Mindware becomes significant player in Enterprise VR by signing distribution deal with HTC VIVE
DUBAI, UAE – November 1, 2020: Mindware, the regional leader in Value Added Distribution, has announced a distribution agreement with HTC. As per the agreement, Mindware will now offer HTC’s complete portfolio of VIVE Enterprise Virtual Reality (VR) solutions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
HTC VIVE Enterprise solutions are built around enabling businesses of all sizes to enhance their creativity, accelerate training, strengthen collaboration, and engage their customers. They combine great hardware with versatile software and deliver an exceptional overall experience. Businesses have different requirements – some require best-in-class software and hardware, room-scale tracking, and multiple users in the same environment. Others seek convenience, portability, and a more affordable entry point to VR. HTC’s wide range of products cater to every need.
Nicholas Argyrides, General Manager – Gulf at Mindware commented “Virtual Reality is a trend that is gaining considerable traction in the enterprise space at the moment. It enables powerful ways for employees to communicate, collaborate and learn. With remote working becoming increasingly prevalent in the context of the current pandemic, VR solutions provide a real sense of presence and personalization of interactions, contributing to better business outcomes. Today, VR is able to eliminate traditional physical barriers and provides incredibly immersive experiences. Organizations across different industries are gradually discovering new and interesting use cases and application areas, such as training, industrial design and architecture, scientific visualization, virtual events and entertainment, to name a few.”
“With VR gaining popularity in the MENA region, we believe that there is an enormous amount of potential for HTC’s best-in-class technology that will usher in a new age for the enterprise. We are excited about our newest partnership and look forward to introducing our innovative solutions to the region through our Channel ecosystem” added Nicholas Argyrides.
One of HTC’s innovations, namely the VIVE Focus plus, features an all-in-one VR headset for Enterprise designed for quality and portability. With the newly-added dual 6DoF controllers, increased comfort for extended VR sessions, and enhanced optics, VIVE Focus Plus blurs the lines between reality and virtual reality. The VIVE Pro Eye Office creates more immersive virtual simulations with precision eye tracking and is ideal for a wide range of environments and applications, such as training, design, construction, and more. Finally, the VIVE Sync is an all-in-one meeting and collaboration solution for VR, which is in beta stage but currently being used all over the world. It enables clients and co-workers to meet in a virtual setting in the blink of an eye.
HTC and Mindware will work together to develop a strong partner ecosystem based on a specially designed partner program – REED (Recruit, Enable, Engage & Deliver). The objective is to enable skilled and trained partners to consult, design and deliver on enterprise VR requirements. Mindware’s agile logistics operations with several warehousing facilities enable HTC to timely deliver the vendor’s solutions to resellers across the region.
Speaking about the partnership, Graham Wheeler, General Manager, HTC EMEA said, “The freedom and flexibility of VR is limited only by your own imagination, and we are seeing business use grow in a number of ways, from internal collaboration through to working with external partners. VR will continue to revolutionize how we work remotely and change how businesses operate in the future.”
“HTC as a company is always searching for talented partners to collaborate with. Mindware has an expansion reach in Middle East and Africa and shares our ethos and vision. We are confident that we have found the ideal partner to support the business use of VR in the region” said Graham Reed.
About HTC
HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC U and Desire lines of smartphones. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything they do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile and virtual reality experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498).
About Mindware
As one of the leading distributors of the finest IT products in the Middle East and Africa, Mindware’s extensive portfolio includes top-class global brands reaching out to over 3,000 resellers. Mindware’s comprehensive offering includes a selection of infrastructure, networking, security, and storage leading brands. As part of its VAD methodology, Mindware also offers supplementary value-added services to its reselling partners including pre-sales consultancy, implementation services, local technical support, marketing enablement tools, and multiple channel-enabling programs. Headquartered in Dubai UAE since 1991, and part of the Midis Group, Mindware has been uncompromisingly serving its customers for more than three decades.
BlackFog expands into the Middle East with eHosting DataFort
Cheyenne, Wyoming, October 26th 2020 – BlackFog, Inc. have announced they are continuing their global expansion into the Middle East and have entered into a strategic partnership with eHosting DataFort (eHDF), one of the leading Cloud Hosting and Managed Security Services providers in the UAE.
Established in 2001, and part of the Midis Group, eHDF is one of the pioneers in Data Centre, Managed Hosting and Cloud Infrastructure Services in the Gulf region. As the UAE’s leading IT Security Services Provider, eHDF is committed to providing state-of-the-art managed security solutions for their customers.
In recent months they have noticed an uptick in ‘privacy literacy’ in the region and they anticipate privacy will be a high growth area in the coming months. Partnering with BlackFog enables them to address increasing customer concerns around data privacy whilst offering a unique preventative technology to mitigate the risks associated with cyberattacks.
“As we are growing our security 360 practice, non-perimeter defence is one of the pillars we are addressing. There are many tools in the market that currently focus on perimeter defence, offering protection from cyberattacks, but few focus on data loss and privacy,” said Waleed Heloo, General Manager of eHDF.
“We believe BlackFog’s unique on-device approach to preventing data exfiltration, and its technology, will become an important part of our security portfolio. BlackFog enables us to address our customers’ current concerns around privacy, securing remote employees, preventing data loss and breaches and preventing ransomware attacks,” commented Waleed Heloo.
“As we continue to increase our global footprint, we are excited to announce our first partnership in the UAE with eHDF. As a leading MSSP in the Gulf region with a deep commitment and understanding of the importance of data privacy and regulatory compliance, we are confident they are the right partner for our continued expansion. We look forward to working with them as we introduce BlackFog Privacy to their growing customer base,” said Dr. Darren Williams, CEO and Founder of BlackFog.
About BlackFog
Founded in 2015, BlackFog was born to combat the growing number of online threats targeting your personal and corporate data. Hackers will get into your network; BlackFog stops them getting out. Through a layered approach to security, BlackFog spots, in real-time, when attackers are trying to remove unauthorized data from your device or network and stops them in their tracks.
Consisting of multiple layers of defense against ransomware, spyware, malware, phishing, unauthorized data collection and profiling, BlackFog blocks over 24 million threats across mobile and desktop endpoints around the world, protecting organizations’ data and privacy, and strengthening their regulatory compliance.
eHDF, part of the Midis Group, has been one of the pioneers in Data Centre, Managed Hosting and Cloud Infrastructure Services in the Gulf region since 2001. The company has an established Managed Services portfolio and a large customer base including small, medium and large enterprises. eHDF also offers a complete stack of Managed Services and have extensive industry experience and insights from working with customers across various industry sectors.
eHDF owns and operates multiple state-of-the-art T3 Data Centers in the UAE with fully redundant infrastructure that is reliable, scalable and secure. The company is one of the few service providers in the region to offer Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity (DR & BC) Sites, while 24/7 Operations and Management guarantees that each business is always looked after.
Information & Communication Technology wins Platinum Partner status as part of Veritas Partner Force Program
Information & Communication Technology w.l.l. (ICT) has achieved Platinum Partner status in the Veritas Partner Force program. Veritas Platinum Partner status is an important accolade in the IT sector for the many benefits it brings to businesses within the program.
The Certificate of Achievement was awarded on October 21, 2020. “It’s another great accolade for the Company, and an important vote of confidence in the way we have successfully developed our business within the Veritas network. The whole ICT team have worked hard for this and they deserve all the credit for this achievement” said Bachir Skaf of ICT.
Platinum tier partners are Veritas’s most invested partners, having achieved enhanced accreditation and revenue requirements with demonstrated proficiency in delivering customer value across Veritas solution areas. Platinum tier partners have access to Gold tier benefits and increased financial and strategic benefits designed to reward performance and drive business growth.
More about ICT
Information and Communication Technology W.L.L. (ICT) represents major International IT companies and ventures, such as HPE, HP Inc, GED (GE Digital), Microsoft, VMware, IBM, Veritas, Citrix, Symantec, Fortinet, F5, Gemalto, CA, and RedHat to name a few.
Today, driven by the evolution of Digital Transformation across the region, ICT offers modern technology solutions and services to an array of sectors, including the Enterprise Qatari market. Solutions offered include Cloud, IoT, Analytics, Mobility, Cybersecurity, Social Media.
MDS CS win NetApp EMEA Partner Achievement Award for outstanding growth
MDS CS have won the NetApp EMEA Partner Achievement Award for outstanding growth in FY20. The awards are an important recognition by industry peers; nominations are submitted by the NetApp team and the award winners are selected based on FY20 performance.
Kristian Kerr, Vice President, EMEA Partner Organisation at NetApp welcomed the Awards, writing on the NetApp LinkedIn profile: “I am thrilled to launch the EMEA Partners Excellence Awards. At NetApp, we know that our partners are committed to the pursuit of performance excellence, innovation and quality. The NetApp EMEA Partner Awards are our way of bestowing that recognition. This program rewards our partners for their contributions to the growth of our collective business.”
The Partner achievements are normally celebrated at the Annual Partner Executive Forum Gala Dinner. This year, however, the NetApp EMEA Partner Excellence Awards have been held online for the first time, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
On the company LinkedIn profile, the MDS CS team were very pleased to gain the recognition: “We are proud to be recognized as a key NetApp EMEA Partner with an Achievement Award for outstanding growth in FY20. We are committed to the pursuit of performance excellence, innovation and quality.”
ABC signs agreement with Bank Nizwa implementing latest Dell Technologies solutions
Advanced Business Computing Oman (ABC) has been appointed as the partner to implement new IT infrastructure at the Bank Nizwa in Oman. An agreement to progress the technology solutions was signed on Oct 9, 2020 by M. Didier Izmirlian, GM of ABC and M. Mujahid Al Zadjali, GM IT and Operations of Bank Nizwa in the presence of M. Khalid Al-Kayed, CEO of Bank Nizwa and M. Georges El Khoury, Country Manager of Dell Technologies Oman.
“This agreement significantly increases the footprint of Dell EMC and ABC in the banking sector in Oman, and importantly, the project was a win against other key strategic technology vendors,” said Didier Izmirlian of ABC. “The project comes in line with the Digital Transformation strategy of Bank Nizwa, and ABC is proud to be appointed the trusted partner in the foundation layer of this strategy.”
The ABC, Dell and Bank Nizwa teams signing the agreement. Photo credit: Bank Nizwa.
Also present at the signing of the agreement were Fatma Al Mukhaini, Account Executive Dell Technologies Oman; Rahul Sawarsat, Senior Account Executive, ABC and Deepesh Saxena, Head of IT, Delivery and Infra, Bank Nizwa.
About Bank Nizwa
Bank Nizwa is Oman’s first dedicated Islamic bank, with fully Shari’a compliant products and services. The Bank offers an entire portfolio of commercial banking services, in accordance with the license issued by the Central Bank of Oman (CBO). The formation of Bank Nizwa came about with the Central Bank of Oman granting its initial approval to the licensing of the Bank to Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al Khalili. Sheikh Saud and a further 92 other Omani individuals, companies and pension funds constitute the founder shareholders of the Bank.
About ABC
Advanced Business Computing (ABC) was established in 2013 as one of over 170 subsidiaries of Midis Group covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa. With its team of highly certified engineers, ABC Oman as a DELL EMC Titanium partner, is committed to lead the digital transformation in the Sultanate, offering the full range of DELL Technologies solutions (DELL EMC, VMWare, RSA).
Amer Chebaro: Quest provides solutions that Manage, Modernize and Secure businesses
Amer Chebaro, General Manager and Sales Director EMEA, Emerging Markets, Quest Software, recently spoke with Tahawultech.com about how the company is enabling organizations to migrate workloads up to the cloud.
In the interview, Amer shares the big news from the past year of operations at the long-established group; Quest have been active for 30 years and counting. Quest has an extensive set of 125+ tools, to help customers achieve their goals. Those tools are grouped under three main pillars of customer digital initiatives: Manage, Modernize, and Secure.
“The modernize pillar of Quest, which is around modernizing workplaces and ideal workloads, has been a pivotal focus over the past year as we’ve seen a huge shift in the market towards this goal. We have also acquired a couple of the prominent players in the market – Binary Tree, ApexSQL and Metalogix. These two milestone acquisitions have been our biggest highlight over the past year,” said Amer in the interview.
Read more on Tahawultech.com where Amer talks about upcoming new releases, including Partner Circle 2.0, and potential acquisitions.
iSTYLE & iStore join forces across Slovenia
October 15th, 2020, Ljubljana; iSTYLE and iStore have joined forces in Slovenia to provide high standard Apple Premium Reseller service under the iSTYLE brand. The two teams are joining together, bringing a decade of experience providing premium customer experience in retailing, repair services, online sales and serving B2B customers.
The combined business will offer a retail network of two point-of-sale sites in City Park shopping mall and Kristalna Palaca, BTC. This represents over 200 square metres of premium high-tech retail premises, designed and executed with attention to Apple’s core values. Added to that, there is also a premium online store at www.istyle.si
Valeriu Ion, iSTYLE: “We joined forces with another strong presence on the market, aiming to share best practices and develop all strategic lines of business.” Photo credit: iSTYLE
Alongside the network of two Apple Premium and Authorised Service Providers, there is now a B2B sales force uniting teams from both companies. With this, the new combined iSTYLE will become the market leader Premium Reseller and Apple Authorised Service Provider of Apple goods in the Slovenian marketplace.
This strategic agreement complements business developments over the past year, including a focus on developing the e-commerce platform, for a more user-friendly experience while providing increased security for online payments. The developments centred on bringing customers several new services enhancing the Apple experience, as well as focusing on the business division team that supports organizations, targeting the implementation of the Apple ecosystem, regardless of their current size and structure.
“Through this partnership we achieved two goals: firstly, becoming the main Apple Premium Reseller in Slovenia, a posture that honors us, but also represents a great responsibility towards our customers. We joined forces with another strong presence on the market, aiming to share best practices and developing all strategic lines of business. Secondly, it also continues our aim to further develop the premium point of sale network and strengthen our market position in retail, online and B2B lines of businesses,”said Valeriu Ion, General Manager at iSTYLE Slovenia.
This year iSTYLE aims to put even more emphasis on meeting Apple’s needs, including the opening of a stand-alone warehouse location, strengthening the business-to-business team, as well as focusing on the service locations. It will streamline diagnosis, troubleshooting, and repair or replacement of products both during the warranty period, but also for warranty-less products.
iSTYLE offers the full range of Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV along with an impressive but carefully selected portfolio of accessories and software. Photo credit: iSTYLE
Beyond figures and indicators, iSTYLE’s main goal remains not only to market the latest innovative products created by Apple, but also to provide customers with a complete experience and personalized service packages.
End of the year will see new services for iSTYLE customers such as extended insurance and extended warranty packages that will complete the flexible financing and protection options for iPhone, iPad, or Mac. There will also be initial device setup support, and the possibility to participate in group training sessions or even one-on-one sessions with an accredited Apple expert.
iSTYLE will continue to invest in staff development through training and verification programs run by certified Apple trainers, as well as by performing regular mystery shopping procedures for objective assessment and quality of service.
iSTYLE, part of the Midis Group, is the largest Apple Premium Reseller network in nine countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Through its 46 retail and online stores, iSTYLE offers the full range of Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV along with an impressive but carefully selected portfolio of accessories and software.
Catch the latest products online via the iSTYLE Slovenia website and on social media: Facebook | Instagram| LinkedIn
Veritas named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for the 15th time
For the 15th consecutive time, Gartner Inc. has named Veritas a leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions.
Over the past three decades Veritas has become established as pioneering within the Data Management world and has leveraged its expertise to deliver robustness and reliability through its product portfolio. Midis Group has been in partnership with Veritas since 2013 covering South and Central East Europe and in 2015 expanded the partnership into new territories, the Levant, Africa, North East Europe and the Baltics.
Writing on the Veritas Perspectives Blog, Deepak Mohan had this to say about the Gartner accolade: “From all of us at Veritas Technologies—it’s an honor to be named a leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions, 15 times in a row.”
Current leading core products include the Enterprise Data Services Platform (EDSP), which addresses three key areas of Availability, Protection and Insights. EDSP is built with NetBackup at its core, supporting 800+ data sources, 1400+ storage targets, and 60+ clouds and Disaster Recovery Orchestration—and is deployable in any form factor.
From 2005-2015, Veritas Technologies was known as Symantec.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium achieves success with HPE Nimble Storage & MainOne
Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium scored a major success recently with key Nigerian client, MainOne, who have integrated HPE Nimble Storage into their infrastructure as the principal platform on which their cloud systems run.
HPE Nimble Storage is a predictive flash storage technology from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and currently serves as a backup in one of MainOne’s in-country Azure Stack production sites, being the primary platform on which the customer’s Windows Azure Pack Cloud runs.
“Initially, in the MainOne Cloud environment system, backups had been carried out on two separate platforms. In time, what we wanted was to create a centralized backup solution, and so we specifically picked HPE Nimble Storage for three reasons,” said Akinkunmi Ogunsola, Head, Cloud Services at MainOne.
According to Akinkunmi Ogunsola, HPE Nimble Storage was very easy to operate: “We like the fact that it analyzes itself; lets us know if there’s likely to be a problem in the future (trends) and comes with a UI that’s very easy to use. It has superior compression and deduplication features; for backups, this has had tremendous benefits. Then there’s the all-important and excellent after-sales support from HPE, which also influenced MainOne’s decision to partner with Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium to deploy the first locally available Microsoft Azure Stack Cloud service in Nigeria.”
For MainOne, the results have been excellent. Migration from their previous system on to HPE Nimble Storage is on-going and they are already seeing as much as a five times reduction in raw storage. The company is also seeing improved I/O from HPE Nimble Storage in comparison to their previous devices. This results in faster backups and shorter backup windows which can be attributed to the superior performance perspective and I/O response from the storage device.
In terms of data management, de-duplication, and compression, gains from using HPE Nimble Storage were impressive. Four years ago MainOne had an issue with one of their storage systems used for their production platforms.
“This problem led to purchase and installation of the first HPE Nimble Storage, and once set-up, the company immediately began to realize capacity savings of up to 2.4X. The performance benefit was just as impressive,” said Akinkunmi Ogunsola.
“In a nutshell, I am satisfied with our experience so far with running the HPE Nimble Storage in our infrastructure as backup for our Azure Stack platform, and as the primary storage platform upon which our Windows Azure Pack platform operates.”
Akinkunmi Ogunsola is happy to spread the word about HPE Nimble Storage and Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium: “…though my decision to recommend the technology would also have to be informed by the details of the project, and whether the technology would be suitable in that context. Hands down – HPE Nimble Storage has proven to be manageable and provides the appropriate technology needed in its capacity as an enterprise storage solution. I would most likely use it again.”
More about MainOne
MainOne is a broadband infrastructure company providing innovative telecoms services and network solutions across West Africa. Since its launch in 2010, MainOne has developed a reputation for providing highly reliable services to major telecom operators, ISPs, government agencies, small to large enterprises, and educational institutions in West Africa.
Midis SI Group acquires MAGNOOS Information Systems LLC
Midis SI Group have announced that in line with their strategy to strengthen their offerings and capabilities as a Digital System Integrator, the Group have completed acquisition of MAGNOOS Information Systems L.L.C, a Value Added Reseller and Technology Implementation company specializing in the Data Management and Analytics, Service Management and Automation software solutions industry.
MAGNOOS is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE but operates across the Middle East and Africa, with a presence in Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt and Athens. The Company was founded and managed by Michael Halas, who will be joining the Midis SI family as a Managing Partner of MAGNOOS.
MAGNOOS will be working closely with MDSap and other Midis SI affiliates to improve their market reach and help them expand their offerings and strengthening MAGNOOS’s presence in the region especially in UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Sami Abi Esber, President, Midis SI, said: “I would like to thank our Midis Group team who worked diligently for months to conclude this acquisition. We’ve come a long way in positioning ourselves as a leading SI of choice for customers looking for digital transformation solutions. We’ve complemented our big data and robotics process automation portfolio (RPA) with the acquisition of Magnoos.”
“This acquisition will further strengthen capabilities of the Midis SI group in the domains of Big Data and Analytics. It will also increase our vertical focus by creating a strong digital ecosystem and increase our offerings in the AI/ML, AutoML space including ML Ops and help us explore VR/AR and MR Solutions.”
Michael Halas, Managing Partner, MAGNOOS, said: “I would like to thank the entire Midis Group team for their trust, commitment and continuous support. We are all confident about this great move from Midis & Magnoos at a fantastic momentum in the market on the areas that MAGNOOS specializes:
Data Management & Analytics – Big Data ML&AI
Digital Service Management & Operations (Building the “Autonomous Digital Enterprise”)
Digital Business Automation & Robotic Process Automation”
More about Midis SI Group
Midis SI Group is the System Integration & Services arm of MIDIS Group which has 170+ affiliates representing technology vendors in 70+ countries across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
Midis SI has been rated as the #1 SI in different countries and has the highest level of partnerships with global technology vendors – Microsoft, DellEMC, Hpe, HPinc, Cisco, Apple, Oracle, IBM, SAP, Juniper, Lenovo, Veeam etc.
The Group is one of the largest SI’s in the region having 2,500+ employees with a presence in 13 countries across 20 major cities, and covers the following 6 lines of business – Enterprise IT (Server, Storage & Data Management, Network & Security); Cloud & Data Center Infrastructure & Services; Managed IT Services; Software & Professional Services; End User Computing, Mobility & Communications; Site & Power Solutions.
More about MAGNOOS
MAGNOOS is a leading Software Value Added Reseller and Technology Implementation company founded in 2012 by experts in the Data Management and Analytics, Service Management and Automation software solutions industry.
MAGNOOS enables large private and public organizations to implement state-of-the-art technologies and adopt best business practices that help them conceive innovative business ideas and incorporate them into corporate strategies.
Adopting a top-down business-oriented approach, MAGNOOS focuses on business issues covering end-to-end customer needs, from strategic advisory services to technology implementation, operations, project management and residency services.
Its success and reputation have been built upon the ability to manage and own projects end-to-end, ensuring all aspects of the project are completed and delivered according to customer requirements.
MAGNOOS mission is to help corporate executives acquire the information they need to build upon prior technology investments, adopt new technologies, and streamline their strategy in the age of social networks, mobility, cloud services and big data to digitally transform their business.
MAGNOOS aims at quick accomplishment of our projects in the digital world, at a point where Speed, Accuracy, Clarity & Quality are pivotal.
MAGNOOS vision is to provide hassle free, accurate and quality service to Enterprise Customers and become the “de facto” IT Services and Solutions provider in the Middle East & Africa region!
MAGNOOS is committed to identifying and distributing innovative, best-in-breed software technologies, enabling our customers to implement and deploy these in their enterprises.
MAGNOOS is a “boutique shop” and Value Added Reseller of the world’s leading and innovative Software Vendors in the areas of Data Management and Analytics, Business Intelligence, Big Data, Digital Service Management, Digital Business Automation and Robotic Process Automation Technology. MAGNOOS’s key partners include BMC Software, Informatica, Automation Anywhere, Cloudera, MicroStrategy, Denodo and Nlyte.
MAGNOOS customer roster includes some of the most significant and successful organizations in the banking, insurance, financial services, telecoms, retail, energy, transportation, utilities and government sectors.
MDS CTS becomes an Apple Authorised Education Specialist (AAES)
MDS CTS have earned Apple’s top Education authorization, that of Apple Authorized Education Specialist (AAES). MDS CTS has also been appointed an Apple Authorised Enterprise Reseller (AAER), making them the only company in MEA to hold both authorizations.
The newly acquired Education Specialist authorization replaces the previous ‘Apple Solution Expert for Education’ authorization, which has been in place for many years, and was a referent of quality and trust among the education sector in the UAE.
“The Education Specialist authorization means that we are dedicated to support education organizations with our solution and services, where we manage all details so schools can focus on teaching and learning,” said George Habel, Apple Practice Lead, MDS CTS.
“We can guide our education clients through the entire process: from vision development and implementation of Apple in education, to aftercare in the form of support and maintenance. Thanks to continuous training and up-skilling, our employees are always up to date with the latest developments in Apple technology and education trends.”
This appointment is a recognition for the companies’ dedication, capabilities and expertise in providing the best educational solutions and services to educational institutes. Their team of dedicated education specialists support hundreds of schools and universities across the UAE in making the most of Apple technology by creating innovative solutions that transform teaching and learning.
“Our vision is to empower educators to utilize Apple technology to make the classroom more flexible, collaborative and personalized for each student. We understand the unique challenges within the education space and are equipped to help schools, colleges and universities overcome them with our bespoke Apple solutions – whether in the form of recommending the right deployment model, developing tailor-made professional development plans, or through coherent mobile device management that makes it easy for IT departments to stay in control,” added Sherifa Aly, Education Development Manager, Apple Professional Learning Specialist and Apple Teacher, MDS CTS.
MDS CTS has a unique and a very comprehensive portfolio of services and solutions, making them a partner of choice for customers. The company recently launched new solutions and services, including a dedicated help-desk support service, an updated parental purchase program, BYOiPad and many more.
There are more details on the website about services for education leaders, educators, IT Specialists and parents as well as MDS CTS affordability solutions. The company have also launched new collaborations with industry-leading partners, meaning they can offer education organizations enhanced and holistic teaching and learning solutions at a competitive price.
Together for Beirut: a campaign of solidarity
Midis Group, affiliates, and long-time key partners have mobilized to help rebuild and repair damage caused by the tragic event of August 4, 2020. In a series of actions, IT equipment, building materials and energy resources like generators were shipped in and set to work. Under the umbrella title of “Together for Beirut”, the relief efforts are ongoing and could continue for some months.
Kohler-SDMO and the Midis Group join forces to send a full container of generators to Lebanon
Following the explosion that struck the city of Beirut on August 4, 2020, Kohler-SDMO naturally mobilized its teams to support the affected population. This solidarity movement set up immediate initiatives to meet the energy needs of residents and infrastructure.
Kohler-SDMO and partner, Midis Energy, rushed to donate a full 40-foot container of 22 KVA generators. This operation was carried out in collaboration with the Midis Group, their major partner for 25 years in the Middle East. Eighteen K22 units equipped with Kohler engines were made available and distributed to various important Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) working on the ground, namely, the Lebanese Red Cross, Arc-En-Ciel, Caritas and Offre-Joie.
“The tragedy in Beirut is a human drama and Kohler-SDMO associates feel concerned about and supportive of Lebanon people suffering. This is why our teams worked hard to donate and ship 18 K22 generators to Beirut as our modest contribution to supporting population with electric power needs. In order to secure the best local setup, we are fortunate to be working alongside the Midis Group, our long-lasting partner in many Middle East countries. I feel extremely proud of this partnership and of our joint response to the situation,” said Lenaik Andrieux, General Manager, EMEA Power Systems, Kohler-SDMO.
The generators prior to shipping. Photo credit: Kohler-SDMO
The container was shipped from Marseille on Friday, August 21 and the 18 K22 generators arrived in Beirut on August 27, thanks to the shipping company CMA-CGM as part of their “A Boat for Lebanon” operation.
When unloaded in Beirut, Midis Group and the Lebanese Red Cross worked in close collaboration to guarantee the best response to the needs of local teams who urgently needed generator power to repair disaster-struck infrastructures.
MDS UAE and Midis Group working together for Beirut
Over the past few weeks, MDS UAE has been committed to help the people of Beirut recover from the tragedy that occurred earlier this month. As part of that initiative, MDS UAE contributed to the efforts of the Lebanese Business Council – Abu Dhabi to support the reconstruction of Beirut’s infrastructure. Approximately 138 tonnes of glass have been shipped out, with the support of MDS UAE and other entities coming together to fund this initiative.
Tens of thousands of buildings were without window glass after the explosion – 138 tons of replacement glass were shipped soon after the blast thanks to MDS UAE and Midis Group. Photo credit: Midis Group
Sami Abi Esber, President, MDS System Integration Group and Board Member, Midis Group, had this to say: “We are thankful to the Lebanese Business Council for organizing this initiative which allows us to help with the infrastructure and economic recovery of Lebanon. These glass panels will go a long way to restore a sense of normalcy to the needy people of Beirut – and we will continue to play our role in assisting in every way we can.”
Midis Group and affiliates, QuanTech and BlueTech Holding, worked together to bring in replacement IT for Saint George Hospital
As part of our continued efforts to assist Beirut recover from the recent tragedy, the Midis Group and affiliates – QuanTech and BlueTech – are actively working with the Healthcare industry to ensure medical continuity in such difficult times.
Expanding our ‘Together for Beirut’ campaign, we have been working closely with Saint George Hospital by providing donations in the form of 20 desktops and 150 display screens to ensure our medical heroes have the required technology available to continue assisting their patients. We are proud to have led this initiative with Saint George Hospital and will continue to provide assistance as needed.
Midis Group and Affiliates are assisting Saint George hospital to be operational again. Photo credit: Midis Group
“While we continue to assist different economic sectors of Beirut we are paying special attention to the healthcare industry that has suffered so profusely. As such, the Midis Group is committed to donating devices, screens and other technology that will be vital in keeping hospitals like Saint George operational, thereby allowing them to continue working seamlessly,” said Sami Abi Esber, President Midis Systems Integration Group, and Board member of Midis Group.
These contributions have been implemented through QuanTech and BlueTech, local Midis Group entities based in Lebanon. Samer Kandalaft, General Manager of QuanTech, had the following to say. “Our relationship with Saint George Hospital goes back a long time and has enjoyed the test of time. QuanTech always stands together with its clients, community and beloved country in good and in challenging times. We are humbled to be of assistance to Saint George Hospital in our area of expertise and to sustain its operations for the good well-being of our citizens.”
“There has never been a more critical requirement for technology to assist in maintaining the health and welfare of our community. We hope this contribution goes a long way in the healthcare sector of Beirut, and in specific, to all citizens who were affected by this tragedy. Midis Group and BlueTech are committed to helping the people of Lebanon during this time of need,” said Tony Azzi, General Manager of BlueTech Holding.
Midis Group bring replacement IT equipment for the Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital
The Midis Group donated advanced computer equipment to the Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital to help them keep up with their mission. The hospital’s own IT equipment was destroyed by the blast; in spite of that, hospital staff attended with courage and limited means to more than 750 injured on the night of the explosion.
The Midis team and the Hospital CIO, Jocelyne Ziadeh, with Doctor Samia Jebara, and Abdo El Hachem, Secretary of the Board of Directors at the Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital. Photo Credit: Midis Group
Laptops, monitors, tablets, screens and printers were offered to the hospital on Wednesday 23 September. The IT equipment was received by the hospital in the presence of Jocelyne Ziadeh, CIO, Doctor Samia Jebara, and Abdo El Hachem, Secretary of the Board of Directors.
University of Sharjah signs strategic contract with CPT to implement next generation WiFi6
The University of Sharjah (UOS) has signed a contract to implement a highly strategic project with Computer and Power Technology (CPT) to modernize the campus WiFi infrastructure and introduce WiFi6 – next generation wireless communication technology.
In a recent ceremony the agreement was signed by University of Sharjah Director, Dr. Hamid Majool Al-Nuaimi, and Executive Vice President of CPT, Roger Kakhia. The importance of the signing was underlined by the presence of Dr. Tariq Sultan bin Khadim, a member of the Sharjah Executive Council, Head of the Human Resources Department of the Government of Sharjah and Chairman of the Compliance and Audit Committee of the University’s Board of Trustees.
Also present were other key officials and business leaders. Mohammed Abdullah, CEO of Sharjah Islamic Bank, Chairman of the Financial Committee of the University’s Board of Trustees, was present, as was Professor Muammar Battayeb, Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, and Chairman of the Technical Governance Committee at the University.
The project encompasses design and implementation of a high-density secure Wi-Fi network that has important benefits for the University:
Provides valuable data about client devices, enabling the University to identify bottlenecks or build custom location-aware software solutions
Ensures students have the best experience with robust, high-density Wi-Fi, no matter where they are on campus
Improves visibility for anomaly detection, troubleshooting, and connection quality
Delivers personalized, real-time notifications and interactions to help improve student experiences across campus
Simplifies device on-boarding to dramatically reduce the number of help-desk tickets
The first phase includes building the entire setup and CPT worked closely with the UOS team to develop a comprehensive infrastructure with a clear return on investment for the business. In addition, CPT has built a road-map for enabling the University as partners to acquire the right technology needed to realise their Digital Transformation Initiatives – an important part of their journey towards offering advanced higher education plans.
Additional value-added features of the WiFi6 network include direct benefits for students themselves. It will provide access to learning resources and collaboration tools from anywhere, and help them navigate campus environments, sending the right information at the right time. It is also good for devices – allowing reliable connections for IoT devices for a holistic campus experience. For the IT department, it improves decision making with real-time analytics for troubleshooting and automation, and also allows monitoring and management of the network remotely from the web-based Meraki dashboard.
Featuring all MDS Computers business solutions in the UAE market and highlighting the companies’ key services, the new site also focuses on core strategic vendor partnerships.
The MDS Computer website has come a long way, and its modernized design makes navigation interactive and engaging.
MDS Computers is part of MidEast Data Systems UAE, which is a holding company of 17 companies operating in the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, with a presence in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, MDS Computers is a highly reputable organization that boasts a team of over 75 highly skilled technicians and engineers.
MDS Computers have achieved;
Strategic Platinum partnerships with top technology vendors around the globe
#1 IT service provider for 17 consecutive years as ranked by IDC
Internationally diverse employees
Offering Integrated ICT solutions
The company has always understood that customers have unique business requirements and their highly professional approach ensures that they cater to each requirement.
iSTYLE in Central & Eastern Europe redesigns 3 stores in Belgrade, Sofia and Zagreb
In preparation for the new Apple product releases that are taking place this autumn, iSTYLE has redesigned some of the most important stores in Adria and Bulgaria, in order to offer the best experience to it’s customers.
August 29 saw the first two redesigned stores opened. Initially, iSTYLE Delta in Belgrade, Serbia and then iSTYLE Vitosha in Sofia, Bulgaria, re-opened, both after a period of two weeks of remodelling. The third store reopening – iSTYLE City Center One West – took place on September 12, in Zagreb, Croatia.
Room to move around safely and see the great Apple product range at iSTYLE City Centre One West, Zagreb. Photo credit: iSTYLE
The redesigned stores have a fresh new look, designed by Apple and implemented according to their standards, where customers can discover the full Apple ecosystem, including the incredible Macbook Air and Pro line-up, iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Beats headphones and speakers, as well as a wide range of accessories.
Keeping point of sales sites fresh and new enhances customer appeal. Photo credit: iSTYLE
Promoting a worldwide brand known for it’s quality, great design and unique user experience, the reopening events offered customers the chance to purchase the latest iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models at even better prices, the new MacBook Air and Pro line-up with an unbeatable offer, as well as accessories for Apple devices with special discounts.
As expected, customers came from early morning and queued in order to purchase their desired product.
Queuing outside the iSTYLE Vitosha store, Sofia, Bulgaria, at the re-opening event. Photo credit: iSTYLE
Within all iSTYLE stores, the interface with the Apple ecosystem and technologies is provided by a team of certified specialists. iSTYLE Apple Experts individually guide visitors to identify the best choice, help them realize the initial configurations of devices, suggest the most appropriate accessories, and provide them with all the assistance they need to get started quickly.
iSTYLE customers can get individually tailored advice about getting started with Apple devices. Photo credit: iSTYLE
Making Apple products and services affordable for more customers, iSTYLE offers flexible financing options in partnership with several banks. Moreover, there is a trade-in program allowing customers to quickly and easily exchange their current laptop, phone or tablet with a new Apple product, following an objective assessment.
Excellent customer service is core to the iSTYLE retail stores. Photo credit: iSTYLE
iSTYLE, part of the Midis Group, is the largest network of Apple Premium Reseller stores in EMEA. With over 25 stores in the South region (Adria, Bulgaria and Romania), iSTYLE has been providing clients with the highest quality and stability to customers through a competent team of certified and permanently trained specialists to Apple standards.
LiveRoute has earned Windows Server, SQL Server, Linux & Open Source Databases Migration to Microsoft Azure advanced specialization
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 10, 2020 – LiveRoute today announced it has earned Windows Server, SQL Server, Linux and Open Source Databases Migration to Microsoft Azure advanced specialization, a validation of a solution partner’s deep knowledge, extensive experience and expertise in migrating on Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE virtual machines and/or utilizing MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB databases and for Windows Server and SQL Server-based workloads to Azure.
Only partners that meet stringent criteria around customer success and staff skilling, as well as pass a third-party audit of their migration practices, are able to earn Windows Server, SQL Server, Linux and Open Source Databases Migration to Azure advanced specialization.
As companies look to modernize their applications and take full advantage of the benefits that cloud computing can deliver, they are looking for a partner with advanced skills to assess, plan, and migrate their existing workloads to the cloud.
Habib Matta, General Manager, LiveRoute, said, “Our collaboration with Microsoft continues to strengthen and we are pleased to have been accredited as one of the first local partner in the UAE with the Azure Advanced Specialization for Windows, SQL Server, Linux and Open source Database Migration.
These certifications validate LiveRoute as an advanced Microsoft Gold partner with the necessary skillsets to assist customers in assessing, planning, and migrating their workloads to the cloud.
LiveRoute is a trusted name in the Azure space. These specializations will further reinforce our promise to our current and future clients with the assurances of advanced Azure capabilities.”
Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, One Commercial Partner (OCP) at Microsoft Corp. added, “The Linux, Open Source Databases, Windows Server and SQL Server Migration to Microsoft Azure advanced specialization highlights the partners who can be viewed as most capable when it comes to migrating Windows-based workloads over to Azure. LiveRoute clearly demonstrated that they have both the skills and the experience to offer clients a path to successful migration so that they can start enjoying the benefits of being in the cloud.”
ResellerME: Sami Abi Esber exclusive interview about Midis SI success and growth
Sami Abi Esber is featured on the latest cover of ResellerME, where he talks about how the Midis SI Group has been driving digital transformation across the Middle East.
In the exclusive interview, he also discusses recent acquisitions made by the Midis SI Group, and how the organization is leveraging its expertise to introduce cutting-edge technology solutions to the market, while remaining focused on the customer’s needs.
Sami was asked how Midis SI Group has grown into the position it occupies today: “…We rely on business entrepreneurship at the heart of our model. This is coupled by stringent governance and financial management as well as a code of conduct that ensures the highest levels of integrity in all of our operations.”
One of the core reasons Midis SI has succeeded is the great diversity of regions covered by the Group – this brings exceptional local knowledge and excellent ability to service markets, as Sami explains: “Core to our growth strategy has been working closely with our customers. This is why we are today present across key markets in all the geographies we cover. Midis SI group, the system integration and services arm of Midis Group, is now present in 13 countries across 20 cities with over 2,500 employees.”
A new HDF sas website is now live at hdfsas.com. The website features a comprehensive overview of all the HDF sas business, its added values, products and services. Its design is modern, neat, easy to navigate and fits well the HDF sas identity and character.
It is responsive on different devices, and incorporates High Search Volume keywords to increase website traffic on search engines like Google.
Features of the new site:
– A secure Partner registration and access facility so companies can check offers related to their country and the status of account
– An English version which services the English-speaking African countries
– CTA button all over the site for visitors to contact the HDF sas team
– An integrated social platform for LinkedIn constantly updated with helpful information, company announcements and clients successes.
– A news page featuring latest news and events of HDF, vendors’ collaboration and new products
A subsidiary of the Midis Group, HDF sas has been a Value-Added IT distributor for more than 20 years. HDF is the first expert distributor in Africa of major worldwide brands like Dell Technologies, APC, Kohler SDMO and Ortea.
Based in Orly, France, the company operates through a network of more than 500 partners in more than 40 countries, covering East Africa, West Africa, North Africa, Central Africa and the Overseas Departments and Regions. Key subsidiaries are also in Tunisia, Morocco and Ivory Coast.
