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Sunday, 25 February 2018 Blog ehdf

An assessment of the state of Cyber Security in the EMEA region

Cyber crime and the associated security threats are evolving far more rapidly than the ability of organizations to provide credible deterrence and response. Transnational – indeed global – attacks are becoming commonplace, with an exponential rise in the sophistication of hackers and hacking operations. The financial services, energy and healthcare sectors are, historically, especially of concern in UAE cyber security environment.

The transforming threat landscape and a dearth of specialist manpower is driving enterprises towards the scalability, specialized expertise and predictable operating expenses of Managed Security Services in Dubai. Security compliance in cloud deployments – especially public cloud usage – is of particular concern in the region. Managed security services in Dubai report that diverse and complex IT security solutions, interoperability gaps across threat intelligence, and reducing return on investment into IT security solutions are the key concerns.

Cyber-Crime in the Middle East

According to a March 2016 PwC survey, cyber crime induced losses in the Middle East far exceeded other regions. 56% of the respondents in the region lost more than $500,000 compared to 33% globally, and 13% – as opposed to an international average of 9% – lost three or more working days, compared to 9%. 85% of respondents in the Middle East reported such incidents – compared to a global average of 79%.

18% of top end respondents in the region experienced more than 5,000 attacks – higher than any other region, and against a global average of 9%. The attacks in question range from the actual theft of data, to coordinated spam emails or phishing attempts. A greater prevalence of malware and more than typical fax based scams makes it hard for businesses in the region to track threats centrally.

Two-thirds of the UAE respondents to a recent Palo Alto Networks survey reported 1 to 10 cloud-based applications. Or these, 15% had 11 to 20 and 9% more than 21 applications. 26% of the responding enterprises in the UAE, with 26% had adopted private cloud deployments and a further 15% the public cloud. 46% reported an actual or suspected security incident, yet – for more than 50% – firewall and password protection were among the top security systems that their companies deployed.

An emerging response in the region and likely trends

Integrated security dashboards, compatible analytical feeds and threat intelligence, common platforms for multivendor security solutions, and managed security services are some of the latest trends the region has on offer. A comprehensive and consistent hybrid security solution, including across an organization’s architecture cloud footprint, is now a prerequisite. Automated deployment and policy updates, as well as a scalable, secure architecture across cloud services, is the need of the hour. The diversified mix of physical data centers, private and public clouds etc. necessitates unified visibility and consistent security policies across physical and virtual assets. Solutions need centrally managed security services to optimize resources and control workloads, while concurrently preventing the lateral movement of threats.

Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) in Dubai too are developing solutions that incorporate advanced analytics for detecting, investigating and managing increasingly dynamic threats and attack vectors. Enhanced insights, based on extensive experience with potential threats beyond the scope of an individual enterprise allow MSSPs to protect mission-critical data and systems while conforming to the highest standards. Concurrently, pressures in the economy are forcing organizations to lower operational costs, underscoring the desirability of Managed IT Security as a feasible solution.

eHDF reconciles enhanced operational capabilities, specialized expertise and cost advantages

eHDF now offers a comprehensive suite of Managed Security Services which include Real Time Threat Monitoring, DDoS services, SIEM services, Advanced Threat Protection, Data Loss Prevention, Active/Active and Active/Passive Disaster Recovery automation solutions, Global load balancing, Web Application Firewall, WAN optimization, Single Sign-on and Reverse Proxy/Publishing capability and Snapshot Service with Recovery; providing customers faster backup and recovery.

Also, our recently launched Cyber Defence Centre in the UAE offers a portfolio of Managed Security Services along with Remote Managed Security Information and Event Management Services (SIEM), delivered either within eHDF’s Data Centre, on customer premises or in the Cloud.