Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 28 | Page 13

Cisco appoints Hani Raad as GM for the Middle East’s West Region Ministry and IT provider sign agreement over cloud services Hani Raad, new General Manager for Cisco’s West Region in the Middle East C isco has announced the appointment of Hani Raad as General Manager for its West Region in the Middle East. In his new role, Raad will focus on leading Cisco’s digital transformation initiatives in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the Levant and Iraq. He will work closely with its partner ecosystem to support government and private sector customers on their digitisation journeys, while helping them drive desired business outcomes. “As part of the transition towards knowledge- driven, service-led economies, countries across the region have made digitisation an urgent imperative with the aim of translating the digital opportunity into tangible socioeconomic benefits,” said David Meads, Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Cisco. “Cisco, along with our ecosystem of partners, is working closely with governments and enterprises to develop their digital roadmaps to position them for long-term prosperity in the digital age.” According to McKinsey Global Institute’s Industry Digitization Index, several countries in the Middle East are making significant strides in the digitisation surge. “Hani is an experienced executive who brings a great deal of energy and commitment to this role, and I am confident that his market knowledge and depth of expertise will support our efforts as Cisco continues to play a leading role in developing the region’s digital ecosystem,” said Meads. www.intelligentcio.com T he Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) and MEEZA, an established Qatari Managed IT Services and Solutions provider, have signed an agreement. This will see MEEZA provide government cloud and infrastructure services for government entities in Qatar. This comes within the ministry’s plans for achieving the strategic objectives of the Qatar Digital Government 2020 Strategy. This aims to create efficiency in government administration and maximise opportunities to make better use of public funds in accordance with the Qatar National Vision 2030. Part of this is to ensure fast and reliable accessibility to information technology with reduced operational and capital expenditures. Hassan Jassim Al-Sayed, MOTC’s Assistant Undersecretary of Government Information Technology Sector, said: “The Ministry of Transport and Communications continues its efforts toward achieving the QDG 2020 vision through finding out innovative solutions and enabling the government entities to achieve their goals. “Cloud computing services, provided in association with MEEZA, aim to increase operational efficiency of the IT infrastructure and reduce operational costs at government entities.” He added that the “Ministry will continue working with its partners in public and private sectors to provide more technological capabilities aiming for better services and a knowledge-based economy.” Cloud computing services are compatible with the second version of the MoTC’s National Information Assurance Policy. INTELLIGENTCIO 13