Showcasing the best in cybersecurity
The recently held Cybertech Global Dubai-UAE event, which showcased the latest cyber technologies innovations, has garnered widespread attention with the presence of some leading Israeli companies. We spoke to Amir Rapaport, founder of Cybertech Conference, to find out why this three-day event has moved from Tel Aviv to Dubai.
How long have you been running this show?
We organised the first-ever edition of Cybertech Global in Tel Aviv in January 2014, and ever since, it has become the most significant event for cyber technologies outside of the US. We have also organised regional events in Singapore, Tokyo, Panama City, Rome, New York, etc, and this year, we have moved this flagship event to Dubai for two reasons.
Dubai is one of the very few cities in the world that allows access to international visitors to physical events, and it is a great location to do business. We have also had significant interest from the government here in supporting this event.
What makes this event important for security practitioners?
Cybertech is all about the cyber era, and we cover the whole spectrum of technologies. Of course, it is all based on connectivity and computing, but you can’t have technologies such as cloud and blockchain without cybersecurity. We have built this event for people worldwide, including investors, academia, enterprises, not just for governments.
Are you associated with the government of Israel?
This is a private initiative founded by me, and we have collaboration with governments all over the world, including the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel National Cyber Directorate. We have a large delegation from Israel at this event because it is a hub for innovation in cyber technologies. In fact, we have the most number of cyber companies than the rest of the world, excluding the US and China. Around 20 percent of global investment in cyber technologies goes through Israel.
Are you planning to organise this event here in Dubai again next year?
Yes, that is the plan because we are super excited about the response. We were delighted to have high highness Sheikh Hamdan visit the show, and he’d expressed interest in hosting this event here again. We are all ready to follow that.
We are in the middle of a cyber pandemic. Do you expect it to get worse this year?
The cyber landscape is constantly evolving, and the pandemic has made it more challenging for companies. We are seeing more and more sophisticated attacks with the move to digital technologies widening the attack surface. The industry has to come together to defend against these threats, and we provide that platform.
