Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Help AG, the cybersecurity arm of e& enterprise and the Middle East’s trusted security advisor, has been identified as a leader in cybersecurity in the IDC MarketScape: GCC Region Managed Security Services 2023 Vendor Assessment (doc# META49646823, September 2023). Talking about Help AG’s strengths, the report noted, “Help AG provides a comprehensive portfolio of managed security services with regional experience and multi-country intelligence. Its services are used by organizations in diverse industries, including the government, critical infrastructure, energy, utilities, healthcare, and banking. These organizations must adhere to stringent local regulations and compliance requirements in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.” 

As the threat landscape continues to evolve at exponential rates, it is extremely difficult for organizations to maintain cyber resilience by depending only on in-house security teams. This coupled with the shortage of skilled resources and stringent local regulations and compliance requirements has led to an increase in the demand for Managed Security Services (MSS) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as more organizations opt to outsource cybersecurity operations to trusted subject matter experts.

The IDC MarketScape serves as a tool for evaluating vendors in the GCC Region MSS market, helping customers to identify service providers in the field. IDC identified over 54 MSS providers in the GCC and, after an initial outreach process, selected 16 security service providers with operations and customers in the region. The organizations were evaluated using the IDC MarketScape model, and the process included interviews with the providers themselves and one or more of each company’s customers.

The service providers were positioned into four categories -Participants, Contenders, Major Players, or Leaders.  Help AG was named as a Leader. According to the IDC MarketScape report, Help AG is “the ideal partner for organizations of any size and type in different sectors from critical infrastructure to banking in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, that require not only a comprehensive portfolio of managed security products and services but also regional experience and multi-country intelligence.“

The report also noted, “With its investment in the UNIFY platform and its service-oriented architecture, Help AG offers customers 360-degree visibility into multiple aspects of their managed security services. This investment, combined with the company's long history of providing managed security services in the region, makes Help AG a popular MSSP choice in the Middle East.”

Commenting on the achievement, Stephan Berner, Chief Executive Officer at Help AG, said: “At Help AG, we take pride in our continuous strive for innovation, pioneering new services, and staying at the forefront of cybersecurity. We combine human intelligence with the power of automation, propelling us, and our partners, into a future where cybersecurity isn’t just a solution but a strategy, embedded in every digital stride.” 

“We believe being named a Leader reaffirms our mission to provide next generation cyber defense that not only addresses the current security challenges but also anticipates and mitigates emerging threats. We believe it is not just a recognition of Help AG; it's a recognition of the trust our clients place in us.” adds Stephan. 

According to the report, “Today, Help AG provides a comprehensive suite of managed security services in the Middle East. The company's UNIFY platform is at the core of its MSS offering. UNIFY is an integrated cyber defense platform — developed fully in-house — that helps to enhance the experience of Help AG's managed services customers. UNIFY enables a collaborative, proactive, and responsive approach to security service delivery.” 

Shilpi Handa, Associate Research Director, Cybersecurity, IDC MEA states, "Help AG emerged as a leader in the IDC MarketScape for GCC MSS. Help AG provides a comprehensive portfolio of managed security services with regional experience and multi-country intelligence. With its investment in the UNIFY platform and its service-oriented architecture, Help AG offers customers 360-degree visibility into multiple aspects of their managed security services. Additionally, Help AG's threat intelligence service combines global and regional threat feeds. The proprietary managed threat intelligence platform provides insights from the company's decades of experience serving a large regional client base." 

As the service provider with the largest MSS team in the region, Help AG boasts two Security Operations Centers (SOC) in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, employing over 400 security professionals in the region including over 170 analysts and engineers focused on MSS. The service provider processes and analyzes over two trillion security events; handles over 100,000 attacks, incidents, requests, and changes per year; publishes over 120 threat advisories per year; and has identified, accredited and published over 120 zero-day vulnerabilities.

The strategic acquisition of Help AG by e& has further solidified Help AG’s capabilities. Being a part of the global technology and investment group, has offered economies of scale, benefiting all stakeholders through enhanced resources, access to cutting-edge technology, and the capacity to expand services. 

Help AG's compliance strategy is an unwavering commitment to the highest industry standards, exemplified by their globally recognized certification of ISO 27001 for information asset protection and ISO 22301 for business continuity. But what truly distinguishes Help AG is their recent achievement of the highest level of SOC-CMM certification, risk-driven level 3. This milestone speaks volumes about their dedication to infusing risk and intelligence into decision-making and aligning services with the ever-evolving threat landscape. Innovation is the foundation of Help AG’s portfolio strategy. The company’s forward-thinking approach has driven it to develop next-generation platforms that redefine cybersecurity paradigms. Moreover, Help AG has pioneered the concept of "cybersecurity as a service," the philosophy where technology, people, and processes, are bundled seamlessly.

We believe Help AG stands as the ideal partner for organizations in the region, offering a comprehensive suite of managed security services, coupled with the invaluable assets of regional expertise and multi-country intelligence. In an ever-evolving landscape, Help AG's commitment to elevate the cyber resilience of its clients remains steadfast, as it continues to be a Leader in cybersecurity innovation.

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

About Help AG 

Help AG is the cybersecurity arm of e& enterprise (formerly Etisalat Digital) and provides leading enterprise businesses and governments across the Middle East with strategic consultancy combined with tailored information security solutions and services that address their diverse requirements, enabling them to evolve securely with a competitive edge. Present in the Middle East since 2004, Help AG was strategically acquired by e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) in 2020, hence creating a cybersecurity and digital transformation powerhouse in the region. 

To learn more about Help AG, visit www.helpag.com 

About e& enterprise

Combining the agility and expertise of a digital managed and professional service company with the strength and reach of a telco, e& enterprise enables organisations across multiple sectors to maximise their digital potential. Through Cloud, Cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), e& enterprise is propelling organisations and economies towards a smarter, safer and more sustainable world. 

Currently operating in the UAE, KSA and Egypt, it provides innovative digital vertical value propositions by enabling more sustainable developments, safer cities, better government services, connected healthcare, enriched education, the future of banking, highly-automated industries, manufacturing and logistics.

With a successful track record in designing, delivering and operating impactful, intelligent and secure end-to-end digital solutions using resilient platforms, e& enterprise offers comprehensive services in consultancy, business modelling, solutions design, programme management, execution, delivery and post-implementation support.

To learn more about e& enterprise, please visit https://eandenterprise.com/en/index.jsp.

For more information, please contact: 
Suzana Saoud 
Account Manager 
Gambit Communications 
Suzana@gambit.ae