03 Jan MENA expansion for global lead
Founded in 2003, MVP Tech-Convergint is enjoying rapid expansion in the Middle East and Africa. Security Middle East magazine spoke with Said Charles Kiwan, the company’s founder and Managing Director, and the visionary leader who supported the team to deliver incredible growth for the company.
Starting with just two colleagues in 2003, MVP Tech rapidly expanded into a major force in the Middle East and Africa, establishing strongholds in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Basra, South Africa and recently Riyadh. In 2022, this growth culminated in its acquisition by Convergint, establishing MVP Tech and its 250-plus colleagues as Convergint’s regional division for the Middle East and Africa.
Now part of Convergint’s global network of over 10,000 professionals, MVP Tech significantly enhances the company’s footprint and service capabilities in these key strategic regions. Backed by global market knowledge and expertise, the acquisition further positioned MVP Tech as a truly ‘global’ partner of choice.
Today, MVP Tech — Convergint is a leading system integrator offering customised turnkey solutions ranging from security and IT infrastructure to audio-visual, data centres and AI software development, serving hundreds of clients in the Middle East and Africa.
Thanks to more global support, MVP Tech — Convergint now plans to aggressively push into Saudi Arabia, where it aims to contribute to the Kingdom’s technological evolution, providing tailored solutions that not only meet the demands of today but also pave the way for a connected, intelligent future.
Commitment to the Kingdom
As the demand for electronic security, cybersecurity, fire and life safety, building automation, and immersive audiovisual experiences surges, MVP Tech – Convergint’s global system integrator seeks to play a pivotal role. The company is opening a local entity in Saudi Arabia and will establish a local presence as a technology expert with a history of operating in the MENA region since 2003. The company’s entry into the Saudi market signifies more than just expansion; it marks a commitment to fostering connectivity and leveraging global expertise to build robust, transformative solutions that align seamlessly with Saudi Arabia’s vision for a tech-driven future.
What can we expect the security industry to look like in 10 years?
The speed at which certain technologies are changing the landscape in a matter of months begs the question, how does a traditional industry like ours evolve and enhance its products and services?
The acceleration of computing power will allow us to do so much more centrally with the video, voice and text data coming in from sensors in the field. Equally important, if not more so, will be the increase in our ability to autonomously run very heavy applications on the edge, feeding systems centrally with metadata.
Artificial Intelligence will be divided between tracking and anticipating system user behaviour and providing real-time decision support in different circumstances. It will also predict best practice user actions on these systems. Think of these systems as real-time GPT agents sitting virtually beside you and accelerating your work whilst understanding what constitutes best practice Standard Operating Procedure.
AI will also enable us to ingest large volumes of historical and real-time sensor data allowing us to predict what’s next in various scenarios. The more inputs we connect, the richer the data, and the more valuable the outputs become when analysed correctly.
Much enhanced connectivity will also play its role in the future. For the industry to truly become cloud-enabled we will need to see a huge leap in terms of data connectivity and reduction in costs. Cloud today is prohibitively expensive, the bandwidth struggles to provide real-time streaming to millions of devices simultaneously to the data centre and back to the security operation centres.
I think we’ll see automation when it comes to the maintenance and support of large systems across multiple territories.
But, unless robots can install equipment in the field, I believe this is still an industry that will rely heavily on the human element of manpower and highly qualified technicians and engineers in the field.
How have you seen security change for the better and the worse?
With the advancement of technology in any industry, it can be used for good and for bad. It is important to use systems and technology as tools to improve the welfare of societies, not as a tool against society. Security is one of the key fundamental human needs when living in a society. There is no point accumulating wealth whilst needing to sit behind large walls and secured compounds worried about your family’s safety.
Technology should be an enabler for better societies to thrive, while actively promoting the privacy of individuals. The UAE is a perfect example of this combination, where systems are used to first and foremost improve the well-being of citizens, whilst our privacy is still safeguarded. One of the first things I hear from newcomers arriving in Dubai to visit or live is “Dubai is so safe”. Don’t underestimate the economic power of a nation that makes its residents feel safe.
How is MVP Tech — Convergint adapting to ensure it is future-ready?
We are already ahead of the curve in so many of these parameters. We deploy complex analytics on the edge, build custom Security Operating Centres, and have a dedicated team focusing on AI developments in the sphere of voice, video and big data.
We as an organisation of 10,000 people hire the best talent in the industry worldwide to deliver products, services and support across many system verticals seamlessly for dozens of the top Fortune 500 companies, along with many of the leading local blue chip companies.
What does this mean for systems integrators?
We continuously raise the bar when it comes to technical know-how, global delivery, and support. Regardless of whether we are a market leader or not, we are an organisation that is continuously looking for efficiencies, and improvements, learning from both our successes and failures. We aim to set the benchmarks in the industry and can only do that with the best people. Recruiting talent will continue to be the most important aspect of growth for our business into the future. And to do that you need to be the best place to come and work for.
What is the company’s ambition for the future?
MVP Tech — Convergint has a mandate to grow further into the Middle East. The acquisition of MVP Tech by Convergint is its first foray into the region. We are now in the process of opening our first Convergint offices in KSA. We have a target to grow our regional business by 25% YOY for the next four years while maintaining quality standards and executing flawlessly enterprise and government projects across the region. In short, become a global player that is also a local market leader.