8:00
Registration & Networking
9:00
Welcome Address: IDC
9:05
IDC Keynote: Delivering Enterprise Digital Transformation: Hybrid Cloud for Agile IT
Harish Dunakhe
Research Director, Software and Cloud, META IDC
9:20
The Rise of the Decentralized Cloud
Although organizations typically source cloud services from on-premises datacenters, the simultaneous spike in both cloud adoption and data volumes is spurring cloud providers to quickly address latency and performance issues. A preferred solution is using distributed cloud, which involves multiple distributed edge clouds in addition to a central cloud and allows for faster provision of services to users due to increased proximity.
9:40
The Promise and Benefits of Cloud Sustainability
For many decision makers, functional benefit is a key decision-making criterion for a cloud. Costs and governance efforts are also critical aspects, but they are often not considered in their full range. However, organizations are still not placing as much emphasis on cloud sustainability efforts that can help to cut costs, drive efficiencies in electricity, heat, and resource usage, and reduce the size of their carbon footprints.
10:00
Is Talent Supply Keeping Up with Cloud Adoption Rates?
As cloud usage continues to expand across the region, organizations are seeking specific skills and expertise within several IT areas that currently rank high on the priority list for future training. A concerted effort is needed from technology and service providers, industry users, governments, and other stakeholders to ensure that appropriately trained talent is available to support the digital enterprise needs of both today and tomorrow.
10:15
The Building Blocks of the Future Datacenter
As business models shift from physical to digital, the ability to gather, analyze, protect, leverage, and move data while complying with regulations and adhering to governance is becoming critical to the success of businesses. Datacenters have evolved to meet the needs of the digital world, making them more adaptable, intelligent, autonomous, sustainable, and resilient, which is fueling investment in modernized facilities.
10:30
Tea / Coffee & Networking Break
11:05
11:50
Platinum Partner Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
11:05 – 11:15
Taking a Holistic Approach to Securing the Cloud
As the migration to cloud continues to accelerate at a rapid pace, this newfound dependence on cloud has ushered in a plethora of new security concerns. While cloud simplifies data management, it increases security vulnerabilities such as network eavesdropping, breaching, DDoS attacks, virtualization vulnerabilities, and cloud service abuse, prompting security professionals to re-examine their strategies.
Uzair Mujtaba
Senior Research Manager, IDC
11:15 – 11:20
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
11:20 – 11:30
Cloud Taking Over the Banking Industry
Banks that primarily rely on legacy systems end up having to create layers of customization atop outdated architecture to add functionality. This inevitably makes them slow to respond to changing market needs, increases the prevalence of operational risks, and introduces scalability challenges. Furthermore, updates to legacy systems require talent that is in short supply, take time to develop, and are costly to maintain. This architecture perpetuates data silos, making data management difficult and almost impossible to leverage using modern analytics tools. Banks that hesitate to migrate critical workloads to the cloud will risk losing customers to more modern, cloud-based banking services.
11:30 – 11:35
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
11:35 – 11:45
Adapting to Meet Cloud Customer Demands
As new and existing workloads continue to be migrated to clouds, on-premises datacenter networks are compelled to be more like the cloud – automated, agile, flexible, programmable, open, reliable, scalable, and secure. Hybrid and multicloud postures put more pressure on the datacenter network to evolve into a distributed datacenter network that delivers ubiquitous simplicity, agility, consistency, and security. To achieve this, vendors are adopting strategies including M&A, partnerships, and portfolios to meet the precepts of cloud-defined digital infrastructure.
11:45 – 11:50
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
11:05 – 11:15
Keeping Up with Changing Cloud Compliance Frameworks
In the past two years, countries across the region have placed greater emphasis on cloud security, and users have increasing demands for cloud compliance that are embodied in the compliance status of the cloud platform itself, compliance of cloud security construction, compliance of cloud data security, and offshore compliance. Today, cloud service providers use cloud security compliance tools to help users conduct compliance inspections and compliance construction on a regular and long-term basis.
Jawad Khalil
Senior Research Manager, Telecoms KSA, IDC
11:15 – 11:20
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
11:20 – 11:30
Automation and Intelligence for Quality and Effectiveness of Service
As there are many tenants on public clouds, the situation of having insufficient personnel happens often for the back-end operations team, which imposes higher requirements on the operators’ capabilities for cloud service tools. The level of automation and intelligence of different service tools needs to be continuously improved, so as to reduce the pressure on front-line operators. In addition, the level of streamlining and visualization of the SOC platform needs to be improved so that managers can better control the quality and effectiveness of service.
11:30 – 11:35
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
11:35 – 11:45
Serverless Cloud Architecture: How Does It Differ from Traditional Cloud Platforms?
Following the widespread adoption of cloud across the region, the serverless cloud is gaining traction in the market due to its incredible array of benefits. From removing limitations on existing IT infrastructure to ease of operational management, it provides a true pay-as-you-go service that is free from configurations and technicalities, freeing up precious resources to focus on pressing tasks.
11:45 – 11:50
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
11:50
Tea / Coffee & Networking Break
12:25
13:55
Gold Partner Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
12:25 – 12:35
Why becoming a data center ‘hub’ is about more than data centers?
This session delves into the broader implications and multifaceted aspects of data center ecosystems. This topic explores how being a data center hub goes beyond just physical infrastructure and involves factors such as connectivity, cloud services, data exchange, and the overall digital ecosystem. It discusses the pivotal role these hubs play in supporting the digital economy, fostering innovation, and driving economic growth in regions and emphasizes the significance of connectivity, interconnectivity, and the comprehensive ecosystem in addition to the data centers themselves.
12:35 – 12:40
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
12:40 – 12:50
Highlighting the Best Practices and Considerations while Setting Up, Operating and Scaling Modern Datacentres
This topic explores the critical factors that organizations need to take into account to ensure efficiency, reliability, and scalability in their data center operations. It covers a range of aspects, including design, energy efficiency, security, virtualization, and emerging technologies, to provide valuable insights for data center professionals and decision-makers looking to optimize their data center infrastructure and operations.
12:50 – 12:55
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
12:55 – 13:05
The role of cloud and digital infrastructure in empowering smart cities and tackling urban challenges.
This topic explores how smart cities leverage data and digital solutions to address pressing urban challenges, including transportation, sustainability, security, and public services. It underscores the transformative impact of cloud technology in making cities more efficient, livable, and sustainable, while also discussing the potential challenges and considerations in implementing such solutions in urban environments.
13:05 – 13:10
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
13:10 – 13:20
Meeting Data Sovereignty Requirements while Maintaining True Privacy for Data Stored in the Cloud
This session delves into the complex landscape of data governance, where data sovereignty regulations demand that data remains within certain geographic borders while preserving individual privacy rights. This topic explores the challenges and solutions for organizations striving to comply with these regulations while safeguarding data privacy in cloud storage. It highlights strategies, encryption methods, and legal considerations essential for achieving the delicate balance between data sovereignty and privacy in an increasingly interconnected and globalized digital world.
13:20 – 13:25
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
13:25 – 13:50
AI and GenAI: The Necessary Propellent for the Digital Era
AI is accelerating the adoption of cloud computing while also enabling cloud providers to transform their solutions. Today, cloud adopters are leveraging AI tools developed by technology vendors and hyperscalers, allowing them to easily develop, test, and deploy new AI-powered business apps. However, this presents IT leaders with new options for their organizations, as many cloud providers are jumping on the AI bandwagon with an array of ready-to-use AI-powered cloud solutions that can be implemented to address business needs without the time and expense required to build those capabilities internally.
13:50 – 13:55
Mega Raffle (iPhone 14)
12:25 – 12:35
Harnessing the Power of Cloud Technologies
“Harnessing the Power of Cloud Technologies” provides an overview of the transformative impact of cloud computing in modern business and technology landscapes. This topic explores how cloud technologies enable organizations to enhance scalability, flexibility, and efficiency while reducing infrastructure costs. It covers various applications of cloud technology, including cloud storage, software as a service (SaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and emphasizes the advantages and challenges associated with migrating to and harnessing the full potential of the cloud.
12:35 – 12:40
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
12:40 – 12:50
Empowering Next-Generation Data Centers with AI-Driven Infrastructure
This topic delves into how AI technologies are revolutionizing data center management, optimizing resource allocation, enhancing security, and enabling predictive maintenance. It highlights the benefits and challenges of incorporating AI-driven infrastructure and underscores its role in creating more efficient, reliable, and adaptive data centers for the digital age.
12:50 – 12:55
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
12:55 – 13:05
Bolstering Cyber and Cloud Security Efforts to Combat Rising Threats in the Digital Era
This topic explores the growing threats and vulnerabilities in cloud-based environments and how organizations are strengthening their security measures. It covers strategies, technologies, and best practices in safeguarding data and digital assets against cyberattacks, data breaches, and other emerging threats. It emphasizes the critical importance of proactive security measures in the face of an evolving and increasingly interconnected digital landscape.
13:05 – 13:10
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
13:10 – 13:20
The Hypernet of Things: Uniting AI, 5G, IoT & Cloud
This topic explores how the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and Cloud computing is reshaping the way we live, work, and communicate. It discusses the transformative potential of this “Hypernet” in enabling faster, more efficient, and data-rich experiences in various industries, emphasizing the synergies and implications of this convergence for future innovation and connectivity.
13:20 – 13:25
Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
13:25 – 13:50
Cloud Economics: The Next Stage in the Cloud Maturity Journey
In this era of accelerated technological advancement, organizations must strategically manage their technology investments, especially in the context of cloud computing. As cloud services become integral to digital operations, organizations are seeing a parallel increase in cloud costs alongside revenue and utilization. This is driving them to focus more on cloud economics and FinOps, allowing them to move beyond cost forecasting and tagging to actively implementing cloud expenditure policies and making informed decisions about architectural design and workload placement.
13:50 – 13:55
Mega Raffle (iPhone 14)
13:55
Lunch & Networking
14:55
End of Conference
