BrazilEY Jordan showcases cybersecurity expertise at exhibition in Amman
Big Four firm EY has sponsored and participated in Jordan’s 12th Special Operations Forces Exhibition. With digital attacks an increasing threat to nations’ security, the consultancy was on hand to showcase its leading cybersecurity capabilities in the MENA region.
The biennial Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX) is the biggest defence exhibition focused on special ops and national security. Taking place every two years at the King Abdullah I Airbase in Amman, Jordan, the specialised event showcases equipment used by special ops forces, as well as field training and defence facilities. There are also special talks and seminars conducted by military and defence officials from around the world, examining issues related to terrorism and homeland security.
The event is held with the patronage of King Abdullah II, and with the support of the Jordanian army. Other sponsors of the 12th SOFEX event included aerospace and defence technology firm Northrop Grumman, as well as Big Four accounting and consulting firm EY.
EY has been in Jordan since 1953, and is the largest audit and business advisory in the country – with 350 employees and fourteen partners. Their clients include banks, family businesses and multinational corporations along with the public sector.
While the consultancy is not necessarily an expert in special military operations, it is savvy when it comes to cybersecurity – an issue of growing importance in terms of national security. As state and non-state actors increasingly have the cyber-tools to disrupt foreign nations’ digital networks – revealing secrets, destabilising infrastructure, ransoming company and government agency data, etc. – strong cyber security is becoming a more central element of overall national security.
The Middle East Special Operations Commanders Conference (MESOC) was held in conjunction with SOFEX. As part of a panel discussion at MESOC, titled ‘Managing Resilience in an Era of Expanding Cyber Conflict,’ EY Partner and EMEIA Cyber and Resilience Leader Raddad Ayoub discussed topics of emerging relevance in cybersecurity, demonstrating EY’s leadership, deep insights, and globally-consistent methodology in the domain.
At the exhibition the following day, EY promoted its cybersecurity, forensic technology, discovery, and cyber analytics services. The consultancy also promoted its MENA Digital Security Operations Centre (DSOC) that it recently established in Oman due to increasing demand for digital security services in the Middle East and North Africa. The first of its kind in the region, the multimillion-dollar cybersecurity centre focuses on threat ‘hunting’ and detection.
“Every day, cyberattacks are increasing in sophistication and danger levels,” commented Bishr Baker, Managing Partner at EY Jordan. “There is no denying that when it comes to cyberattacks, the real concern is when it will happen rather than if it will happen. Organisations – governmental or private – operating in today’s vast digital landscape need to understand this and evaluate the current cyber threats and vulnerabilities out there, how they might affect them, what measurements they have in place to guard themselves, and finally what they can do to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
“EY Jordan is excited to have taken part in this event, where we were able to share our innovative cyber defense capabilities, in an effort to combat the risk of cyberattacks at all levels,” Baker added.
