The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry predicts that the UAE’s IT market may reach AED22bn by 2019, up from the AED17bn achieved in 2015. This should be no great surprise given the furor surrounding Expo 2020 Dubai and the continued coverage of Dubai’s race to become one of the smartest cities in the world.
At Future Tech week, Dubai, in March, it was interesting to note that the common theme which emerged was that all four featured sectors (Big Data, IOTx, Enterprise Mobility and Internet Security) have been driven by services, yes, including IOTx, and not by connectivity. This suggests the value will come from the data and analytics made possible by connectivity. It highlights the fact that partnerships are essential between different stakeholders in the value chain.
Thankfully business owners in the region have caught on and are increasingly realising that streamlined processes, actionable insight into customer needs, productivity gains, and increased security are just some of the benefits gained from the early adoption of these platforms. This leading to monetary gains for companies whilst enabling them to reduce their costs, is a win-win for all.
And with the UAE government having embraced highly evolved technology with its e-government initiatives across public health, transport and infrastructure along with creation of smart cities will no doubt have immense economic and social impact. Not only across all industries but also on the daily life of residents.
Clearly, there couldn’t be a better time for UK-based Tech SMEs to turn their sights to the UAE, what with GB leading the world in technological innovations. I most definitely, foresee technology as the glue that will make the UK – UAE ties even stronger in the years to come.
