< PreviousWe caught up with Ranjith Kaippada, director, Cloud Box Technologies to discuss the company’s plans to enable digital transformation of organisations in the region with strong vendor partnerships and a robust solutions portfolio ROADMAP ROADMAP FOR SUCCESSFOR SUCCESS C loud Box Technologies (CBT) is a premier IT services specialist in the Middle East having its head- quarters in Dubai, UAE. The com- pany specialises in IT Infrastructure Consultancy, Cloud, Network Security, Systems Integration and Professional Services. CBT offers integration of IT technologies to deliver business value to its customers. The company’s goal is to consistently deliver exceptional and cost- effective services to its customers and to be their sole source for information, hard- ware, software and professional services. CBT has also made investments in Network Operation Centers (NOC) in Dubai and India as a part of its managed services. Its team consists of highly qual- ified and certified professionals. VENDOR AND PRODUCT PROFILE As infrastructure consultants and pro- viders of cloud, network security and other services, Cloud Box Technology works with some of the leading vendors including Dell, Microsoft, Citrix, Cisco, Forcepoint, Fortinet, Sophos, Veeam, VMware, Aruba and Crowd Strike. This puts us in a strong position to cover a host of solutions and services that we can offer to our customers. We are well-positioned to provide solutions spanning across big data, artificial intelligence, virtualisation and hybrid cloud. With the increasing demand for the security needs of our customers, we strategically work with a range of security vendors to be able to cover network and endpoint security, access points and wireless solutions to high- end firewall network security, backup solutions, etc. In the current situation we are also working on the increasing demand for the digital workspace solutions and we have been remarkably successful in this area. by Sarah Rizvi CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.com (30)VENDOR PARTNERSHIPS As an SI, the vendor support we receive is a confidence booster. One area that we feel is crucial for us to strengthen our partnership is to work hard towards achieving our vendor certifications. It helps us as front facing representatives of the IT solutions and is a clear indicator of our capabilities which is what our custom- ers are looking for. We are extremely aware of the two- way commitment we have with our ven- dors and have come a long way with the technical support we receive from their engineers in all our specialised imple- mentations. It goes without saying that a right solution deployed becomes a refence and a future opportunity for our vendor and ourselves. We are conscious of the vendor partner programs that yield our sales opportuni- ties and leverage the interactions that help us sharpen our presentation, sales and technical skills. INDUSTRY FOCUS Cloud Box Technologies has been focused on gaining specialisations in our SI offer- ings. Just as we strategically work with our vendor partners, we have also been able to bring a vertical focus into our busi- ness. Each of these sectors have their spe- cific needs and with the knowhow and technical capabilities we have, we are in a stronger position to play the field. Our offerings now range from solutions and services for the government, healthcare, education, hospitality, and SMB sectors. their digital transformation. At this point Cloud Box Technologies is strategically focused on big data and artificial intelligence and are enabling our customers with smart options in their business operations. FUTURE OUTLOOK We believe that with expansion comes responsibility. So far, we have grown gradually from being an infrastructure solution provider and progressed into providing security solutions. The current situation has given us insights into the workforce of the future and the technology requirements. We understand that the current solutions are more of less temporary. What we envisage is that our custom- ers will now work towards more sustain- able, accountable and efficient work sys- tems which we will need to address. This will also help us move towards our goals of strengthening our cloud and AI servic- es within our business roadmap. We are working on developing techni- cal skill sets while making steady invest- ments in cloud and being able to provide software driven solutions to our custom- ers. We are determined to create an environment where our customers have easy access to appropriate technology solutions and can experience a hassle free set up for the IT needs. The government sector is at the fore- front to adopt innovative technologies the world over. Their needs centre around robotics, security as well as artificial intelligence which we have been involved with. On the other hand, for the educa- tion sector we can enable their growth process by optimising their existing infrastructure and guiding them in their move into cloud solutions. Similarly, for the healthcare sector, what is apparent to us is their needs for anytime connectivity and access to vital data at the click of a button. One must not underestimate the use of AI in the health- care sector as well as data security. And lastly, for the SMB sector despite being a large business opportunity, they have yet to mature and adopt new tech- nologies. This is a key area where we undertake a tremendous amount of study and groundwork to enable and train them to adapt to modern technologies. STRENGTHENING SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS Cloud Box Technologies is focused on pro- viding efficiency, centralisation, real time monitoring and conflict resolution which are key to tackling security threats. We understand that, as IT continues to increase in complexity, adapting to a sys- tem integration design approach will become even more essential to a custom- er’s project success. For this, we have partnered with some of the best of breed security vendors that enables us to pro- vide a range of solutions and services to our customers. This also brings into focus the in-depth training that we receive from our vendors to ensure that our technical staff are qualified to meet the project needs. ENABLING DIGITAL TR ANS- FORMATION Technology is an enabler of digital trans- formation. Technology along with the strategy, leadership and planning is what drives business transformation and inno- vation. Until recently the four key digital technology area involved social, mobile, analytics and cloud, however, now there is a major shift towards organisations adopting IoT, big data, virtual reality and artificial intelligence which accelerate Ranjith Kaippada, director, Cloud Box Technologies. (31) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020We caught up with Antoine Harb, Team Leader Middle East and North Africa at Kingston Technology to discuss the significance of data privacy in today’s remote world and the importance of security training D ata has always been an asset for organisations. This lets them cre- ate, engage and form better rela- tionships with their consumers. It is potent in shaping an organisation’s future and generate revenue. This is the reason why organisations tend to always value their data to the zenith. Digital technologies are shaping the world of business. With the coming of modern age of storing and securing data, organisations are adopting internet-of- things (IoT) devices and moving their data on to the cloud. Whilst presenting a range of opportu- nities, it offers risk, and can make their data vulnerable to the likes of hackers and other “bad actors”. WHY IS DATA SECURITY AND PRIVACY POLICY IMPORTANT? As data is quintessential for every organisation and now being stored on DATA HANDLING AND PROTECTION: A HOLISTIC APPROACH HOW DOES DATA PROTECTION COMPLY WITH GDPR? Protection of data is important for any organisation and so is the compliance of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for people whose data is involved. Day-to-day working of a com- pany requires them to have consumer data in abundance and after the intro- duction of GDPR, it has become a con- sumer’s right to get their data protected by the entity holding their data. Introduction of GDPR has regulated businesses in terms of bringing data pri- vacy and network security to the atten- tion of the C-suite and consumers. Complying to the norms of GDPR requires proactive effort and attention to data security. An organisation’s formida- bility is not just based on the amount of data it possesses but also on how they tend to regulate it and respect it as well. the web, it becomes imperative for com- panies to take measures with respect to protecting it as the potential of data breach escalates due to a plethora of devices that have access to the inter- net. This arises the need to chalk out stringent data security and privacy poli- cies to protect data from entities with malicious intent. Fortinet’s recent survey of 2018 reveals that 85% of chief information security officers view security issues related to digital transformation to have large implications on their companies. The constant change in the digital environment is making it easy for digi- tal criminals to come up with different ways to hack into a company’s network. To keep them at bay, security profes- sionals from organisations must enhance their digital capabilities to find new ways to safeguard their silos of data. (32) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.comHOW DATA BREACHES HAVE AFFECTED THE MIDDLE EAST? Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are increasingly becoming the targets of cyber-attacks; aimed at stealing data from company servers or phishing people to dupe them. Two such data breaches that shook the private sector in UAE were recorded in the first half of 2018 where close to 14 million records were compromised including names, email addresses, loca- tion and telephone numbers. Two of the biggest companies Careem and an air carrier were affected. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TR A) of the UAE have report- ed a total of 274 cyberattacks targeted at government, semi government and pri- vate sector entities in the first seven months of 2018. The global data trends report highlights social media as the top source for data breaches, accounting for over 56 percent of records breached. The UAE market has witnessed an enormous amount of breach through mobile applications. This is a result of adoption of technology by enter- prises and institutions in the region which has witnessed a growth of 12 percent in embracing the digital age. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF REMOTE ACCESS AND HOW TO COUNTER ACT THEM? With the deluge of data currently avail- able on the cloud and hundreds of employees transferring and receiving data, through various public networks; a lot of organisations find it hard to safe- guard their valuable data. This practice of remote access to the company servers can potentially give opportunities for intruders to trespass on your data and manipulate it. In situations like these, organisations must counter act and create the right infrastructure. To start with, corporations should store their important data on encrypted hard drives or solid-state drives. This ensures that data will not be compro- mised if it gets into the wrong hands. Moreover, if there is a data breach the ICO will favour you for taking demonstra- ble measures to protect your data. An employee might be trained but that does not necessarily mean that they will implement it, so it becomes important on the organisation’s part to educate them in a way that instils empathy. The messaging directed towards the employee must be more personal and should make them think twice before breaching the code of conduct. Organisations can also allocate respon- sibility at the grass roots by electing employees who could monitor ill behav- iour in terms of sharing data or execut- ing wrong practice when it comes to han- dling of the same. These practices go a long way in nurturing a healthy mindset within the corporation. CONCLUSION Experiencing and getting onboard the digital shift is inevitable, it is just a mat- ter of time how organisations take steps to safeguard their vital data and amp up their cyber security which after all feels like an onerous responsibility. The implementation of cultural learn- ing in an organisation along with educat- ing the employees to use the right tools to protect data, is going to go a long way in the quest to imbibe secure behaviours in the organisation. By working with the right vendors an organisation can amp up their data secu- rity as they provide a specific expertise when it comes to safeguarding your data. Usage of VPNs must be encouraged for the members who work remotely. Giving the right individuals appropriate tools goes a long way in securing data. Another security measure could be to enforce the usage of Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software suites that offer the ability to restrict access to com- pany’s network. Corporations can whitelist certain devices like encrypted USBs which have been designed from the ground up to be uniquely identifiable. This is a very cost-effective way to secure access to information by authenticating the device centrally by the main server. WHAT ARE KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY’S SOLUTIONS FOR DATA PROTECTION? There are various solutions towards data protection and two considerations are the Hardware encrypted SSDs and USB’s that Kingston Technology offers. Whether you are looking for secured data when working from home or on the go are the Kingston UV500 & KC2500 SSDs with OPAL 2.0 and AES-256 XTS Hardware Encryption Support, provides the right level of security with higher data transfer speeds, vs their HDD counterparts. When you need to transfer and transport data safely Kingston Encrypted USBs are ideal, as they offer military grade hardware encryption for consumer/SMB as well as Enterprise. Both solutions are compatible with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software on enterprise platforms with Endpoint Management software. These encrypted USB drives can be filtered by Product ID (PID) and drive Serial Number to pro- vide organisations/users with iron clad security and safety. WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO EDUCATE EMPLOYEES WITH STAFF SECURITY TR AINING? Employees can either make or break the company. In these times it becomes important to have people who have a sound knowledge of cyber-attacks and understand the need to take precautions to avoid it. Antoine Harb, Team Leader Middle East and North Africa at Kingston Technology. (33) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020Channel Middle East, in association with Microsoft, lists how cloud is enabling businesses to streamline communications, reduce downtime and facilitate collaboration (34) A CLOUD-ENABLED REMOTE WORKFORCE by Sarah Rizvi CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.com (34)(35) D igitalisation has taken over most aspects of our personal and profes- sional lives. Year after year, tech- nology continues to evolve to offer new ways of enhancing daily processes. In the workplace, such advancements and innovations are usually directed towards one goal – improving employee productivi- ty and experience. Consequently, new styles of work have emerged in recent years, whether it be working remotely, taking advantage of flexible work hours or partaking in freelance work. Cloud adoption has accelerated in the last decade, primarily due to the digitali- sation of the business world. It has rede- fined the way businesses operate by decreasing hardware use and IT mainte- nance costs. Organisations are using the cloud to help drive revenue while reducing costs and time to market. Combined with the grow- ing trend of a digital working environment, cloud computing has facilitated digital col- laboration, engagement and innovation. Given the direction in which the indus- try is moving with regards to digital trans- formation, there has never been a better time to invest in cloud; and here’s how cloud is driving this momentum. COLL ABOR ATION AND ACCES- SIBILITY Smart solutions for better communication, online meetings, real-time collaboration, file sharing and document management have been well-received by globally distributed teams. The reason is simple – organisations and individuals both gravitate towards tools that make daily tasks simpler. network security have sprung to the fore- front. Attackers have taken notice of the rapid adoption of cloud services and are always trying to find new ways to exploit vulnerabilities. Data security, privacy and encryption are some of the main concerns when enabling remote access to corporate assets. This further means that communi- cations between collaboration hardware and the cloud need to be secure. While organisations are not willing to compromise on security when making cost-saving decisions, they do not want to expend any unnecessary resources in securing the perimeter-less network. Thus, security must be an integral part of all col- laboration tools. Most cloud providers understand these challenges, which is why secure collaboration is an integral part of platform and application development. SCALABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY Cloud is scalable, which means business- es can alter their IT deployments to suit existing needs and adjust resources and functionalities to enhance efficiency. Cloud providers offer a myriad of busi- ness applications in their cloud suites that help optimise resources and overall per- formance. The ability to integrate with shared services allows users to switch between editing documents, shared dash- boards and planners, and group chat, video and voice calls. Another significant benefit of using cloud team collaboration solutions is their ability to connect with other applications and workflows seam- lessly through secure remote access. As business technologies grow, cloud implementation will gain momentum as a vital component for business success. It pro- vides today’s organisations with an array of benefits and is sure to be a valuable invest- ment for future business success. The benefits of cloud collaboration are endless, which is why many organisations are already using cloud-based solutions. From increasing data security to enabling mobile access and cutting costs, embrac- ing cloud-based technologies is beneficial By enabling businesses to streamline communications, reduce downtime and facilitate collaboration, cloud can impact productivity in several ways. The flexibility to work remotely allows users to manage daily tasks without the restrictions of physical boundaries. Employees today expect to be connected, and cloud makes it possible to work from anywhere, any device, at any hour during the day. By selecting the right business produc- tivity suite, organisations can take advan- tage of integrated cloud-based productivi- ty apps that make it easier to create, com- municate and collaborate. It also allows the distributed teams to access their workplace software on any device and save it online, making it easy to create and share from anywhere. EASE OF MANAGEMENT Reliable cellular connectivity has support- ed remote work adoption and in turn, led to the generation of vast amounts of data. As data becomes more complex, organisa- tions can leverage the cloud to collect, store and analyse this data. It enables IT teams to manage users, provision devices, view analytics, and configure security and compliance policies, regardless of where they are situated. With a cloud collaboration solution, all documents and conversations are in a sin- gle, easy-to-access location, making it easy to track conversations and files. These solutions are also backed by the technical expertise of developers and IT professionals from cloud providers. COST-SAVING Due to advances in technology, changes in hardware and software are expected frequently. One of the benefits of introduc- ing business productivity apps into daily work processes is the reduction in costs. Using cloud-based applications, profes- sionals can easily collaborate, whether they are working remotely or in the office. Businesses can enhance workflow effi- ciencies by adopting collaborative tools established by cloud technologies. SECURITY Using collaboration solutions means that audio and video streams need to be shared both inside and outside of the fire- wall. Since remote work has expanded the network parameters beyond physical boundaries, concerns around corporate (35) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020(36) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.com By Anthony Perridge, VP of International at ThreatQuotient Defence-in-depth is a philosophy that we are all familiar with, layer- ing security controls throughout and IT systems so that if one fails or, if vulnerability is exploited, another is there to prevent an attack. Having become standard practice for the vast majority, this sounds like a great approach, right? Well, perhaps wrong. If the slew of head- lines about compromises and breaches - as well as the velocity at which they occur - are to be believed, it has not worked. Therefore, despite all its promise, perhaps defence-in-depth has failed us. But why? The main issue stems from the fact that each layer of defence has been a point product – a disparate technology that has its own intelligence and works within its own silo, resulting in three key challeng- es. First, silos can make it difficult to share intelligence – between tools or even teams – in any real way. Second, manage- ment complexity grows exponentially as you add additional management consoles for an already stretched security team. And third, these silos of technology act as an obstacle course for the attacker. As the saying goes, “every obstacle is an opportunity”, and attackers capitalise on that, successfully navigating this obsta- cle course every day until they accomplish their mission whether it is to steal, disrupt or damage what’s not theirs. Granted, (36) HAS DEFENCE-IN-DEPTH FAILED US? data and aggregate and correlate logs and events. Whilst this has worked to an extent, even SIEMs have limitations. On the tech- nology front, SIEMs can be complex and can face scale challenges with today’s vol- umes of data. On the economic front, it can be costly for a company to store everything in the SIEM, thus they pick and choose what to include and what not to. The tool of choice for SOCs has been the SIEM and it has certainly helped, but the volume of data is so great that security operators still cannot keep up. They are now looking at ways to mine through the SIEM data to find threats and breaches. One use case is to apply threat data from an outside feed – commercial, indus- try, government, open source, etc. – directly to the SIEM. Using data on threats found “in the wild”, the goal is to see what indicators of compromise (IoCs) may be hidden in the vast amounts of data. In theory, applying threat feeds directly to the SIEM should work and pro- vide some relief, but in reality, this approach creates new and additional chal- lenges for multiple reasons: Lack of context - SIEMs can only apply limited (if any) context to logs and events. Context comes from correlating events and associated indicators from inside your envi- ronment with external data on indicators, adversaries and their methods. over time adversaries have evolved, as have the technologies to catch them, how- ever, the architecture has not. So even if the course may be harder it is still a course, nonetheless. As companies layer new products and technologies they then find them- selves with numerous security prod- ucts and vendors in numerous silos. A nd, since these products are not inte- grated, each layer in the architecture creates its own logs and events, gener- ating a massive amount of data and a massive management challenge. WHERE DOES ALL THIS DATA GO, AND HOW CAN YOU KEEP UP? Recent ESG research finds that 42 percent of security professionals say their organ- isation ignores a significant number of security alerts due to the volume and more than 30 percent say they ignore more than half! In most cases it is the security operators within the Security Operations Center (SOC) that find them- selves drowning in this data as they undertake the onerous task of manually correlating logs and events for investiga- tions and other activities. WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? To overcome the data overload challenge, SIEMs emerged as a way to store all this (37) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 (37) False positives - Without context it is impossible to determine the ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ of an attack, to assess the relevance to your environ- ment. As a result, SIEMs generate fre- quent false positives. Security operators end up wasting valuable resources and time chasing problems that do not matter. Questionable relevance - Threat intelli- gence feeds only offer global risk scores based on the provider’s research and visi- bility, not within the context of their com- pany’s specific environment. Security operators using these global scores find themselves chasing ghosts. No prioritisation - Prioritisation based on company-specific parameters is imper- ative for faster decision making that improves security posture. Intelligence priority must be calculated across many separate sources (both external and inter- nal) and updated as more data and context come into the system. SIEM architecture limitations - As pre- viously mentioned, SIEMs themselves are already overwhelmed by the vast volumes oritisation based on what is relevant to a specific environment. Now, using a sub- set of threat data that has been curated into threat intelligence, the additional overlay allows the SIEM to generate fewer false positives and encounter fewer scalability issues. In addition, companies can make their entire security infrastructure more effec- tive by using this threat intelligence as the glue to integrate layers of point products within a defence-in-depth strategy. By compensating for a lack of information sharing and providing richer insights, this approach helps SOCs to accelerate threat detection and response and enhance pre- ventative technologies with protection against future threats. With less noise and streamlined oper- ations SOCs can turn obstacles into opportunities. Rather than drowning in data, they can prioritise their investiga- tions on the highest risk threats first, stop attackers from successfully navigat- ing the obstacle course and improve security posture. of logs and events defence-in-depth gener- ates. Adding millions and millions of addi- tional data does not scale in an affordable way. In addition, SIEMs were built as a reactive technology to gather logs and events that previously occurred. Aggregating threat data and intelligence to correlate, contextualise and prioritise in a proactive manner is not a SIEM’s pri- mary design. The result? Indicators of compromise are missed; scarce resources are squan- dered and attacks still succeed. HOW CAN OBSTACLES BE TURNED INTO OPPORTUNITIES? SOCs need to take a page from attackers and successfully navigate this obstacle course. By automatically applying con- text, relevance and prioritisation to threat data prior to applying it to the SIEM, the SIEM becomes more efficient and effective. Customised threat intelli- gence scores based on parameters you set, coupled with context, allows for pri- Anthony Perridge, VP of International at ThreatQuotient.Per Johansson, general manager, Robert Bosch Middle East discusses how the evolution of sensor technology is shaping the way we use wearables SHAPING THE FUTURE OF WEARABLES W e are in the third wave of sen- sor technology. Software is adding value not only to the sensor itself but to the entire system, becoming increasingly intelligent through developments in artificial intelli- gence (AI). But the legacy of the last tech- nology wave, that of sensor fusion or drawing data from multiple sensors, is still delivering wide-ranging user benefits. Our wearables continue to increase in function and through integrating tech- nology, users are gathering more data about themselves. Sensors are the key link to such a connected world and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, often mimicking the example of nature and capable of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling. Enabling such a reality are micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS) that have evolved to become silicon structures that are sometimes far thin- ner than a human hair. These structures enable them to detect the tiniest move- ments and convert them into electrical signals. MEMS can share this informa- tion making them the sensory organs of the technical world. The MEMS sensor portfolio includes accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetome- ters and environmental sensors, inertial measurement units (IMUs) and smart sensors – as well as a comprehensive portfolio of software and tool. For example, our latest range (the BMI270) includes intuitive gesture, con- text and activity recognition with an integrated plug-and-play step counter, which is specially optimised for accurate step counting in wrist-worn devices. The IMU is also well suited for other types of wearable devices, such as hearables, Per Johansson, general manager, Robert Bosch Middle East. smart clothes, smart shoes, smart glass- es, and ankle bands. A wristband personal alarm clock will make sure that not only you get up on time but also in sync with your natural biorhythm. A smartwatch can improve your health by detecting poor air quali- ty in your environment. Smart fitness wear can improve the efficiency of your workout by measuring your speed and calorie consumption. At the heart of these devices are IMUs and global positioning system (GPS) sen- sors are predominantly present in sport wearables but can be programmed for different needs. These technologies con- tinue to support wearables make signifi- cant strides in their evolution, achieving considerable computing power in record time in ever shrinking sizes. Physical activities, whether walking or playing sports, consist of specific sequen- tial repetitive movements that MEMS sensors gather as data. With the right building blocks in place, consumer-prod- uct manufacturers can apply machine learning techniques to classify and anal- yse this data. There are several possible approaches, ranging from logistic regres- sion to deep learning neural networks. Incorporation of AI is also making inroads into these tiny sensors. Bosch MEMS sensors are now learning to inter- pret human gestures. This sets the stage for further advances in device utility. For example, smartphones could learn to respond to new gestures made by people with disabilities. As an ultra-low power IMU, the BMI270 significantly extends system bat- tery life by handling multiple activity tracking, step counting and gesture rec- ognition functions independently of the main system processor, without having to wake it up, given the wearables greater range and longer usability. Powerful, accurate gesture and activity recognition features therefore run in the ultra-low power domain, with current consumption of just 30 µA. This notice- ably reduces power consumption and users can benefit from extended battery charging intervals. Greater innovation within MEMS can come from renewing an industry focus on achieving maximum user impact- deliver- ing greater robustness, accuracy and power efficiency with every iteration Advances in research are seeking to make better use out of sensors, thus improvements are made in flexibility and motion- a direction that will see greater industry investments. Technology provid- ers must foster a community (e.g. Bosch Sensortec Community) that enables devel- opers to come together to identify how the sensor technology we have access to today can provide greater value to users through applications within low power IoT devices, robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, wearables and smartphones. CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.com (38)Acer Swift 5 is a super lightweight, 14-inch laptop that is equipped with a new processor and a stronger graphics unit with Thunderbolt 3 support REVIEW: ACER SWIFT 5 The first thing that will strike you about the Swift 5 is its light- weight. The latest iteration of the Acer Swift 5 is a 14-inch sleek Ultrabook that weighs under a kilogram and has a slim and light chassis. It works best for those on the go, that need some- thing light and portable to help increase workflow and productivity. Being lightweight is nothing new for the Swift 5. Its latest version comes with 10th generation Intel processors with enhanced specs that include Wi-Fi 6 sup- port and options for Nvidia’s GeForce MX350 graphics chip. Clearly, while it is still incredibly light, it is simultaneously a lot more powerful. The Swift 5 is available in two models. Our review unit was a quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU with a full HD (1,920-by- 1,080-pixel) touchscreen, backed by 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD. It is priced at AED 4,299 and comes with Windows 10 pre-installed. The higher-spec version, priced at AED 4,999, was launched recent- ly with Intel Core i7 and 16 GB of RAM. In terms of the overall design, build and finish, the Swift 5 is incredibly good. It is slim at 14.95mm and sports ultra- thin bezels cast in a metal chassis (a magnesium-lithium alloy). Acer Swift 5 is a portable laptop constructed from super- light metal alloy and weighs 990 grams. The new Swift is respectably tough for an on-the-go portable laptop, and per- forms daily work tasks efficiently, with- out any noticeable heating. Despite its lightweight and aluminium alloy finish, this device is sturdy and weighs less than some tablet hybrids. With a 300-nit 1920x1080 IPS display, the laptop offers acceptable levels of colours, contrast and sharpness. The full HD resolution keeps all your photos and videos looking nice and crisp. While the viewing angles are good and the colours are quite vivid, it is not the most colour accurate screen. The IPS display has a matte finish that helps prevent fingerprints from touch- screen usage and keeps reflections at a minimum. Its touchscreen is responsive and works well when you want to pinch or zoom. Just like the rest of the hardware design, the keyboard lettering in gold gives the laptop a stunning appearance. Connectivity is seamless with excellent range, and the keyboard is one of the best on a Windows machine. Backlighting is back in action. You can toggle between low and high intensities or just completely switch it off using the F8 key. Since it is using Intel 10th Gen this lap- top also gets Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 and USB 3 port with Thunderbolt 3. The lap- top also comes with a full-size HDMI to plug in a monitor or TV. It does get 8 GB of R AM and 512 GB of storage, which is perfect for most everyday tasks. The power button is oddly placed at the top right, where you usually find the delete button. It will take some time to get used to but is no deal-breaker. The trackpad has integrated mouse buttons and is of reasonable size and quality. The fingerprint sensor is very responsive and works perfectly. Battery life is good enough to get you through the day easily. The Swift 5 sup- ports fast charging, so you are covered even if the battery runs low. This laptop can also be charged using the USB type C port which is convenient if you do not have a charger handy. The sound quality is nothing to brag about, but it is enough for a daily dose of Netflix or YouTube. The Swift 5 is a portable powerhouse, packed with features that are well-worth its price. It is a mid-range laptop that is meant for everyday use. Acer has packed this all-around ultra-portable device with dependable performance, solid battery life and strong connectivity. While it is not the most powerful machine you can buy, it works perfectly for daily produc- tivity and is an excellent alternative to bulkier business laptops. by Sarah Rizvi (39) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020Next >