Netgear, a provider of technologically advanced, branded networking and storage products, is eyeing a 10% growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this year, as the company anticipates increased activity from its customer base in the Kingdom’s ever-growing small and medium businesses (SMB) sector.
In line with this, the company is planning to roll out a nationwide expansion and awareness campaign in KSA, which remains the largest IT market in the Gulf, posing strong potential to hit US$3.7 billion in 2010 according to latest statistics released by leading market intelligence agency BMI. The study also identified the SMB market as the most potential-laden segment in the Middle East as far as technology adoption is concerned.
Furthermore, the research forecasted that the KSA IT market will witness a significant boost in the second half of 2010, from computer hardware tenders delayed from 2009, and will record a higher single-digit growth in IT spending compared to 2009 levels.
Networking has been identified by the study as a high potential area of growth, especially demand from local SMBs, which are investing in IT to increase their productivity, efficiency and security. With the recent launch of its latest ‘ProSafe 16-AP Wireless Management System – WMS5316’, a central wireless device that supports up to 16 access points, in the region, Netgear plans to highlight its product’s capacity to provide Saudi-based SMBs with a single location to configure and manage an entire wireless network.
“Saudi Arabia’s growing population and youthful demographic, rising PC penetration and per capita IT spend rates and an SMB sector that is increasingly turning to technologically-advanced networking products to enhance their business processes make the Kingdom a very important market for us,” said Ahmad Zeidan, Channel Sales Manager, Netgear Middle East. “We have recently launched a new central wireless device, which enables large properties like hospitals, palaces, big houses, Universities, compounds and logistics warehousing facilities to select the right access points for their needs, even mixing models to provide the right coverage, as well as an upgrade path as technology changes in the region, and we are proud to report that the product is witnessing significant demand in Saudi. We have mapped out a definitive strategy, which include partner and customer-focused initiatives covering the entire KSA, as part of our goal to reach our growth objective in this important market this year.”
Following a new channel sales programme agreement it has signed with Fujisoft Technology for the UAE last February, Netgear has launched its ‘2010 Value Added Programme’ with aims to set a new record for price, performance and wireless networking support for SMBs across the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia.
A part of the company’s vision to propel its SMB aspirations further, the scheme will focus on value added resellers (VARs) serving the small business market by providing incentives such as sales and technical support, training, customer site visits, special tender prices and product demos. In addition to small and medium businesses, Netgear is also eyeing organisations within the oil and gas, government, heath and education sectors including Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and new private universities in Jeddah as potential customers.
“By adding new products into our portfolio and undertaking channel partner initiatives in Saudi, we seek to underline our commitment to addressing the networking requirements of the SMB market in the Kingdom. We are also focusing on growing our most in-demand products in Saudi Arabia such as our security products and NSA wireless controllers, which can provide exceptional benefits for various important local industries,” concluded Zeidan.
