Cisco Network Engineers choosing Dubai, UAE as their top relocation preference
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American Hospital Dubai revamps IT system
on Tuesday, 29 January 2008
The American Hospital Dubai has begun implementing a new healthcare information system based on technology and services from Meditech, Lawson, Siemens, Cisco Systems, HP and IBM. The aim of the project is to integrate all the hospital’s departmental systems and make patient records, clinical systems, radiology systems, and financial and HR records available online.
“We have looked at some of the best healthcare information systems in the USA and decided to invest in the hospital to create a standard equal to that found within the USA system,” said Jasper Kateli, CFO, American Hospital Dubai. “The investment in software, hardware, networking infrastructure, along with all the development and staff training program, is a significant management undertaking and a major commitment for the hospital.”
The new healthcare information system implementation is scheduled to go live across all departments and functions by the end of 2009. This will coincide with the completion of the hospital’s inpatient Bed Tower, which will more than double the current capacity of the hospital.
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Cisco Systems and Dubai Internet City Offer Next-Generation Broadband, Voice and Video
Cisco Resilient Packet Ring Technology, 12400 Internet Router Deliver Carrier-Class IP Services Via 10mbps Ethernet-To-The-Building Connectivity
DUBAI, UAE, April 09, 2002 – Cisco Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, and Dubai Internet City, today announced that businesses and residential customers can now benefit from next-generation Ethernet-based broadband connectivity with speeds from 10Mbps up to Gigabit Ethernet.
Dubai Internet City will offer managed voice, video and data services powered by the Cisco 12400 series Internet Routers, Cisco Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) technology, Dynamic Packet Transport (DPT) and the Cisco 10700 Series Internet Router. Cisco Catalyst 6500 and 4000 series switches provide in-building Ethernet connectivity for the reliable Ethernet service offering.
“Basing our infrastructure around delivering something as simple, scalable and reliable as Ethernet connectivity makes it easy for our customers to connect to the Internet and also enables us to roll out additional services,” commented Ahmed Bin Byat, director general of Dubai Internet City. “Cisco provided us with a solution that exactly matched our business and technical requirements and this, along with their expertise, was key to helping us to deliver these services to market quickly and efficiently.”
This new network will allow all organisations relocating to the complex to quickly and reliably network their businesses and employees by combining the simplicity of Ethernet connectivity with the power of rich IP services. Each employee within the complex will, as a result, have access to next-generation broadband Internet integrated with advanced telephony and video services.
Dubai Internet City’s mission is to become the regional hub for IT and telecommunication companies in the Middle East and beyond. It is committed to offering the highest levels of service and to provide its customers with access to an advanced network infrastructure. The combination of Cisco’s 10700 series and DPT/RPR technology is providing Dubai Internet City with the Quality of Service (QoS) and IP multicast capabilities that form the basis of successful broadcast video delivery in the access network.
“Dubai Internet City has developed an innovative Service Provider model in deploying Metro Ethernet directly to their customers to provide next generation connectivity over a simple network transport,” said Ghazi Atallah, Cisco’s director of operations for Middle East and North Africa. “Dubai Internet City’s business model is providing the impetus for the continued expansion of broadband access across the region.”
Cisco worked alongside Getronics Middle East in Phase I and Schlumberger Network Solutions in Phase II to roll out this infrastructure. For Phase III, Dubai Internet City is leveraging its own technical and project teams with direct support from Cisco’s Customer Advocacy organisation to complete the rollout.
About Cisco DPT – www.cisco.com/go/metroip
Cisco DPT technology is the Resilient Packet Ring market leader, deployed in over 200 customer networks with more than 15,000 ports shipped. DPT is based on the Spatial Reuse Protocol (SRP), a Cisco-developed MAC-layer protocol for ring-based packet internetworking. Cisco has submitted SRP to the IEEE 802.17 RPR Working Group for consideration as the basis for the industry standard.
For more information about the Cisco 12000 series routers please visit www.cisco.com/go/12000, for the Cisco 10700 series – Series Internet Router www.cisco.com/go/c10700, Catalyst 4000 series – www.cisco.com/go/cat4000, and for the Catalyst 6500 – www.cisco.com/go/catalyst6500.
About Dubai Internet City
Dubai Internet City is the first complete information technology and telecommunications centre in the world to have been built inside a free trade zone. With over 300 companies now operating from its premises, and with new partners and new phases of expansion coming online, Dubai Internet City is building a community of like-minded new economy companies, nourished by its own specialised support units. Dubai Internet City has issued licenses to a host of global information technology companies. Microsoft, Oracle, Canon and Hewlett-Packard have already identified their long-term objectives here. Dubai Internet City allows 100% foreign ownership of companies, and laws relating to partnerships with local sponsors have been relaxed. Sales, company earnings and private income are exempt from any form of taxation. Companies can also take land on a renewable lease of up to 50 years and build their own offices. For more information on Dubai Internet City, please visit www.dubaiinternetcity.com.
Cisco Announces AED 5.8 Billion Five-Year ICT Investment Plan for the United Arab Emirates
Cisco Networking Academy to expand across the emirates
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – January 22, 2008 – At a meeting held today with Mohammad Al Gergawi, minister of state for Cabinet Affairs, Ahmad Bin Bayat, chairman of Tecom, and Osman Sultan, chief executive officer of du, John Chambers, Cisco® chairman and chief executive officer, announced a plan to invest up to AED 5.8 billion (USD $1.59 billion) on information and communications technology (ICT) in the United Arab Emirates over the next five years. The investment intends to support the 2015 vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to fuel the nation’s growth and development plans.
Paul Mountford, president, Emerging Markets, Cisco said: “This investment demonstrates our continued, long-term commitment to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The vision of the country’s leadership has allowed it to transition quickly to a ‘connected’ world. We look forward to continued collaboration working closely with the government to help support and realize the nation’s ambitious development and growth vision.”
As part of this investment, which is expected to create up to 650 new jobs at Cisco by December 2010, Cisco will open a new regional headquarters office in Dubai in April 2008. The regional office will host one of Cisco’s most advanced customer briefing centers allowing Cisco to showcase the latest innovations in Internet Protocol (IP) networking technology, such as Cisco TelePresence. The company will also open an office in Abu Dhabi in June 2008 to serve the growing customer base in the capital.
The new regional headquarters will continue to deliver Cisco connected real estate solutions serving customers across Emerging Markets. Conceived and developed out of Cisco’s Dubai office, the operations will draw on customer experiences in the region to help support continued solutions developed collaboratively at a global level.
Mountford concluded: “Unburdened by legacy technology, the UAE is able to deploy the most advanced IP solutions, placing the country at the forefront of the Internet economy. This investment plan builds on Cisco’s 15-year history in the region and demonstrates our commitment to the future of the country. It also firmly establishes the UAE as a center for innovation and not just a user of technology.”
Other investments include:
· Expansion of Cisco Networking Academies to further develop an educated local pool of talent that can build and manage sustained networks in the future. Cisco currently operates 39 Academies in the UAE.
· Cisco’s sponsorship of the Dubai School of Government research
· Cisco Systems Capital Corporation intends to fund up to $400 million in the UAE over a five-year period through third-party banking partners and through the potential establishment of a financial services company in Dubai. The funding may include inventory financing for Cisco’s channel partners in the UAE as well as potentially financing the acquisition of Cisco equipment, software and services by Cisco’s end-user customers.
· CISCO PLANNING TO CREATE DUBAI HQ
· Bloomberg
· January 22, 2008
· Cisco Systems, the biggest maker of computer-networking equipment, will spend $1.58 billion to expand its presence in the United Arab Emirates.
· The plan includes opening a headquarters in Dubai and an office in Abu Dhabi, creating 650 jobs, Cisco said yesterday in an statement.
· The company, led by Chairman, CEO John Chambers, will also spend as much as $400 million to offer credit to its overseas partners and customers for infrastructure projects.
· Emerging markets such as the Middle East, Russia and Eastern Europe have led Cisco’s sales gains over the past two years, with revenue rising an average of 38 percent, according to analyst data.
· Cisco made the investment partly because the UAE’s up-to-date telecommunications systems, which will spur demand for the company’s newest technology, Paul Mountford, the company’s head of emerging markets, said in the statement.
· Cisco manufactures Internet routers and switches, which are the backbone for delivering video and Web pages.
· San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco declined 3 cents to $24.30 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading last Friday. The stock has declined 10 percent this year.
Cisco Systems and Dubai Internet City Offer Next-Generation Broadband, Voice and Video
Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
DUBAI, U.A.E.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 9, 2002
Cisco Resilient Packet Ring Technology, 12400 Internet
Router Deliver Carrier-Class IP Services Via 10mbps
Ethernet-to-the-Building Connectivity
Cisco Systems, Inc (Nasdaq:CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, and Dubai Internet City, today announced that businesses and residential customers can now benefit from next-generation Ethernet-based broadband connectivity with speeds from 10Mbps up to Gigabit Ethernet.
Dubai Internet City will offer managed voice, video and data services powered by the Cisco 12400 series Internet Routers, Cisco Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) technology, Dynamic Packet Transport (DPT) and the Cisco 10700 Series Internet Router. Cisco Catalyst 6500 and 4000 series switches provide in-building Ethernet connectivity for the reliable Ethernet service offering.
“Basing our infrastructure around delivering something as simple, scalable and reliable as Ethernet connectivity makes it easy for our customers to connect to the Internet and also enables us to roll out additional services,” commented Ahmed Bin Byat, director general of Dubai Internet City. “Cisco provided us with a solution that exactly matched our business and technical requirements and this, along with their expertise, was key to helping us to deliver these services to market quickly and efficiently.”
This new network will allow all organisations relocating to the complex to quickly and reliably network their businesses and employees by combining the simplicity of Ethernet connectivity with the power of rich IP services. Each employee within the complex will, as a result, have access to next-generation broadband Internet integrated with advanced telephony and video services.
Dubai Internet City’s mission is to become the regional hub for IT and telecommunication companies in the Middle East and beyond. It is committed to offering the highest levels of service and to provide its customers with access to an advanced network infrastructure. The combination of Cisco’s 10700 series and DPT/RPR technology is providing Dubai Internet City with the Quality of Service (QoS) and IP multicast capabilities that form the basis of successful broadcast video delivery in the access network.
“Dubai Internet City has developed an innovative Service Provider model in deploying Metro Ethernet directly to their customers to provide next generation connectivity over a simple network transport,” said Ghazi Atallah, Cisco’s director of operations for Middle East and North Africa. “Dubai Internet City’s business model is providing the impetus for the continued expansion of broadband access across the region.”
Cisco worked alongside Getronics Middle East in Phase I and Schlumberger Network Solutions in Phase II to roll out this infrastructure. For Phase III, Dubai Internet City is leveraging its own technical and project teams with direct support from Cisco’s Customer Advocacy organisation to complete the rollout.
About Cisco DPT — www.cisco.com/go/metroip
Cisco DPT technology is the Resilient Packet Ring market leader, deployed in over 200 customer networks with more than 15,000 ports shipped. DPT is based on the Spatial Reuse Protocol (SRP), a Cisco-developed MAC-layer protocol for ring-based packet internetworking. Cisco has submitted SRP to the IEEE 802.17 RPR Working Group for consideration as the basis for the industry standard.
For more information about the Cisco 12000 series routers please visit www.cisco.com/go/12000, for the Cisco 10700 series — Series Internet Router www.cisco.com/go/c10700, Catalyst 4000 series — www.cisco.com/go/cat4000, and for the Catalyst 6500 — www.cisco.com/go/catalyst6500.
About Dubai Internet City
Dubai Internet City is the first complete information technology and telecommunications centre in the world to have been built inside a free trade zone. With over 300 companies now operating from its premises, and with new partners and new phases of expansion coming online, Dubai Internet City is building a community of like-minded new economy companies, nourished by its own specialised support units. Dubai Internet City has issued licenses to a host of global information technology companies. Microsoft, Oracle, Canon and Hewlett-Packard have already identified their long-term objectives here. Dubai Internet City allows 100% foreign ownership of companies, and laws relating to partnerships with local sponsors have been relaxed. Sales, company earnings and private income are exempt from any form of taxation. Companies can also take land on a renewable lease of up to 50 years and build their own offices. For more information on Dubai Internet City, please visit www.dubaiinternetcity.com.
Cisco selected as preferred technology vendor for GWA Dubai
Telecomworldwire, March 28, 2008
TELECOMWORLDWIRE-28 March 2008-Cisco selected as preferred technology vendor for GWA Dubai(C)1994-2008 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com
Networking solutions provider Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO) has been selected as the preferred technology provider for the GEMS World Academy (GWA) Dubai, which is part of the network of GEMS Schools and will deploy the Cisco Digital Media System (DMS) to deliver targeted, timely information to teachers, students and parents.
Cisco said GWA will also deploy Cisco’s Unified Communications, wireless and security solution and is the first educational institute in the Gulf region to use Cisco’s DMS. GEMS Worldwide confirmed Cisco’s DMS provides visual media, which offers a vital part of classroom instruction and a way to communicate with and educate students.
According to Cisco, its DMS is a flexible, comprehensive solution for digital signage and desktop video which enables high-quality digital media to be created, managed, published and accessed for communications. It claimed the system will help create a virtual school environment at the GWA via the delivery of high-quality live and on-demand digital content incorporating information on lectures and school events, rules, policies and regulations.
In addition, GEMS intends to extend the technology to classrooms in order to provide access to remote broadcasts, lectures and on-demand study material for students.
Dubai Internet City commences second stage of construction
As the second phase of the multi-million dollar project commences, Dubai Internet City (DIC) and Cisco Systems have announced the signing of a further technology partnership agreement, where Cisco will provide DIC with converged voice and data networking technology.
The project’s first stage relied heavily on Cisco technology that supported its entire network as well as providing security and content distribution facilities.
The DIC network is based on IP telephony with over 3,000 IP handsets already installed.
C 2003 All rights reserved. World IT Report
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
Wireless Home” Project Heralds Exciting Career Prospects for Women of Dubai
September 16, 2005
By Jason Deign and Alison Classe, News@Cisco
A trail-blazing wireless networking project called “Mitrash”, supported by Cisco Systems® and Linksys, has helped a Dubai college to boost women students’ interest and prospects in IT.
The Cisco Networking Academy Program, in conjunction with Linksys, has enabled 17 female students from Dubai Women’s College (DWC) to create a wireless home demonstration for the college’s Bazaar, an annual fair that showcases student business ideas.
The Mitrash project, named after a local word for “messenger”, demonstrated how wireless links from a single Internet access point make it easy to download video and music via a TV anywhere in the house, or to view any room via a wireless security camera.
Mitrash stood out from the Bazaar’s other projects, most relating to fashion, food or gifts. Project member Hessa Abdul Aziz says: “Visitors were extremely excited about wireless devices.”
Fellow student Manar Abdelrahman noted that people revisited the stand several times. In three days, the students sold approximately $5,000 worth of Linksys products.
All the students in this year’s Cisco Networking Academy Program took part in the project, applying and extending knowledge gained from their CCNA® studies.
Muna Yara, Mitrash’s technical support manager, explains: “We had studied wireless technology before, but this project taught us the practicalities of configuring, using and troubleshooting the equipment.”
Students received professional sales training from Linksys, which also loaned wireless devices for the students to practice on. A local reseller explained the logistics of acquiring and reselling stock.
Hussein Ghattas, DWC’s Academy Instructor, created a business-like project structure in which every student was responsible for a specific task, helping create enthusiasm and build confidence.
Participants gained ’soft’ skills in areas such as sales and marketing, as well as technical know-how: “This project showed them that the Academy Program is not only about routing and switching. There are other kinds of challenges for them to master,” says Ghattas
“We learned a lot about wireless technology,” says student Aliaa Al-Yousuf, “but we also learned how to deal with people and customers.”
Maryam Eid, the project’s general manager, adds: “We developed the skills we needed to answer customers’ product queries.”
Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, the College’s IT supervisor, says: “DWC is dedicated to providing a learning environment for young women to develop confidence, professional excellence and an ethical commitment to leadership roles.
“These objectives are well aligned with the Cisco Networking Academy Program’s objective of empowering women in IT.”
Of Mitrash, Sam Alkharat, general manager, Gulf and Pakistan, Cisco Middle East, says: “A project like this raises the level of IT knowledge among the women of Dubai, and should help them to secure IT jobs later.”
Linksys already plans to employ some ex-Mitrash students for promotional activities, he says, while other team members are strongly positioned to take on internships and jobs with companies that work alongside the wireless network technology provider.
Project administration manager Somaya Al-Ali says: “The success of our business made me proud to be part of DWC and the Cisco Networking Academy Program.”
Meanwhile, booth manager Amal Ibrahim would like to keep Mitrash going beyond the Bazaar: “I hope to start my own business immediately after I graduate, and this experience is going to help me a lot.”
Mohammad Hoda, Linksys regional manager, Middle East & Africa, says: “In this important venture between Linksys and the Dubai Women’s College, we are directly linking Cisco Networking Academy Program students with the IT job market.
“Not only did students learn about Linksys technology, they also experienced the business aspect of selling the products.”
In Dubai’s booming economy, technology and networking skills are in demand and Cisco has been instrumental in helping Middle Eastern women, as well as men, to build IT careers, for example by finding them internships.
Cisco technologies such as video conferencing are increasingly giving girls access to the same educational standards as boys, strengthening Middle Eastern economies with greater skills resources whilst maintaining the cultural integrity of the region.
The DWC, which has run one of the region’s few female Academies since September 2000, is among institutions taking the lead on this front, working with United Computer and Management Consultancy to provide advanced e-learning services using the latest IP networking technology.
The project has involved building a network to offer students and faculty members with high-speed fixed-line and wireless Internet access across its campuses.
The college has seen immediate benefits from the initiative, including increased Internet use for learning purposes, reduced administration costs and the ability to monitor student and lecturer performance via an intranet.
Cisco is also backing similar projects elsewhere in the region. In 2002, for example, it announced a joint initiative with UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, to increase the number of working women in Jordan, again using the Networking Academy Program.
Jason Deign is a freelance journalist located in Barcelona, Spain.
Alison Classe is a freelance writer located in London, UK.
Dubai Internet City Implements Largest IP Telephony System in EMEA Region
Cisco Systems is chosen by Dubai Internet City to set up its communications infrastructure with Internet Protocol- based technology unique in Europe Middle East Africa Region
LONDON, UK, 31st October, 2000 – Cisco Systems Inc, the world-wide leader in networking for the Internet, today announced that it is providing the Dubai Internet City with one of the world’s most sophisticated communications infrastructures. Cisco’s technology will form the backbone of the DIC’s communications and networking systems, including the largest installation of IP telephony in a single site in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
Dubai Internet City is an excellent example of how technology can dramatically improve the way companies provide service to their customers. Entrepreneurs will be able to create entirely new types of organisations, or let existing companies find fresh markets for their products. Ahmed Bin Byat, CEO of the DIC, said, “We are very excited about the technology that we are installing with the help of Cisco and their partners, Siemens and Getronicstruly we have a technology platform fit for the Twenty-First Century.”
The highlight of this technology platform is the IP Telephony system, which plugs directly into the computer network. Part of Cisco AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data), the IP phones have built-in intelligence that automatically translates the human voice into packets of data to be carried by the data network along with e-mails, web pages and database queries. Voicemail, for example, will simply be a software application installed on a regular PC server, thereby cutting costs and at the same time providing better features – such as the handset itself being able to browse a corporate phone directory, or to contact someone on the Web.
The Internet City will lease office space to tenants, as well as allow them to build their own structures over long-term land leases (of up to 50 years). In addition to that, DIC will provide IT and telecommunications services for the tenant’s own usage or for resale to their customer base, with high-speed connections to local and international Service Providers. The users of Internet City will also be offered something unique: an integrated voice/data communication system that allows companies to offer integrated e-business and customer response facilities. This will be the first of such hi-tech environments for a Middle Eastern country.
The integrated MPLS-enabled multiservice core network will provide the basis for advanced services such as customer-friendly e-commerce systems, high-speed network access for ASPs (Application Service Providers) and the technology to supply streamed, full motion video for training and education. The core network is based on BPX and MGX core switches; the Dubai Internet City IT team will run Cisco’s Call Manager 3.0.2 in their network cloud to manage the IP Telephony system.
By March 2001 the number of phones installed is expected to multiply several-fold from the 2000 handsets currently rolled out – this is unique in being the single largest phone installation for a multi-tenant installation in the Europe and Middle East regions.
The Dubai Internet City becomes a showcase for the way technology contributes to an organisation’s competitiveness. Paul Di Leo, Director of Enterprise Solutions for Cisco Europe, Middle East and Africa commented, “This is a showcase of the most sophisticated technology in the world. This implementation at the DIC is a massive endorsement of Cisco AVVID and the large-scale IP telephony deployment, clearly showing it is a technology of the present that is actually happening, and not something of the future.”
Mazen Jabri, Account Manager for Cisco Systems Middle East added, “Cisco is providing the DIC tenants with advanced ‘New World’ services that are available in only a small handful of places in the world. This will give them the competitive edge they need in this era of high speed communications and Internet-based economies.”
Links to users are 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet, which are integrated on to a 1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet backbone. As far as security is concerned, Cisco Secure PIX firewalls are installed, together with the Cisco Intrusion Detection System, which is part of the newly announced Cisco SAFE blueprint. This system intelligently detects suspicious network activity, raises alarms and if necessary removes the offender from the network and reconfigures network components automatically to prevent similar future threats.
The residents of United Arab Emirates are now able to boldly enter the Internet age, thanks to the vision of His Highness, General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, which has allowed the Dubai Internet City project to become a reality.
Cisco to Pump $1.6B Into Its UAE Operations
Cisco has announced it will spend over $1 billion in the United Arab Emirates over the next five years to increase its presence and train local talent there. A new regional headquarters is scheduled to open in Dubai in April. The plan resembles the approach Cisco took with India in pledging a $1.1 billion investment there in 2005.
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Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) will invest nearly US$1.6 billion on information and communications technology in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the course of the next five years, the company announced Monday. The network vendor will open a new regional headquarters in Dubai in April with a second office set to open in Abu Dhabi in June.
“This investment demonstrates our continued long-term commitment to the United Arab Emirates. The vision of the country’s leadership has allowed it to transition quickly to a ‘connected’ world. We look forward to continued collaboration working closely with the government to help support and realized the nation’s ambitious development and growth vision,” said Paul Mountford, president, Emerging Markets at Cisco.
Desert Networking
The investment will create some 650 new jobs at Cisco by December 2010 as the company expands its operations in the UAE with its two new offices. The regional headquarters in Dubai will be home to one of Cisco’s most advanced customer briefing centers and will serve as a showplace for the networking giant’s latest advances in Internet Protocol networking technology, such as Cisco TelePresence.
The new Dubai office will continue to provide Cisco-related real estate solutions for business users across emerging markets, the company said. The operations will draw on customer experiences in the region to help support continued solutions developed collaboratively at a global level.
The Abu Dhabi location will serve the company’s growing customer base in the capital city.
The financial outlay will also include an expansion of Cisco’s Networking Academies. There are currently 39 Academies up and running in the UAE whose goal is to develop an educated local pool of talent that can build and manage sustained networks in the future.
Cisco said it will also fund up to $400 million in the UAE over a five-year period through third-party banking partners and the possible establishment of a financial services company in Dubai. The funding might also include inventory financing for channel partners in the UAE as well as financing for Cisco equipment, software and services by the company’s end-user customers.
Local Investments
Cisco’s decision to invest heavily in the UAE is part of a long-term plan that began in 2005 when the company announced that it would spend $1.1 billion in India, a country in which Cisco has had a presence since 1995. Over the course of three years, the money would be used to add some 2,800 workers to the 1,400 people already in its workforce there and also create a global research and development center in Bangalore. Seven other offices opened in other regions of the country.
The bulk of the investment — $750 million — was designated for research and development activities including training, development and staffing. The remaining funds — $350 million — were used to create leasing and other financial solutions for Cisco customers and partners, customer support operations and invest in India-based start-ups.
The UAE investment plan is similar to one Cisco announced for Saudi Arabia in April 2006. Under that plan, currently entering its second year, the networking company pledged to invest $265 million to:
- Increase its staff from 70 to 600 employees;
- Provide leasing and other financial solutions to Cisco customers and partners;
- Develop a Technology and Entrepreneurship Innovation Center to present the positive impact of technology on productivity across various vertical markets;
- Provide equipment, training, education and support to network 2,000 homes in Saudi Arabia’s underprivileged communities;
- Build more than 100 Networking Academies;
- Establish a “Netversity” to provide public education organizations with advanced business and technical training for young people in Saudi Arabia.
“Cisco is at a point now where it has really deep commitments to various emerging nations and it has a lot of different academies, different channel presence, and technology centers throughout the world,” said Robert Whiteley, a Forrester Research analyst, who has worked with Cisco developing their plan. “But what it really did a couple of years ago was to try and put essentially a proof-of-concept in India. They really built up their Indian presence so that it was more than just your average presence in country. They wanted that to be a center of excellence where a lot of intellectual property was created, where there were a lot of the actual leaders within Cisco, and so on.”
Act Globally
Investing in India has been very successful for Cisco, Whiteley told the E-Commerce Times, and has given the company the ability to act and think as a global entity.
Cisco, he said, will not try to entirely replicate their experience in India, but the company does want to increase its presence in countries with the “right” profile.
“By that I mean ones that are investing heavily in their infrastructure, especially their communication infrastructure. Ones where there is a lot of economic growth and ones were they can establish what [Cisco CEO John] Chambers likes to say is a partnership with the actual government. Just like a CIO might decide to partner with Cisco on an enterprise, he believes the same can be said of government level officials who are trying to partner with Cisco to build out Internet technologies or broadband infrastructure,” Whiteley explained.
“The UAE absolutely [meets those requirements],” he added. “And what they’ll do is go in and invest heavily in the human capital. And what this does is feed into Cisco’s overall plan of flattening the structure.”
Over the past few years, Chambers has been trying to change the environment at Cisco from a very hierarchical one to an environment in which decisions are made collaboratively and includes groups and councils that are able to make decisions, Whiteley noted.
“[This has enabled Chambers to] do a much better job of delegating, but also the company is able to tackle many more projects and tackle many more strategies than he would alone. And that was ultimately what was so successful in India. They were able to shift the economics of how they make decisions, how they make acquisitions, how they enter new markets. And what we’re seeing in the UAE is one of the first fruits of that labor,” he said.
Now that Cisco has the right decision making structure, it can create deeper levels of investment and points of presence in certain nations.
“They can get these off the ground and have them make big contributions to the company,” Whiteley concluded.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — At a meeting held today with Mohammad Al Gergawi, minister of state for Cabinet Affairs, Ahmad Bin Bayat, chairman of Tecom, and Osman Sultan, chief executive officer of du, John Chambers, Cisco® chairman and chief executive officer, announced a plan to invest up to AED 5.8 billion (USD $1.59 billion) on information and communications technology (ICT) in the United Arab Emirates over the next five years. The investment intends to support the 2015 vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to fuel the nation’s growth and development plans. Paul Mountford, president, Emerging Markets, Cisco said: “This investment demonstrates our continued, long-term commitment to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The vision of the country’s leadership has allowed it to transition quickly to a ‘connected’ world. We look forward to continued collaboration working closely with the government to help support and realize the nation’s ambitious development and growth vision.” |
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As part of this investment, which is expected to create up to 650 new jobs at Cisco by December 2010, Cisco will open a new regional headquarters office in Dubai in April 2008. The regional office will host one of Cisco’s most advanced customer briefing centers allowing Cisco to showcase the latest innovations in Internet Protocol (IP) networking technology, such as Cisco TelePresence. The company will also open an office in Abu Dhabi in June 2008 to serve the growing customer base in the capital.
The new regional headquarters will continue to deliver Cisco connected real estate solutions serving customers across Emerging Markets. Conceived and developed out of Cisco’s Dubai office, the operations will draw on customer experiences in the region to help support continued solutions developed collaboratively at a global level.
Mountford concluded: “Unburdened by legacy technology, the UAE is able to deploy the most advanced IP solutions, placing the country at the forefront of the Internet economy. This investment plan builds on Cisco’s 15-year history in the region and demonstrates our commitment to the future of the country. It also firmly establishes the UAE as a center for innovation and not just a user of technology.”
Cisco to work with American University in Dubai
By Derek Sooman, TechSpot.com
Published: April 23, 2006, 3:33 PM EST
Cisco systems and the American University in Dubai are to work together with the United Arab Emirates University to create a Local Cisco Networking Academy. The move will provide students with the latest advances in enterprise system technologies in the networking, and will allow the American University in Dubai to set up a computer networking lab that is state of the art.
‘AUD allows its undergraduate students the unique opportunity of specializing in one of the key enterprise computing areas, which includes Networking, Database and Applications Development for Business & e-Commerce. We are happy to be associated with a renowned company as Cisco, one of the world leaders in Computer Networking technology.’ – Dr. Khalid Khawaja, Chair of IT Department, AUD.
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Cisco Plans $1.58 Billion Investment in UAE |
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Cisco announced yesterday that it will invest over Dh5.8 billion [$1.58 billion] to develop information and communication technology (ICT) in the UAE over the next five years, according to John Chambers, Cisco’s chairman and CEO. The investments are said to be Cisco’s response to Dubai and the government of the UAE encouraging the company to “push [Dubai’s] people”, and are very much in line with the plan to further develop the UAE by 2015. Due to the investments 650 new jobs will be created in Dubai, and these jobs will be focused on research and development, not sales. The investments will also create Cisco’s Global Centre for Connected Real Estate, where the company will highlight what it has learned about networking homes, businesses and other types of real estate in Dubai. The company will also expand the number of Cisco Networking Academies currently in the UAE by 20, bring the number to 59, and sponsor research (to focus on trust an collaboration in the Arab world) at the Dubai School of Government. Finally, Cisco intends to invest $400 million in financing services for its channel partners and customers, which would allow companies who want to build out their infrastructure, who might not have the liquidity to do so ordinarily. Cisco is also considering establishing a financial services company in Dubai. Emerging markets have been prime territory for Cisco because of the lack of previous infrastructures, often referred to as a legacy infrastructure, which often complicates the introduction and construction of new technology. |
Cisco chooses Dubai to mark the launch of TREC
Sun, 28 Jan 2007 01:30 PM
In Dubai, a city driven by large-scale property, hyper-fast construction and a booming tourism industry, Cisco has announced the launch of TREC, a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to address increasing demand for intelligence in network infrastructure from the tourism, real estate and construction sectors.
“As part of Cisco’s commitment to the region, we have chosen Dubai to cement the launch of TREC,” said Samer Alkharrat, Cisco’s Gulf General Manager. “Dubai is witnessing an unprecedented boom and it is estimated that 15-25 percent of the world’s cranes can be currently found in Dubai. TREC is an ideal solution to support the industry in overcoming the challenges relating to employee productivity, legacy communications systems, energy costs, and lost revenue streams.”
The TREC framework is based upon the convergence of network infrastructure and building systems onto a single Internet Protocol (IP) environment. It harnesses the power of IP to transform building construction and management.
Amr Salem, manager of real estate vertical at Cisco, said: “For property owners, there is an incremental multiplier effect as more properties are connected together. Networked buildings can be linked together into a connected portfolio. The open standards-based building infrastructure encourages a centralized approach to monitoring, maintenance and control of the building environment, where building control systems across all properties can be controlled from a single place.”
He added: “TREC will bring huge financial and operational advantages not only to the construction, real estate and property services industries but also to downstream constituencies – such as hotel operators, multiplexed retail outlets, and corporate tenants – in sectors as diverse as leisure, healthcare, education and retail finance.”
Through TREC, Cisco will automatically and securely connect building owners and tenants to innovative amenities, applications and features that allow people to do things, better, faster and cheaper.
“Tenants benefit from differentiated bulk services – such as broadband – with lower costs and higher service levels. Additionally, real savings to tenants include reduced IT resource requirements, cheaper communications costs, faster service delivery, simplified partner management, and greater control over their environment,” Salem concluded.
Cisco lands deal at Dubai Airport
by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Friday, 06 October 2006
Dubai airport is overhauling its network infrastructure and deploying a Cisco converged network to provide new services across its three terminals.
The Cisco network will provide wireless coverage across the airport’s three terminals and lay the foundation for the adoption of next-generation network services throughout the facility.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCA) will continue to use an existing Nortel network as an internal enterprise network within its airport offices as well as other parts of the airport. This network is also being expanded to cover new areas. However Ghanim Alfalasi, IT director at DCA, told IT Weekly that Cisco’s technology would better serve the airport’s aims of becoming a service provider to tenants of the airport such as passengers, airlines, retailers, the police and immigration authorities.
“We are moving from being a connectivity provider to providing triple-play services such as voice, data and video on-demand to all our tenants,” he said.
Mazen Jabri, general manager for Cisco in the UAE, described the range of services the airport hopes to provide using the Cisco network. “It wants to be able to provide IP [internet protocol] telephony, video telephony, internet access, applications access, It wants to do integrated security, VIP treatment — all kinds of services that would encourage people to use the airport more and spend more money because of having all these integrated services together,” he said.
Jabri claimed the network would also provide the airport with greater operational efficiencies by allowing different systems to be integrated, saving cost and resources.
“There is absolutely a productivity and an efficiency impact on the operation of the airport,” said Jabri.
“It allows the airport to integrate various systems together which means minimising cost and maximising security because you are integrating the radio system with the flight information system and the telephony and access and security systems all in one network,” he explained.
“So you have more control and you can better leverage your resources,” he added.
Alfalasi said that integrating the different communications system together would make it easier to transmit information between the different workers at the airport.
“This will give us greater efficiency for transferring the data from, and to, every client,” he said. “It will be easier, for example, for catering and fuelling to communicate to an airplane at the gate and even if we had to change that gate it would be easy to notify all the service providers for that plane.”
Alfalasi revealed that DCA was considering further leveraging the network by deploying Cisco’s Interoperability and Collaboration System (CiscoIPICS) technology — a communication system designed to integrate multiple push-to-talk radio systems together with other communication resources such as voice, video and data devices on the same network.
“This technology would really enhance our procedures for a crisis or in case we have some emergencies,” he said.
“We are evaluating it now and we are observing it in a test lab now and we have seen the potential on acquiring this technology,” he added.
Work on the Cisco network started six months ago and is being carried out in two phases.
In phase one, due to be finished in the first quarter of next year, the network will be deployed in terminals one and two.
In phase two it will be deployed in terminal three and other areas such as the cargo area.
A spokesman for Nortel said the company had been in talks with DCA over the expansion of its network.
“From our perspective as of today the whole operation in the airport is running on a Nortel network,” he claimed.
“I can assure you that they are talking of an expansion of features and components to the [Nortel] infrastructure that they are using at the airport.”
Cisco Announces AED 5.8 Billion Five-Year ICT Investment Plan for the United Arab Emirates
Monday January 21, 2008 10:27 pm ET
Cisco Networking Academy to Expand Across the Emirates
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES–(MARKET WIRE)–Jan 21, 2008 — At a meeting held today with Mohammad Al Gergawi, minister of state for Cabinet Affairs, Ahmad Bin Bayat, chairman of Tecom, and Osman Sultan, chief executive officer of du, John Chambers, Cisco® chairman and chief executive officer, announced a plan to invest up to AED 5.8 billion (USD $1.59 billion) on information and communications technology (ICT) in the United Arab Emirates over the next five years. The investment intends to support the 2015 vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to fuel the nation’s growth and development plans.
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Paul Mountford, president, Emerging Markets, Cisco, said: “This investment demonstrates our continued, long-term commitment to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The vision of the country’s leadership has allowed it to transition quickly to a ‘connected’ world. We look forward to continued collaboration working closely with the government to help support and realize the nation’s ambitious development and growth vision.”
As part of this investment, which is expected to create up to 650 new jobs at Cisco by December 2010, Cisco will open a new regional headquarters office in Dubai in April 2008. The regional office will host one of Cisco’s most advanced customer briefing centers allowing Cisco to showcase the latest innovations in Internet Protocol (IP) networking technology, such as Cisco TelePresence. The company will also open an office in Abu Dhabi in June 2008 to serve the growing customer base in the capital.
The new regional headquarters will continue to deliver Cisco connected real estate solutions serving customers across Emerging Markets. Conceived and developed out of Cisco’s Dubai office, the operations will draw on customer experiences in the region to help support continued solutions developed collaboratively at a global level.
Mountford concluded: “Unburdened by legacy technology, the UAE is able to deploy the most advanced IP solutions, placing the country at the forefront of the Internet economy. This investment plan builds on Cisco’s 15-year history in the region and demonstrates our commitment to the future of the country. It also firmly establishes the UAE as a center for innovation and not just a user of technology.”
Other investments include:
-- Expansion of Cisco Networking Academies to further develop an educated local pool of talent that can build and manage sustained networks in the future. Cisco currently operates 39 Academies in the UAE. -- Cisco's sponsorship of the Dubai School of Government research -- Cisco Systems Capital Corporation intends to fund up to $400 million in the UAE over a five-year period through third-party banking partners and through the potential establishment of a financial services company in Dubai. The funding may include inventory financing for Cisco's channel partners in the UAE as well as potentially financing the acquisition of Cisco equipment, software and services by Cisco's end-user customers.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco (NasdaqGS:CSCO – News) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in the Middle East is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.
Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Contact:
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Cisco to invest $1.6 billion in UAE
SILICON VALLEY: Cisco Systems Inc plans to invest nearly $1.6 billion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the next five years.
The networking giant said the investment, which includes the opening new offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and sponsored research, would generate 650 new jobs by the end of 2010.
Cisco also will spend $400 million in the area through its Cisco Systems Capital Corp, a financing subsidiary.
The Silicon Valley-based company said yesterday that the funding would take place through third-party banking partners and “through the potential establishment of a financial services company in Dubai.”
“This investment demonstrates our continued long-term commitment to the UAE. The vision of the country’s leadership has allowed it to transition quickly to a ‘connected’ world. We look forward to continued collaboration working closely with the governmen t to help support and realized the nation’s ambitious development and growth vision,” said Mr. Paul Mount ford, President, Emerging Markets at Cisco.
The investment will also include an expansion of Cisco’s Networking Academies. There are currently 39 Academies up and running in the UAE whose goal is to develop an educated local pool of talent that can build and manage sustained networks in the future .
Cisco’s decision to invest heavily in the UAE is part of a long-term plan that began in 2005 when the company announced that it would spend $1.1 billion in India, where it has had a presence since 1995. – PTI
Dubai World to work with Cisco for its worldwide communications network requirements
Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking for the internet, announced today the signing of a strategic direct contractual agreement with Dubai World, wherein Cisco technology would be standardized for all Dubai World’s local and global infrastructure and communications requirements.
Dubai World is the holding company of Dubai Ports World, Nakheel, Dubai Customs, JAFZA, Istithmar and other Free Zones entities, in addition to all other local and global entities and affiliates.
Since the agreement, Phase I of the Corporate Network Transformation project has been successfully completed, signifying the deployment of the Network Core and Datacenters for the project. Other phases are underway including Corporate Network Infrastructure at Nakheel and Emirates Towers.
The relationship between Cisco and Dubai World will govern all future investments of products and services between the two organizations and will provide a mature and transparent mechanism to streamline all transactions. This will also give Dubai World access to state of the art Cisco product and solution roadmaps, proof of concept labs and early technology deployments or pilots.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Dubai World said,
‘Our strategic partnership with Cisco places Dubai World amongst the pioneering global technology adopters. Cisco will work closely to devise our technology strategy and roadmap, enabling us to provide innovative services across all our group businesses as well as transform our operations to achieve maximum performance and productivity.’
Commenting on the agreement with Dubai World, ‘being in a rapidly growing IT marketplace, the Middle East forms a critical component of our strategy,’ said Samer Alkharrat, General Manager, Cisco Gulf. ‘Cisco is extremely committed to building a strong customer base in the region and will continue to provide value to our customers through our global experience, deep understanding of various vertical industries and bringing solutions to our customers and partners.’
As part of the agreement, Cisco will not only define the technology, infrastructure and architecture required for services across the Dubai World businesses, but also provide business consultancy on mergers and acquisition best practices. Acting in the best interest of Dubai World, Cisco will recommend partnerships and alliances that will complete the value chain, share best practices and also aid in replicating successful models.
‘As the world leader in IT infrastructure, video, unified communications, security, wireless and mobility, as well as data center and high speed access (broadband), we will be at the heart of Dubai World’s mission-critical IT infrastructure and will work closely in building a reliable, secure and resilient infrastructure that can scale to meet Dubai World’s long-term needs,’ continued Al Kharrat.
An initial project has also been agreed between the two parties that will leverage and be fulfilled by the above direct contractual agreement. This project will include full transformation of UAE Corporate Network Infrastructure standardizing on Cisco Technologies for Data Centers, LAN, WAN, Security and Fiber Optics solution connecting Jebel Ali Offices with Port Rashid.
Cisco will also participate in the human capital development effort of Dubai World IT staff. This will be done in multiple steps such as the assessment of current skills, creation of skills gap analysis versus the needed skills, building of training and development roadmap for nominated team members in addition to regular technology update sessions for knowledge transfer for key and business related infrastructure technologies.
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Cisco Launches Online TV Programs for Businesses in the Middle East |
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GEMS Selects Cisco as Preferred Technology Vendor for GEMS World Academy |
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Cisco Hosts Second Cisco X Forum |
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Cisco Hosts Second Cisco X Forum
Dubai, February 19, 2008 – Cisco® today hosted its second Cisco X forum, which had attracted more than 700 senior business and technology decision makers. The event took a closer look at the key trends driving globalization and innovation as well as the role ICT plays in developing innovative solutions for the enterprise, public sector and real estate industries. Highlighting the concept of ‘the network as the platform’, Sam Alkharrat, managing director of Cisco Gulf and Pakistan, discussed the role ICT plays in developing innovative solutions and highlighted key technology enablers that drive innovation which include: mobile technology, video conferencing, digital media and unified communications. According to Alkharrat, Cisco TelePresence, the company’s own ultra high definition video conferencing solution is one such application. Through utilizing Cisco’s innovations in video, audio and remote communication technology over the Internet Protocol (IP) network, Cisco TelePresence is paving the way for transformational business models by delivering a vivid personal experience. Several partners were present at Cisco X, including Fluke Networks, Panduit, Injazat, Emirates Computers, Dimension Data, ARC Solutions, Commscope, Wipro, GBM and IST Networks. For further information, visit www.cisco.com/web/me/ciscoX2008 |
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Cisco Helps Channel Partners Address Technology Skills Shortfall with New Partner Talent Portal in Middle East and Africa |
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· New Portal Links Middle East and Africa Channel Partners with Local Cisco Networking Academy Graduates Dubai, February 19, 2008 –As part of its continuing effort to help channel partners address the global technology skills gap, Cisco® today unveiled a Partner Talent Portal for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), providing regional channel partners with access to local Cisco Network Academy® graduates and Cisco certified talents. The new Partner Talent Portal features curricula vitae and profiles of local Cisco Network Academy graduates to help facilitate the connection between Cisco channel partners and this proven talent pool. A study commissioned by Cisco last year and conducted by industry analyst firm, IDC, revealed that the demand for networking skills in the UAE alone was set to exceed supply by an average of 27 per cent in 2009. This translates into a shortage of more than 19,000 skilled people. Already live and accessible to Cisco partners in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia, the portal provides partners with a fast and effective way to find qualified candidates while allowing for a much-needed inflow of talent into the overall industry. “The Middle East and Africa as a whole is experiencing tremendous IT growth and people are the heart of this boom. Finding the right talent to support this growth is a critical challenge for both Cisco and our partners,” said Guido Romagnoli, director of Channels, Middle East and Africa. “To help our partners successfully address today’s skills and talent shortage, we must look beyond the traditional channel strategies that have focused on providing partner training and programs. With the Partner Talent Portal, we are taking an active role in helping partners tackle business critical issues such as recruiting, retaining and developing talent.” The skills gap is even more extreme when certain technology areas are singled out. For example, the shortfall between supply and demand in advanced networking technology skills (IP telephony, security and wireless) will be 35 per cent in 2009. This gap is in contrast to findings from Western and Eastern Europe that showed an average advanced networking skills gap of 15.8 per cent by 2008. IDC also expects the ongoing economic expansion in the region to have a strong impact on ICT demand, including networking skills. IDC forecasts demand for IT in the Middle East to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 16.9 pre cent between 2005 and 2009. Cisco will continue to work with local universities to create a global list of profiles for all Network Academy graduates. The Middle East and Africa portal has already been accessed by more than 700 Cisco certified partners, and features over 1000 posted curricula vitae, with more being added on a daily basis. This highlights the portal’s ability to facilitate the initial recruitment phase by helping partners source the right candidates, at the right time and with the right skill-sets. First Step Toward Success Cisco’s Networking Academy Program helps students achieve networking and IT certification, while the portal sets graduates on the path to successful careers. The new portal will fulfill an important, but often overlooked, role in academia whilst educational institutions continue to be actively involved in providing students with training, as well as career guidance. For more details about the Cisco Networking Academy visit: To subscribe to the Cisco Partner Talent Portal please visit: To register as a candidate on the portal please visit: |
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Cisco Capital and Standard Chartered Bank Launch Financing Program to Help Accelerate the Growth of Small to Medium-sized Businesses in United Arab Emirates
Innovative financing solution provides SMBs with state-of-the-art information technology and communication infrastructure at competitive rates
MBC Group deploys Cisco Unified Communications Solution to Improve Workflow Between Offices and Production Sites
Top Middle East Broadcaster to Transmit All Data, Plus
Pre-recorded and Live Video Content via Internet Protocol
Dubai, November 27, 2007 – Cisco® today announced that the Dubai-based Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC Group) has completed the implementation of an innovative network that will help the broadcasting giant to distribute data and live and prerecorded video content over a Cisco networking architecture. MBC has further deployed a Cisco Unified Communications solution including Presence, Unified Messaging, MeetingPlace collaboration platform, Video and Wireless Telephony to support greater employee mobility and improve collaboration and workflow between the offices and production studios.
The new Internet Protocol (IP) network will connect the broadcaster’s Dubai head office to 16-branch offices and three production sites in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon.
The deployment of Cisco’s broadcast solution will reduce the time and cost of delivering content across large distances and reduce the reliance on satellite connectivity.
Amjad Edris, chief technology officer at MBC, said: “The liberalisation of the communications sector in the Middle East has led to an exceptional boom in the number of free-to-air channels. Due to the very timely and sensitive nature of broadcasting, as well as the rapid growth that our operations are witnessing, we turned to Cisco to deploy a very strong and reliable platform that can handle our requirements.
Edris added: “Cisco has provided us with a scalable broadcast solution based on IP architecture, by interconnecting disparate networks, we have opened the possibility for collaborative working with our regional offices and production studios as well as managed to centralise network management and significantly reduce operational costs.”
Delivering and distributing content across an IP infrastructure provides broadcasters with an alternative to the expensive satellite method. Even where geography demands the use of satellite technology, IP complements it in a variety of applications including local content delivery and interactivity.
Sam Alkharrat, managing director for Cisco, Gulf and Pakistan said: “MBC can now integrate Cisco Unified Communications applications over the IP network, using Cisco’s advanced capabilities. The new state-of-the-art infrastructure will also help MBC harness the power of Web 2.0 in order to effectively organise and categorise content, improve collaboration, open new communication channels, and link into its business processes.
We are very pleased to participate and help enable this very important transformation for MBC,” he concluded.
Cisco’s solutions include Cisco Unified Communications, call centre solutions to serve as the broadcaster’s IT help desk; security solutions including Cisco ASA5500 Series firewalls, Cisco Network Admission Control, Cisco Security Mitigation and Response System, Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switches, fully loaded to serve as the core and edge of the network and a host/network intrusion detection system.
The overall implementation features Cisco’s latest technologies, which include a range of routers to enable WAN connectivity as well as integrated wireless networking, Wide Area Access Services (WAAS) and the Digital Media System. The same solutions will be implemented in all the branches.
MBC Group includes 6 television channels: mbc1 (general family entertainment), mbc2 (24-hour movies), mbc3 (children’s entertainment), mbc4 (entertainment for new Arab women), MBC Action (action series and movies), and Al Arabiya (the 24-hour Arabic language news channel); two radio stations: mbc FM (Gulf music), and panorama fm (contemporary Arabic hit music); as well as O3 productions, a specialized documentary production unit, and Middle East News agency (MEN), a video news gathering agency.
About mbc Group
mbc Group was established in 1991 as the first pan-Arab free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World. Over the past 16 years, mbc has grown to become a global media group that enriches people’s lives through information, interaction and entertainment. Based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, mbc Group includes 6 television channels: mbc1 (general family entertainment), mbc2 (24-hour movies), mbc3 (children’s entertainment), mbc4 (entertainment for new Arab women), MBC Action (action series and movies), and Al Arabiya (the 24-hour Arabic language news channel); two radio stations: mbc FM (Gulf music), and panorama fm (contemporary Arabic hit music); as well as O3 productions, a specialized documentary production unit, and Middle East News agency (MEN), a news gathering agency. It has also several online platforms: www.mbc.net, www.alarabiya.net, and www.alaswaq.net.
Cisco Launches Pad for Global Talent Acceleration Program in Emerging Countries
Cisco introduces a new way to communicate and collaborate
Dubai, UAE November 5th 2007 – Cisco® today announced the rollout of Cisco TelePresence, a new technology solution that is poised to drive productivity and enable business transformation by improving the way employees, partners and customers communicate and collaborate. Through utilizing the company’s innovations in video, audio and remote communication technology over the Internet Protocol (IP) network, Cisco TelePresence creates a human experience that is so immersive and realistic that users forget they are in different rooms thousands of miles apart.
Cisco TelePresence, which utilizes innovations designed and built by Cisco including ultra high definition 1080p video, imperceptible end-to-end latency and wideband spatial audio, is paving the way for transformational business models by delivering a vivid personal experience.
Using the reach and intelligence of the network, Cisco TelePresence eliminates distance barriers to interaction while at the same time providing a high-quality experience through creating a real sense of sitting face-to-face with a person on the other side of the virtual TelePresence table. Additionally, Cisco TelePresence taps Cisco’s unique Unified Communications capabilities, making TelePresence calls as easy as a regular phone call.
Andrew Elder, Managing Director of Enterprise and Advanced Technology at Cisco said: “Our Enterprise customers really see the business value in Cisco’s TelePresence as it allows the same in-person meeting experience without the cost, risk and inconvenience of travel. The combination of networking, audio and video technology has resulted in picture resolutions that are six times that of the consumer HD television experience creating a truly ground breaking experience for our customers.
With the network as the platform, Cisco has been able to extend the communications horizon while reducing the carbon footprint to help change the way people communicate and collaborate,” continued Elder.
Sam Al Kharrat, Managing Director for Cisco Gulf and Pakistan said: “As companies are becoming increasingly global in scale, and with a growing number of organizations operating in the region, TelePresence will start replacing remote experiences and capturing important interactions by creating a human experience that is so immersive and realistic that it becomes as good as being there.
TelePresence offers an integrated and global business approach as it allows companies to transcend physical locations and optimize the diverse talents and skills of its employees and partners in a seamless matter. Businesses in the region are ready to reap the benefits of TelePresence,” added Al Kharrat.
As the telepresence category grows, Cisco will develop additional applications tailored for specific industries, such as healthcare, retail, banking, entertainment or government. This could include a doctor’s appointment, a “virtual specialist” for providing in-store expertise, remote interviews or depositions, or a visit between the kids and grandparents without the need for travel. The first application to market announced today, the Cisco TelePresence Meeting solution, is targeted at businesses to facilitate collaboration and enhance productivity.
“The network has evolved from the information superhighway of the nineties, to a platform for all forms of communications, enabling new business models never possible before,” said Marthin De Beer, vice president, Emerging Markets Technology Group, Cisco. “Cisco TelePresence is a new innovative application on this platform and catapults the concept of remote communications and collaboration to a remarkable new level.”
Cisco Enterprise Video Solutions
The network has become a platform for real-time, or next-generation, video delivery. Cisco TelePresence, Cisco’s latest emerging technology, is the third in a series of new video solutions for the enterprise. Recent additions to this portfolio include physical security/video surveillance, introduced earlier this year; and the Cisco Digital Media System, a solution for the creation, management and delivery of digital media, introduced last month. All three product lines come out of Cisco,s Emerging Markets Technology Group, an internal venture team that focuses on innovation in adjacent markets beyond Cisco’s traditional networking portfolio.
Delivery of Cisco TelePresence
In addition to its innovative technology leadership, Cisco’s global span of channel partners, recommended service providers, and its own services and support capabilities speed application deployment and provide for the ongoing optimization and additional business application of Cisco TelePresence. The Cisco TelePresence Advanced Technology Provider (ATP) Program currently includes 23 partners from around the globe. The program is focused on helping partners provide the expertise, intellectual property and lifecycle services capabilities necessary to deliver the Cisco TelePresence experience.
The Cisco TelePresence Meeting Solution is delivered over a Cisco-certified TelePresence connection. Service providers who meet the requirements for this designation have made a commitment to the TelePresence certification program and to using Cisco technology to help deliver high quality, reliability, simplicity and network intelligence to the business end user through tight integration between Cisco TelePresence technology and the providers’ Cisco IP Next-Generation Networks. For more info on Cisco TelePresence, visit http://newsroom.cisco.com/ciscotelepresence/
Jafza appoints Cisco to build an intelligent infrastructure for its Convention Centre Complex
Dubai, September 24, 2007 – To further strengthen its position as a global dynamic logistics and business hub that drives the industrial development of Dubai, Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) has appointed Cisco as its technology consultant to formulate the overall technology strategy for its AED2 billion Convention Centre Complex.
Through its collaboration with Cisco, Jafza will be merging IT and real estate processes to plan, develop and build a solid infrastructure that will offer revenue-producing and differentiating services to developers as well as tenants at the facility. Based on Cisco’s Connected Real Estate framework, the Convention Centre Complex will feature intelligent buildings and infrastructure components, offering value added services that are built on a converged IP network backbone.
Cisco will be responsible for overseeing the design and implementation of all Real Estate Electrical systems and creating the value added services catalogue, which will be offered to the tenants of the Convention Centre Complex.
The Cisco Connected Real Estate framework will be based on the IP Network as the 4th utility in the development, in addition to water, gas and electricity. With this concept, Jafza Convention Centre Complex project is set to realize significant benefits in process efficiencies, simpler operations, higher workforce productivity, reduced capital and operational costs, superior security, and opportunities for revenue generation through value added services.
Further, the flexibility and scalability of the IP foundation will accommodate the ever-changing business requirements for developers during the development and construction stages of the Convention Centre project and for the tenants who will occupy and utilize the Complex services and facilities.
According to Mrs. Salma Hareb, CEO Jafza and Economic Zones World, this agreement further extends Jafza’s commitment to provide the tenants of the Convention Centre Complex with state-of-the-art value added services, and a highly efficient growth driven business environment.
“We are offering our customers the opportunity to capitalize on a smart infrastructure that vigorously adapts and progresses with their ever-changing business needs,” Mrs. Salma Hareb said. “By implementing a highly secure, intelligent and scalable networking platform, we will mitigate risks of disruption as well as be able to quickly deploy new services that can drive operational efficiencies and business results.”
“Our Connected Real Estate framework consists of building a smart communications infrastructure that acts as the 4th utility in the development hosting all real estate systems on a converged IP network. This will then become the fabric of every building, and will act as the platform supporting all the centre’s real estate requirements,” said Amr Salem, director of the Real Estate segment for Cisco in the Emerging Markets, “It is the Information Utility – also known as the 4th utility – that provides a foundation for cost reduction, operational efficiencies, and revenue generation through value added services. Such benefits are realized by the developers, operators and tenants.”
Due to be completed by the end of 2009, the Convention Centre Complex spreads over an area of 72,700 sqm, and will include 22 meeting and conference rooms, exhibitions halls, a 700-seat modular auditorium, a fitness centre, a recreational area as well as 22 retail outlets. The Convention Centre Complex will also comprise a twin-tower commercial building that will house 1,274 offices, a 322 – room four star hotel and a 4,100 space car park.
“Jafza’s next-generation Convention Centre Complex represents a major step in the region’s real estate industry and we are proud to play such a critical role. We applaud Jafza for having the foresight to create an Intelligent Building that is capable of delivering advanced services to its customer base”, Salem concluded.
Thank you
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By: business intelligence on September 27, 2008
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