Asef Sleiman, General Manager, CNS Middle East, discusses operational resilience and the facilitation of AI threat detection and mitigation at GITEX 2024.
Q1. Can you outline to our readers what CNS’ focus is at this year’s GITEX 2024 – and what key products and solutions you are showcasing at your stand?
At GITEX 2024, CNS Middle East is excited to partner with Fortinet to showcase cutting-edge Operational Technology (OT) security solutions, emphasising the importance of securing critical infrastructure and industrial environments against evolving cyber threats. This year, our focus is on demonstrating two key use cases: ATM security and OT security. We are excited to feature a 3D model that vividly illustrates how the operational side of businesses is increasingly adopting technology, which, while offering tremendous benefits, also introduces significant risks. As IT and OT converge, robust OT security technology is pivotal in ensuring operational resilience, minimising downtime, and safeguarding against complex attacks in sectors such as Manufacturing, Energy & Utilities and Oil & Gas. Visitors to our stand will witness live demonstrations of how these technologies protect industrial control systems, secure connected devices, and maintain the integrity of critical operations, highlighting the growing role of technology in enhancing operational efficiency and resilience.
Q2. The central theme of GITEX 2024 is AI. Can you provide our readers with a better understanding of how CNS is leveraging AI to enhance its product portfolio to deliver better outcomes for your customers?
As governments in the region are increasingly implementing AI strategies, we play a pivotal role in enabling our customers to embrace AI, ensuring they remain competitive in a digital world. This strategic alignment with governmental AI initiatives underscores our commitment to fostering AI enablement, reflecting the widespread interest and necessity of AI integration for future growth.
AI is central to our strategy at CNS Middle East, where we harness its evolving capabilities to transform our product portfolio and deliver superior outcomes for our customers. AI’s evolution has reached new heights, allowing us to enhance efficiency, improve decision-making, and elevate customer experiences across multiple sectors. In Cyber Security, AI facilitates real-time threat detection and mitigation, while in Cloud solutions, it optimises resource management. Our Fintech solutions benefit from AI through advanced fraud detection, risk assessment, and customer service automation.
Q3. The opportunities of Generative AI are boundless. However, there are valid ethical and data privacy concerns in relation to Gen AI. How important is it for robust regulations and frameworks to be established in order to safely accelerate the deployment of Gen AI across the enterprise space?
Establishing robust regulations for Generative AI is crucial as it offers transformative potential but must be implemented responsibly. At CNS Middle East, we emphasise the alignment of AI advancements with ethical standards and data privacy laws, advocating for frameworks that ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness. Our commitment to these values is underscored by achieving the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for Information Security Management Systems and the ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 certification for IT Service Management Systems. These certifications reflect our dedication to secure and ethical AI deployment, fostering trust with our clients and partners. Recognising the dynamic and challenging nature of our sector, we are committed to continuously building our capabilities and adapting to technological changes, striving for excellence in our operations. By prioritising secure and ethical AI deployment, we aim to mitigate risks such as data misuse and bias while safely unlocking the opportunities that Generative AI presents.
Q4. Outside of AI, what other trends do you see emerging across the technology landscape in 2025?
As we approach 2025, Cybersecurity remains a top priority as threats become more intricate, necessitating advanced solutions to protect critical data and infrastructure. Our focus on OT Security emphasises the need to safeguard industrial systems and critical operations from evolving cyber threats, ensuring resilience and continuity in sectors like Manufacturing and Energy & Utilities. Additionally, advancements in Business Applications are transforming how organisations operate, driving efficiency, and enabling smarter decision-making. At CNS, we are dedicated to leading in these areas, leveraging our expertise to provide cutting-edge solutions that support our clients’ strategic objectives and enhance their operational capabilities in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
Image Credit: CNS
