MFNCA officials during a visit to the Gitex Global 2022 in Dubai.

Sajjad Ahmad, Deputy Business Editor

Global and regional tech organisations have announced new partnerships and alliances during the third day of Gitex Global 2022. Different companies have also unveiled new plans and products during the event to enhance their business growth.

The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA) is presenting its innovative digital initiatives that enhance political awareness and participation in the UAE at the 42nd edition of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (Gitex) which kicked off at the Dubai World Trade Centre on October 10, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai.

MFNCA Undersecretary Tariq Hilal Lootah and Sami Mohammed Bin Adi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector at the Ministry, visited the MFNCA’s booth and noted the great interaction from visitors with the Ministry’s digital initiatives.

The Ministry’s participation is part of its approach to employ technology as a means to reach all members of the UAE community and upgrade its work environment with the latest digital breakthroughs, which now an engine driving the development of work environments.

The MFNCA’s participation will showcase its interactive website and the information it provides, which allows visitors to access its services and its new digital initiatives. The advantages provided by the National Elections Committee website, and the information it provides are also showcased, enabling those wishing to run for membership of the Federal National Council and voters to learn about the electoral process.

ADAA, G42 sign deal: As part of the Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority’s pioneering role in preserving public funds and assets, and in line with its keenness to adopt and use the latest technologies and best practices in the field of artificial intelligence, big data and digital cloud services to support its mandate, ADAA has signed a new MoU forming a strategic partnership with Presight.ai, a G42 company, to enhance the efficiency and quality of auditing and preserving public funds in the emirate’s government entities. The MoU was signed by Ms. Haifa Al Balooshi, ADAA’s Director of Information Technology, and Dr Adel Al Sharji, Chief Operating Officer of Presight.ai.

The MoU follows a prior successful collaboration between the two parties with ADAA becoming the first government entity to move its data centre to the G42 Cloud and expand its artificial intelligence capabilities across its digital operations and it was signed during ADAA’s participation at Gitex Global 2022.

Commenting the signing, Ms Haifa Al Balooshi said: “We are cooperating with G42’s Presight.ai subsidiary to fortify our capacity to apply best practices in governance, and achieve the Authority’s directive to preserve public funds and assets by keeping pace with digital transformation processes and utilising the cloud environment, thereby reducing environmental risks and operational costs, enhancing security and regulatory compliance, and thus contributing to enhancing the overall competitiveness of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, realising the vision of our wise leadership and supporting ADAA’s strategic vision in this area.”

Zoho helps over 3500 businesses: Zoho Corp, a leading global technology company, revealed that it has enabled more than 3500 small, medium and large enterprises in the UAE adopt its cloud technology through local partnerships with public and private organisations. The announcement was made on the sidelines of Gitex Global 2022, the region’s biggest technology event taking place in Dubai.

Over the past two years, Zoho has facilitated access to its 55+ cloud-based business applications by partnering with government institutions and leading private organizations in the UAE to help businesses migrate to the cloud as well as instill digital literacy within enterprises and local educational institutions, helping bolster the nation’s digital transformation efforts. Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, Zoho has invested Dhs20 million in Zoho Wallet credits and Dhs4.5 million in professional training as well as industry-academia collaborations that have helped empower over 300 companies and 200 students.

“In recent years, cloud technology has proven to be a powerful tool for businesses due to its ability to transform the way enterprises operate by simplifying and streamlining complex processes,” said Hyther Nizam, President, Zoho Middle East and Africa “The UAE is a forerunner in adopting cloud solutions in the region as part of its national agenda to transform into a competitive-knowledge economy. With SMEs being a central element of realising this ambition, it is important for us, as leaders in the cloud technology, to support businesses’ adoption of advanced technologies in order to achieve economic sustainability and drive resilience.”

“Businesses in the UAE can encounter several technological barriers that can hinder their digital transformation efforts such as integration issues, language restrictions or difficulty migrating from old legacy systems,” said Ali Shabdar, Regional Director, Zoho MEA. “Zoho’s products offer UAE businesses a unique value proposition by combining scalability, ease of use, multilingual interfaces, convenient pricing plans, and countless integration capabilities to help them kick up their growth, maintain continuity and attain their digitalisation goals.”

Zoho One platform, the operating system for businesses, remains the top selling and most preferred solution by UAE companies that choose Zoho, as it clubs over 45 unified, inter-operable applications that make operating a business smart and seamless.

Microsoft’s vision: Microsoft brought a taste of what the future of mixed reality will look like to Gitex Global 2022, as the region’s premier technology exhibition got underway at Dubai World Trade Centre. The company’s attendance at Gitex occurs in the third-anniversary year of its UAE cloud data centres, which continue to empower organizations on their digitisation journeys.

During the event, under the theme ‘Believe the hype, it’s real. Enter the next Digital Universe’ Microsoft’s Gitex 2022 hub, featuring 26 of Microsoft’s partners, and exhibits at DevSlam and X-Verse, will jointly showcase latest initiatives and products, with industry solutions for fintech, retail, education, cybersecurity, smart cities, and energy and utilities. Cutting edge sustainability solutions will also be featured. For its flagship showcase, Microsoft has partnered with Kagool to introduce a new use case for its HoloLens 2 device, that utilizes advanced Metaverse technologies to create a unique experience for tourism, allowing visitors to experience Dubai attractions virtually using Microsoft AI capabilities.  

“Gitex remains the preeminent technology showcase in the region,” said Naim Yazbeck, General Manager, Microsoft UAE. “It is here that we predict and project. It is here that we showcase the new, whether it be a product, a service, or an opportunity. Microsoft has been the UAE’s partner on this journey for more than three decades and our involvement in Gitex Global 2022 will see our biggest presence yet as we look ahead towards a digital, connected future.”

Throughout the exhibition, the company will also share its thoughts on Web 3.0 and the role metaverse technologies, including the recently launched HoloLens 2 device, Mesh and Teams, will play in the future of hybrid work. Microsoft will also take a deep dive into cybersecurity and what it means in the multi-cloud era, covering the latest developments in the threat landscape and the implications of the multi-cloud reality for issues such as identity and data protection.

Tally’s grand opening: Tally Solutions, the leading international business management software provider, marked a grand opening at Gitex Global 2022 with the latest version of TallyPrime. The company is showcasing its tech offering in Hall 06 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

This year’s theme is ‘OneForGrowth’ which underlines the company’s commitment to support small and medium business community in the region with the power of TallyPrime, which includes - One license many users, One-time payment lifetime license, One-minute setup time, and One software for compliance across GCC, which covers both VAT and UAE Corporate TAX.

Talking about the participation at the event Vikas Panchal, Business Head- Middle East, Tally Solutions, commented, “We are pleased to be a part of this global forum once again. This is our 9th consecutive year of participating at GITEX and we are absolutely thrilled to showcase our new tech offerings. Over the years, Tally has been a key partner for several small and medium enterprises, enabling them to accelerate their digital transformation journeys. We are optimistic that the latest version of our marque product- TallyPrime will further strengthen their trust in us and pave way for several new business entities to associate with us.”

“The Middle East, and the UAE in particular is an important market for us, and Gitex is a strategic platform that serves to reinforce our presence in the region and connecting with a wider audience and also help us learn about and explore new technologies shaping the future,” added Panchal.

 WSO2 solutions:  WSO2, the leader in digital transformation technology, showcasing the latest advancements to solutions in its API management, identity management, and enterprise integration portfolios during Gitex Global 2022.

“Business in the region is once again on the upswing following a successful recovery from the pandemic. We now see the growth of e-commerce and other online channels increasing organisations’ demand for new technologies that provide rich digital experiences to customers, consumers, and partners,” said Uday Shankar Kizhepat, WSO2 Vice President and General Manager for the Middle East and Africa region.

“Every company has evolved into a software company, and most CXOs are starting to realise that the only way to differentiate from the competition is by creating superior digital experiences. Given WSO2’s unique ability to address this need, we expect to have a highly engaging and successful Gitex Global 2022.”

At the event, WSO2 will showcase its software as a service (SaaS) offerings. Additionally, the company is demonstrating its key software products, including WSO2 API Manager, a complete platform for building and integrating business capabilities as managed APIs, and WSO2 Identity Server for customer identity and access management (CIAM).

Monty Mobile new features: Global telecom solutions provider, Monty Mobile, announced the launch of innovative new features to support its communications platform for the first time in the Middle East. The new features will support back-end enhancements to enable a complete digital communication transformation, empowering businesses to increase customer service efficiency and provide a personalised interactive experience embedded directly into brands’ marketing touch points.

“With the implementation of these new features, our platform will offer a more streamlined customer journey while guaranteeing communication success. By increasing customer engagement, this conversational messaging platform will help you transform your communication with customers digitally by utilising the advanced channels and features supported via our solution”, stated Hassan Mansour, CEO of Monty Mobile.

Ali Sabbagh, Messaging Operation Manager- Monty Mobile said,” Gitex Global 2022 is a big platform and it provides us the opportunities to showcase our products to the globe. We are here to present our solutions to the world and make new business relations during the event.”

Ali added,” The visitors’ response to our stand was outstanding on the first day and we are expecting an increase in inquiries about our newly launched features.”