The significant acceleration of digital agendas over the past two years has resulted in a continuously changing and increasingly digitally driven world. As Qatar prepares to host the FIFA World Cup later this year, unprecedented technological innovations within the country have reached an all-time high. In fact, recent research from International Data Corporation suggests that 57 percent of Qatari organizations have introduced new digital products and services over the last 12-18 months, while 70 percent have increased cost efficiencies through the digitization of operations.
“CIOs in Qatar have rapidly digitized operations and enabled new digital business models and ecosystem partnerships for the FIFA World Cup and beyond,” said Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC’s group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. “They have carried out widespread technology implementations, ranging from enabling cloud operational excellence and developing agile infrastructure to supporting application modernization, process automation, and security. Leveraging the FIFA World Cup as a catalyst to drive its digital economy and expand its ICT ecosystem, Qatar is ideally positioned to attract investments in emerging industries and drive innovation while showcasing itself as a digital-first country.”

Against this backdrop, the 2022 edition of the IDC Qatar CIO Summit will explore the increasing pace of innovation in Qatar and examine the country’s evolving technology landscape. Taking place on Sept. 27 at the Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel and Villas, the event will reveal how technological innovation has created a more competitive, diversified, and productive ICT sector that can meet the demands of the country’s rising digital economy.
Ranjit Rajan, IDC’s vice president for research in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, will open the day’s proceedings by presenting the event’s keynote address, “Innovating in a Digital-First World,” in which he will urge organizations to respond to the unprecedented uncertainty of the last few years by embracing a digital-first approach to building resilience into their operations.
“The journey to the future digital enterprise has accelerated, driven by significant investments in new customer experiences, new digital ecosystem business models, digital supply chains, and ‘future of work’ initiatives,” said Rajan. “All of this must be supported by resilient cloud-enabled digital infrastructure and applications, rapid app development, digital platforms, data-driven and AI-enabled intelligence, and security and trust. Strong leadership, an appetite for innovation, and a sound strategy for addressing regulations will all be key to driving the future digital agenda.”