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74% of UAE employees agree that AI is the biggest opportunity for future of workforce

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Mark Ackerman, Area VP for MEA

While optimistic about value of technology and digital skills, 54% acknowledged that their formal education did not prepare them for today’s working world

ServiceNow today released the findings of a new study that explored employee sentiment on the impact of technology and digital skills on their career and the future of the workplace. 79% of surveyed UAE employees agreed that digital skills give people an edge in business and an almost equal number (84%) said new technologies are helping them reach their potential.

The study — which surveyed 5,500 working adults (18+) in the UAE, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK — also highlighted that UAE employees are far more positive about the impact of AI on their jobs, compared to their EMEA peers. Almost three quarters (74%) — a whole 26 percentage points higher than the EMEA average — agree that AI is the biggest opportunity for the future of the workforce. An equal number agreed that AI will boost productivity in the workforce, while only 52% of EMEA employees shared the same sentiment.

Although UAE employees are largely optimistic about the value of tech and digital skills, half of workers (54%) acknowledged that their formal education did not prepare them for today’s working world and 82% also noted that additional education on technology/digital skills would help them feel more confident about their career prospects. As a consequence, seven in ten workers in the UAE (72%) recommended that formal education on AI should be mandatory before the age of 18 and a similar proportion (71%) think the same about coding. 72% also agreed that there needs to be a standardized qualification for digital skills that employers can recognize. Speaking of employers, 81% of UAE employees said businesses have a responsibility to promote the development of AI skills in the workforce.

Commenting on the findings from the study, Mark Ackerman, Area VP for Middle East & Africa at ServiceNow said, “There are two key takeaways for me. For one, while it is clear that employees in the UAE welcome more digital technologies in the workplace, organizations need to be thoughtful when making these investments — an approach that unifies and simplifies processes, will ensure that technology works for employees and customers. The second is that organizations have to make a commitment to providing their employees with not just a career path, but also with the re-skilling and up-skilling opportunities and training programs that will enable them to be their best selves and be valuable contributors to the company and broader community.”

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Infrastructure According To Netscout’s 1H2024 Threat Intelligence Report

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Netscout Report

Netscout Systems released findings from its 1H2024 DDoS Threat Intelligence Report, citing a dramatic 43% increase in the number of application-layer attacks and a 30% increase in volumetric attacks, especially in Europe and the Middle East. Attack duration varied with 70% lasting less than 15 minutes. The escalation of attacks involves a range of threat actors, including hacktivists targeting critical infrastructure in the banking and financial services, government, and utilities sectors. These attacks pose significant threats by disrupting vital civilian services in countries that oppose hacktivists’ ideologies. Key industries, already facing frequent and intense multi-vector attacks, experienced a 55% increase over the past four years.

“Hacktivist activities continue to plague global organizations with more sophisticated and coordinated DDoS attacks against multiple targets simultaneously,” stated Richard Hummel, director, threat intelligence, NETSCOUT. “As adversaries use more resilient, take-down-resistant networks, detection and mitigation are more challenging. This report gives network operations teams insights to fine-tune their strategies to stay ahead of these evolving threats.”

Attack Sophistication Strains Networks Worldwide

DDoS attacks continue to evolve, using innovative technologies and approaches to disrupt networks. During the 1H2024, NETSCOUT observed several significant trends, including:

  • NoName057(16), a pro-Russia hacktivist group, increased its focus on application-layer attacks, particularly HTTP/S GET and POST floods, leading to a 43% rise compared to 1H2023.
  • Bot-infected devices increased by 50% with the emergence of the Zergeca botnet — and the continued evolution of the DDoSia botnet used by NoName057(16) — which uses advanced technologies like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) for command-and-control (C2).
  • Distributed botnet C2 infrastructure leveraging bots as control nodes enabling more decentralized and resilient DDoS attack coordination.

These attacks have triggered widespread disruptions, affecting industries on a global scale. Service slowdowns or outages can cripple revenue streams, delay critical operations, hinder productivity, and significantly elevate organizational risks.

Attackers Targeting New Networks

NETSCOUT also found that the emergence of new networks and autonomous system numbers (ASNs) play a pivotal role in increased DDoS activity. Over 75% of newly established networks are involved with DDoS activities, both as targets or abused participants in furthering attacks on others, within the first 42 days of coming online, as adversaries launch attacks using resilient nuisance networks and bulletproof hosting providers. Organizations need to plan for DDoS protection when splitting off a portion of a network to a new ASN rather than assume automatic protections from upstream service providers.

NETSCOUT’s global internet visibility is backed by decades of experience working with the world’s largest service providers and enterprises. It collects, analyzes, prioritizes, and disseminates data on DDoS attacks from 216 countries and territories, 470 vertical industries, and over 14,000 ASNs. Powered by its ATLAS platform, the company gains insights from more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps) of internet peering network traffic.

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Understanding the Risks of Deploying Artificial Intelligence: Key Insights from Arthur D. Little

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As the digital landscape in the Middle East rapidly evolves, the challenges and essential safeguards needed for the ethical and effective integration of AI technologies in businesses are becoming increasingly critical.

The accelerated development and adoption of AI, particularly generative AI models like ChatGPT have brought significant benefits. However, the potential risks associated with these technologies cannot be overlooked. There is a pressing need for businesses to adopt proactive risk management strategies to address these risks effectively.

Generative AI Biases and Ethical Standards

Generative AI models are known to perpetuate biases inherent in their training data. These biases can reinforce stereotypes and underrepresent minority views across various dimensions, including:

  • Temporal Biases: AI models may generate content that reflects outdated trends and viewpoints.
  • Linguistic Biases: Predominantly English training data can lead to poor performance in other languages.
  • Confirmation Biases: AI models may confirm their parametric memory even when faced with contradictory evidence.
  • Demographic Biases: Biases towards specific genders, races, or social groups, such as generating images of flight attendants predominantly as white women.
  • Cultural Biases: AI models can exacerbate existing cultural prejudices.
  • Ideological and Political Biases: AI can propagate specific political and ideological views from its training data.

Hallucinations and Model Limitations

AI models occasionally produce false information, known as hallucinations, which can include:

  • Knowledge-based Hallucinations: Incorrect factual information.
  • Arithmetic Hallucinations: Incorrect calculations.

For example, Bard, an AI chatbot by Google, generated erroneous accusations about consulting firms in November 2023, illustrating the variability in hallucination rates among models.

Deepfakes and Cybersecurity Threats

The sophistication of AI technology has escalated the risks associated with deepfakes and cybersecurity. The ease of creating deepfakes and manipulating opinions with AI-generated content poses significant threats to societal stability. The surge in deepfake incidents and the enhanced credibility of phishing attacks due to AI highlight the urgent need for robust safeguards.

Proactive Risk Management

Businesses in the Middle East must adopt a proactive approach to AI risk management. Key recommendations include:

  • Understanding Strategic Stakes: Identifying specific challenges and strategic stakes of AI implementation.
  • Conducting Risk Assessments: Integrating thorough risk assessments as part of the initial opportunity landscape.
  • Establishing AI Ethics Codes: Implementing clear AI ethics codes and cross-checking AI outputs.
  • Upskilling Workforce: Training employees and leaders to understand and manage AI technologies.
  • Addressing Trust and Cultural Issues: Facilitating smooth AI adoption by addressing employee trust and cultural issues.

Expert Insights

Dr. Albert Meige, Associate Director of the Technology & Innovation Management Practice at Arthur D. Little, emphasizes the importance of vigilance in AI deployment: “Generative AI holds immense potential, but we must be vigilant about its risks. It’s crucial that businesses in the Middle East adopt comprehensive risk management strategies to ensure that AI integration is both ethical and effective.”

Thomas Kuruvilla, Managing Partner at Arthur D. Little, Middle East, adds, “The Middle East is at the forefront of AI innovation, and with this leadership comes the responsibility to navigate the complexities of AI safely. Businesses need to harness AI’s power while mitigating its risks.”

Navigating the complexities of AI integration is essential for businesses aiming to enhance productivity and innovation without compromising ethical standards and public trust. By adopting recommended guidelines, businesses can effectively manage AI risks and harness its potential for sustainable growth and development.

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Fortinet Annual Skills Gap Report Reveals Growing Connection Between Security Breaches and Skills Shortages

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Fortinet recently released its 2024 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, which highlights ongoing challenges related to the cybersecurity skills shortage impacting organizations around the globe. The study also included large organizations from the UAE.

“The findings from our 2024 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report highlight a critical issue facing organizations in the United Arab Emirates,” says Alain Penel, VP – Middle East, Turkey and CIS, at Fortinet. “Close to 58% of IT decision-makers cited the lack of training and upskilling opportunities as being their biggest challenge. This underscores the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity training and certification programs, as 94% of our respondents said they were ready to pay to get their employees cybersecurity certified. It is also encouraging to see that 92% of IT decision-makers actively women into security roles, while 74% had plans to introduce diversity goals over the next 2-3 years. Fortinet is committed to supporting organizations to build a resilient cybersecurity posture by providing comprehensive training and certification programs through our pledge to train 1 million people in cyber by 2026. We aim to empower professionals with the necessary skills to protect against evolving cyber threats and secure their organizations effectively.”

Key findings from the global report include:

  • Organizations are increasingly attributing breaches to the cyber skills gap.
  • Breaches continue to have significant repercussions for businesses, and executive leaders are often penalized when they happen.
  • Certifications continue to be highly regarded by employers as a validator of current cybersecurity skills and knowledge.
  • Numerous opportunities remain for hiring from diverse talent pools to help address the skills shortage.

The Cyber Skills Gap Continues to Impact Companies Worldwide

An estimated 4 million professionals are needed to fill the growing cybersecurity workforce gap. At the same time, Fortinet’s 2024 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report found that 70% of organizations indicated that the cybersecurity skills shortage creates additional risks for their organizations. Other findings that highlight the impact of the growing skills gap on companies worldwide include:

  • Organizations are attributing more breaches to a lack of cyber skills. In the past year, nearly 90% of organizational leaders (87%) said they experienced a breach that they can partially attribute to a lack of cyber skills, up from 84% in the 2023 report and 80% the year prior.
  • Breaches have a more substantial impact on businesses. Breaches have a variety of repercussions, ranging from financial to reputational challenges. This year’s survey reveals that corporate leaders are increasingly held accountable for cyber incidents, with 51% of respondents noting that directors or executives have faced fines, jail time, loss of position, or loss of employment following a cyberattack. Additionally, more than 50% of respondents indicate that breaches cost their organizations more than $1 million in lost revenue, fines, and other expenses last year—up from 48% in the 2023 report and 38% from the previous year.
  • Boards of directors view cybersecurity as a business imperative. As a result, executives and boards of directors increasingly prioritize cybersecurity, with 72% of respondents saying their boards were more focused on security in 2023 than the previous year. And 97% of respondents say their board sees cybersecurity as a business priority.

Hiring Managers Value Continued Learning and Certifications

Business leaders widely regard certifications as validation of cybersecurity knowledge. This year’s survey also found that:

  • Candidates with certifications stand out. More than 90% of respondents said they prefer hiring candidates with certifications.
  • Leaders believe that certifications improve security posture. Respondents place such high value on certifications that 89% said they would pay for an employee to obtain a cybersecurity certification.
  • Finding candidates who hold certifications isn’t easy. More than 70% of respondents indicated that it is difficult to find candidates with technology-focused certifications.

Companies Are Expanding Hiring Criteria to Fill Open Roles
As the cyber workforce shortage persists, some organizations diversify their recruitment pools to include candidates whose credentials fall outside traditional backgrounds—such as a four-year degree in cybersecurity or a related field—to attract new talent and fill open roles. The report also found that:

Organizations continue to have programs dedicated to recruiting from a diversified talent pool. Eighty-three percent of respondents said their organizations have set diversity hiring goals for the next few years, in line with last year’s report but slightly down from 89% in 2021.

  • Diversity hiring varies from year to year. Despite ongoing recruitment targets, female hires are down to 85% from 89% in 2022 and 88% in 2021; hires from minority groups remain unchanged at 68% and up slightly from 67% in 2021; and veteran hires are up slightly to 49% from 47% in 2022, but down from 53% in 2021.
  • While many hiring managers value certifications, some organizations still prefer candidates with traditional backgrounds. Despite many respondents saying they value certifications, 71% of organizations still require four-year degrees, and 66% hire only candidates with traditional training backgrounds.

Organizations Are Taking a Three-Pronged Approach to Building Cyber Resiliency
The increasing frequency of costly cyberattacks, combined with the potential of severe personal consequences for board members and directors, is resulting in an urgent push to strengthen cyber defenses across enterprises. As a result, organizations are focusing on a three-pronged approach to cybersecurity that combines training, awareness, and technology:

  • Help IT and security teams obtain vital security skills by investing in training and certifications to achieve this goal.
  • Cultivate a cyber-aware frontline staff who can contribute to a more secure organization as a first line of defense.
  • Use effective security solutions to ensure a strong security posture.
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