Microsoft has marked its presence as the Cloud Security Partner at the 7th Regional Cybersecurity (RCS) Summit in Kuwait, a key event hosted by the Communications and information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA).
Organised by ITU Arab Regional Cybersecurity, in collaboration with White Paper Summits (WPS), the RCS Summit took place at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel in Kuwait City, and focused on a vast range of key topics to highlight current trends and future security issues that affect the virtual security of organisations and interfere in business efficiency.
The summit hosted 250 plus key attendees from across the Middle East to discuss partner and form new ideas, policies and present the latest technological advancements that can help in battling cybercrime.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and is transforming the way we work and live,” said Eng. Salim Al Ozainah, Chairman and CEO, Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA).
“This calls for a significant need for cybersecurity to be on the agenda of every organisation in the country and the wider region.
“The RCS Summit is a cornerstone of our effort to create shared learning and dialogue regarding cybersecurity challenges and facilitate the exchange of information, ideas, solutions and emerging practices that could improve security posture in the region.
“We commend the efforts of partners like Microsoft for their participation in this event and sharing the best practices to empower governments and organisations take the right security measures.”
The RCS Summit covered keynote presentations, case studies, panel discussions, and technology showcases and demos to enhance the knowledge and understanding of all delegates and attendees to deal with various aspects of cyberthreats and digital security issues.
Mohamed Zayed, Cybersecurity Lead for Microsoft Kuwait, delivered a keynote session titled The Culture Transformation for Identities and Information Protection in a Cloud Era that was focused on how organisations can improve their security by moving to the intelligent cloud, adopting modern platforms, and embracing comprehensive identity, security and management solutions to drive a secure Digital Transformation. He also highlighted the importance of building a culture of data and information security across the organisations.
A recent Microsoft study surveyed nearly 1,000 GCC-based organisations and found that over 80% of large Gulf enterprises were still using usernames and passwords as the exclusive means of log-in to corporate networks.
While 11% use multi-factor authentication, 7% reported using fingerprint-scanning, and just under 1% had adopted facial recognition. Additionally, 41% admitted to having clicked on links within unsolicited emails from unknown parties and just over 61% said their organisation did not yet have a data-classification solution in place.
“The past few years have seen a rise in cyberattacks in the region and around the world,” said Charles Nahas, General Manager, Microsoft Kuwait. “Organisations must act now to secure their business environment and protect their customers. A holistic approach to security is key and must involve and end-to-end solution from the cloud to the edge, by a trusted provider. Microsoft has placed trust at the core its organisation, and we build security from the ground-up in our solutions to deliver the promise of guarding the digital estates of our customers, while they continue to achieve more with no boundaries. The RCS Summit is an ideal platform for us to highlight how our security technologies work in concert with each other to deliver a holistic security platform.”
Microsoft spends $1 billion annually on cybersecurity R&D; to protect its customers with constant vigilance through some of the industry’s most trusted practices. With the recent uptake in demand for its trusted cloud services, Microsoft earlier this year announced that it will deliver the secure, flexible and intelligent cloud for its regional customers through two dedicated cloud datacentres, one in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi; catering specifically to enterprises in the Middle East.
