Systems Limited, 1LINK join hands for setting up its Business Intelligence Platform

 

ISLAMABAD: Asif Peer, CEO and Managing Director at Systems Limited, and Najeeb Agrawalla, CEO at 1LINK, joined hands to accelerate business transformation efforts through informed data-driven technology, contributing to the vision of ‘Digital Pakistan’.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of the senior management from Systems Limited and 1LINK including Asif Peer, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Systems Limited, Mr. Azimullah Khan, Chief Information Officer, Suleman Hasan, Chief Risk Officer, M Shahzeb, AGM Risk, Strategy and Corporate Affairs, M Zahid, Senior Manager, Data, SQA & Development. Senior executive from Systems Limited who were present at the signing agreement included Mr. Sarfaraz Paracha, VP Client Engagement & Sales, Mr. Sohail Chaudhry, Data & Analytics Growth Leader BFSI, and Asad Ali Naqvi, AVP Sales.

This handshake symbolizes Systems Limited’s collaboration with 1LINK to help internal and external stakeholders, which now spans over 37commercial and microfinance banks, 1,400+ billers,13 affiliate members,08 aggregators and 10+ non-banking billinitiators. 1LINKkey payment products and services to these entities include1IBFT, Bill Payment Services, Sohni Dharti Remittance Program, Shared ATM Network, Open APIs, Fraud Risk Management and Dispute Resolution Services.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Asif Peer, CEO & Managing Director Systems Limited said, “The Business Intelligence platform will empower 1LINK to leverage financial data smartly and meet long-term transformation goals, spearheading industry growth for stakeholders and investors alike. We look forward to a tremendous partnership and future together.”

Extending his views on this partnership, Mr. Agrawalla remarked “Data in the 21st Century is an immensely untapped asset of Pakistan. For an institution like 1LINK, which strives on interoperability and facilitates payments for the financial industry of Pakistan, the business intelligence (BI) platform will help in operational and strategic decision making. BI will enable us to have deeper business insights that can help 1LINK and its members create new products and services required by the industry. We look forward to receiving an invaluable contribution from Systems Ltd. as our BI consultants and implementation partners”.

This technology centered project will assist 1LINK in making make more efficient, data-driven, and informed decisions to enable actionable insights for the entire eco-system, creating better customer engagement and digital acceleration in Pakistan’s financial sector. 

Through this data analytics platform, 1LINKaims to structure its information in data marts and eventually integrate the multifaceted dynamics of each of its partners network as well as stakeholders into one centralized payment analytical platform. 

------------------------------------------

 

Huawei Middle East IT Day 2022 Spotlights Full-Stack Data Center Solutions

 

• Third-party consultants shared data center and storage industry trends
• Customers shared their digital transformation journey powered by all-flash storage

Islamabad, APR 6: The Huawei Middle East IT Day 2022, held under the theme of 'Green Data, Super Power', recently brought together Huawei experts, independent analysts and customers to discuss the role of modern data center and storage technology in helping businesses innovate faster. 

Digitalization is accelerating in the region, putting pressure on existing IT systems. This has led to a surge in demand for agile, scalable and cost-effective all-flash storage that can deliver on digital transformation needs better than traditional storage systems.

Addressing the summit, Steven Yi, President for Middle East & Africa, Huawei, said, "Countries in the Middle East & Africa are keen to adopt new technologies, as we have seen with the fast development of 5G in the region. We will continue to work with our customers and partners to lead the next wave of digital transformation and drive the national transformation visions."

Other keynote speakers at IT Day included Bill Raftery, VP of Storage Solutions, Huawei, whose speech titled, 'Redefining All-Flash Data Center' emphasized the importance of innovative technologies such as flash-based storage platforms and how they enable organizations to accelerate digital transformation. He also stressed the applicability of Huawei's pioneered technology in different verticals such as tax/finance and Oil & Gas. 

The event also featured the release of a white paper titled "The Trend of Data-intensive HPC (High-Performance Computing)". The report captures insights into the rapidly evolving requirements placed on the HPC ecosystem by the growth in the adoption of data-intensive applications and workloads.

Early adopters of all-flash storage have already experienced the transformative power of this technology. Sim S. Lim, Group Executive, Consumer Banking & Wealth Management, DBS Bank, took participants through the bank's digitalization journey. He noted, "At DBS, we are re-imagining and re-investing in the latest ICT solutions to digitally empower our customers and build an ecosystem of trust and collaboration."

Fahem Al Nuaimi, CEO of Ankabut, shared insights on building an Intelligent Full-Stack Data Center in the UAE. He said, "An intelligent full-stack data center enables us to offer digitalized education services, making the academic process more efficient while boosting collaboration." 

The financial industry is among the most important markets for modern storage based on the need to digitalize the customer journey, stringent data handling requirements and the need for robust cybersecurity. A roundtable session titled "The Future of the Financial Sector - IT Driven Digital Transformation" focused on this sector and attracted IT leaders from some of the region's leading banks. 

Wilson Xavier, ICT Research Director, IDC META, was also one of the many distinguished speakers. He highlighted industry trends for storage and data center, noting, "The enterprise DataSphere share of global data volume will increase to 68% by 2025, and data management strategies can either make or break IT modernization." 

Liu Gui, Vice President of Marketing and Solution Sales, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Middle East, closed the day by launching the Huawei Flash Track Promotion program, which can deliver storage devices sooner and help customers deploy IT resources quickly and implement projects faster.

All industries urgently need to prepare for the digital economy. But they also need costs and energy consumption to come down. Huawei's all-flash data center solutions present a faster, greener, and more reliable solution for enterprises to better and more cost-effectively manage data. They also significantly improve intelligent management as the flash disk life can be monitored and predicted. And, with enough flexibility, they provide optimal latency for workloads, leading to improved customer experience, shorter deployment times, and a much lower frequency of latency issues. 

Currently, Huawei has 12 R&D centers, over 4000 R&D personnel, and 3000 patents dedicated to storage, helping more than 15,000 customers in over 150 countries. Huawei data storage ranks No. 3 worldwide and has achieved Gartner recognition for more than five years. Huawei's all-flash storage solution OceanStor Dorado has also been chosen by the "Gartner Peer Insights" for "Best Customers' Choice".

For more information about Huawei storage, please visit: https://e.huawei.com/ae/products/storage and 

for more information about the event, please visit: https://e.huawei.com/ae/special_topic/event/2022q1/2203-ae-it-day 

-----------------------------------

Microsoft organized “Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors (MLSA) meet-up, in Pakistan”

ISLAMABAD, APR 5: Microsoft virtually organized Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors  (MLSA) meet-up, in Pakistan intending to empower youth through technology. The program called MLSA  is one of the eminent initiatives taken by Microsoft to work with students and polish their leadership as well as technology-related skills. 

The goal is to enable these student ambassadors to share their learned skills with other people in the community. This global group of on-campus ambassadors is passionate about learning new technologies, helping other students, leading in their community, and developing technical and career skills for the future. Ambassador students get a chance to connect with other students and use tech to solve real-world challenges together.

The meet-up event was attended by Microsoft Country Education Lead, Mr. Jibran Jamshed, Microsoft Director Audience Evangelism, Pablo Veramendi, Director operations PERN, HEC, Ch Abdullah Fayyaz Chatta,  Microsoft Future Ready Skills Manager, Middle East, and Africa, SamihAjrouch, and a group of “Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors (MLSA’s).

While talking at the occasion, Director,  AudienceEvangelism,  Microsoft, Pablo Veramendi, shed light on how students as MLSA’s can contribute to building vibrant communities. Director Operations, PERN, HEC, Ch Abdullah Fayyaz Chatta appreciated the programs and talked about how students as Microsoft Ambassadors can play their role and be a force for good, both locally and globally. Future Ready Skills Manager, Middle East, and Africa Microsoft, SamihAjrouch emphasized that learning the latest technology skills and sharing knowledge as ambassadors can solve many real-world problems and build communities across the globe.

"The Microsoft Student Community, together with the Student Ambassadors, strives to help students learn new skills for career development while empowering each other to achieve more. This is excellent program which provides students in pakistan the opportunity to get access of Microsoft tools and resources,  enhances students' employability by offering training in skills not usually taught in academia, connect students locally and globally and with Microsoft employees and develop leadership skills of students. "Ch. Abdullah Fayyaz Chattha"

Mr. JibranJamshad, Country Education Lead for Microsoft in Pakistan said that “During the past few years, there has been an immense realization within Microsoft that technology is something that can bring about a revolution in economies. In particular, for the education sector, the need for technological advancement is increasing to a great extent, both for public and private sector institutions. 

Alone, this journey of technological tranformation isn't possible. That’s why Microsoft engaged young leaders to play their role in learning the technology and sharing. We believe that these students can collaborate and build collective knowledge as well as find better ways of doing things''

Microsoft students ambassadors also shared their journey of being MLSA’s and most of the students were of the view that the best part about this program is to get a chance of networking with a global community,  Microsoft employees, and to build their leadership skills.

It is worth mentioning here that Microsoft is consistently striving across the globe to work with the education sector and incorporate groundbreaking technologies within the system. Microsoft has successfully entered into various Educational Transformation Agreements (ETA) with educational institutions across Pakistan. Under these agreements, Microsoft collaborates with schools, colleges, universities, and educational regulatory authorities such as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) training sessions, workshops, webinars to teach Microsoft technologies. 

These technologies include Microsoft Teams, OneNote, Minecraft for Education, and much more. Not only this, Microsoft in partnership with the institutions in Pakistan ensures student access to technological devices and learning platforms as well as building teachers’ capacity to learn and use the latest tools and technology in the classroom settings.

--------------------------------------------------

Zong subscribers can now make Int'l direct dialing bundles of their own choice

ISLAMABAD, APR 1: In pursuit of service excellence and facilitating Pakistanis in every possible way, Zong 4G – Pakistan’s cellular and digital services leader – now provides its International Direct Dialing (IDD) subscribers to make their own IDD bundle.

Called ‘Zong IDD Mera Apna Bundle’, the offer allows Zong’s IDD users to create their own international direct dialling bundles initially for Saudi Arabia MOBILY Network Only, followed by more destinations to be made part of the offer for Zong 4G Subscribers. 

Both prepaid and postpaid subscribers of Zong 4G can now choose destinations, minutes, and validity (on bill run for postpaid) as per their needs through the ‘Zong IDD Mera Apna Bundle’.

“Being the leaders of ICT-powered digital transformation in the country, we know the changing connectivity needs of the customers and move proactively to address them,” shared Zong’s official spokesperson.

“Customers are the heart of everything we do and we are aware of the digital needs of our subscribers. The ‘Zong IDD Mera Apna Bundle’is a testament to our customer-centric approach and has been designed to facilitate our IDD customers better and ensure they never get out of touch with their loved ones or work.”

Zong’s motto ‘Let’s get digital’ resonates well in the ‘Zong IDD Mera Apna Bundle’ which gives supreme flexibility to users to create their international bundles. and meet their connectivity needs. 

To avail the offer, visit Zong 4G website or download the My Zong App or dial 310 (3101 for Corporate Customers) – 051 111 222 111 for assistance.

---------------------------------------------

Huawei will continue supporting digital transformation across the Middle East: Karl Song

 

• "We are strong supporters of the Middle East region's green ambitions," says the Huawei executive

• Huawei is investing in the future through expansive R&D; 22.4% of its total 2021 revenue was spent on R&D

  

ISLAMABAD, MAR 30: During an exclusive Middle East roundtable to discuss Huawei's 2021 annual results from a Middle East business perspective, Karl Song, VP of Global Communications, Huawei, highlighted how the company has been at the forefront of the ICT industry, reiterated its competitiveness across the world and commitment to supporting the Middle East digital transformation. 

Commenting on Huawei's recently announced annual report, Song said, "Our total revenue in 2021 reached 99.9 billion dollars and we generated a net profit of 17.8 billion dollars with a net margin of 17.9%. 

Huawei recorded an increase of 75.9% year-on-year in terms of net profit, and overall, we wrapped up the year in a solid financial position." 

"The harder things get, the more we are investing in the future. In 2021, we increased our R&D investment to 22.4 billion dollars, representing 22.4% of our total revenue. 

Both our R&D expenses and R&D expense ratio reached a 10–year high in 2021, and Huawei ranked second in the 2021 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard. Our total R&D investment over the past decade is more than 132.5 billion dollars," added Song.

Song further reiterated Huawei's intention to continue investing heavily in R&D to strengthen its innovation in systems engineering and drive fundamental changes in three areas: fundamental theories, architecture, and software.

The company reported steady performance in its ICT infrastructure business while new business segments like digital power, which is of special importance to the Middle East markets and cloud grew rapidly and its ecosystem development efforts have entered the fast lane. 

"In the Middle East, Huawei continued to play a pivotal role in the development of the region's ICT industry, enabling digital and intelligent transformation accelerated across industries. Innovations in 5G, cloud, AI and other fields are pushing the digital economy into a new phase of development," said Song. 

"The Middle East is ahead of many other regions when it comes to adoption of advanced technologies. Because of the fast roll-out of 5G, for example, some countries in the region serve as a real proof point of how technology can help to advance the development of all industries, especially when integrated with technologies such as cloud and AI," he added.

Globally, Huawei collaborated with carriers and partners to sign more than 3,000 commercial contracts for industrial 5G applications. In 2021, 5G saw large-scale commercial deployment in many industries, including manufacturing, mining, steel, port, chemical, cement, power grid, and healthcare. 

Huawei's 5G solutions for industries have been replicated at scale across eight typical application scenarios, including remote equipment control, data collection, and product quality inspection.

"5G remains a crucial enabler of digital transformation across the Middle East. Huawei enabled the first wave of 5G deployment in many countries across the region. 

Moving forward, we remain committed to contributing to the Middle East countries' technology ambition, especially in light of the mega-events such as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and help create unparalleled value and experiences for the users," he stated.

Song also highlighted the trend for green development, which has become a globally recognized mission, specifically vital to the Middle East's sustainable future in-line with the carbon neutrality targets many countries in the Middle East have already set. 

As a leader in the global ICT industry, Huawei has been developing innovative green technologies that make ICT products more energy efficient. Using its simplified site solution, renewable energy, and intelligent technologies, Huawei helped carriers in more than 100 countries deploy green sites. 

"We are strong supporters of the Middle East region's green ambitions and the strategies of countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others to move towards carbon neutrality. Many of our partners across the technology landscape also desire to participate in climate change action. 

This movement involves innovating green, low-carbon networks and data centers while promoting clean energy development. We are doing this today through Huawei Digital Power, including many strategic projects in the Middle East," said Song during the roundtable.

Huawei Digital Power looks at five areas of business globally: Smart PV, data center facilities, mPower for electric vehicles, site power, and integrated energy solutions. Song reiterated that Huawei Digital Power sees the Middle East region and the Gulf specifically as strategically important as it seeks to contribute to a low-carbon, smarter society powered by digital technologies. 

"While we will have cooperation with businesses in all of the previously mentioned five domains in the GCC, I believe that Smart PV and data center facilities are particularly important to this region," he added.

The Huawei executive noted that in UAE, the company partnered with Moro Hub, a subsidiary of DEWA, to roll out the largest 100% green power DC in the region. In Saudi Arabia, Huawei is constructing one of its largest projects in the Red Sea to roll out an energy storage infrastructure with a capacity of 1,300 gigawatt-hours. 

"Even in a post-pandemic environment, we see clear opportunities to support Middle East organizations in their digital transformation and reimagine the future. It involves bringing technological advances to even more industries and creating new value by helping governments and enterprises go digital while operating more intelligently. The task ahead is about ensuring all people benefit from technological progress," Song concluded.

Huawei remains committed to contributing to the development of the region's ICT ecosystem and nurturing local talent through cooperation with governments, universities, and industry organizations. Its annual initiatives include the Huawei ICT Academy, Seeds For The Future, and the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition— the latest edition benefited 15,000 students across the region. 

Through these programs, Huawei has already empowered the skilling and upskilling of many young people in the region.

---------------------------------------