Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 27 | Page 13

Study reveals Qatari youth access online help to stay healthy Qatar Investment Authority and Elliott Management acquire Gigamon A recent study by Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) has found that the country’s youth are turning to the Internet to access information about health. The study, Information and Monitoring Among Qatari Adolescents, provides an in-depth understanding of how Qatari youth acquire information about health issues of all kinds. It found how the majority of teens turn to the Internet and social media for health information. Klaus Schoenbach, lead researcher and NU-Q senior associate dean, said: “Our study found that Qatari teens are turning to the internet to find solutions, cures and understand symptoms. “However, the judgment and skills are often lacking to know how to assess and deal with the abundance of information they come across online.” Everette E Dennis, dean and CEO of NU-Q, said: “This study, the first of its kind in Qatar, underscores the importance of ensuring that accurate, appropriate, and easily accessible health information is available to youth online. “It also suggests the need to improve digital health literacy among Qatari adolescents.” The study also found that social media, specifically Twitter, was found to be a popular source of health information. A total of 20% of Qatari teens claim to seek health information online daily, while 40% do so weekly. www.intelligentcio.com G igamon, a leader in traffic visibility solutions for cybersecurity and monitoring applications, has been acquired by Elliott Management, a leading multi-strategy private investment firm, and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). Elliott’s investment was led by its private equity affiliate, Evergreen Coast Capital, and the acquisition has been approved by Gigamon shareholders. A spokesman for the QIA said: “We believe Gigamon is well positioned at the crossroads of the secular changes in technology driven by data growth, security, networking and the cloud. We look forward to maximising the value of this unique asset for all stakeholders. Our investment marks QIA’s ongoing commitment to investing in high quality technology, media and telecommunications assets.” Paul Hooper, Chief Executive Officer of Gigamon, said: “This is a pivotal day for Gigamon employees, customers and partners around the world. With the acquisition complete, our team will continue to execute strategic initatives that will both empower our customers with new, rich functionality and drive Gigamon to the next level of growth. “As a private company, we will continue to build upon our leading technology foundation and transform the market we created and lead. “ INTELLIGENTCIO 13