The UAE’s Digital Economy risks losing its competitive advantage under a tsunami of data, unless businesses adopt advanced information management, industry experts announced today.

Businesses using modern data centers – which can be scalable, software-defined, and use high-performance flash storage – are able to analyse massive amounts of data from mobile devices and apps, sensors, and social media for new business models.

Modern data centers allow businesses to bring new products to market four times quicker, quadruple the number of apps, and reduce downtime by 96 percent, according to EMC.

Driven by the growing adoption of advanced information management solutions, the Middle East data center market will reach USD 5.5 billion by 2019, while Middle East and North Africa spending on public cloud services will double to USD 1.4 billion by 2019, according to Gartner.

“In the Digital Economy, business insights gathered from data rather than gut instincts are the key competitive differentiator for UAE organizations, allowing them to stay ahead of the innovation curve and drive new business models,” said Savitha Bhaskar, COO of information management consultancy Condo Protego.

“Modern data centers allow UAE businesses to support new streams of digital revenue, smarter products, and new levels of customer insights,” added Savitha Bhaskar.

Worldwide, over half, 52 percent, of business leaders are experiencing “digital disruption”, or digital transformation of their industries, and 66 percent are planning to invest in IT infrastructure and digital skills, according to a recent survey by IT solutions provider EMC.

Demonstrating the demand, 80 percent of global CIOs agree that advanced IT infrastructure reduces risk and complexity, and supports future growth, according to EMC.

As a result, Condo Protego is seeing strong demand for EMC’s line of all-flash storage, such as EMC Unity, which sets new standards for simplicity, affordability, and flexibility.

“All-flash storage solutions are very different from most current Middle East IT environments, requiring channel partners to play a key role in guiding organizations in their digital transformation strategies, modern data center needs, and upskilling staff,” concluded Savitha Bhaskar.