Doha’s Hotel IT Managers get-together

Last evening, my colleague Mamoun and I were invited to a get-together of Doha’s Hotel IT Managers at the Intercontinental Hotel, Doha.

We had some great conversations around Microsoft solutions for the hospitality industry and I had a chance to discuss Microsoft Surface, Unified Communications and Windows 7 adoption issues. What was more captivating was the community that the IT Managers have formed as a platform to foster the informal exchange of information and ideas and to collectively discuss technology and challenges.

Below are the videos that I played during my presentation:

I would like to thank Mr. Hussein Yaghmour, IT Manager of the Intercontinental Doha, for hosting this get-together, for inviting us to be a part of this great community event, and for the fantastic dinner!

Visual Studio 2010 launch in Qatar

Craig Mundie at Doha, Qatar

Craig Mundie, Chief Research & Strategy Officer at Microsoft was in Qatar yesterday and spoke to customers at a TechTalk jointly organized by Microsoft QSTP and the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) at the Four Seasons Hotel yesterday evening.

Craig Mundie provided great insight into the current research being done at Microsoft, the “client+cloud” strategy, and the trends in modern computing. He discussed how these trends will create a startling transformation in how humans and computers interact, and how computers will increasingly work on our behalf, rather than at our command.

Earlier in the day, he spoke on similar lines to students and faculty at Qatar University.

Afkar's SharePoint 2010 Seminar

Afkar, one of Microsoft’s leading Gold Certified Partners specialized in Information worker Solutions in the region, has an exciting SharePoint 2010 Seminar lined up this week at Doha, Qatar.

Here’s the agenda:

For more information and to register for the event, visit Afkar’s website.

Microsoft Business Intelligence Roadshow

Meet Tech·Ed Middle East’s Top Voted Speaker at the Business Intelligence Roadshow.

Rafal Lukawiecki, International Business Intelligence speaker, will be telling you all about simplifying performance management and business intelligence.

Join us at this exclusive event as he demonstrates to you how these solutions can easily be used in your day-to-day business scenarios.

With a special focus on Microsoft^® SQL Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft^® Office System 2010, this will be a full day seminar with exciting presentations and live videos from the business intelligence performance management expert.

Presenting Windows 7 to the press

For the first time in my life, I was given an opportunity to speak to the local press about Windows 7. I had a discussion on Windows 7 with editors from the local English dailies.

I had a good time, and demonstrated some of the Windows 7 features that let users do more in less time and with less effort, make their computer work the way that they want, and also how enterprises can leverage Windows 7 features to ensure a secure, reliable and productive system to their employees.

Microsoft Qatar country manager Mohammad Hammoudi also addressed the gathering.

Tariq AbuDayeh from EBLA Consulting, spoke to members of the Arabic press and also ran the same set of demos.

Read the article in Peninsula | Qatar Tribune |

Microsoft and Qtel sign strategic alliance

Based on content from Microsoft PressPass

Microsoft Corporation and Qatar Telecom (Qtel) announced on Feb. 17 the signing of a broad strategic alliance to bring together integrated cloud-based services, software applications, mobile services and devices over Qtel’s converged network. The alliance aims to expand Qtel’s service portfolio, helping redefine the digital work style and lifestyle of their subscribers. The announcement was made at Mobile World Congress 2010.

Dr. Nasser Marafih, CEO of Qtel, said Qtel and Microsoft would collaborate to deliver truly integrated and innovative communications services to business and consumer markets.

"This is an important alliance that will deliver world-leading services and applications from Microsoft over Qtel’s world-class networks to make a real difference in people’s lives all made available through a seamless one-click, one-touch user experience," Marafih said. "Qtel’s efforts will add a distinct element of mobility and connectivity to enrich the overall experience for people, to make the technology truly come alive.

"For businesses, Qtel will deliver unified communications offerings — a combination of telephony, e-mail, mobility, conferencing, collaboration and tools like ‘presence’  to fuel a sense of real possibility and potential across the region."

The first products are planned to be introduced in the market by mid-2010.

Photo: Qtel.qa

"Together we’re building a road map to deliver rich, connected experiences," Mulinder said. "Spanning TV, PC and mobile devices, these new services will bring differentiation for Qtel and deliver compelling new scenarios for consumers and businesses.", said Austen Mulinder, corporate vice president for the Communications Sector at Microsoft.

In its first phase, Qtel and Microsoft plan to run mobile e-learning pilot projects in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman aimed at providing students and teachers with the ability to easily communicate, collaborate and access various educational services, using solutions including Windows® Phone and the Windows Live platform.

Other services contemplated under this alliance include the delivery of value-added services across the PC, phone, TV and gaming with the goal of bringing consumers closer to experiencing seamless digital entertainment experiences across the many screens in their lives.

Microsoft Virtualization Partners in Qatar

As of today, we have three Gold Certified partners based in Qatar, qualified and certified in the Server Virtualization competency within the Microsoft Partner Network.

1. Information & Communication Technology WLL

2. EBLA Consulting

3. Mannai Trading Co.

Information & Communication Technology WLL (ICT) is the first Microsoft partner in Qatar to complete the requirements to be certified on Server Virtualization solutions.

All partners above have completed the required training at the Partner Academy. Mannai Trading and EBLA Consulting have sent their consultants to the Dynamic Datacenter Workshop held earlier this year in Dubai. All of the above partners have the required experience in deploying advanced server virtualization scenarios with Microsoft technologies and have a number of notable customer references in Qatar.

At Microsoft, virtualization means helping IT departments maximize cost savings and improve business continuity. Our solutions address both physical and virtual infrastructure, and can be easily managed through a single console. Microsoft virtualization provides a completely virtualized infrastructure for your enterprise, from data center to desktop.

The Microsoft Partner Network recognizes qualified solution providers and helps them create new opportunities, increase demand, and achieve their business objectives. The network allows partners to leverage unique resources to help drive business innovation and form a trusted foundation for strategic decision making, increased agility, and long-term competitive advantage.

Security event at Qatar, February 17

Microsoft Qatar did a Security event yesterday at the Four Seasons Hotel, Doha. We started off with an enthusiastic audience of 70+ people.

• We kicked off with a presentation on Microsoft Business Ready Security by good ol’ David Maskell, Security SSP – Microsoft Gulf, followed by technical demos.

• Fadel Lubbos, Senior Consultant from Information & Communication Technology WLL (ICT) did a demo on Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) – pictured below. ICT is Microsoft Gold Certified Security Partner.

• Below are pictures of me doing my demo on Microsoft Unified Access Gateway (UAG) and DirectAccess.

• Fazil Rahim, CEO of Entelyst, did a demo on Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS). Entelyst is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specializing in security solutions.

Pictures from the Q & A session:

Photos: Lea Attieh

MOSS event at Qatar, February 16

Microsoft Qatar did a SharePoint Server event yesterday at the Four Seasons hotel, Doha. We had a full house and the audience was very interactive.

We had ECM partners like Afkar and EBLA demoing some of the exciting features of SharePoint & BI, and we even had two customers (QMedia and Kahramaa) speaking at the event and showcasing solutions based on SharePoint that they have internally deployed within their respective organizations.

Abdul Khan, our IW SSP and Paolo Pulcini, FAST Search solution specialist also spoke at the event.

Here’s the event in pictures: