The world is existing in a digital age, where data is among the most valuable commodities for a business. Data is consistently collected and utilised across society and industry alike, becoming a necessity for the continuation of the world as it exists today. However, this crucial need brings significant risk, with companies and individuals both in danger of cyberattacks. Therefore, to ensure security in the face of such threats, cyber protection is a must-have for all; with companies like Acronis forming to defend against such challenges.
Founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis is a Swiss-Singaporean global leader in cyber protection. Senior Vice President Sales APJ & MEA and Global Channel, Pasha Ershow explains the fundamentals of this offering. “What is cyber protection? It's a combination of cybersecurity on one side, and then data protection on the other side. The thing is that only the convergence of these technologies can protect you in the modern digital world.”
Patrick Pulvermueller, CEO of Acronis, explains the company’s position. “Our mission is very simple - to protect all data, all applications and all systems for everyone around the world.”
As a business with operations worldwide, Acronis works with clients across all sectors which include healthcare and sport.
Pasha Ershow discusses the company’s engagement with the sport sector. “Sport is one of the industries that has gone through a massive digital transformation recently. And as more and more components and elements of sport and the way teams operate are moving to digital, they need more protection.”
With such a digital transformation comes significant risk as hackers see this space as an opportunity. This is why Acronis has entered into multiple partnerships with leading sport teams, which rely on real-time data and key systems – it is an industry where every bit of data is now critical for the performance.
When it comes to the healthcare space, the risk of cyberattacks takes on a dangerous tone. Ershow explains, “We have the healthcare sector as one of the key industries that we try to protect. Because hospitals or medical facilities have this issue of people being between life and death. Of course, attacks on hospitals that are now pretty much dependent on IT infrastructure as well can lead to very bad outcomes that we want to help to prevent.”
Acronis’ engagement with this reality means that the company has developed robust cyber protection solutions for use in this infrastructure. “So even if they are hit by an attack, their IT systems and their general structures either stay intact if we can fully prevent the attack, or we help them recover as fast as possible.
For all its importance across modern life, recognition of the need for cyber protection is still not at the level it needs to be globally – and it is also the case in the UAE especially among small-businesses. Head of Marketing and Communications at Acronis, Mareva Koulamallah explains, “In the UAE, 25 per cent of people admit not to be using any cyber protection, this is from a survey we conducted.”
Cyber protection often does not come automatically for devices, and thus any number of individuals choosing not to have it is problematic. “I think here with the UAE and how well the economy is doing and all the technology being used, there is definitely an added attractiveness for cybercriminals. So this is why we will definitely want to be present here and provide a solution and our support to the country.”
Acronis is actively engaging with efforts to educate around the topic.
As a world-leading cyber protection firm, Acronis is well placed to operate in the MEA region, bringing the expertise and skill of a global organisation with local representation to tackle the regional cyber challenges of the UAE and beyond.
