28 n 20 April 2008 n TheBusinessWeekly
technology
Cisco targets businesses with TV show
Business challenges
and IT-related issues
to be taken up
By Jim Paolo Joquico
Cisco, a worldwide leader in com-
puter networking solutions, has
launched Cisco on Tuesday, a vid-
eo-on-demand, online television
programme devised to reach its
business clientele in the Gulf re-
gion. Cisco on Tuesday, a first in
the region, allows the company to
interact with its key stakeholders
in a unique manner.
The weekly half-hour web TV
show features business-oriented
videos and case studies that ad-
dress the concerns of several busi-
ness sectors such as small- and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),
large enterprises and the public
sector. The programme permits
interaction between viewers and
company experts on issues regard-
ing solutions and trends in infor-
mation and communication tech-
nology (ICT). In its first episode
made available online on the first
Al Falak to represent Halcyon within region
Will cover entire
range of its
software solutions
TBW Bureau
Al Falak Electronic Equipment &
Supplies Co, a leading provider of
technology-based solutions to the
Middle East, has announced that
it recently signed a partnership
agreement with UK-based Halcy-
on Software Limited to represent
Halcyon in the GCC region. The
partnership aims to take advan-
tage of an expected double-digit
growth in the Gulf’s IT market
within the next three years.
Halcyon Software Limited, an
international software company
with over 19 years experience in
systems management with head-
quarters in Cambridgeshire, UK,
has one of the largest portfolio of
systems management products
in the world, covering a wide
spectrum of platforms from IBM
Fadi Kachkouche
Tuesday of this month, the pro-
gramme tackled education across
all segments, with other topics
such as banking and healthcare
to be featured in the following
weeks.
Consumer awareness
Targeted at technical and busi-
ness decision-makers (TDMs and
BDMs) from various commercial
segments, Cisco on Tuesday will
iSeries, AIX, Windows, Unix,
Linux and Netware. The partner-
ship will allow Al Falak to offer
Halcyon’s full range of software
solutions to key areas in the GCC,
a fast-growing market that is pro-
jected to exceed Dh44 billion by
2011, representing a significant
12 per cent increase.
Expanding portfolio
Ahmed Ali Ashadawi, chief
executive officer, Al Falak, said,
“This partnership will further
strengthen our industry standing
in the regional markets. Halcyon’s
full range of products will help
us expand our extensive portfolio
of IT solutions that address the
various requirements of our in-
ternational clients. Halcyon will
likewise benefit from this partner-
ship by having direct access to our
large network of partners and our
vast experience in delivering serv-
ices to high-profile clients across
the region.”
Sean Gallagher, international
take up discussions on general
business challenges in all indus-
tries, plus technology- and IT-re-
lated episodes for all industries
where case studies are shown and
discussed, Fadi Kachkouche, Cis-
co’s marketing manager for the
Gulf region and Pakistan, told
The Business Weekly.
As with all forms of media,
a campaign to raise consumer
awareness and attract their at-
manager, Halcyon Software, said,
“We are honoured to partner with
Al Falak for our expansion pro-
gramme in the Gulf region. Al
Falak and Halcyon have a lot in
common, beginning with our her-
itage, as both companies were
formed in the early 1980s and
gradually found a niche for our-
selves in the constantly changing
technology landscape, while con-
sistently delivering quality prod-
ucts and services to our clients.”
Proven technology
“Al Falak and Halcyon have
also been recipients of key tech-
nology accreditations that dem-
onstrate our respective commit-
ment to our clients, ensuring that
the very latest proven technology
tools are used. This partnership
will benefit all stakeholders and
in particular, our prospective cli-
ents in the GCC region,” added
Gallagher.
According to marketing intelli-
gence firm IDC, the Gulf’s total IT
tention to the programme was
felt necessary. For the premiere
of Cisco on Tuesday, Kachkouche
said, “We have invited 19,000 se-
lected business and information
technology professionals, and
more than 1,700 people have reg-
istered and attended the first two
episodes. We expect the number
to increase as the initiative gains
momentum.”
Creation of personal accounts
to track customer activity, such
as whether they have completed
viewing specific video content,
allows the company to gather
statistical information and tailor
the programme to better serve its
viewers.
The ability to leave comments,
providing viewers the platform to
improve the show and ask experts
important and timely questions
regarding information and com-
munication technology, is one of
the more significant features of
the newly launched web television
programme. Expert opinions are
presented to aid viewers in mak-
ing informed decisions regarding
their businesses.
spending will exceed Dh33 billion
in 2008, increasing by more than
15 per cent compared to 2007. This
presents excellent mutual growth
opportunities for both Al Falak
and Halcyon, which have both im-
plemented intensified expansion
initiatives across the region, par-
ticularly in Saudi Arabia and the
UAE, the largest markets in the
GCC that account for 43 per cent
and 36 per cent respectively of the
region’s overall IT spending.
For over 26 years, Al Falak
has delivered enterprise IT solu-
tions through a network of offices
and trained technical personnel
throughout the Middle East. Al
Falak’s portfolio of business part-
nerships include leading solution
and software providers, hardware
and consumable manufacturers,
business consultancy firms and
implementation specialists.
Halcyon Software Limited
writes software for IBM midrange
computers as well as Windows,
Linux, Unix, AIX and Netware.