ALKHOBAR, 8 February 2005 — With the Counterterrorism International Conference in Riyadh making global headlines, terrorism is a topic much under discussion this week. Terrorism has resulted in many negative consequences for the Kingdom, but it also has been strengthening in some respects. For many years in Saudi Arabia lip service was given to developing regional technical training resources and local expertise. It was only after international travel became too much of a hassle and Western consultants began canceling trips to the Kingdom, that the issue of local ICT resources was brought to the fore once again. Happily, this time action instead of never ending planning has been the result.

“Over the past couple of years, some ICT companies have been withdrawing resources from the Kingdom. I must admit that their strategy has worked to our favor because even 20 years back, we had local resources,” said Khalid Al-Abdulkarim, president, Naizak. “Recently when certain companies pulled their resources out of the Kingdom it was a real bonus for us because we already had locals trained in many technical areas. In some cases, we had highly trained specialists and consultants who were living right here in the Gulf. These were not people who would fly into the area just for a job. For these consultants the Gulf was and is their home and we can call upon them with very little advance notice.”

Established in 1998, and based in Alkhobar and Dubai, Naizak (naizak.com) is the IT subsidiary of Al-Abdulkarim Group, the Gulf’s largest supplier/stockist of electrical, electromechanical, telecommunication, instrumentation and oil field components and equipment. Naizak caters to the specific IT needs of energy and industry clients in the Middle East. According to Khalid Al-Abdulkarim, with over 35 years of experience in the region the group’s goal is to set standards of performance and experience for the industrial and information technology markets throughout the Middle East.

“Naizak has thrived in the challenging environment of the past few years,” said Naizak’s president. “Naizak is a company passionate about delivering the best customer experience to its industry clients. We are now covering a wider customer base than ever before. We proved our worth under difficult operating conditions as we were having some major implementations at large enterprises in Saudi Arabia right in the middle of the troubles. Instead of pulling back, we actually accelerated the work. This made our customers very excited. Some of our biggest installations last year were in the thick of the problems when the talk of the town was terrorism not business. Despite that, because our resources were local, our timetables were not disrupted. We continue to believe that having local resources is the solution to completing reliable implementations.”

Over the years Naizak has been an active supporter of regional conferences and symposiums. The company maintains strong ties with Saudi universities and professional societies and actively recruits the best and brightest local graduates annually.

“I believe it is important to bring knowledge and technology into the Kingdom using every available channel,” said Al-Abdulkarim. “Over the last few years we have replaced some companies which decided not to continue or increase their investments in this area. They had excellent solutions but they decided not to be in the area. We have seen that local firms prefer to deal with local integrators who can demonstrate reliable technical skills and who have demonstrated a willingness to invest in the region. But picking up the business alone would not be the action of a responsible firm. With our strong ties to the community we feel it is essential to show responsibility in the area of technology transfer and development, too.”

Al-Abdulkarim Group did not start out in business in the Kingdom with a focus on product implementation. Naizak’s president who is also the executive director of Al-Abdulkarim Group admitted that in the past the group shied away from handling products that required constant maintenance, installation and support. Times have changed though and now the group feels it has the experience and resources to concentrate more of its efforts on bringing services and solutions to the Gulf market.

“The Al-Abdulkarim name is well known, however we wanted to distinguish between the services and solutions, and the products sides of the business,” he remarked. “Naizak is a continuation of our expertise in the local industry but we look at Naizak as leading from the services and solutions aspect. With open systems and a desire from many international vendors for input from the local market, we think we can add a lot of value and there is a huge need in the region. Customers can’t just buy the box anymore and hope it will work. IT is everywhere. Intelligent systems are a part of every business and industry. Unless you’re willing to invest you’ll be left behind.”

To support their regional IT services strategy, Naizak has appointed Amar Wadjih as regional IT services sales manager for the company’s operations across the Middle East. Wadjih is based in Riyadh.

“Our customers are demanding excellence and dedication from their IT service provider,” asserted Naizak’s VP of Services Charl Van Niekerk. “It is through our combination of people, process and technology that Naizak truly delivers. Where technology is now a commodity, service is the competitive advantage and the creator of value. Fitting IT into business rather than business into IT is Naizak’s core strength.”

Wadjih brings with him over 15 years of senior sales and management experience. Prior to his appointment at Naizak, Wadjih was Sun Microsystems regional manager, based in Riyadh, where he managed over $30 million of business across eight countries and led a team of 15 people.

Commenting on his new role Wadjih said: “Naizak has recently invested in a state-of-the-art customer call center and help desk from where it supports its Hitachi Data Systems and Fujitsu Siemens Computers implementations in the region. Naizak has also become the first authorized training partner for SAP in the Middle East and has opened its SAP Academy training center in Dubai. In my capacity as sales manager, I am committed to making sure that our cost-effective, customer-centric offerings are well received in the Middle East.”

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