The UAE takes cyber protection seriously
DUBAI, UAE, December 16, 2021 – Acronis, the global leader in cyber protection, hosted its Dubai CyberFit Summit last week at the W Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah – the third stop in the Acronis World Tour, which is an ongoing industry event series dedicated to bringing cyber protection to the world.
Acronis also simultaneously released the Acronis Cyberthreats Report 2022, an in-depth review of the cyber threat trends which warns that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are at particular risk based on the attack trends seen during the last six months of the year.
The event, which took place on December 8-9th, engaged world-class cybersecurity and industry experts and provided an in-depth look at how companies can enhance their IT infrastructure capabilities – with a particular focus on MSPs, the backbone of channel business, coming under increased attention from cybercriminals. The hybrid event hosted over 400 in-person attendees from across the globe and hundreds more participants joined the summit virtually as well.
“The Acronis #CyberFit Summit World Tour 2021 is where our partners come together to learn, grow their business and network,” said Patrick Pulvermueller, Chief Executive Officer at Acronis. “Dubai was a fantastic stop for our tour and it was great to see our very active local partners in person. The region has so much to offer and I look forward to being back soon in 2022.”
At the event, attendees heard from world-renowned speakers and experts for various keynotes and sessions including Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator and the CEO and Founder of The Black Swan Group Ltd. Representatives from Abu Dhabi Police, Lt.Colonel. Dr.Hamad Khalifa Al Nueimi, the Head of Telecom Division at the Infrastructure Dept (ICT Center) of Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, and Dr. Humaid Alshamsi, Artificial Intelligence Expert, shared their expertise on how to protect smart cities and how the United Arab Emirates have done such an inspiring job at leveraging technologies in their government services.
“I believe that technology is an inherent part of our daily life and is used in almost everything we do: work, family environment, education, government or health services. For Law Enforcement agents, it is necessary to always be prepared and well educated about the latest solutions that can be used in our society, especially since Abu Dhabi and Dubai have both been recognized as the safest cities in the world. Acronis #CyberFit Summit 2021 is a great opportunity to show and learn more about technology as well as networking while sharing experience and knowledge” said Lt.Colonel. Dr.Hamad Khalifa Al Nueimi, the Head of Telecom Division at the Infrastructure Dept (ICT Center) of Abu Dhabi Police GHQ
Latest regional number highlights from our EMEA CPOC (Cyber Protection Operation Center):
- UAE ranked 33 globally for ransomware detections, a 63% increase from rank 58 in Oct 2021
- South Africa ranked 30 globally for ransomware detections, with a 64% increase from Oct 2021
- Ransomware detections in GCC increased by 75% in November compared to Oct 2021
Key trends and predictions for 2022
Acronis is raising awareness about the impact of cyber threats on MSPs and small businesses; the Acronis Cyberthreats Report 2022 also noted:
- Phishing attacks are rampant.
- Data exfiltration continues to increase.
- Remote workers continue to be a prime target.
Check out the findings for the first half of 2021 in our Acronis Cyberthreats Report: Mid-year 2021
Acronis was also pleased to pre-announce the opening of two data centers in Africa: Nigeria and South Africa in Q2 2022! Finalisations are in process and the ongoing plan of 110 data centres worldwide in two years is well on track.