KUWAIT: Alaa ElShimy, Managing Director & Vice President, Huawei Enterprise, Middle East, speaks during the roadshow. —Photo by Ysser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider, kicked off a six-country roadshow across the region in Kuwait on Monday. Under the theme 'Leading New ICT, The Road to Digital Transformation', the roadshow puts the spotlight on advanced ICT technologies that are driving digital transformation in Kuwait and helping to achieve the country's development agenda in key sectors.

Held for the first time in the Middle East, the New ICT Roadshow 2018 will be a collaborative platform that will bring together leading Huawei experts form the region who will share their insights into technical topics and best practices in multiple fields, such as all-cloud network, cloud-managed campus, convergent campus, all-flash storage, and Intelligent Video Surveillance (IVS).

Huawei will gather enterprise leaders across a number of key verticals including Safe City/Public Safety, Utilities and Oil & Gas. The roadshow will include several keynotes, solution exhibition and technology workshops that cover Campus Networks, Data Centers, and Video Surveillance by Huawei experts. The initiative is designed to support regional governments to achieve their national vision agendas, and enable them to build better connected, intelligent ecosystems.

Digitalization

"Digitalization is transforming both business models and personal lifestyles and this change is happening at a lightning speed", said Alaa ElShimy, Managing Director & Vice President, Huawei Enterprise, Middle East.

Kuwait Times spoke to Alaa Elshimy, on the sidelines of "New ICT - The Road to Digital Transformation" roadshow.

Kuwait Times: What is the purpose of this roadshow, and what are you showcasing today?

Shimy: Today we are talking about the industry in general and industry trends. It is not only about ICT but about our life. Because we believe that ICT is shaping the way we live (smart cars, robotics, smart roads, etc) and this is what we are showing today for our Kuwaiti customers. We are talking about how Huawei is shaping the industry globally and how to bring these values to our partners in Kuwait, where this is the first roadshow across all the Middle East countries.

KT: How are you helping authorities in Kuwait achieve their national agendas?

Shimy: When we look at the national agenda in Kuwait, it is not only of the government, but also includes the private sector. We are discussing different industries - oil and gas, cities, healthcare, education, etc. So we are mapping different solutions and applications from ICT technology and business to enable this vision in all industries included in the strategy for the country.

The major opportunity for businesses and the public sector is becoming part of the ecosystem that facilitates smart city evolution. Developers, engineers, manufacturers and others stand to benefit from the burgeoning platform for innovation and creativity. IoT and cloud computing will nurture an innovative society led by public and private sector companies trying to find unique solutions for citizens. Public sector initiatives will rely on private sector input, as well as talent nurturing, training, and research.

Smart government

KT: What new ICT technology is the most important for Kuwait to implement today?

Shimy: Smart government is a great choice for Kuwait to implement. It is going to make a very big difference in how much time and effort you will spend. The consequences will be linked to each other - showing your ID will connect the ministries with each other in a database with all your information. You can get any service online from home.

About oil and gas industry, the market is very competitive globally. In the US they are reducing the cost of production. The Middle East is a role player - where oil and gas companies and investors are in urgent need to use the latest information technologies and management processes to reduce costs and ensure safe operations. Against this backdrop, innovative ICT plays an important role in the digital transformation of the oil and gas industry. Vision and determination from governments around the world create safe and smart havens for their people.

KT: What are the biggest challenges that organizations face when implementing new technologies?

Shimy: The biggest fear is about people losing jobs when technology is used to reduce cost, and replacing manpower with artificial intelligence. A number of jobs will not exist, but on the other hand, new jobs are created to find qualified people to work in the new technologies that have been implemented. It is not only in the Middle East, but it is a globally fear. The new jobs that will be created will bring more values in a more efficient way. The technology will reduce costs but it will also increase efficiency.

Jobs generation

KT: You mentioned that new jobs will be available in the future. What knowledge should the next generation learn?

Shimy: The next generations must focus on four main majors and education providers must consider them. The majors are artificial intelligence, mathematics, data science and programming.

KT: What progress has Huawei made in Campus Network and Cloud Data Center, and how is it different to what is available in the market today?

Shimy: Globally, there are more than 300 million cameras collecting data. If you want to collect this data in a normal standard computer, you will have poor performance. But if you have a switch and cloud computing and an AI chip, then you will get the best result for any images, video or anything that you will add to the system. You will get the best performance for any AI application you have.

By leveraging key technologies, we can have in-depth and comprehensive detection and control on pipeline reliability and security, and improve the pipelines' operating efficiency to the greatest extent. With the support of new ICT technologies and by combining professional capability, we can advance the development of new-generation digital pipelines characterized by an unprecedented level of smartness.