Big data is no longer an industry buzz word – we are very much at the ‘end of the beginning’ for big data, and that introduces real uncertainty, and opportunity. This is particularly true for banking and financial institutions, which are coming under severe pressure to shift focus from products to customers. Understanding customer behavior…
The UAE has retained its position as a leader in the Middle East’s Internet economy, says a latest report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy says that the difference between countries with large digital economies and those with low economic activity amounts…
In retrospect, things look easy, even obvious. Microsoft, Intel and Apple all rose to dominance as if their fates were inevitable. Of course, it never looks so clear as it’s happening. Shelves full of books have been written about these three companies and the outsized personalities who built them — Bill Gates, Andy Grove and…
A whopping 83 percent of UAE residents made online purchases between October and December 2014, according to MasterCard’s Online Shopping Behavior Study. UAE residents are most likely to spend online on airlines, travel and hotels, followed by shopping for home appliances and clothing. Four out of five said they are satisfied with the process. “Online…
The Internet is one of humanity’s greatest technical advances. Yet compared to great technological inventions of the past, it is also a colossal economic disappointment. I’m talking about jobs. Yes, young programmers are getting jobs straight out of college at salaries in the six figures. But I’m referring to jobs in a deep and sustaining…
Business and government leaders in the Middle East and North Africa pip their global counterparts in prioritizing cybersecurity in their organizations. According to Raytheon Company, more than half (56 percent) of organizational leaders in the MENA region identify cybersecurity as a strategic priority, compared with only 23 percent in the US and 36 percent in…
Businesses in the UAE are increasingly looking to adopt hybrid Cloud computing models in their enterprises, reveals a study commissioned by American IT solutions provider EMC Corporation. A total of 100 IT decision makers in the UAE were polled for the research, which shows 95 percent of enterprises having either already implemented or in planning…
Is your company poised to build the next Uber? Have you started imagining how cryptocurrencies could be used to shore up your company’s digital security? Have you considered that the algorithms your company uses might inadvertently be lying to you? At the end of each year, I apply a framework to surface the most important…
If Walt Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” proved Hollywood’s biggest surprise hit this year, then credit Sony’s “Guardians of Peace” with producing Tinseltown’s biggest surprise hack. It’s like something out of a movie: larger-than-life characters, A-list stars, mystery, farce, international intrigue, revenge and computer-generated special effects designed to captivate a worldwide audience. There’s no business…
This month’s news provides yet another occasion for a friendly public-service reminder to anyone who uses a digital device to say anything to anyone, ever. Don’t do it. Don’t email, don’t text, don’t update, don’t send photos. At least, don’t do it if you have any expectation that what you say will remain private —…
