Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, is set to host its annual Power to the Cloud conference and exhibition under the theme ‘Building Next-Generation Mission Critical IT Infrastructure’.
Scheduled for November 25-26, 2013 at the Atlantis – The Palm in Dubai, this year’s edition of the event will highlight the confluence of Smart City and Informational Technology and Schneider Electric’s integrated solutions portfolio in certain key simulated environments like banking and finance, hospitality, healthcare and telecommunications.
The event will also showcase Schneider Electric’s strength in the datacenter space with the display of the physical datacenter infrastructure and the path breaking Struxureware software for datacenters. The event is expected to bring over 1,000 IT decision makers and key influencers from Middle East and Africa region.
Power to the Cloud 2013 will discuss emerging technology paradigms that make a tangible contribution to long-term IT infrastructure strategies. It will also allow IT executives and industry analysts to share best practices of leading global and regional government and private entities.
Thierry Chamayou, Vice President, Middle East & Africa – IT Business, Schneider Electric, said: “New technologies are helping us redefine efficiencies and optimization, with the greatest impact of this visible in smart cities. Schneider Electric is at the absolute forefront. Power to the Cloud showcases how Schneider Electric solutions validate the benefits of IT investment through improving the management of energy and utilities, saving costs, and adding business value – all with the datacenter at its core.”
The two-day event will include a dedicated segment with the CIO community, as well as speaking opportunities for Schneider Electric’s global and regional customers, and reseller training sessions.
Olivier Delepine, Vice President, IT Business – Gulf countries, Schneider Electric, added: “Building on the success of our inaugural Power to the Cloud event last November, we have increased the exhibition space this year to showcase a greater bandwidth of solutions and host nearly 1,000 participants. In addition to simulated environments of few verticals, the 1400 sqm dedicated model of a fully functional smart city will feature residential and office buildings, school and an Electric Vehicle charging station. The pavilion will also host mock-ups of an airport, power station, and a waste water treatment area.”
Ranjit Rajan – Senior Research Director, IDC Middle East & Africa said: “Business growth led IT infrastructure build out, increased focus on technology-led efficiencies, and usage maturity continue to drive IT spending in the MEA region. The market, currently estimated to be US$76 billion, is expected to surpass US$105 billion by 2017. The demand for cloud services in MEA is registering sustained increase as organizations realize the business agility and cost optimization benefits of cloud. However, security, control, and usability constrain widespread adoption, especially in key Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia. Despite this, the Saudi cloud market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 49.7 per cent and the UAE 43.7 per cent during the period 2012-’16.”
The 2012 Power to the Cloud event was the largest datacenter event gathering in the Middle East and Africa that drew the attendance of more than 600 IT professionals from across the region.
Schneider Electric, which has a presence in all countries of the Middle East, is represented by 5,000 employees, two distribution centers and eight manufacturing plants in the region.
