Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Deputy Ruler, opened the 30th edition of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (Gitex) in Dubai on Sunday.

GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2011, one of the world’s top ICT events ended today and we at 01Synergy are happy to announce that we made a right decision to exhibit at Gitex.

01 Synergy is pleased with the platform GITEX has provided in sourcing new  partners to help them service the MENA region.

Middle East & North Africa is one of the most exciting and lucrative ICT markets and GITEX  was the right place for 01 Synergy to showcase its services, our stand traffic has been consistently high, enabling us to showcase our latest innovations and demonstrate how our services can help transform businesses in Middle East.

01 Synergy was appreciated for its stand design and showcasing:

• Mobile Software development services (Apps for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android etc.)
• Social Media development & marketing (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin)
• Rich Internet Application development services (Flash / Silver light)
• E-Commerce  & CMS Solutions (Joomla, Magento, Mambo, Drupal, WordPress, Typo3, Oxid)
• Custom Software Development services (.Net, PHP, Java)
• IT Consultancy
• Legacy Application re-engineering
• QA & Testing services
• Offshore IT Staffing

GITEX 2011 featured more than 3500 companies from 57 countries and several global leaders were drawn to Dubai for the event.

GITEX exemplifies how the region has grown in terms of attracting many of the world’s biggest players in the technology sector. Business leaders recognise the benefits of face to face interaction with clients, and this is one of the many reasons GITEX continues to offer participants unsurpassed value including 01Synergy.

GITEX was a successful event for 01Synergy, as it provided the right platform to facilitate joint ventures, strategic alliances and expand our customer base in the MENA region. We look forward to be back at GITEX 2012.

01 Synergy will be exhibiting at Gitex Technology Week, Sheikh Saeed Hall Stand – TA-H30, to be held in Dubai at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre between 9-13 October, 2011.

01 Synergy will be participating for the first time at Gitex Technology Week, one of the three largest ICT exhibitions in the world. GITEX Technology Week connects world class ICT vendors with senior decision makers within the thriving Middle East, North Africa and South Asian (MENASA) markets. Alive with the latest trends whilst providing the buzz of real business, GITEX is more than an exhibition – it is a must attend networking event for ICT professionals from around the world.

01 Synergy will be showcasing its:

• Mobile Software development services (Apps for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android etc.)
• Social Media development & marketing (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin)
• Rich Internet Application development services (Flash / Silver light)
• E-Commerce  & CMS Solutions (Joomla, Magento, Mambo, Drupal, WordPress, Typo3, Oxid)
• Custom Software Development services (.Net, PHP, Java)
• IT Consultancy
• Legacy Application re-engineering
• QA & Testing services
• Offshore IT Staffing

We look forward to see you at the show.

Fix an appointment : http://www.01s.in/gitex/

Dubai Outsource Zone, a member of TECOM Investments, today announced it is the strategic partner ofthe seventh Financial Technology Summit and Meetings – Middle Eastfor the second consecutive year.

To be held at the Beach Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi from 31 May – 1 June,the Financial Technology Summit will focus on ‘Business trends and technology enablers in 2011-2012′. The exclusive event (by invitation only) is expected to draw high-profile IT decision-makers from the banking and financial sector in the Middle East.

DOZ’s support to the event comes on the back of an increasing number of regional as well as global banks and financial institutions setting up support operationswithin the free zone, leveragingits array of mid and high-end services. Dunia Finance, Mashreq Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Arab Bank are some of the key entities that have marked a presence at DOZ.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Director of Business Development at Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “A main focus for DOZ is to help businesses within the zone make the best use of their resources.This isespecially apparent in the finance and banking sectors witha significantnumber of institutions from thesector setting up back-offices in DOZ. Through partnering with thesummit, we aim to highlight our commitment to the growth and development of the diverse sectors of the region.”

Dubai Outsource Zone provides a purpose-built infrastructure to companies extending outsourcing services in the region. The zone caters to entities specialising in services such as business process outsourcing, knowledge process outsourcing and legal process outsourcing. Additionally, it offers an environment that attracts different elements of the value chain: banking and finance, insurance, IT, legal, airlines and hospitality.

Dubai Outsource Zone currently hosts a number of companies in diverse sectors such as banking and finance, accounting, IT, payroll processing, engineering, research and development as well as design. Current companies operating in DOZ include Nokia Siemens Networks, Emirates airline, AXA Insurance, du, First Data, Cupola, Larsen and Toubro Infotech Ltd, Al Futtaim Willis, and the Jumeirah Group.

Source:http://www.ameinfo.com/266610.html

Having ridden out the global economic downturn, the IT industry looks set to continue its impressive expansion in Dubai, though it will have to deal with increased competition from within the region as well as further afield – especially Asia – as it seeks to attract new investors and clients, Global Arab Network reports according to OBG.

IT has long been at the core of the government’s plans to expand the economy and give it a strong knowledge-based foundation. The authorities recognised that a strong information and communication technology (ICT) backbone was essential to developing a modern, diversified economy.

This recognition in Dubai has seen increased spending on IT infrastructure, including the ongoing expansion of the fibre optic network and the provision of faster internet services, which have enabled the development of a number of new technology segments. One area that has the potential for strong growth is outsourcing. By externalising non-core activities – especially IT tasks such as data storage and processing – companies are better positioned to focus on their main line of business, rather than having to devote resources to back-office activities.

According to Dr Petra Elgass, a partner at the business consultancy Management Partners, there is growing momentum across the Middle East towards change in the way IT is managed. “We are now seeing more business and IT transformation initiatives happening in the region, which focus on shared service centres and centres of excellence, as well as on outsourcing. These initiatives, if designed and managed carefully, will have a significant performance impact,” Elgass said on March 17 at the opening of the company’s new Dubai office.

Dubai has recognised the significance of that impact, establishing the Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ) in mid-2004 to take advantage of the growing potential the segment offers. An increasing number of firms in Dubai and the UAE are looking to ramp up their use of business-process outsourcing, with the aim of achieving greater cost savings and adding value, said “ICT in the UAE”, a report issued in January by the Dubai Internet City (DIC) in conjunction with the regional law firm Al Tamimi & Co.

Given the change in investment trends for IT departments, firms are now opting to work with outsourcing service providers for mission critical applications and gain operational efficiency, said the report. The DOZ has, in particular, been the beneficiary of the growth of the local enterprise sector and the shift in trends in IT services and management, said Malek Al Malek, the managing director of the DIC and the DOZ.

“Buying patterns have changed as companies have realised the value of outsourcing – not only in terms of cost, but also in relation to business processes within a firm. The cluster has noticed this change in the adoption of shared services and customer profiles,” Al Malek said in a statement accompanying the release of the report.

Al Malek believes that the outlook for outsourcing is strong, with an increasing number of large enterprises having realised the value that is added to their top line by taking up shared services. “IT networks are also upgrading their infrastructure to maintain industry standards within their framework. However, regional IT service providers have to raise their service levels to meet these standards and bring about a change in consumer attitudes,” he said.

It does seem that attitudes are changing, if a report issued by international management, consultants AT Kearney in early March is any indication. Its latest Global Services Location Index (GSLI) found that the UAE was fast emerging as an ideal offshore IT centre. While India, China and Malaysia continue to be the gold standard for IT services and support, in terms of contact centres and back-office support on the GSLI the UAE has jumped to second in the Middle East and 15th globally, up from 29th in the previous study. The upward momentum is largely due to the growing strength of Dubai as an outsourcing centre.

That said, Dubai will still have to contend with strong competition for investment and clients, with other countries in the region such as Jordan and Tunisia, along with Egypt, all ranked in the top 25 internationally. Meanwhile, Malaysia and India are both active in targeting Gulf firms, Dubai’s key market.

However, Dubai should be able to build on its current good form in the outsourcing segment and in the broader IT sector, as it rolls-out better, faster services to further strengthen its ICT backbone.

Source:http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/2011033110596/Economics/uae-dubai-outsourcing-it-industry.html

Dubai Outsource Zone a member of TECOM Investments’ ICT Cluster, today announced that L&T Infotech, a global IT services and solutions provider, will base its Middle East headquarters at the region’s largest dedicated free zone for the outsourcing industry. The new office was inaugurated here today by Mr. Sudip Banerjee, Chief Executive Officer of L&T Infotech.

The announcement was made at GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2010, the region’s largest ICT event that opened on 17th October 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and runs until 21st October 2010.

L&T Infotech is a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, US$ 9.8 billion engineering, manufacturing & financial services organization with global operations. Its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) headquarters in the Dubai Outsource Zone will serve as the regional hub and will provide an entire range of end-to-end information technology services and solutions.

Malek Al Malek, Managing Director, Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource ZoneDubai Outsource Zone , said: “We strive to provide our business partners with world-class facilities and a location that empowers them to leverage Dubai’s strength as the regional business hub. DOZDOZ offers incentives to companies, enabling them to capitalize on the limitless opportunities that arise out of being based in such a unique destination. DOZDOZ welcomes L&T Infotech’s decision to base its regional headquarters at the zone and we are confident it will benefit from the host of services at the business park, including networking avenues with similar companies and state-of-the-art infrastructure.”

Sudip Banerjee, Chief Executive Officer, L&T Infotech, said, ” The decision to move our operations to this strategic business hub is a part of our global strategy to strengthen and accelerate our Middle East focus and we are confident that we will be able to leverage this decision to establish ourselves as a major provider of IT services and solutions to our esteemed clients in the region,”

Dubai Outsource Zone has evolved into a base for both captive and third-party operations, providing mid to high-end outsourcing services. The free zone currently hosts a number of companies in diverse sectors such as banking & finance, accounting, IT, payroll processing, engineering, research & development as well as design, employing more than 5,000 professionals.

Source:http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101020123557

Dubai is looking to combine its highly developed IT infrastructure and its open business environment into a new growth sector, as it seeks to become a leading services outsourcing centre.

A recent report issued by the International Data Corporation (IDC) stated that the IT spend in the UAE would be at least $1.8bn by 2013, a compound growth rate of 12.4% a year from the present level. With the IDC estimating that outsourcing in the Middle East will reach 23% of company IT spending by the end of 2010, it is clear there is potential for expansion in the sector, one that Dubai intends to tap into.

Outsourcing has gone far beyond the simple answering of phones and providing helpdesk support for companies, now encompassing IT operations and infrastructure management, server consolidation, internet services, data storage, retrieval and delivery, applications control and much more.

According to Navneet Tandon, the vice-president of enterprise resource planning and services at Dubai-based systems integrator Raqmiyat, there is an increasing reliance on automation by companies in the region. This in turn is opening up opportunities for outsourcing and managed IT services to enterprises across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) zone.

“As the market proceeds towards natural maturation, we expect the IT services sector to pick up in 2010 as economic conditions improve,” Tandon told local media on May 19. “Enterprises are now more driven to invest in managed services, which allows them to focus on their core business, new product development and market expansion while leaving operational details to outside experts.”

Among the leading sectors to have their IT services managed are the banking, financial services, government, retail, airline and health care industries, says Tandon.

One of the cornerstones of Dubai’s drive to capture a large segment of the outsourcing market is the Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ), part of Tecom Investments, a subsidiary of Dubai Holdings. Initially launched in 2004 and having begun operations in late 2006, the DOZ now hosts more than 100 firms that between them employ some 7000 staff.

As one of the emirate’s free trade zones, the DOZ offers tenants tax-exempt status, allows for full ownership of their business, 100% repatriation of capital and no currency restrictions. It also has the advantage of being integrated with Dubai Internet City (DIC) and other state-backed developments aimed at supporting the information and communications technology (ICT) industry at all levels.

While 2009 might have been a difficult year for some, the DOZ actually enjoyed a surge of activity, thanks in main to companies looking to consolidate operations and cut costs as the global economy slowed.

Deep into the last quarter of 2009, the DOZ posted a 23% increase in the number of clients, a flood-tide officials expect to continue through 2010 as the advantages of outsourcing become more apparent to newly cost-conscious companies, with up to 150 firms expected to be operating out of the zone by the end of the year.

While Dubai has stretched out to take an early lead in the IT outsourcing stakes, it is facing increasingly strong competition from countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Morocco. Of course, looking to the east, Dubai must also contend with international outsourcing giant India, the long-time leader in the field both in terms of size and services offered.

It will be difficult for Dubai to compete with the lower cost and economies of scale that India can offer, meaning that the DOZ has to work to carve out a particular niche for itself. Thus the zone is looking to attract local and regional companies, rather than US or European-based multinationals, aiming to develop as a MENA specialist rather than the one-size-fits-all option of India.

Source:http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100604080213

HCL Technologies Ltd., India’s fourth-largest software exporter by revenue, Wednesday opened its Middle East headquarters in Dubai as it seeks to boost growth in the region.

“The Middle East for us is a very interesting and high growth potential market and we continue to concentrate on it with a great deal of strategic intent and focus,” Shiv Nadar, the founder and chairman of HCL Technologies, said in a statement.

HCL Technologies will offer services related to product engineering, enterprise application, infrastructure management and business process outsourcing to clients in the Middle East.

The company has more than 25 large clients in the region, it added.

Source:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703444804575071030514941368.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

The worst seems to be over for the Indian IT services industry as the captains of the sector were more upbeat about the future. Suresh Vaswani, Joint CEO, Wipro, said: “We do want to capitalize on the upturn that is taking place…Things are looking better and therefore the outlook is positive.”

The export-dominated Indian IT services industry has been severely impacted by the ongoing recession in the developed economies, especially in the U.S. and Europe, and now there are signs of certain uptick in demand for outsourcing and offshoring, reports Economic Times.

Som Mittal, President of industry body Nasscom, said, worst seems to be over for the India’s technology services industry and it is expected that IT would be driving the growth for many economies. He said the industry growth for Financial Year 2010 (FY10) is expected to be in single digits and not likely to revise estimates given the current optimism. “If you look at the first half, growth was not there. It is taking into account what growth rates will come in the third and fourth quarters,” Mittal added.

Nasscom’s forecast for FY10 fiscal is likely to grow much slower than the 16 percent growth in FY09. Vaswani said there are newer verticals and geographies emerging as growth opportunities. Wipro is seeing stronger demand for outsourcing in the Middle East and Latin America.

According to the Vaswani, the company has not been affected the Dubai crisis. “The contracts we have in Dubai are good contracts, they are sustainable contracts,” he said, adding most of its clients in the Middle East are from oil and gas and manufacturing sectors and it does not have large exposure to the financial sector.

Source: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Worst_is_over_for_IT_services_Experts-nid-63616.html

The Indian IT services and outsourcing industry is expected to remain insulated from the ongoing debt crisis in Dubai World, with firms having minimal exposure to the region. Industry insiders fear a long-term impact coming from banks and financial institutions that had lent to the Dubai World. These institutions could account for about 30% of the revenues of Indian IT companies.

Companies like Wipro Infotech, Infosys Technologies, TCS and Mahindra Satyam do not have many clients based out of the Middle East. The business they have there is marginal in terms of size of the contracts.

Viral Thakker, partner, sourcing advisory services practice, KPMG, said, “This geography was already facing risks since the last one year. Firms cannot just start focusing on other geographies immediately if there are any risks involved in a particular geography. However, there is no major exposure, with only single-digit revenues coming from Dubai. Therefore, we don’t expect any material impact on the IT industry due to the Dubai crisis.” A report by research firm CLSA too viewed the crisis in a similar perspective for the IT sector.

Wipro Infotech, a unit of Wipro Technologies that focuses on the India and Middle East market, said it does not expect any material impact of the Dubai crisis. Anand Shankaran, chief executive, Wipro Infotech, said, “We had seen an impact in Dubai about nine months to a year ago. We then took appropriate steps to mitigate the impact of the risks felt.” So, the firm started focusing on countries like Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and expanded to Africa. “The revenues coming from Saudi Arabia have increased three fold since last year. Going ahead, we do not expect any material impact on our business coming from this geography.”

Wipro handles a number of clients in the Middle East. The company is in a five-year contract with Saudi Arabian Airlines for infrastructure management sized at about $100 million, a data centre hosting project for Abdullah University, Saudi Arabia, entire BSS/OSS implementation project for a greenfield telecom company in Saudi Arabia, infrastructure services project for road & transport authority of Dubai in UAE.

Source:http://www.financialexpress.com/news/-Indian-IT-cos-insulated-from-Dubai-World-crisis-/547784/

Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ), a member of TECOM Investments, today announced its participation at the GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2009, the principal industry event in the Middle East.

To be held from 18-22 October at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2009 will host global leaders in the ICT industry and include product launches by some of world’s most well known majors. The event will also offer key networking opportunities for industry professionals.

Dubai Outsource Zone will join sister company Dubai Internet City (DIC), also a member of TECOM Investments and the region’s largest managed information and communications technology cluster, at DIC’s stand (No CC2-1) for the five-day event.

Ismail Al Naqi, Executive Director, Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “GITEX remains one of the region’s best platforms for companies and individuals to meet, network and learn about the opportunities available to them. We particularly prioritise our presence at this event for the new possibilities that it has opened for us. With the outsourcing industry in the region continuously maturing and evolving, this is undeniably a critical time for us to be part of such an event.

“The Middle East is enhancing its reputation as a strong and viable alternative to other outsourcing hubs worldwide. Our strategic location in Dubai, at the crossroads of the East and the West, places ourselves and the companies that operate out of our business park in a strong position to capitalize on this crucial advantage.”

Dubai Outsource Zone has evolved into a base for both captive and third-party operations, providing mid- to high-end outsourcing services. The special economic zone currently hosts a number of companies in multiple sectors such as Banking and Finance, Insurance, IT, and Hospitality.

With over 55 exhibitors, India is emerging as one of the most prominent exhibiting countries at GITEX Dubai 2009. Speaking at a Press Conference, Mr. Sooraj Dhawan, official spokesperson for the Indian delegation and Director, Falcon Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd., shared information on the Indian companies who are exhibiting at 29th Gitex Technology Week being held in Dubai from 18-22 October 2009.

Gitex is the biggest ICT exposition in the Middle East and amongst the Top 3 ICT Exhibitions in the world. With over 3000 exhibitors and 125000 Trade Buyers from all over the world, GITEX is the biggest converging point for global IT suppliers and Technology buyers in Asia. ICT spending in Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar) is expected to exceed US$ 10.10 billion by 2010.

“India is showcasing its expertise in the areas of Computer Software, Hardware, Security and Telecom Solutions., added Mr. Dhawan. Prominent Indian companies exhibitors at Gitex Dubai 2009 include L&T Infotech Ltd., HCL Technologies Ltd., Polaris Retail Infotech Limited., Bharti Teletech Ltd., Wings Infonet Limited, net4i, Aksh Optifibre, Financial Technologies (India) Ltd. etc., “ informed Mr. Dhawan.

Indian companies are renowned for their expertise in Computer Software and this is aptly reflected at the technology display at GITEX.

“Wings Infonet Limited shall be displaying their complete range of ERP solutions including Wings Payroll, Wings Asset, Wings Retail, Wings Auto, Wings F&B, Wings DMS. Gateway TechnoLabs Pvt. Ltd. shall display their Global track record in delivering, IT Services like Application Development/Maintenance/Migration/Re-engineering etc. Navigators Software Pvt Ltd will display HR Performance Appraisal Software, Real Estate Management Software, e-commerce solutions etc. Polaris Retail Infotech Limited will demonstrate solutions in Retail ERP domain. Silver Touch Technologies Ltd.will be focussing on iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian(Nokia) based mobile apps, MS Dynamics NAV/CRM implementation and integration, Remote Infrastructure Services, NOC services, IT consulting on Government and Turnkey projects and Software development outsourcing. ANGLER Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. will offer Software Products on Fleet Management, CMS (Content Management Systems/Web Portals), CRM/SFA, E-Learning Systems, E-commerce platform, Time & Attendance software, Mobile Applications and TimeSheet solutions, IP Phone, Universal Gateway, Hospitality PBX, GSM FCT and VOIP etc.,” added Mr. Dhawan.

Mr. Dhawan also informed the press about strong Indian presence in Telecom sector and mentioned that Matrix Telecom Pvt. Ltd. will showcase their Enterprise PBX, IP PBX, SMB PBX VOIP Gateway, GSM Gateway systems.

Bharti Teletech Ltd plans to showcase Phones , Modems , IP products , EDGE Cards , Allied GSM Products , Set Top Boxes , ODM/OEM Services , Network Access Equipments in the category of Multiservice Access Platform , Mobile Backhauling , HDSL , High End Interface converters , Ethernet Access . Other Telecom companies include Coral Telecom Ltd. and Digilink etc.

“India is equally strong at Computer Hardware and also showcasing PC and Printer solutions, UPS Solutions etc. Companies such as SUKAM, Luminous, Genus and others will be the star attractions in the Indian Hardware pavilion. India offers excellent solutions in networking and Information security services and companies like Elitecore and MWTI will be displaying state of the art solutions in this domain ,” informed Mr. Dhawan.

GITEX 2009 is also seeing several first time exhibitors. These include companies like Vodafone Essar Limited who will promote Carrier Business offers for Voice and Data Services. Financial Technologies (India) Ltd. shall demonstrate their experience, capabilities and expertise in providing IT Consultancy Services.

Mr. Dhawan said, “In addition to Indian companies, various Indian states will be wooing overseas investors for attracting Inward investments. Kerala, home to three state-of-the-art facilities known as Infopark, Technopark and Cyberpark will offer unique investment opportunities like Land (undeveloped, semi developed, fully developed), finished built space as well as Public Private Partnership (PPP) opportunities to prospective global investors into India. The state of Orissa is also exhibiting their Investments options.”

“India participation at GITEX 2009 is strongly supported by the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council of India (ESC), who is emerging as the leading Indian organisation for promotion of Technology exports from India”, concluded Mr. Dhawan.