Bahrain's Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) is to become the first ministry in the Kingdom and in the Middle East to base its entire IT infrastructure on open source technology. A phased deployment of the new 'Linux' environment is in line with the Government's strategic open source initiative and is being managed by Gulf Business Machines (GBM), IBM's sole distributors, excluding selected IBM products and services, in the GCC with the exception of Saudi Arabia.
Acquiring the world renowned Linux operating system will involve the deployment of sophisticated IBM Servers which will utilize the latest IBM Blade Technology and its relevant open source tools.
According to Maha Al Mandeel, Assistant Undersecretary of Human and Finance Resources at the Ministry of Social Development, by being the first to embrace open source technology completely, the Ministry will gain a number of advantages and benefits.
"In addition to featuring the lowest total cost of ownership, the implementation of this IBM solution and the deployment of the new environment will be swift and will result in numerous benefits including simplified IT management, the ability for modular scalability when we require it, high availability and security of our systems and of course, improved space efficiency," said Ms. Mandeel.
Linux is an immensely popular and robust, powerful and compact operating system that is freely downloadable from the Internet. It is also available with full documentation and additional applications for a nominal fee by distributors. Since its introduction in 1991 it has been continually developed, tested and refined by a dedicated IT community including IBM. Today it commands respect as a serious operating system for the mission-critical operations of Governments and businesses.
"This is a very significant and strategic decision from the Ministry and the decision to move to open source software reduces the burden on governments to have to depend on proprietary solutions which lead to higher costs and less choices," said Abdulla Ishaq General Manager of Bahrain Business Machines (BBM), Gulf Business Machines' operation in Bahrain. "The Ministry will also be able to take advantage of advanced management tools such as IBM Director Software, which enables the IBM BladeCenter solution and its dynamic capabilities to be comprehensively managed." "And with Gulf Business Machine's 24/7 Support Line the ministry would reduce the down time to the minimum available in the industry."
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About Gulf Business Machines
With roots stretching back more than 16 years, the Gulf Business Machines' companies are IBM's Sole Distributors, excluding selected IBM products and services, in the GCC with the exception of Saudi Arabia. Gulf Business Machines BSC provides services and support to IBM distributors. As the largest locally situated IT solutions and service provider Gulf Business Machines satisfies the technology requirements of local, regional and international businesses and governments in the region. The company's comprehensive portfolio of IT solutions and services also includes the offerings of a range of international business partners. The company offers award-winning, globally acclaimed solutions and the security of its strong regional presence, extensive reach and its unrivalled market knowledge. GBM is the recipient of the prestigious Dubai Quality Appreciation Award from the Government of Dubai.
Issued on behalf of Gulf Business Machines by Hill & Knowlton.
For more information contact
Jamil Alsharif on
Tel: +973 17533532,
Fax: +973 17533370, or
e-mail: jamil.alsharif@hillandknowlton.com.
© Press Release 2006
