Server Consolidation Project at STC

Saudi Telecom Co. (STC) and Sun Microsystems have concluded several agreements. With the attendance of Sun SEE President Jean-Paul Bergmans and STC Vice President Ibrahim Dhobaie, STC has signed two enterprise agreements with Sun and two project contracts for approximately $7 million including a services contract with Sun Microsystems Middle East. The agreement positions Sun as STC’s major technology source for IT infrastructure hardware, software, professional services and support needs.

In parallel, STC has chosen Sun as a major vendor for its Server Consolidation and Centralization Project to provide an enterprise-scale server infrastructure based on Sun Fire E25K high end servers and Sun Solaris 10 operating system.

Sun Microsystems and STC are no strangers to one another. “We have relied on Sun for most of our OSS and GSM networks and services over the last few years and Sun was the first to work with STC on an end-to-end server consolidation strategy and execution,” said Dhobaie.

Sun already provides the platforms powering STC’s GSM services, BSS/OSS and data networks. Sun Fire servers support many of the company’s business applications such as enterprise integration, document management, CRM and customer care, call centers, security, work force management and e-business functions, e-payment gateways, 3G network and services.

Mobily Plans to Launch Data Card for Laptops

Mobily plans to launch the Mobily Connect Card, a 3.5G high-speed PC data card for laptops. Aimed in particular at customers on the move, with the Data Card, Mobily is delivering the ability to access the Internet at high speed.

The Mobily Connect Card will give access to speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps in 3.5G covered areas. High speed Internet connectivity is now available in almost all of Mobily’s 3.5G network. The Mobily Connect Card will enable effective browsing of the Internet, e-mail on the move and a quick, simple and secure access to customers’ corporate data systems and Intranet. When outside of 3.5G network coverage, the Mobily Connect Card automatically switches to Mobily’s EDGE/GPRS network, which offers full coverage in the Mobily network. This allows Mobily customers with a laptop to work whenever and wherever needed without a requirement to find the nearest phone socket.

Besides wireless access, Mobily’s newest product even provides a softphone for voice calls. This option is included in a dashboard application for the laptop from where SMS, call features such as ringtones, a phone book and other features such as cost concerns may be managed. The Dashboard software furnishes customers with the status of the consumed data volume and available access speed at their location.

The Mobily Connect Card will give customers access at similar or even higher speeds to those they experience with high speed fixed-line Internet access in Saudi Arabia. All Mobily customers are automatically eligible to use the new service without the need to switch their existing Mobily SIM by using the current Data Bundles.

BSA Undertakes New Anti-Piracy Effort

The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the international association established by the software industry to promote a safe and legal digital world, has initiated a new awareness and educational campaign jointly with regional authorities, stepping up its ongoing efforts to reduce software piracy in the Middle East by informing the public about the negative repercussions of using and trading in unlicensed software.

The campaign involves holding a series of training programs, seminars and conferences to influence consumer and businesses behavior and to increase awareness about the advantages of using original software products, among various sections of society across the region. This move comes in line with BSA’s goal of creating a secure and legal environment for the growth and development of the regional Information and Communications Technology (CIT) industry.

The BSA campaign comes at a time when the region is witnessing increased adoption of ICT by home-users, educational institutions and public and private sector organizations. Recent Madar Research data reveals that the number of Internet users in the Middle East grew by 54.84 percent to touch 26 million while the computer installed base expanded to 14 million computers, reflecting a 29.24 percent increase in 2005. However, BSA argues that high levels of software piracy offset the benefits associated with increased levels of ICT usage.

Quoting a joint BSA and IDC study, Jawad Al-Redha, co-chairman, Business Software Alliance, Middle East, pointed out that for every two dollars’ worth of PC software purchased legitimately, one dollar’s worth was obtained illegally during 2005. This trend saw governments in the Middle East and Africa region suffering huge revenue losses of over $1.6 billion due to this illegal practice. Additionally, local software industries have been crippled by competition with pirated software.

“Ethics form the core element of a society’s moral fiber and schools play a crucial role in propagating the right values to coming generations,” said Al-Redha. “It is, therefore, important for schools to introduce IT ethics into the curriculum and foster the development of creativity, respect for copyrights and nurture individuality of students. Government support by way of strict enforcement of intellectual property rights laws and focused awareness drives too are crucial for the success of anti-piracy measures.

IC INTRACOM Ties Up With EUROSTAR IT

IC INTRACOM, a multinational company that develops, manufactures and sources more than 2,000 PC peripherals, accessories and networking products, has announced its strategic partnership with EUROSTAR IT & Telecom, a part of the EUROSTAR Group of Companies, for product distribution, training and technical support in the Middle East.

IC INTRACOM’s Manhattan brand consists of computer components and peripherals, cables, and accessories, while the Intellinet Network Solutions brand consists of active and passive networking equipment.