20 Dec World Cloud & Data Center Show accelerates Saudi Arabia’s cloud adoption initiatives
The 20th edition of World Cloud & Data Center Show has highlighted how Saudi Arabia can be powered by cloud technology clubbed with data centers.
The conference saw a huge gathering of elite IT leaders, international IT pioneers, and tech enthusiasts in attendance. The attendees were also presented with insights on how cloud technology and data centers can help in building a digital economy and how they can be used to drive innovation and create new opportunities in the Kingdom. The event also provided opportunities for the attendees to network and foster collaborations.
The event explored Saudi’s vision for a sustainable future. The segment “A Sustainable Saudi Vision” highlighted the Kingdom’s innovative efforts to advance its mission. Topics under this segment enriched audience filled with IT decision makers with the gen-next solutions set to deploy. Initiatives like ‘Cognitive Cities’, ‘Green Cloud’, and ‘Leveraging Hyperscaler Capabilities’, were all a part of the broader conceptualisation of sustainability.
After addressing the audience and outlining their initiatives for the Kingdom, Eng. Talal Al Bakr, CEO of SCCC Alibaba Cloud, and Alanoud Alhudaib, Director of Cloud Advisory at SITE, gave a tech talk and addressed one of the most frequently asked questions: “Is cloud for everyone?” A fireside talk concentrating on AI, the edge, and 5G included panellists; Nizar Hussien, Presales & Product Management GM, SCCC Alibaba Cloud, and Khalid Almedbel, Digital transformation MD, MOH. The panel was moderated by Mohanad Aljabrain, Partnership & Channel Lead, SCCC Alibaba Cloud.
A notable panel discussion themed “Green is the new black” evaluated the feasibility of building environmentally friendly data centers and provided insights into the deployment of energy-efficient data centers with lower carbon footprints given the exponential demand for more data, cloud services, and data center capacity.
Maryam Telmesani, Chair Board, CSO, Sustainability Consultant, UNGC Local Network Saudi Arabia, MBL, Moc, said: “It was my absolute pleasure to participate in the World Cloud & Data Center Show by Trescon. I gave a keynote speech on “Building a Sustainable Kingdom with Green Technology – Green Cloud”.
“Also, I had the pleasure of joining a panel discussion ‘Green is the New Black’; in which I enjoyed learning from experts across different industries on how they’re embedding sustainability practices to their data centers, what factors contributes to green data center and cloud computing, how to optimise data centers to save resources, and I shed light on sustainability metrics for technologies as well as how technology enables SDGs & ESGs. Thanks to the organising team for their amazing efforts.”
The panel, titled “Data Centers at the Forefront of a Data-driven Nation,” focused on the sudden increase in investments from local and international businesses to meet the data storage demands in the data center industry. It also discussed emerging technologies in data centers and how businesses can use them to harness the power of data.
Dr. Mohammed Alaqil, Director of MSc in Electrical Engineering, Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, added: “The experience was quite exceptional! I was honoured to participate as a speaker on Trescon’s World Cloud & Data Center Show as a speaker at one session and a moderator at another panel session. Happy to engage with leading experts and practitioners in academia, industry, and government Authorities.”
“Advancing Cloud Revolution in Saudi Arabia” was one of the themes of the second day where an enlightening panel discussion titled “Cloud Augmented Digital Transformation” was discussed heavily. It addressed the key benefits of using the cloud as well as the flexibility that various models and services have to offer. The panel “Evolution of Data Management” provided actual use-cases on the expanding trend of cloud transformation and the movement of an increasing number of enterprises’ significant IT workloads to the cloud. In the panel’s conclusion, it emerged that cloud data mobility has evolved into a crucial aspect of cloud adoption.
Prof. Tanzila saba, Associate Chair, Information Systems Dept., Research Professor, AIDA Lab Leader, Prince Sultan University/CCIS College, said: “It was a great opportunity to be part of an elite panel of academicians and leaders to discuss the cloud-augmented digital transformation opportunities, challenges, current best practices, and future trends.
“I was honoured to represent the Prince Sultan University & Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Lab. Many thanks to Trescon, for organising this fantastic event.”
The “Women in Tech” segment of the World Cloud & Data Center Show played a significant role in recognising and honouring the women who have made important contributions to the advancement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s digital future in the domains of AI, Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Quantum Computing, and other new technologies.
Women tech ambassadors who are inspiring a thousand other women and serving as role models for global diversity in tech were awarded at the World Cloud & Data Center Show. The event also featured a strong line-up of powerful women in the tech industry who are propelling HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious vision and Saudi Vision 2030 forward.
Amjad Alamri, Senior Specialist, Autonomous Construction Equipment & Robotics, Design & Construction, NEOM, said: “Honoured to receive the (Women in Tech) award as part of the World Cloud & Data Center Show. I’d like to thank Trescon for honouring the women tech ambassadors for their major contribution to the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s digital future.”
Dr. Duaa Abaoud – Digital Environment Director, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (MoMRAH), added: “It was my absolute pleasure to participate in the World Cloud & Data Center Show, to speak about Cloud & Data Centers as Key Enablers to Building a Vibrant Digital Kingdom with the amazing Dr. Hussain AlJahdali, and Eng. Amjad Alamri.
“I enjoyed exchanging knowledge with various experts across different industries. I was honoured to receive the Women in Technology Honorary Award among a number of astonishing ladies in the field.”