Sajjad Ahmad, Deputy Business Editor

The Sharjah Digital Office (SDO), the entity tasked with leading the digital transformation process in the emirate, has announced the addition of 11 new services offered by 7 government entities to its Digital Sharjah platform, bringing the total number of services offered to citizens, residents, and visitors in the emirate to more than 50.

The announcement was made during SDO’s participation in the ongoing edition of Gitex Global 2022, which concludes on (Friday October 14th).

SDO noted that in line with the emirate’s efforts to enhance the quality of life for its residents, citizens, and investors, the new services facilitate the ease of governmental transactions, saves time, and offers round-the-clock access from any location.

Three services by the Sharjah Department of Town Planning and Survey have been added to the Digital Sharjah platform. These include: Property Numbering, which assigns a number to the property as per the system in the emirate; Request detail of location for investment purposes that aims to provide the customer with the plot government number and ownership number if available, to present it to the concerned authorities keen on investing in the land; and the Request details of Neighborhood Service which provides the customer with the neighbour’s details on request for specific purposes. This information is provided with the neighbour’s consent.

SDO has also added the Housing Support Request service by Sharjah’s Department of Housing, which enables Sharjah citizens to apply for housing aid which will be provided in the form of a loan or a grant.


Sharjah Business Women Council hosted a panel discussion titled ‘Women in Tech: Sustainable Advancement of Industry and Sector’ that deliberated the status of women in the tech sector and highlighted ways to ensure their inclusion and sustainable advancement in the industry.

SDO’s additions on the Digital Sharjah platform in the Business category are three new services offered by the Sharjah Economic Development Department: Submit a suggestion, Submit a complaint, and Submit an inquiry.

The Department of Islamic Affairs has launched the Fatwa service, which enables users to submit their questions and inquiries to qualified Muftis at the entity. While the Department of Awqaf – Sharjah, now offers its Donations service for users to donate to the department’s endowment projects.

Sharjah Police have added the Disability Parking Permit service for people with disabilities to make requests for parking services online through the DS platform.

Sheikh Saud Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Digital Office, said; “The  bouquet of services launched during GITEX 2022  will further enhance the quality of life in Sharjah and fulfills our goal of providing seamless round-the-clock access to government services in line with our digital transformation strategy.”

The SDO Director added: “I would like to thank all government institutions who have come onboard as our partners for sparing no efforts in providing their wide range of services through the Digital Sharjah Platform, in line with our ambitious strategy to support Sharjah’s development journey that aims to continually improve the quality of life of citizens and residents.

On the third day of Gitex, the Sharjah Digital Office had launched the Move-In service, which enables the landlord and tenant to sign and attest their rental contract digitally and to open the associated Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) account on a unified digital user interface. The announcement was lauded by GITEX visitors as it facilitates completion of transactions remotely.

SBWC showcases innovative projects: Highlighting its members’ entrepreneurial projects and services, Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) had delegates in awe at GITEX Global 2022, held at the Dubai Trade Centre this year, additionally providing acclaimed members opportunities to network and explore partnership opportunities with international companies and visitors to the global exhibition.

As a NAMA Women Advancement affiliate, SBWC has also hosted a panel discussion titled ‘Women in Tech: Sustainable Advancement of Industry and Sector’ that deliberated the status of women in the tech sector and highlighted ways to ensure their inclusion and sustainable advancement in the industry.

At ‘North Star Dubai 2022’, one of the world’s largest startup events, formerly known as ‘GITEX Future Stars’, SBWC has been the official partner for the ‘Women in Tech’ category for the past five years. The services and products from eight of SBWC’s innovative members attracted global companies, suppliers and investors, who explored partnership opportunities to drive forward their projects to new levels of success.

The SBWC entrepreneurs also had the opportunity to have hands-on exposure to the latest business technologies, solutions and the people and companies behind them. Additionally and with great anticipation, the selected members are scheduled to participate in the ‘Supernova Challenge’, a $200,000 pitch competition organised in cooperation with the world’s third-largest fund for financing SMEs. SBWC once again shows its dedication to women and SMEs at the challenge by being a category sponsor in this highly contested pitch competition.

A major highlight of the five-day event was a SBWC organised discussion entitled ‘Women in Tech: Sustainable Advancement of Industry and Sector’ that brought together and amazing panel featuring: Mariam Bin Al Shaikh, Director, SBWC; Najla Ahmed Al-Midfa, CEO, Sheraa; Dr Muna Al Dhabbah, CEO, Mirradical and Hala Jary; and Simran Chowdry, Co-Founder and CEO, BluePhin Technologies.

The esteemed speakers discussed the tech sector’s role in providing real opportunities for women-led projects and businesses alongside opportunities for growth. They also discussed how legislation and business support centres could boost the industry by supporting innovative projects and ideas.

The session expanded on women’s representation in the technology innovation space, the importance of their inclusion and the sustainable advancement of women in tech, revealing the impact the pandemic had on women-led businesses.

Maryam Bin Al Sheikh, Director of SWBC, said, “We are adamant about participating in Gitex, as it serves as an international platform that brings together companies and investors to deliberate, exchange expertise, and explore partnership opportunities. Our active presence in this event provides our members unique opportunities to learn from international experiences that provide similar services to their own to develop and advance their offerings.”

She added, “Emarati women, in general, and in Sharjah, particularly have enormous potential to reach regional and global markets, especially with the advanced and comprehensive infrastructure that supports women. Through our partnership with Sheraa, we will continue our mission to support women-led projects and businesses and bolster Sharjah’s status as a nurturing and supportive environment for women-led business.”

The five-day event, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, has been a huge success with the participation of over 5,000 companies and has attracted the very best business minds and innovators from around the world.

 du, Masdar City deal:  du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), is partnering with Masdar City, a global leader in sustainable innovation and development, to build a 5G Centre of Excellence in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at GITEX Global 2022, where du is presenting an innovative showcase under the theme ‘Powering governments, Shaping The Emirates Reality’.

As part of the agreement, du will work with Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s only planned and approved R&D cluster, to implement a Smart City Platform, which combines physical infrastructure, open and shared data, and smart applications to deliver unprecedented value. The project will also oversee the development of an advanced Command & Control Centre along with a 5G Centre of Excellence showcasing exponential technologies. This will enable operational efficiencies for Masdar City management and improve the daily quality of life for residents and tourists. The partnership spotlights du’s holistic approach to innovation in line with the UAE’s sustainability agenda and the Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative.

Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Executive Officer at du said: “Reinventing tomorrow is all about rethinking and rebuilding operating models for businesses and coming together to establish agile, innovative platforms to support our vision. We are excited to partner with Masdar to establish a 5G Center of Excellence to present exponential technologies and become part of the equation to deliver a strong, connected future through the Smart City project.”

Ahmed Baghoum, Executive Director, Masdar City said: “We are delighted to welcome du to develop a 5G Center of Excellence in Masdar City. The CoE will bring du, partner organisations, and educational institutions together to create real world 5G applications. These applications will be tested at Masdar City, which is Abu Dhabi’s only planned and approved R&D cluster with a focus on innovative technologies, and further enhance its reputation as a Smart City. After proof of concept at Masdar City, these applications will be rolled out commercially across the UAE and beyond.”

IceWarp’s New Logo: IceWarp, a leading Global provider of Enterprise Email and Collaboration Solutions, is participation in Gitex Technology Week 2022 with the theme ‘Think Global, Act Local’. IceWarp is looking to amplify its presence as a global company with strong local support in the Middle East.

The Enterprise Email and Collaboration Solutions provider unveiled their new logo at the beginning of the event. The company has established a strong foothold in the region over the years and is looking forward to growing further through meaningful partnerships with channel organizations and VARs that are prominent in the region.

Adam Paclt, CEO of IceWarp, said, “We are excited to be participating in GITEX again this year. The Middle East is an important market for us, and we are committed to investing in the region. Our goal is to provide our customers with the most secure and reliable Enterprise Communication solutions available. Our participation in Gitex is a reflection of this commitment and we look forward to meeting with our customers and partners at the event and showcasing our commitment to the region.”

At the event, IceWarp showcased its latest products and features, including a sneak preview of the upcoming EPOS version. In addition, IceWarp highlighted its commitment to the Middle East region with its expansion strategy and investment in local data centres.

 Adam Paclt, CEO of IceWarp and Pramod Sharda, CEO, IceWarp Middle East & India, were present at the event.

“Gitex is always a great opportunity for us to connect with our partners and customers in the region,” said Pramod Sharda, CEO, IceWarp Middle East & India. “This year, we’re especially excited to give participants a closer look at our latest offerings and to continue strengthening our footprint and userbase in the Middle East. We’re looking forward to a successful event and to furthering our relationships in the region.” he added.

Trend Micro solutions : Trend Micro shifts the momentum into the hands of cybersecurity at Gitex Global 2022 and showcases the ‘Power of One’. The suite of its unified multi-layered security solutions and platforms provides visibility, detection, and response to safeguard both public and private enterprises in the digital realm of cloud, Web3, IoT, and beyond.

Enabling organisations to innovate and accelerate growth in the modern digital era, Trend Micro’s solutions and expertise and experience have the capabilities to overcome the current and future volatilities of the threat landscape.

At the event, Trend Micro engaged with visitors to raise awareness of the critical nature of cybersecurity for today’s digital operations. Trend Micro presented a unique experience in cybersecurity through various in-depth sessions, sponsoring a Capture the Flag competition for ethical hackers, and demonstrating a host of robust solutions. Alongside joining their regional partners at dedicated pods and booths, the company emphasised the necessity of adopting better and stronger cybersecurity strategies to adapt to future challenges of the new digital era.

Trend Micro continues to take the fight to cybercriminals in various industries and strives to secure the connected world of organisations through cloud, networks, endpoints, mobile devices, and more.

Protecting digital environments across the MEA region, the company remains committed to providing support to the digital strides of governments, enterprises, and communities. Further advancing the movement of cybersecurity, Trend Micro aims to become a trusted partner of choice for the region’s enterprises and holistically help safeguard economies, strengthen infrastructures, and enhance digital ambitions.