Midis Group and affiliates rise to the challenge of COVID-19

February and March 2020 saw worldwide measures by Governments to manage the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Immediately, all Midis Group affiliates and the rest of the IT sector closed down offices, cancelled events and employees everywhere went into lockdown and worked from home where possible.

Midis Group and our affiliates are the kind of adaptable and positive people who don’t sit back and wait for business to come to us. From the moment of lockdown, creative, hard-working people across the Group began to think about how to weave threads of community, commerce and business development through the dispersed teams wherever they were.

Some very innovative and imaginative activities came to fruition as a result of this emergency, and it’s no surprise that Midis Group and our affiliate companies were able to shine like this; our people are the reason the Midis Group is a growing success across all our lines of business and regions of activity.

The tone of the Midis response was set early on via a message on LinkedIn by Midis Group Chairman and CEO, Mr Nabil Bustros, and this leadership messaging has continued throughout the crisis so far.

A leading example of excellence in response to COVID came from the Midis System Integration team in the UAE, with a project to collect photo and video responses from all over the SI group in an inspiring and positive video. “The way we work together at Midis SI shows the quality of our values and approach to business and this video shows why the Group is so successful,” said Sami Abi Esber, President, Midis System Integration Group.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees who work in 13 countries and 20 different cities to support our customers, and to all our loyal customers and partners for supporting us, we will do it again and we will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever,” added Sami.

Sachin Bhardwaj, Director of Marketing, Midis System Integration Group and his colleagues in the Midis SI marketing team, were amazed to receive 700+ images of Group and affiliate employees working safely from home due to the emergency.

“It was indeed amazing to have received 700+ pictures across the various geographies we operate in,” said Sachin. “I am very happy to share this video which celebrates the efforts of all our affiliates and their employees; showcasing how everyone has taken a proactive approach in remaining connected with our customers, partners and colleagues during this phase of the emergency.”

Quite quickly after the lockdown began, affiliates started developing new web-based live events working closely with their major industry partners. Across the MENA region these events were very popular, and also into Eastern Europe, where Hewlett Packard operated by Selectium ran a successful ‘10 Steps 2 Level Up’ webinar series for customers and partners across Croatia and Serbia. These 10 webinars had two key components, sales and technical, and virtual attendees won prizes for the number of events they attended. Feedback from participants was excellent.

Apcom in Bulgaria switched to working from home on March 13, and many of their partners closed dozens of retail spaces across the country. Like many teams across the EEU region and also the Gulf, the Apcom team rose to the occasion, says Viara Yolova, Marketing Manager for Apcom. “We created an Apcom chat, where we would work and celebrate together any festive occasions for these two months and a half of home office. We celebrated birthdays, saluted our medics, organized some contests for who would paint the most beautiful eggs for Easter.”

It wasn’t just chat at Apcom, of course, as Viara explains: “Our collaboration with our partners continued, as they shifted to a focus on online communication and sales. For a tentative time (that turned out to be as much as two months), only a few of their retail stores worked – with limited opening hours, and very strict quarantine measures. Business shifted heavily to online.”

Elige Farah and her marketing team at ABM in Dubai and the region around also got into bringing the company together online, but this time via an informal e-bulletin called Hello ABM!!! The project was a fun activity that collected together ideas for lockdown living to keep ABM people happy and fit for home-working. Hello ABM!!! has now become a regular feature and is a credit to Elige and her team.

Retail activity was curtailed everywhere, of course, and there have been few launches of new point of sale sites. Some retail sites have opened, however, and where this has taken place, it’s been a real achievement by all concerned to fit out the site, stock the shop and train staff to the new safety procedures required by Governments. In May, a new iSTYLE Flagship store opened at Nakheel Mall in Dubai, and in June, a compact iSTYLE AAR PoS in Debrecen, Hungary.

As measures to control the virus have begun to succeed in some places, real meetings mixed with streamed events have been taking place. In Ghana, Johny Rahme and his HDF SAS colleagues ran ‘Back to Live,’ a very successful hybrid event with partner, IPMC Ghana. The Dell Technologies team were virtually present with members from Morocco, Dubai, Egypt and Nigeria presenting online and customers were given lunch at the Hotel Kempinski in Accra, Ghana.

One really good outcome of the lockdown has been the very large number of Midis and affiliate employees who have taken the time to boost their learning and skills. Everywhere, across all regions, people have been achieving new qualifications via online learning. One example of this comes from Jihad Alhafi from MDS-CS in KSA who was proud of two key executives who gained new qualifications.

“We are delighted to inform you that two members of the MDS-CS family, Eng. Alaa Nassar and Eng. Albaraa Safi, have successfully passed the PMP exam and have become Certified Project Managers during this difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic,” writes Jihad, who is Project Management Office Manager at MDS for CS in Riyadh.

In another excellent effort to help their community manage the dangers of COVID-19, Jordan Business Systems used CISCO Webex to reach out to students all over their country who were isolated by the lockdown. They worked in partnership with Cisco to implement an integrated plan for distance education for The Islamic Center Charity Society and its 41 different schools spread across Jordan.

Aruba Networks brings fast Internet access to historic St. Michael’s Fortress in Croatia

Future visitors to St. Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik, Croatia, can be sure of faster and easier connections helping share their visitor experience, thanks to new Wi-Fi equipment that allows visitors free and fast Internet access.

The connectivity was installed thanks to funds provided by the European Commission’s WiFi4EU initiative, which helps provide high-quality free internet access for citizens and visitors via Wi-Fi access points in public spaces such as parks, squares, administrations, libraries and the like throughout the European Union.

“By applying to the public call of the WiFi4EU initiative, the City of Šibenik won the major funding that financed the purchase and installation of equipment. Integra Group d.o.o. was chosen for this job, which implemented the equipment of Aruba Networks at the fortress” said Deputy Mayor Danijel Mileta.

The implemented network solution enables the simultaneous use of the network for up to 500 users, and it is possible to expand the capacity as needed. The network solution consists of 14 Aruba Networks access points plus switches, whose total cumulative speed is at least 30 Mbit/s. Complete control is performed via a single central console, i.e. using Aruba Central software based in the cloud.

The advantage of centralized control is that it brings the possibility of analytics based on learning through artificial intelligence, as well as security for all devices connected via IoT (Internet of Things). It is the latter, i.e. the safety of devices and visitors to the Fortress, that is indescribably important in today’s conditions.

Aruba Networks, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, has been a leader in network solutions for 14 years, bringing rich implementation experience with hundreds of global clients, a wide portfolio of solutions and technologies, and excellent support. In this particular case, the warranty is for life, which means that from the moment the sale of the implemented solution ceases, replacement parts will be available for at least another five years.

St. Michael’s Fortress was selected as the location for the new infrastructure because during daily visits and during evening events attracting large audiences, users experienced a decrease in the speed of Internet access via mobile devices.

Initial Funding for the project was made by the European Commission through the Executive Agency for Innovation and Networks (INEA), with additional funds from the City of Šibenik.

The City of Šibenik is the first in Croatia to set up a free public infrastructure for wireless LoRaWAN network that provides a number of opportunities for the transfer of simple information between electronic devices and whose coverage extends from Vodice to Primošten.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium is part of the Midis Group. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is in partnership with Selectium to help customers and partners accelerate business outcomes. Integra Group d.o.o. is Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium’s Solution Partner, offering services and solutions for IT infrastructure. Integra Group d.o.o. implement business solutions and automate processes in order to increase the efficiency of individual processes.

Read more on the Fortress of Culture Šibenik website

Sami Abi Esber: exclusive interview on success & future direction of MDS SI Group in Tahawultech.com

MDS Dubai strengthens relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS)

MDS Dubai has strengthened its relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) by becoming a member of AWS Marketplace CPPO program. Consulting Partner Private Offers (CPPO) status enables MDS Dubai to sell products on the AWS Marketplace on behalf of third-party vendors like Splunk, A10 and Palo Alto.

This spells good news for customers, as they will have an easier procurement cycle while keeping the leverage of negotiating discounts and better payment terms. Once the offer is accepted by the customer, the price of the specific license will be added automatically to the AWS bill based on the agreed payment terms.

AWS Marketplace includes thousands of software listings from popular categories such as security, networking, storage, machine learning, business intelligence, database, and DevOps.

Customers will benefit from:

• Flexible pricing, terms, and payment options
• Speed and governance while procuring software
• Simplified AWS billing

Read more on the MDS Dubai LinkedIn profile

Watch a video about the AWS offer to partners and customers, below:

Husni Hammoud interviewed by Channel Post MEA about business impact of COVID-19 at ESET Middle East

Jordan Data Systems delivers first HPE Primera implementation in new Data Center for gig-Jordan

Jordan Business Systems help bridge distance between students during the pandemic

Jordan Business Systems (JBS) in partnership with Cisco implemented an integrated plan for distance education through Cisco Webex as an e-learning platform for The Islamic Center Charity Society and its 41 different schools spread across Jordan.

The educational sector of the association has adopted the e-learning platform in co-operation with JBS, which partners with Cisco International. The online platform allows teachers to collaborate with students interactively covering all topics for all levels of study.

The JBS team did the implementation from scratch as part of their social responsibility, to help Jordanian schools and children access their right to a good education no matter what the situation with the pandemic across the country.

JBS engineers helped in the training process for school teachers as well as management teams, and they attended many lectures with the children to watch how they adopt the technology – and to provide useful support.

The General Director of the Education Sector at the Association, Dr. Fathi, pointed out the platform achieved positive results in a questionnaire authored by the co-operating technical company, with 83.8% of parents of students expressing satisfaction.

He also pointed out that the platform has sustained more than 50 thousand participants through nearly 4700 educational meetings across the platform. More than 7000 students in the educational sector of the association, from colleges and schools, have benefited using the platform so far.

Eng. Ahmad Taamneh (JBS Networking Collaboration Team Lead) said that JBS and Cisco insisted on creating this initiative in line with their social responsibilities. It was also about a shared belief in the right to education for all, in basic human rights, and to support official government procedures aimed at serving Jordan’s students and children under difficult and exceptional circumstances.

Ambitious new MDSCS KSA website goes live

MDS CS Gold sponsors of IDC Security Roadshow and Panel in KSA

MDS for Computer Systems (MDS CS) were recently Gold sponsors of the IDC Security roadshow in Saudi Arabia on June 22, 2020.

According to the IDC web page for the event, the cyber security industry has recently reached an important new phase. Security and operational excellence is now a prerequisite for every organization to function securely, efficiently, and effectively.

Risk management goes hand-in-hand with that, quantifying security measures in the context of the business to demonstrate the business value of security. During the event, a number of panels and breakout sessions were spread between the keynote speakers.

Ehsan Snober, Head of Cyber security and Advanced Service (Eastern & Western Regions, Saudi Arabia) at MDS for Computer Systems participated in a panel discussion representing Cisco, alongside an IDC analyst and program manager as well as another vendor, Exabeam.

The panel theme was ‘Bridging the Security Skills Gap – Human and AI Threat Intel working Together.’ During the panel, Ehsan Snober discussed MDS for Computer Systems (MDS CS) and Cisco’s commitment to bridging the security gap in the market using AI and intel.

Hear the full panel discussion on the Midis SI YouTube channel, below.

Channel News Middle East features Ivanti partnership with University of Sharjah to transform IT support desk services

In a feature article in the June 2020 edition of Channel News Middle East, editor Mark Forker explores how deployment of Ivanti’s Service Manager solution has transformed the University of Sharjah’s IT landscape.

In the feature, Dr Hussein Elmehdi, Dean of Academic Support Services, talks about the need to have a unified communication and support channel for all student, faculty and administration requests.

Omar Harara, Support Desk Manager, at Ivanti ME explained of the need for an IT Service Management framework, or ITIL, as well as a need for IT performance monitoring, and user request tracking.

“We were providing a lot of services to the end users, but ultimately we had no classification of our services or the incidents that were flagged, so we couldn’t categorise them or evaluate the performance of our services in terms of incidents and service requests,” said Omar in the CNME feature.

Omar’s colleague, Anissa Bettayeb, talked about the success of the Ivanti deployment. “It allowed us to better diagnose, categorise, prioritise and flag incident, service and change requests. Now, we have a dashboard and system in place that can monitor and record all of this automatically,” said Anissa, who is Head of the Academic Computing Service Section.

Read much more about the success of the Ivanti Service Manager solution at the University of Sharjah in the June edition of Channel News Middle East, on the website and in the print pages on Issuu, here.

Digitalks: Jacques Najjar, General Manager of MDS Computers Technical Systems, interviewed in Tahawultech

In this new Digitalk video from Tahawultech.com, Mark Forker talks with Jacques Najjar, General Manager of MDS Computers Technical Systems, about how HPE Greenlake can help alleviate businesses from key pain points during the pandemic, and help them grow in the new business landscape that has developed.

From cost savings, agility and autonomy, HPE Greenlake allows companies to pay only on what they consume. The interview also includes much more about Greenlake and, importantly, how MDS CTS is the right Hewlett Packard Enterprise Platinum partner for implementing this service in the UAE.

“MDS CTS has been in the market for more than 40 years,” said Jacques Najjar, speaking about MDS’ track record in the interview. “We are the biggest HPE Platinum Partner in the country and we have held this partnership for many years, and been at the forefront of implementing technologies for key customers like government, large enterprises, the financial sector and small companies.”

“At the MDS and also the Midis level, we represent HPE in all major cities across the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe, and we have long experience of Data Centers, Co-location, hardware, software, Cyber security, Cloud Services, and most recently, Artificial Intelligence and IoT.”

Jacques went on to explain that this deep level of experience in the market and region is why MDS CTS is the ideal partner for HPE’s strategy to have ‘Everything as a Service’ by 2021, through the use of platforms like Greenlake.

Watch the full interview, below, with Jacques Najjar on Tahawultech.com –

Sami Abi Esber interviewed: Adaptability, Innovation and Customer Experience key to Midis SI Group success

Sami Abi Esber, President of Midis SI Group and Board Member Midis Group, spoke to Computer Networks Middle East (CNME) Editor Mark Forker on how the Midis SI group is coping with the challenges of Covid-19, and the impact of digital transformation on the ICT ecosystem.

In the major interview, Sami Abi Esber addresses the importance of adopting a “digital first” approach, the importance of a virtual workspace and how the Midis SI Group has addressed customer concerns during this pandemic.

Every business across the middle east region and beyond faces critical challenges and the need for adaptability and flexible thinking will now be key to survival, thinks Sami.

“There is no secret that adaptability has become a critical trait today. To stay on top of this rapidly evolving world, Midis SI is working with customers to assess new situations, make intelligent decisions, and implement them effectively,” he told Mark Forker in the interview.

Sami also told Mark about how Midis SI have been working on the ground, closely connected to customers, offering insights and support at all times.

“We are keeping a real-time pulse on changing customer preferences and rapidly innovating to address new concerns of our customers, such as strengthening technology for disaster recovery and business continuity and providing them with new applications to enable better digital/online experiences,” Sami added.

Mark Forker asked Sami Abi Esber about the new kinds of platforms and technologies that have recently come to the fore as a result of COVID-19.

“COVID- 19 did give rise to a ‘contact-free economy’ – digital commerce, tele-medicine, distance learning and automation industries in particular are seeing a pivotal turning point,” suggests Sami.

There’s much more to learn about this leading industry thinker’s views in the interview, accessible in the links below.

Check out the interview online on Tahawultech.com

Read the whole interview in Computer News Middle East here

Which School Advisor & MDS CTS collaborate in panel about future of technology in schools

Which School Advisor website recently collaborated with MDS CTS, the leading Apple Solution Expert for Education in the UAE, to develop a panel discussion about the future of technology in schools.

The use of technology in schools has become a current topic for discussion as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. Schools with educators and students that are fluent in their chosen technology and equipped with reliable hardware appear to have made a smoother and more cohesive move to online at-home learning.

To discuss the new opportunities that technology brings, Which School Advisor worked with MDS CTS to conduct a panel discussion between Gillian Hammond, Principal of Repton Abu Dhabi; Emma Hannon, Director of Digital and Innovative Learning at The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys; Phoebe Hindi, Vice-Principal of the Institute of Applied Technology, and Zoe Woolley, Headmistress of Foremarke School.

The education leaders from the four Apple Distinguished Schools were joined by Sherifa Aly, Education Specialist from CTS. The team at MDS CTS has been working closely with all schools in the UAE in areas of technology supply and support to ensure that effective learning remains possible under lockdown conditions.

Watch the discussion on Which School Advisor UAE website

Abdul Salam Knio from ICT interviewed by The Business Year

In the recent Qatar Digital Roundtable convened by The Business Year, Abdul Salam Knio, Managing Partner of Information & Communication Technology was interviewed about Qatar Vision 2030 and the progress of the digital economy in the current pandemic crisis.

The interview was part of a webinar series and is now available on video. Abdul Salam Knio spoke alongside Matthew Heaton (Qatar Al-Tamimi & Company) and Craig Dunleavy (Country Manager, Devere Group.)

Asked by interviewer Han Le about the preparedness of the IT sector in Qatar to respond to the Corona virus challenge, and the state of digital transformation of the nation, Abdul Salam Knio talked about a range of issues, deficits and opportunities.

“…the Qatari government, as part of the country’s Vision 2030 and measures thinking before the pandemic, was ready to move from a traditional economy to a digital one. That definitely helped us to address the pressure of COVID-19 now.”

Abdul Salam Knio was clear that the Qatari government’s commitment to having a cloud infrastructure and cloud regulations has provided ‘a more elastic and sustainable business model, moving forward.’

He added that the government’s decision to build a national cybersecurity center in order to keep on top of emerging cybersecurity threats has been an important aspect when depending more on the digital economy.

Read more on The Business Year website and see a clip from the interview with Abdul Salam Knio on LinkedIn.

Toni El Inati of Barracuda Networks interviewed by Tahawultech about remote working and security issues

Toni El Inati from Barracuda Networks recently spoke to Tahawultech.com for an interview with Adelle Geronimo about the new realities of remote working, and possible security risks that arise.

Toni El Inati, who is RVP Sales Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe for Barracuda Networks, offered insights in the article into ways organisations can build security up as more and more people work away from established safe office networks.

“When your entire workforce is working remotely, any thoughtless action could bring disruptions across the organisation as security becomes volatile,” he told the popular IT sector website.

In the article, Toni picks out email phishing scams at the top of his list of potential security breaches, and also talks about how Barracuda Cloud-to-Cloud backup can help offset data loss and keep tabs on data management regulations.

Read more in the article on Tahawultech

Midis S.I. Group launch international COVID-19 video initiative

Midis System Integration Group has just launched a video showing how employees across the Group are working from home and keeping the Group flag flying during the difficult COVID-19 times we are all living through.

“The way we work together at Midis SI shows the quality of our values and approach to business and this video shows why the Group is so successful,” said Sami Abi Esber, President, Midis System Integration Group.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees who work in 13 countries and 20 different cities to support our customers, and to all our loyal customers and partners for supporting us, we will do it again and we will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever,” added Sami.

Sachin Bhardwaj, Director of Marketing, Midis System Integration Group, and his colleagues in the Midis SI marketing team were amazed to receive 700+ images of Group and affiliate employees working safely from home due to the emergency.

“It was indeed amazing to have received 700+ pictures across the various geographies we operate in,” said Sachin. “I am very happy to share this video which celebrates the efforts of all our affiliates and their employees; showcasing how everyone has taken a proactive approach in remaining connected with our customers, partners and colleagues during this phase of the emergency.”

“We would like to thank the entire Midis SI team for supporting the Midis SI Team Video Initiative”, added Sachin.

Enjoy the video here:

HDF SAS run successful Dell webinar for North West African and Moroccan partners

Women In IT: two successful Midis Group marketing professionals talk about career pathways in Tahawultech.com