New national technical infrastructure
IBM has completed the deployment of an infrastructure that will modernize the delivery of government services for Saudi Arabia. The multiyear eGovernment Service Bus (GSB) project delivers the core communication and security infrastructure for the Yesser eGovernment Program, the Kingdom’s long-term modernization of all government services. This program will eventually provide everyone in Saudi Arabia with access to government services from anyplace and at anytime, replacing the current system of time-consuming, manual processes.
“The importance of electronic communication in providing efficient public services is recognized in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Ali S. Al-Soma, director general of the Yesser eGovernment Program. “Through our partnership with IBM, we have put in place the core infrastructure required to move the large majority of government processes in Saudi Arabia into the information society.”
This is the largest project of its kind ever achieved in the Kingdom. The solution includes key elements from the business portfolios of every division within IBM, including software, hardware, services and research, with POWER System and System x servers, and DataPower devices hosting IBM SOA middleware products at eight geographically distributed sites in the Kingdom. Together, these products support the automation of business processes and the increased collaboration necessary to usher in a new era of efficiency in government services in Saudi Arabia.
IBM is helping Saudi Arabia reliably and securely host the high volume of transactions associated with the large-scale delivery of online services to citizens and enterprises, enabling access to government services in minutes and hours, rather than the days or weeks traditionally required. The deployment of the eGovernment Service Bus paves the way for the organizational and governance structures required to support the delivery of online eGovernment services to the citizens of Saudi Arabia. This project will support a staged rollout of nearly a thousand government processes that are currently delivered manually. Over the next few years, these will be transformed into a system that supports online, voice, and mobile device access, fundamentally transforming interaction between the Saudi government and the people it serves.
ABM Olayan to distribute Brother
Brother International Corporation Gulf (BICG) has appointed Arabian Business Machines Company (ABM) Olayan as its new distribution partner in Saudi Arabia. Brother selected ABM Olayan in part due to its extensive reach across the Kingdom, which can help boost awareness and sales of Brother’s wide range of products.
“Our partnership with Brother complements our commitment toward offering the best products and service, which can help companies increase their productivity. We are proud to be associated with a global leading brand such as Brother, whose breakthrough technologies and innovations continuously take office automation to the next level. We are confident that this partnership will not only drive the reach of Brother products, but largely benefit the SMB and Enterprise community in the Kingdom as well,” said Wael Fulayhan, GM, ABM Olayan.
Adobe expands operations
Adobe Systems Incorporated has opened a local office in Dubai to serve the Middle East. Adobe believes this is a significant step in reinforcing the company’s growing presence and investment in the dynamic and fast-growing region.
The Adobe Dubai office, headed by Abdallah Saqqa as GM of Adobe Middle East, will be dedicated to serving and supporting partners and customers in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE and several other countries in the region. Prior to joining Adobe, Saqqa held several sales management positions in the region, including acting general manager and regional distribution sales manager at Advanced Micro Devices, and OEM sales manager for Microsoft.
With the opening of the company’s office in Dubai, Adobe will provide a stronger focus on meeting the unique customer requirements of the region, empowering and supporting the region’s channel community, and strengthening Adobe’s emerging enterprise business in the Middle East region.
“Following steady year-over-year growth in the Middle East over the last five years, Adobe has reached the stage where it is important to expand our strategic focus and market commitment by investing in a local presence,” said Dr. Christopher Brennan, director, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Adobe. “In today’s global business environment, deeper customer engagement is integral to an organization’s success.”
