UAE market for IT outsourcing projected to reach $170.5m by 2010

In line with the growth of this market, Raqmiyat, a leading UAE-based Systems Integrator, has announced the completion of a number of outsourcing projects for major leading regional and international banks in the UAE. The company has also announced plans to strengthen its team and resources on hand to offer key outsourcing services including managed services, hosting and infrastructure services, information systems, software applications, network and desktop management services to various companies in the region.

According to IDC reports, the UAE's IT market began experiencing unprecedented growth in 2005 and this led to the IT services market accounting for a total value of $413.73m. The study revealed that the continued economic prosperity in the country and a number of IT and general development initiatives by the UAE Government has increased the need for IT services. Outsourcing accounted for 15.3% of the total IT services market in 2005 and by the year 2010, the market is expected to comprise 22.4% of the local IT market's earnings.

Pointing out the factors that have led to a surge in outsourcing in the UAE, Tapas Roy, Chief Operating Officer, Raqmiyat said, "The drivers of outsourcing make business sense in the UAE as they have done elsewhere in the world. Businesses in the UAE will increasingly outsource to remain competitive. Again, the traditional triggers of increasing costs, flexibility in the management of resources, user satisfaction and reduction in cycle times have contributed to this trend. Added to these are factors such as leveraging the provider's extensive investments in technology, methodologies and people, and reducing the burden of managing IT resources while retaining control of strategic decision making."

"By employing our high-quality outsourcing services, clients can leverage our extensive investments in technology to reduce the burden of managing IT resources while retaining control of strategic decision-making. Our in-depth process experience, extensive domain knowledge, and technical expertise have afforded our clients with an efficient way to stay ahead of the competition," added Roy.

Raqmiyat's support services offer regional and international banks' workforce a single point of contact and end-to-end support for the IT infrastructure and desktop applications. The company's integrated services cover lower and higher levels of IT support, including all-in maintenance of devices, availability of ready stand-by units, relocation services, IT asset tracking and configuration management. Moreover, the company also guarantees timely resolution of incidents, which are classified by severity levels through Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that cover both on-site as well as off-site support.

Highlighting Raqmiyat's capacity to provide clients with effective outsourcing services, Roy said, "The increase in outsourcing is an inevitable development considering the rapid growth of businesses in the UAE, and with companies wanting to stay ahead of the competition, one of the most efficient ways to achieve this is to focus on quality internal resources and outsource non-core resources to capable partner. At a time when efficiency in support services is a critical factor towards ensuring smooth operations, we are constantly investing in the improvement of our own systems and providing adequate training to our employees to meet the demanding requirements of our clients."

Headquartered in Dubai, Raqmiyat provides world-class business and technology solutions through partnerships with international firms. Achieving several certifications on the technical front, Raqmiyat has developed a team of experienced professionals who provide professional services and support to its clients, guaranteeing business continuity on a 24/7 basis.

"With over 24 years experience in the UAE banking sector, tremendous investments in the IT help desk domain, a considerable pool of skilled resources, and the top management's experience in delivering to the exacting standards of our clients, we are undoubtedly the best choice for a bank seeking to outsource its workforce IT support services," concluded Roy.