DOSSIER_500MB_W20.5XH27.ai 4/20/10 4:04:51 PM

1OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

Concept and content byAkshay BhatnagarA. HarikumarSusmita DeGhalib Abdullah Mohammed Fahmi Rajab

Product ManagerShivkumar

Art DirectorsSandesh S. RangnekarMinaal G. Pednekar

DesignM. BalagopalanKhoula Rashid Al Wahaibi

Production ManagerGovindraj Ramesh

PhotographyRajesh BurmanSathyadas C. Narayanan

CORPORATEChief ExecutiveSandeep SehgalExecutive Vice PresidentAlpana RoyVice PresidentRavi Raman

Senior Business Support ExecutiveRadha Kumar

TranslatorMustafa Kamal

Published byUnited Press & Publishing LLCPO Box 3305, Ruwi, Postal Code - 112Muscat, Sultanate of OmanTel (968) 24700896Fax (968) 24707939Email: akshay@umsoman.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The publisher does not accept responsibility for any loss occasioned to any person or organisation acting or refraining as a result of material in this publication. OER accepts no responsibility for all advertising contents.

An Presentation

Copyright © 2010 United Press & Publishing LLCPrinted by Mazoon Printing Publishing & Advertising (LLC)

POWER OF BUSINESS INTELL IGENCE

EDITORIAL

Time for optimismIndustries across the globe have buckled under the pressure of recession or economic slowdown. GCC is

no exception. But the story of ICT sector in Oman is different as it remained much less affected by such

impact. All IT projects planned in Oman’s annual budgets from 2005 to 2010, have progressed on schedule

and the sector is doing well.

A quick glance at the ICT sector will reveal that the telecom landscape has undergone a paradigm shift.

From a monopolist market, Oman’s telecom market currently enjoys multiple players in different segments

and consumers are not complaining as prices are plummeting in a competitive environment.

Innovation is the watchword for both Nawras and Omantel. Nawras is now working on building a ‘next

generation network’ based on 4G technology over existing radio networks, providing fixed broadband

access to customers. It is building the new generation fibre optic backbone and WiMAX wireless access

networks across the Sultanate. The company is expected to give further fillip to the rapid growth of

broadband Internet in Oman with the launch of its fixed line services. Omantel has recently introduced Fibre

to the Home (FTTH) technology in Oman to provide the fastest and most comprehensive range of Internet

applications. For the first time, the advanced Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology, which is

required for installing FTTH, is introduced to the Omani market. In early 2009, Oman Mobile launched 3.5G

to offer wireless broadband services to corporate subscribers and individuals at homes or on the go.

According to World Economic Forum’s Annual Global IT report 2009-10, Oman was ranked 50th out of

133 countries on ‘Networked Readiness Index’. Development of IT sector lies at the core of the Sultanate’s

economic diversification plan and Oman has shown good progress in the sector. Information Technology

Authority's (ITA) role is undeniable in this regard. Within a very short span of time, ITA has facilitated a

number of important initiatives such as e-payment gateway, e-purse and e-transactions, etc which are

bringing new approaches to the way business is conducted today. E-learning is contributing to the cause of

Omanisation in a significant way.

Comex 2010, one of the largest IT, telecom and consumer electronics events in the region, could not have

happened at a more opportune moment. Celebrating its 20th successive year, Comex is here to provide new

business opportunities to the ICT industry in the B2B and B2C segments and build up a digital Oman by

encouraging innovation, creating synergy and driving development through collaboration and application.

This issue of Comex Special OER Dossier highlights major developments in the ICT sector, analyses current

trends, new technologies and showcases the views of the industry experts.

Enjoy reading!

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special2

CONTENTS

An act of empowerment4An overview of the growing IT sector of Oman

O P I N I O N S

14 Innovative solutionsAhmad El Dandachi, Country manager, Microsoft

26 Safety firstSuhail Farooqui, CEO, Al Alawi & Co,

10 Exponential curveThe changing telecom landscape

22 VOIP telephonyIts future in Oman

28 Comex 2010Emerging opportunities

30 Hot Gadgets

SPONSORED FEATURES

34 Microsoft Oman

36 New Horizons Computer

Learning center

36 Kalsoft LLC

37 Exceed IT Services

37 IITC

38 Link Development

40 Faraas Trading

41 Gulf Cybertech

42 Gulf IT

43 Hi Tech LLC

44 Majees Technical Services LLC

45 OCS Infotech

46 Omaniya E-Commerce

47 Majees Technical Services -

Fire fighting Division

48 Tawoos Power & Telecom

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special4

IT OVERVIE W

Development of IT sector lies at the

core of the Sultanate’s economic

diversification plan. Both the

government and the private sector

were involved in the process to elevate the

technology industry throughout the region

over the past decade.

A slice of historyThe IT industry in Oman took off in mid 80’s

when Microsoft and IBM brought in personal

computers to the Sultanate. Prior to that,

in the late 70’s and early 80’s, the progress

The performance of the government of Oman in the IT space is

admirable, especially in the spheres of education and business

An act of empowerment

was somewhat sluggish. The Government

of Oman took a very serious note of the

role of IT in its overall development and has

carved out a plan, in keeping with the broad

objectives of Vision 2020 – the government’s

25-year programme launched in 1995.

This was geared towards developing the

country’s human capital and expanding

the information and technology sector,

upgrading national infrastructure, resulting

in a diversified economy with a vibrant

private sector leading to a sound economic

development.

It was in 1997 that the state telecommuni-

cations company began offering internet

connections to consumers in Oman,

though take-up was rather slow. In 2006,

the government established a new industry

regulator, the Information Technology

Authority (ITA). For empowering people

within the digital society, the broad spectrum

of the organization's responsibilities included

infrastructure upgrades, increasing internet

penetration, encouraging ICT business

innovation and eventually installing PCs in

homes and schools.

Location Courtesy: Nawras

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special6

IT spendingThe total IT spending in Oman in 2009 was

$309 million, according to estimates by

market experts, half of which was spent

on hardware. With a growing economy

and crude oil prices stabilising at around

$70-80 per barrel, the future of IT looks

bright in the coming years. “It is expected

that the IT market is going to witness a YoY

compounded growth of 5% till 2014,” said

the head of one of the largest IT companies

in Oman. Apart from ongoing demand in

oil and gas sector, verticals like telecoms,

financial services and aviation are likely to

generate good amount of IT spending.

The focus areas for IT investment in the

oil and gas are likely to be manufacturing

execution systems, ERP financials, ERP

human capital management and supply

chain analytics. Financial services in general

and banking in particular are the next major

thrust areas in IT investment. Construction

is another industry for the growth of IT

where technology is a crucial factor in the

sustainable development of buildings,

infrastructure and transportation facilities.

Real estate is another sector where Omani

developers and sales organizations look to

capture customer data.

Vertical mobilityAccording to World Economic Forum’s

Annual Global IT report 2009-10, Oman

was ranked 50th out of 133 countries on

‘Networked Readiness Index’.

The report notes that the Sultanate has

established a secure infrastructure and

national IT training and capacity building

base, and specifically mentions the launch of

the official eGovernment Services Portal.

A spokesperson for the Information

Technology Authority (ITA) said, “Oman has

vastly improved its overall Government

Readiness Index to the 19th rank, up by

20 points from last year. This is due to the

Omani government’s prioritisation of ICT, in

addition to its efforts in procuring advanced

technology products for its IT systems.”

Oman has also shown good progress on

areas like intellectual property protection,

mobile penetration, etc.

This was made possible as result of the

effective implementation of the ‘National

Strategy for Digital Oman & e-Government’

that was unveiled in 2002 to lay the

foundation for a Knowledge Society in

Oman.

More job avenues are created for Omani

youth through eOman. The Information

Technology Authority (ITA) is providing

eGovernment services to individuals

and businesses in Oman by establishing

knowledge-based industries. Within a

very short span of time, ITA has facilitated

a number of important initiatives such

as e-payment gateway, e-purse and

e-transactions etc which are bringing

new approaches to the way business is

conducted today.

Apart from these, ITA is working on a

number of key programmes simultaneously.

The National PC Initiative targeted at college

and university students is one of the priority

areas for ITA. The programme will contribute

to the Information & Communication

Technology (ICT) sector enhancement. The

focus will be to strengthen the abilities of the

students to own a computer and to facilitate

IT OVERVIE W

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special8

their use of the supporting programmes of

the educational process.

The initiative will be directed in the first

stage towards strengthening the capacity

of teachers in public and private schools

who have graduation certificates from the

training project for civil servants. In addition

to working with the concerned authorities

to make the Internet easily available in

university, ITA will support students with

tools and software to help in their learning.

Online business picking upThe e-commerce revolution in Oman is

making an upward move steadily over

the past couple of years. Businesses are

operating online and customers have started

trusting the cyber world.

Banking, retailing, trading stocks - even

something as commonplace as booking

movie tickets falls under this category. A

few years back, e-commerce in Oman was

limited to online banking and bill payments.

Today however, the cyber infrastructure of

Oman is improving and the mindset towards

the technology, particularly among laymen,

is changing. Fears of security breaches and

financial scams no longer hinder the cyber

world movement.

Day to day services are being carried out

online via secure systems and people are

beginning to enjoy the effortlessness of it

all. The most successful have been the banks

in using the Internet portal to connect with

and provide a plethora of services for their

customers.

Electronic banking has now become the

popular choice of customers. Not only

individuals, but businesses have been

reaping benefits of electronic banking. And

ever since the launch of the e-Payment

Gateway by ITA, there have been a rapid

adoption of e-services by businesses and

individuals alike.

A breakthrough in terms of online

transactions has been the development of

the e purse. Residents of Oman can now

pay for Government-related transactions

via their National ID and/or Residents

Cards in a safe and secure manner. Security

issues aside, the retailing component of e

commerce in Oman is certainly seeing a

new growth phase. Online retailing has its

own set of advantages – time saving and

economical being the key words.

Sites like Omanbay have slowly been

springing up wherein people auction/sell

wares via a secure e-platform quite a deal,

considering the hassle involved in running

around in stores and standing in never-ending

checkout queues. Consumers, domestic and

international, have started recognizing the

convenience of shopping online.

Leading mobile service providers have been

providing basic services, like e-recharge for

a while now. This has now shifted to paying

bills online and purchasing/downloading

software from their websites.

However, although many businesses are

now offering online services, the response to

online retailing has been rather lukewarm.

Perhaps socio-economic factors play a

significant role in the retail trends of any

country. Experts, nonetheless are positive and

predict tremendous growth in e-retailing.

Real estate brokerage has also gone digital.

Potential buyers and renters can now visit

websites and view properties available online.

Major real estate firms across the Sultanate

have opened up their websites with detailed

listings of available options.

Movie goers can now book tickets with just

a click of the mouse, and even decide which

seat they would prefer. Thus it goes to show

that the e-commerce arena in Oman has

not only targeted businessmen but also the

youth. Business to business transactions too,

have fared well by shifting some of their

operations online have resulted in greater

ROIs. Today tenders are submitted online

(e-tenders), procurement is done online and

even e-registrations are the order of the day.

Online operations not only streamlines

but also economises business process and

reduces margins for errors. eSourcing has been

gaining popularity among key businesses in

the country and many specialized solution

providers have sprung up giving a positive

impetus to e-commerce in Oman.

B2B and B2C marketing have also started

making waves online. E-marketing has its

own strategic advantages and companies

recognize them. However, e-marketing is

still at a rather nascent stage and it is yet to

have a positive impact on businesses, since

conventional marketing and advertising still

remains the preferred choice.

Security issues are very vital for potential

e-commerce initiatives. However, with

positive measures being taken by regulating

authorities, business owners as well as

customers can be assured that taking

businesses online is the way of the future

and can be done in a safe, secure and

profitable manner.

Thus the prevailing future trend of

eCommerce will be the growth of Internet

sales, both here in Oman and worldwide.

Oman’s IT sector has not been directly

affected by the economic downturn. Based

on Oman’s annual budgets during 2005-

2010, all of the IT projects planned for have

proceeded on schedule.

B2B and B2C

marketing have

also started making

waves online.

E-marketing has

its own strategic

advantages and

companies

recognize them

IT OVERVIE W

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special10

TELECOM OVERVIE W

Oman’s telecom landscape has undergone a change for the better with a

thriving telecommunications market, driven by mobile services and fixed

line and Internet services

Exponential curve

O man’s telecommunications market

has remained considerably

dynamic over the past one decade

and has evolved significantly. In

1980, with the establishment of General

Telecommunications Organization, now

known as Oman Telecommunications SAOG

(Omantel), the Sultanate took a major stride

towards the formation of a well-developed

telecommunications market.

In 2002, the Telecom Regulatory Authority,

was introduced in Oman as a logical first step

in the process of economic diversification

that most Gulf nations have undertaken

in recent years. With its introduction,

Oman became one of the first countries

in the region to create an independent

organization to look over the telecoms

sector. Considering the constraints of a

complex topography and population spread

out in numerous clusters in the interiors of

Sultanate, Oman’s TRA has achieved a great

deal within a short span of time. Today

Oman has a thriving telecommunications

market, driven by mobile services and fixed

line and Internet services, and is on the verge

of an exponential growth.

Omantel enjoyed monopoly over the entire

telecom sector in Oman until 2005 when TRA

awarded a second mobile licence to Nawras.

At this juncture, Omantel was converted into

a listed company. 2005 was a turning point

for telecom sector in the Sultanate.

In 2009, Oman became the first market in

the GCC region to introduce mobile virtual

network operators (MVNOs) popularly

known as mobile service resellers. Currently,

the market is served by overall five telecom

service providers including three mobile

service resellers. The fixed line and Internet

penetrations, pegged at 9.4% and 2.6%,

(2009, TRA) are expected to go up rapidly

with the imminent launch of services in 2010

by Nawras as the second fixed line operator.

Mobile ServicesSince the entry of Nawras, the telecom

market has experienced fast growth.

Currently, Omantel (Oman Mobile) and

Nawras are the two authorized Class I license

holders for the installation, operation,

maintenance and exploitation of a ‘Basic

Public Mobile Telecommunications System’.

Overall, Oman Mobile with 47.1% share led

the market, closely followed by Nawras with

46.9% share, according to TRA as on Dec

2009. Rest of the 5.9% market share was

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TELECOM OVERVIE W

held by Renna, Friendi and Mazoon Mobile,

the first three mobile service resellers.

These resellers have been granted

Class II licenses for providing ‘public

telecommunications services’ by using the

infrastructure of Class I license holders. On

the revenue front, it was not an easy year

for the market players, though the market

for mobile services is set to become more

competitive with the entry of more resellers

in 2010. Samatel is expected to launch its

services soon as the fourth reseller. With

prices dipping to lower levels at frequent

intervals, consumers are not complaining.

The major private sector player is Nawras,

which won the second mobile licence in

2004, and the second fixed licence in 2008.

Since entering the mobile market, Nawras

has been increasingly innovative across the

board, offering EDGE and then 3G technology

in addition to various other services.

Nawras is now working on building a ‘next

generation network’ based on 4G technology

over existing radio networks, providing

fixed broadband access to customers. “The

plan is to cover most of the built up areas

of Oman this year and next year. That will

be another exciting opportunity,” says Ross

Cormack, CEO, Nawras.

Fixed line: Steady growthOver the last few years, the fixed line segment

has remained stagnant in terms of growth in

subscriber numbers and revenues. Omantel

has been trying to boost the fixed line business

with aggressive promotions. The company

officially launched its new enhanced brand

and a new tagline ‘Together’ this year. In order

to realize the full potential of the fixed line

segment and provide more options to the

subscribers, Nawras was awarded the second

fixed line license in late 2008.

The company is currently working on

setting-up the infrastructure to roll out its

services towards the middle of this year. It

is building the new generation fibre optic

backbone and WiMAX wireless access

networks across the Sultanate.

Internet ConnectivityThe Internet is a very promising segment

in the telecom sector. Omantel, the only

provider of fixed line Internet services,

registered a good growth in Internet

revenues (2009: 27.7 million rials).

Omantel has recently introduced Fibre to the

Home (FTTH) technology in Oman to provide

the fastest and most comprehensive range of

Internet applications. The FTTH technology,

supplied by Omantel’s technology partner

Huawei, delivers at a first stage Ultra

broadband with speeds of 80 MB/s and will

support such as high definition video, video

on demand, e-education etc.

Installing FTTH requires the use of advanced

Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON)

technology which has been introduced

to the Omani market for the first time

and allows the introduction of Triple Play

Services. It is ideally suited for usage in new

real estate projects with the technology

becoming part of the infrastructure network

as the Muscat Hills and The Wave Muscat

residential projects developed.

Omantel already has the fibre infrastructure

in place that is connecting different parts of

the country through four main local fibre-

optic rings and with the rest of the world

through several submarine fibre optic cables.

Mobile broadband is leading to the rapid

rise in the Internet usage in the Sultanate.

In March 2009, Oman Mobile launched

3.5G to offer wireless broadband services

to corporate subscribers and individuals at

homes or on the go.

Nawras, on the other hand, offers broadband

Internet using the 3G+ network. Its ‘Business

Broadband Share’ enables multiple users

to make use of a predefined pool of data

volume. The company is expected to

give further fillip to the rapid growth of

broadband Internet in Oman with the launch

of its fixed line services.

TRA – Big StridesThe Telecommunications Regulatory Authority

(TRA) has done a commendable job by

expanding the market with its growth oriented

liberalization policy. From a monopolist

market, Oman’s telecom market currently has

multiple players in different segments.

TRA has taken a number of path breaking

steps in the past and is planning to issue a

Class II license for establishing and operating

an Internet Exchange (IX) that will enable

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to link to the

global Internet backbone. A plan to develop a

comprehensive national broadband strategy

for Oman is also on the anvil.

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OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special14

SPECIAL FEATURE

The world is moving towards a new generation of computing which holds

enormous potential to stimulate economic opportunities. Ahmad El

Dandachi, Country Manager, Microsoft Oman speaks on the issue

Innovative solutions

A new era in computing: “Client plus Cloud”We are on the verge of a new era in

computing, in which innovative software

applications on intelligent devices (“clients”),

complemented by Internet-based data

storage and services (the “cloud”), will

offer individuals increased control over

their information while enabling seamless

experiences across multiple devices.

This next generation of computing holds

enormous potential to stimulate economic

opportunities. This article summarizes the

technological developments driving the

next-generation of computing.

Innovations driving next generation of computingThis is not the first time computing has

undergone a transformational change. In

its first era, from the 1950s into the 1970s,

computing was the exclusive privilege of

large organizations and was limited primarily

to IT specialists.

The next era, from the 1980s into the 1990s,

saw the democratization of computing with

personal computers (PCs), innovations in

software that made PCs easy to use and the

launch of the world-wide web.

y

15OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

The dawn of the 21st century saw the roll out

of high-speed Internet networks, expansion

of wireless communications and the

introduction of low-cost server computers.

These transformations drove the next era

of computing, making it affordable for even

small organizations to own and run their

own datacenters, while the growth of the

web brought unprecedented opportunities

for communication, and collaboration to

users across the world.

Today, we are moving towards a new

generation in computing - one that is being

driven by several distinct yet simultaneous

technology developments. The benefits

of these technologies will extend broadly

across society. They will drive productivity,

collaboration and new forms of value-

creation, helping stimulate the next

generation of long-term economic growth

by enabling businesses to become more

agile and competitive. Three technology

developments are driving next-generation

computing:

Powerful, interconnected devicesThe first driving force behind next-

generation computing is the rapid growth in

the variety and power of Internet-connected

computing devices. Today, many people—

particularly in developed markets—have

a computer at work, another at home

and one or more computing devices that

they carry around with them. Meanwhile,

advances in microprocessor, storage,

communications and display technologies

are enabling an explosion of diversity

in computing devices. Semiconductor

manufacturers are continuing to increase

computing power with a new generation of

multi-core processors, which stimulates the

development of intelligent devices that run

innovative software.

We already see this trend today with mobile

phones featuring capabilities that nearly

match those of the PC; TVs with Internet

connectivity and rich user interfaces; GPS

and media units in cars that respond to

voice commands and more. And, this is just

the beginning. In the years ahead, we will

see intelligence and connectivity woven

into nearly everything in our lives, from

wall-sized screens and tabletop touch-

screen computers to networked sensors

throughout the home.

Smarter, easier-to-use softwareSignificant and exciting advances in

operating systems and software applications

that power and connect all of these devices

represent a second driving force behind

next-generation computing. They will also

spur the development of innovative new

products and services by other companies,

ones that will make the way people interact

with computing devices more engaging.

This infusion of intelligence and connectivity

into a wide range of devices complements

the growth of Internet-scale services to

create a new paradigm for computing

based on the concept of “client plus cloud”.

For customers, this means rich, seamless

experiences that offer the information,

entertainment and connectivity they

need—at any time and on any device. Rich

client software is what enables the cloud’s

full potential to be realized. It will enhance

the cloud experience by fostering a wider

array of cloud-based services and solutions

and by empowering customers to select the

combination of client plus cloud that best

meets their needs.

The Cloud: Complementing and enhancing rich client computingThe third driving force behind the next

generation of computing is the maturing of

the Internet as a gateway for Internet-based

services, in which remote datacenters host

data and serve applications to users’ devices

and to IT systems. In simple terms, the cloud

will enhance client computing experiences

by enabling users to access software

applications and data over the Internet.

When software and data are delivered as an

online service, the installation, maintenance

and support functions are centralized and

streamlined, leading to greater economic

efficiency.

Ahmad El DandachiCountry Manager, Microsoft Oman

Location Courtesy: BankMuscat

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special16

The cloud also enables organizations to

access software applications and computer

capacity on a pay-as-you-go basis, paying

only for the services they use. So, on a

practical level, cloud computing gives

organizations more choices.

They can decide either to provide computing

power to their employees through servers

owned by them and located on their own

premises, or they can obtain computing power

as a service over the Internet from a cloud

computing provider. Microsoft’s Software-

plus-Services vision focuses on empowering

customers and offering them unprecedented

flexibility in choosing client plus cloud

combinations—of innovative software,

intelligent and interconnected devices

and cloud-based services—that best meet

their needs. By complementing traditional

on-premises and device-based software with

Internet-based storage and services, the cloud

offers many benefits, including:

• Cost savings and efficiencies

• Choice and flexibility

• Access to greater computing power and

the latest software

• Early access to new technologies

Summing UpThe cloud and cloud-based services for

businesses and organizations are relatively

new and it remains to be seen how rapidly

they will be adopted and how they will

evolve. What appears certain, however, is that

most users will opt to use a combination of

client plus cloud.

Today, software-plus-services gives

businesses more control and flexibility over

the technology they deploy and the way they

deploy it. It helps companies reduce costs

and focus resources on gaining strategic

advantage. Increasingly, it is enabling

companies to unleash their potential for

innovation through greater intelligence,

creativity, flexibility, and efficiency—all for

less cost. We believe this is the right balance

for business success in any economy.

Excerpts from the Interview:Why is cloud computing gaining ground? Is

there a paradigm shift in the concept?

Many people have differing definitions

of “the cloud”. Technical bodies have an

accepted definition that is two pages in

length. Still others tend to view the cloud

as only hosted-software you connect to via

the web. Though “the cloud” is sometimes

viewed as just being synonymous with

Internet, we tend to think of it as something

more, it’s the collection of devices (servers,

PCs, mobile devices) using the network

to pool resources and work together. You

typically see this in large datacenters today;

where servers seamlessly work together

to easily absorb more traffic and to react

when something breaks without people

having to intervene. The sum ends up being

greater than the parts. So in effect cloud

computing is about sharing and playing well

with others. Instead of focusing too much on

definitions we would encourage looking at

five dimensions of what the cloud should

enable and the opportunities that come

from this. These 5 dimensions that we use

to take a broader view not only on what the

cloud “is” but what it should enable now and

in the future. The cloud should:

• Create opportunities and responsibilities

• Learn and help you learn, decide

and take action

• Enhance your social and professional

interactions

• Demand smarter devices

• Drive server advances that in turn drive

the cloud

Do companies in Oman have cloud

computing infrastructure? If yes, what is

the status? Is it in anyway enabling compa-

nies to survive the economic downturn?

Yes - we at Microsoft see strong potential

SPECIAL FEATURE

The cloud is the

collection of devices

(servers, PCs, mobile

devices) using the

network to pool

resources and

work together. You

typically see this in

large datacenters

today; where servers

seamlessly work

together

Enterprise Cloud Computing

Solutions Enterprise Cloud Computing Solutions

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Business from Spam, Virus & Other many Email Security Threats, also a Very efficient Online Real Time Basis

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comes to share large Documents across Office, Locations with Colleagues, Partners & Customers.

CRM Solution from Zoho

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ship Management and Increase the Sales and Business.

Our Enterprise Solution Enterprise Solutions

MBS - Message Broadcasting System

MBS (Message Broadcasting System) is a comprehensive message delivery system that can deliver

attention-getting messages of different content and delivery types to various receiving devices. The

messages can be broadcast with different attributes that control the delivery and presentation of a

message.

The receiving devices can be

1. Computers on a LAN 2. Computers on a WAN 3. Mobile Phone

Custom Business Application in SaaS Model (Software-as-a-Service) from Wolf Frameworks

If you are Looking for a Business Application or want to convert a legacy application to Web

Based, we bring you the Power of Cloud Computing. We build any Business Application saving 70% of your

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Browser and Internet Connection.

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The Google Search Appliance (GSA) provides fast, relevant search for your intranet or

website. An on-premise, easy-to-deploy solution, the GSA provides your organization with high relevancy

right out of the box, can be customized to meet your specific needs, and scales easily as your content

grows.

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Our Services :

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CMS (Content Management Solutions) E-Marketing Services

Our Partners

Gulf ITYou Demand, We Deliver

Bringing Cloud Computing Technologies to Sultanate of Oman

Our PartnersOur Partners

Gulf ITPO Box 1211, PC 133

Al Khuwair, Muscat

Sultanate of Oman

Tel : +968 24614566 | Website : www.gulfinfotech.com | Email : info@gulfinfotech.com

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special18

SPECIAL FEATURE

for cloud computing in the region and we’re

committed to bringing this technology to our

local customers (governments, companies

of all sizes and individuals) leveraging our

strong local presence and our extensive

network of partners. In terms of size, some

analysts predict that by 2014 an average of

40% of companies’ IT spend on new systems

will be directed towards cloud computing.

While there might be a slight time lag

compared to other regions, Gulf companies

are moving in a direction that is very

similar to companies elsewhere. Like every

technology, cloud computing has to undergo

a process of evolution. Eventually though,

and in order to fully adopt it, businesses and

individuals should expect the power of the

cloud without compromising the privacy,

security or control they have come to

expect from the software they already use.

Microsoft, bringing over 20 years experience

with business software and almost 15

years experience with cloud computing, is

completely committed to landing the cloud

in Gulf, making the most of our widely-used

products available in the cloud today.

It is also true though that the current

economic slowdown has helped bring cloud

computing to the forefront of many IT and

business executives’ thinking as a possible

way to improve efficiencies and productivity

in certain scenarios.

What is the significance of Microsoft’s

participation in Comex?

Comex is an important opportunity to

connect with organizations in the region,

and one of the main shows where you can

share your business solutions with different

stakeholders. The event is seeing major

participation and interest from non-IT

sectors such as government and education,

which are increasingly looking to technology

to drive growth and are making significant

investments in ICT.

How will new technologies or technolog-

ical innovations help drive the growth of

Oman’s industrial sector/economy in the

coming years?

Organizations big and small are looking

for opportunities to cut costs, while driving

revenue and seizing new opportunities as

much as possible. While the first instinct may

be to slash IT budgets to shore up profits, there

is tremendous opportunity to leverage existing

IT resources as well as invest in new technology

trends that save money and drive value.

A new generation of technology innovations

is enabling forward-looking businesses to

build information systems that are more

flexible, more cost effective, and that enable

people to understand and respond to

changing business conditions with greater

insight and speed than ever before. At

Microsoft, we are committed to the Gulf

region and its continual development as a

competitive and dynamic place to do business.

We support this vision by developing leading-

edge technology, increasing opportunities

for skills development and partnering with

businesses and governments to spread the

value of information and communications

technology.

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OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special20

E-LEARNING

This innovative e-learning system has created a new learning experience for

students — one that is both interesting and educational

Measures of progress

Delegates from Oman’s Ministry of

Education, along with Knowledge

Horizon Training Centre, attended

Online Educa Berlin 2009, the

world’s largest International eLearning

Conference. It was a formidable event with

over 2,000 delegates from 92 countries and

more than 400 speakers from 38 nations

sharing their knowledge and experience.

It was a wonderful opportunity for Omani

youths to share eLearning experience with

the international community.

Aimed at the corporate, education and public

sectors, the content was highly relevant to

what’s going on in eLearning in Oman. It is

gratifying to see that Oman is very much

in line with the international community

in terms of eLearning; a nation with 60 per

cent of youth has a lot to offer in terms of

technology. Many parts of the world choose

e-learning for tomorrow’s essential skills and

use the internet to supplement eLearning.

Back in Oman, the Sultanate is promoting

a strategic plan for the advancement

of e-learning in the Colleges of Applied

Sciences. One of the interesting components

of the plan is a proposal for an e-Learning

Centre to be located in the new Ministry

of Higher Education (MoHE) Professional

Development Centre, scheduled to be

constructed soon.

The e-Learning Centre will benefit all

professionals in the Colleges of Applied

The new e-learning

initiative has

provided a

centralised learning

platform facilitating

information sharing

& dissemination

Sciences as well as in Oman’s private

universities and colleges. To advance

e-learning in line with the government’s

imperative to accelerate the use of

e-methodologies in all relevant aspects of

government, the MoHE had recently formed

the post of Programme Director for e-learning

in the Colleges of Applied Sciences.

In consultation with the MoHE, e-Learning

Steering Committee, the e-learning

Programme Director has developed a

strategic plan for the advancement of

e-learning. The government has made great

progress in terms of e-governance and

services to the public — most notably the

electronic admissions system which includes

registration by SMS text message and has

even won an international award.

Blackboard Learning SystemA comprehensive database system for higher

education has been completed and will further

the progress of the ministry to state-of-the-art

information management systems of value, not

only to the MoHE, but also to all stakeholders in

Higher Education, including the general public.

The MoHE is committed to enhancing student

learning through new technologies, and in this

regard installation of the ‘Blackboard’ Learning

System in the six Colleges of Applied Sciences

(CAS) is a milestone.

This new e-learning initiative has provided

a centralised learning platform facilitating

information sharing and dissemination

among some 8,000 students at the CAS in the

Sultanate. The Blackboard Learning System

enables the CAS to post their courses online

and provide information to students about

various courses and programmes offered

across the CAS system, while the ‘Blackboard

Community System’ allows administrators to

build vibrant online communities and improve

the flow of information to let students connect

and learn outside the classroom.

MoHE’s roleThis innovative e-learning system has created

a new learning experience for students —

one that is both interesting and educational.

The MoHE plays a role in the promotion of

research throughout the country. Research

is a priority in all private universities in Oman.

The Strategic Plan for the Colleges of Applied

Sciences includes an emphasis on applied

research. The plan also includes implementing

research skills across the curriculum of the

CAS. Sultan Qaboos University in particular has

made great strides in capacity building and

expansion of research.

E-learning is helping to nurture a skilled

and knowledgeable young generation in

Oman, thereby enabling them to become

more active and productive members of the

community. It is also helping to develop an

awareness of leadership potential among

them and is contributing significantly to the

cause of Omanisation.

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special22

TECHNOLOGY

In Oman, VOIP is much-waited–for and telecom companies in Oman are

trying to find ways to offer customer convenience, writes Visvas Paul D Karra

VoIP telephony: Futurescope

V OIP has brought major changes in

the global telecom market due to

its cost-effectiveness and quality to

end-users. In Oman, this service is

much-waited-for and telecom companies in

Oman have to find ways to offer customer

convenience.

VOIP is a general term for a group of

transmission technologies for delivery of

voice communications over IP networks such

as the Internet or other packet–switched

network. When VoIP service was introduced

over broadband, Internet users were able

to make and receive calls as they would

over a normal telephone (PSTN). VOIP has

revolutionised the way that residential and

business communications are delivered.

VoIP gained popularity because it made

international calls more affordable and PSTN

users switched to VoIP in increasing numbers.

Subsequently, authorities in countries started

imposing restrictions on the use of VoIP as

telecommunication companies that enjoyed

state monopoly, experienced reduced traffic.

The very term VoIP became illegal, though

there are more to the use of VoIP than just

being an illegal international phone service

being provided by unauthorised cyber cafes.

In Oman, the state-owned Oman

Telecommunications (Omantel) Company

which till date has the only international

gateway discovered that the international

traffic was plummeting even though the

size of the population remained the same,

chiefly the Indian sub-continent expatriates,

who make the bulk of international calls.

The main cause was that 80 per cent of

international telephone calls were going

through VoIP, which in Oman’s case, was

offered by cyber cafes who were not licensed

to provide international telephone services.

In November last year, the authorities promptly

clamped down on them with the help of Royal

Oman Police (ROP). Oman is only following

what many other countries are already doing

to protect the telecom monopoly.

Low-cost optionThe reasons for the burgeoning illegal VoIP

service providers are obvious. Customers

who want to make international calls always

look for cheap alternatives. The illegal VoIP

calls to India, for example, used to range

between 25bz to 50bz per minute any time

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special24

of the day in comparison to the regular

and legal calls which ranged anything from

75-99bz (off peak) to 175-200bz (peak). With

such a huge price cut, people were willing to

compromise on the voice quality.

From telecom operator’s perspective,

blocking VoIP services comes as a natural

outcome. When a major share of any

country’s telecom revenues flows from calls

made to international destinations and there

is a monopoly, that status quo is desired to

be be maintained for as long as possible

and it is often good for that country. That

can only be done by blocking VoIP services.

But the popular demand has led telephone

operators to come up with alternatives.

FRiENDi Mobile, which is a Class II licence

operator having a tie-up with Omantel’s

subsidiary Oman Mobile, has a number

of products in its repertoire that caters

exclusively to the Indian expatriates. With an

average of 75bz per minute to India during

offpeak hours, FRiENDi Mobile is the closest

to match the VoIP calls.

Rethinking on strategiesTelecom companies are being forced to do

a rethink on their strategies. Omantel plans

to introduce full-fledged VoIP services,

which can be used with the regular

mobile handsets. “Reasonable quality of

voice, reasonable price and reasonable

convenience will be the three pillars of

this VoIP service. But it will not be like our

premium service and it may be limited to

certain international destinations. Our aim is

to win back our customers who were using

the illegal VoIP services and that is why we

will be launching it on the mobile handsets

to provide convenience to them,” says Rao

K Chagarlamudi, VP Consumer Business Unit,

Omantel.

Talking about the pricing factor, Rao says

that it will not be exactly as cheap as 25bz

per minute because as an incumbent

telecom operator, they have to pay charges

to operators where the calls are ending

unlike the cyber cafes, which had no such

responsibility.

Different viewpointsMarket experts, however, feel that blocking

of VoIP services provided by cyber cafes and

trying to win back customers is a wrong

way of trying to sort out the problem.

One better way of doing it is to open up

the competition and allow all the existing

telecom companies to negotiate their own

international agreements, which would

bring down the call rates. It will be a win-win

situation for all stake holders. Customers will

have the most cost efficient way of doing

it. The companies will benefit because the

consumers will use the regular telecom

services doing away with the necessity of

VoIP services altogether. The regulator will

also be happy as it will not have security

issues, which is otherwise a pressing issue

since VoIP calls went through internet data

lines and could not be supervised.

“We have tied up with IDEA mobile company

in Kerala in India and Dialog Telekom in

Sri Lanka to provide more benefits to our

subscribers. This way, FRiENDi Mobile has

been able to take away many customers

from the illegal internet traffic to legal

traffic,” Antti Arponen, CEO, FRiENDi Mobile

points out.

Future is VoIPHowever, technology has advanced to such

an extent that VoIP is no longer just an illegal

call-making facility but it is a technology

that directs a voice call through a PC to the

end user. With internet speeds becoming

faster, transferring an international call

via VoIP is usually cost effective than old

school telephony. But the technology is not

foolproof.

It is said, but not proven, that many a regular

legal calls from a mobile handset could

in all probability be routed through an

internet data cable to UK or the US and a

consumer may not be able to notice it. The

voice quality will be dependent upon the

telecom operator’s pricing strategies and

the infrastructure and they could use VoIP

and pocket the revenue margins.

Nawras, the second Class I mobile operator

in the country, wants to ensure complete

transparency with the issue of VoIP when it

launches its fixed line services. Giving details

of this, Tore Solberg, chief commercial officer,

Nawras says that the way they are building

their fixed network, its fixed line national

services will be running on VoIP technology

with the help of Wimax. Subscribers of

Nawras fixed line network will, basically, be

using the VoIP technology to make calls.

TECHNOLOGY

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special26

GUEST COLUMN

Implementing judiciously the rule of law into cyberspace is critical to create a

trustworthy and healthy environment, says Suhail Farooqui, CEO, Al Alawi &

Co, Advocates and Legal Consultants

Safety first

The new technological developments

have made the transition from paper

to paperless transactions possible.

Each day we are creating new

standards of speed, efficiency, and accuracy

in communication, which has become key

tools for boosting innovations, creativity and

increasing overall productivity. Computers

are extensively used to store confidential

data of political, social, economic or personal,

bringing immense benefit to the society.

The rapid development of information

technology presents challenges which are

not confined to any single traditional legal

categories but which arise in, for example,

criminal, intellectual property, privacy,

contract and even tort.

More recently, with the accelerating growth

of the internet and the world wide web, some

of these problems, such as ‘privacy’ have

been exacerbated, and others, including the

regulation of offensive material, have come

to the force. These crimes have virtually no

boundaries and may affect any nation across

the globe.

Electronic commerce Electronic commerce has also led to

procedural legal problems, for example

with regard to evidence, liability, consumer

protection and/or payment. Globally, Internet

and e-commerce have cut across territorial

boundaries and created a new realm of

human activity thereby undermining

the legitimacy and applicability of laws

based on geographic boundaries. This new

boundary, which is made up of ‘passwords’

and essentially separates’ the internet world

from the nuclear world. Law-making and

law-enforcing authorities find this new

environment deeply threatening.

Cyber CrimesCyber crimes may be broadly classified in

three categories (i) against individual (ii)

against organization and (iii) against society

at large. One of the greatest concerns of the

field of Cyber Laws has been the absence

of a well-defined and comprehensive legal

framework across the globe.

As a matter of fact, the question posed to the

law enforcement agencies by the advance

technology are many and various. In order to

meet the challenges, posed by the new and

ingenious methods of cyber crime, made

possible by computer technology including

telecommunication, many countries have

revamped their criminal laws.

Some of the major types of offences against

which many countries across the globe have

enacted various legislations are: Unlawful

access to data in computers, possession of

device to obtain unauthorized telephone

facilities, unauthorized access to computer,

damaging data in computer, committing

mischief with data, data spying, forgery of

prohibitive data, alteration of data, false entry

in an authentic deed, computer sabotage,

false entry in permit license, generating false

electronic record, interferences with business

by destruction or damage of computer,

destruction of public and private document,

unauthorized use and interception of

computer services, etc.

Do we need Cyber Laws? Every country in the world has issued various

legislation and developed cyber crime patrol

to bring safe cyber heavens/ offenders to the

justice. In the absence of any suitable legal

framework, it may be rather difficult to have

a check on frauds, vandalism or abuses. This

matter is of serious concerns, as any element

of distrust for Internet may lead to people

believe and avoid execution of transactions

online. This may hamper e-Commerce

growth.

How effective is Cyber Laws?Most of the existing laws globally are

unenforceable in nature. Lack of legal

protection would mean that corporate and

non-corporate entities would only rely on

technical measures to protect themselves

from those who would steal, deny access

to and/or destroy valuable information.

Countries where legal protections are

inadequate may become increasingly less

able to compete in the new economic era. As

cyber crime increasingly breaches national

borders, nations perceived as havens run

the risk of having their electronic messages

blocked by the network.

Creating an effective ‘Cyber Law’Cyberspace handles unimaginable traffic

volumes every second. Cyberspace is an

intangible dimension that is impossible to

govern and regulate using conventional law.

It goes beyond borders and is not visible.

Implementing judiciously the rule of law into

cyberspace is critical to create a trustworthy

and healthy environment. Moreover, the law

has to be simple, clear and fair. Failing which,

the law may be misused to harass individuals

resulting in its defiance. The implementing

agency will then be compelled to take

corrective actions to ensure implementation,

which may defeat the purposes and only

delay the proceedings.

There is a need to draft ‘global law’ by well

crafted ‘inter-nation committee’ to develop

a unique model for eradicating malicious

computer-related crime in a timely manner

to promote and create a secure environment

for e-commerce. The computer-related crime

is real and threatening. Cyber crime may cost

over USD 50 billion per year and an increase

in number of such crimes is expected.

There is a need to

draft ‘global law’ by

well crafted ‘inter-

nation committee’

to develop a unique

model for eradicating

malicious computer-

related crime

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special28

EVENT

The COMEX conference and CIO forum are aimed at bringing together

corporate and government CIO, CTOs, IT managers, IT professionals and

other stakeholders in the ICT sector on a common platform

Emerging opportunities @ COMEX 2010

The Sultanate’s prioritisation of ICT,

in addition to efforts in producing

advanced technology products for

its IT systems has vastly improved

the country’s overall Government Readiness

Index to the 19th rank, up by 20 points from

last year. In the Global IT Report 2009-2010

released in March by the World Economic

Forum (WEF), Oman has taken the 50th

position among 133 countries. It is attributed

to the country’s secure infrastructure,

national IT training and capacity building

as well as the Sultanate’s eGovernment

Services Portal.

In line with the Government’s efforts to

boost the ICT industry, the Sultanate will

hold the largest ICT event – COMEX 2010,

on April 26th to 30th, highlighting various

opportunities in the field of ICT. In its 20th

year, COMEX 2010 will hold a conference,

CIO forum and series of seminars alongside

the expo.

The COMEX conference and CIO forum

are aimed to gather both corporate and

government CIO, CTOs, IT managers, IT

professionals and other stakeholders in the

ICT sector to discuss different perspectives

and to gain understanding on real-world

ICT issues, challenges and emerging

opportunities. Organised under the theme

“Creating Synergy and Driving Development

through Collaboration and Application”,

the COMEX Conference and CIO Forum will

bring in top level speakers from the region

and beyond, who will make comprehensive

presentations that will shed light on the

digital transformation of the Sultanate and its

road map for achieving eService excellence

by 2010 and beyond. It will likewise provide

the overview on the Sultanate’s Telecom

Sector: Challenges and Opportunities, New

Technologies: What and How This Will Impact

and Drive the Oman’s Business Sector in

the Coming Years. The conference will also

touch base on the importance of Green IT in

today’s converged networks and how the new

generation of network equipment continue

to be more reliable than previous generations

and will also discuss the paradigm shifts

caused by cloud computing and Microsoft’s

latest innovations.

Furthermore, the COMEX CIO forum is

also set to spotlight top ICT challenges,

providing the best networking opportunity

amongst industry players to share expertise

and knowledge on the current issues, right

strategies, tools and solutions to improve

organisation’s performance and create

significant value. For the first time at the

COMEX expo, businesses will have the

chance to connect directly with suppliers

of the latest technology solutions and will

have the best opportunity to discover how

organisations can boost productivity and

profitability with inspirational hardware

and software solutions. Alongside the expo,

visitors will also be provided with excellent

opportunity to see new technology releases

and the most anticipated gadgets in

action. COMEX 2010 is organised by OITE, the

Sultanate’s leading events company, under

the auspices of the Ministry of Transport and

Communications, Information Technology

Authority (ITA) and Telecommunications

Regulatory Authority (TRA).

COMEX expo will be held at the Oman

International Exhibition Centre, while the

Conference and CIO forum will be held on April

27 to 28 to be held at the Golden Tulip Hotel

Muscat. COMEX is a special platform, set to

boost the country’s ICT industry.

For more updates on COMEX, log on to.

www.comexoman.com

Dossier is the official B2B publication of the Comex event

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special30

Lightweight projectorLG Electronics announces the launch

of its stylish and lightweight HS200

LED projector. The HS200 is ideal for

any kind of presentation, guaranteeing

the ultimate in picture quality with

digital light processing technology

and the unmatched brightness of 200

ANSI lumens.

It delivers the very best images thanks

to the high contrast ratio of 2,000:1.

With the digital light processing chip,

the HS200 is capable of delivering

exceptional picture quality and vivid colors.

The Twin XD engine offers superb color

correction so that images are displayed

naturally. Furthermore, the internal

Advanced colour engine enhances

colours brilliantly.

GADGETS

Apple launches iPad

Hot gadgetsApple® has introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing

the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching

videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and

much more. Its responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch™ display

lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is

just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds. It includes 12 new

innovative applications designed especially for the iPad, and will run

almost the entire 140,000 applications in the App Store.

The iTunes® Store of Apple gives you access to the most popular

online music, TV and movie stores. Apple has announced the new

iBooks applications for iPad, which includes Apple’s new iBookstore.

Apple also introduced a new version of iWork® for iPad, the first

desktop-class productivity suite designed specifically for Multi-

Touch. The three applications will be available separately through the

App Store for $9.99 each.

iPad’s brilliant 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display features IPS technology

to deliver crisp, clear images and consistent colour with an ultra-

wide 178 degree viewing angle. iPad is powered by A4, Apple’s

next-generation system-on-a-chip. It comes in two versions—one

with Wi-Fi and the other with both Wi-Fi and 3G. iPad includes the

latest 802.11n Wi-Fi, and the 3G versions support speeds up to 7.2

Mbps on HSDPA networks. Apple has also released a new Software

Development Kit (SDK) for iPad.

HTC Corporation, a global designer of smart phones and Telstra, an Australian

telecommunications major have unveiled the Android-powered HTC Desire smart

phone, which is available on Telstra’s Next G™ network. The HTC Desire takes Android 2.1

smart phone to the next level with the latest HTC Sense user experience. It also utilises a fast 1

GHz Snapdragon processor and an advanced 3.7 inch, WVGA AMOLED display to deliver the

performance and visual experience needed for the best smart phone experience possible.

The Android-powered HTC Desire handset will give users the best of Google’s web

services like Gmail, Google calendar and applications like Mobile FOXTEL. HTC Desire

owners will also have access to thousands of applications. The new HTC Sense has a new

HTC application and widget called HTC Friend Stream that seamlessly aggregates all of

your social communication including Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr into one organised

stream of updates. The new HTC Sense also introduces broad improvements to

applications including the web browser, email client, a new newsreader application and

widget, as well as a new seven-screen ‘Leap’ thumbnail view for quick and easy access

to specific screens.

A smart phone named Desire

Operates

P.O. Box 267, P.C: 115, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Sultanate of OmanTel: 24486600 • Fax: 24480007 • Email: info@ntioman.com www.ntioman.com

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special32

GADGETS

Ferrari Power

In the true spirit of the Ferrari racing team, the Ferrari One note-

book combines performance and extreme portability. Fueled

by VISION technology from AMD, the notebook delivers highly

responsive, balanced multitasking performance via the AMD Ath-

lon 64 X2 dual-core processor with low-power CPU designed for

long-lasting battery power.

ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics provides high-definition visual

quality coupled with up to 4GB of DDR2 667MHz system memory

to drive digital and multimedia features and other demanding

applications with ease. It also comes equipped with Windows 7

Home Premium and 250GB hard drive.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 introduces an open and

integrated world of social media, communication and

entertainment. It is the flagship phone in a family of

phones coming to market during the first half of 2010 and

will be available in Q1 2010. Its New UX platform builds on

top of the Open OS and creates a unique Sony Ericsson

user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment

features with signature applications, unrivalled integration

of social media services and a rich graphical user interface.

The XPERIA™ X10 is the first mobile phone to humanise

the way people interact with their phones.

The X Factor

Sony's new Cyber-shot™

Sony Gulf, the regional arm of consumer electronics giant Sony, has

unveiled a new range of Cyber-shot™ cameras – T-series, W-series

and S-series. The ultra compact and stylish cameras feature intuitive

imaging and advanced video recording, while delivering effortless

photo capture and beautiful images for any user. Well-known for its slim

and chic design, the T-series Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 is available in dark

blue, red and silver colours.DSC-TX7, the world's slimmest camera with

Full HD (1920 x 1080, 50i) AVCHD video recording, comes with a 10.2

megapixel resolution and is the first T-series product to be equipped

with a 25mm wide-angle lens enabling users to shoot dynamic, high

quality full HD videos with smooth subject movement.

33OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

Toughbook in Oman

Oman Marketing & Services Company's Panasonic System Solutions Division has

launched the latest range mobile laptops called as Toughbook in Oman. A brand new

Toughbook Business Mobile model, the CF-F8 has been developed based on user

feedback and demand for a lightweight, durable and high performance notebook.

Weighing 1,660g, the Toughbook CF-F8 is the world's lightest notebook with a 14.1

inch display and integrated optical drive.

Raising the bar

Yamaha has introduced its innovative YHT-S400 two-

piece home theatre audio package. The system, which

consists of an ultra-slim "sound bar" front speaker and a

first-of-its-kind subwoofer-integrated receiver, provides

HD Audio compatibility, three 1080p-compatible HDMI

inputs (and one output), the company's exclusive AIR

SURROUND XTREME, UniVolume and Extended Stereo

technologies for immersive audio for movies, sports

and music experiences.

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special34

INTERVIE W

Tell us about your product portfolio. Has

there been a recent launch of a package

that can be highlighted?

Microsoft platforms, products and services

empower millions of people and businesses

around the world. Some of the company’s

most recognised brands include:

Microsoft Windows: Over the past two

decades, Microsoft Windows products

have evolved from a single, one-size-fits-all

desktop operating system into a diverse

family of operating systems and mobile

technologies. Windows software includes

Ahmad El Dandachi – Country manager, Microsoft Oman speaks on his

company’s commitment to provide innovative technology products and

services to Oman’s fast growing ICT market

Power of partnership

Windows 7, Windows Server System,

Windows Vista and Windows XP which

powers a wide array of digital devices.

Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office has

evolved from a suite of personal productivity

products to a more comprehensive and

integrated system. Building on the familiar

tools that many people already know, such

as Microsoft Word, Outlook®, Excel® and

PowerPoint®, Microsoft Office includes

programs, servers, services and solutions

designed to work together to help address a

broad array of business problems.

Microsoft Office has

evolved from a suite

of personal

productivity

products to a more

comprehensive and

integrated system.

35OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

Microsoft Dynamics: Microsoft Dynamics

offers integrated, adaptable business

applications for small and medium-sized

organisations and divisions of large

enterprises. These integrated solutions

delivered through a worldwide network of

experienced Microsoft Certified Partners

— work like and with familiar Microsoft

software, and help automate and improve

financial, customer relationship, and supply

chain management.

MSN and Windows Live: MSN is the

world’s most popular internet destination,

comprising world-class services such as

MSN Hotmail®, Windows Live Messenger,

MSN Search, Communities, Chat, Shopping

and Personal Finance.

Xbox 360: It is the most powerful video game

and entertainment system, delivering great

games, the next generation of the premier

Xbox Live online gaming network, and

unique digital entertainment experiences

for gamers.

Furthermore, wherever Microsoft does

business, the economic and social benefits

of its partner-driven business model are felt.

Microsoft creates business opportunities for

local technology companies and works with

governments to support economic growth

and spread the use of ICT in support of

education, jobs and competitiveness in the

global marketplace.

Tell us more about the mode of operation

of your business here. Is it only through

authorized distributors or MS as a prin-

cipal is also involved in institutional sales

or project sales?

Microsoft operates on a business model

through a strong network of Partners. We

are looking to expand our business by

partnering with local and regional Internet

Service Providers that can implement our

various products.

One of Microsoft’s success factors in Oman

is that we have a strong connection with

partners. Our partners contribute to our

success as they are able to carry our services

and products to a wide range of customers.

What are the challenges that you face in

terms of fighting piracy, cheap substitutes

available in terms of suppliers from Far

East, recruitment of work force and in the

overall business atmosphere?

Software piracy is a serious and extremely

damaging global problem that affects

the software industry, global and local

economies, and users of software. Software

counterfeiting costs thousands of jobs

around the world, results in countless

hours of lost productivity, and can cost

organizations using counterfeit software

dearly. The trade in counterfeit software

hurts our honest channel partners who are

just trying to earn a living.

We have a number of methods that we

employ to identify when dishonest partners

or manufacturers are selling our software. We

use an intelligent search tool to trawl the

Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week,

for information that is publicly available on

the internet, such as sites offering pirated

Microsoft content. We participate in notice

and takedown programs with other members

of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and

the Entertainment Software Alliance (ESA).

We have been engaged in a test purchase

program since 1997, and we also have tools

built into our software – such as Windows

Genuine Advantage and Office Genuine

Advantage – that enable customers to

identify when their software is not genuine

and report it to us. Finally, we also have a

dedicated hotline and email address for

customers to let us know when they have

been victims of software piracy.

Our customers and software resellers

play a major role in helping Microsoft

identify and build cases against software

pirates. Evidence they submit through a

number of sources, including our piracy

hotline and through Microsoft’s Windows

Genuine Advantage technology, helps us

build strong cases that put a stop to those

counterfeiting our software. In fact, since the

inception of the WGA validation tool, there

have been more than 100,000 counterfeit

reports submitted through WGA by those

that feel they were victims of counterfeit.

What product / package or system will be

on priority for promotion at COMEX Event

so that we can also talk about it more

prominently?

We have the launch of Office 2010, SharePoint

2010, Visio 2010, and Project 2010 at COMEX.

We have been

engaged in a test

purchase programme

since 1997, and we also

have tools built into

our software – such

as Windows Genuine

Advantage and Office

Genuine Advantage –

that enable customers

to identify when

their software is not

genuine and report

it to us.

Partners who must compete with pirates

lose more than software revenue. They lose

system sales and the opportunity to service

those customers over the years. Microsoft

will continue to work with government

bodies and law enforcement agencies in

order to protect its partners, resellers, and

customers from criminals who persist in

counterfeiting Microsoft software.

from, NHCLC offers the tools of modern

learning for high end technical and applica-

tion courses.

The Instructors at NHCLC are certified and

experienced professionals providing train-

ing not only on basic application and desk-

top productivity tools i.e. Project, Excel,

PowerPoint etc but also on complex and

integrated business systems i.e. Information

security, ITIL, Oracle, Cisco and Microsoft

technologies. All these training are offered

as public programs and as customized solu-

tions according to client’s specific learning

environment and business needs. NHCLC

offers a state-of-the-art technology - Men-

tored Learning, as a revolutionary training

alternative. Through Mentored Learning,

NHCLC provides targeted, time-bound solu-

tions to the consumer segment and maxi-

mum training ROI to the corporate.

NHCLC wins business by bringing value,

quality and capability to the customer.

It’s association with global vendors, holis-

tic approach to quality training, customer

responsiveness, unmatched training infra-

structure and system design expertise,

makes it the leading training consultant.

Contact: Tel: 24486600Website: www.ntioman.com

The IT division of NTI, New Horizons

Computer Learning Center (NHCLC)

is an international franchise with

300 centers worldwide. The quality

of facilities, instructors and courseware is

benchmarked and monitored internation-

ally. As a Gold Certified partner for Microsoft

and Oracle, NHCLC, Oman is among the elite

of Microsoft and Oracle business partners

earning its highest endorsement. It is also

an authorized training partner with Comp-

TIA, EC-council, ICDL, IC3 and MOS certifica-

tions. The center is well equipped to provide

online testing facilities through IT indus-

try bodies such as Thomson Prometric and

Pearson VUE.

Encompassing state-of-the-art computer

labs and classrooms that provide the very

latest technology – worldwide communi-

cation, multimedia training systems and a

wide range of operating systems to choose

NEW HORIZONS COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER

KalSoft LLC

SPONSORED FEATURE

KalSoft is a well-known name in the

IT Industry that has been synony-

mous with excellence and agility.

Established in 1999 it has evolved

within a short span of time to bring dra-

matic change in the market arena through

its specialized range of products and serv-

ices. As a Premier Microsoft Gold Certified

Partner, KalSoft is committed to deliver the

state-of-the-art solutions based on Micro-

soft technologies. The Microsoft competen-

cies highlight KalSoft resonant and diverse

skill set with reference to the Microsoft

platform and framework, back to back suc-

cessful completion of projects and an ever

growing increasing pool of Microsoft certi-

fied professional and experts at the top of

their profession.

KalSoft along with its strategic partners pro-

vides an incomparable degree of domain

expertise with a results-oriented attitude. It

presents business value with the use of IT

and continuous Research and Development

to attain an organization’s trust and reli-

ability with innovative and dynamic prod-

ucts and solutions to support them in the

increase of their competitive advantage and

return on investment.

KalSoft, under its umbrella, provides a

diverse range of products and solutions.

Its forefront products, based on accentuat-

ing businesses and its workings to a better

automated workflow system, include DeX-

pert (an entire Business Process Manage-

ment solution), Vortex (A Banking Solution),

Exchange Plus (A solution for exchange

companies) and Panacea (a Health Care

Management system).

KalSoft believes in providing deliberate

and dynamic technology solutions that

attain real business results for businesses in

diverse industries, to name a few; Govern-

ment, Financial Sectors, Energy, Oil and Gas,

Textile, Telecommunication, Pharmaceuti-

cals, Media, Medical and many more.

Akhter Zaib, Country Manager, KalSoft LLC

Contact: + 968 24694672

E-mail: kalsoftoman@ekalsoft.com

Website: www.ekalsoft.com

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special36

under the Slogan of “Together We Build Suc-

cess,” where EXCEED was demonstrated to

Microsoft Gulf partners as a case study and a

model of success. EXCEED was announced as

the fastest growing IT Company in the GCC.

Contact: +968-24-604-222Website: www.exceedgulf.com

EXCEED IT Services is a Microsoft Cer-

tified Gold Partner and a Microsoft

Authorized Direct Large Account

Reseller (DLAR) that was established

in 2001. EXCEED Headquarters are based

in Abu Dhabi, UAE. In addition, EXCEED has

branches in Dubai, Muscat and Manama.

EXCEED’s Continuous growth stems from stra-

tegic clarity, effective leadership, staff compe-

tency and customer focus. Our organizational

structure has also contributed to our growth

through supporting innovation, learning and

teamwork. EXCEED has grown from a single

department that provides training to a multi-

department company specialized in providing

enterprise organizations with a complete IT

lifecycle in Microsoft infrastructure solutions.

In February 2006, Microsoft held a summit

EXCEED IT SERVICES

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO. LLC

The success factor for IITC is their posi-

tive outlook towards customer han-

dling. Established under the auspices

of OHI Group more than two decades

ago, International Information Technology

Co.LLC (IITC), is a leading technology solu-

tion provider in the Sultanate of Oman.

Enjoying its position in the IT infrastructure

space, IITC has been providing the Sultanate

of Oman with leading edge technology solu-

tions over the last two decades. IITC’s activi-

ties include infrastructure solutions (servers,

storage, cabling, and networking) to business

solutions (ERP, HRMS, CRM, portals, content

management, business intelligence, and

bespoke applications), IT Services (on-site sup-

port, facilities management, people outsourc-

ing, and consultancy) and technical training.

The company enjoys representation of

industry leaders like Microsoft, Cisco Sys-

tem, HP, Oracle, Systemax, Hubbell, Wipro,

and others in the Sultanate. Customers are

benefitted by IITC’s professional expertise,

a high level of consultancy services in col-

laboration with its partners, comprehensive

technical training, after-sales support and

most importantly, competitive pricing.

Some of the key partners for IITC are sys-

tems integrators like Wipro and Mahindra

Satyam. The company also has specific niche

segment solutions, like for security solu-

tions, IITC works with IBM ISS, IBM FileNet for

content management and with CISCO for

converged network solutions.

The company today has an impressive

group of satisfied clients across the Sultan-

ate such as Omantel, Ministry Of Civil Serv-

ices, Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa,

MOD, Muscat Municipality, PDO, Oman Gas

Company, Ministry of Education, Royal Court

Affairs and many more.

IITC with proven expertise in deployment

and support of comprehensive Microsoft

technologies and being oldest Microsoft

Gold Certified Partner, is participating along

with Microsoft in this year’s Comex. Having

highly skilled workforce and impressive list

of implementations on Microsoft technolo-

gies, IITC will further showcase solutions and

capabilities on latest Microsoft technologies

with which customers can enhance their

infrastructure and utilize it optimally.

S.Jayakumar, General Manager,

International Information Technology Co.

LLC. & OHI Telecommunications Co. LLC.

Mohammad Sweidan,

Business Development Manager

Contact : 24609400/24609493Website: www.iitcoman.com

EXCEED’s Continuous

growth stems from

strategic clarity,

effective leadership,

staff competency and

customer focus

37OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special38

the Egyptian e-Government, Saudi Post, Dubai

Bank, WIND Italy, EGYPTAIR, PEPSICO, Dubai

Land Department and many more. With 400+

young employees strong, Link Development

is one of the largest development houses in

the region. Being a Microsoft Gold Certified

Partner in six competency areas, the highest

level of partner certification from Microsoft,

it has best of breed team of .NET developers,

designers, architects, project managers and

quality engineers. With the long experience,

young and agile Microsoft certified profes-

sionals, Link's software development process

has matured over the years, and is continually

improving to reflect the company’s experience

and maturity and continue to attain higher

customer satisfaction levels. LINK Develop-

ment is currently both, ISO 9001:2000 certified

and CMMI level 3 accredited.

For more info visit: www. linkdev.com Or contact us via info@ linkdev.com

LLINK Development is a leading soft-

ware development powerhouse in the

Middle East and subsidiary of LINK-

dotNET, an Orascom Telecom Holding

Company. It combines the latest in software

development with creative design skills to

provide a range of solutions and services such

as portals & intranets, e-commerce, enterprise

integration, Microsoft Dynamics CRM & GP,

Helpdesk solutions, infrastructure solutions

such as unified communications, virtualization

and IPTV, serving governments, multinationals

and local companies in Europe, Middle East,

Africa & North America.

Building on the experience of Link Develop-

ment's professional team and as part of its

commitment to innovation, the company has

launched various products, such as Tempo,

its business-ready intranet, as well as bSolu-

tions, a prime destination for cloud services in

the Middle East and Africa. Its clients include

LINK DEVELOPMENT

SPONSORED FEATURE

Hanan Abdel Meguid,

CEO, LINK Development

Fortune 500 companies in the region such as

Microsoft, Intel and Pfizer in addition to hav-

ing successfully implemented cutting-edge

solutions for leading regional and multina-

tional businesses and governments such as

SPONSORED FEATURE

GSM:99351731, Fax:24831756Website: www.faraas.net

Oman has a good market in security systems

and our clients include big corporate, small

companies and individuals. Our corporate

clients include Al Fair, Sur International

Hotels, Holiday Inn hotel group and

Intercontinental Hotels. Many individuals

also seek our service for their home security

needs.

What was the impact of recession on your

business?

Recession did not have any impact on

our business and in fact we did very good

business in 2009. People cannot compromise

on security even in times of recession.

Could you give a brief profile of your

company and what are the main products

and services you provide?

We are the electronics division of Faraas

Trading Company founded in 1985 by

Abdul Rahman Siddique. We are presently

one of the main providers of security and

communications systems in the Sultanate. We

sell state-of-the-art monitoring and security

systems including internet connected closed

circuit televisions (CCTVs) and card readers,

communication systems and public address

systems which use the latest technology.

We have products of all leading companies

in the world. We have special skills in the

installation and maintenance of security and

monitoring systems.

What are your strengths and advantages

vis-à-vis your competitors?

Our strengths lie in two areas mainly. We sell

systems which use the latest technology and

we can also individually design security and

monitoring systems to cater to the needs of

our clients. We give equal importance to after

sales service also. Our technicians who are

trained in the latest technology deliver prompt

service all over Oman. The customer is always

welcome to our office for their all needs.

Could you please tell about the latest

security gadgets available with you?

One of the latest technology driven

products available with us is the TeleEye

CCTV with remote monitoring feature. It can

be connected to the internet through ADSL

which will enable users to view happenings

in remote places. The digital video recorder

FARAAS TRADING COMPANY

ENSURING TOTAL SECURITY

available with us uses Smac-M, a special

proprietary technology which helps to

transmit video signals at a very high speed.

While the other technologies require very

high bandwidth to transmit, Smac-M needs

only very low bandwidth and so speed

is high. We have also intelligent security

systems that are fully software controlled.

The DISPPA professional address system

which can be connected to six different

sources and can provide up to six channels

is another exclusive item which we market.

DSPPA is one of the leading manufactures of

professional public address equipment.

How is the market for security systems in

Oman and who are your main clients?

Abdul Rahman Siddiq Al SaighManaging Director Faraas Trading Company

Faraas trading company offers the latest technology security and

monitoring and communication systems and has customized solutions

to meet the security needs of customers, says manager of the company

Velayudhan Parayil.

Velayudhan Parayil, ManagerFaraas Trading Company

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special40

GULFCYBERTECH is focused on providing e-solutions of international

standards to customers

Contact: 24792921Website:www.gulfcybertech.com

provider as part of their e-strategies. We

are also seeking to widen the scope of our

services and also the size of our team.

There is also a plan to launch a few portals to

serve various service sectors and the community

at large as the number of online users increase

and as the government’s aggressive e-strategy

moves to next phases. These portals are planned

to be launched in 2010.

In providing professional and high quality

web solutions, we believe we are also playing

our role in a small way in supporting the

government’s e-strategy of transforming Oman

into a sustainable knowledge-based society.

Our mission is to transform our client’s business

aspiration into a successful online reality.

The GULFCYBERTECH founded in 2003

is one of the most competent and

experienced companies in Oman

in web designing and web based

solutions. It takes pride in being recognized

as the ‘Best Web Designing Company” at

the Oman Web Awards for 2009 held under

the auspices of Information Technology

Authority to recognize excellence in web

designing and development.

What are the services offered by

GULFCYBERTECH?

We create result-oriented top notch websites

and e-business solutions of global standards

using latest cutting edge technologies. Whether

you need a simple information website or a

sophisticated web based application or web

integration, our expertise ensures timely design

and absolute professionalism at competitive

rates. More specifically our services include

website and portal developments, web

hosting, online payment solutions, shopping

cart solutions, database driven solutions, SEO

and many other web related services.

What do you consider as your strengths

compared to competitors?

Our strategic thinking, professionalism and

diversity of our team, personal attention,

competitive prices, real world results and

customer focused approach differentiate us

from our competitors. Our great strength

lies in vast experience and extensive

expertise in designing, developing and

internet marketing for customers in diverse

sectors. We combine knowledge, experience

and talent to produce cutting edge world

class e-solutions.

GULF CYBERTECH E-SOLUTIONS

E-SOLUTIONS OF GLOBAL STANDARDS

The Best Web Design Company Award for

2009 at Oman Web Awards is a testimony of

the creativity of our designs, quality of our

services and the professionalism of our team.

We have a solid portfolio of projects which

we have undertaken over the past few years

for various large and small organization in

various sectors hence have vast experience in

design and development of web solutions.

What are your future plans aimed at the

next phase of growth?

Individuals and organizations grow with

knowledge and experience. Likewise any

progressive organizations we do have

growth plans and strategies to implement

those plans. We do have plans to play a

bigger role in the web solutions sector and

be recognized as the partner of first choice

for entities and organizations who are

wishing to have a professional web solution

Mohammed A. Malik Al Qadri, Chief Executive, GULFCYBERTECH

41OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

SPONSORED FEATURE

Contact: Tel: 24614566Website: www.gulfinfotech.com

What are your growth plans for the future?

We are definitely planning expansion and

shall increase our operation size. We have

already clients in Kuwait and Bahrain and

we will soon get into Saudi Arabia, Qatar and

UAE. To boost the growth, we have alreay

appointed a highly experienced business

head who will be on the Board shortly.

What are the highlights of your

performance last year and on the first part

of current year and what was the impact of

global recession on your activity?

We are very much satisfied with our growth.

We have been growing 25% quarter over

quarter in last year and expect to maintain

that growth this year. Recession did not

impact us. During recession all companies

were looking for cutting cost and Cloud

Computing really helped them save lot of

money both in CapEX and OpEX.

Give a brief description on your company

and what are the services and business

solutions you provide?

Gulf IT is a focused solution provider in Oman

and GCC. We provide out of the box Cloud

Based Applications like Google Apps, Box.

net, Zoho CRM etc in software as a service

(SaaS ) delivery model.

Gulf IT is also into ‘custom web based

application developments’ and integration

with mobile technologies like Blackberry and

iPhone and provides Microsoft Sharepoint

Services and portal services addressing

e-Government solutions.

E-Government services are one of our key focus

this year and we are aligning our partnerships,

products and services accordingly.

What are your strengths compared to your

competitors?

We are a focused solution provider in

business applications, cloud computing and

specialized software solutions. This is our

strength. Our key strategy is to have a strong

development and support centre in India

with quality professionals.

GULF IT

FOCUSED ON SOLUTIONS

How much importance do you give on

service and what are the services provided

by you?

Fifty per cent of our revenue is from services and

not from sales of products, so we clearly know

the importance of services in our business.

Presently we provide implementation services,

support services and development services.

We will add more towards the end of FY 2010

which include IT consultancy services.

What are the important projects

undertaken by you and give some good

references of clients that are being serviced

by the company ?

We contribute to the vision of Oman to

provide the best education system to the

students. We have successfully done a

project for getting the most reliable and free

education system from Google for Majan

College, Scientific College of Design and

Caledonian College of Engineering etc. We

have also good projects with top business

houses of Oman like Muscat Pharmacy,

Oman Oil Company E & P, Oman Cables etc.

Nasr Al Mawali, General Manager, Gulf IT

Gulf IT, a focused cloud solution provider is expecting major growth as

more companies opt for cloud computing

We are definitely

planning expansion

and shall increase our

operation size

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special42

What are the key projects executed by

HiTec?

HiTec has executed projects for most of the

Ministries, Defense establishments, Royal

Our goal is to offer

a higher level of

personalisation

and our motto is

“Empowering You

With Technology”

HiTec Center provides the latest technological solutions that suit

every individual and organisation, thereby providing them greater

convenience, seamless enjoyment and improved productivity

Contact: Tel: 24497384, 24497369Website: www.hitecoman.com

Oman Police, Royal Court Affairs, The Royal

Guard of Oman, Sultan Qaboos Sports

Complex and Sultan Qaboos University.

Our clients also include banks, oil field

companies, colleges and universities. We are

also active in creating audio video solutions

for Places of Worship and have undertaken

large installations within Oman, other GCC

states and in Africa.

What was the effect of economic recession

on your operations?

HiTec is lean and nimble and through

innovation and diversification within its

field has actually managed to increase

the turnover and profitability. Customer

satisfaction, our installation quality and after

sales support have played a major role in

increasing business through referrals from

satisfied clients.

What are your future business plans?

Our focus is on improving our internal

organisation to become more responsive

to the client’s needs. We have embarked

on a recruitment drive to hire high caliber

personnel, mostly graduates in Electronics

and IT fields. We are beefing up our service and

support centre by recruiting more engineers

and equipping them with the latest state of

the art diagnostics and repair tools so that we

can provide better after sales support to our

clients. We plan to create more awareness

among the customers by conducting road

shows, seminars and exhibitions.

What are the services and products offered

by HiTec?

HiTec provides all audio visual solutions.

The products range from home theaters,

multi-zone audio systems, public address,

projectors to display systems. HiTec Center

provides products like simultaneous

translation systems, projectors, sound and

lighting on rental basis to the educational

institutions, medical centres, corporate

houses and places of worship. We provide

proven and stable solutions to improve and

increase productivity.

The partners of HiTec are AMX, Barco,

Sennheiser, Peavey, Denon, Marantz,

Boston Acoustics, Martin Logan, Polk Audio,

Beyerdynamic, Brahler, Sennheiser, Soniflex,

IC- Audio, Genelec, Projection Design, Draper,

NAD, PSB to name a few.

What are the strengths of HiTec?

HiTec plays an active role, not just in

the installation of a product, but also in

supporting our customers. Our service

engineers are always at hand to make

personal visits and provide solutions when

a problem arises.

HiTec understands that every individual is

different and so are their needs. Customising

and integrating products to suit their needs

is a matter of pride for our company. Entire

systems can be customised to suit the

environment and the budget of our customer.

Our goal is to offer a higher level of

personalisation and our motto is

“Empowering You With Technology”

HITEC CENTER LLC

ULTIMATE HITEC SOLUTIONS

Mohammed Kharusi,CEO, HiTec Center

43OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

SPONSORED FEATURE

been acquired by Digi International USA,

a leader in wireless M2M technology. After

the advent of Digi, we are now launching

the m-Trak 275, an advanced version of the

proven and tested m-Trak 75.

Can you tell us more about the m-Trak 275.

The m-Trak 275 is an advanced version of the

m-Trak 75 and comes with a lot of additional

features in the areas of accessories and wider

functionality at the back-end. It is a sleek

looking device and has improved power

management features too. We are showcasing

the m-Trak 275 at Comex this year.

Can you elaborate on the activities of

Majees Vehicle Tracking Division?

Majees is a pioneer in providing Vehicle

Tracking Systems, also known as IVMS or

In Vehicle Monitoring System. We provide

the device which is installed in a vehicle

along with relevant accessories and also

the web-based system for organizations to

monitor their fleets and vehicles on a real-

time online basis. Majees provides extensive

customer training and operational support

for organizations to derive maximum benefit

from using Vehicle Tracking System. Due to

our presence in the market for last four years,

Majees occupies a pre-eminent position in

this business with clients in the Oil & Gas,

Logistics and Corporate segments.

How has the concept of Vehicle Tracking

caught on in Oman?

Vehicle Tracking is used by organizations to

get timely information about where their

vehicles are at any point of time and how

these vehicles are being used and operated.

This ensures effective utilization of vehicles

from a safety perspective and management

control. The Oil & Gas companies were the

first to embrace this technique and now

more and more organizations like PDO are

making it mandatory for themselves and

their contractor vehicles to be filled with

these kinds of devices. We feel that the

market is growing as even Telecom and

FMCG organizations have also understood

the benefits of this kind of technology.

At Majees, we feel that we have contributed to

this by way of creating awareness, participating

MAJEES TECHNICAL SERVICES LLC

PIONEERING ACT

in trade shows and also providing free live

trials at customer locations.

Who is your technology partner in the VTS/

IVMS domain?

Our technology partner in this business is

Mobiapps from Singapore. Of late, they have

Murli Pillai, GM, Business Development, Majees Technical Services

m-Trak 275, which will be showcased in Comex exhibition, is an advanced

version of the popular m-Trak 75 Vehicle Tracking Device and comes

with a lot of additional features. Murli Pillai, GM, Business Development,

Majees Technical Services, tells us more

Majees is a pioneer

in providing VTS, also

known as IVMS or In

Vehicle Monitoring

System

Contact : +968 24597226/7/8

e-mail: murli@majeestech.com

website:www.majeestech.com

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special44

Apart from being an integral part of Zubair Corporation, enjoying

partnerships with international reputable IT companies, OCS’ strength

lies in its human capital

Apioneer of information technology

in the Sultanate, Oman Compu-

ter Services (OCS) was established

in 1981. It started as an IT trading

company and evolved into a leading end to

end information technology and telecom-

munication (ITC) Solution Provider.

A subsidiary and part of the ICT division of

Zubair Corporation, OCS , maintains a strong

and flexible synergy, thereby fostering a

track of sustained growth to assist in achiev-

ing business growth for clients and acceler-

ate Oman’s realization of His Majesty’s vision

to augment public sector eServices.

Services PortfolioOCS Infotech integrates innovative technol-

ogy by focusing on delivering a wide range

of IT Infrastructure and SW Solutions in asso-

ciation with global players such as SUN, Dell,

Cisco, NetApp, Oracle, Microsoft, Capgemini

and others.

The company provides to medium and

enterprise clients, proven and highly reliable

solutions in the area of Server Consolida-

tion, Storage Management, High Availabil-

ity, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity,

Networking, Security, Professional Services,

Outsourcing and deliver standard solu-

tions in Enterprise Resource Planning - ERP,

Customer Relationship Management- CRM,

Content and Document Management Sys-

tems. A focused team, offers solutions for

Customer Care and Billing ( BSS ) , Operation

Support Systems ( OSS ), allowing service

providers and operators to realize value by

deploying flexible, scalable and robust end-

to-end applications.

OCS INFOTECH

SUSTAINED GROWTH

Daniel Romaidis, General Manager, OCS Infotech, ICT division Zubair Corporation

Human capitalAn integral part of Zubair Corporation and

aligning to his Chairman's vision, HE Moham-

mad Al Zubair, to continue to play an impor-

tant role in the economic, social and cultural

development of Oman into the future, the

company’s strength lies in its human capital.

A team of professionals with international

qualifications and industry exposure, bring

in extensive knowledge and latest technical

knowhow.

Committed to the country’s Omanisation

initiatives and leadership development,

OCS puts the promising local talent into the

front-end and through a corporate Gold

Program, that aims to develop the next gen-

eration of the Omani Leaders .

The challenge, lies in the adoption and

deployment of a technology that is per-

petually evolving. The key for success is to

continuously innovate. “Unless we do that,

we will not survive in our business. In this

competitive world, we need to adapt and

change, expand, enable business to work

smarter but ultimately we need to cre-

ate value for all our stakeholders ,Clients,

Shareholders and Employees ” says Daniel

Romaidis, general manager, OCS Infotech.

At present OCS is expanding its portfolio of

professional and technology services and

focuses on business applications and large

system integration opportunities. OCS’ cli-

ent reference is rich with organizations from

Government and Public, Oil and Gas , Hospi-

tality, Telecommunications, Retail and Man-

ufacturing sectors.

Contact: 2447 1300 , info@ocsinfotech.comWebsite: www.ocsinfotech.com

45OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

SPONSORED FEATURE

OMANIA E-COMMERCE LLC

EXCLUSIVE ICT SOLUTIONSOmania E-Commerce offers turnkey ICT solutions and is the exclusive

provider of Tejari B2B online procurement service

and information sharing among employees.

Some of OEC’s e-learning services include:

Learning management systems, Development

of course structure, Development of

multimedia content and Preparation of

interactive organization content

In the area of e-security consultancy and

solutions, OEC offers a range of solutions

and services to assist organisations in

protecting their IT infrastructure which

include: Vulnerability Assessment and

Penetration Testing ISO 27001 Consultancy,

IT Policy Review and Assessment and IT

Security training. OEC has solutions for all

the growing needs of organisations related

to software and infrastructure security.

OEC has partnership with world class

document management systems, which offer

a flexible and robust solution to customers.

These document management systems can

suit the needs of the local business and

government organisations.

On system integration, OEC along with its

partners offer integration services to serve

large scale and mission critical projects.

Omania E-Commerce, (OEC), is one

of most competent companies in

Oman offering turnkey information

communications technology (ICT)

solutions. It also offers exclusively Tejari

products and services in Oman. Tejari is a

leading business to business (B2B) online

procurement service provider. It also manages

the revamped portal of Oman Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (OCCI) which sports

a new look and has several new features.

The vision of OEC established in 2005 is to

become the leading e-solutions provider in

Oman and a major contributor to Oman’s drive

towards a digital society. Its mission is to provide

clients with innovative value-added solutions

that maximise the client’s efficiencies, benefits

and competitive edge. OEC has strategic

partnerships with various leading regional and

international e-solution providers.

The Tejari e-procurement platform provided

by OEC is being used by a number of

prestigious buyers. They conduct their

tenders and procurement online and

have realised enhanced procurement

efficiencies, better cost savings, more process

transparency and better market reach.

Suppliers registered on Tejari can benefit from

the online showrooms, where they can list their

products and services, create sell leads and

share their latest news among different online

communities. Tejari can also increase their

business opportunities by enabling them to

access and respond to thousands of tenders,

auctions and RFQs from large international

buyers by providing their quotations and

proposals. OEC also provides services such

as integrated portal development, radio

frequency identification (RFID) applications,

e-learning solutions, security consultancy

services, document management system and

system integration services.

As part of integrated portal solution, OEC offers

clients with customised portal application

based on .NET platform / Java, depending on

the client’s needs. OEC also offers customers

with Sharepoint portal solutions. The RFID

solutions include implementation of RFID

based asset management and library

management systems and other automatable

related solutions.

E-learning solutions imply that by leveraging

the power of interactive technologies,

organisations can enhance the collaboration

Contact: 24571999

E-mail: info@oec.com.om

Website: www.oec.com.om

OEC offers clients with

customised portal

application based on

.NET platform / Java,

depending on the

client’s needs

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special46

changing needs of the market. For this

purpose, we have exclusive partnerships

with leading global manufacturers like Tyco

Fire & Security, Merlaud Communications,

Secutron (Fire Detection Systems ), Delta

Controls (BMS ), and SEA (Gate Automation

Systems ). Furthermore, we have authorized

suppliers for various ELV Systems from across

the globe.

What are your new initiatives in the Fire &

Security domain?

We are strategically enhancing our focus

towards the residential security and

automation as part of our diversification plan.

We are show casing some of our residential

products at the Comex Exhibition.

In addition, we are building on our

established expertise on industrial security

systems by widening our portfolio to include

high-end surveillance with Integrated

High Speed Positioning cameras, Hybrid

Intelligent Security solutions, Security

Management Systems, Motion Detection

and Tracking system with Video Analytics,

Thermal and Radar systems and the state-of-

the-art control centers.

On the whole, our focus is to become a more

complete Fire & Security solution provider.

Can you elaborate on the activities of

Majees Fire & Security division?

Majees is a leader in the area of providing

turnkey Fire & Security solutions to

diverse industry segments – Oil & Gas,

Manufacturing, Government, Corporate,

Commercial and Residential. Majees’ forte is

to provide a comprehensive solution right

from design and engineering to installation,

commissioning and customer training.

Our strength is in being able to provide

solutions, encompassing the entire gamut of

Fire and Security systems inclusive of Video

Surveillance (CCTV), Access Control Systems,

Integrated Building Management Systems,

Security and Communication systems, PAVA

systems, Fire Detection & Alarm Systems,

Security Management Systems etc.

Our uniqueness is based on the fact that

we can integrate products from multiple

vendors to provide seamlessly integrated

security management systems.

How has the Security market grown in

Oman and what role do you play there?

The Omani economy is very healthy,

considering the number of new projects

currently being executed and on the anvil

in the areas like Infrastructure, Tourism and

Health. All these projects require security and

communication systems for various levels

of security. Our experience and expertise

in executing large EPC security projects

MAJEES TECHNICAL SERVICES LLC

SEAMLESS SECURITY & SAFETY MEASURES

like Oman LNG, Sohar Aluminum Smelter,

Royal Garage, Oman Botanical Gardens,

Salalah Tourist Complex, Saud Bahwan

Palm Gardens, RGO Technical College etc

has helped us to be considered as preferred

solution providers to these new upcoming

projects in Oman. It is a matter of pride for

us to contribute to the growth of the Omani

economy.

Who are your technology partners?

Majees’ belief is to have long-term

partnerships with leading edge technology

suppliers in order to meet the ever-

S.Sekhar,General Manager (Fire & Security Division)

The Fire & Security division of Majees is strategically enhancing its

focus towards the residential security and automation as part of

its diversification plan. S. Sekhar, General Manager of the division

highlights its activities

Contact:24597226/7/8

e-mail: sekhar@majeestech.com

www.majeestech.com

47OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special

SPONSORED FEATURE

Contact: 24814030Website: www.tawoos.com

program will last for about 9 months and will

involve such courses as safety at work, working

at heights, and tower erection methodology to

be provided by TPT’s tower specialists. Once the

venture is successful, TPT wants to train more

people every year. “TPT’s core strength lies in

its professionalism, quality of deliverables, fast

pace of installation and going beyond the

call of duty, which is its hall mark,” says Imtiaz

Ahmed Baqui, General Manager.

With an ability to manage large-scale projects,

TPT’s rapid deployment of telecommunications

projects such as GSM services in various

regions for Oman Mobile is commendable,

particularly in challenging terrain and harsh

climatic conditions. The telecom scenario in

the Sultanate, and indeed the region, is getting

more vibrant; building on its success in Oman,

Tawoos Power & Telecommunications will

continue its pioneering role and aim for an

expansion of its footprint in the region.

The success story of Tawoos Power &

Telecommunications’ (TPT) is closely in

sync with that of Oman’s development

to 100% inclusive growth. TPT as a local

contractor for telecom infrastructure projects

in the Sultanate, has brought Oman closer

in its relentless expansion of its divergent

telecom network and offering a range of

services on par with the best in the world.

Services PortfolioTPT, a subsidiary of the prestigious Tawoos Group

of Oman was established in 1989, representing

niche products in the telecommunications

industry in Oman. Specialising in state-of-the-art

solutions, the product portfolio covers telecom

infrastructure components such as towers,

shelters, digital microwave communications,

satellite ground communications and many

more. In addition to providing equipment and

turnkey systems integration, TPT takes pride

in offering a range of consultancy services

backed by its principals across the globe.

Green solutions, and camouflaged solutions

are the forte of TPT.TPT’s prestigious clientele

includes Omantel, Oman Mobile, Motorola,

Nokia Siemens, Huawei, Ericsson. Recently TPT

has carried out upgradation to Omantel’s 3.5G

network working along side Huawei.

To provide value-added and customised

services, TPT has developed systems in

close co-operation with its principals. TPT’s

burgeoning infrastructure works resulted in

the setting up of over 600 telecommunication

towers of different sizes and types. In addition,

TPT has implemented several hundred rooftop

solutions in every nook and corner of the

Sultanate. TPT’s dominant position in the

telecom space is a result of differentiating

TAWOOS POWER & TELECOMMUNICATIONS LLC

QUALITY SERVICE

factors such as a thorough knowledge of

the Sultanate’s terrain, trained personnel in

different disciplines, faster deployment, quality

of installations, ability to work on multiple

sites simultaneously and manage large-scale

projects. HSE is a key component in all TPT’s

activities. It is worth mentioning that TPT

strives to use as much local content as possible

-roof top structures, fencing, cable ladders.

Excellent Teamwork Notwithstanding the challenges of working

in a competitive environment where other

contractors are setting up shop in Oman,

TPT has created a name for itself. With a

technical infrastructure in place, it has a pool

of human resources that consists of highly

trained specialists in different disciplines

with rich professional experience, assisted

by a team of dedicated back-end support

staff. Working with the Ministry of Manpower,

TPT is pioneering an Omanisation effort now.

It is for the first time in the Sultanate that

young Omanis are being recruited and trained

as tower erectors and riggers. The training

TPT’s sustained growth is a reflection of the Sultanate’s massive strides

in telecommunications, intertwined with its quality of deliverables,

professionalism, innovative solutions, and its QoS

Imtiaz Ahmed Baqui, General Manager, TPT

OER Dossier COMEX 2010 Special48