MS Arabia, SOIETZ Sign MOU

Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Khrashi, governor of the Public Pension Agency (PPA), attended the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Saudi Organization for Industrial Estates and Technology Zones (SOIETZ) and Microsoft Arabia for establishing an office in the Technology and Information City (TIC) to be constructed by PPA in Riyadh.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by SOIETZ GM Abdullah ibn Abdul Latif Al-Saif and Microsoft Arabia GM Dr. Khaled Al-Dhaher. The new city will be constructed in Al-Nakheel district and encompasses top-notch IT infrastructure for setting up technology and scientific compounds and a complete business-driven zone for promoting the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in Saudi Arabia.

“The Technology and Information City (TIC) will play a strong role in the development of our local economy. It will help create high-tech industries, new jobs, attract foreign capital and increase local and national competitiveness. This development role is particularly important in transferring technology into the Kingdom and ‘catching-up’ with rapid technological developments in the global economy,” Al-Khrashi said. He appreciated the initiative taken by Microsoft to be one of the first tenants in the new city, stressing the significance of the contributions made by Microsoft Arabia in supporting the IT industry and knowledge-based economy in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Khrashi indicated that PPA is currently coordinating with other global players in ICT to participate in this national project. “Signing the memorandum of understanding with Microsoft Arabia comes as a starting point for this gigantic project. Moreover, we are going to sign similar agreements with other corporations to have presence in the new city, whether by setting up branch offices or providing the logistical support to build the infrastructure,” he explained.

The GM of SOIETZ further explained that TIC will be constructed on an area of 500,000 square meters with the possibility to expand by another 300,000 square meters. The city will be totally financed by PPA. “This is the first Saudi technology park licensed by SOIETZ. It will include research and development centers, small- and medium-sized local and global enterprise buildings and production labs for the big ITC businesses. Naturally, TIC will open the door for the international and regional investment communities to invest in the Saudi IT industry and make the utmost usage of the facilities and services offered by the city to the local, regional and international investors,” Al-Saif pointed out. He added that the headquarters of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) will be transferred to TIC on a 50,000 square meter area.

Microsoft Arabia’s GM expressed his enthusiasm while signing the agreement with SOIETZ, stating that this is a move that reflects Microsoft’s interest to help make this new city one of the top-notch technology cities worldwide.

“This memorandum of understanding illustrates our role as a strategic partner with SOIETZ in helping accomplish this project and arming it with the high-tech facilities in ICT,” Al-Dhaher remarked.

On being asked about the role of Microsoft Arabia as stated in the MOU, Al-Dhaher replied: “We have agreed upon exchanging the consultancies and knowledge that will help in creating a vibrant and state-of-the-art infrastructure in TIC. We will also organize IT workshops, seminars and symposiums and will submit our suggestions to help transfer technology into Saudi Arabia and provide the necessary industry training in collaboration with other constituencies in the city.”

It is noteworthy that SOIETZ has, in collaboration with the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh, issued the initial licenses for setting up TIC. After finalizing the feasibility studies and designs by next June, construction will begin. SOIETZ is the governmental body responsible for issuing the licenses for this project that will be developed in phases. The central zone of TIC will be completed by mid-2008, followed by the other facilities and plants.

Ministry Centralizes Clinical Centers Data

The Ministry of Health has implemented the Oracle 10g Database across 150 clinical centers in the Kingdom to centralize their medical data and deliver high availability across the centers.

Ensuring the reliability and immediacy of up-to-date clinical information is a must for today’s medical professionals, and it became apparent to the Ministry of Health that a next-generation solution was required to update their systems across the Kingdom, to provide the best standard of care for patients. With personal records stored on paper in different local clinics, there was a danger of a lack of immediate data being available on a patient, which could potentially hinder the clinical staff’s ability to provide appropriate timely treatment. The ministry’s pre-emptive action to centralize and secure this important information was completed with the cooperation of teams from Oracle Middle East and SBM in Saudi Arabia.

“Ensuring the well-being of the citizens of the Kingdom is our primary responsibility, and for this reason we looked to the market for a supplier with longstanding experience in the health care sector as well as world-class technology expertise,” commented Fahd Oteibi, CIO, Ministry of Health. “Our clinical staff can’t be expected to be technology experts as well as medical experts, so we needed to implement a system that was easy to use from the front end, to allow them to access the relevant information online, but which offered a scalable and consolidated back end. Oracle’s solution offered both of these, as well as the security and high availability that we required to help ensure the data is accessible across our medical centers.”

The Oracle Database 10g includes industry-leading security functionality, which is critical when addressing customer information such as medical records. With unique features such as transparent data encryption, as well as functionality that enables users to directly address privacy issues, the product proved ideal for the ministry’s requirements.

Morocco’s New Numbering Plan

As of March 25, Morocco began implementing its new telephone numbering plan. The plan covers fixed lines in four code areas in Morocco. The new changes are as follows: Old Code +212 44 New Code +212 24; Old Code +212 48 New Code +212 28; Old Code +212 55 New Code +212 35; Old Code +212 56 New Code +212 36. Remember to update stored numbers in dialing records in phones and fax machines to reflect these changes.