New stylish Hotel from Starwood Hotels opens in Dubai

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina, Starwood Hotels’ newly-built 294-room relaxation spot, is set to lure tourists and visitors with its interior neoclassical style and tranquil setting facing the Arabian Gulf. A complete converged network from Nortel was deployed by Alpha Data, the UAE’s leading systems integrator.

Located at the Jumeirah Beach, the new five-star resort offers a rejuvenating experience for the whole family to enjoy following its opening last month. Alpha Data deployed the telephony, data networking and wireless solutions; the installations were completed in April ahead for the resort’s official opening.

“The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina is another product of Starwood Hotels’ continuous goal of building top-of-the-line hotels for people and tourists,” said Allam Shalabi, Complex Director of Engineering of Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina. “The Westin Beach Resort is the new place to go to relax and enjoy nature’s beauty in a cosmopolitan city.”

A common network was also made with both The Westin and its neighboring hotel, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, which is also managed by Starwood Hotels. Operating under the same administration department; telephony and data networking are now connected for the two hotels.

Commenting on the project with Alpha Data, Shalabi added, “Alpha Data’s track record with the hospitality sector and their level of expertise is why we selected them and the results so far are excellent.”

“We are extremely proud that Starwood selected Alpha Data to install the network for their newest resort in Dubai. Alpha Data has worked as a systems integrator for the vast majority of the key landmark hotels across UAE over the past ten years. Our engineers worked closely with the team at the resort to integrate all the systems based on the instructions and policies required by Starwood Hotels,” said Sandeep Nair, Account Manager at Alpha Data Dubai.

About Alpha Data

Founded in 1981, Alpha Data is one of the largest IT and Telecom Solutions companies in the Emirates with revenues in excess of $120 Million and offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Alpha Data strives to build long term client relationships based on mutual trust and respect. With a team of over 650 qualified personnel, Alpha Data provides complete end-to-end solutions in the following areas of expertise: Telecommunications & Radio, Networking & Security Solutions, Infrastructure Cabling, Enterprise Computing, Audio Visual Systems and Applications. Each of our specialist areas are backed up by highly qualified presales and post sales support teams who handle both project implementation and post-sales support. Beyond our offering, what counts most to our clients is the technical skills of our staff. Alpha Data's people have both high level industry certification & in depth experience in their respective fields.

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Alpha Data signs a partnership agreement with Optimiza

Alpha Data, the UAE’s leading systems integrator, has signed a partnership with Optimiza with a specific focus on Optimiza’s kiosks solutions.

Today, Optimiza is the first and only company to provide total enterprise turnkey Arabic-English kiosk solutions for the MENA region. Optimiza’s Kiosk Division offers software and system solutions for self-service and customer information relevant to a variety of sectors using touch screen kiosks. These touch screen kiosks are suitable for retail, real estate, hotels, banking, telecom, large-scale leisure environments, trade fairs, events and conventions for applications such as digital signage, bill payment and information.
Alpha Data’s partnership with Optimiza will focus on the UAE, making Alpha the preferred reseller of their kiosk solutions in Abu Dhabi.

Commenting on the partnership, Fayez Ibbini, Managing Director of Alpha Data said, “Alpha Data is consistently seeking strategic partnerships with organisations that complement our offerings to our clients. Our partnership with Optimiza brings a new product line to our offerings, with particular benefit to our hospitality and retail sector clients.”

On this occasion, Issam Jallad, Managing Director of Optimiza UAE said “Alpha Data’s long-standing presence in the UAE, their extensive reach in terms of customer base and the technical expertise of their staff make them an ideal partner for Optimiza and we forecast a great deal of growth in Abu Dhabi through working with them.”

About Optimiza (Al-Faris National Company)

A publicly-listed IT company (ASE:CEBC) with a paid up capital of US $35 million, Optimiza has established a comprehensive Middle East network that ensures reliable business solutions and services with local support in the areas of management consulting, IT solutions and services, training and outsourcing.

With 27 years’ experience and hundreds of projects delivered, Optimiza’s intellectual capital spans diverse industries, enabling more than 450 professionals to integrate and deliver successful, innovative consulting and technology solutions, with a commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.

Optimiza serves clients from the telecom, banking, insurance, manufacturing and distribution, healthcare and government sectors, through its network of offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, and a region-wide reseller base.
www.optimizasolutions.com

About Alpha Data

Founded in 1981, Alpha Data is one of the largest IT and Telecom Solutions companies in the Emirates with revenues in excess of $120 Million and offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Alpha Data strives to build long term client relationships based on mutual trust and respect. With a team of over 650 qualified personnel, Alpha Data provides complete end-to-end solutions in the following areas of expertise: Telecommunications & Radio, Networking & Security Solutions, Infrastructure Cabling, Enterprise Computing, Audio Visual Systems and Applications. Each of our specialist areas are backed up by highly qualified presales and post sales support teams who handle both project implementation and post-sales support. Beyond our offering, what counts most to our clients is the technical skills of our staff. Alpha Data's people have both high level industry certification & in depth experience in their respective fields.

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Raffles Dubai sets precedent for hospitality technology systems

Raffles Hotels & Resorts, ranked one of the top hotel groups worldwide, are opening their doors in Dubai with a landmark property next to Wafi Mall. Well known for their pursuit for excellence, Raffles Hotels & Resorts have made every possible effort to ensure that their Raffles Dubai is set to be a market leader and a new landmark. In line with their mission, Alpha Data was selected to implement the latest in hospitality technology at Raffles Dubai.

“The growth in Dubai, not only in terms of numbers of hotels, but in levels of service excellence is phenomenal,” said Ravi Veerasawmy at Raffles Dubai. We were looking for a technology partner who is at the very leading edge to ensure that the systems we installed would provide our guests with the very best in facilities.”

“Alpha Data is one of the only ICT companies in the country who were able to work with us as a systems integration manager to seamlessly link our telephony networks, networking systems, interactive television, building management systems and room managements systems. We needed that level of experience and skill set to ensure that Raffles Dubai sets a new standard in the local hospitality sector,” added Veerasawmy.

“There’s no shortage of exciting, innovative technologies available to help hoteliers create unique, positive guest experiences. Such solutions can establish and reinforce guest loyalty while maximising the profit potential of each guest,” said Anil KJ, a Hospitality Consultant at Alpha Data. “Integrating numerous systems and devices to work together and exchange information is the number one challenge for many hoteliers and that’s where we come in.”

“One of the key requirements was for fully integrated room management and guest access systems. As this had not been done before in the UAE, we worked closely with our manufacturing partners to develop the panels, integrate them and install the systems throughout the hotel,” Anil KJ added.

“Alpha Data has worked as a systems integrator for the vast majority of the key landmark hotels across UAE over the past ten years and we are very proud to have been part of the development of Raffles Dubai,” said KSN Prasad, General Manager of Alpha Data Dubai.

About Alpha Data

Founded in 1981, Alpha Data is one of the largest IT and Telecom Solutions companies in the Emirates with revenues in excess of $120 Million and offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Alpha Data strives to build long term client relationships based on mutual trust and respect. With a team of over 700 qualified personnel, Alpha Data provides complete end-to-end solutions in the following areas of expertise: Telecommunications & Radio, Networking & Security Solutions, Infrastructure Cabling, Enterprise Computing, Audio Visual Systems and Applications. Each of our specialist areas are backed up by highly qualified presales and post sales support teams who handle both project implementation and post-sales support.

Alpha Data is a leader in hospitality technology solutions. With over 15 years of working with over 200 top hotels Alpha Data has both the solution range and the technical expertise to provide technology across an entire property.

Alpha Data is at this year’s Hotel Show, Dubai World Trade Center, Zaabeel Hall from the 8th to the 10th of June, 2008.
For more information, please visit www.alpha.ae

About Raffles hotels & resorts

Raffles is a collection of luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, each distinguished by its luxury, elegance and residential charm. Each hotel is a landmark in its respective city, positioned at the top of its local market and rated among the very best in the world.

Raffles’ relentless pursuit of service excellence has earned for its hotels and resorts a legion of international accolades, including Condé Nast World’s Best Places to Stay and Travel & Leisure World’s Best Awards. Its flagship Raffles Hotel Singapore was named Best Hotel in Asia by readers of Ultratravel magazine by The Daily Telegraph and Best Luxury Hotel 2006 by Travel Trade Gazette Asia. Raffles Hotels & Resorts was ranked second among the world’s top hotel brands in the 2006 Condé Nast Traveler Business
Travel Awards. For more information, please visit www.raffles.com

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Dubai to play key role in internet plan

Dubai has emerged as a key driving force in the region behind an initiative to bring internet access to half the world by 2015.
US-based technology firm AMD has used Dubai’s location and status as a financial hub to drive its mission to boost current levels of internet penetration in the Middle East and Africa.

Dan Shine, vice-president of the 50x15 Initiative at AMD, said the project is aiming to significantly increase web access around the world from its current 20 to 25 per cent to 50 per cent by 2015.

“So far [we have] been leveraging the UAE for access to other regions – Dubai is a hub for general business in the Middle East and Africa. The UAE is very important to us,” Shine told Emirates Business.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2008 World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WSIE) in Dubai, he added: “Because of some of the excellent opportunities we’ve had in Pakistan recently, we made a decision to focus some of our resources there, but [the initiative] will be managed and directed from the Dubai offices.”

He added that the initiative has also been evaluating a number of different types of projects both in education and healthcare in the region.

AMD said at current growth rates, half the world would have internet access by around 2030.

The company, which conceived the 50x15 Initiative, uses its resources to support and build on existing solutions for internet access and taking these initiatives to a greater scale.

The 50x15 Initiative, launched by AMD in 2004 at the World Economic Forum, aims at providing accessible internet and computers for 50 per cent of the world’s population by the year 2015.

The firm also concentrates on providing specific services including VoIP and telephony in rural areas.

“It’s not just for rural populations though, it’s also for highly urbanised populations. It doesn’t mean one computer for each person. We believe by 2015 the way people interact with computers will be very different,” Shine added.

The firm is also involved with the World Economic Forum’s global education project that has had deployments with the Jordan and Egypt education initiatives.

Private sector companies in the UAE have a chance to provide cost-effective services including WiFi and cellular broadband, to bolster the 50x15 effort, Shine said.

“There’s so much physical and architectural growth here. By building technology into architecture – high rises or low cost-housing – that would be available immediately or in a few years, you could really improve the ability of delivering services to people,” he added.

AMD, which acquires 70 per cent of its profits from outside the United States, announced the 50x15 Initiative at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos when global internet usage was just over the 10 per cent mark.


The numbers:

10%: The percentage of global internet usage in 2004

2015: The year when AMD hopes 50 per cent of the world will have internet access
Source

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Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Regional Meeting

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Regional Meeting started today at Grand Hyatt in Dubai and will continue for three days, until the 3rd of April. The Meeting is co-hosted by the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

The Meeting commenced with three keynote addresses delivered by Mohamed Al Ghanim, TRA Board Member and Director General, followed by Dr. Paul Twomey, ICANN President and CEO, and Mr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Chairman & CEO of Talal Abu Ghazaleh Organization (TAGOrg). The first session was concluded with a presentation by Mr. Mohammad Al-Zarooni, Chief Technology Officer at the TRA.

The first day included many presentations and discussions on ICANN Multi-Stakeholder Models, the IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) General Overview and Initial Protocol Revision Effects, and Writing Domain Names in Different Arabic Script Based Languages - Language vs. Script; where it was concluded with a day summary and closing remarks.

To this end, Mohamed Al Ghanim welcomed the participants to this "Important Regional Meeting" and said: "This outreach initiative by ICANN is vital for the development of a truly global internet, where all countries can actively participate and have a voice. The Arab countries welcome the opportunity to participate and provide input to ICANN as an organization and to the Internet as an industry." Al Ghanim continued: "During the last GCC ccTLDs group meeting, a technical proposal for implementing Arabic domain names in the GCC Countries was presented and accepted and a technical taskforce was formed and assigned to implement the proposal within 6 months, consisting of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Oman. The project was later extended to include all the 22 Arab countries, and hence was indorsed by the Arab League., where its name has become Arabic Domain Names Pilot Project or ADN Pilot Project.

The outcome was remarkable with numerous deliverables such as establishing the steering and technical committees, preparing the Arabic DNS root servers, preparing the Arabic ccTLD servers for the participating countries and connecting them with the Arabic root servers, registering and testing Arabic domain names, testing and developing tools supporting the use of Arabic domain names and DNS, testing and developing end-user applications such as browsers, email clients, and so forth, to ensure support of Arabic domain names, drafting technical guidelines, defining policies and regulations for registering Arabic domain names, and participating in local and regional activities related to Arabic domain names." Yet, Al Ghanim noted that, "the international recognition of the Arabic TLDs was essential, hence this is the importance of the Regional Meeting of ICANN after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia (ESCWA) and ICANN to build a cooperative working relationship in identified areas of common interest, and specifically to work towards the implementation of IDNs in the Arabic language, and to engage in the further development of the generic top-level domain name space.

We do believe that the partnership program will foster discussions and raise awareness within the Arab Internet community regarding technical and policy aspects of the IDN System." In this respect, Al Ghanim clarified that, "the TRA has recently established a central regulatory and administrative body within the UAE that will provide representation on this issue and any future topics that impact the Internet in this country, particularly those related to the .ae Domain Name. The .ae Domain Administration (.aeDA) has been recently developed after an exhaustive review process, where the TRA has become the legal registry for the Top Level Domain Name (.ae) of the UAE." He continued saying that, "under this new .ae regulatory framework, users will benefit greatly through a single focused and neutral administrative body; through a facilitated accessibility of the .ae domain name to the Internet users in the UAE; and through enhancing the integrity of the namespace via promoting the strong cultural values of the country while following the 'International Best Practice' procedures regarding the technical management and delivery of the Registry.

Through .aeDA we have invested heavily in infrastructure and expertise that will hold the UAE in good stead as the Internet continues its rapid growth. The TRA is delighted to announce at this Meeting that it recently received the delegation of the .ae Domain Name from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Although the process was long and time consuming, this re-delegation is symbolic of the commitment of the TRA for the further development and integration of the Internet within the UAE and the region." Al Ghanim thanked all the participants, wishing them the best in "building bridges of cooperation for the joint prosperity of our societies and importantly to work together in solving the broader issues of the Internet for the benefit of all users." WAM

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Domain names in Arabic soon online

The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said it is co-hosting the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Regional Meeting in cooperation with ICANN.

ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet.

A key topic to be discussed at the meeting which will take place in Dubai, on 1 - 3 April 2008 is the possibility of getting domain names in Arabic online and making them available to the public.

Participants will also discuss "finding ways to use Arabic for domain names as well as the use of Arabic invisible characters", said RTA.

The ICANN community has been working on Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) to make close to 100,000 characters from the scripts and languages of the world available for domain names.

Right now ICANN is in the midst of a technical evaluation of IDNs, which is one of the most significant steps towards a multilingual Internet. This evaluation is being done through wiki sites with the domain name example.test, but represented in 11 languages; including Arabic. They can all be accessed at idn.icann.org.

Other important topics at the Dubai Meeting include how ICANN works and what it does to coordinate the Internet's unique identifiers, as well as updates on what is happening in developing an application and approval process for new top level domains; the part of the domain name after the dot.

"ICANN had incredibly productive discussions at its recent meeting in India on work being done to get the languages and scripts of that country available for domain names from beginning to end," said Dr Paul Twomey, ICANN's President and CEO. "At this Dubai meeting, we're hoping to have similar discussions, and get similar insights into the challenges and solutions being worked on at the local level from the people doing the work in the Arab world - and help us move toward the goal of having domain names in scripts like Arabic from start to finish."

"The move to Internationalized Domain Names is a complex new environment when it comes to technical consideration, as well as policy decisions," Dr Twomey added. "The ICANN community is working on how these characters will be able to be implemented after the dot in domain names. There also is a process being discussed among our communities about whether there could be a fast track for a group of countries or territories that have a need for IDNs earlier than the others."

For his part, Mohamed Al Ghanim, TRA Board Member and Director General said: "Being the legal registry of the UAE Top Level Domain Name (.ae), the TRA is keen on working to enhance the statues of the national domain name in the IDN registry structure. Therefore, we strongly believe that this ICANN Regional Meeting is going to help all of us share experiences and work together to make that happen. We do know that cooperation on the regional level is a key factor in integrating the Arabic language into the domain name field. This is becoming an essential requirement to the development of the Arab communities with respect to the ICT sector."

"Internet penetration in the Arab world is considered very low in comparison to the English speaking societies. One of the obstacles facing the growth of this penetration is the language barrier. The TRA evaluates the importance of the Meeting's objectives on IDNs as the best scientific way to provide the technological means to the UAE and the Arab countries to share an easy, available and vast source of knowledge with the goal of bringing Arabic to domain names," Mr. Al Ghanim concluded. WAM

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IDC Middle East CIO Summit under way

At least 120 chief information officers (CIOs) from across the Middle East have gathered here to discuss security and management issues affecting the IT industry with officials of a global market intelligence company.
In a statement, the International Data Corporation (IDC) said that it expects the two-day IDC Middle East CIO Summit that opened yesterday to "spur long-term professional friendships and business relationships" among participants.

It also said that the summit was created to address the IT's rapid inroads into business, industry and government, and the need for strong technology leadership. "The position of CIO is still relatively new and technology is changing so fast that management traditions have not yet been established," it stressed.

It said that in the past five years IT spending has more than doubled in most Middle Eastern nations, and that future growth will continue to be in double digits.

IDC said earlier that total investment in IT spending in the Middle East and Africa could reach Dh148.7 billion ($40.5 billion) this year, a 13 per cent increase over 2007.

In the Gulf region it could reach Dh33.4 billion ($9.1 billion). Source

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Camera that can see through clothes hits Dubai

Dubai Mercantile Exchange is to deploy a new x-ray camera that can see through clothing to detect hidden explosives, drugs and weapons, it was reported on Monday.

British broadcaster the BBC said the commodities exchange and Canary Wharf in London were among the first buyers of the portable camera, known an as the T5000 Security Imaging System.

The camera has been developed by UK-based Thruvision and is to be unveiled at the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) Exhibition on March 12-13.

The T5000 can detect both metallic and non-metallic threat objects under clothing on still or moving subjects from up to 25 metres away.

Although it can see through clothing, the camera does not reveal "body detail".

"You see a silhouette of the form [of a body] but you don't see surface anatomical effects," a Thruvision spokesperson told the BBC.

Thruvision said the camera uses technology originally developed by astronomers to see far off stars.

The camera detects low level energy known as Terahertz rays, or T-rays, that is naturally emitted from all materials, including rocks, plants, animals and people, the company said.

The T5000 passively collects T-rays and processes them to form images that reveal concealed objects hidden under a person’s clothing, it added.

Thruvision said camera did not subject people to any harmful radiation associated with traditional x-ray security screening. Source

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Microsoft set to launch Windows Server 2008

Microsoft Gulf yesterday announced that it is getting ready to launch Windows Server 2008 in the Middle East.

This signifies yet another important milestone on the road to the ‘Heroes Happen Here’ global launch of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008, which will take place in Los Angeles on February 27th, 2008. Touted as the industry’s next hottest technology product, Windows Server 2008 is Microsoft’s next-generation operating system and the successor to Microsoft Server 2003.

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Etisalat will offer spam protection to UAE customers

Etisalat announced today that will launch a new anti-spam service that provides its customers additional protection against the inconvenience caused by un-solicited SMS messages (spam) received from overseas sources.

The service is delivered by a software package called 'PolicyFilter SMS', from AdaptiveMobile that filters all Short Message Service (SMS) received by Etisalat's network from overseas sources, which aim to target Etisalat's 6.4 million users. The product identifies any international incoming SMS traffic considered as spam that could impact Etisalat's customers, causing inconvenience to the individual and a degradation of the quality of service delivered by the Etisalat network. The implementation in Etisalat's network ensures its customers are proactively protected from international SMS spam. The solution has been customised for the Arabian market using both Arabic and English languages.

Essa AlHaddad, Chief Marketing Officer, at Etisalat said:"Etisalat is extremely vigilant towards the protection of the individual and we rely heavily on the technology delivered by companies such as AdaptiveMobile to offer our customers total peace of mind. Our subscribers do not want to receive SMS spam and Etisalat's pro-active approach to security compels us to continually look at measures that can be adopted to maintain the quality of service on our network and that will support us in ensuring the well-being and satisfaction of our customers."

AdaptiveMobile provides unified mobile customer protection across all mobile technologies, security threats and media types. This includes protection against illegal or inappropriate content, viruses and malware, unsolicited messaging and unauthorised communications. It allows mobile operators to offer parental controls to protect minors, and to extend corporate security policies through to mobile assets. It works across all mobile services (WAP, SMS, MMS, email), all forms of access (mobile, including GPRS and 3G mobile, WiFi, WiMax) and for all media, including mobile Internet, text, images, music, voice and video.

Lorcan Burke, AdaptiveMobile CEO said: "As mobile operators worldwide continue to vie for customer attention, it is key that customers can feel instantly comfortable and protected through their choice of provider. These sorts of products can give an immediate competitive advantage within such a crowded market."

AdaptiveMobile has forged strategic partnerships with leading network infrastructure providers such as Cisco and HP, and has strong relationships with enterprise security companies such as Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, Sophos and Websense for anti-virus signatures, anti-spam and Internet categorisation filtering.

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Dubai's Terminal 3 to have best of technology

From baggage with radio-frequency tracking to debris protected runways, Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 will be the pinnacle of aviation technology when it opens this year, according to airport officials.

Emirates Airline has announced it is partnering with London Heathrow, Dubai International and Hong Kong International airports to try out the latest radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology by Motorola in baggage handling.

It reflects a growing trend among the world’s top airports of investing in information technology to combat congestion and security, according to the fourth Airport IT Trend Survey by SITA.

The Dh2 million investment will be the largest-ever trial with half a million bags on Emirates flights to be tagged over the next six months, an airline Press release stated.

With 58 of the A380 aircraft entering Emirates’ service, each doubling the number of bags handled per aircraft, and the exclusively Emirates Terminal 3 opening this summer planned to handle more than 60 million passengers, the airline is keen to find new ways to improve baggage handling infrastructure.

Dale Griffith, divisional senior vice-president, Airport Services, Emirates, said: “Previous RFID trials by other parties on a smaller scale have shown that the technology almost eliminates scanner ‘misreads’, significantly improving the efficiency of the baggage system and customer experience.

If successful, the results would be shared with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other airports encouraged to use the technology.

SITA Middle East and Turkey vice-president Hani El Assaad said passenger and baggage processing were the priorities for airports.

“Delays at security, check-in and baggage collection are all touch points which frustrate the travelling public and they are now at the top of the airport IT agenda when it comes to investing in new technologies such as self-service kiosks, remote passenger check-in, fast bag drop-off and biometrics,” El Assaad said.

It is expected that Terminal 3 will take the best of the aviation technology available when it opens later this year.

General Electric Security has announced a $9 million contract with the airport to install their advanced explosives detection systems at Terminal 3.

Contracts have already been announced for the installation of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) technology at Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central (DWC), which allows pilots to position for the best landing.

QinetiQ’s Tarsier radar system technology, which can detect small items of potentially dangerous debris on airports runways, was bought by Dubai International Airport for two million pounds in 2005. Source

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Seminar on Environmental issues hight the importance of safety

BDH Middle East founded by Mr Narendra Pandya-Managing Director, along with a professional team of Technical Managers, Marketing & Sales experts, Product Specialists and Service Engineers serves the whole spectrum of the LABORATORY sector to provide commercial and technical know-how for turnkey projects and total equipment supply in the Laboratories existing in the entire Middle East.

BDH MIDDLE EAST LLC is the regional office for BDH Laboratory Supplies, U.K. in the UAE. Almost 200 years old, BDH Laboratory Supplies is ISO 9002 certified and its AnalaR trademark is recognized worldwide as a benchmark for quality and purity in analytical chemistry.
Included among the laboratories currently BDH caters: Government, Municipalities, Sewerage, Water testing, textile and woolen mills, food manufacturing plants, plastic manufacturing, pharmaceutical and chemical companies, timber industries, hospitals, hotels, bakeries, laundries, as well as many process manufacturing plants

According to Ms Sylvia d’Costa, General Manager for the Group, BDHME undertakes complete TURNKEY projects from Lab design, Furnishing, Equipment supply, Installation & Commissioning !! With several separate divisions to provide Mobile Laboratories for Construction industries including Material Testing equipment, Soil Investigation Rigs, Fire Testing & Thermal Insulation Equipment, Analytical Equipment, Medical Equipment, Petroleum Testing Equipment, Gold Testing Equipment, Oilfield supply & Mud Lab Equipment, Survey Equipment, Corrosion Laboratory Equipment, Environmental Monitoring Equipment, Process Control & Instrument, Complete Lab designing and Furnishing etc. BDH serves the local markets of the UAE, GCC and the Middle East region with specialized building materials and contracting services for environmental protection and industrial applications.

ECOTECH Pty Ltd, Australia is a manufacturer and supplier of all kinds of equipment which are used in Monitoring Ambient Air, fine dust particles and toxic gases in the air.

CEO of Ecotech, Mr Robert Dal Sasso is a well known name in Air Monitoring field. He is also a NATA signatory and a Technical Assessor for National Association of Testing Authorities of Australia. He has presented a series of topic at US EPA along with on site training conducted to many EPA authorities world wide on air quality monitoring systems. He has headed a delegation in many countries world wide related to environmental monitoring and contributed a lot of technical articles on such related topics

Mr Sanjay Kumar-Marketing Manager, has successfully approached the high level dignitaries who are contributing in implementing the laws to monitor and maintain the clean atmosphere and healthy environment in the UAE which includes Environment & Safety Section, Federal Environment Agencies, Environmental Impact Assessment Authorities, Road Transport Authority, Regulatory Measure department, National Centre for Meteorology & Seismology, different Municipalities of the Emirates, independent laboratories, Property developers like EMAAR, NAKHEEL, SAMA Dubai, and major oil & gas operating companies



UAE has witnessed remarkable growth in the sector of properties and various other industries. With that ofcourse, there is a growing concern of increasing air, water and other atmospheric pollution. UAE is on the forefront of maintaining high quality standards. To implement such standards, there is a growing need to monitor and maintain a clean and safe environment which is free from pollutants like toxic gases and fine dust particles, which can affect human health.

Mr Nouveel Pandya-Business Development Director is very confident that with strong UAE quality standards and growing demands complimented by adequate and right supplies of the equipments will make it possible for a much cleaner and safe environment to live a healthy life. Also this kind of Seminars will definitely bring a lot of awareness of the kind of equipments and mobile stations available for monitoring ambient air and other environmental issues

The whole seminar was concluded with the application of these kinds of equipments to provide safe and healthy living in the UAE. (PR)

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du and Microsoft Launch the 'Let your dream mobile application out' competition

Creating a new platform for young and talented scientific minds, du, the UAE’s new telecom operator and Microsoft have joined hands to organise the 'Let your dream mobile application out' Competition for all students of Colleges and Universities in the UAE. The competition will run from 5 February to 18 March 2008.

The competition is designed to unleash the students’ creativity and innovation in developing intelligent mobile application suites around the themes – social networking, lifestyle and environment. This presents an opportunity for all students from Universities in the UAE including members of the du-Microsoft .Net Club at the University of Sharjah, UAE University and the American University of Dubai to discover how far their ideas can really take them while creating a different era of next generation mobile applications.

Osman Sultan, CEO du stressed on du's commitment to giving back to the community and the youth segment in particular, “Education and career is something we consider an important responsibility. The du-Microsoft .Net Club initiative, co-partnered with Microsoft, has gathered momentum over the past year and is set to play a significant role in providing students with access to career forming opportunities. We have designed this competition to make students a part of the telecom revolution sweeping the UAE. They not only get to showcase their potential but also get recognition and rewards to catapult them into the big league in mobile application development.” (PR)

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CISCO Networking Academy Opens at Abu Dhabi University

The College of Engineering and Computer Science at Abu Dhabi University (ADU) announced the launch of a Cisco Networking Academy in cooperation with Cisco Systems, Inc., which will open its doors in February 2008.

It is a much welcomed addition to already existing programmes that are all well-suited to equip students with the necessary advanced networking skills needed for the 21st century Information Communication Technology (ICT) professionals.

The Cisco Networking Academy (Netacad) utilises a blended learning model, integrating face-to-face teaching with a challenging web-based curriculum, hands-on lab exercises and Internet-based assessments. Academy graduates will be prepared for networking and IT-related careers in the public and private sectors, as well as for higher education in engineering, computer science and related fields.

"We at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at ADU are very proud to include this new programme to our growing college offerings. With a comprehensive curriculum and onsite training programme developed by leading education and networking experts, the Cisco Networking Academy Programme demonstrates the highly successful alliance among Cisco Systems Inc., educators, governments, leading technology companies, and non-profit organisations," commented Dr. Aly Nazmy, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The Cisco Networking Academy Programme is a highly successful programme, which teaches students to design, build and maintain computer networks. The programme will prepare students for industry standard certifications. These certifications are viewed as a valid measure for assessing skills and assure an employer that the certified individual has practical qualifications. The certifications include: Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and they are very valuable additions to any one's career portfolio.(WAM)

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Hi-tech checking of passports planned

The Abu Dhabi Naturalisation and Residency Department (ADNRD) is planning to use new technology to check passports at the country’s borders and airports, a top official has said.

Colonel Nassir Al Awadi Al Minhali, director of the ADNRD, said the UAE was seeking to import new equipment, technologies, and systems to check the people entering the country.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on telephone from Germany, where he is currently with the UAE’s ADNRD delegation, he said, “We are now attending training courses to get all the required information to modernise the ADNRD’s system country-wide.”

The delegation is studying the latest technology used at the airports in Germany. Source

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Bill Gates visits Dubai School of Government

During his visit to the UAE, Microsoft founder Bill Gates met with officials from the Dubai School of Government.
Cooperation between the two establishments was the main topic of discussion during the meeting, in an effort to utilize Microsoft's expertise in the practical implementation of e-government in the UAE and the Arab world in general, as well as enhancing private-public partnerships.

The Dubai School of Government also organized a meeting between Bill Gates and a delegation of Director Generals from the Dubai Government to discuss the Dubai Strategic Plan.

Commenting on the strategy pillars of the plan, Gates highlighted the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in enhancing the quality of government services and operations. He pointed out that technology benefits are not limited to the public sector.

Rather, they affect all vital sectors, including healthcare, where it is now possible for physicians to review the medical history of their patients before diagnosing a sickness, no matter wherever they are.

Gates also emphasized the impact of technology on education, stressing that ICT strengthens students' learning abilities and facilitates access to information through new interactive media.

Nabil Ali Alyousuf, Executive President of the Dubai School of Government, welcomed the visit of Bill Gates to Dubai, noting that Gates' visit is in line with the Dubai School of Government's efforts to foster cooperation with global leaders in research and technology.

Discussions also touched on regional studies undertaken by the Dubai School of Government in the framework of the e-Government initiative it launched in collaboration with leading non-governmental and private sector institutions, including Microsoft.

Microsoft and the Dubai School of Government announced the launch of the e-government portal in support of development and modernization programs in Arab countries.

Through this portal, the Dubai School of Government seeks to facilitate the exchange of e-government information and expertise, disseminate best practices, and implement e-government programs and solutions common to Arab governments.

Nabil Ali Alyousuf said, "Thanks to our cooperation with Microsoft, we will provide training programs and software which will help us get better results. In fact, Microsoft has repeatedly shown its commitment to support government plans in the region by providing capacity building activities and technical solutions. We firmly believe that Microsoft is the ideal partner for this project." (WAM)

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Dubai Cares, Microsoft sign cooperation agreement to help developing countries

Microsoft Corporation and Dubai Cares charity campaign today joined forces in a landmark initiative to enable children in developing countries to enter the digital age by providing them with latest technology in education.

The Dubai Cares-Microsoft Digital Initiative was announced during a special signing ceremony attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.

The joint digital initiative will provide access to technology that helps developing the knowledge and skills necessary for the 21st century workplace for students, teachers and communities within the next 5 years.

The programme will raise the level of computer literacy among school staff and parents in needy communities, helping teachers foster a culture of innovation among students. The initiative will result in a dramatic increase in the availability of quality education and demonstrate how technology can enhance learning and improve educational systems in the least developed parts of the world.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, chairman of the executive office in Dubai Government said that the "Dubai Cares seeks to be a forerunner of knowledge, dispelling the darkness of ignorance by giving needy children in poor countries firm hope for their future and opportunities to break the cycle of poverty. Only through education can they assume their rightful position as positive contributors to the prosperity of their communities and countries." As per this agreement, Microsoft will help to establish Learning Resource Centres that will serve as community based e-learning hubs for students, teachers and communities. The next phase will enable Dubai Cares and concerned governments to launch targeted PC campaigns for students, teachers and communities that will help in enabling an effective learning environment with the relevant software, capacity development, and educational curricula.

"This partnership with Dubai Cares grows out of our belief that the public and private sectors must work together to foster local innovation and promote economic growth", said Gates, adding that "We look forward to working with Dubai Cares to help provide technology and skills training that can lead to the creation of new jobs and new opportunities." Microsoft offers a wide variety of educational resources including tools, teacher training programmes and best practices that broaden access to technology and help educators effectively use technology for teaching and learning purposes. It currently runs two digital inclusion programmes on a global scale to bring the benefits of technology to 250 million under-served people worldwide.

Launched by Sheikh Mohammed, Dubai Cares raised more than US$1 billion to help educate children in poor countries. The campaign is Dubai's contribution to the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of providing primary education to every child by 2015.(WAM)

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Microsoft and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation enter into partnership

Microsoft Corporation will partner with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation to provide the technology that will support the Foundation in its efforts to act as a knowledge hub in the Arab world.

Bill Gates, founder and owner of Microsoft and Mohammed Al Gergawi, chairman of the board of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, signed on Sunday a strategic agreement in Dubai to launch the Arab Education and Research Network, a first-ever knowledge portal in the Arab world.

The signing ceremony was graced by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

This technology will boost the region's capabilities and serve as a gateway to world-class knowledge, providing the right platform to encourage researchers and faculties contributing to the Arab knowledge development.

The agreement supports one of the strategic programmes announced by Sheikh Mohammed during his opening speech at the Knowledge Conference held in Dubai last October.

In his speech, Sheikh Mohammed highlighted the knowledge network platform that will nurture and develop the region?s talent pool.

The platform will facilitate communication and the exchange of information and knowledge among professors, researchers and academic institutions. It will also help construct a foundation for a data bank of digital Arabic research to provide a backbone for the Foundation's initiatives.

Al Gergawi, said: ?Microsoft is recognized as a global information technology leader and its innovative solutions have significantly impacted the world. We are confident that the company's world-class platforms will be a major asset in fulfilling the Foundation's strategic objectives.

"Dubai has always valued partnerships between the private and public sector organisations as a key requirement for pursuing new growth and development avenues. The Foundation's aspirations to evolve the region's knowledge capabilities will be backed by the cutting-edge technology provided by Microsoft.

'' The new platform will create an unprecedented network of scholars, researchers and students and will give unlimited access to a huge knowledge pool,'' he added.

Microsoft will support the Foundation's objectives by designing and implementing a state-of-the-art technology platform that enables collaborative research and knowledge creation in the Arab world.

Launched with an endowment of US$10 billion, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation works on promoting human development and exploring development opportunities in the Arab world by investing in education and knowledge creation.

''We live in an age where information technology is providing people with powerful tools for creating new social and economic opportunities," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corporation.

"We welcome this opportunity to work with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation to help accelerate the development of a knowledge-based society in the Gulf region, by fostering innovation and focusing on research and higher education." In the first phase of its partnership with the foundation, Microsoft will build the critical communications capabilities required for effective collaboration. These will include the latest knowledge sharing solutions, which will help develop an Arab Research Database; and an extensive e-library.

Microsoft's world leading communication platforms, online chat and discussion boards, newsletters, and sites for blogging and social networking will also form a core of the project. (WAM)

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Microsoft aims to create new opportunity for everyone through education

Microsoft Corp. has announced a renewed commitment over the next five years to Partners in Learning, a program that provides the education community with resources and training to help students reach their full potential.

Through Partners in Learning, Microsoft is leveraging the transformative power of software to create innovative educational experiences that remove limitations, create opportunities, and bring students and teachers closer.

Since its launch in 2003, Partners in Learning has touched the lives of more than 90 million students, teachers and education policymakers in 101 countries. In the next five years, Microsoft is aiming to triple the impact of Partners in Learning's three core programs: Innovative Teachers, Innovative Students and Innovative Schools.

Partners in Learning is a key education initiative under Microsoft Unlimited Potential, the company's commitment to creating sustained social and economic opportunity for everyone.

"Microsoft has always believed that education is the cornerstone of opportunity, and that investing in education is the best way to help young people achieve their potential," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "Partners in Learning is one of the ways Microsoft works with governments and schools around the world to help teachers use technology in the classroom to make learning exciting and relevant for the 21st century," he added.

Students, teachers, educators and governments already impacted by Microsoft's commitment to the Partners in Learning programme can be found across the region. One such teacher is Maha Al Shakhshir, a biology teacher from Jordan's Jellol Secondary School in the Middle Bedouin District and a past recipient of the Secondary School Content award at a Partners in Learning Innovative Teachers Forum (ITF). She has attended several regional and global ITF events in recent years and says the opportunity to collaborate with teachers globally has a positive impact on her time in the classroom.

"Teachers all over the world face the same challenges as I do each day. Our role as educators is to prepare our students for the outside world," Shakhshir said. "Integrating the power of technology with our curriculum can improve the quality of life and economic vitality of our community by preparing our students for the future," she added.

Other successful regional Partners in Learning programs include Bahrain's Ministry of Education who partnered with Microsoft to train teachers in ICT skills to use their new technology knowledge to teach their students. To date 1,000 teachers have been trained in ICT skills, in turn training a further 10,000 teachers. Similarly, Egypt's Ministry of Education partnered with Microsoft to train more than 50,000 teachers.

In Qatar, Al-Bayan Educational Complex for Girls was a founding member in Microsoft's Innovative Schools two-year program with the goal of transforming the school into a model for successful 21st-century education. This program will equip girls with the skills they need to participate successfully in Qatar's work force and continue to increase the number of women making a significant contribution to the country's growth as a knowledge economy.

"Microsoft provided us with a unique opportunity to take an innovative approach at creating locally appropriate and relevant curiculum," said Hissa Abdulla, Principal of the Al-Bayan Educational Complex for Girls. "Success will have national implications, as Al-Bayan is a leading school in the education reform initiative in Qatar," she added.

In addition, the Innovative Students program provides affordable, reliable software to qualifying governments purchasing Windows-based PCs for primary and secondary students' personal use at home. Finally, through the Innovative Schools program, Microsoft works with governments, educators and partners to deliver expert guidance in holistic school reform, plus a road map for technology integration to help schools meet their education objectives.

Today's announcement represents a new, five-year, US$235.5 million investment, and will bring the company's total 10-year commitment in Partners in Learning to nearly US$500 million. Ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to learn is an enormous challenge that requires participation by both the public and private sectors. Microsoft is deeply committed to collaborating with education partners around the world to provide relevant, high-quality learning experiences, and enable students and teachers to achieve their fullest potential. (WAM)

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Bill Gates to address leaders forum today

Microsoft yesterday announced that more than 250 government representatives from across the Middle East and North Africa will attend the Government Leaders Forum (GLF) Arabia 2008 which begins today.

Bill Gates will be the keynote speaker at the forum, to be held today and tomorrow at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. This is the first time the Microsoft chief is visiting the UAE.

GLF Arabia 2008 seeks to address issues related to the forum’s title — ‘Accelerating Arab Competitiveness’ — through panel discussions, examining case studies and presentations.

Every Arab country will be represented at the event, as government officials explore the most effective ways of building capacity through education and training, and also modernising government departments with the latest technologies. Source

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