Bridging the IT Divide
A team of dedicated professionals from various industries has come together to
share, exchange and promote knowledge across the sultanate in an online
platform called Knowledge Oman (kO!).
A brainchild of Tariq al Barwani, kO! is a platform specifically engineered to
create a knowledge-based economy with a focus on developing information and
communication technologies in the sultanate.
The portal was formally launched on April 1, and IT enthusiasts are already
making a beeline to become members, Barwani informed. "Since the launch, 330
members have already joined us and the number is fast rising."
Barwani, who recently embarked on an information technology awareness journey
across the sultanate, in a bid to spread awareness among the youth, believes
that the benefits would be far greater if everyone could be part of the
awareness creation process. This platform is expected to be just that, a forum
for exchange of information and ideas.
"My objective is to generate growth and enrich people’s lives in the sultanate
through the use of information and communication technologies. The mission is
to create projects, promote knowledge and community -based talents to fulfil
the objective," Barwani said.
So what are its benefits? "The platform provides the latest local and
international news, guides and tutorials, events, answers all kind of
questions - from as simple as how to configure a computer at home to as
complex as how to build an IT infrastructure at work. All the information is
available free for everybody to learn, share and exchange through the
Internet.”
Barwani hoped that kO! would help to prepare professionals and students for
the IT requirements of the future and educate the public of its benefits. A
number of competitions, with attractive prizes, would be conducted in the
forum in order to nourish the comm-unity's knowledge and creativity, he added.
TheWeek logged on and found the website to be fairly informative and
user-friendly. The latest developments in the world of IT featured on kO! make
it useful for those looking to stay abreast of new trends. For it to remain
relevant, it would need to constantly update the information available to
users. Innovation is the name of the game, and Barwani would no doubt keep
that in mind.
Log on to
www.knowledgeoman.com