Technology & IT | Saturday 28 February, 2015 1:55 am |

As news reports are abuzz with cyber criminals having reportedly succeeded in stealing USD1 billion from over 100 banks globally within a span of two years, the Market Forecasts and Analysis Report (2014-2019) by MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global cybersecurity industry will be worth USD155.74 billion in 2019. Also, with the 2014 Global Economic Crime Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) having identified cybercrime as the second most common form of economic crime reported in the Middle East, the same MarketsandMarkets report has indicated that the region’s cybersecurity market will grow by 84 per cent from USD5.17 billion in 2014 to USD9.56 billion in 2019.

The growing sophistication and proficiency of cyberattacks is prompting governments and organisations in the region to invest in more secure I.T. infrastructure to protect against cybercrimes.

In the 2013-2014 annual report by the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, it indicated that the United Arab Emirates will double its spending on homeland security from USD5 billion to USD10 billion in the next 10 years, with majority of the budget focusing on cyberdefence and cybersecurity.

Highlighting the increasing concern of securing information and minimising the impact of security breaches, the 3rd Gulf Information Security Expo & Conference (GISEC), the region’s leading I.T. security platform, will address key issues surrounding cybersecurity management, identity management and disaster recovery across susceptible industry sectors such as financial services, governments, oil & gas, I.T. and pharmaceuticals as well as in individual accounts.

As the region’s largest and only I.T. security knowledge event, GISEC will be taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 26-28 April 2015. Showcasing over 150 exhibitors, GISEC is set to attract over 5,000 trade visitors from 50 countries, including Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs), who will learn how to develop cybersecurity strategies.

During GISEC, a two-day conference will take place between 27-28 April 2015, where global visionaries will be offering I.T. solutions to help counteract an increasing incidence of cyberattacks in the region using world-leading practices. Among those who will be sharing key insights at the conference is ‘Security Guru’ Bruce Schneier, a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School in the U.S.A. Schneier will be delivering a session on reactions and learnings from the recent Sony hack. Dan Lohrmann, ex-Chief Security Officer for the State of Michigan in the U.S.A., will be talking about cyberdefence strategies in fighting cyberattacks and threats.

Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President at the Dubai World Trade Centre said: “In this era of a virtual world, the underlying impact of cyberwarfare is only the tip of the iceberg of internet catastrophe. The 3rd edition of GISEC will highlight how organisations and individuals can grow the resilience of their networks to combat cyberthreats and attacks from sophisticated hackers.

“Due to the increasing cyberattacks such as phishing, hacking, fraud and cyberterrorism that GISEC serves as a critical information security knowledge event in the region. GISEC provides an interactive venue for sharing insights in combating progressive cyberthreats and to help improve businesses and individuals’ capability to deal with internet-based crimes,” LohMirmand added.

GISEC 2015 will also feature the all new ‘Safe Cities Briefing Day’, a platform designed for the Middle East’s senior public sector officials to discuss ways of securing smart and connected cities using innovative technologies. Scheduled to speak at the briefing are Colonel Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi, General Director of Smart Services at Dubai Police and Bassam AlMaharmeh, Chief Information Security Officer, Ministry of Defence, Jordan among others.

Co-located with GISEC this year is the First Gulf Enterprise Mobility Exhibition and Conference (GEMEC), which will address the need of enterprises to embrace mobility. At the event, senior executives will discuss ways to identify, evaluate and source technology and mobility solutions to meet their current and future mobile requirements. GEMEC’s world-leading conference programme caters to the region’s enterprise and government decision makers who are envisioning new and creative ways to extend their competitive advantage.

“As mobile devices continue to overtake PCs as the preferred access point to information and data, machine to machine (M2M) connectivity continues to rise globally. Mobility is the way forward for organisations and GEMEC allows visitors the opportunity to tackle not only app development for businesses but also security and compliance in the adoption of enterprise mobility strategies,” said LohMirmand.

In addition, free-to-attend training sessions for I.T. professionals are available and will include vendor-run educational presentations, product demonstrations and case studies to help secure their I.T. infrastructure.

On 27 April 2015, GISEC will host the second I.T. Security Awards recognising excellence in implementation of projects and applications by private enterprises and public-sector organisations. The award categories include Best Endpoint & Mobile Device Security Implementation, Best Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Best Information Security Program Implementation, Best Data Loss Prevention and Best Cloud Security Implementation. Nominations will be accepted through the application form available on the website until 26 March 2015.

Key sponsors of GISEC include BT Global as the Leader Sponsor; GBM and Spire Solutions as the Diamond Sponsor; CISCO as the Platinum Sponsors; and Etisalat and Paladion Networks, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet as the Gold Sponsors; and Guidance Software and Paramount and Qualys as the Silver Sponsors. Key exhibitors include Airwatch, Airbus Defence & Space, Al Falak, CISCO, Etisalat, GBM, Newstar and Paladion Networks.

Powered by GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK, the region’s leading technology event, GISEC and GEMEC are strictly trade-only events and are open to business and trade visitors from within the industry only.