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The United Arab Emirates is known for being a place where the impossible becomes reality. From the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, to iconic man-made islands like the Palm Jumeirah, this is a country where visions can come true.
Two decades ago, Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the UAE, embarked on a physical transformation that saw the entire region emerge from the sand and sea to create what is now one of the world’s truly global destinations. Now, it’s time for an even bigger digital transformation, one that is being orchestrated across the UAE and has an impact on the world.
If needed, evidence can be found in the lobby of the Dubai World Trade Centre during October’s GITEX GLOBAL 2022 event, which became the world’s largest tech gathering. With over 100,000 attendees, a hall showcasing over 1,000 startups, and new areas dedicated to coding and virtual worlds, the UAE is coming together to become a global hub for Web 3.0.
Just a few days ago, Business executives Gain exclusive access to a startup innovation lab that can deliver a key component of all the promises of Web 3.0 – cybersecurity.
a joint initiative between UAE Government, Abu Dhabi Institute of Technology and HuaweiThis Network Pulse Innovation Lab Designed to bridge the widening and deepening talent gap in cybersecurity — some reports estimate as many as 4 million cyber job vacancies worldwide.
Just as the UAE has pledged to train or attract 100,000 programmers as part of its inspiring 50-person project, it will train the next generation of UAE cyber experts to protect the nation and set new global standards of excellence.
Training for the future of cybersecurity jobs
His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security of the UAE Government, delivered an opening speech at the Abu Dhabi Institute of Technology Business executives.
“I would say that the Cyber Pulse Innovation Lab at Abu Dhabi Institute of Technology is just the beginning – my vision is to have a cybersecurity lab in most, if not all, higher education institutions in the UAE,” HE Al – Kuwaiti said.
“The reason is simple – the cybersecurity capacity building program requires aspiring cybersecurity professionals to have a solid foundation in understanding the rigor and need to secure cyberspace. The lab therefore provides an opportunity for hands-on practice.”
Taking network theory from the classroom to a lab setting and working directly with technology vendors like Huawei means students will be able to understand real-time threats and solutions, preparing them for the enterprise roles they can land on Get ready for a run. And this cooperation with Huawei is just the beginning.
“After Huawei leads the way, as more and more vendors come on board, they will provide a vendor-specific capability that will be useful from an applied research and learning perspective, which will enable students to more relevant to the industry,” HE Al-Kuwait.
In addition to its numerous initiatives to attract technology innovators and talent to the UAE, the country is also committed to providing future employment opportunities for Emiratis – the widening cybersecurity skills gap is both an opportunity and a practical solution .
HE Al-Kuwaiti acknowledged that the biggest challenge at the moment is the acute shortage of cybersecurity talent globally. With the rapid adoption of digital transformation over the past three years, the talent gap has widened in terms of being able to find the right people with the right expertise in the right places.
According to the 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, there is a global shortage of 2.72 million skilled cybersecurity workers. The workforce gap remains the number one barrier to meeting their organization’s security needs, with 60 percent saying cybersecurity staffing shortages are putting their organizations at risk, cybersecurity professionals said in the study.
“The consequences of cybersecurity staffing shortages are real and create challenges for an organization’s success,” added HE Al-Kuwaiti. “The right approach to cybersecurity can accelerate organizational transformation by balancing risk and innovation, which is why in cybersecurity we’re always talking about people, processes, and technology — where people are always the weakest link .”
Building cyber resilience from the UAE to the world
While cybersecurity is high on the corporate agenda, anecdotal evidence from chief information security officers (CISOs) suggests that their warnings are often ignored or severely underfunded. It may also be one of the reasons why networking professionals say they are struggling with workload and stress. And let’s not forget other high-profile events that have highlighted the need to improve sustainability and supply chain resilience. By their very nature, cyberattacks are often covert matters or affect people in less visible ways, or gain less social media attention. However, HE Al Kuwaiti believes the situation is changing.
“We are seeing cybersecurity as a top priority to address the difficulty of understanding and mitigating associated risks for executive management teams and boards,” he said. “This is where we see CISOs getting more airtime and respect, but it’s not enough. In addition to working with the UAE’s executive management team and company boards, we need to motivate CISOs. UAE Cybersecurity The Committee fully supports GISEC’s initiative to create an Inner Circle of Information Security Leaders, a gathering of an extraordinary coalition of senior cybersecurity experts to create a fellowship to discuss key challenges to help the UAE build cyber resilience for businesses — and from the UAE to the world. We must first take ourselves seriously and position ourselves correctly before others take us seriously.”
This is a fair point. For the UAE to become a global leader in cybersecurity, it needs to believe it can be achieved. Fortunately, you only need to admire the 828-meter Burj Khalifa in downtown Dubai and the soaring towers of Dubai Marina from one of the many five-star hotels built on palm trees to realize that all you need is a strong Vision and firm leadership.
“The UAE aspires to be the top trusted digital hub in the world and we are working towards that,” said HE Al-Kuwaiti. “Initiatives like the Abu Dhabi Institute of Technology’s Cyber Pulse Innovation Centre and CISO Circle are just some of the strategies to tackle the ‘people’ problem.
“With the forthcoming release of the latest UAE National Cyber Security Strategy for the next three years, you will see a comprehensive strategy on how to close the gaps in ‘process’ and ‘technology’ that will make the UAE the strongest The fortress of the digital world.”
Cybersecurity is a team sport and partnerships are critical
In addition to vision and strategy, partnerships are also critical, and the UAE Cybersecurity Council advocates a public-private partnership or PPP approach to addressing cybersecurity challenges.
“Cybersecurity is a team sport and cannot be adequately addressed by one person, one organization or one country alone,” said HE Al-Kuwait.
“Collaboration with industry is crucial because it brings together all stakeholders of the digital ecosystem with a common vision and they can pool resources effectively,” he said.
“Only in this way can we not only tackle cybersecurity challenges, but also make the UAE the world’s most trusted digital hub. I hope to see more partners follow Huawei’s lead and join Abu Dhabi Institute of Technology’s Cyber Pulse Innovation Hub, because the UAE is leading a cybersecurity revolution and we are protecting not only the UAE, but the world as a whole.”
• This exclusive interview appears in the November 2022 issue of Business Chief magazine.
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