BMS organize the first regional Partner and Reseller event for Lenovo in West Africa

Midis Group affiliate, Business Machines & Solutions (BMS), recently organized the first regional Partner and Reseller event for Lenovo in West Africa. The event took place at the Novotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in November, 2019.

120 participants attended from 10 different west African countries, representing 85 companies. The event was attended by Partners from BMS and Polaris Distribution in Ivory Coast, another regional Midis Group affiliate.

a man in a suit talks into a mic in front of a presentation screen
Ali Laroussi from the Lenovo Data Center Group presents to the participants

BMS was represented by Jean-Paul Missir (General Manager), Wadih El-Chidiak and Maher Obegi from the sales team and Polaris Distribution by Alain-Denis Tanoh (General Manager) and Emile Mahoussi (Sales Manager).

The full-day event also welcomed six Lenovo representatives who presented the full range of Lenovo products, including both consumer and commercial products. Global Segment, Enterprise Solutions and partner programs were also part of the program.

Lenovo executives at the event included product managers Hichem Mekki (Consumer) and Philippe Maigrot (Commercial) who came from the Dubai office. Ali Laroussi (Enterprise), Tarik Sansi and Anwar Fajri (Global segment) flew in from Morocco and Raffy Abrahamyan (Regional Sales manager) who presented as well.

Seen from over his shoulder, a man talks into a mic and presents to a roomful of people
Philippe Maigrot, SMB product manager from Lenovo, talks at the event

Jean-Paul Missir from BMS started the event with a welcome presentation about BMS and the Midis group, then Lenovo’s Raffy Abrahamian and Anwar Fajri presented the new Partner programs for the region. Hichem Mekki presented about the IdeaPad range including the Slim S940 laptop and the Legion gaming laptop range.

Philippe Maigrot presented the Lenovo Think products range of laptops, PCs and workstations including Thinkshield solutions, then Ali Laroussi showed the extended enterprise portfolio of servers, storage and solutions.

“From a local event, this became a major regional one due to the enthusiasm of our partners to meet with Lenovo and learn more about the advantages of the #1 PC seller as per IDC market share and the most awarded for its innovations (CES 2019),” said Jean Paul Missir of BMS. “With a global view of Lenovo, Partners discovered many new products and learned lots of advantages to sell this top brand.”

The event also hosted two representatives from Vertiv (former Emerson Network Power), Zineb Kamri (Regional Sales Manager) and Adnane Hajji (IT Channel Sales Manager), who presented their range of products.

Jazan University, Saudi Arabia, goes live with eSolutions Maximo asset management program

His Excellency, the Director of Jazan University, Prof. Dr. Marai bin Hussein Al-Qahtani, inaugurated the eSolutions Maximo Asset Management Program, which was created by the General Administration of Operation, Maintenance and Cleaning in the presence of the university’s agents at the office of His Excellency in the University Tower on December 16, 2019.

His Excellency emphasized the university is keen to support all technical projects that facilitate the performance of its various departments, noting that improving the quality of work to keep pace with development, and making the best use of modern technical means, would improve all services.

For his part, the supervisor of the General Administration of Operation, Maintenance and Cleaning, Hussein Qasadi, explained that the program is in line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision in terms of digital transformation, government and smart building management, and providing distinguished services to the beneficiaries of students, employees and faculty members by providing the mobile application.

Al-Qasadi added that the program aims to collect the types of assets through an integrated system, improve the performance of assets and services, extend the shelf life of assets, and work to reduce costs and risks.

He indicated that the system will contribute to improving the quality of performance by service departments represented in the general administration of projects, inventory management, the general administration for safety and university security, and the movement and transportation management by linking them through this system.

Mindware host all-day event as part of Midis Group wellness strategy

Mindware hosted a wellness day in December organized by the Midis Group at the company HQ in Dubai. Its main purpose was to increase health-care awareness by addressing some of the lesser-talked about subjects from our day-to-day life, such as stress and anxiety issues and how to overcome these successfully.

Mindware colleagues also had the opportunity to undergo a general health check-up with the medical team on site. Among the checks offered were a blood test and GP consultation, a dental check-up, and an awareness session, which was a discussion on stress and work-life balance.

The feedback from the initiative was very positive and almost all employees participated in it. This is the first of many interventions Midis group and Mindware will be doing as part of health awareness and safety and security requirements to everyone working in the company.

Raising the bar: Husni Hammoud from Midis Group talks to CXO Insight about global innovation and local impact

In the latest edition of CXO Insight, Husni Hammoud, Managing Director of Ivanti, Barracuda and ESET for Middle East, CEE and Turkey, talks about how Midis Group is tapping the power of global powerhouses to accelerate digital transformation for it’s clients with innovative security solutions.

Husni begins the interview by talking about each of the three major brands he handles, Ivanti, Barracuda and ESET. Midis Group handles sales operations, and support channel partners for each vendor to ensure that proper solutions are provided and deployed for end-users across all Group territories, from the Middle East to Eastern Europe and beyond.

Importantly, says Husni in the interview, Midis Group act as an extended local arm for major vendors. This means, local teams work on the ground to make certain their market knowledge ensures that solutions recommended and delivered make the most of Midis Group regional and local expertise. It’s about matching the right solution to the right set of needs.

Read more in this in-depth CXO Insight interview with one of the most experienced Managing Directors working in the security and innovation sectors

MDSap wins Best EPM Solutions Provider at Hot 50 Awards 2019 by Tahawultech.com

MDSap has been selected as Best EPM Solutions Provider at the Hot 50 Awards 2019 by Tahawultech.com. The eighth annual Hot 50 Awards honored top players in both ICT Enterprise and Channel segments. The event was held on Dec 9, 2019 at The Loft at Dubai Opera.

With over 150 attendees, the event reception was a platform for industry stakeholders to network and celebrate the successes of the year.

According to the Tahawultech website, the Hot 50 Awards focus on industry leading groups committed to Enterprise IT and Channel business that respond to customer demand innovatively.

Winning recognition by Tahawultech as part of the elite Hot 50 club is reserved for companies that have developed and shaped regional IT business over the last year.

MDSap are part of the Midis Group of companies

See the full list of Award winners on Tahawultech,com

HDF SAS sponsor Dell Technologies Forum in Casablanca

Midis Group affiliate, HDF SAS, were sponsors of the major Dell Technologies Forum held on December 3, 2019 in Casablanca. More than 1200 colleagues and clients from all over Africa, including many from Morocco, attended the event which was held at the Sofitel Casablanca.

This was only the second time Dell have held their Technologies Forum in Casablanca and it is the first year that HDF SAS have been involved. HDF SAS team members were present, presenting the latest Dell solutions and networking with clients and industry contacts. HDF also hosted APC by Schneider on its stand.

The HDF team were Johny Rahme, Paris-based Sales and Marketing Director, with Abdelwahab BenAbdallah, Yousef Aznaidi and Hicham Tamim, all from HDF Morocco, and from HDF Tunisia, Sami Saadoun.

Some of the HSF SAS team at Dell Technologies Forum
Some of the HSF SAS team at Dell Technologies Forum

Kamel Ameziane, Senior Channel Sales Manager for North and West Africa for Dell, enthused about the prestigious event on his LinkedIn page: “What a wonderful Dell Technologies Forum event! A real big event with more than 1200 attendees, and real best-in-class channel partners in the IT industry embracing our strategy and vision that enables real transformation from the edge to the core to the cloud.”

The event was one of five major Dell Technologies Forum events organised by Dell worldwide and the theme was Real IT Transformation.

MDSap is data and analytics sponsor at Digital Saudi 2030

MDSap was a data and analytics sponsor of the third annual Digital Saudi 2030 event which took place on November 19 and 20 at the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh.

The event hosted over 500 C-Level executives who gathered to understand, create, develop and enhance their knowledge base to achieve digitalization as an enterprise, government and as a nation.

Ilker Tasdemir talking about Intelligent Solutions at Digital Saudi 2030
Ilker Tasdemir talking about Intelligent Solutions at Digital Saudi 2030

On day two of the event, Ilker Tasdemir, MDSap Director of Business Development, presented “Intelligent Solutions for Proactive, Data-Driven and Citizen Focused Governments.” MDSap is part of the Midis Group.

Digital Saudi was a great opportunity for the MDSap team to meet and network with key clients and potential future clients
Digital Saudi was a great opportunity for the MDSap team to meet and network with key clients and potential future clients

On the MDSap conference stand, the team talked and demonstrated how MDSap Intelligent Solutions powered by SAP can help transform organizations and governments in the way Ilker spoke about in his presentation.

Toni El Inati: Barracuda brings security to the borderless network

MDS CTS supports Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys to become an Apple Distinguished School in the UAE – Video

In this short video, Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys, UAE, take you through their journey on how they became an Apple Distinguished School with MDS CTS’s support.

Apple Distinguished School recognition is reserved for Education Institutes which meet criteria for creative innovation, motivational leadership, continuous professional development among its staff, educational excellence and demonstrate Apple’s vision for exemplary learning environments.

The video shows MDS CTS’ tailor-made solutions, which involve Apple professional learning specialists, working alongside teachers, students, and technical engineers to integrate iPad, Mac and various education applications in every classroom effectively.

Watch more about the project on the MDS CTS Case Study video below:

eSolutions Maximo sponsor two major summits with IBM in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

eSolutions Maximo, the software solutions and professional services company based in Abu Dhabi, part of the Midis Group, was busy during the month of October, sponsoring and exhibiting at two major regional summits.

The group is based in Abu Dhabi, but operate all over the region, including UAE, Kuwait, Egypt, Oman, Turkey, Bahrain, and Iraq.

Attendees viewing the Think Summit UAE
Attendees viewing the Think Summit UAE

 

Husni Hammoud interview: how Ivanti’s holistic offerings enable digital transformation

Midis Group sponsors VIP Majlis Club at GITEX 2019 for tenth year

Emirates Business Machines and LiveRoute hold interactive customer event with vendors Lenovo and Microsoft

Emirates Business Machines held a lively interactive customer event on September 22, 2019, at Conrad Hotel in Dubai featuring EBM alongside LiveRoute and vendors Lenovo and Microsoft.

The event was the first in a series of initiatives that EBM/Lenovo have planned, with another event taking place in Abu Dhabi.

Watching and engaging in the EBM event
Watching and engaging in the EBM event

The events are important collaborations between two MIDIS entities and two key vendors to tie-in some key messaging and announcements.

Windows 7 support is ending in January 2020, so:

Existing users are recommended to migrate to Windows 10 to utilize it’s modern features, apps and benefit from patch updates

Upgrading to Windows 10 is not sufficient. Older devices might face compatibility issues or not possess the right technology to utilize all of Windows 10’s benefits. Migrating to new devices is the best approach to keep the workplace moving.

Together with Microsoft, Lenovo and LiveRoute, EBM shared a DaaS offering which assists customers in migrating to Windows 10 and also obtaining new Lenovo devices on a subscription model.

Jean Magdy from Microsoft presents at the event.
Jean Magdy from Microsoft presents at the event.

The September 22 event was fully booked. Speakers included Akhlaq Julay, Husam Alhmoud, Jean Magdy and Raneem Mahfoud.

See this story on EBM’s LinkedIn feed

 

 

MDS CTS Apple at Work hands-on event shines in Dubai

An MDS CTS Apple at Work event took place at the Sofitel hotel, Palm Jumeirah in Dubai on September 16. The event featured MDS team members showing how Apple devices support employees at work.

Speaking at the event - Ibrahim Yusuf, Security Engineer, CISCO
Speaking at the event – Ibrahim Yusuf, Security Engineer, CISCO

According to MDS CTS the event was an insightful day welcoming customers from the enterprise space. Planning a very interactive experience, the company rolled-out a hands-on workshop on Deploying Apple Devices.

There were chances to hear about MDS CTS’ services stack, a live deployment demo and the day ended with extensive networking by all attendees.

Latest news from Maxime Chaya’s ski-borne expedition to summit Mustagh Ata in northwest China

Maxime Chaya, Lebanon’s foremost explorer and athlete, has ventured to the Pamirs in Xinjiang Province, Northwest China on an expedition to summit the “Father of Ice Mountains” on skis. Supported by Midis Group, among others, Maxime and his team set off in August to travel through Kyrgystan and China to Base Camp. This journey took close to a week before they reached the foot of Mustagh Ata, having encountered formidable challenges along the way. Max has just sent this report upon his return:

“I began writing this on Monday, August 19, inside my tent at Advanced Camp One (5,700 m). The decision has just been taken. We are to abort the mission to the 7,546m summit.”

Maxime: Our little home away from home. The relative comfort of our flimsy tent at Advance Camp One is magnified by the proximity of the Mustagh Ata seracs and gaping crevasses nearby.
Maxime: Our little home away from home. The relative comfort of our flimsy tent at Advance Camp One is magnified by the proximity of the Mustagh Ata seracs and gaping crevasses nearby.

“The violent winds of the past few days coupled with the extreme cold have made the mountain what it really is – the Father of Ice Mountains. This is actually the meaning of Mustagh Ata in the local language. Indeed, its location and northern latitude (much further north than the Himalayas), coupled with its high altitude, make this a cold BAMF of a mountain.”

Maxime: UIAGM mountain guide Eric visibly happy to arrive to Advance Camp One at 5,700m in clement weather. Little did he - or anyone else - know that a week later, bitterly cold 90kph winds and glacial temperatures would have us don our down jackets and big mittens before compelling us to back down from the notoriously cold 7,546m mountain.
Maxime: UIAGM mountain guide Eric visibly happy to arrive to Advance Camp One at 5,700m in clement weather. Little did he – or anyone else – know that a week later, bitterly cold 90kph winds and glacial temperatures would have us don our down jackets and big mittens before compelling us to back down from the notoriously cold 7,546m mountain.

“The vicious wind has driven away all the snow and, consequently, the mountain has turned into one huge, steep, ice rink. The bare blue ice covering the entire surface of Mustagh Ata, coupled with abrupt slopes and deep crevasses, is a recipe for disaster. As a matter of fact, yesterday, on a nearby lesser mountain, there was a tragic accident leading to the deaths of three Russian mountain guides. May their souls rest in peace.”

Maxime: Crammed, cold and wet but happy! Sonia, Eric, Mouss, Pascal and I visibly happy sheltering inside the 3-man tent while the sudden snow storm rages outside. "Let it snow, let it snow…"
Maxime: Crammed, cold and wet but happy! Sonia, Eric, Mouss, Pascal and I visibly happy sheltering inside the 3-man tent while the sudden snow storm rages outside. “Let it snow, let it snow…”

“The team including myself is extremely disappointed, especially that we worked so hard to get here. So close and yet so far. But such are the rules of the game with high altitude mountaineering; where only the mountain is king.”

“This reminds me of my decision to turn around on 8,000m Gasherbrum II in Pakistan. It was back in 2004 and the deceit was no less then. However, I’d like to think that the lessons learned from this ‘failed’ summit will outweigh our inevitable deception, just like the learnings from my failure on GII greatly contributed to my success on Everest two years later.”

Maxime: 'The closer to Caesar, the greater the fear.' Trekking to Base Camp at 4,400m with the imposing 7,546m Mustagh Ata and its 'Father of Ice Mountains’ glaciers constantly in sight
Maxime: ‘The closer to Caesar, the greater the fear.’ Trekking to Base Camp at 4,400m with the imposing 7,546m Mustagh Ata and its ‘Father of Ice Mountains’ glaciers constantly in sight

“In my book Steep Dreams; My Journey to the Top of the World, I transcribed the exact notes from my daily Gasherbrum journal. It read something like this:

‘Some years the mountain opens its arms and allows climbers to stand on its summit. This year, it wasn’t to be. After all the hardship we had been through, and just as we were poised to pick the fruit of our long-suffering, it took a great deal of wisdom and courage to turn back…’”

Maxime: On the first acclimatization hike just above Base Camp, French UIAGM mountain guide Eric points towards the upper camps way above, and the 7,546m Mustagh Ata summit beyond
Maxime: On the first acclimatization hike just above Base Camp, French UIAGM mountain guide Eric points towards the upper camps way above, and the 7,546m Mustagh Ata summit beyond

“Now, some 15 years later and on a totally different mountain, Mother Nature reminds us that she has the upper hand and us mortals can do nothing but respect and comply.

 

‟

In the words of Winston Churchill: Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

 

My sincere thanks to Midis Group, Alfa Telecommunications and the Maroun N. Chammas Recognition Awards Fund, who wholeheartedly back my endeavors, be it inside Lebanon or abroad, including this project. Who knows what the foreseeable future holds, but I’d like to say to Mustagh Ata: Ce n’est qu’un au-revoir!”

Maxime Chaya, September 2019

Jordan Data Systems (JDS) completes Abdali Medical Center data center infrastructure & services in Amman

Abdali Medical Center (AM) is a new multi-specialty hospital facility located in Amman, Jordan, now open to patients. AM offers a wide spectrum of medical services to cater for local and international healthcare needs. Thanks to the Jordan Data Systems (JDS) data center project, AM took the necessary steps to achieve a paperless environment across the facility. Advanced digital health records will serve patients and care teams, improving service delivery and leading to better outcomes and cost savings.

According to Bashar Naber, Presales Manager at JDS, Midis Group’s reputation as a major player in the ICT field helped them win the project. “We came fully prepared and demonstrated skills and knowledge to guide the customer through HPE’s journey and vision on simplifying the Hybrid IT model by employing HPE Composable Infrastructure. This has been a tremendous collaborative effort between all parties. We approached the project opportunity with HPE with a winning mindset, and HPE was up to the task.”

Program objectives included implementing best-of-breed EMR/HIS/ERP Systems providing users with a reliable, highly-available system with the best workflow support, health knowledge, quality data, decision support and service-oriented architectural design.

Project partners created a clinical data repository for patient information and data, available to clinicians at the points of care within the hospital. Also key to the project was delivering cost reduction for HIS operation and maintenance by reducing the number of applications to install, customize, train, and operate.

To deliver the project, Jordan Data Systems worked with key industry partners to meet the hospital group objectives. JDS is an HPE Platinum Partner, and along with HPE, partnered with Orange Jordan Enterprise Business Solutions division; the main contractor to deliver the project in order to cover the entire spectrum of AM IT and Communications requirements. JDS joined forces with the HPE team to meet and deliver AM’s requirements and provide an end-to-end solution based on HPE and its alliance partners such as SAP, Microsoft, SUSE, VMware, and Commvault.

About JDS

Jordan Data Systems (JDS), founded in 1981, specializes in turnkey IT solutions across many market sectors. JDS expertise covers software solutions, computer and communication, turnkey enterprise data centers, site preparation, as well as data communications and hospitality. After 38 years of continuous, steady growth, JDS is established as a professional and reputable company with a total staff of 60 employees, 50 with an engineering background. To date, JDS has an installed base of more than 600 satisfied customers and over 200 large turnkey projects.

About Orange

Orange Jordan offers the most advanced technologies, know-how and consultation that help businesses stay at the forefront. The company provides a range of corporate solutions such as managed connectivity, Unified Threat Management (UTM), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection, Cloud Data Center Network infrastructure, local area network and wireless local area network (LAN/WLAN), Vehicle Tracking, IPTV, smart office and Voice Over IP solutions.

MDSap partners with SAPs Moving Experience initiative in UAE & Oman to promote digitalization through unique roadshow

Dubai: In a significant first to support the region’s digital transformation, MDSap, a gold partner of SAP and expert in SAP’s Platform and Technology (P&T) solutions, has announced the launch of a unique ‘Moving Experience,’ a compelling roadshow that presents how digitization can sharpen business efficiency and productivity.

With MDSap as the digital sponsor of the initiative, SAP will lead the initiative, which aims at promoting better story-telling to clearly communicate how SAP Platform and Technology solutions can transform businesses.

Travelling across the UAE and Oman to the premises of customers until September, the ‘Moving Experience’ will provide a credible and bespoke on-boarding experience for customers on how SAP technologies can transform their business through compelling demos.

Tony Achkar, Group Managing Director and EVP of MDSap said, “the Moving Experience is a creative knowledge-sharing initiative that aims to provide customers with a real-world experience of how SAP technology can help them unlock their true potential. We believe advances in technology must not be confined to board room meetings. We must take the message to customers and ensure we engage them with a narrative that demystifies technology and ensures they can understand better, learn more and make informed decisions. The initiative is in line with our commitment to the ‘smart transformation’ plans of regional governments. We aim to take the ‘Moving Experience’ to new geographies and foster a culture of stronger engagement with our customers.”

Designed to meet the business requirements of customers, the ‘Moving Experience’ is housed in a sleek Peugeot Boxer, custom-fitted with comfortable seating and high-tech screens to display P&T demos on topics like SAP Digital Boardroom, SAP Hana, SAP analytics cloud and SAP profitability and performance management.

MDSap, recently named Best Enterprise Solutions Integrator at Tahawul Tech’s Hot 50 Awards, has over 25 years’ experience providing information management and analytics solutions to over 400 Enterprise customers and government entities across the MENA.

MDSap also offers advanced ICT services and consultancy, system integration, software and hardware solutions, distribution, data centers, IT infrastructure and power solutions led by its partnership with Midis Group, which includes 150 companies across Europe and MENA.

The ‘Moving Experience’ vehicle will be stationed at customer sites to give time for the team to communicate SAP Platform and Technology Solutions and all the associated benefits to customers. The vehicle will have a cooler and a fully stocked refreshment area to keep customers comfortable for the duration of their session.

SAP is the first multi-national business applications provider to open a cloud data center in the UAE, providing secure and scalable innovation solutions to further the UAE Vision 2021 and the digital transformation of industry.

“As UAE Vision 2021 and Oman Vision 2040 drive nationwide digital transformation, public and private sector organisations in both countries need the expertise of local channel partners to run in real-time and enhance competitiveness,” said Sameer Areff, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East South, SAP. “MDSap’s Moving Experience is an ideal platform for Emirati and Omani organisations to leverage the latest SAP cloud-based technology innovations to optimize costs, scale up, and transform customer experiences.”

As the UAE’s public and private sectors heavily invest in their organization-wide digital transformation, with a strong focus on adopting scalable cloud-based solutions, the UAE’s IT market is set to grow by 20 percent, from $5.5 billion in 2018 to $6.6 billion by 2021, according to BMI Research.

Support, education and communication for local businesses is key to successful digital transformation of the region, which is why the ‘Moving Experience’ is an important initiative to push the boundaries of technology and innovation.

Read more about MDSap on their website

MDSap named Gold co-sponsor of 9th annual Middle East Banking Innovation Summit

MDSap have been named as Gold co-sponsor of the region’s leading banking and technology event, the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit, which will take place at Jumeriah Emirates Tower Hotel Dubai on September 3-4. MDSap is part of Midis Group.

According to the summit website, the Middle East region is regarded as one of the fastest growing markets in the banking sector, with UAE in particular leading the technology adoption in this sector in the GCC region. With new disruptive models and technologies introduced, banks are evolving and are introducing new methods of banking for their customers, while pursuing new strategies for sustainable growth.

The 9th annual Middle East Banking Innovation Summit 2019,taking place on 3rd and 4th September 2019 in Dubai, will focus on various disruptive technologies, new banking regulations and emerging key trends impacting this sector.

The Summit is the largest banking technology platform in the region that brings together banking leaders, fintech experts and over 450 senior experts and leaders to discuss the future of banking.