In conjunction with MWC Barcelona 2022 which will be taking place from the 28th of February to the 3rd of March, Tara Neal, Executive Editor of The Fast Mode spoke to Asaf Gigi, VP Marketing at floLIVE on the company's plans and showcases for this year's event.
Tara: What do you think MWC 2022 will be all about? And what are your MWC 2022 plans?
Asaf: I believe MWC will focus, as its theme this year, on the new connectivity era, specifically about the entrance of cloud hyperscalers to the cellular connectivity game, where they attempt to take significant market share from traditional mobile operators by targeting the enterprises directly. For floLIVE and myself personally, MWC22 represents the post-Covid rise, with a chance to meet partners, customers and prospects whom we've known as black rectangles most of the time. Although we managed to build a significant business during the pandemic, I believe there is no replacement to face-to-face meetings, and if possible - over a nice cold beer!
Tara: How has the pandemic impacted the operational and business landscape of the tech segment you are operating in?
Asaf: I think that the flexibility that we had to practice - children, adults, parents, employees and managers - reshaped the way we think about our jobs and about our life. In our technology segment we have seen that mobile operators and enterprises have become more open-minded to the new trends and practices which they were a bit reluctant to adopt just 2 years ago. This can be seen in mobile operator's acceptance to move some of their core services to the cloud, as an example. In the enterprise segment we see a growing need in converged private-public networks that support the flexibility and agility that is required by all of us. I beleive the pandemic has planted the seed of a more balanced lifestyle that allows much greater flexibility while becoming more effective and innovative.
Tara: What emerging trends/technologies have you observed in your tech segment in recent months?
Asaf: In the enterprise segment - the explosion of connected devices of all sorts, supporting completely new use cases and trends in logistics & tracking, technologies to make manufacturing more efficient, not to mention tele-health and others. On the mobile operator front we've seen some major consolidations and movements of cloud giants into the connectivity space, shaking this rather traditional market - making room for new and innovative players.
Asaf oversees the company’s global Marketing activities and new business initiatives. A seasoned manager for over 16 years holding various management positions in Marketing, Product Management, Sales and R&D. He brings domain expertise in Enterprise Software, Telecom, Smart Cities, Intelligence and Homeland Security as well as alliances with Fortune 500 companies.
