The Middle East is on the cusp of a digital revolution, with large enterprises seizing the opportunities presented by cloud, AI, machine learning and a host of other technologies to deliver meaningful business outcomes and transformation. Nevertheless, they cannot do it alone, and technology is just one element in the construction of a platform for future growth.
Mohamed Al Qubaisi, CTO at Injazat, explains how to harness the best technology, people and business insight to design the right platform for innovation. (Photo by Inna Bigun)
“We’re blessed to have leaders that are pushing for digital transformation and all of its benefits,” says Mohamed Al Qubaisi, CTO at Injazat. “The region is transforming and it’s very clear that governments have set out a vision to go digital.”
From a strategic perspective, the path ahead is clear. However, the journey towards a digital future requires a detailed map defining the right technologies, collaborative processes and skills to guide enterprises towards the right outcomes.
“We need to assess legacy IT,” remarks Al Qubaisi. “This means working with new, fresh start-ups and technology providers, as well as existing large-scale vendors, including cloud providers. Orchestrating all of this is not an easy task.”
As a true hybrid cloud provider and a digital transformation enabler for large public and private organisations, Injazat has leveraged its technology and business insights to develop InGenius Lab – a platform to deliver innovation. InGenius relies on a methodology that is still unique to the region, combining design thinking, lean, and agile principles to unlock the innovative potential of Injazat’s clients and deliver solutions to their specific problems.
“When we talk about digital, whether it’s security or the development of applications, everything is accessible through the ecosystem,” Al Qubaisi explains. “That’s why we’ve designed our core business to be much more optimised, allowing us to focus more on innovation. And what that means for us is not innovating on our own.”
The power of partnership
Rapid and meaningful progress in digital transformation relies fundamentally on collaboration between innovators, solution providers and enterprises looking to change their business models.
“This is why the InGenius methodology focuses on outcomes,” says Al Qubaisi. “By partnering with someone, many things can be done to generate that outcome, but to get people around the table, to design the business model and the technology components is a culture yet to be formalised in the region.”
Working together through the InGenius platform, all stakeholders can further the adoption of agile business practices, helping them to pivot their business model and move towards a well-defined outcome in a more efficient way.
“We can add value by applying AI, computer vision or machine learning to generate insights on a specific use case to create a better experience for a client’s customers,” Al Qubaisi explains. “There is always a specific problem that we are trying to solve, and we always have an outcome-driven approach with our partners.”
A partner to deliver digital transformation
The InGenius Lab is the embodiment of Injazat’s philosophy – a team, a process and a working environment to enable innovation. That is why the company does not see itself as a service provider, but as a transformation partner working with private companies as well as government entities – integrating an ecosystem of vendor partners with niche expertise to create win/win solutions.
“We’re talking about making sprints in weeks rather than months,” adds Al Qubaisi. “So, the expectation is to 10X everything – ten times the speed, ten times the benefit – by applying force to a problem. We come to it with digital architects, innovation partners, specific niche expertise or consultants from around the world.”
This partnering model goes beyond simply accessing a broader pool of talent and technology. It goes as far as to share the risk of innovation and co-investment in transformational digital platforms through public-private partnerships. This enables a comprehensive approach that starts with eliminating clients’ non-core business and legacy IT infrastructure, implementing cloud-based technologies and, ultimately, opening the door to innovation.
“If there is an opportunity to help build a venture and enhance outcomes, if there is something that we can deliver value on and that we are interested in investing in and pursuing, then it is not about us selling services or solutions,” Al Qubaisi says. “That is a unique value proposition.”
As the commitment to digital transformation across the Middle East grows deeper day by day, more large enterprises are realising the value of having their key decision-makers work closely with technology providers and business consultants to develop products that target a specific outcome and to launch digital ventures using the expertise of local partners. InGenius creates a structured platform for that engagement.
“The only way to do this is to build agile teams with embedded resources from all parties,” concludes Al Qubaisi. “Nobody can do it alone.”
