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Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions signs MoU with Barikat Cyber Security

 

In line with Ali Bin Ali (ABA) Holding’s vision to defeat the cyber adversary and the aim to support Qatar National Vision 2030 to protect national sovereignty and security, Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions (ABATS) has joined forces with one of the world’s leading cyber security firms, Barikat Cyber Security, to provide the Qatari market with various cyber security products, services, consultation and training.

ABATS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Barikat Cyber Security during the 5th QCB Information Security Conference for the Financial Sector (ISFS 2018), held on November 18 and 19.

This MoU paves the way for creating a new company domiciled in Qatar that will serve the local market in the field of cyber security. The memorandum was signed by Ali Bin Ali Chief Operating Officer for ICT, Mr. Mohamad A. Ebrik, on behalf of ABATS, and by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Murat Huseyin Candan, on behalf of Barikat Cyber Security.

Under the MoU, Barikat and ABATS will be providing both the private and public sectors in Qatar with cyber security-related services, solutions, hardware, software, support and training. 

These services will include providing and selling vendor-based technology solutions (both hardware and software), technical support services, managed security services,

cyber security consulting services, ‘pentesting’ services, training services, compliance and auditing services and security operations center (7/24) services.

With this MoU, Barikat Academy services, including cyber security training and capability development, will be available to customers in the State of Qatar. This will help in alleviating the cyber security resource shortfall in Qatar and around the world.

Mr. Candan commented on the future need for cyber security resources, stating: “Many international surveys report that the cyber security resource shortfall will reach between 2.5m and 3.5m unfilled positions worldwide by the year 2021.”

He also pointed to the special relationship between Qatar and Turkey and said “due to the very good relations between the two countries, such partnerships and knowledge transfer make perfect sense and will be a good platform to ensure that the State of Qatar has the capacity and qualifications needed to support Qatar National Vision 2030”. 

Mr. Ebrik stressed the continuously increasing significance of this sector and said, “Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions aim to expand cyber security solutions and a Cyber Security Center of Excellence in the State of Qatar. We found in Barikat Cyber Security the ideal partner for this challenge and together, we hope to elevate the level cyber security in the country.”

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Ali Bin Ali Group organizes Cyber Awareness Session

Ali Bin Ali (ABA) Group has always tried to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and happenings around the world. In view of the increasing threat of cyber-attacks on individuals as well corporations, ABA Group decided to organize a Cyber Awareness Session that focused on senior management and senior employees exposed to cyber-security concerns currently being faced by the Group. 

 

The session is part of a larger campaign where the plan is to extend the knowledge to the rest of the Group, covering all employees from every division. The ABA IT Department joined hands with ABA Finance to invite Subject Matter Experts (SME) Ernst & Young (EY) to deliver a session of to explore the potential cyber threats and the ways to combat it.

 

The event, held on June 6, 2018 at the Al Falak Ballroom of Crowne Plaza Doha, was attended by seniors from the Group.

 

In the run-up to the event, ABA IT had sent out a ‘phishing’ email to the invitees to check their awareness level. The susceptibility rate for this exercises (14%) was much higher than average susceptibility rate and it justified further the necessity for the session.

 

The event was inaugurated by Group Chief Financial Officer Mr. Iftekhar Ahmad, who was also the initiator of the Cyber Awareness campaign.

 

He highlighted the seriousness of the matter and said: “Cyber-attacks are a reality and every day someone is falling prey to it. In the recent past, ABA Group has been a victim of such attacks. I request everyone to not take this matter lightly and do everything in our power to stay safe.”

 

The session began with a short video where ABA staff answered questions related to cyber-security awareness.

 

After a short introduction, the EY team began with their educative and informative presentation that covered all aspects of cyber threats, awareness and security. Constant interaction with the attendees made the session engaging.

 

The presentation was perfectly complemented with an interesting workshop where the attendees were divided into groups and asked to perform tasks to test their level of awareness. The workshop covered the key areas of cyber-attack threats, including passwords, disorganized desks, and email phishing. The activity was a perfect and fun way to pass on the critical massage about cyber awareness.