Cloudera is in a pole position as digitalisation speeds up in the Middle East
US-based company is a Gold Sponsor of Digital Dubai at GITEX Global 2023
Cloudera, the Santa Clara, California-headquartered enterprise data cloud solutions provider, exhibited its latest advanced AI-powered data and hybrid cloud solutions in association with Digital Dubai at the 43rd edition of GITEX Global – the world’s largest and most inclusive tech show – held from October 16-20, 2023, at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Cloudera was also a Gold Sponsor of the Digital Dubai branded presence at the mega tradeshow, attended by 160,000+ tech professionals from 150+ countries.
Digital Dubai is the Dubai government entity that advances digital innovation and transformation and develops and oversees the implementation of policies and strategies for Dubai emirate’s IT, data and statistics, digital transformation, and cybersecurity initiatives.
In this exclusive interview with ‘Middle East News 247’ at GITEX Global 2023, Karim Azar, Regional Vice President for the Middle East & Turkey at Cloudera, discusses market advancements, strategies in the rapidly evolving tech landscape, and the Middle East region’s importance to the company.
Excerpts from the interview:
What is Cloudera’s focus on generative AI and large-language models (LLMs), and how do they fit into your overall platform?
Cloudera’s strategic focus is on generative AI, particularly LLMs, and their integration into our platform. We are unique in offering an end-to-end data lifecycle management solution, catering to various infrastructure models, whether on-premises, private cloud, or public cloud.
We aim to empower customers to harness data to its full potential, emphasising the latter stages of the data lifecycle, including generative AI and machine learning.
How important is the Middle East region for Cloudera, and what is the company’s regional growth strategy?
The Middle East is a strategically significant region for Cloudera and where we are experiencing rapid growth. We aim to continue on this trajectory, doubling our regional investments. We are opening more offices, increasing our workforce, and deepening our engagement with local partners. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are key markets for us, but we also focus on emerging markets like Turkey.
What is the distribution of your customer base between public and private sectors in the Middle East region, and explain how Cloudera’s solutions cater to both?
Approximately 60% of our customer base is in the private sector, while the remaining 40% is in the public sector. We have a strong presence in the private sector in healthcare, banking, insurance, and airlines.
The public sector, on the other hand, often requires more security and data sovereignty due to the sensitive nature of their data. Our solutions are adaptable to both, ensuring secure data management, governance, and analytics.
Cybersecurity is growing, with malicious actors utilising generative AI and other technologies. How does Cloudera address these security challenges?
Cybersecurity is paramount. Cloudera ensures data security, quality, and governance, from collection to generating insights. We help organisations protect their data and maintain control, minimising data leakage.
Our solutions focus on securing data at every stage, addressing various use cases like cybersecurity, risk reduction, and more. Cloudera’s approach is holistic and adaptive to customers’ specific needs.
The Middle East region is witnessing substantial growth in smart cities. Can you explain how Cloudera contributes to these initiatives?
Smart cities generate vast amounts of data, and Cloudera plays a strategic role in collecting, securing, governing, and analysing this data for and on behalf of customers. We support smart cities’ efforts to grow, become more efficient, and provide new services. Our solutions enable data-driven insights that help these cities meet sustainability and climate goals.
Data sovereignty is a growing concern in the Middle East, with governments pushing for data localisation. How does Cloudera adapt to this changing landscape?
Cloudera is uniquely positioned to address data sovereignty concerns. We can be sovereign wherever our customers need to be, whether on their infrastructure or sovereign clouds. Our alliances with major cloud providers like AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Microsoft Azure offer flexible solutions. Our priority is ensuring data security, governance, and sovereignty as demanded by the customer.
Can you elaborate on Cloudera’s role in addressing environmental challenges like climate change, particularly with COP28 being hosted in the UAE later this year?
Cloudera considers sustainability a core value. We are committed to providing environmentally responsible solutions. Many customers want to reduce their carbon footprint and incorporate this into their digital strategies. Our solutions empower customers to optimise their data usage and reduce environmental impact.
What are Cloudera’s primary growth sectors in the Middle East region, and how do the company’s solutions align with these sectors?
Telcos and smart cities are significant growth sectors in the region. The exponential data growth in these sectors presents a substantial opportunity for Cloudera. We offer solutions for data management and analytics that help these sectors harness the full potential of their data, enabling them to grow and innovate more rapidly.
Are there any plans for opening new offices or increasing Cloudera’s workforce in the Middle East?
Absolutely! We are looking to open new offices and expand our regional workforce further. We see a healthy future for Cloudera in the Middle East and actively invest in our operations to support our growth.
What’s on the horizon for Cloudera in 2024 and 2025?
The coming years are incredibly promising for Cloudera as we are well-positioned to meet the demand for hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. We anticipate continued growth and a focus on innovation, aligning closely with our customers’ evolving strategies and needs.
Can you explain why Cloudera became a Gold Sponsor under the Digital Dubai umbrella at GITEX Global 2023?
GITEX Global is one of the world’s largest technology exhibitions, attracting many industry attendees. By becoming a gold sponsor, we can showcase our brand more effectively and impactfully.
This increased visibility helps us convey the message that Claudia is a serious player in the tech industry and that we are committed to our growth and expansion.
About Cloudera: Established in 2008, Cloudera is a prominent software firm specialising in enterprise data management and analytics solutions. One of the company’s key offerings is the Cloudera Data Platform, a product suite encompassing cloud services and data processing.
The Cloudera Data Platform is the sole cloud-native system whose services are seamlessly available through major public cloud providers such as AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure, and GCP (Google Cloud Platform), in addition to on-premises private cloud environments such as Red Hat OCP and Open Source Kubernetes. Cloudera positions these products for applications related to machine learning and data analysis.
The Cloudera platform empowers users to store and analyse data, employing a combination of hardware and software in cloud-based and data centre settings, effectively bridging the gap between hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures.
Cloudera offers various cloud-native analytics services covering data distribution, engineering, warehousing, transactional data processing, streaming data management, data science, and machine learning.
Cloudera operates strong partnerships with industry giants like Dell Technologies, IBM, and Oracle, reflecting its commitment to delivering top-notch solutions.
Cloudera has introduced the ‘lake house’ concept, a term coined by blending ‘data lake’ and ‘data warehouse’. This innovative approach is built upon Apache Iceberg, an open-source format for handling extensive analytics tables that facilitates concurrent SQL queries and enables other engines to work with the same tables simultaneously.
As of 2023, Cloudera boasts a dedicated global workforce of 3,084 employees.
Featured image: Karim Azar, Regional Vice President for the Middle East & Turkey at Cloudera, at the Cloudera stand at GITEX Global 2023. Image: Arnold Pinto
Last Updated on 1 year by Arnold Pinto
