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The Saudi population today has more access to the internet than ever before. From banking to government-related services, the internet has permeated all aspects of everyday life and makes many processes smoother for the Kingdom’s citizens and residents. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to digitally transform the economy in a pioneering and ultramodern fashion, which can be seen by the fact that the Kingdom is ranked first in the Government Strategy Index for Artificial Intelligence in the Tortoise Intelligence Report and is currently fourth globally in Digital Systems Preparedness.
Aiming to realize the goals of Vision 2030, a majority of all companies across industries in Saudi Arabia have become digitally assisted, if they have not yet gone fully digital. There is no industry that has been left untouched by this trend, and the frontrunners of all industries are the companies that adopt digitization and make it a part of their blueprint for the future. It is clear that companies should focus on embracing a digital-first strategy and should design products that take advantage of the accelerated adoption across the region.
With this growing trend of digitization also comes a concern for security, which companies in all industries often raise. While AI has given cybercriminals newer ways of launching attacks, it has also changed cybersecurity into a reactive affair rather than a predictive one.
With the lines between the two being blurred, AI-driven cybersecurity is becoming the trend due to its offerings of advanced threat detection, real-time response, and automation and scalability. AI-driven cybersecurity makes it easier to predict attacks beforehand rather than react to them later, a stance that saves the $6.53 million that a company exposed to a cyberattack loses on average.
In this context, the importance of the MENA Information Security Conference is multifold, especially for Saudi Arabia, which is the largest market for information and communication technology in the region.
Many of the region’s leaders in cybersecurity and AI will convene at the Hilton Hotel, Riyadh, on Sept. 12-13, to advance this thought process at VirtuPort’s 11th MENA ISC. The conference is themed “Cognitive Cyber: Evolution from Reactive to Predictive Cyber Leveraging AI and Emerging Technologies: IT, OT and IoT.”
It will be a conference that sees the who’s who from the industry come together to discuss networking, foster collaboration, develop skills, encourage regional cooperation and collaboration, in addition to driving conversations in the region relative to the adoption and usage of the emerging technology.
VirtuPort CEO Samir Omar said: “In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, our cognitive cybersecurity conference serves as a beacon of thought leadership, illuminating the path forward for Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to maintaining its prestigious position as the No. 1 global force in AI strategy.”