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Dell Technologies Research: 9 in 10 organizations in the UAE and KSA are well positioned competitively for innovation in AI

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Generative AI (GenAI) and AI will significantly transform industries in the future, according to UAE (95%) and KSA (100%) respondents to the Dell Technologies Innovation Catalyst Research.

The research suggests that while there is broad optimism for AI and GenAI, the extent to which organizations are prepared for the rapid pace of change varies greatly. Ninety percent in the UAE and a similar percent in KSA, say they are well positioned competitively and have a solid strategy. At the same time, half of the respondents (UAE: 51%, KSA: 49%) are uncertain what their industry will look like in the next three to five years and nearly eight in 10 (UAE:75%, KSA:78%) report struggling to keep pace. They cite the lack of the right talent (UAE:31%, KSA:27%), data privacy and cybersecurity concerns (UAE:27%, KSA:28%) and lack of budget (UAE:31%, KSA:31%) as challenges they face in driving innovation.

GenAI Moving from Ideation to Implementation

Respondents from UAE and Saudi Arabia cite GenAI’s transformative or significant potential to deliver value in improving IT security posture (UAE:62%, KSA:62%), productivity gains (UAE:60%, KSA:60%) and to improve customer experience (UAE:61%, KSA:59%). They are also aware of challenges to overcome – (UAE:75%, KSA:74%) fear GenAI will introduce new security and privacy issues and (UAE:89%, KSA:84%) agreed that their data and IP is too valuable to be placed in a GenAI tool where a third party may have access.

More broadly, responses suggest that organizations are working through GenAI practicalities as they transition from ideation to implementation, with more than half saying they have begun implementing GenAI. As organizations increase adoption, concern centers around understanding where risks reside and who is responsible for them. An overwhelming majority (UAE:80%, KSA:87%) agree that the organization, rather than the machine, the user or the public, is responsible for any AI malfunction or undesired behaviour.  

Mohammed Amin, Sr. Vice President, CEEMETA, Dell Technologies said: 

“Organizations seeking to stand out in today’s disruptive market must pivot from innovation being a side project to it being deeply embedded into their corporate identity. At Dell, we believe tangible, positive change is achievable through innovation and action. By combining GenAI and other transformative innovations, businesses can augment their capabilities and raise their productivity levels to new heights.”

Organizations are Rising to the Challenge of Today’s Threat Landscape

Cybersecurity more broadly continues to be a pain point for organizations. These concerns are well-founded, as (UAE:93%, KSA:91%) of respondents say they have been impacted by a security attack in the past 12 months. The majority (UAE:98%, KSA:94%) are pursuing a Zero Trust deployment strategy and (UAE: 85%, KSA:86%) say they have an Incident Response Plan in place to recover from a cyberattack or data leakage.

The top three cited issues included malware, phishing and data breaches. Issues with phishing are indicative of a wider problem highlighted in the report, which is the role employees play in the threat landscape. For example, (UAE:80%, KSA:75%) of respondents believe some employees go around IT security guidelines and practices because they delay efficiency and productivity, and (UAE:78%, KSA:71%) say that insider threats are a big concern. This indicates a need to focus on training as employees are the first line of defence.

The Right Technology Infrastructure will help Organizations to Succeed

The research also reveals modern data infrastructure’s critical role as technologies like GenAI gather pace and data volumes increase. Investing in a modern, scalable infrastructure was cited as the number one area of improvement for businesses to accelerate innovation. Most IT decision makers (UAE:87%, KSA:75%) say they prefer an on-prem or hybrid model, to address the challenges they foresee with implementing GenAI.

The ability to share data across the business is also a key part of the innovation puzzle, with only 1 in 3 (UAE:35%, KSA:31%) saying they can turn data into real-time insights today to support innovation efforts. However, responses suggest organisations are acting on this challenge, with (UAE:79%, KSA:91%) saying that data is the differentiator and their GenAI strategy must involve using and protecting that data. Almost half also claim they anticipate that the bulk of their data will come from the edge in the next five years.

Other research findings include:

  • Skills: Two-thirds (UAE:70%, KSA:65%) claim there is currently a shortage of talent required for innovation in their industry. Learning agility and desire, AI fluency, and creativity & creative thinking rank as the top skills and competencies for the next five years
  • Sustainability: Forty-two percent believe “driving environmentally sustainable innovations” is an important improvement area. Energy efficiency is high on the agenda, with 79% experimenting with as-a-Service solutions to manage their IT environment more efficiently and 73% actively moving AI inferencing to the edge to become more energy efficient (e.g., smart buildings)
  • Making IT a strategic partner: Currently, 81% of business decision makers have reasons to exclude IT decision makers from strategic conversations, yet both departments ranked a stronger relationship as the second most important improvement area

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IT services spend in MENA set to reach up to 28% of total IT budgets as services-led transformation accelerates

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The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is entering a decisive, services-led growth phase in its IT sector, as enterprises and governments accelerate large-scale digital transformation initiatives. Investments in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, and cybersecurity are reshaping technology priorities, with implementation, integration, and managed services gaining prominence over traditional software-led models.

Industry analysis by Grand View Research (GVR) reveals that IT services currently account for around 21–22% of total IT spending across MENA, a share expected to rise to between 26 and 28% by the end of the decade. The region’s professional IT services market, valued at USD 33.9 billion (Dh124.5 billion) in 2024, is forecast to grow to nearly USD 58.3 billion (Dh214 billion) by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.5%.

Sourav Bhanja, Middle East Head of GVR, said: “Many B2B IT services firms in the region continue to underinvest in digital engagement. Professional platforms such as LinkedIn remain underutilised, while company websites often lack strong case studies, sector-specific storytelling, and clear positioning.”

Government-led digitalisation programmes, sovereign cloud deployments, smart city initiatives, and national data strategies, coupled with rising enterprise adoption across sectors such as banking and financial services, healthcare, energy, logistics, and public infrastructure, are driving this shift. As hyperscalers and global technology firms expand their regional footprint, demand for localised integration, migration, and managed services continues to accelerate.

Bhanja also emphasised the importance of leadership visibility in the region’s competitive IT market: “Technical capability alone is no longer enough. Firms that combine deep technical expertise with consistent marketing, strong leadership visibility, and clear communication of value are the ones most likely to succeed in the MENA market.”

The analysis highlights that with growing competition among IT services providers, market visibility and differentiation have emerged as critical growth drivers. Integrated, always-on digital marketing strategies are increasingly vital, as many B2B IT services firms underutilise channels such as LinkedIn, websites, thought leadership content, newsletters, blogs, infographics, and short-form video to engage decision-makers.

Market data also indicates a broader shift towards digital-first engagement. Digital advertising spend in the Middle East, estimated at USD 32 billion (Dh117 billion) in 2024, is projected to rise sharply to USD 81.4 billion (Dh298.9 billion) by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 16.7%. In contrast, the regional events and conferences market is expected to expand at a more modest 7.1% CAGR, reflecting changing enterprise marketing priorities.

Grand View Research concluded that IT services firms combining technical depth with strong market communication, data-driven marketing, and visible leadership will be best positioned to capture the next phase of growth across MENA.

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Loylogic Shares 2026 Vision to Advance the Global Rewards Marketplace

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Advanced AI innovation, intelligent marketplace design, and trusted global infrastructure position Loylogic for continued leadership in rewards and loyalty commerce.

Gabi Kool, CEO, Loylogic

As the Middle East loyalty market is projected to reach $3.27 billion in 2025, expanding 16.3% year-on-year, and digital-first, personalized, and coalition-based models reshape the industry, brands face rising expectations around relevance and engagement. Against this evolving landscape, Loylogic, a leader in global loyalty rewards management, today shared its 2026 strategic outlook, outlining how the company is evolving its global rewards marketplace to support brands navigating rapidly changing loyalty expectations.


The company enters the year with a renewed focus on continued investment in AI-powered rewards marketplace intelligence, enhanced catalogue curation, and deeper integration capabilities designed to improve reward relevance, partner value, and member experience across industries and geographies. Rather than simply expanding choice, Loylogic’s approach centres on intelligent rewards marketplace design, aligning consumer relevance, operational efficiency, and long-term value creation within a single global platform.

To support enterprise scale deployment, Loylogic continues to operate under a robust compliance and security, compliance and governance framework. The company adheres to internationally recognised standards ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI DSS, and AES-256 encryption, ensuring secure and trusted data handling across every layer of its technology while maintaining alignment with the European Accessibility Act 2025 and WCAG 2.0. All platforms remain adaptable to regional data residency and regulatory requirements.

“As loyalty programs mature, brands are looking beyond scale alone,” said Gabi Kool, CEO of Loylogic. “They want reward ecosystems that are smarter, more relevant, and commercially sound. Our focus for 2026 is about advancing how global rewards marketplaces are designed, governed, and experienced, combining intelligence, trust, and flexibility.”

Advanced AI innovation is central to Loylogic’s next phase of growth. Loylogic continues to enhance its use of advanced analytics and machine learning to support smarter reward discovery, improved marketplace performance, and deeper insights for loyalty operators, while maintaining strict standards for privacy, security, and compliance.

“Our innovation efforts are focused on making rewards marketplaces more intelligent and adaptive,” said Amit Bendre, COO of Loylogic. “This means better insight, better decision support, and better experiences, without compromising on trust, transparency, or regulatory rigor.”


Looking ahead to 2026, Loylogic plans to deepen collaboration with global partners, engage more actively with industry stakeholders, and selectively strengthen capabilities across commercial, product, and technology functions, supporting a growing pipeline of enterprise clients across financial services, travel, and consumer sectors. With a proven global infrastructure, deep marketplace expertise, and a clear strategic direction, Loylogic continues to help leading brands transform everyday engagement into meaningful, long-term loyalty.

About Loylogic

Loylogic is a leader in global rewards marketplaces for loyalty and incentives management, enabling brands to deliver scalable, flexible engagement experiences through a modern commerce platform. Its global catalog and redemption marketplace support meaningful engagement across B2C, B2E, and B2B programs worldwide. With deep expertise in sourcing, fulfilment, and patented points-plus-cash innovation, Loylogic has enabled over 200 billion points and miles transactions, delivered more than $1 billion in commerce, and shipped experiences spanning 100+ categories across 190 countries to more than 10 million loyalty members worldwide.

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Webook.com Strengthens UAE Footprint, Bringing World-Class Entertainment Experiences

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Webook.com, one of the fastest-growing platforms for booking lifestyle and entertainment experiences in the Middle East, is deepening its footprint in the United Arab Emirates following strong traction across the country.

Founded with a vision to transform how people discover and book experiences, webook.com continues to elevate convenience through a unified platform that brings together entertainment, dining, and leisure in a seamless digital journey.

Within the UAE, webook.com has rapidly expanded its user base while curating a lineup of world-class experiences. From comedy nights with Bassem Youssef to electrifying Teddy Swims concerts and the magic of Disney on Ice, webook.com continues to bring some of the region’s most unforgettable events to audiences across the UAE. Beyond these major hosted events, users can also book global entertainment experiences, including MDLBEAST, Riyadh Season, AFCON and other leading events happening across MENA.

Commenting on the expansion, Nadeem Bakhsh, CEO of webook.com, said: “Webook.com was built to curate the experiences that matter most, from front-row access to world-class entertainment to discovering hidden local gems. Expanding our footprint to the UAE allows us to bring a carefully selected lineup of events and experiences to the region. Our goal is to continue providing variety, quality, and seamless access to unforgettable moments.”

As the platform widens its presence across the UAE, it continues to strengthen partnerships with top entertainment brands, cultural institutions, and iconic venues, enabling users to access an unmatched selection of events and experiences.

Webook.com’s technology has proven itself across multiple markets, handling millions of transactions during major events, tournaments, and high-demand ticket releases. With real-time queueing, robust infrastructure, and flexible integration, webook.com delivers landmark events with unmatched reliability and scale.

With momentum accelerating in the UAE, webook.com aims to transform how people discover, plan, and enjoy experiences, turning every booking into the start of a memorable story. Beyond expanding its presence, webook.com is shaping a movement centered on connection, culture, and the joy of shared moments.

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