A Bahraini businessman has highlighted the importance of investing more in the cybersecurity market. Reports indicate that the cybersecurity market in Saudi Arabia alone will grow to $ 5.5 billion by 2023. CEO of NGN Yaccob AlAwadhi hailed the proposal by a number of MPs in Bahrain to take the necessary measures to establish a unified Gulf Cyber Security Center. Al-Awadhi said in a statement that the private sector institutions and companies support this proposal with the desire of a number of deputies, including Speaker of the Council, Mrs. Fawzia Zainal. He expressed his hope to pass the proposal quickly from the House of Representatives and the approval of the esteemed government, and then move to the stage of its presentation and discussion to the Gulf Cooperation Council as a Gulf initiative to start from Bahrain. He pointed out the importance of involving various stakeholders in the government and private sectors in this project to provide the largest support for it, and puts it on the threshold of implementation. He praised the proposal's emphasis on unifying efforts, coordination and cooperation among the Gulf States by exchanging information and expertise and using experienced technicians to repel and prevent such systematic attacks at the level of the Arabian Gulf, and to train new qualified caliber to be fully prepared to stand against these attacks, in addition to working on scientific research competent. Al-Awadhi spoke about the importance of aligning this proposal with a law with the efforts of the "Standing Committee for Cyber Security in the Gulf Cooperation Council States", It held its first meeting in cooperation with the Gulf Police Authority (GCC Pol) in Abu Dhabi two years ago and held another meeting this year in Jeddah, that discusses global best practices to protect and manage challenges, securing information among the GCC countries and exchanging experiences and field visits among the GCC countries. He stressed the importance of this proposal in building a secure Gulf digital society that provides the best smart and electronic services to face threats and risks to all countries of the world, in addition to the preparation of studies and researches to prevent and develop and propose legislation and laws to maintain the security and integrity of electronic systems and resources. Alawadhi added that companies operating in Bahrain and the Arabian Gulf always seek to adopt the best cybersecurity solutions, especially as the levels of awareness of threats are increasing by small and medium enterprises and large institutions, which has led to increased demand for consulting services among cybersecurity experts. — SG
