Destination Sochi – The Russian Riviera

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By Shereen Shabnam

When looking for total relaxation, authentic local culture around every corner, unique natural surroundings, vibrant beaches, warm sunny days, and a bustling nightlife, Sochi is the ultimate destination as it attracts tourists from all over the world, including celebrities and the political elite of the country.

Visitors to Sochi can experience first-hand the charm and liveliness of the summer capital of Russia. Also known as the ‘Russian Riviera’, Sochi, is located along the 150 km strip between the Main Caucasus Mountain Range and the Black Sea coastline.

Sochi is undoubtedly Russia’s largest and busiest destination with sea resorts, glorious sunsetsand a picturesque mountainous coastline.Our first day in Sochi took us to Gorky Gorod Mountain Resort in the famous Krasnaya Polyana with breath taking scenic landscape.

While exploring the area, we saw signs of the infrastructure that supported the 2014 Olympics all over the mountainous ski resort from the cable cars, sightseeing areas and ski slope routes.

There are many layers of attractions in Sochi. The “Lower” and “Upper” levels of the city is connected by road and cable cars for visitors to see the sublime views and experience the local cuisine and entertainment in restaurants, cafes, shops, entertainment centers and indoor water Parks.

For wellness tourists, there are also spas, indoor and outdoor pools, gyms and beauty salons. It is the ultimate place for rest and relaxation as well as for pampering the body and soul.

On the second day, we went up the Rosa Khutor Mountain Resort on a cable car, visited the Mountain Olympic Village at 1170m above sea level and went further up to Rosa Pick at 2320m above sea level. The fresh breeze in the Caucasus mountains was memorable.

Rosa Khutor and its surrounding region are truly unique. Stroll down the Mzymta River promenade and watch the sunset after a day of skiing and recreation. In the summer, a walk along the markets, the mall and the cafes is pure delight.

A culinary journey in Sochi is a must. Every restaurant we ate at was purely delightful but the highlight of the second evening was an exquisite dinner at Brunello.Every course was delectable and the presentation was work of art.

The Caucasus region has a rich variety of seasonings and herbs and combined with the creativity of local chefs, and hence, Sochi offers some of the best cuisines in the culinary world. The fresh meat dishes and the salads are a must to have at meals.

To inject a bit of adventure into our trip, we also visited the SKYPARK AJ Hackett Sochi for some adrenaline driven altitude attractions.  Here we had a chance to do bungee jumping and tried the world’s largest swing and zip lining.

We also enjoyed walking along the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, stretching 439 m. From the mountain, we had panoramic views of the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains.

Most of the visitors in our group also enjoyed the Olympic Park. For me, best part was the visit to the Sochi Autodrom, a 5.848 km F1 permanent race track in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi.The circuit runs around the Sochi Olympic Park and the inaugural World Championship Russian Grand Prix took place there in 2014.

Sochi for me is worth a second visit as I wish I had more time to visit the Museum of sports and retro cars with a collection of 70 rare cars from all over the world including an authentic Formula 1 car. That alone is an attraction I can be in for an entire day.

We also ventured out to Sochi Grand Marina for afternoon tea. The harbor hosts up to 300 yachts, including superyachts up to 140 meters in length, with specialized facilities for different types of vessels. The Marina’s surroundings offer local authentic gastronomy, shopping as well as other cultural traditions. In the nearby area is a lovely promenade for walks.

A visit to Sochi is certainly a must to enjoy extreme adventures, discover splendid sea beaches as well as a wide range of leisure, culture, and gastronomy in one location.

Musician, Zakir (Zak Zorro) releases debut album from UAE

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Zakir Hussain image

To mark his global debut, Zakir (Zak Zorro), known for his powerful vocal abilities will be bringing his unique fusion of songs to music lovers around the world in different genres, Pop, Rock, Hip-hop, Rap, Trap, RNB, Blues, Jazz, Sufi, Qawwali and Ghazals etc.

All the songs are written and produced in Dubai UAE. The Debut rock song is Taqdeeron ke Khilonay for which the music video will be released on 1st April 2020 followed by six songs from Zakir’s Fusion album. In his music video, Zak’s charisma and presence is established with dynamic choreography and storyline inspired by real facts of life that everyone can relate to.

Speaking of his musical journey, Zakir said, “My passion for music began from childhood and I started singing four years ago with Urdu and Hindi poetry which then evolved into songs. I dedicated lot of time for voice training in Hindustani Music and Western music by different vocal trainers. After over 3000 hours of vocal training, I worked with several different music composers producing different genres of music and found a unique style that worked for me. Every song has a unique story and mood in the lyrics.”

Zak Zorro also established Audio studio for himself and other upcoming artist providing a platform to individuals who needs guideline in their passion in music industry with professional equipment for sound, audio and videography.

“With the support of my brainchild studio, Icon Art Production and the talented production team, we worked on the initial videos and then there was no looking back,” said Zakir.

Music lovers can enjoy Zak Zorro Poetry and Music videos on YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/ZakZorro.

Mindware Inks Distribution Agreement with Mitel

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Mindware, the prominent Value Added Distributor in the Middle East and Africa, announced today the signing of a distribution agreement with Mitel®, a global leader in business communications. As per the agreement, Mindware will market, distribute and service the entire range of Mitel’s cloud and premises-based Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) solutions across the Gulf region.

Mitel’s cloud, enterprise and next-gen collaboration applications power more than two billion business connections globally. It is the undisputed leader in cloud communications. The company’s public, private and hybrid cloud solutions have made it the choice of nearly 4.7 million business users worldwide. Mitel is the only brand recognized across the Gartner Magic Quadrants for Contact Centre, Unified Communications and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS).

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Nicholas Argyrides, General Manager – Gulf at Mindware said, “Business communications is the lifeline of any organization today, particularly these (challenging) days, when an organization’s physical premises are typically not the preferred workplace for most of us. Recent research has shown that business professionals spend over half of each working day in communications activities. Needless to add, a company’s communications and collaboration practices and technology immensely affect its productivity. And this, in turn, impacts the organization’s bottom-line.”

“We have been looking forward to working with Mitel since such all-around product range nicely rounds off our portfolio as we add top-class UCC to our offerings. With the current anaemic trends in the market, productivity tools such as those offered by Mitel will inevitably become an integral part of organizations’ digital transformation plans.”

With Mitel looking to increase its footprint in the region, Mindware will provide its more than 2,000 Gulf partners access to the vendor’s solutions. The distributor will also actively seek to recruit new partners having strong capabilities in business software integration, unified communications, cloud computing, mobility, and virtualization. As part of the ramping up process, Mitel will extend full support and conduct training and enablement sessions for the Mindware team. In addition, Mindware will set up a Mitel ‘demo lab’ to enable partners to ‘test drive’ the solutions and get an in-depth understanding of the product technicalities.

With Mindware betting heavily on the Cloud this year, they see a tremendous potential opportunity for the regional adoption of Mitel’s cloud communications offerings. The VAD will be soon be listing Mitel’s cloud solutions on its newly launched cloud marketplace.

Feras Zeidan, Managing Director, Middle East & Africa at Mitel said, “Mitel MEA is honoured to build another growth milestone pillar and sign a regional GCC distribution agreement with Mindware. I am convinced that our new partnership with Mindware will fulfil the partners’ voice, video, UC & CX projects profitably and into the cloud. While working with Mindware’s in-country teams on enablement, fulfilment & post-sale support, our partners & customers will get local value addition, better design services, middleware integration, training and support. In partnering with a solid VAD like Mindware, technology partners will also gain faster fulfilments, fit-for-purpose solutions & roadmap entry into our software & services world.”

“The Mindware & Mitel partnership in the Middle East and Africa is extremely strategic in terms of executing our strategy for hospitality, healthcare, contact centre & SME/ mid-market. We are creating our go-to-market with Mindware, built around these segments to effectively communicate with partners. Channel enablement, trainings and PoCs will be very instrumental in building strong channel landscape with Mindware for Mitel business,” concluded Asif Khan, Channel Director, Middle East & Africa at Mitel.

Scenic Settings – Santorini, Greece

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By Shereen Shabnam

I fell in love with Greece from the moment I stepped out of the airport in Athens. And while each of the Islands in Greece have their own charm, Santorini still remains a favourite for regular visitors who fall in love with this crescent-shaped precious gem of the Aegean dotted with blue and white villages.

Santorini is actually a group of islands in the southernmost part of Cyclades.  The islands came into existence as a result of intensive volcanic activity and the Santorini islands is still an active volcano.

The whole island is actually a huge natural geological/volcanological museum where you can observe a wide range of geological structures and forms as wells as black volcanic pebbles.

Santorini is considered as the most romantic getaway in Greece with exquisitely clear waters and famous sunsets for the ultimate romantic experience. It has deep blue waters, spectacular rock formations, and vertical cliffs plus white, red and black sand.

Firá is the picturesque capital of the island has traditional architecture and offers an amazing view of the volcano. There are other smaller villages that are peaceful and are surrounded by vast vineyardsand whitewashed cliff-top towns with castles.

For sun, sea and sand, head to the Oia with its wild untamed beauty or Ammoudi, on the harbour of Oia for the charming cafes and restaurants. Then delight your visual senses with azure waters, sun-drenched beaches, magnificent black sand and chiselled rocks.

The wild beauty of the beaches on the eastern side of the island will prove irresistible to sunseekers looking for peace and seclusion with Impressive sculptured rocks, black sand, volcanic pebbles, small ports with fishing boats casting colourful reflections on blue waters and some beech trees.

On the south-eastern side of Santorini, sun-loving tourists will encounter magnificent black sandy or pebbly beaches with shallow waters and with playgrounds so it is perfect for families.

Visitors can also soak up the atmosphere along the lively waterfronts, charming beach bars or head to the modern marina with the Sailing and Yacht Club of Santorini for sailing and yachting.  The staff at the club can guide you to the best spots for scuba diving, windsurfing, jet ski adventures, parasailing, kayaking and other water sports.

Santorini is not just about the sun, sea, sand and sunsets – A visit to Santorini offers the ultimate gastronomic experience with fresh cherry tomatoes, white egg plants, fava, fresh goat cheese found on the island.

After each day of exploring the beauty of Santorini, the best way into the evening is dinner after sunset and then head to bed to dream away about what natural wonders to discover in the different parts of Santorini the next day.

From the UAE, you can get to Athens via Istanbul. If you are looking to combine a few destinations like I did, you can fly Turkish Airlines and spend a few days in Istanbul and Athens and end the holiday in the idyllic island of Santorini.

3 Items on Every Digital Business’s Agenda

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By: Daniel Fried, General Manager (GM) and Senior Vice President (SVP), EMEA and Worldwide Channels, Veeam

There was a time in the not so distant past when the function of IT within an organization was considered an operational formality rather than a driver of competitive advantage. Nowadays, technology is no stranger to the boardroom agenda. In fact, it’s a regular fixture.

While the ways in which technology can help an organization are almost infinite, there are three areas I see many businesses focusing on.

The first is ensuring business continuity. This can be viewed as ‘keeping the lights on’ but it’s more about providing a foundation that allows the business to operate as close to its maximum output as possible at all times.

The second is investing in cybersecurity – particularly to minimize the risk and impact of ransomware attacks. While linked to business continuity, there are longer-term impacts for organizations to consider such as reputational damage and a loss of customer confidence.

Finally, organizations need their data to be available at all times. The crucial distinction is that when we talk about ‘availability’, we are talking about data being accessible to the right people at the right time and in the right place, as well as being protected and recoverable at all times.

Business as usual

Veeam’s 2019 Cloud Data Management Report found that three-quarters of organizations are looking to adopt Cloud Data Management.

Two thirds of those surveyed cited stability as one of the key benefits they expected from an investment in technology. Four out of five said they needed to see an uptick in productivity.

This nicely summarizes the role technology plays in ensuring business continuity. Stability is key for any organization, especially during periods of uncertainty caused by factors the business has no control over.

Furthermore, as businesses look to transform digitally, they need a stable foundation on which to base the associated shift in working and cultural practices.

Cloud Data Management provides this foundation for business continuity, as well as giving businesses the means to use data more productively.

Securing corporate reputation

Any business that stores and uses data must be prepared to protect it against ongoing threats to cybersecurity such as ransomware.

This process is two-fold. The first is ensuring that the business is taking proactive steps to mitigate the impact of cyber-attacks and prevent them from spreading across the organization.

Secondly, businesses have to ensure that they are in a position to recover immediately when an attack takes hold.

Restoring mission-critical apps and communication functions means the business can swiftly deal with the reputational damage that comes with a cyber-attack – keeping customer confidence intact.

Open all hours

The ability for businesses to recover mission-critical operations is important beyond protecting against the threat of a cybersecurity breach.

Veeam’s research found that almost three quarters (73%) of organizations are failing to meet users’ demands for uninterrupted access to applications and data.

Simply put, data needs to be available for business to leverage its full power.

All malls under Line Investments & Property LLC close temporarily to beat Coronavirus (COVID -19)

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Retailers recommended to comply to stop the spread of the disease

Al Wahda Mall

Line Investments & Property LLC, the real estate arm of Lulu Group International will be closing all shopping malls in UAE for two weeks with the recent developments relating to the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID -19) and the precautions taken by the UAE Government after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a state of emergency around the world.

Only the supermarkets and pharmacies based in the malls will be open for customer convenience in Al Wahda Mall, Khalidiyah Mall, Mushrif Mall, Madinat Shopping Center, Al Raha Mall, Mazyad Mall, Mafraq Centre and Hameem Mall, in Abu Dhabi as well as Al Foah Mall and Barrari Outlet Mall in Al Ain. In the Northern Emirates, RAK Mall, Mall of Um Al Quwain and Lulu Mall in Fujairah will also have the supermarkets and pharmacies open.

Mr. Wajeb Al Khoury, Director of Line Investments and Property LLC said, “Our aim is to ensure the safety of the public and our employees as well as to limit the spread of the virus. We will be supporting the nation’s initiatives in combatting the virus for areas that are open with frequent sanitization of public areas, washrooms, escalators, elevators, information counters, parking areas and areas near the supermarket and pharmacies with government-approved products.”

As per Government regulation, thermal cameras and instructional signage at our Mall entrances will help protect the wellbeing of mall visitors, tenants, and staff for outlets still open as well as the cleaning and security crews. Line Investment & Properties LLC will continue to monitor the situation and make further adjustments to their action plan if and when necessary.

Line Investments & Property advocates strict social distancing practices to everyone in the UAE during these challenging times.

 

Land of Midnight Sun – Finland

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By Shereen Shabnam

A country of contrasts, Finland is known for endless daylight in the summer when public spaces come to life and for dark Arctic winters that has a profound effect on all walks of life, including a deep appreciation for nature.

Despite being leaders in technology and progressive urban solutions, Finns enjoy time in nature visiting lakes and retreats to the countryside for hiking, trekking, cross-country skiing, playing ice hockey, sled dog touring, riding snowmobiles or driving rally cars.

Helsinki Vibes

If you fly into Helsinki, the capital of Finland, enjoy this vibrant seaside city’s restaurants, beautiful islands, architecture, lakes, shopping and great green parks.  Islands such as Suomenlinna and Pihlajasaari, can be reached by a regular ferry for weekend camping trips. The fortress of Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Finland’s most popular sights, great for a tranquil evening stroll or a picnic. Influenced by Classicism and modernized by Functionalism, Helsinki is possibly best known for its Art Nouveau architecture.

Winter Wonderland

In winter, Finland is a skier’s paradise. Whether you enjoy the thrill of downhill or prefer experiencing cross-country, the ski resorts with their well-maintained ski tracks ensure you find the ideal place. Reindeer sleigh rides are also fun during this time and many believe Santa Claus is Finnish, living in Lapland which attracts even more winter tourists. Winter is also great for ice skating, ice fishing and snowmobiling.

Most visitors go to Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland and the hometown of Santa Claus. Others enjoy the thrill of witnessing the Aurora Borealis, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Visitors love the Finnish Lapland, enjoying the winter wonderland and the hustle and bustle of towns and ski resorts just as much as the peace and quiet of nature. Finland is one of the best places on Earth to view the Northern Lights which appears on more than 200 nights a year in Finnish Lapland.

Summer Soirees

In the summer Finnish Lapland has 24-hour sunlight for nearly three months. Known as the “Midnight sun”, the light allows for numerous events and cultural activities such as the Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankylä.

During this time, visit the Blue Lakeland and enjoy hikes along lakes, islands, boat rides on rivers, canals, and among forests and ridges. Visit Hameenlinna, a city with two impressive castles to visit, large park areas to enjoy and galleries and museums to visit – my favourite being the enchanting Iittala Glass Museum.

Autumn Love

In autumn, Lapland is the best place in Finland for witnessing “ruska”, the time when all the leaves turn into bright colors like red, yellow and orange. Seeing ruska is best in mid-September when the already breath-taking landscape transforms into an out-of-this-world experience. If you are an active tourist, Lakeland’s vast waters are perfect for kayaking, fishing and paddling

Culinary Scene

The culinary scene in Helsinki is cutting edge and evolving with new pop-up restaurants. The Restaurant Day and the Helsinki Street Food Festival are initiatives out of Finland and ensures the capital’s coolest culture districts change into street food hubs.

The local food is full of seasonal delights, wild and fresh with game, fish, mushrooms and berries. Innovative food events in the city embrace all culinary cultures and tastes of the globe and the Restaurant Day is growing into a global movement of “food for all”.

If you know a local, they will enlighten you on the joys of having hearty stews to keep warm during the cold months and the many light, fresh and delicious summer local food to stay sustained and satisfied all day.

Day Trips

Make time for Porvoo, the second oldest city in Finland located about 50 kilometres east of Helsinki. It is known for its charming cobblestone streets, manors, iconic red wooden shore houses, small shops, handicraft boutiques, lovely museums, galleries and cafés.

Venture out also to Finland’s coast through wooden towns, lighthouses, historical manors and large national parks stretching over land and sea. The laid-back lifestyle and a strong maritime culture are key characteristics of this fascinating area which also boasts three coastal UNESCO World Heritage sites.

How to get there

From UAE, you can either fly Finnair direct from Dubai or fly Turkish Airlines to Istanbul, and then to Helsinki and back.

Track your health and fitness with Eufy Smart Scale during self-isolation

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Keep your health and fitness on track with the Eufy App during self-isolation

Staying inactive at home during self-isolation with the fridge full of food easily accessible may lead to unhealthy eating habits but fear not. Anker Innovations has unveiled the new eufy Smart Scale C1, offering an easy way to keep track of your health journey by recording 12 essential body measurements such as Weight, Body Fat, BMI, Bone Mass, Muscle Mass, and more.

The eufy Smart Scale is available online and via Jumbo Electronics and Sharaf DG stores. The Eufy app supporting the product is designed to show health data with the time and date of previous measurements so users can monitor their health over a set period of term and stay focused on their health goals.

The rounded-glass top plate safeguards users from bumping into pointed edges and the anti-slip top plate and low, stable design ensures stability when stepping on the scale. Two pairs of super-sensitive G-shaped sensors ensure precise measurements.

Users can also switch from pounds to kilograms and back while fast wireless data transfer allows viewing measurements in seconds on the phone with historical data of progress and health trends.

The water resistant, modern and stylish scale is designed to suit every home and personality, runs on 3 AAA batteries and syncs data via the Eufy App. Eufy Smart Scale also allows tracking of measurements on third party apps like Apple Health, Google Fit, and Fitbit.

Easy to use, eufy Smart Scale C1 can connect up to 16 users and is intelligent enough to match measurements to the correct user profile, automatically.

As part of Anker Innovations, one of the leading and most trusted consumer electronics brands in America, eufy caters to the needs of discerning consumers looking for the latest innovations, new age technologies and convenience for reliable home and security solutions.

Remain healthy during self isolation by tracking your fitness levels with eufy Smart Scale

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Keep your health and fitness on track with the Eufy App during self-isolation

Eufy Scale1 Mobile App

Staying inactive at home during self-isolation with the fridge full of food easily accessible may lead to unhealthy eating habits but fear not. Anker Innovations has unveiled the new eufy Smart Scale C1, offering an easy way to keep track of your health journey by recording 12 essential body measurements such as Weight, Body Fat, BMI, Bone Mass, Muscle Mass, and more.

The eufy Smart Scale is available online and via Jumbo Electronics and Sharaf DG stores. The Eufy app supporting the product is designed to show health data with the time and date of previous measurements so users can monitor their health over a set period of term and stay focused on their health goals.

The rounded-glass top plate safeguards users from bumping into pointed edges and the anti-slip top plate and low, stable design ensures stability when stepping on the scale. Two pairs of super-sensitive G-shaped sensors ensure precise measurements.

Users can also switch from pounds to kilograms and back while fast wireless data transfer allows viewing measurements in seconds on the phone with historical data of progress and health trends.

The water resistant, modern and stylish scale is designed to suit every home and personality, runs on 3 AAA batteries and syncs data via the Eufy App. Eufy Smart Scale also allows tracking of measurements on third party apps like Apple Health, Google Fit, and Fitbit.

Easy to use, eufy Smart Scale C1 can connect up to 16 users and is intelligent enough to match measurements to the correct user profile, automatically.

As part of Anker Innovations, one of the leading and most trusted consumer electronics brands in America, eufy caters to the needs of discerning consumers looking for the latest innovations, new age technologies and convenience for reliable home and security solutions.

AESG Announces New Maternity Policy in UAE to Support Work-Life Balance of Female Staff

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To coincide with the occasion of Mother’s Day, taking place on the 21st of March, AESG today announced the implementation of its new maternity policy aimed at fostering more equitable and gender-neutral career growth opportunities across its organisation. The policy generously extends on the UAE’s labour laws by offering 90-days paid leave, with an additional 90-days of optional unpaid leave, to its female staff in the UAE.

According to AESG, the policy is in line with its commitment to being an equal-opportunity employer which has organically resulted in its industry-leading gender ratio with women representing 46% of office staff and 42% of senior leadership positions. While the announcement will stand to make employment at AESG a more attractive proposition for aspiring female professionals in the construction industry, the company has cited its desire to empower its female employees to ‘thrive in both work and family life’ as the foremost reason for this decision.

“It’s all too common for women to have to place their careers on hold following their decision to have children. This is a contributing factor to why we see gender disparity, especially in senior management and leadership positions, in our sector,” explained Phillipa Grant, Director of Energy and Sustainable Development at AESG. “We are proud of the fact that women at AESG – by virtue of their merit and our company’s fairness policies – are already well represented in senior positions. With the implementation of these new provisions, we hope to ease the transition into motherhood while giving our female employees the confidence that the hard-work and progress they have made in their careers will be safeguarded.”

While making this announcement, AESG reiterated that it follows world-class project management workflows that incorporate industry best-practices which ensure that the quality of its services and progress of projects will remain unimpacted by the new policy. “We have always implemented a ‘soft-handover’ process with a sufficiently long duration. This has served to ensure that newly assigned team members have an in-depth understanding of the project and their responsibilities much before the actual transition takes place,” said Grant.