BIG DATA CONFERENCE RETURNS TO GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK TO DRIVE REGIONAL INNOVATION

Top Regional ICT Showcase Brings Together International Thought Leaders and Industry Experts for Second Big Data Conference
Middle East Companies and Organisations Urged to Act Now to Claim Stake in USD 15.1 Billion Global Market

Mobilk - With the global Big Data market set to jump almost five-fold by 2020, a distinguished panel of international experts and industry thought-leaders speaking at the second annual Big Data Conference at GITEX Technology Week 2014 have urged regional organisations to drive innovation now to deliver immediate and long-term business benefits.

As social media, analytics, mobile devices and research and development drive a deluge of increasingly complex data across key vertical industry sectors, the global Big Data market is anticipated to soar from USD 3.2 billion last year to USD 15.1 billion by 2020, according to Frost & Sullivan. The GCC is due to take a bigger market stake, with regional spending leaping from USD 135.7 million in 2013to USD 635.5 million by 2020. 

The Big Data Conference, held today under the theme ‘From Data to Smart Direction,’ featured speakers including Simon Torrence, Member, Big Data Programme, World Economic Forum; Dr. Nikolaos Mavridis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and Nick Millman, Managing Director, Accenture. 

``It is important to plan a strategy and take tangible initial steps to generate value. Implementing Big Data doesn’t always require a big investment or a big implementation,” Nick Millman, Managing Director, Accenture, Platinum Sponsor of the Big Data Conference, told delegates. “The important thing is to start with an overall road map in mind because if you don’t start down the Big Data path now you risk being a follower rather than being a leader. This will impact your organization’s competitiveness and ability to thrive in the future’’

Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of GITEX Technology Week, added: “The aim of the Big Data Conference is to bring together senior industry thought-leaders to help drive innovation and development across the region.Key industry verticals including oil and gas, hospitality, education, healthcare, telecommunications, retail, government, banking and finance will benefit from strategies and insights delivered today.’’

Key focuses at the conference included empowering citizens using Big Data, driving predictive analysis for businesses, hunting professionals with the right Big Data skills, as well as enhancing ROI for businesses.Huawei, a global ICT solutions provider and Diamond Sponsor of the Big Data Conference, has announced a strategic partnership memorandum with global technology provider Intel on Big Data research and technology. Accenture and SAP are Platinum Sponsors of the Big Data Conference. 

“Big Data is becoming more and more understood as a concept in the Middle East and the Big Data Conference is helping to drive that,’’ said Paul Devlin, Director SAP Platforms, SAP MENA. “Every industry analyst will tell you that there is 1,000 percent ROI on when you utilise Big Data - this constitutes a big, big prize for GCC businesses as they increase their online engagement.’’

According to IDC’s Middle East Business Network Services Top 10 Predictions for 2014, regional organisations are deploying innovative business intelligence solutions to support core systems including machine-to-machine communications (M2M), radio frequency identification, and unified communications to optimise processes, fosteremployee collaboration, enable faster decision-making and improve operational efficiency. 

To enhance its delivery of innovative, knowledge sharing content, GITEX Technology Week has also featured tailored Industry Briefings this year. Specialist, invite-only industry sessions- designed to deliver intensive knowledge sharing and networking for C-level executive and senior officials – have coveredkey industry verticals including Oil & Gas, Banking & Finance, Retail, Government and Healthcare. 

Local and international organisations participating in the Industry Briefings have included ENOC, Gartner, Accenture, Hasselt University, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). 

Elsewhere at GITEX Technology Week, Dubai Internet City is hosting daily knowledge sharing sessions on its stand on concourse 2 next to DWTC’sConvention Gate entrance.

Rounding off a packed middle day at GITEX Technology Week, official Country Partner Nigeria highlightedits burgeoning ICT sector at the Nigeria ICT Investment Forum – a one-off forum for potential investors and technology providers eyeing infrastructure opportunities in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding public and private technology sectors. 

GITEX Technology Week 2014, which runs at DWTCuntilOctober 16, brings together more than 100,000 ICT professionals from 150 countries and 3,700 exhibiting companies from 61 countries to share transformational developments across the show’s four knowledge themes: Smart, Cloud, Big Data and Mobility.

For more information on the 34th GITEX Technology Week, visit: www.gitex.com.