MENA IT security spending on track to hit $1.8bn in 2017: Gartner

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) spending on information security technology and services is on pace to reach US$1.8 billion in 2017, an increase of 11 percent over 2016, according to Gartner.

Sam Olyaei, senior research analyst at Gartner, provided the latest outlook for the information security industry today at the Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit, which is taking place in Dubai this week.

Security services will continue to be the fastest growing segment in line with global trends, especially IT outsourcing, consulting and implementation services. The growth for security services will be driven by ongoing skills shortages in the information security domain as well as increased awareness of threats.

Rising awareness among CEOs and boards of directors about the business impact of security incidents, and an evolving regulatory landscape, have led to continued spending on security products and services not to mention increased accountability at the board level when it comes to security implications making metrics and executive communication a hot topic for leaders today.

“However, improving security is not just about spending on new technologies. As seen in the recent spate of global security incidents, doing the basics right has never been more important,” said Olyaei. “Organisations can improve their security posture significantly just by addressing basic security and risk related hygiene processes like patch management, regular and scalable vulnerability scanning, centralised log management, internal network segmentation, backups and system hardening. Do not buy a tool just because a tool exists, invest in people and process to maintain and operate these tools.”

He added, “The region is also fixated on check box compliance – a hallmark of immaturity when it comes to security. In essence, there is a false sense of security in the GCC. Digital business is transforming the region and it is all about managing risk; managing risk is about understanding the major perils a business will face, and prioritising controls and investments in security to achieve business outcomes.”