Cisco Systems And Its Partner I4 Solutions Participate At Web Summit Qatar 2025
i4 Solutions, a Cisco Gold Partner, is redefining enterprise technology with AI-driven automation and advanced networking. This strategic partnership underscores their unwavering commitment to empowering Qatari organizations with intelligent, secure, and scalable technology that drives operational efficiency and fosters innovation.
As businesses across Qatar and the region accelerate their digital transformation journey, the demand for AI-powered solutions that optimize IT operations, enhance security, and enable seamless scalability has never been greater. At Web Summit Qatar, i4 Solutions and Cisco will showcase cutting-edge innovations that integrate AI, automation, and advanced networking, bridging the gap between emerging technology and real-world business applications. By leveraging these solutions, enterprises of all sizes and across all industries can adapt, scale, and thrive in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Boutros El Haddad, General Manager of i4 Solutions, said: 'We believe that AI and automation are the driving forces behind the future of technology. Our collaboration with Cisco at this year's Web Summit Qatar represents a shared commitment to delivering intelligent, secure, and scalable solutions that empower businesses to innovate, grow, and stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital landscape.' He also expressed their pride in participating for the second consecutive year, and reiterated their continued support for this pivotal global event in Qatar.
i4 Solutions and Cisco's long-standing collaboration is built around their shared objective of empowering businesses to achieve greater efficiency, agility, and competitiveness, aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030's goals to establish the nation as a leading hub for innovation and digital transformation.
By combining Cisco's industry-leading networking and security solutions with i4 Solutions' AI-driven innovation, businesses can experience enhanced operational efficiency through smarter automation and optimized workflows, significantly reducing operational costs. Additionally, organizations can ensure their digital assets remain protected against evolving threats with Cisco's robust cybersecurity infrastructure. With seamless scalability and future-readiness through AI-driven insights and cloud-native architectures, companies can maintain a competitive edge in the market. This powerful synergy unlocks new revenue opportunities and drives innovation across industries.
With a focus on enabling scalable growth, accelerating innovation, and strengthening business agility, i4 Solutions continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in enterprise IT. 0 0
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Fady Younes is one of the most respected cybersecurity practitioners across the Middle East, and as Cisco's Managing Director for all things associated with cybersecurity in the region, there is few better placed to comment on the findings. Fady began the conversation by highlighting the hype and momentum around AI, but conceded that it is difficult for a lot of enterprises to both adopt AI and secure at the same time. 'Look, we know there is a lot of hype in relation to AI, and especially here in our region. However, while AI brings the promise of new possibilities and boosts organisations' innovation and competitiveness, it also adds layers of complexity and risks to an already complicated security landscape. It's challenging for companies to embrace and secure AI, and both of those things are taking place at an exceptionally fast pace. There is quite clearly a disconnect between the general understanding of the threats posed by AI, and what it takes to secure the organisations against those threats, and this gap poses a critical risk,' said Younes. Younes highlighted the role Cisco is playing in terms of creating more awareness on the risks posed by AI, and at the same time is proactively investing significantly in education and upskilling. 'Cyber attackers are not standing still, in fact, on the contrary, they're actually, leveraging AI to automate and scale their operations, including phishing, deep fakes, but also other sophisticated attacks that are hard to both predict and prevent. Cisco's approach to bridging the awareness gap, is actually across multiple areas. The first one is about all upskilling and education. The Cisco Networking Academy is committed to training cybersecurity professionals, focusing on AI, cybersecurity, and data science. 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Now as I mentioned earlier in the conversation, cyber criminals are leveraging AI in their attacks, so with them doing that, we as a leader on the defense side have to counter-attack that because the organisations cannot rely on human scale defense – and that's why Cisco has embedded AI in cybersecurity defense to assist, automate, and augment the capabilities of the SecOps team,' said Younes. 'While AI brings the promise of new possibilities and boosts organisations' innovation and competitiveness, it also adds layers of complexity and risks to an already complicated security landscape.' He added that Cisco has introduced AI assistance across its entire security portfolio – and highlighted the role played by its Cisco AI Defense product that was launched in January 2025. 'We are introducing AI assistants all across our product and solution stack, and we are empowering the SecOps team by providing them actionable insights through AI to automate their complex workflows, which reducing the time required for incident response. And this will ensure that even less experienced analysts, and we know the scarcity of those, can effectively manage all these AI-driven threats. Our latest innovation, the Cisco AI Defense, is actually purpose built for enterprises to develop, deploy, and secure the AI applications with confidence. It is an end-to-end solution that protects both the development and the use of AI applications, so that enterprise can advance their AI initiatives with confidence, because the last thing we want to do is slow down that AI adoption. However, at the same time, we cannot let them go with all the risks that are associated. 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This awareness gap leaves organizations critically exposed. AI is compounding an already challenging threat landscape. In the last year, over half of organisations (55%) suffered cyberattacks, hindered by complex security frameworks with siloed point solutions. The top three types of cybersecurity incidents include malware (76%), phishing attacks (59%), and data breaches by malicious actors (47%). Ransomware attacks were mentioned by 39% of respondents. Fady Younes, Managing Director for Cybersecurity at Cisco Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania and CIS, said: 'As AI reshapes our world, it brings an entirely new class of risks at an unprecedented scale, putting even more pressure on infrastructure and those who defend it.' He added: 'Our region's leadership in AI adoption is remarkable, paving the way for a dynamic future where innovative, AI-driven cybersecurity measures are critical for enhancing and protecting our digital landscape. Cisco is committed to support organizations in the region in enhancing their digital resilience by prioritizing AI solutions, streamlining security architecture, and addressing talent shortages. Today, preparedness is key to ensuring that businesses remain relevant and can thrive in the AI era.' The Index evaluates companies' readiness across five pillars – Identity Intelligence, Network Resilience, Machine Trustworthiness, Cloud Reinforcement, and AI Fortification – and encompasses 31 solutions and capabilities. Based on a double-blind survey of 8,000 private sector security and business leaders in 30 global markets, including 202 in the UAE, respondents detailed their deployment stages for each solution. Companies were then categorized into four readiness stages: Beginner, Formative, Progressive, and Mature. Findings Cybersecurity preparedness in the UAE remains alarmingly low, especially as 75% of respondents anticipate business disruptions from cyber incidents within the next 12 to 24 months. Further: AI's Expanding Role in Cybersecurity: An impressive 96% of organizations use AI to understand threats better, 93% for threat detection, and 77% for recovery, underscoring AI's vital role in strengthening cybersecurity strategies. An impressive 96% of organizations use AI to understand threats better, 93% for threat detection, and 77% for recovery, underscoring AI's vital role in strengthening cybersecurity strategies. Generative AI (GenAI) Deployment Risks: GenAI tools are widely adopted, with 45% of employees using approved third-party tools. However, 20% have unrestricted access to public GenAI, and 54% of IT teams are unaware of employee interactions with GenAI, underscoring major oversight challenges. GenAI tools are widely adopted, with 45% of employees using approved third-party tools. However, 20% have unrestricted access to public GenAI, and 54% of IT teams are unaware of employee interactions with GenAI, underscoring major oversight challenges. Shadow AI Concerns: 33% of organizations lack confidence in detecting unregulated AI deployments, or shadow AI, posing significant cybersecurity and data privacy risks. 33% of organizations lack confidence in detecting unregulated AI deployments, or shadow AI, posing significant cybersecurity and data privacy risks. Unmanaged Device Vulnerability: Within hybrid work models, 88% of organizations face increased security risks as employees access networks from unmanaged devices. This is exacerbated by using unapproved Gen AI tools. Within hybrid work models, 88% of organizations face increased security risks as employees access networks from unmanaged devices. This is exacerbated by using unapproved Gen AI tools. Investment Priorities Shift: While almost all (98%) organizations plan to upgrade their IT infrastructure in the next 12-24 months, only 9% allocate more than 20% of their IT budget to cybersecurity. This finding suggests an opportunity for enhanced investment in comprehensive defense strategies, as the pace of threats continues to rise. While almost all (98%) organizations plan to upgrade their IT infrastructure in the next 12-24 months, only 9% allocate more than 20% of their IT budget to cybersecurity. This finding suggests an opportunity for enhanced investment in comprehensive defense strategies, as the pace of threats continues to rise. Complex Security Postures: Over four in five (81%) organizations report that their complex security infrastructures, dominated by the deployment of more than 10 point security solutions, are hampering their ability to respond to threats swiftly and effectively. Over four in five (81%) organizations report that their complex security infrastructures, dominated by the deployment of more than 10 point security solutions, are hampering their ability to respond to threats swiftly and effectively. Talent Shortage Impedes Progress: A staggering 87% of respondents identify the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals as a major challenge, with 57% reporting more than 10 positions to fill. To tackle today's cybersecurity challenges, organizations in the UAE must invest in AI-driven solutions, simplify security infrastructures, and enhance AI threat awareness. Prioritising AI for threat detection, response, and recovery is essential, as is addressing talent shortages and mitigating risks from unmanaged devices and shadow AI.
