Bigger, better, byte by byte

Catering to a booming IT market in the Middle East, Gitex, Dubai's world-class IT show, is set to showcase some path-breaking products and technology

A much-awaited annual event on the calendar of information technology vendors and buyers, Gitex is all set to take Dubai by storm yet again.

The reputed show begins today, going on till October 7 in the halls of the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC). This is the twenty-fourth edition of an exhibition that's grown steadily in size and reach. With local, regional and international players exhibiting and selling their wares, the show has attracted visitors from all over the region and outside it, year in, year out.

IT professionals, decision makers, company heads and even heads of countries, visit Gitex to be a part of the world-class IT show Dubai puts on every year. This year, over 2,000 exhibitors from 60 countries will vie to entice them to some path-breaking products and technology.

As in the past, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) plays host to Gitex, which is set to overflow into a new purpose-built pavilion from the eight halls and the Shaikh Rashid Hall of the DIEC.

'The Pavilion' is a 3,300 square metre gross area built adjacent to Halls 5, 6 and 7 to cater to the exceptional demand for space this year. The new area houses the UK, Germany and China country pavilions, in addition to hardware companies and media outlets, including Abu Dhabi Television, Dubai TV, and a number of radio stations that will broadcast live from newsrooms within the area.

The Halls 1 to 4 host the Hardware and Equipment show, 5-7, Network and Communication Technology, while 8 and Shaikh Rashid Hall, will host the Software and Applications show.

The significant sectors of the exhibition - Hardware, Software and Communications Networking - have been given their own dedicated areas so visitors can access the areas they are interested in without wasting time going through others.

The registration process has also been streamlined further, with most visitors registering themselves online on the Gitex website and getting quick entry.

The sheer enormity of the size of the ICT extravaganza can be daunting to visitors. Organisers DWTC, in their bid to make Gitex user-friendlier, have also tied up with Speakatel FZ LLC to allow visitors to access a speech-enabled voice portal service through their telephones.

Visitors can receive voice information even in their own native language vis a vis details of exhibitors, such as stand location, prayer timings, prayer hall locations etc.

A record 22 country pavilions promoting their country's IT expertise are present at this year's Gitex. The three new country pavilions of Belgium (the Walloon region), Malaysia and South Africa, will bring 24 companies representing industry sectors such as wireless solutions, security software, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, personal computers, telecom services, data storage, and IT telephony.

Gitex conferences

Datamatix is the organiser of the official Gitex conferences which will take place on the fifth floor of the tower of Dubai World Trade Centre and will offer delegates access to the latest developments in technology, provide practical advice and facilitate information exchange.

Eminent speakers from various fields will talk and facilitate discussions, ranging from IT in national security to IT in healthcare, financial institutions and many other areas.

There will also be a seminar by Amanah Security Forum dealing with the hot topic: 'What managers and business people need to know about hacking?' The forum will bring together hackers and business firms to discuss the importance of information security. The focus will be on various issues, products and solutions for IT security. Famous ex-hackers and skilled international security specialists will speak at the meeting, sharing their experiences, expertise and specialty products.

Trade exhibition

Most international giants in the fields of IT equipment, hardware systems, telecommunications, wireless and networks, software and applications, banking technology and financial services and research and development technology, will be present or have their representatives at the event.

Several veteran vendors at Gitex have increased the area of their stands to show visitors more of their state-of-the-art products and what they do. The newer players, meanwhile, have smaller stands.

Hardware and equipment

Computers ranging from desktops to tiny palm tops produced by most major and minor manufacturers of the world can be found in the Hardware and Equipment section.

Computer peripherals, printers, photocopiers, fax machines, monitors of all kinds, televisions, projectors, cameras, digital satellite receivers and scores of electronic products, compete for the attention of visitors here.

Every big and small name in the market one has heard of can be found at these stands. If it is IBM, Apple, Toshiba, Dell, Compaq and Fujitsu at one section, it is Xerox, Canon, Brother, Hewlett-Packard, Olivetti and Sharp at another.

While Samsung holds sway in one area, LG boasts a big show in another. The list of big and small players seems endless and so do their ambitions for Gitex 2004.

Visitors to BenQ's largest-ever exhibition space will be able to see the manufacturer's entire range of Joybooks, digital projectors, LCD monitors and televisions, and digital cameras. An expert team of BenQ specialists will be at hand to provide support and to discuss with visitors their IT requirements.

With regional and product managers available for private consultations during the show, the company is confident of providing the highest standard of service and support to potential customers.

Acer's range of products including desktop and mobile PCs, servers and storage solutions, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users, can be seen at its big stand.

Acer has also launched custom-built servers for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the Middle East. The customised servers, which will be built to customer configuration requirements for orders as small as one, will enable all sizes of organisations to share information effectively.

Imation, one of the world's leaders for removable storage solutions, is also participating at Gitex 2004. The storage media leader will be showcasing some of its new storage technologies recently launched worldwide. These include DVD double layer media with 8.5 GB capacity, DAT 72 data cartridges, USB Swivel Flash Drives, CDR with 800 MB and 16x DVD+R, all of which will soon be widely available here.

MGE UPS systems of different capacities that cater to different clientele are on display at Gitex 2004. MGE offers the biggest range of UPS and AC/DC, DC/Ac converters, active harmonic compensators and surge protectors. UPS systems ensure no data is lost due to problems with power supply.

There are MGE UPS systems that can be used to protect all kinds of big and small electronic and telecommunication equipment in homes, offices and networks, as well as huge data centres and industrial robots and equipment.

Networking technology

3Com, a leading provider of networking technology, is unveiling a number of world 'firsts' on its stand, with a new range of enterprise-class products on display, including a broad range of IP telephony products, an expanded family of switches and routers, and updated wireless platforms.

The 3Com® stand will feature live demonstrations of a wide range of 3Com products, including the region