Tech Interviews

THE GOOD FIGHT

Published

11 years ago

June 16, 2015

admin

Updated : March 3, 2014 0:0 ,Dubai
By Editor

Malware has the whole world on edge. We sought to find out from Bethwel Opil, Channel Sales Manager for East Africa for Kaspersky Lab how the company is helping the East African region handle this malevolent threat landscape

Briefly give us a general threat outlook for the East African region in 2014

With the growth of broadband and increased bandwidth in the region, the major challenges are in the areas of mobility as most of the users in the region access internet via smartphones and tablets. This poses a security challenge in being able to cover this data-on-move and people being able to access certain data outside the corporate environment. At Kaspersky we have sought to cover these areas through the 2013 versions of our products that are able to cover multiple consumer devices. With a single multi-device license, users can cover their Android devices as well as their laptops and desktops.

On the corporate side, the Kaspersky Endpoint Suite for Business covers all areas including data encryption, mobile device management as well as basic anti-virus. So Kaspersky has looked at the whole gamut of security issues facing users and tried to solve solving all these challenges through the new product range. The most critical aspect in the region though is to educate the public on these threats because we feel that most of the security issues we’ve faced this year are because of a lack of knowledge on the part of the public on these threats.

How is the uptake of Kaspersky’s 2014 security products vis-à-vis 2013?

We had projected a 50% increase in 2014 over last year but the uptake has been better than we had imagined. We’ve had to subsequently upwardly alter our forecast for this year. Our 2014 products have received good uptake mainly because of the multi-device protection application as well as the enhanced Safe Money feature which protects the user when they carry out their online financial transactions. In early 2013, much of the demand was on the basic anti-virus, but now with our new products, Internet Security is now starting to grow more popular.

Mobile is the default device for internet access in East Africa. Are mobile users aware of security threats in mobile devices and are they installing security software?

There has not been a major attack on mobile devices in the region, so the immediacy of the problems is not apparent. The public has tended to respond to real threats as we saw in Kenya around 2001 and 2002 during those year’s general elections. The emergence of malware associated with politics raised people’s awareness of security threats significantly. This inspired sales of anti-virus software across the board.

However, there has been a rise of attacks on data privacy through social media. This has led to people looking for other methods of protecting their information. And this is how we have been able to reach the public through the media.

Are online sales of Kaspersky solutions growing in the region or is it still the more traditional “box” sales with a lot of the customers

In the region, online sales are minimal. The public in the region still prefer a physical product in their hands. People also feel it’s easier to just buy and run the install the software through the CD rather than online download. Since last year though, people have started buying the box version through online sales after we appointed an online reseller. We have been pushing online sales through advertising on the web and on online stores.

On the corporate side, you have the security solutions base being managed by skilled systems administrators. What these require from us is a download of the software and they are able to go to the console and implement. We have done a number of training with our resellers on how to support our B2B solutions.

As East African regional economies grow rapidly, is it translating into increased threats in the region?

2013 experienced a lot of growth in the region in terms of broadband, internet penetration and growth of fibre optic cables being laid. Now whenever such growth occurs, the increase of internet users will tend to attract the cyber-criminal crowd. And with many new users to the internet, threats abound as they may not have not have a comprehensive understanding how to protect their businesses and they are thus more vulnerable to cyber criminals. You also tend to see increased growth in online banking, online shopping and this tends to be very lucrative for cyber criminals to try to get access to that data and gain financially from it. That threat is set to increase towards 2014. The director of public prosecutions in Kenya has recognized as much that cyber-crime is now a national security threat with key ICT infrastructure at the risk of attack and increased intrusion into peoples’ privacy. In social media in Kenya, a typical, and common, scam has criminals hacking into other people’s Facebook accounts and then look up people that the victim frequently interacts with. Then they will send them a message indicating that they are in trouble and they need them to be sent some cash through mobile money. The criminal then disappears with the money.

There were also a lot of reported cases of fraud last year after pin numbers were stolen and thieves were able to access and steal money from people’s accounts and steal money. So we expect these kinds of fraud to be a threat this year. Financial institutions, who have become major victims, tend to downplay the extent of hacking and the amount of cash involved. So if these institutions do not open up and work with security agencies and security software companies, this trend will continue.

How are your channel partners in East Africa empowered to handle the new global threat landscape

To be able to support our partners, we are engaging in many PR activities with major media firms within the region to try and educate the public on these threats. We are also holding major training workshops with our partners to be able to educate them on the current threat trends and to be able to build their product knowledge to be able to cover these threats that customers are facing. We are looking at this from two dimensions: raising awareness among the public and educating our partners on these threats.

Discuss the ratio of consumer vs B2B sales of Kaspersky products and which segment is showing greater growth

Consumer business is still dominant in the region but we are seeing a very strong uptake of our corporate products. The region still does not have big enterprises with most businesses being SMEs and SMBs. But we are seeing strong growth especially with the introduction of Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business last year. All in all Kaspersky runs the biggest accounts in East Africa with major clients such as Safaricom, KCB, University of Nairobi, the National University of Rwanda and many others. In East Africa, Kaspersky is leading in terms of having the biggest coverage in the region.

What are Kaspersky’s plans for the East African region in 2014 and beyond?

In 2014 we expect the corporate sector growth between 15-20%. On the consumer side we are looking towards 20-25% growth across our product lines.

Tech Interviews

NETWORKS MUST EVOLVE BEFORE AI CAN SCALE

Published

9 hours ago

June 24, 2026

Integrator Web-Admin

Rohit Chowdhary, Head of Advanced Consulting Services at Nokia, sat down with The Integrator to share insights into the company’s vision for enabling the AI Supercycle. He outlined how Nokia’s end-to-end portfolio spans everything from AI-ready connectivity and energy-efficient 800G data centre networking to intelligent, self-optimising home Wi-Fi experiences powered by AI.

A key focus of the discussion was Nokia’s shift from strategic advisory to real-world execution through its dedicated Automation Excellence Practice, helping operators translate ambitious transformation roadmaps into measurable outcomes. The conversation also highlighted the growing importance of integrated, intelligent and secure networks that can support rising AI workloads, eliminate infrastructure bottlenecks and unlock tangible business value, while maintaining the highest standards of security, privacy and resilience

Could you begin by telling us about your role at Nokia and the journey that brought you here?

I lead Nokia’s Advanced Consulting Services business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. My journey with Nokia spans nearly seventeen years, beginning at a time when consulting was largely focused on network transformation initiatives. Over the years, I have worked closely with operators around the world on transformation programmes, analytics adoption, customer experience management and digital modernization.

As the industry evolved, so did our consulting focus. Following the Nokia and Alcatel Lucent merger, we established what is today known as Advanced Consulting Services. The organization now spans several domains, including Security, Business monetization, Cloud and Technology transformation, Autonomous Networks, and Data & AI.

More recently, we launched an Automation Excellence Practice. The idea was simple. Customers often appreciated our strategic blueprints but needed practical expertise to implement them. Today, we have specialized engineers who combine telecom expertise, AI capabilities and software development skills to turn strategic visions into real automation pipelines, AI-driven workflows and production-ready use cases. Our role is to help customers move from concept to measurable business outcomes.

Nokia is often associated with connectivity, but the company is increasingly talking about AI readiness. How does Nokia’s infrastructure portfolio support this transition?

AI is creating what we describe as an AI Supercycle. It is transforming everything from data centres and cloud infrastructure to network architectures and edge computing. Supporting this shift requires a complete ecosystem rather than isolated technologies.

Nokia’s portfolio addresses this across multiple layers. On the network side, we continue to innovate in radio technologies, including AI-RAN capabilities developed alongside strategic partners such as Nvidia. We also have a strong optical networking and IP portfolio that enables the high-capacity connectivity required between data centres, edge locations and cloud environments.

One area that excites me is our innovation in data centre networking. We are introducing highly efficient coherent optical technologies and advanced switching platforms that significantly reduce infrastructure footprints while improving performance and energy efficiency. These innovations are becoming increasingly important as organizations invest in AI factories, AI grids and large-scale inference environments.

Beyond connectivity, we also provide intelligent automation layers through our Autonomous Networks platforms, enabling operators to manage complex, multi-vendor environments more efficiently and intelligently.

What are some of the biggest infrastructure bottlenecks you see operators and enterprises facing as AI adoption accelerates?

One of the biggest challenges is understanding that AI infrastructure is not just about compute power. Organizations often focus heavily on GPUs and processing capabilities, but connectivity can quickly become the limiting factor.

You can deploy the most powerful AI infrastructure available, but if the network cannot support the required data movement between racks, data centres and edge locations, performance suffers. This is where intelligent networking becomes critical.

At Nokia, we are helping customers design what we call AI-ready connectivity. This includes high-capacity optical networking, intelligent routing and the seamless interconnection of compute environments. As AI workloads become increasingly distributed, the ability to move data efficiently becomes just as important as the ability to process it.

On the consumer side, Nokia has been showcasing AI-driven Wi-Fi management capabilities. How does this improve the end-user experience?

The home network has become far more complex than it was a few years ago. Consumers expect flawless connectivity across multiple devices, applications and services.

Our AI-enabled Wi-Fi solutions continuously monitor network performance and user experience. They can identify coverage gaps, detect congestion, analyze interference patterns and even recommend or automatically implement corrective actions.

The goal is to create a self-optimizing network environment where many issues can be resolved autonomously before they impact the user. This reduces support requirements for service providers while delivering a more consistent and reliable experience for customers.

The Middle East is witnessing an unprecedented surge in data centre investments. How do you see this shaping Nokia’s opportunities in the region?

The Middle East has emerged as one of the most dynamic markets globally for AI infrastructure investments. Governments and enterprises are actively investing in sovereign AI capabilities, advanced data centres and digital ecosystems.

This creates significant opportunities, not only for Nokia but for the broader technology industry. The success of these initiatives depends on having secure, scalable and efficient connectivity between compute resources, cloud environments and end users.

Our role is to help customers build these foundations. Whether it is data centre interconnectivity, optical networking, intelligent routing or autonomous operations, Nokia’s technologies are designed to support the scale and performance requirements of AI-driven economies.

As data volumes continue to grow, security and data sovereignty are becoming increasingly important. How is Nokia addressing these concerns?

Security is deeply embedded into Nokia’s strategy and innovation roadmap. As a European technology company, trust, resilience and security have always been fundamental principles in how we design and operate our solutions.

While we continue to invest heavily in AI innovation, we are equally focused on strengthening security capabilities across our portfolio. This includes advanced network security architectures, AI-driven threat detection and preparations for future technologies such as quantum-safe networking.

We are actively engaged with industry bodies, standards organizations and ecosystem partners to help define the next generation of secure digital infrastructure. As AI becomes increasingly pervasive, security must evolve alongside it, and that is an area where Nokia continues to invest significantly.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of AI-driven networks?

What excites me most is the convergence of AI, automation and connectivity. Networks are evolving from passive transport layers into intelligent platforms that can learn, adapt and optimize themselves.

The future will be defined by autonomous operations, AI-native networks and real-time decision-making at scale. Organizations that successfully combine these capabilities will unlock entirely new business models and levels of operational efficiency.

For us, the opportunity is not just about deploying technology. It is about helping customers transform the way they operate, innovate and create value in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Tech Interviews

Securing the Future of Enterprise AI: WSO2’s Middle East Strategy

Published

2 days ago

June 23, 2026

Integrator Web-Admin

Exclusive interview with Uday Shankar Kizhepat – Vice President and General Manager for ME

How is WSO2 sailing through in the region amidst the uncertainty?

The Middle East continues to be one of the most dynamic technology markets globally. While there is uncertainty in the broader geopolitical and economic environment, we see that organizations across the region remain committed to their digital transformation programs and continue to invest in the areas of API modernization, application integration, Identity and access management, data connectivity, cloud transformation and AI enablement. This is because digitization is now a business necessity rather than a discretionary investment.

For WSO2, this has translated into continued demand for solutions that help enterprises modernize systems, securely manage digital identities, integrate increasingly complex technology landscapes, and adopt AI responsibly. We are seeing particularly strong interest from government, financial services, telecommunications, and energy sectors, where organizations are focused on improving operational agility while maintaining security, compliance, and resilience.

Any new products / solutions that have been introduced for the region?

One of the most significant developments for us is our vision for the Agentic Enterprise and the introduction of WSO2’s Agentic Enterprise Fabric. Rather than treating AI as a standalone capability or bolt-on feature, we have embedded AI capabilities into the very fabric of our platform.

The Agentic Enterprise Fabric enables organizations to securely connect data, APIs, applications, identities, and AI agents across the enterprise. This creates a foundation where intelligent agents can operate with the right context, governance, and security controls while delivering measurable business outcomes.

The WSO2 Agent Manager is an open platform for the full life-cycle of enterprise grade AI agents. The WSO2 AI gateway helps in governance by monitoring the usage, applying guardrails, optimizing costs & exposing APIs as MCP tools so that AI agents can safely interact. The WSO2 agent ID helps to register, authenticate, authorize and audit AI agents as first class identities.

This approach is resonating strongly in the Middle East, where organizations are moving beyond AI experimentation and looking for scalable, enterprise-grade AI implementations that can be governed and integrated into existing business processes.

What are the key solutions that have kept WSO2 ahead of its other competitors in the region?

Our differentiation comes from helping customers address key critical challenges simultaneously: APIs, integration, identity, and AI adoption.

Our API management platform helps companies ship, govern and monetize APIs, AI and MCP across any gateway or any cloud. Our integration capabilities enable organizations to connect legacy and modern systems quickly, helping accelerate digital initiatives. Our identity and access management solutions provide the security and trust layer needed for large-scale digital services. Last but not the least, our Agentic Enterprise Fabric brings AI into the core of the enterprise architecture rather than layering it on top as an afterthought.

All of this combined with our open-source heritage, flexible deployment options, and ability to support sovereign cloud and hybrid environments, gives customers the freedom to innovate with zero lock-in. This flexibility is critical in the Middle East region, where organizations increasingly prioritize digital sovereignty, data control, and long-term technology independence.

What are your plans for the coming few months in the region?

Our commitment to the growth and development of the Middle East region remains. We have just completed registering our office in KSA which reiterates our focus on deepening our engagement with customers and partners across the GCC and wider Middle East. We are investing in helping organizations move from AI pilots to production-ready deployments, while continuing to support large-scale modernization and digital transformation initiatives.

We also plan to strengthen our partner ecosystem, expand our presence in key markets, and work more closely with organizations pursuing digital sovereignty initiatives. As governments and enterprises accelerate their AI and digital agendas, we see significant opportunities to help them build secure, connected, and intelligent digital platforms for the future.

What’s your anticipated growth for the digital / tech sector in the coming few years?

The outlook remains very positive and we are optimistic. Over the next three to five years, I believe the region will move from digital transformation to intelligent transformation, where AI becomes embedded in core business operations rather than existing as isolated applications. Organizations that successfully combine AI with strong integration, identity, governance, and data foundations will be best positioned to create sustainable competitive advantages.

This shift will create significant opportunities for technology providers, system integrators, and enterprises alike.