There are numerous opportunities for small and medium organizations in the IT sector in the Middle East, said Simon Field, executive partner at Gartner. "By 2015, Big Data demand, as predicted by Gartner, will reach 4.4 million IT jobs globally, but only one-third of these jobs will be filled. This indicates that there are not enough skills, and skill gaps mean opportunities. So, it is time for small and medium organizations to up their ante to exploit the situation and make efforts to find niche opportunities."
He added, "The top three strategies for the 2013 GCC region include focusing on the delivery business; improving IT security; and improving the IT organization and workforce. People's behavior is at the core of the nexus of forces."
IT spending in the Middle East is projected to total $192.9 billion in 2013, a 5.5 per cent increase from 2012, according to the latest forecast by Gartner.
Fahad Al Abri, director general of the Digital Society Development Division at the ITA, noted that the Sas Programme–an ICT business development initiative and a state-of-the-art business designed to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) build a robust ICT sector in Oman–has initially targeted 60 companies; of these, 30 will operate through Sas, while the other 30 will operate through a virtual model. "So far, we have 12 companies out of the 30 targeted companies for Sas. We are confident that this figure will double by the end of the year."
He further added, "Even Prince Charles, who visited us at the Knowledge Oasis Oman, was impressed by the Sas initiative. To facilitate the growth of ICT-enabled businesses in Oman, the Sas Programme offers training workshops and seminars to entrepreneurs, covering all aspects of starting up and running a business."
Times of Oman
25 March
