GCG Enterprise Solutions facilitate digital transformation with ‘business made easy” motto

CNME Editor Mark Forker managed to secure an exclusive interview with Naser Darwazeh, General Manager, GCG Enterprise Solutions, to find out how the company has positioned itself as the market incumbent in Managed Print Services (MPS) – and how it has leveraged their portfolio to facilitate digital transformation for their clients with its ‘business made easy’ motto.

GCG is a major regional player in the print industry. Can you tell us how you managed to position GCG amongst the top players?

GCG has built a lengthy track record of achievements ever since its establishment in the UAE in 1982.

We started off as printer distributors, with a firm grasp on delivering to the ever-growing needs of our clients.

I believe, this customer centric approach has served as the greatest catalyst to our evolution. Along the line, we witnessed steady growth and transitioned to become a printing service provider, before moving into the MDS (managed document services) space.

As one of the earliest providers of Enterprise Information Management solutions, we take great pride in being pioneers. GCG has never followed trends, but remains focused on creating them instead. In doing so, we have contributed to shaping the digital transformation landscape.

I would say another major turning point for us was roughly 5 years ago, when we anticipated the massive boom in digitalisation, which the Covid-19 pandemic ended up accelerating.

Today, with offices across the UAE (Headquarters), Oman and most recently KSA, GCG is one of the top 3 players in the UAE and we are constantly strengthening our leadership within the region.

It’s very interesting how everyone is now talking about paperless and digitalisation. How does GCG cope with this development and support its clients?

Yes, while we do have a lengthy and strong legacy in the print sector, we were also early adopters and one of the pioneering players to introduce comprehensive digitalisation roadmaps, aimed at supporting our clients.

I don’t believe that paper will completely disappear, but instead, clients will continue to become more conscious users of paper. At GCG, our goal is to help them accomplish that and towards this goal we have partnered with global players from the enterprise information management landscape.

Aligned with our motto of “business made easy”, we believe that by offering different digital technologies ranging from process automation and smart building solutions, to digital experiences and AV solutions, we end up better serving our clients’ needs and aspirations.

Our goal is to become a comprehensive regional turnkey solutions provider which will continue to help businesses across the private and government sectors to achieve their vision and ambitions faster, with reduced risks.

How is the current global situation impacting the technology industry in the UAE?

While the Covid-19 Pandemic’s impact on the industry has been significant, our perspective is that it has also served as a catalyst for many companies to diversify their portfolio and increase their focus on digitalisation.

I also believe that the Ukraine and Russia conflict could prove to be problematic, bearing in mind that we live in a digital connected society and cyber security is at stake.

This means that we need to be prepared for any potential cyber-attacks and should remain vigilant and ready to counter any threat with the right solutions in order to protect our clients’ businesses.

I also strongly believe that global crises trigger a heightened need for innovation amongst people and businesses. The UAE is a resilient country with a highly progressive vision (top 5 on the global innovation index) which aims to serve as a model for global innovators.

There is no doubt about the capability of this country to lead the tech industry. As a local operating company, we are well aligned to support and achieve this vision.

What are GCG Enterprise Solutions’ future ambitions?

Looking ahead, we will continue to pursue market expansion both in terms of our penetration, as well as our geographic reach and presence across the Middle East. Our successful entry into the KSA market in the recent past (under the GBS banner) has been extremely positive and will remain a focal point in the years ahead.

We will also be continuing to strengthen our position, capabilities and leadership across the digitalisation market, by building on our existing, as well as new partnerships with the best-of-breed international brands, products and solution providers, to deliver the cutting-edge of technological innovation to our clients.

We are also gearing up to cater to growing complexities and creating our own set of solutions for the benefit of our clients.