Tech News
Boston Consulting Group Unveils Report on Global Cybersecurity Talent Shortage at Global Cybersecurity Forum 2024
Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in collaboration with Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), unveiled its “2024 Global Cybersecurity Workforce Report” at the GCF Annual Meeting 2024. Titled “The Global Cybersecurity Workforce Shortage and Skills Gap: A Threat We Cannot Ignore,” the report highlights a significant global shortfall in cybersecurity professionals despite considerable infrastructure and talent development investments. The GCF Annual Meeting 2024, themed “Advancing Collective Action in Cyberspace,” focuses on enhancing multi-stakeholder collaboration to address key cybersecurity challenges.
Cybersecurity Workforce Crisis
The report highlights that only 72% of cybersecurity roles are currently filled, leaving organizations vulnerable to rising cyber threats. The global cybersecurity workforce stands at 7.1 million professionals, with Asia-Pacific holding the largest share, while Africa faces severe underrepresentation with fewer than 300,000 professionals.
Amidst this workforce shortage, Generative AI (GenAI) is transforming the cybersecurity landscape, with 70% of organizations already incorporating AI into their cybersecurity frameworks. This shift presents both opportunities and challenges. While AI can help address some workforce gaps, it also introduces new complexities. 58% of cybersecurity leaders express concern about AI-enabled adversarial techniques, such as more sophisticated phishing attacks or automated vulnerability exploitation, which could outpace traditional defenses. To address these evolving challenges, 60% of organizations are focused on continuous training and upskilling, aiming to equip their limited workforce with the skills needed to leverage AI effectively while defending against AI-enhanced threats.
Shoaib Yousuf, Managing Director and Partner at BCG emphasized the GCC’s advancements in the face of an increasingly complex cyber threat landscape: “The region’s cybersecurity capabilities have evolved significantly, driven by government initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (SCyWF), embedding a strategic focus on capacity building through the recently announced UAE and Qatar national cybersecurity strategies. These initiatives highlight a steadfast commitment to protecting critical infrastructure and safeguarding sensitive data. Through targeted investments, international collaborations, and a proactive planning, the GCC is advancing its cybersecurity landscape and contributing to the evolving standards for a secure global cyberspace. By refining its cybersecurity frameworks and addressing emerging threats head-on, the region is solidifying its position as a global leader in cybersecurity, paving the way for a secure, future-ready digital ecosystem.”
Call to Action: A Roadmap to Success
The report emphasizes the urgent need to attract new talent, especially among underrepresented groups such as women, who comprise just 24% of the cybersecurity workforce globally. To address these challenges and build a future-ready workforce, the report outlines key strategic recommendations:
- Targeted and strategic outreach to underrepresented groups
- Embedding cybersecurity into organizational DNA
- National & academic campaigns for cybersecurity careers
- Building an inclusive, diverse, and supportive culture
- Clear career progression and development
- Adopting skills-based hiring practices
- Expanding the talent pool with inclusive practices
- Fostering a culture of lifelong learning
- Integrating cybersecurity education from the ground up
- Evolving curriculum to meet industry needs
Vanessa Lyon, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG emphasized the importance of collaboration: “To shape the cybersecurity workforce of tomorrow, leaders must collaborate to integrate cybersecurity into education, continuously upskill talent, and create opportunities for underrepresented groups. Building a future-ready workforce means fostering a culture of continuous learning, ensuring we have the skilled defenders to support global security and economic stability in the face of rapidly evolving technologies.”
The “2024 Global Cybersecurity Workforce Report” presented at the GCF Annual Meeting 2024 aligns with the Meeting’s theme of “Advancing Collective Action in Cyberspace.” This collaboration contributes crucial insights into the human capital required to navigate the evolving cybersecurity landscape. The report’s findings and recommendations provide a foundation for addressing key challenges in the cybersecurity domain, from talent shortages to integrating emerging technologies.
Tech News
AI and Data Roles Drive Gulf Hiring Growth: RemotePass report
Hiring growth in the UAE and Saudi Arabia remains among the strongest globally, at 39% and 26% respectively in 2024–25, but the expansion is increasingly concentrated in a narrower set of roles, according to the RemotePass 2025 Hiring Report.
Data from the report shows outsized growth in specialised roles, with Data Scientist hiring up 43% and AI Product Manager demand rising 37%. The concentration of growth in these functions indicates that organisations are directing hiring investment toward specific capabilities rather than expanding uniformly across all technology roles.
This pattern reflects a shift in regional workforce strategy, with employers increasingly directing resources toward roles that support data-driven decision-making, AI deployment, and product execution, rather than scaling traditional technology teams.
AI and Data Roles Redefine Hiring Priorities
The UAE leads globally in AI hiring growth, rising from 32% in 2023–24 to 48% in 2024–25. The acceleration is among the sharpest recorded in any market and is being fuelled by enterprise AI adoption, fintech automation and large-scale digital infrastructure projects. Saudi Arabia shows a similar direction of travel, though at a steadier pace, as AI talent demand expands across both public and private sectors.
RemotePass Co-founder and CEO Kamal Reggad, said the data shows organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia moving decisively from experimentation to execution. AI is no longer confined to innovation teams, he noted, but is increasingly embedded into core business functions, making workforce planning a critical lever of competitiveness.
MENA Talent Hubs Continue to Power the GCC
While demand is strongest in the Gulf, the wider MENA region remains central to meeting it. Egypt continues to lead hiring volume across nearly every major tech role, including software engineering, backend, frontend, data science and QA, confirming its position as the region’s largest tech talent exporter. Pakistan ranks second across several engineering categories, supported by a large and cost-effective developer base.
Egypt’s AI hiring growth, after surging by 112% in the previous year, has stabilised at 28% in 2025. In contrast, Gulf markets have accelerated, reinforcing a regional realignment in which the UAE and Saudi Arabia are emerging as the primary centres of advanced technology hiring, supported by a broader MENA talent ecosystem.
Tech News
GCC RESIDENTIAL SMART SECURITY MARKET SET TO ADVANCE AS SCREENCHECK PARTNERS WITH BAS-IP
ScreenCheck, a subsidiary of Centena Group and a key player offering end-to-end identification and security solutions in the Middle East, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with global security technologies company, BAS-IP to officially expand its security and identification capabilities into GCC’s residential security market.
The agreement signed during Intersec 2026, aligns with ScreenCheck’s ongoing efforts to establish a robust position in the rapidly growing smart security and digital transformation market. Currently, the market is projected to reach USD 907.12 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 25.7 per cent between 2025 and 2032. This growth is mainly propelled by large-scale urban development, smart infrastructure investments and surging demand for connected security ecosystems in the residential sector.
Olga Shamilova, Chief Executive Officer at BAS-IP, said: “We are delighted to partner with ScreenCheck and support their entry into this new vertical of security systems. During our participation at Intersec 2026, we witnessed increased interest for our Open API, especially for its ability to create seamless, customised ecosystems and ease to integrate into existing building management systems. Our mobile-first application also received significant attention, as its intuitive interface was proven ideal for both complex multi-apartment projects and luxury private villas. With ScreenCheck’s market expertise in the region and their top tier client base, we look forward to providing a safe and secure environment for communities.”
The collaboration with BAS-IP will address the surging demand from developers for connected home and community security solutions across apartments, gated communities and large residential developments in the region by delivering integrated IP-based audio and video intercom systems combined with access control solutions.
Faisal Mohamed, CEO of ScreenCheck, said: “As cities continue to develop and digital infrastructure becomes an inevitable part of everyday lives, security is equally important for people and systems. We are delighted to work with BAS-IP to serve this evolving market.”
“With the Middle East region experiencing one of the fastest-growing property markets across the globe, our collaboration helps to distribute integrated residential security and home automation solutions. We will be delivering cutting-edge biometric identification, RFID solutions, AI-powered surveillance, and next-generation smart access control to homes, critical infrastructure, and technology-driven enterprises. Our goal is to enable safer, more resilient spaces that highlight the capabilities of the modern security landscape,” added Faisal.
ScreenCheck’s partnership with BAS-IP positions the company at the forefront of the region’s ongoing shift, enabling the delivery of intelligent, connected residential security ecosystems that align with the region’s smart city ambitions and evolving urban landscape.
Tech News
VERTIV INTRODUCES NEW MODULAR LIQUID COOLING INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTION TO SUPPORT HIGH-DENSITY COMPUTE REQUIREMENTS IN NORTH AMERICA AND EMEA
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, today announced new configurations of the Vertiv™ MegaMod™ HDX, a prefabricated power and liquid cooling infrastructure solution engineered for high-density computing environments, including artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) deployments. The new configurations give operators flexibility to support rapidly increasing power and cooling requirements while optimizing space and deployment speed. The models are available globally.
Vertiv MegaMod HDX integrates direct-to-chip liquid cooling with air-cooled architectures to meet the intense thermal demands of AI workloads, supporting pod-style AI environments and advanced GPU clusters. The new compact solution has a standard module height and a maximum of 13 racks and power capacity up to 1.25 MW; the combo solution has an extended-height design with a maximum of 144 racks, supporting power capacities up to 10 MW. Both can support rack densities from 50 kW up to more than 100 kW per rack. The hybrid cooling architectures integrate direct-to-chip liquid cooling with air cooling for efficient, high-density thermal management, while the prefabricated modular designs enable accelerated deployment and allow customers to scale their data centers as demand grows.
“Today’s AI workloads demand cooling solutions that go beyond traditional approaches. With the Vertiv MegaMod HDX available in both compact and combo solution configurations, organizations can match their facility requirements while supporting high-density, liquid-cooled environments at scale. Our designs deliver what data centers need most—reliable performance, operational efficiency, and the ability to scale their AI infrastructure with confidence,” said Viktor Petik, senior vice president, infrastructure solutions at Vertiv.
The Vertiv MegaMod HDX models feature innovative hybrid cooling architecture, combining direct-to-chip liquid cooling with adaptable air systems in a fully integrated, prefabricated pod. The solutions feature distributed redundant power architecture enabling continuous operation even if one module goes offline. Additionally, the buffer-tank thermal backup system allows GPU clusters to maintain stable operations during maintenance or load transitions. This factory-integrated design enables repeatable precision in deployment while providing cost certainty for planning and scaling AI infrastructure.
This prefabricated design, combined with factory integrated and fully tested components and Vertiv’s global service network, provide dependable end-to-end support.
Vertiv’s extensive portfolio of power, thermal, and IT management solutions supports a wide range of data center architectures, enabling customers to meet rising density demands with scalable, high-performance infrastructure. Both configurations draw on this broader portfolio, including the Vertiv™ Liebert® APM2 uninterruptible power supply (UPS), Vertiv™ CoolChip CDU cooling distribution unit, Vertiv™ PowerBar busway system, and Vertiv™ Unify infrastructure monitoring.
Vertiv also offers IT rack infrastructure designed to seamlessly accommodate and support IT systems, including Vertiv™ racks and Vertiv™ OCP- compliant racks, Vertiv™ CoolLoop RDHx rear door heat exchanger, Vertiv™ CoolChip in-rack CDU, Vertiv™ rack power distribution units, Vertiv™ PowerDirect in-rack DC power system, and Vertiv™ CoolChip Fluid Network Rack Manifolds.
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