News

Information technology (IT) in the Middle East

August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20
Netherlands investigates innovative privacy technology SSI

Dutch research organisation is looking into areas where self-sovereign identity technology could be used in society and business
August 05, 2020 05 Aug'20
Egypt’s datacentre plans take key step forward

Government lays the foundations for a datacentre industry with its new data protection law
July 22, 2020 22 Jul'20
Aramex ships in Rackspace Technology to accelerate datacentre downsizing and move to AWS cloud

Dubai-based international shipping and logistics firm Aramex is in the midst of a cloud-focused digital transformation designed to tighten up its last-mile delivery operations with the help of Rackspace Technology
July 15, 2020 15 Jul'20
Huge declines in traditional outsourcing as Covid-19 puts a stop on deals

Traditional IT outsourcing deals value plummets in the last quarter as contracts dry up amid Covid-19 disruption

June 01, 2020 01 Jun'20
Egypt offers free tech scholarship to 100,000 citizens

Egypt's youths are being offered free training to help them to prepare for the careers of the future
June 01, 2020 01 Jun'20
How Saudi Arabia is using cloud to navigate the Covid-19 downturn

Organisations in Saudi Arabia are using cloud computing services to help them navigate challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic
May 20, 2020 20 May'20
Coronavirus: Pandemic spurs QR code app upgrade at PayPal

PayPal introduces QR code payment functionality to its mobile app to support social distancing
May 20, 2020 20 May'20
Coronavirus: Bahrain sees fintech take-up surge amid Covid-19 crisis

Covid-19 has spurred the use of financial technology in Bahrain, which could boost the industry in the country and wider Gulf region
May 18, 2020 18 May'20
Flagship digital investment at Abu Dhabi’s Adnoc pays off

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company sees flagship digital project in high demand after proving its value in responding to the Covid-19 crisis
May 11, 2020 11 May'20
Coronavirus: SMEs in the UAE forced to digitally transform

The UAE, like the rest of the world, continues to be heavily impacted by the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, and technology is helping to lead the fight

May 06, 2020 06 May'20
Cash use to go below 5% of total spending in Middle East

Banks expect a rapid reduction of the use of cash in the region
May 05, 2020 05 May'20
Coronavirus: Total outsourcing spending collapses in March

IT spending plunged in March, drastically reducing increases that had been expected in the EMEA region
April 09, 2020 09 Apr'20
How Bolt plans to be more uber than Uber

Overcoming competitors with brand names that have become part of the modern vernacular is a challenge Estonia-based Bolt has set itself as it takes on Uber
March 18, 2020 18 Mar'20
Estonia offers digital tools to countries struggling with coronavirus school closures

Government and tech companies in Baltic state unite to offer advanced digital learning tools to other countries
March 17, 2020 17 Mar'20
UN identifies tech companies working in Occupied Palestinian Territories

United Nations Human Rights Office report names a number of technology companies that could be involved in violating human rights
March 12, 2020 12 Mar'20
CIO interview: Miguel Rio Tinto, Emirates NBD

The Dubai-based banking group’s CIO, Miguel Rio Tinto, talks about its ambitious digital transformation plans
March 10, 2020 10 Mar'20
IT Priorities 2020: IP network investments top priority for Middle East IT leaders

IT leaders in the Middle East expect to see increased spending on IP networks as digital transformation continues across the region
February 26, 2020 26 Feb'20
Thousands of UK entrepreneurs register businesses in Estonia since Brexit referendum

UK entrepreneurs are registering businesses in Estonia to make sure they can continue to trade freely in the EU
February 25, 2020 25 Feb'20
Mastercard creates 1,500 tech jobs in Ireland

New roles at tech hub in Dublin will include professionals with expertise in artificial intelligence, cyber security, blockchain and user experience
February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20
Azimo gets loan from European Investment Bank to build cross-border payments infrastructure in EU

UK fintech gets validation from EIB through €20m loan which will contribute to building its smartphone app-based payments infrastructure
February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20
New jobs in Ireland as Brexit forces Revolut to migrate work from London

Brexit has pushed the financial technology firm into moving London jobs to Ireland
February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20
Cost-cutting and digital transformation spur increased European IT outsourcing in 2019

The need to rein in costs while digitally transforming has led to growth in traditional and as-a-service base outsourcing
January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20
Estonian CIO gives UK IT professionals hope as Brexit removes rights

Tech chief says Estonia’s door is open to UK IT professionals if they want to continue enjoying an EU lifestyle
January 22, 2020 22 Jan'20
UK and EU AI communities will only be globally significant if they work as one

The European Union and the UK will be left behind in artificial intelligence research and development if they take separate paths after Brexit
January 21, 2020 21 Jan'20
Two-fifths of Middle East IT staff would change job for more money

IT professionals in the Middle East are mostly motivated by money when it comes to finding a new job, according to a Computer Weekly survey
January 20, 2020 20 Jan'20
Over a quarter of Middle East businesses have no women in their IT department

Businesses in the Middle East are failing to balance their IT workforces between men and women, and a quarter have no women in IT roles
January 13, 2020 13 Jan'20
Travelex to begin restoring foreign exchange services two weeks after ‘Sodinokibi’ attack

Travelex says it is making “good progress” in its recovery and is to begin restoring electronic foreign exchange services, but is silent about whether it has agreed to pay hackers a $6m ransom to decrypt computer files
January 09, 2020 09 Jan'20
Travelex hackers threaten to sell credit card data on dark web

Sodinokibi cyber gangsters have threatened to sell Travelex customers’ private data on a Russian underground cyber crime forum if it fails to pay a $6m ransom
January 06, 2020 06 Jan'20
Cyber gangsters demand payment from Travelex after ‘Sodinokibi’ attack

Cyber criminals are demanding payment to decrypt Travelex’s computer files after a devastating malware attack. New questions have been raised about the security of Travelex’s computer network after it emerged the company waited eight months to patch...
January 03, 2020 03 Jan'20
Suspected ransomware attack causes worldwide disruption for Travelex

Travelex switches off computer systems and resorts to cash-only currency sales after malware attack. Insiders claim the currency exchange chain has been hit by ransomware which has left critical files containing customer data encrypted
December 24, 2019 24 Dec'19
Top 10 enterprise IT in the Middle East stories of 2019

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 enterprise IT in the Middle East stories of 2019
December 18, 2019 18 Dec'19
How Saudi Arabia plans to become the Silicon Valley of the Middle East

With its young and educated population, Saudi Arabia has the potential to become a hub for tech innovation
December 11, 2019 11 Dec'19
How can CIOs in Europe turn innovation into a competitive advantage?

CIOs across Europe are under pressure to innovate to help businesses grow and must think differently as a result
December 09, 2019 09 Dec'19
Cloud computing surges in the UAE in 2019

Cloud computing take-up saw a significant acceleration in the Middle East throughout this year
December 09, 2019 09 Dec'19
Dubai’s Kentech kicks off digital transformation drive

Energy and industrial support company will go live in Oracle’s cloud next month
November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19
Swiss packaging manufacturer powers digital maintenance with GE and ServiceMax

Carton and packaging company SIG, which also sells IoT-connected machines to food and beverage firms, has developed a digital maintenance service
November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19
Collaboration is key to rapid adoption of govtech across Europe

Government technology is spreading across Europe, but policy-makers and senior civil servants are still figuring out best practices
November 11, 2019 11 Nov'19
Zain taps Ericsson for 5G network

Zain commissions Ericsson for 5G technology to meet growing data traffic demands and deliver high-quality mobile broadband and fixed wireless experiences, encompassing new business in the automotive, health and energy sectors
November 07, 2019 07 Nov'19
Saudis recruited Twitter employees to spy on critics

Court documents reveal how the Saudi Arabian government targeted Twitter employees as part of a coordinated effort to gather information on known dissidents
November 07, 2019 07 Nov'19
Abu Dhabi AI university is key to UAE’s future as the oil dries up

Abu Dhabi’s fledgling artificial intelligence university is part of a highly ambitious 30-year plan to transform the UAE’s economy and culture
November 04, 2019 04 Nov'19
Thousands apply to Abu Dhabi AI University in first week

Artificial intelligence university in Abu Dhabi gets more than 3,000 applications in the week following its application process being opened
October 23, 2019 23 Oct'19
Interview: Abdul Nasser Al Mughairbi, head of digital, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company

Abdul Nasser Al Mughairbi is leading digital developments at Abu Dhabi's state-owned oil giant
October 22, 2019 22 Oct'19
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company uses blockchain for inter-group network

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is using blockchain internally, with plans to expand it beyond the group boundaries
October 17, 2019 17 Oct'19
Abu Dhabi AI university open for applications

New university in UAE aims to enable students, businesses and governments to increase the use of artificial intelligence technology
October 10, 2019 10 Oct'19
UK and Middle East PR firm ditches NetApp for Nutanix and Talon Fast

Four Communications needed better connectivity for collaboration between the UK and its gulf sites, so dumped server/storage for hyper-converged and a distributed file system
October 09, 2019 09 Oct'19
CIO interview: Mohamed Sater, head of IT at Mumtalakat

Mumtalakat’s head of IT, Mohamed Sater, is modernising the IT infrastructure of the organisation through cloud computing
September 30, 2019 30 Sep'19
Dubai’s Precision Group takes manufacturing into the cloud

Head of IT at mould and packaging company talks about leading its digital transformation programme
September 18, 2019 18 Sep'19
Facebook automatically generates pages for Islamic State and Al-Qaeda

Facebook algorithms have auto-generated hundreds of Facebook pages for the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Sharia, according to a whistleblower
September 17, 2019 17 Sep'19
Inside Oman’s new tech startup drive

Oman is aspiring to be a tech startup hub and is on a mission to compete with its neighbours in the Gulf
August 19, 2019 19 Aug'19
First government organisation in Bahrain migrates to Amazon Web Services

Sovereign wealth fund’s internal IT team handled migration process, which has slashed the organisation’s technology operational costs
August 14, 2019 14 Aug'19
GDPR faces growing pains across Europe

The General Data Protection Regulation is over a year old now, but it faces challenges across Europe where compliance has taken place at different speeds
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
Middle East businesses welcome Amazon Web Services region launch

Bahrain AWS region, with three datacentres, links Middle East to AWS's global network and will help to accelerate digital transformation
July 15, 2019 15 Jul'19
Organisations turn to AI in race against cyber attackers

Businesses are racing to automate their defences as hackers and nation states launch increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks
June 28, 2019 28 Jun'19
Interview: Yasmeen Al Sharaf, head of fintech and innovation unit, Central Bank of Bahrain

Yasmeen Al Sharaf heads up financial technology strategy at Bahrain’s central bank, which is on a mission to grow and diversify the sector in the Middle East island state
June 25, 2019 25 Jun'19
Saudi banks trial blockchain-based identity technology at ATMs

Biometric and blockchain technologies are being used in tandem to provide ID verification at Saudi Arabian cash machines
June 10, 2019 10 Jun'19
Etihad Airways uses artificial intelligence to source ideas from staff

UAE airline works with tech startup to create a platform to help it apply employees’ ideas to address business challenges
June 05, 2019 05 Jun'19
Emirates NBD builds bank of future with Amazon Web Services

UAE bank is accessing the latest technology through a close relationship with IT giant Amazon Web Services
May 31, 2019 31 May'19
Facebook loses bid to halt European court decision on EU-US data sharing

Irish Supreme Court dismisses attempt by Facebook to prevent the European Court of Justice considering the validity of US-EU data transfers, after Austrian lawyer Max Schrems argued that they put the privacy of EU citizens at risk
May 28, 2019 28 May'19
Saudi Arabia’s largest auto company completes SAP project as part of digital transformation

Abdul Latif Jameel Motors wins SAP Quality Gold Award for digital revamp programme that overhauled performance and efficiency across its business
May 21, 2019 21 May'19
Middle East Interview: Dubai-based Fetchr

Delivery app Fetchr is spreading across the Middle East with its mobile-to-mobile delivery service. We talk to its founder
May 15, 2019 15 May'19
Facebook engaged in ‘calculated’ campaign to eliminate competition, claims businessman

A US businessman is seeking damages from Facebook after accusing the social media company of unfairly blocking “humorous” Facebook pages which generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue
May 09, 2019 09 May'19
Facebook co-founder: ‘It is time to break up Facebook’

Co-founder of Facebook, Chris Hughes, has published an op-ed in The New York Times calling for Facebook to be broken up, as it faces investigations from the US Federal Trade Commission
May 01, 2019 01 May'19
Middle East Interview: Bahrain fintech drive gathers speed

Bahrain wants to be a launchpad into the wider region for financial technology firms looking to scale
April 26, 2019 26 Apr'19
Facebook faces fresh privacy actions from regulators

Facebook faces legal action from Canada after it dismissed regulators’ findings that it failed to protect customer privacy. The firm has set aside $5bn to settle a privacy action in the US and faces a new investigation in Ireland
April 23, 2019 23 Apr'19
Egypt aims to develop coding skills earlier in education system

An Egyptian government initiative will see thousands of teenagers trained to code in HTML, CSS and Python
April 18, 2019 18 Apr'19
Etihad Airways automates customer and luggage journey monitoring

National airline of United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways, will improve passenger journeys through automated monitoring
April 17, 2019 17 Apr'19
Middle East CIOs optimistic as budgets increase and digital transformations expand

Cyber security and risk management will see the biggest increase in spending, but digital transformation of businesses is a major driver of investment, survey shows
April 15, 2019 15 Apr'19
Facebook takes extraordinary legal steps to contain document leak

Facebook targets journalists and news organisations for computer searches
April 10, 2019 10 Apr'19
Skype blocked in UAE will hit businesses as well as people

Skype has been blocked to users in the United Arab Emirates, and its effects will be felt by businesses as well as citizens
April 02, 2019 02 Apr'19
Huawei reports record numbers despite tumultuous year

Huawei has become one of the world’s largest technology companies by revenue, suggesting the accusations over its ties to the Chinese government are failing to have much impact
March 29, 2019 29 Mar'19
Middle East countries accelerate quantum computing research

Gulf countries must invest in quantum computing research to ensure they continue to to remain digital pioneers
March 14, 2019 14 Mar'19
Met Police collaborated with US prosecutors in WikiLeaks investigation

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it exchanged information on WikiLeaks staff in the UK with the US Department of Justice, which is conducting criminal investigations into the organisation
March 13, 2019 13 Mar'19
Revolutionising patient booking in the Gulf

Startup in the Gulf region is applying digital technology to solve the inefficiencies in medical appointment booking processes
March 04, 2019 04 Mar'19
UK among most expensive countries for mobile data

The UK ranks 136th in the world for the average cost of 1GB of mobile data, according to new statistics
March 02, 2019 02 Mar'19
Facebook asked George Osborne to influence EU data protection law

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg invited one of the chancellor’s children to Facebook’s office as part of a intensive lobbying programme to influence European data protection legislation
February 22, 2019 22 Feb'19
Facebook planned to spy on Android phone users, internal emails reveal

Facebook planned to use its Android app to track the location of its customers and to allow advertisers to send political advertising and invites to dating sites to ‘single’ people, confidential documents show
February 20, 2019 20 Feb'19
Estonia redoubles efforts to attract global IT talent

IT professionals from all over the world are being lured to Estonia through a government recruitment campaign
January 21, 2019 21 Jan'19
Bahrain plans to create a world-leading tech ecosystem

Bahrain is building a technology ecosystem that will help the country further reduce its economic reliance on the oil and gas industry
December 27, 2018 27 Dec'18
Top 10 Middle East stories of 2018

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Middle East enterprise IT stories of 2018
November 26, 2018 26 Nov'18
China leapfrogs US in supercomputer deployments

China has more than twice the number of supercomputers than the US, and it is finding a ready market for its Lenovo supercomputers among US tech companies in Ireland, the latest top 500 supercomputer list reveals
November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
Smart Dubai platform is the backbone of the city's transformation

Aisha bin Bishr, director general at Smart Dubai Office, talks about the Smart Data platform and soon-to-be-unveiled UAE Pass, a digital ID and signature which is being touted as one of the foundations a city needs to transform
November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
GSMA urges fresh action on 5G mobile spectrum

Mobile industry body says time is running out to ready enough radio frequency spectrum in the appropriate bands to account for the demands of 5G mobile networks
November 01, 2018 01 Nov'18
How Bahrain plans to become a regional fintech hub

Bahrain is a small island with big plans for its financial technology industry
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
Autonomous taxi trials underway in Dubai

Dubai’s transport authority has started road testing the region’s first autonomous taxi, designed in partnership with Dubai Silicon Oasis and DG World
October 23, 2018 23 Oct'18
CIOs and the cloud: The future of European enterprise software

European organisations are moving to the cloud rapidly, but trepidation remains in concerning certain aspects, such as security
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Dubai Health Authority unveils virtual health app for GP consultations

Health authority adopts new technology as part of the Dubai Future Accelerators initiative
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Middle East gears up for 5G

The race for 5G is well and truly under way, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia are well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to deliver the benefits of this new telecoms protocol
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Best of VMworld Europe 2018 Awards nominations now open until 26 October

Read the criteria for the Best of VMworld Europe User Awards and find out how to submit your nomination
October 15, 2018 15 Oct'18
Big expectations, huge presence: Gitex 2018 opens

Artificial intelligence, blockchain, 5G, robotics, and virtual and augmented reality are all in the spotlight at Gitex Technology Week 2018 in Dubai
September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18
At the new Cisco, culture is as important as innovation

Cisco’s newly appointed SVP of Emear, Wendy Mars, shares her thoughts on the state of network innovation within the industry, and explains why cultural change is just as important an element of a digital strategy
September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18
InfoWatch opens training centre to help address Middle East skills shortage

Security supplier offers Middle East customers cyber security and digital training facility as organisations in the region struggle to equip staff with latest skills
September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18
Middle East hungry for digitisation, says GE’s Bill Ruh

The Middle East is among the most enthusiastic regions in terms of applying digital business models to traditional industries
September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18
TechUK blasts European Parliament-backed revamp of EU-wide copyright laws

Tech industry trade body claims the changes spell bad news for web users, after European Parliament MEPs vote in favour of plans to modernise the copyright laws for the digital age
September 12, 2018 12 Sep'18
FCA warns it cannot manage financial crime risks without sharing data with EU

FCA admits it will be unable to manage financial crime effectively if it cannot share data with EU authorities.
August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18
IT leaders at a crossroads as they grapple with digital technology

CIOs have the opportunity to influence their company strategy as digital technology reshapes business. A survey of CIOs across 70 countries charts a path for IT leaders through emerging technologies
August 24, 2018 24 Aug'18
Dubai Health Authority launches artificial intelligence strategy

Healthcare organisation is rolling out next-generation technology in its health facilities to improve patient care
August 05, 2018 05 Aug'18
The rise of humanoid robotics in the Middle East

Middle East CIOs are planning to roll out intelligent automation technologies such as artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics
July 30, 2018 30 Jul'18
Dubai disputes court and Smart Dubai partner to apply blockchain

Organisations in Dubai are working on developing the principal of blockchain-based courts
July 17, 2018 17 Jul'18
Saudi Arabia entices UK fintechs to its shores

Saudi Arabia is offering fintechs from other countries the opportunity to access its large internal market
July 04, 2018 04 Jul'18
European banks need to balance fintech strategies

European Banking Authority highlights the risks of banks taking up fintech too quickly, and of ignoring it