Reseller Middle East December 2020 by Reseller Middle East

ISSUE 282 | DECEMBER 2020 www.tahawultech.com

TRANSFORMING THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE ERDEM SOYAL, VICE PRESIDENT OF BARCO MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, TELLS RME IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, HOW THE COMPANYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RANGE OF TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS ARE ACCELERATING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL AND THE REMOTE.

FEATURE: INTERVIEWS SPECIAL: GITEX 2020

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CONTENTS

STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER

ISSUE 283 // DECEMBER 2020

TRANSFORMING THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE

NEWSMAKERS

08 We bring you the most

important developments in the regional channel industry.

Erdem Soyal, Vice-President of Barco Middle East and Africa, tells RME how the company’s range of technology solutions are accelerating digital transformation by bridging the gap between the physical and the remote.

FEATURE: THE FUTURE IS HERE

20 GITEX 2020 is live and in-

person this year and the excitement is palpable. We train the spotlight on some of the participants and what they have in store for visitors this year.

SPECIAL: TOP CHANNEL CHIEFS INTERVIEWS

16 Fadi Moubarak, Vice

President – Channels, Avaya International, talks about the Avaya Edge partner program.

44 Sariya IT-: Amjad Al Omar,

GM, Sariya IT, tells RME about the company’s latest range of products and solutions

32 A close look at some of the channel chiefs and their success stories

SPECIAL: MARKETING HEADS

54 A close look at the

marketing heads and their vision for 2021

PRODUCTS: AOC

67 Gaming display specialist

AOC officially launches the AGON Porsche Design gaming monitor in the UAE.

EDITORIAL FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015)

Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com

MOVING ON WITH HOPE…

EDITORIAL Editor Anita Joseph anita.joseph@cpimediagroup.com Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com

DESIGN Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com

ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com

DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developers Jefferson de Joya webmaster@cpimediagroup.com DIGITAL www.tahawultech.com Printed by Al Salam Printing Press, Sharjah

Anita Joseph Editor

020 is finally coming to an end, and what a year its been! Sudden and unexpected, but certainly eye-opening. The pandemic may have turned our lives the other way, but we continue to prove that the human spirit is stronger as we brainstorm our way out of the crisis. As if to underscore this strength of spirit, we have chosen to shrug off the feeling of gloom that had enveloped the earlier months and are gearing up to hearld a brighter, better new year. Businesses are no different. Cautious but brave, they are innovating and re-strategising their operations, to stay afloat and grow. As a mark of this resilience, GITEX, the global tech show that we all love, is back with a bang. Yes, live, and in-person. The excitement is palpable and we join in the cheer. So, we bring you a special feature where we spotlight some of the leading companies participating. They talk to us about what it means to meet and greet post the pandemic and give us a sneak-peek into the cutting-edge products and solutions they are showcasing at the event. That’s not all. Being the end of the year, we decided to bring you something a little extra: A roundup of the who’s-who of the channel and marketing world. These are faces that we know and recognise, whose efforts, along with that of their teams, have kept businesses going even in extremely challenging circumstances. These leaders confide in us about what kept them going during the darkest hours and what they hope to achieve in 2021. In addition to all this, we have your favourite interviews, 5-in5 sections and the top highlights in the channel world. This is a power-packed, mega issue, one that will keep you hooked.So, enjoy. Happy Reading!

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6 TOP STORIES

INGRAM MICRO EXPANDS JABRA COVERAGE ACROSS DISTRIBUTOR MARKETS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

ngram Micro has announced that it has expanded its global relationship with Jabra, a global brand with a serious passion for sound, with the opening of trading across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Pakistan. Jabra is part of the GN group, has been bringing sound to people’s lives for over 150 years. The company is well known for creating intelligent headsets and communications tools that help professionals work more productively; wireless headphones and earbuds that let consumers enjoy better calls, music, and media; and pioneering video conferencing solutions for more inclusive meetings. Thoughtfully designed. Purposefully engineered. Expertly built. The expansion of the relationship throughout the Middle East is a testament to the expertise in Ingram

Micro’s rapidly expanding Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) Business Unit. Ingram Micro is a market leader in innovative UCC solutions, with an exceptional line card of both traditional and born-in-thecloud vendors, a team of in-country specialists spanning EMEA, and a broad range of complimentary services. “We are delighted to start the distribution of Jabra across the Middle East region. Jabra has unique sound and video conferencing solutions that complement both Ingram Micro’s line card and company evolution to meet the increasing demand in our region. We are confident our cooperation will deliver advanced audio and video technologies to customers, which supports and complements our comprehensive Product portfolio,’’ said Dr. Ali Baghdadi, SVP & Chief Executive of Ingram Micro - META; SVP

THREATQUOTIENT INTEGRATES WITH INFOBLOX FOR ENHANCED DNS AND IP ADDRESS VISIBILITY

in Infoblox DNS and hreatQuotient, a importing Infoblox Threat leading security Intelligence Data Exchange operations platform (TIDE) into ThreatQ, innovator, has organizations are equipped announced an integration to accelerate their with Infoblox, the leader responses to emerging in Secure Cloud-managed threat vectors. Network Services. The “ThreatQuotient combination of Infoblox Haig Colter, provides defenders with contextual data and the ThreatQuotient the context, customization ThreatQ threat intelligence and collaboration needed for platform enables organizations to efficient threat operations and categorize, manage and respond to management. From discovery, threats faster and more effectively. configuration and compliance, Infoblox DNS can put more than Infoblox is helping to automate 45 million threat indicators to and simplify network and security work in real-time within BloxOne processes,” says Haig Colter, Director Threat Defense, which provides of Alliances at ThreatQuotient. advanced DNS security as SaaS“Together, our integration eases the based services from the cloud or as consumption of threat intelligence a hybrid on-premises/SaaS solution. from various internal and external Infoblox security solutions provide sources to ensure that intelligence is ubiquitous visibility, protect against accurate, relevant and timely to an advanced threats and help speed organization’s business.” up incident response, keeping the With ThreatQuotient, organisations workforce secure wherever they may can automate the majority of manual be. By activating cyber intelligence

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

& Chief Executive of Ingram Micro Cyber Security – EMEA. “We are very happy to expand our business cooperation with Ingram Micro in the Middle East region. Ali Baghdadi, After more than a Ingram Micro decade of successful cooperation in Europe and enlarging our territory presence in North Africa in April this year, we now have a unique opportunity to further develop our business in the main Middle East countries with a strong focus on UAE, KSA, and Egypt. We have high ambitions to take our award-winning headsets, like the Evolve2 series and Speakers like Speak 750 into these new markets. And now, with the Jabra PanaCast camera, the region is poised for strong growth for UCaaS customer requirements.” said Edouard de Fonclare, Head of Distribution EMEA & CALA, Jabra. tasks and get more out of existing security resources, both people and infrastructure. Integrating Infoblox IP and DNS contexts with ThreatQ supports a variety of use cases, such as: • Allow joint customers to assess, categorize and manage security incidents • Eliminate unnecessary, duplicate and irrelevant indicators before they enter a network • Enforce security by blocking DNS requests to malicious resources (IP Addresses and Domains) “Security operations tasks such as monitoring for lookalike domains are extremely time-consuming. Teams leveraging Infoblox and ThreatQ, such as TIP administrators, will gain enhanced visibility into potentially malicious IP addresses and DNS threats,” says Dave Barry, Director of Business Development, Infoblox. “Our integration with ThreatQuotient offers customers the tools to further optimize their security posture from the ground up and achieve next-level network security through deeper, more relevant context and automation.”

7 TOP STORIES

AVEVA SIGNS ENTERPRISE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AS NEW MIDDLE EAST VALUE-ADDED RESELLER

our partnership with EBS as signed a strategic further demonstrates our value-added commitment to the region. reseller partnership With deep market insights with Enterprise and unparalleled technical Business Solutions W.L.L. for expertise, EBS is an ideal the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, partner for AVEVA. Regional Bahrain and Oman markets. customers now have limitless The agreement enables EBS, opportunities to realise their a Kuwait-based professional digital ambitions and derive services IT and consulting Dr. Tariq Aslam, AVEVA maximum returns from their company, to deliver AVEVA’s investments. We are thrilled flagship engineering portfolio to begin this journey with EBS and look to its regional customers. EBS will forward to adding greater value to our build awareness for AVEVA solutions customers jointly.” and strengthen the company’s channel AVEVA provides innovative network and presence across the Middle industrial software to transform East and North Africa (MENA). complex industries such as Oil & Gas, “AVEVA is the first company in Construction, Engineering, Marine, the engineering and industrial and Utilities. The company’s integrated software market in the Middle East to portfolio capability harnesses the comprehensively address the end-topower of technologies such as Artificial end digital transformation imperatives with an integrated portfolio of solutions Intelligence (AI), machine learning, mixed reality, advanced simulation and that deliver efficiency, unlock value and cloud computing. AVEVA’s software empower people across the lifecycle solutions and platform enable the of capital assets and operational value design and management of complex chains,” said Dr Tariq Aslam, Head industrial assets like power plants, of MEA, AVEVA. “The Middle East chemical plants, water treatment is an important market for us and

facilities and food and beverage manufacturers – deploying IIoT, big data and AI to digitally transform industries. “AVEVA’s offering perfectly complements our existing portfolio of technologies, enabling us to present comprehensive solutions that can help customers achieve business outcomes. Industrial organisations are increasingly prioritising digital objectives and are seeking transformative solutions to help them become a digital entity. We see a huge potential for AVEVA’s engineering and industrial software solutions with our Middle Eastern industrial customers and will double down our efforts to help our partners scale up with AVEVA. We are excited to grow this partnership and take it to new levels,” said Edmond Chammas, President & CEO, EBS. With a wide footprint across the Middle East market, EBS will promote AVEVA offerings through its strong channel network with dedicated channel events, extensive training sessions, incentivised programmes, value-added services and roadshows. EBS will offer end-to-end support to channel partners across verticals and focus on upskilling them on AVEVA’s pioneering engineering and industrial software solutions portfolio.

QUALYS EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH ARMOR TO INCLUDE COMPLIANCE AND MONITORING OF PUBLIC CLOUDS

ualys, a pioneer and leading provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions, has announced that Armor, a global provider of cybersecurity software that protects workloads in public, hybrid and private cloud environments, is integrating the Qualys CloudView app, which includes Cloud Inventory and Cloud Security Assessment, into Armor Anywhere, an industry-leading cloud security platform. Armor Anywhere with Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) lets clients continuously inventory and assess the security and compliance of their public cloud services as per industry standard benchmarks and regulatory

mandates (e.g. NIST, FEDRAMP, CIS). The Qualys CloudView app extends Qualys’ relationship with Armor. Qualys Cloud Philippe Courtot, Agents are Qualys already embedded and fully integrated with the Armor platform to deliver asset discovery and inventory, plus vulnerability assessment, including configuration controls, threat prioritization and patch detection. This integration now provides compliance and monitoring of public cloud workloads to Armor customers.

“The Qualys Cloud Platform is highly scalable and easily integrates with Armor’s security and compliance platform,” said Mark Woodward, CEO of Armor. The addition of Qualys CloudView allows us to further accelerate compliance outcomes and protect customers from intentional and accidental risks in their public clouds.” “As a leading security provider, Armor is a trusted advisor helping companies to secure their hybrid cloud environments,” said Philippe Courtot, chairman and CEO of Qualys. “This expanded partnership enables Armor to further extend visibility into public cloud services to easily manage continuous compliance and risk for their customers.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

8 NEWSMAKERS

CISCO ACCELERATES SECURE CLOUD ADOPTION WITH LAUNCH OF NEW WAN EDGE PLATFORM

isco has announced its new Wide Area Networking (WAN) edge platform to help customers accelerate cloud adoption and deliver secure and automated connectivity to applications across cloud, data center, and edge. A foundational piece of Cisco’s intent-based networking portfolio, the Catalyst 8000 Edge family provides customers with an innovative and high-performance routing platform. Through built-in analytics, the new platform delivers greater visibility into network or application problems and drives informed decisions to optimise user experiences. As organisations accelerate their adoption of cloud and place more computing power at the edge to run a wider range of applications and improve performance, IT teams are faced with increased complexity, and less control and visibility over the applications running on their networks. These challenges are restricting agility and the ability to deliver secure, connected experiences. The new Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform transforms the WAN edge, helping customers be more agile by delivering automated and secure connectivity to applications across cloud, data center and edge.

“With the proliferation of applications, workloads and services becoming more distributed across the edge-cloud continuum, organizations are facing new realities at the WAN edge,” said Osama Al-Zoubi, Cisco CTO for Middle East and Africa. “In building secure multicloud access architectures, IT organizations need the agility to change course and scale quickly along with the needs of business. The Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platform bridges the WAN edge and the cloud edge, providing secure, high-performance connectivity for distributed users to any cloud while delivering IT visibility and business agility.” The new platform allows customers to adopt cloud solutions at their own pace. For those looking to adopt a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture, Cisco SDWAN converges cloud-managed SD-WAN and cloud-delivered security into one solution. For customers requiring an on-premises solution, full-stack SD-WAN security is supported. • As a high-performance SD-WAN solution, the Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platform is ideal for data center, colocation, and aggregation sites, and features the industry’s highest performing SD-WAN offering with integrated

40G and 100G Ethernet ports in a compact single rack unit form factor. It is powered by Cisco’s Osama Al-Zoubi, Cisco third-generation Quantum Flow Processor, a proprietary Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) built to provide high performance, pervasive security and rich network services. • The Catalyst 8300 Series Edge Platform is made to handle edge connectivity at branch sites, offering modular access with a diverse set of connectivity choices for customers to deliver services on-demand to quickly adapt to changing business requirements. It also provides customers with up to four times better SD-WAN service performance than the current Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISRs). • The Catalyst 8000V Edge Software delivers all the same capabilities in software. It can be deployed in the cloud or virtualized on a platform such as Cisco’s 5000 Series Enterprise Network Compute System (ENCS). Wireless mobility via cellular is becoming critical in modern WANs, and Cisco is enabling customers to easily migrate to an Advanced 4G LTE and 5G wireless WAN.

ESET RESEARCH DISCOVERS MODPIPE, BACKDOOR TARGETING POS SOFTWARE USED BY RESTAURANTS, HOTELS

ET researchers have discovered ModPipe, a modular backdoor that gives its operators access to sensitive information stored in devices running ORACLE MICROS Restaurant Enterprise Series (RES) 3700 POS (pointof-sale) – a management software suite used by hundreds of thousands of bars, restaurants, hotels and other hospitality establishments worldwide. What makes the backdoor distinctive are its downloadable modules and their capabilities, as it contains a custom algorithm designed to gather RES 3700 POS database passwords by decrypting them from Windows registry values. This shows that the backdoor’s authors have deep knowledge of the targeted software and opted for this sophisticated method instead of collecting the data via a simpler yet “louder” approach, such as keylogging. Exfiltrated

credentials allow ModPipe’s operators access to database contents, including various definitions and configuration, status tables and information about POS transactions. “However, based on the documentation of RES 3700 POS, the attackers should not be able to access some of the most sensitive information – such as credit card numbers and expiration dates – which is protected by encryption. The only customer data stored in the clear and thus available to the attackers should be cardholder names,” cautions ESET researcher Martin Smolár, who discovered ModPipe. “Probably the most intriguing parts of ModPipe are its downloadable modules. We’ve been aware of their existence since the end of 2019, when we first found and analysed its basic components,” he added. Downloadable modules:

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

• GetMicInfo targets data related to the MICROS POS, including passwords tied to two database usernames predefined by the manufacturer. This module can intercept and decrypt these database passwords, using a specifically designed algorithm. • ModScan 2.20 collects additional information about the installed MICROS POS environment on the machines by scanning selected IP addresses. • ProcList with main purpose is to collect information about currently running processes on the machine. To keep the operators behind ModPipe at bay, potential victims are advised to use the latest version of the software, use it on devices that run updated operating system and software and use reliable multilayered security software that can detect ModPipe and similar threats.

9 NEWSMAKERS

AUTODESK SIGNS BLUETECH AS DISTRIBUTOR FOR AFRICAN MARKET

lueTech Holding Ltd., part of Midis Group and providing end-to-end technology advisory solutions for business partners across the Levant, Gulf and Africa, today signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Autodesk for North, West and Central Africa. BlueTech will be responsible for developing, creating and enabling the right partner ecosystem for Autodesk that can design, promote, sell, implement and deploy successful digital transformation solutions for end customers. Speaking about the agreement, Toni Azzi, General Manager at BlueTech Holding Ltd. comments, “Autodesk is a global leader in design and make software for architecture, engineering, construction, media and entertainment, and manufacturing industries. We believe that there is huge potential for the company’s solutions in the African market as enterprises in the region evolve towards complete digitization.” “BlueTech has been a valued IBM and Lenovo Distributor for more than twenty years. Adding Autodesk will further strengthen our portfolio and solution offering and is in line with our vision ‘to be the preferred strategic partner in MEA, by delivering innovative solutions that enable and support the digital transformation agenda of regional enterprises’.” BlueTech will have an active engagement with Autodesk to ensure alignment on the go-to-market strategy. The distributor and vendor will work closely together to develop and enable the regional channel community. Partner recruitment events will be held frequently such as partner summits, roadshows, roundtables and bootcamps, as well as partner enablement and technical training workshops. Training will also be provided to end-customers to help them derive maximum benefit from the implementations. “With rapid urbanization, a rising middle class, economic growth and increased government investments, we are witnessing a growth in the construction, infrastructure and

manufacturing sectors in Africa. Technology adoption can play a critical role in driving this growth, and we are excited about working with BlueTech to bring these best-in-class solutions to Africa. As we aim to expand into new markets and new territories in Africa, it is critical to have a strong distribution framework that enhances the operational efficiencies across the supply chain and maximizes business outcomes. The addition of BlueTech to our existing VAD family is a significant step in this direction,” explains Louay Dahmash, Director Field Sales for EMEA Emerging at Autodesk. Over the last several decades, Autodesk has driven innovation in every industry its software touches. Below are some of the areas that the company is revolutionizing through its market leading technology:

GENERATIVE DESIGN IS A FORM OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THAT LEVERGES THE POWER OF THE CLOUD TO CREATE BETTER OUTCOMES FOR PRODUCTS AND EXPERIENCES. • Building Information Modelling (BIM) - BIM is an intelligent 3D modelbased process that gives Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. Autodesk is helping AEC professionals move towards more collaborative, automated and successful ways of working. • Construction - Autodesk’s vision for the construction industry is based on how cloud-based, collaborative technology can drive the era of connected construction. Autodesk Construction Cloud portfolio combines

Toni Azzi, General Manager at BlueTech Holding Ltd

next-generation technology, a robust network of professionals and firms, and powerful predictive analytics to help the business thrive across all phases of construction. • Generative Design for D&M and for AEC – Generative design is a form of artificial intelligence that leverages the power of the cloud to create better outcomes for products, buildings, infrastructure, systems and experiences. It utilizes algorithms, machine learning and computational geometry to quickly explore multiple solutions to a design problem. Generative design yields a wide range of alternatives that are optimized and validated by satisfying the various criteria a design must meet while accelerating the entire design-tomake process. The recent expansion of Autodesk Revit that is now including generative design technology, allows users to explore, optimize and evaluate data-driven design alternatives based on project goals, constraints and inputs. “For more than 25 years, Autodesk resellers have been delivering the right solutions, software, and services to meet business needs. They understand unique business and industry needs. We are pleased to bring BlueTech as our new distributor in Africa. With over twenty-two years of experience in solution selling and technology advisory, we believe that BlueTech, through its vast channel network, robust logistical engine, and its team of experts, will drive customer success in our key industries in the region to new levels,” concludes Simon Bromfield, Africa Territory Sales Manager at Autodesk.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

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11 NEWSMAKERS

MCAFEE LAUNCHES SECURE CLOUD NATIVE APPLICATION ECOSYSTEM

cAfee has announced MVISION Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP), the industry’s truly integrated architecture to secure the cloud native application ecosystem. MVISION CNAPP delivers consistent data protection, threat prevention, governance, and compliance throughout the cloud-native application lifecycle, including container and OS-based workloads. Most enterprises are leveraging the agility and innovation velocity of the public cloud, either solely or in conjunction with their private data centers. “Organisations want to unleash the creativity of their developers to rapidly develop and deploy compelling and compliant cloudnative applications that harness the power of the cloud,” said Rajiv Gupta, senior vice president, Cloud Security, McAfee. “But in order to do that they need an equally cloud-native platform to address the new security needs of this new environment.

McAfee MVISION CNAPP extends MVISION Cloud’s data protection – both Data Loss Prevention and malware detection – threat prevention, governance and Rajiv Gupta, McAfee compliance to comprehensively address the needs of this new cloud-native application world thereby improving security capabilities and reducing the Total Cost of Ownership of cloud security.” MVISION CNAPP is the industry’s first platform to bring application and data context to converge Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) for public cloud infrastructure, and Cloud Workload Protection (CWPP) to protect hosts and workloads including VMs, containers, and serverless functions. MVISION CNAPP provides five key capabilities:

Deep Discovery: The ability to discover all cloud resources and prioritise them based on risk. MVISION CNAPP uniquely provides deep discovery of all workloads, data and infrastructure across endpoint, networks and cloud. Shift Left: The ability to protect against configuration drift and provide vulnerability assessment across virtual machines, containers and serverless environments. This helps unleash developer productivity through frictionless automation. Zero Trust: The ability to build policy based on zero trust, behavioural observation to eliminate false positives and achieve scale with known good behavior enforcement. MITRE ATT&CK Framework: The ability to empower the Security Operations Center (SOC) by mapping cloud native threats to the MITRE ATT&CK framework for expedient remediation. Governance and Compliance: The ability to automate security controls for continuous compliance and governance of data and permissions. MVISION CNAPP beta is available at McAfee MPOWER Digital 2020, with general availability planned for March 2021.

AVEVA STRENGTHENS FOCUS ON CLOUD AND AI WITH EXPANDED PARTNERSHIP WITH MICROSOFT

VEVA has announced that it will be extending its long-standing strategic collaboration with Microsoft to focus on accelerating digital transformation in the industrial sector. As part of the expanded agreement, AVEVA will help maximise the value that customers can derive from the integration of AVEVA’s portfolio with Microsoft cloud services and especially Microsoft Azure (infrastructure, data and AI services), helping them achieve implementations quicker, connect teams more readily and drive growth opportunities throughout their integrated portfolio. AVEVA’s key focus areas will revolve around cloud as well as transforming the workforce (connected worker), and building a common Asset Strategy (Asset Performance). Working with Microsoft, AVEVA will continue to focus on three key areas, already proven with customers including Total, Veolia and SCG Chemicals – platform integration, a multi-solution engagement approach, and a shared go-to-market strategy. The platform integration approach can help generate new ways to increase business value for customers.

Over the past few years, digital transformation has been changing the way the manufacturing and energy industries approach business sustainability while seeking robust technologies to run their operations efficiently. As the sector transitions to working differently in a digital-first new normal, AVEVA is collaborating with Microsoft to support its customer vison of creating profitable business outcomes that will enable them to thrive in today’s challenging macro environment. AVEVA’s portfolio breadth, combined with Microsoft’s technology solutions, enables customers to deploy faster, reduce energy consumption, cut emissions, and share collaborative innovation, boosting efficiency for all. Unlocking new technology innovations and digital solutions like Azure AI services, such as Azure Cognitive Search, supports efficient energy management, successful workforce transformations, and helps realise process improvements. Steen Lomholt-Thomsen, Chief Revenue Officer at AVEVA, said, “With so much of the world’s economy becoming reliant

on digitisation, meeting the highest standards for these critical deployments Steen Lomholtis no longer just Thomsen, AVEVA a nice to have, it is an absolute necessity. The upshot of this pandemic is that it has forced entire sectors within industry to embrace innovative digital platforms available to facilitate a way of working that keeps both people connected and agile, and more importantly, safe.” Deb Cupp, CVP WW Enterprise & Commercial Industries at Microsoft, commented, “With today’s economic resilience now tied so closely to digital infrastructures, it is important the industrial organisations adopt a scalable, stable, and harmonised framework to support their corporate strategies. Cloud technologies like Microsoft Azure will enable businesses to configure, provision and design the solution they need, when and where they need it. Our collaboration with AVEVA will empower industrial and manufacturing organisations to develop innovative solutions for our customers.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

12 NEWSMAKERS

ASBIS GROUP CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY

he key to a company’s success is customer confidence, employee involvement, continuous development of the portfolio of products and solutions, multiplied by time. All this can be said about the international holding ASBIS Group, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. ASBIS Enterprises PLC specializes in distribution of VAD (Value Added Distribution) products and solutions in the field of information and communication technologies from global international suppliers. It currently has its own offices throughout the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in 27 countries. The holding’s corporate portfolio includes hundreds of vendors and tens of thousands of products. The company has launched its own brands, and its annual turnover is about $2 billion. ASBIS managed to gradually turn from a small company of 12 people into a global IT distributor with a staff of close to 1800 employees and about 20 000 active clients from 56 countries. ASBIS Group was founded in 1990 in Minsk by Serhei Kostevich, who to this day leads the company. In 1995 the Company was registered in Cyprus and the headquarters was moved to Limassol where it stays to this day. In 2000, ASBIS offices started operating in 10 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and second distribution center was established in Dubai. In 2002, an online e-commerce platform was developed. In 2004, the first office was opened in South Africa. In 2006, the company’s turnover

exceeded $1 billion. In 2007, ASBIS was successfully listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) under the ticker ASB. In 2011, the company received the title “Distributor of the Year in the Middle East and North Africa” from the EMEA Channel Academy Awards, and in 2013 – the Warsaw Stock Exchange award for the best investor relations. In 2015, according to the IT Europa report, ASBIS was listed in the TOP-10 of the world’s IT distributors. In recent years ASBIS and its subsidiaries regularly win “Distributor of the Year” awards from leading worldwide manufacturers as Seagate, Lenovo, HP, DELL EMC, Western Digital and others. Over the past five years, ASBIS has significantly optimised its product portfolio, introduced new operating processes, expanded and strengthened its regional presence and received numerous industry awards. Recently, the company

CUSTOMERS, PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS WHO ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COMPANY, ITS SOURCE OF LIFE AND MAIN ARTERY, PLAY AN INVALUABLE ROLE IN THE GREAT SUCCESS STORY OF ASBIS WITH THEIR YEARS OF FRUITFUL COOPERATION.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

has worked with the largest clients in the data center industry and has also focused on developing its own brands. The development and implementation of ICT products under Prestigio and Canyon trademarks continues. A new brand Perenio has appeared, which provides human security and building management systems using artificial intelligence technologies and the Internet of things. “We have had a long and eventful journey, full of invaluable experience, which we constantly “invest” in the evolution of the holding. We continue to be ambitious in our global expansion, curious about new ways to satisfy the needs of consumers and remain true to our mission – making innovative technologies accessible and understandable to a wide range of consumers. We deeply value all our employees, thanks to whom we are relentlessly moving forward. We are immensely grateful to our clients, who inspire and motivate with their many years of trust. All this helps us to look to the future with optimism, to find more and more new niches, products, and markets where we can demonstrate the best standards of our client service”, commented Serhei Kostevich, founder and CEO of ASBIS Group. 2020 turned out to be a difficult year for the entire global economy, but the need to switch to remote work has opened up new opportunities in the IT field. Thanks to a very good strategy, close-knit team working as a single mechanism, fast response, and flexible management, the company did not miss the chance to be at the forefront of global distribution of digital technology. According to the forecasts published by ASBIS Group, the sales revenue in 2020 is expected to be more than $2 billion. Customers, partners, and suppliers, who are an integral part of the company, its source of life and its main artery, play an invaluable role in the great success story of ASBIS. The company is grateful to each of them for the years of fruitful cooperation and is ready to see what’s next and build joint plans for the future. To express its gratitude and invite everyone to celebrate this significant date, ASBIS will launch a special motivational program.

13 NEWSMAKERS

ALJAMMAZ TECHNOLOGIES SIGNS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH LOGRHYTHM, LEADERS IN NEXTGEN SIEM

lJammaz Technologies, the leading value-added technology distributor in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with LogRhythm, a world leader in NextGen SIEM. Through this agreement the two organizations plan to jointly develop, engage, inspire and enable IT channel partners to provide the latest cyber security solutions to customers in the region. LogRhythm empower organizations on six continents to successfully reduce risk by rapidly detecting, responding to and neutralising damaging cyberthreats. The LogRhythm platform combines user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), network traffic and behavior analytics (NTBA) and security automation & orchestration (SAO) in a single end-to-end solution. LogRhythm’s NextGen SIEM Platform strengthens the maturity of an organisation’s security operations, aligning the people, processes, and technology in a single, unified platform for rapid detection, response, and neutralization of threats. The platform provides visibility into activity across an organization’s entire IT/OT environment, revealing potential issues before they become significant risks. By automatically detecting

malicious behavior, companies can quickly and easily identify threats to mitigate potential breaches. Adel Qahwash, GM of AlJammaz Technologies, said, “Being a leading valueadded technology distributor in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries, our focus is at identifying, aggregating and distributing cutting-edge cyber security solutions for the channel partners and their customers. Distribution partnership with LogRhythm a Gartner recognized Leader in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Magic Quadrant, is a testament of our commitment to channel partners, empowering them to offer a comprehensive suite of value-added security solutions.” “Defending any enterprise comes with great responsibility in today’s digital world. Tactics and sophistication of modern cyber

THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ALJAMMAZ TO BUILD THEIR OFFERINGS USING LOGRHYTHM NEXT GEN SIEM PLATFORM.

STARLINK ENHANCES IAM PORTFOLIO WITH SAILPOINT PARTNERSHIP

tarLink has announced a partnership with SailPoint for distribution in the Middle East and Turkey. The joint objective is to help organisations drive business efficiency with a robust Identity Management strategy. A leader in enterprise identity management, SailPoint delivers an innovative approach to securing access across enterprises with the SailPoint Predictive Identity platform, which is powered by AI and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. SailPoint provides enterprise identity governance solutions, tackling with ease the most complex business challenges that global organisations face today as they chart their digital transformation journey. With SailPoint, organisations have full visibility into their entire workforce and their access to critical business assets needed

to do their jobs both securely and effectively. All of this translates to business value and thus enables businesses to run seamlessly and confidently. The two companies, Nidal Othman, StarLink through this robust collaboration, will aim to empower enterprises in the region with advanced capabilities to help accelerate their business while delivering adaptive security, continuous compliance, and improved business efficiency. “The impact of cybersecurity breaches is astounding, which calls for a Zero Trust approach. What customers need today

threats are ever-increasing, which means it is important for us to offer partners a comprehensive suite of value-added security solutions. LogRhythm brings a great opportunity for our partners to build their security programs and services on a solid foundation using LogRhythm NextGen SIEM Platform, which is at the center of thousands of SOCs worldwide, “ he added. “We’re excited about our partnership with AlJammaz Technologies and look forward at expanding our channel footprint across a broader ecosystem of partners. With its vast experience and resources, the AlJammaz Technologies team will assist LogRhythm to recruit new partners whilst empowering and enabling existing resellers across the Middle East.” “It is a great opportunity for AlJammaz Technologies partners to build their offerings using LogRhythm NextGen SIEM Platform to help customers detect threats earlier and faster, automate and collaborate on investigations, and remediate threats with agility. Eliminating blind spots across the entire enterprise from endpoints to the network to the cloud,” said Mazen A. Dohaji, Vice President – (iMETA) India, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, LogRhythm. is a strong AI-driven identity strategy that can enable efficient access without compromising on security or compliance. StarLink’s solutions portfolio consists of very strong technologies within its Access Control domain and our alliance with SailPoint will further strengthen our offerings as it complements with many of the Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions,” said Nidal Othman, co-founder and managing director, StarLink “Given the massive number of digital assets to which today’s workforce needs access to do their jobs, global businesses cannot afford to grant that access without properly securing and governing that access. It’s akin to locking the front door but leaving the back door wide open,” said Stephen Bradford, Sr. Vice President Sales at SailPoint. “Identity governance is critical to securing today’s digital workforce and we’re looking forward to partnering with StarLink to provide the strong identity security controls needed to fully protect the enterprise.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

14 NEWSMAKERS

APPDYNAMICS ENABLES IT TEAMS TO SEAMLESSLY BUILD CLOUD-NATIVE APPS

ppDynamics, a part of Cisco, has released new capabilities designed to help IT teams build cloud native applications. The new features enable enterprises to connect hybrid cloud application performance to business performance in real-time. Through a context-sensitive visualisation interface, correlated insights across domains and intelligent resource optimisation, enterprise IT leaders will be able to reduce noise and surface only the most businesscritical information and insights across their unique hybrid environments. “AppDynamics’ new portfolio of cloud native services is the only solution on the market to provide an easy to use performance monitoring platform that helps users tame the complexity of the cloud from the application all the way through to the network,” said Jeetu Patel, senior vice president and general manager, security & applications, Cisco. He added, “By reducing noise and providing the context that matters most to cloud workflows, business leaders will be able to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives and improve their user experiences.”

According to AppDynamics, technologists are adopting cloud services faster than ever before in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the increased pressure it has placed on IT. While new cloud technologies have delivered flexibility and enabled innovation for businesses as they seek to deliver seamless customer and employee digital experiences, they have also led to more complex and distributed application architectures. This has created huge challenges for technologists in enterprise organisations who typically rely on many traditional IT systems to run their businesses but now operate in a hybrid cloud environment. AppDynamics’ new portfolio of cloud capabilities closes that visibility gap and allows users to connect traditional systems with cloud native services, all in the context of business outcomes. These new capabilities include: Full Stack Observability Platform: A new data platform designed to increase visibility and seamlessly ingest data from multiple sources including AppDynamics agentbased data, open-source tools and agentless services and correlate the data across

MINDWARE, HTC PARTNER TO ACCELERATE ENTERPRISE VR

indware has announced a distribution agreement with HTC. As per the agreement, Mindware will now offer HTC’s complete portfolio of VIVE Enterprise virtual reality (VR) solutions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). HTC VIVE Enterprise solutions are built around enabling businesses of all sizes to enhance their creativity, accelerate training, strengthen collaboration, and engage their customers. They combine great hardware with versatile software and deliver an exceptional overall experience. Businesses have different requirements – some require best-in-class software and hardware, room-scale tracking, and multiple users in the same environment. Others seek convenience, portability, and a more affordable entry point to VR. HTC’s wide range of products cater to every need. Nicholas Argyrides, General Manager – Gulf at Mindware, said, “Are you ready for the New

Reality? – this is the question we challenge regional enterprises with! Virtual Reality is a trend that is gaining considerable traction in the enterprise space at the moment. It enables powerful ways for employees to communicate, collaborate and learn. With remote working becoming increasingly prevalent in the context of the current pandemic, VR solutions provide a real sense of presence and personalisation of interactions, contributing to better business outcomes. Today, VR is able to eliminate traditional physical barriers and provides incredibly immersive experiences. Organisations across different industries are gradually discovering new and interesting use cases and application areas, such as training, industrial design and architecture, scientific visualisation, virtual events and entertainment, to name a few.” “With VR gaining popularity in the MENA region, we believe that there is an enormous amount of potential for HTC’s best-in-class

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

domains. Cloud Data Collector: An extensible architecture for capturing and Jeetu Patel, Cisco automating data collection and correlating cloud services with application code, user experience and business impact to provide full stack, context rich observability. Starting with Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) monitoring and observability service, Amazon CloudWatch, and then expanding to incorporate additional public and private cloud environments. Cloud Native Visualisation: A new visualisation interface that reduces the complexity of monitoring cloud-native applications with a context-sensitive, easy to understand, visual representation. Intelligent Application Resourcing and Cost Optimisation: An integration with Cisco Intersight Workload Optimiser will transform operations from reactive to proactive by optimising infrastructure resources and costs in hybrid cloud environments. technology that will usher in a new age for the enterprise. We are excited about our newest partnership and look forward to introducing our innovative solutions to the region through our channel ecosystem.” One of HTC’s innovations, namely the VIVE Focus plus, features an all-in-one VR headset for enterprise designed for quality and portability. With the newly-added dual 6DoF controllers, increased comfort for extended VR sessions, and enhanced optics, VIVE Focus Plus blurs the lines between reality and virtual reality. The VIVE Pro Eye Office creates more immersive virtual simulations with precision eye tracking and is ideal for a wide range of environments and applications, such as training, design, construction, and more. HTC and Mindware will work together to develop a strong partner ecosystem based on a specially designed partner program – REED (Recruit, Enable, Engage & Deliver). The objective is to enable skilled and trained partners to consult, design and deliver on enterprise VR requirements. Mindware’s agile logistics operations with several warehousing facilities enable HTC to deliver the vendor’s solutions to resellers across the region.

6-10 20 Dec 20

DUBAI WORL D TRADE CENTRE

INSPIRING THE NEXT DECADE OF BREAKTHROUGHS ADS HERE #GITEX2020

Be part of the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only global tech event, LIVE in Dubai

GITEX.COM

Co-located with

Some of our 2020 Exhibitors

Fadi Moubarak , Vice President â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Channels, Avaya International

How Avaya is focusing on partner success in the cloud The Avaya Edge Partner Program delivers richer commerical and technical support for partners moving to the cloud.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

17 AVAYA // INTERVIEW

t its recent virtual edition of the Avaya Partner Summit, Avaya demonstrated to channel partners how its latest cloud-first solutions, as well as updates to the Avaya Edge partner program, enable a framework for partners to profitably transition to Software-as-aService (SaaS) business models. The solutions presented at the online event leverage the unique hybrid delivery of Avaya OneCloud, a multi-cloud application ecosystem that enables organisations to choose the cloud technologies that deliver the business results they want at the speed they want. These technologies are combined with Avaya Edge program updates that, Avaya says, deliver richer commercial and technical support for partners moving to the cloud. To find out more about these updates, and how Avaya is taking a cloud-first approach to its partner community, we caught up with Fadi Moubarak, Vice President – Channels, Avaya International. Here’s what he said. What is Avaya’s outlook for the coming year, particularly given the challenging market conditions that we’ve all experienced this year? It’s no secret that the unforeseen events of the last few months have left an unprecedented impact on the global economy. However, the one interesting thing that we see is that some industries are actually benefitting from these conditions - particularly online and retail companies. However, there are other industries that are suffering a lot, such as tourism and hospitality, while others are somewhere in between. The demand for our solutions actually increased, particularly because of the increase in remote working and organisations resorting to online means of communication and collaboration. A lot of customers are relying on Avaya’s technology, and that’s what we are focusing on right now. We’re not interested in predictions or forecasts; we’re focused on helping our customers serve their customers better and help

them communicate and collaborate more efficiently. Tell us something about the Avaya Edge program. What are the main features and are there any recent updates or developments? Our partner program has been running since the last time we overhauled it four or five years ago. But since that time, we have been constantly evolving to cope with the changes in the market, in the role that customers expect our partners to play. Going forward, there is a major shift that has been accelerated - the trend to cloud and to Opex. So now customers don’t look at purchasing new solutions; they actually look at consuming new solutions. They want things immediately; to consume things as needed and scale it up or down. So, with that priority from the customer’s side in mind, it has forced our partners and resellers to accelerate their shift from a Capex business model to a pure Opex business model. That’s what we’ve done with Edge – to support that acceleration and to address the fact that the Opex business model can cause some cash flow pressures on organisations. What we’ve done with the Edge program is that we’ve shifted the rewards system to encourage partners who are shifting to the cloud model

GOING FORWARD, THERE’S A MAJOR TREND THAT HAS BEEN ACCELERATED-THE TREND TO CLOUD AND TO OPEX.”

to the Opex model. The program will help really absorb some of the financial pressure on their bottom-line. So that’s the major evolution we’ve done to the program - we’ve given them four or five key sales milestones where they can earn rebates and these milestones are stackable. Our entire partner community is eligible this year to double or triple their different rebates that they get, as a gesture of support from Avaya to support their transition to the Opex model. On the technical side, the updates are simply an evolution; we’ve removed certain requirements that are no longer applicable to the cloud world and added certain aspects that are relevant, but overall, we’ve just simplified the whole system because the cloud world, the Opex world, is simpler as the solutions are pre-installed and activated, and customers will just have to just use them. Consumption is key here - it’s not just about installation and support. Do you think the Opex model has emerged as such a major driving force in the channel market now? For sure, the Opex model is the driving force now. This is mainly because companies wish to reduce capital expenditure as much as possible, because of the economic pressures that they are going through. There is another factor also-playing in favour of the Opex business model, and that is whether it’s subscription-based, private cloud or public cloud, customers are looking for quick wins. They are gravitating towards micro solutions, so they’re not trying any large projects that used to be implemented over a year. Now they’re going to reduce their deployments into pieces and do it over a period of weeks to implement new technology and use it, and look at an ROI that becomes obvious in months. These two factors have majorly been driven by the global economic challenges, and so customers are requesting an Opex business model or a way to consume technology by default. Of course, Capex will never disappear, but the new default is Opex.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

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19 STARLINK // GITEX

StarLink presents a Bold ‘Connect Strategy’ Celebrates 10 years of GITEX

tarLink, the fastest growing “True” Value-added Distributor (VAD) in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region, will be participating at GITEX 2020 and will be showcasing powerful technologies. Amidst a global pandemic, StarLink continues in their unwavering leadership role, innovating with latest technologies, and connecting vendors with partners and customers in the Cybersecurity, Cloud and Data Centre domains. This GITEX, StarLink has selected cutting-edge technologies namely Palo Alto Networks, Citrix, BeyondTrust, SailPoint, Nutanix, Infoblox, FireEye, Riverbed, Imperva, Forescout, Cloudera, Cofense, ThreatQ, Pulse Secure, FireMon, Getvisibility, LinkShadow, SecureLink and Tripwire - that are going to be essential for enterprises as they adapt to the new-normal. Located at Hall 2 entrance in the Enterprise and Security Arena, Dubai World Trade Centre, StarLink and their participating vendor teams will be

engaging and networking, both virtually and face-to-face, with channel partners and end-customers to share business and technical insights on their solutions offering and industry best practices. “This year has been exceptional full of learnings and new experiences. With a ‘new norm’ being introduced, innovative ways of doing things has become inevitable. This has unlocked huge potential in the areas of digitization, cloud, AI and applications and we are excited about the opportunities presented by these changes. In line with our theme and strategy for FY’21 “StarLink Connect”, we have invested in giving vendors, partners and end-users more ways to connect with experts from around the globe virtually, and face-to-face at our stand this GITEX. Every GITEX, StarLink raises the bar and this year will be no different”, commented Nidal Othman, cofounder & managing director, StarLink. Mahmoud Nimer, co-founder and general manager, StarLink said, “We are very privileged to be in a country where

the Government demonstrates visionary leadership. StarLink is committed to supporting such great vision as we work together with our different stakeholders to accelerate the growth of the economy. We are indeed proud to be part of ‘the only global tech show live, – in-person’ and look forward to welcoming our channel partners, end-customers and vendors at GITEX.” Zaidoun Arbad, chief operating officer, StarLink said that “Whilst we celebrate 10 years of our participation at GITEX, you will experience our “StarLink Connect” strategy in action. Over the past 16 years we have reshaped the distribution landscape with our unique business model, Go-To-Market strategy, and distinctive initiatives. We have now made the bold move to leverage from the data gathered over these years and invested in Business Intelligence which is made available to our vendors, partners, and end-users. We strongly believe that this will cement our Advisory Leadership role, significantly enhancing ROI for our customers and overall satisfaction.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

20 FEATURE // GITEX 2020

CommScope: Ehab Kanary, Vice President Emerging Markets Europe, Middle East and Africa

DVCOM Technologies: Renjan George, Managing Director

GITEX 2020:

The Future is Here This year’s GITEX is special. One of the few physical events to take place after the chaos of the pandemic, it promises to bring together some of the latest technology solutions and services that cater to the ‘new’ way of doing business. There’s buzz and excitement in the air as this showstopper gets underway and the new road to the future is thrown open. Here, we train the spotlight on some of the companies that are participating and give you a glimpse of what’s in store. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

Kaspersky: Amir Kanaan, Managing Director for Middle East, Turkey and Africa

hat does participation in GITEX, especially in 2020 in the context of the pandemic,

mean to you? Commscope: According to Forbes, the reality is virtual conferences and events are going to be a big part of our future, definitely in the short term and possibly much longer than that. In terms of accessibility, cost savings, environmental footprint, etc. virtual events have a lot going for them. We believe this is the same case for GITEX. We’ll see the benefits of networking in person as well as more accessibility to interesting content after the show. Ultimately, it’s about the content that captivates audiences. CommScope will be participating virtually in GITEX 2020. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation with customers, partners and organisations on how we work together beyond the pandemic. CommScope has been engaging industry leaders on the need to adapt to different economic environments while ensuring business resiliency. We’re seeing accelerated adoption of digital transformation as

ManageEngine: Nirmal Kumar Manoharan, Regional Sales Director

Veeam Software: Claude Schuck, Regional Manager, Middle East

companies modernise their networks. through our solutions that are more DVCOM: The COVID-19 crisis has relevant in these unprecedented times quite literally disrupted and then of amplified remote collaboration and transformed the way companies cloud requirements. GITEX has always operate. Most of the events this year been a must-attend event for us as it is have been postponed or cancelled due for most from the technology industry to the lockdowns and the spread of the and we are looking forward to engaging coronavirus. After a socially distant with industry professionals and other virtual year of business, being able to participants. We want to utilise our participate in and attend shows like participation as a means to increase GITEX is an excellent way for us to the visibility and understanding of our interact with our audience, take queries cutting-edge solutions amongst visitors and feedback and potential directly from clients. GITEX is them, and make an opportunity them aware about for us to create the potential of awareness our solutions. around the many GITEX 2020 is pain points for presenting us with AFTER A SOCIALLY businesses and the opportunity individuals that DISTANT VIRTUAL YEAR to showcase the offerings can OF BUSINESS, BEING ABLE our various business address. TO PARTICIPATE IN AND solutions that Kaspersky: DVCOM offers GITEX Technology ATTEND SHOWS LIKE for individual Week is one of the GITEX IS AN EXCELLENT and business anticipated WAY FOR US TO INTERACT most assistance. technology events WITH OUR AUDIENCE, Through our of the year. It is an TAKE QUERIES AND participation in important trade the event this show which gives FEEDBACK DIRECTLY year, we aim to us the platform to FROM THEM...” showcase the best showcase our wide of innovation range of products www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

22 FEATURE // GITEX 2020

and services as well as raise awareness about cybersecurity. Due to the sudden shift towards remote working, we were able to once more gauge how important it is for employees to be equipped with the best possible cyber training. For the future of remote working to be safe, we will continue to place a great deal of emphasis on providing cybersecurity training for employees. Our training programs deliver knowledge, but – more importantly – change habits and form the new behavior patterns that are the real goal of awareness training. ManageEngine: ManageEngine has been doing business in the Middle East since 2005 and we have been a part of GITEX since 2007 and consider the event of strategic importance to us. Our participation this year is mainly to communicate our commitment to our customers and that we will continue to serve them. The relationship we have with GITEX and the region is too strong for a pandemic to get in the way. We are aware that there could be fewer visitors, compared to the previous years, but we would like to be at the event to greet and thank those who will be attending GITEX 2020. Veeam: We are very happy that GITEX is going ahead this year and we are confident that the organizers have taken every measure to ensure everyone’s safety at the event. Besides exhibiting through a physical booth at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Veeam will also have a digital booth on the new GITEX.Virtual platform, from where customers and partners interested in Veeam’s solutions will be able to download whitepapers and view product demos and videos. As the leading technology event of the year in the region, we see GITEX as a great platform for vendors, partners and customers to get together and share ideas. This year, as in the past years, we will use the GITEX to expose our brand, reinforce our commitment to the local market, showcase our product capabilities and innovations and meet with both, existing and prospective customers and partners. I can attribute much of our success to the relationships www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

OUR PARTICIPATION THIS YEAR IS MAINLY TO COMMUNICATE OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR CUSTOMERS THE FACT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE THEM. THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE WITH GITEX AND THE REGION IS TOO STRONG FOR A PANDEMIC TO GET IN THE WAY...” we have built and fostered at the event and I expect this year to be no different. Every year we have meaningful and memorable interactions where we build relationships as well as a pipeline of business for the forthcoming year. What are you offering this year at Gitex? CommScope: CommScope is working together to support our customers as they embrace what’s next. Business models have changed, new opportunities have arisen, a need for fast, reliable ubiquitous connectivity has become the very backbone of commerce, education, health and safety. The workplace and home dynamics are shifting globally, and CommScope is well positioned to tap into these opportunities through the networks of the future that we create. Here are examples of recent innovations that address this need for connectivity: CommScope is partnering with Google’s Area 120 for Orion Wifi, a platform designed to bring private, secure roaming for consumers while helping public venues solve cellular dead zones and monetise their networks. CommScope’s RUCKUS Cloud: IT teams can troubleshoot faster

and proactively improve the user experience. These gains will continue to accrue as new machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities are introduced, making the network more autonomous and self-healing. Connectivity across key industries: Connecting to a university Wi-Fi network is important for students. As they bring the latest smartphones to campus, the connection needs to be seamless and support all the standards and applications. The hospitality industry is reopening with a focus on health and safety for guests and employees. The network is the key to supporting these initiatives as applications and devices are added for cameras, video, IoT and other devices. CommScope’s RUCKUS ICX 7550 enterprise campus switch series is purpose-built for Wi-Fi 6 and IoT deployments. DVCOM: Our exhibit at GITEX this year will be based on solutions like MS Teams and Zoom certified video and audio solutions from Yealink that are directly in line with cloud collaboration, one of the primary interest areas of the event. DVCOM will be exhibiting two primary solutions at GITEX 2020 - Yealink and Yeastar. Our solutions and offerings have been carefully designed keeping the end user’s need and comfort the top priorities. Our main focus will be around SD WAN, Cybersecurity, and remote collaboration solutions like Zoom and Yealink Meeting. You will find on display our all-new Yeastar P-Series PBX system which is a solution that facilitates the delivery of simplified experiences with Linkus UC clients. Linkus UC clients let P-Series PBX users easily switch their smartphones and desktops into office extensions in a hassle-free operation. It offers users a one-of-its-kind Operator Panel that works as an all-in-one easy-to-use dashboard for receptionists and frontdesk operators to manage call traffic super smoothly while considering the real-time availability of employees. The showcase of Yealink and Yeastar at GITEX 2020 has been crafted to deliver

Backup solutions that deliver Cloud an interactive learning experience to Data Management. At GITEX 2020, our clients and visitors. You can look we will be showcasing our flagship forward to watching us highlight the many uses cases of our solutions in day- solution – Veeam Availability Suite, a single platform for modernizing backup, to-day circumstances where they can accelerating hybrid cloud and securing prove to be the ideal networking and enterprise data. Regardless of where cybersecurity ally. data resides – physical systems, SaaS Kaspersky: GITEX offers us the services, public cloud, private cloud, perfect platform to raise awareness hybrid cloud, or multi-cloud – our about cybersecurity for organisations. platform helps companies keep their This year we will be talking about businesses running. our full suite of products and services We are keen to demonstrate Veeam that encompass what we are calling Backup & Replication, as well - the the ‘Expert Framework’. Built to tailor one solution for simple, reliable and to the technical expertise of every flexible protection of ALL enterprise company, it starts with the Security cloud, virtual and physical workloads. Foundations, where our offering will Veeam Availability (VAS) v10 which block the maximum possible number saw general release back in February of threats automatically. From there has more than 150 new features and we move to Advanced Defense, enhancements, including modern NAS focusing on advanced detection and a support, Multi-VM Instant Recovery and fast response to those complex threats heightened ransomware protection. missed by preventive protection. And VAS v10 includes data protection finally, our Integrated Cybersecurity capabilities that increase availability, Approach, for clients that are ready portability, and extensibility for Cloud for APT-level attacks, those with a Data Management. high level of expertise, advanced We will also be demonstrating our threat intelligence capabilities and fastest growing product - Veeam Backup continuous threat hunting. And of for Microsoft Office 365 which is the course, our full suite of consumer No.1 Backup and Recovery solution for protection product. Microsoft Office 365. Veeam’s solution ManageEngine: We will be eliminates the risk of losing access representing ourselves as a complete and control over your Office 365 data solutions provider for organisations including Exchange Online, SharePoint across all sectors looking to manage Online, OneDrive for Business and their IT-related challenges. We will be Microsoft Teams showcasing our – so that data is entire suite of IT always protected management and and accessible. security solutions During the for the GCC event, we are market, a portfolio eager to start of over 40 discussions with products, ranging GITEX OFFERS US THE service providers from IT service PERFECT PLATFORM about Veeam management, TO RAISE AWARENESS Cloud Connect operations - a powerful, management, ABOUT CYBER SECURITY easily deployable active directory FOR ORGANISATIONS. technology that management, THIS YEAR, WE WILL BE enables them to security, endpoint TALKING ABOUT OUR FULL offer cloud backup management, or Disasteranalytics and SUITE OF PRODUCTS AND Recovery-as-amore. SERVICES...” Service (DRaaS) to Veeam: Veeam their customers. is the leader in www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

24 NEWS // SCOPE-ALLOT

SCOPE Me signs distribution agreement with Allot

llot a leading global provider of innovative network intelligence and security-as-a-service (SECaaS) solutions for communication service providers and enterprises, has entered into a distribution agreement with SCOPE Middle East. Allot was chosen by Broadcom as the recommended vendor to offer a transition path from the discontinued PacketShaper line of products to the Allot Secure Service Gateway (SSG). “We are glad to have entered the distribution agreement with Allot to offer high-quality, feature-rich Traffic Intelligence and Assurance solutions to PacketShaper customers. We look at this distribution partnership as a great opportunity for Symantec customers who need continuity in their network management.” said Fadi Abu Ekab Chief Executive Officer of SCOPE Middle East.

line of products to concentrate their investment in the Enterprise Security Software market. Consequently, it was announced that the PacketShaper products are designated as End of Life (EoL) as of 31 March, 2020. As part of the partnering agreement, Allot is offering attractive financial terms and discounts for product replacements to help customers transition from Symantec PacketShaper to equivalent Allot products. These terms will be offered throughout 2020. The Allot SSG, running the Allot Traffic Intelligence and Assurance Platform, offers similar network efficiency with network visibility and control, plus additional capabilities, which include: up to 150Gbps throughput and 600,000 policies on a single device, centralized management, TCP optimization, inbound and outbound DDoS and Anti-bot protection and Web Security including URL Filtering and Anti-malware protection.

Following their Broadcom acquisition, the Symantec Enterprise Division has chosen to End of Sale the PacketShaper

About Allot Allot Ltd. is a provider of leading innovative network intelligence and

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

security solutions for service providers and enterprises worldwide, enhancing value to their customers. Our solutions are deployed globally for network and application analytics, traffic control and shaping, networkbased security services, and more. Allot’s multi-service platforms are deployed by over 500 mobile, fixed and cloud service providers and over 1000 enterprises. Our industry leading network-based security as a service solution has achieved over 50% penetration with some service providers and is already used by over 23 million subscribers in Europe. Allot. See. Control. Secure. Broadcom customers and partners who would like more information about the transition can get in touch with us for special terms and discounts. Get in touch with us for more details here:https://www.scopeme. com/2020/09/20/is-it-time-to-replaceyour-packetshaper-with-allot-ssg/ Need some guidance? Reach out to us! marketing@scopeme.com SCOPE Middle East is an Authorized Allot - Distributor.

25 NEWS // IBOSS-SCOPE

Iboss announces partnership with SCOPE Middle East

boss the cloud-based Network Security as a Service vendor has announced its partnership with UAE based regional value-added distributor SCOPE Middle East. With this partnership, iboss and SCOPE Middle East will provide industry-leading, cloud-based network security services to organizations and their employees on any device, from any location, in the cloud. In today’s remote and mobile world, the need for cloud security is no longer optional, but critical to protect businesses and its employees. Built on a proprietary containerized architecture designed 100% for the cloud, iboss cloud secures Internet access from anywhere, including in and out of the physical network perimeter. Users are always connected to iboss cloud, regardless of device or location, to ensure all Internet traffic is secured for compliance, web filtering, malware defense and data loss at all times. Since iboss cloud lives in the cloud, network security goes where users go with elastic and instant scaling to meet the demands of the cloud-first future. “We are honoured to join the iboss global family of distributors, for the past 2 decades, we have worked hard to create one of the strongest distribution and partner networks in the Middle East.”

said Fadi AbuEkab, CEO and Founder, SCOPE Middle East. “During a time where remote work has become the new norm, it is essential for organizations to shift from traditional on premise security appliances to the cloud in order to keep business running smoothly and efficiently by protecting Internet access no matter where the users are located.” “We are proud to partner with SCOPE Middle East to help organizations in the Middle East not only meet their security needs but also prepare them for the future,” said iboss Co-founder and CEO, Paul Martini. “The iboss cloud platform delivers all network security capabilities in the cloud via a SaaS offering. This eliminates the need for traditional network security appliances allowing organizations to secure network traffic from anywhere, at any scale, while reducing costs and complexity.” About iboss: iboss is a cloud security company that provides organizations and their employees fast and secure access to the Internet on any device, from any location, in the cloud. The iboss cloud platform provides network security as a service, delivered in the cloud, as a complete SaaS offering. This eliminates the need for traditional network security appliances, such as firewalls and web

gateway proxies, which are ineffective at protecting a cloud-first and mobile world. Leveraging a purpose-built cloud architecture backed by over 190 issued and pending patents and more than 100 points of presence globally, iboss protects more than 4,000 organizations worldwide. To learn more, visit https:// www.iboss.com/. About SCOPE Middle East: SCOPE Middle East LLC is a security solutions company founded in 2001. It’s an award winning specialty value-added distributor (VAD) in Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region specializing on innovative and best of breed Cyber security, Networking Performance, Mobility and Cloud Solutions. SCOPE Middle East has business units around Middle East and GCC countries with significant sales channels for Commscope – Ruckus Networks, HID Global, C3M Cloud Control, SOTI, Stormshield, Niksun, Nomadix, Netscout, Array Networks, Ruijie Networks, Garland Technology, mlytics & Encloud. Visit Distributor website - https://www. scopeme.com/ Need some guidance? Reach out to us! marketing@scopeme.com SCOPE Middle East is an Authorized iboss - Distributor.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

Rapid Digitalization as a Result of COVID-19 Sets the Foundation for the Future of Connected Learning in the Middle East Alaa Elshimy, MD & Senior Vice President for Huawei Enterprise Business Group Middle East

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

27 ADVERTORIAL // HUAWEI

he education sector had to adapt more rapidly than ever in 2020 to meet the unanticipated effects of the global novel coronavirus pandemic. While digital transformation within the sector was undoubtedly on the radar for the near future, many educational institutes have had to step up their timelines to provide virtual classrooms for their students, while educators have had to become experts in online delivery almost overnight. Smart education may have been fast-tracked due to the disruption of COVID-19, but one thing is certain: this new and digitallyenabled way of learning is here to stay. The information and communications technology (ICT) sector has contributed towards the digital transformation of the education sector, by working with schools, universities, and local authorities to provide solutions that deliver seamless connectivity. Online learning must be as accessible and reliable as the in-classroom alternative in order to ensure students continue to receive the same quality of education, regardless of where they may be physically. Achieving seamless education and reliable connectivity requires the implementation of the latest technologies. 5G is a maybe component of a robust ICT ecosystem for the education sector; not only is it faster than previous generations, but it offers greater reliability, lower latency, and can handle more devices connecting to it. While 5G networks are still in their infancy in the Middle East, the increased roll-out and growing investment in developing 5G capabilities will empower the full digital transformation of the education sector – as well as all other industries and society as a whole. 5G acts as a key enabler for the

facilitate multiple connections – tens of implementation of cutting-edge thousands of connections, even, with solutions that leverage the potential some universities in the region having of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud close to 100,000 students – and this can computing, big data, and highonly be achieved by having a reliable speed networking. There has been a and robust network. commendable effort by educational With many students still studying institutes and regional authorities to from home and fewer people onimplement technology solutions as campus, this is the ideal time for quickly as possible to ensure education educational institutions to renovate continues as close to normal as their internal ICT ecosystems with possible, while students maintain social minimal disruption. Collaboration distancing measures. with an ICT pioneer, such as Huawei, This accelerated digitalization was will help to get the most out of existing made with just the present situation in infrastructure, while also mind so that classes providing guidance and were made accessible consultation for a solid, during lockdown achievable digitalization scenarios. The abovejourney that leverages mentioned technologies the latest and emerging have been implemented technologies such as with relative success THIS IS THE IDEAL Wi-Fi 6, augmented given how quickly the and virtual reality, and sector had to transform, TIME FOR AI, while meeting all however, they are a EDUCATIONAL necessary parameters, short-term solution; INSTITUTIONS TO from the number of educational institutes RENOVATE THEIR connections that need need to consider to be accommodated to how to get the most INTERNAL ICT budget requirements. out of long-term and ECOSYSTEMS..” Huawei has scalable technology, considerable experience with a planned digital working with leading transformation journey educators across the Middle East, that will take them beyond COVID-19 including developing cloud services to and into a truly digital-first future. And storage, campus networks and more, while 5G network development is not in ensuring quality education can be the hands of the educators themselves, delivered virtually and in the classroom. they will see their digital capabilities Connected learning is the future of significantly amplified when supported the education sector – and we’re only by 5G connectivity. just getting a taste of how impactful What educational institutions can do, technology can be on elevating the however, is invest in the development learning experience for students and of their own ICT ecosystems. Working teachers alike. The education sector’s with a trusted and expert partner digital transformation journey has will enable any school, university been catapulted into the next stage as or college to upgrade their existing a result of COVID-19, but the future networks with the latest solutions, of connected learning can build upon creating a scalable and futureproof the recently-laid foundations to create campus that can deliver not only in the an empowered system that will deliver virtual classroom, but in the physical benefits for all involved. classroom, too. Any large establishment must have the ability to seamlessly www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

TRANSFORMING THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE Erdem Soyal, Vice-President of Barco Middle East and Africa, tells RME in an exclusive interview how the company’s range of technology solutions are accelerating digital transformation by bridging the gap between physical and remote workspaces.

ow is the latest Clickshare Conference solution transforming meetings and wireless conferencing? In the last few years, we have seen a significant increase in demand of meeting room technology as a large number of companies have adopted the ‘Bring Your Own Device’ and remote working approach. This enabled employees to attend meetings remotely with devices they prefer. Last year, our research revealed that 71% of employees are already selecting their preferred conferencing systems, with six different conferencing solutions being used on average by every company. With this in mind, we made an investment in ClickShare Conference

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

to develop a solution for our customers that will enable them to embrace the explosion of video conferencing solutions, while solving some of the challenges they face around user experience, system consolidation and security. Employees can now bring their own preferred device and conference solution and connect to Clickshare Conference in less than seven seconds – miniscule in comparison to the average setup time of over seven minutes for a one-hour meeting. We take immense pride in the fact that our solution is platform-agnostic, and the enterprisegrade nature of ClickShare Conference is unprecedented in the collaboration technology market. It means organisations can move to a true ‘Bring Your Own Meeting’ approach, where users can easily integrate with other conferencing software while adhering to their own company’s policies. The

29 COVER STORY // BARCO

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

30 COVER STORY // BARCO

iconic ClickShare Button enables its users to use the tools they know and trust on their laptop as well as ensuring the data is securely managed throughout any interactions. The new ClickShare Conference range consists of 3 different models: the entry-level CX-20, the CX-30 and the high-end CX-50. The CX20 is designed for huddle pods and small meeting rooms, offeing the key functionalities of wireless collaboration and conferencing. The CX-30, which is suited to standard meeting rooms, adds a set of interactivity features such as touch back support, moderation, blackboarding and annotation. The high-end CX-50, for large meeting rooms, provides a premium AV collaboration experience with superior audio and video quality and offers the greatest opportunities to integrate into existing IT and AV environments. The range is supported by a brand new ClickShare Conferencing Button, which instantly makes meeting room USB peripherals available on participants’ laptops. A set of a collaboration and interactivity features have also been added to the ClickShare Collaboration App as part of the product range evolution. Do you think that people are overwhelmed and there’s a fatigue of remote meetings? Initially, people were very comfortable and productive working from home especially during the initial lockdown phases. However, that changed slowly as people missed working from offices and the watercooler chats with colleagues – they craved in-person human interaction. That is when the fatigue started to set in from remote meeting. Barco’s recent survey results have shown that many employees have suffered as a result of being separated from their colleagues, both emotionally and in their work. 49% globally said they have found working from home

less fun as time has passed, while 37% said they miss office social life and found it harder to collaborate when working remotely. That said, remote working is not going away completely because employees now want a hybrid workplace model, where most of their time is spent in the office but they have the flexibility and freedom to work from home when it works best for them. Our survey has shown that employees found the balance on average globally to be 3 days in the office, with a maximum of 2 days a week working remotely. What are some of the new trends that you have observed in the last few months in the workplace?

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

The future of workplace has changed forever – how we work tomorrow will not be how we worked yesterday. The emergence of hybrid model is the biggest trend that we witnessed in the last few months. This new way of working has led to both businesses and employees understand the importance of good conferencing solutions and the safety and flexibility of features required to conduct such meetings. This in turn has given rise to another trend where we have seen increased boardroom meeting participation as business leaders try to connect with external stakeholders to ensure business continuity and bring a sense of normality. Since there’s an increased reliance on technology, organisations have

become more vigilant about handling information and data as cybercrime is one of the most common challenges faced by enterprises in world today. While security has always been a trend in the industry, the on-going pandemic has brought it to foreground further highlighting the need of a secure conference platform. As we move forward to a more collaborative environment, Barco really aims to increase its security perimeter and infrastructure, plus educate its employees about the importance of regulatory requirements. It’s current range of conference solutions offer security and peace of mind to businesses using the technology.

How is Barco working with its partners to cater to the demands of the region? Can you shed some light on your partnerships and alliances? Barco’s success is deep-rooted in its partnerships and alliances and is a key growth driver for the company. We have forged some great partnerships with the biggest players in the industry like Logitech and Yamaha. Our strategic partnership with Logitech International offers a combination of its wireless conferencing solution ClickShare Conference with Logitech’s Video Collaboration product. Our partnership with Yamaha, as part of the Clickshare Alliance Program, enables us to offer a high-quality collaboration solution from two trusted manufactures in the market. Our collaborations have been very fruitful, and we have accomplished our mission of changing the future of meeting rooms in the Middle East by distributing the Barco ClickShare presentation systems across the region. We anticipate a strengthened relationship going forward with all our partners as we focus our efforts in research and development of solutions that will cater to the evolving needs of the market. What are you looking forward to and expecting from 2021? At Barco, we plan to continue working towards building strong relationships with partners across the region, both to strengthen its current positioning as well as expand its base further into the market. To advance our growth while improving outcomes for all stakeholders, we will focus on performance in the first few years, combining our innovation efforts with a clear emphasis on executional excellence. During the pandemic, we noted that corporate businesses were the most impacted when it came to adoption of technology. Now as employees return

BARCO’S SUCCESS IS DEEP-ROOTED IN ITS PARTNERSHIPS AND ALLIANCES AND IS A KEY GROWTH DRIVER FOR THE COMPANY. WE HAVE FORGED SOME GREAT PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE BIGGEST PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY.” to work, it has become a necessity for corporates to invest in technology and conferencing solutions that supports the hybrid workplace, enabling employees who are working remotely to collaborate seamlessly with employees in the office and be a part of regular business operations. With this in mind, Barco will continue to focus on corporate businesses and cater to their business needs. This will be one of the priorities for 2021. Sustainability has also been a great focus at Barco and will continue to be a priority next year. In line with that goal, we have also introduced our Trade in program for Clickshare for partners and customers. This program offers users an opportunity to trade in their old Barco Clickshare models for the latest generation of Clickshare Conference at a competitive discounted price. We are working on plans and exciting things for next year across our portfolio, but I will leave that for you to discover in the near future.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

32 SPECIAL// CHANNEL CHIEFS

TOP

CHANNEL CHIEFS

OF THE YEAR

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

ALEX TSAI

ANAND CHOUDHA

QNAP

CEO, SPECTRAMI

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Easily access remove data with protection is a must now, for example we used to travel to GCC 5-6 times a year, but now everyone gets used to work on webinar or at home. People start to understand there no big difference environment with lower cost go though cloud, therefore remote access and high security to protect company data is highly required, QNAP is offer a working from home VPN/ SDWAN solution on QNAP NAS QHORA301W now.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? One of the key learnings from 2020 is the fact that the work can be done remotely. For instance, back-office is extremely important for smooth functioning of an organisation and with ERP systems already in place, we were able to streamline various processes to enable us to work remotely without any impact on the work. We understood the importance of customer experience and we are now currently working on the next-gen customer experience centre. Another key takeaway is to ensure on-ground presence. With the travel being stopped abruptly, being locally present ensured our ability to stay in touch with our customers. Cash flow and exposure to banks from financial perspective is very important, and we at Spectrami, managed both very well. We also feel that it is important for organizations to draft out contingency plans for catastrophic days such as COVID.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? COVID-19 does effect the entire market and economics, but partners who still stand and generate the business with QNAP are the real market players in GCC, for example we have won Riyadh Airport and Dubai Expo 2020 data back -up projects as most iconic governmental projects in 2021. We will take this opportunity to closely co-work with education/media and governmental industries partners and expand the business deeply to Saudi/Qatar and Kuwait market in 2021

What are you outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? We expect the challenges to continue until a vaccine is made available to the masses. The vaccine is crucial to ensure free movement of people and will free up international travel and tourism, which will trigger an economic recovery. There is a need to identify technologies that are going to play key role in such circumstances. Cybersecurity is one. Secondly, we see lot of organizations adopting cloud / remote services and digital transformation is gaining momentum faster than expected. Spectramiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Elite Channel Program has helped us connect better with our partners during the crisis. For this, we received lot of appreciation from our partners and we are confident that the Elite Channel Program will continue to steer us past such challenges.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

34 SPECIAL// CHANNEL CHIEFS

ASIM S. ALJAMMAZ

AVINASH ADVANI

CEO, ALJAMMAZ TECHNOLOGIES

FOUNDER AND CEO AT CYBERKNIGHT

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Digitization is not an option any more ether for the IT company or his customers, who have been ready in adapting digital solutions in his internal work and providing solutions to his customer to help them to digitise have not suffered during the Coved-19 pandemic, some have even good growth. Cloud solutions started having great demands and companies have understood how cloud services helped them to run their business during the lockdown of factories and the issues of the supply chainâ&#x20AC;Ś Cybersecurity solutions are a must for small or large organizations as we are always connected to our customers over the internet and our business rely on that.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Those that survived 2020 fought an uphill battle to meet annual targets due to the market softening created by the lockdown. The emergence saw a new reality set in whereby forecastability and linearity in pipeline management became uncertain and unpredictable to, primarily due to delays that were observed in procurement cycles, as well as cancelled/deferred/consolidated budgets. It will take time for companies to transition from conservativeness to optimism, and this may be reflected in slower hiring and expansion, as well as, more cautious target-setting, as companies make the most out of existing investments. Although some countries have had work-from-home cultures for some time, 2020 taught us that remote working will be part of the new normal, globally. This creates efficiencies for some companies that can reduce their office space overhead and its associated costs, but this digital transformation has created new complex IT environments that in turn come with security gaps which need to be bridged with intelligent security. As we saw over the course of the pandemic, cyber attackers continued their onslaught and therefore it is critical for organizations to think about Zero Trust Security. The traditional perimeter is vanishing, remote and mobile users are the norm, and cloud is everywhere, so security needs to follow the data, users, and applications, no matter where they are located.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? We had a 5-year plan that we have started 3 years ago and this is what have helped us to stay strong during the pandemic, we will continue focusing in implementing it and helping our partners to join our journey: Cloud services and solutions, Cybersecurity solutions, Digitization & IoT and help enterprises to build reliable and strong Datacentres.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? 2021 is looking positive, but that is dependent on the pace of the vaccines getting rolled out and remaining effective against COVID-19. Until there is a full recovery, we will be working closely with our strategic partners to help their customers with cost-saving initiatives, as budgets will be lower. This in turn will lead to resource scarcity and money only being spent on keeping the lights on or for critical projects. Therefore, the focus will be to align channel partners to technology platforms that help customers simplify incident response, while achieving compliance, while maintaining low TCO and reduced headcount dependency by leveraging automation, AI, SaaS OPEX models, managed services etc.

BISHOY SAMI

EKTA PUTHRAN

PARTNER, MANAGING CONSULTANT AT AZDAN

REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION & CHANNEL MANAGER – MX, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA, BARCO

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? With numerous travel restrictions and social distancing measures in place, Azdan managed to thrive in the new normal, collaboration tools and all types of business management software that can be implemented quickly and delivered securely in the cloud are in high demand, which is great for us. Customers are now focusing 100% on adopting business models instead of investing in the infrastructure and servers. They can scale up their business, and spin off very easy. Thanks to cloud technology, our customers use the solutions with a customizable, customer-specific, pixel perfect experience.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 was an exceptional year where businesses identified vulnerabilities and learned to develop future-proof action plans. This has been the most inscrutable downfall and recovery time that the IT market has seen in the past two decades. All of it in just 6 months! We saw a sizeable surge in usage of virtual solutions, empowering interactions primarily in the corporate and educational domains. We also observed end users becoming more receptive towards improvised and costeffective solutions reducing the need of physical presence or touch. However, emotional quotient has become an important attribute for investment, rather than intelligence quotient. Lastly, the dynamic situation has made due diligence vital for businesses and enabled them to have go-to market strategies in place for sustainable results.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? We are going to support clients with valuable and unique experiences, and will build strategic partnerships with the company’s extensive network of partners. In today’s professional business service market, customers expect our solutions to perform seamlessly. Azdan is attracting third party vendors, evangelists, plugin providers, and software developers to develop and maintain innovative solutions through collaboration and coordination. This is how we are offering end to end solutions.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? As the industry emerges from a chaotic year, 2021 will be a year of rebuilding. But this rebuilding goes beyond restoration. The year will present itself challenges and we have to be prepared for it. Business requirements of digital society and the technology industry will inevitably take a new shape in the coming year. This isn’t rebuilding to reclaim the past; this is rebuilding for the future. The key component for a successful 2021 would be building a strong channel ecosystem with a streamlined approach of making Barco’s partner base a valuable proposition for the end users - one that will maximise results for channel and replicate the same for Barco. Also, my plans include assessing the health of all channel partners, especially the strategic ones to ensure their account plans are updated. Identifying vulnerable partners and evaluating where to invest in order to secure their own revenue base in congruence with Barco’s product line is another goal I aim to achieve. I will be on the lookout for partner consolidation, which may require creative negotiations on our part. I believe it’s important for a brand to empathise with its partners when the going gets tough. Middle East is an emotional market. If given the right kind of support, partners will reciprocate.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

36 SPECIAL // CHANNEL CHIEFS

FERAS ZEIDAN

HESHAM TANTAWI

REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MEA-MITEL NETWORKS

VICE PRESIDENT, MENA, ASBIS MIDDLE EAST

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Leadership is ownership. You have to elevate fast, re-group & have strong mind to overcome such global challenge. Team mobilisation & coming up with new ways to bundle your offerings with agility to shift from one vertical to another. Start with basics and re-build a new GTM. Because we run our business on Partner-First GTM & in-charge of our customer’s core communication uptime, we have to remain focus on fast crisis management actions, introduce new innovation with integration, faster teamwork reactions & insure business continuity 24/7. Money is #2 priority. Customer uptime & Partner’s health are #1. This positive leadership forced Mitel-MEA team to double our efforts in re-tooling our partners, re-package our solutions to fit the revolution on hand, work harder to give our partners better training & applications to move customers fast into a Digital Experience based on mobile 1st application, help them work remotely, introduce Conferencing & make customer website digitally ready. Determination works, Customer 1st focus is not talk & execution is recipe for stronger team.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 turned out to be a difficult year for the entire global economy, but the need to switch to remote work has opened up new opportunities in the ICT field. Thanks to a very good strategy, closeknit team working as a single mechanism, fast response, and flexible management, we did not miss the chance to be at the forefront of global distribution of digital technology. Over the past five years, ASBIS has significantly optimized its product portfolio, introduced new operating processes, expanded and strengthened its regional presence and received numerous industry awards. Recently, the company has worked with the largest clients in the data center industry and has also focused on developing its own brands. The development and implementation of ICT products under Prestigio and Canyon trademarks continues. A new brand Perenio has appeared, which provides human security and building management systems using artificial intelligence technologies and the Internet of things.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? Channel partnerships are built on many complex pillars including: leads, good margin, enablement, good solutions delivered on-time, post-sales service/support, repeat revenue from SLA/AMCs and also on human trust. We are very focus on optimisation each one of these pillars through communications, inspection/reviews, listing, human engagement, leveraging on HQ resources to automate these tasks, educate & re-educate, introduce new tools and invest on demand generation. Optimisation is the key and vertical focus with the right partners are our approach into 2021.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? As we emerge from this unprecedented global crisis, it is useful to reflect upon how we can build a more resilient and sustainable partnerships. During this pandemic, I have noted the importance of cross-sector partnerships. Such partnerships have shown that it is possible to implement concrete actions rapidly and effectively, where previously it may have taken months or years of planning. In this post-COVID world, we need to use this same power of collaboration in our common battle of growth. Customers, partners, and suppliers, who are an integral part of the company, its source of life and its main artery, play an invaluable role in the great success story of ASBIS. The company is grateful to each of them for the years of fruitful cooperation and is ready to see what’s next and build joint plans for the future. To express its gratitude and invite everyone to celebrate this significance, ASBIS will launch a special motivational program.

MARIO M. VELJOVIC

MAYA ZAKHOUR

GENERAL MANAGER AT VAD TECHNOLOGIES

CHANNEL DIRECTOR – MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, ITALY AND SPAIN, AT NETAPP

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? One of the Key learnings of 2020 is, that the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Industry continues to be a good place to be in. While many Industries suffered due to the Pandemic, ICT continued to offer new business and growth Opportunities. Furthermore, Digital Transformation of our Professional and even Personal Life has taken an unexpected momentum, with Technology supporting Business and Human resilience.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? While 2020 has been a year of unprecedented change for businesses, one positive effect of the pandemic is that made businesses dramatically accelerate the pace of their digital transformation efforts. We witnessed businesses that were prepared for a digital business environment were quick to enable their employees and customers. But a key takeaway from the last few months is that businesses need speed and agility to help respond in the face of an unprecedented disruption. Undeniably, cloud has played a crucial role in helping businesses with a large remote workforce to enable and continue to conduct business during the lockdown. We’ve seen how data and access to this data has helped businesses maintain continuity. Businesses must invest now in a cloudbased model to prepare a path for a sustainable future.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? MV: VAD’s Portfolio of Disruptive and Innovative Technologies allowed us to grow even in these challenging times, hence we have all the good reasons to be very optimistic about 2021 and beyond. VAD will further strengthen its Position in the Market by continuing to be a Pioneer in introducing the “Latest & Greatest” of the ICT Market to the Partner Ecosystem of the Middle East. As VAD’s Cloudification of the Portfolio has been very well received by all Partners, we will put even more focus on this Mission in the future.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? Cloud in any form - be it public, hybrid or private, will be the platform of choice for organizations choosing to run their operations and maintain business continuity in 2021. As a cloud-led, data-centric software company, NetApp’s channel has ample opportunity for growth in cloud solutions. No one knows better than us, how to help customers get the most out of their cloud investments, and our cloud partners are ready to support customers address their challenges. The pandemic has brought huge opportunities for partners as businesses are rapidly moving towards a cloud-based business model. With TCO and ROI becoming the key terms for investments, the channel has huge prospects and must capitalize on the data consumption model through our hyperscale partners as well. As a channel-driven organization, and we’re committed to supporting our partners in challenging times, and so we’ve developed a strong financial care program for our distributors and partners which they can extend to customers as well. It gives our partners flexibility to deal with difficult situations especially when payments are delayed. From a solutions perspective, NetApp is the leader in cloud, hybrid cloud, and multicloud platforms along with strong hyperscaler alliances. Our recent acquisitions of Talon and Spot have bolstered our strong portfolio of cloudbased and AI-driven solutions and services that will help partners drive business and enable customers in managing their data and DX strategies while ensuring business continuity for customers.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

38 SPECIAL // CHANNEL CHIEFS

NIRMAL MENON

RANJITH KAIPPADA

CHANNEL MANAGER- 2CRSI

MANAGING DIRECTOR AT CLOUD BOX TECHNOLOGIES

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Lots of personal and professional learning experience, we decided to take action, started to have sessions with distributors to evaluate market condition on a weekly basis and made necessary changes in sales and channel planes. Logistics was really slow, so worked on that to reduce impact. I strongly believe evolve and adapt was the key learning for me.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Cloud uptake has definitely increased in 2020 as it has become the primary platform for enabling digital transformation for enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last 6 months, enterprises have accelerated their cloud adoption journey and other digital transformation initiatives. Being agile on a digital platform has now resolutely been understood as the minimum requirement for business survival in the months and years ahead. Business executives are using public cloud applications as it gives them flexibility of working anytime and anywhere, and are using private cloud for mission critical data and operations. With the large-scale increase and emphasis on digital transformation in the postpandemic workplace, threat, risk, and vulnerability levels, have also increased across enterprises.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? Challenges are opportunities too, we used â&#x20AC;&#x153;down timeâ&#x20AC;? to work more on OEM opportunities where it can bring fruitful and repeated business to us. We are strongly continuing that along with new product ranges. We are helping clients to reduce cost by adapting OCP standard infra, where they can increase their computing power and storage based on demand. We are very optimistic about 2021 with launch of some product range.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? Remote working in the current situation has given rise to a whole level of attention being paid to both Cloud adoption as well as Cloud Security. We see this trend continue in 2021 too. Cloud Box Technologies will work closely with customers to strategize their digital transformation journey and help them put security priorities in place whether it is related to infrastructure, networking and applications. We plan to expand our operations in the coming year with new global vendor partners, who offer innovative as well as emerging technologies, and expand our footprint to more countries in the Middle East.

39 SPECIAL // CHANNEL CHIEFS

SASCHA GIESE

SHANE GRENNAN

HEAD GEEK, SOLARWINDS

REGIONAL CHANNEL DIRECTOR MIDDLE EAST, FORTINET

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 wasn’t exactly a nice year, but look at what we achieved as a society and in the IT industry in particular. IT professionals were built for this! Never before have they been so important, and we should see 2020 as a year of acceleration in many ways (this year has accelerated digital transformation, for example). In regard to technology in 2020, our implementation Partners had great success deploying our solutions to manage VPN connections all over the globe.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 was a huge test of leadership and now we approach the end of the year, some of the elements of leadership stood out to me, more than others. The first is Focus on People and the value will come, this has been particularly important this year as everyone’s workforce was working remotely at very short notice, with many of them never having worked from home before. Everyone faced this sudden transition as well as dealing with lockdown and all the new challenges it presented in work and family life. Focusing on people and being able to support them in both areas help me personally also. This facilitated the second element. The second is remembering, the tougher the challenge, the greater the outcome. I lead a new team from the start of the year with many new people joining since then. Without being physically together we managed to build team culture and have fun, because everyone faced the challenge together. We interacted with our partners constantly and advanced our joint plans successfully. The result is positive business outcomes of course, but more importantly, deep bonds of Trust have been formed amongst the team and with our partners. Lastly is have a Vision and focus on the mission to make it a reality. Without a vision driving you, it’s just endless hard work and eventually that will grind people down. What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? The truth is we don’t yet know what 2021 will bring and my outlook is use the learnings of 2020 to be best positioned for 2021. We could not have predicted the change is business practices this year, however we know the option will eventually come, to go back to the old ways of doing things, but a full return would be a wasted opportunity, I think. I prefer to decide now what the new normal will be and when the time comes, makes it a reality. This applies across all areas and especially to marketing, as decisions are made well in advance. In a post vaccine world, I believe we will blend physical and digital events more than we did last year.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? Many things had to happen in a rush in 2020, and as a result, we’ll see a lot of optimization in 2021 and attempts to iron out some issues arising from too many changes without proper planning. This is where channel Partners will shine, as they bring expertise with our products and with technology in general. They’re the trusted advisors for their customer base, and they’re invaluable to us, particularly in the Middle East region.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

40 SPECIAL// CHANNEL CHIEFS

TAREK KUZBARI

VANGELIS LAGOUSAKOS

REGIONAL DIRECTOR – MIDDLE EAST & TURKEY, CYBEREASON

GENERAL MANAGER - CHANNEL SALES, MIDDLE EAST, RUSSIA, AFRICA & TURKEY (MERAT), DELL TECHNOLOGIES

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 has been an unprecedented year and I think we can all agree that it has been a challenging year for doing business. That being said, if anything, it has underscored the value of the channel. We have learned that in order to succeed and get mindshare from the channel, we have to continuously invest time and resources with our partners, keep evolving with them, and remain fully committed and engaged in order to ensure joint success.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? During a time of unprecedented change, one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen is the essential role of technology in powering critical infrastructure and ensuring business continuity. Organizations have been accelerating their digital transformation plans with a view to become more agile in their operations and quickly adapt to unforeseen changes in the future. So, now more than ever, channel partners have had to highlight their roles as consultants as customers seek advice on how successfully navigate the ever-changing digital landscape. We’ve also seen the importance of providing support, flexibility and simplicity so our partners feel empowered to differentiate their offerings with a focus on how they can help solve a customer’s business challenges. We’ve done this in several ways – from sustaining momentum around technology advancement by bringing products and solutions to the market that are seemingly well ahead of their time to launching programs such as Dell Financial Services in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. These programs have enabled the channel to operate smoothly within the changing environment while evolving to capitalize on the massive opportunities that the data-driven digital ecosystem continues to present.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? With a 100% channel GTM, since we launched our Middle East operations in early 2020, we have made building our channel ecosystem one of our top priorities. In fact, in August 2020, we launched a partner program specifically for Middle East VARs and MSSPs. The program gives partners access to our top flight sales and enablement resources, certification programs, access to exclusive communities of experts (for eligible partners), support with business planning, marketing and deal-making and for our MSSP partners, access to MDR-in-a-box. Heading into 2021, we will double down on these investments, as we look to not only grow our channel ecosystem, but as importantly, make sure they have the resources and support to be successful in an ever evolving and ever more competitive market.

What is your outlook for 2021? How are you planning to strengthen your channel partnership to tackle challenges? If it’s one thing we’ve learnt from this year is that it’s difficult to predict specific trends that companies will jump onto. In fact, according to the latest Dell Technologies Digital Transformation Index survey, released in October 2020, 80% of organizations globally have fast-tracked their digital transformation programs this year. Organizations needed to advance their IT investment plans and now they are evaluating investment in solutions that can enable them to become digital enterprises of the future. We expect cloud, 5G, security, AI and edge computing to be some of the major technology drivers in 2021. In addition, we’re also looking at how we can incorporate our solutions within the ‘as-a-service’ model. At Dell Technologies, we want to democratize technology, so it is vital to give our customers and partners the freedom and flexibility to continue their investment in IT infrastructure to evolve their offerings to customers. Finally, we will also continue to equip our channel ecosystem to enhance their skills sets and to drive simplification of our portfolio where appropriate with a commitment to bringing the next generation of technologies to market.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

42 EVENT // WESTCON-COMSTOR

Westcon-Comstor hosts IMAGINE Middle East 2020

Westcon-Comstor hosted a one-of-its kind virtual summit to explore upcoming opportunities with futuristic technologies and solutions.

estcon-Comstor Middle East, a value-added distributor of leading ICT solutions hosted IMAGINE Middle East, a 2-day virtual summit for IT resellers and integrators on the 10th & 11th of November, 2020. With over 1800 attendees, it was the largest distributor-led event of its kind in Middle East that focused on helping the IT resellers explore opportunities with futuristic technologies and solutions. The event saw a great line-up of presenters including senior executives from Westcon-Comstor, vendors as well as global keynote speakers. “Since the onset of the pandemic we have worked with our channel partners by sharing insights to help them identify verticals/ areas which still have the opportunity to grow. IMAGINE Middle East event has helped us take our engagement with our resellers & vendors a step further by providing a platform to explore upcoming opportunities with futuristic technologies and solutions” said Steve Lockie, Group Managing Director, Westcon-Comstor Middle East. “We have been extremely delighted with the phenomenal feedback we have received for the event.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

IMAGINE is a key milestone for us in our digital marketing & virtual events roadmap as it has helped us offer a world-class event with regional flavor to our reseller community.” IMAGINE Middle East offered an interactive & engaging virtual experience which included virtual booths, live presentations, online competitions, live entertainment and panel discussions. Partners were also made aware of the wide range of value-added services & digital distribution platforms offered by Weston-Comstor that revolve around its unique EDGE framework. The 2-day event also saw many world-renowned motivational speakers & mentalists perform. One of the key highlights of the event was the panel discussions during which senior IT executives including CIO’s/ CSO’s/ IT directors from leading organizations across the region shared insights on how their needs are evolving in the new normal. The panel also included senior representatives from vendors who highlighted how they are innovating to support the evolving needs of the customers. The event concluded with an interview with Steve Lockie during which he outlined how Westcon-Comstor through its ‘digital first, data-driven’ strategy is geared up to support the partners & vendors as they navigate the new normal.

IMAGINE MIDDLE EAST OFFERED AN INTERACTIVE AND ENGAGING VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

44 INTERVIEW // SARIYA IT

sariya it: forging ahead

Amjad Al Omar, GM, Sariya IT, explains the company’s growth strategy based on innovations in Green IT, IoT, AI, DC and other key sectors, while educating partners and end-users about the latest technological developments.

an you tell us something about Sariya IT? SARIYA IT Distribution is a Saudi Arabiabased Value-Added Distributor, formed in 2002, having excellent alliances with many well-known hardware/ software vendors to provide best-ofbreed products/solutions to channel partners. SARIYA-IT has invested in its inherent strength in infrastructure, technical skills and customer service to create a niche for itself in the product distribution space. The company has always been characterised by a high level of competence in its chosen areas. Current competencies arise out of

the company’s solid experience, and reside in a multidisciplinary team with strong emphasis in latest and advances technologies, statistics, and marketing, etc. With a broad range of capabilities, including consulting and logistics, we provide our channel partners the solutions they need to meet their strategic business objectives. We have promoted and successfully implemented 2CRSI products and technology offerings through our channel in region, beginning as a security VAD and now consolidating our strength with strong presence among IoT, AI, DC and other key sectors. What are Sariya IT’s business plans with 2CRSI? We’re working very closely with

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

WE’RE EDUCATING OUR CHANNEL PARTNERS AND END USERS ABOUT NEW MARKET TRENDS LIKE EDGE COMPUTING, AI AND DIFFERENT COOLING SOLUTIONS FOR DATA CENTRES.”

Amjad Al Omar, GM, Sariya IT

2CRSI because we’d like to be part of the change that is coming to the ME region. This change is not only about technology but also about cost-effectiveness, while the market’s need for computing and storage are sky rocketing. With this aim, we are educating our channel partners and end users about new market trends like edge computing, AI and different innovative cooling solutions for data centers, as well as new developments in industrial computing. This will help them understand and plan their growth with expert guidance. Meanwhile, we will also be working with our partners and end users to create awareness and generate demand.

How important is the KSA market for 2CRSI and Sariya IT? The KSA market is absolutely the most important market in the region, especially after the announcement by the government to make the Kingdom less dependent on oil profits. This strategic vision will enhance KSA’s position as a central business hub in the region. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also happens to be the largest economy in the region, and with its reputation as the main IT hub, it will create significant employment opportunities, especially in manufacturing and data centres. In this context, partnership with a world-class vendor like 2CRSI will help us provide competitive, cutting-edge solutions to the market, starting with IP rate rugged Pc’s till HPC and data centers solutions, with an immersion cooling technology. What are the customer requirements for ICT and how are 2CRSI’s technological offerings contributing to this demand? Customer requirements for IT are massive and given today’s rapid journey towards digital transformation, the demand for seamless and effective ICT solutions are much more than before. AI, in particular, is gaining significant traction and the demand for high performance computing is spiralling upwards. 2CRSI is specialised in HPC and has several prestigious projects worldwide, which makes them well-equipped to provide customers with industry-defining products and solutions.

How is Sariya IT planning to support KSA’s Vision 2030? We, as a part of Al-Kuhaimi Group, support KSA’s Vision 2030, and believe in ensuring its success in the IT distribution sector. First of all, we are committed to offering more jobs for Saudis, and this year most of our new hires have been Saudi nationals. We are also looking to fill positions for IT graduates in different departments throughout the entire operation, rather than limit roles to any specific function. In addition, we are also offering our services to educating the market with help of government entities for a sustainable and green IT ecosystem. That’s not all: we’re signing distribution agreements with strategic vendors and are sure that our technical expertise and innovative technologies will empower the channel eco system in particular and Vision 2030 in general. We have seen initiatives from Sariya on Green IT, why it is important? I’m glad we’re discussing this subject; we are doing our best to raise awareness and educate the channel community about importance of Green IT. In fact, not too many people know that as much as 4-5% of global CO2 emissions are from data centres, which is 2 times more than commercial airlines, so the time is right to take the issue seriously. Let’s look at some more facts: 7-8% of worldwide electricity consumption is caused by the Internet and computing, and this is expected to grow to 10-11% within 5 years. Some studies also show that watching 30 minutes of video on social media generates as much CO2 emission levels as driving a sedan for 6Kms. Green IT is all about renewable energy sources and reducing electricity consumption. In fact, with an immersion cooling solution, we can help to reduce as much as 80% power consumption of a data centre. What are Sariya IT’s expansion plans? We have a plan to expand further in the Egypt and Levant markets. The pandemic reduced the acceleration quite a bit, but we’re still moving ahead.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

46 SPOTLIGHT // MITEL

Miss. Kheirya Elesawy

Mr. Mohamed Nadir Tahri

ON Call & Mitel revolutionise private cloud contact centre Research shows that the rise of the mobile consumer has led to The Easy CX Revolution. In fact, as many as 46% want tools introduced that are easier to use and 32% would like to see more mobile apps used, while 45% define great CX as responsive and fast service. On Call, Call Centers Services L.L.C., the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Hosted Contact Centre from Mitel, first started as a brainchild of Miss. Kheirya Elsesawy and Mr. Mohamed Nadir Tahri in 2019, to offer monthly contact center services to customers across the UAE. Although plans had to be put on hold for a year, talks resumed in 2020, with demos showcasing complete Mitel cloud â&#x20AC;&#x201C; based communication omni channel capabilities such as voice, email, chat, video and social media. RME spoke to Miss. Kheirya, General Manager, On Call, Call Centers Services L.L.C. and Mr. Nadir, Operations Manager, On Call, Call Centers Services L.L.C. to find out more about this unique journey.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

hat prompted an initiative such as On-Call? It was basically the result of the realisation that we are in the customerexperience business and so the way an organization delivers services to customers is beginning to be as important as what it delivers. COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shift of IT priorities and ushered in the need for greater collaboration between customers, businesses and technology. Today, CIO priorities, particularly in the META region, comprise aspects such as building and enabling new applications for customers and employees to enable smoother and more seamless digital experiences. With this in mind, Mitel wanted to operate a one of-its-kind hosted in-country call centre with complete omni-channel capabilities including social media, for customers offering predefined packages with agents working remotely. The Mitel contact centre business, along with MiCollab and remote working capabilities, allowed for the infrastructure to be hosted within a reliable data centre to ensure that agents are capable to deliver customer services despite the work restraints due to the pandemic situation. This made way for the region’s first Hosted Contact Centre with bilingual AI & agent assist. How has the support from Mitel been? We are very happy to be partnering with Mitel, because Mitel has been supporting us all the way with their cutting-edge solutions and services. This is the first time we have the complete social media integration, which will go a long, long way in enhancing customer experience. Our vision is to reduce the cost to companies and Mitel has been with us in our entire journey, understanding our needs. The support was mainly on the operational and technology side to make sure we were equipped to deal with this whole new trend.

What were the challenges that you were facing before this initiative came about? The main challenge for us was diversity-we had to deal with multiple cultures, multiple languages and multiple requirements. We were also finding it difficult to cater to different industries and ensure complete customer happiness. Then again, technology was also a challenge and earlier, everything was human-centric and the costs were high. But Mitel helped us address all challenges and reduce costs considerably. We have been able to grow with Mitel and understand the customer’s needs better. We’ve also been able to understand our own shortcomings and rectify them easily, with Mitel’s help for speed, integration & OPEX pay as you go model. What are the benefits of this new and all-digital customer service experience? The main benefit is that you are able to interact with customers the way they want you to. Your customers desire a memorable experience and you want to give it to them. So, On Call is one way to deliver first-class services to this hyper-connected generation by interacting through voice, email, chat,

SMS and even social media. The idea is to keep your door, and their options open, with a cloud contact centre so they will have every opportunity to talk to you and no reason not to. A call centre such as this one also helps to break down silos. Traditional siloed contact centres are costly to manage and complex to integrate. With Mitel’s help, we are now able to let customers manage all of their customer interactions with a virtual workforce while taking advantage of the latest industry features—bringing the entire business closer to the customer. Then again, agents are able to collaborate instantaneously with experts to resolve customer inquiries on first contact, resulting in fewer interaction transfers and customer call backs. The benefits don’t end there: By running contact centre software from the cloud, customer care managers have the flexibility to find and retain top talent, regardless of location. This helps them deliver the same great customer experience anywhere. They’ll also be able to scale easily, anytime, anywhere, to meet seasonality and growth requirements head-on. Not to mention cutting unnecessary costs and making the business more efficient.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

48 INTERVIEW // EUFY SECURITY

eufy Security Protects you, your family and your privacy

Syed Sameer Ali, senior sales & operations manager at Eufy Security Nebula & Soundcore MEA Region hat is new from Eufy Security at GITEX 2020? We’re very excited to be participating in GITEX this year and have a whole range of products to showcase. Perhaps the most exciting offering is the launch of the Eufy cam2 pro Wireless Home Security Kit which comes with 2 cameras and 1 home base. Some of its key features include: 2K resolution: When it comes to security, the key is in the detail. See exactly what is happening in and around your home in crisp 2K clarity. A year’s security from one charge: Avoid frequent trips to charge the battery and enjoy 365-day battery life from just one charge. Advanced night vision: The stateof-the-art Sony sensor allows for detailed recordings and streaming in low-light scenarios. Ready for any weather: With an IP67 weather proof-rating, eufyCam 2 Pro is built to withstand the elements. Protects you, your family, and your privacy: Every eufy security product is engineered to ensure that your security data is kept private. 100% wire-free: Without cords or wires of any kind, the eufyCam 2 Pro installs indoors and out with ease to carry out surveillance of your home for 365 days on a single charge. Smart image enhancement: Get a clearer, brighter view of the people inshot. Built-in AI technology identifies and focuses in on the human in the image. Human detection: Reduce false alerts with smart tech, which differentiates humans from objects.

Real-time response: Speak directly to anyone who approaches your home via two-way audio. What advice would you offer businesses or home owners that have never used a security system before but are thinking of investing in one now? I would say this is the right time to take advantage of the latest innovations, new age technologies and convenience to keep every part of your life safe and secure. Invest in the best and most reliable devices like the eufy Security systems that do most of the work for you and takes all worries away. What are the other extra features of Eufy products? Your privacy is something that we value as much as you do. The in-depth measures we take when handling your data have been recognised by the BSI (British Standards Institute), which awarded us with ISO27001 and ISO27701 certifications. Obtaining these certifications show our dedication to comply with the highest possible international data privacy laws such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act). Local Storage | For Your Eyes Only Home is where your data belongs. With secure local storage, your private data never leaves the safety of your home, and is accessible by you alone. End-to-End Encription | Peeking Prohibited All recorded footage is encrypted on-device and sent straight to your phone—and only you have the key to decrypt and watch

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

Syed Sameer Ali, Eufy Security

the footage. Data during transmission is encrypted. On-Device AI | Everything In-House Our super-smart AI is built into every eufy device. It analyses your recorded footage without the need to risk your privacy by sending it to the cloud. How do we keep your recordings safe? Secure Storage | Plenty of Space Thanks to its built-in 16GB eMMC, HomeBase securely stores up to 3 months of recordings right there on the device. Video Authorization | Access in Your Hands You have complete control over who has access to the live video stream and recordings. Only authorised users can view the recorded videos. Anti-Theft Data Protection | Safe From Outside Sources Even if someone were to steal the SD Card or HomeBase, the data onboard cannot be accessed through unrecognised mediums. How Do We Keep Your Account Safe? Two-Step Verification | Notified of New Devices When a new device is trying to log into your account, a verification code will be sent to your phone or email that you have registered. Account Exclusivity | Grant Access to Family and Guests Only the primary owner of the account is able to grant permissions to new users. Account Data Safety | Only For Those You Trust Account exclusivity ensures that your data is not accessible to unauthorised users.

Nebula Astro Portable Projector: Enjoy endless entertainment on-the-go

Faraz Mehdi, Regional Sales Director at Anker Innovations MEA – Region gives the lowdown on the Nebula Astro Portable Projector. hat are some of Nebula’s flagship products? We have a range of cuttingedge products that are suitable for the competitive market. The Nebula Astro Portable Projector is an exciting product with multiple features. It is a kids’ pocket cinema, mini projector, 100 ANSI Lumens, Android 7.1, 2.5-Hour Battery Life product. The following are some of its features: • The World is Your Cinema: Transform any location, from your bedroom to your backyard and beyond, into your own personal movie theater thanks to Astro’s pocket-sized design. • Endless Entertainment: Enjoy a universe of entertainment in the palm of your hand with Android 7.1. Bingewatch your favorite movies and shows on Netflix or Amazon Prime, or keep

THE NEBULA ASTRO PORTABLE PROJECTOR IS AN EXCITING PRODUCT WITH MULTIPLE, CUTTINGEDGE FEATURES.”

Faraz Mehdi, Anker Innovations MEA

the kids occupied via YouTube Kids and more. • Watch Without Worry: Eye Guard Tech provides added protection for curious kids who take an interest in Astro’s bright DLP bulb. If anyone comes within a maximum of 60 cm of the front of the bulb, Astro switches off projection automatically, protecting their eyes. • Entertainment On the Go: With up to 2.5 hours of battery life, you can watch a quick movie or catch multiple episodes of your favorite TV show, no matter where you are. • Kid-Friendly Content: Manage what your child watches via the parental controls. Protect your parent-only movies and apps with a password so your children don’t accidentally stumble upon something they shouldn’t.

Not only that: From a device the size of an apple, Astro has the power to project an image up to 100 inches big. This enables you to capture the spectacle of the movie theater, no matter where you are. Additionally, you can expand Astro’s capabilities by connecting up your favorite HDMI, USB-C, and Bluetooth devices. You can even wirelessly mirror content from your phone via mirror cast and AirPlay. Misplaced the remote? Don’t worry, as you can control Astro right from your phone via the Nebula Connect app. Play and pause movies, browse menus, and more with a simple swipe of your finger. It also has an IPX7 Waterproof Protection and 360° Sound for Backyard and Beach Party, 20W Wireless Speaker with PartyCast, EQ Adjustment, and 12-Hour Playtime. To add to the excitement, the product is equipped with 360° immersive sound-a portable Bluetooth speaker with Powerful 360°, bass-driven audio. Dual drivers and passive radiators combine with BassUp technology to generate a portable party with 20W of intense sound. There is also a totally reimagined rainbow light show that pulses, phases, and shines to the beat of your music. Double light-rings simultaneously shine down onto the dancefloor and up into the atmosphere for pumping floor-toceiling illumination. That’s not all: No matter where the music needs to be, Flare 2 portable Bluetooth speaker is suited up and ready. Super-safe IPX7 waterproof protection effortlessly withstands spills, rain, and even complete submersion in water.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

Huawei IdeaHub New Style Smart OOce 3-in-1

Whiteboard 丨 Projector丨Online Meeting

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51 QNAP // INNOVATION

QNAP introduces ZFS-based QuTS hero for performance and data integrity

aced with the explosive growth of data, VDI popularity, increasing SSD adoption, 8K media, and other disruptive IT trends, modern businesses need dependable storage systems to meet future demands. QNAP’s new “QuTS hero” operating system combines the app-based QTS with a 128-bit ZFS file system to provide flexible storage management, comprehensive data protection and optimized performance to meet the needs of business-critical applications. QTS/QuTS Hero supports Fibre Channel on QNAP NAS: Common Fibre Channel SAN (Storage Area Networks) are closed network environments and their devices are often expensive while lacking deployment flexibility. Bu using a QNAP NAS with Fibre Channel connectivity, your NAS can be easily added to your existing SAN environment at an affordable price point. This allows you to leverage the many benefits from QNAP NAS including snapshot protection, Qtier tiering storage, SSD cache acceleration and more. Efficient data reduction technology: Inline data deduplication is block-based and runs before data is written to storage. This greatly optimizes storage usage while significantly decreasing storage capacity requirements. Coupled with inline compression and inline compaction technologies, ZFS significantly reduces

the overall storage footprint - especially helpful for increasing SSD storage efficiency when highly-repetitive data or massive small files are generated. Up to petabyte capacity per shared folder: The 128-bit ZFS filesystem has huge capacity potential and supports native handling of standard RAID levels and additional ZFS RAID layouts (RAID Z). ZFS-based QNAP storage solutions provide up to 1 PB capacity for individual shared folders, enabling enterprises to tackle storage-demanding applications. Designed to deal with petabytes of data, RAID Z quickly handles creating ready-touse high-capacity RAID. Instant snapshots and real-time SnapSync: ZFS supports up to 65,535 snapshots for iSCSI LUN and shared folders to accomplish well-rounded snapshot versioning. If 1 snapshot is created every hour, 24 snapshots per day, then up to 7 years of snapshots can be created without needing to delete any! Copy-on-write technology makes snapshot creation almost instantaneous without affecting ongoing data writing. Recovering with snapshots does not interrupt ongoing system services, realizing highly-efficient backup and disaster recovery. The advanced block-based real-time SnapSync ensures that the primary NAS and the secondary NAS always keep the same data, providing the strongest support for nonstop business operations and helping

users remove the risk of data loss! Fastest compression algorithm: LZ4 is a lossless compression algorithm, providing extremely fast compression and decompression speeds. In business environments that require data storage speeds of over 100 MB/s, LZ4 is an ideal choice for low-latency and highperformance IO. Data will first go through inline compression before stored into ZFS-based NAS disks – providing greater storage utilization – especially in applications that require data to be frequently compressed and quickly decompressed. Alongside deduplication, it shows greater overall data reduction. Powerful self-healing: Data integrity is key to the reliability of applications and databases. As SSD adoption grows, businesses must prepare for the greater risk of data loss due to the difficulty in recovering data from a dead SSD. Designed with a focus on data integrity, ZFS uses end-to-end checksums to detect and correct silent data corruption caused by hardware defects, bugs in firmware or metadata errors. If an integrity violation is detected, ZFS automatically repairs the damage using data from another mirror before the data is passed to applications. WORM (Write Once, Read Many Times) is also supported to ensure that data, once written, cannot be modified. Special edition QNAP NAS with QuTS hero preinstalled QNAP provides a special edition QNAP NAS with a preinstalled QuTS hero operating system. Take advantage of high-performance hardware and expandability with the cutting-edge storage management, data protection and optimized features of QuTS hero! The latest QuTS hero operating system delivers better data transmission performance and the capacity to realise the full potential of 10GbE data transmission. So, what are you waiting for? Discover the incredible power of the QuTS hero operating system right away. Get in touch with alextsai@qnap.com.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

52 FOCUS// SOPHOS

Sophos publishes ‘threat report 2021’ outlining security & threat landscape Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, has published the Sophos 2021 Threat Report, which flags how ransomware and fast-changing attacker behaviors, from advanced to entry level, will shape the threat landscape and IT security in 2021. The report, written by SophosLabs security researchers, as well as Sophos’ threat hunters, rapid responders, and cloud security and AI experts, provides a threedimensional perspective on security threats and trends, from their inception to real-world impact.

hree key trends analysed in the Sophos 2021 Threat Report include: 1.The gap between ransomware operators at different ends of the skills and resource spectrum will increase. At the high end, the big-game hunting ransomware families will continue to refine and change their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to become more evasive and nation-state-like in sophistication, targeting larger organizations with multimillion-dollar ransom demands. In 2020, such families included Ryuk and RagnarLocker. At the other end of the spectrum, Sophos anticipates an increase in the number of entry level, apprentice-type attackers looking for menu-driven, ransomware-for-rent, such as Dharma, that allows them to target high volumes of smaller prey. Another ransomware trend is “secondary extortion,” where alongside the data encryption the attackers steal and threaten to publish sensitive or confidential information, if their demands are not met. In 2020, Sophos reported on Maze, RagnarLocker, Netwalker, REvil, and others using this approach. “The ransomware business model is dynamic and complex. During 2020,

Sophos saw a clear trend towards adversaries differentiating themselves in terms of their skills and targets. However, we’ve also seen ransomware families sharing best-of-breed tools and forming self-styled collaborative ‘cartels,’” said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist, Sophos. “Some, like Maze, appeared to pack their bags and head for a life of leisure, except that some of their tools and techniques have resurfaced under the guise of a newcomer, Egregor. The cyberthreat landscape abhors a vacuum. If one threat disappears another one will quickly take its place. In many ways, it is almost impossible to predict where ransomware will go next, but the attack trends discussed in Sophos’ threat report this year are likely to continue into 2021.” 2. Everyday threats such as commodity malware, including loaders and botnets, or human-operated Initial Access Brokers, will demand serious security attention. Such threats can seem like low level malware noise, but they are designed to secure a foothold in a target, gather essential data and share data back to a command-and-control network that will provide further instructions. If human operators are behind these types of threats, they’ll review every compromised machine for its geolocation and other signs of high

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECMEBER 2020

value, and then sell access to the most lucrative targets to the highest bidder, such as a major ransomware operation. For instance, in 2020, Ryuk used Buer Loader to deliver its ransomware. “Commodity malware can seem like a sandstorm of low-level noise clogging up the security alert system. From what Sophos analyzed, it is clear that defenders need to take these attacks seriously, because of where they might lead. Any infection can lead to every infection. Many security teams will feel that once malware has been blocked or removed and the compromised machine cleaned, the incident has been prevented,” said Wisniewski. “They may not realize that the attack was likely

THE BIG-GAME HUNTING RANSOMWARE FAMILIES WILL CONTINUE TO REFINE AND CHANGE THEIR TACTICS, TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES TO BECOME MORE EVASIVE AND NATION-STATE LIKE IN SOPHISTICATION.”

against more than one machine and that seemingly common malware like Emotet and Buer Loader can lead to Ryuk, Netwalker and other advanced attacks, which IT may not notice until the ransomware deploys, possibly in the middle of the night or on the weekend. Underestimating ‘minor’ infections could prove very costly.” 3. All ranks of adversaries will increasingly abuse legitimate tools, well known utilities and common network destinations to evade detection and security measures and thwart analysis and attribution. The abuse of legitimate tools enables adversaries to stay under the radar while they move around the network until they are ready to launch the main part of the attack, such as ransomware. For nationstate-sponsored attackers, there is the additional benefit that using common tools makes attribution harder. In 2020, Sophos reported on the wide range of standard attack tools now being used by adversaries. “The abuse of everyday tools and techniques to disguise an active attack featured prominently in Sophos’ review of the threat landscape during 2020.

This technique challenges traditional security approaches because the appearance of known tools doesn’t automatically trigger a red flag. This is where the rapidly growing field of human-led threat hunting and managed threat response really comes into its own,” said Wisniewski. “Human experts know the subtle anomalies and traces to look for, such as a legitimate tool being used at the wrong time or in the wrong place. To trained threat hunters or IT managers using endpoint detection and response (EDR) features, these signs are valuable tripwires that can alert security teams to a potential intruder and an attack underway.” Additional trends analyzed in the Sophos 2021 Threat Report include: • Attacks on servers: adversaries have targeted server platforms running both Windows and Linux, and leveraged these platforms to attack organizations from within • The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on IT security, such as the security challenges of working from home using personal networks protected by widely varying levels of security

• The security challenges facing cloud environments: cloud computing has successfully borne the brunt of a lot of the enterprise needs for secure computing environments, but faces challenges different to those of a traditional enterprise network • Common services like RDP and VPN concentrators, which remain a focus for attacks on the network perimeter. Attackers also use RDP to move laterally within breached networks • Software applications traditionally flagged as “potentially unwanted” because they delivered a plethora of advertisements, but engaged in tactics that are increasingly indistinguishable from overt malware • The surprising reappearance of an old bug, VelvetSweatshop – a default password feature for earlier versions of Microsoft Excel – used to conceal macros or other malicious content in documents and evade advanced threat detection • The need to apply approaches from epidemiology to quantify unseen, undetected and unknown cyberthreats in order to better bridge gaps in detection, assess risk and define priorities.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECMEBER 2020

TOP MARKETING HEADS

OF THE YEAR

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

55 SPECIAL // MARKETING HEADS

ANDREA CARTER

ANKUSH MEHRA

REGIONAL DIRECTOR MARKETING, NEMEA AT SOPHOS

FIELD MARKETING ADVISOR- MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA, ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES EUROPE LIMITED

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 has been a year of huge adjustment for everyone. The biggest learning was adapting to a new way of doing business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the top three learnings for marketers: Buyers have changed their decision-making process. More than 50 percent of the decision-making process is completed even before a buyer decides to contact a vendor. The importance of digital marketing cannot be highlighted enough as this is where buyers are influenced. Virtual events have become acceptable platforms to present information to and engage with customers, whereas prior to COVID-19, most marketers relied mostly on trade shows and other in-person events. At Sophos, we’ve had success with our virtual events, and in many cases, these new virtual events drew in more attendees than our live events because a wide range of people from a different geographic area could participate. In my view, the future is a combination of live and virtual events. Content continues to be “king.” And, this content must be tailored to its appropriate channel, whether it’s social media, digital advertising, email campaigns, webinars, etc. Social media continues to grow as a platform to build brands and customer loyalty.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Our key 2020 learning is how technology can help protect and empower front-line workers within our customers. Today, they keep our hospitals and essential services running during the pandemic. Using technologies such as barcode scanners, printers, tablets, and RFID solutions in their daily jobs which enables them to be visible, connected, and efficient. This means they can continue to do their best during these challenging circumstances across all sectors. We realize the importance to closely collaborate, communicate and support our customers and channel partners as a trusted advisor, helping enterprises protect the health and safety of their front-line workers with for example, cleaning and disinfecting guidelines for the Zebra products that they use. Having a front of mind customer approach is key. What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? It will be even more important to remain agile, flexible, and adaptable in the current situation. This will be a key success factor for enterprises in 2021 and beyond.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? In terms of the outlook for 2021, a big focus will continue to be on digital marketing, and we plan to optimize this important route to market as much as possible. Due to the nature of the industry Sophos is in – cybersecurity – we need to continue our efforts to help customer understand the best way to defend against ransomware and other cyberthreats. Unfortunately, cyberattacks are changing daily and businesses of all sizes are impacted. We take our mission to help customers seriously, and this is a message that we will market and focus on in 2021.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

56 SPECIAL //MARKETING HEADS

ARUN NAIR

HEAD – MARKETING & CORPORATE COMMUNICATION, CENTENA GROUP

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? The year 2020 was unprecedented in modern history and could very well be termed as one of the most disruptively transformative years, where businesses all over the world had to readjust their strategies, identify new opportunities, and reset their goals. The year could well be considered a benchmark year where future narratives could be regarding pre-COVID and post-COVID realities and how businesses learned to adapt and evolve amidst the pandemic. To say ‘it was challenging’ is an understatement. Change has been thrust upon us, and the faster we adapt to new and emerging realities and create customer retention strategies, the better it will be for the future. Businesses learned that digital transformation was not just about having a website showcase your services and merely being active on social media. As an example, for Centena Group, being in a business that offers educational technology solutions to our clients - through ATLAB - our role became even more critical. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we adapted ourselves quickly to offer hybrid learning solutions, free webinars, and an enhanced focus on coding. We leveraged artificial intelligence, and through virtual robotics online competitions, engaged and motivated young minds to be active throughout this period. Our marketing strategy at ATLAB was to re-energize brand building and showcase our purpose and commitment to B2B & B2C markets. The year will hold significance where physical space increasingly gave way for virtual reality. Yet, it was all about people and not merely balance sheets. The mission was to yield to “purpose beyond profit” and the community’s welfare through technology and innovation. As marketers, we realized the importance of communicating with our clients, many of whom were affected by the pandemic. To connect closely with all our stakeholders and their families

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

from across 72 countries and leverage music’s power to heal, at Centena Group, we organized a mega virtual concert, BESIDE YOU, with a genuinely enthralling performance by masters Stephen Devassy and Shivamani. The year 2020 was not a year where strategies worked as per plans. It became imperative for us to look at challenges in a collective manner and device solutions accordingly. Marketing is not marcoms; it’s a mindset. What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? If you only believe in logic, you can’t perform magic. Consistency is vital to navigating change. Digital becomes a key battleground as we head to the ‘new normal.’ COVID has thrown up new challenges and opportunities. Creativity is the most prominent problem solver. Consumers are changing behaviors, and many of these will become new habits in varying degrees. However, exactly when the revival starts will depend on several factors, especially the availability of vaccines. All marketers will have to think innovatively and work on resultoriented strategies backed by hard data, thereby creating better value propositions and business sense to clientele. While it is essential to pursue and maintain short term sales activation methods, we should not lose focus on long term brand building strategies and create an optimum balance moving forward. At Centena Group, we have a wide range of clientele with ATLAB dealing with schools, educationists, and parents. Maritronics into marine service and sales, Screen Check to provide access control, biometrics, RFID, and UPS. Emphor DLAS has a critical role in assisting various labs during COVID with an enhanced focus on diagnostics, life and analytical science, and Emphor IAD, the industrial measurement leader. In dealing with our B2B clientele, we emphasize creating more emotive ads with a clear focus on consumer acquisition while retaining a rational approach towards brand building and consumer loyalty. The transition from sales to storytellers, from marketing to making an impact in society. While one end of the clientele has been severely affected, others have had growth opportunities. Our approach to dealing with them is varied, but all aimed at a more in-depth understanding of the situation, embracing the challenges, and moving ahead with a positive outlook. When it comes to the adoption of digital transformation, it is as if someone just pressed the fast forward button 4X.

57 SPECIAL // MARKETING HEADS

ASIF KHAN

CHARLINE FAHED

CHANNEL DIRECTOR MEA, MITEL MIDDLE EAST

FIELD MARKETING MANAGER – MEA (MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY, AFRICA), INFOBLOX

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 has been a year of major shifts– changes both professionally (technologies) & personally (communications). Business continuity was important & adapting to relevant solutions. Some of the key learnings were: • How to manage this shift in terms of business & communication & organizations had to align with that. • We at Mitel stayed stronger & positive & started created relevance of our solutions which is Telephony, Contact Center & Collaboration. • How to position these solutions – we used digital media, webinars for the channels. • We tried shifting mindshare of our channel partners such as business approaches - the transition of partners from pre to post covid-19 • Major Evolution in cloud computing & artificial intelligence. Tremendous growth is happening from CAPEX to OPEX & because of pandemic lots of organizations are moving towards cloud computing with less cost of ownership & it’s easy to manage. • Building an ecosystem – we saw an opportunity to work with different vendors to offer turnkey solutions & real value to our partners. • Marketing strategies of Mitel MEA has now shifted all towards digital such as social media. Major shift in marketing strategy on prem to digital.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? The year 2020 brought to us unexpected challenges across all aspects of our social and professional lives. My biggest takeaways are that we should always expect the unexpected and be prepared to adapt fast to our changing environments. This helps us recalibrate quickly and set up realistic goals that we can still meet. Speed is a Key

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? We created a base in 2020 and we shall carry on forward with that. As Mitel we built up strong pillars which created relevance during COVID -19. We also plan to defend & grow our existing customer base & enable our channel partners to the next level on COVID19 relevant solutions. Upselling & cross selling our solutions to the existing customers & pushing partners is another plan. We also intend to engage more channel & customers over social media, build our customer base & focus more on our territory- based plans. We shall also make investments in vertical strategies as hospitality, SME & Mid-Market, Contact Center, Cloud & Telco, among other things.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? It would be a shame if we go into 2021 without cherishing all the learnings from 2020. While there are many promising findings about effective vaccines coming to us in the near term, we cannot assume that the new normal will be anywhere close to what life was like before COVID-19. I predict many companies will continue embracing remote work cultures and seeking out innovative technologies to digitize their practices. Similarly, the marketing field will continue diving deeper innovatively into the digital space, even faster than before especially that now Physical events are likely to disappear for a while, as we live in a virtual world now Digital transformation is speeding and evolving. Therefore, it is on us, in the field, to make sure we meet our clients where they are and bring to them the solutions they need to succeed in this new normal.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

58 SPECIAL // MARKETING HEADS

DARRAGH FEGAN

DHARMENDRA PARMAR

GULF & SAUDI MARKETING LEAD, VERITAS

VP – MARKETING, SPECTRAMI

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Few could have imagined at the beginning of 2020 the challenges that lay ahead and how many organisations would be forced to evolve at pace. The current environment has tested business models in unprecedented ways and made clear that agility is a crucial cultural mindset for organisations. To thrive within this environment meant adapting to a new reality expeditiously. As the pandemic showed no sign of receding, organisations rolled out IT projects such as work from home initiatives, teleconferencing, putting more workloads in the cloud. At Veritas, our purpose is to partner with our customers and support this digital transformation. Internally as a Marketing team, it meant finding new, creative and more effective methods of communicating with customers, who were no longer in an office, at the end of a phone line or indeed available to attend a conference. Upon reflection, in order to support our customers, we relied heavily on two things – our organisation’s purpose and our workforce’s resilience and ability to adapt.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 has definitely brought in unforeseen challenges for everyone. In-person marketing activities had to be moved to virtual, with more focus on Digital. It gave us greater clarity on what new formats customers are willing to consume information that would help them find solutions to their corporate challenges. Moving to virtual formats also brought in a benefit of removing geographical barriers when addressing customers. Nevertheless, an important factor for many marketing activities is networking, which is an essential part of the culture in the region. This has definitely been affected and everyone is looking forward to the time when networking would again be possible safely. Though customer’s budgets have been affected, we have seen as a Cybersecurity VAD that security still remains essential for them. Solutions enabling their teams to work from home securely remain high on their list of priorities.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? 86% of the Fortune 500 and 94% of Global 100 trust Veritas to manage their data. As market leader we will continue to focus on our customers and our marketing strategies will reflect this. One such strategy is providing valuable insight to our customers. For example, in September, we commissioned a global survey of 2,690 senior IT professionals and executives in 21 countries to understand their level of preparedness and resiliency against ransomware attacks. We found that only 36% of respondents stated that their security had kept pace with their IT complexity. This is compounded with many companies having had to curtail their IT security budgets during the pandemic, at a time when distributed workforces and increased demand for edge data protection has put additional strain on security resources and budgets. Customers have high expectations of the brands they do business with. These include solutions they can trust, a brand purpose that aligns to their values, and an experience that is second to none. In times of crisis whether it be a recession or pandemic, those expectations are heightened. At Veritas we work hard to deliver against these expectations delivering value to our customers.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? We see a continued strong market for Cybersecurity in 2021 as the threat landscape evolves continuously. Since a significant part of 2021 is still expected to be affected by COVID-19, next year’s marketing plans will definitely look different. More focus will be on Digital and Virtual, while ensuring customer engagement and return on investment. Marketing plans will have to be flexible to allow changes according to the changing dynamics – and these may be unpredictable.

59 SPECIAL // MARKETING HEADS

FARAZ ALI KHAN

JACK TADROS

MARKETING MANAGER, ASBIS MIDDLE EAST

MARKETING DIRECTOR, AZDAN

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? In marketing we learn new things every day, that’s because market is always changing. Companies who did not prioritize digital marketing before the economic downturn are scrambling. In digital marketing we focused on online newsletters, which has become an excellent vehicle to share company updates, we emphasized on video creation, as audience loves your story, concept and messaging and webinar marketing, as its popularity is still rising for obvious reasons. With growing subscribers for both our newsletter and video channel, it’s one of the few positives we can take out of a difficult year. Now that we are reaching the final stretch of 2020, the year of the Pandemic, it is a great time to reflect on the lessons you learned and how you can use them to visualize your goals and dreams for a winning 2021

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 taught us that traveling to meet potential clients onsite is not an option. The pandemic has accelerated digital marketing transformation, forcing everyone transition to digital marketing from demand generation, selling only through digital channels, and finding the right way to connect with buyers that are in the market. We relied 100% on digital channels to build brand awareness, demand generation, and finding the buying signals of our accounts.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? Even without the current crisis, we may have adopted these new and expanded facets of our marketing, but the pressure of the moment makes us look for ideas beyond our traditional efforts. In my opinion, “Opportunities are born from challenges” in 2021, its time to fly. Next year I will seek for more inspiration, as this year is making clearer than ever. No one can control Mother Nature, but you can control your marketing strategies. We don’t live in perfect world and I was excited to figure out how to navigate around the crises and come out of it stronger, wiser and more successful.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? We will invest more in buying intent data. Timing is everything. That’s where data comes in. our prospects do a lot of online research. and educate them on the topics that interest them the most. We are going to position content that gives them a solid footing to start or continue a conversation from their point of concern. Every person inside the organization has different point of view and needs to explore highly personalized content. In 2021, We are going to integrate our outbound and inbound marketing together, wee would pass the leads to Sales that include insights into the level of engagement the prospect has had with our content. We will enrich the lead by answering the following questions how the lead was attracted? what messages they acted upon? and what they were expecting from their action?

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

60 SPECIAL //MARKETING HEADS

KATJA TOFTEGAARD WINKLER

MANAL ABI RAFEH

REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER - NORDICS, BENELUX & MIDDLE EAST

SR. FIELD MARKETING MANAGER MEA, FORTINET

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Cybereason launched operations in the Middle East in April this year. While we had several marketing activities and regional events planned for the year, the pandemic forced us to go back to the drawing board and be creative about how we built our brand in the region. One of the nice benefits of working for a company like Cybereason is that agility is in our DNA and we are encouraged to experiment. So we were very quickly able to pivot to a mix of virtual initiatives targeted at both potential resellers and customers. We have also learned that virtual trade shows and virtual booths work remarkably well in the region, especially compared to other markets in which we operate. We noticed that trade show visitors took the time to digest the digital assets we provided. When they did approach us, their questions showed a deeper level of understanding, of technology and our offerings, than we typically see at physical events. What we have lost in volume we have gained in depth.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? The worldwide pandemic has forced marketers to change the plans already set for the year 2020, from traditional marketing strategies to full digital. This change taught marketers to adapt to different situations, and be more flexible having short terms decisions to cope with the sudden and constantly evolving environment . It also emphasized a need to reskill and upskill marketers to keep up with accelerated digital innovation. Further, due to the lock down, marketers had the chance to invest in digital training opportunities to ensure they and their team are ready to rise once again to the next challenge.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? We expect the majority of our marketing efforts to remain digital, at least in the first half of 2021. Even if the option for more face-to-face meetings opens up, we have decided to take a cautious approach and focus on a predominantly digital strategy. That being said, we will continue to monitor the situation and remain hopeful that 2021 will offer more opportunities for us to arrange in-person meetings and marketing activities with our customers and partners.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? Nobody could have predicted how 2020 would change the face of marketing, we are in a period of uncertainty which should probably continue a part of next year. Thus, various scenarios based on the severity and duration of the crisis should be considered in planning and find a balance in the marketing activities as for the remote workforce, more hybrid combinations. And potentially say that digital has taken an important place and it should continue.

61 SPECIAL // MARKETING HEADS

MARY AJI

MAX MATVEEV

MARKETING DIRECTOR, STARLINK

HEAD OF MARKETING, MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY AND AFRICA AT INGRAM MICRO

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? Businesses that thrived in 2020 are the ones that adapted quickly and decisively! Fortunately, at StarLink we are proponents of innovation. Our focus stayed on exploring and presenting innovative as well as alternative solutions to help our customers and channel partners through various initiatives. Understandably, with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;new normâ&#x20AC;?, some technology domains saw more demand than others did; we were quick to invest in resources to support these market shifts. Overall, our positive and proactive approach in dealing with challenges held us in good stead.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? What an amazing and unexpected year with lots of twists and turns it has been! When the weather is calm everybody can stay in their comfort zone and do business as usual, following the trends and achieving what is expected. During the volatile and difficult times, with uncertain environment, the real character of the team reveals. The challenges of 2020 showed the strength of Ingram Micro Marketing team to predict and anticipate on how the things could go, be proactive, act together as one team, keeping the priorities clear and setting the trends in the industry on how fast one can adapt to the ever-changing circumstances. Most of all I want to thank the brilliant people I have worked with and many thanks to my team and the great energy during this year, it was a pleasure to work with all of you! I feel privileged to have shared in the many successes the team achieved and I look forward to watching many more in 2021

What is your Outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? If 2020 taught us one thing, it is that no strategy or plan is written in stone! The Marketing Organisation within StarLink has always been an agile one, and in 2020, we rolled with the punches like never before! StarLink Digital Summit took the place of our face-to-face events, with the successful completion of 30 plus digital events so far, that attracted over 1400 attendees in all. We adopted a Conversational Marketing approach to all our digital campaigns encouraging a more personalised, instant-feedback loop with our end customers and channel partners. We diversified and repurposed our content marketing, and exploited our multichannel communication strategy to the full this year. With extensive automation, we have been smarter with analytics to augment our sales and marketing efforts. 2021 will see us continue our extensive digital marketing strategy and we are ready to pivot as needed, for any new trends or challenges, as always!

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? It is a paradox â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in the beginning, it seemed that the current crisis would make us feel more apart, but I ended up feeling much closer and more connected to our employees than ever before. The learnings and achievements that we got in 2020 made us more confident to lead our business successfully in the future with our diverse and open-minded strong teams! Talking about business and Marketing strategy, in my opinion, a lot depends on the culture of the organization and how this is first communicated internally with staff and with all stakeholders outside: namely its partners and customers. When a company engages with everybody it builds its value and everybody get closer to such a company which ultimately is not recognized only for the products/ brands it sells but as a whole company. When it comes to the execution, I strongly believe that empowerment is essential for accelerated business success with an agile culture and high motivation. This year it was a great journey and very good exercise to explore on how we could empower our people even more. Empowerment of course involves many levels including: accountability, feedback, mentorship, motivation just to name a few. When I look at my team and the entire Marketing department at Ingram Micro META I am very happy to see that despite diverse backgrounds, languages, nationalities, culture, locations, time zones, etc. we share a similar understanding regarding empowerment and are all fully determined to accelerate it. The turbulent events of the past months have proven that time-critical challenges require bold and decisive actions and with a strong team that is held together by common values, we can master all crises! www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

62 SPECIAL // MARKETING HEADS

NIKITA KANDATH

SANCHARI ROY

MEA REGIONAL MARKETING SPECIALIST | ENTERPRISE, COMMSCOPE

MARKETING MANAGER MEA, BARCO

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? The key learnings we noticed in the wake of the ‘new normal’ were: • Personalized outreach and Customer Engagement are critical: Our content has been tailored to match individual customer needs to solve immediate concerns and challenges as opposed to releasing a generic message. • Omnichannel Communication is key: Being able to communicate with your customers, no matter the medium, has been a major need for our brand • Engagement with the Channel Community: Maintaining Relationship with our partners and distributors by running periodic workshops, trainings and incentive programs proved to be successful in gaining their confidence and ensuring them to stay loyal to our brand.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 has been a particularly challenging year where businesses were forced to navigate unchartered territories and adopt new practices to ensure businesses continuity. To ensure seamless operations, technology has played a major role in this new transition. We have observed rapid adoption of enabling technologies that helped employees work remotely and stay connected with their employers. The key takeaway from this year will be witnessing the agility that businesses operate with. Another opportunity and lesson for us was how as an ecosystem we are constantly trying and winning over obstacles that were not part of the plan and how technology is constantly evolving with changing dynamics of the market.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? Now since we have weathered the worst and have acclimated to the ‘New Normal’, our outlooks for 2021 is to make sure that we adopt the right digital marketing strategies by analyzing the new trends and building our plans according to them. We will be looking to improve if not change our current marketing strategies in a way that would make us stronger and have the same effect as being face to face with our customers. The tactics we would be looking to adopt would include: Being reactive and proactive: Review the original marketing roadmap and reworking the old strategies. For E.g. developing our email journey strategy for our inactive user database or to reengage past customers having subscribed to our website but who have not purchased yet, or reviewing our content to optimize your targeting tactics. Indulge in Conversational Marketing: Creating a dialogue with customers to personalize messaging based on their persona and addressing individual challenges.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? The market is expected to move past the crisis of 2020, but it may go back to the usual normal. As most industries have embraced a number of new technologies to ensure efficiency, 2021 will witness new normal in many ways. The world and office culture will not be the same anymore. Marketing strategies and practices now directly reflect the changing times and how the market perceives the future. These plans will now be future proof. Considering that 2021 will establish a new normal culture, it will become increasingly important to understand to customer sentiment and behaviour. The key matrix to tackle the challenges will be incorporating flexible strategies that help in anticipating the gradual impact and reflect the same in marketing plan. We always emphasize on storytelling, but 2021 will be also a year of listening to stories and translating that to an actionable output.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

63 SPECIAL // MARKETING HEADS

SWETA KANORIA

ZAHID PERVAIZ

REGIONAL DIGITAL MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, MIDDLE EAST REGION, HUAWEI ENTERPRISE

MARKETING MANAGER, MITSUMI DISTRIBUTION FZCO

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? 2020 was an extraordinary year. There were a lot of unexpected changes that we had to deal with, including a behavioural shift in customer mindset and work habits. My top three learnings have been: Firstly, the need to be agile and flexible. At the start of the pandemic, events and conferences which are a big part of B2B marketing in the region, were cancelled, leading to a re-think of the marketing plan. We had to quickly adapt to virtual customer engagement models & be more flexible, creative and experimental in our approach, with more short term & dynamic plans. Secondly, with remote working & more time being spent online, 2020 brought about an acceleration of digitalization in marketing. Email and social media traffic increased rapidly, and budgets shifted to online platforms. With this increase of online communications, it became more and more important to re-evaluate messaging & stand out by driving more meaningful human connections and communicating more authentically, with empathy and with purpose. Thirdly, in a rapidly changing world, having a learning mindset and continuously upskilling in new areas has become vital. A lot of marketers have picked up new skills when it comes to digital, and taking charge of one’s own development to pivot to the new business environment has been a key learning.

Now that 2020 is almost behind us, what are some of the key learnings? I think we need to adopt to the new norm for it to be “business as usual.” However, a key takeaway is that technology has played a key role in dealing with the pandemic on how we live, communicate and work. We are living in an era in which mobile phones, laptops, IoT, AI, and other technologies form part of our everyday lives, achieving business agility without key digital innovations is almost impossible. An organisation should have the ability and means to quickly adapt and respond, which means reassessing its internal processes and the technologies that are able to support its operations.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? Though we cannot predict what will happen in the coming year, we can apply some of the learnings from 2020 to plan for 2021. My outlook is positive as many economies and businesses are on the road to recovery. In 2021, I foresee a greater shift in marketing strategies towards digital and social and the advent of new and immersive virtual user experience models to keep audiences engaged online. Events will also be more hybrid in nature, with a seamless integration of physical and virtual. There will also be an increase in the use of technology & insights gathered from data to guide planning based on new consumer behaviours and preferences.

What is your outlook for 2021? Are you planning changes to your existing marketing strategies to tackle challenges that may arise? Depending on your goals, having a realistic and agile marketing strategy is key to address the current challenge and environment. We need to set the tone for how customers perceive the brand during a difficult time. My key focus areas: • Digital will remain a key element in the marketing mix. • Developing and distributing engaging content is also crucial • Technology has made it much easier to reach a wider audience and better engage with customers- so having insightful Event-based programs/ webinars • Keeping employees engaged, connected, as motivated to ensure better client outcomes.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

64 PRODUCTS

TECNO MOBILE LAUNCHES FIRST EVER POVA SMARTPHONE IN MENA REGION packs a powerful 6,000 mAh battery.

ECNO Mobile, the global premier mobile phone brand, has unveiled its newly rebranded high-end series POVA. Consumers in the MENA region can now get their hands-on the first ever smartphone in the POVA series which

“With the introduction of POVA, TECNO Mobile has once again designed a product that delivers a premium experience and a powerpacked performance. With its large storage space and superior camera quality, to long-lasting battery life and the HyperEngine Game Technology to support gaming, POVA is built to elevate consumer experiences. With smartphones becoming an important part of everyone’s daily lives, at TECNO Mobile we will continue to raise the bar on creating smartphones that are designed around extraordinary performance, powered by category leading specifications,” said Ye Yuan, the Deputy General Manager of TECNO. POVA is armed with a colossal battery capacity of 6000mAh providing users with a standby time of 30 days and the ability to play music for 8 days straight, on just a single charge. The battery

is supported with an 18W dual IC flash charger, increased 20% charging efficiency. For gamers wanting a highperformance experience, POVA’s 128GB + 6GB with its HyperEngine Game Technology, gives enthusiasts a seamless lag-free experience, providing dynamic performance and sustained gameplay. The Helio G80 Gaming Processor will unlock intelligent resource management in game mode and enhanced power management for high intensity gaming. The new POVA features a 13 megapixel-focal length camera on the rear and an 8-megapixel AI selfie front camera. The device operates on HiOS, which is a customized version of Android™ 10 operating system. The operating system is also bundled with utility applications that allow users to free up memory, freeze applications, limit data accessibility to applications, and more. It comes in Magic Blue, Dazzle Black, and Speed Purple colours. Starting November 6, POVA is available at leading retailers in UAE, priced at AED709.

XIAOMI LAUNCHES MI 10T SERIES, FOR WORK, GAMING, AND EVERYDAY USE

lobal technology leader Xiaomi has announced the release of a duo of smartphones that will “Power Your Creativity” like never before. The flagship Mi 10T Pro takes creating and exploring to the next level, with unmatched specs in its class. Mi 10T continues to push boundaries, delivering topnotch experiences for everyone from working professionals, to streaming enthusiasts and mobile gamers.

There’s no denying Xiaomi’s pivotal role in defining the 108MP camera segment -- from debuting the world’s first 108MP smartphone camera to introducing countless photography software innovations in the past year alone. Mi 10T Pro continues the brand’s ultra-high-resolution legacy with OIS and 8K video support. Mi 10T offers an impressive 64MP main camera. But it doesn’t stop there – both Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T offer a triple camera setup with a 13MP ultra wide-angle camera and 5MP macro camera, equipping it to capture moments that matter. Building

on Xiaomi’s existing technology, Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T flaunt new and dynamic photography software features. Six standalone Long exposure modes let anyone capture artsy shots, from Moving crowd – which focuses on an idle subject while blurring dynamic surroundings – to Star trails – which creates a swirling starry sky effect. Photo Clones captures four of you in a single shot. Pushing the boundaries even further, Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T also offer compelling new video features. Video Clones captures “two selves” in one video, while Dual Video can record from the device’s front and back cameras simultaneously, making it ideal for capturing surprise reactions. Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T feature one of the best flat displays available in any smartphone today, with an industryleading 144Hz refresh rate to boot. While high refresh rate displays often fall victim to high power consumption and inconsistent frame rates, Xiaomi’s AdaptiveSync display automatically matches the content’s frame rate, from

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

enjoying your favorite movie at 48Hz to watching TV series at 50Hz, from streaming video at 30Hz or 60Hz to scrolling social media feeds or gaming at up to 144Hz – it guarantees a smooth experience and optimum battery usage. And with Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation (MEMC) technology, the devices insert more frames to make video smoother and better viewing. Mi 10T 8/128GB will be available at AED 1,799. Pre-orders for Mi 10T began on 16th November 2020 via all retail channels like Amazon, Noon, Carrefour, Lulu Hypermarkets, Sharaf DG, Nesto, Jackys, Etisalat and Mi stores. Mi 10T Pro will be available from December 2020 starting at AED 1,899.

65 PRODUCTS

ANKER POWERCONF BLUETOOTH SPEAKERPHONE

he Anker PowerConf Bluetooth Speakerphone comes loaded with 6 microphones, enhanced voice pickup, 24H call time, bluetooth 5, USB C, bluetooth conference speaker Compatible with leading Platforms, for home office.

This product has been lauded in the media for its cutting-edge features. Forbes says “Whether it’s used as a portable conference phone, or as a speakerphone in a conference room, the Anker PowerConf works remarkably well.” The following are some of its exciting, power-packed features: 360° Coverage: 6 microphones arranged in a 360° array pick up voices from all directions to instantly transform any space at home or the office into a meeting room. Smart Voice Enhancement: PowerConf Bluetooth speakerphone utilizes a custom DSP algorithm to optimize your voice in real-time and effectively reduce background noises. Optimized Clarity and Volume: Your voice is automatically balanced to make up for differences in volume and distance from the Bluetooth speakerphone. Perfect For Home Offices: The speakerphone connects to your phone via Bluetooth or to your computer with a USB-C cable—without needing to install drivers. PowerConf Bluetooth speakerphone is Zoom certified and is compatible with all popular online conferencing platforms.

24 Hours of Call Time: A built-in 6,700mAh battery gives you the option to go wireless and hold meetings virtually anywhere. Integrated Anker PowerIQ technology allows you to charge other devices via PowerConf at optimised speeds. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

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OKI EUROPE LAUNCHES WORLD’S SMALLEST HIGH PERFORMANCE A4 COLOUR PRINTER

KI Europe Ltd has announced the launch of the C650, the world’s smallest A4 colour printer. Available from January 2021, the C650 delivers the performance, media handling and cost-efficiency of a class-leading workgroup device in the format of an A4 colour desktop printer. Designed for any business that has limited space, the C650 will fit comfortably in the smallest of spaces while printing high volumes quickly and in professional quality, making it ideal for use across a variety of sectors including retail, hotels, restaurants, healthcare, education and construction.

Powered by OKI’s pioneering digital LED technology, the C650 delivers high speed printing in rich LED colour, perfect for handling everything from everyday documents to all manner of marketing collateral and signage. The device prints 35 pages per minute and can handle media as light as 60gsm and up to 256gsm, and from B8 up to 1.32m in length. The C650’s innovative Space Saving Technology includes full front access which significantly reduces the amount of space needed to operate the printer compared to a device with a similar footprint by uniquely ensuring all operations are performed from the front of the device. When it comes to maintaining the C650, only a 2cm space is required around the sides, so it can fit into the tightest of spaces for all operations. Reliability was a key area of focus in the C650’s development and the extensive use of high value componentry in place of plastic makes this one of the most robust printers in its class, guaranteeing a long and hassle-free life. Separate toners and long life drums enable a high duty cycle and maximum use of consumables ensuring the C650 keeps printing and printing, making

it ideal for organisations requiring high volume printing and high colour coverage. OKI recommends the use of ABBYY FineScanner, the first AIpowered smart mobile scanner for scanning paper documents and getting perfect digital copies to print and store. Customers can also subscribe to The Design Hub powered by Shoppa, providing a one-stop-shop for design and printing needs. “Space is an important consideration for so many businesses when it comes to choosing the right printer,” says Lee Webster, General Manager Product Marketing, OKI Europe Ltd. “Typically, buying a compact printer means having to compromise on performance, productivity, quality or cost-efficiency. The C650 turns this on its head, providing exceptional print quality, superior speed and reliability while delivering true ROI. This small yet powerful and robust printer will finally tick all the boxes for so many businesses, whether they’re looking for a device to sit in a

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

busy warehouse, on a production line, in a compact kiosk or in the back office.” With organisations and businesses requiring as much support as possible during these challenging times, in addition to an extended 3-year warranty on product registration, as part of its ‘Adapt Today’ campaign, OKI is offering a Business Agility pack with an approximate value of $580* with the purchase of a C650 and a set of CMYK toners. The pack includes a free** six-month subscription to The Design Hub and ABBYY FineScanner Premium, media for sector-specific applications and access to templates and artwork. These tool and assets are designed to help businesses quickly adapt their customer signage and communications to changing circumstances, such as adhering to government guidelines or reacting to evolving market and social trends, without having to rely on third party suppliers.

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AOC ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF ITS NEW AGON PORSCHE DESIGN GAMING MONITOR IN THE UAE Launching for the first time in Virgin Megastore-through its distribution partner Techxhub

Gaming display specialist AOC is officially launching the AGON Porsche Design gaming monitor in the UAE. Available through Virgin Megastores, the PD27 brings top-of-the-line performance that brings professional display technologies that is a must-have for any hardcore gamer. Porsche Design is already known for exclusive lifestyle products that take form and function on a whole new level. When combined AOC’s unique reddot winner 2020 gaming displays under the AGON line, you’re getting the best possible gaming monitor that brings a lattice structure design inspired by a Porsche car rollcage. “We are proud and excited about collaborating with such a fantastic partner like Porsche Design within Middle East region through our Distribution Partner Techxhub & Region’s Top Retailer Virgin

Mega store. The Porsche design heritage goes perfectly with our state-of-theart display technology. We believe together with our partnership, thanks to our terrific and completely unique monitors, we can provide gamers across the region with an unrivalled gaming experience,” said Carol Anne Dias, Sales Director Middle East & Africa at AOC. The PD27 is a 27-inch 1000r curvature display that comes with a QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution plus a 240Hz refresh rate. There is also Adaptive Sync plus HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4, along with Display HDR 400 support plus 90 percent DCI-P3 coverage. “Launch of Porsche Design Monitors across Virgin stores will give gamers opportunity to experience this world class product. We as Techxhub strive to bring the very latest trends in

technology to the region & focus on ecosystem-based demand creation, channel-based customisation and a solution-based customer proposition” said Sachin Kapoor, Vice President IMEA at Techxhub. The new AGON Porsche Design gaming monitor include an ambient light behind the screen that allows for a more immersive experience along with dual 5W speakers enhanced with DTS Sound. A Wireless Gaming Keypad allows you to configure and access different monitor settings including FPS, RGB, etc. at a press of a button. The monitor is also the first to have a boot-up sound that mimics the Porsche engine. The AGON Porsche Design gaming monitors launched exclusively through Virgin Megastores in UAE. As with all of its displays, AOC offers a 3-year warranty with on-site exchange service. The new model PD27 comes in end user Price, 3,499 AED (excluding VAT).

ABOUT AOC AOC is one of the global top brands in the display market. High quality, first-rate service, attractive designs as well as environmentally friendly, ergonomic, and innovative products at competitive prices are the reasons why more and more consumers, corporate decision-makers and distribution partners trust in AOC. AOC offers displays which cater to every type of user, be it for professional, home, entertainment, or gaming use. AOC is a subsidiary of TPV Technology Limited, the world’s Largest LCD manufacturer.

ABOUT TECHXHUB Techxhub with their industry leading team of professionals and experience of partnering with the best consumer technology brands, deliver comprehensive retail management support to channel partners. Techxhub team’s proven capabilities in successfully establishing new business models, channel development, go-to-market execution as well as long standing and steadfast relationships with leading channel partners act as a catalyst to deliver the brand’s ecosystem to consumers at scale. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

68 PRODUCTS

SOUNDCORE FLARE 2-A CUTTING-EDGE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER FOR THE BEST SOUND

PX7 Waterproof Protection and 360° Sound for Backyard and Beach Party, 20W Wireless Speaker with PartyCast, EQ Adjustment, and 12-Hour Playtime

• 360° Immersive Sound: A portable Bluetooth speaker with Powerful 360°, bassdriven audio. Dual drivers and passive radiators combine with BassUp™ technology to generate a portable party with 20W of intense sound. • Beat-Driven Light Show: A totally reimagined rainbow light show that pulses, phases, and shines to the beat of your music. Double light-rings simultaneously shine down onto the dancefloor and up into the atmosphere for pumping floor-to-ceiling illumination. • Pool Party Proof: No matter where the music needs to be, Flare 2 portable Bluetooth speaker is suited up and ready. Super-safe IPX7 waterproof protection effortlessly withstands spills, rain, and even complete submersion in water. • PartyCast Technology: Link 100+ Flare 2 portable Bluetooth speakers to party into the next dimension— sound and light synchronize across every speaker for a seamlessly electrifying experience. • Customize The Atmosphere: Enhance your audio with complete EQ control then tailor the light www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

show to your mood with 6 mesmerizing lighting modes. PartyCast Technology What’s better than a Flare 2 portable Bluetooth speaker? 100 Flare 2 speakers. Sync light and sound across 100+ speakers (via a single device) for unlimited atmosphere in any space of any size. BassUp With BassUp technology, Flare 2 gives your beats the bass they deserve. A custom-designed DSP chip and dual bass radiators deliver 100% more bass than ordinary portable Bluetooth speakers. Multiple Light Modes Choose from 1 of 6 lighting modes using the Soundcore app to take complete control of the atmosphere. Get hype at the start of the night and bring on the chill when it’s time to cool off. IPX7 Waterproof Complete water resistance means that your party stays rocking in any weather. Flare 2 portable Bluetooth speaker can even withstand complete submersion in water. 12-Hour Playtime A 5,200 mAh Li-ion battery with smart power technology fuel Flare 2 while Flare 2 fuels the party. USB-C Charging Ultra-compatible recharging that goes from 0 to 100% in just 3.5 hours.

MY IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE: Have a cup of coffee, catch up with world news and events, and then organize my calendar and work for the day. Of course, I find my routine to be even better if there are no Zoom calls MY BEST ACHIEVEMENT TILL DATE: Being valued as a Strategic Member of the Leadership Teams in organizations I have worked with by translating Marketing Strategy into Business goals and driving those outcomes till the last mile. FIVE THINGS I CANNOT DO WITHOUT: 1. Water Bottle 2. Laptop 3. Headphones 4. Mobile 5. iPad WHAT 2020 TAUGHT ME: You cannot take anything for granted. Focus on family, health, and mental well-being. Be agile and fail forward. WHAT I THINK 2021 WILL BE LIKE: I am cautiously optimistic as I have seen how both Riverbed and its customers have rapidly adapted to the new normal. Remote working is here to stay, and I expect to see a slow but steady growth curve for businesses.

SHANKARI

GNANADESIKAN

REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER, META, RIVERBED TECHNOLOGY

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2019

70 70 TAKE FIVE

MY IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE (LH) I usually start with my morning meditation and short workout followed by a big cup of coffee for a fresh and invigorated start of the day MY BEST ACHIEVEMENT TILL DATE (LH) is to live the life I have chosen and envisioned for myself, by taking the chance 17 years ago to move to the UAE and have a fresh start. To be doing the job I am passionate about and to be surrounded by the people I chose as my family away from home, in a country that gave me the life I was thriving for, an amazing career path and a cosmopolitan, avantgardist city to live in. FIVE THINGS I CANNOT DO WITHOUT 1. (LH) my family, my friends, my mobile, my daily dark chocolate and my workout. 2. What 2020 taught me 3. (LH) 2020 brought me closer to the people I love, it taught me to be resilient, strong but mostly kind and compassionate towards those who need it most. It taught me not to take anything for granted and to appreciate all the blessings Â we have been granted in this life. WHAT I THINK 2021 WILL BE LIKE (LH) I am an eternal optimistic, so for me 2021 is going to be a year full of new opportunities and new beginnings. We will be able to hug our loved ones again and take better care of our planet.

LENA

HALBOURIAN

SENIOR REGIONAL HEAD OF FIELD MARKETING - MEA, CITRIX www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // DECEMBER 2020

Conference, Collaborate, Click! Discover the new ClickShare Conference Let the new ClickShare Conference transform your remote meetings. Gone are the frictions when you host a conference from your laptop, or the struggle trying to use cameras and other meeting room equipment. Simply launch the ClickShare Collaboration App or plug in the ClickShare Wireless Conferencing Button. In less than 7 seconds you are ready to go.

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Reseller Middle East December 2020

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