Gregg Petersen, Regional Director at Cohesity, highlights the importance of AI, partnerships, and rapid recovery in battling cyber threats.
As the threat landscape becomes more complex, organizations are facing increasing pressure to safeguard their data. Gregg Petersen, Regional Director for Cohesity in the Middle East and Africa, shares insights into the company’s unique approach to data security, focusing on resilience, AI integration, and the collective responsibility of tackling ransomware and other cyber threats.
“The reality is that no one can fully prevent a cyberattack. The critical question is, how fast can you recover?” Petersen emphasizes. He highlights the findings of a recent survey, noting that “92% of companies have paid ransoms, and 80% believe they can withstand a future attack. But there’s a threefold increase in the likelihood of a second attack after the first, exposing a clear gap between perception and reality.”
Cohesity’s innovative approach involves the creation of a “clean room” in case of a cyberattack. This clean room is isolated from the main production environment, enabling companies to perform auditing, forensic analysis, and ultimately, recover data quickly. “Our solution allows customers to recover in hours, rather than days or weeks, which is crucial in mitigating the long-term impact of an attack,” Petersen explains.
At the core of Cohesity’s strategy is leveraging AI and machine learning to detect anomalies and threats in real-time. “We rely on AI to perform threat scanning and anomaly detection, integrating threat feeds from over 50 top vendors through our partnerships,” says Petersen. In November 2022, Cohesity formed a Security Council that collaborates with third-party vendors, including Cisco and CrowdStrike, to enhance the detection and prevention of malicious activities.
“The most important thing is, how quickly can we recover? For Cohesity, that’s a matter of hours, not days or weeks.”
This collaborative ecosystem is a key differentiator for Cohesity. “Unlike some competitors who try to do everything in-house, we believe in collective responsibility. We work closely with leading vendors to provide comprehensive security solutions. Our partnerships with Nvidia, IBM, and other top players reinforce this approach,” Petersen adds. This integration not only enhances security but also ensures that customers can protect their existing investments in third-party tools.
Cohesity’s focus on sustainability also plays a significant role in their expansion strategy, particularly in the Middle East. “The top priority for CEOs and CIOs in the region is sustainability—how to do more with less without compromising the environment,” Petersen notes. Cohesity, in collaboration with partners like AMD, is driving initiatives to build more efficient data centers that meet the growing demands for both security and sustainability.
“Sustainability is a top priority, and we’re working on building efficient, environmentally-friendly data centers.”
Looking ahead, Cohesity’s recent deal with Veritas is set to propel the company to new heights. “With this partnership, we’re on track to become a $2 billion revenue organization, managing over 100 exabytes of data for more than 10,000 customers globally. This will allow us to double our R&D capacity and further enhance our AI capabilities,” Petersen reveals.
As Petersen concludes, “In the Middle East, our ecosystem has grown rapidly over the last three years, thanks to partnerships with value-added distributors like VAD Technologies. Cohesity’s AI-powered tools and collaborative approach are enabling companies in the region to protect and recover their data more efficiently than ever before.”
