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ISSUE 226 | OctObEr 2015

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Here’s an idea: Design the smallest, fastest, smartest

LaserJets ever.

The world’s most preferred printers: Worldwide printer market share, and HP printer brand awareness, consideration, and preference study in 9 markets 2014. 1Based on HP internal testing of predecessor devices completed 1/2015 or published information and subject to device settings. Actual results may vary. Faster refers to First Page Out Time (FPOT). For energy efficiency, the HP M252 is 15%, HP M277 is 16% and the HP M553 is 53% lower versus predecessor. For details see hp.com/go/ljclaims © Copyright 2015 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

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cover featureISSUE 226 // OCTOBEr 2015

HigHligHts6 News

We help you catch up on

all the major news and announcements in the regional channel community.

20 GITEX preview

A round-up of what to expect at the 35th edition of GITEX Technology Week 2015.

opinion

34 Mobilising the ‘always-on’ business

Gregg Petersen from Veeam Software explains why data centre availability is here to stay.

InnJoo unveils new Fire Plus smartphone

AOC unveils 25” QHD display with IPS panel

Toshiba announces new hybrid laptop, Satellite S50W

Zotac introduces new MAGNUS EN970 series

Hot products

contents

37

feature102 Wear me

ResellerMEfindsouthowmuchof wearable technology is a channel play.

review

108 YotaPhone 2

An examination of Yota’s second generation phone

The winds of change

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The regional channel industry, after registering a robust growth in 2013, has hit a speed breaker last year, if the results of our annual industry survey are anything to go by.

Our survey of 52 channel companies in the Gulf region reveals around 16 percent growth in 2014, and almost no change in the industry pecking order. Most of the top-tier distributors, both on value and volume sides, have registered decent growth, increasing the size of their pie in the total market. The same holds true in the case of retailers, who have capitalised on the strong demand for consumer electronic devices. The systems integration market has also recorded a negligible growth and with the advent of cloud coupled with the decline in consulting opportunity, this sector could be in for a rough ride over the next couple of years.

Now let’s take stock of how things have shaped up this year. I think the growth expectations that everyone had at the beginning of the year haven’t quite materialised. The fall in oil prices and market volatility have eroded consumer confidence and kept the spending down on the enterprise side as well. The public sector, which leads ICT investment in the region, has delayed major IT projects till next year, taking the wind out of the sails of enterprise-focused channel players. On the consumer side, though the demand for mobile devices remains pretty strong even now, the individual PC segment is still sluggish despite the arrival of Windows 10 with much fanfare.

I hate to be a harbinger of doom, but the writing is clear on the wall for channel. Hardware is getting commoditised fast with margins heading south. New avenues for growth are very limited unless you understand the changing market dynamics, harness them and use it to your advantage. Cloud services, analytics, IoT solutions, and security are some of the bright spots in the industry today, and channel players who can specialise and develop domain expertise in these niche areas will have a strong chance of survival. Always remember the number one rule of marketing – you can’t be everything to everyone.

Jeevan ThankappanGroup Editor

editorial

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Intel appointed Mitsumi Distribution as an Intel approved supplier for the African region.

The engagement is part of Intel’s market development strategy to expanditschannelreachandofferchannelbenefitstoitsIntelTechnologyProvider Programme members. The partnership will entitle Mitsumi to increase its focus on Intel’s complete range of products via the active promotion of Intel content within devices including desktops/all-in-ones, notebooks, and 2-in-1’s and tablets to the East and West Africa region.

Mitesh Shah, Managing Director, Mitsumi Distribution, said, “Mitsumi is proud to tie-up with Intel and be its approved supplier for Africa. With our strong channel presence, we areconfidentthatwecanhelpIntelextend and strengthen its reach to a wider spectrum of resellers based there. This partnership will also give us privileged access to Intel’s resources,

training and extended support. Building on this, we look forward to long-term association with Intel.”

Intel will be able to utilise Mitsumi’s channel coverage as part of its strategy to develop the African market- thereby increasing Intel technology adoption in the region. This recognition establishes Mitsumi as a key distribution partner.

Mitsumi named as Intel approved supplier for African region

highlights

Cyberoam last month awarded its MEA region partners for their contribution in marketing, sales and distribution. MEA is rapidly evolving as a key market for Cyberoam, and the company highlighted that it has established a strong presence in the region with its Next Generation Firewalls and UTM appliances.

The partner event this year was held in Amsterdam, and gathered around 120 partners from MEA region.

Ravinder Janotra, Regional Manager, Middle East, Cyberoam, said, “The MEA region is making great strides in economic development. At the same time, evolving security market is forcing them to redraw their IT blueprints and start over. Our partners stand united in this cause and we are committed to

strengthen them in every possible way to build a stronger resilience against emerging cyber-threats and challenges. At the Amsterdam meet, we reiterated this commitment and gathered our partners for a much needed exchange of ideas and celebration of success.”

Winners include Bulwark Technologies as the ‘Distributor of the Year,’ Visiontech International which was named as ‘Partner of the Year,’ and UBG as ‘Emerging Partner of the Year,’ among others.

Cyberoam awards MEA region partners

TP-LINK Technologies has announced the success of its partner seminar hosted in KSA last month. According to the company, the event was held to address several channel issues for resellers serving the KSA market. TP-LINK said it also used the partner event to reward top performing distributors for 2014 in the KSA for achieving exceptional performance.

Conrad Yang, Country Manager, KSA TP-LINK Middle East, said another objective of the partner event was to introduce their existing and new partners in KSA, as well as share details about the company’s manufacturing capacity.

Yang added that the seminar was important for them because it also gave their channel partners the opportunity to preview the upcoming products for the rest of the year. “As we move to build our company as a global business and brand, it was vital for us to give updates to KSA partners on the products we will be bringing to that market,” he said.

TP-LINK HOSTS KSA PArTNEr SEMINAr

Conrad Yang, TP-LINK Middle East, KSA

Mitesh Shah, Mitsumi Distribution

ravinder Janotra, Cyberoam,

Middle East

6october 2015 Reseller Middle East www.resellerme.com

Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo (YBA Kanoo) in Bahrain has selected Fujitsu to replace all their PCs and laptops and supply Fujitsu’s CCDs across its business divisions spanning the GCC that include Kanoo Shipping, Kanoo Logistics, and Kanoo Machinery among others. The new CCDs will help more than 4,000 employees working across the group.

According to Fujitsu, it has supported the group by consolidating its Enterprise System. Standardising their ICT infrastructure with the procurement of Fujitsu hardware, which was instrumental for YBA Kanoo to homogenise its purchasing process and receive faster technical

support services. This will in turn ensure smooth business continuity for the group, as well as their customers.

Farid Al-Sabbagh, VP and MD, Fujitsu Middle East, said, “We have had a long-standing, successful relationship with YBA Kanoo that has allowed us to demonstratefirst-handthemerits of our streamlined

processes, centralised service desks and support. We truly understand their vision and through our IT support we can help ensure smooth business continuity and gain a better life-cycle management driving in costefficiencies,sothegroupcancontinue to focus on its mission of ‘Delivering Sustainable Excellence’ to the region.”

Fujitsu to bring CCD offerings to YBA Kanoo

BT Al Saudia will now distribute and provide technical support for Vision Solutions’ Double Take products in Saudi Arabia, as part of a recently announced reseller partnership between the two companies.

Under the agreement, BT Al Saudia willalsoofferhostingservicesfor

customer data and applications to ensure business continuity and high availability.

Mike Khattab, VP, Sales Growth Markets, Vision Solutions, said, “The collaboration with BT Al Saudia will support the growth of our regional channel scope and reach, to deliver data migration and cloud protection solutions to its partners. We are pleased to be working with BT as it offerswaystoexpandourchannelprogrammesinKSA.Weareconfidentthat they will be an important addition to the existing partners in the region.”

The new partnership is expected to spark innovation by maximising the product development talents and resources at both companies. DRaaS (DisasterRecoveryasaService)offeredbyBTAlSaudiaofferstheCIOsa‘payas you go’ model to protect and secure their critical applications in a Tier-4 data centre in Saudi Arabia.

Vision Solutions partners with BT Al Saudia

Farid Al-Sabbagh, Fujitsu

Middle East

Mike Khattab, Vision Solutions

Dell has launched a new line of business designed to cater to enterprise customers’ demands within the data centre solution sphere.

Datacentre Scalable Solutions (DSS), has been created within the organisation designed to meet the specific needs of web tech, telecommunications service providers, hosting companies, oil and gas, and research organisations. These businesses often have high-volume technology needs and supply chain requirements in order to deliver business innovation. With a new operating model built on agile, scalable, and repeatable processes, the company said it can now uniquely provide this set of customers with the technology they need, purposefully designed to their specifications, and delivered when they want it.

“DSS is a prime example of how Dell, as a private company, is able to be more nimble, make faster decisions and – most importantly – drive innovation on behalf of its customers,” said Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, Vice President and General Manager, Server Solutions, Dell. “While others in the IT industry have been focused on marketing hype or reducing CAPEX costs only, we’ve created a new operating model that is centred on flexibility. DSS is about understanding customers’ goals and enabling them to achieve those objectives by giving them purpose-built solutions that are designed when and how they want it.”

DELL UNVEILS NEW LINE OF BUSINESS – DSS

highlights


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The Threats Stop Here

http://www.fortinet.com

The stakes for protecting your business assets are higher than ever. Advanced targeted attacks are being launched to steal sensitive corporate data, intellectual property and insider information. And traditional network defences often cannot detect and mitigate them.

Fortinet offers a comprehensive, multi-layer solution that uniquely encompasses the three necessary steps of Advanced Threat Protection (ATP): Prevent, Detect and Mitigate. Fortinet’s ATP solution combines a number of different technologies that work together to form a modern and intelligent threat protection to

ensure that users, devices and applications can connect securely to the network. And all of these technologies are backed by the human intelligence of the FortiGuard threat research experts.

Every organization, no matter how large or small, is a potential target for advanced targeted attacks. Don’t take the risk - protect your network with Fortinet.

Visit our website to fi nd out more about preventing advanced targeted attacks:

Come and Visit us at GITEX 201518th – 22nd October

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Quantum has announced the appointment of Compute Continuum Ltd (CCL), as its distributor in Kenya.

The signing of Kenya-based Compute Continuum aims to broaden Quantum’s footprint in East Africa. The distribution agreement will cover retailers and resellers in Kenya and the surrounding countries including Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi.

Osama Mekawy, Distribution Manager, Quantum Global, said, “We are delighted to see that the

deal struck earlier in June has come to fruition with the officialsigningofComputeContinuum as our distributor in Kenya. The deal will help us broaden our reach in the wider East African market and contribute to developing the channel in the market.”

Mekawy added that the company is also in the process of qualifying CCL as a Quantum Authorised Solution Provider (QASP) partner that will help the company provide comprehensive after-sales support. “CCL will take the full range of Quantum tablets and we will then look to extend the agreement to cover Quantum smartphones soon.”

Quantum appoints CCL as distributor in Kenya

ISIT and the Storage Networking Industry Association of Europe (SNIA Europe), last month hosted pioneering edition of the ‘SNIA Middle East Academy.’

The event which was held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Dubai attracted the participation of more than 120 top industry professionals. Attendees took part in the discussion of market trends in data protection and infrastructure while also showcasing the latest technologies in storage and security industries.

Present during the one-day seminar were leading industry vendors in data protection and infrastructure, end users, qualifying channel partners and local market experts. Mahesh Vaidya, CEO, ISIT and Chairman of Middle East Committee, SNIA Europe, said, “We are happy about the strong response that we received from this event as it

complementedSNIAEurope’seffortsto advance the interests of the storage industry by empowering organisations to translate data and information into business value by promoting the adoption of enabling technologies and standards. The initial feedback we received has been overwhelmingly positive and has inspired us to continue to improve the structure and focus of the event to keep it relevant and rewarding for all participants. We are already planning for its next edition in March 2016.”

ISIT, SNIA Europe highlight success of first SNIA ME Academy

Osama Mekawy, Quantum Global

ISIT and SNIA Academy Middle East Partners

highlights


The EMC Federation has previewed updates to the Federation Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Solution, announced a new Federation End-User Computing solution and a new Business Partner Programme at VMworld.

Jeremy Burton, President Products and Marketing, EMC, said, “Customers can save as much as 24 percent of their IT operating expense by moving to a Hybrid Cloud infrastructure. The Federation Enterprise Hybrid Cloud is unique in the market – it combines best-of-breed technology from EMC and VMware, over 40,000 hours of solution engineering and a

pre-definedsetofservicestogetcustomers up and running in as little as 28 days.”

The company also announced the EMC Business Partner Programme which aims to enable hundreds of partners globally to sell the Federation Enterprise Hybrid Cloud solution. Federation Ready isacredentialthatidentifiesastrategic group of partners who can sell, consult, implement and deploy the solution.

Meta Byte Technologies has announced that it has forged a partnership with Y Soft, to offer the print management solution, YSoft SafeQ.

Salil Dighe, CEO, Meta Byte Technologies, said, “It is very challenging to optimise the print environment and identify opportunities for reducing costs, especially when most of the organisations are unaware of their spending on print-related products and services or even how their printers are being utilised. With YSoft SafeQ, enterprises in the

region can now easily monitor and manage their print environment, optimise printer usage and implement cost controls.”

The software architecture of the print management solution strengthens the security, and the secure authentication that reduces the risks associated with documents being picked

up by the wrong person. Users are identified and authenticated via an ID card, username/password, or PIN. Role-based access privileges, comprehensive reports, and a centralised, web-based dashboard streamline print system management.

Meta Byte partners with Y Soft

Jeremy Burton, EMC

highlights

EMC Federation announces new solutions and partner programme



Salil Dighe, Meta Byte Techologies


AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS FROM INTRUSION TO CONTAINMENT OF A BREACH*

THE MEAN NUMBER OF DAYS FROM INITIAL INTRUSION TO DETECTION*

111

!! !

188

OF ORGANISATIONS IN THE STUDY WERE BREACHED DURING THE TEST PERIOD**

97% 75%OF ORGANISATIONS HAD ACTIVE COMMAND & CONTROL (C&C) COMMUNICATIONS**

*Trustwave Holdings, Inc. “2015 Trustwave Global Security Report.” 2015.**FireEye. “MAGINOT REVISITED: More Real-World Results from Real-World Tests.” 2015.

See more at: www.gigamon.com/destination-gigasecure

Modern threats demand the ability to see inside networks; unfortunately, increasing network complexity and an ad hoc approach to security appliance deployments have resulted in blind spots, extraordinary costs, security devices competing for access to traffic and too many false positives. GigaSECURE®, the first offering of a Security Delivery Platform, provides pervasive visibility to security applications. It’s poised to transform the way security services are deployed and leveraged - making security appliances more effective, cutting security costs and reducing complexity.

SEE MORE. SECURE MORE

VISIBILITY INTO NETWORKS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE CRITICAL...

Fortinet has announced its new Software-DefinedNetwork Security (SDNS) framework, which

according to them, was designed to provide advanced threat protection through the integration of security into the modern, agile data centre environment, and expanded its partner reach.

“There is likely no single SDN platform that all enterprise and service provider customers are going to

standardise on,” said John Maddison, Vice President, Marketing, Fortinet. “Hence, the reason we are developing aneco-systemtosupportdifferentSDN platforms through proprietary and open Application Programming Interfaces (API’s). The key is providing scalable security modules that can be called on-demand, at the orchestration level.”

Furthermore, as part of its overall data centre strategy, Fortinet has been working closely with a large and growing number of partners to tightly integrate security within their key infrastructure platforms, and has further expanded its partner ecosystem to meet customer data centre requirements.

Fortinet unveils new SDNS framework and expands partner ecosystem

Vocalcom, last month, hosted a partner conference where it honoured its top-performing business partners fortheireffortsin addressing the market’s need for contact centre solutions in the Middle East.

During the partner conference, Vocalcom recognised the achievements and dedication of its partners. CELL Information Technology won ‘Best Government Project in UAE 2014,’ while Infoline was adjudged with the ‘Best Government Project in GCC 2014.’ The ‘Best Sales 2014’ award was conferred to Information Logistics and Services (ILS) and ‘Best Growth 2014’ was given to Innovation Enterprise Solution (IES). Lastly, Dream Box was the ‘Best Cloud Partner 2014’ and HOA SAO Group bagged ‘Best Telecom Project 2014.’ The event also included a two-day workshop organised by the company for their

partnersAli Kassab,

Executive Vice President for Corporate Growth – Middle East, Africa and APAC, Vocalcom,

said, “The Partner Conference brought together Vocalcom’s major distributors and key business partners from across the UAE. We appreciate the commitment, sincerity and dedication displayed by our partners and congratulate them for their outstanding achievements over the past year. I am upbeat that our partners and organisations will support us and continue to excel in their performance in the coming years.”

The Partner Conference also discussed various case studies on successful implementations of Vocalcom solutions across clients’ organisations. Furthermore, it featured demonstrations of the latest enhancements and expansions to the Vocalcom portfolio.

Vocalcom hosts partner conference



The Vocalcom team with its partners

John Maddison, Fortinet

highlights


ADvERtoRiAl

Why do you think we need IT distributors in the cloud, and how can they stay relevant in this new paradigm?In the cloud-first, mobile-first world there are plethora of vendors who are battling for relevance and they include the current global brands and a host of new Independent Software Developers and service providers. In addition to the conventional value adds of credit, financing, logistics and partner management, the IT distributor now needs to play the role of a ‘trusted advisor’. It involves helping channels to vet the various vendor cloud offerings, provide training and enablement, marketing, sales and technical support and guide their choices with scope for multivendor consolidated billing. In addition, all vendors look up to IT distributors even more in this evolving world to hand hold and mentor channels to reach out and secure efficient, scalable access to SMB organisations, which is key to succeed in the cloud world.

As an IT distributor, what is your cloud strategy? Will you play the role of an aggregator and brokerage of cloud services?Redington as a cloud solution provider is well aligned and geared to support the changing trends in the cloud-first, mobile-first world .This world will see 90 percent of commercial apps and 70 percent of CIOs adopting the cloud-first strategy by 2016.

We will play the role of a ‘trusted advisor’ to help partners make the right choices and be a one-stop-source for them to select their pick from across a suite of diverse vendor cloud offerings. To vendors, we are well-positioned as a value-added aggregator and solutions provider of cloud service offerings, providing them a leverage of cost and

time to market by maximising channel reach and helping them build scale.

The elements of our strategy include enabling digital transactions with a cloud commerce platform for auto provisioning with monthly billing for solution workloads (ITaaS) and managed services around pre migration consulting, migration services, white label commerce platform and associated services to our alliance partners; VAR enablement programmes and capitalising on our distribution capability to build scale with these competencies.

Do you think users need a better understanding of the cloud because there are still some barriers to adoption in the region?Undoubtedly yes. These are around security, compliance and resilience or reliability. The security concerns can usually be addressed through the implementation of the right enterprise risk management strategy based on a proper analysis of the issues and concerns. Security receives a lot of attention, particularly with respect to cloud computing. What organisations need to do, with cloud or on-premise IT service, is assess the level of risk they can tolerate and implement the appropriate measures.

Compliance is another reason why some clients do not migrate to the cloud. While this might have been valid in the past, more and more cloud service providers are achieving the appropriate certifications. That said, migrating to the cloud requires careful consideration of the workload profiles to select what is most suitable to be deployed in a cloud environment.

The final concern is resilience or reliability.

The cloud consumer has to rely on and trust the cloud provider to deliver the services they require within the terms of the negotiated service level agreement. What cloud consumers need to do is assess the disaster recovery and business continuity plans in place to ensure they are satisfactory.

What is your advice to resellers who are looking to position themselves for success in the cloud services market? Should they, for example, look at the growth rate of public cloud providers versus traditional IT companies advocating private cloud as the way forward?

We still have time to go to see the tipping point on cloud revenues and the data though encouraging is not adequate for us to use as a scientific premise. But it is a fact that the cloud business is destined to explode and distributors and resellers need to quickly embrace this shift and invest in it today. The cloud adoption evolution model will vary by market. It will be a hybrid cloud of sorts, which is a combination of public and private cloud depending on the customer workload need for an efficient environment. Public cloud will be preferred for standardised workloads like e-mail, testing, development, collaboration projects (PaaS), incremental capacity for peak load times (IaaS), SaaS applications with well implemented security strategy. Private cloud will be preferred where control, security and data privacy are paramount for business data and applications. As customers trust the cloud more and more and as the services offerings become standardized, there could be a shift of such services from private to public cloud.

aiming highAloysius Fernandes, President, Redington Gulf, details the evolving function of a distributor in a cloud-driven ecosystem.

Global Distribution, an authorised Overland Storage and Mobotix Distributor in the Middle East, recently conducted a ‘Reseller Partner Event’ in Dubai.

More than fifty of its value-added-resellers from the UAE, Oman and Qatar attended the event including representatives from VisionTech, L&T Infotech, Scientechnic, Samra International, Magnus Technologies, TED Computer Systems and MDS/PACC among others. Attendees had the chance to discuss the latest product updates from Overland and Mobotix.

“Our vision is to enable the reseller community to embrace

solution selling and we are committed to support our partners with all necessary tools and tailor-made solutions for the vertical the partner is focused on,” said Mario M. Veljovic, VP Solutions MEA, Global Distribution, Global Solutions Network.

“This was the first of many more to come ‘Solution Focused Partner’ events globally. We have partnered for this event with two vendors that form a CCTV Solution, which are providing its customers the best ROI and lowest TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). It’s a proud moment for the team to have reached this far,” he added.

Global Distribution hosts partner event for Overland Storage and Mobotix

Dimension Data and EMC have recently announced the Catalyst Alliance, a strategic market development initiative designed to speed up the adoption of hybrid cloud as a platform for transformation for the mid-size enterprise.

Through the Catalyst Alliance both organisations will make investments to develop and jointly market and sell solutions that allow clients to realise value from business strategies based on hybrid cloud and enable them to adopt new technology while managing risk.

Steve Nola, Group Executive, IT-as-a-Service, Dimension Data, said, “The Catalyst Alliance will

helpclientsrealisethebenefitsofhybrid cloud that will be used to serve core business applications anywhere in the world. We like EMC’s commitment to disruptive innovation to help clients navigate IT transformation. By combining EMC’s technology leadership with Dimension Data’s extensive services portfolio and global reach, clients are able to accelerate their growth, creating value for their customers andfinancialreturnsfortheirshareholders.”

Dimension Data, EMC form Catalyst Alliance



[email protected]

is now part of

Steve Nola, Dimension Data

Mario M. Veljovic, Global Distribution

highlights


AppointMEnts

Red Hat has named Lee Miles as General Manager for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Miles is tasked with managing the region’s sales, technical and channel teams in an effort to increase engagement with existing customers and drive growth in new and emerging markets.

In his current position, Lee plans to focus on driving business across the Middle East and Africa region, with a special focus on UAE in the short-term.

Lee Miles, General Manager, Middle East and Africa, Red Hat, “I am very excited to join Red Hat. As an IT veteran, I am very

aware of the company’s brand and reputation. The company plans to invest in the ecosystem and its people in the region. Our broad range of leading software solutions enables us to offer a very strong value proposition to businesses in the region. I look forward to helping guide the business by driving synergy between our technical, sales, professional services, channel and marketing teams.”

F5 Networks has announced that John DiLullo has joined the company as the new Head of Worldwide Sales, and will lead its global sales organisation. Reporting to the CEO, DiLullo will be responsible for overseeing the company’s sales and channel strategy as F5 further expands into the growth areas of application security, service provider solutions, and cloud application deployment, and will be based in the company’s Seattle headquarters.

“Our biggest growth opportunities are still ahead of us.

We are excited to have someone with John’s experience in market expansion, channel management, and global networking sales join the team. With his leadership, we will continue to evolve our sales force to better serve our customers’ needs while maintaining the level of great service they’ve come to expect from F5.”

DiLullo brings to F5 over 25 years of experience in global business, sales, market and channel development, operations, and team management. Prior to joining F5, he ran the Worldwide Sales and Services team at Aruba Networks, through their acquisition by Hewlett-Packard.

F5 Networks appoints new Head of Worldwide Sales

red Hat appoints new GM for MEA region

Avaya has appointed Nidal Abou-Ltaif as President for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific(APAC).

Abou-Ltaif will drive Avaya’s ‘customer-first’solutioninnovationethos and outcome-based approach, and help customers achieve their digital transformation goals.

Since joining the company in 2003 as the regional sales leader for the Middle East, Abou-Ltaif has been instrumental in expanding the company’s presence in the rapidly expanding MEA region and beyond.

Pierre-Paul Allard, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and President, Global Field Operations, Avaya,“Abou-Ltaifhasasignificanthistory of success, a recognised peoplefocus,afiercepassionfor winning, and a track-record in helping governments and businesses use technology to make arealdifferenceinpeople’slives.In this new role, his expertise and experience will prove invaluable in a market environment where change is the only constant. Together with his strong regional leadership team, he has built an impressive culture of engagement, inclusive of customers, partners and employees. His personal, high-touch interactions with customers create excellent business value, which in turn drives strong market demand for Avaya.”

AVAYA NAMES NEW PrESIDENT FOr EMEA AND ASIA-PACIFIC

Lee Miles, red Hat, MEA

John DiLullo, F5 Networks

Nidal Abou-Ltaif, Avaya, EMEA and APAC


CONNECTED FUTUrEThe 35th anniversary of GITEX Technology Week, on 18th to 22nd October, is set to welcome over 143,000 ICT players from 150 countries across the globe. As with every year, the event promises to give its visitors first-hand knowledge and experience on the new developments and latest products in the IT space. We bring you a sneak peek of what to expect at the event.

giteX preview

A2iA, a developer of handwritten and machine printed text recognition, data extraction and document classification of paper-based documents will be exhibiting at GITEX Technology Week as part of the French Pavilion.

The company aims to demonstrate its ability to address market demand within the Middle East, by bringing its Arabic printed and cursive recognition technology to the leaders of Document Capture sector in the region.

It has released

A2IA TO BrING ITS TEXT rECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

ACrONIS TO PrESENT DATA PrOTECTION PLATFOrM OFFErINGS

A2iA TextReader, a software toolkit developed to recognise full Arabic printed and cursive handwritten text, enabling all types of documents be transformed into searchable and editable formats. Offering users processing control over the document recognition settings and results, A2iA TextReader returns both a literal transcription and data extraction from any document format.

“This year marks our second consecutive participation at GITEX Technology Week. After a successful launch of our innovative Arabic recognition technology for document processing last year, we are now looking forward to addressing the market demands of the Middle East by showcasing our technology proven for character recognition, document classification and data extraction,” said Jean-Louis Fages, President and CEO, A2iA.

Acronis has announced that it will present its complete data protection platform offeringsatGITEX.

The event will also see live demos of Acronis’ latest cloud solutions for backup, disaster recovery, and securefilesyncandshare.

The data protection company aims to deliver businesses of all sizes a broad set

Jean-Louis Fages, A2iA

Guurprit Ahuja, Acronis

of data protection solutions for both on-premise and cloud deployments. It will showcase a number of its solutions such as backup cloud, disaster recoveryservice,filescloud and access advanced among others.

Guurprit Ahuja, Director, Middle East and Africa, Acronis, said, “The Middle East is a vital market for data protection and Acronis has made significantinvestmentsin the region to further strengthen our presence here, including bringing on new partners to help service the local market. GITEX serves as the perfect platform for us to showcase our best-of-breed solutions and engage with local businesses, organisations and experts to discuss the latest innovations in data protection, including cloud services.”


giteX preview

Arbor Networks, the security division of NetScout, has announced that it will discuss the global distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack landscape and showcasing its market-leading solutions for DDoS defense.

“Cybercrime tools and services have become so widely available they have achieved commodity status and this has resulted in an unprecedented number of cyber-attacks and network breaches. At GITEX, we’ll be helping businesses understand the threat landscape through our unique Global Network Intelligence service, which leverages our vast customer network, and we’ll be discussing best practice defense specific to their needs,” said

ArBOr NETWOrKS TO PUT SPOTLIGHT ON DDOS THrEAT LANDSCAPE

Mahmoud Samy, Arbor Networks

Mahmoud Samy, GM, Arbor Networks, Middle East.

The company has been an active player in the DDoS mitigation market for more than 15 years. It offers DDoS detection and mitigation products and services aimed enterprise networks.

Arbor’s participation will also see a number of interactive demonstration of its solutions, and visitors can get a chance to speak with the company’s experts.

Arbor will be co-located at GITEX with NetScout, Fluke Networks and VSS Monitoring at Hall 1, Stand B1-1.

BULWArK TO PrOMOTE IT SECUrITY OFFErINGS

BrOCADE TO DEMONSTrATE IP CAPABILITIES

UAE-based Bulwark Technologies has announced that an array of its products are lined up to be showcased at GITEX Technology Week 2015.

The company highlighted the importance of building a strong, integrated security infrastructure in the region, and will present its end-to-end security solutions and distribution strategies during the show.

Jose Thomas Menacherry, Managing Director, Bulwark, said, “For GITEX, where we have been showcasing for over a decade now, we employ a particular strategy where we not only showcase optimum technologies catching pace in this region, but also introduce newer technologies that are gaining acceleration for their ease of use across the world. Our approach this year has been driven based on a strong demand in the security distribution market.”

Brocade has announced that their overarching theme at GITEX will be ‘The New IP’. Industry research analyst, IDC, said the ICT industry is

Jose Thomas Menacherry, Bulwark

Yarob Sakhnini, Brocade

undergoing accelerating transition to the third platform of innovation and growth. Today, the third platform is being built on technologies such as mobile computing, social networking, cloud and Big Data analytics and are significantly linked to The New IP.

According to the company last year’s edition of GITEX was focused more on the concepts and possibilities of various trends like Big Data, SDN, NFV, cloud and IoT. However, this year visitors can actually get to see demonstrations of actual technologies in these areas.

Yarob Sakhnini, Regional Director, MENA, Brocade, said, “GITEX is an excellent platform for us to understand the dynamics and requirements of the local market, exhibit our broad range of industry leading innovations and expose our brand to a wide audience. As for the visitors it will be exciting for them to witness all the futuristic technologies in the IoT space.”

Brocade will also be demonstrating for the first time the recently launched Brocade SDN Controller 2.0, and two new software-defined networking (SDN) applications—Brocade Topology Manager and Brocade Flow Manager.


COSOSYS TO SHOWCASE ENDPOINT PrOTECTOr

Cristina Pop, CoSoSys

As part of eHDF’s presence at GITEX, it will showcase its enhanced managed hosting, cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery services.

Yasser Zeineldin, CEO, eHosting DataFort, said, “GITEX is a great networking platform to meet existing customers

become one of the most influential technology events on the planet and we are glad to be present at this year’s event with our value added distributor for the region, emt Distribution. Whether it’s a SMB or a large enterprise, our solutions address a wide range of businesses. At this year’s event, we will offer all our potential customers one free MDM license for one Year for each Content Aware Protection license they acquire from 18th October to 18th November 2015.”

EHDF TO DEMO CLOUD AND Dr SErVICES

Yasser Zeineldin, eHDF

the key business architectures and solutions that will be important for digital transformation including security, cloud, data centre and analytics, mobility, application centric infrastructure and collaboration. The company will also put focus on cyber security during the event.

Rabih Dabboussi, General Manager, Cisco UAE, said, “We are looking forward to yet again participating in what is now established as the Middle East’s biggest and most influential technology event in the calendar providing a great forum for industry players, like Intel, GBM and Alpha Data, to showcase our latest technology offerings that will shape the next phase of growth in the region. As digitisation accelerates, cutting edge infrastructure will increase a country’s GDP, reduce spending and create jobs. It will allow governments to extend the reach and impact of public services by converting insights into action.”

Cisco will also have a presence at the Lancope Stand C1-11 in the Network and Security section at GITEX.

CISCO TO DEMONSTrATE ‘rEAL LIFE’ SMArT CITY SCENArIOS

rabih Dabboussi, Cisco

CoSoSys will be taking part at this year’s GITEX Technology Week in association with its value added distributor for the Middle East region, emt Distribution.

The company aims to present its flagship product Endpoint Protector, a cross-platform data loss prevention and mobile device management solution. According to them, the solution is designed to safeguard confidential information on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux computers, and expand security features to iOS and Android mobile devices. The security software also addresses threats coming from the BYOD trend and the usage of corporate data residing on mobile devices, either personal or company owned.

Cristina Pop, Director of Sales, Business Development, CoSoSys, said, “Over the years, GITEX has grown to

In addition, the company will also beofferingitslatesttechnologies spanning privilege identity management, data classification,IAM,vulnerability management and two-factor authentication.

As part of its GITEX presence, Cisco will showcase how implementing a digitisation strategy will enable Middle East countries and organisations to reap thefullbenefitsoftheInternet of Things (IoT) today, and the new era of Internet of Everything (IoE) in the future.

The company will feature ‘real life’ Smart City scenarios including a full demo of an augmented reality city, as well as a government transportation demo. Other areas of the stand will showcase


GIGAMON TO HIGHLIGHT GIGASECUrE AT GITEX

Trevor Dearing, Gigamon

ESET is set to unveil the latest versions of ESET Smart Security and ESET NOD32 Antivirus during GITEX.

“The growing threat of cyberattack calls for the ongoing advancement of IT security solutions. GITEX is the ideal platform for us to engage with end-users and partners to inform them of the latest technology enhancements from ESET,” said Pradeesh VS, General Manager, ESET Middle East. “The launch ofversion9ofourflagshipsolutions for the consumer segment follows the re-engineering of our entire range of business security solutions earlier this year. With these products, we can assure our business and home users of the utmost level of security, enabling them to focus instead on leveraging the power of IT to drive productivity.”

ESET TO FEATUrE NEW VErSIONS OF ITS SECUrITY SOLUTIONS

Pradeesh VS, ESET

Gigamon has announced its participation at GITEX 2015, during which, the company will place the spotlight on its Security Delivery Platform – GigaSECURE and its ‘Visibility Fabric’ solutions.

“With the threat landscape constantly expanding, we believe Security will be a major focus for visitors at GITEX 2015. Today, as infrastructure becomes moredistributed,trafficvolumes and speeds increase, and the adoption of emerging technologies continues, increased visibility into the network becomes critical for all IT departments. At the exhibition, we plan to

and build new relations. It draws many SMEs and large enterprises from around the region, who are seeking IT solutions and our participation in the event allows us to share our latest service innovations with the market. The event also allows us to gain deeper insights into regional requirements, and we are definitelylookingforwardto yet another successful week at GITEX 2015.”

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the market for managed and data centre services in the UAE will grow at a CAGR of 19.8 percent between 2013 and 2018 to reach a total of $971.8 million by 2018.

eHDF highlighted that ithasseensignificantgrowth in the uptake of its core services such as managed hosting, disaster recovery and hosted private cloud over the last year. Through their participation at the event, the company will showcase these offeringsandhighlightenhancements made to these services. These enhancements include data centre upgrades, technology refresh and new network, security and storage technologies that augment and support these services. It will also host demonstrations and presentations to provide visitors with deeper understanding into these robust and IT solutions.

EMT TO PUT SPOTLIGHT ON ENTErPrISE TECHNOLOGY

emt Distribution will continue its association with GITEX Technology Week this year, and will showcase its latest innovations in security and storage domain, that willredefinebusinessoftechnology for partners.

At the event, the IT distributor, will unveil the newest innovations from Secunia, WhatsUpGold, Parallels, AlienVault, Avira, End Point Protector by CoSySys and DenyAll.

Mohammad Mobasseri, Founder and CEO, emt Distribution, said, “GITEX Technology Week is one of the biggest IT show’s in the world and also is the mosteffectiveplatformin the region to showcase latest innovations to a wide audience under one roof.

“Every year we try to be innovative something new and this year we will beofferingfreeworkshopsevery day during the show on security, storage, web application, vulnerabilities and much more. We will also be running several promotions in association

Mohammad Mobasseri, emt Distribution

At GITEX, the company will also announce the entry of StorageCraft into the ESET Technology Alliance. StorageCraft offersbackupsoftwareand disaster recovery, data protection, and migration solutions for physical, virtual, and hybrid Windows and Linux IT environments.

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with our vendors for our channel partners,” Mobasseri added.


PURENOT PURE

© 2015 Pure Storage, Inc. Pure Storage and the Pure Storage Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pure Storage, Inc. or its a�liates in the U.S. and other countries.Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Solid-State Arrays, Gartner Magic Quadrant for Solid State Arrays June 2015. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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highlight the importance of visibility in the security strategy of regional enterprises and showcase our innovative ‘Visibility Fabric’ solutions and our new security delivery platform – GigaSECURE, which is fast becoming a foundational building block of any cyber security strategy,” said Trevor Dearing, EMEA Marketing Director, Gigamon.

According to the network visibility company, GigaSECURE, provides pervasive visibility of network traffic,users,applicationsand suspicious activity, and delivers it to multiple security devices simultaneously without impacting network availability. The direct result is that third party security appliances aremoreeffectiveat protection and remediation, and the cost and complexity of security infrastructure is reduced.

INFOr TO FLAUNT CLOUDSUITE SOLUTIONS AT GITEX

Infor has announced that it will showcase Infor CloudSuite Solutions during their participation in the upcoming GITEX Technology Week.

According to the cloud company, Infor CloudSuite lets customers choose the best option for deploying their data, providing options that help make the information both portable and secure. Working with strategic channel partners, Infor will showcase the CloudSuite solutions for five key

Monzer Tohme, Infor

verticals – healthcare, manufacturing, public sector, office of the financial officer (OCFO) and technology.

Monzer Tohme, Country Manager, Middle East, Infor, said, “We have realised that each industry and more specifically each micro-vertical, has its own set of unique challenges and dynamics. Rather than take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that puts the onus on the customer to make the necessary customisations, we are focused on delivering business applications with last mile functionality.

“We have also seen the cloud as a critical business enabler and as more and more businesses in the region begin to make the transition, we plan on accompanying them on this journey by delivering our industry leading micro-vertical solutions in the cloud. GITEX provides us with an unparalleled platform to network with industry thought-leaders as well as meet with both existing and potential customers and partners,” said Tohme.

Infor can be found at Hall 7, Stand B7-30.

HITACHI DATA SYSTEMS TO DISCUSS SOCIAL INNOVATION SOLUTIONS

Hitachi Data Systems Corporation (HDS) will discuss its social innovation solutions in the Middle East following its strategic acquisitions with oXya, Pantascene and Pentaho, during its participation at GITEX Technology Week.

Aaron White, General Manager, Hitachi Data Systems Middle East and Pakistan, said, “Digitisation and smart cities rank high on the Middle East’s agenda, as they look for moreenergyefficientandcosteffective,‘smart’ solutions – for buildings, healthcare and utilities industries. This means increasing amounts of data that need to be managed in critical circumstances. HDS’s Social Innovation solutions deliver on the full promise of the Internet of Things that matter by helping businesses to derive rich insights from their data with faster time to value, and supporting the development of smarter, safer, healthier and more efficientsocieties.”

Also at GITEX, HDS will discuss how Big Data analytics solutions help organisations in the Middle East transform vast quantities of structured and unstructured data

Aaron White, HDS

from disparate sources into knowledge through the application of advanced data analytics, connected intelligence from IoT devices and operational technologies.

Hitachi Data Systems will be at Hall 6 Stand: MAC 6 -35.


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MANAGEENGINE SET TO LAUNCH rEFrESHED IT MANAGEMENT PrODUCTS

Nirmal Manoharan, ManageEngine

As part of its participation at this year’s GITEX Technology Week, ManageEngine will be showcasing its IT management products and security solutions, and will launch a new version of its applications manager, mobile device manager plus, desktop central, and OpManager.

Nirmal Manoharan, Regional Sales Director, Middle East, ManageEngine, said, “GITEX, the region’s largest ICT event, provides us with an unparalleled opportunity to introduce our latest product updates to leading security and industry professionals. Our no-frills philosophy driven by R&D, and 100 percent focus on the technology needs and business imperatives of customers have been our driving factors in developing state-of-the-art products that are affordable and easy to

in developing intelligent connectivity and automation platforms, has announced that it will be showcasing itslatestoffering,Surycat, at this year’s GITEX Technology Week.

According to the company, Surycat is a next-gen platform has the advantage of connecting older systems, without the need to overhaul all of its equipment. The platform allows organisations to embark on their digital transition at a lower cost, by keeping their equipment. They can subsequently add services depending on their business.

“We have created a connectivity platform for the industrial world,” said Christophe Le Dantec, CEO and Co-founder, Optiflows. “Dubbed Surycat, the software platform renders all business systems interoperable connecting them to one another. Automated machines, Internet systems, connected objects, telephone systems, smartphones, and so on. They can all communicate with one another, like a social network, regardless of their age.”

LG Information Display will be highlighting its B2B solutions at the 35th GITEX Technology Week.

Amongst the products that will be unveiled during the show, is the all-new Full HD Video Wall display. According to the company, the VH7B Direct Backlit LED Display video wall is also set to be a key attraction with its super slim bezel size, measuring at 1.8 mm, amongst a host of other features.

Other products on show at LG’s Information Display booth during the event include high-performance Ultra HD monitors, outdoor displays, Pro-grade digital signage and other leading LG B2B solutions for enterprises across the region wanting tomorrow’s technology today.

LG Information Display will be located at Hall 2, Stand D2-1.

LG INFOrMATION DISPLAY TAKES PArT AT GITEX

Audai Altaie, LG Electronics MEA

use. Having met industry requirements, these products have been well received by the customers in the region. As the IT industry in the region is fast growing, we have aggressive plans and we are also looking for more channel partners to reach out new avenues in the region.

“In addition to our launches, technology experts from ManageEngine will hold product demonstrations to showcase the features and benefits of our best-of-breed products, including network performance management, applications management, active directory management, IT help desk, desktop and mobile device management, and security management,” he added.

OPTIFLOWS TO PrESENT SUrYCAT

Christophe Le Dantec, Optiflows

Optiflows,aFrenchcompany specialising


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rED HAT TO FOCUS ON IOT, CLOUD AND ENTErPrISE MOBILITY

Lee Miles, red Hat

Red Hat, a provider of open source solutions, will demonstrate its open, hybrid cloud technologies for bare metal, virtualisation, private cloud and public cloud deployments at GITEX Technology Week.

Keeping up with the umbrella theme “Internet Future of Everything,” Red Hat will be highlighting a number of its IoT deployments and implementations. Hybrid cloud is also another focal point of the company’s participation, as it highlights the cornerstones of its Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) portfolios.

In addition, the firm will also showcase the Red Hat Access Insights, an operations analytics service, which was unveiled earlier this year.

“The Middle East

IT industry is on a healthy growth curve as enterprises leverage technology to enable their businesses,” said Lee Miles, General Manager, Middle East and Africa, Red Hat. “As the region’s largest ICT trade show, GITEX gives us direct exposure to some of the industry’s most influential business decision makers. We intend to engage with top level IT decision makers to help them understand just how open source software is transforming everything from cloud and mobile to Big Data and the Internet of Things.”

Redington Value, the value-added distribution division of Redington Gulf, is set to transform itself as a solutions partner to its channel partners at GITEX Technology Week.

The mega event will see the company

rEDINGTON VALUE TO rEDEFINE ITSELF AS A SOLUTIONS PArTNEr

ramkumar Balakrishnan, redington

positioning itself as an ideal source for complete IT solutions to its partners in the region.

The company’s solutions span across technology domains such as networking, voice, servers, storage, software, security and infrastructure, said Ramkumar Balakrishnan, President, Redington Value Distribution. “The expertise we have gained over the years, working with various brands and the skillset available today, can be best utilised for providing solutions to clients dealing with the convergence of new technologies. GITEX provides us the best platform to highlight our complete portfolio,” he said.

During GITEX Technology Week, the company will showcase some of the latest introductions in the sphere of hyper converged solutions, software-definedsolutionsandRedington Value Cloud introduction. The solution aims provides its customers a full breadth of converged cloud solutions for centralised management of IT solutions, more effectiveutilisationof resources and asignificantcostadvantage.

“There will be about 36 sessions covering the entire spectrum of our

offeringsatthestandfrom various domain specialists belonging to Redington Value as well as our vendors,” adds Ramkumar.

STOrIT TO HIGHLIGHT ENTErPrISE DATA MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

Manju Mathew, StorIT

StorIT Distribution has announced that it will be showcasing an array of its enterprise data management, data storage and data protection solutions at GITEX Technology Week 2015.

During their participation at the technology event, the company will also promote its wide portfolio of professional services and enterprise technology training offerings with senior executives and technology experts from the company demonstrating the latest technologies and meeting with customers and partners at the region’s premier ICT exhibition.


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Manju Mathew, Marketing Manager, StorIT Distribution, said, “We have been participating at GITEX for several years now with much success. GITEX, being the largest technology exhibition in the region, is a perfect platform for us to showcase our latest innovative and disruptive solutions, launch new products and look at signing potential partnerships with strong vendors and channel partners. We also plan to demonstrate our strength as the leading technology solutions provider in the data management, storage and data protection space and promote our wide portfolio of professional services and training programmes. Some of our key vendor-partners will also be showcasing their most recent technologies and presenting on the latest trends in converged storage and business continuity and disaster recovery at our stand.”

StorIT will also promote its value added services such as business need assessment, architecture and proof of design to optimise solutions to customer requirement

StorIT Distribution will be exhibiting at Hall 6, Stand: CLD-16.

VISION SOLUTIONS TO INTrODUCE NEW PrODUCTS

Ahmad M. Khattab, Vision Solutions

showcasing its recently launched Double-Take Cloud Migration Centre product at GITEX.

The Double-Take Cloud Migration Centre aims to provide automatedandsimplifiedmigration for servers and applications into the cloud from private and public cloud platforms. The software solutions company, says the product supports migration for servers running on Amazon Web Services and on VMware vSphere moving over to Microsoft Azure.

Vision Solutions’ participation also include sneak peek demonstrations of the new Double-Take Cloud Protection Centre. The new centre aims give partners an easy to implement and manage DRaaS solution for Windows and Linux servers, regardless of where they are running or what platform they are running on.

“We have been focusing on the Middle East market for a few years and have found excellent results. There is increased regional awareness about our innovative products and solutions,” said Ahmad M. Khattab, Vice President, Sales, Growth Markets, Vision Solutions. “Our solution architects and experts will be present for consultations, presentations and demonstrations at the stand.”

UNITrENDS TO SHOWCASE SOLUTIONS AT GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2015

Mike Dalton, SVP, Unitrends

Under the theme, ‘Recover more than just your data,’ Unitrends will showcase how it can help ITorganisationsefficientlyrecover data and systems at GITEX Technology Week.

The company will use the event as a platform to preview the beta-version of Release 9.0. With this new software, it aims to become thefirstintheindustrytoextend recovery assurance technology to physical systems.

Unitrends’ senior global executives such as Mike Dalton, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Channels and International Field Operations, and Michael Orange, Michael Orange, Regional Manager, Middle East and Africa, along with other executives will also be attending the event to share their expertise.

“We plan to showcase our cloud enabled all-in-one physical and virtual appliances that protect physical and virtual environments, as well as our disaster recovery solutions.

By participating in GITEX, we are looking forward to increasing our brand visibility, strengthening our channel network, meeting new customers and sharing our value proposition with them,” said Mike Dalton, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Channels and International Field Operations, Unitrends.

“We are also extremely excited to introduce the beta version of our new data protection software Release 9.0 at GITEX. This software release is absolutely transformative for our customers. We’re making their daily lives easier, creating a world-class customer experience andgivingthemconfidencethat their heterogeneous, ever-evolving IT environments are always protected”, concluded Dalton.

Unitrends will be exhibiting at Hall 7, Stand No. A7-50.

Vision Solutions has announced that it will be


vEEAM soFtwAREopinion

The era of the ‘always-on’ business has emerged, thanks

to a rise in improved connectivity and devices that allow easy and affordable access to the internet. Our agile mobile workforce and demanding consumer expectations have created a world where constant access to products and services across time zones is a norm that we take for granted.

Consequently, organisations now face the daunting task of recovering any IT service or application within minutes – creating what is collectively known

as ‘Availability’. To achieve greater speed and efficient use of existing resources, many organisations have switched to modern data centres that are built on virtualisation, modern storage solutions and cloud-based services.

Yet, according to Veeam’s fourth annual Data Centre Availability Report 2014, organisations still experience unplanned application downtime. These downtimes occur more than once a month on average, costing organisations between $1.4 million and $2.3 million annually in lost revenue (not to

Gregg Petersen, Regional Director, Middle East and SAARC, Veeam Software, explains why data centre availability is here to stay.

Mobilising the ‘always-on’ business


a self-running engine. The huge amount of data created by IoT is fed into Big Data’s compound to be analysed and warehoused, and eventually fed out back into IoT. To sustain this data lifecycle, a modern data centre needs to be built. As the modern data centre typically leverages core technologies including virtualisation, storage and cloud, the next crucial consideration would be ensuring the availability of these modern data centres to ensure always-on services.

THE APPLICATIONS ArE STILL IMPOrTANTWhile all of these shifts in the data centre are happening at the same time, one thing hasn’t changed: the application is still what is most important. In fact, the data centre is nothing without the applications it provides. The availability

mention the decreased productivity and missed opportunities).

Regardless of whether it’s a consumer-facing organisation, a mobile service provider, or the FTSE 100, the days of organisations experiencing any downtime while customers remain patient are over. Organisations now risk losing revenue, customer confidence and worse, reputation.With Availability seen to be mission-critical for smooth business operations, how do organisations ensure that they can remain always-on and keep up with adopting the latest developments in cloud computing, mobility and the Internet of Things; as well as manage Big Data and Software Defined Networking?

CLOUD COMPUTING AND MOBILITYIn many countries across the world, the explosion in mobility has become the main driver of cloud’s evolution. Along with the pervasiveness of mobile devices comes the question of how to manage that data profile, and provide data availability.

To begin with, mobile’s data growth is explosive. How do we decide on what is valuable information, and what is noise? Should we keep everything? Should we categorise everything? Everything that your

mobile device sends to the service provider - do they keep that forever? Do they need to? If yes, is it because of regulations, or because of compliance? The fact is that organisations are having to make those decisions now because the volume of data is challenging the underlying structures of cloud on a scale that’s never been seen before, and it’s only set to escalate.

Thanks to increasing mobility, the rise of consumers’ demands has driven cloud adoption, as cloud currently underpins all the data that organisations mine and utilise. As app and cloud providers struggle to keep pace, cloud has already started to evolve beyond availability, and into the Internet of Things (IoT) and all its ensuing data points that can be captured. The next phase of data

requirements today extend to the applications and in part due to mobilisation and constant access; but also how businesses truly run today.

Gone are the days where key business decision-makers didn’t need to consult their key systems to make strategic decisions. These decisions are all powered by applications in the data centre. But what happens when something goes awry with the applications? The challenge facing data centre professionals today is to ensure that the applications are available; not just the infrastructure. But today businesses want more; they want to avoid issues before they happen. That’s a pretty tall order, but is one of the benefits that data centre availability can bring.

With technology outages now making front-page news, minimising downtime and data loss is critical to the overall health of organisations. Data and services will evolve both on premises and in the cloud, and organisations have to think about how to better protect their data on both fronts. Tool selection will become critical as organisations attempt to bridge the availability gap. This is the gap between being always-on and the cost and complexity required to be so.

REgARDlEss oF whEthER it’s A consuMER-FAcing

oRgAnisAtion, A MobilE sERvicE pRoviDER, oR thE FtsE 100, thE DAys oF oRgAnisAtions

ExpERiEncing Any DowntiME whilE custoMERs REMAin

pAtiEnt ARE ovER.

management will be from the data profile stemming from IoT wearables and other smart devices, while IoT itself simply becomes ‘things’ against the backdrop of the cloud.

How then, do we provide availability for all that data, since having any sort of downtime is now unacceptable? Mobility doesn’t just affect consumers – it affects organisations as well as many different industries that rely on mobile services, and the data that is available through them, such as healthcare. The business cycle has a global scope, and it’s no longer five days a week, eight hours a day.

INTErNET OF THINGS AND BIG DATACombined together, IoT and Big Data represent a massive data lifecycle that, over time, becomes


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Quality service every time.

Knowledge Partners

Our Annual Industry Survey 2015 provides an overview of the size, shape and growth factors of the regional channel companies. With Coface and Dun & Bradstreet on board as our esteemed Knowledge Partners this year, the report delves deep into

the changing dynamics of the market and the growth strategies of some of the leading channel players.


Ranking of channel playeRsTOP 10 RANKING

NEXT 15 RANKING (11-25)

NAME

NAME

OVERALL RANK

OVERALL RANK

CATEGORY

CATEGORY

INDUSTRY RANK

INDUSTRY RANK

TOP EXECUTIVE

TOP EXECUTIVE

TITLE

TITLE

REVENUE ($M)

REVENUE ($M)

Redington Gulf 1 Distribution 1 Raj Shankar MD 2626 2320 13.1

BDL Group 2 Distribution 2 Tamer Ismail CEO 903 770 17.2

MDS Group 3 Systems Integration

1 Sami Esber President 850 850 0

Metra Computer Group

4 Distribution 3 Mohammed Eissa and Mohamed Amer

Executive VP 830 723 14.7

Global Distribution 5 Distribution 4 V M Chandrasekar Group CEO 608 464 31.03

Aptec - Ingram Micro

6 Distribution 5 A Ali Baghdadi SVP & CEO *600+ NA New entrant

Logicom 7 Distribution 6 Mounir Sarkis Regional Director

575 510 12.7

FDC International 7 Distribution 6 Marissa Safe COO and VP 575 465 23.6

Emax 8 Retail 1 Neelesh Bhatnagar CEO 550 500 10

Gulf Business Machines

9 Systems Integration

2 Phillipe Jarre CEO *500+ NA New entrant

Almasa IT Distribution

10 Distribution 7 Mehdi Amjed CEO and Chairman

410 370 10.8

Mitsumi Distribution

11 Distribution 8 Jagat Shah Chairman and CEO

390 320 21.8

Mindware 12 Distribution 9 Mario Gay General Manager

328 240 36.6

Alpha Data 13 Systems Integration

3 Fayez Ibbini Founder and CEO

233 220 5.9

Westcon Group 14 Distribution 10 Steve Lockie Group MD 207 205 0.97

Prologix 15 Distribution11 Sarwan Singh MD 200 100 100

Al Jammaz Distribution

16 Distribution 12 Asim Al-Jammaz VP 189 125 51.2

Asbis Middle East 17 Distribution 13 Hesham Tantawi VP 180 294 -38.7

Visionaire 18 Systems Integration

4 Aneeta Gupta CEO 177 129.8 36.3

Jacky’s Retail 19 Retail 2 Ashish Panjabi COO *150 NA New entrant

Trigon 19 Distribution 14 Arun Chawla CEO 150 160 -6.2

AGC 20 Systems Integration

5 Sanjay Ahuja VP Sales 139.7 NA New entrant

Emitac Enterprise Solutions


6 Miguel Angel Villalonga

CEO 131.7 60.1 119.1

Despec 22 Distribution 15 Faisal Jamal CEO 100 124 -19.3

StarLink 22 Distribution 15 Nidal Othman MD 100 55 81.8

2014

2014

2013

2013

Change %

Change %

inDustRy RAnkingchAnnEl ElitE

FOLLOWING 15 RANKING (25-39)

OTHERS (41-52)

Condo Protego 37 Systems Integration

12 Andrew Calthorpe CEO 21 NA New entrant

Datacare 38 Reselling 4 Suresh Shetty MD 16 NA New entrant

Bulwark 39 Distribution 22 Jose Thomas MD *15 NA New entrant

Business DNA 39 Systems Integration

13 Tarek El Goweiny CEO and Co-founder

15 NA New entrant

EMW 39 Systems Integration

13 Serjios Hage MD 15 10 50

Safedata 39 Systems Integration

13 DP Sangal Founding partner and

MD

*15 NA New entrant

Precedence 40 Systems Integration

14 Farook Majeed CEO 11 10.8 1.8

Spectrami 41 Distribution 23 Anand Choudha MD 10 8 25

Tech Forte 42 Systems Integration

15 Nadeem Khan GM 7.3 6.1 19.6

Finesse 43 Systems Integration

16 Sunil Paul COO 7.1 NA New entrant

ixtel 44 Systems Integration

17 Mehdi Quraishi CEO 5.3 NA New entrant

Oscomp 45 Reselling 5 Kunal Sajnani MD 0.65 0.98 -33.6

Exclusive Networks

23 Distribution 16 Fari Boustantchi CEO 97 75 29.3

Experts Computer 24 Reselling 1 Shailendra Rughwani

MD 89 95 -6.3

Intertec Systems 25 Systems Integration

7 Naresh Kothari MD 50 50 0

Sariya IT 25 Distribution 17 Amjad Fathi Al-Omar

GM 50 NA New entrant

ComGuard 26 Distribution 18 Ajay Chauhan CEO 49 44 11.3

Oxygen 27 Distribution 19 Khalid Laban CEO 48 38 26.3

MaxTouch 28 Reselling 2 Ramesh Belani MD 46 52 -11.5

StorIT Distribution 29 Distribution 20 Suren Vedantham Group MD *40 30 33.3

Help AG 30 Systems Integration

8 Stephan Berner MD 38 34 11.7

Almoayyed Computers


9 SM Hussaini GM *37+ 36.2 2.2

Al Rostamani Communications


10 Mohammed Zameer GM 35 30 16.6

EMT 33 Distribution 21 Mohammad Mobasseri

CEO 33.5 NA New entrant

Paramount 34 Systems Integration

11 Premchand Kurup CEO 30 23 30.4

Fast Lane 35 Training 1 Josef Miskulnig Founder and CEO

23 23 0

Lucky Star 36 Reselling 3 KU Shankari MD 22 22 0

NAME OVERALL RANK

CATEGORY INDUSTRY RANK

TOP EXECUTIVE

TITLE REVENUE ($M)

2014 2013 Change %

Key to rankings: Companies have been ranked on the basis of the latest revenue figure ($M) provided by the channel partner. Overall rank refers to the rank of the player across all 52 submissions received. Industry rank refers to the rank of the player within the appropriate category. Categories include distribution systems integration, reselling, training and retailing. *RME Estimate


TOP DISTRIBUTORSTOP SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS

TOP RESELLERS

TOP VALUE-ADDED DISTRIBUTORS

base - $12.53bn, 52 companies

Redington

BDL

Metra

FDC

Almasa

Mitsumi Distribution

Prologix

Asbis ME

Trigon

Despec

MDS

GBM

Alpha Data

Visoinaire

AGC

EES

Intertec

Help AG

Almoayyed

Al Rostamani

Paramount

Condo Protego

Business DNA

Safedata

EMW

Precedence

Tech Forte

Finesse

Ixtel

Global Distribution

Aptec - Ingram Micro

Logicom

Mindware

Westcon

Al Jammaz

StarLink

Exclusive Networks

Sariya IT

ComGuard

Oxygen

StorIT

EMT

Bulwark

Spectrami

Experts

MaxTouch

Lucky Star

Datacare

Oscomp

Distribution

Systems integration

Resellers

Training

Retailers

74.34%

18.50%

1.39%

0.18%

5.59%



knowlEDgE pARtnER REpoRtchAnnEl ElitE

MArKET ANALYSISTrade credit insurance firm Coface, one of Reseller ME’s Annual Industry Survey 2015 knowledge partners this year, reveals statistics on the current IT market.

The ICT sector has become an essential partofDubai’seconomicdiversificationstrategy. Economic and social development necessitate the most up-to-date solutions on the market.

Key risks to be monitored:•TheeaseofWesternsanctionsonIranmay lead producers to export directly to Iran without passing by the UAE. Such a situation would pull down the order volumes for UAE-based vendors.•InEgypt,abrighteroutlookmayattract a part of the investments and orders instead of going to the UAE. •Theincreasein36percentofcustomsduty by India on imported LCD and LED TVs also constitutes a threat for the UAE exports to this country. •SlowdowninChinamayreducedemand coming from this country.•FurtherslowdowninoilpricescouldweakenconsumerconfidenceintheUAE and reduce domestic demand for ICT products. •Highcompetitionoverpricesindomestic market, especially on PC segment as the demand remains sluggish,andprofitmarginsofvendorsare narrowing.

SUPPLYDubai’s consumer electronics market is expected to record a strong growth rate due to high per capita income, shopping festivals, the emirate’s regional trade hub position as well as a range of other factors.

Prices in Dubai are around 15 to 20 percent lower than in other countries in the region mainly due to the low import duties and direct supplies from manufacturers. Total capital investment by licensees in the UAE telecommunications sector rose 13.4 percent YoY in 2013, reaching

rising smartphone demand. The mobile market is estimated to remain strong on the back of competition between Etisalat and du.

DEMANDMobile penetration remains very high, at almost 180 percent. The number of total mobile phone subscribers reached 16,383 in 2014, an increase of 4.4 percent YoY.

The correlation between the numberofvisitors,influxofforeignworkers, new residency permits in the UAE and the sales growth of ICT products and services is strong, according to BMI analysis. Companies will show an increased willingness to widen their services andproductnetworksoffthebackof Expo 2020, therefore the UAE’s two mobile operators (Etisalat and Du) have continued to record strong subscriptions revenues.

The demand for the professional PC segment is encouraged by strong businessconfidenceintheUAE.InAugust, business activity growth in the UAE’s non-oil private sector rose to a six-month high of 57.1, according to Emirates NBD PMI survey.

Yet, the demand for the individual PC segment may not remain supportive as more and more consumers tend to prefer mobile devices instead of PCs.

The demand for mobile devices remainssolid.Thehighinfluxofexpatriate workers, increased number of tourists and lower prices compared with other countries in the region sustain the demand. The fact that mobile service providers such as Du and Etisalat have become more involved in the handset market in exchange of a fixed-termcontractalsocontributestothe increase in demand.

The UAE IT sector is one of the most active trading sectors, with huge volume traded, re-exported and many operators. However, the pressure on the margins of the buyers in the sectors rose impacting the profitability of traders and distributors.

We have registered an increase of runaway cases in the first 8 months of 2015 from across segments, which accounts to 12 % of the total cases reported in UAE from all sectors. Players should consider trading by mitigating the increased risk of bad losses, protecting their business through enhanced credit management and information services.

Massimo Falcioni, CEO, Middle East Countries, Coface

ExpERt viEw

2,136 million AED. The sector provided employment of around 7,400 people in 2013, according to data from TRA.

The value of consumer electronics devices sales is estimated to have risen by 7 percent YoY in 2014 and reached $4 billion USD, according to BMI. The sales are expected to rise to $6.1 billion in 2019.

In value terms, the PCs sold in 2014 are estimated to have risen by 3 percent YoY while audio-visual and gaming devices rose by 12.7 percent. The development of the computer segment mainly results from the positive business environment and the creation of new companies.

The domestic mobile handset sales are estimated to have increased 5.7 percent YoY in 2014 in value terms, on the back of


knowlEDgE pARtnER REpoRt chAnnEl ElitE

CHANNELNOMICS Dun & Bradstreet joins us as one of the knowledge partners for the Annual Industry Survey 2015. The company’s MD, Manjeet Singh Chhabra, gives an in-depth overview of the challenges and growth drivers within the regional IT channel industry.

Globally, the IT market, comprising of sale of hardware, software, IT services, and telecommunications reached a whopping size of $ 3.7 trillion in 2014 and is projected to grow at 5 percent in the current year, as per a report by CompTIA. This translates to $ 185 billion in new earnings alone this year. A major part of this spending came from IT purchases made by businesses, leaving the consumer spend small in comparison. While the US market comprised of 28 percent of the world total, market shares have gradually shifted over time to Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. Additionally, the core IT segment (hardware, software and services) accounted for 56 percent of the total market, while telecom services comprised the remaining 44 percent. This allocation however, varies across countries, with some countries being less advanced in the traditional categories of computers and software, but relatively mature in the telecom segment.

Over the last few years, while developed markets across the world have hit saturation, Middle East has emerged as a key growth driver for theITindustryasitofferssellersandresellers a robust, rapidly expanding market in parallel with the current development trend in the region. With huge opportunities in both private and public sector, Middle East is where most IT companies are looking to leverage their expertise and create a viable business proposition for channel partners, distributors and resellers.

As is the case with most robust markets, Middle East too is evolving rapidly with pan European distributors coming in and acquisitions and mergers happening from within and outside

• New technologies: A host of new technologies such as disaster recovery systems, regulatory compliance, storage technologies and better data management are also underpinning the enterprise market in the channel.• Demand for PS: In a survey of over 500 channel organisations globally, conducted by Brocade in 2014, almost half of the channel respondents revealed that they expect professional services (PS) to become their main revenue generator by 2020. Needless to say, PS and consultancy is the way forward for the channel. With all these new trends taking shape, customers in the Middle East are sure to turn to the channel for consultancy and this is where channel organisations that have recognised these powerful trends beforehand will be able to grab the emerging opportunities ahead of competition.

few other serious challenges faced by partners include ensuring availability of systems and applications, improving the utilisation of it assets and managing connectivity"

Manjeet Singh Chhabra, Managing Director, Dun & Bradstreet

the region. While all these changes augur well for the future, the channel needs to be ready to adapt and change their business models accordingly. In keeping with this, the major countries in the Middle East, especially the GCC, are investing huge amounts in ICT infrastructure in order to be at the forefront of the technology evolution phase, with initiatives such as free trade zones and economic centres along with liberalisation and privatisation of the telecom industry.

In a survey conducted on IT decision makers and CIOs in the Middle East channel, 57 percent indicated that their single largest technology-related challenge faced in 2014, was maintaining asecureenvironment.Thisflowsfromthe ever growing number of threats and risks. In this regard, companies are aiming to develop IT security skills such as enterprise vulnerability management thatwillofferahighlevelofprotectionto the enterprises in the region as well as provide partners with new avenues for business growth. Few other serious challenges faced by partners include ensuring availability of systems and applications, improving the utilisation of IT assets and managing connectivity.

Here are a few emerging trends that the channel needs to be aware of and should align their businesses accordingly:•Mobile computing: The future lies in new compute models such as mobile computingasitoffersfasterentryintomarkets where PC penetration has been lowandfixedbroadbandcoverageispoor. This year, the rise of the New IP, a new networking paradigm is sure to drive network evolution as it is increasingly open, software-driven, and user-centric.

“



Redington Gulf has once again emerged as the clear winner in this year’s list as it ranks number one despite the market turbulence observed in the region.

The distributor continues to successfully sport both volume and value divisions and has garnered a wide market share in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and CIS regions.

On the value front, the company has had an eventful year with the onboarding of new vendors. It has signed up Oracle and VMware for the Middle East region and also strengthened its security portfolio by signing up brands such as Fidelis, Nixsun and Shavlik at GISEC 2015 earlier in the year. It has additionally introduced few other leading security offerings. The company also launched its converged infrastructure business unit and has been signed up as the only master distributor for the VSPEX Blue programme in the META region.

Identifying the growth in the cloud space, the distributor has also launched a separate cloud business unit. In line with that, it has introduced RedCloud, which is a platform for automated billing and provisioning.

Taking into account the growth of emerging technologies and the opportunities it offers in the market, the company believes going forward converged infrastructure, cloud and information security including forensics, security analytics, securing mobile environments, will drive the organisation’s growth.

Ramkumar B, President, Redington Gulf-Value Division, says that the channel that caters to enterprise and SMB is separating fast and there is a surge of ‘born in the cloud’ companies in the channel ecosystem today.

“The regional channel is gearing up to handle more services and is focusing on systems integration in the cloud era. What will help partners to differentiate in this highly competitive market is by getting more specialised on specific verticals and not just serve to a broad base.”

raj Shankar, Managing Director

Year of start-up: 2000

Number of sales offices: 26 across MENA, Turkey and CIS

Number of warehouses: 22 across 14 countries

Total staff: 1750+

Total engineers: 300+

Total resellers: 17000+

Total vendor partnerships: 90+

Channel faCing exeCutives

Ashish Bharti, President, Volume Division (ME), Redington Gulf

Ramkumar B, President, Redington Gulf, Value Division 2012 2013

Redington gulf01 $2.62 BnRe

venu

e Cha

Rt

20101.5

2.0

2.5

2011

Top vendors by revenue: Dell, EMC, HP, Lenovo, Samsung

20132012 2014

Top vendors by relationship: Acer, Canon, Cisco, HP, Samsung


The regional distributor BDL has had a steady growth, clocking more than 10 percent growth in the last year. Having said that, the distributor has observed that the regional market has been sluggish over the last several quarters. The primary cause of that is due to the political situation in the neighbouring countries, says Tamer Ismail, the company’s CEO. “Due to which markets such as Libya, Yemen and Iraq have closed down.”

2014 was a challenging year for the distributor, having witnessed a slowdown in the IT business regionally. But what has helped the company is its move to become a smartphone player four years ago and a telco player three years ago. Through these diversifications, the distributor has been able to maintain a low-risk business.

In terms of markets, BDL has seen a high growth in Saudi Arabia. Ismail says, “Although the markets are not very big in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, there is definitely immense potential. The political turmoil and currency fluctuations are impacting the other markets. We will have to adopt a wait-and-watch approach for these markets.”

The company has had a positive uptake of its home grown tablet and smartphones brand, Quantum, in the last year. Following a MoU with India-based Beltron Green Energy Telecom Limited, the distributor has also introduced its Titano smartphone and feature phone series recently. The company expects the Titano range to be the growth engine for its business in the coming months.

Ismail says, “Over the next few months, our aim is to work profitably. We are taking a cautious approach, considering there is a slowdown in the market.”

We will see the distributor strengthening its capabilities in terms of IT distribution in the KSA market without plans to expand its portfolio. According to Ismail, the company will move out from the IT business in the UAE market, and focus only on Quantum and telco divisions. It will also move to a new office in Business Bay over the coming months.

tamer Ismail, ceo

Year of star-up: 1998

Location of sales office: UAE

Location of support offices: Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait

Total staff: 322

Total resellers: 2700

2012 2013

Bdl gRoup02 $903 MRe

venu

e Cha

Rt

0

500

1BN

20132012 2014

Top vendors by relationship: Asus, Acer, MSI, HP, Fujitsu, Quantum

Systems and hardware: HP, Asus, Acer, Quantum, MSI, Fujitsu

VENDOR PROFILE



With more than 30 years of experience being in the Middle East IT business, MDS UAE, part of Midis Group, has come a long way from being a box mover to now a service-oriented company. The company has a strong presence across markets such as UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.

The SI has executed large projects in the region and provides software application and turnkey solutions to customers, all the way from site preparations of a data centre to its infrastructure, including hardware, network and software. Over the years, the SI has transformed itself into a true solutions provider.

According to Sami Abi Esber, President, MDS UAE, selling major vendor products alone is not sufficient, one has to add services, solutions and systems integration to the mix, and this has been the company’s key to success.

Recently, the systems integrator has consolidated its data centre and cloud credentials by launching Cloud Centre of Excellence in the UAE. Customers can visit the centre and experience the functions of cloud and also can deploy any services they require at the data centre. Esber adds, “Customers now have the option to experience it before taking any decision. Being a converged system, it is now available in a single rack and has provision for any services from networking, infrastructure, and database.”

IDC has identified and named the company as the top IT service provider in the UAE for the last 9 consecutive years. Over the last year, the SI has been able to continue and sustain its growth in the Gulf region. The service provider has also invested in the provision of managed and cloud services over the last few quarters.

The factors that have helped the company to succeed are maintaining a strong business relationship and providing multi-vendor solutions. The multi-vendor approach has enabled MDS from being tied down to a single brand, this in turn allows the SI to offer a good mix of products, which helps in offering a comprehensive solution.

Sami esber, President


Total staff: 1320

Primary verticals: Oil and gas, telecom, government, healthcare

Location of support offices: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar

MdS uAe03 $850 M

Systems and hardware: HP, Dell, Apple, Oracle, Lenovo

Software and security: IBM, Maximo, Microsoft, Symantec

Networking: HP, Juniper, Avaya, Cisco

Peripherals and storage: HP, Dell, EMC, HDS

Services and training: HP, Dell, EMC, eHDF

VENDOR PROFILE

2013

Revenue ChaRt

0

500

1BN

2013 2014

Systems & Hardware: 35% Software & Security: 15% Peripherals & Storage: 15% Networking: 10% Services and training: 25%

Revenue bReakup by CategoRy


04One of the longest-serving IT distributors in the region, Metra Computer Group has maintained its growth and position in this year’s ranking. The Egypt-based distributor has more than 30 brands in its portfolio across both volume and value divisions.

Over the last few months, the distributor has been carrying out activities in the channel around mobility under the volume division. According to Mohamed Amer, EVP, Metra Computer, the company is also currently talking to a couple of vendors in the same space and has recently signed up with the mobile brand, Innjoo, strengthening its portfolio further.

“We are focusing on Innjoo’s entire business and are doing the distribution in Saudi and Egypt markets. We expect to cover more markets over the coming months. We are in discussions with couple more brands and look forward to one of them being live in the coming four weeks.”

From the value division’s perspective, the distributor has been expanding its business with Aruba and other brands in the last few quarters. It is also working towards growing its business across the region.

The EMPA takeover, which was one of the company’s major highlights in 2013, has been quite successful and the complete integration is projected to be finalised by the year end.

As far as markets are concerned, Iraq and Egypt are good growth-regions for the company. However the on-going political scenario is having a negative impact on business. “The consumer market in Egypt is growing at a fast rate. However, there has been a decline in the corporate or commercial market.”

Commercial and corporate partners in the SMB space will see an additional focus from the distributor, in terms of new training initiatives and programmes. The key focus continues to be on services and related opportunities.

MetRA CoMputeR gRoup

Mohammed eissa, eVP



Systems and hardware: Acer, Asus, Benq, Dell, HP, Apple,

Lenovo, Toshiba, Samsung

Software and security: Autodesk

Peripherals and storage: Apple, HP, WD, Toshiba, Transcend

Accessories and consumables: Apple, Benq, Dell, HP, Samsung, Lenovo, Olkya, Triplite, Ubiquity

Services and training: Cisco, HP, Apple, Acer, Asus, Samsung, Fujitsu

Components: Intel, Gigabyte, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Huawei, Acer, Asus

$830 M

VENDOR PROFILE

Reve

nue C

haRt

4.5

6.6

7.5

2013 2014

Systems and hardware: 57.55% Software and security: 0.53% Peripherals and storage: 6.77% Networking: 2.40% Accessories and consumables: 21.23% Services and training: 0.94% Components: 10.58%

Top vendors by revenue:

HP, Dell, Apple, Intel, Toshiba

Channel faCing exeCutives

Mohamed Amer, Executive VP

Revenue breakup by regionUAE: 53.4%

Outside UAE: 46.6%




The Dubai-headquartered distributor has climbed up the ranking this year with a growth of more than 30 percent compared to 2013. The company has made a mark in the regional distribution space, boasting a profile of top brands such as HP, Dell, SAP, Cisco and Apple.

In the last financial year, the company has been focusing on consolidating existing subsidiaries and business within the group. It has also enforced necessary systems and people in place to maintain business control, compliance and return on investment. Another major highlight for the distributor has been the launch of its private label mobile devices brand – I-onik.

The distributor is looking at reinforcing its business in terms of emerging technologies such as mobility devices and solutions and data centre solutions.

V.M. Chandrasekar, Group Managing Director and Owner, Global Distribution, says, “We have aligned our product portfolio accordingly with many new vendors added in the course of last year.”

In the 2014, we have seen the distributor actively involved in the channel with a number of partner-related activities with vendors such as Fujitsu, Overland Storage and SolarWinds.

Chandrasekar says, “Traditionally Global has been growing outside the Middle East - although this is where our headquarter is situated– but as we have seen the regional channel maturing significantly over the last few years, we have increased our focus and investments in the MEA market.”

Going forward, we will see the distributor ramping up its channel offerings and enhancing its partners’ capabilities to harness the growth potential with emerging technologies in the region.

V.M. chandrasekar, Group ceo


Total staff: 120

Total engineers: 36

gloBAl diStRiBution05 $608 M

Systems and Hardware: Fujitsu, HP

Software and security: SolarWinds, Kaspersky

Peripherals and storage: Pure Storage, Overland Storage,

Tandberg, V3 VDI, QNAP, Synology, LaCie, Optoma

Networking: HP, TP-LINK, ZyXel

Accessories and consumables: TP-LINK, LINKCOMN, Datwyler,

Mobotix

Components: SanDisk, Seagate

Mobile phones: ZTE, Lamborghini, Gsmart, LG,

Samsung, I-onik

VENDOR PROFILE

2013

Reve

nue C

haRt

0

500

1BN

2013 2014

Systems and Hardware: 15% Software and security: 10% Peripherals and storage: 20% Networking: 10% Accessories and consumables: 15% Services and training: 5% Mobile phones: 25%


Top vendors by relationship: Fujitsu, HP, Tandberg Data and Overland,

SolarWinds, Pure Storage

Top vendors by revenue: Fujitsu, Solarwinds, Tandberg

Data / Overland / V3 VDI, Pure Storage

Revenue breakup by regionUAE: 45%

Outside UAE: 55%


06With the acquisition of Aptec Holdings, Ingram Micro set foot into the regional distribution space two years ago. And in those two years, the company has gone about integrating operations and completing the merger process.

Today the distributor is known for its expertise in areas such as mobility, cloud and supply chain solutions and continues its focus on enabling channel partners to successfully deliver solutions to the regional market. The company believes the factors that differentiates its offering in the market are its ability to be agile, deep market insights and the trust and dependability that comes from decades of proven relationships.

Over the last year, the distributor’s focus has been actively towards partner enablement, training initiatives and services. In the last year, the company has acquired Armada, a large value-added technology distributor in Turkey and Arabian Applied Technology (AAT), a KSA-based value-added distributor.

Another highlight has been the launch of IBM training and expansion of training centres in the UAE and South Africa, which is in line with the company’s plans to build on its global technical services and training expertise. As IBM’s authorised Global Training Provider (GTP), Ingram Micro is one of five companies authorised to provide a broad selection of systems and software courses from IBM Training. The company has also invested into two new entities in Morocco and Pakistan.

The distributor believes emerging technologies such as cloud, hybrid cloud, software-defined-everything, enterprise networking, BI and analytics, data capture, POS, physical security and IoT will drive the growth from within the organisation.

ApteC - ingRAM MiCRo

Ali baghdadi, SVP & chief executive, Middle east, turkey & Africa



Systems and hardware: APC by Shneider Electric, Cisco, Dell, Emerson, Fujitsu, HP, IBM,

NetApp, Oracle, Wyse

Software and security: CA, IBM, Intel Security, Kaspersky, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP Business

Objects, Symantec, Veeam, VMWare, Vision Solutions

Peripherals and storage: Dell, Dlink, APC

Networking: 3M, APC by Schneider Electric,

Avaya, Cisco, D-Link, Emerson, HP, Linksys

Services and training: ATS professional services, Ingram

Micro Training Academy

$600 M+

VENDOR PROFILE

2013

Reve

nue C

haRt

0

500

1BN

2009 2010 20142011

Top vendors by relationship: IBM, Fujitsu, Microsoft, HP, Symantec, Dlink, APC Value-added

services: Presales support, solutions sizing,

BoQ, PoC, demonstration, implementation,

training, documentation,

knowledge transfer, after sales

support

*


07Although FDC International has grown over 20 percent in the last year, according to its Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, Marissa Safe, 2014 has been a year of learning.

One of the primary lessons has been about maintaining a profitable growth by balancing the topline and bottom line revenues. However, to achieve this, it is important to have an accurate assessment of the market.

Safe says, “In a volatile market like the Middle East, it is very difficult to plan ahead. Its better we plan as per the statistics and figures we get from vendors and research firms. However, at times these figures tend not to be accurate. We would like to work with vendors who are completely transparent and share with us how much business they are looking at in each region and what is the accurate TAM. This way we can avoid any surprises.”

However, according to Safe, there were many surprises in 2014 such as influx of products in the grey market. She believes these kind of issues can be avoided by working closely with vendors and their top management.

Although it has been a tough year for the regional channel distribution, the distributor has managed to maintain growth in markets such as KSA, Egypt, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Algeria, while also increasing investments marginally into countries such as Kuwait. Going forward, we will see the distributor continuing its focus on both volume and value divisions. It has invested into ProValue over the last year and introduced mobile line of products with the recent Lenovo partnership.

The company’s focus over the coming months will be to create interest for retailers to buy from the distributor and its resellers.

Safe adds, “We are going to have some joint activities with our vendors and give retailers a reason as to why they should buy from us.”

fdC inteRnAtionAl

Marissa Safe, coo and VP


Total staff: 155

Total engineers: 27

Total resellers: 1000 active accounts and 240 preferred partners

Systems and hardware: Lenovo, Acer, Asus

Networking: TP-LINK, ZTE

Tablets and notebooks: Lenovo, Acer, Asus, ILife

Mobile: Lenovo

Software and security: ESET

Components: Intel, Kingston, Asus, AsRock, ECS, XFX, Liteon,

Plextor, Apacer, Geil, AMD

Peripherals and storage: WD, Seagate, Synology, QNAP,

Overland Storage

$575 M

VENDOR PROFILE

Top vendors by relationship: XFX, Seagate, Liteon, Lenovo,

Acer

Top vendors by revenue: Lenovo, Acer, WD, Seagate, Asus

2013

Reve

nue C

haRt

0

500

1BN

2013 2014



Systems and hardware: 20% ProValue: 5% Notebooks: 47% Tablets: 14% Components: 14%

GBM brings the power of the world’s most renowned technology providers, IBM from its outset and the addition of the Cisco portfolio in 1999. GBM today holds both the Master Collaboration and the Master Security Specializations from Cisco, the only partner across Gulf to be awarded these distinctions.

GBM’s 1,200 industry experts work across a broad range of market sectors, including: Government, Banking and Finance, Telecommunications, Retail and Oil & Gas.

GBM lives the ever-evolving culture of the local IT landscapes in which it operates, continually investing in training and development to ensure its experts can fully understand and interpret the growing needs of their clients. As a result, GBM is always well-equipped to address the ever-evolving, industry-specific IT demands in every market. www.gbmme.com

ABU DHABI • BAHRAIN • DUBAI • KUWAIT • OMAN • PAKISTAN • QATAR

GBM is the region’s number one provider of IT solutions

GBM CNME & RME August.indd 1 8/17/15 2:50 PM



Although the distributor has grown marginally over the last year, it has slipped in the ranking by two positions.

With physical presence in more than 16 countries, the company is a leading distributor in the Middle East, Gulf, North Africa and Asia regions.

In the last year, the distributor has initiated a number of activities aimed at bringing value to its channel partners throughout the region and as well as new partnerships.

It has extended its distribution agreement with HP to include new product lines and post a successful engagement in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and Pakistan, the company has expanded its Autodesk partnership to also include Qatar and Kuwait. Additionally, the distributor has also expanded its partnership with Microsoft to include Qatar. We have also seen the distributor increasing its investment in new facilities in many cities across the Gulf and has grown the teams on the ground in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.

In order to focus on all the growth markets in the region, the company has significantly invested in markets such as UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.

Mounir Sarkis, Regional Director, Logicom Gulf and Saudi, says, “The main drivers of the business continue to be the commercial and enterprise segments while we also support our partners in fulfilling projects for the public sector and the service provider channels.”

Over the next year, we will see the distributor continuing to invest in presence and channel coverage in the region. It also aims to offer co-branded incentive schemes to the channel in association with its vendor partners, such as HP, Intel and Cisco. Also, the distributor plans to organise its quarterly technology forums across the locations it operates in.

Mounir Sarkis, regional Director, Gulf & Saudi


Total staff: 720


logiCoM07 $575 M

Systems and hardware: HP, Intel, Lenovo

Software and security: Microsoft, Autodesk, CommVault,

NetApp, Qnap, Watchguard, Symantec

Peripherals and storage: Kingston, WD, SanDisk

Networking: Cisco, Linksys

Accessories and consumables: HP Supplies, HP, Nokia

Services and training: Micrososft, Cisco

Others: Intel, WD, Kingston

VENDOR PROFILE

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2012 2013 2014

Top vendors by relationship: Kingston, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel,

HP

Top vendors by revenue: HP, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Kingston

Systems and hardware: 48% Software and security: 8% Peripherals and storage: 5% Networking: 23% Accessories and consumables: 5% Services and training: 1% Components: 10%




Emax Electronics have been consistently growing over the last few years. Having opened more than 10 stores across the region, the retailer stands at over 62 stores today. According to the company, this confirms its strategy of “being within consumers’ reach.”

The retailer recorded a 30 percent increase in sales during Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2015 compared to DSF 2014. And 32 percent increase at this year’s Spring edition of GITEX Shopper compared to the previous year.

Present across the GCC region, the retailer has gained an increased momentum on its online presence, which has given it a competitive edge.

CEO Neelesh Bhatnagar says, “Within a short span of just over eight years, we are the largest electronics retailer in the GCC and have grown steadily to maintain around 28 percent YoY growth that confirms our stability and affinity in the market.”

The retailer expects to continue to play a key role by leveraging the opportunities in emerging technologies. According to Bhatnagar, as we move into the next era of the digital age and as the retail culture gets more and more ingrained with technology, there will be a constant need to watch out for latest retail and sector-specific software integrations that will help optimise its business operations and enhance its customer experience at the store level.

Over the past few years, the retailer has witnessed online and mobile purchasing gaining more traction. This has pushed retailers to adapt to the needs of the around-the-clock connected digital customer, by developing a digital customer service and multi and omni-channel.

“The digital consumers looking for more convenience are increasingly moving towards online and mobile transactions, whereas the consumer tech retail might have been slower in making a parallel move; this however is gaining momentum.”

Neelesh bhatnagar, ceo


Total staff: 2231

Total retail facing technical staff: 165

Countries consolidated in group revenue: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain

eMAx eleCtRoniCS08 $550 M

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Systems and components: 79.10% Software and security: 1.00% Peripherals and storage: 9.70% Networking: 3.10% Accessories and consumables: 7.20%


Top vendors by revenue: Apple, Samsung, Lenovo,

HP, Dell

Revenue breakup by region UAE: 61.80% Outside UAE: 38.20%


09Having set shop in the Middle East region since 1990, Gulf Business Machines (GBM) is one of the leading providers of IT solutions in the Gulf today. A new entrant in this year’s ranking, the systems integrator has managed to make it in the top ten players within the regional channel.

The company has achieved strong performance across a range of territories and lines of businesses over the last year. Celebrating 25 years in the region this year, the SI has continued its partnership with prominent global technology providers such as IBM and Cisco across a range of verticals and nurtured in-house technical expertise. It has also refreshed the company’s look and feel, maintaining its heritage while also bringing a fresh bolder look.

Over the last couple of months, the systems integrator has achieved Master Collaboration and Master Security Specialisations from Cisco, making it the only partner from the vendor across Gulf to have these distinctions. According to the company, this reflects its upgraded capabilities for deploying complex IT security and collaboration solutions.

It has also achieved Cisco Customer Satisfaction Excellence status, one of the highest quality benchmarks for Cisco’s Partner Programme, and was recently awarded three distinctions at the Cisco Global Partner Summit, including the Partner of the Year Award in Middle East, Africa and Russia.

GBM has further positioned itself as an industry leader with ground-breaking research. For the last four years, GBM has commissioned regional research (GBM’s Security Survey) to assess the state of IT security – exposing areas of weakness in the region, and proposing the best ways to tackle those issues through innovative IT deployments.

The systems integrator boasts around 2000 customers around the region across various industries.

gulf BuSineSS MAChineS

Phillipe Jarre, ceo


Total staff: 1450

Primary vertical focus: Banking and financial services, defense and police, retail and distribution, trading and services, government, oil and gas, telecommunications, travel and transportation Total number of vendor certifications: 850

Systems and hardware: IBM, Lenovo, Toshiba

Software and security: IBM, Cisco

Peripherals and storage: IBM, Cisco

Networking: Cisco, F5, Schneider Electric

Accessories and consumables:

Lenovo

Services and training: all vendors

$500 M+

VENDOR PROFILE

Top vendors by relationship: IBM, Cisco

Solutions provided: Business Analytics, Business Process Management, Correspondence Management System, Data

Virtualization Solution, Engineering and Intelligence Solutions, Enterprise and Data Center Networking, Enterprise Marketing Management, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Healthcare Performance

Management, High Performance Computing, Information Management, Mobility and Wireless Solutions, Performance Management, Physical Security and Audio Visuals, Private and Hybrid Cloud, Retail Banking Data Warehousing, Retail Solutions, Security Solutions, Social Program Management Platform, Software

Defined Infrastructure, Storage Infrastructure Optimisation, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Top vendors by revenue: IBM, Cisco

*



Almasa IT is a 20-year-old IT distribution company that has been instrumental in the evolving regional channel. With a strong presence across the Middle East and Africa, the distributor boasts a portfolio of large vendors such as HP, Acer, Seagate, Asus, AMD, Intel, Lenovo, LG and Dell to name a few.

Comprising a team of over 150 professionals, the distributor believes its strength lies in its ability to understand the local market requirements and deliver value to its customers.

Based out of Dubai, the company’s logistics hub is situated in Jebel Ali Free Zone and it provides in-depth services to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.

Over the last year, the distributor has grown by around 10 percent and has had a number of new vendors coming on board. One of its recent partnerships includes being signed up as the authorised reseller and service provider for Apple. It has also signed up Cradlepoint in the networking space and expanded its gaming portfolio with the addition of MSI. The distributor has also ramped up its regional presence by opening up three new retail showrooms in Baghdad, Erbil and Basra.

Today the distributor offers products and solutions across the entire range from brands such as Asus, Intel, Avaya, Lenovo, Seagate and Apple. They also offer value-added services such as presales support for Avaya, proof of concept for Avaya and LG, implementation for Avaya, training, documentation, knowledge transfer for a number of brands including Asus, Seagate, Avaya and LG. And it also offers after sales support across all brands.

Over the next year, we will see the distributor continuing to focus on mobility and enhancing its value proposition in the market. The distributor has separate service centres in Iraq to cater to Apple customers as well as its own service centre called Almasa Care.

Mehdi Amjed, ceo and chairman


Total resellers: 1000 active accounts

Total staff: 200

Total engineers: 8

AlMASA it diStRiBution10 $410 M

Systems and hardware: Asus, Lenovo, HP, Dell

Software and security: Cradlepoint

Peripherals and storage: Seagate, WD

Networking: Avaya, LG, Cradlepoint

Components: Intel, Asus, Nvidia, Zotac, MSI

Mobility: Apple, CAT, Lenovo, Asus

VENDOR PROFILE

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Top vendors by relationship: Asus, Avaya, Intel, Seagate,

Lenovo, Apple

Top vendors by revenue: Asus, Apple, Lenovo, Intel, Avaya,

Seagate

Channel facing executivesOmar Baktash, Sales Director and Product Management

Manoj Kumar, Sales Manager, UAE & GCCSatjeet Sangha, General Manager, Computer Systems, Export

Somkat Misra, General Manager, Components


11For Mitsumi Distribution, 2014 was a year of growth. The Kenya-based distributor has experienced a strong overall corporate development along with significant growth across all its product lines.

The company’s growing portfolio includes Acer, APC, Asus, BenQ, Canon, Dell, Fluke Networks, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Intel, iSurf, Lenovo, Microsoft, Polycom, Riverbed, Samsung, Sandisk, Toshiba, Tripp-Lite, WD and ZTE.

Recently, Mitsumi and Bankai Group have created a joint venture initiative known as BankaiMitsumi. This new organisation enables Telcos in Africa and the Middle East to connect for termination and origination of voice services globally with quality and technical infrastructure.

In the last year, the company has signed up with Samsung Mobile, Intel Approved Supplier, Canon and ZTE for Africa region.

The distributor has also been able to expand its business in the existing markets, especially in Uganda and Tanzania, which were previously dominated by competitors.

The company believes that new technologies and smartphone proliferation and Internet connectivity will continue to drive the regional channel growth.

CEO Jagat Shah, says, “We are aware of the general trends in the rest of the IT field and so we cannot afford to be left behind. We are increasingly adopting e-commerce and mobility in our operations as well.

“The Middle East channel has continued to evolve and expand extraordinarily in recent years. During the past two years the market has not been very stable in the Middle East, but we are expecting some stability in 2015. I think the traditional channel structures may need to change. It is time for re-developing the market based on the emergence of new channel segments.”

MitSuMi diStRiBution

Jagat Shah, chairman and ceo


Total staff: 220

Total engineers: 23


Systems and hardware: HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo,

Samsung, Asus, iSurf

Software and security: Microsoft

Peripherals and storage: Western Digital, Toshiba

Networking: Tripplite, BenQ, HP Enterprise, HP Networking,

Riverbed, IBM, Polycom & Fluke Network, Ruckus Wireless, Hitachi,

ZTE

Accessories and consumables: HP, Samsung,

Canon

Services and training: Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Samsung

Components: WD, Sandisk

$390 M

VENDOR PROFILE

Top vendors by relationship:

Dell, Toshiba, Acer, HP, Samsung


Samsung, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo

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Systems and hardware: 40% Software and security: 3% Peripherals and storage: 4% Networking: 3% Accessories and consumables: 5% Services and training: 2% Components: 3% Telco: 40%

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12Mindware has been at the forefront of embracing new and emerging technological solutions and ensuring it stays relevant in a highly competitive channel space. The 24-year-old distributor has grown more than 30 percent in the last year alone and has scaled up in the ranking by two positions.

Last year, we saw the distributor rebranding itself by introducing a fresher looking logo, which was in line with the company’s plans to create a symbol that showcases it as a modern company while simultaneously being true to its roots. The company also launched its own app, with the objective to help partners be updated on the latest trainings, events and market developments.

It also signed up with new vendors such as Riverbed and Atlantis Computing, over the course of last year.

The distributor believes that trends like mobility, cloud, Big Data, tablets, wearable devices and IoT will drive the growth in the region.

“Storage, security and Big Data will continue to be big trends that will gain momentum in this year. Most of the trends we saw in 2014 will continue to grow and extend into this year,” says the company’s General Manager, Mario Gay.

The distributor does not expect too much of a difference in the existing order of the regional channel. However, it expects larger players to grow further. The only way partners can make a difference is by investing more in specialisations.

For Mindware, Qatar and Oman have been high growth markets with good business coming from Pakistan.

“We have reorganised and consolidated the volume business in 2014. This year, we are looking to reorganise the value division according to the kind of products,” says Gay.

MindwARe

Mario Gay, GM


Location of sales offices: UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, KSA

$328 M


Dell, Intel, Symantec, Microsoft, EMC

Top vendors by revenue: Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Juniper,

Symantec

Revenue breakup by region

UAE: 42%Outside UAE: 58%

2013

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Systems & hardware: Dell, Lenovo, EMC

Software and security: Microsoft, Symantec, Citrix, McAfee

Peripherals and storage: Symantec, Apacer, Wyse

Networking: Juniper, Nexans, Pace, Emerson

Accessories and consumables: Dell, Juniper

Services and training: Citrix

Components: Intel

VENDOR PROFILE


Systems & Hardware: 42% Software and security: 25% Peripherals and storage: 5% Networking: 25% Services and training: 3%


13Alpha Data, more than three decades old in the regional channel space offers comprehensive solutions throughout the technology requirements of an organisation. Having grown by 5 percent over the previous year, the systems integrator is well underway to optimise opportunities in Big Data, cloud, mobility, security and IoT.

In line with its expansion plans, the managed service provider has launched Alpha Cloud recently, which is a public cloud service that feature cloud functionality tailored to meet the UAE market’s local cloud computing requirements.

2014 was a good year for the SI, having won several long-term projects. It has seen several larger projects coming in over the course of the year, especially as the city is gearing up for Expo 2020. The company also began operations in Qatar, which it considers to be a promising market.

What has been key to the company’s success is the fact that it is particular about entering a market only if it believes it can bring in the required value. While the SI has been thinking of setting shop in Saudi Arabia, it will only do so after in-depth market assessment. We might see it beginning Saudi operations by early 2016.

Going forward, we will see the SI continuing to focus on services, which has been a critical part of its business.

AlphA dAtA

Fayez Ibbini, Founder and ceo

Year of start-up: 1981Total staff: 700 plusLocations of sales offices: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha

$233 M


HP, Microsoft, Juniper, VMware, Cisco

Technology partners: Avaya, Cisco, Citrix,

HP, Microsoft, VMware, Belden, Adobe, Autodesk, Juniper, Polycom, Nedap,

Milestone, Bosch, Christie, Extron, Oracle, Exterity

Hardware: 70% Services: 30%

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14Westcon Group, comprising Westcon Middle East and Comstor Middle East, is a value-added distributor of security, Cisco centric and Unified Communications and collaboration solutions in the Middle East.

Having grown marginally in the last year, the company has had significant developments centred on building its capabilities to better cater to its partners. In sync with this, the distributor has set up its trading entity in KSA.

Steve Lockie, Group Managing Director, says, “As we roll out our logistics support to this we will see much better partner satisfaction within the Kingdom. A very close second highlight for the company will be the significant investments we have made in developing and building out our services business.”

It has launched offerings such as training, support centre, professional services and logistical services with the corresponding resources and training centre now established.

Another important highpoint for the distributor in 2014 has been the development of its security portfolio, where it has pushed Westcon Security to the forefront of the specialised security distribution space.

Lockie says, “It has been perhaps most pleasing to see Westcon Security, Westcon UCC, Comstor and our services business all show strong growth throughout the year. Our go to market model has been very successful in developing real value for our customers and we will see our Comstor EDGE initiatives more defined in the Westcon practices this year.”

The company has also signed up with new brands such as Aruba and Palo Alto Networks from its security practice perspective while also completing its regional footprint with F5. Under Comstor, the company has on-boarded Simplivity for the hyper converged infrastructure market and on Westcon UCC front, it has successfully launched telylabs and Ruckus within the region.

weStCon gRoup

Steve Lockie, Group MD


Total staff: 153

Total engineers: 25

Location of sales offices: UAE, KSA, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq

Location of support offices: Dubai, UAE and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

$207 M


Zebra, Juniper, Cisco, Avaya, APC


Cisco, Zebra, Avaya, Palo Alto, Juniper

Revenue breakup by region


2013

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205

210

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Systems & Hardware: APC, Avocent, Cisco, Datalogic, Datamax-

O’Neil, Honeywell, Panduit, Zebra

Software and security: Algosec, Arbor, Aruba, Bluecoat, Cisco, Dell,

F5, Forescout, HP, Juniper, Palo Alto, Ruckus

Peripherals and storage: Flexpod and Expresspod,

Honeywell, NEC, Pelco, S2, Zebra

Networking: AT&T, APC, Aruba, Avaya, NEC, Juniper, Meru, Oracle,

Plantronics, Polycom, Proxim, Ruckus, Smart, Snom, Sonus, Zebra

Services and training: Westcon Group Services

VENDOR PROFILE

Value-added services: Presales support, solutions

sizing, BoQ, PoC, demonstration, implementation, training,

documentation, knowledge transfer, after sales support


Dubai-based Prologix Distribution has been in operations close to 20 years now. With a strong presence across the UAE, GCC, Middle East, Africa and SAARC countries, the company has experienced an incredible growth over the course of last year.

The distributor believes that the factors, which have helped it to stand out from the crowded marketplace include its innovative product offerings, expansive product line, and its strengths in presales technical assistance. The distributor has successfully added Zebra Technologies and Bosch to its basket last year.

As a VAD in the Saudi market, Al Jammaz Distribution has been focusing on developing the channel by inspiring, enabling and empowering partners. Over the course of last year, the VAD has grown significantly and invested into a number of activities in the channel, in sync with its overall strategy of channel development.

It has executed many programmes and initiatives toward demand generation and empowering the partners. Under demand generation, it has developed joint marketing services and activities working together with its value-added resellers.

Sarwan Singh, Managing Director

Year of start-up: 1998Total staff: 240Total engineers: 75Locations of sales and support offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Sri lanka, Kenya, Nigeria, India Primary vertical focus: Telecom, Defense, Law Enforcement, real estate, BFSI, government, oil and gas, education, hospitality

Asim Al-Jammaz, Vice President

Year of start-up: 1998Total staff: 200Total engineers: 33Location of support offices: Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Qassim, Tabuk, Sajer, Wadi Aldwaser, Najran

pRologix diStRiBution

Al JAMMAz diStRiBution

15

16

$200 M

$189 M


WiFi & Networking: Totolink, LevelOne, Microtik

RF & Microwave: Cambium Networks, Trango Systems, Sub10 Systems, Motorola Solutions, Simoco, Peplink,

Redline Communications Telecom: Sangoma Tehnologies Video Surveillance - LevelOne, Secura

Test & Measurement: Fluke Networks, AFL, Spectracom, Keysight Technologies, IDEAL Industries, Anite Finland, Empirix, Extech, Anapico, Aaronia

Systems and hardware: APC, Cisco, EMC, Rittal

Software and security: Symantic, EMC, Verties

Peripherals and storage: EMC, VCE, Lenovo, Honeywell

Networking: Cisco, Linksys, Rockus, Fluke Networks, Panduite, Technicolor

Services and training: EMC, Cisco, VCE, Fluke Network

VENDOR PROFILE

VENDOR PROFILE

Top vendors by relationship: Empirix, Cambium Networks, Keysight Technology, Trango Systems, Fluke Networks

Top vendors by relationship: Linksys, Technicolor, APC, Cisco, EMC

Top vendors by revenue: Cambium Networks: 4%, Trango Systems: 4%, Fluke Networks: 5%, Empirix: 9%, AFL: 5%

Top vendors by revenue: EMC, VCE, Cisco, APC, Technicolor

Systems & Hardware: 25% Software and security: 25% Networking: 15% Services and training: 15% Others: 20%

Systems and hardware: 15% Software and security: 15% Peripherals and storage: 30% Networking: 30% Services and training: 10%




The regional channel market has been experiencing a slowdown over the last few quarters. Some of the reasons that are attributed to this are fluctuating currency rates, political situations in neighbouring countries and falling oil prices. The 25-year-old regional distributor, Asbis Middle East, has experienced a steep decline in their revenues when compared to the previous year.

For the distributor, some important highlights in the past year have been going back to basic distribution model, increasing sales of components in a competitive market and reinforcing focus on solutions.

The regional systems integrator, Visionaire is known for its solutions and services in the information and communication technology sphere. The company serves customers’ requirements in an increasingly converging unified infrastructure, collaboration, device control, Internet of Things, cloud, wireless connectivity, information and rich media marketplace with a comprehensive offering of advanced, high quality solutions and services for various vertical markets.

The SI boasts certifications from leading vendors such as Microsoft, Huawei, HP-Aruba, Polycom, SMART Technologies, Cisco, Arrive Systems, RGB, RBI, VMware and also other vendors such as ITIL and InfoComm.

Hesham tantawi, Vice President

Year of start-up: 1990Total staff: 95 plusTotal technical staff: 15Locations of support offices: United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia

Aneeta Gupta, chief executive officer

Year of start-up: 1995Total staff: 591Total engineers: 397

ASBiS Middle eASt

ViSionAiRe

17

18

$180 M

$177 M

Systems and hardware: Acer, Apple, Asus, Blackberry, Cisco, Dell, Drweb, Fujitsu, Gigabyte, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Prestigio, Samsung, Toshiba, AMD, Sun

Software and security: Adobe, AVG, ESET, Kaspersky, Kerio, McAfee, Oracle, VMWare

Peripherals and storage: Adaptek, Belkin, Canyon, Cygnett, Eaton, Epson, Griffin, Kingston, Konica, Minolta, Lexmark, LG, Logitech,

Mellanox, Microlab, Oki, Philips, Samsung, Sapphire, Seagate, Sony, Toshiba, Western Digital, Xerox

Networking: Cisco, D-Link, HGST, IBM, Linksys, Mikrotik, Netgear, Promise, Qlogic, Silicon, Power, Sun, Supermicro, TP-LINK, Transcend, Ubiquiti, Xyratex, Zyxel

Accessories and consumables: Adaptek, AOC, APC, Belkin, Canon, Canyon, Cygnett, Eaton, Griffin, Konica, Minolta, Logitech, Prestigio, Sony

Systems and hardware: Huawei, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Canon, Apple, LenovoSoftware and security: Microsoft,Fortinet, ClearPass, Juniper, McAfee, Mi-Token, Cisco, Mobile Iron, Tiger TMS, RightFax, VMWare, LANDesk, Symprex, Quest, Adobe, Barracuda, F5Peripherals and storage: Huawei, Fujitsu, Logitech, Viewsonic

Networking: Huawei, Sonus, HP-ArubaAccessories and consumables: Belden, MonsterServices and training: Smart Technologies, Arrive SystemsComponents: Intel AV technology: Digital Signage, Room Scheduling, Wayfinding - Cayin Technologies, Scala, Arrive

Command and control systems: Mitsubishi, NEC, Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, RGB, Daktronics, Dexon, Christie Audio systems: Audio Technica, Biamp, Bose, ClearOne, Rave, JBL, QSC, Soundcraft Wireless presentation solution: Arrive, Barco, WePresentVideo conference solution: Polycom, Arrive

VENDOR PROFILE

VENDOR PROFILE

Systems and hardware: 15% Software and security: 10% Peripherals and storage: 10% Networking: 15% Accessories and consumables: 10% Components: 40%

Systems and hardware: 8% Software and security: 10% Peripherals and storage: 18% Networking: 29% Accessories and consumables: 2% Services and training: 2% Components: 4% Others: 27%



Top vendors by revenue: Huawei, Microsoft, Arrive, LG, Intel

Top vendors by revenue: Intel, AMD, Seagate, Lexmark, Ubiquiti

Top vendors by relationship: Smart, Microsoft, Fujitsu, HP, Huawei


C

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Jacky’s Retail, part of Jacky’s Group, was launched towards the end of 2013 with the objective to manage and operate Samsung brand shops across the UAE.

According to the company, it aims to provide the best technology and experience to customers through these concept retail stores, backed by the Group’s expertise in retail and Samsung’s expertise in products.

With only a year of operation, Jacky’s Retail currently is the largest UAE operator of Samsung Brand Shops with four outlets in the Emirates. These brand shops are operating in three Emirates – Mall of the Emirates and Deira City Centre in Dubai; Al Khalidiyah Mall in Abu Dhabi; and My City Centre in Nasseriya, Sharjah.

Samsung has recognised the Mall of Emirates store as one of the top three performing stores globally.

Manish Arora, Business Head, Jacky’s Retail, says, “We have achieved this feat in a very short span of time. Also, we have deployed best practices in terms of novel concepts in the retail format at these stores.”

Ashish Panjabi, chief operating officer

Year of start-up: 2013Total staff: 39Total retail facing technical staff: 28Dedicated vendor: SamsungStores consolidated in the group revenue: Mall of the Emirates, Dubai; Deira City Centre, Dubai; Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi; My City Centre at Nasseriah, Sharjah

JACky’S RetAil19 $150 M*

UAE: 100%

Revenue bReakup by Region

Regional distributor, Trigon, has strived to maintain a balance in its topline and bottom line growth over the years. However, assessing the current market scenario, this has been challenging for the 18-year-old distributor and has experienced a decline in its revenue when compared to the previous financial year. In 2014, the company has emphasised more on retail business and expanded retail-related product line. It has also focused more on B2B business in the SME segment and increased product lines related to healthcare, hospitality and financial sector. It has also set up its KSA sales office and expanded its service centre.

It has also signed distribution agreement with Philips displays as the authorised distributor for its entire range of monitors across GCC including UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and KSA. Arun chawla, chief

executive officer

Year of start-up: 1997Total staff: 108Total technical staff: 12Total resellers: 300 plus

tRigon19 $150 M

Top vendors by revenue: Samsung, LG, Dell, D-Link, Creative

Top vendors by relationship: Viewsonic, Creative, D-Link, Elo, BenQ, Samsung, AVM, PenPower, Mustek, LG

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UAE: 90%Revenue bReakup by Region

Outside UAE: 10%

industry ranking cHannel elite

Samsung: Laser & multi laser printers, LED / LCD monitors, Large Format Display: 30% LG: LCD/ LED monitors, Large Format Display: 15% Dell : Monitors: 10% D-Link : Networking & wireless products: 8% Creative : Speakers, headphones & headsets: 7% ViewSonic : LCD monitors, projectors: 5% Elo : LCD touch monitors & touch kiosks: 4% Ergotron : Mounting solutions ( desktop & wallmounts), EMR carts: 5% Others : 15%


Part of Bukhatir Group of Companies, Emitac Enterprise Solutions (EES) has come a long way since its establishment in 1976. It has continued its transformation into a true solutions and services provider from being a traditional SI.

2014 has been an excellent year for the company having grown more than 20 percent. The SI opened its new Network Operating Centre (NOC) in Dubai recently to manage customer installations, thereby growing its services offering. The SI has successfully executed several large projects over the course of last year. According to CEO Miguel Villalonga, the company has also achieved significant growth in its Software Services business unit, with growth rates exceeding 100 percent.

Miguel Angel Villalonga, chief executive officer

Year of start-up: 1976Total staff: 220Total engineers: 100Location of support offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar Primary vertical focus: Government, telcos, banking and private

eMitAC enteRpRiSe SolutionS21 $131.7 M

A new entrant in this year’s survey, AGC Networks is a global solution integrator delivering technology solutions in Unified Communications, network infrastructure and data center, cyber security and enterprise applications and services.

With a significance presence in the Middle East, Africa, North America, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, the solutions provider is one of the leaders in the enterprise communications space in India. It boasts technology vendors such as Avaya, Cisco, HP, Juniper, Netapp and Polycom among others.

The systems integrator offers services such as RMIA, on-site GUARDIAN, support services, professional services, advanced design services and managed services.

Sanjay Ahuja, VP of Sales, Middle east & Africa

Year of start-up: 1984Total staff: 800Country offices consolidated in group revenue: India, Australia, U.S., Singapore, Kenya, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE, USALocation of support offices: India, Australia, US, Singapore, Kenya, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE, USA

AgC netwoRkS20 $139.7 M

Top vendors by relationship: Avaya, Cisco, Juniper, Polycom, NetApp, Verint, HP

Top vendors by relationship: HP: 38 years, Microsoft: 14 years, Oracle: 14 years, Symantec: 12 years, EMC: 5 years

Primary vertical focus: BFSI, IT/Ites, travel and hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, telecom and education

Systems and hardware: HPSoftware and security: Microsoft, HP Software, Oracle, Asset, Juniper, Symantec, McAfee, Aruba, Cisco, SafeNet, HP Networks, KonyPeripherals and storage: HP, EMC, Oracle, Veeam

Networking: HP Networks, Juniper, Symantec, McAfee, Cisco, ArubaServices and training: Services and training is provided to all the products it represents. Full project implementation and management, 24x7 support for IT Infrastructure, system management and monitoring and business applications

VENDOR PROFILE



Technology partners: Avaya, Cisco, Juniper, Polycom, Netapp, Verint, HP, Oracle, Shoretel, VMWare, NEC, Corald, Extreme Networks and NICE

Name of vendor certifications: Avaya, Cisco, Juniper, McAfee, CISM, CISSP, Polycom, NetApp, Extreme, HP, Oracle and NICE


ESET Endpoint Security

OURBUSINESSPROTECTINGYOURS

www.eset.com/me I [email protected] I Tel +97143754052 I Fax +97144290967 I Office 305, Building 2, Dubai Internet City

Visit us at Gitex 2015 Hall 1, Stand A1-13

GITEX Technology Week was founded more than three decades ago with the aim to become the ICT business gateway to the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region. Today, it has evolved to be a prime event where the latest trends are born and innovative solutions are on display, for the industry to mirror and develop. Since then, it has grown to become a much-anticipated event in the regional ICT space. Having participated at GITEX right from the inaugural year in 1981, Ingram Micro (Aptec) has witnessed the show’s success over the years.

Ali Baghdadi, SVP and Chief Executive, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Ingram Micro, says, “The progress of GITEX during the last 35 years has been phenomenal. I can truly say that GITEX history reflects the history of IT and channel development in the Middle East.

“I recall the 1981 GITEX was just in a single, small and low-ceiling hall with no more than 30 to 40 companies. Aptec was part of the UK delegation sponsored by the British department of trade and industry. Today, GITEX is a huge event attracting thousands of exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of visitors.” For the company, the event has served as a platform to introduce new products, launch new vendor relations and sometimes even to begin a new era in technology.

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Down memory lane Aptec – an Ingram Micro Company has been a participant at GITEX Technology Week right from the first year in 1981. Ali Baghdadi, SVP & Chief Executive, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Ingram Micro, reminisces the journey till date.

Aptec (Appropriate Technology) entered the region in 1980 as it was the first company to design and introduce Arabic on a personal computer.

“Personal computers were in their infancy and IBM was just launching the first PC and with it was the introduction of an unknown company, called Microsoft with its DOS operating system. This revolutionised the industry,” says Baghdadi. Based in the UK, the company had two R&D department, one for software development and the other for electronic hardware.

“We focused on printing technology, where Aptec designed and developed intelligent printer controllers that offered ‘plug & play’ for most of Japanese printer manufacturers, including Ricoh and Fujitsu. The controllers covered dot matrix, daisy wheel and laser printers and offered multilingual capabilities including Arabic and other languages.” The other developments were to design operating system plug-ins to enable personal computers to work in Arabic, Urdu, Malay and Cyrillic. The company introduced its first Arabic operating system ‘BILAL’ on a personal computer called the ‘Superbrain’. However, 30 days after IBM launched the IBM PC, Aptec ported its operating system on IBM and Microsoft DOS. “This was the first introduction of Arabic to the Middle East,” he adds.

Assisted by IBM, SBM, GBM and Al Khurafi became the first resellers for the company’s systems. This was followed by word-processing (Arabstar), database (Arab dBase) and a host of other applications. Aptec had to set up production for bilingual keyboards, screen fonts, printer fonts and other devices.

These Arabic systems were launched at GITEX 1981 during the company’s first attendance.

Meanwhile, Aptec became the largest value-added printer distributor in the UK due to its ‘plug & play’ intelligent technology. Soon after, Microsoft approached Aptec to Arabise Windows when it announced the Windows operating system in 1983. A team of programmers and linguists from the UK and the Middle East worked on this and produced the Microsoft Arabic version of Windows, most of which is used today. Aptec also localised Word and Excel for Microsoft. “In the early 90s, Aptec established its first distribution company in Dubai setting a new standard for two-tier distribution by selling only to trade. By the end of that decade, Aptec represented most key vendors and helped many partners to start their systems integration, retail and reseller activities. We had an annual event called the Aptec University dedicated to the Middle East,” says Baghdadi. In the year 2000, the company moved its headquarters and holding company – Aptec

Visit Ingram

Micro stand (Hall

4 stand A4-3) at

GITEX Technology

Week 2015 to

learn more.

Ali Baghdadi, SVP & Chief Executive, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Ingram Micro

Holdings, from the UK to the UAE and was registered at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Aptec continued to establish itself as a leading distributor in the region by expanding to new offices in Lebanon and Turkey. In 2007, it acquired the business of Techdata Middle East.

Five years later, the Aptec Group was acquired by Ingram Micro setting the scene for a rapid expansion in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region. Against this backdrop, GITEX 2015 offers an opportunity for the distributor to share its successes with its vendor and reseller partners alike.

“As a Middle East-based distributor, this is our market, and visibility at GITEX is a key factor for our continued success in the region. It gives us the opportunity to discuss new ways to expand this success with new partnerships. GITEX was always a platform for us to bring new vendors and reseller partners and we hope this year will not be an exception.” This year, the distributor’s focus at the show will be on the launch of Ingram Micro Cloud and all the services that are planned around it. Ingram Micro is a global leader in cloud aggregation and distribution of cloud services and products. The company has made substantial investments to develop an automated cloud market place – over $100 million last year on acquisitions, 500 developers and a substantial 24/7 multi lingual support service.

“Once the Ingram Micro platform is launched in the region, a 24/7 advisory and support service will be available for free to resellers and can be sold for a fee to end users. The service will cover all products on our platform,” adds Baghdadi. “One of the announcements we plan to make at GITEX 2015 is the launch of the Ingram Cloud University, it is an education platform for internal cloud sales resources and for our reseller partners. It will offer three levels of certification – Silver, Gold and Platinum. The courses can be taken online and have a large selection of material including videos, recorded webinars, course material and

presentations. The courses are available in multiple languages.”

Over the coming years, we will see the company ramping up its offering in infrastructure solutions such as security, data centre, private and public clouds, networking and other applications such as database engines and Unified Communications. “Cloud technologies is one area we will continue to invest in. Also segments such as security, business intelligence (BI) and analytics, collaboration, enterprise networking, data centre, are enjoying high growth. They will be driving the market in the near future and our company will be focusing on these technologies.”


The supplies distributor saw a decline in revenues this year, as compared to the previous annual rankings. However it has managed to grow its product line by introducing drones to its portfolio over the last year. In this regard, DJI is one of the new brands that has come on board in 2014. The company has also ventured into the mobility market and added Obi Mobiles in this segment. It has also signed up with the networking vendor, Netis, boosting its expertise in this segment. Over the last 12 months, Despec has additionally focused on expanding its business in the African region. The distributor will now focus on building a market share for the new brands.

Faisal Jamal, ceo

Year of start-up: 1995Location of sales offices: UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, KSA, Kenya, Tanzania Location of support offices: UAE

deSpeC22 $100 M

Top vendors by revenue: HP, Lexmark, Imation, Wacom, Transcend

Top vendors by relationship: HP, Imation, Lexmark, Wacom, Transcend

Systems and hardware: 1.57% Software and security: 0.26% Peripherals and storage: 11.36% Networking: 0.19% Accessories and consumables: 86.62%




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Value-added IT security distributor, StarLink, has had a busy year with a number of channel activities and has grown notably in 2014. Present across the META region, the company has on-ground presence in nine countries.

In the last year, the distributor has brought in new vendors such as Arbor Networks and has announced plans to expand into new territories such as Europe, North, East and West Africa. It was also signed up as Infoblox’ authorised training centre and has recently joined Riverbed’s value-added distributor programme. The company successfully organised its annual partner conference and participated at GISEC 2015.

Over the coming months, we will see the VAD continuing its focus on the theme it has created for 2015 – ‘partnering into the future’.

Nidal othman, Managing Director

Year of start-up: 2005Total staff: 250Total engineers: 90Location of support offices: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, South Africa, Turkey, Egypt, USAPrimary vertical focus: Banking and finance, oil and gas, telcos and government

StARlink22 $100 M

Top vendors by revenue: FireEye, Dell Software, IBM, Blue Coat, Palo Alto Networks

Software and security: 80% Networking: 15% Services and training: 5%

Systems and hardware: 60% Software and security: 20% Services and training: 20%




UAE: 20% Outside UAE: 80%


Exclusive Networks has had a significant growth in the last one year. Having entered the region with the acquisition of security specialist distributor, Secureway, towards the end of 2013, the company has been focusing on developing its relationship with the channel over the course of last year.

According to CEO Fari Boustantchi, the distributor has pioneered in bringing key global brands such as Fortinet and F5 Networks, to the local market. It serves the market by offering professional services, installation and PoC, post-sales support and training.

We will see the distributor focusing on key markets such as KSA, Qatar, Kuwait and UAE.

Fari boustantchi, chief executive officer

Year of start-up: 2005Total staff: 64Total engineers: 17Location of support offices: Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, UK, France Total resellers: 1000

exCluSiVe netwoRkS23 $97 M

Systems and hardware: F5, Fortinet, Infoblox, LogRhythm, FireEye

Software and security: Lumension, LogRhythm, Vasco, FireEye, Leiberman Software, HID

Networking: F5, Fortinet, Infoblox, FireEye

Services and training: WhiteHat Security

VENDOR PROFILE

Top vendors by relationship: Fortinet, F5, Infoblox, FE, LR

Top vendors by revenue: Fortinet, F5, Infoblox, FE, LR


Revenue bReakup by

Region


Systems and hardware: 60% Peripherals and storage: 15% Accessories and consumables: 10% Security and surveillance: 15%



Revenue bReakup by

Region

Experts Computer has experienced a decline in its revenues compared to the previous year and this is not surprising considering the tough market conditions existing in the channel currently.

Established in 1994, the company has now evolved to be one of the emerging distributors and resellers in the region. It boasts partnerships with brands such as Epro, Virdi, Sony, HP and Canon. Over the years, due to declining margins and other challenges in the market, the company has diversified its business to imports and distribution of computer hardware.

What helps the company to stand out from the crowded marketplace are factors such as competitive pricing, efficient deliveries and quick after-sales services.

Shailendra rughwani, Managing Director

Year of start-up: 1994Total staff: 60Total technical staff: 14

expeRtS CoMputeR24 $89 M

Top vendors by relationship: Epro, Virdi, Sony, HP, Canon

Primary vertical focus: Hardware distribution through Experts Computer; accessories and related products through Epro Middle East; security and surveillance products through Nisun Technologies

Country offices consolidated in the group revenue: Experts Computer, Epro Middle East, Nirsun Technologies

Top vendors by revenue: Sony, HP, Virdi, Epro, Canon

A new entrant in this year’s ranking, Intertec Systems was established in 1991 with the business objective to provide technology solutions to organisations across verticals such as Government, financial services and corporate.

In the last 12 months, the company has won several Infrastructure Managed Services, Application Managed Services and Remote Monitoring Services contracts in the region. The systems integrator has also increased its workforce to focus on reinforcing its capabilities in areas such as managed services, IT infrastructure and security, applications and enterprise solutions.

Over the next few years, we will see the company continuing its focus towards its vision of being the number one managed services provider on monitoring and management in the Gulf. Naresh Kothari,

Managing Director

Year of start-up: 1991Total staff: 382Total engineers: 245

inteRteC SySteMS25 $50 M

Systems and hardware: HP, Cisco

Software and security: F5, Fortinet,

Infor, Oracle, Microsoft, LANDesk,

HP Software, Nexthink, Websense,

Symantec

Peripherals and storage: HP

Networking: Cisco, HP

Accessories and consumables: HP

VENDOR PROFILE

Systems and hardware: 25% Software and security: 24% Peripherals and storage: 5% Networking: 18% Accessories and consumables: 3% Services and training: 25%


Top vendors by relationship: HP, Cisco, Infor, LANDesk, Oracle

Top vendors by revenue: HP, Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, LANDesk


Revenue bReakup by

Region


Systems and hardware: Beyond Trust, Winmagic

Software and security: Kaspersky, GFI, EC-Council, Acunetix, Gateprotect, HP Enterprise Security, WinMagic, Tripwire, Content Keeper, Nexthink, Niksun, Ghangour Cloud

Networking: Array Networks, Bluecat, AirTight

Accessories and consumables: EnGenius

Services and training: Kaspersky, ArcSight

VENDOR PROFILE

Systems and hardware: 10%

Software and security: 40%

Peripherals and storage and networking: 30%

Services and training: 20%


The regional security distributor, ComGuard has seen a marginal increase in its revenue by 11 percent over the last financial year.

According to the company, it relies on its strong channel support to fortify its position in the market. CEO Ajay Singh Chauhan says, “Our partnerships are deep, long-term relationships where

we both invest people and resources to demonstrate interoperability with each other’s’ products and services to assure we bring needed solutions to market.”

Although the distributor’s focus continues to be security, we will see it ramping up its offering in emerging technologies such as virtualisation, storage, cloud and IoT, keeping in line with market evolution.

Ajay chauhan, chief executive officer

Year of start-up: 2002Total staff: 120Total engineers: 60Location of support offices: Dubai, Saudi Arabia, India

CoMguARd26 $49 M


Revenue bReakup by

Region

Top vendors by revenue: HP, Kaspersky, SafeNet, GFI, Nexthink


Systems and hardware: 6% Software and security: 40% Peripherals and storage: 12% Accessories and consumables: 14% Sariya Advantage (financing option for channel partners) – 28%




A new entrant in this year’s ranking, Saudi-based Sariya IT is part of Kuhaimi Group and is positioned as a specialised value-added distributor in the security and network infrastructure space.

Having identified huge opportunities in the KSA market, the distributor is on track for a double digit growth over the next two years. Having grown by 29 percent in 2014 when compared to the previous year, the company is confident of closing the year with a growth rate of 30 percent.

The formula behind Sariya IT’s success is its philosophy of remaining exclusive with each vendor, at least for the first 3 years. The company has close to 3000 registered partners in its channel ecosystem today.

Amjad Fathi Al-omar, General Manager

Year of start-up: 2002Total staff: 43Total engineers: 12Location of sales offices: Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai

SARiyA it25 $50 M

Top vendors by revenue: Kaspersky, Cyberoam, Bullguard, Moshi, Unitrends


Having grown by over 25 percent last year, the value-added distributor has climbed up the ranking by 6 positions.

Over the last few quarters, it has strengthened its focus on deeper channel engagement activities and continues to build value in the regional channel ecosystem. The distributor has participated at IDC roadshows across UAE, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Identifying that with the advent of mobility the whole network infrastructure is set to transform, we will see the company providing solutions such as managing mobile content, apps and remote storage. It has also launched the site survey initiative recently, which is aimed at making the partners’ role easier in this process.

Khalid Laban, chief executive officer

Year of start-up: 2004Total staff: 80Total engineers: 25Total resellers: 800

oxygen27 $48 M

Systems and hardware: Ascom, A10 Networks, Aruba, Aruba Switched, VIDYO, Fortinet

Software and security: Fortinet, Box, MobileIron, Unify, Zimperium, Plixer, Boole Server, RedSeal Networks, Ziftin, Certes Networks, Aruba Clearpass

Networking: Aruba

Services and training: All vendors

UC and critical communications: Unify and Ascom

Systems and hardware: HP, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba

Software and security: Cyberoam, Checkpoint

Peripherals and storage: Qnap

Networking: HP, Aruba, Cisco

Accessories and consumables: Vsonic, JSD

Components: Samsung, Liteon, HP, Apacer

VENDOR PROFILE

VENDOR PROFILE

Software and security: 30% Networking: 50% Services and training: 10% UC and critical communications: 10%



Peripherals and storage: 2%

Networking: 4% Accessories and consumables: 15%

Components:15%



Top vendors by revenue: Aruba Networks, Fortinet, MobileIron, Certes Networks, Ascom

Owing to turbulent market circumstances, the SMB solutions provider and distributor for global brands has experienced an 11 percent decline in its revenues from the previous year, although it has climbed up the rank by one position.

The company is an authorised distributor for brands like ViewSonic, Liteon, Apacer, Plextor, Tripp Lite, Acer and Microsoft and also a preferred partner for brands such as HP, Juniper, Dell and Cisco, to name a few.

According to Managing Director, Ramesh Belani, the company’s flexible mode of operations and access to channels give it an edge over competition.

Currently, its distributor partner profile includes names such as Redington, FDC and Metra.ramesh belani, Managing Director

Year of start-up: 2003Total staff: 44Total technical staff: 14Name of vendor certifications: Viewsonic, Samsung, Liteon, Toshiba, Acer, Vsonic, JSDLocation of sales offices: Dubai, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi, Kenya

MAxtouCh CoMputeRS28 $46 M




Specialist value-distributor, StorIT Distribution, has seen a remarkable growth in the last year with 33 percent increase and a climb in the ranking by seven positions.

The distributor offers in-depth solutions and services across technologies such as data storage, data protection, data management, high performance computing and Big Data analytics.

Over the last year, the company has been appointed as the distributor partner for global brands such as Unitrends and has bagged several accolades from its vendor partners.

According to company, it is the first distributor to sell and implement converged infrastructure in the Middle East and the only one to have achieve certified technical skills to implement cloud somputing solutions and high performance computing solutions.

Over the next six months, we will see the distributor executing several channel enablement programmes, workshops and certifications for its resellers to get them familiar on the new disruptive technologies coming into the market.

Suren Vedantham, Group Managing Director

Year of start-up: 2002Total staff: 37Total engineers: 7Location of sales offices: UAE, KSAPrimary vertical focus: Oil and gas, banking and finance, telecoms, education and research, airline, retail, media and broadcasting

StoRit diStRiBution29 $40 M*

Systems and hardware: Huawei, SuperMicroSoftware and security: EMC, Unitrends, Huawei, SAS, Quantum, Aptare, MoonwalkPeripherals and storage: EMC, Huawei, Quantum, Qlogic, Emulex, ATTONetworking: MellanoxServices and training: EMC, Huawei, SAS, Mellanox

Software and security: AccessData, Algosec, Blue Coat, Cyber-Ark, F5 Networks, FireEye, HP Enterprise Security, Infoblox, Juniper Networks, Mi-Token, nCircle, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, Riverbed, RSA, Sourcefire and Symantec

VENDOR PROFILE

VENDOR PROFILE

Top vendors by relationship: EMC, Qlogic, Quantum, Emulex, Mellanox

Top vendors by relationship: F5 Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Blue Coat, Symantec, Juniper

Value-added services offered: Presales support, solution sizing, BoQ, proof of concept, demonstration, implementation, training, documentation, knowledge transfer, after-sales support.

Help AG has had a marginal growth of 11 percent in the last year and has climbed up the rank by five positons. The company celebrated 10 years of being in the regional channel space this year and continues its in-depth focus in the security sphere across verticals.

The information security services, consultancy and solutions provider has launched Managed Security Services earlier this year and considers it to be an important milestone.

In the months ahead, we will see the company growing its team and expanding to other geographical areas. According to Managing Director, Stephan Berner, the company is on track to achieve $100 million by 2018.

Stephan berner, Managing Director

Year of start-up: 2004Total staff: 130Primary vertical focus: Government, finance, oil and gas, education, healthcare, aviation, telco

help Ag30 $38 M

Top vendors by revenue: F5 Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Blue Coat, Symantec, Juniper

Support services for primary vendors: presales technology, presales audit, presales consulting, solution sizing, BoQ, proof of concept, demonstration, implementation, training, documentation, knowledge transfer, after sales support, post sales audit, remote monitoring and support


CONNECTIVITY IS OUR AIM!DISTRIBUTION IS OUR BUSINESS

18 - 22 - October - 2015Dubai World Trade Centre

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Sales : +971 438 32922 | Support : +971 438 32933 Email: [email protected] | Web : www.prologixdistribution.com


Almoayyed Computers has seen a marginal growth in its revenues when compared to last year. In terms of highlights, the company has been named as Microsoft’s Partner of the Year 2015 and also has won a number of large projects across verticals such as government, education, finance, healthcare, telco and hospitality among others.

We can expect the systems integrator to continue leveraging the opportunities present in emerging technologies such as IT security, cloud, Big Data and mobility. Having built cloud data centre on its premises, the company plans to offer hosting services in the near future.

SM Hussaini, General Manager

Year of start-up: 1979Total staff: 170Total engineers: 85Name of vendor certifications: Micrsoft LSP, Microsoft Gold, HP Gold, HP/Microsoft Frontline, Cisco Gold, Oracle Gold, VMware, Symantec, Avaya

AlMoAyyed CoMputeRS31 $37 M+

Systems and hardware: Fujitsu, HP, Cisco, IBM

Software and security: McAfee, Symantec, VMware, Microsoft, Veeam, Juniper, Dell, Fortinet

Peripherals and storage: NetApp, HP, Fujitsu

Networking: Cisco, HP, Alcatel-Lucent, Juniper, Schneider Electric, NEC, D-Link, Digi, Skyline

Accessories and consumables: Schneider Electric, APC

Services and training: Managed Services, NOC, SOC, AMC

Components: Sagemcom, Aztech, Media5, IPM, NagraVision

Others: Professional services

VENDOR PROFILE

Top vendors by relationship: Microsoft, Cisco, HP, Oracle, Symantec

The systems integrator has observed a substantial growth of over 16 percent when compared to the previous financial year.

The growth can be attributed to the several big projects implemented by the company over the course of last year across the government and hospitality verticals. One of the projects has been the deployment of managed services contract and application transformation for a major government department.

In the coming year, we will see the company expanding its overall business through services and increasing its competence in cloud services and application transformation to cloud and Unified Communications. It also aims to increase investment in training programmes in Big Data and analytics for pre-sales staff. Mohammed Zameer,

General Manager

Year of start-up: 2002Total staff: 255Total engineers: 40Total technical staff: 144Name of vendor certifications: Cisco, VMware, Netapp, Alcatel Lucent, McAfee, Symantec, Leviton, Veeam, Microsoft, Dell,Fujitsu, NEC, Schneider Electric, HP, Fortinet, Juniper, Oracle

Al RoStAMAni CoMMuniCAtionS32 $35 M

Systems and hardware: HP, Oracle, EMC, Cisco

Software and security: Informatique, Citrix, Computer Associates, ONS, IBM Maximo, Microsoft, Oracle, Sanako, Symantec , VMware, IIT Software, Ducont, e2e

Peripherals and storage: Add Master, Itronix, NCR, Olivetti

Networking: Avaya, Cisco

Accessories and consumables: HP

Services and training: HP, Oracle, Cisco, Microsoft

Components: HP, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, Avaya, NCR, Olivetti

VENDOR PROFILE




Peripherals and storage: 10%

Networking: 35% Accessories and consumables: 5%

Services and training: 20%




*

Sheikh Saeed Hall Booth TA - G519-22 October 2015, Dubai World Trade Centre

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2014 has been an exceptional year for Paramount Computer Systems having recorded a growth of over 30 percent. It has scaled up the ranking by four positions compared to 2013.

In the last one year, the SI has brought on board close to 60 security engineers and consultants, believing that in the knowledge intensive business, it is critical to have a well-qualified team with in-depth skillsets.

The company has also achieved important certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 20000 and ISO 22301, making it the only Middle East IT company to have attained all four.

According to CEO Premchand Kurup, the company is on track to hit $54 million in the next three years. Premchand

Kurup, ceo

Year of start-up: 1992Total staff: 160Locations of sales offices: UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, BahrainPrimary vertical focus: Information security

pARAMount CoMputeR SySteMS34 $30 M

Top vendors by relationship: RSA, McAfee, Websense, HP (Tipping Point), Imprivata

Top vendors by revenue: McAfee, Websense, RSA, Imprivata, Fortinet

Software and security: 70% Services and training: 30%

Revenue bReakup

by CategoRy


The security distributor is a new entrant in this year’s ranking. The company has made a significant mark in the regional distribution space, considering it is only about two years old in the UAE market. EMT’s offerings largely include a broad range of programmes that is driven by the channel, such as loyalty programmes and channel incentive programmes. It has invested into its partner loyalty programme over the past year, in which partners who meet their sales targets are given privileges across various retail and technology outlets in Dubai.

It has also invested into appointing the best talent available and has doubled its Middle East staff strength in order to optimise the prospects present in the market.

It has also added several new brands within its portfolio such as Avira, Whatsup gold, GWAVA, DenyAll and Kaspersky Fraud Prevention Solutions.

Mohammad Mobasseri, ceo

Year of start-up: 2013Total staff: 14Total engineers: 3 Total resellers: 415

eMt diStRiBution33 $33.5 M

Top vendors by revenue: Secunia, AlienVault, WhatsUp Gold, 2X(Parallels) UAE: 30%

Outside UAE: 70%

Revenue bReakup by RegionSoftware and security: Secunia,

AlienVault, WhatsUp Gold, Kaspersky, Parallels, Endpoint Protector by Cososys, Denyall, Avira, Gwava, Altaro

Services and training: emt Academy, Pearson VUE, EC Council, Logical Operations

VENDOR PROFILE


4

TEL: +971 6 5754443,FAX : +971 6 5754449Email : [email protected]

24



The Dubai-based reseller has sustained its revenues in 2014, which is a feat in itself, if taken into account the ongoing challenges in the regional channel market.

Having set shop in 1998, Lucky Star Computers has observed the market evolution at close quarters. According to Founder and CEO, KU Shankri, the competition from power retailers continue to be a major challenge, one which the reseller is overcoming by differentiating itself with its additional value offerings such as technical expertise and high-end solutions.

Some of the reseller’s top vendors include HP, Lenovo, Asus, Dell and Acer while its distributor partners are the likes of Logicom, FDC and Redington Gulf.

KU Shankari, MD

Year of start-up: 1998Total staff: 37Total technical staff: 6Location of sales and support offices: Dubai, UAE and Bangalore, IndiaName of vendor certifications: HP, Lenovo, Dell

luCky StAR CoMputeRS36 $22 M

Top vendors by relationship: HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell, Acer

Top vendors by revenue: HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell, Acer

UAE: 80%Revenue bReakup by Region



Fast Lane MEA has maintained its growth in 2014, while climbing up the rank by three positions. For the training company, the challenge over the past year was to expand its operations in a

cost-effective manner to smaller emerging markets, post successful business in Middle East and North Africa.

According to the company, the key issue with high end technical training is the availability of real life lab facilities for the customer to have the practical learning experience, which under normal circumstances is prohibitive expensive for smaller locations. To solve this problem, the company has invested many years of expertise and a significant amount of money into remote lab facilities.

In addition to streamlining of processes, Fast Lane has also added new vendors and over the coming months will work into growing its business with them.

Josef Miskulnig, Founder and ceo

Year of start-up: 1996Total staff: 30Total technical staff: 15Primary vertical focus: Enterprises, SMBs, government, service providers

fASt lAne35 $23 M

Top vendors by relationship: Cisco, NetApp, Palo Alto Networks, Aruba Networks, Citrix

Top vendors by revenue: Cisco, NetApp, Palo Alto Networks, Aruba Networks, Citrix



VENDOR PROFILEVENDOR PROFILE

Vendor certification programmes:

All certifications from Cisco, NetApp, Palo Alto Networks,

Aruba, Citrix, Fortinet

Outside UAE: 20%

Copyright © 2015 QNAP Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

QNAP Dubai office | www.qnap.com | [email protected]

SSDUltra Performance

SASHigh Performance

HDDHigh Capacity

2.5’ 3.5’

SAS12Gb/s Ready

10GbE

SSDcache

256GB

SASStockageextensible

TVS-ECx80U-SAS-RPQtierTM vNAS Series 40 GbE Ready, SAS-Enabled vNAS with Optimized Tiered Storage

Qtier™ Technology Drives Auto TieringQtier™ is an intelligent, multi-tier, data management solution that improves the performance and utilization of the entire storage infrastructure, while simultaneously lowering TCO, enhancing �exibility, and simplifying management.

True Application-Aware Snapshot ResilienceAutomatically create volume/LUN snapshots for true persistence, application-aware resilience, dramatically improved RPO/RTO, rapid versioning, backup, and cloning.

TVS-EC1580MU-SAS-RPTVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP TVS-EC1280U-SAS-RPTVS-EC2480U-SAS-RP

Uni�ed Backup, Sharing, and SecurityHardware-accelerated AES-256-bit Full NAS volume encryption ensure a secure storage environment for data backup, �le sharing, and virtualization applications accessible through iSCSI, CIFS, and NFS.

TVS-EC1580MU-SAS-RP

Breakthrough Performance with 40GbESupport for Mellanox 40GbE adapters provides ultra-low latency and true industrial-grade throughput for high-performance, embedded I/O applications, and virtualization acceleration.

9 x 3.5”SSD/HDD 6 x 2.5”SSD

Time : October 18-22 2015Location : Dubai World Trade Centre Hall: Zabeel Hall Booth No.Z-K50

Gitex Dubai 2015

Logicom Dubai | www.logicom.ae | Nilesh Savla

T: +971 4 8055399 | D: +971 4 8055266

M: +971 50 1138 953 | F: +971 4 8894950

C

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15100607_EN_CPI_TVS-x80U-SAS_01.pdf 1 2015/10/6 下午 05:11:05


DataCare, a regional channel player for more than a decade, set shop as a data storage media specialist and this continues to be the aim for the reseller. A new participant in this year’s ranking, the company is also an IT wholesaler, dealing with data media, printer supplies, consumer IT products and hardware.

Its core products includes Printronix printer ribbons, Wacom graphics tablet and Ncomputing Zero clients. The reseller’s vendor portfolio includes brands such as HP, IBM and Printronix. It also works with regional distributors in the region such as Despec, Redington and Metra. Headquartered in Dubai, the company has a customer base across Middle East and Africa.

Suresh Shetty, MD

Year of start-up: 2003Total staff: 18Total technical staff: 2

dAtACARe38 $16 M

Top vendors by relationship: HP, IBM, Printornix/Tally Genicom, Ncomputing, Wacom

Top vendors by revenue: HP, IBM, Printornix/Tally Genicom, Ncomputing, Wacom



Systems and hardware: 30% Software and security: 10% Peripherals and storage: 20% Accessories and consumables: 40%


Condo Protego set up its business 10 years ago with the aim to be a consultative-led, niche systems integrator focusing on the data stack.

Boasting a customer base of 256 enterprises in the UAE, the SI also has plans to take advantage of the opportunities in the SMB market.

In the last year, the company has attained a full comprehensive suite of DLP with PGP from large government entity and has also delivered and installed its first converged infrastructure block. It has also been pre-qualified as Platinum under Symtantec’s new partner programme and pre-qualified as Gold under EMC’s new partner programme. Both qualifications are the highest level of partnerships available with these vendors.

Andrew calthorpe, ceo

Year of start-up: 2005Total engineers: 20Name of vendor certifications: STS & ASC Certifications for Symantec and Veritas Technologies, IE/TA for EMC Technologies and Triton Gladiator for Websense Technologies Location of support offices: Three offices across UAE

Condo pRotego37 $21 M

Top vendors by relationship: EMC, Symantec, Veritas, Quantum, Websense

Top vendors by revenue: EMC, Veritas, Symantec, Quantum, Websense




Systems and hardware: 54% Software and security: 33% Peripherals and storage,

Networking, Accessories and consumables, Services and training: 13%

Systems and hardware: EMC, VCE, Quantum

Software and security: EMC, Veritas, RSA, Symantec, Websense

Peripherals and storage: EMC, Veritas, Quantum

Networking: Cisco

Accessories and consumables: EMC, Quantum, Dell

Services and training: Design, deployment, assessment, remediation, roll-out, residency, local support for all vendors

Systems and hardware: HP, Ncomputing

Software and security: Garner

Peripherals and storage: HP, IBM

Accessories and consumables: HP, Tally

Genicom

Zero computing: Ncomputing

VENDOR PROFILE

VENDOR PROFILE



Regional solutions provider, Business DNA is a subsidiary of NCC Group. Established in 2013, the SI is a fairly new player in the region and a new participant in this year’s ranking. The company has bagged several projects over the course of last year, which has included providing mobility solutions for companies in the oil and gas segment. Believing that cloud and mobility solutions will continue to be in high demand within the region, the solutions provider is investing more in these fields and enhancing its offerings.

Catering to segments such as ERP, finance, HR and supply chain, it will leverage prospects in the IoT space as well. It plans to also include management consultancy as part of its offering by next year.

tarek el Goweiny, ceo and co-founder

Year of start-up: 2013Total staff: 50Total engineers: 40Name of vendor certifications: AT&T and SonicWall

BuSineSS dnA39 $ 15 M

Top vendors by revenue: Motorola, Wincor Nixdorf, Dell, VMware, Revision

The value-added IT security distributor has recorded a 40 percent growth in revenues in the last fiscal year. Another new entry in this year’s ranking, the distributor has been a consistent player since setting up its business in 1999.

Over the course of 2014, the company has launched two entities of distribution - Bulwark Distribution, to focus on channel growth and development and Bulwark Technology aims to emphasise on high-end corporate security solutions through large SIs in the region.

The company has also added new vendors and plans to continue its focus of building a robust product portfolio. Jose thomas, MD

Year of start-up: 1999Total staff: 30Total resellers: 300Location of sales office: UAE

BulwARk teChnologieS39 $15 M*

Top vendors by relationship: Motorola, Dell, Wincor Nixdorf, Revision, Microsoft

Systems and hardware: HP, Dell and Samsung, Wincor Nixdorf

Software and security: Dell Sonicwall, Microsoft, Cisco

Peripherals and storage: HP , Dell and VMware

Networking: Motorola , AT&T, HP, Dell

Services and training: Managed Services and IT infrastructure training

Business DNA Branded Product: POS, mobile devices and CCTV

VENDOR PROFILE

Hardware: 40% Software: 45% AMC: 15%

Systems and hardware: 30% Software and security: 65% Services and training: 5%



Top vendors by relationship: Cyberoam, ESET, Accellion, Netsupport, Cyberark

Top vendors by revenue: Cyberoam, ESET, Accellion, Netsupport, Cyberark

Systems and hardware: Cyberoam,SendQuick (Talariax)

Software and security: ESET, Netsupport, Mailstore, Netwrix, Accellion, Kerio Technologies, CyberArk, SecurEnvoy

VENDOR PROFILE



A new participant in this year’s list, the company has transformed itself to a more solution focused business in 2014. It has recently signed a partnership deal with CS Infocomm, an India-based contact centre and Unified Communications systems integrator.

As a growing SI in the regional channel space, it has had a number of significant wins in the last year. For example, one of its notable wins were Contact Centre and Omni Channel – design and implementation of projects for a GCC Airport and helping the setup of a contact centre for the debt collection arm of a leading telco in the region. Also in the IT Infrastructure sphere, it has upgraded IT infrastructure for a leading Hotel group across multiple properties within their portfolio in the GCC region. DP Sangal, Founder

partner and MD

Year of start-up: 2002Total staff: 200Total engineers: 90%Locations of sales office: UAELocation of support offices: Across IndiaPrimary vertical focus: BFSI, construction, e-commerce, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, media, outsourcing, telecom, travel

SAfedAtA Middle eASt 39 $15 M*

Top vendors by relationship: : Aspect, Avaya, Genesys, Cisco, HP

Top vendors by revenue: Aspect, Avaya, Genesys, Cisco, HP


Revenue bReakup by Region Systems and hardware: 5%

Software and security: 10% Peripherals and storage: 5% Networking: 70% Services and training: 10%


The regional systems integrator has grown by 50 percent when compared to the previous year. What has contributed to its growth are key vendor partnerships and increase in its focus to

grow its portfolio. In the last year, the company has partnered with global brands such as Interactive Intelligence

to offer regional customers the vendor’s solutions for contact centre automation, enterprise IP telephony, and business process automation. It has also expanded its technology portfolio with brands such as PulseSecure, Riverbed, Palo Alto and NetApp.

According to the company, its greatest achievement lies in having the best technical force in this region.

Serjios Hage, MD

Year of start-up: 2003Total staff: 35-50Total technical staff: 80 percentLocation of sales offices: Abu Dhabi, Dubai

eMw Middle eASt39 $15 M

Top vendors by relationship: Brocade, Juniper, Cisco, ININ, Airwatch

Top vendors by revenue: Aruba, Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, ININ

Systems and hardware: HP, Cisco & Dell, Unify, Mitel

Software and security: Airwatch, Citrix, Crittercizm, Interactive Intelligence, Metelco, Palo Alto, Riverbed, Tiger TMS, VMware and Z-Scalar

Peripherals and storage: NetApp, Nutanix

Networking: Aruba, Brocade, Cisco, Juniper, Riverbed

Services and training: All

VENDOR PROFILE

VENDOR PROFILE VENDOR PROFILE


Systems and hardware: HP, Cisco

Contact Centre, Aspect, Genesys, Avaya

Software and security: Cisco Contact Centre, Aspect, Genesys, Avaya

Peripherals and storage: HP

Networking: HP

Name of vendor certifications: Cisco ATP - Unified Contact Centre Enterprise Partner, Indian Sub-Continent; Cisco Premier Certified Partner; Avaya Joint Service Delivery Partner; Genesys Bronze Partner; Avaya Gold Partner; Aspect Partner Level 3

VENDOR PROFILE


Revenue bReakup by

Region


The security and storage distributor has had a significant growth in its revenues over the last year. It aims at bringing niche technologies and solutions in the realm of information security, data centre infrastructure and data communication networks. Headquartered in Dubai, the distributor serves the Middle East and Africa channel.

The company currently has a focused network of 55 plus active reseller partners and around 150 regional resellers across security, mobility and storage solution offering.

In the next couple of months, having had major wins with large enterprises in the region, we will see the distributor ramping up its offering to become a stronger player in the market.

Anand choudha, MD

Year of start-up: 2011Total staff: 20+Total engineers: 7+

SpeCtRAMi 41 $10 M

Top vendors by revenue: Fidelis Cyber Security, Tenable, LogRhythm, Good Technology, Actifio

Top vendors by relationship: Fidelis Cyber Security, Tenable, LogRhythm, Good Technology, Actifio

Software and security: Tenable, LogRhythm, Fidelis Xceedium, Good Technology

Peripherals and storage: Actifio, Violin Memory

Services and training: Tenable, Logrhythm, Fidelis XPS, Good Technology, Actifio, Violin Memory

VENDOR PROFILE

Software and security: 80% Peripherals and storage: 15% Services and training: 5%


The systems integrator has grown marginally in the last year and maintained its position in the ranking.

The ten-year-old SI is a specialist provider of data networking, wireless, Unified Communication, ELV and security and surveillance solutions across verticals such as hospitality, education, construction, health care, government, retail and corporate.

Over the past year, it has expanded its partnerships and certifications to Platinum and Gold level with global brands such as HP, Aruba, Avaya and Mitel. The company has also won significant deals in the hospitality, education and government sectors.

The solutions provider also established a legal office in Abu Dhabi and has expanded the team locally to capitalise on the market opportunities.

Farook Majeed, ceo

Year of start-up: 2004Total staff: 70Total engineers: 45Primary vertical focus: Hospitality, construction, education, health care, government, corporate

pReCedenCe teChnologieS 40 $11 M

Top vendors by relationship: HP, Avaya, Mitel, Aruba

Top vendors by revenue: HP, Aruba, Avaya, Mitel

Software and security: Fortinet, Juniper

Peripherals and storage: Locatel, Rivernet

Networking: HP, Avaya, Aruba, Mitel

Others: Samsung, Pelco, ABB, 3m, Televes,

VENDOR PROFILE

UAE: 100%

Revenue bReakup by

Region



Established in 2010, Finesse has been named as one of the Red Herring Global Top 100 System Integration companies. The software systems integrator has grown significantly over the years and operates in 10 locations globally catering to over 150 enterprise clients around the world.

In the past year, the company has won several accolades and has also been recently awarded as the ‘Dubai Smart Government - Strategic Partner’. It has also launched on-demand support centre based out of India and has increased its workforce to over 250.

It boasts names like Oracle, Tagetik, EMC and SAP in its vendor portfolio. Co-founder and COO Suni Paul, says, “The region’s distribution industry is aligned and tuned

for hardware and infrastructure business. However the region is yet to understand the specifics, which are associated with software and systems integration. At Finesse, we have systematic ongoing orientation programmes with our partners to overcome these challenges.”

Sunil Paul, co-founder and coo

Year of start-up: 2010Total staff: 250Total engineers: 220Primary vertical focus: BFSI, education, energy, healthcare, hospitality

fineSSe43 $7.1 M

Top vendors by relationship: : Qlik, SAP, Oracle, Software AG, Tagetik

Top vendors by revenue: Qlik, Tagetik, EMC, Kofax, Oracle

Tech Forte is another fairly young player in the regional systems integration space and has recorded a growth rate of around 20 percent compared to the previous year.

In the past year, the company has been focusing on reorganising and reinforcing its team while also emphasising on substantial growth in key industry verticals such as the public sector and education.

Nadeem Khan, GM of the company, says, “We also built new vendor relationships to complement our product and service offering. Going ahead, we’ll stay focused on IT infrastructure, as we see a number of new technologies in this area, which will generate high ROI for our customer, by improving Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).”

Nadeem Khan, GM

Year of start-up: 2012Location of sales office: Dubai, UAETotal staff: 35Total engineers: 15Primary vertical focus: Computer software trading, computer and data processing requisites, computer equipment requisites and trading

teCh foRte42 $7.3 M

Top vendors by relationship: HP, Pure Storage, Fujitsu, Huawei, ESET

Top vendors by revenue: HP, Pure Storage, Fujitsu, Huawei, ESET

Systems and hardware: Fujitsu, HP, Dell, Oracle

Software and security: ESET, Dell SonicWall

Peripherals and storage: Pure Storage, HP, Fujitsu, Huawei

Networking: HP, Cisco, Huawei

Accessories and consumables: Datwyler

VENDOR PROFILE

VENDOR PROFILE

Systems and hardware: Dell, IBM

Software and security: Qlik, Tagetik, EMC

Services and training: In-house

VENDOR PROFILE





Bahrain_Reseller ME_270x207mm_LaserJet_Rs.pdf 1 9/15/15 4:33 PM


Open Source Computer Solutions (Oscomp) offers comprehensive services to SMEs in UAE and few parts of the GCC region. Its major services include managed IT services, cloud computing, IT project services, and IT products sales.

In 2014, the company has seen a decline in its revenues largely owing to rough market environment. However, it has increased its focus on managed services and has launched cloud hosting services in the last year. The company has also partnered with international distributors on CCTV and security solutions and networking accessories.

Going forward, it expects cloud hosting solutions to drive the growth from within the organisation.

Kunal Sajnani, MD

Year of start-up: 2003Total staff: 19Total technical staff: 6Location of sales offices: UAE

oSCoMp 45 $ 0.65 M

A managed IT service provider, ixtel technologies offers ICT services to customers across the UAE, KSA, Oman and Qatar markets.

A new entrant in this year’s ranking, the company has pioneered the launch of the region’s first cloud-based managed and technical support service platform called ‘OneCloud’, which is the SaaS-based. The company is a partner to various global brands such as Cisco Meraki, AirWatch, HP and FireMon to name a new. In 2014, the company has seen a growth of 134 percent and was selected for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Award. Having recently joined the company as its CEO, Mehdi Quraishi says, “We have also enhanced our services portfolio by introducing new products focusing on service delivery and support.”

Mehdi Quraishi, ceo

Year of start-up: 2012Total staff: 57Total engineers: 22Total technical staff: 22Primary vertical focus: Government, financial services, retail, healthcare, conglomerates, hospitality, airlines, transportation, real estate and construction

ixtel 44 $ 5.3 M

Top distributors by relationship: Redington Gulf, Logicom, Aptec,

VisionTech, Think-Cell GmbH

Systems and hardware: Redington, Logicom, Aptec, VisionTech

Software and security: Think-Cell, Redington, Aptec, Logicom, Comguard, Bulwark

Peripherals and storage: Quality Computers, Aptec, Redington, Logicom,

Accessories and consumables: Buraida Computer, Satrah, Printek, Daisytek

DISTRIBUTORS PROFILE



Top vendors by revenue: QUMU, Cisco Meraki, Firemon, Airtight Networks, Nexthink

Systems and hardware: HP, Cisco, QUMU

Software and security: Firemon, Hardcat, Sailpoint, Airwatch, Swivel, Watchful, LANdesk, Nexthink, QUMU

Peripherals and storage: EMC, DDN

Networking: Cisco Meraki, Cisco, Airtight Networks

Services and training: NOC/SOC

VENDOR PROFILE




UAE: 90%


Revenue bReakup by RegionOutside UAE: 10%

industry ranking cHannel elite

Bahrain_Reseller ME_270x207mm_LaserJet_Rs.pdf 1 9/15/15 4:33 PM

Although a host of new players have entered the market over the last two years, wearable technology is still at a nascent stage. Reseller

ME speaks to industry experts to discover how much of it is channel play and how partners can

monetise the opportunities present.

Wear me

wearable tecHnologyfeature


DY Kim, President, LG Electronics Gulf, says, “In the Middle East specifically, smartwatch and fitness trackers are expected to be the most compelling proposition for consumers.”

Other industry reports suggest that from $20 billion in 2015, the wearable electronics business will expand to almost $70 billion in 2025.

Also, a Gartner report estimates that 1.1 billion connected things will be used by Smart Cities in 2015, rising to 9.7 billion by 2020.

Ahmed Seleem, Regional Manager, Nexthink, says, in terms of adoption, there is an increase in eServices and Smart City projects planned in the Middle East, which are supported by the government.

“Connectivity is at the heart of Smart City projects and wearable devices can play an important role. Wearable devices facilitate the adoption of eServices in various domains, including energy, finance and public administration increase efficiencies, enhance the quality

According to a report from research firm IDC, vendors shipped 19.6 million units

worldwide in 2014, over 800,000 of which went to Central and Eastern Europe, the

Middle East and Africa (CEMA).

Not longer just a mere possibility in the realm of our imagination, wearable technology is here and is

increasingly getting hard to ignore. The wearable technology market has seen an upswing in its growth especially over the last two years. Today there is a wide array of wearable devices available for the customer, right from smart watches, smart glasses and fitness gears to smart textiles, jewellery, belts, armwear and legwear.

According to a report from research firm IDC, vendors shipped 19.6 million units worldwide in 2014, over 800,000 of which went to Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMA). And as the technology matures and becomes more accessible, the firm expects this figure to rise to nearly 1.5 million by the end of 2016.

Another study from Statista reveals that smartwatch sales in the Middle East and Africa are forecast to amount to 1.1 million units in 2015.


of life and help meet sustainability objectives.

“Smart city projects are the forefront of innovation-driven development. High-profile projects focus on cities such as Dubai and Doha, which are aiming to become ‘smarter.’ However, the region also has a number of initiatives such as King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia, Lusail in Qatar and Masdar City in the UAE, using intelligent solutions for efficiency and sustainability,” he adds.

If going by the figures alone, we can certainly anticipate the segment to escalate even further. However, while wearable technology has definitely sparked the imagination of customers, it hasn’t been able to sway them with conviction.

Kim adds, “Consumers in the region are aware of what devices are available, they know who is providing it, and they want it. But the issue with wearables is that consumers are not yet fully convinced or

educated that they are a must have to make their lives better. So a lot of educational initiatives are required from a vendor’s perspective to showcase the tangible benefits to users.”

Also with most wearable devices today acting largely as the extension of a smartphone, a customer is hard pressed to find a reason why he should have both simultaneously on him.

The IDC report indicates that the wearables market is waiting for a game-changing product that can sculpt the future of the whole industry. In this regard, there was

The rise of BYOD also will cause companies to face network and security challenges, partners should offer and recommend

solutions to address these issues. The channel should look into incorporating solutions and services into their offering of wearable technology.”

Amanulla Khan, Managing Director MEA, Linksys

Channel partners can deliver on the promise of wearable technology by providing value-added solutions and personalised service. In

a highly competitive environment, channel partners need to differentiate their offerings and deliver a solid ROI to customers.”

Ahmed Seleem, Regional Manager, Nexthink

much debate about if Apple’s iWatch was that revolutionary product. As per industry findings and consumer research, the device is not there yet.

Amanulla Khan, Managing Director MEA, Linksys, says, “Wearable technology suffers from a perception problem with consumers not understanding how it benefits them, which has affected its adoption rate among consumers.”

Although the adoption levels are slow, Seleem, adds, “But it is definitely increasing. According to Deloitte, by 2020 the number of consumers wearing smart technology

will exceed 100 million.“A benefit is that

wearable technology can gather and transmit data in real-time, all the time. Wearable technology is being adopted for personal use, but also we can imagine the benefits this can bring to different industries such as healthcare. To derive real benefit from wearable technologies, IT analytics solutions are needed to enable healthcare providers to detect patterns in a critical mass of data, make new discoveries and improve patient care.”

In terms of verticals, not only healthcare but even in the enterprise world, the technology could create waves and presents infinite channel prospects.

Khan says, “In the future, we are likely to see wearable technology becoming as commonplace as the laptop. With the rise of BYOD policies, a flood of new devices would have a serious impact on company networks.”

The undisputed growth of the market should



be enough reason for regional channel partners to begin thinking of how to leverage these opportunities.

One of the first steps for partners will be to understand how and where customers are going to use wearable devices and what kind of services can be offered around it.

proactive in the way they deliver services to end-users.

“IT analytics solutions can help organisations understand, for example, how systems are operating, facilitate capacity planning and easily identify where issues are. Organisations can leverage real-time and accurate data thanks to IT analytics solutions in order to make informed tactical and strategic decisions. Channel partners can deliver on the promise of wearable technology by providing value-added solutions and personalised service. In a highly competitive environment, channel partners need to differentiate their offerings and deliver a solid ROI to customers.”

According to Khan from Linksys, educating customers on the benefits and usage of wearable devices will help increase the adoption rate of these technologies. “This is an initiative that resellers should undertake to help maintain a competitive edge over the other channel players. The rise of BYOD also will cause companies to face network and security challenges, partners should offer and recommend solutions to address these issues. The channel should look into incorporating solutions and services into their offering of wearable technology.”

The challenge for partners will be to show

Seleem explains, “The opportunities for the channel lie in the delivery of IT analytics solutions. IT analytics solutions are vital to wearable computing because they enable organisations to understand how all devices in their environment are performing, and therefore organisations can be more

the value to enterprise customers and convince them why they will need to have solutions around security and data analytics and management with wearable devices in the work environment.

“It’s not enough for channel partners to collect massive amounts of data. To capitalise on wearable devices and the Big Data they produce, organisations need IT analytics solutions that help them gather connected intelligence by collecting, managing and analysing huge volumes of real-time data in a cost-effectiveandscalableway,”adds Seleem.

The growth opportunities for partners in this segment are clear. It is each partner’s responsibility to stay updated on the latest developments in the market and ensure he is evolved to meet and identify customers’ requirements. Vendors also have a critical part to play in enhancing the channel capabilities.

skully helMetIt is a smart motorcycle helmet with features of a top-end in-car electronics system. It is available in the market today.

pingThis social networking garment connects the user to Facebook and allows to send updates with gestures. It is at the moment in the concept stage.

owlet sMaRt sockThe device is a baby shoe that is designed to meet a newborn’s heart rate and oxygen levels. It also measures temperatureandnotifiesparentsiftheirbabyrollsinaface-down position. It has an app on the iOS platform. It is available in the market.

UnIqUE wEARABlE DEvICEs


From $20 billion in 2015, the wearable electronics business will expand to almost

$70 billion in 2025.

source: IDTechEX

Source: Online reports


As WE get street smart…YOUR streets get smarter

VISIT US @ GITEX 2015, STAND# D1-21, HALL 1DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTER, DUBAI

[EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES]INTRODUCING

YotaPhone 2The improved dual-display smartphone offers better performance compared to its predecessor.

Brought to you By:

yotA REviEw

When the original YotaPhone was released more than a year ago, it had created a market segment

of its own. The recently launched YotaPhone 2 has been upgraded significantlyandoffersalotofpromise for the dual display concept that Yota is concentrating on.

The device comes with all the regular features of what one has come to expect in a smartphone today. A better form factor is the biggest change and a welcomed one too, compared to the previous year’s model. The primary display, designed at 5-inches is of great quality, having used AMOLED technology and with a pixel density of 442 per inch. The readability on the screen is quite decent, even whenoutdoors,offeringabalancedcolour tone unlike traditional over saturation of other similar displays. The battery has been bumped up to2500mAhandoffersadequateusage, getting you to the end of your workday with ease.

The YotaPhone’s touch sensitive e-ink back display, the primary reason why a customer would be interested to buy the device, has been enhanced. Compared to last year’s model, the e-ink display has a quicker refresh rate

and this means text or images viewed before do not linger in the background. The contrast ratio has been tweaked as well and the number of apps taking advantage of this display have also increased.

The device on the whole has still a long way to go if it wants to challenge the likes of Samsung and LG. While it is powered by SnapDragon 801 clocked at 2.1 Ghz, the performance can be a letdown at times. Another big change on the device is its camera. Yota has positioned it better compared to its predecessor and though it sports an 8MP compared to the previous 13MP, the picture quality is still quite. Skype users will appreciate the new enhanced front facing camera as it has been updated to 2.1 MP. Optimal video

recording quality remains the same at 1080p at 30fps.

Although the design of the device is sleek and contemporary, it feels too smooth in the hand and tends to slip out easily. But this is a minor problem that can be solved with one of the company’s phone protect cases.

Considering that the main reason you would buy this device is to read your books or magazines on the e-ink display while saving on the battery, it is not a bad option at all. However, power users will findthedevice’sperformancenotas smooth as they are used to with other Android smartphones. That being said, it is still a niche category phone and the next releases from the Russian company should have some interesting updates.

rME rATING


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GITEX TECH 2015 AD ENG BROADCAST 207x270.indd 1 9/17/15 12:19 PM

WD has announced the expansion of its WD Red Pro hard drive line with the release of 5TB and 6TB capacities.

According to the storage solutions company, the WD Red Pro family is ideal for NAS (network-attached storage) systems, having up to 16 drive bays and serving businesses with more expansive storage needs than the standard WD Red drives. The Red Pro 5 and 6TB drives leverage an enhanced design and a 128MB cache to deliver data transfer rates of 214 megabytes per second (MB/s).

The device contains new features including vibration protection and it has a 16 bay shock protection which is equipped with a multi-axis shock sensor, the drive can automatically detects subtle shock events and, along with dynamic fly height technology. It also has the NASware 3.0 a firmware that can

enable seamless integration, robust data protection and optimal performance for systems operating in the demanding NAS environment.

WD also highlights that the WD Red Pro offers longer warranty coverage with a five-year limited warranty.

InnJoo unveIls neW FIre Plus smartPhone

InnJoo announced the launch of a new 5.5-inch Smartphone, Fire Plus. According to the Smart-device company, the new slim edge Smartphone is equipped with full HD IPS screen that aims to offer clear visual effect even under strong outdoor lighting conditions.

The company has also entered an exclusive arrangement with Souq.com, hence, the Fire Plus will be available at the online store for AED 399.

The Fire Plus comes in 3G and 4G LTE versions, which both have a 2GB built-in RAM that comes with 16GB of built-in storage and supports expandable storage via microSD card of up to 128GB.

The device is available in three colours, the shining gold, holy white and a special customised natural bamboo. The handset is backed by a long-lasting, fast charging 3600mAh battery, which according to InnJoo, can deliver up to 22 hours of talk time and up to 330 hours of standby time. It also has an advanced HD 13MP rear camera with a dual-LED flash, and a 5MP front camera.

The 3G version of Fire Plus is powered by 64-bit Octa-core processor. Whereas, the Fire Plus LTE comes with enhanced 64-bit quad-core CPU. The LTE version also runs with the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop.

Kodak Alaris has unveiled its refreshed i4000 Scanner family, which has undergone a number performance enhancements and introduces a new model to the range.

According to the company, the enhanced Kodak i4250 and i4650 Scanners and the new i4850 Scanner are built on the i4000 platform and are now equipped with features that help scanning professionals process documents more efficiently

than ever before. All models scan in duplex, colour and black and white, resolutions up to 600 dpi, and paper sizes up to A3.

The new scanners are ideal for busy office environments, service bureaus, business process outsourcers (BPOs), corporate and government mailrooms who demand superior image quality, speed and reliability.

WD reD Pro DrIves noW avaIlable In 6 tb

KoDaK alarIs reFreshes I4000 scanner serIes

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110OCTOBER 2015 Reseller Middle East www.resellerme.com

HTC has announced the HTC Desire 626 Dual SIM, its latest LTE-enabled smartphone and the improved successor to the HTC Desire 620G Dual SIM.

The new device, according to the company, brings a bold flash of colour to the HTC Desire range and showcases a playful and curved design which users will enjoy.

The HTC Desire 626 Dual SIM runs on Android 4.4 and features HTC Sense, and is also powered by an OctoCore 1.7GHz processor. The device is LTE-capable which allow users to access both 3G and LTE networks. It also sports a five-inch HD LCD screen for users when viewing photos and videos. With its HTC BlinkFeed feature, users can also easily browse social media pages.

The device has range of storage capabilities, with a 16GB internal memory which can be extended up to 32GB through a MicroSD. The Smart device comes in White Birch and Blue Lagoon colours, and is available from mobile operators and retailers in the UAE.

asus launches ZenPaD tablet serIes

ZenPad’s battery life, giving users up to 152 hours of usage. The ZenPad series is finished with a Corning Gorilla glass3 technology for solid protection and include ASUS Technology Tru2Life and TruVivid. The company has created a ZenPad to suit a broad range of consumers with five different models available in the UAE and KSA.

ASUS ZenPad devices are priced beginning at AED 1,299.

ASUS has launched the ZenPad interchangeable tablet series in the Middle East.

The ZenPad series, is available in both the UAE and KSA markets. According to the computer hardware company, the ZenPad S 8.0 which is included in the series, contains a 4GB RAM allowing for a more enjoyable gaming experience, fast web surfing, smooth video playback and multi-tasking. It also packs an eight-inch screen with 74 percent screen to body ratio and a 64-bit Atom Z3580 SoC from Intel.

ASUS highlights that the tablet series combines refined styling, entertainment capabilities, and customisable functionality with its interchangeable covers, which enhances the tablet experience. Each tablet has been designed with a power case that extends

htc Flaunts neW DesIre 626 Dual sIm

aoc unveIls 25” QhD DIsPlay WIth IPs Panel

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AOC has announced a new addition to its professional line of mmonitors, a 25” (63.5 cm) model that sports a QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels.

The Q2577PWQ, according to the company, comes with a high-quality IPS panel for ultra-wide viewing angles both vertically and horizontally. AOC’s new model Q2577PWQ also comes with a feature that ensures a zero-flickering viewing experience. In order to ensure full comfort, the Q2577PWQ also has a wide range of features that help reduce fatigue and improve the working posture such as height adjustability of 130 mm, pivot, swivel and tilt. Furthermore, the monitor can be fixed on VESA (100x100) compliant wall mounts and racks.

In order to give users a variety of options for connecting different input sources, the AOC Q2577PWQ comes with DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and VGA, to name but a few examples. The new device is also equipped with energy saving features like the Eco Mode and e-Saver.

111www.resellerme.com Reseller Middle East OCTOBER 2015

Datwyler Cabling Solutions has added two components to its “Datwyler Data Centre Solution” fibre optic system – the breakout plug-in modules and converter plug-in modules.

The breakout plug-in modules are available for OM3, OM4 and OS2 with LCQ, LCD, MTP and E2000 adapters. According to the company, it contains radius limiters, orderly cable

management and integrated retaining clips which permit safe and simple handling of pre-assembled fibre optic cables without imposing any strain on the adapters in the front panel.

The converter plug-in modules, also available for OM3, OM4 and OS2, have two rear 12-fibre MTP couplers and take these 24 fibres to three eight-fibre MTP ports at the front of the module via an integrated

fan-out. This allows full use to be made of a previously installed 24-fibre cable or even two 12-fibre cables of equal length for three 40G links, three NG 100G links or three 64G FC links.

Datwyler underlines that the high manufacturing quality ensures that the new plug-in modules provide optimum optical performance values (IL/RL).

Zotac IntroDuces neW maGnus en970 serIes

Zotac recently introduced the MAGNUS EN970 series which aims to offer plenty of firepower for graphics and gaming enthusiasts.

The device is powered by a fifth-gen Intel Core i5 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 with 3GB GDDR5 VRAM. According to the company, it also has a quad-display support via NVIDIA Surround, and can react faster with dual gigabit LAN or 802.11ac WiFi.

It features a RAID-ready storage setup that provides either blazing access speeds or the power of real-time mirroring protection. It is also Windows 10 ready and can take full advantage of Direct X 12.

MAGNUS EN970 is portable and is ready to game beyond the desk. It sports a matte-black finishing on a minimal design thinly veil the powerful hardware.

The device also comes with a PLUS version, pre-installed with 8GB memory and 120GB M.2 SSD. The Mini PC is easily upgradable with an easily accessible SO-DIMM ram slots and 2.5” HDD/SSD slots for further customisation. Coupled with four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 slots, users can have plenty expansion possibilities even after connecting your peripherals.

Honeywell has unveiled the Dolphin CT50 mobile computer. The CT50 offers streamlined operations and maximised work efficiencies in transport and logistics, field service, direct store delivery, and warehouse environments.

The device offers the flexibility to select either Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld or Android 4.4 KitKat operating systems, which also has an upgrade path to the Windows 10 and Android 6.0 Marshmallow platforms.

The Dolphin CT50 is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series processor offering competitive speeds to enhance worker productivity. It also includes Wi-Fi and 4G/LTE connectivity

to ensure access to business-critical applications and multimedia such as streaming video and videoconferences whether in the office or connecting remotely from the road.

DatWyler IntroDuces neW Fo Dcs PluG-In moDules

honeyWell’s DolPhIn ct50 mobIle comPuter

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MMD, a technology company and brand license partner for Philips Monitors, announces its first curved display for the desktop.

The 34-inch Brilliance Curved UltraWide display aims to give users an immersive and more focused viewing experience. According to the company, the 34-inch display is designed with an UltraWide screen and Quad HD resolution, sRGB colour and productivity-boosting MultiView and a 3440 x 1440 resolution.

It is also equipped with a DTS audio system to provide users with surround sound. The display, according to MMD, can differentiate between over one billion colours, which ensures every gradation is super-smooth. It also provides 99 percent sRGB colour support.

The display also has an UltraWide 21:9 format, which allows users to have plenty space for multitasking. It is equipped with a

DisplayPort and HDMI 2.0 for maximum visuals, MHL technology to support mobile content on the big screen, and USB 3.0 for fast data transfers and smart phone charging.

With features such as SmartContrast, the display also allows for automatic colour adjustments and backlight intensity control. It also has a special economy mode for lower power consumption.

oPenGear Presents neW resIlIence GateWay

OpenVPN and IPsec. It also has an environmental and physical sensor alarm notification via SMS, SNMP or email.

Resilience Gateway is also equipped with Failover to Cellular over high-speed 4G LTE networks, which promises to improve WAN resilience and business continuity at remote sites, stores, and throughout the enterprise.

Opengear has introduced the new Resilience Gateway, which can help ensure uptime at branch offices and remote sites. The unit includes Opengear’s smart out-of-band management system or Smart OOB that allows complete control during infrastructure fault conditions and network outages with serial, Ethernet and USB console access to all the edge routers, servers, switches, firewalls, PDUs and UPSes. It can also optimise infrastructure management as it can monitor everything including the physical environment to ensure quick detection of faults and ensure faster network recovery.

Users can log audit trails to embedded 4GB local storage for troubleshooting and compliance. The device also promises strong security as it is aptly armed with PCI-DSS, FIPS140-2, SSL and SSH, firewall,

mmD launches PhIlIPs’ brIllIance curveD ultraWIDe DIsPlay

toshIba announces neW hybrID laPtoP, satellIte s50W

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Toshiba Gulf introduces the new Satellite S50W, one of the company’s latest hybrid laptops with touch display.

The device sports a 15.6-inch full HD Display, includes the latest Intel processors and operates on Windows 8.1, and is also Windows 10 ready.

The Satellite S50W, is described by the company as a lightweight device that allows users have a fast paced and always on-the-go lifestyle. It has an aluminum chassis with the satin gold finish and is combined with a backlit frameless tile keyboard.

It is equipped with a UHS I media bridge slot, and has three USB ports—two of which contain the latest USB 3.0 technology for quick backup and file transfer. It is also supported by Intel HD Graphics 5500 and is equipped with Harmon Kardon Speakers.

Toshiba’s Satellite S50W also allows users to charge other devices while it’s on sleep, through the latest USB Sleep-and-Charge ports.

113www.resellerme.com Reseller Middle East OCTOBER 2015

Reseller Middle East’s deputy editor offers her thoughts on the Middle Eastern technology channel.

Channel surfing

While the results of the Annual Industry Survey 2015 looks pretty grim compared to the previous year, maybe it is also worth noting that channel players are not short of options as to how they could turn their business around.

Some of the reasons for the decline in business as I had discussed last month are aspects that are not in control of the channel players. For example, political situations in neighbouring countries and currency fluctuations. But certainly, we can focus on things that are in our control. While advantages of dealing in emerging technologies are increasingly becoming known in the market, partners should boost their offerings to carve a successful business around these prospects. The first step to execute this is detailed market assessment and in-depth market understanding. The

problem, as per most distributors, is that the Total Addressable Market (TAM) figures shared by vendors or reported by research firms are often inflated, leading to unforeseen challenges. Without a definite idea of how much addressable market is available, there will be an oversupply, which creates a backlog of products in markets that are already reaching the saturation point. These kind of challenges are completely avoidable if appropriate measures are put in place from both, vendors and partners perspectives. Also, what will help is regular communication between vendors and their partners, so that both parties have a clear vision of current situations. Besides this, channel players need to be focused in their market approach. While most players are adopting a cautious approach, I can’t help but wonder if this is also the right time to unleash

the risk-taking attitude that the regional channel could do a little bit of. It’s true the markets are down and the path ahead seems to be rocky to say the least. However, I urge partners to do their market assessment and think out of the box to be profitable. The planned risk you take in today’s dire circumstances will reap infinite benefits for the future.

On a personal front, it was exactly two years ago, when I was ‘baptised by fire’ into the regional channel world and I have to admit, it has been an exciting ride. GITEX Technology Week 2015 is around the corner and I have started to look forward to all the madness that awaits us, this being my third year at the show. I’m hoping to catch up with most of you at the event and learn about the new developments at your organisations. In the meantime, wish you all a fruitful GITEX 2015.

Janees Reghelini, Deputy Editor, Reseller ME

column

unleashing the risk-taker
