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Qatar Today Editorials - Windows of Opportunity
Microsoft Vice-President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ali Faramawy
Country Manager Mohammad Hammoudi
Even as the Qatar Science and Technology Park takes shape and attracts more tenants, existing partners are expanding their operations in the country, recognising the potential for growth. Microsoft Vice-President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ali Faramawy, and Country Manager Mohammad Hammoudi talk to Qatar Today about the increased involvement of the company in the country’s technological development, and its plans for the region.
“A couple of years ago we were not even one percent of the total revenue, but the figure is much higher at present, and we are on an upward curve. In recent times we have further consolidated our Middle East operations through our new subsidiary headquartered in Dubai, that will enable Microsoft to further strengthen customer and partner services in the key markets by increasing focus and through dedicating more field as well as specialised resources to the Arabian Gulf,” says Faramawy, on his company’s plans for the Middle East market in general and Qatar in specific.
“Microsoft already has the largest local direct presence of any major IT multinational in the Middle East, and now we are looking to strengthen that presence even further,” he adds. “We are committed to the Middle East market. There is a very strong drive across the region from governments and leaders to harness the power of technology, and we are very pleased to be involved with some of the world-class e-government projects that have resulted from this drive. We also see more and more businesses in the region taking their technology and advancing computer science curriculum.”
On Qatar, Faramawy points out that the leadership is very forward looking. “It is enthusiastic about expanding the usage of internet, services and innovative products and concepts developed by Microsoft. Our discussions with top ministry officials, including the minister of commerce and economy were very productive. We have inked an agreement for deploying technologies within government, and also implementing e-governance programmes. “We also want to work closely with small and medium industries to help them in software development, and with the banking sector to devise high end applications.”
Faramawy adds, “We have been working closely with different government and non-government agencies here providing specially packaged IT solutions to cater to their specific needs. Our support staff has already helped government ministries develop their IT infrastructure, web-locations, e-mail and desktop systems. ”A country like Qatar, though small in size offers another dimension for global companies like Microsoft to invest and expand. There is a world of opportunities to be explored; our new country office will help us serve the different stakeholders here better. The officehas 13 team members at present, but our staff strength is expected to go up to 20 by the middle of this year. Also, we will set up base in the upcoming Science and Technology centre in Qatar.”
Microsoft recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Qatar University, as per which, Microsoft will invest in preparing Qatar University to become a Microsoft Certified and operational IT Academy.
“In addition, Microsoft will work with and support Qatar University with the deployment of Microsoft’s technologies at the University. The University bosses expressed their interest in working with us on a variety of projects, which they felt would increase the expertise of their faculty and students, and improve their prospects in the job market. “This agreement aims to empower students and faculty members by providing them with the latest Microsoft technologies. Microsoft will also deploy an e-learning solution pilot project at the University,” says Hammoudi.
Microsoft will also be providing technical training to government staff, following an agreement with the Institute of Administrative Development (IAD). “Under this deal, we will provide training on MS Office and other advanced computer systems at the IAD during its training period. Dr Khalid Al Sulaiti, Director, IAD was of the opinion that training in the latest IT and software would facilitate government staff to deliver better services to the public,” he adds.
Another local innovation is the Microsoft Academic Days event. “Computer science professors and researchers from across the Middle East and Africa gained an insight into future trends in software development at the event held here. It is a forum hosted by Microsoft, which brings together top faculty and Microsoft experts to discuss the latest developments in Software Engineering, Architectural Design and High Performance Computing.”
The event featured key speakers from Microsoft Corporation and Microsoft Research as well as lecturers and professors from leading universities across the region. Scientists and experts from Microsoft were on hand to discuss current and future projects and trends in the software industry.
Hammoudi adds, “Collaboration between academia and the IT industry is vital to helping to define the future of computing. Microsoft has a long established outreach programme working with universities around the globe on important areas such as the emerging computing environment, transformation of science through computing, and advancing computer science curriculum. Academic Days give us a great opportunity to speak to our counterparts in the academic world, to share with them our ideas about the future of computing, and to work with them on driving the direction of development and research in the region.”
Academic Days also includes sessions that cover best practices, teaching materials and practical experiences related to the introduction of Microsoft technologies to Computer Science and Software Engineering curricula. “The software industry is constantly evolving with new concepts being developed around the world, and we feel that it is very important that computer science and engineering students are aware of and involved in the development of these technologies. The Middle East needs a pool of graduates who have an up-to-date understanding of the latest concepts in computing to enable them to drive local development and create world-class software businesses here in the region.”
This article is reproduced with special permission from Qatar Today - Qatar's only news, business and lifestyle magazine
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