Information technology (IT) in the Middle East
Information technology (IT) news, trends, articles and research for the Middle East - the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and others. This section covers IT security, data backup and recovery, networking, data centre, cloud computing, mobile applications, virtualisation, big data, virtual machines and more.
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News
12 Sep 2023
European enterprises to spend more on generative IT to close gap on US
European organisations are upping their spending on generative AI innovation, but face challenges recruiting the right people to support this Continue Reading
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News
12 Sep 2023
European fintech investment plummets, but more sustainable future lies ahead
Investment in European fintechs has seen a dramatic drop, but a more sustainable sector will result from investment discipline Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2021
Payments through open banking could end card dominance
Payments made through open banking will eat into those made using cards as the next five years sees an acceleration in adoption Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2021
Gitex 2021: Batelco brings collaboration to Bahrain operations
Aiming to deliver evolved teamwork capabilities to its customers to accelerate Bahrain’s transition to the digital workplace, digital communications solutions provider adopts new collaboration technology Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2021
What does Saudi Arabia’s autonomous vehicle agenda mean to the rest of the world?
If all goes according to plan, within a few years, one million people will live in Saudi Arabia’s ‘city of the future’ – and every one of them will depend on a fleet of self-driving cars Continue Reading
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News
18 Oct 2021
Gitex 2021: Avaya builds up AI experience to boost collaboration
New communications and collaboration ecosystem launched to enable customers to achieve better business outcomes in the experience economy and the new hybrid working mode Continue Reading
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E-Zine
07 Oct 2021
CW Middle East: Middle East hospitals accelerate take-up of healthcare technologies
The Middle East is accelerating its take-up of digital healthcare technologies following lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, with regional government turning to technology to track disease trends and monitor treatment. Also read in this issue how the UAE’s National Program for Coders will offer ‘golden visas’ to 100,000 entrepreneurs, enterprise owners and startups. Continue Reading
- 06 Oct 2021
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Opinion
05 Oct 2021
Britain needs its amazing migrants
Fintech entrepreneur Michael Kent explains why Britain needs migrants and why government policy and media horror stories will damage the UK’s economy and reputation Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2021
Digital bank fined by regulator due to weak anti-money laundering controls
German digital bank is fined by financial services regulator for failing in relation to its anti-money laundering practices Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2021
Dubai International Finance Centre’s data protection law to be boosted by new federal regulation
New UAE data protection regulation on the horizon a year after a Dubai-specific law came into force Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2021
Foreign professionals and upskilled locals in demand as UAE sets ambitious coding targets
The United Arab Emirates is on a mission to grow its tech sector as part of its economic diversification plans, but it needs more talent from inside and outside the country Continue Reading
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News
06 Sep 2021
Saudi tourism development fund goes cloud-first with Oracle
$4bn fund will be used to invest in developing Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry as the country reduces its economic reliance on oil and gas Continue Reading
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News
02 Sep 2021
The Gulf is counting on its smart cities for a sustainable and profitable future
The countries in the Gulf region are leading the way in the development of smart cities as part of their economic diversification Continue Reading
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News
13 Aug 2021
GoStudent: Europe’s newest edtech unicorn
Europe’s biggest ed-tech unicorn reaches unicorn status and tests sector traditions Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2021
Global fintech investments reach new heights
The global financial technology industry is emerging from the pandemic-triggered slowdown with record levels of investment to fuel further growth Continue Reading
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News
10 Aug 2021
Dutch lead the way in protecting themselves against internet risks
Dutch citizens come top in a study on awareness of internet risks in Europe, which showed major differences across the continent Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2021
UAE offers ‘golden visas’ to coders as part of national IT skills programme
The United Arab Emirates is offering visas to coders across the world as it attempts to attract talent to support its economic diversification Continue Reading
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News
14 Jul 2021
More than half of European IT outsourcing spending will soon be on cloud services
Cloud services will soon be the largest part of the IT services market in Europe, as enterprises invest in them as part of their Covid-19 recovery strategies Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Jul 2021
CW Middle East: Pandemic speeds up edtech revolution in Gulf
One of the lessons the Covid-19 pandemic has taught governments across the world is that education providers can still teach when their premises are inaccessible. Read how organisations in the Gulf region’s education sector have been quick to adopt the latest education technology, known as edtech, to help in this endeavour. Also read in this issue how Indian IT services company TCS is bringing together universities, businesses, tech startups and government to work on sustainability challenges. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jul 2021
Gulf hospitals flock to digital health to manage lifestyle diseases
The Middle East is accelerating its take-up of digital healthcare technologies following lessons learned in the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading
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News
23 Jun 2021
Bahrain university uses Alexa on campus
University in Bahrain is using Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant to support users of its campus Continue Reading
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News
15 Jun 2021
Nokia and Ooredoo initiate 4G and 5G fixed wireless access deployment across Oman
Leading comms tech provider and local Oman operator begin 4G and 5G fixed wireless access deployment for services covering homes and businesses throughout the country Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2021
How the pandemic accelerated the Gulf’s edtech revolution
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital learning technologies in the Gulf region’s education sector Continue Reading
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E-Zine
15 Apr 2021
CW Middle East: Qatari regulator launches platform to help combat money laundering
The Qatar Financial Markets Authority is using a digital platform to enable financial services professionals to assess their knowledge of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. Also in this issue, read how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the IT spending patterns among enterprises in Saudi Arabia. Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2021
Global demand for IT and business services highest ever for first quarter
Global demand for IT and business services began the year strongly, with a record first quarter Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2021
How Gulf SMEs are building digital resilience amid the pandemic
SMEs in the Gulf region have accelerated their digital transformations during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2021
How far has open banking come in Europe?
Open banking is a relatively new concept, having come into effect in Europe only in the last couple of years. So what is the state of play? Continue Reading
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News
18 Feb 2021
Fingerprints will help payment cards retain relevance
Biometric payment cards using fingerprint technology could add billions to global banking revenues, says UBS Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2021
TransferGo to harness Google-inspired tech capability
Payments fintech TransferGo chooses cloud-native core banking platform to build a digital wallet and expand its services Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2021
Qatar regulator launches platform to monitor human understanding of financial crime
Qatari financial services regulator works with global body to provide digital platform to assess whether financial services workers understand how to prevent financial crime Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2021
Nordic countries dominate European online banking take-up
Nordics dominate online banking take-up in Europe, but the UK is not far behind Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2021
Saudi IT spending to hit $11bn in 2021
Saudi Arabian organisations will spend about $11bn on IT this year, with emerging technologies high on shopping lists Continue Reading
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E-Zine
14 Jan 2021
CW Middle East: $60m venture capital fund targets 120 startups
Countries in the Middle East see technology as an industry of the future and are investing heavily in the sector as part of their economic diversification plans. Read in this issue how the latest development will see a $60m venture capital fund, based in Bahrain, invest in 120 early-stage startups across the Middle East region. Also read how Saudi Arabia has signed two agreements with Chinese IT suppliers as it strives to deliver its ambitious programme to diversify its economy. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2021
Bahrain hopes 5G roll-out will attract more tech firms to its shores
Bahrain has completed its 5G roll-out, which will support its IT infrastructure in creating the right environment for technology firms Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2021
Jobs in fintech bounce back after brief lockdown lull
Fintechs and payments companies need to make staff recruitment a priority as talent pool shrinks Continue Reading
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News
24 Dec 2020
Top 10 Middle East stories of 2020
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Middle East stories of 2020 Continue Reading
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News
15 Dec 2020
Covid-19 sparks boom in Middle East digital payments sector
Stubborn cash use could fall in the Middle East after an acceleration in the take-up of digital payments amid the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2020
$60m Middle East tech fund targets 120 startups
Venture capital fund expects rapid regional technology growth in the post-Covid-19 world Continue Reading
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News
13 Nov 2020
IT Priorities 2020: European IT budget share reflects home-working challenges brought by Covid
European organisations are being forced to redivert more limited budgets during the pandemic Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2020
Saudi Arabian authorities work with Chinese IT giants on digital goals
Saudi Arabia has signed two agreements with Chinese IT suppliers as it strives to deliver its ambitious programme to diversify its economy Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Oct 2020
CW Middle East: Egypt’s datacentre plans take a step forward
While it builds an IT services industry, Egypt is also investing in infrastructure and now plans to develop a datacentre industry. Read in this issue how, as part of this plan, Egypt’s parliament has passed a data protection law. Also read how the Europe, Middle East and Africa region has seen traditional IT outsourcing deals reduce in value by 21%, while the business process outsourcing market fell by 9%. Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
Saudi Arabia sees cyber security boom as coronavirus bites
Saudi Arabian CIOs have been forced to increase their security posture as the Covid-19 pandemic transforms working methods Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2020
Abu Dhabi government launches peer-to-peer coding campus
Abu Dhabi government launches a specialist programming school that uses peer-to-peer teaching methods and gamification Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2020
Egypt’s datacentre plans take key step forward
Government lays the foundations for a datacentre industry with its new data protection law Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
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 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
09 Jul 2020
CW Middle East: Facing up to coronavirus
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. Also read why the the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company sees its flagship digital project in high demand, and how the coronavirus has spurred the use of financial technology in Bahrain. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2020
Coronavirus: Pandemic spurs QR code app upgrade at PayPal
PayPal introduces QR code payment functionality to its mobile app to support social distancing Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
06 May 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
05 May 2020
Coronavirus: Total outsourcing spending collapses in March
IT spending plunged in March, drastically reducing increases that had been expected in the EMEA region Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2020
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 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
09 Apr 2020
CW Middle East: A quarter of Middle East businesses have no women in IT
Over a quarter of businesses in the Middle East have no women in their IT departments, according to Computer Weekly’s Salary Survey, which has also revealed that 40% of Middle East-based IT professionals would change job for more money. Also in this issue, find out whether China’s public cloud provider, Alibaba, has what it takes to trouble the likes of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft in the infrastructure-as-a-service market. Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
17 Mar 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2020
CIO interview: Miguel Rio Tinto, Emirates NBD
The Dubai-based banking group’s CIO, Miguel Rio Tinto, talks about its ambitious digital transformation plans Continue Reading
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News
10 Mar 2020
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 Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Mar 2020
EC publishes approach to human and ethical implications of AI, but what will UK do?
The European Commission has published a guide to the EU’s approach to the human and ethical effects that artificial intelligence might bring Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
13 Jan 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2020
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 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
09 Jan 2020
CW Middle East: Digital leads the way for Abu Dhabi oil giant
The state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is transforming its business through digital projects that range from deciding where to drill for oil and gas, to helping the company decide where to sell its final products. Also find out in this issue why the UAE is setting up a university dedicated to artificial intelligence, and read an interview with Mohamed Sater, head of IT at Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2020
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 vulnerable VPN servers Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2020
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 Continue Reading
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News
24 Dec 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2019
Cloud computing surges in the UAE in 2019
Cloud computing take-up saw a significant acceleration in the Middle East throughout this year Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2019
Dubai’s Kentech kicks off digital transformation drive
Energy and industrial support company will go live in Oracle’s cloud next month Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
23 Oct 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
17 Oct 2019
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 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
10 Oct 2019
CW Middle East: Saudi banks trial biometrics in ATMs
Biometric and blockchain technologies are being used in tandem to provide ID verification at Saudi Arabian cash machines. Also read about the first government organisation in Bahrain to migrate to Amazon Web Services, and an interview with Yasmeen Al Sharaf, head of fintech and innovation unit, Central Bank of Bahrain. Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2019
Dubai’s Precision Group takes manufacturing into the cloud
Head of IT at mould and packaging company talks about leading its digital transformation programme Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2019
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 Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2019
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 Continue Reading
