Author: Debashis

In cooperation with The Data Park

Oman Information and Communication Technology Group Launches the first Oracle’s Hyper-Scale Cloud Infrastructure Data Center in Oman

Oman Information and Communication Technology (OICT) GROUP, The Data Park and Oracle have jointly Launch Oracle’s Hyper-Scale Cloud Infrastructure Data Center in Oman, as the first oracle cloud region in the Sultanate.

The new cloud region (OCI), will provide a broad range of IaaS/PaaS Cloud Services for all entities in the public and private sectors, across the Sultanate of Oman, through TDP certified Tier III Data Center.

Oracle’s Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a dedicated region in Oman will enable the entities in Oman to run all their Oracle systems on a multi-tenant cloud infrastructure with physical control of infrastructure and data to help them meeting the most demanding regulatory, data residency, and latency requirements

Commenting on this event ,Eng. Said bin Abdullah Al-Mandhari, CEO of Oman Information and Communication Technology (OICT) said : “This partnership between the group and The Data Park embodies the objective of setting up (OICT) , which aims at becoming an investment arm for the government in partnership with the private sector in implementing the strategies of the telecommunications and information technology sector ,as well as the initiatives for keeping with the  Fourth Industrial”

Al-Mandhari added: “The launch of this cloud region also comes within the frame work of  the four specializations of the Oman Information and Communication Technology (OICT), which include the fields  of infrastructure, communications , information technology platforms, provision of services, data centers, cloud computing, services of electronic platforms ,and  information security survives , in addition to the efforts of the group to contribute in  building the country’s digital economy, and  promoting the development of small and medium Foundation”

Eng. Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park also stated:  “We in TDP arepleased to be part of this distinguished cooperation with the OICTgroup, which resulted in   launching the Oracle Cloud Region in the Sultanate”.

He emphasized those capabilities of The Data Park to provide the best levels of cloud services, relying on the team of specialized experts at TDP, which is Sultanate’s first IT-managed and cloud services provider.

Al Wahaibi added: OCI is built on agile modeling that simplify the transformation of all verticals in the Sultanate of Oman towards sustainable economy and 4th industrial revolution.

He pointed out that the launching of this Oracle advanced cloud technology   will accelerate the digital transformation vision 2040 by up fronting latest technology in cloud-services that meets market needs and data governance requirements, reduce operational costs, and modernize legacy applications.

The Oracle High Performance Cloud Region will also enhance the ability of companies and organizations to ensure the security and integrity of their data within the country, will contribute in reducing data transmission times and speeding up recovery from the consequences and effects of disasters on a large scale, while it is one of the first ultra-wideband clouds from Oracle has been launched in the Sultanate.

This service will also provide the operating companies and institutions in the Sultanate with access to a high-bandwidth network with high performance to operate all types of workloads with various work tasks, including complex calculations.

According to Oracle .com, Oracle the fastest growing network of global data centers, has 34 cloud regions available and 10 more planned by the end of 2022. Oracle offers more than 80 cloud infrastructure and platform services. Most regions also offer its Cloud Application (SaaS) portfolio. Across Applications and Infrastructure, with public and hybrid cloud options, Oracle supports local access, regional compliance, and true business continuity.

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 – Cyber Security Park, 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 centers.

The services of  The Data Park are characterized by their being based on rooted  standards that  compatible with local and international requirements in their field of work, as well as being professionally managed and supported by a team of highly qualified and professionally accredited experts.

The services provided by TDP, through its Cyber Security Park  and through its capabilities in the field of hosting and cloud services, have enhanced the capabilities of many economic and commercial sectors, such as banking, financial services, oil and gas, logistics and other commercial and economic activities, to serve governmental and non-governmental institutions.

It is noteworthy that TDP, the Sultanate’s first managed cyber security and cloud services provider, plays an integral role in supporting the digital transformation of Oman, through their offering of an all-in-one solution of computing, cloud computing, data storage, networking, web hosting and network security services. TDP also offers the Sultanate’s first Artificial Intelligence ready cloud infrastructure – Nebula AI powered by Nvidia. More details of their services can be found at www.thedatapark.com

CEO of NCSI: Cloud services ensure uninterrupted business continuity

CEO of TDP: Cooperation with NCSI emphasizes the confidence of the government and private agencies in the capabilities of The Data Park

The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) and The Data Park (TDP), signed a partnership and cooperation contract in the technical field including cloud services.

The inked partnership will contribute to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of the government entities and ensuring the business progress in general.

H.E. Dr. Khalifa bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Barwani, CEO of the National Centre for Statistics and Information, stated: “The global technical development has raised an urgent need to utilize the cloud services’ capabilities and its advantages, in particular, it contributes to reducing the entities’ financial and operational costs , and ensuring the uninterrupted business continuity, as well as enhancing the flexibility of accessing the NCIS’s various IT infrastructure, information systems and applications from any geographical location”.

“The cloud services also provide the flexibility of controlling the technical resources of the main servers and enhance the servers compatibility and conformity with the standards and controls imposed by the set standards of the e-government and digital transformation applications” Al Barwani added.

Eng. Maqbool bin Salem Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park said: ”This cooperation is considered as an important step that reflexes the confidence of the government and private agencies in the capabilities of The Data Park. It also enables organizations to gain the various benefits of the cloud services, its high cyber security protection systems, and its technical support service around the clock, seven days a week.

He added that The Data Park provides homogeneous data solutions with international standards, in addition to the top quality of its Cyber Security Park services, including the Security Operations Center services (SOC) and Network Operations Center services (NOC) around the clock, seven days a week”.

Al Wahaibi expressed his expectations for several entities and companies to follow the example of this partnership between NCSI and TDP,  in order to achieve the same goals that we aspire to. The Data Park is always available to provide its specialized professional services to the various administrative units of government agencies in the Sultanate in the cloud services fields. He also added the availability of security assessment services for these agencies, such as  Penetration tests, that is aimed at identifying, evaluating technical weaknesses, and setting preventive measures to protect them from external and internal electronic threats.

He added, “The security assessment services provided by The Data Park are used to create a defensive strategy in the information technology field, which can be implemented by various organizations to reduce potential security risks in the such fields”

Gig economy is a free market system and gig workers are independent contractors, online platform workers or temporary workers. They are usually not employed on a long-term basis by a single firm; instead, they enter into various contracts with multiple firms or individuals for which they are paid a pre-determined sum. There are other terms synonym for gig economy such as platform or freelance economy.

In order to build a robust and scalable gig economy ecosystem one needs to consider the benefits such models can bring. They will not just help reduce unemployment and contribute to the GDP of nations at macro level, but increase productivity, catalyze demands while inducing lower operational costs for companies. Both organizations and individuals can benefit from services that are agile, convenient and of the highest quality. Simultaneously, the gig workers can benefit from flexibility, increased income and better control over their lives. In the recent years, this model has become more popular due to the rapid technological advancements, the emergence of digital platforms and marketplaces offering employers easy access to gig workers.

In order to promote a gig economy, a requisite is to have a highly efficient legislative system that ensures effectiveness, integrates national capabilities coming from the educational system into the domestic labour market and creating more employment opportunities. For a gig economy to foster and thrive in Oman, certain regulatory and legislative requirements must be taken into consideration. The demand for gig services needs to be encouraged within the organizations through a culture of innovation and acceptance; and awareness and education amongst the labour force. The masses should be aligned to understand the advantages of this model, the long-term benefits, and should be trained to become global citizens by acquiring the skills of the future and skills that are accepted worldwide.

It is imperative for the government to determine the global implications of mentoring the next generations to fit in the new working norms by revisiting the current education framework, and creating regulatory strategies that resonate with the global trends, are not over enforced, and at the same time safeguard the rights of the individuals. The supply and demand cycle needs to be constantly evaluated.

A 360 degree change in mindsets, creating an incentive and reward based gig culture will help increase the productivity of individuals, and address macro issues such as unemployment and low GDP for nations. An hourly wage system and KPIs linked to bonuses have created many gig success stories so far across the globe. Oman too should encourage and adapt this model, and embrace disruption to improve the bottom lines as disruption and risks always lead to innovation and adaptability.

Other factors such as reach and accessibility of broadband internet across the whole country, especially in rural or underserved areas, secured online payment platform that incentivizes users to decrease their reliance on cash payments and cybersecurity measures to create an ecosystem of trust is a must. Addressing all these issues and the development of a robust and scalable gig economy ecosystem would allow the Sultanate to meet the future demand for gig services; and would make the economy even more sustainable and resilient.

The Data Park as an organization is continuously supporting the emergence of the gig framework by providing technological support to entrepreneurs and gigs, imparting training and mentorship, building applications and fostering the remote work model.

They have collaborated with the system integrators who have been impacted by the pandemic to channel their cloud based services. Though Oman is a relatively smaller market there is no dearth of talent and skills. It already has a strategy in place for digital transformation and ICT infrastructure as part of the Oman Vision 2040.

It is continuously improving its policies and regulatory framework to enable efficient adoption of the gig economy while also protecting the interests of the traditional operating models. There is a constant focus on building its innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The Business Year talks to Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park, about activities in recent months, technology in the Omani economy, and international growth plans.

What have been the main activities of The Data Park over the past year?

The Data Park is the leader in Oman when it comes to cloud services provision. This is because we started very early. We started with a pure data center and then went one step further by providing cloud services. Today, we have four types of services and the past year has seen new additions to each of them. The first of the four is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) which now has our own product, Nebula – Oman’s first and only virtual data center. It also has another version built in called Nebula Lagoon, which, is open source. Nebula serves critical workloads from key industries such as banks and oil & gas, while Lagoon is more in the mid and small market cap. They have different service level agreements in terms of availability. On top of this, we signed an agreement with Microsoft to provide Microsoft Azure in Oman, and we have another platform that sits on Oracle cloud. In addition to IaaS, we started providing Platform as a Service (PaaS), which is more into database, as well as Software as a Service (SaaS), one of which is the e-signature which is marketed in Oman as eSign. This e-signature solution is the only such service in Oman that is connected to the national PKI system and is integrated with the ID card so that every corporation and citizen can use it confidently knowing that the signing parties are authenticated. We also provide another platform, Logistics as a Service (LaaS), which is for logistic SMEs in Oman that want to automate their logistics process. Furthermore, in 2020, we also renamed our existing cyber security center and launched Cyber Security Park, to focus purely on managed security services, be it proactive or reactive. We also supported businesses with the COVID-19 situation where we provided a service that helps people to work remotely with the required security for their enterprise data. We call it Workspace as a Service (WaaS) and started providing it to all corporates.

What services have you planned for 2021?

In 2021, we are launching a product to provide a high-performance computing infrastructure for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform. We will launch it by June, and it will take us to the AI readiness space. We also look forward to focusing more on Duqm, where we have our third data center. We are considering to use Duqm as a test bed because it is a green area, with large corporations already established there. We will focus on providing IoT and AI. The idea is to work with different partners and the Duqm Authority to transform Duqm into a smart city.

What role does technology play in maintaining positive growth in the country despite the pandemic?

COVID-19 has been positive for technology. It created a different path toward a technology-rich highway. In Oman, for example, there are many developments today in regard to e-commerce that were not there before. E-commerce is growing in Oman, which has impacted us positively in terms of growth, balance sheets, cash flow, and P&L. Some of the technological changes might not be permanent, but they will transform themselves and adapt to the new mode. Those companies that do not adapt to the new ways and means of doing business might not make it, unfortunately.

What types of services have your big clients been demanding the most?

IaaS, or the cloud, is in high demand. This was due to the disruption over international supply chains, as many corporates did not have the luxury of procuring IT hardware from different countries like before. There were many delays with imports of servers and storage devices, so we helped them seek an alternative: a local cloud. The second-most demanded were applications that promoted remote working, like Workspace as a Service. Other applications like e-signatures and Logistics as a Service were also in demand.

What can the government do further to facilitate the growth of the ICT sector?

Oman is positively geared toward the gig digital economy, and the government has its own initiatives and frameworks that will drive this transformation. We see ourselves as enablers and partners in this journey, as IT transformation and the gig economy sit on clouds. The business model of cloud purely sits on what we call economies of scale, which is why it is cheaper and the smarter way of doing things. The first step toward transforming one’s company is cloudifying your product. Now, the government understands it is in great need of optimization, namely a cloud that results in at least 35-40% reduction in total cost of ownership over a period of three to five years. We have done this with the banking sector; today, 12 banks are hosted in TDP data centers. The same model is now embraced by government entities but slowly. The other side of the story is gearing up the service sector, namely providing robotic process automation and automating the services that we provide to citizens. We need to make it easier for citizens to acquire and pay for services in a seamless manner online using digital platforms. That is where you can create an SME market in the gig economy. The service sector in Oman is one of the ways of bringing up SMEs and improving the SME sector. One day, we hope to see ICT companies in the stock exchange of Oman, as that would mean that the gig economy is playing its part.

What is your long-term strategy for international growth, and what challenges do you expect?

The Data Park’s next step is to grow internationally. Saudi Arabia and Africa are interesting markets for us. To work there, we are seeking partners that would take forward The Data Park’s portfolio, sell it, and position it in those countries. There are two ways of doing this: through digital channels, where a large portion of data will sit in The Data Park’s main data centers; or through localized data centers in a foreign country. Nebula, for example, is our own product that we can ship and allow our partner to run. Currently, we are in talks with a few partners in Saudi Arabia and Africa. Some of them are small cloud or internet service providers, while others are system integrators and IT companies that are seeking to diversify their portfolios. We go in and diversify their portfolios by positioning our products and services. We are also working with corporates in Oman, like ports, to channel us outside, as they have many international relationships.

The onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has posed a host of challenges around cybersecurity globally but can be tackled with diligence in the Sultanate, says The Data Park’s CEO, Eng. Maqbool Al Wahaibi.

The onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has spawned a world where technology and interconnectivity form a matrix that binds modern society. While this introduces us to a world ever so developed it also poses challenges in privacy and digital security.

But to understand what some of these challenges are we first need to identify what cybersecurity means in today’s world. Cybersecurity is a process that describes all the resources that have been developed to protect your online identity, data, and other assets. This is fronted by the detection, prevention, and understanding of threats that are posed to your business by criminals.

In short, Cybersecurity is how you protect your business from these cybercriminals who are trying to access your company’s data, operations, and infrastructure.

The global cybersecurity market is tremendous. Companies and governments dedicate a great share today on cybersecurity – and this includes Oman. From our independent research, we have learnt that

institutions in the Sultanate face up to 8,000 cyber-attacks on average daily, and as per Trend Micro’s Midyear Security Report, a combined 2,599,031

email, URL, and malware cyberthreats last year.

Worldwide, the cumulative spend on cybersecurity has touched US$1trillion during five years – from 2017 to 2021. And based on our calculations, we estimate that roughly RO40million of that amount comes from the Sultanate.

Today, hackers have adapted and are very smart. These intruders are using the very products of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that we work with, including products such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to penetrate security systems that have been set in place.

AI can be touted as a product that aids in the transformation of a company. It can help in understanding businesses and their consumers better, by which one can professionally provide more targeted and efficient services to the end recipients. But hackers have reverse-engineered these AI systems to penetrate security protocols – and that makes it difficult for typical cybersecurity companies to respond at the same rate.

Another large-scale threat that occurs regularly is over email systems. Insecure email systems can be exposed – and this has led to a lot of impersonations.

Such emails can get hacked and loss of financial transactions or breach of sensitive data can also occur in the process. An ever-increasing threat in cyberspace, phishing of personal

data was involved in 58 per cent of all breaches and cost a prodigious US$3.86mn (RO1.48mn) in 2020, as per the Verizon Business 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report. One in every 4,200 emails sent are phishing emails and account for more than 80 per cent of all reported security incidents today. The report also reveals that 94 per cent of all ransomware is delivered via email – and such attacks can cost businesses upwards of US$133,000 (RO51,220) to resolve. Despite this, more than 77 per cent of organisations do not have a cybersecurity incident response plan in place. An IBM report reveals that companies take about 197 days to identify and 69 days to contain the breach. This prolonged duration between detection and finding a solution can result in severe financial loss. The IBM report also adds that companies that can contain a breach in less than 30 days save more than US$1mn (RO385,100) when compared with those that take longer.

But, time and again, even the greats fall prey to cybercriminals. For example, a recent disclosure from Facebook acknowledged that criminals had phished the data, including phone numbers, full names, locations, email addresses, and other personal details of over 533mn people from over 106 countries.

It took an unfortunate incident to throw light on an ever-growing concern. In a world where the Fourth Industrial Revolution has led to the digital transformation across various sectors at large, Cybersecurity should take centre stage because it encompasses everything that pertains to protecting sensitive data, personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), personal information, intellectual property, data, and governmental and industry information systems.

The number of discovered cyber-attacks and those reviewed and managed amassed a total of 417,021 in the Sultanate in 2020, as per data collected by the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology (MTCIT).

Cybersecurity incidents reported by government agencies, critical sector’s institutions, and individuals – and dealt with efficiently – totalled 1,461. The data also revealed that the number of critical security threat notifications touched 107, while the number of digital evidence cases handled in the Digital Evidence Lab reached 128.

When personal data is exposed, employees or customers could be targeted for identity theft or fraud. Fraud and attacks through social media can also damage your reputation and harm confidence in your brand. Moreover, criminals who gain access to your business operations can shut down your network and demand incredibly high ransoms.

Taiwan-based PC maker Acer laid victim to one such ransomware attack by REvil/Sodinokibi cybercrime syndicate early in March 2021. Demanding US$50mn (RO19.25mn) in untraceable Monero – a type of cryptocurrency – from the company, the double-extortion cyberattack exfiltrated key financial data.

The more connected we are today, the more data we can expect to see consumed and shared between users and stored within servers. Ease in transactions and a subsequent enhancement in efficiency have also given rise to a strong shift in digitalisation in the government to customers (G2C) and government to businesses (G2B) sectors in the Sultanate.

Whether you are applying for a visa or are looking to register your business with the Government, today, Oman promotes availing its services online. These digital transactions show that Oman is gearing up towards maximising its efforts in e-services.

This carries with it a risk on the security side because the more you are connected the more you are exposed to the internet and the more vulnerable you will become to cybercrime. So, it is vital to protect yourself or your company from malware, theft, or damage attempted by criminals and adversaries – be it from what can be seemingly safe systems or smartphones that have been configured for work or personal use.

Spend on security solutions is predicted to rise from US$5.6bn in 2018 to US$12.6bn by the year 2023. While this is incremental, there has been a sharp rise in spear-phishing email attacks by as much as 667 per cent since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as per Barracuda Sentinel, a multi-layer AI engine that detects and blocks spear-phishing and socially engineered attacks in real-time.

We have also noted that small businesses are increasingly targeted by hackers. Forty-three per cent of all malicious attacks are directed at SMEs. The result of such an attack can be devastating – and 60 per cent of victims are out of business within six months. Couple that with the fact that 29 per cent of all cyberattacks are launched from internal networks (users within the company), and it is evident that cyber protection is paramount during these times.

Here at The Data Park (TDP), cybersecurity is one of our key specialisations and we have taken some serious steps over the last nine years to ensure the safety of our customers. We believe that security forms the framework of our DNA because we are holding so much data with us. And holding this much data without having to manage our risk and securities would not make a lot of sense.

So, what we did from day one of establishing TDP as a brand and a data centre is create a separate security team that manages and secures all the data that sits across our three data centres. This is precisely why we took a stand to create what we now call the ‘Cyber Security Park’.

The Park now has vast expertise in providing a safe digital space for over 300 organisations within the Sultanate. And we don’t only focus our attention on selling security services alone; we focus on selling an extended range of cybersecurity solutions with over 20 services.

These range from email security for organisations who seek help to manage and secure their email systems from hackers and intruders; infrastructure security, which is where we secure a client’s servers and storage devices; and System Security, which secures applications, and social media and website security system to avoid personal data form being hijacked or hacked.