ArabWeeks

With Dubai set to host not just one but multiple displays of the most incredible firework displays in the world this New Year’s Eve, there is simply no better city in which to welcome in 2014. For those of you looking for information on the best places to catch the excitement, Dubai Calendar brings you the top five Dubai destinations guaranteed to help you make the most of the firework fantasia. For further information and to join the conversation during the festivities, follow and use #NewYearDubai on Twitter.

1] The Palm Jumeriah and Madinat Jumeirah: If you’re lucky enough to have booked a hotel or restaurant on the Palm, Madinat Jumeirah or along the shoreline in Jumeirah or Dubai Marina then you’ll have a ringside seat for Dubai’s attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest ever fireworks display. With approximately 450,000 fireworks planned to go off over a six minute period on the Palm Jumeirah and The World islands, it’s sure to be nothing short of spectacular. The show will be followed by a 15 minute long awe-inspiring firework display from the iconic Burj Al Arab. This is one not to be missed!

2] Downtown Dubai: The Centre of Now will once again welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors eager to see one of the most inspiring displays on the planet as Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, lights up with fireworks from its base to its spire. With ideal access and viewing points from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, the Waterfront Promenade near The Dubai Fountain, and restaurants in and around The Dubai Mall and Souk Al Bahar, as well as Burj Park, Burj Plaza, and the various hotels in Downtown Dubai, this is an event that every visitor and resident should experience at least once in their lifetimes. And of course, viewing is free and the metro will be running all night on 1 January to help get you home again once the celebrations are over. Visitors are advised to be in Downtown Dubai by 8pm.

3] Dubai Festival City: On the other side of town? Then why not head on over to the Creekside at Dubai Festival City and catch the traditional celebratory fireworks display as the clock strikes midnight. As well as the ‘oohs and ahhs’ from the crowd at DFC, the fireworks will be accompanied by a synchronized light and water show that is sure to surprise and delight.

4] Public beaches at JBR and Jumeirah: Pack a blanket and a midnight feast and head off to the beach. Welcome in the New Year in the company of thousands of other residents and visitors at any of a dozen spots along the coastline from JBR to Umm Suqeim to Jumeirah in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere against the backdrop of more fireworks than anyone has ever seen before in one place at one time. What more could you ask for as a New Year’s wish?

5] Your own home: For one of the best seats in the house, turn on your TV, settle down on your sofa and prepare to be dazzled! Dubai TV, Sama Dubai and Dubai One will be bringing you all of the action and excitement while you relax in your armchair. Featuring the displays from The Palm Jumeirah and the World, Downtown Dubai and Burj Khalifa, and Burj Al Arab, Dubai’s very own TV channels will be beaming the very best shots of the shows – including amazing aerial views – live and direct to your living room. Nothing could be easier!

In fulfilment of the directives of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) launched an initiative to raise funds for the ‘Our hearts with the people of Syria’ campaign organised by the UAE Red Crescent and the National Media Council.

“In line with DEWA’s strategy which is part of Dubai’s vision announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai to boost social services, we are committed as ‘A Sustainable World-Class Utility’ to strengthen principles of social responsibility, promote initiatives and developmental projects, serve society by sponsoring charitable organizations, and support the development, welfare, culture and health of society by focusing on educational and health initiatives, social care, and through cash and in-kind contributions, sponsoring educational, sports and health activities and events to achieve a better future for the generations to come,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council appealed to good-doers to support the campaign, adding that it expresses the wish of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and reflects the generosity and genuineness of the people of the UAE.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer encouraged DEWA’s employees to support the campaign to support Syrian refugees during these difficult circumstances. The campaign aims to secure basic necessities that protect the refugees from the cold wave that has hit the region recently which led to severe shortage of basic necessities and the deterioration of their living conditions.

The campaign aims to raise contributions to help hundred of thousand of Syrian living in refugee camps in hosting countries in such bitterly cold weather.

Professors around the world can integrate SAS® data visualization software into instruction, and students can learn advanced data analysis skills that are in high demand in today’s job market, all at no cost. Teradata University Network (TUN) now offers SAS Visual Analytics for higher education teaching and learning.

Easily accessed through TUN’s Web portal, the new offering addresses the growing market need for graduates who can understand and communicate complex data. Professors can use SAS Visual Analytics and supporting teaching materials to help them incorporate industry-leading analytics into their classroom instruction.

“These students can hit the job market with the ability to give their management and executives insights they’ve never had, in a way they’ll understand,” said Jerry Oglesby, SAS Senior Director of Education. “TUN makes it possible for professors around the world to make this a reality.”

The new offering marks the latest milestone of a successful alliance. Earlier this year, SAS and Teradata earned the 2013 ASAP Alliance Excellence Award in the Individual Alliance Excellence category from the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals. Key accomplishments highlighted by ASAP include: governance structure, market impact and innovative programming, including tight R&D integration and a joint Product Advisory Council.

Teradata University Network (TUN), in conjunction with Teradata (NYSE: TDC), gives students a taste of corporate reality through hands-on software experiences and case studies on some of the world’s largest companies. Through the TUN website, professors design assignments using databases with millions of records. TUN currently has more than 3,200 registered faculty members, from more than 1,600 universities in 97 countries. TUN is used by more than 45,000 students around the world, majoring in everything from information systems, management or computer science to finance, marketing or accounting.

“Any industry or discipline can benefit from the use of SAS Visual Analytics, as it allows users to explore any amount of data very quickly. Users can spot patterns, identify opportunities for further analysis and convey visual results via Web reports, tablets or smart phones,” said Dursun Delen, PhD, Professor, Spears and Patterson Chairs in Business Analytics. “SAS Visual Analytics quickly reads data into memory for ultra-fast processing, analytics and data visualization. Users can then explore and run analytics on billions of rows of data in just minutes or seconds, and present the results in a visually appealing format. It is known that the student with the knowledge and skills in big data, information visualization and analytics will be greatly favored by the employees in the job market.”

“A student with data warehousing, visualization and analytics skills can write their own ticket,” said Rick Lower, CA-AM, Teradata Alliance Director. “Over the last six years, the SAS and Teradata Partnership has enabled customers to innovate and transform business decisions through their use of data and analytics. Both companies are also committed to empowering professors to give students the most relevant skills for today’s workforce, and the newest offering of SAS Visual Analytics on the Teradata 720 appliance continues the enablement of talent in the marketplace. This is a great way to expand the value delivered by our partnership.”

Professors interested in integrating SAS Visual Analytics into their instruction can visit Teradata University Network online to register.

SAS analytics and business intelligence software is used at more than 3,000 educational institutions worldwide for teaching, research and administration. SAS has more than three decades of experience growing the next generation of analytical talent.

The ‘theme’ of the 3^rd Sony Creative Challenge Competition, was ‘Digital Photography’.

Three winners were announced by the MECL(Modern Electronics Co Ltd )/SONY team at a press conference and participant’s exhibition held at Riyadh Exhibition Center, Saudi Arabia.

During the 60 days submission period from Sep 15^th until Nov 15^th 2013, 770 entries were submitted by creative amateurs as well as innovative professional photographers from across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

However, the top spots were awarded to only three photos, one of which was selected by a jury, the other was determined by public votes or Facebook ‘likes’ through Facebook, and Sony photo prize was selected by Sony marketing team.

All the photos were judged for technical skills, artwork and originality of the entry.

The winner of the independent (external) jury’s recommendation, Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Jafen takes home a Sony Digital Camera model NEX-3N, while the Facebook audience favourite (based on highest number of likes), MS. Maya Anwar, walks away with a Sony Digital Camera model NEX-3N. The Sony (internal jury recommendation) winner Mr. Tuan Samath Packeer also gets a Sony Digital Camera model NEX-3N

All the above winners will get a winner’s certificate. Participation certificates will also be sent to all the participating candidates after the press conference.

The Sony Creative Challenge is an initiative that provides a platform for talented youths in Saudi Arabia to express themselves and showcase their creativity and innovative creative skills. This initiative will be promoted using social media.

Youth in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia now have an opportunity to try their skills at different artistic challenges in various phases of the SONY CREATIVE CHALLENGE.

The next ‘theme’ of the phase #4 SONY CREATIVE CHALLENGE will be formally announced on the web-site very soon and submissions will be open on 2014.

“The Sony Creative Challenge is a social media driven, artistic contest that is open to all creative artists who are either citizens of the Kingdom or legal expatriates.

To submit or vote for a entry or for more information about the Sony Creative Challenge logon to: www.mecl.com.sa/

Symantec announces its 2014 security predictions based on trends that have been taking place throughout 2013. Symantec predicts that consumers will begin taking active steps to keep their information private; scammers, data collectors and cybercriminals will not ignore any social network; the “Internet of Things” will become the “Internet of Vulnerabilities;” and mobile apps will prove that you can like yourself too much.

“It is vital that consumers and enterprises in Saudi Arabia understand the cyber threats in the region, and how to protect against sophisticated, targeted attacks,” said Samer Sidani, Country Manager, Saudi Arabia, Symantec. “According to the 2013 Norton Report, 64% of working adults in Saudi Arabia use their personal mobile device for both work and play, introducing new security risks. By outlining our predictions for 2014, Symantec encourages consumers and businesses to take proactive measures to protect their valuable information.”

People will finally begin taking active steps to keep their information private.

Privacy issues have littered the headlines in 2013, delivering a wake-up call to people and businesses about the amount of personal information we share and that is collected every day by everyone from your doctor to your social network. You can expect to see privacy protection as a feature in new and existing products. You’ll also see a resurgence of users adopting aliases and fake names on social networking sites to protect their privacy. Given this, more people will move to new, upstart and niche social networking sites, in an attempt to hang with their friends in obscurity.

Scammers, data collectors and cybercriminals will not ignore any social network, no matter how “niche” or obscure.

It’s tempting to believe that you can move to a new neighborhood and all your old problems will go away. They don’t in real life and they won’t when it comes to social networking. Any new social network that attracts users will also attract scammers and miscreants. If something sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is a scam. Protect yourself by using security best practices no matter where you are on the Internet, or how you connect to it.

The “Internet of Things” becomes the “Internet of Vulnerabilities.”

You can expect dumb things will get smarter in 2014. With millions of devices connected to the Internet—and in many cases running an embedded operating system—in 2014, they will become a magnet for hackers. Security researchers have already demonstrated attacks against smart televisions, medical equipment and security cameras. Major software vendors have figured out how to notify customers and get patches for vulnerabilities to them. The companies building gadgets that connect to the Internet don’t even realize they have an oncoming security problem. These systems are not only vulnerable to an attack – they also lack notification methods for consumers and businesses when vulnerabilities are discovered. Even worse, they don’t have a friendly end-user method to patch these new vulnerabilities. Given this, we are going to see new threats in ways in which we’ve never seen before.

Mobile apps will prove that you can like yourself too much.

It is not surprising that with 48 percent of people sleeping with their smart phones, they are lulled into a (false) sense of security about them. In 2013, we reported on a mobile app that would secure additional “likes” for your postings on Instagram. All you had to do was hand over your login and password to some guy in Russia. More than 100,000 people saw nothing wrong with that. We trust our mobile devices and the wonderful apps that run on them to make our lives better. The bad guys are going to take advantage of this big time in 2014. Mobile apps are going to be behind hoaxes, cons and scams of all sorts in 2014.

EMC^® Corporation today released the findings of a survey that asked 976 IT decision makers in Saudi Arabia for their perspective on the challenges and opportunities that Big Data and IT transformation – and related skills – can present to their companies. The Saudi results will be added to the thirty-six country-level survey results being collected through EMC Forum events taking place around the world between June and December 2013. Visit EMC Forum 2013: Transforming I.T. Study for a closer look at the Saudi survey results and those of other countries as they become available. The series will conclude with an announcement of the global results in December.

Key Findings 

In Saudi Arabia, Big Data is giving rise to markedly improved decision making and is already having a significant impact on companies’ competitive differentiation and ability to avert risk.

• 88% of respondents in Saudi Arabia reported that decisions in their organization could be improved with a better use of data, and 72% agree that their senior teams trust Big Data insights to make truly transformative business decisions.
• 57% have achieved a competitive advantage as a result of Big Data analytics technology and 70% believe that industries that succeed will be the same ones using such tools.
• 73% of respondents agree that Big Data technology will prove vital in identifying and protecting against cyber-attacks – which could be crucial as only 72% of respondents in Saudi Arabia are confident that they could fully recover all their data should they need to.

However, in Saudi Arabia:

• 22% of companies surveyed have no current plans for implementing Big Data technology.
• While budget (54%) was the most important factor for overall business decision making, the most common reason cited as the inhibitor to Big Data adoption was no clear business case or ROI (48%).

As companies in Saudi Arabia continue to look to IT innovation to compete locally and on the global stage:

• The business priorities driving IT transformation in Saudi Arabia are most commonly business process/operational efficiencies (46%) and developing new routes to market/selling strategies (35%)
• 86% report their business sees technology investment as a strategic way of achieving
  its goals.
• 81% believe it will be a challenge to have skills keep pace with IT innovation over the next three years.
• 74% of respondents in Saudi Arabia believe their organization has the right level of skills and knowledge to complete business priorities successfully.
• 81% of respondents in Saudi Arabia agree that the biggest barrier to coping with business priorities is cultural.

EMC Quote

Adrian McDonald, EMEA President, EMC Corporation

“This research shows that companies in Saudi Arabia are increasingly seeing the transformative benefits that are achievable with Big Data analytics technology. Not only are senior management executives engaging with the idea of Big Data analytics but many businesses are aware of the huge competitive advantages the technology brings as well as the security benefits. This is a core part of IT transformation, a process which Saudi businesses are well underway with. The majority of businesses in the region have already set out to virtualize and create cloud-enabled businesses and even more incredibly, some have created a fully software defined infrastructure. This approach, combined with Big Data analytics will see the agility and competitiveness of Saudi businesses increase massively.”

Customer Quote

Dr. Bandar AlSaud, Director General, National Information Center, Ministry of Interior

“The National Information Center was established more than 30 years ago to support the Ministry of Interior’s mission to provide Security and safety to the citizens, residents, visitors of Saudi Arabia. To support this mission, NIC Acts as the MOI’s service Provider and is also responsible for the exchange of information between MOI and various other Government Ministries and agencies to enhance information flow between the various ministry sectors and branches spread across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the use of the most advanced technologies available. Today, the NIC’s role as the Ministry’s IT service provider encompasses responsibilities associated with managing not just the sharing of information but also ensuring security of critical information in addition to maximizing the performance of various applications and systems. Technologies like virtualization and cloud computing are central to our ability to drive government’s vision to enable everyone to use effective government services, in a secure integrated and easy way, through multiple channels. Future technologies like Big Data are instrumental to establish intelligence driven services so as to strengthen the overall experience of the public in their interaction with government”

Analyst Quote

Samir Mardini, Head of Talent Consulting MENA, Aon Hewitt Middle East

“As businesses grow more competitive, there is an increasing demand for a variety of skills from their employees, to drive a significant competitive advantage creating new opportunities for young talent and career advancement of existing employees within the enterprise. This need for education and learning is driven even further by the rapid evolution of the technology landscape and the growing demand for intelligent solutions to enhance performance efficiencies and create new customer experiences. Set against this backdrop and to cater to the increasing demand for a qualified pool of local resources in the country, KSA continues to witness an increased focus on skills and development through strategic alliances and partnerships between industry leaders and academia, to introduce the student body to technologies like cloud computing, virtualization and big data to create a qualified workforce capable of leading the future of the country and sustaining its growth for years to come.”

Survey Methodology

EMC polled a total of 976 businesses including I.T. management and executives, technical architects, data scientists and storage/infrastructure managers from a range of businesses in Saudi Arabia who registered to attend the EMC Forum event on November 26^th.

Modern Electronics Company Ltd (MECL), a subsidiary of the Al Faisaliah Group and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced the launch date of PS4 in Saudi Arabia. The announcement was made in the presence of Mr. James Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and HRH Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal, President & CEO, Al Faisaliah Group.

PS4™ is a next generation computer entertainment system that redefines rich and immersive gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, deeply integrated social capabilities, and innovative second-screen features utilizing devices such as PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita).

   SCE will continue to offer breakthrough gaming and entertainment experiences to users by further enriching the services available on PS4™ such as PSN^SM  and PlayStation®Plus, a membership service offering members exclusive content and features, while enhancing the PS4™ system itself through future system software updates.  As part of this initiative, PS4™ will support Twitch, a live internet streaming service devoted to video gaming, concurrently with the release of the system.  Since its launch in 2011, Twitch has earned remarkable popularity worldwide as a live streaming video platform oriented towards video gaming, gathering more than 38 million visitors per month.  PS4™ users can easily broadcast their gameplay to their Twitch channel in real-time to gaming fans across the world, by simply hitting DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller’s “SHARE button”.

A total of 15 Blu-ray Disc™ titles developed by SCE Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) and numerous software developers and publishers from around the globe will be released between the launch of PS4™ and December 31st.  Combined with digital download titles, an astounding 33 titles will be available before the end of the year.

 (Publishers listed in Alphabetical Order)      Total of 15 titles

There are currently more than 180 PS4™ titles^*5 in development, and in addition to these exciting launch titles, Destiny™ from Activision Publishers, Inc. / Bungie, Inc., Diablo®III from Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., Mad Max © from Warner Bros.  Interactive Entertainment, Witcher 3 from CD Projekt, The Divison from Ubisoft Entertainment, Dragon Age from Electronic Arts, as well as Shadow of the Beast, The Order:1886, inFamous™: Second Son, Rime, Hell Divers, Everybody’s Gone to The Rapture, and Resogun from SCE WWS are expected to be released for PS4™.  This incredible line-up reflects the strong support for PS4™ among virtually every software developer and publisher and within the independent development community.  Since June 2013, the number of developers joining has increased from nearly 500 to 620.

 Furthermore, SCE will pre-install THE PLAYROOM, in all PS4™ systems.  THE PLAYROOM includes a tutorial session where users will be able to learn how to use various features of DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller such as the touch pad and light bar.  Those users who also own PlayStation®Camera will be able to enjoy content within THE PLAYROOM that utilizes augmented reality technology such as “AR BOTS” and “PLAY WITH ASOBI” where users can engage with robot type characters displayed on the screen, and “AR HOCKEY”, an air hockey game where users can change the shape of the court by moving and rotating the DUALSHOCK®4 in different directions.

<PlayStation®4 >

About make.believe

“make.believe” (make dot believe) is a Group-wide brand message that unites Sony’s communications initiatives across electronics, games, movies, music, mobile phones and network services. “make.believe” symbolizes the spirit of Sony – the power of creativity, the ability to turn ideas into reality and the belief that anything you can imagine, you can make real.

Modern Electronics Company

Modern Electronics Co. Ltd is one of Al Faisaliah Group of companies, and is the exclusive distributor of Sony products in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company was founded by HRH Prince Abdullah Al Faisal in 1970.

Or further details please visit www.mecl.com.sa

About Sony Middle East and Africa

Sony Middle East and Africa FZE is a 100% subsidiary of Sony Corporation and is the regional headquarters for the Middle East and Africa regions. The company is engaged in the business of Sony Consumer Electronics, VAIO laptop computers, Computer Peripherals, Data media, Recording Media and Energy (Batteries), Mobile Electronics (Car Audio) and Computer Entertainment (PlayStation) products in more than 40 countries in the region.

Apart from stock operations in the Jebel Ali Free Zone Establishment in Dubai, Sony Middle East and Africa leads execution of various logistics, sales, marketing, advertising and customer services activities through its business partners and representative offices. A representative office in Kenya and Pakistan, in addition to 497 accredited third party service centers reinforces Sony’s presence in key markets in the region.

About PlayStation Division, Sony Middle East and Africa FZE

PlayStation Division, Sony Middle East and Africa FZE based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®2, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita), ,PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware across the Middle East & Africa.