Over 100 of the best and brightest of the Middle East’s Cloud and Data Center industry came together at the Hyatt Regency, Riyadh Olaya in the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for W.Media’s maiden edition of Saudi Cloud & Datacenter Convention on December 19.
These included industry experts and thought leaders, including C-level executives, digital infrastructure professionals including architects, engineers and consultants (AECs), key buyers, decision makers, data center owners and operators.
The event saw a variety of power-packed panel discussions where Syed Mohamed Beary (Founder and Chairman, Beary’s Group), John Rippingale (MD, MEA & APAC, Sudlows Consulting) and Alister Davis CEng (Director, Black &White Engineering) discussed Saudi Arabia’s data centers in terms of using digital technologies for design, planning, operations.
Another panel discussion moderated by Faysal Ghauri (Managing Partner & Chief Strategist, FANUUN BCG) saw Imran Hashim (Director IT Infrastructure, MEDGULF, Saudi Arabia), Adil Amir Alskah (CTO, Center 3), Moaz Al Sibaai (Digital Advisory and Strategic Programs, SCCC – Alibaba Cloud), and Mohammad Alahmadi (Head, IT Infrastructure and Data Center, CHI, Saudi Arabia) discuss the role Edge technology and Cloud could play in bridging the gaps in Saudi Arabia’s digital jigsaw.
Suhail Akhtar (Head of IT Operations and Cybersecurity in the Real Estate Sector) moderated an exciting discussion on increasing data center capacity and density without increasing risk. Panellists Awais Ahmad (Director IT, Solex Plus), Farhan Iqbal (Senior System Engineer, Ministerial Agency of Civil Affairs) and Assma Al-Enizi, (Information Security Expert, SDAIA) discussed infrastructure and technology options available for this tight-rope walk.
This was followed by a keynote address delivered by Alaa Osman (Director, Data Center Projects, Meinhardt MENA) on what all it takes to create an ecosystem that enables digital transformation, and how there is more to becoming a data center hub than just data centers.
The final panel discussion of the day was moderated by Kevin Gardiner (Associate Director, Linesight). Panellists such as Dr. Ahmed Darwish El Sayed (Head of Digital Deliver, Bank Albilad), Asim Badhuralam (IT Director, Sanabel Al Salam Food Manufacturing Company), Kamal Farag (Digital Services Director, Human Resources Development, Fund, KSA) and Ali Kathkhada (Group CIO, Depa Group), discussed the future of Enterprise, Cloud and Colocation in Saudi Arabia.
The KSA has a thriving digital landscape that has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the fastest growing data center markets in the Middle East. Supported by Saudi Vision 2030, creativity, and innovation, KSA is also showing commitment to sustainability, powered by abundant desert sunshine. W.Media will keep a close eye on developments in the cloud and data center industry in Saudi Arabia in the years to come.
