This is welcome news for security professionals and suggests a change in perception for a role that was seen as functional rather than strategic – and integral to the sustainability and success of the organisation .
“ We need to usher in the new Golden Age of the CISO ,” says Dr Aloysius Cheang , Chief Security Officer of Huawei Middle East and Central Asia .
“ In order that we appear among the other members of the board , you really have to talk business , and security as a business enabler . The only way out of troubled waters is with the CISO as the captain of the ship .”
Sovereign cloud on the rise as more critical data held in the cloud One of the key discussion points from the roundtable events was sovereign cloud – due in no small part to rapid deglobalisation and new barriers of entry as a result of geopolitical tensions . These have motivated the need for nations to be self-sufficient and for data to be kept within geographical boundaries .
The survey also found that more than two thirds of cloud professionals in the region believe that government regulation has improved the quality of cloud provision – but the fact that a third say it has not means there is clearly more work to be done as the challenges increase .
Governments – especially in the UAE and Saudi Arabia – have enforced regulation on cloud and continue to add layers of protection for their citizens and their sovereign data .
“ The cloud was invented for a global world but I ’ m thinking that ’ s not going to happen ,” says Rajesh Yadla , Director Head of Information Security , Al Hilal Bank .
“ You will have your own cloud service provider within each country and already countries are adopting that culture – be it in the UAE or Saudi Arabia or any other country in the region . The reason is to make sure that the cloud service providers are compliant with all these regulations .”
It was reassuring from the survey to see that when it comes to choosing a cloud provider , security ( 43 %) was the most
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