Features

Cloud, a mainstream strategy

Published

9 years ago

March 16, 2017

admin

The cloud is now a priority option for companies looking to upgrade their ICT infrastructure

It is no secret that organisations globally and in the region have stepped up their spending in build- up of cloud computing infrastructure and services. The cloud has become the preferred option of upgrading IT capabilities for enterprises and SMBs.
Tarik Taman, General Manager, IMEA at Infor says, “We are seeing strong growth in the region and according to a recent report by Gartner, the Middle East and North Africa public cloud services market is projected to grow in 2017 and expected to reach $1.2billion, up from $956 million in 2016. The highest potential for the cloud services market in MENA comes from platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). There are several indicators of this growth, including a move away of application and workloads from on premises data centers to the cloud, as well as development of cloud ready and cloud native applications. Large enterprises in the region are seizing opportunities that the cloud offers to achieve business competitiveness while SMEs with smaller budgets are forgoing huge up-front IT costs and instead opting for scalability and agility.”
Whether, IaaS (Infrastructure as a service), PaaS (Platform as a service) as well as SaaS (Software as a service), all are gaining greater traction among larger to smaller enterprise customers in the region. Organisations are seeking the greater agility that cloud based computing offers.
Ayman El Sheikh, Solutions Architect Manager, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Red Hat says, “IaaS, PaaS and SaaS are certainly gaining traction in this region with adoption rates increasing as the IT organization realizes that increasing IT agility is the only way to address the demand of the line of business. Every group within the IT organisation thinks about how to speed up the application lifecycle from a different angle and each one could have confidence in a different Technology. Prototyping, testing, and provisioning in production line of business applications can be done through traditional virtualisation, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud computing, or Platform as a Service (PaaS) cloud computing.”
Elaborating that there is no single right approach in the cloud journey, Ayman says that the application development team may feel closer to the PaaS approach while the infrastructure and operation team could have a preference for traditional virtualisation or IaaS. Hence the hybrid approach takes precedence.

He adds, “There is not the “right” tool. Most likely, the IT organisation will have to leverage some or all of the above in combination selecting the most efficient tool for each situation, hence the hybrid cloud. Of course, offering multiple cloud platforms is not enough. Without a unifying management layer, IT organisations would end up building multiple management silos, recreating the same policies and automation steps for each platform. That unifying cloud management platform is what keeps the different portions of the same application together, no matter if they are hosted on a scale up or scale out platform, on a maintaining consistency from provisioning to retirement.”

Hesham El Komy, senior director, international channel, Epicor Software says that the adoption of SaaS among the SMB sized organisation has seen an upsurge in recent years.
“Over the last couple of years, driven in large part by the prevalent economic conditions, we have definitely seen an increase in interest from SMBs for cloud and SaaS solutions as enterprises look to swap their CapEx for OpEx. Whether it be inquiries from existing customers looking to transition to the cloud, or prospective new customers, cloud and SaaS are a part of almost every conversation we have.”
Explaining that there are a variety of reasons why cloud computing is becoming such a popular trend, Ayman says that a cloud computing environment can react quickly and, in some cases, automatically to changes in workload demand, and new applications can be provisioned with much less time lag and effort than with traditional computing infrastructures.
“An internally implemented cloud computing infrastructure improves efficiency and helps organizations save money relative to less flexible and dynamic IT infrastructures. Better provisioning processes make it easier to reclaim servers that are no longer being used for a project. These private clouds are often the evolution of a virtualized infrastructure into something that’s more dynamic and automated.”
He adds that Public cloud providers offer a way to buy computing capacity as it’s needed, which can save money, especially where the alternative is to over-purchase capital equipment to protect against demand spikes or greater-than-anticipated capacity requirements. The fact that so many public cloud infrastructures are based on Linux and other open source software also helps keep costs down. They also allow organizations to pay for their IT as an operating expense rather than making capital purchases.
Ultimately, cloud computing isn’t just about cost cutting but is also about using IT to drive innovation and respond to changes in the business. A more flexible infrastructure, whether hosted internally or externally, encourages more experimentation and iteration, which in turn lets businesses introduce new technologies and services more quickly and more often.
“Clouds based on Red Hat technologies leverage infrastructure products that are used by thousands of enterprises worldwide for some of the most demanding applications. And Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, the on-ramp for Red Hat clouds, is designed from the ground up for the needs of cloud computing with great performance, quality-of-service guarantees, and advanced security features. All this is made possible by an open source development model that brings to bear more development resources than any single company can marshal, while augmenting it with proven enterprise support,” says Ayman.
Hesham opines that there are really two key motivations for enterprises to move to the cloud. While the first reason he cites is of doing away with CapEx nature of traditional ICT spend, he also opines that the onus is squarely on vendors to maintain with cloud service contracts.
“Firstly, by moving to the cloud, organisations can significantly reduce their CapEx, specifically their hardware related costs (including space). The reduced CapEx coupled with the OpEx business model that the cloud affords, means organisations can substantially reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO). Secondly, by moving to the cloud, organisations can put the onus on vendors or cloud providers to manage maintenance, security and upgrades. This in turn allows in-house IT teams to focus on deploying and managing business critical infrastructure and applications that will help improve productivity and efficiency of the business, contributing to overall growth.“
Since the announcement of cloud-first strategy for the region last August, the cloud is a big area of focus for Epicor and the vendor offers a flexible strategy for is customers of moving between on-premises deployments and the cloud model.
He elaborates, “The Epicor cloud solution strategy is based on two basic principles. First, providing our customers a choice in how they want to deploy their ERP solution, and, second, providing easy access to point solutions that connect and extend the value of their Epicor system. Epicor ERP allows customers to easily migrate between cloud deployed systems and on premises licensed deployments with no impact on end-user efficiency. Indeed, most customers are entirely unaware of the physical location of their application and data (before or after a move to, or from, the cloud). This means that as customers’ needs change, they are able to easily migrate to the cloud (and back again if they so wish).”
If customers have Epicor ERP deployed in a single- or multi-tenant SaaS model, they retain ownership of their data, and have the ability to ‘repatriate’ it to their network at any time. Their data remains their sole confidential property, and Epicor privacy and data protection policies ensure that customers’ data is not exposed to any third party.
A vertical approach
Vertical focus is a popular approach towards building cloud solutions. According to an industry report, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies, smart technologies, digital technologies are few of the factors going to increase the adoption rate of cloud automation in verticals.
“The cloud is a trend that every single vendor is embracing. Epicor focuses on the SMB sector and delivers industry-specific solutions for a wide range of verticals in the Middle East including manufacturing, hospitality, and services. So while we already offer industry-specific, cloud ready, ERP solutions for SMBs, most other vendors in the market are also offering cloud based solutions in one form or another. My expectation is that within the next couple of years, every vendor, including local players, will have a cloud ERP option available which would be great news for SMBs in the region,” says Hesham.
Infor has also taken the vertical focused approach successfully to market. The vendor provides complex mission-critical solutions to a vast number of industries including hospitality, manufacturing, retail, and distributions, along with some of the more traditional industries. Infor has built its cloud strategy around three core parameters that determine the nature of its solutions.
Tarek says, “The cloud offers previously unimaginable flexibility to customers in the region. Infor’s approach from the beginning has been not to rewrite all our industry solutions to a single monolithic cloud solution. Our corporate strategy globally is to be the first true industry cloud provider in the marketplace. In our opinion, a true cloud solution is multi-tenant, has extensibility built into it, and has integration as a service capability. These allow the end user to configure and customise the solution around the core logic and create real-time web services moving back and forth between itself, and the upstream and downstream platforms. It is important for end users to consider whether those vendors have rebuilt flagship, complex, mission critical applications into true cloud solutions using the three benchmarks of multi-tenancy, extensibility, and integration.”
Infor claims a large customer base of several thousand cloud customers from around the world. Its global partner is Amazon Web Services.
Tarek elaborates, “From an Infor perspective, the majority of verticals we are working with include manufacturing, retail and distribution in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. These are already operating across borders and this is an area where there is limited sensitive data — mostly inventory and some transactions. However, Infor continues to attract new customers to our vertical cloud platforms as cloud adoption gains further momentum in the region. “
He expects this growth to continue, citing industry forecasts that the Middle East and Africa (MEA) cloud traffic is expected to more than quadruple by the end of 2019, with 83 per cent of all MEA data center traffic coming from the cloud.
In sum, while adoption rates of cloud computing indicates that it is more or less a mainstream option these days, the trick for Businesses is to evolve a strategy that ensures that adoption is well phased and streamlined and further on utilisation rates of deployments in place are optimised. This is where the partners will always play their role as consultants to ensure customer confidence.

Features

Redefining Real Estate: The Rise of Wellness-Centric Spaces

Published

6 months ago

March 14, 2025

Integrator Web-Editor

By Mark Phoenix – CEO of Sankari

The way we think about real estate is evolving, and at the heart of this change is a renewed focus on wellness. As we become more aware of the profound impact our living environments have on our health and well-being, it’s clear that real estate must go beyond aesthetics and luxury—it must support a lifestyle of vitality and longevity. To me, true luxury is no longer defined solely by opulence but by spaces that promote health, balance, and connection.

The demand for wellness-oriented spaces is growing rapidly, and real estate developers must rise to meet it. Today’s buyers are looking for more than just high-end finishes and exclusive locations—they want environments that enhance their well-being. Integrating wellness features such as fitness centers, yoga studios, meditation areas, and holistic health services is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. These spaces don’t just add value to a property; they create communities that create physical health, mental clarity, and social engagement.

Wellness-centric design is about more than just adding amenities—it’s about creating environments that encourage movement, relaxation, and human connection. By prioritizing well-being in real estate, developers can offer residents a lifestyle that aligns with modern values and aspirations. These spaces cultivate a sense of belonging, allowing people to come together in ways that enrich their lives beyond the walls of their homes.

Beyond individual benefits, wellness-focused communities have a lasting impact on society. As more people seek out homes that support their health, the real estate industry has an opportunity to lead this cultural shift. Developments that incorporate sustainable materials, biophilic design, and eco-friendly building practices not only benefit residents but also contribute to a healthier planet.

In the ultra-luxury segment, this focus on wellness is especially meaningful. The most sought-after properties are no longer just about extravagance—they are about creating a sanctuary where people can rejuvenate both physically and mentally. True luxury lies in thoughtful, health-driven design that enhances everyday life in meaningful ways.

Designing for wellness also means partnering with visionary architects and designers who understand the importance of both form and function. In regions with challenging climates, for example, innovative solutions can help reduce environmental impact while enhancing comfort and efficiency. Securing sustainability certifications like LEED further reinforces a commitment to responsible development and aligns with the global movement toward eco-conscious living.

For me, integrating wellness into real estate is more than just a trend—it’s a deeply personal mission and a strategic imperative. The places we live should do more than just shelter us; they should actively contribute to our health and happiness. By embedding wellness into the very foundation of luxury real estate, we’re not just shaping beautiful spaces—we’re shaping better lives.

Features

We are bringing tradition to every table in just five minutes

Published

7 months ago

February 20, 2025

Integrator Web-Editor

Exclusive Interview with Ashvin Subramanyam, CEO International Business, Orkla India

In this exclusive interview, Ashvin Subramanyam, CEO of International Business at Orkla India, shares insights on the brand’s participation at Gulfood 2025 and its mission to blend tradition with innovation in the Middle East. With the launch of Eastern’s 5-Minute Breakfast range and a refreshed Arabic spice portfolio, Orkla IMEA is redefining convenience without compromising on authenticity.

What can we expect from Orkla IMEA’s presence at Gulfood 2025, and how significant is this event for your brand’s growth in the region?

At Gulfood 2025, Orkla IMEA, subsidiary of Orkla India, is set to make a strong impact by unveiling the Eastern 5-Minute Breakfast range, designed to bring the authentic flavors of Kerala to the fast-growing ready-to-cook market in the Middle East. In addition, visitors can expect a refreshed Arabic spice portfolio, reflecting Orkla India’s continued commitment to catering to the diverse culinary preferences of the region.

Gulfood is a key platform for us as it enables us to showcase our latest innovations to a global audience, including retailers, distributors, and food industry leaders. The Middle East is a strategic market for our expansion. By blending tradition with convenience, our goal through this event is to become a household name across diverse communities in the region, reinforcing our commitment to quality, authenticity, and innovation in packaged foods.

How does Gulfood help Orkla IMEA connect with new markets, consumers, and industry partners, particularly in the Middle East?

Gulfood serves as a vital gateway for Orkla India to connect with new markets, consumers, and industry partners through its subsidiary Orkla IMEA in the Middle East. As one of the world’s largest food and beverage trade exhibitions, it provides an unparalleled opportunity to engage directly with key stakeholders, including retailers, distributors, and hospitality businesses, facilitating strategic partnerships and market expansion.

For Orkla India, this event is instrumental in understanding regional consumer trends, preferences, and evolving dietary habits, particularly in the fast-growing packaged food sector. The launch of the Eastern 5-Minute Breakfast range and refreshed Arabic spice portfolio at Gulfood allows us to showcase our innovation in convenience-driven yet authentic culinary solutions.

By participating in Gulfood, we strengthen our brand presence, foster collaborations with regional partners, and position ourselves as a trusted name in ethnic and mainstream food categories. It’s a key milestone in our vision to become a household name in the Middle East.

Eastern is set to unveil its preservative-free quick South Indian 5-Minute Breakfast range. What was the inspiration behind this concept?

The Eastern 5-Minute Breakfast range was inspired by the growing need for convenient, time-saving meal solutions that do not compromise on authentic taste and quality. South Indian breakfasts, particularly Kerala’s traditional dishes, are deeply rooted in culture, requiring significant time and effort to prepare. However, with modern lifestyles becoming increasingly fast-paced, many consumers struggle to recreate these meals from scratch.

Recognizing this shift, Eastern set out to bridge the gap between tradition and convenience by crafting a range that retains the authentic flavours and textures of Kerala’s most-loved breakfasts while eliminating the long preparation time. The preservative-free formula ensures that consumers enjoy fresh, wholesome meals made from high-quality ingredients in just three easy steps, ready in five minutes.

With this innovation, Eastern empowers busy professionals, young families, and expatriates to stay connected to their culinary heritage without compromising on their schedules, making traditional breakfast accessible anytime, anywhere in just 5 minutes.

Can you give us an insight into the development process behind this 5-Minute Breakfast range, especially in maintaining authentic South Indian flavors without preservatives?

The development process for our 5-Minute Breakfast range began with a deep understanding of our consumers’ evolving lifestyles and their desire for authentic Kerala-style breakfasts that eliminate a lengthy preparation process. We identified a unique need-gap: while traditional dishes like Puttu, Appam, and Idiyappam are much-loved, the time and effort they require can be challenging in today’s fast-paced world.

Our journey involved benchmarking these dishes to the traditional methods used by homemakers, capturing the essence of how an amma would prepare them at home. This set the standard for the flavor profiles we aimed to achieve. The challenge was to replicate the authentic taste and texture while ensuring our products were preservative-free.

Our R&D team worked tirelessly, conducting extensive trials to balance authenticity and convenience. Through our innovation center we crafted recipes that retain the goodness of traditional Kerala breakfasts while being ready in just five minutes. With this range, Eastern redefines breakfast convenience, allowing families to savor the true flavors of Kerala in a fraction of time.

With over one million Keralites in the UAE, how does Eastern plan to cater to both the traditional tastes of this community and the broader multicultural audience?

With almost two million Keralites in the UAE, Eastern understands the deep emotional and cultural connection this community has with its traditional cuisine. The Eastern 5-Minute Breakfast range is designed to preserve the authentic flavours of Kerala while offering a convenient solution for modern lifestyles. By using high-quality ingredients and a preservative-free formula, the range ensures that the taste and texture remain true to tradition, making it an ideal choice for Malayalees longing for home-cooked meals.

While there are other instant and ready-to-eat options in the market, Eastern’s range stands out by offering dishes like Puttu and Palappam, which traditionally require culinary expertise and time-consuming preparation. These dishes are not widely available in the quick- convenience food category.

At the same time, Eastern is expanding its reach to a broader multicultural audience by showcasing South Indian cuisine as a flavourful, nutritious, and easy-to-prepare option for all. The simplicity of the 3 Easy Steps preparation makes these dishes accessible to non-South Indian consumers who are eager to explore new flavours. Through strategic retail partnerships, digital outreach and and aggressive in-store sampling, Eastern aims to introduce and establish South Indian breakfast as a preferred choice for consumers in this region.

What’s one thing about Orkla IMEA that people might not know but should?

While Orkla IMEA was incorporated recently, we have been in the region for over 25 years now, through our brand Eastern.

Features

2025 Hospitality Tech Trends

Published

7 months ago

February 12, 2025

Integrator Web-Editor

By Prince Thampi, Founder and CEO, Hudini

As we approach 2025, the hospitality industry is poised for transformational growth, driven by evolving traveller preferences and advancements in technology. The future of hospitality promises enhanced convenience, personalisation and sustainability, with a significant focus on creating memorable experiences for guests. Let’s dive into five key trends that will shape the hospitality tech landscape in 2025 and beyond.

The Continued Rise of Frictionless Technology

The increased demand for frictionless experiences is set to dominate the industry, with more and more travellers preferring hotels that offer touch-free check-in, check-out, and room access via mobile apps. This trend reflects a broader shift towards easy interactions powered by seamless digital integration. Mobile apps have been an essential tool for a few years now, enabling guests to manage their stays, order room service, and access hotel information effortlessly. With the introduction of Gen AI, those apps have become more powerful than ever and are now able to provide highly personalised recommendations and speak in different languages.

Hotels embracing this trend will gain a competitive edge, as tech-savvy travellers prioritise convenience and efficiency during their stay. According to a recent survey by Deloitte, around 72% of travellers are more likely to choose a hotel that offers mobile check-in and check-out services over those that don’t.

Hyper Personalised Guest Experiences

In 2025, personalisation will continue to be at the core of hospitality services but will finally be taken to the next level thanks to Gen AI. Guests expect hotels to anticipate their needs and offer tailored experiences, from customised room settings to personalised dining recommendations. Apps powered by AI are now able to predict guest needs based on a wealth of data, ingested from the hotel systems or fed externally.

Leveraging guest data and insights, hotels can create unique offerings that cater to individual preferences. This level of personalisation not only enhances guest satisfaction but also fosters loyalty and repeat bookings. According to Oracle’s findings, biometrics and AI are set to play pivotal roles, with 62% of guests valuing automated recognition for personalised interactions. Biometrics will experience a breakthrough into mainstream hospitality in 2025. Facial recognition technology has matured significantly and is ready to be weaved into the guest experience. It will enable better security and guest recognition while protecting their privacy at the same time.

AI-Enabled Customer Service

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising every aspect of the hospitality industry, but will be by itself a new way of providing customer service. Chatbots and virtual assistants are becoming standard tools for handling common queries, offering instant support, and streamlining operations at any time and in any language.

AI-driven solutions not only enhance efficiency but also provide guests with 24/7 assistance, ensuring a smoother and more satisfying experience. By integrating AI technologies, hotels can free up staff to focus on delivering exceptional in-person service.

Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Practices

Sustainability is no longer optional, it’s a necessity often enforced by regulation. Travellers are increasingly favouring hotels that adopt eco-friendly practices, such as using locally sourced food, implementing energy-efficient operations, and reducing waste.

By prioritising sustainability, hotels not only meet guest expectations but also contribute positively to the environment. This commitment to green initiatives enhances brand reputation and attracts environmentally conscious travellers. A recent survey by Booking.com found that 83% of global respondents believe more sustainable travel is vital, with 49% believing there aren’t enough sustainable travel options and 53% saying they get annoyed when a hotel prevents them from being sustainable.

Smart use of technology is key in the sustainability journey of hotels. Technology can accurately measure the reduction in carbon footprint, it will help reduce energy and adopt renewable energy sources, and will enable the effective management of food waste. Many hospitality apps allow guests to apply green energy settings to a room, some will even exchange your energy savings to loyalty points.

The return of ‘real’

With Gen Z – the first generation grown up with everything digital – becoming the next large group to travel, the craving for ‘real’ experiences is bigger than it ever was. Hotels focusing on truly unique and hyper local experiences; a great meal, cultural outing, or wellness treatment will win the hearts of this generation.

Fortunately hotel apps, AI, automation of processes, sustainability tech and the removal of cumbersome processes like checking-in and studying paper manuals will free up hotel staff to allow them to do what they do best: providing unforgettable, personalised and sustainable experiences.