Cisco on Tuesday announced its plan for a new local cloud data centre in the UAE for its Duo multifactor authentication (MFA) and secure access solution. Set to launch in mid-2024, the new data centre will support businesses of all sizes in strengthening their cybersecurity posture and improving connection performance.
Dr Mohammed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity of the UAE Government, said: “The UAE is a leader in adopting new and exciting technologies that will be shaping the country’s future. Cybersecurity is a crucial component of a successful digital transformation journey. Our goal is to build a safe and resilient cyber infrastructure in the UAE that enables citizens to fulfill their aspirations and empower businesses to thrive. Today’s announcement of the Cisco Duo cloud data centre in the UAE is important for supporting organizations in responding to the ever-changing cyber risks of the digital age and will contribute to a strong cyber defense ecosystem that protects critical infrastructure and prevents cyberthreats.”
The launch of the cloud data centre in Dubai is part of Cisco’s and Duo’s strategy to build security infrastructure globally that helps prepare customers for the future. It will support full functionality of Duo’s robust zero-trust platform, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for secure remote access, device trust, password-less, adaptive risk-based policies and automated malicious user behaviour detection using Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). It will also enable businesses to enhance their performance and user experience thanks to connection proximity.
“As companies across the globe continue to strengthen their security efforts, it is more crucial than ever to establish a secure infrastructure that safeguards organizations from the growing threat landscape,” says Raj Chopra, senior vice president and chief product officer for Cisco Security. “Cisco puts identity at the centre of our security strategy, leveraging Duo’s capabilities to keep customer data highly secure, and enabling them to focus on providing the best user experience for their customers.”
Today, identity has emerged as the top cybersecurity risk according to Cisco’s Cybersecurity Readiness Index. Findings from Cisco’s 2024 Duo Trusted Access Report based on 16 billion authentications on 58 million different devices worldwide show that companies recognise and use multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password-less technologies as key elements for risk reduction and IT security. The number of MFA authentications using Duo rose by 41% in the past year.
Reem Asaad, vice president, Cisco Middle East and Africa commented: “We understand the complexity of today’s threat landscape and we are proud to offer solutions that help our customers address these challenges. The Cisco Duo cloud data centre is a critical investment to support our customers in building a cloud-based, secure and agile IT infrastructure that can adapt and respond to the ever-changing cyber risks of the digital age.”
The cloud data centre in the UAE is part of Cisco Duo’s global network of cloud data centres across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas. These provide local customers, particularly those in highly regulated industries, such as public sector and financial services, with more choice over service delivery locations.