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RITIKA SHARMA / Emirates Business
Gemalto, the global leader in digital security, with annual revenues of €3.1 billion in 2015 and operations in over 180 countries, is playing an important role in
empowering the digital scene in the UAE. Bringing trust and security to an increasingly connected world, Gemalto solutions are ingrained in various day-to-day transactions in the UAE, as the company works with
various government and private
organisations to create secure digital environment.
The Gemalto services enable businesses and governments to authenticate identities and protect data so they stay safe and enable services in personal devices, connected objects, and the cloud.
Gemalto has 14,000 plus employees that operate out of 118 offices, 45 personalisation and data centers, and 27 research and software development centers located in 52 countries. In its UAE headquarter in Dubai, company employees over 200 people.
On the sidelines of ‘Cards and Payments Middle East’ event, held in Dubai last week, Eric Claudel, President Middle East & Africa, Gemalto, speaks to Emirates Business about the company’s operations in the country, Information and Communication Technology’s (ICT) status here and more.
EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW:
Please tell us more about Gemalto.
Gemalto was formed back in June 2006 through the merger between Axalto Holding NV and Gemplus International SA to become the world leader in digital security.
We bring trust in the digital age and to smart city projects, enabling over 30,000 enterprises, 3,000 banks, 450 mobile operators and 100 government bodies worldwide to make the most of the digital world. Our technologies and services enable our customers — banks, enterprises, transport operators, telecom operators, service providers and governments — to authenticate identities, transactions and objects, encrypt data and create value for software.
We have a strong presence and foot print in the Middle East. We supply citizens and residents’ eID cards across the GCC, have supported over 30 Middle Eastern banks in their migration to secure smart chip banking cards and are now supportingthem with contactless payment and digital banking strategy.
How do you look at the ICT sector and its global growth? What is
scenario in the UAE?
Indicators definitely suggest that the Middle East and Africa ICT sector is gearing up for heavy digital growth over the next few years: 4 billion networked devices are expected to be in place by 2020 as forecasted by Frost & Sullivan, with 78 percent of these mobile-connected by 2019.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) modules are expected to account for 17 percent of all networked devices in 2019, compared to 8 percent in 2014. Meanwhile, regional governments are operating with mandates to scale up smart public services.
Gemalto’s worldwide 2015 revenue of €3.1 billion, up 16 percent on last year, illustrates our growth within this sector. The payment, government and machine-to-machine (M2M) segments have proved active growth engines within the sector and the strong performance of the enterprise segment is further reinforced by Gemalto’s acquisition of SafeNet at the end of 2014.
What are your future expansion plans for the UAE and globally?
At Gemalto, we believe in proximity – in being close to our clients, being on hand when we’re needed, and standing by them to make sure their programs succeed. This is why we have been operating in the Middle East region for the past 16 years and opened our first office in Dubai back in 2000.
Today, our regional Dubai hub office employs nearly 200 people to tackle the increasing demand for security solutions. Growth in smart government initiatives, mobile operators looking for innovative value-added services to compete in a fierce market, and banks within the region migrating to smart banking cards, contactless and mobile banking solutions, have all furthered the need to secure these channels.
UAE is going to host the biggest exhibition of the world in 2020. How are you preparing to make UAE meet that vision?
Smart cities present an alluring vision of the future — tech-augmented havens controlled by citywide systems, all working in tandem to provide a better quality of life. Dubai recognises the incredible potential this future holds and is incessantly working to turn it into a reality for 2020. One of the key principles underlying smart cities is better connecting users of public systems to government entities, consumers to machines, and machines to machines, by delivering a convenient, secure ecosystem.
However, the success of smart cities relies heavily on having robust, future-proof, and secure platforms in place. IoT is potential laden, but also presents increased risks. We’re already seeing a distinct escalation in cyber-attacks and threats worldwide, from accounts being hacked, to remote entry and data manipulation.
For wider acceptance of the same, we are working with major banks, government bodies and mobile operators in the region to support them with their smart city projects. Only when data from different systems is interconnected in a secure and trusted way, will the world realise its ‘smart’ potential.
What is the newest project you are working on and what do you
expect out of it?
The digital transformation is heavily centred on the Internet of Things (IoT) — a ground-breaking concept that opens up the doors to a slew of smart, connected devices. In fact, Frost & Sullivan expects 50 to 80 billion connected devices worldwide by 2020, with the MENA region’s share standing at 4 billion.
This high volume of networked, automated devices will certainly enhance quality of life, but simultaneously presents security risks that might blindside even the most security-conscious of governments and enterprises. The future of IoT, and in turn smart cities, therefore relies on the ability of these connected devices to inspire trust.
What are you doing to keep
yourself up-to-date with the fast changing technological scene?
Providing our customers with the latest digital security technologies is our core business. We’re constantly innovating to serve our customers with technologies that both enhance digital security and have a positive impact on society and the environment.
Our commitment to innovation is such that in 2015 we invested over €241 million in research and development. This involves the application of creativity and expertise in secure operating systems, protocols and SDKs (Software Developer Kits).
For hardware, innovation focuses on secure silicon integrated circuit (IC) design, card body technologies, secure printing, and embedded security features for eID. In recent years, innovations in services, including managed services and cloud-based applications, are growing exponentially. Innovation means developing practical solutions that people want to use, and ensuring they work in the field. With a track record of delivering and servicing ‘over-the-air’ more than 1.6 billion smart secure devices per year, our new ideas are quickly put to the test.
Please share something about
yourself.
As President of the Middle East & Africa region at Gemalto, my role is to ensure our team best support the digital transformation the region is going through. With a Master in business administration, I joined the company back in 1991, holding various positions in finance and controlling. I lead the fast GSM growing market in this continent, and the introduction of smart card technology for credit and debit in banking space.
How has being ‘innovative’ made a difference in your business?
The digital world and the technology around us is changing at a fast pace. Creativity and innovation are central to our approach if we want to keep up to speed. We differentiate ourselves through continuous innovation, which is the corner stone of our success and at the heart of our strategy. The daily search for new ideas starts with our international team of over 3,000 digital scientists based in our worldwide network of 27 Research and Software
Development centers. This program has highlighted very innovative digital solutions since it was set up. Every year some 200 ideas are submitted.
Where do you see your company ten years down the line?
The mobile phone has been the first device to blur the lines between ourselves and technology. However the digital transformation, is only a first step. There is no reason to believe that over the next ten tears we will not experience further major disruptions.
We are now walking into a technology driven future and IoT is set to make an even greater impacton society than earlier digital revolutions.
As is with all new technologies, there are challenges.
