I have been associated with the Information Technology (IT) world for so long that I am often known as Tariq.net. My name is Tariq Hilal Al Barwani, but prefer to be called by my first-name ' Tariq ‘. I am from the Sultanate of Oman, which is located in the extreme south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. For more information about my country, please click here.

I have been (good and bad) nicknamed locally such as “Whiz kid”, “Oman popular IT Expert”, “Genius”, “Computer Hacker” and the like due to my achievements, professional knowledge, experience, skills and contributions made in the Information and Communication Technology to my country (Oman).

More than above, I believe that I am focused on my goals and ambitions.

What I am about to share is glimpse of my life story that everyone can achieve, be it in or not in the same line, provided that he or she is a good listener, hard-working, ambitious, has a good attitude, and a plan with goal set in mind. Believe me; you could even do better with the facilities and opportunities that are available today.

Everything has a beginning…
 

My interest in computing began at the age of five when my parents bought me a ZX Spectrum 128, a home computer system released by Sinclair Research Limited in the United Kingdom. The computer had a specification of a 32kB of ROM (Read Only Memory), 128 kB RAM (Random Access Memory) along with an embedded Sinclair’s BASIC editor, a computer programming language editor. The output of the sound was through a beeper from the computer itself – I’m sure you can now imagine how computing life was decades ago ;-)
 

The ZX Spectrum was the de facto starting point for people interested in creating computer programs as it was simple to learn and use (provided one had the interest). Users were able to write programs using the BASIC Language via the Sinclair’s editor, execute and run the program, and then finally save it onto an audio cassette tape for distribution. Therefore, it goes without saying that ZX Spectrum’s software, games and the like, were available as audio cassette tape to load and run. Click here to see the picture of the computer.

The second computer I had the chance to work on was a 80286 processor personal computer (PC) called Hyundai (an IBM compatible machine) built in 1988. The specification of the PC was Intel 80286 CPU with 10 MHz, 1 MB RAM, along with a floppy drive controller to load software. The computer ran under a character based operating system known as Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS), and later a graphical based operating system, MS Windows 3.X, was introduced that ran on-top of MS-DOS.

I started playing the games where I soon realised that I wanted to be inside the game itself: I wanted to be the one running and fighting, rather than externally manipulating the characters within the game. That’s where my interest in programming began to soar.

Parents can play a major role …

My father, whom I would describe as my role model and friend, realized that I had passion, special skills and interest in computers; he would return home from work and discuss real-time projects with me to which I would offer solutions and suggestions.

As a consequence, he hired a private tutor to further enhance my IT skills. He also sent me to institutes in order to learn courses. He had the foresight to see the future implications of a particular technology and its impact on my personal developments relating to IT.

For example, I started to use the the Internet long before Oman Telecommunication Company (Omantel), formerly known as General Telecommunication Organization (GTO), introduced the service in Oman, back in 1997. The cost of the service was quite expensive however my dad was able to see the potential it held for further challenging and interrogating my existing IT skills and knowledge.

Although my father was keen that I attend classes and courses at institutes, it would be wrong to say that I was deprived of a childhood experience. I went out and played football with my friends. I believe I did both, enjoy my childhood and utilize it well, thanks to my father.

My father has also striven so that my brother, sisters and I always go the extra mile whenever it comes to education; I still value the importance of education and till date, I never stop learning about new aspects of technology, business and life in general. I would attribute my success and achievements to my family whom without I would have not been here today.  Click here to see my father .

At the age of 13, I joined the local science club where I was nominated by the management, after noting my excellence, to represent Oman in the Arab Gulf Countries Council (AGCC) Information Technology (IT) workshop in Bahrain.

Subsequently, I enrolled into local private institutes and completed various computer courses such as Access, Dbase, FoxBase, Oracle, Office, Windows NT, UNIX, Linux, C/C++, Pascal, Delphi, Visual Basic, and other miscellaneous computing courses in which I was later awarded a distinction  in Diploma in Information Systems that you may view from my CV Online.

All eyes on me…

While I was in college back in 1998, a Media and Advertising Communications Company by the name of United Media Service (UMS) emailed and offered me a job of a computer programmer. UMS was actually keeping an eye on me since I created my personal website on the Internet. Suddenly, my monthly allowance grew up from R.O. 20 (by my parents) to R.O. 250 (then increased to R.O. 300 monthly within the first year itself from UMS). That was certainly a corporate breakthrough for me. My main responsibility was to develop Internet related programs and websites so as provide support to computer related issues. Along with a team, we developed many websites for well-known companies from automobiles, banks, health, insurance, tourism, telecom, entertainment, educational, etc for both private and public institutions. Later, we developed the first general (horizontal) portal known as www.omanaccess.com. During my tenure in UMS, I have to admit that I learnt about Marketing, Sales and Media in general – what are they and how they function in an organization.

Entrepreneur at the age of 20 …

After two years stint with UMS, I realized that I had the necessary knowledge and experience to utilize my skills and become an IT entrepreneur. As such, I left UMS and solely developed the first IT Portal in Oman and named it after my name - www.tariq.net - (now is a personal site). Some of my friends and relatives thought that I was not making the right decision of leaving a job. The IT portal was sponsored by various reputable organizations such as BankMuscat, Gulf Business Machine (GBM / IBM), Commercial Bank of Oman, Khimji Ramdas, Genetco, Bahwan's CyberTek, and Outdoor Marketing. The portal attracted many visitors locally and globally. The lump sum which I have gained from each of the sponsor was approximately an advance of four times higher than what I used to earn while working for UMS.

I utilized my computing skills to write programs and distribute to the public via my IT Portal. Some of the programs that drew public interest and attentions include Virus Scanners and Cleaners (e.g. Fix 2001, I Love you virus Bug), in addition to the popular GTO-2-Omantel Program which was approved and released by the sole Telecom operator in Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) formerly known as GTO before the privatisation. All GTO Internet Subscribers were required to reconfigure their Internet settings (DNS and email SMTP & POP) in order to successfully connect and make use of the Internet. The program, GTO-2-Omantel, simplified the process by automating the configuration specification outlined by Omantel for all the users to follow. The program was available at Omantel's premises and for download from their website at http://www.omantel.net.om . Subsequently, I was interviewed and featured in a number of magazines such as Business Today, Al-Nahda, UAE (Comex), GulfNews, Khaleej Times, Times of Oman (Thursday), and the Commercial.

A whopping deal was just the beginning…

Few months later, my IT Portal site was purchased by one of the largest business group of companies in the country known as Oman Holdings International (OHI); the portal was later renamed to www.OHITariq.net.

I was also hired to work for the company as its Internet Services Manager for a four digit salary. My responsibility was to head the development of the companies IT portal and Internet related activities.

During my tenure, I created an Internet development department, recruited a team of professional to work under me, trained and also supervised the development of the IT portal and other web related services. Within seven months, the IT portal was voted and selected as the best in Oman. In addition, I was also voted as Oman’s best dotcom idea for year 2000. The portal, www.omanaccess.com, of the company I used to work for (UMS), in which I played a major role in the development, was voted as second best Portal too – I’ve hit three birds with one stone J

With OHI, I had the opportunity to interview, short-list,  recruit and supervise four staff under my department. In addition, I had the opportunity to interact with a number of senior officials from other organizations such as general and financial managers, and Chief Executive Officiers (CEOs) for sales and marketing related purposes. I was directly reporting to the OHI’s General Manager, my peers were all Managers. Indeed, I have to admit that OHI enriched me with the necessary management and leadership skills.

Extraordinary offer knocks my door…

While I was working for OHI, I received an extraordinary offer from one of the best undergraduate universities in Nova Scotia, Canada, known as Acadia University. The offer was to complete selected computing courses with a minimum of B- in order to qualify for a Masters Degree. Though my pay and position at OHI was hefty, I realized that I needed to accept the challenge and attain higher academic degree in order to further sharpen my knowledge, skills and climb the organizational ladder. As a result, I resigned from OHI (after 2 good years) in July 2001 in order to pursue further education. Again, some of my friends and relatives thought that I was not making the right decision of leaving a well-paid job for further education.

I successfully completed the requirement within 2 years of which I scored ( A ) in most of the courses. As a consequence, I received a congratulatory letter from the Dean of the Computer Science Department of the Acadia University for being placed among the top 5% of Acadia Students. In addition, I was offered a part-time job as a teaching assistant (TA) for the computer science school.

The skills that I had gained for being a TA in Canada allowed me to work while I was in vacation back home (Oman). I was hired to work as an IT teacher/instructor by a local institute known as Oman Training Institute (OTI). OTI was established in 1998 and was considered to be one of the popular training institutes in the country. My responsibility was to conduct computer courses, prepare weekly exercises/assignments and final exam/project for each course.

Apart from teaching, I provided the institute with practical experience which I have acquired while I was abroad. The school introduced and requested students to hand-in projects after end of each course conducted apart from the regular exams. The institutes received tremendous responses as well as excellent feedbacks from the trainees.

Consequently, I accepted invitations from schools, institutes, and colleges to address and present on latest IT developments and related aspects. Some of the venues that I have attended include Indian School, Muscat College, Shatti Qurum School, Khimji Training Institute, Muscat Private School and Deslie Training Institute. In addition, I was invited by The Muscat chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) to speak about Internet Security. This seminar was attended by IT managers, IT administrators, IS auditors and security consultants in Oman.

On 31^st of July 2001, Allegro Communications (a local book and magazine publishers) published a book called “Success in Oman” where it chose me as one of the successful young Omanis due to the excellence and achievements noted in my career.

I realized the potential of having business, management and leadership skills besides being a mere techie. The Computer Science Degree focused on the technical side only where that was my core strength, yet IT studies blends technical skills with business and management apart from latest innovative technologies, which are important for today’s industry need. Therefore, I left Canada to Australia for Masters in Information Technology (IT) after I have been awarded with a bachelors degree in Computer Science with honors.

I chose Swinburne in Australia because the courses were practical in addition to being theory-based. The university offered cutting-edge IT courses and technology that ensure graduates are ahead of the rest in the job market.

The Masters of Information Technology in Australia was a supposed to be 2 years course program, but I had completed it in 11 months with a distinction grade. This was a great achievement. The University (Swinburne) published the news in the front page of their website; this is available even now under their Media Section of the website at (www.swin.edu.au).

Experience gained while studying abroad…

While I was abroad studying, I had the opportunity to meet and mingle with different type of people and cultures.

College life is a unique experience. Actually, it is the time when one starts looking into his / her future plans. College life can provide both good time and bad time depending on how students opts for it. Nevertheless, students must make sure the time, effort and money invested is worthwhile spent . It is probably the only time in student life when you will have this amount of freedom to try things.

Normally college life is limited; hence one should make the best out of it. Think what employers may need from the student and work out a plan on how to achieve it. Keep in mind that life and studies is not easy, unless the student keep on reminding him/herself the benefits he/she will garner after successful completion of his/her studies.

Being in a university gave me the chance to explore new interests and meet different people. I made friends from virtually all over the world; Canadians, Australians, Americans, Europeans, Chinese, Indians, Africans, Russians etcs, I had the chance to examine my skills by opening up all kinds of challenges and opportunities I had for my necessary international development. If I were to study in Oman, I would have been with the same mindset and thinking.

I got opportunities to share and exchanges knowledge, information and skills. I tried different types of work in different sectors. I used every experience (good and bad) to reflect on where I would ideally like to work in the future.

I also learned about new technologies. The information technology is increasing and constantly changing, one is expected to keep up-to-date with changes and consequently learn any related technologies.

Briefly, I have broadened my horizons.

College life is quite different from what we were used to at school or home, where one probably had lots of support from parents and teachers. One needs to recognize the importance of organizing his / her time wisely, as we are now responsible for our own learning. One will need to make many more independent decisions. The more skilled we become at dealing with these everyday issues, the more our confidence will grow.

All experiences, regardless of the outcome, provides us with an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and the direction we want our life and career to take us.  Success in the University, one has to be focused with the main objective, which is to get the most out of it.

Qualification and skills attained …

I have a Diploma in Information Systems, Bachelors with Honours in Computer Science and a Masters of Information Technology. The kind of subjects I learnt are various from Artificial Intelligence, Software Development, Mobile Devices Computing, Relational Database Management System, Networking and Data Communication, Advanced Web and XML Technologies, Electronic Commerce, Microsoft.net framework, and Internet Security.  

However, my strength does not lie in computing only, I did a number of business and management courses such as Public Speaking, Business Concepts, Professional Marketing & Selling Skills, Project Management, and Information System Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, and IT effectiveness. I also have been reading and attending business and management related seminars. 

I am not merely a computer tool-box …

Situations inevitably arise in which I must deal with stereotypes, regarding my interest in IT and communications, whether it is terms such as computer geek or techie.

In the past, it sometimes frustrated me thinking I was being labelled as a computer techie stereotype, where people 'input' their problems, expecting me to 'output' the solution – period. I recognise that I am known for my technological abilities yet I do not want to be reduced to a mere toolbox that cannot think. I prefer to describe myself as a 'techo-commercial' persona instead.

Every success story has a turbulence in some point in time…

The success of my IT portal created many admirers, but few enemies as well. On the 23^rd of December 1999 (few months before joining OHI), my IT portal was hacked (the homepage was changed). In approximately 6 and a half hours, I managed to salvage the portal. In about a month of investigation using social engineering intelligence, I learnt that the portal was actually hacked by an International hacker who was hired, assisted and supported locally by a major firm. Actually, I had to disguise myself in order to identify the hacker, the hirer (the firm), the money and the local bank remitted.

The name of the hacker's hirer, his associates, the money remitted , the local bank, its branch is protected for good reason. This though was one of the worst moments however it was one of the greatest experiences I have acquired, because the hirer and his associates felt they were computer experts themselves J That was a good challenge and learning curve for me. The complete story will be released in due time.

Another incident was when Oman Training Institute (OTI) contacted and informed me that they cancelled the contract and agreement I had with them after they saw a leaflet and other promotional materials with my picture at their competitors stall at one of annual education exhibition GHEDEX.

OTI had made all the necessary arrangements and promotions due to the success made previous year, yet they saw prospective students retreating from joining the classes as they chose to rather join Khimji’s Training Institute (KTI) where they thought I would be teaching instead.

The picture was used by KTI without my knowledge or permission. I immediately demanded a full explanation. KTI informed me that leaflets were distributed and that they stopped further printing and distribution of the same immediately upon my notification of the issue. They confirmed that I did not have any agreement with them so as not authorised them to make use of my picture in their promotional materials. The institute later sent me a written apology letter for the embarrassment caused.  Accordingly, I filed a case in the Muscat primary court, through Oman’s top law firm, Denton Wilde Sapte for the financial loss as well as damage to integrity caused by the institute (KTI).

After two years of trail, the jury of the case announced the verdict in my favour. You may read about the story in my news section of the website.

Around the countries in many days …

I have had the privilege of traveling to number of countries amongst them are the United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (U.K.), Holland/Netherlands, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Russia, United States of America (USA), Canada , Egypt, Morocoo, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey and Australia.

Currently …

I am currently working for Nawras [since 2005], a leading mobile service operator in Oman. My responsibility is to manage and coordinate the day to day operations related to Nawras in the World Wide Web (Internet) and the Intranet from design, content and technology – typically work as a consultant per se – advising on what to use, where to get and how to incorporate business activities onto the web medium, in addition to other nitty-gritty techno-commercial assistance.

I managed the restructuring of the Nawras Intranet as well as the significant project of relaunching the company’s public website with new design, new information structure and content. I have also been involved in the process of selecting and managing external vendors to carry out the different tasks involved [yes indeed, this was a great learning curve about selecting, outsourcing and managing projects to external vendors – a typical situation today where IT projects are outsourced especially in this part of the world].

So far, I bagged numerous awards for Nawras locally as the best Telecommunication and Software Company Website in 2005 and 2007, best Information and Communication Technology Company Website in 2006, overall best of the best website for the year 2006, best software. Under my management, the Nawras website bagged the best ICT website in region, in the Pan Arab Web Awards 2006 and 2008 as well.

My work typically revolves around building the Nawras brand, exposure and communication with employees [internally] and customers [externally] via the online medium – and thus the one man team – the Online Manager.

International recognition …

My technical expertise, contributions and assistance rendered to the local and international communities were recognized and appreciated by the largest software company – Microsoft. I have been awarded the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award by Microsoft (for two years in a row 2006 and 2007). I am pleased to receive the international recognition and feel proud about it. You may read about the award by searching for 'Tariq' at MVP Awardee Directory at (http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx).

I was also invited by Microsoft to attend the MVP Global Summit 2007 which was held from March 12–15 , in Seattle, Washington, United States of America. The Summit event was conducted at the Washington State Convention Trade Center and also at the Microsoft's main campus in Redmond. Of course, Bill Gates kicked off the event with a keynote address in which he shared his insights, thoughts and vision for technology, in addition to the future development of Microsoft and the software as well. Later, Bill Gates participated for Q&A session with the invitees as part of his keynote presentation. It was great meeting the richest man in the world, who worth's 56 billion dollars in wealth (as of March 2007 that is)

The four-days summit was specifically organized for the MVP Award recipients whom were invited to attend the summit which was one of the largest multi-day Microsoft MVP events. At the MVP Global Summit, we were recognized and appreciated for their talents and contribution rendered to the community. We received access to exclusive technical content, participated in direct feedback sessions, and met with Microsoft executives, product teams, and their peers from around the world.

Attendees were various from number of countries including but not limited to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark , France , India , Israel , Japan , Pakistan , Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom and the USA.

I was pleased to see the Flag of Oman raised among the other award-winning countries around the world.

My spare-time is also occupied a LITTLE…

Apart from my full-time work with Nawras, during my spare-time, I write articles (as a columnist) on various topics related to IT on both English and Arabic newspapers on a weekly basis (since February 1998 till date). In addition, I work part-time for the Ministry of Information on a LIVE Television programme known as ‘Raqmyaat – the digital’ and Radio FM programme known as 'CyberTalk' as a host and speaker, in which I present and educate the public on the use and benefit of Information Technology so as discuss about people’s concern and contemporary issues related to technology in general. As part of the programme, I also receive calls from the viewers/listeners to assist them on IT matters. The program is aired live, every week, on Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Radio Sultanate of Oman 90.4. For more information, click here.

Moreover, along with team of experts, I recently created the First IT Knowledge Sharing community Portal known as "Knowledge Oman".  KnowledgeOman is an online platform specifically engineered to create a knowledge based economy with a focus on developing the Information and Communication Technology Sector in Oman.  A team of students, professionals and academics have been formed to manage and drive the project while I act as the president overseeing the strategy and overall development of the same. For more information, visit Knowledge Oman at www.knowledgeoman.com.

I also accept invitations from schools, colleges, private and public companies to conduct seminars and sessions related to IT.

After business hours…

I got married in April 2006 to a wonderful girl whom I am grateful to GOD (Allah) for having met someone caring and supportive of every activity I undertake. We are currently living happily in Oman.  

Apart from my family which certainly keeps me grounded, I also occupy myself in various activities in my leisure time: I like reading, going to gym, watching films, meeting new people, and making software programs for public use and benefit.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, or intriguing aspect of business and technology. I would like to know about it. I am always open to new ideas and concepts. I like to see a situation as a cube, which I can perceive from different angles, deciding whether and how it can be improved and changed for the better. I am always up for experimenting within my work as well. If an intriguing idea pops up in my mind, I pursue it without fail after having analysed its pros and cons.

I would describe myself as - interpreting my past as an experience, functioning to the best of my abilities in the present, and constantly planning and thinking of actions that I will undertake in the future.

Future plans ...

I must admit that I have achieved my childhood’s dream to put Oman into the World’s IT Map by :

• The recent being the first and the only Omani awarded as the Most Valuable Professional by Microsoft, for two years in a row!

• Leading the Nawras Website to getting awarded as the best ICT website in the region.

• My 'happy99 virus cleaner' program was selected among best and featured in hotfiles.com - one of the popular international files download.

• Being recognized among the top 50 people that made difference in Oman. (for more information click here)

This is it and I take a pride about it.

My vision is to generate growth and enrich the lives of people in the Sultanate of Oman through the use of Information & Communications Technology. I intend to fulfill the vision by continuing to create projects, promote knowledge & community based talents. My future goal includes writing a personal book to encourage youngsters to follow footsteps and attain a PHD / Doctorate.

All in all, my personal home on the Internet will have the latest updates for you :)

There’s no end for every success as sky is the limit.