Japanese “Trend Micro” opens its new headquarters in Riyadh

Trend Micro, a specialist in cyber security, has announced the opening of its Middle East and Africa headquarters in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.

This step aims to upgrade the region’s cybersecurity system, strengthen partnerships between government agencies and private institutions, and accelerate the transition to a more secure digital future.

The company’s new headquarters was inaugurated by His Excellency Haitham Al-Ohali, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Fumio Iwai, Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Faisal bin Saud Al-Khamisi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Federation for Cyber ​​Security, Programming and Drones; Mutaib Al-Quni, CEO of the Saudi Federation for Cyber ​​Security, Programming and Drones; His Excellency Eng. Al-Rabdi bin Fahd Al-Rabdi, Deputy Governor of the National Cyber ​​Security Authority for Policies and Regulations.

He was accompanied by Kevin Simser, Chief Operating Officer, Trend Micro; Mahendra Negi, Chief Financial Officer, Trend Micro; Dania Dhokkar, senior vice president, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Markets, Trend Micro; dr. Moataz Ben Ali, Vice President and General Manager, Middle East and Africa, Trend Micro; and Rashid Al-Odah, Managing Director, Trend Micro Saudi Arabia.

In line with this move, Trend Micro has become the first Japanese company and the first global cybersecurity company to establish a regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia after opening its Middle East and Africa headquarters in Riyadh.

The Middle East and Africa headquarters consists of a “Center of Excellence” dedicated to focusing on the resources experts need to manage incidents and respond quickly to customers and partners.

As well as the “Executive Briefing Center” which hosts public and private sector officials, to introduce them to the latest solutions and innovations in the field of cyber security, in addition to the “Innovation and Learning Center” which provides an educational center that provides promising opportunities for employees, graduates and professionals to develop their skills and accelerate their journey in cyber security and safety.

In a related context, Kevin Simser, Chief Operating Officer of Trend Micro, said: “Saudi Arabia’s vision, investment in digital transformation and commitment to supporting cyber security is highly commendable and has encouraged us to establish our regional headquarters here in Riyadh.

He added that the opening of Trend Micro’s headquarters for the Middle East and Africa region comes as part of our commitment to securing the future of the region through innovative solutions.

He added: “We aspire to be the cybersecurity partner of choice for all institutions and societies in the new digital economy, thereby helping to pave the way for shaping the features of a safer and brighter digital future for the Middle East and Africa.”

For his part, Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, Trend Micro’s Vice President and General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, said: “The opening of our headquarters in Riyadh is a step into the future and a confirmation of our firm commitment to ensure the digital aspirations of the Kingdom and the entire region.

He added, saying: I would like to point out that the threat landscape is changing every day and it is important that organizations in the region understand the seriousness of the worsening of these threats and are required to secure themselves with the necessary preparation to face these challenges. In our role, we at Trend Micro will do our best to ensure the digital journeys of businesses across sectors meet the demands of the new situation and its ever-changing implications.”

For her part, Dania Dhokkar, Senior Vice President, Asia-Pacific Markets, Middle East and Africa at Trend Micro, commented: “The massive digital transformation in the Middle East and Africa region has led to a rise and evolving threat landscape, so we through our headquarters in the Middle East, Middle East and Africa, we want to ensure the digital aspirations of individuals, organizations, societies and economies. We will continue our work to leverage our expertise and solutions to confirm their relevance in the coming years, and we will intensify our efforts with our partners and clients to respond with passion and innovation to the changing challenges of the cyber landscape.”

And he continued, saying: Trend Micro continues its ongoing efforts to increase the resilience of companies in the region and enable them to face the ever-evolving threat landscape. In its 2022 semi-annual cybersecurity report, the company indicated that its industry-leading solutions were able to detect and respond to nearly 600 million digital threats and attacks and provide full protection for cloud environments, networks and endpoints across the Middle East and Africa.

He explained that the company is working closely with the public and private sectors to address skills shortages in the cybersecurity sector and support efforts to share experiences and knowledge in the region. Some of the company’s recent efforts include working with the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and UAVs on the Tuwaiq Academy project, to train experts in cloud and endpoint security and advanced detection and response solutions; And partnering with the Cyber ​​​​Talents platform to empower Arab and African youth in more than 25 countries in the field of cyber security through scholarships.