16th July 2011Issue 140

Published by: VAR MEA Magazine. For enquiries, contact Tel: +971-4-3326647 Fax: +971-4-3326621 sales@var-mea.com or info@var-mea.com www.VARonline.com

...continued on pg 6 ...continued on pg 6

16th July 2011Issue 140

What’s NewIn Focus - TechAccess

Golden Systems Middle East (GSME) has won the ‘Best Sales’ award

and the ‘Best Contribution’ award from its vendor-partner, KINGMAX.

Golden Systems was recognised for its outstanding sales perfor-

mance, commitment and contribution to increasing KINGMAX’s

sales and market share across the Middle East region.

“Golden Systems is equally happy and proud to win the ‘Best Sales’

and ‘Best Contribution’ awards from KINGMAX, our valuable vendor

partner. These awards are a testament of our team’s commitment to

offering only the best quality products with the best service and

support. We are deeply honoured by the faith bestowed on us by

KINGMAX, who share in our commitment for excellence, vision, and

belief in global best practices,” said Ehsan Hashemi, COO, Golden

Systems Middle East.

NETGEAR revealed its new global partner program as well as its partnership with

Acronis at a roadshow in Dubai. Richard Jonker, Managing Director, Emerging

Markets, NETGEAR speaks to VAR Magazine about some of the initiatives from the

company about increasing the value proposition to partners and customers.

Celebrating 1stanniversary

Golden Systems wins

awards from KINGMAX

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Packard Bell

oneTwo S

Building

partner loyalty

Increasingthe valueproposition

4 16th July 2011

516th July 2011

6 16th July 2011

How do you see the channel’s market opportu-

nities with Netgear solutions improving?

We cater to various channel partners s including the

ISV channel, consumer channel and VARs. For VARs,

we provide Business wireless, storage, security

solutions etc.

We are trying to further develop our value proposi-

tion in the VAR channel. The products we offer are

part of the solutions that an integrator would build.

We are seeing that Virtualistion is beginning to pick

up in the region. There are a lot of storage and

security needs that are coming up. There is a need

for switching solutions etc and they would need to

backup data being created. That is where the recent

partnership with Acronis comes in.

What is your value proposition to the SMB

segment?

We bring reliable, simple and affordable storage.

After the credit crunch, people have been looking

at simpler, easy to use and affordable storage needs.

We bring enterprise technology to SMB products,

similar to the way VMWare brings in virtualization

technologies to the SMB segment. We bring the top

of the line switches that can help virtualise servers

and connect with the physical components that

you need for enabling a virtualized environment.

We bring in storage and the switching part but at a

price lower than was available. It gives transparency

to the IT manager and he knows the data is safely

stored.

How do you view growth in the storage market

and how are you positioned to tap into these

opportunities?

Storage is perhaps the fastest growing area which

is good for us and our channel. The change is that

storage doesn’t any longer have to be on site but

can be pay per use basis storage. It is not important

where your data sits anymore as long it doesn’t

affect performance and is easily available. This can

work only when internet connections are affordable

and faster. At the end of the day, this is bound to

happen.

There are many drivers of storage. The need for data

backup is one of them. The fact that tapes are

disappearing and NAS is taking over is another.

People want data of camera footage archives such a

hotel. We work with camera vendors like Axis and

Mobotix to tap into this segment. Further, the

partnership with Acronis is helping us position a

solution instead of mere products with basic

software.

Would all you NAS appliances be bundled with

Acronis backup?

All Business NAS would be bundled with Acronis. It

is a 90 day evaluation free and once the customer

decides to keep it, buy the license. Recurring

licenses would open up a revenue stream for

resellers. They have an additional solution to sell.

Golden Systems, KINGMAX’s distributor for the UAE and the GCC, has played an impor-tant role in the growth of KINGMAX’s business and market share in the region over the last few years.

“Golden Systems has once again proved to

be our dedicated partner in the Middle East

by playing an important role in our growth

in this region. Their team has worked hard

to promote our products and increase our

market share. We are happy to recognize

their contribution to our brand and sales in

the region by giving them these awards. We

are confident they will outdo their perfor-

mance this year and look forward to

working closely with them to take our

brand to even greater heights in the region,”

said Joe Liu, CEO of KINGMAX GROUP.

News

Discuss some of the technologies in your UTM

solutions targeting the SMB?

We have been selling a lot of VPN firewalls to Small

Business customers. We have added some more

functions like web filtering, content filtering and

position towards mid size Businesses. UTM devices

need more power to run with the addition of more

applications. The UTM is almost like a mini server as

it includes processor, memory, storage, network

connectors etc. We acquired a technology called

stream scanning from CP Secure which allows for

real-time scanning of high-volume web and email

traffic without degrading network performance

which is integrated in ourUTM devices.

Do you manufacture IP cameras or do you

partner with other manufacturers in this

segment?

We work with two camera manufacturers, Axis and

Mobotix. We try to be vendor agnostic. We have

tested their products with our products. We sign up

Axis partners in our reseller network. Cameras are an

endpoint product which is how we see it. You need

to integrate IP technology, optical technology,

compression technology, video technology etc and

that is not our strength and we would want to focus

on our core strengths like NAS, switching solutions

and innovations in connectors which help data

communication across a network.

Why don’t you include surveillance software in

your NAS appliances?

We don’t run the surveillance software on NAS

because that can bring down performance. We

have tuned down the OS in our appliances to the

bare minimum

And if you run our appliance and appliances from

our competitors, you will see we are faster. We

would be killing that advantage if we put software

on our NAS devices.

How are you strengthening your partner

investments?

We are investing in the partner business here. We

are beefing up partner program. On top of that, we

are building special programs – Platinum and

Platinum plus for partners who do large installations

and focus on a specific area as for instance storage.

We will sign on platinum partners in this program

for those who do storage business and integrate

Acronis. We will do the same with business wireless

for the hospitality and surveillance market. We are

tying up the program for the educational market.

We are targeting specialists and who are willing to

focus and invest in Netgear’s business. We will invest

in them as well.

Netgear is a cash rich company. We do smart

acquisitions. We buy technologies and not

competitors or their customers. We are not affected

by the credit crunch and can help our partners

grow along with us.

NETGEARIn Focus

ComGuard, a

leading value

added distribu-

tor for IT security

products and

solutions in the

Middle East and

North Africa

region signs up

an distribution

agreement with

GFI Software to

distribute its

wide portfolio of

products and

solutions across

the Middle East

region.

ComGuard will distribute the GFI web monitoring, and a range of

network solutions including a vulnerability scanner, software for

patch and log management and various monitoring, web and

e-mail security solutions such as virus and spam filters, and

endpoint security products. And, it will work with its channel

partners to identify sales opportunities for GFI products and

solutions.

Mohammad Mobasseri, Senior Vice President, ComGuard, said,

“ComGuard helps its vendor partners create new business opportu-

nities by providing channel partner support across the region. By

adding GFI products and solutions to our portfolio for the Middle

East region, we will be in a position to help our channel partners

take advantage of an untapped and growing market in the region.”

ComGuard and GFI will work closely together to establish stronger

business links in the region and to successfully promote GFI

products in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan,

Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and Iran. ComGuard and GFi will run

special joint programmes like Road shows, Technical training for

their preferred partners.

ComGuard to distribute

GFI in the region

...continued from pg 1

continued from pg 1

In the past few years, as the much vaunted ‘value add distribution’ gained

parlance almost to the point of sounding quite clichéd every time anyone used

the word. However, the truth is that in the past few years, the shift has certainly

happened and some of the distributors who were hitherto only known as

strong broadline distributors were able to launch their value or enterprise sales

divisions successfully. Distributors like Redington, Aptec, Almasa and Empa are

some names that come to mind. Redington and Aptec have indeed powered

their sales in the value segment quite successfully and look at the segment as a

pillar of future growth.

Some of the other distributors on the other hand turned to retail and strength-

ened their focus there, increasing their sell out to power retailers and hoping to

piggyback on the fast growth that the segment was achieving. However, it is

not certain how many of those who strengthened their focus on the retail

distribution have been able to keep up a healthy growth trajectory and also

coped with the higher costs involved.

These two additional focus areas will continue to drive distributor strategies but

the bet is that the enterprise value business segment will deliver more stability

in the longer run.

Editorial

Some changing nuances

of distribution

716th July 2011

Post Box: 46900 Dubai-UAEe-mail: shivacom@emirates.net.ae, Tel: 04-3511069 Fax: 04-3511093www.shiva-computer.com

8 16th July 2011

Please discuss details of the new

TechAccess Partner Loyalty Program?

You seem to have kept it open ended in

terms of allowing partners the flexibility

to choose their rewards?

The TechAccess Partner Loyalty Program is

the first of its kind in the partner commu-

nity. It is basically designed to empower ‘its

partners’ to choose how they wish to be

rewarded from a breadth of unique reward

offerings on both, business and leisure

options. Our Partners who continue to

grow business with TechAccess will have

an opportunity to avail extravagant and

exciting prizes which will give them a

chance to experience ‘best of both worlds’.

TechAccess Partner Loyalty Program is a

key differentiator in the market. TechAccess

is the first Value Added IT Distributor to

have launched such a premium program to

acknowledge its top performing partners

and value their growing business with

TechAccess.

How does the reward system work?

The design of TechAccess Partner Loyalty

Program is unique in the local IT industry in

the sense that it offers leisure as well as

business rewards to our partners who grow

and build business with TechAccess.

Usually partner programs only focus on

technical certification, whereas the

TechAccess Partner Loyalty Program

provides its partners with an opportunity

to choose how they wish to be rewarded.

This is a yearly program in which partners

will be rewarded on basis of their sales

contribution to TechAccess in a Fiscal Year.

What are your objectives with the

rollout of this program and does it cover

the entire MENA region you operate in?

Through Partner Loyalty Program we take a

step forward in strengthening relationships

with our partners and reward them for

growing their business with TechAccess. It

also focuses at generating excitement

amongst new partners to do business with

us. This is a tool through which TechAccess

recognizes the value of its partners in order

to retain their loyalty in continuing to be

our business partners.

This is a region based program and caters

to all TechAccess Partners in Gulf, KSA and

LENA.

Discuss the various rewards that the

TechAccess Partner Loyalty Program

offers?

The TechAccess Partner Loyalty Program

provides the partners with a complete

experience. Our top performing partners

will have a chance to experience best of

both worlds; they will not only have the

opportunity to avail business prizes but

also enjoy extravagant leisure rewards.

From a Formula 1 race, to an international

business conference or a five star Mediter-

ranean cruise experience or a Romantic

gateway to Maldives; The TechAccess

Partner Loyalty Program covers it all.

What are the priorities for Tech Access in

2011?

TechAccess has been in the industry for

more than ten years and during this time

we have achieved tremendous success. We

market IT products and solutions of the

leading Hardware, Storage, Software and

Security vendors like Oracle, NetApp,

Symantec and HDS, through our 100+

Channel Partners in over 16 countries in

MENA, across multiple industry sectors.

Our key focus for 2011 is to develop our

partners and analyze as to how we can

retain margin, add focus into growth

markets like KSA, develop our existing

installed channel base and increase our

product offerings and become the hub of

value added services.

Discuss any new initiatives or partner-

ships that Tech Access has engaged in

recently?

We have recently launched TechAccess

Partner Connect. This is a partner portal

that provides latest updates to all TechAc-

cess partners about their day to day

business activities with TechAccess. The

Partner Connect provides our partners with

Live 24/7 order tracking reports, latest

financial updates and various other

facilities. We aim to provide our partners

with services and solutions that build

business and ensure that all our strategies

and initiatives fulfill our partner require-

ments.

News

Samsung, one of the leading players in the notebook market, says it increased its sales

by more than 183 per cent in the first quarter of this year. The market share of

Samsung’s notebooks grew more than 18 % in the UAE in 2011 compared to the first

quarter of 2010 where the overall market share is currently registered at 12 per cent. The

Middle East is a strategic region for Samsung and notebook sales are expected to

increase due to an increasing trend in desktop replacement.

Samsung has been frequently introducing new models and new technologies in the

notebooks segment. Notebooks such as the recently launched Samsung Series 9 are

driving the market forward in terms of design, display and powerful performance. The

new Series 9 notebook is built with a Solid State Hard Drive which accelerates the

notebook’s performance tremendously delivering 60 percent faster booting than a

hard disk drive (HDD) notebook. The notebook is feather light at 1.31kg (2.88lbs.) while

maintaining a super slim body that measures only 16.3mm (0.64inches) in depth and a

screen size of 13 inches, Crafted with durable duralumin, the Samsung Series 9 is the

premium notebook for consumers who look for design, performance and usability.

Raj Varma, General Manager of the Notebook Sales Group, Samsung Gulf Electronics

states that Samsung continues to be a market leader in this category due to its commit-

ment to giving consumers’ what they need. He also states that consumers can

anticipate seeing a wide range of innovative computing devices from Samsung in the

near future.

Canon Middle East hosted its top dealers in Lebanon to preview its most recently

launched printer models in the market. The event was instrumental in securing

business of worth over US$ 20,000 during the 2 hour event and it has resulted in a 20%

increase in sales projection for Canon in the office personal products (OPP) segment in

the same month.

IT dealers across Lebanon had access to information about Canon’s latest printing

solutions to hit the market featuring more advanced functionalities including

enhanced colour quality, speeds and wireless printing capabilities. Over 32 dealers

attended the strategic partnership event at the Habtoor Metropolitan Hotel recently.

“Canon has always offered state of the art products that combine cutting edge

technology and value for money along with meeting the expectations of the diverse

consumers of the region. The partnership event has provided an ideal platform for

Canon to understand the needs of the IT channel which will further empower our

business partnerships with Lebanon’s robust network of IT dealers, System Integrators

and Value Added Resellers (SI/VAR),” said Amgad Basha, Sales Manager, Canon Middle

East.

Basha also added that the objective of the event was also to help strengthen Canon’s

relationship with their dealers. He said, “We want to demonstrate that we are their

partners in every genuine sense of the word, and will support them with activities such

as interactive product demonstrations and events to show how committed we are to

their success.”

Charles Attalah, General Manager, Advanced Digital Imaging (ADI), Canon’s distributor

for Imaging and Printing Solutions in Lebanon, commented "Canon has been very

supportive of our marketing initiatives, and that reflects in our exceptional perfor-

mance last year. Such an event was a great way of not only introducing products, but

also engaging our customers on the most appropriate and effective solutions that will

help them boost their businesses.”

The gathering of top dealers in Lebanon is the latest in a series of channel events

organised by Canon Middle East which provide its Tier II partners with insight into the

new Canon line up and forthcoming strategies relating to the new products, develop-

ment of Channels and marketing initiatives.

TechAccessIn Focus

Samsung claims huge growth inNotebook sales in the first quarter

Canon hosts event forLebanon dealers

Ahsan Ali

Senior Vice President, Marketing, TechAccess

Building partner loyalty

TechAccess launched

its Partner Loyalty

Program recently.

Ahsan Ali- Senior Vice

President, Marketing

at TechAccess believes

this will be a value

differentiator. He

discusses details of the

program in the

following interview.

916th July 2011

10 16th July 2011

How has the year been in terms of growth across different product lines?Traditional retail channels have been D-Link’s historical strengths. This market is still on a steady growth and we expect over 20% growth from this segment in 2011. The rapidly expanding power retail concept in more developed economies in the region is a new challenge for D-Link which evolves different thinking, different scope in planning, execution and support infrastructure. We expect to maintain our foothold in this segment, which is expected to grow rapidly for the next 4 to 5 years. With e-commerce limited in the consumer segment, the retail segment could still maintain the historical growth figures.

The SOHO and SMB segment are still expected to be on the steady growth path, credit crunches have a reasonable impact on selected industries and related enterprise segment, but viewing the whole markets in the Middle East and Africa, we expect the year 2011 to be good.

What are the key focus areas in terms of products this year?On the consumer segment we have launched the Boxee Box, an amazing Social Network Media Centre which plays back movies in Full HD 1080p. This device is not just a media player, but also a great tool to share with your Facebook and Twitter friends the media files Boxee users most like. Apart from that we have a wide range of IP cameras, 3G, New HD Series Router and power line products. On the business solutions segment we offer the latest series of smart, PoE products, chassis switches and storage solutions.

What are the verticals you are pushing more this year?Since March 2011 we started to sell cabling solutions in the Middle East & Africa. This is a new product line which will help us to position ourselves in the cabling market as well.

How strong do you think is the brand acceptability of Dlink in the region?Like with any brand, there are plenty of

News

competitors. There are different kinds of consumers, some of them are more brand-loyal and insist on purchasing a certain brand, and others opt for the current offering independent of the vendor. Overall, we have been observing that the feedback from our end-users is very good. We always aim for repeating customers and we hence try to provide added services such as the implementation of better technical support to enhance the overall experience with D-Link products. Do you see SMB customers being more proactive in terms of investments in network infrastructure deployment?Since the credit crunch in 2008, there has definitely been an increased willingness to invest in the proper network infrastructure. We still would wish users to be more pro-active with regards to the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 ready products. The near exhaustion of IPv4 addresses has contributed to an increased global awareness of the need for IPv6 adoption and more businesses and consumers

should prepare their networks for interoper-ability with IPv6.

Discuss any changes in your distribution/reseller strategy or any new initiatives?Our distribution strategy has been simple from the start, maintain a proper demand/supply channel with in-country distribution model, develop and enhance channel partners with our partner programs to develop the retail and solution business segments. Our long term strategy is to build more in-country resources, strengthen existing partners to grow and share the success of D-Link in the region.

How do you look at other markets in the GCC region – are several of them growing? Which of these markets are concerns in terms of sales?We certainly hope to progress further in the GCC markets. The current political condition in many Middle Eastern countries however keeps us hoping, that the demand for networking solutions will not decrease.

What are the challenges you see in the reseller market?The challenge is to maintain the price levels at the given limit and not to go below it, so that partners will not suffer from profit loss. A healthy competition and Fair play will help to reach a more stable market environment.

Do you see some of the not so active resellers getting more active in the recent past? Do you propose to engage with more of the resellers in the market here and other GCC markets?Overall we are very satisfied with the perfor-mance of our partners. We do see a lot of efforts from the majority of our partners and make sure to keep them motivated by deploying very enticing incentive programs. We are also working on getting more well-qualified partners onboard to further our market reach, both in the local market and other GCC markets.

D-LinkIn Focus

AOC recently held highly successful road shows in association with its distribu-

tor Online Distribution to spread awareness about the global new trends in the

monitor space and how channel partners can benefit with their association with

AOC brand in Pakistan.

The 3 city road shows covered Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, which witnessed

a big attendance of channel partners in every city. The road shows were specially

designed to update its channel partners about the wide range of AOC

eco-friendly, feature rich, high quality, ergonomically designed, value for money,

ultra thin LCD/LED monitors Year-on-year basis AOC has maintained an average

growth of above 20 per cent in the past three years.

Commenting on the road shows in Pakistan, Brian Liu, VP - Sales, MEA & CIS

Central Asia, AOC, said “AOC remained committed towards introducing practical

solutions that take into account the diverse needs of today’s world, whether it is

entertainment, gaming, presentations, displays or graphic applications. World-

wide, the consumer market is demanding products that offer design functional-

ity, wider applications, green credentials and competitive pricing.”

AOC recently debuted in Pakistan with a superior product range, including the

world’s slimmest VESA mounted monitor RAZOR. With a super slim and sleek

look, AOC's new 'Razor' series are just 1.29 cm thick and are available in 18.5 inch

to 23 inch sizes. Razor offers its users premium picture quality with a stunning

Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 50 Million: 1, by far the highest in the Industry. This

super high DCR gives the finest image details with a greater depth. According to

the company's release, Razors USP is Minimum Thickness & Vibrant Colors.

Speaking at the occasion, Suchit Kumar, DGM Sales & Marketing MEA & CIS

Central Asia, AOC, said “AOC has appointed Online Distribution as the authorised

distributors for Pakistan and are confident of desired penetration for AOC in the

region’s important market with their strong logistical and sale ability.

VIP Computers, a leading

distributor of components,

peripherals and consumer

products has signed an

agreement with OCZ Technol-

ogy Group, a leading provider of

high-performance solid-state

drives (SSDs) and memory

modules for computing devices

and systems, to establish a

partnership to make OCZ's SSDs

readily available throughout the

entire MEA region.

The manufacturer, who recently

shipped its one millionth solid

state drive, has identified the

MEA region as a key area for

growth in 2011. Peter Berkhout, regional Sales Director at OCZ Technology

Group explains: “OCZ has established itself as the leading manufacturer of SSDs

in the world and the potential is enormous, especially in the MEA region where

we are looking to secure a strong foothold."

“We are looking for further growth in this area, especially as corporate end

customers and consumers start to recognize SSDs as a performance enhancing

driver rather than a storage option," continued Mr. Berkhout. “VIP Computers

have a strong presence with a focused and dedicated sales and marketing team

in the burgeoning MEA area which is why we are pleased to be partnering with

them.”

"OCZ products are of the highest quality and are a perfect addition to our

product offering," said Harprit Singh, Managing Director at VIP Computers MEA

FZCO. "Our company was founded on delivering the best quality products, and

the ability to provide our customers with innovative OCZ solutions reaffirms our

commitment to this growing market."

VIP Computers is headquartered in the UK, with regional operations in the UAE,

Spain, the Netherlands, Romania, and the USA.

In the ascendant AOC holds 3 city roadshows across Pakistan

VIP Computers is OCZDistributor

D-Link has been one of the leading brands in the networking business

catering to SMB and soho customers. It continues to consolidate and

expand its portfolio. Sakkeer Hussain, Sales and marketing manager at

D-Link Middle East describes some of the key focus areas for the company.

Sakkeer HussainSales & Marketing Manager, D-Link

Harprit SinghManaging Director, VIP Computers MEA

1116th July 2011

12 16th July 2011

What’s

ROG G74Sx 3D gaming notebook

Packard Bell oneTwo S

For more details, log on to www.packardbell.com For more details, log on to www.xerox.com

Key Features:• Packard Bell now enlarges its successful range with an unprecedented 20-inch format: the brand-new Packard Bell oneTwo S.

• Its ultra-slim, streamlined design saves space.

• The chassis comes in glossy black, matte white, chrome and silver to easily match with any decor.

• Chrome-colored back-stand can be adjusted with one hand to get the best viewing angle.

• The 20-inch high-definition display provides vivid HD ready images.

• The optional TV-tuner enhances a boundless experience just like on digital TV, enriched by the True studio-audio of THX TruStudio PC.

Key Features:

Xerox DocuMate 4440

For more details, log on to www.aus.com.tw

Key Features:

• A new compact, sheet-fed document scanner intended to reduce paper chaos, document storage requirements and security risks associated with unorganized paperwork in healthcare and insurance offices. • It is one of the fastest and easiest to use scanners in its class offering duplex scanning performance of up to 80 images per minute (40 pages per minute), plastic hard card scanning, Kofax VRS image enhancement and ultrasonic double feed detection.• The advanced features of the DocuMate 4440 help healthcare and insurance offices eliminate cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming paper-based processes: • The DocuMate 4440 is a low-cost scanning solution for front-office scanning, patient receiving and registration with TWAIN 2.1 Certified Drivers.

chrome

• The G74Sx 3D is a high-performance notebook for gamers who don’t want to drag a full PC around to gaming events, or do not have room at home for a full desktop set up. • The G74Sw 3D has the clean, angular lines of a stealth fighter and the power to match, thanks to the latest second generation Intel Core quad-core i5 and i7 processors.• NVIDIA GTX 560M graphics ensure blistering frame rates at native resolutions and high detail settings on the 17-inch Full HD screen, while NVIDIA 3D Vision offers players a new dimension to games and movies.

• Powerful it may be, but the G74Sx 3D always keeps its cool with an innovative thermal design that uses twin fans to draw cool air from the front of the case and twin rear exhausts to expel warm air out the back. • The gamer-friendly keyboard brings an extra edge to the playing field, too.• The metallic base is does not flex, the backlit keys ensure frags in dimly lit environments and a large cursor key cluster sits away from the main keyboard to minimize mistyped keys in the midst of the action

yurance offices. ers in its classo 80 imagesd card

help

Wireless Gigabit Router 450N X6

Key features:

New ColorQube 8870 Desktop Solid Ink Printer Kaspersky Internet Security 2012

For more details, log on to www.xerox.com

For more details, log on to www.sitecom.com

For more details, log on to www.kaspersky.com

Key Features: Key Features:

• Easily create a secure, high-speed network with wireless speeds of up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency, 450 Mbps on the 5 GHz frequency and cable speeds of up to 1000 Mbps.

• With the Wireless Router 450N X6, you can easily create a wireless network and share a broadband Internet connection, files and peripheral devices.

• This solution has Sitecom Cloud Security: the security integrated in the router protects all the devices in your network against cybercrime when surfing the Internet.

• It has a range which covers three storeys, the garden and the balcony with wireless speeds of up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency and 450 Mbps on the 5 GHZ frequency.

• The second desktop product under the ColorQube brand-makes color printing even more affordable for businesses of all sizes.• The Xerox ColorQube 8870 solid ink color printer’s cartridge-free ink produces high-quality color prints and generates 90% less printing waste than comparable color laser printers.• With print speeds as fast as 40 pages per minute in both color and black and white.• Vibrant, affordable color• Exceptional color print quality • Environmentally responsible printing• The ColorQube 8870 solid ink color printer price starts at $2499

• Combines our fast and efficient antivirus software with premium Internet threat defense• Delivers real-time protection from new and emerging threats• Identifies suspicious and dangerous websites and search results• Secures your identity while online banking and shopping• Provides a safe social networking environment• Prevents hacker attacks with best-in-class firewall• Filters out dangerous and unwanted emails• Keeps your children safe and responsible with advanced parental controls• Easy-to-use interface and Desktop Security Gadget

eeds ofhe 5 GHz

wireless networkheral devices.

grated in thercrime when

equency.

• This Gigabit router supports cable speeds of up to 1000 Mbps.

• This Simultaneous Dual-band router simultaneously uses the standard 2.4 GHz frequency and the less congested 5 GHz frequency for the optimal wireless performance of heavy applications.

• The router is suitable for heavy applications such as simultaneously downloading and streaming large HD files and multiplayer gaming.

• The router has “out of the box” security as standard with the WPA2 security protocol.

1316th July 2011

In 2011, the gaming software spending will be

followed at a distance by gaming hardware and

online gaming, reaching $17.8 billion and $11.9

billion, respectively (see Table 1).

Within the gaming software market, mobile gaming

will experience the largest growth opportunity with

its share growing from 15 percent in 2010 to 20

percent in 2015.

The segment that will drive the largest revenue will

come from video game consoles (hardware and

software). In 2010, it generated more than

two-thirds of the gaming ecosystem revenue, and

Gartner predicts revenue to grow 4 percent in 2011.

Over the next five years, gaming hardware’s market

share will remain constant while software spending

will lose share to online-gaming spending, the

fastest-growing segment. Gartner estimates

consumer spending on global online gaming

(subscriptions and

microtransactions) will

show a compound

annual growth rate of 27

percent through 2015,

with consumer spend-

ing on subscription fees

slightly declining while

spending on virtual

goods will grow

exponentially.

After making major inroads into the desktop market, quad-core PC micropro-cessors now are set to conquer the notebook segment, with about half of the mobile computers shipped in 2015 expected to employ these advanced chips, according to the new IHS iSuppli report entitled “Desktop and Notebook PC Technology Penetration Forecast,” from information and analysis provider IHS (NYSE: IHS).

A total of 49 percent of notebooks in 2015 will employ quad-core micropro-cessors, up from 9 percent in 2011. Shipments of quad-core notebooks will total 160 million units in 2015, up by nearly a factor of eight from 21.2 million in 2011.

Shipments of six-core microprocessors also are on the rise, with 18 percent of notebooks shipping with the technology in 2015, up from zero in 2011. Shipments will total 58.9 million units in 2015.

MPU PenetrationRecent product introductions in this area include Intel Corp.’s six-core Core i7-970, as well as Advanced Micro Devices Inc.’s six-core Phenom II X6 proces-sors, with both processors currently aimed at the desktop market.

The rise of multi-core microprocessors illustrates the ongoing march of technology in the PC market, even amid the incredible rise in consumer sales of lower-performance media tablets. The PC industry continues to refine its products by improving performance, refining the design blocks around the system and adding new features.

Along with the move toward higher-performance multi-core designs, notebook PC microprocessors also are evolving to suit mobile lifestyles. Today’s consumers are demanding computers that can be used on the go, all day.

One such evolution is the recently introduced graphics-enabled microproces-sor, which places the graphics processor actually on the processor die. While in their early stages today, such microprocessors will be found in excess of 90 percent of notebooks sold in 2015. These chips deliver improved power management of the on-chip graphics unit, although in terms of graphics performance, are not able to outperform standalone graphics processing units used in discrete graphics cards.

The gaming ecosystem is undergoing major

technology and business model transitions that will

last beyond 2015. Gartner, Inc. estimates that world-

wide spending on the gaming ecosystem* will

exceed $74 billion in 2011, up 10.4 percent from

2010 spending of $67 billion. By 2015, spending will

reach $112 billion.

Overall, Gartner estimates that the gaming software

component will represent $44.7 billion in 2011, and

it will continue to dominate the overall gaming

market in the next five years as it absorbs almost

two-thirds of consumers’ gaming budgets.

“This large market size means that many consumers

embrace gaming as a core piece of their entertain-

ment budget and will continue to play as long as

game publishers deliver compelling and fun

games,” said Fabrizio Biscotti, research director at

Gartner.

Gartner Says Spending on Gaming

to Exceed $74 Billion in 2011

Quad-Core Microprocessors in

Half of All Notebook PCs in 2015

2011 2013 2015Gaming Hardware 17,797 24,621 27,354Gaming So�ware 44,730 51,129 56,512Online Gaming 11,899 21,453 28,298Total 74,426 97,204 112,163

Total Gaming Market Spending,

2010-2015 (Millions of Dollars)

Source: Gartner (June 2011)

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Recent runaway episodes in the channel

have heightened anxiety about the health

of the channel and the alarming credit

exposure to the tune of millions of dirhams

with the runaway resellers. DCG, the trade

body in the channel with a membership of

150 is taking corrective steps to persuade

or enforce the defaulting resellers to clear

their debts in the channel.

While there have a few cases including

Karya Technology , 7 Secure, Yousuf Mallala

and Al Riga, DCG is primarily concerned

with these cases of the former two since

these case have directly impacted some of

DCG members. Karya reportedly has duped

the market to the tune of AED 30 million or

so and the reseller has fled the country

since. 7 Secure, one of the other resellers

that was also associated with Karya, has

also effectively gone out of business with a

debt to the tune of allegedly 8-10 million

AED.

Shailendra Rughwani, President of DCG

said, “We are taking strong steps to initiate

action against Karya’s owner and are

confident we will be able to recover the

money for our members. In the case of

7 Secure, he has settled partially the

outstanding with two of our members.

One more member needs to paid out apart

from some distributors. He has been given

some time to settle that failing which

action would be pursued.”

DCG resolves to pursue recovery ofoutstanding from runaway resellers

It is believed, that the owner’s brother was

negotiating phased settlement options

with creditors. In the case of 7 Secure, an

outright settlement of the remaining

amount looks doubtful.

Pramod Aggarwal, Operations Director at

Kobian Gulf and a DCG committee

member says, “The party doesn’t seem to

be interested in settling. One of the

formulae the he has been floating is that

he will settle about 10-12 % and then

further we need to start working with him,

offering credit and every 3 months or so,

he would settle further 10% or so of the

outstanding. That way, it would be quite a

long time. We are not here for a five year

plan of settlement since the value of the

money gets eroded anyways.”

However, it is suggested that some of the

affected parties are agreeing to the phased

settlement options at the time of going to

press.

As a follow-up, DCG has done internal

meetings as well as met with distributors

to ascertain what steps would enable that

the market is better placed to take care of

runaway cases in future. A few of the

distributors have reportedly borne the

brunt of damage from Yousuf Malla’s

default and exit from the market a couple

of months back. Allegedly, the hit was to

the tune of nearly 10 million AED in this

case.

As one trade member of the association

puts it, “Distributors have their own

meetings and sub-distributors have their

own. We are trying to bridge that and to

ensure Information flow could be

smoother which can ensure that we curtail

many of these incidents.”

Rughwani adds that firm steps would be

initiated to ensure that as many loopholes

in how trade is transacted between

resellers is also reduced. That would be one

of the preventive measures the Association

is looking at.

“This has been a cyclical trend in the

market. Our communication between

members has become stronger and in

future, we hope to have preventive

measures in place. Credits would be

monitored and in cases where a reseller is

selling below cost, we will be sure to

initiate some firm steps to see that this

doesn’t further happen.”

DCG wants members to be alert and

transparent in sharing information that can

help in time actions that prevent an errant

reseller from making a quick getaway.

He adds, “We depend on information given

by members. We cannot and do not want

to police. If there is something obviously

amiss with a resellers’ business model or

transactions, the coordinator goes there

and talks to the Management about the

rumours. If there are issues, we talk to the

market and calm it. Fortunately, none of

our members have been among the

runaway cases.”

DCG says it is also screening resellers who

are interested to join the association now

based on their credibility. Currently the

number of members hovers around 150.

16 16th July 2011

1716th July 2011

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18 16th July 2011