The UAE is at the forefront of digitalisation. The visionary leadership of the UAE recently established the Council for Digital Economy, which will support the newly launched UAE Digital Economy Strategy, aiming to double the contribution of the digital economy sector to the UAE’s GDP over the next ten years.
With this increasing focus on enhancing digitalisation and strengthening the country’s strong knowledge-based economy, protecting data has never been more critical than it is today.
Our personal information is used and shared constantly, from purchasing goods and services to running businesses, governments, and economies; and it has also never been more vulnerable to leaks, threats, and irreparable loss.
What was once a discrete CIO, CISO, or CLO concern is now a comprehensive business imperative.
The number of ransomware attacks globally surged by an astonishing 151 percent in the first half of 2021.
A recent report highlighted that the Middle East and Africa region was the fourth-most attacked region worldwide, noting that the UAE was the most attacked country in the region, followed by Saudi Arabia.
These figures reiterate the need for organisations to employ both a resilient and future-proof data management strategy.
Data has never been more valuable or vulnerable for organisations, and the rise of ransomware and other security threats has put us on guard.
With a rapid shift to the cloud, coupled with a growing number of companies implementing work from home policies, there is a significant increase to the risk profile and exposure of organisations.
This also places tremendous pressure on the IT, security, and legal professionals who must navigate these complexities to protect organisations, customers, and communities.
There needs to be a significant shift in the way we manage our data. Businesses need a unified architecture and approach to protect data of employees, customers, and constituents.
By implementing a more comprehensive Intelligent Data Management platform, IT and security professionals alike can look across their entire ecosystem to identify data sources, and simplify data organisation, regardless of where it is located and how it is managed.
This enables businesses to spot anomalous activity and vulnerabilities, remediate risks, reduce redundant data, and implement automated policies to protect data and work to meet global privacy regulations and compliance requirements.
An Intelligent Data Management Platform is the best approach to mitigating exposure and risk today and to be ready for this ever-evolving global regulatory environment and relentless threat landscape.
While technology plays a critical role, intelligently managing data privacy and risk starts with establishing a cross-functional team of data-minded experts and partners to develop a plan and execute on a customised strategy.
Fady Richmany, Regional Vice President – South Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (SEEMEA) at Commvault.
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