Does Saudi have the required infrastructure and the capabilities to become technologically self-sufficient? As it stands the availability of local companies and skilled professionals to carry out all ICT related services and operations, means outsourcing is the way forward.
Currently, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is spending around SR112.5bn ($30bn) in 2013 in an effort to become a regional leader of information and communication technology, Last year, over 30% of the ICT budget totalling around SR28.1bn ($7.5bn) was spent towards outsourcing various processes, infrastructure and operations.
The outsourcing model has enabled the Kingdom to reduce costs of overall ICT spending including but not limited to setting up ICT infrastructure, implementation, operation and maintenance. This has allowed companies to focus more on their core business objectives and missions while the technical and operational processes are being fulfilled by leading outsourcing companies from countries like India, Jordan, Lebanon, Poland, USA, Singapore and many others.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HRH King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Honorary President of Saudi Computer Society (SCS) is an eminent leader that has always insisted in modernising the Kingdom in today’s world of information and communication technology. His Royal Decree # 15087 dated 27/04/1423H appointed SCS to host annual gathering of CIOs, IT Directors, VP of Strategy and all the other decision makers involved in shaping Saudi Arabia’s future of ICT.
Abiding by the Royal Decree, and with strategic support from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology represented by Yesser, SCS has partnered with French business information group Naseba to host the 4th annual meeting under the theme of “ICT Outsourcing and Security”. Being held on September 8th and 9th at the InterContinental Hotel, Riyadh, the summit aims to discuss various challenges and opportunities, and plan strategies prevalent to ICT outsourcing and security.
The Chairman of SCS, Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Sadhan, said, “Our community always calls for innovation; and collaboration fuels innovations. We invite the key ICT decision makers and leaders to actively participate to share their expertise in order to create a dialogue and learn from each other’s experience. Leading technology providers are encouraged to support our efforts and consider Saudi Arabia as a strategic hub to do business in the region.”
“Saudi Arabia has always been a primary location on our research radar. In less than a decade, there has been remarkable development especially in the field of ICT. With early understanding and adoption of latest trends and technologies, Saudi Arabia will soon accomplish its vision of being the most technologically advanced nation in the region,” said Nicholas Watson, the Managing Director of Naseba.
He further noted, “We are pleased to support the Saudi Computer Society in increasing the cooperation between local and global experts pertaining to the field of ICT.”
