THE GCC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGERS & DECISION MAKERS FORUM

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THE GCC
INFORMATION
MANAGERS & 
   	
 TECHNOLOGY 
 DECISIONMAKERS
 FORUM

March 4-5, 2003, Emirates Tower Hotel,
 Dubai UAE                       	A Roadmap towards Building the
GCC Information Technology Master Plan, Join the top GCC Information
Technology Decision Makers, Managers, New York University (NYU)
Academics, Professionals, Partners, and IT solution providers in a 2
days non-stop discussion

 	 
“ A NATIONAL IT MASTER PLAN FOR

 STRATEGIC & POLICY GUIDELINES                    
 FOR CREATING A TECHNOLOGY & KNOWLEDGE

                                         BASED ECONOMY UNDER
GLOBALIZATION ”

 	  	 

Day One

 	  	 
8:30 AM	 Registration	 
9:00 AM 	Opening Address	 
9:15 AM	 Formulation of a GCC Policy on IT to Create an IT Society under
Globalization 

The member countries of the GCC have embarked upon promoting the use of
IT as the way of the future. But what has taken place since? While some
countries adopted measures that are aggressive such as E-government,
e-Business and etc, others have yet to start. Given the regional economy
of the GCC, some suggest that the time has come to develop a national
master plan for the establishing this new economy which digital economy.
Can this really happen? 

Why most Regional Information Technology projects are Unsuccessful? 

Why there are so many exciting projects go underway but without a
national Executive IT master plan? Why most of the organizations are
working outside a national Executive IT master plan? Are the technology
companies really assuming the role of “partners” in the region or simply
pushing their own products and services? And would they support a
national Executive IT master plan even if they rely that it could be
hard for them to sale. What should you expect of your technology
“partner”? 
10:15 AM 	Datamatix Research On Middle East
Strategies & Policy For a National Information Technology & Knowledge
Master Plan.
Shortage and Future Needs.	 
10:45 AM 	Coffee Break	 
11:15 AM	 GCC Infrastructural Investments in IT – from Policy to
Strategy and Tactics

1.            What are the key ingredients of the ideal IT
infrastructure for long-term use

2.            Why is total solutions planning vital for the success of a
project? 

3.            What should be the role of telecom in building the
national master plan

4.            The latest In application technologies for a successful
national master plan

5.            How the it policy & decision makers can be more innovative
to achieve high ROI.

6.            How the governmental decision makers should be faster in
their decision.

7.            Current trends in web services, and how this region will
be part of the future global market? 
12:00 PM	 Developing a GCC Content Strategy to Promote the
Region’s Economy. 

Some suggest that with a $300 billion economy in the GCC, much of the
world community lacks the basis knowledge of our economy, institutions
and investment opportunities. By surfing the World Wide Web, one would
find little useful content that mirrors the magnitude of this growing
economy. The question becomes: How to develop a GCC content strategy
that promotes this economy and at the same time respect the sovereignty
of nation’s individual economies. While the UAE has done so much in this
area, a lot more is needed. Policy makers along with strategists will
share with us their views on this issue. 
12:30 PM 	Applications that Deliver (e-Government, e-Business,
e-Learning applications)

While many IT e-Government initiatives in some GCC countries yet to go
further and others are showing some success. This brings the issue of:
what makes one initiative a success and another flop. Is it a matter of
technology selection or “how” the technology is applied? Or may be, it’s
a matter of promoting the benefit of using such technology? Experts will
share with us the key ingredients to the successful implementation of
large-scale IT initiatives. Can e-learning be the weapon of promoting IT
awareness and knowledge in the GCC? The founders of e-Learning, New York

1:00 PM	 Coffee Break	 
1:15 PM	 Partnership, Investment and Funding of Initiatives of the IT
Master Plan 

The development and implementation of an IT master plan for the GCC
requires excessive planning and resources. Who would fund this
aggressive plan? What role should the member countries in the GCC play
in that regard? And What role should the business community play to make
this a reality. Some suggest that the time has come to establish a
regional IT NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) to oversee this
aggressive plan. What kind of organization should be established and
with what mandate. Business leaders will share with us their views on
the formulation of such GCC NGO. 
2:30 PM 	Lunch and Adjournment 

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THE GCC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 	MANAGERS & DECISION MAKERS FORUM

 	 
“ A NATIONAL IT MASTER PLAN FOR                         
 STRATEGIC & POLICY GUIDELINES
 FOR CREATING A TECHNOLOGY & KNOWLEDGE    
 BASED ECONOMY UNDER GLOBALIZATION ”

 	  	 

Day Two

 	  	 
9:00 AM	 Why do IT Companies “Replicate” rather than “Innovate” in this
region?  Why the IT companies are focusing “Marketing” rather than
“Innovating” and promoting technology vision?  How the GCC national can
play a big role in re-aligning the IT market strategy of the region ? 

Why is it that the technology companies “replicate” what technologies in
the west “Innovate”? Is it a shortage of Vision or just a Matter of
Following the Technology Jet Stream from the West to the East? What
would it take to come “out of the box” and really Innovate based on the
region’s Business demand and not just follow “best practice”. While
“best practice” may work for some companies in within the same or
similar economy, they may not work for same companies in different
economies. Experts will share the KEY STEPS TOWARDS INNOVATING! 
10:00 AM	 Is the GCC Ready to Compete under Globalization? Not
without a Clear IT Roadmap

Can the GCC economy survive the Globalization wave? Not without adopting
an aggressive plan to connect this GCC economy to the rest of the world.
Where do we start? How do we bring technology to the homes and minds of
the ‘average” citizen? Is it a question of “selling”? or a matter of
crystallizing the value proposition. What will happen to the small
business owner? Would he be forced out of market? How can he compete
with others? 
10:45 AM 	Coffee Break	 
11:00 AM	 Developing the GCC IT Skill Set and Know-How to move
into an Oil-Independent Economy

How do build the skill set of the average GCC worker? Where do we begin?
Some suggest that it all starts with “education”. If that’s the case,
what is the state of the GCC’s colleges and universities? Are they
offering the state-of-the-art education and utilizing the latest
technologies? Can distance learning be used as vehicle to promote
“individual” education. New York University professors will share the
road to developing an IT skill set for the GCC worker. 
11:45 AM	 The Steps towards Promoting Women IT Education to
strengthen the GCC Economy

While IT initiatives are underway in many parts of the GCC either at the
E-government level or at the business level, many women are still left
behind. What would it take to promote women education and training in
the area of IT? Why there is a gender gap? Are there cultural hurdles
standing in the way? Winning the war or simply “staying alive” under
Globalization will require integrating more women into the work force,
especially in the area of IT. Experts will share with us how to include
this 
12:45 AM	 Break 	
1:00 PM 	Component as part of the GCC Master plan & Roundtable
Discussion: The “what”, “when”, “where” and “how” to start the Master
Plan?

This roundtable discussion with our expert speakers will focus on
debating the steps towards establishing the master plan towards
establishing an IT society in the GCC. Focus will be on Policy,
strategy, tactics and resources need to be brought to bear to make this
dream a reality. Questions will be moderated by an expert in the area of
IT strategy and policy making and questions will be taken from the
attendees to facilitate this discussion. New York University professors,
GCC officials and business leaders are to take part of this informative
session. 
2:30 PM 	Lunch 

Final Remarks by Datamatix

Forum Adjournment   



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