As technology continues to advance at an unprecedented rate , its impact on various sectors will only deepen , reshaping the way we live , work and interact with the world around us . However , this digitalisation means the attack surface has expanded rapidly , with malicious actors presented with a plethora of opportunities to target organisations .

Against a backdrop of an increasingly complex and sophisticated threat landscape , and business challenges such as a cyberskills shortage and awareness training , Chief Information Security Officers ( CISOs ) face multiple challenges as they strive to secure their organisations ’ digital assets . The emergence of AI is also providing opportunities to attackers and the rising simplicity with which attacks can be executed is a concern among industry professionals .

However , AI also holds immense potential as a game-changer for defenders , providing advanced capabilities to strengthen cyberdefences and mitigate emerging threats .

To find out more about the current cybersecurity and IT challenges facing enterprises in the Middle East , CXO Priorities in partnership with Intelligent CISO surveyed 150 CISOs and those in similar roles to find out about the key challenges they ’ re encountering , how they anticipate AI will impact the industry and how they ’ re planning for future investment . The report aims to present an overview of the current cyberthreat landscape , explore the complexities of managing cybersecurity and reveal how organisations plan to prioritise and invest .

In this month ’ s Secure Horizons feature , we take a look at this research and the key findings .

CISOs optimistic about AI

CISOs in the Middle East agree that AI will be a force for good to the industry , with 83 % supporting this sentiment – a testament to the widespread optimism regarding the potential of the technology .

All respondents said their organisation was looking to deploy AI solutions for cybersecurity , with 40 % stating they were ‘ fully prepared ’ and 60 % indicating they were ‘ preparing to deploy ’. This highlights the direction that the industry is taking when it comes to integrating AI into security strategies . As the technology continues to evolve , CISOs will look to AI solutions to support their overall aims .

A majority of respondents foresee AI enhancing their organisation ’ s cybersecurity posture within the next year – with 37 % anticipating a significant improvement , 28 % a moderate improvement and 29 % a minor improvement within the next year .

Cybersecurity professionals expect threat detection , vulnerability management and threat intelligence to be key areas which will benefit most from AI . With AI able to process vast amounts of data quickly , as well as analyse patterns and anomalies in data , there are opportunities for cybsersecurity teams to get ahead of attackers .

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