With companies in Saudi Arabia expected to invest $13 billion on information technology in the next two years, the kingdom appears ready to make an unprecedented technological leap, a report said.

A survey of CIOs by Gartner's Executive Programs reveals that enterprises in the Middle East and Africa are increasing IT spending with CIO IT budgets expected to grow by 14.3 percent this year. Areas of priority for the kingdom are seen as cloud computing, virtualisation and e-Government.

Meanwhile, analysts believe that by 2014, 35 per cent of global organisation IT budgets will be spent on cloud services.

“The importance of cloud computing solutions for us came from the e-Government initiative we need to align with. But cloud computing is definitely the key to the future of the kingdom’s IT modernisation plan - and the biggest benefit of cloud-based infrastructure is IT resource sharing,” said Dr Ayman Fayoumi, vice dean for IT at King Abdulaziz University.

The Kingdom Cloud Computing Summit, taking place on April 22 and 23 in Riyadh is hosting key international and regional leaders to discuss this and other key cloud-related topics.

Hosted by French business information group naseba, it also aims to share best practices and educate the public and private sectors about the benefits of the cloud.

Dr Fayoumi added: “The main challenge we are currently facing is designing a dynamic roadmap [for cloud implementation]. However, the Saudi Arabian Government is doing a productive job helping us to implement cloud computing solutions. A very important aspect for every IT professional is knowledge sharing amongst other CIOs, CTOs and IT Managers. That’s the reason I decided to participate at the upcoming Kingdom Cloud Computing Summit.”

A recent study by Hewlett Packard and Coleman Research Group said 85 percent of Saudi companies are expected to adopt cloud technologies during 2012. The Saudi government’s commitment is evident across all public organisations throughout the kingdom, and this presents a new challenge for all IT professionals, said naseba..

Nicholas Watson, managing director at naseba, said: “The Saudi Arabian market is remarkable in its growth potential, scope and readiness to innovate. Participation from regional experts and leading solution providers only enhances the technologically advanced nature of the summit - and will ultimately benefit the Kingdom by introducing the very best expertise.” - TradeArabia News Service