Global cybersecurity firm Dragos is expanding its footprint in Saudi Arabia, where it has its regional headquarters at the Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE) in Riyadh.
The move supports priorities set by Saudi Arabia’s 2020 budget allocation of SAR102 billion ($27.2 billion) for security and regional administration including cybersecurity, as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 pillar on National Industrial Development and Logistics.
In line with the Kingdom’s digitalisation drive, Dragos aims to protect organisations by providing specialised ICS/OT monitoring, threat detection, and response technology and services.
Growth in the Saudi Arabia is central to Dragos’s expansion in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and will allow Dragos to give more organisations direct access to its industrial cybersecurity technology and services so they can respond more quickly to threats, while also developing and training ICS/OT cybersecurity talent to ensure world-wide customer success.
The company’s expansion will bolster its local presence and support a growing roster of customers in Saudi Arabia. Through the expansion, Dragos will continue to grow its worldwide operations to address the burgeoning global market for ICS/OT cybersecurity solutions and meet the cybersecurity needs of critical infrastructure organisations in all regions and of any size or complexity.
“Like organisations worldwide, companies in this region hold security and availability as top priority and seek a security partner that understands the unique challenges industrial environments present, while also having a strong understanding of the threats impacting operational technology,” said Bruce Niven, Chief Investment Officer, Aramco Ventures. “Dragos is that partner and as a testament to our trust in them, we have invested in the company. We are pleased that Dragos continues to expand its footprint to enable more organisations in the region to secure the critical infrastructure that serves our communities and contributes to the global economy.”
Due to its geopolitical prominence and prosperity, Saudi Arabia is targeted by a wide range of cyber-attacks including ransomware, the preeminent threat to IT and OT environments in the region. Over the recent past, Saudi Arabia has made extraordinary advances in cybersecurity, with a global achievement ranking of 2 out of 193 countries in the world, according to the 2021 Global Cybersecurity Index, issued by the United Nations’s International Telecommunication Union.
Coinciding with Dragos’s expansion announcement in Saudi Arabia, CEO Robert M. Lee will present a keynote at @Hack, the region’s largest cybersecurity event in Riyadh, attracting 14,000 visitors. He will join other leaders in the session, Cyber Enabled Journey: Successful Digital Transformation Recipe, on Monday, Nov. 29, to discuss the role of cyber security as an enabler in industrial digital transformation.
