Cisco Announces Plan for New Data Centers in Saudi Arabia for Webex Collaboration Platform – The First in the Region

Cisco today announced plans to establish data centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to better serve customers using its collaboration platform, Webex. The data centers are scheduled to be operational in the second half of 2024.

For his part, H.E. Vice Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Haytham AlOhali, stressed that this step comes in line with Kingdom’s efforts to accelerate its digital transformation to build its connected present for innovative future. AlOhali pointed out that Cisco, through its investment in new data centers, is a key enabler of the digital ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. “Providing Cisco’s latest collaborative business innovations to companies in the Kingdom will contribute to creating qualitative opportunities to enable digital capabilities in the Kingdom, given the increasing demand for secure technology solutions across KSA,” he said.

“We have arrived in the AI era, and it is transforming the way we work in all sectors of the economy,” said Javed Khan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Collaboration. “As Saudi Arabia continues its digital transformation, we are pleased to build the infrastructure and provide the tools to leverage the latest innovations that make work better."

With the rise and widespread acceptance of hybrid working models in Saudi Arabia, the country is witnessing a paradigm shift in the way organizations work. The recent Cisco Broadband Survey showed that 68% of respondents in KSA rely on their home internet to work from home or run a business. That shift in working models, combined with the need to keep distributed teams connected, has increased the demand for cloud-based collaboration platforms in the Kingdom. 

“In today’s hybrid world, organizations must provide employees with flexibility in when, where and how they work which requires technology that best optimizes collaboration both in the office and remotely,” said Reem Asaad, Vice President, Cisco Middle East, and Africa. “Cisco is bringing new, world-class Webex data centers to the region to provide customers with access to unrivaled collaboration experiences powered by AI, with built-in reliability and security.” 

Asaad added, “The collaboration data centers, coupled with our recently announced edge data center for cloud security services, are key additions to Cisco’s offerings in KSA.”

Innovative Data Center Technologies

Cisco’s new data centers will feature the company’s latest technologies, including sustainable solutions that help improve energy efficiency. 

They will provide a rich collaboration experience, unmatched real-time media performance, underpinned with industry-leading security and privacy principles with end-to-end encryption and strong identity verification. The data centers also offer capabilities for ease of management, disaster recovery and troubleshooting. 

“Today’s announcement reaffirms our focus on providing the best services by investing in infrastructure and resources and creating strong value for our customers and partners in the Kingdom. This step is a significant addition to Cisco’s investments in KSA and will help fuel the economic growth and digital transformation shaping Saudi Arabia’s future,” said Salman Faqeeh, Managing Director of Cisco Saudi Arabia. 

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