Telecommunication companies the world over are cutting costs to protect profits by reducing staff, outsourcing networks and restructuring operations. With declining revenues from traditional income sources such as wire line and wireless voice, the pressure is on to look for new products and services, but many are struggling. Aftab Gumani provides an overview of trends [...]
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The rise of Big Data and how it will help businesses
Big Data was once the domain of a few high tech research labs, running data through supercomputers for mostly scientific applications. But now, thanks to new technologies and crucially, much cheaper hardware, software and network infrastructure. The dwindling cost of producing and transporting data has allowed everyone to take part in what is quickly becoming [...]
read moreFeature Story: Qatar’s Fresh Water Challenges
As a small peninsula in one of the most dry and arid regions in the world, it is no secret that Qatar faces incredible challenges in securing fresh water for private and industrial usage. With consumption set to increase exponential in the coming decade, Barry Mansfield looks at what steps Doha is taking as well [...]
read moreKaspersky survey reveals virtual machines in GCC are underprotected
Dubai, July 3 Only 19 percent of GCC companies are using dedicated agent-less security solutions to protect their virtual infrastructure meaning many are throwing away one of the key advantages of virtualization by failing to make the most effective use of hardware resources. This is one of the findings of a survey conducted by [...]
read moreOpinion: News can no longer be kept secret
Talk of reform especially in the current climate prevailing in the Arab world tends to focus on the impact of change on a countrys constitutions and laws. Dr. Yasser Thabet discusses an overlooked area that is often is the main beneficiary of reform: the media. Barriers to freedom of expression and openness are disappearing [...]
read moreJune Cover Story: The growth of e-commerce
Qatar is now the third biggest spender online in the Middle East. Barry Mansfield examines the factors driving this trend, and the main challenges faced by local and regional retailers as they strive to embrace the Internet age. STATE OF E-COMMERCE The Middle East experienced spectacular growth in e-commerce during 2011. Many new online launches [...]
read moreOpinion: Combating cyber crime in the Gulf
As Qatars economy and aligned infrastructure progress rapidly, cyber crime knocks harder at the doors of emerging nations affecting businesses and individuals more than they may know. Richard Gayle unpicks the hotly discussed topic and provides tips on how to avoid being susceptible to cyber crime. E-crime costs companies globally US$1.7 trillion (QR6.1 trillion) every [...]
read moreYAHOO! expert discusses personal data protection
Earlier this year United States Internet service provider Yahoo! and Qatari information technology regulatory authority ictQatar announced a partnership aimed at the promotion of Arabic digital content in the country. At the Doha IT event Qitcom in March,TheEDGE spoke exclusively to Yahoo!s Justin Weiss, who was at the event as part of a FOSI (Family Online [...]
read moreQatar SME Online Exclusive: Khalid Al Jaber
In the March edition of TheEDGE our cover story Small Roots, Big Dreams: Discovering Qatars Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, we look at the SME sector in the country, and profile a number of young start-ups in the country. Unfortunately we did not have room in the magazine for all the interviews of whom we spoke to in [...]
read moreDigital Display Signage and its Marketing Applications
When digital signage or electronic billboards are mentioned, the bright and colourful outdoor displays in large cities immediately come to mind. But, as Charles Vincent explains, this affordable and versatile medium is increasingly being used with great effect in a variety of different marketing and corporate communication applications. The modern marketing world is no stranger [...]
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