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Bahraini experts in the fields of information technology and cybersecurity stated the recent confluence of events allowed zero trust to take significant importance in the world of cyber security, this is due to the rise of hybrid and remote work, the ongoing shift to cloud services, the continuing growth of mobile devices in the workplace, and an onslaught of sophisticated attacks that can impact entire supply chains.

They emphasized the need of keeping up with the latest network security and information systems solutions in Bahraini institutions of all types, to avoid the surge of international cyberattacks.

This was discussed in the “Zero Trust Security – Always Verify” Forum, which was held by NGN International, a full-fledged systems integrator and Managed Security Service Provider based in Bahrain. This is part of the “NGN Majlis”‘ efforts to enhance awareness of cyber security amongst Bahraini institutions and individuals, and it was held at NGN HQ at the World Trade Center in Manama.

The experts addressed Zero Trust and compliance, and how Zero Trust relates to other cyber security frameworks. In addition to Zero Trust streamlines cyber compliance, how Zero Trust Works, Zero Trust Architecture, and Zero Trust Policies. They stated that the zero-trust model, with its principal concept that users, devices, applications, and even networks should not be trusted by default — even if they are connected to a permissions network and even if they were previously verified — is well suited to today’s typical IT environment.

They affirmed that the term “zero trust” is used a lot in the cybersecurity market and can mean different things to different people. If done right, this approach should look at three things: a user’s credentials, the data that the user is trying to access, and the device (the endpoint) the user is employing to gain access. By combining the principle of least privilege with a modern approach leveraging contextual access, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and network access, enterprises can maintain a more agile security model that works well with a remote workforce and a cloud-heavy environment.

The key speakers at the forum included Ms. Najma Al-Wadi, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Tamkeen Mr. Hamad Saeed Abdulrahman, Director of Information and Communication Technology Directorate at King Hamad University Hospital, Mr. Khalid Waheed, Chief Information Security Officer at Al Baraka Islamic Bank, Mr. Hussain Altayeb, Lead – Cyber Security & Governance at Tatweer Petroleum, and moderated by Mr. Hasan Muhi, Operational Risk and Information Security Management / CISO & BCP Officer at Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain.

NGN CEO Mr. Yaqoob Al-Awadhi said that NGN continues to lead efforts to promote the importance of cybersecurity in Bahrain through this forum, as part of its social responsibility, and given the importance of this topic to institutions and individuals alike, and to provide maximum protection for information systems and workflows in various sectors.

Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, Mr. Al-Awadhi said that NGN is leveraging its accumulated cybersecurity expertise and international collaborations with some of the world’s major cybersecurity companies in highlighting critical cybersecurity topics through highly skilled experts.

Mr. Al-Awadhi concluded by affirming the forum’s topic’s significance considering Bahrain’s digital transformation efforts and shift toward a knowledge economy, including the Kingdom of Bahrain’s implementation of the “Cloud First” policy, increasing reliance on government services through electronic apps, and expanding online service provision in many sectors such as banking, education, and health among others.