Unplugged with iSolution

iSolution

"Unplugged with iSolution" offers listeners a rare glimpse into the minds of the Middle East and North Africa's most influential business leaders. Go beyond the polished facades and corporate speak as iSolution sits down with key figures across diverse industries for intimate, unscripted conversations. Each episode dives deep into the personal journeys, strategic thinking, and unique perspectives of these prominent individuals, providing listeners with: Invaluable insights: Learn from the successes and challenges of those who have shaped the MENA business landscape.Fresh perspectives: Discover innovative ideas and groundbreaking approaches to navigating today's ever-evolving market.Authentic stories: Hear candid reflections and valuable lessons rarely shared in public forums.Tune in to "Unplugged with iSolution" for a refreshing and insightful look at the driving forces behind the MENA region's dynamic business world.

Episodes

  1. Trust, Guardrails, And The Hard Truths Of Building AI-Enabled Businesses!

    1 DAY AGO

    Trust, Guardrails, And The Hard Truths Of Building AI-Enabled Businesses!

    If your security stack feels like a Jenga tower of dashboards and alerts, you’re not alone. We break down the messy reality of SecOps—fragmented tools, noisy signals, and endless integration work—and share how we built a cloud-native security operations platform that actually simplifies the job. From one-day data onboarding to opinionated defaults, we focus on cutting time to value, reducing false positives, and giving lean teams a clear path to action. We open up about the founder journey behind the product: choosing SaaS over on‑prem for speed, handling pricing puzzles, and surviving the grind of pivots without losing the mission. Hiring came down to mindset over CVs, equity for ownership, and a culture that treats security as a trust business. We also map the regional ecosystem that helped us move faster—accelerators, MVP programs, and government-backed funds that push startups from idea to investment. AI takes center stage with a practical lens. We dig into hallucinations, guardrails, and why human-in-the-loop matters when making high-stakes decisions. Our take is clear: AI won’t replace people, but people who use AI well will set the pace. Pair that with cloud scale, infrastructure as code, and strong privacy controls, and you can ship safer and iterate faster. Think of cybersecurity like chess: you might lose a piece, but the goal is to win the board. Subscribe, share with a teammate who’s drowning in alerts, and leave a review to tell us the next SecOps problem you want solved.

    46 min
  2. Building Strong Teams Through Clear Vision and Value Communication

    5 MAY

    Building Strong Teams Through Clear Vision and Value Communication

    What makes a technology leader truly effective in today's rapidly evolving landscape? In this fascinating conversation, we're joined by Abu Talal, whose journey from technician to visionary leader offers powerful insights for anyone navigating a technology career. Abu Talal takes us back to a pivotal moment in his professional journey when he stepped away from his programming comfort zone to tackle a comprehensive service management project. This decision transformed not just his career trajectory but his entire approach to technology leadership. Rather than seeing technology through the narrow lens of development, he gained a panoramic view encompassing infrastructure, data centers, networks, and the entire technology stack that supports applications and services. This holistic perspective forms the foundation of Abu Talal's leadership philosophy: be an expert in your domain but develop a solid understanding of adjacent areas. While technical skills are essential, Abu Talal emphasizes that the most successful leaders possess an openness to change, a focus on value creation, and the ability to communicate a clear vision that inspires their teams. He explains how breaking down hierarchical barriers and helping team members visualize the future impact of their work creates an environment where everyone contributes their best efforts toward shared goals. The discussion takes an intriguing turn as Abu Talal reflects on the challenges and opportunities presented by generative AI. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, he sees it as raising the bar for expertise while creating opportunities for increased productivity and healthy competition. He shares an impressive case study where his team reduced service delivery time from 15-20 days to just 3 hours through process re-engineering—a system that remains effective more than a decade later. Listen now to discover why understanding the complete picture in technology leadership is crucial for success, and hear Abu Talal's advice on building strong teams, embracing new technologies, and creating lasting impact in your organization.

    15 min
  3. Got Camel Milk? One Company's Tech-Powered Quest

    28 APR

    Got Camel Milk? One Company's Tech-Powered Quest

    The convergence of ancient traditions and cutting-edge technology creates fascinating business opportunities that few have fully explored. In this thought-provoking conversation with Mohamed, IT Director at Sawani, we journey through the unexpected realm where Saudi Arabian heritage dairy meets digital transformation. Mohamed reveals how Sawani has positioned itself as a pioneer in bringing traditional goat and camel milk products to modern consumers. Beyond just milk, they've expanded into cheese, yogurt, and even gelato while preserving the cultural significance and exceptional nutritional benefits these products offer. What's particularly ambitious is their vision to take these distinctly Saudi products global, targeting markets in America, Europe, and China where consumer demand exists but remains largely untapped. At the heart of this mission is a sophisticated technology strategy that treats IT as an inseparable component of business operations. Mohamed shares insights from his 12+ years of technology experience, emphasizing concepts like the smart farm approach for camel care, robust ERP implementations, and cybersecurity foundations. His philosophy of "security first, with data as an asset" guides a comprehensive digital transformation that enables business resilience while optimizing customer experiences. The omni-channel ecosystem they're building unifies B2B and B2C interactions across digital and physical touchpoints, creating seamless customer journeys while capturing valuable data that Mohamed describes as "digital gold." Technology professionals will find particular value in Mohamed's career advice: embrace continuous learning, develop specialized expertise, adapt to rapid changes like the AI revolution, and always align technology solutions with business strategy. His perspective on the boundless potential of technology—from AI to healthcare innovations—reflects a profound understanding of how these tools can ultimately improve human quality of life when implemented thoughtfully. Subscribe to our podcast for more conversations with visionary leaders who are bridging tradition and innovation to create tomorrow's business solutions.

    16 min

About

"Unplugged with iSolution" offers listeners a rare glimpse into the minds of the Middle East and North Africa's most influential business leaders. Go beyond the polished facades and corporate speak as iSolution sits down with key figures across diverse industries for intimate, unscripted conversations. Each episode dives deep into the personal journeys, strategic thinking, and unique perspectives of these prominent individuals, providing listeners with: Invaluable insights: Learn from the successes and challenges of those who have shaped the MENA business landscape.Fresh perspectives: Discover innovative ideas and groundbreaking approaches to navigating today's ever-evolving market.Authentic stories: Hear candid reflections and valuable lessons rarely shared in public forums.Tune in to "Unplugged with iSolution" for a refreshing and insightful look at the driving forces behind the MENA region's dynamic business world.