New camera brand

General Electric (GE) digital cameras are coming to the Middle East. Last week at GITEX, the distributor Sharaf Electronics hosted the cameras’ launch. For Saudi Arabia, Said Ahmed Al-Ajou Trading will be responsible for marketing, distribution and after sales service of the GE digital cameras across the Kingdom.

GE will immediately be introducing to the local market its A, G and E series cameras, with four models in the A series, ranging from 7 megapixels (MP) to 12 MP, two 8 MP cameras in the E series and the 8 MP G2 from the G series. The cameras are designed, manufactured and distributed by General Imaging under license from GE.

According to Rene Buhay, Senior VP, General Imaging, each camera has easy to use panoramic stitching, which allows the user to create a three-shot panoramic image that is great for both landscapes and groups of friends. It eliminates the need for specialist computer software or hours of editing, which is perfect for people who want to share photos quickly and post them on social networking websites. All models will incorporate newly developed technology for smile and blink recognition, which has been built into the face detection feature.

Each of the models launched appeals to a targeted segment of digital camera users. However, Buhay pointed out that every GE camera has all of the features mentioned. In the higher end GE cameras, more choices are offered under each feature, but unlike many other camera brands the introductory models still offer a wide variety of features. The goal is that individuals who purchase a "point and shoot" camera, eventually decide that they feel comfortable going for one of the more sophisticated models.

Hitachi GST expands reach

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) has signed an agreement with HK Consulting FZE to expand the company's local presence in Africa and the Middle East. Based in Dubai, HK Consulting will provide product promotion services, working closely with distributors, resellers and integrators to increase demand for Hitachi hard drives across the region. HK Consulting will serve as a local point of contact for Hitachi GST in Africa and the Middle East, which is expected to strengthen channel relationships and customer service in the region.

HK Consulting will also collaborate with Hitachi to develop its channel partner network using Hitachi's Partner First program. Participants enjoy varying levels of access to shared resources, knowledge, support and rebate incentives. The comprehensive program is designed to provide greater value to Hitachi GST channel customers through a collection of technical, value-added and marketing initiatives that will make them more effective and competitive in promoting Hitachi hard drives. To learn more about Hitachi GST channel programs, click to www.hitachigst.com/partners.

Austrian e-Government workshop

A high-level Austrian e-Government delegation put on a day of informative presentations during a workshop titled “The Accomplishments of Austrian e-Government,” held in Riyadh under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The delegation was led by Christian Rupp, Federal Executive Secretary for eGovernment in Austria and spokesperson of the Federal Platform Digital Austria in the Austrian Federal Chancellery.

The workshop was organized by the Saudi e-Government Program “Yesser,” 4C Consulting and 2MAS Integrated Solutions Co. to share Austrian experiences in the field of electronic transactions and their implementation in government. In e-Government transactions rankings, Austria has attained the top position among European countries according to a report by Capgemini.

The workshop highlighted to the Saudi officials the experiences of Austrians in e-Government. Leading the event from the Saudi side was Ali Al-Soma, Director General of the e-Government Program "Yesser" and Adviser to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT). The event included presentations about the Republic of Austria's organization, cooperation, implementation and best practices in e-government transactions. There were also presentations about Austria's experience in Finance Online — the virtual tax office and eCustoms — Electronic Customs Clearing, eJustice Services, Central Register of Residence and other eRegisters, the Austrian Portal Network and Organization Register for the Public Administration, Digital Signatures in Public and Business Sector and Marketing in Digital Austria.

MEA IT market growing

According to IDC, the Middle East and Africa IT market is forecast to reach a value of $80 billion by 2012, up from $51 billion in 2008. One area that is expected to undergo considerable development, according to Jyoti Lalchandani, VP and regional managing director of IDC Middle East and Africa, is the datacenter.

“A growing number of enterprise CIOs are approaching the physical and operational limits when it comes to managing the server and storage systems proliferation within their existing datacenter environments,” he said. “Existing approaches that view the datacenter as a building with walls, power, and wires have led to highly fragmented, uncoordinated, and inefficient deployments of storage and server elements. This makes it difficult for companies to take advantage of scale in the purchase and use of IT assets and to build truly workable enterprise-wide business continuity/disaster recovery plans.”

Such business-critical issues will be high on the agenda at IDC’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) CIO Summit. The exclusive, invitation-only event running under the theme of “Reflections and Innovations Ahead,” will be held at Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai on February 8-10, 2009 with 100 CIOs in attendance from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as the GCC countries, Pakistan and Egypt.