EDITORIAL
03 3
RESUMING WITH THE NEW NORMAL
PUBLISHED BY Business Media International REGISTERED OFFICE: Office 10, Sharjah Media City www.bmi-digital.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Raman Narayan narayan@bmimea.com Mob: 971-55-7802403 SALES DIRECTOR Ankit Shukla ankit@bmimea.com Tel: 971-4-2618885, Mob: 971-55-2572807
In the past few months, Businesses have revealed their determination not to be overwhelmed by the challenges that the pandemic has thrown at them. Resuming work on remote basis and in part with partial attendance of employees at the office in line with safety guidelines, they have kept the business moving ahead. They are not out of the woods yet and the only way is to keep moving ahead. Along the way, they are possibly achieving some transformations in their work processes and technologies used that is bound to make them more fine-tuned in terms of performance and costs. These are tough times no doubt but those who think far ahead beyond the pandemic and act accordingly to sustain their Business will surely make it that far. Consumers may need some flexibility in payments during these times especially but generally at all times. Payment models like the ‘By now, pay later’ seem to strengthen consumer confidence and keep the spending on the healthier side. Digital payment models and those models which bring in flexibility and inclusiveness for people who may not have banking access are quite the need of the hour. Turn to this issue’s cover story on how some of the new FinTech entrants in the UAE and the larger region are introducing new ways of payments and ushering in wider inclusiveness for all consumers. On the other hand, technology frameworks like RPA have also been seeing higher rates of adoption. Quite clearly, there is a need for human workers to acquire higher grade skills. There is a need to prepare for career upgradation even while being on a current job. And that comes with identifying larger trends in your domain and around it. If you sniff a dead end approaching sometime soon in the future for your kind if job, act fast – upgrade to higher skills and adopt or make a smart career change.
DESIGN Sunil Kumar design@bmimea.com
R. Narayan Editor in Chief, Smart SMB
Management Chairman S.N. Tiwari
CEO Saumyadeep Halder
Publisher Raman Narayan
Managing Director Ankit Shukla
sn.tiwari@bmimea.com
narayan@bmimea.com
saumyadeep@bmimea.com
ankit@bmimea.com
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to validate the accuracy of all information included in the magazine, the publishers wouldn’t be liable for any errors therein Copyright@2019 Business Media International LLC. All rights reserved.
August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS COPING WITH COVID-19 LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY - PG 16
Cover Feature
SPOTLIGHT CIO CONCERNS DURING COVID-19 - PG 22
COLUMN FINTECH RISING – PG 18
The era of digital cashless payments is all set to accelerate with arrival of new Fintech providers
IN FOCUS LEADERS WITH TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUND LIKELY TO DELIVER MORE VALUE – PG 11 CSR IS KEY TO COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR BUSINESSES IN DUBAI, SURVEY FINDS - PG 12 SURVEY REVEALS BUSINESSES ARE INVESTING IN TECH TO OFFSET THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 - PG 13
TALKPOINT
STRATEGY - PG 19 BUSINESS AFTER COVID-19 SALES - PG 26 NO MORE HARD-SELL: IT NEEDS TO BE A GENTLER BUSINESS DATA MANAGEMENT - PG 28
DATA PROTECTION IN THE ERA OF REMOTE WORKING RPA - PG 30 MANAGING THE NEW NORMAL WITH ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION CYBERSECURITY - PG 32 TACKLING SECURITY CHALLENGES IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC
UP TO THE CHALLENGE PG 14 SMARTSMB / August 2020
AI - PG 34 HOW AI WILL HELP CREATE A FAIRER ECONOMY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
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06 6
NEWS
RACKSPACE TECHNOLOGY LEADS ARAMEX’S MIGRATION TO PUBLIC CLOUD The Dubai-based organization has already achieved cost savings when scaling
crucial during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic where it saw around 30-40% growth in e-commerce volumes. Working with Rackspace Technology Aramex is also provided with expert cloud security, compliance services and the ability to leverage data analytics, ultimately enabling it to become cloud native.
Rackspace Technology announced that Aramex, a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions, is in the process of migrating from on-premise data centres to Amazon Web Services (AWS) following a comprehensive Professional Services consultation. Aramex, which moved more than 103 million shipments globally last year, started its cloud journey with the creation of one of the largest data lakes in the Middle East and the deployment of machine learning models in areas of customer experience and last mile innovation. Through the managed public cloud environment, the Dubai-based organization has already achieved cost savings when scaling, which was SMARTSMB / August 2020
“Our journey to becoming cloud native is vital to the future growth and innovation of the business,” said Mohammed Sleeq, Chief Digital Officer at Aramex. “Modernizing our core landscape is more important than ever before given the current industry dynamics which is fueled by the consistent growth of e-commerce. We embarked on a pivotal shift of our IT environment and the collaboration between our internal team and that of AWS and Rackspace Technology is critical to the success of the program.” In the next stage of the project, Rackspace Technology will be working closely with Aramex on the modernization of the company’s extensive 60+ applications. “Working with Aramex is a hugely exciting project for us,” said George Pawlyszyn, General Manager, Middle East and Africa, Rackspace Technology. “Aramex has already noticed such important benefits from our work together, which is great validation for the efforts of all involved. The ongoing work will further enhance its market leading position allowing for even more innovation and agility.”
Zoho launches Bigin, a pipeline-centric CRM solution for small businesses Bigin has telephony, customer pipelines, and automation to help small and micro businesses transform their customer relationship Zoho Corporation unveiled Bigin, a new pipeline-centric CRM software designed and priced specifically for small and micro businesses. Businesses can onboard within 30 minutes on Bigin and start keeping track of their customers and improving customer relationships without worrying about high costs or complicated features.
NEWS
“Small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities and with business owners struggling more than ever right now, our goal is to bring them world-class customer relationship management technology at an extremely affordable price,” said Hyther Nizam, President MEA, Zoho Corp. "We created Bigin to help small businesses achieve maximum growth with a minimal learning curve. Small businesses can stop relying on dozens of spreadsheets to manage customer activities and instead move to a CRM that is easy to use and allows them to focus on growing and building strong customer relationship. “ Bigin is a pipeline-centric CRM solution focused on small businesses who do not need an elaborate, end-to-end CRM. If businesses outgrow Bigin, they can upgrade to Zoho CRM with ease. Bigin supports 26 languages, including Arabic, and is a part of Zoho One. Bigin allows users to get up and running within 30 minutes. With the option to create multiple pipelines with fully customizable stages, Bigin empowers small businesses to run their distinct customer operations inside their CRM. Making and receiving calls anytime, anywhere is made possible through Telephony that allows users to choose from a range of popular telephony providers, such as RingCentral, Knowlarity and BT Cloud Phone, in Zoho PhoneBridge Marketplace. Bigin pulls information on each customer and prospect that is being called, helping users to have informed conversations. Bigin helps sales reps drastically cut down the time spent on repetitive manual tasks with easy-to-create automated workflows. Real-time notifications from prospects are delivered inside the CRM. Additionally, Bigin’s out-ofthe-box analytics dashboards with charts and KPIs empower businesses to make smarter decisions based on data and up-to-date key performance metrics. Users can manage emails, stay updated with their pipeline, and access key business information in real time with Bigin’s mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. The billing for Bigin is AED 25/user/ month, billed annually.
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PURE HEALTH SELECTS BIOS MIDDLE EAST (BIOS) FOR CLOUD AND MANAGED SERVICES All servers, networking, storage, security and backups are fully managed by BIOS UAE-based Pure Health – The GCC’s largest laboratory network with over 117 laboratories in the UAE– has signed an agreement with BIOS Middle East, GCC’s leading cloud and managed service provider for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which features hosting for Pure Health’s core Laboratory Information System (LIS) on CloudHPT. CloudHPT, is a fully owned and managed cloud delivered by BIOS. An intricate infrastructure of over 20 servers was delivered in under two days to Pure Health for application installation and testing. All servers, networking, storage, security and backups are fully managed by BIOS, ensuring Pure Health only focuses on the LIS application. Purehealth hosted LIS is an automated platform that reads and collects patient’s data, resulting in minimal manual input and accelerating the screening process. Purehealth takes pride in adopting to state-of-the-art technologies in their vision of being an advanced data-driven organization capable of meeting the increased expectations for modern pathology services. Even in its emergency response to the Covid19 situation, Purehealth IT have adopted multiple technologies to streamline operation and integrated with government entities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates. “BIOS Middle East is pleased to be the cloud partner of Pure Health. We look forward to working with Pure Health and supporting them with a clear, secure and simple path to the cloud,” said Dominic Docherty, Managing Director, BIOS Middle East.
“CloudHPT’s fixed pricing and comprehensive support makes it easy for Pure Health to meet its strategic and business goals,” said Adnan Asif, Chief Technology Officer at Pure Health. Pure Health currently has four labs in the UAE dedicated to COVID-19 testing, in the capital Abu Dhabi Dubai and in Sharjah. Accordingly, this is the “largest COVID-19 testing capability in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia” with the capacity to perform 80,000 tests daily. “We have been collaborating with healthcare providers and authorities in this screening initiative across the nation since the beginning of the crises. Pure Health has been conducting COVID-19 tests in more than 15 collection centers and four processing locations in the UAE. We will soon increase our capacity,” said Adnan. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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NEWS
Majid Al Futtaim boosts Carrefour’s online capabilities Opens largest dedicated fulfilment centre
Moro Hub inaugurates its Smart Cities Command and Control Centre The new centre will allow digital leaders to make well-informed decisions based on data-driven analysis
Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia — has opened its largest Carrefour online fulfilment centre. Located in Dubai’s Al Garhoud area, the facility has been set up to ensure the quick and efficient preparation and delivery of products to online shoppers across the emirate.
24/7. The centre is staffed by over 250 colleagues, fulfilling customers’ needs with a range of over 8,000 essential grocery products.
The opening of the fulfilment centre was attended by His Excellency, Omar Al Olama, Minister for State of Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence and Remote Work Applications; Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim — Holding; Hani Weiss, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim — Retail, and a number of representatives from Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management.
Hani Weiss, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim — Retail, said: “Since the beginning of 2020, the grocery retail sector has rapidly evolved in line with changing customer expectations. We had an ambitious plan to scale up our e-grocery business this year, but at the height of the pandemic we found ourselves implementing what was initially conceived as a 12-month strategy in just 12 days. COVID-19 has brought about an unprecedented acceleration of digital adoption, and this has required us to be agile in our operations and mindset. This creative resolve has enabled us to quickly enhance our online capabilities to cater to the new norm.
Visible from planes landing at the nearby Dubai International Airport, the Al Garhoud fulfilment centre spans 5,000 square metres. The centre was built in five weeks in response to the exponential growth in online shopping following the COVID-19 pandemic. It handles up to 3,000 daily orders, which will gradually increase to 5,000 orders per day, and is operational
The Al Garhoud fulfilment centre is the tenth and largest opened by Majid Al Futtaim following the extraordinary demand on Carrefour’s online service during the COVID-19 outbreak. Carrefour delivers products ranging from fresh food items to household items straight to shoppers’ doorsteps across the UAE.
SMARTSMB / August 2020
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has inaugurated today the Smart Cities Command and Control Centre of Moro Hub (Data Hub Integrated Solutions), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DEWA. As a Dubai 10X enabler, Moro Hub's new centre provides services in Intelligent IoT Platforms, Cyber Security and Managed Services to support the Government and Enterprise customers in their digital transformation journey. The UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai 10X initiatives have defined a leading role in the adoption of digital technologies. This has led to the UAE government increasing efforts in boosting its citi-
NEWS
zen happiness index, ensuring performance excellence to its government entities and providing citizens and residents with the best place to live. Aligning with the government directives, Moro Hub's cutting edge Smart Cities Command and Control Centre enables Government and Enterprise clients to fast track the adoption of new-age digital technologies such as IoT, Cyber Security, Cloud and more. The new centre will allow digital leaders to make well-informed decisions based on data-driven analysis.
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Microsoft’s new Work Trend Index reveals the future of work and life The Work Trends Index also found that working from home drives more empathy among colleagues
Commenting on the inauguration, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, said, "We work according to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the city of the future. We strive to achieve the objectives of the Dubai 10X initiative, which mandates the Government of Dubai to be a global leader that is 10 years ahead of all other cities through government innovation and the reformation of traditional work mechanisms. Regional clients can now benefit from innovative solutions that provide smart cities, smart buildings, fire alarm monitoring, video surveillance, environmental monitoring, energy management, M&V (measurement & validation) and associated services leveraging on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics. Clients will also enjoy Moro Hub's managed services and 24x7x365 aftersale support.
Microsoft released its second Work Trend Index report. The research gains insights combined from various sources seek to understand the experience for remote workers today and reimagine the future of work and life. The research finds that 9 to 5 workday may be fading away as people are working flexible hours from home. The insights derived from Microsoft Teams reveal that people are working more frequently in the morning and evening hours, but also on the weekends. Teams Chats outside of typical working hours have increased between 15% – 23% and spiked to nearly 200% on weekends. With most of the workforce connecting remotely in the last four months, many are wondering if physical offices will disappear in the future of work. The research indicates that work will likely be a fluid mix of in-person and remote collaboration. For instance, 82% of managers surveyed expect to have more flexible work from home policies post-pandemic. More broadly,
71% of the employees and managers reported a desire to continue working from home at least part-time. The Work Trends Index also found that working from home drives more empathy among colleagues. Some 62% of respondents said they feel more empathetic toward their colleagues now that they have a better view of life at home. In some cases, the move to more remote work is also making work more inclusive. Over half (52%) of the people we surveyed feel more valued or included as a remote contributor in meetings because everyone is now in the same virtual room. The research pointed out the importance of taking regular breaks between meetings, or punctuating long meetings with small breaks when possible. A second study found that brainwave markers associated with overwork and stress are significantly higher in video meetings than non-meeting work such as writing emails. Further, due to high levels of sustained concentration fatigue begins to set in 30-40 minutes into a meeting. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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NEWS
ALADDIN.LIFE UNLOCKS SAVINGS AND VALUE FOR UAE MOBILE CONSUMERS Thousands of UAE consumers have identified massive savings or more value opportunities on their monthly mobile costs with a simple Genie search on Aladdin.life – the UAE's largest online marketplace for mobile services. Aladdin.life helps customers not only discover, compare and make informed decisions about mobile plans and services, but it also connects customers online to a network of authorised sellers of Etisalat and du. Aladdin.life features a value -added service for existing customers in the form of a Digital Assistant -Genie -that is helping users either save more or get more data and minutes allowances at no extra cost. Every day, about 1000 searches are carried out on Aladdin. life beta platform by mobile subscribers looking to unlock the best value mobile plan for their needs and budgets.
Consumers using Genie’s More Value search have identified plans with up to 10 times more data at no extra cost. 70% found more data than their current plan, 62% found at least two times as much data as their current plan, 48% found three times as much data, 33% found five times as much data and 11% found a whopping ten times as much data at no extra cost. Consumers were also able to identify plans with up to twice as many flexi minutes at no extra cost – 85% were able to find more flexi minutes than their current plan, while 63% found at least twice as many flexi minutes. Subhra Das, Founder & CEO, Aladdin. life, commented: “80% of UAE customers are possibly overpaying for their mobile monthly bills. In line with global trends, a vast majority of mobile consumers in the UAE believe they are
Subhra Das
Founder & CEO, Aladdin.life
not on the right plan, and want simple digital self-help tools to optimise their monthly costs for mobile services on an ongoing basis. We are helping consumers optimize costs and increase savings at a critical time, while promoting transparency, choice and convenience.”
OPAALA’S SMART SERVICE PLATFORM INTEGRATED INTO POS SYSTEMS TO HELP BOOST HOSPITALITY SECTOR SALES Hospitality-tech startup, Opaala, comes in as a solution to tackle the hospitality industry pitfalls following the COVID-19 outbreak with its innovative smart service system that is now integrated into multiple venues across the UAE with the objective to boost sales and provide contactless interactions. The highly in-demand technology provides a seamless solution to allow hotels, restaurants, nightlife spots, and beach clubs to navigate a new, promising era of hospitality. With the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns delivering hard blows to the hospitality and food & beverage industries across the UAE, lack of staff is evident within a variety of venues as businesses struggle to rake in sales, resulting in an endless cycle of no staff, bad customer service, and low sales on repeat. With SMARTSMB / August 2020
‘self-ordering’ system designed to streamline the dine-in process. Opaala’s smart service platform can be integrated into most POS systems and has already greatly improved sales from venues that have suffered during the COVID-19 period, and boasts partnerships with great brands such as Nikki Beach Club, Lah Lah Restaurant, Riva Beach Club, Anantara and more.
Opaala’s smart service platform integrated into Point-of-Sales (POS) systems, venues can be assured to see a noticeable boost in revenue with its simple ‘tap’ of a Quick Response (QR) code technology that enables a
Opaala changes the traditional ‘8-step service model’ by reducing staff costs, eliminating service wait times, and increasing revenue through a contactless, app-free, mobile-powered solution. With Opaala, customers can simply scan a QR code, browse through high-design, interactive menus where they can place orders, enter dietary requirements, request for the assistance of a waiter, and call for the bill all through their mobile browsers.
IN FOCUS
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SURVEY SUGGEST LEADERS WITH TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUND LIKELY TO DELIVER MORE VALUE The widely held view is in the backdrop of increased digital disruption in business models organisations adapt to fast-changing market dynamics, changing business models and employee mobilization. During the pandemic, UAE businesses highlight the benefits of modernised applications, for example, to enhance their performance and resilience. Almost two thirds (63%) of respondents highlighted the role of modernised apps to enable employees to work remotely, and 42% referenced their ability to continuously push updates in response to the changing landscape, while 49% said it would enable reliable uptime.
Hassan Hamade
Senior Technologist, EMEA
CEOs and executive leadership positions should be filled by people with technology career backgrounds, such as app or software development, if businesses are to be more successful, says four fifths (80%) of business leaders in the UAE. New research from Vanson Bourne, commissioned by VMware, finds international recognition that elevating technology team members into leadership roles drives significant value for the entire organisation. When identifying specific benefits, nearly three quarters (70%) of business leaders in the UAE highlight improved efficiency across the whole organisation – a figure that was 20% higher than the EMEA average, while 50% recognise increased business performance, 58% greater innovation potential, and 50% better customer experiences. This sits against a backdrop of seismic disruption, where digital transformation – the way technology transforms or enhances business models – has been validated in helping leaders and their
In fact, 90% of app developers and technology leaders in the UAE believe that without successfully modernising applications, organisations will not be able to deliver a best-in-class customer experience. This is echoed by the global executive community; more than 80% of whom believe that enhancing application portfolios will improve the customer experience, which is directly tied to revenue growth. “Business leaders have never been at the helm of so much change, so those with an inherent knowledge of technology and an understanding of how applications can help them adapt to any market conditions and shape their future performance and resiliency have a real advantage. Indeed, three quarters of the world’s business leaders agree that a ‘technology inside’ leadership skillset will bring success,” said Rasheed Al-Omari, Principal Business Solutions Strategist, SEMEA, VMware. “From the tens of millions of people and students now working and educating from home to Governments creating contacting tracing apps in months, to banks being able to scale to provide significant revenue streams, to businesses and retailers looking at digital platform options almost overnight, this pandemic has
Rasheed Al-Omari
Principal Business Solutions Strategist, SEMEA, VMware
driven a decade of digital transformation in a few months. Hassan Hamade, Senior Technologist, EMEA, added: “It is the ability to get these defining, business apps – that deliver information and services into the hands of users, where needed – that creates success and genuinely drives customer engagement. Leadership with technology in its DNA combined with a software-enabled digital foundation to serve up these digital services is a winning combination.” Findings reveal that high-performing companies in EMEA have a more efficient and effective development rate of applications. Two thirds (66%) of new applications make it through to production in high-performing companies, compared to 41% within underperforming organisations, while 70% of application efforts make it to production in the planned timeframe in high-performing organisations, compared with just 41% in underperforming. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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IN FOCUS MANUFACTURING
CSR IS KEY TO COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR BUSINESSES IN DUBAI, SURVEY FINDS Businesses investing in CSR were able to respond more effectively to new challenges created by Covid-19.
that should be implemented to ensure employee safety.
Changing attitudes
For the most part, companies put environmental issues were put on the backburner as they dealt with the impact of Covid-19 and shifted their focus to internal matters. Referring to recent CSR activities, respondents said they considered such efforts as an obligation or “the right thing to do”, as opposed to an initiative designed to improve their reputation. The study analysing businesses’ responses to Covid-19 is a follow up to an in-depth report recently published by Dubai Chamber entitled Corporate Social Responsibility in Dubai: Current Practices, Challenges and Future Opportunities, which revealed that more businesses are now consistent and systematic in their approach to CSR and engage in CSR initiatives aligned with business strategies.
B
usinesses in Dubai investing in corporate social responsibility were able to respond more effectively to new challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new survey from Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Centre for Responsible Business. The survey, conducted in May and June 2020, revealed that the Dubai businesses community quickly responded during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak by safeguarding employee health, safety and wellbeing and putting processes in place to ensure business continuity.
Digital shift
Overall, the transition for businesses to remote working was smooth thanks to a number of factors such as digital preparedness, advanced IT infrastructure and digital savvy employees. Surveyed organisations highlighted the importance of top management in reassuring employee safety and job security while working from home, while ensuring healthy interaction with peers and physical and emotional wellbeing. In response to restrictions on face-to-face meetings and events, companies quickly adapted by shifting employee volunteering activities to digital platforms, leading organisations to explore new ways to give back to their communities and maximise social impact. Organisations surveyed during Covid-19 emphasised the importance of institutional guidelines introduced by authorities in advising the business community on measures SMARTSMB / August 2020
Growing CSR awareness
More than half of the surveyed organisations had a formal CSR policy and 65.7% of organisations had a dedicated department or officer to manage CSR. Among the organisations that participated in the 2019 CSR survey, 62% of respondents reported a highly mature approach to employee involvement and this figure increased to 70% when in relation to health and safety. More than 70% of organizations reported that the board of directors are involved with CSR issues, while 68% of respondents reported advanced CSR practice maturity levels with employee volunteering. Large organisations were the most mature when it came to community investment. Overall, 76% of responding companies engaged with their communities. Findings in the comprehensive report show that “improving the community” was the top motivating factor behind CSR initiatives for 80% of companies, while “improve revenue” was the least motivational factor. In addition, 58% of responding organisations reported either a marginal or a significant increase in CSR expenditure over the last three years, and 42% noted that CSR spending either stayed the same or decreased over the same period. The Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) was established by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2004 to support and promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. The Centre’s objective is to engage the Dubai business community in assuming greater responsibility for the emirate’s social and environmental needs.
IN FOCUS
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SURVEY REVEALS BUSINESSES ARE INVESTING IN TECH TO OFFSET THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 Epicor Global Growth Index provides insights from business leaders across industries on key strategies, growth initiatives, and how they define success ed Covid-19 (61 percent), China-US trade dispute/tariffs (29 percent) and environmental challenges (25 percent) as the factors most likely to negatively impact business growth over the coming year. To counteract these market conditions, investments in better technology (41 percent), working more efficiently (40 percent) and better planning (39 percent) were cited as levers that organisations can pull to overcome these business challenges.
Cloud is poised to be a priority Andy Coussins
SVP & Head of International, Epicor Software Corp.
Epicor Software Corporation, announced the release of its 2020 Global Growth Index, a report that explores the growth trajectory of companies around the world and provides insight into how business leaders are using technology to support and drive growth initiatives. The index looks at the constantly changing state of growth in the manufacturing, distribution, retail and e-commerce industries along with key trends that impact the bottom line. A significant portion of the companies surveyed for the report, have reported growth, with 71 percent reporting an increase in profits and 61 percent seeing an increase in market share over a 12 month period from April 2019 through to March 2020. However, growth projections for the next 12 months have been tempered given some of the challenges organisations have faced. Not surprisingly, organisations report-
• Cloud technology is set to be a key strategic priority, with one out of four respondents saying they will prioritise investing in it in 2020. • When asked about key technology trends that are expected to be emerging over the next 12-18 months, cloud was chosen as the second most likely to have the biggest positive, direct impact on future industry growth.
Investments in AI and Big Data are paying off
• AI is driving growth and proving worth the investment for most organisations, with more than 80 percent of respondents reporting that AI delivered business value in 2 years or less. According to 85 percent of total respondents AI was driving growth overall. • Big data analytics is driving growth and proving worth the investment for most organisations, by optimising operations (43 percent), increasing sales (44 percent) and improving profitability (45 percent). “2020 has been a year characterised by significant disruption to organisations of all sizes and across most, if not all, industries. These disruptions have accelerated digital transformation agendas for many; the trends identified in the Epicor Global Growth
Index confirm that businesses will look to technology and IT infrastructure to drive company growth in the next 12 months. This continued investment will be important for companies to maintain business resilience, adapt to global volatility, and stay flexible as the market changes,” commented Andy Coussins, SVP and Head of International, Epicor Software Corp.
Other key findings from the report include: • Importance of skills and teams: Interestingly, respondents noted that in order to fully harness new technologies, organisations need to ensure they have the right skills and resources in house. Investment in staff training and education (40 percent), putting together the right team to manage processes (34 percent) and hiring of additional staff with new skills (33 percent) were cited as the top three critical success factors. • Indicators of successful growth: 29 percent of respondents cited improved customer satisfaction and retention as the most important indicator of a successful growing business in their industry. This was followed by healthy margins and growing profits (22 percent) and an increase in brand awareness, marketing & advertising (22 percent). • Increasing competitiveness: Most companies surveyed are using excellent customer service (51 percent), superior product quality (47 percent) and customer trust (45 percent) to increase company competitiveness. • Impact on supply chain: Increasing global competition (41 percent), regulation changes (39 percent) and tax implications (35 percent) were cited as the top three factors that would most significantly impact the company’s supply chain. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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TALKPOINT
Up to the challenge D
-Link has been weathering the challenges that the current pandemic has thrown up in conducting Business as usual through adhering to all safety guidelines while running operations. With smart new additions to its portfolio, the manufacturer looks poised to catch up with the time lost to the pandemic. Harrison Albert, Regional Director, D-Link Middle East & Africa shares some details of the company’s strategic adjustments and new launches
How is the company weathering the COVID-19 impact on business? We were able to successfully absorb the impact of COVID-19, both internally and externally. The safety of our employees precedes any business matter, and that’s how it should be across any organization. D-Link Middle East implemented work from home policies much before the official lockdown in the UAE. Being a leader in networking and cloud solutions, we were able to swiftly and efficiently make the move to digital workloads. D-Link made sure employees had access to the corporate networks in a secure manner. We had several virtual meetings educating our staff about security and the importance of being extra alert during this time. Besides meetings for work, we also ensured employees have access to the right kind of sources when it comes to information about the pandemic. We share insightful credible articles on our company chatrooms. Our IT team has been the best, always on call, helping the staff set up their home offices. Keeping up employee morale when working from home, especially during a pandemic, can be a challenge. We took SMARTSMB / August 2020
measures to assure our staff about job and business continuity and share information transparently. Lack of information and clear planning can end up leaving the workforce frustrated and on the edge. Although it was limited, there were incoming consignments that we had to manage over the last few months. Adhering to government regulations, we had attained the required permits and approvals to keep our warehouses open during the lockdown. As businesses have opened up now, we have made sure those staff who are coming in take all the necessary precautions and are monitored closely. Today, we are able to continue to offer after-sales support seamlessly through digital channels. D-Link is committed to serving our customers’ imminent demands effectively and efficiently now more than ever. We are proud of our staff and our extensive partner base who rose to the occasion to help make customers’ buying journey as smooth as possible even during this time. We are realigning our business strategies to reflect market priorities of today. We have now commenced our business fullfledged and are working hand in hand with our partners to deliver supreme products and solutions to our esteemed customers, with a digital mindset. Elaborate on the products/solutions you offer for supporting secure work from home? Nuclias Cloud was introduced to the region during the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns. Businesses were able to deploy solutions from Nuclias Cloud portfolio effortlessly to connect to company networks as the installation process demanded a minimal need for in-house IT skills. As the name suggests, customers can manage their networks from the cloud with this solution, which brings several benefits around control and convenience to the forefront. Regional companies and chains in the hospitality, educational, retail, SME as well as large enterprise sectors have capitalized on the opportunities Nuclias Cloud offers to maintain business continuity and accelerate digital transformation agendas, especially during the current market conditions.
TALKPOINT
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This includes ease of use, analytics and deep insights, customization, secure Wi-Fi access, connectivity enhancing features, web content filtering and application controls for added security among others. D-Link recently introduced a suite of products for face screening and temperature reading. What are the likely use case scenarios for these- only airports or any busy visitor areas? The all-new D-Link Thermal Solution Fever Screening Kit and D-Link Temperature Measurement Face Recognition Terminal suite of products aim to significantly contribute to the challenge of high-volume temperature screening encountered by customers all over the world. As economies open up and lockdowns ease globally, it continues to be critical to monitor the spread of COVID-19. Designed to accurately and efficiently test people’s body temperature, the brand-new solutions are ideal for numerous scenarios where large crowds are expected, such as airports, railway stations, offices, school, communities, supermarkets, malls, banks and so on. Although economies are gradually reopening, we are not yet out of the woods when it comes to COVID-19. It continues to be a grave situation, which can only be controlled through systematic and regular monitoring. D-Link’s latest innovations cater to this imminent market demand, which will help the authorities at any high footfall locations to effortlessly measure and screen for abnormal body temperatures, which is a key symptom of COVID-19. At D-Link, we are continuing to place the safety of our customers, partners and other stakeholders before everything else. Do you offer IoT sensors and smart products – elaborate on the range and the demand in the market? Today customers seek seamless, reliable and fast connectivity solutions and devices that help in automating routine tasks. At D-Link, we continuously bring state-of-the-art IoT and smart solutions and devices to market. Successful home automations and network management at both homes and offices require IoT and other connectivity solutions. Moreover, 5G technology will enable greater speed, to move more data, lower latency, to be more responsive, and the connection of much greater numbers of devices, such as sensors and smart devices including the Internet of Things (IoT). In this regard, we have recently launched next-generation Wi-Fi 6 routers DIR-X1560 and DIR-X1860, presenting the quantum leap in capacity, speed, and range to efficiently handle all Wi-Fi demands. Customers can effortlessly connect to their high-speed 3G/4G LTE mobile internet backup
Harrison Albert
Regional Director, D-Link Middle East & Africa
network connection with the DWR-925W 4G LTE M2M Router. They can enjoy brisk downlink speeds of up to150 Mbps and uplink speeds up to 50 Mbps, taking advantage of the speed needed for fast, responsive Internet access. D-Link’s Mesh Wi-Fi technology was created to improve wireless network connectivity — in By smart homes. Our Mesh Diksha Vohra technology COVR provides seamless Wi-Fi solution that’s the perfect fit for modern smart homes. It blankets every square inch of the home with high speed AC1200 Dual-Band Wi-Fi allowing users to enjoy Wi-Fi that’s stable, consistent, and truly seamless. What can we expect from D-Link in the near future in terms of new technologies? D-Link has always strived to stay one step ahead of the market curve. Understanding our customers’ most pressing challenges and addressing them as efficiently as possible will continue to be our focus. Our customers can expect the latest innovations in terms of technologies from us to assist them in their businesses as well as to make their lives easier at their homes. This means over the coming months, the market will see us announcing ground-breaking solutions within 5G, IoT, AI, cloud, applications, connected homes, Wi-Fi 6, security and networking as these technologies further develop and advance. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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TALKPOINT
How can technology help businesses entice customers back in the wake of COVID-19? SMBs have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past few months, with many businesses having to close. But as many shops and cafes begin to open again and consumers attempt to return to a state of normality, small business owners should look at this moment as an opportunity to reach new customers who might be looking more locally for goods and products, so they don’t have to travel as far. Consumers will be acutely aware that many local businesses which they had previously taken for granted pre-COVID have either been forced to close or potentially are on the brink of closing, so will be actively looking to support businesses in any way they can now. To capitalise on this consumer goodwill, SMBs need to provide the best possible environment for consumers in order to increase the chances of repeat visits. Providing strong and consistent Wi-Fi for visitors is a major part of creating that positive experience. The best Wi-Fi experiences are the hassle-free ones. Those where you connect instantly and stay connected with no problems. The general consumer would say that Wi-Fi connections are now an absolute necessity rather than an optional extra. This evolved demand is something that should be front of mind for any business no matter the size, as a poor wireless service can be detrimental for an organisation’s bottom line. Without a fast and stable connection, businesses are not
Sherifa Hady EMEA Senior Channel Sales Director, Aruba
COPING WITH COVID-19 LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY only at risk of losing sales, but are also unable to grow and expand. What type of Wi-Fi networks should small businesses be looking to implement One of the biggest issues small business owners face when upgrading their technology is that they just don’t have the time or staff to constantly monitor and troubleshoot any issues that might arise. Unlike large enterprises, there isn’t an IT team on hand to fix or upgrade solutions while the rest of the staff run the business. With this in mind, the best type of network solution should be about simplicity – is it easy to set up? Is it reliable and enough to work without business owners having to constantly monitor it? But being simple should not mean that you should sacriSMARTSMB / August 2020
S
herifa Hady, EMEA Senior Channel Sales Director at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company discusses how Technology can help cope with Covid-19 challenges
TALKPOINT
fice security. You should never have to substitute one for the other when searching for the right network infrastructure as that could lead to even bigger issues down the line, which SMBs can’t afford. Small businesses are seen as an easy target for cyber criminals due to their lack of network security. Research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in the UK showed that small businesses are collectively attacked 10,000 times a day. If you want to be able to grow your business, then you need to make sure your network infrastructure has built-in security features which are capable of protecting you against cyber-attacks. Most SMB networks are traditional home network setups, which means that the best security owners can have is to make guests sign into the network using a password so they can monitor who is using it. However, business-grade networks can keep guest and business traffic separate, as well as making sure the right applications are prioritised. For instance, one portion of the network could be confined to administrative work with a higher priority, while another could be used for guest access with fare usage limits for everyone. All this will be monitored by the solution itself, which means that SMB owners can focus on what matters most to them – the consumers or clients. For many small business owners, the phrase ‘business-grade’ will suggest exorbitant costs. With business owners financially constrained in these current times, any type of financial investment must be weighed against the benefits they will provide the business. The price of business-grade Wi-Fi is continuing to decrease as greater innovations are made in the space, so make sure to shop around to find one that balances affordability with the quality needed to keep you protected. Getting this correct will be crucial to the success and growth of your business. Can technology support small businesses as they attempt to maintain social distancing measures? In order for your customers and employees to effectively social distance while still enjoying all the amenities on offer, you will need to ensure your network consistently covers all areas of your business. For employees, Wi-Fi is critical, as technology is woven into the everyday operations of most businesses. Fast, reliable connectivity is necessary to serve customers, whether it’s ringing up sales, answering questions or booking appointments. Meanwhile, despite customers needing to maintain a distance, they still will expect Wi-Fi access while they shop, eat or wait. But depending on the size of the building, you may have areas with limited or non-existent Wi-Fi coverage called “dead zones.” Anyone attempting to log on to the network in these zones will either not be able to or will experience connectivity issues. If customers are expected to social distance in a dead zone, there is a high likelihood they will either try to move and risk breaking social distancing or more likely leave the establishment. In order to prevent these dead zones, you need to expand your network. Flexibility is key for SMBs to have the option
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of adding access points either using cable or mesh - with good practice being a balance between cable and mesh to ensure optimum performance and coverage. Mesh is the connection of two access points over Wi-Fi when it’s a nightmare to connect using a cable and this can help SMBs to connect outdoor areas that can be repurposed to increase customer capacity. This will be key for businesses which only have a small footprint, allowing them to expand out into the garden, pavement or street to increase capacity, and therefore revenue, without having to sacrifice the consumers’ ability to enjoy access to the internet. Another advantage is that you can simply add more Access Points as your business grows and manage them all using a smartphone or browser. Another element for small business owners to think about is managing their technology across multiple locations, such as a small chain of cafes, with social distancing regulations in place. If you have multiple different networks running across each location, if an issue with the network occurs in one place then someone needs to visit that location to
"The price of business-grade Wi-Fi is continuing to decrease as greater innovations are made in the space, so make sure to shop around to find one that balances affordability with the quality needed to keep you protected." fix it. This not only puts yourself at greater risk of catching the virus, but you also risk spreading it across each location you visit. However, if you have invested in a network infrastructure that works across multiple estates then you may be able to monitor and troubleshoot network issues from one location using a management app. If you are investing in a business-grade network, you should always check to see if you have the capability to manage all your access points and switches from anywhere via one application – this could be an app on your phone or via a browser. By managing all network devices via an app, small business owners can monitor the network set-up and traffic and adjust the configuration if needed, even if it is in a different location, whilst avoiding travel during the pandemic. Also, in the case of an access point experiencing an issue, look for a solution that allows other access points to take up the slack to enable the Wi-Fi to continue running efficiently, while alerting you on an app, so that customers and staff are not disrupted. This improves operational efficiencies for small business owners – being able to manage your network via your phone means you can focus on customer or employee experience and ensuring repeat visits. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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FINTECH
The era of digital cashless payments is all set to accelerate with arrival of new Fintech providers
T
he arrival of new Fintech providers is accelerating a definitive shift towards cashless transactions. Along with e-wallets that are already being adopted by an increasing percentage of population, the various unique Fintech models being brought are widening the options and use case scenarios for cashless transactions. Especially during the pandemic, a significant percentage of retail purchases and other financial transactions have been happening digitally. In the UAE, the trend seems to be more pronounced and is likely to be a change for good. While cash transactions may not go away altogether, the percentage of cashless transactions may have turned a significant corner this year. Ziina, one of the latest additions to the Middle East’s fintech ecosystem, is capitalizing on the region’s rapid adoption of fintech friendly regulation. Ziina is arguably the UAE’s first licensed social peer-to-peer (P2P) payment application and is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for download.
SMARTSMB / August 2020
Users can send and receive money with just a phone number — no IBAN or swift code required. Ziina facilitates transfers from one bank account to another, with no credit or debit card needed. The app provides a seamless way for friends and family to split the cost of takeout or a grocery bill. Faisal Toukan CEO, Ziina says, “Globally, we've seen a 72% rise in the use of Fintech apps according to Forbes. In the UAE, 68% of consumers have reduced shopping in-store, and 54% use contactless cards to pay in-store. YouGov published a recent study indicating that "the majority of UAE residents
— By R. Narayan
FINTECH
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online platforms aggressively and also adopted new payment methods. This has created more opportunities for Tabby in terms of business development and we’ve seen an influx of enquiries about the need for a solution such as ours.” Coupled with the likely negative financial impact on businesses and consumers in the months to come, Tabby offers a timely and much needed financial product with their postpaid model to help customers better manage their spending by splitting their purchases into multiple installments while shopping at their favorite retail stores. This innovative payment solution is likely to empower consumer spending, increase customer loyalty and open up retailers to new customers across the region.
Faisal Toukan CEO, Ziina
(63%) consider it very or fairly positive if their country became cashless". Since the pandemic, 52% of individuals claimed to be paid in cashless often. We've seen this in our interactions with customers daily. We’ve conducted countless user interviews and have spoken to parents who want to pay their children an allowance, colleagues that want to split a Careem ride, and roommates that want to split rent. The applications for day-to-day payments are limitless.” E-commerce in the GCC is rapidly growing as a result of Covid-19 as consumers shift their purchase behavior to do more of their shopping online. This has led to Businesses ramping up their ecommerce storefronts. This is driving busines demand for payment solution providers and alternative fintech models.
He adds, “The rise of Buy Now, Pay Later providers, growth of payment gateways and the spread of digital wallets are some of keys trends in this area. A number of e-wallet players have started expanding both in the UAE and KSA as well as existing banks launching their own e-wallets. We see mobile payment services in the UAE growing strong in recent years, supported by policy reforms and innovation from key players such as Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Mashreq Pay, FAB Payit, and Emirates NBD Pay and we don’t see that trend slowing down, especially with the entry of Alipay. We’re extremely bullish on Buy now Pay Later as a postpaid use case within digital payments, as that is better suited for a lot of customers than prevailing prepaid methods such as wallets and cards.” Adding to the diversity of the digital payment infrastructure, is PayBy , a mobile payment solutions provider. An e-wallet is one of PayBy’s functionalities. Unlike Apple Pay or Samsung Pay that use NFC technology, PayBy uses QR Codes – the same technology that has helped India and China transition to cashless societies, which is also becoming a global standard. QR Codes are a simple, low cost, low maintenance solution that can be easily integrated into existing point-of-sale infrastructure and applied to media such as posters. PayBy aims to have QR Codes adopted by businesses from supermarkets and salons to taxis and baqalas. According to the PayBy spokesperson, “The COVID-19 crisis catalyzed digital transformations for many businesses and
tabby is an example of how Fintech has widened the options for cashless transactions. It is the UAE-based FinTech startup and the region’s first Buy Now Pay Later solution. Responding to the rise of digital wallets and cashless transactions, Hosam Arab, co-Founder and CEO of Tabby, “The move towards digital payments/transactions was inevitable as the trend started even prior to the COVID pandemic. The pandemic has, of course, accelerated the move towards a “cashless” society and, from a B2C perspective, a shift in consumer behavior more towards online shopping as a result of government lockdown measures. In response, many retailers who are unable to operate their offline stores and do not want to lose out on sales during this period have pushed their August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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FINTECH
code, bank address, etc. Both routes are cumbersome, and we have been hearing regularly how much people wish a service like Venmo or Cash App existed for the Middle East. That's why we decided to bring Ziina to the Middle East, after securing the license to provide peer-to-peer money transferring services in the UAE.” Ziina is planning to introduce debit cards in the near future as an alternative transfer method. Based on user research from its core target demographic, it also plans to gradually introduce several value-added services such as QR Code Integration, Prepaid Cards, and Utility Payments, amongst others. In the medium-term, Ziina will integrate different revenue streams. For POS solutions and prepaid cards, Ziina will take a small percentage fee on all transactions from vendors. On the other hand, Buy Now Pay Later solutions are gaining popularity across different regions and the Middle East surely looks set to embrace this model, especially driven by pandemic hit distress in the consumer and business segments.
Hosam Arab
co-Founder & CEO, Tabby
governments. It also highlighted the need for agility and optimization across the payments processing value chain. Even in the cash-only economies of the region, contactless digital payments are now favored over cash. Government departments and retail businesses are encouraging people to go cashless, and use digital payments for health, safety and security.” PayBy sees this period of the drive towards digitalization, high smartphone penetration, and increasing adoption of cashless payments as the best timing and opportunity to expand in the UAE, where a substantial section of the UAE population still relies on cash.
Unique offerings The success of Fintech entities is based on unique ideas and pioneering efforts. Obviously, they will also need to have deep pockets with the necessary funding to create the model and get going.
Tabby’s mission is to empower consumers to easily buy what they want, when they want, while remaining in control of their finances. Tabby’s Pay in Installments option gives customers the flexibility to pay for their purchases in multiple, interest-free installments without requiring a credit card. Hosam says, “tabby was created to simplify payments for e-commerce merchants and consumers alike. The current situation has essentially expedited the move to digital for both groups as we see more retailers rush to set up or expand their digital presence and customers starting to do more of their shopping online. Additionally, given the expected slowdown in consumer spending, a solution like Tabby’s becomes ever more important for merchants who are looking for ways to boost sales and customers who are looking for flexible payment options. Our Cash On Delivery alternative has also seen a major uptick across geographies, especially in KSA.” He explains that the larger retailers are aware of the virtues of this model as it helps keep the consumer demand from faltering in challenging situations as is the case now in the face of the pandemic. “Major retailers are very aware of Buy Now Pay Later payment options operating in other regions across the globe. Hence, they understood the value of having a payment option like tabby’s that addresses both COD purchases and slowing consumer demand. We’re privileged to have partnered with some of the largest and most innovative retail groups in the region.”
Zinna, the young start-up raised a pre-seed round of US$850,000, led by San Francisco based Class 5 Global with participation from Samih Toukan’s Jabbar Internet Group, and other prominent angel investors.
PayBy has solutions to meet the needs of both end users and merchants, especially empowering those users with no or less bank facilities.
Faisal says, “The product we’re building doesn’t exist in the United Arab Emirates yet. Instead, people resort to paying each other back by cash, or to paying by bank transfer which requires them to collect and submit IBAN details, a swift
The spokesperson says, “For end-users, PayBy offers an allin-one mobile payment app. Users should be able to conduct financial activities, such as payment, transfer, mobile topup, within one app. While transitioning to a cashless econo-
SMARTSMB / August 2020
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my, the unbanked and underbanked who use cash can be excluded. PayBy empowers and supports this section that may not have access to debit or credit cards with its easy-to-use and secure digital payment solution.” Payby has recently announced a tie-up with Lulu hypermarkets and its contactless payment solutions are now operational across more than 60 LuLu hypermarkets and stores in the UAE. PayBy has also been integrated into LuLu’s online payment solutions for seamless online shopping, whether on mobile or desktop. “For merchants, PayBy customizes B2B solutions to meet different needs. For SMEs, PayBy provides its own terminals such as Smart POS, Smart BOX and Smart Cashier with no monthly charge and deployment cost. For online retailers, PayBy supports WebPay for website and QRPay for mobile app, so that users can scan QR code and complete payment on PayBy app. For big retailers such as the Lulu Group, PayBy also integrates backend systems without upgrading the hardware,” he adds. PayBy is also planning to add a loyalty program, cash in /cash out from selected merchants and utilities bills and so on, to enhance the ecosystem.
Addressing security concerns The aspect of security is well addressed by these providers. Responding to the security aspects, Faisal says, “Our team treats our users’ security with the utmost precaution. Ziina uses bank-grade security to protect our users' information. Users’ bank account credentials are only ever stored encrypted, and one of the keys necessary to decrypt their credentials is stored on their device only. This means that we do not have access to their funds, and only users have the power to move their money.” PayBy, complied with PDI-DSS security standard, is more secure than a magnetic-strip credit card and has advantages over chip-embedded cards too. “PayBy cannot be easily accessed by other people than owners as strangers can’t get past the mobile password and payment password. PayBy also supports biometric password such as fingerprint and facial recognition which enhances the security level. Mobile payment also eliminates the chances of a physical card number being jotted down, scanned, or skimmed,” the spokesperson adds.
some form of consolidation is bound to take place. For now, we’re all working to grow the market and uplift consumers and merchants in the region.” Ziina’s Faisal believes that a range of different players that may well try to tackle P2P payments including telcos, banks, and startups. He adds, “P2P is a use case dependent both on network effects and convenient user experience. The more users on Ziina, the more, new users will be incentivized to join Ziina. As a result, I believe there will be 2-3 players at most capturing the p2p space in the future. These players will be able to execute on delivering strong UX and achieving network effects, which is a challenging but powerful combination.” Faisal cites the success stories of Venmo in the US that has 40 million active users, CashApp also of the US that) has 30 million active users, India’s Paytm that has 350 million active users, and Toss (Korea) has 14 million active users and believes the UAE is still in very early stages of defining its key players. In summary, while it is true that while digital payments industry is opening up, it is still in the early stages. Quite likely, the momentum will be with these innovative providers who are bringing in solutions that address pain points of consumers and Businesses.
The question is whether the Fintech segment will likely get crowded and fragmented with more pay solutions providers? Hosam “As with any new burgeoning industry, a large a number of players enter the scene attracted by it underlying potential. Now with such platforms, what happens down the line is usually a network effect where fast-growing, first-movers benefit from high visibility and high growth and eventually, August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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SPOTLIGHT
CIO CONCERNS DURING COVID-19 A recent webinar by Cloud4c highlights how CIOs have looked at digital transformation and agility as well as cost optimization as key concerns
It
is obvious that the world has entered a new normal and the work culture has changed irrevocably. For a CIO, business continuity has been tested like never before. As they will be called upon more and more to enable businesses to adjust to the new normal, they will face some of the toughest challenges. So what are the main concerns of a CIO during these turbulent times? How do we measure employee growth and productivity? Do we, and how do we conserve cash for our businesses? How should we prepare for the future post Covid-19? During a recent webinar on CIO Extreme IT Strategies to Navigate the COVID-19 Pandemic conducted by Cloud4C, IT Leaders from reputed organizations in the Middle East participated as panelists and shared their experiences and views. The event was moderated by Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder and CEO Cloud4C. Shafique R Ibrahim
Group IT Head – Al Fardan Group: These are testing times for all businesses, and especially for the IT departments of those businesses. We may be in different boats, but we are all in the same storm. For us, this has also been an opportunity to prove IT agility. We had to respond to the overnight call to activate certain functions for work-from-home. We did have a simple framework for work-from-home, but certain functions have been confined to the office environments as part of our policies for the highest security. In this crisis, we were asking our employees to connect from public networks, and perform critical sensitive functions. Naturally, we were concerned about their security of the networks they would access organizational data from. Our IT teams were able to pull it off even under trying circumstances and equip hundreds of employees to work from home without compromising the least in terms of security. Initially, our business had to comply with the lockdown announced. But it did not take long for the authorities to appreciate that remittance is not a luxury but a necessity. Even when our customers are confined to their homes, they would need to be in charge of their finances, to be able to spend or send as they want. So we were permitted to operate our
SMARTSMB / August 2020
branches where we were ready to serve our customers. But then we realized that our customers would not be able to reach our branches either. Locals were finding it difficult to commute without public transportation. We quickly empowered our teams to become mobile. They could reach our customers where they are, and visit the camps to help them. This was a new requirement in response to the situation, but we were able to leverage technology and find a solution. We could now help our customers remit money to their homes as and when they wanted. The IT department is the one that ensures that all other departments are working. But the fundamental and the func-
"Spending will become more conservative, but IT investments will increase on the whole. We will see greater focus on business decisions driven by cost optimization rather than on infrastructure." tional role itself is changing. Maybe at the beginning of the evolution, the IT department would just point out the blinking light, but now, in the current iteration, it has to be competent enough to identify the issue and solve it. The point is that it is no longer about just managing the infrastructure but about enhancing businesses with relevant and specific IT knowledge. Another aspect of the post-pandemic business landscape has been the focus on bringing down costs. True, spending will become more conservative, but IT investments will increase on the whole. According to us, we will see greater focus on business decisions driven by cost optimization rather than on infrastructure. Even as our employees work from home in the near future, we want to ensure that our customer
SPOTLIGHT
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experience is uninterrupted. They should be able to access and manage their money completely safely. Piyush Kumar Chowhan Group Chief Information Officer at LuLu Group International: Our large retail group has two verticals: Supermarkets/ hypermarkets and hospitality/ malls. Supermarkets are deemed essential services since they have to be available to the public to access their daily needs. As such, we had to keep the business running smoothly even in the face of weak supply chains, restricted resources, uncertain transport, etc. For us, the challenge was not just the functioning of the organization but also maintaining uncompromising standards of employee safety without interrupting our services. Forecasting warehouse stocks for food in the new normal has also become a new exercise. We had to increase our warehousing capacity by over 30% overnight. Stocking them required mobilizing flights from all over the world within tight timelines, and coordination with multiple organizations and governments. We were able to pull it off successfully only due to the agility of our technology, and also our people. Overnight we came up with new SOPs for sanitization, customer interaction, and more than 12 other such initiatives to restore our customer confidence to shop safely with us. Even these small steps required a lot of behind-the-scenes preparation and adaptation. For employees, we rented laptops that they could carry home so there wouldn’t be any disruptions to business continuity. We upgraded our network solutions, security policies, and even VPNs to ensure that we are completely in compliance with the regulations. From the industry perspective, this situation can also be an opportunity to prioritise digital transformation at every level. The focus should be on moving to open source, nimble architecture that reduces dependency on legacy infrastructure. With time, expenditure on legacy infrastructure has to be tapered off, so that there will be greater investment in new technology and solutions that will accelerate digital transformation. Priorities will be on investing in new technology, and chart a new roadmap to business that will focus on value optimization for digital transformation. Saji Oommen Chief Information Officer at RAK Ceramics, UAE: In terms of productivity and security, work from home is a novel experience for all of us. I am not sure how it is for small teams, but when you have a team of 1500 people working from home, you need a new set of solutions that are specific to this scenario. Our first strategy has been to deploy additional security and DR solutions that are equipped to deal with global security concerns. We are now experimenting with AI & ML technologies for security that will help us monitor threats and mount effective defense. Moreover, our businesses are present across different locations, involving multiple geographies and regulations. Another interesting thing we would like to add is how we extended our solutions to our customers as well. Our internal
Sridhar Pinnapureddy Founder and CEO, Cloud4C
teams were able to use MS Teams to minimize disruptions in our organization, and other teams also came up with interesting solutions. Departments such as call centers were reorganized and retrained at very short notices, we trained people to take up new responsibilities. For example, our sales people were on the IVR with CRM-installed tablets to take down orders. Within 2-3 days, we updated our B2B portal to be able to share images with customers. We also added a visualization program so they can get a real-life idea of how the real estate looks like. These strategies helped us keep our sales going. We were able to convert enough leads to orders, as well as strengthened our fulfilment center with additional technology. Our teams devised and deployed multiple solutions like this within days. The positive aspect of this crisis is the test of our agility, and that we were able to successfully come up with a strong business continuity plan. Damodaran Raman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Bayanpay, Saudi Arabia: Startups usually function on limited resources and bandwidth. And the pandemic situation has had a significant impact on the resource crunch on a daily basis. As compared to enterprises, startups will face greater risks and stronger challenges. As a fintech organisation with a wallet, there are additional August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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SPOTLIGHT
Shafique R Ibrahim Group IT Head – Al Fardan Group
security responsibilities. We have to ensure that the money that our customers have trusted with us is completely secure. It is not just about storing money but also ensuring that the transactions are safe. We put the focus on revamping security at every level of the customer ecosystem. Security, which has always been central to our plans, is now even more integral at every stage of function. At our previous Look Ahead meeting, we revisited compliance and risk throughout our enterprise. Our office network is well-protected. We offered all-in-one PCs to our employees with inbuilt security, including transaction monitoring through SaaS for critical data. Even for HR, finance, marketing, we have quickly responded to the new normal by leveraging technology wherever we can. Our communication has been made more robust, adding to the in-tool security measures with 24x7 monitoring. Even email threats are continuously monitored so there are no gaps in our security. Given the PII customer data, our security has to be extra vigilant. Even our applications, we have limited the number of changes itself, so that potential vulnerabilities are limited. Additional security features have also been deployed at the network and the device level. Venkatesh Mahadevan Chief Information Officer, Dubai Investments PJSC., GM-Techsource: We are a conglomerate of more than 30 companies across industry verticals, and work with tens of subsidiaries and affiliations. For us, the abruptness of the lockdown has been a challenge. It was supposed to be a limited shutdown, then it got extended, then further extended; it did not appear as a challenge at first but then it became a huge one. SMARTSMB / August 2020
Piyush Kumar Chowhan
Group Chief Information Officer, LuLu Group
We were immediately concerned with allowing our employees to work seamlessly from their remote locations. Our strategies, after multiple interactions with our C-suite executives and business stakeholders, have been streamlined today. We are on top of the Covid-19 situation today, but more than that, we are also prepared for when the lockdown shuts. Most businesses will not be able to just open up and proceed like nothing happened; they will open slowly, with fewer resources and lesser bandwidth. What will be the most crucial aspects of business that can push the organization ahead? That will be important. For our subsidiaries, we rolled out our central information security framework immediately. We wanted to ensure that their basic security will be up and running, and not entirely unprotected. Data security has been ensured, even for Workfrom-home employees. Conclusion: B2B organisations have been quick to adopt technology to enable their businesses, but it is a whole different ball game with B2C companies. They have additional challenges in delivering their services when the entire world has been forced indoors. Yet, leaders in these organisations aren’t behind in using technology. In fact, according to the panelists, they have utilised this opportunity to explore new solutions to streamline their processes and offer better solutions. Some organisations have had to reinvent new ways to even reach out to their potential customers. But with technology, they have been able to get on top of the situation while strengthening their brand.
STRATEGY
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Business After COVID-19 Omer Saleem, director and deputy CEO of Proven takes a look at some of the changes that can be anticipated in the post-COVID-19 business world The world welcomed a new decade with high hopes and a forward-stepping foot in the world of technology, which built up grand opportunities for businesses everywhere. Meanwhile in China, COVID-19 was about to break borders and send the world into a tailspin. The impact of the virus was the heaviest topic in the history of modern day media and the internet, as it involved sectors that have never been combined into one occurrence on such a global scale, such as healthcare, mobility and the economy. As countries slowly peek through the keyhole of reopening, it is essential to evaluate the crisis, and determine what our post-Coronavirus business practices—and our world—will be like. Post-COVID-19 business requires new strategies The post-COVID-19 business world requires new strategies, as this world will be a whole new one; humans managed to mitigate the virus impact through technology, but a great part of the world is lagging technologically. This has obviously destroyed many businesses and left a lot of people broke and unable to sustain proper life conditions. As a result, strategists are suggesting new approaches to business.
Digital Transformation Many businesses have found themselves threatened by communication issues posed by the strict government-enforced remote working regulations. Today, those businesses must be assessing the corner-cutting approach of digital transformation, where essentially the business process is executed within cloud technology, allowing access from anywhere. Big businesses with offices in multiple locations have managed this
is China, but will certainly invite new business opportunities.
Gaps in Healthcare Must Be Addressed
Omer Saleem
Director & Deputy CEO, Proven
for years, but there’s a lot more to digital transformation that helps cut costs and reduce human efforts, and these are solutions private sector entities will be looking for and implementing.
Agriculture Will Boom Strategists have looked at the sectors both unaffected by the situation financially, and that are critically needed during the situation. The venn diagram reveals that agriculture is that sector; providing food is the number one priority. Along with technology and the high level business services being provided, this sector could be the future of business.
A Remodel of Supply Chains The centralization of the supply chains’ origin has made the world dependent on China. Coronavirus will inspire new manufacturers to emerge. This will not replace the economic juggernaut that
A healthcare crisis was almost globally common, as healthcare systems were never prepared for the multitude of patients swarming hospitals everywhere, especially in the context of worldwide panic. Research facilities are now at the forefront of healthcare, coming from a place of prevention, rather than treatment. Politics will also come into play here, preventing virus spreading and enforcing early lockdowns and travel bans, but the healthcare system must be empowered nonetheless. This suggests that new businesses providing services for healthcare systems will score high profits due to high demand.
End of Globalization? Analysts have speculated that COVID-19 will be the end of globalization. The impact of Coronavirus has shown how interdependent the world is and how reliant we are on global supply chains, although citizens are looking at their governments to protect them and put an end to the situation as quickly as possible. The type of business opportunity this opens the door for is one that builds its foundations on COVID-19 circumstances and continues from there. Streaming services, online delivery services and digital platforms scored big profits during the pandemic. The need for stimulus packages, immediate and effective monetary policies as well as confidence in the global economy are critical in our response to Coronavirus. That said, it is a fact that our world will never be the same. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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SALES
No More Hard-Sell:
IT Needs to be a Gentler Business In the time of pandemic, vendors need to show their human side and empathise with customers writes Andrew Brinded, Vice President and Sales Chief Operating Officer, Nutanix For decades now, IT giants have got away with playing hardball with customers. They have had customers locked into their wares because it has been the devil’s job to untether business processes from suppliers’ closed systems. Some of the biggest names have survived (and yes, prospered) by pursuing tough, even combative relationships, safe in the knowledge that it’s hard for those companies to move away from the core platforms that underpin corporate operations. Today, as companies dust themselves off and prepare to blink into the light of the Brave New World of our post- COVID-19 future, we need far better buyer/seller relationships in order to survive and prosper. Nobody is immune to change. For the past several months at Nutanix we have had to alter how we talk to customers, becoming even more of a listening company SMARTSMB / August 2020
as CIOs and CFOs tell us about sudden declines in revenues, urgent support needs and a kaleidoscope of other factors that are miles away from Business As Usual. We’re no longer hopping on flights but on Zoom calls and we’re hearing alarming stories from valued customers telling us they are struggling. The pandemic has created a business environment that makes the banking crisis of 2007-2008 look like a cakewalk. In Italy, world-famous car marques such as Ferrari and Fiat paused production. In Spain, Inditex, owner of ubiquitous apparel brands such as Zara and Massimo Dutti, shut stores and switched some production to medical supplies such as masks and scrubs. Super-brands such as Premier League football shuddered to a halt leaving us starved of action. Many of us couldn’t even have a relaxing drink or meal as restaurants put up closed signs.
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Behind each of these stories lies a huge amount of headache and heartache. With revenues screeching to a halt, companies need to familiarise themselves with an utterly novel set of circumstances and work out what to do with their people, operating models and channels to market. For a fortunate few companies that are cloud-centric, there has been an uptick: Amazon and other online retailers; meal delivery services such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats; Zoom and other videoconferencing services, of course. What these companies have in common is a heavy investment in cloud infrastructure, but the need to scale their systems suddenly to cope with spikes in demand has many significant challenges in its own right. But for many others, the result of COVID-19 will be closed businesses and a battle for survival. For most, the return to normality will be measured in years rather than months. Any supplier needs to understand the individual challenges facing its customers and today they face the toughest over. IT suppliers have been spoiled over the years and companies that have had best-in-class products have been able to call the shots, often leading to dysfunctional buyer/seller relationships. Now, we need to band together with customers and build stronger links.
Communications
More than ever we need to listen as well as talk. A frequent complaint is that IT firms only want to sell and not to understand the specific needs of customers, their operations, their sector or their local culture. This is the time to invest in getting closer to customers.
Pricing
The crashing revenues that many companies are seeing mean that the industry needs to move to more creative pricing plans. The old enterprise software model of money upfront followed by an annual tax is no longer fit for purpose. Subscription-style tariffs mean customers only pay for what they use and means they can try new services and approaches at very low cost. Discounted and free services should also be applied where appropriate.
Support
Service level agreements are a necessary model to provide value, but they are often too rigorous. Companies need to be able to flex their terms in times such as these and go the extra mile to ensure customers have what they need, whether that’s by extending support hours or extending terms.
Cloud
The industry needs to press home the message that
Andrew Brinded Vice President & Sales COO, Nutanix
cloud platforms can be highly effective near-term and long-term responses to standing up services. The companies least able to manoeuvre today are those that have lots of on-premises legacy equipment. Today, we’re finding out the real advantages of having capacity on demand, in not being locked into suppliers or platforms, in being able to dial resources down as well as up, of trying new things fast — and even seeing them fail without high penalties. All of the above are ways to start thinking about how we can help but our theme must be flexibility. That word is part of the lexicon of the industry: you hear it everywhere, together with ‘agility’ and ‘elasticity’. Attend any technology conference and you will be calling ‘house!’ on your buzzword bingo scorecard before the end of the opening keynote. But if IT vendors can lose their bad habits and show that willingness to change and flex in favour of customers, they will be in the best position to succeed when our economies bounce back. By being authentic, empathetic, human and gentle, we all win. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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DATA MANAGEMENT
DATA PROTECTION IN THE ERA OF REMOTE WORKING Claude Schuck, Regional Manager, Middle East at Veeam discusses the importance of keeping data protected as Businesses in the Middle East embark on Remote Working Journey
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ver the last few months, we’ve seen many organizations in the Middle East have arranged for employees to work from home. Living in the golden age of Digital Transformation means that we are connected at all times. Consequently, the workplace today has evolved significantly to allow individuals to communicate seamlessly and connect from anywhere through mobile devices, digital tools, cloud services and many more. But what does this mean for organizations and the protection of its data? With many employees working from home, businesses can expect a huge spike of personal file storing coming in from external sources. This is the perfect opportunity for malicious malware
SMARTSMB / August 2020
to make their way into servers, potentially corrupting a network of data. According to a recent news report in The National newspaper, the UAE has been revealed as the leading target of cybercriminals in the region, accounting for more than half of the examples of malicious online and theme-driven behavior detected in the Gulf. Trend Micro, an international cybersecurity and defense firm, said it had detected 1,541 attacks in the UAE in the past months, including 775 malware threats, 621 email spam attacks and 145 URL attacks during March. Across the GCC countries, the figure was 3,067 over the same period. Here are some of the necessary steps
businesses should be taking to protect their data and IT architecture:
3 layers in the circle of defense Businesses need to be aware of how they manage data between cloud and consider tools that will give them an advantage. Today, businesses are continuously backing up and replicating applications and we can only expect this to increase over the next few years as others learn the significance of data that are easily recoverable. They need to understand the different roles that are needed for consideration when optimizing their systems for backup and replication. This can be easily summed up into the 3 layers of defense in data protection. • Perimeter: Firstly, businesses must consider the situation at hand – in this instance, it is remote working or working from home. Protection must be made
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available for employees to be able to access the cloud and in turn, ensure that these data can be backed up. • Mid: Next, businesses need to note that with an increase in the number of people working from home, measures must be put in place so that the systems are still able to run smoothly and efficiently. To counter this, it is highly recommended that servers be optimized for different groups of networks to tap into. • Base: It goes without saying that having more people accessing the servers from an external network will also result in an increase in the number of personal files coming in. Businesses need to ensure that they are able to mitigate any malware that might make its way through.
Data backup and protection
There are many unforeseen circumstances that businesses need to prepare for. Therefore, it is important for them be highly adaptable. Having data that is easily accessible is part of the solution to be ready for remote working. Over the next few years, businesses can expect to see an increase in the number of tools that can allow them to continuously back up their data and perform recovery in a matter of minutes. With these tools, they will be insured with more than just backed up data – they will also have access to insights that will allow them to make informed decisions in their digital transformation journey. Apart from that, it is also important for businesses to protect their data – as seen with the recent increase of data breach. Cloud Data Management is expected to see an increase in mobility and portability over the next few years. With added security measures, businesses will have access to data easily outside of their workplace with a peace of mind.
Prevention of cyberattacks
One of the essential steps businesses need to take is to minimize administrative access to platforms and servers and increasing rules of operation. Not everyone needs to be able to access all the systems in place. It is also vital for organizations to educate their employees – often, ransom-
Claude Schuck Regional Manager, Middle East, Veeam
" Over the next few years, businesses can expect to see an increase in the number of tools that can allow them to continuously back up their data and perform recovery in a matter of minutes."
ware finds its way through a system because of an individual’s mistake. It is important for businesses to remind employees on best practices, especially in times when telecommuting is an option for everyone. They need to understand that being connected to a network outside of the company’s system exposes the servers to potential malware. To sum it all up, businesses in the Middle East need to always prepare ahead for any disruption that might have an impact in the way they work. Especially in an era where remote working is a step forward, organizations need to ensure that their systems are ready and fully protected so that their employees can remain efficient and productive. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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RPA
MANAGING THE NEW NORMAL WITH ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION Bobby Thomas, the Delivery Head for Emerging Technologies at Finesse, Dubai and Yamini Bagde - Senior Business Analyst at Finesse Global discuss a 5-point success strategy for managing the New Normal with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) In the year 1765, the world witnessed the first industrial revolution when we moved from hand-produced goods to machines. This also led to industry being established as one of the key pillars of the economy; up until then world over economies were predominantly agriculture-based. In 1870, hundred years later, as a result of advancement enabled by mechanization, came the second industrial revolution that saw invention of electricity, gas and oil as new sources of fuel, and radical advancements to infrastructure and communication methods. The third industrial revolution, documented to be ushered in 1969, pushed the envelope beyond the obvious, driven by the invention of nuclear energy. In 1990, when Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, he set foundation of re-engineering the manner in which the world would breath, eat, and live in the next century.
Bobby Thomas
Delivery Head for Emerging Technologies, Finesse, Dubai
In December 2019, when the world was ready to take the next decade by its horns, we met our adversary in Covid-19, that cast shroud of uncertainty over everything that we had ‘established’. Businesses were affected, people lost their income overnight in a number of cases and business continuity plans were challenged like none before. Pre-Covid-19, organizations operated in the traditional way where employees were physically available each day to carry out their roles and responsibilities. There were time-tested policies to manage any business continuity disruptions. With the onset of Covid-19, as organizations across the world held the safety of their people paramount, they also needed to react swiftly and efficiently to the drastic change in the workforce availability, effect on the supply chain, and the inevitable impact on the companies’ bottom line. Post Covid-19, however, organizations will need to formulate strategies to create a robust virtual working environment to sustain themselves on multiple fronts, setting in motion a rapid digital transformation in the way we do business.
Information technology slowly made its way to be a part of our ‘normal’ lives. Advancements galloped, new technologies developed faster than they could be assimilated and Simon Fisher today, our lives are embedded with technology 24x7x365! Historically speaking, the theme of this transformation has Executive Vice President - Gulf, ACE Group After Y2K, this was to be our new normal. We accepted it been consistent with that of the earlier industrial revoluheartily, entertained ourselves with the opportunities it tions – moving from managed-processes to mechanized/ opened in every sphere of our life, maintaining our superiortech-driven processes. This speaks to the fact - survival of ity as homo sapiens all throughout. the fittest; with rapid adaptability and scalability being the SMARTSMB / August 2020
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two most important factors of the transformation journey. High adaptability, swift scalability, and low dependency on manual workforce makes Robotic Process Automation a critical business enabler in the post-Covid-19 era. According to Gartner, Inc. ‘’Half of U.S. healthcare providers will invest in robotic process automation (RPA) in the next three years, up from 5% today’’. McKinsey research shows that up to 50 percent of work performed today can already be automated with currently available technology. Market leaders have made RPA agnostic across domains and industries by providing a low-code/ no code/ bring your own code platform. Robotic Process Automation eliminates human errors due to process fatigue, increases employee satisfaction by removing repetitive mundane tasks from the scope of manual workforce, enhances overall productivity for the business and can be a key driver to create a mutually beneficial working culture for employees and organizations. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to reduce the inter-dependencies within an organization in order to ensure minimal disruption of business during unforeseen events as such. Remote availability of workforce is one of the key elements of this exercise, hence most organizations today have deployed remote work measures. RPA bots can be initiated on a schedule, via your laptop or hand-held device or on trigger from anywhere in the world. Santander Consumer Bank, a subsidiary of Banco Santander, has over 150 bots in production and has reported estimated savings of around 30,000 hours in processing time in 2019. The decrease in manual work and required working hours for staff has resulted in better, faster, and more accurate customer service Also, in RPA, process governance and performance reports are available real-time in the bot-tracking dashboards. This further reduces dependency on manual effort and reporting systems in terms of determining the productivity and quality of the business processes. Business Process Optimization may involve upgrading/ changing technologies from time to time. A key challenge to making changes in the technology landscape of an organization is at least one/or all of the three listed below – 1. 2. 3.
The size of the organization is huge, making any tech-change very slow or often avoided owing to the scope of systems and process that will need to be upgraded/changed Budget. Proof of Concept
Robotic Process Automation delivers optimized business processes while working within the current tech environment, ensuring unbeatable ROI, and delivering expected process output from the word go. Its cloud-native architecture and bank-grade security, makes RPA deployment seamless and secure from start to end. Whilst implementing robotic process automation is easier than ever, the journey must be undertaken with great dis-
Yamini Bagde Senior Business Analyst, Finesse Global
cipline from start to finish to ensure longstanding success and sustainability. The design must be all-encompassing with respect to the dynamics of the process, and adaptable with minimal disruption to BAU. The five-point success strategy for Robotic Process Automation would be: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Organizations must define the digital roadmap that aligns with their growth goals Organizations must annually evaluate processes for improvement and/or optimization Organizations must actively identify automation candidates using industry best practices and guides Organizations must focus on developing process frameworks that engage manual workforce in critical, high-value, decision-making tasks Organizations must allocate time and budget towards upskilling select workforce in RPA
We are possibly experiencing the fourth Industrial Revolution, the magnitude of which is unknown. What we do know is that we have the technology prowess, like Robotic Process Automation, today to manage the ‘new normal’ with minimal disruption. The onus is upon the business to leverage a seemingly untethered humanitarian crisis and turn it into a game-changing opportunity. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
Adam Palmer, Chief Cybersecurity Strategist, Tenable
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CYBSERSECURITY
TACKLING SECURITY CHALLENGES IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC Risk management and monitoring across the extended and remote enterprise may prove to be beneficial, as Adam Palmer, Chief Cybersecurity Strategist from Tenable, lists five best practices that CISOs can follow.
SMARTSMB / August 2020
CYBSERSECURITY
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he pandemic has changed the world, perhaps forever. Employees are working at home using personal, and often unsecured, devices and networks. For a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), used to believing that for the corporate network perimeter “inside is safe, outside is unsafe,” now nearly everything is outside and there is no perimeter. New risks and vulnerabilities seem to be arising everywhere on many new types of devices. The threat landscape has expanded — a worrying position for any security leader. Despite these risks, organizations expect business continuity and a way forward. CISOs must attempt to bring normalcy and predictable functionality to this unprecedented situation. Below are five ways that CISOs can do this successfully - reduce risk based on sound advice and progress through a systematic checklist:
#1 If everything is important, then nothing is important During a crisis, resources are short and everyone is overloaded with demands. Everything can feel like a priority. For the CISO, the first task is to identify what is only innocent smoke from what is actually a fire. By combining tools like threat intelligence, vulnerability research, and probability risk, CISOs can begin to prioritize the most critical vulnerabilities that are now distributed across the expanded enterprise perimeter. Prioritization focuses resources to the right area, in the right amount, and in the right sequence.
#2 Avoid box ticking exercises In these complex times, CISOs cannot afford to use a generic checklist to scan their extended network, which has now changed beyond earlier recognition. Work at home has meant that employees are now connecting to the network using whatever device is at hand that gets the task done — whether it's to participate or host a video call; instant chat message with a colleague; access a cloud application; or any oth-
er daily task. In short, convenience has overtaken risk as workers struggle to deliver from home. For the CISO in this environment, a risk-based management approach that focuses on actual risks being exploited, not generic lists of potential risks, is most effective. This also avoids overrun of the operating expense (Opex) budget.
#3 You cannot protect what is unknown One of the biggest challenges for a CISO today is visibility into what is happening in their remote work environment. The organization's workers may have had to relocate from their normal home, or even their geo-location. Staff are connecting from multiple private and public networks, using multiple known and unknown devices, and at predictable but also unpredictable hours. The
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exposure in terms that the Board can understand. Using a risk-based approach, the CISO can profile the distributed risk across the extended enterprise on the basis of large-scale assets, geolocation, business units, and device groups, etc. The Board will be able to evaluate the business impact if any mission-critical areas are exposed compared to the cost to implement controls that reduce the risk.
#5 The trap of instant gratification In this time of crisis, and under pressure from management to deliver security, CISOs might be tempted to purchase additional tools, hoping that a single purchase order may be the key to alleviate the overall risk levels of the or-
" By combining tools like threat intelligence, vulnerability research, and probability risk, CISOs can begin to prioritize the most critical vulnerabilities that are now distributed across the expanded enterprise perimeter."
#4 The Board wants risk details
ganization to deliver quick results. Unfortunately, a magic bullet simply does not exist. What is more meaningful is to better understand the risk environment and systematically demonstrate reduction of risks based on the prioritization of vulnerabilities. CISOs could also consider using managed service providers to reduce their day-to-day overheads of monitoring risks and vulnerabilities. They can also consider bringing in professional services to boost the skills capability of their internal teams to use existing tools and be more effective.
The Board of Directors will want to know what risks the organization is exposed to, and what is being done to reduce/ address them. By adopting a riskbased approach, CISOs can accurately assess, quantifiably, the level of risk
CISOs will find that implementing these basic best practices can go a long way towards reducing the risk levels of their organization in challenging circumstances, including this pandemic.
CISO needs to understand this activity pattern is now the new normal. To gain complete visibility of the extended enterprise network, CISOs should utilise authenticated agent scans that register and profile all assets being used. This will help the CISO build a unified and complete list of the vulnerabilities that have been created by distributed and remote work at home practices.
August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
HOW AI WILL HELP CREATE A FAIRER ECONOMY IN THE ME
AI and Robotics can complement and create jobs, cultivate a fairer Economy, and benefit society, says Thierry Nicault, Executive Vice President – Middle East, Africa, and Central Europe, Salesforce
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hereas the COVID-19 pandemic has forced whole industries across the Middle East to transform their business models and digital capabilities by necessity. Those industries who develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies continually aspire to use technology to augment the way we work and live, with ambitions to be faster, more efficient and more insightful. In the world of work, AI is helping us to save time and boost productivity. From call centres, supply chains or boardrooms, our experiences have been – and continue to be – totally transformed. With Salesforce’s Einstein Voice Assistant, for example, AI can help users to navigate cloud services handsfree, to update meeting notes and records instantly. AI can also take on more routine and repetitive administrative tasks
SMARTSMB / August 2020
like data entry and finding critical information, in turn helping refocus time and resources on tasks and projects that humans uniquely can accomplish. In the context of the public health crisis, companies seeking to reopen and recover their offices safely and responsibly are also implementing and repurposing AI systems; Salesforce Work.com solutions, for instance, provide a 360-degree view of return-to-work readiness, contract tracing and shift management capabilities. Although making our lives a bit easier and more convenient, the development of automation has raised concerns around the future of jobs. Whilst the combination of the public health crisis and rapid technological advancements may decrease
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demand for certain task-orientated jobs, like the changing priorities and practicalities of many businesses right now, a lot of jobs will be transformed entirely. The potential for AI to create new products, services and jobs is enormous. As the reliance on new AI technologies rise, we also have a responsibility to ensure that inequalities do not rise alongside it. Handled responsibly, AI will help us do our jobs more efficiently and live fuller lives. It may even revolutionize how societies are governed and encourage a fairer way of distributing wealth.
Complementing and creating jobs Automation may not only complement the jobs we do, but also lead to broader levels of employment. Just as AI tools are helping sales teams prioritize leads, they’re also helping companies elevate how they interact with their customers and make better business decisions through data. This is why at Salesforce we are helping companies embrace and deploy AI. During this time of disruption, we’re seeing whole teams and roles entirely transformed. For example, we helped Virgin Group be more responsive to its customers by helping the company launch its first-ever AI chatbot. With so much uncertainty in air travel industry, the chatbot assisted customers with making or rescheduling essential travel arrangements at the last minute. This has also enabled their workforce to concentrate on other impactful ways to support the business. As the pandemic evolves, so too will the demands of customers and the services that businesses offer. This means companies will also need to help their employees to up-skill and possibly even re-skill entirely. In a world where companies are increasingly judged on the quality of the customer experience they provide, multi-tasking and learning in both the physical and digital spheres are imperative to engaging effectively with customers and with evolving a workforce.
Cultivating a fairer economy By bringing technology, economists and governments together, we can also transform how we approach governance and taxation. Launched last month, Salesforce Research’s AI Economist framework, with the capability to simulate millions of years of economies in parallel, shows how economic design AI can be used to optimize the balance of productivity and social equality for everyone - a model found to be 16% more effective than any leading tax framework. In addition to the clear, long-term positive social impact this could have, the issue of taxation will become increasingly relevant as this pandemic continues and governments seek to re-adjust fiscal policy to pay for their interventions, including massive stimulus packages. We can expect the debate around taxation, equality and productivity to intensify in the months and years ahead.
Thierry Nicault
Executive Vice President – MEA, & Central Europe, Salesforce
Benefiting everyone in society During this pandemic we’re seeing AI fast-forward the process of drug discovery, revolutionize health systems with capabilities to predict service demand, and transform businesses in the context of social distancing guidelines. We are still only at the beginning of the AI journey. There are legitimate fears around what implications automation may have on jobs and employment. At Salesforce, we have long envisioned a world in which AI will be democratized for everyone in society. To ensure everyone reaps the benefits, companies must help employees adapt to changing working environments, always to stay curious and put ethics at the forefront of everything they do in AI. At Salesforce, we innovate because we want a better world, and we build trust to benefit everyone along the way. Robots will never share our human ambitions for a better life for themselves, their family or community, but they can help us achieve them. With data and ethics, the Middle East can become a smarter society, create more meaningful work, and cultivate a more equitable economy. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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TECH WATCH
DIR-X5460 SMART AX5400 WI-FI 6 ROUTER over larger areas than ever - from bedroom and bathroom all the way to basement and backyard. The DIR-X5460 upgrades your network to the latest Wi-Fi 6 wireless technology which supports 6 simultaneous streams so it easily handles all the connected devices you can throw at it all at the same time. Enjoy simultaneous throughput to multiple devices for seamless high definition streaming media, VR gaming, and cloud storage. In addition, the 10/100/1000 Mbps MultiGigabit Ethernet WAN port gives you fast paced Internet access, future proofing your Internet.
DIR-X5460 Smart AX5400 Wi-Fi 6 Router brings next-generation Wi-Fi technology into your home, giving you the quantum leap in capacity and bandwidth to support more devices at once. By combining high-speed 802.11ax Wi-Fi with dual-band technology and Gigabit Ethernet ports, the DIR-X5460 provides a seamless networking experience with a high degree of convenience and flexibility. Wi-Fi 6 fully utilizes both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It also comes with 1024 QAM to boost throughput to devices by up to 25%, and 160 MHz contiguous channel width for even more bandwidth. All this adds up to whopping combined speeds of up to 5,400 Mbps (600 Mbps + 4,800 Mbps). Builtin Power Amplifiers and beamforming extend the reach of your Wi-Fi and direct the signals where they need to go. WiFi 6 lets you unleash all that lightning-fast Wi-Fi goodness
Download the free D-Link Wi-Fi app for your compatible iOS or Android device and follow the on-screen step-by-step instructions to set up your DIR-X5460. You also have the option to use a web browser to access the setup wizard and manage your router. The DIR-X5460 even integrates voice assistant compatibility for Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant so you can control your network with voice commands.
Highlights: •
802.11ax wireless specification delivers blazing fast wireless connectivity with increased range and reliability
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10/100/1000 Mbps multi-Gigabit Ethernet WAN port for multi-Gigabit internet connections
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Four 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports to satisfy bandwidth-hungry wired devices
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Concurrent dual-band wireless for connections up to 5400 Mbps
LG 4K IPS 1MS GTG MONITOR LG Electronics (LG) is bringing new meaning to immersive gaming with its new UltraGear (model 27GN950), the world’s first 4K IPS 1 millisecond Grayto-Gray (GTG) gaming monitor. A 2020 CES Innovation Award and Red Dot Design Award winner, the 27-inch model more than lives up to UltraGear’s name and reputation for gaming excellence and is a worthy successor to the brand’s first 1ms GTG IPS gaming SMARTSMB / August 2020
monitor (model 27GL850) introduced last year. Featuring advanced IPS displays, LG UltraGear monitors achieve stunning speed without compromising picture quality, contributing to the brand being named the top gaming-designed monitor in the United States.2 The new UltraGear monitor builds on the fast, accurate colors of its predecessor to deliver 4K resolution for
TECH WATCH
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ZEBRA’S TC21/TC26 MOBILE COMPUTERS Zebra Technologies Corporation launched the industry’s first enterprise-class mobile computers running on the Android 10 operating system (OS): the TC21/TC26, TC52x/TC57x and MC3300x. With integrated scanning and unique software capabilities enabled by Mobility DNA, the five new devices are designed for retail, transportation and logistics (T&L), field mobility and warehouse environments to improve front-line worker productivity and effectiveness.
Highlights
Zebra’s TC21/TC26 mobile computers provide the right durability, business features and enterprise-class accessories to boost productivity at an attractive price point. With the industry’s most comprehensive, powerful set of software tools, these devices are designed for small- and mid-sized businesses (SMB), retailers and field service providers. Companies can also easily reuse their existing Android applications on these devices along with Zebra tablets and vehicle-mounted solutions thanks to a common architecture platform.
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TC21/TC26 touch computers offer a balance between cost effectiveness and purpose-built functionalities for SMBs, ancillary and contract seasonal workers.
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With more than two million TC52/TC57 touch computers in the field today, the new TC52x/57x offers improved capabilities for retailers and last-mile delivery providers to increase customer satisfaction.
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With multiple form factors, the MC3300x has extra battery capacity to support three shifts in warehouse distribution centers and manufacturing operations.
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Ultimately, companies can select future-proof, mobile solutions that fit their needs for customer metering, queue busting, inventory management or positive patient identification applications.
Based on the industry leading TC52/TC57 touch computers with more than two million in use today, Zebra’s next generation TC52x/TC57x mobile computers feature one of the fastest processors along with a vivid display for improved text legibility and video experience. These payment-ready devices will help enterprises meet the fast-changing demands of retail including Buy Online Pickup in Store (BOPIS) along with those in the last-mile delivery, postal, T&L and healthcare industries. The lightweight MC3300x mobile computer is available in four form factors with three keypad options. It offers the flexibility needed for many use cases in warehouse distribution centers and manufacturing operations across three shifts with 35% extra battery capacity.
maximum gaming impact. A combination of speed, high resolution and 98 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space 3 gives gamers a total sense of immersion. And thanks to VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC) technology, the 27GN950 can deliver virtually lossless 4K UHD images in 10-bit color with a 144Hz refresh rate via just a single DisplayPort cable. LG’s one-of-a-kind monitor supports hardware calibration enabling the company’s proprietary Nano IPS display to offer the most precise color reproduction possible. And with
VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification,5 the UltraGear 27GN950 guarantees a certain level of quality in the form of outstanding color accuracy, dynamic contrast, high luminance and a wide color gamut. NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible and support for HDR ensures enhanced image quality with reduced screen tearing and minimized stutter that works seamlessly with VESA DSC for an incredibly realistic and exhilarating gaming experience. In the UAE, fans can expect to see the new LG UltraGear 27GN950 available from September and the 27GN750 will roll out in August.
Highlights: •
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LG’s new UltraGear is the ideal all-in-one solution for those who livestream their gaming sessions thanks to its expansive 4K-resolution screen. Support for 10-bit color depth and hardware calibration gives the monitor the level of color accuracy needed for professional-level video production work. The 27GN950 will be the first LG UltraGear monitor to sport the new “wings” emblem designed specifically with victory in gaming in mind. August 2020 / SMARTSMB
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MARKET MONITOR
A SHIFT TOWARDS SMART OFFICES Application & IT Leaders Can Help Organizations Save Costs and Create Safer Office Spaces By Investing in Advanced Technologies Gartner Predicts That By 2022, 60% of Hybrid Workers will Prioritize a Wellness-Equipped Smart Office Over a Remote Office. An increase in remote working employees and under-utilization of existing office spaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic will trigger a need for smart, wellness-equipped office spaces in the future, according to Gartner. To build a wellness-monitored office, application leaders can start by initiating the use of integrated workplace management systems (IWMS) solutions that see to the health and safety of employees. IWMS and resource scheduling applications (RSAs) that use artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT), including motion sensors and beacons, can remind employees to adhere to social distancing rules based on their whereabouts. Keep ahead with contact tracing and promote the use of virtual personal assistants (VPAs) as wellness coaches. Organizations should not only augment existing hygiene policies with thermal imaging systems but also invest in systems that monitor air quality in real time and keep employees informed. Additionally, features that provide the ability to continuously disinfect, improving air quality by reducing airborne
and surface contaminants like viruses, bacteria, germs, volatile organic compounds, smoke, and other allergens will be important. Ultimately, cleaner air allows for improved recycling of air, which will contribute to energy-saving benefits as well as make the workplace healthier. Strategies that focus on facilities modernization, more agile work environments and the value of employee experience will shape demands in smart workspace technologies. Converting empty “ghost offices” into 24/7, healthy, co-working spaces will present organizations with added costs. However, it can be an important first step in a mitigation plan — allowing organizations to recoup some of their losses during a partial, phased or full reopening. Employees who do not want to work remotely or who lack a good work environment at home will be the first people to benefit from converted offices. Opening such facilities to remote workers from outside of the organization can present additional revenue opportunities, helping to recoup losses.
UAE WORKERS BACK RESTRICTIONS ON TECHNOLOGY USE TO IMPROVE HEALTH Employers in the UAE should restrict technology overuse to counteract remote working mental health pressures and allow employees to better manage their physical health, according to new global research published today. The insights, commissioned by Aetna International from over 4,000 workers across the US, UK, UAE and Singapore, highlight the ‘digital dilemmas’ businesses now need to manage with employees, especially in relation to remote working. There was clear agreement from UAE workers who took part in the survey in March that technology can play a positive role in improving mental and physical health. 86% stated that it enabled them to manage workloads better, meaning less stress, and 82% agreed that it provided more time to exercise. In terms of country comparisons, UAE workers were most likely to acknowledge the health benefits that technology could enable. SMARTSMB / August 2020
However, even with these benefits, employees acknowledge concerns over an ‘always-on’ work culture. A substantial number (72%) felt remote working blurred the line between work and home life with 68% responding that they felt it increased the pressure to respond to work outside of office hours. David Healy, CEO – EMEA, Aetna International, said: “There is a very clear opportunity for businesses to harness the positive power of technology to help support and improve employee health and well-being. However, as we do so, it is vital that we acknowledge that an always-on culture is simply not compatible with mental or physical well-being.” Research shows that many UAE workers would welcome the introduction of a business policy to manage technology and screen time overuse, with over three quarters (79%) feeling it would help them to manage physical health better.
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DNH-100
NUCLIAS CONNECT HUB Managed Wireless Controller, designed exclusively for small to medium-sized business networks.
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Works with D-Link DAP Series