Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) Wins Best Practice Award from Cisco

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – 26 July 2015 – Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has been given a best practice award by Cisco for the upgrade of its technology infrastructure to support future expansion plans in line with Dubai Smart City goals. DEWA’s migration of its Al Qussais and Jebel Ali data center network was commended by Cisco for best practice in design, implementation and in completing the migration reliably and securely.  The award was presented in a ceremony at DEWA’s head office in Dubai, with Ms. Moza Al Akraf, Chief Information Officer, DEWA, receiving the award on behalf of the Utility from Rabih Dabboussi, General Manager for Cisco in the UAE.

In line with Dubai’s vision to become the smartest city in the world, the network upgrades will support DEWA’s plan to raise production capacity, upgrade its infrastructure and implement smarter technologies to manage generation, transmission and distribution.

“At DEWA, we work to achieve the Smart Dubai initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world and to ensure that all the facilities and services are provided through smart and integrated systems. We work to raise the level of our services by adopting the latest technologies, systems and international best practices to ensure safe and stable supplies of electricity and water,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

“We are pleased to receive the Best Practice Award from Cisco, which underlines DEWA’s continuous efforts to upgrade its infrastructure and enhance its operational efficiency. Our control centres play a key role in strengthening DEWA’s capabilities to improve monitoring and quick response to any emergencies that might affect our systems, to achieve our vision to become a sustainable innovative world class utility,” added Al Tayer.

“DEWA continuously strives to strengthen its infrastructure networks and data centers to meet the current and future needs of Dubai. This recognition is a testament to DEWA’s success in delivering world-class service as one of the best and most effective organizations, by adopting best-in-class global criteria and practices and keeping pace with the most cutting-edge technology.” said Ms. Moza Al Akraf, Chief Information Officer, DEWA.

The Utility worked closely with Cisco Advanced Services on the network migration, from project management and governance of design through implementation and quality checking. Cisco Advanced Services conducted an audit at the end of the project to certify the implementation.

“This award highlights the successful strategic partnership between DEWA and Cisco and our continuous efforts to work together to optimize and enhance services for the benefit of all citizens of Dubai,” said Rabih Dabboussi, General Manager, Cisco UAE. “Cisco is proud to work closely with DEWA and other government entities in Dubai to further the development of world-class technology solutions and to promote Dubai’s vision of becoming the smartest city.”