Jeevan ThankappanGlobal Healthcare Company (GHC) is one of the fastest-growing companies in the healthcare and beauty sectors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2008, the company introduced a unique concept of combining health and beauty shops in one location.
GHC operates two distinct brands in the market. The first is Whites, a well-known brand specializing in beauty and healthcare products. The second is Kunooz, which focuses on the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, GHC complements its operations with a wholesale division, the National Distribution Company (NDC), which manages various brands. NDC primarily imports a wide range of products from overseas and distributes them within the Saudi market.
Currently, GHC operates 120 stores across more than 20 cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and employs over 1,000 staff members.
Cybersecurity is a cornerstone of GHC’s digital transformation journey. “Especially in the retail business, there are many initiatives that need to be implemented to stay up-to-date with the rapid pace of market transformation. We must respond quickly to market changes and evolving customer needs,” says Majed Shahin, CTO of GHC.
As part of its digital transformation, GHC initially focused on building a secure foundation for its IT infrastructure. This included selecting the right ERP system, point-of-sale system, and e-commerce platform. Once the foundation was established, GHC integrated tools to enhance customer engagement, such as loyalty programs, CRM systems, and automated marketing tools.
Currently, GHC is building upon this foundation by integrating advanced tools and technologies that enable quicker responses to market changes while enhancing customer engagement.
GHC began its cybersecurity transformation with an assessment, followed by a phased implementation of recommendations. “We started with the initial stage, focusing on basic security measures such as firewalls, antivirus software, and enforcing strong passwords for all critical data and systems,” Majed explains.
Following this, GHC moved to the next stage, risk awareness. In this phase, the company developed security policies, trained employees, and raised awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. “We emphasized that cybersecurity is not just a cost but a business enabler,” Majed notes.
The company then advanced to the transformation phase, also known as the integrated security stage. Here, cybersecurity became an integral part of GHC’s overall strategy and culture. Advanced threat protection and detection tools, including EDR and XDR, were implemented during this phase.
“This is not the end of the journey,” Majed stresses. “Cybersecurity is a continuous process—it requires ongoing improvements to stay ahead of evolving threats.”
A key highlight of GHC’s cybersecurity transformation was its partnership with Secureworks. “We searched for an advanced tool for threat detection, protection, and response. After evaluating several options, we selected Secureworks for its XDR and MDR offerings,” says Majed.
Secureworks stood out for its comprehensive solutions, which include advanced threat detection, real-time intelligence, and rapid incident response. “Their end-to-end protection covers endpoints, servers, networks, and even cloud environments,” Majed added. Another decisive factor was the business intelligence embedded in Secureworks’ tools, which significantly reduced the workload for GHC’s cybersecurity team by automating detection and response processes.
“This level of automation, powered by AI and business intelligence, is a major advantage of Secureworks’ solutions,” Majed concludes.
