Before you’ve locked your phone, a silent chain of software has already started working when your Halla Shawarma order flashes “ready in 12 minutes.” This program checks stock, lines up the kitchen, verifies your payment, schedules a driver, and determines the quickest path to your door.
The unspoken reality of business in 2025 is that technology now influences every interaction between you and your client, whether you sell food or forklifts.
This does not imply that every company has to start in Silicon Valley. However, it does indicate that technology is now at the center of company strategy, determining your product, your price, your promise, and eventually, your reputation, rather than just in the back office.
Why right now? Since the game has evolved
To strengthen national AI leadership, the President of the United Arab Emirates met with the CEO of OpenAI just in recent months. One of the biggest non-Western AI data centers in the world is being constructed by Abu Dhabi’s G42. Additionally, the
Customers now compare you to the finest app on their phone, regardless of your industry—logistics, construction, hotel, or healthcare. They anticipate smooth service, real-time updates, and one-tap onboarding. They don’t protest if your method is unclear or slow; instead, they quit.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, every activity – from forecasting and inventory to scheduling and service – is now governed by data and software. Companies that ignore this shift risk falling behind on both speed and margins.
We’ve embraced this change at Galadari, where I work as CIO, by concentrating on three key areas: how we work, how we invest, and how we safeguard client trust.
- How we operate: Each team is a component of the tech stack Technology must influence the work itself in order to provide excellent digital experiences, bringing together OEMs, partners, customers, and staff into a unified ecosystem. This has implied: Designing around actual customer journeys: We mapped the entire process end-to-end before releasing our mobile ordering app, eliminating obstacles and cutting down on processes so users could register and complete the checkout process in a matter of seconds. Standardizing partner integration: We used scalable APIs to digitize home delivery, allowing additional retailers or logistical partners to swiftly and easily integrate with real-time order flow and automated settlements.
How we invest: Prioritize business value above buzzwords
We’ve discovered that purchasing additional tools isn’t the solution. Every investment needs to have a clear P&L or customer consequence.
For this reason, we want to know what business outcome this will enhance. How are we going to quantify it? Regardless of how bright the technology appears, we hesitate if the answers are ambiguous.
The top priorities in our tech strategy are:
A single, clean record per customer with explicit agreement on a single customer data platform
A real-time client engagement engine that facilitates prompt and beneficial communication
Cloud-native design that may adjust its size in response to actual demand
Systems that prioritize APIs and enable plug-and-play modifications without rework
Low-code platforms for rapidly and affordably developing internal tools
Faster speed to market, less operating expenses, and more successful campaigns are the outcomes.
How we safeguard clients: Trust is now a characteristic
Your attack surface increases as you go digital. Because of this, trust needs to be incorporated into the architecture rather than introduced afterwards.
A zero-trust security model that we have implemented consists of:
Robust identity controls
Access with the least privilege
By default, encryption
Additionally, we design with transparency and consent in mind. Clear opt-ins, audit trails, and quick corrections when something goes wrong are all included in every data touchpoint.
The majority of security victories remain unseen. One failure doesn’t.
A note on AI: Don’t automate chaos; instead, amplify
AI is a potent accelerator, but only if your data is clean and your procedures make sense.
Automated chaos results from automating malfunctioning systems.
The finest outcomes have been observed by:
Beginning with specific, significant use cases
Conducting rapid pilots with precise metrics
requiring AI suppliers to be transparent about data lineage, model explainability, and actual ROI
When used properly, AI may identify dangers early, expedite service, and personalize offerings. But it’s leverage, not magic.
The conclusion
By 2025, technology will have evolved from a department to a means of conducting business.
To maintain competitiveness both within and outside of the UAE:
Put the client first and let commercial value guide your technological choices.
Make foundational investments in identity, security, data, and APIs.
Make regular, minor adjustments, take note of the outcomes, and repeat
Treat trust, speed, and relevance as the new currency
It is no longer optional to think like a tech firm, regardless of whether you sell skyscrapers or shawarma. It’s how you stay ahead
