Dear industry colleagues,

Welcome to the first edition of the eHDF 2012 e-Newsletter.

We are delighted to share with you some of the latest happenings at eHDF. The first half of the year was marked by key customer wins such as Madar Holding, Atlantis, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre and large strategic government projects. The wins along with the new projects that are in the pipeline have set the tone for the rest of the year, and are a testimony to the value eHDF provides its clientele in managing their business and achieving long term goals.

We are constantly investing in new products and services innovation, thereby enhancing the value proposition to our customers.

eHosting DataFort is particularly proud of winning the 'Best Data Centre Project of the Year' at the Network Middle East Innovation Awards. The distinction showcased our ability to deploy pioneering technologies for the new data center project at the International Media Production Zone in Dubai.

In terms of services, disaster recovery and business continuity have been key focus areas for eHDF this year. We gained valuable insights on the adoption trends of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in the region through a survey that we conducted in conjunction with business continuity management (BCM) consultancy, Continuity and Resilience.

The survey showcased the readiness levels of organizations across nine Middle East countries to crisis situations or disasters that may cause disruptions to day-to-day business operations. The report found that close to 21 per cent of the organizations have had a robust BCM programme in place for the past three years, while 14 per cent have started maintaining and exercising their BC plan. The rest (65 per cent) of the organizations either have no concrete plans to initiate a BCM programme or are still at different stages of implementation in the BCM lifecycle.

This year eHDF also marked a presence at leading industry events including the Middle East Financial Technology Exhibition and Conference (MEFTEC) and Cloud Computing World Forum MEA. We hosted a seminar on Managed Security Services highlighting the importance of securing an organization's IT infrastructure.

An event organised in conjunction with Emirates e-government for the public sector brought together experts from Gartner and key decision makers from government departments across the UAE. The event underscored the strategic, financial and operational benefits of managed services and cloud computing for the government sector.

Looking ahead, the next half of the year looks as promising. We are well geared to launch interesting services, particularly our cloud computing services in two variants - managed private cloud services for enterprises and a public cloud option for SMEs. We are confident that the two offerings will add increased options and flexibility for our clients.

As we prepare to take on more challenges and deliver exciting results, I would like to thank you again for your support and cooperation and look forward to taking our relationships to a new level.

Until the next issue,

Best regards,

Yasser Zeineldin