ALKHOBAR, 13 April 2004 — Many acquaintances dropped me notes commenting on last week’s column about HP’s involvement with the Williams F-1 Team. While there were many requests for our color photos of the Bahrain Grand Prix, I was also petitioned to acknowledge other IT companies who play a role in Formula One.
Ever since F-1 teams began trying to transform their vehicles from cigarette packets on wheels, high-tech companies began to play a prominent role in motor sports. Before the bursting of the Internet bubble and the high-tech meltdown of a few years back, it was thought that technology companies would eventually become the dominant sponsors of Formula One. That is now doubtful as F-1 teams attempt to spread sponsorship deals over many industry sectors in order to avoid catastrophe in the event of a downturn targeting specific business interests.
However, high-tech companies still offer significant support to F-1. These sponsors include Acer, AMD, AT&T, Canon, HP, Siemens, Telefonica and Veritas. Telecom giant Vodafone is a major sponsor of the Scuderia Ferrari team and there has been some speculation that Vodafone might take over Philip Morris’ space on the F-1 cars if tobacco advertising is banned.
EMC sponsors Panasonic Toyota Formula One and at the Bahrain Grand Prix their technology provided the data management power behind the team. EMC’s CLARiiON system maintained vital information for the Panasonic Toyota F1 drivers as well as the technical team by storing and managing details including the Bahrain track temperature, official lap times and engine and tire usage.
Luca Marmorini, technical director (engine) for Panasonic Toyota Racing, commented that because the Bahrain track was new to the entire Formula 1 community, all of the participating teams and drivers were facing a tremendous challenge in compiling information on racing conditions and the effect of Bahrain’s weather on the track itself. Accordingly, Panasonic Toyota Racing’s EMC solution enabled the team to both simulate and store track and vehicle racing scenarios, as well as maintain records of the team’s practice and qualifying sessions during their weekend in Bahrain.
On-the-ground support for the Panasonic Toyota Racing team’s EMC solution was provided by STME, one of EMC’s most experienced partners in the Middle East. STME prepared a group of experts from its Bahrain office to assist the racing operation should any unplanned downtime occur.
“The Middle East’s automotive sector is showing considerable promise, from both a manufacturing and services standpoint. The opportunity to support the Panasonic Toyota Racing team on its first visit to the region enabled STME to act as in-country ‘pit crew’ from an IT perspective and showcase our expertise in maintaining EMC’s world-class solutions,” said Trevor Hutson, president and chief operating officer, STME.
It was very disconcerting watching tobacco brands flash by, lap after lap, at the Bahrain Grand Prix. I would definitely agree with Muhammad Amin, GM, EMC ME, who stated that, “Formula 1 has become an incredibly data-intensive sport that relies on up-to-the-second technical information to ensure both safety and success.” I believe that high-tech companies could contribute enormously to the continuing development of Formula One teams. Some of that experience would surely trickle down and improve other business environments, as well. It certainly would be more wholesome and enjoyable to see quality IT brands plastered all over F-1 vehicles instead of names of cancer causing products.
I’ll get off my pulpit now and come down into the congregation to share with everyone some really bad news about Saudi Telecom’s move to add an extra zero to mobile telephone numbers starting on April 21. The new zero will increase the capacity of Al-Jawal from 10 million to 100 million subscribers. The company is putting out a cheerful advertising campaign encouraging us to, “Welcome the New Zero” into our mobiles. The new zero once again demonstrates poor long-term planning on the part of STC, which should have instituted the additional zero years ago.
Most people don’t understand yet what nasty problems the new zero will cause. If the switch had been made years back the overall agony would have been much reduced because we weren’t so dependent on technology at that time. But now we all have to cope and it’s going to be miserable.
To prepare yourself for the addition of the zero to Saudi mobile telephone numbers you must make the following changes:
• Reprogram all the stored mobile numbers in your mobile telephone.
• Reprogram the stored mobile numbers in your fixed line including speed dial.
• Change all the mobile numbers in address books and databases wherever they are stored.
• Change any recorded messages in answering machines or voice mail that give out your mobile number.
• Inform your family, friends and contacts outside Saudi Arabia.
Businesses must make the following additional changes:
• Modify call routing equipment and equipment that bars calls.
• Change fire and security alarm systems, including emergency phones in elevators, if any of these automatically dial a mobile telephone number when activated.
• Change business cards, letterheads, brochures and any other stationery that shows a mobile telephone number.
• Change virtual cards or personal signatures attached to e-mails that provide contact information.
• Update emergency and hazard control instructions and documentation.
• Update the Contacts section on a corporate website.
As an extremely wired individual with contacts all over the world I can’t even begin to imagine how long it will take me to dig my way out of the new zero mess. For starters at least 200 numbers in my mobile phone will have to be reprogrammed. If this is STC’s idea of enhanced customer service, I wish they would desist.
My final tidbit today comes from the Arabian Sun, Saudi Aramco’s weekly publication of corporate and community news, which has reported that Saudi Aramco’s good name has been abused in an advanced-fee fraud also known as a Nigerian scam.
According to the Arabian Sun: “Recent e-mail claiming to be from the Saudi Arabian embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, say that Saudi Aramco urgently needs oilfield heating equipment. The e-mails claim to be an order for that equipment that will be placed when the recipient completes certain prequalification contracts and pays a fee of $1,000. There is not one thread of truth in the message.”
The Arabian Sun stated that Saudi Aramco’s Corporate Security Services are continuously on the lookout for such scams. Saudi Aramco employees receiving suspicious correspondence asking for advance fees, personal banking or financial information are being urged to forward the correspondence about the suspected fraud to the Corporate Security Services and not to respond to these scams.
Nigerian scams are nothing new but lately they seem to be multiplying and becoming more sophisticated. To learn more about advance fee fraud click to ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/nigeralrt.htm.
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