NEWS
Accenture and du enter five-year partnership to transform du ’ s IT landscape
Accenture and du , the telecom and digital services provider , are collaborating under a five-year contract to help du on the Application Development and Maintenance , ADM of its IT landscape .
Under the AMD contract , Accenture will work closely with du and its partners to move to a new operating model that enables them more flexibility and predictability and to maintain and evolve du ’ s IT applications .
By implementing new ways of working and processes in line with industry best practices , the new model will help du break silos , accelerate time to market and enable the launch of innovative products and services while improving efficiencies .
Accenture will also support du with the adoption of new technologies and products , including Gen AI and advanced analytics , helping du achieving its business objectives in line with its digital-first strategy .
Fahad Al Hassawi , Chief Executive Officer du said : “ Our partnership with Accenture marks a shift in our journey towards an innovative , digital-first future .
Leveraging Accenture ’ s expertise in ADM , we aim to significantly boost our agility and market responsiveness in line with our commitment to breaking silos and fostering a culture of innovation and efficiency , enabling us to offer more advanced , customer-centric solutions . Through new technologies like Gen AI and advanced analytics , we are poised to redefine what ’ s possible , aligning with our goal to not only meet but exceed our business objectives in the digital era .”
Omar Boulos , Chief Executive Officer of Accenture in the Middle East , commented : “ This is a time for collaboration globally when it comes to converging best-in-class technologies and expertise to truly maximise the potential of cutting-edge tech . We are thrilled to be partnering with du to drive the digital transformation of its infrastructure .”
GBM to implement zero-trust firewall from Palo Alto Networks at GEMS schools
Gulf Business Machines , an end-to-end digital solutions provider , will deploy a next-generation firewall by Palo Alto Networks , a provider in cybersecurity solutions , across all schools under GEMS Education , one of the largest private school networks in the GCC . The project will significantly enhance the security of the digital learning environment , enabling improved threat detection , real-time protection , and compliance with educational regulations .
Amidst rising cyberthreats on the education sector in the GCC , the implementation of the firewall will help ensure secure internet access , especially for students , and provide protection against advanced persistent threats , APT , where an intruder establishes a presence on a network to mine private data .
Operating on zero-trust principles the firewall monitors and filters network traffic , preventing virus infiltration , blocking unauthorised access and upholding data privacy .
The technology offers multiple benefits , including enhanced user identity protection , control over application use , encrypted traffic security without privacy compromise , advanced threat protection , and automated threat intelligence sharing .
Meanwhile , centralised management will boost operational efficiency for all GEMS schools . This supports the goal of fostering a secure and optimised learning environment , aligning with the UAE ’ s vision for a sustainable , knowledge-driven future .
Suresh Bathrachalam , Senior Vice President and Head of Technology at GEMS Education , said , “ With the everincreasing frequency and complexity of cyberthreats , the importance of cybersecurity in educational settings is growing exponentially . The deployment of Palo Alto Networks ’ next-generation firewall , executed by GBM , is the latest step in our efforts to secure our entire ecosystem .”
Offering the perfect balance of security , speed , and versatility , Palo Alto Networks ’ next-generation firewalls provide advanced protection for physical and virtual public and private cloud networks . Their integrated capabilities safeguard internal assets as well as the outside world , so users can connect to data and applications anywhere .
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