Consolidating the gains in Saudi Arabia

Grant Taylor, General Manager at Exclusive Networks KSA discusses how the cybersecurity focused VAD has been committed to addressing the growing demand for cybersecurity solutions in Saudi Arabia through its partners

How do you see the cybersecurity threat landscape evolving globally and in Saudi Arabia in particular?

The cybersecurity threat landscape is ever expanding and I think we will always be in an environment where we have to try and stay one step ahead of the bad actors from around the world and Saudi market is no different to that. Saudi Arabia has a highly advanced attitude towards cyber security and in general there is a broad understanding of the need to protect infrastructure and data and the country is investing time, effort and money on achieving that.

Elaborate on your cyber security solutions focus for the Saudi Arabian market?

We represent a number of tier one information security solutions that are delivering enterprise grade security for not only the enterprise level, but also to the small and medium businesses. So we cover the whole range. Our business in Saudi is growing exponentially as it is across the region and that’s and outcome of having the right solutions and relationships in the market.

Do you see growing focus on cybersecurity investments in Saudi Arabia?

Yeah, I don’t think there’s any choice, if you’re going to bring digital transformation into your environment. This process is accelerating in the country with services pushed across the board, and cybersecurity comes hand in hand with digitalization initiatives. So the need for cybersecurity will only increase in Saudi over the next five to 10 years, as we race towards the 2030 vision.

Discuss your expansion plans in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi plays a pivotal part of the Middle East business for us and the business is growing. Over the next three to five years, we expect the Saudi business to represent 50% of the total Middle East business, so it is becoming incredibly important to the wider Middle East and to Exclusive Networks as a company globally.

Do you see Vision 2030 and NEOM as key drivers for increasing the growth in Saudi Arabia? How do you see Exclusive Networks and your partners benefiting from those key drivers?

Neom is just one of a number of mega projects that the Saudi Arabian government is focusing on. The are spending over a trillion dollars in the next seven years on mega infrastructure projects all of which will have a digital footprint and hence need cybersecurity. From that perspective, cybersecurity is only set to grow within Saudi Arabia.

How important has the participation at LEAP been?

LEAP is the premier technology expo for Saudi Arabia. Within the KSA market, we see it certainly as a competitor to GITEX moving forward. For us, it was a place where we had to be present as this is an expanding market with exciting opportunities and we along with our vendors wanted to showcase our commitment to the Saudi market.

Have you expanded your team in Saudi Arabia?

The team has expanded from seven people six years ago to 30 people now and we will continue to expand as the business requirements change.

Have you extended your partner footprint in Saudi Arabia?

The number of partners that we work with is growing and the amount of credit that we offer those partners is expanding as well. The amount of time that we spend engaging and developing those partners is also increasing. For instance, for channel companies who were traditional infrastructure partners and have recently moved into cybersecurity, we’re providing training to help them grow into this space as well.