THE CLOUD
Both the government and private companies are looking to develop Oman's cloud services as a means to improve communication and increase customer satisfaction.
Today, cloud services allow public and private institutions to enhance their digital capabilities, allowing them to centralize their storage and applications, having a significant cost-effective impact on their budgets, while managing their internal as well as their external information in one place. This is also true on the customers' side, whose practices to reduce IT costs now involve the use of the cloud-based services and products to store their data, allowing for a faster and easier way to manage and access business and personal information anytime and anywhere.
The success of cloud services in Oman is highly interconnected with the access and reliability of high-speed connectivity offered across the Sultanate. In this regard, Oman's Information Technology Authority (ITA) has signed a fiber-optic contract with Oman Broadband Company to connect all government offices. Dr. Salim Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of ITA, spoke exclusively to TBY highlighting the importance of the agreement in connecting the current 63 government entities hosted by Oman Government Network (OGN), providing high-speed connectivity and linking them to the National Data Center at ITA. Following this strategy the ITA will be able to provide services 1,000 times faster than the current network in place, allowing the Authority to focus on what Dr. Al Ruzaiqi called ITA's central initiative, its cloud services. By encouraging all government institutions to use cloud-based networks, the ITA supports the introduction of modern and appropriate digital structures that are in line with current security requirements at a lower cost.
As high-speed connectivity and its role in improving user experience has helped cloud services become more attractive to governments, businesses, and the general public alike, mobility is also a variable that needs to be taken into consideration when analyzing any technological development related to the cloud. In Oman, the Sas Center for Mobile Applications Development, which was launched at the beginning of 2016, is the Sultanate's answer to boosting e-content development in the Sultanate, as well as across the GCC. With new mobile applications flooding the digital market every day, the center works as an incubator of young Omani app developers looking to use their knowledge to advance the delivery of public and private services through mobile devices using information hosted in the cloud.
Cloud services also help Oman stay in line with current technological trends that serve as social development tools for the wellbeing of the community. Health, education, as well as other public services are now being offered through cloud-hosts that enable all kind of institutions to access and share patient information and health records, as well as academic courses and evaluations, in an efficient and secure way through mobile apps. As part of the development of Oman's national broadband strategy, Awasr, Oman's first specialized high-speed broadband internet provider, was created in early 2016. With the purpose of not only offering a new mode of connectivity through fiber, but to connect with cloud services and build local content for public services as well as for individuals, Awasr aims to support the move toward a digital society through the creation, storage, and sharing of content through add-on cloud services such as apps that reach all levels of the Omani society.
As users keep demanding faster and friendlier digital services, the constant push of government and private institutions to provide and deliver suitable electronic services faces a challenging but manageable task ahead. On the one hand, Omani private companies are accelerating their digital transformations through the adoption of digital platforms offered by technology heavy weights, such as IBM, whose MobileFirst, and Cloud platforms have been chosen by Bank Sohar to provide advanced mobile services and improve costumers' experience. On the other hand and through the fiber network, the Omani government will be able to standardize its services all across the Sultanate, allowing public organizations to enhance their quality of service, while maintaining customer satisfaction; hence promoting an increasingly organic acceptance of cloud-based services among the population.
THE CLOUD
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Review: Diplomacy
The Talleyrand of Muscat
Oman reaps the benefits of its strategic diplomatic balancing act between Iran and the US, which culminated in the successful implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January 2016. The fruits are many and real: new infrastructural deals, automotive plants, and air routes, to name but a few.
read articleInterview
Khalifa Said Salim Al Abri, former CEO, Public Authority for SME Development (Riyada)
TBY talks to Khalifa Said Salim Al Abri, former CEO of the Public Authority for SME Development (Riyada), on working closely with the private sector, furthering opportunities for SMEs, and his goals for the next year.
read articleInterview
HE Dr. Khalifa Abdullah Al-Barwani, CEO, National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI)
TBY talks to HE Dr. Khalifa Abdullah Al-Barwani, CEO of National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), on the growing demand for in-depth information, technical innovations, and using data in all areas of life.
read articleInterview
HE Hamood Sangour Al-Zadjali, Executive President, Central Bank of Oman (CBO)
TBY talks to HE Hamood Sangour Al-Zadjali, Executive President of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), on the factors behind the country's strong banking sector, the growth of Islamic banking, and a new law on foreign investment capital.
read articleInterview
HE Abdullah Salim Abdullah Al Salmi, Executive President, Capital Market Authority (CMA)
TBY talks to HE Abdullah Salim Abdullah Al Salmi, Executive President of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), on encouraging a stronger insurance industry, working to attract PPPs, and upcoming projects.
read articleInterview
Hamdah Said Al Shamsi, Acting General Manager , Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI)
TBY talks to Hamdah Said Al Shamsi, Acting General Manager of the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI), on how the role of insurance has developed and earned itself a distinction in Oman.
read articleInterview
Musab Al Mahruqi, CEO, Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic),
TBY talks to Musab Al Mahruqi, CEO of Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic), on investment opportunities amidst low oil prices, the role Orpic is playing in developing the SME sector, and outlooks for the year ahead.
read articleInterview
HE Dr. Mohammed Bin Nasser Al-Zaabi, CEO, Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA)
TBY talks to HE Dr. Mohammed Bin Nasser Al-Zaabi, CEO of Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA), on the sector's role in the ninth Five-Year Plan, the Gulf's increasing demand for ground handling services, and expectations for the year ahead.
read articleFocus: 2040 Tourism Strategy
Choose Your Omani Adventure
With the global oil market in decline, Oman seeks to strengthen other sectors of its economy. The country has just begun to take advantage of its plethora of tourism assets and plans to significantly increase the sector's contribution to the economy by 2040.
read articleInterview
HE Rashad Ahmed Mohammed Omer Al-Hinai, Undersecretary of the Ministry, Sports Affair
TBY talks to HE Rashad Ahmed Mohammed Omer Al-Hinai, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports Affairs, on growing the local sports culture, hosting sporting events in the country, and supporting the development of athletes.
read articleInterview
HE Najeeb A. Al-Rawas, Ministry of Environment , Climate Affairs (MECA)
TBY talks to HE Najeeb A. Al-Rawas, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA), on sustainable development, MoUs with other ministries, and encouraging sustainable development.
read articleInterview
Dr. Salim Al Ruzaiqi, CEO, Information Technology Authority (ITA)
TBY talks to Dr. Salim Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of the Information Technology Authority (ITA), on penetrating the government sector with e-services, building the Sultanate's fiber-optic network, and the national e-tendering system.
read articleInterview
Saif bin Saud al Mahrooqi, Acting CEO, Oman Establishment for Press, Publication, and Advertising (OEPPA)
TBY talks to Saif bin Saud al Mahrooqi, Acting CEO of Oman Establishment for Press, Publication, and Advertising (OEPPA), on digital autonomy, multilingual publishing, and editorial quality.
read articleInterview
HE Dr. Hamed Said Al-Oufi, Undersecretary of Fisheries Wealth at the Ministry , Agriculture and Fisheries
TBY talks to HE Dr. Hamed Said Al-Oufi, Undersecretary of Fisheries Wealth at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, on boosting sustainable production, shrimp farming, and milking the Arabian Sea.
read articleFocus: Aquaculture
Fishing for Development
With an expected production enhancement of more than 100% and a projected job creation of 20,000 posts, fisheries in Oman have a promising but challenging target to get from 200,000 tons per year to close to 480,000 tons in the next four years.
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