The land of endless possibilities; Khodor Habbouche, MENA Sales Manager for Gallagher Security explores the unique security challenges present in the Middle East region
There’s a saying in Arabic, al-ʾafaalu ʾablaġu min al-ʾaqwal, “Promises should be backed by actions.” Well known across the Arab world, it is often used in leadership settings.
We spoke to Gallagher Security Sales Manager – Middle East and North Africa, Khodor Habbouche about some of the most pressing security issues facing the Middle East, the intricacies of doing business in the region, and how Gallagher solutions are being used to meet the needs of the Middle East market and some of its most ambitious projects to date.
Gallagher is a company that is truly backed by action. For more than 35 years Gallagher Security has been a global leader in the design and manufacture of award-winning security solutions. Proudly securing over 20,000 customers across more than 140 countries, their innovative solutions are trusted by government, defence, commercial, industrial, healthcare, transportation, mining, and educational organisations across the globe.
For the last 18 years, Gallagher has built a strong presence in the Middle East, securing more than 31,000 doors, and protecting over 200km of perimeter for over 750 customers across 14 different countries. The company currently has a team of 14 based in Dubai, a second office in Lebanon and is expanding its footprint further, with the opening of a third office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia later this year. This will ensure they are best placed to meet the demands of future development earmarked for the region, as outlined in the Saudi 2030 Vision, including the recently awarded multi-million-dollar contracts for Qiddiya Water Theme Park and King Salman Park.
Heralded for its commitment to innovation, the Middle East is a dynamic region, and with six of its Arab countries also members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, there is scope for significant crossover in terms of furthering political and economic integration amongst the participating countries.
“The Middle East is an exciting and dynamic place to be. As a region it is progressive, committed to innovation and exploring new ways of doing business, living, and utilising the unique environment on which it sits,” says Khodor.
“There is constant growth and expansion here which is both energising and exciting. The region has a number of ambitious projects both underway and in the pipeline, and the trajectory at which these are coming to fruition is encouraging,” adds Khodor.
Like any region, the Middle East has its own set of idiosyncrasies, many of which are based on the sheer number of countries that make up the region.
As Khodor points out, “The Middle East can be somewhat complicated as we are dealing with many different countries, each with their own development priorities and vision. In the United Arab Emirates, we are focusing on all vertical markets, while other countries have a specific industry focus, for example, education, healthcare, entertainment, critical infrastructure, hospitality, government projects, banking, sports, or transportation. The beauty of this, however, is that Gallagher solutions are easily integrated into, and compatible with, all vertical markets, and together with our Channel Partners we can coordinate the best solution for the environment in which it is required.”
The wide-ranging security challenges faced by the Middle East mirrors the diversity of the region’s security priorities, however, as Khodor points out, there is an obvious commonality when looking at the region’s most pressing security issues.
“The region’s unique geopolitical dynamics, rapid technological adoption, and socio-economic conditions all contribute to the security issues faced in the Middle East,” he says.
Like many other countries around the globe, the Middle East is at growing risk of cybersecurity threats, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, physical security challenges, regulatory and compliance issues, and data privacy and protection among other mounting security concerns.
“Differing regulations and standards across countries within the region can lead to inconsistent security measures and vulnerabilities, as can a lack of standardisation with international standards” says Khodor.
The Middle East regularly faces attacks from Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups. These cybercriminal groups carry out multi-stage, carefully planned attacks targeting a specific industry or group of industries. Their objective in the Middle East is to obtain information that can provide political, economic, and military advantages. Risk of these attacks also poses a threat to the region’s critical infrastructure, particularly the energy, water, and electricity industries.
“The oil and gas industry, a cornerstone of many GCC economies, is a prime target for cyberattacks. Disruptions can have widespread economic and security implications, while attacks on the region’s water and electricity utilities can lead to severe public safety issues and undermine confidence in public institutions,” says Khodor.
Gallagher’s award-winning site management platform, Command Centre, is being used across the region to protect critical infrastructure and mitigate the risk of potential cyber-attacks. It was the first system to offer alarm, access, and perimeter security in one single product, and offer continual enhancements by way of two major releases each year to ensure customers remain at the forefront of innovation.
“Our system comes with robust encryption and regular software updates to mitigate cybersecurity risks. The Command Centre software includes features to monitor network security and detect anomalies,” says Khodor…
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Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, Security Portfolio
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