Cisco to take part at ‘US-UAE Cybersecurity Forum’

Cisco has announced its participation at the US-UAE Cybersecurity Forum, which will be held in Dubai on 7th September 2016 at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel.

The company will also be sponsoring the high-level forum, which is being organised by the US Chamber of Commerce, The American Business Council in Dubai, Dubai Chamber and Dubai Internet City to connect American companies and experts with leaders in the UAE’s cybersecurity community and top government officials and business leaders. The event aims to inform public policy discussions in the UAE, drive bilateral collaboration in cybersecurity and encourage cooperation amongst industry stakeholders.

“The Industrialisation of hacking has launched a new era of professional, entrepreneurial, and resourceful cyber criminals operating in a high-growth hacker economy. Increasingly profit-driven, their attacks are sophisticated, often targeted, efforts controlled by well-funded organised crime and occasionally driven by political agendas. Cybersecurity has become a vital issue for governments and companies across all sectors of the economy, from finance and healthcare to critical infrastructure and retail,” said Shukri Eid, Managing Director, East Region, Cisco Middle East.

Underscoring the seriousness of recent cyberattacks, a common effort is emerging to address the need for greater collaboration among business and government stakeholders to minimize the impact of cyber attacks and strengthen national security. During the US-UAE Cybersecurity Forum, the US Chamber of Commerce will launch a ‘Cyber Working Group’ to ensure a sustained and constructive dialogue between American companies and the public and private sectors in the UAE and other GCC countries.

“Public-private sector partnerships are critical to the future of cybersecurity, as collaborative information sharing will ultimately help define global security standards. It’s critically important that we stop thinking about security as a defense-centric approach that is sold by fear, uncertainty and doubt. We need to start thinking about simplifying security as a requirement to drive new innovative business models that actually help the business go forward,” added Eid.

In the new digital economy, security is the foundation for agility, innovation, and growth. Organisations without effective security practices adopt digital capabilities more slowly and realise fewer benefits.

Cisco’s sponsorship of the forum comes as part of its efforts to work collaboratively and build relationships with industry stakeholders to promote and encourage continued innovation in network security, raise awareness of the importance of getting secure and educate users about best practices. During the event, Cisco Cyber Security Expert, Naji Ukaily will participate in a panel discussion on Protecting a Digital Economy – Cybersecurity as a Pillar of Business in the 21st Century, underlining why organizations must build cybersecurity into their digital solutions as a foundational element, rather than trying to ‘bolt it on’ as an afterthought.