Issue 8 2021

CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 8 2021 5 Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund (ISSF) Chief Executive Officer, Laith Al Qasem, has conducted a session with a group of entrepreneurs and startup owners to discuss their ideas and potentials for growth and development within the Jordanian market. The entrepreneurial projects were focused on tech and marketing solutions, as well as business intelligence. During the session, Eng. Rashed Al Dweik addressed the topic of media startups and their relevance to business development and innovation, commenting, “We extend professional media services and have worked with several companies and clients, achieving effective results. Over the course of the session, we learned more about the phases startups undergo and the different requirements of each, which will enable us to merge business development with the existing media services we provide so as to accelerate our growth.” Meanwhile, the entrepreneurial concept of Eng. Majdi Mabrouk tackled the regulation of the car industry and the facilitation of related services within the local and regional markets, stating, “Our idea stemmed from the need to streamline the supply of cars to Jordan and coordinate after-sales services, on par with global car manufacturer standards. Exploring my concept with a leading entity that specializes in supporting innovative ideas has been of great value and has given me several viable options for consideration.” Furthermore, entrepreneur Ezz Al Din discussed his augmented reality project, elaborating, “We aim to deliver an inventive solution that enables establishments to boost interactivity between their customers and their surroundings in order to enhance user experiences and integration. This technology will allow us to become part of the upcoming tech revolution anticipated for 2030, which will be kicking off within the next few years. Our idea comes with various challenges and finding an entity that is knowledgeable within this field has not been easy. However, we now have the ability to devise a clear work plan that empowers us to overcome these obstacles and transform our concept into reality when the time is right.” Throughout the session, Al Qasem shared valuable advice and guidance, whilst highlighting the key role of the ISSF in supporting entrepreneurial ideas and SMEs through investment, training or funding. “We firmly believe that the future of Jordan lies in its youth. That being said, sufficient communication with them remains lacking and their voices and ideas must now be heard. Our goal at the ISSF is to advance the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is primarily achieved by directly interacting with youth, and this is the main reason we kickstarted these sessions,” explained Al Qasem. These sessions are the first in a series of meetings specifically organized by the ISSF to engage with young Jordanian female and male entrepreneurs to ultimately bolster communication with them, offer them guidance, understand their challenges and respond to their questions. SonicWall milestones at a glance 1991: Sonic Systems founded by brothers Sreekanth and Sudhakar Ravi 1991: Company’s first product, an Ethernet card for the NuBus and SE expansion slots, shipped 1992: Apple OEMs relied on Sonic System’s software for connecting LocalTalk to Ethernet 1995: Sonic Systems released first internet appliance product, the QuickStream/3, a three-port multi-protocol remote access server 1997: First security appliance ships; first named Interpol and later rebranded as ‘SonicWALL,’ the product delivered SMBs a secure, affordable and easy- to-administer firewall/NAT solution 1999: Company renamed ‘SonicWALL,’ issued IPO under ‘SNWL’ symbol 2002: Company shipped 250,000th unit 2005: Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) program announced 2007: First patent (SWUS-001 – U.S. Patent No. 7,158,986) granted 2010: Company eclipses 1 million units shipped 2016: Bill Conner named President and CEO after company acquired by Francisco Partners 2016: SecureFirst partner program introduced 2018: Capture Cloud Platform announced at the RSA Conference 2018: Patented Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection (RTDMITM) technology unveiled 2019: Company eclipses 3 million units shipped 2019: Capture Security Center introduced 2020: Boundless Cybersecurity unveiled, Generation 7 announced 2021: SonicWall celebrates 30th anniversary SonicWall’s channel heritage, customer loyalty With roots planted firmly in the SMB market, the company’s growing customer base covers a vast range of industries, including education, healthcare, retail, infrastructure, federal government, state and local government, and more. Well known for its market-changing Boundless Cybersecurity vision, SonicWall now has more than 500,000 customers in 215 countries and territories. “With cyber threats more prevalent and stronger than ever, it was imperative that we select a vendor that has been a consistent and driving force in navigating the threat landscape,” said Epicor IT Director of Hosting and Managed Services Harry Hartnup. “SonicWall’s innovative technology stays ahead of escalating threats while keeping pace with our evolving needs, helping us to scale, easily deploy and maintain visibility into growing networks.” SonicWall, a 100% a channel company, relies on its expansive base of global partners to fuel its momentum and success. Today, the company has more than 17,000 channel partners worldwide and provides them with more training, tools and rewards than ever before. “Our SonicWall journey started in 1996 and we have been retaining loyal partners who we’ve helped to scope, deliver, install and manage their customers’ security infrastructure ever since,” said Exertis UK and Europe Security Sales Director Jason Hill. “The relationships with the partner community stem right from the start and today we’re proud to still be working with the same fantastic partners whom without them, we wouldn’t be here today. This anniversary is a fantastic achievement all round and we sincerely look forward to the future of cybersecurity knowing we are backed by a vendor that puts security and education first.” Through the award-winning SecureFirst partner program and SonicWall University, partners in every region have an opportunity to expand their education on today’s threat landscape, SonicWall offerings and earn accreditations that directly influence increased revenue attainment. SonicWall technology evolution, growth SonicWall’s product timeline moves at pace with the speed of technology developments. Just four years after its establishment, the company shipped its first internet appliance. By 2002, SonicWall had shipped 250,000 units and today has shipped more than 3.8 million appliances worldwide. On January 2, 2007, SonicWall received its first patent (SWUS-001: U.S. Patent No. 7,158,986). Across the years, SonicWall employees have been granted more than 325 patents, including Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection™ in 2021. “It’s incredible to stop and look back over numerous and successful product generations, the creation of new business models and the development of technology that impacted this company and the industry,” said SonicWall SVP, Chief Technology Officer John Gmuender. “While our past is impressive, I look forward to what lies ahead.” Innovative startups and SMEs Fund CEO kickstarts series of sessions with aspiring entrepreneurs