IDC Middle East CIO Summit 2023

Agenda

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8:00	Registration & Networking
8:30	Opening Act: Art of Music
8:35	IDC Welcome Address
	Jyoti Lalchandani Group Vice President & Regional Managing Director (META), IDC
8:45	IDC Opening Keynote: Strategies for the CIO and Enterprise Innovation
	Join IDC's president, Crawford Del Prete, as he outlines what CIOs need to do now — and in the future — to create an environment for long-term sustainable innovation. This fast-paced keynote will highlight research on building a culture of trust, examine the move toward industry ecosystem innovation, and highlight the impact of decentralization. It will also explain why line-of-business investment is a springboard and not an end state. Crawford Del Prete President, IDC Worldwide
9:15	Harnessing Data and AI for Growth
	The world today is a more complex place: we are all asked to be more efficient and generally do more with less. This session presents key learnings on the evolution of AI and highlights its impact and use cases across different industries. The session further looks at how technology experts can harness the latest innovations to help their organizations thrive. Naim Yazbeck General Manager, Microsoft UAE
9:35	Dealing with Economic Uncertainty in the Digital Age
	Adrian Pickering Regional General Manager MENA, Red Hat
9:55	The Digital Journey: Digital Agility, Transformation, and Digital Re-Invention
	Samer Kandalaft Executive Vice President, QuanTech (Part of MDS System Integration)
10:10	Special Address
	Amna Al Saleh Head of Technology Development, Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT)
10:30	Tea/Coffee & Networking Break
11:00 12:10	Summit Partner Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
	Summit Track A: Strategies for Developing a Digitally Resilient Organization 11:00 - 11:05 Opening Act: Arabian Rhapsody 11:05 - 11:07 Overview Ransomware and malware are tier 1 concerns of business and IT management alike, making cyber-resiliency an imperative for every organization. This session will examine the key elements of cyber-resiliency, outline best practices for assured recovery, and discuss the critical role that AI and other technologies can play in staying ahead of the cybercriminals and avoiding the consequences of cyberattacks. Jason Roos Chief Information Officer, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KSA) 11:07 - 11:10 Start of Session Raffle: Samsung Watch Courtesy of HCL Tech 11:10 - 11:25 Unified Observability for Digitally Agile & Resilient Organization Charbel Khneisser Vice President, Solutions Engineering, EMEA, Riverbed Technology 11:25 - 11:30 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 11:30 - 11:45 Achieving Speed and Control We all know that speed is critical in the digital world – organizations need to respond quickly to avoid disruption or even initiate their own disruption. They need to quickly get new innovations to market, rapidly realize value from their technology investments, and make fast decisions on what emerging technologies to adopt. Organizations must also establish controls, set up governance processes, comply with regulations, implement risk reduction mechanisms, avoid security threats, and answer to their owners and the public. But how can speed and control be achieved at the same time? In many organizations whose digital transformations are stuck or are proceeding more slowly than expected, the root cause of the problem is often a tension between the need to move fast and the need to maintain control. This session will demonstrate that these goals do not really conflict and explore how to use speed to gain even better control. Mark Schwartz Enterprise Strategist and Evangelist, AWS 11:45 - 11:50 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 11:50 - 12:05 Enhancing the Transformation Cloud Experiences Alessio Bagnaresi Director, AI & Advanced Analytics Practice, Google Cloud 12:05 - 12:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes Summit Track B: Envisioning the Future Intelligent Enterprise 11:00 - 11:05 Opening Act: Arabian Rhapsody 11:05 - 11:07 Overview One of the primary goals of digital transformation is to create an intelligent enterprise that focuses more on creating business insights than collecting massive amounts of information. The benefits of an intelligent enterprise (IE) are clear: more visibility into the data, faster response to changes in the market and customer demands, and a sharper focus on higher-value objectives. Establishing an IE, however, not only requires a more intelligent and intuitive architectural framework, but also a structural change in the way processes are conducted and how people engage with one another both inside and outside the organization. Mai B AlOwaish Chief Data & Innovation Officer, Gulf Bank (Kuwait) 11:07 - 11:10 Start of Session Raffle: Samsung Watch Courtesy of HCL Tech 11:10 - 11:25 The Data-Driven Enterprise: Going from Vision to Value While 99% of the world's leading companies are investing in data, only 24% have been successful in creating a data-driven organization. This session will outline the key challenges hindering companies from becoming data-driven organizations and chart a path toward such a transformation. Ali El Kontar CEO, Zero&One 11:25 - 11:30 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 11:30 - 11:45 How Can Intelligent Automation Be the Driving Force in the Current Digital Economy? Today’s leaders have one of the best allies to help them solve all kinds of challenges, from making their businesses profitable to assisting customers in overcoming their challenges and keeping the employees happy at work. Intelligent automation is the partner that can support them on their digital transformation journey. But what does this technology have to offer? Intelligent automation (IA) is a combination of robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) that empowers rapid end-to-end business process automations. This means working smarter, faster, and more efficiently while increasing workforce productivity and satisfaction for your clients. Ashraf El Zarka Vice President, Regional Managing Director MEA & Pakistan, UiPath 11:45 - 11:50 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 11:50 - 12:05 Don't Just Be Cloud First, Be Cloud Smart Ravi Tank Senior Vice President, Cloud4C 12:05 - 12:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes
12:10	Tea/Coffee & Networking Break
12:30 12:40	Transformation Zones (Parallel Sessions)
	Zone A: Industry 4.0 12:30 - 12:40 Evolving Beyond Industry 4.0: Leveraging AI, Digital Transformation, and Emerging Technologies Via Industry 4.0 Leading organizations have benefited from sustainable revenue growth, productivity improvements, process optimization, and new value-added services. A strategic approach to Industry 4.0, underpinned by practical initiatives, provides businesses with a road map to the smart factory and the connected, collaborative enterprise. Industry 4.0 is a digital reality that may alter the rules of production, operations, and workforces — even society. This session will look at how Industry 4.0 has allowed organizations to connect their customers, supply chain networks, employees, and plant and equipment to drive predictable revenues. The session will further examine what is coming next in this evolving domain. Pranish Kushare Senior Principal Business Solutions Consultant, Infor Zone B: Sustainability 12:30 - 12:40 Securely Support the Hybrid Workforce with Simple and Powerful Cloud PC Solutions Given the recent announcement of the Windows Cloud PC within the Microsoft UAE datacenter, this presentation will provide an overview on how to securely stream the Windows experience — including personalized apps, content, and settings — from the cloud to any device. It will detail how to combine the power and security of the cloud with the versatility and simplicity of the PC. From contractors and interns to software developers and industrial designers, participants will learn how to stream Windows, pick up from where they left off on any device, and experience new opportunities for work and collaboration. Mina Nagy Regional Go-To-Market Director, Microsoft
12:40 14:15	Platinum Partner Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
	Platinum Partner Session-Track A: Shaping CISO Strategies for the Digital-First Organization 12:40 - 12:45 Opening Act: Four Elements of Nature 12:45 - 12:47 Overview In today's age of asymmetric cyberwarfare, cybersecurity criminals have the advantage of being able to initiate their threats based on carefully laid out plans, while organizations must play defense. This happens every day across every industry, with CISOs coming under mounting pressure to detect and mitigate these attacks. This session will explore the ways in which CISOs can work with the wider CXO leadership team and board of directors to combat cyberthreats and keep their organizations safe. Deepa Ahuja Senior Conference Director, IDC 12:47 - 12:50 Start of Session Raffle-Apple AirPods - Courtesy of Symphony Summit 12:50 - 13:05 Enabling Cyber Resilience and Keep pace with rapid digitalization New convergences will shape the digital world in 2023 and beyond, and the order of magnitude of the upcoming transformation will be unprecedented. In this context, enterprises needing to elevate their game are looking for guidance from all kinds of service providers, from connectivity providers to strategic advisors. What are the observed trends and successful strategies that top executives are talking about in this new order? This presentation gathers the strategic considerations and teachings from recent interactions with top cyber executives across the EMEA theater. Alain Sanchez EMEA CISO, Fortinet 13:05 - 13:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win MontBlanc Gifts 13:10 - 13:25 Mitigating Cyber Risks in the Middle East: Addressing the Impact of Geopolitical Tensions and Regulatory Requirements The Middle East faces unprecedented cyberthreats, with geopolitical tensions and global economic instability exacerbating the risks. While governments are accelerating the legislative process to modernize relevant laws and regulations, organizations need help modernizing their information security programs. Organizations must take a proactive approach to cybersecurity to protect their critical infrastructure, sensitive information, and brand reputation. This presentation will explore the top cybersecurity challenges facing organizations globally, zoom into specific challenges in the Middle East, and provide a comprehensive strategy for mitigating these risks that will allow organizations to mature their information security programs and, with that, become cyber-resilient. Milad Aslaner Head of Technology Advisory Group, SentinelOne 13:25 - 13:30 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Airpods-Courtesy of Sentinel One 13:30 - 13:45 Protect, Connect, and Deploy Extraordinary Digital Experiences in Any Cloud Organizations are leveraging the cloud in all its forms to drive agility, innovation, and better user experiences. However, distributing and interconnecting both traditional and modern applications can create additional layers of security complexity. This session will discuss the challenge of balancing developer speed with the need to secure new digital experiences at scale. Gordon Orr Senior Director, Software Sales EMEA, F5 13:45 - 13:50 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win MontBlanc Gifts 13:50 - 14:05 Multifactor Authentication Is Not Enough As threat actors become more sophisticated, the ability of multifactor authentication to provide adequate protection is becoming increasingly diminished. Join us as we examine how threat actors are completely circumventing what was once considered a security blanket for most security infrastructure. Nour Fateen Director, Sales Engineering, Recorded Future 14:05 - 14:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win MontBlanc Gifts 14:10 - 14:15 End of Session Raffle - Lionel Messi Signed Football Jersey Platinum Partner Session-Track B: Data and Platform-Led Strategies for Realizing Digital Outcomes 12:40 - 12:45 Opening Act: Four Elements of Nature 12:45 - 12:47 Overview Organizations continue to produce or collect a staggering amount of data, much of which will never actually be used to drive business processes or decision making. The reason is simple: most data is not organized and labeled as it is created. It simply joins an ever-increasing pile. This is especially true with unstructured data. But the more data an organization amasses, the more at risk all that data becomes. From ensuring regulatory compliance to effectively managing data waste, organizations need to stay on top of the tools and strategies that allow them to optimally utilize the staggering amount of data at their disposal and deliver digitally driven growth. Ronita Bhattacharjee Vice President Conferences (META), IDC 12:47 - 12:50 Start of Session Raffle-Apple Airpods-Courtesy of Symphony Summit 12:50 - 13:05 Accelerate Your ESG Compliance and Reporting with the Data Cloud With the COP28 event just around the corner, ESG is a top priority for all companies across the UAE and the wider Middle East. This session will reveal how the Snowflake Data Cloud can help ESG compliance and reporting become easy and streamlined. Mohamed Zouari General Manager, Snowflake 13:05 - 13:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Montblanc Gifts 13:10 - 13:25 Enterprise Data as a Service: The Paradigm Shift Toward Distributed Logical Architectures Decentralized data organizations — in which several divisions are partly or entirely in charge of releasing their own data for analytics — have received a lot of attention in recent years. This presentation will discuss critical design principles and best practices for implementing different decentralized architectures, including the logical data fabric and data mesh powered by virtualization. Dr. Alexey Sidorov Chief Data Evangelist MEA, Denodo 13:25 - 13:30 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win MontBlanc Gifts 13:30 - 13:45 Streamline and Govern Cloud Services Consumption in the Era of Hybrid Multicloud Today, “more cloud” is clearly the best answer to many IT questions. However, staff can be overwhelmed the complexity of modern enterprise-scale IT. With all the complexity, there is also a need to streamline and strengthen the consumption and governance aspects of a hybrid IT ecosystem and ensure the cloud – one of the largest outlays of IT expenditure – is being used in the most optimal and cost-effective way. Georges Farah Manager of Sales Engineering MEA, Micro Focus 13:45 - 13:50 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win MontBlanc Gifts 13:50 - 14:05 The Connected Enterprise More and more companies are striving to transform information and interactions to ensure that customers, partners, and employees can instantly connect to what they want. On the road to reaching this digital transformation goal, business and technology leaders will face many challenges. Integrating cloud solutions with existing infrastructures is one formidable challenge facing most organizations, especially when key business applications are complex or spread across disparate systems. This session will specifically address this challenge, sharing examples of companies that have overcome this obstacle and flourished as a result. Mike Kiersey Director, Sales Engineering EMEA, Boomi 14:05 - 14:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win MontBlanc Gifts 14:10 - 14:15 End of Session Raffle - Lionel Messi Signed Football Jersey Platinum Partner Session-Track C: Digital Trust, Identity, and Security Strategies for the Digital-First Organization 12:40 - 12:45 Opening Act: Four Elements of Nature 12:45 - 12:47 Overview Although digital transformation reduces costs and increases efficiency for organizations, the increasing number of data and IT systems also means they are facing a more complex distributed IT environment, and end users are in urgent need of new security systems and methods to protect their network security. All of this calls for the deployment of zero trust models that have software-defined perimeters, micro segmentation, and identity and access management (IAM) at their core. At present, countries all over the world are actively exploring and developing zero trust models, and this session will show how the underlying technologies can help drive authentication, enable unified identity management and secure access, and open up new ideas for network security construction and development. Yash Pal Dogra Associate Conference Director, IDC 12:47 - 12:50 Start of Session Raffle-Apple Airpods-Courtesy of Symphony Summit 12:50 - 13:05 Leveraging eSignatures for Enterprise-Wide Digital Transformation As the world moves more Digital by the day, identity-backed signatures and compliant workflow applications can truly help large organizations achieve their Digital vision while enabling strong Customer Experience, internal efficiency, and ESG goals. The presentation will touch upon the fundamentals of eSignatures & the compliance framework within the Middle East. Most importantly, it will provide insight to the attendees on how eSignature implementations can be conceptualized to achieve Enterprise-wide Digital Transformation in large organizations to provide the most optimal Return on Investment. Arvind Srinivasan SVP – Global Markets & Strategy, eMudhra 13:05 - 13:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Apple Watch-Courtesy of eMudhra 13:10 - 13:25 Creating a Digital Brain for Your Organization Organizations are becoming more and more digital, even if finance or manufacturing is their core business. However, IT does not fully align to business strategies, and numerous business opportunities are lost due to this disconnect. How can you create a digital brain for your organization that makes it easier to use data to predict business outcomes? Is it by just implementing AI, or does it take more? This session will explore why and how organizations can build a digital brain to deliver benefits to customers. It will highlight the steps to building a digital brain and showcase how IT can be used as an enabler for the future. Jessica Constantinidis Field Innovation Officer EMEA – Strategy Office, ServiceNow 13:25 - 13:30 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win MontBlanc Gifts 13:30 - 13:45 Disrupting the Economics of Cybercrime with Modern Defense According to IDC, 71% of CIOs in the UAE are looking to scale up and enhance customer experiences on mobile and online platforms and eliminate as much friction as possible. As digital attacks on supply chains and customer accounts become more prevalent and sophisticated, their impact on both businesses and customers increases. In 2022, the cost of cybercrime doubled to $6 trillion globally. In this context, now is the time to discover the power of "modern defense." This session explores how your business can use modern defense to eliminate customer friction and drastically disrupt the economics of cybercrime in your favor. Mark Phillips VP Solution Architecture, EMEA & APAC, Human Security 13:45 - 13:50 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Nintendo Switch OLED Console - Courtesy of Human Security 13:50 - 14:05 Looking Backward to Predict the Future Threat Landscape: Cyberattacks Already Kicking Off in 2023 Attackers have not taken any break, with 2023 already being a strong year for threats. As noted during the World Economic Forum in Davos, there is a real "cyberstorm" affecting the automotive industry, industrial networks, open-source software, and the world of education. Nobody is being left behind. Since the beginning of January, the number of attacks has remained elevated. Ransomware groups such as Vice Society — which mainly targets educational institutions — are now "ultra-specialized." However, they still rely on legacy vulnerabilities to compromise their targets. Ahmad Jaber Principle Security Consultant (MENA), Tenable 14:05 - 14:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Wireless Marshall Headphones- Courtesy of Tenable 14:10 - 14:15 End of Session Raffle - Lionel Messi Signed Football Jersey
14:15	Lunch & Networking
14:40 14:50	Transformation Zones (Parallel Sessions)
	Zone A: Industry 4.0 14:40 - 14:50 Evolving Beyond Industry 4.0: Leveraging AI, Digital Transformation, and Emerging Technologies Via Industry 4.0 Leading organizations have benefited from sustainable revenue growth, productivity improvements, process optimization, and new value-added services. A strategic approach to Industry 4.0, underpinned by practical initiatives, provides businesses with a road map to the smart factory and the connected, collaborative enterprise. Industry 4.0 is a digital reality that may alter the rules of production, operations, and workforces — even society. This session will look at how Industry 4.0 has allowed organizations to connect their customers, supply chain networks, employees, and plant and equipment to drive predictable revenues. The session will further examine what is coming next in this evolving domain. Pranish Kushare Senior Principal Business Solutions Consultant, Infor Zone B: Sustainability 14:40 - 14:50 Sustainability: A Journey Worth Taking With COP28 on the UAE horizon, sustainability will most likely be top of mind for business leaders and their companies. This session will explore the factors that are driving the global sustainability agenda and explain how choosing the right partner for your organization can help accelerate it beyond mere sustainability pledges. Aysar Yousef Azure Data & AI Lead, Financial Services & Aviation, Microsoft
14:50 15:35	For The CIO - By The CIO Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
	Track A: Talent Development & The Demand For New Skills: How Do You Structure Your Team Optimally 14:50 - 15:35 Talent Development & The Demand For New Skills: How Do You Structure Your Team Optimally As the world of work continues to evolve and organizations shift to hybrid work models, new challenges and opportunities present themselves. How can technology leaders leverage these shifts to enhance online and virtual experiences and strengthen competitiveness by developing people, talent, and skills? This panel session will examine how the technology talent market has changed and compelled organizations to leverage innovative work models. It will highlight the latest trends in hiring and managing talent amid the move toward hybrid work policies. In addition, panelists will discuss how organizations can change themselves and their team structures to leverage the current situation and enhance productivity. The session will conclude by highlighting how organizations can address the shortage of skilled technology professionals, given that the shift to distributed workforces has enabled them to retain global talent. Taha Tkito CIO, Americana Foods (UAE) Thuraya Al-Harthi Acting Director for the Government Digital Services Unified Portal, Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology (MTCIT) (Oman) Dr. Lt. Col. Hamad Khalifa AlNuaimi Head of Telecommunications Division, Abu Dhabi Police (UAE) Jason Roos Chief Information Officer, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KSA) Dr. Ammar H. Al Husaini Acting Director General, Central Agency for Information Technology (Kuwait) Mai B AlOwaish Chief Data & Innovation Officer, Gulf Bank (Kuwait) Marc Dowd Vice President Research, CIO Advisory, IDC UK Track B: Sustainable Strategies & Technologies: Operationalization, Impact Measurability, Business Value Creation 14:50 - 15:35 Sustainable Strategies & Technologies: Operationalization, Impact Measurability, Business Value Creation Sustainability is now a key priority for governments and enterprises across industries as they strive to meet the national and industry-specific ESG goals and regulations. CIOs will not only need to offer “sustainable / green” technology solutions for their customer organizations but would also require advise and handholding through the journey. This discussion would address roadmaps and solutions that support the data collection and reporting, governance and compliance and benchmarking needs towards sustainable strategies and technologies. Aus Akram Al Zubaidi Director of IT & Media Management, MBC Group Muhammad Aslam Chief Technology Officer, Moro Hub (UAE) Dr. Salim Al-Shuaili Director, Artificial intelligence and Advanced Technology Unit, Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology (MTCIT) (Oman) Mohamed Adel Abu Hassan Assistant Undersecretary of Resources & Information, Bahrain Ministry of Municipalities Affairs & Agriculture (Bahrain) Amit Varma Group Chief Platform Officer, Emirates NBD Dr. Hoda Alkhzaimi Director, Center of Cybersecurity, New York University Abu Dhabi Fuad Al Ansari Former Vice President IT & Shared Services, ADNOC Group Track C: Vendor Selection and Management: Best Practices and What to Look Out For 14:50 - 15:05 Four IT Improvements You Can Implement Today Objectively measuring the performance of your IT department is something that will create great insights. It will enable focused decision making, supported by your peer experiences. This session will show some examples and the exciting results that have been achieved. It will present a framework for portfolio management that improves predictability and show how smart, flexible contracting can enable an increase in quality and flexibility in a dynamic market. It will also outline an agile software development framework that increases quality and output and showcase vendor life-cycle performance measurements that ensure constant compliance with contracts while reducing waste. Sergej Berendsen CEO, Metri 15:05 - 15:35 Vendor Selection and Management: Best Practices and What to Look Out For For the IT sourcing and procurement professional, demanding workloads and deadlines leave little time for an in-depth review of technology markets and vendors, sourcing best practices, and specific IT investment opportunities and partnerships. This session addresses key sourcing challenges related to digital transformation and the evolving role of vendor management within the enterprise, combined with actionable intelligence on best practice for driving better deals and reducing costs without risking vendor relationships. Sergej Berendsen CEO, Metri Ahmad M. Almulla Former EVP, Corporate Services, Emirates Global Aluminium (UAE) Ayman Alharbi Senior Director of Infrastructure & Operation, Red Sea Global (KSA) Faisal Ali Group CIO, Gargash Group (UAE) Saud Al Dhawyani CTO, Emirates NBD (UAE)
15:35	Close of Day 1

Speakers

Jyoti Lalchandani

Group Vice President & Regional Managing Director (META), IDC

Crawford Del Prete

President, IDC Worldwide

Naim Yazbeck

General Manager, Microsoft UAE

Adrian Pickering

Regional General Manager MENA, Red Hat

Samer Kandalaft

Executive Vice President, QuanTech (Part of MDS System Integration)

Amna Al Saleh

Head of Technology Development, Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT)

Jason Roos

Chief Information Officer, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KSA)

Mai B AlOwaish

Chief Data & Innovation Officer, Gulf Bank (Kuwait)

Charbel Khneisser

Vice President, Solutions Engineering, EMEA, Riverbed Technology

Ali El Kontar

CEO, Zero&One

View All Speakers

Partners

Supported by

Host Partner

Strategic & Sustainability Partner

Smart ICT Partner

Digital Solutions Partner

Trailblazer Partner

Sustainability Partner

Innovation Partner

Digital Transformation Partner

Summit Partner

Platinum Partner

Technology Focus Group Partner

Sustainability Transformation Zone Partner

Industry 4.0 Transformation Zone Partner

Exhibit Partner

Associate Partner

Media Partner

Health Partner

8:30	Registration & Networking
8:55	IDC Welcome Address
	Steven Frantzen Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director (EMEA), IDC
9:00	Opening Address
	H.E. Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti Head of Cybersecurity Council for the UAE Government
9:15	Driving Business Outcomes Through Software Development Best Practices
	Investing in removing developer friction, with a focus on spending the maximum time possible delivering business value through code, can drive the outcomes needed for business to thrive. In a rapidly evolving digital world where multi-cloud and hybrid workloads are becoming the norm, cyberattacks increase year on year, and regulations and compliance are at an all-time high, leveraging DevSecOps best practices is more important than ever before. Abstracting the complexities of the IT ecosystem will allow developers to do what they do best – deliver the applications that will differentiate business and ultimately maximize revenue growth. Darran Rice Tanzu Value Advisor, VMware
9:35	Accelerate Your Journey to Net Zero
	This session describes an opportunity to leverage technology to deliver business outcomes with a sustainable future in mind. Attendees will learn how sustainable solutions and innovations can help organizations get to net zero faster, particularly through energy management and the monitoring of power and data. With a focus on "greener networking," the session will explore how end-to-end architecture encompasses circular economies and consumption. Garsen Naidu Director, Specialist Sales and Architectures, Cisco
9:55	Perspectives on Building an Intelligent Enterprise
	Business performance improvement and customer service/satisfaction are key metrics for any enterprise. This is enabled by building an intelligent enterprise so that the business responds to the customer in the best possible manner. An intelligent enterprise is built around proactive business alerts and decision-enabling support systems through digital services that improve business performance. Enablers to achieve an intelligent enterprise include technology levers like cloudification, data/AI/ML, etc. This session will explore strategies for building an intelligent enterprise. Ram Ramachandran Senior Vice President & Head, Middle East & Africa, Tech Mahindra
10:15	Understanding and Driving the Technology Disruption Agenda
	Technology transformation has undergone a monumental change. Technological disruptions not only transform the technology landscape but also drive business model changes that lead to the creation of new markets and the transformation of existing ones. Disruption represents both an opportunity and a threat — an opportunity for novel and ecosystem-driven boundary-less innovation and an existential threat to classic approaches to business services. A technology disruption agenda also creates infinite growth possibilities and challenges. These challenges need different treatments and responses to fulfill client needs. This session addresses these dimensions as disruption unleashes future growth avenues. Kalyan Kumar Global Chief Technology Officer and Head of Ecosystems, HCLTech
10:35	Evolution of the Human Species
	Neil Harbisson The World’s First Officially Recognized Human “Cyborg”
10:55	Tea/Coffee & Networking Break
11:20 11:30	Transformation Zones (Parallel Sessions)
	Zone A: Industry 4.0 11:20 - 11:30 Evolving Beyond Industry 4.0: Leveraging AI, Digital Transformation, and Emerging Technologies Via Industry 4.0 Leading organizations have benefited from sustainable revenue growth, productivity improvements, process optimization, and new value-added services. A strategic approach to Industry 4.0, underpinned by practical initiatives, provides businesses with a road map to the smart factory and the connected, collaborative enterprise. Industry 4.0 is a digital reality that may alter the rules of production, operations, and workforces — even society. This session will look at how Industry 4.0 has allowed organizations to connect their customers, supply chain networks, employees, and plant and equipment to drive predictable revenues. The session will further examine what is coming next in this evolving domain. Pranish Kushare Senior Principal Business Solutions Consultant, Infor Zone B: Sustainability 11:20 - 11:30 Securing the Remote Workforce In the post-pandemic period, organizations are trying to offer employees new flexible and scalable solutions for hybrid and remote working. With the accelerated move to the cloud, security has also become a top concern. Moreover, supply chain shortages have become a real obstacle for every single IT organization. This discussion addresses the solutions that can help CIOs address remote work without compromising security. Indeed, with a couple of clicks, organizations can scale up and down and offer new and modern desktops to their employees while retaining investments in security and desktop management. Ahlem Njah Senior Technical Cloud Endpoint Specialist, Microsoft
11:30 12:40	Technology Focus Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
	Technology Focus Group A: Cyber Protection for Today, and Tomorrow’s Threats: Dynamic Security Strategies to Minimize Risk 11:30 - 11:35 Opening Act: Time for Fitness 11:35 - 11:37 Overview Saqib Chaudhry CIO, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (KSA) 11:37 - 11:40 Start of Session Raffle-Apple Watch 11:40 - 11:50 Cyber Immunity: The Key to Safe and Secure Digital Transformation Vladimir Slinko Senior Technology Advisor, KasperskyOS 11:50 - 11:55 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Skullcandy Headphones-Courtesy of Kaspersky 11:55 - 12:05 Intelligent Cybersecurity Transformation Intelligent cybersecurity transformation (ICST) bridges the gap between the AI cyberattacks and AI cybersecurity by protecting organizations' assets and reputations, as well as the economies and national data of entire countries. By combining all the new weapons every cybersecurity expert should embrace, ICST leads transformation in two directions — across people and technology. This session will show that in the fight against AI cyberattacks and the damage they cause, ICST experts are equipped to build a framework that protects the future of organizations and countries in the new AI world. Wajeeh AL Mesherky CEO, Sahara Watira - RiCSOC 12:05 - 12:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Apple Watch-Courtesy of Sahara Watira 12:10 - 12:20 Cybersecurity Automation in SecOps The cybersecurity perimeter of an organization's IT gets redefined as and when new threats are identified, thanks to the advent of new technology in this digital transformation era. The increased use of devices within the network adds much to this chaos. Existing cybersecurity solutions are no match for the threats posed by attackers. Hence, there is demand for robust cybersecurity solutions that can adapt to technologies like automation, AI, ML, and so on. This session will explore cybersecurity automation concepts and outline key strategies you can implement to enhance your security boundary and safeguard your business. Karthik Ananda Rao Chief Technical Evangelist, ManageEngine 12:20 - 12:25 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 12:25 - 12:35 The Power of Low-Code Security Automation What separates top performing cybersecurity teams from everyone else? It is largely their ability to quickly uncover, understand, and remediate threats. Enter low-code security automation. This powerful and extensible technology can unlock the potential of security teams with machine-speed decision making. But just what can organizations do with low-code security automation, and how can it help take security teams from good to great? John Doetch Vice President, Global Sales Engineering, Swimlane 12:35 - 12:40 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Apple Watch-Courtesy of Swimlane Technology Focus Group B: Connecting the Distributed Cloud – From the Edge to the Core 11:30 - 11:35 Opening Act: Time for Fitness 11:35 - 11:37 IDC Overview Marc Dowd Advisory Partner, IDC Executive Advisory 11:37 - 11:40 Start of Session Raffle-Google Smart Home Controller Assistant-Courtesy of Pure Storage 11:40 - 11:50 Unlocking the Potential of Artificial Intelligence Through Cloud Computing This session looks at how cloud computing unlocks the potential of artificial intelligence (AI). It examines how cloud computing and AI have evolved over the past decades, demonstrates the current capabilities of AI via real-world examples, and highlights the future of cloud computing. The session also provides details on some of the challenges and considerations associated with cloud-based AI implementations. The session concludes by showcasing how cloud computing has made AI more accessible and affordable to a wide range of industries and organizations. Dr. Dani Abu Ghaida Chief Digital Officer (MEA), Crayon 11:50 - 11:55 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 11:55 - 12:05 Build the Cloud You Need Enterprises around the world are investing in digital transformation and empowering themselves to be more responsive to the demands of end users everywhere. One crucial factor driving this trend is the growth of digital ecosystems which allow business partners to exchange data and services with one another and unlock new capabilities and co-innovation opportunities. This session will look at how applying digital services can help maximize the flexibility and agility of digital infrastructure. Making the decision to move to the cloud is a complicated and expensive prospect for companies looking to deliver a seamless, real-time experience to employees and consumers. Given this context, the session will highlight how companies can simplify the journey from centralized to distributed network infrastructure and improve speed to market, localize data, decrease operational downtime, and lower costs in the process. Denis Dincic Senior Global Solutions Architect, Equinix 12:05 - 12:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 12:10 - 12:20 When Data Comes to Life: Achieving Business Outcomes with Data Organizations realize that their data is a critical foundation for success, but many are not able to exploit it. Their data is locked in silos, unconnected, and often of poor quality. This session will show how organizations can break down those silos and deliver clean, well-governed data to the right person at the right time, resulting in the provision of personalized services and a competitive advantage. This is how data comes to life! Hafdi Salah Vice President, Solutions & Customer Success, BBI 12:20 - 12:25 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 12:25 - 12:35 Solutions for Digital Transformation and Sustainability Modern data services empower organizations to realize a fully automated, as-a-service data layer for traditional and modern applications while increasing insights for data-driven decision making. This session explores how organizations can lower costs and gain measurable operational and energy efficiencies with a data storage solution that drives innovation and promotes a more sustainable future. Samer Semaan Channel and Alliances Manager, Pure Storage 12:35 - 12:40 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Google Smart Home Controller Assistant-Courtesy Pure Storage Technology Focus Group C: Enabling the Data-Driven Enterprise 11:30 - 11:35 Opening Act: Time for Fitness 11:35 - 11:37 Overview Mai B AlOwaish Chief Data & Innovation Officer, Gulf Bank (Kuwait) 11:37 - 11:40 Start of Session Raffle-Samsung Watch Courtesy HCL Tech 11:40 - 11:50 The Future of Modern Data Protection This session explores how organizations can own, control, and protect data on any cloud. Participants will discover how to protect data against ransomware, modernize backup to eliminate data loss and downtime, and accelerate their moves to any cloud, all while ensuring data is always available. Islam Afifi Regional Presales Manager, Veeam Software 11:50 - 11:55 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 11:55 - 12:05 The Future of Data Accessibility: Content Services Enabling Enterprise Growth With exploding information growth and increasingly complex regulatory requirements, the effective management and protection of critical data will be key to organizational success. Yesterday's enterprise content management tools struggle to meet today’s data requirements, provide from access anywhere at any time, and eliminate information siloes. This informational session will look at how forward-looking companies are addressing today’s needs while discovering valuable new efficiencies along the way. It will highlight emerging technologies that are driving innovation, including cloud deployment, artificial intelligence, and low-code tools. The session will further explore how real-world customers are managing this transition and explain why content services will be essential for supporting their future ambitions. Marouan Betaleb Solutions Engineer, Hyland Software 12:05 - 12:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Amazon Kindle- Courtesy of Square One/ Hyland 12:10 - 12:20 Navigation Through Low Code Jungle: The Essence of Low Code Software Development. Maik de Wolf Vice President, Middle East & South Africa, Mendix 12:20 - 12:25 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 12:25 - 12:35 Manage Applications and Data Everywhere Across Hybrid Multi-Cloud Environments Farid Najjar Area Distribution Lead–EEMI (Eastern Europe, META, Iberia & LATAM), NetApp 12:35 - 12:40 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes Technology Focus Group D: Transition through AI and Analytics How to Win in the Intelligent Economy 11:30 - 11:35 Opening Act: Time for Fitness 11:35 - 11:37 Overview Moayad Hassan Digital Transformation Specialist, Dubai Municipality 11:37 - 11:40 Start of Session Raffle - Apple Watch 11:40 - 11:50 Intelligent Automation for Next-Generation Citizen Experience Operational excellence has always been a key government mandate. With the rapid resurgence of digital services across departments, citizens have had the chance to experience different levels of quality in service delivery. Unfortunately, they are largely unsatisfied with the inconsistent services their governments have provided. With prevailing challenges like increased inflation rates and disrupted supply chains, a digital-first approach is the only way to overcome uncertainty and thrive as a nation. This session will thus identify the top three automation mandates that governments must take into consideration. It will further look at a maturity model that governments can use to reach service excellence and highlight the impact of successful government automation projects on citizens in different countries. Karim Y. Rizkallah Regional Vice President of Solution Consulting, OpenText 11:50 - 11:55 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 11:55 - 12:05 How Can Businesses Overcome the Challenges of Complex IT Environments? Radical Simplicity is the Answer This session highlights new ways for the intelligent monitoring and pre-emptive management of complex and heterogenous multi-cloud and hybrid IT estates. Participants will learn how to control, streamline, and personalize services to deliver improved outcomes with a unified experience. Nidal Azba Chief Technology Officer, Kyndryl 12:05 - 12:10 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 12:10 - 12:20 Accelerate Industry Transformation with the Digital-Native Network Faisal Ameer Malik Chief Technical Officer, Huawei Enterprise Business Group 12:20 - 12:25 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes 12:25 - 12:35 ServiceOps – An AI Infused Transformation Platform Simplify the complex and accelerate innovation in your digital transformation journey. With a ServiceOps approach, you can accelerate new product development, time-to-market, and revenue growth. Gunal Kannan AVP, CTO Office (EMEA & APJ), BMC Software 12:35 - 12:40 Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes
12:40	Networking Break
13:10	Partner Felicitation
13:20	IDC Middle East Advisory Council Felicitation
13:30	IDC Excellence Awards 2023
14:00	Lunch
15:00	Close of Summit

IDC Middle East CIO Summit 2023

In 2023, we are going further, together! Join us for the 16th Edition.

Agenda

Filter Topics

Registration & Networking

Opening Act: Art of Music

IDC Welcome Address

IDC Opening Keynote: Strategies for the CIO and Enterprise Innovation

Harnessing Data and AI for Growth

Dealing with Economic Uncertainty in the Digital Age

The Digital Journey: Digital Agility, Transformation, and Digital Re-Invention

Special Address

Tea/Coffee & Networking Break

Summit Partner Tracks (Parallel Sessions)

Tea/Coffee & Networking Break

Transformation Zones (Parallel Sessions)

Platinum Partner Tracks (Parallel Sessions)

Lunch & Networking

Transformation Zones (Parallel Sessions)

For The CIO - By The CIO Tracks (Parallel Sessions)

Close of Day 1

Registration & Networking

IDC Welcome Address

Opening Address

Driving Business Outcomes Through Software Development Best Practices

Accelerate Your Journey to Net Zero

Perspectives on Building an Intelligent Enterprise

Understanding and Driving the Technology Disruption Agenda

Evolution of the Human Species

Tea/Coffee & Networking Break

Transformation Zones (Parallel Sessions)

Technology Focus Tracks (Parallel Sessions)

Networking Break

Partner Felicitation

IDC Middle East Advisory Council Felicitation

IDC Excellence Awards 2023

Lunch

Close of Summit

Speakers

Partners

Photo Gallery

Contact Us

IDC, Foundry

In 2023, we are going further, together!
Join us for the 16th Edition.