< PreviousDAY IN THE LIFE // INSIDE THE CHANNEL WORKPLACE (40) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_APR-JUN 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.com In fact, I usually have my priorities for the next day planned at the end of each working day. I always write down the six most important things I need to accomplish the next day. But of course, priority one is my team and our partners, and if they need me urgently, all other priorities can be pushed ahead. Usually I arrive by 9:00 am and I am known to be vivacious as I always come up with something to share with the team. So the first thing I do is have a good laugh with my colleagues. Once I’m at my desk, I quickly check my calendar which is always I love and enjoy my job in general, but my favorite part is taking the time to meet with our partners and customers to un- derstand their needs, pain points and goals. I feel great when I am able to find the prefect solution and make sure NetApp partners are happy. I’m a people-centric person, and above all passionate about my job and career. I leave my home at 8:45 am and drive to work listening to my favorite music. It makes me happy and ready for a great and positive day ahead. I wake up everyday at six to spend some time with my kids before they leave for school. The quiet time between 7 and 8 am is when some of my best work gets done. It is the time for creative productivity. It is the time to read, go social, think & prepare for the day ahead. WEDNESDAY, 18 MARCH 2020 TIMELINE Would you like your channel job to be featured in our ‘Day in the Life’ section? If so, e-mail: sarah.rizvi@itp.com 06:0008:4509:30 12:0011:00 My family is my source of energy, so I simply unwind by spending quality time with my kids. I have a strong relation- ship with them and hearing their daily stories and chal- lenges makes me happy. They see me as their role model and this is the best reward I would have ever wished for. I ensure that we have a robust partner network that understands how our technol- ogy and solutions can help them grow. It helps ensure that their business is profitable with a strong pipeline in place. Keeping our partners happy and helping them overcome their challenges is key. I eat healthy as I don’t have time for exercising. However, I am a very active person; I trav- el a lot and do lots of phisycal activities over the weekend – mainly swimming as I love the beaches in Dubai. I also Zumba dance once a week. 18:0015:0017:0021:00 There is no set lunch time for me; I’m always on the run having a regional job with lots of responsibilities and trav- el. But I always have a snack ready for a quick bite. When I’m in Dubai, I get the chance to meet with NetApp partners and distributors for lunch and this is something I enjoy a lot. I set my goals, determine what I have to ac- complish, prioritise, organise myself, and delegate what can be given to the team. I utilise my spare time to catch up on any missing tasks, and finally, I try to use my most productive time to achieve the main goals of the day. 14:0013:00 Honestly, my day goes by very fast and the only time to reflect is around 9:00 pm. Most of the time I feel that although I achieved a lot, I still have to carry over some goals to the next day. I retire to bed between 11:00 and 12:00 am as I spend some time planning the next day for work and preparing a healthy lunch for my kids. 23:00 We join Maya Zakhour, channel sales director MEA, NetApp as she shares how she spends her day at work. full with meetings – locally or remotely with teams in Europe and Africa. I spend the majority of my time travelling overseas, and this leaves with me with a very busy schedule when i’m in Dubai. DAY IN THE LIFE Channel Middle East finds out from a market personality about their role, their routine and what inspires them to come into work each day NAME: MAYA ZAKHOUR COMPANY: NETAPP JOB TITLE: CHANNEL SALES DIRECTOR MEA YEARS IN THE ROLE: 3 YEARS YEARS AT THE COMPANY: 3 YEARSNEXT MONTH INSIDE THE NEXT ISSUE // (41) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_APR-JUN 2020 Published by and Copyright © 2020 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. MEDIA CHANNEL: Channel’s role in the cloud era CHANNEL: 3 ways channel partners can empower the digital workplace SECURITY: Phishing prevention – easy to get it wrong SECURITY: Configuration mistakes that provide field days for hackers CHANNEL CREDIT SCHEMES Channel Middle East looks at one of the most contentious and conflict-ridden issue in the regional channel, its impact on partner business, and how vendors and distributors are designing their credit schemes. The feature will also explore how vendors and distributors can work to ensure that the credit facilities offered are beneficial to partner businesses. STATE OF THE SI CHANNEL With the role of systems integration evolving in the region, how are SIs increasing their value, competitiveness and staying relevant? The feature looks at the issues affecting SIs, how they are growing their IT services revenue and the role vendors and distributors are playing to aid their businesses to grow in the Middle East. MOST READ NEWS STORIES: EDITOR’S CHOICES NEWS NEWS VAD Technologies inks deal with Prime Computer to distribute Prime Computer’s Mini-PCs and Servers to its product range in the Middle East. Western Digital unveils gaming portfolio in the Middle East. The WD Black portfolio is cur- rently available in the UAE at WD retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators, and WD store. GEMS Education and IBM part- ner to launch a pilot programme introducing IBM Digital – Nation platform to over 2,000 students and 70 teachers across UAE. COMMENT & OPINION 1. Microsoft Teams adds new capabilities to enhance remote work experience 2. Sentrybay and Raqmiyat support enterprises by offering secured work from home solutions 3. Realme lanches its all new, realme 6 and 6i 4. D-Link Middle East set to revolutionise SMB/SOHO businesses 5. Huawei offers extended warranty to ensure customer health and convenience 6. Lenovo partners with SentinelOne for AI powered endpoint security 7. ESET releases business edition of endpoint antivirus for Linux 8. Zain renews partnership with StartUp Bahrain COMING UP NEXT ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS Dubai, UAE GARTNER IT SYMPOSIUM/EXPO Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo is a technology conference that takes place in Dubai where industry leaders convene together to discover superior content, share insights and have networking opportunities that are focused on turning the latest in technology and business strategy into action. Dubai, UAE 8th – 9th September 2020 SEAMLESS MIDDLE EAST Seamless Middle East brings industry leaders in the payments, retail, ecommerce and fintech sectors together to discuss the latest development in the field of digital technologies. Sessions discuss key topics; fintech, digital payments, retail and digital identity. 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 EDITORIAL Editor Sarah Rizvi Tel: +971 4 4443617 e-mail: sarah.rizvi@itp.com ADVERTISING Sales Manager Paul Hylden Tel: +971 4 444 3000 e-mail: paul.hylden@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior photographers 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 Distribution & Warehouse Manager Praveen Nair 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> What’s your career history to date? How did you end up working in Dubai? I started my career 23 years ago with NCR as a solutions service consultant followed by my first sales role 3 years later. I had the opportunity to work in a few countries before moving to Dubai 15 years back. I had the privilege working with industry leaders (IBM, F5, Brocade) before joining SonicWall as regional director for Middle East, Turkey and Africa. > What sort of interests do you have outside of work? I enjoy reading about different technologies and latest innovations. I also try to spend at least 30 mins a day learning about non-IT topics and trends. > What’s your favourite thing about the company you work for? There is a lot to like about working at SonicWall. The first is the technology; I believe it is the best in the industry with a unique Boundless Cyber Security Platform that businesses demand today. The ongoing product development ensures our technology is always a step ahead. We have an excellent support platform that go the extra mile to ensure our customers and partners are catered to. These aspects make SonicWall a great company to work for. > If you could improve one thing about the channel business what would it be? The channel partner is one of the core foundations for any successful technology provider. As security is a critical element for any customer, channel partner expertise plays a tremendous role. I would rather recommend a change to the channel partner and advice them to look at security as an integrated cyber security platform like the SonicWall ‘Boundless Cyber Security Platform’, rather than individual silos. 23 > What is your proudest career achievement to date? That would have to be helping share the latest security trends with my channel partners and customers. This is one thing that has been and will always be a satisfying achievement. I am proud that I joined SonicWall, a company that has one goal, which is to leave a positive impact on our customers and channel partners. > What is the best piece of advice you have been given? When I started my sales career 20 years back, I was advised that the market is full of opportunities but how you capitalise on the opportunity makes you different. > What is the biggest mistake you have ever made since working in the IT market? If I don’t learn from my mistakes, I won’t ever improve. I always have a hard stop and look back to evaluate what was right and what was wrong, and learn from that. The most important lesson I learned is that “Nothing cannot be changed”. > Which IT company, other than your own, do you most admire and why? I have respect for all IT companies and each one has its pro’s and key differentiators. I admire companies that focus on their technology innovation. > What is the biggest challenge facing the Middle East IT channel? I would say the most challenging issue facing the IT channel is the large number of single solution providers in the market which make it very hard to pick the right technology. years ago Abdallah started his career MOHAMED ABDALLAH REGIONAL DIRECTOR META, SONICWALL The most challenging issue facing the IT channel is the large number of single solution providers in the market which make it very hard to pick the right technology. > What product or technology should the channel watch out for this year? With global changes taking place frequently, organisations need to be aware with the new ‘Boundless Cybersecurity’ model to break free from untenable economic, technical and staffing constraints of traditional or outdated approaches. 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