The proposed cybercrime monitoring hub would be the first of its kind in Oman’s corporate sector, according to a top executive familiar with the plans.
When operational, the hub will add to a network of similar facilities set up by the India-based company in a number of south-Asian countries, according to a report by the Oman Daily Observer.
“As an independently run entity and manned as a 24/7 operation, it will respond speedily to a customer’s information security-related requirements”, Firosh Ummer, consulting director of Paladion Networks, said in an interview with the newspaper.
The move to set up a monitoring hub follows Paladion’s opening up an office in Oman to serve its expanding list of clients there, including financial, telecommunications, and petrochemical firms. The company plans to use the office as a base to expand in the Middle East market, which already accounts for one-third of its global revenues, according to the newspaper.
“Today, increasing numbers of people are conducting their business and banking transactions online. At the same time, the Omani government is promoting e-government services through online media, whether it involves simple services such as visa issuance, payment of utility bills, and so on, the trend is growing. While this approach enriches the lives of the people, it also carries with it a good amount of risk, primarily because we place a lot of data in cyberspace, which if not adequately protected, may result in someone else assuming one’s identity”, Ummer said.