Summit to focus on cybersecurity: Bahrain

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Bahrain’s ambition to become a cybersecurity centre of excellence will be a key focus of the upcoming first Arab International Cyber Security Summit (AICS), officials have said.

Taking place under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the first ever event of its kind lined up for December 6 to 8 this year at the Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir, has drawn interest from all over the world, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph already confirmed as attendees.

Organisers of the event, led by National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, told a Press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay yesterday that the event will be a important platform hosting executives, IT experts as well as engineers and open doors for key decisions leading to better protection of digital assets.

Shaikh Salman explained that new developments in the ICT sector have prompted public and private sectors to take real steps towards understanding their needs for safeguarding their connectivity, especially with the fact that work has begun to launch the next generation 5.5G networks which will make the process of data sharing faster than ever.

He was joined by Amal Al Murbati, managing director and board member of Faalyat Company, the organiser of the event, and Simon Mellor, chief executive of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, Faalyat’s co-organising partner.

The event also included a discussion on the cyber-security market in Bahrain by a panel of experts comprising, Dr Jassim Haji, president of the International Group of Artificial Intelligence, Mohammed Alnoaimi, director of technology and network security at Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Mishal Al Hellow, director of technology at Arcapita, along side Shaikh Salman.

The experts emphasised that the conference would help shape key decisions in strengthning cybersecurity.

The discussion also addressed the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field, while stressing the significance of developing human capital to ensure protection of digital assets and secure connectivity.