Doha, Qatar – As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, securing and enhancing Qatar’s digital infrastructure has become crucial for the nation’s future. Dhanya Thakkar, EVP of North America and AMEA Sales at Trend Micro, emphasized the importance of implementing effective threat mitigation strategies to align with Qatar National Vision 2030, focusing on economic diversification, digital transformation, and building a knowledge-based economy.
To support this goal, the American cybersecurity company has expanded its North Gulf hub in Qatar, positioning it as a center of excellence for cybersecurity. This hub ensures that businesses, government entities, and critical sectors in Qatar have access to world-class security expertise.
Thakkar highlighted the company’s commitment to addressing the global cybersecurity skills gap, which is estimated at 3.5 million professionals. Through initiatives like the CyberGate internship program, Trend Micro aims to foster local talent, bridging the skills shortage while empowering the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
By integrating AI-driven cybersecurity, proactive threat intelligence, and collaborating across public and private sectors, Trend Micro aims to not only safeguard digital assets but also support Qatar’s broader digital transformation efforts. The company’s goal is to enhance the nation’s leadership in secure and innovative digital development across the region.
“Collaboration is key to cybersecurity innovation,” Thakkar stated, noting that Trend Micro’s Qatari hub is pivotal in advancing regional cyber resilience. It will help drive several initiatives to future-proof cybersecurity capabilities and support Qatar’s digital transformation roadmap by developing cybersecurity frameworks in partnership with government bodies, regulatory authorities, and private enterprises.
In addition to fostering talent, the CyberGate initiative contributes to global and regional cybersecurity research, leveraging AI and machine learning to provide real-time threat intelligence. This helps proactively mitigate cyber risks, ensuring the country’s defenses remain strong in the face of emerging threats.
Trend Micro’s AI and machine learning-powered solutions are designed to tackle increasingly sophisticated cyber risks, such as AI-powered attacks, deepfake scams, and self-propagating malware. The company’s Trend Vision One Platform, with next-gen XDR and AI capabilities, enhances threat detection and response across endpoints, cloud environments, and networks. By using advanced analytics, the platform uncovers sophisticated attack behaviors in real-time, allowing organizations to contain threats before they escalate.
Trend Micro is also addressing vulnerabilities with its Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), the largest vendor-agnostic bug bounty program globally. This initiative provides early visibility into vulnerabilities, helping enterprises stay ahead of emerging threats and proactively strengthen their defenses.
Additionally, Trend Micro’s collaboration with NVIDIA enhances security for AI-enabled environments. With Trend Vision One Sovereign and Private Cloud (SPC), businesses in regulated industries can deploy AI securely while maintaining compliance and data sovereignty.
Thakkar emphasized the need for a cybersecurity-first mindset, particularly with the rise of AI-powered threats. He stressed that Qatar must continue to educate enterprises and individuals through cybersecurity awareness initiatives, ensuring both human and technical defenses evolve to meet the challenges posed by emerging AI threats.
