Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The UAE Cybersecurity Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cisco to strengthen cyber security strategies and efforts in the UAE. The MoU was signed at GITEX between Dr. Mohammed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Chairman of the Cyber ​​Security Council of the UAE Government and Abdelilah Nejjari Managing Director for the Gulf Region at Cisco.

With the rapid adoption of digital technologies by organizations across the public and private sectors in the UAE, the collaboration aims to support the country in building a robust cybersecurity framework, drive development in cybersecurity competences and strengthen the capabilities of the whole ecosystem.

“As we continue to accelerate the UAE’s digital transformation agenda, the need for raising awareness of digital security is crucial in reinforcing digital trust among all sectors. Our collaboration with Cisco signifies our ongoing commitment in this direction, building and evolving our robust cybersecurity culture, which goes hand in hand with the rapid adoption of digitization in the UAE,” said Dr. Mohammed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cybersecurity Council.

“Our key goal is to implement best practices and effective strategies for enhancing the cybersecurity posture of organizations and individuals, and our collaboration with Cisco will help us identify and implement efficient solutions to the challenges posed by potential cyberthreats today and in the future,” he added.

Investments in cybersecurity solutions are on the rise in the UAE. According to a recent report by IDC[1], 57% of UAE organizations plan to significantly increase - by 10% or more – their level of investment in the area of security and resilience excellence, security skills and security procedures. As organizations continue to invest in improving cybersecurity, they unlock growth opportunities and in turn, improve profitability.

Abdelilah Nejjari, Managing Director for the Gulf Region at Cisco commented: “The rapid adoption of digitization in the UAE has made the nation an attractive target for a wide array of cyber threats. We understand the complexity of today’s threat landscape and we are keen to support the UAE in addressing these challenges. We are proud of our collaboration with the UAE Cybersecurity Council that will help strengthen the country’s resilience and security posture amid the mounting cyber threats”.

[1] https://www.idc.com/mea/events/70311-cybersecurity-risk-reduction-driving-value-for-your-organization