Dubai eGovernment and Tejari, have recently signed an MoU to cooperate in supporting Dubai Government’s strategy of integration, which is in line with efforts to consolidate Dubai’s stature in the global community. The agreement was signed by H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment, and Suhail Al Banna, CEO of Tejari.

The agreement focuses mainly on the exchange of resources, experiences and expertise to enhance the integration between the Government Resources Planning Systems provided by Dubai eGovernment and the e-Procurement program provided by Tejari. Within the framework of the new partnership, the two parties agreed to jointly organise technical workshops, which will discuss integration and development and will be attended by representatives from different government departments.

Also attending the MoU signing ceremony were Wissam Lootah, Assistant Director General, Huda Al Hashimi, Director of GRP Department, and Shadi Diab, e-Procurement Manager, on behalf of Dubai eGovernment; and Imtiaz Ali, Director of Advisory Services and Business Development, and Nisreen Moosa, Senior Consulting Services Executive, on behalf of Tejari.

Bin Humaidan welcomed the strategic partnership with Tejari as an important step towards strengthening integration and collaboration between government departments on one hand and its suppliers on the other, realising one of the most important priorities of the government. He further stated that the partnership seeks to enhance electronic services according to the highest standards of efficiency, safety and reliability, in line with the Dubai eGovernment’s “customer first” strategy.

“It is important that we cultivate cooperation as we continue to integrate Government Resources Planning System, expanding the scope of application and integrating procedures at various government departments. This will enable the government to enhance the speed, efficiency, effectiveness and ease in doing government transactions, which are optimised to meet customer needs and help accelerate the digital transformation of Dubai,” said Bin Humaidan.

For his part, Suhail Al Banna, praised the efforts of Dubai eGovernment in leading the development of electronic services and improving government performance in line with best practices and global standards. He further underlined the commitment of Tejari in promoting cooperation with Dubai eGovernment to support the process of integrating government eServices, Government Resources Planning System, e-Procurement and in realising their shared goals and aspirations of strengthening Dubai and the UAE’s leadership in the region in the field of eTransformation.

In-house printing capabilities of corporate reprographic departments help organizations generate average print savings of up to 30 per cent

November 1, 2011

Canon Middle East, a leader in imaging solutions, has urged corporate organizations and government entities to further boost cost savings by adopting new technologies in digital printing in their corporate reprographic departments (CRD). In a Canon sponsored research, it has been revealed that by 2012 up to 90 per cent of organizations are expected to reduce their offset printing requirements to below 30 per cent, creating a boom in demand for more cost-effective, production-level in-house printing solutions.

The study also showed that CRDs can help organizations generate average savings of 15 per cent of the cost of outside printing. Some CRDs could save up to 30 per cent if they operated more efficiently.

Naoshi Yamada, Deputy Managing Director, Canon Middle East, said: “Building on Canon’s focus on inspiring creativity and innovation, we have introduced state-of-the-art large format printers and multi-function devices that have dramatically increased the printing capabilities of organizations. Canon’s digital printing solutions can handle much longer runs reaching up to the low thousands, so it is now much easier, more cost-effective and highly practical for CRDs to conduct majority of print requirements in-house. Moreover, the full benefits of these hardware components are realized when they are used in conjunction with Canon’s business enabling software, providing complete end-to-end production workflow solutions including cloud computing functionalities.”

The five-colour imagePROGRAF iPF815 and iPF825, and the imagePRESS range are among the high-volume print devices for color and monochrome applications introduced by Canon that enable business organizations to digitally produce and manage majority of printing needs in-house. Moreover, Canon has developed complementary software applications that provide complete end-to-end production workflow solutions, along with accounting, cost management and customization options that meet the specific business needs of corporate and government organizations.

The imagePROGRAF iPF815 and iPF825 are 44-inch, high-speed color production large format printers that have been recently added to Canon’s CAD (Computer Aided Design) and GIS range. Featuring high-print speeds and extraordinary image quality, these printers have been designed for applications in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), Mechanical CAD (MCAD), Electronic Design Automation (EDA), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Point of Sale (POS) and other markets.

The imagePRESS range is another significant stride that reinforces Canon’s commitment to CRD customers, answering the need for high productivity and quality across a mix of color and black-and-white output. Canon has introduced three monochrome engines under the imagePRESS range, which are the imagePRESS 1110, 1125 and 1135. There is also the imagePRESS C6010 and C7010 series, which are perfect for digital colour production, and the imagePRESS C1+, which provides an affordable way of producing high-quality marketing collateral with excellent colour reproduction and the scope to use clear toner to achieve visually arresting printed effects.

4 ePay agreements concluded with government entities during Gitex

October 17, 2011

Dubai eGovernment Department along with its 27 government partners successfully concluded its participation in the 31st edition of Gitex Technology Week 2011 held in Dubai by reaffirming its commitment to digital transformation.

Dubai eGovernment’s participation in 2011 focused on the strategy of providing eServices from a customer’s perspective through the  concept of a connected government with the latest mobile applications in line with its commitment to fulfill the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for achieving government integration and facilitating government transactions so as to contribute to establishing Dubai’s pioneering position in a knowledge-based economy.

The unified Dubai eGovernment stand to accommodate 27 government entities was 2,300 square metres, to provide sufficient space and seating for government staff to respond effectively to customers and showcase their innovative eServices, mobile offerings and promotions which has led to more awareness and an increased take-up of eServices in Dubai.

H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment Department, said: “As always, we were delighted to host our government partners and to take part in Gitex 2011 in a connected and collaborative manner. We got a tremendous response and positive feedback from visiting individuals and the business community, many of whom were keen to understand more about our direct public services, core & channel enabling services, government resources planning services, collaboration, connectivity & infrastructure enabling services and policy, advisory & knowledge services.”

Bin Humaidan thanked all the government partners that had come together to participate in the unified eGovernment stand and appreciated their trust and ongoing support year after year. He also thanked the eGovernment Gitex organizing committee and valued their efforts, while reiterating the Department’s determination to move forward on the journey of excellence towards digital transformation, as it continued to ease the lives of those doing dealing with the government.  This would be done by providing a more secure, integrated and reliable eServices portal (Dubai.ae) for customers of Dubai government departments to have easy access to eServices, complete government transactions and make electronic payments in a smooth and convenient manner.

During Gitex 2011, Dubai eGovernment Department signed ePay agreements with Dubai Public Prosecution, Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation, Dar Al Ber Society, and Noor Dubai Foundation. These agreements make it convenient for such entities to accept online payments easily and effectively and now bring the number of entities successfully using ePay to 24.

Following its success in previous years, the Department together with Dubai Police, RTA, Dubai Customs & Dubai Courts organized and promoted the ‘Best Online Customer’ campaign with daily raffle draws that included iPads, iPhones & Blackberry phones. As part of this promotion, Dubai eGovernment also conducted a customer satisfaction survey for Dubai.ae - the official website of Dubai Government and received over 1000 respondents. The survey is still open to members of the public with details available on Dubai.ae.

Smartphone and tablets lead to surge in app usage in UAE government and private sector

Dubai, October 11, 2011: Smartphone usage in the MENA region is increasing, with almost 70% of Smartphone users expected to upgrade their phone in the next 12 months, according to the AppsArabia Mobile Report – MENA. The report has stated that 82% of customers without a Smartphone want one, and 54% of them will have their first smart phone in the coming 12 months. The report also indicates that the GCC has the highest incidence of multiple Smartphone at almost 41% of the population (34% having 2 smartphones and 7% having 3 or more). This has led to a commensurate increase in app development and use.

Mohammed Johmani, CEO and Founder of O2 interactive (O2i) said: “Smartphone and tablet usage in the GCC is on the rise, which means many more apps are also being created, downloaded, bought and used by millions of users. 7 out of 10 Smartphone users use an app at least once every day and 35% of smart phone users who download apps frequently have bought at least one app in the last 30 days. This makes it very evident that customer engagement and organizational communication will both soon be occurring extensively through apps accessed through Smartphone and tablet devices in the very near future.”

“Tablets are becoming a trend in the GCC in general and in the UAE in particular. Consumers are bringing their tablets to the workplace and using them for their jobs. Salespeople are using them in pitch presentations, while marketers are formulating their campaigns around them,” he said.

The UAE government has realized this, and public sector entities and departments are increasingly utilizing mobile and social media applications to engage and interact with their customers, improving response times and opening channels of communication. This has also spurred interest in apps development, with recent statistics looking at the first three quarters of 2011 showing that the UAE hosts almost 60 percent of the mobile application development in the Middle East region.

“The widespread use of a new generation of smart phones, the increasing computing time spent daily, and the well-developed ICT infrastructure in the UAE, has been a major factor behind the rise of mobile and social media apps in the country,” said Johmani.“The success of apps in the entertainment, music and games industries has motivated government entities to complement web-based services with mobile apps.”

Currently, almost 30 government mobile applications are available in the UAE, and are proving to be beneficial in providing better services to customers faster. The trend of using mobile apps to transact and engage with businesses will soon overcome desktop computing. In the next 2 years, it is expected that customers in the UAE will be able to pay all their bills and request services such as money transfers through their mobile phones.”

“We have been very active in the last quarter developing unique mobile applications and interactive social media games for our customers”, said Johmani. “Our Interactive arm, O2i is working on many projects for government and private sectors. A good example is the SCAD Census challenge that we launched earlier on Facebook, and the Children’s city’s games that were done for Dubai municipality.”

Yet, while apps are in high demand, and the infrastructure for app development is slowly being created, Johmani believes there is a dearth of investors currently willing to support the new market, which means that opportunities are being missed out on.

“The concept of stores such as App Store and Android Market has been growing very impressively in the GCC region,” added Johmani. “Unfortunately, the investors in the Arab world have not paid much attention to this rising era yet. We have ourselves tried to partner with investors many times, have noticed they are only ready to invest once the market is relatively mature. In the western world, for instance in the US, investors had leapt onboard far earlier in the conceptual stages because of their understanding of the sector’s potential.”

O2i, the interactive arm of O2 Network is a Dubai-based digital marketing solution company that provides one stop solution for digital requirements. The company has partnered with several successful clients indifferent industries with a focus on high quality, rapid delivery and excellent performance. O2i specializes in web design and development, search engine optimization, social media marketing, Facebook and mobile apps, email marketing and online advertising. For more information about O2i, please visit: www.o2i.ae

Platform receives 20,000 calls per month inquiring about eServices

July 16, 2011

H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan

Dubai eGovernment has recently revealed that a monthly average of 20,000 inquiries about online services of Dubai government entities have been received in the first half of this year by its unified contact centre AskDubai on phone number 700040000. This indicates the success of the call centre as an effective unified point of contact providing information services through multiple channels.

H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment Department, said: “AskDubai embodies eGovernment’s core vision based on easing the lives of citizens, residents, visitors and businesses as it plays a significant role in enhancing the quality and efficiency of the government services provided to various sections of society in the emirate, in both Arabic and English. The centre’s mechanism of work is based on enhancing the communication of customers with the participating government entities and replying to all their inquiries through a group of highly experienced and skilful specialists. We are happy about the growing interest of Dubai government departments and entities to adopt this shared service, which is expected to achieve a remarkable growth over the few coming years as a source of information for the public about the services provided by government entities”.

“These results clearly show the rising pace of eTransformation in Dubai and the growing response of customers to the adoption of online services for completing their government transactions on one hand and increasing their trust in the efficiency and security of these services on the other”, Bin Humaidan added.

AskDubai is a 24/7 open line that allows the public to communicate with any participating government department or inquire about any online service or information related to its scope of work in Arabic and English. The centre is unique for providing a comprehensive spectrum of channels that enables the public to submit complaints or suggestions or inquire about online services. These channels include telephone on 700040000, e-mail to help@dubai.ae and fax on 04-3303399.

It is noteworthy that AskDubai is managed and supervised by Dubai eGovernment as one of the shared services provided to government entities to be able to provide their services to the public through innovative channels. It replies to the callers’ inquiries about the online services provided by the participating government entities, these being Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, Department of Economic Development, Land Department, Dubai Chamber, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZA), Dubai Civil Defence, Awqaf & Minors Affairs Foundation, Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department, Dubai Customs, Dubai Public Prosecution, Dubai Courts, Dubai Autism Center and Dubai eGovernment itself.

Call aimed at delivering better government services in future

October 31, 2010

Dubai eGovernment has launched an online customer survey on Dubai.ae to measure customers’ ICT usage for completing their transactions with local government departments and gauge their satisfaction with government online services.

The survey, which is exclusively targeted at Dubai based citizens and residents, calls upon university students, working professionals, home-makers and retirees to ensure their opinion counts most for future planning and delivery of newer online services for the Emirate of Dubai.

Commenting on the survey, H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment Department, said: “This survey is in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister & Ruler of Dubai, for an integrated and transparent government that meets the needs of citizens, residents and businesses in Dubai. It also aligns with our ‘Customer Comes First’ strategy which ensures that we listen carefully to what our customer wants, before we engage and act upon their responses to deliver new customer-focused government services. We assure our customers that their opinions are extremely valuable to us and their responses will be used for statistical and analysis purposes in an anonymous manner.”

The customer surveys which can be accessed from either the top or bottom banner of Dubai.ae – the official portal of Dubai government; or from www.deg.gov.ae – the corporate website of Dubai eGovernment Department; can be undertaken completely online in either English or Arabic with separate surveys targeted at Dubai based university students, working professionals and home-makers/retirees in Dubai.

The first part of the survey measures the customer’s ICT skills, access to the Internet, opinion on cost and quality of internet access. The second part measures personal and business usage of the internet to gauge popularity and usage of social networking, online banking, online tickets & travel, online educational courses, online job search, and company usage of the internet for government services, while the final part of the survey measures most used government services online, reasons for usage/non-usage of government services and concludes with an open text area for customers to give their suggestions and feedback on how Dubai eGovernment can improve its online services.

Dubai eGovernment will continue to align its policies in line with its ‘Customer Comes First’ strategy and other than regular customer surveys intends to use social networking tools to ensure it always listens and responds effectively to the voices of its citizens, residents, business community and visitors.

Network capacity increases 300 per cent, information exchange 200 per cent faster

August 24, 2010

Dubai eGovernment’s Infrastructure Management Department has completed upgrades to the Government Information Network (GIN) as part of its commitment to facilitate the emirate’s eTransformation and develop faster and easier access to its eServices. GIN serves as the cornerstone of the electronic infrastructure connecting government systems that effectively transfers information and handles transactions.  

“For updating the Government Information Network, we used the advanced ‘Cloud Computing’ technology to connect both local government departments in Dubai and regular clients. This involved increasing capacity by up to 300 per cent for the main network lines in order to meet the growing demand for eServices, adopting advanced technologies that meet the highest international standards, and accommodating additional capabilities required by the introduction of new services in local departments to cater to the future needs of all community segments. Moreover, the speed of information exchange was also boosted by up to 200 per cent,” said Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment.

“Dubai eGovernment spares no effort to apply the world’s latest technologies, electronic components and infrastructure to make it easier for government departments to offer secure and high-quality eServices to the public and thus excel in their specialized fields. Our decision to adopt shared service systems is based on the cost savings, flexibility and operational efficiency made possible by such structures, which are in line with general trends influenced by current global economic conditions,” added Bin Humaidan.

Matar Al Humairi, Director of Infrastructure Management Department, Dubai eGovernment, commented: “These upgrades significantly enhance connectivity and enable highly-efficient servicing of departmental business 24 hours a day. They support the departments’ information requirements in line with the vision of providing a one-stop-shop for client transactions and include high-level security features to prevent external intrusions and interference.”

“The enhancements represent the second stage of plans set forth by Dubai eGovernment in 2009 to upgrade the electronic networks of 36 local government departments. This phase was originally intended to cover the main network lines only but eventually expanded to include spare lines as well. The latest upgrades constitute 50 per cent of the entire plan,” he added.

Describing the benefits of the upgrades, Al Humairi said: “The network improvements have resulted in a 50 per cent increase in internet speed and therefore higher inter-departmental connectivity and communications. They have also enabled departments to gain access to advanced technologies and have substantially helped reduce operational costs.”

The Infrastructure Management Department, which  handled the implementation of the GIN upgrades, is one of three Dubai eGovernment sections that also include eServices and Government Resource Planning (GRP). Over the past few years Dubai eGovernment has built a unified, safe, cost-effective and highly reliable government information network to underpin Dubai’s electronic infrastructure. This network is managed by dedicated personnel who enforce policies for external connections and constantly monitor performance to guarantee uninterrupted work and immediate intervention during emergencies.

Leads delegation of 43 private & government sector representatives

February 7, 2010

UAE Minister of Foreign Trade (MoFT) H.E. Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi has today (Sunday, February 7, 2010) begun a visit to India to enhance trade cooperation and promote investment opportunities available in the UAE. She is being accompanied by a delegation of 43 representatives from the public and private sectors.

The visit, which concludes on February 12, 2010, includes a promotional tour across four Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The delegation will also participate in the second edition of the annual Arab-India Partnership Conference slated from February 8 to 9, 2010 in New Delhi under the umbrella of the India-Arab Cooperation Forum.

H.E. Sheikha Lubna will be joined by other MoFT officials including Director General H.E. Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh and Mrs. Halla Lootah, Director of MoFT’s Government Communications Relations Department. Other delegates will represent the Ministry of Economy; the Central Bank; the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi; the Dubai Department of Economic Development; the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority; the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company; the Fujairah Free Zones Authority; the Sharjah Free Zones Authority; the Ras Al Khaimah Free Zones Authority; the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority; the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry; and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

National companies along with a number of officials from foreign banks and international companies operating in the UAE are also included in the trade and investment mission.

The Minister assured that the UAE is committed to enhancing its ties with its foreign trade partners in line with its policy of accelerating the pace of economic growth and strengthening the pillars of comprehensive development in the Emirates’ various sectors. She explained that this would be achieved through economic openness, trade liberalization, the encouragement of foreign investments into the country, and the promotion of private-sector participation in the development process.

H.E. Sheikha Lubna emphasized that MoFT plays a vital role in promoting the UAE’s position as a leading trade centre at the regional and international levels. She also noted that the Ministry is eager to open new markets for national products and exports that can compete with the quality of goods available within the global markets.

The MoFT official pointed out that India is a big consumer market that can also accommodate national products matching the quality of international goods. She also stated that the UAE is the largest Arab trading partner of India, noting that the value of non-oil trade between the two countries reached around USD 32.1 billion or 15 per cent of the UAE’s total foreign trade volume with the rest of the world.

H.E. underscored the importance of the ongoing cooperation between the government agencies, investors and businessmen from the UAE and India in leveraging investment opportunities and launching promising economic projects that can serve the interests of the two strategic partners.

She noted that the UAE’s geographical location and high-profile services offered by UAE ports enable India to boost its re-export trade and better market Indian products and while providing it with access to a large regional market of 300 million consumers.

During her promotional tour through the four cities, H.E. Sheikha Lubna will meet with ministers and representatives of Indian trade and economic establishments to discuss enhanced bilateral cooperation and explore available opportunities. These aim to encourage joint investment projects that can tap the Emirates’ trade and investment capabilities.

The other UAE representatives will also meet Indian government departments and economic and investment establishments to discuss the creation of promising investment opportunities and the development of a framework of joint cooperation. The Sharjah-based Indian Trade and Exhibition Centre in the Middle East will also highlight the success stories of Indian investors in the UAE in addition to the rich opportunities available in various sectors.

During the Arab-India Partnership Conference, H.E. Sheikha Lubna will deliver a speech focusing on UAE strengths and capabilities that have played an important role in addressing global challenges. She will also discuss the great opportunities currently available in various sectors, especially those involving non-oil businesses, which have the potential to spur further cooperation between the two countries.

The first day of the Arab-India Partnership Conference will feature a Ministerial Session where a number of Arab finance and trade ministers will talk about the cooperation and mutual relations between India and the Arab World. Other sessions will discuss investment opportunities available in common fields such as infrastructure, energy, small and medium industries, social infrastructure and communications and information technology. Some sessions will focus on how to invest in Arab countries and capitalize on the productive relations with India. Indian representatives will highlight the local investment environment as well as opportunities for cooperation in training and developing qualified workforce for the different areas.

• Retains certification for second consecutive year

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Emcredit the UAE’s first government-backed credit bureau, Read the full story

Setting project management standards helps ensure smooth progress of sector, says CMCS

Bassam Samman, CEO & Founder of CMCS

The AED 1.25 trillion worth of construction projects in the UAE, which represent 81 per cent of the country’s total project value of AED 1.54 trillion, has highlighted the importance for real estate developers to adopt stricter measures to avoid project failures and delays that result in substantial losses to individual companies and the economy as a whole, Read the full story