INTERVIEW | MICROSOFT CLOUD AND LIBYA

Julio Alonso Ortega: "4Sight is the partner we call first"

Microsoft has become a larger part of technology plans in Libya. Banks are strengthening identity and security. Telecoms and energy groups are linking cloud services with systems that remain on site. Other companies are putting Power BI, Business Central and automation to work. Qabas is involved across that market. It represents more than 30 technology brands across North Africa and works with 4Sight exclusively on Microsoft.

Qabas is one of 4Sight's leading Microsoft partners across the region. Julio Alonso Ortega, a partner at Qabas, talks about the work already delivered, the products customers are buying and why the relationship has become unusually important.

What makes 4Sight different?

The people. When we call, the conversation begins with the customer and the architecture. The SKU comes later. 4Sight understands the tenant, the commercial model and the security stack, and knows when Microsoft should be brought into the room. Very few distributors operate at that level. 4Sight is the partner we always call first.

How does the partnership work day to day?

Qabas stays close to the customer. We lead the design, deployment and local support. 4Sight runs the CSP side, from licensing and billing to tenant provisioning and specialist escalation. It is a clean division of work. Customers know who is responsible, and answers arrive quickly.

What has that produced?

Results people can see. Projects move faster because commercial and technical decisions are made together. Support carries on after deployment. Clients have been willing to discuss larger Azure, security and data projects because the route behind them is credible. We have built that confidence with 4Sight, job by job.

How is demand changing in Libya?

Libya is following a pattern visible across North Africa. Microsoft 365 is often the starting point, then the conversation turns to Entra, Intune, Defender, backup and data. Banks care about identity and audit. Energy and telecom groups care about hybrid systems and visibility across sites. Business Central and Power BI are also moving into the mainstream.

Which products are getting the most attention?

Copilot is the obvious one. Customers understand the appeal immediately. Fabric takes a little more explanation, though it may matter just as much. It puts OneLake, data engineering, real time analytics and Power BI in the same place. Copilot Studio and Azure AI Search are useful because they connect AI to actual company information and processes.

What separates a useful Copilot project from a demonstration?

The state of the information underneath it. Permissions, SharePoint, OneDrive and retention rules decide whether the answers are useful. We sort that out first. 4Sight brings in the right Microsoft specialists when needed. Once the base is sound, Copilot can save serious time.

Why is Microsoft security gaining ground?

Customers like having identity, endpoints, email, cloud workloads and data policy connected. Entra, Defender XDR, Sentinel and Purview give them that. It closes the gaps between tools and makes the service easier to run. Across North Africa, specialist teams are often kept lean. 4Sight gives us extra depth when the work becomes complex.

What does good cloud architecture look like in North Africa?

Usually hybrid. Azure takes the workloads that benefit from scale and managed services. Systems with local latency, policy or continuity needs stay on site. Azure Arc, common identity, backup and monitoring keep the estate together. It is a practical design for Libya and for much of North Africa.

What is 4Sight like to work with?

Direct. Their team responds, takes a view and follows through. Escalations do not sit in a queue. Commercial discussions are sensible. Technical advice is frank. We have done good work together because both sides are comfortable being accountable.

Where is the partnership today?

We are expanding the managed Microsoft practice in Libya and using that experience elsewhere in North Africa. Current work covers Azure landing zones, Entra and Intune baselines, Defender and Sentinel, Fabric and Copilot adoption. The model is established. 4Sight supplies Microsoft depth; Qabas handles local execution. We are scaling what has proved itself.