Riverbed, the leader in AIOps for observability, today announced the results of the Riverbed Global Survey on ‘The State of Autonomous IT Operations’. Artificial intelligence has crossed the threshold from experimentation into the IT operating model, with organisations accelerating efforts to operationalise AI and progress towards autonomous IT. As AI assumes a greater role in enterprise operations, the ability to understand, trust and govern it will become increasingly important.*

The Saudi findings from this new research indicate that organisations in the Kingdom are particularly alert to this requirement. More than half (54%) of Saudi respondents are extremely confident in their organisation’s AI governance and human-oversight capabilities, compared with 42% globally. At the same time, 93% agree that effective AI assurance, observability and governance will become a critical new IT domain to manage, while 77% report internal hesitation about allowing AI to make operational decisions without human approval.

The findings suggest that Saudi enterprises view governance as an enabler of AI adoption rather than a constraint. Establishing visibility into how AI performs and retaining appropriate human oversight will give organisations the confidence to expand automation while maintaining control over operational decisions.

“Riverbed’s new research shows that AI is becoming fundamental to how IT operates, as organizations look to use it to create more resilient, efficient and proactive environments,” said Jim Gargan, Chief Marketing Officer, at Riverbed. “The next phase of AI is not simply more automation, but AI that enterprises can understand, trust and govern. Riverbed is helping customers close these gaps with unified observability, trusted data, AI governance and intelligent automation, accelerating toward zero-disruption autonomous IT operations.”

Saudi organisations move from AI investment to execution

Saudi enterprises are increasing investment in AI and reporting measurable returns from their initiatives. Two-thirds (66%) of Saudi organisations increased their AI investment during the past year, while 90% say their AI initiatives have met or exceeded their original return-on-investment goals. Looking ahead, 85% want to progress to human-supervised or highly autonomous IT operations within the next two years.

These findings indicate that the conversation is shifting from whether organisations should adopt AI to how effectively they can operationalise it at scale. Continued success will depend on translating investment and ambition into more resilient, efficient and proactive IT operations.

Autonomous IT will be judged by the employee experience

Saudi organisations are already reporting strong capabilities in using AI to improve IT operations and reduce employee disruption. Forty-four percent say their IT operations teams are extremely effective at using AI to identify and resolve issues before employees notice a disruption, compared with 34% globally. In addition, 96% expect AI-powered operational intelligence to have at least a moderate impact on frontline IT and service-desk capabilities within the next two years, while 36% expect the service desk to shift from reactive support towards proactive prevention.

The findings suggest that the success of autonomous IT should not be measured simply by the number of processes automated or the volume of service-desk activity reduced. Its impact will increasingly be determined by whether organisations can anticipate problems, prevent disruption and provide employees with a consistently high-quality digital experience.

A unified operational foundation will be essential to scale

As organisations in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia progress towards more autonomous IT, unified visibility and simpler technology environments will become increasingly important. Almost all Saudi respondents (95%) consider multi-domain visibility at least somewhat important for successful AI-driven IT operations, but only 22% currently have fully unified visibility across networks, applications, endpoints and cloud environments. Encouragingly, 94% agree that tool consolidation can reduce operational friction, while 94% also agree that a unified platform can simplify problem identification and resolution.

Closing this gap will require organisations to consolidate fragmented tools, establish trusted and accessible data, and create unified visibility across their IT environments. These capabilities will give AI the operational context required to make reliable recommendations, support faster decisions and enable greater levels of autonomy.

“Saudi Arabia has built tremendous momentum around AI, supported by ambitious national programmes and organisations focused on translating innovation into measurable outcomes,” said Salman Ali, Senior Manager – Solution Engineering, GCC, at Riverbed. “The next stage will be defined by how effectively enterprises can govern AI and apply it to improve everyday operations. By unifying their data and observability capabilities, Saudi organisations can progress towards autonomous IT while maintaining appropriate human oversight, strengthening digital experiences and ensuring their AI investments deliver lasting business value.”

The findings point to a more operational phase of enterprise AI adoption in Saudi Arabia. As the Kingdom continues its digital transformation journey under Vision 2030, its organisations have an opportunity to accelerate human impact by building a globally competitive organization from the ground up to unlock new levels of creativity, achievement, and human potential through accessible AI technologies.

* Note: Unless otherwise noted, all data and percentages referenced in the press release are based on a sample of 100 Saudi Arabia responses to the Riverbed Global Survey 2026: The State of Autonomous IT Operations. Survey respondents included business and IT leaders and technical specialists.

This Halloween on Saturday, 31st October, Stomping Grounds is inviting families, friends and their four-legged companions to celebrate together with a full day of costumes, food, and treats for all ages. 

Running from 9am to 9pm, the Halloween celebration will turn Stomping Grounds into a family-friendly destination where dogs, kids and adults can all get involved in the festivities, with a costume competition open to all three. 

A Costume Competition for the Whole Family

Rather than limiting the Halloween fun to pets, Stomping Grounds is opening its costume competition to dogs, children and adults, with prizes awarded across three categories:

• Best Dog Costume — Halloween plushie
• Best Kids Costume — Halloween plushie
• Best Adult Costume — AED 200 Stomping Grounds dining voucher for two

Halloween Treats for Costumed Guests

The Halloween celebration will come with a few extras for guests who arrive in costume.

Costumed adults will receive one complimentary espresso-based coffee, while costumed children will receive one complimentary babyccino or kids’ hot chocolate, plus a chocolate goodie bag.

Adults can also receive a complimentary gooey chocolate cookie or muffin with their coffee when they share a photo taken at Stomping Grounds on Instagram and tag @stompinggroundsdxb. Guests simply need to show the tagged post or Story to the team to redeem.

Halloween Specials on the Menu

Alongside the regular Stomping Grounds menu, guests can enjoy a selection of Halloween specials from 9am to 4pm, including:

• BBQ Brekkie — AED 101
• Steak Sandwich — AED 99

A DIY Halloween Photo Corner

Adding to the atmosphere will be a simple DIY Halloween photo area within the venue, designed as an easy spot for families, kids and dogs to capture their costumes and create their own Halloween content.

With activities and offers designed to include the entire family, Stomping Grounds’ Halloween celebration aims to make the occasion as much about spending time together as it is about dressing up.

Details: 

Location: Villa 98, 12D Street (corner of 51st Street), Jumeirah 1, Dubai

Phone: +97143444451

Instagram: instagram.com/stompinggroundsdxb 

Website: stompinggrounds.me 

Ella’s Eatery, the favourite neighbourhood bistro at the heart of Palm Jumeirah, is welcoming weekends with a brand-new brunch menu celebrating the flavours and relaxed spirit of its Nordic roots.

Available every Friday to Sunday from 1pm onwards, Ella’s new Weekend Brunch menu brings together an extensive selection of new dishes, from Scandinavian classics and fresh seafood to globally inspired plates, alongside Nordic-inspired cocktails, signature drinks and classic pours.

Designed for long, leisurely afternoons with friends and family, the three-hour brunch offers plenty of choice across starters, mains and desserts, with the menu reflecting Ella’s signature Nordic approach while introducing new flavours and combinations to the table.

The brunch begins with a selection of starters to share, including Goat Cheese Croquettes with lingonberry compote and toasted pistachio, Toast Skagen with marinated crayfish tails, chives, dill and mayonnaise, Korean Chicken Tenders with gochujang glaze, dill and jalapeño ranch, and Salt Baked Beetroot with whipped feta, pesto, rocket and a sea buckthorn and balsamic reduction.

For mains, guests can choose from an array of seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes. Nordic favourites take centre stage with Classic Swedish Meatballs, served with creamy mashed potato, veal and cream sauce, lingonberry and pickled cucumber, while Norwegian Salmon pairs baked salmon and crayfish tails with asparagus, green beans and a creamy shellfish Sandefjord sauce, served with baby Hasselback potatoes and dill.

Other highlights include The Nordic Crayfish Salad, combining marinated crayfish tails with quinoa, avocado, egg, asparagus and spinach; Signature Chicken with herbed rice, edamame, coriander mayo, pickled rutabaga, Swedish cucumbers and kimchi; and Crayfish Orecchiette Pasta with mixed mushrooms, spinach and a lightly spiced curry carbonara. Vegetarians can opt for Crispy Cauliflower with sumac labneh, chimichurri, seasonal vegetables, Parmesan and brown butter sauce.

Dessert continues the Nordic theme with No Base Cheesecake topped with Nordic berry compote and mint, homemade sorbetti, an Affogato made with house-made vanilla ice cream and Swedish roasted Gevalia coffee, and Ella’s signature Kladdkaka – a classic Swedish gooey chocolate cake topped with vanilla whipped cream.

The drinks offering is equally considered, with the House Package featuring Nordic-inspired cocktails such as the Lingon Sour, made with Swedish lingon-infused vodka, elderflower, lime and Angostura bitters; the Blåbär Margarita, combining Nordic blueberry-infused tequila with almond syrup and lime; and the Havtorn Sour, featuring Scandinavian sea buckthorn-infused vodka, lemon liquor and lemon zest.

The drinks menu also includes signature cocktails such as the Rhubarbara, Ella’s Applesour and Melissa Martini, alongside wine, prosecco, beer and classic pours. For those opting for the Soft Package, mocktails by Barnes & Brown include Rouge Amaretti, Brumble and Ginger Joe.

The House Package is priced at AED 440, while the Soft Package is AED 250, with both offering a three-hour brunch experience.