News

IDC Alliance Event Is Set To Bring Together ICT Leaders

The theme of the IDC Alliance event for this year is “BUILD,” and it revolves around several building blocks for attainable future growth.

Published

4 years ago

September 14, 2022

David Morelo

idc alliance event is set to bring together ict leaders

The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector is driving innovation across the rest of the economic sectors, providing innovative solutions to real-life problems. This innovation is almost always made possible by mutually beneficial partnerships that allow for effective collaboration and quicker identification of opportunities.

International Data Corporation (IDC) is set to bring together ICT leaders from the MEA region at the IDC Alliance flagship event to provide them with unparalleled opportunities to foster solid partner ecosystems and discuss the latest channel and alliance trends.

“Today, technology providers and vendors are presented with a golden opportunity to gain a competitive edge and address the vastly changed needs and demands of customers in a timely and cost-effective manner by seeking out technology and managed services partners,” explains IDC.

The theme of the IDC Alliance event for this year is “BUILD,” and it revolves around the following building blocks for attainable future growth:

BUILD a sustainable base of new customers.
BUILD a viable marketing strategy.
BUILD a long-lasting unique IP.
BUILD stronger internal practices.
BUILD a deeper support ecosystem.

“As partners hunt for new customers, strive for increased brand awareness, and realize the need to differentiate, a series of BUILD presentations will unlock many of the most common challenges,” adds IDC.

The event will take place from November 8 to November 10 at the InterContinental Resort Fujairah, UAE, a beachfront property located on the shoreline of the Al Aqah beach and beneath the Hajjar mountains.

After check in, the entire first day of the event will be dedicated to an icebreaker dinner on the beach where shorts and flip-flops are welcome. The second day will start with a quick catch-up and continue with a series of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and more informal networking opportunities. A similar program is also planned for the third day, which ends at 15:00 with a sign-up opportunity for the next IDC Alliance event.

If you would like to attend the event, then you can register on its website. Networkers are required to pay a registration fee of $1,500 USD, which covers all accommodation, conferencing, meals, and activities for the duration of the entire event.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.