Major IT forum discusses digital transformation
Times News Service
MUSCAT: In collaboration with the Information Technology Authority (ITA), IDC organised an IDC IT Forum Roadshow 2018 under the theme, “Digital Transformation: Strategies for Automation, Innovation and Intelligence”. The event was held in the presence of Dr Salim Bin Sultan Alruzaiqi, CEO of ITA, and a number of specialists from government and private organisations.
The forum, which was organised previously in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and is scheduled to be organised after the Sultanate in Lebanon and Pakistan, aims to discuss the latest trends in digital transformation and the required infrastructure to enable and implement information and communications technology (ICT) strategies. The forum also discussed ways to address the growing security threats and vulnerabilities in cyberspace. In addition, it focused on the factors leading to the acceleration of digital transformation, including intelligent uses of cloud computing and the Internet of Things.
In his keynote speech, Alruzaiqi said “The eTransformation witnessed remarkable advancement in Oman in 2018 and there is a significant development in the integration of eGovernment services. International indicators, especially the UN e-government report 2018, confirmed that the Sultanate has made progress in the index of e-government development, eServices and eParticipation, and is ranked as one of the top 10 countries in the world in cybersecurity.”
“We are working on adopting the 4th Industrial Revolution technologies in specific fields with a focus on providing training programmes on these technologies to develop the capacity of our human resources,” he added.
“The adoption of new technologies is important, but they are not effective without a good structure of data, organisation and the provision of accurate information, and this is our main priority,” he further said. “The required skills for the job market have changed due to the development of the 4th industrial revolution technologies, so we have to provide training programmes that take into account building capacity for future skills” he added.
Recent data from the IDC indicates that 89 per cent of enterprises in the Middle East believe that digital transformation is the focus of their business strategies and that by 2019, spending on digital initiatives will reach US$2.2 trillion, an increase of 60 per cent compared to 2016. In addition, by 2020, some half of the 2,000 companies operating internationally will be dependent on their ability to produce digital products, services and expertise.