At the SAP RISE on the Road event, held at SAP House, Expo 2020 Dubai, SAP SE highlighted the impact and importance of cloud computing which has taken precedence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With digital transformation fueling change in today’s environment, organizations in the UAE and wider region have seen a demand for agile and scalable IT infrastructures and business solutions that are not only efficient, but quick to adapt to changing scenarios, enabling seamless adoption of new technologies and encouraging new business models.
According to a recent survey by SAP in partnership with YouGov, more than four-fifths (82%) of UAE-based CIOs participating agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated their digital transformation over the past year. More than 90% of the UAE decision-makers surveyed said that technology is vital to the improved delivery of customer and citizen services in the country. In terms of the top three priority areas for UAE organizations’ digital investment in 2022 and beyond, 71% said enterprise resource planning, 67% said human capital management, 48% said core solutions, 46% said customer experience, 41% said predictive analytics, and 26% said procurement. Almost 80% of CIOs surveyed said that digital skills development is a key priority for their organization this year.
Commenting on these trends, Zakaria Haltout, Managing Director, UAE, SAP said, “Cloud computing and services is the crucial step in the UAE’s technological and resulting economic growth space today. With SAP, cloud is not just about infrastructure, but more about innovation. With SAP’s solutions, a growing number of organizations in the Emirates are able to better modernize, standardize and digitize, resulting in new business models and revenue streams. With this new model, cloud services are the true enablers of tomorrow’s highest value solutions, today.”
Speaking at the event, Steve Wainwright, Director of SAP Sales – EMEA, Google Cloud, also stated: “Google Cloud & SAP are committed through the Rise with SAP program to maximize the potential of customers migrating to the cloud, where they can run SAP on a fast, secure and reliable cloud, achieving a compelling return on investment. Google Cloud offers world class cloud infrastructure, designed to maximize availability and performance, which is key for mission critical applications like SAP. We offer a suite of industry tailored solutions, while using our infrastructure to deepen insights through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics, all on the cleanest cloud in the industry. Since we joined the RISE program, we’ve seen tremendous momentum in all industries and geographies, with global brands like Siemens Energy, Carrefour, Cisco and Veolia, selecting Google Cloud for their RISE deployment. And in the Middle East region, we were proud to announce that Ever Fashion Luxury Group in Qatar selected Google Cloud for SAP RISE. We look forward to migrating many more customers in the region to Google Cloud under the Rise program.”
Yannick Jacques, SAP EMEA Leader, Deloitte added: “Increasingly, a cloud infrastructure is the ideal solution for both new and existing organizations. This approach reduces total cost of IT ownership and simplifies it, all while scaling infrastructure, reducing maintenance, accelerating business transformation, and enabling innovation acceleration. By working with SAP as our partner, Deloitte is delivering cloud solutions today than enable tomorrow’s more digital world.”
The RISE on the Road tour, which is making a stop at major cities across the Middle East as well as in Europe and Africa, also saw UAE-based leaders across industries and the eco-system coming together, with SAP showcasing its latest technologies and services targeted at organizations to better grow toward a complete digital transformation.
