Reports and Coverage

The online magazine Transformation Beats produced by the advisory firm goetzpartners has received the German Brand Award 2017 for successful brand management. The magazine launched in fall 2016 has quickly become the go-to platform for the forerunners and drivers of digital change. The content-marketing platform earned a special mention in the category Industry Excellence Branding, Corporate Services and finished in third place in the competition. The award ceremony was held yesterday, June 29, in Berlin.

The Board of Directors of Smart Dubai Office (SDO) held its 10th meeting, which was presided over by H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board. Al Tayer congratulated the board members on the successful completion of the first phase of the Smart Dubai Plan, which proved that all the concerned parties were determined to mobilize efforts to fulfil the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for Dubai to become the smartest and happiest city on earth and a benchmark for smart cities worldwide. He also thanked the work team of SDO and its affiliates for its dazzling success achieved in co-operation with all government and private entities in Dubai.

DarkMatter, the international cyber security firm headquartered in the UAE, announces its significant presence at Black Hat 2017 taking place in Las Vegas, USA. Black Hat is the world's leading information security event, providing attendees with the very latest in research, development and trends, with four days of technical trainings (22-25 July, 2017) followed by the two-day main conference (26-27 July).

Thousands of institutions around the world were subject to a series of "WannaCry" ransomware attacks over the weekend of May 12, causing data to be encrypted with a claim for payment. The ransomware virus brought computer systems from Russia to China to the UK and the US to their knees, reflecting just how much modern human societies rely on technology to function.

'Petya' is the second global ransomware attack to occur in just two months following the infamous WannaCry attack in May 2017. Companies around the world have been crippled by the latest Petya attack, which first appeared on June 28. The Ukraine government was severely hit, as were banks and electricity grids, and other companies in France, Denmark and the State of Pennsylvania.

One of the greatest threats to jobs around the world is automation - smart factories of the future. Germany's 'Industry 4.0' initiative promotes the computerization of traditional industries such as manufacturing, as do many government initiatives around the world. While some praise the idea of "intelligent manufacturing", tech leaders have spoken out in support of a universal basic income (UBI) to avoid technology companies being perceived as job destroyers.

US President Donald Trump recently met with tech leaders at the American Leadership in Emerging Technology event which was attended by executives from the country's leading operators such as AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. Trump said he will give US companies the competitive advantage they need to lead the way in new technological development.

Global management consulting and professional services company Accenture announced that it will achieve a gender-balanced workforce, with 50 percent women and 50 percent men, by 2025.

Today we are standing at the beginning of the Fourth 'Intelligence' Revolution, said Yuanqing Yang, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo at the company's TRANSFORM event held in New York on June 20. Yang said Lenovo will "redefine IT" and encouraged "intelligent transformation" driven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Smart UAE Wallet, a new service introduced at Dubai International Airport, allows departing passengers to use their smartphones at the smart gates instead of their passports.