reseller middle east
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The Voice of the ChannelTRANSCRIPT
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ISS
UE:
173
MAY
201
1
M A S S I V E I N T E R V I E W R O U N D - U P I P E R I P H E R A L S I H A N D H E L D SPLUS:
PUBLICATIONLICENSED BY IMPZ
contentsISSUE 173MAY 2011
The Saudi channel faces great opportunities this year as major projects are announced and IT spending continues to rise. We speak to BDL’s CEO Tamer Ismail to find out what’s going on.
32 The keys to the Kingdom
Cover Feature
QuicK Finder
Pages 6-27
DCG, Track Distribution, MediaTek, Gartner, Mindware, Kaspersky,
Al Hosani Computer, BitDefender, Optimus, Kingston, Iomega,
Al-Futtaim Computers, Techserve, Zoofitech, China Sourcing Fair,
AOC, Toshiba, Comstor, Symantec, Eros Group, Huawei, Golden
Systems, Al-Falak, Prologix, Brocade, BlackBerry, Iomega, NETGEAr
ANALYSIS AND INTERVIEWS
29 Getting serious Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions plans to
grow its channel across the region.
31 cementing channel partnerships
In the notoriously competitive security
market in the region, Quick Heal
Technologies is gaining in importance.
34 into the enterprise Just a few months after rolling out its
enterprise strategy, Huawei explains how
the model is faring.
37 Breaking out of consumer Dealing with new business opportunities
can be make or break time. D-Link believes
it has found the successful path.
39 The balancing act SonicWALL’s introduction of ‘direct touch’
into the local market sghouldn’t be
seen as a abandonment of the company
commitment to 100% sales through the
channnel.
41 Putting up the umbrella Trend Micro sees the opportunities for
security channel players to up their game
and reap the rewards this year.
45 expanding the business By adding Azeti Networks to its solutions
business, Emitac plans to build on its
successful HP solutions sales.
FEATURES
47 The power of peripherals With the increase of PC penetration in the
region, the demand for peripheral devices
has been growing rapidly. Find out how you
can use peripherals as a starting point to
land that lucrative deal.
53 Mobile boom With the growing boom in handheld
devices, industry pundits share their views
on how channel partners can benefit from
business opportunities in this segment.
Regulars04 editorial06 news & Market Buzz42 Products 44 Product reviews46 Snapshot
Pages 29-48
Philips & LiteOn Digaital, Quick Heal, BDL, FVC,
Huawei, Emitac, SonicWALL, D-Link, Trend Micro,
Belkin, IDC, Gartner, MediaTek, Symantec, Fujitsu,
Jacky's Electronics, ZOTAC, HP, ASUS, WD, Toshiba,
Xerox, Canon, Axis, LiteOn, Iomega
37
44
48
26
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 3
Channel partnerships remain a critical factor if vendors and distributors are to
succeed in doing business with resellers. Over the past 12 months, the channel
has witnessed a flurry of activity from reseller companies demising from the
market, to vendors and distributors streamlining their operations to enhance
productivity and efficiencies.
And while much of this activity has centred around reducing complexities
and making businesses to run more efficiently, few channel players have taken
advantage of the current business climate to bring value to the products they
sell.
Given what has happened in the MENA reseller channel over the last
couple of years, resellers that have survived are those that innovate by selling
solutions and adding value to the products they represent.
Now, however, there are signs of improvement and it is with this in mind,
that Reseller Middle East will host the inaugural Partner Up 2011 conference,
an initiative that will bring the region’s channel universe under one roof. The
conference aims to provide MENA resellers with a platform where they can
hear and learn from industry pundits on a wide range of topics. The conference
will also offer delegates the opportunity to network with their peers. For it is
through successful and well nurtured alliances that the channel can thrive.
In fact, when resellers partner with vendors or distributors for that matter,
they are looking for more than just a technology provider. They need an
associate in every sense of the word. They are looking for companies that
will provide them with the resources and tools they need to be successful in
today's highly competitive Middle East channel.
Having the “right” mix of vendors and distributors is only half of what is
needed. For resellers to succeed, it is critical for them to have the full support
from vendors and distributors.
To help resellers with a helping hand in choosing the “right” partnerships,
the Partner Up conference has been designed to provide channel partners with
insights on what it takes to partner for success.
Enjoy the read!
EDITORIAL
Partnering for success
Manda BandaSenior Editor
PublisherDominic De Sousa
COONadeem Hood
Commercial DirectorRichard Judd
[email protected] +971 4 440 9126
Sales DirectorRaz Islam
[email protected] +971 4 440 9129
EDitOrial
Dave [email protected] +971 4 440 9106
Senior EditorManda Banda
[email protected] +971 4 440 9110
aDvErtiSing
group Sales ManagerRajashree R Kumar
[email protected] +971 4 440 9131
advertising ExecutiveMerle Carrasco
[email protected] +971 4 440 9134
CiO PrOgraMMES
CiO Programmes and Events leadKavitha Rajasekhar
[email protected] +971 4 440 9132
CirCulatiOn
Database and Circulation ManagerRajeesh M
[email protected] +971 4 440 9147
PrODuCtiOn anD DESign
Production ManagerJames P Tharian
[email protected] +971 4 440 9146
DesignerAnalou Balbero
[email protected] +971 4 440 9104
Digitalwww.rwme.net
DIGITAL SERVICES
Digital Services ManagerTristan Troy P Maagma
Web DevelopersJerus King Bation
Erik BrionesJefferson de Joya
Louie Alma
[email protected]+971 4 440 9100
Published by
1013 Centre Road, New Castle County,Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Head OfficePO Box 13700
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Tel: +971 4 440 9100Fax: +971 4 447 2409
Printed byPrintwell Printing Press LLC
© Copyright 2011 CPIAll rights reserved
While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all
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ISS
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may
201
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M A S S I V E I N T E R V I E W R O U N D - U P I P E R I P H E R A L S I H A N D H E L D SPLUS:
PUBLICATIONLICENSED BY IMPZ
The Dubai Computer Group (DCG) has
warned its members operating from
Dubai’s Computer Street to be vigilant and
careful when doing business with clients
in the city as there is a criminal syndicate
that is targeting computer dealers.
The DCG warning comes after a
spate of targeted attacks on certain
DCG members who have been duped of
their IT products, money or both by a
syndicate operating from Deira.
In a statement released to its
members, the DCG states that: “We
would like to update and alert those IT
resellers who send their staff to collect
cash or deliver goods in the Deira area
to be careful as there is a syndicate
that is duping dealers.”
According to the statement, three
separate incidencies involving DCG
members have been reported so far. In
one incident, a member of staff from
a reseller had gone to Deira to collect
money wired to the company from
an exchange bureau and as soon as
the cash was collect, this member of
staff was mugged by three unknown
people who demanded the money. “In
this case the victim didn’t have much
money so he was beaten,” read part of
the statement.
In another separate incident a
member of staff from a different
reseller company that is a DCG member
had gone to collect money from a
client and after collecting the cash, he
was attacked by about four people of
African decent who took the money in
broad day light in Deira.
Mahesh Thakore, coordinator at the
DCG, says as an association that looks into
the interests of resellers and promoting
good business ethics and conduct in the IT
channel in Dubai, the DCG is appalled by
these criminal incidents.
offers Oracle
partners a
great value
add in terms
of innovative
Oracle
Database/
Middleware
solutions
bundled with
Oracle Servers
and Storage.
Sainani adds
that the programme also offers training
that enables partners to be update to
with latest technology from Oracle and
Track Distribution. “It’s a 360 degree
campaign aimed at partner enablement
and profitability,” he says. “We will keep
on further enhancing the programme to
make it more challenging. We would like
the partners to sign up to this initiative
as quickly as possible.” He adds that the
sales and business development team
dedicated for Oracle across the region will
assist partners to sign for this programme
so that they can start enjoying immediate
benefits.
Julie Varghese, product sales manager:
Oracle Software at Track Distribution,
says the Extra programme is open to all
oracle partners across the region that
want to benefit from the hardware and
software engineered together model of
Oracle. “Through the integration of sun
servers, storage and oracle software,
we have released some bundles which
will reduce costs, increase performance
and provide greater security. We believe
that this programme will bring greater
opportunities for co-operation and
partnership in our business endeavors,"
Varghese concludes.
Track Distribution, part of Aptec
Holdings, an IT distribution group covering
the Middle East, Pakistan, Turkey, Akhut
and Africa, has launched a new partner
programme for it resellers called the EXtra
Oracle partner programme.
The programme is designed to give its
reseller partners a jump start with selling
Oracle hardware and software. The EXtra
Oracle partner initiative rewards resellers
doing business with Track by helping
them create a pipeline of opportunities
selling Oracle technology.
The programme is open to all Oracle
resellers in the GCC, Jordan, Yemen,
Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco,
Tunisia and Libya.
Resellers have a chance to win a BMW
car, fully paid trip to Las Vegas, Gold bars,
iPads and much more. The programme
has been split into two categories namely
EXtra Rebates programme and, EXtra
Enable and Reward programme. The two
initiatives both give partners maximum
opportunity to be rewarded for every deal
they make with Track.
The EXtra Rebate programme has
been designed to reward partners in
terms of Total Oracle Business with Track,
offering them a target based rebates on
purchases, while the EXtra Enable and
Reward programme rewards partners that
engage in all Oracle partner activities
thereby collecting points. Resellers are
offered points on every units of Exadata/
Ecalogic solutions they buy, training,
purchase of special Track promotion
bundles and closing of registered
opportunity. These can be then collected
and redeemed to win any of the major
rewards which Track is offerings.
Shailendra Sainani, GM of Track
Distribution Middle East, says EXtra
upfrontMarKeT BuZZ
Shailendra Sainani, GM, Track Distribution Middle East
TracK launcheS eXTra oracle ParTner ProGraMMe
dcG iSSueS warninG
6 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
strong, but its
greatest volume
opportunity in the
longer term will be
in the mid- to low-
cost smartphones,
above all in
emerging
markets.”
Gartner
predicts that
Apple’s iOS will remain the second biggest
platform worldwide through 2014 despite
its share deceasing slightly after 2011. This
reflects Gartner’s underlying assumption
that Apple will be interested in maintaining
margins rather than pursuing market share
by changing its pricing strategy. This will
continue to limit adoption in emerging
regions. iOS share will peak in 2011, with
volume growth well above the market
average. This is driven by increased channel
reach in key mature markets like the US and
Western Europe.
news
MediaTeK oPenS duBai oFFiceTaiwanese mobile chipset maker
MediaTek has opened its office in
Dubai, a move the the company
believes will help it to court mobile
handset manufacturers in the Middle
East and Africa market.
The vendor is aiming to capitalise
on its already growing business in the
Middle East with its semiconductor
solutions for wireless communications
and digital multimedia solutions.
By having a local presence in Dubai,
MediaTek will further strengthen the
company’s regional partnerships to
better serve one of the world’s fastest
growing mobile markets. According to
the vendor, the strategy for the Middle
East is to link start-ups and existing
mobile handset manufacturers in the
region with its OEM partners in China.
Grant Kuo, MD at MediaTek Wireless
LLC Dubai, says the expansion into
Dubai better positions the company
to serve its customers and to grow
the business by more than 20% in the
region. Kuo says the company’s plan is
to open up business opportunities for
all the OEMs it works within China so
that they can extend and capitalise on
the growing mobile and smartphone
market in MEA.
“With MediaTek’s experienced
technical and services team, we are
hoping to bring our expertise to the
region and to better support local
brands. Furthermore, it will help
in establishing a healthy handset
ecosystem in the Middle East region
and explore the market potential in the
long run,” adds Kuo.
Kuo explains that the initial focus
for the Dubai operations will be to
work with local handset brands in the
Middle East.
Global research and analyst firm
Gartners is predicting that worldwide
smartphone sales will reach 468 million
units in 2011, a 57.7% increase from
2010. According to Gartner, by the end of
2011, Android will move to become the
most popular OS globally and will build
on its strength to account for 49% of the
smartphone market by 2012.
Sales of open OS devices will account
for 26% of all mobile handset device sales
in 2011, and are expected to surpass the 1
billion mark by 2015, when they will account
for 47% of the total mobile device market.
“By 2015, 67% of all open OS devices will
have an average selling price of US$300 or
below, proving that smartphones have been
finally truly democratized,” says Roberta
Cozza, principal analyst at Gartner.
“As vendors delivering Android-based
devices continue to fight for market share,
price will decrease to further benefit
consumers”, Cozza says. “Android's position
at the high end of the market will remain
Roberta Cozza, principal analyst, Gartner
GarTner – android To coMMand nearly halF oF GloBal SMarTPhone oS
Mindware To diSTriBuTe aMd radeon
Mindware, a regional distributor
of IT products in the MENA
region, has signed a distribution
agreement with HIS, to distribute
AMD Radeon products in the
region.
The deal which is effect immediately will
see to enhance the distribution network
of all AMD Radeon products in the region,
making use of Mindware’s extensive
portfolio of over 2,500 resellers throughout
the MEA region.
Peter Yeung, Global Director
of Marketing at HIS, says: “HIS
is delighted to collaborated
with Mindware. We believe that
this is great news for the long
waiting Gamers and HTPC users
in Middle East. We believe our
close partnership with Mindware
will offer the best opportunity
to deliver HIS premium graphic
cards in the entire MENASA.”
Mario Gay, GM of Mindware remarks
that this is an important partnership for the
company. “The AMD Radeon portfolio of
products is top of the line and we are excited
to bring these products to all our customers
in the Middle East and Africa,” he says.
Mario Gay, GM, Mindware
8 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
Kaspersky Lab,
a developer of
secure content and
threat management
solutions, has
appointed two
new Consumer
Republishing
partners, a move the
vendor believes will
strengthen its presence in the EMEA region.
Regional distributors FDC International
and SOFTEC Distribution have partnered
with Kaspersky to distribute the vendor's
consumer range of products.
FDC International’s appointment will
support the expansion of Kaspersky Lab, in
North Africa, through increasing its product
awareness and enlarging its customer
database, while SOFTEC Distribution will
focus on developing the retail market for
software sales within the Levant region and
help Kaspersky Lab establish proactively
strategic initiatives to counter piracy in the
region.
Tarek Kuzbari, MD of Kaspersky Lab
Middle East says, “At Kaspersky Lab we will
always look for partners that surpass our
guidelines and expectations. We carefully
select our partners as they are key to
representing Kaspersky Lab’s products in
the region.”
KaSPerSKy ParTnerS wiTh Fdc, SoFTec diSTriBuTion
al hoSani coMPuTer unveilS ‘Green horSeS’ iniTiaTive
Marissa Safe, COO, FDC International
news
“We are building business integrity
into our partner programmes, maintaining
profitability and aiming at greater revenue
for partners and customers. These recent
partnerships with FDC International and
SOFTEC Distribution will help us explore new
avenues and help to expand our business,”
he continues.
Remarking on the partnership, Yasser
Krayem, CEO of SOFTEC Distribution adds
that: “Our mission is to provide the highest
quality of services and cost-effective
solutions to ensure our clients’ success.
Having Kaspersky Lab, one of the leading IT
security companies on board, is a great deal
for us, and we have confidence that we will
deliver outstanding results”.
Marissa Safe, COO, FDC International
adds that: “The mutual vision in becoming
number one within the ICT industry is
what makes us feel part of the Kaspersky
Lab family. Our relationship with such a
world class vendor will play a major role in
achieving this position while bringing to our
customers the best of solutions, services
and support”.
FDC International will cover Egypt,
Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eretria,
Ethiopia and Mauritania while SOFTEC
Distribution will handle the Levant region
which includes Lebanon, Syria, Palestine,
Jordan and Iraq.
BitDefender, a provider of innovative
Internet security solutions, has
launched the BitDefender Partner
Advantage Network, a new channel
partner programme designed to
accelerate partner revenue growth and
market expansion.
With the BitDefender Partner
Advantage Network, the company is
moving aggressively to better empower
the reseller community to capitalise
on growth opportunities in IT security,
offering more dedicated technical
support, sales and marketing assistance,
and training and education. In addition,
the partner programme will also offer
beneficial commissions and business
terms in the industry.
The launch of the BitDefender
Partner Advantage Network follows
the revamp of the company’s channel
efforts in late 2010 and was initiated
to meet BitDefender’s growing network
of resellers across more than 100
countries globally.
Dianne Pilon, director global channel
marketing at BitDefender, says given
the increasingly important role IT
security plays in business today and the
reputation BitDefender has established
as a provider of internationally certified
security software, there is a tremendous
revenue growth opportunity for channel
partners in 2011. “With the launch
of a more comprehensive channel
programme, one with more technical
and marketing support, greater financial
incentives and better terms for our
partners, BitDefender is addressing
this opportunity with an unprecedented
commitment to the reseller community,”
he says.
BiTdeFender unveilS new ParTner ProGraMMe
Al Hosani Computer LLC, Kaspersky
Lab’s consumer republishing partner in
the GCC and West Asia, has launched its
green initiative dubbed Kaspersky Lab
Green Horses. The Green Horses themed
fleet of vans will be expediting delivery
of Kaspersky Lab’s products to customers
across the UAE.
Al Hosani’s main aim behind this
programme is to reinforce the brand
awareness of this famous antivirus
software, and endorse Kaspersky Lab’s
“Green Zone” malware free concept.
Al Hosani Computer is a software
republishing and value-added
distribution company.
The company distributes software solutions
in the Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 9
oPTiMuS ParTnerS wiTh oPTi-uPS
hyPerPanda, Pc TiMe ScooP KinGSTon awardS
Optimus Technology and Telecommunications,
a regional VAD of IT and telecommunications
products, has signed a distribution
agreement with Opti-UPS, a manufacturer of
UPS and power solutions products.
In terms of the agreement, Optimus will
distribute Opti-UPS across the Middle East
and Africa region with exclusive distribution
rights in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
Meera Kaul, MD at Optimus says, “We
are always looking for the latest and best
technologies to bring to our region. The
increasing build-up of datacenters in the
Middle East is providing a strong impetus
for the power solutions business. This
news
ioMeGa oPenS eXPerince cenTre in duBai
Iomega, an EMC company and global
provider of digital storage and content
management solutions has opened the
first Iomega Experience Centre in Dubai.
The vendor states that the initiative
which has been unveiled in partnership
with power retailer Sharaf DG aims to
give consumers and small businesses
firsthand experience in data storage
management solutions.
According to the company the Iomega
Experience Centre is an 800-square
foot showplace featuring an array of
Iomega’s newest storage management
products, premium portable and desktop
hard drives, high capacity solid state
drives, multi drives, and network storage
solutions for consumers and SMBs
Johnathan Huberman, president at
Iomega Corporation says the new Iomega
Experience Centre is specifically designed
to give consumers and SMBs hands-on
interaction in a comfortable atmosphere
that makes it easy to understand and
appreciate the advantages and efficiencies
that Iomega’s data storage management
solutions bring to the home and SMBs.
“Storing, enjoying and protecting digital
data has never been more vital than it
is today,” he says. “The new Iomega
Experience Centre shows the visitor how
managing data, for business or pleasure,
has never been easier, more convenient
and more dependable than it is now.
Cizar Abughazaleh, GM at Iomega
Middle East and Asia believes the Iomega
Experience Centre is going to change the
perception of the information storage
industry in the region. “I look forward
to customers experiencing how Iomega
can protect their information, save them
time and deliver cost effective data
management storage solutions,”
he says.
Kingston Technology Europe, an affiliate
of Kingston Technology Company, has
revealed the two inaugural winners of its
first-ever channel awards in Saudi Arabia,
recognising the efforts of partners who
have best understood and served the
needs of memory- and performance-hungry
consumers in the Kingdom.
PC Time, the Jeddah-based reseller
which manages the distribution of Kingston
Technology’s ValueRAM, System Specific
Memory, Solid State Drives and USB Flash
drives to other resellers and SMBs across
Saudi Arabia, has won the Reseller of the
Year, while HyperPanda has earned the
Retailer Award for the volume of Kingston
products it sells to consumers.
“Saudi Arabia is the fastest-growing
market in the Middle East for memory
products, due to the tremendous demand
for mobile phones, cameras, PCs and other
technology in addition to memory upgrades,
and due to our partners’ understanding of
customers here and their needs, Kingston
has become a leading choice ahead of less
secure, robust memory offerings,” says Hani
Suwwan, Business Development Manager –
KSA, Kingston Technology.
timely distribution agreement of Optimus
with Opti-UPS will capitalise on both of our
strengths and opportunities. While Opti-UPS
already enjoys a high level of acceptance
in the MENA markets, we will leverage our
expertise and reach to build its channel
across the region and hope to play a vital
role in the emerging power solutions market.
We look forward to working closely with
Opti-UPS to increase their visibility and
market share in this region.”
Opti-UPS has an extensive range of
products, which include standby, line-
interactive and online UPS products besides
stabilizers and surge busters that have
gained the trust of worldwide customers.
Additionally, it also offers devices that
cater to specific segments such as UPS for
gamers, enhanced series of workstations
and PC users for both home and business
users.
Kamlesh Kumar Amesur, sales &
marketing director-MENA, Opti-UPS adds,
“We are pleased to appoint Optimus as our
regional distributor based on their proven
track record. Our partnership will help
us meet local objectives to build channel
partners across a range of verticals.
Kamlesh Kumar Opti-UOS (L) & Meera Kaul Optimus
>
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 11
al-FuTTaiM ParTnerS wiTh noKiaAl-Futtaim computer software products
company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Al-Futtaim group, has entered into a partner
agreement with Nokia to supply mobile
phones to key domestic retailers in the UAE.
The agreement with Nokia will see stet
supply the retail channel a full range of
mobiles phones including the latest feature-
rich smartphones such as the Nokia E7, C7
and N8.
In addition, the deal follows an earlier
partnership agreement between Techserve,
an Al-Futtaim group company, and Nokia to
act as its Care Centre partner in the UAE.
Vishesh Bhatia, president, New Strategic
Growth Group at Al-Futtaim Group, says
Nokia continues to be the people’s choice
in the mobile phone category and with
smartphone penetration expected to grow
by a healthy 11% over the next three years
in the UAE, Nokia’s latest feature-rich
smartphones are expected to dominate
this segment. “The Al-Futtaim group,
already partner to some of the finest retail
and automotive brands in the world, is
honoured to partner with the world leader
in the mobile phone segment,” Bhatia says.
“Nokia’s latest smartphones offer enormous
consumer benefits and localised services
for the UAE market. I firmly believe Nokia
is driving transformation and growth of the
converging Internet and communications
industries giving customers especially in
the UAE, an opportunity to be part of more
news
TechServe To oFFer ProFeSSional daTa recovery ServiceSTechserve, Al-Futtaim’s one-stop-
shop for electronics service and
systems integration needs, has
partnered with Spain-based Recovery
Labs to offer professional data
recovery services to individuals, SMEs
and corporates in the region.
Recovery Labs is a provider of data
recovery services in Europe with over
10 years of existance. The partnership
with Techserve marks the first foray for
the Spain-based data recovery services
provider in the Middle East.
The announcement from Techserve
coincides with the opening of the first
professional Data Recovery Lab in Dubai.
The Lab will offer its expertise in data
recovery from computer hard drives,
flash /USB drives, memory cards, mobile
phones, CD’s and DVD’s.
Built to international standards and
equipped with the latest data recovery
technologies, Techserve’s data recovery
lab is manned by a professional team
of five engineers who are trained and
certified by Recovery Labs in Spain.
According to security major
Symantec, 88% of data loss globally
occurs due to negligence and security
experts say data loss can cost companies
in the UAE up to 30% of their overall
revenue.
Rajagopal S, GM at Techserve, says
corporate data loss is not only loss of
information but also eats into the IT
department’s time and resources.
He adds that: “Data loss is extremely
worrying for individuals or corporates.
These days, we use more portable
devices like laptops, smart-phones and
digital cameras where the probability of
physical damage is very high resulting in
data loss.
than 1.3 billion people who connect to one
another with a Nokia device – from mobile
phones to advanced smartphones.”
Anil Sharma, Business Head, AFCOMP
adds that the company has a strong
business fundamentals, efficient processes
and a professional team with established
credentials. “We are confident AFCOMP
will be able to deliver tangible value to the
key domestic retailers and drive the Nokia
business forward in the UAE,” Sharma says.
Chris Braam – VP at Nokia MEA explains
that Nokia’s mission is simple “we connect
people to what matters most to them and the
agreement with AFCOMP demonstrates our
strong commitment to our UAE customers
through that mission statement.” The core
principles of the Al-Futtaim group of quality,
reliability and integrity are values which are
also reflected in Nokia, Braam adds. “We
are confident of AFCOMP’s ability to deliver
value to our customers in the UAE and look
forward to a long and mutually beneficial
relationship,” he says.
Vishesh Bhatia (r) & Chris Braam
Nilesh Khalkho, CEO at Sharaf DG,
adds that the new Iomega Experience Centre
is a good addition to the retailer. “We always
encourage premium vendors such as Iomega
to help educate our valued customers about
products we offer,” he says.
Khalkho points out that the Iomega
Experience Centre makes it possible for every
customer to have an extra ordinary experience
in all the Sharaf DG stores, especially if the
client small or mid-size business.
Iomega has hinted that it will be expanding
this initiative with other power retailers in the
Middle East region.
>
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 13
news
The China Sourcing Fair for electronics
resumes at the Dubai International
Convention and Exhibition Centre, on May 31
to June 2, 2011.
The Fair, is designed to provide an ideal
platform for buyers of electronic products in
the Middle East and North African markets to
meet potential supply partners from China.
Export-ready suppliers from mainland
China, Taiwan and Hong Kong will this year
offer premium and affordable electronics
to more global buyers in the Middle East's
trading capital. With its rapid growth over
the past years, China's electronics industry
has made that country the one of the world's
electronics manufacturing powerhouses.
This year’s Fair will see supply partners
showcase products in the following area:
• Consumer electronics
• Computer & networking
• Telecom products
• Electronic accessories
• Home appliances
According to the organisers of this
annual event currently in its fifth year,
china SourcinG Fair reTurnS
there is more reasons to attend the
China Sourcing Fair as visitors to the
show will have the opportunity to meet
the largest group of China's suppliers
of electronic products. The China
Sourcing Fair features hundreds of
top-choice suppliers known to produce
international-quality products at
competitive price points.
The Dubai Fair falls between Asia's
peak sourcing months in April and
October, giving you more freedom to visit
other trade events in Asia. If you're a
buyer in the Middle East or North Africa,
you now have greater access to China's
innovative supply partners right in Dubai.
In addition, the event provides an
ideal platform to accentuate local and
international flair in their products for
buyers from over 118 countries and
regions, sourcing for innovative items
from quality suppliers. Buyers mainly
come from the Middle East, including the
UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait,
Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon.
Visitors at the China Sourcing Fair
Zoofitech, an integrated supply
chain solution provider, has
partnered with Autodesk, a global
provider of 3D design software
for manufacturing, building,
construction, engineering and
entertainment industry.
In terms od the deal, Zoofitech
will resell Autodesk’s extensive
educational solutions across the KSA
and will help the vendor to widen
its scope further across education
institutions within the Kingdom.
The main objective of the
recent partnership is in line with
Autodesk’s regional brand strategy
and commitment to KSA’s education
sector, allowing institutions to
benefit greatly from the education
programs and initiatives from
Autodesk.
“Our long term partnership of
over fifteen years with Autodesk
proves our commitment to support
the education sector in KSA. We
are very much looking forward to
working closely with education
institutes across the Kingdom,
offering students the opportunity to
work with credible design solutions
from an innovative brand,” explains
Ahmed Al-Khudair, GM at Zoofitech.
“For nearly 20 years, we have
delivered solid product support &
services on behalf of our customers,
working together to achieve
successful results. We are proud
to be a part of Saudi’s dynamic
expansion within the education
sector & are looking forward to
being one of the driving factors for
this growth,” adds Al-Khudair
Kamal Othman, Country Manager
Autodesk KSA remarks that the
company is delighted at partnering
with Zoofitech.
ZooFiTech ParTnerS
16 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
TM
Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, UAE Tel: (+971) 4 8863300 Fax: (+971) 4 8863311 UAE Sales Center: (+971) 4 3555520 P.O. Box: 262221 Email: [email protected] Website: www.gse.ae
huawei enTerPriSe eyeS GrowTh
ToShiBa STrenGThenS MarKeT PoSiTion
Huawei
Technologies,
a global ICT
solutions provider,
has announced
plans to showcase
its ICT based
enterprise
solutions at
COMEX, Oman’s IT
and Telecom Exhibition. The move comes as
the vendor pushes its enterprise solutions
beyond the telecommunications sector with
Huawe stating that it wants to further secure
its presence in the Middle East region.
“The Middle East is at the forefront
of our global business agenda following
the launch of our enterprise business in
news
Golden SySTeMS winS ZoTac award
Golden
Systems
Middle
East, a
distributor of
IT products
in the
Middle East,
has won
the “Best
Performance” award for 2010 from its
vendor-partner ZOTAC International.
The award is in recognition of the
distributor’s commitment towards
growing ZOTAC’s regional business,
market share and customer support,
and for its outstanding performance
in increasing ZOTAC’s sales across the
Middle East region.
Ehsan Hashemi, says, "We are
honoured that ZOTAC has chosen
us for this award. We are proud to
receive such a distinction especially
since we have just celebrated our
one year anniversary with ZOTAC. To
be recognised for our outstanding
performance in such a short span
of time, is a big achievement for us.
This award is a testament of GSME’s
commitment, professionalism and
tremendous focus in tapping into new
territories and increasing ZOTAC’s
reach and market share in the Middle
East region. We would like to thank
our team for their tremendous
efforts, contribution and dedication
in providing the best service,
support and technical expertise to
our customers. Being awarded the
Best Performance award is a great
milestone and we look forward to
winning many more such accolades
from ZOTAC in the near future."
January and the five day event is an ideal
platform to showcase our innovative
solutions and services in the sector,”
says Dr Liu Qi, VP, Middle East, Huawei
Enterprise Business Group.
According to Dr Liu, Huawei’s Enterprise
business forms a core part of the company’s
global mission to become the first
choice solutions provider in building ICT
infrastructure across various industries,
including government, transportation, power,
finance, oil and gas, smart cities and more.
“We are witnessing interesting times
where technology enables us to integrate
communication services in real-time. From
instant messaging (chat), video-conferencing
to data sharing via online networks, unified
communications is just part of Huawei’s
portfolio of solutions that is making a total
shift in the way decision-makers operate
their business.
Dr. Lui Qi, Huawei Eshan Hashem, Golden systems
Toshiba Computer Systems, a division of
Toshiba Europe GmbH, has seen its market
leadership in the UAE increase according to
results of a recent market study conducted
by GfK Retail and Technology. Toshiba
exhibited evident market importance in the
UAE in July to December of 2010, achieving
a high market share of 22.88% in the
Notebook Category.
For the mobile computer category,
Toshiba achieved a market share of 18.0%
in the UAE during 2010. The results,
with data gathered from December 2009
to December 2010 show that Toshiba
continues to be one of the top brands in the
PC industry.
“Toshiba continues to be a market leader
in terms of product sales and innovation
and the market study rationally fortifies
our position in the UAE. Accordingly, this
challenges us to improve our service,
further enhance our innovations and
expand our market reach in the region
in order to strengthen our strategic and
competitive advantage,” says Leon Gifford,
UAE and Lebanon country manager,
Computer Systems Division, Toshiba Gulf.
According to Toshiba its incentive
programmes like “Sell and Win” and
“Profit for Performance” significantly
contributed to the impressive sales
performance and growth rate the
company attained. Toshiba’s Sell and Win
programme, which is directed at floor
sales staff, provides useful sales tools
and regular sales and product training
and presents them with opportunity to
earn rewards. The Profit for Performance
initiative is a rebate programme for retailers
and dealers to help them maximise the
opportunities presented by Toshiba, thus
furthering sales performance and
profitability in the UAE. >
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 19
Regional Distributor
of the year for
Africa and Levant
region.
Cisco Partner
Summit awards
are aimed at
recognising
exemplary channel
partners who
demonstrate
best-in-class business practices. Areas
of consideration include innovative
practices, application successes, unique
programmes, problem-solving and sales
approaches. All winners are selected by
a group of Cisco worldwide channels and
regional theatre executives.
news
online diSTriBuTion SiGnS aoc For PaKiSTan
Online
Distribution,
an IT
distribution
powerhouse
in Pakistan
has signed
up with
AOC for the
distribution of
the vendor’s
entire range of display products for
that country.
According to Business Monitor
International, Pakistan’s computer
hardware market is expected to grow at
8% CAGR for the period of 2011- 2015.
M. Ibrahim Ojha, CEO for Online
Distribution Pakistan says: “We are
happy to be associated with AOC a
global brand which not only brings
in international quality products
but also offers real value for money.
With our team of well experienced
professionals, the in-depth knowledge
of IT distribution trade and country
wide reach, we are sure AOC will
become a top brand in Pakistan soon.”
Suchit Kumar, DGM Sales - MEA
and CIS Central Asia, AOC ,adds that
this is a significant step forward
for AOC as Pakistan is key to the
company’s overall growth in Asia.
“We see this as a great opportunity
to enhance our offerings in this
region. We shall dedicate substantial
marketing and sales resources to
develop the brand there,” he says.
“We are delighted to be associated
with Online Distribution and see them
as the right partner in expanding our
footprint in this fast growing market.”
AOC is an in-house brand of the
US$11 billion conglomerate TPV
Technology Limited.
Comstor, a dedicated VAD of Cisco
networking, collaboration and data
centre solutions and a business unit
of the Westcon Group, recently won
the Cisco Partner Summit Award for
Global Distribution Partner. In addition,
Comstor received global recognition for
the company’s Distribution Accelerated
Partner (DAP) programme and was
recipient of 15 theatre, geography and
country-specific awards.
Comstor MENA achieved a unique hat-
trick of results. In addition to the Global
Award, the distributor also won the UAE
distributor of the year as well as the
Renton D’Souza, Divisonal Manager, Comstor Middle East
Suchit Kumar, DGM Sales - MEA & CIS Central Asia, AOC
coMSTor winS GloBal ciSco award
ToShiBa unveilS var ProGraMMe
Toshiba Computer Systems, a division of
Toshiba Europe has reinforced business
relationships with its channel partners
through its Value Added Reseller (VAR)
Programme. The VAR programe allows
Toshiba to grow its B2B activity with VARs
focusing on the SoHo, SMB and large
enterprise segments.
Members of Toshiba’s VAR programme,
who manage SOHO or SMBs, will gain the
following benefits:
• Sales support
• Run rate pricing for standard
requirements
• Quarterly product training and Certification
• Opportunities for demand generation
• Regular channel communication
• Rebate programme
• Account Management by Toshiba
VAR Manager
In addition, Toshiba adds that those focusing
on the large enterprise segment will also gain:
• Discounted demo hardware
• Exclusive advertising support
• Special Pricing for Large Deals
• Corporate Seminar participation
• Support on Service Labour Fee
Santosh Varghese, Regional GM, Computer
Systems Division, Toshiba Gulf, says Toshiba
aims to develop its B2B portfolio along
with channel partners and build a mutually
beneficial business partnership. “Our channel
partners are key drivers of Toshiba’s growth in
the Middle East region,” Varghese says.
Varghese adds that Toshiba aims to
work closely with regional VARs to provide
extensive assistance including sales support
and product training to focus on the SMB and
large enterprise sector.
An element of the VAR programme
involves Toshiba’s highly successful “Profit
for Performance” (P4P) channel strategy,
which is a rebate programme recognising
the commitment of key retailers and dealers
by rewarding top performers. The P4P
initiative was introduced to reward excellent
performance of B2C channel partners who
excel in achieving their quarterly sales and
product mix targets.
20 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
Symantec has
revealed that it’s
reselling appliances
in the UAE, Saudi
Arabia and Qatar
through three of its
distributors namely
Mindware, Tech
Access and Aptec.
The announcement
follows the recent
launch of Symantec’s
appliance strategy which provides
customers with a flexible and easy to deploy
delivery model for data protection, storage
management and security solutions.
Responding to its customers’ needs,
Symantec has set up proof of concept
centres in various locations across the
region to show customers they have a choice
in the way they purchase and deploy market-
leading software by offering a new appliance
form-factor. Symantec has already run
several successful sessions with financial
and government entities to highlight how
Eros Group,
a distributor
of consumer
electronics,
telecom and
allied multi-
products in the
Middle East has
entered into an
alliance with
Sonos, a developer of wireless multi-
room music systems for the home.
In terms of the deal, the Eros Group
will distribute the Sonos wireless
multi-room music systems through
key retail channel partners in UAE and
other Gulf countries.Utill now Sonos
has been available to consumers in the
region through distribution channel
specialising in custom installations and
system integrators.
Deepak Babani, CEO of Eros Group,
says: “Partnering with Sonos reflects
Eros’ commitment to constantly expand its
product portfolio and give our customers
the latest in consumer electronics. Sonos
is a global provider of music systems and
we are confident that this ingenious piece
of technology will appeal to our wide
customer base in the region.”
Frank Hakhoff, senior international
distribution manager at Sonos, says that
the company’s mission is to fill every
home with music. “With their detailed
knowledge of consumers, industry,
unique range of products, and innovative
service record, we are confident that our
partnership with Eros will help establish
Sonos in this dynamic Middle East
market,” he says.
Niranjan Gidwani, deputy CEO of
Eros Group adds that Sonos was among
the first companies to understand
future trends in streaming music and to
introduce products for this market.
SyManTec unveilS aPPliance BuSineSS STraTeGy
Ramzi Itani, Regional Channel & Alliance Director, MENA, Symantec
news
Deepak Babani, CEO of Eros Group
eroS GrouP ParTnerS wiTh SonoS
they can reduce their overall costs through
the appliances.
Ramzi Itani, regional channel and alliance
Director, MENA, Symantec, says through
the company’s existing channel, Symantec
is pleased to announce that it’s reselling
appliance products through three of its
distributors and resellers, all of whom
are being trained by Symantec engineers.
“During the past three months we have been
successful in reselling over 150 terabytes of
capacity to customers in the UAE, Saudi and
Qatar,” he says.
With massive data growth frustrating
storage and backup professionals,
simplicity has become a critical element
of the IT infrastructure. Appliances allow
organisations to quickly deploy Symantec
technology to reduce the impact of data
growth in the fastest deployment model
possible, thereby reducing complexity.
Symantec offers its customers 24/7 onsite
support, including a four-hour response
time in Saudi and the UAE in addition to next
business day support in Qatar.
Scott Brown, VP of Distribution for
Worldwide Channels at Cisco, says the
company is proud to partner with so many
well-respected organisations worldwide.
“It’s my privilege to recognise Comstor
as a Cisco Partner Summit global award
winner," he says. “The Global Distribution
Partner of the Year Award presented
to Comstor recognises its outstanding
achievement as a Cisco channel partner
in 2010.”
Renton D’Souza, Divisonal Manager,
Comstor Middle East, says Comstor has
established itself as one of Cisco’s premier
VADs over the years through its focus on
helping partners globally to accelerate
their businesses by leveraging Cisco
solutions. “It brings us immense delight
as Comstor MENA to be recognised for our
dedicated efforts towards Cisco at global,
regional, as well as local Levels,” says
D’Souza.
Jon Pritchard, President, Comstor
Worldwide, adds that for more than a
decade, Comstor has a proven track-record
as one of Cisco’s premier VADs. “Our
dedicated teams focus on helping partners
worldwide accelerate their businesses by
leveraging Cisco solutions across a range
of networking, collaboration and data
center technologies,” he says. “We’re
proud of our long-standing relationship
with Cisco and are deeply honoured they
have chosen to recognise us as one of
their most highly valued, strategic global
distribution partners.”
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 21
our company and brand in the Middle East and
take our business to the next level in this region
and Prologix fit the mould perfectly,” says Chee.
Through this partnership, Prologix
Distribution is responsible for distributing
EnGenius’ high performance wireless
networking solutions including wireless LAN
products and accessories and long range
cordless phone.
Jerin Thomas, director business
development at Prologix says: “We
are pleased to have been signed on as
distributors for EnGenius, a global brand. This
partnership enables us to increase our profile
and footprint in the Middle East and we are
committed to providing the highest levels of
service and support to both, EnGenius as well
as our resellers.”
Thomas adds that the addition of EnGenius
to its array of products gives resellers and SI the
opportunity to harness best-in-class technology
to the benefit of their customers. “This deal is
in line with our vision of offering best-of-breed
products and solutions,” he says.
Prologix has over 10 years of experience
delivering IT and telecom infrastructure
solutions into the Middle East market. The
team consists of certified professionals with
knowledge and expertise across the core areas
of networking, security, storage, wireless and
telecom, who can provide technical expertise
in sales, presales and customer support as a
value-add.
news
al-FalaK GeTS Gold SPecialiST STaTuS in iPPP
Al-Falak
Electronic
Equipment
and Supplies
Co, a reseller
of technology-
based end-to-
end solutions
in the Middle
East, has
successfully qualified for the 2011 HP
Gold Specialist Imaging and Printing
Partner Programme.
As a certified HP Gold Specialist
in Imaging and Printing, Al-Falak will
be aligned with HP’s sales strategy
and gain access to HP’s enterprise
customers. HP’s partner development
managers will work with Al-Falak to
coordinate reselling of HP solutions
and develop a business plan to drive
Al-Falak’s sales. Al-Falak will also
receive a partner insignia from HP to
promote the added value it offers to its
customer; have access to HP software
development kits, support and training;
and be invited to exclusive HP events.
Ahmed Ashadawi, CEO and
President, Al-Falak Electronic Equipment
and Supplies Co, says the HP Gold
Specialist status for 2011 affirms the
exceptional quality of the company’s
services and solutions. “HP carefully
chooses its programme partners based
on their geographical reach, business
stability, professional services and
support capability,” he says. “We were
able to prove our excellence in all these
areas and we are now eager to offer the
superior benefits of the HP brand to our
clients,” says Al-Falak’s membership
in the 2011 Gold Specialist Imaging &
Printing Partner Program takes effect
through October 31, 2011.”
EnGenius International, a provider of wireless
solutions has signed a distribution deal with
Prologix Distribution, an IT and telecom value
added distributor in the Middle East.
In terms of the deal, which is exclusive,
Prologix will provide the channel with EnGenius’
entire range of wireless data and voice
communication solutions in the Middle East
excluding Lebanon.
Leo Meng Chee, GM, EnGenius says Prologix
has an extensive reseller network in the Middle
East region and has established itself as a
formidable VAD, with a highly capable and
motivated team. Chee adds that EnGenius
invests heavily in R&D to ensure customers
have access to the best of technology and
leading-edge products and this has resulted in
a very recognisable brand. “We wanted to find
a partner that could create the same impact for
Jerin Thomam, Progix (L) & Leo Meng Chee, EnGenius
ProloGiX SiGnS enGeniuS
Ahmed Ashadawi, CEO & president, Al-Falak
The market research results also
revealed that Toshiba has a relatively
high overall growth rate in the retailer
field, increasing 8.8% for the year 2010, in
comparison with its sale performance on
the previous year in the UAE.
“The impressive growth rate percentage
means that Toshiba is looking forward
to continuous growth in the foreseeable
future. Toshiba is confident that it can
sustain its market leadership and fare
better in the region in terms of sales and
innovation,” adds Gifford.
The market research also looked into
comparison between ultra mobile, tablet
PCs, portable laptops, netbooks, and
desktop replacement in terms of sales
unit percentage and based on the results,
portable laptop is the preferred device in
the UAE with an average of 75% in sales
unit percentage, followed by netbooks with
an average of 25%.
>
22 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
DISTRIBUTORS WANTED
LED
LCD
PLASMA
DVDPlayers
AudioSystems
Phones
One of the most prominent GCC based consumer electronics brand with over 2,500 products across 40+ categories is in the process of appointing distributors. Financially sound business with prior experience
in consumer electronics preferred. Interested companies may send in their details to:
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Oman Distributors 20.7x27cm_2.ai 5/2/11 6:30:06 PM
TOUCH SCREEN
MYTOUCH
WIRELESS
WIRELESS-N
GUARANTEE
GUARANTEE
3 SECOND SCAN 1
Introducing the new LexmarkGENESIS S815 ALL-IN-ONE PRINTERPRINT COPY SCAN FAX WEB
Printing with a touch of style
1. Scanning a one page document or photo on USB-connected, All-In-One Printer using a PC with the Lexmark Printer Home Interface’s PDF or Photo function. Actual scan timemay vary based on factors such as PC performance and operating system, use of wireless connections and use of document edit/character recognition function.
LIME_Genesis)207x270.indd 1 5/11/11 10:46 AM
Brocade has announced innovative new
cloud-optimised networking solutions
to enable the next evolution in
public cloud infrastructures.
These advancements will help
service providers leverage their
existing infrastructures to create a
broad set of new revenue-generating
services, such as virtual private cloud
services, for enterprise customers. As a
result, service providers can minimise
their infrastructure expenditure and raise
their revenue to increase profitability.
At its recent annual Technology
Day Summit, Brocade unveiled the
solutions that support the expansion of
emerging service provider public cloud
infrastructures. The company believes
that today’s networks must be cloud-
optimised at every critical point as they
will define the application performance
and the customer experience within
the cloud. Service providers are able to
leverage Brocade data centre networking
leadership in high-performance Brocade
ServerIronADX application delivery
switches, as well as market-leading
storage fabric and innovative Ethernet
fabric technologies to build out their
cloud infrastructure.
Specif ically, the Brocade Ethernet
fabric technology enables a completely
Brocade’s OEM partners, including EMC,
Hitachi Data Systems, HP and IBM, have
voiced their support of the company’s new
next-gen Fibre Channel technologies that
will help their enterprise customers migrate
smoothly to private cloud architectures.
Brocade has announced the industry’s
first fabric based, end-to-end networking
Research In Motion's BlackBerry
App World service has launched in the
UAE, offering BlackBerry smartphone
customers easy access to a broad range
of mobile applications. The service is
now available in a number of Middle East
countries including UAE, Kuwait, Qatar,
Jordan, Bahrain and Lebanon.
BlackBerry App World, the official
on-device app store for BlackBerry
smartphones, allows customers to
easily discover, download and enjoy
applications that are purpose-built for
their BlackBerry smartphones.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the
BlackBerry App World service to customers
in the UAE,” said Sandeep Saihgal,
Managing Director, RIM Middle East.
“The BlackBerry community in this region
can now enjoy great content for their
smartphones with our comprehensive range
of applications to choose from, enriching
their mobile experience at work or play. We
are also excited about the opportunity this
presents to our Middle Eastern application
developers, who now have a huge audience
to develop local content and apps for.”
According to Mohammed Al Ghanim,
Director General of the Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the UAE,
said: “This is a great day for the Middle East
application developer community. The TRA
has a strategy to encourage and support
developers in the UAE and with the launch
of RIM’s BlackBerry App World, we are
eager to work with BlackBerry developers
to provide the appropriate environment and
assist them with accessing the required
tools to create these applications. We will
encourage the UAE universities to develop
applications on BlackBerry devices”.
Three million applications are being
downloaded each day on BlackBerry App
World, which is available in more than 100
markets around the world.
Brocade enaBleS SP BuSineSS Model TranSForMaTion
induSTry BacKS Brocade
news
BlacKBerry aPP world arriveS
virtualised environment in which service
providers can offer compute, storage and
network resources to their customers
on-demand. In addition, Brocade Ethernet
fabrics simplify data center network
management and operations, improve
network eff iciency and utilisation and
thus reduce TCO dramatically.
According to a recent report by
Gartner, the global market for cloud
services is expected to grow to nearly
$150 billion by 2014. This enormous
market opportunity is transforming how
service providers will deliver information
technology services to their customers.
It is a catalyst that will ultimately alter
how services are delivered and consumed
by nearly everyone worldwide, driving
a fundamental shift in business and
revenue models.
solutions based on industry-leading 16 Gbps
Fibre Channel technologies. Fabric-based
networks are a fundamental requirement in
supporting highly virtualised data centres
and private cloud environments and they
are a critical element of the Brocade One
strategy for providing low-latency, non-stop
and easy-to-operate networks.
TOUCH SCREEN
MYTOUCH
WIRELESS
WIRELESS-N
GUARANTEE
GUARANTEE
3 SECOND SCAN 1
Introducing the new LexmarkGENESIS S815 ALL-IN-ONE PRINTERPRINT COPY SCAN FAX WEB
Printing with a touch of style
1. Scanning a one page document or photo on USB-connected, All-In-One Printer using a PC with the Lexmark Printer Home Interface’s PDF or Photo function. Actual scan timemay vary based on factors such as PC performance and operating system, use of wireless connections and use of document edit/character recognition function.
LIME_Genesis)207x270.indd 1 5/11/11 10:46 AM
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 25
news
NETGEAR recently hosted a series of sales and
technical training sessions for its key Middle East
partners at the Ramada Hotel in Dubai.
The event was attended by around 40 of
the company’s top partners in the region and
was aimed at increasing more awareness on
the key networking and storage products of
NETGEAR and the advantages and benefits
obtained from its use. The training sessions
consisted of key talks and presentations
made by the company’s top technical experts
led by Richard Jonker, MD for Emerging
Markets, NETGEAR, who talked about
strategic sales and marketing initiatives
and Neil Smart, VAR Systems Engineer, UKI,
NETGEAR, who conducted the technical
aspect of the training.
The two-day event was in line with
NETGEAR’s efforts to implement key
initiatives aimed at strengthening its
business ties with its partners while also
living up to its commitment to provide an
integrate suite of internet tools for the wired
and wireless segment. The move follows a
recent industry report showing that Middle
East has witnessed a dramatic 1,825.3%
growth in the number of internet users over
the last decade (2000 to 2010), increasing the
penetration to 29.8% and translating into a
total of 63.2 million users.
During the first day of the event, Richard
Jonker talked about NETGEAR’s expansion
worldwide and the implementation of sales
and marketing strategies in the coming years.
His presentation also covered NETGEAR’s
current concentration on SMEs, which
neTGear TraininG SeSSionS
combined with the company’s other focus
segments will translate to a larger target
market. Neil Smart gave a presentation
on essential technical information about
NETGEAR products along with the latest
technologies that the company is utilizing
in the bid to roll out new internet tools,
particularly in the storage segment.
“This event served as a perfect opportunity
for NETGEAR to meet with its regional partners
and discuss new strategies in the move to
create a stronger market presence in the
Middle East,” said Omar Lutfi, SMB Channel
Manager, NETGEAR Middle East.
NETGEAR offers strategic innovative
products aimed at different segments like
consumers, businesses and service providers.
Just recently, the company launched the
ReadyNAS 4200, which is aimed towards
SMBs and mid-sized businesses. The new
unit is the first of its kind ReadyNAS model
to support 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) and
allows more redundancy and reliability. The
company also released the NETGEAR WC7520,
a wireless controller designed for smaller IT
groups yet still offer all the features needed
by large wireless networks. The wireless
connector provides users with a fully-featured
Wireless LAN architecture that can support
up to 1,500 users networks, minus the cost or
complexity of traditional solutions. Also being
introduced is the NETGEAR XCM8800 Series,
which simplifies network infrastructures
with purpose-built core, aggregation, and
intelligent edge modules. The NETGEAR
XCM8800 Series offers users with a rack-
mount backplane-based design that has
strong features like key flexibility, energy
efficiency, and service availability.
Iomega has announced that Samer
Sayed has been appointed as B2B
Regional Sales Manager Middle
East and Africa. He will lead current
business efforts to further enhance
Iomega’s SMB solution presence as
the benchmark in storage across the
MEA region and the preferred global
provider of storage and network
solutions for mid-sized businesses.
“I am delighted that Samer has
joined the Iomega team”, said Cizar
Abu Ghazaleh, Regional Director,
Middle East, Africa and Turkey
Iomega. “With over a decade’s
experience, Samer’s superb skills are
well-established and he will help us in
extending our already strong presence
in SMB markets in the MEA. His MEA
sales and marketing experience in
business-to-business sales is an
excellent asset for Iomega”.
Samer Sayed brings more than 15
years’ experience to Iomega, most
recently at EMC where he was the
Regional Business Development
Manager establishing and growing the
public sector for EMC.
Prior to joining EMC, he was
Regional Manager for Fujitsu Siemens
Computers/ Fujitsu Technology
Solutions managing ME where he also
had great achievements building and
growing SMB channel and partners.
“I am excited to join such a
leading company as Iomega and look
forward to giving my contribution
to further strengthen its presence
and its success”, said Samer Sayed.
“I am enthusiastic about Iomega’s
programmes and our products for
small business storage markets,
and look forward to giving my part
to enhance Iomega’s leadership in
markets across the MEA countries”.
new ioMeGa B2B SaleS head
Partners during the training session
26 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
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Getting seriousreseller Middle East chats to Minnie Lin, head of marketing, ODD Channel M&S division at Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions Corporation on the vendor’s strategy for growing its channel in the region.
RME: Briefly explain how Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions is building its channel base in the Middle East region? ML: LiteOn provides innovative and
customer-oriented technologies to channel
partners and their end-users globally. In
addition, we have been giving marketing
support and local sales to support our
channel partners and their customers. We
100%LiteOn patented, this now allows users
to create a circular label on the data side
of a standard DVD±r disc with the use of
special media required.
RME: Is there a specific product set or technology that Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions is pushing strongly through the channel in the Middle East in the second half of 2011?ML: As stated earlier, LabelTag is the
company’s main focus this year.
RME: What sort of channel initiatives and training programmes is Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions planning on rolling out this year to channel partners in the Middle East?ML: We had trained sales people from the
Middle East channel on LiteOn technologie,
LabelTag, SmartErase through a number
of initiatives that we held earlier this year
Feb,2011.
RME: What can your distribution partners and solution providers expect from Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions in 2011?ML: More marketing support and channel
initiatives aimed at cementing our presence in
the channel.
RME: Where do you see growth coming from with your reseller business in the MENA region?ML: We see our business growing more in
the notebook and network segment as these
sectors become more and more popular.
RME: Finally, what would you like to achieve this year as Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions with your channel partners that might have been a challenge in 2010? ML: Our aim this year is definitely on getting
more market share and increased brand
awareness. Our vision is to become number
one in the MENA belt.
have continued to and keep promoting LiteOn
brand to be the best choose for a professional
IT people.
RME: How many distribution partners does Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions have in the Middle East? ML: At the moment, LiteOn has one main
distributor addressing the entire region
although there the company does have a
distributor in Iran, two in Syria and one in Iraq.
RME: Which markets in the Middle East/North Africa are key for Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions’ channel growth? ML: Key products that the company is
pushing aggressively and marketing in the
region are components.
RME: What product/technology solutions are high on Philips & LiteOn Digital Solutions’ agenda in the Middle East in 2011?ML: With the LabelTag array now
interviewPhilips & LiteOn Digital
our aim this year is definitely on getting more market share and increased brand awareness. our vision is to become number one in the Mena belt.
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 29
cementing channel partnershipsReseller Middle East talks to Shobhit Mathur, Director Operations and Sales at Quick Heal Technologies on the company’s growing clout in the Middle East IT security market.
RME: Quick Heal has been upping the tempo in the UAE channel market. How has the Middle East channel embraced Quick Heal as an anti-virus security vendor and as a brand?SM: The response we have got so far is
overwhelming, despite being a new brand
in this market. We have been well accepted
by the channel and this has resulted in the
company generating good sales in the year
2010 and extensive product positioning in the
Middle East region.
RME: How many partners do you have ever since Quick Heal entered the region?SM: Currently Quick Heal has direct
partnership in seven countries in the region
and indirectly we are covering the entire
Middle East except for a few countries.
RME: How is Quick Heal building it channel base in the Middle East and North Africa region?SM: We are a very channel centric organisation
and firmly believe that true success lies in the
entire supply chain performing well. We are
building our channel base with a policy of one
partner one country with an exception to the
Saudi Arabian market. This is how we empower
our partners to give their best to the brand.
RME: What do you see as major hurdles to growing Quick Heal’s business offerings in the Middle East? SM: The current geo political situation in
the Middle East region has restricted us in
our quest to grow operations and footprint in
some countries.
RME: Which markets in the Middle East are key for your channel growth this year and why?SM: It’s difficult to pin point one specific
country but currently our focus of strategic
importance is on Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
and UAE. These countries have the market
dynamics and ability to set trends for other
countries in the region to follow.
RME: What product solutions will be high on your agenda for channel partners in the Middle East in 2011?SM: We are in the second year of our operations
in the Middle East and we will stay focused on
the retail sector and offer technologies that are
tailored more at the retail sector. This year, we
have also introduced two technologies – Laptop
Tracker and Parental control.
RME: With parts of the Middle East experiencing political instability, is this going to affect your business this year?SM: Hope things will settle down sooner
rather than later. As we already got effected
in Bahrain and Libya, the company has
witnessed a slowdown in business in other
countries, but these are short term issues and
have no impact on our long term strategies
and plan for the Middle East region.
RME: One of the key strengths that some of your competitors like Symantec and Kaspersky have in the region is the ability to work with higher learning institutions such as colleges and universities. Is Quick Heal actively working with institutions of higher learning as a way of popularising your solutions offerings?SM: As mentioned earlier, our current focus is
on retail and will remain like this throughout
this year. However, we will not lose any
opportunity if it arises in any other area.
RME: Is there a specific vertical that Quick Heal is focusing on in the Middle East region?SM: Corporate and government sectors in the
Iranian market and retail segment in the rest
of the Middle East region.
RME: Where do you see growth coming from in 2011 for your business in the Middle East?SM: Our growth will come from our
expansion strategy. We have lots of ground to
be covered in terms of territory and increasing
our market share in the areas where we are
cuurently present. If we are able to implement
this, which we will, then growth is assured for
Quick Heal and its channel partners.
Shobhit Mathur, Director, Quick Heal
interviewQuick Heal
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 31
KSA’s IT market, the biggest in the Middle East, was worth around SAr 12.4 billion last year and should grow to SAr 17.25 billion in three years time. As a lucrative market for IT products and services, the Saudi IT sector is driven by key factors such as several major IT projects by both the public and private sectors; unhampered growth of the national economy; and high demand for IT products and services among the overwhelmingly young population.
cover feature Channel growth
Keys to the Kingdom
The Saudi IT market is an enigma. Despite
being the largest in the region, the potential for
growth seems limitless.
A recent report from the Business Software
Alliance said that in the Kingdom, the
commercial value of unlicensed software stood
at $304m (an estimated Sr1,140m) in 2009.
Although the situation is improving, software
piracy remains among the most significant
threats to the IT industry in the region.
Now the Saudi Ministry of Information,
working with Autodesk, has launched a new
license compliance initiative. With a market
as large as the Kingdom's, the possibility of
legtimising even a small percentage of current
unlicensed software would bring major benefts
to the Saudi channel.
It's a market that certainly repaus investment
and commitment. Storage player SanDisk, for
example, has just reported 38% year on year
increase in unit sales. In fact, with the consumer
electronics market to approach $5b by 2015, a
5% CAGr for digital devices looks a caustious
estimate.
Consider this. Computer hardware accounted
for about 46% of Saudi consumer electronics
spending in 2009 and that sector may top $2b by
year end. Stronger demand for notebooks is seen
as the main factor driving retail segment growth,
but the explosion in smartphone, iPad and other 3
and 4G devices may make any analyst estimates
seem hopelessly out of date very quickly. Mobile
handset sales accounted for 22% of consumer
electronics spending in 2009 - sales are now
expected to grow at a 6% CAGr to $1.1b by 2015,
as mobile subscriber penetration reaches 220%.
The Saudi IT sector is being driven by key
factors such as the commissioning of several
major IT projects by both the public and private
sectors; the unhampered growth of the national
economy; and the high demand for IT products
and services among the predominantly young
and tech-savvy Saudi population
The government sees ICT development as a
national priority. The governing Shoura Council has
a strategic objective for the IT industry to raise its
contribution to GDP to 20% by 2020, as well as
raising broadband penetration to 31% by 2013.
And major projects keep being announced.
The Medical Services Division (MSD) of the
Ministry of Defence and Aviation (MODA) is
implementing a nationwide unified medical
system, to link all 26 MSD hospital and 68
medical centres and clinics across six regions.
The government is implementing a $3.1bn plan
to improve the education system - the King
Abdullah Project has allocated around half the
funds (SAr 4.2bn) to improve the education
environment and another SAr 3.58bn for
extracurricular activities.
All of this provides both an opportunity and
a challenge to channel players in the Kingdom.
The rewards are there. The question is: can the
channel raise its game to claim them?
We talk to two players in a quick overview of
channel activity in Saudi Arabia.
with very positive growth in teh Kingdom backed by spectacular sales in other regions, Bdl is feeling bullish at present. ceo Tamer ismail explains why.
What's the Group's focus in the channel for this
year and beyond?
Our focus will be on our best clients, increasing the
numbers of clients, working to achieve profit for
our partners and providing appropriate service for
them. And understanding their problems, of course.
What growth are you seeing in the Saudi
market?
Some 25% year over year which is fuelling our
expansion plans. We opened two additional
branches in Khmis Masheet, Tabuk, and Qassem to
cover the northern and southern region as well as
our existing head office in riyadh and branches in
Jeddah and Alkhubar.
What are the factors that will drive growth for
the BDL Group?
We have a clear strategy that leads the company
- we concentrate on adding value and working
through an innovative approach in addition to
efficient relation management with suppliers and
leadinG The MarKeT
32 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
working close to customers.
What are the challenges that resellers and channel
partners are facing in the Kingdom?
reseller are facing increasing competition in the
corporate space, which affects volumes and market
development.
Visions aren’t clear for resellers in terms of annual
sale rates, identifying expectations, volumes for
purchases and sales - all that limits development
opportunities. And some resellers leave markets
continually - from time to time that harms markets
and competition significantly.
What do you see as key business opportunities
this year?
Smart phones.
How is the channel maturing in Saudi?
Over time. Distribution companies are adopting
proper policies including not to over use credit,
accurate pricing and prics control. That will get rid of
bad sale channels and customers will then depend on
real resellers who target the end user.
How important is GITEX Riyadh to you?
There is no great importance because we don't see
any attractive marketing activities and suppliers and
distributors don’t provide anything new. Importantly,
there are many computer markets in malls and
markets (Hyper Market Power retail) in riyadh - a
continual gallery outside of GITEX.
SuPPorTinG The channelFvc has ambitious plans to extend its reach into the Saudi market as Md KS Parag explains.
What is your focus this year in the Kingdom?
Ensuring that the company increases its pre-
sales, sales and technical resources in the
Kingdom. Our coverage of the KSA market is
two fold: vertical and geographical expansion.
Vertical expansions will focus on government,
defence, financial services, education and
healthcare sectors. Here, the company
will be beefing up resources to support
channel partners with training, certification
and demand generation activities. And
geographical expansions are planned for the
Western, Central and Eastern regions of the
Kingdom. We have opened offices in riyadh,
Jeedah and Al Khobah.
What's your strategy for partner training?
FVC has taken the responsibility to train its
internal sales and technical teams to ensure
that they can train partners in the various
technology focus areas. We are also educating
the end user market and these activities are
helping the company to create demand for
channel partners. We want our SI partners
in KSA to develop deeper knowledge in UC,
network security, cloud computing and data
centre technologies.
Where do you see the growth opportunities
for FVC and its partner ecosystem?
This will come from government and public
sector IT projects. There's also a momentum
around cloud computing and next generation
data centres.
How is that emphasis changing?
In 2010, most revenues came from government
and public sector projects which accounted
for 60% of the total revenues; in 2011, there
will be a further boost as the government
moves to accelerate the roll out of IT projects
and private sector enterprises are looking to
refresh and upgrade their IT infrastructure.
Partners that will benefit from this growth
are those with certiications, have specialised
and are able to bring value and a services
component to the table.
What are the specific channel challenges in
the Kingdom?
A lack of knowledge and expertise in the
channel. Partners not adapting to technology
changes fast enough. It's difficult to retain
trained and certified staff. Long sales cycles
and the reluctance by partners to jump onto
the services bandwagon.
What other Saudi activities are you
planning?
We recently launched the CHEEr Partner
programme and through this, we are able to
offer services to SIs which they can go and
resell. We'll be hosting annually the Channel
Partner Conference which we launched last
year and we'll beef up roadshows in the
Kingdom aimed at helping raise awareness
around our channel programmes, products
and technologies.
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 33
into enterpriserME spoke to Di Liu Qi, Vice President for Huawei Enterprise Business, about how the model is faring.
How has this new business unit been received so far in the channel?Huawei Enterprise Business has already
built a portfolio of projects all over the world
to demonstrate its strength in building
next-generation ICT infrastructures across
industry verticals. We are very excited about
the growth potential and look forward to
seeing how we can leverage the enormous
market opportunities in the region. The
feedback from the channel so far has been
extremely positive. Through vigorous
product training, workshops, forums
certification sessions and more, to help
our channel partners fully understand our
enterprise business portfolio, we already
have local channel partners on board.
We believe that it’s all about creating a
support system for our business partners.
However, we need to deliver our products
and solutions in more ways than just directly
selling to the customer. We need to focus our
energies on channel partners in the region.
By engaging with our channel partners,
we can leverage their local knowledge and
experience. The idea is to give our partners
room for Huawei’s strategic growth. We
have ambitious plans to drive our enterprise
business and aim to become the region’s
first choice solutions provider for building
next-generation ICT infrastructures. As we
approach each opportunity, our target will
apply the same rigorous strategic approach
and discipline that we have applied in the
telecoms sector, to ensure our customers
receive returns on investments. We are
excited about the growth potential for
Huawei Enterprise. We are confident that we
can create value for our customers.
Where do you see most of your growth coming from this year?Cloud computing, data centres, IT and
communications technology convergence
will be key areas in the enterprise business.
How are you positioning Huawei Enterprise given that your core strength in the Middle East is in the telecoms space?Huawei’s proven track record in the
Middle East building next-generation ICT
infrastructures in the telecoms market
is a testimony of the capabilities we can
also provide in the enterprise market. We
believe our core strength lies in focusing
on customer-centric innovation that creates
values for customers to meet their business
needs. Innovation is a key component of
Huawei’s mission. That’s why we have
invested nearly half of Huawei’s global
resources into research and development,
with over 10% of revenue spent on R&D
every year. In 2010, Huawei filed 49,040
key technology patents globally with cross-
licensing agreements in intellectual property
rights for major multinational companies
in the industry. In the next decade, Huawei
will transform itself from a pioneer in
communications technology to innovators in
ICT. Driving the enterprise business will form
a key part of Huawei’s road map over the
next few years.
the flexibility to sell our products and
solutions how they see fit. Ultimately, we
want to create a win-win situation for all.
How many SIs have you recruited in the Middle East?Currently we are partnered with 11 local
channels in the region, one of which is INTC,
our regional level master system integrator
and ‘go-to-market’ partner for our Enterprise
solutions.
Can you briefly explain how Huawei is rolling out its partner training programmes to SIs?Huawei Enterprise delivers pre-sales and
post sales training for reseller partners
in three different cities - Dubai, Doha and
riyadh - so that every partner in each
country is well briefed on the product
portfolio, the installation and configuration
as well as given an understanding of the
need to focus on service delivery. We offer
certification training to ensure our partners
meet the industry standards required to
fully engage with the product and solution.
Fast track programmes are also set up for IT
consultants and specialists who come with a
technical background.
What are your growth expectations for your enterprise business in the Middle East?With the emergence of cloud computing and
the convergence of IT and communication
technology solutions, the transformation
of the entire industry has offered Huawei
unprecedented new opportunities and the
enterprise business will provide enormous
analysisHuawei
34 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
LabelTag DVD RW Series
• 8X DVD burner • USB interface
iHAS524 • 24X DVD burner • SATA interface
External DVD RW series Internal DVD RW series
Digital Plus Co. (Syria:)East Sok El-Intaj St., Al-Mohafaza P.O.Box 8676 Tel: 21 225 0600 #601 Email: [email protected]
Authorized Distributors:
FDC International FZE P.O. Box 17543, Dubai, U.A.E. Tel: +971 4 3978035 #205 E-Mail: [email protected]
Liteon ODD Web http://www.liteonodd.com/en/MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 35
Breaking out of consumerDealing with new business opportunities is a key way in which channel players differentiate themselves in the market, explains Sakkeer Hussain, Sales & Marketing Manager at D-Link Middle East.
How many distribution partners does D-Link have in the Middle East and which specific countries do they address?Since January 2011, D-Link Middle East has
taken over the responsibility of the operations
for D-Link Africa (excluding South Africa), hence
D-Link Middle East has evolved to D-Link Middle
East & Africa since the beginning of this year.
D-Link Middle East & Africa are currently working
with more than 50 distributors in the entire
Middle East and Africa region. Countries in which
we are directly collaborating with signed-up
distributors are: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia,
yemen, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq,
Algeria, Cyprus, Afghanistan and Africa (Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania).
Facebook and Twitter friends the media files
Boxee users most like. Apart from that we have
a wide range of IP cameras, 3G and power line
products. On the business solutions segment
we offer the latest series of smart, PoE, chasis
switches and storage.
Is there a specific product set or technology that you’re pushing strongly through the channel in the Middle East this year and why?Since March 2011 we started to sell cabling
solutions in the Middle East & Africa. This is a
new product line which will help us to position
ourselves in the cabling market as well.
What sort of channel initiatives and training programmes are planning on rolling out this year in the Middle East market?With view to sales and marketing initiatives, we
are planning to conduct plenty of promotions
throughout the year in order to support the
channel. Additionally, during the year there
are plenty of product seminars and technical
trainings being held in order to keep everyone
updated and - the technical departments
respectively - well-trained.
How important is your retail/consumer business in the Middle East region?
The retail/consumer business has always
been a major pillar helping us to achieve
our targets to sell consumer products to the
various consumer target groups. D-Link has
always been strong in the consumer segment,
but has also managed to successfully take
on networking solutions that cater to large
corporations.
If it is important, what power retailers are you currently working with and with what products?We are currently working with all major
power retailers such as Sharaf DG, CompuME,
Carrefour, Lulu and Emax to sell wireless
routers, IP cameras, the Boxee Box and many
other networking devices to consumers.
You work with both distributors and System Integrators. Briefly outline how the company is able to minimise any conflict of interest between the two segments?It is true that we are working both with
distributors and SIs to bring our products
to the market. However, these two are not
competing with each other in terms of having
certain interests met. With the distribution
model we have in place, deals that have been
closed by our teams with System Integrators
are still routed to our distributors, who sell
our products to the System Integrators.
This ensures a win-win situation both for
distributors and System Integrators.
Which markets in the Middle East are key for your channel growth in 2011?We certainly hope to progress further in the
virgin markets, such the Levant countries. The
current political condition in many Middle
Eastern countries however keeps us hoping
that the demand for networking solutions will
not decrease.
What product solutions are you pushing through your channel partners in the Middle East?On the consumer segment we have recently
launched the Boxee Box, an amazing Social
Network Media Centre which plays back movies
in Full HD 1080p. This device is not just a media
player, but also a great tool to share with your
Sakkeer Hussain, Sales & Marketing Manager at D-Link Middle East
analysisD-Link
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 37
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The balancing actAlthough SonicWALL has a global policy of only selling through the channel, its introduction of a 'direct touch' model should not be seen as changing that, insists newly appointed EMEA VP, Andy Zollo.
What will be your channel focus this year in EMEA?First of all, SonicWall has this as the fastest
region we have so that's why we'll put in
investment. For instance, we're just starting
a technical resource in Saudi which will be
starting any time now. We're also looking
for a direct touch because, as we expand
into the enterprise market, we need more
of that customer touch ourselves and that
should then deliver more opportunity to the
channel. It's all about getting a balance.
On the overall partner landscape, we need
to balance working with distributors to
improve our market base - and they're
typically those who adopt the SMB range of
products - then for the enterprise there will
be fewer partners, typically gold and silver,
where our guys will also be involved in the
account management of these partners and
then outside of that, as we grow the direct
touch business, that will identify partners
we should be speaking to. We have a very
clear global two tier policy, everything goes
through channel - so even as we deploy
direct touch, the channel can be reassured
that everything goes through distribution.
And investment?Clearly, technical resource. As we train
people up, quite naturally they want more of
our technical input. Also when the channel
needs help in an engagement, typically its
a technical rather than a sales person they
want along with them. That's our priority now.
process in that the more they do that, the
more the sales guy picks up what we're
doing and away he goes. Next, growing the
installed base business. Or should we pick
some vertical markets where we become the
experts in that market? When we identify
them and research them, we can then support
our channel - these are the decision makers,
these are the buying patterns, these are the
sales triggers and so on.
What solutions do you see as priorities for the market this year?We'll continue to push UTM - we've added
visualisation recently which makes it a
lot easier for management to see what's
happening on the network. relating it to
granularity - we want you to use Twitter
for business but not Farmville, for instance
- is a very appealing message because of
productivity issues. We've also scaled to the
carrier level. Then, on the SMB side, we've
revamped our back-up/disaster recovery
products which should make it easy for the
channel to go and get MSP type of business. If
we can make something easy for the channel
to sell, they'll sell lots of it; if we make it too
difficult, then they'll tend to shy away.
Are you encouraging your partners to sell consultancy services on top of the technology?Absolutely. The channel owns the
relationship with the customers and maybe
50% of a lifetime revenue with a customer
comes from services.
What's the most important thing you do for your channel?The thing we always focus on with our
partners is training. Whilst we have a strong
market condition, there's still a large market
out there.
We're seeing a lot of vendors encouraging their partners to specialise. Is that something you do?We leave it up to them.
Which territories will recive more technical support?Saudi is the priority - we have an offer out
already. Then the UAE.
Can there not be a conflict of interest with a direct touch model?Oh yes, we always have to use the term
carefully. The impression always is, 'Oh no,
they're going direct!' The difference however
when you're moving from SMB to enterprise
is that, at the enterprise level, the customer
expects to see the manufacturer. That's a
cost of getting into that market, we recognise
that. The direct touch guys kind of work in
three areas. Firstly, assistance of channel -
going out with resellers to end-users to help
the sale and that becomes an education
Andy Zollo, VP, SonicWALL EMEA
analysisSonicWALL
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 39
Get in your system.
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©2010 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, Radeon and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, Windows and DirectX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/ or other jurisdictions. Electronic Arts Inc. EA, the EA logo, Medal of Honor and Danger Close are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. The DICE logo and FROSTBITE are trademarks of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trade-marks of their respective owners.
Additional hardware (e.g. Blu-ray drive, HD or 10-bit monitor, TV tuner) and/or software (e.g. multimedia applications) are required for the full enablement of some features. Not all features may be supported on all components or systems — check with your component or system manufacturer for specific model capabilities and supported technologies.
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Putting up the umbrellaThe security sector remains one of the most buoyant in terms of customer spend, but increased revenues for the channel depend on resellers trading up and looking for game changing opportunities. reseller Middle East discusses the issue with Anthony O'Mara, Senior VP of Trend Micro MEA.
From a regional perspective, what can your channel partner community expect this year? We will always be two tier - that's written
in stone for us. We always take care of out
partners - that's the big picture. Today, in
the security space, there's always a real
opportunity for channel partners who are
willing to make an effort and maybe change. I'd
say over the last three or four years. the security
industry was coming to the end of a cycle -
people were buying legacy desktop materials
and gateways. A whole new opportunity has
opened up with cloud computing and if partners
are ready to move with that, then they've got
a great new opportunity; if they don't, they're
gonna get stuck in a position where they just
I look back at previous platform shifts and it's
very hard to find the same partners at every
stage. The guy who's awake can make money.
How has the market been for Trend?We've been lucky and, I think, lucky because
of the leadership at the top. With each shift,
at the beginning of the shift, we may not
make as much money as we'd like but we
do lead. However, we do focus on where
the security market is going. For example,
we were the first in the server sector, the
gateway, we were the first in the cloud. It's
about leadership. So with cloud, for example,
the market may take three years, four years
but it's coming, you know. It's an evolutionary
thing. I know our competition will be there
too but, partnering with Trend, you're part of
something important. you know, at times in
this industry, you get the sense of something
important happening - I remember Scott
McNealy back in the 1990s with his 'the
network is the computer' idea - and I think
much the same is happening now with our
senior management and technical people.
They really believe in what they're doing
and it's not just about making money. With
researchers with initiative, the possibilities
are amazing.
At present we're seeing a lot of services being offered around the cloud - Software-as-a-Service, Security-as-a-Servioce and so on. Is that where Trend is focused in training its partners? How are you helping
compete on price and the margin game. Some
of them will go out of business, that's what they
need to be awake to. If you've ever read that
book, 'Who moved my cheese?', that's one of
those situations right now.
So what can you do to support that?Hopefully, as a company, we can either
provide our existing channel to move or fix
up new partners that will go with us. Partners
who are - dare I say? - lazy, well they're going
to get left behind. Whether they're Trend's
partners or competitors' partners, that's
what's going to happen.
We're looking a a platform shift then?yes and it gives everyone a great opportunity.
Anthony O'Mara, Senior VP of Trend Micro MEA
analysisTrend Micro
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 41
them to identify those business opportunities?If we're looking at a definition of cloud
security it could be private cloud, or it could
be public cloud. We're in the evolution
now and I believe it will end up as public
cloud eventually but at present there's still
scepticism - 'Why would I put everything up
there?' There's a big opportunity with our
partners in that evolution. I read recently
from one of the analyst groups that, for every
dollar spent on virtualisation, eleven other
dollars are spent on other products around
that - maybe hardware, software and so on.
And so, as a reseller, I know that if there's a
virtualisation product for $100,000, I know
there's a million dollar opportunity as well.
That's the kind of stuff that the reseller needs
to be aware of. In EMEA, we have created
an umbrella programme but it's important
that such a programme isn't just thrown out
there because one size doesn't fit all, but
you can have the core that does work. Then,
hopefully, we can adapt those programmes
to make sure that they work for channel
partners here in the Middle East. I think that
if we don't take that approach, if we just say
'here's the Trend approach', then they don't
stick. The measure of our suceess is not a
partner making a good deal, but them making
a second or a third one.
What areas are you asking them specialise in as part of your umbrella programme?Virtualisation - I think everyone should be
moving there so that's top of everyone's
book. There's still money to made around
the gateway space - we have a new hybrid
appliance, for example. All companies now
want simplification - take it out of the box,
fit it and then not have to worry about it.
Delivering on that, that's our job.
We're seeing a lot of reports on mobile opportunities. What opportunities are there for you as a security provider?We already have products for the mobile
market but we don't yet really know how
widespread the threat is going to be. The
walls are there but we don't yet know what's
going to be thrown at them. Look at criminals
and money - it used to be in the banks then
it shifted to the desktop and as soon as they
realise it's now in smartphones and devices,
that's what they will target. The threat today
is there but it's not yet huge.
Are vendors ready for it?I think so but it's a matter of integration.
That's a chance for the channel to ensure
that all gates are secured not just the mobile
device - after all, that's just another way in.
We're seeing a lot of interest in the endpoint security space. How are you positioning yourselves there?We evolved our desktop solution over the
last couple of years as a lighter solution
than our comeptitors. you can argue that
we don't cover the last 1% but the answer is
that you have to answer the question, 'How
can you predict what happens?' For us, it's
about stopping things before it reaches up
your machine so we never have to clean up
your machine. This market is no longer about
competing on price - you want to trust a
company with security in its DNA, right?
What's the revenue split between your enterprise business and your consumer business?In EMEA? Consumer's quite small. We have
some sales to the consumer market in the
Middle East but, frankly, it's not the most
important part of our business. However,
in the Far East, we're the leading consumer
player, in the US number two or three so, as a
company, it's important.
Has your business slowled down because of political instabilities in the region?We saw some slowdown in Q1, but we're
not going away. We take a longer view.
We can ride the cycle and the companies
we're dealing with, they're not going away
tomorrow. If you compare that to Europe, say,
companies there just disappear. I wouldn't
say we're relaxed but…
Is Trend looking at DLP (Data Loss Prevention)?yes, but what we've tried to do is, instead
of having it as a standalone product,
integrate it into a product set. However,
this is a consultancy sales and, if you talk
about the channel, that's a real opportunity
- consultancy.
Where do you see your real opportunities at present?On the technology side, I think the pace
of change towards a virtual environment
represents a real opportunity. On the
business side, I think there are always
opportunities when companies go back and
review their polciies and update their security.
We still think we can outgrow the market.
"on the technology side, i think the pace of change towards a virtual environment represents a real opportunity. on the business side, i think there are always opportunities when companies go back and review their polciies and update their security."
analysisTrend Micro
42 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
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expanding the businessEmitac has built an entire VAD business on the back of one vendor relationship, with HP. Now it's starting to grow the model with the addition of Azeti Networks, as Patrick Mulligan, GM of Emitac Distribution, explains.
Why Azeti? What's the main motivation?We're moving into the solutions area and Azeti is
one of early successes in terms of this shift, where
we're able to offer extra products to resellers so
they can provide solutions for their customers.
In terms of this partnership, are the solutions offered based on the entire portfolio or just value solutions?It will be the entire portfolio but it's a
solution sell based on value, rather than a
box sell.
Are you going to focus on geographies or sectors with these solutions?No, we'll carry them across all parts of our
business activity in the same way that we
address our existing VAD business.
In the past you've said you'd be very selective in value-add solutions. How is the business progressing?It's very strong around HP solutions, so we're
primarily focused on expanding our offerings
Patrick Mulligan, GM of Emitac Distribution
analysisEmitac
enTerinG The MarKeTJose Bustamante, vP Mea, azeti networks talks us through the new relationship.
What made you select Emitac as your entry
into this market?
Well, it has a massive ecosystem so it was
an ideal choice for us to enter the market,
allowing us to target many different kinds
of business. We really needed to work on
a solution level so, when we had our first
meetings and they explained this new VAD
approach, for us it was a great combination
- working with a big company and a strongly
focused group within the company. That allows
me to move in a very agile way and target
resellers effectively. As a foreign company, we
around HP - servers, storage, networking and
the products and services around that. That's
our main thrust today though we're talking
to other vendors and Azeti marks our first
expansion outside of the HP space.
What other solution could you add to this value-added business?Our position is to build the VAD business
slowly and credibly, so we're building internal
competencies before we go to other vendors
to expand. It's a more slow way of building
a business but it's very much our style. We
have no plans to announce other vendors,
until we've digested the Azeti solutions and
then we'll start to look for complementary
solutions. We want to be effective from an
operational standpoint.
couldn't have established ourselves
here in such a way.
Value-added requires a lot of
support - training, certification,
etc. What sort of support have you
lined up?
Firstly, local sales and consultancy.
More importantly, wider resources
within Emitac. We're still in the initial stages.
In Emitac's solid territories with broadband
distribution, what type of resellers would
be ideally placed to take your solutions to
market?
That was the first question we asked! Because
of the nature of our solutions, the extension of
IT monitoring to operational and environmental
issues, virtually every enterprise is a
potential customer. Azeti also allows
the extension of HP's OpenView.
Do you have a certification
programme? Will you be rolling it
out in the region?
yes, we have. We'll be doing it in
co-operation with Emitac.
This partnership opens up doors clearly in
terms or reach and markets. Which vertical
markets do you see as priorities?
Healthcare. Hospitality. Communication. Here we
can create solutions, but in every industry you
can adopt a solution thanks to the open nature
of the software. The most important thing now is
to pick the right resellers, starting in the UAE.
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 45
featurePeripherals
The power of peripheralsWith the increase in PC penetration rates in the Middle East, the demand for peripheral devices has been growing rapidly. Find out how you can use peripherals as a starting point to land that lucrative deal.
resellers not to stop with a hefty printer
sale but to instead use that deal as a
starting point.
Though optional in nature, a peripheral
is used to expand the ability of the host
computer. It includes scanners, printers,
displays, projectors, etc.
With the increase in PC penetration
rates in the Middle East, the demand for
peripheral devices has been growing rapidly.
In addition, the growing trend of using a
computer as a photo album, jukebox and
video recorder/depository is also leading to
the growth of peripheral devices. It has also
been observed that the increasing demand
for printing and scanning in the various
industries (such as manufacturing, banking
and finance, and services) is driving the
growth of the peripherals market. That said,
how can resellers turn these commoditised
products into deal breakers? How can
reseller move away from a revenue driven
peripheral business to one that guarantees
them some profit?
According to research and analyst firm
Gartner, global mobile device sales to end
users totalled 1.6 billion units in 2010, a
31.8% increase from 2009. Smartphone
sales to end users were up 72.1% from
2009 and accounted for 19% of total mobile
communications device sales in 2010.
"Strong smartphone sales in Q4 of 2010
pushed Apple and research In Motion (rIM)
up in our 2010 worldwide ranking of mobile
device manufacturers to the No. 5 and No.
4 positions, respectively, displacing Sony
Ericsson and Motorola," says Carolina
Milanesi, research VP at Gartner. "Nokia
and LG saw their market share erode in 2010
as they came under increasing pressure to
refine their smartphone strategies."
Shortages continued to affect popular
components, such as camera modules,
touchscreen controllers, and active-matrix
organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED)
screens, in Q4 of 2010. "This situation will
not ease until at least the second
half of 2011. Shortages will be a >
Because printers, imaging solutions
and displays are the most common of
all PC peripherals, resellers often seek
opportunities to sell all three products in a
single deal.
The major shift toward the use of MFPs
has helped resellers push the power of
peripherals in organisations. Corporate
buyers are also finding they can cut back on
paper if employees have enhanced monitors
or more than one display on their desks. They
are less likely to print e-mail, information
from the Internet and other items that will be
read once and simply discarded.
The proliferation of MFPs, imaging
equipment and displays is due in part to
dramatically reduced prices. While stepped
up sales of MFPs and other peripherals
have created opportunities for channel
partners, resellers must become more
creative now more than ever.
While corporate customers are buying
more MFPs, there are even more significant
surrounding sales of the multipurpose
units. Major imaging vendors are urging
“combating grey imports is not anyone’s strategic ideal or plan but rather a collective effort on the part of the vendor, distributor and reseller.” – Patrick Hayati, Belkin
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 47
number of resellers and dealers selling
peripherals as companies move away from
a revenue strategy and more towards a
profitable strategy.
Hayati says although the market size
of peripherals in the Middle East maybe
difficult to determine as many products
are sold to countries outside of the region,
the market has continued to grow steadily.
Globally though, the hardcopy
peripherals market enjoyed record
shipments in Q4 2010, with vendors
shipping more than 36.5 million units,
up 7% versus Q4 2009, according to
market-research firm IDC’s Worldwide
Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker.
IDC notes that this is the highest number
of shipments since Q4 of 2007. At the
same time, MFPs continued to win out
over single-function devices, with MFPs
accounting for 67% of shipments, up four
points from the previous quarter.
According to IDC’s Phuong Hang,
programme manager for the firm’s
Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals
Tracker, the worst is over for the hardcopy
market, “It’s time for the market to return
to normal. For 2011, we anticipate that the
recovery will continue at a slow and steady
pace. The return to growth will not be
uniform across all countries and segments
as developed regions are expected to
show gradual or steadier activity, while
developing regions are projected to show
faster and higher growth levels.”
“The return to growth will not be uniform across all countries and segments as developed regions are expected to show gradual or steadier activity, while developing regions are projected to show faster and higher growth levels.” – Phuong Hang, IDC
long-term consideration for mobile device
and peripheral vendors, because other
fast-growing categories of connected
consumer devices, such as media tablets,
are competing for the same components,"
says Milanesi.
White-box sales exceeded 115 million
units in the Q4 of 2010 and 360 million
units in 2010 overall. Although white box
sales helped boost mobile device sales
to 1.6 billion units in 2010, it would be
misleading to interpret this as market
"growth" in the strictest sense. "What
we see is an increase in addressable
market for mobile device manufacturers as
consumers shift their behaviour to buying
new phones from legitimate channels over
second-hand and black market devices,"
adds Milanesi.
In order to reduce cost and remain
competitive, many peripherals vendors are
now adopting contract manufacturing. A
few of the large vendors have also set up
their offshore design and manufacturing
units at low-cost countries and locations
across the globe. However, despite
an impressive growth, certain factors
like severe competition, increasing
level of commoditisation, and product
obsolescence are hindering the growth
of peripherals. With the improvement
in technology, the peripherals market is
undergoing a rapid transformation. The
vendors of the peripherals market (such
as vendors for scanner, graphics card,
speaker, microphone and Webcam) are now
launching many products and incorporating
more sophisticated technologies and
improvised functionalities.
Patrick Hayati, MD, emerging markets
at Belkin Middle East, says due to the well-
developed PC channel within the Middle
East the peripheral channel has naturally
grown at a similar rate. Hayati adds that
there has also been an increase in the
featurePeripherals
48 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST MAy 2011
"This situation will not ease until at least the second half of 2011. Shortages will be a long-term consideration for mobile device and peripheral vendors, because other fast-growing categories of connected consumer devices, such as media tablets, are competing for the same components." – Carolina Milanesi, Gartner
As is usual, the top three vendors—
Hewlett-Packard, Canon, and Epson—
continued to capture the lion’s share of
the market, with more than 75% share of
the total market in Q4 2010. HP shipped
15.5 million units in the Q4, and enjoyed
the highest year-over-year growth of 10%,
followed by Canon’s 5%, and Epson’s 2%.
IDC says that with the exception of Western
Europe, HP enjoyed positive year-over-year
growth across all regions.
FacTorS drivinG GrowThHayati says although the PC growth is
one of the main drivers of growth in the
peripherals space, other factors helping the
market to grow include: availability, steady
flow of stock and more vendors entering
this segment and in the process prices have
come down. “Obviously the PC installed
base in the Middle East contributes to the
demand significantly,” he notes. “There is
also demand for products that would enable
consumers to avail all the added features
and tools that today’s PCs allow for.”
MarKeT challenGeSHayati points out that one of the most
significant trends that is emerging in the
channel today is that of versatility, products
are moving towards multi functionality in
order to cater for more requirements and
it’s a means for vendors to differentiate
themselves from competitors. The
challenges include commoditisation and
compatibility. Despite the commoditisation
and peripheral compatibility issues, Hayati
says resellers need to be innovative in
the way they take on these products to
market. “Competition is something that
is continually changing and evolving.
Some of the latest strategies seen
recently by resellers include additional
services offered such as free technical
support, additional warranty period, free
replacement and added value through
freebies and/or giveaways. The consumer
has become more demanding and the level
of expectation has increased,” he says.
According to Hayati, another challenge
that the channel faces has to do with grey
and fake peripherals products. “Combating
grey imports is not anyone’s strategic
ideal or plan but rather a collective effort
on the part of the vendor, distributor and
reseller,” he reiterates. Hayati says simple
business practices if executed correctly can
ensure the channel minimises the demand
for grey. These according to Hayati include:
competitive pricing, stock availability,
channel programmes for dealers and
resellers, rMA and after sales service,
warranty and most importantly being first
to market.
“We fight fakes by way of constant
feedback and presence in the market,”
he says. “This is a collective effort by all
parties within the supply chain. Identifying,
informing and sharing of information helps
identify fake products early and limit
their penetration of such product into the
authorised legitimate channel.”
Hayati adds that another peripherals
opportunity has opened up as a direct
result of Apple products that have graced
the consumer gadgets market. He says with
the number of Apple users increasing daily
and the huge success of the iPad tablet this
is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing
platforms and one that many companies
would look to capitalise on.
reTail channel Hayati states that as the IT retail sector has
grown so has the demand for Peripherals.
He explains that retailers were quick to
realise that the peripherals segment was
ideal for increasing the overall margin
basket and an opportunity to upsell. “Why
would a retailer want to sell a laptop for
$1000 at a margin of 3 to 5% only for
the customer to walk across the road to
purchase a hub, cooling fan and media card
reader from a competitor who would stand
to make an average margin of between
20 to 25%,” he asks? Hayati explains that
traditionally retailers would sell only a
specific range or segment whereas today
retailers prefer to carry a range within
each segment catering for all needs. “This
has obviously created huge competition
between the vendors over space restraints,
promotions and pricing,” he observes.
Over 85% of globally shipped
handsets will include browsers by 2011,
say Gartner analysts. In mature markets
such as Western Europe and Japan, 60%
of handsets will be smartphones with
advanced browsing capabilities. The mobile
Web, along with associated Web adaptation
tools, will be a leading technology for B2C
mobile applications through 2012, and
should be part of every organisation’s B2C
technology portfolio.
featurePeripherals
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 51
Mobile boomWith the anticipated boom in handheld devices, industry pundits share insights on how channel partners can benefit from business opportunities arising in this segment.
Global mobile (voice and data) revenue will
exceed US$1 trillion a year by 2014, according
to Gartner. Mobile will generate revenue from
a wide range of additional services such as
context, advertising, application and service
sales, and so on. Each of these will be a
significant business worth several tens of
billions of dollars per year.
In mature markets, smartphones will
dominate device sales for the foreseeable
future. However, the dominant mobile device
type shipped globally will be feature phones
without an identifiable OS because emerging
markets dominate handset demand.
>
Organisations operating in emerging
markets such as the Middle East should
assume smartphones will be a niche device
beyond 2014. Many new device types such
as tablets and e-book readers will emerge
through 2012 and some will find a role in
enterprise organisations.
Arthur Wang, head of emerging market
business development at MediaTek , says the
company’s focus is to help its partners increase
market penetration in the Middle East. “We
have set up local presence to provide local and
on-time support to our channel partners. Our
new office will also help us further strengthen
our regional presence and better serve one
of the fastest growing mobile markets in the
Middle East,” says Wang.
Wang says with an experienced technical
and services team, MediaTek is bringing its
expertise to the region to better support
local handheld brands. “We have started to
conduct a series of technical seminars for the
local channel to help them position and sell
our products better,” he says.
Chandan Mehta, product manager,
Fujitsu Technology Solutions, says mobile
or handheld security is definitely gaining
momentum in the corporate space because
CIOs are increasingly cautious about personal
devices gaining access to networks, or the
misuse or theft of the company’s devices.
Mehta says at Fujitsu Technology
Solutions, the company believes in building
security from the ground up, so that it meets
the most stringent IT security requirements of
organisations and businesses.
Bulent Teksoz, channel technology officer,
emerging markets at Symantec Middle
East, says today more power lies with the
individual than ever before with the massive
proliferation of mobile devices bringing
contemplated freedom to the consumer.
Teksoz says the “consumerisation” of IT
means more control to the individuals.
However, Teksoz agrees with Mehta and
points out that this ubiquitous, inexpensive
device is presenting a challenge to all Middle
East businesses who want to give their
customers what they want and where they
want, while using the device of their choice.
He says that Symantec aims to ensure
such enterprises embrace consumerisation,
allowing users to use the device of choice
while enforcing governance and securing
corporate data. He remarks that while
consumers attempt to bring new mobile
devices into the workplace, enterprises are
ill-equipped to secure and manage the rapidly
expanding mobile device landscape. “Unlike
the PC market where a single OS dominates,
the mobile market has multiple players
with significant presence,” he says.
“The launch of the iPhone has changed the handset user experience as well as expectations and set a new standard for a series of handsets features including user interface, speed of connectivity and application variety.” – Arthur Wang, MediaTek
featureHandhelds
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 53
Learn more about DCC MEA atwww.dcc-mea.com
14 Countries
63Vendors
17th - 19th MAY 2011Fujairah, UAE
165Retail Executives
1,000+ One-on-One Meetings
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He points out that enterprises lack
an all-embracing solution for the plethora
of mobile OSs that can both keep enterprise
data safe and allow use of personal devices.
This, says Teksoz has caused enterprises to
either disallow access for personal devices
or to allow access, which puts corporate
data at risk. “Mobile devices should be
equipped with features such as Advanced
Theft Protection (ATP), a system platform that
is resistant to deep-level hacking and the
optional embedded Trusted Platform Module
(TPM) help ensure that even if the slate is
lost or stolen, the data it carries remains
protected,” says Teksoz.
MarKeT driverSTeksoz says it has been predicted that half a
billion smartphones will be sold globally by the
end of 2011, with almost 50% of those buying a
new mobile phone now choosing a smartphone
over a standard cell phone. He adds that the
key driving factor here is convenience. “Merging
work and play, handhelds and smartphones
are becoming increasingly accessible and
affordable,” he says. “Downloading many
control; they are being pushed to such
devices,” he says. “Now, corporate sectors
will have to protect, manage, and police
people and information, regardless of device
and regardless of location. In order to protect
personal or business-critical information,
endpoint security, network access control,
and centralised management solutions need
to be in place.”
Ashish Panjabi, COO at power retailer
Jacky's Electronics concurs and says there's
been so much going on in the world of
technology of late and so many innovations
appearing constantly, it sometimes gets
difficult to actually understand what is
the way forward. “We get so engrossed
everything gadget related, we tend to spot or
realise trends of where we're heading only
when we take a deep breath, step back and
slow ourselves down so we can comprehend
what exactly is happening,” he says.
Panjabi says whether it's a mobile phone,
smart phone or a phone that's one day
embedded under your skin, one thing is for
sure, the processor in here is probably what
is going to drive a lot of what a user does or
how a user works.
“In some senses we've already seen
this happen with the way we use our
BlackBerry, Apple iPhone or Android-powered
smartphone,” he says. “We use the phone to
check our messages on Facebook or Twitter,
SMS, chatting over BBM or What'sApp,
browse the Web, play games, check stock
market updates or weather forecast, get
restaurant reviews or even, make phone calls.
However, inspite of using a mobile phone,
we still end up using during the course of a
normal day, other devices like a computer
of some sort, a TV screen and increasingly a
tablet. Panjabi says in essence, most
people are moving towards towards
>
>
featureHandhelds
“Mobile or handheld security is definitely gaining momentum in the corporate space because cios are increasingly cautious about personal devices gaining access to networks.” – Chandan Mehta, Fujitsu
“with the traditional business network now as big as the global network, cloud computing presents an opportunity to deliver on customer expectations.” – Bulent Teksoz, Symantec Middle East
useful apps as well as allowing the user to
browse the Internet and check and reply
to emails quickly and sufficiently is a very
attractive trait for all consumers.”
With the traditional business network
now as big as the global network, cloud
computing presents an opportunity to deliver
on customer expectations, he says. “Key
information and applications no longer sit
inside businesses data centres under their
Learn more about DCC MEA atwww.dcc-mea.com
14 Countries
63Vendors
17th - 19th MAY 2011Fujairah, UAE
165Retail Executives
1,000+ One-on-One Meetings
Vendors at the ‘sold out’ 2010 exhibition included:
Top retailers attending in 2010 included:
COMPUTING / ELECTRONICS / IMAGING / GAMING / MOBILITY
...165 Retailers in total
T: + 971 4 391 35 26E: [email protected]
RESEARCHPARTNER
...63 Vendors in total
AD_DCCMEA_207x270-Reseller World.indd 1 03/03/11 13:02
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 55
“we get so engrossed everything gadget related we tend to spot or realise trends of where we're heading only when we take a deep breath, step back and slow ourselves down so we can comprehend what exactly is happening.” – Ashish Panjabi, Jacky’s Electronics
featureHandhelds
> the stage that they've got four
screens in front of them at most times and
more often than not, they're using more than
one screen at at time (e.g. watching TV and
playing a game on your tablet).
FocuSApart from slate and tablet PCs, Mehta
says Fujitsu’s focus in the Middle East will
continue with the Lifebook offerings, as well
as the efficient, scalable, and secure storage
and server technologies. “Fujitsu mobile
solutions include slate PCs such as Fujitsu’s
new Stylistic Q550, which is a full-fledged
machine that has the portability of a tablet,
yet offers more functionality.
Teksoz adds that Symantec provides
complete protection for mobile devices,
regardless of the number of devices, as the
solutions can scale from just one to millions,
meeting the demands of enterprises and
communication service providers. He says
Symantec also provides the first unified
security and management solution, supporting
the most popular mobile operating platforms
such as iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and
Android with centralised management to
ensure business resources are optimised and
information stays protected.
SecuriTyTeksoz says Symantec protection mechanisms
leverage the Symantec Global Intelligence
Network to deliver an unparalleled view of
the entire Internet threat landscape. This
intelligence results in actionable protection
and peace of mind against evolving attacks,
says Teksoz
Additionally, he explains that Symantec can
aid in improving enterprise customers’ user
experience, while providing stronger network
security through the new cloud-based device-
agnostic Symantec Next Generation Network
Protection. “Communication service providers
have little security differentiation in their
enterprise mobile connectivity offerings, which
causes a decreased average revenue per user,
while network infrastructure costs continue to
rise,” he says.
Security is important to communication
service providers as it can improve quality
of experience and reduce cost of operations.
According to Teksoz, the next generation
network protection is a device-agnostic
security offering for communication service
providers that helps enterprise customers
protect their mobile devices through content
control, device security, and clean connectivity.
Content control enforces Web content
policies for all mobile handsets as well as
mobile data cards. “Device security provides
malware protection, antispyware protection,
infected notification, and remediation tools.
Clean connectivity scans on all inbound and
outbound traffic, which provides a malware-,
spam-, and virus-free connection,” he says.
As the economy and market situation
continues to put continuous pressure on
lowering margins which is an obstacle to
growth, partners that will win in the handheld
devices market will be those that offer services
and bring value to the devices they sell.
Wang agrees and adds that from ultra
low cost single chips and 3G to smart phone
solutions, MediaTek is striving to provide
channel partners with solutions characterised
by high performance and differentiation,
through a rich product line. He adds that
MediaTek’s diverse product offerings can
better serve the multi-cultural society in the
Middle East and African market. “We have
recently introduced the MT6236 platform, to
address the accelerating demand for high-end
feature phones, at price points that meet the
needs of operators in developed markets and
consumers in emerging markets,” he says.
Wangs adds that the launch of the iPhone
has changed the handset user experience as
well as expectations and set a new standard
for a series of handsets features including user
interface, speed of connectivity and application
variety. “Smartphones will drive the launch
of new application and device sales for the
foreseeable future,” he says. According to ABI
research, feature phones with messaging and
internet access enabled will represent a third of
the overall handset market until 2015.
Wang says with over six years of experience
in the handset industry, MediaTek knows that
users in emerging markets want feature phones
with certain functions at an affordable price.
We are confident to deliver handset solutions
with a similar user experience, which can
deliver fancy user interface, Internet access,
rich applications without compromising speech
quality. And most importantly, we will deliver
these handset solutions at an affordable price,”
he concludes.
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 57
AWARDS2011
For more information please visit:www.resellerme.com/awards2011
Presents
For nomination enquiries please contact:
Richard JuddTel: +971 55 772 1519
Email: [email protected]
For sponsorship opportunities please contact:
Rajashree R KumarTel: +971 50 173 9987
Email: [email protected]
Dave ReederTel: +971 50 450 6745
Email: [email protected]
Merle CarrascoTel: +971 50 922 5866
Email: [email protected]
SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS NOW
Sunday, 12th June 2011The Westin, Dubai, UAE
Platinum Partner
Survey PartnerSilver Partners
Innovation Perfection Quality
Gold Partners
wd expands external hard drive
ZoTac intros GeForce GTX 580
hP integrates 3Par utility storage Western Digital (WD), a global provider of external storage
solutions,has unveiled its My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive
storage system with a massive 6TB of storage to meet the capacity
needs of creative pros and Mac enthusiasts who create, store,
edit and archive large HD video and photo files. The new capacity
provides users 33% more storage than the previous capacity, while
maintaining the same footprint.
Combining its extended 6TB storage capacity and compatibility
with Apple Time Machine, the new My Book Studio
Edition II drive becomes an instant storage
solution for a variety of professions including
art and design, photography, legal and
medical, and a host of other small businesses.
The system offers a quad interface
providing maximum performance and
flexibility including eSATA and FireWire 800
when maximum performance is essential;
and FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 when system
flexibility is most important.
ZOTAC International, a manufacturer of
graphics cards has introduced the ZOTAC
GeForce GTX 580 AMP edition,a single GPU
graphics card. The ZOTAC GeForceGTX 580
edition is designed to amplify cooling
performance and gaming at extreme
high-definition resolutions.
A custom high-performance heat-
pipe heatsink enables the ZOTAC GeForceGTX
580 to stay cool and whisper-quiet while dual
orange 92mm fans add a stylish ZOTACtouch to create
an enthusiast-grade graphics card that combines performance and
style in a single 2.5-slot graphics card.
The ZOTAC GeForceGTX 580 boosts gaming performance by
doubling the video memory of standard ZOTACGeForceGTX 580
graphics card for a total of 3GB of video memory. The 3GB of video
memory ensures the ZOTAC GeForceGTX 580 is able to render the
latest Microsoft DirectX 11-enabled games and applications with
maximum details and performance at resolutions up to 2560x1600.
HP has announced the integration of 3PAr Utility Storage across
the HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio to simplify scalable cloud
computing, and introduced new storage solutions for virtualisation
and data deduplication.
This integration enables clients to optimise cloud delivery with
features like automated storage tiering to improve performance,
and thin storage offerings to eliminate over-provisioning.
The combination also helps clients seeking to consolidate storage
hardware and respond to explosive data growth to address both of
these challenges with converged block-and-file storage on a single
storage array. HP also has simplified data management with solutions
built on converged storage, server and networking platforms to provide
clients with unified management and a lower TCO.
“Our clients tell us their journey to the cloud will be one of the
most critical transitions for them this decade,” says Walid Gomaa,
StorageWorks business unit manager and sales manager at HP
Middle East.
aSuS releases automobili lamborghini vX7 notebookThe powerful new 15.6” ASUS-Automobili Lamborghini VX7 offers
a completely revamped notebook experience. It embodies the
excitement of Automobili Lamborghini’s supercar grand touring
traditions and offers users a fresh take on portable computing.
Crafted to reflect the ultra-sporty and aggressive look of Automobili
Lamborghini models, the VX7 is available in distinct orange, black
and carbon fiber colors.
The ASUS-Automobili Lamborghini VX7 features the power
of quad-core generation Intel Core i7
processors and clocks in as the first
notebook with discrete NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 460M graphics, supported by
a massive 3GB of dedicated video
memory. Users also benefit
from a speedy solid-state
hybrid drive of up to 1.25TB in
capacity, rated at approximately
10,000rpm for super-fast access
and performance.
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 59
WORLD
PRODUCTS
axis intros network cameras
Toshiba extends notebook portfolio
Xerox increases printer speed
canon unveils the iXuS 220 hS
Axis Communications, a provider of network video solutions
has launched the palm-sized AXIS M31-VE network camera
series that enables discreet surveillance for customers at an
affordable price.
“The AXIS M31-VE series is ideal for cost-conscious
business owners and managers who would like to have high-
quality discreet surveillance of entrance areas,” says Baraa Al
Akkad, regional manager, Axis Communications Middle East.
The outdoor cameras can operate in temperatures from
50°C (122°F) down to -20°C (-4°F) and the impact-resistant
casing comes with a weather shield for protection from
sunlight, rain and snow. Models without the weather shield,
which have a greater tilt
range, are better
suited for ceiling
mounted
installations
such as in cold
storage rooms or
under porches.
Toshiba Computer Systems,
a division of
Toshiba Europe
has announced its new
r800 series, a range of thin and light
laptops targeted at the corporate, middle-sized and SMBs. The
new laptop family includes the 13.3 inch r830, mainly targeted at
business travellers and managers, 14.0 inch r840, the ideal device
for the occasional travelling executives and the 15.6 inch r850 for
those who prefer a bigger screen. Despite being thin and light,
the r800 series devices are fully-featured and powerful enough to
run the most-demanding professional applications. The attractive
price performance ratio allows equipping the entire workforce
from management down with Toshiba r800 series devices to meet
the need for workforce mobilisation. The new business laptops
are expected to be available during the second quarter of 2011
throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Xerox has ramped up productivity in the
office with two new black-and-white
printers – the Xerox Phaser 4600
and Phaser 4620. Designed for large
workgroups, these new printers offer
advanced features and print speeds of
up to 52 and 62 pages per minute.
“In today’s fast-paced office
environment, no one has time to wait for
their documents to print,” says Dan Smith,
head of integrated marketing for the Middle East and Africa region of
Xerox’s developing markets operations. “These two new Xerox printers
are ready to keep up with any busy office or workgroup.”
The Xerox Phaser 4600 and Phaser 4620 offer printing capabilities
on a wide range of media, from transparencies and cardstock to
envelopes and labels.
Security features include secure print and image overwrite that
electronically “shreds” information stored on the printer’s optional
hard drive.
Canon Middle East has enhanced its renowned IXUS series with
the launch of the IXUS 220 HS, a strikingly elegant compact
digital camera that blends classic IXUS design with leading
performance. Sleek, slim and undeniably stylish, the new model
is the latest in a line of premium, ultra-slim IXUS models, and
balances greater style with a more advanced specification than
ever before.
Canon’s HS digital camera provides
consistently high image quality in all
conditions, while the inclusion of a 12.1
Megapixel CMOS sensor provides high-
speed shooting functionality. Perfect for
taking everywhere, the IXUS 220 HS also
packs a 24mm ultra-wide angle 5x optical
zoom lens into a sleek, stainless steel
body just 19.5mm thin, making it the
slimmest camera of its kind. The ability
to shoot Full HD (1080p) videos with
stereo sound also allows users to capture
moving images in stunning quality.
WORLD
PRODUCTS
liteon external dvd/cd writer
liteon internal dvd writer with labelTag
For many netbook users, the lack of a CD/DVD drive is one of the biggest
setbacks they have to encounter regularly. Whether it’s for listening to music
or installing software, a CD/DVD drive plays an important role. If you have
a PC with a DVD drive at home, you can map to that drive using your home
network, but what if you’re not at home? Thankfully, external USB-powered
drives are available and recently LiteOn provided us with the 24x external
DVD/CD writer.
This DVD writer jointly made with Philips and weighs less than 350g. It
works with dual layer DVDs, writing at 4x speed, single layer at 8x and CDs at
24x. CD reading is at 24x.
The writer comes with a USB cable and a plastic bag containing a quick
installation guide and a software disk. In addition, the disk contains Nero 8
Essentials for Windows and Nero Linux 3 Essentials.
Some other features that the Lite-On external writer has, which makes this
product attractive, are the ability to perform limited dual layer DVD burning,
read various types of CDs and interface with the USB 2.0 port.
The slowest part of this DVD burner pertains to rewriting to a CD or
burning a DVD using the DVD-r Dual Layer format. This burner only allows
you to burn this type of disk at 4x instead of 8x. Every other type of media that
you might be interested in using with this burner will perform much faster.
By and large, the LiteOn external DVD burner performs most of the
functions that you would be looking for in a DVD burner.
LiteOn recently sent rME their latest internal DVD/CD writer. Although
there is nothing jazzy about DVD burners, this one has a unique twist,
LabelTag. LabelTag works with any standard optical storage disc to burn
data and create a label in the same session – quite cool and much neater
than a marker.
This drive also has the ability to label discs during the burning process.
Many drives feature LightScribe, which allows for direct disc labeling by
the drive itself when using specially made LightScribe media. The LiteOn
writer uses a technology called LabelTag.
This allows users to create a circular label on the data side of a regular
DVD disc, with no special media required. However, with LabelTag, only
the data side of the disc can be labeled and you can't use CD-r, CD or DVD
rewriteable discs. And because LabelTag uses the data side of the disc, the
labeling doesn't have as much contrast compared to a LightScribe capable
disc, mainly because LightScribe media uses a special coating on the front
of the disc. Another limitation of LabelTag is that area available to label is
limited to how much space is left on the disc. For instance, if you record a
small amount of data, then you will have a larger area to label. If your disc
is completely full, then you will not be able to label at all. With LightScribe
capable drives, this is not a problem, since only the top side is used for
labeling, but of course specialised media is required.
This LiteOn internal drive is a capable DVD/CD writer. From a read/
write standpoint, this drive offers good performance. The LabelTag
feature is unique, allowing for creating, burning and labeling of standard
DVD disc in one continuous session without having to spend extra money
on special media.
MAy 2011 rESELLEr MIDDLE EAST 61
WORLD
REVIEWS
snapshot Chitchat
COMPANY: Iomega International SA
AGE: 45
MANAGEMENT STYLE: Leading by example
MOST ADMIRED COMPANY: EMC
MOST ADMIRED IT EXECUTIVE: Mohammed Amin
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST CHANNEL: Market dynamism and the ease of doing business.
MOST PRESSING CHANNEL BUSINESS ISSUE IN THE
MIDDLE EAST: Receivable and employee education investment.
KEY TO SUCCESS: Focus, having clear goals and objectives
FAVOURITE CAR: Porsche GT3
YOUR CAR: Lexus
WHAT ARE YOU READING: Generally I read two books a month (last book was the Big Switch)
BIRTHPLACE: Syria
HOBBIES: Reading
SAMER SAYED