06 May 2010
RIYADH - ProcessWorld 2010, a daylong conference held in Riyadh, Tuesday, cautioned public and private sector entities about the significance of adapting to business process management (BPM) and business process excellence (BPE) strategies.
Prince Khaled Bin Mishal Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz, Director General, Department of Administrative Development, Ministry of Interior, inaugurated the conference and the exhibition that ran on the sidelines of the event.
Dr. Mohammad Abdullah Al-Qasem, Advisor to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Secretary General, National CIT Plan for Saudi Arabia, made a detailed presentation on the importance of BPM and BPE.
Over 500 information technology (IT) experts representing both the public and private sector attended the conference that underscored the impending evolutionary influence of BPM and BPE. According to observers, as the Saudi economy, the largest in the Arab world, expands, its business base Business Process Excellence (BPE) solutions are gaining a larger share of the Kingdom's thriving software solutions market.
The Saudi software solutions market worth SR2.3 billion in 2009 is set to experience 12 percent growth within the next three years. BPE applications for monitoring and optimizing business processes are expected to contribute significantly to that surge.
Taking this huge potential into account, ProcessWorld 2010 highlighted the benefits of integrating BPM and BPE in diverse areas, such as governance, e-services, corporate purchasing, and the airline industry and banking sectors among others.
The event's speakers presented testimonies of the successful adaptation of this latest technology in leading companies, such as the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
ProcessWorld 2010, the first event of its kind organized in the Kingdom and Middle East, should serve as a wake-up call to organizations in Saudi Arabia that are either unaware of or uninterested in the evolutionary influence of BPM and BPE, said Marco Gerazounis, Senior Vice-President of Software AG Gulf for Eastern Europe, MENA. The event was jointly organized by Software AG, IDS Scheer AG and WAMAD which specialize in BPM technologies.
Gerazounis, one of the speakers at the event, underscored the Saudi government's efforts to develop a knowledge-based society, and said that the Kingdom would "achieve fast paced development in the IT sector and catch up with countries such as the UK and Europe". He said the Saudi government is keen on enabling both public and private entities to adapt to the latest innovative technology such as BPM and BPE. "BPM and BPE have been implemented in the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense and Aviation and the Royal Saudi Naval Force and negotiations are underway with a number of universities, central government agencies and organizations in the services industry," he said.
According to him, BPE is a relatively new concept in the Middle East. However, he said it has the potential to provide a significant competitive edge to private and public sector organizations.
Dr. Russell C. Gomersall, Head of IDS Scheer for Middle East and North Africa Region, is of the opinion that in Saudi Arabia, development in the ICT sector has been taking place in phases. "Unlike before, people in Saudi Arabia are thinking and re-thinking how and why they should implement BPM and BPE, which is oriented to real requirements," he said.
The ICT sector in Saudi Arabia will grow in a diverse manner, not merely based on IT functionality, but more focused on services and overall integration. "Such an approach will be a key factor for good process, which is well integrated and streamlined," he said.
RIYADH - ProcessWorld 2010, a daylong conference held in Riyadh, Tuesday, cautioned public and private sector entities about the significance of adapting to business process management (BPM) and business process excellence (BPE) strategies.
Prince Khaled Bin Mishal Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz, Director General, Department of Administrative Development, Ministry of Interior, inaugurated the conference and the exhibition that ran on the sidelines of the event.
Dr. Mohammad Abdullah Al-Qasem, Advisor to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Secretary General, National CIT Plan for Saudi Arabia, made a detailed presentation on the importance of BPM and BPE.
Over 500 information technology (IT) experts representing both the public and private sector attended the conference that underscored the impending evolutionary influence of BPM and BPE. According to observers, as the Saudi economy, the largest in the Arab world, expands, its business base Business Process Excellence (BPE) solutions are gaining a larger share of the Kingdom's thriving software solutions market.
The Saudi software solutions market worth SR2.3 billion in 2009 is set to experience 12 percent growth within the next three years. BPE applications for monitoring and optimizing business processes are expected to contribute significantly to that surge.
Taking this huge potential into account, ProcessWorld 2010 highlighted the benefits of integrating BPM and BPE in diverse areas, such as governance, e-services, corporate purchasing, and the airline industry and banking sectors among others.
The event's speakers presented testimonies of the successful adaptation of this latest technology in leading companies, such as the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
ProcessWorld 2010, the first event of its kind organized in the Kingdom and Middle East, should serve as a wake-up call to organizations in Saudi Arabia that are either unaware of or uninterested in the evolutionary influence of BPM and BPE, said Marco Gerazounis, Senior Vice-President of Software AG Gulf for Eastern Europe, MENA. The event was jointly organized by Software AG, IDS Scheer AG and WAMAD which specialize in BPM technologies.
Gerazounis, one of the speakers at the event, underscored the Saudi government's efforts to develop a knowledge-based society, and said that the Kingdom would "achieve fast paced development in the IT sector and catch up with countries such as the UK and Europe". He said the Saudi government is keen on enabling both public and private entities to adapt to the latest innovative technology such as BPM and BPE. "BPM and BPE have been implemented in the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense and Aviation and the Royal Saudi Naval Force and negotiations are underway with a number of universities, central government agencies and organizations in the services industry," he said.
According to him, BPE is a relatively new concept in the Middle East. However, he said it has the potential to provide a significant competitive edge to private and public sector organizations.
Dr. Russell C. Gomersall, Head of IDS Scheer for Middle East and North Africa Region, is of the opinion that in Saudi Arabia, development in the ICT sector has been taking place in phases. "Unlike before, people in Saudi Arabia are thinking and re-thinking how and why they should implement BPM and BPE, which is oriented to real requirements," he said.
The ICT sector in Saudi Arabia will grow in a diverse manner, not merely based on IT functionality, but more focused on services and overall integration. "Such an approach will be a key factor for good process, which is well integrated and streamlined," he said.
By Shahid Ali Khan
© The Saudi Gazette 2010
