The cybersecurity industry is in a constant state of flux, with threats evolving rapidly and demanding innovative responses. At GISEC GLOBAL 2024, edge/ caught up with Ram Narayanan, Country Manager at Check Point Software Technologies, Middle East, to discuss the company’s latest investment initiatives and expansion plans in the GCC region.
Ram Narayanan shares insights into Check Point’s strategies for expanding its market presence, enhancing the Infinity platform, and leveraging AI and automation to provide robust and efficient cybersecurity solutions. It is also worthwhile to note that at the edge/ Security Leadership Awards 2024, Check Point also won the ‘AI Innovator of the Year’ award.
Can you share some insights into Check Point Software’s recent investment initiatives in the GCC region and your plans for further expansion in the near future?
At GISEC, we are showcasing our recent investments and expansion plans in the GCC region. Our approach involves several key components to increase our market presence. Firstly, we’re expanding our team by adding more technical and sales experts to improve customer engagement and partner support. This allows us to communicate our messaging and solutions more effectively to clients.
Another significant aspect of our strategy is the continued enhancement of our Infinity platform, which is a unified management system for handling various enterprise security needs—from physical networks to cloud services and endpoints. By onboarding more services onto this platform, we aim to offer seamless integration, making it easier for clients to combat emerging threats.
Additionally, AI and automation are central to our plans. We are incorporating advanced AI technologies to strengthen our back-end security and to streamline operations through automated threat detection and prevention. This way, we can offer customers a more efficient and proactive approach to cybersecurity.
How does Check Point Software specifically address cybersecurity challenges unique to the UAE market?
The cybersecurity landscape in the UAE is unique, characterized by a higher frequency of cyber threats compared to the global average. Over the last six months, an organization in the UAE is being attacked on average 1,250 times per week, surpassing the global average of 1210 attacks per organization. This heightened risk is due to the UAE’s economic potential, which attracts cybercriminals. Common threats include denial-of-service attacks and AI-driven malware.
To address these challenges, Check Point focuses on prevention rather than just detection. Our Infinity platform automatically identifies threats and blocks them, reducing the time and effort required to manage security incidents. This automation allows customers to operate efficiently without worrying about manual interventions.
Could you provide an overview of the Check Point UAE Infinity Portal and how it enhances cybersecurity management and visibility for organisations in the UAE?
The UAE Infinity platform is a cloud-based management system where customers can manage all their Check Point solutions without needing on-premise installations. This platform is designed to comply with data regulations in the UAE, ensuring that customer data stays within national borders.
The platform supports a wide range of security operations, including managing physical networks, cloud workloads, endpoints, and email security. By consolidating these functions into a single platform, customers gain a 360-degree view of their infrastructure, reducing the complexity and integration challenges often faced with point solutions.
What are some of the latest innovations from Check Point Software, particularly in terms of AI-powered cloud-delivered cybersecurity solutions, and how do these advancements benefit organisations in the GCC region?
AI plays a significant role in our product suite, helping us identify and prevent threats. We have expanded our AI-driven security engines from 50 to over 90, improving our threat detection and prevention capabilities. This intelligence helps us provide robust security for our gateways and endpoints.
In addition to AI-driven threat detection, we’re using AI to automate day-to-day operations through our Infinity Playblocks and Infinity CoPilot features. These tools help customers automate routine tasks, saving time and reducing the manual effort needed to maintain security.
We’re also collaborating with major technology companies like Microsoft and Nvidia to ensure we have the computational power and integration needed to secure AI-related workloads. This allows us to provide customers with innovative solutions to emerging AI-related risks.
What are your top priorities and goals in leading the regional team and driving Check Point Software’s business forward in this dynamic and rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape?
Our primary goals for the GCC region revolve around three core areas: market expansion, channel partnerships, and technology investment. We are actively expanding our team by recruiting more technical, consulting, and sales professionals. This expansion enables us to directly engage with more clients, ensuring they have access to our expertise and support. Our focus on building a larger team is designed to increase our market presence and better serve our customers.
We recognise that channel partnerships are critical to our growth strategy. These partnerships allow us to broaden our reach and deliver our solutions to a wider range of customers. By strengthening our relationships with channel partners, we aim to create a robust network that facilitates the adoption of our products and services throughout the region.
On the technology front, we are investing in expanding our Infinity platform, ensuring it meets the evolving needs of businesses in the GCC. This includes collaborating with key government organisations to promote the platform and encourage broader adoption. Our goal is to ensure that our technology investments align with regional requirements, providing customers with secure and scalable solutions.
