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ALPHANEWS

Cloud ComputingThe Coming Cloud

Emirates Palace LaunchesTelepresence

Virtualization Planning:4 Systems Management Keys to Success

ISSUE 20 JUNE 2010

Doesn’t “Increasing collaboration while decreasing costs” have a nice ring to it?You have costs to cut, teams to manage, departments to align, and customers to serve. Right now. Which is why you need Unified Communications solutions from Avaya. Solutions that allow your employees to work with customers and each other from wherever they are, seamlessly and quickly - all while reducing costs and getting things done faster. What are you waiting for?

avaya.com/productivity

HEADLINES

PAGE 3 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

Yahsat Implements ConnectivitySolutions

Since being incorporated in 2007, YAHSAT has designed the region’s �rst multi-purpose satellite system, based on extensive interaction with their customers. Their �rst satellite Y1A is currently being built and will be launched in the �rst quarter of 2011. It will be followed by the launch of Y1B in the second half of 2011.

“Growing Ethernet bandwidth requirements are leading clients like YAHSAT to deploy Cat6a 10GBase-T solutions and consolidate servers in an e�ort to maximize data center performance” said Ziad Sultan, Division Manager, Intelligent Cabling Systems at Alpha Data. He added “Alpha Data’s main goal was providing YAHSAT with reliable standards-based connectivity solutions to ensure consistent performance for their computing applications.”

Alpha Data also provided security surveillance and access control systems onsite and a full redundancy unit to cover any potential network down-time. “Think of full redundancy as no discernable interruption of service, utilizing a duplicate to prevent failure of an entire system. If mission-critical problems caused by hardware or software failures do occur, this failover solution, coupled with other methods, can enable a security environment never to go down, at least from YAHSAT's perspective” says Hassan Zuhdi, Sales Executive- ELV Multimedia and Security at Alpha Data.

Emarat General Petroleum Corporation (EMARAT) the largest supplier for petroleum products in the Northern Emirates updated their data centers using HP Blade technology.

Emarat data centers initially housed just a few servers and a simple network. However, over the last few years, a large amount of equipment had been added along with a more complex infrastructure to meet Emarat’s needs. The end result was almost 70 servers with one box perapplication and this provided numerous challenges for Emarat’s IT team including space, power consumption and cooling. This prompted a move to blade technology.

“Emarat has a fairly complex IT infrastructure with a variety of applications and networks fully supported by the IT department. We have seen rapid growth and expansion of the organization and therefore needed a highly scalable technology to support this. Combining all our applications over blade technology really helped address current issues with servers and related components in the infrastructure,” said Shahul Hameed, IT Manager at Emarat.

Alpha Data commenced the project earlier this year and completed it within 10 weeks. “We have a very in depth understanding of Emarat, nevertheless; the project was challenging as it revolved around changing the infrastructure from an existing SAN technology to HP blade technology taking into consideration the migration for legacy data and all the accompanied issues. We studied Emarat’s existing infrastructure and researched their background so that the integration went smoothly.” said Benny Johnson – SME Head at Alpha Data.

Emarat Deploys New DataCenter Technology

HEADLINES

PAGE 4 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

Emirates Palace launches Telepresence

Abu Dhabi Investment Council Sets up Continuity Site

Emirates Palace hotel, in association with Alpha Data, and FVC, Polycom's authorised Value-Added Distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), launched the Polycom RPX Immersive Telepresence Centre. The centre, the �rst of its kind in a UAE hotel, was inaugurated by Hans Olbertz, General Manager of Emirates Palace, and Khalifa Faraj Bin Hamoodah, Board Member of the Bin Hamoodah Group.

The luxurious modular suite combines comfort with transparent technology and no visible cameras or microphones. With a capacity of up to 10 seats, the system can be used for a variety of purposes from internal company meetings and training sessions to client meetings and press conferences linking participants around the globe instantly. Telepresence participants are shown in High De�nition; they can see facial expression, make eye contact and read body language just as if all were in the same room.

"We're excited about the launch of such a highly advanced system," Olbertz said. "Emirates Palace is committed to introducing the latest

technology for the convenience of its guests and clients.

Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) the investment arm of the government of Abu Dhabi has recently completed the set up of a business continuity site through the installation of a redundant data center. The implementation of the site was completed by a team of specialists from Alpha Data, UAE's leading multi-disciplined systems integrator.

The Council, responsible for investing part of the government's surplus �nancial resources, requires fully functional operations on a 24X7X365 basis. Their IT team tasked Alpha Data with equipping their business continuity site to ensure a highly available, resilient network with zero down-time. "In the event of any critical issues or unforeseen disaster we needed a site that would be operational within minimal time of our head o�ces closing, said a representative of ADIC. "Now with our redundant site, we have replication protection systems which will ensure that data captured up to the last minute at our head o�ces can be secured in the redundant site.”

"Alpha Data has worked with ADIC since their inception and we had provided their entire technology infrastructure and data centre for the head o�ces," said Amar Singh, Division Manager - Enterprise Computing Systems, Alpha Data. "We were delighted to be able to partner with them again and provide a full infrastructure for their business continuity site. We've installed a number of back-up systems which mean that information is duplicated both at ADIC's head o�ces and at the redundant site."

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PAGE 5 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

At its eighth annual partner conference, Juniper Networks announced its EMEA J-Partner of the Year Awards for 2010. The awards were presented at a gala dinner during Juniper Networks EMEA Partner Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

“We are delighted to highlight the excellence in our channel, when end users are more than ever looking for business value, choice, reliability and �exibility from their networks,” said Taj Elkhayat, Regional Director of Channels & General Business, Middle East & Africa for Juniper Networks,“ and this is why we have awarded Alpha Data with Regional J-Partner of the Year (Middle East). Alpha Data increased growth and achieved excellent customer satisfaction over the past year, with strategic wins in both the Enterprise and Service Provider sectors. We believe that Alpha Data will continue to demonstrate its expertise to deliver secure, fast, simple and �exible infrastructure for organizations whose networks underpin their success.”

Juniper Networks Recognizes Excellence at EMEA Partner of the Year Awards

In January this year, Avaya unveiled its vision for the future of communications and a roadmap that integrates products and services from Nortel Enterprise Solutions (NES) following its earlier acquisition of NES.

"Avaya has a very strong market presence across the telephony sector in the Middle East and the combination of solutions from the two companies provides an excellent o�ering for our customers," said Waleed Sa�arini, Division Manager- Networks & Telecom "This is a platform for us to demonstrate how a combination of Avaya & Nortel products, solutions and expertise can help our clients improve productivity and cut costs for a better future."

Avaya Gulf & Pakistan Managing Director Roger El Tawil said, "By combining the o�erings and the expertise of Avaya and Nortel Enterprise Solutions, we'll be delivering innovation more quickly, with a powerful commitment to create a new standard for business communications and help local businesses grow”.

Alpha Data hosts Avaya Roadshow in Dubai andAbu Dhabi

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PAGE 6 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

“This award is the result of a lot of hard work by our team, our vendors and our customers,” said Fayez Ibbini, Alpha Data’s Managing Director. “During a year that saw many organizations su�er as a result of the economic crisis, we were able to maintain performance. We are committed to our ongoing relationships with key customers and the acquisition of new projects.”

Award recognition comes from CPI’s Reseller Middle East Partner Excellence Awards and ITP’s Network Middle East Innovation Award

Alpha Data wins System Integrator of Year recognition from region’s IT publishers

New Partners

Riverbed Technology is the IT infrastructure performance company. Riverbed provides the only comprehensive WAN optimization solution to a host of severe problems that have e�ectively prevented enterprises from sharing applications and data across wide areas.

www.riverbed.com

Symon Communications is a leading global provider of award-winning visual communications solutions. Symon’s advantage lies within its operating model, which o�ers a single point of accountability for all visual communication implementations along with a state-of-the-art, fully-integrated and proven content management system. Symon's value proposition is centered on providing clients with a visual communications solution that will inform, entertain and/or positively in�uence a viewer’s behavior.

www.symon.com

Cura provides smarter software solutions designed to enable businesses around the world to quickly achieve the bottom line bene�ts of GRC – Governance, Enterprise wide Risk Management, and Compliance linked to performance management. Cura does this through fast implementation, easier con�gurability & true enterprise architecture. Cura reduces implementation and support as well as turnaround and implementation times, through the innovative use of technology, and by putting the power of con�guration in the hands of customers.

www.curasoftware.com

PRODUCTS

PAGE 7 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

Avaya Aura™ is the core communications platform supporting unified communications and contact center solutions for midsize to large enterprises. It extends Communication Manager and enables SIP-based session management with innovative and powerful capabilities.

Leveraging a revolutionary SIP architecture and virtualization technology, Avaya Aura simplifies complex networks and reduces infrastructure costs. Employees at any location can be connected regardless of the infrastructure the endpoints reside on.

Avaya Aura enables faster and easier deployment of communications capabilities such as voice, video, messaging, and presence. As a result, productivity and business agility can be increased.

Symon LiveView™ is a virtual 3D display that uses patented optical reflection technology to give the illusion of 3D using 2D content, this reflection creates the illusion of depth and makes the 2D content look almost alive. By using this approach, Symon Dacon can create a virtual 3D experience out of ordinary 2D content, which eliminates the need for special equipment or software.

The benefits of this solution include: • Low content creation costs (similar to 2D)

• Content created using industry standard 2D tools

• Does not require special glasses or fixtures to experience 3D

• The LiveView™ optional stand can be configured to fit any décor.

Avaya Aura Adobe Creative Suite CS5

The new Adobe® Creative Suite® 5 is a breakthrough release of the industry-leading design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. Focusing on interactivity, performance and maximizing the impact of digital content and marketing campaigns across media and devices, the Creative Suite 5 product line brings exciting full version upgrades of flagship creative tools while delivering significant workflow enhancements to designers and developers. Featuring integration with online content and digital marketing measurement and optimization capabilities for the first time, Creative Suite 5 products include access to signature Omniture technologies, to capture, store and analyze information generated by Web sites and other sources. Additionally, a brand new component, Adobe Flash® Catalyst™, joins the Creative Suite, ushering in the ability to design interactive content without writing code and improve the collaborative process between designer and developer.

The Adobe CS5 product family also enables the creation of content and applications for the much anticipated releases of Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR® 2, which are optimized for high performance on mobile screens and designed to take advantage of native device capabilities for a richer, more immersive user experience.Symon Digital Signage / 3D

Kiosks

ADVICE

PAGE 8 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

The explosive growth of today's virtualization management market is good news for organizations looking to manage and optimize their virtual environments. Like every technology that has come before it, the route to success with virtualization lies in solid, standardized processes and management software to automate and govern the execution of these processes. Process discipline and streamlined management automation have long been operational mandates, but the advent of virtualization on industry-standard servers exacerbates these requirements.

Luckily, the growing demand for automated virtualization management tools has produced an array of software solutions. Many options exist - too many, in fact - and you must evaluate these options to minimize the risk of additional complexity and vendor dissolution. Buyers need to be careful in such a young market

segment and remain pragmatic about the requirements and the role these technologies will play in the overall management portfolio. The real risk is the creation of yet another silo that will have to be absorbed later on. To avoid future headaches, organizations should include virtualization as just another technology domain in the consolidated management portfolio.

As businesses begin to evaluate tools to help manage their virtual environment, Forrester recommends focusing on four key system management capabilities; con�guration management, capacity planning and VM placement, performance monitoring, and real-time automation. Keep in mind that each earlier step is a prerequisite of the next, making the priority of the list important. For example, attempting real-time automation without �rst conquering the challenges of capacity management will prove frustrating and ultimately futile.

1. Improve Con�guration Management

2. Maximize Capacity Planning and VM Placement

It's important to start with improving con�guration management because it is necessary to orchestrate the relationship among large numbers of dynamically changing VMs, physical servers, storage, and network resources. These tools are often referred to as "provisioning tools," which refers to a higher state of con�guration change management.

As your virtualized pool grows in size, you will need tools that analyze capacity trends and optimize where your VMs run to minimize hardware footprint. These tools will be able to alert operations and engineering when resources are running low to guard against overprovisioning. You want to maximize capacity utilization to squeeze the most value from your server investments, but doing so without su�cient visibility is dangerous.

Virtualization Planning: 4 Systems Management Keys to Success

ADVICE

PAGE 9 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

Once the virtual environment begins to grow in size and complexity, you'll need tools that can perform real-time automation by adjusting virtual or physical infrastructure to compensate for failures. Many IT services, like virtualization management, are reaching a level of complexity where sophisticated mathematical algorithms and object models of the services are more precise and efficient than even your most talented engineers.

Highly automated process execution is a hallmark of any industrialized transformation, whether it is manufacturing, agriculture, or something else. In fact, automation is a fundamental fueling force that spawns the industrialization in the first place. The resulting improvements in productivity and consistency have proven to be profound.

IT, and specifically the infrastructure and operation functions are moving in the same direction. Business demands, exploding complexity, and economic pressures are combining to force an upheaval in how we approach IT. The intensive hype over cloud computing is a harbinger of such change. Pursuit of "the cloud" is synonymous with early stage industrialization of IT.

Virtualization is the most potent technology catalyst towards cloud computing, so it is therefore the first step in the journey to industrialize IT. The evolutionary track from virtualization to automation and eventually to various forms of cloud computing form the inexorable path to an industrialized model for business technology infrastructure and operations.

If you want to be in the driver's seat for the future of IT, plan a journey to industrialize your operation and begin that journey by getting your virtual server infrastructure under control.

Glenn O'Donnell is a Senior Analyst and Rachel Dines is an Analyst at Forrester Research, where they serve Infrastructure & Operations professionals

4. Real-time Automation

Virtualization Management: Step One in the Industrialization Journey

3. Performance MonitoringPerformance measurement will rise in importance as you increase the number of VMs per physical host and drive up overall utilization. We find this to be a particularly critical tool as you approach 20 or 30 VMs per physical server. To prevent problems from affecting user experience with multiple apps, your administrators need VM-aware performance monitoring tools that can help pinpoint issues.

ADVICE

PAGE 10 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

Cura Software Solutions enables businesses around the world to quickly achieve the bottom line bene�ts of enterprise-wide governance, risk management and compliance (GRC), coupled with performance management. Cura does this through fast implementation, easier con�gurability and true enterprise architecture.

Managing risk used to be guided by the various standards and methodologies for di�erent industries, subject matters and regions. Now the ISO31000 Standard aims to replace them all and act as a universally recognised paradigm for practitioners and companies. Cura has absolute con�dence in ISO31000 becoming entrenched in every country and business over the next decade. It’s a well thought-out approach that sets the minimum standards all business should adopt. It has su�cient �exibility to accommodate any company’s speci�c needs.

Organisations in search of a sound set of frameworks and principles for developing a resilient, risk-aware, opportunistic culture can �nd guidance among the world’s best examples of Enterprise Risk Management. Our own research has pointed repeatedly at ISO31000 as a key driver for success in ERM.

The ISO31000 risk standard outlines some key attributes that identify excellence in risk management:

• A pronounced emphasis on continual improvement in risk management through the setting of organisational performance goals, measurement, review and the subsequent modi�cation of processes, systems, resources, capabilities and skills.

• Comprehensive, fully de�ned and fully accepted accountability for risks, risk controls and risk treatment tasks. Designated individuals fully accept, are appropriately skilled, and have adequate resources to check risk controls, monitor risks, improve risk controls and communicate e�ectively about risks and their management to internal and external stakeholders.

• All decision making within the organisation, whatever the level of importance and signi�cance, involves the explicit consideration of risks and the application of risk management to some appropriate degree.

• Continual communications with highly visible, comprehensive and frequent internal and external reporting of risk management performance to all stakeholders as part of a governance process.

• Risk management is viewed as central to the organisation's management processes so that risks are considered in terms of e�ect of uncertainty on objectives. The organisation’s governance structure and process are founded on the management of risk. E�ective risk management is regarded by managers as essential for the achievement of the organisation’s objectives. (source: ISO 31000 Draft Standard, 2008).

Experience has shown that these attributes represent the essential underpinnings of a transformative ERM program that is within reach of any size organisation across all industries. Adherence to the principles contained within these Attributes of Excellence is a sound step toward bridging the gap between Enterprise Risk Assessment and Enterprise Risk Management and attaining greater bene�t from an ERM program.

Cura have completed over 250 ERM deployments in some of the most complex, heavily regulated companies in the world. The key attributes learnt through these deployments and outlined in this article have been developed into a set of risk management tactics made available through the Cura Enterprise Risk Management Solution. Our aim is to assist organisations in achieving successful Enterprise Risk Management.

These Attributes of Excellence form the basis of the Cura Risk Management Methodology. It should be noted, however, that any Methodology or Standard – even multiple ones – can be harmoniously modelled and aggregated using Cura’s solutions, while leveraging the positive attributes ofof ISO31000. In other words, the productive e�orts already underway in client organisations deserve to be leveraged to their maximum extent as part of the process of discovering whether the broad adoption of a unifying framework is appropriate.

Attributes of Excellence in Risk Management - Cura supports ISO31000

FEATURE

PAGE 11 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

There’s no questioning it, cloud computing is set to mark a tectonic shift in corporate landscape as it a�ects how we consume computing. Just as the Web revolutionized the way we consumed content in the 1990s, cloud computing will revolutionize the way we consume applications in the coming decade, and how we do enterprise architecture and IT planning.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the private cloud market will rise from its current value of $7 billion to $11.4 billion over the next �ve years, while the public cloud will be worth $694 million, up from $562 million.

The ‘cloud’ is not new though. When you use email applications like Hotmail or Gmail, or when you use Google Docs, instead of MS Word that is installed on your PC, you are computing in the cloud. Cloud is only a metaphor for an array of servers in a remote location that host computing applications. What is new is the increasing use of clouds for enterprise applications.

The move to web-based applications marks a big shift for the Windows franchise, with its 500 million users, which so far has relied on software installed on PCs, and brings Microsoft into direct competition with Google’s Apps suite of business software, which is available over the internet with no need to download software. Similarly, Oracle has several cloud solutions, including in CRM to challenge Salesforce. SAP is experimenting with a cloud o�ering of its ERP called Business ByDesign (BByD).

What will be interesting to observe is how quickly the impact will be felt here in the GCC. According to a recent press report, governments across GCC countries are evaluating cloud computing environments right now with a potential for their own private clouds over the next 12 months. Saudi Telecom Company appears to be leading the way on the service provider front by establishing managed data center services over the cloud. The potential to improve e�ciency and cut costs cannot be ignored and mean that adoption of cloud computing will speed up rapidly in countries like the UAE to be on par with other parts of the world.

Microsoft has just announced that all its O�ce 2010 applications - from PowerPoint to Excel to mail and communicator - will be accessible through the cloud, an attempt to take on Google that has similar o�erings.

Cloud Computing

FEATURE

PAGE 12 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

An initiative from The Open Group has developed a set of key considerations for how to build and measure return on investment (ROI) for cloud computing initiatives from a business perspective. By examining the bene�ts cloud computing o�ers organizations and showing the potential return it can provide from the beginning, companies may �nd it easier to gain buy-in for cloud initiatives from the executive team, as well as the IT department.

Cloud computing has been described as a technological change brought about by the convergence of a number of new and existing technologies. The promise of cloud computing is identi�ed primarily by the following key technical characteristics:

The ability to create the illusion of in�nite capacity performance is the same if scaled for one or one hundred or one thousand users with consistent service-level characteristics.

Abstraction of the infrastructure so applications are not locked into devices or locations.

Pay-as-you-go usage of the IT service; you only pay for what you use, with no or minimal up-front investment costs. You typically just use the service through a connection and device.

Service is on-demand and able to scale up and down with near instant availability. Typically, no forward planning forecast is required.

Access to applications and information can be obtained from any access point.

But this is only half the story. These technical characteristics can also be found in many non-disruptive technology solutions. What sets the promise of cloud computing apart is that the rate of change, magnitude of cost reduction and speci�c technical performance impact that cloud computing can provide is not just incremental, but can give a �ve-to-ten times order of magnitude of improvement.

The famous graphic used by Amazon Web Services illustrating the capacity versus utilization curve has become an icon in cloud computing. The model illustrates the central idea around cloud-based services enabled through an on-demand business provisioning model to meet actual usage.

This model is important to businesses because one of the core precepts of cloud computing is to avoid the cost impact of over-provisioning and under-provisioning of computing resources. This bene�t is in addition to the opportunity for cost, revenue, and margin advantages of business services enabled by rapid deployment of cloud services with low entry cost, as well as the potential to enter and exploit new markets.

We contend that years from now when cloud computing is seen in a historical context, the capacity versus utilization curve will be seen as an iconic model that had the same e�ect as previous well-known business models, such as Moore's Law, which, for example, has been seen as a major indicator of microprocessor speed in the computing industry and is now being applied to other industries, such as solar power, to de�ne the rate of e�ciency improvements.

8 Ways to Measure Cloud ROI– Mark Skilton, CIO.com

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The Capacity-Utilization Curve

FEATURE

PAGE 13 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

The problem with using the view of capacity and utilization alone is that it is a technology provider/seller viewpoint essentially based on key performance indicators (KPIs) rather than business benefit metrics. This model is primarily concerned with two specific measurements:

• IT capacity - measured by storage, CPU cycles, network bandwidth or workload memory capacity as indicators of performance.

• IT utilization - measured by uptime availability and volume of usage as indicators of activity and usability. But effective cost/performance ratios and levels of usage activity do not necessarily imply proportional business benefits. They are just indicators of business activity that are not in themselves more valuable than lower operating cost. What is needed instead is a set of business metrics that build on the cloud computing model.

The following are business metrics that can help translate the indicators from the capacity-utilization curve to direct and indirect benefits to the business:

1.The speed and rate of change - Cost reduction and cost of adoption /de-adoption is faster in the cloud. Cloud computing creates additional cost transformation benefits by reducing delays in decision costs by adopting pre-built services and a faster rate of transition to new capabilities. This is a common goal for business improvement programs that are lacking resources and skills and that are time sensitive.

2. Total cost of ownership optimization - Users can select, designs configure and run infrastructure and applications that are best suited for business needs. Traditionally this has often been decoupled when IT projects are handed off to production services. In cloud computing environments these are joined up.

3. Rapid provisioning - Resources are scaled up and down to follow business activity as it expands and grows or is redirected. Provisioning time compression can go from weeks to hours.

8 Ways to Cloud Computing ROI

4. Increased margin and cost control - Revenue growth and cost control opportunities allow companies to pursue new customers and markets for business growth and service improvement.

5. Dynamic usage - Elastic provisioning and service management targets real end users and real business needs for functionality as the scope of users and services evolve seeking new solutions.

6. Risk and compliance improvement - Cloud computing green capabilities can be leveraged through shared services.

7. Enhanced capacity utilization - IT avoids over-and under-provisioning of IT services to improve smarter business services.

8. Access to business skills and capability improvement - Cloud computing enables access to new skills and solutions through cloud sourcing on demand solutions.

These measures define a new set of business indicators that can be sused to create a "score card" of your current and future operational business and IT service needs relating to cloud computing potential. The work of The Open Group is developing tools and frameworks to enable businesses to evaluate these cloud computing opportunities to focus on how flexibility, competitive advantage, compliance risk and security in all aspects of the cost of cloud adoption can be better defined in a business language.

INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERT

PAGE 14 | ALPHA NEWS | JUNE 2010

Having previously managed activities in the Middle East out of theirUK o�ces near London, Symon established a new bridgehead inthe Emirates six months ago. We asked Steve McCullough (VicePresident and General Manager for Symon Dacon) and Joe Rabah (Managing Director of Symon Middle East) to outline the company’s strengths in the sector…

What di�erentiates Symon from your competitors?

SMC: We have a turnkey approach. We don’t just install media players, but we also have experience with data integration. Symon integrates with hotel management systems pulling the information required to update screens in real-time. We also have a creative team of graphic designers that give added �air to a project. Third is the strength and size of our �nancial standing.

We have been in the business for 30 years and every quarter has been pro�table for us. And �nally, the size of our sta� is also important. For example we have 20 product developers on sta� giving our products a better future and our clients peace of mind.

JR: With over 800 hospitality installs globally and approved vendor status for a number of major hotel brands, Symon is an established digital signage vendor within hospitality. Symon o�ers a complete turnkey solution including hardware, software and a complete range of services.

Our intention is to provide a strong presence within the Middle East market, solidifying our brand and fostering great relationships with our resellers.

SMC: We understand the full scope of a digital signage system and how it �ts into a hospitality environment. For us it goes beyond a simple sign in the lobby area. We look at all the possibilities from lobby displays to interactive way�nding , in-room channels, meeting room displays and mobile signage. Our solution allows hotels to centrally manage dynamic content across multiple displays within a single property or across multiple sites, empowering hotels to manage guest, employee and corporate.

From strength to strength - Symon Gains a Stronger Foothold in the Middle East

Making Digital Signagea Lot More Than Just Signage

InView Mobile, Symon’s new iPhone app for digital signage, provides hotel guests with real-time access to information that is shown on hotel lobby displays (e.g. specials, promotions, events, current news, etc.) based on the location (e.g. lobby, spa, restaurant, etc) where it is accessed. We asked Steve Gurley, VP Global Marketing/Business Development of SYMON, a developer for inView Mobile, what the value-add is of such a system…

The value add to the hotel guests is that they have access to the most current information anytime and anywhere, which is particularly useful as the Middle East region has some of the largest hotels in the world. The value to the hotelier is that they can track what patrons/visitors access, utilise, etc.

What kinds of scenarios are you talking about?

There are various kinds of scenarios. Firstly, Digital Signage can be used to promote smartphone applications that will enhance the experience of the viewer. Secondly, the signage can be used to promote special purpose mobile web sites that in turn augment the content presented on the digital signage. The third scenario sees the promotion of geo-tagged content, which is relevant to the location where the digital signage is installed. A fourth scenario sees the signage content and mobile handset working in harmony, meaning that the same content that is on the digital signage can be pushed to the smartphone.

Where are we coming from… and going to?

Mobile communications have gone through three stages since the �rst cell call in 1973. The �rst phase (1973 – 1995) was the Personal Communications stage – the ability to talk without wires. The second phase (1996 – 2006) was the Personal Productivity stage – wireless email and calendars, text messaging, mobile web. The third, and current phase, (2007 – present) is the Personal Empowerment stage – where people manage their lives (e.g. applications that allow people to actively manage their health, wellness, entertainment, commerce) via their mobile devices. This is the near future.

So far, this is an iPhone app. Do you have any plans to extend it to other PDAs and smartphones?

As other smartphones begin to incorporate the features and capabilities that the iPhone possesses, we will support those phones. For a more detailed information on this subject visit my blog: www. steve-gurley.com.

When Digital Signage and Mobile Platforms Work Together For TwoTimes the Impact.

Double Vision!

Steve McCullough

Joe Rabah

REDUCE YOUR OPERATING EXPENSES

OR MORE25%‘Do more with less’ has long been the mantra of many corporate departments and with the recent economic crisis; in no place is this better evidenced than in the IT and other internal services departments. As a result, company management teams have turned to outsourcing to enable organizations to focus on their core business, switch expenditure from a variable to �xed cost base, provide access to speci�c new technical skills.

Old-model ‘reactive’ service delivery models have become ine�ective in delivering consistent up-time for clients. Organizations are looking for a more proactive way of managing their IT system availability, services and budget.

Alpha Data provides around-the-clock network surveillance, performance monitoring, trouble ticket management, event management, and guaranteed service levels (service assurance)

“Not only has the team resolved any issues in a timely manner, but also the team was very proactive in addressing any critical issues and thereby preventing major problems.” Susan Cowen, O�ce Manager, Taylor Wessing

“Alpha Data have always assisted to the n’th degree to resolve problems, be it software or hardware related.” M. Berry, CKR Consulting Engineers

“We �nd it really quick and easy to get in touch with you team 24x7.” Mohamed Amir Bin Yasin, Chief Executive O�cer, Petronas

“We at GENYX really appreciate all your support and assistance in solving our IT problems and complications.” Smita D’Souza, O�ce Manager, GENYX

Farid El-Fetouh, Tel: 02 673 1873, Email: managedservices@alpha.aeAbu Dhabi:Dubai: Venki, Tel: 02 3933 415, Email: managedservices@alphadxb.com