PwC named a leader in the 2020 IDC MarketScape for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Professional Security Services 2020 Vendor Assessment

• PwC's Cybersecurity and Privacy (C&P) practice benefits from the firm's most significant talent and technology investments as it continuously improves its services and offerings to reflect the maturity of the market.

Dubai, UAE - 13.01.2021:PwC has been named as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: GCC Professional Security Services 2020 Vendor Assessment (December 2020, IDC #META47033220e). The growing sophistication of cyberattacks and expanding threat landscape emphasize the need for a shift in the approach to IT security in the region. Public and private sector organizations in the region realize that cybersecurity demands a strategic focus and targeted investment to successfully reduce potential risks.

According to the IDC MarketScape, ‘PwCs Cyber Security and Privacy practice benefits from the firm’s most significant talent and technology investments as it continuously improves its services and offerings to reflect the maturity of the market, with the aim of embedding security across all products and services. Besides the technical knowledge present and implementation in the region, PwC has also successfully leveraged its massive global knowledge base at a local scale in the GCC market. PwC has an extensive understanding of the local market and regulations, and its risk quantification methodology and operational technology (OT) security skillset are often cited as its key differentiators.’

Building a secure digital society is at the heart of PwC’s Cyber Security and Privacy practice. Through this global mission, PwC brings clarity to the challenges of trust, resilience, and secure enablement, allowing its clients to n be better prepared for cyber and other threats of disruption, and to continue to operate as usual. PwC’s experience center in the Middle East, one part of its offering, helps support our clients by providing a unique interactive simulation of potential threats and responses to real challenges that security practitioners and those at C-Suite and board level are facing.

Cyber Security and Privacy leader for the region, Simone Vernacchia, comments: ‘Our extensive range of cybersecurity and privacy services including data security, operational technology, identity and access management - together with our global business knowledge and strong relationships across the Middle East, means that we bring something truly distinctive to our clients in the region. We always endeavor to understand and support the unique business and regulatory culture and requirements of our Middle East clients. Our goal is to anticipate and deliver on these requirements, with a specific focus on Digital, Industry and OT Cyber Security, Trust, Operational resilience, and Secure enablement as digital technologies further shape the backbone of a more digital society in the region.’

EMEA Cyber Security and Privacy leader, Grant Waterfall added: ‘We’re really proud to see the recognition of PwC's leadership in cybersecurity consulting extend to our clients in the important region of the Middle East. As our presence in the Middle East grows, clients will benefit from an expanded catalogue of technologies, product and service capabilities in cyber, privacy, and risk management, tailored to the unique requirements of the region and powered by local and global investments.’

About IDC MarketScape: IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.