Tell us more about your company’s line and scope of business within the oil and gas industry.
We assist critical national infrastructure providers by protecting their networks from cyber attack. We predict that attacks on critical infrastructure including oil and gas distribution systems, power grid, financial markets, air traffic controllers’ networks, nuclear power plants and satellites represent a clear and present danger to economies and countries around the world.
The danger is particularly acute within the GCC where an attack on critical national infrastructure could pose a threat to the economy and physical well-being of tens of millions of people.
How do you wish to expand your reach in the region?
Our home market is the UAE, so we have a strong presence here. We are also ramping up our activities in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, and intend to achieve this through engagements with governments and large enterprises in various parts of the region.
What are some of the oil and gas projects that you are involved in?
We believe the Middle East is rapidly recognising its level of vulnerability to cyber attack and working to improve its overall posture. Energy firms in particular underpin the GCC economy and as more systems become interconnected with the Internet, they can be targeted by a host of threat actors to include cyber criminals.
We see two main areas of concern facing the Middle East as it relates to cyber criminals. The first is theft of information that can be sold to those interested in obtaining this information through illegal means. The second is cyber extortion where cyber criminals are leveraging threats to disrupt or deny service if a ransom is not paid.
What are the main products/services that you are looking to showcase at ADIPEC? Talk about those in detail.
Our main reason for participating in ADIPEC is to bring to bear our vast cyber security experience across sectors, including the energy sector, and connect with regional oil and gas companies. We are keen to work together with them to improve their security posture given the vast complexity and risk surface found within the industry. From a cyber security standpoint, we see significant potential for technologies such as blockchain and big data analytics helping in the creation of greater efficiencies across sectors, and we’ll be showcasing some of our capabilities in these areas during the event.
We also believe the oil and gas sector faces a challenging time in the future but with the right planning, commitment to innovation and sensible best practices, energy companies can mitigate, if not completely prevent, cyber security attacks. It is the responsibility of both the private and public sectors working together to ensure infrastructure as vital as oil and gas platforms is not just defended from attacks but shielded from criminals and hostile predators.
What are your objectives for ADIPEC this year? What are your objectives for ADIPEC this year? Are you looking at ADIPEC, like any other trade event, as more of a networking platform, or do you intend to generate considerable business during the exhibition?
This will be our inaugural participation at ADIPEC, and as mentioned above, we’re looking to bring to bear our vast cyber security experience across sectors, including the energy sector, and connect with oil and gas companies with the view to helping them improve their overall cyber security posture.
