Avaya, a recognised technology leader in unified communications, collaboration, contact centres and networking, with more than 9,700 people and 7,000 channel partners worldwide, is opening a new office in the Bahrain World Trade Centre, Manama.
The company has grown swiftly in Bahrain as organisations move to reduce costs, boost productivity and enhance customer and team engagement. It has strategic partnerships with some of Bahrain’s most innovative companies including Batelco, VIVA Bahrain, Fakhro Electronics and Malcom IT services, with solutions deployed in prominent private- and public-sector businesses such as BAPCO, Idbar Bank, Mesk Holding and YBA Kanoo.
Via its new office, Avaya will be able to meet increasing demand for next-generation communications and collaboration solutions, as well as for emerging technologies that range from cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI).
Commitment, confidence and competitiveness
More than that, Avaya is overtly strengthening its commitment to the rapid digital transformation of Bahrain’s economy, and the opportunities this provides for investors.
Indeed, it’s not surprising that the company has such confidence in Bahrain’s ICT industry. The sector is mature and competitive. At more than 10% annual growth, it is projected to reach USD 2.7 billion as soon as 2020.
Competitiveness has been driven not simply by Bahrain’s superb market access, but by progressive reforms and a pro-business stance. Bahrain was the first Gulf state to liberalise its telecoms market, in 2004, and today has the Middle East’s most open ICT infrastructure, regulatory framework and policies. Further: technical leadership is particularly fuelled by innovation in financial services, including FinTech.
Highly ranked for ICT
The Bahrain government has been very active in promoting digital access and engagement, so that there are now more than 200 digital services for citizens and business. As a result, Bahrain ranks first in MENA for e-government development (United Nations 2016), ICT use (World Economic Forum 2016) and ICT development (International Telecommunication Union 2016), and is in the world’s top 30 for network readiness.
Significant investment started early and continues, especially in cloud development and fibre-optic networking, enabling Bahrain’s fast-expanding ICT ecosystem to maximise commercial potential.
In addition, as Avaya has discovered, Bahrain’s people are crucial to delivering its cloud-based solutions and professional services. The company can recruit locally from a highly-skilled bilingual workforce that’s exceptionally qualified and experienced – and growing in size by around 3% a year.
As Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific, Avaya, says: “The Kingdom’s efforts to create an open and favourable business environment have made this country an attractive centre for business while encouraging investments to diversify the economy. Our priority is enabling our customers’ success. With the opening of this new office, we aim to provide them and our partners with easy access to our products, services and solutions to support and enhance their digital strategies.”
