Amjad A. Hafez, CEO, Nournet • Interview

How has Nournet’s experience been in Saudi Arabia?

The level of trust, momentum, and commitment that is present at all levels is driving the economy and the country in the right direction. I have been in Saudi Arabia for over two decades, and I have never seen the people as engaged and positive as they are now. They are doing their best to contribute and are taking major steps, to the extent that neighboring countries are regarding Saudi as an example. On a micro level, Nournet helps in localization and customization, while offering an anchor place to the economy to localize. We address a need in the ecosystem for localization, with the aim of becoming a hub for technology. This includes hosting and nationalizing solutions to build a large industrial ecosystem.

In which industries do you see yourself playing a key role?

IT is a contributor to economic development in all sectors, including medicine and financial services. We are like a driving force for transformation, renovation, and change. You do not need to invest in a huge building or an IT team to host an application; instead, one can team up with a company that does everything for them, which is the role that we seek to play. We are talking to large enterprises that are moving away from their current data centers toward the pay-as-you-go model. We understand the responsibility on our shoulders, and we are trying to grow our capabilities every single day so that we can present a solid, local alternative to big players like Amazon and others. We have a partnership with Microsoft as one of its fastest growing CSPs, with annual growth of over 70%, and we are also partners with Azure. We are in a middle position between the customers and global technology providers, offering an engineered solution on a hybrid level and providing end-to-end solutions.