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The Data Park enables business entities for remote operations during the COVID-19 crisis

Muscat, June 2020

Maqbool Al-Wahaibi: We are assisting medium and small institutions so that they can install various platforms to help them continue their services to society in various fields. Maitham Al Lawati: We caution companies and financial institutions over storing their data outside the Sultanate.

The Data Park (TDP) has enabled many government organisations, companies and banks operating in the Sultanate of Oman to reorganise their technical networks and main systems to operate them remotely with complete security and without any hindrance. It has been carried out to mitigate the effects on the security of electronic networks and is in line with the decisions of the Supreme Committee in charge of dealing with the situations arising due the spread of Corona virus (Covid-19). TDP’s role comes as part of its efforts to increase information security in the country and provide assurance against security breaches during such crisis.

Engineer Maqbool bin Salim al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park, said that the company, through its Information Security Centre, was working to make systems and networks safe and secure in the Sultanate of Oman and protect them from any cyber threats. The centre makes sure that continuous necessary protection standards are applied to ward off any infiltration or virus. Any electronic security threat to these systems is monitored and protection is provided against piracy and hacking.

Al Wahaibi said that remote working enables the work conditions of business entities to be continued at a record speed. It is required in several sectors including banks and financing sectors who were recently requested to scale down their operations to reduce the spread of the virus. This has been done by providing advanced technical systems and solutions to help the employees do their job in a very simple manner with security. He said that the cloud solutions have two main qualities, namely remote operations and low capital and operational cost.

He stated that business entities needed innovative solutions to help them work from a distance and with high efficiency and low financial costs thus reducing their capital and operating costs during this crisis.

We advise all government and private sector organisations to use the solutions and programs which have high security standards with their data stored carefully within the Sultanate. We have  invested in the services of TDP to support in such requirements to reduce the capital and operational costs, on the one hand, as well as to increase the efficiency, on the other, he added.

Al Wahaibi warned all companies and particularly addressing financial institutions against the risk of installing their systems and storing their data with cloud companies outside the Sultanate. He said that such practises have threats arising from electronic piracy or illegal exploitation of data.

Since its establishment, TDP is providing all means of cloud systems, various data centre services and advanced solutions of cyber security with all their necessary elements to empower the business entities of the Sultanate. This is done so that the subscribers of these services can focus on their main services and increase their productive capacity while TDP takes care of management, operations and high-quality security of technical systems as well as advanced data security with low financial costs, he said.

He said that creating electronic service platforms and storing them securely in Oman has become essential, especially those which address the main requirements of livelihood of the citizens, such as the new app offering groceries and and other electronic shopping platforms. Such storing services can strengthen them by providing necessary security systems of high quality so that they are not vulnerable to electronic piracy, sabotage and other hindrances. The storage of data within the Sultanate and dealing with a national company such as TDP guarantees confidentiality and privacy of information. It also provide the subscribers the necessary facility to directly communicate with an in-house team of engineers and technicians in case of any support on technical or security-related issues, he said.

Al Wahaibi said that the company was providing all support to medium and small institutions and has made special packages for them to enable them to install various platforms. They provide their services to the society in various fields, whether grocery, electronic shopping or delivery platforms.

TDP is providing advanced and innovative solutions as part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the field of artificial intelligence, big data and smart systems, which helps the Sultanate to continue its progress in the technology of the digital economy. This is because such solutions have positive effects on the economy in medium and long term, he said. 

Al Wahaibi said that creativity and providing best advanced solutions have always been the priority of the company. These solutions make the work simple are more effective and efficient. They also reduce the capital and operational costs associated with it. He said that so far the company was successful in providing its cloud solutions to more than 550 companies inside and outside the Sultanate.

“Information security is key to these institutions. We have established a dedicated cyber security centre to serve these institutions using latest and advanced systems. We feel proud that this cyber security centre is being run by industry qualified and competent Omanis who work round the clock to monitor and protect our customers against any cyber threat. Unfortunately, those who store their data outside, do not benefit from such a service, he said.

He said that the company has paid attention to supporting medium and small enterprises sector during these challenging times. TDP has been working closely with investment funds supporting this sector as well as with concerned government organisations. TDP offers special packages as part of its social responsibility programme to help more than 30 small and medium enterprises make their headway towards success and expects the number to double very soon. Al Wahaibi said that the company was working to empower small and medium enterprises by providing them cost effective cloud and secure data centre services to build their companies easily and conveniently.

Referring  to the importance of information and network security, Maitham Al Lawati, General Manager of the Cyber Security Centre of TDP, said that awareness on the information security must come from the top of the institutions. Their priorities should be to secure their networks from any electronic penetration. He emphasised that it was important to maintain confidentiality of passwords as well as updated protection systems to protect computers, networks, servers and storage systems. He also pointed out that it was equally important to have intelligent systems which can detect vulnerabilities and viruses. He said that the Oman Centre for Cyber Security was continuously providing necessary support for various business entities of the Sultanate and protecting them from any harm. (ENDS)

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TDP & Mile Solutions Launch ‘Imdad” Platform for the Logistics Sector

Muscat: June 2020

The Data Park (TDP), the premier cloud services and information technology managed services provider, in partnership with Mile Solutions launched ‘Imdad’ logistic platform to Optimize Lastmile Deliveries across Oman. Imdad stands to become a major contributor to the rapidly expanding logistics sector, with the massive economic and commercial growth in the Sultanate of Oman.

Enterprises such as Restaurants, Couriers, Grocers, Retailers & eCommerce Companies in Oman will now be able to use the ‘Imdad’ logistic platform powered by Mile’s Delivery Management Solution to optimize their entire delivery operations including in-house and external fleets. The Imdad platform will not only help improve customer engagement but also help businesses achieve cost effective and timely deliveries. imdad will help utilize and plan field operations effectively during peak hours and expand delivery coverage.

Eng. Maqbool Al Wahaibi, Chief Executive Officer of TDP, said that the “TDP & Mile Solutions are proud to launch ‘Imdad’ logistic platform via the “Tawseel” initiative in the Oman Logistics Platform, designed to support SMEs offering logistics services locally.

“As a unified platform managing all delivery and logistics operations, our ‘Imdad’ platform is launched considering the economic growth in this sector backed by a strong and flexible Delivery Management platform supporting effective logistics management. Our partnership with Mile Solutions brings forward the latest in logistics management software, which enable customers to leverage the power of technology and achieve excellence in logistics services” he added. “TDP & Mile teams are ready to take Oman’s Lastmile Delivery segment to the next level with the right technology deployed locally for the Sultanate of Oman”.

“Customers today expect a personalized and real time delivery experience regardless of the demand peaks or the geographical constraints of a particular fleet” said Fawad Ahmed, Mile Solutions CTO & Co-Founder “Our partnership with TDP is a step towards ensuring that our joint customers in Oman enjoy flawless delivery experiences, while enabling user adoption at scale.”

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Supporting a national economy based on knowledge and fourth industrial revolution, TDP Launches first serverless-computing with Microsoft Azure Stack in the Sultanate

Muscat, 12th February, 2020

The Data Park (TDP), the Sultanate's first IT managed services and cloud services provider, rolled out Microsoft Azure Stack services in cooperation with Microsoft Oman and Bahrain at a customer event held at the W hotel this week.

This step has strengthened the process of technological transformation in the Sultanate and supported the technical side of this change. This would also enable the IT revolution in the country to match with the developments taking place in the information technology sector internationally and would enable better efficiencies through its use in the Sultanate.  

The launch of this quality service was part of the efforts aimed at supporting the digital economy, which the countries of the world use in the process of building their economies based on knowledge and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

The Data Park was established as the first provider of managed services in the Sultanate. Now, it also becomes the first to provide serverless computing in the Omani IT market. 

Maqbool Al Wahaibi, Chief Executive Officer of  TDP said, “We are delighted to bring Microsoft Azure Stack services to Oman. Now any entity in Oman can benefit from this world-class cloud-computing service – be it standalone at a customer’s premises or hosted at our certified data centres. He said that it would automatically be in complete compliance with Oman’s regulatory requirements on data policy and protection.

“The service comes with a wide choice of Infrastructure-as-a-Service options, such as virtual machines, containers, network storage and encryption, as well as Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings such as microservices, database services and app services using this same PaaS platform,” he said.

Al-Wuhaibi further said that with the introduction of serverless-computing in the Sultanate, it will enable economical computing for all immaterial of the size of organization. Furthermore, this and all of the other world class Azure Stack services comes to you with our more than eight years of hands-on experience in providing cloud solutions in Oman, backed by a professionally certified service team.

It is gratifying to be the first in the Sultanate to offer multi-tenanted Azure Stack deployments. I urge both government and private-sector entities to embrace this opportunity to further their business and digital transformation growth.” said Al-Wuhaibi.

Shaikh Saif Al-Hosni, General Manager, Microsoft Bahrain and Oman said, “The Data Park has been a driving force in digital transformation across the sultanate. Microsoft is proud to have been a partner in those efforts. Today we stand together to reiterate our commitment to the government, people and business community of the Sultanate of Oman. The ability to engage customers, empower employees, optimise operations and transform products and services could be pivotal in the success of the country’s Vision 2040 journey. Now that TDP can deliver hybrid cloud services and serverless computing, thousands of organisations from numerous industries can innovate with greater freedom, propelling the nation onward to economic prosperity.”

Serverless computing
TDP, currently serving around 500 companies, announced at the event that it would use Microsoft Azure Stack platform to offer Oman’s first serverless computing service. Companies can access computing facilities on a per-use basis.

Through serverless computing, businesses in Oman will have enterprise-grade cloud computing at their fingertips. Those who would adopt it would get benefitted, as rates are based on shared usage and exclude license costs. Customers are charged only for what they use, making the service ideal for non-critical applications.

This server-free method of application is ideal, especially when you need to increase the speed of an application. Instead of weeks and months to publish an application, you can do this within hours and days, and the reason behind this is that you do not have to bother with the infrastructure. You can focus only on Software and launch it immediately. Here, scalability is automatic.

Microsoft Azure Stack
The benefits of Microsoft Azure Stake are gaining importance as an extension of the Microsoft Azure program. It is made by Microsoft to create, test, publish, and manage applications and services through data centers managed by Microsoft.

It is also the best way to utilise the agility and rapid innovation of Azure public services which are compatible with local corporate governance, safety and other regulatory requirements.

Benefits of Azure Stack include data residency. Azure Stack can be used to guarantee the location and condition of sensitive data. Data security is also ensured and sensitive data is protected by some of the most innovative security measures in the industry. Azure Stack accelerates application development and deployment, combining access to the most advanced tools with flexibility of choice over environments. It also offers edge and disconnected solutions that allow users to benefit from the cloud even where connectivity is limited.

For more details about The Data Park services related to Microsoft Azure Stack service, including IaaS and PaaS and serverless computing log on to:
https://azurestack.omandatapark.com

About The Data Park:
The Data Park (TDP) is the leading managed services provider in Oman, with a vision of the future that will see ICT services available on demand. TDP currently runs three data centres, located in Wattayah, Rusail (KOM) and Duqm. These three centres are interconnected to provide resilience, interconnectivity of data, and business continuity. TDP serves more than 500 corporates, ranging from start-ups to major enterprises.

Whether it’s a government, corporate or SME entity, operating in Oman or internationally, TDP is fully equipped to serve. With cost-effective and secure IT services, TDP can lead a business into tomorrow, allowing it to focus on core business activities. TDP’s three TIA 942 Rating 3 certified data centres provide a diverse set of services, such as co-location, managed cybersecurity services, cloud and disaster recovery.

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The Data Park (TDP) Receives the PCI DSS Certification for its Data Centres in KOM and Duqm

Muscat, 6th February, 2020

The Data Park (TDP), the Sultanate's first managed and cloud services provider has received Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) certification from SISA Information Security, the payment security specialist, headquartered in India. TDP has achieved this milestone after completing the audit for its Data Centres, making them the first managed services provider in Oman to receive such a coveted certification.

PCI DSS is the payment security benchmark by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) followed globally by organizations that handle sensitive data. The standards ensure secure storage, transmission, and processing of data, aiming for better data security and privacy throughout the world 

“The PCI DSS certification re-defines our continued commitment towards data security and tells the world how we value our customer’s privacy. We are pleased to achieve this certification besides our ISO27001:2013 ISO 20000:2011 certification and GDPR readiness. The Data Park is built with security in DNA and we will continue to create more value to both existing and new customers so that they can trust us with their technology challenges and focus on their core business.”

Maitham Al Lawati

General Manager of The Data Park

“Adhering to security guidelines and compliance is not an easy task. When followed correctly, it secures an entire organization from data breaches and leaks that have become unavoidable today. When organizations go through the time and expense of achieving such coveted compliance, we understand how much they value the security of their customer’s sensitive data.”

harshan Shantamurthy

CEO and Founder of SISA Information Security.

Having begun operations in 2012, The Data Park already supports over 500 local and international entities, offering a full eco-system of Cloud and Security solutions covering all types of businesses from Government, Oil & Gas and Banking, to name a few. Based on convenient OPEX based models, the solutions are available in economical pricing models that facilitate Managed Security Services, Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), DataCentre-as-a-Service (DCaaS), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), Professional Services-as-a-Service (PSaaS) as well as Application-as-a-Service (AaaS). More details about The Data Park’s extensive product portfolio can be found via their website at omandatapark.com.
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The Data Park Wins Fortinet’s Best Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) Award

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman , September 2019​

The Data Park (TDP), Sultanate’s first managed services and cloud services provider, has received Fortinet’s best Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) of the year. TDP was honored during Fortinet’s Partner Sync event, held in Muscat on 3rd September.

TDP, a Fortinet MSSP partner since 2013 was recognised for its outstanding efforts in Oman’s cybersecurity space. 

As Oman’s largest managed services provider offering both local and international organisations with infrastructure, AI, cloud, public cloud, and managed security services, we are delighted to receive this award. It is in recognition for TDP’s excellent performance delivering complex security services to enterprises in Oman and regionally. The award is also a testament to TDP’s commitment to offer industry leading cyber security services.

The Data Park has been enjoying a vital collaboration with Fortinet as per which they provide us with security solutions for our managed network security services. Our objective is to deliver the best security services and maximum return on investment for our customers who place their trust on us to manage their next-generation security requirements.

-Maitham Al Lawati, General Manager, Cyber Security Centre

Winning this award is a clear recognition of cyber security capabilities and acknowledgement of the company being the finest in the Sultanate. “We are pleased to see one of our first Fortinet’s MSSP partners in Oman continue its momentum with Fortinet.”

Ali Abou Hamze

Channel Account Manager MSSPs, Fortinet

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The Data Park Collaborates with Microsoft and Cisco to boost Cloud adoption across the Sultanate

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman , July 21st 2019

The Data Park (TDP), today in collaboration with Microsoft and Cisco announced the deployment of Microsoft Azure Stack solutions in its facilities. A first for the Sultanate of Oman, the Microsoft Azure Stack is an extension of Microsoft’s Azure Cloud that brings the innovation of cloud computing to build and deploy hybrid applications anywhere, while meeting local data sovereignty and regulatory requirements.

Established in 2011, TDP is Oman’s premier IT Managed Services Provider, that offers hosting, security and cloud services as well as virtual data centre services, leveraging its own Tier III certified data centres in Oman. TDP was faced with the challenge of delivering on its digital transformation promises to customers while complying with the Sultanate’s regulations on data sovereignty. The organisation engaged Microsoft to explore deploying the country’s first Azure Stack, as a major step towards offering Azure services and capabilities within the compliance framework.

“The key challenge faced by us in providing Azure services to our customers in Oman was the inability to store data locally,”

“We can now overcome this challenge through the Azure Stack which is planned for launch by October of this year. Being a hybrid solution, it is open for any entity to come on board and benefit from a wide portfolio of Azure services. Furthermore, this new addition is our way of supporting the economic development of the Oman by elevating the ICT sector to a new level of international expertise that offers a wide spectrum of Microsoft software portfolios while creating specialised jobs that supports this environment. The introduction of world leading cloud solutions in Oman would be welcomed by both multinational companies as well as foreign direct investors who are accustomed to such services and now their interests in Oman can continue to benefit from such services”

Eng. Maqbool Al Wahaibi

CEO, The Data Park.

The ongoing ambition of TDP to become the digital enabler for organisations in Oman will now take a leap forward as it works with Microsoft and Cisco to launch hybrid cloud offerings. Organisations in the Sultanate of Oman can now innovate with a consistent cloud platform, and confidently make technology decisions based on business requirements, rather than business decisions based on technology limitations.

“As The Data Park works to move digital transformation forward across the sultanate, Microsoft will continue its commitment to the government, people and business community of Oman,”.

 “The ability to engage customers, empower employees, optimise operations and transform products and services will undoubtedly propel the country forward on its Vision 2040 journey. Now that TDP can deliver hybrid cloud services, the flexibility and agility that result, will allow thousands of organisations to take their place as innovators on the road to economic prosperity and achieve more.”

Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni

Country Manager, Microsoft Bahrain & Oman.

“The ability to dynamically deliver business critical applications is a key requirement for all organisations in the age of digitization. Cloud computing is one of the main technologies driving this change. By deploying the Cisco Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack for the first time in Oman, TDP now has a comprehensive and pre-integrated cloud platform to accelerate service delivery and thus contribute to the development of the country’s digital economy. This platform was jointly developed by the engineering teams of both Cisco and Microsoft and brings the agility and fast-paced innovation of cloud computing to on-premises environments. Cisco has the breadth and depth of product and service offerings which have already been tested and consistently used for public, private, and hybrid cloud solutions. We are pleased that together we are able to put this cutting-edge platform at the disposal of TDP and its customers,”

Ali Al Lawati

General Manager Cisco Oman.

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The Data Park Introduces Nebula – Oman’s First Self Service Virtual Data Centre

Muscat, May 20th 2019:

The Data Park (TDP), Sultanate’s first managed Services and Cloud Services provider, introduced Oman’s first Virtual Data Centre (VDC) – Nebula – during their annual Iftar gathering hosted recently under the partonage of chief guest, Dr. Salim bin Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO - Information Technology Authority.

Nebula is TDP’s latest product name for a new paradigm of cloud-based services also known as a Virtual Data Centre as a Service (VDCaaS).

It permits full spectrum of data centre facilities from; computing, storage, networking to network security services as “on-demand”; where TDP provides their data centre infrastructure and facilities for rent or lease removing the need for any OPEX costs from the customer. Hosted locally, Nebula also comes with its own state of the art security services operated over Tier III data centres that TDP is known for. Supported by a highly qualified and professionally certified team of experts, this new service is a testament to TDP’s continued efforts aimed at helping and guiding customers towards their agile and digital transformation in perpetration towards the fourth industrial revolution and Gig economy. 

Having started with Colocation services in 2012 and moving to various offerings under Managed infrastructure (IaaS) and most recently the introduction of Professional services (PSaaS), TDP has grown to be the market leader in Oman by giving our customers flexible choices by eliminating CAPEX and offering attractive OPEX based solutions. We are constantly focused on being the cloud partner of choice for our customer’s digital enablement journey. We are pleased to continue our growth trajectory by introducing Oman’s first Virtual Data Centre – Nebula.

Nebula allows total self-care to the customer so that they have full operational visibility and control over the infrastructure, network security as well as scalability and automation. Furthermore, all of these benefits are enabled with real time metering so that the customer is aware of their own VDC (computing, storage, networking and Security) usage. Nebula even offers a choice of pricing models making it ideal for any business entity along with TDP’s long standing 24×7 Managed Services.

-Mr. Maqbool Al Wahibi, CEO of TDP

Offered as Allocation, Pay-As-You-Go or Reservation based subscriptions, Nebula is ideal for various workloads such as critical production, backup and disaster recovery or purely for test and development. Whatever the need may be, this new TDP service is at par with international VDCs but with one clear unique selling point being that Nebula is offered locally and therefore satisfying all local government regulations surrounding customer data accompanied with strong ICT skill sets available domestically.

“Nebula is designed with industry leading security and it will allow enterprises to meet ongoing infrastructure requirements along with their compliance and security requirements. We will also be offering self-service based continuous risk management, forensics and compliance as a service,”

Mr.Maitham Al Lawati

General Manager, Cyber Security Centre.

“Nebula will enable customers to control their own CPU, memory and storage levels as well and adding load balancers, micro balancers switches and routers etc, to the customer’s network. This enables the customer to be at a unique position to be agile and respond to their market needs without having the burden of CAPEX,”

Mr. Hassan Ali

General Manager, Service Delivery & PMO at TDP

The introduction of Nebula today paves the way for companies to apply proof of concept activities and agree on a migration plan before signing up. The Data Park already supports over 500 local and international entities, offering a full eco-system of Cloud solutions covering all types of businesses from Government, Oil & Gas and Banking, to name a few. Based on convenient OPEX based models, these solutions are available in economical pay-as-you-go models that facilitate Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), DataCentre-as-a-Service (DCaaS), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), Professional Services-as-a-Service (PSaaS) as well as Application-as-a-Service (AaaS).

More details about The Data Park’s extensive product portfolio can be found via their website at omandatapark.com.

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The Data Park Launches Professional Services as a Service (PSaaS)

Muscat, March 18th 2019

The Data Park (TDP), the Sultanate’s premier managed Data Centre Services and Cloud Services provider, announced today their newest service offering – Professional-Services-as-a-Service (PSaaS) at a press conference held at the Oman Conference and Exhibition Centre.

Responding to a growing market need to support various businesses in their quest to modernise and improve their own ICT services, this new service from TDP is a much welcomed addition to Oman’s IT savvy market, bringing with it a host of certified expertise and experience. 

Supported by a highly qualified team of experts who have been actively engaged in managing and rolling out the award-winning services of TDP that are currently offered to their customers, this new service is aimed at helping and guiding customers through their digital transformation in perpetration for the 4th industrial revolution and Gig economy. 

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Maqbool Al Wahibi, CEO of The Data Park said “Having begun our operations in 2012, TDP has accumulated a host of expertise both in the lines of top-notch certifications and the local know-how in managing the various ICT challenges that are associated in this fast paced technologically driven world. We understand that business of today have enough challenges focused on their growth and we would like to address their ICT challenges through our PSaaS offering so that the business can focus on their core services”. He further commented that “Keeping a track of updating an on- premise business solution, be it ERP, Network or Storage needs expert advice but that is not always at hand. We will simplify this challenge with our certified experts who are qualified to consult and project manage a host of such business solutions and they will walk with you through your ICT transformation journey and ensure that you are served with a cost-effective and agile solution that only TDP experts are capable of providing. Our teams have been doing similar exercises for the past 7 years to keep TDP services up to date, and what we are doing now is to share that knowledge so that you the customer can also benefit from it as well”. 

Supported and certified by a host of industry leading services providers such as VMware, Microsoft, CISCO, F5, Fortinet, Arbdor, WEDGE networks, ORACLE, VEEAM, DellEMC, IBM storage and SAP B1 this new service is aimed at helping customers with their advancement of Software technology, Network and Network Security, Cloud migration, Disaster recovery & Business Continuity, Storage, Data Protection, Applications and ERP solutions. “We want to be the digital enabler for businesses in Oman and we plan to achieve this by not only offering our core services based on Managed and Cloud platforms but also offering our expertise as a Professional Service to customers, where we enable their on-premise technology to progress to the next level” Said Mr. Hassan Ali, General Manager – Service Delivery at TDP. He further added that “If a company wanted to upgrade their Software, Hardware, networking or application technology, our PSaaS offering can cover ICT process bounded with system integrator functions at one stop for example assist with the Designing a solutions , Project managing the entire exercise from initial consultation meeting to implementation”. “The same can be said for Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity and Storage where our PSaaS can enable a smooth workflow based on customer objectives and resulting in a timely implementation with SLA’s” 

The addition of this new Professional Services-as-a-Service (PSaaS) serves as a testament to TDP’s expertise in the Managed Services and Cloud arena. The Data Park already supports over 500 local and international entities, offering a full eco-system of Cloud solutions covering all types of businesses from Government, Oil & Gas and Banking, to name a few. Based on convenient OPEX based models, the solutions are available in economical pay-as-you-go models that facilitate Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), DataCentre-as-a-Service (DCaaS), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), as well as Application-as-a-Service (AaaS). More details about The Data Park’s extensive product portfolio can be found via their website at omandatapark.com. 

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Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park says that entrepreneurs are privileged to be provided a platform with tools to experiment and explore viable alternatives to contribute to the country’s economy

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park says that entrepreneurs are privileged to be provided a platform with tools to experiment and explore viable alternatives to contribute to the country’s economy.

A country’s healthy economy is based on a strong SME foundation. SMEs in Oman have been promoted by both the Government as well as private companies and play a mega role in employment generation. The Government’s contribution towards the micro and SMEs platform has resulted in adding to the GDP of Oman’s economy. Al Raffd Fund, SME authority and venture capitals such as Oman Tech Funds offer the necessary impetus to start the engines towards progression.
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The Data Park Commissions its Cyber Security Centre

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

The Data Park, Oman's leading Cloud computing company, celebrated the commissioning of the company's Cyber Security Centre at Knowledge Oasis Muscat under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futtaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, in the presence of senior government officials, board members, as well as CEO’s and senior management teams from its customers.

The Centre seeks to provide IT services, enhance managed security services including a 24/7 cybersecurity operations and a network operations team, managed by an elite team of experienced Omani experts. 

The Centre’s two security and network operations teams hold extensive experience in dealing with various cyber threats. The enhanced focus on the newly commissioned Cyber Security Centre will further drive the company’s determination for higher security activities as well as preparation for the 4th Industrial revolution and Gig economy. 

On the occasion of the Centre’s commissioning, Eng. Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park, expressed his delight at the opening of the Cyber Security Centre, adding that the centre will enhance The Data Park’s services and will highly contribute in strengthening the company’s position in the Sultanate as a leader in cloud computing. 

Al Wahaibi pointed out the various challenges that the company has faced since launching its operations in 2012 in increasing awareness of Cloud services in the Sultanate and how the company has achieved many successes over the past years through a well-defined business plan that showcased the operational and long term benefits to be reaped by both private and government entities. 

“Managed data centre services and accompanying cloud services are vital parts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution axis, whose features are already emerging on the ground, such as online shopping, robot-managed enterprises, self-automated vehicles, smart digital industries, Assets and sensitive resources, such as oilfields, power stations, logistics, aviation, banks and other sectors.. 

It is no secret that as technology evolves, security risks becomes high as its threats impacts are not limited at individuals and institutions, but extends to be real threat to the national security and economic resources of countries. 

In order for the Sultanate to maintain its advanced position as a preferred investment destination, by enjoying the stable security and political environment that has been established by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, we must strive to continue the development of the cyber security system. The Data Park is determined to invest heavily in this field, along with the efforts of the competent institutions in the State, to provide digital security protection by establishing a specialized cybersecurity centre working side by side with the relevant institutions in the Sultanate.” 

He further added, ” The The Data Park Cyber Security Centre focuses on four main areas: educational aspects through the release of free periodic reports, which contain the most important types of actual security risks, offering training courses for individuals and institutions, providing security services. The Centre will also link with other local and international centres to identify the most important potential security risks in cyberspace to reduce their occurrence in an early stage.” 

Maitham Al-Lawati, General Manager of the Cyber Security Centre at The Data Park, showed a presentation on on TDP’s cyber security capabilities, highlighting the major attacks in 2018, such as e-mail spoofing, DDoS, targeted malware, counterfeit mobile applications, sales of stolen credentials in the black market, as well as imposition on social media, to name a few. 

“The threat level is always on the rise and our customers look forward to maintaining their safety. This is why we are preparing for the future with this newly commissioned Cyber Security Centre where we will continue to offer an even more advanced level of Intelligence, protection and mitigation to our present and future clients.’’ He further thanked the supporting partners Fortinet, Cisco and MenaInfoSec for their part in enabling the cyber security offerings. 

According to a new survey of risk managers and workers by the Depository Trust and the Clearinghouse Corp., the biggest threat to markets in 2019 is the threat of a cybersecurity attack. In today’s interconnected world, no business can ignore such threats as ransom demand, phishing, malware and others. 

The commissioning of the Cyber Security Centre is also a celebration of The Data Park’s achievements as a leading player in the data centre services sector in Oman, whether it is a government company, a private company or even a small and medium enterprise operating in or outside the Sultanate of Oman. TDP is fully equipped to to serve with cost-effective and secure IT needs and lead the customer’s business into tomorrow while they comfortably focus on their core business activities. In addition, The Data Park partners with qualified vendors to provide comprehensive security services and threat analysis for proactive and reactive security services. 

The company currently operates three Tier-3 global data centres located in the Knowledge Oasis Muscat(KOM) in Rusayl, Wattayah, and Duqm Districts. The Data Centre provides a diverse set of services such as Co-location, Managed Security, Cloud and Disaster Recovery services to name a few. At present, The Data Park serves a large number of businesses including major banks and oil and gas companies operating in the Sultanate. 

The winner of the 2018-19 Telecom Innovations Award for Cyber Security, TDP was highlighted by Gartner as a key player in the GCC for Public Cloud Computing. The company’s services are also ISO 27001/ISO 2000 certified and PCI-DSS and EU GDPR- ready.