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ISSUE 339 | JULY - AUGUST 2026 www.tahawultech.com

AI INFRASTRUCTURE POWERS CHANNEL GROWTH UAE AI INVESTMENTS ARE OPENING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESELLERS, MSPS AND SYSTEM INTEGRATORS.

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ISSUE 339 // JULY - AUGUST 2026

24 26

TOP STORIES Hiperdist appointed Authorised Huawei Cloud Distributor for UAE

D-Link advances intelligent 26 networking and channel

VAD Technologies outlines 24 profitable path for AI-ready

partners turn data 42 Channel into new growth across MEA

channel partners

growth

AI INFRASTRUCTURE RESHAPES CHANNEL OPPORTUNITY

Sandhya DMello Editor

E-mail: sandhya.dmello@cpimediagroup.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TahawulTech Twitter: @TahawulTech Instagram: @TahawulTech

rtificial intelligence is reshaping the regional channel, creating opportunities that extend far beyond supplying hardware or cloud capacity. Partners are expected to help customers design, secure, optimise and manage AI environments delivering measurable business outcomes. Our July-August combined issue examines this shift through the market for AI infrastructure. The UAE’s sovereign AI ambitions, rising inference workloads and investments in AI-ready networks are generating demand across compute, storage, data platforms, connectivity, cybersecurity, power, cooling and managed services. Resellers, MSPs and system integrators have an opportunity to guide enterprises from experimentation towards secure, production-ready deployment. Success, however, will depend on expertise rather than product volume. Customers need partners that can connect technology investments with operational priorities, regulatory requirements and long-term value. Knowledge of workload placement, data governance, cost optimisation and cyber resilience will become central to sustainable profitable growth. This issue also highlights how vendors and distributors are strengthening their ecosystems. Hiperdist’s appointment as an authorised Huawei Cloud distributor expands cloud and AI opportunities in the UAE. Redington’s Microsoft Frontier Distributor designation reinforces the importance of enablement and execution, while new partner programmes from Delinea and Optro place emphasis on protected margins, transparent engagement and services-led growth. Our interviews explore the transition from different perspectives. D-Link examines intelligent networking and embedded security, VAD Technologies outlines a profitable path for AI-ready partners, and Logitech discusses human-centric hybrid workplaces. Office Connect Group also demonstrates how automation and analytics can transform operations. Strategic collaborations spanning cybersecurity, data platforms, voice AI and digital payments show that no single provider can deliver transformation alone. Strong ecosystems will remain essential to combining specialised capabilities and reaching customers effectively. For channel businesses, the message is clear. Competitive advantage will come from trusted advice, recurring services and the ability to turn complex technology into secure, scalable and measurable customer value.

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5 NEWS

KASPERSKY POWERS B2B CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT WITH WEBENGAGE More than 500,000 users engaged as Kaspersky builds a scalable, data-driven customer engagement framework for its B2B operations Global cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky has strengthened its B2B customer engagement through WebEngage’s data-driven engagement platform. The collaboration has already helped Kaspersky engage more than 500,000 users during the initial phase of the partnership, as the company builds a more structured marketing automation framework across its B2B operations. As Kaspersky’s customer engagement expanded across newsletters, webinar invitations, product updates, and partner outreach, the company sought a more structured and scalable approach to centralise its marketing efforts. The objective was to move beyond fragmented campaign execution and build a system capable of supporting customer segmentation and lead generation, while also providing performance analytics at scale. WebEngage has enabled Kaspersky to gain deeper visibility into customer behaviour and engagement patterns across markets. The implementation leverages WebEngage’s custom entities, derived attributes, journeys, and advanced data management capabilities to create a more contextual understanding of customer interactions.

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT TODAY IS ABOUT MORE THAN DELIVERING CAMPAIGNS. ANATOLY INCHEREVSKY, IT SERVICE MANAGER AT KASPERSKY.

“Customer engagement today is about more than delivering campaigns. It requires a deeper understanding of customer behaviour, intent, and context,” said Anatoly Incherevsky, IT Service Manager at Kaspersky. “Our goal has been to build a stronger marketing automation foundation that supports more relevant communication, better lead management, and a more scalable approach to engagement. WebEngage has helped us bring greater structure and visibility to that process.” The rollout is being carried out in phases, with the current stage focused on establishing the core infrastructure required to support marketing automation across Kaspersky’s B2B operations. This includes the deployment of WebEngage’s core engagement capabilities, alongside PII management and shield-based secure access, creating a framework that supports retention programmes across multiple markets and customer segments. “Enterprise organisations today need engagement systems that can adapt to diverse customer journeys across regions, products, and business functions,” said Hetarth Patel, Vice President – MEA, Americas & Asia Pacific at WebEngage. “With Kaspersky, the focus has been on building a strong marketing

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

ENTERPRISE ORGANISATIONS TODAY NEED ENGAGEMENT SYSTEMS THAT CAN ADAPT TO DIVERSE CUSTOMER JOURNEYS. HETARTH PATEL, VICE PRESIDENT – MEA, AMERICAS & ASIA PACIFIC, WEBENGAGE. automation foundation that brings together data, workflows, and analytics to execute campaigns at scale while maintaining relevance and operational efficiency.” Additional enhancements and change requests continue to be incorporated as the system evolves. The next phase of the project will include integration with Bitrix24 to further optimize lead management workflows while expanding WebEngage’s role within Kaspersky’s broader marketing ecosystem.

6 NEWS

DELINEA LAUNCHES PARTNER PROGRAMME TO PROTECT MARGINS AND SCALE GROWTH The programme introduces protected discounts, codified engagement rules and AI-powered enablement to improve partner profitability. Delinea has launched associated with AI and nonthe Delinea Partner human identities. Advantage Program, a new Delinea’s 2026 Identity global framework designed Security Report found that to protect partner discounts, 92% of organisations expect simplify engagement and AI to amplify identitysupport profitable growth related threats in the coming across its channel ecosystem. years. A further 42% said Delinea provides a runtime AI expansion had increased identity security platform their non-human identity that governs the actions of risk during the previous 12 humans, machines and AI months. agents after access has been Delinea said the granted. programme will help Developed with direct partners convert this partner input, including demand into new revenue feedback gathered through opportunities, supported a global partner survey, by a platform designed to the programme addresses govern access across human, three persistent channel machine and AI identities. challenges: margin erosion, “The Delinea Partner channel conflict and unclear Advantage Program reflects rules of engagement. a strong commitment The framework gives to building successful, partners a structured route long-term partnerships,” to deliver identity security said Mark Thornberry, Scott Goree, Senior Vice-President of Channel outcomes while supporting Senior Vice President of and Alliances, Delinea. predictable revenue growth Partnerships at GuidePoint and strengthening the value Security. “The program of customer relationships. partners that invest in developing provides a clear framework that “Partners don’t care about your customer relationships. The supports how we work together in the partner program,” said Scott Goree, framework also rewards their market, while recognising the value Senior Vice President of Channel and contribution to renewals and partners bring through the customer Alliances at Delinea. “They care about account expansion. relationships we cultivate and technology that works, protected • AI-driven enablement: AIsupport.” discounts, and a vendor that’s easy powered, just-in-time training The programme offers three to work with. We built this program and certifications provide relevant partner tiers: Elite for organisations around what partners told us they content during different stages of operating at scale, Premier for partners actually need.” the sales cycle, supported by an expanding their practice capabilities Built around three core principles, AI-enabled partner portal. and Select for those building expertise. Protect, Align and Scale, the • Channel autonomy: Streamlined Each tier provides different levels of programme introduces a modern processes, tools and automation access, investment and support based structure intended to support changing reduce friction across the quoteon the depth of engagement. partner requirements. to-cash journey, enabling partners Enrollment is now open to selling to spend more time selling and partners across all three tiers. Key features include: less time navigating vendor Dedicated participation models for • Codified rules of engagement: processes. managed service providers, global Published deal registration, The launch comes amid growing systems integrators, advisory firms and teaming protections and Earned demand for identity security technology partners are expected to Incumbency discounts protect capabilities that can address risks follow.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

7 NEWS

REDINGTON EARNS MICROSOFT FRONTIER DISTRIBUTOR DESIGNATION The recognition strengthens Redington’s ability to help partners accelerate cloud and AI adoption, improve customer outcomes and deliver greater business value. Redington has earned the Frontier Distributor designation within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, recognising its capabilities in partner enablement, operational execution and customer delivery. The designation is awarded to distributors that demonstrate operational maturity, readiness at scale and measurable customer impact. It reflects Redington’s role in providing channel partners with the infrastructure, programmes and services required to deliver business outcomes using Microsoft technologies. Redington now joins Microsoft distribution partners worldwide recognised for accelerating partner readiness and supporting enterprisescale technology adoption. “Earning the Frontier Distributor designation reflects the maturity of the Microsoft ecosystem we have built and our shared commitment to helping partners navigate the next wave of AI-led transformation,” said Sayantan Dev, Global Head, Software Solutions Group at Redington. “The opportunity ahead is not simply about deploying technology; it is about helping customers solve business problems faster, operate more intelligently, and create measurable value.” Dev said the designation would give Redington access to enhanced capabilities, programmes and resources that strengthen its support for partners globally. These benefits will help partners innovate, accelerate customer success and differentiate their offerings in a changing technology market. Strengthening regional partner capabilities The designation will enable Redington to provide partners with deeper capabilities across Microsoft’s ecosystem, covering the journey from technical and commercial enablement

through to customer execution. For partners operating across the Middle East, India, Turkey and Africa, the recognition is expected to support faster time to value through scalable go-to-market frameworks and stronger technical expertise. The enhanced capabilities span AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity and business applications. Redington will also support partners working on complex enterprise transformation programmes and multi-country deployments. Channel partners will gain increased access to Microsoft programmes, incentives and solution architecture expertise. The framework is also designed to improve consistency across deployment and lifecycle support while strengthening readiness for AI-led transformation projects. “The Microsoft Frontier Distributor designation reinforces the strength of our global partnership with Microsoft and our shared focus on accelerating cloud and AI adoption,” said Nehal Sharma, Senior Vice President, Global Product and Alliances, Cloud and Software at Redington. “As customer demand for AI-enabled solutions continues to grow, partners need access to the right expertise,

programs, and ecosystem support to scale successfully.” Sharma said the recognition would improve Redington’s ability to connect Microsoft’s technology with market opportunities, helping partners expand their businesses, accelerate customer outcomes and deliver long-term value. Supporting partner differentiation at scale The Frontier Distributor designation is part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, which supports partners in developing and delivering solutions across Microsoft’s technology portfolio. “The Frontier Distributor designation recognizes elite Cloud Solution Provider distributors, such as Redington, who enable partners to accelerate cloud solutions more effectively,” said Alex Zagury, Corporate Vice President, Global Channel Sales at Microsoft. “This distinction reflects their ability to drive differentiation at scale and deliver meaningful value to small and medium-sized businesses.” Redington said the designation would strengthen its ability to remove barriers to technology adoption and help partners respond to growing demand for cloud and AI capabilities across its markets.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

8 NEWS

OPTRO LAUNCHES PARTNER CONNECT TO ACCELERATE GLOBAL GRC GROWTH The programme gives partners flexible engagement models, AI-powered enablement and support to build profitable governance, risk and compliance services. Optro, formerly AuditBoard, has launched Optro Partner Connect, a new programme designed to help partners enter new markets, expand their service offerings and deliver long-term customer outcomes. The programme provides flexible go-to-market models alongside enablement, certification, technical assistance and co-marketing support. It replaces Optro’s legacy partner frameworks with a modular structure built around distinct partner tracks. Optro Partner Connect initially offers two tracks: Advisory Partners and Solution Providers. Partners Scott Whitlock, Global Vice President of can choose to refer, sell or Alliances and Channels, Optro. service customers through a transparent tier structure, with benefits increasing as their tasks, provide real-time co-selling engagement and capabilities grow. guidance and personalise partner A dedicated Partner Centre onboarding. of Excellence will support firms The company said these capabilities through onboarding and continuous would allow partners to spend less enablement. The team will help time on administration and focus more partners secure their first customer closely on customer value creation. wins and identify opportunities for further growth. Key elements of Optro Partner “Partners are a critical growth Connect include: engine for Optro, and Optro Partner • Flexible engagement models: Connect ensures our ecosystem’s Partners can participate through experience matches the enterpriseAdvisory or Solution Provider grade quality of our platform,” said tracks and choose whether to Scott Whitlock, Global Vice President refer, sell or service customers. of Alliances and Channels at Optro. Financial and servicing incentives “By moving away from transactionrecognise growth and support the only metrics and adopting a holistic development of practices spanning evaluation of capacity and competency, implementation, advisory and we are giving our partners a clear managed services. blueprint to build highly profitable • Enablement and market support: services practices around our GRC Role-based training, certification, Intelligence Platform.” technical assistance, co-selling Optro also plans to integrate an support and co-branded marketing AI layer throughout the partner resources are available through experience. The technology will the programme. A searchable automate repeatable administrative directory will also help customers

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

identify suitable Optro partners. • I ntellectual property opportunities: Qualified partners can develop their own solutions, integrations and accelerators using Optro’s platform, enabling them to turn specialist expertise into commercially valuable intellectual property. • Strategic partner participation: Continuous feedback channels and a formal Partner Advisory Board will allow invited partners to contribute to product roadmap and go-tomarket discussions. “Our collaboration with Optro helps us transform how our clients handle audit and compliance,” said Adam Pajakowski, Principal at Crowe. “Through this new partner program, we can continue to help companies move away from outdated, manual processes. We look forward to expanding our work together and continuing to drive great results for our joint clients.” Andrew Struthers-Kennedy, Global Lead, CAE Solutions at Protiviti, said the programme introduced greater structure to the companies’ existing collaboration. “The program introduces clearer alignment, more formal recognition, and a scalable framework for how we work together, which we believe will help drive greater consistency and impact as both organisations continue to grow,” he added. Optro Partner Connect is now live. Programme briefs, regional guides and deal-registration resources are available to active partners through an updated partner portal.

9 NEWS

HIPERDIST APPOINTED AUTHORISED HUAWEI CLOUD DISTRIBUTOR FOR UAE The agreement will expand Huawei Cloud’s UAE partner ecosystem and strengthen channel capabilities across cloud, AI and data services. Hiperdist, a leading technology distributor across the Middle East and Africa, announced its appointment as an Authorised Huawei Cloud Distributor for the UAE. The agreement builds on a successful Hiperdist and Huawei collaboration spanning more than seven years across Africa and marks a significant step in expanding Huawei Cloud’s partner ecosystem and strengthening cloud capabilities in the UAE, leveraging Hiperdist VAD’s regional expertise and market reach. Adil Ali, General Manager at Hiperdist Gulf, said, “The UAE continues to be one of the region’s most dynamic markets for cloud adoption and digital innovation. Building on our successful collaboration with Huawei Cloud across Africa, we are excited to extend this partnership into the UAE. By combining Huawei Cloud’s advanced cloud and AI capabilities with Hiperdist’s channel reach and enablement expertise, we will help partners deliver innovative solutions that enable organisations to modernise IT environments, leverage cloud technologies effectively, and unlock new opportunities for growth.” As organisations across the UAE increase investments in AI, digital transformation, and cloud technologies, demand continues to grow for secure, scalable, and costeffective cloud platforms. Through this partnership, Hiperdist will help expand access to Huawei Cloud’s portfolio of cloud, AI, and data services for enterprises, government entities, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), cloud service providers (CSPs), independent software vendors (ISVs), and fast-growing digital-native organisations across the country. Masood Sheikh, Head of AI, Cloud and Enterprise Solutions Group (AI & ESG) at Hiperdist Gulf, added, “As organisations increasingly adopt cloudfirst strategies and invest in AI-driven innovation, partners play a critical role

From left: Salman Syed, Senior Channel Sales & Alliance Manager, Huawei Cloud Middle East; Adil Ali, General Manager, Hiperdist Gulf; Barry Xu, Vice President, Middle East & Central Asia, Huawei Cloud; Wang Jack, Director of Cloud Ecosystem, Huawei Cloud Middle East; and Masood Sheikh, Head of AI & Enterprise Solutions (AI&E), Hiperdist Gulf. in guiding successful transformation initiatives. Through this collaboration, we are focused on equipping our channel ecosystem with the technical enablement, solution advisory services, architecture support, and commercial programs required to build sustainable cloud practices. “Together with Huawei Cloud, we will help partners deliver cloud and AI solutions, develop differentiated offerings, and achieve measurable business outcomes across key industries.” As an Authorised Huawei Cloud Distributor, Hiperdist will focus on expanding Huawei Cloud’s partner ecosystem in the UAE through partner recruitment, enablement, and market development initiatives. The collaboration will support partners in addressing growing customer requirements for cloud migration, AI solutions, infrastructure modernisation, and managed cloud services across key industries. Barry Xu, Vice President of Partner

Development, Huawei Cloud Middle East & Central Asia, said, “The UAE is a strategic market for cloud innovation and digital transformation, and we are pleased to expand our collaboration with Hiperdist into the country. Hiperdist has demonstrated strong success in developing the Huawei Cloud ecosystem across Africa, and we look forward to working together to strengthen partner capabilities and help organisations leverage cloud and AI technologies to drive innovation and business growth.” The partnership reinforces Hiperdist and Huawei Cloud’s commitment to advancing cloud adoption and digital transformation across the UAE. Together, Hiperdist and Huawei Cloud will empower partners and customers with the technology, expertise, and support required to modernise infrastructure, optimise IT investments, foster innovation, and achieve sustainable growth in an increasingly digital economy.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

10 NEWS

EGNYTE ADDS GOVERNED AI AUTOMATION FOR REGULATED WORKFLOWS New extraction, agent-building, workflow and compliance capabilities help organisations automate document-intensive processes without moving data beyond existing governance controls. Egnyte has introduced AI-powered workflow automation capabilities designed to help organisations automate document-intensive processes within a governed content environment. The release includes Bulk Extraction, Agent Builder and Workflow Builder, alongside a redesigned AI workspace with document creation and new Regulation-to-Audit capabilities. Egnyte said the tools would help organisations structure unstructured content, develop purpose-built AI agents and automate business-critical workflows while maintaining existing permissions, governance controls and audit readiness. “AI-powered automation shouldn’t require manual work and experts to build out regulated processes,” said Prasad Gune, Chief Product Officer at Egnyte. “We are giving teams the building blocks to bring unstructured content, AI agents, and workflows under one governed, automated environment. Built on the platform they already trust, with their existing permissions and controls in place, teams can automate business processes without adding a separate governance layer because it’s built into the platform.” Metadata extraction at scale Egnyte’s metadata extraction capabilities support individual documents, multiple documents and bulk content collections. The technology automatically applies consistent tags across files and folders, creating structured and searchable data for AI agents and automated workflows. The extraction process operates within Egnyte’s existing permission model, preventing content from being displayed to unauthorised users. Organisations can structure content without moving data or relying on manual intervention. Natural-language Agent Builder The new Agent Builder enables teams

generate and edit content based on governed organisational data without copying information between different tools. Egnyte said the unified workspace, supported by its connectors and Model Context Protocol server, could help organisations reduce the use of unauthorised AI tools.

Prasad Gune, Chief Product Officer, Egnyte. to create purpose-built AI agents using natural-language instructions, without requiring developer support. Users can also select pre-built agents from the Egnyte Agent Marketplace. Each agent operates within the platform’s existing permission model, with actions remaining auditable and connected to the organisation’s existing tools. No-code Workflow Builder Egnyte’s Workflow Builder provides a visual, no-code interface for automating document-heavy processes commonly found in regulated industries. Potential applications include standard operating procedure reviews and compliance approvals. Conditional logic, agent integrations and human-in-the-loop checkpoints allow teams to automate workflows while retaining operational oversight. Governed AI workspace Egnyte has also redesigned its AI workspace to bring AI Assistant, custom agents and the Agent Marketplace into a single interface. Integrated Document Creation capabilities allow users to draft,

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

Regulation-to-Audit compliance Egnyte’s Regulation-to-Audit framework connects regulatory requirements with controls, supporting evidence and audit preparation through four components: • Sensitive Content Protection: Identifies and protects data covered by compliance requirements. • Compliance Centre: Automates evidence collection and reporting while providing a central location to manage documentation and monitor compliance. • Compliance Agent: Converts information from compliance evidence into assessment-ready responses. • Configuration Agent: Translates policy requirements and changes into recommendations that IT teams can review and implement. Continuous monitoring provides IT teams with real-time audit logs and helps identify unusual access activity. “The next phase of enterprise AI is about which platforms can be trusted to run automated processes end to end, from extraction through agents, workflows, and compliance,” said Alan Pelz-Sharpe, Founder of Deep Analysis. “Egnyte is showing what that looks like when governance is the starting point instead of an add-on.” The release expands Egnyte’s existing AI capabilities, which include AI Assistant, task-specific agents and AI Safeguards. Egnyte noted that its AI features are designed to assist users and may require human review, with availability and results varying by plan configuration.

11 NEWS

GCG ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS EXPANDS ENTERPRISE AV PORTFOLIO WITH CRESTRON Collaboration brings certified AV-over-IP expertise and secure 4K distribution to organisations across the UAE and wider GCC GCG Enterprise Solutions has announced a strategic collaboration with Crestron — a leading enterprise AV and smart building technology company — strengthening its enterprise AV and smart building technology capabilities across the UAE and wider GCC region. The partnership equips GCG Enterprise Solutions with an expanded AV-over-IP offering, supported by inhouse certified Crestron programmers, designers, and engineers. Organisations across the region can now access a single provider for integrated workplace and collaboration technologies, enabling secure, zerolatency 4K video distribution across complex, large-scale environments with greater scalability and reliability. The timely development coincides with the rapid digitalisation of UAE organisations, shifting from fragmented meeting room technologies toward fully integrated AV infrastructure that supports hybrid work, AI-enabled collaboration, smart building environments, and enterprise-wide operational efficiency. Technology-intensive environments are especially positioned to benefit from connected AV ecosystems, including: Hospitality & conference centres, which require flexible AV distribution across ballrooms, meeting spaces, and public environments Corporate workspaces, which demand secure, high-performance collaboration environments that support hybrid work Government & healthcare environments, where secure, resilient,

and fail-safe communications infrastructure is critical. In addition to delivering better connected experiences for employees, customers, and visitors, advanced enterprise AV capabilities also enable organisations to optimise energy use and improve efficiency through intelligent automation, occupancy sensing, centralised management, and integrated unified communications platforms. Anoop Nair, Business Development & Technical Sales Manager from Crestron, said, “As organisations across the GCC accelerate workplace transformation initiatives, the demand for secure, scalable, and ITcentric AV infrastructure continues to grow. Our collaboration with GCG Enterprise Solutions brings

together Crestron’s global expertise in workplace technology and smart building innovation with GCG’s deep regional delivery capabilities, enabling organisations to modernise collaboration environments while creating a foundation for smarter, more connected workplaces.” Today, GCG Enterprise Solutions delivers end-to-end AV services spanning consultation, system design, integration, automation, managed services, and ongoing technical support as part of its wider enterprise technology portfolio across the UAE and wider GCC region. Simon Howells, General Manager of GCG Enterprise Solutions, said, “When it comes to AV solutions, progressive organisations across the UAE are increasingly demanding a unified backbone for communications and workspace automation. Our partnership with Crestron positions us as a single delivery partner offering a standardised, IT-grade ecosystem that simplifies the user experience while meeting the heavy security and reliability demands of the region’s toptier organisations.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

12 NEWS

DXC AND ELEVENLABS PARTNER TO SCALE ENTERPRISE VOICE AI The companies will integrate advanced voice capabilities into enterprise workflows, customer solutions and new AI-powered services. DXC Technology has formed a strategic partnership with ElevenLabs to integrate advanced voice AI capabilities across its internal operations and customer solutions. The collaboration will support DXC’s AI-first transformation strategy by applying generative voice technology to employee productivity, customer engagement and new enterprise services. DXC also participated in ElevenLabs’ recent US$500 million Series D funding round, which valued the AI audio company at approximately US$11 billion. “DXC operates at global enterprise scale across some of the world’s most complex environments,” said Ben Budde, Revenue Leader at ElevenLabs. “Partnering with DXC allows us to bring our voice AI technology into mission-critical workflows, unlocking new possibilities for automation, accessibility, and how people work with technology.” Supporting DXC’s FastTrack strategy The partnership aligns with DXC’s FastTrack innovation agenda, which focuses on scaling AI, software-asa-service and platform-led solutions across industries. DXC plans to integrate ElevenLabs’ technology across four key areas: • Enterprise productivity and digital workforce: Deploying voice agents and AI copilots across servicedesk operations, training and knowledge management. • Customer experience transformation: Adding naturalsounding, multilingual voice interfaces to customer service platforms to support more intuitive and personalised interactions. • Industry-specific solutions: Integrating voice AI into DXC’s offerings to streamline processes, enhance virtual assistants and improve service delivery.

Raul Fernandez, President and CEO, DXC Technology. • Application and platform engineering: Combining ElevenLabs’ voice capabilities with DXC’s application modernisation and orchestration platforms to develop AI-native enterprise solutions. “Voice is becoming a primary interface for how enterprises engage with customers and employees,” said Raul Fernandez, President and CEO at DXC. “Our partnership with ElevenLabs allows DXC to move faster in embedding AI into everything we do, from internal operations to the solutions we deliver for clients. This is a key step in accelerating our AI-native products and solutions.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

Joint enterprise go-to-market strategy The partnership includes plans for a joint go-to-market approach combining ElevenLabs’ voice AI capabilities with DXC’s industry expertise and customer relationships. DXC will expand the collaboration through LabX, its AI-native product incubator, and its AI Platforms Engine. The companies aim to co-develop solutions and introduce new enterprise voice AI applications across DXC’s global customer base. DXC said its investment in ElevenLabs reflects its confidence in the potential of generative voice AI and strengthens the commercial alignment between the two companies.

13 NEWS

ACRONIS ADVANCES AUTONOMOUS IT STRATEGY FOR MSPS Upcoming capabilities will combine AI-powered intelligence, service desk automation and agentic workflows within a unified MSP platform. Acronis has unveiled the next phase of its AI-native strategy, introducing upcoming capabilities designed to help managed service providers move from AI-assisted operations towards governed autonomous execution. Presented during the Acronis Accelerate: The Journey to Autonomous IT event, the capabilities will bring cyber protection, infrastructure, management, business intelligence and automated execution into a unified user experience. The announcement builds on four product launches introduced by Acronis since January 2026: Acronis Archival Storage, Acronis MDR by Acronis TRU, Acronis GenAI Protection and Acronis Cyber Frame. Acronis organises its AI-native strategy around a “By AI, With AI, For AI” framework. The approach uses AI to support secure product development, embeds intelligence and automation into everyday MSP services, and helps partners manage increasingly AI-driven customer environments. “AI-native is not a feature label for Acronis. It is the design principle we used for our platform, and it is the approach that guides how we build and operate our products, and how we help partners run and grow their businesses,” said Jan-Jaap Jager, CEO of Acronis. “Our goal is to give MSPs one environment in which people and AI agents can work together securely, transparently, and at scale. The products Acronis is delivering this year bring that goal to life.” Moving towards autonomous execution The next phase of Acronis Cyber Platform introduces four connected capabilities: • Acronis Cyber Console: A unified AI-native workspace combining protection, management, automation and infrastructure for

integration requirements and context switching associated with managing separate AI, service desk and automation products.

Jan-Jaap Jager, CEO, Acronis. technicians, business teams and AI agents. • Acronis Cyber Intelligence: An intelligence layer providing visibility across operations, customer contracts and protected endpoints. The capability is designed to identify service gaps and revenue opportunities while helping partners anticipate issues, reduce ticket volumes and make faster decisions. • Acronis Service Desk: Autonomous ticket workflows that use automated enrichment, analysis and remediation to address alert and context overload. Planned integrations will incorporate information and actions from across an MSP’s technology ecosystem. • Acronis Cyber Studio: A workspace for creating and controlling deterministic and agentic workflows. MSP teams will be able to use naturallanguage instructions to design automated processes while retaining visibility, governance and control. Acronis said the integrated approach could reduce the complexity,

New migration options for service providers Acronis Cyber Frame now includes migration workflows that help partners move workloads from VMware and Microsoft Azure to Cyber Frame Cloud or Cyber Frame Local. The capability supports staged migration and controlled cutover while giving MSPs and cloud service providers a choice between Acronishosted Cyber Frame Cloud and partner-hosted Cyber Frame Local. “Acronis Cyber Frame is a cloud offering designed for MSPs and designed to be sold through MSPs,” said Paul Maritz, former CEO of VMware and former Chairman of the Acronis Board. “It’s an integrated platform with infrastructure, backup, disaster recovery, security, remote access and automation all built in. It’s the most comprehensive solution option that’s easy to manage and offers customers a great migration path forward from where they are today.” Supporting open-source software development Acronis also joined Constructor Group and Virtuozzo in announcing Constructor Fabric, an Apache 2.0-licensed open-source software delivery project governed by the independent Constructor Fabric Foundation. The AI fabric for software-as-aservice environments is designed to help users define, build and operate software using reusable components, operational automation and integrated productivity insights. Constructor Fabric will be available to Acronis partners and customers, allowing them to create applications and customise or extend the Acronis platform for specific requirements.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

14 NEWS

NOKIA ADVANCES CLOUD AND AI TRANSFORMATION WITH SAP AND MICROSOFT The multi-year agreement will migrate Nokia’s ERP environment to SAP S/4HANA on Microsoft Azure, supporting operational simplification and enterprise AI adoption. Nokia has signed a multi-year agreement with SAP and Microsoft to accelerate its enterprise transformation through RISE with SAP Methodology, with its SAP S/4HANA software environment hosted on Microsoft Azure. The agreement, concluded at the end of 2025, will support the migration of Nokia’s SAP landscape through a structured approach covering business processes, data, applications and operating models. Nokia will also gain access to ongoing innovation and embedded AI capabilities delivered through SAP’s cloud enterprise resource planning portfolio. Microsoft Azure will provide the cloud infrastructure underpinning the transformation, supporting the scale, security and performance required for Nokia’s business-critical enterprise workloads. “Nokia’s decision reflects a clear commitment to business-led transformation,” said Manos Raptopoulos, Global President of Customer Success for Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Member of the Extended Board at SAP SE. “RISE with SAP Methodology provides Nokia with a structured road map, integrated toolchain and continuous access to innovation. It enables the company to modernize its ERP landscape while keeping a clean core and building a strong foundation for enterprise AI.” Structured ERP transformation RISE with SAP is a businesstransformation framework combining standardised methodology, integrated tools and specialist guidance to help organisations migrate from legacy ERP environments to SAP’s cloud platform. SAP will operate and manage Nokia’s S/4HANA environment in the cloud, allowing the telecommunications company to focus more closely on business outcomes instead of infrastructure management. The approach is designed to support process standardisation, operational simplification and continuous innovation

rather than treating the project as a onetime system migration. Nokia has already been modernising its business and technology environment through a next-generation SAP S/4HANA platform covering finance and key logistics capabilities. The company’s SAP environment includes SAP S/4HANA for central finance, SAP Master Data Governance, SAP Extended Warehouse Management, SAP Global Trade Services and SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced availableto-promise capabilities. AI-enabled functionality embedded within SAP’s cloud applications will be progressively introduced during the transformation. “This agreement builds on our existing work with SAP and Microsoft and supports Nokia’s ambition to secure how we run our core business operations,” said Marek Očkay, Vice President and Global Head of IT Procurement and Vendor Management at Nokia. “By applying RISE with SAP Methodology on Microsoft Azure, we are strengthening a structured and future ready path for business growth, one that simplifies our ERP landscape, enables continuous innovation and strengthens our commitment for AI driven processes.” Azure provides the cloud foundation Microsoft Azure will serve as the foundation for Nokia’s RISE with SAP journey and support the company’s wider cloud and data strategy.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

Nokia already operates parts of its SAP landscape on Azure. Consolidating additional workloads on a single hyperscale cloud platform is expected to improve performance, security, latency and operational resilience. Microsoft will work with Nokia and SAP throughout the transformation, supporting migration activities and the continuing optimisation of the environment. “This collaboration demonstrates how cloud platforms, enterprise applications and AI can come together to support complex, global business transformations,” said Joacim Damgard, Corporate Vice President for Europe North at Microsoft. “By running SAP S/4HANA on Azure within the RISE with SAP journey, Nokia is creating a scalable and secure foundation for continuous innovation.” Building on a longstanding relationship Nokia has used SAP technologies for several decades. The company has recently been consolidating multiple ERP systems into a unified SAP S/4HANA environment through its next-generation ERP programme. The move to RISE with SAP will provide a common methodology for the continued transformation, helping Nokia reduce technology complexity and access cloud-native and AI capabilities. The agreement also demonstrates how enterprise applications, hyperscale cloud infrastructure and embedded AI can be combined to support large-scale operational transformation across a global organisation.

16 COVER STORY

AI INFRASTRUCTURE DRIVES CHANNEL’S NEXT OPPORTUNITY The UAE’s sovereign AI push, rising inference workloads and AI-ready network investments are creating new opportunities for resellers, MSPs and system integrators to help enterprises move from experimentation to production.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

18 COVER STORY

I infrastructure has become one of the most important technology conversations for the Middle East channel. The market has moved beyond early generative AI pilots into a more demanding phase, where enterprises and governments must decide how to run AI securely, efficiently and at scale. For resellers, managed service providers and system integrators, this creates a new growth opportunity. AI infrastructure is not limited to GPUs or data centres. It spans compute, cloud, storage, data platforms, connectivity, cybersecurity, governance, power, cooling and managed services. The channel’s role is shifting from product fulfilment to helping customers build production-ready AI environments. The UAE is giving this shift strong regional momentum. The UAE National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 aims to position the country as a global AI leader and develop an integrated system that applies AI across vital sectors, according to the UAE Cabinet. The strategy also focuses on providing the data and infrastructure needed to make the country a test bed for AI, according to the UAE Ministry of Justice. This policy direction is now being

supported by major infrastructure commitments. Stargate UAE, announced by OpenAI, G42, Oracle, NVIDIA, SoftBank and Cisco, includes a 1GW AI compute cluster in Abu Dhabi, with 200MW expected to go live in 2026, according to OpenAI. G42 has also described Stargate UAE as part of the newly established 5GW UAE-US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi. For the regional channel, this is important. Government-led AI infrastructure, sovereign cloud investments and agentic AI ambitions are creating demand for partners that can help enterprises design, integrate, secure and manage AI infrastructure across hybrid environments. Inference changes economics of AI The biggest shift in 2026 is the move from training AI models to running AI continuously in production. This is called inference. In simple terms, inference is what happens when an AI model responds to a prompt, summarises a document, recommends an action or supports an automated workflow. Gartner’s latest forecast highlights this shift clearly. Global spending on AI-optimised Infrastructure-as-aService is expected to reach US$42.3

billion in 2026, up 96.4% from 2025. Gartner also expects global spending on inference to reach US$23.3 billion in 2026, surpassing US$19 billion for training. Inference is forecast to account for 55% of AI-optimised IaaS spending in 2026 and 59% in 2027. This matters for resellers and MSPs because enterprise AI costs will increasingly be driven by everyday usage, not only model development. Every AI interaction consumes compute. Agentic AI makes this even more complex because a single request can trigger multiple model calls, searches, checks and actions behind the scenes. Customers will therefore need partners that can help them understand cost per token, latency, model selection, accelerator choice, workload placement and usage visibility. The opportunity is no longer only to provide cloud access or hardware. It is to help enterprises control the economics of AI at scale. Core42 brings the sovereign inference angle Core42, a G42 company, brings this discussion directly into the regional market. Its whitepaper, Efficiency Wins the Inference Era, argues that enterprises should not default to the largest model or a single hardware

SOVEREIGN, SCALABLE AI INFRASTRUCTURE IS FOUNDATIONAL TO ACHIEVING THIS AMBITION. RAGHU CHAKRAVARTHI, CHIEF PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AT CORE42.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

THIS CURRENT ERA OF AI IS FORCING ORGANISATIONS TO RETHINK THE FOUNDATIONS OF THEIR TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE. SERGIO GAGO, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AT CLOUDERA.

ecosystem for every AI workload. Instead, each workload should be routed to the right combination of model, accelerator and deployment path. Core42’s Compass platform supports diverse accelerators including NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm and Cerebras silicon, matching workloads according to latency, throughput, utilisation, cost and sovereignty requirements. Compass currently serves more than seven million API requests and processes over 100 billion tokens per week, backed by a 99.5% availability commitment. Raghu Chakravarthi, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Core42, said this is particularly important as the UAE advances its ambition to transition a significant share of government services and operations to agentic AI. “Sovereign, scalable AI infrastructure is foundational to achieving this ambition,” said Chakravarthi. He added that agentic systems change the unit economics of AI because one user request can trigger multiple inference events as the system reasons, calls tools and completes multi-step tasks. For government and enterprise customers, this makes scalability, sovereignty, observability and governance critical capabilities

at the inference layer, rather than additions made after deployment. This is strategically relevant for the channel because customers will need guidance on how to build AI infrastructure that is efficient, governed and sovereign. For resellers, MSPs and system integrators, the partnership creates opportunities across GPU access, secure connectivity, workload implementation, data residency and managed AI operations. e& UAE and Core42 take sovereign AI to market Core42’s sovereign AI capabilities are also being extended through a partnership with e& UAE. The companies have introduced Sovereign AI Compute, giving enterprise and government customers secure, ondemand access to in-country GPU infrastructure. The offering combines Core42’s Sovereign AI Cloud and heterogeneous accelerators with e& UAE’s nationalscale digital infrastructure, secure connectivity, customer relationships and professional services. It enables organisations to build, train, finetune and deploy AI applications while keeping sensitive workloads and data within the UAE.

Esam Mahmoud, Senior Vice President, SMB Sales and Marketing, e& UAE, said the platform provides organisations with a simpler and more secure way to access sovereign GPU infrastructure and operationalise AI at scale. “The value of this platform is not only AI compute; it is the combination of AI infrastructure, private connectivity, local support and a practical route to production,” said Mahmoud. Core42 Delivery Services will provide implementation expertise, while e& UAE will connect enterprise environments directly to the sovereign GPU infrastructure through dedicated, carrier-grade connectivity. e& UAE is also introducing GPU Connect, which combines advanced GPU capabilities and premium connectivity within an integrated package. Data becomes real foundation While compute attracts most of the attention, data will determine whether AI infrastructure creates lasting value. Many enterprises across MENA still operate with fragmented data across file systems, object stores, databases, clouds and business applications. This creates duplicated information, inconsistent permissions, governance gaps and performance issues.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

20 COVER STORY Cloudera’s latest global survey, The Great AI Re-Architecture, reinforces this challenge. Based on responses from 1,500 enterprise architects, cloud infrastructure leads and data architects worldwide, the report found that while 77% of organisations are actively using AI, 95% have delayed or cancelled AI initiatives over the past year because of data governance, compliance or regulatory challenges. “This current era of AI is forcing organisations to rethink the foundations of their technology infrastructure,” said Sergio Gago, Chief Technology Officer at Cloudera. “Many enterprises are discovering that the architectures built for traditional analytics weren’t designed for the scale, governance, and flexibility AI demands today. Success will depend on building a data foundation that gives organisations the freedom to run AI wherever it makes the most sense, without compromising control or security.” The report also found that 72% of organisations say their current data architecture requires a significant overhaul to meet future AI requirements, while 84% report increased infrastructure costs driven by AI workloads. It also found that 66% of respondents have moved AI workloads from public cloud environments back to private cloud

or on-premises infrastructure during the past year, pointing to the growing importance of hybrid architectures in enterprise AI. For AI to move from adoption to creation, organisations need data that is governed, accessible, secure and reusable across the AI lifecycle. This is especially important in the Middle East, where Arabic-language data, sector-specific datasets and national digital services can support AI models and applications built for regional needs. Haider Aziz, General Manager Middle East, Turkey and Africa at VAST Data, captures this clearly. Aziz says, “Compute creates capacity and data turns that capacity into capability, and capability into a competitive AI economy.” This is a critical point for the channel. Partners that can modernise data platforms, unify data access, strengthen governance and support AI-ready storage will become more valuable to customers than those focused only on infrastructure supply. Networks enter the AI infrastructure stack AI infrastructure is also moving beyond data centres. As AI workloads spread across cloud, edge, enterprise environments, smart cities and industrial operations, networks become

THE MIDDLE EAST IS EXPERIENCING A SURGE IN BANDWIDTH DEMAND, DRIVEN BY THE RAPID EXPANSION OF VARIOUS ADVANCED DIGITAL APPLICATIONS. BRODIE GAGE, SENIOR VICEPRESIDENT, AND CHIEF PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, CIENA.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

a critical part of the AI stack. Nokia’s AI-native RAN platform, developed with NVIDIA, shows how telecom infrastructure is evolving for the AI era. Nokia says its commercial AI-RAN platform is built on Nokia’s AI-native anyRAN software and NVIDIA’s Aerial AI-RAN platform, and is expected to deliver more than 100% spectral efficiency gains by 2028. “AI-RAN is the biggest innovation in radio in decades. AI-RAN makes the network intelligent, extends AI into the physical world, and allows telcos to get more from their existing infrastructure, including a software upgrade path to 6G. Nokia’s anyRAN software, powered by NVIDIA’s Aerial AI-RAN platform, unlocks greater performance from the spectrum operators already have and can be deployed with existing Nokia or ORAN-compliant radio units. For operators, that means more performance, better returns and faster delivery of new services,” said Justin Hotard, President and CEO at Nokia. Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA, also positioned radio networks as part of the AI infrastructure buildout. “Telecommunications is entering the AI era — the radio access network is the next AI infrastructure. Together with Nokia, we are bringing NVIDIA CUDA and AI into the baseband,

COMPUTE CREATES CAPACITY AND DATA TURNS THAT CAPACITY INTO CAPABILITY, AND CAPABILITY INTO A COMPETITIVE AI ECONOMY. HAIDER AZIZ, GENERAL MANAGER - MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY AND AFRICA, VAST DATA. transforming RAN into a planet-scale AI computer. This is a generational shift for operators — unlocking more capacity and efficiency from today’s spectrum while creating the foundation for new AI services and the 6G era,” said Huang. The fixed and optical network layer is also being upgraded to support AI-scale traffic. e& UAE is deploying Ciena’s optical and software solutions to build a future-ready DWDM network designed to support bandwidthintensive workloads, cloud services, data centre interconnect and future

digital applications. This strengthens the argument that AI infrastructure depends not only on compute, but also on the high-capacity backbone needed to move data at scale. “This new DWDM network represents a significant step forward in the capacity and scalability of our infrastructure, helping the region respond to rapidly growing bandwidth demand,” said Marwan Bin Shakar, Chief Technology Officer, e& UAE. “We selected Ciena because of its proven leadership in high-capacity optical networking and its ability

to deliver scalable, resilient and low-latency infrastructure. With Ciena’s technology, we can provide customers across the Middle East with connectivity designed to support their evolving needs.” For channel partners, these developments create opportunities around private 5G, edge AI, optical networking, data centre interconnect, telecom cloud, Open RAN integration, low-latency infrastructure and managed network services. AI applications in smart cities, public

AI-RAN MAKES THE NETWORK INTELLIGENT, EXTENDS AI INTO THE PHYSICAL WORLD, AND ALLOWS TELCOS TO GET MORE FROM THEIR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. JUSTIN HOTARD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NOKIA.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

22 COVER STORY

TELECOMMUNICATIONS IS ENTERING THE AI ERA. THE RADIO ACCESS NETWORK IS THE NEXT AI INFRASTRUCTURE. JENSEN HUANG, FOUNDER AND CEO, NVIDIA.

safety, connected transport, energy, logistics and digital government will require networks that can support real-time performance and resilient connectivity. Brodie Gage, Senior Vice-President, and Chief Product and Technology Officer, Ciena, also points to the scale of demand shaping the region’s network investments. “The Middle East is experiencing a surge in bandwidth demand, driven by the rapid expansion of various advanced digital applications,” said Gage.

“It’s clear that e& UAE’s nextgeneration network will transform the region and help position the company to stay ahead of today’s and tomorrow’s evolving digital requirements. By leveraging Ciena’s leading technology, e& is future-proofing its network to support the continued digital evolution and growing capacity demands.” Channel opportunity The UAE government’s role in building strong foundations for AI infrastructure is creating a more sophisticated market for the regional channel. Public-

Abdulla Ebrahim Al Ahmed, Chief Government and VVIP Relations Officer, e& UAE, and Sherif Tawfik, Chief Business Officer, Core42.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

sector AI adoption, sovereign cloud investment, local compute capacity and large-scale data centre projects are giving enterprises confidence to move from AI pilots to production. However, many customers will not have the internal expertise to manage this transition alone. They will need partners that can connect the different layers of AI infrastructure into a working architecture. For resellers, MSPs and system integrators, the opportunity lies in helping customers answer practical questions: which workloads should run locally, which should use cloud, which require sovereign controls, which models are cost-effective, which accelerators are suitable, how data should be governed, how latency can be reduced and how AI systems can be secured. The next phase of channel growth will come from partners that can combine compute, cloud, data, networking, cybersecurity and managed services. AI infrastructure is becoming the foundation of enterprise transformation in the Middle East. The winners will be those that help customers build AI environments that are sovereign, scalable, secure, efficient and ready for production.

24 INTERVIEW // VAD TECHNOLOGIES

VAD TECHNOLOGIES OUTLINES PROFITABLE PATH FOR AI-READY CHANNEL PARTNERS Mario M. Veljovic explains how specialised expertise, recurring services and trusted data can help partners deliver measurable customer outcomes.

rtificial intelligence is creating new opportunities across the channel, but sustainable growth will depend on more than selling the latest technologies. Partners must strengthen their expertise, develop recurring services and help customers establish the secure infrastructure, trusted data and cyber resilience required for successful AI adoption. In an interview, Mario M. Veljovic, General Manager at VAD Technologies, discusses how channel partners can remain competitive, improve profitability and evolve into trusted advisors. He also examines the importance of specialisation, ecosystem collaboration and measurable business outcomes in building a future-ready channel business. Interview excerpts How can channel partners build a profitable and future-ready business in an increasingly competitive and AI-driven market? The channel is at a turning point. AI represents one of the biggest technology opportunities we’ve seen in decades, and in every gold rush, the people who consistently succeed are often those

selling the shovels. For our industry, that means enabling customers with AI-ready infrastructure- the secure, scalable compute, storage, networking and cyber resilience that AI depends on. Partners should focus on becoming trusted advisors who help customers build the right foundation, rather than simply selling the latest AI application. Those who invest in expertise, services and long-term customer success will be best positioned to create sustainable growth. As traditional product margins continue to decline, where do you see the biggest opportunities for partners to create recurring, higher-value revenue streams? Recurring services are where sustainable profitability is created. Professional services, managed services, AI consulting, cybersecurity, data protection, lifecycle management and cloud optimisation all generate predictable revenue while strengthening customer relationships. Customers aren’t looking for another hardware supplier—they’re looking for partners who can help them achieve measurable business outcomes.” Many organisations are eager to adopt AI but struggle with data readiness. What role

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should partners play in helping customers build the right foundation for successful AI adoption? This is probably the most important conversation in the industry today. Everyone is talking about AI, but many organisations still haven’t addressed the fundamentals. I always say: ‘If you can’t manage your data, you’ll never manage your AI aspirations and goals.’ AI is only as good as the quality, accessibility, governance and security of the data behind it. Before organisations invest in AI models, they need to modernise their infrastructure, eliminate data silos, strengthen cyber resilience and ensure their data is trusted and available. That’s where channel partners create real value.” What capabilities and investments should every partner prioritize today to remain relevant over the next five years? My advice is simple: Stay focused. Don’t become a Jack of all trades and master of none. The technology landscape is simply too broad for anyone to be an expert in everything. Successful partners identify where they can truly differentiate themselves, whether that’s AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud, data management

or managed services, and then build deep technical expertise around those areas. Customers value specialists who can solve complex business challenges far more than generalists who try to do everything.” How can distributors, vendors, and channel partners collaborate more effectively to deliver business outcomes rather than simply selling technology? The strongest ecosystems are built on trust, collaboration and shared success. Vendors drive innovation, distributors provide enablement, technical expertise, financing and market reach, while partners bring customer intimacy and execution. When everyone aligns around solving customer business challenges instead of simply moving products, the entire ecosystem becomes stronger. Success is no longer measured by the number of boxes shipped, but by the value delivered to customers.

Mario M. Veljovic, General Manager, VAD Technologies.

Looking ahead, what will distinguish the most successful channel partners from the rest? The winners will be those who focus on expertise rather than volume. They’ll invest in AI-ready infrastructure, cyber resilience, trusted data, recurring services and customer success. Most importantly, they’ll remain focused on their strengths. Technology will continue to evolve, but customers will always choose partners who combine deep expertise with the ability to deliver measurable business outcomes. In the AI era, success won’t belong to those selling the most products—it will belong to those enabling the most successful AI journeys. We’re witnessing the beginning of the AI economy. Every organisation wants to embrace AI, but AI starts with the right foundation. In this gold rush, AI-ready infrastructure is the shovel that enables success. Partners who help customers build secure, resilient and data-driven environments today will be the ones creating sustainable growth and long-term profitability tomorrow.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

26 INTERVIEW // D-LINK

D-LINK ADVANCES INTELLIGENT NETWORKING AND CHANNEL GROWTH The company is combining AI, Wi-Fi 7, cloud management and embedded security to support predictive network operations and unlock new partner opportunities.

nterprise networks are evolving to support AI applications, cloud platforms, IoT environments and hybrid workplaces, increasing demand for greater automation, visibility and embedded security. Technologies such as predictive analytics, Wi-Fi 7, edge networking and cloud-based management are becoming central to infrastructure investment decisions. In this interview, D-Link discusses its approach to AI-driven network management, the cybersecurity gaps affecting Middle East enterprises and the technologies expected to shape connectivity investments. The company also outlines how partner enablement, technical training and managed services can help the regional channel capture emerging growth opportunities.

congestion, coverage issues, or performance bottlenecks before they impact users. This allows IT teams to move from reactive troubleshooting to more proactive network management. Combined with cloud visibility and analytics, organisations gain better insights into network health and usage patterns. As networks become more complex with cloud, IoT, and hybrid work environments, predictive management will play an increasingly important role. Our goal is to make enterprise-grade intelligence accessible, scalable, and easy to deploy. Ultimately, we want businesses to spend less time managing networks and more time focusing on growth and innovation. What are the biggest cybersecurity gaps you see in enterprise networks across

Interview excerpts How is D-Link embedding AI into its networking portfolio to help enterprises move from reactive to predictive network management? We see AI as a practical tool that simplifies network operations rather than adding complexity. Through solutions such as Aquila Pro AI and our cloud-managed platforms, we are introducing intelligent automation that continuously monitors network performance and user behaviour. AI-driven optimisation can identify

SECURITY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL, IT MUST BE EMBEDDED INTO EVERY LAYER OF CONNECTIVITY.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

the Middle East, and how is D-Link addressing them at the infrastructure level? One of the biggest challenges we see is that many organisations still view security as a standalone solution rather than an integrated part of the network. As digital transformation accelerates, the attack surface expands across wireless networks, remote users, IoT devices, and cloud applications. Weak visibility, outdated infrastructure, and inconsistent security policies remain common concerns. D-Link addresses these challenges by building security into the network foundation itself. Our switching, wireless, and cloud-managed solutions incorporate advanced security features, network segmentation, access controls, and secure management capabilities. We also promote simplified deployment and centralised monitoring to help IT teams maintain stronger security postures. As cyber threats continue to evolve, organisations need infrastructure that supports both performance and protection. Security is no longer optional; it must be embedded into every layer of connectivity. Which intelligent connectivity trends, from Wi-Fi 7 to edge networking, do you expect to define enterprise network investments in H2 2026 and beyond? Wi-Fi 7 will undoubtedly be one of the most significant drivers of enterprise

Sakkeer Hussain, Director of Sales and Marketing, D-Link Middle East FZE.

OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE ENTERPRISEGRADE INTELLIGENCE ACCESSIBLE, SCALABLE, AND EASY TO DEPLOY. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

28 INTERVIEW // D-LINK network investment over the coming years. Businesses are increasingly demanding higher speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity to support AI applications, cloud services, collaboration tools, and real-time workloads. We also expect greater adoption of cloud-managed networking, edge computing, and intelligent network automation. Organisations want faster decisionmaking closer to where data is generated, making edge networking increasingly important. AI-powered optimisation and analytics will become standard features rather than premium add-ons. At the same time, network security and visibility will remain key investment priorities. We believe future networks will be defined by intelligence, automation, and seamless user experiences. D-Link is aligning its portfolio around these trends through Wi-Fi 7, Aquila Pro AI, D-Lite Cloud, and advanced switching solutions. How has the role of channel partners shifted from product resellers to strategic advisers in the region’s digital transformation journey? The role of channel partners has evolved significantly over the past few years. Customers are no longer simply looking to purchase hardware; they are seeking guidance on digital transformation, cloud adoption, security, and long-term technology planning. As a result, partners are becoming trusted advisers who help businesses align technology investments with business outcomes. This shift requires deeper technical expertise, stronger consulting capabilities, and ongoing customer

engagement. D-Link supports this evolution by providing solutionbased training, technical workshops, and practical enablement programs. We work closely with our channel ecosystem to help partners identify opportunities and deliver greater value beyond products. Today’s most successful partners are those who can solve business challenges rather than simply fulfill technology requirements. We see this advisory role becoming even more important as AI and intelligent networking continue to grow. What investments is D-Link making in partner enablement, training, and certification to help the channel capture emerging opportunities in AI and security? Partner enablement remains one of D-Link’s highest priorities across the Middle East. We continue to invest in technical training, solution-focused workshops, certifications, and handson demonstrations to keep partners aligned with emerging technologies. Areas such as AI-driven networking, cloud management, cybersecurity, and Wi-Fi 7 are becoming increasingly important in customer discussions. Our objective is to ensure partners are equipped not only to sell solutions but also to design, deploy, and support them effectively. We regularly conduct training sessions covering products such as Aquila Pro AI, D-Lite Cloud, enterprise wireless solutions, and intelligent switching platforms. These initiatives help partners build deeper expertise and strengthen customer confidence. As technology adoption accelerates, continuous learning becomes a key competitive advantage. We view partner success as a direct extension of D-Link’s success in the region.

D-LINK IS ALIGNING ITS PORTFOLIO THROUGH WI-FI 7, AQUILA PRO AI, D-LITE CLOUD, AND ADVANCED SWITCHING SOLUTIONS.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES WILL COME FROM HELPING CUSTOMERS SIMPLIFY OPERATIONS WHILE PREPARING FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. Where do you see the greatest untapped growth opportunities for channel partners in the Middle East over the next 12 to 18 months? We see significant opportunities emerging across SMB digital transformation, cloud-managed networking, education, hospitality, retail, and smart environments. Many organisations are still modernising legacy infrastructure and looking for affordable ways to improve performance, security, and manageability. Wi-Fi 7 adoption alone presents a major opportunity as businesses prepare for highercapacity applications and AI-driven workloads. Managed services and cloud-based network management are also becoming increasingly attractive, particularly for customers with limited IT resources. In addition, sectors such as smart buildings, surveillance, and IoT continue to create demand for reliable connectivity solutions. Partners that can combine networking, security, cloud management, and services into a complete solution offering will be well positioned for growth. We also see strong momentum around AI-enhanced networking technologies such as Aquila Pro AI. The biggest opportunities will come from helping customers simplify operations while preparing for the next phase of digital transformation.

30 INTERVIEW // OFFICE CONNECT GROUP

OFFICE CONNECT GROUP ACCELERATES ENTERPRISE TRANSFORMATION WITH AI Founder and Managing Director Irfan Shaikh shares how intelligent automation, AI-powered analytics and an integrated digital ecosystem are driving operational excellence, scalability and customer-centric innovation.

rtificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of business, from operations and customer engagement to decision-making and long-term growth. At Office Connect Group, AI is more than a technology upgrade. It is driving a fundamental transformation across the organisation’s diverse business verticals. Through intelligent automation, advanced analytics and an integrated digital ecosystem, the company is building a more agile, scalable and customer-centric enterprise. In this interview, Irfan Shaikh, Founder and Managing Director, Office Connect Group, shares how the organisation is embedding AI across its operations, leveraging data to make smarter business decisions, automating complex workflows, and fostering a technology-first culture that is positioning the group for its next phase of growth. Interview Excerpts: How are you reimagining Office Connect Group’s core business model by embedding AI across analytics, delivery, sales, and finance functions? Office Connect Group has always believed that technology should be a business enabler, not just an operational tool. Since our journey began in 2015 with Office Connect Goods Wholesalers, we have grown

into a diversified group with eight business verticals and operations across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. That growth naturally introduced greater operational complexity across procurement, supply chain, logistics, finance, customer service and analytics. AI has become the foundation that connects these functions into a unified, data-driven ecosystem. Today, it supports everything from demand forecasting and inventory optimisation to fleet scheduling, finance workflows and business intelligence. One of the biggest differentiators is the depth of insights AI generates. For example, we can analyse five years of purchasing patterns to understand product consumption trends, identify demand across industry sectors, and help customers optimise their procurement strategies. Implementing AI required careful planning and change management, but it has transformed the way we operate. Rather than simply automating processes, AI is enabling faster decisions, greater operational agility and more personalised customer engagement, positioning Office Connect for the next phase of scalable growth. What strategic impact do you expect from achieving 90–95% automation in purchase order conversion on operational efficiency and scalability? Purchase order automation is one of

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the most impactful initiatives within our digital transformation journey. Today, approximately 75% of customer purchase orders are converted automatically into our sales order system without manual intervention, processing more than 15,000 line items every month with greater speed and accuracy. The challenge lies in the fact that customers submit orders in multiple formats, including PDFs, Excel files, scanned documents, handwritten notes and even email text. AI enables us to intelligently interpret these different formats and convert them into structured sales orders. Our goal is to increase automation to between 90% and 95%. This will significantly reduce manual processing, minimise errors, accelerate order fulfilment and improve delivery performance. More importantly, it creates a highly scalable operating model that allows us to manage increasing transaction volumes without proportionately expanding our workforce, enabling sustainable business growth. How does your AI-led ERP and CRM strategy address the challenge of fragmented data across multiple business verticals? As our business expanded into multiple verticals, data naturally became distributed across different systems. While our CRM delivered value independently, we recognised that its

OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO CREATE A SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH THAT ENHANCES OPERATIONAL VISIBILITY WHILE ENABLING PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS THROUGHOUT THE BUSINESS.

Irfan Shaikh, Founder and Managing Director, Office Connect Group. full potential could only be realised when integrated within a unified ERP environment. We are now implementing a nextgeneration AI-enabled ERP platform that brings together all business verticals under one intelligent ecosystem. The integrated CRM will automate lead management, identify future tender opportunities, convert voice interactions into searchable text, trigger personalised customer engagement and provide intelligent workflow recommendations. More importantly, consolidating enterprise data enables AI to generate richer business insights, improve reporting accuracy and support better decision-making across the organisation. Our objective is to create a single source of truth that enhances operational visibility while enabling predictive analytics throughout the business. What role will proprietary innovations like your chatbot, Octon, play in redefining customer experience and reducing dependency on manual processes?

Octon represents our vision of creating a smarter, more responsive business ecosystem. Rather than functioning as a conventional chatbot, Octon acts as an intelligent digital assistant that automates repetitive business processes while improving customer responsiveness. One of its primary responsibilities is streamlining purchase order processing by automatically receiving customer orders, extracting relevant information and routing them directly into our order management system with minimal human intervention. Beyond automation, Octon strengthens customer engagement by delivering faster responses, improving process consistency and allowing our teams to focus on highervalue activities such as customer relationships, strategic planning and business development. It is an important step towards building a more intelligent, scalable and customer-centric organisation. From a founder’s perspective, what has been the biggest cultural or operational shift required to successfully

integrate AI into a traditionally delivery-driven business? Technology transformation begins with people. The biggest shift was not implementing AI itself, but creating a culture that embraces innovation, continuous learning and data-driven decision-making. At Office Connect, we have always encouraged our teams to take ownership, make informed decisions and continuously improve processes. AI complements that philosophy by providing deeper insights, automating routine tasks and enabling employees to focus on activities that create greater value for customers. We have also worked closely with customers and suppliers to encourage digital adoption across the broader ecosystem, ensuring technology benefits everyone involved in the supply chain. AI has strengthened our operational excellence, improved collaboration and enhanced customer experience, while reinforcing our long-term vision of building a future-ready organisation driven by innovation, efficiency and sustainable growth.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

32 INTERVIEW // LOGITECH

LOGITECH ADVANCES HUMAN-CENTRIC HYBRID WORKPLACES ACROSS IMEA Polina Anokhina Denis outlines how AI-powered collaboration, integrated ecosystems and sustainable technology are reshaping workplace experiences across the region.

ybrid working is prompting organisations to rethink how employees collaborate, communicate and remain productive across offices, homes and flexible workspaces. Demand is shifting from standalone devices towards integrated workplace ecosystems that combine AI-powered collaboration, interoperability, ergonomic design, simplified management and sustainability. In an interview with TahawulTech, Polina Anokhina Denis, Regional Head, IMEA, Logitech, discusses the workplace trends influencing the region, the growing role of AI in hybrid collaboration and Logitech’s strategy for delivering flexible, scalable and people-centric experiences across India, the Middle East and Africa. Interview excerpts How is Logitech’s innovation pipeline evolving to support the changing productivity needs of businesses and consumers across the IMEA region? Innovation for Logitech is about asking the right question. In this case, it is how technology can make people work better regardless of where they are. In IMEA, productivity needs change very quickly. Companies are accelerating their digital transformation while employees now work between the office, home and flexible workspaces. People are also looking for the same level of simplicity and personalisation when it comes to work tools as they

have in personal electronics. As this is strategic region for Logitech, our innovation agenda has shifted towards integrated experiences rather than standalone devices. We are creating ecosystems that provide collaboration, focus, comfort and productivity across various workplaces. Interoperability becomes one of the main criteria for organisations. Companies are looking for solutions that will work with platforms they already use (Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet) while also being easy for deployment, monitoring and management for their IT teams. AI is now part of the workplace technology roadmap. Video and audio experiences powered by AI will enable more inclusive meetings, eliminate friction, and make hybrid meetings better. At the same time, software solutions will be able to personalise workflows and eliminate repetitive tasks. Sustainability is yet another innovation pillar for Logitech. We aim to design technology that empowers people and simplifies work while helping companies to create flexible and future-ready workplaces. What workplace behaviour shifts have emerged with the rise of hybrid working, and how is Logitech helping organisations adapt? The way hybrid work has transformed the workplace conversation from “where do people work?” to “how well people can work, collaborate, and

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

communicate” is significant. Hybrid workers seek flexibility but also reliability. No matter whether users are logging in remotely from their homes, working at desks inside offices, or collaborating together within meeting rooms, the process must always remain easy and accessible for everyone involved. Perhaps the greatest transformation is that offices have become more purposeful places. Workers visit an office to collaborate, socialise with colleagues, take advantage of better spaces, and engage with corporate culture. In other words, companies have to think again about their meeting rooms, flex desks, personal workstations, and common areas as a single coherent employee experience. Moreover, many workers are not equipped to perform hybrid work. According to Logitech research, 85% of workers experience audio problems, 89% suffer from video problems, and 70% struggle with ergonomic problems, while fewer than 40% are provided with webcams or headsets that could improve their audio and video experience. Our wide range of personal workspace and AI-powered collaboration solutions allows us to help organisations deal with all those problems. Our meeting room technologies support meeting equity by improving the visibility and audibility of participants, while webcams, headsets, mice, keyboards, and ergonomic solutions allow workers to be productive and comfortable in any workspace.

Polina Anokhina Denis, Regional Head, IMEA, Logitech.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

34 INTERVIEW // LOGITECH

For us, hybrid work implies not just remote work capabilities but also creating a seamless and inclusive work experience from anywhere. Which productivity and workplace technology trends are set to have the greatest impact on businesses across the Middle East in the coming years? First is the ongoing shift towards smart hybrid workplaces. Companies are now moving past mere connectivity and toward workplace solutions which offer increased flexibility, insight-driven, data-powered environments that are geared toward people. This means smarter meeting rooms, collaborative spaces, personal workspace technologies and the insights needed by IT and facility managers about how the space is utilised. Second, we are going to see increased reliance on AI-enabled collaboration. AI is increasingly going to become an ally for companies wishing to optimise their meetings with technologies that enable smart framing, voice tracking, noise suppression and more effective interaction among in-person and remote participants. This is crucial in light of how permanent hybrid collaboration is going to become. Lastly, the increasing importance of sustainable technology procurement. More companies are going to be focusing on sustainability and responsible sourcing of technology with consideration of durability, product lifecycle and environmental considerations. The era of separating innovation and sustainability is over.

How are AI-powered tools and integrated ecosystems reshaping collaboration, workflows, and employee experiences in the modern workplace? AI-driven solutions are transforming the workplace by creating more adaptive, intuitive and less intrusive technology. In terms of collaboration, AI could help eliminate some of the obstacles that hinder the effectiveness of hybrid meetings. This includes poor video framing, unstable audio quality and/or the feeling of less participation from remote team members. Smart framing, speaker tracking and noise cancellation technologies help make collaboration experiences more immersive and inclusive. The key principle behind this concept is to make collaboration closer to the way it should be, workers would not have to worry about the technology and just focus on the conversation. Integration features are as relevant in today’s business environment as the others. Employees move from one device and one application to another throughout their working days, and it is important for them to perform seamlessly while doing this. For organisations, integration also brings value to both IT and facilities teams. Remote device management, workspace insights and simplified deployment help reduce operational complexity and support better decision-making around workplace design and resource allocation. Logitech’s vision is to create AIpowered technologies and solutions that are practical and human-centric, and in my new role as Regional Head for IMEA, I want to continue building on that momentum and expand our presence in the region.

WE AIM TO DESIGN TECHNOLOGY THAT EMPOWERS PEOPLE AND SIMPLIFIES WORK WHILE HELPING COMPANIES TO CREATE FLEXIBLE AND FUTURE-READY WORKPLACES.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

What is driving demand for more flexible, experience-led workplace technology, and how is Logitech positioning itself to capitalise on this opportunity across IMEA? The demand is fuelled by a significant change in the expectations of workers. They want the technology that is flexible, easy-to-use and personalised. They want to be able to work productively regardless of the location, but also want to feel a connection, comfort and support. At the same time, companies need the technology that scales well, integrates with other platforms and generates value for the organisation. It changed the focus of workplace technology discussions from being about the devices used to instead focus on the overall user experience. The company does not only ask what device it requires, but how it can help to facilitate collaboration, increase engagement among employees, support wellness and make the workplace better and more attractive. In IMEA, this opportunity has particular significance since the businesses are in different stages of the workplace transformation process. While some are still working on improving meeting room and personal workspace equipment, other businesses are ready for the development of hybrid workplaces, including workplace management, analytics and AI-driven collaboration solutions. Logitech is particularly wellplaced in this situation since our products allow us to provide the solution along the whole journey of workplace transformation. Our portfolio includes personal workspace solutions, ergonomic equipment, webcams, headsets, video collaboration technologies, software, workplace management solutions and sustainable design practices. The key objective for IMEA is to work with our customers and partners to develop work solutions which are flexible, scalable and peoplecentric. We believe that the future of work should be driven not only by how people work but also by the experience which allows them to work effectively.

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36 PARTNERSHIP // SAV-VISA

SAV SELECTS VISA AS EXCLUSIVE CARD PARTNER ACROSS UAE AND SAUDI ARABIA The five-year, multimillion-dollar agreement will support card innovation, customer acquisition and Sav’s expansion across both markets.

onsumer fintech platform Sav has signed an exclusive five-year, multimilliondollar strategic partnership with Visa covering the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Visa will become Sav’s exclusive card network partner across both markets. The collaboration will support product innovation, customer acquisition and the expansion of Sav’s card ecosystem. Sav’s card portfolio will become fully Visa-powered, providing users with global acceptance and access to Visa’s international events, partner network, innovation resources and benefits programme. “Through our partnership with Visa, we’re combining global acceptance with meaningful everyday rewards, while continuing to build an intelligent financial platform that helps users spend, save and grow their wealth more effectively,” said Purvi Munot, Co-founder and CEO of Sav. Munot said the partnership would support Sav’s ambition to extend the reach of its wealth-management platform. The company also plans to introduce a credit card, subject to regulatory approval. The agreement will give Sav users access to secure digital payments across Visa’s global merchant network. Customers will also receive

cashback and rewards on domestic and international spending, alongside privileges available through the Visa Benefits Programme. Sav’s consumer platform is designed to help users understand their finances, increase savings and accumulate assets before taking on borrowing products. The Visa partnership will support the company’s expansion across savings, cards, investments and physical gold. “We are pleased to partner with Sav as they continue to expand their innovative financial platform across the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” said Salima Gutieva, Vice President and Country Manager for Visa in the UAE. “Consumers across the region are increasingly seeking secure, seamless

THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH VISA, WE’RE COMBINING GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE WITH MEANINGFUL EVERYDAY REWARDS.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

and digitally enabled payment experiences. By combining Visa’s global network, innovation capabilities and trusted security with Sav’s customercentric approach, we look forward to supporting the next phase of growth and delivering greater choice and convenience to consumers.” Sav users can add funds to their cards from existing bank accounts, freeze or unfreeze cards in real time, establish spending controls and monitor transactions as they occur. The partnership will also accelerate Sav’s product roadmap. Planned additions include credit cards, subject to regulatory approval, and multicurrency cards designed for internationally mobile consumers. These capabilities will extend Sav’s platform beyond everyday spending into borrowing and cross-border money management. The company aims to bring spending, saving, investing and physical gold ownership together within a single AI-powered financial ecosystem. Founded in 2022 by Purvi Munot and Mithil Ajmera, Sav is headquartered in the UAE and develops financial services for expatriates. Its platform brings together accounts, cards, savings and investments held across different institutions. Sav Technologies Limited is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The company has also been named a UAE Future100 business and has participated in startup programmes operated by Google, Amazon and NVIDIA. Visa provides digital payment services across more than 200 countries and territories, connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities through its global network.

37 KNOWBE4 - AWS

// PARTNERSHIP

KNOWBE4 AND AWS COLLABORATE TO SECURE DIGITAL WORKFORCES The multi-year agreement will streamline security procurement through AWS Marketplace while supporting protection against social engineering, deepfakes and shadow AI.

nowBe4 has signed a multi-year strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services to help organisations procure, deploy and scale digital workforce security solutions. The collaboration responds to a changing cybersecurity environment in which human employees and AI agents increasingly operate alongside one another. KnowBe4 said organisations must address evolving risks, including sophisticated social engineering, deepfakes and the unauthorised use of AI tools. Customers will be able to access KnowBe4’s digital workforce security portfolio through AWS Marketplace. The arrangement is designed to simplify procurement and accelerate deployment while helping security teams align their investments with wider cloud strategies. “Today’s workforce consists of both humans and AI agents working side by side, and securing both is the defining challenge of this moment,” said Marco Muto, Senior Vice President of Strategy at KnowBe4. “This agreement reflects a shared

commitment from KnowBe4 and AWS to meet that challenge together. We’re jointly investing in the go-to-market, our technology, and the broader industry ecosystem to ensure our customers have what they need to stay ahead of an evolving threat landscape.

TODAY’S WORKFORCE CONSISTS OF BOTH HUMANS AND AI AGENTS WORKING SIDE BY SIDE, AND SECURING BOTH IS THE DEFINING CHALLENGE OF THIS MOMENT.

When two industry leaders align around a common mission, customers win.” KnowBe4 and AWS will collaborate on global go-to-market initiatives, sales enablement and customer-adoption programmes. The companies aim to help organisations manage risks across their expanding digital workforces while reducing procurement complexity. The agreement will also create opportunities for KnowBe4’s global channel partners by supporting closer alignment between workforce security requirements and customers’ broader cloud adoption plans.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

38 PARTNERSHIP // RAPID7-MINDWARE

RAPID7 AND MINDWARE EXPAND CYBERSECURITY CHANNEL REACH ACROSS GULF The distribution agreement will support partner recruitment, technical enablement and wider access to AI-powered security operations across seven regional markets.

apid7 has entered a strategic distribution partnership with Mindware to expand its channel presence and accelerate the adoption of modern cybersecurity operations across the Gulf. Under the agreement, Mindware will distribute Rapid7’s cybersecurity solutions across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Bahrain. The partnership will focus on expanding customer access, strengthening partner capabilities and supporting the development of cybersecurity services across these markets. The agreement combines Rapid7’s AI-powered cybersecurity operations platform with Mindware’s regional channel network, technical expertise and value-added distribution services. Both companies will work together on partner recruitment, technical enablement, joint marketing and go-tomarket programmes.

The collaboration is intended to support managed security service providers, value-added resellers, systems integrators and enterprisefocused partners seeking to expand their cybersecurity capabilities. Rapid7 said the agreement represents another stage in its investment across the Middle East, where the company has operated for more than a decade. Its regional customers include enterprises and government entities seeking to strengthen cyber resilience and modernise security operations. “Rapid7 has protected organisations across the Middle East for more than a decade, and today hundreds of the region’s leading enterprises and government entities rely on us,” said Gopan Sivasankaran, Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa at Rapid7. “Last year we launched a locally hosted, DESC-certified instance, and we continue to invest heavily on the ground, a reflection of how strategically important this region is to us. This partnership marks the next phase: bringing modern security operations to the region at scale, from

THIS PARTNERSHIP MARKS THE NEXT PHASE: BRINGING MODERN SECURITY OPERATIONS TO THE REGION AT SCALE, FROM PREEMPTIVE MDR TO CONTINUOUS THREAT EXPOSURE MANAGEMENT. GOPAN SIVASANKARAN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, RAPID7.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

preemptive MDR to continuous threat exposure management.” Sivasankaran said Mindware’s regional reach and partner ecosystem would help Rapid7 extend these capabilities and strengthen cyber resilience across the market. Expanding partner capabilities Businesses across the Middle East are increasing their dependence on cloud platforms, connected infrastructure and digital services. This development is creating more complex technology environments and broadening the range of risks that security teams and their channel partners must manage. Customers are consequently looking for integrated security platforms that can improve visibility across their environments, identify exposure and support faster responses to threats. Channel partners play an important role in bringing these capabilities to organisations that may lack the internal resources or specialist expertise required to manage them independently. The Rapid7 and Mindware partnership will equip partners with technical knowledge, sales support and market-development resources. Such assistance will help them build security practices and deliver services aligned with customer requirements across different industries and levels of cybersecurity maturity. Partner recruitment will also be central to the agreement. Rapid7 and Mindware plan to engage organisations capable of delivering security technologies and supporting customers throughout deployment, integration and ongoing operations. For MSSPs, the relationship creates

an opportunity to incorporate Rapid7’s exposure management, threat detection, response and managed services capabilities into recurring cybersecurity offerings. Systems integrators and resellers can use the portfolio to support broader transformation, cloud and infrastructure projects. Supporting measurable security outcomes Rapid7’s platform brings exposure management, threat detection, incident response and managed security services into a unified environment. The company said this approach is designed to reduce operational complexity, help organisations understand their risk and enable security teams to respond more quickly. Mindware will complement these capabilities through its market knowledge, partner relationships and regional enablement services. The distributor works with more than 7,500 partners and maintains legal entities in 13 countries across the Middle East and Africa. Its value-added distribution model includes pre-sales consultancy,

implementation services, local technical support, marketing assistance and channel enablement programmes. These resources will support partners seeking to develop expertise around Rapid7’s platform and take its capabilities to customers across the covered markets. “Organisations are looking for security solutions that not only protect their environments but also enable innovation and growth,” said Nicholas Argyrides, Vice President for the Gulf and East Africa at Mindware. “Our collaboration with Rapid7 reflects a shared vision of making advanced cybersecurity more accessible across the region, empowering partners and customers with the tools, intelligence, and expertise needed to stay ahead of evolving threats.” Addressing evolving operational challenges The collaboration will help partners address increasingly complex attack surfaces and changing operational requirements. Customers will be able to engage local channel organisations for guidance on deploying and managing security

capabilities according to their business environments. Joint go-to-market activities will also help participating partners identify opportunities across enterprise and public-sector accounts. Technical enablement will focus on providing the expertise required to position, implement and support Rapid7’s security operations capabilities. Rapid7’s Command Platform integrates security data with AI, threat intelligence and the company’s cybersecurity expertise. Its capabilities are designed to give organisations a clearer view of exposure and detection information while helping security teams reduce risk and disrupt attacks. The platform supports more than 11,500 customers globally. Combined with Mindware’s regional channel presence, the distribution agreement is expected to expand access to Rapid7’s capabilities while helping partners develop sustainable cybersecurity revenue opportunities. The companies said their shared objective is to help organisations simplify security operations, strengthen resilience and support digital transformation through modern cybersecurity capabilities.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

40 PARTNERSHIP // CLOUDERA AND VAST DATA

CLOUDERA AND VAST DATA UNITE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ENTERPRISE AI The joint platform combines lakehouse data services, high-performance infrastructure and NVIDIA technologies to improve GPU utilisation across hybrid environments.

loudera and VAST Data have formed a strategic partnership to deliver a unified AI factory for enterprises operating across on-premises infrastructure and public cloud environments. An AI factory is a production environment in which data is continuously collected, processed, governed and delivered to AI models for training and inference. The joint solution combines Cloudera’s containerised lakehouse data services with the VAST AI Operating System. Built using the NVIDIA AI Data Platform reference design, the architecture is designed to turn enterprise information into AIready data while supporting generative and agentic AI workloads. Cloudera and VAST Data said the platform would provide enterprises with a consistent AI operating model while allowing them to deploy services according to performance, compliance and cost requirements. Addressing GPU starvation Many traditional data architectures were not designed to support continuous AI pipelines spanning data preparation, model training, inference and analytics.

This limitation can lead to GPU starvation, a condition in which expensive accelerator infrastructure remains underused while waiting for data to become available. The Cloudera and VAST Data architecture addresses this challenge by providing high-bandwidth, lowlatency data pipelines intended to keep GPU clusters supplied throughout the AI lifecycle. Improved data movement can increase infrastructure utilisation, accelerate AI workloads and help organisations generate stronger returns from investments in accelerated computing. “Enterprises are investing billions in GPUs, yet many struggle to achieve full utilization due to data bottlenecks,” said Abhas Ricky, Chief Business Officer and General Manager of Applied AI at Cloudera. “Our partnership with VAST eliminates GPU starvation and enables customers to build true AI factories, where data flows seamlessly from ingestion to insight.” Building an enterprise AI factory Cloudera’s lakehouse architecture provides portable data engineering, streaming, analytics, machine learning and AI services. The containerised services can be deployed consistently across data centres, private clouds and public cloud environments. VAST Data’s Disaggregated Shared Everything architecture provides the

ENTERPRISES ARE INVESTING BILLIONS IN GPUS, YET MANY STRUGGLE TO ACHIEVE FULL UTILIZATION DUE TO DATA BOTTLENECKS.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

foundation for the VAST AI Operating System. The platform combines high-performance storage, database services and a global namespace for AI, analytics and mission-critical data workloads. VAST also integrates vector database services with NVIDIA cuVS, supporting GPU-accelerated vector indexing and search. Cloudera will provide data engineering, analytics, governance and AI services on top of this infrastructure layer. The resulting architecture will support: • Data ingestion, preparation and delivery through a unified AI factory • Consistent operations across onpremises, private cloud and public cloud environments • High-bandwidth, low-latency pipelines designed to reduce GPU starvation • Sustained GPU utilisation and improved compute efficiency • Structured, unstructured and multimodal datasets at scale • Private AI deployments supported by enterprise governance and compliance controls The companies said this approach could help organisations progress from isolated AI experiments to production environments that continuously convert enterprise data into intelligence for training, inference, analytics and agentic applications. Supporting private and sovereign AI The partnership will also support private AI factory deployments by combining NVIDIA AI infrastructure

and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software with VAST AI OS and Cloudera’s enterprise data and AI services. Cloudera AI Inference Service, accelerated by NVIDIA NIM microservices, will allow organisations to deploy and scale different models alongside their data. Supported options will include NVIDIA Nemotron open models. Customers will also be able to accelerate Apache Spark workloads using NVIDIA cuDF. This integration will allow Spark jobs within Cloudera Data Engineering to access VAST’s high-throughput data services through GPU-accelerated processing. The complete infrastructure stack is intended to support large enterprises and regulated industries seeking greater control over data, models and AI workloads.

Abhas Ricky, Chief Business Officer and General Manager of Applied AI, Cloudera.

Expanding the enterprise opportunity Cloudera and VAST Data said their combined customer environments encompass 60 exabytes of managed data. The companies see this data footprint, combined with growing demand for private AI infrastructure, as an opportunity to extend the adoption of production-grade AI systems. “Most enterprises already have the data they need for AI. The challenge is unlocking the value in data to create a continuous pipeline of AI inference, fine-tuning, and data analysis to build the next generation of intelligent applications,” said Jeff Denworth, Co-founder of VAST Data. “Together, Cloudera and VAST are helping customers build AI factories that connect data, intelligence, and infrastructure into a single operational platform for AI across hybrid environments.” The joint AI factory solution is available immediately through the companies’ enterprise sales teams and partner ecosystems. Cloudera and VAST Data plan to expand the supporting reference architectures, validated deployment patterns and industry-specific solutions throughout 2026.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

42 OPINION // MINDWARE GROUP

CHANNEL PARTNERS TURN DATA INTO NEW GROWTH ACROSS MEA Mostafa Kabel, CTO, Mindware Group, explains how data-driven services, ecosystem collaboration and outcome-based solutions are creating sustainable growth opportunities for channel partners across MEA.

ata has become one of the most valuable business assets in the digital economy. Across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), organisations are investing heavily in data modernisation, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and cloud transformation initiatives. Yet while enterprises often focus on the strategic value of data, a significant opportunity is emerging for the channel ecosystem itself. For channel partners, data is no longer simply a technology conversation. It is becoming a powerful growth engine that is creating new revenue streams, strengthening customer relationships, and enabling long-term business sustainability. The partners seeing the greatest success today are those that have moved beyond product transactions and positioned themselves as trusted advisors capable of delivering measurable business outcomes.

At the same time, observability has become a strategic priority. Modern businesses operate across increasingly complex environments that span on-premises infrastructure, multiple clouds, applications, and edge locations. Maintaining visibility across these environments is critical for ensuring operational performance, reliability, and customer experience. Channel partners that can deliver observability solutions alongside ongoing monitoring services are finding strong and recurring demand. Data security remains another major growth driver. With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and regulatory requirements becoming more stringent, organisations are investing heavily in data protection, backup, cyber resilience, and compliance initiatives. This is particularly true in highly regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare, government, and telecommunications, where the cost of data loss or operational disruption can be significant.

New revenue opportunity Across the region, channel partners are generating meaningful revenue from solutions that help organisations unlock value from their data. Three areas in particular are driving significant demand: AI and analytics enablement, observability, and data security. As enterprises accelerate their AI ambitions, many are realising that successful AI deployment depends on having the right data foundations in place. This has created strong demand for services around data integration, governance, quality management, and AI readiness assessments. Organisations are increasingly seeking guidance on how to transform fragmented information into trusted, actionable intelligence that can support advanced analytics and AIdriven decision-making.

Services turn into growth multiplier While technology projects continue to generate revenue, the most scalable business models increasingly revolve around services. • AI, analytics, observability and data security are creating new revenue opportunities for MEA channel partners. • Managed and advisory services are helping partners build recurring revenue and stronger customer relationships. • Outcome-based solutions are positioning partners as trusted advisors focused on measurable business value.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

Across MEA, subscription-based managed services are proving particularly effective. Services such as continuous monitoring, governance management, backup administration, security operations, and compliance support provide predictable recurring revenue while creating long-term customer engagement. This shift reflects a broader change in customer expectations. Organisations are no longer looking solely for technology deployment partners; they are seeking ongoing operational support that helps them maximise the value of their investments over time. Another successful approach involves packaged solution offerings that combine multiple technologies into a unified business outcome. Rather than selling individual products, partners are bundling infrastructure, security, analytics, and governance capabilities into solutions designed to address specific business challenges. These outcome-focused offerings simplify purchasing decisions and accelerate customer adoption. Many successful engagements also begin with advisory services. Short assessments, readiness workshops, and consulting engagements often provide a low-risk entry point for customers. These engagements can then evolve into larger implementation projects and ultimately transition into longterm managed services relationships. This structured approach aligns particularly well with customer buying behaviour in the Middle East and Africa, where organisations often prefer phased transformation journeys that reduce risk while delivering measurable progress. Building stronger ecosystem collaboration As the opportunity around data grows,

gaining momentum, particularly within government entities, financial institutions, telecommunications providers, and other highly regulated sectors. These organisations increasingly want technology investments tied to business performance indicators such as service availability, compliance objectives, recovery times, and operational efficiency metrics. While many organisations still approach data investments through separate projects - modernising infrastructure first, introducing analytics later, and addressing security independently - the market is steadily moving toward more integrated operating models. The transition to outcome-based engagements requires partners to adopt a different mindset. Success depends on clearly defining performance metrics, demonstrating quick wins, and maintaining consistent governance throughout the customer journey. Those that can articulate business value rather than technical specifications are increasingly winning strategic opportunities.

Mostafa Kabel, CTO, Mindware Group.

the role of the wider technology ecosystem is becoming increasingly important. Vendors are evolving their partner programs beyond traditional product training. Today, the most effective ecosystem support includes technical enablement, proof-of-value frameworks, reference architectures, and go-to-market resources that help partners accelerate execution. Distributors also play a critical role in helping partners scale their capabilities. By aggregating technologies from multiple vendors, standardising architectures, and delivering structured enablement programs, distributors help reduce complexity and accelerate service development. At Mindware, we have seen firsthand how integrated solution stacks, predefined delivery frameworks, and comprehensive training programs can help partners transition from isolated technology sales to repeatable,

scalable service models. The goal is to empower partners to focus on customer outcomes rather than product integration challenges. Success also depends on clear role definition across the ecosystem. Systems integrators are often best positioned to align technology initiatives with business objectives and oversee implementation. Managed service providers typically take responsibility for ongoing operations, governance, optimisation, and support. When these roles work together effectively, customers benefit from a seamless experience while partners create sustainable value. Rise of outcome-based engagements One of the most important shifts taking place across the region is the growing focus on measurable outcomes. Outcome-based contracts are

Turning data into long-term growth The future of channel growth in the Middle East and Africa will be shaped by the ability to convert data into measurable business outcomes. As digital transformation initiatives mature and AI adoption accelerates, customers are becoming more sophisticated in how they evaluate technology investments. They are asking tougher questions about return on investment, operational impact, resilience, and business value. For channel partners, this presents a significant opportunity. The organisations that build strong data practices, develop recurring service models, and align their offerings with customer outcomes will be best positioned to thrive. Data is no longer just an asset for enterprises. It is rapidly becoming a strategic growth platform for the channel ecosystem itself. The partners that recognise this shift and invest accordingly will be the ones that transform data into sustainable competitive advantage and long-term business success.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

44 OPINION // KITEWORKS

WASHINGTON PAUSES CMMC, BUT GULF COMPLIANCE CLOCK KEEPS TICKING Regional MSPs must maintain CMMC readiness while meeting tightening data protection requirements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

n 13 July 2026, the US Department of Defense suspended the third-party assessment requirement at the centre of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification programme, pending a 60-day review of a framework its own Chief Information Officer called incompatible with growing the defence industrial base. For Gulf-region managed service providers who had spent two years building a CMMC practice around that assessment deadline, the announcement landed like the ground shifting. What didn’t change is easy to miss in the headlines. Phase 1 of CMMC — the self-assessment requirement, the SPRS scoring, the DFARS 252.204-7012 safeguarding clause — remains fully in force for every contractor handling Controlled Unclassified Information under a US Department of Defense contract, Gulf-incorporated or not. DoD suspended the assessment mechanism it hadn’t finished building. It did not suspend the obligation to protect the data. For an MSP managing a book of Gulf-based defense supply chain clients, that is not a footnote to read past. Self-assessment scores still have to go into SPRS under DFARS 252.2047021, the clause that now carries CMMC’s assessment obligations, including an annual affirmation of continued compliance. The DFARS 252.204-7012 safeguarding clause still sits in the contract. A subcontractor that stops taking CMMC seriously because the assessor pipeline paused is still exposed to a False Claims Act referral — the Department of Justice’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative has already settled cybersecurity-related FCA cases against defense contractors and

their subcontractors — the moment an auditor, a prime contractor, or a competitor decides to check the paperwork. That distinction matters because the readiness gap was never about which phase was enforced. CyberSheath’s State of the DIB Report 2025 found just 1% of defense contractors feel fully prepared for a CMMC audit, with the median Supplier Performance Risk System score sitting at 60 against the 110 required — barely more than half, and only 27% had deployed multi-factor authentication. A separate Kiteworks State of CMMC 2.0 Preparedness in the DIB Report, surveying 209 DIB organisations, found only 46% considered themselves ready for Level 2 certification, and 57% hadn’t completed the NIST SP 800-171 gap analysis that’s supposed to come first. Contractors were behind before the suspension. They are still behind now. For MSPs in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the wider Gulf, the more urgent compliance clock isn’t in Washington at all. The UAE’s Federal Decree-Law No. 45 gives every organisation processing UAE residents’ personal data until 1 January 2027 to reach full compliance. Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law, enforced by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, has been fully binding since 14 September 2024, with fines up to SAR 5 million and the possibility of imprisonment for egregious breaches. Neither regulator paused anything in July. MSPs who built their entire CMMC pitch around the November 2026 assessment deadline now have an awkward conversation ahead of them. Point-solution stacks assembled channel by channel — one tool for email, another for file transfer, a third for forms, a fourth for managed file transfer between subcontractors

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

— were always going to struggle to produce the kind of coherent, exportable evidence trail a C3PAO, or a PDPL/SDAIA regulator, actually wants. Ask that same MSP to produce a single access log spanning all four systems for a specific CUI record, on request, inside a week, and the gaps in that architecture stop being theoretical. That structural problem doesn’t disappear because one deadline moved. If anything, a suspended assessment mechanism and a live regional enforcement regime happening at the same time is exactly the moment a fragmented evidence trail gets exposed. Clients who were quietly tolerating a patchwork of tools while the CMMC clock ticked loudest now have less reason to keep tolerating it, not more. The more durable pitch was never “get ready for the November deadline.” It’s building one evidence architecture — unified logging across every channel that touches sensitive data, encryption keys held in-jurisdiction, access controls enforced consistently rather than tool by tool — that satisfies whichever framework asks first. The same architecture that produces a clean audit trail for CMMC Level 2 also produces one for a PDPL data-subject request or an SDAIA AI-governance review. Build it once, and a US policy reset in July doesn’t touch the underlying investment. Credentialing still matters in a thin market. Registered Practitioner Organisation status through the CyberAB, the CMMC Accreditation Body rebranded in 2022, lists a partner in its marketplace, where Defense Industrial Base contractors — including Gulfbased ones supplying US programmes — search for qualified advisers. That credential is a real differentiator, precisely because so few regional

Sean Kelley, Global Director of Technology Partnerships, Kiteworks.

MSPS WHO BUILT THEIR ENTIRE CMMC PITCH AROUND THE NOVEMBER 2026 ASSESSMENT DEADLINE NOW HAVE AN AWKWARD CONVERSATION AHEAD OF THEM. MSPs have bothered to earn it while the Phase 2 headlines dominated the conversation. It also signals to a wary client that the MSP’s advice on CUI handling didn’t come from a slide deck assembled the week the suspension made news. That’s also the better business model. CMMC’s three-year recertification cycle, the Gulf’s ongoing PDPL obligations, and SDAIA’s audit

requirements each create their own renewal touchpoint. An MSP that can speak fluently to both the US federal side and the region’s own frameworks has a wider, steadier book of recurring work than one betting everything on a single US rule surviving contact with a 60-day review. A single-framework practice rises and falls with a single regulator’s calendar; a multiframework one keeps billing regardless

of whose deadline moves next. CMMC’s assessment mechanism will get rebuilt, extended, or replaced — DoD has said as much. The Gulf’s own compliance obligations were never waiting on that outcome. MSPs who treat July’s suspension as license to pause are reading the wrong signal. The ones who read it correctly are already building the architecture that outlives it.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

46 APPOINTMENT // SOPHOS

SOPHOS APPOINTS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EMEA MSP CHANNEL SALES TO SCALE GROWTH Malik will lead Sophos’ regional MSP strategy, focusing on partner profitability, recurring revenue and AI-powered managed security services.

ophos has appointed Naveed Malik as Senior Director of EMEA MSP Channel Sales to lead its regional managed service provider strategy. Malik will focus on accelerating MSP growth and helping cybersecurity partners scale recurring revenue through managed services. His priorities include improving partner profitability, reducing time to value and expanding Sophos’ market coverage through a service-led model. Malik brings more than 15 years of experience developing channel, MSP,

managed security service provider, distribution and cloud go-to-market strategies across EMEA and global markets. His previous work has included supporting high-growth SaaS and cybersecurity companies. “I build and scale partner ecosystems that deliver predictable, recurring growth through managed services,” said Malik. Sophos said Malik would further develop its EMEA MSP strategy by enabling partners to deliver highervalue managed security services and helping organisations adopt AI-powered cybersecurity through trusted service providers.

Naveed Malik, Senior Director of EMEA MSP Channel Sales, Sophos.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

“My focus is clear: build partner engines that convert cybersecurity innovation into monthly recurring revenue at scale,” said Malik. “Sophos has a strong EMEA MSP partner ecosystem. I look forward to working with our partners to expand managed services adoption, deepen customer trust, and unlock new growth opportunities.” Malik’s appointment supports Sophos’ broader global MSP strategy as organisations increasingly turn to managed service providers for outsourced cybersecurity capabilities and AI-driven security expertise. His channel priorities will include: • Delivering MSP enablement initiatives focused on partner profitability • Building scalable MSP partner programmes across EMEA • Expanding AI-powered managed services, including Sophos Managed Detection and Response and Advisory Services • Supporting adoption of Sophos’ AI-native cybersecurity defence system across endpoint, network, email and cloud environments • Extending Sophos XDR capabilities through managed service providers • Enabling MSP delivery of Sophos CISO Advantage • Developing distributor-led models to support new MSP partners Sophos said the appointment reinforces its commitment to a partner-led MSP model. The strategy is designed to help partners build differentiated cybersecurity services while accelerating customer adoption of managed security capabilities.

47 MASTERCARD // APPOINTMENT

MASTERCARD TARGETS PARTNERSHIP-LED GROWTH ACROSS 81 EEMEA MARKETS Newly appointed EEMEA President Yasemin Bedir will focus on strengthening regional partnerships, enabling commerce and advancing Mastercard’s growth strategy.

astercard has appointed Yasemin Bedir as President of its Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region, effective September 1, 2026. Bedir will oversee Mastercard’s strategy, direction and operations across EEMEA, an 81-market region expanded by the company in recent years. Based in the UAE, she will lead the company’s regional engagement with financial institutions, fintechs, retailers, governments and businesses. Bedir will also join Mastercard’s Management Committee. She succeeds Dimitrios Dosis, who was recently appointed Chief Commercial Payments Officer, leading Commercial and New Payment Flows. “Yasemin is a leader who finds the best in her teams to help them deliver the greatest impact for our customers and to fuel local economies,” said Sachin Mehra, Chief Business Officer at Mastercard. “This is a vast and complex region that demands creative thinking, proven results and strong relationships. Yasemin has delivered that throughout her career.” Mehra said Mastercard and its

Yasemin Bedir, President of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard. partners had an opportunity to shape how people and businesses move money, exchange value and enable commerce across the region. Bedir has worked at Mastercard for nearly 20 years, most recently serving as Division President for Eastern Europe for four years. During this period, she led the business through a complex geopolitical and regulatory environment while strengthening the company’s position across the region. Bedir joined Mastercard in 2007 and has held leadership roles across several

TOGETHER, WE WILL BUILD ON THE STRONG FOUNDATION THE REGIONAL TEAM HAS CREATED UNDER DIMI’S LEADERSHIP OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

international markets. Her previous positions include General Manager for Turkey and Azerbaijan. She later spent nearly five years overseeing relationships with community institutions and processors in North America. “I’ve been inspired by the teams here at Mastercard,” said Bedir. “Their resilience, innovative spirit and relentless dedication to meet and exceed customer needs is what powers our impact every day.” “Together, we will build on the strong foundation the regional team has created under Dimi’s leadership over the past five years.” Bedir previously worked at HSBC, Garanti Bank and Yapı Kredi in Turkey. She is also among the founders of the Professional Women’s Network and leads initiatives designed to support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

48 APPOINTMENT // COHESITY

COHESITY SCALES PARTNER-LED GROWTH ACROSS EMERGING MARKETS Newly appointed channel leader Hassan Aoun will expand the cybersecurity ecosystem, strengthen partner engagement and develop a scalable framework for sustainable growth.

ohesity has appointed Hassan Aoun as Senior Channel Director for its International Emerging Region, reinforcing the company’s focus on partner-led growth across high-potential markets. Aoun will lead the development of Cohesity’s channel business across the region. His responsibilities include accelerating partner-led customer acquisition, expanding the company’s cybersecurity ecosystem, developing channel teams and establishing a scalable framework for sustainable growth. The appointment comes as organisations across emerging markets strengthen cyber resilience strategies in response to increasingly sophisticated threats and the need to

secure critical data across hybrid and cloud environments. Cohesity said its partner-first approach would help customers modernise data security, accelerate recovery and adopt AI securely through trusted channel partners. “Our partners are at the centre of Cohesity’s growth strategy across the International Emerging Region, and investing in world-class channel leadership is critical as we continue to scale our business,” said Johnny Karam, Managing Director, International Emerging Region at Cohesity. “Hassan brings an exceptional combination of strategic vision, commercial leadership and deep experience building high-performing partner ecosystems across diverse

Hassan Aoun, Senior Channel Director, International Emerging Region, Cohesity.

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

markets. His proven ability to accelerate partner-led growth and develop scalable go-to-market models will be instrumental as we expand our cybersecurity ecosystem, strengthen partner engagement and help more organisations build cyber resilience.” Aoun brings more than 23 years of experience in building and transforming partner ecosystems across emerging markets. Before joining Cohesity, he spent nearly a decade at Autodesk in several channel leadership positions, including Regional Channel Manager, Head of Africa Territory Sales and Global Ecosystem Expansion Lead. Aoun previously held senior commercial and channel roles at Sandvine, Juniper Networks, Cisco Systems and Microsoft. His responsibilities included leading partner strategies, go-to-market transformation initiatives and channel development programmes across the Middle East, Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States and other international markets. “I’m excited to join Cohesity at such a pivotal time for the business and the industry,” said Aoun. “Organisations across emerging markets are placing greater emphasis on cyber resilience and data security, creating significant opportunities for partners to deliver greater value to customers. I look forward to working closely with our partner ecosystem to accelerate growth, strengthen collaboration, and help organisations protect their most critical asset, their data.” Aoun will support Cohesity’s wider partner-first strategy by enabling partners to develop new growth opportunities while helping customers strengthen data security and cyber resilience.

49 GHOBASH

// APPOINTMENT

GHOBASH GROUP STRENGTHENS REGIONAL TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP Marc Veelenturf will lead CNS Middle East and the Group’s wider technology cluster, focusing on application transformation, data, AI and cybersecurity.

hobash Group has appointed Marc Veelenturf as Managing Director of CNS Middle East and its wider regional technology cluster. The appointment supports the Group’s strategy to expand its technology portfolio and increase investment in digital technology and artificial intelligence. Veelenturf will focus on helping customers achieve measurable business outcomes through application transformation, data and AI, and advanced cybersecurity solutions. His responsibilities will also include strengthening strategic partnerships and supporting commercial growth across the region. Veelenturf brings nearly 20 years of experience in the Middle East and more than 25 years of global leadership in technology and digital transformation. He joins Ghobash Group from Atos, where he served as CEO for the Middle East and Türkiye and Chief Growth Officer for International Markets. His responsibilities included driving business growth, building strategic partnerships and delivering customer value. Veelenturf has also held senior positions at Nokia, Ericsson, Amdocs, BT, PwC, Mitel and Philips. His experience spans software, hardware and services, including leading largescale transformation programmes and complex international operations. “Marc joins the Group at a pivotal point in our ambition to position the technology cluster as a regional industry leader,” said Rashid Ghobash, Managing Director of Ghobash Group. “As a Group, our focus is on putting the strongest capabilities in front of our customers and earning their trust

Marc Veelenturf, Managing Director, CNS Middle East and Ghobash Group’s technology cluster. in how we deliver. Marc’s experience running complex technology organisations, and his commitment to customer success, will be central to this next chapter.” Commenting on his appointment, Veelenturf said: “It is a privilege to lead the Group’s technology cluster as Managing Director. The Group’s

technology companies have robust capabilities, enduring customer relationships, and a talented team of experts.” “My focus will be on strengthening our partnerships and keeping our customers’ success at the heart of what we do, while fostering a dynamic and rewarding workplace for our people.”

www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

50 APPOINTMENT // VEEAM

VEEAM STRENGTHENS GLOBAL PARTNER STRATEGY FOR SECURE AI GROWTH Newly appointed channel leader Michelle Graff will oversee Veeam’s 35,000-partner ecosystem and accelerate opportunities around data resilience, cyber readiness and trusted AI.

eeam Software generation,” said Graff. has appointed “As organisations adopt Michelle Graff AI and agentic workloads, as Senior Vice trusted, resilient data becomes President of the foundation, driving a Global Partners and Channel to ResOps approach that puts lead its worldwide ecosystem resilience at the center of how spanning service providers, customers protect, optimise, distributors, resellers and and unlock value from their strategic alliances. data.” Graff will focus on ResOps, or resilience accelerating partner-led operations, brings together growth and developing a data protection, security, unified approach across governance and recovery Veeam’s routes to market. practices to help organisations Her remit includes helping maintain trusted and partners expand their services accessible information across and solutions, improving the data lifecycle. engagement consistency and Graff said Veeam’s partner advancing joint customer ecosystem could help outcomes. customers keep their data The appointment comes secure, governed, compliant as organisations look to and recoverable while strengthen data resilience, supporting AI adoption at cyber readiness and the scale. reliability of data used by AI “I’m excited to join Veeam Michelle Graff, Senior Vice President of Global systems. and help our partners turn Partners and Channel, Veeam Software. Graff brings more than 25 resilient data into a strategic years of experience in building advantage,” she added. and scaling global channel and alliance John Jester, Chief Revenue Officer at Before joining Commvault, Graff organisations across data protection, Veeam. held leadership positions at Securiti cloud computing and cybersecurity. Jester said Graff’s experience in AI. She also contributed to partnerShe joins Veeam from Commvault, developing high-performance partner led growth at HashiCorp, Pure where she served as Senior Vice ecosystems would help Veeam simplify Storage and Palo Alto Networks, President of Global Partners and engagement, increase co-selling supporting the companies through Channel Sales. Graff led the company’s activity and create new growth their development towards public global partner strategy and ecosystem opportunities across its community of listings. execution, covering hyperscalers, more than 35,000 partners. Her experience spans security, managed service providers, resellers Graff will work with partners to storage and cloud ecosystems, with a and alliances. help customers ensure that data focus on creating partner strategies “Partners are deeply rooted in the used by AI systems remains secure, that support sustainable growth and DNA of Veeam. In a world where compliant, recoverable and trusted. customer outcomes. 95% of organisations believe data Veeam said these capabilities could Veeam protects more than 550,000 challenges have slowed AI progress, enable organisations to adopt AI customers worldwide, including 80% of there’s an incredible opportunity for more quickly and confidently across the Fortune 500. The company operates Veeam partners to deliver tangible different technology environments. in more than 30 countries and provides value to their customers helping “The convergence of AI, data resilience, security, governance them accelerate safe AI at scale,” said cybersecurity, and data resilience is and recovery capabilities. one of the most significant shifts of our www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // JULY - AUGUST 2026

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