Cisco continues to invest in Gulf by inaugurating its office in Oman

The Gulf is a key focus for the company and its investment in Oman comes at a time when the country is experiencing exponential growth and is investing in its information and communications technologies (ICT) sector.

His Excellence Eng. Ali Bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Chairman, Board of Director Information Technology Authority Oman, formally inaugurated Cisco's office in Oman in the presence of Senior Vice President, Office of the President at Cisco, Howard Charney and Iyad Al Chammat, General Manager Cisco Oman.

Utilizing the power of the network, Senior Vice President Emerging Theater at Cisco, Duncan Mitchell was also present through Cisco's Tele-Presence technology services.

Speaking on the occasion, HE Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Chairman, Board of Directors Information Technology Authority Oman, said, "Establishing an office in the Sultanate clearly demonstrates Cisco's commitment to its customer in the Sultanate. Cisco's presence in Oman will undoubtedly lend support to the country's ICT sector and economic growth overall."

"The ICT sector is set to play a major role within the next 2-5 years in Oman as it develops its infrastructure to become a sustainable knowledge society. We are very committed to the Omani market and our office launch today is a clear demonstration," said General Manager Cisco Oman, Iyad Al Chammat.

The opening of the Oman office will bring Cisco physically closer to its customers, enabling the company to provide not only technology, but strategic advice on developing appropriate ICT strategies to increase productivity growth and accelerate social inclusion.

The Oman office will serve as the cornerstone for the region focusing on four key areas:

• Supporting local employment initiatives through local partnerships.
• Developing an educated local pool of talent that can build and manage sustained networks in the future.
• Promoting and improving digital inclusion through technology solutions and expertise.
• Brokering funding for ICT projects thereby facilitating more investment and financing opportunities for businesses.

Cisco's vision in the region is to lead emerging country innovation, prosperity, job creation and social inclusion through life changing networks. It is focused on helping the government and businesses in the Middle East to drive sustainable growth by providing network based technologies that help innovate, drive new business models and increase productivity.

"Cisco has a full account management team, pre-sales personnel, support teams and we are continuing to add experts whenever there is a demand. We already have key customers across oil & gas, banking, government, public safety, enterprise and hospitality sectors and expect to see more growth in the last quarter of 2012," added Iyad Al Chammat.

The Omani Cisco office is located at Bait Al Reem Business Centre, Building 81, Block 234, Al Thaqafa Street, Muscat.