Businesses in the Middle East still unsure about security issues

To help them address their concerns and formulate a strategy, ComGuard - the region's leading IT security provider - will host a seminar for senior management and IT professionals on April 21 at the Fairmont Hotel, Dubai.

At the groundbreaking workshop, supported by ITP events, ComGuard, alongside protection specialists F5 and Netscreen, will provide the latest information and advice about IT security solutions. Comguard will provide an overview of the latest processes and trends in the security market, industry experts Netscreen will discuss firewalls and the concept of virtual private networks, while F5 will educate attendees about application switching.

"Investing in IT security really comes back to the old saying that prevention is better than cure. ComGuard wants to educate Dubai's decision makers that by spending wisely on safeguarding their data now, they can potentially save their organizations millions in losses in the event of a hack attack," said Daniel Nufer, managing director, ComGuard.

At a time when a lot of spending on IT has slowed, the security market is still showing steady growth. A report by IDC says worldwide revenue for the security software market increased to $6.9 billion last year and local experts say businesses in Dubai are keeping up with this global trend.

"The security software market - and IT security overall - continues to grow strongly at a time when many sectors of the IT markets are flat or, in some cases, declining," said Nufer. "It's apparent is that companies are looking for ways to protect their businesses. However, there is real need for guidance and expert advice within the market."

"With greater awareness on the area of IT protection, an increasing number of business leaders are recognising the great value of their information and the real impact that downtime has on a company's reputation and revenue," he added.

The Dubai seminar is part of ComGuard's regional roadshow, which will also visit Doha, Jeddah and Riyadh in April.

ComGuard custom-tailors hardware, software, and networking solutions from a range of leading security vendors to meet the specific needs of individual companies in the Middle East, and its multinational team of skilled professionals offers a full-range of training and support services.

ENDS