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Speakers 
 Mr Soubhi Abdulkarim,
IT Manager,
ASPIRE Sports Academy
Soubhi Abdulkarim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in IT technologies from the University of Phoenix, and Portland State University, USA in addition to many advanced training certificates in engineering and management. He has worked in the field of technology since 1981, playing key roles in developing and implementing new technologies in the marketplace as a Senior Architect at Intel Corporation, such as AGP, USB, and DVD. Furthermore, he holds patents in his name in the field of PC power management, as well as many other awards for his contribution to the advancement of computer technologies. It is with those credentials that Mr Abdulkarim builds a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure at ASPIRE.
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 Dr Salem Al Rowaihi,
IT Strategic Planner, Information Technology,
Saudi Aramco
Dr. Al-Rowaihi holds a Ph.D. in Computer and Communications Engineering, a M.Sc. in Electronic Systems Engineering, a B.Sc. in Electronic Computer Systems Engineering, a High Diploma in Telecommunications and a Diploma in Electrical Technology. He also holds the following professional certifications from the Storage Networking Industrial Association (SNIA): Architect, Systems Engineer, Professional, Fibre Channel (FC) Specialist, FC Practitioner and FC Professional. In addition, he is also a Sun Certified Storage Architect, and has numerous publications in various technical journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Al-Rowaihi is currently working as a senior Strategic IT Planner, with the Information Technology Planning Division of Saudi Aramco IT, focusing on the Storage Networking Infrastructure and UNIX platforms.
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 Bader Al-Awadhi,
IT Team Leader,
Kuwait Oil Company
Joined the Information Technology Group of Kuwait Oil Company as a Programmer in 1982, Analyst Programmer 1983, Senior Programmer1989, Senior Systems Analyst 1994, and Information Technology Operations Team Leader 2004. Through out the years, had worked in the administration, support and planning of mid-range computers for both the Commercial and Technical Systems. The work had ranged from installation and support of Operating Systems and related systems software (Plotters, Printers, Backup), hardware acquisition and procurement, planning and implementing major and minor hardware/software upgrades, support of Disaster Recovery plan, leading teams to plan and execute operating systems related projects. Had introduced a major complete system to automate the administration and monitoring of various scattered mid-range computers, centralize the data tape backup, and centralize the scattered data storage into SAN Technology.
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 Mr Abdulla Ali Al-Madani,
Head of Operations and Network Services,
Dubai Municipality
Abdulla Al Madani is a senior information systems professional with over 12 years of experience in information and related technologies. Abdulla is currently the Head of the Operations and Networking Section within Dubai Municipality and is responsible for the management and provision of efficient IT infrastructure and network services to over 2800 users working across 97 remote sites which support both internal systems and Dubai Municipality's successful e-Government portal. Abdulla has been involved in managing the delivery of a number of successful infrastructure projects that aim to support Dubai Municipality in its quest to be an intrinsic contributor to the overall growth and success of Dubai. Abdulla was also involved in setting up the PC unit and in re-engineering the processes and procedures within the Operations & Network Service Section within Dubai Municipality.
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 Fawaz Bassim,
IT Infrastructure, Operations and Support Manager,
Wataniya Telecom
Fawaz Bassim has occupied the position of IT Infrastructure manager at Wataniya
Telecom for more than a year. He has worked in the Telecom sector for the past 10 years and was previously at France Telecom Mobile Lebanon where he was responsible for planning, designing and supporting the overall IT infrastructure. Mr Bassim is currently working on a project to unify Wataniya's storage environment and approach.
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 Mr Khalid Bastaki,
Systems and Network Manager,
Public Warehousing Company
The Public Warehousing Company Sulaibia, Kuwait
2002 - Current
Information Technology Department, Systems & Network Manager
Responsibilities
•??Currently managing IT operations for PWC Logistics IT operations with more then 200 servers deployed in 5 countries, Multiple SAN Deployments, an international Private Network consisting of more then 300 Network Devices.
•??In Charge of all new site roll-out projects, design of the overall expansion projects and upgrades management for the IT Infrastructure at PWC
•??Systems and Networks Designer and implementation manager for all Customs Modernization projects at many nations such as Kuwait, Pakistan, South Africa, and Syria.
•??Management the Systems and Network Administration Team of more then 30 Team members in seven countries
•??Member of Tender Development response team for all PWC projects from the IT aspect
Key Accomplishments
•??Designed the corporate directory services, Messaging system, private and public Network Layout to accommodate for regional operations expansions and rapid growth of company Infrastructure
•??Created and implemented standard infrastructure templates and roll-out plans for regional expansion projects.
•??Created standard operations procedures and guidelines for all IT operations and reduced total cost of ownership for company IT assets.
•??Developed preventative maintenance programs, security management systems, disaster recovery plans for all IT operations across all sites and countries.
•?Developed and maintained standard procurement and support programs for the company with various global companies such as HP, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems
•?Participated in many government tenders, budgeting and project management of multiple multi million projects such as food supply contracts to the U.S Military in Kuwait and Iraq, Customs Modernization tenders for many nations, and Joint Venture agreements with Various PWC partners.
The Boeing Company Bellevue, Washington
2001 - 2002
Global Technical Integration, Worldwide Computing Operations
•?Conducted extensive testing on Boeing Security components, custom encryption products, VPN Clients, Firewalls, and Windows 2000 security models, granular control implementation policies, OU security model functionality, remote access restriction tools, Password Update tools
•?Participated in windows 2000 international domain development, testing, validation of group policy and granular control functionality. Startup and logon script functionality, reliability, security features, and low connectivity operations behavior improvements.
•?Participated in designs, configurations, and modifications of various computing products and applications for international customers, including Export/Import compliance validation, redesign application functionality for low bandwidth, high latency environments.
•?Developed and enhanced Boeing data Backup and restore tools functionality, reliability, and backup security model for the enterprise backup and migration solution.
•?Implemented Security policies for Enterprise backup solutions, including Data Encryption Cipher Strength Limitation, Backup through tunneling Functionality.
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 Mr David Beck,
Regional Manager MEA,
StorageTek
With an Honours Degree in Computing Science and 18 years experience (7 of which in the Middle East) David Beck set up the StorageTek Dubai operation in August 2001 covering the Middle East and Africa region. Beck has had many roles in his 18-year IT career, from Technical Support to Marketing, Strategic Relations to Corporate Sales and Training to Management, but throughout this broad exposure he has maintained his technical edge and presentation dynamism.
Prior to StorageTek, Beck set up VERITAS software Middle East. Previously, Beck worked for Novell in the UK, USA and Dubai for twelve years.
Beck graduated from North Staffordshire University UK, in 1986.
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Mr Marcus Chambers,
Operations Director, EMEA Storage, Optical and WAFS Networking Group,
Cisco Systems
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 Alexandru Duca,
Manager of Information Technology,
Salalah Port Services Co
Alexandru Duca is Manager of Information Technology of Salalah Port Services since October 2004. He commenced his career as Manager of a self owned IT company which delivered IT solutions and services for maritime industries in 1997 after completing his studies in Computer Science.
In 2002, Alexandru joined APM Terminals Romania as IT Manager. During his tenure, he planned, developed and implemented the IT Infrastructure of a new Container Terminal at the Black Sea, in Constanta. He also actively involved in global projects of the company such as the Terminal Operating System, Terminals Administration System as well as developing and implementing business solutions for several large container terminals.
Alexandru has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Galati University.
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 Mr Alaa El Shafei,
Vice President, Infrastructure,
Xceed Contact Center
Mr. Alaa El Shafei is heading a team responsible for the design and operation of the infrastructure of Xceed's customer contact center. Mr. El Shafei is also cross-functionally involved in the implementation of numerous telecommunications systems within Telecom Egypt such as fault management, workforce management, customer relationship management, helpdesk management, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
Mr. El Shafei has over 15 years of experience in the IT industry. Throughout his career he has fulfilled both managerial and technical positions. Prior to joining Xceed, Mr. El Shafei founded Bayanet, a software provider for a wide variety of industries and took on an active role as its managing director. Through Mr. El Shafei’s leadership and vision, Bayanet created the first Application Service Provider (ASP) in Egypt. Prior to founding Bayanet, Mr. El Shafei was the General Manager of STANDARDATA S.A., an implementer of ERP applications in Egypt and the Middle East.
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Tariq Elsadik,
Group IT Manager,
Al Fahim Group
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 David Gingell,
Vice President Marketing, EMEA,
EMC Software Group
David Gingell is responsible for EMEA marketing activity for the EMC Software Group. As the driving force behind a 20-strong team, David's role is to promote the company's information and content management capabilities across the region. He is widely quoted in the media and is a regular speaker at industry conferences and seminars.
Prior to the acquisition of Documentum by EMC in 2003, David served as VP and marketing director of Documentum EMEA, where he was responsible for marketing the Documentum product portfolio across the EMEA region. Prior to that he directed global marketing for the financial services sector. He joined the company in 1995 and ran the partner channel across Europe where he was responsible for indirect sales channels including VARs, distributors and systems integrators.
David's 20+ year career in the technology industry spans marketing and sales positions at Oracle; pre-sales management at Ingres, and pre-sales and technical roles at Unisys. David began his career at ICL as a graduate trainee.
David holds an MBA from Henley Management College and a BSc from the University of Swansea, Wales.
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 Dr Ramzi Haraty,
Financial Officer and Director of Membership,
Arab Computer Society
Ramzi A. Haraty is an associate professor and the chairman of the Division of Computer Science and Mathematics at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon. He is also the Chief Financial Officer of the Arab Computer Society. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from Minnesota State University - Mankato, Minnesota, and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from North Dakota State University - Fargo, North Dakota. His research interests include database management systems, artificial intelligence, and multilevel secure systems engineering. He has well over 80 journal and conference paper publications. He is a member of Association of Computing Machinery, Arab Computer Society and International Society for Computers and Their Applications.
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Mr Phil Jones,
Director, Strategic Planning, EMEA,
Hitachi Data Systems
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 Mr Jason Phippen,
Director, Product Marketing,
Computer Associates
Jason Phippen is responsible for CA’s BrightStor Product Marketing across EMEA.
Prior to joining CA, Jason was Director of EMEA Product and Solutions Marketing at VERITAS.
With 16 years experience in the storage industry, Jason has held senior positions in a number of organizations including, Digital Equipment Corporation and MTI Technology.
He is the current Vice Chairman for SNIA Europe.
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 Mr Brent Pienaar,
IT Coordinator,
Dubai Women's College
Mr Pienaar currently performs the function of IT Manager at Dubai Women’s College, part of the Higher Colleges of Technology. He is responsible for the entire IT function on campus and has played a key role in developing the campus into one of the most technologically relevant institutions in the region by ensuring students and staff have access to state of the art network and computing infrastructures.
He joined Dubai Women’s College from South Africa in 1998. During his time at the college obtained his Master in Information Systems (Business Information Technology) from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. He also holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science. He has more recently been awarded his CISA and CISSP certifications.
Mr Pienaar has more than 12 years experience in the IT field and was recently named as one of the top 10 Middle East IT Managers of 2004 by the Arabian Computer News.
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Mr Bob Plumridge,
Director, Software Marketing,
Hitachi Data Systems
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Paul Ransted,
Business Technologist,
Computer Associates
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 Mr Daniel Sazbon,
Manager, Storage Networking Sales, EMEA,
IBM
Daniel is the IBM Manager for Storage Networking Sales EMEA, responsible for the deployment of SAN and NAS advanced solutions. Daniel is also a founding member and ex-Vice Chairman of SNIA Europe (Storage Networking Industry Association), and is currently a Member of the Board and Director for SNIA Strategic relationships.
Daniel joined IBM in 1982, and held different positions in the Networking Division. In 1999 he joined the Storage Division, and led the SAN initiative for IBM since then.
Daniel holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Toulouse University in France, and several publications and patents during his professional career at IBM.
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 Aref Sifi,
Senior Systems Administraor,
Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority
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 Mr Jon William Toigo,
CEO,
Toigo Partners International
Jon William Toigo is CEO and Managing Principal of Toigo Partners International LLC, an independent consultancy and technical research & analysis firm focused on providing actionable guidance to IT decision makers, and chairman of The Data Management Institute LLC, a professional development organization for those who design, plan, manage and administer storage infrastructure and data assets.
He is a 20-year IT veteran who has worked both as an operative within corporate information systems departments and as a senior consultant with two international systems integrators. He is also a prolific writer with 15 books and over 1000 articles in the technology trade press to his credit. His technology columns in popular print and on-line media garner a loyal readership of more than 500,000 per month.
In May 2003, Toigo founded Toigo Partners International as an alternative to current IT research & analyst practices that focus on “supply side” trends and largely fail to provide IT consumers with information they need to make informed and intelligent choices. Products offered by TPI focus on the business value that can be derived from technology acquisitions and feature methodologically consistent comparisons of competing solutions. TPI also facilitates developers of new technologies with guidance on product design that will enable them to deliver products that have real value to global consumers. The company has a presence in six countries.
Toigo also founded the Data Management Institute to encourage a greater sense of identity and community among IT professionals responsible for storage infrastructure management and data administration. DMI offers training and certification in storage management and data protection planning. It also provides a community where storage managers can compare notes and share views and experiences with respect to storage technologies. The goal of DMI is to establish data management as a profession within the IT field. Strategic partners of the company include CMP Media LLC and Boston University.
Toigo has published over 2000 articles in the computer trade press for publications worldwide ranging from Computerworld, Network Computing, Scientific American, and Washington Technology to Enterprise Systems, SearchStorage, SNWOnline, and Storage Pipeline.
He has also written fifteen books, including The Holy Grail of Network Storage Management (Prentice Hall PTR: 2003), Disaster Recovery Planning 3rd Edition: Preparing for the Unthinkable (Prentice Hall PTR: 2002), The Holy Grail of Data Storage Management (Prentice Hall: 2000), and The Essential Guide to ASPs (Prentice Hall: 2001). Forthcoming titles include Cost-Containment: Evaluating and Implementing Business-Savvy IT Strategy, due in 2004.
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