HPE commits to regional transformation with the Digital Life Garage

Innovation and partnership are in the DNA of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The company has a rich history of pioneering some of the greatest innovations in modern computing, including the first programmable scientific desktop calculator, the first modern personal computer, the first LED, and many others.

That commitment to discovery continues with the company’s launch of a global network of co-innovation hubs, dubbed HPE Digital Life Garage.

The very first HPE Digital Life Garage was opened in Dubai earlier this year. The initiative aligns with the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, which centres on the improvement of communities and society at large through the use of technology, according to Rebecca Wright, director, Digital Life Garage, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Middle East.

“The UAE, and Dubai specifically, are at the forefront of shaping the future of the global economy by accelerating the adoption of innovation and ground-breaking technology, particularly through meaningful government and private sector cooperation,” Wright says.

The HPE Digital Life Garage’s strategy is to build and maintain an ecosystem of local government, researchers, technology companies, service providers and others to jointly develop technologies that improve communities around the world.

The centre also provides an opportunity for businesses and government agencies in the UAE to benefit from HPE’s AI, memory-driven compute and edge solutions, as well as opportunities to engage with the HPE Global Network through worldwide programmes, products and services.

“As a Silicon Valley company, HPE understands the value of a strong ecosystem of partners to deliver continuous innovation,” Wright says.

“To allow flexibility, we offer a variety of different partnership models for customers, alliances, channel partners, research projects, start-ups and service providers,” she adds.

HPE’s regional partner Logicom got interested in the initiative after seeing HPE plans for the centre of excellence in Dubai. “We are excited to participate in a differentiated technology solution engagement with the partner eco-system that can potentially drive significant value to our channel partners and their customers,” says Sajith Raj group director for Distribution – HP/HPE, Logicom Distribution.

Logicom and its partners now have access to a state-of-the-art environment to create and test solutions before presenting them to customers. “The purpose of the engagement in the Digital Life Garage is to build solutions based on research and testing, in an environment where partners can join Logicom to use the facilities and infrastructure to collaborate and create with eco-system partners,” says Raj.

Digital Transformation
HPE Digital Life Garage supports regional digital transformation efforts in various ways. For UAE government stakeholders, the centre will serve as a hub for scientific research and solutions to power technological innovations that help citizens. For businesses, it will provide technology to boost productivity and enable innovation, while also helping companies achieve competitive differentiation and a faster route to production.

According to Raj, the centre will help position the company as one of HPE’s leading distributors in the region and elevate technology marketing by hosting technical enablement sessions for its stakeholders.

“Access to the Digital Life Garage can also be a significant incentive for everyone involved in innovation and learning acceleration,” he adds.

As the world recovers from Covid-19, HPE is using the Digital Life Garage to develop Return to Work Solutions to help companies manage the ongoing challenges from the pandemic.

“Return to Work Solutions will focus on enabling employees to work remotely and effectively managing the return to work sites,” Wright explains.

The HPE Digital Life Garage is a major boost for UAE’s and Middle East digitisation efforts. As seen with the Return to Work Solutions, the transformation is well and truly underway.