Category: Blog

CPaaS – The Game-Changer for next-level engagement

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The rapid demand of new technologies is reshaping how businesses communicate, both internally and with their customers. Keeping up can be challenging, but staying informed is crucial for companies looking to leverage these changes. As we move deeper into a digital era, the landscape of business communications is evolving faster than ever. From AI-driven chatbots to cloud-based platforms, are transforming how businesses engage with customers and partners.

Understanding CPaaS: A Game-Changer in Business Communication

Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) is transforming the way businesses handle communications. This cloud-based platform lets companies integrate real-time voice, video, messaging, and chat tools, without extensive backend infrastructure. CPaaS offers a flexible and scalable solution, enabling businesses to enhance and streamline customer engagement efficiently. Unlike traditional methods, CPaaS supports businesses with powerful tools to improve user experiences and optimize operational efficiency. To suggest that CPaaS is a growing market would be something of an understatement.

According to Gartner, by 2028, 90% of global enterprises will utilize CPaaS for customer experience and engagement, up from 50% in 2023.

While the sheer number of communications channels currently available would have been unfathomable even a decade ago, now they are commonplace.

Moreover, given the explosion of generative AI (GenAI) within the customer service and experience space, these channels are likely to continue to mutate and become even more sophisticated. If companies want to use this multitude of channels to maximize the potential of their CX offerings, a CPaaS platform is non-negotiable.

How Does CPaaS Work?

CPaaS solutions operate via cloud-based APIs, which developers can use to integrate a variety of communication tools — like SMS, Voice, Email and WhatsApp. These platforms also offer low-code and no-code options, enabling even non-technical users to incorporate advanced communication features into their workflows seamlessly.

Key Benefits of CPaaS
  • Cost Reduction: CPaaS eliminates the need for expensive infrastructure, operating on a pay-as-you-go model that helps businesses save money over time.
  • Scalability: Allows enterprises to scale their communication capabilities, without the need for additional investments.
  • Unified Customer Experience: By integrating various channels into a single system, CPaaS ensures streamlined communication and improved customer engagement.
Emerging Trends in CPaaS

The CPaaS landscape is evolving with several key trends reshaping the future of business communications:

  1. Omnichannel Communication: Businesses are increasingly adopting omnichannel strategies, integrating multiple communication channels to provide a seamless customer experience.
  2. AI and Automation: AI-driven chatbots and automated workflows are becoming integral, enhancing customer engagement and reducing operational costs.
  3. Enhanced Security: With rising frauds & threats, CPaaS providers are focusing on robust security features like end-to-end encryption and fraud detection.
  4. API Integration and Customization: CPaaS platforms offer in-depth customization options, allowing businesses to tailor communication solutions to their specific needs.

It has become essential for small and big businesses to adopt CPaaS, enabling them to reach customers through their preferred platform. With Kalaam’s CPaaS platform, you can create personalized experiences by integrating SMS, Email, WhatsApp and Voice into your strategy. Build stronger relationships with your customers to drive engagement in an increasingly digital world.

Navigate the future of business communications and stay ahead of your competitors with Kalaam Telecom.

Article by
Luke Kelly
Senior Executive – Products & Services, Kalaam Telecom

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Transforming Business Communication with MS Teams Direct Routing as a UCaaS Solution

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Transforming Business Communication with MS Teams Direct Routing as a UCaaS Solution

In the modern business landscape, effective communication is the backbone of success. Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) has emerged as a game-changer, offering a comprehensive suite of communication tools in a single, cloud-based platform. Among the various UCaaS solutions, Microsoft Teams Direct Routing stands out for its ability to seamlessly integrate traditional telephony with advanced collaboration features. This blog explores how MS Teams Direct Routing, as a UCaaS solution, can transform your business communication, with a focus on the Middle East market.

What is UCaaS?

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is a cloud-based delivery model that consolidates multiple communication and collaboration tools into a single platform. This includes voice, video, messaging, and conferencing services, all accessible from any device with an internet connection. UCaaS offers flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency, making it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes.

Understanding MS Teams Direct Routing

Microsoft Teams Direct Routing allows organizations to connect their existing telephony infrastructure to Microsoft Teams. This enables users to make and receive calls directly within the Teams interface, providing a unified communication experience. Direct Routing leverages Session Border Controllers (SBCs) to route calls between the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Microsoft Teams, ensuring seamless integration and robust call management.

Benefits of MS Teams Direct Routing as a UCaaS Solution
  • Cost Efficiency: By utilizing existing telephony infrastructure, businesses can significantly reduce costs associated with maintaining separate communication systems. UCaaS eliminates the need for expensive on-premises hardware and reduces operational expenses.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: Direct Routing integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, offering a single platform for voice, video, and messaging. This enhances collaboration and productivity by streamlining communication channels and reducing the need to switch between different tools.
  • Scalability: UCaaS solutions are highly scalable, allowing businesses to easily add or remove users as needed. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for growing organizations or those with fluctuating communication needs.
  • Reliability and Security: Cloud-based UCaaS solutions offer high availability and reliability, ensuring that communication services are always accessible. Direct Routing further enhances this by providing robust call routing capabilities and leveraging Microsoft’s security infrastructure.
  • Global Reach: With Direct Routing, businesses can connect with clients and partners worldwide, leveraging the global reach of Microsoft Teams. This is particularly advantageous for multinational organizations looking to maintain consistent communication standards across different regions.
Growth and Adoption of MS Teams Voice and UCaaS in the Middle East

The Middle East has seen significant growth in the adoption of UCaaS solutions, driven by the region’s rapid technological advancements and increasing demand for efficient communication tools. According to recent reports, the UCaaS market in the Middle East and Africa is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7% from 2023 to 2030. This growth is fueled by the rising adoption of cloud-based communication solutions among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large corporations alike.

According to recent reports, the UCaaS market in the Middle East and Africa is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7% from 2023 to 2030


Microsoft Teams has also experienced substantial growth in the region. The platform saw a 750% increase in mobile app downloads in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. This surge in adoption highlights the growing preference for integrated communication solutions that offer flexibility and scalability.

Business Growth in the Middle East

The Middle East business environment is poised for growth, with companies increasingly focusing on digital transformation and technological innovation. According to McKinsey, the region is leveraging the current global disruptions as opportunities for growth, with a particular emphasis on activating growth pathways and executing with excellence. This positive outlook is reflected in the increasing investments in communication technologies and the adoption of advanced solutions like UCaaS and MS Teams Direct Routing.

Conclusion

Integrating MS Teams Direct Routing as a UCaaS solution can revolutionize your business communication, offering cost efficiency, enhanced collaboration, and improved reliability. By leveraging these powerful tools, businesses in the Middle East can stay ahead in the competitive landscape and ensure seamless communication across their organization.

Article by

Kamlesh Mishra
Product Manager – Collaboration Services
Kalaam Telecom

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Securing Your Cloud

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Securing Your Cloud: Best Practices for Data Protection in a Cloud Environment

As businesses increasingly embrace cloud computing to drive innovation and agility, safeguarding data in the cloud has become a top priority.
While the cloud offers numerous benefits, including scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency, it also introduces unique security challenges that organizations must address to protect sensitive information and maintain compliance.

Personal Data covered under privacy regulations

By 2024, Gartner predicts that an even greater portion of the world, exceeding 75% as opposed to 65% in 2023 will have its personal data covered under privacy regulations

At Kalaam Telecom, we understand the importance of cloud security, and in this blog post, we’ll explore best practices to safeguard your data in a cloud environment.

Understanding Cloud Security Challenges

Data Breaches
Unauthorized access to data remains a significant concern in the cloud, whether through malicious attacks, insider threats, or misconfigured access controls. Data breaches can result in financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties, underscoring the importance of robust security measures.

Compliance Risks
Many industries are subject to stringent regulatory requirements regarding data privacy and security, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Additionally, adhering to frameworks like the Cloud Control Matrix (CCM) recommended by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) can further strengthen your cloud security posture.

Shared Responsibility Model
Cloud providers operate under a shared responsibility model, where they are responsible for securing the underlying infrastructure, while customers are responsible for securing their data and applications. Understanding this shared responsibility is essential for implementing effective security measures and mitigating risks effectively.

Cloud Security Trends

Best Practices for Cloud Security
  1. Encrypt Data: Encrypting data at rest and in transit is fundamental to protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access. Implement strong encryption algorithms and key management practices to ensure data confidentiality and integrity, reducing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized disclosures.
  2. Implement Access Controls: Enforce least privilege access controls to limit user permissions and restrict access to sensitive data based on job roles and responsibilities. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and identity and access management (IAM) solutions to strengthen authentication mechanisms and prevent unauthorized access.
  3. Regularly Monitor and Audit: Implement robust monitoring and logging capabilities to detect suspicious activities, unauthorized access attempts, and potential security incidents in real-time. Conduct regular audits and security assessments to identify vulnerabilities, compliance gaps, and areas for improvement, ensuring continuous security posture improvement.
  4. Backup and Disaster Recovery: Implement regular data backups and disaster recovery plans to ensure data availability and business continuity in the event of data loss, corruption, or ransomware attacks. Store backups in geographically diverse locations and test recovery procedures regularly to verify data integrity and readiness.
  5. Patch and Update Regularly, with Strong Credentials: Implement a comprehensive approach to keeping your cloud environment secure. This includes regularly applying the latest security patches and software updates to address known vulnerabilities and mitigate security risks, utilizing automated patch management solutions and vulnerability scanning tools to streamline the patching process and enforcing strong credential policies, such as requiring complex passwords and restricting user access based on job functions.
  6. Data Governance and User Privacy: Establish a robust data governance framework to ensure the proper handling, protection, and access to user data. This includes obtaining informed consent from users for data collection and usage, providing users with access and control over their data and regularly reviewing and updating data governance policies to comply with evolving regulations.
Partnering for Secure Cloud Solutions

The global landscape of data privacy regulations is constantly evolving. By adhering to best practices for data protection, organizations can ensure they are prepared to adapt to these ongoing changes. By adopting best practices for cloud security and partnering with a trusted cloud provider like Kalaam Telecom, organizations can strengthen their security posture, protect sensitive data, and mitigate risks effectively. Together, let’s harness the power of the cloud while ensuring the highest standards of data protection and compliance.

Article by
Pramod Deshpande
Group Sr. Manager – Cloud Services

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Harnessing Hybrid Cloud Solutions

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Harnessing Hybrid Cloud Solutions: Unlocking Scalability and Flexibility in Business Operations

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking ways to enhance scalability, flexibility, and efficiency in their operations. The adoption of cloud computing has revolutionized the way organizations manage and deliver IT services, offering unparalleled agility and cost-effectiveness. Among the various cloud deployment models, hybrid cloud solutions have emerged as a compelling choice, enabling businesses to achieve the perfect balance between on-premises infrastructure and public cloud services.

A hybrid cloud is a IT environment that combines an organization’s on-premises data center with local sovereign private cloud (like Kalaam Cloud) and public cloud (like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure ). This allows data and applications to be shared between the multiple environments.

A recent IDC report (IDC Spending on Shared Cloud Infrastructure Continues to Lead the Way in Enterprise Infrastructure Investments, According to IDC Tracker) suggests significant growth in spending on shared cloud infrastructure, a core component of hybrid cloud. They project this trend to continue, reaching $143.0 billion by 2028. IDC’s research also indicates that many organizations are already running a hybrid cloud environment. NetApp, citing IDC data, states that surveyed organizations currently run about half of their workloads in a hybrid cloud (NetApp IDC’s Worldwide Data Services for Hybrid Cloud Vendors — Key Players Portfolio Analysis).

At Kalaam Telecom, we recognize the transformative potential of hybrid cloud solutions, and in this blog post, we’ll explore their role in driving scalability and flexibility in business operations.

Understanding the Hybrid Cloud Advantage

Scalability
Hybrid cloud solutions combine the best of both worlds by integrating on-premises infrastructure with public cloud services. This hybrid approach allows businesses to scale their IT resources dynamically based on fluctuating demands, leveraging the virtually unlimited scalability of the public cloud while retaining control over sensitive data and mission-critical workloads on-premises.

Flexibility
Hybrid cloud architectures offer unparalleled flexibility, enabling organizations to deploy workloads seamlessly across multiple environments, including private clouds, public clouds, and on-premises data centers. This flexibility allows businesses to optimize resource utilization, minimize costs, and adapt quickly to changing business requirements and market conditions.

Data Sovereignty and Compliance
For organizations operating in highly regulated industries or geographic regions with strict data sovereignty requirements, hybrid cloud solutions provide a viable option for maintaining compliance while leveraging the benefits of cloud computing. By retaining sensitive data on-premises and utilizing public cloud services for non-sensitive workloads, businesses can achieve regulatory compliance without sacrificing scalability or agility.

Leveraging Hybrid Cloud for Scalability, Flexibility & Security
  1. Dynamic Workload Management: Hybrid cloud solutions enable businesses to dynamically manage workloads across different environments based on performance, cost, and compliance requirements. Critical workloads can be run on-premises for maximum control and security, while non-sensitive workloads can be migrated to the public cloud for scalability and cost-efficiency, ensuring optimal resource utilization and performance
  2. Enhancement of security: Hybrid cloud security lets businesses store sensitive data on-premises for maximum control, while leveraging the public cloud’s security expertise and redundancy for less critical data. This layered approach with strategic data storage and disaster recovery improves overall security and compliance.
  3. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: Hybrid cloud architectures are well-suited for implementing robust disaster recovery and business continuity strategies. By replicating critical data and applications between on-premises and cloud environments, businesses can ensure data availability and minimize downtime in the event of a disaster or system failure, enhancing resilience and mitigating risks.
  4. Application Modernization and Innovation: Hybrid cloud solutions empower businesses to modernize legacy applications and accelerate innovation by leveraging cloud-native technologies and services. By adopting a hybrid cloud approach, organizations can develop and deploy new applications faster, experiment with emerging technologies, and drive digital transformation initiatives while maintaining compatibility with existing infrastructure and systems.
Best Practices for Adopting Hybrid Cloud Solutions
  1. Assess Workload Suitability: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of workloads to determine their suitability for hybrid cloud deployment. Identify critical workloads that require on-premises hosting due to security or compliance concerns, as well as non-sensitive workloads that can benefit from the scalability and flexibility of the public cloud.
  2. Implement Seamless Integration: Choose hybrid cloud solutions that offer seamless integration and interoperability between on-premises infrastructure and public cloud platforms. Leverage technologies such as hybrid cloud management tools, container orchestration, and API integration to streamline workload migration, management, and orchestration across heterogeneous environments.
  3. Ensure Data Security and Compliance: Implement robust security controls, encryption mechanisms, and access management policies to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements in hybrid cloud environments. Leverage encryption and data masking techniques to secure data in transit and at rest, and implement identity and access management solutions to enforce granular access controls and auditing capabilities.
  4. Optimize Cost and Performance: Continuously monitor and optimize resource utilization, cost, and performance across hybrid cloud environments to maximize ROI and operational eciency. Leverage cloud cost management tools, workload optimization techniques, and performance monitoring solutions to identify opportunities for cost savings, performance improvements, and resource optimization.
Estimated Hybrid Cloud Adoption by Industry (2024)

Partnering for Hybrid Cloud Success

In conclusion, hybrid cloud solutions oer a powerful platform for achieving scalability, exibility, eciency and security in business operations. By combining the strengths of on-premises infrastructure and public cloud services, organizations can optimize resource utilization, enhance agility, and accelerate innovation while maintaining control over sensitive data and ensuring regulatory compliance. Partner with Kalaam Telecom to leverage our expertise in hybrid cloud solutions and unlock the full potential of hybrid cloud for your business. Together, let’s embark on a journey of digital transformation and success in the hybrid cloud era.

Article by
Pramod Deshpande
Group Sr. Manager – Cloud Services

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Land & Expland in the Middle East

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The Middle East is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing digital economies in the world. It represents a huge opportunity for service providers and enterprises delivering on global digital transformation. Connecting users internationally requires the delivery of consistent application experience and quality of service across a global footprint. The vast majority of digital transformation requirements are no longer about connecting A to B or simple point-to-point connections and instead, they require the ability to offer platforms which enable organisations to seamlessly deploy new applications and services on a real-time basis as and when they are required.

The global appetite for digital transformation is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. IDC forecasts global digital transformation investments to hit $3.4 trillion by 2026. Within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the digital economy is predicted to hit $400 billion by 2030 according to research conducted by Redseer Strategy Consultants. This represents a huge opportunity for service providers and enterprises.

Enterprises and service providers continue to look for a one-stop-shop partner to help them enter the region as effortlessly as possible, whilst ensuring they can achieve success and scale.

New market, new processes

The Middle East can be a complicated and complex market to navigate. Understanding the local operational environment, regulations, best practices, and digital infrastructure can be challenging to say the least. Added to this, enterprises and service providers find themselves having to manage multiple partners across the region as they enter new countries and new markets.

Each market has its own nuances which can be complex for service providers from outside of the region to navigate. A common misconception is that the telecom landscape is homogenous throughout. In reality, each country has its own incumbent operators and unique ways of doing business. Navigating inter-regional requirements can be daunting and can impact both growth and profitability. Significant time and resource investment are required for any service provider or enterprise wishing to enter a new market, let alone the highly complex and fragmented Middle Eastern landscapes. Thus, preventing those entities who need to focus on serving their customers as well as the needs of their own unique business requirements.

Agility in connecting the cloud

When connecting to the cloud, service providers and enterprises must move with new levels of agility to not fall behind their competitors. Organisations cannot afford to be encumbered by the need to negotiate deals with each country individually as they grow. The nature of the cloud means a much faster way of doing business is required to meet market expectations.

According to Capifly, MENA cloud services revenue grew to $3 billion in 2020, an increase of 21% from the previous year, and this trajectory continues to build which is in turn driving the adoption of Software-as-a-Service in the region.In 2023 Gartner predicts IT spending in the region will grow 2% from $171.9 billion in 2022

To overcome the complexities of expanding into the Middle East, European service providers and enterprises need a robust ‘land and expand’ strategy that includes the right regional networking partner. The partner should be able to understand the business objectives of the enterprise or service provider and provide a single platform that enables the newcomer to have just one single contract to provide a seamless customer experience across the entire region.

The partner should be able to offer adaptability and agility to enable service providers and enterprise businesses to scale up across the region whenever and wherever opportunities arise.

As well as the above, the right partner will also enable the service provider to provide consistent application support and customer experience across markets to avoid a disconnect. This will enable both service providers and enterprises to realise new opportunities and monetise investments in the region in a quick and successful manner.

By streamlining all requirements into the partners’ single, unified network, the need for multiple contracts, technical integrations, and compliance regulations is eliminated, thereby reducing the volume of resources required. Risk is also significantly reduced if the infrastructure is wholly owned by the partner, eliminating the possibility of interference from other parties. The partner, therefore, removes barriers to growth and enables businesses to deliver global digital transformation.

With a one-stop shop partner, enterprises and service providers can expect faster and more reliable connectivity across the region. It should be able to leverage long-standing, established local relationships, resilient infrastructure and to bypass traditional roadblocks. All these factors provide a competitive edge.

Article by
Veer Passi
Group CEO, Kalaam Telecom

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Diversification of Digital Hubs

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The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has emerged as a center of digital innovation, with various hubs striving to become the go-to destinations for carriers, hyperscalers, and content players. However, as the region diversifies, it is crucial for market participants to develop a multi-market connectivity strategy that leverages the unique advantages offered by different hubs. Explore the changing dynamics of the MENA region, the importance of seamless cross-border connectivity, and the role of strategic partnerships in driving digital transformation.

Tapping Into The Growing Digital Transformation Market

aGovernments across the MENA region have launched digital transformation strategies that are boosting local digital infrastructure development while encouraging digital innovation. In September 2023, Bahrain’s government approved a digital economy sector strategy, building on Bahrain’s leadership in cloud-first strategies that were implemented more than five years ago.

Bahrain Economic Development Board attracted $295 million in direct investments within the ICT sector as part of a total projected direct investment worth $1.4 billion, during the first nine months of 2023. Similarly, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce released a report estimating that the UAE’s national digital economy will grow from $38 billion to over $140 billion by 2031. Public cloud regions are popping up across a range of markets and destinations with Amazon Web Services, Alibaba, Microsoft and Oracle all growing their presence in the region.

The digital transformation market in MENA is expected to rise from $38.4 billion in 2022 to $298.2 billion in 2032, according to Future Market Insights. The rise in remote working, driven by the pandemic, has accelerated global digitalization while advances in technology have transformed end-user industries such as healthcare, IT and telecoms. Carriers, and in turn, their enterprise customers want to rollout applications and services with the same user experience and performance across the entire region. When they can do that, they gain an immediate competitive advantage and can move with greater agility when delivering their digital strategies. Digitalization is rapidly expanding across the MENA region, providing carriers with a golden opportunity to drive growth in these new markets.

The Need For A Unified Approach

Unlike previous years, being present in a single hub is no longer sufficient. To effectively serve the region and gain a competitive advantage, carriers must ensure a consistent user experience and performance across the entire MENA region. The next decade will witness the decentralization of the region, emphasizing the importance of seamless cross-border connectivity. Carriers that can offer unified, multi-market connectivity will emerge as critical enablers for digital transformation.

Overcoming Challenges Through Strategic Partnerships

To expand their presence rapidly and efficiently across the Middle East, carriers face significant challenges. Customer expectations for improved connectivity have skyrocketed, while each market in the MENA region has its own unique regulations and business practices. Diversifying with a multi-market approach is key to meeting growing customer demands while conforming to local regulations.

Streamlining Network Expansion With Cloud Connectivity

Cloud connectivity provides carriers with a cost-effective and efficient solution for network expansion. By leveraging a cloud network and partnering with a one-stop-shop provider, carriers can bypass the need for on-premises hardware investments, saving resources that can be redirected to other growth channels. Additionally, cloud connectivity eliminates the need for negotiating individual deals with each country, accelerating the process of achieving pan-regional connectivity.

The Power Of A Comprehensive Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) Platform Towards Digitizing The Wholesale Ecosystem

To cover the entire customer journey and streamline operational processes, carriers can leverage a partner with a comprehensive CPQ platform. An API-based CPQ platform offers dynamic pricing, real-time inventory management, and automated billing workflows, driving significant efficiencies in the quoting process and optimizing operations across the board.

This eliminates the need for manual data entry and enables real-time information sharing across various departments, enhancing overall operational efficiency. As carriers evolve and grow, a CPQ platform can scale and adapt to changing business needs. It can handle increasing quote volumes, support new product offerings, and accommodate pricing changes or promotions. The platform’s flexibility allows carriers to customize workflows, pricing rules, and user interfaces to align with their specific requirements. This enables carriers to enhance their agility and responsiveness, supporting their digital transformation initiatives.

Seizing The Opportunity: Accelerating Access In 2024

As we enter 2024, the MENA digital landscape presents abundant opportunities. Carriers must move beyond a single presence and seamlessly connect customers across the Middle East as the new standard. By partnering with the right provider, this goal becomes more achievable than ever. Embracing de-centralization and establishing digital hubs across the globe will allow organizations to grow on a global scale. The time to act is now.

The MENA region is witnessing a remarkable digital transformation journey, presenting carriers with immense potential for growth. To capitalize on this opportunity, a unified approach to network expansion is crucial. By leveraging strategic partnerships, cloud connectivity, and comprehensive CPQ platforms, carriers can overcome challenges, streamline operations, and provide a seamless digital experience across the region. Embracing these strategies will empower carriers to become critical enablers of digital transformation in the MENA region and beyond.

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Driving Growth with Low Latency Networks

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In todays interconnected world, the accelerating digital environment and real-time communication is becoming an essential requirement of everyday life. The Middle east region is readily embracing more and more technologies and increasingly recognising the pivotal role that low latency networks play in driving growth and enhancing user experience. Consumers now expect carriers to deliver low latency routes, even when using the most demanding applications and services. It is not enough to simply provide a connection.

According to Future Market Insights, the digital transformation market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is expected to reach a massive $298.2 billion in 2032. The challenge is to provide uninterrupted connectivity while maintaining a consistent global experience.

Low latency networks are primarily characterised by maintaining a minimum delay in data transmission which is a key essential for applications that require real-time interaction and high bandwidth capabilities. Some of them include cloud computing, gaming, financial trading etc. In the context of the Middle East, where sectors like finance, logistics, and e-commerce are experiencing rapid growth, low latency networks can catalyse innovation, enhance productivity, and unlock new opportunities for businesses to compete on a global scale.

Users increasingly depend on low latency for anything from video conferencing to online gaming, so it’s crucial that carriers provide fast communication speeds to remain competitive in 2024. Carriers that prioritise low latency networks with the right partner will drive profitability and capture local and global growth.

A Streamlined Route to Connectivity

One of the key drivers of low latency network development in the Middle East is the region’s strategic position as a gateway between East and West. With its central location and proximity to major global markets, the Middle East serves as a critical hub large enterprise. By investing in low latency network infrastructure, countries in the region can strengthen their connectivity links with key trading partners in Europe, Asia, and Africa, enabling faster and more efficient exchange of goods, services, and information.

One of the biggest causes of high latency is distance. As digitalisation spreads, consumers need to communicate with servers either locally or internationally. The round trip delay (RTD) data takes to reach a client after they make a request can be significantly increased depending on how far the data travels. This time must be as short as possible, however, delays can be caused as travelling data needs to cross multiple networks. The more networks the data needs to pass through, the higher the chance for a delay to occur. This means the physical paths between point A and B should be as direct as possible or should follow a linear path. The right partner can provide customers with end-to-end low latency routes.

A network optimised for ultra-low latency can process a very high volume of data with minimal delays. They are specifically designed to provide organisations with real-time access and response to their data while streamlining communications. With a low latency solution, carriers can operate bandwidth-hungry applications with improved efficiency and reduced latency.

Navigating Political Shifts

Amid ongoing geopolitical shifts and regional uncertainties, the significance of transit telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has surged, representing a strategic imperative for connectivity and stability. While submarine cables have traditionally dominated discussions around international connectivity, the focus is now expanding to include terrestrial low latency transit infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks. This paradigm shift underscores the growing importance of diversification and strategic planning in the region’s telecom landscape as it triggers a linear path that allows a better user experience for the applications.

The development of such low latency transit telecom infrastructure in the Middle East comes with its own set of challenges. Issues such as regulatory barriers, cross-border cooperation, and investment constraints pose significant hurdles to the expansion and optimisation of transit networks in the region. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts from governments, regulatory bodies, telecom operators, and international stakeholders to create a conducive environment for investment, innovation, and collaboration in the transit telecom sector.

The Demand for Instant Communication

Immersive and high-definition (HD) video have become integral to users’ communications experiences. Post Covid, there has been a significant rise across MENA that have permanently embraced remote or hybrid working models, driving demand for consistent connections across different territories.

All of these factors have led to surging internet traffic, increasing the emphasis on low latency networks to ensure consumers don’t experience significant delays. Lag and down time create inefficiencies, which in turn leads to negative customer experiences.

Avoiding latency issues is essential for carriers to retain their competitive edge and flourish in a growing digital market. To achieve this, it is more important than ever that they focus on maximising user experience, enriching innovation efforts and enabling seamless communication between multiple locations. Deploying the right partner makes it simple for carriers to streamline communication and provide an enhanced user experience.

Creating a global connectivity development strategy centred around low latency networks presents a significant opportunity for driving growth and innovation in the Middle East. Telecom operators needs focus on investments in latency enhancing infrastructure, fostering regulatory environments, promoting collaboration and partnerships, developing talent, and prioritising cybersecurity. This will help countries in the region position themselves as leading hubs for digital connectivity and propel economic development in the years to come.

 

 

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Can Software-Defined WAN replace MPLS?

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Can Software-Defined WAN replace MPLS?

Let’s say, if you are managing a sizeable financial institution network, or a real-time broadcasting company that requires high-quality live video streaming via CDN (Content Data Network). It demands a high quality of service along with high-grade security. Sure, you are not going to use broadband. Instead, you will need to use a deep, powerful connection with reliable service levels, which is MPLS.

Traditionally, enterprises that have many locations have not typically wanted to rely on public networks. Because of this, MPLS networks is put into place in support of enterprises and their branches. But now, with the ever-increasing move to cloud-based applications, MPLS has proven sometimes to be insufficient to handle all the WAN requirements of today. Cloud applications, which sit in data centers outside of a company’s private network, must at some point pass through the public network before they reach the application. Hence, the value of an MPLS network is insufficient when cloud applications become critical to a company’s business.

What is the play of SD-WAN technology here?

SD-WAN is application and user aware, which allows it to direct traffic over the most effective route for high performance and low latency in near real-time. Real-time data or Mission -critical data will still be sent through MPLS, while other lower-priority apps like web traffic, emails can be sent over the public internet. Also, SD-WAN can reroute your data through alternative channels when your MPLS goes down, giving you the failover, you need without the cost of maintaining redundant connections.

When you think of network security, MPLS is a private network, which means that it isn’t exposed to outside hackers via the internet. Meanwhile, SD-WAN encrypts data to provide a secure overlay that is independent of medium. Together with traditional MPLS network security capabilities like secure web gateway services and next-gen firewalls, MPLS and SD-WAN work together to help keep data safe and sound.

If you are thinking of MPLS costs vs SD-WAN, remember that SD-WAN will help you cut some of your traditional MPLS costs, but not all of them. It will not help you eliminate MPLS; you still need that reliability. What SD-WAN can do is help you identify the need to scale your costy MPLS to meet your critical needs by instead letting software help maximize your current investment.

So, Can Software-Defined WAN replace MPLS?

Ultimately, it is not especially useful to compare SD-WAN vs. MPLS one-to-one—they are complementing to each other: that is, one is not an alternative for the other. And more precisely, one is not going to cannibalize or replace the other.

SD-WAN does let you use less expensive connections for some business applications. But in most circumstances, you are not going to replace all your MPLS connections once you switch to SD-WAN.

By
Srinivasan Arumugam

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Cybersecurity Essentials: Advice for Small Business Owners

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Protecting your small business against cyber-attacks can feel overwhelming. You might feel like there’s a new daily hacking scandal and worry that it’s only a matter of time before your small business gets hit. From leaked data and stolen credit card numbers to invasive viruses and malware, protecting your small business is a 24/7 job. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by your responsibilities, remember the following six cybersecurity essential tips for small business owners. You will feel more at ease and confident in your abilities to protect your business against malicious attacks.

1) Train your Employees. Employees are often one of the weakest points of entry for cyber-criminals. Especially in small businesses with high staff turnover rates, employees can unwittingly allow hackers to gain access to sensitive data. Educate your employees on your BYOD policy (bring your own device) and teach them their responsibilities when it comes to protecting your small business’ data. Ensure your team knows not to click on attachments in business emails, open links from unknown email senders, and give out passwords to over the phone to anyone, as they could be cyber-crooks.

2) Keep your Softwares Updated. It is your responsibility as a small business owner to ensure all company software is kept up-to-date. These include updates for SaaS products (software as a service) and mobile applications too. Whether you are using a Windows-based computer system or inventory-tracking software to monitor your products on-hand, all software patches and updates should be applied the moment they become available.

3) Make it a habit of reading Cybersecurity Blog. Phishing attacks are one of the most common ways cyber-fraudsters gain access to sensitive small business data. Understand the latest tricks hackers are using and inform your staff members of trending tricks cyber-criminals are using. Staying up-to-date on the newest cybersecurity trends is hard work, but not doing so can be disastrous for your small business. Make it a habit of reading cybersecurity blogs and follow some top cybersecurity pages at LinkedIn and Add RSS feeds to your daily reading feed.

4) Be smart by subscribing to a managed security packages. One of the smartest moves you can make as a small business owner is to identify a cybersecurity managed service provider and invest in a basic cybersecurity subscription. Work with a trusted managed security service partner and a cybersecurity expert to determine the best strategy for your type of business. The peace of mind you’ll acquire by merely knowing your small business has protection against cybersecurity losses and lawsuits is worth every penny of your monthly managed security subscription.

5) Learn to encrypt your data. Data encryption is essential for small business owners. From the sales receipts, you email to your e-commerce customers to the customer data you store on your company’s servers, every piece of your small business’ data should be encrypted to guard against data hacks. When you work with a cybersecurity adviser, they can assist you with understanding how your data is encrypted and what methods are being taken to ensure hackers can’t easily gain access to your business’ records.

6) Cyber-thieves look for data records even if you are a small business. Another crucial mistake many small businesses make is thinking they are too small for hackers to attack. The credit card data of your customers is all the motivation an online hacker needs to attempt to access your small business’ records. Cyber-thieves don’t only go after large corporations with millions of customer data records. They will attack a small business too if your cybersecurity measures aren’t kept up-to-date.

Remember these cybersecurity essentials for small business, and you have an increased chance of warding off hackers. Enlist the services of a cybersecurity company to perform a small-business security audit and then take action on any recommendations presented to you. With ongoing effort and attention to detail, you can protect your company against unwanted online intrusions that might jeopardize the future of your business.

Protecting your customer data is protecting your small business.

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