Dubai hosts Intel's first worldwide software vendors summit

The event was held for the first time in the Middle East, and provided software companies from around the world with a technology update, where they obtained access to previously undisclosed information on Intel's most recent portfolio of products, technologies, marketing and business development programs. The three-day summit was targeted at encouraging delegates to provide input and feedback which Intel will use to shape its software enabling programs moving forwards, in order to ensure that they cater to developers' needs. The summit also hosted a series of roundtable discussions and one-on-one sessions with Intel executive management.

"The success of Intel's developer programs depends on how closely we work with software developers to help them architect their applications for the Intel platforms. This summit is important to us because there is no better way to communicate with developers from around the world, and get their feedback, to help us in planning the next stages for our various developer programs" said Melissa Laird, General Manager, Software Enabling Division, Intel Corporation.

Intel's Early Access Program enables independent software vendors to use Intel's latest technologies helping them to improve their products and grow their market. Program membership gives them access to a range of Intel technologies and marketing support. In the last 18 months, the program helped over 1000 applications around the world to achieve innovations in enterprise technology solutions in the Manufacturing, Infrastructure, Digital Media, and Retail business segments. In the Middle East, the program is active in countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE.

"Working together with software vendors is an integral part of Intel's commitment of bringing our innovations as closely as possible to our markets" said Toni Prince, Business Development Manager for Intel in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa "There has been excellent participation from key regional developers in the summit. Everyone recognizes the need for a regional software industry in the Middle East to support the needs of enterprises and SMBs, and Intel sees that it has a role to play in enabling the growth of this industry. We understand regional companies' need to share and learn, and this summit is an ideal open forum for them to do so."

The summit also gave software vendors from the Middle East the opportunity to mingle with other Early Access Program members from Europe, North America and Asia, where they shared experiences and business views pertaining to each market's local environments. The roundtable briefings covered the subjects of enterprise and consumer applications, including High Performance Computing (HPC), Mobility in the Home and Enterprise, Gaming and Audio/Video applications and Intel® processor-based solutions for communication and media devices.

"Our collaboration with Intel is a must for us," said Bertrand Matthelié, director of alliances at MySQL AB, which develops the MySQL* open source database. "With the rapid developments that are always underway in IT, it is essential that we stay abreast of the latest technologies and get access to the latest computing platforms in order to optimize our database software. It is also important for us to communicate with other developers and give feedback to Intel, in order to make sure that we get the most benefit from programs such as the Early Access program. This summit in Dubai has given us the opportunity to do just that, and we look forward to more collaboration with Intel and the industry."