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Contents

R. NarayanManaging Editor

Disclaimer: While the publishers have made every attempt possible to get accurate information on published content in this handbook they cannot be held liable for any errors herein.

Published by: JNS Media International MFZEP.O. Box: 121075, Montana Building 404, Zabeel Road, Near GPO, Karama, Dubai-UAETel: 04-3705022 Fax: 04-3706639

It continues to be a disruptive and transformative phase in the IT industry. The cloud is gaining ground as the way

majority of IT services will be delivered in future and will be more common as number of deployments in the enterprise and the SMB segments surge. Cloud computing is built around the pay as you go model which means customers will need to think of IT expenses akin to operating expenses on other services like utilities. The pay-as-you-go or pay-as-you-use model is a significant disruption in traditional IT hardware and software expenditure models.

While it is made out to be that customers will be more comfortable with looking at IT services procurement under OpEx (operational budgets) rather than CapEx (Capital Expenditures) upfront, there could be challenges on the way. It is reasonable to assume that customers with their current budgetary constraints will be comfortable with OpeEx since they don’t need to pay for underutilized IT infrastructure as in traditional deployments.

However, customers who have been used to seeing IT deployments as capital expenditures will require to be informed about the usage based pricing models. Usage patterns will determine their monthly bills and any unexpected burst in consumption with large applications can cause a major spike in the monthly bill. The SLA should be comprehensive and offer clarity to customers about these possibilities. In short, making it free of surprises would help a faster acceptance with prospective buyers.

The Pay as you go or pay per use model might also mean that it would be easier to up-sell new cloud versions of the already deployed application softwares that have proven ROI rather than selling entirely new solutions that the customer is yet to experience the advantages of. However, if the vendor does not have cloud versions ready, customers may look out for other alternatives. Further, Business Units heads in companies may have a greater say in what specific application they need and the channel may need to engage them besides the IT heads to sell solutions. All these possible challenges are likely to be part of the disruptive road ahead.

Editorial

The cloudscape

Founder & CEO: Vivek Sharma Managing Editor: R. NarayanAssistant Editor: David NdichuArt Director: Faiz Ahmed Sr. Sales Manager: R. Subramanyan Sales Coordinator: Smitha Jithesh

Cover story - P 18

Accelerating to the cloudMoving to the cloud is a key strategy for a growing number of enterprise customers in 2013 and the channel will have a key role in facilitating this transition

News in detail - P 10/12

Symantec to streamline and simplify operationsR&M consolidates in region with strong growth

News Feature

Architecting a perfect strategy - P 14Kieran Hernon, Business Unit Director – EMC at Computerlinks discusses the distributor’s initiatives in taking infrastructure solutions to market and how EMC’s portfolio it carries is a key to that strategy.

Techknow

Connectivity redefined - P 16Sakkeer Hussain, Sales and Marketing Manager at D-Link MEA speaks about the company’s cloud products and services for the home segment

Cloud Ready - P 26Marc Jessiman, Solutions Director, Dimension Data UAE speaks about the company’s cloud strategy as well as adoption trends in the market

Cyber Criminals meet their Match - P 28Chris Stewart WW Channel Sales Leader, IBM security Systems, discusses how organizations can take advantage

Insight - P 30

Getting a BYOD Strategy in placeAndre Scheffknecht, Regional VP of NEEMA, Sophos discusses how VARs can step in and help companies deploy BYOD strategies

Regulars

EyetechStats & trends

4 | February 2013

News Bytes

Plantronics announced it has expanded its relationship with Westcon Convergence to include the Middle East. Westcon Middle East is a leading value-add distributor of convergence, security, networking and mobility products and services, covering the Middle East, Pakistan and North Africa regions. The company has specific expertise in the convergence of voice, data and video application technologies, including VoIP, internet security, wireless and mobility solutions and offers a global portfolio in the Middle East and Africa of best in-class products, services and solutions from highly reputed vendor partners.

Susan Hansen, VP of Marketing, Asia Pacific, Plantronics said, “Westcon has a proven expertise in delivering excellence in core distribution services around the globe. We’re looking forward to working with them to reach key telephony accounts and grow the wireless and UC business opportunity in the region.”

Cisco has introduced new solutions under the Cisco Unified Access umbrella that simplify network design by converging wired and wireless networks.

These include the new Cisco Catalyst 3850 Unified Access Switch with built-in wireless LAN (WLAN) controller functionality and the new Cisco 5760 Unified Access WLAN Controller appliance featuring IOS-based software and 60Gbps performance.

Additionally, Cisco announced new versions of the Cisco Unified Access policy and management solutions, the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) 1.2 and the new Cisco Prime Infrastructure 2.0.

The new Unified Access products deliver consistent simplicity and intelligence across the entire network, enabling IT organizations to shift the focus away from time-consuming operational activities to those that enable innovative smart business processes. Cisco Unified Access also includes features such as software-defined networking (SDN) open interfaces, which offer greater investment protection through support of new features in the future.

Den Sullivan, Head of Architectures and Enterprise, Emerging Theater, Cisco said “Customers want a simple, highly secure network with reduced TCO that allows them to address new access requirements such as BYOD and new innovative line of business applications. Cisco Unified Access allows customers to achieve these goals by moving away from individual vertical stacks of technology and disparate components toward a single architecture for an intelligent network.”

Red Hat announced that the company’s channel has grown over the past four years with channel bookings at 53 percent of total bookings in FY08 to 60 percent in FY12 and most recently, 65 percent for Q3FY13. Channel momentum has contributed to total company annual revenue that reached $1,133M in FY12.

Red Hat is launching an overhauled training curriculum for all partners, including a refreshed curriculum covering pre-sales, sales and delivery training that provides qualified partners with access to Red Hat Services best practices. Additionally, partner training will now be available online and free of charge.

Red Hat announced availability of the Red Hat Partner Demo System, a new, online virtual demo lab that partners can use for training, customer demonstrations or to provide proof of concepts.

In 2012, Red Hat launched a new Partner Lead Pass Program, a program designed to pass qualified sales leads from Red Hat to qualified partners. Since its launch, Red Hat has made several enhancements to the program, including making leads available through the Red Hat Partner Center and creating a one-step process for converting eligible leads to deal registration opportunities.

With the updated Red Hat Channel Marketing Center, Red Hat has created a content syndication and marketing automation tool to assist partners in generating leads and developing pipeline for joint opportunities. To support partner growth, Red Hat has also added channel solution architects and partner sales representatives.

Plantronics collaboration with Westcon Convergence

Cisco unveils new Unified Access Products

Red Hat fortifies Partner program

Red Hat FZ-LLC Twitter: @RedHatMea Tel: +971 44494100 Fax: +971 44494110 www.ae.redhat.com

6 | February 2013

News Bytes

Westcon won the ‘EMEA Distributor of the year’ recognition at the Juniper Networks Global Partner Conference held in Las Vegas.

The announcement highlights the strong performance achieved by Westcon Group’s security business practice in 2012 in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Turkey through Neteks, its Turkish joint venture. The business demonstrated more than 25% growth in EMEA during the year – largely driven by success of its Configure-to-Order (CTO) Project for Juniper Networks MX Series 3D Universal Edge Routers.

“We congratulate Westcon Group for its outstanding achievements and commitment to leading customers to build next generation networks. Our annual partner awards recognize those partners from around the world demonstrating outstanding leadership in sales, customer service, technology expertise, and service specializations -- all combining to drive network innovation in the marketplace,” said David Helfer, vice president of partners, EMEA, Juniper Networks.

Comguard, a leading security VAD in association with gateProtect recently held a special training workshop for channel partners on gateProtect Next Generation Firewalls in Dubai. The workshop was a half day event which was attended by a large number of channel partners hailing from all across UAE.

Technical experts from both the companies made several technical presentations and provided hands on training to partners on gateProtect Next Generation Firewalls at the workshop. Channel partners were also updated about the latest market trends in the IT security industry to enhance their knowledge and keep them in tune with dynamics of the industry.

Sudarshan Avadhany, Business Manager, gateProtect shared the roadmap and highlighted the achievements of gateProtect in the Middle East region. While, Amarjot Dhanjal, Senior business development manager at Comguard updated their channel partners about the new changes incorporated in their channel program for the year 2013 and also introduced them to the benefits of partner portal.

Comguard is authorised to sell gateProtect across Middle East including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait among others.

Infor, a leading provider of business application software

serving more than 70,000 customers, announced the

opening of a new customer support centre within its

office in Dubai Internet City. The support team will cover

both English and Arabic languages to support Infor’s 650+

customers across the Middle East. The support centre will

be a key addition to Infor’s existing 1600-strong support

team who are based around the world to provide round-

the-clock assistance to Infor’s global customer base.

The new Middle East team now provides support

to Infor’s growth in the region, which includes a 36%

planned increase in the number of regional partners. Sales efforts are focused on

existing key growth areas including hospitals and complex project-based manufacturing

industries, including refrigeration, air conditioning and water systems as well as utilities,

public sector & government organisations.

“Infor is working to grow its presence in the Middle East,” said Mike Hibbert, channel

manager, MENA, Infor. “What’s more we’re winning lots of brand new clients most

notably in hospitality and the discrete manufacturing sector where manufacturers make

complex, often highly customized, high value, one-off products for customers. We’re also

winning and getting industry awards for our tremendous work in the rapidly growing

healthcare industry and look forward to even more successes in the public sector with

our new sales team in place. So this new local support team is a fantastic new service

which will be warmly welcomed by our growing number of customers and partner

network in the region.”

Comguard and gateProtect trains channel partners on Next Generation Firewalls

Infor opens Middle East Support Centre

Westcon awarded “EMEA Distributor of the Year” by Juniper

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8 | February 2013

News Bytes

Allied Telesis held its annual event for Partners from the Gulf countries, the Levant region, East Africa and Pakistan during December 2012.

Over 70 Partners attended the event, where Allied Telesis presented its latest product and solutions portfolios as well as delivering a live resilient network solution demonstration.

During the event Allied Telesis launched the new Switchblade SBx8112, its next generation intelligent Layer 3+ chassis switch, and delivered roadmaps for new products that are due to come on stream during 2013. There was also a presentation highlighting the important contribution that the Switchblade SBx8112 makes to the “Stairway to the Cloud” model - enabling every small, mid-size and large enterprise to easily and effectively migrate to Cloud ICT operations.

The finale to the conference, was the showcasing of the Star Partner Program – this enabled Partners to see the full range of benefits that they can experience and share through their membership of the program.

Dimension Data has unveiled an enhanced, proactive version of its Uptime Maintenance and Support Services that will help its over 6,000 global clients maximise the availability of their IT estate while optimising their total IT support spend. The Group is the first system integrator to market that can offer this range of proactive support services across multiple vendor technologies on a global scale.

Rob Lopez, Dimension Data’s Group Managing Director for Services said, “Our clients are looking for three outcomes from their IT support contracts. These include cost reduction, service levels gains and access to

better information. Simply put, they’re demanding more value at less cost, and they will switch providers quickly if they see an opportunity to obtain this. With proactive Uptime services, we’re delivering on what our clients want.”

The new Uptime enhancements deliver the following benefits to Dimension Data clients:

• Uptime monitoring gives Dimension Data engineers instantaneous access to clients’ service- affecting incidents and can begin to work on, and achieve, resolution faster.

• Asset tracking capabilities ensure Dimension Data clients maintain an accurate installed asset database so they are assured of the right support coverage.

• Standardised API for service desk integration integrates the IT service management systems of Dimension Data with those of its clients so that both entities can communicate more quickly and accurately with each other, which in turn, leads to faster diagnoses and resolve times.

• The mobile service centre application lets Dimension Data clients keep tabs on incidents from their smartphone or tablet.

• The IT Support Assessment ensures Dimension Data clients’ IT support contracts provide the right level of coverage on devices.

Matrix Comsec, a leading manufacturer of VoIP products such as IP-PBX, IP-Servers, VoIP Gateways and IP Phones, announced that it has been awarded with Prestigious “Best of Show” Award at IT-Expo Austin under Best Mobile and Wireless Solution Provider Category.

Matrix SETU VGFX, a VoIP Gateway Solution offering VoIP-GSM-PSTN Connectivity and High-Speed Internet Accessibility feature in a single Platform, has been bestowed with this coveted award for offering Best Mobile and Wireless Solution. More than fifty products were evaluated throughout the week at IT Expo, emphasizing on the parameters like key features and benefits, innovative quality and ability to work with existing industry standards.

Matrix products and solutions are distributed in the Middle East and North Africa by DVCOM Technology, a part of Al Mashka Group, a UAE based $150 million conglomerate and a leading solutions provider of Open Source VoIP Telephony.

Allied Telesis holds Annual Partner event

Dimension Data enhances Uptime Maintenance and Support Services

Matrix Comsec wins “Best Of Show” Award at IT-Expo Austin

10 | February 2013

News In-Detail

needs: Making it simple to be productive and protected at home and work; keeping businesses safe and compliant; and keeping business information and applications up and running. As such, Symantec is focusing on and considering the development of offerings in the following core areas: Mobile Workforce Productivity, Norton Protection, Norton Cloud, Information

Security Services, Identity/Content-Aware Security Gateway, Data Center Security, Business Continuity, Integrated Backup, Cloud-Based Information Management, and Object Storage Platform.

“Customers will still be able to pick and choose the solutions they want to use, but from a broader menu of innovative products with higher value,” Bennett said. “We’re not offering packages that they have to take it or leave it. Customers can still decide what’s right for them and buy accordingly, but have the added option of migrating to new integrated offerings which provide added flexibility we know they will need to combat constantly evolving threats, particularly via mobile and the cloud.”

In order to continue delivering value to customers in the future, Symantec will increase its investment in

research and development and homegrown innovation to better meet next generation needs. Symantec will also establish strategic partnerships where it can integrate what it does with others to add even more value for customers.

“There is a huge set of underserved and unmet needs that customers are experiencing with regards to protecting, moving and managing their information on multiple devices,” continued Bennett. “With our resources and know-how, we are in a better position to meet those needs than anyone. It’s a question of alignment and regaining focus on the current and future needs of customers via a renewed emphasis on innovation plus developing new technology.”Symantec’s sales process will continue to rely heavily on the channel to manage current customers and free up

Symantec’s sales force to focus on generating new business. Symantec will also enhance

the marketing organization with more strategic resources and capability to accelerate focus and organic growth.

Symantec has created a new Office of the CEO. A small team of executives has been established to make collective operational and functional decisions with Bennett on a daily basis. In order to make the company more flexible and able to adapt quicker to the needs of customers, more emphasis will be placed on giving front-line employees greater empowerment, input and discretion in addressing customers’ needs on a day to day basis. As such, there will be fewer executives and middle management positions, resulting in a reduction of the workforce. This process is expected to be completed by the end of June 2013.

Symantec has announced a new strategy that will

streamline and simplify the company so it can deliver significantly improved performance for customers and partners.

Steve Bennett, Symantec president and chief executive officer said “This is a story about more focus and better execution by Symantec to make things better and easier

for our customers and partners. Our path is straightforward: Offer better products and services tailor made for customers, and make it easier for them to research, shop, buy, use, and get the help and support they need.

Symantec’s goal is to continue to improve its existing products and services, and at the same time develop new, innovative products and services that solve important unmet or underserved needs. Symantec is focusing on 10 key areas that combine existing products and services into new, innovative and comprehensive solutions that meet multiple customer needs with integrated and higher value offerings. The overall development process is estimated to take six to 24 months..

These future offerings are intended to align with meeting three key customer

Symantec to streamline and simplify operations

Steve BennettPresident & Chief Executive

Officer, Symantec

12 | February 2013

News In-Detail

in the region and industry-leading Swiss quality has led to impressive results for the cabling specialist. The company now intends replicating this success in Turkey as well with the establishment of a local presence in the country.

“Over the past four years, in spite of the global recession and poor performance of regional markets, R&M has invested heavily in both staff and technology in order to develop first level supports for speed, consultancy and flexibility in the region. We customized our portfolio to the needs of the region and offered a broad spectrum of

products catering to a wide range of vertical markets such as residential, office cabling, industrial, petrochemical, energy, healthcare, and defense. The result of these efforts has been exponential growth even through the tough financial times and the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region is now one of the fastest growing markets for R&M,” said Jean-Pierre Labry, Executive Vice President, R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

“We are deeply committed to the region and the establishment of a local presence in Turkey is testament to this. This year we plan to

bring a number of innovative products to the market which will be specifically adapted to healthcare, education, transportation, utilities, telecom and city development, as these are the key growth sectors in this region,” he said.

R&M Middle East, Turkey & Africa intends to capitalize on the increasing deployment of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) connectivity by regional Telcos with the introduction of its Venus FXXL solution with an integrated Single Circuit Management System (SCM) and the FO field connectors. The company has already established itself as a leading data center solutions provider

with its pre-terminated fiber-optic cables, MPO/MTP modules and high density patch panels.

This year R&M plans to introduce to the region R&M Freenet uniPhy- a 'unified physical network management solution' designed to provide accurate, real-time monitoring of physical layer connectivity. The cabling specialist will remain focused on its copper offerings as well since Cat6A remains a highly utilized cabling solution for the structured cabling industry. A reason for this has been its application in 10GbE infrastructure as it is easily

upgradable to 40-100 GbE with minimal changes.

Jean-Pierre Labry also highlighted the emphasis that will be given to further development of the company's distribution channel, particularly in markets such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Iraq. “We rely on our channel partners to drive our business and this year we have a number of interesting initiatives planned to strengthen our partner ties. One of these includes replicating the highly successful partner program that we launched in Egypt last year at either a regional or a global level.”

Reichle & De-Massari (R&M) Middle East,

Turkey and Africa, the Swiss structured cabling specialist, has announced that the past 4 years of planning and investment has led to tremendous growth for the company. It registered strong performance In 2012, posting double digit growth in the region during the last 12 months. During this period, the company nearly doubled its staff strength, inaugurated a new regional office in Saudi Arabia and opened the region's first-of-its-kind patch cord assembly facility at its headquarters in Dubai. This continued investment

R&M consolidatesin region with strong growth

Jean-Pierre LabryExecutive Vice President

R&M, META

14 | February 2013

News Feature | Computerlinks

Data Centre Management, Enterprise Content Management, Information Governance, Security, Storage and Cloud.”

The company sees an increased role for the company in the storage and data backup distribution market, courtesy its association with EMC and which in turn aligns with its focus to provide infrastructure solutions to its partners.

Hernon adds, “In recent years Computerlinks has become more focused on providing complete infrastructure solutions and as a part of meeting the demand from our channel we saw the relationship tie up with

EMC as a perfect strategy for two market leaders in their respective areas. There is also a great deal of synergy and complimentary strategy between EMC and Computerlinks in many areas of “technology trends”. “

These according to him are Big Data, Cloud and IT Transformation, all key market drivers for EMC and which mirror the trend which Computerlinks sees as critical areas for development in the next 3 years. Besides this, Computerlinks also see a significant great deal of leverage between the EMC brand and the other vendors it is associated with which offer Virtualisation and Cloud based solutions. The distributor wants to inform the channel about the advantages of working with itself because of this strategic multi-vendor proposition it brings to market in these critical areas.

The distributor is also setting its agenda firmly to take cloud solutions to its channel.

“We see our main role here as educators and consultants. Clearly we can “sell” a Cloud based or Virtualization solution. However in order to do that we must first make sure that our channel is aware of the benefits and can properly advise their customers on the correct choices when it comes to these areas, “ says Hernon.

The company currently offers “EMC Mentor Training” to partner as well as several courses on Scoping and Solution based sales to our Channel. The distributor’s Professional Services team,

which exceeds over 30 members, also are able to work with channel partners on customer solutions in order to provide a level of expertise which may not be available in their in-house team.

Computerlinks has been focusing on lead generation for its sales through myriad activities.

Hernon says, “Over the past 18 months, we have been aggressively targeting this area specifically for EMC. There are a number of campaigns ongoing which include HTML information and update newsletters, Telemarketing to end users in collaboration with Channel Partners and “Sales Weeks” where our Marketing and Product teams will spend time with a partner at their offices calling out to customers and generating leads on specific technology platforms.”

The distributor has also employed the services of “Demos on Demand” specifically for EMC which allows the company to share “Virtual POC’s” on specific product categories (VNX, VNXE etc) directly with channel partners and end user customers. Therefore, instead of conducting several POCs in a particular month and dealing with the issues of product shipment to customer sites, the distributor is instantly able to execute literally hundreds of virtual POC’s per week, saving considerable time. In a Business where speed is of the essence, the company is ensuring it has got a measure of the challenges that confront it and is executing pragmatic go to market strategies.

Kieran Hernon, Business Unit Director – EMC at Computerlinks discusses the distributor’s initiatives in taking infrastructure solutions to market and how EMC’s portfolio it carries is a key to that strategy

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Architecting a perfect strategy

Computerlinks has been a leading security VAD over

the years globally and in the region. Over the past couple of years, the distributor has consciously built a stronger all-round profile with solutions tackling other domains including storage and backup. As a distributor for EMC, the company offers a strong proposition to its partners.

Kieran Hernon, Business Unit Director – EMC at Computerlinks says, “We distribute all products which align with the EMC portfolio and go to market strategy. These include categories including Back Up and Recovery, Archiving, Big Data,

16 | February 2013

TechKnow | D-Link

app and monitor your home or business, anywhere or anytime.

Most of our Cloud Cameras offer 720p HD quality, integrated motion-sensing, automated email alerts and night-vision technology. With easy DIY installation you’ll have a premium home and business surveillance solution up and running in no time.

With our Cloud Routers you can wirelessly access your favorite videos, music

or pictured on your tablet or smartphone. Remotely manage and monitor your home network and experience wireless speeds up to 600Mbps. With D-Link’s free Shareport Mobile app you can wirelessly access your favorite movies, music and photos from any connected USB storage drive right on your iPhone, iPad or Android device.

You can also remotely manage and monitor your home network from anywhere, anytime.

What is unique about your solutions?With D-Link Cloud Services, controlling and managing your network is no longer a hassle. Routers that are mydlink-enabled allow you to remotely control Internet access for all the computers and devices on your network.

Your Cloud Router lets

you see which devices are connected and manage them with security controls through the free mydlink app. In addition, you can view the web browsing history of the devices on your network and make use of a feature that enables you to receive notifications or email alerts whenever there is an unauthorized intrusion attempt or new users are connecting to your network.

There are some other vendors offering Cloud

products, but none of them offers a more diverse range of products such as Routers, Storage and IP Surveillance.

Do you have a similar equivalent of cloud based solution for SMB users? We offer products with Cloud services, and we will be expanding this service to many more products as the demand for these services is constantly growing.

Please discuss the various components of your solutionOur Cloud product range consists of Cloud Routers, Cloud Cameras and Cloud Storage. Each of them has their own specialized cloud offerings.

Cloud Routers allows you to monitor your router where ever you are. They let you keep track on who’s connected to your router and even let you check which sites they

are browsing. This feature is really helpful for parents who are concerned with what their youngsters are browsing online. There is also a feature that informs you about unauthorized users accessing your wireless network. All these features and more can be controlled using your smartphone or tablets (iOS or Android) by downloading our free mydlink app.

Cloud Cameras offer a lot of helpful features as

well. They let you see what is happening on your house through your smartphones or tablets. If you have cameras that offer a Pan-Tilt-Zoom feature, you can access them using our free app.

Our Cloud Storage gives you the flexibility of hosting your own cloud drive. This is often referred to as Personal-Cloud, in which you host your own storage which allows you to have more storage space. Our NAS (Network Attached Storage) Cloud can accommodate as much as 6TB. You are able to access your data stored on your cloud storage anywhere, anytime.

How are these solutions being offered?We are currently working on solutions to offer integrated deployments of D-Link Cloud Products and Services through dedicated Telcos.

D-Link continues to expand its Cloud Services for the home, including solutions for remote storing and sharing of personal content. Sakkeer Hussain, Sales and Marketing Manager at D-Link MEA speaks about the company’s Technologies

Sakkeer HussainSales & Marketing Manager

D-Link, MEA

Connectivity redefined

Discuss your cloud solutions for home users?D-Link Cloud Services allow you to effortlessly access, share, view and control the devices on your home network from anywhere, anytime. Wi-Fi routers, cameras and storage devices can all be reached instantly using a computer or portable device like an iPhone or tablet, putting you in control of your network irrespective of your location.

Please elaborate on user scenarios for home users?

With D-Link’s Cloud Cameras you can keep an eye of what you value most with clarity and mobile control. You can download the free mydlink

Logicom Dubai LLC:Office 307, Alkifaf Commercial Office Building, Trade Centre RoadP.O. Box 54328, Dubai, UAE.Tel: +971 (0)4 5078888, Fax: +971 (0)4 3961144.hpipg@logicom.ae I www.logicom-group.com

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18 | February 2013

growing strategic priority of cloud computing to enterprise IT. Moving to the cloud is embedded in the IT strategies of most companies today.”

2012 was the year when it looked liked the move towards cloud computing assumed a definite momentum. More companies were gauging how the cloud option suited their objectives.

While the number of cloud offerings in the region is on the rise, the preparedness of businesses for these services is in question.

Khaled Kamel, Regional Channel Manager, MENA at Brocade Communications says, “Towards the end of last year, we have definitely seen more companies approach the cloud with actual interest

beyond the initial hype. Their interest has raised questions such as where will the data be stored, who will be responsible for the security of data, what are the SLA's that will be provided by third-party cloud providers? All of these are hurdles to the advancement and adoption of the public cloud. So while SMB's may turn to the

Moving to the cloud is a key strategy for a growing number of enterprise customers in 2013 and the channel will have a key role in facilitating this transition.

Accelerating to the cloudAccelerating to the cloud

It is quite likely that Cloud based IT deployments

will increase in 2013. The convenience, advantages and the growing trust in cloud based services will be seen to outweigh the concerns. Organisations that are looking to replace or upgrade their existing computing platforms that are often underutilized, have the opportunity to opt for cloud computing alternatives that will make the IT infrastructure more agile and responsive to needs of a growing Business while also keeping costs manageable.

According to Symantec’s recent survey, more than 90 percent of all organizations are at least discussing cloud, up from 75 percent a year ago. The latest VMware Cloud Adoption study for instance also reveals that the vast majority (84%) of enterprises across EMEA consider cloud computing to be a priority right now, with over half (56%) ranking it as a critical/high priority over the next 18 months.

Deepak Narain, Senior Systems Engineer, VMware EMEA says, “During 2012 the cloud became a more prominent part of the IT landscape, and we predict that 2013 will see an up-scaling of this dependence. In 2013, there will be key areas in which the cloud will have a say in, a lead in, and be tested on. With around a third of the IT budget going towards cloud computing, we can see that enterprises are allocating significant investment, reflecting the

Cover Feature | Cloud Computing

February 2013 | 19

public cloud in order to avail of enterprise class services without the inhibiting cost overheads, it is unlikely that these risks will be overlooked by larger organizations.”

Companies will need to evolve a strategy for cloud computing with a specific understanding of what they expect from the deployments they undertake. Dell is offering its customers a Cloud Readiness Assessment to help them discover the best strategy that includes the right technology, operational considerations, actionable plan and financial justification for their transition to the cloud.

Basil Ayass, Enterprise Product Manager, Dell Middle East – Commercial Business says, “Most customers are currently virtualized or in the process of virtualizing their infrastructure, which is an important first step. There are technologies that companies can adopt along the way that will lead to incremental gains, but the real benefits come when organizations make cloud an integral part of their business. We’re seeing that shift happen now. The cloud is all about being able to respond efficiently while reducing capital expenditure and operational overhead. This frees up resources that can be redirected into projects that provide greater innovation and create business value. “

Enterprises that are already familiar with virtualization and have done some initial cloud

computing deployments are now gearing up for the next phase. These companies reveal a better understanding of what they specifically require as they look to move more workloads into the cloud.

Narain adds, “Enterprises are maturing in their use and deployment of the cloud. Whereas just a few years ago enterprises looked to the cloud primarily as a means to cut costs, there is now a clear recognition of the transformative impact the cloud can have on core operations of the business. Our studies clearly validate that enterprises across EMEA have entered the next phase of their cloud and virtualization deployments. A significant shift is taking place in the way enterprises think about their IT infrastructures, with cloud at the heart of this evolution. Increasing IT productivity and improving business agility are now the top drivers of cloud computing, reflecting the region’s growing understanding of the broader, business-changing benefits of cloud computing. “

While an increasing numbers of organizations are making the transition toward virtualization and cloud, the smaller ones are struggling with the challenge of managing IT infrastructures

and ensuring application availability. They are also limited by the lack of in-house technical expertise or resources. Virualisation is seen as the step facilitating this transition to the cloud.

Kamel says, “I think at first this will be the way to go since the legal aspects pertaining to public cloud models are still far from being standardized. We have seen virtualization become something of a norm among our large customers. This rampant virtualization has fundamentally changed the nature of applications by detaching them from their underlying IT infrastructure

and introducing a high degree of application mobility across the entire enterprise. It is this concept of the 'Virtual Enterprise' that we feel unleashes the true potential of cloud computing in all its forms - private, hybrid and public.”

It is a journey fraught with potential risks in judgement for IT decision makers. While Enterprises are choosing to test the waters by deploying hybrid cloud model, they may also do well to consider if the solutions they are deploying are open standards based.

Kamel says, “There is much legwork to be done before organizations can look

at optimizing their usage of cloud services. This involves the evaluation of the underlying IT infrastructure that will be necessary to support the

Khaled KamelRegional Chennal Manager MENA,

Brocade Communications

"Enterprises are maturing in their use and deployment of the cloud. Whereas just a few years ago enterprises looked to the cloud primarily as a

means to cut costs, there is now a clear recognition of the transformative impact the cloud can have on

core operations of the business."

20 | February 2013

cloud. Furthermore, given the open nature of cloud computing, IT managers need to be especially wary of proprietary cloud offerings as moving away from this can be both complex and costly. Instead they should opt for open standards based solutions which bring together best-in-class technologies from leading vendors in order to create highly flexible IT environments. These solutions should enable the customer to specify their choice of server, network and virtualizations technologies within a pre-validated framework.”

Companies may adopt hybrid approaches leaving some critical workloads in their private clouds. During the transition to the cloud, the current best practice amongst enterprise customers according to Ayass is to tier their applications and adopt a gradual migration strategy

to private and public cloud. Management of a hybrid IT infrastructure will also be one of the key areas going forward.

Ayass further says, “At the beginning of this transition to the cloud, customers tend to opt for putting non-critical as well as test and development applications onto the Public cloud, leaving Mission critical applications on private clouds. As some applications will be based in the private cloud while others are on the public cloud, data integration challenges arise between these applications. This is where Dell’s application integration platform BOOMI comes into play. We have just announced that application integrations using the Dell Boomi AtomSphere platform now exceed one million processes per day, enabling flexibility and scalability for enterprises hybrid cloud deployments.”

Enterprises will continue to move towards a hybrid model of deployment which gives them a level of comfort by retaining some critical application workloads in their private clouds. Security becomes a paramount issue even in a hybrid ecosystem.

Narain comments, “As our CTO Steve Herrod recently referenced, the adoption of cloud grew in 2012 and our customers’ workloads were not only leveraged in private clouds but in public clouds too. We’re seeing enterprises move to a hybrid cloud model, leveraging and benefiting from reliable resources offered by our vCloud service provider partners. We expect to see even more customers adopt a hybrid cloud model in 2013 as they see the benefits experienced by their peers this past year. Increased adoption of cloud applications brings with it greater scrutiny and a need for tighter management particularly with the emergence of hybrid cloud models – where computing power and applications move between private and public clouds.”

Industry experts predict several key issues will arise in 2013 focused on the financial pressures and security challenges of cloud computing. There are challenges that can come on the way including rogue clouds.

Justin Doo, Cloud & Security Practices Director, MENA, Symantec says, “Business continuity is seen as an important issue with the increase in cloud outages posing greater risks than

security breaches. Outages pose important concerns around data loss prevention, backup, time spent on data recovery and the associated costs. However, with advance preparation, organizations can build safe, agile and efficient clouds that will enable them to meet their business goals. Another issue that businesses are facing is rogue clouds. Rogue clouds are defined as cloud services adopted by business groups implementing public cloud applications that are not managed by or integrated into the company’s IT infrastructure.”

According to the Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cloud 2013 Survey by Symantec, rogue cloud deployments are one of the cost pitfalls. It is a surprisingly common problem, found in more than three quarters (77 percent) of businesses within the last year. It also seems to be an issue experienced more by enterprises (83 percent), due to their larger company size, than SMBs (70 percent). The most commonly cited reasons for undertaking rogue cloud projects were to save time and money.

Advantages for the SMB segmentFor the SMB sector, adopting cost effective cloud services could be a swift way of deploying state of the art IT processes without the encumbering upfront CAPEX costs otherwise expected in traditional IT investments. For this reason, this segment can realistically be expected to be at the forefront of

Deepak NarainSenior Systems EngineerVMware EMEA

Cover Feature | Cloud Computing

February 2013 | 21

the transition. But is that happening as anticipated? And if so what are what are the most likely services they are seeking to begin with?

Narain says, “SMBs are increasingly considering cloud and software as a service (SaaS) solutions as a way to meet business demand. Many small businesses are seeing that the cloud can offer an affordable way to scale IT to meet growing business demands. Rather than building and maintaining IT systems, the cloud means small businesses only have to pay for the IT services they need, when they need them, ensuring they have the tools available to support their growth. The challenge SMBs face is to do it all with a small team. In 2013 advances in cloud-based management solutions will make it even easier for companies to solve these problems and focus on growing their business.”

Scalable solutions are a requirement for SMB customers with growing Businesses. Their needs could change with time and the solution should be dynamic to address larger requirements.

Ayass says, “Small businesses often lack the resources to make capital investments in IT the same way that a large corporation would. Dell ensures scalability for our cloud offerings as we know that IT requirements change over time. We design our cloud solutions to be flexible and scale along with the business needs of our customers. Cloud computing enables companies of all

sizes to offload IT functions, creating more efficiency while realizing cost savings. Small business owners need to focus on their core business and their customers - not on IT management.”

According to Symantec’s 2012 SMB Cloud Adoption Survey, 24/7 protection and time savings are strong motivation for SMBs to adopt IT cloud services to protect their businesses from external internet security threats and internal risks. By adopting cloud services, SMBs will be better enabled to protect their information, while maintaining existing IT staff to focus on more productive, business critical activities. Survey respondents noted lower operational costs, greater mobility for staff, better data protection (backup/recovery) and enhanced information security as top reasons for considering cloud solutions, while concerns about data security, data privacy and lack of control were noted as top barriers to adoption of cloud computing.

Doo says, “SMBs in the region are adopting cloud services. In October 2012, Symantec conducted a study with SMBs in the UAE and found that almost 40 percent of respondents were already using cloud services for personal use and over 25 percent use it for business purposes. Moreover, 89 percent of those respondents who are considering adopting cloud services in the near future expect to make the move within the next six to 24 months. SMBs are primarily

seeking security and backup services such as Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013, which offers a cloud-managed service and traditional on-premise management in a single endpoint protection product; and BackupExec.cloud, which enables businesses to back up data directly to the cloud, ensuring fast backups and retrievals and an offsite copy.”

Is the public cloud space area likely to see consolidation with smaller player exiting?

Narain says, “We believe there is a lot of room left for innovation and growth in the cloud - and small, agile players excel in such situations. In our part of the world, due to regulations and data export laws, the cloud is often a local play, and we are seeing a lot of newer non-traditional players coming up. We do expect the larger players to grow geographically by

acquiring local players, but we don't see traditional mature-market consolidation happening soon.”

Possibilities for the channelIt continues to be debated if the channel will have a marginal role in the era of cloud computing. What it looks like is that the channel will continue to have a significant role but there would be a transformation in what is required of the channel in its engagement with customers.

Ayass says, “The possibilities for the channel continue to be widely discussed and each partner company will need to define their role and develop a clear strategy for delivering cloud services if they feel that it is an area where they can grow their business. The channel can certainly act as a trusted advisor to their customers,

Basil AyassEnterprise Product Manager

Dell ME, Commercial Business

22 | February 2013

guiding them through the options available and outlining how their organizations can benefit from cloud-based offerings. ”

In an era of cloud services, the channel is expected to be more innovative. They will still be required to offer installations of physical network infrastructure that can support cloud solutions and also execute Service level agreements.

Kamel says, “Three important things spring to mind in the context of the cloud and its channel implications. Firstly the network is still key – wherever it is, whoever owns it, somewhere there still needs to be a physical infrastructure that is optimized for cloud delivery. And there is plenty of evidence that that channel plays a critical role in the design and delivery of that network. Secondly, SLAs (service level agreements) are

going to be vital and customers are going to get much more savvy and demanding on this point, which brings us straight back to the network. It still needs to be able to deliver the flexibility, capabilities, intelligence and capacity to support a cloud provisioned solution. Thirdly, competition will come from new sources, not just vendors or other channel players.”

For instance, there are instances of customers who are using cloud as a way of offering new solutions to other internal divisions to become an internal profit centre.

“Increasingly large consumer focused enterprises will find cloud enables them to turn their IT infrastructures into a revenue generator by offering storage, email and some SaaS to their customers in a similar way to, say, Amazon. I think we will see a lot of competition in that

‘mass’ and SMB space among the old and new breed services providers,” adds Kamel.

Channel partners can capitalise on demand by leveraging the cloud portfolios of Technology vendors. In North America, Dell recently launched a cloud channel program, which means that Dell partners in the PartnerDirect program are now able to resell its cloud products as part of their solution portfolio or refer cloud customers to Dell.

Ayass says, “The possibilities for the channel continue to be widely discussed and each partner company will need to define their role and develop a clear strategy for delivering cloud services if they feel that it is an area where they can grow their business. The channel can certainly act as a trusted advisor to their customers, guiding them through the options available and outlining how their organizations can benefit from cloud-based offerings.”

Partners need to look at customer objectives and what best suits their seamless transition to an effective cloud infrastructure which helps them address their Business objectives. Doo claims that Symantec enables its partners to provide software and services to effectively meet those needs – whether they are in the cloud, on-premise or hybrid.

He says, “Partners can have mixed feelings about cloud computing. On the one hand it offers many opportunities for new business,

but on the other there’s the question of which offerings will work with a customer’s current solutions. Partners want to offer their customers with the best products, services and options that align to their business goals.”

Focus on TCOIn traditional deployments, the focus is on upfront capital investments and this could be intimidating for startups or smaller companies. The pay as you go model offered by cloud computing will suit companies of all sizes but at times could also surprise if not understood well and if the customer is not on top of his best options cost-wise and adopt a best middle of the road approach. Understanding the TCO is a key requirement.

Narain says, “The world is slowly transitioning from CapEx (up front costs) to OpEx (recurring costs) - and in their hurry to cut capex, a lot of organizations forget to look at the total cost of ownership over the life of a project. These organizations are definitely going to be asking themselves a lot of questions. Overall, we don't think the cloud is an all-capex or all-opex model. The goal is reducing total cost of ownership, and the best way to reduce TCO is to deploy the hybrid cloud - where you're splitting your cost between capex and opex - and letting the business needs dictate the deployment topology. In the long run, the vendor that can help you reduce both capex and opex is the one that will win.”

Cover Feature | Cloud Computing

Justin DooCloud & Security Practices DirectorMENA, Symantec

www.gisec.ae

24 | February 2013

The pay as you go model of course offers the customer the convenience of scaling up or scaling down his usage and consumption of applications as demanded by the growth needs of his Business. Vendors like Brocade for instance offers such flexibility to customers.

Kamel says, “The pay-as-you-go model is an IT revolution which entails a string of benefits for the customer. Brocade offers a subscription-based acquisition option for network infrastructure that allows organizations to align network capacity with fluctuating business demands. This subscription-based acquisition for network infrastructure allows organizations to align network capacity with fluctuating business demands. Because of this, our customers now have the flexibility to scale up and down according to actual network utilization with minimal risk and no capital outlay.”

Beyond the massive capital investment, traditional IT deployments are subject to never-ending refresh and upgrade cycles. Cloud based deployments can do away with many of these challenges.

Kamel adds, “The pay-as-you-go model however takes these upgrade woes away from the IT department thus freeing up time to focus on aspects that would instead drive business growth. Thanks to subscription-based acquisitions, IT managers

can plan their IT roadmaps even when faced with tight budget constraints thanks to more predictable expense management.”

Concerns on the wayAs customers look for suitable cloud offerings from public cloud services providers, security is one of the paramount concerns. With BYOD heating up, securing private clouds has become a key priority while there are also concerns of seamless automation of available IT services.

Narain says, “With the prevalence of remote working in businesses, along with a wider variety of devices being used by employees, companies are now required to focus more on heavily the security of their clouds, approaching this from the ground up, as well as implementing strong protocols for BYOD access to company clouds. Additionally, for those that are already on their cloud journey and are looking for the next step, the software-defined data centre will be a key development in the process. Enabling easier automation and flexibility across a pooled selection of services by intelligent, policy-driven software, this truly is the next step in moving a business’ operations to the

cloud. “Building trust with a cloud

provider is top of mind for small and medium businesses. Respondents to Symantec’s 2012 SMB Cloud Adoption Survey cited international credibility and local in-country presence as key to building trust in, or ways that influence their decision to work with, a cloud services provider.

Doo adds, “When looking for suitable cloud offerings from public cloud service providers, companies should ensure that the provider is credible, that the vendor complies with international security standards, and has strong SLA’s. In addition, companies should have an understanding of the service provider’s end of service policies, should a customer need or want to exit an agreement and migrate to a fresh offering they need to know if penalties are involved and whether their data will be readily accessible. “

There could also be the need to manage expectations and perceptions of users within organisations as they get used to a new way of IT services.

Narain says, “As enterprises look to embrace cloud computing more completely, one of the challenges centres on the evolution from technical to

cultural. The need to bring together people, processes and technology in order to shift cultural perceptions and preconceptions of the role of IT within the business

will be imperative in delivering the required results and creating significant value for the business.”

According to Kamel, deployments of open standards based solutions can help customers avoid vendor lock-ins and take decision like change its cloud provider if required. Further, there could be the challenge of addressing the increased requirement of bandwidth for mission critical applications on the cloud.

Kamel says, “Vendor-lock in can easily spell the death of even the most ambitious cloud undertaking. Closely related to this is the challenge of portability and interoperability which places a spoke in the wheel of cloud migration. As businesses shift increasingly complex processes to the cloud, the demands on the network will increase. This is further intensified by access to cloud services from remote locations and though mobile devices such as laptops, tablets and Smartphones.”

These challenges can continue to potential bottlenecks on the cloud journey. Channel partners can help customers understand these issues better and help negotiate them expertly to reap the benefits of a scalable and cost effective infrastructure that is promised by the cloud.

"When looking for suitable cloud offerings from public cloud service providers, companies should

ensure that the provider is credible, that the vendor complies with international security standards, and

has strong SLA’s."

Cover Feature | Cloud Computing

26 | February 2013

TechKnow | Dimension Data

Are cloud based deployments likely to see better adoption in 2013 among enterprises?We are seeing an increasing amount of enquiries and interest in our cloud services across multiple verticals in the UAE. In addition to this we have found many enterprises have managed to create a well-researched and developed plan for their execution of their cloud strategies. Dimension Data has built a business unit that is dedicated to Cloud Computing, through the acquisition of two leading

cloud services providers and by utilising the skills and experience from our System Integration and Services business, to guide our clients along the cloud journey and safely accelerate their adoption of cloud computing

Are companies looking to evaluate and optimise their current usage of cloud services?We are certainly noticing a lot of companies that are evaluating the cloud capabilities both locally in country and globally in order

Dimension Data is a USD 5.8 billion

global specialist IT solutions and services

provider. The company launched its

Cloud Solutions Business Unit in 2011

and its cloud services in early 2012.

Since then the integrator has increased

its client base for cloud services to over

2,000. Marc Jessiman, Solutions Director,

Dimension Data UAE speaks about the

company’s cloud strategy as well as

adoption trends in the market

Marc JessimanSolution Director

Dimension Data UAE

Getting cloud ready

February 2013 | 27

to try and develop a strategy moving forward. We have also realised that there is a lot of confusion out there regarding the different capabilities being marketed by vendors

What are the adoption trends in the enterprise and SMB segments as far as cloud services is concerned? At this point, there is a lot of interest from the service provider and large enterprise or large data clients, they have the need to adopt this new approach fast to either create a differentiator in their service offering, gain advantage from the attractive commercial models it can bring or the agility it can provide to their businesses. The SMB market will most likely be the second tranche of adopters based on the over the top services that will start to come like UCaaS and Backup as a service.

Is the public cloud space area likely to see consolidation with smaller players exiting?This is happening already and is a realistic risk that need is to be identified and qualified by enterprises choosing a public cloud provider; the large dominant players in this space are so big that they can easily absorb competitors and some large vendors are trying to create cloud portfolios by acquiring smaller public cloud players. For the client this could mean disruption of service or alteration of service agreements and pricing models.

What different possibilities and challenges exist for the channel in an era of cloud services?Dimension Data believes that the time to differentiate is now, we have approached this by creating our own Cloud Based Services in both public and private spaces enabling us to move with the needs of our clients and continue to provide the solution they require into the future, trying to stay ahead of their needs. Cloud certainly seems to be the start of a new era it going to force integrators to look at how they do business in order to survive the changing IT world ahead.

What are companies insisting on as they look for suitable cloud offerings from public cloud services providers?We’re experiencing that most of our public cloud conversations revolve around the same topics, mainly, data sovereignty and security of the platform. We were able to address each of these concerns but in the local environment this seems to be the most important discussion. After that it’s a total cost exercise but generally the technology of the cloud is one of the last discussion points.

Would critical applications be the province of private

clouds as apart from the public cloud or are customers trusting the cloud with critical workloads? In this region with few locally available public clouds, we are finding that most discussions move quickly to a private cloud due to the perceived data sovereignty concerns. This is usually a conversation that takes place before Identifying what tier of application were moving into the cloud environment. From our global cloud coverage, we are finding however that the first workloads to be placed on the cloud are the less critical applications followed by a move up the stack to more and more highly critical applications.

Recurring bills in pay as you go models – are they percieved as a challenge by customers?Certainly there is an education process required with some clients that are used more traditional capex based purchasing models but once they see the benefit and cost saving possible of pay per utilisation we soon find any existing challenge fades away. In order to try and overcome the changeable nature of the billing we do have some methods to simplify the process, such as fixed usage

"In this region with few locally available public clouds, we are finding that most discussions move quickly to a private cloud due to the perceived data sovereignty

concerns. This is usually a conversation that takes place before Identifying what tier of application were moving

into the cloud environment."

based contracts that both discount the price of the resources used and fix the monthly fee for the client.

What continue to be the real

challenges for cloud based deployments apart from security? In order to move workloads into the cloud they must first be virtualised, as many organisations are really taking their first steps into virtualisation and yet to virtualise the critical workloads it’s a definite obstacle to cloud adoption, this coupled with the lack of in-country public cloud options really challenge the uptake of cloud. With regards to managing heterogeneous clouds, it is evident that many organisations who attempt to develop their own clouds and utilise the capacity of public clouds in times of excess demand end up with, ‘stranded’ clouds due to the incompatibility of the cloud infrastructures and cloud management systems. With our Managed Cloud Platform we are able to offer a private cloud infrastructure (Private MCP) in a managed service model that is built with exactly the same cloud control software as our public cloud infrastructure (Public MCP) giving a user friendly single pane of glass management solution and the ability to seamlessly burst into our Public Cloud Infrastructure, essentially allowing the hybrid cloud model to be realised.

28 | February 2013

TechKnow | IBM Security Systems

Discuss your particular approach to security and why it’s different from what is out there?There are four areas we are focused on: Identity and access management, data protection, application security and advanced threat. We feel that we need to help our clients build strong strategies around these four areas. To complement these four segments is the inclusion of our own high-end security research group, the X-Force. The IBM X-Force is a group of security experts who try to think ahead of the threat and try to find ways to protect people before they know they need to be protected. The team researches and monitors the latest Internet threat trends, develops security content for IBM customers,

and helps advice customers and the general public on how to respond to emerging and critical threats. The X-Force Research and Development arm provides the foundation for a pre-emptive approach to Internet security. They research and evaluate vulnerabilities and security issues, develop assessment and countermeasure technology for IBM products and educate the public about emerging Internet threats.

In addition, we have our Security Intelligence platform where we work not just with our technology, but with other firms’ security technology as well. We pull data and then with our high performance analytical engine, we help organizations identify where they need to prioritize their security focus. With strong

technology, we have strengths in various pillars backed by the ability to correlate all this with intelligence security.

As IT evolves, discuss your solutions in the new ear of mobility and cloudWe are where customers really need to expand their security strategy especially in areas like mobility, cloud, and virtualization. These are areas that organizations are looking to leverage. But with that comes a lot of risk. Here, we take the technologies that we possess and help identify what makes sense for customers. That is why we are reliant on our partners globally from a security perspective to help customers determine what the level of risk is and build a plan how to address that.

We look at security for

IBM’s Security Systems promise a novel approach as online attacks themselves evolve. Chris Stewart WW Channel Sales Leader, IBM security Systems, discusses how organizations can take advantage

Chris Stewart WWChannel Sales LeaderIBM Security Systems

Cyber Criminals meet their Match

February 2013 | 29

mobile devices in three ways: the device itself, through technology that allows us to propagate corporate standards to any device in a very quick and elegant way. The other one is ensuring that the access to the data is auditable and secure. The third one is at the applications level where we ensure that the applications themselves are secure. Today’s organizations rely on mobile and web applications to engage customers, improve employee productivity, and reduce costs. Without proper security, these applications can be susceptible to a security breach. Recent IBM X-Force research revealed 41% of all security vulnerabilities last year pertained to web applications. IBM Application Security solutions can help you deliver and maintain secure mobile and web applications, by enabling you to build layers of protection throughout all phases of the development/operations lifecycle.

Discuss major threats facing the region? The Middle East is a microcosm of the larger risk facing organizations worldwide, but there does exist some specific threats to the region. Compared with other parts of the world, the Middle East region is very advanced technology-wise and with that comes risk of attacks. There are four main threats faced by organizations: low level threats like defacement of a website,

which may cause nothing more that embarrassment. Then there are the growing cases of hacktivism for mainly political reasons. Third are the organized crime syndicates that cost organizations billions of dollars in losses every year. The fourth and the most nefarious of these security issues is Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). This is where things have escalated beyond criminals and self-motivated hackers to nation-state sponsored players. They could be involved in cyber warfare or espionage. We have seen cases of attacks against regional stock exchanges for example and viruses such as Stuxnet which are well orchestrated and highly organized attacks. These are attacks that organizations should be concerned with as these are not the highly obvious form but slow and pre-meditated attacks launched and orchestrated by well-funded and highly skilled individuals.

How is IBM helping organizations face these security issues?We’ve had many discussions with our partners about the work they are doing with in the public sector and make sure that they have a very good plan in building not only

a good perimeter but also a strong security strategy and a mediation strategy if something like this were to happen. How is your approach unique?The traditional security approach was for firms to lock down their infrastructure with anti-virus for instance and that was it. What we are trying to do is educate people on layered approach to security and that is why we came up with the four pillars of security. This is after discussions we had with a lot of customers and trying to determine what are the vectors that people need to consider to lock down their virtual fortresses as best as they can. For instance in identity management, organizations need to determine who has what control over access to what type of data. With big data, it becomes increasingly difficult for individuals to determine what is actually their own data, what the high risk data is, who has access to the high risk data, etc. What a lot of organizations need to work on is the application security components-the applications that we use every day for personal use and business. The major security breaches happen because of poor

"What a lot of organizations need to work on is the application security components-the applications

that we use every day for personal use and business. The major security breaches happen

because of poor application security."

application security. Most of these applications work well but they do not address security risks. Please elaborate the research and

analysis. approach to security issues at IBM? First we determine what security concerns face our clients. The next level is to correlate the issues with our security intelligence platform. This is to help organizations address the daunting amounts threats that they face. We basically take the data and analyse it with all the intelligence and research that we have and help break it down to something that is manageable. We monitor and manage 4000 clients globally. Using the data that we take from that and also trying to identify trends gives us insights of what is going on in the world, what is going on regionally, and what your organization need to be concerned about. In some cases, our expert research teams are able to identify threats today to events that may happen in five years. Our research teams put on their hacker hats and trying to think of different ways want to break into network and then put in a patch or a fix to something that could theoretically happen based on a whole set of scenarios. We are always trying to think ahead of the threats as the attackers themselves are themselves seeking new ways to break into systems.

30 | February 2013

IT departments at midsize organizations are struggling

with securing the myriad devices that are showing up on their networks. These organizations have trouble creating practical and effective mobile and BYOD (bring your own device) policies.

Oftentimes, these IT departments are forced to say “no” to BYOD requests simply because they don’t have the security licenses to properly protect all these devices. However, IT professionals aren’t naïve—they know personal devices are still being used without their consent and without security. But if all employees were allowed to bring all their personal devices to work and use them for business purposes, IT wouldn’t be able to keep up. And there would be no way to predict how many licenses the IT department would need, forcing the department to perpetually purchase new licenses.

The consumerization of IT and the need to secure these personal devices creates an opportunity for VARs to offer their customers assistance with BYOD and security. Here are a couple of suggestions for using BYOD to create new revenue streams:

Creating mobile policiesAs an IT consultant, your customers depend on you to provide both guidance and solutions to address their security dilemmas. One way VARs can assist customers and create new revenue streams is to provide assistance creating

mobile use policies. Many SMBs don’t know where to start when it comes to BYOD, so simply offering advice or a ready-made BYOD policy checklist can help.

Securing all devices without going brokeOnce a company has created and implemented a BYOD policy, it will need a mobile device management solution to help it secure all these devices. This can become expensive as employees are constantly acquiring new smartphones, tablets and other devices, which they may want to use for work purposes. IT departments, like all departments, need to plan for their expenses, and if employees are allowed to add new devices to the network whenever they wish, IT won’t be able to plan for security licensing expenses.

To help combat this, VARs can offer solutions that secure individuals rather than devices. By this, I mean offering a single license for each employee that will protect all devices. This way, any new device is automatically able to be secured, and employees won’t have to sneak their new devices on the network because there aren’t any security licenses left.

We are all aware of the benefits and challenges of BYOD, but it also creates an opportunity for vendors and VARs to help businesses, especially SMBs, ensure their employees can not only remain productive but also increase their productivity.

More and more organizations are struggling with how to implement a BYOD policy. Andre Scheffknecht, Regional VP of NEEMA, Sophos discusses how VARs can step in and help in such scenarios

Andre ScheffknechtRegional VP, NEEMA

Sophos

Getting a BYOD Strategy in place

Insight | Sophos

32 | February 2013

eyetech

OverviewCisco Unified Access is the convergence of the wired and wireless networks into one physical infrastructure with greater intelligence, simplicity, performance, and open interfaces. One network starts with Cisco Catalyst 3850 switches, which combine wired and wireless by supporting wireless tunnel termination and full wireless LAN controller functionality.

Key features:• The Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switch currently offers the industry's highest 480 Gbps stacking bandwidth to meet network demand, including gigabit desktop and 802.11ac wireless. • The switch delivers advanced capabilities such as a high-performance 24/48 port GE switch, 480 G stacking, Power over Ethernet Plus, StackPower and Flexible NetFlow on all ports.• The Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switch brings Cisco IOS excellence to wireless by extending wired infrastructure features, resiliency, granular QoS, and scalability. • It provides built-in wireless controller capabilities with 40 G wireless throughput, support for 50 access points and 2000 wireless clients per switch or stack, and support for 802.11ac.• The Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switch delivers common intelligent services across wired and wireless for security and policy, application visibility and control, network resiliency, smart operations, and more. • The switch can enable multi-level QoS based on granular information such as SSID, client, radio, application, and fair share policies for wireless.• The new ASIC provides a foundation for converged APIs across wired and wireless, software-defined networking (SDN) support, and Cisco One Platform Kit (OnePK).

Cisco Catalyst 3850 Unified Access Switch

HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage

Overview:HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage is a midrange quad-controller platform offering Tier 1 storage availability and quality-of-service features at an easy entry price point for organizations. Supporting both block and file data services, the system is available with HDD and SSD or as an all-SSD configuration capable of performing more than 320,000 input/output operations per second—2.4 times that of a similarly priced competitive array.

Key features:• One architecture and a single stack from midrange to high end.• Meet block, file, and even object storage needs as they arise.• Ease data migration with storage federation software.• Affordable entry pricing and non-disruptive scalability to four nodes.• Delivers Enterprise Features and Resiliency at a Price you can Afford• Automated DR configuration protects your data with one step.• Mixed workload support increases consolidation opportunities.• Persistent technologies deliver high availability and Tier 1 resiliency.• Industry-leading thin technologies cut capacity requirements in half.• Automated subvolume tiering optimizes service levels and reduces costs.• Simple to Install, Own, and Upgrade• New software suites simplify purchasing and lower costs.• SmartStart and Rapid Provisioning get you up and

running in minutes.• Reconfigurable in just seconds without disruption.• Shares a single, simple management console with all HP 3PAR StoreServ .• Online Import makes upgrading from EVA effortless.

February 2013 | 33

OverviewThe ThinkPad brand’s premium convertible, Helix, defines the next generation of mobile computing through its ground breaking “rip and flip” design. ThinkPad Helix first functions as a high performance Ultrabook. For added mobility, the 11.6-inch tablet can separate from its base to become the thinnest full-function Intel 3rd generation Core tablet with vPro. This special design gives users absolute mobile freedom and versatility with four unique ways to use it.

Key features:• The tablet weighs 835 grams, also making it the lightest in its class. • Unlike other convertibles, the innovative “rip and flip” screen lets users flip the tablet 180° and snap it back into the base – this mode, called Stand mode, transforms Helix into a mini-movie theatre or business presentation central. • Users can also fold the screen down to use it as a tablet while keeping the base connected for added ports and connectivity.• A top-class Ultrabook the ThinkPad Helix runs up to 10 hours for a full day of work and play. • Navigation and interaction are easy with the precision on-board pen, full-size keyboard and new five button clickpad that boasts 20 percent more surface area than traditional ThinkPad clickpads. • As the brightest screen in the ThinkPad brand portfolio, Helix’s 11.6-inch high definition 1080p IPS display maximizes clear, crisp and vibrant visuals in nearly any environment.• To connect virtually anywhere, ThinkPad Helix comes with optional LTE2 high speed wireless and also pioneers the emerging Near Field Communications (NFC) technology that allows devices to share data seamlessly by simply tapping to pair them. • Additionally, Helix delivers the ThinkPad brand’s reliability, enhanced security and manageability

features that large businesses depend upon, including Intel vPro.

ThinkPad HelixFortiGate-3600C Next Generation Firewall

Overview:The Next Generation Firewall FortiGate-3600C delivers consolidated, fully integrated UTM for large enterprises and managed service providers. Accelerated security throughput, high port density and ease of management capabilities makes it ideal for your most demanding network environments. With numerous accelerated Multi-Threat Security interfaces, you can create multiple security zones for various departments, users, access methods, and even devices to enforce network security at accelerated speeds. An integrated set of essential security technologies protects all of your applications and data.60 Gbps firewall performance and sub-4 microsecond latency ensures optimal performance for latency sensitive environments

Key features:• Advanced application control lets you define and enforce policies for thousands of applications running across networks regardless of port or the protocol used for communication• Virtual private network (VPN) technology enforces complete content inspection and multi-threat protection. Traffic optimization prioritizes critical communications traversing VPN tunnels• Over 4000 IPS signatures enables you to stop attacks that evade more conventional firewalls. Behavior-based heuristics recognize zero day threats for which no signature has been created.• Data leakage prevention uses a sophisticated pattern-matching engine to help identify and prevent the transfer of sensitive information outside of network perimeters, even when applications encrypt their communications• Available FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer appliances simplify security management and reduce operating expenses in multiple deployments• FortiGuard Subscription Services deliver automated, real-time, up-to-date protection against security threats and exploits.

34 | February 2013

Stats & Trends

The Middle Eastern and Northern African public cloud services market will see strong growth in 2013 with revenue forecast to reach $462.3 million in 2013, 24.5 percent increase from 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. The Middle Eastern and Northern African public cloud services market is forecast to grow 13.4 percent in 2012 to total $371.2 million, compared to $110 billion worldwide.

Business process services (also known as business process as a service, or BPaaS) is the largest segment in the cloud services market, as it accounted for approximately 38 percent of the total Middle East and Northern Africa market in 2012. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) will continue as the high-growth sectors of the cloud service market through 2016. Cloud management and security services will also exhibit strong growth through 2016.

"Cloud services spending continues to outpace other parts of the IT marketplace," said Ed Anderson, research director at Gartner. "Worldwide, spending on cloud services will grow 17.7

percent through 2016. In the Middle East and North Africa region, growth is expected to be even higher, around 20.2 percent. Although there are some variations between cloud services segments, overall the outlook is very positive. "

Within the region, some of the highest growth will be in the SaaS segment, where cloud-based office suites and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions will grow rapidly. Growth is SaaS will be supported by strong growth in cloud application infrastructure services, or PaaS. Overall, the PaaS marketplace will exceed $46 million by 2016 to support a SaaS marketplace of $211 million that same year.

Cloud advertising will continue as the single largest source of spending within the cloud services marketplace. This market will grow from $56.6 billion in 2012 to $192 billion in 2016. Cloud advertising will be fed by strong performance of cloud advertising giant Google, and real-time mobile ad exchange newcomers such as Mobclix.

Cloud Services Market in MENA to reach $462.3 Million this year

• Rogue Cloud Costs: Rogue clouds are defined as business groups implementing public cloud applications that are not managed by or integrated into the company’s IT infrastructure. According to the survey, rogue cloud deployments are one of the cost pitfalls. It is a surprisingly common problem, found in more than three quarters (77 percent) of businesses within the last year. It also seems to be an issue experienced more by enterprises (83 percent), due to their larger company size, than SMBs (70 percent). The most commonly cited reasons for undertaking rogue cloud projects were to save time and money.• Complicated backup and recovery: Most organizations use three or more solutions to back-up their physical, virtual and cloud data—leading to increased IT inefficiencies, risk and training costs. Furthermore, 43 percent of organizations have lost cloud data (47 percent of

enterprises and 36 percent of SMBs), and most (68 percent) have experienced recovery failures.• Storage Ineffiencies: One of the key advantages to cloud storage is how simple it is to provision. Sometimes this simplicity leads to inefficient cloud storage. Generally, organizations strive to maintain a storage utilization rate above 50 percent. According to the survey, cloud storage utilization is surprisingly low at 17 percent. There is a tremendous difference in this area between enterprises (which are utilizing 26 percent of their storage) and SMBs (which is a shockingly low seven percent). • Compliance Issues: According to the survey, 49 percent of organizations are concerned about meeting compliance requirements in the cloud, and a slightly larger number (53 percent) are concerned about being able to prove they have met cloud compliance

requirements. eDiscovery is creating additional pressure on businesses to quickly find the right information. One-third of businesses reported receiving eDiscovery requests for cloud data. Of those, two-thirds have missed their cloud discovery deadlines, leading to fines and legal risks.• SSL Certificate Complications: Organizations have all sorts of assets in the cloud – such as web properties, online businesses or web applications – that require SSL certificates to protect the data in transit whether it is personal or financial information, business transactions and other online interactions. The survey showed companies found managing many SSL certificates to be highly complex: Just 27 percent rate cloud SSL certificate management as easy and only 40 percent are certain their cloud-partner’s certificates are in compliance with corporate standards.

Symantec’s recent Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cloud 2013 Survey found that enterprises and SMBs are experiencing escalating costs tied to rogue cloud use, complex

backup and recovery, and inefficient cloud storage.

The hidden costs

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