Fortinet Reinforces Middle East Cybersecurity with AI, Cloud, and OT Advancements at GITEX 2025
As one of the most anticipated technology gatherings in the region, GITEX 2025 will serve as a critical platform for conversations around AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Fortinet, a long-standing player in shaping secure digital ecosystems, is set to showcase its latest innovations that address the growing complexity of threats across IT, OT, and cloud environments. In this Q&A, Alain Penel, Vice President – Middle East, Turkey and CISO at Fortinet, shares insights on how the company is harnessing AI, reinforcing regional commitments, and delivering solutions tailored to the Middle East’s evolving security landscape.
As AI continues to reshape the cybersecurity landscape, what AI-driven innovations or enhancements will Fortinet be showcasing at GITEX this year, particularly for real-time threat detection and automated response?
At GITEX 2025, Fortinet will be showcasing innovations in the Fortinet Security Operations (SecOps) platform that seamlessly integrates behaviour-based sensors to detect and disrupt threat actors across the attack surface and along the cyber kill chain. By applying AI and automation to security operations function, cyber risks are reduced by speeding up detection and containment as well as investigation and remediation. GITEX visitors will also be able to learn more about FortiAI, which is embedded across the Fortinet Security Fabric and enhances protection against new and emerging threats, simplifying and automate security and network operations, and secure employee use of AI-enabled services.
How does Fortinet plan to leverage GITEX as a platform to reinforce its commitment to the Middle East? Are there specific regional initiatives, partnerships, or market segments you are focusing on in the coming year?
Digital transformation has been a major trend in Middle Eastern organisations and in particular the adoption of cloud for some workloads. This, alongside rapid developments in the field of AI, have expanded attack surfaces, leading to a significant increase in cyber threats in the region. At GITEX 2025 Fortinet will address these regional challenges by showcasing comprehensive security solutions, including FortiCloud and FortiAI, that enable organisations to embrace new technologies and transform their operations whilst being protected from existing and emerging threats and ensure compliance with local legislation.
With critical infrastructure in the region rapidly digitalising, what role will Fortinet’s OT security solutions play in helping enterprises secure their converged IT-OT environments — and will GITEX see any major announcements in this area?
Fortinet’s OT Security Platform has been at the forefront of development for over 20 years, protecting critical infrastructure and industrial sites from evolving cyberthreats. As cyberthreats against critical infrastructure and across industries such as energy, transportation, and manufacturing continue to grow, Fortinet continues to deliver comprehensive security solutions tailored for operational technology environments all managed through a single, unified platform.
At GITEX, Fortinet will be showcasing the Fortinet OT360 Demo Kit, a hands-on platform designed to demonstrate real-world cybersecurity use cases across critical industries. From oil and gas operations to power grids covering generation, transmission, and distribution, as well as water and wastewater facilities and modern transportation systems, this kit brings to life the threats and protections that matter most in operational technology environments. The OT360 Demo Kit highlights how Fortinet delivers unified visibility, risk management, and resilient security tailored to safeguard essential infrastructure that keeps our world running.
Cloud transformation continues to accelerate in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. What will Fortinet be highlighting at GITEX around securing hybrid and multi-cloud environments, and how are you addressing local compliance and data residency concerns?
Fortinet’s ongoing investment in global cloud infrastructure empowers its platform strategy and commitment to delivering security with the best application experience possible, wherever customers operate. At GITEX 2025, Fortinet will showcase FortiCloud, which allows organisations to simplify and secure hybrid operations with a unified, cloud-native platform. It centralises policy enforcement, features AI-powered threat intelligence and optimises costs while reducing operational complexity, improving visibility, and protecting data and users across distributed environments.
Fortinet’s Sovereign SASE solution, meanwhile, allows organisations to securely connect and protect users, applications, and data, regardless of location, thus meeting compliance complexities where local data protection regulations create strict requirements around data governance. It guarantees that data resides and is processed within specific geographical boundaries, providing complete control over sensitive data complying with regional data regulations.
