Huawei Chooses UAE As Cyber Security Hub

Cyber security is moving extremely fast in the Middle East and the requirements for cyber security have increased significantly as more companies become aware that they need to have a comprehensive cyber security strategy. Now, Huawei is  working with various government agencies to to establish the UAE as a “globally trusted digital oasis” that is safe from potential cyber threats, according to its chief security officer for the UAE.

The Chinese-based company international telecommunications group has created the new post of regional  CSO to help the Emirates achieve its goal of setting up smart cities and e-governments while “keeping the nation’s critical infrastructure safe”, said Huwei's Aloysius Cheang.

“The Middle East has been an exciting region for us given the enormous scale of developments that are underway that can be empowered by technology. This is epitomised by the rapid development of 5G that has exceeded many expectations... Computing power also plays an integral role in enabling businesses when it works in parallel with 5G. The region today is more connected than at any point in history”, said  the President of Huawei Middle East, Charles Yang. 

Huawei was also appointed co-chair of the 5G security working group of the Organisation of the Islamic Co-operation's computer emergency response team at the recently held Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference in Dubai.
It was given the mandate to ensure end-to-end cyber security for OIC member states. 

Huawei is working to train local UAE  talent in cyber security and enter into public-private partnerships (PPP) to create a “robust security system”.

“The cyber threat landscape is continuously changing ... it knows no borders. Every day is a new challenge, it will hit you without you even knowing it ... like what happened with the SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline breaches... To build local capacity and enable a foolproof environment, we aim to have more cyber security professionals on ground.” Huawei said in a statement.

Huawei, which has been accused by the US of carrying out espionage through its products, a charge it has repeatedly denied, is one of the main players in the countrywide installation of 5G networks in the UAE.

Rapid digitisation and the growing number of connected devices have increased the cyber threat risk faced by companies and people, particularly in the Middle East and the cost of a data breach in the UAE and Saudi Arabia rose by 9.4 per cent last year to $6.53 million a breach on average, according to IBM Security. The figure is higher than the global average of $3.86m a breach and is the second-highest average among the 17 regions surveyed.

“Huawei is always trying to do more and increase its security investment in this region....  Most of the cyber criminals are motivated by quick financial gains. Due to the presence of many high-worth targets in the Middle East, this region is always on the radar of cyber criminals.” said Mr Cheang, although e did not specify how much Huawei aims to invest in the UAE.

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