Tech News
Oman team shines at the Standoff international cyberbattle at SPIEF 2024

Experts from over two dozen countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa took part in the Standoff cyberbattle, which was held in 2024 as part of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum for the first time. In just four days, the participants familiarized themselves with various cyberattack defense tools, tested strategies, and exchanged knowledge to use their newfound expertise in building result-driven cybersecurity for their organizations in real life.
During the online and offline cyber exercises, cybersecurity specialists tested the security of companies using a virtual state model. In this model, cyberattacks of varying complexity were simulated on realistic replicas of IT systems from the financial sector, industry, power, oil and gas, and utilities.
The defense teams registered 425 incidents and investigated 145 attacks during the battle. The attackers detected 112 vulnerabilities and triggered 12 critical events. The award ceremony included the participation of Alexander Shoitov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of Russia, and Tatyana Matveeva, Chief of the Presidential Directorate for the Development of Information and Communication Technology and Communication Infrastructure.
A total of 42 teams from 21 countries in Central and South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East—including the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman—participated in the cyber exercises at SPIEF 2024. The cyberbattle also featured response teams (CERT) and observers, such as independent experts and business function leaders.
Insight Information Security from Oman successfully participated in the battle with its employees performing remarkably well as both the red and the blue teams. Insight Warriors attacker team was recognized for having the highest number of accepted reports, detecting 25 vulnerabilities and securing the second-highest score, by points. Meanwhile, defenders from Insight CyberX ranked among the top three blue teams by the number of detected incidents.
Motasim Alanburi, Senior Cyber Security Analyst at Insight Information Security, commented: “The popularity of cyber exercises is growing every year due to the increasing cyberthreats to organizations. The exercises help specialists better understand these threats and how to defend against them. Participants in Standoff Cyberbattle can test their cybersecurity skills in highly realistic conditions, facing simulated attacks and learning to protect against them. Here, fierce competition meets intensive training, allowing for the expansion of cybersecurity knowledge, and opportunities to network with fellow professionals. Undoubtedly, after the battle, we will continue to exchange experiences with other teams, as this is a surefire way to develop competencies.”
Alexey Novikov, Managing Director at Positive Technologies, emphasized that in the face of rising cyberthreats and a global talent shortage, regular cyberrange exercises are the cornerstone of building result-driven cybersecurity.
“For eight years at Standoff, thousands of cybersecurity experts from around the globe have been learning from each other and honing their skills to effectively protect their organizations in real life. This international exchange of expertise is crucial because cybercrime knows no borders, and the white hat communities must not be confined within their own countries. We need to stand together to face this global challenge,” said Alexey Novikov.
Positive Technologies has been hosting Standoff Cyberbattle since 2016. In 2019, the battle took place in another country for the first time—in Abu Dhabi (UAE), and in 2020, Moscow hosted the first global exercises on a cyberrange with an online conference. Since then, the cyberbattle has been held twice a year offline: in the autumn as standalone competitions and in the spring as part of the international cyberfestival Positive Hack Days.
Tech News
PNY and Do IT Now Form Strategic Partnership at NVIDIA GTC Paris and ISC

PNY Technologies, a global leader in cutting-edge hardware solutions (GPUs, storage, networking and software), and Do IT Now, a specialized expert in High Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration and services, are proud to announce a strategic partnership to jointly develop, deploy, and support turnkey HPC and AI cluster solutions for enterprise and research customers.
This collaboration brings together the best of both worlds:
- PNY’s renowned hardware portfolio, including powerful NVIDIA GPUs, high-performance storage, advanced networking components, and optimized software stack.
- Do IT Now’s deep expertise in system integration, configuration, deployment, and ongoing HPC and AI operational support.
Together, the two companies will deliver complete, ready-to-use cluster solutions that accelerate innovation, simplify deployment, and ensure optimal performance for organizations looking to harness the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high-performance computing.
A Joint Vision for Scalable, Ready-to-Deploy Solutions
In today’s fast-evolving AI and HPC landscape, organizations face increasing pressure to deploy scalable, efficient, and cost-effective infrastructure, but many lack the internal resources or expertise to integrate complex hardware and software environments.
By combining PNY’s technical excellence in hardware with Do IT Now’s proven operational and integration know-how, this partnership aims to provide HPC and AI clusters that are fully tailored to customer needs, covering everything from the hardware to the software stack. It also offers expert consulting and support services to ensure smooth deployment, precise configuration, and reliable long-term operations. Together, PNY and Do IT Now deliver scalable, future-proof solutions designed to grow and evolve alongside customers’ workloads and changing business requirements.
Statements from Leadership
“We are thrilled to partner with Do IT Now to bring the next generation of HPC and AI cluster solutions to market,” said Jérôme Bélan, CEO at PNY EMEA. “Their outstanding expertise in system integration and operations perfectly complements our high-performance hardware and software portfolio, allowing us to offer clients complete, ready-to-deploy solutions that accelerate their innovation journey.”
“This partnership is a natural fit,” added Roberto Strano, CCO and co-founder of Do IT Now. “Together with PNY, we can deliver unmatched value to our clients by combining world-class hardware with expert services, ensuring they achieve maximum performance, reliability, and scalability in their HPC and AI projects.”
Tech News
AVEVA Awarded 2025 Databricks Manufacturing ISV Partner of the Year at Data + AI Summit

AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software driving innovation and sustainability, is honored to announce it has been named as the 2025 Databricks Manufacturing ISV Partner of the Year. Presented at the annual Data + AI Summit, the award highlights AVEVA’s exceptional contributions to innovations in data-powered manufacturing.
Over the past year, AVEVA, in strategic partnership with Databricks, the data and AI company, launched a ground-breaking integrative solution through its CONNECT industrial intelligence platform that redefines how industrial and enterprise data can be unified, analyzed, and operationalized.
This collaboration addresses one of the most pressing challenges in modern industry: turning vast amounts of siloed operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) data into meaningful insights, while ensuring data integrity, minimizing the development and maintenance costs, and significantly shortening time-to-value.
By using the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform alongside CONNECT, customers can securely unify industrial data with enterprise business systems in an open, governed, and scalable manner via Delta Sharing, Databricks’ open source approach that enables customers to share live data across platforms, clouds, and regions. This enables AI, machine learning, and real-time analytics to be applied to data sets that were historically isolated or underutilized. Manufacturers can now leverage Databricks with CONNECT for smarter decision making, predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, sustainability tracking, safety monitoring and boosted operational efficiency.
“At AVEVA, we’re proud to have established Databricks and Delta Sharing as key foundation-stones of our strategy for our industrial intelligence platform, CONNECT,” said Bry Dillon, SVP of Partners and Commercial Strategy at AVEVA. “Together, we’re enabling our joint customers to access real-time insights, accelerate AI, and deliver tangible outcomes across the industrial landscape. Our partnership with Databricks marks a pivotal moment in the advancement of industrial AI. This collaboration presents a powerful opportunity to accelerate the deployment of AI-driven solutions and drive greater industry-wide collaboration — capabilities that are needed for companies across the industrial sector to stay relevant, remain competitive, and build efficient, sustainable businesses of the future.
“We are thrilled to name AVEVA the 2025 Databricks Manufacturing ISV Partner of the Year,” said Shiv Trisal, Global Manufacturing, Transportation & Energy GTM Leader at Databricks. “As more enterprises leverage data intelligence to solve challenges across the manufacturing and energy industries, AVEVA’s partnership with Databricks is essential to helping organizations everywhere harness the full potential of their data.”
Tech News
FUJIFILM seeks to extend role in region’s economic and technological development with new offices at Expo City Dubai

FUJIFILM Middle East and Africa recently announced the inauguration of its new offices at Expo City Dubai, – an innovation-driven, people-centric community designed as a blueprint for sustainable urban living and the new centre of Dubai’s future. The site will also host the FUJIFILM Technology Center (FTC) to support the training of employees, business partners, and end-users in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
FUJIFILM brings world-renowned expertise and innovations to some of the region’s vital sectors. As a global leader in healthcare, imaging and printing technologies, the firm supplies cutting-edge solutions in the UAE such as innovative diagnostic imaging systems helping raise the standard of care in the country and contributing to its development goals. The company is also preparing to launch AI-driven screening centers (NURA) in the region, reflecting its commitment to early detection and better health outcomes.
Over the past five years, FUJIFILM has more than doubled its number of staff across its offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa. The establishment of its new offices in the UAE is part of the company’s future-facing mindset, as well as efforts to increase proximity to end-consumers and key partners. The company also recorded impressive annual performance in 2024 and is looking to repeat the feat this year with an expected double-digit growth.
H.E. Ken Okaniwa, Ambassador of Japan to the UAE, said: “We welcome the inauguration of FUJIFILM’s new offices and Technology Center in Expo City Dubai. This new investment by Japan’s top company in healthcare, imaging and printing reflects the excellent relations between Japan and the UAE as well as the strategic position of the UAE as a global hub for business. I look forward to FUJIFILM’s technologies contributing to better healthcare, promotion of industries and human capacity development.”
Manal AlBayat, Chief Engagement Officer, Expo City Dubai, said: “With its technologies used in vital sectors and its commitment to knowledge-sharing, FUJIFILM’s choice of Expo City Dubai for its new offices and Technology Center reinforces the city’s position as a hub for global businesses driving innovative solutions in the UAE and beyond. We are proud to welcome FUJIFILM to our innovation- and sustainability-focused community – an ecosystem where like-minded entities collaborate to drive meaningful progress.”
The FUJIFILM Technology Center (FTC) is equipped with a comprehensive range of FUJIFILM solutions for live demonstrations, allowing visitors to try and test multiple products and services.
Underscoring the global importance of the center for the company, Masataka Akiyama, President and CEO of FUJIFILM Europe, also stated: “Our investment in the new offices and FUJIFILM Technology Center is a powerful enabler for product showcases, including a full-fledged center with hands-on training and lectures delivered by professionals in the UAE, Egypt, and Morocco. We are now also inviting imaging and printing experts to our new Dubai office space to facilitate the exchange of ideas and support the delivery of unrivaled solutions to our customers. The FUJIFILM Technology Center will be invaluable asset in the efforts to leverage our rich heritage of innovation and continue to serve as a benchmark for progress in the region.”
Michio Kondo, Managing Director of FUJIFILM Middle East and Africa, commented: “With the opening of our new offices at Dubai Expo City, FUJIFILM is starting the next exciting chapter of our success story in the Middle East. As we look to deepen our contribution to the region’s prosperity and the wellbeing of its people by providing value through innovation and purpose-driven growth, our new space will be a focal point for co-creation, training, new partnerships, and the development of high-tech solutions to help enhance lives and economies.”
At the end of last year, FUJIFILM signed six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with prominent healthcare and medical institutions in Saudi Arabia. These partnerships aim to enhance healthcare solutions by promoting digitalization, improving efficiency, and delivering better patient outcomes, underscoring FUJIFILM’s enduring collaboration with regional and Saudi organizations. FUJIFILM Middle East and Africa will also extend its commitment to the development of the region’s talent, with plans to introduce new hires to support FTC operations and cement the company’s leading role in knowledge sharing.
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