Ramy Alam, the Regional Sales Director for Gulf at Polycom give a run down of his company’s plans for GITEX 2014
What technology trends have you seen in the Middle East and Africa market over the past few months?
The proliferation of tablets and smartphones is driving the new trends such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), whereby employees have more choice and flexibility to collaborate the way they want with any device, over any network, and from any location, enabling them to still stay connected to their workplace and colleagues.
Trends such as BYOD and flexible working demonstrate a shift that is seeing more people demand the same standards of reliability and usability on their personal devices, as they would on their traditional work-related hardware and software-based applications, and the expectation that they can use devices of their choice on the company network.
With the UAE being one of the region’s most connected countries, we are also witnessing the rise of the “always-connected” user, and this is driving the need for best-of-breed solutions in mobility, video and collaboration.
With this in mind, our focus at Gitex Technology Week 2014 is to showcase our latest portfolio of video and voice collaboration solutions that will create the collaborative workplace of the future and can be adopted by any business in the region.
Which technologies do you think are the most-wanted technologies in the MEA region for sectors such as enterprise, SMB and end consumers?
Key indicators and general industry consensus points towards video collaboration and the convergence of voice, video, data communication and Intelligent Network services into ‘Unified Communications’ – regardless of network, carrier, protocol, application or device. Today, the vertical industries such as healthcare, education and SMBs are found to be far ahead in the race when it comes to adoption of UC&C solutions.
What do you plan to achieve through GITEX Technology Week this year?
Polycom has continued to demonstrate strong growth in the Middle East and we have customers in all vertical segments, encompassing our entire portfolio of solutions, from voice handsets to immersive telepresence rooms.
Therefore, our aim is to leverage Gitex Technology Week as a platform to showcase our innovative offerings and introduce regional businesses to our next generation portfolio of video and voice collaboration solutions.
Do you plan to launch any new products or technologies at GITEX Technology Week this year?
At this year’s show, Polycom will introduce our latest innovation Polycom RealPresence Immersive Studio. This new offering from Polycom is the next evolution in immersive video experience and provides a specially designed environment where every detail is perfected to create an excellent visual, audio and collaboration experience.
Also available at the Polycom stand are: Polycom RealPresence Utility Cart which allows public sector organisations to enjoy video collaboration capabilities from any environment and facility; and Polycom RealPresence EduCart which brings video collaboration functionality to classrooms, lecture halls or conference rooms.
These packaged solutions from Polycom are standalone units, which allow users to easily bring high-definition room-based video conferencing and content sharing to a variety of locations beyond a dedicated conference room.
What’s going to be your theme at GITEX Technology Week this year?
While there is no specific theme, Polycom will be showcasing our latest portfolio of video and voice collaboration solutions that will create the collaborative workplace for the SMBs, education and healthcare sectors. In addition, live demonstrations of Polycom RealPresence Immersive Studio, will be held on the stand.
What sort of channel strategies are you going to follow this year?
Polycom’s channel strategy is to work closely together with our partners to deliver best-in-class services for our customers. We continually focus on strengthening the relationship with our channel partners in the region and ensure they have the right skills, knowledge and tools they need to cater to the individually unique demand of each customer. Together, we ensure that Polycom solutions are interoperable with all the other available tools and environments for all industries.
Do you have any specific engagement for your channel community this year at GITEX?
We continue to engage with our partners on an ongoing basis and look forward to using Gitex as a platform to connect with our partners from the region.
