DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS A FACT OF LIFE BUT IT ’ S REALLY ALL ABOUT PEOPLE AND HOW THEY ORGANISE THEMSELVES .
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TALKING business
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The UAE ’ s new Advanced Science Agenda 2031 is another visionary move highlighting the impact that innovation harnessed to the sciences – from analytics to robotics and materials science – can make on the long-term vision and strategy for the country . It also recognises the central importance of talent to success – skilled people with the right training and knowledge , working collaboratively to create new ideas .
Just recently , His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum , in his role as Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis ( DSO ) Authority , personally led the inauguration of our new Middle East and Africa regional headquarters in DSO ; the occasion highlighted the vital importance and value of direct personal contact between people ; this human contact cannot be replicated , although today ’ s tech tools get very close to it even for those working remotely .
Digital Transformation is a fact of life but it ’ s really all about people and how they organise themselves and collaborate to be more creative and innovative , productive and efficient , enabled by technology . Digital tools can allow colleagues to work together better and collaborate more efficiently , anywhere in the world , and this digital collaboration can lead to more ideas and creativity that directly leads to innovation .
But in an increasingly digitally connected world , where communications technology is ubiquitous , the power of peer-to-peer , face-to-face , hand-in-hand collaboration cannot be ignored ; designing communities and workspaces to facilitate collaboration is all part of this .
The industry clustering concept so effectively pioneered in the UAE , with more than 40 ‘ Free Zones ’ such as Dubai Silicon Oasis , is a prime example of bringing people together to create and benefit from synergies , and from being easily ‘ discoverable ’ for talent , ideas and investors . ‘ Silicon Valley ’ may largely be a concept but it does also refer to physical campuses , communities and the strong pull they have for new ideas and innovation . Dubai Silicon Oasis mirrors this .
Dubai has taken the cluster concept further and is actively seeding innovation with the development of a range of business start-up
Luc Serviant is vice president , Middle East and Africa , Orange Business Services
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DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS A FACT OF LIFE BUT IT ’ S REALLY ALL ABOUT PEOPLE AND HOW THEY ORGANISE THEMSELVES .
communities and government supported incubator and accelerator programmes , attracting innovators from around the world .
I have the privilege of sitting on the Accelerator Selection Committee of the Dubai Smart City Accelerator , based at Dubai Silicon Oasis ( DSO ) Tech Hub – the first of its kind in the MENA region . We have been so impressed by the innovative community of companies and people there that we decided to relocate our Middle East and Africa regional office across the city to DSO , including our 40-strong team of consultants www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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