Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 02 | Page 9

NEWS KSA STC signs cloud computing agreement with F5 Networks simplify, automate, and customise application delivery, and BIG-IP Application Security Manager (ASM), which offers protection against OWASP top 10 threats, application vulnerabilities, and zero-day attacks. Saudi Telecom, represented by STC Business, Saudi Arabia’s ICT services provider, signed an agreement with F5 Networks Inc as an STC Cloud Marketplace partner on the sidelines of GITEX 2015 participation. According to the terms of the agreement, STC will sell F5 cloud offerings as a service for use in both public and private environments. This will initially include F5 BIGIP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) to Tarig M. Enaya, Senior Vice President of STC Enterprise: “We are working closely with technology companies like F5 to enrich our cloud service portfolio to better serve our customers through STC Marketplace – a one stop-shop for customers to auto-provision cloud services with efficiency beyond virtualisation and operational simplicity. We are providing choices to our customers to select OPEX over CAPEX by providing them with complex ICT Solutions as a service.” Riyad Bank launches EMV bank card with Gemalto Gemalto has announced that Riyad Bank is migrating its entire portfolio to Gemalto’s Clarista Contactless EMV card, powered with the industry-standard MULTOS operating system. This is the country’s first contactless payment method, which grants Riyad Bank a clear differentiator in the local retail banking market. Consumers love the convenience and speed of paying with a contactless card – no more fumbling for cash, counting change, or wondering about whether they have enough cash for a purchase. The introduction of contactless cards puts Riyad Bank at the forefront of one of the most powerful trends currently shaping the consumer environment in Saudi Arabia, where the contactless infrastructure is being established. www.intelligentcio.com The latest report from ABI Research predicts there will be 100,000 contactless payment terminals across Saudi Arabia by the end of 2015, rising to 500,000 by 2019. INTELLIGENTCIO 9