TDP receives award as an Industry Leadership in Virtual Datacenters at New Age banking Summit 2020

MUSCAT, October 2020

The Data Park (TDP), the Sultanate’s first IT-managed and cloud services provider, was presented with a special recognition award at the annual New Age Banking Summit – Oman 2020 held at Hotel Sheraton Oman on October 6, 2020.

The participants of the summit included leaders of top banks in Oman, 100 delegates and over 280 online viewers from over 100 BFSI and information technology companies from across the GCC and Middle East countries.

The summit, which was held under the patronage of  His Excellency Tahir Salim Al Amri, Executive President, Central Bank of Oman, as the keynote speaker, focused on digital transformation for banking in future, Artificial Intelligence, the role of 5G technology in enhancing banking financial services, digital payments, mobile banking, the next level of digital customer experience and cyber security .

The conference included honoring TDP with an appreciation award for its Industry Leadership in Virtual Datacenters which was awarded for their Nebula Virtual Datacenter Service. TDP is the first entity to establish a virtual datacenter called Nebula as well as the first security center called the Cyber Security Park to ensure safe data storage in the Sultanate.

 

The discussions of the summit also included a number of issues and topics related to development of the banking and the financial sector, such as the great reset for the banking and finance due to Covid-19, the need for collaboration with regulatory authorities to strengthen the banking and the finance sector, the changing dynamics of the financial services sector and the importance of developing an ecosystem of partnerships for innovative products and customer experiences.

In his speech, Eng. Maqbool Bin Salem Al Wahaibi, CEO of TDP, focused on the services that OPD provides to the banking sector, such as providing advanced data centers for saving data, reserve data centers for emergency use during times of disaster, and the advanced security systems that can be operated round the clock, in addition to hosting services, managing and securing electronic banking platforms and the secure remote work service (Desktop as a Service) (DaaS).

He added that the banking and financial sector in the Sultanate has witnessed a qualitative leap in utilizing the advantages of technology in order to serve customers and streamline the work within the banking sector.

The participants and attendees of the conference also witnessed a presentation by TDP on the services provided by the company in the field of banking services such as (BaaS), which highlighted the challenges of this type of service, as well as old banking platforms, the Business Model (FinTech API) and other information for those interested in banking services.

It is noteworthy that TDP has greatly contributed to providing an all-in-one solution of computing, cloud computing services, data storage, networking, as well as web hosting and network security services, while it has an advanced virtual data center in the field of cyber security with a world-class level of quality, which helped the beneficiaries of its services to save up to 55% on the total cost of ownership compared to a traditional data center.

TDP launches Esign – an electronic signature document management solution

MUSCAT, August 2020

The Data Park (TDP) has launched Esign – an Oman based, secure e-signature & document management solution, in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Sultanate of Oman, to enable signing of documents electronically. It can substitute the process of signing on paper and scanning it as well as other traditional methods of transactions.

The Corona pandemic has led to an increase in the use of electronic transactions. This crisis has led to an urgent necessity for the use of electronic signature. TDP’s Esign solution helps replace the use of paper completely. The users of this solution will be able to request documents and sign them remotely from anywhere in the world, without compromising on the privacy of the transactions.

TDP, which is the first provider of cloud and information technology-managed services in the Sultanate of Oman, has launched the Esign solution which is locally hosted in their tier III data centres. It helps any organisation to reduce time and minimize costs, enhance efficiency, improve visibility and accountability, and have control over the flow of documents and private papers.

Esign solution supports many sectors, including banking, finance, aviation, law, insurance, real estate, human resources, education, health care, and communications. It can be also be customised according to any business or industry.

The electronic signature solution can be used for the management of documents and papers on one central platform. They can be created, shared and stored as well as followed up from anywhere, anytime and from any device using this solution.

The Esign solution it is capable of matching with the requirements of those who use this service. It can be configured to facilitate seam-less integration, as well as add value to the user’s ERP and MIS systems by integrating with powerful applications and programming destinations.

The Esign platform has the advantage of adding two sites, setting a signature sequence as well as finalizing documents to send them. The platform also provides quick and complete solution from the beginning of the service till the completion of the process.

The user of this solution can review, sign or authorise anyone using this easy digital signature service. Along with this, this platform has a tracking and management feature through which users can manage their documents on a centrally and locally hosted platform. It can be created, coordinated, stored and tracked from anywhere and anytime and on any device.

The solution uses smart templates of electronic and digital signature, performs digital auditing and provides reminder via e-mail and through mobile applications. It also enables implementation of work and tracking as well as ensures security and integrity of data. Through this, the documents, if required, are saved and stored for long time and are compatible with the rules and regulations practiced in the Sultanate.

The electronic signature solution also saves time, effort and money, unlike traditional methods that consume long time for printing documents, scanning, following up, and storing them. For more information regarding this platform, users can visit the website www.esign.om

Storing data inside Oman ensures compliance

Muscat, 6th February, 2020

Interview by: Ali Al Matani

Maqbool bin Salim al Wuhaibi, Chief Executive Officer of The Data Park, the first provider of local cloud services in the Sultanate, said that it was important to store data and information within the country so that they are under local regulations. It is safer for Omani companies. It also saves their money.

All critical national data is required to be stored within the borders of the Sultanate according to the regulatory authorities. This means that management and maintaining data confidentiality is the primary responsibility of the Omani data collector.

Al Wuhaibi

The actual importance of having data locally stored is that you have a guarantee that they are subject to local regulations. Therefore, storing data within the Sultanate is safer for Omani companies, also saves their money.

If the data is stored locally, the customers can get better quality services as they can access them from within the Sultanate and thus there is no latency. This and other such guarantees are not always available when data is stored outside the country, because it can be subject to different jurisdiction, he said. 

According to Al Wuhaibi, TDP is first and largest data centre in the Sultanate, which has made the country a global player in data services. This became possible by its best technologies of cloud services. It has also helped in raising the standard of Duqm Economic Zone to emerge as technologically most advanced economic zone in the Sultanate. This is by establishing a level 3 data centre which provides all managed data centre services. The TDP is the only data centre, which has a round the clock centre for security operations and networks working seven days a week. In addition to this, it has a specialised centre for cyber security managed by highly qualified Omani employees, he said. 

Al Wuhaibi further said: “We are also the first to introduce virtual data centre services in the Sultanate with our brand Nebula in 2019. We also provided the country world-famous Microsoft Azure Stack services which makes it possible to obtain world-class data centre solutions within the demographic boundaries Of the Sultanate. Before we started our services at TDP, the companies in the Sultanate had to manage their data requirements by themselves, which was costly. They have to bear the costs of hardware and software as well as those of maintaining specialised employees who needed constant training to keep up with changing technologies.” 

By using the services of the TDP, companies can now save their huge costs. They can use our infrastructure and the vast experience we have accumulated over the last eight years and get benefit from it. Moreover, our services attracted regional and international clients. They preferred the Sultanate than other major players in the region. This is how the TDP helped the Sultanate get recognition of its role in the technology sector at the international and regional levels. We were awarded the Best Digital Data Centre in the Middle East at the Telecom World Awards Middle East 2019, as well as the Best Security Services Provider MSSP award for 2019. 

International companies such as Google and Microsoft are all storing your data outside Oman. However, the centre provides similar international standard solutions to data, keeping it inside the Sultanate and protects them by providing high level cyber security services. It has services of the Security Operations Center (SOC) and network operations centre (NOC) which works round the clock and seven days a week, he said. 

Since 2012, TDP has served more than 500 local and international institutions from the public and private sectors. Data is stored securely within Level 3 data centres in three data centres: Al Wattayah, Rusayl and Duqm. All these data centres are protected by using high-class cyber security as well as physical security backed by alternative energy sources so that organisations can access their data whenever they need it. 

Al Wuhaibi said that the TDP team is comprised of 68 professionals. There is an Omanisation level of 75 per cent, which is much higher than the Ministry of Manpower’s recommended requirements of 35 per cent.

Regarding the centre’s aspirations, the CEO of The Data Park said the company’s aim is to make the Sultanate an international data hub. This is due to the Sultanate’s advanced infrastructure in marine cables, and Sultanate’s stablilty and security. 

“We are actively seeking to achieve regional and international potentials. We have successfully implemented our solutions in some GCC countries. We look forward to build business relationships in Africa, Europe and the Far East. We want to provide them economical services as a highly secure data centre as an innovative solution, which a customer can use from the first day. 

The vision of the TDP is to focus on diversification and constantly creating a competitive advantage for international players. The The Data Park is aimed at setting up innovation labs where the IT community can participate and use the opportunity to develop their work as well as improve customer and employee relations making them capable of meeting the requirements of Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Data Park (TDP) Receives the PCI DSS Certification for its Data Centres in KOM and Duqm

Muscat, 6th February, 2020

The Data Park (TDP), the Sultanate's first managed and cloud services provider has received Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) certification from SISA Information Security, the payment security specialist, headquartered in India. TDP has achieved this milestone after completing the audit for its Data Centres, making them the first managed services provider in Oman to receive such a coveted certification.

PCI DSS is the payment security benchmark by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) followed globally by organizations that handle sensitive data. The standards ensure secure storage, transmission, and processing of data, aiming for better data security and privacy throughout the world 

“The PCI DSS certification re-defines our continued commitment towards data security and tells the world how we value our customer’s privacy. We are pleased to achieve this certification besides our ISO27001:2013 ISO 20000:2011 certification and GDPR readiness. The Data Park is built with security in DNA and we will continue to create more value to both existing and new customers so that they can trust us with their technology challenges and focus on their core business.”

Maitham Al Lawati

General Manager of The Data Park

“Adhering to security guidelines and compliance is not an easy task. When followed correctly, it secures an entire organization from data breaches and leaks that have become unavoidable today. When organizations go through the time and expense of achieving such coveted compliance, we understand how much they value the security of their customer’s sensitive data.”

harshan Shantamurthy

CEO and Founder of SISA Information Security.

Having begun operations in 2012, The Data Park already supports over 500 local and international entities, offering a full eco-system of Cloud and Security solutions covering all types of businesses from Government, Oil & Gas and Banking, to name a few. Based on convenient OPEX based models, the solutions are available in economical pricing models that facilitate Managed Security Services, Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), DataCentre-as-a-Service (DCaaS), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), Professional Services-as-a-Service (PSaaS) as well as Application-as-a-Service (AaaS). More details about The Data Park’s extensive product portfolio can be found via their website at omandatapark.com.

The Data Park Wins Fortinet’s Best Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) Award

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman , September 2019​

The Data Park (TDP), Sultanate’s first managed services and cloud services provider, has received Fortinet’s best Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) of the year. TDP was honored during Fortinet’s Partner Sync event, held in Muscat on 3rd September.

TDP, a Fortinet MSSP partner since 2013 was recognised for its outstanding efforts in Oman’s cybersecurity space. 

As Oman’s largest managed services provider offering both local and international organisations with infrastructure, AI, cloud, public cloud, and managed security services, we are delighted to receive this award. It is in recognition for TDP’s excellent performance delivering complex security services to enterprises in Oman and regionally. The award is also a testament to TDP’s commitment to offer industry leading cyber security services.

The Data Park has been enjoying a vital collaboration with Fortinet as per which they provide us with security solutions for our managed network security services. Our objective is to deliver the best security services and maximum return on investment for our customers who place their trust on us to manage their next-generation security requirements.

-Maitham Al Lawati, General Manager, Cyber Security Centre

Winning this award is a clear recognition of cyber security capabilities and acknowledgement of the company being the finest in the Sultanate. “We are pleased to see one of our first Fortinet’s MSSP partners in Oman continue its momentum with Fortinet.”

Ali Abou Hamze

Channel Account Manager MSSPs, Fortinet

The Data Park Collaborates with Microsoft and Cisco to boost Cloud adoption across the Sultanate

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman , July 21st 2019

The Data Park (TDP), today in collaboration with Microsoft and Cisco announced the deployment of Microsoft Azure Stack solutions in its facilities. A first for the Sultanate of Oman, the Microsoft Azure Stack is an extension of Microsoft’s Azure Cloud that brings the innovation of cloud computing to build and deploy hybrid applications anywhere, while meeting local data sovereignty and regulatory requirements.

Established in 2011, TDP is Oman’s premier IT Managed Services Provider, that offers hosting, security and cloud services as well as virtual data centre services, leveraging its own Tier III certified data centres in Oman. TDP was faced with the challenge of delivering on its digital transformation promises to customers while complying with the Sultanate’s regulations on data sovereignty. The organisation engaged Microsoft to explore deploying the country’s first Azure Stack, as a major step towards offering Azure services and capabilities within the compliance framework.

“The key challenge faced by us in providing Azure services to our customers in Oman was the inability to store data locally,”

“We can now overcome this challenge through the Azure Stack which is planned for launch by October of this year. Being a hybrid solution, it is open for any entity to come on board and benefit from a wide portfolio of Azure services. Furthermore, this new addition is our way of supporting the economic development of the Oman by elevating the ICT sector to a new level of international expertise that offers a wide spectrum of Microsoft software portfolios while creating specialised jobs that supports this environment. The introduction of world leading cloud solutions in Oman would be welcomed by both multinational companies as well as foreign direct investors who are accustomed to such services and now their interests in Oman can continue to benefit from such services”

Eng. Maqbool Al Wahaibi

CEO, The Data Park.

The ongoing ambition of TDP to become the digital enabler for organisations in Oman will now take a leap forward as it works with Microsoft and Cisco to launch hybrid cloud offerings. Organisations in the Sultanate of Oman can now innovate with a consistent cloud platform, and confidently make technology decisions based on business requirements, rather than business decisions based on technology limitations.

“As The Data Park works to move digital transformation forward across the sultanate, Microsoft will continue its commitment to the government, people and business community of Oman,”.

 “The ability to engage customers, empower employees, optimise operations and transform products and services will undoubtedly propel the country forward on its Vision 2040 journey. Now that TDP can deliver hybrid cloud services, the flexibility and agility that result, will allow thousands of organisations to take their place as innovators on the road to economic prosperity and achieve more.”

Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni

Country Manager, Microsoft Bahrain & Oman.

“The ability to dynamically deliver business critical applications is a key requirement for all organisations in the age of digitization. Cloud computing is one of the main technologies driving this change. By deploying the Cisco Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack for the first time in Oman, TDP now has a comprehensive and pre-integrated cloud platform to accelerate service delivery and thus contribute to the development of the country’s digital economy. This platform was jointly developed by the engineering teams of both Cisco and Microsoft and brings the agility and fast-paced innovation of cloud computing to on-premises environments. Cisco has the breadth and depth of product and service offerings which have already been tested and consistently used for public, private, and hybrid cloud solutions. We are pleased that together we are able to put this cutting-edge platform at the disposal of TDP and its customers,”

Ali Al Lawati

General Manager Cisco Oman.

Competitive Edge

Muscat, June 4, 2019

Muhammed Nafie

The Data Park has recently introduced the Sultanate’s first Virtual Data Centre (VDC) –Nebula, at an Iftar gathering under the patronage of Dr Salim bin Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO – Information Technology Authority. OER speaks to TDP CEO, Maqbool Al Wahaibi about this new paradigm of cloud based services and the competitive edge it offers to the company. Excerpts from an interview:

TDP’s latest product, Nebula is the Sultanate’s first Virtual Data Centre (VDC). What is unique about this product? 
Nebula is ideal for various workloads such as critical production, backup and disaster recovery or purely for test and development. Whatever the need may be, this new TDP service is at par with international VDCs. But its unique selling point is that Nebula is offered locally and therefore satisfying all local government regulations surrounding customer data, accompanied with strong ICT skillsets available domestically. 

What are the salient features of Nebula? And how are the corporates in Oman going to benefit from it? 
Nebula will make it easier for corporates to set up their data centres. Earlier, setting up a data centre involved a lot of strenuous efforts such as procurement and testing which might last for months. With Nebula, you can set up the entire data centre as well as all ancillary services in less than a day. Companies can now be agile and go to the market quickly, without waiting for months for their data centre to be up and running. 
Nebula also gives corporates flexible choices by eliminating capex and offering attractive opex- based solutions. We are helping them minimise their operation costs. It’s offered at very competitive prices based on Pay-as-you-go, Allocation or Reservation based models. Since it’s virtual, they don’t have to procure any assets. It will shrink their total data centre costs by at least 40 to 45 per cent. 
In addition to affordability, Nebula offers an enormous amount of flexibility. We are providing the services on hourly basis. Therefore, corporates don’t need to enter into a long-term contract with us. They can avail the services for a few days, a couple of weeks or for some months. 
This flexibility will also help corporates to test some of their critical applications. Nebula allows total self-care to the customer so that they have full operational visibility and control over the infrastructure, network security as well as scalability and automation. Nebula will enable customers to control their own CPU, memory and storage levels as well, and adding load balancers, micro balancers switches and routers etc. to the customer’s network. This enables the customer to be at a unique position to be agile and respond to their market needs without having the burden of capex. 
The costumers will have the option to upgrade and downgrade as and when they want. They will have their own dashboard so that they can upgrade or downgrade their data centre specs. They can also procure more processing power as and when they want. 
Furthermore, all of these benefits are enabled with real time metering so that the customer is aware of their own VDC activity (computing, storage, networking and security) usage. Nebula also comes with TDP’s long standing 24×7 managed services making it ideal for any business entity. 

What are the key sectors that are going to benefit from Nebula? 
Nebula will serve a lot of corporate needs, especially the finical sector, utility sector, oil and gas, aviation, and logistics. We are constantly focused on being the cloud partner of choice for our customer’s digital enablement journey. The introduction of Nebula today paves the way for companies to apply proof of concept activities and agree on a migration plan before signing up. The Data Park already supports over 500 local and international entities, offering a full- eco-system of cloud solutions covering all types of businesses from government, oil and gas and banking to name a few. Based on convenient Opex-based models, the solutions are available in economical pay-as-you-go models that facilitate Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Network as a Service (NaaS) Data center as a service (DCaaS), Disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS, Professional services as a service (PSaas) as well as Application as a service (Aas). 

How secure is Nebula? 
Nebula is designed with industry leading security and it will allow corporates to meet ongoing infrastructure requirements along with their compliance and security requirements. We will also be offering self-service based continuous risk management, forensics and compliance as a service. Hosted locally, Nebula also comes with its own state-of-the-art security services operated over our Tier III data centre. 

Can you talk about the competitive edge Nebula offers to TDP in the market? 
Nebula will provide TDP with a great competitive edge in the market, because we are the first to provide such a service in Oman and among the very few in the region. 
Having started with colocation services in 2012 and moving to various offerings under managed infrastructure (IaaS) and most recently the introduction of professional services (PSaaS), TDP has grown to be the market leader in Oman by giving our customers flexible choices by eliminating capex and offering attractive opex-based solutions. 
Supported by a highly qualified and professionally certified team of experts, this new service is a testament to TDP’s continued efforts aimed at helping and guiding customers towards their agile and digital transformation in perpetration towards fourth industrial revolution and Gig economy. 

The Data Park Introduces Nebula – Oman’s First Self Service Virtual Data Centre

Muscat, May 20th 2019:

The Data Park (TDP), Sultanate’s first managed Services and Cloud Services provider, introduced Oman’s first Virtual Data Centre (VDC) – Nebula – during their annual Iftar gathering hosted recently under the partonage of chief guest, Dr. Salim bin Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO - Information Technology Authority.

Nebula is TDP’s latest product name for a new paradigm of cloud-based services also known as a Virtual Data Centre as a Service (VDCaaS).

It permits full spectrum of data centre facilities from; computing, storage, networking to network security services as “on-demand”; where TDP provides their data centre infrastructure and facilities for rent or lease removing the need for any OPEX costs from the customer. Hosted locally, Nebula also comes with its own state of the art security services operated over Tier III data centres that TDP is known for. Supported by a highly qualified and professionally certified team of experts, this new service is a testament to TDP’s continued efforts aimed at helping and guiding customers towards their agile and digital transformation in perpetration towards the fourth industrial revolution and Gig economy. 

Having started with Colocation services in 2012 and moving to various offerings under Managed infrastructure (IaaS) and most recently the introduction of Professional services (PSaaS), TDP has grown to be the market leader in Oman by giving our customers flexible choices by eliminating CAPEX and offering attractive OPEX based solutions. We are constantly focused on being the cloud partner of choice for our customer’s digital enablement journey. We are pleased to continue our growth trajectory by introducing Oman’s first Virtual Data Centre – Nebula.

Nebula allows total self-care to the customer so that they have full operational visibility and control over the infrastructure, network security as well as scalability and automation. Furthermore, all of these benefits are enabled with real time metering so that the customer is aware of their own VDC (computing, storage, networking and Security) usage. Nebula even offers a choice of pricing models making it ideal for any business entity along with TDP’s long standing 24×7 Managed Services.

-Mr. Maqbool Al Wahibi, CEO of TDP

Offered as Allocation, Pay-As-You-Go or Reservation based subscriptions, Nebula is ideal for various workloads such as critical production, backup and disaster recovery or purely for test and development. Whatever the need may be, this new TDP service is at par with international VDCs but with one clear unique selling point being that Nebula is offered locally and therefore satisfying all local government regulations surrounding customer data accompanied with strong ICT skill sets available domestically.

“Nebula is designed with industry leading security and it will allow enterprises to meet ongoing infrastructure requirements along with their compliance and security requirements. We will also be offering self-service based continuous risk management, forensics and compliance as a service,”

Mr.Maitham Al Lawati

General Manager, Cyber Security Centre.

“Nebula will enable customers to control their own CPU, memory and storage levels as well and adding load balancers, micro balancers switches and routers etc, to the customer’s network. This enables the customer to be at a unique position to be agile and respond to their market needs without having the burden of CAPEX,”

Mr. Hassan Ali

General Manager, Service Delivery & PMO at TDP

The introduction of Nebula today paves the way for companies to apply proof of concept activities and agree on a migration plan before signing up. The Data Park already supports over 500 local and international entities, offering a full eco-system of Cloud solutions covering all types of businesses from Government, Oil & Gas and Banking, to name a few. Based on convenient OPEX based models, these solutions are available in economical pay-as-you-go models that facilitate Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), DataCentre-as-a-Service (DCaaS), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), Professional Services-as-a-Service (PSaaS) as well as Application-as-a-Service (AaaS).

More details about The Data Park’s extensive product portfolio can be found via their website at omandatapark.com.

Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park says that entrepreneurs are privileged to be provided a platform with tools to experiment and explore viable alternatives to contribute to the country’s economy

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park says that entrepreneurs are privileged to be provided a platform with tools to experiment and explore viable alternatives to contribute to the country’s economy.

A country’s healthy economy is based on a strong SME foundation. SMEs in Oman have been promoted by both the Government as well as private companies and play a mega role in employment generation. The Government’s contribution towards the micro and SMEs platform has resulted in adding to the GDP of Oman’s economy. Al Raffd Fund, SME authority and venture capitals such as Oman Tech Funds offer the necessary impetus to start the engines towards progression.

The Data Park Commissions its Cyber Security Centre

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

The Data Park, Oman's leading Cloud computing company, celebrated the commissioning of the company's Cyber Security Centre at Knowledge Oasis Muscat under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futtaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, in the presence of senior government officials, board members, as well as CEO’s and senior management teams from its customers.

The Centre seeks to provide IT services, enhance managed security services including a 24/7 cybersecurity operations and a network operations team, managed by an elite team of experienced Omani experts. 

The Centre’s two security and network operations teams hold extensive experience in dealing with various cyber threats. The enhanced focus on the newly commissioned Cyber Security Centre will further drive the company’s determination for higher security activities as well as preparation for the 4th Industrial revolution and Gig economy. 

On the occasion of the Centre’s commissioning, Eng. Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park, expressed his delight at the opening of the Cyber Security Centre, adding that the centre will enhance The Data Park’s services and will highly contribute in strengthening the company’s position in the Sultanate as a leader in cloud computing. 

Al Wahaibi pointed out the various challenges that the company has faced since launching its operations in 2012 in increasing awareness of Cloud services in the Sultanate and how the company has achieved many successes over the past years through a well-defined business plan that showcased the operational and long term benefits to be reaped by both private and government entities. 

“Managed data centre services and accompanying cloud services are vital parts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution axis, whose features are already emerging on the ground, such as online shopping, robot-managed enterprises, self-automated vehicles, smart digital industries, Assets and sensitive resources, such as oilfields, power stations, logistics, aviation, banks and other sectors.. 

It is no secret that as technology evolves, security risks becomes high as its threats impacts are not limited at individuals and institutions, but extends to be real threat to the national security and economic resources of countries. 

In order for the Sultanate to maintain its advanced position as a preferred investment destination, by enjoying the stable security and political environment that has been established by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, we must strive to continue the development of the cyber security system. The Data Park is determined to invest heavily in this field, along with the efforts of the competent institutions in the State, to provide digital security protection by establishing a specialized cybersecurity centre working side by side with the relevant institutions in the Sultanate.” 

He further added, ” The The Data Park Cyber Security Centre focuses on four main areas: educational aspects through the release of free periodic reports, which contain the most important types of actual security risks, offering training courses for individuals and institutions, providing security services. The Centre will also link with other local and international centres to identify the most important potential security risks in cyberspace to reduce their occurrence in an early stage.” 

Maitham Al-Lawati, General Manager of the Cyber Security Centre at The Data Park, showed a presentation on on TDP’s cyber security capabilities, highlighting the major attacks in 2018, such as e-mail spoofing, DDoS, targeted malware, counterfeit mobile applications, sales of stolen credentials in the black market, as well as imposition on social media, to name a few. 

“The threat level is always on the rise and our customers look forward to maintaining their safety. This is why we are preparing for the future with this newly commissioned Cyber Security Centre where we will continue to offer an even more advanced level of Intelligence, protection and mitigation to our present and future clients.’’ He further thanked the supporting partners Fortinet, Cisco and MenaInfoSec for their part in enabling the cyber security offerings. 

According to a new survey of risk managers and workers by the Depository Trust and the Clearinghouse Corp., the biggest threat to markets in 2019 is the threat of a cybersecurity attack. In today’s interconnected world, no business can ignore such threats as ransom demand, phishing, malware and others. 

The commissioning of the Cyber Security Centre is also a celebration of The Data Park’s achievements as a leading player in the data centre services sector in Oman, whether it is a government company, a private company or even a small and medium enterprise operating in or outside the Sultanate of Oman. TDP is fully equipped to to serve with cost-effective and secure IT needs and lead the customer’s business into tomorrow while they comfortably focus on their core business activities. In addition, The Data Park partners with qualified vendors to provide comprehensive security services and threat analysis for proactive and reactive security services. 

The company currently operates three Tier-3 global data centres located in the Knowledge Oasis Muscat(KOM) in Rusayl, Wattayah, and Duqm Districts. The Data Centre provides a diverse set of services such as Co-location, Managed Security, Cloud and Disaster Recovery services to name a few. At present, The Data Park serves a large number of businesses including major banks and oil and gas companies operating in the Sultanate. 

The winner of the 2018-19 Telecom Innovations Award for Cyber Security, TDP was highlighted by Gartner as a key player in the GCC for Public Cloud Computing. The company’s services are also ISO 27001/ISO 2000 certified and PCI-DSS and EU GDPR- ready.