Injazat's portfolio of IT contracts grows to Dh1.5b

Abu Dhabi: Injazat Data Systems, a top information technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing provider in the UAE, has succeeded in getting contracts worth Dh1.5 billion in three years of its business operations, according to its CEO.

"It took us only two years of operation to be a Top 3 UAE IT services provider, so we believe we have the right formula to keep this pace and reach out for more. We intend to replicate our success in the UAE in other countries and across other industries," Ebrahim Mohammad Lari told Gulf News in an interview.

In line with the company's growth plans, Injazat's Tier IV data centre will commence operations by the end of 2008, he said. It will be the first-ever Tier IV data centre to be built outside of North America.

"Our new data centre has been designed to efficiently serve diverse industries such as telecommunications, financial services, transportation, government, oil and gas, defence, and health," said Lari.

"The project is expected to play a key role in further enhancing the Middle Eastern information technology services sector and will fully complement the UAE's emergence as the most IT-enabled country in the region," he added.

Lari said Injazat currently employs more than 650 staff from over 32 nationalities.

"Over 26 per cent of our workforce comprise of Emiratis, affirming our status as one of the country's leading proponents of Emiratisation," he said.

"We emphasise the important role of UAE nationals not only in our hiring priorities, but throughout all our programmes as well. The Injazat Institute, for example, prioritises the inclusion of Emiratis. During our last Information Technology Infrastructure Library - Certified Service Managers Programme, 30 per cent of our graduates were Emiratis, confirming our efforts to further empower UAE nationals in the IT services sector," Lari said.

"Our Abu Dhabi operations have been highly successful and we are today one of the top three IT providers in the UAE Our strong performance in the Abu Dhabi has made it possible for us to build a strong base for growth, which has allowed us to steadily expand into other areas," Lari said.

He added: "We already have an office in Dubai, which serves a few major clients. We are extending our services reach to Qatar and Oman, and we are set to announce a new expansion development soon."

On Injazat's plans for an initial public offering in the foreseeable future, Lari said: "We have no plans today to take Injazat to IPO."

Injazat is a joint venture between Mubadala Development Company and Electronic Data Systems.