With the UAE marking its 50th anniversary, preparations are already underway to shape the next phase of growth with cloud technology set to play a huge part.
Through the transformation of the global economic landscape, the UAE is becoming a pioneer of cloud technology adoption as more businesses migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud to boost operations and improvise processes.
The UAE is contributing greatly to the region’s anticipated surge in cloud computing market size, which is expected to grow from $14.2 billion in 2021 to $31.4bn by 2026, according to the Markets and Markets MEA Cloud Computing Report.
But what are the sectors that can benefit from the UAE’s exponential rise in cloud tech?
The cloud has played a leading role in facilitating organizations across the UAE to fuse existing organizational processes with novel cloud technologies to allow for greater flexibility and scalability.
The focus on enhancing the digital economy through national initiatives, innovations and adaptation has also represented a fundamental driver for the implementation of the future strategies of the UAE, and a key pillar of the preparations for the next 50 years.
While there are many benefits for the use of cloud technology, we outline three industry trends that the UAE should prioritize for future growth:
Sports
All eyes have been fixed on the UAE for sports coverage lately with the highly successful ICC T20 Cricket World Cup tournament obtaining a record amount of viewership. On October 24, 2021, the match between India and Pakistan amounted to 167 million viewers across the world, becoming the most viewed T20 cricket match, surpassing the previous record between India and West Indies in the 2016 ICC World T20 semi-finals.
Through heightened activity for sports broadcasting and improving live experiences, the need to transform the experience of sports in the digital era has never been more important. By using innovative solutions, cloud technologies can connect stakeholders at all stages of the event-hosting lifecycle – from organizers and suppliers to volunteers and venue operators – enhancing the operational efficiency of sports events.
Some of the benefits that cloud technologies can provide for large-scale events include instantaneous multi-language translation, remote video conferencing and many other functions to ensure smooth and real-time information exchange, while cloud-based ticketing systems have been launched to optimize digital ticketing services at sporting events.
Retail
Retail in the UAE was one of the most affected sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic where mall closures forced consumers to turn online more frequently to feed their shopping habits.
Several prominent non-food retail business sales in the first half of March 2020 – the peak of the pandemic – were down by as much as 50-60 percent compared to the same period last year, according to KPMG.
Retailers are being asked to drive growth, change, and increase productivity at every turn. The pandemic forced years of innovation to be delivered in months and served as the catalyst to the wave of adoption of cloud services to support shifting business needs.
WeMart, one of the largest supermarket chains in the Middle East, successfully navigated through the pandemic by leveraging cloud-based retail solutions. WeMart is the first of its kind in the local market to think out-of-the-box and leverage online to offline services to significantly improve its online purchases, warehouse deliveries, third party payments and other operations, thereby enhancing the customer experience and expanding its customer base.
With the recent conclusion of the world’s largest shopping festival – the 11.11 Global Conference – leveraging technology was a key element of the event to enhance shopping experiences and make retail more engaging and inclusive for everybody.
Many innovative features were demonstrated for this year’s online conference, which was running entirely on the cloud for the very first time, such as enhanced speech recognition technology where a smart voice assistant eliminates the need for users to enter text manually, addressing a pain point for elderly users who struggle to type on mobile devices.
Smart logistics
Another area of notable progress is for supply chain and logistics service providers looking to cater to the growing demand for smart solutions in the UAE.
The UAE is quickly becoming a hub for logistics providers aiming to leverage cutting-edge solutions to simplify modes of transportation across the nation.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is one government entity aspiring to run its public transport network through artificial intelligence to enhance public transport-related services – starting with buses – and other mobility platforms, by capturing information of passengers’ movement.
DP World is just another example of firms digitizing logistics platforms through the launch of Cargoes Logistics, providing customers with a single-window solution enabling seamless, safe, secure, and efficient movement of their cargo.
With Cargoes Logistics, customers can choose from multimodal logistics options, ship freight by sea, road, and/or rail, get instant quotes, swift booking confirmation and multiple secure payment options.
As we move closer to a cloud-based world, organizations looking to create an advantage for themselves must understand the basics of the cloud services industry to thrive in a digitally-driven future.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Technology Express staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
