The annual Microsoft Roadshow seminar series arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday. In a departure from earlier editions of the initiative, the Roadshow serves to address the synergies between IT development, investment and business objectives, by including dedicated tracks for the IT (OpenDoor) as well as business communities (The Microsoft Business Forum).
In Abu Dhabi, The Microsoft Business Forum was held today, with the OpenDoor Seminar scheduled to be held tomorrow, October 2. The Roadshow, which is being held in partnership with Hewlett Packard and Avaya Communication, started on the 20th of August in Pakistan and traveled to Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, before arriving in Abu Dhabi. From Abu Dhabi it will move on to Oman. The Roadshow is also being supported by Emirates Airlines.
“The IT industry in the region is constantly evolving and is mapping better and better with any company's business objectives”, said Abdullatif Almulla, Microsoft Country manager for UAE, Oman and Yemen. “We are therefore structuring our Roadshow series in a way that addresses specific needs and specific communities. OpenDoor will focus on updating IT professionals and developers on the latest in Microsoft technologies while The Microsoft Business Forum, on the other hand, shows business decision makers how their companies can benefit from Microsoft and its partners technology solutions.”
“OpenDoor, has been the longest running and largest seminar program in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean region for several years now and has helped many businesses around the region build cutting edge IT solutions as well as make better informed IT investment decisions,” said Simon Ransom, community development manager, Microsoft Gulf.
“We are now extending this concept to include a business forum in each country that will present a sound business value proposition to decision makers, especially those of small and medium sized businesses, the primary drivers of the region's economy.”
At OpenDoor, hosted specifically for IT professionals, Microsoft and its partners will present updates on Windowsxp, the latest version of the Windows operating system that was launched internationally in October.
OpenDoor will also include multiple sessions looking at various levels and aspects of security; security on desktop applications, security while browsing or creating applications for the Internet as well as security for companies while staying connected to the internet. Sessions will also focus on Microsoft's Internet Security & Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 and other members of the .NET Enterprise Server family including Visual Studio .NET that is slated for release soon. The OpenDoor developer track will lay emphasis on Office XP web components in developing applications for the .NET future.
The Microsoft Business Forum, which was hosted for business decisions makers today, included sessions on business productivity and project management, decision support systems and information for mobile workers. “The forum is an opportunity for business decision makers in the region to better understand the clear business advantages that can be gained through the implementation of technology,” added Ramson. “The Microsoft Business Forum is a non-technical event that draws clear connections between business objectives such as productivity, profit maximisation, market expansion, return on investment, etc. and technology adoption”.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. Microsoft opened its Dubai-based Middle East headquarters office in 1991 and also has offices in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In 1999, Microsoft opened offices in Lebanon, Kuwait and Pakistan and offices in Jordan and Oman earlier this year.
Hewlett-Packard Company is a global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services. HP had total revenue from continuing operations of $48.8 billion in its 2000 fiscal year and employs 85,000 people worldwide, making it the second IT company in the world.
Avaya, headquartered in New Jersey, USA, is a global provider of communications solutions and services. Avaya offers Customer Relationship Management Solutions, Unified Communication Solutions, Hosted Solutions, MultiService Networking Infrastructure, and Converged Voice and Data Networks. Avaya specializes in unified messaging, messaging systems, call centers and structured cabling systems. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
