< PreviousQUOTED 8×8 selects Oracle Cloud for secure video meeting solutions Oracle has announced that 8×8, Inc., an integrated cloud communica- tions platform, is using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to power its secure Jitsi.org and 8×8 video meeting solu- tions as it scales to handle explosive growth in users. 8×8 has seen a significant in- crease in usage across its private and secure video meetings solutions, in- cluding Jitsi Meet and 8×8 Video Meetings, exceeding 20 million monthly active users worldwide, as video conferencing has become the standard communication tool dur- ing this critical time. The company moved its video meetings services from AWS to Oracle for substantial performance enhancements—experiencing more than a 25 percent increase in per- formance per node on Oracle Gen 2 Cloud Infrastructure when com- pared with the previous cloud pro- vider—global reach, and savings of more than 80 percent in network outbound costs. 8×8 is a member of Oracle Part- nerNetwork (OPN) and will expand its go-to-market reach with Ora- cle. 8×8 video meetings solutions are available in the Oracle Cloud Marketplace, where customers can search for available applications and services to find the best business so- lutions for their organisation. 8×8 video meetings solutions are available in the Oracle Cloud Marketplace. The company moved its video meetings services from AWS to Oracle for substantial performance enhancements Ercan Aydin, regional vice president at Palo Alto Networks, Middle East and Africa. “Endpoints are the new battleground, and well- orchestrated detection and response capabilities are an organisation’s greatest weapon against attackers.” Ray Kafity, Attivo Networks // UPDATE / SECURITY / WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM //10 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / JUNE-AUGUST 2020 //Palo Alto Networks has artnered with CyberHub, an initiative by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Program- ming and Drones (SAFCSP) in coopera- tion with the Ministry of Education, to provide students from 31 universities across Saudi Arabia the opportunity to learn about the cybersecurity landscape and enhance their skillset to advance their professional careers. In line with the aims of Saudi Vision 2030 to support continued investment in education and training, this col- laboration will provide access to three online courses to the 12,000 students enrolled with CyberHub: Foundation, Gateway and Essentials, all delivered via Moodle. The first course, Founda- tion, is open from now until 30 June 2020, introducing students to today’s cybersecurity landscape, threat pre- vention and next-generation security technology for network, cloud and end- point. These initial courses will prepare students to take a formal industry-rec- ognised certification in future — Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate (PCCSA) PCCSA — provid- ing a good grounding in cybersecurity techniques for future careers. Students also have opportunities to hear directly from experts at Palo Alto Networks. Commenting on this strategic part- nership, Ercan Aydin, regional vice pres- ident at Palo Alto Networks, Middle East and Africa, said: “At Palo Alto Networks, our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one be- fore. In this difficult period where it’s not possible for students to attend their normal classes, we hope this initiative allows aspiring cybersecurity specialists to continue to study, learn and expand their knowledge, helping towards their future careers.” Palo Alto Networks and CyberHub partner Top trends in malicious activity Mimecast report – entitled 100 Days of Coronavirus - that tracks cybercrime activity since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the volume of malicious and opportunistic cybercrime across all types of cybercrime has increased significantly by 33% in the period January to March 2020. The report provides a clear picture of how malicious actors are exploiting opportunities and provides a detailed analysis of all the trends across various regions, seen by the Mimecast Threat Intelligence team. The new report has found that, in the period January to March 2020, monthly volumes of: • Spam and opportunistic cybercrime detections increased by 26.3%, • Impersonation fraud detections increased by 30.3%, • Malware detections increased by 35.16%, and • Blocking of URL clicks increased by 55.8%, meaning people are more likely now to click on unsafe links than before the outbreak. “The cybersecurity landscape has become increasingly afflicted with advanced persistent threats and zero-day exploits.” Steve Flynn, ESET “During this time of rapid change and uncertainty, businesses are dealing with a heightened need for safety and security.” Maureen Perrelli, Secureworks Alliance to enhance learning opportunities within cybersecurity to 12,000 stu- dents enrolled at 31 universities across Saudi Arabia The CyberHub aims to assist Saudi students from across the Kingdom and support student clubs in the cybersecu- rity field to match the Saudi labour mar- ket needs. SAFCSP’s objective for this initiative is to build and support tech communities to exceed over 30,000 ben- eficiaries by the end of 2020. SECURITY / UPDATE // // JUNE-AUGUST 2020 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / 11// WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM /By Sarah Rizvi n the Middle East, Acer has pri- marily been a retail player concen- trating on its mobility portfolio. Aside from retail, there has been a strong focus in the education seg- ment. Over the past few years, Acer has taken up a stepped approach to focus on its strengths and strategically ex- pand its portfolio in the region. Highlighting the vendor’s strengths in the education segment, Paul Collins, I ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL WE CAUGHT UP WITH PAUL COLLINS, GENERAL MANAGER MEA AT ACER TO TALK ABOUT STRATEGIC EXPANSION OF ACER’S PRODUCT FOCUS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND HOW THE CURRENT PANDEMIC HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND ADOPTION general manager for MEA at Acer, said: “We are the number one Chromebook supplier in the world and are very strong in the education sector. We have the big- gest chrome installation in the Middle East education sector. We also offer standard Microsoft notebooks, which is another key area that Acer is working to bring to the education market more aggressively.” As Acer expands its focus in the Middle East region, the company has made some strategic changes to its overall strategy to meet the demands that the current pan- demic has brought to the forefront. Hardware sales have been declining over the past few years. Yet, Acer has reported steep growth in revenues in the Middle East with UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait lead- ing in financial results amounting to double- digit growth in 2019 across the region. Acer attributes this success to its gaming models (desktops, notebooks and monitors) as the // INTERVIEW / ACER / WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM //12 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / JUNE-AUGUST 2020 //However, some modifications in technol- ogy implementation are expected, such as making sure that you’re using appropriate tools like Teams or Zoom or Hangouts and that these tools are secure.” Several vendors have put in much effort into developing collaboration and commu- nication tools. Also, more bandwidth is now available to individuals and consumers that was previously reserved for military and commercial enterprises. “This has enabled more customers to take advantage of the technology and tools already available to maintain business activities. We also expect an increase in the adoption of cloud-based services, especially by small businesses, need to move to a hosted environment as their existing infrastructure is unable to keep up with the changing demands.” Collins emphasised that this is an on- going process and challenges will revolve around soft issues like managing the work- force remotely, maintaining regular com- munication and keeping the remote team motivated when there is no real face to face interaction. “It seems that everyone is pre- pared for the digital workspace, from the vendors at the back-end to the customers at the front, which is why we expect an ac- celeration in the uptake of cloud and other technologies supporting remote working environment,” he added. REDIRECTION OF FUNDS TO MAIN- STREAM AND ENTERTAINMENT-ORI- ENTED COMPUTERS Collins added that the uptake in hard- ware sales will extend over a longer pe- riod and will broaden to include other hardware products as well. “Today, it is not only about working from home; it includes learning from home and en- tertainment from home. So, the average family that would usually have one PC or laptop at home, and maybe another work machine need more devices to keep up with kids’ e-learning and adults’ work- from-home requirements.” According to Collins, it was the early adopters that spiked the demand for these devices initially. “However, there’s going to be a lot of mainstream adopters and lag- gards who will drive this demand over the next year to 18 months. A large population worldwide expects things to go back to normal, but this is the beginning of a new normal. So, there will be a medium-term stimulation in the market as people move to a new way of living.” There has been a redirection of peo- ple’s disposable income to more main- stream computers and entertainment-ori- ented computers. “Although Acer’s sales are still reasonably robust, we have expe- rienced a change in demand over the last few months. Having said that, I think that entertainment from home will remain very strong and will in fact grow. Another key area that Acer is currently working on is licensing agreements.” Acer will soon launch its gaming platform in the Middle East that was first launched last year in June in Taipei. “Our eSports Planet9 is an open commu- nity platform that allows gamers to build their team, train for excellence and battle for victory. Planet9 is an online platform designed to help gamers find teammates with similar skill levels and goals. It also helps players improve by providing them with feedback about their performance. The platform is designed to allow all players to make data-backed decisions about how they can improve, what weak areas they should try to cover and what strengths they should capitalise upon.” company announced a record 94% growth in revenues in this segment. “It is true that analysts have been report- ing a decline in hardware sales globally over the last four or five years. However, a surge in gaming and demand for Chromebooks for the corporate and education sectors has cul- minated into Acer’s growth in the region.” From an immediate perspective, Col- lins added that this decline was exacer- bated by the shortfall in Intel’s production over the past year, resulting in a consider- able rise in AMD’s output over the past two to three months. Collins added that there are some short term challenges from a supply perspective for the components we get from the facto- ries and strong backlog on logistics. “Quite rightly, the average PC or monitor is not deemed as important as, say ventilators or masks or personal protection equipment. We had some shortfalls, but this is not a long-term issue, and our stocks will be available in retail stores over the next week or two,” he explained. “I don’t think we’ve seen the full extent of the spike. Although companies were talk- ing a lot about remote working in the past, it has become a reality only now, which means there are a few things that have to be in place. We have always struggled to convince customers on the need to upgrade. The pan- demic has made people realise that their hardware is not compatible with remote work requirements,” he added. On the bright side, from a technology perspective, I think the world was reason- ably prepared, added Collins. “With the UAE being primarily a knowledge econo- my, most organisations were quite ready to adapt to the demands of this pandemic. Paul Collins, general manager for MEA at Acer. ACER / INTERVIEW // // JUNE-AUGUST 2020 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / 13// WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM /REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE The tools for creating an efficient remote workplace that is not bound by brick-and- mortar are already here. But is the availability of technology enough to encourage creativity among individuals, improve performance and boost productivity? What are the measures necessary to quantify this output into tangible results for the organisation? As the world steps up its efforts to accelerate the adoption of collaboration tools and technology, Network Middle East, in association with Microsoft, explores what this reimagined workplace will look like By Sarah Rizvi // FEATURE / REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE / WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM //14 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / JUNE-AUGUST 2020 // // FEATURE / REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE / WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM //14 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / JUNE-AUGUST 2020 //echnology is a facilita- tor. It has enabled pro- fessionals to collabo- rate and communicate remotely, allowing them to complete tasks faster and more efficiently. But it is not just technology that has advanced; the workplace envi- ronment has also evolved. In just a few decades, the work- force has evolved and transitioned towards a flexible working style, al- lowing organisations and individuals to benefit from advances in workplace collaboration tools and technology. The digital era has thus given rise to the distributed workforce that has long broken the traditional centralised office paradigm. Until recently, industry analysts claimed that organisations in the Mid- dle East faced challenges in enabling the remote workforce as working from the office has been the norm in sev- eral key sectors. However, advances in technology have allowed most or- ganisations to quickly remedy this and provide employees with the flexibility, tools and resources they need to be- come more engaged and productive. Digitalisation has transformed the way work is done, acting as the cata- lyst that drove organisations around the globe to accelerate the adoption of collaboration technology and allow employees to work from home. This workplace transformation has been happening for quite some time. Communication and collaboration technologies have been the backbone of businesses as the modern workplace continued to evolve throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Further, most individuals are al- ready familiar with the basic tools for networking, document sharing, chat, web conferencing, content co- creation, site and content management and enterprise social networks. What this sudden surge in demand for re- mote collaboration has accentuated is how organisations that had already T implemented the right collaborative technology experienced relatively less disruption. WORKING TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL The evolution of digital technologies that enabled business communication started with email. The digital revo- lution in the mid twentieth century spurred the emergence of the infor- mation age and has paved the way for more efficient and effective ways of getting work done. Over the past few decades, tech- nolog y capabilities and collaboration tools have come a long way in broad- ening the ability to communicate and make employees more productive. As the digital landscape became more elaborate and sophisticated, the solely on-premise IT infrastructure was supported by advanced cloud computing options. Consequently, the digital work- place has expanded to include tools that support existing processes and workflows in a more automated, ef- ficient way. Such tools add flexibility and mobility to accommodate remote work and globally distributed teams. Collaboration is very important, especially in a workplace where dif- ferent people come together and work as one towards the same goal. What has changed over the years is how we collaborate. Team collaboration apps can pro- vide organisations with the tools they need to support remote work manage- ment and engagement. While collabo- ration technology has advanced leaps and bounds to improve employee expe- rience, boosting user productivity and engagement, research indicates that employees typically use a mere 10 per cent of the functionality of any enter- prise application, which is neither ef- ficient nor conducive to productivity. The remote working trend is ac- celerating in the modern workforce, which is eager to adopt a centralised tool or platform to ensure business REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE / FEATURE // // JUNE-AUGUST 2020 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / 15// WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM /// WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM /continuity and maintain a better work-life balance. Although there’s a crowded field of digital solutions available, organisations need to think critically to choose a comprehensive collaboration tool that suits their workf low and purpose. After the organisation has crafted a work-from-home strategy, it is es- sential to evaluate and translate this into tangible outcomes. Essentially, employee performance will be de- termined by outcomes and whether an employee is meeting measurable benchmarks or goals. An approach that is independent of the hours clocked-in that instead relies on deliverables and achievements will in itself enhance the productivity of the remote team. The ‘always-on’ business mental- ity has brought real-time collabora- tion to the forefront emphasising how timely investment can streamline processes and offer cutting-edge ca- pabilities to teams in need of competi- tive solutions. Businesses that favour collaboration tools that boost pro- ductivity, engagement and creativity will gain a powerful edge in this ever- evolving digital era. The need of the hour is to make sure that the available technology and resources are utilised to their full po- tential. A gap between the remote work policy and the infrastructure provided to the workforce can work against the ultimate goal of improving productiv- ity and retention. Today’s organisations need to be prepared for the unpredictable, for a disruption whose duration and im- pacts may be unknown. To facilitate this change, there needs to be a cultur- al shift at the boardroom level to en- courage remote work as a rule rather than an exception. This does not mean that the future workplace is one devoid of human con- tact. The reimagined workplace will be a hybrid of the office as a central loca- tion that can seamlessly branch out to connect remotely. It will soon become the new normal and urge employees to be more adaptable, to be productive no matter where and how they work. This new normal will define the workplace as one that combines the best-in-class technologies with a secure, contextual and unified experience, independent of any network or device. THE NEW NORMAL Remote teams need to collaborate cohesively, feel connected no mat- ter where they are working from, and function effectively regardless of dis- tance. However, workplace flexibility can only benefit the employees and the organisation if the technology infra- structure allows people to be at least as productive and efficient at home as they would be in the office. The past few decades have wit- nessed unparalleled changes in col- laboration technology, and organisa- tions (and individuals) must leverage the innovation that the digital era has to offer. As more and more millennials enter the workforce, the way end-users go about their daily jobs is bringing forth several unique transformational aspects of collaboration and communi- cations evolution. The reimagined workplace will ben- efit from investments in infrastructure that include 5G connectivity and high- speed internet access that will become the norm rather than a luxury. Such a workforce will enjoy more flexible ap- proaches to work/life balance from dif- ferent geographical locations. // FEATURE / REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE / WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM //16 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / JUNE-AUGUST 2020 //the manufacturer not securing their servers properly. SMART DOORBELLS These days, you needn’t even get up from your bed or couch to see who’s at the door or even to open it. Well, that’s the convenience a smart doorbell in combination with a smart lock affords you; you can just check from your smart- phone. You might think that the conveni- ence is usually worth the price, with an extra safety boon that some doorbells record all of the movement that takes place in front of them. While everyone can appreciate the effort to keep your family and home safe, you have to do your due diligence on smart doorbells before buying one. For example, one particular model uploaded The IoT revolution has even swept our households with a whole range of smart home appliances ranging from smart tea kettles to smart washing machines to smart fridges. Being able to manage most of your household from your smartphone may be convenient, but are the gadgets you choose safe? Here are some of the IoT gizmos that may, for convenience’s sake, infringe on your privacy. CHILD TRACKERS AND WATCHES The priority of any parent is to keep their children safe. In a bid to keep track of their offspring in a steadily more digitised world, some parents opt for smartwatches with tracking capabilities. But not all kid track- ers are a great choice – if you want to buy an off-brand smartwatch, you should most definitely be picky about what you’re choosing. Unfortunately, manufactur- ers may have gaping holes in, for example, the security of their servers and that could inadvert- ently put your children at risk instead of keeping them safe. Case in point: with one smartwatch model, researchers were able to access the location, phone num- ber, photos, and conversations of well over 5,000 children, due to Got something to say? If you have any comments to make on this issue, please e-mail: Sarah.Rizvi@itp.com Amer Owaida Is IoT infringing your privacy? In the rush to embrace IoT devices, we shouldn’t trade in our privacy and security for the added convenience. snapshots every time someone moved in front of them; you’d think that was nor- mal but, curiously, there was no way to access these snapshots or find out where they were being uploaded. SMART SECURITY CAMERAS Keeping up with the security theme, another popular type of IoT device is the smart security camera. Since they are IoT devices, logically they are connected to the internet and their safety depends solely on how well the connection and the data are secured. Unfortunately, cheap IP camera models aimed at pro- tecting your family and belongings are among the most-hacked devices. And since cheap devices are manufactured in a similar manner, they share similar vulnerabilities. It isn’t just direct attacks customers should worry about, but bugs as well. One such bug in a Xiaomi device shared random images from strangers’ homes with other camera owners. SMART HOME HUBS The smart home hub is at the centre of your connected home devices. It uni- fies all of the IoT devices under it – such as the security cameras, smart doorbell, lights and other smart gadgets. And smart hubs aren’t just used to monitor and control smart homes, but they’re used to control environments in busi- nesses as well. Amer Owaida, security writer at ESET. AMER OWAIDA / BYLINE // // JUNE-AUGUST 2020 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / 17// WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM /Building digital societies for citizens and businesses Since the emer- gence of cloud computing and the consumerisation of IT through smartphones and tablets, gov- ernments in the Arab Gulf have led the world in their response to the new technologies. Capitalis- ing on high device and Internet penetration rates, the region’s leaders have infused their pub- lic sectors with the capacity to To meet employees’ training needs, raise their productivity and provide them with the knowledge, skills and positive behavioural trends necessary for the development of administrative work, The Institute of Public Administration selected Pure Storage Case study An ‘evergreen’ business model deliver digital societies that gener- ate jobs and benefit economies at large. In Saudi Arabia, national pro- grammes to diversify GDP away from oil are ongoing and focus primarily on training public-sector em- ployees so that they can serve citizens and busi- nesses more efficiently. Saudi Arabia’s In- stitute of Public Ad- ministration (IPA) was founded in 1961, un- der the kingdom’s Royal Decree No. 93. The IPA is tasked with the continual education of public employees with a view to enhance their efficiency. IPA’s 2,000 employees play a central role in the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transfor- mation Plan for economic development. The IPA is also responsible for the administrative or- ganisation of govern- ment departments and undertakes frequent research projects in this area. 40% Reduction in TCO with Evergreen business model // CASE STUDY / INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM //18 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / JUNE-AUGUST 2020 //SUMMARY Objective • Legacy systems mixing SSDs and HDDs resulted in high la- tency, a large footprint, and high CAPEX and OPEX • Disruption in availability for business-critical applications Solution IPA plays a central role in the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transforma- tion Plan for economic develop- ment. The all-flash, 100%-NVMe technology from Pure Storage, coupled with its Evergreen Storage business model, provides 24/7 availability and high performance for IPA’s most critical business applications, so the organisa- tion can deliver on its promise of excellence. IPA relies on Pure to meet employees’ training needs, raise their productivity, and provide them with the knowledge, skills, and positive behavioural trends necessary for the development of administrative work. Results • 40% reduction in TCO • Sub-millisecond latency for nomination and admission pro- cess—two of IPAs most critical applications • Evergreen business model delivers zero downtime for maintenance or upgrades needs to have rapid response—high latency is not an option.” OILING THE WHEELS OF WORK- FLOW IPA’s training programs are the pri- mary means by which it fulfils its core objective to ensure that all public em- ployees are working at optimum effi- ciency. If the online systems govern- ing the workflow—from nomination to course completion—falter, the in- stitute cannot deliver on its promise of excellence. “These programs are designed to meet middle-level executives’ train- ing needs, raise their productivity, and provide them with the knowledge, skills, and positive behavioural trends necessary for the development of ad- ministrative work,” Al-Jebaly adds. The institute’s legacy infrastruc- ture was no longer sufficient to meet operational goals. Because of IPA’s ca- pacity needs, its needs a high-availa- bility and low-latency storage system. The data centre is 80% virtualised and leverages shared storage facilities to support the availability of virtual ma- chines. All mission-critical applica- tions store production data—a major asset for the IPA—on those systems, so the highest availability is critical. “We were using legacy systems with a mixture of SSDs and HDDs, leaving us with high latency, a large footprint, and high CAPEX and OPEX,” says Al-Jebaly. “The upskilling of public servants is at the heart of what we do here at the IPA,” says Ahmad Al-Jebaly, di- rector of the IPA’s Networks and Op- erations Department. “We run train- ing courses on a regular basis and the performance of our data-center in- frastructure has the potential to have deep impact on our most important service for clients, which is the nomi- nation and admission process. This We were looking for a storage solution that was the best in its category, capable of pro- viding consistent performance and low latency for servers and applications. With the Pure Storage NVMe technology in place, we not only achieved this, but also reduced our CAPEX and OPEX.” Ahmad Al-Jebaly, Director of Networks and Operations Department CLIENT The Institute of Public Administration was founded by the instrument of Royal Decree no. 93 of 10.4.1961, as a body-corporate, autonomous government agency. The purpose of its establishment was to increase the efficiency of public employees and educate them, so as to make them capable of shouldering their responsibilities and use their jurisdiction in a manner that would raise the level of administration and support the foundation of national economic development. In addition, the IPA contributes to the administrative organisation of government departments, offers consultations on administrative problems referred to it by government ministries and agencies, undertakes administrative research works, and enhances cultural ties in the field of public administration. INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / CASE STUDY // // JUNE-AUGUST 2020 / NETWORK MIDDLE EAST / 19// WWW.NETWORKMIDDLEEAST.COM /Next >