Outsourcing has historically not been a major pillar in Middle East public and private sector organisation’s strategic architecture. While the benefits of outsourcing are understood and recognised, organisations have sought to engage with major outsourced service providers through managed service agreements and joint ventures. This approach has generally worked well. It has enabled local organisations to maintain control of their infrastructure, environments, people and third-party contracts and, in the case of joint ventures, provided organisations with the potential opportunity to
The USA Freedom Act: What it Changes and (Mostly) Doesn’t for Cloud Services – And is it Really the Issue
The recent showdown over renewal of certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act (often called simply the Patriot Act) and the subsequent enactment of the USA Freedom Act 
have raised a number of questions about the ongoing impact of these laws on data traversing or being stored in the United States. While the new law takes the NSA out of the direct business of maintaining metadata (which includes phone number called, the time and duration of the call, and location
How Oil and Gas Companies can Optimize Technology Performance and Costs During Oil Price Volatility
An unexpected surge in production coupled with weakened global demand has resulted in a 50 percent drop in the price of crude oil since June 2014 and currently averaging US$50 a barrel. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced it would leave market forces to determine crude oil price and would not cut oil output. The current oil price is the lowest it has been since Spring 2009. As oil and gas companies begin to
How to Effectively Manage Outsourcing Contracts
The Middle East is emerging as one of the biggest growth markets for outsourcing. Organizations seeking cost and efficiency savings combined with greater continuity and risk management are switching to outsourcing as a method of managing their back-office business operations.
MENA outsourcing revenues are predicted to hit US$2.69 billion by 2016 (Frost & Sullivan). Across the region, commitment to outsourcing can be observed with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia forecasting that more than 50% of its ICT
Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus
Latham & Watkins’ Middle East Technology, IP and Sourcing team has just published the sixth edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus.
This edition includes a white paper on preparing a statement of work for a technology or sourcing transaction, guidance on US Trade Controls for companies operating in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, a primer on Data Protection in Saudi Arabia and a round-up of the latest note-worthy telecommunications
Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus – Volume 3
The April edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus, a newsletter from Latham’s Middle East Technology, IP, and Sourcing team, is now available. The new issue considers several topics, including the challenges that organisations looking to implement an outsourcing strategy must consider in their outsourcing agreements, updates on the eGovernment strategy of the United Arab Emirates, and ictQatar’s radio spectrum policy.
The newsletter provides know-how, updates and commentary on the technology, IP and sourcing sectors