Injazat Data Systems is opening an office in Qatar before the end of the year in its first step towards regional expansion. The software services provider, which is now wholly owned by Abu Dhabi's Mubadala after it acquired a 40 per cent stake from Hewlett-Packard last month for an undisclosed sum, is focusing on rolling out its services across the GCC.
"Our plan is to expand, it could be acquisitions or partnering with specific companies within the region," said Ibrahim Mohamed Lari, the chief executive at Injazat.
"We are opening an office in Qatar but we are also looking into other GCC countries.
"We are getting a lot of requests within the GCC in terms of mobility, security and delivering application services in governments, the financial sector and transport."
Along with the expansion, Injazat is embarking on a hiring spree with a focus on recruiting local Emiratis.
Of the 800 or so employees, just 17 per cent are currently UAE nationals, but the company is hoping that at least 50 per cent of its employees within the next five years will be Emirati. There is, however, a shortage of skills in the UAE, particularly within the security sector, said Mr Lari, who signed a partnership agreement with Russia's Kaspersky Labs which will help to train its staff.
"Kaspersky gives us the next step to ensure all our services are secure and up to date. This partnership is the beginning in terms of all types of services we need to support to develop and train all our experts and developing UAE nationals," said Mr Lari. Injazat will continue to focus on GCC expansion for the next two to three years before reaching out to the wider Middle East market.
According to the technology consultancy IDC, the IT services market this year reached US$1.9 billion in the UAE and $5.6bn in the GCC.
The industry is expected to grow to $3.3bn in the UAE and $9.5bn in the GCC by 2018.
Demand for mobile data services is expected to help fuel the sector's expansion.
Mubadala, which also has stakes in General Electric and owns the silicon chip maker GlobalFoundries, is a key player in helping to diversify Abu Dhabi's economy away from oil.
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Based: Dubai, UAE
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
