Cisco backs Dubai cybersecurity event

Cisco, a global technology leader, has signed up as a major sponsor for the upcoming Du Cybersecurity Conference in Dubai.

Given the increasing transition of services and storage into the cloud and the prevalence for mobile services and applications, Cisco will use this platform to share insights and shed light on how public sector organisations can keep systems safe from intrusions while safeguarding information and privacy, said a statement from the company.

The high-level event, to be held on October 9, at Madinat Jumeirah, in Dubai, UAE, will bring together information security leaders from the government, security and financial sectors who will share their experiences and discuss the latest developments in the field of online security, it said.

Cloud represents a significant opportunity for telcos and communications service providers (CSPs) considering their huge customer base, customer care centres and billing systems, networks and their IT infrastructures based on data centres, it added.

Forrester forecasts that the global market for cloud computing will grow from $40.7 billion in 2011 to more than $241 billion in 2020. Yet, security is still the number one concern for enterprises that move parts of their IT into the cloud, said a statement.

Scott Manson, cyber security leader for Middle East and Turkey, Cisco, said: “While multi-cloud environments are increasingly becoming the answer to IoT,



cybersecurity is an incumbent urgency as the world gets more and more connected.”

“Cloud computing is a disruptive technology model that is changing the way public sector organisations evolve their digital business models, consume information and technology, and deploy and deliver new services,” he said.

“As ICT systems are extended and merged, there is growing fear that sensitive data that is collected and held by public entities will be vulnerable to criminal hackers or other types of unauthorised disclosure. Public sector organisations and service providers are especially vulnerable because their operations are tied so closely to the public’s trust,” he added.

“Security must be integrated into the very fabric of an organisation, and it takes a security-conscious organisation to ensure that every level of cyber protection is met. We are extremely proud of our association with Du and support their efforts to highlight the importance of security as a growth enabler and a competitive advantage,” concluded Manson.

Additionally, at the Du Cybersecurity Conference, Cisco’s cyber security expert, Naji Ukaily, will address issues related to digital transformation and how public sector can assess the security posture of specific cloud service implementations, whilst reducing the associated risks in a unique, scalable way. His keynote, titled “Cybersecurity in the Digital Economy”, will be delivered on October 9, it stated.