MDI and Almana Networks have been working together for the past year to expand the Security, Information Technology, Communications and Low Voltage business in Qatar. These joint business development efforts have resulted in numerous opportunities for MDI enterprise-class systems.

Almana Networks has committed to purchasing $5 million in product from MDI through the balance of 2008 and is expecting to have a record year driven by an increase in business from new opportunities in Qatar. The company is projecting 300% growth in overall sales in 2008. “The MDI team has brought us an increased awareness of the need for unified physical security and video surveillance solutions in the Information Technology space,” noted Swaraj Bontula, Director of Almana Networks. “Our clients are very technically savvy, the sales cycle is extensive and there is much diligence involved, but MDI’s deep knowledge of convergence in the government, commercial and school security industry, coupled with a phenomenal customer list using the ONE Unified Technology platform make them the perfect partner for us to move forward with in 2008 and beyond,” he added.

“MDI is completely embedded in the project design and sales process with the Almana technical team throughout the Qatar region,” stated J. Collier Sparks, President and Chief Executive Officer of MDI, Inc. “As with all of MDI Security System’s new business development initiatives including LearnSafe and the US Government market, this partnership was a long-term investment for us and we are confident that we will realize impressive revenue benefits this year. As most of the biggest names in the security industry already know, the acceptance of new vendors into this region is very limited and it is extremely difficult to break into without the right partner. We have the right partner, we have the right solution and it is the right time for MDI to announce the success of this venture,” he concluded.

MDI has received its first purchase orders of this year today as part of a project with the Al Fardan Group. Al Fardan is one of the largest companies in Qatar and one of the most successful in the Gulf Region. The partnership will begin initial projects for several of the Group’s holdings, including Al Fardan Motors, Jewelry and Real Estate. Al Fardan Motors is the largest automobile distributor in Qatar and is the exclusive dealer for BMW, Jaguar, Range Rover, Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati and Rolls Royce. Al Fardan Real Estate is one of the largest land developers in Qatar.

“We have had a multitude of security vendors attempting to sell us their point products,” stated Ebrahim Mattar, Director of IT for the Al Fardan Group. “We have chosen MDI and Almana Networks because they offer a complete solutions approach that fits our enterprise needs across all our holdings. The team is consulting and designing systems with us hand in hand, which demonstrates a high project success rate in our experience. Because of this, we are considering working with them across the Gulf Region,” he added.