News

IDC CIO Summit 2022 Is Coming To Qatar

In addition to the insightful panels, attendees will also have the chance to win exclusive prizes, take home personalized caricatures, and watch entertainment events.

Published

4 years ago

September 9, 2022

David Morelo

As the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology sector, International Data Corporation (IDC) is perfectly positioned to explore the increasing pace of innovation in Qatar and examine the country’s evolving technology landscape.

On September 27, 2022, IDC will host its IDC Qatar CIO Summit 2022 to bring together regional and global technology experts, who will discuss the hottest ICT issues inside the Al Silia grand ballroom of Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel & Villas, a 5-star luxury resort located just 6 minutes away from the Lagoona Mall and 4 km from The Pearl-Qatar island.

Here are some of the topics, discussions, panel sessions, and keynote presentations that will be on the agenda during the IDC Qatar CIO Summit 2022:

IDC Keynote: Innovating in a Digital-First World (Ranjit Rajan, Vice President of Research at IDC)
Single, Hybrid, or Multicloud? How to Craft Your Cloud Transformation with Confidence (Sriram Narasimhan, Associate Vice President of Solutions at Cloud4C)
Powering the Digital Economy with Data-First Modernization (Mohammad Al-Jallad, Chief Technology Officer & Director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise)
Panel Discussion: Talent Development & The Demand For New Skills: How Do You Structure Your Team Optimally (Alexandra Tarazi, Executive Director of Health Information and Communication Technology at Public Health Care Corporation)
How to Recover from a Ransomware Attack: Cyber Recovery Services (Hakan Dincel, Regional Manager at GlassHouse)
Combining NetOps with SecOps to Break Down Cyber Security Silos (Sammy Elyan, Business Development Manager at Fortinet)

End users can attend the event free of charge, and registrations are already open. Besides the opportunity to hear what some of the brightest and most talented people in the ICT sector have to say, attendees will also have the chance to win exclusive prizes, take home personalized caricatures, and watch entertainment events.

The IDC Qatar CIO Summit 2022 will take place ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to happen in Qatar from November 20th to December 18th, 2022. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is expected to attract many international visitors who have no previous experience with the plethora of new digital products and services introduced in recent years by Qatari organizations.

According to 2022 IDC research, CIOs in Qatar have rapidly digitalized operations and enabled new digital business models and ecosystem partnerships for the tournament and beyond, with 70 percent of them successfully increasing cost efficiencies as a result.

The technology implementations carried out by CIOs in Qatar include process automation, cloud migration, and the development of agile infrastructure, just to give three examples. Together, they help drive the country’s digital economy and expand its ICT ecosystem by creating a sustained demand for competitive IT services and solutions.

IDC was founded in 1964 by American businessman Patrick Joseph McGovern. Since then, its worldwide network of analysts, who offer global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries, has exceeded 1,300. You can learn more about IDC and the IDC Qatar CIO Summit on its official website.

News

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.