Tech News
From 350+ Applications to One Champion: School of Cyber Defense Final Stage at GISEC GLOBAL 2026
The second edition of the School of Cyber Defense competition reached its final at GISEC GLOBAL 2026, bringing the strongest student cybersecurity teams in the UAE to Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City. Building on its 2025 debut, the competition came back larger in scale and tougher in format: this year, participants had to do more than defend systems. They had to design working solutions to real industry challenges.
The competition was hosted by the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) and organized by Techfirm. It drew more than 350 applications from students at more than 30 universities across the country. The road to the final ran through three stages:
Qualification. More than 300 participants from over 90 teams completed an automated, scenario-based qualification round. Over 90% of active teams scored above the 70% threshold needed to advance.
Case challenge. More than 70 teams submitted solutions to one of 15 official challenge briefs. An expert jury assessed each submission on fit to the brief, relevance, a working prototype, technical depth and innovation.
Live final. Only the seven highest-scoring teams reached the GISEC stage, fewer than one in ten of the teams that submitted a case. Finalists presented and defended their solutions live in front of the jury. The finalists represented BITS Pilani Dubai, American University of Sharjah, Al Ain University, Middlesex University Dubai, University of Wollongong in Dubai, University of Dubai and Abu Dhabi Polytechnic.
Winners of the School of Cyber Defense 2026:
- 1st Place: Unlisted (Middlesex University Dubai)
- 2nd Place: AUSec (American University of Sharjah)
- 3rd Place: ADPoly CyberGuard (Abu Dhabi Polytechnic)
The competition featured a prize pool worth AED 55,000, shared among the winning teams.
The competition was made possible by partners committed to developing young talent and strengthening the region’s cybersecurity workforce. The Competition Industry Partners include AMD, Dahua Technology, Kaspersky, KERNO and M1 Global Infrastructure. The Competition Gold Partners are Anker Innovations, Circularo, HPE, Huawei, KnowBe4, RAS Infotech and Spire Solutions. Secureway is the Competition Silver Partner.
Now in its second year, the School of Cyber Defense has become a recurring platform where the UAE’s future cybersecurity professionals test their skills against the demands of the real industry.
Tech News
Shure Named a Leader in the 2026 IDC MarketScape for AI-Enabled Smart Conference Room Hardware for Hybrid Meetings
Shure has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Smart Conference Room Hardware for Hybrid Meetings 2026 Vendor Assessment. Building on more than 100 years of audio expertise, Shure helps organizations equip and manage modern meeting spaces while delivering the high-quality speech capture that AI-powered transcription, speaker attribution and meeting summaries rely on.
“Shure’s position as a Leader in this IDC MarketScape reflects how far the company has expanded beyond its audio heritage,” said Gala Spasova, Senior Research Manager, IDC. “Shure has built a comprehensive workplace collaboration portfolio spanning audio, video, compute and cloud management, while maintaining a clear strength in the complex environments where consistent speech capture and intelligibility matter most are critical.”
Shure brings audio, video, compute and ShureCloud device management together in a portfolio that works across the collaboration platforms organizations already use and trust. Shure solutions support Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and Cisco Webex.
Shure Recognized for Strengths
The report cited the following strengths for Shure:
- Shure solutions are well suited for challenging audio environments, including large, complex, and mission-critical deployments where consistent speech capture, scalable coverage, and intelligibility are critical to the meeting experience and downstream AI outcomes.
- Real-time talker-positional data can trigger and enhance camera tracking in partner video systems, enabling organizations to improve speaker-focused video experiences while retaining flexibility across camera vendors.
- Microsoft Teams and Zoom run directly on the IntelliMix Room Kits and Foundation System, which supply compute, audio processing, and touch panel together, and the Bar Pro runs Teams on the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform, with Shure’s own person-detection and speech-enhancement models on the device
“We believe Shure’s recognition as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape reflects the progress we’ve made in expanding our role in the hybrid workplace. Enterprise collaboration should be built as a platform, not a collection of individual meeting rooms,” said Sam Sabet, Executive VP and Chief Technology Officer at Shure. “At Shure, we’re building that platform with secure, manageable technology that can scale from an all-in-one collaboration bar to a multi-camera system in a large, complex room. Continuous innovation is part of that approach, with solutions designed to grow with our customers as their technology needs evolve. That gives IT a consistent foundation to scale while providing AI tools the high-quality inputs they need to do their job.”
When Organizations Should Consider Shure
According to the IDC MarketScape, organizations should consider Shure when:
- You manage a large or complex estate with varied acoustic conditions, and audio quality is a decisive purchasing criterion. You want to maximize the value of meeting AI and recognize that transcription, speaker attribution, summarization, and AI-driven insights depend on the quality of the audio captured in the room.
- You want system- and device-level life-cycle management and analytics from the conference room solution supplier, complementing the management capabilities available through your collaboration platform’s console.
Support Across the Lifecycle
“The investment doesn’t stop once the technology is installed,” Sabet added. “Customers need to know their systems will continue to perform and that the right support is there when they need it. With warranty coverage available for up to five years and a professional services team working alongside integrators, resellers and managed services providers, we support customers throughout the lifecycle of their collaboration environments.”
Tech News
Nemetschek Group brings new AI-powered Max solutions to the Middle East’s AEC/O sector
Nemetschek Group, a global leader in Construction AI and one of the world’s leading software providers for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AEC/O) and Media industries, has announced the introduction of a new family of premium AI offerings across the Middle East: Archicad Max for architecture, Allplan Max for engineering and Bluebeam Max for construction.
Powered by the Nemetschek Intelligence Platform, the Group’s common AI and data foundation, the three offerings are designed around a shared principle of using AI to reduce repetitive work, make project knowledge and data more accessible, improve quality, and enable professionals to remain in control of key decisions.
The new offerings come as the Middle East continues to advance its ambitious infrastructure, urban development, and smart city programs. By embedding practical AI capabilities within established design, engineering, and construction workflows, the Max offerings can help regional professionals spend less time searching for information, checking models and drawings, and completing routine tasks.
“The Middle East is home to some of the most complex and ambitious infrastructure projects in the world, and the opportunity for AI is not simply to automate more tasks, but to help professionals work with greater clarity, consistency, and confidence,” said Eng. Muayad Simbawa, Managing Director, Middle East, Nemetschek Group. “With the new Max solutions spanning architecture, engineering, and construction, we are bringing practical AI closer to the everyday workflows of the region’s AEC/O community. This can help teams make better use of project information, strengthen collaboration, and focus their expertise where it creates the greatest value.”
One platform, multiple disciplines
Archicad Max, Graphisoft’s new premium Archicad subscription, supports data and AI-driven architectural practices with an agentic AI Assistant that can complete multi-step tasks directly within the Archicad model. Meanwhile, Allplan Max 2027 extends AI across the Nemetschek Group’s engineering portfolio, including Allplan, SCIA, FRILO, RISA and SDS2, supporting connected modelling, analysis and fabrication workflows. And Bluebeam Max, available globally since May 2026, brings AI-powered productivity to construction teams through capabilities such as Smart Review, which helps identify design discrepancies and missing information early; Smart Overlay, which identifies changes across drawing sets; and Magic Markups, which automates repetitive markup and take-off tasks.
“AI in our industry only creates real value when it understands the project, works where professionals work and connects with everything else on the job,” said Julian Geiger, Chief AI Officer of the Nemetschek Group. “With Archicad Max, Allplan Max and Bluebeam Max, we are scaling one AI strategy across design, engineering and construction, built on a shared intelligence platform rather than isolated features. And we are doing it the Nemetschek way: open.”
This openness is central to the Group’s AI strategy. The new offerings are designed to connect across tools, vendors and project partners, drawing on open standards including IFC and supporting interoperability across the building lifecycle. At the same time, professionals retain responsibility for reviewing decisions, reinforcing a human-led approach to AI adoption.
Bluebeam Max and Allplan Max 2027 are available globally, while Archicad Max is available with Archicad 30 and is rolling out by region. Availability, features, subscription packaging and pricing may vary by product and market.
Home Integrator
ASUS Brings “Design You Can Feel” to Dubai Design Week at THEA
ASUS is bringing its “Design You Can Feel” philosophy to THEA at Dubai Design District from 3–5 November 2026 during Dubai Design Week, transforming the café into an immersive space where visitors can experience ASUS through design, material, colour and lifestyle.
Visit ASUS × THEA during Dubai Design Week to step into the Zenbook experience, explore the latest products hands-on and discover how ASUS is bringing technology into the spaces where people work, create, meet and spend their everyday lives.
Taking centre stage will be the latest ASUS Zenbook 14, showcased in Arctic Blue and Komodo Coral. At the heart of its design is ASUS Ceraluminum™, a signature material that combines the durability of ceramic with the lightweight characteristics of aluminum. The finishes are designed to be seen, touched and experienced, reflecting ASUS’s belief that personal technology should create a more emotional connection with the people who use it.
Beyond Zenbook 14, visitors will also be able to explore the wider ASUS premium line-up and find the right device for their needs — whether they are students looking for everyday portability, creators requiring powerful creative tools, solopreneurs balancing productivity and mobility, or gamers looking for performance on the move.
THEA as part of the experience
Located in the heart of Dubai Design District, THEA brings together contemporary hospitality, French and Mediterranean influences, and a warm café environment. For Dubai Design Week, the venue will become part of the ASUS story itself — combining coffee, hospitality, visual design and hands-on technology in one place.
The activation extends “Design You Can Feel” beyond exhibitions and traditional retail, turning the Zenbook design language into a real-life consumer experience built around discovery, interaction and everyday lifestyle moments.
Visitors who want to continue their ASUS journey can also explore the ASUS UAE eShop, where selected 37th Anniversary offers will be available across the portfolio. The eShop offer complements the physical experience at THEA, giving visitors a simple next step after discovering the products in person.
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