Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 35 | Page 52

COUNTRY FOCUS: UAE With the move towards ‘smart everything’ the UAE has been at the forefront of technological innovation. With the country’s IT market predicted to top AED 20 billion this year, the UAE is leading the way in Smart Cities, smart services, smart jobs and smart transactions. ///////////////// Getting SMARTER Smart cities Smart Cities are one of the reasons the UAE’s IT market is predicted to top AED 20 billion in 2018. This is according to the newly-appointed UAE Managing Director of global technology company SAP. Increasingly, UAE organisations are becoming ‘smart enterprises’ using the latest innovations in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, the Internet of Things and advanced analytics to disrupt industries, improve productivity with data, foster a digital workplace and deliver seamless experiences. 52 INTELLIGENTCIO Thanks to the growth in technology adoption, nationwide Digital Transformation, Smart Cities and Expo 2020 Dubai, BMI Research predicts the UAE’s IT market will reach AED 20 billion in 2018. “Winners in the UAE’s digital economy will be organisations that gain a first-mover advantage, adopt ‘next practices’ that allow them to innovate faster than the competition, and become better, faster and more out-of-the-box than ever before,” said Julien Bertin, Managing Director, SAP UAE and Oman. “We’re co-innovating with UAE organisations across all sizes and verticals to run at their Julien Bertin, Managing Director, SAP UAE and Oman www.intelligentcio.com