Huawei Middle East IT Day 2022 Spotlights Full-Stack Data Center Solutions

Third-party consultants shared data center and storage industry trends Customers shared their digital transformation journey powered by all-flash storage.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The Huawei Middle East IT Day 2022, held under the theme of ‘Green Data, Super Power’, recently brought together Huawei experts, independent analysts and customers to discuss the role of modern data center and storage technology in helping businesses innovate faster. Digitalization is accelerating in the region, putting pressure on existing IT systems. This has led to a surge in demand for agile, scalable and cost-effective all-flash storage that can deliver on digital transformation needs better than traditional storage systems.

Addressing the summit, Steven Yi, President for Middle East & Africa, Huawei, said, “Countries in the Middle East & Africa are keen to adopt new technologies, as we have seen with the fast development of 5G in the region. We will continue to work with our customers and partners to lead the next wave of digital transformation and drive the national transformation visions.” Other keynote speakers at IT Day included Bill Raftery, VP of Storage Solutions, Huawei, whose speech titled, ‘Redefining All-Flash Data Center’ emphasized the importance of innovative technologies such as flash-based storage platforms and how they enable organizations to accelerate digital transformation. He also stressed the applicability of Huawei’s pioneered technology in different verticals such as tax/finance and Oil & Gas. The event also featured the release of a white paper titled “The Trend of Data-intensive HPC (High-Performance Computing)”.

The report captures insights into the rapidly evolving requirements placed on the HPC ecosystem by the growth in the adoption of data-intensive applications and workloads. Early adopters of all-flash storage have already experienced the transformative power of this technology. Sim S. Lim, Group Executive, Consumer Banking & Wealth Management, DBS Bank, took participants through the bank’s digitalization journey.

He noted, “At DBS, we are re-imagining and re-investing in the latest ICT solutions to digitally empower our customers and build an ecosystem of trust and collaboration.” Fahem Al Nuaimi, CEO of Ankabut, shared insights on building an Intelligent Full-Stack Data Center in the UAE. He said, “An intelligent full-stack data center enables us to offer digitalized education services, making the academic process more efficient while boosting collaboration.” The financial industry is among the most important markets for modern storage based on the need to digitalize the customer journey, stringent data handling requirements and the need for robust cybersecurity. A roundtable session titled “The Future of the Financial Sector – IT Driven Digital Transformation” focused on this sector and attracted IT leaders from some of the region’s leading banks.

Wilson Xavier, ICT Research Director, IDC META, was also one of the many distinguished speakers. He highlighted industry trends for storage and data center, noting, “The enterprise DataSphere share of global data volume will increase to 68% by 2025, and data management strategies can either make or break IT modernization.” Liu Gui, Vice President of Marketing and Solution Sales, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Middle East, closed the day by launching the Huawei Flash Track Promotion program, which can deliver storage devices sooner and help customers deploy IT resources quickly and implement projects faster. All industries urgently need to prepare for the digital economy. But they also need costs and energy consumption to come down. Huawei’s all-flash data center solutions present a faster, greener, and more reliable solution for enterprises to better and more cost-effectively manage data.

They also significantly improve intelligent management as the flash disk life can be monitored and predicted. And, with enough flexibility, they provide optimal latency for workloads, leading to improved customer experience, shorter deployment times, and a much lower frequency of latency issues. Currently, Huawei has 12 R&D centers, over 4000 R&D personnel, and 3000 patents dedicated to storage, helping more than 15,000 customers in over 150 countries.

Huawei data storage ranks No. 3 worldwide and has achieved Gartner recognition for more than five years. Huawei’s all-flash storage solution OceanStor Dorado has also been chosen by the “Gartner Peer Insights” for “Best Customers’ Choice”.

For more information about Huawei storage, please visit: https://e.huawei.com/ae/products/storage and for more information about the event, please visit: https://e.huawei.com/ae/special_topic/event/2022q1/2203-ae-it-day

METRO PAKISTAN HOSTED STUDY TOUR FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) METRO, the leading international wholesale company, hosted a study tour for the German language students of the Roots Millennium School and Academia Civitas at its Safari store. The tour was part of knowledge based learning for the students to gain the first-hand knowledge on the German businesses in Pakistan. METRO Pakistan being the biggest commercial business presented an excellent learning opportunity for the students, where they were given guided tour of the facility, various departments, and witnessed the day-to-day operations of the company.

Briefing the young minds, Mr. Imran Shamim, Senior Manager Corporate Affairs & External Communication said, “METRO Pakistan as the leading wholesale company strictly follow the German standards in quality assurance and ensure to provide best of the best products and services to our customers.”

The young students participated in a baking activity and a challenge. They were also briefed about professions in this industry by the HR Department of the company. Students showed immense interest and asked different questions. At the end of the tour students were served with freshly baked pizzas from METRO’S own café and were given gift hampers.

Fantastic OPPO F21 Pro – Launching with an Industry’s First Fiberglass Leather Design

Get Ready to Witness the Fantastic OPPO F21 Pro – Launching with an Industry’s First Fiberglass Leather Design

 

Lahore (Nut Desk)

OPPO the global technology innovator is set to unleash its most anticipated smartphone, the OPPO F21 Pro on April 11th, 2022.  The new F21 Pro is about to unleash multiple “Pakistan’s first” technology that brings smartphone experience to new heights. This new addition is crafted with industry’s first integrated fiberglass leather design paired up with an eye-striking sunset orange hue to refresh the color philosophy. Its unique flat-edge design steals the show for its aesthetically pleasing appearance. 

The fantastic design of the new OPPO F21 Pro is a result of the company’s continuous efforts to optimize and lead the CMF (Color, Material and Finishes) technology. To reflect the self-expression of the youth, the upcoming OPPO F Series revolutionized the design language of OPPO F Series with a bold oversized camera setup, refined flat-edge design, vibrant Sunset Orange color and the flagship leatherette material. This season, OPPO has also adopted colors onto their palette and brought them out into technology in a strikingly bold and vibrant way.

To celebrate the design concept of the OPPO F21 Pro, OPPO has partnered with the talented young artists Noor-un-Nahar and Areeba Siddique, the representatives of the next generation art creators to explore the seasonal color palette, and a fusion of ideas. The idea of the art pieces was extracted from the wild imaginations of the talented children at the Agosh Orphanage by Al Khidmat-Foundation.

Building on the idea of “Fusion is Fantastic”, the children at Agosh learned how to fuse colors, textures, and styles into creating their own original art pieces, and express themselves freely.

Furthermore, the art pieces co-created by the artists and the children at the orphanage was further crafted into the creation of “The Fantastic Box”. OPPO sophisticatedly designed ‘The Fantastic Box’ to spread the word of harmony and love among the people by encouraging the efforts made by these young heroes that has been witnessed in the heart-warming artwork.  

In the spirit of the Ramadan, OPPO hopes to pass down the artistic freedom and share the joyous moments to more people. The company believes in the power of the next generation and wants the world to see how talented the youth can be. OPPO has always pushed avenues for its users to communicate with one another in a language of love, art and kindness.

Building on the legacy of the classic OPPO F series, the company continues to explore and innovate with new technologies and aesthetics. OPPO F21 Pro launch will reinforce the company’s dedication to art and technology.

BARD Foundation to sponsor young tennis star Huzaifa’s training in the USA

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Bilquis & Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation will sponsor another talented Pakistani sportsperson, Huzaifa Abdul Rehman. The 19 year old tennis star’s sponsorship includes training at the Next Gen Academy in Florida and funding for his professional career in the Men’s Circuit.

The memorandum of understanding was signed at a ceremony where the honorable Board-Member of the BARD foundation Faisal Dawood was present along with Huzaifa and his family, and members of the foundation.

“Huzaifa is a promising young tennis players with an array of early accomplishments to his name already. At BARD, we realize that to reach the very top, young athletes need constant support and nurturing, which unfortunately, at this moment is not available to many in Pakistan. We are very happy to step in and provide the resources Huzaifa requires in progressing further on the international stage and making Pakistan proud. The Foundation will continue to support deserving youngsters in achieving their true potential, both in education and sports” said Faisal Dawood.

Huzaifa has so far had a remarkable career in Tennis: In 2016, he was Ranked #2 in Asia Under-14, while winning the Under-14 tournament in Thailand. In 2018, he won the Under-14 Title in Saudi Arabia and a Gold in the Junior Davis Cup. In January 2020, he was the Top-Ranked Pakistani player globally. Huzaifa is trained by David Pierce, the brother and trainer of Mary Pierce (3x Grand Slam winner).

In 2020-2021 the young tennis star spent 18 months at Next Gen Academy, while competing in 25 international tournaments in Asia & USA. Huzaifa’s coach at the Next Gen Academy, Travis Brady, believes that he has an exciting future ahead, “He is feisty on court, and his game is aggressive. He plays good, defensively, with an unbelievable forehand and a good serve.”

BARD Foundation is a human-development initiative, founded by the renowned industrialist & technocrat – Abdul Razak Dawood and his philanthropist wife – Ms. Bilquis Dawood. This resourceful foundation has the vision to support talented individuals for achieving their true potential, as champions in their professional or technical field, while also helping unique sportsmen in learning more skills to compete internationally.

MoU signed between Systems Limited and FAST – NUCES, Lahore

Lahore (Nut Desk)

Systems Limited and the FAST-NUCES Lahore collaborated for training and development of students to fulfill future talent needs. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the presence of Toima Asghar, CHRO, Faisal Tajammul, SVP/Head – Cloud Application Development & Maintenance, Adeel Ahmed Chatha, Manager/Lead Industrial & Academia Linkages from Systems Limited and Dr. Hammad Naveed, Director – FAST Lahore, Dr. Ali Afzal, Assistant Professor CS Department, Aqsa Sarfraz, Deputy Manager – Student Affairs and faculty members of FAST Lahore.

The leadership of Systems Limited and FAST Lahore believes in creating synergies by providing technical knowledge through workshops, trainings and certifications to the students of FAST Lahore. Systems will be providing scholarships to the students in order to recognize their achievements and talent. By providing them with tech-market experience, the group hopes to help bridge the gap between academics and industry. Students in final year will be able to gain an industry perspective for their final year projects (FYPs). The goal of the cooperation is to improve the curriculum through a collaborative effort of faculty and industry leaders, considering current market trends and future industry demands.

Faisal Tajammal and Toima Asghar interacted with the students at this occasion and talked about global career opportunities, required market skills, technology trends in the sectors like Information Technology, Healthcare, Logistics, Construction and E-Commerce.

Toima Asghar, CHRO at Systems Limited, shed light on the occasion, “Today marks a very exciting day when Systems is joining hands with the leading IT University of Pakistan in order to provide support to the students of FAST Lahore. We will be working with these brilliant students to improve their problem solving and technical skills in accordance to the upcoming technological needs. We have also discussed various avenues of cooperation, on which we will be working directly with the faculty of FAST to bring a technological transformation in our country.”

Faisal Tajammal, SVP/Head of Cloud Application Development & Development at Systems Limited, said, “We are excited to partner with FAST LHR with a purpose to enable our talented youth for global IT market needs. We truly believe that our IT graduates have immense potential to compete with international engineers. We will work with FAST faculty members to design courses which will not only enhance the technical competence but also focus on ‘Curiosity’ and ‘Consistency’ which are the two most important traits in learning and skill development.”

Dr. Hammad Naveed, Director, NUCES – FAST, Lahore, said, “COVID-19 was a test for most industries but for the IT industry it was a blessing. It brought about increased acceptance for remote working environments. As a result, Pakistan saw huge demand for IT services. It is imperative that the Industry and academia come together to take advantage of this opportunity. Systems Ltd has initiated today’s collaboration in this regard to strengthen industry-academia contacts and to provide students with professional development opportunities. This will result in better trained HR for the industry and more revenue for the country in the long run. NUCES-FAST is committed to partnering with industry to further all such initiatives.”

Press Statement By Board of Management Quaid-e-Azam House Museum

Karachi (Nut Desk)

Management of Quaid-e-Azam House Museum – Institute of Nation Building is an Amanat given to the Board of Management by the Sindh Government in terms of MOU dated 08.02.2021 and Sindh Government Notification dated 06.04.2021.

 The three functionaries nominated under the Sindh Government Notification had earlier assured the Sindh Government and the public that Quaid-e-Azam House Museum would neither be used for commercial purposes nor any political activity. This position is re-iterated.

 While there is a definite need of a space for use as an Audio-Visual Centre to show Film on Quaid- e-Azam and the leaders in the Pakistan Movement as well as Muslim Statesmen and leaders of the Sub-continent including Pakistan, this activity cannot commence until a definite space is made available. Functions for School/ College students under a Shamiyana in the Garden have commenced and will continue round the year. Similar events of upto 40-50 persons will be held in the Annexe of Quaid-e-Azam House Museum.

While alternate plans for the Audio/Visual Centre and Public Library (Jinnah Library) continue to be explored, any final decision will be subject to the approval of the Heritage Commission under the existing Heritage Laws and Rules as may be applicable. No activity shall be undertaken without such approval and the concurrence of the Sindh Government. The heritage site namely (Quaid-e- Azam House Museum) shall remain intact and un-touched in any manner with a view to its preservation and upkeep by the Sindh Government in terms of the Order of the Chief Justice, High Court of Sindh at Karachi dated 05.02.1984 which specifies the purposes for which Quaid-e-Azam House Museum was sold to the Federal Government by the Administrators of the Estate of Quaid- e-Azam Syed Hashim Raza and Mr. Liaquat H. Merchant in 1984.

The Board of Management expresses its gratitude to the Chief Minister and Government of Sindh for the constitution of the Board of Management and the Trust reposed in the Board of Management and its functionaries. This is in compliance of the Order of the High Court of Sindh at Karachi dated 05.02.1984.

Another Pro! The Redmi Note legacy continues with Redmi Note 11 Pro.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Xiaomi Pakistan brought forth the Redmi Note 11 Pro under their flagship Redmi Note series. The device not only packs powerful camera upgrades, fast charging but also has an AMOLED display – making flagship-level smartphone performance more accessible than before. The AMOLED display guarantees seamless viewing on the device without compromising on colors.

The device supports 67W wired turbo charging, charges your phone to 100% in less than 45mins, so you’re not plugged in to the charger all the time and out enjoying more. Share and view more with lag-free transitions and overall smoother animations as the new Redmi Note 11 Pro has a 120hz refresh rate which means super enhanced on screen experience. The series overall comes packing a 5,000mAH battery which is beautifully inside this sleek device. All of this is packed in a body with a trendy and fresh design, plus, with the dual speakers located on the top and bottom of the device for an immersive listening experience. 

You would think that we’re done but let us tell you about the camera now! The phone has a 108MP main camera – delivering an outstanding photography experience with zero compromise to the quality. The front camera is 16MP that captures clear and natural selfies, even in dim light! 

In the words of famous Pakistani tech youtuber Video Wali Sarkar aka Bilal, the design of the device shows how it looks like a futuristic version of its predecessors. The battery and amazing hardware all packed in a sleek light design, which make this device one of the most amazing devices I’ve seen in a while. What stands out most is the placement of the speakers which make the sound experience way better.

Overall it is safe to say that Xiaomi Pakistan just might break the mid-tier phone market with this flagship drop – the Redmi Note 11 Pro, the real all rounder device.

 

 

realme 9 Pro+ Takes Massive Tech Leaps in its Price Segment

Lahore (Nut Desk)

The Upcoming Entry in the realme 9 Series Brings Exciting Features to Make Tech Enthusiasts Go Wild

realme has an ever-expanding legacy of technological advancement, fighting for the popularization of 5G products around the world, as well as introducing technical innovation into its products to pass on value to the customers. The highly-anticipated, upcoming entrant to the realme 9 series, the realme 9 Pro+, is the perfect amalgamation of 5G popularization efforts and technological advancements. Recently, realme has really been making strides in the realm of global 5G popularization. In Q4 of 2021, realme became the top selling 5G brand in the world with 165% YoY growth and over 90% of realme’s R&D budget is invested into development of 5G technology and products. The realme 9 Pro+ is packed with a boatload of exciting features but a few stand out as being major tech leaps in the price segment. These include the Sony IMX766 sensor with OIS, MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G chipset, and the beautiful light-shift design on the back panel. Let’s go through these innovations one by one to see what they have to offer curious consumers.

The realme 9 Pro+ comes equipped with a fabulous three lens rear camera setup. The primary 50MP lens is supported by the power of the Sony IMX766 sensor. This sensor works in tandem with realme’s Prolight Imaging Technology in order to allow for greater light intake leading to brighter, more vibrant images being captured. This iteration of the sensor captures up to 63.8% more light than previous generations of Sony sensors. The rear camera setup also contains an 8MP super wide lens for wide shots and a 2MP macro lens for detailed, close-up photography. One of the most important new features of the camera setup is the introduction of OIS which regulates movement in the subject you are photographing so that there is less motion blur in the final outcome. It can help you capture moving objects with clarity using the realme 9 Pro+.  The incredible AI Noise Reduction Engine 3.0 utilizes advanced software algorithms such as smart image averaging and shape adaptive de-noising to intelligently reduce digital noise by 30%. This leads to the final image being less grainy.

Every smartphone needs a strong core to support its various functions. For the realme 9 Pro+, the MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G chipset provides the smartphone with the power needed to perform full throttle.  The 6nm transistor size of this chipset works together with the faster CPU and GPU in order to maximize system efficiency.  The powerful chipset also has support for realme’s Dynamic RAM Expansion technology that allows you to avail up to 5 GB of additional RAM for your day to day usage. This allows the smartphone to make more efficient usage of its storage space to deliver a smoother and faster experience for users. The processor also interacts with the smartphone’s camera brilliantly. Its powerful ISP lets you capture 35% more details than previous generations of processors could support. The MediaTek Dimensity chipset also has a plethora of exciting 5G related capabilities. It provides support for a dual 5G SIM setup, has the fastest 5G carrier aggregation, 5G high speed rail mode for gaming, as well as Super-Hotspot Power Saving to allow for users to share their 5G Wi-Fi with 33% more power saving than alternative platforms.

Last but not least, let’s touch on the upcoming realme 9 Pro+’s stylish new design concept. The sunrise blue variant of the realme 9 Pro+ has a little something extra in store for fans. This color variant features an exciting Light-Shift Design. When exposed to sunlight or other UV light the shiny blue rear panel transforms into a crimson red color. The color of the panel returns back to the original within a few minutes after being removed from the source of light. This beautiful effect is meant to mirror the natural progression of the colors of the sky during sunrise and sunset.

The latest entrant in the acclaimed realme number series brings a wealth of tech leaps to the Pakistani market. Being the first ever Pro+ model in the number series, the realme 9 Pro+ was built to exceed expectations. Apart from the tech leaps discussed above, the smartphone has many additional premium features that can appeal to a wide range of users such as the fashionistas, gamers, or even casual users. As the nation primes itself for the rollout of 5G networks, don’t let the future pass you by. Prepare yourself by picking up the 5G powerhouse, the realme 9 Pro+, when it drops in the local market. Keep your eyes peeled as the 5G popularizer is coming to a store near you very soon!

Philip Morris takes on a mission to clean Pakistan

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited (“PMPKL”) partnered with SEED Ventures (Social Entrepreneurship and Equity Development) to carry out #MissionCleanerPakistan, an anti-littering project (“Project”) aimed at raising awareness across Pakistan regarding proper disposal, promoting behavioral change and supporting the required infrastructure for proper disposal.

Under this Project, PMPKL has carried out 20 anti-littering drives across Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Balakot within the last year with an aim to create a movement which instills proper waste disposal habits in our communities and to raise awareness about the impact littering has on our environment. More than 2400 volunteers comprising of women, men, and transgenders have been engaged during the drives and over 4000 KGs of trash have been collected. The recyclable portion of the waste was recycled in a sustainable manner through the PMPKL’s recycling partners while the non-recyclable portion of the waste was turned into an art piece which serves to represent the ecological disaster that is imminent if the public continue the current method of waste disposal.

Andleeb Uroos Ahmed, Head of Communications at PMPKL, while talking about the initiative said, “Just like around the world, the challenge of littering is not new to our country, nor are the efforts to combat it. The natural environment should remain unspoiled, beautiful, and litter-free. Through this Project, we at Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited, are glad to add our voice in the fight against littering and for sustainability.”

Shaista Ayesha, Vice president EYDS and CEO of Seed Ventures sharing her thoughts about the project said, “The occurrence of littering varies across the world, but, in general, it is linked to behavioral attitudes and availability of a waste disposal infrastructure. We hope that through this partnership we are able to change the habit of littering in our communities.”

Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited aims to take this initiative further and continue to raise awareness through art pieces made from non-recyclable trash across the major cities of Pakistan.

Zindagi celebrates Saba Qamar’s birthday

Lahore (Nut Desk)

Zindagi celebrates Saba Qamar’s birthday; releases ‘AjjLagiya Yeh Pata’ music video from her latest show Mrs. & Mr. Shameem

Watch the OST here: https://youtu.be/SULYCCX3TW0

Pakistan: Loved and appreciated by fans from across the border, Zindagi’sMrs.& Mr. Shameem has been the talk of the town for its unique storyline. Starring Saba Qamar and Naumaan Ijaz in the lead, the show launched recently on ZEE5. On the occasion of Mrs. Shameem aka Saba’s birthday Zindagi has released the music video of its OST ‘AjjLagiya Yeh Pata’.

Composed by Sami Khan and sung by Fariha Pervez, the song hits all the right chords with its soothing melody and meaningful lyrics. It perfectly captures the pain and heartbreak suffered by Umaina and Shameem.

Taking to Instagram Saba Qamar said,“There are moments when reality hits you, and what better way to put that feeling into words, with this song. A perfect song that captures true emotions of Umaina. What a beautiful birthday present”

Produced by Kashif Nisar and Misbah Shafique, Mrs. & Mr. Shameem is a distinctive love story of a pure bond graduating from friendship to growing old together and everything in between.

A Zindagi original, Mrs. & Mr. Shameem is available exclusively on ZEE5.