NTT DATA: Unveiling the Best-Kept Secret in Global System Integration

Exclusive interview with Ali Burcak Soydan, Managing Executive for Middle East, NTT DATA Middle East and Africa.

Can you tell us about the journey of NTT Data so far?

To give a brief overview of who we are, I think it is good to start with our parent company, NTT, which stands for Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. NTT is a 150-year-old Japanese tele-operator that started in Japan and then grew out of Japan as a system integrator. It expanded significantly through a series of acquisitions—more than 90 acquisitions over about 20 years—to become one of the world’s largest system integrators.

In terms of revenue, we are now the 5th largest global system integrator, with about $30 billion in revenue. The reason I share this is that we are not that well-known; we often call ourselves the best-kept secret in the industry because we are somewhat invisible in terms of how the company came about. However, there’s tremendous value that has been acquired through these acquisitions. Very recently, on April 1st, we became ONE NTT DATA, merging all of those capabilities into one entity.

Can you tell us about your role in the company? How do you see your role evolving and the market here?

I joined the company about a year ago to lead this transformation. When I joined, the company was still operating as “Dimension Data,” one of our acquisitions and the foundation of our legacy in the region. My task has been to transform the business from Dimension Data into NTT DATA, building up additional portfolios beyond the infrastructure portfolio that we had inherited.

That has been my day-to-day focus since joining. Over the past year, it has been an amazing journey for me. Today, we operate out of the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia within the region.

Can you tell us about the markets outside the UAE that you are exploring—Qatar and Saudi Arabia? How do you see those markets?

Our biggest market right now is Saudi Arabia in terms of revenue contribution. It has experienced very fast growth, and we’ve invested significantly into the country. We’ve built a NOC (Network Operations Center) and a SOC (Security Operations Center) within Saudi Arabia, and we continue to invest in that market.

We are now re-entering the UAE market. Although we have been here for a long time, we were mostly engaged with our global accounts. Very recently, however, we have started working with more local accounts, bringing a broader range of our portfolio into the market.

As for Qatar, our third focus country, we’ve been investing there for the past couple of years. The growth has been significant, and we will definitely continue our investments in that market.

What are the innovations coming down the line from NTT DATA?

One of the key innovations we showcased is called NT-TINA. It is an AI-based digital human that is already in production at a few sporting events and in the hospitality sector. Essentially, it’s a digital human—life-sized—that interacts with users in natural language.

For example, it can help you check into a hotel, check out, or resolve any issues you may have during your stay. At the same time, it is being used in events like the Tour de France and various golf tournaments. It processes all the data from the day’s events—technical data, scores, and highlights—and shares it with fans. It can discuss the day’s outcomes, offer insights into who was winning, and even coach users on improving their golf performance.

This is a great example of how Generative AI can be used in a practical and affordable way. It doesn’t cost much to build something like this, and it’s an easy way for companies to experiment with putting this technology in front of their customers.

Can you explore a little bit about data centers? What are you doing in this space?

Globally, we are the third-largest data center operator in the world. We operate a significant number of data centers across the globe, and this has been a growth business for us, especially with the rise of AI and hyperscaler growth.

In the Middle East region, we do not currently have data centers, but we are always looking for opportunities in this domain. Our data center portfolio goes beyond just infrastructure; it includes networking, cybersecurity, managed services, and building private and hybrid cloud environments. We also help customers secure those environments.

Additionally, we are one of the largest network integrators in the region, so we can integrate all of these capabilities into comprehensive data center services.

What are you doing in the cybersecurity sphere? What solutions do you have there?

On one side, we work with an extensive list of cybersecurity vendors, many of whom are also our global partners. With some of these partners, we are among their top global partners. Our approach to cybersecurity covers the entire spectrum, from strategy to implementation. We also offer managed services, and we’re soon launching some of these offerings in the region, such as Managed SASE and Managed MDR.

These managed offerings solve a significant issue for customers: the fragmentation of security products. With so many security tools available, it has become increasingly difficult for organizations to implement, manage, and find the skills to support them. By providing managed security services, we help our customers resolve these challenges effectively.

How has GITEX changed over the years? What changes have you observed, and how was your experience at GITEX 2024?

Every year, I saw GITEX grow more and more. It used to be held in one location, but now there’s another, and it has started to take over the entire city. That growth is fantastic for our industry. It’s an amazing thing because it shows our purpose. As I mentioned earlier, we often consider ourselves the best-kept secret in the industry. Although we are such a large company, we’re not always widely known. Events like GITEX give us a unique opportunity to connect—with you, with potential customers, and with our vendors. I was really happy to see how GITEX served its purpose, particularly for companies like ours.

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