< PreviousNEXT MONTH // INSIDE THE NEXT ISSUE (40) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JUNE 2019 www.channelmiddleeast.com Published by and Copyright © 2019 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. MEDIA OVERCOMING BARRIERS ALJAMMAZ, ZOHO PARTNER CHANNEL: How can the channel address customer challenges? SECURITY: Selecting the right Android security app MARKET: IT spending to reach $160 billion in MENA CHANNEL: How to become a product-centric organisation? CHANNEL: CEO priorities are shifting to meet growth chal- lenges END POINT SECURITY Endpoint security is an approach to network protection that requires each computing device to comply with certain standards before network access is granted. The feature looks at the changing end point security market, threat landscape, opportunities in this segment and how channel partners can offer holistic solutions to their customers. GROWING CHANNEL SALES The ongoing weakness in the market has been felt in the distribution and reseller channels across the Middle East putting the spotlight on how these resellers are coping with the tough business climate. The feature looks at ways distributors and resellers are growing their sales. MOST READ NEWS STORIES: EDITOR’S CHOICES NEWS NEWS TIP OF THE ICEBERG Dr. Ali Baghdadi, SVP and chief executive META, Ingram Micro Industry experts share challenges faced by channel partners in tak- ing networking products to SMBs AlJammaz Cloud inks distribution agreement with Zoho COMMENT & OPINION 1. Mimecast appoints Brandon Bekker as SVP 2. ServiceNow gives partner program an overhaul 3. StarLink signs distribution agreement with Ivanti 4. Epicor releases latest version of iScala ERP 5. Get to know SAP’s Mohamed Khan 6. SAP gets new managing director for Saudi Arabia 7. Huawei launches AI-enabled database 8. du participates at 2019 SME Expo 9. Honor Watch Magic now available in the UAE 10. OPPO showcases 5G capabilities at Google I/O 2019 COMING UP IN JULY UPCOMING EVENTS Dubai, UAE 17-18 June 2019 FUTURE OF FINANCE AND CFO SUMMIT Future of Finance and CFO Summit is a platform to gain unparalleled insight on cost control strategies through access to a global expert speaker faculty, hear from the leading senior finance experts and discuss the future of the finance industry. Dubai, UAE 20th June 2019 CLOUD AND DATACENTER The cloud and data centre market continues to grow as digital transformation becomes the focus of most organisations in the region. Many organisations and service providers are building private cloud infrastructure and hosting public cloud environments to support their business transformation journey. PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London and Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve Group Publishing Director Ian Stokes Group Editorial Director Greg Wilson EDITORIAL Senior Group Editor Mark Sutton Tel: +971 4 444 3225 e-mail: mark.sutton@itp.com Editor Sarah Rizvi Tel: +971 4 4443617 e-mail: sarah.rizvi@itp.com Contributors David Ndichu, Alexander Sophoclis Pieri ADVERTISING Sales Director Andrew Cover Tel: +971 4 444 3502 e-mail: andrew.cover@itp.com Sales Manager David Bentley Tel: +971 4 444 3396 e-mail: david.bentley@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior photographers Rajesh Raghav, Efraim Evidor, Richard Hall Staff photographers Lester Apuntar, Aasiya Jagadeesh, Grace Guino, Fritz Asuro, Ajith Narendra PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Manoj Mahadevan Image Editor Emmalyn Robles CIRCULATION Head of Circulation Vanessa D’souza Circulation Executive Loreta Regencia MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Marketing & Events Manager Brian McNamara ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 e-mail: ahmad.bashour@itp.com ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publica- tion are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. NEWS(41) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JUNE 2019 KernelSphere Technologies is a leading IT solutions and services provider in UAE, offering ICT and cloud solutions. The company specialises in providing managed services including data center, Azure cloud, M365, virtualisation, Microsoft servers solutions, disaster recovery, network infrastructure, security, infrastructure migrations solutions, and IT audit and assessment. ViewSonic has awarded KernelSphere for their achievements in 2018, commending it for the high level of effort put into bringing the ViewSonic products to the market. The company was named among the Top 5 Partners at the ViewSonic Partner Summit in Dubai and awarded the Best Performance Award. “We are very excited to receive this recognition that has made us stand out ViewSonic names KernelSphere among the top 5 regional partners KERNELSPHERE WINS TOP PERFORMER AWARD among peers. This award has not only validated our efforts in selling the product but also recognises the solution built around it leading to successful implementation,” said Imran Kazi, founder & managing director, KernelShpere. The company partnered with ViewSonic in 2018 for interactive flat panels and commercial displays. KernelSphere has established relationships with a number of organisations and government entities in the UAE. The company has also expanded its geographical footprint to Saudi Arabia and India. This award has not only validated our efforts in selling the product but also recognises the solution built around it leading to successful implementation - IMRAN KAZI, FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR, KERNELSPHERE // ADVERTORIALEHAB HALABLAB, REGIONAL CHANNEL MANAGER, MENA AT A10 NETWORKS Over the last 5 years, the cybersecurity market has experienced an upward trend due to the increasing amount of attacks. So, the focus should be on IoT, CASB and DDoS. Those who do not adapt and prepare their infrastructure will be out of the game. > What’s your career history to date? How did you end up working in Dubai? I have more than 12 years’ experience in the IT industry. Prior to A10 Networks I worked at security firm Symantec as territory manager for enterprise where I was instrumental in driving new business acquisition. I also held a regional channel leadership position at Blue Coat Systems (acquired by Symantec) and regional sales manager position at Sophos. The early part of my career was spent at Naizak Distribution Services. > What is the best piece of advice you have been given? Listen, think, then move forward. Be smart and love your work. > What is the biggest challenge facing the Middle East IT channel? True collaboration can sometimes be difficult to achieve within a company let alone an entire industry segment. However, the channel success can only go from strength to strength with a higher level of collaboration. This can be achieved by building strong relationships between vendors, partners and customers. We can then work together to develop a clear and detailed plan on how to drive business while addressing key security concerns. > If you could improve one thing about the channel business what would it be? Frankly, there has been nothing new or exciting to say about the channel business strategy for many years. It is difficult to single out one improvement. I see it as a six-step process when focusing on head-to-head competition with other vendors - make it a priority; develop measurements and track performance; communicate; drive revenue through the channel; avoid pricing conflicts; address conflicts swiftly. > What product or technology should the channel watch out for this year? I believe the focus should be on IoT, CASB and DDoS. As the majority of data, is being moved to the cloud, this should be the channel’s main focus for the next 5 to 10 years. > What is the biggest mistake you have ever made since working in the IT market? The word ‘mistake’ has a negative connotation. There are no mistakes, only new lessons to be learnt. I also think we should invest more in people rather than machines. > Which IT company, other than your own, do you most admire and why? CISCO and Palo Alto Networks are great companies in the way they drive IT business and how they invest in the channel market. > What is your proudest career achievement to date? Working in A10 Networks with the A team in the region. The team is really dynamic and continuously growing. I am excited to be a part of this team and look forward to future successes we will continue to achieve together. > What’s your favourite thing about your company? What impresses me most is the A10 Networks platform, the smooth integration within the full product portfolio and clear message delivered to our customers. > What sort of interests do you have outside of work? Football, since it is the best game that requires the TEAM to work together and achieve as many ‘goals’ as possible. I also love movies as they inspire creativity and technology updates as they change the ways in which we live and interact. 12 number of years of experience in IT industry GET TO KNOW // CHANNEL CHAMPIONS UNCOVERED (42) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JUNE 2019 www.channelmiddleeast.comBEN MACK Editor, Communications Middle East & Africa Tel: +971 4 444 3120 Email: ben.mack@itp.com FOR NOMINATION ENQUIRIES: ANDREW COVER Group Sales Manager, Communications Middle East & Africa Tel: +971 4 444 3502 Email: andrew.cover@itp.com FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES: BRIAN MCNAMARA Marketing & Events Manager Tel: +971 4 444 3846 Email: brian.mcnamara@itp.com FOR ANY OTHER INFORMATION: CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST TELECOMS INDUSTRY For more information please visit www.commsmea.com/awards or contact one of our team today. SAVE THE DATE WEDNESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER 2019 Dubai, UAE www.commsmea.com/awards #CommsMEAAwards www.commsmea.com/awards #CommsMEAAwardsNext >