GEC NEWS WIREQualys launched Qualys Cloud Platform in Saudi Arabia to help organizations across the Kingdom to localize their cybersecurity and comply with an array of regulatory requirements, including those related to data residency. “Qualys’ cloud service is built for visibility in a cloud-first world, helping public and private enterprises to take back control of their environments while ensuring that data remains within their domestic borders,” said Hadi Jaafarawi, Managing Director, Middle East, at Qualys.
“Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors are transforming rapidly to align with the principles set out in Vision 2030, but recent expansions in the attack surface, brought about by cloud migration and remote work, make these innovators prime targets for threat actors. Entities like NCA [National Cybersecurity Authority] and SAMA [Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, the Kingdom’s central bank] are implementing cybersecurity regulations that protect citizens and residents, such as mandating hosting of data in-country. The Saudi Qualys Cloud Platform is the ideal solution for companies and government entities looking for flexible visibility and control while ensuring they remain compliant with these new regulations.”
Saudi Arabia is currently the largest ICT market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region and according to IDC, cybersecurity spending in the Kingdom stands at 2.77B SAR (approx. US$720M) in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 12.7% from 2021 – 2026. As the Kingdom’s technology investment moves from an infrastructure- and product-centric model towards value-added professional services, government authorities have recognized the need to secure disparate architectures. Recent regulatory additions have concentrated on vulnerability, patch management and data residency.
These regulations were the driving force in Qualys’ decision to launch its cloud offering in the country. The service offers vendor consolidation and out-of-the-box local compliance while empowering security teams with a scalable solution that offers comprehensive visibility across global IT, OT, cloud, mobile and SaaS setups through a single interface.
Jaafarawi explained, “Qualys applications will be accessible on the Saudi Qualys Cloud Platform enabling SOCs to have a complete and continuously updated view of all IT assets from a single interface, eliminating legacy information silos. Provisioning more apps is a matter of a single checkbox, and because the apps are hosted in the cloud, maintenance and updates are automated. Cloud-native security that works with your organization organically creates a safer environment in the age of multi-cloud and remote-work models. Such solutions represent significant time and cost savings, especially regarding regulatory compliance.”
“Saudi Arabia’s progress on Vision 2030 is very much a digital journey with digital challenges,” said Abdulrahman Al-Manea, Chief Product Management and Marketing Officer, at sirar by stc, the key Qualys MSSP partner for Saudi Qualys Shared Cloud Platform (SCP). An increasing number of organizations in the Kingdom are choosing sirar by stc’s range of solutions to navigate the modern threat landscape and secure their digital environment. The Qualys Saudi Cloud Platform expands the range of services we offer customers, providing scalable solutions that fulfill multiple security use cases across the cyber threat lifecycle, from detection to prioritization and response, helping to reduce cyber risk and safeguard their digital future.”
