April 9, 2015, Doha, Qatar – The Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar is proud to announce Cisco and Intel as the Pearl Sponsors for the fourth edition of the annual event, to be held on 13 – 14 April, 2015 at the Ritz-Carlton in Doha, Qatar. The event is produced by global conference organizers, Expotrade.

The Arab Future Cities Summit focuses on sustainable urban development and seeks to showcase the latest technology, innovation and solutions for smart cities. The summit’s core theme is echoed in the corporate commitment of both Cisco and Intel towards environmental sustainability and ensuring a better future for the planet. Anas Sawaf, Smart+Connected Communities Business Lead, CISCO will be making a presentation at the summit titled ‘Towards a Future Connected Society..Big. Different. NOW!,’ while Tommi Raitio, Regional Director, Telecommunications and Internet of Things, META Region, Intel Corporation, will be speaking at the summit on ‘Securing Smart Cities.’

Connecting smart cities in terms of networks, systems and infrastructure is of the essence in any plan for sustainable urban development. On the other hand, the Internet of Things (IoT) may be the foundational technology that makes a city smart, but it can also lead to potential vulnerability. Hence the importance of an end-to-end security approach in IoT is of critical importance. These topics form the crux of sessions presented by Cisco and Intel at the Arab Future Cities Summit.

Commenting on Cisco’s reasons for presenting at the summit, Mohammad Hammoudi, General Manager for Cisco in Qatar said, “Companies and governments around the globe are embracing the next wave of the Internet – the Internet of Everything (IoE) – to create a new tomorrow for their customers, citizens and employees. Smart Cities are being fuelled by the Internet of Everything, where technology enables governments to help lower costs, improve productivity, increase revenue, and improve citizen benefits for the public and private sector through initiatives such as smart buildings, smart gas and water monitoring, smart parking, and smart waste management. Cisco is uniquely positioned to help public and private sector organizations in the Middle East region to move from traditional to digital and beyond to fully capture the value of the IoE.”

Hazem Amer, Regional Market Development Director, Intel Corporation Gulf Countries, believes their participation at the summit is based on “Delivering on Intel vision to create and extend computing technology to connect and enrich lives of every person on earth. Intel believes that future cities should be smart enough to facilitate life for their citizens and provide creative yet convenient services though smart solutions that utilizes analytics and data generated from all sensors and other objects of the internet of everything to solve global problems.”

Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, organizers of the conference, welcomed the partnership, saying, “Cisco and Intel are counted among the best in the business when it comes to technology for smart and sustainable urban development. The Arab Future Cities Summit is the premier platform for presenting the latest solutions in smart city development, making this an ideal partnership. We look forward to a long association with them.”