth and speed will provide new, market-defining standards for applications such as enterprise IP, VPNs, rural cellular backhaul and newsgathering.

“The Middle East and Africa are exceptionally important markets for Inmarsat,” said Drew Brandy, Vice President, Industry, Inmarsat. “The major expansion of our portfolio is enabling us to penetrate new markets, from banking and finance to

environmental monitoring, while also significantly enhancing our offering to more mature markets, such as media, oil & gas and aid.”

On stand, Inmarsat will be showcasing its broad portfolio of voice and data services together with a wide variety of portable, fixed and vehicular terminals. The company will be conducting daily presentations focusing on its expanded portfolio and the markets they serve, together with an overview of the product and service roadmap from now until the launch of Global Xpress, showing how our current and future L-band services will be complemented by our future Ka-band services.

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Powered by a private cloud, Gulf Air, the principal carrier of Bahrain, has been able to transform itself into a dynamic airline that provides better service to its passengers while minimising short-term and long-term IT infrastructure costs.

In today’s extremely competitive market, airlines live and die by their IT systems. Their IT infrastructure must combine performance and availability with functionality and efficiency – and the customer experience is everything.  And when you are one of the world’s longest operating airlines – Gulf Air- the challenge is to ensure this experience brings together a variety of products seamlessly and fast. Downtime just isn’t an option.

 Gulf Air, which has been in business for more than 62 years and fly to 53 destinations, started computing way back in the late 70s. The airline has around 5000 IT users including pilots, cabin crew and has offices spread across 80 countries.

Airline applications are typically very complex and expensive, and require a large infrastructure and team of experts.  “Gulf Air has been doing computing for 40 plus years and we had two data centres, which were consolidated into one. In this business, customers’ needs are changing rapidly and we are

always exploring new ways of doing business smartly,” says Dr.Jassim Haji, Director of IT.

The airline has around 150 applications running on its network, some hosted and some managed in-house. The most critical ones include the reservation systems from Sabre, cargo systems, Oracle e-business suite and revenue management systems.  “The real challenge is getting to interface these applications and get them to talk to each other. Over the last few years, we have continuously refreshed all our applications with a best of breed approach. We are making sure that instead of being an operations support entity we are going to evolve as a customer-centric IT service provider and equip our internal users with tools to better serve our customers,” says Haji.

Faced with the challenge of accommodating legacy systems with the newly introduced systems without compromising levels of IT services, Gulf Air embarked on its cloud journey a year and half back.  The choice was between private and public cloud, and Haji zeroed in on the former to improve business efficiency and lower IT costs while introducing new services.

“Public cloud is probably a quick

solutions but it is not really an option for bigger organisations like ours because of the legal and security issues. Private cloud was the right choice for us as it addresses security concerns and migration to public cloud would have been very challenging.  Another issue is that the public service provider gradually takes over your infrastructure and there is no way you can roll it back in if you want to do so bit later. You are left with no platform to maintain by yourself, “ says Haji explaining the logic behind the decision to go private.

Gulf Air’s cloud journey started with two virtualised server running around 5-6 applications each and now the airline has achieved around 90 percent virtualisation with even mission-critical applications running on VMs.

Cloud computing proved to be a successful strategy that helped Gulf Air accomplish many achievements over the last 18 months.  As a result, the company has been able to reduce its  physical server count by 35 percent, shrinking the number from 150 to now just two racks of blade servers, running different flavours of virtualisation.  “Some of our servers were coming to end of life and this would have

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meant investing in more servers.  Virtualisation enabled us to avoid that cost,” says Haji.

Just like with applications, Haji has adopted a best of breed approach to virtualisation as well, withVMware used for server virtualisation, Oracle for database virtualisation, EMC for storage and Citrix for desktop virtualisation.

He says the average age of server infrastructure has been reduced by 70 percent to 3 years with virtualisation and has enabled the retirement of old platforms.  Server utilisation levels have also increased significantly, which was hovering around 30 percent and as a result of storage virtualisaiton, Gulf Air has also been able to optimise its storage infrastructure and free up lot of data storage space.

Cloud hasn’t been just about cost savings for Gulf Air, and Haji says it has helped his team to get better visibility and control of the network. “In the old days, you had to depend on external service providers for things like reservation.  “It cost you a lot and you couldn’t control how you access the reservation system. We turned it around by building a private network, where we can bring in a link from the service provider to the cloud and then we distribute it to wherever we want,” says Haji.

Another offshoot of cloud for Gulf Air has been DR.  “We are in the process of setting up a DR site connected through the cloud that will enable us to have real-time replication and backup. We have already selected a bunch of applications for DR and we will add more as we go along,“ says Haji.

Mobility is another key theme at Gulf Air.  The cloud platform has allowed it the flexibility to offer core services via mobile including flight search, check-in, boarding passes and flight status notification. Gulf Air, says Haji, is one of the first airlines in the world to adopt a private cloud strategy and the company has reaped rich dividends, not just in the form of reduced capital expenditure but also its ability to provide superior service to its customers, regardless of the location.

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