e2 searches for the perfect blend

zoom

While the challenge of establishing a new business in the crowded Saudi IT channel would be a steep task for most organisations, e-Enterprises has been able to call upon the reputation of its owners to afford it a solid start in the market.

The firm is now aiming to blend the best of its UAE and Saudi heritage to meet its ambitious financial targets.

e-Enterprises (e2) has made a big impact in the market since its launch in Saudi Arabia last year.

Born out of a venture between the systems integration business of Alesayi Communications and UAE-based corporate reseller Emirates Computers, e2 has already doubled its headcount to 90 people and harbours plans to employ a total of 150 staff by the end of 2008.

Despite being a relatively new entrant to the market, it is clear that the mixture of Al Alesayi's local experience and Emirates Computers' solutions pedigree and relationships with vendors such as Dell has given the firm a solid foundation on which to build.

The company focuses on four key business lines covering communications and networking infrastructure, software solutions, systems integration projects and security solutions.

e2 is aiming to achieve revenues of US$120m by the end of its first full year in operation, and with deals worth US$90m already signed and scheduled to be implemented over the next three years there is no doubt that its prospects look good.

e2 has even more reason to feel optimistic given there are still plenty of business areas that it hasn't got round to addressing yet.

There are a lot of things driving the growth, but the truth is that we have not yet brought everything to the market that we want to cover," admitted Hany Habashy, executive director at e2.

Emirates Computers is doing a lot more in the UAE, which we eventually want to do here in order to get more business. At the same time, we plan to strengthen our sales force and services side."

Habashy insists that Emirates Computers' successful involvement in a string of high-end unified communications solutions and smart living projects in the UAE is something that the firm wants to replicate in Saudi Arabia.

It is also keen to benefit from the experience of sister company Hyperlink, which specialises in ERP software implementations - an area that e2 believes has potential for considerable growth in Saudi.

However, that's not to say the company hasn't already got its hands full, as a customer reference list that includes such prestigious names as the Saudi Ministry of Interior and telecommunications giant STC goes to testify.

e2's core market sectors include telecommunications, finance and government, but the Riyadh-based firm - which also has offices in Al Khobar and Jeddah - is keen to branch out as the business expands.

Manufacturing, healthcare and education are also sectors that we regard as important," revealed Habashy.

These are markets that we are starting to target this year.

With the weight of Emirates Computers behind it, it is no surprise that e2 has established local relationships with vendors such as Dell, Cisco and Microsoft, while a deal with Sun authorises e2 to sell and implement the storage vendor's products and services portfolio throughout the Kingdom.

Habashy is adamant that e2 can meet its objectives this year, but stresses the need to recruit skilled resources. "First of all, our main priority is to ensure that we have the right people to give the right quality of service that we offer in the UAE.

e2 is essentially made up of five legs: three of those are to help the company generate more business, and then the two main legs are our Customer Services Division and Professional Services Division. We are trying to recruit the right people for those.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

USER COMMENTS (0 COMMENTS)

POST A COMMENT

CLICK HERE TO POST A COMMENT

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.