Trend Micro Incorporated, a global cybersecurity solutions provider, has established its Middle East and Africa (MEA) headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new MEA headquarters will strengthen the region’s cybersecurity ecosystem, strengthen partnerships with government and private organizations, and accelerate the transition to a safer digital future, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the region’s digital ambitions.
The inaugural event was held in the presence of H.E. Haytham AlOhali, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology; H.E. Iwai Fumio, Ambassador of Japan to Saudi Arabia, Faisal Bin Saud Al-Khamisi, Chairman, Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones; Eng. Muteb Al Qeny, CEO, Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, H.E. Alrebdi Alrebdi, Vice-Governor, National Cybersecurity Authority; Kevin Simzer, Chief Operations Officer at Trend Micro; Mahendra Negi, Group Chief Finance Officer at Trend Micro; Dhanya Thakkar, Senior Vice President of Trend Micro AMEA; Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, Area Vice President & Managing Director, Trend Micro MEA and Rasheed Al Odah, Country Manager, Trend Micro, KSA.
The MEA headquarters includes a “Centre of Excellence” for expert resources to manage incident handling and response for customers and partners, as well as a “Executive Briefing Center” for officials from both the public and private sectors to showcase cutting-edge cybersecurity innovations. The headquarters will also house a ‘Innovation and Learning Center,’ which will provide skilling opportunities for graduates and professionals looking to advance their careers in cyber security and information security.
“Saudi Arabia’s vision and investments in digital transformation and commitment to cybersecurity have been commendable, and that’s why we chose to establish our headquarters here,” said Kevin Simzer, Chief Operations Officer at Trend Micro. “The launch of our MEA HQ in Riyadh demonstrates Trend Micro’s commitment to safeguarding the region’s future with innovative solutions. We aspire to become the preferred cybersecurity partner to organizations and communities in the new digital economy, paving the way for a more secure, and brighter digital future of MEA.”
“The digital transformation in the Middle East and Africa region has been massive and that has led to an increase in the attack surface”, said Dhanya Thakkar, Senior Vice President of Trend Micro AMEA. “Through our MEA headquarters we aim to secure the digital ambitions of individuals, organisations, communities, and economies. Our expertise and solutions will continue to prove vital in the months and years ahead as we, our partners, and our customers take on the threat landscape with renewed passion and ingenuity.”
“The launch of our Riyadh HQ is a futuristic step and a demonstration of our dedication to securing the digital ambitions of the Kingdom and the region”, said Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, Area Vice President and Managing Director, MEA, Trend Micro. The threat landscape is evolving every day and it is important that organizations in the region recognise the risk and are ready to commit to a more decisive action on their threat strategies to support their risk postures. As they continue to thrive in the new normal, Trend Micro will be at their side and will do everything in its capacity to secure their digital journeys.”
Trend Micro’s efforts in the region continue to strengthen enterprise resilience and equip them to navigate the evolving threat landscape. According to Trend Micro’s latest Midyear Cybersecurity Report 2022, the company’s industry-leading solutions detected and blocked nearly 600 million threats and attacks, safeguarding cloud environments, networks, and endpoints across the Middle East and Africa.
Trend Micro is also collaborating closely with the public and private sectors to bridge the cybersecurity skills gap and transfer knowledge expertise in the region. Collaboration with the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP) on the Tuwaiq Academy to train professionals on Cloud, Endpoint, and XDR security; and partnership with CyberTalents to empower Arab and African youth from over 25 countries in the field of cybersecurity through scholarship opportunities are two of the most recent initiatives.
