IDC projects Saudi AI buyer spending to grow from $2.72 billion in 2025 to $7.83 billion in 2029 and even amid regional uncertainty since March 2026, Saudi enterprises are reallocating rather than cutting IT budgets, with cybersecurity and AI the only two of ten tracked categories where a clear majority increased planned spending.
Realizing these ambitions means navigating a landscape shaped by regional geopolitical developments, data residency and in-Kingdom hosting requirements, and dependencies on global technology and semiconductor supply chains. Readiness also lags ambition: only 50% of Saudi organizations consider themselves well prepared for AI, with data quality, governance, and security the leading barriers to scaling. These gaps shape near-term decisions on infrastructure investment, vendor selection, and data governance.
Drawing on IDC’s latest research, this virtual event examines AI spending and adoption in the Kingdom, what geopolitical shifts mean for enterprise technology decisions, and how to build resilient, secure and compliant AI environments.
By 2029 Saudi Arabia's AI buyer spending to reach USD 7.83 Billion.
AI at scale: from pilot to enterprise deployment
MLOps pipelines, governance controls and operating practices to run AI reliably in production.
Data sovereignty, governance and interoperability
Data classification rules and in-Kingdom requirements reshape architecture, from residency to hybrid cloud.
Cloud and AI infrastructure readiness
What teams need in place on connectivity, data classification and infrastructure before scaling AI workloads.
Cyber resilience and business continuity
Infrastructure, disaster recovery and continuity strategies that keep operations running through disruption.
Generative and agentic AI: the next frontier
The guardrails, orchestration and hybrid model deployments that make agentic AI production-ready.
Smart investment: balancing cost and innovation
FinOps tooling and spend discipline that sustain AI and resilience investment amid budget pressure.
Dr. Christopher Lee Marshall
Research Vice President, Worldwide Enterprise AI, IDC
Melih Murat
Associate Research Director, Artificial Intelligence (META), IDC
Designing infrastructure that meets local data rules without slowing deployment.
Practical controls for autonomous agents operating with production-level access
Architecting security and recovery capability into everyday operations.
Using predictive and autonomous capabilities to protect continuity.
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12:20PM – 12:30PM
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12:40PM – 2:50PM
Research Vice President, Worldwide Enterprise AI
IDC
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Associate Research Director, Artificial Intelligence (META)
IDC
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Dr. Chris Marshall is Program Vice President for IDC Asia Pacific, responsible for the Analytics, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence practice. Dr. Marshall’s core research coverage includes the development of Data Analytics and Machine Learning competencies and their implications – the threats and opportunities facing organizations as they seek to augment and automate their knowledge-based work.
Previously, Chris was a senior executive in IBM Watson Financial Services where he led their AI-enabled risk and analytics practice in Asia. Before joining IBM, he held senior business development and management roles in big data and analytics at KPMG, Oracle and UBS.
In his role as associate research director for IT services and software across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META), Melih drives IDC’s regional research and consulting engagements in the areas of IT services, Cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and intelligent automation.
He first joined IDC in 2012 as a senior research analyst located out of IDC’s Istanbul office, with various responsibilities for the firm’s IT services, cloud computing, software, and telecom domains — both in Turkey and across the wider META region. Between 2016 and 2021, Melih headed the international marketing and investor relations practice at P.I. Works, a global automation and AI software vendor that serves telecom operators.
Now back at IDC, Melih is leveraging his vast experience in the IT services, cloud, software, and telecommunications domains to advise clients on go-to-market strategies, technology marketing and promotion activities, and market trends analysis. He is also driving a wide variety of research and consulting projects across the META region.
Melih has also previously served as enterprise channel and marketing manager at Nortel Turkey and as business development and strategy manager at Netaş, one of the leading systems integrators in Turkey and a former Nortel subsidiary. He possesses a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and received his MBA from Esslingen University of Applied Sciences in Germany. He has worked as a business development specialist at HP and wrote his MBA thesis for the company, covering European retail channel trends and winning strategies for channel businesses.
Sonatype is the leader in AI-driven DevSecOps. As the maintainers of Maven Central and creators of Nexus Repository, Sonatype has spent two decades pioneering how the world manages and secures open source software — making Sonatype the trusted authority for modern software supply chains. With unmatched open source visibility and a unified product suite built for modern software development, Sonatype gives enterprises the intelligence and automated governance they need to harness the full potential of open source and AI. Sonatype handles the complexity behind the scenes: guiding component and model selection, blocking harmful malicious code, automating dependency and vulnerability management, and ensuring faster, more reliable builds — so developers spend more time on innovation and less time on remediation and rework. Trusted by more than 15 million developers, Sonatype helps power secure, modern software development at nearly 2,000 global organizations including 70% of the Fortune 100.
To learn more about Sonatype, please visit www.sonatype.com.
Otomotiv endüstrisinin Yazılım Tanımlı Araçlar (SDV) ekseninde yaşadığı köklü değişim, teknoloji liderleri ve CIO’lar için yeni bir ana gündem maddesi yaratıyor: Yapay zekayı salt bir ‘araç’ olmaktan çıkarıp, mühendislik kültürünün stratejik bir ‘paydaşı’ haline getirmek. Bugün kurumsal teknoloji stratejileri, sadece algoritmaların sınırlarını zorlamaya değil; bu gücü yönetecek insan kaynağının yetkinlik evrimine (upskilling) ve çevik (agile) organizasyonel dönüşüme odaklanıyor. Renault Technologies Türkiye (RTT) olarak bizler de geleceğin iş gücünü tasarlamanın; teknolojiyi, şirket kültürünü ve insan yeteneğini aynı vizyonda hizalamaktan geçtiğine inanıyoruz. Donanım odaklı silolardan veri güdümlü yapılara geçtiğimiz bu dönemde asıl rekabet avantajı; insan tecrübesinin vizyonu ile yapay zekanın analitik gücünü rekabet ettiren değil, mobilitenin geleceğini ‘birlikte yaratım’ (co-creation) felsefesiyle inşa eden bir mühendislik kültürü kurabilmektir.
Michael Yeo
Associate Research Director
IDC
On November 19, 2026, key leaders from the financial services community of the UAE will convene at the UAE financial service congress. At this year’s event. conversations amongst the guests will be focused not on whether to enact a digital transformation program but on key operational and strategic issues of who controls the new hybrid infrastructure, how fast AI can be scaled safely, and how to stay ahead of increasingly synthetic fraud threats. IDC data points to five trends that define the market in the Middle east market.
IDC’s Banking IT Spending Guide has banked in the Middle East and Africa spending $17.2 billion on IT in 2025, rising to $30.3 billion by 2030, a 12.0% compound annual growth rate in US dollars. This growth outpaces Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (10.4%) and Western Europe (10.8%), coming in second globally just behind the US market. This impressive growth highlights the exciting pushes for further transformation and innovation which are mounting in the region.
Key to the spending in the MEA region is where that spend is going to: Spending on software grows at 18.8% a year, lifting its share of bank IT spend from 25% to 34%, while IT services grow at only 6.3%. Internal IT spend rises from $4.9 billion to $8.1 billion. Banks in the MEA are buying platforms and building in-house capability rather than outsourcing delivery to vendors.
The Central Bank of the UAE’s Financial Infrastructure Transformation Program is rolling out instant payments, domestic card schemes, open finance platforms, e-KYC and a financial services cloud. Alongside it, the Sovereign Financial Cloud Initiative aims to deliver an AI-enabled sovereign platform to secure digital financial services and improve resilience. The National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2026–2030 adds a universal-accounts objective. The central bank is also working to attract 260 fintech firms, which is lifting demand for digital finance platforms, cloud migration, and integration work .
For banks, this clear regulatory direction can be a clear direction for strategic planning. It shifts competitive advantage from owning plumbing into building differentiated services on top of shared, regulator-sponsored infrastructure and that is where we expect new waves of innovation to be focused on.
IDC rates the UAE financial industry as high on both industry maturity and regulatory complexity, with live use cases in real-time fraud detection, automated KYC and anti-money laundering, credit scoring, SME lending and GenAI customer support all documented to be live from our global research. Across UAE and cross-industry, 43% of organizations do not yet see themselves ready to take full advantage of AI. Fragmented data, talent shortages and difficulty industrializing pilots remain the key constraints to true enterprise-wide scaling of AI. Without direct addressing of these barriers, financial services institutions will find it much more difficult to measure and justify new investments in AI initiatives and find themselves unable to derive the true value of AI which is largely available at much larger scales.
Our surveys in the region also support these statements: Among banking, financial services and insurance firms in the wider region, AIOps (52%) and GenAI infrastructure (48%) are rising investment priorities, yet 39% cite data privacy and regulatory concerns and 35% cite skills gaps as barriers to adopting emerging technology. Early GenAI wins are real, but turning isolated ROI into enterprise-wide value requires engineering foundations, governance and life-cycle management that many institutions lack.
Fraud is now the number one threat in the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa and ahead of ransomware, according to IDC data. Regional banks in MEA reported a triple-digit increase in GenAI-enabled fraud attempts in 2025, and banking saw a 140% rise in deep-fake-driven fraud. IDC estimates that in order to counter this, 40% of large enterprises in the region will hold a dedicated budget for GenAI fraud defense in 2026.
Identity and securing identity are the pivot points. Spending on identity security and security analytics is forecast to grow fastest at 20%, and national digital IDs such as UAE PASS are becoming integration targets for identity threat detection and response. Regulators in the region are also tightening real-time transaction monitoring, KYC and AML expectations, pushing banks from point tools toward integrated RegTech platforms. This again echoes earlier mentions of investment in platforms being key to shaping the future investment patterns of the MEA region.
The global macro-trend of Data residency, cybersecurity assurance and AI governance are reflected as clearly in the MEA region as in any other region globally. They have become operational design considerations rather than legal afterthoughts, and the UAE’s multi-authority regulatory structure means suppliers must plan for federal and emirate-level requirements. A new Federal Authority for AI and Data, established in June 2026, consolidates oversight, and hyperscaler commitments such as Microsoft’s $15.2 billion in UAE infrastructure through 2029 are building the in-country capacity that makes sovereign deployment practical and feasible.
Geopolitical risk adds a resilience dimension. IDC’s base case based on extensive modelling and data is that a contained Middle East conflict causes minimal disruption to core AI investment, though a prolonged one would raise energy and hardware costs and slow discretionary projects. In a worldwide survey fielded in April and May 2026, 47.6% of organizations were increasing cybersecurity funding and nearly 44% were still increasing AI funding, while consulting and systems integration budgets were being held flat or cut. What is clear is that multi-region redundancy as well as the theme of strategic resiliency is now a board-level topic across the financial institutions of the MEA region.
Banks: treat sovereign infrastructure as a given. Compete on data quality, fraud intelligence and AI operations. Technology providers: sell outcomes, not platforms. Bundle data modernization, governance and security into one transformation story, and localize for UAE residency and regulation. Fintechs: the central bank’s open finance and instant payment rails open the largest new addressable surface in years.
Three signals matter. Will instant payments and open finance reach production fast? Will AI pilots become governed enterprise deployments? Will the shift to software and in-house build push services providers toward managed outcomes? To gain more insight on these pressing issues and key inputs into how these questions should be answered, please do join us on November 19 at the UAE financial service congress.
The IDC IT Security Summit 2026 brought together IT leaders to discover the latest trends and advancements in cybersecurity.
Associate Research Director (META)
IDC
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Senior Research Director, Enterprise Software Sourcing Strategies
IDC
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Director of Solutions Engineering
Splunk
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Senior Cybersecurity Consultant
SBM
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EVP of Managed Risk & Controls
Obrela
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Vice President EMEA
Picus Security
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Senior Sales Manager, Saudi Arabia
Cloudflare
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Detection and Intelligence Fusion Specialist
Cyberani
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Senior System Engineer
Cohesity
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Senior Solutions Engineer, EMEA
Horizon3.AI
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Country Regional Director
Exabeam
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Regional Advisory Systems Engineer | Security Platform
Dell Technologies
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Regional Manager of Sales Engineering
Forcepoint
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Security Specialist
ManageEngine
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Sales Engineer
Delinea
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Country Head, MEA
Protectt.AI
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Chief Executive Officer
Axidian
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Chief Information Security Officer
Leading Government Entity
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Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA)
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Chief Information Security Officer
Technical and Vocational Training Corporation
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Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Shaqra University
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Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Confidential
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Head of Cybersecurity & Data Protection
Confidential
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Chief Information Officer (CIO)
National Metal Manufacturing & Casting
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As AI agents gain autonomy to access data, make decisions, and act across enterprise systems, they introduce a new and rapidly expanding attack surface that traditional security models weren’t built to handle. This keynote draws on IDC research to outline how security leaders can govern agent identities, enforce guardrails, and build resilient architectures that let organizations scale agentic AI with confidence.
Tom Seal is Senior Research Director, Enterprise Software Sourcing Strategies at IDC. In this role he is tasked with developing processes and market intelligence to support IDC’s new AI-powered platform aimed at Technology Buyers. In his prior role at IDC he was an analyst covering Enterprise Applications in Europe.
Before joining IDC Tom worked in the procurement and supply chain space in both corporate and advisory roles.
Yaman Hakmi is a strategic technology leader driving innovation and transformation across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. As Director of Solutions Engineering at Splunk, he leads regional efforts to empower organizations in advancing their digital resilience through observability, cybersecurity, and cloud-driven strategies.
His leadership focuses on shaping digital strategies, fostering design thinking, and delivering measurable outcomes that enable customers to thrive in this AI-driven era.
Yaman is also a co-founder of a digital trust non-profit organization that advocates for advancing cybersecurity and digital literacy across the Middle East.
Khan is a Senior Cybersecurity Consultant at SBM, a regional MSSP and cybersecurity advisory firm, with over 18 years of experience securing critical infrastructure, Finanacial Sector, energy sector operations, and enterprise environments across the Middle East, and Global. He specialises in AI-powered security operations, SOC transformation, and regulatory alignment under NCA, SAMA, and PDPL frameworks. Khan holds CISM, CCISO, CISA, CEH, AAISM, and PMP certifications with Master Degree in Cyber Security and has led large-scale security deployments and adversarial validation programmes across the GCC. He advises CISOs and boards on translating security investment into measurable business outcomes.
Notis Iliopoulos is EVP of Managed Risk & Controls Services at Obrela, with more than 28 years of experience in information security, risk management, and cybersecurity leadership across Greece, the Balkans, the Middle East and Central Europe. Throughout his career, he has held senior consulting, CISO, and business leadership roles, leading complex cybersecurity and risk management initiatives in critical sectors, including telecommunications and financial services.
Notis specializes in cyber risk management, governance, compliance, information security strategy, and resilience programs. He holds an MSc in Information Security from Royal Holloway, University of London, an MSc in Management of Business Innovation & Technology, and is certified CISA, CISM, and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.
Tarek Kuzbari is a seasoned leader with 20+ years of experience in the Technology Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector, specializing in international market expansion, revenue growth, and P&L management. He has held senior roles at HUMAN, Cybereason, Bitdefender, Group-IB, SABA Software, and Kaspersky, managing $58m ARR across regions including MEA, APAC, and Eastern Europe. Tarek, an acknowledged industry influencer, has been listed among the top “30 under 30” by Gulf businesses and ACN’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Executives in the Middle East”. He also earned a spot in Network Middle East’s “Top Executives in the Security Industry in the Middle East”. He holds an MBA from London Business School and actively supports NGOs like Agastya International Foundation and the Grow Movement.
Saddam is a recognized cybersecurity, cloud, and AI leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex technology transformations and strengthen their cyber resilience. Over the past two decades, he has worked extensively across the cybersecurity industry, partnering with leading global technology providers and advising some of the region’s largest enterprises, government entities, financial institutions, and critical infrastructure organizations on their security and digital transformation strategies.
Today, as a sales leader at Cloudflare, Saddam focuses on enabling organizations to securely accelerate cloud adoption, embrace AI-driven innovation, modernize network architectures, and implement Zero Trust security at scale. His expertise spans cybersecurity, cloud platforms, AI, networking, data protection, and digital resilience, allowing him to bridge the gap between business objectives and technology execution.
Known for combining strategic vision with operational execution, Saddam has built high-performing teams, developed successful go-to-market strategies, and led complex engagements that deliver measurable business outcomes. He is a trusted advisor to executive and technology leaders, helping organizations leverage the power of AI, cloud, and cybersecurity to drive innovation, improve user experience, and reduce risk in an increasingly connected world.
Bushra Alhetelah is a Detection and Intelligence Fusion Specialist at Cyberani by Aramco Digital, with experience in cybersecurity, threat detection, and intelligence-driven defense strategies. Her expertise includes detection engineering, threat intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs), and prompt attack security. Bushra developed the first solution capable of detecting and preventing Browser-in-the-Browser attacks. She holds GRID and GDAT certifications from SANS and a Master’s degree in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity from KFUPM, with a strong focus on advancing proactive cyber defense capabilities.
Sultan Alanazi is the Country Regional Director for Saudi Arabia at LogRhythm | Exabeam, with over 10 years of experience in cybersecurity, enterprise sales, and project leadership. He specializes in driving regional growth, leading high-performing teams, and enabling large-scale digital transformation across government and enterprise sectors. Sultan holds a Master’s in Cybersecurity and is PMP and Prosci certified, with a strong focus on aligning cybersecurity strategy with business outcomes.
Tarek is an experienced IT Professional and Data Protection specialist with more than 15 years of comprehensive experience in this field , Tarek covers Saudi Arabia & Egypt region as Data Protection & Cyber Recovery Solutions Presales helping our customers in their journey for IT transformation through Modern & Proven Data Protection Strategy , Adding resilient framework within the standards Cyber Recovery solutions .
A Cybersecurity professional with over 15 years of experience across multiple security solutions. Global data security leader currently serving as a Regional Manager of Sales Engineering at Forcepoint, I worked closely with multiple organizations as a trusted advisor to align security strategies with business goals.
Pushkar Singh brings over two decades of leadership experience spanning India, the Middle East, and Europe, with a proven track record in driving large-scale technology, risk, and cybersecurity transformations. Throughout his career, he has worked with leading Consulting firm, Telecommunications providers, Banking, Insurance and Government organization, where he led strategic initiatives focused on compliance and secure digital transformation across diverse sectors. With extensive experience collaborating with global clients and strategic partners, Pushkar plays a pivotal role in strengthening the security posture of digital ecosystems.
Currently serving as Country Head at Protectt.ai, a leading provider of Mobile Application and AI security solutions, Pushkar is focused on helping organizations secure their mobile and AI-driven environments. His mission is to enable enterprises to adopt innovation confidently by ensuring their digital assets remain resilient, compliant, and secure.
Georgy is a technology executive with 20+ years of experience building, transforming, and leading technology businesses worldwide. Starting his career as a certified MCSE, he directed large-scale 24/7 technical operations before moving into consultancy, where he earned ITIL Service Manager, ITIL Expert certifications, and MOF, COBIT, and ISO 27001 Auditor credentials. He has delivered over 200 projects for 100+ clients and led transformative initiatives across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Now CEO of a global identity security vendor, Georgy blends strategic vision with expertise in local compliance and unmatched execution, shaping the global standard for secure digital identity.
Thamer Alrowidhan is a seasoned cybersecurity executive with extensive experience leading information security strategy across government and critical national sectors in Saudi Arabia. As a Chief Information Security Officer, he specializes in building and scaling cybersecurity programs aligned with national regulations, risk management frameworks, and large-scale digital transformation initiatives.
With a strong background in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), Thamer has led the development of resilient security architectures, incident response capabilities, and enterprise-wide security operations. His expertise spans cloud and hybrid security, data protection, third-party risk management, and aligning cybersecurity with organizational and national priorities.
Thamer is recognized for his practical, execution-driven approach to cybersecurity—bridging strategy with real-world implementation. He has played a key role in strengthening cyber resilience within complex environments and advising leadership on managing evolving threat landscapes. He frequently contributes to industry discussions and forums, sharing insights on cyber resilience, regulatory compliance, and the future of cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia.
Eng. Khalid is a cybersecurity leader with extensive experience in cybersecurity governance, digital transformation, and national technology initiatives. He led the establishment of the General Department of Cybersecurity at the Ministry’s Headquarters and contributed to building a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence that currently serves more than 25 entities through over 30 specialized services.
He also participated in the design and launch of the “Reef Saudi” program and contributed to cybersecurity support for the international COP16 conference. In addition, he has been involved in several national digital projects, including the “Nafath” project, the “Absher” platform, the “Deem” cloud project, and the GCC Data Exchange project.
Alongside his professional contributions, Eng. Khaled is the author of the book “CYBROSHIMA,” reflecting his interest in promoting cybersecurity awareness and knowledge.
As a Cybersecurity and Network Engineer with over 13 years of experience managing information technology and network operations in the educational sector, I am proud to serve as a Board Member of Trustees at the National IT Academy (NITA). Since 2022, I have been the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) in Saudi Arabia, where I lead multiple enterprise information security divisions, including governance, risk management and compliance (GRC), cyber resilience, security architecture, security strategy, security technologies, incident response, and data protection.
In addition, I represent TVTC on the Sectoral Council for Skills Development in Cybersecurity, contributing to national efforts to strengthen and align cybersecurity competencies with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives.
Throughout my career, I have held diverse leadership roles such as Deputy CISO, Head of Purchasing Department, and Director of Public Relations & Media. Before joining TVTC, I worked as a Project Manager at King Saud University, where I helped launch the Smart University Project in 2010.
I also previously served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saudi Association in the UK, and have been actively involved in shaping the National Cybersecurity Strategy of Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA).
Dr. Saleh Alharbi is Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Shaqra University and an Associate Professor of Computer Science. He leads enterprise-wide initiatives in digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud computing, AI, and technology governance. With a strong focus on innovation and business enablement, he drives the adoption of emerging technologies—including Large Language Models (LLMs) and IoT—to build secure, resilient, and future-ready digital organizations.
Abdulaziz Alarfaj is a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with extensive experience in cybersecurity strategy, governance, architecture, and risk management. He has led cybersecurity initiatives across critical infrastructure environments and is a frequent speaker on cybersecurity leadership and emerging security challenges.
Dr. Abdullah A. Alnajem is a Saudi Cybersecurity Executive, Head of Cybersecurity & Data Protection, Certified Nuclear Cybersecurity Professional (CNSP), and Licensed Computing, IT & Communications Consultant granted by the Saudi Ministry of Commerce. He holds a PhD in Computer Science (Cybersecurity) and an MSc in Informatics (Thesis in Wireless Network Security) from the University of Manchester, UK, as well as a dual Bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Accounting from George Mason University (GMU), USA. Started at KPMG and Riyad Bank HQ (2003 & 2005 respectively), Dr. Alnajem has progressed exponentially after the experience at Riyad bank – London Branch, UK (2014) where he was a consultant in liquidity risk and ani-money laundering investigations, then led cybersecurity, data protection, Cyber fraud prevention initiatives across the insurance, payment systems, and fueling automation systems sectors where he managed strategic projects involving fuel station payment technologies and critical operational infrastructure. He is the author of a US-patented cybersecurity innovation in mobile banking Multi-factor Authentications and fraud prevention and has spoken at international conferences, including Pulse Conferences, while contributing to scientific publications and research forums associated with IEEE and ACM in Macau, South Korea, and Scotland.
Aamir Khalid Pirzada is a distinguished technology executive, Chief Information Officer (CIO), and digital transformation leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cyber Security, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Software Project Management, Enterprise Architecture, Data Analytics, and IT Infrastructure. His expertise extends across diverse industries, including manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, retail, telecommunications, and public services. Aamir is recognized for helping organizations transition from traditional digitalization to AI-powered enterprises by leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, intelligent automation, and advanced cybersecurity frameworks to drive innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable business growth. He specializes in developing AI adoption strategies, establishing data-driven operating models, and implementing intelligent business solutions that enhance productivity, decision-making, and organizational resilience.
As a Chief Information Officer, Aamir provides strategic leadership in defining technology vision, governance, and transformation roadmaps aligned with business objectives. He oversees complex technology ecosystems, enterprise applications, cybersecurity programs, IT operations, digital innovation initiatives, and technology investments while ensuring business continuity and regulatory compliance. Aamir has successfully led large-scale enterprise transformation programs involving SAP S/4HANA, Oracle E-Business Suite, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), ESG Sustainability Platforms, and advanced analytics solutions. His expertise includes integrating AI capabilities into business processes, predictive analytics, process automation, cybersecurity operations, and enterprise data management to create intelligent and connected organizations. A respected cybersecurity leader, Aamir has designed and implemented comprehensive security strategies, governance frameworks, risk management programs, security operations centers (SOC), vulnerability management initiatives, and cyber resilience programs that protect critical business assets and support regulatory compliance.
In addition to his technology leadership, Aamir is passionate about emerging technologies and their role in shaping the future of business. He actively advises organizations on AI readiness, data strategy, digital transformation, cybersecurity modernization, ESG technology solutions, and innovation management. His unique combination of business acumen, technical expertise, and leadership capabilities enables organizations to harness the power of AI, data, and technology to achieve measurable business outcomes and long-term competitive advantage. Aamir Khalid Pirzada continues to be a trusted advisor and transformation leader, helping organizations accelerate their digital journeys, strengthen cybersecurity posture, and unlock the full potential of Artificial Intelligence for sustainable growth and business success.
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that is revolutionizing the way organizations connect and protect in the AI era. For more than 40 years, Cisco has securely connected the world.
With its industry leading AI-powered solutions and services, Cisco enables its customers, partners and communities to unlock innovation, enhance productivity and strengthen digital resilience.
With purpose at its core, Cisco remains committed to creating a more connected and inclusive future for all. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X at @Cisco.
Saudi Business Machines (SBM) is the Kingdom’s leading provider of end-to-end enterprise information technology and telecommunications solutions and the General Marketing and Services Representative of International Business Machines (IBM) in Saudi Arabia. SBM offers cutting-edge enterprise technology solutions across every industry in the Kingdom, with its capability as a total solutions provider further enhanced with an unrivaled portfolio of products and services in Systems and Software, Networking Solutions, Systems Integration, Consultation and Implementation, Business Recovery, Physical Security, Cyber Security and Operations Support. SBM also provides comprehensive, tailored corporate services for a vast range of its products and solutions. SBM’s entire corporate structure is designed to make the company as flexible and as adaptive as possible to the dynamic and developing requirements of its customers, market, and solutions. SBM has access to international best practices, resources, and knowledge bases to provide any required solution that supports our clients digital transformation and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Obrela is a global cybersecurity provider delivering outcome-driven, risk-aligned security operations that enable organizations to anticipate, prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats through a unified model combining advanced technology, human expertise, and continuous risk visibility. Our services include Managed Detection & Response (MDR), Managed Risk & Controls (MRC), Digital Forensics & Incident Response (DFIR), and Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). Swordfish, our proprietary Cyber Operations Command Center, unifies threat, risk, and business intelligence into a single operational model. Recognized by Gartner and Forrester and supported by CREST-certified experts, Obrela is a trusted partner in building cyber resilience.
Picus Security shows you what’s working in your defenses and what isn’t, why it matters, and how to fix it. The pioneer in continuous security validation, Picus now delivers autonomous exposure validation by converging breach & attack simulation and automated pentesting into one unified platform. Picus Swarm augments your team with self-orchestrating AI agents that ingest real-time signals and operate 24×7 within the guardrails you define. With 75+ integrations and the industry’s highest customer satisfaction ratings, Picus gives security teams the validated, context-rich speed they need to outpace AI-driven adversaries.
Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET) is the leading connectivity cloud company. It empowers organizations to make their employees, applications, and networks faster and more secure everywhere, while reducing complexity and cost. Powered by one of the world’s largest and most interconnected networks, Cloudflare blocks billions of threats online for its customers every day.
Cyberani by Aramco Digital is a leading cybersecurity company offering a wide range of cybersecurity products and services aimed at protecting organizations’ digital environments and ensuring business continuity. Headquartered in Riyadh and Dhahran and licensed Tier 1 by the National Cybersecurity Authority, Cyberani safeguards clients’ IT and OT systems against cyber threats.
Cohesity protects, secures, and provides insights into the world’s data. As the leader in AI-powered data security, Cohesity helps organizations strengthen resilience, accelerate recovery, and reduce IT costs. With Zero Trust security and advanced AI/ML, Cohesity Data Cloud is trusted by customers in more than 140 countries, including 70% of the Global 500. Cohesity is also backed by industry leaders such as NVIDIA, Amazon, Google, IBM, Cisco, and HPE.
Cohesity is certified as a Great Place to Work in multiple countries. Follow Cohesity on LinkedIn and visit www.cohesity.com to learn more.
Horizon3 is the AI-Native Proactive Security Company behind NodeZero®, the World’s Best AI Hacker™. NodeZero autonomously tests defenses at machine speed, safely uncovers and prioritizes exploitable attack paths, instantly verifies fixes, and drives a continuous hack, fix, verify loop that helps organizations shift the advantage from attackers to defenders.
Exabeam is the leader in behavior intelligence for the agentic enterprise. As organizations deploy digital workers and confront machine-speed adversaries, Exabeam applies agent-powered analytics to understand and govern the behavior of both human and non-human insiders. With integrated Exabeam Nova cybersecurity agents, Exabeam delivers flexible, industry-proven solutions for insider threat coverage of humans and agents and faster, more accurate threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR). As the pioneer of user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) and the innovator behind Agent Behavior Analytics (ABA), Exabeam is trusted by more than 3,000 enterprises worldwide to reduce risk, secure the digital workforce, and accelerate security operations. Learn more at www.exabeam.com.
Exabeam: Real Intelligence. Real Security. Real Fast.
Forcepoint enables Self-Aware Data Security, an AI-native approach that helps enterprises and governments know their data everywhere, adapt to evolving risks and regulations in real time, and protect at scale with a unified, single-policy framework. Based in Austin, Texas, Forcepoint creates safe, trusted environments for customers and their employees in more than 150 countries. For more information visit Forcepoint.com; or connect with Forcepoint on LinkedIn.
At Dell Technologies, our mission is to be our customers’ most trusted partner in unlocking the power of data and AI, delivering secure, sustainable and innovative technology that turns bold ideas into real outcomes and drives human progress in a connected world.
ManageEngine is a division of Zoho Corporation and a leading provider of IT management solutions for organizations worldwide. With a powerful, flexible, and AI-powered digital enterprise management platform, we help businesses get their work done from anywhere and everywhere—better, safer, and faster.
Delinea helps organizations reduce identity-based risk while enabling secure, seamless access across the modern enterprise. As the identity security control plane, Delinea protects every human, machine, and AI identity with real-time, context-aware access, replacing static privilege with just-in-time, policy-driven controls that maintain security without slowing down the business. Delinea continuously discovers identities, privileges, and access pathways, giving teams full visibility into who has access and why. With unified enforcement, automation, and auditing, organizations can apply least privilege consistently and move toward Zero Standing Privilege at their own pace without requiring a rip-and-replace approach.
Protectt.ai is an industry leader in AI-Native Digital Security, providing specialized, next-generation solutions for mobile apps and enterprise Agentic AI systems. The company’s innovative Mobile App Platform offers advanced, runtime protection that ensures the security of mobile apps against fraud, malicious attacks, and evolving cyber threats. Furthermore, its AI-powered platform provides comprehensive, end-to-end defense for enterprise Agentic AI systems with a powerful suite of tools and features dedicated to enabling secure AI operations and innovation.
Axidian is a global identity security vendor providing Privileged Access Management (PAM), Identity and Access Management (IAM), Certificate Management, and Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR). With extensive experience across Saudi Arabia, Axidian combines technical expertise with premium customer support to deliver lasting security outcomes and support strong regulatory compliance.
Xage Security is a global leader in zero trust access and protection on a mission to pioneer a secure tomorrow. Control access and prevent attacks in the cloud, in the datacenter, at the remote operational edge anywhere on Earth, and even in orbit with the Xage Fabric Platform. Xage is easy to manage and can be deployed in a day, giving users easy and secure access to the assets they need from anywhere while preventing advanced adversaries and insider threats at every stage of the attack chain. Learn why organizations like the U.S. Space Force, PETRONAS, and Kinder Morgan choose Xage at xage.com.
Checkmarx is the leader in agentic application security, delivering enterprise-grade protection while helping organizations lower engineering costs and accelerate development velocity. The Checkmarx One platform scans trillions of lines of code each year, enabling companies to cut vulnerability density by more than half. Autonomous security agents continuously detect and counter AI-driven threats across the software development lifecycle, delivering prevention-first protection for legacy, modern, and AI-generated code at enterprise scale.
PhishRod is a market leader in AI-Driven Human Risk Management helping organisations in mitigating cyber threats relating to vulnerable end user behaviour. By leveraging advanced analytics, end user behaviour monitoring, personalised training interventions, policy compliance and continuous profiling through phishing simulations, PhishRod helps organisations reduce human-related security breaches, foster a culture of security consciousness, and improve overall resilience against cyber threats with its Aidaptive human risk management.
By 2028 40% of large enterprises in the META region will have a dedicated budget for GenAI Fraud Defense
Yapay zeka teknolojileri operasyonel gerçekliğimizin merkezine yerleşti. Kurumsal sistemlerimize entegre edilen AI fonksiyonları verimliliğimizi dönüştürürken, bu bileşenlerin güvenli ve sorumlu şekilde çalışmasını sağlamak IT stratejimizin temel odağı haline geldi. AI servisleri devreye alırken, en kritik yatırımımız aslında insan kaynağımız. Çalışanlarımızı yapay zekanın etkili kullanıcısı olacak yetkinliklerle donatmaya çalışıyoruz. Günümüzde yapay zekanın değeri, onu kullanan insanın kabiliyeti ve sorumluluğu kadar gelişmiştir. İşte bu yüzden teknoloji ve insan kaynağına aynı oranda yatırım yapıyoruz.
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UAE’s cybersecurity leaders are confronting a new era of risk, in which AI-driven attacks, identity-based threats, and heightenedboard scrutiny converge. As the cyber landscape evolves, the CISO role is expanding beyond security operations to become acritical driver of business resilience, trust, and strategic decision-making.
The IDC CISO Xchange is a closed-door, invitation-only gathering of senior security leaders. The Xchange is designed for candid dialogue, shared experience, and strategic insight. Grounded in IDC research and guided by IDC analysts, each session connect sreal-world challenges to forward-looking intelligence.
Building Trust in the Age of Autonomous AI
Governance, accountability, and trust frameworks for AI-powered enterprises.
Cyber Resilience as Business Strategy
Making resilience a driver of business continuity and growth.
Identity, Trust and Expanding Attack Surface
Securing identities across people, systems, and AI agents.
Digital Sovereignty and Strategic Trust
Protecting data sovereignty, strategic assets, and regulatory trust.
Translating Cyber Risk into Business Value
Connecting security investments to business outcomes.
The Future of Security Operations
Balancing AI innovation with security and governance.
Supply Chain Security and Third-Party Risk
Managing third-party and supply chain risk across extended digital ecosystems.
Leadership in an Era of Continuous Disruption
Leading security strategy amid evolving risks and change.
By 2026, 40% of large enterprises in the META region will have a dedicated budget for GenAI Fraud Defense.
Associate Research Director (META)
IDC
Read Bio
Associate Research Director (META)
IDC
Read Bio
As AI agents become active participants in business processes, security leaders must rethink governance, accountability, trust, and risk management in increasingly autonomous environments. In the UAE, where agentic AI adoption is accelerating and IDC research shows fewer than 20% of organisations have a dedicated AI security framework, this reset is both urgent and consequential.
Peer intelligence
Every session grounded in IDC primary research and guided by IDC security analysts.
IDC Research
Candid peer exchange with the UAE’s most senior CISOs, selected by seniority and sector.
Strategic Outcomes
Leave with frameworks and evidence ready for boards, budgets, and teams.
The Right Room
Recognition of UAE cybersecurity excellence through the CISO Excellence Awards.
This blog explores how organizations can embed trust, governance, and resilience into AI systems to ensure they operate reliably, transparently, and at scale in the agentic economy.
AI is transforming SOC operations with dynamic, AI-driven playbooks that adapt in real time to evolving threats. Security teams are shifting from static rules to intelligent, on-the-fly decision-making frameworks for faster, more precise response.
Quantum computing raises new security risks, making risk assessments critical. Organizations must act now to become quantum-ready and future-proof their defenses.
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The 2027 IT Security Summit Saudi Arabia brings together CISOs, security leaders, policymakers, and technology innovators to address AI-powered threats, data sovereignty, identity security, and cyber resilience. With NCA mandates and SDAIA data governance requirements expanding across all sectors, the summit focuses on the strategies, governance, and innovations shaping secure digital enterprise in the kingdom.
77% of Saudi organizations report ransomware as their top threat in 2025.Agentic AI is amplifying these risks: AI-powered attacks now move faster than human-led defenses.
At the same time, NCA mandates and SDAIA data governance requirements are tightening compliance obligations across every sector. This summit delivers the insights and frameworks Saudi security leaders need to defend AI-driven operations, meet rising regulatory demands, and build cyber resilience for Vision 2030.
Trust in the Age of Autonomous AI
Securing AI agents and autonomous systems with governance controls.
The Next Cyber Arms Race
How AI is reshaping cyber defense against advanced automated threats.
Identity-Centric Defense
Defending enterprises through identity-centric access controls and zero trust.
Preparing for the Post-Quantum Security Era
Preparing enterprises for quantum-safe security and data protection.
Resilience-Led Security
Strengthening resilience against ransomware, disruption, and operational continuity risks.
Sovereign Cloud & AI Governance
Building sovereign cloud infrastructure with strong AI governance frameworks.
Securing the Digital Supply Chain
Managing supply chain risk through visibility, trust, and assurance.
Cyber Risk, Governance, and Boardroom Priorities
Aligning cybersecurity with business resilience and executive risk.
By 2028 40% of large enterprises in the META region will have a dedicated budget for GenAI Fraud Defense, as banking and financial services organizations respond to a triple-digit rise in AI- generated fraud attempts.
Source: Worldwide Security Spending Guide, META, 2026
Associate Research Director (META)
IDC
Read Bio
Associate Research Director (META)
IDC
Read Bio
As AI agents gain autonomy to access data, make decisions, and act across enterprise systems, they introduce a new and rapidly expanding attack surface that traditional security models weren’t built to handle. This keynote draws on IDC research to outline how security leaders can govern agent identities, enforce guardrails, and build resilient architectures that let organizations scale agentic AI with confidence.
Saudi Arabia-specific security intelligence
IDC research and analyst insights grounded in Saudi market conditions, NCA compliance realities, and local threat data from 82 Saudi security leaders.
Peer network that matters
Connect with Saudi CISOs and GCC security leaders who share the same regulatory environment, giga-project pressures, and OT security challenges.
Decisions, not just discussions
Leave with a clear view of where to invest, what to prioritize, and how to align security with business growth in Saudi Arabia’s fast-moving market.
Frameworks you can apply now
Take home approaches for NCA-compliant architecture, SDAIA data governance readiness, and AI security governance that work within Vision2030 digital ambitions.
This blog explores how organizations can embed trust, governance, and resilience into AI systems to ensure they operate reliably, transparently, and at scale in the agentic economy.
AI is transforming SOC operations with dynamic, AI-driven playbooks that adapt in real time to evolving threats. Security teams are shifting from static rules to intelligent, on-the-fly decision-making frameworks for faster, more precise response.
Quantum computing raises new security risks, making risk assessments critical. Organizations must act now to become quantum-ready and future-proof their defenses.
Shilpi Handa
Associate Research Director (META), IDC
As AI agents become active participants in business processes, security leaders must rethink governance, accountability, trust, and risk management in increasingly autonomous environments. In the UAE, where agentic AI adoption is accelerating and IDC research shows fewer than 20% of organisations have a dedicated AI security framework, this reset is both urgent and consequential.
Shilpi Handa
Associate Research Director (META), IDC
CIOs are moving beyond being operational guardians to become strategic partners responsible for resilience, trust, and enterprise growth. UAE CISOs increasingly present to boards in business language, framing risk as financial exposure, not technical failure.
How governments and enterprises are responding to growing demands for data sovereignty, supply chain integrity, and trusted digital ecosystems across borders. The UAE National Cybersecurity Strategy 2025-2031 and the API-First Policy are setting a new baseline for how organisations design and operate digital infrastructure.
Security leaders examine how extended digital ecosystems are reshaping third-party risk management, vendor assurance, and supply chain resilience frameworks. In the UAE’s open and hyperconnected economy, spanning DIFC, ADGM, and global logistics corridors, third-party risk has become a boardroom concern.
As AI agents, machine identities, and autonomous systems proliferate, organisations need a new approach to identity, access, and trust. UAE CISO data shows identity and access management remains a top-three investment priority for the third consecutive year.
How AI-powered detection, automation, and response capabilities are reshaping security operations and enabling more resilient enterprises. MDR has led UAE investment priorities for three years. Now the question is how agentic capabilities change what detection and response means.
Strategies for maintaining visibility, protection, and recovery across increasingly distributed hybrid environments. UAE Cybersecurity Resilience Guidelines for financial services are setting a new standard for what tested resilience looks like.
Addressing data governance, sovereignty, and protection requirements as AI adoption accelerates. The UAE’s National Cybersecurity Strategy 2025-2031 and federal data protection law are making data residency a design decision, not an afterthought.
Connect with like-minded peers and industry partners in dynamic roundtable discussions, where meaningful conversations come together to surface actionable insights, challenge conventional thinking, and foster candid dialogue.
Connect with like-minded peers and industry partners in dynamic roundtable discussions, where meaningful conversations come together to surface actionable insights, challenge conventional thinking, and foster candid dialogue.
11:50AM – 12:30PM
11:50AM – 12:30PM
11:50AM – 12:30PM
11:50AM – 12:30PM
The role has changed. Security leaders are now expected to influence strategy, speak to the board in financial terms, and own outcomes beyond protection. This session explores how CISOs are redefining their mandate, building executive relationships, and driving enterprise value, not just managing risk.
