COUNTRY FOCUS : SAUDI ARABIA
Inadequate cloud security practices are leaving organisations in Saudi Arabia susceptible to data breaches , according to new research from Illumio .
Source : Partly excerpted from IDC , Oxford Business Group ,
International Trade Administration
The purpose of the initiative is to transform Saudi Arabia into the main data centre hub for the region , by working closely with the private sector , including local and international investors , to achieve this goal . Saudi Arabia ’ s strategic location allows global cloud service providers to serve the MENA region . The key hyperscalers that have established cloud regions in the GCC region include Oracle , AWS , Microsoft and Google .
At the end of 2023 , SAP and Saudi Cloud Computing Company , a subsidiary of stc Group , formed a significant partnership focused on strengthening collaboration in the realm of digital transformation in Saudi Arabia . As part of this partnership , SAP solutions will be hosted locally in SCCC data centres , providing enhanced data security .
The collaboration allows businesses to use the SaaS model by leveraging SAP ' s advanced features that come with an ERP system . The innovation is hosted on a secure , integrated infrastructure , reducing latency and data sovereignty issues .
Taking advantage of regional cloud hosting , Riyadh Air and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding to drive innovation and sustainability across Saudi Arabia ’ s aviation sector . As part of the agreement , Riyadh Air has selected Microsoft ’ s Azure cloud platform as its preferred platform for accelerating digital transformation and will leverage the highly secure , scalable , and reliable platform to improve operational efficiency and customer service .
The announcement will see both organisations collaborating to leverage Big Data , Artificial Intelligence , copilot experiences , the Metaverse , and Virtual Reality to enhance Riyadh Air ’ s offerings , services , and operational models .
Riyadh Air and Microsoft will also jointly establish a Centre of Excellence that will provide a structured framework for driving innovation and delivering substantial business benefits for both organisations . Microsoft will also extend its technical expertise to Riyadh Air by offering guidance in architecture design , scalability , security reviews , and more . This support will empower Riyadh Air to make the most of their journey on Azure .
While the government of Saudi Arabia has mandated a cloud first approach , training in cyber security is also essential . Inadequate cloud security practices are leaving organisations in Saudi Arabia susceptible to data breaches , according to new research from Illumio . The Illumio Cloud Security Index found that 54 % of breaches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia now originate in the cloud , costing organisations US $ 2.3m annually .
This is particularly concerning given that over three quarters , 76 % of respondents are running high-value applications in the cloud ; 100 % of respondents admit to storing sensitive data in the cloud ; 98 % say a cloud breach would impact their operations , with nearly half , 46 % admitting a cloud breach would make maintaining normal operations impossible ; 70 % of respondents believe that cloud security in their own company is inadequate and represents a major risk , higher than the global average , 63 %.
Fears about inadequate security practices are likely down to an inability to see and respond to risks in the cloud ; 97 % say they need better visibility of connectivity with third-party software . This lack of visibility is impacting organisations ' ability to respond to attacks , with 97 % saying they need to improve their reaction time to cloud breaches . 98 % are also concerned that the connectivity between their cloud services and on-prem environments increases the likelihood of a breach .
Respondents are also concerned about the consequences of attacks via the cloud . Service downtime is deemed to be the biggest risk , 38 %, a lot higher than the global average of 29 %, demonstrating the criticality of the cloud for business . This was followed by a loss of productivity , 35 %, and lawsuits , 33 %, a lot higher than the global average of 21 %.
Research by Riverbed has found that Saudi organisations must employ high standards for the digital employee experience , DEX in order to remain competitive and retain talent , in particular for younger generation employees who would otherwise consider leaving the company .
With the ongoing high investments in technology , there is no doubt that Saudi Arabia is well on its way on the digital transformation journey .
But progress cannot be in isolation and must include other facets of the intelligent economy as well including , people , culture and education , which have longer cycles of transformation . p
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