Microsoft is demoing its widely anticipated Windows 8 interface for the first time to a UAE public audience at GITEX this week. It is also showcasing its cloud portfolio.

Microsoft said the event provides a platform to demonstrate innovative technology solutions and scenarios, highlighting the increasingly important role that technology plays in shaping people’s lives.

As well as showcasing Windows 8 at its stand, over 20 Microsoft partners in the UAE are also featuring their own innovations they have developed on Microsoft platforms such as Lync, Dynamics

Leading figures from the world of technology will descend into Dubai World Trade Centre today and throughout this week as GITEX Technology Week’s most momentous edition yet gets underway.

GITEX 2012 runs all this week under the theme ‘Where Technology Means Business’. Now in its 32nd year, GITEX Technology Week is widely regarded as one of the world’s top three international ICT events.

This week’s event follows GITEX SHOPPER, the consumer electronics retail show that experienced record-breaking attendance and sales this year. The success of the event is reflective of the region’s growth and rapid adoption of new technologies.

The Middle East and Africa’s ICT market is increasingly attractive and predicted to far outpace

Biggest ever GITEX Technology Week gets under way

60 MinsShow dates: 14-18 October 2012, Dubai World Trade Centre | AT GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK | Exhibition hours: 11am -6pm

WHAT’S INSIDE

Topaz turns to Dell SonicWall to manage network

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Ruckus: BYOD is the new Y2K

UAE SMBs ready to move to cloud

Strategic ICT Partner Technology Partners

Microsoft presents first Windows 8 demo to UAE public

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Biggest ever GITEX...spending in developed markets with market liberalisation, strong competition and the dynamic demographics of the region.

As developed economics experience a slowdown, global organisations and investors are looking to emerging markets such as the MEA for growth.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), IT spending in the MEA region will surpass $65 billion in 2012, growing at nearly 12% year-on-year. By comparison, Europe will see 1.2% growth in euros in European ICT purchases in 2012, shrinking the continent’s share of the market, according to a report by Forrester Research.

“GITEX Technology Week has always been a vital force in driving the ICT sector to generate both profit and performance in the industry, not only throughout the MEA region but also on a global

stage,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, which organises the event.

“As the momentum of traditional ICT markets slows down and reaches saturation in developed nations, the MEA region offers lucrative opportunities for investors and global companies in a rapidly expanding industry.

“Over its successful 32 years, GITEX Technology Week has been a catalyst and influence in growing technology tourism and strengthening trade ties with Africa as the continent experiences an ICT boom.”

GITEX Technology Week is an authority in the region and has proven each year its adaptability in presenting trending technologies and setting the current business agenda. It has highlighted key focus areas including Africa and its burgeoning ICT market, start-ups and innovation in an SME zone, the consumerisation of IT,

big data and the ongoing cloud phenomenon.

Presence of international companies at GITEX has grown once again and represents more than half of the total exhibitors, with Algeria, Denmark, Malaysia and

New Zealand among the countries exhibiting for the first time.

With over 80% of leading global ICT brands expected, featuring C-level executives in attendance

representing ICT budgets of over $50 billion, the exhibitors and speakers list is packed with industry heavyweights such as Cisco, Dell, du, Etisalat, Facebook, Google, HP, Huawei, Kaspersky, Microsoft, Nokia, Oracle, RIM, Samsung, SAP and Symantec. Notable new exhibitors include Chinese telecommunications equipment company ZTE, Saudi Telecom Company, Sage, Vocalcom and African IT distributors Mitsumi.

The event will have new technology giants, over 130,000 industry professionals and more than 3,500 suppliers attending from 144 countries across five continents.

Government entities will also be out in force, with Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai E-Government, Dubai Health Authority, Emirate of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Fujairah Free Zone, Ras Al Khaima Free Zone and Sharjah Free Zone all confirmed.

“GITEX Technology Week has always been a vital force in driving the ICT sector to generate both profit and performance in the industry, not only throughout the MEA region but also on a global stage.”

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Topaz turns to Dell SonicWall to manage network

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“The amount of data being transmitted across company networks has grown exponentially in recent years and we needed a solution to protect our rapidly growing network across the MENA region.”

Topaz Energy and Marine has successfully deployed Dell SonicWall’s Network Security Solutions to manage the company’s network and connectivity requirements, it announced today.

The Dubai-based oilfield services company, which provides marine and engineering solutions to the global energy industry, was in danger of losing business critical information due to a vulnerable system.

It chose Dell SonicWall to deploy its firewalls solutions in two locations in 2004, and across all offices worldwide within a year.

In 2008, Topaz deployed Dell SonicWALL’s backup and recovery appliance Continuous Data Protection CDP 6080, which was upgraded from the CDP 4440i appliance deployed in 2006. In 2010 Topaz upgraded its legacy SonicWall firewalls to the new Dell SonicWall E-Class NSA and NSA series and E-Class Email Security Appliance 6000.

connections - one lease line for VPN and a second line for Internet access, both protected by a Dell SonicWall Next-Generation Firewall. In addition, Topaz uses the Dell SonicWall Application Intelligence and Control feature to control and manage accesses to social media sites and rules sets are based on management requirements and decisions.

“We are especially happy with how Dell SonicWall firmware was upgraded automatically. This means that our systems are always up to date and robust. Subsequently, bandwidth performance improved markedly leaving plenty of room to scale,” Kumar said.

As with any global business, employees often work on the move connecting to their business-critical data through laptops, smartphones and tablets. Secure access and data dissemination has therefore become paramount for Topaz IT executives to prevent malicious attacks and manage bandwidth.

Dell SonicWall, as part of the Dell Software organisation, is currently working on securing the Topaz network to include mobile devices. Plans are also underway for Topaz to install Dell SonicWall Aventail E-Class SSL VPN, which provides users of Windows, Macintosh, Linux, iOS, Android and Windows Mobile devices ‘in-office’ experience. This provides easier and more secure access to executives who regularly travel.

“The IT team utilised a range of our security appliances to deliver a stable network environment across its offices worldwide and yield tangible business benefits embodied in high employee efficiency,” said Shanawaz Sheikh, Regional Director, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Dell SonicWall.

“Clearly, protecting and preserving business critical data and managing bandwidth are key components of proper network management and efficiency. No business is too small to neglect proper network security,” said Sanjay Kumar, IT manager, Topaz Energy and Marine.

“The amount of data being transmitted across company networks has grown exponentially in recent years and we needed a solution to protect our rapidly growing network across the MENA region,” he added.

Topaz developed a system where each office has two Internet

and Office 365. Further to this, Microsoft is

inviting visitors to explore the ‘Windows 8 Journey to Innovation’, where Microsoft and its hardware partners at GITEX, including Intel, Nokia, HP, Dell and Samsung, are highlighting the Windows 8 platform on various form factors.

Microsoft are also announcing a suite of locally developed Windows 8 applications to launch in the Windows Store, including applications for Dubai International Airport, Sharaf DG, Shop and Ship, Jumeirah Restaurants, Aramex, Gulf News, Dubai Cinemas, DEWA and Time Out Dubai.

“This is an exciting year for us as we’re launching a number of products in the coming few weeks and we’re thrilled to preview some of them with GITEX attendees,” said Samer Abu-Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf.

“We’ll be sharing all our latest innovations across the cloud portfolio and Windows platform, all of which will positively impact our customers’ lives and change the way they work and play as they will enable greater choice, flexibility and seamless integration across various devices and form factors. We are committed to continually bringing to the UAE and Gulf the latest technology innovation that will improve people’s lives and empower businesses to improve productivity in order to support the vision of the region’s leadership of enhanced connectivity.”

Microsoft is also participating in the Cloud Confex to share its vision and cloud innovation. Microsoft’s Mark Chaban, Director of Server & Cloud Platform Marketing, Microsoft MEA, and Mike Tsalidis, Regional Business Group Lead, Server annd Tools, Microsoft MEA, will present on the latest innovations in cloud as part of the event, including recent launches like Windows Server 2012.

Microsoft is locating at stand B7-10 in Hall 7 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

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Ruckus: BYOD is the new Y2K

CIOs have been constantly warned this year of the supposed dangers that BYOD poses to IT environments, but over at the Ruckuss Wireless stand they’re insisting it’s much ado about nothing.

“BYOD is scary and scary sells products,” said Nader Baghdadi, ME Regional Director, Ruckus Wireless. “That’s good for Ruckus, but the reality is that BYOD has become a bit like Y2K. It’s a big problem that isn’t that big.

“Mobile is surging, yes, but product peddlers have blown it way out of proportion. Despite the BYOD hype claiming that everyone needs all the customisation and then some, we’ve heard and understood a different story from the middle of the enterprise market; and the rest of the

market will start to realise this over the next year.”

Instead of scare mongering people into buying its solutions, Ruckus is sticking to the simple approach of presenting “simple, reliable and affordable” solutions at this year’s GITEX.

Baghdadi said Ruckus is able to deliver these attributes whilst also setting itself apart from the other security vendors.

“The Ruckus advantage is the ability to deliver pervasive performance. Our technology is so revolutionary that we’ve been awarded 55 patents with another 80 pending. This is what differentiates us from the technology crowd,” he said.

He added that despite its

overhype, BYOD is IT’s hottest talking point at GITEX and is where Ruckus can help enterprises in the UAE.

“We are launching new access points part of the!ZoneFlex family for enterprises that want additional device-specific flexibility. Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex access points includes client OS fingerprinting capabilities. When joined with user, role, and time-based policies, IT staff will have even more granularity if they need the extra layers of control,” Baghdadi said.

“The ZoneFlex 7982 is designed to deliver consistent performance and maintain stable connections within high-capacity environments and to smart mobile devices that constantly change their location and orientation. The ZoneFlex 7321 is the industry’s most affordable dual-stream 802.11n access point. Additionally, we are showcasing the ZoneFlex 7025 that has already been launched in the Middle East,” he added.

As well as presenting these products, Ruckus is also using GITEX to meet with customers and partners from around the world to discuss opportunities for the Middle East market.

“The exhibition is a significant platform for us to further strengthen our brand awareness

in the region and to emphasise our commitment in the Middle East through our continuous investments,” Baghdadi said.

Ruckus Wireless is exhibiting at stand ZL-D3 in Zabeel Hall.

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Nader Baghdadi, ME Regional Director, Ruckus Wireless

“BYOD is scary and scary sells products,” said Nader Baghdadi, ME Regional Director, Ruckus Wireless. “That’s good for Ruckus, but the reality is that BYOD has become a bit like Y2K. It’s a big problem that isn’t that big. “Mobile is surging, yes, but product peddlers have blown it way out of proportion.

UAE SMBs ready to move to cloud

Almost half (46%) of UAE SMBs that are not currently using cloud services are considering or likely to do so in the near future, according to Symantec.

Symantec’s 2012 SMB Cloud Adoption Survey results have provided insights into how organisations with less than 250 employees perceive cloud services, while highlighting the awareness and business attitudes toward cloud technologies, in addition to overall business and IT challenges of the SMB market segment.

Analysts reported that by adopting cloud services, SMBs will be better enabled to protect their information, while maintaining existing IT staff to focus on more productive and business critical activities.

“At Symantec, we are very aware that SMBs are driving our global economies and are just as dependent on information to

drive their business as their larger enterprise counterparts. However, SMBs don’t typically have dedicated IT personnel to focus on the information protection making them potentially more susceptible to risks,” said Justin Doo, Director, Cloud and Security Practice, MENA, Symantec.

“What’s more, SMBs conduct business with many enterprises, and today’s sophisticated internet hackers see them as a potential backdoor into these larger organisations. SMBs can benefit from greater protection and the flexibility of newer, scalable, and easy-to-manage technologies and services such as cloud computing.”

The results of the survey highlighted that over half of organisations are more likely to adopt cloud services if it would guarantee 24/7 protection of business critical information.

The survey also found that 89% of respondents that are considering adopting cloud services in the near future expect to make the move within the next six to 24 months. Time savings from cloud services was a strong draw for adoption, with 86% of respondents likely to move to cloud if it meant saving a considerable amount of time on IT-related tasks.

Survey respondents noted lower operational costs, greater mobility for staff, better data protection (backup or recovery) and enhanced information security as top reasons for considering cloud solutions, while concerns about data security, data privacy and lack of control were noted as top barriers to adoption of cloud computing.

Analysts reported that while SMBs seemed confident about cloud adoption, building trust

with a cloud provider is a key consideration for deployments. Respondents cited international credibility and local in-country presence as key to building trust in, or ways that influence their decision to work with, a cloud services provider. Existing customer references was the third influencing factor.

Conducted in September 2012 through the third party research company YouGov, Symantec’s 2012 SMB Cloud Adoption Survey was conducted in UAE and asked more than 200 small business owners and IT influencers about their views and adoption of cloud services.

Symantec is located at Stand D3-1 in Hall 3 with experts on hand to discuss the company’s latest innovations in the security space, whilst Symantec’s cloud portfolio is being showcased at stand CLD-23 in Hall 6.

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