05.12.2021
Cybersecurity experts affirmed that the growing cyber threats in Bahrain and the world necessitate Bahraini organizations to develop their CISO duties, especially because standard information security strategies are no longer sufficient to safeguard them from piracy that targets data and money.
This was discussed at a webinar held by NGN International, a full-service systems integrator and Managed Security Service Provider based in Bahrain, as part of the “NGN Majlis”‘ efforts to improve awareness of cyber security among Bahrain’s institutions and individuals.
This webinar, according to the company’s CEO and IT expert Yaqoob Al Awadhi, reviewed the challenges currently facing Bahraini institutions with the comeback of employees to office work, particularly institutions that have not adequately trained their employees on how to deal with cybercriminals’ attempts to penetrate databases and email using malware, spoofing, and social engineering. This is in addition to instructing employees not to use open Wi-Fi networks in public places on corporate laptops to avoid hacking incidents.
The panel of local experts discussed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s new regulations and compliance in the field of digital transformation, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, and how they have affected the security culture of Bahraini institutions, as well as encouraging international companies to invest in the Kingdom. Also, the speakers stressed the important role organizations such as NGN International play in fostering local associations and cybersecurity platforms, such as NGN Majlis.
Mr. Khalid Waheed, Chief Information Security Officer at Al Baraka Islamic Bank, stressed the importance of increasing the number of Bahrainis in technical fields such as cyber security, and the importance of identifying a field of interest, before pursuing professional certification. He pointed out that there are many rewarding job opportunities in front of them, and he advised national cadres to seek out learning resources that will secure their placement in advanced learning courses that will fulfill the needs of the current and future labor markets.
The webinar’s participants stressed the importance of hiring reputable local cybersecurity firms that can assist the company’s CISO in carrying out his responsibilities of ensuring that employees, policies, business processes, operations, and equipment are proactively protected from cyber threats by subjecting them to continuous monitoring. , This is in addition to building contingency plans and incident management to guarantee that, in the case of a cyber-attack, the institution is able to get back to work as soon as possible.