Mareva Koulamallah, the Head of Marketing and Communications for the Middle East and Africa at Acronis, says 2021 was a very busy and successful year

How was 2021 for the industry and your company?
It was a very busy and successful year for us at Acronis. We are expecting over 100% YoY growth globally and even more in the Middle East region alone.

What sort of opportunities did 2022 bring along?
Going back to in-person events has definitely helped with re-connecting with our partners and helping them to further develop their business. It has also brought us new opportunities and new leads.

Did you face any challenges in 2021?
From a planning perspective, investing in multiple markets and opportunities simultaneously always presents its challenges. The difficulty was around where to go first, which priority to choose, and which project to fund as there were so many possibilities. Having a strategy for approaching things from various angles and various depths helped.

What were your key achievements in 2021?
For sure it has been the growth of our channel of distribution, the acquisition of new distribution partnerships as well, and then the tremendous branding recognition we have received across platforms.

What promises does 2022 bring along?
Further activities’ growth, continued increase in revenue, accelerated lead collection, team expansion, and even more focus on our cloud solutions.

Do you see opportunities in the regional markets with new markets opening up?
Any new market is an opportunity, but it is a matter of balancing the level of investment required to make it worthy and analysing if it is really worth it. We want to be present in as many markets as possible and we are paying attention to any new window of opportunity. Nonetheless, we are proceeding with caution and working on understanding the countries with the highest return on investment ratio.

According to you, which technologies will be in demand in 2022?
Machine learning and artificial intelligence will continue to lead the way around innovation and technological advancements. Any device used in such environments will still require the appropriate cyber protection and we will be glad to support you with the right services and solutions.

What will be your key focus areas for 2022?
Cloud is and will continue to be our priority.

What milestones have you set for 2022?
To double on the current expected growth.

What would you like to do differently in 2022, when compared with 2021?
Be quicker in investing in some markets, to put more effort in doing even more regional/local events across geographies within the region.

Do you plan to enter new markets or add new products/applications to your portfolio in 2022?
We have product updates planned, as we do every year. We ensure our products keep up to speed with the latest in cyber threats to remain efficient.

Following a successful Dubai CyberFit Summit this December, the Middle East is definitely on our priority list when it comes to 2022 final planning.