2 - 277-CNME-Feb-15

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GROUP Chairman and founder
EDITORIAL Dominic De Sousa
GROUP CEO
Nadeem Hood
A new value
GROUP COO
Georgina OHara
equation Publishing Director

Rajashree Rammohan
raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com
+971 4 440 9131
Editorial
Talk to us: If you havent put together an awards programme of such
E-mail: Group Editor
jeevan.thankappan@ magnitude and scale as our CIO 100 Awards, let me tell you Jeevan Thankappan
jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com
cpimediagroup.com what really goes on behind the scenes. First off, bringing a +971 4 440 9133
globally well-known award programme that has been running Editor

Annie Bricker
for the last three decades to the Middle East was a daunting annie.bricker@cpimediagroup.com
+971 4 440 9116
task. Ever since we started soliciting nominations last Online Editor
James Dartnell
November through ads in CNME and electronic mailings to james.dartnell@cpimediagroup.com
+971 4 440 9140
our subscribers, we received a phenomenal response. Entrants
filled out an extensive application form, and the pool included ADVERTISING
almost all countries in the Middle East. Senior Sales Manager

Michal Zylinski
The shortlisted entries were evaluated by CNMEs michal.zylinski@cpimediagroup.com
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editorial team according to a pre-defined set of criteria,
mainly innovation and business value. We spent countless Circulation
hours poring through all nominations, examining how Circulation Manager

Rajeesh M
each entry stacked up. We then placed emphasis rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com
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on submissions that told the best stories about
We placed emphasis generating business value through technology.
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on submissions that Finally, we cherry-picked the most exciting

Production Manager
James P Tharian
told the best stories and innovative initiatives from the pack and
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about generating
rewarded them with the CIO 100 honour. Designer
business value Analou Balbero
through technology. Our first crop of 100 CIOs bear testimony to analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com
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the new ways IT is being used to meet business
objectives in the region. Be it pioneering a new DIGITAL SERVICES
technology, or applying an existing one to a new Digital Services Manager

Tristan Troy P Maagma
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Our events
EDITORIAL
Rewarding
excellence
Talk to us: February has been a busy month here at CNME. For the first
E-mail:
annie.bricker@ time in the region, we hosted the IDG-endorsed CIO 100
cpimediagroup.com Awards. Sorting through the nominations of hundreds of
applicants was exhausting, but also rewarding. The variety of
projects taken on throughout the region is astounding, and
while not everyone could be awarded a trophy, every single
project contained an element that made it both innovative
and unique.
In addition to the Awards, our team has been tirelessly
working to open a new division the CNME Research Hub.
The Hub will leverage our access to the sharpest minds in
the IT industry to shed light on market and industry trends Big
Data
in the region. Our first report, IT Security Spending Trends Symposium
in the Middle East, polled 250 C-level IT executives to
reveal security concerns and drivers of IT security spending.
CNME Research Hub has been an extremely
interesting new project, and we are proud to
We want to honour announce that the report is now available.
IT professionals With the CIO 100 Awards under our belt, we
who demonstrate are already looking forward to CNMEs Network
innovative World ME Awards. Entering its sixth year,
leadership on Network World ME Awards is a major event that
recognises and celebrates networking excellence.
all sides of the
The awards are unique in that they are open to
industry. Our online platforms
both users and vendors alike. With these awards,
we want to honour IT and business professionals
who have demonstrated innovative leadership
on all sides of the industry. The deadline for submission is
February 26th, so don't miss out; make sure your work gets
the recognition it deserves.
Our social media
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Our Strategic Partners
Contents
ISSUE 277 | february 2015
Strategic ICT Partner Strategic Technology
Partner
Strategic
Innovation Partner
16 CNME Research
hub-it security
CIO 100
winners 33
16 CNME Research Hub 60 Cyber subversives
26
port CNME debuts its first research report. Debating political issues, promoting free
authority This quarter, we investigate the IT speech and supporting human rights,
security spending habits of the region's the illegal cyber activities of hacktivists
IT decision makers - have a sneak peak. divide opinion.
18 Being anti-social 78 Back log

Guest blogger Dave Reeder, Editor of Glen Ogden, Regional Sales Director,
Pro Chef Middle East magazine tells A10 Networks walks us through what he
us what running a hospitality business thinks will be the top security risks in the
means in the age of online reviews. coming year.
26 Port authority
Perhaps he never intended on becoming
a CIO, but Yousif Almutawa, CIO, DP NEW SECTIONS
World has always taken chances. From
boom to crash, this CIO is simply not 13 CIO Soundbites
afraid to take a chance. Security threats - CIOs from
around the region sound off
33 High achievers
The CIO 100 Awards celebrated IT 71 Vintage tech
leaders who have made the best use of IBM System/360 mainframe - CNME
technology. Check out the Middle East's takes a walk down memory lane
best of the best.
62 CXO Corner
60
Cyber subversives 52 Dream of seamless clouds Mohammed Faisal, CFO, Al
Employees demand mobile solutions, Mostajed - How do your decisons as
CIO is concerned with security. In a the CIO effect your other departments?
new workplace, is a seamless solution Khoury lets us know.
possible?
www.cnmeonline.com february 2015 7

CYBERSECURITY
2015
Trends and Tactics for
Familiar Targets
Hackers will continue to follow the money
Hackers will continue to find
success on mobile platforms
34%surge in online
8 million
banking malware
infections between
Q1 2014 & Q3 2014
Exploits will threaten the

Cybercriminals will Android ecosystem in 2015
continue to pursue
high-profile targets
Spear phishing,
social engineering SOURCE:
and watering hole
attacks will remain www.scalar.ca
prefered strategies
Analytical answers
Data will drive more information security decisions
40%
2/3
of CIOs are already of enterprises will have
employing Big Data a dedicated security
analytics to improve data warehouse by the
their security stance end of the decade
emerging
vulnerabilities More hackers will turn their attention
to open source applications
5%
Consumer interest in mobile
payments will attract significant
cybercriminal interest
of the top 1 million

websites were
deemed vulnerable
to the Heartbleed
open souce exploit
in 2014
More than
$400
Billion
The Internet of Things will intoduce risk in entirely new places
25 billion
devices will be
worth of mobile payments will connected to the
be processed globally in 2015 Internet in 2015
Column James Dartnell
Online Editor, CNME
Bad quarter? Axe another.

I
BM is ready to cut a quarter of its over $600 million for redundancies being manipulated in order to drive out
workforce, according to a Forbes off the back of its Q4 earnings, which those who are deemed surplus. Reports
report released last month. reflected an 11th straight quarter of allege that even high-performers are
Journalist Robert Cringely, who falling revenue. being ostracised.
claims to have a number of influential The move would seem drastic given The rumoured layoffs at IBM cut
sources within the company, says the that IBM has just released its updated a stark contrast with consumer giant
company is preparing to axe 110,000 z13 mainframe, the latest evolution of and enterprise mobility partner Apple,
employees from its payroll. one of its oldest trademarks. who achieved a record $18 billion profit
He also says the company is looking Support will be needed to move for its first 2015 fiscal quarter ended
to merge its hardware, software and customers across to the system, as it December 27th, as well as selling 74.5
support arms, with staff reorganised will for the companys shift in emphasis million smartphones in the period.
based on their roles. to providing more mobile and cloud Does the move represent a death
If IBM progresses with the services. knell for IBM? Most likely not. If the
redundancies, they will be the largest Nonetheless, the cuts would run firm can generate solid sales from its
corporate layoff in history. The company parallel to recent moves by IBM; in the new Mainframe offering, as well making
is no stranger to such a move it also last year Big Blue has sold its x86 server a mark on the enterprise mobility
holds the record for the second largest business to Lenovo for $2.1 billion, and market then that will comprise a
layoff, when it cut 60,000 staff in 1993. transferred its semiconductor operations positive move into pastures new.
The firm has dismissed the reports, to Abu Dhabi firm GlobalFoundries in a Still, CEO Ginni Rometty will have
which come as it undergoes a desperate $1.5 billion deal. her work cut out in finding other fresh
restructuring programme. It set aside Employee evaluations are supposedly ways to arrest the companys decline.

CIO Soundbites What is the greatest security
threat to your business?
Esam Hadi,
Senior Manager, IT,
Aluminium Bahrain
The greatest threat to any business comes from Ali Radhi, Head
within. Its easy to put a security fence around
the business - physical or virtual - to deny access
of IT, MBC
to outsiders who are trying to hack in in order to Working in broadcast media, and
cripple your business. However, its not as simple specifically a news network, has a different scale
preventing internal users from doing something of security threat from other industries. We need
that may result in leaking confidential information. to be ready to respond to governments and
This includes clicking on malicious links, opening electronic armies attack scale. The size, frequency,
unknown attachments, sharing passwords, giving diversity and depth of attacks are exceptional and
information to a social engineer attacker, disclosing the perpetrators do not fear prosecution, hence
company secrets to competitors, plugging unknown security preparation and defence mechanisms
USB drives into their computers and attempting to must be of an even bigger scale.
bypass security controls. Security threats generally target a
We raise security awareness through company's brand, service availability and
training, alerts and information updates to credibility and are of no commercial benefits
boost our overall security stance. Several to attackers.
effective IT controls are in place to protect Internal security is another
systems and networks, but it is difficult dimension of threat where
to protect against users doing solutions can offer very little in
malicious things, whether terms of prevention.
intentional or not.
Abdulsalam Al-Bastaki, Senior Executive Director,

Information Management, Dubai Properties Group
The question of IT security threats will not go away any time soon, but organisations will need to be
more organised to secure the services and the usage of ICT infrastructures.
It is obvious that the development of cloud computing is expected to increase; adopting new
systems that support e-services with real-time data sharing in a quick and secure manner to reduce costs
and improve workforce productivity is key. Yet, security issues over SaaS disaster recovery models of
almost all cloud computing service providers is my biggest concern, which is also highlighted by almost all
auditors in case of bankruptcy or liquidation. Social engineering and BYOD are also causing new security
concerns for network and data confidentiality.
12 february 2015 www.cnmeonline.com

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short takes Month in view
Apple catches Samsung as

Google moves smartphone leader
to become
mobile carrier
Google has laid the groundwork for
its own cellular service by buying
capacity on the networks of Sprint
and T-Mobile USA.
The sprawling search company
would sell the service directly to
consumers, according to The Wall
Street Journal, which cited unnamed
sources.
Google is heavily involved
in mobile through its Android
operating system, the worlds most
widely used mobile OS, as well as
through selling mobile advertising,
and is pushing to make more radio The iPhone 6 has sold so well that Apple tied gain a 17.6 percent share of the market, as
spectrum available for wireless with Samsung for the top position in the opposed to Samsungs near 30 percent share.
services. But the partnerships with smartphone market in the fourth quarter, The data emerged a few days after Apple
Sprint and T-Mobile would bring the closing the gap with its South Korean reported huge profits of $18 billion made in
company into the cellular business competitor. last years fourth quarter, from record sales of
itself, offering Google phone plans Both Apple and Samsung shipped 74.5 its new smartphone.
directly to consumers. million smartphones during the period, each Trailing far behind the two players is third
The deals would make Google claiming close to 20 percent share of the placed Lenovo, whose market share in the
an MVNO (mobile virtual network market. fourth quarter reached 6.5 percent.
operator), a carrier that doesnt Its a big change from a year ago, when Huawei was in fourth place during the
build or operate its own network Apples iPhone 5s only helped the company quarter, with a 6.3 percent share.
but sells services that run on the
partners infrastructure. Sprint is the
third-largest U.S. mobile carrier and
T-Mobile is the fourth largest.
IBM unleashes new Mainframe
Its not clear whether the company The z13 is IBMs first new mainframe in 10TB of memory three times as much as its
will launch a full-scale national effort almost three years, and it shows the company predecessor.
or a more limited rollout. There are continuing to invest in a product thats still The z13 will allow companies to analyse
terms in Googles contract with Sprint relied upon heavily by banks, airlines and every transaction they process in near real-
that would allow for renegotiation other major industries, while logging steadily time to detect instances of fraud in banking,
if Google draws a huge number of lower sales each year. health insurance and other industries, and
subscribers, the Journal said. The z13 gets a new processor design, can process 2.5 billion transactions per day,
faster I/O and the ability to address up to IBM claims.
Gartner predicts $3.8

WHATS HOT? UAE climbs in ICT
Development Index
trillion 2015 IT spend
The UAE has made significant progress in its global Worldwide IT spending is on pace to total
ranking in the ICT Development Index (IDI), jumping $3.8 trillion in 2015, a 2.4 percent increase
from a ranking of 46th to 32nd. from 2014, according to the latest forecast by
The report states that the UAE is the highest Gartner.
ranking country in the world in terms of the The growth rate forecast has been revised
proportion of the rural population covered by at least from Gartners initial prediction of 3.9 percent.
a 3G mobile network.

Contagious enthusiasm inspired Google RAK Hub
Google and the UAE Teachers Association education and technology services, offering Sam Blatteis, Head of Government
have launched a new Innovation Hub in Ras classes in robotics, 3D printing, aerospace, Relations and Public Policy, Gulf Countries,
Al Khaimah. electronics, computer coding, programming Google, sought to explain the decision to open
The lab will be overseen by Al Bayt and green energy. the Hub in Ras Al Khaimah, as opposed to the
Mitwahid, an association set up by employees The Innovation Hub is equipped with more urbanised Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We
of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, and physical and digital STEM resources such as decided to build the innovation Hub in RAK
managed day-to-day by EduTech, a provider of simulations, programming software and design because we see a huge potential for people
learning services and solutions. software. It will also be staffed by an instructor to learn; theres a contagious enthusiasm for
The community centre will combine who will coach and train students and teachers. science and technology education here, he said.
Hackers stole Samsung, BlackBerry deny

Syrian opposition buyout rumour
battle plans Samsung Electronics and BlackBerry have both
denied a report that they met to discuss a proposed
Syrian opposition leaders lost $7.5 billion buyout by the South Korean powerhouse.
gigabytes of secret communications The Reuters news service cited documents
and battlefield plans to hackers and an unnamed source. Media reports of the
who baited them into downloading acquisition are groundless, wrote a Samsung
malware during flirtatious Skype spokeswoman.
chats, according to a FireEye report. BlackBerry has not engaged in discussions
The firm found a server with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to
containing documents and files while purchase BlackBerry, BlackBerry said in a statement.
researching PDF-based malware. Though BlackBerry is far from the mobile player
The cache of documents included it once was, it still has respected security technology,
annotated satellite images, weapons patents, automotive and industrial software from its
records, Skype chats and personal QNX division, and a loyal following among users in
information on those who have enterprises and some developing markets.
sought to topple President Bashar
al-Assad in the four-year civil war.
It was unclear if Assads regime was
behind the campaign.
Network World ME nominations now open
The opposition members Nominations for CNMEs sixth annual Following the tremendous success of
were contacted by the hackers Network World ME Awards are now open. the previous five ceremonies, CNME is now
through Skype. They used a social The ceremony has established itself as looking for networking projects that have
engineering technique, creating the major event for celebrating networking produced real-world results over the past year
fake profiles of attractive women excellence in the Middle East. and the technology providers behind them.
sympathetic to their cause who Open to users and vendors alike, The 2015 Awards are open to
supposedly wanted to chat. They Network World ME Awards honours companies anywhere in the Middle East.
also asked what kind of device the IT and business professionals who have The ceremony will take place on
victim was using in order to serve the demonstrated unique and forward-thinking Monday 23rd March at Jumeirah Beach
appropriate malicious file. leadership throughout the IT industry. Hotels Safinah Ballroom in Dubai.
IBM Q4 earnings Turkish government

disappoint threatens renewed Twitter
ban
WHATS NOT?
IBMs revenue declined for the 11th straight Turkeys government threatened to block Twitter
quarter across all major segments hardware, after the company failed to suspend the account
software and services. Profits were down as of a newspaper who published details of a secret
well, though they beat the forecast of financial government investigation.
analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. The threat of a block came after a court ruled
that media outlets couldnt publish documents on a
military police raid on the Turkish Intelligence Agency.

CNME Research Hub
IT security
spending CNME Research Hub debuts the first of
many research projects with a report
on IT security spending in the Middle
East. Here is a sneak peek of the
sixteen-page report.
T
he need for statistical its long-standing relationships to infrastructure acquirement. As
data and analysis for the and credibility in the region to cull hardware and infrastructure are
IT industry in the Middle genuine data and investigate trends in procured, it follows that investment
East has been felt for years. the Middle East. in relevant security solutions will
The rapid pace at which the industry This data is then distilled into follow. If IT department budgets
is growing and changing, coupled practical and actionable insights that are set to remain constant, it can
with the nature of business culture provide a complete picture of the be difficult to determine which
in the region, has made it difficult for Middle Easts expanding and unique demographic is likely to invest in
researchers that are not in the field IT industry. security solutions, and what concerns
to garner true and meaningful insight This quarter, CNME Research will drive their potential spending.
into IT trends in the Middle East. Hub debuts its projects with a report CNME Research Hub aims to
CNME Research Hub on IT security spending trends and provide insight on the following
methodologies combine both driving forces. While IT security questions:
quantitative and qualitative data spending trends in the Middle East Which demographic is most
collected from IT industry leaders are predicted to increase in the next likely to increase spending on IT
and decision-makers throughout the year, it pays to bear in mind that security in the next year?
region. CNME Research Hub leverages spending predictions are often tied What are the main concerns of

IT leaders that may lead to an The project revealed a number of the above financial methodologies
increased investment in security findings, reflected in the full report: were important, an addition which
solutions? goes to strengthen the perceived
What are the main drivers of Organisations that spend more importance of business value to IT
security spending? on security also spend more time decision makers.
investigating security breaches The majority of respondents
CNME Research Hub polled 250 The majority of IT leaders feel - 88 percent - indicated that their
C-level IT decision makers across that a lack of awareness or department did intend to plan new
the Middle East. In an attempt to poor governance within their security initiatives in the next year,
create a diverse but targeted dataset, organisations are top security both in terms of IT security and
researchers polled IT leaders in risks. operational technology. However,
Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi The vast majority of IT only 26 percent of participants
Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and the UAE. departments are planning new indicated that they anticipated
With the knowledge that larger security initiatives to deal with increasing their security spending
companies with corresponding robust digital transformation including IT budget over the next 12 months. This
budgets would create significant and OT technology indicates a desire to increase security
anomalies in the data collected, the The desire to meet security with a corresponding need to remain
team at CNME Research Hub was compliance regulations is often within current budget parameters.
careful to include representation from the driving force in IT security Though causation is difficult
small and medium sized businesses investment. to pinpoint, correlations between
in addition to larger enterprises. As spending habits and other
small to medium sized businesses Current spending on IT security demographic markers can be made
tend to be the norm in the region, 83 solutions still make up a small clear. Which criteria come into play
percent of respondents represented fraction of most companies overall IT when making an IT investment,
businesses with 501-1000 employees. budgets. More than 40 percent of IT potential barriers and what concerns
To achieve a complete picture, leaders report that their department IT decision-makers have in regard
CNME Research Hub reached across spends less than 1 percent of their to IT security will all effect potential
industry sectors and included voices total IT budget on security. This is spending. More in-depth conclusions
from education, hospitality, banking particularly true for small to medium and insights into IT security spending
and finance and more. To maintain sized businesses who employ 501- as well as detailed charts and graphs
non-biased responses, participation 1000 employees. The majority, 52 on our findings are available in
was voluntary and no compensation percent, of small to medium sized the full, published report by CNME
was afforded. businesses dedicate less than 1 Research Hub.
The purpose of the study is to drill percent of their IT budget to security.
down into the driving forces behind When addressing possible
IT security spending in the Middle investment in new or updated
East and to highlight correlations technologies, IT decision makers For more info, please contact
between demographic markers and value a number of criteria. Financial Rajashree Rammohan at
security spending habits. CNME methodology is important while raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com.
Research Hub will also discuss in the deciding whether or not a particular
report how IT spending decisions are security solution is the appropriate Visit:
currently made, and what services fit for the company. A notable 71 http://bit.ly/1zCW6P0
and knowledge IT decision makers percent of all IT leaders reported
find valuable when choosing security that business value was their top
solutions and vendor partners. financial priority when determining
With a clearer understanding of which security solution to procure.
current spending trends, this research This is in contrast to other possible
will also uncover potential IT security responses, return on investment
spending in the region, and highlight and total cost of ownership which
points of perceived concerns among took, collectively, only 13 percent of
IT professionals in regard to current responses. An additional 16 percent
and future security threats. of respondents put forth that all of

BLOG
social Slander
In a world always on social media, its easy to be convinced that online views are legitimate
examples of citizen journalism, and that devious business practices, marketing snake oil
and downright deception belong only to the physical world. Nothing could be further from
the truth, argues food writer Dave Reeder, who warns against bogus, biased reviews.
spend my life talking to and mine. Theyre put in to increase you can see how this can quickly
I chefs and hotel

professionals and,
almost to a man, they
credibility but, in fact, have the
opposite effect. Beware too of jargon
that is very industry specific, because
get unethical, with giant pyramid
schemes created almost effortlessly.
Similar software exists for Instagram,
bemoan in private what they have to that suggests the piece has been Tumblr, YouTube, Facebook and
enthuse about in public - the rise of written by someone in the business. more.
social media and its effect on their So, for example, spacious twin suites Now, no suggestion here of
businesses. with amazing views is unlikely to be deception on her part but Kim
Whether its the constant flash a comment youd write, right? Kardashian is clearly able to monetise
recording plates for Instagram The more places a reviewer is her 25m+ Twitter followers through
accounts or the less than intelligent active and the wider the spread payments for endorsements and so
reviews on TripAdvisor, the so-called of places reviewed, the more the on - say $50,000 for one Tweet. What
wisdom of the masses is having an reviewer can be trusted. Look at the if many of those followers are fake?
increasingly serious effect on the balance of evidence and create your Numerous press reports have found
industry. The trade in Europe and the own circle of trust. that celebrities and companies alike
US is regularly filled with stories of One interesting experiment is often buy fake followers. After all, the
underhand restaurant owners either to copy and paste parts of reviews temptation is almost irresistible.
writing fake, damaging reiews of you have doubts about and do a Of course, social media players
rivals restaurants or falsely boosting search. You would be surprised at know this all too well: annually,
reviews of their own. TripAdvisor, the number of times the same review Facebook finds 67 million to 137
to its credit, does purge its pages of appears for different properties. million fake accounts, Twitter has
fake reviews but the sheer volume of But, you might say, this is all admitted that 24 million of its
less than reliable content is a major pretty harmless stuff, isnt it? Actually accounts are bots and so on. What
concern. its just the tip of how social media this means, ultimately, is that its
Although my interest lies in the is being used and abused from hard to take social media advertising
F&B sector, whatever your business, legitimate businesses to criminal seriously. People are looking at the
you should look at online reviews gangs. Let me introduce you to the numbers without doing any analysis
carefully. The most important lesson future of social media bots. With a and refusing to consider that this may
is the simplest: an overall rating few keystrokes and $50 licence fee well be one giant bubble.
is generally a better guide than for six months, you can download
individual reviews. Next, filter out Twitter Supremacy and use
reviews that may be fake because it to create an unlimited
theyre so extreme - Best hotel ever! 5 number of friends, whilst About the Author
stars! - and also discount ones where violating Twitters terms of Dave Reeder is the editor of The
a criticism is of something that has service agreement. Pro Chef Middle East, a monthly
almost certainly been fixed. Great for the sad and lonely, magazine for fine dining chefs and
F&B professionals in the UAE. He
Fake reviewers also tend to right? But in a world where your
also edited CNME for many years.
overdo self-referencing, overusing value is measured in the volume
the personal words such as I, me of your social media followers,

EVENT dell roundtable
Server shift
numerous concerns among CIOs about
the process and end result of a switch.
Shams Hasan, Enterprise Product
Manager, Dell Middle East, framed the
issue of migration as one that had to
be resolved. Doing nothing is not an
option, he said. You need to consider
With Microsoft due to end support for its Windows Server your workloads and make the
2003 operating system in July 2015, time is running out decision accordingly. He then homed
to make the jump to other alternatives. In association with in on the main errors that can result
Dell, the vendor hosted a roundtable which drew a mix of from a poorly managed migration,
Mistakes made during a migration
esteemed CIOs to discuss the key issues of a migration. include insufficient planning and
assessment, underestimating the user
s is the case in life, with server is likely to be dated and in need and organisational impact, inadequate
A good technology, it can

be hard to let go.
Microsofts successful
of an overhaul.
Servers remain critical to a
business because of the applications
data protection and failure to optimise
the new environment, he said.
Ahmad Al Mulla, Senior Vice
Windows Server 2003 will no longer that run on them, which may have to President, IT, Emirates Global
be supported in six months time, and be rewritten or replaced. This could Aluminium, said that although his
unless customers are willing to fork be because the company that built team has made strong progress in
out for Custom Support an them may be out of business or the a full migration, he still harbours
extension of the support deadline in-house development team may have many concerns around applications.
from Microsoft then their systems been disbanded. There is a big challenge in terms of
will be left unsupported, and With a number of organisations upgrades, he said. Applications are
potentially vulnerable. With a vast in the Middle East facing a lack of not always supporting new versions.
number of applications still running resources and migration knowledge, We have few on Windows Server
on Windows Server 2003 today, the as well as having a significant amount 2003 but we are mostly on Windows
software ecosystem that runs on the of legacy apps and software, there are Server 2008. Migration is not an easy

option sometimes, you might be able modernising
to migrate but then you might have applications, We
A key resource is in- which I am now
leading. I can do
problems on the application sides. started with Windows house expertise. We many things on the
If you dont move, there are lot of Server 2003 and still need vendors' new system and
challenges as well, such as security; moved to the 2012 input, but we want which would not
response time is very important. edition, he said. We have been possible
The roundtable drew a mix of faced a number of
to minimise our on the legacy
IT leaders some who had already challenges from an reliance on them. We technology; failure
completed the migration, and others applications point of want to enable our to migrate doesnt
who were looking to do so in the view; in many cases local, in-house talent just bring security
coming months. Abdulrahman old applications do issues but also
Alonaizan, Arab National Bank, not exist, we had to
to do most of the those of stability.
underlined the importance of find new versions. work If your business
optimising internal resources in Aside from environment is
smoothing his teams path to a the fear of failure, the migration not stable then it will be looked
successful migration. A key resource from Windows Server 2003 can at negatively in case you have
is in-house expertise, he said. We also provide organisations with a downtime. For scalability, migration
still needed vendors input, but we vital opportunity to evaluate and is also important.
wanted to minimise our reliance on revamp existing IT infrastructure. Hasan rounded off things
them. We wanted to enable our local, Mubarik Hussain, Head of IT, by underlining the need for a
in-house talent to be able to do most Petroserv Limited, did exactly collaborative approach in managing
of the work. That way we were not that. Our environment was not a a migration, The Middle East has
waiting for help. Its important to be great design, he said. I used this evolved; requirements here are so
organised as well as IT-savvy. opportunity to virtualise everything. much more bespoke, he said. There
Abdulsalam Rahma Al Bastaki, We put in best practices such as needs to be a co-creation. Internal
Senior Executive Director, Information security policies, consolidation of input is great but external input is also
Management, Dubai Properties Group, data, also the future of the company. needed. Collaboration is often what
echoed the Al Mullas sentiments The new MD had decided on some solves challenges from a bespoke
on the underlying difficulty of business transformation changes point of view.

HP roundtable Event
untapped info
poison or a type of car. Over 80
percent of the information we gain is
based on context.
Ali Radhi, Head of IT, MBC,
expressed his concerned regarding
the linguistic aspects of certain Big
In association with CNME, research firm Gartner and HP hosted Data tools, These tools need to
accommodate different languages, he
a roundtable packed with IT decision-makers to discuss the said. Live feeds, phone, TV, social and
prospects of Big Data solutions in the Middle East. YouTube all require different specs for
Arabic.
xploiting the vast pools of think that looking forward, it's very Ahmed Ebrahim Al Ahmad,
E data at their disposal

remains a sizeable
obstacle for many
important that organisations really
exploit the potential of it. In my view,
the real value of Big Data is predictive
CIO, Nakheel, said, In our world,
we view data scientists as business
analysts, he said. At Nakheel we have
organisations across the Middle East. analytics. identified retail personnel who have
Spokesmen from the two firms joined Esam Hadi, Senior Manager, IT, IT backgrounds, but are fundamentally
forces to gain a unique insight into the Aluminium Bahrain, agreed with experts in retail. The development and
thoughts of the regions CIOs on the Mattout's outlook. There are many enhancement of retail in particular has
conundrum. aspects of Big Data which need to moved fast; it's important to consider
Joao Tapadinhas, Research be differentiated, he said. Business that a business scientist or analyst may
Director, Gartner, kicked off Intelligence is easily done. That is not be IT-oriented.
proceedings by attempting to dissect not the issue. Predictive analytics, Deepu Thomas Philip, Head of IT,
how organisations can make use of however, is the hard part, and the Kuwait International Bank, expressed
Big Data, Its important to combine thing that does stand to add value. The concern that Big Data solutions were
volume, velocity and variety, he said. Middle East needs the proper platform focused to each vertical, Different
A lot of you have probably been using here for predictive analytics. verticals have different requirements,
Big Data for a long time, but just dont John Horman, Director of he said. We have vast amounts of
recognise it, and you probably have Technology, EMEA, HP Autonomy, information in the Middle East, but
terabytes that could be monetised." moved the discussion forward. I do believe that we need specific
Wissam Mattout, Head of IT, Processing human information is solutions for each vertical - for
MEA, NEXtCARE, set the ball rolling difficult because it is designed for example the finance industry has
for discussion amongst the room's humans - not computers - to process, compliance issues. There is a shortage
technology decision makers. Big Data he said. Take the word mercury. of people in the Big Data industry to
isn't a brand new concept," he said. "I This could mean either a planet, help each segment.

cognizant roundtable Event
Code Halos
and ultimately scale to drive value for
organisations, he explained.
To provide a regional example,
Ghazi Qarout, CIO, Qatar Islamic Bank,
joined the discussion. Peter Steward,
Director Middle East, CBC, Cognizant
CNME and Cognizant hosted a roundtable discussion on cloud, Technology Solutions moderated what
mobility and other disruptive technologies in the industry. Transforming became a lively and interactive group
discussion on digital technologies.
business models with digital technology was the topic of the day, as Qarout kicked off the discussion using
CIOs sat down to talk about the future of digitally-enabled business. his own experiences at Qatar Islamic
Bank with the digital transformation.
ver 20 CIOs from around Cognizant Technology Solutions, then We are interacting with our customers
O the region, as well as

representatives from
Cognizants global
took the floor to discuss 'Code Halos',
and the next age of business and
technology. Bahl highlighted some
in ways that no one else in the region
has managed, said Qarout, and we are
doing that using digital technology."
operations, came together to discuss innovative companies and projects that We want to use data to personalise
business models in a digital age. Stephen have leveraged disruptive technology our products, said Charles Awad,
Fernandes, Regional Assistant Vice to their benefit. He echoed Fernandes Director of Marketing Communications,
President, Cognizant, opened the event sentiments on the opportunities Al Futtaim, to do what we need to to
with a presentation that shed light on that SMAC technologies are already analyse that data. Attendees agreed
the unique, digitally fuelled transition in creating. Businesses like Uber are with the need to not only leverage data
business. We are in the midst of a successful because value flows from the created in these Code Halos but to
once-in-a-generation transformation, invisible, he said. In short, SMAC allows ensure that that data is relevant to their
said Fernandes, The way that businesses to bring the consumer to the business goals.
businesses interact and transact with enterprise. Things are different now, said
customers, employees, partners and Next, Cognizant welcomed John Shyam Kesarwani, Manager of IT,
markets is changing. For those that McVay, AVP Consulting, CBC, Cognizant RAKBANK, our customers want to
embrace the fact that technology now Technology Solutions, who had come know about their accounts immediately,
drives business, it will create a huge in from their US headquarters for the and we can provide them that service
opportunity. event. McVay showed how by taking using mobility.
Fernandes went on to highlight advantage of Code Halos the data The crux of the discussion pointed
other significant transformations in the created by an individuals interaction to one recurrent theme businesses are
history of corporate IT and proposed with SMAC technologies enterprises striving to leverage code halos not only
that this, the fifth wave of corporate IT, can have a richer and more productive for their own benefit, but to provide the
has been brought on by the advent of relationship with their customers. best user experience possible for their
disruptive technologies such as social, Competitive advantage flows when customers. Cognizant closed with the
mobility, analytics and cloud. companies capture moments of sentiment that they would be there
Manish Bahl, Senior Director engagement, draw insight, enable to help reach that goal in any way
- Center for the Future of Work, intuitive experiences that delight users, possible.

CIO
Spotlight
Port Authority
Yousif Almutawa, CIO, DP World, has seen some ups and downs. From a start-up in California during the
Internet boom and subsequent crash, to the surge in construction in Dubai in the mid-2000s, Almutawa has
learned a few things about success and failure.
lmutawa did not intend to do what he does best reach out technology like that.
A on becoming a CIO,
though from an early
age he had an interest in
to people.
He showed an early interest in
physics and maths, as well as space
Still, his interest in science trumped
his interest in technology when it
came time to choose his university
technology. He spent his youth and sci-fi. I remember reading about degree. His father, a lawyer, supported
between Bahrain and the UAE and things like light speeds and Einsteins his decision to go into medicine. He
remembers fondly playing a bit of theory of relativity, and thinking was accepted, on a scholarship, to an
Pong on an early gaming machine. that they were science fiction, he extremely competitive programme
When he was 11, in 1983, he says. As he studied more, however, in a preparation course for the Royal
received his first major piece of he realised that these things were College of Surgeons in Ireland directly
technology, a Commodore 64 the actually possible and real, and his after secondary school in 1990. My
kind that still used tapes as storage. passion was ignited. To me it wasnt English was weak, he says in his now
However, Almutawa's true science fiction anymore, I knew that perfected accent, and the programme
involvement with technology came these things were true and I imagined was very competitive.
later, as a result of his endless drive myself in a world where I could use After a year and a half in Ireland,

he decided that medicine simply was Almutawa says, he became addicted
not for him. He changed not only his to social interactions on the web 1983
course, but his country. So that I before social media even had a
received his first
could keep my scholarship, I changed presence. To be fair, though, it Commodore 64
from medicine to engineering, and stopped there, he says. I dont even computer
moved from Ireland to the US, have a Facebook account these days.
Almutawa explains. I loved Ireland, Then in 1994, Almutawa transferred
but to be honest, I was tired of the just down the road to the University
rain and the cold. of California campus in Sacramento,
His first stop off in the United California to continue his studies in 1990
States was Richmond, Virginia, in engineering. I wanted to focus on power attended medical
February of 1992. After six months generation, so when I completed, I also school in Ireland
of acclimatising to the culture and earned a certificate in that field, he says
working on his language skills, he left of his transfer.
the east coast for sunny California. Upon graduation in 1996, he
Almost as if fated, he met three Arab had every intention of returning to
students living in Virginia who had the UAE. However, during his last 1992
also studied in Ireland. year of study, he had met a group of
enrolled in CSU
In the Spring of 1992, he and seven students that had an idea. The
for Engineering
his friends enrolled in California idea was to start an Internet Service
State University in Chico, California. Provider. These guys were providing
There, he began a course in Electrical Internet over 14.4k dial-ups to
and Electronic Engineering. The consumers in Sacramento as well as
work was very challenging, says connectivity projects for companies, 1996
Almutawa. I remember studying very he says. Almutawa, however, was to
joined start-up
hard during that time. While all the face a big learning curve. He hadnt
InterX
business and marketing guys were studied these things, and so at the
out partying, we from the Engineering company, InterX, he had to learn on
college were in the library. the go.
In that library in 1993, Almutawa He began in a technical support
discovered a resource that would position, but with only seven people
change the course of his career. It on staff, he was actually doing a 2001
was there that I began using the number of things. I was picking returned to UAE
Internet for research. I was using up phones for technical support,
LexisNexis when I realised that I performing system administration
could use the Internet to reach out duties, and even mopping floors, he
to other people. At the time, the says. It was the days of the Internet
Internet did not have a friendly user revolution, and the group truly felt 2003
interface, but attracted to the idea of that they were changing the world.
joined Dubai
connecting with information from As with many start-ups of the time,
Internet City
around the world, Almutawa set to employees were paid in shares.
learning a few commands. The start-up did well, taking on
I could read news directly from system integration projects, building
the source, with no filter, he says e-commerce shops and even creating
of the early days of the Internet, I Internet banking software. By 1999,
could also talk to my family using IRC they had grown into a team of 17. 2008
chat rooms, as well as meet people Unfortunately, just as the company
joined DP World
from around the world. Admittedly, was going to go public in 2000,

CIO
Spotlight
the Internet bubble burst. Though past landmarks like the Burj Khalifa, he themselves. You have a lot of business
the company disbanded and its knows that he was part of making the people becoming IT savvy.
employees scattered, Almutawa left dream of Dubai come true. I feel lucky In 2012 he returned to DP
with a wealth of lessons. I learned that I was a part of the Internet boom, World and brought with him his
what it meant to be in a start-up and then also part of the Dubai boom spirit of innovation. In addition
environment, he says, and I learned as well, he says. to running the technology
what it takes to make a business run. At the end of 2005, a new infrastructure of DP World, he
With these lessons learned, he company was formed. du was to has brought his start-up savvy
moved on to another California-based become one of the main telecom to secondary projects. As the
company, Synergex. He was hired providers in the UAE. The telecom Accelerator Program Director for
as an e-business consultant. His role department was acquired by du at DP World-funded seed accelerator
was to perform system integration that time. Almutawa continued with TURN8, Almutawa has put himself
for companies with legacy systems du implementing fixed line projects. back in the start-up game. TURN8
that needed to get on board with the By 2008, du and his department were is designed to encourage innovative
Internet and with mobile applications. stable, and it was time for Almutawa entrepreneurship worldwide, he
Through his interactions with to take on a new challenge. explains. We look for people with
Synergex clients, he learned about That new new ideas that
other industries and how they do challenge came We look for people can be refined
business. in the form and brought
Finally, in August 2001, he of DP World. with new ideas to market. The
made his return to the UAE and was When he began that can be refined program then
quickly hired at a branch of the Dubai at the ports selects start-
government that had only just opened management
and brought to the up teams with
Dubai eGovernment. Though Dubai company, there market. The program marketable
eGovernment was a government was no CIO. ideas and
agency, to Almutawa, the environment There had not
then selects start- supports them
was akin to the start-ups that he was been a CIO for up teams with with funding,
used to. As the Manager of Technology two years, and marketable ideas and mentoring and
and Information, he established the IT Almutawa took training.
infrastructure and systems integration on the role. supports them with The idea is
architecture models for a number of They hired me funding, mentoring to give young
government departments. because I could innovators a
In 2003, Almutawa moved on think outside the
and training. chance to make
to Dubai Internet City telecoms box, he says, I their business
department as a Program Manager. wasnt from the port industry, and work. We provide a great space,
Dubai Internet City had promised they wanted fresh eyes. says Almutawa, where our teams can
to provide certain services, he says From 2009 to 2012, Almutawa was simply work, and dedicate their time to
of his projects. We had to meet with secounded by Dubai World Holding their ideas. In short, he says, TURN8 is
developers to ensure that things like Company. After the crisis, there was like a boot camp for start-ups.
connectivity could be rolled out. a lot of restructuring going on, he Almutawa seems to be a master of
Dubai was booming with construction recalls, and I needed to change the turning crashes into booms and failures
at the time, and Almutawa had to shared services department from into successes. He continually reaches
manage the teams that were in charge a cost centre to a profit centre. As out to people to encourage them to
of making sure that the brief could such, he changed the culture of the fulfil their potential. Perhaps it was
be met. It was almost like I was in a company, shifting the way that they the Internet crash, or perhaps it began
start-up again, he says, I felt like I were thinking about IT. The role earlier on in his history, but Almutawa
was part of the team that was building of IT has completely changed, he is a CIO that can turn any situation on
Dubai. These days, when he walks says, people can do basic tasks for its head and make it positive.

HP Software
CIO Speaker series
Esam Hadi,
Manager of Information Technology
at Aluminium Bahrain BSC (Alba)
One of the things in manufacturing is that automated systems tend to be isolated and run and
managed only by engineers. But today everything is connected. Therefore IT was brought into
the picture to set best practices for automation usage. Today both IT and OT is managed under
a single umbrella.
Today, the Alba way with vendors is not by buying. Its about partnership with a technology
vendor who believes in your dream. HP has been able to be that partner by offering us open
contact with the entire chain.
Read more at www.hpsoftwaredelightme.com

CASE STUDY NEXtCARE
Taking cover
Third-party administrator NEXtCARE takes the confusion
out of healthcare insurance.
I
t is no secret that the healthcare health insurance management and Wissam Mattout, Head of IT,
industry is becoming more administration services to healthcare
MEA region, NEXtCARE
complex. Understanding payers, including self-insured
company health benefits, employers. The company is present
or even choosing a primary care throughout the region and operates Accountability is one of
provider can seem like a daunting in 11 countries with four main hubs. NEXtCAREs core values, says
task for any individual. If the With over 700 employees, 85 percent Mattout, and as such, they company
unthinkable does happen, and an of which are medical professionals, is committed to meeting the ever-
injury or illness occurs, sorting NEXtCARE responds to the needs of rising expectations of its clients. To
through paperwork to determine over two million insured members meet these goals, they recruit and
what is covered and what is not can and supports a network of over 7, 000 train specialised employees, and push
add additional stress to any situation. providers across the region. through pioneering technologies.
NEXtCARE, a third-party Having regional presence with The IT team prepared an
administrator for the insurance a global reach, NEXtCARE provides ambitious roadmap to achieve
industry in the GCC and MENA its clients with a balance between their goals, which supported the
region, works closely with insurance customer service and maximum cost transformation of NEXtCAREs
companies to take the guesswork optimisation. NEXtCARE develops infrastructure to accommodate and
out of healthcare coverage. What innovative solutions to ensure serve challenging business needs.
sets NEXtCARE apart, says Wissam efficiency and transparency. A fully Building our private cloud is an
Mattout, Head of IT, MEA region, dedicated team works on developing expensive but secure solution, says
NEXtCARE, is the companys solutions that enable electronic data Mattout. For NEXtCARE to ensure its
dedication to leveraging technology exchange between stakeholders of support services are in line with its
to streamline every individuals the industry, including insurance and global reach, a robust, and secure IT
healthcare experience. reinsurance companies, self-insured infrastructure is a must.
Third-party administrators employers, regulators, health service Enter TATSH. TATSH turnkey
process insurance claims for providers and end-users. Technology software is at the core of NEXtCAREs
individuals by partnering with health is key to serving our clients in the operations. This software, developed
insurance companies. In addition, they best way. We therefore streamline in-house by NEXtCARE, delivers a
may manage the claims processing, and focus our efforts on building cost effective electronic solution
provider networks, utilisation review, state-of-the-art and unrivalled IT to private healthcare schemes by
or membership functions of a number Infrastructure, ensuring high-level IT streamlining processes while ensuring
of insurance companies. In short, security, says Mattout. competitiveness and profitability. All
individuals that use third-party The aim is to ensure that all partners are trained and connected
administrators like NEXtCARE can NEXtCAREs specialised employees to TATSH in order to communicate,
forgo much of the complications that work together in order to address exchange live information and
those that who do not use them may business challenges and connect the perform transactions.
experience. dots between implemented solutions, Putting first things first, Mattout
Established in 1999, NEXtCARE all while keeping IT infrastructure and says, NEXtCARE has an internal
specialises in providing complete security at the forefront of users minds. online helpdesk system that keeps

track of all IT inquiries. The current most convenient manner possible.
system is available to all IT agents in
order to ensure the support cases are
We deal with peoples lives and
health," says Mattout. "IT security Global
addressed quickly and thoroughly.
NEXtCARE also provides direct
and data confidentiality is our
highest priority. With that in mind, healthcare
access across various markets for a all sensitive information is protected, (world health organization)
multitude of and all data is
US$ 6.5
products offered backed up into
by providers We deal with people's a secure private
through a web lives and health. IT cloud." trillion
enabled solution security and data In Total global expenditure for health
called PULSE. confidentiality is collaboration
This platform
allows users
to benefit
our highest priority.
With that in mind, all the
with its clients,
company
is focused
US$ 948
Total global expenditure for health per
from PULSEs sensitive information on proactive person per year
front-end is protected, and all solution Highest total spending per person per
and supports data is backed up into development. year on health
a secure, private cloud. The NEXtCARE
United States
eligibility
checking, Mobile
preapprovals Application is US$ 8,362
claims submissions and reconciliation. currently in pilot testing and will
PULSE improves efficiency, decreases enable people, whether NEXtCARE Lowest total spending per person per
turnaround time for pre-certification members or not,to check public year on health
and manages processing and
reconciliation between NEXtCARE and
the provider community.
information related to NEXtCARE,
the companys news, health tips
and videos. The mobile application
Eritrea
US$ 12
With the goal to provide daily and will allow users to access the
easy access to data such as medical MyNEXtCARE portal from any mobile Highest government spending per
person per year on health
information, lab testing and medical device.
claims, and to keep medical history
accessible, NEXtCARE has implemented
Mattout says NEXtCARE delivers a
complete package from business, to
Luxembourg
US$ 6,906
a comprehensive disaster recovery IT, to risk management to consultancy
plan. Our DRS plan is part of the and more. IT support is an integral Lowest government spending per person
holistic business continuity plan that part of our business. Innovation, per year on health
ensures smooth running of business at
all times, says Mattout.
Maintaining growth in a
information, and integration are
pillars to success, he says.
With a solid infrastructure in
Myanmar
US$ 2
technology enabled world is a place and constant and consistent
continuous challenge, he says. innovation and development, Highest annual out-of-pocket household
spending on health
Furthering NEXtCAREs efforts to NEXtCARE is able to administer
provide new services and solutions
to provide managed care services, the
custom-designed healthcare plans
in response to clients unique
Switzerland
US$ 2,412
IT team at the company has designed requirements, providing them
MyNEXtCARE, a beneficiary portal. with a competitive advantage. The Lowest annual out-of-pocket household
This platform enables beneficiaries to company is able to mix and match spending on health
submit their reimbursement claims,
view their claims history, find a
healthcare provider and access their
various services with the aim of
providing a 'plug and play' concept
which efficiently complements
Kiribati
US$ 0.2
policy information in the easiest and existing products.

The high
achievers
CNMEs inaugural CIO 100 Awards
celebrated IT leaders who have made the best
use of technology to derive strategic value
and maximum returns for their businesses.
The winners who made it onto this years
CIO 100 index serve as inspiration and proof
that charting new paths in ICT can yield
business rewards, whether it was ushering
existing infrastructure into the new era of
requisite agility, or working new technologies
successfully into traditional business setups.
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solutions World
Cloud
The Dream of a
Seamless cloud
In a work environment where employees demand mobile

solutions, and the C-suite is mandated to keep data secure and
business processes grounded, CIOs are hard-pressed to create
seamless cloud to on-premise solutions that are both user and
business friendly.

C
ombining cloud services with
existing on-premise Proof of concept is essential
technologies can seem like a
pipe dream. Currently, the idea
to test the applications
that enterprises will be able to performance and scalability
use cloud applications and storage as a as it is critical in cloudification.
primary source may seem impossible, or even
unnecessary. However, pairing cloud Sudheer Subramanian, IT Solutions Director, Huawei Enterprise
applications and traditional applications is a Middle East
practice that is currently underway though
not without a few bumps in the road.
Reaching out to the cloud is in high- Director, Huawei Enterprise Middle East,
demand these days. Employees want the is planning and vision. It is important for
agility and accessibility of cloud services to CIOs to understand the critical application
support their increasingly mobile business characteristics and dependencies before
activities. Still, businesses are reliant on legacy designing the cloud model. Proof of concept is
systems and other applications that simply essential to test the applications performance
cannot, or should not be hosted in the cloud. and scalability as it is critical in cloudification,
Employees and other end-users want the best he says.
of both worlds. But combining a system of The first step, it would seem, is to
on-premise services with those hosted in the determine which applications, services and
cloud can be a bit tricky. Determining which solutions are appropriate to move
82
applications and services belong where to from on-premises infrastructure to
create an optimised user experience while a cloud environment. Applications
protecting data and processes is key. that are cloud-worthy are those
Meeting the demands and requirements percent that need to be scalable, agile
of creating a seamless cloud to on-premise of companies saved money by
and accessible in a mobile work
experience can be a challenge for CIOs, most moving one or more services environment.
experts would agree. Enterprise IT is faced to the cloud in 2014. In our experience, the
with the challenge of providing a seamless applications that move to the
experience across on-premise infrastructure cloud first are the ones that are
and the public cloud, says Suda Srinivasa, variable in nature, where the load varies
Director, Product Marketing, Nutanix. Many over time, enabling you to take advantage
applications built for traditional environments of the hourly billing and dynamic scaling
use a monolithic architecture, he explains of cloud, to only pay for what you require
futher, Successful migration to the cloud at the time. Also Internet facing web-based
requires re-architecting these application to applications, test and development systems
fit the scale-out, fractional consumption model and disaster recovery use cases are ideal for
that cloud offers. cloud, says Grant Morgan, General Manager,
Still, enterprises throughout the world Cloud, Dimension Data Middle East and Africa.
and in the region are beginning to create There are other challenges that may come
what aim to be seamless cloud to on-premise up when attempting to create a seamless
environments to meet the needs of their users. cloud environment. CIOs and IT managers
The key to creating such a user experience, may find themselves trying to standardise
says Sudheer Subramanian, IT Solutions

solutions World
Cloud
multiple user interfaces, custom codes and

programming languages when implementing
such integration tools, explains Rajesh Applications involving
Abraham, Director, Product Development, private data of a sensitive
eHosting DataFort. It is important for the
enterprise to contact its managed services nature should generally be
provider to achieve the promised benefits of grounded.
cloud, its lower costs and accessibility of data,
he says. Cherif Sleiman, General Manager, Middle East, Infoblox
There are certain applications that should
remain on-premise as well. Applications
and data that perform processes that are clouds, however, points out that traffic and
confidential, for example, should remain data will be an issue. With a growth of over
on-premise to maintain optimum security. 300 percent in the past six years and with 91
Applications involving private data of percent of businesses projected to migrate to
a sensitive nature should generally be the cloud in the next three years, the future
grounded, confirms Cherif Sleiman, General of all computing points toward the cloud, he
Manager, Middle East, Infoblox. says, However, with global data centre traffic
With all of this effort toward creating a projected to grow three-fold in 2012-2017, we
seamless cloud to on-premise experience, it is will have too much data to handle.
undeniable that we are moving toward a more Yet, the move to the cloud is
mobile, smarter world. As we are moving
forward in advanced technologies where
everything is becoming smart, we may be
91
percent
driven by benefits that CIOs simply
cannot pass on. The answer
is then a seamless hybrid
able to expect a future in which all computing cloud environment. Going
will be done in the cloud, says Jamil Ezzo, of business projected to migrate hybrid offers opportunities
Director General, ICDL Arabia. However, to the cloud in the next three to better balance CAPEX
the shift toward cloud computing will be years. investments in owned
faced with challenges that will take time to resources and OPEX spending
be resolved, particularly in the creation of an on cloud-based services, and to
environment that can easily deal with this leverage the combined capabilities
new way of computing. of private and public clouds, says Taj El-
Kumaravel Ramakrishnan, Product Manager, khayat, Regional Vice President, Middle East,
ManageEngine agrees that the future is in the Turkey, North, West, and Central Africa,
Riverbed Technology. Louay Dahmash, Head
of Middle East, Autodesk, agrees, From a
business perspective, the cloud can also offer
many opportunities and possibilities like
With a growth of over collaboration, increased mobility, infinite
300 percent in the past six computing power and affordability," he says.
With the benefits of providing
years and with 91 percent of employees with accessible applications and
businesses projected to migrate services so great, it is imperative that CIOs
to the cloud in the next three years, turn their attention to creating a seamless
cloud environment that is both streamlined
the future of all computing points for end-users, and that protects sensitive
toward the cloud. data and processes. With careful planning,
this type of integration is possible, and we
Kumaravel Ramakrishnan, Product Manager, ManageEngine will likely be seeing a good deal more of it
in the future.

network World
WiFi
Harnessing Gigabit
Wi-FiWhat to consider as you prepare for the transition to 802.11ac.

Strategic
Innovation Partner
T
he newest version of the
802.11 standard 802.11ac
is ready for prime time. The The growth predictions for this
official IEEE standard is year alone are astounding, with
finished, the Wi-Fi Alliance has
issued a specification for interoperability,
Infonetics estimating that 802.11ac
essentially all enterprise-class Wi-Fi system routers will make up 42 per cent -
vendors are shipping (or have at least 74 million devices if the market stays at
announced) 802.11ac products, and price/ the 2014 level of 176 million routers - of
performance is significantly improved over
802.11n products.
all Wi-Fi enabled router shipments.
The move to gigabit Wi-Fi is picking up
Valerie Maguire, Director of Standards & Technology, Siemon
steam for obvious reasons 802.11ac is faster,
more agile and more robust than any of its
predecessors. Providing Wi-Fi at the speed of
a wired network, the latest version of wireless text to streaming video and multimedia, and
standard is revolutionising how enterprises limits on cellular data plans that encourage
support the large number of devices users to 'off-load' to Wi-Fi are all driving the
connecting to their networks. need for faster Wi-Fi networks. Clients with
Though installing this next-generation Wi- 802.11n installations underway are strongly
Fi technology will become mandatory soon, encouraged to transition their design to
there are many questions that you need to support 802.11ac to avoid bottlenecks and
address before making the move. The biggest congestion, increase capacity, and reduce
challenge facing IT managers is justifying the latency in their wireless network.
investment given the fact that many 802.11n
installations are still underway, and the vast
majority of these are far from saturated or
1
billion
Manish Bhardwaj, Marketing
Manager, Middle East & Turkey,
Aruba Networks, offers
even fully depreciated. another reason for deploying
802.11ac is the most rapidly adopted is the estimated sales of 802.11ac, Now the 100 Mbps
consumer devices with
wireless Ethernet application ever," says 802.11ac capability this or 200 Mbps rates enabled by
Valerie Maguire, Director of Standards & year 802.11n, breakthrough figures
Technology, Siemon. "The growth predictions that put it on a par with 10/100
for this year alone are astounding, with Mbps Ethernet just a few years ago
Infonetics estimating that 802.11ac routers seem barely adequate for some emerging
will make up 42 per cent (74 million devices video applications. If organisations are
if the market stays at the 2014 level of 176 forward thinking and are looking to improve
million routers) of all Wi-Fi enabled router performance, then 802.11ac is the answer.
shipments. Strategy Analytics also estimates Luckily for users, a broad range of
that sales of consumer devices with 802.11ac deployment scenarios are available with
Wi-Fi capability (including routers and what might just be the last major WLAN
gateways) will exceed the $1 billion mark. upgrade, which enables a cost-effective fit
She adds that the increasing presence for virtually every situation. Given the higher
and capacity of mobile and handheld devices, throughput of 802.11ac, is it safe to assume
the evolution of information content from that only fewer access points will be required

network World
WiFi
in any given installation? Not necessarily,

says Maguire. Unlike 802.11n devices, which
can be configured to transmit in either the
All 802.11ac access points (APs)
2.4GHz or 5 GHZ spectrum, 802.11ac devices will be backwards compatible
will transmit exclusively in the less crowded with 802.11a/b/g/n. This will allow
5 GHz spectrum. This spectrum supports for a gradual migration away from
higher transmission rates because of more
available non-overlapping radio channels
these legacy devices to 802.11ac on a
and is considered 'cleaner' because there are more time-manageable schedule.
fewer devices operating in the spectrum and
less potential for interference. However, one Manish Bhardwaj, Marketing Manager, Middle East & Turkey, Aruba Networks
disadvantage to operating in this spectrum is
that 5GHz signals have a shorter transmission
range and have more difficulty penetrating design need to be considered and number of
building materials than 2.4 GHz signals. access points will not be changed, he says.
This transmission range, coupled Another option to consider is whether to
with the fact that the typical user rip-and-replace, or simply add a new 802.11ac
is anticipated to be connecting
more Wi-Fi enabled devices
(6-8 devices per user is
70
PERCENT
network to your existing WLAN. All 802.11ac
access points (APs) will be backwards
compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n. This will
anticipated) at any given time allow for a gradual migration away from
than ever before, means that the of smartphones shipped this these legacy devices to 802.11ac on a more
density of wireless access points year will have ac chipset time-manageable schedule. However not all of
will likely remain unchanged or the features from 802.11ac will be available
may even slightly increase as clients for use with these legacy devices. In some
migrate from 802.11n to 802.11ac. deployments, 802.11ac APs will be rolled out
Saleem Al Balooshi, Executive VP , in phases, says Bhardwaj.
Network Development & Operations , du, says An overlay network is the way to go if the
802.11ac technology indeed provides higher bulk of network traffic is still in the 2.4Ghz
throughput, but less coverage due to the band, using traditional b/g channels. Since
nature of the 5GHz frequency band compared 802.11ac only uses the 5GHz band, there
to 2.4GHz band. So to maintain good coverage will be little or no disruption to your current
with high throughput, both frequency bands user base, and new clients with 802.11ac
technology will immediately benefit from the
new network. And, if you have clients that
already support 802.11ac technologies (like
the newer Macbooks) you will even see a
802.11ac technology indeed benefit on your existing 2.4GHz network as
these users will seamlessly migrate to the new
provides higher throughput, but 802.11ac network, freeing up bandwidth on
less coverage due to the nature the 2.4GHz channels.
of the 5GHz frequency band ABI Research predicts that 70 percent of
compared to 2.4GHz band. smartphone shipped by 2015 will have 'ac'
chipsets, and since smartphones are probably
Saleem Al Balooshi, Executive VP , Network Development and the biggest BYOD challenge, moving them off
Operations, du to a new 802.11ac network in a new frequency
band will provide some instant relief.

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Security AdvisEr
Hacktivism
Cyber subversives
Debating political issues, promoting free speech, and supporting human rights,
the illegal cyber activities of hacktivists divide opinion. Are they criminals like
any other, or are their cases of their work justifying their underhand means?

A
range of factors can be Services, Help AG, also believes the ubiquity
attributed to the rise of of IT services makes hacktivism the obvious
hacktivism. Throughout choice for mayhem, A prominent factor in the
history, economic and political increasing scale of hacktivism is the growing
dissatisfaction have always significance of IT systems in everyday life,
been cause for public dissent, but the he says. Today, any large public or private
increased prominence and dominance of the sector organisation has an online presence
Internet has made online subversion one of and will certainly depend very heavily on a
the first ports of call for 21st century number of IT systems. Given that disruption
dissidents. to these services can cause an immediate and
Hacktivist groups like Anonymous noticeable impact on the business, it is no
have made it their mission to exploit social wonder why hacktivism is such an effective
media, taking aim at governments and tool.
organisations they perceive to be corrupt The typical hacktivist is not financially
and dictatorial. Julian Assanges WikiLeaks motivated. In that vein, their main goal
has also gained infamy by publishing a range is to influence opinion, and to negate the
of information about high-level wrongdoing reputation of their target. The main way
on a range of culprits. In the Middle East, the they can do this is to disrupt web services or
Syrian Electronic Army is an organisation by defacing sites. This service interruption
that is never far from IT-related headlines. and resultant bad press can always have a
The group frequently defaces the social negative impact on a business, and against
media accounts of numerous high-profile unscrupulous rulers, serves as a form of non-
American organisations, and has targeted violent yet effective protest. Unlike hackers
Forbes, Microsoft and CNBC amongst others. who are often financially motivated and whose
Although the attacks may not be incredibly ends are self-serving, hacktivists will always
sophisticated or damaging, they grab have a degree of support, as their actions are
widespread attention. mostly politically or socially motivated. Their
Before the Internet, there was the power other principle means of attack is by extorting
of street protests and demonstrations, Jason information, which can be used to blackmail
Hart, Vice President, Cloud Solutions, SafeNet, their victims.
says. The rise of the Internet changed the One school of thought considers
rules of the game. The principle remains hacktivists to be cybercriminals that must be
the same at its core, in terms of motivation, prosecuted, the other, despite being conscious
purpose and result. The evolution of of the threat they represent, maintains that
technology marked the change in technique they are a voice to listen to, says Firosh
for those who want to change the world and Ummer, Managing Director, EMEA, Paladion
the results are at least as dramatic. Networks. Their intent is never to hit civil
Nicolai Solling, Director of Technology people or critical infrastructures, so one

Security Adviser
Hacktivism
of their most common attacks has been

distributed denial of service, which has
become sophisticated over time by using Their intent is never to
any visitor on a site as an attacker to send
an enormous quantity of requests in a short hit civil people or critical
period to disable a website or web service. infrastructures, so one of their
Although hacktivists are not always
associated with governments or powerful
most common attacks has been
organisations, their beliefs often align with distributed denial of service, which
them. But is there a point at which the lines
blur between noble hacktivism and illegal
has become sophisticated over time.
sabotage, or are the two one and the same?
Firosh Ummer, Managing Director, EMEA, Paladion Networks
Can hacktivists be regarded as a modern-day
Robin Hood, attacking the powerful to help the
afflicted, or are their actions conducive
to a culture of cybercrime? cyber criminals; the ethical hacker might be
Mohammed Amin Hasbini, requested to exploit the vulnerabilities only if
Senior Security Researcher,
Kaspersky Lab, believes there
is a clear pocket of what is
117,105 officially approved by the organisation, to find
the range of a certain weakness.
Mohamed Djenane, Security Specialist,
acceptable, Theres only one data records stolen by ESET Middle East, thinks it is becoming
type of hacking that can be hacktivists in Q3 2014 increasingly difficult to distinguish between
defended: ethical hacking, he the two, We are seeing hacktivism now
says. After an agreement with blend with more serious cyber-terrorism
an organisation, an ethical hacker as was the case with the Sony hack in
is hired to test the organisation services 2014, he says. Here, beyond reputation
for weaknesses that could be abused by loss, sensitive information was leaked
which was then used for blackmail. When
an organisation falls victim to a traditional
hacker, the news of the data breach is not
Today, any large public or generally publicised as the hackers are
driven by financial motives and would
private sector organisation prefer not to draw attention to themselves.
has an online presence and Although most civilian organisations
will certainly depend very do not run a great risk of being a victim of
hacktivism, vigilance still pays, says Greg Day,
heavily on a number of IT systems. Vice President and Chief Technology Officer,
Given that disruption to these EMEA, FireEye. As with all cyber-threats, each
organisation needs to consider the probability
services can cause an immediate and potential impact to themselves; their
and noticeable impact on the business risk analysis, he says. This should
include analysis as to what their brand
business, it is no wonder why externally represents, who could see them as
hacktivism is such an effective tool. a target and why, then analysis of their own
technology the business dependancies on
Nicolai Solling, Director of Technology Services, Help AG this and how well they would be able to detect
and respond to such an incident.

23rd March 2015
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai
Recognising the Middle Easts

Networking Champions
For sponsorship enquiries, please reach: For agenda-related enquiries, please reach:
Rajashree Rammohan Jeevan Thankappan

Publishing Director Group Editor For registration enquiries, please reach:
raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com
+971 4 440 9131 +971 4 440 9133
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Michal Zylinski Annie Bricker +971 4 440 9100
Senior Sales Manager Deputy Editor
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PRESENTED BY
Telecoms World
LTE
Cashing in on
LTE
With the increasing number of LTE roll outs in
the region, a key challenge facing operators
is how to boost the revenue with next-
generation mobile services. Industry pundits
say there are many new models operators
can tap into, thanks to LTE.
L
TE is more mature than ever, LTE networks up and running. GSMA
with higher speeds, more Intelligence estimates that Saudi alone will
device selection and more chip account for more than half of all LTE
suppliers adding to the connection in the Middle East by this year
ecosystem for the fast mobile with the total number of LTE connections
technology. In the GCC, almost every major reaching over 16 million, which is about five
carrier has a LTE network in place now and percent of the global total.
countries such as Saudi have three commercial Though growing demand for data is

in association with
shore up their bottom lines.

Rakesh Lakhani, Head of MBB, Ericsson
region Middle East, says data based revenue
streams are the obvious answer here as the
introduction of LTE services encourages users
to consume more data, given the enhanced
customer experience that the technology
provides. One revenue stream operators can
explore is content delivery and creation LTE
users are increasingly hungry for content,
and will consume more when using an LTE
connection. Over-the-Top (OTT) services can
also be offered, improved enterprise solutions
such as mobile video conferencing and access
to cloud-based applications. LTE Broadcast
is another potential revenue stream for
operators with efficient delivery of video to
multiple users simultaneously.
Fady Younes, Head of Service Providers,
Cisco UAE, agrees that there are a variety
of new revenue streams that operators can
develop around LTE. In the Middle East,
private networks for the energy, oil, and gas
sector are seeing strong demand, providing
communications, pipeline remote security,
and leveraging smartphones as replacements
for radios.
As Smart Cities continue to grow
throughout the Middle East, government
services are being transformed by LTE. For
example, LTE services supporting remote
water and utility meters; smart traffic lights,
security cameras, and smart street lighting;
smart parking sensors and meters; and police
departments using security cameras, traffic light
cameras, and identification cameras, he adds.
Tailored offerings
driving interest in LTE, the challenge facing Should operators primarily target SME and
these operators is how to monetise their Enterprise markets for LTE services, where
investments in LTE and find a right pricing the ARPU is much higher compared with
framework for mobile data profitability. With consumer market?
voice revenues in terminal decline, most of Hassan Sabry, Wireless Business
the operators that have invested heavily in Development Lead META Region, Alcatel-
4G networks are looking at the new revenue Lucent, says business-focused solutions in
streams that can developed around LTE to general offer a good way for operators to

Organised by
22nd Feb
24th Feb
25th Feb
www.cnmeonline.com/cloudroadshow/2015
For sponsorship enquiries, please reach: For agenda-related enquiries, please reach:
Rajashree Rammohan Jeevan Thankappan

Publishing Director Group Editor For registration enquiries, please reach:
raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com
+971 4 440 9131 +971 4 440 9133
+971 50 173 9987 +971 56 415 6425 CPI Events Team
bitevents@cpimediagroup.com
Michal Zylinski Annie Bricker +971 4 440 9100
Senior Sales Manager Deputy Editor
michal.zylinski@cpimediagroup.com annie.bricker@cpimediagroup.com
+971 4 440 9119 +971 4 440 9116
+971 55 230 2341 +971 56 130 5505
Organised by
Telecoms World
LTE
generate additional revenues from LTE. By

developing a genuine business-to-business
mindset and thinking of LTE service provision
VoLTE will be a significant point
from the perspective of the customer, of differentiation for the regions
operator can well position LTE services for operators, as it will provide
SME and enterprise. customers with higher quality
Cloud-based services also appear to
be a perfect match for the high-speed, low-
calls that connect much faster than
latency nature of LTE, as long as operators traditional calls connection will be in
can package and sell services that are not no more than two seconds, compared
traditional for telecoms firms. For example, to three or more that are required to
several operators are bundling cloud-based
software subscriptions with packages for
connect on GSM or CDMA networks.
small and medium-sized enterprises that
Fady Younes, Head of Service Providers, Cisco UAE
include fixed, mobile and IP-PBX, he says.
Lakhani from Ericsson says that though
SMEs and enterprise customers can
undoubtedly benefit from LTE, consumers VoLTE will have a significant impact in
are increasingly adopting the technology for 2015. Already 288 operators in 104 countries
the benefits it has in personal connectivity have launched LTE, and more than 60 operators
and communications. Therefore, different are investing in VoLTE technology, through
approaches should be taken to target all studies, trials, and various stages of network
consumer segments, highlighting the specific deployments, according to the Global Mobile
features that will appeal to them. Suppliers Association (GSA), says Younes.
VoLTE will be a significant point of
Beyond just data differentiation for the regions operators, as it
LTE is not all about just mobile data with the will provide customers with higher quality calls
impending arrival of VoLTE, short for Voice that connect much faster than traditional calls
over Long Term Evolution. VoLTE refers to connection will be in a no more than 2 seconds,
something wireless customers should actually compared to the 3 or more seconds required to
care about and will probably appropriate: connect on GSM or CDMA networks. The clarity
better quality voice calls; the ability to use of HD calls over VoLTE will be a big bonus over
voice and data at the same time; and more OTT, as it means less chance of calls dropping,
network efficiency, which translates into of static or other interferences.
better service. The voice over LTE market is a natural
market reaction to diminishing returns on voice
services. Following increased competition from
OTT VoIP services, more operators will deploy
Operators in developed VoLTE services in 2015. Some analysts expect
there to be over 100 million active VoLTE
markets see VoLTE as both subscriptions worldwide by the end of 2015.
a means to gain competitive Operators in developed markets see VoLTE
advantage over competition and a as both a means to gain competitive advantage
tool to bolster their brand strength. over competition and a tool to bolster their
brand strength. As the developed markets begin
Hassan Sabry, Wireless Business Development Lead META Region, to move towards comprehensive LTE coverage,
Alcatel-Lucent VoLTE will become an integral part of their value
proposition, says Sabri from Alcatel-Lucent.

CXO Corner
Forward-thinking
financials
Mohammed Faisal, CFO, Al Mostajed Technologies Group, has a good
relationship with all departments in the company but that doesn't mean he
sugarcoats his opinion when it comes to funding projects.

M
uhammed Faisal, Chief analyse our business. make good business
Financial Officer, Al Its a basic thing, and sense. I have to
Mostajed Technologies we have all moved keep a close
Group, is not a man forward. One person relationship
that is afraid to voice his opinion. In this with the CIO
During his time at the company, he new world of cannot do and the IT
has taken on a number of projects in technology, anything, but department,
partnership with the IT department finance says Faisal,
that have supported Al Mostajed both officers have
when we work as IT is now the
internally and with its many clients. to be equipped a team, we can backbone of
Faisal has more than 18 years of
experience in finance. I was living
with the
proper tools,
be successful. most industries
and ours in no
and working in Pakistan, he says, says Faisal. From exception. In
and in 2003 I made the move to business analytics short, he says, the
the Middle East. He did his time as software, to powerful departments need to
an auditor for a few years, auditing accounting tools, the work together to move the
various companies and serving as a finance department simply could not business forward.
financial controller for a company in keep up with todays pace of business Still, he says, he has to be
Qatar before making his permanent if it werent for solid IT infrastructure. discerning in regard to the projects
home in Dubai. Microsoft, Oracle and more, we all that he decides deserve funding. If
Since joining Al Mostajed in 2012 rely on their technology these days, finance is not controlling if we are
he's been busy a testament to his says Faisal. It is important, he says, to not mitigating the potential risks of
assertion that the role of the CFO has stay abreast of the latest technologies a project then every department
fast been moving beyond the confines to keep business moving forward. will just do whatever they want, he
of the finance department. Since It is not only technology, however, explains. He quotes his director when
coming on, he says, I have been that Faisal says is paramount to acting it comes to funding projects, When I
involved in projects involving business as a top-notch CIO. I was lucky that first came here, I had commented to
processes, controls and more. early on I was involved in developing my director that it seemed difficult to
The role of the CFO, says Faisal, things like ERP systems, he says, keep everyone happy, Faisal recalls,
has changed significantly over the past Through development experiences, He told me that it was important
decade. We arent just dealing with I was able to gain an understanding to maintain good relationships with
accounting anymore, he explains, I of all the working parts of business all the departments here, but it did
work as a risk manager, I have to analyse development. In addition, Faisal not mean that everyone needed to
performance, as well as day-to-day made it a priority when he joined Al be happy. The result is clear when
requirements and more. Indeed, Faisal Mostajed, to cut down on the paper Faisal denies a project, it is always
is sure that all over the world, the CFO travelling between departments. I with the health of the company as his
has become one of the key management wanted to take on a paperless project top priority.
positions to any operation. and implement systems that cut down Faisal pins his success at Al
If I go, say, 15 years back in on the need for human intervention, Mostajed, and the continuing success
my career, I can see that the role of he says. His initiative was a success, of the company, on an exceptionally
a financial officer has very much and was completed in the first month solid managerial team. The C-level
changed, says Faisal. This is true of his employment with Al Mostajed. suite trusts his judgement, and
particularly in regard to the influence When it comes to implementing encourages him to look into the
that technology has in the finance new operation technology, then, details of even their own proposals.
department. At that time, we were Faisal can be a tough sell. With his Here, we all have good support,
just using Excel sheets to analyse business development, finance and from the top down, he says, One
our finances, he recalls, now a technology experience, he is armed to person cannot do anything, but
spreadsheet like that can only provide determine whether or not a project when we work as a team, we can be
a small picture of the data we need to will be financially viable, and also successful.

26-28 APRIL 2015
The Middle East and Africas Essential

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Vintage Tech
IBM System/360
The IBM System/360 mainframe computer was the first line of computers designed to cover a
complete range of applications, both scientific and commercial. The first in the family,
the Model 30 was the precursor to modern day computing. It could perform up to 34,500
instructions per second and had a memory from 8 to 64KB. This was the largest investment
by IBM into computing, and cost $5 billion to develop in todays terms, about $38
billion. The system was built on a solid logic semiconductor and allowed different
applications to communicate. Though it went against industry practices at the time, IBM
created an entire family of computers under the System/360 from low to high performance.
This allowed consumers to dip their toe in by purchasing a smaller, less powerful
model, and upgrade in the future when their needs and comfort levels increased. The
System/360 line of computers was extremely successful, largely due to their scalability.
The systems flexibility greatly lowered barriers to entry for individuals and companies
alike. It is thought to be one of the most successful computers of all time, and
certainly had an effect on computer design for decades to come.

INTERVIEW
Peter Clay, Chief Information
Security Officer, CSG Invotas
Dubious cause,
What are a CISOs top concerns?
Resources. Its the same everywhere,
theres a great disparity between the
resources of attackers and defenders.
For so long, IT security has been a
dubious outcome
cost centre, where IT has to get the
maximum benefit from minimal
resources; If we can pass the test with
70 percent, why bother aiming for 100?
CISOs are becoming more skilled with
As Chief Information Security Officer of automated threat response tools, processes and technology. Theyre
firm CSG Invotas, Peter Clay always has his hands full. He tells becoming better at stretching budgets.
CNME about his biggest pain points, the processes that can ease Nonetheless, the fact remains that in
the burden on IT security teams, and the dire shortcomings that the the U.S there is a shortage of 300,000 IT
industry faces. security professionals, and the number
is as much as 800,000 worldwide.
H
This gap further necessitates more
ow do you see the developed huge offensive cyber innovative tools and processes, which
global threat landscape capabilities, while nation states are cant be created overnight. People
changing? going after private corporations. need to understand that IT security is a
IT security is There is a huge disconnect between necessity for success.
undoubtedly a global problem. motives and capabilities - a lot of
Whatever happens in this realm is countries have assembled such an What strategies are now most
ubiquitous, and no longer locally arsenal that they have the power to important for CISOs around the world?
confined. Certain countries have take down targets at will. Theyre looking at automating

processes that can be done by others you dont stand a importance. Lets say
machines, so that man hours can chance. On those days, it takes five or six
be spent on analysis. The word your team will be I could processes before a
automation has a bad scent to it; working around have security ticket is issued,
inadvertently blocking the CEOs the clock, professionals who you lose 25
email is the fastest way to get fired. sometimes have the intelligence minutes just
Another key issue is that of for 70 hours waiting
compliance. An increasing number straight,
of a grandmaster chess for that to
of governments are now moving to and they are player or a brilliant happen. A
pass laws for compliance. The UAE nightmarish. scientist, but if they are machine
government is a prime example; IT Its always stuck in front of a screen could
security has been prominent in a interesting without the right pull that
number of their discussions. Countries to watch the tools then they will information
are taking a strategic approach, finding IT security together in
a functional way to achieve their goals. subculture
eventually walk one place, then
In the midst of this CISOs are caught of dealing with away. a human can
up with laws and regulations, but are incidents, but I dont feel create the ticket. This
lagging on the technology front. Take any pressure of being in the increases your capacity to
cloud. Its operationally sound, but CISO seat. find the poison needle. If an IT
the customer is often left worrying if In the face of a breach, there are team has 1,000 threats to deal with
theyre at the mercy of foreign laws. three main parties that the CISO has every day, they are always behind.
If Im an Emirati, do I want my data to juggle: the executive, the regulator If you can bring this number down
residing in the U.S or Ireland whilst and the team working on rectifying to 100, they at least have a chance of
knowing it has to meet local laws and the damage. The exec always asks beating them.
regulations? why did you fail? the regulator
says well take it from here and at People, processes and technology
How do CISOs go about combatting the same time you have your team are all key elements in thorough IT
threats in in real time whilst detecting who is feverishly analysing terabytes security. Which of the three do you
other potential vulnerabilities that of data. regard as most important?
can be exploited? Undoubtedly people. Technology can
Its important to think about Is automated threat response provide data but humans can interpret
processes. Software and machines can different from automated incident it in a way that machines cant. Whats
do things very well, so if you can use response? important is to ensure people have
the right tools for faster detection, you Yes. One of the main challenges CISOs actionable data at their fingertips. The
have a better chance of containing and now face is that of language. We can sad reality is that most IT security
then eradicating a problem. When you build all sorts of dashboards, but professionals are immensely talented
buy a laptop, within 19 seconds there the problem we face is that we are people who are being burned out by
will be an attempted hack against it. drowning in data. the futility of their jobs. I could have
IT security programmes stop the vast Its important that we can take security professionals who have the
majority of attacks, but theyre not action on data, and react to a threat; intelligence of a grandmaster chess
very good at telling you how effective a faster reaction will lead to a better player or a brilliant scientist, but if
your security is. outcome in that respect. In the past, they are stuck in front of a screen
when security teams conducted without the right tools then they will
Does being a CISO of an IT security forensic analyses, if there was an eventually walk away. The average
company bring an extra element of indication of a problem, resources tenure for a CISO is 18 months, which
pressure? werent optimised to deal with it, they sends out the message of youre a
Its quite often a case of dubious got buried in other false indicators. failure to the team, and that lack of
cause, dubious outcome. Some days Automation and orchestration stability is also a deterrent to working
you can keep on top of things, but on needs to take on a greater in the industry.

Analyst view Peter Sondergaard, Senior Vice President,
Global Head of Research, Gartner
A New Approach to
Its all about focus
CEOs need to task the DRO to
investigate the risk implications of
Digital Security
digital innovation and the level of
risk that is acceptable across the
organisation in a world of increasing
digitalisation of both physical and
virtual assets and processes. The
T
he start of any year always businesses, they will require a digital assessment of risk needs to span the
brings about the dreaded 'all- risk and security program. digital business from one end to the
day meetings.' This is when In speaking with our Chief of other, not in isolated pockets such as
CEOs and their teams hunker down Research for Security and Risk, Paul products, business units or traditional
with leaders throughout the business Proctor, it is clear that CEOs must channels. It must be across the entire
in daylong meetings to kick-off plans, own the responsibility of redefining process to be successful.
programs and initiatives. If youre what security and risk means for To be successful, the DRO needs
anything like me then you know their organisations as they become a deep level of understanding of the
youve been in too many of these digital businesses. To address these Internet of things (IoT), operational
meetings when you catch yourself challenges head on, our research technology (OT), physical security,
using terms like I think we need a strongly recommends that CEOs information security, privacy,
bio-break. Sigh. consider the role the digital risk business continuity management and
I have been working with a lot of officer (DRO), which is a new role or risk. The DRO needs to understand
client CEOs and their teams over the an expanded set of responsibilities the entire digital platform of the
past few weeks, and one topic keeps for the chief information security organisation. In many organisations
coming up over and over again officer (CISO). the CISO may assume these expanded
information security. The sensational As organisations, marketplaces, responsibilities, but may not continue
headlines from last year about customers and every other factor to report to the CIO.
systems breaches, compromised impacting our strategy constantly
customer data and brand attacks have change, new opportunities and What next?
struck a chord for leaders who see risks inevitably present themselves Digital risk and security is only one of
this as a very real and present danger to CEOs and senior leaders. New several capabilities that CEOs need to
for their organisations. roles with defined responsibilities re-evaluate, assume accountability for
are often created to focus the and then assign specific responsibility
Whats to be done? necessary time, resources and for to a leader within their organisation.
The same headlines that have clearly expertise on these issues so that, Digital business requires an added set
spooked CEOs into putting information putting it simply, something gets of capabilities as a CEO. Gartner believes
security on their priority list have done about it. These roles are the rapid digital change around us leaves
also polarised them into a perilously sometimes transient, or a way every CEO with only 24 months to
narrow way of thinking about what of defining a specific additional develop a digital strategy, reassign and/
actually constitutes information focus for an existing senior leader. or expand corporate responsibilities and
security risk. Too often they see the Either way, the title of Digital start executing change.
solution as merely improving the tools Risk Officer acts as a rallying flag A recent article in the Wall Street
and platforms managed by their CIO within the organisation for all these Journal noted that experienced CISOs
and IT organisations. initiatives to coalesce in one place. with these skills are now commanding
But this is not sufficient. And rather than own a specific new $1M+ packages. Its clear that the
Information security is no longer initiative, which inevitably causes size of the challenge does not match
just a technical problem handled by friction within the C-suite, the most the number of professionals who are
technical people. It requires systemic successful executives instead focus qualified to help, which creates a high
behaviour change in business on coordinating the multitude of price for this scarce competence.
process and by all employees. And activities and direct efforts in one So theres no time to lose. Is this
as more enterprises become digital coherent direction. on your all-day meeting agenda?

GULF ENTERPRISE MOBILITY EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE
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& SECURITY
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26 - 28 APRIL 2015
Dubai World Trade Centre
Secure your place Ayusha Tyagi Mundhir Al-Hakim Rintu Mathew

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showcase your solutions to a qualified audience Tel: +971 4 308 6747 Tel: +971 4 308 6201 Tel: +971 4 308 6037
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Sponsor Publisher Airline Partner
PRODUCTS
Launches and releases
PRODUCT
OF THE
MONTH
PRODUCT
WATCH
A breakdown of the top
products and solutions launched
and released in the last month.
Product of the Month: Chromebook 2

Brand: Toshiba
What it does: Chromebooks are here! It seems like most PC manufacturers
are coming out with some version of a Chrome OS enabled ultrabook. Toshiba is
no exception, coming out with its second shot, the aptly named Chromebook 2.
The Chromebook 2 is a slightly slimmed down version of its older brother at 32 cm
wide by 21 cm deep by 2 cm thick. The screen is bright, at 340 nits and the audio
speakers are tuned by Skullcandy. Other features include an HD webcam with
a dual-mic array; one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port; a full-size HDMI output; a
headphone/mic jack; an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot supporting cards up to 2TB; and
802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
What you should know: Chromebooks are usually known for their affordability,
not necessarily their performance. Hovering at a cost of around $300, often, corners
are cut to keep costs low and portability high. Toshiba has made a few compromises,
but still manages to deliver a wide, bright screen and a few additional bells and
whistles. At $326, the Chromebook 2 cant be overlooked while searching for a
relatively powerful machine for travel.

Product: G Flex 2 Product: UP24
Brand: LG Brand: Jawbone
What it does: Here we are
What it does: The LG Flex 2 boasts a in the world of wearables. This
6-inch display, and 13 megapixel camera. year will be the year that more
It has a Corning Gorilla Glass face and runs and more people will invest
on Android OS. It claims to have about in some kind of wearable
15 hours of active talk time in its battery. technology. Jawbone has
A significant improvement on the 2013 been in the game for a while,
LG Flex pairs Qualcomms latest 64-bit and its UP24 is its latest
Snapdragon 810 processor with a Full HD display. fitness tracker. The Jawbone
What you should know: The LG Flex 2 doesnt look like other phones. It UP24 wristband connects
doesnt even look like other LG phones. The strange qualities of the G Flex do to your smartphone via
not stop at its bend, however. The phone also boasts a self-healing back. The Bluetooth and tracks activity
result of these two unique features is well portability. In short, you can put it in levels, measures distances
your back pocket without worrying about your backside damaging the screen. At youve travelled, scans your
almost $750, that kind of protection is almost worth it. food via barcodes, monitors
your sleeping and can even
connect to your homes
thermostat.
What you should know:
The UP24 is actually quite
a stylish band. Jawbone
has released a in a variety
of designs and the band
is made to be worn on the
non-dominant wrist. The
accompanying smartphone
app is the portal for all fitness
information gleaned from
Product: XPS 13 wearing the device. That being
Brand: Dell said, in that the
band updates
What it does: The Ultrabook market is booming with the app every
manufacturers attempting to pack the power of a traditional laptop 20 minutes
into a tiny frame. The XPS 13 from Dell has met the brief, both in via Bluetooth,
terms of processing power and portability. The XPS 13 comes it can be
into two models, Full HD and Quad HD which both raise the bar a wear on
for other Ultrabook manufacturers. Both units come standard with your phones
Windows 8.1 and 5th-gen Intel Core processors, but only the Quad battery life.
HD model offers a touchscreen. The standard models battery life The only
runs for 15 hours and the Quad HD lasts for just under 11 hours. worrisome
What you should know: The XPS 13 is a small fry with a thing to be
big punch at 2.6lbs for a Full HD and 2.8lbs for touchscreen Quad aware of when
HD. Both come with carbon fibre composite palm rests, 1560 purchasing an
802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, two USB 3.0 ports, UP24 is that
one mini DisplayPort, an SD card reader, and a 3-in-1 SD, SDHC, its successor,
SDXC Card Reader. Dell has come very close to hitting all of the the UP3 is
important points of an Ultrabook here. At $1,299 for the Quad HD nearly ready for release.
model, the price is also not bad for its usability and portability.

Top Security
Risks in 2015 Glen Ogden, Regional
Sales Director, Middle
East at A10 Networks
#1 Malvertisers will dole

out trouble as they
infiltrate ad networks
of 556. But DNS and NTP are not the
only culprits of amplification attacks.
Attackers can also leverage SNMP,
though IoT is still in its early stages, the
number of devices connected to the
Internet is growing, thereby increasing
Malware distributors have zeroed NetBIOS, and other protocols to launch the potential for attacks at any time.
in on a fast and effective way to amplification attacks. Amplification To reduce risks associated with IoT
infect millions of users: malvertising. has contributed to the escalating devices, consumers and businesses
With malvertising, cybercriminals size of DDoS attacks. To protect alike should investigate how the
distribute malicious code through against amplification attacks in 2015, device is accessed and whether it
online advertising networks. Because organisations should deploy security stores sensitive data. They should
the malware-laden advertisements equipment that can mitigate large- avoid installing unknown software
are hosted by legitimate websites scale DDoS attacks. and, whenever possible, configure
and the ads constantly change, strong passwords on devices.
traditional security tools that black
list malicious sites cannot easily block
malvertisers ads. Malware-laden
#3 Traditionally secure
infrastructure such as
VDI will be compromised #5 POS systems will
continue to be under
ads often silently infect machines Compared to traditional desktop fire, but Smart Cards will come
without users knowledge. To prevent infrastructures, VDI provides a host to the rescue
malware infections, organisations of advantages; organisations can Retail breaches overshadowed virtually
should install anti-malware software lower hardware and operating costs, every other attack vector in late 2013
on client machines and enforce support BYOD initiatives, and bolster and 2014. The culprit behind these
security controls on clients browsers. security. Since all data is stored in a breaches: malware infections on point-
Advanced threat protection platforms central location rather than on endpoint of-sale (POS) devices. Using a variety of
can also help detect malware in devices, VDI reduces physical data theft techniques, hackers are able to install
web traffic. Since many web-based risks. However, desktop virtualisation malware on POS systems. The most
advertisements are now delivered also exposes new security challenges. advanced malware strains can actually
over SSL, organisations should decrypt Organisations often host multiple capture data from inter-process
and inspect encrypted traffic. desktops with the same operating communications, quickly zeroing in on
systems and the same set of applications payment card data. While we predict
#2 A new DDoS
amplification attack
will emerge
on a single physical server. We predict
that in 2015, attackers will execute more
brute force attacks and conduct new and
that these attacks will continue, the
migration to chip-and-pin smartcards
towards the end of 2015 will make
Over the past two years, creative attacks on virtual desktops. To it harder for hackers to monetise the
cybercriminals have exploited DNS protect VDI environments, organisations data stolen from POS systems. They
and NTP servers to amplify the size should implement operating system or wont be able to use fake magnetic
of their DDoS attacks. With DNS and application isolation. cards and will primarily be relegated
NTP amplification attacks, an attacker to online payment fraud. What should
impersonates the attack target and
sends a small request to a reflector,
which is a server that replies with a
#4 The Internet of Things
(IoT) will expose new
security risks
organisations do to prevent POS-
based breaches? They can protect POS
systems from malware using white-
much larger response to the victim, More knowledge and convenience is listing, code-signing and behavioural
flooding the victims network. DNS not always a good thing. The Internet techniques, harden systems against
amplification attacks can increase the of Things (IoT) promises to make compromise by controlling who and
size of DDoS attacks by up to 54 times, our lives easier, but without proper what can access POS terminals, and
while NTP amplification attacks can safeguards, it also opens us up to an monitor for infiltrations with advanced
magnify DDoS onslaughts by a factor array of new security threats. Even threat prevention platforms.

2 - 277-CNME-Feb-15

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Abdul Razack Dileep | Raj Abdulla Ahli | Abdullah Al-Attas | Abdulmajeed Malek | Abdulnasser Alkaabi | Abdulrahman Alonaizan |

800 5800 I Etisalat Business

EDITORIAL Dominic De Sousa

equation Publishing Director

globally well-known award programme that has been running Editor

almost all countries in the Middle East. Senior Sales Manager

hours poring through all nominations, examining how Circulation Manager

on submissions that Finally, we cherry-picked the most exciting

technology, or applying an existing one to a new Digital Services Manager

every month, log on and request a subscription:

Our social media

look beyond the obvious.

Dell SonicWALL next-gen firewalls provide a deeper level

Go deeper at: www.sonicwall.com/deepernetsec

18 Being anti-social 78 Back log

www.cnmeonline.com february 2015 7

Exploits will threaten the

of the top 1 million

Bad quarter? Axe another.

www.cnmeonline.com february 2015 11

Abdulsalam Al-Bastaki, Senior Executive Director,

12 february 2015 www.cnmeonline.com

TASKalfa 5551ci SerieS

For more information please contact:

Apple catches Samsung as

Gartner predicts $3.8

14 february 2015 www.cnmeonline.com

Hackers stole Samsung, BlackBerry deny

IBM Q4 earnings Turkish government

www.cnmeonline.com february 2015 15

16 february 2015 www.cnmeonline.com

www.cnmeonline.com february 2015 17

I chefs and hotel

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A good technology, it can

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E data at their disposal

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O the region, as well as

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Read more at www.hpsoftwaredelightme.com

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