Page 49 - SAMENA Trends - October 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Cyber Security Council Issues Directives to Strengthen Cyber Incident

Response

The UAE Government’s Cyber Security try's leading position in global compet- mad Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for
Council has issued directives to all gov- itiveness indicators. The Cyber Security the UAE Government, said that all sectors
ernmental and semi-governmental entities Council is the official agency overseeing – government and private – around the
in the country to adopt advanced solutions UAE’s national cybersecurity framework, world are facing an unprecedented level
in the field of cybersecurity to raise nation- policies and implementation of best prac- of digital attacks which are increasing in
al operational efficiency, ensure business tices. The council has evaluated several size and complexity. Responding to these
continuity, and protect against any cyber- security offerings provided by Etisalat and security threats requires close cooperation
security attacks that would pose a po- Help AG and approved Distributed Denial between various sectors in order to ensure
tential risk. In this regard, the council has of Service (DDoS) mitigation solutions as the maximum degree of cybersecurity for
entered into a strategic collaboration with one of the national standards to protect the various vital sectors. His Excellency
Etisalat, one of the world's leading telecom government and semi-government entities added that the partnership between the
groups in emerging markets, and Help AG, in the UAE against malicious cyberattacks. public and private sectors represented in
the cybersecurity arm of Etisalat Digital, as All entities shortlisted by the council will cooperation between the Cyber Security
part of its continuous efforts to strengthen receive subsidized subscription rates for Council and the most important service
the UAE’s critical infrastructure, improve the service. Commenting on the partner- providers in the country, such as Etisalat,
its security posture and enhance the coun- ship, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Ha- is an essential pillar to achieve the nation-
al security agenda of the UAE and enhance
protection from potential cyber-attacks.
Hatem Dowidar, Chief Executive Officer of
Etisalat Group said the partnership with
Cyber Security Council aims to protect
government entities from malicious cy-
ber-attacks and support the UAE leader-
ship’s vision of bringing the country at the
forefront in terms of digital transformation.
He added: “Our DDoS mitigation solutions
aim to support the national cybersecurity
strategy and ensure the highest standards
of protection for UAE’s critical infrastruc-
ture. This service provides a multi-layered
protection around the clock by specialised
teams so customers benefit from threat
detection and mitigation on a real-time
basis, keeping businesses running unin-
terrupted.”

Jordan Ranks 96th in the World in Digital Quality of Life Index 2021

The third annual edition of the Digital (98th). Jordan ranks last (12th) among digital wellbeing areas, as its DQL index
Quality of Life Index (DQL) ranks Jordan all indexed Western Asia countries, is 30% worse than the global average.
96th among 110 countries. Covering 90% surpassed by Oman, Qatar, and Azerbaijan. The internet could be more affordable, as
of the global population, the DQL study is The country shows a competitive rank in it ranks only 94th worldwide. People in
conducted by the cybersecurity company e-infrastructure, claiming 50th position Jordan have to work almost 10 hours to
Surfshark and evaluates countries based in the world. The study shows that 85% afford the cheapest broadband internet
on a set of five fundamental digital of individuals use the internet in Jordan, package, 4 hours more than the global
wellbeing pillars. Joining the study for the which is the 40th best result globally. average. E-security could also be better
first time, Jordan shows its highest score Additionally, the country ranks 38th in since Jordan ranks 100th in this pillar.
in e-infrastructure (50th) but displays broadband speed growth. Since the The score is 50% worse than the global
comparatively lower results in internet COVID-19 pandemic, it has improved by average. “Digital opportunities have proved
affordability (94th), internet quality (90th), 52% and now is 23.49 Mbps. However, to be more important than ever during the
e-security (100th), and e-government Jordan has room for improvement in all COVID-19 crisis, stressing the importance

49 OCTOBER 2021