ArabWeeks

Driving investment in the Kingdom’s fast-growing ICT sector, the Ministry of Interior announced that the Kingdom will serve as the Official Country Partner for GITEX Technology Week 2015, the largest technology event in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

The Kingdom’s ICT sector has expanded significantly over the past ten years and remains on a strong growth trajectory; in 2012, ICT sector spending reached SAR 94 billion, recording 13.9% annual growth, and reached approximately SAR 102 billion in 2013, recording approximately 14% annual growth.

Over the next five years, the ICT market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% to exceed SAR 138 billion in 2017.

Public sector investment in ICT will play a key role in the Kingdom’s nationwide digital transformation, with the Kingdom’s public sector IT spending set to grow by 44% from 2014-2017, according to a report by IDC and Mobily.

As a result, the Kingdom ranks fifth in the Middle East and Africa, and 35th in the world, in the World Economic Forum’s Networked Readiness Index 2015, with the Kingdom’s government ranking 8th in the world for promoting and adopting ICT usage, and 18th in the world for government usage of e-services.

Moving forward, the Kingdom’s Tenth Development Plan (2015-2019) and the e-Government Second Action Plan (2012-2016) call for government usage of ICT to build a sustainable e-government workforce, improve the citizen services experience, develop a culture of collaboration and innovation, and improve government efficiency.

“As the Official Country Partner for GITEX Technology Week 2015, the Kingdom will use this global platform to demonstrate best practices in government-led innovation to boost economic diversification, while encouraging foreign direct investment in the Kingdom’s ICT sector and supporting home-grown technology entrepreneurs to expand beyond our borders to deliver transformative services,” said Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Asiri, Official Spokesperson, National Information Center, Ministry of Interior, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom’s Yesser e-Government Program is a beacon for best practices in e-services, with more than 875 e- services across more than 100 government agencies. For example, the Ministry of Interior’s Abshir provides electronic services across visas and sponsorship, vehicle registration, health insurance, and Hajj eligibility.

GITEX Technology Week 2015 will feature the event’s highest-ever number of exhibitors and exhibition space from the Kingdom since its launch 35 years ago, with 48 Saudi exhibitors over more than 1,800 square metres, a 26% increase in exhibitors and 19% in total space.

“For the 35th anniversary of GITEX Technology Week, the Kingdom is our ideal partner – a regional powerhouse for economic growth and technology innovation, and the region’s largest market for ICT investment. Visitors to the event can discover innovations in government services, and insights into reaching a large, youthful, and tech-savvy audience for technology innovations, and a welcoming market for foreign direct investment,” said Ahmed Al Khaja, Senior Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre, organisers of GITEX Technology Week 2015.

The new GTX Horizons zone will showcase demonstrations of emerging solutions such as 3D Printing, Autonomous Vehicles (drones), robotics, and smart transport. Additionally, the new GTX Communities area will provide new research, networking, and solutions for firms in key vertical sectors – banking, construction, education, healthcare, retail and oil and gas – that will lead innovation, foster next generation technologies and develop strategic partnerships.

GITEX Technology Week 2015 will continue the innovation narrative with hundreds of globally-renowned speakers leading the show’s expansive conference formats.

Running under the theme ‘The Internet Future of Everything,” GITEX Technology Week 2015 is set to attract more than 140,000 visitors, 20,000 C-level executives and over 3,500 exhibiting brands from 55 countries. The show will be held from 18-22 October 2015 at DWTC. For more information visit: www.gitex.com.

International Data Corporation (IDC) today said it expects ICT spending in Saudi Arabia to top the $36 billion mark this year, as organizations gear up for a whole new era of enterprise computing by ramping up their investments in emerging technologies such as cloud, mobility, big data analytics, and the Internet of Things.

These pronouncements were made as the research and consulting firm hosted the latest edition of its Saudi Arabia CIO Summit at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. Held over two days, the event was hosted under the patronage of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and attracted over 150 of Saudi Arabia’s most influential CIOs, technology decision makers, and government advisors from across the Kingdom’s entire vertical spectrum.

Running under the theme ‘Where IT Meets Business’, the Summit discussed the importance of closely aligning IT and business functions at a time when organizations across the region are facing up to the challenge of implementing emerging products and services while simultaneously trying to improve operational efficiency.

“While warnings of impending change have been heard for as long as the IT industry itself has existed, the realities facing today’s businesses represent a whole new ballgame,” said Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC’s group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. “Users are having to wrestle with a rate of change that has never been seen before. With this, the focus of CIOs across the region is beginning to shift to the new wave of disruptive technologies that are heading their way, with unprecedented opportunities to drive innovation and value creation across all facets of the organization. This will not only require a new breed of CIO leadership, but also a whole new era of collaboration right across the CxO value chain.”

With the event representing the largest gathering of CIOs in Saudi Arabia, a host of global ICT giants joined forces with influential local players to present their unique insights into the latest trends shaping technology adoption across the wider region, while a variety of senior line-of-business executives were also on hand to offer that all-important non-IT perspective. For the first time, the event also included a series of vertical-focused tracks, with the spotlight focusing on the Kingdom’s government, banking and finance, and energy sectors, as well as on the need for organizations of all kinds to embrace the digital revolution before they get left behind.

“As the world changes beyond all previous recognition, we are increasingly becoming a community of digital citizens living in a global network that is always connected,” said Abdulaziz Al-Helayyil, IDC’s regional director for Saudi Arabia. “We engage online more than ever before, and with the world’s information at our fingertips we have become significant contributors to a vast and growing information ecosystem. Businesses need to keep pace with this change by redefining themselves and adopting a digital mindset. That starts with digitizing their business models and re-engineering the customer experiences they deliver, so that they can leverage both the information they own and the information that is created by their customers.”

To ensure the very latest technologies were covered at the Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 2015, IDC partnered with some of the world’s foremost ICT players, including: STC, EMC, Wareef, and HP (in partnership with Intel) as Summit Partners; F5 Networks, BlackBerry, AEC, VMware, Schneider Electric, and Oracle (in partnership with Intel) as Platinum Partners; Infoblox, Cognizant, Vision Solutions, Informatica, Fortinet, Symantec, Veeam Software, and Juniper (in partnership with Salec) as Gold Partners; Lenovo and iLead as Vertical Partners; and Global Knowledge, Innovative Solutions, and Integrated Telecom Company as Lunch Partners.

For more information about IDC’s Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 2015, please contact Abdulaziz Al-Helayyil, IDC’s regional director for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, on +966 11 263 2962 or at ahelayyil@idc.com. You can also tweet about the Summit using the hashtag #IDCSAUDICIO or visit the dedicated event website at www.idcciosummitksa.com.

Sprout by HP, a first-of-its-kind Immersive Computing platform that redefines the user experience and creates a foundation for future immersive technologies is now available in Saudi Arabia. Sprout by HP is the first product available under HP’s Blended Reality ecosystem, designed to reduce the barriers between the digital and physical worlds, allowing users to reimagine how and what they can create.

Sprout by HP Reimagines Computing

Sprout by HP combines the power of an advanced desktop computer with an immersive, natural user interface to create a new computing experience.

Combining a scanner, depth sensor, hi-resolution camera and projector into a single device, Sprout by HP allows users to take physical items and seamlessly merge them into a digital workspace. As the first fully integrated desktop 3D scanning solution, Sprout by HP provides users with a simple, quick and affordable way to create 3D content. The system also delivers an unmatched collaboration platform, allowing users in multiple locations to collaborate on and manipulate a single piece of digital content in real-time.

Sprout by HP At-a-Glance

• Dual-screen Experience: A workspace designed for creative expression and human interaction with an integrated vertical HD touch screen coupled with a 20 point capacitive touch mat.
• The Sprout Illuminator: A projection system that scans and captures real-world objects in 3D, allowing the user to immediately interact and create.
• HP Workspace: A software platform built expressly for Sprout to take full advantage of the dual-screen experience to make working and creating seamless, intuitive and engaging.
• 3D Scanning Solution:The solution, consisting of Sprout with its Intel Real Sense 3D cameras, the proprietary HP 3D Capture Stage and 3D capture software, uniquely allows users to easily capture any object in 3D that can then be further modified, shared, and printed.
• True Remote Collaboration: The way collaboration should be. An interface that advances how users work, collaborate and share, with simultaneous visual and workspace connectivity, allowing concurrent creativity and content manipulation.
• Advanced Platform: A next-generation computing platform featuring a powerful 4^th generation Intel i7 Processor, 1TB of storage in an easy-to-use dual-screen interface, and a Windows 8.1 multi-touch experience.

Sprout Marketplace

The potential of Sprout by HP’s unique configuration is fully realised through the Sprout Marketplace, an application marketplace that contains a growing suite of applications that are optimised to take advantage of Immersive Computing platform to enhance how users work, play and engage with entertainment.

The Sprout Marketplace currently contains a suite of Windows-based applications designed uniquely for the dual-screen environment including the Crayola DJ, Fuse for Families, Virtual DJ, DreamWorks Animation Story Producer, Crayola’s Draw & Sing, GestureWorks Gameplay and first party experiences from HP including Create, Collaborate and Capture, enabling users to easily capture physical objects, manipulate them in a digital environment, and collaborate and share their creations in new ways.

New applications, including a range of creative applications for professionals, families, gamers and beyond, will continue to be added to the marketplace regularly. The Sprout Software Development Kit is available at www.sprout.hp.com/developer.

Sprout by HP is available now at Jarir Book Store Only for a starting price of 9,999 SR For more information on Sprout by HP go to: www.sprout.hp.com

As part of its ongoing effort to invest and support university students, Memac Ogilvy, the leading advertising and public relations agency in the MENA region, announced the opening of its Red Academy which will take place in Lebanon. Over a course of 4 weeks, the intensive training program will coach and hire young talents selected from the entire region to equip them in becoming the industry’s leaders of tomorrow.

“The Red Academy lies at the core belief of our agency. Fresh graduates are willing to take risks, show initiative, get the right exposure that helps them stand out in a highly competitive industry and land their dream jobs”, said Ossama El-Kaoukji, Chief Creative Officer at Memac Ogilvy. “This unique and substantial program presented by industry experts from our agency came as a natural response to the needs of the MENA market”, El-Kaoukji added.

Indeed, a fresh graduates survey conducted by YouGov and Bayt.com, revealed that respondents are generally satisfied with the quality of higher education they received except for preparation for the workplace where only 43% rated it positively. 76% of fresh graduates considered finding a job as a top challenge. Advertising and marketing emerged as the industry that hires the highest number of fresh graduates. Recognizing the need to create an environment in which the young Arab generation can be trained, equipped and empowered, Memac Ogilvy is offering this unique opportunity to help students acquire a competing edge and enough confidence to join the advertising industry.

“The communication business is one of the rare industries which offers this region’s youth a chance to express their creativity and see their ideas manifested in a tangible way”, said Tanya Dernaika, the group’s Training Leader. “There’s no shortage of young people dreaming of a career in advertising, digital, activation and PR and Memac Ogilvy is ready to make many of these dreams come true”.

“The solid opportunity that Red Academy is offering to young generations is a unique testimony of our commitment towards the innovation of the advertising industry and our deep faith in the promising talents.” Ossama El-Kaoukji concluded.

Red Academy: a wider approach and reach

Initially launched by Eddie Moutran in 1996, the “Graduate Training Program (GTP)” was the first advertising program in the region offered for free to graduate students. At the beginning, GTP was an internal program limited to graduate students from major universities in Lebanon This year, the academy broadened its geographical scope by selecting 18 ambitious students and fresh graduates from the entire MENA region. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a job offer from Memac Ogilvy.

Doors were open to all applicants, under the age of 25, holding degrees in communication majors including journalism, communication art, public relations, advertising and graphic design to be part of the Red Academy. www.redacademy.me

Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, is set to launch its EcoXpert program in Saudi Arabia aiming to develop a network of certified experts to deliver a professional analysis of a building’s energy challenges, and offer tested, validated, and documented energy management solutions that meet the needs and investment capabilities of end-users.

The launch ceremony, scheduled for 24th of August at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, will be attended by senior executives from Schneider Electric as well as the executives of the Systems’ Integrators.

Offering specialized training and competencies in EcoBuilding solutions, the EcoXpert program will certify selected partners who make the cut with a specific EcoXpert specialty/badge. Schneider Electric’s partners will be granted one or multiple EcoXpert badges based on their field of specialty such as EcoXpert Critical Power, EcoXpert Connected Power, EcoXpert Light & Room, Control, EcoXpert DataCom, and EcoXpert Building Management Solutions (BMS). As part of their mandate, certified experts will promote and deliver innovative systems and solutions supported by Schneider Electric.

Ahead of the launch, Sabry Almazraawy, Vice President, EcoBuilding at Schneider Electric in Saudi Arabia, said: “Schneider Electric’s strategy in Saudi Arabia focuses on developing partnerships and expertise locally in line with our sustainable development goalsfor the country. This is even more significant now that the country is in the midst of implementing mega expansion plans across various sectors. Schneider Electric firmly believes that stepping-up the development of human capital will help advance our sustainability agenda, and eventually translate into benefits for the end user in terms of reduced utility bills and energy emissions.”

He added: “At Schneider Electric, we have a strong program for audit, evaluation and support that are held periodically to align the level of our EcoExperts to our standards. Schneider Electric is expanding both its knowledge base and offering to accommodate the enormous need for energy management across both the supply and demand sides of the power market. Our EcoXpert program is helping to meet the human talent side of this equation by equipping our partners and system integrators with the competency, skill sets and solutions they need to take advantage of this market opportunity.”