Mindware successfully hosts Partner Summit event in Algeria
Mindware, Southcomp Polaris and HDF SAS hosted a major Partner Summit event on February 7, 2023 where the companies welcomed top brand partners including Asus, Cisco, Dell Technologies, HP and APC Schneider. The event took place at the Sofitel Algiers Hamma Garden where Algerian partners attended to network and explore new opportunities.
The day was kicked off with a Mindware keynote from Toni Azzi and a welcome from Rachid Saib. Faycal Otmane, Distribution Sales Manager North West & Central Africa at Cisco, followed that with a presentation titled ‘Create Value for your customers with Cisco.’
Samer Rachedi, Account Executive at Dell was the next speaker, talking about ‘Dell Technologies Advantages.’ Then Ilyass Ouaza, Secure Power Channel Director, FSA & I, from Schneider Electric explored ‘Edge Computing as a Digital Accelerator,’ followed by Mehdi Sehil and Lotfi Mederreg telling all about the HP Portfolio and the Asus Portfolio respectively. Following the presentations a Q&A session was held followed by the Award Ceremony and the event ended with a dinner.
Algerian Partners group photo. Photo credit – Mindware
Around 80 attendees were present at the Summit representing 45+ partners from all parts of Algeria. Southcomp Polaris was pleased to reward their top three partners per vendor for achieving great business in 2022:
CETIC, Sarl Hardware Technology and SARL MAGHREB CIRCUIT IMPRIMES – top three HP Inc. Partners.
Sarl PCCOMPO, Sarl IT2S and Sarl SOFIM AGERIE – top three Cisco Partners.
Sarl SOFIM AGERIE, Sarl Computer Prospective and CBS – top three Dell Technologies Partners.
CDMI and also to FDA – top two Asus Partners.
ALFATRON and EIBM – top two APC Schneider Electric Partners.
Toni Azzi was very encouraging regarding the event on his LinkedIn profile: “Attending Algeria Partner Summit. Great event, amazing crowd and lovely discussions. Algeria is a country full of potential and opportunities. Looking for more and more growth in this country. Counting on an amazing team, well committed and dedicated.”
More 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 4,000 partners. 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, Mindware has been uncompromisingly serving its customers for more than three decades.
Lebanon’s Maxime Chaya & teammate Steve Holyoak complete possibly the longest unassisted cycle crossing of the largest sand desert in the world
Lebanon’s foremost sportsman and explorer Maxime Chaya has just completed an amazing cycling adventure through the desert heart of the Empty Quarter along with teammate Steve Holyoak. The 2,640km journey was called Against the Grain (ATG) because the two intrepid cyclists rode their specially adapted ‘fat bikes’ eastwards against the predominant winds and sands.
The expedition began on November 18, 2022, in Jeddah on the shores of the Red Sea and Maxime and Steve finally wheeled to a halt and completed the journey on December 21, in Muscat in the Gulf of Oman.
It was incredibly important to Maxime and Steve that they left only footprints – and bicycle tracks – behind them. Photo credit – Steve Holyoak – ATG
The expedition, mostly planned by expedition leader Steve, was conceived in line with the adventurers love and respect for the environment and Max and Steve carefully incinerated all their trash daily for a genuine leave-no-trace ATG expedition.
Thanks to the help and support of Midis Group, Abbott, Red Bull Mobile, Comin Insurance and Emporiam, the unassisted and unsupported fat biking expedition has become possibly the longest unassisted bicycle crossing of the largest sand desert in the world – a world first, according to Maxime. The team used pre-laid caches of water and food to sustain themselves on the journey.
As in all adventures, there were a few problems and mishaps for the experienced adventurers who were without support vehicles throughout the 33-day crossing. During the desert leg they subsisted on daily rations of 12 liters of water and 5,500 Kcal of freeze-dried food, including nuts, raisins, chocolate and sugars found in caches buried in the sand. Marked with precise GPS coordinates, the 25 caches containing life-saving provisions remained intact except for one: cache number 15 was totally dug up and destroyed – probably by foxes. Further east, two more caches were compromised, only partially this time, by termites.
In advance of expedition ATG, a team of Saudi Arabian desert-driving experts from Amazing Tours, Riyadh along with Steve and spouse Elizabeth painstakingly laid 25 caches of water and food along the route: without these, the expedition would have been impossible. Photo credit – Steve Holyoak – ATG
On day 28, having made it across the treacherous ‘desert of all deserts’ and finally onto the blacktop, there remained one more obstacle, albeit of a different kind: getting across the KSA/Oman border post without a motorized vehicle. No one had ever presented themselves at that recently opened customs crossing (named Rub’ al Khali) on a bicycle. The border guards – like all Saudi and Omani nationals along the journey – were very welcoming and helpful. They eventually found a way to overcome the system and stamped the adventurers’ passports before taking selfies with them and their loaded fat bikes.
After the hot and dry desert, once inside the Sultanate of Oman, the duo still had to climb to the summit pass of Jebel Hatt, 2,000m above sea level, before cycling through Wadi Dabaun to finish their epic adventure on the shores of the Gulf of Oman in Muscat.
Despite cycling in extreme conditions and on heavily loaded bikes for as long as 10 hours a day, none of the two adventurers, both over 50 years old, had any problems. Photo credit – Max Chaya – ATG
Blood tests and in-body measurements were carried out before and after ATG, while fluid intake, hydration levels and other parameters were regularly recorded by Max and Steve for a scientific study being documented by a UK-based expert nutritionist together with Steve.
The learnings from such an intimidating endeavor are many. Most notably, Max points out what an ‘amazingly immaculate machine the human body is.’ Despite cycling in extreme conditions and on heavily loaded bikes for as long as 10 hours a day, none of the two adventurers, both over 50 years old, had any problems.
More importantly Maxime says Against the Grain reminds us of what both Steve and he know well: any undertaking that first appears seemingly impossible to achieve can successfully be accomplished if it is broken down into separate, less complex problems, and leaning into each one to solve it diligently.
Barracuda welcomes Moroccan customers and partners at IS events in Rabat city and Casablanca
Barracuda Networks recently welcomed customers to two events that took place in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco. The events were themed “How to optimize IS security in your digital transformation” and were hosted jointly with partners ECS Informatique, Axians and GTI Software & Networking Afrique.
On their LinkedIn profile, a company spokesperson said this about the final event, in Casablanca. “A very constructive exchange on Barracuda ‘s approach to web and API security, Zero Trust Access for Microsoft 365, and our Cloud-to-Cloud Backup and Message Archiver solutions for data protection. Thank you to our partners Axians and GTI Software and Networking Afrique for their commitment and mobilization that made this event a success.”
Attendees watched presentations about Barracuda solutions including Web App Security, Email Protection with Zero Trust and Web Security, Backup Server and Message Archiver. Photo credit – Barracuda
ECS Informatique held their Barracuda customer event at the Dawliz Hotel in Rabat, and this was followed by the AXIANS event held at Le Casablanca Hotel at the beginning of December. Both events featured the same agenda and have been successfully organised by GTI Software & Networking Africa.
Around 20 people were present at the invitation of the partners, ECS Informatique, GTI Software & Networking Afrique and Axians. The key Barracuda solutions demonstrated at both events included Web App Security products, Email Protection with Zero Trust and Web Security, Backup server products and the Message Archiver solution.
IDC reports: MDS System Integration leading the way in the IT Services market across GCC
MDS System Integration Group (MDS SI Group) is leading the way in the IT Services market across the GCC according to recently released IDC Competitive Profiles and 2021 Analysis of IT Services players. The Group leads the market in UAE and Oman, and is an increasingly successful contender in Qatar, and also in the KSA market, up from ninth in 2020 to eighth place in 2021.
The annual IDC reports highlight that the Group increased IT Services revenue in UAE to $443.28m and maintained a market share at 14%. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, MDS SI Group increased IT Services revenue significantly, almost doubling revenue to $145.04m. In Qatar, the Group was in second place in the market with a revenue of $141m and 16.9% of the market share. Finally, the IDC report noted strong results in Oman, leading the sector with 12.3% of the market share and revenue of $31.2m at the end of FY2021.
“This recognition by IDC, of our excellent performance in this increasingly competitive marketplace, is a great tribute to the hard work of everyone within the Group” said Sami Abi Esber, President of MDS System Integration Group.
“It’s important to highlight that we have managed to increase our revenue and market share in most of the key foundation markets. It is also key to realizing our vision of being the Leading Regional System Integrator helping customers in their DX Journey and our strategy of growing our Solutions and Services business, while embracing new technologies which is giving us an edge over other competitors – and this has been mentioned as a distinctive strategic edge by IDC.”
According to the IDC UAE report, “MDS SI Group focuses on developing capabilities around the key technologies of Cloud, Cybersecurity, Big Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to fulfill the digital transformation aspirations of its clients. The group embraces both organic and inorganic approaches to developing these capabilities. Its strong financials and zero debt position means it is able to acquire companies to strengthen its services portfolio.”
Midis Group affiliates ready to welcome customers at LEAP 2023
Teams at Midis Group affiliates are getting ready to welcome new and existing customers and partners at the second edition of the major LEAP technology conference taking place at the Riyadh Front Expo Centre from February 6-9.
Around 100,000+ tech innovators and leading experts from around the world will be at the event to discover new ideas, build new partnerships, and connect with inspiring mentors and investors.
Aligning with Saudi Vision 2030, Midis Group affiliates will showcase the latest Technologies to accelerate their customer’s digital transformation journey.
According to the event website, the speaker line-up includes 500+ experts from footballers turned tech enthusiast Thierry Henry to investors with multi-million dollar portfolios. LEAP also features Deep Fest, billed on the event website as “the premier meeting place for the global Artificial Intelligence ecosystem of thought-leaders, change-makers, big tech, data scientists, innovators, enterprises, academia, start-ups, and entrepreneurs leading innovation across businesses.”
MDS Computers UAE began 2023 with major SURGE event in Abu Dhabi
MDS Computers UAE began 2023 with a major strategic vendor event in Abu Dhabi, called Surge. The day-long event for vendors and partners was held on January 12 at the Rixos Premium, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. The day of discussion, planning and thought leadership was hosted by MDS Computers Vice-President Eddy Abboud.
“We would like to thank everyone who participated and made it such a memorable event. Special thanks to our speakers and panelists for sharing their valuable insights and experiences. We all walked away with new ideas to share with our clients, new approaches to gain customers’ trust, new ways to position MDS value and inspiration to drive our journey forward” added Eddy.
Surge was brought to life by invited vendors including Aruba, Cisco, Fortinet, Juniper Networks, Red Hat, HPE, Nutanix, Nvidia, NetApp, CommVault, Veeam, Nozomi Networks and MDS Computers affiliate eHDF.
Eddy Abboud leads the discussion as Surge gets under way. Photo credit – MDS Computers
The meeting was designed to ensure that MDS Computers sales enablement is aligned to the company business initiatives, and that the teams present design solutions that turn the intended Group strategic vision into real targets for their goal-oriented teams. 10 vendors teams gave high level presentations and participated in panel discussions.
“With our proactive approach to identify, define key priorities, determine actions and assess outcomes, we are now positioned to drive change via our business objectives” said a company spokesperson, also on LinkedIn.
Toni El Inati interviewed by Enterprise IT World about Barracuda Networks 2022 achievements
Toni El Inati, RVP Sales, META & CEE, Barracuda Networks was interviewed in the December edition of Enterprise IT World MEA about the successes of the company in 2022 and development plans for 2023.
According to Toni in the interview, Barracuda’s excellent performance in 2022 followed a change of corporate ownership and then an increasing presence in markets in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria, and Morocco. 2022 also saw growing customer demand for cloud backup and data protection services which led to Barracuda announcing new data center locations in UAE and South Africa.
“One of the major milestones for Barracuda in the region this year was the launch of our UAE and South Africa data center services which enable us to meet the region’s growing demand for cloud data protection that complies with local regulations” said Toni in the interview. “Compared to traditional backup and recovery solutions, our cloud-first solution provides scale and resiliency, fast performance, and wide global coverage to protect Office 365 data born in the cloud.”
As for 2023, Toni asserts that Barracuda will continue to invest and innovate their product suite and will strengthen their cloud-first infrastructure to help more companies transition securely to the cloud. As more and more companies plan digital transformation strategies, the potential cybersecurity risks also increase, so companies such as Barracuda need to continuously enhance their technologies to meet the increased threat landscape, said Toni in the interview.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium present at FINIZ online Science Conference
Sonja Canjuga, Senior Marketing Manager and Group Marketing Lead at Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium recently spoke on an online panel at the international FINIZ Conference organised from Belgrade, Serbia. Core theme of the conference was ‘Business Resilience in a Changing World.’
According to the Conference website, the aim of the web conference was to encourage experts from industry and people working in scientific and related fields to conduct research based on real-life situations and propose new and innovative financial solutions with the aim to keep pace with global economic trends.
The panel involving Sonja Conjuga was entitled ‘Sustainable Marketing Strategy in the New Reality’ and also featured three other eminent speakers – Slobodan Pešić, Brand Director, Audi Serbia & Montenegro; Zorana Antić, Marketing Director, Bambi (Europe) and Milan Mažić, Marketing Production Manager, Comtrade.
At the FINIZ online conference panel, Sonja Canjuga talked about the important local office offer that underpins the Midis Group brand across much of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Photo credit: Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium.
“I spoke about how Hewlett Packard Enterprise has transformed itself; first in 2015, when it split into Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc.” explained Sonja. “I talked about how this allowed HPE to focus on core business, and also how they continued their transformation – leading to the delivery of an exceptional customer and partner experience, improved market responsiveness and enhanced execution in 2018. This led to exploring how the MAP (Master Area Partner) model was implemented, where HPE and Midis Group collaborated together to help customers further accelerate their business outcomes and use technology to slash the time it takes to turn ideas into value.”
Sonja also detailed more about the history of the Midis Group brand. “In the panel discussion, I spoke about the Midis Group’s focus on the Middle East, Europe and Africa. It’s important to remember how it has developed for 50 years and those important brand values, built on local expertise, integrity, and proven results.”
“In the context of the HPE and Selectium relationship, we are able to serve local needs better through our local offices and these qualities have given us insights and resources which have been key advantages when dealing with the challenging post-COVID business and customer environment. When it came about the HPE and Selectium relationship respected and retained local talent, and we feel working with these particular skills and market knowledge gives the Group an edge over international competitors in the marketplace” added Sonja.
MDSap appointed Digital Transformation Partner by leading EPC contractor METSCCO
MDSap has been appointed as Digital Transformation Partner by METSCCO, a leading regional EPC Contractor serving the top customers in the petroleum and manufacturing industry in Saudi Arabia. MDSap is entering a relationship with METSCCO that will help the company navigate the future of technology.
MDSap plans a greenfield implementation project with METSCCO to engineer strong integration and connections through departments putting in place a One Company One ERP System using the 2022 S/4HANA Public Cloud Acceleration Program.
“Our first pillar will be to create strong trust because businesses succeed when they create a meaningful connection between partners. Our mission with METSCCO is to deliver it” said Johnny Beyrouthy, General Manager, Middle East North at MDSap.
“RISE with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud plays a key part in building the connections that drive success, and that success can be harnessed to create positive change. We will act as trusted and innovative advisors for that common goal” said Emiliano Baroni, Business Development Manager of MDSap.
“We look forward to the opportunity to work with MDSap to build a Digital Transformation strategy across our businesses. Finding a competitive edge is always key to business growth and new ways of thinking digitally and deploying technology could be an important factor for success” said METSCCO CEO, Abdullah Alsabhan.
RISE with SAP is an industry-leading ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) suite which embodies themes from their White Paper titled ‘The Intelligent Enterprise for Industrial Manufacturing Companies.’ The solution, with its embedded industry best practices coupled with MDSap subject matter expertise, is capable of supporting sustainable and profitable businesses that deliver tailor-made solutions at scale and as a service.
More about METSCCO
METSCCO was founded in 1979 to be the construction arm of the Saudi Arabia Petroleum sector. Today, after four decades, METSCCO is recognized as a leading regional EPC Contractor with a strong portfolio covering various businesses like Oil, Gas, Chemical, Petrochemical, Power, Industrial and Infrastructure projects. The company employs a workforce of over 2,100 employees, and owns a large fleet of modern construction equipment, world-class fabrication facilities for Process Equipment, Offshore Fabrication Yards, and TANKS coating facilities. METSCCO Systems aligns with the latest editions of International Standards and holds the Quality Management System Certificate ISO 9001, the Guidance on social responsibility ISO 26000, the Environmental Management System Certificate ISO 14001, and ISO 45001.
More about MDSap
MDSap is a leading SAP Gold Partner and a regional leader in enterprise application software, catering for customers across the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and CEE. With more than 120 business and technical advisers on site, MDSap focusses on turnkey IT solutions in Business Transformation, Intelligent Enterprise, Big Data Analytics, Omni-Channel Banking and Human Capital Management. MDSap has a strong focus in banking and financial services along with public, healthcare, and telecommunication sectors, with a dedicated mission to ensure all their customers get the right support on their digital transformation journey.
Apcom welcomes new Apple Authorized Resellers in the Adriatic
Apcom recently welcomed two new Apple Authorized Resellers in the Adriatic region – Gjirafa Inc. in Kosovo and eKupi across Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
In Kosovo, a fast-developing market for the company’s products, Apcom introduced Gjirafa Inc. as a new Apple Authorized Reseller. Wouter Van Gool, Director of Operations and Procurement E-Commerce said this about their recent iPhone launch event “One of the best experiences that will be remembered was the event for the new iPhone launch, taking place at our Gjirafa50 showroom. Many people showed up despite the rainy weather and late hour. At midnight customers had the opportunity to pick up their new iPhone and explore the latest Apple products in an electric atmosphere with music, refreshments and gifts.”
Gjirafa Inc. is a new Apple Authorised Reseller in Kosovo. Photo credit – Gjirafa Inc.
The Gjirafa team is looking forward to developing their business relationship with Apcom as the new year starts. “It is a pleasure to work with Apcom because of their clear communication and quick response to our questions and requests” said Rinor Shpejti, Performance Marketing (E-Commerce) at Gjirafa. “With their guidance we were able to create strong marketing campaigns which strengthened our position in our market as an Apple Authorized Reseller. We are looking forward to building our relationship and together growing Apple sales.”
“Gjirafa, as an Apcom new e-commerce/retailer, is giving us the opportunity to reach even more Apple customers in their homes and offices, while bringing Apple products closer to them. The uniqueness of this new market and business development brings massive opportunities for growth and expansion in the region” said Hristijan Panev, Apcom’s Regional Retail Account Executive for Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.
eKupi is planning to build further customer base across the wider region. Photo credit – eKupi
Alongside Gjirafa, Apcom also introduced eKupi, a pure e-commerce operation, in five countries across the Adriatic region as an Apple Authorised Reseller. The new business relationship began in Croatia, where eKupi is a market leader in e-commerce and the next steps see business collaborations extending into Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
“To become a regional Apple Apple Authorized Reseller is making us more than happy. This is just another step to become even better and competitive in all the markets eKupi is present in” said Marija Mušicki, Head of Marketing at eKupi. “We hope our current as well as new customers will recognize our efforts to serve them even better. The customer always comes first. For us this is not just another motto, but a core value that every eKupi employee lives in everyday work,” said Marija.
“We are excited to be onboarding eKupi, a pure e-commerce channel operating across the region as, with its wide knowledge in this segment, it provides additional experience for Apple customers and supports development of the business in the region,” said Ana-Marija Đurđic, Apcom’s Retail Account Executive for Croatia.
More about Apcom Adriatic Region
Apcom Adriatic Region is an Apple Authorized Distributor in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Emirates Business Machines runs successful partner event with SUSE at Top Golf in Dubai
Emirates Business Machines (EBM) worked with partners from SUSE to welcome 50 people to SUSExchange, an invitation-only event for technology business executives at Top Golf, part of Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.
According to the SUSE website, SUSExchange events have a high-level, strategy-focused agenda that outlines the business value and practical application of the latest Infrastructure and Cloud-native technologies.
The link between EBM and SUSE is an important and strategic business development for EBM. “In sight of the new era of open source, enterprise companies are adapting more containerized approach and for this EBM has engaged in a partnership agreement with SUSE” said Raed Dabbous, EBM Branch Manager.
The partnership between EBM and SUSE is new and was launched in September 2022. Ahmed Shawki (SUSE Sales Manager) tells the delegates more about the company. Photo credit – EBM
The afternoon and evening activity began with Registration and a welcome from Amr Marzouk and Ammar Halabi from SUSE. Then Ahmed Shawki, Account Manager, SUSE, presented about ‘The Future of Containers.’ Jad el Farran, Sales Manager at EBM, followed, speaking about the Digital Transformation Journey for businesses.
‘Containers, Zero Trust Security at SUSE’ was the next subject, explored by Ahmed Shawki from the SUSE team. The event was closed with a discussion and final remarks from the SUSE and EBM teams, then there was a testing golf activity followed by a networking dinner.
On the EBM LinkedIn profile, the company thanked everyone for their efforts in this way: ‘A big thank you for all the customers and partners that showed up today. Also, thank you Jad El Farran and Ahmed Shawki for a very interactive and insightful session. Looking forward to more successful events!’
More about SUSE
SUSE is a global leader in innovative, reliable and enterprise-grade open source solutions, relied upon by more than 60% of the Fortune 500 to power their mission-critical workloads. We specialize in Enterprise Linux, Kubernetes Management, and Edge solutions, and collaborate with partners and communities to empower our customers to innovate everywhere – from the data center, to the cloud, to the edge and beyond. SUSE puts the “open” back in open source, giving customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow. The company employs nearly 2000 people globally and is listed in the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.suse.com.
More about Emirates Business Machines
Emirates Business Machines (EBM) is a Systems Integrator and IT Solutions company. The company designs, sells, implements, integrates, and supports Datacenters, Servers, Storage, Software Defined, Hyper-converged, Networking, IT Security, Lenovo endpoint computing and client/server applications as well as emerging technologies such as Cloud, Big data, Analytics and IoT. EBM has sales and support offices in Dubai and Abu-Dhabi.
Mindware welcome delegates from across Africa to successful Partner Summit in Ivory Coast
Mindware welcomed delegates from nations across central Africa to their recent Partner Summit in Ivory Coast on November 2nd. The event took place at the Noom Hotel Abidjan Plateau and was co-hosted by Southcomp Polaris, Business Machines and Solutions, and HDF SAS, all related Mindware and Midis Group affiliates.
After registration and coffees, the event began with a Mindware presentation which was followed by an APC Session/Le Digital comme accelerateur : DCIM and Edge Computing. Dell Technologies presented next followed by the IBM team and news of their latest solutions and services.
Delegates hearing about APC pre-fabricated data center solutions from Schneider Electric. Photo credit – Mindware
After a further coffee break there was a chance to learn new insights from a solution architect from HPE, which was followed by an introduction to the latest new products from the Lenovo team. Cybersecurity was next on the agenda with a presentation on Ransomware Protection and Resiliency from Veritas. Delegates then had a chance to network and enjoy a dinner to end the event.
After the presentations there was time to relax and network. Photo credit – Mindware
More 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 4,000 partners. 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, Mindware has been uncompromisingly serving its customers for more than three decades.
MDS CS hosted Hewlett Packard Enterprise for a successful GreenLake event at Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia on October 26. The all-day event, at the Holiday Inn in Jubail, welcomed 33 attendees in total with 25 key clients and eight team members from MDS CS and HPE.
The invited customers were mainly from the oil, gas and utilities sectors. Presentations and workshops were given by Makram Altalafhah, Regional Sales Manager, MDS CS, along with Yousuf Abu Mahmoud, HPE Pointnext GreenLake Consultant.
“We would once again like to thank our colleagues from HPE for exploring this important solution for us and our clients at the event. GreenLake promises to bring many kinds of new business opportunities to key business sectors in the Kingdom, and we are grateful to the HPE team for their expertise and time spent at the event” said MDS CS General Manager, Omran Aljundi.
Omran Aljundi went on to explain how the key facets of GreenLake can apply to the oil, gas and utilities sectors. According to Omran, HPE GreenLake provides the agility of public cloud but offers the protection of a private platform for all customers – especially the oil and gas sector. The solution allows customers to pay only for the IT resources they use and is an as-a-service offering that brings cloud-like flexibility to customers datacenters and other locations such as satellite and remote offices. When the customer signs up for a GreenLake product, HPE delivers a complete and preconfigured system that includes all the hardware and software necessary to be up and running almost immediately, added Omran.
More about MDS for Computer Systems (MDS CS)
Founded in 1982 by Sheikh Mohammed Mansour Al-Rumaih as Mideast Data Systems, today MDS CS is a well-known and highly reputable organization with a team of professional engineers and technicians, with a large base of satisfied customers including significant numbers of large turnkey projects.
MDS CS takes a highly professional approach to meet each of its customers’ unique business requirements. Its commitment in terms of financial investment and customer support is aimed at a long-term relationship with its customers.
Interview: Marek Sodolski talks about data – ‘the fuel and currency of every company’
Marek Sodolski, General Manager Poland and Czech Republic at MDSap, recently presented at the two day CEO Forum event in Bratislava and the company itself was Gold Sponsor of the event in late September. On his LinkedIn profile, Marek revealed more about the discussions that took place in Slovakia and to find out more, we interviewed him about data and the modern business landscape.
Q: What difficulties does the post-covid world present for business? How can business and data intelligence companies/solutions help this?
At the CEO Forum we talked more than once about how to make accurate and possibly safe decisions in the post-Covid world of difficult access to fuel and the changing value of money. But there’s more: the post-Covid era has raised several other questions, for example, how many online shoppers will return to offline shopping and how will this affect logistics costs? And secondly, how will rising inflation (linked, for example, to energy prices or the large amount of money flowing into the market under business and consumer protection programs in the Covid era) affect consumption patterns?
To better answer even standard questions in times of uncertainty – what to sell, where to sell, how to sell, for how much and in which channels – companies are collecting more and more data from a growing number of sources. Already the aggregation of this data for predictive analyses is a challenge, where the help of data management experts is valuable.
At the CEO Forum, Marek presents his thoughts about the key impact that data has on the business landscape, aided by the use of solutions like Incorta. Photo credit – MDSap
Q: In your LinkedIn post about the CEO Forum, you wrote that “…every CEO knows that data is the ‘fuel and currency’ of every company. The question is how to acquire it quickly, collate it for predictive purposes with data from other sources, and how to be confident in the reliability of the results.” What does it look like when companies can’t do the above?
Firstly, there is an increasing risk that important decisions will not be taken quickly enough and that the analytical results on which these decisions are based will not consider all the necessary data or that the data will not be interpreted in a non-negotiable way. It is not uncommon in such situations for each department of the company to present a different value in response to the same question. Company teams might be asking “Our sales are 2 million? And another might answer, ‘No, it’s 2.1 million. No, no, no, it’s 1.7 million after all…”
So Incorta and similar solutions eliminates the very time-consuming processes of data acquisition, transformation and ‘loading’ – sometimes called ETL. It allows business users to build predictive reports – e.g. based on information from ERP systems or external sources (sometimes both) and not in a few months, weeks or days, but here and now, when they are needed for decision-making.
Q: Can you tell us more about how Incorta accomplishes this solution referred to, above?
Incorta makes it possible to achieve such results because it is a so-called ‘all-in-one’ platform or Unified Data Analytics Platform (UDAP) addressing direct connections to many data sources and provides data visualization capabilities, at the same time eliminating need of complex, costly and time consuming ETL processes. On top of that, its core Direct Data Mapping technology allow users to connect data from many sources precisely and creates reports very quickly.
More about Incorta
Incorta is the only unified data analytics platform powered by Direct Data Mapping™. Purpose-built to help companies stay ahead of the accelerating rate, volume, and complexity of modern enterprise data, the platform delivers unmatched speed and visibility. Incorta is built with open standards and integrates with cloud-friendly tools and platforms, making it easy to consolidate data in the cloud and extract meaningful insights.
By making any data source continuously available for analytics, the platform helps business leaders, business teams, and data scientists make more accurate, timely and transparent decisions with faster access to richer data sets. Backed by GV (formerly Google Ventures), Kleiner Perkins, M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures), Telstra Ventures and Sorenson Capital, Incorta powers analytics for some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Broadcom, Credit Suisse and Shutterfly. To learn more and try it for yourself, visit www.incorta.com.
More about MDSap
MDSap, a gold partner of SAP and expert in SAP’s banking solutions, has over 25 years of in-depth experiences helping customers manage, integrate, analyze and mobilize business mission critical data across the enterprise. The company has an exceptional track record providing turnkey IT solutions across the Middle East, Turkey & Central Eastern Europe to over 400 enterprise customers and government entities. MDSap is part of the Midis Group and is a member of EPM International and currently operates 10 offices across the Middle East, Turkey and Central Eastern Europe.
Mindware hosts TP-Link to launch Omada Cloud-based Controller in Doha
Mindware recently hosted the launch of the TP-Link Omada Cloud-Based Controller at the Hilton Hotel West Bay, in Doha, Qatar. The event, on October 4, 2022, was the first time that the TP-Link MEA team visited Qatar following a series of roadshows across the Middle East.
After keynote speeches from Bechara Riachi of Mindware, and Max Zhu from TP-Link, a sales strategy presentation was given by Karthik Sundar Rajan, Regional Channel Manager, and a detailed briefing launching the Omada Cloud-Based Controller by Naseer Karim, also from the TP-link company. The teams welcomed questions from attendees, followed by networking and lunch.
The event included a quiz and winners were handed TP-Link gifts by Bechara Riachi, Country Manager for Mindware in Qatar. Here, one of the local partners accepts his prize. Photo credit – Mindware.
The Omada SDN Cloud-Based Controller enables 100% centralized cloud management of the whole business network from different sites—all controlled from a single interface, anywhere, anytime. Some of the benefits of the solution:
Exists Entirely in the Cloud: no additional hardware controller investment and installation on customer premises.
Unlimited Centralized Management Scale: centralized management for unlimited Omada access points, JetStream switches, and Omada routers.
Zero-Touch Provisioning: no need to send out an engineer for on-site configuration.
Once the presentations were complete there was time for questions, lunch, and this group photo. Photo credit – Mindware.
More about TP-Link
TP-Link is a global provider of reliable networking devices and accessories, involved in all aspects of everyday life. The company is ranked by analyst firm IDC as the No. 1 provider of Wi-Fi devices for a consecutive 11 years, supplying distribution to more than 170 countries and serving billions of people worldwide.
More 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 4,000 partners. 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, Mindware has been uncompromisingly serving its customers for more than three decades.
MDS Storage Solutions welcomes key strategic partners at Multi-Cloud event in UAE
MDS Storage Solutions, CDA, VMware and Dell held a successful event about Multi-cloud strategy for executives on October 5 in Jumeirah Emirates Towers followed by a tour of the Museum of the Future.
The event was structured to allow discussion about the future critical decisions that IT leaders need to make which will impact the future of their businesses. Alongside the benefits of this new set of solutions, there are also complex sets of problems inherent in managing multiple, distinct cloud environments – chiefly potential new security risks and system complexity.
The pre-publicity for the event assessed that, ‘as more and more hyper-scales open in the UAE, the vision of Multi-Cloud approach is becoming more of a reality, rather than a distant vision. Organizations in the UAE are able to capitalize on multiple clouds and its services — to innovate, grow, reduce costs, and increase productivity.’
After the event, a visit to the Museum of the Future – not in the cloud! Photo credit – MDS Storage Solutions
After an introduction to the day from the MDS and CDA team, the first speaker was Ashraf Zaki, Lead Solutions Architect from VMware. His presentation was called ‘How to build your Enterprise Cloud Reference Architecture.’
This was followed by Saadallah Chebaro, Technical Lead from Dell, who titled his presentation ‘How Ready is Your Infrastructure for Modern Applications?’ Ashraf Zaki then returned with a presentation called ‘Securing Your Software Defined Data Center.’
The Dell and VMware team then explained more about applying best practices for their Modern Enterprise Reference Architecture, suggesting how to manage and optimize cloud provision, control costs, and monitor enterprise security. A panel discussion followed, then lunch and the tour of the Museum of the Future.
The Museum of the Future has been called “The Most Beautiful Building On Earth” by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Photo credit – MDS Storage Solutions
Advanced Business Computing Qatar has officially become an Authorized Reseller for Google for Education
Advanced Business Computing (ABC) Qatar has officially become a Google for Education Authorized Reseller in Southern Europe and MEA. The company is already an early Google Cloud partner in Qatar.
“Advanced Business Computing Qatar has always prioritized customers and their needs through continuous innovation. The company is aligned with Google’s aims to help everyone in the world learn anything in the world, and so we are pleased indeed to have achieved the qualifications to become an authorized reseller of Google for Education Solutions” said Bassem Shatila, General Manager of ABC Qatar.
More about Advanced Business Computing Qatar
Advanced Business Computing is one of Qatar’s top Information Technology Products and Services providers. The company partners with top vendors in the industry; in addition to this Google Cloud success, it is a Dell Technologies Titanium Partner, an Apple Authorized Reseller, a Microsoft Gold Partner, and a VMware Enterprise Solutions Provider. Highly experienced and well trusted as an IT partner in the Qatar market, ABC has built a reputation based on providing excellent products, solutions, and services, blended with exemplary customer care.
Amer Chebaro takes part in Datashare Summit 2022 panel
Amer Chebaro, Regional Director, Quest and Data Analyst Ghina Dani took part in discussion panels and speaker slots during Datashare 2022. Quest were Platinum partners at Datashare Summit 2022 where they highlighted their new addition, erwin by Quest, a leader in enterprise modeling and data intelligence software.
The summit took place at Caesar’s Forum, Bluewater Island, Dubai on September 17 and convened around 250 industry leaders and companies at the forefront of data monetization for discussions and thought leadership, live workshops and networking.
Amer Chebaro is a business leader with extensive experience in launching and growing vendor operations and product markets in the Middle East and Emerging countries. He has a long track record working for top IT vendors and contributing to large data-driven transformation projects. Amer took part in a panel titled ‘Accountability of Technology Providers Towards a Successful Data Monetization Program.’
Ghina Dani, Regional Presales Engineer, Data Governance & Data Intelligence, Quest Software, making her presentation at Datashare 2022. Photo credit – Datashare.
Ghina Dani, erwin specialist within Quest, brings six years of global experience to simplify complex technical issues in Data Management and Data Intelligence and helps enable organizations to become data-driven thus accelerating their Digital Transformation and Data Governance journeys. Ghina’s talk was entitled ‘Building Agile Analytical Models.’
Key objectives explored at the Summit included understanding the need for data strategy and data-centric innovation in today’s competitive landscape; exploring value-driven business use cases of data, the potential ROI that can be achieved and industry specific playbooks, and discovering the fundamental data architecture, as well as the technology tools and platforms, needed to succeed.
More about erwin by Quest
erwin by Quest is a leader in enterprise modeling and data intelligence software. The erwin EDGE platform creates an enterprise data governance experience for IT and business collaboration, driving meaningful insights, agile innovation, risk management and business transformation. Integrated data modeling, data governance, enterprise architecture and business process modeling capabilities help guide smart decisions. With erwin by Quest, organizations of all types across the globe can maximize the security, quality and value of their assets to control data chaos and prepare for the next IT challenge.
