Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 33 | Page 19

NEWS Council for tech start- ups in Jordan established Raytheon selected as cybersecurity advisor to the Royal Hashemite Court in Jordan T he Information and Communications Technology Association (ICTA) has pledged support for tech start-ups in Jordan through establishing a council for those founding such companies. Bashar Hawamdeh, Chairman of ICTA, said the new Jordan Tech Start-ups Leaders Council will contribute to overcoming the obstacles these companies face. These challenges include access to funding, meeting with local, regional and international investors and financial institutions, along with enhancing human capital. Hawamdeh added that the development will also support the exchange of knowledge and expertise among local, regional and international start-ups, as well as working closely to help start-ups in all of Jordan’s governorates work together. ICTA has launched several initiatives to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem since its establishment in 2000. It has started with amending its rules of procedure in order to exempt start-ups from membership fees in the first year. The organisation also launched the Blue Ocean Council and established public incubator Darat Al Reyada, in co-operation with Amman Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. This is in addition to the 1000 Entrepreneurs National Initiative, which seeks to achieve one of the Royal Initiative REACH 2025 objectives, through promoting the work, co-operation and co-ordination between all supporting bodies in the entrepreneurship environment in the kingdom. R aytheon Company has been selected as the cybersecurity advisor to the Royal Hashemite Court of the Kingdom of Jordan. The company’s intelligence, information and services business will provide cyber- protection solutions and counsel to help defend critical systems and infrastructure across the kingdom. “The cyberthreat is increasing globally,” said Dave Wajsgras, President of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “We’ve been protecting large scale systems for decades and know how to help nations protect themselves from those who want to exploit our interconnected world. That’s what we do.” Raytheon will provide the Royal Hashemite Court with cybersecurity services to protect its critical infrastructure systems, including conducting vulnerability assessments, cybertest range services, www.intelligentcio.com cybergovernance and policy strategy. The royal aviation fleet will undergo a holistic vulnerability assessment to ensure all integrated systems are hardened and resilient to cyberattacks. Raytheon’s experience, advanced technology, and commercial best practices enable the company to identify and mitigate threats to systems, networks and equipment for global commercial and government organisations. Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of US$25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specialising in defence, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. n INTELLIGENTCIO 19