Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Gulf Today, Business Bureau

Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), announced the completion of more than 3,000 transactions worth approximately Dhs10 million in two months, from mid-March to mid-May 2020, while working remotely.

In addition to the existing 395 smart services available online, through the customer service portal, DSOA launched seven new services for residents and business partners – visa quota renewal, as well as access card applications, renewal, and cancellation.

Badr Buhannad, Executive Vice President - Strategy, Business Services & Risk Management at DSOA, said: “The smart technology infrastructure at Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority that has been implemented over the years was key to completing more than 3,000 transactions remotely, through the 395 smart services available and the AI-powered bot, HADI. We activated these services end of 2019, in line with our comprehensive digitization strategy.”

He added, “The exemptions and stimulus packages that we recently implemented, as well as the agility of our team to adapt to the new reality of working remotely and continue servicing customers in an orderly and timely manner, contributed to the completion of approximately Dhs10 million in transaction value.”

The list of 395 smart services available online to business partners comprises contracts, hiring, leasing, and maintenance, such as requests for employment contract renewals, residential lease contract renewals, requests for maintenance services, among others.

Badr Buhannad said: “To date, we have achieved 95% digitization of services. In the past few weeks, we’ve also expanded the list of services available online to accommodate to the new requests of customers and simplify transactions for business partners and residents.”

DSOA launched HADI, an AI-powered conversational bot that can answer users’ questions and process transactions with respect to DSOA’s services. It uses an algorithm to analyze repeat questions and provide quick responses. In the past two months, since implementing remote working procedures, HADI received 3,549 queries from 755 users, resulting in 8,059 messages.

Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority has announced recently that Ejadah, a leading asset management company in Dubai, has been contracted to manage all infrastructure maintenance works across the integrated community.

Ejadah’s services include the maintenance and repair of DSO’s sewerage network, irrigation network, storm network, and their respective pumping stations, as well as the fountains and water features at its lakes and street lighting. Public park maintenance and open area infrastructure is also part of the scope.

Speaking on the appointment, Eng. Khalil Shalan, Senior Vice President - Operations & Facility at DSOA, said: “DSOA is committed to maintaining a state-of-the-art community that offers its residents and visitors an enhanced quality of life. As part of this priority, we are keen to offer our community members a clean, aesthetically appealing, and seamlessly connected environment. This includes all elements of our infrastructure - from civil works to landscaping.

He added: “Given Ejadah’s consistent track record of excellence in providing a comprehensive range of world-class and innovative facilities management and community service solutions, we are confident in their ability to carry out the required work in a professional manner that best suits DSO’s advanced infrastructure.”

For his part, Tarek Nizameddin Senior Executive Director at Ejadah, said: “This contract follows several similar high-profile ones that Ejadah has managed to secure across the UAE, and is well-aligned with our strategic expansion plans for the year 2020. We have achieved remarkable growth over the past few years, which has positioned us as an industry-leading asset management company in the UAE and the wider region.”

Ejadah is currently the infrastructure service provider for other prestigious clients including Business Bay, Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai Internet City, Liwan, Jadaf Waterfront, Majan, Arjan, Dubai Industrial Park, Rahaba Residence, Nakheel Nad Al Shiba, and Dubai Land Residence Complex.

The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority has also allocated additional exemption packages and incentives to the business sector, in line with Dubai’s government decision to gradually open a number of economic sectors, shopping centers and commercial stores. This step is a continuation to the previous relief packages implemented by DSO which were well-received by partners and stakeholders.