GITEX GLOBAL 2025: OPSWAT to showcase real-world cyber defence at event, says Rami Nehme

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At GITEX Global 2025, OPSWAT is moving cyber defence from theory to the front lines. Rami Nehme, regional director at OPSWAT, discusses how the company will showcase hands-on protection for critical infrastructure across IT, OT, and cross-domain environments, unveiling the OP/X Mini Lab and its elite red team, Unit 515, to demonstrate what resilience looks like in practice. Nehme shared what the company will be showcasing at the event this year.  Here are excerpts from the conversation.

What are you showcasing at GITEX GLOBAL this year?

This year, our focus at GITEX is on bringing cyber defence out of theory and into practice. We’re demonstrating how OPSWAT protects critical infrastructure across three domains — IT, OT, and Cross-Domain protection — through live, hands-on experiences that show the realities of defending against advanced threats. Our team will also showcase how we mimic attacker techniques to harden defences and strengthen resilience, making cyber protection more than just a concept.

With Cybersecurity Awareness Month as the backdrop, we’re using the event to highlight the importance of zero-trust file security, while also celebrating the partnerships that make this possible. We’re honouring our top-performing channel partners at GITEX with special awards, recognising their outstanding contribution to advancing cybersecurity excellence.

What emerging technologies are you focusing on this year?

At the heart of our presence this year is the debut of the OP/X Mini Lab, a compact yet powerful environment that replicates real-world facilities, including a simulated nuclear power plant. It will allow visitors to experience our technology in action across environments, and to see how OPSWAT solutions play out in high-stakes scenarios.

Complimenting this strategy is the regional launch of Unit 515, our elite red team. This group of cybersecurity specialists uses the same tactics as sophisticated adversaries to uncover vulnerabilities across IT and OT environments.

By challenging our technologies from within, Unit 515 makes them stronger for our customers, who benefit from solutions built to withstand the same pressures they face in the wild. Together, the Mini Lab and Unit 515 showcase how OPSWAT bridges innovation with resilience in ways that organisations can engage with, assess, and trust.

What are the top trends shaping your industry in 2025?

Two big shifts are reshaping the cybersecurity landscape this year. The first is the growing urgency of protecting critical infrastructure and OT networks, especially air-gapped environments, where compromise can have national or even global consequences. To address this, organisations are looking for layered defences that combine multi-AV scanning with advanced technologies like Deep Content Disarm & Reconstruction (CDR), delivering a truly zero-trust approach to evolving threats.

The second trend is the rising focus on regulatory compliance and data protection across IT and hybrid environments. With AI now embedded into core platforms, there’s a new opportunity to detect threats faster, anticipate risks earlier, and reduce exposure to zero-day attacks.

For OPSWAT, these trends confirm the need for cyber defence strategies that are both proactive and resilient, giving organisations the confidence to stay ahead of adversaries.

How is the Middle East positioned compared to other global tech markets?

The region is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic cybersecurity markets in the world. Governments across the region are investing heavily in digital transformation, but with that progress comes a wider attack surface and heightened risk. What sets the Middle East apart is its urgency and agility: enterprises here are not just following global best practices, but in many cases redefining them.

What are your plans for the next five years?

Our ambition is simple but bold: to be the most trusted partner in securing the world’s critical infrastructure. We have a clear strategy and over the coming quarters, we’ll continue to strengthen our regional footprint through new alliances and deeper collaboration with local partners, ensuring our solutions are tailored to the Middle East’s unique needs.

On the innovation side, we’ll keep bringing new use cases to market (visualised by the OP/X Mini Lab) to help customers experience and validate our technologies in action. Just as importantly, we’ll continue to invest in people, from training programmes through the OPSWAT Academy to community initiatives that raise cyber awareness and skills across the region. For our customers, this means more value, more visibility, and ultimately, more resilience against the threats that matter most.