Ernesto Damiani represented SESAR Lab and EBTIC at the UAE Security Forum 2016.

More than a hundred leaders from across government, academia, and the private sector gathered for the inaugural UAE Security Forum on February 21 at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. The forum brought focus to a key topic of global and national security: cybersecurity and the gap that exists in talent needed to maintain sensitive information and critical infrastructure secure.

The event was organized and hosted by AGSIW to help focus on the current state of cybersecurity in the United Arab Emirates and the need to broaden the cyber workforce. Raytheon, a global technology and cybersecurity firm, sponsored the forum as part of its global efforts to help develop professionals to meet the challenges of this dynamic domain.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the UAE Marcelle M. Wahba, president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said the forum allowed for “an incredible amount of important subject matter to be discussed in just one day… Serious cybersecurity measures are vital to national and global security in the 21st century. We have taken some very productive steps today through the UAE Security Forum, and the institute looks forward to continuing this work with Raytheon and its partners.”

“The success of the UAE Security Forum provides the perfect launching point for Raytheon’s week of cyber educational engagement in the Emirates,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information, and Services. “This diverse and talented group of people came together to focus on cybersecurity and the development of expertise to meet the global security challenges in this crucial domain.”

– See more at: http://www.agsiw.org/uae-security-forum-2016-bridging-the-cybersecurity-talent-gap/