Bahrain hosts Amazon Web Service’s first ever Middle East Summit

Manama, Sep. 25 (BNA): Amazon Web Services (AWS) today brought the cloud computing community together for the Middle East’s first ever AWS Summit – a forum for collaboration on cutting-edge clouding technologies and applications designed to help businesses grow. The Bahrain AWS Summit was held at the Four Seasons Bahrain Bay, under the Patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Chairman of the Kingdom’s Economic Development Board (EDB). His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (SCICT), attended the event on behalf of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. During the event, a message from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was delivered by His Excellency the Director General of the First Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa: "The capacity attendance of this event, the first AWS Summit in the Middle East region, is testament to how we view the role of cloud computing in transforming the way public and private sectors use technology. "For the Kingdom, the expansion of regional cloud capacity builds on our efforts over the past fifteen years to transform the role of the public sector from the central driver of development to a regulator and active partner with the private sector in growing the economy. We are using technology to foster entrepreneurship, drive innovation and accelerate economic diversification in Bahrain. "And having committed earlier this year to a national Cloud First Policy, continuing to invest in digital infrastructure, and providing the educational, regulatory and financial frameworks to utilize the potential of cloud computing, we can help drive forward the goals of sustainability, fairness and competitiveness that underpin Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030. "It is how we will build new industries, evolve established ones, create new jobs, and grow our economies. "And the ability of cloud computing to place immediate, cost-effective and scalable computing power in the hands of every business and household, will serve as a further catalyst for the growth of businesses in our economy." While attending the event, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa noted his delight at seeing the launch of the AWS Summit Bahrain under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness highlighted that Bahrain’s growing ICT sector remains a key component of the Kingdom’s diversification efforts, and that the sector’s expansion supports other economic sectors such as business tourism. The Deputy Prime Minister also praised the EDB’s role in advancing the development of Bahrain’s ICT sector, noting that the launch of Bahrain’s Technology Week reflects the EDB’s ongoing commitment to supporting sustainable development. His Highness went on to note that the EDB, under the leadership of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, continues to strengthen Bahrain’s reputation as a pioneer in driving innovative technology investment across the region. Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, commented: "AWS’s commitment to expanding its presence into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, from Bahrain, is a major enabler for technology and data-driven business across the GCC. This will benefit global corporates, SMEs, entrepreneurs, and governments alike. The ability to store and share data at speeds the Gulf has never experienced before has the potential to help companies gain competitive advantage, allowing them to compete more effectively at a global level. Amazon Web Services is delivering the Middle East a world class service. With such a young, technologically adept, and growing population, the Gulf is well positioned to drive innovation in mobile applications and digital services. I am very eager to see how our region’s entrepreneurs will make use of this exciting opportunity." Teresa Carlson, Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector, Amazon Web Services (AWS), spoke during the event and thanked the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting AWS’ first Middle East Summit. Alongside the event, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa took part in the official opening of the Bahrain Technology Week pavilion (Data Centre). The Bahrain Technology Week pavilion will be open to the public from 25-29 September from 5.00pm to 9.00pm at Bahrain Bay, and showcases a number of start-up businesses, as well as seminars with a focus on encouraging innovation.