UAE moves to become a frontrunner in accessing the full potential of the cloud
Organizations across the UAE are accelerating their digital transformation journeys and we are witnessing the widespread adoption of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, data analysis and robotics across the country, and around the globe.
Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, had noted earlier this year that the world had experienced two years of digital transformation in just the two months between March and April in 2020. Not only has this acceleration continued, but it is scaling up at a pace not yet seen before.
As organizations pursue transformation and integrate new technologies into their operations, the Middle East is investing significantly in cloud technologies. In fact, the International Data Corporation (IDC) recently revealed that the cloud market is expected to more than double in value by 2024 in GCC countries, growing from US$956 million to US$2.35 billion at a cumulative annual growth rate of 25%. The IDC noted that this projected cloud adoption was being aided by the ongoing investment by cloud providers alongside the continued need for remote work and observed that the UAE was forecast to spend the second highest, behind Saudi Arabia, on enterprise IT in the GCC region at US$5.3 billion.
It is clear that the region has recognized the power of the cloud as an enabler of other emerging technologies which have become crucial to the growth and development of organizations during these uncertain and challenging times.
When cloud computing first came under the spotlight, it was seen as an innovative emerging technology on its own, and separate from any others. But, today the cloud has evolved into a key driver of other, new, technologies. Technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things would just not be possible at scale without leveraging the storage and quick-fire processing capabilities of the cloud, and businesses in the UAE, such as FMCG firm Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), are fully taking advantage of its enabling power.
Ensuring business resilience and agility
At its core, the cloud offers organizations unparalleled business resilience and adaptability as it enables organizations to develop and provide new services to customers at a rapid pace. In other words, organizations are able to leverage the cloud to respond to constantly evolving demand and restrictions in budgets.
FHH turned to Microsoft’s trusted cloud Azure to gain agility and bolster their business resilience, taking advantage of the cloud platform’s comprehensive set of native business continuity solutions, providing high availability, disaster recovery, and backup to protect their mission critical applications and data. The company noted that since adopting these cloud tools, they had become better able to accommodate the sudden shift to remote work and experienced no downtime nor did employees battle with access to business-critical systems. And, within just a few months, the use of Microsoft 365 apps had increased by 84%.
Enhancing business insights
Businesses run on data, and generate a substantive amount of it. From information about customers and their behavior to supply chain visibility, markets, and trends, data holds massive potential to provide value to organizations.
But, securing that value requires that organizations sift through that data to gain an understanding of patterns and trends that will allow for quick and decisive decision-making. Cloud-based data solutions help organizations remove silos in data streams and provide insights that help to answer key questions like “How can I target my best customers” or “How can I reduce the cost of generating new leads”.
FHH remarked that Azure cloud applications and Microsoft PowerBI had provided managers with a consolidated view of all data pulled from sales activities through a single click, helping them make better decisions faster.
Reducing vulnerabilities and risks
The rapid introduction of emerging technologies, including the cloud, can open up a number of new vulnerabilities within organizations that cybercriminals could use to exploit. Ensuring the secure use of advancing tech, while also boosting the security of legacy infrastructure, is vital for organizations in today’s digital society.
Strengthening the security of cloud workloads is most simply achieved by making use of cloud platforms that prioritize security, privacy, and compliance.
With platforms like Azure, organizations are able to protect their data, apps, and infrastructure quickly through the built-in services developed to help identify threats early and implement a layered, defense in-depth strategy unifying security management across the cloud environment.
The transition into the cloud has resulted in substantial upgrades in infrastructure security for FHH, and the firm experienced an increase in security of nearly 65% with a 90% reduction in security alerts.
The cloud has found itself in a unique standing as a strategic agent of change and a driver of innovation and growth by significantly boosting the capabilities of other emerging tech. The UAE has recognized this and has taken subsequent action to make use of the cloud to gain a competitive advantage in the region and in the world and this action will position the country as a leader in both.