In an effort to drive its business expansion in the Middle East, Brocade has appointed networking industry veteran Dr Cherif Sleiman to the position of country manager for Saudi Arabia.

According to Business Monitor International’s Saudi Arabia Information Technology Report Q2 2013, IT spending in the Kingdom is forecast to increase by 6.6 percent to SR15.3 billion ($4.08 billion) in 2013. Sleiman will be responsible for developing and executing strategies to expand Brocade’s customer base and capitalise on the business opportunities arising in the Kingdom, Brocade said.

These opportunities are arising as a result of industry trends such as cloud computing, data centre virtualisation and software-defined networking, the vendor added.

Sleiman has more than 20 years of sales, technical and business experience at some of the world’s leading networking and telecommunications companies. Prior to joining Brocade, he was COO and CTO at Core Communications, a software and IT services company focused on cloud-based business services and Web and mobile apps.

Sleiman also spent more than six years at Cisco, where he left as senior director. He was also CTO of Nortel Networks’ Enterprise Business Unit, where he developed the strategic technology roadmap and managed all aspects of research and development.

“We are very pleased to have an industry veteran like Dr. Sleiman leading our company’s efforts in Saudi. The Kingdom is the largest IT market in the Middle East and is of strategic importance to Brocade as large enterprises and telecom service providers look to overhaul their networking infrastructure and implement the latest technologies,” said Sufian Dweik, regional director, MEMA at Brocade Communications.

Sleiman said, “Saudi is an exciting market as it is stable, self-sustaining and having one of the highest GDP growth figures in the world, largely due to progressive government initiatives in areas of education, healthcare, security and information technology. We intend aligning our company strategy with the Saudi government’s vision and we believe that this will drive growth. We will focus primarily on growing our data center business where we have a strong advantage of being one of only two companies with technologies across all four areas – application networking, virtualization, infrastructure and storage.

“The other two focus areas will be service provider business and campus networking where Brocade leads the market with innovative products and solutions. We already have great customer references and are currently deploying our solutions in several government agencies, telecom operators and a leading national bank.”

Sleiman added, “Service providers and enterprises in Saudi find Brocade’s proposition of ‘simplifying and flattening’ the network very attractive compared to the complex network architecture of incumbent vendors.  Our company’s unique innovations in the areas of  Data Center Ethernet Fabric, Software Defined Networking and 100GbE are also  resonating strongly with customers. ”

The electronics retail conference this year plays host to over 600 delegates, who have a record 2,000 one-on-one pre-scheduled meetings to attend over the course of the two-day event, according to initial figures.

According to a pre-event statement, more than 50 percent of the brands participating at this year’s DISTREE Middle East are doing so for the first time. A quick stroll around the exhibition area revealed a plethora of new brands who have yet to tap into the potential of the METACIS market.

One such brand hoping to make an impression on channel delegates at this year’s event is CAT, which is due to release its first Android-powered rugged smartphone, the B15, in the Middle East next week. Representatives said that DISTREE was part of the new device’s launch.

“With the construction going on out here, it’s a really large market for us,” said Liam Marriott, Marketing Coordinator, Bullit Mobile, which is based in the UK and is representing CAT’s new devices at DISTREE Middle East.

“The other thing we have is the brand – it’s well-known out here. We want to make sure we do each market correctly, and the Middle East is one of CAT’s most prominent markets.”

Marriott said that his team had back-to-back meetings with retailers scheduled across the event. However, with so many other vendors trying to seduce the channel, even CAT may have to work to secure interest.

Retailers and channel members will be doing much more than talking to vendors at the event, anyway. DISTREE Middle East 2013 promises a strong line-up of workshops covering topics such as pricing, competition, product mix and market potential in emerging markets.

A panel discussion on current issues facing the retail channel will also take place. Meanwhile, the main conference programme will begin with a keynote speech, given by official event partner GFK, on Tuesday evening.

McAfee and Al Rostamani Communications last week hosted a seminar on data loss prevention (DLP), security incident and event management (SIEM) and database security solutions at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel in Dubai.

The seminar was targeted at financial institutions, government sectors and business enterprises. It features presentations by McAfee and Al Rostamani experts, as well as DLP and SIEM solution demonstrations.

Business challenges today require a move from simply securing components to understanding and measuring the security of a business as a whole, the experts said. They added that threats should be responded to within minutes, rather than days.

McAfee’s representatives pointed to the McAfee Security Connected framework as a new approach to security and risk management. They said it provides a strategic approach, using centralised management and McAfee Global Threat Intelligence, to synchronise security, mitigate risk, and enable a comprehensive, proactive threat response.

The experts explained why the McAfee SIEM solution is built for “Big Security Data”. The ability to collect, store and perform complex processing on billions of events provides an extensible platform to address the evolving needs of security information and event management, the presenters said.

“Al Rostamani Communications are working with McAfee for about a decade now, and together we are able to offer our best-of-breed security solutions with their extensive skills and local experience,” said Jenice Bhatia, Channel Manager, McAfee.

“For businesses, it’s important to have accurate situational awareness which leads to meaningful intelligence and prepares them to respond rapidly in case of unforeseen events. They can achieve continuous compliance monitoring at exceptional value.”

Mohammed Zameer, General Manager, Al Rostamani Communications, referred to McAfee as “the best in the industry”, which helps the SI to provide “uncompromising solutions in ensuring the data integrity and security.”

“Being in the industry providing mission-critical infrastructure for prestigious clients in various sectors, we understand the importance of data and its security,” he said.

The value-added distributor will provide an opportunity for local systems integrators to deliver security solutions from Trend Micro.

The security vendor’s offerings – which are powered by Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, a global threat-intelligence data-mining framework – are designed to stop malicious programme threats when they emerge. Furthermore, its all-in-one hosted security services and software are built to help its customers secure their data in and out of the office.

“Increasingly, companies are looking to virtualisation and the cloud for greater flexibility and lower operational costs,” said Ihab Moawad, Vice President, Trend Micro MEA and Mediterranean. “Public or hybrid cloud enterprises require a robust security foundation to protect their entire journey to the cloud.

“We have entered into a strategic relationship with Computerlinks for their regional expertise in technology services. This agreement allows us to create customisable and scalable security solutions, which will help our customers take full advantage of the benefits of virtualisation and cloud computing, without compromising on security.”

Moawad also emphasised the “big business” the organisations expect to do “very soon” in Saudi Arabia. “We think Saudi is a goldmine for both of is,” he said.

With Computerlinks already a distributor for Trend Micro in 17 of its 20 global offices, it was a natural choice for the Middle East operations of both parties, said Lee Reynolds, Managing Director, Computerlinks.

“We’re a great partner of Trend so far, I think,” Reynolds said. “We’ve always looked at building that relationship further in other areas in the region to bolster our global partner.

“A global partnership is very good, but if you don’t have local presence and strength there is no point. In this situation we have both. It’s a great situation to be in. We spent the last three months really defining the strategy of what we need to do. We both have great aspirations for the region.”

Reynolds added that he was particularly impressed with recent acquisitions Trend Micro has made, which he said he was “very interested” in developing.

He also revealed plans of bringing an authorised training centre to the UAE, and providing registered training programmes for customers and partners.

“That for us is a very important ecosystem, and we have a great machine to do that for Trend,” he said. “It’s being worked on as we speak, and I’m very happy to build on this with Trend. Together, we’re committed to building this and a great relationship.

“We need to build together a strong ecosystem of new customers and partners – that is exactly where this is coming from.”

As more regional enterprises look for ways to reduce costs and move from a Capex to Opex model, many are looking at managed print services as a way to tame largely undocumented and unpredictable annual printing costs. 

It is estimated that managed print services can reduce printing costs by as much as 30 percent. It provides a flexible way for organisations to procure printing hardware, supplies, service and support in one bundled contract.

The way managed print services works is rather simple. It starts with an audit to analyse and document usage patterns in an organisation and figure out the inefficiencies and where improvements can be made. If done correctly, this audit can throw up valuable information such as the number and type of printers, locations, users, supplies required and how efficiently the printers are being utilised, both in terms of usage, and the number of machines currently in use.

Hendrik Verbrugghe, Marketing Director, Canon Middle East, says organisations increasingly understand the benefits that can be achieved by outsourcing the management of their print services to a specialist third party. “The management of print services is an effective way to lower print costs, heighten productivity and improve the security of business-critical information. Additional environmental benefits can be achieved through reduction in print output, paper usage and electricity consumption.”

Though it is quite a mature and proven model worldwide, the market for MPS in this region is still pretty much at a starting point. “The majority of printing customers are buying printers and supplies on a transactional basis. There are, though, some customers who are used to having a contract per device to cover basic services and supplies. A small number of customers have a true MPS implementation – i.e. a supplier taking full care of their printing environment,” says Kees Verton, Manager. Printing Categories, HP Middle East.

He adds that the MPS growth opportunity comes from more customers being aware that there are considerable benefits in the latter approach, which is a full outsourcing of their printing needs. Print services will continue to grow, as companies of all sizes recognise the savings and efficiencies that can be achieved with such programmes. Other key factors behind MPS growth are that customers require sustained consistency of delivery, as well as some security requirements.

In a way, the managed print services business has eaten into the printer market worldwide, and the time is ripe for channel partners to take a long, hard look at the current strategies and jump onto the services bandwagon to make fat margins.

“The opportunities for channel engagement in MPS are huge, and offer an opportunity for partners to contract to consistent revenue streams through the services model. Xerox are conscious to ensure that its partners are properly skilled to deliver the MPS message. In order for channel partners to sell Xerox MPS, they are required to go through a structured training programme, which focuses on both the sales side but, importantly, the technical aspect, too. If successful, Xerox will then accredit the partner to officially sell Xerox MPS and thus open up a completely new market opportunity for them to help rapidly grow the business,” says Dan Smith, Head of Integrated Marketing, MEA, Xerox.

Mathias Militzer, General Manager, Lexmark Middle East and Africa, says to succeed in the MPS market, it is important to have an integrated approach to any client relationship. “Once potential customers have been identified, it is important to work closely with them to ascertain their particular needs and then be able to provide customised solutions. To enable this, vendors and partners need to ensure proper training and guidance to the customer facing representatives who are the first point of contact.”

HP claims it is revolutionising the way it approached MPS delivery by focusing on selling services and then attaching hardware. It has been shown that for each $1 spent on printing, $9 is spent on managing the process. HP and industry analysts believe that potential savings in this area may be one of the “last bastions” of significant savings for any organisation.

“Just by optimising the infrastructure, a managed print services engagement can save approximately 10 to 30 percent in a client’s overall print environment. This is a different approach to many other providers, who focus solely on reducing on the cost per page (CPP), rather than all of these associated costs. Therefore, there are numerous profitable opportunities for channel partners looking to explore their options in the managed services arena,” says Verton.

Reji Mathews, Marketing Manager, Oki Middle East, offers a different perspective: “Channel partners through MPS engagements can build on their existing revenue streams. Oki’s MPS programme provides the channel the access to products, services and competencies to capitalise on MPS opportunities, thus providing them with the ability to investigate and propose potential TCO savings, and enhanced productivity levels to the existing and prospective customers.”

Canon has identified the regional hospitality industry as a key area for MPS business growth. “There is a lot of potential for business to grow in this sector, given the high volume of printing and document management requirements involved in their operations. In addition to hospitality, other vertical industries that have potential demand include banking, utilities, oil and gas, media and healthcare. For the managed print services channel, new opportunities come from providing value-added services to the customers, such as audit, fleet management, configuration management and maintenance services,” says Verbrugghe,

Most of the major printers have a managed print solution offering and they help the channel to build a business in this domain.

“In today’s economy, everyone is looking for ways to cut costs. For most companies, the ongoing expense of office printing – cost per print, routine maintenance, and service – is an unexplored opportunity for significant, cumulative savings. Our worldwide network of certified reseller partners deliver managed print services to help small and medium businesses (SMBs) centralise management of all their devices—including printers, copiers and multi-function printers from multiple manufacturers,” says Smith.

HP says it has solutions tailored to each partner’s offerings and requirements. As part of its partner programme, HP says it is actively helping its channel partners achieve their MPS objectives with funding through various programmes.

Oki says MPS means different things to different people. It can mean a click charge or it can mean a paid-for service for a number of printed pages and an agreed support level with no hardware being purchased by the end user or anything in between.

“For Oki, we are offering our channel partners a suite of software solutions that can audit, monitor, extract reports, manage billing, handle secure printing, permit ‘follow me’-type printing to allow them to tailor a solution for their customers. We also have a number of solutions aimed at the software developers who want to access the controllers of the MFPs to provide a complete customised solution, so pretty much we can provide, via our partners, a solution that will meet the needs of most SMBs in the region,” says Mathews.

Lexmark provides its channel partners with extensive solutions tailored for its customers with its BSD Line and programme as well as the Lexmark Fleet Manager and Page Plus. “With LFM, we combine our device data collection and management system with Lexmark’s uncompromising support to enable our partners to confidently pursue and support MPS solutions to their clients. Our Page Plus programme, ‘pay per page’ offering direct from Lexmark, dramatically simplifies your life by uniting the most-essential services into one all-inclusive contract. These offerings enable our channel partners to compose our Lexmark MPS offerings to their business customers,” says Militzer.

For channel partners exploring business in this area, it is important to keep in mind that customers typically look for multi-vendor capabilities in their MPS engagements. “This is an increasingly important requirement for many clients. The ability to manage a multi-vendor fleet ensures that the client can pass over the responsibility of their print infrastructure to an industry expert to deliver a contracted service. At the heart of the service is the device management software. In the case of Xerox, this software sweeps the network and provides feedback not only for Xerox devices, but for non-Xerox also. This enables Xerox to provide a true holistic offering and lift the burden of responsibility from the client whilst in tandem maximising the return on any non-Xerox product investments,” says Smith.

Mathews agrees: “Most of the customers who are looking for a MPS solution are those who already have a multi-vendor fleet of print output devices and are looking for a solution provider who can do assessment, and implement hardware (optimisation), thus ensuring fleet efficiency. Hence, customers want to engage with the vendor who has the competencies and resources to support the needs in an MPS contract.”

The MPS model is still in its infancy in the region and most vendors have many initiatives to educate both customers and the channel about the benefits. “We have regular contact programmes with the channel partners aimed at increasing awareness about the myriad benefits available to business through the implementation of customised integrated imaging and documentation solutons,” says Militzer.

HP says customers who engage with HP on MPS can realise improvements on all three levels – lower costs, increased efficiency and productivity. To educate customers, HP is holding media briefings, reactive commentary and proactive pitching to highlight HP’s vision and benefits of the channel strategy around managed print services. On top of that, HP offers various training programmes to partners to build their knowledge regarding MPS and document solutions.

“We see managed print services as an important requirement for customers.  Xerox has been delivering against this strategic requirement directly for some years – and now we are helping our channel partners to deliver the relevant services. This is a true wining scenario for all players. Xerox is helping the channel to be strategically relevant and lock in their relationships with customers. Xerox is also helping resellers to improve profitability and cash flow by contracting for recurring revenues. For customers, we are helping them control costs, improve budgeting and deploy better document processes that support their businesses,” says Smith.

To sum up, printing and supplies still account for one of the biggest expenses for an organisation. Yet many don’t have the staff or skills to effectively monitor or manage their print environment. This is where the channel can step in and help their customers manage their document output and associated business processes in a managed services model.

Having done a shed-load of research for the training and certification feature in this month’s issue, I’ve been left wondering one thing: Why aren’t vendors providing more free training courses to the channel? 

Everyone acknowledges than proper training and certification is a must in the IT sphere. Indeed, most vendors go out of their way to ensure that customers are properly trained. For example, when I was at Infor’s customer conference in Orlando, Florida, last month, a whole keynote session was dedicated to how much emphasis the vendor was putting on training its customers on the use of its products.

But – and here’s the thing – I’ve been told that most vendors leave it to distributors and partners to sort out their own training. Of course, the vendors will set the courses and provide the training material, but the cost comes down to the channel. And I’m not sure that’s the best way of doing things.

If we take, as a given, that resellers, on some level, represent the vendors behind the products they’re selling, then isn’t it in the interests of the vendors to ensure their partners are properly trained? Pre-sales support, after-sales maintenance and general know-how are becoming so important for the channel, so why aren’t the vendors helping out?

I’ll admit, some do take on the responsibility. For example, a Cisco representative said that it was on Cisco to ensure its partners had the right skills. And, though I didn’t find out exactly how, the head of Infor’s Partner Network also told me that enablement was a top priority, particularly given the firm has so many new products coming out.

As Mario M. Veljovic, Operations and Services Director, Aptec, told me when I was researching the training feature, if a partner can’t provide the right support on a product he’s sold, it’s going to reflect badly not just on the partner, but also on the vendor behind the product.

Veljovic said that if a product went wrong, and the proper training hadn’t been given to either the end-user or the reseller, “the IT guy would actually defend himself. He’d say, ‘Oh, it’s a lousy product.’”

The channel knows all too well how important a decent skill set is in the IT sphere – after all, it makes up such a large part of the value-added service. Unfortunately, the majority of vendors seem complacent on simply cashing in on the products, as well as charging for training, too. It seems pretty unfair when the channel is already chasing wafer-thin margins as it is.

What’s more, many vendors play the training card to block access to the highest levels of partnerships. Sure, sales come into it, but vendors, such as Brocade, base top-tier partnership on certification. And distributors support this way of doing things.

What’s really saddening, though, is I don’t see an alternative to the current situation. After all, vendors will offer specific bids to their best-qualified partners, and so it’s in the partners’ interests to skill up – even if that means forking out some extra cash to do so.

That said, Veljovic told me that plenty of vendors are now offering discount-level training for exactly the reasons highlighted here – they need to enable their channel.

“If you’re gold, platinum, silver, pearl, coral, or whatever level, that will even determine what will be the discount level you would be receiving, which obviously puts you into a much better position to recover the investment you have done, so it’s an incentive,” he said.

It may not be free training, but it’s certainly a start, and the channel will take it.

How do you see the regional systems integration business evolving and your role in it?

We have been in business for almost 11 years now. We are not the master of anything; our range is very wide because our business is split in half into telecom and IT. And in IT, our breadth is very wide because we are into all aspects including cabling, security and voice.  Thanks to our exposure to the telecom market, our business was unaffected even during the recession because telecom spending didn’t slow down.

The last year was challenging in the sense that there was too much competition for the business. Also, the business has changed because of the disruptive technologies coming to the fore. We just can’t afford to do business like the way we used to do earlier; it was dominated by products and that model isn’t going to work anymore. In the near future, users many not even be worried about integration because they are moving from a Capex to Opex model. You can’t go and tell a customer that you have this product to sell.

Does most of your business come from infrastructure?

I’d say both infrastructure and telecom. There are many systems integrators in the region who are well entrenched in both these segments and it was consciously developed by us.

Any reason why? These are two completely different markets.

Absolutely—in terms of size of projects, sales cycles, business processes, etc. But one advantage is that the technical expertise required for both enterprise and telecom is almost similar. So if you have a good technical support team that can be mobilised at short notice for telecom projects, you can deploy them for enterprise business as well once the telecom project is over. This give us lot of leverage.

What would you say your key differentiator is compared to competition?

We don’t compare ourselves to the likes of GBM because they are in the different league. But, if you look at the local players, many of them are involved in infrastructure, ICT, voice and security. We are the only SI who is equally strong in all these four domains.

Where did the growth come from in 2012?

Telecom and ICT, especially from storage and virtualisation. We are a certified VMware partner and we work very closely with Fujitsu, as well. We have executed some big projects in the banking and hospitality sectors.

You said customers are moving to an Opex model. What will be the impact of this on SIs?

We will die if you don’t change. The business model today will be non-existent soon and the next phase of growth is going to come from cloud, BYOD and LTE. I don’t see any space for any of the technologies or products we are selling today.

Are you looking at managed services?

We are already offering managed services and have invested heavily in a network operations centre and a disaster recovery centre in Abu Dhabi.

Does it help being part of a big group?

Yes, we are able to leverage the group strength and the Rostamani brand name is very visible across the UAE. That is why, when we look for partners, we always choose from the top three because I believe these top three will take 80 percent of the market. We don’t want to struggle with the 20 percent.

Do you see a big demand for security?

Yes, in the aftermath of the breaches we had recently in the region. But, unfortunately, security has always been reactive and I don’t see many customers taking a proactive approach. I think that’s got to do with the fact that the results of security investments aren’t always very tangible.

Minerva said that the award showed its commitment to support Ruckus. The distributor added that its growth across the market means that its relationship with Ruckus will continue to strengthen.

The vendor offers a range of smart Wi-Fi products for indoor and outdoor solutions.

“It’s great to have our work acknowledged by Ruckus Wireless. It demonstrates a great combination of the region’s leading distributor and the market-leading product working together with a common goal – delivering best-in-class solutions with the best service and support,” said Leo Psara, Chairman, Minerva.

Nokia on Tuesday released a new interpretation of its flagship Lumia 920 in the form of the Lumia 925, a thinner, light device that features a metal case and the latest PureView camera.

Indeed, aside from the sleeker looks, Nokia went big on the 925’s imaging capabilitites. Nokia claimed the new PureView camera features the “most advanced” lens technology, and next-generation imaging software. With this, Nokia promised sharper pictures and video, and best-in-class low-light images.

Another new camera-related feature is the new Nokia Smart Camera mode, which Nokia said would come as an update to all of its Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices. The feature allows users to capture 10 images at once, and then edit them to create the best shot.

The 925 announcement also included a statement about Hipstamatic’s new app, Oggl, which will now be available on Nokia Lumia smartphones. The app is aimed at photography enthusiasts. Of course, all the usual smartphone refinements of being able to post photos on social networks are also included.

At the Lumia 925 launch, Nokia said that it was working hard to provide a better user experience for its customers.

“We keep innovating,” said Jo Harlow, Executive Vice President, Nokia Smart Devices.

“We’re advancing experiences on the Nokia Lumia portfolio, whether that means great new benefits for an existing Lumia owner, or bringing new showcase devices like the Nokia Lumia 925.”

The 925 is certainly something of a showcase in terms of its design, which deviates greatly from the solid-plastic look and feel of the last batch of Lumias. Instead of being available in bright yellow or red, the 925 offers a more subtle design – the polycarbonate back only comes in white, grey or black.

Patrick Chomet, Group Director of Terminals at Vodafone, which will introduce the device in Europe, said, “The new Nokia Lumia 925 is a sleek and sophisticated smartphone delivering great performance and outstanding imaging.”

That said, wireless charging covers can be bought in white, black, yellow and red.

D-Link on Tuesday extended its range of Cloud Cameras, adding the Wireless N H.264 Day/Night PT Network Camera (DCS-5020L) into the product mix.

The new camera is features pan and tilt, audio detection, and a Wi-Fi repeater mode, among other things. D-Link said that the DCS-5020L is a powerful and competitively priced way to enhance home security.

The camera comes with mydlink Cloud Services, meaning it works with mobile phones and tablets, and it also supports D-Link’s Zero Configuration technology.

“Every family deserves a way to connect with the most important things in life, even when they can’t be around. The DCS-5020L with pan and tilt covers more of the house, helping users see more of their children, elderly family members, even pets,” said Harrison Albert, Regional Director, D-Link Middle East and Africa.

“It’s easy to use, and with D-Link’s Cloud Services for convenient viewing on a mobile device, the DCS-5020L offers the peace of mind that comes with knowing everything at home is fine.”

D-Link said that the new camera can catch every detail at day or night. In bright conditions, a filter blocks infrared light for more realistic colours. When night mode is engaged, the camera’s system of LEDs lights up the scene with invisible infrared rays for a detailed black-and-white video at distances of up to eight metres.

Pan and tilt allows the camera to see every corner of a room, while the wide-angle lens captures an area up to 30-percent larger than previous models at a glance.

Live video feeds can be viewed on an Internet-connected iPhone, iPad or Android device with the free mydlink mobile app. The app allows users to control the pan-and-tilt function and save or email snapshots. Video can be recorded to a PC on the local network with the free D-ViewCam camera management software for Windows PCs.

The device connects to a home network either by Ethernet or 802.11n wireless, and also includes a wireless repeater mode that extends Wi-Fi signal to every room.