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• The Aspire V Nitro Black Edition Series now includes a model with a 15.6-inch 4K Ultra High Definition LED backlit IPS display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160, providing super crisp visual details and ultra-vivid colors.
• Ideally suited for graphic intensive applications, including gaming, photo and video editing and 3D modeling, it also features a host of powerful technologies such as a SV (standard voltage) 4th Generation Intel® Core™ Quad Core processor, Nvidia® GeForce® GTX graphics, dual wireless antennas, and large storage capabilities.

Acer today announced the expansion of its Aspire V Nitro Black Edition Series of powerful notebook PCs, adding a configuration featuring a 15.6-inch 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) display.  With a resolution of 3840 x 2160, the UHD display delivers four times the pixels of a 1080p Full HD display, delivering brilliant imagery with stunning clarity and crystal clear details.  The addition of an Ultra High Definition display to the V Nitro Black Edition Series makes it one of the most compelling yet affordable high-performance notebooks on the market today.

Like all V Nitro Black Edition models, it is equipped with a SV (standard voltage) 4th Generation up to Intel Core i7-4710HQ Quad Core processor, Nvidia® GeForce GTX 860M graphics, dual wireless antennas supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies for speedy Internet connections, and four built-in speakers (8W total output) and Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater™ for powerful surround sound for gaming, movies and music.

Recently introduced, Acer’s powerful V Nitro Black Edition notebook PCs offer superior performance and a host of multimedia and entertainment features in a sleek and elegant design.  The V Nitro’s workstation class capabilities make it a great tool for work or play. Lightning fast processing, cutting-edge graphics, brilliant displays, and amped up audio make it the ultimate platform for any power user.

(1) Accessible capacity varies: (MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes)

(2) Specifications vary depending on model.

(3) Price may vary depending on region.

Business Consult today announced it has joined the Infor Partner Network (IPN) a selective group of channel partners that re-sell and service Infor’s leading business application software.  Business Consult will focus on selling and servicing the Infor EAM ( Enterprise Asset Management)   application throughout Saudi Arabia and Jordan.  Infor is one of the world’s largest suppliers of enterprise applications and services, with more than 73,000 customers. Approximately 20% of Infor’s license revenue is generated through channel partners in the IPN.

News points

• Through the appointment of Business Consult, Infor expands its presence in KSA and Jordan, enabling the company to focus on the key industries of Manufacturing, Distribution, Transporation and Banking throughout the region.
• The IPN is an industry leading program which focuses on helping Infor channel partners run successful businesses based around supplying Infor products and services, enabling partners to deliver the highest quality support for Infor customers.,
• In 2013, Infor introduced nearly 300 new products, including Infor 10x and Infor Ming.le, which is an increase of more than 150% over the previous year. In addition to new products, Infor delivered at least twice as many features and enhancements and four times as many integrations to Infor and 3^rd party applications through Infor ION, the company’s lightweight middleware platform, than in the previous year.

Business Consult  quote

“We are very impressed with the new Infor Xi brand which is underpinned by innovation and deep industry specific applications. This is precisely what our customers are crying out for: applications that meet their business needs with no excess fat,” said Hani S. Saadi, Managing Director, Business Consult.  “Furthermore the investment that Infor is making in the channel through the Infor Partner Network is impressive.  We believe strongly that this program will enable us compete on the basis of speed, and help us rapidly grow a profitable business.”

Infor quote:

“We look forward to working closely with Business Consult  in Jordan and KSA to expand our industry focus and align selling efforts,” said Jeff Abbott, vice president, Global Alliances and Channels, Infor. “With an industry leading channel program, and disruptive, game changing technology that offers more flexibility at a lower cost of ownership, it’s an exciting time to work and become specialized with Infor applications.”

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As an increasing number of organizations in Saudi Arabia prioritize investments in Business Intelligence and Big Data technologies, spending on Business Intelligence software tools is expected to surpass $89 million in 2018, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.4%, which is 1.69 times the growth of Saudi Arabia’s total software market, according to the latest insights from International Data Corporation (IDC), the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

Referencing its newly released ‘Saudi Arabia Business Intelligence Tools Software 2014–2018 Forecast’ (IDC # CEMA21278¹) study, the research firm said that the media attention on Big Data in Kingdom has put business intelligence on the agenda of most senior executives.

Pioneering organizations in Saudi Arabia are now investing in solutions that provide a single access point to all their information silos and advanced predictive and analytical technologies that support their automation processes, enable them to make better capital investment decisions, and help them optimize their business decisions.

“Organizations in Saudi Arabia are investing in BI tools to gain competitive advantage, make informed decisions, and respond to regulatory challenges,” says Dhiraj Daryani, program manager for software at IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. “Rising demand for analytics solutions in Saudi Arabia will boost spending on BI software”.

Business Intelligence (BI) is a category of computer software tools that enables a company or organization to gain insight into its critical operations through reporting applications and analysis tools. Well-designed BI applications can give anyone in a company the ability to make better decisions by quickly understanding the various information assets in the organization and how these interact with each other. These assets can include customer databases, supply chain information, personnel data, manufacturing, product data, sales and marketing activity, as well as any other source of information critical to the organization’s operation.

These solutions will illustrate BI in the areas of customer profiling, customer support, market research, market segmentation, product profitability, statistical analysis, and inventory and distribution analysis. Most companies collect a large amount of data from their business operations. To keep track of that information, a business would need to use a wide range of software programs and different database applications for various departments throughout their organization.

While the entire BI Tools market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.4%, specifically Advanced Analytics Software is expected to show the highest CAGR of 20.1%.

IDC’s ‘Saudi Arabia Business Intelligence Tools Software 2014–2018 Forecast ‘ (IDC # CEMA21278¹) analyzes Saudi Arabia’s business intelligence (BI) software market in 2013 by functional market (end-user query, reporting and analysis; advanced analytics; and spatial information analytics tools) and provides a forecast for each functional market through 2018. The study provides detailed qualitative and quantitative information, analysis, and forecasts that help illustrate the size and other defining characteristics of the market, and how region-specific political and macro-economic conditions affect the Saudi market.

Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company (SPMC) today announced that it is initiating the largest Cloud computing project in MENA paper industry history.

The project will also mark the company out as one of the region’s most innovative businesses full stop, establishing vital operational processes in the Cloud as it seeks to fuel business expansion through greater efficiency and innovation.

Phase one of the project will see SPMC, which is one of the one of the leading tissue paper manufacturers in the Arab World, adopt the SAP Enterprise Resource Planning solution. Subsequent phases will introduce SAP Advanced Planner and Optimizer, Manufacturing Integration & Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Business Planning & Consolidation into the mix.

All solutions will be hosted on the SAP HANA® Cloud Platform, which drives optimal performance through the power of real-time, in-memory computing. SPMC is the first SAP client in the MENA region to invest in the SAP HANA® Cloud Platform.

The project, which will be implemented by SAP partner and under supervision of Data Links, comes as SPMC seeks to significantly expand its operations and influence across both the Kingdom and wider GCC region.

“SPMC has an aggressive expansion programme, and we need to have systems in place that can scale and support our ambitious,” said Abdullah Al-Enazi, Chief Executive Officer, SPMC.

“To truly deliver on our growth targets, we need a platform that can serve as a scalable enabler of innovation in real-time, and that brings with it the flexibility and simplicity that only the Cloud can offer. The SAP HANA® Cloud Platform is a one of a kind solution, and we are proud to be the first company in MENA to fully embrace what is undoubtedly cutting-edge and increasingly necessary technology.”

SPMC’s trailblazing move to the Cloud chimes with a growing appetite for the technology across Saudi Arabia.

According to IT market research and advisory firm IDC, spending on Cloud services in the Kingdom is expected to increase by 52.9% during 2014. In the MENA region, meanwhile, Gartner estimates that from 2013 to the end of 2017, $3.8bn will be spent on Cloud services. According to another report by Cisco Global Cloud Index, the Middle East and Africa region is set to post the world’s-strongest Cloud traffic growth rate from 17 exabytes in 2012 to 157 exabytes in 2017.

MENA’s growing receptivity to the benefits of Cloud computing is also echoed by the recent uptake of SAP’s Cloud offerings. Between 2012 and 2013, SAP’s Cloud deals in the region increased by over 300 percent

“SPMC is showing great leadership by adopting Cloud computing on this scale,” said Ahmed Al Faifi, Managing Director, SAP Saudi Arabia.

“This is technology that will enable them to create entirely new experiences for their customers, empower employees at scale, optimize the use of resources, and unlock unprecedented value for their business.”

Worldwide, SAP currently counts more than 35 million loud users. This includes the leading social business platform with over 12 million users, the world’s largest business network with more than 1.4 million connected companies transacting over $500 billion in commerce on an annual basis, and the largest business cloud implementations in the world, with more than 2 million users.

“When taken together with the connectivity and insight of SAP’s social and business networks, the power and speed of SAP’s HANA in-memory database and analytics, and the accessibility of SAP mobile, SAP Cloud empowers a new level of business performance.