Riyadh: International Data Corporation (IDC) today hosted more than 200 of Saudi Arabia's most influential security decision makers at the Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski in Riyadh for the 2019 edition of the IDC Security Roadshow. Running under the theme of 'Business Security: Risk & Resilience', the finely-tuned event served as an exclusive information-sharing forum and networking platform for senior security executives from the Kingdom’s most prominent enterprises.

Uzair Mujtaba, IDC's program manager for IT services in Saudi Arabia, opened proceedings by presenting the event's keynote address, which was titled 'Security Strategies in the Era of Widespread Innovation'. "Organizations across the Middle East and Africa are increasingly trying to strike a balance between keeping the lights on and improving business agility," said Mujtaba. "Digital transformation strategies and shifting industry dynamics are driving them to innovate and experiment with new types of technologies, which in turn are creating a complex ecosystem that is beset by new IT security challenges. In this new era, IT security is no longer limited to protecting technology assets; it must also ensure business resiliency. Consequently, as digital transformation initiatives progress, the pressure is mounting on organizations to build business-level strategies for security."

The agenda featured a series of expert-led sessions that explored the very latest IT security best practices and stressed the need to build effective response plans as part of a comprehensive enterprise-wide security strategy that can adapt to rising threat complexities. The wide-ranging topics discussed over the course of the day included:

  • Adaptive Cyber Deception for Early & Accurate Threat Detection & Response
  • The Visible Attack Surface – What It Is and Why It Matters
  • Preparing a Cyber-Resilience Defense Strategy to Stay One Step Ahead
  • Combatting Today’s Advanced Attackers: Key Trends, Predictions, & the Need for Speed

Addressing the growing complexity of security threats as digital transformation becomes increasingly mainstream, Hamza Naqshbandi, IDC's country manager for Saudi Arabia, believes that Saudi organizations will need to embrace a more pervasive approach to security as they look to align themselves with the core objectives of the Kingdom's National Transformation Program.

"The benefits of undergoing such transformation are well known," says Naqshbandi. "However, the trade-off comes in the form of new security vulnerabilities and myriad issues relating to risk and trust as organizations continuously implement new technologies in an effort to meet growing customer demands for a seamless omniexperience. As such, there is a pressing need for security to become more pervasive; it needs to be embedded into the vision of the organization and treated as a core metric. In this era of digital transformation, organizations can no longer settle for standard security solutions; they must move forward by embracing a proactive approach to the issues of defense, protection, mitigation, compliance, trust, and risk.”

IDC's valued partners for the IDC Security Roadshow 2019 in Riyadh included IBM, Attivo Networks, Skybox Security, MIS, CrowdStrike, and BlackBerry as Platinum Partners; Carbon Black, Tripwire, and HP Inc. (in association with Intel) as Gold Partners; Qualys, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Malwarebytes, Advanced Electronics Company, Checkmarx, and Forcespot (in association with SGBox) as Silver Partners; and Global Knowledge and Lenovo (in association with Intel) as Exhibit Partners.

For more information about the IDC Security Roadshow 2019, please visit www.idcitsecurity.comor contact Sheila Manek at smanek@idc.com / +971 4 446 3154. You can also search for news or tweet about the event using the hashtag #IDCITSECURITY.

About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com . Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC.

IDC in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa
For the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region, IDC retains a coordinated network of offices in Riyadh, Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo, and Istanbul, with a regional center in Dubai. Our coverage couples local insight with an international perspective to provide a comprehensive understanding of markets in these dynamic regions. Our market intelligence services are unparalleled in depth, consistency, scope, and accuracy. IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey currently fields over 130 analysts, consultants, and conference associates across the region. To learn more about IDC MEA, please visit www.idc.com/mea . You can follow IDC MEA on Twitter at @IDCMEA.

© Press Release 2019

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.