EDITOR’S NOTE
Welcome to the latest edition
of Intelligent CIO Middle East
magazine. As the Middle East
tries to emerge from the economic slumber
due to lockdown restrictions imposed by
governments to combat the spread of
COVID-19, we are encouraged by the
continued decline in new infections as
governments in the region try to strike a
balance between saving lives and livelihoods.
As a result of the prevailing business climate,
most organisations in the region have
been compelled to adopt a hybrid model
of working with some employees given the
option to work from home (WFH).
And that’s why this month’s cover features
Cristiano Possato, Head of IT, International
Markets at BRF, who tells us how the company
has integrated its value chain systems and
enhanced workforce mobility using Microsoft
and Citrix technology in Saudi Arabia.
“A few years ago, the company had
initiated a project to partially revamp its
IT infrastructure which was leveraged to
facilitate a full-scale shift of over 10,000
employees to a WFH model. Microsoft
Teams became one of the most important
tools, connecting people and leveraging
the virtual work experience, as well as
Citrix brought the mobility scalability the
organisation required,” he says.
Among the many insights he shares with us,
he mentions that another very promising
initiative the company is working on is
a programme to match large customer
payments against their respective invoices,
which will dramatically decrease the
reconciliation efforts and reduce the
clearance cycle.
You can hear more of Possato’s views by
turning to page 58.
Elsewhere in the magazine, we look at
predictive analytics and find out from
industry pundits what is driving the surge in
analytics adoption in the Middle East.
With organisations across every industry
sector in the region currently experiencing
change on an unprecedented scale as
they look to digitally transform operations,
Morten Illum, Vice President EMEA, HPE
Aruba, talks to us about the key business IT
priorities needed to embrace opportunities
at the Edge.
“In order to truly embrace the Edge,
you have to start at the top. Senior-level
management must develop a deep
understanding of the shifts taking place
in the marketplace, the opportunities and
challenges posed by adopting the Edge as a
cornerstone of business strategy,” he says.
The article starts on page 44.
As usual, we have all your favourite features,
analysis, opinions and a comprehensive
news round-up from across the region. You
can also read daily news updates on our
website at www.intelligentcio.com/me/.
And kindly, don’t hesitate if you would like
to get in touch please email me at
manda@lynchpinmedia.co.uk.
I would like to wish you a great month
ahead and please enjoy the read!
Manda Banda
Editor
www.intelligentcio.com
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