Nidal Othman, CEO at StarLink, an Infinigate Group Company, on how they are constantly striving to lead enterprises into a new era of security, resilience, and productivity.
Can you outline to our readers how your company has harnessed cutting-edge technologies to transform how you conduct your day-to-day operations to deliver the ‘experience’ that your customers, end-users, and partners’ demand in the experience economy?
In today’s digital age, staying ahead of cybersecurity threats is essential to ensuring a safe and productive environment for businesses. By embracing innovation and maintaining a proactive approach, we are not only helping our customers protect sensitive information but also foster trust and confidence among their customers. By prioritising the safety and security of the organization and its customers, we are contributing significantly to a more secure digital landscape for everyone.
Our theme ‘Spark Your Growth with Limitless Opportunities’ encapsulates our winning spirit, innovation, and potential to venture into new markets to unleash prospects of our vendors, partners, and customers. With a robust portfolio of technologies, we are constantly striving to lead enterprises into a new era of security, resilience, and productivity.
OpenAI and ChatGPT are all the rage, and these new AI integrations have been tipped to fundamentally reshape all major industries as we know them. What is your view on OpenAI, are you excited by the new opportunities that it will present, or do you think more regulation is needed to control its impact on society?
We have seen some very impressive strides in the field of AI. Open AI and ChatGPT have captivated enterprises and people in general. It has literally taken over the digital world and is becoming an indispensable tool for businesses and individuals.
Since communication is key at the workplace as well as at a personal level, this revolutionary AI tool will improve conversations, largely streamline workflows, and improve the overall quality of conversations. Having said that, we need to regulate it to ensure it is used in an ethical and responsible format.
Regular monitoring and updating of AI systems are crucial to adapting and evolving ethical standards and technological advancements, ensuring that these tools remain responsible and reliable.
By regulating and using AI-powered communication tools responsibly, businesses and individuals can harness their potential while addressing potential ethical concerns, creating a future where these tools can be truly revolutionary and beneficial to society.
There has been a swathe of digital and cloud transformation projects in the Middle East over the last 3-5 years. However, many have struggled with the demands of cloud transformation, especially legacy-heavy players. What are the key processes that enterprises need to adopt to ensure a successful transformation journey.
Digital transformation is not just about adopting new technologies, but rather leveraging those technologies to fundamentally transform your businesses operation, deliver value, and empower enterprises to engage with their customers. It involves reimagining processes, workflows, and strategies considering the capabilities that digital technologies provide. I believe a successful digital change requires:
- Identification of the goal of transformation
- Bringing in all the relevant stakeholders
- Developing a strategy
- Measuring and evaluating the success
- Continuous improvement and innovation
In your expert opinion, what do you view as the biggest problem facing enterprises in the IT and technology industry across the Middle East?
I believe that one of the main challenge that enterprises are faced with is keeping up with the fast-paced threat landscape and the emerging technologies. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, and IoT offer great potential for businesses, but they also bring new security challenges. Understanding and securing these technologies is crucial for enterprises aiming to leverage their benefits.
This supplement is entitled Tech Vision, so with that in mind, what do you think the future holds for the IT and tech sector across the Middle East, what will be the key trends and technologies that will champion change over the next ‘digital decade’?
Middle East never ceases to surprise me. The growth and diversity are tremendous. We have seen it rise rapidly in very sector, particularly the tech sector has experienced exponential growth. The top technologies that would navigate the future would be Generative AI, diversification in AI and Machine Learning, expansion of IoT, Cloud and Edge Computing, Sustainable cybersecurity technologies. We must be ready to adapt and harness these innovations responsibly, ensuring that as technology progresses, it aligns seamlessly with our shared human aspirations.
