DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Local and international tech companies are forming strategic partnerships to help fulfil the government's vision of a secure digital economy.
Digital economies are developing to address personalized experiences. The main themes in focus, especially at QITCOM, are centered on smart living and smart cities. New initiatives from TASMU are related to smart living, smart cities, and smart citizens; however, many companies in Qatar still run in a traditional outdated way. This is why SAP is focusing on the private sector. Many of these companies realize they can become more efficient and less vulnerable to market trends and changes when they centralize, standardize, and run shared services within their groups, pay more attention to data management, properly price products, and manage customer experience. SAP was the first to launch its private cloud operations based in Qatar. We have been established for more than five years already. We were the first to have a local data center for private cloud services. We are also in close discussions with Microsoft, because we are partners globally. Microsoft opening its Azure platform in country would help us to consider an in-country partnership eventually.
Cisco solves customers' biggest business problems and drives positive outcomes by connecting different products and services together. We help our customers accelerate innovation in a multi-cloud world, freeing them to develop and deploy applications anywhere, and simplifying how they connect, protect, and consume clouds. We are today the largest security vendor in the world. We detect and block 20 billion security attacks every day. We have been in Qatar since 2006, working strategically along with our channel partners to develop a secure, automated, and intelligent network for Qatar's evolving digital landscape. We operate primarily with a sales force and a deep engineering capacity that allows us to partner with our customers and offer them the skills and capabilities on the ground to meet their technology needs. Our customers appreciate having Cisco expertise locally. This is especially true in the area of cybersecurity. We have a sophisticated cybersecurity team, and it is heavily engaged with companies and the government in supporting the country's strategy of creating a secure nation.
We merge construction infrastructure with IT. A building can no longer be completed without it. Our key strength is system integration. We focus on complex projects. It's a great honor for us to be involved with three of the FIFA stadiums for the upcoming World Cup, namely Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, and Al Rayyan Stadium. Our scope of work ranges from datacenter and network infrastructure design compliant to FIFA standards to systems and security integration, giant screens, and sounds systems, for example. One of our greatest advantages is that our core engineering team is based in Doha. My base will remain in Qatar, but my focus is to start exporting our software all over the world, especially to Europe and the US. It is difficult to replicate what we have done. Airports in the US are set for renovation, and we have the right skills and experience to help with this. Not many companies can say that they have worked at the fourth-best airport in the world.
GBM has evolved a lot in the last 10 years, from a company with a focus on infrastructure to a leader in digital transformation. This is in line with the Qatari government's strategy to redesign citizen, resident, and tourist experiences and modernize current systems as part of the country's smart city initiatives. GBM is proud to be the pioneer and the first company to plant the seed of digital transformation in 2001 through Qatar e-government project. We have more than 200 customers across a wide range of verticals such as government, oil and gas, public security and defense, banking, health, education, media, and trading. We have a long-standing partnership with IBM and Cisco, and we have also nurtured strategic partnerships with other leading technology innovators such as Aruba and Microsoft. We are building an app to facilitate the movement of people within Qatar using public transportation. We are also doing a number of other projects to facilitate integration between government services and other projects that aim to facilitate investment and promote Qatar as the best place to do business.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority
Given its successful performance in the last few years, QFC is optimistic it will be able to capitalize on Qatar's ongoing efforts to create a world-class business environment and attract more global companies.
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Lolwah R M Al-Khater, Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is focused on pushing forward Qatar's foreign policy, sharing information and perspectives that could be useful for regional security and advancing the Qatari narratives on many issues facing the world today.
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Richard O’Kennedy, Vice President, Research, Development, and Innovation, Qatar Foundation
The first country in the world to track its citizens' genomes, Qatar is on track to make one of modern science's biggest breakthroughs by personalizing medical treatment and precision care.
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Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister, Transport and Communications (MoTC)
With plans for a fully electric bus system and an impressive set of interconnected transportation options including metro, rail, and tram, the Ministry of Transport and Communication is shifting mobility into the next gear in Qatar.
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Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor, Qatar Central Bank (QCB)
Encouraging local manufacturing, initiating self-sufficiency in dairy and farm products, expanding into new air and sea routes, offering select visa-free entry, and enacting fiscal reforms are but several of the successful reforms undertaken since 2017.
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Sean Kelly, Project Director, Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is no ordinary mall: with 650 hotel rooms, a 6,000-sqm cinema with 18 screens, six slides, three toboggan runs, and an ice river opening in September 2020, it is looking to slide into Qatar's tourism infrastructure in time for the World Cup.
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Mehmed Zingal, General Manager, Turkish Airlines - Qatar
With its 30th year celebration of its Miles&Smiles club launch in Qatar, Turkish Airlines is acknowledging its continued diligence to provide the best customer service, with targets to increase customer happiness through innovative technologies and increasing tourism to Qatar for the future.
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Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, President, Qatar University (QU)
Ranked in the top-500 universities by the Times Higher Education, Qatar University improves students' academic success by supporting students throughout their academic lifecycle, from the pre-university stage to beyond graduation.
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A lesson learned
The international attention set to fall on Qatar over the coming years is significant only to the extent that it generates advances in human capital required by Qatar's blueprint, National Vision 2020, where local know-how and innovation advance the nation and promote wellbeing.
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Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health & Managing Director,, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)
The health minister is committed to continuing the growth of Qatar's healthcare system, with plans for more than 20 new facilities specializing in pediatrics, geriatrics, and mental health.
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