The Middle East technology market is expected to hit $13.4 billion in 2008, according to latest IDC reports.

The continuous uptrend, which has set off since the market reached the $6.9 billion mark in 2003 is seen behind the market growth.

With an aim to leverage the burgeoning demand for business-critical networking and communications solutions, Mindware, a leading IT distributor in the Middle East and Alcatel Lucent are offering a complete range of enterprise IP networking and communications solutions to regional customers.

Both companies are also focusing on developing a stronger network of value added resellers (VAD) as part of a region-wide expansion strategy.

Alcatel-Lucent recently held a ‘Partner-Rendez-vous’ in Emirates Towers offering Mindware a whole day of presentations and interaction with existing and potential resellers from UAE, KSA, GCC and Pakistan.

The recently concluded event witnessed the induction of 40 new resellers, whose main focus is to drive Alcatel Lucent’s brand awareness and market penetration.

As organisations continue to seek products and technologies that transform customer networks to become competitive assets for their businesses, maintaining an extensive VAD network can be highly beneficial in leveraging the demand for ICT products in the region, which is set to increase at an annual rate of more than 16.9 per cent until 2009.

“With IT spending in the region predicted to double to reach USD 16.8 billion in 2009, our efforts to build a stronger reseller network for Alcatel Lucent products is aimed at maintaining a wider channel breadth that can provide outstanding coverage in the region’s more profitable markets,” said Nehme Mouchantaf, networking and solutions department manager, Mindware.

“Through the ‘Partner Rendez-vous’, we have reiterated our commitment to our regional partners by providing ample support to empower them as a valuable contributor to the products’ growth in the region. Our aim is designed to leverage the most prolific IT markets, such as the UAE, which accounts for 33 per cent of the region’s spending, as well as other emerging IT hubs in the Middle East.” – TradeArabia News Service