The briefing, themed “Establishing a Unified Cybersecurity Foundation to Safeguard the Expanding Digital and Intelligent Landscape,” featured presentations by Dr. Zhu Shenggao, Vice President of AI at Huawei Cloud Middle East & Central Asia; Richard Wu, President of Security Product Domain in the Data Communication Product Line, Huawei; and Yongjian Li, President of Data Protection, Huawei. Moderated by Colm Murphy from the Huawei European Cybersecurity Center, the session was attended by media representatives from the GCC, reflecting the region’s increasing emphasis on collaborative cybersecurity strategies.

Strategic Investment in Research and Development
Huawei’s commitment to cybersecurity is underscored by its sustained investment in research and development. Mr. Murphy highlighted the company’s dedication to innovation, noting that in 2024, Huawei allocated USD 24.6 billion to R&D, representing 20.8% of its annual revenue. “The company’s cumulative R&D investment over the past decade amounts to USD 171.1 billion, demonstrating its commitment to continuous advancement in cybersecurity,” Mr. Murphy stated. “Huawei currently employs more than 3,000 cybersecurity R&D personnel, with 5% of its R&D expenditure focused on enhancing the security of its products.”

This investment supports Huawei’s strategic approach to cybersecurity, predicated on the principle that security should be integral to system design and based on rigorous verification against established standards. This commitment is manifested in a comprehensive governance framework and a dedication to providing secure technologies through collaborative partnerships, contributing to industry standards, and upholding privacy and data sovereignty.

Addressing the Evolving Threat Landscape with AI-Native Security
A central focus of the briefing was the increasing prevalence of AI-driven cyberattacks. Mr. Wu emphasized the escalating frequency, sophistication, and covert nature of these threats, noting the utilization of AI technologies by malicious actors to execute advanced attacks and rapidly generate malware variants.

Dr. Zhu addressed this challenge by presenting Huawei Cloud’s AI-Native Security paradigm. “Cybersecurity and privacy protection constitute the cornerstones of development in the digital and intelligent world,” Dr. Zhu stated. “Our unified approach integrates protection across cloud, network, edge, and endpoint environments to provide the comprehensive security foundation necessary for organizations to innovate with confidence.”

Huawei Cloud’s AI Pangu security models integrate comprehensive threat intelligence with specialized capabilities, automating 99% of threat responses and significantly reducing incident detection times. This proactive approach is essential in an environment where conventional security measures are often inadequate in addressing rapidly evolving threats.

Mitigating the Threat of Ransomware: A Multi-Layered Defense Strategy
The briefing also addressed the escalating threat of ransomware, which Mr. Wu reported resulted in USD 42 billion in global losses in 2024. Huawei’s multi-layered protection solution provides active defense with a 99.99% ransomware detection rate, while its HiSec Endpoint product employs AI-driven monitoring to initiate file backup upon detection of suspicious encryption activity.

“In the context of an increasingly complex threat landscape characterized by more frequent, automated, and covert cyber-attacks, cybersecurity must transition from reactive to proactive threat containment,” Mr. Wu stated. “Our unified cybersecurity foundation reflects Huawei’s commitment to assisting organizations in safeguarding their critical digital assets while enabling continued innovation.”

Revolutionizing Data Protection and Recovery Capabilities
Mr. Li introduced Huawei’s innovative approach to data protection and storage security with the unveiling of the OceanProtect E8000. This advanced system features a 3-in-1 converged architecture that integrates backup software servers, short-term retention storage, and long-term retention storage into a unified system.

“Organizations today require comprehensive protection and rapid recovery capabilities,” said Mr. Li. “With OceanProtect E8000, we are providing both within a single integrated system that significantly reduces complexity while enhancing security.” The OceanProtect E8000 delivers a 5x improvement in recovery performance, enabling the restoration of 1TB of data in 20 seconds, and offers a high-density 2PB/2U capacity that reduces rack space requirements by up to 90% compared to conventional solutions.

Fostering Collaboration and Ensuring Compliance
During the Q&A session, the speakers highlighted Huawei’s strategic partnership with Jeraisy Group in Saudi Arabia and discussed Huawei’s Cloud Service Cybersecurity & Compliance Standard (3CS), a framework based on more than 16 global security standards that ensures robust compliance and governance across all deployments.

As we witness an unprecedented acceleration in the digital landscape, securing artificial intelligence (AI) systems and supply chains has become a critical concern for global technology companies. Huawei, a global ICT leader, is tackling these challenges head-on and leveraging its expertise to establish industry standards in AI security and supply chain resilience.

AI Security: Addressing Complex Challenges
AI’s transformative potential is accompanied by inherent risks such as data breaches, adversarial attacks, and algorithmic biases. Acknowledging these vulnerabilities, Huawei has crafted a multi-layered strategy to safeguard AI systems. Central to Huawei’s AI strategy is a steadfast commitment to ethical practices. The company designs AI frameworks that prioritize transparency, privacy, and accountability.

It integrates Explainable AI (XAI) techniques to ensure decision-making processes are understandable and unbiased, thereby fostering trust among users and stakeholders. Huawei has also harnessed the power of AI to bolster its cybersecurity defences. By deploying advanced threat detection systems, its technology analyzes vast amounts of data to identify and neutralize potential threats in real-time, providing robust protection for its AI solutions.

Huawei’s efforts extend beyond its internal operations. Through initiatives like the Huawei Cyber Security Transparency Center, the company collaborates with academia, industry experts, and policymakers to advance AI security research and address emerging challenges. These measures underline Huawei’s commitment to creating secure, scalable, and trustworthy AI systems that can withstand the complexities of the modern digital ecosystem.

Securing the Global Supply Chain
In the interconnected world of global supply chains, vulnerabilities such as counterfeit components, tampering, and cyberattacks pose significant risks. To mitigate these challenges and protect the integrity of its supply chain, Huawei has implemented a comprehensive security framework. Huawei employs blockchain technology to enhance supply chain traceability, ensuring every component and process in its network is authenticated, thus reducing the risk of counterfeit products and unauthorized modifications.

Huawei also enforces stringent supplier verification protocols, requiring partners to adhere to its cybersecurity standards. Regular audits and compliance checks are conducted to maintain the integrity of the supply chain. Huawei incorporates secure-by-design principles into its hardware and software, ensuring resilience against potential cyberattacks. AI technologies are also deployed to predict and mitigate supply chain disruptions, enhancing overall reliability.

By aligning with international frameworks like ISO 28000 and contributing to global cybersecurity policy development, Huawei demonstrates its commitment to fostering a secure and standardized supply chain ecosystem.

Setting Industry Benchmarks
Huawei’s proactive approach to AI and supply chain security establishes it as a leader in the global technology landscape. By combining cutting-edge innovation with robust security measures, the company not only protects its operations but also contributes to the broader effort to secure the digital future. As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, Huawei’s initiatives serve as a model for how technology companies can balance innovation with security.

Its commitment to transparency, collaboration, and ethical practices underscores the importance of building trust in an increasingly digital world. For industries and organizations navigating the complexities of AI and global supply chains, Huawei’s efforts underscore the critical need for vigilance, resilience, and collaboration in ensuring a secure and sustainable technology-enabled future.

Jim Rohn once famously said, “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” Resilience is key to surviving in today’s world full of emerging technologies and hot-button buzzwords. It is a race towards all that is good, towards cyber survivability, a race of the utmost urgency and importance. As such, cybersecurity and, in particular, cyber resiliency is more than just having an incident response plan or a computer security policy. It is about ensuring that your entire security posture can withstand a wide range of threats, which includes hybrid, blended attack vectors that can transcend time and space through the interplay of physical, cyber, and virtual planes that take apart traditional brick-and-mortar aspects of any organizations and cross-borders jurisdiction.

Hence, we need to design a more holistic security framework by integrating cyber and physical security measures, hardening critical systems, and creating cross-functional teams and multi-disciplinary teams that will involve team members not only from our organization but also from other stakeholders in our ecosystem that can address risks from multiple angles. Indeed, designing an auto-adaptable, self-evolving security framework that will evolve alongside the volatile and rapidly evolving threat landscape will be crucial to maintaining cyber resiliency and, therefore, safeguarding the business in the new intelligent era. But, without a doubt, there’s an urgent need to prioritize building cyber resiliency above all other matters.

Leonardo Da Vinci said, “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Being willing is not enough. We must do.” To build resilience, having a lofty mission statement with an ambitious plan is not enough; the efforts must be grounded in the practicality of getting our hands dirty and being able to paddle in and out of the mudflats regardless of how much the mud will engulf you.

Figure 1 shows our proposed RACE model as a simple four-part process to look at how organizations can build cyber-resiliency with a feasible and actionable plan to achieve our objective of securing any organization by going back to basics. By going back to basics and doing them well, it will at least address 90% of the problems that most organizations are facing today. The solution needs not to be complex nor flamboyant; it just needs to be practical, and if one can cut through the levels of complexity and zero in on the crux of the problem and put in place basic security controls that are effective and efficient, it will lay the groundwork for success.

Borrowing the analogy of racing, would you be driving a race car that has a manual gearbox for full control and is tuned for the race track, or would you just take any car straight from the garage untuned for the conditions of the race track and relying on the car’s automatic gearbox to take care of the driving? Thus, it is clear that returning to basics and tuning your security measures for accuracy and precision is a much better bet than pouring huge investments into advanced systems and mechanics, building layers and layers of security indiscriminately.
Being accurate and precise will enable us to build quantifiability into our cybersecurity program. Accuracy and precision are both ways to measure results. Accuracy measures how close results are to the true or known value, while precision, on the other hand, measures how close results are to one another or, in other words, how well our defences are designed and executed. This is our motivation behind the development of the RACE model. The subsequent paragraph will describe each key component of the model in greater detail.

Figure 1: The RACE model, a simple 4-part plan for building cyber resilience

Firstly, resiliency in modern cybersecurity speaks to the capability to provide value for the customer. In simplistic terms, it is to provide robustness and survivability of the organization’s cyber footprint in the face of adversaries and threats, meet compliance needs for business governance while excelling and providing a competitive advantage, using whatever security capabilities are based on established best practices, processes, and frameworks that achieve repeatable results. Figure 2 below summarizes what it takes to build cyber resilience and the value it brings to the table, taking into consideration the interplay between being compliant and building capabilities to support the resiliency of the entire information infrastructure that supports the business of an organization.

Figure 2: Building trust, enhancing cyber resilience, and mitigating risks in action

Next, awareness refers not only to imbuing a culture of cybersecurity among all the staff in an organization to the extent that basic cyber hygiene can be practised but also to targeting the team focusing on delivery and maintaining ICT and security services within the organization so that they pay attention to cementing their core competencies and fundamentals. Hereby, it is recommended that harnessing risks and hedging your bet against the barrage of threats based on a risk-based approach is the best way, given that resources on hand are always scarce, limited, and, to some extent, expensive. Given that is the case, we have identified five basic core fundamentals that every cybersecurity team in any organization needs to build up on their basics (and manage them well) based on common cybersecurity issues faced, as depicted in Figure 3. While it may seem simple, the devil is always in the details to ensure a job is done well.

Figure 3: Managing five common risks (end-to-end) comprehensively as a basis for building cyber resilience

One man, organization, or country cannot resolve cybersecurity issues alone. It takes an entire village to address cybersecurity issues as they affect everyone if anything goes awry. Cybersecurity is a team sport, and all the stakeholders within the ecosystem must contribute towards addressing the elephant in the room, as shown in Figure 4. We always find strength in numbers because “united we stand, divided we fall.” We see the Blackhat community is doing that exactly, and that is why they are always a step ahead of the good guys every time, thereby summarizing the urgency to Collaborate as a key differentiating measure.

Figure 4: Cybersecurity is a team sport. So, who is on the team?

Last but not least, we need to bring everything together to build or Engineer the process, putting the cogwheels into their rightful places to drive the engine forward. We have identified five key fundamental security measures that, if done diligently, will be key to building an end-to-end resilient system and reducing network risks. As shown in Figure 3, the five key fundamental security measures are 1) software integrity protection, 2) security configuration, 3) digital certification management, 4) vulnerability remediation, and 5) product lifecycle management. Take “Security configuration” as an example. To engineer and address the risk brought about by system misconfiguration, we need to break it down into its elements or identify its Work Breakdown Structure or WBS, which is a key step for planning project tasks and allocating resources.

Figure 5: Security Configuration Example: Optimize the Security Configuration Baseline based on Service Scenarios

Figure 5 summarizes typical work done to break down “security configuration” into its WBS. While this figure does not depict the complete picture, it does show a deep dive into each piece of work. One should keep working on breaking it down until the project scope and all the tasks required to complete the project can be visualized in one snapshot.

In conclusion, we have distilled the entire RACE model in detail in this paper. Achieving RACE is key to building resiliency for any organization. The important thing to note is to keep it simple and go back to basics. Build an auto-evolving, adaptable security framework based on the strategy that is designed to shape-shift alongside emerging blended, hybrid threats by leveraging on actionable intelligence, building resilience, and fostering collaboration so that individuals, organizations, and nations. Establishing public-private partnerships (PPP) with governmental entities and authorities enables public sector players, such as the UAE Cyber Security Council, to act as the fulcrum for coordinating and pooling resources and intelligence. This will enable our modern society to defend against today’s threat and safeguard one’s digital journey by addressing the challenges of tomorrow’s Age of Intelligence.

With over three decades of experience, Huawei has established itself as a leader in providing secure, innovative technology solutions across 170 countries, serving over 3 billion users worldwide. Huawei’s presence at Milipol Qatar 2024 reflects its unwavering commitment to safeguarding digital ecosystems fostering collaboration with governments and industries to build a more secure and connected future.

Rico Lin, President of Huawei Gulf North Region, emphasized the importance of security in today’s digital landscape, stating: “In an era of rapid digital change, cybersecurity and data privacy are not just priorities—they are imperatives. At Huawei, we are committed to providing our partners with the tools and innovations to navigate this evolving landscape securely, empowering them to realize their digital transformation goals.”

At its booth, Huawei is showcasing a range of innovative solutions tailored for various sectors. One highlight is the Smart City Intelligent Operations Center, a centralized platform that provides a comprehensive view of city operations, enabling real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making to enhance urban resilience and efficiency. Huawei is also presenting its Major Event Assurance Solution, designed to ensure security and operational efficiency during large-scale events. This solution leverages advanced analytics and real-time data to facilitate rapid response and effective incident management.

For the first time in Qatar, Huawei is unveiling during Milipol its cutting-edge IdeaPresence, a stunning 138-inch 4K immersive display, cool-running COB design for low heat output, and simplified operation and maintenance (O&M) for secure and seamless collaboration. In addition to its cutting-edge security and digital transformation solutions, Huawei will showcase its Pangu Government Model at the show. This innovative model empowers intelligence for government applications by analyzing multimodal data to understand and manage tens of thousands of real-time city events. The Pangu Government Model enables rapid discovery and dispatch, helping governments address issues more efficiently and enhance city-wide management through intelligent, data-driven solutions.

Along with its technology showcase, Huawei will actively participate in key summits at Milipol Qatar 2024, including the Cybersecurity Summit. This platform will allow Huawei to share insights on the critical role of cybersecurity in today’s increasingly interconnected world. Dr. Aloysius Cheang, Chief Security Officer from Huawei ME & CA Region will engage in discussions on how innovative cybersecurity solutions can defend against modern threats to cyber sovereignty.

Huawei’s engagement at Milipol Qatar goes beyond showcasing individual technologies. It is about reinforcing a shared vision of a safer future where intelligence and innovation work hand-in-hand with security. With its strong track record in cybersecurity, Huawei is positioned to be a strategic enabler for governments and enterprises seeking to enhance both security and operational efficiency.

During the event, Huawei is highlighting key initiatives aimed at fostering smarter cities, streamlining emergency response efforts, and ensuring seamless communication across critical infrastructure. These efforts are part of Huawei’s broader strategy to support sustainable and resilient digital ecosystems that can meet the growing challenges of modern security threats.

In collaboration with local partners such as Mekdam Holding, CESCO, Mannai Infotech, TechnoQ, Traffic tech (Gulf) and leveraging strategic alliances with Chinese partners, Huawei is actively contributing to the development of secure digital transformation frameworks across the region. These partnerships further Huawei’s mission to drive innovation and build a robust ecosystem that benefits Qatar and the region.

Milipol Qatar 2024 provides a unique platform for Huawei to engage with industry leaders, decision-makers, and stakeholders, reinforcing its role in shaping the future of secure digital transformation. Through its participation, Huawei continues to demonstrate its leadership in advancing technological solutions and protecting the integrity of digital infrastructure.

As the deployment of 5G technology and its next generation, 5G-Advanced (5G-A), which was already announced this year by global vendors like Huawei, mobile networks are increasingly becoming the backbone of our digital life, and robust cybersecurity standards and good practices are paramount for telecom authorities and operators.
Pioneering 5G deployment, Saudi Arabia and the GCC are now upgrading to 5G-Advanced for even greater value.

The telecom industry, constantly adapting, integrates cloud and AI with these networks, driving new digital business models. Telecom’s role in national security necessitates robust cybersecurity. Regulators, operators, and industry stakeholders in the region must collaborate to identify best practices and implement measures to safeguard networks, systems, and data from cyber threats. This cross-sector effort requires close cooperation with service providers, equipment manufacturers, and government agencies to mitigate risks, develop best practices, and raise cybersecurity awareness.

At the recently concluded MWC Shanghai 2024 organized by GSMA, the ‘Middle East and Central Asia ICT Policy and Governance Forum’ round table, themed “Driving Policy and Innovation to Shape Our Digital Future”, mobile network security took centre stage. The forum brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including senior officials from GSMA, regulatory authorities, operators, Huawei, and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, to discuss industry policies, successful practices, and valuable insights on network security and key industry trends.

The round table discussed the importance of spectrum, optical, and datacom policy planning and explored how carriers, enterprises, oversight agencies, and regulators can enhance mobile security capabilities and guide risk management strategies. The discussions also sought to promote the adoption of GSMA’s Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme (NESAS) and Mobile Cybersecurity Knowledge Base (MCKB). Attendees also reviewed industry policies and best practices, with examples from China’s successful use cases.

Mr. Jawad Abassi, Head of MENA at GSMA, who moderated the roundtable discussion, said, “The GSMA regularly explores a range of security considerations including secure by design, 5G deployment models and security activities. Good security practices and policies by industry suppliers are essential. The mobile ecosystem should empower advancing positive policy and spectrum outcomes, driving digital innovation to reduce inequalities in our world and tackling today’s biggest societal challenges.”

GSMA NESAS is a rigorous security framework covering some of the most vital aspects of national critical infrastructure. Providing a universal industry standard, it highlights the ability of network equipment vendors to meet and maintain security levels—from product development to lifecycle management processes. Specifically, it covers equipment that supports functions defined by 3GPP and is deployed by mobile network operators on their networks.

NESAS is a trusted and proven standard for tracking records across the world. Vendors’ equipment is tested and audited against a security baseline defined by industry experts through GSMA and 3GPP. It reflects the security needs of the entire ecosystem – including regulators, mobile network operators, hyperscalers, and equipment vendors. The standard continually evolves to meet the needs of the whole industry, based on 3GPP + GSMA standards – avoiding security requirements fragmenting regionally. The GSMA works with internationally recognized partners to audit and test equipment, with selection criteria agreed upon by the GSMA NESAS Oversight Board.

Audits and evaluations allow experts to give in-depth feedback and analysis – helping vendors improve their processes and products while enhancing security across the wider industry. The list of accredited vendors provides near real-time visibility of security status, allowing procurement teams to make informed decisions and comparisons. Huawei’s 5G wireless and core network equipment (5G RAN gNodeB, 5G Core UDG, UDM, UNC, UPCF) and LTE eNodeB were the first to pass the GSMA’s Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme (NESAS). With one transparent and independent global scheme reflecting the security needs of the entire ecosystem, regulators in the region can take advantage of clear guidance and support for national security mitigations.

GSMA has created the Mobile Cyber Security Knowledge Base (MCKB), which offers the combined knowledge of the 5G ecosystem to increase trust in 5G networks and make the interconnected world as secure as possible. The Knowledge Base is regularly enhanced and extended to respond to the evolving cybersecurity threat landscape.
The 5G Cybersecurity Knowledge Base is an industry effort that composes a comprehensive threat landscape designed to help key stakeholders such as MNOs, equipment vendors, regulators, application developers, and service providers understand the security threats posed by 5G networks in a systematic and objective fashion.

It provides essential insights for the stakeholders’ risk management strategy as well as guidance covering best practices and risk mitigation measures. The Knowledge Base will help enhance 5G security competencies and capabilities and strengthen the work of carriers, enterprises, oversight agencies, and regulators. At an operational level, the Knowledge Base offers clear instructions for taking step-by-step actions to build security assurance while considering the entire risk spectrum of 5G end-to-end networks.

Jeff Wang, President of the Public Affairs and Communications Department at Huawei, said, “To fully reap digital dividends, we need to pay more attention to enhancing connectivity, embracing digital application, and empowering digital talent.” The forum discussions provided recommendations for various countries in the region based on their specific needs and achievements in these areas and the need to specifically improve their optical fibre networks to ensure homes and offices have the speed and stability for these advancements.

The forum spotlighted the robust national network development strategies aligned with visions and key industries crucial for the growing demand for advanced services that necessitate network upgrades, vital for ambitious projects, as is the case of Saudi Arabia’s 10Gbs Society. Supportive policies from governments will incentivize carriers and enterprises to invest in infrastructure optimization.

Lin Yanqing, Principal Consultant, Industry Policy Public & Government Affairs, Huawei Technologies and Aloysious Cheang, Chief Security Officer, Huawei Middle East and Central Asia, joined the round table discussions and reiterated that Huawei has taken a proactive approach to telecom cybersecurity standardization. Cheang said, “Cybersecurity is a team sport, and together with GSMA, we can leverage their good work, such as NESAS and MCKB, that will lay the foundation to secure broadband, 5G, 5G-A, and beyond.”

The company works with the GSMA, the ITU, the 3GPP, and others, as well as through partnerships with security organizations and companies, to ensure the security of its customers and promote the healthy development of the mobile ecosystem, the executives explained. Huawei has passed NESAS/SCAS 2.0 evaluations for its 5G base station and NESAS audits for its RAN and core network, demonstrating the company’s commitment to cybersecurity. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 fuels a digital revolution, prioritizing network investment. As the digital backbone, robust networks are essential for faster internet, advanced services, and a secure, sustainable digital economy.

Huawei’s Xinghe Intelligent SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solution embodies this paradigm shift. By integrating network and security capabilities into a unified platform, Xinghe streamlines enterprise branch deployment and operations while enhancing overall security. This holistic approach leverages AI-powered analysis, detection, and handling, enabling enterprises to establish a comprehensive, efficient, intelligent network security protection system for their global branches.

Unveiled during the Middle East and Central Asia stop of Huawei Network Summit 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Xinghe Intelligent SASE solution demonstrates Huawei’s dedication to advancing cybersecurity intelligence and supporting industries in their accelerated journey into the intelligence era.

Speaking at the event, Adrian Chirita, Principal Network Security and AI Research Expert, at Huawei European Research Center, observed that “Huawei Xinghe Intelligent SASE Solution has leading intelligent defence capabilities spanning the cloud, network, edge, and endpoint, providing a future-proof intelligent network-security convergence solution for enterprise branches through intelligent analysis, detection, and handling.”

Adrian Chirita, Principal Network Security and AI Research Expert, Huawei European Research Center

On the cloud, Huawei’s Qiankun security analysis platform employs more than 8,000 inference rules to automatically handle 99% of security events across the entire network within seconds. Additionally, 25 security detection models are trained through AI, enabling automatic correlation analysis of security events based on massive volumes of security alarms. Handling policies are automatically delivered and matched, facilitating rapid closed-loop handling of security events within seconds and automatic branch maintenance without dedicated personnel, ultimately improving operational efficiency by 100 times.

On the network front, the HiSec SASE Solution supports ultra-large networking of 16 hubs and networking of up to 20,000 enterprise branches, catering to the multi-site, multi-data centre requirements of large enterprises with multiple branches. Huawei’s exclusive dynamic tunnelling technology, Ethernet VPN (EVPN), automatically sets up tunnels in real-time, ensuring key service experience even with a packet loss rate of 30%, guaranteeing optimal experience of enterprise branch service networks.

At the edge, the HiSec SASE security gateway boasts four dedicated built-in AI security engines, achieving a threat detection rate of up to 99.9%. The HiSec SASE security gateway also integrates a host of network and security capabilities, such as firewall, switching, and routing capabilities. The solution stands out with network-security convergence, making it ideal for building a simplified network architecture for enterprises, helping to simplify enterprise branch deployment and O&M, and reducing OPEX by 30%.

On the endpoint side, Huawei’s latest HiSec Endpoint intelligent endpoint security system, derived from the HarmonyOS technology kernel, offers advanced, intelligent, and efficient protection. HiSec Endpoint utilizes the industry’s first threat source tracing graph engine to identify and accurately detect 100% of ransomware. Its ransomware detection rollback technology enables one-click automatic recovery, precisely protecting enterprise endpoint data security.

AI: The Driving Force in Modern Cybersecurity
AI has become an indispensable tool in the cybersecurity arsenal. Its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and automate responses is crucial in the face of ever-evolving threats. AI-powered systems can detect anomalies, predict potential attacks, and adapt to new threat vectors in real time, significantly outpacing traditional rule-based approaches.

Furthermore, AI can automate repetitive security tasks, freeing up human analysts to focus on more complex threats and strategic decision-making. This automation not only improves efficiency but also reduces the potential for human error. Additionally, AI can continuously learn and adapt, enhancing its threat detection and response capabilities over time.

Huawei’s Commitment to Security Innovation
With over 20 years of experience in security, Huawei has established six security technology labs and employs more than 2,500 security R&D personnel worldwide. The company holds over 3,000 patented security technologies and remains focused on customer requirements. It provides world-leading security products and solutions while helping customers enhance their capabilities to defend against various network attacks through technological innovation.

By embracing AI and a holistic approach, Huawei empowers organizations to navigate the challenges of the intelligent era and build a secure digital future.

Tell us about the cybersecurity trends for 2024.
As we look ahead to 2024, several key cybersecurity trends are emerging that will shape the landscape. One of the most prominent is the increasing importance of AI-driven cyber resilience, a core theme of GISEC 2024. Organizations recognize the need to leverage AI and machine learning to enhance their ability to detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats in an increasingly complex and fast-moving threat environment.

Another major trend is the growing focus on cloud security and data protection. As more companies migrate their operations and data to the cloud, ensuring the security and privacy of that data becomes paramount. Building trust in an increasingly connected, intelligent world will require robust security measures and a commitment to transparency and accountability.

What is the theme of your participation at GISEC 2024?
Huawei’s theme for GISEC 2024 is “Towards a Trusted, Resilient and Fully Connected Intelligent World”, where we will demonstrate the value Huawei can bring to the industry by not only safeguarding businesses on their digital transformation journey but also elevating their cybersecurity and privacy protection capabilities as vital tools for business success in the new digital landscape.

At the event, we will showcase our comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, which encompasses our collaborative efforts with partners to develop and promote industry standards, as well as our cutting-edge security solutions designed to help organizations navigate the evolving threat landscape. We can help our visitors, customers and partners envision a future where digital technologies drive innovation and growth and enable a more secure and trustworthy digital ecosystem.

Which products and solutions will you be showcasing at GISEC 2024?
Huawei will showcase various innovative products and solutions at GISEC 2024, designed to help organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture and protect their critical assets.

One of the highlights will be our HUAWEI CLOUD security solutions, including security operations solutions empowered by SecMaster, which leverages AI and machine learning to analyze security threats and automate threat response, and end-to-end data security solutions. We will also demonstrate our OceanProtect Backup Storage and Appliance solutions, which provide advanced data protection and resilience against the growing threat of ransomware attacks.

Other vital solutions on display will include our Multilayer Ransomware Prevention (MRP) solution, HiSec SASE solution for integrated cloud-network-edge-endpoint protection, HiSec Endpoint EDR for ransomware detection and recovery, and eKit Kunling secure and reliable network solutions designed specifically for SMEs.

How are you equipped to help companies overcome digital security and privacy challenges?
At Huawei, we are committed to helping companies overcome the complex digital security and privacy challenges they face in today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape. We achieve this through a multi-faceted approach encompassing advanced technology solutions, a robust cybersecurity strategy, and close collaboration with industry partners.

Our comprehensive, efficient, and secure network architecture solutions are designed to provide organizations with the strong foundation they need to protect their digital assets. We also prioritize a “security first” approach in our cloud-native innovation, ensuring security is built in from the ground up.

Transparency, openness, and trustworthiness are core principles that guide the development of our solutions. We work closely with customers to understand their unique security needs and develop solutions that are not only effective but also responsible and accountable.

Ultimately, our goal is to enable organizations to better protect their customer data assets and confidently navigate the challenges of an increasingly connected, intelligent world.

Is there a skills gap in the cybersecurity industry? What needs to be done to bridge that gap?
The cybersecurity skills gap is a well-recognized challenge facing the industry globally. As cyber threats evolve and become more sophisticated, there is a growing need for skilled professionals who can help organizations defend against these threats.

Huawei recognises the importance of building a solid cybersecurity talent pipeline, and we are actively working to contribute to this effort. Our collaboration with partners on developing cybersecurity standards and best practices is one way we are helping to advance the collective knowledge and expertise of the industry.

Additionally, we offer a comprehensive training and certification portfolio designed to help professionals at all levels develop and enhance their cybersecurity skills. Further, by investing in education and upskilling initiatives at the university level through initiatives such as the annual ICT Competition, we believe we can help bridge the talent gap and build a more resilient and secure digital future.

Addressing the cybersecurity skills gap will ultimately require a concerted effort from across the industry. This includes increased investment in education and training programs and initiatives to attract more diverse talent to the field. By working together to prioritize cybersecurity skills development, we can ensure that organizations have the expertise they need to protect against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

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Huawei experts will participate in keynotes, discussions, and panels throughout the event. Aloysius Cheang, Chief Security Officer, Huawei UAE, will recommend a “return to basics to address cybersecurity challenges of the future” in a keynote on the first day. Meanwhile, Ashraf Esmat Khalil, Head of Solution Architect, Huawei Cloud Middle East, will participate in a panel discussion titled, “Safe or unsafe? Why is cloud security important for business?” and Hulk Zhang, Principle Cybersecurity Engineer, Huawei UAE will participate in the panel discussion titled,  “Future of Cyber Security: Challenges, best practices, and effective strategies to create Cyber-Safe Society.”

Aloysius Cheang, Chief Security Officer, Huawei UAE, said, “Even in the era of advanced threats and highly sophisticated threat actors, going back to the basics and leveraging hard-wired technical capabilities and experience is often the difference between success and failure. The improved efficiency and accuracy acquired through practice and repetition help reduce the margin of error and streamline processes and procedures in any cyber defense activity.”

In his keynote, Aloysius will highlight the importance of recognizing cybersecurity as a critical business enabler and the need for cybersecurity professionals, especially the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), to get it right. Cybersecurity professionals need to treasure the opportunity given to the CISO in the new digital age where cloud computing heralds a new era and computing is entrenched as a basic utility. Further, IT is hitting the mainstream and IT and security experts are moving into executive management teams and the board as part of corporate strategic goals.

Therefore, building the necessary framework that will allow for solid capacity-building for the youth in the cybersecurity domain is a pre-requisite in today’s digital world, as is upgrading and upskilling for experienced hires or anyone considering a mid-career switch.

“We are committed to adopting open and verifiable security standards such as GSMA NESAS /3GPP SCAS for 5G Security, GSMA 5G Security Knowledge Base, and OIC 5G Security Framework. We have in-depth experience collaborating with our customers on advanced tech and industry 4.0 solutions, including 5G, Cloud, AI, and IoT for major industry verticals. Our expertise and solutions are developed and delivered by observing security-by-design and privacy-by-design principles that will allow our customers to safeguard their digital future,” Aloysius said.