* First signing for Mina/Saba partnership in the Middle East

* Strategic partnership to introduce Mina/Saba to KSA market

* Effective learning solutions to aid Saudization

Dubai-UAE, 4th October 2004- Mina Solutions a specialized Information Communication Technologies (ICT) company and the exclusive partner of US-based Saba, the world's leading provider of Human Capital Development and Management (HCDM) solutions has today signed a partnership agreement with Naizak, the Information Technology subsidiary of the Gulf's leading supplier/stockist of electrical, electromechanical, telecommunication, instrumentation, and oilfield components and equipment, the Al Abdulkarim Group.

Mina Solutions is to supply software, consultancy, training, full implementation, service and support of Saba's solutions to Naizak customers within the KSA market. Mina Solutions offers best-of-breed HCDM software products from Saba that identify employee needs and then develop & manage those people via internet based learning, performance, content and resource management systems. The solutions also include a vast suite of planning and administrative tools that allow an organization to manage the practical aspect of these systems. The solutions are completely scalable, allowing organizations of all sizes to benefit, as well as enterprise wide extending to customers, partners and suppliers. Mina Solutions combines Saba's industry leading products with world-class services to deliver on the vision of increased productivity and improved performance for clients.

Macy Moshiry, General Manager of Mina Solutions commented "We chose Naizak as our partner in the KSA because they are already delivering the fields of e learning, content management, training and business consulting at an enterprise level to their customers. Their vertical market focus of Petrochemical, Energy and Financial markets was very much in line with our own market focus. Established in the region with an impressive client list, Naizak offers a range of innovative and leading-edge information management solutions to their customers". Macy continued "Saudization has put the training and education of the workforce at the very top of the list for the government and organizations in Saudi Arabia. Effective implementation of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Knowledge Management (KM) solutions help to develop the knowledge and skills of their employees across the enterprise. Other factors however will also impact the KSA market including:

  • Future changes in agency laws leading to increased competition, and so the need to ensure that employees skills and knowledge are maximized to improve company performance and competitiveness

  • Regulatory demands of World Trade Organization membership leading companies to strive to achieve stringent WTO standards through achievement of required employee certification and qualification programs

Waqqas Asif, Naizak Projects Manager commented "We had identified a need within our customer base for an effective LMS and KM solution. In fact a number of our customers had already identified Saba by name. The Saba suite that Mina Solutions provides, supported by their Middle East consultancy and services both compliments and provides the strategic focus for our other partnerships within this area, ensuring that we can offer our clients the very best in the market".  

Waqqas added "As the sole supplier of Learning Management Systems (LMS) to Naizak, Mina Solutions was chosen because they represent the LMS and KM market leader, Saba who has been named again to the leader quadrant position in the Gartner 2004 e-Learning Suite and LMS "Magic Quadrants."   

Khalid Abdulkarim, president of Naizak and executive director of Abdulkarim Trading commented "I believe that effective Saudization and employee development is central to Saudi Arabia's future prosperity. With ever-increasing numbers of school and university graduates flooding onto the job market it is crucial that we provide an environment within our businesses where employees can be developed to achieve their full potential, in line with business objectives. The Saba Solutions being made available through Mina will compliment the suite of e learning solutions and services that Naizak offer to its clients. I believe that adoption of these services is of fundamental importance if we are to develop the skills of our Saudi nationals."

-Ends-

About Mina Solutions
Mina Solutions is a leading provider of end-to-end information technology solutions for organizations in the Middle East looking for innovative solutions to productivity challenges. Mina Solutions offers a range of software products, consulting, development and technology advisory services that assist clients at each step of software deployment process. Collaborative communications and a highly disciplined project management methodology ensure that our solutions are implemented on schedule and are business deployable upon completion. For more information on Mina visit www.minasolutions.com

About HCDM
In today's knowledge economy people are an organizations most valuable asset. True competitive advantage and enhanced performance lies in how well an organization builds and manages that asset. That most critical asset is known as Human Capital. Whereas traditional systems such as ERP, HRMS, CRM have gathered data and increased management abilities, HCDM solutions enable organizations to significantly improve their employees' effectiveness and overall performance. It also allows the management to effectively lead the organization and to align its most valuable asset -the Human Capital- with its business goals and objectives.

About Saba
Saba (NASDAQ: SABA) is the leading provider of Human Capital Development and Management (HCDM) solutions, which increase organizational performance through the implementation of a management system for aligning, developing, and managing people. Among the Global 2000, Saba customers include Alcatel, Cisco Systems, DaimlerChrysler, EMC Corp., Kaiser Permanente, Medtronic, Procter & Gamble, and VERITAS Software. Saba is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, with offices worldwide. For more information, please visit www.saba.com or call (877) SABA-101 or (650) 779-2791. 

About Naizak
Established in 1998, and based in Dubai in the UAE and Khobar in Saudi Arabia, Naizak is the Information Technology subsidiary of the Al Abdulkarim Group, the Gulf's largest supplier/stockist of electrical, electromechanical, telecommunication, instrumentation, and oilfield components and equipment. Naizak caters to the specific IT needs of energy and industry clients in the Middle East. With over 30 years of experience in the region, the group's goal is to set standards of performance and experience for the industrial and information technology markets throughout the Middle East. Naizak is a company passionate about delivering the best customer experience to its industry clients.

The Al Abdulkarim Group maintains a network of offices in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. For more information on Naizak, please visit our website at http://www.naizak.com/

EDITORIAL CONTACT:
Jo Gay
NettResults Media Relations
+971 4 331 1593
jo@NettResults.com

© Press Release 2004