Commvault CEO, Bob Hammer, to Outline Five Fundamentals of Holistic Data Management in Commvault GO Keynote

Keynote reinforces the power of the Commvault Data Platform to manage, control and drive value out of data regardless of where it resides across the enterprise

Commvault customers, News Corp and City of Oakland, show attendees how Commvault Data Platform enabled them to overcome complex data challenges and maintain competitive advantage

October 10, 2016 – Commvault chairman, president and CEO, N. Robert Hammer, will open the company’s inaugural customer conference, Commvault GO 2016, focused on the five fundamentals that enable enterprises to gain a holistic data management strategy. The need for a holistic data management strategy has been brought on by the move to the cloud, application explosion, increasing demand for security and compliance, and anywhere computing. With data at the center of everything, enterprises now more than ever need the ability to activate data regardless of where it resides.

The five fundamentals are, first of all, knowing your data. Organizations today need to have control over where data is stored, how secure it is and how available it is for fast recovery, disaster recovery, test/dev, reporting and business analytics. By embracing a rich, broad, dynamic and scalable index, organizations can collect, modify and organize all their information.

The second fundamental is to federate your data, as in today’s data universe, enterprises don’t just have a few data points and silos, they have many and may not know what data they have or where it is located. To federate data is to seamlessly protect, recover, move, find and deliver apps and data spanning different infrastructures, and to also access and use data without having to move it.

The third fundamental is to mobilize you data. Organizations need to aggregate their data, which currently resides in array of locations – on premise, in the cloud, in virtual environments and on mobile. To successfully mobilize, organizations must be able to back-up data on these devices to prevent data loss and wipe all important data from a device.

Penultimately, the fourth fundamental is to govern your data by complying with an increasing number of compliance requirements in regulated industries, as is today’s reality. By having data federated under one corporate governance capability, organizations can understand what data they have, where it resides and have the ability to put auditable policies on data ensuring compliance.

Finally, organizations must secure their data. In this world of hacks, malware, ransomware and other threats, both internal and external, organizations need to be able to secure their data. A securitization strategy into how data is managed requires authentication of the person who wants to access data, confirmation that the person has access to the right data, and ensures data is secured, encrypted and password protected.

“It’s no secret that the industry and customers across the world are at a tipping point of disruption and face complex questions on how to efficiently deal with an explosion of different types of applications, data and IT infrastructures,” said N. Robert Hammer, chairman, president and CEO of Commvault. “The five fundamentals provide smart advice for organizations to launch a holistic strategy and gain insights and value from their data in disparate environments. Commvault’s Data Platform is focused on solving customer challenges and these are essential guiding points for enterprises to succeed and thrive while facing changing circumstances.”

The Commvault Data Platform Makes It All Possible

Bringing these fundamentals together requires a data platform that empowers organizations to control this data universe to drive value and business insight. This platform-centric approach allows customers to streamline processes and operations, and therefore easily manage their data, and eliminate downtime and workload impact.

Commvault’s Data Platform addresses the five fundamentals of holistic data management to empower customers with a strong foundation to use and create value from their data whether it resides in the cloud, the data center, hybrid environments, or on mobile.

News Corp and City of Oakland Show the Power of Commvault Solutions

In addition to providing insight on how organizations can turn disruption into opportunity, Hammer will also introduce the audience to Commvault customers, News Corp and City of Oakland, who will show how a holistic data management approach allowed them to create value out of their data and achieve improved business and IT outcomes.

Hammer will address an audience of leading industry analysts, customers, experts and notable personalities to kick off Commvault’s first customer conference dedicated to protecting and activating data whether it resides in the cloud, the data center, hybrid environments, or on mobile.

Currently being held at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla., Commvault GO 2016 will provide attendees with the opportunity to participate in 45 breakout sessions and hands-on labs, while experiencing an agenda of premier keynote speakers, including Gartner’s Dave Russell, technology evangelist Robert Scoble, Microsoft’s Steve Guggenheimer, Cisco’s Satinder Sethi, ESG’s Steve Duplessie and critical thinker Adam Savage (formerly of Mythbusters). Participate in the conversation on Twitter with #CommvaultGO and by following @Commvault.

A video replay of Hammer’s keynote will be available at 3:00 PM ET on www.youtube.com/commvault

About the Commvault Data Platform and Solutions Portfolio

The eleventh version of Commvault solutions portfolio is uniquely positioned to help customers activate their data by accelerating the transformation from legacy data management to a modern data environment to unlock critical business insight and drive new value from customers’ technology investments. The Commvault solutions portfolio is comprised of an industry-leading product offering in the areas of data protection and recovery, cloud, virtualization, archive, and file sync and share that addresses evolving market trends, growth areas, and customer use cases. The Commvault Data Platform is open and standards-based, helping customers better leverage data, improve IT operations, and enabling 3rd party innovation.

About Commvault

Commvault is a leading provider of data protection and information management solutions, helping companies worldwide activate their data to drive more value and business insight and to transform modern data environments. With solutions and services delivered directly and through a worldwide network of partners and service providers, Commvault solutions comprise one of the industry’s leading portfolios in data protection and recovery, cloud, virtualization, archive, file sync and share. Commvault has earned accolades from customers and third party influencers for its technology vision, innovation, and execution as an independent and trusted expert. Without the distraction of a hardware business or other business agenda, Commvault’s sole focus on data management has led to adoption by companies of all sizes, in all industries, and for solutions deployed on premise, across mobile platforms, to and from the cloud, and provided as-a-service. Commvault employs more than 2,000 highly skilled individuals across markets worldwide, is publicly traded on NASDAQ (CVLT), and is headquartered in Tinton Falls, New Jersey in the United States. To learn more about Commvault — and how it can help make your data work for you — visit commvault.com.

Emirates and Google join hands to launch “Celebrating Arabic Reading”

Initiative encourages millions to read, with highest discounted access to over 4,000 Arabic books at the Google Play Store

Cairo, Egypt, Monday 10 October: Emirates Airline and Google are ‘Celebrating Arabic Reading’ all through October in a collaboration to reach millions of smartphone users in the region, and support the UAE’s Year of Reading, a national initiative spearheaded by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The aim of the UAE’s Year of Reading is to nurture an entire generation of lifelong readers, and ensure the groundwork is in place to support the country’s knowledge economy goals.

The mission of the ‘Celebrating Arabic Reading’ initiative is to make Arabic books more accessible for first-time online book readers and book lovers alike with unprecedented discounts of up to 90% off on online books at the Google Play Books store, the world’s largest ebookstore that hosts more than 5 million titles and offers readers smart technology.  Discounts are valid across nine countries in the Google Play Store (both in IOS and Android) for: the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. This is the first such online book initiative, and the first discount of this scale in the region at the Google Play Store.

For a four-week period, Google will run its highest ever discount on the Play Books store on more than 4,000 popular fiction, non-fiction and children’s titles in an effort to reach millions of smartphone users in the Middle East and GCC.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group commented on Emirates’ partnership with Google: “Books can stimulate, inform, touch minds and hearts, and open up a world of possibilities for readers. As founding sponsors of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, we are staunch supporters of the written word.

Our ‘Celebrating Arabic Reading’ initiative with Google aims to encourage more people to read, and try out Arabic e-books. Smartphones and tablets are increasingly a part of our daily lives, so it makes perfect sense to promote reading on these new platforms as well. People are hungry for content, especially Arabic digital content, and there isn’t a smarter investment for the future of this region than providing access to e-books to broaden the horizons of millions.”

Ronan Harris, Vice President for Large Customer Sales for Google Europe Middle East and Africa said: “Technology has always played a pivotal role in providing people with equal access to information, and empowering them with knowledge. That’s something we’re very passionate about at Google and it’s in line with our core mission here in MENA to help promote and preserve local Arabic content on the web whether it was on YouTube, Search, Maps or Play. Through our collaboration with Emirates, we hope we can make Arabic literature more accessible and enjoyable than ever. There is so much opportunity to build the digital ecosystem here and we’re happy to have partners like Emirates make it happen.”

To showcase the best of Arabic content, Emirates also commissioned the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and the Emirates Literature Foundation to help identify and curate a collection of over 50 Arabic books in the Google Play Books store that will be discounted at 90% off.  This curated book collection encompasses a wide variety of bestselling fiction and nonfiction titles such as Rua Falsafia Fel Hekam Wal Forousia and Tell You About My Tribe, as well as a robust list of children's e-books like Creatures on the Ceiling, Altghrayib Al-Bilaliyah and I Love.

Emirates actively supports and sponsors a number of educational and cultural initiatives in the UAE, including the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which last year attracted over 40,000 participants, 170 writers, thinkers and speakers from 35 countries. The airline also supports literature through its extensive audio-book section on ice, as well as engaging author interviews on Emirates World, a popular channel on ice. In addition, Emirates SkyCargo recently carried almost 8 tonnes of books to different parts of the world to support reading.

Internet connectivity and mobile technology has helped cut the information divide in the Arab world. More people than ever own or have access to a digital device, whether it is a tablet, mobile phone or laptop. According to the Mobile Economy Arab States 2015 Report, over 200 million people across the region are subscribed to a mobile device, presenting a unique opportunity to deliver e-book and educational content.

The UAE 2021 Vision and National Agenda includes a direct emphasis on Arabic language literacy. Data from 2014 shows that just under 60% of students are currently at this level in the UAE. By 2021, the UAE is targeting that 90% of students have proficient Arabic literacy skills.

According to UNESCO research, 67% of adults living in Arab States have basic literacy skills, compared to a global average of 82%, underscoring the need for developing local, relevant Arabic content on the web which is central to information knowledge sharing.

Books can be accessed on this link: g.co/ArabicBooks  

طيران الإمارات وGoogle يطلقان مبادرة "هيا نحتفل بعام القراءة"

المبادرة تشجع الملايين على القراءة وتتيح تخفيضات كبيرة

على نحو4000  كتاب إلكتروني من متجر Google Play

القاهرة، مصر، 10 أكتوبر 2016: تشترك طيران الإمارات مع Google في إطلاق مبادرة "هيا نحتفل بعام القراءة"، طوال شهر أكتوبر الجاري، وذلك بهدف الوصول إلى الملايين من مستخدمي الهواتف الذكية في المنطقة، ودعم مبادرة "عام القراءة في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة"، وهي مبادرة وطنية أطلقها صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، نائب رئيس الدولة رئيس الوزراء حاكم دبي (رعاه الله). ويهدف عام القراءة في الدولة إلى تربية جيل كامل من الشباب على القراءة مدى الحياة، وضمان ترسيخ أسس تدعم أهداف الاقتصاد القائم على المعرفة في الدولة.

وتتمثل رسالة مبادرة "هيا نحتفل بعام القراءة" في جعل الوصول إلى الكتب الإلكترونية الصادرة باللغة العربية أكثر سهولة لمن يمارسون القراءة لأول مرة ولعشاق القراءة على السواء، وذلك من خلال تخفيضات غير مسبوقة بنسبة تصل إلى 90% على أسعار الكتب الإلكترونية المتوفرة في متجر Google Play، أكبر متجر للكتب الإلكترونية في العالم.

وقال سمو الشيخ أحمد بن سعيد آل مكتوم، الرئيس الأعلى الرئيس التنفيذي لطيران الإمارات والمجموعة، في سياق تعليقه على الشراكة بين طيران الإمارات وGoogle: "يسعدنا في مجموعة الإمارات دعم هذه المبادرة الرائدة، خاصة وأن الكتب يمكن أن تلعب دوراً حيوياً في تعزيز المعرفة والثقافة، وملامسة العقول والقلوب، إلى جانب فتح عالم من الإمكانات أمام القراء. وتتكامل هذه الرعاية مع جهودنا الدؤوبة لرعاية وتشجيع الأدب والثقافة، من خلال أنشطة ومبادرات عديدة من أبرزها مهرجان طيران الإمارات للآداب الذي تعد طيران الإمارات الراعي المؤسس له".

وتسري التخفيضات في متجر Google Play (يمكن تحميله من خلال هواتف iSO وأندرويد)، في تسع دول هي دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، المملكة العربية السعودية، قطر، البحرين، سلطنة عمان، الكويت، لبنان، الأردن ومصر. وتعد هذه أول مبادرة تتعلق بالكتب الإلكترونية، كما يعد التخفيض المتاح ضمن المبادرة الأول من نوعه بهذا الحجم في المنطقة لدى متجر Google Play.

وعلى مدى فترة تستمر أربعة أسابيع ، يقوم متجر Google  بتوفير أكثر من 4000 كتاب من الروايات الأدب الشعبي والواقعي وأدب الأطفال ومختلف المعارف بأسعار في متناول اليد، وذلك في مسعى للوصول إلى الملايين من مستخدمي الهواتف الذكية في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي ومنطقة الشرق الأوسط عامةً.

وأضاف سمو الشيخ أحمد بن سعيد آل مكتوم بقوله: "تهدف مبادرتنا التي أطلقناها مع Google  إلى تشجيع المزيد من الناس على القراءة، والاطلاع على الكتب الإلكترونية الصادرة باللغة العربية. فقد باتت الهواتف الذكية والحواسيب اللوحية تمثل على نحو متزايد جزءاً من حياتنا اليومية، ومن المنطقي أن نستخدم هذه المنصات في تشجيع القراءة أيضاً. فالناس نهمون للمحتوى، وبشكل خاص المحتوى الرقمي باللغة العربية، ويعد تسهيل الوصول إلى الكتب الإلكترونية لتوسيع آفاق الملايين من شباب وإثراء ثقافاتهم ومعلوماتهم بمثابة استثمار مثالي في مستقبل المنطقة".

وقال رونان هاريس، نائب رئيس مبيعات كبار العملاء لمناطق أوروبا والشرق الأوسط وأفريقيا في Google: "لطالما لعبت التقنية دوراً محورياً في تزويد الناس بفرص متساوية للوصول إلى المعلومات، وتمكينهم من الحصول على المعرفة، وهو شيء يستأثر تماماً بشغفنا ويتماشى مع مهمتنا الرئيسة في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا المتمثلة في المساعدة على ترويج وحفظ المحتوى العربي على الشبكة الدولية للمعلومات، سواءً عبر وسائط YouTube، Search، Maps  أو Play. ومن خلال تعاوننا مع طيران الإمارات، نأمل في أن نجعل الأدب العربي أكثر تداولاً من ذي قبل. وثمة الكثير من الفرص المتاحة لبناء النظام البيئي الرقمي هنا، ونحن سعداء بأن يكون لدينا شركاء كطيران الإمارات في تحقيق هذا المسعى".

ولإبراز أهم مميزات المحتوى العربي، عهدت طيران الإمارات إلى مهرجان طيران الإمارات للآداب ومؤسسة الإمارات للآداب بمهمة المساعدة في تحديد وتصنيف مجموعة تشمل أكثر من 50 كتاباً عربياً في متجر Google Play، حيث ستسري عليها تخفيضات سعرية بنسبة 90%. وتشمل هذه المجموعة المصنفة من الكتب تشكيلة متنوعة من مؤلفات الأدب الخيالي والواقعي ككتاب "رؤى فلسفية في الحكمة والفروسية" و"عن قبيلتي أحدثكم"، بالإضافة إلى باقة من كتب الأطفال مثل "مخلوقات على السقف"، "التغريبة البلالية" و"أنا أحب".

يذكر أن طيران الإمارات تدعم وترعى مبادرات تعليمية وثقافية في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، بما في ذلك مهرجان طيران الإمارات للآداب، الذي استقطب في دورة العام الماضي  أكثر من 170 من مشاهير الكتاب والمفكرين والمتحدثين من 35 دولة. كما تدعم الناقلة الآداب أيضاً من خلال خياراتها واسعة النطاق من الكتب المسموعة المتوفرة عبر نظامها للترفيه الجوي ice، فضلاً عن إجراء مقابلات شيقة مع الكتاب والمؤلفين عبر قناة عالم طيران الإمارات، وهي قناة تبث عبر نظام ice وتحظى بشعبية كبيرة. وبالإضافة إلى ذلك، نقلت الإمارات للشحن الجوي، ذراع الشحن الجوي في طيران الإمارات، مؤخراً أكثر من 8 أطنان من الكتب إلى أجزاء مختلفة من العالم لدعم القراءة.

يذكر أن سهولة الاتصال بالإنترنت وتطور تقنيات الهواتف المتحركة تساهم في تضييق هوة المعلومات في العالم العربي، حيث بات المزيد من الأشخاص الآن وأكثر من أي وقت مضى يمتلكون أو يستطيعون الوصول إلى أجهزة رقمية، سواءً كانت حواسيب لوحية، هواتف متحركة أم كمبيوترات محمولة. وطبقاً لتقرير اقتصاد الهاتف المتحرك في الدول العربية 2015، فإن أكثر من 200 مليون شخص على مستوى المنطقة مشتركون في جهاز متحرك، ما يمثل فرصة فريدة لتوفير كتب إلكترونية ومحتوى تعليمي لشرائح واسعة من سكان المنطقة.

وتتضمن الأجندة الوطنية لرؤية دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة 2021 تأكيداً مباشراً على الأدب العربي. وطبقاً لبيانات عام 2014، فإن أقل من 60% من الطلبة في الدولة يحظون باطلاع مناسب على الأدب حالياً. وتستهدف دولة الإمارات رفع هذه النسبة إلى 90% بحلول 2021.

وطبقاً لبحث صادر عن منظمة الأمم المتحدة للتربية والعلوم والثقافة (اليونسكو)، فإن 67% من البالغين الذين يعيشون في الدول العربية يمتلكون مهارات الأدب الأساسية، بالمقارنة مع المتوسط العالمي البالغ 82%، ما يؤكد الحاجة إلى تطوير محتوى عربي محلي ذي صلة على الشبكة الدولية للمعلومات، وهو ما يقع موضع القلب من عملية تبادل المعرفة والمعلومات.

MECTW Excellence Awards Thank Cleaning Heroes

The nominations for the awards given away to the achievers in the facility management, laundry, and commercial cleaning sector closes today

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Cleanliness is something we appreciate, yet we rarely even appreciate the heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep everything spick and span. The International Housekeepers Week (IHW) celebrates hard work of cleaning personnel every September, and this year’s theme, ‘Thank a Cleaner’, coincided with the MECTW Excellence Award’s motto of recognising the heroes in the sector.

‘Thank a Cleaner’ gives businesses a great opportunity to recognise the people who help maintain our indoor and outdoor environment. So if you are wondering how you can show your appreciation for the cleaners in your organisation, then nominate them for the MECTW’s ‘Excellence Awards’. The 4th edition of Middle East Cleaning Technology Week (MECTW), happening in November, is continuing the story of recognising excellence in cleaning sector with a new award category introduced this year.  

The awards are organized by MECTW in collaboration with UAE Professional Housekeepers’ Group recognises the achievement and commitment to higher standards of excellence in the contract cleaning industry. So far over 100 candidates have entered the race to be nominated as one of the best in their categories, which are Housekeeping Room Attendants & Supervisors (BOH), Housekeeping Public Area Attendants & Supervisors (FOH), Laundry Supervisor / Laundry Manager, Laundry Attendants / Team Members, and Cleaning Services Attendant & Supervisor in Facilities Management. The winners will be announced on November 15 during the MECTW 2016.

Tatjana Ahmed, Housekeeping Manager, Functional Specialist Housekeeping, Grand Hyatt Dubai and Chairwoman of UAE Professional Housekeepers’ Group, commented, “The ‘Excellence Awards’ are about encouraging innovation, and raising the profile of cleaning attendants in the hospitality, facilities management, and laundry industries. These awards are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of staff in the hospitality and cleaning sector, who do the actual work and strive to deliver the highest standards of service at all times to make the Emirates one of the cleanest and sustainable cities in the world.”

Jayaraman Nair, Chairman, VIS Exhibitions and Conferences – organiser of MECTW said, “We have been receiving a positive response for the Excellence Awards since the debut edition, and the ‘Excellence Awards’ has grown bigger and better over the years. We aim to reward the often-unrecognised individuals that make the regional hospitality and commercial cleaning sector one of the best. The 2016 edition of MECTW is receiving an overwhelming number of nominations from every vertical of the cleaning and hygiene industry, the event is bound to drive innovations in the sector.”

Professionals and companies in the region can submit their entries through the online forms available on the event website. Entries are evaluated by a nine-member jury with that includes experts from each given sector.

MECTW is region’s largest event that brings together cleaning service providers, equipment, and chemicals suppliers to discuss trends and showcase green cleaning products and innovations. The event will feature new pavilions dedicated to waste management, sewerage, and sanitation, and specialised cleaning for the year 2016.  MECTW features three platforms such as Gulf Laundrex-Linen Care Expo, Gulf Car Wash and Car Care Expo as well as the Clean Middle East Pulire. The event will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on 13 – 15 November this year.

جوائز التميّز لأسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف

تمديد فترة الترشيح على فئات جوائز إدارة المرافق والغسيل وقطاع التنظيف التجاري لغاية 9 أكتوبر 2016

دبي ، الإمارات العربية المتحدة : تقام فعالية ’الأسبوع الدولي لموظفي خدمة الغرف‘ (IHW)  لتحتفي بالعمل الدؤوب لموظفي التنظيف في شهر سبتمبر من كل عام، ويأتي موضوع هذا العام ’شكر موظفي تنظيف الغرف‘  ليتماشى مع شعار جوائز التميّز التي يقدمها ’أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف‘ في تكريم المتميزين في هذا القطاع.

وتقدم مبادرة ’ شكر موظفي تنظيف الغرف‘ فرصة كبيرة أمام الشركات لتكريم الأشخاص الذين ساهموا في الحفاظ على بيئتنا الداخلية والخارجية. فإذا كنتم تبحثون عن طريقة لإظهار تقديركم لعمال النظافة في مؤسساتكم وشركاتكم، لا تترددوا في ترشيحهم  لجوائز التميّز في ’أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف‘، والتي تمَّ تمديد الموعد النهائي لقبول الترشيحات فيها لغاية 9 أكتوبر 2016. تقام النسخة الرابعة من فعالية ’أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف‘ (MECTW) في شهر نوفمبر، لتواصل مسيرة تكريم التميّز في قطاع التنظيف مع إدخال فئة جديدة لقائمة الجوائز هذا العام.  

وقد نُظمت الجوائز من قبل ’أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف‘ بالتعاون مع مجموعة موظفي خدمة الغرف الاحترافية في الإمارات لخدمات تنظيف الغرف لتكرم الإنجازات والالتزام بأعلى معايير التميّز في قطاع التنظيف التجاري. وحتى الآن، سجل أكثر 100 مرشح في السباق ليتم ترشيحهم كأفضل المتنافسين في فئتهم. وتضم جوائز التميز ثلاث فئات هي: أفضل موظفي ومشرفي خدمة الغرف (العاملون في المواقع الداخلية)، وأفضل موظفي ومشرفي خدمات المواقع العامة (العاملون في المواقع الخارجية)، وأفضل مدير/مشرف لغسيل الملابس، وأفضل موظف/فريق لغسيل الملابس وأخيراً أفضل موظف ومشرف لخدمات التنظيف في إدارة المرافق. وسيعلن عن اسماء الفائزين بتاريخ 15 نوفمبر خلال فعالية ’أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف 2016‘.

وفي هذه المناسبة، قالت تاتيانا أحمد، مديرة خدمة الغرف وخدمة تنظيف الغرف المتخصصة في فدق ’جراند حياة‘ دبي، ورئيس مجلس إدارة مجموعة موظفي خدمة الغرف الاحترافية: "تتمحور جوائز التميّز حول تشجيع الابتكار وتحسين مكانة موظفي النظافة في قطاعات الضيافة وإدارة المرافق والغسيل. وتأتي هذه الجوائز تقديراً للعمل الدؤوب والتفاني الذي يقدمه الموظفون في قطاع الضيافة والتنظيف الذين يقومون بالعمل الفعلي ويسعون جاهدين لتقديم أعلى معايير الخدمة دوماً لتصبح الإمارات واحدة من أنظف مدن العالم وأكثرها استدامة".   

ومن جانبه، قال جايارامان ناير، رئيس مجلس إدارة شركة ’فيرتشوال إنفو سيستمز‘ للمعارض والمؤتمرات، والتي تتولى تنظيم أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف: "نتلقى ردود فعل إيجابية على جوائز التميز منذ إطلاقتها للمرة الأولى. وقد شهدت جوائز التميز نمواً ملحوظاً عبر السنوات لتصبح أكبر وأفضل كل عام. ونسعى من خلال هذه الجوائز إلى مكافأة أولئك الذين قد يغفل عنهم الآخرون بينما هم يعملون بصمت لجعل قطاع الضيافة الإقليمي وقطاع التنظيف التجاري من بين الأفضل في العالم. وحالياً، تتلقى نسخة عام 2016 من أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف عدداً هائلاً من الترشيحات من كل الجهات الأساسية العاملة في قطاع التنظيف والنظافة. ونؤمن بقدرة هذه الفعالية في دفع عجلة الابتكارات في القطاع".

يمكن للشركات والعاملين ضمن هذا المجال في المنطقة تسجيل مشاركتهم عبر استمارة التسجيل المتوفرة على الموقع الإلكتروني الخاص بالفعالية. تجري عملية تقييم المشاركات من قبل لجنة تحكيم مكونة من تسعة أعضاء تضم خبراءً من كافة القطاعات.

وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن معرض ’أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف‘ يعتبر الفعالية الأضخم في المنطقة التي تجمع مزودي خدمات التنظيف وموردي معدات التنظيف والمواد الكيميائية تحت سقف واحد، وذلك بهدف مناقشة أحدث التوجهات واستعراض أهم الابتكارات ومنتجات التنظيف الصديق للبيئة. وتشتمل فعالية هذا العام على أجنحة جديدةً مخصصة لإدارة النفايات، والصرف الصحي، والتعقيم، والتنظيف المخصص. وتضم فعاليات أسبوع الشرق الأوسط لتقنيات التنظيف معرض ’جلف لوندريكس‘ ومعرض ’لينن كير إكسبو‘، ومعرض ’جلف كار ووش‘، ومعرض ’كار كير إكسبو‘ بالإضافة إلى معرض ’كلين ميدل إيست بولير‘. ومن المقرر أن يًقام المعرض هذا العام بين 13-15 نوفمبر في مركز دبي الدولي للمؤتمرات والمعارض.

Privacy: Quo Vadis

Contributed by Pol Ferrer Catasús, Delta Partners Associate

Much has been written on what privacy means in the age of mass surveillance and implicit acknowledgement that personal metadata may be captured in exchange for “free” internet services. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, we reflect on where we are on digital privacy protection today and what is in store for the future.

Our first observation is that although the Internet has been there for a while, it’s still very much in its infancy when it comes to privacy protection. As users of the global network, we often feel as if companies are experimenting with our private information either to target advertising, recommend products, provide better credit scoring or generally personalise anything that can be personalised. While data-driven companies argue that customers benefit from a tailored user experience that also enables new sources of value creation, research suggests that internet users generally feel they have lost control over how personal information is collected and used by third parties.

Some privacy activists, such as Julia Angwin, who led a Wall Street Journal investigation into tracking software and how it is used by companies to target consumers, have attempted a concerted effort to protect their digital privacy. However, the reality is that “being let alone”, as Judge Cooley would put it, takes an amount of energy and determination most consumers are unwilling to make, particularly those reluctant to forfeit their usage of popular internet services.

At Delta Partners Capital we have seen a proliferation of apps, smartphones and mobile operating systems targeting either corporate or consumer clients whose value proposition revolves around protecting users’ privacy. However, we have remained cautious when it comes to investing in the space as we question how many users will actually be willing to pay to safeguard their privacy when free apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp’s encrypted voice and messaging do the trick, at least in terms of protecting the content of the data exchanged.

We believe that today even the most privacy-conscious users operate in “silos of privacy”. Some engage on a secure conversation via WhatsApp, navigate the Surface Internet through Tor Browser, or even send PGP emails and have a burner phone to post classifieds on Craigslist. However, they lack a holistic privacy solution that covers their entire digital life.

Even enterprise-grade encryption and deep permission management solutions such as Silent Circle only protect users’ communications through their dedicated smartphone, a limited subset of today users’ multiscreen digital experience. Cross-device tracking techniques allowing companies to reconcile profiling data captured from multiple access points further complicate consumers’ quest for anonymity. Moreover, new developments in deep learning and natural language processing will likely put additional strains on the users’ ability to keep their conversations away from prying ears.

We argue that we live in the worst time in history when it comes to consumer privacy protection and that users may well feel they are being treated like guinea pigs by certain internet companies exploring ingenious uses of personal data. However, the blend of slow-moving regulators, lack of awareness as to how personal information is being used in ways that would not be acceptable in an offline world, and never-read Terms & Conditions giving legal protection to abusive developers suggests that legislative changes are likely to take some time.

That said, we also recognise that consumer rights are being traded off for innovative business models, some of which may also provide compelling customer benefits, and that stringent privacy regulation may slow down the pace of innovation – a conscious decision that as a society, we may or may not be willing to make.

In any case, we feel positive that, as in many other instances in history, the current market disequilibrium between demand and supply of data privacy will fade. This will be driven by intensified users’ wariness of how their information is being exploited and secured (following recent high-profile data breaches) and consumer advocate groups pushing regulation that protects the privacy of private life. More specifically, in terms of policy setting, we expect administrations to require digital apps to publish some sort of simplified version of their current T&C. Similar to how pharma ads must include the most significant risks of a drug, telecom ads must disclose associated fees, and retail investment offerings should be drafted in clear language and include essential information to help customers decide whether to buy a financial product.

Although we acknowledge that it may be tricky for a tech start-up to be the first mover in the suggested T&C streamlining effort, some goodwill may be generated by doing so, as by bringing back customer loyalty and fostering engagement among reassured users, customers would subsequently enjoy more transparency on how their data is being treated.

Ultimately, we believe that market forces may be the driver that closes the current privacy gap, for the existing privacy silos and increasing user concerns suggest a latent market opportunity for unified privacy mechanisms waiting to be exploited.

3.4% year-on-year increase in total take-offs and landings

MUC closes out third quarter with new traffic records

Munich Airport's healthy growth trend continues: In the first nine months of the current operating year, the airport handled around 300,000 take-offs and landings – 3.4 percent more than in the same period last year. For the full calendar year, a gain of about 4 percent is expected. September saw the strongest growth of any month, with a 6.7 percent year-on-year increase to 36,690 aircraft movements. The number of passengers was up 2.9 percent in the first three quarters to a new all-time high of approximately 32.2 million.

Traffic growth at Bavaria's international hub was especially impressive in the third quarter that just ended. In the months of July, August and September, a total of 12.3 million passengers were counted at Munich Airport –more than ever before in a single calendar quarter. With that result, the airport handled more passengers in the past three months than in its entire first year of operation in 1992. The four million passenger mark, never before reached in a single month, was exceeded twice in the third quarter: after 4.1 million in July, the next record of 4.2 million was set in September. The single-day record of 156,000 passengers set on September 23, 2016 was also short-lived: it was smashed just a week later, on September 30, 2016, when 162,500 travellers passed through the airport.

Growth in passenger numbers at Munich Airport is fuelled to a large extent by above-average gains in international traffic. On European routes, 19.7 million travellers took advantage of the extensive range of destinations offered: a 3.2 percent increase over the previous year. Growth was even more dynamic in the intercontinental segment, which achieved a 5.3 percent year-on-year increase and topped the five million passenger mark in the first nine months of a calendar year for the first time. Traffic on domestic routes increased slightly by 0.3 percent to about 7.2 million.

Munich Airport also reported growth in the freight segment for the reporting period: cargo turnover totalled about 246,000 tons – an increase of more than 4 percent over Jan.–Sept. 2015 and yet another new record. This included a 2.8 percent rise in co-loaded freight carried by passenger aircraft to a total of more than 200,000 tons. The share of cargo transported on freight-only flights was up 11 percent to over 45,000 tons.

With the start of the new winter timetable period at the end of October, the traffic trend will probably gain momentum. Based on current slot bookings, the airlines plan to offer about 5 percent more flights this year than in the last winter season.

Detailed traffic figures for the first nine months:

                                                        2016                  2015                Change

Passenger volume             

Commercial traffic                  32.160.500             31.268.182          + 2.9%

Aircraft movements            

Total                                       297.620                    287.858             + 3.4 %

Airfreight turnover(tons)

Flown airfreight                      245.700                   235.760             + 4.2 %