Research reveals almost half of UAE cybersecurity professionals don’t think security gets the attention it deserves at board-level

Research reveals almost half of UAE cybersecurity professionals don’t think security gets the attention it deserves at board-level

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – New research from Trellix, the cybersecurity company delivering the future of extended detection and response (XDR), reveals a disconnect between cybersecurity professionals and senior management. Despite widespread board-level ownership of cyber risk, almost half (42%) of UAE cybersecurity professionals say the board doesn’t pay sufficient attention to digital security. This points to a concerning trend that cyber security is being treated as a tick-box exercise.

In the UAE, a huge majority (89%) of cybersecurity professionals agree that there is a well-defined ownership of cyber risk at the board and management level, whether that sits with one individual (38%) or a committee/taskforce (51%). Yet, about a quarter (26%) of respondents highlighted that cybersecurity is not being considered a priority by C-suite/board level which has become a significant challenge for the business. With ownership not equating to prioritisation in the cyber space, it’s no surprise that 44% of UAE cyber professionals call out feeling undervalued by their business and 36% call out feeling undervalued by their boss as two of their biggest frustrations.

“Ownership is not enough if it doesn’t translate into action. Creating a culture of cybersecurity across the organisation needs to be a priority on the board’s