7th edition of GCC Security Symposium Saudi Arabia

After the successful event in Qatar, Security Symposium held in Saudi Arabia witnessed an overwhelming response from CISOs, BCM heads, Risk and Resilience officers, and technology heads gathered for an unforgettable event. Security Symposium set its sights firmly on demonstrating the latest trends and concerns on cybersecurity. The event showcased the remarkable commitment and dedication of Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity community, highlighting the vital role they play in protecting businesses, infrastructure, and individuals from cyber risks.

Attendees and keynote speakers were welcomed by Anushree Dixit, Global Head – Content & Strategic Alliance, GEC Media Group. She shared the vision and aim of the GCC Security Symposium which is an ideal platform to gain exceptional knowledge on how an agile BCM plan will bring increased flexibility and agility to every organization. Adnan Ahmed, Lead Specialist – Business Continuity & Risk, Maaden – Saudi Arabian Mining Company, kicked off the event with his opening keynote on Business Continuity Implementation Challenges in the Kingdom.

The event had a closer look into how leaders in BCM and Risk management are helping companies to build a strong business case for business continuity and crisis\risk management. The event was joined by some expert speakers like Muzammil Riyaz, Founder, BlueFinn GRC, who speaks about ‘Pathbreaking GRC Solution for Middle East’, Bader Ramadan Ismail Shaath, Senior Solutions Engineer, Enterprise, Cloudflare, who shared his knowledge on the topic ‘Everywhere Security for the New Digital Era’, Mustafa Farag, Presales Engineer – EMEA, Paessler AG who speaks on the topic ‘Keep An Eye On Your IT With Paessler PRTG’ and Niraj Mathur, Managing Director, Protiviti Middle East Member Firm who shared his views on the topic “Navigating Data Privacy in the Middle East”

The event was made a thought-provoking one by some inspirational Panel discussions and Fireside Chats.

The Panel discussion and Fireside Chat were held on the following topics by the following expert leaders:

Fireside Chat – What is the ROI of investing in a BCM Plan?

• Mohammad Hassan Abdullah, Business Continuity, IT Disaster Recovery, Crisis Management, Technology Risk and IT Governance, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare
• Riyaz Feroze, Security Strategy & Leadership, Program Delivery & IT Governance, BCM/ DR Delivery, IT services
• Saghir Ahmad Khan, Technical Program Manager, Saudi Business Machines
• Rajeesh Kumar, CTO, Mindifre Technologies
• Moderated by:  Adnan Ahmed, Lead Specialist – Business Continuity & Risk, Ma’aden (Saudi Arabian Mining Company)

Panel Discussion: State of Cloud Security in Modern Enterprises – 2023 & Beyond

• Dr. Srijith Nair, CISO, Careem
• Moayad Al Ghanmi, Director of Information & Cyber Security, King Abdullah Economic City
• Vikram Verma, Head of IT Governance, Security, and Project Delivery, Roshn
• Charbel Ghostine, Regional Cloud Alliance Manager (META), Barracuda
• Mohammad Ahmad Alomari, Director, Cyber Security & Privacy Management, Solutions by stc
• Moderated by: Saghir Ahmad Khan, Technical Program Manager, Saudi Business Machines

Panel Discussion: The State of BFSI Security & Risk Management in 2023

• Zidan Attia, Associate Manager Operational Risk & Risk Management, Islamic Development Bank
• Hatem Fallatah, Senior Risk Management Specialist, Center for National Health Insurance
• Abdelmajed A Saeed, Cyber Security GRC Manager, Insurance Sector
• Arsalan Yousuf, Director – Resilience & Crisis Management, Deloitte Middle East
• Moderated by: Eng. Mohammed Mahnashi, Information Technology Advisor, Government

The partners for the GCC Security Symposium KSA edition include BlueFinn (Platinum Partner), Amiviz, Protiviti, Cloudflare, OPX Technology (Gold Partners), Paessler PRTG, Mindfire Technologies, Finesse, Barracuda (Silver partners), and CAAS (Strategic Partner).

BCM & Risk Champions Awards, CISO Awards, and Future Security Leaders Awards identified the top security leaders and the hard taskmasters in the industry and recognized their excellent contributions to their major sectors.

The event was closed by Anushree Dixit, Global Head – Content & Strategic Alliance, GEC Media Group with her closing note.

GCC Security Symposium next edition will be happening in UAE on 25th May at Address Dubai Mall.

Event Pictures

Main Event Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAEjiT
Cyber Sentinal CISO Awards : https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAEp5C
BCM Awards : https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAEnR1
Future Security Awards: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAEp45