Walid Issa – Senior Manager, PreSales and Solutions Engineering – Middle East Region at NetApp, elaborates on the solutions that will be showcased at GITEX and the cybersecurity trends influencing the Middle East.
What are the plans for you to be part of GITEX GLOBAL this year and why is it important for you to be part of the week long show?
Cloud has taken centerstage as businesses adapt to the new hybrid working approach, As the cloud specialists, NetApp will exclusively meet with our partners and customers to understand their business requirements and assist them in their cloud journey. Our focus this year is on the key areas of Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Data protection and security, Channel and partners, and Sustainability. We will also look at tapping into opportunities to strengthen our market presence and channel base in the region.
Please highlight the products and solutions that you will be showcasing at the GITEX?
NetApp is empowering customers to rethink the future, embrace cloud, and get the most out of their data with a foundation to store, manage, and protect it anywhere. Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Security, Channel and Sustainability at the key areas of focus for NetApp this year.
Central to our focus at GITEX will be our cloud solutions and our partnerships with the world’s leading cloud providers namely AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. We collaborate with them to deliver native solutions in their clouds.
We also have a strong emphasis on the NetApp Data Fabric, a powerful architecture that standardizes data management practices and practicalities across cloud, on premises, and edge devices. NetApp is also helping organizations achieve the promise of AI with simplicity for data services that span edge, core, and cloud. NetApp ONTAP AI is powered by NVIDIA DGX™ systems and NetApp cloud-connected all-flash storage and allows businesses to fully realize the promise of AI and deep learning.
Which are the major cybersecurity trends influencing the Middle East?
Ransomware attacks have been creating havoc and continue to evolve in intensity. During the last year, malicious actors have attacked healthcare organizations, medical trials, schools, and shipping agencies. It is a multi-layered threat that requires a multi-layered solution. The heart of a solution must include robust and intelligent storage and services that provide the foundation for a customer’s data protection, detection, and recovery. As a leader in data management, NetApp applies its skills to prevent the damage of ransomware, which is mainly data loss and downtime, where it hurts the most: at the data layer.
Today, there is a smarter approach to cybersecurity: Cyber resilience combines data protection with data security, so organizations can bounce back from a cyberattack. Even if an intruder breaches the perimeter or an insider takes malicious action, the data is covered, because it has protection that’s built‑in rather than bolted‑on as an afterthought.
How does your offerings enable organisations to enhance their cybersecurity preparedness in the new normal?
To help our customers successfully manage the critical component of security in their cloud operations, Spot Security is designed to keep cloud infrastructure secure. Delivering continuous, automated security, Spot Security analyses, detects and prioritizes threats to surface the most critical vulnerabilities and provides actionable compliance, remediation and prevention.
What message would you like to give to the customers visiting the show and why should they meet you?
NetApp is a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that gives organizations everywhere the freedom to put data to work in the applications that elevate their business. We want to assure our customers that NetApp is here to help them simplify their cloud journey, no matter which stage they are at. With our intelligent cloud services, data services, and storage infrastructure businesses can manage applications and data everywhere across hybrid multicloud environments.
What are your expectation from this year’s GITEX?
Our goal is to ensure that customers have a good understanding of how NetApp can help them in their journey to cloud irrespective of what stage of adoption they are at, or where their investment lies, be it on-prem, private, public, hybrid or multi-cloud. For partners, we want them to see how delivering value to customers with the highest levels of service and expertise will not only grow our presence but will also accelerate their business.
Where can we find you at GITEX? (booth no and hall no)
You can find us in Zabeel Hall 1, Meeting room Z2-MR6