INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cloud

collaboration with its technology arm Brmaja Commercial Company ( Brmaja ), has selected IBM Cloud to host its IT infrastructure . According to the Saudi Arabia-based conglomerate , the transition aims to support SBC ’ s business growth plans and meet its critical need for infrastructure performance and enterprisegrade security , while accelerating the company ’ s Digital Transformation .

As part of the agreement , Brmaja and IBM Services will work closely to consolidate and migrate SBC ’ s mission-critical workloads and overall IT infrastructure , which were running across multiple physical and cloud environments , to a single IBM cloud .

SBC will not only benefit from enhanced Business Continuity and uninterrupted operations , but also be able to rapidly meet its computing resources demands , without having to invest in additional hardware or physical infrastructure .

SBC is the holding company of one of the largest conglomerates in the Middle East and North Africa region and has its headquarters in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia . It has 47 companies in various sectors , including food and beverage , distribution and trading , healthcare , real estate , hospitality , education and automotive .

With a diversified portfolio of operations , SBC needed a secure and flexible cloud environment to be able to meet the requirements of each industry it serves and address their unique set of challenges . As a result , it selected IBM Cloud for its interoperability and now has the flexibility to deploy and run different industry-specific solutions from IBM and other technology vendors , as and when the need arises .

Khalid Bugshan , Chairman of SBC , said : “ Security , flexibility and performance are crucial requirements which must be taken into account when adopting new technologies and IBM ’ s leadership and track record has played a key role in our selection of IBM Cloud . As we enter a new and exciting phase of our Digital Transformation , we are confident that our collaboration with IBM and Brmaja will further solidify our competitive position within the region and global market .”

Dr Hatem Bakheet , Group CEO , Brmaja , added that : “ The dynamic nature of a diversified business requires a regular review of its technology architecture . To address the ever changing needs of the industries in which SBC operates , Brmaja and IBM joined forces to transform the company ’ s IT landscape and enable it to benefit from a secure and flexible cloud environment .”

Increased regulatory and compliance requirements are driving the need for improved security and resiliency . Through its cloud adoption as well as IBM and Brmaja ’ s support , SBC now benefits from market leading data and app protection and open source innovations to some of the world ’ s largest and most enterprises as they protect sensitive data .

IBM Cloud also offers access to higher value technologies , including Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) and Internet of Things ( IoT ), allowing SBC to build and develop new innovative cloud-native applications and solutions to support its business .

“ Cloud is a key enabler of transformation and lays the foundation for an enterprise ’ s digital evolution .

“ SBC ’ s adoption of IBM Cloud to harness its true potential is a testament to the company ’ s commitment to innovation and to lead the market by example ,” said Tarek Zarg Al Aioun , Country General Manager , IBM Saudi Arabia . •

www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO 65