Dubai Internet City Partners With IDC As MENA IT Market Set To Reach $38 bln

DIC affirms its support for sector at 6th IDC CIO Summit

Dubai Internet City (DIC), the MENA region’s largest ICT hub, today pledged its support to the foremost gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives in the region, the 6th IDC CIO Summit.

DIC, home to more than 1,400 companies from all elements of the ICT value chain, continues to demonstrate its commitment to the development of the industry and to its business partners, several of which, including DELL, Intel and HP, are taking part in the event.

The Summit, which starts today at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, aims to put the spotlight on the increasingly central role of the CIO. It is the leading event for CIOs and senior ICT executives in the region, and key speakers and panellists will discuss the role of the CIO and the wider ICT industry, as well as new and evolving ICT models and strategies.

Malek Al Malek, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “The ICT landscape in the region is constantly evolving and the role of the CIO is rapidly becoming more complex. Data is getting bigger, the number of stakeholders is growing, and cloud computing is becoming more and more prevalent.

“DIC is committed to supporting its business partners, and to raising the profile of the CIO as a central function to any organisation. The event is an effective way for key individuals and companies in the industry to share ideas and we are delighted to be the ICT partner for the IDC CIO Summit for the 6th year running.”

This year’s event will focus on a pressing theme, Seize the Moment: Transform, Innovate, and Collaborate and will provide thought provoking insights to CIOs and senior ICT executives. Key speakers include Jyoti Lalchandi, Vice President of IDC Middle East, Africa and Turkey, and Jarkko Huhtaniitty, Regional Manager of HP Financial Services in the Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa, who will discuss the strategies that CIOs need to consider in their work, and how they can increase the profile of IT in the boardroom.

Speaking ahead of the event, Jyoti Lalchandi said: "The Middle East IT market continues to grow robustly despite global economic headwinds and regional political turmoil and is on course to surpass US$ 38 Bn by 2016. This growth will be increasingly driven by investments in what IDC calls the "4 Forces of Technology Transformation" - cloud, mobile, social and big data analytics.

“As Middle East organizations strive to balance operational efficiencies and cost savings on the one hand with business growth, customer relationship and process agility on the other, progressive CIOs will look to leverage the 4 forces to innovate and transform both IT and business. The IT industry can play a significant role as a partner in this transformation, and agile and innovative vendors and providers will look to capture these opportunities. The Middle East CIO Summit, in its 6th year now, will bring together progressive C-level IT decision makers from various industries to engage with leading IDC analysts and global and regional IT providers to discuss challenges, priorities and best practices."

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Feb 18, 2013

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