Entrusting Ebttikar: Khalid Al-Shangiti

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ebttikar Technology Company is IT royalty. As a subsidiary of the National Technology Group, Ebttikar is a leading IT infrastructure solutions provider, steadily built on strategic partnerships with international technology vendors and solid service infrastructure. Armed with a clear commitment to the region’s growth, Ebttikar has secured partnerships with some of the largest IT players in the world, including Cisco, Huawei, HP, Dell EMC, Amazon, Nutanix and Symantec.

At Ebttikar’s helm is CEO Khalid Al-Shangiti, who has successfully steered the company to build strong relationships with its clients and strategic partners. He believes that to see successful projects and solutions, business models need to be based on client needs.

Khalid is no stranger to quality customer care; for the first 15 years of his career he worked directly with IT clients, learning the language they need to hear and understanding the common problems they run into. He says the market is quickly moving towards both managed and cloud services, but one of the biggest challenges is encouraging clients to see the advantages in moving from one model to another. So, how do you smooth the process for clients moving to new technological horizons? According to Khalid, the answer is trust.

Khalid Al Shangiti, CEO of Ebttikar Technology Company

“By understanding exactly what the client needs and what their priority is, we can apply a model that will add value,” he explains. “The challenge is that the client has to see the value in what you’re offering. Some clients want to see the value of your solution every six months and some will wait a year before asking for results. But overall, the client needs to see value in what you’re doing and how you do it is important to them.

“If you communicate what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and even before you do it, then their trust in you will soar. Once the client’s trust goes up, then a lot of things can be done more easily and efficiently.”

“Once the client’s trust goes up, then a lot of things can be done more easily and efficiently.”

A constant shift

Khalid acknowledges the constant shifting in the technological landscape to be challenging, but helping clients understand why the changes are happening and the urgent need to adapt is an even greater one. Ebttikar offers both managed and cloud services, something that Khalid strongly believes will reduce business costs and increase performance in the long-term. Encouraging customers to utilise new
IT infrastructures and accept unfamiliar models is always a challenge for all IT companies. However, thanks to its unwavering relationship with clients and vendors, Ebttikar has built a trustworthy reputation that precedes it.

Khalid recalls how IT used to be shut away, as a department that existed in the background but never held the microphone. Today, the IT industry is centrestage, particularly thanks to the emergence of artificial intelligence and IoT in the media.

With a move towards the oBIX model (Open Building Information Xchange), clients can receive high-quality services without investing in hardware or more infrastructure in the area. The Saudi Arabian government has also taken note of Ebttikar’s efficiencies, commissioning the company with plenty of substantial initiatives. And with a particular push for green technology these days, Ebttikar has continued to deliver on modern projects that are exemplars of clean energy.

“In the IT industry, a single sales cycle would take around 12–18 months. Nowadays, the sales cycle will take a mere six months because clients are very educated and sometimes even more aware than us,” says Khalid. “In the end, they have these issues with turning what they want into a reality, so we help them implement that reality and ensure they get the maximum value.

“Technology has an edge. If you apply it at the right time, the payback is very high. Clients need to adopt technology at the right time with the right partners. We’re thankful that clients trust us to make the best call in this digital age.”

“Technology has an edge. If you apply it at the right time, the payback is very high.”