AI-powered cyber security for the region is a must for smooth digital transformation

Khaleej Times

31-05-2025

The Middle East is undergoing one of the most ambitious digital transformations the world has seen. National strategies such as Saudi Vision 2030, the UAE's Digital Economy Strategy, and Qatar's Smart Nation framework are setting bold targets for a connected, intelligent future. These plans are already reshaping key sectors including energy, transport, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Technologies like 5G, AI, and IoT are central to this shift, but their rapid adoption is bringing a critical challenge to the surface. With every new layer of connectivity comes a growing cybersecurity risk. The region now finds itself at a decisive moment: how can it scale digital innovation while ensuring the security and resilience of the networks that support it?
Hyperconnectivity brings new levels of risk
By the end of the decade, over one billion IoT devices are expected to be deployed across the GCC. While this will unlock new efficiencies and services, it will also multiply the points of vulnerability. Already, 15% of organisations in the region have experienced data breaches costing over $100,000.
The threat landscape itself is evolving. Cybercriminals are using AI to generate new malware, automate large-scale attacks, and even create convincing deepfake phishing campaigns. These tactics can easily bypass legacy security systems.
Despite this, the region is demonstrating encouraging levels of cloud readiness. Only 24% of regional businesses feel unprepared for cloud-related threats, compared to 34% globally. This reflects a growing understanding of the importance of building resilience into cloud-native systems. But as risks evolve, so must the defenses. Predictive threat detection and real-time response will be key to navigating what comes next.
Intelligent networks and cyber resilience
To secure the future, Middle Eastern enterprises must embrace networks capable of defending themselves. This means embedding intelligence, automation, and continuous verification directly into the fabric of network infrastructure.
AI is already proving its value in 5G security. A strong example is the generative AI assistant within NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome, built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI GPT, which demonstrates how large language models can enhance threat detection and accelerate informed decision-making during cyber incidents. Yet identifying threats is only the first step. True cyber resilience demands more.
It requires a shift to Zero Trust models, where every user, device, and application interaction is continuously authenticated to eliminate assumptions of trust. It also calls for automated incident response systems that can take decisive action in real time, dramatically reducing human error and accelerating resolution. Just as importantly, networks must harness real-time analytics to detect and mitigate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
These intelligent capabilities are no longer theoretical, they are being deployed across the region today. With the right tools in place, telecom operators and enterprises are beginning to move from reactive defense to proactive protection, where threats are anticipated and neutralized before they cause harm.
A commitment to secure transformation
Governments across the GCC are taking serious steps to strengthen national cybersecurity posture. The UAE's Cybersecurity Strategy is embedding AI into the country's digital infrastructure. Saudi Arabia's National Cybersecurity Authority is developing frameworks for critical infrastructure protection. Qatar is fostering collaboration between public and private sectors to strengthen cloud resilience. Together, these efforts signal that the region is ready not just to adapt to cyber threats, but to lead in shaping global standards. To do so, the next phase of investment must focus on scalable cloud-native security, AI-powered threat detection, and unified threat response platforms.
Building a secure hyperconnected future
As digital transformation accelerates, Nokia continues to support the region's cybersecurity goals through innovations that are specifically designed for telecom and enterprise environments. Our AI-driven threat detection platforms are significantly reducing the time it takes to identify and neutralise threats.
Advanced solutions such as NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome use generative AI to proactively hunt threats, while our endpoint detection tools monitor the telecom infrastructure in real time. Our collaboration with hyperscalers and cloud providers, such as Microsoft, is enabling integrated, real-time threat visibility across multi-cloud and telecom ecosystems.
Trust through autonomous security
The Middle East's digital ambitions are bold and achievable, but they rest on a single foundational requirement: trust. As digital economies depend on interconnected networks, intelligent, autonomous security is not a luxury. It is essential.
At Nokia, security forms the foundation of our Sense, Think, and Act framework. Built into every network layer, from physical infrastructure to cloud-based applications, our solutions shift from reactive defense to proactive protection. Advanced threat detection, robust encryption, and rigorous authentication at each network layer enable secure, autonomous operations.
By embedding AI-driven resilience directly into networks, communication service providers can move towards proactive, self-healing systems that are secure by design. For the GCC, this presents an opportunity to lead the way in establishing secure, scalable, and sustainable digital infrastructure.