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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.

Maqbool Al-Wahaibi: “The Data Park is proud to be honored for our integrated solutions on cloud computing and cybersecurity”

The Data Park, the first and leading provider of cloud and managed services in the Sultanate, won four awards within the COMEX Awards for Excellence in Technology for the year 2021, in which many Omani and international companies participated.  The four awards received by The Data Park included the Datacenter Award, Cyber Security Award, Comex Star Exhibitor Award, and Best of Best.”

The Data Park’s winning of the Datacenter award a testament to it’s commitment to offering the best and the largest choice of data center services in Oman and the company dedicates the award to the 800+ customers who have placed their trust in them. Similarly, the winning of the Cyber Security Award recognizes their efforts in Cyber Security Threat Intelligence, Detection, and Preventive services to keep Oman’s business entities safe from Cyber Criminals to reduce cyberattacks.

In a statement about these recognitions, Engineer Maqbool Al Wahaibi, CEO of The Data Park, said: “Winning these awards within the COMEX Technology Excellence Awards 2021 further confirms our role in supporting the digital transformation efforts made by the government and the private sector”

Al-Wahaibi added: “The COMEX star exhibitor award recognizes the efforts made by our Sales & Marketing teams who kept the various visitors of over 1000 visits to our stand engaged with our products and services while the Best of Best award recognizes us as one of the two who won three awards at the virtual ceremony”  

Al Wahaibi pointed out that winning the data center award within the Comex Awards confirms The Data Park’s contribution throughout its journey of over nine years in providing integrated solutions under one umbrella in the field of cloud computing services including, Application as a Service (AaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS), Data Centre as a Service (DCaaS), Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Network as a Service (NaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Professional Services as a Service (PSaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), Virtual datacentre as a Service (VDCaaS) and Workspace as a Service (WaaS).

As new business ecosystems are created, sales and customer services that were traditionally managed are now managed online in a secure manner. This has given rise to new business ecosystems that were not accessible through traditional methods; online shopping and existing chat services on artificial intelligence, are a few of the areas that complement the range of services offered by the company.

The security solutions offered by The Data Park have enabled new ways of operation that lead to the convenience of the end customer. Secure digital applications and online payment are some of these areas that are characterized by efficiency and agility for the customers.

Since the establishment of the Cyber Security Center of The Data Park in 2012, which was later renamed as Cyber Security Park, the center has remained a pioneer in the cybersecurity service in the Sultanate offering host of advanced security solutions including:Active Directory Audit, Anti-Spam, Cyber Security Drill, DDOS and DNS Testing, Managed Brand Protection Services, Managed DMARC Services, Managed Endpoint Security Services, Managed Network Security Services, and Outreach Services  Managed Security, Social Media Managed Cyber Security Services, Mobile Application Security Assessment Service, Network Attack Prevention Service, Penetration Testing, SIEM, SSL Certificates, Threat Intelligence Services, Vulnerability Management, Web Application Firewall and Web Application Security Evaluation.

Cyber Security Park solutions aim to enable the customer to benefit from the services according to a number of key factors including redefining the digital transformation of companies in today’s world at a time when the cybersecurity arena is filled with known and unknown threats, and accordingly, The Data Park takes the lead  in enabling the latest technologies needed to detect cyber threats and prevent its customers from such threats, while the 20 major services currently being offered in the market are a testament to these efforts of the company.

It is worth noting that the selection of the winners was made through a set of neutral, transparent, independent and impartial criteria and procedures followed by the judging panel consisting of technology experts representing government and non-governmental specialized institutions and bodies, and a number of senior technology experts.

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.

The Data Park (TDP) launched ‘Cyber Security Park’ ‎as the new business identity of the company’s cybersecurity centre. Through this unique identity and dedicated resources for cybersecurity, TDP embarks on solidifying its status as the leader in cybersecurity services in Oman as they continue to provide pioneering ‎and effective smart security solutions to ‎reduce cyber-attacks. Supported by a choice of Preventive, Detective and Threat intelligent cybersecurity services to shield its customers, Cyber Security Park is equipped and is ‎capable of preventing more than 8000 cyber-attacks faced by various institutions in the ‎Sultanate of Oman on a daily basis.

The launching ceremony was under the patronage of  His Excellency Dr Ali bin Amer bin Ali Al-Shidhani, Undersecretary for Communications and Information Technology, at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

 The new identity of the centre boasts of a shield-shaped logo that embodies the five principles of cybersecurity (Availability, Confidentiality, Integrity, Accountability and Assurance) that the new identity will pursue in all their operations.

Speaking on the occasion, Eng. Maqbool Al-‎Wahaibi, Chief Executive Officer of TDP, said: “The objective behind the new business ‎identity of the cybersecurity centre is to ‎strengthen its role in supporting the efforts ‎of the government and the private sector for ‎digital transformation. The centre will ‎provide leading and effective smart security ‎solutions on which institutions can rely on to ‎reduce cyber-attacks”.‎

“This enhanced focus on a dedicated brand will open ‎employment opportunities for technical support ‎professionals among internationally ‎qualified Omanis with a high level of skills and‎capabilities. It will also lead to ‎more awareness among institutions regarding the ‎importance of data storage within the Sultanate ‎and understand the risks involved in storing them outside the ‎country. This is in addition to the fact that ‎this step would enhance the capabilities of the ‎centre to attract new technologies using ‎artificial intelligence in the area of security ‎solutions”, Al-Wahaibi added. ‎

Maitham Al-Lawati, Vice President – Technology & Operations, said “The change of the business ‎identity to Cyber Security Park ‎is the culmination of success ‎achieved in cybersecurity since its establishment in February ‎‎2012. Our cybersecurity solutions have become the much sought after services to combat cybercrime for leading customer-centric organizations in Oman that seek to protect their own as well as their customer data. Within a very short span of time, our services have grown up to become one ‎of the few specialized cybersecurity centres in the Sultanate that provide services round the clock ‎seven days a week”.‎

“Our cybersecurity services have helped TDP ‎strengthen its position as a pioneer in ‎cloud computing in the Sultanate. We are the only such institution in ‎the country to have obtained PCI DSS ‎certification. We have also received ISO27001: 2013 ‎ISO20000-1 certifications and I am also proud to say that we have been accredited by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology” he said.‎

Al-Lawati further said that “under the umbrella ‎of TDP, the cyber security ‎services journey has been full of achievements and ‎accomplishments. In view of the increasing ‎number of customers seeking the ‎services of the company, it has become inevitable ‎for the company to focus more on cybersecurity to serve ‎its growing number of customers. The new brand identity is to highlight the efforts of the company to harness the full potential ‎of cybersecurity services to reinforce its ‎pioneering position in the Sultanate”.‎

Commenting on the logo of the newly launched entity, Al-Lawati said, “While we stay closely linked to ‎the parent organization TDP in ‎terms of colours, our new identity is distinguished ‎by its own unique character. We want to shield businesses from cybercrime through Preventive services to keep businesses safe from various cyber crimes that are already known; Detective services that probe into various vulnerabilities of the many technologies that are applied at both front-end and back-end of a business infrastructure; and Threat Intelligence services that track various cyber threats across the globe so that we can prevent them from harming our customers. Our unique logo embodies the five principles of ‎cybersecurity where we enable the availability of security services you need while keeping the confidentiality of your data, and preserving the integrity of your business with accountability for every step we take, and the assurance to prepare your business for the future”.

TDP’s cybersecurity services have been ‎operational since 2012. It makes it one of the ‎most experienced cybersecurity teams in the ‎Sultanate of Oman. It has also commissioned a highly ‎qualified and specialized cybersecurity team in ‎‎2019.  Full details of all the managed services offered by Cyber Security Park can be found on their website www.cybersecuritypark.om. 

The Data Park (TDP) launched ‘Cyber Security Park’ ‎as the new business identity of the company’s cybersecurity centre. Through this unique identity and dedicated resources for cybersecurity, TDP embarks on solidifying its status as the leader in cybersecurity services in Oman as they continue to provide pioneering ‎and effective smart security solutions to ‎reduce cyber-attacks. Supported by a choice of Preventive, Detective and Threat intelligent cybersecurity services to shield its customers, Cyber Security Park is equipped and is ‎capable of preventing more than 8000 cyber-attacks faced by various institutions in the ‎Sultanate of Oman on a daily basis.

The launching ceremony was under the patronage of  His Excellency Dr Ali bin Amer bin Ali Al-Shidhani, Undersecretary for Communications and Information Technology, at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

 The new identity of the centre boasts of a shield-shaped logo that embodies the five principles of cybersecurity (Availability, Confidentiality, Integrity, Accountability and Assurance) that the new identity will pursue in all their operations.

Speaking on the occasion, Eng. Maqbool Al-‎Wahaibi, Chief Executive Officer of TDP, said: “The objective behind the new business ‎identity of the cybersecurity centre is to ‎strengthen its role in supporting the efforts ‎of the government and the private sector for ‎digital transformation. The centre will ‎provide leading and effective smart security ‎solutions on which institutions can rely on to ‎reduce cyber-attacks”.‎

“This enhanced focus on a dedicated brand will open ‎employment opportunities for technical support ‎professionals among internationally ‎qualified Omanis with a high level of skills and‎capabilities. It will also lead to ‎more awareness among institutions regarding the ‎importance of data storage within the Sultanate ‎and understand the risks involved in storing them outside the ‎country. This is in addition to the fact that ‎this step would enhance the capabilities of the ‎centre to attract new technologies using ‎artificial intelligence in the area of security ‎solutions”, Al-Wahaibi added. ‎

Maitham Al-Lawati, Vice President – Technology & Operations, said “The change of the business ‎identity to Cyber Security Park ‎is the culmination of success ‎achieved in cybersecurity since its establishment in February ‎‎2012. Our cybersecurity solutions have become the much sought after services to combat cybercrime for leading customer-centric organizations in Oman that seek to protect their own as well as their customer data. Within a very short span of time, our services have grown up to become one ‎of the few specialized cybersecurity centres in the Sultanate that provide services round the clock ‎seven days a week”.‎

“Our cybersecurity services have helped TDP ‎strengthen its position as a pioneer in ‎cloud computing in the Sultanate. We are the only such institution in ‎the country to have obtained PCI DSS ‎certification. We have also received ISO27001: 2013 ‎ISO20000-1 certifications and I am also proud to say that we have been accredited by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology” he said.‎

Al-Lawati further said that “under the umbrella ‎of TDP, the cyber security ‎services journey has been full of achievements and ‎accomplishments. In view of the increasing ‎number of customers seeking the ‎services of the company, it has become inevitable ‎for the company to focus more on cybersecurity to serve ‎its growing number of customers. The new brand identity is to highlight the efforts of the company to harness the full potential ‎of cybersecurity services to reinforce its ‎pioneering position in the Sultanate”.‎

Commenting on the logo of the newly launched entity, Al-Lawati said, “While we stay closely linked to ‎the parent organization TDP in ‎terms of colours, our new identity is distinguished ‎by its own unique character. We want to shield businesses from cybercrime through Preventive services to keep businesses safe from various cyber crimes that are already known; Detective services that probe into various vulnerabilities of the many technologies that are applied at both front-end and back-end of a business infrastructure; and Threat Intelligence services that track various cyber threats across the globe so that we can prevent them from harming our customers. Our unique logo embodies the five principles of ‎cybersecurity where we enable the availability of security services you need while keeping the confidentiality of your data, and preserving the integrity of your business with accountability for every step we take, and the assurance to prepare your business for the future”.

TDP’s cybersecurity services have been ‎operational since 2012. It makes it one of the ‎most experienced cybersecurity teams in the ‎Sultanate of Oman. It has also commissioned a highly ‎qualified and specialized cybersecurity team in ‎‎2019.  Full details of all the managed services offered by Cyber Security Park can be found on their website www.cybersecuritypark.om.