Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 21 | Page 7

NEWS UAE Ingram Micro named new Red Hat Training reseller partner in UAE Ingram Micro Training MEA, a provider of instructor-led technical training, has announced it is partnering with Red Hat as a Red Hat Training Reseller for the UAE. With this partnership, Ingram Micro is now authorised to resell Red Hat Training services throughout the region, including open enrolment courses, onsite courses and Red Hat’s complete online delivery portfolio. Ingram Micro can now equip IT professionals with the skills and expertise to help maximise the value of their open source technology investments through offering the complete portfolio of Red Hat Training courses and certifications: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat JBoss Middleware, DevOps, and cloud. Customers will also be able to hone their skills by taking certification exams spanning the entire Red Hat product portfolio, including the Red Hat Certified System Administrator and Red Hat Certified Engineer exams for both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat OpenStack Platform. “Red Hat has helped organisations around the world develop the skills and knowledge to be able to master key tasks for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat JBoss Middleware, Red Hat OpenStack Platform and more,” said Jens Ziemann, training director, Red Hat EMEA. “Now, with the support of Ingram Micro as a new Red Hat Training Reseller in the UAE, we can help organisations meet the interest in the skills to use Red Hat solutions”. “This is an excellent strategic collaboration for Ingram Micro training and we are thrilled to join forces with Red Hat,” said Mohammad Sabry, Head of Services, Gulf and Near East region at Ingram Micro. “META is a key strategic region for investment by Ingram Micro and we are committed to growing our product and solutions portfolio as we deliver a best in class learning experience to our channel partners.” Nedaa and Nokia to set up Innovation and Creativity Lab in Dubai Nedaa, the Dubai Government’s security networks provider, has signed an agreement with Finnish multinational ICT giant, Nokia, designating Dubai as the headquarters of its pioneering Innovation and Creativity Lab. In December 2016 Nedaa and Nokia formed a strategic partnership to develop the lab as a key contributor to Dubai’s ‘Smart City’ initiative. The region’s first-research and innovation hub will introduce creative solutions for education, health, utilities and transport. It will work alongside local government agencies, the Smart Dubai project, educational and healthcare institutions, and private companies involved in the development and implementation of Smart City applications. www.intelligentcio.com A key stipulation under the Nedaa–Nokia agreement is the emiratisation of all positions and the training and qualification of employed UAE nationals to international standards. Mansoor Bu Osaiba, CEO, Nedaa, said: “Now we can start following our cooperative roadmap with Nokia to help accelerate Dubai’s transformation into a truly Smart City. “We will be bringing top Emirati talents onboard in keeping with the UAE’ s vision of empowering its citizens to proactively participate in key sectors such as information and communications technology (ICT) that will underpin the country’s transition to a Post-Oil Era. We look forward to commencing the lab’s operations within the next few months.” Amr El-Leithy, Head of Middle East and Africa, Nokia, said: “After months of scouting we now have a worthy base of operations for our Innovation and Creativity Lab from where we will partner with Nedaa to innovate Dubai’s ICT landscape.” INTELLIGENTCIO 7