Business Transformation Issue 64

SHAPING A SECURE FUTURE

UAE Ministry of Interior harnesses the power of advanced technologies to boost cyber resilience.

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WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST CYBER CRIME

What ails cybersecurity today, which is arguable the hottest topic in the industry today? If you pose this question to any CISO, the answer is likely to be the same – skills gap and evolving threats. The pandemic-induced digital transformation frenzy has led many organizations to jump onto the bandwagon without paying much attention to cybersecurity, which was sacrificed in favor of time-tomarket.

Long gone are the days when firewalls and intrusion prevention systems were adequate to keep threat actors at bay. I remember a time when some banks in the region even launched online banking services without deploying WAFs first. This false sense of security was soon shattered by a barrage of cyber-attacks. The Middle East has become an attractive target for cyber criminals for several reasons. This region is home to some of the wealthiest countries in the world, and the rapid adoption of digitization, combined with the geopolitical situation, has made it a prime target. Governments and large organizations in almost every vital sector have sustained damage from cyber attacks.

This is why, for security leaders grappling with budget constraints and a skills shortage, AI has emerged as manna from heaven. In a short span of time, AI has become a dependable tool in the arsenal of CISOs in the fight against cyber crime. In this edition of BT, we have spoken to some of the leading thought leaders in the industry about what GenAI can bring to the table for the cybersecurity industry.

This transformative technology holds a lot of promise for security practitioners, from solving challenges related to managing their technology stack to addressing the increasing sophistication of attacks. GenAI can be leveraged to decipher attack patterns and analyze vast amounts of data, accelerating and automating the incident response process. However, it is important to remember that GenAI is not a panacea for the security woes plaguing enterprises today. It needs to be complemented with human intelligence in the fight against organized cyber crime.

Enjoy reading.

Jeevan Thankappan jeevan@gecmediagroup.com

Pure Storage Unveils New Cyber Resiliency Services to Combat Ransomware

Pure Storage has introduced three advanced Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS) service-level agreements (SLAs) for its platform: cyber recovery, resilience, and site rebalance. These new SLAs further empower organizations to guarantee outcomes and reduce risk in their critical data infrastructure.

AI is revolutionizing business, and not always for the better. Cyber criminals are increasingly using AI to increase the frequency and impact of cyber attacks,

especially ransomware. However, existing IT infrastructure generally lacks flexibility to react to the rapid pace of change required to protect data, and rapidly recover if needed.

The Pure Storage platform delivers agility and risk reduction to organizations with a simple, consistent storage platform and an as-a-service experience for the broadest set of use cases across on-premises, public cloud, and hosted environments. At the heart of the platform, the often imitated but never duplicated Evergreen® architecture brings continuous and nondisruptive upgrades helping enterprises adapt to dynamic business environments. With

IFS acquires EmpowerMX

IFS has announced the acquisition of EmpowerMX. EmpowerMX is an AI-powered aviation maintenance software provider specializing in Airframe Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) solutions, which are trusted by the largest aviation organizations in the world, including Embraer, MRO Holdings, Delta and American Airlines.

The acquisition reinforces IFS’s commitment to Industrial AI and underpins the importance of industry-specific capabilities that enable customers to rapidly derive value and improve the way they serve their customers at the moment of service. For aerospace & defense customers, this translates to improving efficiencies, enhancing production control, minimizing turn-around times, and reducing maintenance costs.

Together, EmpowerMX and IFS will provide aerospace & defense customers with the most comprehensive and capable maintenance management system that can support multiple users in multiple roles, as well as provide well-documented, paperless governance in the form of electronic task cards and logbooks.

The acquisition will deliver more value and Industrial AI innovation to customers at a time when aviation MROs and the airline industry are experiencing

the industry’s record number of concurrent SLAs, customers get the reliability, performance, and sustainability their business requires.

“As Pure Storage continues to revolutionize enterprise data storage, our mission remains: to provide a simple, flexible, and resilient as-a-service storage platform that not only addresses current data and storage management needs, but mitigates future risk and uncertainty. Through continuously improving services and the broadest set of outcome-driven SLAs, Pure is the only data storage platform future-proofed for innovation,” said Prakash Darji, GM, Digital Experience, Pure Storage.

multiple challenges that negatively impact profitability and operational efficiency, including supply chain disruption, labor and skills shortages, capacity shortfall, compliance, and ESG reporting.

Scott Helmer, President of IFS’s Aerospace & Defense Business Unit, commented: “Combining EmpowerMX with IFS is a perfect opportunity to proactively advance our leadership position in the aviation MRO software space due to the many synergies we have: an aligned technology vision, deep sector expertise and a shared commitment to customer value. Together, we not only expand our reach and foothold into the burgeoning MRO space, but we can also better serve a wider base of global A&D customers with the Industrial AI-fueled MRO innovation that enhances security, safety and efficiency.”

Prakash Darji, GM, Digital Experience, Pure Storage.

Scott Helmer, President of IFS’s Aerospace & Defense Business Unit

Dataiku study: Only 20% of senior IT pros are using GenAI in production

Dataiku has released survey findings that uncover a gap in businesses investments in Generative AI and the ability for senior IT professionals to operationalize investments at scale. Senior IT leaders will be bold with their Generative AI initiatives over the next 12 months, as nearly three quarters (73%) plan to spend more than $500,000 and around half (46%) will spend over $1 million. Findings also confirm IT stacks across organizations are not comparable to modern infrastructure standards to maximize effectiveness and manage runaway costs.

Dataiku surveyed 200 senior analytics and IT leaders at enterprise companies across the globe in April 2024 to explore enablement against execution of Generative AI. Most agreed the proliferation of disconnected tools, lack of tech optionality, and outdated processes will intensify current challenges, such as data quality, governance, and risk management:

• Nearly half of respondents (44%) indicated that their current data tools do not fit their analytics and AI needs, and 43% reported that their current data analytics stack does not meet modern infrastructure standards. Another 88% do not have specific tools or processes for managing LLMs.

• Over three quarters of IT leaders agree that to modernize their data stack it

means adding AI capabilities, followed by tool consolidation (65%).

• A majority of IT leaders (60%) said they use more than five tools to perform each step in the analytics process, from data ingestion to MLOps and LLMOps. Another 71% want five or less tools to reduce the burden of scaling projects with cobbled-together systems. “The reality is that Generative AI will continue to shift and evolve, with different technologies and providers coming and going. How can IT leaders get in the game while also staying agile to what’s next?,” said Conor Jensen, Field CDO of Dataiku. “All eyes are on whether this challenge — in addition to spiraling costs and other risks — will eclipse the value production of Generative AI. Our survey reveals most data stacks are not built to meet these needs.”

Lenovo and Cisco Announce Strategic Partnership to Simplify Path to AI Innovation

Lenovo and Cisco announced global partnership for integrated infrastructure and networking solutions, aimed at accelerating digital transformation across businesses worldwide.

“This new partnership is a testament to our commitment to delivering purpose-built, industry-leading solutions, all designed to simplify the path to AI innovation and digital transformation,” said, Alaa Bawab, General Manager, Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), Middle East and Africa.”

“The integrated solutions from Lenovo and Cisco will streamline operational deployment and significantly enhance business outcomes for our shared

customers, as well as provide tremendous opportunities for our joint partners,” said Jonathan Davidson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Networking.

The MoU reflects the commitment to expand go-tomarket opportunities that further the delivery of advanced generative AI capabilities and improved digital workplace productivity. Lenovo and Cisco intend to create a hyperpersonalized user experience that maximizes operational excellence, reduces time-to-value, and that supports cost-effective, flexible and simplified implementation of transformational digital technologies.

The collaboration includes integration of the Cisco Nexus

networking ecosystem into Lenovo’s edge-to-cloud portfolio to deliver best-in-class network performance, fortified security, and unparalleled scalability. This offers customers a fully integrated turnkey networking solution that is optimized for interoperability within Lenovo infrastructure solutions, providing the strongest foundation of performance, reliability and security in the industry.

Alaa Bawab, General Manager, Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), Middle East and Africa

Conor Jensen, Field CDO of Dataiku

AIQ and Halliburton’s Landmark Announce Global Partnership for RoboWell Autonomous Well Control Solution

AIQ has partnered with Halliburton to offer its RoboWell autonomous well control (AWC) solution through Landmark iEnergy hybrid cloud, aiming to expand the use of AI-enabled AWC tools to optimize global upstream production.

Landmark’s iEnergy is designed to deploy, integrate, and manage sophisticated exploration and production (E&P) applications and connect assets in public or private cloud environments. RoboWell will now be included in the suite of solutions accessible via iEnergy and made available to customers worldwide.

AIQ CEO, Dr. Christopher Cooper

Spot

by NetApp

said, “This collaboration will help progress our shared vision of how advanced AI solutions can transform the Energy industry globally. Collaborating with Halliburton is part of AIQ’s wider strategy to accelerate the availability of our transformative AI products globally to support the sector through autonomous and other AI-based innovations.”

RoboWell is the first AIsupported advanced process control solution for gas lifted wells. It enables autonomous well operations to maximize production within specified conditions. The solution is already in commercial operation, helping achieve up to 30 percent optimization in gas lift consumption, and increased production of existing wells by up to 5 percent. RoboWell

Achieves FinOps

also supports 100 percent HSE culture and CO2 emission reduction, while it improves well stability through real-time data utilization.

“The combination of AIQ’s AI technology and Halliburton’s extensive industry expertise will help enable greater efficiency and maximize value for our customers’ assets,” said Nagaraj Srinivasan, Senior Vice President, Landmark, Halliburton Digital Solutions, and Consulting.

This collaboration with Halliburton will help pave the way for the global deployment of RoboWell. Customers worldwide can now benefit from the combined expertise of AIQ and Halliburton to advance their success, and to ensure they remain competitive and innovative in a dynamic industry.

Foundation’s Certified Platform Certification

NetApp announced that Spot by NetApp received FinOps Certified Platform certification from the FinOps Foundation, affirming its robust capabilities for effective cloud financial management. Spot by NetApp also launched its Cost Intelligence and Billing Engine solutions as part of its expanded certified platform.

As organizations move increasing amounts of their workloads to the cloud, especially to fuel the development of AI applications, balancing the competing needs of infrastructure and financial efficiency becomes more difficult. Overprovisioning cloud resources results in wasted expenses, but under-provisioning can slow business operations and stifle innovation. The traditional

approach of standalone FinOps tools, with their focus on cost cutting, fall short of meeting these evolved requirements to deliver cost-effective yet highperformance cloud infrastructure. Spot by NetApp closes this technology gap by delivering a holistic, integrated portfolio of FinOps solutions that supports an organization’s intelligent data infrastructure. With its breadth of capabilities, organizations can unify cloud cost and infrastructure optimization, deliver analytics

to maximize the efficiency and impact of every dollar spent in the cloud, and drive digital business growth.

“According to the FinOps Framework, implementing a productive FinOps strategy requires effective collaboration between teams. Effective collaboration requires full access to both financial and cloud operations data,” said, Mike Fuller, CTO of the FinOps Foundation. “A thoughtful and comprehensive approach to FinOps helps organizations maximize the business value of the cloud so they can more easily achieve their business goals. We recognize Spot by NetApp as a FinOps Certified Platform due to its ability to deliver software that helps organizations successfully adopt FinOps practices.”

Mashreq to Expand its Global Reach with Oracle

Mohamed Abdel Razek, Group Head of Technology, Transformation & Information at Mashreq, and Vinayak Hampihallikar, Head of JAPAC & MEA Consulting, Oracle Financial Services.

Mashreq has extended its relationship with Oracle Financial Services to support its growth globally. The bank announced the collaboration at a signing ceremony attended by Mohamed Abdel Razek, Group Head of Technology, Transformation & Information at Mashreq, and Vinayak Hampihallikar, Head of JAPAC & MEA Consulting, Oracle Financial Services.

The bank will replace its core systems with Oracle solutions to modernize, streamline, and enhance its operations in key international hubs, including Hong Kong, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Mashreq is

also in the process of establishing digital banks in Pakistan and Oman to deliver leading-edge financial services. Oracle will provide the robust foundation needed for Mashreq to integrate new entities and services, streamline operations, and comply with the latest industry standards as it expands across diverse geographies.

“Our collaboration with Oracle aligns seamlessly with our vision of enabling innovative possibilities for our clients, colleagues and communities across our global footprint,” said, Mohamed Abdel Razek, Group Head of Technology, Transformation & Information at Mashreq. “The further modernization of our operations across our network, and the establishment of digital banking services in key markets, underscore our commitment to delivering an unparalleled customer experience.”

Oracle Financial Services’

Check Point survey reveals trends in AI for cybersecurity

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI and ML) are recognized as important parts of the future of cyber security and cloud security. But how integrated are these technologies in cyber security functions currently?

A recent survey by Check Point and Cybersecurity Insiders asked hundreds of professionals from across different industries how they’ve been using AI so far, how much of a priority it is for their companies, and how it has impacted their workforces.

Several questions on the survey asked respondents about the state of AI in their organizations’ cyber security plans as of today,

including how fully implemented it is and how that implementation is going. Their responses paint a picture of an industry that is moving slowly and cautiously and perhaps hasn’t gone as “allin” on AI as some may expect. Organizations still seem to be evaluating the benefits and risks associated with AI and ML tools, and businesses are moving

modern integration platform and APIs will support Mashreq to scale, quickly develop and add new services to meet evolving market demands, and integrate with fintech partners to help foster innovation. With its core banking information residing in Oracle’s common data platform, Mashreq will also have the necessary infrastructure to support advanced analytics, compliance, and strategic decision-making.

“Extending our collaboration with Mashreq, which has spanned 14 years and five countries, is a testament to our innovation and commitment to help the bank deliver on its vision for superior customer satisfaction and global expansion goals,” said Vinayak Hampihallikar, Head of JAPAC & MEA Consulting, Oracle Financial Services. “Our pioneering technology and consulting expertise will play a crucial role in supporting Mashreq’s expansion plans and helping to redefine the landscape of digital banking and operational excellence.”

carefully to establish firm best practices that comply with relevant regulations.

When asked to describe their organization’s adoption of AI and ML in cyber security, 61% of respondents described it as being either in the “planning” or “development” stages –significantly more than the 24% who categorized it as “maturing” or “advanced.” Additionally, 15% of those surveyed said that their organizations haven’t implemented AI and ML into their cyber security efforts at all. Clearly, while the selling points of AI for cyber security efforts are persuading many businesses to start exploring their potential, few businesses have fully embraced them at this point.

SolarWinds report finds EMEA IT pros want AI but fear shortcomings

SolarWinds’ 2024 IT Trends Report, “AI: Friend or Foe?”, reveals that while nearly 700 IT professionals, including 297 from EMEA, are eager to adopt AI, most doubt their organization’s readiness due to

Airtel

data, infrastructure, and security challenges.

Looking specifically at respondents from the EMEA region, the report found that while IT pros have a growing interest in embracing AI technology, with nearly nine out of ten already using or planning to use AI, concerns remain about data quality, database infrastructure readiness, and—above all else—security and privacy.

“While talk of AI has dominated the industry, IT leaders and teams recognize the outsize risks of the still-developing technology, heightened by the rush to build AI quickly rather than smartly,” said Krishna Sai, SVP, Technology and

Engineering at SolarWinds. “With the proper internal systems in place and by prioritizing security, fairness, and transparency while building AI, these technologies can serve as a valuable advisor and coworker to overworked teams, but this survey shows that IT pros need to be consulted as their companies invest in AI.”

Overall, the industry’s sentiment reflects cautious optimism about AI despite the obstacles. Almost half of IT professionals (43%) want their company to move faster in implementing AI despite costs, challenges, and concerns, but only 34% are very confident that their company’s databases can meet the increased needs of AI. Moreover, only a third (33%) are very trusting of the quality of data or training used in developing AI technologies.

Africa embarks on digital customer value management of 150 million subscribers with WebEngage

Airtel Africa has partnered with WebEngage to drive its digital customer base management.

Airtel is the second largest telecom service provider in Africa, with more than 60 million data users among a total of 150 million customers. Driven by a vision of bridging the digital divide and driving financial inclusion across Africa, Airtel provides mobile money, entertainment, and digital services to all its users.

The integrations will enable Airtel to monitor user service activities and in a highly personalized manner while retaining customers and improving engagement. This partnership will expand to Airtel Money, Smart Cash in Nigeria, and Airtel TV, creating seamless and personalized digital experiences across Web, App, in App, Meta, Google, and traditional channels such as SMS and email.

Vice President: Digital & Product, Priya Thakoor and Hetarth Patel, Vice President – Growth Markets (MEA, Americas, APAC)

Airtel Africa’s Group Senior Vice President: Digital & Product, Priya Thakoor, said, “With a massive rollout completed within threemonth timeframe, WebEngage’s CDP is now observing more than 600 user actions across all 14 markets and consistently building an actionable digital profile list. More than 30 highly personalized customer journeys are live, engaging more than one million subscribers and resulting in over 30% conversions.

Hetarth Patel, Vice President – Growth Markets (MEA,

Americas, APAC), WebEngage, said, “We are elated about this partnership with Airtel Africa to transform their customer value management. With our advanced customer data platform, cuttingedge analytics, generative AI, and personalized capabilities, we will help them achieve 1:1 customer engagement on owned, paid media, and digital channels.”

The partnership reflects a broader digital transformation in the telecom sector. Telcos are metamorphosing into TechCos by partnering with innovative solution providers like WebEngage. Telecom companies’ deep understanding of customers’ non-linear journeys and benchmarking of superior customer experiences across channels, including traditional, digital, paid media, owned and third party, are certainly helping them excel at digital transformation.

Krishna Sai, SVP, Technology and Engineering at SolarWinds

Core42 and AIREV roll out OnDemand AI Operating System

Core42, a G42 Company and AIREV today announced the launch of the OnDemand AI Operating System (AIOS). The collaboration marks a major milestone in the regional AI landscape and is the first significant joint effort since their partnership announcement in February this year.

OnDemand, developed by AIREV

Google Cloud opens

and built on Core42’s foundational infrastructure, is a decentralized AI operating system designed to facilitate seamless AI deployment. It offers developers, engineers, enterprises, and startups a robust platform to build, deploy, and manage their AI applications with ease.

Key features of OnDemand include its ability to facilitate AI model deployment directly from sources like Hugging Face, supporting both open-source and closed-source models. OnDemand also allows users to deploy their own models, offering flexibility and customization. With its Plugins and Marketplace ecosystem, OnDemand offers a marketplace where developers can create, deploy, and sell plugins and agents,

new offices in Kuwait

Google Cloud announced the opening of its new offices in Kuwait, licensed by the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), at an event attended by His Excellency Mr. Omar Saud Al-Omar, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Communication Affairs. This expansion further signifies Google Cloud’s commitment to supporting Kuwait’s national digital transformation journey, including the modernization of government services and the advancement of economic development. The Google Cloud offices in Kuwait will serve as a hub for collaboration and innovation, bringing together experts from across Google Cloud to work closely with their customers and partners.

“Under the visionary leadership of His Highness

the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince, and the guidance of His Highness the Prime Minister, Kuwait has made great strides towards realizing its National Vision 2035,” stated His Excellency Mr. Omar Saud Al-Omar, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Communication Affairs, at the inauguration of Google Cloud‘s Kuwait headquarters. “This progress includes driving digital transformation, accelerating our smart economy, and developing crucial infrastructure.” His Excellency continued, “The significance of cloud

fostering a vibrant ecosystem of AI tools. Enterprises can also export these plugins and integrate them into their own platforms. For complex API integrations, OnDemand supports multi-step Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Furthermore, the platform offers a low-code solution, making AI development accessible even after small API integrations, while verified system integrators available on the platform assist in building out use cases and providing additional support when required.

“We are excited to see the incredible potential of the OnDemand AIOS realized through this collaboration. Our advanced infrastructure will empower developers and enterprises to harness the full power of AI,” said Muhammed Khalid, CEO of AIREV.

computing, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies in general, cannot be overstated. They are fundamental to economic growth and national development. By leveraging these technologies in government services, we can significantly improve the quality of life for our citizens and residents, foster sustainability, and drive innovation. Our partnership with Google Cloud has already yielded numerous successes, which we are confident will enrich Kuwait’s economy and create promising employment opportunities for our youth.

In January 2023, Google Cloud announced a national alliance framework agreement with the Kuwaiti government to develop a roadmap for a comprehensive digital transformation program across government entities and key state-owned enterprises.

Muhammed Khalid, CEO of AIREV. Talal Alkaissi, Chief Partnerships & Government Affairs Officer, Core42.

Dell Technologies, Aramco, and National IT Academy Collaborate to upskill local talent in

science and technology

In a collaborative effort to empower Saudi Arabia’s local talent with advanced science and technology skills, Dell Technologies, Aramco, and the National IT Academy (NITA) have signed a collaboration agreement. The collaboration aims to provide Saudi students with advanced training programs and certifications that will help develop a skilled and readily

employable technology talent pool in the Kingdom.

The agreement was signed by Nabil Al-Nuaim, Senior Vice President, Digital & Information Technology, Aramco, Majed S. AlGhassab, Executive Director, NITA, and Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President, Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, Turkey, Africa (CEEMETA), Dell Technologies.

As per the agreement, the four-month-long program “ITXcelerate” is designed to equip recent Saudi graduates in computer engineering, computer science, and IT with Dell Proven Professional Certification across

areas such as storage management, data science, and AI. It also includes hands-on experience with on-site job shadowing and mentoring opportunities. This immersive program aims to go beyond theoretical concepts and arm local talent with the skills and knowledge required to excel and thrive in today’s data-driven world.

It aligns with Saudi Arabia’s vision to foster a vibrant tech ecosystem and equip its workforce with the skills necessary to contribute to the nation’s technological advancement and economic prosperity. By combining their expertise and resources, the collaboration signifies a shared commitment to fostering a competent and futureready IT workforce in Saudi Arabia

Sophos Survey: Energy and Water Sector Recovery Costs Quadruple to $3 Million

Sophos’ report, “The State of Ransomware in Critical Infrastructure 2024,” shows that median recovery costs in the Energy and Water sectors have quadrupled to $3 million annually. This figure is four times higher than the global median across sectors. Furthermore, 49% of ransomware attacks on these sectors originated from exploited vulnerabilities.

Data for the State of Ransomware in Critical Infrastructure 2024 report comes from 275 respondents at energy, oil and gas, and utilities organizations, which fall under the Energy and Water sectors of CISA’s 16 defined critical infrastructure sectors. The results for this sector survey report are part of a broader, vendor-agnostic survey of 5,000 cybersecurity/IT leaders conducted between January

and February 2024 across 14 countries and 15 industry sectors.

“Criminals focus where they can cause the most pain and disruption so the public will

demand quick resolutions, and they hope, ransom payments to restore services more quickly. This makes utilities prime targets for ransomware attacks. Because of the essential functions they provide, modern society demands they recover quickly and with minimal disruption,” said Chester Wisniewski, global Field CTO.

On top of growing recovery costs, the median ransom payment for organizations in these two sectors jumped to more than $2.5 million in 2024— $500,0000 higher than the global cross-sector median. The Energy and Water sectors also reported the second highest rate of ransomware attacks. Overall, 67% of the organizations in these sectors reported being hit by ransomware in 2024, in comparison to the global, crosssector average of 59%.

Chester Wisniewski, global Field CTO, Sophos

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BEYOND PREVENTION

In this exclusive interview, Simon Godfrey, VP-EMEA at Secureworks, talks about the changing threat landscape and the increasing importance of MDR.

WHAT KINDS OF THREATS ARE BUSINESSES IN THIS REGION MOST CONCERNED ABOUT?

This global trend affects all the markets we operate in across around 70 countries. We see ransomware and other cyber risks impacting many of our customers, making it the number one impact on businesses. It is an easy way for cyber criminals to monetize their work.

We’ve observed a significant drop in dwell time from when ransomware is deployed to when it is activated. Since November last year, this dwell time has decreased to less than 24 hours and in some cases, even under four hours. This highlights the critical need to respond quickly, detect unusual activities, and implement corrective measures to block or at least contain and manage the situation, minimizing the impact.

Ransomware remains the most prolific threat affecting businesses today.

HOW DOES SECUREWORKS ENSURE IT IS OUTPACING THE ADVERSARY WITH THREAT INTELLIGENCE?

Threat intelligence underpins everything we do. We have a unique capability in our Counter Threat Unit, which serves as our research arm. This unit analyzes data from our incident response activities and other intelligence sources to create the most effective detection mechanisms for threat actor activities within our customer

environments.

Several independent research and analyst organizations have evaluated the marketplace. Most recently, Frost & Sullivan released an analysis confirming Secureworks as a strong player and an innovation powerhouse in the extended detection and response marketplace. They highlighted Secureworks as a force to be reckoned with, which is further independent reinforcement of the effectiveness of our services and the way Taegis operates.

As a customer, you have access to a security analyst within 90 seconds via the chat function, which is an effective mechanism to directly reach expertise for further assistance. The platform was designed to be a collaborative workspace, allowing the ingestion of telemetry information and enabling both Secureworks analysts and customer SOC analysts to run investigations using the same tool. This commonality greatly aids collaboration.

WHAT DRIVES THE DEMAND FOR MDR SERVICES, AND CAN THIS REPLACE SIEM TECHNOLOGY?

We have seen an evolution in the marketplace driven by several factors. Firstly, there's a broader section of the market looking to adopt managed detection and response services. One reason for this is the lack of skills in the market.

SIMON GODFREY, VP-EMEA at Secureworks

enabling detection and reaction to incoming threats impacting the organization. Additionally, it's about driving outcomes. This relates to the skills available within enterprises and service providers. With the variety of customer types we serve, including financial services, business services, retail, distribution, and healthcare, organizations simply want effective outcomes so they can focus on their core business. Whether they are offering products or services to the marketplace, they want to partner with an organization like Secureworks to achieve quicker results and better returns on investment.

WHAT IS YOUR EXPERTISE IN THE DOMAIN OF OT SECURITY?

environments, providing us with a unique set of threat indicators to detect and manage threats effectively.

HOW DOES SECUREWORKS LEVERAGE AI AND ML IN ITS PORTFOLIO?

Sometimes it's due to supply chain pressures from customers or business partners who seek assurance that the right level of control is in place so they wouldn't be the weak link in the enterprise.

Speed and effectiveness are also crucial factors. Traditional SIEM technologies can take a while to deploy. However, we can deploy our solutions in hours and days, not weeks and months, and this is consistently proven with our customers. This quick deployment is valuable because it provides complete visibility across the enterprise,

A distinct approach is needed for OT, and we're seeing an increase in the manufacturing space, largely due to digitization. Manufacturers are connecting their OT infrastructures to ensure efficiencies are gained. This presents an opportunity but also introduces significant risks to these businesses. Independent research by Sensei. io calculated the average loss due to unplanned downtime to be $148 per second, just under $9,000 per minute, highlighting the impact of production facility downtime.

Hence, there is a need for greater coverage in managing OT threats. In response to this, we launched a service last year that was the first integrated MDR solution for both OT and IT to meet these demands. We benefit from leveraging the same threat detection capabilities used in the IT world for the OT side. Additionally, our counterthreat unit conducts extensive threat research in these specific

AI offers a lot of promise in terms of speed, automation, and efficiency. Secureworks designed the Taegis platform with AI in mind because we foresaw its potential to deliver greater efficacy for our customers, quicker time to outcome, and greater business efficiencies to drive commercial advantage. We have a lot of patentpending technology that we have registered and are in the process of getting approved. Our domain generation algorithm detectors use a combination of machine learning and genuine AI. We have a unique and large dataset, which is critical for effectively modeling AI and machine learning-based algorithms. This approach has driven significant efficiencies within our security operations, with improvements as much as 8090% in terms of what they've been able to achieve using the AI-based capabilities within the platform.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR CHANNEL PARTNERS HERE?

We implemented a channelfirst approach last year in North America and later in the year in the Middle East and Europe. We aim to work closely with our channel partners in these regions. We have seen significant value delivered by the solution providers and MSSP partners already operating in these areas. By accessing customers and collaborating effectively, we can provide the right outcomes for our customers.

STRATEGIES FOR A SAFER FUTURE

Lt. Col. Saeed AlShebli, Deputy Director of Digital Security, Ministry of Interior, UAE, discusses how the public sector can combat the mounting cybersecurity risks.

WHAT ARE THE TOP CYBERSECURITY THREATS FACING THE PUBLIC SECTOR TODAY?

The public sector faces a range of crucial cybersecurity concerns in the current digital age, including ransomware, state-sponsored attacks, phishing, DDoS attacks, hacktivism, and internal threats. In particular, ransomware’s doubleextortion variant is perilous as it encrypts data and threatens to release it to the public unless ransoms are paid, thereby affecting essential public services seriously. Geopolitical tensions have fueled state-sponsored hacking directed at governments’ intelligence-gathering activities and critical infrastructure sabotage. Phishing involves exploiting susceptible employees for confidential information, leading to DDoS attacks targeting online services and hacktivism questioning government policies. Internal threats still exist, which is why strong protocols like training and multi-factor authentication have become necessary to prevent those

breaches from occurring.

WHAT EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ARE YOU INCORPORATING INTO YOUR CYBERSECURITY FRAMEWORK, AND HOW ARE THEY ENHANCING YOUR SECURITY POSTURE?

To improve our security posture in the face of evolving threats, it is highly desirable to integrate emerging technologies into our cybersecurity framework. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) help identify threats, interpret data, and detect patterns that might indicate potential attacks and abnormal user activities, which may signify compromised accounts or insider risks. AI also allows for self-directed responses, thus reducing reaction times and damage control efforts. Zero-Trust Architecture strengthens our strategy by assuming threats can originate both externally and internally, requiring continuous verification of users and devices. Blockchain acts as an immutable data ledger and decentralized

Lt. Col. Saeed AlShebli Deputy Director of Digital Security, Ministry of Interior, UAE

identity management system. XDR (Extended Detection and Response) and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) technologies simplify the multitude of security products by providing a common interface for all endpoints and network environments, offering realtime protection from threats. In short, these developments collectively fortify us against advanced cyber warfare tactics, ensuring operational resiliency

HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE ADOPTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES WITH THE NEED TO MAINTAIN ROBUST SECURITY CONTROLS?

A strategic vision, along with proactive measures, is required to manage technology adoption and maintain balance. Implementation should be followed by an exhaustive risk assessment that gauges vulnerabilities versus advantages to prioritize security without

curtailing innovation. The inclusion of protective features in the early stages of the development process, minimizing initial exposures, is known as Security by Design.

Slow, incremental deployment through pilot programs facilitates controlled testing and gradual roll-out, effectively addressing arising concerns. Continuous monitoring and improvement provide timely reactions to incidents, enhancing security posture. Secure use of technology and familiarity with cybersecurity best practices are instilled through employee training.

A strong governance framework that includes compliance and policy development ensures that adopted technology always maintains accepted security standards. Our approach validates our security effectiveness amidst changing

threats while fostering an innovative culture through frequent audits across various operational areas, which we have consistently done.

HOW CAN PUBLIC SECTOR ENTITIES MANAGE AND MITIGATE THE RISK OF INSIDER THREATS?

Managing and mitigating insider threats in the public sector requires a varied approach, including prevention, detection, response, and governance. Prevention begins with stringent background checks before individuals are given access to the system based on their roles. Clear policies and ongoing training promote awareness among staff, helping them develop a proactive security culture. Detection strategies use User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) systems to identify suspicious behavior and curb data leaks. Well-developed

response plans provide quick containment and remediation steps, aided by forensic analysis tools for comprehensive incident investigation. Anonymous reporting channels and governance frameworks ensure accountability while adhering to security protocols. By combining these measures, public sector entities can secure sensitive data, maintain public confidence, and effectively address threats from within the organization.

WHAT ROLE DO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING PLAY IN YOUR CYBERSECURITY EFFORTS?

Contemporary cybercrime cannot be mitigated without AI and ML; indeed, they have changed completely the approach to threat detection, prevention and response. They are useful in identifying oddities and potential threats through analysis of behavior and real-time observation of networks, quickly sensing abnormalities that may be signs of malevolence. In incident response, AI automatically takes immediate actions after detecting a threat like segregating affected systems or blocking malicious IPs, thus ensuring rapid containment. ML’s root cause analysis enhances comprehension of security incidents consequently improving forensic investigations as well as response planning. Additionally, AI improves Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) by enabling automatic log analysis and incorporating threat intelligence, thereby facilitating proactive insights. These technologies enable vulnerability management

to become more optimized because they can predict patches and rank them accordingly before automating threat hunting with machine learning, which scans for indicators of compromise. Hence, adaptive AI/ML ensure robustness within cybersecurity, which defends data while keeping operations intact against changing threats.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST CYBERSECURITY CHALLENGES FACING THE PUBLIC SECTOR IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?

The next five years will pose significant cybersecurity challenges to the public sector due to sophisticated threats and fast digital evolution. Some of these dangers include advanced persistent threats (APTs) and ransomware attacks that target critical infrastructure like healthcare and transportation, which can lead to jeopardized public safety and service continuity. Outdated systems only worsen vulnerabilities since they do not possess modern security capabilities as well as integration capacity with newer technologies. Morever, budgetary constraints coupled with a lack of skilled cyber security experts hinder effective protection measures and threat-responding abilities. Stringent data privacy regulations are also making citizens’ data safe more complex. On top of this, securing expansive supply chains against third-party vendor risks is challenging, and global political tensions such as cyber espionage further complicate the risk landscape. It is crucial, therefore, that security must be ensured across these expanding attack surfaces, which are part of

the accelerated cloud and IoT adoption. Resilience against evolving threats requires proactive defense strategies and a culture of cybersecurity awareness.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO NEW CISOS ENTERING THE PUBLIC SECTOR?

Public sector CISOs starting out need to understand UAE federal, local, and cyber laws in addition to the NESAdeveloped mandatory standards for government organizations, semi-government groups, and business entities. Other important steps include establishing good stakeholder relationships and evaluating current cybersecurity frameworks. This is a critical aspect of crafting an allinclusive approach that entails risk management, incident response, and continuous development. Additionally, it involves strengthening response protocols through clarity and holding frequent drills to maintain preparedness. Ongoing training in cybersecurity, coupled with advanced technologies like AI/ML for threat detection and automation, fosters vigilance among employees.

Management of thirdparty risks and promoting partnerships are fundamental too, as they lead to collaboration among entities involved in such processes. Investing in \ team development, effective communication, and ensuring compliance with governance frameworks further solidify these measures for increased assurance. Ongoing threat planning enables long-term preparation against emerging cyber risks within the public sector while embracing future innovations at the same time.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL ONBOARDING

Christine de Largy, Executive Fellow of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, offers a unique perspective on transforming onboarding for organizational success.

FROM YOUR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN ADVISING BOARD DIRECTORS ON CAREER PLANNING, HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE SUCCESSFUL ONBOARDING?

A successful onboarding programme informs and acclimatises the new director to the organizational culture, information networks and relationship networks. It enables new directors to build social capital, acquire knowledge and insight about the organization to make more effective and timely contribution in the board room.

WHY IS THIS CONSIDERED A CRITICAL FACTOR FOR ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS?

The successful onboarding of directors is a critical factor to help build an effective board. Effective boards not only provide oversight of strategy and corporate governance, but they contribute to effective board decision making too.

Effective decision making is influenced by board dynamics, the individual behavioural forces that influence the functioning of the board as a group. These dynamics are driven by individual behaviours and mindsets as well as the working relationships within the board and the environment in which the board works.

Active onboarding ensures all new directors experience the organizational environment, that they are introduced to the information and relationship networks which contribute to functional board dynamics and effective decision making. Indeed, the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC)’s UK Corporate Governance Code specifies that onboarding may speed up the process of acquiring an understanding of the main areas of business activity, especially areas involving significant risk.

DO YOU THINK THERE IS A DUAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ONBOARDING – BETWEEN EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE?

Without a doubt both employer and employee are responsible for successful onboarding. Some organizations may limit provision to technical induction, others may provide more

comprehensive onboarding. In either case the employee must take responsibility for their own personal development and effective onboarding is a critical contributory factor to early success in the role and future career development within the organization.

For board directors in the UK, the FRC Corporate Governance Code is clear that it is a dual responsibility. The Chair is responsible for ensuring All directors receive a full, formal and tailored induction on joining the board. The non-executives are expected to devote time to a comprehensive, formal and tailored induction that generally extends beyond the boardroom. This includes initiatives such as partnering a non-executive director with an executive board member. They may visit operational sites and talk with managers and members of the workforce. A non-executive director may use these conversations to better understand the culture of the organisation and the way things are done in practice and to gain insight.

FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT ARE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO SUCCESSFUL ONBOARDING?

The most significant barrier to successful onboarding is when the organization does not value onboarding and thus, they do not invest time and resources to establish effective programmes. From the executive perspective they may want 'to hit the ground running' to make their mark by delivering early, quick wins and feel time pressure to deliver significant results. In this case executives may bypass the onboarding programme but this will potentially limit their effectiveness in the longer term as they will not have spent time building social capital, which is vital to any future leader’s success.

CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH SOME PRACTICAL STRATEGIES IN WHICH NEW EMPLOYEES CAN ACCELERATE THEIR CAREERS DURING THE ONBOARDING PHASE?

When considering practical strategies for new employees to accelerate their careers during onboarding, whether the organization

CHRISTINE DE LARGY, Executive Fellow of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School

provides a comprehensive onboarding programme or not, it is important executives create a map of key internal and external stakeholders. These stakeholders will have varying degrees of influence in the organization and interest in your role and objectives. Prioritise meetings with those who are influential and interested, without ignoring those who are influential but less interested. Stakeholder groups may include peers, other department/division heads, executive committee directors, customers, suppliers, colleagues in other divisions, etc. Arrange to meet all the stakeholders over the first three to six months, not only to gain knowledge into the workings of the organisation, but to gain insight into how you can work with them and help deliver their goals.

Another practical strategy is to establish a 'buddy' relationship. This may be a peer or someone more senior but the objective is to have a 'friend' in the business who can guide you through the corporate labyrinth in the first months, provide feedback and act as a sounding board. For example, before an important meeting or presentation, ask your buddy for feedback. Do be specific about the aspect of your performance on which you would like feedback. These experiential everyday developmental opportunities are powerful ways to not only build your skills but help foster trusted relationships.

Thirdly, I would suggest creating a developmental relationship with the person to whom you report. Ensure you have regular discussions about your career aspirations and

development. They are likely to be your key sponsor in the organization, your gateway to stretch assignments, involvement in strategic projects and developmental secondments. You want them to know you, your strengths, capabilities and aspirations.

WHAT FUTURE TRENDS DO YOU SEE EMERGING IN THE FIELDS OF ONBOARDING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT?

Innovative technologies and outsourcing partners are playing a greater role in the provision of HR services, including onboarding services. Rather than a ‘onesize-fits-all’ solution these services can personalise interactive programmes to match individual needs and motivations.

There is much talk of generative AI within business and certainly AI could be a costeffective way of introducing a more comprehensive onboarding programme. AI could potentially enable the personalization of onboarding experiences dependent on diverse need. For example, it could provide chat bots for assistance, offer data driven check ins, or create learning paths and tailored feedback quizzes.

Nevertheless, AI will only really help on the more technical aspects of onboarding, to acquire knowledge. There is still a need to address the interpersonal aspects and insight from meeting stakeholders to develop social capital. Successful onboarding, to support future career development, includes interpersonal contact and relationship building with stakeholders.

DRIVING CHANGE

BluSmart, all-electric ride-hailing service, has forayed into the UAE market. Anmol Singh Jaggi, co-founder of this 100 percent EV premium limousine service, tells us why this marks a milestone in the UAE’s transition to sustainable transport solutions.

CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE STRATEGIC REASONS BEHIND CHOOSING THE UAE AS THE NEXT MARKET FOR BLUSMART'S EXPANSION?

The UAE has truly been a game changer for mobility and sustainable solutions, setting a remarkable precedent for innovative urban development. We are thrilled to bring BluSmart's sustainable business model and customer-centric offerings to the UAE's mobility market.

The Dubai market presents a highly attractive opportunity for BluSmart due to its potential for significantly higher margins and profitability compared to India. We identified a market gap in the premium limousine segment and an opportunity to correct it through our core tenets of Quality, Reliability and Sustainability. Average order values in Dubai are four times higher than in India, translating to a projected revenue per car per day of AED 750-1000, as opposed to AED 150-300 in India. Leveraging insights from our successful premium offerings in India, particularly in rental and airport categories which account for over 50% of our revenue, we aim to replicate this success in Dubai, our first

international foray.

HOW DID YOU ENSURE A SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF YOUR SERVICES WITH THE LOCAL REGULATIONS AND MARKET EXPECTATIONS IN THE UAE?

BluSmart ensured seamless integration with UAE regulations and market expectations through strong partnerships, market research, regulatory compliance and maintaining consistency in customer experience. BluSmart’s chauffeur driven luxury service and industry first feature of zero driver cancellations, transparent upfront pricing and on-time arrivals are core to its brand and identity which is replicated in all markets it operates in. Significant effort goes in standardizing the experience for all customers. Continuous feedback and improvement helped us adapt quickly, ensuring our operations resonated with the community and met all legal requirements.

WHAT SPECIFIC TRAINING AND SUPPORT DO YOU PROVIDE TO YOUR DRIVERS TO MAINTAIN HIGH SERVICE STANDARDS?

At BluSmart, we ensure high service standards

ANMOL SINGH JAGGI, Co-Founder of BluSmart

by providing comprehensive training and support to our driver partners. This includes extensive onboarding training covering vehicle operations, customer service, and safety protocols, as well as regular workshops and refresher courses on behavioral aspects and hospitality. Our training emphasizes communication skills, etiquette, and conflict resolution to ensure a professional passenger experience. Drivers also receive advanced safety training, technical training on electric vehicle maintenance and operations.

HOW DOES BLUSMART PLAN TO DIFFERENTIATE ITSELF FROM ESTABLISHED COMPETITORS LIKE UBER AND CAREEM IN THE UAE MARKET?

BluSmart, the premium all-electric limousine service launches its first international market with Dubai operations. It was launched with a campaign titled #RideSmartDubai aims to promote reliable, safe, eco-friendly and luxurious travel experience. BluSmart operates as a full stack, vertically integrated, born-electric model committed to environmental sustainability while delivering superior customer experience.

This makes it the UAE’s first 100% electric full-stack premium limousine service and serves as a significant milestone in the UAE’s transition towards sustainable transportation solutions. BluSmart’s chauffeur driven luxury service in Dubai begins with a fleet of premium Audi e-tron cars. The diverse services cater to Dubai’s cosmopolitan population, offering city rides, airport rides, hourly rental bookings within the city as well as drop-off to other Emirates.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER INTERNATIONAL MARKETS THAT BLUSMART IS CURRENTLY CONSIDERING FOR FUTURE EXPANSION?

Currently our focus is on Dubai, where we aim to build brand loyalty and trust by enhancing service availability. However, we're conscious of the importance of strategic expansion and strengthening our positioning in the current markets. Building on India operations success factors, focus will be to target niche markets and go deeper in those geographies. Continuing to focus on AOV while also keeping volume of transactions high will be key in our strategy. Our expansion approach in key cities will include leveraging strategic partnerships.

AS AN EV-FOCUSED RIDE-HAILING SERVICE, WHAT INITIATIVES IS BLUSMART TAKING TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY IN ITS OPERATIONS IN DUBAI?

BluSmart is committed to promoting sustainability in its operations in Dubai and partnering with UAE’s efforts towards transitioning to clean mobility. As UAE's first all-electric mobility service, BluSmart plans to build on strategic partnerships to promote sustainability to customers and other partners that are keen towards environmental sustainability. Most BluSmart customers experience electric vehicles for the first time and it is a great way to promote the use of EVs in mega cities like Dubai. Additionally, the application consists of a CO2 tracker that provides awareness to customers on the amount of CO2 saved on every ride taken. Such initiatives are designed with the aim to promote sustainable urban transportation.

CATAPULTING INNOVATIONS

Walid Gomaa, CEO of Omnix International, discusses how the company is driving transformation in diverse sectors.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOUR CUSTOMERS FACE WHEN IT COMES TO APP MODERNIZATION?

First of all, you have to understand what application modernization means. Many of our customers already have legacy applications. We help them modernize these applications by providing technologies like containerization and application refactoring.

But at the same time, sometimes you're not able to do that because the application is so complex. Then, you start positioning different types of cloud-native application development environments. There are actually two ways: either you modernize a legacy, existing application, or you add to their environment a new platform that can enable them to have cloud-native type of apps. The biggest challenge, of course, is the resources. You need someone who understands the current landscape. The second thing is the time to market. Those are the key challenges that we can see.

ARE YOU OFFERING LOW CODE/NO CODE SOLUTIONS AS PART OF THIS?

Because of the time to market factor, low code/no code becomes a good approach to accelerate the time for getting something out, instead of waiting to modernize the whole legacy applications. What we can do is use low code/no code to accelerate application development and enable them to roll out things in a shorter period of time. Low code/no code also has an interesting characteristic; people think that it is very primitive and cannot handle enterprise applications. However, this is not true.

We have developed huge enterprise applications with heavy workloads on low code/no code platforms.

WHAT KIND OF CLOUD MIGRATION STRATEGY DO YOU RECOMMEND? IS LIFT AND SHIFT THE EASIEST WAY TO MOVE TO THE CLOUD?

You know that lift-and-shift is not cloud migration; this is relocation. Now, with cloud migration, some people think they can just move all their applications to the cloud, but that's not true. First of all, there are applications that, if moved to the cloud, will end up having a bad response. This means certain applications will remain onpremises. Other applications can move to the cloud. This requires a hybrid approch, managing both on-premises and cloud environments. The key is advising on what to move and how to move it, rather than simply containerizing applications and moving them to the cloud, which can lead to worse performance. We've seen customers move to the cloud only to move back to on-premises. We offer this type of service, which involves assessing what the customer should keep onpremises and what should move to the cloud, and how to execute it. From a cloud perspective, it depends on the customer's choice—whether they are more comfortable with AWS or Azure. For us, both are valid platforms. It really depends on the customer's preference. We'll then go into the details of pricing, provisioning, and other factors, which will differentiate the offerings. In some countries, we also work with Google Cloud and

WALID GOMAA, CEO at Omnix International

local cloud providers like Core42. You have to assess the pricing, flexibility, different pricing models, and terms and conditions to decide which one to choose.

ARE YOU OFFERING ANY AI-RELATED SERVICES OR SOLUTIONS?

We are already doing some AI work with various entities, such as the smart yard project of RTA in Dubai. For example, when you take a test drive at driving schools, you now drive the car alone without anyone accompanying you. The car is equipped with digital sensors, and we collect data, provide predictive analytics, and offer corrective feedback. This is one way we are utilizing AI.

We are also working with many customers on computer vision projects, such as facial recognition and anomaly detection. Computer vision is a key area of focus for us. Additionally, with new AI tools entering the market, like AIOps, we are collaborating with vendors on these solutions. We are also working on data AI, which involves managing data pipelines and providing recommendations for data management and cataloging. We are integrating these AI solutions across different domains.

The biggest problem we see is when you go to an entity and ask them about their vision for AI, they don't have one. That's why we are now offering something called an ideation workshop. It involves taking a subject like AI, bringing in business users, and then working with them in a workshop format to identify use cases, understand the benefits of these use cases, and determine how they would be implemented. By the end of the workshop, we help shape how AI can be implemented. This approach makes it easier for business users to understand what they need, and then they can hand it over to the

IT team for implementation. We are shortening the time needed to implement AI ideas and use cases.

IS CYBERSECURITY ALSO A KEY FOCUS AREA FOR YOU?

We are focusing on three solution areas in cybersecuity and we are addressing specific customer requirements. One of these is managed services security. We have already implemented a SOC in Saudi Arabia. The second area is GRC. We place special focus on GRC because we believe that with all the new regulatory requirements, it is crucial to ensure compliance. For this, you need a tool that can help you achieve it. We also assist customers with identity management and privileged access management. As more applications come into play, it's essential to manage authentications and privileged access effectively.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR REST OF THE YEAR?

We are positioning ourselves as a service provider. To achieve this, our key value-add is helping customers connect various components through our services. For example, when discussing the Metaverse with customers, they often don't know how to integrate it, as it involves wearables, connections, and networks. We bring all these elements together and offer a comprehensive service to simplify the implementation of the Metaverse.For us, it’s about simplifying the adoption of various solution areas for customers. Another key focus area is conversational AI with generative AI, blending the two technologies to provide the best customer experience both internally and externally. This is something we are offering as a managed service.

DECODING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN GOVERNMENT

The "Middle East IT Industry Foresight 2024 - Government" report from CaaS Research explores the transformative impact of digital technologies on government operations across the Middle East.

The report highlights the crucial role of digital transformation in improving citizen services, enhancing operational efficiency, and ensuring data security. The report provides insights into the strategic adoption of advanced technologies such as AI, cloud computing, and edge computing.

With contributions from over 150 C-level executives, the report outlines key trends, challenges, and opportunities, offering a roadmap for government agencies to navigate the digital landscape. Emphasizing the need for continuous investment in technology and innovation, the report aims to guide government stakeholders in leveraging digital tools to improve public service delivery and governance

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND CITIZEN SERVICES

Digital transformation is critical for enhancing citizen services and operational efficiency within government agencies. The survey explores the importance of adopting digital strategies to improve service delivery and engage with citizens more effectively. The report highlights the use of online platforms and social media for citizen engagement, indicating a shift towards digital communication channels. It also discusses the benefits of AI and machine learning in automating and personalizing citizen services, making government interactions more efficient and userfriendly. Recommendations include expanding digital platforms for public consultation, leveraging AI for personalized citizen services, and enhancing online communication channels to foster greater citizen participation and engagement.

DATA SECURITY AND PRIVACY

In the digital age, data security and privacy are of utmost importance for government agencies handling sensitive citizen information. The CaaS study examines the industry's approach to

data protection, compliance with international regulations like GDPR, and strategies to safeguard against cyber threats. The report highlights the varying levels of compliance among agencies, with some fully compliant and others working towards achieving full compliance. It underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity frameworks and comprehensive data privacy policies to protect sensitive information. Recommendations include investing in advanced security technologies, conducting regular security audits, providing extensive employee training on data security, and fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness to mitigate risks and enhance data protection.

CLOUD ADOPTION AND DIGITAL GOVERNANCE

Cloud computing technologies have revolutionized IT infrastructure management within government agencies. The report highlights the extensive migration of government IT infrastructure to the cloud, emphasizing the advantages of cost-efficiency, scalability, and improved data security. It also discusses the importance of digital governance practices in managing cloud adoption and ensuring effective service delivery. Recommendations focus on enhancing cloud security measures, developing comprehensive digital governance frameworks, and leveraging cloud-based data analytics to drive decision-making and improve public service delivery. The survey also emphasizes the potential of edge computing to complement cloud services, offering real-time data processing and enhanced reliability for critical government functions

IT PROCUREMENT AND VENDOR MANAGEMENT

Effective IT procurement and vendor management are essential for ensuring high standards of service delivery within government agencies. The report examines the procurement methods used by government agencies, including competitive bidding processes and government contracts.

It highlights the importance of regular vendor performance evaluations to maintain service quality and address any issues promptly. Recommendations include adopting strategic IT procurement practices, conducting regular vendor evaluations, and fostering collaborative relationships with vendors to drive innovation and improve service delivery. The report also emphasizes the need for transparent and accountable procurement processes to ensure fairness and efficiency in government operations.

FORECAST

The report forecasts significant growth in the integration of digital technologies within government operations in the Middle East. By 2025, the widespread adoption of AI and chatbots is expected to revolutionize citizen services, offering round-the-clock assistance and personalized

interactions. Blockchain technology is also anticipated to rise, providing secure and transparent handling of transactions and sensitive data.

The trend towards enhanced cybersecurity practices is expected to continue, driven by regulatory pressures, public expectations, and the evolving global cyber threat landscape.

The continued migration to cloud computing is set to improve decision-making, data security, and operational efficiency, significantly impacting public service delivery and governance.

The forecast emphasizes the importance of continuous technological investment, proactive regulatory compliance, and fostering a culture of innovation and flexibility.

“The "Middle East IT Industry Foresight 2024 - Government" report underscores the critical role of digital transformation in government operations.

Embracing cloud-based solutions,integrating advanced technologies, and prioritizing data security are essential for maintaining competitiveness and enhancing public service delivery,” said Jayakumar Mohanachandran, chief research officer at CaaS Research.

The report concludes that strategic adoption of digital innovations will shape the future landscape of government operations, offering significant opportunities for growth and operational improvement. Government agencies that invest in these technologies and foster a culture of innovation will be well-positioned to lead the market, ensuring resilience and excellence in the digital age. This transformation is vital for improving citizen services, enhancing operational efficiency, and achieving long-term success in government operations.

O VERALL DIGI TAL GOVERNANCE AND CLOUD ADOPT I O N

RIDING THE DIGITAL WAVE

David Boast, Managing Director - MENA, Endava, writes about why digital acceleration is the key to continuous, impact-oriented innovation for Middle East organisations.

Digitalisation has, for the Middle East, been a journey of discovery. I would argue that now we are starting to see that digital transformation can be complex and risky, involving multiyear commitments that cause considerable disruption. And if these projects go wrong, investments are wasted. So perhaps one of the most important lessons the region has learned about digital transformation is that the term itself does not describe the optimal strategy. Instead, we should be aiming for a culture change and an approach that delivers continuous, scalable, sustainable innovation.

Enter digital acceleration. This is an iterative approach that, over time, allows the introduction of new business models and market opportunities. While on the journey, organisations add value but expose themselves to less risk. At its core, digital acceleration embraces the concept of measurement. Everything must be about impact. The methodology replaces large change with easily digestible change, and KPIs are the means by which we tell if we are heading in the right direction. In essence, course corrections are easier on a speedboat than they are on an aircraft carrier.

So, while everyone else is transforming, you are accelerating. You have realised that the quick win may look enticing and allow you to solve the competition problem today, but patches on tyres can only get you so far. Quick wins may be cause for celebration in the short term but can lead to technical debt. Better to take a longer-term view and look for entire areas that can be improved. Like these four.

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

You can be as innovative as you want within the bounds of your enterprise. But once a solution is released into the wild, it is subject to the judgement of customers. Understanding needs and expectations requires observation of, and engagement with, those customers. How do they feel about GenAI? Do they really prefer self-service, or do they expect a human agent to be on standby? Is the inclusion of WhatApp as a communication channel a deal breaker or a casual preference? What cultural issues are at play in delivering a product or service and what is the best way to encourage adoption?

Customers today are increasingly millennial or Gen Z. Those two cohorts between them

DAVID BOAST, Managing Director - MENA, Endava

OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Recent Endava research shows more than half (54%) of Middle East organisations have wasted investments in digital transformation. In analysing the missteps, we often find that enterprises have relied on domain expertise in isolation of all other considerations. The way the business operates is dependent on a range of factors, many of which lie outside the confines of the organisation itself. Its partner ecosystem, after-sales services, and supply chain must come under equal scrutiny if internal operational bottlenecks are to be identified and understood. On the flip side, existing assets that do perform well, or that could be optimised, should be identified as this is in itself a more efficient way of accelerating digital advancement. Instead of ripping and replacing, reengineering current tech — be that systems or processes — should be pursued when possible.

EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT

When people are placed at the core of digitalisation, outcomes become more positive, and success is more sustainable. Human agents are in the best position to notice whether a change has been impactful in the right way. Today’s digital design teams collaborate with users to find out what is working and what is not. Indeed, they often include them in designtime brainstorming sessions to elicit ways of measuring the effectiveness of live systems.

COST REDUCTIONS

account for just under half the world population and by 2030, they will all be adults. These young, digital-savvy consumers will dictate what way our digital speedboat should pitch. We must find ways to measure their preferences. And their disapproval. This of course will prompt a refocusing of IT efforts — which is made possible through automation. The data-driven automation of labour intensive tasks is a surefire way to empower IT to win hours back, which can then be directed towards customer engagement.

Impacts are measurable and the region’s innovators should be designing KPIs that allow them to take note of the aspects inside and outside the business that need to be improved. Productivity figures may identify the problem but not its source. However, monitoring the delivery trackrecord of suppliers might lead to actionable information. When introducing technology into operations, we can start to see which solutions can deliver the maximum impact. The important thing to remember is that technology is only the “how”. Impact is the “why”. That means impact-centric KPIs must support performance KPIs like productivity and revenue when digitally accelerating.

The measurement of costs is not new; so, there are not many new metrics to add here. But no list of the goals of digitalisation would be complete without mentioning ROI. If Process X is the source of greater costs now than before digitisation was applied, then a course change is needed. If costs have gone down, then that is a signal that requires more investigation. Can the digitisation technique be applied elsewhere in the business? Or can elements of it be reused or repurposed?

TO THE FUTURE AND BEYOND

Digital tools have many uses. The trick for the innovator is to understand their business so well that they can instinctively reach for the right tool when needed. A measured, continuous process of change, assessment, and course correction, can keep the nimble boat accelerating in the right direction. By taking the impactoriented route, project planners are far less tied to policy and earmarked budgets. The business is more agile, more aware of its surroundings, and more capable of changing direction when outside forces — economic, environmental, market, and technological — pop up.

THE NEW FRONTIER

Breaking down legacy culture will be key to embracing servitization , writes Kate Bishop, Chief Human Resources Officer, IFS.

Across industries, there is widespread awareness that organizations must move forward on the path to a servitized business model. In new research commissioned by IFS, polling senior leadership across multiple sectors about the shift to servitization, a remarkable 85% of respondents believe their market is ripe for the approach. However, there is a marked difference between awareness that it is time to move to servitization, and actually making the transition. The research found that just 19% of organizations said they have completed their evolution to a servitized model, while 42% say they have the processes mapped out but have either organizational or technologybased issues to overcome, more often than not legacy technology issues are holding them back. Businesses need to ensure they understand these issues. To make the shift successfully, it is vital they appreciate the impact on people and culture, and the challenges they will need to navigate in managing change. Moving to servitization necessitates a fundamental shift in both mentality and organizational culture, extending beyond a mere transition in business strategies or pricing structures.

BARRIERS AND OBSTACLES TO PROGRESS

To be successful with servitization businesses have to ingrain it into their DNA so that it becomes part of their culture. There is still much work to be done when it comes to embedding it into their work processes. Nearly a quarter (23%) of the survey sample are still trying to understand the impact of servitization on their business, people, processes, and technology, and a fifth (20%) admit they do not understand how the business case for servitization will deliver real benefits for them. That lack of understanding is holding organizations back as they look to optimize the benefits they get from servitization. In line with this, nearly a quarter (22%) of the survey sample believe that impact on processes and people are among the main challenges when building momentum for the servitized business model.

The need to move away from a traditional product-centric or transactional business model to a servitized one has inevitably

brought disruption to many businesses and their employees. Yet, a change of approach is essential. From the process perspective, legacy organizational structures often hinder the seamless integration of services into the business model. Siloed departments, conflicting priorities, old technology, and a lack of crossfunctional collaboration can all slow down progress.

Organizations know they need to change, but they often do not have sufficient people in place with the right skills to make that happen. For example, more than a third (34%) of the survey respondents reference ‘lack of internal resources and expertise to develop and implement a servitized model’ among the main barriers they face in evolving their business to a servitized approach.

Just understanding the technology itself can be a significant problem here. Adopting new technologies means that employees need to learn how to use them effectively. Companies might find they have a skills gap, need to hire new talent with the required expertise, and invest in training to address the talent shortfall.

To mitigate this challenge, nearly half (46%) of survey respondents are recruiting experienced people and 43% have revisited their original business case to appoint executive sponsors for key functions. Others prefer to focus on upskilling the existing workforce. In line with this, 42% have created problem-solving focus groups, and 35% have stepped up communication to improve coordination and understanding.

HOW FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN STOKES RESISTANCE

Equally, moving from a product-focused culture to one centered around services requires a fundamental shift in mindset. Resistance to change, fear of the unknown, and entrenched beliefs about traditional business models can prevent organizations from advancing their servitization plans.

To start servitization in your business, you need to think differently and ask yourself: what do my products do and what need do they fulfil now, and in the future? And then ask yourself, how could I supply what they do as a service or what

KATE BISHOP, Chief Human Resources Officer, IFS

adjancies are there that could be a service? A change of approach is required to move the perception of servitization as a threat to an opportunity and, along with it, a change of business KPIs and organizational structure.

In line with this, 24% of respondents cite ‘lack of internal buy-in’ as one of the main factors holding the business back. A still greater proportion of respondents (28%) point to the difficulty of altering company culture as one of their three barriers to servitization. This is highest in manufacturing (36%) and lowest in construction and engineering (21%) – a rare example in this survey of significant variation in the views of respondents from different industries.

What these figures show above all is that as with any significant technological shift, there's a need for effective change management strategies to ensure all stakeholders, from employees to customers, understand and are comfortable with the new tools and systems. This is key, but it has to be done well. Research from Prosci, a leading change management training and certification organization, shows initiatives with excellent change management are six times likelier to meet objectives than those with poor change management.

EMBRACING THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS

Many organizations are well on their way to servitization, but it is a challenging journey fraught with people and organizational barriers. To succeed, organizations should cultivate an environment where innovation thrives across the whole enterprise. This happens by nurturing a culture that values personal growth, agility, and calculated risk-taking, with a deep-rooted emphasis on putting

the well-being and needs of their customers and employees at the forefront. As these trailblazers venture forth, they not only champion the journey toward servitization but also inspire a shared cultural evolution for others to embrace.

In our technologically advanced age, servitization isn't just a trend - it's a necessity. We can see there are considerable barriers to overcome in terms of understanding its impact, stakeholder attitudes and the entrenchment of processes based on aging technology. As in many areas of innovation, inhouse skills remain a challenge.

Yet, as businesses move towards a servitized model, the most valuable asset isn't technology but the people who power it. Skilled, adaptable, and agile employees are crucial in navigating this transformation, emphasizing the need to prioritize talent development, acquisition, and retention. To support this focus, companies must proactively address the emerging skills gap by investing in comprehensive training programs, creating pathways for upskilling, and leveraging cross-functional teams.

Ultimately, for servitization to truly take hold, it must be underpinned by a culture that embraces change, values customer and employee experiences, and aligns all stakeholders with the vision of the transformation. As companies navigate this shift, they not only pave the way for their own future but also set a benchmark for the industry, demonstrating that with the right mindset and commitment, the move to servitization can be a powerful catalyst for innovation and growth.

HARNESSING THE CLOUD

Moussalam Dalati, General Manager Middle East, Africa and France, Liferay, discusses cloudpowered digital transformation in KSA.

HOW ARE CLOUD-POWERED DIGITAL EXPERIENCES

RESHAPING STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR BUSINESSES IN SAUDI ARABIA?

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has had a massive impact on the adoption of cloud-powered digital experiences in the Kingdom. Ahead of schedule, as per recent reports, businesses in Saudi Arabia are rapidly adopting technologies that align with national strategic objectives.

Cloud-based platforms have emerged as a pivotal focus, enabling smooth, quick and easy to implement personalized customer journeys. Therefore, companies adopting cloud computing technologies are well-positioned for success in the evolving Saudi market. Additionally, the Saudi government’s Cloud-first policy advocates for businesses to prioritize cloud deployment for accelerated business results.

Government led directives have delivered significant benefits to businesses, yielding results to businesses in the form of scalability, agility, resilience, and enhanced customer journeys across multiple touch points, including improved operational efficiencies through data-driven decision-making. Liferay’s platform available on the Google Cloud Marketplace in Saudi Arabia also plays a role in facilitating this easier adoption of cloud-based digital experiences by businesses.

These government-led initiatives driving cloud adoption are reshaping strategic priorities for businesses in Saudi Arabia, aligning them closely

with national agendas and goals.

WHAT ARE THE KEY TRENDS DRIVING CLOUD ADOPTION IN THE KINGDOM?

According to an IDC report, Saudi Arabia’s annual spending on public cloud services is growing at a CAGR of 25%, poised to reach $2.5 billion by 2026. This underscores the rapid growth of cloud powered businesses with a sound digital backbone. Businesses today face the imperative to swiftly reorient and adapt without disrupting operations or customer experiences, crucial for retaining existing and winning new customers. Cloud adoption is vital in achieving this business growth, prompting heavy investments in digital transformation. According to Gartner, more than 85% of organizations will embrace a cloudfirst principle by 2025, essential to execute comprehensive digital strategies that leverage cloud-native architectures. . Here are some key trends driving this momentum in the Kingdom.

• Government support: Saudi Vision 2030 offers incentives to public and private sector companies for adoption to the cloud.

• Investment Cost Reduction: With subscription models available to businesses in cloud, the need for huge investments in digital transformation initiatives is eliminated; reducing any additional burden on companies desiring technological

MOUSSALAM DALATI,

General Manager Middle East, Africa and France, Liferay

upgradations.

• Innovation led approach: Cloud adoption has fostered a culture of development and innovation among businesses in the nation as witnessed since the last few years.

• AI and Cloud: AI and cloud computing together fuel business growth by combining cloud’s processing and data store capabilities and AI’s capacity to automate and deliver intelligent services, creating a powerful combination for innovation and efficiency. This synergy supports Saudi Arabia's ambitions to become a regional technology leader and has kept it on track thus far.

CAN YOU PROVIDE EXAMPLES OF HOW THESE CAPABILITIES CAN BE UTILISED BY BUSINESSES IN SAUDI ARABIA?

Liferay supports companies across various sectors in elevating their digital experience journeys. Some of these could be cited as below:

Financial Services: Banks can tailor their website content to provide personalized financial advice and product recommendations based on the user's profile. For instance, offering investment options suitable for different demographics like young professionals or retirees.

Healthcare: A healthcare provider can create dynamic appointment booking forms. Depending on the selected medical service, e.g., dental check-up, additional relevant fields can appear to gather comprehensive patient information such as dental history.

Telecommunications: A telecom company can leverage Liferay Analytics Cloud to gather and analyze data on customer

interactions from their websites, mobile apps, and service centers. This data enables them to understand usage patterns and develop targeted marketing campaigns for different customer segments.

E-Government Services: Saudi Arabian government agencies can use Liferay to deliver personalized e-government services. For example, citizens can receive timely reminders for renewing their national ID or driving license based on their personal data or receive personalized updates on new government initiatives and services relevant to them.

WHY DOES SAUDI ARABIA HOLD STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE FOR LIFERAY?

In alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Cloud First Policy, which prioritizes cloud computing for accelerated digital transformation, Liferay’s DXP is now available on Google Cloud Marketplace as the only DXP fully available with all functionalities in the Kingdom. It facilitates a convenient deployment option, leveraging the robust infrastructure of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) in Saudi Arabia, supporting Liferay’s commitment to scale digital experiences and accelerate digital transformation efforts.

Liferay has made significant investments in Saudi Arabia, allocating 50% of our regional investments directly to the Saudi market, focusing on financial and human resources departments. This commitment underscores the importance of Saudi Arabia in Liferay’s global strategy. Additionally, Liferay is dedicated to nurturing local talent and enhancing the tech community’s capabilities by providing access to open-source resources and training programs.

FROM CHALKBOARDS TO CHATBOTS

Shivani Stumpf, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at PowerSchool, offers insights into the edtech landscape in the UAE.

WHAT ARE SOME COMMON CHALLENGES UAE SCHOOLS FACE, AND HOW DO YOU HELP THEM OVERCOME THESE ISSUES?

We’ve discovered that educators in the UAE encounter many of the same obstacles as their peers worldwide.

During our Innovation in Education Summit in Dubai, we polled attending educators to identify their primary challenges this school year. They highlighted student behavior management, delivering engaging high-quality tier-one instruction, responsible use of AI tools, and integrating existing edtech for personalized learning in the classroom.

As AI technology advances, concerns arise regarding security, privacy, and access to student data. Our approach centres on the use of Responsible AI, ensuring our solutions undergo rigorous certification for application, database, and infrastructure security. Importantly, we emphasize that our customers retain ownership of student and school data, with no rights for us to access or sell this information. We strictly limit the collection, maintenance, use, and sharing of student personal data to authorized educational purposes as approved by parents or students.

PowerSchool enhances educator effectiveness by consolidating access to all necessary instructional tools. This integration streamlines workflows, eliminating the need for multiple systems and simplifying data access, enabling educators to pinpoint student support requirements more accurately.

Addressing instructional gaps and student behaviour to optimize achievement and readiness for the real world remains a priority. We provide tools that create personalized learning environments, identifying and reducing learning gaps through user-friendly dashboards and comprehensive reporting.

Products like PowerSchool ContentNav and PowerBuddy for Learning utilize AI-generated recommendations, facilitating access to administrator-approved content tailored to enhance student preparedness as lifelong learners.

To explore these insights and more, we’ve published a report on our website that discusses trends and challenges specific to the MEA region. The complimentary report is available for download on our website.

WITH POWERSCHOOL’S

EXTENSIVE GLOBAL NETWORK, WHAT PROMPTED THE DECISION TO INVEST IN THIS REGION?

As a provider of cloud-based education software, PowerSchool is uniquely positioned to offer comprehensive education technology solutions throughout the region. Our goal is to assist schools and educators in adopting advanced technologies and simplifying the delivery of high-quality education. Acknowledging the UAE’s substantial growth opportunities and the government’s initiative to transform education through AI integration, we have established our headquarters for the Middle East and Africa in Dubai. This decision enables us to meet the rising need for educational technology solutions not only in the UAE but also across the entire region.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF INTEGRATING AI INTO THE CLASSROOM? HOW DO YOU PREVENT STUDENTS FROM CHEATING?

The misconception that using AI tools constitutes cheating is often fuelled by concerns that tools like ChatGPT and Copilot enable students to easily cheat or compromise the authenticity of their work.

It’s crucial to distinguish between employing AI as a learning aid and its misuse for academic dishonesty. AI can positively impact education when used ethically and responsibly, empowering students to develop critical thinking skills, deepen their comprehension of complex topics, and stimulate creativity.

In our products, such as PowerBuddy, an innovative AI-powered assistant integrated across our existing offerings, we’ve implemented safeguards against plagiarism. PowerBuddy for Learning embedded within PowerSchool Schoology guides students by posing thought-

SHIVANI STUMPF, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at PowerSchool

provoking questions rather than providing direct answers. This approach encourages students to enhance problem-solving abilities and gain a deeper grasp of the subject matter.

There’s also a growing acceptance of AI in classrooms, with 75% of teachers in the UAE recognizing the potential value of generative AI. By harnessing AI-driven tools, educators can personalize learning experiences, deliver timely feedback, and pinpoint areas needing intervention, thereby enhancing student engagement and academic achievement. Addressing concerns about data privacy, especially regarding student data, remains a priority for us at PowerSchool. We understand the importance of a cautious approach to integrating AI into educational tools. That’s why we’ve established Six Guiding Principles that govern our AI initiatives. These principles ensure that ethical considerations are central to our approach whenever AI is integrated into our products, including PowerBuddy.

HOW DO YOU LEVERAGE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION WITHOUT LOSING THE HUMAN ELEMENT?

At PowerSchool, our guiding

principles prioritize a humancentered approach to AI. Our AI solutions are designed to enhance and amplify the work of educators, not replace it. By using AI to streamline administrative tasks and offer insights into student progress, teachers gain more opportunities to focus on fostering students’ socialemotional skills, critical thinking abilities, and creativity.

AI also facilitates handson learning experiences through access to interactive simulations, virtual laboratories, and educational games. These immersive learning tools complement traditional teaching methods by encouraging curiosity, exploration, and the development of critical thinking skills among students.

It’s crucial to understand that AI is not intended to replace human interaction in education but rather to complement it. It serves as a valuable tool that enhances the overall teaching and learning experience. This distinction is important to emphasize. By dispelling misconceptions about AI threatening hands-on teaching methods, parents can embrace its potential to enrich their child’s education and prepare them for success in an increasingly digital world.

GIVEN THE EVER-EVOLVING NATURE OF THE EDTECH INDUSTRY, WHAT STEPS ARE YOU TAKING TO ENSURE THAT YOU’RE STAYING AHEAD OF EMERGING TRENDS?

At PowerSchool, we are committed to fostering continuous learning and innovation. By staying attuned to evolving challenges and trends, we ensure our tools empower educators to effectively engage every student in personalized learning experiences.

Over the past three years, we

have conducted a global survey of educators to gain valuable insights into their current challenges and opportunities. The upcoming 2024 Education Focus Report, set to debut at our EDGE Conference in July, will provide a comprehensive overview of these findings. Recently, we released a regional version of the report focusing on educator and administrator challenges in the UAE, aimed at shaping the future of student learning in the region. Our approach to partnerships and customer relationships is collaborative. We actively seek feedback from our customers to continually refine and anticipate their needs. Through various feedback channels, such as our ideas portal, customer advisory boards, customer champions, beta testers, and user groups we encourage customers to suggest features and improvements directly.

Embracing cutting-edge technology trends, we have made substantial investments in AI. Earlier this year, we launched PowerSchool PowerBuddy, a secure AI assistant designed to deliver adaptable and personalized experiences for educators, students, administrators, and parents alike. What distinguishes PowerBuddy is its seamless integration across all PowerSchool products, making it the most contextually relevant tool for personalized learning within the existing workflows of students and educators. With robust security measures and user-friendly integration into everyday educational tools, PowerBuddy represents a significant advancement in enhancing the educational experience, minimizing change management for education agencies and learning curve for students and educators.

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Epicor has recerntly announced a partnership with Climatiq to integrate carbon calculation engine into its ERP and business applications. Kerrie Jordan, Group Vice President, Product Management at Epicor, explains why this is a game changer in sustainability management.

CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH THIS PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Epicor has been working with our customers for many years regarding sustainability. In fact, we formed a very active sustainability product advisory board because we wanted to understand our customers' needs directly, which is core to Epicor's DNA. We have various advisory boards composed of our customers for targeted business reasons or broader thought leadership, some focusing on specific industries and others on products. This particular board was focused on sustainability, and the majority of its members are international organizations. We asked them what Epicor could do beyond our current efforts to help them on their sustainability journey. We learned that while our solutions are very helpful in what ERP does best—such as consolidating

information, managing transactions, tracking data, and reporting on business intelligence dashboards—our customers needed more specific data regarding carbon emissions. They required estimated carbon impacts for various business elements, such as parts they use, waste, and shipments, which they need to report or integrate into their solutions.That's what Climatiq delivers for us.

Climatiq is essentially a data feed. It's an API that we can integrate with, and they claim to have the largest database of verified emission factors—over 70,000 scientifically vetted. When we integrate it with Epicor solutions, we connect to their API, and they provide the data so that Epicor customers don't need to use a separate solution. They can now see carbon emission data and automated calculations within the screens they are already using,

KERRIE JORDAN,

Group Vice President of Product Management at Epicor

making it very easy for them to adopt.

IS THIS GOING TO BE INTEGRATED ACROSS YOUR PRODUCT PORTFOLIO?

So, we have just established the partnership and are now building the integration. We've had proof-of-concept customers from our advisory board participate over the last few months to help us determine if this was the right choice for us. Based on what we've learned, the answer is yes. We're excited to establish this partnership, formally announce it to the world, and build formal integrations into our solutions to make it generally available.

We're doing this in phases. The first phase will be within our Quick Ship application. This is straightforward: it tracks the carbon emissions of your shipments. It allows you to rate different carriers, such as Royal Mail and FedEx, and see not only the cost impact but also the carbon impact. This feature will be available later this year. We demoed it on stage at our Insights conference in Prague earlier this month as part of the announcement. You can actually see Climatiq data being fed into Epicor applications, enabling customers to make better decisions around reducing their carbon impact.

WHICH

ARE THE VERTICALS YOU ARE TARGETING WITH THIS SOLUTION?

Mainly manufacturing, and distribution industries. And as we continue to scale this partnership, we'll expand it across all of the industries that Epicor serves. So that would be adding building supply, automotive and retail.

ISN’T IT CHALLENGING TO INTEGRATE A CO2 EMISSION CALCULATION ENGINE INTO AN ERP SOLUTION?

I think it depends on the product, but our partnership with Climatiq is making it quite easy. It's a great tool. They've worked with other ERP providers and other enterprise solutions beyond ERP, so they bring a wealth of expertise and experience. Integrating it into ERP seems like the right approach to reduce carbon emissions. Personally, I'm really excited about it because Epicor has over 20,000 customers worldwide. We can make a significant impact by empowering our customers to reduce their carbon footprint. As I mentioned, these are screens that users interact with every day. We're not asking them to do something different in a different screen; instead, we're providing this information where they already are. This approach is similar to our recently announced AI strategy. Both AI and sustainability have been major focuses for us. We believe ERP is the vehicle of transformation for organizations around the world regarding AI and sustainability. Since ERP screens are already so pervasive, we think we can make a significant impact.

DO YOU HAVE ANY NET ZERO AMBITIONS?

As for an established Net Zero goal, we haven't announced that yet. However, as a global organization, our sustainability efforts are widespread. Our current focus is on local and regional communities. We have officially vetted programs rolled out by our corporate team and HR organization to engage employees and make an impact locally, regionally, and globally.

A blueprint for success

How Hollard Insurance seamlessly migrated to OrbusInfinity with the help of Orbus Software

Hollard Group is a privately owned insurance group based in South Africa. Established in 1980, the company employs more than 2,000 people and operates across a number of African countries. Hollard have been iServer users for several years and were eager to implement OrbusInfinity.

Two key features of OrbusInfinity persuaded Hollard to look to migrate. The first was cloud capability; Hollard is becoming a cloud-first company and wanted an EA tool that could offer full cloud support. The second feature was collaboration.

For Hollard architect Pulkit Kapur, improving collaboration throughout the company was absolutely key, and OrbusInfinity’s integration with SharePoint and Teams opens up EA to the wider business. Kapur emphasized that the ‘consumers’ of EA, such as technical teams and analysts, have more visibility for the output of the EA team. Having SharePoint as the document repository is far more accessible to the wider business as they can more easily view and manage relevant information with no requirements for additional training.

Similarly, the new out-of-the-box dashboards available in OrbusInfinity have contributed to greater participation from senior management. EA can often be complex and difficult to understand for management interested in quick decision making, so features such as easy-touse Application Rationalization dashboards greatly simplify the process for decision making.

Due to the strong relationship between Orbus Software and Hollard Group, Hollard were enthusiastic adopters of OrbusInfinity and needed little persuasion to attend a demo of the software.

Hollard was already attracted to the cloud features of OrbusInfinity, but the demonstration of the extensive Microsoft 365 integration really impressed Kapur and the team. The ability to seamlessly use Teams and SharePoint with OrbusInfinity solved a major problem for the team. At the same time, Hollard was attracted by the flexibility of OrbusInfinity, with the option to quickly scale up or scale down their commitment depending on their needs.

Hollard Group has a large architecture team,

with around 15- 20 architects who were present for the demonstration. After the demo, the team were asked their opinions on migrating to OrbusInfinity and the response was unanimous: everyone was impressed.

Hollard is still in the early days of their OrbusInfinity experience and haven’t yet had time to fully explore the benefits that the product can bring, but it is already being used across the business, in all business units. It is easier for the EA team to keep everyone updated to the latest developments, and Kapur hopes that the greater ease of use will encourage more people to contribute and help to improve data quality.

There is almost a virtuous cycle, in which the positive impacts of OrbusInfinity bring more people on board, which in turn improves the reach and quality of content in the tool, allowing for further impacts across the enterprise.

On advice for other companies adopting similar migrations, Kapur stressed the need for clean data before any migration takes place, as well as the importance of knowing your customizations. Customizations can easily be forgotten about once implemented, which leads to problems if important changes are missing after migration.

The relationship with Orbus remains a high point, even after 3.5 years. Kapur commented that a tool can meet their needs, but it is the personal relationships which ‘take it over the top’ and really contribute to long term success. Hollard feel that they can get assistance and training from Orbus whenever it is required, whatever is required.

EMPOWERING DEFENDERS

Industry thought leaders decode Generative AI’s impact on cybersecurity.

As organizations strive to protect their sensitive data and critical systems, a new ally has emerged for CISOs on the frontlines of this battle: GenAI. Leveraging its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, detect anomalies, and predict potential threats, GenAI is redefining the way we approach cybersecurity.

According to Gartner, by 2027, AI will contribute 30 percent reduction in false positive rates for app security testing and threat detection. The research firm notes that many businesses and IT project teams have already launched GenAI initiatives or will start soon.

“GenAI enhances proactive security postures in organizations by predicting and mitigating potential threats before they manifest,” says Ezzeldin Hussein, Regional Senior Director, Solution Engineering, META at SentinelOne. “It leverages advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of data, identifying patterns and anomalies that signify emerging threats. By simulating various attack scenarios, GenAI helps security teams understand potential

vulnerabilities and develop strategies to address them preemptively.”

According to Sascha Giese, Global Technical Evangelist, SolarWinds, in cybersecurity, GenAI can act as this layer of abstracting – converting complex events and alerts into straightforward language that is far easier for humans to make sense of, and act upon. This saves both time and effort and also helps bridge any skills gaps. “Additionally, even when looking beyond breaches and emergencies, there is additional comfort. The idea of creating humanreadable reports with a few spoken words sounds promising.”

GenAI can be used in several ways to enhance proactive security measures within organizations. It can detect anomalies effectively when integrated with existing tools such as SIEMs. Additionally, GenAI aids in generating data for training models, thereby enhancing the accuracy of exercises like intrusion detection tests.

“The key point here is that organizations must establish a method to seamlessly integrate GenAI into all new processes and technologies adopted within the cybersecurity realm. With this approach,

Ezzeldin

Hussein, Regional Senior Director, Solution Engineering in META, SentinelOne

GenAI will increasingly contribute to enhancing overall security posture,” says María Pilar Torres Bruna, Head of Cyber Security in NTT DATA Iberia and LATAM.

One of GenAI's biggest advantages for CISOs is faster threat detection and response times compared to traditional methods.

Morey Haber, Chief Security Advisor, BeyondTrust, says GenAI revolutionizes threat detection and response by leveraging machine learning, artificial intelligence, and realtime data analysis to provide meaningful results. Unlike traditional methods that rely on predefined rules, signatures, and statistics, GenAI continuously learns from new data, identifying novel threats-based facts deeprooted in data. Its capability to process vast amounts of data in short periods of time enables faster detection of anomalies and potential breaches based truly on the unknown. This speed translates into quicker notifications, allowing security professionals to mitigate threats before they cause an incident or breach. GenAI's current models are flexible and will help ensure it remains effective against the latest attack vectors, offering a dynamic and responsive security posture for organizations.

María Pilar Torres, Bruna Head of Cyber Security in NTT

DATA Iberia and LATAM

WHAT SPECIFIC TYPES OF THREATS ARE MOST EFFECTIVELY IDENTIFIED BY GENAI SYSTEMS?

Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director of AI Research at ManageEngine, says GenAI, with its adaptive thresholds, can identify advanced persistent threats (APTs), wherein the intruders stay unnoticed and under cover for a period of time till they complete their job— such as hacking for any required information. These types of attacks often go undetected, but with support from a GenAI system—one that continuously monitors the systems, user and entity behaviour, and network traffic across an organization— these attacks cannot slip away.

GenAI can also proactively detect zero-day attacks using the attacker's behaviour patterns. Moreover, it can also detect DDoS attacks, malware propagation, or unauthorised data exfiltration by continuously monitoring network traffic and identifying sudden spikes or other unusual flows of data.

Another area where GenAI comes in handy is incident response. It quickly processes large datasets to help cybersecurity teams identify threats faster. By automating detection and response, GenAI reduces reaction times and minimizes damage from attacks.

Morey

Haber, Chief Security Advisor in BeyondTrust

Sascha

Giese, Global Technical Evangelist, SolarWinds

Sertan Selcuk, VP for METAP & CIS, OPSWAT, says GenAI provides real-time monitoring and alerts, continuously watching network traffic and user behaviors to instantly address abnormalities. It enhances threat hunting by analyzing past data and improves incident investigations by integrating information from various sources.

He adds that by handling routine tasks, GenAI frees up cybersecurity professionals for more critical work and continuously adapts to new threats, keeping response strategies effective. In summary, GenAI boosts the speed and efficiency of cybersecurity efforts, helping organizations protect their digital assets in real-time. In addition, GenAI can automate routine security operations tasks such as log analysis, threat detection, and incident response, freeing up security personnel to

Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director of AI Research at ManageEngine

focus on more strategic activities.

“For example, GenAI can continuously monitor network traffic, automatically identify and quarantine suspicious activities, and generate detailed incident reports. It can also manage patching and updates, ensuring systems are always protected against known vulnerabilities. This accelerates response times and also reduces the risk of human error,” says Ezzeldin.

Ben Gelman, senior data scientist at Sophos, provides a caveat: “In its current state, GenAI is completely capable of automating the general parts of most tasks. Because there is always a chance for GenAI to provide incorrect information, it is still risky to include it in a fully automated system. That does not make it useless, however, as filling out 90% of incident summaries, incident reports, or other documentation needs is a powerful use case that can save analysts a tremendous amount of time. This gives experts the opportunity to focus on the most technical aspects of a problem.”

HOW DOES GENAI INTEGRATION IMPACT THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF SECURITY OPERATION TEAMS?

Maria from NTT DATA says the integration of GenAI into an organization brings significant advantages, but it

Muhammad Zubair, Cybersecurity Presales Consultant at Omnix International

also introduces risks that need to be analyzed and mitigated. To accomplish this, the CISO and their team must possess knowledge about GenAI. In order to protect GenAI systems effectively, they need to understand their functionality and the logic behind potential attacks on these new systems.

This implies that the roles and responsibilities of security operations teams will need to evolve. They must first acquire a foundational understanding of GenAI. Subsequently, to effectively utilize GenAI, it is essential to learn about algorithm engineering. Finally, understanding the local laws and regulations that impact GenAI is crucial to ensure compliance.

THE DARK SIDE OF GENAI

While GenAI has the potential to revolutionise cybersecurity, it can also be exploited by threat actors to create ransomware, malware and phishing email, reducing the time it takes to execute cyber-attacks from months to a few days.

Haber from BeyondTrust says combating the adversarial use of GenAI is not a simple task and will require multiple touchpoints in order to create and implement an effective strategy. As stated in many

Sertan Selcuk, Vice President of METAP & CIS -OPSWAT

sports analogies, a good offense always requires a strong defense. They go hand in hand.

Ben from Sophos says the adversarial use of AI will likely join a number of other attacks in a cat and mouse game between defenders and attackers in cybersecurity. It is difficult to anticipate attacks that aren't created yet, and attackers are constantly looking for new ways to evade existing systems. This long-standing paradigm will likely continue even with AI in the mix.

Mohammed WZubair, Cybersecurity Presales Consultant at Omnix International, wraps up: "To combat the adversarial use of AI, organizations can use several strategies. Adversarial training involves using tricky examples to make AI models stronger against attacks. Continuous monitoring and validation of AI systems are crucial to spot and counter adversarial attacks quickly. Industry collaboration is important, as sharing threat intelligence and best practices helps everyone stay ahead of new threats. Adhering to and setting industry standards ensures responsible AI use. Regular penetration testing and red teaming exercises identify and fix potential vulnerabilities in AI systems."

Alan Masarek, President and Chief Executive Officer

Avaya announces CEO leadership transition

Avaya, a leader in enterprise CX, announced that Alan Masarek, President and Chief Executive Officer, will retire at the end of the calendar year. Avaya’s current Chair of the Board of Directors, Patrick Dennis, will assume the role of CEO, effective September 1, 2024.

Dennis brings 30 years of experience and a proven track record of transformational leadership of companies in Enterprise Software, SaaS, Cybersecurity and Communications. He currently serves as CEO of Venafi, a cybersecurity company that is in the process of being acquired by CyberArk, where he drove innovation, growth and customer success.

“I am honored and thrilled to lead Avaya on the next phase of its journey building on the solid foundation laid by Alan and the leadership team,” said Mr. Dennis. “Avaya is now operating from a position of financial strength and industry leadership, and our strategy is resonating with customers around the world who can be confident in Avaya’s consistency in strategic direction and commitment to deliver for their long-term success. I look forward to working with the team to accelerate Avaya’s market momentum.”

Ericsson appoints Patrick Johansson Head of Market Area Middle East & Africa

Ericsson has announced the appointment of Patrick Johansson as its new Head of Market Area Middle East & Africa (MMEA) and Senior Vice President. Johansson who is currently Head of Business Control & Operations at Ericsson’s Business Area Cloud Software & Services, will replace Fadi Pharaon whose decision to leave Ericsson was announced in May 2024. Mr. Johansson will take up his new position on August 1, 2024, and be based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Patrick Johansson’s background spans across multiple Business Areas and Market Areas having lived in Sweden, Korea, India, Austria, China and Vietnam since joining Ericsson in 1997. His previous work experience includes roles as Global Head of Sales & Commercial Management for Business Area Networks, Head of Customer Unit Korea as well as several executive Finance and Business roles.

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, says: “Patrick has extensive understanding of our technology and business strategy which are two crucial and contributing factors to continue securing our leading industry position. I’m very pleased that he has accepted this role and look forward to having him on the Executive Team.”

interTouch appoints Rupinder Juttla as Head of Operations, EMEA and India

interTouch has appointed of Rupinder Juttla as Head of Operations, EMEA and India. In this role, Mr Juttla will be responsible for operations and programme management as well as project delivery in the region.

With a career spanning 20 years in operations and project delivery across the hospitality and civil engineering sectors, Juttla is well versed in the challenges and requirements associated with hotel openings and conversions. He has worked the past 12 years delivering solutions to the hospitality industry at GuestTek and Airangel (now Eleven Software). Juttla has extensive experience in leading multi-disciplinary and culturally diverse teams having worked in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

Rupinder Juttla, Head of Operations, EMEA and India, interTouch

Patrick Johansson, Head of Market Area Middle East & Africa (MMEA) and Senior Vice President, Erisson

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The power of Building Your Own AI Garage

Vasudevan Kidambi, Managing Director of Navo Inc., explains how to build your own suite of AI tools.

Understanding and integrating generative AI is not just an advantage; it's a necessity for staying competitive. The "Build Your Own AI Garage" (BYOAG) concept is revolutionizing how businesses approach this dynamic technology. It's about creating a bespoke space—literal or metaphorical—where experimentation with Generative AI tools not only flourishes but becomes a cornerstone of innovation and operational excellence.

BYOAG isn't just about using Gen AI; it's about tailoring it to serve your unique business needs. This approach empowers individuals to build their own suites of AI tools that align perfectly with their performance goals. From carrying out mundane tasks to creating high quality video content, BYOAG enables businesses and individuals to develop specific skills that drive speed, quality, efficiency and creativity. It's a proactive approach to technology adoption, where companies and individuals can become architects of their own future.

Many are unaware of the breadth and depth of generative AI’s capabilities. Beyond just Chat GPT, these tools can generate written content, design images, simulate scenarios, carryout intense research on practically any topic, and even create code that adapts and evolves. This versatility can be leveraged to enhance a wide range of business functions, from marketing and customer service to product development and supply chain management.

VASUDEVAN KIDAMBI, Managing Director of Navo Inc

The journey into generative AI and the BYOAG concept represents a profound shift in how businesses and individuals operate and compete. As Gen AI technologies continue to evolve, the only way to stay relevant is to embrace and adapt to these changes actively. Now is the time to start building your AI garage— not just to keep up with the competition, but to redefine what’s possible in your industry.

This is how you can start evolving your own AI garage involves a few key steps:

• Identify areas within your functional business that can benefit most from Gen AI, such as creating a proposal for approval, researching on a topic, visualising a communication, preparing checklists, segmenting large chunk of content, and more

• Dedicate time / resources to explore Gen AI tools and foster a culture of innovation that encourages experimentation. This could mean setting up a dedicated team or space where ideas and Gen AI tools are freely explored and tested.

• Create your own workflows using a set of Gen AI tools and achieve the desired output.