Essam AlShiha, President & CEO, Saudi Business Machines • Interview

Saudi Business Machines shuns market share targets, and instead focuses on providing the most quality services possible for its myriad of clients.

Are there any plans for maintaining growth and increasing the company’s market share?

Market shares are not really the objective; our aim is to be the best IT company and provide high-quality professional services for businesses. Of course, we also want to be treated as an elite company, especially with so many different competitors within the global market. Plus, as a system integrator, there is tough competition in all the fields we work in. So, the goal for now is to focus on doing our best for our clients.

Do you think SBM has certain strategies or projects in place that makes the company stand out from new market players?

We are proud of the fact that the quality and nature of our services has convinced some customers to break their relationships with some of our competitors. At present, our client base involves more than 250 customers from all over the Kingdom from various fields, such as SMEs, oil and gas, financials, banking, petrochemicals, and governmental. To cater to more businesses, we are introducing cyber security, analytics, and AI and we’ve also developed our own digital hub. At the same time, the focus still remains on being the best in the services we offer.

Can you shed light on some market trends as well as growth while functioning in the private sector?

Most of the business in Saudi Arabia either comes from the government directly, or it passes through the government in one way or another. So, regardless of the type, every business is either indirectly or directly touched by the government. And while the banking and financial and commercial sectors seem somewhat untouched by the government, they do follow the guidelines set by it. With Saudi Vision 2030 now in play, companies like SBM have the chance to develop and provide improved services. Previously, when the market was shaken, it came as a benefit to firms like SBM. Stable companies could handle the uncertainty in a better manner than new players or shakier firms in the field. So, the market filtered out on its own, leaving behind only the best companies.

In your opinion, which sectors in Saudi Arabia have the highest potential for your services?

We find the banking sector crucial as mobile services can really boost the entire financial sector. Some new projects introduced by the government like the Red Sea Project will need major infrastructure development. There is also great potential in the cloud and even international companies are opening data centers. SBM also provides cloud service and there’s definitely major growth in this area. With such services deployed, financial companies as well as the government can really lead in the future.

Now that Saudi Arabia is on the path of becoming a regional leader in both IT and digitalization, what is your vision and growth expectation for SBM over the next few years?

The foremost priority is ensuring that the company is stable, and this is one of the advantages of not being listed on the stock market. It is essential to have well-balanced growth; if there’s too much focus on growth, then that can lead to one losing or imploding control. It is difficult to just keep chasing numbers these days. Too many aspects of the market are not in our hands when it comes to making informed growth expectations. Economic and political issues, such as the global pandemic we’re currently seeing, will control and determine many business aspects. But it all comes down to the fact that if you focus on offering the best services, then at the end of the year, you will see that you have grown. At the end, we need to be a healthy and viable business.