Hoda Younan
Country Manager, Microsoft Lebanon and Indirect Markets
Today, the cloud is being implemented through digital transformation, which is touching everyone’s lives. Some industries have to make the transition a little slower than others due to regulations or other challenges, but many firms are jumping on this technology. SMEs have made a particularly quick transition into these new technologies. Smaller companies without an IT department are much more likely to outsource their IT services, and that is why we have seen such growth. We have also seen a significant shift in manufacturing and retail. There has also been a good deal of development in the financial services sector, despite the challenges coming from the Banking Secrecy Law that imposes sovereignty of customers and transaction data. Despite this, the banks have been creative in going to the cloud with other workloads, to benefit from cost optimization, scalability, and security. We are lagging a bit behind in cloud technologies in the public sector. Lebanon has never had a ministry focused solely on developing and implementing new technology, and we are in vital need of one.
Fadi Samaha
Chairman, Site Technology
Site Technology is an integrator, supplier, and contractor with a focus on four main groups: contracting, technology, power, and power generation. Most of our projects are confidential since they are related to the government and security agencies. Telecom contracting manages the fiber-optic network’s backbone for telecom companies, private networks, as well as public networks, such as the military. Site Technology is one of the industry’s leaders in the region and deals with institutions on long-term basis. We deliver countrywide biometric security systems. Our services also cover audiovisual systems for transmitting video conferences. The company is currently working on smart cities, because the products we offer can be integrated to build smart cities, airports, and universities. The network integration systems division is a gold CISCO partner that taps into the Internet of Things, which is practically the backbone of modern technology. The Lebanese market is full of potential and has a large need for infrastructure to support the ongoing influx of technology. We hope that 2018 will be the year for restarting investments in the region.
Claude J. Bahsali
Chairman & CEO, Claude J. Bahsali
Security is vital. Today, security and compliance are two important areas for which lots of resources in our group are being dedicated. Security is tricky, and it will only get worse with time. In the past, we have been involved in the provision of various solutions related to IT security. As a group, we are looking to provide ‘security as a service.’ It will become more and more expensive for companies to have in-house expertise in security, which is where our managed services come into play. We plan to amortize this huge cost across many customers, making security cheaper and more affordable without reducing quality. Even large organizations, like banks, cannot afford to retain an in-house team of security experts. It is essential to partner with a company that is able to invest in and sustain such a team. Many customers are fully aware of that reality, and we have built a state-of-the-art security operating center (SOC). Our affiliated company Cirrus specialized in cloud and managed services and provides “security as a service“ as an integral part of its portfolio.
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