In 2023, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) saw significant technology advancements in renewable energy, smart cities, healthcare, and cybersecurity. This includes increased investment in solar and wind power, the implementation of smart city projects, the adoption of telemedicine and AI-driven diagnostics, as well as efforts to enhance cybersecurity infrastructure. These innovations demonstrate the region’s dedication to utilizing technology for economic progress, sustainable development, and enhancing citizens’ quality of life. The notable advancements made in the artificial intelligence (AI), which has further touched every aspect of technology like cloud computing, cybersecurity, and sustainability is setting the tone for 2024. Syeda Beenish, Associate Editor, channel360mea reports the key technological trends that are expected to reign in 2024.
The last one decade, with the exception of the two years of pandemic-related lockdown, the MEA region has experienced a significant digital revolution characterized by the widespread integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Nations such as South Africa, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have become hubs of technical growth, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the region. Innovations in e-commerce, healthcare, finance technology (fintech), and renewable energy are driving regional economic growth as well as social change.
“More Culturally Customized AI and smart assistants will likely be more tailored to various cultural and linguistic nuances. This includes support for multiple regional languages and dialects and an understanding of local customs and social norms. For instance, with languages that have multiple dialects, like Arabic, the goal is to have assistants consistently respond in the same dialect as the speaker, ensuring a seamless, more personalized experience.
Universal Translators Modern LLMs are already good at translating text. But we will see them get even better soon: we are heading towards a future where LLMs, or LLM-powered software and devices, will know all the languages and will be able to translate anything, no matter what the language pair”
Samer Mohamad, Yasmina Regional Director for MENA, Yango Smart
These revolutionary technologies are expected to be crucial in stimulating economic growth, encouraging innovation, and advancing sustainable development across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Organizations trying to update their technology and procedures while gaining a competitive edge have been focusing on digital transformation (DX) for a while now. In today’s age of digital business, they digitize processes to cut costs and boost efficiency, while looking for new digital revenue sources. In contrast to traditional, non-digital spending, which is stagnant or even falling, spending on digital technology is rising. Customers, workers, partners, and suppliers now anticipate digital experiences, and this has to do with expectation.
The speed at which change has occurred in the last 12 months has been remarkable, even for those of us who have worked in the IT sector for decades. Undoubtedly, technology advancements are presenting us with immense prospects and intricate obstacles unlike anything we have encountered previously, and they don’t seem to be slowing down. Keeping up with the changes and their effects on suppliers, consumers, and regulators requires commitment, tenacity, and attention.
“In the age of generative AI, organizations that prioritize speed over security will inevitably introduce new vulnerabilities. Growing complexity of IT environments, particularly in cloud and hybrid architectures, will make it more challenging to monitor and detect living-off-the-land (LOTL) attacks. Attackers are increasingly turning to LOTL techniques that use legitimate management software already present on victim systems to achieve their malicious objectives. To make things worse, LOTL attacks can be incorporated into supply chain attacks to compromise critical infrastructure and disrupt operations.
Today it seems that organizations need security orchestration, automation, and incident response (SOAR), security information and event management (SIEM), vulnerability management tools, and threat intelligence services, as well as programs like configuration management, incident response, penetration testing, and governance, compliance, and risk.”
Sander Vinberg, Senior Threat Researcher, F5 Labs
AI Growing to be Omnipresent
Conversational AI applications, such as chatbots, virtual assistants, and voice recognition systems, have grown in popularity. It has begun to affect all fields of technology. The most notable example is that AI-powered security solutions are becoming increasingly crucial in preventing cyber-attacks and protecting digital assets. Machine learning algorithms monitor network traffic patterns, discover anomalies, and flag potential security breaches in real time, allowing businesses to respond quickly to changing threats. Furthermore, AI plays an important role in data management, including data cleansing, categorization, and analysis, allowing businesses to make timely and educated decisions.
“Reducing CAPEX objectives, cybersecurity concerns, smart city projects, and governmental initiatives have led to an increase in the number of local cloud providers in the Middle East. Furthermore, 2023 saw many hyperscalers opening their local datacenters in multiple countries in the region such as UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. Therefore, in 2024, we will see more digital services for government and private sector organizations running in hybrid clouds.
Right now, most countries in the Middle East do not have clear legalizations for using generative AI tools which puts all organizations and individuals at risk of breaching privacy regulations. Furthermore, the laws are incredibly vague at the moment leaving them open for misinterpretation and misuse. In 2024, it is expected that the efforts for regulatory entities in the Middle East will be focused on regulating the usage of data in autonomous and semi-autonomous systems.”
Mohamad Rizk, Regional Director, Middle East & CIS, Veeam Software
AI usage in the MEA region has been continuously expanding, especially in healthcare, finance, and transportation. AI applications in natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning are expected to advance, resulting in increased automation and efficiency across multiple industries. AI-driven solutions for tailored healthcare, predictive analytics for finance, and smart city efforts are all expected to become more prevalent in 2024.
According to new Salesforce data, 85% of IT leaders expect AI to enhance developer productivity at their firms over the next three years, which is a welcome respite given the 39% spike in IT requests in the previous year. However, 62% said their business isn’t yet ready to synchronize data systems to fully exploit AI, which is slowing the transformation and putting additional burden on their staff.
“As the lines between our physical and digital lives continue to blur, our world is increasingly moving towards a future where digital identity is foundational to social and economic mobility – which presents significant regulatory, ethical and practical implementation questions. In the next year, we will see these changes drive an urgent call to action as identity technology becomes more integrated in our everyday lives. This could mean improving access to mobile smartphones, ensuring apps use basic language instead of technical, offering setup assistance at major travel points, etc. In 2024, progress must be made to make digital identity truly inclusive and accessible to all.”
Smarter and Easy to Use Smart assistants are expected to grow more intelligent and human-like. How? By combining with LLMs. This is what most smart assistant developers want to work on in the coming year. Many AI assistants currently contain an LLM at their core, which is necessary for them to sustain continuous, interesting interactions; however, combining assistants with more complicated LLMs (such as ChatGPT-3.5 and 4) would make them more context-aware, creative, and emotionally intelligent.
“As a top business priority for 2024, cybersecurity consolidation promises decreased cost and complexity but not increased cyber efficacy. Businesses will learn that consolidation does not equal platformisation, and projects focused on cost efficiency without a focus on optimisation and better security outcomes will fall short. Businesses should leverage an innovative cyber partner that can help consolidate but also focus on real-time and autonomous security outcomes while improving simplicity and integration.
At least 50% of organisations across critical infrastructures, such as financial services or national security, will launch projects to assess the impact of emerging quantum computing on their cybersecurity posture.”
Haider Pasha, Head of the CSO Team, EMEA and LATAM, Palo Alto Networks
Good to be on Cloud
The requirement for scalable and adaptable IT infrastructure has fueled the growth of cloud usage throughout the MEA. Enterprises in the region are expected to use cloud computing for data storage, application development, and digital transformation activities, resulting in more agility and cost savings. By 2024, the MEA area is predicted to experience substantial growth in cloud services such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), with Communications Platform as a Service entering the ranks.
“One of the most notable predictions for 2024 is likely to be the continued rise of cryptocurrencies. We predict that crypto will play an increasingly important role in diversifying investment portfolios and facilitating cross-border transactions, thereby reshaping the global financial landscape. In tandem with the ascent of cryptocurrencies, the rise of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) is set to be a defining trend in 2024. Several central banks around the world are actively exploring or developing their own digital currencies, aiming to modernize payment systems and enhance financial inclusion.
Next, the convenience and accessibility of mobile payments have made them increasingly popular, and this trend is set to accelerate in 2024. Fintech companies are likely to invest further in developing user-friendly mobile payment solutions, fostering a cashless society.”
Nigel Green, CEO, deVere Group.
Also, according to Gartner, cloud security spending is expected to record an increase of 17.4%, the second highest growth rate in 2024. The growing use of infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS), is projected to drive spending on cloud security resources. The adoption of multi-cloud environments has also resulted in increased security complexities, which has boosted the demand for cloud-based detection and response solutions, such as endpoint detection and response and management tools.
A recent IDC Market Presentation discussed the significance of cloud technology in accelerating AI advancement in the MEA area. It investigates how businesses are now using or intend to use the power of the cloud for their AI solutions.
“With the growing complexity of IT infrastructures, one of the biggest challenges for channel partners is staying updated. The rising adoption of cloud-native applications in several business sectors and the resulting explosive growth in cybersecurity threats have led to new, ever-evolving regulations in the MSP and MSSP space.
Channel partners have continuously evolved over the years, going from resellers to solution providers to MSPs to cloud driven MSPs and MSSPs. This is a clear indication that business model transformation is a continuous process. Thus, partners should embrace changes as they occur. There is a need for the market to consolidate because it is not efficient for companies to have a tool for every problem. The answer to this could be in the form of automation through AI and ML capabilities which could enable MSPs and MSSPs to take a unified approach for security platforms.”
Sujoy Banerjee, Associate Director, ManageEngine
AI has entered the surveillance sector, with most new network cameras integrating deep learning for enhanced analytics accuracy. These capabilities streamline cloud solutions by cutting bandwidth demands, minimizing cloud processing, and enhancing system reliability.
A word of caution is that in the age of generative AI, organizations that prioritize speed over security will inevitably introduce new vulnerabilities. 75% of enterprise data will be generated and processed outside of traditional data centers or the cloud. This paradigm redefines organizational boundaries, as edge workloads may contain sensitive information and privileges.
“Bert Platform Solution is used in various industries, including pharmaceutical formulation and API, cement manufacturing, and auto manufacturing. Pharma is a highly regulated industry, with deviations leading to license cancellations. Bert Platform Solution helps reduce energy consumption in HVAC systems, chillers, pumps, cooling towers, air handling units, and boilers. This results in a 30% power side and 20% fuel side reduction, reducing carbon footprint.
Our solution improves air and temperature efficiency in ovens, reducing fuel consumption from tar burners and fans. This reduces energy consumption by 30% and 20% in paint shops, impacting CO2 emissions and helping clients reduce their carbon footprint. This approach also reduces power consumption in motors and pumps supporting fans. Bert Platform Solution focuses on research and innovation, building products and platforms that the world can use.”
A 2023 survey of 50 cybersecurity and IT leaders in Saudi Arabia by Forrester Consulting for Tenable revealed that nearly 40% of cyberattacks on Saudi organizations succeeded. Additionally, Gartner forecasts a 12.1% increase in end-user spending on security and risk management (SRM) in the MENA region to reach $3.3 billion in 2024 compared to 2023. Whereas, in 2024, data privacy spending in MENA is expected to see the highest growth rate at 24% annually. Gartner forecasts end-user spending on security and risk management (SRM) in the MENA region to reach $3.3 billion in 2024, marking a 12.1% increase from 2023.
“The impact of every aspect of a security system will be under increased scrutiny, with vendors and customers needing to monitor, measure and, increasingly, report on a broad range of factors. We all accept that total cost of ownership (TCO) is an important measure, but security vendors will increasingly need to consider (and be transparent about) total impact of ownership, taking non-financial aspects into account, including environmental and societal. It will no longer be possible for vendors to operate in isolation of their own and their customers’ value chains. We have no doubt that 2024 will see further advancements in technology, and with that bring further challenges for us all to navigate. As ever, we’re looking forward to working with our partners and customers to ensure positive outcomes for all, within the sector and beyond.”
Johan Paulsson, CTO, Axis Communications
“Organizations are also strategically improving their defenses by adopting advanced technologies and security solutions which enable them to proactively identify potential vulnerabilities or malicious activities across various digital platforms,” shared Shailendra Upadhyay, Senior Research Principal at Gartner.
In 2024, businesses across various sectors, including security, are exploring generative AI applications. Security-specific uses, leveraging LLMs and generative AI, will emerge, such as operator assistants for improved scene interpretation and interactive customer support for enhanced responses. Additionally, the proven benefits of generative AI in software development will extend to the security industry.
“Companies will increasingly face a global web of more rigorous standards due to new climate-related reporting requirements — from the recently passed SB 253 in California to the upcoming SEC climate disclosure rule to the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. AI will be a crucial tool to help businesses meet these standards while reducing the burden of sustainability reporting.”
Suzanne DiBianca, EVP and Chief Impact Officer, Salesforce
This trend is transforming the CISO role into a Chief AI Security Officer (CAISO), utilizing AI models for proactive threat prediction through real-time and autonomous systems. This evolution presents a distinctive opportunity to unite business leaders and employ cybersecurity as the cornerstone for confidently developing AI-enabled digital projects.
In 2024, Cybersecurity will stay the top concern for organizations in the Middle East since ransomware attacks delay and impact their digital transformation objectives. 85% of UAE and Saudi Arabia organizations were subject to at least one ransomware attack in the last 12 months claims Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2023. Therefore, in 2024, organizations will invest more in cybersecurity, especially in data backup and recovery such as zero trust policies, AI-powered and built-in malware detection, and point-in-time recovery.’
Green is Better
Innovations in solar panel efficiency, energy storage solutions, and grid integration have made renewable energy sources more reliable and cost-effective. Investment in environmental strategies has increased significantly over the past five years, with the vast majority of businesses now tracking their impact on the planet while also planning similar future investment. In a recent study by GSMA Intelligence, supported by Huawei, 80% of surveyed consumers in 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Spain, and the UK, now consider climate change as the foremost global challenge.
The report also shared that 56% of Saudi nationals are willing to pay extra for carbon-neutral taxis, and approximately 60% are open to accepting a lower salary to work for an organization committed to reducing carbon emissions. Moreover, 60% of respondents prioritize climate or sustainability when making purchases, with 45% willing to pay more for products and services certified as carbon neutral. These findings reflect consumer alignment with the scientific consensus on climate change as the paramount long-term global challenge. From a business standpoint, it signals a growing trend of consumers making choices that prioritize environmental concerns.
“This year, expect to see the enhancement of channel metrics using SaaS growth metrics, so vendors can see the true impact of the channel amid a transition to the partner ecosystem. Measuring this impact will be critical in making a business case for investment in these emerging ecosystems. Vendors must get to grips with the different types of value added by the various types of partner; and traditional partner sales metrics don’t cut it. Even new metrics — partner influence, competency, and service quality, for example — do not capture the full value adds. That is why companies will look at impact through the lens of broader SaaS growth metrics such as customer lifetime value (CLTV), customer acquisition cost (CAC), and net recurring revenue (NRR). The region’s partner ecosystem has every reason to be upbeat about the year ahead.”
Rob Spee, SVP of Global Channels & Alliances, BeyondTrust
“There is a latent ‘green premium’ available for telecom operators if sustainability criteria can be embedded into product design and marketing. Consumers want to align with green brands and will pay for assured credentials on the products they buy, and there is a first-mover advantage still out there for companies to meet this demand,” said Tim Hatt, head of research and consulting at GSMA Intelligence.
The findings also revealed that UAE companies are in sync with the government’s dedication to eco-friendly practices. Senior executives recognize the benefits of these strategies for both the planet and their businesses, boosting profitability and competitiveness. Investments in sustainability strategies over the next three years will build upon the significant progress already achieved in tracking companies’ environmental impact through technology.
Crypto, the latest Vogue
One significant prediction for 2024 is the ongoing surge of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, the leading digital asset, has surged 155% in value over the past year, with this trend expected to persist as institutional investors, particularly through Bitcoin spot ETFs, bring substantial capital, expertise, and influence. The increasing acceptance of cryptocurrencies by traditional financial institutions, coupled with regulatory clarity in numerous jurisdictions, is poised to drive their mainstream adoption. Crypto is anticipated to play a pivotal role in diversifying investment portfolios and facilitating cross-border transactions, reshaping the global financial arena.
In 2024, the synergy between fintech and AI is expected to reach new heights, contributing to greater efficiency and innovation within the industry. Also, initiatives focused on financial inclusion are expected to gain momentum, with fintech companies leveraging innovative solutions such as mobile banking, microfinance, and blockchain to bridge the gap.
The fintech sector is set for remarkable growth and innovation. With the emergence of cryptocurrencies, CBDCs, AI, mobile payments, cybersecurity enhancements, and the push for global financial inclusion, the stage is set for a dynamic and transformative year. These trends are not only changing how financial transactions are carried out but also reshaping the global financial ecosystem itself.
Channel, Trusted Buddy!
In 2023, the Middle East witnessed a surge in emergent technologies such as AI and ML, driving digital transformation and disrupting various sectors. Channel partners faced a significant challenge in keeping pace with the growing complexity of IT infrastructures. The increased adoption of cloud-native applications across industries led to a sharp rise in cybersecurity threats and necessitated ongoing updates to regulations in the MSP and MSSP sectors.
As we enter 2024, the GCC channel must overcome lingering uncertainties amidst global challenges such as inflation and geopolitical unrest. Despite these obstacles, seizing opportunities is possible with strategic decision-making.
Successful partners are recognized as champions for customer success, as highlighted in a report by the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP). With the evolution of cloud computing, there has been a renewed focus on customer success, leading to the emergence of dedicated departments and managers. Cloud-native software vendors are leading this charge, some already establishing the role of Chief Partner Officer and actively recruiting for it. These executives are positioned to elevate partnering to company strategy and support its integration across departments.
In the realm of cybersecurity, where skills are scarce, end customers heavily rely on channel partners for implementation, integration, and testing. Consequently, partner success managers are expected to collaborate more closely with customer success managers.
Throughout 2024, many vendor partners are expected to integrate AI technology into their products and platforms. While the channel remains crucial for companies expanding into new markets, localizing content presents challenges in terms of time and cost. Vendors can empower distributors, resellers, and systems integrators with AI-driven platforms that generate sales scripts, marketing content, and learning resources in multiple languages. Several channel technology vendors have already begun incorporating AI into their self-service partner-enablement and partner-management platforms, providing tailored information to address specific market challenges.
A thrilling wind of change will continue…
The emergence of LLMs, driven by advancements in AI models, has sparked organizational interest in leveraging AI capabilities for automation. AI is not only seen as a strategic advantage but also as a vital asset for day-to-day operations in 2024.
Global regulatory frameworks are increasingly shaping technology development and application. Both vendors and end users must collaborate closely to ensure compliance with regulations governing areas such as AI, cybersecurity, sustainability, and corporate governance.
In the evolving partner ecosystem, partners are expected to contribute value across all departments, from marketing and sales to product development and service delivery. Channel leaders must ensure that colleagues recognize the potential for value addition and collaborate effectively to seize opportunities.
Staying abreast of emerging trends and technologies outlined in IT forecasts will enable organizations to adapt to the evolving work culture and capitalize on opportunities, remaining competitive in the digital landscape. Embracing change is essential for success in this dynamic environment. So are you ready..?
