Business & Money | Friday 29 September, 2017 4:52 am |

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia, is co-presenting a cybersecurity forum with Kaspersky Lab, targeted towards building awareness and levels of preparation particularly within the public sector in the Kingdom. The one-day summit in Riyadh, designed to bring the national cybersecurity mandate and priorities within the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030 to life, took more than 150 participants from 50 different organisations through sessions and panel discussions. With a view to providing a broad appreciation of the threats and challenges facing all organisations, the summit is a strategic step towards building a culture of cybersecurity consciousness across all areas of public sector organisations, ultimately enabling the government as a whole to build towards a digital, smart – and secure – future.

Online communication and collaboration is a key aspect of life and business in the Saudi Kingdom. According to the NCSC, cyberspace has become a key enabler for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s continued prosperity, and vital to achieving the Kingdom’s 2030 vision.

Being one of the most technologically advanced countries in the region, the kingdom has always been a main cyber-target. A recent study entitled Kaspersky IT Security Survey 2017 showed that Almost 60% of organizations in Saudi Arabia have experienced virus and malware incidents in the last 12 months. While 41% of the respondents agree that they lack sufficient insight and intelligence on the threats specifically faced by their organization. Targeted attacks have always been a concern for organizations in the Kingdom, where 21% of organizations experienced such in the past 12 months. While 41% of the respondents believe that their organizations need better tools to detect and respond to advanced persistent threats (APTs) and targeted attacks.

Dr. Abbad Al Abbad, Strategic Development and Communications Executive Director at NCSC, said: “Our goals as an organization are focused towards improving the cybersecurity readiness and capabilities of the Government sector, including critical national infrastructure, as well as developing and formalizing the internal capabilities around cybersecurity within the Kingdom. This Summit, together with Kaspersky Lab, essentially enables the leadership and IT experts at Saudi public sector organisations to learn from strong innovators in the space, within the context of the Saudi National Vision 2030.”

Maxim Frolov, Managing Director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Kaspersky Lab, said: “Seeing a public sector entity taking the lead in preparing and equipping other public sector entities with the cybersecurity consciousness they need is extremely positive, and something we at Kaspersky Lab believe many countries can learn from Saudi Arabia. The summit demonstrated the great strides that public sector organisations are making in their digital transformation journeys, with the ultimate objective of being aligned with the Government’s strategic and futuristic plan.”

Analysts IDC have highlighted the digitization that will play a major role in achieving the Saudi Vision 2030. From automation and integration between diverse systems and even sectors, to the emergence of transformational technologies, the foundational requirement across all of these is the security layer, its awareness, and organizational preparedness. Cybersecurity is a key consideration for all organisations in their digital transformation journeys, and uniform implementation and readiness levels will provide a solid foundation on which to build the more strategic undertakings at the national level.

The NCSC is leading this educational transition, through its role as advisor, expert, and protector. By partnering with Kaspersky Lab, the NCSC is continuing its strategic mission of building and sustaining public and private engagements and partnerships for the necessary transfer of knowledge, expertise towards the realization of the Saudi vision and the national transformation plan.