THE MATURING OF THE TECH LANDSCAPE
The enterprise technology landscape is evolving rapidly and is being reshaped by the convergence of AI, cloud innovation, as well as heightened cybersecurity demands. Among the most defining shifts is the rise of AI agents which was discussed in last month’s cover story as well.
AI Agents are autonomous, context-aware systems that go beyond traditional automation to orchestrate multi-step workflows, improve decision-making, and adapt dynamically to changing environments. These agentic platforms offer the potential for enterprises to deploy domain-specific agents that collaborate seamlessly, enhancing productivity and operational efficiency. However, realizing their full value hinges on right-sizing foundational models, implementing strong governance, and aligning agent behaviour with business goals as discussed by Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director of AI Research at Zoho and ManageEngine, in this edition’s interview.
Alongside the AI evolution, multi-cloud strategies are gaining traction as businesses seek greater flexibility, performance optimization, and cost efficiency. By leveraging multiple cloud providers, organizations can avoid vendor lock-in, ensure compliance across geographies, and build resilience into their infrastructure. Successful execution requires centralized visibility, robust governance, and continuous optimization of costs and workloads. Automation and data integration frameworks are also key to scaling these environments effectively. You can find more insights shared by industry experts on this topic in a special feature included in this edition.
Cybersecurity remains a strong pivot as well of the IT landscape and is growing more complex all the time with AI being used to create and automate new sophisticated cybe attacks. Enterprises are moving toward Zero Trust models, which assume no implicit trust across networks, as a response to increasingly sophisticated malware threats and a growing attack surface. Data protection, identity management, and endpoint security are now foundational to any digital strategy.
A shift toward intelligent, secure, and agile ecosystems that can support innovation in a fast-paced digital world is the need of the hour. This calls for strategic alignment across AI, cloud, security, and collaboration technologies to future-proof operations and drive sustained business value.
RAMAN NARAYAN
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief narayan@leapmediallc.com Mob: +971-55-7802403
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R. Narayan Editor in Chief, CXO DX
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MALLIKA REGO
Co-Founder & Director Client Solutions mallika@leapmediallc.com Mob: +971-50-2489676
18 » BOLD STRIDES IN TECH DISTRIBUTION
Hesham Tantawi, VP-MEA at ASBIS discusses how ASBIS has carved its path as one of the formidable powerhouses in IT distribution across the region.
Managing a complex multicloud landscape requires clear governance, cost control and alignment with business goals.
Dave Russell, SVP and Head of Strategy, Veeam says immutable time stamped data backups are the only way ahead as this new frontier of AI continues to proliferate and improve.
Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, DirectorAI Research at Zoho & ManageEngine discusses , the need for IT-native foundational AI models, right-sizing AI and the role of AI agents
Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer, IFS writes that using AI to integrate the data points from physical assets will unlock new avenues for innovation and variation.
Michael Chang, Synology’s APAC Sales Head discusses the company’s focus on addressing the growing demand for backup appliances with the new launch
Mohammad Jamal Tabbara, Head of Solutions Architects, Middle East, Turkey & Africa at Infoblox says that to have a robust Zero Trust strategy, DNS must not be implicitly trusted
Fred Crehan, area vice president growth markets at Confluent discusses how real-time data is rewriting the rules for Middle East commerce.
Bashar Bashaireh, VP Middle East, Türkiye & North Africa at Cloudflare says that unlike traditional banking systems, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible, making it easy for attackers to get away with stolen funds.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA’S LARGEST CYBERSECURITY EVENT
ZOHO CORPORATION LAUNCHES ZIA AGENTS, AGENT STUDIO, AND AGENT MARKETPLACE
Agent Studio, an innovative platform enables customers, partners, and developers in the MENA region to create their own custom agents, that can be localised
Zoho Corporation, a leading global technology company, announced its latest AI offerings – Zia Agents, Agent Studio, and Agent Marketplace, which will soon be rolled out across all MENA markets, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. These new solutions represent a significant advancement in Zoho’s AI virtual assistant, Zia, utilising Agentic AI. This specialised subset of AI enables digital agents to make decisions, pursue complex tasks, and take autonomous actions with minimal human intervention.
Zoho is introducing Agent Studio, an innovative platform that enables customers, partners, and developers in the MENA region to create their own custom agents, that can be localised to suit the needs of specific industry verticals or to automate custom processes such as VAT filings using AI agents. Zia Agent Studio provides
At LEAP 2025, Cisco, the global leader in networking and security, unveiled a series of strategic initiatives to advance AI in partnership with the Kingdom. By introducing advanced cloud data centers, AI talent development, and phased plans for local manufacturing, Cisco is deepening its commitment and strengthening its partnership with Saudi Arabia
a no-code and low-code environment, allowing partners and customers to design and deploy tailored agents with inherited skill sets, which can then be distributed via Zoho’s Agent Marketplace, where Zoho offers a selection of pre-built agents for instant deployment by organisations.
Sridhar Vembu, Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Zoho Corporation, said, "The speed of disruption and quality of innovation we are seeing in our industry right now has encouraged me to focus on my passion area, technology. I will devote more time to hands on technical work for the company, spearheading several deep R&D initiatives, beginning with AI. Utilising Zoho's deep engineering expertise, its own data centres, and shared data model, we will develop powerful and usable solutions that drive customer value while retaining our commitment to customer flexibility and data privacy."
Zoho and ManageEngine will preview pre-built, task-specific Zia Agents, designed to deploy across Zoho’s extensive portfolio of over 100 products in the coming weeks. These intelligent agents are crafted to optimise key business functions, with initial offerings including solutions for Account Management, Sales Development, HR, Customer Support, IT Help Desk, and Sales Coaching.
CISCO EXPANDS PRESENCE IN SAUDI ARABIA
Cisco is deepening its commitment in Saudi Arabia by establishing cloud services data centres, promoting AI talent development, and launching a phased plan for a local manufacturing base.
“Cisco is proud to partner with the Kingdom to accelerate its Vision 2030,” said Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins. “Through our investments and innovation, we are protecting organizations, preparing the Saudi workforce for the AI era, and contributing to the local economy and manufacturing ecosystem. Together, we will pave the way for a more connected and secure future.”
Delivering on its commitment, Cisco announces its data centers for cloud security services as well as the Webex Collaboration Platform are now operational. The security data center underpins Cisco’s cloud-based security services including its new Secure Service Edge (SSE) solution, Cisco Secure Access and Umbrella DNS.
Cisco will continue to advance AI and
digital skills across the region as part of its Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, aligning to the goals of the Saudi Research and Development National Strategy. In collaboration with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Cisco will invest in additional Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certifications, to enhance the Kingdom’s talent pool of highly skilled local IT professionals.
With a regional head office in Riyadh, Cisco intends to build on its long-standing partnerships in the Kingdom by initiating a manufacturing base, with groundwork beginning in 2025. The initial phase will focus on fulfillment operations for wireless technologies to meet local demand, with the intent to scale up in response to evolving market needs.
Chuck Robbins
Cisco Chair and CEO
Sridhar Vembu
Co-founder & Chief Scientist, Zoho
VAST DATA REAL-TIME EVENT STREAMING ENGINE
The VAST Event Broker powers agentic AI, delivering more than 10x the performance of legacy Kafka implementations
VAST Data, the AI data platform company, recently unveiled the VAST Event Broker, a breakthrough new capability that allows AI agents to instantly act on incoming data for real-time intelligence and automation. As organizations push the boundaries of AI, the VAST Event Broker exposes a Kafka-compatible API and brings event streaming, seamless analytics, and AI together in a unified, high-performance data platform – removing the constraints of legacy event streaming architectures, and unlocking immediate AI-driven insights.
Legacy event streaming has been constrained by rigid architectures, operational complexity, and data silos that separate transactional and analytical workloads. Traditional Kafka implementations, while widely used for data movement, create isolated event data silos that hinder seamless analytics. This fragmentation leads to costly infrastructure sprawl, inefficient
data replication, and slow batch ETL processes that delay real-time insights.
The VAST Data Platform, which seamlessly combines storage, databases, and virtualized compute engine services into a unified AI operating system, has consolidated transactional, analytical, AI, and real-time streaming workloads by adding the VAST Event Broker to the VAST DataEngine. Made possible by VAST’s groundbreaking DASE architecture, this new capability enables real-time analytics, AI/ML pipelines, and event-driven workflows with simplified management, improved observability tools, expanded SQL query capabilities, and superior resilience.
“The launch of the VAST Event Broker marks a fundamental shift in the market for real-time data processing,” said Jeff Denworth, Co-Founder of VAST Data.
“By merging event streaming, analytics, and AI into a single platform, VAST is removing decades of data pipeline inefficiencies and event streaming complexity, empowering organizations to detect fraud in milliseconds, correlate intelligence signals globally, act on data-driven insights instantly, and deliver AI-enabled customer experiences. This is the future of real-time intelligence, built for the AI era.”
Mohammed Amin
President, CEEMETA, Dell Technologies
VEEAM EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH MICROSOFT TO BUILD AI-POWERED SOLUTIONS
Microsoft invests in Veeam to help customers maximize the value of their data while also helping ensure it’s protected and available
Veeam Software, a global leader by market share in Data Resilience announced an expanded partnership with Microsoft— which includes a Microsoft equity investment in Veeam —to build AI solutions that help customers protect, recover, and unlock more value from their data.
Seventy-seven percent of the Fortune 500 and 67% of the Global 2000 rely on Veeam to safeguard their data from cyber-attacks, outages and disasters. Now, by integrating Microsoft AI into Veeam’s data resilience platform, such integration will support customers in gaining faster insights, smarter threat detection, and more automated recovery, helping ensure data is always secure, available, reliable and working for them.
Veeam will focus on research and development investments, architectural expertise, and design collaboration with the support of Microsoft to accelerate AI-powered innovations for customers.
Veeam will integrate Microsoft AI services including machine learning (ML) to enhance Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365, Veeam Data Cloud Vault and New Entra ID Solutions.
Veeam’s integration with Microsoft AI will help organizations:
• Detect suspicious activity before it escalates.
• Identify backup vulnerabilities that need attention.
• Automate compliance and recovery reporting.
• Accelerate data restores – getting businesses back up and running faster.
“In a world where cyber threats and the dynamic nature of the cloud are constant, data resilience is no longer optional—it’s mission-critical,” said Anand Eswaran, CEO of Veeam. “By joining forces with Microsoft, we’re bringing AI-powered intelligence to 550,000 customers, and the majority of Fortune 500 and Global 2000
companies, enabling them to protect, detect, and recover faster than ever before.”
“AI is transforming every aspect of business,” said Jason Graefe, Corporate Vice President, ISV’s & Digital Natives, Microsoft. “By integrating Microsoft AI with Veeam’s market-leading data resilience solutions, we’re helping customers not only protect their critical data but also unlock new insights and efficiencies across Microsoft 365 and Azure.”
Anand Eswaran CEO, Veeam
Jeff Denworth Co-Founder, VAST
NETAPP ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO ENTERPRISE STORAGE PORTFOLIO
New simple, powerful, affordable block storage systems power critical applications
NetApp announced updates to its enterprise storage portfolio, expanding the NetApp ASA A-Series with new systems designed to accelerate and consolidate block workloads for organizations of any size. Alongside the announcement of new cyber resiliency capabilities, these systems enable customers to create a silo-free data infrastructure that both runs on and is built for intelligence.
Organizations have to reimagine their data strategy to access the data flexibility and confidence they need to successfully modernize their IT operations to drive efficient innovation. Today, NetApp launched three new enterprise storage systems that give customers even more options for simple, powerful, and affordable storage that is part of an intelligent data infrastructure framework capable of meeting workload-specific requirements now and for years to come.
The new high-performance NetApp ASA A20, A30, and A50 systems make block
storage available to companies of every size for mission-critical apps like databases and virtual machines. They are ideal for smaller deployments including remote or branch offices with a starting price as low as $25K.
“In less than a year, NetApp has refreshed our entire unified, block-optimized, and object portfolio and highlighted our commitment to relentless innovation,” said Sandeep Singh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Storage at NetApp. “With the industry's most comprehensive storage lineup with built-in cyber resiliency, we offer systems that are faster, simpler, more scalable, and more affordable than the competition—tailored to any workload or budget. NetApp enables customers to rise to the challenges and opportunities of modern data management with an intelligent data infrastructure that optimizes operations, reduces risks, and accelerates AI transformation.”
These new ASA systems will also be
Sandeep Singh
Senior VP & GM of Enterprise Storage, NetApp
available in a FlexPod converged infrastructure, delivering additional benefits of simplified data center operations and accelerated deployment of enterprise applications through pre-tested and validated architectures.
NetApp is continuing to enhance the builtin cyber resiliency capabilities of its enterprise storage portfolio. Later this year, NetApp will release NetApp ONTAP Autonomous Ransomware Protection with artificial intelligence (ARP/AI) for Block.
CONFLUENT AND DATABRICKS PARTNER TO USHER IN NEW AGE OF REAL-TIME AI
New partnership eliminates data silos for enterprises with Apache Kafka and Delta Lake
Confluent, the data streaming pioneer, and Databricks, the Data and AI company, announced a major expansion in their partnership that brings together Confluent’s complete Data Streaming Platform and Databricks’ Data Intelligence Platform to empower enterprises with real-time data for AI-driven decision-making. New integrations between Confluent's Tableflow and Databricks Unity Catalog will seamlessly govern data across operational and analytical systems, allowing businesses to build AI applications more efficiently.
“Real-time data is the fuel for AI,” said Jay Kreps, co-founder and CEO, Confluent. “But too often, enterprises are held back by disconnected systems that fail to deliver the data they need, in the format they need, at the moment they need it. Together with Databricks, we’re ensuring businesses can harness the power of real-time data
to build sophisticated AI-driven applications for their most critical use cases.”
“For companies to maximize returns on their AI investments, they need their data, AI, analytics and governance all in one place,” said Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and CEO, Databricks. “As we help more organizations build data intelligence, trusted enterprise data sits at the center. We are excited that Confluent has embraced Unity Catalog and Delta Lake as its open governance and storage solutions of choice, and we look forward to working together to deliver long-term value for our customers.”
To bridge the data divide, Confluent and Databricks are announcing new integrations to ensure real-time interoperability and empower teams across the business to collaborate successfully. A bidirectional
Jay Kreps co-founder and CEO, Confluent
integration between Confluent’s Tableflow with Delta Lake and Databricks’ Unity Catalog, a unified and open governance solution for data and AI, will provide consistent, real-time data across operational and analytical systems that is discoverable, secure, and trustworthy.
ACRONIS LAUNCHES INTEGRATED MICROSOFT 365 PROTECTION FOR MSPS
New solution will enable the company’s over 370 Middle East MSPs to quickly onboard clients and deliver Microsoft 365 services, accelerating revenues
At the second edition of its Threat Research Unit (TRU) Partner Day in Dubai, Acronis, a global leader in cybersecurity and data protection, launched Acronis Ultimate 365, a comprehensive Microsoft 365 protection solution for managed service providers (MSPs). With Ultimate 365, MSPs can easily manage cybersecurity, backup, and compliance with a single, natively integrated, multi-tenant platform to help boost efficiency, reduce technician workload, maximize profitability, and simplify customer management.
Microsoft 365 is one of the most widely used business platforms in the region, and in countries like the UAE, has over 40% market share by some estimates. This presents a significant opportunity for Acronis’ over 370 regional MSP partners, 200 of which are based in the UAE.
Unveiling Acronis Ultimate 365 to partners present at its event in Dubai, Ziad Nasr, General Manager, Acronis Middle East said, “The incredibly large Microsoft 365 user base makes it a prime target for cyber threats such as email-based attacks, phishing, and social engineering. Many MSPs manage Microsoft 365 security and backup without an integrated platform, often relying on seven or more separate tools per customer. This fragmented approach leads to operational inefficiency, complex onboarding, security gaps, and increased costs. Acronis Ultimate 365 eliminates these challenges with an integrated solution that simplifies management while ensuring robust protection against cyberthreats.”
Acronis Ultimate 365 delivers complete Microsoft 365 protection by integrating
WALLIX LAUNCHES UAE-HOSTED WALLIX ONE SAAS PLATFORM
This expansion represents a significant milestone in WALLIX's commitment to providing secure, locally-hosted cybersecurity solutions
WALLIX (Euronext ALLIX), a leading European cybersecurity vendor specializing in identity and access management solutions for digital and industrial environments, announced the launch of its UAE-hosted WALLIX One SaaS platform. This expansion represents a significant milestone in WALLIX's commitment to providing secure, locally-hosted cybersecurity solutions that meet the data sovereignty requirements of UAE-based organizations.
Organizations in the Middle East face increasing pressures to enhance their security while adhering to data residency regulations. The UAE-hosted WALLIX One meets this demand by offering a robust SaaS solution for Privileged Access Management (PAM). The platform enables customers to efficiently manage and secure privileged accounts, safeguard critical data, and mitigate insider and external threats, all within a framework that aligns with UAE data governance standards.
The WALLIX One SaaS platform includes
essential services designated to safeguard the digital operations of UAE-based companies. With WALLIX One, employees, external service providers, IT administrators, PLC maintainers, machines, and robots can access IT or OT infrastructures, equipment, applications, and data only after their identity and granted permissions undergo verification.
Afi Hashim, Middle East Regional Manager at WALLIX, emphasized the importance of this milestone, stating: "We are committed to supporting the security, governance, and compliance objectives of Middle Eastern organizations and we are proud to bring the WALLIX One SaaS platform closer to our customers in the UAE. Our solution provides enterprises, government entities, and SMBs across the region with a world-class cybersecurity solution that meets the highest security standards and protects their critical digital assets while complying with local data residency requirements."
By outsourcing the management of their
backup, extended detection and response (XDR), email security, collaboration app security, email archiving, security posture management, and security awareness training into a single, intuitive platform. This approach ensures a secure and resilient Microsoft 365 environment while simplifying management for service providers.
identity and access security software to the UAE-hosted WALLIX One platform, security managers retain control over access to critical company resources. This approach helps combat risks associated with theft and identity compromise, allowing them to concentrate on implementing and enforcing their security policies.
WALLIX One, UAE cloud-native SaaS solution offers rapid deployment, effortless updates, and scalable features, making it adaptable to the evolving security demands of modern enterprises.
Afi Hashim
Middle East Regional Manager, WALLIX
Ziad Nasr GM, Acronis Middle East
ZAIN KSA AND DELL TECHNOLOGIES SIGN MOU TO ACCELERATE CLOUD ADOPTION FOR SAUDI CUSTOMERS
Zain will leverage Dell’s technical expertise in offering IaaS, SaaS and XaaS models
Zain KSA and Dell Technologies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to unlock new market opportunities to transform the cloud ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. The collaboration will empower Zain, a leading provider of telecoms and digital services, to become the go-to provider for businesses seeking seamless access to cloud solutions.
The memorandum was signed in Riyadh during LEAP 2025 by Mohamed Talaat, Vice President for Saudi Arabia and Egypt at Dell Technologies and Fahad Alsahmah, Chief Business Officer at Zain KSA.
Under the agreement, Zain will leverage Dell’s technical expertise in offering Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) models. The cutting-edge solution offered will feature an open cloud architecture, offering customers unmatched flexibility and choice in managing their cloud requirements. The automated platform will allow customers
to onboard, access and manage invoicing—all through an easy-to-use interface. From defining technical requirements to building the complete framework, Dell’s services will enable Zain to cater to the growing demand for automated cloud services in the region.
Fahad Alsahmah, Chief Business Officer at Zain KSA, said, "By using Dell’s technical expertise, we will be able to create a game changing platform to streamline cloud adoption for businesses of all sizes. We are excited to offer a unified marketplace for accessing the best cloud solutions from the world's leading providers. This initiative will further empower busi-
nesses to manage their cloud services effortlessly, making digital transformation more realistic than ever before."
Mohamed Talaat, Vice President for Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Dell Technologies said, "Our deep understanding of cloud technologies and our consultancy expertise help us in providing Zain with an advanced cloud platform. We look forward to working closely with Zain to create, define and establish a complete framework for these transformative tech solutions. The collaboration underscores our commitment to driving innovation and supporting digital transformation in Saudi Arabia."
SOPHOS’ PORTFOLIO OF CYBERSECURITY SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE ON THE PAX8 MARKETPLACE
The collaboration introduces Sophos solutions available to Pax8’s network of more than 40,000 managed service providers
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced a strategic partnership with Pax8, a leading cloud commerce marketplace. The collaboration introduces Sophos solutions available to Pax8’s network of more than 40,000 managed service providers (MSPs). MSPs in the Pax8 network now have a complete onestop shop of best-in-class cybersecurity solutions available from a single vendor – including Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Sophos Endpoint powered by Intercept X and Sophos Firewall. This revolutionizes opportunities for channel partners to streamline operations, simplify billing and significantly reduce the complexity of cybersecurity management across customers.
According to the Sophos MSP Perspec-
tives 2024 report, MSPs that consolidate their security stack with a single vendor can cut daily security management time by nearly 50% – a savings that jumps to 69% for those juggling six or more security vendors. By partnering with Pax8, Sophos is removing a key operational barrier for MSPs, enabling them to seamlessly manage cybersecurity through a single vendor platform to streamline solution integration and enhance efficiency while strengthening their security posture and simplifying cloud procurement cycles.
“MSPs say they could cut day to day management time almost in half by consolidating on a single cybersecurity platform – and Sophos enables them to achieve that goal. By managing all their customers’ cybersecurity in the cloud-based Sophos Central platform, MSPs can reduce work-
Raja Patel
Chief Product Officer, Sophos
load and free up valuable billing hours,” said Raja Patel, Chief Product Officer, Sophos. “What’s more, with a complete portfolio of Sophos cybersecurity solutions at their fingertips, Pax8 MSPs enjoy extensive opportunities to sell additional revenue-generating products and services that meet their clients’ evolving cybersecurity needs.”
AFRICA’S LARGEST TECH AND STARTUP EVENT JUST GOT BIGGER
45,000 ATTENDEES
435 MEDIA ATTENDEES
130 + COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
660 + SPEAKERS
1,400
EXHIBITING & STARTUP COMPANIES
650 + GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES
340 + INVESTORS WITH $250 BILLION ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
70 % OF INVESTORS PLAN TO INVEST IN STARTUPS
Ai EVERYTHING MOROCCO (AI X CLOUD X IOT)
DATA CENTRES
CYBERSECURITY
TELECOM & NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
DIGITAL CITIES
E-MOBILITY
GITEX IMPACT (SUSTAINABILITY, CLIMATE TECH, AGRITECH)
HEALTHTECH 5.0
FUTURE OF BANKING & FINANCE
NORTH STAR AFRICA - STARTUPS
In the world of technology, tags like “biggest” can seem like meaningless superlatives, but the size of the venue and the crowd on day one suggest GITEX is spot-on with its claim. SCAN TO GET INVOLVED
UAE CYBER SECURITY COUNCIL AND CPX UNVEIL CYBERSECURITY REPORT 2025
Government, finance, and energy sectors identified as primary targets for malicious actors
The UAE Cyber Security Council and CPX, a leading provider of end-to-end cyber and physical security solutions and services, announced the release of the ‘State of the UAE Cybersecurity Report 2025’. The document offers an in-depth analysis of the UAE’s rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, emphasizing the critical need for advanced cybersecurity measures in response to the increasing complexity and sophistication of cyber-attacks.
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, the attack surface continues to increase. Over 223,800 assets hosted within the UAE are potentially exposed to cyber-attacks, with half of the critical vulnerabilities remaining unaddressed for over five years. This exposure, coupled with the surge in advanced cyber-attacks, underscores the absolute necessity of robust cyber defenses in a region that is at the forefront of AI-driven technological innovation and geopolitical significance.
The report examines key trends shaping the current cybersecurity challenges, including misconfiguration, which represents 32% of the cyber incidents, followed by improper usage and unlawful activity at 19%. The government, finance, and energy sectors are the most targeted by cyber threat actors.
In 2024, drive-by downloads remained a prevalent method for initial entry vectors used by threat actors, with phishing and web server compromises also of concern. These methods are becoming more sophisticated with the integration of AI tools, enhancing social engineering efforts, phishing lures, and the deployment of deepfake technology to deceive victims.
The trend is compounded by the financial repercussions of data breaches, with the Middle East, including the UAE, recording the second-highest data breach costs globally, reflecting the economic targets of cyber threat actors against the backdrop of Gulf prosperity. eCrime also remains a significant threat, with the number of ransomware groups operating in the UAE witnessing 58% growth. On a positive note, from the first half of 2023 to the first half of 2024, the UAE experienced a drastic decrease in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks from 58,538 to just 2,301.
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, said: “As we stand on the cusp of a new era powered by emerging technologies, the rise in AI-driven attacks and widening cyber capabilities demand stricter vigilance to secure the future. The path forward requires international collaboration, innovation, and commitment. Together, we will continue building a secure and prosperous digital UAE, where innovation flourishes, opportunities thrive, and our systems remain resilient in the face of any challenge.”
H.E.
Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government
Hadi Anwar, Chief Executive Officer, CPX, added: “The latest cybersecurity report delves into the strategies, policies, and innovations that are shaping the UAE’s digital transformation while addressing the complexities of protecting critical infrastructure and sensitive data. The country’s remarkable progress in cybersecurity reflects a commitment to creating a secure environment where digital advancements and national resilience go hand in hand.”
The report also provides an overview of the unique cybersecurity challenges faced by the UAE, including a surge in AI-powered threats, the sophisticated tactics of cybercriminals, and advanced persistent threats (APTs), where state-sponsored actors integrate AI into their attack frameworks. The document emphasizes the need to enhance the country’s defense capabilities and foster a culture of cybersecurity awareness across all sectors.
Compiled by CPX’s team of cybersecurity experts, the report acts as a strategic guide for government entities, businesses, and individuals, providing actionable insights to navigate the complexities of a new AI era.
MBUZZ AND 6G AI SWEDEN AB TO LAUNCH AI CLOUD USING NVIDIA ACCELERATED COMPUTING IN SWEDEN
6G AI Sweden AB (“6G AI”), a Cloud service provider based out of Sweden had signed an agreement with MBUZZ at GITEX last year
MBUZZ and 6G AI Sweden AB will launch an AI Cloud using NVIDIA accelerated computing in Sweden in April 2025.
6G AI Sweden AB (“6G AI”), a Cloud service provider supporting in Sweden’s AI revolution, had previously signed an agreement with MBUZZ on October 14th during the GITEX conference in Dubai. The deal adopts NVIDIA accelerated computing to power a cutting-edge AI Cloud in Sweden.
The parties have made preparations during the last few months and is now ready to announce the commercial launch in Sweden during April 2025. The 6G AI Cloud enables Swedish companies to take a leading position in their respective field, following the tradition of Swedish industry being in the forefront of forward-thinking technologies such as telecommunication and digital innovations.
The 6G AI Cloud will unlock the power of cutting-edge AI for the Swedish industry to experience next-generation AI and high-performance computing by benefiting not only from the bare metal access to the NVIDIA accelerated computing, but also from having full access to NVIDIA’s ecosystem of more than 70 state-ofthe-art pretrained Generative AI models and pre-developed use cases. Through NVIDIA AI Enterprise, a cloud-native software platform designed for developers, researchers, and enterprises, better AI solutions can be deployed faster and at significantly lower cost.
The 6G AI Sweden Cloud is unique in the sense it is provided from a data center in Sweden and operated by 6G AI Sweden AB, ensuring that all data is confined within the national borders.
Cooperation between MBUZZ, 6G AI Sweden AB and NVIDIA:
The collaboration between NVIDIA, MBUZZ and 6G AI Sweden AB cements 6G AI’s leadership in Sweden’s AI ecosystem, offering scalable, sovereign AI solutions to drive innovation across industries.
Nawaf Mohammed Al Shammari, Chairman of MBUZZ (Nvidia Elite Partner) commented, “MBUZZ’s engagement with 6G AI exemplifies our firm commitment to shaping the future of AI cloud computing. The upcoming launch of 6G AI’s NVIDIA-powered Sovereign AI Cloud in Sweden demonstrates our dedication to empowering AI cloud providers with world-class infrastructure. This milestone reinforces our vision of driving the expansion of global AI ecosystems at scale.”
M.A. Zaman, Chairman of 6G AI Sweden AB, commented: “We strongly believe that Sweden, with a tradition of being at the forefront of telecommunications and pioneering advanced technologies, is uniquely positioned to drive the next wave of AI innovation. The timing is ideal to establish a Sovereign AI Cloud platform to empower Swedish companies, research institutes, and government agencies to develop state-of-the-art AI solutions, ensuring that data scientists across industries have the tools and capabilities to push the boundaries of AI-driven advancements, without the risk of having their data and AI solutions exposed to foreign government’s interests.”
NAVIGATING THE MULTI-CLOUD MAZE
Managing a complex multi-cloud landscape requires clear governance, cost control, and alignment with business goals.
Over the past several years, cloud computing has become the foundation for modern IT operations as companies pursue digital transformation. Increasingly, many organizations are shifting away from single-cloud environments in favour of a multi-cloud strategy that leverages services from multiple cloud providers to enhance agility, resilience, and innovation. But while the potential benefits are significant, managing a multi-cloud ecosystem brings its own challenges.
Companies need to look at best practices that can help them manage the challenges in multi-cloud environments, one of which would be cloud sprawl for instance among several others. This is key to ensuring that enterprises can harness the power of multicloud strategies to meet evolving business needs while mitigating risks and controlling costs.
According to Mohamed Arshad, Group Head of IT at Alserkal Group LLC, businesses are adopting multi-cloud strategies for several critical reasons. At the top of the list is flexibility. “Flexibility is essential because it enables businesses to swiftly adjust to changes in the market and select the best services from many sources,” he explained. “Because multi-cloud techniques allow for better pricing negotiations and strategic workload placement, cost optimization is essential. By sharing workloads among providers, risk mitigation improves system stability and lessens vendor lock-in.”
Thomas Varghese, Head of IT at Cavendish Maxwell shared a similar perspective, emphasizing that avoiding vendor lock-in is one of the biggest motivators. “A multi-cloud strategy is driven by several key factors that enhance business operations. Firstly, it helps avoid vendor lock-in, providing flexibility and adaptability by reducing dependency on a single cloud provider. Organisations can also access best-in-class solutions, leveraging the strengths of different providers for optimal service delivery.”
Multi-cloud also opens the door to performance optimization.
Mohammed says, “It allows businesses to choose the top-performing services for particular jobs and place them near customers to improve application speed. Multiple providers with different certifications and data center locations make it easier to meet compliance and data sovereignty needs.”
Beyond operational gains, Mohammed says that multi-cloud strategies drive innovation by giving businesses access to special-
Group Head of IT, Alserkal Group LLC
ized services. “Every supplier has distinct skills in fields like AI, IoT, or industry-specific solutions. Innovation and competitive advantage are fostered by this diversity. Additionally, multi-cloud techniques enhance business continuity planning and scalability.”
One of the other key aspects is that a multi cloud strategy will help enhance resilience of IT operations.
Thomas says, “This approach enhances risk management, minimizing downtime through redundancy across platforms. Additionally, it enables cost optimisation by allowing businesses to choose competitive pricing and cost-effective services.”
He also points out the benefits in terms of compliance and integration. “Compliance with data residency regulations is facilitated by deploying resources in various geographic locations, while the strategy also supports mergers and acquisitions by ensuring
Mohamed Arshad
smoother integration of diverse IT environments. Collectively, these drivers empower organisations to navigate the complexities of multi-cloud environments effectively.”
With several advantages that a multi-cloud strategy has to offer, it is a no-brainer to opt for multi-cloud for organizations seeking growth and resilience.
According to Mohammed, “In the end, a properly implemented multi-cloud strategy can provide businesses with a major advantage by increasing productivity, cutting expenses, and facilitating a quicker time to market for new products. Leveraging numerous providers will become more and more important for corporate success as cloud technologies advance.”
Aligning Cloud Strategy with Business Objectives
While the benefits of a multi-cloud strategy are compelling, alignment with business goals remains a top priority. Mohamed underscores the fact that CIOs must understand what the organization is trying to achieve — and tailor their cloud strategies accordingly.
“The key is to really get in sync with what the business is trying to achieve. It's not just about tech — it's about driving real value,” he says. “First off, I'd sit down with the leadership team and really listen. What are their big goals? Where are they struggling? Once we understand that, we can start mapping out how a multi-cloud approach can help.”
He mentions that specific requirements of the organization could guide their cloud decisions. “Maybe we need better data analytics to improve decision-making — we could leverage one cloud's strengths there. Or perhaps we're expanding globally and need better app performance in different regions — another cloud might be perfect for that.”
He also emphasizes the importance of adaptability. “The trick is to keep it flexible. Business needs change fast, so our cloud strategy needs to adapt. I'd make sure we're regularly checking in and tweaking our approach.”
It is also important to ensure that the strategy is aligned with the workforce’s expectations and they are taken into confidence on how it will benefit the operations.
“And let's not forget the people’s side. We need to get everyone excited about how cloud can solve real business problems. Show them the wins, big and small. It's all about making cloud work for the business, not the other way around.”
Managing Complexity and Ensuring Governance
This flexibility however also introduces a layer of complexity, especially when managing multiple cloud environments with their own tools, interfaces, and billing models.
According to Mohamed, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of uniformity across platforms. “Because every cloud platform has unique tools, interfaces, and best practices, complexity is a
significant obstacle. IT staff may need more training as a result of skill gaps.”
Cost management becomes more difficult as well. “Navigating several pricing models and billing systems makes cost management more difficult. Because every provider has unique security policies and capabilities, it might be difficult to guarantee consistent security across platforms,” he noted.
Mohammed highlights the issue of data silos. “Cloud data transfer and integration can be difficult, which could result in inconsistent or siloed data. It takes advanced tools and techniques to monitor and optimize performance across various contexts.”
To address these concerns, he recommends a strong governance framework that includes a well-defined strategy aligned with business goals, centralized visibility and control, uniform security practices, and a culture of continuous learning. “CIOs can guarantee governance, compliance, and optimal performance throughout their cloud ecosystem by managing multiple clouds with a proactive, comprehensive strategy,” he says.
Thomas Varghese echoes this sentiment, adding that cloud management tools play a vital role in maintaining visibility. “Utilising cloud management tools provides real-time monitoring of resources across multiple providers. Establishing governance policies helps define usage guidelines and budget allocations, preventing unauthorised resource provisioning,” he explains.
Regular audits and tagging practices are key to tracking and managing resources. “Audits can identify unused services while
Thomas Varghese Head of IT, Cavendish Maxwell
promoting cloud cost awareness fosters accountability among teams. Implementing tags for resource organisation enhances tracking and management, and centralising cloud procurement ensures that all services align with organisational policies,” says Varghese.
Arun Kumar Mohta, IT Director at FJ Group highlights the governance aspect, emphasizing centralized control and consistent policies. “Cloud sprawl occurs when cloud resources proliferate without adequate oversight, leading to inefficiencies, increased costs, and potential security risks. CIOs must take a proactive approach to manage it effectively,” he stated.
He suggests enforcing access controls, encryption, and monitoring alongside clearly defined policies. “Establishing a comprehensive cloud governance framework with clearly defined policies and guidelines helps standardize how cloud services are used and managed across the organization.”
Best Practices for Cloud Cost Optimization
With financial discipline under the spotlight, optimizing cloud costs across multiple providers remains a top priority.
Thomas says, “To manage cloud costs effectively, regularly monitor usage and spending to identify trends and eliminate inefficiencies. Conduct audits to eliminate unused or idle resources, thereby preventing unnecessary expenses,” he says. “Right-size resources to match actual needs, avoiding over-provisioning and reducing waste. Take advantage of cloud provider discounts and savings plans, such as reserved instances, to lower long-term costs.”
Mohamed stresses that visibility is the first step.
“In a multi-cloud configuration, optimizing cloud costs necessitates a calculated strategy. Start by putting in place reliable cloud cost management solutions that offer platform-wide insight,” he says.
He advises monitoring usage patterns and adjusting resources accordingly. “Examine consumption trends on a regular basis and adjust resource sizes accordingly. To cut expenses, use spot instances and reserved instances as needed.”
Further, it is recommended to enforce tagging guidelines and automation. “Establish stringent tagging guidelines to monitor resource ownership and use, which will make it simpler to spot wasteful spending. During off-peak hours, automate the shutdown of non-production resources.”
Mohammed also urges organizations to adopt a FinOps mindset. “Create a culture of FinOps by integrating development, operations, and finance teams in cost-cutting initiatives. Continually inform teams on how their choices may affect cloud costs.”
Arun emphasizes accountability and tool adoption. “Establishing clear cost ownership within the organization is equally important. By providing regular reports on cloud usage and costs, teams be-
come more accountable for their consumption. This transparency fosters a culture of cost-awareness and encourages more responsible usage,” he explained.
He recommends using platforms like CloudHealth or Flexera for unified visibility. “Centralizing cost management is also a key best practice. These tools help identify inefficiencies, track expenditures, and ensure that cloud resources are allocated appropriately.”
Balancing Workloads Across Clouds
Effectively distributing workloads is essential for performance, redundancy, and cost efficiency. Arun stresses the need for real-time monitoring and a cloud-agnostic architecture. “The first step is to monitor and optimize performance across all cloud platforms using dedicated tools such as Datadog, New Relic, or Prometheus,” he says.
“Designing a cloud-agnostic architecture is critical for flexibility and portability. Avoiding vendor-specific tools and embracing technologies like Docker and Kubernetes enables organizations to deploy and manage workloads consistently across multiple environments,” Mohta adds.
Arun also highlights the role of automation and dynamic workload management. “Automation plays a vital role in managing complex multi-cloud environments. Cloud Management Platforms (CMPs) such as HashiCorp Consul, CloudBolt, or Scalr
Arun Kumar Mohta IT Director at FJ Group
» FEATURE
can automate provisioning, load balancing, and monitoring.”
He also suggests strategies like cloud bursting. “This approach involves running the baseline workload on a primary cloud and automatically offloading excess demand to a secondary provider during peak times. This ensures scalability while avoiding over-provisioning.”
Securing Multi-Cloud Environments
Security is a top concern in any cloud strategy, and multi-cloud setups come with unique risks. According to Thomas, challenges include configuration drift, network vulnerabilities, and complex identity and access management. “Multi-cloud environments introduce several security challenges, including data bloating, network vulnerabilities, configuration drift, identity and access management complexities, and interoperability issues,” he says. To address these risks, Varghese recommends a unified security framework and centralized identity management. “Organizations should adopt regular audits and data cleanups, a unified security framework with consistent policies, centralised identity and access management, strong data encryption, and comprehensive monitoring with threat detection tools.”
Ensuring Seamless Data Integration
As data becomes the lifeblood of digital businesses, integrating it across diverse cloud environments is critical. Arun Kumar Mohta
emphasizes the need for a unified architecture and robust governance. “Seamless data integration in a multi-cloud environment requires a strategic approach that encompasses governance, architecture, and technology.”
“A unified data architecture is foundational for successful integration. This involves designing a centralized structure that supports consistent data flows between cloud platforms,” he explains.
Standardization is equally important. “Standardizing data formats and protocols across platforms ensures compatibility between different systems and reduces the need for complex transformations during integration.”
He also stresses monitoring and scalability. “Monitoring tools should be deployed to oversee integration processes and identify errors or performance bottlenecks in real time. A focus on continuous improvement and scalability ensures that the data integration strategy evolves with the organization’s needs.”
In conclusion, more organizations now see a multi-cloud strategy as a strategic imperative. As the cloud ecosystem matures, CIOs must adopt a comprehensive, business-aligned, and proactive approach to cloud management. Whether the goal is reducing costs, improving agility, enhancing security, or enabling innovation, success in a multi-cloud world hinges on having the right governance, tools, culture, and mindset.
IN TECH DISTRIBUTION BOLD STRIDES
Hesham Tantawi, VP-MEA at ASBIS discusses how the distributor has carved its path as one of the formidable powerhouses in IT distribution across the region. With a strong focus across several key areas including component distribution, gaming, retail solutions, and solutions for the enterprise segment as well as emerging technologies, ASBIS has positioned itself at the forefront of the tech distribution landscape.
With over two decades of presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ASBIS Middle East is a leader in technology distribution, transforming from a components-focused distributor into a comprehensive ecosystem enabler across gaming, AI, robotics, and enterprise tech.
Hesham Tantawi who has led the company’s operations in the region since the beginning recalls his 24-years long journey with the company.
“My journey with ASBIS began in 20012002, when I was managing operations out of Egypt,” the executive recalls. “Dubai had already been established as a regional hub two years prior, but my active involvement in Dubai grew significantly from 2007 onwards.”
Over the years, ASBIS scaled up its business volumes in IT distribution, tying up with several leading brands. “We started as a components business,” he says, “but today, we’re much more—offering endto-end solutions across multiple domains while staying rooted in our core strengths.”
This long-standing presence has allowed the company to build deep regional ties, which have proven crucial in navigating dynamic markets and emerging technology trends.
Components: a strong pivot of ASBIS’s operations
Despite diversification, the components business continues to be the bedrock of ASBIS’s operations. Its portfolio includes many leading brands including Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Seagate, Transcend, WD, Toshiba, Kingston, Lexar, PNY, ANAP, Synology and so on. “Our strongest pillar remains components. We hold the highest market share in this sector across the region,” the executive explains. “We’ve built long-term relationships with brands like Intel, AMD, Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba.”
ASBIS’s dominance in components has also enabled it to build its leadership in the Gaming solutions market, particularly the booming market for assembled gaming PCs. “We work closely with local assemblers, around 10 to 15 of them in the region, offering not just products but also training, market insights, and ecosystem support.”
According to him, gamers are a unique audience, requiring solutions that differ significantly from standard computing. “This is where our strength lies—understanding niche demands and helping local players build high-performance gaming machines with trusted components from brands like Asus, Intel, and AMD.”
Building an ecosystem
One of the company's strengths has been its focus on ecosystem development, with the quest to meet the objectives of the principal vendors and the expectations of its channel and end users. “We’re not a box-mover,” says Hesham. “We conduct training, QBRs, and active vendor engagements. We understand the market at every level—from the channel to the end user.”
Their work in gaming illustrates this ecosystem approach. “We sponsor around 45 gaming tournaments annually across the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt,” he shares. “We also collaborate with government e-gaming initiatives to stay on top of this evolving industry.”
This hands-on engagement gives ASBIS valuable insights into consumer behaviors, especially in high-growth, tech-savvy demographics.
Diversified Growth in Retail and Value Segments
ASBIS’s recent growth story also includes a sharpened retail strategy. “We aim to be a one-stop shop for our retail partners. Gaming is a big driver, but we’re also seeing traction in accessories, lifestyle products, and consumer electronics,” says Hesham.
Some of the brands ASBIS offers in these segments include Logitech, Cooler Master, Lorgar, Prestigio etc.
On the value side, ASBIS is enhancing its portfolio across AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and enterprise hardware. “We’re strong in storage, server solutions, GPU computing, and
AI,” he notes. “Our alliances with Supermicro, Asus, and Gigabyte help us support GenAI computing, which is gaining momentum in the region.”
ASBIS works closely with a large network of system integrators and value-added resellers (VARs), ensuring end-to-end support for its partners in their go-to market.
ASBIS is also investing significantly in pre-sales and enterprise support.
“Our pre-sales team currently has more than five specialists who assist partners with project design, POC implementation, and technical consultations,” he explains. “We also manage supply chains efficiently to ensure timely deliveries and project continuity.”
ASBIS actively addresses the challenge of channel profitability by enabling and supporting partners better.
“Margins are thin, no doubt,” he says, “but we focus on business consolidation, ecosystem support, and long-term vendor relationships. Many of our partners have worked with us for over 25 years.”
Bets on Robotics and Next-Gen Technologies
ASBIS is also looking to make rapid strides in the markets for robotics and other emerging technology applications. They have a growing range of robots for commercial applications such as in retail, hospitals and hospitality.
“We’ve already deployed robotic coffee and beverage solutions in Festival City malls,” says Hesham. “Our robotic trays are being used in hospitals too.”
He acknowledges that while the robotics segment is still nascent, ASBIS is committed to long-term investment. “We want to be ahead of the curve. It’s not just about market readiness but being prepared when the opportunity matures.”
Among ASBIS’s more novel innovations is the Work Booth —a soundproof, tech-integrated space for professionals in open environments. This booth includes a video conferencing setup and can be set up in different public places.
“It’s designed for places like malls, metro stations, and even offices,” says the executive. “We’ve integrated conferencing solutions so people can take calls or join meetings in peace. The market response has been very positive.”
Surveillance, Printing and Sustainability
Surveillance and access control are expected to be major growth drivers for the company in the current year and ASBIS has expanded its focus in this segment.
“Surveillance is one of our key focus areas,” the executive confirms. “We have multiple brands in our portfolio, and we're constantly expanding our offerings.”
The distributor also has a range of solutions for communications and collaboration.
Some of the brands include Fermax, Fanvil, Yealink, Tyan, TPLink, Mimosa, UNV, Grandstream, Edgecore Networks and more.
Despite global shifts toward digital workflows, printing remains surprisingly resilient. “Banks, hospitals, and post offices still rely on printing,” he says. “We expect stable demand for at least the next five to six years.”
ASBIS partners with Lexmark in the printing segment.
Sustainability is not just a buzzword for ASBIS—it’s a business imperative.
“Our Dubai office runs fully on solar power,” he shares proudly. “Beyond that, sustainability for us also means nurturing longterm partnerships and being transparent in all our dealings.”
This dual approach—environmental responsibility combined with ethical business practices—is part of what the company believes ensures longevity in a competitive marketplace.
Expanding Across MENA and Beyond
The ASBIS headquarters in Jebel Ali boasts 20,000 square me-
ters, including a 13,000-square-meter warehouse with another 10,000 square meters reserved for expansion.
“We currently have 120 employees and plan to grow to 150 by the end of 2025,” Hesham adds.
ASBIS’s coverage already spans the Middle East, North Africa, and the Levant, with targeted expansion plans into Africa.
“We manage North Africa from our Cyprus HQ, and although we don’t have physical offices in Africa yet, it's part of our strategic pipeline,” the executive confirms.
Regions like Tanzania are already on their radar, and the company’s scalable infrastructure positions it well for such expansion.
Looking ahead, the executive is confident that ASBIS’s commitment to innovation and deep-rooted relationships will continue to fuel its success.
“Whether it’s gaming, AI, robotics, or sustainability, we will stay ahead by being agile, investing early, and supporting our partners every step of the way,” he says. “That’s the essence of ASBIS.”
With its strong vision and leadership as well as its proven commitment to offering several new solutions from leading vendors, ASBIS is on a strong footing to consolidate and continue to be one of the leaders in the technology distribution space.
RIGHT-SIZING AI FOR THE ENTERPRISE
Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director - AI Research at Zoho & ManageEngine discusses the importance of bespoke, IT-native foundational AI models, right-sizing AI models for specific use cases, and the role of agents in bridging gaps between AI and structured enterprise data. He also highlights the company's focus the development of a marketplace for custom AI solutions.
Ramprakash Ramamoorthy Director - AI Research, Zoho & ManageEngine
What were the core highlights of your presentation this year at this year’s ManageEngine user conference?
This year, we focused on three main ideas that reflect how we at ManageEngine view the future of AI in enterprise IT. First, we addressed the need for IT-native foundational AI models. Since the rise of generative AI in 2022, particularly with models like ChatGPT, there’s been an overwhelming excitement about large language models. However, their direct impact on IT operations has been limited. That’s because these models are trained primarily for natural language processing and not for the unique data formats and requirements of IT environments, such as logs, packets, or threat intelligence. At ManageEngine, we’ve been building our own foundational models tailored for IT use cases for over 12 years. These are designed specifically for enterprise infrastructure, making them more relevant and effective in solving real-world problems. So, our message is simple—not every AI problem should be framed as an LLM problem.
The second point we emphasized is the importance of right-sizing AI models. There’s often a misconception that bigger is always better, but in many enterprise scenarios, large models are overkill. Smaller models offer several advantages: they’re easier to explain, consume less computing power, and are generally more privacy-friendly. If a smaller model can deliver the same or even better outcomes, why turn everything into a GPU-intensive problem?
Finally, we introduced the idea of the rise of agents in enterprise environments. These agents act as intermediaries that can intelligently bridge the world of LLMs with structured enterprise data. For example, LLMs are great at working with unstructured data like transcripts or documents, but enterprise IT relies heavily on structured data—whether it’s tickets, logs, or system metrics. Agents are capable of interpreting both formats, invoking APIs, making decisions, and delivering meaningful insights in real time. We’ve introduced Agent Studio to enable this vision, giving both Zoho and our customers the ability to create intelligent agents tailored to their operational needs.
Tell us more about the newly announced Agent Marketplace. The Agent Marketplace is an extension of our broader vision to democratize AI within enterprises. In traditional AI product development, one of the biggest challenges is that no two customers are alike—even if they’re in the same industry or have similar IT setups. What works for one might not work for another. To overcome this, we created Agent Studio, a low-code/no-code platform that empowers users to build agents that serve their unique requirements.
The Agent Marketplace allows customers to share or sell the agents they’ve built. This creates a vibrant ecosystem where companies can benefit from each other’s innovations. Imagine an organization creating an agent that automates root cause analysis for a specific type of incident. With the marketplace, that agent can be discovered and reused by other businesses, accelerating innovation across the board. Additionally, these agents are fully customizable, so users can take an existing one and adapt it to their specific needs. Much like app stores transformed mobile software, we envision the Agent Marketplace becoming a central hub for intelligent enterprise agents.
What are some real-world use cases for these AI agents across industries like IT and healthcare?
One of the most powerful aspects of AI agents is their ability to correlate data across systems and act in real-time, without requiring constant human intervention. Let’s take a real-world IT example. Suppose there’s a performance issue with an API server. An anomaly detection agent detects the irregularity and then uses our internal knowledge graph to identify components connected to that server—such as routers, load balancers, and databases. The agent then reasons through these relationships and determines that the root cause is an overloaded router, which is causing the load balancer to drop requests and in turn slowing down the API server. What would typically take hours of human analysis is instead resolved in seconds, without needing a domain expert to manually correlate multiple dashboards and logs.
This pattern of proactive, context-aware intelligence is applicable across industries. In healthcare, for instance, agents can monitor real-time data from patient devices or systems and identify anomalies in critical care metrics before they escalate into emergencies. Another scenario could be with corporate mobility: imagine an employee traveling to a different country and finding that their corporate SIM no longer works. The agent identifies that 20 other employees who recently upgraded to the same OS version are facing similar issues. Instead of raising 20 separate tickets, the system aggregates these into a single incident, automatically routes it to the relevant support team, and provides suggested fixes. These agents reduce noise, streamline support operations, and ultimately enhance the end-user experience.
What’s your take on enterprise adoption of AI agents? How is ManageEngine positioned in this space? There’s definitely a lot of hype around agentic AI platforms right
now. Every tech company is trying to launch their own version. But at ManageEngine, we’ve been thinking about agents long before the current wave of interest. Our AI assistant, Zia, has already been helping users with tasks like anomaly detection, root cause analysis, and predictive insights for quite some time. What’s changing now is that we’re offering customers more flexibility and control.
We allow customers to use our pre-built agents across our IT management product suite, build their own custom agents using the low-code tools in Agent Studio, or even share them with others through the marketplace. While it’s true that the industry is still in the early stages of adoption—and perhaps the marketing is ahead of actual usage—we believe we’re uniquely positioned to grow this space because of our deep integration across IT operations, security, and service management products. We’re not just building standalone AI agents—we’re embedding them where they can truly drive value.
How do you ensure governance, privacy, and ethical use of AI?
We’ve taken a privacy-first approach from day one. All our agent-based workflows are built on top of our secure internal search engine, which is designed to respect organizational hierarchies and access controls. For example, if an organization uses Active Directory to manage roles and permissions, our system
"We’ve taken a privacy-first approach from day one. All our agent-based workflows are built on top of our secure internal search engine, which is designed to respect organizational hierarchies and access controls."
ensures that agents can only access data the user is authorized to view. You can’t simply ask an agent to retrieve a ticket or piece of information that’s outside your scope.
Additionally, governance is built into the platform. We’ve included orchestration layers in Agent Studio that give administrators full visibility into agent behaviors. If an agent starts performing actions outside its intended boundaries, the system can flag the behavior and alert the necessary stakeholders. There’s also the issue of bias and toxic outputs, particularly when using large language models. While open-source datasets have improved significantly—with many including built-in safety layers—we still believe in continuous monitoring and embedding transparency at every level. Ethical AI isn’t just about avoiding harmful outputs—it’s about ensuring responsible decision-making and traceability across the entire AI lifecycle.
How is ManageEngine leveraging foundational LLMs like OpenAI, and what’s your roadmap for open-source and inhouse models?
We started integrating with OpenAI in 2023 to give customers immediate access to generative capabilities. However, we quickly realized that many organizations needed more control over their data and AI infrastructure. So, in 2024, we began rolling out support for self-hosted, open-source LLMs—including models from Meta (LLaMA), Mistral, and soon others like DeepSeek and Alibaba’s Qwen.
We offer customers three options: they can connect their own OpenAI enterprise account, use Zoho-hosted open-source models, or wait for our upcoming proprietary foundational model—
which we expect to release by the end of 2025. The decision to build our own model stems from our experience running our own data centers. Initially, people questioned why a software company would build and maintain its own infrastructure. But over time, that decision gave us a massive edge in terms of data sovereignty, performance, and cost control. We believe the same will hold true for foundational AI models. While some SaaS companies may become resellers of third-party AI tools, we want to build, understand, and evolve our own models to serve enterprise customers better and stay ahead of the curve.
Do you see parallels between AI evolution and the opensource movement, like what happened with Linux?
Definitely. What’s happening now with AI is very similar to what we saw with the rise of open-source operating systems. Linux started as a free, open alternative to proprietary systems. Over time, companies like Red Hat and IBM built enterprise-grade distributions tailored to specific use cases. We’re seeing the same dynamic with LLMs. While many foundational models are being released as open-source, the real value will lie in how organizations customize and operationalize these models for their domains.
The base layer will become commoditized. But just like companies built custom Linux kernels for performance, scalability, or regulatory compliance, enterprises will develop domain-specific or department-specific AI models that address their unique needs. At ManageEngine, we’re building the tools and platforms to help organizations do exactly that—whether it’s IT management, cybersecurity, or customer service. The future isn’t about using generic AI—it’s about building your own AI, responsibly and effectively.
SCALING SECURE BACKUP AND SURVEILLANCE
Synology recently introduced Active Protect Backup Appliances, a backup and recovery solution that offers cyber resilience for modern enterprises. Michael Chang, Synology’s APAC Sales Head discusses the company’s focus on addressing the growing demand for backup appliances with the new launch
Tell us about Synology’s new Active Protect backup appliances. Is this a new addition, or an upgrade to a previous generation?
This is a completely new product line. Previously, Synology focused on NAS appliances. However, we identified a growing global demand for purpose-built backup appliances to streamline workflows. Active Protect is designed to help clients centrally manage their backup processes and safeguard their data more efficiently.
What other devices are part of your NAS product line? Do you also offer cloud solutions?
Yes. Synology began in 2000 with NAS as our core product line. We offer desktop NAS models for SMBs and consumers, rackmount models for larger enterprises and government organizations, and a public cloud solution called Synology C2. Additionally, we’ve introduced Synology cameras for surveillance use cases.
Where are your cloud data centers located?
Our main data centers are in Frankfurt, Germany and the United States. Clients can choose between these locations based on their preferences or compliance requirements.
How do you differentiate the customer segments for your various NAS appliances? How is Active Protect positioned differently?
Active Protect is purpose-built for backup, especially for mission-critical workloads. It includes features like immutable backup and air gap functionality, making it ideal for SMBs, enterprises, and government clients. It's an all-in-one solution—hardware and software bundled together—with no additional licensing fees. It scales from SMBs to large enterprises and can manage up to 150,000 devices with the larger rackmount units.
How is this product priced for SMBs?
We offer a desktop model of Active Protect that is well-suited for SMBs and SMEs. It's more affordable and provides the same reliable backup capabilities at a lower entry point.
Do you collaborate with external security vendors for your solutions?
Security is a top priority. We have a dedicated PSIRT (Product Security Incident Response Team) that works proactively with industry experts. When a vulnerability is discovered, we aim to resolve it within 24 hours. However, all software is developed in-house by Synology in Taiwan—no third-party software is embedded in our systems.
Michael Chang Regional Sales Head Asia Pacific, Synology
How is your business divided between NAS and surveillance products? Is surveillance growing faster?
NAS is still our core business, forming the majority of our revenue. But NAS also serves as a platform that integrates backup, storage, productivity, and surveillance solutions. Surveillance is rapidly growing—especially in the Middle East, where we’ve seen double-digit year-over-year growth. That’s why we’re launching new products in this segment, such as VSaaS (Video Surveillance as a Service) and Synology-branded cameras.
We've been in the surveillance space for a while, initially by enabling Synology NAS to function as an NVR (Network Video Recorder). We supported third-party cameras, but we recognized a need for an all-in-one solution. That led us to develop Synology-branded cameras. This gives partners and clients a seamless, easy-to-deploy ecosystem—hardware, software, and management all in one platform.
What role does AI play in your products, especially in backup and surveillance?
AI plays a growing role at Synology. Internally, we use it to improve customer support and streamline content translation. In our surveillance systems, AI powers features like people tracking, vehicle detection, and intrusion detection. Moving forward, we’ll integrate AI into more productivity and backup tools, bringing smarter solutions that meet evolving customer needs.
RETAIL, RELOADED!
Fred Crehan, area vice president growth markets at Confluent discusses how real-time data is rewriting the rules for Middle East commerce.
The Middle East’s retail sector is thriving, fuelled by rapid technological advancements and ambitious government initiatives. The market, valued at USD 808.51 billion in 2024, is projected to grow to USD 1,401.32 billion by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 7.30%. With such momentum, retailers have unprecedented opportunities—but also fierce competition.
To gain a competitive edge, retailers must tap into the power of real-time data streaming—a technology poised to separate market leaders from those struggling to keep pace. In an industry where consumer expectations shift in an instant, the ability to process and act on live data will be the defining factor between brands that merely keep up and those that set the standard for innovation and growth.
Real-Time Inventory: Eliminating Stock Shortages and Overstocking
Inventory management has long been a balancing act. Too much stock leads to waste, while too little results in lost sales. Real-time data streaming enables retailers to dynamically monitor stock levels and respond instantly to fluctuations in demand. By integrating live sales data with supply chain systems, retailers can automate restocking, anticipate demand shifts, and ensure the right products are available at the right time.
Major retailers in the UAE are increasingly adopting inventory and supply chain tracking technologies to gain real-time visibility into their supply chains. This results in fewer stockouts, better demand forecasting, and improved cash flow management—key advantages in a competitive market.
Real-Time Recommendations: Enhancing Customer Engagement
Consumers expect seamless, personalised shopping experiences. Data Streaming makes this possible by instantly analysing browsing behaviour, purchase history, and external factors such as location or time of day all in real time in order to deliver tailored product recommendations. Whether online or in-store, the ability to suggest relevant products in the moment drives both customer satisfaction and sales.
Retailers experimenting with AI-driven recommendation engines are seeing higher conversion rates and stronger customer loyalty. By ensuring every interaction is informed by the latest data, busi-
Fred Crehan Area Vice President Growth Markets, Confluent
nesses can foster deeper engagement and create a more intuitive shopping experience. Only Data Streaming technologies can support AI models with enough diverse, real time data to drive valuable use cases that in turn result in positive business outcomes and exceptional customer experiences.
Logistics and Supply Chain Optimisation: From Warehouse to Doorstep
Efficient logistics are the backbone of modern retail, and real-time data is transforming how goods move from suppliers to consumers. By continuously tracking shipments, retailers can preempt disruptions, reroute deliveries when necessary, and reduce wait times.
This is particularly crucial in the fast-growing e-commerce segment, where customers expect rapid fulfillment. Retailers leveraging live tracking and automated logistics coordination are improving on-time delivery rates while reducing operational costs—critical factors in maintaining a competitive edge.
Driver and Vehicle Tracking: Delivering Efficiency at Scale
For businesses with extensive delivery networks, real-time vehicle tracking is a game-changer. GPS-enabled data streaming provides granular visibility into fleet movements, allowing companies to optimize routes, reduce fuel consumption, and enhance delivery accuracy.
In a region where same-day and even one-hour delivery services are becoming standard, this level of oversight is essential. Retailers investing in real-time tracking technology are not only improving efficiency but also enhancing the customer experience by providing accurate delivery updates and minimising delays.
Inventory and Supply Chain Optimisation: Retail Without the Guesswork
Inventory management has long been a challenge for retailers, but real-time data streaming is changing the game. Retailers can now
monitor stock levels, track sales trends, and adjust supply chains dynamically—ensuring shelves stay stocked with high-demand products while minimising costly overstocking.
Fast-fashion giant Zara has set the benchmark by deploying RFID technology to track products in real time, enabling agile restocking and production adjustments. Other major retailers in the UAE are taking note and are beginning to leverage similar technology, using real-time insights to enhance supply chain efficiency. This results in fewer stockouts, lower waste, and an overall more responsive retail ecosystem.
The Future of Middle East Retail is Real-Time
As the Middle East retail sector enters a new era of growth, real-time data streaming is poised to become its backbone. Whether through intelligent inventory management, hyper-personalised recommendations, streamlined logistics, or real-time vehicle tracking, the ability to act on live data is no longer a luxury but a necessity.
As consumer expectations continue to rise, those who embrace real-time data will be best positioned to lead the market, delivering seamless experiences that drive both operational success and long-term loyalty.
"Retailers experimenting with AI-driven recommendation engines are seeing higher conversion rates and stronger customer loyalty. By ensuring every nteraction is informed by the latest data, businesses can foster deeper engagement and create a more intuitive shopping experience."
UNDERSTANDING AI’S MINISTRY OF TRUTH
Dave Russell, SVP and Head of Strategy, Veeam says immutable time stamped data backups are the only way ahead as this new frontier of AI continues to proliferate and improve, putting the onus on businesses and individuals to prove their word against that of AI.
AI has brought the technological landscape to a crossroads. It promises immense productivity gains and revolutionized work, yet poses challenges tied to manipulation, data privacy, and security. From deepfakes to falsified social media posts, leaders across the globe are realizing the true scope of AI’s consequences if not mandated properly. Critical to this juncture are regulations. However, governments hesitate to introduce AI regulations for fear of stifling innovation or enacting counterintuitive, overly complex rules.
Initial small but meaningful steps toward reining in AI have emerged, such as the Biden Administration’s industry commitments and the EU AI Act. The real shift to reckoning with AI’s power came in late September of this year when California Governor Gavin Newsom signed multiple bills to address sexually explicit deepfakes, AI watermarking, and deepfake election content. These bills marked the first wide-ranging mandatory AI legislation adopted at the state level. A bellwether for the nation and world, reverberations are sure to grow and illustrate the importance of AI regulation. Governments will likely implement more restrictive cyber resilience, compliance, and AI standards across the board, driven by the rapidly increasing number of cyberattacks and regulatory gaps.
Dave Russell SVP and Head of Strategy, Veeam
As AI developments and regulation gain speed, a spotlight is simultaneously shone on data. Data’s value has skyrocketed with the advent of AI. Seen as the engine behind AI models, reams of reliable data are key to training and making the technology work. As a result, organizations must now consider the resiliency of their data to ensure that they can manage AI risks and opportunities while staying compliant. Here, two key pillars of data resilience will come into play: data freedom and data backup.
Ensuring data freedom
With disparate regulations, data freedom becomes more challenging. Data freedom lets you move and store data wherever it’s needed – and is critical for businesses. You need to find a way to let everyone in who needs to get in, while keeping security in mind. Additionally, Data Freedom supports AI initiatives by ensuring that the right data is available, in the right location, as sources for artificial intelligence and machine learning activities, many of which utilize cloud-based services, or require access to a wide range of data sets.
Giving access to corporate data but protecting your company’s most valuable assets is key. Much of security these days is about assuming “reasonable risk.” That is, what can we reasonably accept while maintaining safety standards – and AI is set to change this. Regulations suggest that what was a reasonable effort in the past may not be a reasonable effort in the future. Trying to secure data to ensure only authorized users can access it will place more pressure on security teams.
Data backup
AI is a double-edged sword because it can be wielded by good and bad actors. With it being so easy to create deepfakes or falsify information, and it’s worrisome for businesses because AI has made it harder to discern truth from fiction. That’s why data resiliency – in the form of immutable backups – is now the only ministry of truth for AI. Following a ransomware attack or other cyber incident, authorities examine the network and data, treating it as a crime scene. Without data backup, there would be no way to prove the business took appropriate preventative measures to recover from attacks. After all, it’s not a case of if they’ll be impacted but when.
Taking it a step further, imagine a job interview goes poorly. Looking for someone to blame, the candidate alleges the company is engaging in biased hiring practices by using an AI algorithm to assist in its search for candidates. The company knows it isn’t
true, but in the age of AI, knowledge and belief are not enough. As this new frontier of AI continues to proliferate and improve, it will be the onus of businesses and individuals to prove their word against that of AI. Immutable, timestamped data backups are the only way to validate truthful information, and hence safeguard an organization’s integrity.
AI has changed how business operate. In giving the world a powerful productivity tool, it’s simultaneously created a difficult problem – how to prove something as true when anything can be fabricated at a moment’s notice? How can authorized users gain access to data while keeping unwanted actors out – all while ensuring the technology complies with the myriad of regulations from states and countries? The key is finding a singular source, or ministry, of truth. For businesses, that source is data resiliency.
"Seen as the engine behind AI models, reams of reliable data are key to training and making the technology work. As a result, organizations must now consider the resiliency of their data to ensure that they can manage AI risks and opportunities while staying compliant."
THE ROAD TO INDUSTRY 5.0 IS YOUR DATA AND AI
Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer, IFS writes that using AI to integrate the data points from physical assets will unlock new avenues for innovation and variation.
Christian Pedersen Chief Product Officer, IFS
Many industries that rely on physical assets, from construction to manufacturing, to energy & utilities, are still working to fully realize the benefits of Industry 4.0. But the data they are gathering now will help them build that next step, cementing the foundations of Industry 5.0.
Omar Akar Regional VP, Middle East & Emerging Africa, Pure Storage
Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR), is a concept that has been around since the mid-2010s when Klaus Schwab at WEF coined the term. This revolution was rooted in digitalization and the implementation of digital transformation. This was marked by using connected devices, data analytics, and
automation for process-driven shifts. Combined, these digital elements play a huge role in our everyday lives, whether we’re at work or at home. Industry 5.0 is the next rung on that digital ladder and the natural progression to what we've learned so far.
When Industry 5.0 emerges, we can expect to see the convergence of all that work and collected data. The next industrial revolution will be steeped in bridging the physical and the digital realms. Effectively this goes back to that human versus machine argument but optimizing both human and machine to enhance their capabilities. AI and cloud computing will reach a harmony where workers can produce their best results, which can be replicated in processes throughout the supply chain. Industrial AI powers our lives in the back end. Industrial AI capabilities will enable power decision-making and won't be a force for contention despite speculation. While AI is set to join the disparate data and physical elements to create Industry 5.0, remember that AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on.
Data Begets Innovation
Using AI to integrate the data points from physical assets will unlock new avenues for innovation and variation. Real-time insights from production machinery and equipment will help drive operational excellence and provide an edge over competitors.
As well as operational excellence, Industry 5.0 sees the intersection of AI and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks. AI presents a serious opportunity for businesses to drive sustainability throughout their workflows, physical operations and, to that extent, the larger supply chain. By harnessing AI-driven insights companies can optimize their processes from a manufacturing-based level, with AI proposing opportunities to reduce waste of all kinds to achieve greater profitability, use of time, and sustainability.
For businesses that manage physical assets, this integration is a reality not an overstatement. The decision-making processes for businesses with significant capital assets will be transformed. Through advanced decision analytics, asset-rich enterprises can optimize capital allocation, manage risk, and drive more precise, data-driven business decisions. In an increasingly data-centric environment, industrial AI can provide a competitive edge by helping companies prioritize high-impact investments, adapt to
changing regulatory and market conditions, and align with sustainability goals.
We live in a world of servitization where companies increasingly rent or lease industrial equipment instead of buying it outright. Think of robotics, aircraft engines, heavy construction machinery, or even delivery vehicles. As a result, manufacturers will be designing and building higher-quality machinery with in-build smart technologies to meet the demands of the servitization era.
AI can detect anomalies and maintenance issues in this equipment before determining the proper court of action. Monitoring workflows for redundancy in the network and calling out a field service engineer to remedy the machine. At the same time, rerouting the planners of other field service engineers to recoup any time losses. Again, this is streamlining operations and minimizing industry downtime until the machinery is up and running again. Industrial AI will change the entire value proposition of production in the circular economy, identifying parts and components that need servicing before they show any physical signs of wear and tear.
Building Digital Twins Into Strategy
Taking something from the physical world and replicating it virtually is a technical concept. A concept that becomes crucial in an environment with integrated Manufacturing Execution Systems. Historically, these worlds were separate. Data would generate manufacturing orders and necessitate translation. Digital twins bridge this gap by processing information in real-time, breaking down the silos between the virtual and physical environments quicker than humans can. Again, achieving true optimization in milliseconds rather than seconds or even minutes.
There’s a cycle that occurs: simulation informs business practices which change the parameters for simulation, and so on. Simulations help identify the areas needed for improvement, allowing for iterative adjustments until the desired outcome is tested, proven and achieved. An easy way to visualize this process is to think of a farm. With the farmer’s current systems in place, it takes him three days to harvest. The farmer is sure, however, that there is a more efficient way of doing things but is hesitant to experiment with his live environment. With Digital Twin technology, the farmer can optimize tool usage, harvesting routes, and crop storage before muddy boots even hit the soil. Taking a three-day and optimizing it so it’s achievable in just a single day.
Considering the time-to-value aspect, whether implementing universal AI across the business or focusing on specific edge cases, is crucial. In the above example, it’s before the harvest even happens in August. Lifecycle production time can be reduced, production waste minimized, and service efficiency increased. These, in turn, lead to environmental gains with minimal energy consumption, optimized delivery routes and reduced charging times for electric vehicles.
Innovation in Industry 5.0 is using technological advancement to attain industry foresight and adaptation. Digital twins can em-
power customers to drive operational efficiencies and unlock productivity in a way never seen before. Integrating Industrial AI gives businesses a holistic view of their resources to find other areas of opportunity with informed decision-making at a granular and investment-based level.
Eliminating the Complexity
From the regulatory complexities of data collection and storage to varying levels of AI adoption within businesses, a successful transition into Industry 5.0 requires expert support. Costs of AI investments can snowball, so you must be strategic and targeted at improving specific areas of your business. Generic, off-theshelf AI tools trained on irrelevant data won’t help here. To remain competitive at a global scale, companies need to invest in this technology and work with proven partners.
Businesses that can effectively harness the data they collect and employ AI to create actionable insights will be ready for Industry 5.0. Delivering more value to their customers, improving their employees’ working lives with better everyday processes, to become a true industry leader. Whether in manufacturing, construction, or any other physical asset-focused industry, the businesses that can't see the wood through the trees with their collected data will miss out on Industry 5.0.
“The next industrial revolution will be steeped in bridging the physical and the digital realms. Effectively this goes back to that human versus machine argument but optimizing both human and machine to enhance their capabilities."
ZERO TRUST IS NOT ZERO TRUST IF DNS IS IMPLICITLY TRUSTED
Mohammad Jamal Tabbara, Head of Solutions Architects, Middle East, Turkey & Africa at Infoblox says that to have a robust Zero Trust strategy, DNS must not be implicitly trusted
In today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations are adopting Zero Trust (ZT) frameworks to protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Zero Trust, a security model predicated on the belief that breaches are inevitable, operates under the principle of "never trust, always verify." This approach assumes that attackers are already inside the network and seeks to minimize their potential impact. But while Zero Trust frameworks significantly bolster security, there’s one crucial element that is often overlooked: the Domain Name System (DNS).
Why Zero Trust now?
The need for Zero Trust is more pressing than ever. The digital transformation that underpins most modern enterprises has ushered in an era of hyperconnectivity, with organizations adopting hybrid and multi-cloud environments to increase flexibility, scalability, and collaboration. But with these advancements come risks such as an ever-expanding attack surface, and an increasing sophistication of cyber threats like ransomware, phishing, lookalike spear-phishing domains, and AI based attacks. Additionally, the widespread use of IoT and the rise of remote work further increase the attack surface, making it difficult to defend using traditional perimeter-based security models.
With attackers gaining the ability to breach systems and move laterally within networks quickly, Zero Trust aims to contain the damage by enforcing strict access controls, segmenting networks, and constantly verifying the legitimacy of users and devices. However, for Zero Trust to truly work in modern cloud-based infrastructures, it must account for DNS — a fundamental yet often implicitly trusted component of the network.
DNS: An Overlooked Open Door
In traditional security models, DNS is often implicitly trusted. This oversight can be a significant gap in Zero Trust implementations, leaving networks vulnerable to attackers exploiting DNS to carry out their campaigns. DNS is integral to the functionality of hybrid, multi-cloud environments, resolving domain names into IP addresses, and allowing users and devices to access resources. However, DNS has become a common vector for malicious activity, including ransomware, phishing, lookalike domains, and zero-day DNS threats.
A malicious actor can exploit DNS in various ways, such as using
Mohammad Jamal Tabbara Head of Solutions Architects, META, Infoblox
it for Command and Control (C2), data exfiltration, and creating fraudulent domains that resemble legitimate ones to trick users into divulging sensitive information. If an organization’s Zero Trust strategy does not account for the security of DNS, it could unknowingly allow access to harmful domains, putting the entire network at risk.
To build a robust Zero Trust strategy, DNS must not be implicitly trusted. Rather, it should be actively monitored, secured, and validated to ensure that all traffic is legitimate. DNS security should be an integral part of the Zero Trust model to ensure that malicious actors cannot exploit DNS as a back door.
Encrypted DNS for Privacy and Integrity
Encryption is also a key part of Zero Trust to protect confidentially and integrity. NIST SP 800-207 states that "all communication should be done in the most secure manner available," and this includes DNS. By using DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH), organizations can encrypt their DNS traffic, preventing attackers from intercepting or manipulating queries. DoT and DoH protect against snooping and ensure that DNS queries are authenticated, offering an added layer of privacy and integrity in hybrid, multi-cloud environments.
Protective DNS: Proactive Security
A Protective DNS (PDNS) solution works by proactively refusing to resolve high-risk and malicious domains, stopping threats before they can reach the organization’s systems. PDNS helps prevent initial infections, blocks ongoing command-and-control (C2) communications, and prevents data exfiltration. Additionally, PDNS plays a critical role in blocking lateral movement within a network. Once an attacker gains access to one part of the network, they often use DNS to facilitate the movement to other parts of the system. By implementing a PDNS solution, organizations can prevent this movement and contain a breach quickly.
Device-Level Enforcement
An important component of a PDNS strategy is device-level enforcement. By ensuring that devices only connect to approved PDNS servers and only access those domains approved by those PDNS servers, this solution minimizes the risk of DNS bypass, a tactic often used by attackers to circumvent traditional security measures. Enforcing DNS security at the device level enhances overall network security and ensures that even rogue devices cannot bypass security protocols.
Asset Discovery and Data as Input to Zero Trust Decisions
To fully realize the potential of a Zero Trust approach, visibility into all network assets is essential. A comprehensive view of assets across hybrid and multi-cloud environments helps organizations maintain an up-to-date real-time asset inventory, detect unauthorized devices, and correlate device activity with user identities.
This asset visibility allows organizations to make informed decisions about access. For instance, a device like an IoT camera can be configured with a Zero Trust policy, allowing it to access only specific domains needed for its operations. By leveraging DNS data as a source of telemetry, Zero Trust systems can accurately assign access policies based on a device's type, its role, and its current risk level.
Automation and Orchestration
Zero Trust is not a static security model; it requires constant adaptation and response to emerging threats. Automation and orchestration play critical roles in ensuring that security protocols are enforced across the network. By integrating DNS security with other tools and platforms such as SIEM, vulnerability management, ITSM and others, organizations can automate policy enforcement, threat detection, and incident response. By continuously assessing and adjusting security postures, organizations can respond to new threats in real-time, ensuring a more resilient and dynamic security framework.
DNS is Critical to Zero Trust Security
In conclusion, while Zero Trust frameworks are essential for safeguarding against modern cyber threats, they are incomplete without securing DNS. As a fundamental part of the network infrastructure, DNS must be protected with encryption, proactive monitoring, and intelligent filtering to prevent exploitation by threat actors. Without this added layer of DNS security, Zero Trust strategies leave critical gaps that attackers can exploit.
In the world of cybersecurity, assuming that breaches will happen and preparing for them is critical. A Zero Trust model is only effective when it addresses all potential attack vectors, and DNS is one that cannot be overlooked. Only by securing DNS can organizations fully realize the promise of Zero Trust and ensure that their hybrid, multi-cloud environments remain safe from the evolving threat landscape.
"To build a robust Zero Trust strategy, DNS must not be implicitly trusted. Rather, it should be actively monitored, secured, and validated to ensure that all traffic is legitimate."
BITCOIN'S METEORIC RISE AND THE SCAMMERS FOLLOWING BEHIND
Bashar Bashaireh, VP Middle East, Türkiye & North Africa at Cloudflare says that the stakes are high when it comes to cryptocurrency scams. Unlike traditional banking systems, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible, making it easy for attackers to get away with stolen funds.
Bashar Bashaireh VP Middle East, Türkiye & North Africa, Cloudflare
As Bitcoin continues to surge in value, surpassing the $100,000 mark, its mainstream appeal grows stronger, attracting both investors and, unfortunately, scammers. The recent resurgence of Bitcoin, combined with a wave of cryptocurrency endorsements—including former President Donald Trump’s involvement—has created a perfect storm for cybercriminals looking to exploit unsuspecting individuals. Cloudflare has recently published a report entitled ‘Bitcoin to the moon: Trump endorsing, scammers exploiting’.
With the rise of Bitcoin, a new wave of scams has been unleashed, targeting anyone from crypto enthusiasts to everyday users curious about the potential of digital currencies. Scammers are particularly quick to capitalize on major events, including public figures like Trump entering the crypto space. These schemes often involve sophisticated impersonations, fake websites, and even deepfake technology to deceive victims.
How Scammers are Using High-Profile Events
One of the most common scams involves phishing attacks that use high-profile names, like Trump’s, to gain trust. For instance, some malicious emails promise “free” NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) linked to Trump, enticing recipients to click on fraudulent links. Once clicked, users may unknowingly give away their personal details, like wallet access credentials.
These phishing emails often look legitimate, mimicking official Bitcoin platforms such as Ledger or Binance. With professional design and persuasive tactics, attackers create a sense of urgency, encouraging recipients to interact with the links. In some cases, attackers use geofencing to prevent the sites from being analyzed by security teams, increasing the chances that their malicious website is only seen by the intended victims.
The Evolution of Cryptocurrency Scams
As cryptocurrencies continue to capture the public's imagination, the threat landscape is rapidly changing. Scammers have become more sophisticated, using advanced techniques and tools to swindle victims. For example, deepfake technology is increasingly
being used to create convincing videos of high-profile figures promoting fake investment platforms.
According to reports, cryptocurrency scams accounted for billions of dollars in losses in 2023 alone, a sharp increase from previous years. These scams take many forms, including investment fraud, tech support scams, and even romance scams, where attackers lure victims into sending money under false pretences.
Among the most alarming trends is the rise of so-called “crypto drainers,” which are tools designed to siphon funds directly from victims' digital wallets. These tools can exploit minor vulnerabilities, tricking users into authorizing fraudulent transactions. Once the transaction is approved, the funds are quickly transferred to the scammer's wallet.
Common Attack Strategies
Several attack vectors have become common in the world of crypto scams. These include:
• Impersonation Scams: Scammers impersonate well-known crypto platforms or support agents to create fake urgency. They might claim a wallet is compromised and need immediate action. In reality, the goal is to obtain sensitive information like the "seed phrase" that grants full access to a wallet.
• Fake Crypto Mining Platforms: Cloud mining, which allows users to lease computing power for crypto mining, has become a hotbed for scams. Fraudulent platforms promise high returns for minimal effort but end up stealing personal information and funds.
• Phone and Text Scams: Attackers also use more traditional methods, like phone calls or SMS messages, to convince users to reveal private information or transfer funds to fake accounts.
What’s at Stake?
The stakes are high when it comes to cryptocurrency scams. Unlike traditional banking systems, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible, making it easy for attackers to get away with stolen funds. Because the digital wallet’s private key (or seed phrase) controls access to a person’s assets, losing it can mean losing everything—forever.
The rise of these scams highlights the need for increased awareness and security measures when it comes to crypto investments. It's crucial to double-check the legitimacy of websites, avoid interacting with unsolicited communications, and use trusted, secure platforms for all transactions.
Protecting Yourself in the Crypto World
As the crypto space evolves, it’s important to stay vigilant. The most effective way to protect yourself from these scams is to remain skeptical of unsolicited offers, especially those that promise high returns or require immediate action. Always verify the legitimacy of any platform or offer before sharing personal information or transferring funds.
Additionally, utilizing two-factor authentication (2FA) and ensuring that wallets are stored securely offline can provide extra layers of protection against phishing and other types of attacks. Crypto investors should also be aware of the telltale signs of phishing emails, such as suspicious links or unexpected offers.
In conclusion, while the crypto market presents exciting opportunities, it also attracts a range of criminals looking to exploit both newcomers and seasoned investors. As the popularity of digital currencies like Bitcoin continues to rise, staying informed and vigilant is crucial to avoiding scams and securing personal financial assets.
Targeting the enterprise data protection market in the Middle East, Synology Inc. unveiled its new ActiveProtect Appliance series, designed for fast deployment and efficient data protection. Synology underscores the critical need for mid-sized to large enterprises to safeguard against data loss, breaches, and ransomware.
As a global leader in private cloud, managing 520+ exabytes of data across 13 million servers, and trusted by over half of the Fortune 500, Synology delivers reliable, secure, and flexible solutions for businesses to protect and optimize their data. Synology protects over 25 million workloads worldwide, ensuring business continuity and data resilience across diverse industries.
In the MEA region, the growing wave of ransomware attacks— such as the 2023 incident targeting key financial institutions in the Gulf—has accelerated demand for robust data protection. The regional backup and recovery market is projected to grow over 10% annually through 2027, reflecting the urgent need for stronger cyber resilience.
Recognizing the growing cybersecurity threats and data management complexities, Synology introduces the ActiveProtect Appliance, a next-gen backup and recovery solution. This new lineup enhances backup speeds, ransomware resilience, and usability, ensuring robust cyber resilience for modern enterprises.
Genetec Cloudlink 210 SYNOLOGY ACTIVEPROTECT APPLIANCE SERIES
Highlights:
• Enhanced Ransomware Protection: Advanced security protocols and secure your data with immutability and isolate your data with air-gapped backups to ensure robust data integrity and access control.
• Unified Management Interface: Single user interface mechanism enables effortless monitoring and control with scalable cluster architecture simplifies management for 150,000 devices and optimizes data visibility.
• Simplified Enterprise-Grade Protection at a Lower Cost: Compared to traditional backup solutions, the implementation cost of this solution averages only 20%. With its software-hardware integrated design, installation, maintenance, and support require significantly less time, making enterprise-grade data protection more accessible to businesses of all sizes.
Genetec, a global leader in enterprise physical security software, announced Genetec Cloudlink 210, the industry’s first cloud-managed appliance to support multiple security workloads, including video management, access control, and intrusion detection. As the latest addition to the Genetec Cloudlink family, this new device simplifies security infrastructure by consolidating critical functions into a single, scalable appliance. Designed for hybrid environments, Cloudlink 210 provides a cybersecure bridge between on-premises systems and the cloud, offering organizations a cost-effective and flexible path to modernizing their physical security operations.
Cloudlink 210 is the first appliance of its kind to manage multiple workloads across video, access control, and intrusion detection, enabling organizations to streamline security management and meet their business goals with a single device. This multi-workload approach is also being extended across all other Genetec Cloudlink appliances.
Designed for hybrid applications in Security Center SaaS, Cloudlink 210 serves as a cybersecure bridge between on-premises infrastructure and cloud-based systems. Unlike proprietary solutions, Cloudlink 210 is based on an open architecture, enabling existing camera and access control systems to connect to the cloud without requiring a complete overhaul. It offers a cost-effective and practical pathway to modernizing physical security operations while ensuring seamless interoperability between on-premises and SaaS environments in hybrid deployments.
FREE TEXT SEARCH IN AXIS CAMERA STATION PRO
Axis Communications, a leading manufacturer of network security and surveillance solutions, has introduced free text search in AXIS Camera Station Pro, a powerful video forensic tool that allows users to search using their own words. This enhances flexibility and accelerates investigations when searching for moving objects in large amounts of recorded video.
The Smart search 2 toolbox will now include both pre-classified objects and free text search capabilities.
Free text search gives users greater flexibility and allows them to customize queries to meet segment-specific needs with fewer limitations. They can describe moving objects in greater detail using natural language and associations, enabling more relevant results. Typically, video scrubbing is the quickest way to find objects and incidents. However, if that doesn't work, free text search offers a powerful AI-based alternative.
Free text search is based on an opensource foundation model, trained on billions of image-text pairs and fine-tuned by
Axis for surveillance use cases to improve performance. With associations, users can broaden the search scope. For instance, it’s possible to search for people wearing professional uniforms such as construction workers. The model will then find objects matching these typical characteristics.
Additionally, it’s possible to find objects with a certain brand or logo. For quicker results, free text search can be combined with filters, such as date and time, object in area, direction, size, and duration.
With free text search, video data is only
Highlights:
• The Cloudlink 210 is designed to adapt to the needs of growing organizations and can easily scale to accommodate additional workloads and devices. A compact edge device, it can be deployed and installed in many types of locations/enclosures and can be rack mounted if needed to scale up storage and performance with multiple units.
• The new appliance also features an intuitive touchscreen interface that simplifies the deployment and management of connected devices. With quick access to critical functions, users can easily view device statuses, network settings, and appliance health, ensuring a straightforward management process from enrollment to maintenance – all without the need for an additional device or app.
• As a cloud-managed appliance, the Cloudlink 210 automates firmware and software updates to ensure the latest innovations and security enhancements are always implemented. This helps reduce maintenance effort and enables efficient remote management, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
processed on the local server, enabling easier regulatory compliance.
Key Features:
• Freely use descriptions in English for searching
• Fine-tuned by Axis for surveillance use cases
• On-premises video processing
• Search for brand descriptions
• Combine with filters for greater accuracy
• Tools for responsible prompting to avoid misuse
40% OF AI DATA BREACHES COULD ARISE FROM CROSS-BORDER GENAI MISUSE BY 2027
Lack of consistent global AI standards forces enterprises to develop region-specific strategies, limiting AI scalability and benefits
By 2027, more than 40% of AI-related data breaches will be caused by the improper use of generative AI (GenAI) across borders, according to Gartner.
The swift adoption of GenAI technologies by end-users has outpaced the development of data governance and security measures, raising concerns about data localization due to the centralized computing power required to support these technologies.
“Unintended cross-border data transfers often occur due to insufficient oversight, particularly when GenAI is integrated in existing products without clear descriptions or announcement,” said Joerg Fritsch, VP analyst at Gartner. “Organizations are noticing changes in the content produced by employees using GenAI tools. While these tools can be used for approved business applications, they pose security risks if sensitive prompts are sent to AI tools and APIs hosted in unknown locations.”
Global AI Standardization Gaps Drives Operational Inefficiency
The lack of consistent global best practices and standards for AI and data governance exacerbates challenges by causing market fragmentation and forcing enterprises to develop region-specific strategies. This can limit their ability to scale operations globally and benefit from AI products and services.
“The complexity of managing data flows and maintaining quality due to localized AI policies can lead to operational inefficiencies,” said Fritsch. “Organizations must invest in advanced
AI governance and security to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance. This need will likely drive growth in AI security, governance, and compliance services markets, as well as technology solutions that enhance transparency and control over AI processes.”
Organizations Must Act Before AI Governance Becomes a Global Mandate
Gartner predicts by 2027, AI governance will become a requirement of all sovereign AI laws and regulations worldwide.
“Organizations that cannot integrate required governance models and controls may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage, especially those lacking the resources to quickly extend existing data governance frameworks,” said Fritsch.
To mitigate the risks of AI data breaches, particularly from cross-border GenAI misuse, and to ensure compliance, Gartner recommends several strategic actions for enterprises:
Enhance Data Governance: Organizations must ensure compliance with international regulations and monitor unintended cross-border data transfers by extending data governance frameworks to include guidelines for AI-processed data. This involves incorporating data lineage and data transfer impact assessments within regular privacy impact assessments.
Establish Governance Committees: Form committees to enhance AI oversight and ensure transparent communication about AI deployments and data handling. These committees need to be responsible for technical oversight, risk and compliance management, and communication and decision reporting.
Strengthen Data Security: Use advanced technologies, encryption, and anonymization to protect sensitive data. For instance, verify Trusted Execution Environments in specific geographic regions and apply advanced anonymization technologies, such as Differential Privacy, when data must leave these regions.
Invest in TRiSM Products: Plan and allocate budgets for trust, risk, and security management (TRiSM) products and capabilities tailored to AI technologies. This includes AI governance, data security governance, prompt filtering and redaction, and synthetic generation of unstructured data. Gartner predicts that by 2026, enterprises applying AI TRiSM controls will consume at least 50% less inaccurate or illegitimate information, reducing faulty decision-making.
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