Reliable cybersecurity is key to protecting customers and businesses as well as providing peace of mind to stakeholders in enterprises of all sizes. Established by Saudi Telecom (stc), the region’s prominent ICT and digital services provider, sirar by stc is a trailblazing cyber security provider that empowers organizations to take control of their cyber capabilities and digital environments.
Serving over 20 industries and with +500 clients, sirar by stc offers a comprehensive range of solutions that help companies operate online safely, securely, and efficiently, allowing companies to focus on growth, profitability, and operational sustainability. To find out more about the underlying strategies behind their successes, Economy Middle East interviewed Fahad Al-Jutaily, CEO of sirar by stc.
1- Sirar by stc was recently recognized and received the “Managed Security Service Provider Partner of the Year 2021” award. To what do you attribute winning this award?
This comes as part of sirar by stc’s efforts to capitalize on its value proposition, which brings together world-class partners to drive innovation and deliver high quality products and services. It is also driven by our STORM strategy, which defines our strategic priorities toward building and capitalizing on a network of strategic cyber partners and key players that entails the implementation of best practices in operations management, service delivery, key account management, and partnerships. In addition to the above, it is worth noting that sirar by stc has recently won two additional awards highlighting Excellence in Operations & Procedures, as well as Customer Experience & Go-To-Market Strategy. These were awarded by international vendors that recognized sirar by stc’s stellar efforts within the cybersecurity field.
2- What benefits can sirar by stc provide over other global cybersecurity providers operating in Saudi Arabia?
As Saudi Arabia’s leading cybersecurity company, we are also proud to be part of stc, which is the largest telecom provider in the Middle East. This allows for scope and scale not shared by global firms operating in the Kingdom. This affords sirar by stc greater leverage in catering to customers and partners with best-in-class cybersecurity services, thereby allowing them to achieve their objectives. Our unprecedented value comes in the form of proactively protecting our expansive customer base from current and potential threats.
This is also underscored by our close engagement with industry regulators, understanding of local and regional landscapes, and customizing our offering to fit market needs. Sirar by stc is a 100 percent Saudi-owned company, with a strong Saudi team operating and delivering our products and services. Furthermore, sirar by stc has unique access to a plethora of threat intelligence tools and resources, which allow us to cater to [our] subsidiaries, regulators, and strategic business partners [such as Saudi Aramco] and continuously inform and protect them from any potential threats.
3- What are the most common or prevalent types of cybersecurity issues in the Kingdom that business enterprises face?
One of the key issues is the ever-increasing demand for cybersecurity personnel across industries. In foreseeing this issue, sirar by stc has accumulated some of the finest expertise within the KSA landscape to accommodate market demand over the coming period. This is why most enterprises turn to sirar by stc as a service provider that can run their cybersecurity operations using solid Service Level Agreements.
Another key point would be the acceleration of digital transformation initiatives by governments and institutions alike that have expanded the incident surface for cyberattacks. This was particularly predominant during the Covid-19 pandemic, which led many businesses to enable remote working and introduce online services. These developments eventually led to a larger spike in cyberattacks.
4- How do your services support the security of digital transformation at the public and private sector levels?
At sirar by stc, we made sure that our products and services are well-positioned in every aspect of the digital transformation journey in order to protect our clients through the entire value chain. When organizations start moving to the digital front as a result of their digital transformation efforts, this widens the potential attack surface. Sirar by stc would incorporate cybersecurity solutions in order to assist these companies in implementing a robust digital transformation path. The second aspect is our digital trust (digital signature) offering that we call “Sayen,” a high-trust solution to protect organizations, their users, and their documents against unauthorized, accidental, or fraudulent acts. Being a digital transformation enabler, Sayen deploys a robust set of cryptography features that will ensure safe and secure document management workflows.
EME also interviewed Waleed Ali, the Chief Business Excellence officer at sirar by stc.
5- How do you assess the current culture at sirar by stc, enabling the attainment of future objectives and aspirations?
Excellence is the result of a culture that is collaborative, devoted, and driven. We strive for excellence, are committed to providing uncompromising cybersecurity services for our clients, and tirelessly work to create an agile, dynamic culture for our employees. Our values and vision are reinforced in the everyday life of our people, their accomplishments and future career goals. Sirar by stc’s culture is defined by a drive to improve shared objectives that emphasize the professional aspirations of our employees. This is evident in the latest survey conducted by the “Great Place to Work” organization, where our employees shared their sincere appreciation toward a model organization.
