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Without strong IP there will be no innovation, experts warn
Industry experts have warned that without strong intellectual property laws, Dubai will never be able to attract companies that will innovate and invest in technology research and development. At a conference organised by Dubai Silicon Oasis during Gitex, speakers said that the emirate has a huge opportunity to attract talent, but it must lay the foundations for that to happen.
Autodesk seizes Dhs1m of pirated software in Abu Dhabi
Autodesk Inc, which makes 2D and 3D design software, said its joint effort with the UAE's Ministry of Economy has led to seizing pirated copies of its 'AutoCAD 2007' software with a total value of Dhs1m ($272,000) from an engineering consultancy firm in Abu Dhabi. The consultancy firm has been contacted several times prior to the raid, but a lack of response has prompted taking a more drastic action, the company said in a statement.
Online malware threats leap
New IT security threats are now appearing online every two seconds, meaning companies face potential threats from over 43,000 bits of malware every hour. With the number of threats rising every year anti-virus companies are saying it is becoming ever more important that organisations get out of the habit of having software that is just good enough, and also ensure that they are running regular virus protection updates.
Over half of Gulf firms outsource part of their IT
According to research by Egypt's Information Technology Industry Development Agency, and YouGov, GCC firms are becoming increasingly reliant on outsourcing with over half (52%) of respondents claiming to outsource some aspect of their IT or business processes. The research found that Egypt was ranked the second most popular destination with 31% of those surveyed stating that their companies are outsourcing services to the country. Only long-term leader India was more popular among respondents.
Arabic-enabled password recover tool launched
UK-based Secure 1st has launched the first password recovery tool in the market which supports the Arabic language Graphical User Interface (GUI). The new Windows-compatible tool, called Secure1st Password Recovery, retrieves saved user credentials such as user names and passwords, login URLs and remote accesses from applications, the company said.
Apple posts surging profits on iPhone and Mac sales
Apple has bucked the trend for declining year on year profits, posting a fourth quarter rise of 47%. The company made a net profit of $1.67bn, up from $1.14bn a year earlier, and saw sales rise by 25% to $9.87bn. While a number of technology companies have recently reported improved results, these are generally quarter on quarter comparisons, rather than year on year. The recession busting results were put down to a 500,000 unit jump in iPhone sales to 7.4 million during the final quarter, and a 17% leap in Mac sales, to 3.1 million units. Apple did however see an 8% drop in iPod sales. Full year results saw revenue rise 12% and net income up 18% on 2008 figures to $5.7bn.
Etisalat launches Gulf's fastest internet service
Etisalat has announced that it is rolling out the fastest fixed broadband internet in the Middle East for its residential customers in the UAE with its new 30 Mbps package. The upgrade is based on the Fibre to the Home (FTTH) technology network, which has been set up in over 550,000 homes in the country. The new 30 Mpbs package will be priced at Dhs699/month.
Qtel to optimise IT to improve service offerings
Telco Qtel has signed a three year deal with HP Technology Services Group to support the company's business technology optimisation project. The project, which will be completed in 2011, aims to upgrade and automate the Qatari company's IT operations.
Microsoft Windows 7 Arabic version due in November
Microsoft has confirmed that the Arabic version of Windows 7 will hit the streets two weeks after the operating system's general release. The operating system was rolled out to enterprise customers in August and will go on general sale later this week, on 22 October. Microsoft hopes Windows 7 is more popular than its predecessor, which the company admits suffered a 'perception challenge'. Microsoft says it has worked to ensure that there are no compatibility issues with the operating system and said that it will save companies between $111 and $190 per seat, due to its faster deployment, better power management controls and simpler management. Early adopters in the Middle East include the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority in Jordan, which has rolled it out to 500 PCs.
Etisalat, Ajman ink cooperation agreement
Ajman's General Department of Financial and Administrative Affairs has announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement with Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat), Wam has reported. Under the agreement, Etisalat will provide technical consultations to the government of Ajman to help it set up effective electronic government.
Symantec launches FileStore for the Middle East at Gitex
Symantec is launching its latest software into the Middle East at Gitex technology exhibition in Dubai, which opens today. Called FileStore, the software targets businesses that want to build scalable, file-based storage services. Symantec says the product can manage and protect business critical information. It can add or remove storage dynamically without taking systems offline, scales up to 16 nodes and 2petabytes of storage. Prices start from $6,996 for two nodes and two CPU sockets. 'FileStore software delivers the high performance today's enterprises need for their cloud storage environments without locking them into an expensive, proprietary hardware infrastructure,' said Jeff Reed, vice president of clustered storage at Symantec.
Dell launches lightest Inspiron laptop into Middle East
Dell is now selling its latest Inspiron laptop, the 11z, in the Middle East. Initially launched in August in other regions, the laptop is the lightest and thinnest Inspiron Dell has released, weighing just 1.4kg and measuring a little under 26mm in thickness. The laptop comes preloaded with Microsoft Windows 7, runs Intel's consumer ultra-low voltage (Culv) processor, which is designed for ultra thin laptops, has 2GB of memory, a 160GB hard disk and 11.6inch high definition LED display. Dell claims a battery life of six hours if customers buy it with the optional six-cell battery.
SafeNet opens office in Dubai
Information security specialist SafeNet, Inc., a global specialist in information security has announced the opening of its new office in Dubai to support the business needs for data protection. SafeNet will be at Gitex on October 18-22. The company specialises in Enterprise Data Protection Solution Suite which includes database and application data encryption, disk and file encryption, centralized key management, network and WAN encryption, and two-factor authentication.
PC shipments grow in Q3
International Data Corporation (IDC), the market research and analysis firm specializing in information technology, has said that personal computer shipments rose 2.3% in the third quarter as the sector continued its recovery, with Acer Inc replacing Dell Inc as the world's No. 2 PC maker, Reuters has reported. Hewlett-Packard has maintained the top spot in the global rankings with a 20.2% market share. All regions except Japan either met or surpassed expectations, IDC said.
Intel earnings better than expected
Intel has reported better than expected third quarter results, as the IT industry continues to show strong signs of recovery. Although its results are down on Q3 2008, they are - with that exception - the strongest results since 2005. Q3 net income was $1.86bn, down from $2bn for the same period last year. Revenue fell from $10.22bn last year to $9.39bn in Q309. Those figures do not include the $1.45bn fine from the European Union for anti-trust practices.
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