FEATURE
Cvete Koneska, Global Security Director at International SOS and enterprises accelerate initiatives around smart cities, fintech, e-government and critical infrastructure modernisation, the region’ s digital footprint has grown, along with its exposure to cyber risk.
CIOs are now expected not only to enable innovation and operational efficiency, but also to safeguard national assets, customer trust and Business Continuity in the face of sophisticated cyberattacks, regulatory pressure and geopolitical uncertainty. In this context, CIOs across MEA are reshaping IT strategies to embed security by design, invest in resilience and align cybersecurity outcomes with broader organisational and economic objectives.
Cvete Koneska, Global Security Director at International SOS:
Volatility has characterised the events of 2026 so far, and organisations must prepare for more in the months ahead. Information security risks are accelerating globally, and our Risk Outlook 2026 report found that 57 % of respondents state new risks are emerging faster than they can deal with.
We are seeing a convergence of risks in today’ s world – stemming from geopolitical challenges, natural hazards, extreme weather, economic pressures and so on. As a result, CIOs need to become more agile in order to successfully anticipate, identify and address new and unexpected risks.
Access to verified time-sensitive risk intelligence is going to be crucial, but almost two-thirds( 66 %) of security professionals report that their funding will be static this year, and one in 10 expect budget cuts.
With more needing to be done with less, many organisations are turning to AI to drive efficiency in risk management. However, our data also reveals that teams are not yet confident in their reliability, with only 6 % ranking AI as an important factor in managing risk. The ability to enable real-time threat detection, predictive analysis and accelerated decision-making across complex environments makes AI an undoubtedly powerful force... but it is not a silver bullet.
As dis- and misinformation proliferates and data sources become more complex, prioritising the effective implementation and utilisation of AI-driven insights is essential for maintaining trust and credibility in 2026.
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