New storage systems
IBM Middle East unveiled new data storage systems that bridge the gap between once incompatible high-end and midrange storage classes at a one-day event in Dubai that gathered customers from various sectors in the UAE.
International speakers and regional experts shared details on the new IBM systems that combine high-end function with the ease-of-use characteristics of a PC.
The systems include the new IBM TotalStorage DS6000 series, which is slightly larger than a VCR and provides large system performance and reliability features for as little as half the price of other comparable offerings in the market.
Also unveiled at the event was the IBM TotalStorage DS8000 series, which provides clients “virtual storage systems” and the ability to consolidate workloads running on smaller systems.
Adco uses Sun servers
Sun Microsystems Middle East & North Africa (Mena) has announced that the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco) has invested in an integrated, low-cost, highly scalable 128-processor cluster utilising its V60x x86 servers with Sun Control Station cluster management software.
“The technology is expected to create a faster and more effective grid computing environment to run Adco’s reservoir simulation software,” Sun microsystems said. “The new Sun infrastructure enables Adco to run very large simulation models faster than ever before, which is a key element for producing its more than two million barrels of crude oil per day across 1,200 production wells.”
“The new system provides our entire team with the most up-to-date information on all aspects of our oil reserves and operations,” said Masoud Said Al Mughairy, information technology and information systems co-ordinator, Adco.
Portal gets an upgrade
The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) Office has announced a significant upgrade to MyDSF, the online portal for the city’s shopping festivals.
“The upgrade will allow the office the financial reporting complexity required for this level of activity,” the office said. GTFS, the Dubai-based Accpac solution provider, implemented the Accpac Advantage Series ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.
Apple computers now affordable
Apple Computer has moved to make its products more affordable for the masses, unveiling its cheapest Macintosh computer ever and a version of its iPod digital music player for under $100.
Apple co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs, announcing the new products at the Macworld show in San Francisco, also said Apple had sold 4.5 million units of the various models of its blockbuster iPod in the 2004 holiday quarter.
Apple has traditionally aimed for high-end markets both for its Mac computers and the iPod, eschewing discount models. But the company reversed that course with the $99 “iPod shuffle’’ and the $499 “Mac mini.”
Batelco in Italian deal
Batelco has signed a BD9 million ($23.9 million) agreement with Telecom Italia to provide high-speed leased circuits between Bahrain and Italy for the next three years.
Batelco successfully bid against eight leading international telecommunications companies to win the contract, said a spokesman.
The contract, signed in Rome, stipulates that Batelco will provide the leased circuits at a speed of 622 Mgbts per second.
“This agreement highlights the prestigious status that Batelco enjoys among the world’s leading telecom companies and, at the same time, helps us to utilise additional capacity generated by the Flag Telecom project which links Bahrain with the rest of the world through fibre cable technology,” said Ian Dench, Batelco general manager for sales and marketing.
Saham seeks expansion
Sahm Technologies, the IT arm of Emaar Group, has kicked off a business expansion strategy that takes the company’s technology and communication services to private and public sector organisations in the GCC market.
UAE-based Emaar group launched Sahm in 2002 to deliver end-to-end communication services to the residents of Emaar Properties and IT support to the group’s financial houses.
Expanding its IT services to organisations outside the group is part of Sahm’s vision to become the leading IT services company in the region, the company said.
