Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 45 | Page 17

NEWS GBI pioneers SD-WAN in Middle East and Africa with Nuage Networks N okia has announced that inter-connect carrier Gulf Bridge International (GBI) will use the Nuage Networks SD-WAN 2.0 solution to offer their enterprise customers optimised connectivity between branches and private and public clouds. The deal marks the first extension of a software-defined wide area network (SD- WAN) to the public cloud in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. GBI provides managed IP services to hundreds of enterprise customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. With this new solution, GBI’s customers can set up automated services with specific policies related to availability, reliability or security, via one, unified interface. This includes dynamic responses to security threats such as distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) and the ability to monitor Gulf Bridge International is to use the Nuage Networks SD-WAN 2.0 solution capacity and distribute it manually or automatically in order to meet the bandwidth needs of individual branches or data centres. Cengiz Oztelcan, CEO of GBI, said: “We believe Nuage’s SD-WAN solution will completely change the future of business connectivity services for our enterprise customers. As the largest provider of connectivity in our market, we see SD-WAN as the icing on the cake that will further reinforce the confidence, loyalty and trust of our many business customers. With GBI products and the SD-WAN technology, we are delivering more capabilities and bringing more value to our customers.” ///////////////// Kuwait information ministry launches 5G tech K uwait’s Ministry of Information has become the first government body to employ 5G wireless technology, touted as the ‘next generation’ of mobile communication, in conjunction with local telecom operator VIVA. The initiative supports His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s vision to build a new Kuwait, where high-tech infrastructure abounds, Information Minister Mohammad Al-Jabri said in a statement. He described the measure as an effort to embrace cutting-edge technology, citing an ongoing 5G trial period as per the instructions of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al- Hamad Al-Sabah. On the joint endeavour, VIVA CEO Mazaid Al-Harbi said the company is proud to join forces with a prominent government body, helping equip the Ministry of Information with cutting edge technology. The 5G wireless technology will be a useful tool for the Ministry of Information as it continues its extensive coverage of local events, he added. VIVA, also known as the Kuwait Telecommunications Company, has rapidly established itself in the country’s market after launching in 2008. It offers an innovative range of advanced products and services, a state-of-the-art network, and access to world-class services. n www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 17