Etisalat today announced a new partnership with Microsoft to enhance the security of the UAE’s digital border and infrastructure. Etisalat is the first Telecom in MENA to embark on such a partnership. This new collaboration with Microsoft’s digital crime unit (DCU) will further strengthen digital security in the region to meet the fast-growing demand for threat intelligence. The partnership will bring together Etisalat’s local network visibility with Microsoft’s global threat intelligence feeds, focused on identifying specific cyberthreats and actors relevant to the UAE. With the UAE embarking on new initiatives and world class events such as the EXPO 2020, Etisalat is a key player in securing these strategic assets, ultimately enhancing the digital security of the UAE in partnership with Microsoft.
“With a large part of the customer base operating online, strong network security has become a business necessity for the telecommunication sector,” said Ayman A Alshehi, Vice President, Network Security, Etisalat. “We align with the UAE Vision 2030 and “Project of the 50” that propel design and execution of digital projects based on need and sustainability. Microsoft’s DCU supports our views and champions this partnership to adopt a strategy that would help the UAE protect digital borders and enhance the country’s cyber defences. This is an opportunity to leverage their data security and derive further insights from our scaling capabilities to aid enterprises of any size to counter cyber threats today. This digital transformation approach significantly positions cybersecurity at the center of its journey.”
The partnership will extend Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) to identify, investigate, and disrupt malware-facilitated cybercrime and nation-state-sponsored activity by applying unique legal and technical solutions.
“Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) is an international team of technical, legal and business experts that has been fighting cybercrime to protect victims since 2008,” said Naim Yazbeck, Regional Director, Enterprise and Partner Group (EPG), Microsoft UAE. “This partnership ensures organisations can secure workloads and guarantee compliance so that companies can grow their business without worrying about security issues. Together with Etisalat, we shall protect the UAE’s enterprises as they build more competitive business operations in the cloud.”
As cyber risks systems are merging, the speed and storage capabilities required are endless. This partnership will enable Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) to share cyber intelligence in real time with Etisalat with a view to eradicate malware and harmful programs. In turn, Etisalat will contribute its network domain knowledge to block harmful content and notify impacted entities in the country of potential threats and attempts of cybercrime.
