RIYADH, 9 November 2007 — The Kingdom has been ranked second among the GCC countries massively affected by Internet security threats in the wake of the rapid growth in commerce and business and the stiff competition in the mobile communications industry.
The UAE tops the list and Kuwait comes third among the countries in the Middle East as the source of most origin of attacks and vulnerability to information hackers, according to a market study conducted by PRO TECHnology, a leading communication, security and storage solutions provider, and one of the sponsors of the Symantec Vision Riyadh 2007, an IT security seminar which will be held in Riyadh on Nov. 12.
IT security will also be the focus of the Information Technology and National Security Conference which will be held here under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah next month. The conference, which is being organized by the General Presidency of Intelligence, will deal with a number of security threats emanating from the use of information technology.
Several individuals and organizations have reported loss of data and fraudulent credit card transactions entailing losses for the credit card-holders. Though the amount is reimbursed, it is a time-consuming process requiring cancellation and re-issuance of the credit card and loss of time for the holder.
According to Abdullah Almutrif, managing partner, PRO TECHnology - KSA branch, the network attached storage (NAS) market is set to expand by 40 percent next year as a growing number of companies in the Gulf states have realized the importance of data protection.
He said the Riyadh seminar, which will be attended by over 400 IT experts from all over the Kingdom, will highlight the alarmingly high rate of internet security threats in the Kingdom, which largely undermine the safety of confidential corporate information.
In addition, research has also shown that the rapid innovation of new broadband technologies has led to an increase in data theft incidences and the creation of malicious codes to steal confidential information. While the origin of attacks is from the Gulf states themselves, another source of attacks is the US.
Abdullah Almutrif, Managing Partner, PRO TECHnology (KSA branch), said: “The ever-increasing data security issues, in addition to the projected growth of the network attached storage market, has presented us with both great challenges and opportunities to improve our integrated solutions. Our goal of tapping into the booming Saudi market has steeled our determination to improve our standing as a top security solutions provider amid a growing demand, by heavily investing in our own internal resources and nurturing new long term business relationships with clients.”
The Kingdom accounts for 40 percent of total computer and IT application sales in the Middle East, cumulatively worth around $5 billion.
PC and notebook sales continue to soar, while a surge in Internet usage, e-commerce and e-banking services is pushing the sales of related hardware and software applications. The demand is projected to double between 2006 and 2010 to reach $12.1 billion.