Dubai Internet City Focuses on Technology as Education Enabler in the Region

Educators need to embrace technology and bring new capabilities into education curriculums to match the stimulation that young people are exposed to in their digital world, according to Malek Al Malek, Executive Director, Dubai Internet City, a member of TECOM Investments.

Al Malek’s comments came as part of his keynote address ‘The Role of Technology in Education” at the one-day interactive SkillsInvest forum held recently at the Dubai Knowledge Village.

Al Malek said: “Technology and education need to form a partnership to facilitate a life cycle of skilled resources and talent that stimulates innovation and creates a vibrant community of people and minds. “Technology has advanced enormously allowing us to witness and experience the most extraordinary things. Mass access to information today, for instance, means that a larger number of people are becoming more knowledgeable as they take vastly informed decisions in their lives. Technology has opened up the flood gates of opportunity for people with a common set of interests to come together and share ideas.”

In his address, Al Malek examined how technology has enabled the permeation of information to all levels of society through the Internet. Al Malek continued and highlighted the importance of nurturing the local talent in the region to identify their strengths as future leaders and skills to drive a fast-developing knowledge-based economy particularly in the IT sector.

He added: “Geographical borders are a thing of the past. Instead, the Internet allows people to reach out and accomplish things that make them the incredible people they are today.”

Following Al Malek’s key note address, Charbel Fakhoury, General Manager Gulf Region of Microsoft concluded the session sharing firm beliefs that technology was an enabler in education that will continue to define the knowledge economy as people become knowledge producers. He added that education brings social inclusion and thanks to technology, it has allowed everybody at all stages in their lives to continue learning.

Fakhoury also emphasized the need to encourage the younger generation to take an interest in math and science as figures reveal that there is an increasing decline of students who are turning their backs on subjects he believes to hold the key to further innovation and major breakthroughs.

Dubai Internet City Hosts ‘BarCamp UAE’ for Technology and New Media Professionals

Dubai Internet City hosted the first-ever interactive BarCamp UAE conference, an informal gathering for technology and new media professionals from technical and business backgrounds, and which was attended by over 40 professionals.

The one day event saw journalists, public relations executives and digital marketers coming together to share knowledge, exchange experiences through active discussions, and analyse exciting new developments in their respective fields.

An ad-hoc gathering was born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment, BarCamps foster intense discussions and interaction among attendees. The gathering was free from scheduled speakers and instead proposed topics that each participant wanted to discuss. Chosen topics were then put together on a schedule and groups were formed to start an intense session of learning through interactive dialogue.

The BarCamp UAE brought to the table a series of discussions on ultra start-ups, a new term otherwise known as a group of technology entrepreneurs who collaborate online and in person, to help each other launch startups quicker and cheaper. Issues such as how the concept of ‘cloud computing’ could be best utilized within an organization, and ways in which digitalization and connected technologies could solve real life crisis through virtual space, were also examined.

Dubai International Financial Centre debuts Outreach Programme with Dubai Internet City to explore untapped opportunities

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) hosted its Outreach Programme in partnership with Dubai Internet City. A first initiative of its kind, the Outreach Programme brought DIFC based institutions together with companies from Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Village – knowledge-clusters under TECOM Investments - in a half day seminar to explore synergetic partnerships and how businesses could tap into regional liquidity.

Top officials from the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority and its leading member firms such as Standard Chartered, NASDAQ Dubai, Abraaj Capital, Al Tamimi & Company, Hawkamah, LCIA – DIFC Arbitration Centre and Mudara – Institute of Directors, made presentations on how businesses can take advantage of opportunities within the region through the world-class banking and finance services available at the DIFC.

Welcoming the Outreach Programme, Malek Al Malek, Executive Director of Dubai Internet City, said: “We are privileged to host this inaugural event in partnership with DIFC. In the past couple of decades, the world has witnessed a number of corporate mergers and acquisitions, aiming to leverage on the synergies that will accrue to companies once operations and services have been amalgamated. In these challenging times, the search for synergy can be even more rewarding, both in terms of cost benefits and greater efficiencies.

Dr. Nasser Saidi, Chief Economist of the DIFC Authority, explained about the historic linkage between Internet and Communications Technology (ICT) firms and the Finance industry, pointing to the critical role that Private Equity and Venture Capital played in the formative years of the ICT industry. In return, finance industry benefitted from the products and services the ICT industry innovated.

Dubai Internet City Looks Ahead for Region’s Telecom Industry

Malek Al Malek, Executive Director of Dubai Internet City, has urged the Middle East’s telecom companies to monitor and support start up technology companies which could be a vital source of innovative products and services.

Al Malek made his comment during a key note speech titled: ‘An outlook of the Telecom industry in the Middle East’, delivered on the first day of the third annual TelecomFinance Middle East and Africa 2009 Conference held at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Dubai.

In his address, Al Malek looked at the sweeping changes that the Middle East has been experiencing in the past decade that has created a trend where telecom companies have had to remain competitive by constantly offering new innovative products and services to support the infrastructure of telecom service providers.

Al Malek went on to demonstrate the potential for growth in the region’s telecom industry by making reference to a number of key sources including the Global Information Technology, report recently released by the World Economic Forum and INSEAD business school. The report shows that the Middle East has been the biggest beneficiary from ICT advances in the past eight years, with countries in the GCC key players in promoting and developing the structural transformation of the region’s physical infrastructure.

Dubai Internet City Launched Workshop and Networking Initiative for Consultants

Dubai Internet City invited more than 40 legal, audit and business consultants to visit DIC and be briefed on the new developments and changes in procedures at the free zone during an inaugural workshop and networking session.

Primarily organised to enhance the consultants’ understanding of the services offered at DIC, the agenda for the event included an interactive session and presentations by the top management team from the cluster.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Director of Commercial Operations, DIC, welcomed the consultants, while Faisal Hammoud, Commercial Operations Manager, offered a presentation on DIC’s operational procedures for prospective Business Partners wishing to register at the free zone.

Following the presentation, Al Suwaidi joined Hesham Almiri, Executive Director, Customer Support Services and Mohammed Sherif Executive director Licensing, Leasing and Compliance at TECOM Investments in an interactive Q&A session.

Murad Abida, Partner at Hadef and Partners, who attended the session, said: “DIC’s workshop and networking sessions have always served as valuable tools for the cluster’s stakeholders. This programme for TECOM’s consultants has started off as a timely initiative and we are confident it will prove a useful platform not just to understand how legal and other service providers can help attract investors but as a vital resource to better co-ordinate with the support sources, ultimately giving DIC a competitive edge.”

Dubai Internet City Turned Spotlight on Online Professionals Seeking to Launch Web Ventures

Supporting ICT and new media industry professionals to develop ideas and strategies for ventures on the world wide web is crucial to the advancement of entrepreneurship in the region, according to Malek Al Malek, Executive Director of Dubai Internet City, a member of TECOM Investments.

The region’s leading managed ICT cluster was the industry partner for Submit Conference 2009 that brought together entrepreneurs and professionals in the Internet industry in the Middle East from 8-9 April. The event, held at Dubai’s Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa Hotel focused on various issues in the Internet industry, throwing light on its technology, marketing, design and entrepreneurship aspects.

Dubai Internet City urged technology professionals to broaden the scope of discussion to include the development of innovative strategies for web-enabled businesses in order to further diversify the region’s knowledge-based economy towards new age demands – Internet business ventures.

Key speakers at Submit Conference 2009 included leading web masters such as Simone Brunozzi, Web Services Evangelist, Amazon; Ray Milhem, Vice-President-US, Motorola; and Ryan Carson, Co-founder of Carsonified, who runs web events and workshops worldwide inspiring web designers and developers to build their own web applications.

Some of the key emerging trends in web-enabled entrepreneurship have created the most successful household names today providing people across the globe access to virtual social networks and content-sharing sites.

Dubai Internet City Partnered with Middle East Communications Exhibition and Conference (MECOM) for Third Successive Year

Dubai Internet City was the ICT partner of the Middle East Communications Exhibition and Conference (MECOM) 2009, one of the largest networking platforms for businesses dedicated to the telecommunications sector.

DIC sponsored the event for the third successive year and which was held from 25-27 May at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). Over 200 leading suppliers were present at the show that held over 30 presentations and seven industry specific forums.

MECOM 2009 focused on sourcing next generation communications technology and solutions for the government, healthcare, hospitality, banking and finance, public sector, oil and gas, real estate, retail, manufacturing, logistics, and media sectors.

Dubai Internet City also partnered with Datamatix to Host 15th GCC eGovernment and eServices Forum in Dubai.

Dubai Internet City sponsored the 15th GCC eGovernment and eService Forum in Dubai.

Held from 23–27 May at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai the event was attended by eGovernment executives, IT professionals, decision-makers and key policy makers from regional government organizations, ministries, departments, and agencies.

DIC’s partnership with DataMatix Group is part of its commitment to improving knowledge and understanding of the concept of e-government as well as the impact of web-based technologies on governments.

The 15th GCC eGovernment and eService Forum aimed to strengthen the framework of eGovernment models and looks to discuss winning strategies to spur a more effective and responsive delivery of high quality public service.

The event included sessions on the use of IT to promote a closer exchange of information between organizations, and ways for government bodies to maintain their accountability and transparency.