Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 06 | Page 11

EDITOR’S COMMENT Nothing changes and nothing stays the same W elcome to Issue 06 of Intelligent Tech Channel, my first issue as Editor. Gathering together and writing content for the issue has, in many ways, changed since the last time I edited a Middle East channel magazine and yet, in some ways, things haven’t changed at all. As the issue has taken shape, I’ve come across a few familiar faces and names from the past which, in such a fluid industry, is rather comforting, and I hope to meet you all again soon. The industry is just as dynamic as it was; and there’s always something happening and game-changing innovations to launch. Managing Partner Richard Judd [email protected] Managing Partner Stuart Lynch [email protected] Editor, ITC Pippa Sanderson [email protected] Consulting Editor Arun Shankar [email protected] Editor, ICIO Africa Emily Freer [email protected] Editor, ICIO Middle East Mark Bowen [email protected] Group Sales Manager Luke Preece [email protected] Graphic Designer Jordan Parry [email protected] Marketing & Content Development Manager Nick Onyett [email protected] Lynchpin Media 2017 © Intelligent Tech Channels is a Lynchpin Media publication for IT professionals with an interest in the Middle East. If you wish to apply for regular free copies then please email [email protected] Lynchpin Media is a boutique publisher registered in the United Kingdom. Company number 8096230 5 Burnside Court Leominster Enterprise Park Herefordshire, HR6 0LX Yet, it’s mind-boggling just how things have evolved. When I started off as a reporter for Reseller World Middle East in Dubai in the late 1990s, only one of the computers was linked to the Internet . . . via dial-up . . . which was located in a back room. It was cripplingly slow and any research we wanted to undertake took an age. The company had no website, although a first version was being worked on. In-trays were full of typed press releases and photographs had to be scanned. At the end of the working day though, you could go home and switch off. Today, it’s a lot different; it’s a lot easier and quicker to access information, and news is unceasingly available for consumption, whatever the time of day . . . or night. With the advent of such things as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), if you’re not careful you can be permanently available, 24/7/365, which may be good for business, but not so good for your stress levels and work/life balance. Technology, of course, has changed almost beyond recognition. In the late 1990s, we were being blown away by MP3s, worried about Y2K and wondering why the Windows 2000 launch date was so vague. These days, we’re concerned with being agile and worried about cybersecurity, cybersecurity and cybersecurity; with good reason. In this issue, we take the lid off the Internet of Things (IoT) and explore how those in the channel can maximise the opportunities while minimising the risks; we also look at Value Added Distributors and their key role in the channel. We’ve got all the regulars: cloud, cybersecurity, cabling, datacentres, green, mobile and software; and we get to know a little more about Genius Wong, the President of Global Network Services, Cloud and Data Centre Services at Tata Communications, who talks about driving innovation with her global team and encouraging workplace diversity. Do drop me an email to say hi if we haven’t already been in touch and I hope you enjoy the read. Pippa Sanderson Editor 11