IT Crusador

Tariq Hilal Al-Barwani, the renowned IT expert, has launched the first IT knowledge e-platform (www.knowledgeoman.com) to drive the adoption of technology and strengthen the IT community. Akshay Bhatnagar reports

When you think of information technology experts in Oman, probably one name – Tariq Hilal Al-Barwani - will pop up first for most of us who are familiar with the industry in the Sultanate. He is all over the place – writing articles in newspapers, reviewing gadgets in magazines, providing technical assistance and guidance, conducting radio talk shows, driving road shows, representing Oman in international forums… he has recently been honoured with Microsoft’s ‘Most Valuable Professional’ award for the second year in a row.

He has recently launched a portal www.knowledgeoman.com, a community based online platform to share and exchange knowledge. At the time of filing the story, the portal had over 392 registered users and has received 4300 visits within 16 days of its launch. “The objective behind the portal is to create a growing community comprising those who are accomplished IT professionals to those who are interested in IT but don’t know enough about it. Though I’m making efforts to create awareness and promote IT in the country but KO is an effort to create a larger pool of people who could support the growth of IT talents in Oman,” Tariq says.

For the last few months, he has been busy conducting road shows and seminars in different places as part of his ‘Information Technology Awareness (ITA)’ campaign. “In such events, I talk about IT depending upon the knowledge level of the audience. If I’m interacting with people who have either no or less knowledge about IT I explain about how they can use it to their advantage and what are the options of getting into it.”
He further adds, “IT is generally perceived as a very technical subject which is not true. I explain different facets of IT to them -- the computer science is about software development whereas the computer engineering is about hardware and the third branch in IT is information systems which deals with the application of IT in business processes and is the easiest one to master. I make them understand whether they want to be driven by IT or they want to drive IT”. He has already covered places including Nizwa, Rusayl, Sohar, Barka, Salalah, Muscat etc. and planning to cover more locations in the coming months.

KO is a logical extension of his ITA exercise to make people understand that they must embrace IT if they want to enjoy the benefits of the progress made by Oman on the technology adoption front. “Physically it is not possible for me to reach out to everyone in the Sultanate so I’ve created KO where people of different intellect and from different fields can come and share their queries and knowledge.”

Is he looking at seeking support from the corporates and government bodies such as Information Technology Authority and Knowledge Oasis Muscat? “So far KO has been my personal endeavour supported by individuals who believe in my vision. My doors are open for everyone who can support this initiative and make a meaningful contribution to our efforts.”

So what’s next in the pipeline? “My next major initiative is aimed at facilitating the creation of a network to make computers and Internet an integral part of the young Omanis. It will be the first initiative of its kind in Oman. For more details, just wait and watch!”

Finally, Tariq added " my VISION is to generate growth and enrich the lives of people in the Sultanate of Oman through the use of Information & Communications technology, and my MISSION is to create projects, promote knowledge & community based talents to fulfill the vision."