Resetting for the Next Normal: Strategies for Enabling the Future Digital Enterprise
Digital Event, January 21, 2021
Overview
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic fallout has accelerated digital transformation across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META), spurring unprecedented demand for contactless services, cloud solutions, and collaboration applications as governments and businesses sought to rationalize IT costs and provide access to a distributed workforce. As the focus on operational efficiency intensified, tech-enabled automation became a key priority, reshaping organizations' processes and operations.
Most economists predict a return to economic growth in 2021 as a vaccine becomes available. As this recovery begins, the focus of end-user organizations will revert to business growth and new investment. But the technology investments made during the recession will mean that the "Next Normal" that emerges will be very different from the pre-COVID economy.
The digital economy will have expanded greatly, with digitally transformed enterprises accounting for a much larger share of the market. As such, technology providers need to reset and refresh their strategies as their customers recover and begin preparations for the Next Normal.
To this end, IDC Directions 2021 will bring together senior executives from across the META ICT industry to facilitate an open exchange of ideas. Leading local and international IDC analysts will share their latest technology market outlooks for 2021 and beyond, outline trends and forecasts for key countries across the META region, and explore the latest developments in critical technologies such as cloud, security, AI, RPA, and IoT.
Group Vice President & Regional Managing Director (META), IDC
11:4512:10
Technology Outlook: How Has COVID-19 Changed Our World?
Crawford Del Prete
President, IDC Worldwide
The demand for IT has changed dramatically as a result of the COVID19. Nearly every segment has been impacted by the massive changes in customer behavior. In this talk IDC’s President, Crawford Del Prete will discuss these changes, and provide a view of the long term impact the pandemic will have on how we live and work. He will discuss IDC’s long term outlook, and how many of the changes instituted during COVID19 will change customer behavior permanently.
12:1012:55
Resetting for the Next Normal: ICT Outlook & Predictions for the META Region in 2021 & Beyond
Jyoti Lalchandani
Group Vice President & Regional Managing Director (META), IDC
12:5514:30
Country Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
The UAE & Other Gulf excl. KSA
12:55 - 13:00
Cultural Extravaganza
13:00 - 13:35
The UAE & Other Gulf excl. KSA: Recalibrating for 2021 and Beyond
13:00 - 13:35
The UAE & Other Gulf excl. KSA: Recalibrating for 2021 and Beyond
As the UAE and other GCC countries look to re-invent themselves for the post-COVID world in 2021 and beyond, they are recalibrating national strategies for the next stage of growth, re-initiating mega-events like Expo 2020 and redesigning industry diversification plans to kickstart economic growth. As “digital-first” strategies increasingly shape business and government agendas, what technology investments will they prioritize during the recovery?
Ranjit Rajan
Vice President, Research (META), IDC
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: UAE CIO Perspectives: Re-calibrating Tech Roadmaps for 2021 and Beyond: Key technology priorities to focus on and capabilities to develop in 2021
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: UAE CIO Perspectives: Re-calibrating Tech Roadmaps for 2021 and Beyond: Key technology priorities to focus on and capabilities to develop in 2021
Ranjit Rajan
Vice President, Research (META), IDC
Yuri Misnik
Group Chief Technology Officer, First Abu Dhabi Bank
Neetan Chopra
Group CTO, Dubai Holding
Saudi Arabia
12:55 - 13:00
Cultural Extravaganza
13:00 - 13:35
The Next Phase of Saudi Arabia's Digital Aspirations: Opportunities and Considerations
13:00 - 13:35
The Next Phase of Saudi Arabia's Digital Aspirations: Opportunities and Considerations
As Saudi Arabia moves into the crucial phase of realizing its ambitious Vision 2030, digital technologies and strategies are expected to play a vital part in enabling the Kingdom to fast track its economic diversification drive. Given the havoc and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, this session will examine the impact of traditional and disruptive technologies on key national initiatives, CIO agendas, and giga projects. It will also contextualize the ongoing digital government drive and outline opportunities for ICT service providers in 2021.
Hamza Naqshbandi
Regional Director (Saudi Arabia & Bahrain), IDC
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: What's next for Saudi's digital journey ? Perspectives from the transforming Kingdom
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: What's next for Saudi's digital journey ? Perspectives from the transforming Kingdom
Hamza Naqshbandi
Regional Director (Saudi Arabia & Bahrain), IDC
Eng. Abdullah AlQahtani
General Manager, Digital Transformation, Saudi e-Government Program - Yesser
Dr. Noha Ahmed Al-Harthi
Technology Lead, NEOM
Sultan AbuKoshaim
CIO & Governor Advisor, SASO
Africa (Sub Saharan Africa)
12:55 - 13:00
Cultural Extravaganza
13:00 - 13:35
Five Pillars for Success: Confronting Africa's Post-COVID-19 Reality
13:00 - 13:35
Five Pillars for Success: Confronting Africa's Post-COVID-19 Reality
The African marketplace is characterized by significant diversity and vastly different market conditions between countries and regions – this has been further complicated by the impact of the pandemic across this region. In this presentation, IDC will share the five critical pillars that must be considered if meaningful business growth is to be achieved in 2021. Relevance, affordability, accessibility, security, and trustworthiness are strategic imperatives that, if properly applied to market strategies in Africa, increase the likelihood of strong market penetration and ongoing momentum in the post-pandemic environment. The African market presents high levels of both risk and reward; if properly planned and executed, these five pillars provide a useful filter through which to test your strategic thinking on the road to recovery.
Mark Walker
Associate Vice President, South Africa, IDC
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: Sub-Saharan Africa: Accelerating the Road to Recovery in 2021
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: Sub-Saharan Africa: Accelerating the Road to Recovery in 2021
Mark Walker
Associate Vice President, South Africa, IDC
Bernard Rono
ICT Manager, Kenya Tea Packers Limited (KETEPA)
Prasanna Burri
Group CIO, Dangote Group
Chris Holland
Head: Research and Emerging Technologies, NedBank
Turkey
12:55 - 13:00
Cultural Extravaganza
13:00 - 13:35
The Future of Turkey's ICT Market in a Post-Pandemic World: Building Resiliency for a Sustainable Economy
13:00 - 13:35
The Future of Turkey's ICT Market in a Post-Pandemic World: Building Resiliency for a Sustainable Economy
The Turkish economy and ICT market are witnessing rapid changes amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and growing regional tensions. The current scenario is posing new challenges to the way business is conducted, and technology is certain to play a critical role as enterprises navigate their journey from response to recovery. These challenges also present opportunities, with businesses looking to realign their investments in specific technologies to help accelerate their digital transformation journey and prepare for future growth.
Eren Eser
Principal Analyst, Turkey, IDC
13:35 - 14:30
Open Discussion: Building on Digital Foundations for Continued Adaptability: Turkey CIO Perspectives
13:35 - 14:30
Open Discussion: Building on Digital Foundations for Continued Adaptability: Turkey CIO Perspectives
Eren Eser
Principal Analyst, Turkey, IDC
Erol Özgüner
CIO, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Hayriye Karadeniz
CDO, Ford Otosan
İlker Arabacı
EVP, IT & Digital Channels, Eureko Sigorta
Berke Menekli
VP IT T-MEA-CIS, BSH Ev Aletleri
Dilek Duman
COO, DenizBank
Egypt
12:55 - 13:00
Cultural Extravaganza
13:00 - 13:35
Tapping into Egypt and North Africa's Recovery in 2021 and Beyond
13:00 - 13:35
Tapping into Egypt and North Africa's Recovery in 2021 and Beyond
Based on a less severe lockdown and the continued inflow of international and government stimulus packages, Egypt's economy is expected to recover rapidly in 2021, paving a smoother road to accelerated investment in national infrastructure and technology programs underpinned by effective digital transformation strategies. Furthermore, with the pandemic distinctly reshaping the business landscape, CIOs across both the public and private sectors are taking full advantage of the opportunities that digital transformation presents, with a clear focus on the priorities and investments needed to rebound faster. Join us to explore why Egypt continues to emerge as serious market opportunity in the region with continued ICT growth.
Nagia El-Emary
Country Manager (Egypt) & Senior Consultant (MEA), IDC
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: Egypt’s Accelerated Tech Roadmaps for 2021: What Do They Look Like & What Is Their Role in Underpinning the Recovery?
13:35 - 14:30
Panel Discussion: Egypt’s Accelerated Tech Roadmaps for 2021: What Do They Look Like & What Is Their Role in Underpinning the Recovery?
Nagia El-Emary
Country Manager (Egypt) & Senior Consultant (MEA), IDC
Ahmed Mostafa
Chief Information Officer (CIO), Emirates NBD
Wissam Al Adany
Group Chief Information Officer, Ghabbour Auto Group
Khaled El Attar
Vice Minister for Administrative Development, Digital Transformation and Automation, MCIT
14:3015:00
Technology Track Sessions (Parallel Sessions)
Cloud
14:30 - 15:00
Cloud as a Driver for Smart Recovery: The Emergence of Cloud-Based Digital Platforms in a Software-Defined World
Wilson Xavier
Research Director, Telecom & IT Services (META), IDC
Cloud as a Driver for Smart Recovery: The Emergence of Cloud-Based Digital Platforms in a Software-Defined World
As the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region emerges from the economic fallout of COVID-19 and works its way towards a smarter recovery, the shift to "cloud-based enterprises" will accelerate in 2021 and beyond. Cloud model and management considerations, alongside interconnect and edge-computing adoption trends, will define the emergence of new opportunities as enterprises adopt distributed digital platforms in an increasingly software-defined world.
Emerging Tech
14:30 - 15:00
Automation and Intelligence as Force Multipliers for the Recovery: Tapping into the META Market for Emerging Technologies in 2021 and Beyond
Harish Dunakhe
Research Director, Software and Cloud, IDC Middle East, Africa, & Turkey
Automation and Intelligence as Force Multipliers for the Recovery: Tapping into the META Market for Emerging Technologies in 2021 and Beyond
As the economy recovers in 2021 and beyond, organizations across the META region will consolidate their automation and intelligence gains from 2020 and build them into the core of their digital strategies. Insight-driven organizations and AI-driven operations could become a reality faster than anticipated. As organizations look to accelerate their adoption of technologies such as AI, RPA, and advanced analytics to drive differentiation and sustained competitive advantage, new market opportunities will take shape.
Security
14:30 - 15:00
Redefining Security and Trust for the Next Normal
Varun Kukreja
Senior Program Manager, IT Security MEA, IDC Middle East, Africa, & Turkey
Redefining Security and Trust for the Next Normal
With accelerated digital transformation, unprecedented growth in remote and distributed work models, and increased cloud adoption, the attack surface is expanding at an unprecedented pace. The simultaneous expansion of the threat landscape is making the management of security and digital trust even more challenging. As organizations across the META region look to integrate security, privacy, and trust into their digital strategies, and protect ever-growing data and applications in distributed cloud environments, the regional security market will present significant opportunities.
15:0016:00
Meet the IDC Experts
Discussion Topics:
1. META ICT & DX Trends
2. UAE & Other GCC (excl. KSA) IT & Telecom Markets
3. META Cloud and Datacenter markets
4. Saudi IT & Telecom Markets
5. Turkey IT & Telecom Markets
6. Egypt & North Africa IT & Telecom Markets
7. Africa IT & Telecom Markets
8. META Software Applications and Emerging Tech (AI, RPA, Analytics, Blockchain)
9. META Security Market
10. META Personal Computers Market
11. META Mobile Phones Market
12. META Imaging and Hardcopy Peripherals and Document Solutions
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading media, data and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com.
