Citrix links information technology and socio-economic progress at First GCC E-Commerce conference

Held on the 20th and 21st of November at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the IT and e-commerce event was organized by the Ministry of Economy and Planning in cooperation with the Secretariat General of the GCC, the General Information Authority in UAE, and the Secretariat General of the Federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Representing Citrix at the major e-commerce exhibition, Antoine Aguado, Regional Manager for Citrix Middle East elaborated on the role of IT in economic and social growth within GCC countries. He also delved into other interesting aspects of the relationship between IT and regional progress, including the main challenges and obstacles facing the UAE in using IT's tremendous potential and the growth of e-commerce in the region. He further detailed on Citrix's role in facilitating socio-economic progress through providing easy access to critical information.

Speaking at the key e-commerce conference, Aguado said,

"Citrix plays a critical role within the arena of domestic and professional IT usage through providing access for business-to-business, business-to-government and business-to-citizen services. Through ensuring better public services and E-education, Citrix is definitely contributing to socio-economic progress in the GCC, and worldwide. Through our access solutions, we aim to increase and improve access to critical data for businesses and the general public."

Elaborating on the growth and obstacles within the e-commerce sector in the region, Aguado added, "Citrix empowers 75% of internet traffic worldwide including the top 5 ecommerce sites. In the GCC, there is a great need for local development skills, improved infrastructure and greater internet usage to ensure a healthy e-commerce market. Through imbibing practices from international companies and early IT education, we can also overcome common challenges such as low internet penetration and poor cultural acceptance."

Representing Citrix, Aguado was also a panel member at the First GCC E-Commerce conference. Other panel members included Luis Leamus, VP Program Director Executive Programs, Gartner EMEA, Samer Al Kharrat, General Manager, Cisco Systems Intl. BV, Antoine Aguado, Regional Manager, Citrix Systems International GMBH and Nima Abu-Wardeh, BBC Middle East Business News Presenter was the Moderator.

The event also saw a host of distinguished speakers from various sectors including IT, government, telecommunications, financial and others.

Antoine Aguado is the Middle East Regional Manager of the software industry leader Citrix Systems, based in Dubai, covering 13 countries including GCC, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece and Turkey. Antoine had started the Southern Europe operation for Citrix Systems back in 1996 and opened new branches in France and Spain. Antoine has been working since 2002 in the Middle East by opening the Middle East office in DIC, Dubai and growing the Citrix operation around the region.