Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 51 | Page 9

NEWS IBM Services introduces two data centres in the UAE to accelerate hybrid cloud journeys in additional physical space for local data residency but help organisations abide by their data sovereignty requirements and restrictions. Organisations will also be able to integrate this local cloud environment with their existing IT infrastructure and different cloud environments. Today, most companies are only 20% along their cloud journey, renting compute power to cut costs. According to IDC, 90% of enterprises will embrace integrated hybrid cloud tools and strategies to support different applications and use cases by 2024. I BM Services has announced two IBM Data Centres in the United Arab Emirates, one in Abu Dhabi and the other in Dubai, to provide cloud managed services to enterprises and help accelerate their journey to hybrid cloud. IBM Services is the services and consultancy arm of IBM. The local data centres will help organisations shift to a hybrid cloud model, and benefit from having the flexibility to move select critical workloads to a secure local cloud environment, hosted in the UAE while keeping mission critical data on-premise. This will not only omit the need to invest IBM works with its clients in the region to help them in their cloud transformation journey and leverages its leadership in hybrid cloud for the enterprise following the recent US$34 billion landmark acquisition of Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions. ///////////////// RIPE NCC joins international conference on Arab e-infrastructure in Abu Dhabi T he Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC), the regional Internet registry for more than 24,000 members across 78 countries, has participated in the 2019 edition of the annual e-AGE international conference. This was organised by the Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN) in Abu Dhabi, as part of its academic capacity building initiatives. Innovators, researchers, scientists, academics and businessmen were among the conference’s attendees. During e-AGE, the RIPE NCC discussed the organisation and its mandate to the global audience explaining its main functions in the Middle East, including providing support for the infrastructure of the Internet through technical co-ordination, offering services for the benefit of the Internet community, and increasing the deployment of IPv6 through training and advisory programmes. www.intelligentcio.com The RIPE NCC provides a range of measurement tools and services as well, to support the operations of its members who comprise academic and research networks, enterprise network owners, ISPs and telecom operators. Dr Yousef Torman, Managing Director of ASREN, said: “ASREN welcomes the partnership with the RIPE NCC as a strategic move that could expand both our roles in further developing Internet connectivity in the region. The RIPE NCC provides valuable support in our efforts to improve Internet connectivity for academic and education networks in the Arab region and move our co-operation to a higher level of co- ordination and integration.” INTELLIGENTCIO 9