Abu Dhabi ramps up government cybersecurity with new strategy

Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (ADDA), Etisalat, and Trend Micro have announced the launch of Cyber Eye, an initiative designed to strengthen the Abu Dhabi government entities’ cybersecurity capabilities.

Cyber Eye initiative is a central part of the Abu Dhabi government’s cybersecurity strategy. It will employ first of its kind technology and systems to identify cyber threats in real-time and take effective and proactive actions to mitigate risks and increase protection, further strengthening the security of Abu Dhabi government entities’ digital assets.

Dr Mohamed Abdelhameed Al Askar, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, said: “ADDA is keen to strengthen collaboration ties between the public and private sectors and to work with strategic partners such as Etisalat and Trend Micro as these collaborations are vital in providing basic technological knowledge, and the expertise necessary to enhance cybersecurity capabilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi Digital Authority partners with Etisalat and Trend Micro to further strengthen cybersecurity capabilities of government entities#AbuDhabi #CyberSecurity@AbuDhabiDigital @etisalat @TrendMicro pic.twitter.com/xAXQahKp6V

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Abdulla Ebrahim Al Ahmed, senior vice president, Government Sales, Etisalat, said: “Through the work on the “Cyber Eye” initiative, we will enhance our contribution to achieving the government vision in securing the highest level of digital security. This is one element in the nation’s digital transformation strategy. This agreement further underlines the confidence in Etisalat’s digital solutions to both public and private sectors and our capabilities in the field of cybersecurity. The initiative will strengthen the position of Abu Dhabi and the UAE as an innovation and advanced technology hub.”

Dr Moataz BinAli, VP and managing director, MENA, Trend Micro, said: “A proactive, integrated system such as the one we will build through the Cyber Eye initiative will enable government decision-makers to step up their defense of digital services and Trend Micro remains dedicated to the support of ADDA on its digital transformation journey. Our leading-edge cybersecurity innovations and strategies are carefully designed to protect enterprises of all industries and scales from the harmful elements in the digital wilds, so they can keep on innovating and building a strong digital economy.”

The Cyber Eye initiative also addresses the issue of infrastructure visibility and will promote standards and methods to enhance controls and capabilities to optimise resilience across government entities. Such strategies will also allow technology teams to detect threats quickly, including the most advanced attacks.

Governments across the region have faced significant rises in complexity in their IT stack during the Covid-19 crisis, including a higher risk from endpoint security brought about by remote working. A recent KPMG survey of UAE business stakeholders showed concern about the rise of cybercrime during the pandemic. A total of 61 per cent of respondents were concerned about phishing scams, 54 per cent were worried about email spamming, and 42 per cent dreaded a ransomware incident. The initiative will take advantage of intelligence-driven methodologies to enhance the maturity and effectiveness of the government in cybersecurity.

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