The UAE Government’s Cyber Security Council has issued directives to all governmental and semi-governmental entities in the country to adopt advanced solutions in the field of cybersecurity to raise national operational efficiency, ensure business continuity, and protect against any cybersecurity attacks that would pose a potential risk. In this regard, the council has entered into a strategic collaboration with Etisalat, one of the world’s leading telecom groups in emerging markets, and Help AG, the cybersecurity arm of Etisalat Digital, as part of its continuous efforts to strengthen the UAE’s critical infrastructure, improve its security posture and enhance the country’s leading position in global competitiveness indicators.
The Cyber Security Council is the official agency overseeing UAE’s national cybersecurity framework, policies and implementation of best practices. The council has evaluated several security offerings provided by Etisalat and Help AG and approved Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation solutions as one of the national standards to protect government and semi-government entities in the UAE against malicious cyberattacks. All entities shortlisted by the council will receive subsidised subscription rates for the service.
Commenting on the partnership, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, said that all sectors – government and private – around the world are facing an unprecedented level of digital attacks which are increasing in size and complexity. Responding to these security threats requires close cooperation between various sectors in order to ensure the maximum degree of cybersecurity for the various vital sectors.
His Excellency added that the partnership between the public and private sectors represented in cooperation between the Cyber Security Council and the most important service providers in the country, such as Etisalat, is an essential pillar to achieve the national security agenda of the UAE and enhance protection from potential cyber-attacks.
Hatem Dowidar, Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Group said the partnership with Cyber Security Council aims to protect government entities from malicious cyber-attacks and support the UAE leadership’s vision of bringing the country at the forefront in terms of digital transformation.
He added: "Our DDoS mitigation solutions aim to support the national cybersecurity strategy and ensure the highest standards of protection for UAE’s critical infrastructure. This service provides a multi-layered protection around the clock by specialised teams so customers benefit from threat detection and mitigation on a real-time basis, keeping businesses running uninterrupted.