Responses by Abhay Pandey, Founder & CEO, MAST Consulting Group

How is MAST Consulting helping MENA businesses overcome cybersecurity challenges?

While digital transformation is a business necessity, a hurried shift can create vulnerabilities in organizations’ security postures and regulatory compliances. The accelerated digital transformation and remote working following the pandemic have led to an increase in cyberattacks. That is because organizations’ attack surfaces have increased, and so has the proficiency of hackers and bad actors. 

We employ a 360-degree, risk-based approach to assess the cybersecurity of organizations, factoring in IT networks, data centres, business applications, privileged users, identity management and access points. We help our clients achieve centralized monitoring and management of security events with effective SOC policies, SOPs, incident management strategies, and a zero-trust approach while upholding confidentiality, ethics, and integrity. In KSA, the institutionalization of best cybersecurity practices through government policies, such as the Personal Data Protection Law, has facilitated a favourable environment for businesses to operate in. 

What is techno-consulting that MAST specializes in? How is it similar to, and different from, typical consulting companies?

Unlike consultants with a broad focus, techno-consultants are firmly positioned at the intersection of technology and business transformations. So, our primary focus is on driving end-to-end digitalization of businesses by providing actionable solutions. Full-stacked platforms, such as apps for business transformation, are our strong suit. Due to our ability to combine best practices and solutions under one umbrella to drive maximum growth, we have built a good portfolio of clients in the Middle East.

In recent years, our emphasis on the cybersecurity imperative has enabled us to advise clients effectively on data centre compliance checks, sustainability improvements, and enterprise risk management. The Consulting division is complemented by the Services division through best-in-class solutions in customer experience, cloud computing, and innovation. 

What are the business priorities of organizations across sectors following the post-pandemic reopening?

Our portfolio includes businesses in the retail, healthcare, construction, automotive, FMCG, trading, and hospitality sectors. Following the reopening, we have found overarching as well as distinct trends among organizations across sectors. From resource optimization to the identification of revenue leakages to the transformation of legacy systems and practices, organizations are bridging gaps and enhancing efficiencies. But there is a broad consensus that digital transformation must be reconciled with sectoral opportunities and challenges. So, we have developed sector-specific solutions. 

Our feature-packed Retail Intelligence and Analytics App (RIAA) offers single-window visibility into the workforce, workflow, and results while empowering employees through AI-driven insights and automation-led optimization of repetitive tasks. Managers can use RIAA for effective scheduling, task management, and communication, leading to a culture of utmost accountability, transparency, and empowerment. Most importantly, such apps translate to superior customer experiences (CX).

How is the CX landscape evolving in the region?

As KSA is a digitally dexterous economy, companies have a good awareness of CX. The awareness has created an appetite for full-suite solutions whose core objective is driving superior CX. Companies have data-driven evidence suggesting a correlation between CX and a number of positive business outcomes. This scenario is pronounced among FMCG companies.

Our clients have leveraged our Customer Intelligence and Analytics App (CIAA) to drive CX through hyper-personalized services, transparent after-sales communications, one-stop warranty management, etc. This is to say, there is a strong focus on end-users, their convenience, and their brand perceptions. Such a shift has good implications for the regional economy as well. 

What is the road ahead for MAST Consulting?

Today, there is an onus on companies to align with broader goals such as Vision 2030, which posits a vibrant society, diversified economy, and multidimensional prosperity. While brands subscribe to this notion, they need considerable hand-holding to strategize the reconciliation of business outcomes with the national vision. 

This is where we come in with interdisciplinary expertise and perspective. We intend to position our clients strategically while helping them maximize their ROI and impact. To that end, we are constantly monitoring the trends, potential opportunities and historical precedents while developing pertinent solutions for clients in each economic sector. The road ahead is destined for excellence in techno-consulting.