IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

AVEVA, a global leader in engineering and industrial software, has revealed customer validation of business advantage for industrial and capital intensive organizations globally who leverage digital transformation projects.

While finance, insurance, health and retail sectors have rapidly harnessed the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and big data to meet the changing needs of their customers, the industrial world has been slower in adopting new technologies.

5G opens doors to these new opportunities by providing faster speeds and facilitating a wider world of cloud and data analytical services

When it comes to 5G adoption, the Middle East is outpacing established western markets which are slowed down due to needing to replace legacy infrastructure. A 2020 report by Ericsson Mobility predicted there would be 80 million subscribers to the 5G project in MENA by 2025. This massive adoption not only empowers businesses and other technological enhancements in the region, but it provides a healthy foundation for smart cities and global connectivity.

The Middle East, renowned for its history, culture, and economic strength, is experiencing a pivotal moment where urban development converges with tech innovation.

Data-driven video technology, utilising AI and smart city infrastructure, is a crucial catalyst for this evolution. Analysing real-time video data from cameras and sensors enhances security, optimises traffic management, and informs urban planning. This technology drives the region towards a safer, more efficient, and interconnected future.

What does your mind recall when you hear about the Middle East? A Fox News report? Terrorist groups? Or maybe Iran’s nuclear program? These are all true, but in less than one decade, the name of the Middle East may be associated with artificial intelligence, and this region could become one of the greatest AI hubs in the world. Here is transition from oil to AI and how the Middle East can be the next great AI hub.

The development of the Middle East transition.

The AI in the Middle East is still at the initial development phase. Good progress has been made. Despite a bad reputation and the stereotype that illustrates the Middle East as an oil-dependent and a bare of innovation region, the scope of AI impacts on the Middle East is on the rise.

Satyam Vice President and Head, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Bobby Gupta said the company is targeting 100 per cent revenue growth from the region this fiscal.

Mahindra Satyam's revenues from the MENA region stood at approximately USD 56 million last fiscal.

Three in four people would be happier living in a smart city, according to a new report by Mastercard

The report features insights related to human aspirations and technological progress for smart cities in the Middle East.

The report shed light on human aspirations and technological advancements driving the development of smart cities in the Middle East. With projections indicating that two-thirds of the global population will reside in urban areas by 2050, there's a growing imperative to ensure that future cities are secure, sustainable, and inclusive.

Governments and institutions alike are increasingly turning to technology to combat and counter the threats posed by sophisticated criminals and terrorists around the world. As the threat perception grows, security agencies are investing in cutting edge technologies to preserve a safe and secure environment.

The use of biometrics as a fool proof means to verify identity in an attempt to weed out criminals with false documents is not a new phenomenon. However, a growing trend has been identified within both governments and the private sector to increasingly harness this powerful tool in order to keep home and corporate environments safe.

„Eine einzelne Ausgabe des heiligen Koran, die in der Zeit islamischer Hochkultur von acht Kamelen von einer Bibliothek zur nächsten getragen werden musste, lässt sich heute zusammen mit allen bekannten Kommentaren auf einer CD-ROM speichern – und man kann ihn im Internet durchsurfen.“ (Hasna Askhita, Assad National Library, Damascus)

The Middle East is currently experiencing a digital transformation that promises significant economic and social growth. Governments, businesses and individuals in the MENA region are increasingly embracing technology to improve their processes, enhance their services and connect with customers and stakeholders.

What you need to know is that both hurdles and prospects lie ahead for investors ready to pioneer the Middle East's digital transformation.

The attendees delved into the concept of e-government, how it is transforming public services and businesses, leading to greater adoption of technology by the region’s citizens.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) data centre market is expected to reach revenues of over $2 billion by 2025 with a cumulative revenue opportunity for data centre power infrastructure providers of $1 billion during 2019-2025, as previously highlighted by The Fintech Times. One country looking to boost its data centres is Saudi Arabia.

Managed services such as data storage, data maintenance, and remote access to applications have seen significant growth in Saudi Arabia in recent years. This is in line with Saudi Telecoms Company’s (STC) plans to build 12 new data storage facilities by 2022 to replace their legacy systems, while the country’s private sector businesses look to take advantage of the opportunity to outsource operations to reduce in-house operational costs related to managing data.

A new generation of connected smart services redefine the way organisations in the Middle East approach customer experience management

There is a clear recognition among public and private sector leaders that giving customers a better, more relevant experience through technology differentiates them from their competitors.

Many countries in this region and the world have now adopted e-government services in order to make the lives of their employees and those of their citizens easier. This is an area that IT firms have seen as good markets for their products.

Global digital transformation enabler, SAP, announced today at GITEX Technology Week 2017 that the Internet of Things will catalyze the Middle East’s USD 70 billion digital contribution to GDP. According to McKinsey, the UAE contribution to that figure is USD 15 billion.

Governments across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southwest Asia are increasingly driving innovative government digital transformation visions to transform lives, from the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to Kuwait and Egypt, and Pakistan. This is powering the Middle East and Africa’s Internet of Things spend, which is set to grow 20 percent to USD 8 billion in 2017, says IDC.

Digital inclusion ensures all individuals and every disadvantaged group have access to and the skills to use ICT, and are therefore able to participate in and benefit from the growing knowledge and information society. There is overwhelming evidence that those who are not connected — largely those living in remote or deprived areas, those on low incomes, the elderly and the disabled — are in danger of becoming increasingly socially excluded.

The government will expand software-centered information and communication technology (ICT) exports, such as AI and metaverse, and promote market diversification to help domestic companies enter the Middle East, Japan and ASEAN markets as Korea's exports show signs of being impacted considerably by the U.S.-China trade dispute and the global economic downturn, officials said, Monday.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced a strategy to expand the country's high-tech exports by encouraging domestic companies to enter new markets and foster innovative companies in the software sector during a service industry development task force meeting chaired by Choo Kyung-ho, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, and minister of economy and finance.

The Business Licensing Integrated System (BLIS), which is cited as LG CNS's first export of its e-government system to the Middle East, has opened to the public. Under the circumstances that President Park Geun-hye is actively seeking to expand exports of e-government systems to the Middle East, there is increasing anticipation that BLIS will be a bridgehead for exports of ICT to the Middle East.

BLIS is a system of online corporate registration and business licensing in Bahrain, and the central government of the country set out to establish the system as one of its national strategy projects in order to achieve its Economic Development Vision 2030.

mGovernment services offer mobile phone users access to online government services and information, providing quicker and easier access.

"By 2010, the Middle East can expect eGovernment services going mobile and providing citizens of the region with immediate access to a range of services such as trade and industrial support, national healthcare, visa and immigration applications and local government community support," explained Ghoul.

Mobile health technology allows medical professionals to manage many patients remotely. This technology can monitor their conditions in real time and pass on vital statistical information between the healthcare provider and the patient.