Injazat Data Systems, the UAEs largest IT outsourcer, will announce a series of new customers in the coming months, its chief technical officer says. The company has recently opened a new data centre on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, which it says is the most advanced of its kind in the Middle East. Its chief technical officer, Kenny Wilson, said the centre would be its biggest selling point to new clients.
"You'll see a lot of new customer announcements in the next six to nine months," he said. "We are seeing the new facility coming together, and it's a showcase of everything we are capable of. It really is our crown jewel." The new facility is classified as a "Tier IV" according to the data centre standards published by the Uptime Institute, an industry body. The classification, which is the highest level, means that information hosted at the centre will be available 99.995 per cent of the time, with less than one hour of "down time" each year.
Injazat, a joint-venture between Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Development and EDS, the US outsourcing company now owned by Hewlett-Packard, has primarily focused on winning business from Abu Dhabi government-linked businesses since its launch in 2006. But late last month it announced its first significant customer from outside the emirate, with du, the telecommunications operator, choosing the company to host its "mission-critical" computer systems.
"Obviously du will sit as one of our first launch customers for the data centre, and we're really excited to see where the partnership will go," Mr Wilson said. "The intention is that they will see our expertise and then we will move up the service ladder from there. There are definitely some big opportunities." Injazat has also secured major contracts with Etihad Airways and twofour54, Abu Dhabi's media production zone. The deal with Etihad will incorporate services and applications delivered from the Abu Dhabi data centre to the airline's locations around the world.
The five-year contract, signed last week, involves Injazat managing Etihad's global pool of desktop and laptop computers, as well as support services for the airline's technology infrastructure. Injazat will also operate an IT support service desk for Etihad staff. Richard Dawson, the executive vice president for IT at Etihad, said the deal "will help ensure Etihad Airways has one of the most sophisticated IT infrastructures not only in the region, but across the world".
Injazat claims to hold more than 50 per cent of the total IT outsourcing market, although the company does not make its sales and revenue figures public. EDS, a partner in the venture, was acquired by Hewlett-Packard last year. tgara@thenational.ae
