Cybersecurity Pioneer ZENDATA Celebrates Year Of Record Growth Since Joining UAE's Nextgen FDI Program

(MENAFN- Mid-East Info)

• Leading cybersecurity company has generated US$20 million in revenues in the UAE in 2024.
• ZENDATA joined the UAE's NextGen FDI program in January in order to deepen their footprint in the country and leverage opportunities across the region.
• The move also supported the attraction of global talent to key leadership positions.
• HE Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi:“The success that ZENDATA has enjoyed since joining the NextGen FDI initiative is a testament to both their market-leading cybersecurity services and the opportunities”

Abu Dhabi, December, 2024: ZENDATA, a leading provider of cybersecurity products and services, has enjoyed a year of record growth since joining the UAE's NextGen FDI program in January, 2024. The initiative, which was launched by the Ministry of Economy in 2022, enables companies in future-focused industries to either establish or expand operations in the UAE through a range of support services and networking opportunities as part of the nation's ambitions to accelerate its economic diversification efforts.

ZENDATA has reported that their expanded UAE operations have delivered contracts to clients in the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Oman as well as the UAE worth in excess of US$20 million. They also project that their brand new Abu Dhabi office, which opened in early December, will deliver US$10 million in contracts by the middle of 2025, underlining the company's credibility in the space and the quality of the clients they have been able to assist with their threat intelligence and threat resilience capabilities.

Across the company, 2024 has been a year of milestones that have been facilitated by their expanded presence in the UAE. They have bolstered their leadership team with the appointment of Craig Jones, former Director of Cybercrime at Interpol, and Mark Barwinsky, former Global Head of Security Operations Centre at UBS with 12 years at the National Security Agency in the US, to senior advisor roles.

In September, they onboarded 20-year sector veteran Felipe Castro as Chief Information Security Officer at their Abu Dhabi operation, while Gonzalo Besares, former military intelligence officer with extensive experience in threat intelligence, cybersecurity and risk management, was named as the head the global Threat Intelligence Unit.

Their footprint in the wider GCC was also confirmed with a $35 million, five-year partnership with Qatari conglomerate Salam Technology, which will provide state-of-the-art cyber tools and skillsets to their clients across the Gulf.

The achievements were welcomed by His Excellency Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, who launched the NextGen FDI initiative to enable companies such as ZENDATA to bring their expertise to the UAE.“The success that ZENDATA has enjoyed since joining the NextGen FDI initiative is a testament to both their market-leading cybersecurity services and the opportunities that the UAE is able to provide to ambitious, agile and entrepreneurial organizations. Their expansion in the UAE and into the wider region provides a compelling model for our ecosystem – one that many companies around the world are now seeking to emulate. Importantly, ZENDATA is not only supporting our economic development, it is enabling our companies and institutions to protect their data, operations and infrastructure from the ever-present threat of cybercrime.”

Steven Meyer, CEO of ZENDATA, said,“We were confident of our ability to leverage the many opportunities available in – and from – the UAE. The last year, however, has exceeded all our expectations, and is a testament to the support we have received through the Nextgen FDI initiative and also to the maturity of the region's client base. There is a clear recognition of the various threat scenarios that they face and the need to proactively engage the right partners, and deploy the right technology solutions, to keep them, their people and their data secure. With our new office and full dedicated Security Office Centre in Abu Dhabi, and with our new leadership team in place, we can only see further successes and milestones ahead.”

ZENDATA is a cybersecurity leader that is based in Switzerland. Their range of managed services and products protect people, corporations, organizations and governments from the ever-evolving threat of cyberattacks. The Middle East is ranked second behind the USA for having the highest average cost-per-data breach at over US$8 million.

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