Recognising excellence

This year’s GITEX Technology Week is shaping up as one of the most important instalments in the event’s history, as organiser Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) looks to capitalise on the show’s successful format revamp in 2007.

GITEX remains the Middle East’s single most important annual IT industry event and one of strategic importance to the world’s best-known technology vendors, systems integrators and service providers.

With the inclusion of GULFCOMMS, GITEX has developed into an event of significant importance for the regional telecommunications industry, while last year’s launch of a dedicated consumer electronics exhibition segment was testament to the massive commercial growth of the regional consumer electronics industry in recent years.

The continuing expansion of the event reflects the ongoing boom in IT investment in the Middle East, which is predicted to outstrip comparative growth in the US this year.

In fact, a recently published Global Insight report predicts regional IT spending will top US$73 billion in 2008, rising to $95 billion in 2011.

Saudi Arabia remains a hotbed of IT infrastructure development, with the value of ongoing projects in the Kingdom estimated to be worth more than US$20 billion annually.

The Government of Saudi Arabia is widely recognised for its commitment to cutting-edge IT implementation, having invested close to US$1 billion to support the first phase rollout of its innovative eGovernment programme.

Other government-funded entities including Saudi Arabian Airlines and the KSA Supreme Commission for Tourism have benefitted from massive levels of IT investment.

Indeed, the latter organisation was recognised as the Middle East’s best government sector IT implementation at last year’s ACN Arab Technology Awards.

Speaking of the ACN Arab Technology Awards, the success of last year’s inaugural event was testament to the standard of excellence upheld by the key players shaping the regional enterprise IT sector.

The event recognised professional and technical excellence across various enterprise IT industry sub-sectors, as well as those individuals and organisations who played vital roles in ensuring the success of the Middle East’s biggest enterprise IT projects in 2007.

The depth and breadth of talent working within the regional enterprise IT sector was exemplified by the 75 nominations that were received across the 14 unique awards categories.

Ultimately, the awards recognised some of the industry’s biggest individual and organisational talents, from CIO of the year Mohammad Al-Khatib, of Amman Stock Exchange, to enterprise vendor of the year, Cisco.

Like GITEX, this year’s event is set be even bigger and better, with a fresh round of nominations received from a host of the industry’s biggest players, showcasing the most impressive enterprise technology implementations across the region over the past 12 months.

With the final deadline for nominations looming, I would invite interested parties to visit the dedicated awards website located at www.itp.net/arabtechawards, download an entry form and return it to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it no later than Sunday August 17.

Aaron Greenwood is the senior group editor of ITP Publishing Group's IT, broadcast & communications magazines.

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