Dubai: 23, October, 2008 - Dubai Internet City (DIC), one of the world's largest managed ICT clusters and a member of TECOM Investments, pledged its support to leading ICT vendors and enterprise integrators as one of the lead sponsors, acknowledging their accomplishments in individual and group categories during the ACN Arab Technology Awards 2008.

The annual awards celebrate outstanding achievement and excellence in the Middle East's information and communication industry by honouring technology leaders and pioneers of the Arab world.

Malek Sultan Al Malek, Executive Director of Dubai Internet City, presented awards to DIC Business Partners Sun Microsystems for Best Enterprise  Vendor and the National Bank of Abu Dhabi for Best CIO of the Year. The award ceremony was held on 20 October during a gala dinner at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina.

Al Malek said: "Acknowledging individual and group achievements in the ICT cluster is a step in the right direction to help improve and encourage innovation and development of the ICT cluster in the region. DIC's sponsorship and support to this event reflects our commitment to further developing the IT industry in the UAE while positioning Dubai as one of the world's leading ICT hubs."

Recognising excellence in enterprise computing, the ACN Arab Technology Awards 2008 received a record number of submissions from around the Middle East with over 100 entries across 14 award categories.

More than 400 professionals from the Middle East IT community attended the ceremony that honoured the achievements of the region's finest vertical projects, vendors, individuals, integrators and service providers.

The winners included Dubai Holding for IT Department of the Year, and eHosting DataFort, a TECOM Investments entity that was awarded Best Service Provider of the Year.

As pioneers of major initiatives and projects for nearly a decade, Dubai Internet City has continuously played a vital role in driving the growth of the region's ICT industry. The cluster recently commissioned the region's first ever ICT White Paper study to analyse the immense opportunities that lie in the IT service market for small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in the region today.

Titled 'The IT Market - A Middle East Perspective: An Overview of Business Opportunities for Innovative New Companies', the White Paper will be officially launched today (22 October) at the Westin hotel in Dubai.

Dubai Internet City boasts more than 1,200 top-tier companies, including most of the Fortune 500 brands.

-Ends-

About Dubai Internet City
Dubai Internet City (DIC), a member of TECOM Investments, was established in 2000. It is currently regarded the Middle East's largest information and communications technology (ICT) cluster. Built as a strategic base for companies targeting emerging markets in several neighbouring regions, DIC's core focus area extends from the Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent, and from Africa to the CIS countries, covering two billion people with a GDP of US$6.7 trillion. As a knowledge-oriented business model, DIC has created a dynamic international community of IT companies hosting business partners that include most of the Fortune 500 brands, as well as a number of small and medium enterprises and ventures. In 2008, 140 new companies joined the DIC cluster. For more information, please visit: www.dubaiinternetcity.com

For further information, please contact:
Angelina Wong
Senior Account Executive
JIWIN Public Relations
Tel: + 971 4 369 2834
Email: Angelina.wong@jiwin.ae

Hammam Alyazji
Account Executive
JIWIN Public Relations
Mob: +971 50 923 2100
Email: Hammam.Alyazji@jiwin.ae

© Press Release 2008