UAE Tech Podcast Al Bawaba Business

Much of the discussion on cybersecurity concerns, well “cyber” - computers surveilling computers, algorithms to detect algorithms, or AI scanning massive amounts of data.

What is often lost is a focus on human beings. The field of cybersecurity itself is rapidly evolving into an established profession in which a combination of technical and analytical skills are required.

A lot of the discussion on the 4ID around the world covers technology replacing humans. While this is true across many industries, it’s not the entire story.

The field of cybersecurity is a great window into an emerging industry which is rapidly professionalizing, and on a search for new talent. Here human intelligence, human response teams and hybrid skill sets are very much in demand.

Today we’re talking with Maher Yamout, Senior Security Researcher of Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky, on humans in cybersecurity

Popularized in sci-fi movies like the Terminator, the Matrix and others is the concept of a “machine-age”, or what Matthew Yarger and others refer to as “the machine economy.” We’ve seen this debate in regard to ethical AI, or "fairness in algorithms,” but a new frontier is appearing in regard to centralization, walled gardens and networks with “a single point of failure.”

In a centralized system, there are fears automation could allow “Skynet” scenario - machines making decisions so complex, that meaningful human control is no longer necessary or perhaps even possible.In a DLT, or decentralized ledger system, information is no longer owned by a single platform. A malicious AI or non-state actor has no central location to hack - at least in theory, the attack surface is reduced from billions, right down to 1.

Automation & DLT technologies are changing philosophy and ideation in the cyber-security sector. But are decentralized systems really the future? Will these systems be permissioned or permissionless? And can Decentralized Ledger Technology allow automated systems to scale into our economies and personal lives, without compromising our safety, privacy and security?

Today we’re talking with Mathew Yarger, Head of Mobility and Automotive at the IOTA Foundation, on the machine economy, and cybersecurity

Today we’re talking to Emad Haffar, Head of Technical Experts at Kaspersky cybersecurity Middle East. Emad has managed large cybersecurity projects across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

From machine-learning pattern recognition to analyst driven intelligence and a specially developed IOS for the Internet of Things, Emad provides a comprehensive introduction to the “New Threat Environments” consumers, businesses and governments are facing.

Over the past 12-18 months digitalisation has accelerated across the world economy and, because of COVID-19, in much of our daily lives. Our kids are being taught on digital devices. Online entertainment, from gaming to movies, is booming. We’re turning to cyberspace for our health, to keep in touch with family, to order food, or pay the bills.

In the UAE, we interact with government over cloud based apps and services. All of this suggests an important and overlooked question - during this historical transition, how vulnerable are we? Is this cybernetic horizon really secure?

As digital colonizes the physical, the range of cyber-crime and cyber-security opportunities are exponentially growing. At the same time, the depth and sophistication of cyber--security operations is racing to keep-up.

One of the stereotypes of the Middle East is things don’t happen quickly here. Entrepreneurs in the Levant and GCC are often frustrated that their peers in the west can take advantage of regulations and infrastructure they don’t have access to - or simply get stuff done more quickly. Of course it’s not that simple, but there is a sense that business depends on building firm relationships and a lot of diligence before the ink is signed.

And then the UAE signed a peace deal with Israel, and we saw a different way of doing things. Even during the crisis of COVID-19 tens of thousands of Israeli tourists and innovators have visited the UAE, working on every kind of project you can think of. The UAE’s main technology conference, GITEX, devoted a staging area to the ‘UAE-Israel Future Digital Economy Summit.'

A prominent Israeli tech-investor and co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council, Dorian Barak re-joins the podcast to provide high-level insights into a relationship on fast-forward.

A couple of years ago there was a big buzz around 3D printing. Many Tech analysts suggested a future in which we’d all be ‘print-publishing’ consumer items in our homes. That hasn’t happened yet. It’s even possible that 3D printing on the consumer end will remain a niche skill set, favored by designers, engineers and inventors. But the wider industrial implications of 3D printing are beginning to emerge. Right now students across the UAE learning the process, software and techniques necessary to operate a 3D printer. Beyond education, architects and defense firms have long been exploring the technology.

Over the past decade one electronic’s store, in particular, has played a key role in importing 3D printing technology to the UAE. For veteran’s of Dubai, Jacky’s Electronics Store in Nasr Square Deira is a familiar landmark established in 1988. We spoke with Chief Operating Office Ashish Panjabi on how Jacky’s Electronics merged into Jacky’s Business Solutions, for a behind the scenes look into the small changes that are incrementally building UAE capacity in additive manufacturing.

| SUBSCRIBE AND SPONSOR |

Remember to Subscribe and Turn Notifications on. You can also follow the podcast on:
Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/jo/podcast/uae-tech-podcast/id1441955455
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7lUz38FZsfIVDyYZTsz5JI?si=XJHR7e54Q7qYiPfXzaeWPA

Algorithms watching algorithms - a 21st century version of the Latin dictum, Quis custodiet ipsos custodes, or ‘who watches the watchmen’. This time written in code.

New business services engineered and launched within days, rather than months - the idea that COVID-19 is forcing an adaptive response in which efficiency and speed are critical; & that empathy, particularly during challenging times, can be designed into a process.

In the UAE, a complex scenario in which government acts as a gravitational center for innovation, pushing a culture of progressive iteration and a demand for new services out into the rest of society.

Today we’re talking with Hamid Tamimi, Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton on what he describes as the ‘paradigm shift’ taking place across GCC economies, governments, and organizations. With a decade of consulting experience in the region, Hamid concisely describes several of the key patterns and trends at the center of the UAE Tech Podcast. The ‘Big Rethink’ is here, but predicting the next chapter isn’t always easy.