Exploring SentinelOne’s strategic adaptations and technological advancements in response to the dynamic cybersecurity market conditions of 2024.
In 2024, SentinelOne faced a cybersecurity environment marked by both formidable challenges and unprecedented opportunities. Meriam ElOuazzani, Senior Regional Director, META, SentinelOne spoke to Sandhya D’Mello, Technology Editor, CPI Media Group, on how from adapting to evolving threats to advancing their technological capabilities, the company has actively shaped its strategies to not only meet current demands but also set the stage for 2025. This proactive approach has been crucial in reinforcing their commitment to innovation and customer support, particularly through initiatives like the autonomous SOC and enhancements to their Singularity Platform.
Can you discuss the dual nature of challenges and opportunities SentinelOne faced in the cybersecurity market in 2024, and how these experiences are shaping your strategic initiatives for 2025?
The year 2024 has presented both challenges and significant opportunities, particularly within the cybersecurity market. We have encountered a range of issues, from evolving threats to direct attacks, and we understand the daily challenges our customers face. It is essential that we consider what support we can offer, whether as consultants helping to devise robust cybersecurity strategies or by enabling our partners and distributors to enhance their services. Looking ahead to 2025, we see a landscape full of opportunities due to the groundwork SentinelOne has laid to bolster digital transformation and meet cybersecurity needs. We are already planning major initiatives and making commitments for the upcoming year with a focus on advancing technology, addressing customer needs, and empowering our channel and partners. The cybersecurity field is exhilarating; it is constantly evolving. Every day brings new developments, and every few months, we announce updates or innovations to our offerings. For instance, we envisioned an autonomous SOC, and within five months, we began implementing that vision. Our customers’ drive for innovation spurs us to continue innovating and finding ways to remain relevant. This dynamism is thrilling, and I appreciate being a part of it—especially at SentinelOne, where we are making a substantial impact with our technology. We have a lot to offer, and sharing this with our customers is profoundly rewarding.
What did you showcase at Black Hat Middle East this year?
Black Hat MEA provided a valuable opportunity to network and explore collaborations. We showcased our AI-driven approach and solutions, emphasizing our autonomous SOC and its benefits. Additionally, we introduced new capabilities of Purple AI and updates to our Singularity Platform, highlighting our Singularity Hyperautomation and Singularity AI SIEM.
“Every day in cybersecurity is exhilarating; it’s a realm where innovation is
not just encouraged but essential for survival.”
Meriam ElOuazzani, Senior Regional Director, META, SentinelOne
Have you encountered situations where you had to challenge prevailing attitudes? For instance, clients may be hesitant to adopt new solutions due to concerns about the return on investment or the perceived necessity. How do you manage these objections?
Initially, customers may feel overwhelmed by the number of AI-based security solutions available. They may be unsure of how to prioritize and implement these solutions and how to measure ROI. Some customers may also be resistant to changing their existing cybersecurity strategy, while others may not see the need for a comprehensive strategy. We guide customers to understand the necessity of a multi-layered security approach that utilizes multiple technologies to protect different surfaces. We emphasize that protection alone is not enough and that detection and response are also critical components of a successful cybersecurity strategy. We work with customers to develop and implement a cybersecurity strategy that is tailored to their specific needs. Our technology is modular, so customers can start with any service and expand as they grow. We also offer flexible solutions to accommodate different customer needs and budgets.
With SentinelOne’s strong presence in the Middle East and Africa, which markets do you see as the top three drivers in the region?
The Gulf is very important to us. We look at Saudi Arabia and the UAE as transformational markets, but we’re also seeing strong growth in other regions. These markets are facing significant cybersecurity challenges, and we see increased activity from threat actors, particularly in Africa. This has heightened customers’ awareness of the need to build secure infrastructures for their organizations. Additionally, we see great opportunities in Kuwait and Qatar. We’re expanding rapidly in the Middle East, as well as in Turkey and Africa.
Could you identify the top three economic sectors where you observe significant adoption of cybersecurity solutions to enhance proactive operations and security?
Cybersecurity is primarily a data problem. What I mean by that is the amount of data, how we need to correlate it, and the noise that comes with it. There’s also a lack of integrations – though across the IT and security fields, we are still working on many integrations – and the need for more automation. The real problem is how to handle data, particularly when customers have large amounts of it, combined with the need to ensure privacy and protect that data. These customers are top priorities for any cybersecurity company. What’s different now is which industries are prioritizing cybersecurity. We see a significant need for cybersecurity transformation in government, oil and gas, banking, and healthcare. We have customers across all these industries. Cybersecurity has become a primary focus because organizations now have their brand, data, and privacy to protect. They need to implement a cybersecurity strategy and execute it. Security is no longer optional – it’s a must. It’s no longer a choice but a part of every CIO’s or CTO’s strategy to ensure data and privacy are properly managed.
Can you explain how SentinelOne’s Singularity Hyperautomation simplifies security workflows and automates responses?
The autonomous SOC, announced five months ago, facilitates threat hunting and enables security analysts to identify threats and respond automatically through Singularity Hyperautomation, an intelligent, no-code technology. By using automation to create workflows and queries, and Purple AI to write simple queries, analysts can focus on more advanced tasks. This allows customers to stay ahead of threats, make strategic decisions, identify and act on true positives, reduce false positives, and ensure better asset compliance and monitoring, enabling faster response to targeted threats.
At OneConnect Dubai, you mentioned that cybersecurity is now a battlefield of “AI versus AI.” How does SentinelOne navigate this landscape?
AI is used by both cybersecurity companies and threat actors, making the field a battle of AI vs AI. Companies must stay ahead by constantly improving technology. Protection alone is not enough; visibility is also crucial for identifying and recovering from threats quickly. The Singularity Platform offers a multi-layered security approach, including EDR, XDR, endpoint protection, identity protection, cloud security, and AI SIIM. The platform provides advanced technologies in a simple way, with various services to support customer teams. While not everyone is in the IT and security business, everyone has data to protect, and innovative solutions are key to staying ahead of threat actors.
