Page 49 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Petrofac Selects Microsoft IoT Toolkit to Build Digitally Transformative

Connected Construction Platform

Microsoft announced that leading cloud components to create a scalable operatives that allows better, data-driven
international energy service provider ecosystem capable of accommodating decisions through machine learning and
Petrofac has chosen Azure’s Internet of many different types and sizes of project. advanced analytics. Azure IoT Edge moves
Things for its Connected Construction “Petrofac designs, builds, operates and cloud analytics and custom business
platform designed to accelerate digital maintains energy facilities, supporting our logic to devices for organizations that
transformation at its project worksites. customers to unlock more value across the prioritize business insights over data
“Microsoft’s mission is to empower life cycle of an asset,” said Fady Sleiman, management, allowing them to scale out
every individual and organization on Chief Digital Officer, Petrofac. “We’re solutions by packaging heuristics into
the planet to achieve more,” said Sayed future-proofing our business, combining standard containers, deploying them to
Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft UAE. technology with our engineering, edge devices and monitoring everything
“Petrofac serves some of the largest oil, construction and operations know-how to from the cloud. Following a significant
gas and renewable energy companies in find new solutions to today’s challenges. surge in the demand for its cloud services
the world and is known as a leader in its With Microsoft and Accenture, we’ve in the region, Microsoft earlier this year
segment. The company is well underway created Connected Construction which launched its secure, flexible and intelligent
with its digital transformation journey. Its tracks people, equipment and materials cloud to regional customers through two
potential to engage customers, empower on site, enabling real-time insights and dedicated cloud data centers, one in Dubai
employees and optimize operations for decision making which, in turn, improves and one in Abu Dhabi. These facilities
assured and ultra-efficient service delivery performance.” Azure’s IoT platform allows will cater specifically to enterprises in
has been accelerated by the power of the innovators to build rich, visual Internet of the Middle East. Organizations in the
intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge.” Things applications that connect, manage, region’s energy sector can make the most
In conjunction with Accenture Industry and monitor devices securely and at scale. out of the Microsoft Cloud by availing
X.0, Petrofac developed Connected With the options to run SaaS or PaaS themselves of enterprise-grade reliability
Construction on Azure and combined it deployment models, solutions builders and performance, combined with data
with Azure IoT Edge analytics and PaaS can deliver real edge intelligence to field residency and the broadest compliance.

Microsoft Arabia Launches the Latest Surface Devices to Support Digital
Transformation in Saudi Arabia

for Middle East and Africa). Arif also
announced that the availability of Surface
Hub 2S for Commercial customers will
follow in the coming period. The Surface
Pro 7 takes Microsoft’s iconic two-in-one
design to the next level, with a faster and
even more versatile device for professionals
on the go. Powered by Intel’s 10th-
generation core processor, Fast Charging,
all-day battery and Instant On, the Pro 7
also includes superior connectivity with
USB-C™ and USB-A ports. The Surface Pro
X is Microsoft’s thinnest, lightest and most
powerful edge to edge 2-in-1 laptop with
LTE and 13” touchscreen. Ultra-thin and
always connected, Surface Pro X combines
Microsoft Arabia announces the the Kingdom’s 2030 vision achievement of ultimate mobility with blazing-fast LTE
expansion of the Surface family in the programs. “The new Surface line up covers connectivity and amazing graphics. Aimed
Saudi market, revealing four new devices: a wide range of use cases for consumers squarely at portability and connectivity,
(Pro X, Pro 7, Laptop 3, and the Surface and commercial customers in both public it features Microsoft proprietary SQ1
Hub 2S), in order to keep pace with rapid and private sectors, and achieves the main processor, designed in collaboration with
digital transformations in Saudi Arabia pillars of the third plan for the Saudi digital mobile-computing leader Qualcomm.
according to the targets of the “National transformation strategy.” said Mirna Businesses and consumers across
Transformation” program, which is one of Arif (Surface Business Group Director the Kingdom will now have access to

49 FEBRUARY 2020