CNME’s Enterprise Security 360 Roadshow, which covers Riyadh, Doha and Dubai, returned for its 2015 edition. We bring you the highlights of the security conference.
ISOs and CIOs are the front-line defenders of enterprises when it comes to cyber threats. However, as attackers evolve and become more aggressive, IT leaders are at a clear disadvantage in a number of regards. A worldwide shortage of of 800,000 security professionals, as well as the rise in endpoints puts IT’s defenders on the backfoot. Enterprise Security 360 discussed how the right combination of people, processes and technology can equip them with the best defences against cyber-attacks.
Peter Clay, CISO and Director of Global Services, CSG Invotas, kicked off proceedings in Dubai with his presentation ‘Defender’s Advantage.’ Citing his own experiences as a CISO, he said that even with the right knowledge, skills, resources, you are still vulnerable.
“The reality is, the number of malware instances and cyber-attacks are increasing dramatically. There is no organisation in the world that can commit the resources necessary to match the pace of this growing problem,” he said.
He then discussed why companies are still unable to prevent cyber-threats, even though they are detectable before they have penetrated their systems. “We are simply too slow in acting on these threats and it is all because of the misalignment between the three important elements of IT defence – people, processes and technology,” Clay said.
“One of the answers to this growing concern is security orchestration and automation which entails having a quick and coherent system that will allow IT leaders to speedily decide on the tools and strategies that need to be utilised.”
Alexandre Depret-Bixio, Sales Specialist and MSSP Manager, Southern MEA, HP ArcSight, then took to the stage and spoke about the most prevalent types of cyber fraud in the market and different ways of fighting these known threats. “Cyber criminals these days are becoming more organised and motivated,” he said. “At the same time their techniques are evolving. CISOs and CIOs can capitalise on the growth of Big Data and mobility in protecting their environments.”
However, while there are many cybersecurity policies that can safeguard an organisation’s most critical data, educating the workforce is still key. “You need to educate the users within your company,” Depret-Bixio added. “The users are actually the first firewall. They are the best asset any business can have to fight threats. Hence, informing them of even the smallest issues that can lead to any attacks and teaching them how to properly address them is key.”
Next on stage was Jude Pereira, MD, Nanjgel Solutions, who discussed how to stay protected when all security measures fail as well as the different solutions that Nanjgel can offer. “As cybersecurity professionals we are all, of course, already knowledgeable about all the different kinds of cyber threats out there and we all already know how to deal with them. However, it is imperative to know the next step to take after you have already implemented all your security measures. You must identify the next approaches, and which technology would best complement them.”
Vibin Shaju, Regional Pre-sales Manager, Intel Security, educated the audience about the next-generation firewalls that can enhance an organisation’s IT ecosystem and the latest service and solutions that Intel Security has to offer. Shenoy Sandeep, Associate VP, Spire Solutions, also presented a discussion on the inevitability of breaches. He said that even with the best security strategies and protocols, malware can still slip into systems. He then discussed the various solutions that Spire can provide in order to strengthen an organisation’s IT defences.
SAP’s Cloud Technology Specialist for MENA, Amer AlKana, talked about the top trend in IT business today – the cloud. During his presentation he challenged the common misconception that businesses with cloud solutions are simply unsecure, saying instead that cloud-based companies are actually more secure as these organisations tend to attract high-calibre cybersecurity personnel. Furthermore, he highlighted some of the cloud solutions on offer at SAP and discussed cloud technology trends in the market.
The last presenter of the day was Deepak Israni, Area Sales Manager MENA, HID Global who gave the audience an overview of the company’s latest project with Damballa. The project is aimed at revolutionising Access Control Systems in the education sector.
The Riyadh leg of the event featured the following speakers: Hazem Jarrar, CTO, The King Faisal Foundation; Riku Valpas, Senior Manager – Systems Engineering, Fortinet; Jalal Al-Bokhary, Central Region Enterprise Sales Manager, Intel Security. In Doha, the line up of expert speakers included Siva Shankar Maheswaran, End-User and Consultant Business Manager, HID Global.
