Technology and outsourcing

We have an international team with capabilities across Europe, the Middle East, Canada, Africa and Asia Pacific to support major technology transactions and outsourcing projects around the world, including cross-border deals. Our mix of legal, technological and commercial expertise enables us to understand technology and business-related risk issues that organisations are often unaware of.

In the Middle East, we can advise on all aspects of technology development, procurement and licensing agreements as well as on disputes arising from such arrangements. We have particular expertise on major IT and business process outsourcing deals having advised regional government entities, banks and other corporates on various deals in this growing market sector. We have supported Islamic financial institutions to ensure that outsourcing arrangements are compliant with Shari’ah principles.

We also recently acted on a number of new and convergent technology matters, advising clients in relation to e-commerce, data privacy and other IT and communications related matters.

We can

• advise on software licensing, hardware procurement and IT services contracts;
• provide full legal support on IT and business process outsourcing deals from development of the request for proposal to drafting and negotiation of the contract (including related issues such as employment, real estate and tax matters);
• work with you to review your sourcing strategy and advise on ways to minimise your legal risk;
• advise on e-commerce, privacy policies, data protection, email marketing and similar issues;
• support mergers, acquisitions and financing projects in the technology sector.

Clients and experience

Our clients are not only from the regional technology sector, they span a broad spectrum of other industries and include international organisations seeking to do business in the Middle East. Consequently, we have experience advising on technology and e-commerce matters in respect of traditional “old economy” clients, such as Islamic and conventional finance institutions, as well as government departments, retailers, energy and utility companies, telecoms operators and other businesses.

In the Middle East, we have:

• advised a government entity in Abu Dhabi on the renegotiation of a major IT outsourcing contract;
• advised a French IT solutions provider on the enforceability of its standard software licence agreement in the UAE;
• advised the Saudi Arabian government on the procurement of an electronic data interchange system and e-government portal;
• advised a UAE licensed and regulated investment company on the procurement of a forex trading platform for online FX trading;
• advised an Abu Dhabi-based financial institution on the outsourcing of middle office asset management functions.