Sun Microsystems Delivers State-of-the-Art Research and Development Facilities For Region's IT Students and Developers
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Sun Microsystems Middle East & North Africa today officially opened the region's first-ever Sun Centre of Excellence, designed to drive network and information security studies in the Middle East, at the UAE University's College of Information Technology (CIT).
The Sun Centre of Excellence complements CIT's mission to produce world-class information technology locally in the UAE, while providing students with the opportunity to learn from renowned experts in the field of information and communication technology.
The project - which includes technology and consultancy from Sun partners CIT and Cisco - will provide students with access to solutions and tools in a realistic working environment. Exposure to these applications - and instruction on creating IT infrastructures - will better prepare students to secure viable long-term employment and drive technological development in the region.
Attending the opening ceremony was Dr Hadef Al-Dhaheri, Vice Chancellor, Dr. Ali Al-Noaimi, Provost, and Dr Rafic Makki, Dean of the College of IT, along with Sun's US-based Vice President for Global Education and Research, Kim Jones.
"Through the vision of the government, we are building a knowledge-based society that will take the lead in contributing to the region's IT community, and will also become a valuable addition to the global research community. Sun has constantly been at the forefront of innovation and development, and the role they can play in developing the next generation of UAE students is invaluable," said Dr Al-Dhaheri.
Solutions devised at the Sun Centre of Excellence will be applied to real-life problems experienced by the region's government departments and businesses. In addition to providing an environment for testing new solutions customized for the Middle East business community, the Sun Centre of Excellence is committed to the education of UAE nationals.
"The UAE has achieved great strides in building an IT sector that rivals other technology hubs across the globe, and educational institution like the Sun Centre of Excellence will help drive progress in IT across the region by providing advanced technologies and services," said Kim Jones.
Dr Al-Noaimi added: "This Sun Centre of Excellence puts the CIT and the UAE University right at the forefront of IT security research and development within higher education. The centre reinforces our superb academic and training credentials within the region, and also on an international stage."
"The students will collaborate with leading researchers and IT developers, gaining a wealth of experience that will prepare them for leadership positions in the field of information security," he added.
Staffed by experts specializing in IT security, the Sun Centre of Excellence faculty will assist government and industry organizations with all aspects of their network and information security curriculum.
As part of Sun's commitment to the project, the company has dedicated two Sun Academic Equipment Grants. The agreement includes the provision of Sun hardware running the Solaris software environment, to be used for ongoing educational and research curricula.
"The Sun Centre of Excellence enhances our position as a leader in security, educational support and innovation," said Jones. "Just as is importantly, it is a solid demonstration of our corporate citizenship - by helping create a base of skilled professionals we are contributing to the growth of the national and regional economies."
The Sun Centre of Excellence programme was devised by Sun to facilitate collaboration between leading educational institutions, co-sponsoring partners and Sun to educate students in state-of-the-art information technology applications using Sun's industry leading products.
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About the College of Information Technology
The College of Information Technology provides seven degree programs, including computer engineering, computer science, e-commerce, information security, information systems, network engineering, and software engineering. The College has a world-class faculty engaged in cutting-edge research and development. For more information about the College, visit: http://www.cit.uaeu.ac.ae.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer[tm]" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com
© Press Release 2005
