DIC announced that it is to be the official ICT partner of the exclusive MENA CIO Summit 2009, the annual gathering of the top 100 IT end users across the Middle East, Levant, Pakistan and North Africa.

Chief Information Officers (CIOs), along with other IT professionals from the region, will have the opportunity to network and exchange information with senior level members at Dubai Internet City at the Summit, to be held from February 8-9, at the Atlantis hotel, The Palm, Dubai.

In its second edition, the event aims to bring together leading ICT players and their senior global representatives to discuss and share their unique solutions to understand the ever-crucial role of the CIO within a business organization.

Malek Al Malek, Executive Director, Dubai Internet City said: “With Information Technology serving as the backbone of core operations within an organization, CIOs are increasingly being called upon to play a balancing act to enhance value in production lines and offer effective service-related solutions.

“Dubai Internet City is at the forefront of the region’s IT industry, driving multinationals, as well as small and medium-sized companies, to nurture innovation. In partnering with IDC, our business partner and also one of the leading market research firms, we aim to emphasize the importance of helping companies understand how IT is embedded in all aspects of a business, providing strategic strength to operate more efficiently.”

Jyoti Lalchandani, Vice President and Regional Managing Director, IDC Middle East said: “IDC is delighted to partner with Dubai Internet City in the upcoming CIO Summit. As the hub of IT in the MENA region, DIC helps to focus on creating impact with technology by optimizing processes and gaining new insights to improve IT as a business enabler.

The exclusive networking event for IT professionals will be attended by CIOs, thought leaders, technology gurus, economists and business strategists who will  participate in peer-directed discussions utilizing technology to drive business value. The summit will also address critical sector themes including ways for organizations to gain dynamic IT benchmark results, identifying the ‘right-sourcing’ for a business and creating a workplace of choice for the people behind ICT. It will also highlight emerging technologies of 2009.

 “In times where economic stability is crucial, regional CIOs are seeking the assistance from the wider ICT community to facilitate the drive of investment. Only then can we see new engagement models emerge.”

As one of the most successful IT networking events in the region, this year’s CIO Summit has drawn upon the support of global brands including Dell, Intel, ITS2, Etisalat, IBM, Oracle, Injazat, , APC, Alcatel-Lucent, Hewlett Packard, Meeza, Sun, AMD, McAfee and Emirates Airline.

Hosting most of the Fortune 500 companies, as well as more than 1,300 specialised industry leaders from diverse segments of the information and communication technology sectors, Dubai Internet City has emerged as a global ICT hub, while catering to the region’s increasing focus on the knowledge-economy.

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