The Government of Bahrain and Cisco Systems, the world’s leading supplier of networking solutions for the internet, signed an agreement under which the company will offer advisory and technical services to all ministries and government agencies in the Kingdom of Bahrain. His Excellency Shaikh Ahmed Bin Ateyatallah Al Khalifa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, recently met with Duncan Mitchell, Vice President of Cisco Systems for the emerging markets in the Middle East, to discuss cooperation and exchange of expertise between Bahrain and the world’s leading technology provider.
The signing is considered a culmination of the meeting which took place in March between H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatallah Al Khalifa and Duncan Mitchell in which they discussed various cooperative and knowledge exchange mechanisms between the Kingdom and the world’s leading technology provider.
The agreement was signed after Cisco’s local partners, Al Moayyed International Group and Gulf Business Machines (GBM), the Authorized Technology Provider of Cisco’s TelePresence solutions, won the public tender fulfilling the terms of the agreement on the local level. The agreement , considered to be the first if its kind in the region, will also serve as a template for Cisco in future agreements with governments across the globe.
H.E. Shaikh Ahmed Bin Ateyatallah Al Khalifa described the agreement as a leading step toward the electronic integration of the public sector establishments within the strategy of the Bahrain e-Government Authority, noting that all government agencies will benefit from Cisco’s leading ICT experience to support their infrastructure projects, helping to strengthen the national economy and create employment opportunities for Bahrainis.
H.E. further stated that, as part of Vision 2030, the Government of Bahrain seeks to increase the efficiency of government bodies and streamline processes in order to save money and effort and improve customer service. This agreement will help these agencies save millions of dinars as the prices of services offered through this deal will be much lower than market prices for the same services.
“This method is in line with the Government’s policy towards unified procurement of repetitive goods because each of the hundreds of individual procurement tenders issued annually requires 6 to 12 months of preparation and refinement and involves a large number of staff, technical experts, and administrators,” continued H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatallah Al Khalifa. “Working this way is more sensible and efficient.”
Commenting on the agreement, eGovernment Authority CEO Mr. Mohammed Al Qaed said: "The agreement strengthens cooperation between eGA and the world’s leading ICT organizations. Such alliances will help exchange know-how and implement best international practices locally."
“Through this partnership, we are seeking modern solutions that are both flexible and easy to manage in order to accommodate our expansion plans,” said Al Qaed. “We are confident that these needs will be met by Cisco’s renowned networking solutions. This step will help implement a fully integrated and economical communications system, thereby allowing us to grow even further.”
He went on to say that the Government of Bahrain had borne the cost of training its employees on technological products over the past 13 years, which is an expensive endeavour requiring separate agreements with each product supplier. However, with the new agreement with Cisco in place, Cisco will be handling all training operations thus eliminating the need for other training suppliers and saving millions of dinars in the process.
“Because we will be dealing with a reduced number of suppliers through one company, technical troubleshooting and problem-solving will be much simpler and cost-effective because the agreement stipulates that Cisco experts be available in the Kingdom at all times to provide any technical support needed,” Al Qaed explained.
“Over the past year, Cisco and the Bahrain government have started to define a national technology blueprint that would help foster a culture of innovation and business efficiency and position the kingdom for future growth opportunities,” said Mr. Mitchell. “With less than one million citizens, the Bahraini government’s efforts in applying innovation will help enable the kingdom to become a regional center for excellence and economic advancement.”
Al Moayyed Computers General Manager Sayyid Hussaini said: "“As the economy creates new challenges, Cisco and Al Moayyed Computers will work diligently and successfully for this partnership and collaboration, and as the leading partner with Cisco Systems, it is an honor to be a participant and extend our commitment towards the eGovernment initiatives”
GBM General Manager Abdullah Ishaq also expressed delight with this partnership and said, "the agreement is part of GBM’s commitment towards the eGA. We are proud to be a Gold partner of Cisco, a leading global company with an outstanding track record of success, making it an ideal partner."
Cisco Systems is the premier global provider of networking solutions, having grown rapidly with the internet boom in the 90’s to become one of the world’s largest IT firms in terms of transactions and market value.
In cooperation with Cisco, Al Moayyed International Group and GBM will organize a series of advanced training courses for all government employees on the most modern Cisco technologies and solutions to promote electronic awareness and provide employees with the necessary skills to handle electronic systems within the e-government program.
Networking technologies vendor will offer advisory and technical services to all ministries and government agencies in the Kingdom of Bahrain
