survey conducted at the SAP Value Academy sessions in Khobar, Riyadh and Jeddah, a staggering 91% of Saudi business leaders agree that technology is crucial for the growth of a company. The results form part of a dramatic trend in the Kingdom to embrace IT as the key component in the country's astonishing transformation agenda. The Kingdom has the largest IT market in the Gulf region with a forecast value of US$3.6b this year, and expectations of a rise to US$4.9b by 2015 – largely driven by a youthful, growing and increasingly technology-savvy workforce. Furthermore, mobile penetration exceeds 177%, internet penetration is forecast to rise to 66% by 2015 and there is a growing demand for cutting-edge technology such as tablets, which sold 190,000 units last year. “IT will prove to be the beating heart of KSA's growth ambitions,” said Ali Al-Mezrawi, Vice President, Shared Services, Astra Industrial Group.“We must adopt the latest technologies to successfully implement solutions that enable end-to-end visibility, sustainable business practice and swift decision-making.” Al-Mezrawi said that without fully understanding on how IT relates to the business requirements we would continue to suffer both as businesses and as nation. The SAP Value Academies provide a forum for business leaders to learn strategic approaches that enable businesses to be run on efficient lines. Companies consistently delivering on their commitments have used a value lifecycle to plan, sustain and improve their performance. The lifecycle requires discovering value potential, translating strategy to execution, realizing the value and finally optimizing performance and investments. Survey identified that 69% of attendants do not use any formal value management practices but an overwhelming 97% viewed them as essential to supporting business and IT strategy alignment. “The Value Management methodology is intended to keep companies focused on choosing the right projects, clearly defining ownership and accountability for business results, and delivering on these agreed upon commitments.” said Sameer Areff Managing Principal, Value Engineering, SAP MENA. He said that the SAP Value Academy programs are devised to demonstrate the importance of technology with a strong focus on the objectives. “Game-changing innovations like in-memory computing, mobility and cloud provide real-time data that will transform government, businesses and improve people's lives,” he said. Some of the important projects undertaken by SAP in the Kingdom include contracts to improve the operational efficiency of entities like Arabian Amines, Alfanar, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Mohamed Yousef Naghi Group, Shaqra University, Tasnee Company, National Petrochemical Industries Co. Almarai Company, Saudi Pharmaceutical Industries & Medical Appliances Corporations, Consolidated Can Manufacturing Company Ltd, Ismail Ali Abdudawood Trading Company, along a range of major oil, gas and chemical companies.
