Technology Insight

The idea of holding a business meeting via video conferencing is beginning to take hold, especially in these troubled economic times. Telepresence takes that to a new level, with high definition quality and full size images, giving the impression that the other person is sitting opposite. Rob Jones talks to KS Parag, MD of FVC, about telepresence, the interest it is gaining and whether these high-end systems offer value for money.

Currently Egypt is the Middle East hotspot for software security threats. Johnny Karam, Regional Director Mena, Symantec, tells Rob Jones about the rise in malware in the Middle East as broadband usage increases.

Software security companies say that this year they have seen a huge rise in malicious attacks. Johnny Karam, Regional Director Mena, Symantec, outlines to Rob Jones the types of threats that are on the rise, how cybercriminals are taking advantage of the economic downturn and the importance of multiple layers of security to protect a business.

In part 2 of our interview with Ihab Ghattas, Assistant President for the Middle East at Huawei Technologies, we look at the growth of the Middle East telco market and the key trends the company is seeing. Plus Rob Jones discusses Huawei's fibre to the home project with Etisalat in Abu Dhabi, which once launched, will enable the telco to offer many new services to its customers.

Chinese company Huawei Technologies has grown considerably over the past few years and is now challenging the likes of Nokia, Siemens and Ericsson. Ihab Ghattas, Assistant President for the Middle East at Huawei Technologies, discusses the company's market, its R&D efforts and how it is coping in the current downturn. Plus he tells Rob Jones how the company is trying to overcome perceptions that products from a Chinese company equates to cheap quality.

As the Gulf and Middle East economies emerge from the global downturn - and IT budgets begin to increase - Naser Sha'sha'a, Program Manager, IHD Group - MEA Region at analyst group IDC looks at what technologies businesses will implement to improve their business efficiency and bottom line, and the challenges IT heads will face. Rob Jones reports

IT budgets globally have been slashed this year, making it tougher for IT heads to meet their commitments. While some Gulf countries have not seen IT budgets cut as heavily, the UAE has seen a big reduction. Naser Sha'sha'a, Program Manager, IHD Group - MEA Region, at analyst group IDC tells Rob Jones what is happening with regional technology budgets, the opportunities and how the cuts are shaping the future look of IT departments.

Scott Herren, Managing Director and Vice President, EMEA, at Citrix, looks at Citrix's financial performance to date this year, which has seen revenues slip and looks at when he thinks sentiment and growth will return. Speaking to Rob Jones, he explains the business outlook the technology sector is seeing in the GCC and wider Middle East, and where Citrix believes it will see growth in the future.

Virtualisation was slower to take off in the Middle East than many other regions, but is now attracting IT and business heads, particularly as they look to improve efficiencies without increasing IT budgets. Scott Herren, Managing Director and Vice President, EMEA, at Citrix, looks at the various levels of virtualisation and the business benefits it provides, discusses its new OEM partnership with Fujitsu and outlines the business strategy behind the company's decision to give XenServer and XenCenter away free. Rob Jones reports.

Nokia has a huge presence in the Middle East, so how does the region differ from the other areas in which it operates? Chris Braam, VP for Middle East and North Africa, Nokia, talks about the importance of the region, the manufacturers views on handset subsidiaries, what Middle East consumers and business users are looking for and the latest developments with Symbian. Rob Jones reports.

In part 2 of our interview with Lionel Reina, VP for Eastern Europe, ME & Africa, Orange Business Services, he looks at the gradual move towards managed services in this region and why companies are taking the plunge. He also tells Rob Jones about the network business opportunities post financial crisis in the small to medium sector.

Providing services mainly for multinational organisations, real estate companies and telcos in the Middle East, Lionel Reina, VP for Eastern Europe, ME & Africa, Orange Business Services, explains how the company has evolved in this region. He tells Rob Jones about some of the projects the company is involved in, such as King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia, and the technologies it is working on, such as fibre to the home and associated IP services.

With an ever increasing number of cyber attacks, industry specialist Rik Ferguson, Senior Security Analyst, Trend Micro talks to Phil Blizzard about the constant threat to a company's data security, the importance of continually updating software with the latest patches and demystifies some of the terminology, such as botnet, phishing and whales.

Dell launched the Adamo this week, claiming it to be the world's thinnest laptop. The PC manufacturer said it is aimed at the consumer who wants the 'product to speak for itself'. Amer Husaini, VP and GM of Consumer Sales for the region, explained the technology inside and why he thinks customers will be interested. Launched on the day Dell officially opened its store in Dubai Mall, he also tells Rob Jones about their hopes for the retail outlet.

Vodafone Qatar CEO Grahame Maher believes handset subsidiaries are bad for the mobile telecoms industry and customers alike. In part two of our interview with him, he explains why, plus outlines how he thinks services are changing in the region and why customers will no longer accept 'walled gardens'. Rob Jones reports.