At the sidelines of GISEC 2024, edge/ had the opportunity to sit down with Ezzeldin Hussein, Solutions Engineering Senior Director, SentinelOne, META, who spoke about the growing security landscape in the region.
Ezzeldin is a technology leader with over 25 years of experience, specialising in digital transformation, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
Currently serving as a Solutions Engineering Senior Director at SentinelOne, Hussein has been a driving force in advocating for adopting cloud services in the META region. His industry knowledge and expertise have guided numerous customers through successful digital transformation journeys.
Hussein holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering, an MBA in Management, and executive leadership certifications from Cornell University, Notre Dame University, and INSEAD, highlighting his commitment to excellence in academia and professional practice.
How is the world of cybersecurity changing and evolving, and what does it mean to be a cybersecurity expert at this point?
The world of cybersecurity is evolving remarkably, particularly with the advent of generative AI. While AI has been around for a while, generative AI is transforming the landscape in unprecedented ways. This shift started when consumers began integrating AI into their daily lives, revealing its transformative potential.
However, as with all technologies, attackers and hackers have adopted AI, making cyber threats more sophisticated. Generative AI has created high-quality deep fakes and facilitated challenging-to-identify scams.
Cybersecurity companies like SentinelOne have recognised this evolution and are incorporating generative AI into their solutions to counter these advanced threats.
This has led to a new cybersecurity battle: AI versus AI, where attackers and defenders leverage AI to outsmart each other. Being a cybersecurity expert now means understanding traditional threats, keeping up with rapidly evolving AI-driven tactics, and integrating AI-based solutions into defence strategies.
How is generative AI (GenAI) uniquely applied in the Middle East?
In the Middle East, one of the unique applications of generative AI is its use as an expert within organisations. GenAI acts as a cybersecurity expert who can augment the skills of existing teams or even serve as a 24/7 operational team. This is particularly beneficial during cultural events like Ramadan or Eid, where business hours are reduced, and organisations may experience shortages in coverage.
GenAI doesn’t require breaks, meals, or rest, so it can monitor security around the clock, including during critical times like Iftar, when security might be compromised.
This technology helps organisations maintain continuous security coverage, ensuring that threats are detected and managed even when human staff are unavailable or taking breaks.
Additionally, generative AI can enhance existing teams’ skills or replace highly specialised and expensive human experts, providing cost-effective and consistent security management.
How is SentinelOne utilising GenAI to enhance cybersecurity solutions in the region?
SentinelOne is leveraging GenAI enhance its cybersecurity solutions by integrating this technology into its platform. This integration provides several benefits for security operational teams, including improved threat detection, faster response times, and more efficient searches for potential attacks.
The GenAI capabilities are built into SentinelOne’s platform, allowing cybersecurity teams to benefit from these advancements as part of their existing solutions.
Moreover, SentinelOne is committed to supporting the cybersecurity community in the region. The company is hosting threat-hunting workshops in its Dubai office, where customers and partners can learn about the latest cyber threats, effective defence strategies, and how to utilise SentinelOne’s solutions.
These workshops aim to educate and empower the cybersecurity community, enabling them to better defend against evolving threats.
What is the region’s key cybersecurity trends of the year, and how is SentinelOne adapting to them?
This year’s key trend in cybersecurity for the region is the integration of AI into defence systems. Last year, the focus was on consolidating functions into common platforms. This year, the emphasis is on how AI can enhance cybersecurity defences.
SentinelOne is adapting to this trend by incorporating generative AI into its solutions. This allows security operational teams to benefit from improved detection, faster response times, and more efficient searches for potential attacks.
SentinelOne’s platform now includes generative AI capabilities, enabling cybersecurity teams to leverage AI-driven insights and responses in their daily operations.
This trend is not unique to SentinelOne, as many vendors are exploring how AI can enhance their cybersecurity offerings. The focus is now on developing AI-driven solutions to identify and mitigate threats more effectively, ensuring that organisations are well-protected against evolving cyber risks.
How has technology evolved during your journey in cybersecurity, and what are the key shifts you’ve observed?
Technology has evolved significantly over the past 25 years in the cybersecurity landscape. Initially, organisations relied on traditional data centres for their applications, with cloud technology being met with scepticism.
However, cloud technology has become the standard over time, driven by the need for digital transformation. Despite the maturity of cloud technology, security has often been overlooked, leading to new challenges in securing cloud-based applications.
Previously, organisations could physically inspect their servers in data centres, but with cloud-based services, they need a different approach to security. SentinelOne addresses this challenge by providing a platform that secures various assets, including endpoints, servers, applications, devices, and identities.
The evolution from traditional data centres to cloud-based services highlighted the need for robust security measures, especially as organisations can no longer rely on physical inspections for their security assurances.
What are the next steps and plans for cybersecurity, particularly to GenAI and other emerging technologies?
The future of cybersecurity will continue to focus on generative AI and blockchain technology. SentinelOne sees the potential in these technologies for enhancing security and protecting against emerging threats.
For example, autonomous vehicles and distributed technologies are new areas requiring robust security measures, as they can be vulnerable to hacking or other forms of attack. SentinelOne is exploring how to secure these technologies and protect their users.
In addition, SentinelOne is focused on addressing the skills gap in cybersecurity, creating awareness, and training individuals to recognise and prevent attacks like deep fakes, phishing, and fraud.
These issues require a collective effort from vendors, communities, and governments to educate and protect against evolving threats. SentinelOne’s plans include enhancing its platform to address these challenges, integrating advanced technologies to provide comprehensive security solutions, and contributing to the broader cybersecurity community through education and awareness initiatives.
